Quench 166 February 2018 by Cardiff Student Media

ISSUE 166 | FEBRUARY 2018

Best of

British Beaches 4 Must-Have Apps for Students Interview with

Lower than Atlantis SPECIAL

TY CELF ARTS EDITION

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WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU RAN THE UNIVERSITY? BETH FYDDECH CHI’N EI WNEUD PE BYDDECH YN RHEOLI’R BRIFYSGOL?

3 INTRODUCTIONS

a letter from the editor

First of all, how the hell is it February? I mean, I know January seemed like the longest month ever, what with exams, but WE ARE ALREADY IN THE LAST SEMESTER OF UNI. If you listen closely, you can hear thousands of students screaming with panic and terror. Hear it? For me, it’s (hopefully) the last semester ever. I say hopefully because you can never be too wary. I expect all you third years have been infected with the “crap, what am I gonna do when I finish uni?!” brain fart. I say brain fart because it really is just that. Stop stressing! The world is YOUR oyster, so just make sure you’re working towards YOUR own goals. And for those of you who haven’t got those goals figured out yet, find what makes you happy and pursue that. I had a huge epiphany just the other day, where I realised that the prospect of an unknown future is exciting. Yes, EXCITING. Who knows where you’ll be in 2, 5 or 10 years’ time. Not me, so I’m not going to stress about it yet. As my dearest, Miguel, puts it, first you put the work in ‘till it works out. So, as long as you’re putting work into something you love, then we can all row, row, row our boats gently down the stream,(the stream being life, duh). Second of all… dare I say it? Valentines Day. Okay cool, enough said. I’m not giving it the time of day. *middle finger emoji* This issue is by far my favourite. It’s stronger, polished and gleaming more than ever before. A true diamond. In issue 166, many societal issues are addressed. Features and Technology grabs femininity by the horns #GIRLPOWER, Music delves into music and mental health, and Film & TV shines a headlight on to current issues in the acting industry, that have been going on for too long. This issue also includes Quench’s annual Ty Celf (Welsh for Art House), displaying an array of photographs, illustrations and poems. I feel like a proud mum. I hope you’ve prepared yourself a cuppa, this one is a juicy read. Finally, I thought I would shed some of my top 2 moods my 2018 is embracing: 1. 2.

You’re a diamond. Diamonds are made under pressure. WWCBD. What would Cardi B do?

You’re welcome.

Rach x

Special thanks to: She will never see this, but Sarah Knight – if you haven’t read her books, do it. You won’t regret it, I promise. Molly Jackson and Molly Wyatt; there’s no other two people I’d rather edit Quench with ‘till 4am. Kira, you’re still the MVP. Front page illustration by: Lisa Doran *Not sure if having 3 pictures of me on the Editor’s note is vain, but we’ll roll with it.

Disclaimer: Images used for Street Art article in Culture in issue 165 were taken by Luisa De la Concha Montes.

MEET THE TEAM The Quench team share what they would do if they were given £1000 in cash... Editor-in-Chief: Twitter: @QuenchMag Instagram: @quenchmagcardiff

Rachel Jefferies I would like to think I would be smart and invest it, but I would probably pay Michael Bublé to sing to me. (...and you think I’m joking!) Twitter: @RachJefferies_ Instagram: @rachel.jefferies

Deputy Editor: Molly Wyatt I would buy a pineapple-shaped thrown. And a lifetime supply of Carmex for by Carmex-addicted boyfriend. twitter: @mollymokkamole Instagram: @mollyrwyatt

Head of Design:

Introducing... Quench’s new Clebar Editor: Lleu Bleddyn t @QuenchClebar Lleu ydw i, ac rwy’n un ar hugain mlwydd oed ac yn dod yn wreiddiol o Lanbrynmair. Dwi’n fyfyriwr ail flwyddyn Cymraeg a Newyddiaduriaeth sydd yn ymddiddori mewn rygbi, teithio a dylunio. Wedi holl waith caled criw CMCC edrychaf ymlaen at greu cynnwys yng ngholofn Gymraeg gyntaf cylchgrawn Quench. I’m Lleu, I’m twenty-one years old and originally from Llanbrynmair in Mid Wales. I’m currently a second year student studying Welsh and Journalism and have a keen interest in rugby, traveling and design. Following the great work of CMCC, we finally have a Welsh language section across all of Cardiff ’s Student Media platforms, and I look forward to the year ahead working on the Clebar section in Quench.

Lucy Aprahamian Vegan chocolate. All the vegan chocolate. I’d melt it all in my bath tub and have one hell of a night.

Deputy Designer: Katie Huxtable I’d take me and my gal pals to go and watch Harry Styles do his thing.

Head of Illustration: Lisa Doran If I had £1,000, I’d probably take off and go travelling.

Contributors: Sofia Brizio, Gemma Gibson, Bethan Jenkins, Sophie Marie Manners, Becca Moody, Agata Tylki, Stephanie Row, Andrea Gaini, Anna Winstone, Elsa Harte, Anirudh Suresh, Abbie Rands, Lisa Doran, Saoirse O’Connor, Maxwell Modell, Elizabeth Beckett, Josephine Laura Howie, Rebecca Cornish, Lucy Aprahamian Vittoria Zerbini Buffy Beck Josie von Jascheroff Hannah Ryan Tatum Stafford Molly Wyatt

Page Designers: Vansha Choudhury Cerys Rhys Lleu Bleddyn Rachel Jefferies Nadine Pinnock Molly Geddes Shayna Caplin Rachael Hutchings Martha Hughes Beth Griffiths Matt Lewis Charlie Minett Rowan Lees Erin Brown Maddy Steele Bryony Stephens Sarah Harris Molly Jackson Hannah Stait Fin Stockting Lucy Smith Hannah Sedgwick Charlotte Ellis Liam Ketcher Rachel Nurse

Lucy Aprahamian Katie Huxtable Lisa Doran Rebecca Cornish Andrea Gaini Lleu Bleddyn Ashley Boyle Stephanie Rowe Rachel Jefferies Lleu Bleddyn

5 INTRODUCTIONS

Q3 Editor & Deputy Editor Sarah Thompson & Josie von Jascheroff Josie - I’d buy my mom that designer armchair she’s buying. Knowing me, I’d then go out for celebratory drinks and in my euphoria, buy everybody drinks until I’m broke. Sarah - I’d probably be that sad person who gave a bunch of presents to her parents.Then again... I do want to learn a new instrument? t @Q3_Online| i @Q3_Online

Travel Editor Molly Geddes

Music Editors Erin Brown, Charlie Minett & Rowan Lees

I would buy a one way flight to Asia and wave goodbye to my degree. t @Quench_Travel | i @Quench_Travel

Erin - If I won £1000 I’d do the rounds of all the sick abroad festivals. Charlie - I would go to Nandos everyday... Rowan - I’d go to Lidl and clear them out of halloumi. @Quench.Music | i @Quench.Music

Features Editors Esther Morris & Becca Moody

Food & Drink Editors Nadine Pinnock and Lottie Clark

Technology Editor Rebecca Cornish

Esther - I would spend it on perfecting my righting skills. Becca - It would probably all go on my overdraft, but I’ll probably have enough change for a packet of gum. t @QuenchFeatures | i @QuenchFeatures

Nadine - I would try to be responsible with it but inevitably spend it all on coffee, veggie burgers and wine (that’s the story of my student loan anyway). Lottie - I’d buy a lil pony. t @quenchfood | i @Quench_Food

Probably save it for graduation... who am I kidding, I would totally throw it all away in Overwatch loot boxes and probably not even get a single legendary. t @Quench_Tech

Culture Editor Andrea Gaini

Fashion & Beauty Editors Bethan Lawrence & Bryony Stephens

Agony Aunt Rachel Nurse

If I was given £1000, I would fly my niece over from Milan and take her to see the Lion King in London. t @QuenchCulture | i @QuenchCulture

Bethan - I’d spend all £1000 on clothes, with no regrets. Bryony - If I won £1000 the biggest online shopping order would be coming to my house, splashing out with that next day delivery. t @QuenchFashion| i @QuenchFashion

If I had £1000 given to me I would pay for flights for my South America trip this summer. t @QuenchAgonyAunt

Columnist Gemma Gibson

Film & TV Editor Molly Jackson

With £1000 I would either go on a super-duper extravagent holiday, or buy a lifetime supply of lasagne.

£1000 would probably only just cover a cinema trip with popcorn, a packet of minstrels and a small Coke so I would maybe spend it on that. i @QuenchFilmTV

Copy Editors Hannah Stait, Courtney Bridge, Holly Weeks and Kate Eagleton Hannah - If I won £1000 I would legit buy a puppy. Or two. Maybe three. Courtney - a shopping spree in Paris. Holly I’d go on holiday... anything to escape the stress of third year responsibilities! Kate - I’d buy all the stock of a prosecco store.

Prejudice isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t funny and shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be used as the punch line to a joke. cardiffstudents.com / itsnojoke

7 CONTENTS

CONTENTS

TECHNOLOGY

CLEBAR FOOD & DRINK

FILM & TV

TRAVEL

FASHION & BEAUTY

8 Column: My Love Affair With Money 9 Why periods need to be taken more seriously. Period. 11 Collectables - the magical and the mad A mocha with Big Jeff 45 12 It’s #NotOn Facing the music: the state of mental health in music 46 14 The art of comics Lower Than Atlantis interview 48 16 Carnivals around the world Introducing Boy Azooga 50 18 Medieval inventions: you never knew about Album reviews 51 20 Adolygiad peiriant ateb How fashion transformed slut shaming 52 20 Claddu’r Mochyn The hype-beast saga 53 21 Clebar â Gareth! Are you animal-cruelty aware? 55 23 Ty Celf Fashion Photoshoot 57 31 Coffee by Joe If you’re not horrified, you’re not listening 60 34 So you’re thinking about going plant-based... How old? 62 35 Recipe Corner Film reviews 64 36 Food Photoshoot Digital demons: the power of social media 66 40 Volunteering abroad: useful or unsustainable? Must-have apps for student life 68 42 Best of British beaches The women who shaped science 69 44 Go backpacking they said, it will be fun, they said... Agony Aunt 71

MUSIC

CULTURE

FEATURES

PHOTOGRAPHY BY: DEEPALI POOJARA

8 COLUMN

A bucket-full of

Gemma

COLUMNIST GEMMA GIBSON TALKS ABOUT HER LOVE AFFAIR WITH MONEY... Hi, I’m Gemma, and I have a money-spending addiction. Most people will tell you money can’t buy you happiness. Money can’t give you the same satisfaction as a loved one, health, or being a good person. But trust me, they are wrong. Most people resent me for it, but I just love spending money. Resent me as much as you like, I’ll be walking past with a trail of shopping bags regardless. Give me a holiday bargain, give me a new shop opening on Queen Street, give me some concert offers, and I will be fishing my purse out and stepping out the door within five seconds. Yes, it’s that bad. I just can’t help myself. I’ve earned this money all by myself so why shouldn’t I be entitled to spend it, after all? The surge of happiness I feel when I buy a new pair of trainers to add to the already thirty gathering dust under my bed, just cannot be described. And who can deny the rush of excitement they feel when buying their favourite cheeky meal deal? Not me, that’s for sure!

Gemma Gibson is Quench's columnist this year. Third year Journalism student, she is here to discuss (or rant about) anything and everything on her mind. Find her on Twitter @ GemmaaGibson or on her blog https://gemmagibson95. blogspot.co.uk Illustration by: Lisa Doran

Sometimes I am a little bit more cautious with my expenditure, but as soon as I receive wages or one of those “I’ve transferred that money to your account x” text messages from Mum, there I am sussing out the latest ASOS order and holiday deposits. I may even get a Dominos to celebrate the brief increase in my bank account. Plus, I think this spending is getting worse with age - since beginning my third year, I’ve invested in a gym membership I barely take advantage of, I’ve booked four holidays, and I book tickets to concerts every other week. I can always link my life to spending money; returning to university in January meant replacing all my old and unused highlighters with new ones for starters, and going on countless trips to Spain means even more opportunities for bikini shopping. It’s not just shopping for me, either - I LOVE birthday-present shopping for people; I get so into it I just forget how much money I’m actually spending. A £25 candle set? Sure, they’ll love it! A £10 cactus? Yeah, they already have three so I’m sure another one won’t hurt! I guess I could just buy people one of those generic and cute toiletry sets from The Body Shop, but where’s the fun in that?! Everyone can benefit from my spending habits, really. You’re probably thinking “How does Gemma the Columnist, our hero, have all this money to burn?!” and, to be honest, it can be a struggle. Student finance and overdrafts can definitely help, though! And you don’t need to be jealous or hateful, to be honest, I now have no money. Like every human, I do work, which unfortunately is the most rewarding income (hence why I spend it all.) Even so, I do try to limit my spending habits, believe me, I do. I turned down a Wagamama Deliveroo the other night, and, being my favourite restaurant, turning down that chicken katsu was a BIG restraint. I move money to a separate bank account, I budget myself on nights out, I try to avoid Burger King mozzarella sticks at all costs, but, honestly, what I don’t spend then, I will just spend on something a week later. When not treating myself time and time again, you’ll see me attempting to scrape by on the last few remnants of my

overdraft (which I increased by £1000 to go on the ski trip last December…oops,) I budget about £10 for the fortnightly Lidl shop, and I have to do A LOT of overtime at work. But these more peasant-like moments make the shopping splurges and trips away completely worth it. People think I’m insane for what I spend money on, but frankly, like Tay-Tay I’m feeling 22, and I want to spend my last few months before (the dreaded) graduate life doing stuff I love. Maybe I’m having a panic over university nearly being over for me, or that the first draft of my dissertation is due next month, but I am also at an age where I do not yet need to worry about a house or a mortgage or how to commute to work. How to look after money is the next big chapter in my life, so for now, I’m going to do everything I love, no matter how much it costs. I’d rather make memories than hide under my duvet all year, only going out if I’ll spend less than a pound. Afraid to commit to adult life until at least twenty-five, I’m instead committing my life to making memories, and, let’s face it - the best memories usually do involve forking out a bit of cash. Obviously, spending time with friends and family is another key to happiness, but holidays, shopping, adventure and dinner dates are surely some of the best ways to spend time with your favourite people. Don’t get me wrong, I admire those who can get by on a budget and still live their best lives. It takes some strong willpower to turn down your favourite pair of jeans or a trip to the cinema with friends, a willpower I evidently do not have. These people are an inspiration to me, and hopefully, in a few years, I will learn to be just like them. As for now, my only mindset is “GIRL, YOU EARNED THIS”, which is ironic considering one of my favourite movies is Confessions of a Shopaholic. At the end of the day, these super-savers are the people who are going to be living in mansions with petting zoos and saunas in about seven or eight years, while I’ll still be scraping by on yet another little shopping endeavour. It’s who I am. OF COURSE, you don’t have to be as extravagant as me when it comes to splashing the cash. In fact, you definitely don’t. BUT on the opposite end of the spectrum, you don’t need to lock every single penny away in a safe. Despite those heroic figures out there who can save money, we’re all allowed to indulge once in a while. You can say money doesn’t buy you happiness, but I doubt you’ll be sulking after you’ve bought a new car or paid off the last of your holiday to Ibiza. Yeah, you may be poorer than usual for a little while, but with the priceless memories and fun you’ll be gaining, who’s the real winner? Imagine how boring it would be if you invited the girls round for dinner and gave them some wet salad because you’re ‘saving’. I mean, when people say that, what are they actually saving for?! Even they don’t know what they’re saving for, so just slip their debit card out of their pockets and order a takeaway, pronto. And while you’re there, transfer me some money, please.

- Gemma

9 FEATURES

Why periods need to be taken more seriously.

Period.

On average, half of the world’s population will spend more than six years of their life on their period. If you are one of the 7% of women I surveyed who doesn’t experience any symptoms during menstruation, this statistic may not flood you with wincing dread. However, for the rest of us this is a less than welcome reminder of the years, or even decades, stretching ahead. Perhaps to some this is a slightly dramatic or in some way disproportionate reaction. Well, the NHS website lists no fewer than twenty-two of the most common physical, psychological and behavioural symptoms associated with periods. These include nausea, anxiety, back ache, abdomen pain, confusion, decreased self-esteem and insomnia. Still with me? The page also kindly points out there are in fact over one hundred recorded symptoms and that they are predictable neither month-to-month nor personto-person. I decided to conduct my own survey* in order to find out what young women were really experiencing on their periods. “There are so many different variants,” explained one participant. “I throw up and faint on a regular basis due to mine, but have friends who don’t even have cramps. It’s all very circumstantial.” In fact, I found that 93% of young women experienced symptoms from one to all of these three (physical, psychological and behavioural), categories. So what does this mean in terms of everyday life? Well, more than three quarters of the women I surveyed felt that their period had affected their performance during work or study. The majority of participants also stated they had even missed time at work or lectures because of their period. Contraception can also affect how women’s bodies cope with periods. Since having the IUD fitted (also known as the coil, using copper instead of hormones), I found my periods intensified; in particular, the associated cramps and pain. As became clear during my research, I was by no means alone. 34% of participants experienced changes to their cycle after using forms of contraception, making their periods more difficult or painful. A further 17% said they experienced changes but couldn’t be certain that a contraceptive was the cause. Trawling through NHS advice pages, every contraceptive option appears to risk altering your periods. This can often be in a positive as well as negative way, however there are also possible side-effects. The issue is that it is almost impossible to predict exactly how, and even if, contraceptives will affect you. Although rare, the death of 21-year old Fallan Kurek from a blood-clot last year raised concerns. It emerged that side-effects from her contraceptive pill were not effectively treated and that this had led to her death. Even without contraceptives getting involved, other healthrelated issues can further complicate periods. “I was diagnosed with Endometriosis, which is related to my periods, and makes them

“I don’t“Itrust don’t trust anything anything that bleeds bleeds for that a week and for a week and doesn’t die” doesn’t die”

In the Company of Men (1997) In the Company of Men (1997)

absolutely unbearable,” said second year Journalism and Sociology student, Sarah Harris. “It took 7-8 years before I was diagnosed and I was in and out of A&E from the age of 12 because my pain would get so bad.” This condition is one of the most severe menstrualrelated illnesses. Endometriosis is lifelong and involves pieces of tissue detaching and moving to other parts of the body, such as the ovaries, in or around the bladder and even the lungs. It is particularly difficult to diagnose and has significant impact on the lives of women who are affected. But, of course, there are always those who will argue that just over half of the entire world has the potential to experience periods. Not all of them have health complications, severe symptoms or even complaints at all. So are periods really that big of a deal? Well, to society, apparently not. According to my research, women do not feel that periods are taken seriously enough. They want this to change. “I think women are feeling more courage to talk about it and question how we go about the topic of periods in the media,” said one participant. “I think anything intimate or biological will always remain a bit taboo”. However, despite this taboo, some prominent women are beginning to speak out. Last year Chinese Olympic swimmer, Fu Yuanhui, made global headlines after confessing her period adversely affected her performance during a race. This year, British long jumper Jazmin Sawyers withdrew from a competition due to her own intense cramps. These women broke the myth: sometimes, periods are a big deal. Maybe not all the time, maybe not for every person, but they can make a difference. Of course, there will always be those (women as well as men), who say this is all just Mother Nature’s doing and that we should just ‘get on with it’. But what about those man-made implications which are under society’s control? According to the latest study, periods cost women a reported average of £492 a year. These costs range from the expense of sanitary towels and tampons to that of replacement underwear and painkillers. The cost of even the most basic sanitation items creates particular barriers for vulnerable women, such as those who may be homeless. UK charity, ‘The Homeless Period’ say that shelters are given government allowances to buy items such as condoms, but that there are no provisions made for purchasing sanitary products. The organisation launched a petition to change this, reaching over 100,000 signatures. Because of this, the issue was debated in parliament. However, it remains unresolved. But, perhaps surprisingly, it is not only the homeless population who worry about sanitary towel provisions. 85% of young women I surveyed said that they had been personally concerned about the associated costs of their period. Products considered a basic necessity are exempt from Value Added Tax (VAT) in the UK. H o w e v e r,

10 WORDS BY: BETHAN ROSE JENKINS tampons and towels are not currently categorised as such and are therefore subject to this additional tax. “Sanitary products should be free or at least a lot cheaper,” said one participant. “We don’t choose to have periods so why should we have to pay for them?”

DESIGN BY: ASHLEY BOYLE

“85% of young women I surveyed said that they had been personally concerned about the associated costs of their period” “One of the symptoms [of Endometriosis] is continuous bleeding and last year I bled for 6 months non-stop,” said Sarah Harris. “You can imagine how much I had to spend on pads.” The sentiments of both women were certainly echoed in my study, as participants were almost unanimously in favour of abolishing the ‘Tampon Tax’. Many people believe the failure for sanitary products to be exempt from this tax means they are being unjustly categorised as ‘luxury items’. Despite the presence of the overtaxing and underfunding of sanitary needs, conversations do seem to be slowly opening up across society. A number of artists have been engaging in the topic, whether this be with exhibitions, photography or free-bleeding demonstrations. Transgender artist and educator, Class Clemmer, also shed light on the experiences of transgender people and periods. They even launched their own book, ‘The Adventures of Toni the Tampon: A Coloring Book’ which aims to confront the secrecy maintained around periods. And it’s not just artists; businesses have also been getting in on the activism. Bodyform recently launched a campaign which challenged the advertising standard for sanitary products. Their new media campaign featured a pad absorbing red blood rather than the restrained blue liquid normally shown by brands on television. In addition to this, the beauty box industry, where subscribers receive a monthly selection of products, has also become part of the conversation. Period Parcel is a package containing personalised pads and tampons for each stage of your cycle which arrives every month on a pre-selected date. The box also offers a selection of the traditional beauty treats and products, including tea and something sweet as a pick-me-up during your period. Their website also features a series of blogs where issues around periods are discussed freely. Of course, these companies are ultimately aiming to make profit and their branding shows they know just how to target the female market. Period Parcel, in particular, has faced trivialisation by some who believe the whole concept is completely self-indulgent. However, we have to hand money to someone for sanitary products. At least we now have companies who are engaging with wider issues as an option. And if we can get it all delivered to our door along with some self-pampering goodies, then all the better. Perhaps, to some, all of this sounds like a complete dramatization of a perfectly natural occurrence. Maybe we’re all just millennial snowflakes trying desperately to console ourselves. But what is clear is that there are real concerns among young women who are starting to demand change. With rising activism and smart PR teams beginning to cotton on, it seems we are beginning to be heard. Besides, if Olympic athletes can sometimes admit defeat, then I’d say we’re justified.

Women; we’re a force of nature. nat Unfortunattely, nature can also a be the proble lem

*SURVEY – ‘Experiences of Youn Young Women and their Periods’ launched 12 October 2017, samp sample size of participants = 100 participants.

DESIGN BY:LISA DORAN I think a lot of us are collectors at heart. Beginning when we are small and often staying with us through to adulthood, collecting specific groups of things can sometimes feel like our own little way of restoring order in the world. I love culminating collections of things that are mine and mine alone, that only I understand the significance of and only I can fully appreciate. I used to have an odd fascination with collecting creepy crawlies when I was young. I carried ants around in my Clarks Daisy shoes (the ones with a little compartment in the sole that had a tiny plastic doll in), until I was given an Ant Farm for Christmas. My mum also found my ‘pet’ snails in my dolls house once while I was at school, but the less said about that the better. I really enjoyed collecting strange things when I was a kid, and judging by the response from our Quench contributors when I asked them what collections they used to acquire, I definitely wasn’t the only one. 1) The fact that I’ve probably worn your grandpa’s clothes because I shop in charity shops plus my passion for little strolls down Roath Lake, characterises me as a nature-loving old man. I take pride in that. This is where my obsession with stones and gems kicks in. As a child, I loved keeping strange looking stones in jars to ‘always have a piece of nature with me. Until I discovered the power of gemstones. So, I moved on and updated my collection. To those who don’t understand ‘rock collecting culture’, gemstones possess spiritual energies for witches - said every hippie ever - so to fulfil my hippie alter-ego, I’ve devoted my life to collecting gemstones because I’m an adult now. - Cynthia Vera 2) When I was younger, I use to collect buttons, paperclips and pins. My coat pocket used to be filled with a handful of mismatch buttons and stray pieces of small stationary that I looted from the teachers’ stash. My parents wondered why they were finding these objects everywhere in their house. It was only when I almost choked on a button that they realised that I was collecting them to put in my mouth. After this, at school, I was given an ultimatum; stop putting things in my mouth or wear oven mitts and a dummy while at school. – Elizabeth Beckett 3) When I was around thirteen my Grandma bought me a glow in the dark rubber duck, which was only the first of many. All in all, I collected 100 pieces of duck paraphernalia over four years. I think I became so attached to these lil things because of how much me and my friends could relate to them – ducks are known for being notoriously weird and speaking a language only they understand. I felt solidarity in their quirks and loved how expressive they could be, from different patterns and colours to celebrity caricatures and voice boxes; their individuality inspired me. – Bethan Linnane 4) From as soon as I became aware of the concept of tickets – a scrap of evidence that you had been somewhere interesting – to the age of around 15, I would religiously collect tickets for anything and everything. Hundreds of train tickets would be stuck to my wall in what could probably pass as some form of modern art, as well as countless tickets to concerts, plays, and musicals. The idea of having a wall of proof and reminders that I had been to new places and seen new things was exciting to me, and in hindsight I think highlights my sentimental and nostalgic side that is definitely still present to this day! Becca Moody 5) Normal people collect items such as stamps, books and football stickers. Me, however, I used to collect a rather concoction of novelties - rubbers, stickers and bars of soap (don’t ask). So let’s start with the rubbers. Every shape, size and animal you could think of; I had them all. My favourites were the little animals that were sold in Accessorize, where each animal was a different colour, labelled with each day of the week and were presented in neat plastic casing. I had everything from penguins, to giraffes. Next, my sticker collection. Now this collection wasn’t modest either. An abundance of shiny stickers, glittery stickers, even 3D stickers. All of which I never used (unless I had two or more of the same sticker, of course!) And then there was my soap collection. Bars of soap from France, Italy, hotel rooms and anywhere else I could get my hands on them. Scented, shaped, shaped like animals - I was always guaranteed one at the bottom of my Christmas stocking. Funny thing is, I still have the soaps somewhere in the back of my wardrobe! - Rachel Jefferies

FEATURES

Collectables - the Magical and the Mad!

WARNING: This article deals with sensitive issues that some may find triggering or upsetting. WORDS BY: SOPHIE MARIE MANNERS IN ASSOCIATION WITH IT’S #NOTON CAMPAIGN FOR CARDIFF UNIVERSITY DESIGN BY: LISA DORAN

EMPOWERED BYSTANDER We know violence and abuse exists on our campus. The 2010 NUS Hidden Marks report states 1 in 4 students will experience unwanted sexual advances whilst at University, with 1 in 7 experiencing a serious physical or sexual assault. This is also part of a wider societal problem. The Welsh National Strategy for addressing violence and abuse highlights that 11% of women and 5% of men experience domestic violence. Stonewall’s research shows 25% of lesbian and bisexual women have experienced domestic abuse in a relationship and almost half (49%) of all gay and bisexual men have experienced at least one incident of domestic abuse from a family member or partner since the age of 16. Cardiff University is proactively addressing these issues through a campaign designed to promote an inclusive campus culture, with support services in place and formal disclosure procedures for students who have been affected by violence and abuse. If you are supporting a friend, you can also access support and guidance to help your friend. Violence and abuse can take many forms, ranging from physical, sexual, financial and psychological/emotional abuse. Due to the alarmingly high rates of sexual violence among young people and the victim shaming that thrives in atmospheres of silence, some materials of the It’s #NotOn campaign focus on sexual violence, but any disclosure of violence or abuse made to the Disclosure Response Team will be taken seriously. The online disclosure tool provides students and staff the opportunity to disclose their experiences of violence and abuse. Your disclosure can remain anonymous or you can choose to identify yourself so that one of the Disclosure Response Team can contact you and offer support and explain your options. Students who choose to disclose anonymously can still provide intelligence to the university to help make our campus safer.

1 4 in

students will

experience unwanted sexual advances whilst at university

As an individual, you have the power to affect real change by leading by example. You can play your part by: t Learning to recognise the signs of violence and abuse and signpost the survivor onto support services. t Practice being a sensitive listener if someone discloses their experience to you. t Consciously challenge your stereotypical beliefs on sex, gender, and traditional roles associated with both. t Speak up for what you believe in! t Become an empowered bystander. The Bystander Effect states that we are less likely to intervene and help someone when part of a crowd. As the number of people present increase, the responsibility is diffused and often it’s up to you to be the change. But before jumping into a potentially dangerous situation, be smart and think about your own safety. After you are sure that you can intervene safely, then consider using one of the Four D’s of Bystander Intervention below... The Four D’s of Bystander Intervention Direct: Point out threatening or inappropriate behavior in a safe, respectful manner. Distract: Make up an excuse to help them get away from someone who might pose danger. Delegate: Alert a bartender or party host that someone has had too much to drink or is vulnerable in some way. Delay: Check in with the victim of the incident after it has occurred to see if you can do anything to help them. Maybe you weren’t there when the incident happened, but you see someone looking really upset walking down the street. Simply saying “Hey, are you okay? Can I do anything?” again illustrates that they are not alone and that you care about those in your community. THE IMPORTANCE OF CONSENT A key theme in the it’s #NotOn campaign is the importance of gaining consent. The absence of ‘no’ is not consent. If your sexual partner is under the influence of drugs or alcohol, unconscious or you don’t reasonably believe they want to have sex with you, then you may not have true consent. The easiest way to make sure is to ask! It can be as simple as ‘Is this OK?’ Or ‘Are you happy if I do this?’ This doesn’t have to be awkward or ‘kill the mood’, quite the opposite actually! It is attractive to be the partner with the confidence to ask. When you’re engaging in sexual activity, consent requires communication. And it should happen every time.

13 FEATURES

Get Support

The Disclosure Response Team: Let us know using the online disclosure tool. Email: disclosureresponseteam@cardiff.ac.uk Hours: Monday to Friday, 09:00 - 16:30 Phone: 029 2087 4844 Out of hours: 0808 8010 800 (Live Fear Free Helpline) Search: ‘Violence and Abuse’ on the student Intranet for more.

Search ‘violence and abuse’ on the student Intranet for more information. Make sure you’re following the @StudentLifeCU blog, Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date on everything you need to know as a Cardiff University student.

WORDS BY: SOFIA BRIZIO | DESIGN BY: ANDREA GAINI

Comic books are a part of pop culture that has been dismissed as low-quality entertainment for years, and sometimes still is today. But I dare you to say you never read a Mickey Mouse comic as a kid. For me personally, these comics were a huge incentive to get passionate about books in general. Over the last few decades, the cultural significance of comics seems to have been somehow forgotten tten, en e overshadowed over ersha sh h do dow d owed d by the the emergence emerg gence of more dynamic technology; however, it is safe to say that thanks to the recent Marvel and DC Comics blockbusters such as Deadpool, an increasingly broader audience has (re)discovered comic books and realised that there’s so much more to them than just a couple of nice drawings. In fact a comic is a form of art in its own right. The classic definition refers to it as sequential art obtained through the juxtaposition of panels representing different scenes, often accompanied by brief captions and speech balloons to give voice to the characters.

That’s what we see in a typical Marvel or DC Comics book, just to name two of the many US pubblishers that achieved worldwide success. This style is considered the foundation to the comic as nd we know it today. The first issue of ‘Action Comics’ in June 1938 saw the debut of Superman, and he other icons such as Spiderman and Batman followed quickly over the next decades. It was the he beginning of the Golden Age of comics, when kids bought comic magazines to read and see the al fight between good and evil, to escape to extraordinary worlds where superpowers were real d, and the good always found a way to win and save everybody. Cartooning was very colourful and, although still simple because of the lack of money for publishers to hire professionals, it set a ut trend for years and years to come. Printed in booklet form, these comics were generally laid out in basic square grids and still relied more on prose than imagery for the unfolding of the story.

It was this shift that finally allowed comics to establish on the market as a key part of pop culture consumption. Even though much attention was paid to produce more refined and visually appealing pieces of work, from the 90s there was a tendency towards more stylised drawing. But it was precisely this feature that proved essential to allow the comic to gain official recognition as a legitimate form of art. Advanced contemporary technology such as digital painting and 3D modelling made it possible to further develop this characteristic today. In some cases, motion comics blur the line between comics and films.

literary work. They were no longer simple popular entertainment. ‘Maus’ by Art Spiegelman was the first comic series to win the Pulitzer prize and to be regarded as a real book in its own right, rather than just a booklet. This important recognition brought to the introduction of the graphic novel. Although there had been previous attempts at self-proclaimed graphic novels, the first one as we know it appeared at the end of the 20th century. This kind of comic differs from the classic one in that it’s not a periodical. Rather, it is a proper book (hence the word “novel” used in a broader sense to include various genres). In terms of style, being a more recent format new technologies lend themselves very well to the purpose of graphic novels. Computerised drawing is the most used technique. This new form has faced a lot of criticism, seen as a fundamentally market-driven strategy that commodifies the comic and deprives it of it’s cultural value. An example of this is the 2011 graphic novel Twilight, an adaptation of Stephanie Meyer’s best-seller book.

All the styles and examples that I’ve analysed until now convey the idea of the comic as a fundamentally Western medium, but that’s not entirely true. In fact, the very first pro prototypes for comics originated in Asia during the 18th century and are still popular tod today in the form of manga. The modern manga was born in Japan in the 1900s. The wo word ‘manga’ is Japanese for ‘pictures’, and refers to a peculiar form of comic magazines ran ranging through different genres, from adventure and crime, to business and historical dra drama. They are generally all black and white, even though some of them are colourful or are colorized when translated for the Western market. The most prominent characteristic is probably the fact that they’re made to be read backwards, which can be confusing es especially for Western readers and in my opinion, takes quite a bit of practice to get used to.

Mo Moreover, they’re really interesting for the cultural values they promote, some of which wider range of themes rather than just the stru struggle between good and evil that we find in most American and British comics. There’s family, tradition, sex and horror. Some of them are actually subjected to age restrictions in some countries due to possibly distressing scenes. Interestingly, they feature a large number of female protagonists, and male characters more often than not are far from the Western idea of masculinity. The style of drawing is also very particular. Different patterns and shades of grey are used to compensate for the lack of colour. For the same reason, compared to Western comics, greater attention is also paid to details, facial expression and body language of characters, resulting in a somewhat less stylised effect.

These are only a few of the most famous styles in the world of comics. Even though they are now quite mainstream thanks to the use of other media to promote them in new forms (such as film or digital comics), they remain a great example of how popular culture doesn’t necessarily have to be miles away from literature. At the end of the day that’s what comics are: visual literature. They show how words and images combined can be an interesting and valuable tool to the imagination of the reader. Be it for the stories they tell or the qualities of the drawing, comics keep attracting a wide audience of all ages, and can be a vehicle for powerful messages just as much as a classic book.

CULTURE

From that point on, comics began to shift away from their typical form of magazine. They were legitimated once and for all as

Carnivals Around the World WORDS BY: STEPH ROWE AND AGATA TYLKI DESIGN BY: LISA DORAN

Mardi Gras Mardi Gras is a day to celebrate history and often famously associated with New Orleans, whether that be through the music, the parade traditions and even the occasion itself. On March 2, 1699, French-Canadian explorer Jean Baptiste Le Moyne Sieur de Bienville arrived at a plot of ground 60 miles directly south of New Orleans, and named it ‘Pointe du Mardi Gras’, after learning he found the plot on the eve of the holiday. In 1703, the tiny settlement of Fort Louis de la Mobile celebrated America’s very first Mardi Gras and in 1710, the ‘Boeuf Gras Society’ was formed and paraded from 1711 until 1861. The procession was held with a huge bull’s head pushed along on wheels by 16 men, all of which occurred on Shrove Tuesday, which is why the carnival occurs the day before Ash Wednesday (February 13th this year). Bienville established New Orleans in 1718 and by the 1730s, Mardi Gras was celebrated openly in New Orleans, but not with the parades we now perform. In the early 1740s, Louisiana’s governor established elegant society balls, which became the model for the New Orleans Mardi Gras balls of today. The earliest reference to Mardi Gras ‘Carnival’ appears in a 1781 report to the Spanish colonial governing body, with that year beginning the formation of the first of hundreds of clubs and carnival organizations within New Orleans. By the late 1830s, New Orleans held street processions of maskers with carriages and horseback riders to celebrate Mardi Gras. Dazzling gaslight torches, or ‘flambeaux’ lit the way and lent each event an exciting air of romance and festivity. In 1875 the ‘Mardi Gras Act’ was signed, making Shrove Tuesday a legal holiday in Louisiana, which it still is. Mardi Gras is all about the parades, the music, picnics, floats and excitement. Celebrators will wear bright, crazy costumes, or at least dress in the colours purple, green and gold and they will adorn themselves with long beads and doubloons caught from the floats of previous parades. Parade watchers will sit on the ground and throw balls, play music and eat fantastic food while watching the festivities.

Day of the Dead This is a three day holiday that occurs between October 31st and November 2nd, that focuses on the gathering of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family who have died and help support their spiritual journey. Sometimes called Dia de los Muertos, the holiday is now associated with western Christian triduum of allhallowtide (Halloween). The traditions of this holiday include building private altars called Ofrendas to honour a deceased by the use of calaveras (decorated or edible skulls), aztec marigolds and visiting the graves of the departed with their favourite foods, offering them as gifts. The Day of the Dead parade itself became even more globally recognised through its representation in the 2015 James Bond film Spectre. This depicted Bond blending into the masked crowd of Mexican locals painted with calavera; the ‘sugar skull’ style trademarked by the Day of the Dead. In the central square, thousands of revelers wave skeletal puppets with gregarious dancers who motion their respects to the dead. Bond created this embellished street party of thousands, and as a result thousands in appeared on the streets all around Mexico, comprising of costumed entertainers, acrobats, dancers and decadent ‘dead’ flotillas. For the last two years since the release of the film, towns all over Mexico such as Xilitla, Xantolo, Pátzcuaro and Oaxaca famously have introduced a town-wide parade to the celebrations of this historic holiday. This shows how Hollywood has influenced culture and reintroduced the exciting notion of carnivals into public festivities.

Rio de Janeiro Carnival in Brazilian Rio de Janeiro is the most famous and the most flamboyant of the carnivals around the world. The largest carnival celebrations in Rio de Janeiro begin on Friday, up until Ash Wednesday. However, despite being less than a week long, the festivals’ programme is jam-packed with games and shows. The parade takes place in Sambadrome, and the infamous balls are held at the Copacabana Palace and on the beach. At the start of the carnival the mayor of Rio transfers keys to the city to King Momo who is considered the king of Carnivals. King Momo is a mythical figure whose roots go back to the time of ancient Greece. It symbolizes the supremacy of partying and freedom over reason. The keys to the city remain in the hands of King Momo until Ash Wednesday, when the mundane reality returns to the streets of Rio. Many schools prepare unusual outfits, filled with colours, feathers and shiny accessories which they display during their performances. Schools present their skills and fantastic dance arrangements throughout the duration of the carnival - that is, for five days and nights. Then, as the carnival draws an end, the best samba school in Brazil is selected and recognised. The history of the carnival in Rio dates back to the beginning of the 18th century, at first it was a battle ceremony. In 1840, the first carnival party took place.and since then, it remains one of the most-loved national holiday and the most popular carnival in the world. Shops are closed and prices in hotels grow by up to 40%.

Venice The first written mention of the Venice carnival dates from 13th century with frivolous games lasting near several months. Now Carnival of Venice is the most popular carnival in Europe. The streets are full of colourful masks, music and fun and is therefore visited by tourists and performers from all over the world - but the Venetians themselves too, take part in the celebrations. The people of Venice produce traditional masks and organize various events related to the carnival, with the people of the city, peformance groups and even private entrepreneurs taking part in the organization. Every year, the carnival has a different theme, yet every year, the ‘angel flight’ begins the festivities, in which an acrobat rises on steel ropes over St Mark’s Basilica. Commedia dell’Arte performances are part of today’s carnival, held in theatres and on the streets of the city. Traditional masks are the most iconic part of carnival and most of them have their own names like the famous Colombina, which is a mask decorated with gold or silver covering only the upper part of the face, or the Arlecchino is a mask made of wood or leather. At the end of the carnival, the most beautiful mask is chosen, and at St Mark’s Square holds a big ball and a fireworks display.

CULTURE

Medieval Inventions You WORDS BY: ANDREA GAINI DESIGN BY: LISA DORAN

The Middle Age – spreading between the 5th and the 15th Century – has often been defined as the “Dark Age” in human history; to express the times of barbarity and underdevelopment following the fall of the Roman Empire. Nevertheless, human creativity has always been incredibly magical, bringing to the world amazing inventions even in the darkest days. If some of these are to be considered revolutionary discoveries such as Galieo’s detections of Jupiter and the Moon, other inventions taken place during the medieval period have helped the shaping of the modern world. However many of these invention are still often mistaken for contemporary inventions due to the Middle Ages being perceived as an aboriginal, forgettable period. Here are some of these older than expected inventions:

Eyeglasses Of all the tools invented throughout history, eyeglasses are definitely to be considered an essential one, giving the opportunity to many to see better the world around them and sometimes even make the difference between life and death. There’s no set date on when the eyeglasses might have been invented, however there is a general tendency among historians to credit it to Salvino D’Armate as the inventor and the monk Alessandro della Spina as the promoter, during the 13th century. Eyeglasses were originally made from metal or bones with quartz lenses implanted in the circular structure. In the 14th century Venetian craftsmen gave to the “disks for the eye” the name lenses (lenti, in Italian) because their shape looked like the one of lentil beans (Lenticchie).

Vegetarian meat substitutes Yes, there’s actually written “vegetarian meat substitutes” from years and years ago. Obviously, there weren’t many vegetarians at the time, however there were a lot of Christians taking their beliefs very seriously. Therefore, Lent was extremely important, and at the time this included three days a week of fasting – meat-free days. Nevertheless, days of work were not the modern eight-hour shift in the office, they were very long, from sunrise to sunset, and most of them required quite a lot of physical activity, hence, people had to find a way to put on the table something as nutritional and tasty as meat. People living on the coast often substituted meat on fasting days with fish, which was acceptable for the Lent rules. However, for people living inland, not being able to eat animal products meant having to struggle to gain enough nutrients to survive. Medieval chefs found ways to make life during Lent as smooth as possible. Most of these solutions included the use of almonds and almond milk, products that are used by vegetarians and vegans nowadays as well, to make cheeses, pastry and even hard-boiled eggs. If only Linda McCartney had been around!

19 CULTURE

Never Knew About

Bathrooms It was called “garderrobe” and it is considered to be one of the first appearances of what looked like a bathroom. The name comes from the use of hanging clothes (guarding the robe) in the bathroom so the ammonia from the urine could kill the germs. In the 11th century, during the construction of new castles, garderrobes were finally introduced into the structure of the buildings. The new constructions included a room on each level where you would find a seat with a hole taking the waste straight down to the ground where it could be used as a compost for the agriculture. If you’ve seen Game of Thrones you can get an idea of what it looked like in the scene when Tyrion Lannister kills his father (if you haven’t seen the end of season four yet, then sorry…).

Santa Claus You may have heard the story of Saint Nicholas, the rich Turkish bishop known for helping the poor people and giving away presents to kids and therefore, made Saint for his kindness. Or you may have heard the conspiracy theory story of Coke’s invention of Santa Claus as a commercial strategy. However, you might not have heard that following his death in the 4th century, St. Nicholas bones were buried in the Turkey until 1087 where some Italian merchants stole them and, in some strange way, began the celebration of St. Nicholas. When his relics arrived in Bari (Southern Italy) people started venerating the Saint. From then on, people began bringing gifts to kids during the celebration of St. Nicholas, which later changed name to Santa Claus from the Danish version, Sinterklaas. Time brought these traditions to be moved from the 6th of December (St. Nicholas’ day) to the 25th and 26th (respectively Christmas and Boxing day).

Forks I’m sure we’ve all seen that movie set in the Medieval Era where we see several men seat around a table eating whole animal legs with their hands and teeth and thought “how barbaric!”. Well, not so fast Hollywood! As a matter of fact, the shape of forks has been around since ancient Greece and Rome and were often used as weapons or tools for agriculture. Furthermore, in the 8th and 9th centuries, the fork was firstly introduced on the table by Persian nobles and then formally coming into use in the 11th century when rich men all around the Byzantine Empire were using these utensils to feed themselves.

Paper money Trade in the Middle Age is often known to be characterised by the use of copper, silver and golden coins to buy and sell products, however, medieval China was the first place where coins were substituted with pieces of paper representing the money. During the Tang Dynasty, in fact, Chinese merchants developed quite a large trading field which required carrying large amounts of coins tied together by strings going thro ugh the little holes placed in the middle of the coins. This, involved quite a big risk of losing the money or being robbed very easily. Therefore, the strings of coins where substituted by trustworthy agents who would keep the money in a safe place and provide the merchants with a slip of paper that could be exchanged with goods. Later during the Song Dynasty, the government even started licensing agents that could take coins and release a state-approved paper money to the merchants, giving birth to the first real “banknotes”. The years before the discovery of the Americas and the birth of capitalism are still to be considered a period of darkness in the history of humanity, however, these few inventions demonstrate that the mind of the people were always working to try and find ways to simplify their lives and make their sufferance lighter with celebrations and moments of enjoyment of life.

ADOLYGIAD

PEIRIANT ATEB TE

GEIRIAU GAN: CERYS RHYS LLUN GAN: KRISTINA BANHOLZER

ae dwy flynedd bellach ers i ‘Y Cledrau’ ryddhau eu EP cyntaf ‘Un Ar Ôl Y Llall’, ac ers hynny maen nhw wedi sefydlu eu henw yn y sîn. Peiriant Ateb, i’w eu halbwm gyntaf, ac er i ni gael blas o beth i ddisgwyl yn eu sengl ‘Cam Wrth Ddiflas Gam’ roedd yr albwm yma yn un hir ddisgwyliedig.

Mae’r traddodiad ‘indie’ i’w glywed yn gryf trwy’r cyfan. Er hyn mae’r alawon a’r cordiau weithiau yn troi i gyfeiriadau annisgwyl, sydd yn codi safon y caneuon uwchben unrhyw ‘indie’ cyffredin. Nid yw felly yn syndod i’r albwm gael ei henwebu fel Record Hir Orau yng Ngwobrau’r Selar eleni.

Mae’r gân deitl yr hyn y byddem yn ei ddisgwyl gan Y Cledrau; cân ganadwy, wedi ei gyrru gan riffs gitâr cryf a harmonïau celfydd, sydd ynghyd â’r geiriau ychwanegol yn addurno’r gân yn bellach.

Amlygir y rhagarweiniad electro digywair sydd i’w glywed yn “Llidio I’r Cyffro’ ddatblygiad diweddar y band gan gyfleu sŵn mwy soffistigedig na glywir o’r blaen gan Y Cledrau. Nid dewis anarferol yw hi chwaith

Claddu’r Mochyn GEIRIAU GAN: LLEU BLEDDYN LLUN GAN: RHYS IFOR Er bod y peint diwethaf o gwrw Mochyn wedi ei dywallt, a fydd wir hiraeth am ei flas chwerw, ac a fydd y newid diweddar yn cael unrhyw effaith ar y Gymraeg yng Nghaerdydd? Mi fydd y Mochyn Du sydd wedi bod yn ganolbwynt i fywyd Cymraeg yn y brif ddinas ers blynyddoedd ymhen wythnosau yn ailagor fel bragdy a chegin, y cyntaf o ddeunaw o dafarndai Brewhouse & Kitchen i gael ei agor yng Nghymru.

Mae’r perchnogion newydd wedi addo dwyieithrwydd ac i ymrwymo i gynnal cyswllt diwylliannol y dafarn boblogaidd, yn wir roedd y casgliad o grysau chwaraeon, lluniau a memrobilia di-ri yn cynnig teimlad cartrefol yno. Ond mewn gwirionedd efallai mai chwa o awyr iach bydd y newid yma, a hynny mewn blwyddyn lle bydd Eisteddfod Genedlaethol tra gwahanol yn ymweld â’r brifddinas. Mae llwyddiant yr ŵyl flynyddol Tafwyl o groesawu pobl o gefndiroedd gwahanol i ymrwymo mewn diwylliant Cymreig yn destun i hyn, ac fel bydd yr Eisteddfod di ffin yn ei wneud yr haf hwn efallai fod hi’n bryd i sefydliadau Cymreig yn y brifddinas edrych tua’r dyfodol a gwneud yr un peth.

i fand ifanc Cymraeg arbrofi gyda chanu yn Saesneg, a dyma sydd i glywed am y tro cyntaf gan Y Cledrau ar drac rhif pump ‘An English Song (Get Me On The Radio)’. Daw’r albwm i uchafbwynt gyda’r gân olaf ‘Cyfarfod o’r blaen’ yn cyfannu’r albwm gyda’r geiriau “Sut dwi fod i gogio bo ni ‘rioed wedi Cyfarfod O’r Blaen?” yn amlygu’r elfen gyfnewidiol yn y casgliad o ganeuon, gan hefyd bwysleisio’r dyfnder a’r aeddfedrwydd sy’n nodweddiadol o’r albwm.

Disgrifia dy hun mewn tri gair Ciwt, ffyni, bur a sexy – Gow chi ofyn unrhyw gwestiwn wrtha fi, nai ddim tynu punches fi, fyddai’n hollol brutally honest a nai atab wbath. Ma hyn yn hollol exclusive, dwi rioed di neud dim byd fel hyn o blaen, heb law am Golwg… dwi’n open book ok. Hit me… Ydy o’n wir am Gwilym Bowen Rhys? No comment. Pwy oedd dy ddylanwad mwyaf yn tyfu fyny? Dylanwada fi odd Mam, Nain, Geraint Lovgreen a Super Ted, Oes gen ti unrhyw arferion drwg? Weithia dwi’n gweithio’n rhy galad, dwi’n dipyn o perfectionist, goro cal pob dim yn berffaith a dwi’n pigo trwyn fi a jesd fflicio’r snot. Geshi row am neud hyna ar y bws unwaith. Be fydde ti’n neud efo’r cash se ti’n ennill Can i Gymru 2018? Wwwwww waw, swni’n prynu car, talu am lessons dreifio a pasio test fi a prynu spoiler, wedyn swni’n mynd ar world cruise hefo Mam a Nain a Geraint Lovgreen. Swni’n talu i’r Bandana ail ffuirfio a rhyddhau albym newydd a swni’n prynu holiday home yn Pen Llyn a rhoi’r gweddill i elusen. Dy hoff le yng Nghymru a pham? Adra yn dre achos fana ma tŷ fi. Dy gas le yng Nghymru a pham? Caerdydd achos mae o rhy brysur, gormod o geir, gormod o bobol, gormod o beics, a neshi weld ghost yno. Pwy sy’n mynd i ennill rhyngol eleni? Fyddi di yno? Dim syniad, Wrecsam? Nafyddaf.

CULTURE

lebar â Cleba C

Be ti’n meddwl o Darren Drws Nesa? Am raglan sydd wedi ei sgwennu rownd y gimic fod dau dŷ yn sdyc at ‘i gilydd, mae o mor crap a fasa ti’n disgwyl. Hoff gymeriad Rownd a Rownd, pam? Y boi ‘na sy’n gallu actio, ooo be di enw fo? Mae o’n rili sefyll allan… dim Maldwyn John. Pwy oeddet ti’n ei ffansio pan yn iau? Merched. Merched fel Angharad Mair a Meinir Gwylim. Genai thing am merchaid hyn hefyd, fel Beti George ac Elin Fflur. Dyweda rywbeth amdanat ti dy hun oes yna lawer o bobl yn ei wybod Ma na dri person wedi crio ar chat show fi – fi ddwywaith ac Elin Fflur.

lot o bobol yn son am dana fo a dwi’m yn gwbod pwy ydio, a Ger Wynne o gwaith achos mae o’n neud petha gwyrion pan ma di meddwi. Byw neu farw, pwy fyddet ti’n ei gyfweld ar dy raglen? Pam? Byw eto, sa fo’n rili anodd cal atebion gan corpse, anoddach na cyfweld Iwan Cowbois. Swni’n cal Sian Lloyd. Petaset yn gallu bod yn rhywun arall am ddiwrnod, pwy fyddai fo/hi? Gareth Bale neu Guto Brychan, i fi cal gweld sut beth ydio i rhedag pub yn Caerdydd.

nad Y noson orau i ti ei chael erioed? 12fed o Hydref 2016. CYFWELIAD A DYLUNIO: LLEU BLEDDYN

Trump? Dwi’m yn nabod o ond da ni run lliw, so ma hyna yn y pros column, cons fo fasa hiliaeth, sexism a’r ffaith bod o probably am dod a’r byd i ben. Beth oedd y digwyddiad a gododd y mwya’ o gywilydd arnat ti erioed? Dio’m yn hawdd codi cywilydd arna fi rili, ond oni’n eitha embarrassed wsnos dwytha yn dre ar ol i fi sefyll tu allan i drws Boots am 5 munud cyn sylwi fod y drws ddim yn automatic. Pryd oedd y tro diwethaf i ti grïo? Dwi byth yn crio, ond digwydd bod neshi crio nithiwr yn gwylio Titanic. Neshi rili ddim gweld y twist yna’n dod. Byw neu farw, pa dri person fyddet ti’n mynd am swper gyda. Pam? Byw, sa fo’n weird mynd am fwyd hefo corpse. Emma o Eden achos mai’n bird, Hywel Gwynfryn achos ma

LLUN GAN: HANSH

TY CELF

TY CELF - 2018 Artwork

Photography

Poetry

By Elsa Harte

We see youFetal-like, Forced into the cracks and corners of this Charming city

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Impressionable unimpressedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Even those feigning blindness, Necks fixated at 90 degree angles Focusing only on a world that exists above knee caps, Even those who subtly avert you Like the trash that litters the pavement, Let it be known, We see you.

After all, we, you- us All residents of this charming city, All members of these silver streets Just because you lie victim to their violent nights Just because the footpath shivers your spine to sleep, And a lullaby of sirens allows you To drift away, to forgetâ&#x20AC;Ś Let it be known, We do not forget We will not forget We cannot forget YouThe Kings and Queens Of the Streets of Cardiff

On the Ty Celf cover: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Seventeenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Two people who seem to be going in circles. The tree is a banyan tree. Any other interpretations is for you to decide. by Anirudh Suresh

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Was it one vodka too many?â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Photography series: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;She Dances Aloneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;She Dances Aloneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; a intimate series of photos of girls out at parties and clubs in moments that we all recognise happen on a night out, but that are rarely photographed. We are used to seeing the brightly lit flash club photos, but more of a story is told when you just use the lighting of the surroundings given and concentrate on the individual and their situation. The facial expressions are so sincere in such a busy and electric environment. by Anna Winstone Instagram: @aloneshedances

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Let me tell you about people at parties and the things they doâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

We feel youHunger, loneliness, primitive pains. Though our experience lacks intensity, A skillful flick of a coin into your cardboard box, The humble crouch to extend a warm cup shows We feel youThat emptiness. In your stomach, your heart. These streets have emptied you. It is time for us to fill you back up, With hope, with purpose

25 TY CELF

‘Melt them with a smile’

‘Fresh out the monastery 2k17’

‘Side Eye Like’

The Orchestra by Maxwell Modell

We are the orchestra. That is how we must strive to live our lives. Finding the beauty in every moment, even those which shouldn’t be beautiful. We most appreciate the quiet and let it guide our thoughts. Slow down and enjoy life’s smaller moments. The ticking of the clocking. The smell of hot coffee. We must then crescendo and explode. Embrace the fast pace of the city around us. Stay out for another hour. Have another drink. For we are always on the clock. Our time is limited but that is part of its beauty. For many of the best moments can be found in the smallest things. The start of a new love. The planting of a flower. A smile on the face of your best friend. Or the sunset over the bay. Live your life how those you’ve lost wish they could.

Sexy French Depression by Saoirse O’Connor

I wish I was sexy French depressed. All big dark eyes, streaked mascara, black and white red lipstick slash stretched in white teeth smile, cigarette in hand. I wish I was sexy French depressed Rumpled sheets around foetal form. A thousand twinkling city lights stretched out into forever And forever and forever and the day after that. I wish I was interesting depressed, a mystery to put together piece by shattered piece till all that remained was wistful glances over sellotape lover’s shoulder next to tiny storm in teacup espressos in bright Parisian sunshine. I wish I was sexy French depressed until steam engine smoke slowly turned black and white into Dorothy technicolour. Until slow motion running into lover’s arms filled the Shallow hole inside me with sugar and spice and all things good. I wish I was sexy French depressed Like depression didn’t smell of sweat and unwashed hair Like bed was somewhere I chose to be instead of a prison I hold the key for, but don’t know where to find the lock I wish depression felt sexy. But it doesn’t. It doesn’t feel like anything. French or otherwise. And maybe tomorrow I’ll put on my little black dress and walk by rivers in oversized dark sunglasses But for now I’ll stay here. Being French can wait a day.

Love isn’t easy by Abbie Rands

Love isn’t meant to be easy. But you come out of some relationships feeling like a boulder has rolled over the top of you and it takes a while to recover after that. Other people are like tiny pebbles Being thrown constantly at your self esteem And each one is more nuisance than pain But eventually you notice the bruises Sometimes not until weeks afterwards. But you are like a cool lake in summer And I’m trying so hard not to jump in Because I’ve done that before and Scraped my feet on unseen rocks. But this time I’m dipping my fingers And the water is calm. I think what I’m trying to say is you make me smile. You’re reminding me how much fun it can be To love another person. You are gentle with my hands And my lips And my heart And you are patient enough to wait And see what colour my petals will be And when they finally come out You won’t pick them for yourself But admire how beautiful they are All by themselves you’ll love how they look next to yours colours not always complimentary but always near and always blossoming.

‘Moorland Heather’ inspired by a scene on Exmoor acrylic by Lisa Doran

‘Tarr Steps’ inspired by a place in Devon acrylic by Lisa Doran

27 TY CELF

Lemons

by Elizabeth Beckett Plums fury and squishy beneath tender words. Lemons hard and cold beneath baby soft fingers. I find myself covered in sour, juicy lemons. My large and hard liquid bottle, filled with cleansing lemons. The black freezer box, living under my bed, holds my juice, taking my hair from dull yellow to shiny bright blonde. My life box, hot and cracked, tastes deliciously sour but a hot melting lemon… Well, we don’t need to express feminine willies then it is already so hot outside.

based loosely on a photograph from the Lickey Hills in Birmingham; the colour hues of the sky and the leaves of the trees themselves are the artist’s favourite aspect, especially the purple top left corner acrylic by Becca Moody

Photography by Vansha Choudhury

The early dawn is upon us by Josephine Laura Howie

The early dawn is upon us But the night has not yet come to an end A stream of continuous hours No rise No fall A blur of seamlessly blended events occur at often irregular intervals Occasional regularity is apparent On those good days The days which begin and end Not with a particular Or a necessary Simply The ones with boundaries Of this and that Today and tomorrow Now and the next Those are the days I feel alive Such simplicity seems to bear no luxury Yet it is the life I adore most of all A steady tick-tock schedule Hour after hour Counting down until a warm embrace of solitude invades my soul And for a while A calm before the storm

29 TY CELF

The Gladiator by Rebecca Cornish

I wield my joy in my swordarm And brandish my faith like a shield; I raise them to a crowd of empty faces That are screaming back at me. The enemy is dressed in fury, A breastplate of thick steel. A demon that wants my tiny heart; That will devour me just to feel. I dance around my foe in the sand, Joy heavy in my aching hands. My armour is bloody and dented But on broken bones I’ll still stand.

FLOUR

by Vittoria Zerbini There’s blankness in my mind That fluctuates between my being And the wish of being no more. It isolates me from parts of myself Which in me have been long enough Making me inadequate. And then she said that he said I’m too negative for a positive project and they laughed unknowingly. Not knowing that it makes sense to people like us tired of being in the nothingness of our lives.

‘Distorted communication’ acrylic on canvas by Lucy Aprahamian

30 TY CELF

Acknowledgements Design by:

Lucy Aprahamian

Contributors:

Lucy Aprahamian, Buffy Beck, Elizabeth Beckett, Vansha Choudhury, Rebecca Cornish, Lisa Doran, Elsa Harte, Maxwell Modell, Becca Moody, Abbie Rands, Anirudh Suresh, Saoirse O’Connor, Anna Winstone, Vittoria Zerbini, Josephine Howie

With special thanks to: All who submitted their work for consideration

“Guess How Much I love You’ based on the illustrations from “Guess how much I love you” by Sam McBratney and Anita Jeram painted as a mother’s day present by Buffy Beck

31 FOOD & DRINK

Latte artist Joe enlightens Quench on his journey in pursuing a career with coffee

WORDS BY: RACHEL JEFFERIES DESIGN BY: RACHEL JEFFERIES Ordering a coffee, saying thank you and sipping for a wake-me-up sounds like a pretty standard routine, right? Well, what if I told you that coffee is more than that. Much MUCH more than that. Whilst you wait for your coffee, scanning which pastry looks most appealing (even though you’re not considering buying one), your coffee is being being crafted into a silky, smooth texture, layered perfectly for the first sip of bitterness, and for the second to hit the creaminess of the velvety crema layered in your cup of perfection. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, coffee is much more than a caffeine fix. And Quench were lucky enough to have a chat (and a coffee, would you expect any less?) with qualified latte artist and head barista, Joe Sheppard.

Describing himself as “bald, bearded and usually wearing a beanie”, otherwise known by his Instagram name, @Coffee_by_Joe, Joe has travelled around the world to fulfil his experience, mastering his technique in latte art. You read that right. Latte art *silently screams with joy*. As well as serving coffee as head barista at coffee specialist chain, 200 Degrees (Cardiff), Joe also demonstrates his barista skills through latte art classes. 200 Degrees’ studio provides classes of amateur, medium and advanced levels of latte art. I met Joe in the ‘Barista School’ on the second floor of 200 Degrees, where he greeted me with a warm smile, and began to tell me about how coffee, which originated in Ethiopia, had changed his life…

IMAGE BY: COFFEE AND I UK

Coffee By Joe

1 2 3

Rewind back four years, and Joe had no idea what a latte was. He was initially a waiter in Bill’s restaurant, where he was running up and down the stairs to get food from the kitchen to the tables everyday. Through this, his knees got a little weak, so they transferred him to the bar. Learning how to make coffee and basic cocktails, Joe sparked his curiosity in the little brown bean. “Everything snowballed from there, really. I made coffee for about 2 years, and my interest for latte art began from there. I had no idea how it tasted and why, so I researched into it, and left Bill’s to pursue a career in coffee”. Further down the line, Joe is now qualified in the latte art industry, recognised by The SCA (Speciality Coffee Association) who train baristas. Having qualification in SCA recognises you as a qualified barista. Embarking on his caffeine-infused journey further, Joe was offered to work with Caffetino in Geneva during 2016 at an event called SIBOS (the world’s premier financial services event), which he made coffee for the event’s attendees. Shift to the other side of the globe, where Joe worked at SIBOS again in 2017 in Toronto, Canada with a company called Jimmy Monkey on the main stage providing coffee. “In Canada, they had a latte art bar, which recorded us baristas making the coffee from a bird’s eye view for the customer to watch whilst waiting for their coffee. There was 15,000 people there, and each ticket was over $1,000 each to get in. We had a target of 15,000 coffees to make, and we reached 10,000+. Over the course of 4 days, we had 4 machines and 12 baristas – it was manic!”. Meeting baristas and coffee

influencers who specialised in cold-brew coffee and ratio batch-brews (a large capacity of coffee brewed at one time). “Everything was in takeaway cups so it was even harder to create latte art”. Joe’s coffee-fuelled adventures have enabled him to visit various countries, consisting of Milan, Italy; Geneva, Switzerland; Toronto, Canada, he has been invited to Singapore, and has an upcoming trip to Sydney (SIBOS, 2018), which is known as the capital of coffee worldwide. Having followed Joe’s Instagram page (@coffee_by_ joe) since asking to take photos of his coffee (yes, that’s Joe’s coffee on the front cover of issue 164!), his aesthetic coffee posts regularly bless my timeline. So, I just had to ask him about it and how it has influenced his career so far with latte art! Joe explained how having his SCA qualification came about through his Instagram. “They needed an online CV, which was basically my Instagram page, so they messaged asking if I had the qualification. Instagram opened the initial door to that opportunity”. Joe has taken on a new angle to his Instagram posts on coffee this year, and is hoping to use this platform to teach espresso aficionados (like me) the ins and outs of coffee. “I used to post aesthetic lattes before, however now I am trying to actually educate my followers about the technicalities behind coffee, and how it changes taste depending on how it is made. Before it was just latte art and creating pretty pictures, but now it is about the theory and science behind it. Firstly,

“Before it was just latte art and creating pretty pictures - but now it is about the theory and science behind it”

A Caffeine Course with Joe

4 IMAGES 1+2 BY: RACHEL JEFFERIES IMAGES 3+4 BY: COFFEE AND I UKUK

Fill up to the right amount – Too much, you’ll under foam, too little, you’ll over foam. Texturing – apply the air (sounds like a spitting sound). There is a biting point, almost like changing gear on a car, which disperses all the bubbles into the milk, Temperature – you need 60 degrees Layering – pouring into your cup. You want to match the consistency of the espresso and the milk so the milk will sit on top of the crema. You want to try and pour as close to the surface as the espresso. Layering, you pour from a height to mix the expresso with it, and then you want to delicately layer a crema on the top.

IMAGE BY: RACHEL JEFFERIES

4 factors of milk texturing

FOOD & DRINK

“If you love what you do, then why stop talking about it? ” IMAGE BY: COFFEE AND I UK

without good milk you can’t accomplish latte art. You need it to be at the right temperature, because if it is too hot, then all of the goodness in the milk – the fats, proteins, sugars – breaks down. The right temperature is around 60ºC, where every element in the milk complements each other, is the right consistency, and you can then accomplish good latte art. Different milks have different strengths, however whole milk is the one to go for, as it has the largest fat content. Fat supplies the sweetness, but the fat almost holds the milk and foam together like glue. Imagine an artist trying to paint on a bumpy canvas – it is going to be a lot harder do the artwork than if it was a smooth canvas. That is essentially the same with creating latte art. Plant-based milk such as coconut milk, there’s not a lot in there to hold it together to create enough foam. People may ask for skinny and extra hot which is a double-whammy when it comes to making latte art harder!” Taste isn’t just in the cup either. Joe enlightens me on how the journey of coffee beans affects the taste and quality of the final product you taste and smell on that dreaded Monday morning. The journey between the crops, harvesting the coffee bean, roasting, transporting, to the barista who grinds, tamps and presses your espresso can affect how rich,

sweet or nutty your morning coffee tastes. Elements such as weather and temperature may effect the taste and quality of your coffee, meaning that the grinding temperature may fluctuate daily. “Between the farmer and the barista who makes the coffee can affect flavour. If the coffee has gone through this effort to be a good coffee, but you are served by an untrained barista, a good cup of coffee has come to a dead end. The board between the farm to the cup – that’s what speciality coffee is”. In terms of future plans, Joe is looking to build upon the experience he already has to make his caffeinated career even stronger (pun intended). “I have been on and off creating a business plan in the year and a half to create an own coffee brand. I would just love to put across my own strengths and unique ideas to Cardiff and those who enjoy coffee as well. I would love to work in a roastery to get more experience in that area, but I know that I need to be more confident in myself to put those ideas into place”. Being such a coffee connoisseur, I was intrigued as to what a Joe Sheppard typical order would consist of. Keeping it classic, Joe responded with either a flat white or espresso. Ironically, the first thing Joe wakes up to is not a coffee, but in fact a cup of tea! Joking

about the importance of what makes a good cuppa, Joe’s tea has to be “made just right”, to the extent that he will offer to make a cup of tea if it’s offered to him. I don’t blame him! After speaking about the world of coffee, Joe showed me what he does best and crafted various versions of his impressive latte art, including a swan, an elephant, and of course, (on demand), a Q for Quench! I was fortunate enough to sample some of his finest handiwork, making me truly appreciate everything we had discussed about coffee that day. Finally, one thing that stuck with me from my coffee and conversation with Joe was his passion and dedication that beamed when he spoke about coffee. In the words of the man himself, “if you love what you do, then why stop talking about it?”… and drinking it in Joe’s case!

Follow on Instagram Joe Sheppard: @coffee_by_joe Photography: @coffee_and_i_uk

So You’re Thinking About Going Plant-Based... WORDS BY: NADINE PINNOCK DESIGN BY: LUCY APRAHAMIAN

If this article caught your eye, you’re probably thinking about ditching the meat to turn veggie (or vegan)! As vegan activism sweeps social media and more people are becoming educated about the environmental and ethical benefits of a vegan diet, there’s no wonder that veganism has soared by over 360% in the last decade. If you’re on the path to plant-based living, Quench Food is here to guide you with helpful tips and honest truths.

Learn to Cook Get Inspired The best way to stay on track is to truly know why you are making this decision. If you care primarily about saving the environment, watch the documentary Cowspiracy, or re-watch your favourite episodes of Blue Planet and Planet Earth. If David Attenborough can’t inspire us, then who can? If you’re in it for the animals, and need a brutal reminder of the truth behind the animal agriculture industry, the documentary Earthlings is the go-to. Alternatively, The Land of Hope and Glory gives a similarly bleak, honest account of where our food comes from specifically in the United Kingdom. These documentaries are eye-openers, but they’re not easy to watch, so maybe try comedian Simon Amstell’s Carnage – a light-hearted but true-ringing mockumentary. There are plenty of books to read, films to watch, even podcasts to listen to, that will solidify your decision to cutting out animal products. As long as you find what’s right for you, the first steps to going veggie will be easy.

It’s a tough one. And not something that students are renowned for. r. But veggie and vegan food isn’t quite as convenient as picking up a microwavable chicken curry from the Co-op – although it’s slowly ly becoming easier as supermarkets are listening to the increasingg vegan demand. As timeless as it may seem, you’ll become bored d of jacket potatoes with beans or cheese if you eat them five days in n a row, and it certainly won’t give you the energy you need to keep p going. Putting a little more effort into one meal a day will make ke your new cruelty-free diet a lot more exciting, and keeping your ur body fuelled with a lot of nutritious fruit and veg will have you u feeling better than ever. Don’t be afraid to try meat substitutes – they may be processed but most are a reliable source of protein n and can satisfy the cravings your body will be calling out for. Linda da McCartney is a true hero.

Research There is more to being veggie or vegan than picking up Quorn in your food shop. You’ll soon learn how to easily scan the back of food packets and instantly identify gelatine, or milk powder (which somehow worms its way into everything). Depending on your reasons for going veggie or vegan in the first place, you may also want to research cruelty-free cosmetics, and the use of leather and fur in fashion. It’s essential to research how it fits into your personal lifestyle: if you’re a regular gym-goer then look into how you might up your plantbased protein, if you’re always in the library then see what veggie friendly meal deals you can pick up for the allnighters.

Don’t Brave It Alone No Pressure Different approaches work for different people. Some people can quit cold turkey (pardon the pun) and never go back to meat. But cutting out animal products is a huge lifestyle shift, so don’t feel bad if you need to take it one step at a time. Slowly phase out meat from your breakfasts, then lunches, then dinners. Try out a few different plant-based milks (such as soya, almond, oat or rice) even if you still consume dairy, so when you want to give up, you know your favourites. Don’t throw in the towel if you accidentally find yourself gorging on a cheeseburger. Just remind yourself the reasons why you started, re-inspire yourself, and move on. Going vegetarian or vegan is a lot easier than most people think, and before long you’ll wonder why you ever picked turkey over tofu.

According to charity Veganuary, over 100,000 people will pledge to go vegan for 2018. The chances are, a friend or flatmate might also be considering the same, and it’s always more fun together! You can motivate each other, cook together and try out some of Cardiff ’s best veggie/vegan eateries (you should make a bee-line for Anna Loka and Milgi). With a bit of patience and passion for your new lifestyle, you’ll be having a cruelty-free 2018 with ease. It is, however, important to remember that not everyone can go vegan. If you have a history of disordered eating, or a chronic illness, it’s always best to check with a doctor before embarking on a vegan journey. Always make sure you put your own physical and mental health first. If you can happily and healthily go veggie or vegan this year, you’ll never look back.

35 FOOD & DRINK

Recipe Corner

DESIGN DES G N BY GN B BY:: LUCY L UC U APRAHAMIAN A RA AP A

Oyako-don by

Esther Loi

2-3 Servings Average Cost Per Serving £2.50

Ingredients: 400g White Rice 4 Chicken Thighs 4 Eggs Scallions (one bunch) 500ml Chicken Stock 3tbsp Soy Sauce 3tbsp Sugar As the perfect warm bowl of comfort food, the oyako-don embodies its literal definition of “parent-child bowl” since it’s the classic healthy dinner kids would love to come home to. It is a dish you can prepare easily with ingredients in your refrigerator, because it only comprises of boiled chicken and egg, along with rice drizzled in sweet sauce. With a minimal preparation period of 20 minutes, the most essential step would be bringing the sweet sauce – chicken stock, soy sauce and sugar – to a boil. After the sauce is ready, add the chicken in and allow it to simmer for around 10 minutes, before adding in scallions for extra flavour. Next, beat the eggs and pour them into the pan, and cook for a few minutes until they are slightly runny in texture. Serve the oyako over freshly cooked white rice and you’re good to go!

Creamy carrot and ginger soup with yogurt dressing by Caterina Dassie 1-2 Servings Average Cost Per Serving £1 .50

Ingredients: 250g Carrots 100g Potatoes 1 White Onion 2tbsp Greek Yoghurt 1tbsp Olive Oil 1-3cm Fresh Ginger Salt and Pepper (to taste) Start by quartering 250g of potatoes and one white onio carrots, 100g of n. Put a pot with enough water to cover the vegg and once the water is boiling ies on the hob, salt. Then boil the veggies unti add a pinch of through and soft (dependi l they are cooked should take around 20 minng on the size it utes). Meanwhile, start preparing the yogurt sauc e by mixing two tablespoons of yogurt, one table spoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Once the veggies are done a fork), drain them while (check by using they are still hot, remembering to keep the wate need it later to dilute the soup r, as you might a mixer with fresh ginger. The . Put them into ginger is up to you: if you like quantity of the spicy. If you are not sure, try it more or less first and then add more later with a little bit at on. After all the vegetables have been mixed properly, check how thick the soup is. If your soup seems too dense, add some of the rem Finally add salt and pepper as aining broth. nicely into a bowl with the yoguyou wish, pour it top. Your soup is ready, enjoy! rt dressing at the

Sweet and firm roasted squasheds with mixed sese cherineea Dassie and fetaby Cat 1-2 Servings Per Serving £2.20 Average Cost

Ingredients: Squash 1 Green Kabocha (you can find it at Lidl) 100g Feta Cheese 1tbsp Olive Oil seeds 1 handful mixed spices Your choice of herbs and

°C. Carefully wash the Preheat the oven to 180 the squash into four peel of the squash. Cut pressed for time - and pieces – or more if you’re e oil, salt, pepper and season them with oliv paprika, cumin and mixed seeds. I like to addwell. It is really up to mixed aromatic herbs as you be creative! your taste, but make sure n seasoned, it’s time to Once the squash has beeit for at least 15 minutes. put it in the oven. Cook if they are not yet soft, Then check the wedges, 5 minutes (the cooking cook them for another size, kind of oven and time really depends on While you are waiting, freshness of the squash). ese into squares. Take start cutting the feta che the feta cheese on the the squash out, sprinklein the oven, this time to top and put the wedges minutes. Make sure grill at 220°C for just 2-3 make sure you are not you check regularly, to the cheese. burning instead of grilling take out the roasted As soon as the time is up, e and enjoy your new squash, put it on a plat l. favourite wholesome mea

37 FOOD & DRINK

An evening at

Las Iguanas Fajitas, freshly-cooked to order in a special mix of spices, onions and peppers. Dished up sizzling, with guacamole, grated cheese, soured cream, jalapenos, roasted tomato salsa and soft wheat tortilla. Drink: Pina Colada

30 Seco De Cordero - ask for the Peruvian-style slow cooked lamp shank in a golden ale, red wine and amarillo chilli sauce, served with roasted sweet potatomash and crispy chilli and onion Drink: Espresso Martini

NEWS

39 FOOD & DRINK

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When you think of travel, you think of white sandy beaches, stunning sunsets, and maybe the (not so) occasional plate of mysterious slush that the airlines try to pass off as food. Rarely do you think of suiting up in your construction-safety gear or racking your brain for those math’s equations you learned back in year 8 – up until now. Volunteer travel has gained huge popularity over recent years, and rightly so. An opportunity to travel the world and make a difference at the same time – what’s not to love? That’s why I went to Kenya. Not only does the community you help gain so much, but the individual experience is second to none. It’s hard to believe until you see the difference in their “home” to yours; that first shock will never leave me. What is even more shocking is the happiness and positivity that just radiates from every person you meet, even though in our eyes, they seemingly have very little to be happy about. Their energy and faith are infectious and something that a few of us could maybe benefit from learning. Although this industry may carry some scepticism, the difference that just one person can make is undeniable, and, I promise, that can never be taken away from you. Whether you built a school or played duck-duck-goose with a group of 6-year-olds (who will catch you, by the way), the impact is endless. I can honestly say that volunteer travel was the most life-changing thing I have ever been lucky enough to do, and I would recommend it to anyone a thousand times over.

Charlotte Yea

DESIGN AND ILLUSTRATIONS BY: ASHLEY BOYLE

41 TRAVEL

Volunteering Abroad: Useful or Unsustainable? VOLUNTEERING ABROAD IS A GROWING TRAVEL TREND. WITH MORE AND MORE COMPANIES CATERING TO THE DEMAND AND OFFERING PLACEMENTS TO WORK ABROAD, IT’S EASIER THAN EVER BEFORE TO BECOME AN INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTEER. WITH SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES TO VOLUNTEER ACROSS THE GLOBE, YOU CAN TEACH ENGLISH, BUILD HOUSES, REHABILITATE INJURED SEA TURTLES OR EVEN HELP OUT IN A HOSPITAL; THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS. THERE HAS BEEN MUCH DEBATE, HOWEVER, ABOUT WHETHER VOLUNTEER TRAVEL IS TRULY SUSTAINABLE AND IF IT IS TRULY WORTHWHILE; AND HERE’S WHAT WE HAVE TO SAY ABOUT IT.

Volunteering – one of the greatest things you can do. Not only is it fun, but it’s an amazing way to give back and better your community, all whilst making amazing memories in the process. But what happens when people volunteer for the wrong reasons? With social media, it is becoming increasingly common to stumble upon people doing things for social media’s sake alone. For the Instagram photo. For the Snapchat. For the likes and comments that they will receive if they are seen to be doing something good. This has affected volunteering quite a bit, as the drive to volunteer abroad to make a difference is slowly being overtaken by the drive to capture that “perfect photo” of them “helping” others – whether it be the homeless, poverty-stricken children in Africa and Asia etc. The desire to volunteer is increasingly stemming from ulterior motives, such as the quest for popularity and likes on social media, rather than the desire to make a positive impact. So, if you find yourself volunteering so you can post a new Instagram photo or change your Facebook profile picture – you need to re-evaluate your priorities. Volunteering is only truly great when the desire to do it is genuine and stems from the heart. Further, in order for volunteering abroad to be effective, it needs to be treated like a regular job, where volunteers need to have the skillset needed in their projects, as well as be ready to invest their time for the impact to be made. However, sometimes volunteers perceive it as a fun holiday, and they often lack the skills to do tasks such as teaching, which may do more harm than good to the projects they are involved in. Thus, I think volunteering is great, but just like anything in life, there is a myriad of factors intertwined around it that threaten its efficiency.

Emma Ogao

During the Summer of 2016, I volunteered in Fiji, teaching and sports coaching children from the ages of 5-18, in low-performing schools for a month. Overall, I would describe my time actually living in Fiji as an incredible, once in in a lifetime experience. However, I am still unsure as to just how beneficial our teaching, as unqualified volunteers, really was for the children. The teaching aspect was very challenging, a lot harder than I originally anticipated it to be! We were expected to remove the children that were deemed as low performers from the class and carry out one-on-one sessions with them, in which we revisited the basics of literacy and numeracy. Every Sunday, we would quickly plan some activities and tasks to pursue in the following lessons. However, this part was poorly organised, as we did not have enough time to draft up full lesson plans and so what we were teaching was often, towards the end of the lesson, made up on the spur of the moment! Also, we were only allowed to spend a week teaching a year group as we were expected to alternate classes every week so that we could experience teaching at various levels of capability. However, every time the group of children I was working with began to show any signs of improvement, I then had to end contact with them to start something completely new with another group. Therefore, I believe that not much learning development was achieved during our short time in Fiji and I would argue that the project was slightly unsustainable. Another thing to mention is that although we were all bright university students, we had never had any previous teacher training and so it was quite hard to convey the lesson to the students whilst coping with their challenging behaviour. For example, Fijian children are extremely hyper and energetic and all they want to do is run around all day, so in removing them from the class, they would often see this as a chance to play. Therefore, I found it difficult to hold the children’s full attention for more than 10 minutes, and the language barrier did not improve the situation. I think that teaching in foreign countries really requires quite a lot of training beforehand, to know what to expect and how to manage the children, to be able to make a substantial impact on their learning development. Nevertheless, living with and spending time getting to know our Fijian families and understanding their culture was the best part of the whole project. Our families also learnt a lot about the Western culture, which they were greatly appreciative of because they had never properly ventured out of Fiji before and experienced new ways of living. Although my time volunteering in Fiji was richly rewarding, it has caused me to question whether volunteer travel is truly sustainable due to the lack of prior training or experience held by volunteers. I hope that this advice has been helpful for those of you who are thinking of volunteering as a teacher abroad. Remember, when you have chosen your destination, you should look at the Foreign Office’s travel advice page and read up on the country’s current circumstances and the safety precautions you may need to take prior to or during your time away. Also, wherever you go, with teaching children, you will always be required to have a DBS check, which examines your past and looks for any criminal records which may prevent you from undertaking the work.

Gemma Teal

BRITAIN’S best beaches DESIGN BY: KATIE HUXTABLE

When we think of Britain, we picture red telephone boxes, endless cups of tea and pretty countryside views. Our Great British beaches are often overlooked. If you’re planning on heading out on a tropical escape to the Caribbean, perhaps you should think again, because we have compiled a list of the best beaches a lot closer to home.

TRAVEL

Blackpool Beach, Lancashire, England When we think of traditional British seaside towns, Blackpool is one of the first to come to mind. Blackpool is home to just about anything you would expect to find at an old-school sea side resort. Streets of arcades, shops selling buckets and spades and fishing nets and small cafés line the sea front, giving an authentic feel to this iconic resort. The main attraction drawing tourists to Blackpool is the famous Blackpool Pleasure Beach Theme Park. Pleasure Beach is a serious step up from your stereotypical sea-front fairground, with many a ride to suit even the most daring thrill seekers. We think of Blackpool as being a perfect destination for a family outing, but it’s so much more than that. If tacky beach towns and rides aren’t enough to draw us students out of our dingy flats, a night out will definitely be able to. Famous for its popularity for Hen and Stag Do’s, Blackpool is a MESSY night out, to say the least. If you fancy a change from strawpedo-ing VK’s in the SU, head down to Blackpool and bar crawl your way along the beach front. - Shayna Chaplin Barafundle Bay, Pembrokeshire, Wales The appeal of Barafundle Bay for me is the nostalgic element attached to it. It is very rare that you visit a place that sticks with you so fondly, and personally, this gorgeous coastline has completely mesmerised me every time I’ve seen it, ever since my first camping trip to West Wales with Guides. Barafundle Bay is tucked away in Pembrokeshire, and truly is a sight to behold. With crystal clear sea and perfectly light golden sand, it instantly becomes the haven and sanctuary one associates with the beach, and what makes it even more special is how remote and peaceful it is. The nearest car park is over half a mile’s walk away, and once you reach the coast it’s as if it’s going to stretch out forever in front of you. The bay is surrounded by striking dunes and pine trees on the cliffs, and to reach the sand itself you must clamber down an impressively steep set of steps. It’s like venturing into a secret, romantic holiday hideaway! Be wary though – due to its peaceful, secluded nature, everything you need with you must come down this decline as there aren’t any facilities. If you need a break from reality, Barafundle Bay truly offers escapism and a glorious view to match. - Rachael Hutchings

Porthcurno Beach, Cornwall, England Whilst visiting Porthcurno last summer, I managed to convince all of my snapchat contacts that I was actually abroad in the Mediterranean. It boasts turquoise blue waters and clean golden sands, that would not look out of place amongst the coasts of Asia. A short stroll separates Porthcurno beach from any roads or car parks, giving it a peaceful and secluded vibe. Situated in a small village in the South of Cornwall, Porthcurno sits on the very tip of the country, making it a fairly quiet beach spot. Just a short drive from the beach, you can visit the Minack Theatre, an open aired theatre, built into the cliffs overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Whether you choose to see a show, or just have a look around the stunning stone architecture, the story behind this wonderful place will be sure to amaze you. With cliff side views to die for, overlooking the stunning blue waters of Porthcurno beach and further out into the Atlantic, it’s impossible not to get a good Instagram shot. Although the quietness of the area adds to the tranquility of Porthcurno, it would be sensible to make sure you bring all necessities for the day with you; if you forget your factor 50, you will likely leave 5 shades brighter as there is little around to purchase amenities. As Porthcurno is a drive from most major tourist hotspots, you might want to make a day of it and go the few extra miles to Land’s End. However, don’t let that detract your time from the beauty of Porthcurno Beach. - Molly Geddes

Barry Island, South Wales Barry Island is probably best known for as the iconic setting for everyone’s favourite 00’s sitcom Gavin & Stacey but this is definitely not the sole reason you should make a pilgrimage to this special beach at least once in your life. Barry encapsulates the best bits of Wales; the cheerful locals, the unpredictable but always interesting weather, the classic seaside grub and simple yet satisfying entertainment. The arcades provide hours of fun for everyone at any age and there are an array of fish & chip shops and cafes to choose from along the coast (now including a dog-friendly café which has become a personal favourite). The best bit about Barry is that it is so student-friendly; only a short train journey or 20-minute drive away from Cardiff with food and drink prices that won’t drain the ever-diminishing loan. Barry is even a brilliant day out in the winter (in fact, this is my favourite time of year to go) because the beach is empty bar the lovely locals and their dogs. The calming scenery may take you by surprise when taking a stroll along Barry’s coastline on a brisk January afternoon, so don’t dismiss this classic little gem too soon. - Martha Hughes Holywell Bay, Cornwall, England Holywell Bay is one of the UK’s leading beauty spots. Located a few short miles from Newquay in Cornwall, Holywell Bay is a peaceful and atmospheric destination. It’s perfect for those seeking a more relaxing holiday, yet there is still plenty to do for thrill seekers also. Holywell Bay is famous for its surfing and, like its neighbouring Newquay, boasts high waves; making it a British surfing hot spot. Don’t worry if you’re completely new to the sport, as there is a surf school nearby, offering lessons at a range of difficulty levels. If you’re like me and are a bit apprehensive about surfing, you could always try body boarding instead! Holywell Bay is surrounded by picturesque hills which allow for many scenic strolls; the scenery even acts as a backdrop for much of BBC One’s period drama, Poldark. If you’re feeling a little adventurous, you could also have a go at sandboarding across the dunes. There are plenty of quaint pubs to explore in Holywell Bay if you’re feeling peckish, and, if you fancy making a holiday of it, the Holywell Bay Holiday Park is just a short walk away.

IMAGES: Row17 via geograph.org.uk (Blackpool) Phillip Pessar via Flickr (Polaroids)

44 TRAVEL

ILLUSTRATION BY: JINJINJINJIN VIA PIXABAY

GO BACKPACKING,

they said, IT WILL BE FUN,

they said... DESIGN BY: KATIE HUXTABLE IMAGES BY: KOKOROWASHINJIN VIA PIXABAY, OF HIS TRIP BACKPACKING AROUND EUROPE

Whilst travelling and working in Australia, I was using a hostel in Melbourne as a base. When I left the hostel to go on a short trip to Adelaide, I left my main bag in the bag storage, as I didn’t need to take all my things. My bag was just a generic black suitcase (I was one of those backpackers who can’t handle a backpack) and when I returned, I picked up what I thought was my suitcase. I moved the bag to my room, headed for the showers, then returned to the bag to find fresh clothes…only to find myself greeted with an exploding pile of dirty boxers, khaki shorts and lines of condoms. Needless to say, the trip to the hostel reception in nothing but a towel, dragging the useless suitcase behind me, felt pretty long. (I eventually got my suitcase back and met the owner of said boxers, a very nice but very embarrassed French lad). Martha Hughes

We all want to travel the world carrying a backpack filled with elephant pants and living wild and free. However, it’s not all beautiful beaches, five-star hotels and plain sailing.

Upon plunging into the depths of South America and fleeing the mundanity of British life, myself and my two fellow travellers were drilled about the rules and regulations of the world abroad in order to avoid any potential ‘difficulties’ that three naive and ignorant teenagers could face. However, being three naive and ignorant teenagers, we had ignored all advice within five minutes of entering Chilean territory. We had managed to find ourselves ushered into a street cab outside the airport by a very official looking gentleman, who actually turned out to be the polar opposite, and began gesturing to the three of us in what can only be cleanly described as a sexual way. He then continued to intimate us by licking his lips out of the window towards innocent females on the pavement, resulting in three very disturbed young lads huddling together in the back of the cab. It wasn’t all bad though, because after escorting us to a cash machine, he charged us a bargain price of 100,000 pesos, but inevitably, after finally escaping to our hotel and looking up the exchange rate, we came to the realisation we had paid just over 100 pounds for a 20-minute cab journey. At least the trip could only get better from there. Matt Lewis

I’ve always been a big fan of backpacking travels; my best friend and I did a couple of trips around the world and it always turned out to be a fun and interesting experience. After going from Italy to Prague on a bus journey of 16 hours and flying to Brazil on a charter plane booked the night before, Bianca and I felt almost invincible in front of crazy experiences. Therefore, last time we decided to walk our way on the Camino de Santiago in Spain, which required quite a lot of physical training and mental preparation, which we obviously didn’t do. Apart from the incredibly tiring walk (397 km in 2 weeks, an average of 25 km per day), the funniest moment of the Camino was when we found ourselves walking in the desert of the Mesetas and having to take a shit, basically, on the trail. I couldn’t find a tree to hide behind, so my best friend had to cover me for the entire time while people we were going to share a room with in the next hostel, walked by. #Shameless

Whilst travelling South East Asia, I found myself staying on a private island in a dorm of eight people I’d just met. After a crazy night of sinking 50p Asian beers, I ended up trying to swim to another nearby island; spoiler, I didn’t make it. Soaking wet and very drunk, I stumbled into bed ripping off all of my wet clothes. Some point later in the night, as seen by some of my very alarmed roommates, I got out of bed stark naked looking for the toilet. However, in my delirious state, I sat on my roommate’s sleeping body and proceeded to wee on her instead. The next morning, I, of course, blamed it on sunstroke and tried to laugh it off, but I don’t think I’ve ever been so embarrassed in my life. I went on to spend the next month of my trip with a girl I’d peed on, and I think it definitely strengthened our friendship in the long run.

Andrea Gaini

Molly Geddes

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45 MUSIC

A Mocha with

Big Jeff

WORDS BY: CHARLOTTE MINETT PHOTOGRAPHY BY: RICHARD HOWARTH ARTWORK BY: ASHANTI HARRIS (INSTAGRAM: @ARTWITHASHANTI)

Take a moment to imagine going to a gig a night, every night for ten years. It’s hard to get your head around isn’t it? That’s why we, at Quench, caught up with Bristol’s very own musical hero, Jeffery Johns, AKA Big Jeff. Big Jeff attends a gig every single night, every single day of the year and has been in this routine for a decade. He can mainly be found around the smaller music venues in Bristol, front row, impressively head banging to every song. He can also be spotted at many a festival and few select gigs around Cardiff. We just had to hear about some of this guy’s experiences. I met up with Big Jeff on a lunch break in a little café in Bristol, one which Jeff had never been to before, but to give you a sense of his popularity, all the bar staff knew who he was and were asking about some upcoming gigs (which was actually supposed to be my job that day). I began asking Jeff about bands clashing with each other at the same night at different venues, to this he explains that he’s probably “lost a few inches of hair” at the frustrating thought of clashing bands. He said that the worst clash was Godspeed at Motion, OMD at The Colston Hall, Liars at the Lantern and Little Dragon at the O2 Academy. He said he sometimes tosses a coin to choose which gig to attend, however he says that it mainly depends on his mood… On this occasion, he ended up going to see Godspeed. Even though I had not heard of many of the bands Big Jeff was reeling off during this interview, I, and you all should too, very much trust his musical opinion. I wanted to stay away from the question “what is your favourite…” because I knew that would lead to an impossible answer, especially for this man. I instead asked who he thought was the most overrated band around. HMLTD came in at the most overrated for reasons I won’t go into. Jeff said that he feels like he needs to click with a band’s personality in order to like their music. He said he once got into conflict with another band because he made it very obvious he didn’t like them. His excuse for the rude gestures that he was making was that “they didn’t have any good songs”. The good old saying a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do is relevant here I suppose.

Big Jeff has had many more claims to fame than the average person, including appearing in one of The Augstines’ music videos and Beans On Toast writing a song about him ‘Who is Big Jeff ’- you guys have to listen to this one. But the most impressive claim to fame is Este from Haim proposing to him while she was on stage. To this he said, “I blushed, turned red and looked very awkward”. He also said that they “kind of kissed” and it was very unexpected. I get the impression that he declined the proposal. Finally, it would have been rude to not ask about some of the crazy, crazy gigs that he has ever been to and it quite literally sounds mental. Big Jeff specified that his favourite kind of gigs are “fun and unpredictable”. One specific gig he mentioned was Les Savy at the Anson Rooms in 2005. He described the postpunk lead singer as a “legendary nutcase” which makes the most perfect sense. “He was swinging around the audience, pouring red wine into people’s mouths and kissing them.” Jeff said that this singer would pick up audience members and body sculpt them on stage, as well as stripping down to his boxers and running around the crowd. Big Jeff said he came out relatively unscathed with a few bruises around his knee caps. You’ll be shocked to find out that this gig was not the craziest. By far. He has seen an Israeli garage-rock outfit, the Monotonixs, who Jeff announced are allegedly on the FBI watch list and are the reason that the venue now has all of their safety reinforcements in place. He said that “it was lucky someone didn’t die”. The band were apparently performing acrobatics, jumping off window frames, emptying waste bins onto the drum kit, stealing drinks and pouring them on the drum kit trying to set it on fire. To top this all off, the lead singer was supposedly wearing speedos the entire gig. Jeffery Johns is certainly a remarkable man who has some of the best stories to tell and I could have been chatting to him about it for hours. Unfortunately, I had to go back to work and Jeff had a gig to attend, of course.

Facing the Music: The State of Mental Health in Music WORDS BY: ROWAN LEES ARTWORK BY: LUCY APRAHAMIAN

Musicians Musici ans ar aree some some of th thee best best pl place aced d peop people le to spe speak ak abo about ut mental men tal he healt alth. h. Hec Hectic tic to tour ur sch schedu edules les aw away ay fro from m home home,, life life spent spe nt con consta stantl ntlyy in in the the pub public lic ey eye, e, and a con consta stant nt pre pressu ssure re to be ‘dropp ‘dr opping ing’’ new new mat materi erial al are aren’t n’t ex exact actly ly a reci recipe pe for me menta ntall acui acuity. ty. Music Mus ic Min Minds ds Mat Matter ter fo found und th that at mus musici icians ans ar aree thre threee time timess more more likely lik ely to be su suffer ffering ing fr from om men mental tal he healt alth h issu issues es tha than n thos thosee in in other oth er pro profes fessio sions. ns. Tha Thankf nkfull ully, y, art artist istss from from ac acros rosss many many ge genre nress havee been hav been co comin mingg forw forward ard ov over er the la last st few ye years ars ab about out th their eir mental men tal he healt alth. h. Tak Takee ZAYN ZAYN,, for for exa exampl mple, e, who ha had d the the bra braver veryy to can cancel cel da dates tes on a wor world ld tou tourr due due to his an anxie xiety, ty, or Pe Peace ace wh who o havee retu hav returne rned d from from a two ye year ar hia hiatus tus by re relea leasin singg a si singl nglee with with mental men tal he healt alth h rese researc archer herss and and cha charit rity, y, MQ, di diver vergin gingg from from th thee energe ene rgetic tic an and d joyo joyous us sou sound nd of the their ir pre previo vious us out output put to sh share are a trac trackk abou aboutt one one of the le lead ad sin singer ger Ha Harri rrison son Ko Koiss isser’ er’ss “mos “mostt difficul diffi cultt Spri Springs ngs in a lon longg time time”.”. For gr grime ime mu music sic in pa parti rticul cular, ar, 20 2017 17 was a sig signifi nifican cantly tly po posit sitive ive yearr for yea for men mental tal he healt alth h cove coverag ragee and and rep repres resent entati ation. on. St Storm ormzy zy detail det ailed ed his st strug ruggle gle bo both th wit with h his his bre breako akout ut alb album um Gan Gangg Sign Signss and Pr Praye ayerr and wi with th the sl slew ew of int interv erview iewss and and pre press ss att attent ention ion thatt foll tha followe owed, d, bol boldly dly pr prese esenti nting ng a new new vis vision ion of ac accep ceptan tance ce for depres dep ressio sion n and and anx anxiet ietyy with within in a genr genree know known n by by many many fo forr its its bold bol d and and unr unrele elenti nting ng mac machis hismo. mo. “Like man “Like man’’a get lo low w some sometim times, es, so lo low w some sometim times, es, ai airpl rplane ane mo mode de on my pho phone ne som someti etimes mes.. Sitt Sitting ing in my ho house use wi with th tea tears rs on my face, fac e, can can’t ’t ans answer wer th thee door door to my br broo some sometim times” es” – ‘Lay ‘Lay Me Ba Bare’ re’ by St Storm ormzy zy Lyrics su Lyrics such ch as the these se are do dotte tted d arou around nd GSA GSAP P and, and, in my opinio opi nion, n, thi thiss cand candidn idness ess is ce centr ntral al to the su succe ccess ss of the al album bum.. Whatt was Wha was eve even n more more im impre pressi ssive ve was hi hiss abil ability ity to ke keep ep the to topic pic alive ali ve out outsid sidee of of the the mus music; ic; hi hiss will willing ingnes nesss to to chat chat to Ch Chann annel el 4 and va vario rious us pub public licati ations ons ab about out su such ch a sens sensiti itive ve iss issue. ue. Tha That’s t’s no nott to say th this is is a first first in gr grime ime.. Dizz Dizzee ee Ras Rascal cal’s’s mer mercur curyy winn winning ing 20033 debu 200 debutt Boy In Da Co Corne rnerr de depic picted ted hi hiss expe experie rience nce of depres dep ressio sion n and and exa examin mined ed the tr traum aumaa face faced d by by kids kids gr growi owing ng up in pov povert ertyy and and opp oppres ressio sion. n. Cal Caleb eb Fem Femii has has wri writte tten n a gr great eat pi piece ece on thi thiss albu album m for for con consen sented ted.co .co.uk .uk - hav havee a lo look. ok. But re repre presen sentat tation ion is isn’t n’t qu quite ite en enoug ough. h. In my firs firstt year year of un unii heree in her in Card Cardiff iff I foun found d myse myself lf abs absolu olutel telyy exha exhaust usted ed by the

47 MUSIC

constant consta nt pre pressu ssure re of hav having ing to so socia cialis lise. e. Anx Anxiet ietyy can ma make ke an abs absolu olute te hel helll of of fres fresher her’s’s wee weekk and and so I unwitt unw itting ingly ly beg began an to shu shutt myse myself lf off fro from m the the wor world, ld, hiding hid ing fr from om any un unnec necess essary ary so socia ciall inte interac ractio tions ns and st strug ruggli gling ng to mak makee frie friends nds.. Some Some of th thee musi musicc I listen lis tened ed to in tha thatt time time wa wass cert certain ainly ly mad madee by by peop people le with wit h simi similar lar ex exper perien iences ces of an anxie xiety ty but th that at fac factt in in and of it itsel selff woul would d not not be wha whatt help helped ed me cli climb mb out out.. Knowin Kno wingg that that so someo meone ne you id idoli olise se has fe felt lt the wa wayy thatt you tha you hav havee at at your your wo worst rst is in incre credib dibly ly emp empowe owerin ringg but th there ere is a cle clear ar lim limit it to how fa farr hone honesty sty ca can n take take us alo alone. ne. By th their eir na natur turee the the art fo forms rms of mu music sic an and d lyrici lyr icism sm are pe perso rsonal nal to th thee arti artist st the themse mselve lves. s. Whi While le we can ta take ke sol solace ace in a sha shared red ex exper perien ience, ce, mu music sic ca can’t n’t always alw ays gi give ve us the cl clear ear in instr struct uction ionss for for rec recove overy ry tha thatt we mig might ht nee need. d. 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This so sort rt of ope open n admi admissi ssion on is nev never er as eas easyy as as it it may may seem, see m, Dan Danny ny Bro Brown’ wn’ss outp output ut has ne never ver sh shied ied aw away ay from fro m deta details ils of hi hiss psyc psychol hologi ogical cal tr troub oubles les ye yett in in 2014 2014,, the De Detro troit it bor born n rapp rapper er was so si sick ck of his tr treat eatmen mentt in the mu music sic in indus dustry try he we went nt on a powe powerfu rfull (sin (since ce delete del eted) d) ran rantt on on Twit Twitter ter,, expl explain aining ing th thee lack lack of sympat sym pathy hy giv given en to him by th those ose wh who o he he had had tho though ughtt weree his wer his fri friend ends. s. 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In In an an age age whe where re we can in inter teract act di direc rectly tly wi with th the su super persta stars rs of our timee thro tim through ugh Tw Twitt itter; er; pa patie tience nce,, supp support ort,, and and pos positi itive ve encour enc ourage agemen mentt towa towards rds ar artis tists ts cou could ld go a long long wa wayy in in

https://www.thecalmzone.net/

creating creati ng a heal healthi thier er atm atmosp ospher heree for for pub public lic di discu scussi ssion on on men mental tal he healt alth. h. This su suppo pport rt nee needs ds to be spr spread ead ac acros rosss all all gen genres res to too, o, it is so ofte often n that that ma male le dom domina inated ted ge genre nress negl neglect ect to addres add resss the the iss issues ues he held ld in the br brain ainss of of the the wri writer terss thatt seep tha seep th throu rough gh int into o thei theirr lyri lyrics. cs. An un unhea health lthyy preser pre servat vation ion of th thee biza bizarre rre co conce ncept pt of mas mascul culini inity ty preven pre vents ts mus musici icians ans an and d fans fans al alike ike fr from om eve everr feel feeling ing thatt they tha they ca can n trul trulyy expr express ess th thems emselv elves. es. Du Dubst bstep ep produc pro ducer er Ben Benga ga cam camee out out in 201 20144 spea speakin kingg of of the the toxici tox icity ty of the cu cultu lture re he was su surro rround unded ed by say saying ing::

https://www.mqmentalhealth. org/mental-health

“This indu “This industr stryy is is all all abo about ut per percep ceptio tion: n: a lot lot of peo people ple wouldn wou ldn’t ’t wan wantt anyb anybody ody to th think ink th they’ ey’re re wea weak, k, or tha thatt theyy can’ the can’tt do do what what th they ey do, or th that at the they’r y’ree not not coo cool.l. Nobody Nob ody wa wants nts to co come me cle clean, an, le lett alon alonee an an arti artist. st.” When male When male su suici icide de in our co count untry ry is con contin tinuin uingg to to rise, ris e, thi thiss is is an an unfo unforgi rgivab vably ly awf awful ul hab habit it for me men n to to be be stuck stu ck wit with. h. This pa parti rticul cular ar iss issue ue in men mental tal he healt alth h can can be era eradic dicate ated d in in part part by mu music sic;; the the art artist istss who who mak makee up our na natio tional nal cu cultu lture re can co conti ntinue nue to qu quest estion ion id ideas eas of mas mascul culini inity ty and pu push sh out th thee idea idea th that at bei being ng mal malee requir req uires es you to ke keep ep you yourr emot emotion ionss pent pent up in insid sidee yourr head you head un until til br break eaking ing po point int.. However, Howeve r, the mo most st imp import ortant ant pl playe ayerr in in the the UK’ UK’ss mental men tal he healt alth, h, is our wo wonde nderfu rfull Nati Nationa onall Heal Health th Servic Ser vicee and and by ext extens ension ion,, our our les lesss wond wonderf erful ul govern gov ernmen ment. t. The par parity ity of me menta ntall and and phy physic sical al hea health lth provis pro vision ion pr promi omised sed in th thee 2012 2012 He Healt alth h and and Soc Social ial Caree Act Car Act has no nott sinc sincee been been de deliv livere ered. d. Acr Across oss th thee countr cou ntryy wait waiting ing ti times mes ar aree prev prevent enting ing th those ose wh who o need need caree from car from re recei ceivin vingg it it and and the la lack ck of rin ringg fenc fenced ed fundin fun dingg into into he healt alth h serv service icess to to corr correct ect th this is iss issue ue is astoni ast onishi shingl nglyy negl neglect ectful ful.. When I wa When wass tuck tucked ed awa awayy in in my my box box roo room, m, I used used mu music sic for co comfo mfort, rt, an and d it it is is perf perfect ectly ly val valid id to do so, bu butt to to treat tre at the ep epide idemic mic of me menta ntall heal health th in thi thiss coun country try we mustt not mus not com comee to to rely rely on ar artt as as a co copin pingg mech mechani anism. sm. So sup suppor portt the the cam campai paigns gns of th those ose su such ch as CAL CALM, M, Help Hel p Musi Musican canss UK, UK, MQ, an and d so so many many mo more. re. Su Suppo pport rt the ar artis tists ts who ar aree brav bravee enou enough gh to rev reveal eal th their eir ow own n proble pro blems ms and pa pains ins in an oft often en unf unforg orgivi iving ng and compet com petiti itive ve mus music ic ind indust ustry, ry, an and d lear learn n to to care care fo forr your your loved lov ed one oness by by taki taking ng the ti time me to edu educat catee your yoursel selff on on mental men tal he healt alth h issu issues. es.

https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/ study/student-life/studentsupport/counselling-andwellbeing

If you feel like you need support, you can call Samaritans on 116 123, or email them anonymously at jo@samaritans.org.

Interview INTERVIEW BY: RACHAEL HUTCHINGS DESIGN BY: LUCY APRAHAMIAN

49 MUSIC

First of all, congratulations on the chart success of your latest album Safe in Sound, how have fans reacted to this music over the last year?

you couldn’t do that when we started this band because we’d have to meet up and talk about it. Whereas now, there are so many different ways you can do things online.

Really good actually. I think these days we get a better gauge of who listens, and how they listen to music, through Spotify and stuff. In terms of that it’s been way faster and more instant with our fans picking up the album straight away, which is cool. Maybe before it’s taken a little while for people to get it.

You recently supported Enter Shikari on their UK tour, what was the best thing about playing alongside them?

Are you going to be making any appearances in any festivals this summer?

They are just of such a similar mindset.

I only know of one, so yes! But I can’t say.

And also the Astroid Boys (from Cardiff!) were on the line-up who are just an up and coming band, what did you think of them?

Who would you say are your top three musical influences of all time?

Did you feel under pressure for this album to take off, after rumours from other members of the band in other interviews claimed that Lower Than Atlantis (2014’s self-titled release) may have been your last album had it been unsuccessful? Yeah, the self-titled record was going to be the last. In a way, we thought if it is the last then let’s just to whatever the fuck we want to do and to see what happened. And that worked. It wasn’t pressure from other people, but it was pressure that we put on ourselves to try and better that. I think by not thinking about it as much. In some ways makes it better, because it is genuinely what you’re thinking and feeling at the time, rather than trying to be contrived and to create something that’s been done a million times before and is a load of bullshit. People can see straight through that. How do you feel about critics claiming your more recent music is ‘a balance between pop and their grunge roots’, do you feel your style has changed since the beginning of the band ten years ago? Yeah, definitely. I think if you deny the change then you’d just be wrong. I think anything in music is not moving forward if you’re creating the same type of thing over and over again. I would just be bored. We’ll always be us, because Mike’s voice is so distinctive, and he always uses the same tricks in the song writing. And when you’re in amongst it, then you know. I think if you don’t evolve, change, and try and make something better or to try new things, then you’re not living life. Has the creative process of making music changed since you now work at your own studio? The creative process has changed in general, in the way the whole world works. Like, literally as I am sat talking to you now I am on my laptop working on a tune. It’s funny,

They are absolute legends – I love them. You often go onto a tour with bands you don’t know, and you always think about whether or not they’re going to be dicks, but Astroid Boys are like our favourite band now. They are wicked, and they deserve their popularity because they are sick. What are you most looking forward to about heading out on your own headline tour again? Just playing gigs and being with my mates. And having a laugh while travelling, seeing the world – but getting paid for it! What is there to be annoyed about? Which places are you most excited to visit? Is there anywhere new you’re visiting this time? We are going to Portugal and we’ve never been there before, we are doing the European dates before the UK. Then obviously we’ve got 22 shows across the UK, which are all places we’ve either not been at all or not for at least five or six years. I’ve seen you’re playing in Pontypridd which is literally 10 minutes up the road from my hometown, it’s so cool seeing a band so big and who I like so much coming so close. Most artists avoid Wales! I think it’s just one of those things, like cogs in a machine. People want us to make money and sell tickets and it’s easier just to go to bigger venues. We wanted to go back and play a bunch of smaller venues where we haven’t been for a really long time, and also to play songs off of all five record which we have never ever done before.

So this is going to be an all-rounder setlist? Yeah, yeah! Greatest hits without the hits is what I keep saying!

That question is mental. Foo Fighters, cos that was one of the bands that I listened to first getting into music. I really like Radiohead, which I think people might think it’s a bit weird of me to listen to. And Biffy Clyro, I’ve followed them since I was a kid, and there’s not a lot of bands that I liked as a kid which I still like now. Coming back to that thing before about bands evolving but staying the same in certain ways - they are a really good example. And if you could only listen to one album for the rest of your life what would it be? That would drive you insane! Something that you love and listening to it, to death! Hypothetically, of course. Like, for the sake of the question, you wouldn’t get bored at all. (laughing) I get bored of everything! I would say Foo Fighters – Colour and the Shape.

50 Headlining Cardiff ’s sell out Sound and Vision event at Clwb Ifor Bach. Boy Azooga delivered an irresistibly toe tapping set; filled with funky synths and infectious melodies. Tune after tune; the set was filled with both quality and variety which provided the Cardiff punters with a rhythmic gig that will be hard to forget. From the reaction of the Cardiff crowd, Boy Azooga are one of the biggest things to be happening amongst the Cardiff music scene right now. We were lucky enough to grab a chat with the man that is Boy Azooga; Cardiff ’s very own Davey Newington.

when it comes to vocals, “I would never class myself as a singer. I definitely feel confident enough to deliver a song though”. However, Davey elaborates on how this had been a slow process “my mum is a clarinet teacher and she has this cassette player. I used to go into the cabin in our back garden and do Nirvana covers. I found them recently and my voice is in a proper American accent and really out of tune. It took me ages to do it but with Houdini Dax we did loads of vocal harmonies so we would practice the harmonies for years. So that was the ‘training’ for singing” (luckily for us).

So, who is the man being Cardiff ’s much hyped Boy Azooga? He’s no stranger to the stage as he has drummed for a variety of well-known local bands, such as Charlotte Church’s Late-Night Pop Dungeon, Houdini Dax and KEYS whilst actually drumming for KEYS the very night of our interview. Davey modestly highlights “They were my all-time favourite band in high school so to play with them is crazy”, whilst they support him on his headline slot. Reminiscing on times touring as a drummer, Davey pinpoints Glasgow as a highlight location to play “I played with Pop dungeon in Glasgow’s Òran Mór and there was this woman at the front, she was so Scottish and Charlotte was singing, it was a really quiet moment and this women at the front just shouts, ‘sing it sister’ in the deepest Scottish accent ever and we were just pissing ourselves”.

With a large array of drumming parts in a variety of bands, Boy Azooga was nothing more than a side project for Davey which didn’t come with an apparent plan. Instead, it just magically appeared with the help of well-known Welsh producer Eddie El Shakarchie. “He’s an amazing producer and musician. I was doing all this drumming and we used to just to go to Ed’s for late night sessions. All I wanted to do was make a wicked album. That was it”. Therefore, despite the band being a relatively new born amongst the music radar, Boy Azooga’s music has been in the making for a very long time, “it took about five or six years to make a record. I’m twenty-six now and some of the songs were written when I was fifteen so it doesn’t actual feel new to me”. However, we will have to wait and see what will come from this mysterious record as it is still very much under wraps.

Now, as he emerges from his hi-hats and cymbals to instead, the centre of the stage, armed with a guitar and vocals. Davey has moved away from his usual musical traditions, “I still feel weird about playing guitar. I always feel like I’m kind of blagging it... I would never fully class myself as a guitar player really. My mate Jack who plays in Monico Blonde and Houdini Dax is an unbelievable guitarist so I have always looked up to him. He is a guitar player and I am just winging it. Sort of by accident”. Continuing this modesty, he believes it’s the same case

However, you know whatever the record may hold is bound to be good since Boy Azooga have now officially been signed to Heavenly Records (King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Temples, Amber Arcades). “The album was finished and I was in the car with Eddie and I go ‘I am just going to chuck it on SoundCloud now, the whole thing’ and he was like ‘don’t you dare!’ He said approach a label first because someone might want to put it out there”, which lead to what Davey had always hoped for,

Introducing

Boy Azooga

“he said who would your dream label be and I was like Heavenly records” who of course, have now signed Azooga. Elaborating on why it was so important to be signed to Heavenly Davey comments “They’re not particularly a money label. They’re not afraid. So, if you wanted to make a weird album you could”. Triumphing them for their flexibility he says, “I know it sounds pretentious but if I wanted to go and like make an instrumental album one day, I know I can do that”. However, it can’t be denied that Boy Azooga’s already highlighted success is credited to Cardiff ’s vibrant music scene “I think Cardiff ’s has got a wicked music scene. I feel like hopefully stuff gets a light shone on it equally as it feels like it is not just guitar bands that are doing well”. Whilst commenting on the tight-knit community it has “I don’t know if it’s the age I’m at but everyone seems to be mucking together and making records together and I think that’s what it is all about” which has been demonstrated with his collaborative vinyl EP with fellow Cardiff band Buzzard “I mentioned about doing a split thing because you kind of draw in people that like them and it becomes a sort of cooperative thing. I love Ty Segall, he is one of my favourites and he did a record with White Fence which I thought that was a cool thing because you don’t see many bands doing it” as he jokes “it’s more bang for your buck too”. So, with only just one released single online and one collaborative EP released, Boy Azooga have already built up quite the name for themselves. The question is, what is on the cards for Cardiff ’s most anticipated new band? Without being able to reveal to much Davey jokes “my mate Jack is into gardening I am thinking of going into that…my plans for the band is gardening”. With tour announcements and record announcements currently simmering, it’s all about to go off very soon and it will not be one to miss!

WORDS BY: ERIN BROWN DESIGN BY: LUCY APRAHAMIAN

51 MUSIC

Album Reviews FIRST AID KIT- Ruins

Dream Wife London is fast becoming the sanctuary of the brightest upstarts in the underground indie scene, with Dream Wife joining one of the most exciting and challenging movements of the 21st century. Hailing from Brighton University before moving to the capital, they’ve joined a stirring of musical inspiration that has spawned the likes of Goat Girl and Shame in abrasive, unforgiving indie-punk, articulating the rush of youth - raw, anxious, reckless. Their eponymous debut album takes the baton in this growing new wave. Combining dynamic nineties grunge with the delicate yet commanding vocals of lead singer Rakel Mjöll, the band have seemed to find a sumptuous balance between their 20th century predecessors’ boisterous riffs with the modern indie dream-pop displayed by the likes of Warpaint and Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

Ruins

Ruins is the fourth album of Swedish folk duo First Aid Kit. The album follows up the critical success of Stay Gold which demonstrated the duos’ skill at emotional melancholic storytelling and gorgeous harmony. However, this album feels more like a step backwards for First Aid Kit, failing to deliver to the standards they have set for themselves. Ruins shifts towards a more traditional American folk sound in the vein of Neil Young or The Carter Family. While not badly executed the results feel rather generic, particularly from a duo who have always looked to do their own thing within the genre. It is quite possible I would be less harsh on this album had it been released by another artist, particularly one of a lesser calibre. The storytelling on Ruins tries to tap into the same melancholic themes of Stay Gold and while not to the same level finds some success exploring the decay of a relationship and it’s effect. Yet I still felt as if this album reflects an American appropriation of the Scandinavian folk sound (albeit with strong American influences) which First Aid Kit have built their career on and as such this album reflects a loss of identity. - Maxwell Modell

Kicking off with ‘Let’s Make Out’, a ferociously destructive head-banger that soars with youthful enthusiasm, ‘Somebody’ follows, displaying the political edge to their sword with a Blondie-esque take on the objectification of women, with Mjöll begging to the listener “I am not my body/I am somebody”. What the album loses in its formulaic song structure it regains in sheer harshness and volatility. Album closer ‘FUU’ (Fuck You Up) steams through with raucous strength and rowdiness before spluttering to a beautifully ugly stop, distorted feedback rumbling into eventual silence. - Jamie Bains

Songs of Praise My first introduction to Shame came as a live performance when they opened for Slaves in 2016. They had all the hallmarks of a promising young band; bags of confidence, a fistful of attention-grabbing songs and a frontman who wasn’t afraid to jump into the pit stripped to the waist. With this in mind, I felt optimistic venturing into their debut album, Songs of Praise, hoping to find that same energy but refined. ‘Dust on Trial’; the first of ten songs on the album, opens with Charlie Steen’s Nick Cave-esque growls before escalating into a shouted crescendo, quelling ing any fears I held that the band would lose their bravado in MP3 format. However, ver, too many of the following nine songs follow a similar structure, making an already short album feel even shorter as one track becomes indistinguishable from om the next – there’s only so many feverishly chanted choruses of stilted lyrics you can take after a while. Gratingly contrived choruses aside, the instrumentation on n the album is solid, particularly shining on tracks such as ‘Concrete’ and ‘Lampoon’ oon’ with tight, almost disco style drumming and prominent basslines reminiscent of Shame’s post punk contemporaries, Holograms and Preoccupations. With the infectiously ectiously chaotic instrumentals upstaging the overwrought lyrics, the album ultimately mately makes for frustrating listening. A shame, frankly. - James Lawson

Marble Skies In 2012, Django Django blew everyone away with their self-titled debut album. Influenced by African rhythms and delivered with astounding confidence this solid thirteen song collection would be difficult to top. Unfortunately, their second album fell well below the mark and their newest offering falls further still. Moving away from the organic sounds of guitar and drums that initially caught our attention, Marble Skies relies heavily on an electronic sound. However, their commitment to their synthesisers has not lead Django Django to create a good album. The single ‘In Your Beat’ is the worst example of the band’s endeavours, with each artificial thump failing to conjure anything other than boredom. It’s almost insulting. The band also rely too heavily on Vincent Neff ’s vocals. It’s as if they are trying to paper over the cracks which exist in each song’s weak instrumentals with lyrics. But Neff ’s singing is as uninteresting as the noises which it accompanies. If there is anything positive to be found in the album it is the more relaxed numbers ‘Sundials’ and ‘Fountains’. Although, these cannot dampen the wholly sorry impression which Marble Skies gives. Django Django Djang are in danger of becoming a band with one amazing album and a string of poor ones before they fade into obscurity. They need to go back to the drawing board and recognise what made them great in i the first place. -B Bob Wigin

How Fashion Transformed Slut-Shaming

Slut, slag, hoe…we’ve heard it all before! But how was slut shaming transformed into the hottest trend of 2017? Cue ‘Sex Worker Chic’. (Role) Models AKA Everyday Models Fashion has long been influenced by sex workers, our favourite 90s romcom is perhaps the pinpoint of where this major trend started. Pretty Woman starring Julia Roberts was released in 1990, catalysing the influence of prostitutes on our everyday wardrobes. From her outlandish vivid clothes to her Baker Boy cap, Vivienne (Julia Roberts) was the idol that started it all. In this chic-flick that makes the most unexpected love possible - a Hollywood hooker and a ruthless businessman falling in love (I know right!). Vivienne wears hoops, knee-high boots and cut out dresses, which have now been adopted modern-day wear. So apparently dressing like your favourite film star prostitute means you’re in trend... sorry mum! Luxury ad campaigns have replicated the call girl look. For example, Alexander McQueen’s new ‘a trompe l’oeil wool silk layered tuxedo jacket with signature strong McQueen shoulder has classic lapels traced with a lust red Sarabande lace bodice insert’ (Instagram: @ alexandermcqueen) in his SS18 pre-collection. Furthermore, Pamella Roland’s pre-fall 2018 collection feature elements of this trend. Pamella’s red corset piece was worn by supermodel Joan Smalls at a New York film screening. Paring intimates with top-of-the-market formal tailoring isn’t the only ‘to do’. Lingerie as outwear is also taking to highstreets with lace bodysuits being sold alongside work wear and pictured in campaigns as appropriate for the office, Sunday lunch and even a walk in the park. If I was to ask my Grandma to identify these items she’d probably reply with “they’re clothes for sex’’. So why is it that these intimate items are now at the spear point of everyday attire?

Stilletos and Fishnets The combo that stole the show in the 70’s. Yep, that’s right. It’s resurfacing and subversively appropriating symbols of prostitution, with fishnets in particular being namely everyday staples. The less raunchy elements of this trend features the famous Beatles cap which has been revitalised as the ‘Baker Boy’ (resembling that of a train conductor), whilst the moto ‘the bigger the hoop, bigger the hoe’ glamourizes the concept of sex workers making it comical to associate oneself with this industry. Admit it, a little voice inside you says it every time you slide those hoops in. Incorporation of our once private intimates as everyday wear includes fishnet tights being unquestionably worn to the library. Meanwhile, knee-high boots are worn on date night. And apparently, vinyl is the new cotton. This seducing shine has been incorporated into skirts, dresses, boots, trousers, tops and even trench coats. And fashion hasn’t stopped there. Take a look around nearly any nightclub, and you’ll see mesh tops with just a bra underneath. This ‘nearly nude’ look is being pounced onto by brand ad campaigns. A look not just accepted, but encouraged today. One look at the Red Carpet showcases this ‘Sex Worker Chic’ trend with see-through mesh, corsets and miniskirts paired with thigh lace up heels. Musicians, models, film stars (you name it), have taken to the sex worker trend. Famous for Fenty, Rihanna is often photographed in ‘barely-there’ intimates, whilst other influential stars such as the Kardashians (and Jenners), Nicki Manaj and Miley Cyrus have also instigated that this trend is here to stay. Ashley Graham was unapologetically proud in a sheer dress with only a bra and pants to retain modesty at the Bazaar Awards in November, and super-model Bella Hadid took to the Victoria’s Secret after party in a red and black lace vinyl bodice dress. I mean, yes she looked INCRED, but has the trend gone too far? Perhaps this ‘Sex Worker Chic’ is overstepping the sexual boundary of private versus public.

Dangers of ‘Sex Worker Chic’ One worry is for the influence of this trend on young girls. Instagram is littered with images of idols wearing explicit clothing in everyday situations, this bridging of once private clothing items to revealing them in the public eye is all in clear sight of young audiences. Though unintentional, constant viewing of idols in clothing influenced by sex workers will influence young peoples perceptions of what is acceptable and will expose them to these sensitivities from a young age. These expressions of fashion are certainly not appropriate for a young WORDS BY: MADDY STEELE

DESIGN BY: KATIE HUXTABLE

audience particularly when they have stemmed from such an explicit adult topic. In an industry where what would have been called slutty is the new chic, we must be careful of the ease of access of images of this trend to those who are too young to understand what the trend represents for many: reclamation of femininity for oneself. The fashion industry tends to gloss over these influences with the concept of femininity and acceptance of our bodies no matter what shape or size and displaying them confidently. The element of respect for intimacy is slowly slipping away in the name of ‘femininity’ when really that’s not what the movement is about. Even so, dressing in a manner that is reflective of prostitution culture is more often than not used not to point to sexualisation of women but to indicate confidence and power over their own bodies. Influence of the prostitution industry that has leaked into fashion is in leopard print tops, miniskirts, stacked jewellery and the red lip and smokey eye combo - whatever happened to the eyes or lips rule?! In a repressive social climate, wearing these sexual items becomes a method for women to assert their sexuality in a positive and confident way. This concept of post-feminism allows women to reclaim their bodies and sexual identity after a history of being promoted as sexual objects. bjects. As the political climate is a heavily guiding force for the fashion industry ndustry it is unsurprising that political and social movements have a high influence on the fashion industry. But has this all gone too far? It is no longer taboo to wear your intimates in public. In fact, it is so common ommon that no one even bats an eyelid. Iff I were to turn up at Cardiff Students Union for a night out in my bra and a mini skirt, I could just about get away way with it. So what does this mean for the future of fashion? Designers, celebrities and now the he general public jumping from rom nearly-nude to nuder, it’s looking ooking as though future fashion could ould be more stark than we had ever ver imagined. Itt seems that slut shaming has been used as the fuel to hand power back to o women. By reclaiming the social shame hame associated with female sexuality (prostitution prostitution being the extreme sense off this) women are using fashion not to give ive themselves away for exploitation but ut to give themselves power over their heir own bodies. I’m guilty of wearing 70% of the above, as most off us girls probably are too! To bee frank, if this modern face of fashion ashion is a way for women to show how their confidence in their own wn skin, reclaiming power over ver their bodies, then get your our mesh on, pop your hoops in, and put those vinyl inyl knee-high boots on gals! als!

FASHION

The ‘Hype-Beast’ Saga WORDS BY: BRYONY STEPHENS DESIGN BY: KATIE HUXTABLE

........................................................................................................................ IMAGE VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS Amazingly, fashion has developed the ability to define cultures and social groups. The clothes on your back have now become a visual symbol of who you are or who you want to be. The streetwear scene originated from the surf and street culture and was a sign to show your hobby and what you were into. A design suited for comfort, as well as fashion. Nowadays, the streetwear scene has escalated by a massive proportion. Gone are the days when those who wore brands such as Stüssy and Carhartt were skaters and surfers. Of course, there are still a lot of customers who purchase the clothing for the designed intention but many have now realised that these brands are an identity enhancer, both in terms of social status and of wealth. The change in attitudes surrounding these brands has led to an extreme increase in the ‘hype’ that encompasses

them and in turn, has developed a character that has been labelled ‘the hype-beast’. Defined by Urban Dictionary as “someone who is obsessed about the hype in fashion and will do whatever it takes to obtain that desired hype”, the people who fall under this category are a godsend to certain streetwear brands. Those who crave the hype will happily part with vast sums of money regardless of if the item is visually appealing or to their own personal taste. However, there is a certain derogatory underlay in labelling someone as a hype-beast. There can sometimes be a lack of individuality and a personal sense of fashion if someone is continuously only buying hyped up products alongside the thousands of others who are doing the same. There then becomes a difference between wearing an outfit the brand has created for you, and wearing one you have made because you like it. Nevertheless, people are continuing to splurge on hyped up streetwear items. Brands such as Supreme and Palace are becoming strong leaders in the culture. The influence they have over buyers is enormous. People loyally queue

for hours, even overnight for the real diehard buyers, just to get their hands on the latest drops. Shopping for these brands has become something so vastly different from a mundane clothes shop. It is a necessity to either queue for the store (there is also very few stores to go to) or nail the time you go on the website before the stock depletes. This limited supply only fuels the hype surrounding the brands, and just goes to prove that the brand still has strong control over the attitude towards their clothes. After all, they could make larger stock supplies like Nike and Adidas. It may sound negative and manipulative to the consumer, but deep down, this is what the customer wants. The queues and excitement are down to our human desires to be part of exclusivity, part of the ‘in-group’. And these brands cater to that exceptionally well and customers enjoy being involved in the queues and the buzz.

and affordable way to express your sense of style is now a financial stance. Collaborations are fast becoming a way for the original brands to sell products at designer prices and for the designer brands to wedge themselves into the style of streetwear. Recently, Supreme collaborated with Louis Vuitton producing a collection that combined both well-known logos. To purchase the t-shirt (the iconic box logo featuring the Louis Vuitton print) the buyer had to splash out around £400 and this price is almost doubled for the hoodie version. The arc-di-triumph, however, is a storage trunk that the collaboration decided to create. For your own personal red patterned storage trunk, it would cost you in the thousands! (prices from www. hypebeast.com) These prices don’t even begin to come close to the resell on the products from this collection. The dramatic pricing that is becoming associated with street style leads to the clothes not being about a

To own the clothes is to show the clothes. If you’ve spent your hard-earned money and time to get an item of clothing, wouldn’t you want as many people to see it as possible? Social media plays a big role in portraying any personal style, but the street-wear style has a particularly large impact online. There are many Instagram accounts dedicated solely to showcasing the best pieces and fits. Whilst these accounts help connect those with similar fashion and provide a sense of community, they can often entice a constant desire to purchase clothes that are deemed ‘worthy’. Only the more expensive and limited items tend to be published onto the mass followed accounts and therefore contributes to the hype of products. Posting desirable and interesting clothing as a concept is completely fine. But as streetwear accounts start to edge towards showing more expensive products such as Gucci and Balenciaga, it becomes difficult for many people to follow the trend. These luxury brands incorporate the same street style as the cheaper brands but at a higher cost and are quickly becoming staple brands for this genre of fashion. What once was a fun

personal fashion, but about how much money you have. Instagram is littered with images of people dripping in expensive garments, which in turn are amped up and idolised. A lot of negative conceptions arise when there can be seen to be little individuality or styling to these outfits. They have merely been bought because of the hype of the product and combined with outer pieces of clothing that are also hyped up. A parade of wealth is the darker side to this fashion style. Whether it’s viewed as a negative or positive or neither, the ‘hype-beast’ has undoubtedly changed the attitude and culture of streetwear. It’s lead to dramatic prices but also a niche culture of fashion that is new and exciting. As long as there are options for both ends of the price spectrum to feel included, then the industry will thrive.

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The market value of the cosmetics industry in the US, Europe and Japan alone is worth 70 billion Euros. As a hard-core makeup junkie, I spend a minimum of ÂŁ30 a month on cosmetics, despite being on a student budget and struggling to afford a can of beans most weeks. A fair bit of thought goes into the contents of my makeup bag, but one of the things I regret to say, I never really consider whether the brand Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m buying from is cruelty-free. My collection contains products from a huge array of companies, from MAC to Anastasia Beverly Hills, yet Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve never taken the time to check which of these companies actually test their products on animals. Manufacturers first started testing their products on animals in the 1930s after a product was mistakenly released by pharmacies that turned out to be extremely poisonous to humans and resulted in the death of over 100 people. The US government then passed the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Food, Drug and Cosmetics Actâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; giving companies a more concrete guideline to abide by before releasing their products. With most cosmetic companies fearing it would be both dangerous and an ethical breach to test the products on humans, they quickly turned to testing them on animals which lead to the first encounters of cosmetic testing. After doing my research, I was shocked to find out that to this day, pretty much every major cosmetics company still tests their products on animals including everybodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s drug store favourites such as Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;OrĂŠal and Maybelline. Despite the fact that testing any form of cosmetic product on animals is illegal in the whole of Europe, most companies arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t animal cruelty-free as it is mandatory to test products on animals in China and therefore any cosmetic company that sells their products in the region automatically arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t cruelty-free. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a shame that despite the fact animal rights activists worked so hard to change laws on animal testing in the UK and other parts of the world such as India and Norway, in many countries including the US, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s still legal and happens on a daily basis. In a survey conducted by Quench, 40% of participants said they would buy products from brands that test on animals and only 38% said they check to see whether the brands theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re buying from are cruelty-free. Interestingly, 10% of respondents felt that testing on products should not be illegal despite the fact that doing so could result in serious harm to the animal and in some cases death. When asked what companies they thought did test on animals, 78% of respondents were adamant Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;OrĂŠal did so and a further 88% felt the same of MAC. Of course, these people assumed so correctly as the only brand that was crueltyfree was Lush (and even then, 10% of people thought they werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t). When asked if they had further comments, a respondent suggested that products should instead be tested on prison inmates who had committed serious and inhumane crimes. But would this not be a breach of ethics and human rights too? In an age where science is becoming more advanced than ever and developing rapidly, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s safe to say there are many alternative methods that have been developed to test cosmetic products on. For example, it is now possible to grow artificial skin which almost

accurately imitates human skin and therefore reacts the same to certain products and chemicals. Scientists at the company EpiSkin can even take this a step further by using UV lights to resemble ageing skin and can add melanocytes to present different skin shades. If methods such as this are so easily available, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s concerning to think that companies still test on animals. Animal rights companies such as PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) and CAAT (the Centre for Alternatives to Animal Testing) advocate the use of alternative methods in the beauty industry and have even developed a list of 5000 safe ingredients which have already been tested on human skin. For us to really campaign against animal testing within the cosmetics industry, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important for us to understand how the process works. Within animal testing laboratories, a strategy known as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The Three Rsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is used. The first, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;reduction,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; is an ethical policy implemented by labs to ensure they are using the minimal number of animals they can. The next, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;refinement,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; calls for scientists to make sure that the animals being used are in as little distress and pain as possible. Although weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to think this is done due to ethical reasons, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mainly done so that there isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t an imbalance in the animalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hormonal levels when the tests are taking place. The last R stands for â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;replacement,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; which calls for companies to find alternatives to animal testing. Although this would suggest that companies are doing as much as they can to find alternatives to testing on animals or make animals as comfortable as they can do, companies still have the choice as to whether they choose to sell their products in regions where animal testing is legal or mandatory. After learning about the process and torture so many animals have to go through in order for companies to get their products on the shelf, I was saddened and determined to stop buying from them. If you want a full list of companies that still test their products on animals, regardless of where theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re based, you can find it on the PETA website or crueltyfreekitty. com. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s great that animal testing is illegal in the UK and the rest of the EU but it would be even better if we could ban it around the world. In the meantime, if this is a matter that is important to you, you can help by boycotting companies that arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t cruelty-free and solely purchasing products from those who are. Understandably, that can be difficult. I mean there are certain products in my makeup collection that are too beloved to let go off but regardless, the fact that these companies donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t comply with basic ethical codes is off-putting. If you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t bear to depart with certain products, you can send an email or letter to the company stating your views on their testing methods and persuading them to go cruelty-free.

FASHION

WORDS BY: SARAH HARRIS DESIGN BY: KATIE HUXTABLE IMAGE BY: PARSLEY123 VIA PIXABAY

In the meantime, Quench has put together a small guide of cosmetic companies that are both good quality and cruelty-free:

1. NYX – NYX has taken the beauty industry by storm recently and I was pleased to learn that they’re one of the few drugstore brands that are cruelty-free. They have pretty much every shade imaginable when it comes to liquid lipsticks and their formula is so rich and buttery that it feels amazing on your lips!

2. Urban Decay – Although Urban Decay is slightly pricey, their products are all amazing quality. They’re best known for their Naked palettes but their other palettes are equally as good.

3. LUSH – There is nothing bad to be said about Lush. You can smell the store from almost a mile away and it honestly smells like heaven. Their cosmetics range isn’t as wide as I’d hoped but both their liquid lipsticks and eyeshadows are incredibly pigmented and can last for hours without a touch-up.

4. Kat Von D – I have to admit, I’ve never tried a Kat Von D product but I’ve only heard good things. Supposedly their Tattoo Liner is one of the best liners on the market right now and I know I’ll definitely be trying it out soon.

5. Too Faced – Similarly to Urban Decay, Too Faced hits a little hard on the bank account but it’s products are all flawless. Their Chocolate Bar palette and Sweet Peach palette are two of the best out there and are perfect for creating a more natural look.

6. Smashbox – Smashbox are best known for their primers and rightly so. The soft formula glides over your skin flawlessly and leaves your makeup looking fresh all day. And they’re prices are pretty decent too.

7. The Body Shop – Body butters from The Body Shop are to die for. They have a really wide range that will cater to everyone and they’re really rich so they’re perfect for people who have dry skin or are in need of some deep nourishing.

8. Glossier – Glossier only came to the UK recently but they’re already the talk of the town. With several products that give you more of a natural look, it’s perfect for days you don’t want to make too much effort.

9. Kiko Milano – When Kiko first entered the beauty industry, they were dubbed as the new and affordable MAC. I’ve tried almost every different type of item from mascara to highlighter and they’ve all been great quality. It’s hard to go into the store and not end up spending all the money in your account.

10. Barry M – I’ve been buying Barry M products since I was a teenager and their nail varnishes have to be my favourite out there. They’re always coming out with new textures and colours and at most Boots stores you can get 3 for the price of 2.

Yellow sweatshirt: depop £29 Trousers: Sports direct £28

FASHION & BEAUTY

Pink top: Zara £10 Jeans: Primark £12 Boots: forever 21 £12

Hoop earrings: FOREVER 21 £7 Watch: MICHAEL KORS Black turtleneck: J Crew £10 Jacket: champion £30 White jeans: Primark £12

Black fluffy jacket: topshop £30 Black jeans: H&M £10

LIPSTICK: MAX FACTOR IN BEWITCHING CORAL

BLUE SWEATER: GUESS £36

MODELS (in order of appearance): Megh Baral, Kieran Hackett, Bonnie Milner-Woodward and Bryony Stephens PHOTOGRAPHED AT: GASSY’S

PHOTOGRAPHS BY: RACHEL JEFFERIES

FASHION & BEAUTY

BLACK TOP: BURBERRY VINTAGE

If you’re not horrified, you’re not listening. DISCLAIMER: Whilst this article solely addresses the cases of female victims, this is an issue that affects both women and men.

WORDS BY: MOLLY JACKSON DESIGN BY: KATIE HUXTABLE IMAGE: NIKKO VIA SKETCHPORT

he film and television industry has no doubt been shaken as a result of the frighteningly alarming number of reports that are being released regarding sexual assault T allegations. “Not him, too” is the phrase plenty of us have had on our lips all too much since October of 2017, with shocking reports being made against our once favourite filmmakers and actors. There is no doubt therefore, that this a horrifying problem that needs to be addressed proficiently in order to make sure that these accused monsters no longer hold their place of power and fame within the Hollywood industry, but five months on from the first shock scandal of Harvey Weinstein, we need to ask: are we doing enough? Sparking off the horror story back in October last year, stands Harvey Weinstein, producer of the likes of Pulp Fiction, Shakespeare in Love and Lord of the Rings, to name a few. Emerging in reports by The New York Times, numerous non-consensual statements allege Weinstein to be a serial committer of both sexual harassment and assault, concluding in the denial by Weinstein. Amongst the reports, were deplorable allegations against Weinstein, in which he promised to help with women’s careers in return for these sexual endeavours. Since the reports had been released in October, Weinstein issued an ‘apology’ in which he would (paraphrasing) ‘learn from his actions’ due to the pain he has caused and has now been fired from his company, yet had also planned to sue The New York Times for issuing false information and misconduct. This behaviour however, is completely indefensible and cannot be justified, to put it lightly. Actresses including Romola Garai, Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie were just a small few of the group of women to come forward against Weinstein, all of which experienced intolerable harassment by the movie mogul. The Weinstein scandal had therefore encouraged and given strength for others to release statements of accusation against players in the Hollywood industry, and developed further conversation about sexual harassment with reports centring on Gossip Girl and Chalet Girl actor Ed Westwick, House of Cards and American Beauty actor Kevin Spacey and very recently, Parks and Recreation star Aziz Ansari. With a plethora of reports coming forward therefore, social media had gone into a frenzy with hashtags such as #MeToo blanketing timelines and plenty of angry statuses coating newsfeeds and discussions. Of course, it’s important that these social media campaigns take the world by storm in order to spread awareness that behaviour such as Franco’s, Weinstein’s and Affleck’s will not be tolerated. Considered cathartic to many, the movie topdogs and their abuse of power within their Hollywood industry has therefore seemingly been stopped and bounded, with their initial sense of entitlement once not knowing such. Lauren Sivan, one of the women who had come forward against Weinstein, stated in an interview with Variety magazine, that it was evident that Weinstein had believed he was too powerful to be touched, and was supported in his indestructible frame through his widespread networks in industries and beyond. A trend that can be seen with those also among the accused, too. It could therefore be argued that these people as well, deserve to be held accountable if they continue to support their employer whose name lies with the accused and are in a position in which they can leave. However, it is alarming to witness that these trends are such necessary to educate others in that this behaviour is deplorable and women deserve respect within their

Women too, are planted with the fear that their allegations will also negatively impact their careers and positions, a fear that should not be enforced - those who are the victims of the assault and those who are an advocate against such monstrosities. Kate Winsletâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s complimentary work towards Woody Allen in a recent interview had therefore been met with criticism, as well as the actresses in the same interview for not confronting Allen and discussing his lamentable actions. This at initial watching, could therefore be considered as understandable and justified, and these women should be encouraged to use that opportunity to speak out. Yet with the silence from her peers that followed Winslet and her comments, it was therefore evident that there was still a shared situation of discomfort and the fearful inability to confront reprehensible behaviour. Therefore, instead of criticising Winslet for not utilising the platformed opportunity, we as audiences should redirect our attention to those predators for committing such actions and to not make possible the fear of damaged careers as a result of speaking out against such predators. It is not these actressesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; responsibility to excuse and manifest an abuserâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s actions. What is therefore difficult to understand, is how these men still have a somewhat untouched career, despite being those who committed such actions in the first place. Ideally, there should be a greater concern regarding the fight against sexual assault within the Hollywood industry, instead of the protection of their careers, yet priorities are frustratingly not in order and cannot be put straight due to fear. This however should not be taken in discouragement and disappointment towards those who do speak out against Hollywoodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unforgiving secrecies of course, but mass criticism should not be devised to those who fear they cannot speak. With the aforementioned #MeToo and also #TimesUp campaigns coming into full force at the 2018 Golden Globes, it was deemed incredible to see such a unification

between big players in the Hollywood industry as an act against those accused. However, these campaigns also sought to discourage the unequal opportunities in which men and women are treated and paid disproportionately. With some arguing against the campaigns in that it shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have taken this long for such a campaign to take place, which is completely justified and understandable,shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t we be somewhat grateful that (albeit late), we have witnessed such a campaign? @QuenchFilmTV Twitter followers took part in a chain of polls regarding opinions on what has occured within the Hollywood industry and how the aftermath has or has not been effective. With questions asking for opinions on whether they would continue to watch a film or television show that had been created by or starred one of the accused members, and whether or not the accused had been unfairly treated in the media. One of the most shocking was 88% of voters stated they felt that there had not been enough done in combat to the Hollywood sexual assault allegations, it therefore has become pivotal that we must attempt to therefore make a change and make a stand, to reinstate trust back into the film industry of which people are safe and treated with respect. Evidently and already, not enough has been done yet voters had also stated they felt campaigns such as #MeToo would hopefully lead to change for the better. With hypocrisy being such a shared hazard when confronted with issues such as sexual misconduct and who should be held accountable to speak, evidently the problems fundamentally lie with those who commit such actions in the first place, with their abuse of power reaching such disgraceful bounds. We should therefore no longer be giving our publicity and attention to those who commit such actions, but instead redirect our praise to those women who do acquire the bravery and courage to come forward against those known within the industry to be alleged abusers and harassers. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s monstrous and frightful that we are still in a culture that our elite aim to hide such horrors through buying silence or threatening the damage of career. In order to combat such, we as audiences need to make our responses inundated with horror heard. We must pay attention to those coming forward and not allow such allegations to be concealed and save the abusers, we cannot let the troubles go unnoticed or continue. With these problems also being evident in not just the Hollywood industry, but others too, there is a shared veil of secrecy to hide abominations in fear of damaging image and brand. We must remember that these victimsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; lives have been changed. So, if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not horrified, you are not listening.

/ ; < = > What follows is a series of results that @QuenchFilmTV collected from the chain of polls sent to followers. Each poll also had the option for voters to tweet us their opinions too.

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FILM & TV

industries. Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also frightening, is the length of time in which it has taken women to possess the ability and bravery to come forward against their attackers and abusers. It is therefore evident, that we are still unsuccessfully living in an era in that women are still fearful of being met with disbelief or disdain when releasing their horror statements. But again, another worry consequently concerns that of the media who take it upon themselves to decide on the legitimacy and validity of a womanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s experiences.

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How Old?

GLEE / Written by Agata Tylki

The stereotype of an older actor playing teenager is well known to everyone. In American TV series Glee the main cast should theoretically be 15/16 years old as they are in high school. Late Cory Monteith, who played Finn, was actually 27 when the show first aired! With over 10 year difference between him and his character, he knew exactly what would be happening in high schooler mind. He played tall and popular quarterback conflicted with his passion for signing. With his talent, he won the audience over and still stays in our memory.

Image by: JJ Duncan via Pixabay

MEAN GIRLS /Written by Hannah Stait The classic teen movie Mean Girls was a phenomenon within the film industry and was definitely something that every teen has settled down to watch over the years. Something you may not know about this movie is that whilst Rachel McAdams ruled in her role as the high school bad bitch, she was actually 26! Being 21 myself, the idea of playing a high school teen seems ridiculous but I really don’t think anyone could have played Queen Regina George half as good as Rachel McAdams! The phrase ‘she doesn’t even go here!’ has never been more appropriate! Image by: Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons

HARRY POTTER SERIES /Written by Hannah Sedgwick The Harry Potter Series: famous for having a child cast that grew up with the progression of the films. Although, remember Moaning Myrtle, the crying ghost that dominated the girls toilets? She was played by Shirley Henderson, who was 37 at the time of Chamber of Secrets and 41 when she appeared again in Goblet of Fire. Her small stature of 5ft and child-like voice made her a perfect casting choice but was by far the oldest person to portray a teenage Hogwarts student. Image by: Nicolas Genin via Wikimedia Commons

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ILLUSTRATION BY: IMMYSMOMMY VIA PIXABAY

GAME OF THRONES /Written by Lucy Smith While season seven finally sees Jon and Daenerys coming together (in more ways than one…), Game of Thrones favourite Targaryen was actually seven years younger than actress Emilia Clarke back in season one. Indeed, the British actress was 24 years old when the show aired and Dany – pushed into marriage with Khal Drogo – would have only been 17, four years older than in the books. Image by: lincolnlt2001 via Flickr

FRESH MEAT /Written by Fin Stockting Yes we realise that this may not be the first college or school reference in this list. Yes we also realise there are things such as mature students. But it’s still pretty tough watching Fresh Meat and imagining the likes of Jack Whitehall, Kimberley Nixon and Zawe Ashton parading the halls (or student houses for that matter) of Cardiff. even in their final year. Besides, McHugh and Van Houten have two kids apiece, and Simon (oh you’ll always be Simon to us, Joe Thomas) is even engaged. Thank goodness Fresh Meat never claimed to be serious - cos we have a hard time taking it seriously. Image by: Christopher William Adach via Flickr

JENNIFER LAWRENCE /Written by Josie Von Jascheroff Jennifer Lawrence is an actress like no other. But for once her humour or relatability is on the table. Unlike many Hollywood actresses who play younger parts, she actually has a surprising trend of playing females who are a decade older than her. One of her award-winning performances was in Silver Linings Playbook. In it, at the age of 22, she acts the part of a troubled, bipolar widow who gets it on with an equally troubled divorcee, played by the ruggedly handsome Bradley Cooper who at the time was 37 years old. A year later, J Law is starring in another blockbuster, American Hustle. She plays another troubled wife, alongside a cast are too, a decade older than her. In 2015, the trend continues. as she plays Joy Mangano, a self-made millionaire and mother, in the movie title Joy. Based on a true story, the real Joy was 34 years old when she brought out her first invention. Lawrence, in comparison, was only 25 when the movie was released. Image by: celebrityabc via Flickr

DESIGN BY: KATIE HUXTABLE

How Old?

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Film Reviews DESIGN BY: STEPHANIE ROWE

The new Star Wars film was a disappointing end to Mark Hamill’s journey as the Jedi Master. The most anticipated film of 2017 hit the big screens with fans old and new hyped for the second instalment in this sci-fi trilogy sequel. After the success of The Force Awakens, there’s no denying that many were excited to the follow up that The Last Jedi would offer. Unfortunately, and as a complete surprise to many and myself, it was a disappointment.

The Last Jedi is your typical middle part of a trilogy. It’s not the most exciting or thrilling, it simply acts as an arc between the start and end of the story. Nothing really happened during the film, a lot of time was wasted in the middle where there is the pointless conflict between the First Order and the Resistance. This could’ve easily been replaced with more action or just left out completely as the film felt way too long and boring at some points. It was surprising to see that they decided to kill off Snoke, who we were lead to believe to be the main antagonist of the trilogy. He’s mysterious and terrifying as in ‘The Force Awakens’ we are yet to meet him. But after finally

meeting this enigmatic character he is instantly cut from the film by his young apprentice. Kylo Ren or Ben Solo (Adam Driver) is the least convincing villain, with him being unsure between the light and dark side of the force it does take away from the possible threat that the character could bring to the film. However, there are some positives that come from this film. Mark Hamill’s performance and his partnership with Daisy Ridley was brilliant to see on screen. Especially since we saw so little of him in Episode Seven. With the very anticlimactic end to Luke Skywalker’s story, I would’ve like to have seen him return for Episode Nine and conclude his story along with the trilogy as a whole. The late Carrie Fisher’s performance, who passed away shortly after the release of The Force Awakens in 2015, was again amazing and this film was a beautiful tribute to her in her last on-screen performance. But it was surprising that they didn’t decide to kill her character as this will be her last performance on screen. Overall I was, like many disappointed by Star Wars: The Last Jedi, but I am still looking forward to seeing how it will all come to an end when the final film releases in 2019. - Liam Ketcher

STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI DIRECTOR: RIAN JONNSON CERTIFICATE: 12 RUN TIME: 2 HOUR 32 MINUTES

BATTLE OF THE SEXES DIRECTOR: JOHNATHAN DAY TON AND VALERIE FARIS CERTIFICATE: 12 RUN TIME: 2 HOUR 1 MINUTE When considering what best makes a gripping sporting drama, perhaps ‘tennis’ isn’t the first word that springs to mind. Plagued by relatively unimpressive previous features, such as Wimbledon, it has never really been given a great role in film. With Battle of The Sexes, however, the tide could turn. Set amidst a key period in the development of women’s rights, at the centre of second wave feminism, Battle of The Sexes is the story of Billie Jean King’s unwavering battle for equality in her sport. Much like The Handmaid’s Tale, which was set in a misogynistic, dystopian future, Battle of The Sexes feels incredibly relevant, despite its distinct seventies setting. What should feel like an issue of the past here feels uncomfortably familiar. In a year marked by Trump’s continued attacks on minorities, the tale told in Battle of The Sexes couldn’t feel more important. What begins as a fight by Billie Jean (Emma Stone) for equality in tennis soon becomes not only a journey towards respect for women players, but also a conflict within the former world number one herself. As Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell), eternal gambler and former tennis champion, challenges King to a game that could alter perceptions of women in sport, she grapples with a somewhat terrifying self-realisation. Having met Marilyn (a perfect Andrea

Riseborough), a coy hairdresser in Los Angeles, King is thrown headfirst into the kind of awakening that turns her entire world on its head. Everything that King thought she had a firm grip on in an unstable world, is suddenly upturned in every way possible. Soon, she is drawn into a heady voyage of desire, discovery, and self-acceptance. Riseborough and Stone’s chemistry is extraordinary and what could serve as a simple romantic sub-plot elsewhere is here a deeply affecting love story. Billie Jean and Marilyn’s relationship stands out in that it transforms a gentle comedy-drama into a tender depiction of a love forbidden in its time.

Battle of The Sexes is a film that actively seeks to break boundaries. It has been made with genuine care by Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton, the directorial duo, and is made touchingly realistic by the performances on display. It has proven to be one of the most underrated films of 2017, yet it is one that deserves to be seen and appreciated. Do yourself a favour and see it as soon as you possibly can. - Hannah Ryan

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INGRID GOES WEST An unexpected and somewhat disarming psychological thriller, Ingrid Goes West tells the tale of Ingrid Thorburn (Aubrey Plaza), who escapes her lonely life following her mother’s death to befriend her latest Instagram obsession, LA socialite Taylor Sloane (Elizabeth Olsen). When Ingrid plans to kidnap and return Taylor and her husband Ezra (Wyatt Russell)’s dog, she finds her way into Taylor’s perceived ‘perfect’, #nofilter lifestyle.

DIRECTOR: MAT T SPICER CERTIFICATE: 15 RUN TIME: 1 HOUR 38 MINUTES

As the film progresses, the severity of Ingrid’s psychological involvement and obsession with Taylor’s life becomes detrimental to both Taylor and Ingrid’s wellbeing, and the final denouement of this obsession will shock audiences and encourage a more mindful awareness of social media’s effect on everyone in the world. Plaza gives an incredible performance in this role, and truly captures Ingrid’s

role, and truly captures Ingrid’s fascination with social media to evoke both empathy and discomfort among audiences who may see themselves in this character. This film is extremely sharp in presenting the narcissism and falsehood of the use of a social media to create intimacy among friends and therefore holds a mirror to its viewers to take a long, hard look at our own feeds and the falsehoods we may be promoting daily. The resistance of easy comedy within the film makes space for these harsh truths and realities we may be frightened to face, but within this era of constant interaction through multiple facets of social media, we might need this film more than ever. - Tatum Stafford

THE DISASTER ARTIST “People are people. Sometimes they just can’t see their own faults”. To say that this sums up the blinkered, narcissistic nature of Tommy Wiseau would be an understatement. So perhaps it’s fitting that this is a line Wiseau himself penned in his infamous 2003 disasterpiece, The Room.

as they move to LA to pursue acting careers, culminating with the inception of The Room. Franco brothers are great; James may receive most of the plaudits for his inch-perfect impression of Tommy’s otherworldly drawl, but it’s younger brother Dave who has the more difficult task, driving the narrative forward as a young man torn over whether to feel gratitude or disdain, as Tommy’s It’s quite impossible to talk about The Disaster Artist increasingly volatile actions threaten to ruin his big without first referencing how large a cult following The break. Room has. Famously dubbed, ‘the Citizen Kane of bad movies,’ the film is so utterly incoherent, devoid of any Between Franco’s direction and the script – written by human truth and features a performance by Wiseau (who Scott Neudstater and Michael H. Weber (500 Days of also wrote, produced, directed and financed this vanity Summer, The Fault in our Stars) - the tone is pitched just DIRECTOR: JAMES FRANCO project) so inordinately strange, it becomes laughable to right. The film understands that Tommy’s ridiculous, CERTIFICATE: 15 the point of great entertainment. infantile nature provides enough comedy in of itself, and RUN TIME: 1 HOUR 43 MINUTES takes a step back, ensuring supporting cast members As a consequence of this, The Disaster Artist opens to (Seth Rogen, Zac Efron, Jackie Weaver etc.) all underplay a chorus of industry members (Kristen Bell, JJ Abrams, their roles. This is Tommy’s film, and boy does he let Adam Scott etc.) waxing lyrical about the film’s ambition them know. and legacy. The movie smartly recognises that for those unfamiliar with the work it’s chronicling, pre-empting its The Disaster Artist is James Franco’s best directorial perceived greatness amongst familiar faces is a sure fire outing to date, showing us he can be funny without way of keeping the audience hooked. resorting to fart jokes. It’s solid film-making and is destined to find its place on the Midnight Circuit in The biopic is based on Greg Sestero’s (Dave Franco) years to come, half of a perfect double-bill... book of the same name, and documents his blossoming - Fin Stockting friendship with Tommy (James Franco, who also directs),

PADDINGTON BEAR DIRECTOR: RIAN JONNSON CERTIFICATE: 12 RUN TIME: 2 HOUR 32 MINUTES Paddington Bear is such an iconic character in British culture. Polite, determined - if a tad clumsy in his delivery - and at times a little bumbling; he is quintessentially English in every conceivable way, from his duffle coat to his love of marmalade. As such, any adaptation of these beloved children’s stories runs the risk of public outcry, if not handled delicately. Thankfully, Paddington 2 achieves

a level of charm and wit often lacking among children’s films. From slapstick humour to heartwarming reunions, Paddington 2 is alternately fun and sweet without being cloying; avoiding clichés with a generous littering of sly gags aimed at a more mature audience. The voice of our loveable bear, Ben Whishaw, is once again flawless; the gentle innocence of his vocals is very well suited to the well-meaning bear. Villain Phoenix Buchanan (Hugh Grant) is at his comedic besta refreshing change in roles from the actor’s usual romantic comedy protagonist. With many role reprisals (including the entire Brown family, neighbours and local shopkeeper Mr Gruber (Jim Broadbent)), it’s easy to see why so many of the new cast members were so keen to be a part of this sequel. With themes of tolerance and inclusion that echo the sentiments of the previous film, Paddington 2 also manages to send a subtle political message that does not taint the storyline. Simply a joy to watch: a welcome distraction from the worries of everyday life, with a moralistic subtext - pure innocent escapism. - Charlotte Ellis

Digital Demons: The Power of Social Media REBECCA CORNISH WAS

FEELING THOUGHTFUL

Whenever someone tries to criticise social media I always come to its defence, but stepping back I don’t really know why I do that. It takes some time for me to pinpoint the exact value of Twitter in my life. Maybe it’s because I want to work with social media management and online content? Am I just naïve for finding more good than bad in this crazy online world? I’ve been using Facebook since 2009, Twitter since about 2012, Tumblr I like to forget exists but I dabbled a bit in 2013-14, and YouTube has just always been there. I use Steam for video gaming which also has a social element, I am a part of about 7 Discord servers (although only actively talk in one of those), I watch Twitch streams every day, and use Reddit for getting my news and finding memes. So I guess it’s safe to say that social media is everywhere in my life. I’ve made lasting meaningful relationships using social media, including meeting my boyfriend of 4 years, and also some of my closest friends have started as the odd interaction on Twitter or Discord. If nothing else, social media has helped me find circles in which I belong when I couldn’t find them in real life. I’ve been able to express myself in ways I can’t offline, and many of the things I love have been facilitated by the growth of social media: Overwatch streams and, as such, esports as a whole, and also Rooster Teeth and other comedy content on YouTube. This content only exists because social networking sites have evolved. For a gamer like me that would rather sit in and watch the Overwatch League than go out, social media has been a godsend. On less of a personal level, social media has allowed for the swift delivery of news (not always a good thing, but mistakes are made). We as the public can be updated live online when things happen, in Parliament or overseas, on Twitter or Facebook and there is a huge potential for rational debate. Does that ever happen? I mean, probably… just not a lot of the time.

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That said, it would be remiss of me to ignore the dangers of social media. Anonymity means people are just as likely to abuse you as they are to engage in debate with you. Content creators can be bullied into making changes to their work by a sea of faceless people hurling all sorts of abuse. Overwatch artists recently had to make changes to something as trivial as the colour of someone’s beard because of the insane amounts of exaggerated criticism it received from Twitter and Reddit. Social media does also have more malicious implications with the potential for grooming, and the abundance of dick pics, but I am in no way educated to talk about that sort of thing. I’m definitely aware that it’s an issue, but I don’t think I could possibly do the subject justice and talk about it with the gravity it deserves. Outside of the gaming demographic, social media can also have a lasting impact on mental health and body image. Let’s not lie to ourselves and say that we haven’t looked at an Instagram model and felt part of us die inside at least once, because I do it on a daily basis. “But what if I took it in this lighting or that angle, do you think I would look better?” I never do, so I resign myself to the fact I’m just not a good looking person and close the app for a whole ten minutes before starting the cycle anew.

How true to ourselves are we on social media, really? I’m not the same on Facebook as I am on Twitter, and I’m a whole new person on Discord too. Where in this mess of personality do you find me? I don’t think I even know at this point. Although that’s less to do with social media, and more to do with how I present myself to different people. I don’t think my dad wants to see me fangirling over esports, to be honest. Nor does anyone else I actually know in real life, so I restrict it to Twitter and Discord. If you’re one of those people that’s just yourself everywhere, I applaud you. I wish I had that courage. Managing social media has become managing your personality, a tiring exercise I can assure you.

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Quench Tech Active 2 h ago

There are obviously other implications in social media usage, like the data we’re giving up to businesses and advertisers so they can tailor ads to our needs. Not only are we having to manage our personalities, but they’re in turn being managed by businesses who want us to spend money on them. Facebook in particular has become a fabricated world stitched together with your data from fragments of your personality. Sometimes I just want to step back and tear the whole thing down.

But that doesn’t mean social media is bad. Even after everything I’ve said, my love for the content and joy that it gives me still vastly outweighs the knowledge that I’m just a commodity because this knowledge is nothing new to me. Because I’m aware of it, and I’m mature enough (haha) to use the Internet responsibly, it doesn’t take a lot to overlook the toxicity. But this does therefore mean that media literacy has a clear impact on one’s responsibility online. If nothing else, social media still most definitely poses a threat to younger children. Especially places like Twitter where following people is unrestricted.

Pros Allows for free expression.

A way of building meaningful relationships.

Has allowed for the creation of new and unique online content.

Cons Commoditisation of data.

Can cause self-esteem and anxiety issues.

The toxicity of anonymous communication.

4 Must-Have Apps for Student Life Whether it’s for cash or for the sesh, there are countless apps for students on the app store; pages of apps for productivity and planning that all look the same. But there are some gems hidden amongst the trash, you just have to look for them. However, looking for them takes up valuable time, so we decided to do it for you. WORDS BY: REBECCA CORNISH DESIGN BY: LUCY APRAHAMIAN

Let’s start with the obvious one. If you don’t know who UNiDAYS are then I want in on the rock you’ve been living under because I can’t buy anything nowadays without there being a UNiDAYS discount, which is definitely not a bad thing. It acts a bit like a NUS card, really. Businesses will have discounts for users of the UNiDAYS website – usually a solid 10-20% off depending on the brand. Sounds simple, but you would not believe the amount of money I have saved through their discounts. As I’m writing this, there’s up to 60% off Missguided with an extra 10% off the sale as well as 30% off Adidas. It’s always worth checking the UNiDAYS site because you may just land yourself a bargin. All you need is your university email!

Don’t want to pay £120 for those Law textbooks? Look no further, Fatbrain is here to save you. What boils down to essentially “eBay, but for textbooks”, Fatbrain allows people to buy and sell their used textbooks meaning you could get a cheap textbook which saves you a solid £80, or you can sell your own old textbooks which could get you a tidy price.

This app comes in two flavours, Circle of Six, and then Circle of Six U, both suitable for students. This app lets you build a circle of six friends or trusted contacts. If you get into an uncomfortable or dangerous situation on a night out, for example, this app can text your circle in a matter of two taps; alerting them of the fact you’re in an uncomfortable situation, and your GPS location. It also won the White House and HHS “Apps Against Abuse” Technology Challenge in 2011, as well as the Avon Foundation for Women/ Institute of Medicine “Ending Violence @ Home” award.

Circle Play

Yes, I know. ow ow. w. More Mo More re circles. cir irccle cll s. Not to be confused confus con fussed d with wit i h Circle Cir ir lee of Six, irc Six Circle Payy is is a must have for anyone sharing a h house ho use or with friends you can’t can n’tt trust tto o payy their ttheir sh sshare are off the bill. Circle Circle Pay Pay is is a way way of of splitting splitti spli tting ng the cost o off utility or bills or restaurant restaaura u ntt bil b l ls between bettwe wee w e n a group off people people and d ea eeasily eas a ily and securely transferring money. It is more accessible than transferring money mon ney through h bbanking anking apps ap pps p or PayPal, PayPal P , and it means m ns you don’t mea do d n’t have to rely on having cash on you wherever you go g (it also means thatt not not having cash ca cash s on you isn’t isn’t is n’t’’t an n’ excuse anymore, sorry).

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The Women Who Shaped

Science

Women are awesome. So often do they offer significant contributions to fields of science and technology, but we hear so little about them. Many lifesaving technologies, especially in wartime, have been developed by women from every conceivable background. Some of the women on this list didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even have an academic background in science or engineering, and yet still somehow had the initiative and nd drive to become inspirational, intelligent, and revolutionary women.

Marie Sklodowska-Curie When I think about inspiring scientists, the first woman that comes to mind is Marie SkĹ&#x201A;odowska-Curie. She was a Polish chemist and physicist and was the first woman to ever win a Nobel Prize and first person to win it in two different sciences. Her achievements included the development of radioactivity theory and isolation techniques of radioactive isotopes. She also discovered two elements: polonium and radium. She was one of the first women who ever had driving licence which she used during First World War to transport an X-ray machine and performed examinations of wounded soldiers. She also learned to read at the age of 4 and was fluent in five languages. Albert Einstein reportedly remarked that she was probably the only person who could not be corrupted by fame as she and her husband Pierre Curie often refused awards. Marie SkĹ&#x201A;odowska-Curie rests in the Pantheon - she was awarded this honor for services to science. She was truly remarkable person and deserves respect and recognition. Every scientist should be grateful for her discoveries. - Agata Tylki

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Katherine Burr Blodgett Katherine Burr Blodgett was a New York born research scientist and the firstt female scientist to work with General Electric; helping in the development off some of the most underrecognised scientific advancements of the Second World d War that are still in use today. One of these developments is a form of ‘invisible’ glass that is largely nonreflective.. This glass has a surprising amount of applications, including submarinee periscopes, and were also extremely popular for use in cameras in post-war film m production. The first film to use this glass was Gone with the Wind, which iss n recognised for the clarity of its cinematography. Nowadays, this glass is used in computer monitors and normal eyeglasses. This isn’t the only invention she developed, however. She is also responsible forr improvements in smokescreen technology, methods for deicing aircraft materials,, and poison gas absorbents. Her breakthroughs in smokescreen technology in n particular helped to save many lives during the war.

Rachel Zimmerman Rachel Zimmerman was an inventor that started with no academic background in science or technology. At the age of 12, she created a software that revolutionized the way in which people with debilitating disabilities could communicate. Her invention utilises Blissymbols; symbols that enable non-speaking people, such as those with cerebral palsy, to communicate. Zimmerman’s program acts as a form of translator, where a user selects a symbol using a specialized touchpad. The program then translates this into written word; enabling the user to record thoughts or send an email. Zimmerman’s current research still focuses on improving the lives of those with disabilities. As of now, she is working to collaborate with NASA to improve their innovations so that they are accessible to disabled users.

Hedy Lamarr Australian born actress and self-taught inventor, Hedy Lamarr, is another inspirational woman who contributed significantly to wartime technologies. She tinkered in her spare time; devising many (unsuccessful) ‘inventions’. But, for her, it was a hobby she remained passionate about and was supplemented by the status of her first husband as an arms dealer. With the knowledge she had learned from this marriage, she devised a ‘signal-hopping’ strategy for ships which made it more difficult to jam incoming remote-controlled torpedoes. At the time, however, the Navy was not considering inventions coming from outside of the military, and it wasn’t until 1962 – during the Cuban missile crisis – that an updated version of her design was used on ships and furthermore, her work in this field eventually led to the development of technologies vital to our everyday lives now, such as GPS and Wi-Fi. Hedy received no awards for her work until 1997 where she received the Electronic Frontier Foundation Pioneer Award and the Bulbie Gnass Spirit of Achievement Bronze Award. In 2014, her and her colleague were also posthumously inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

words by rebecca cornish

Rachel, Quench's very own Agony Aunt, is here to answer any pressing questions you might have. ! I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get the grades I need to get

So many of your fellow students are in the same boat! You deserve to be here just as much as the person sitting next to you in a lecture theatre. Of course, it is normal to feel this way, you are anything BUT stupid! Enjoy your time studying at Cardiff University and look after yourself too. Talk to a friend or a family about this if it a recurring thought in your mind. Talking to others about worries or concerns are the best way to solve them. Congratulations on becoming a Cardiff University student and remind yourself why you came to university. Universities donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t accept everybody and anybody, they chose you! And they chose you for a reason, they saw past your grades and felt you were capable of being a Cardiff University student, which you absolutely are. Quench would like to welcome Rachel Nurse as our first-ever Agony Aunt! She is in second year, doing an English Literature degree, and is here to answer all of your questions about uni life.

Do you have something on your mind? Are you struggling with university or with your finances? Quench's Agony Aunt is here to help! To submit your questions, please get in touch via the link: https://t.co/bf5lOrvn2i or email Rachel at: agonyaunt@quenchmag.co.uk Illustration by: Lisa Doran

( $ ! ! ' ) ! * YOUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;RE BEAUTIFUL. YOUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;RE BEAUTIFUL. YOUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;RE BEAUITFUL ITâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S TRUE. Put James Blunt â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re beautifulâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; on right now. Then follow it with some Christina Aguilera. You are beautiful. You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need someone on a night out to give you attention for you to feel confident. Confidence is key, there is nothing more attractive than a (modest) confidence in somebody. If you learn to love yourself, then it is fact that you suddenly start to radiate this incredible glow. Speak openly and honestly about this with your close friends, they probably feel the same way! Insecurities can rid us of any sense of self-worth, and yet what does that achieve? Ask your friends what they think of you and I also bet that you will get a bucketful of compliments! Take note of these and use these to build your confidence. Write down the things you like about yourself â&#x20AC;&#x201C; as hard as that sounds â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and build on these qualities and turn them into your assets. This isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t about vanity, this about confidence. If you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re attractive then you are bound to assume that everybody else sees you that way, you are bound to draw on negatives. Once you start to love yourself then these feelings of being â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;uglyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; (which are lies) will disappear and the real you will shine through.

" ! ! ! ! # $ % ! $ ! & ' ' Firstly, as blunt as this sounds, your best friend needs to sort her loyalties out. University is stressful as it is and surrounding yourself with people who donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t acknowledge your feelings and put you in a negative headspace are not worth your time. Feelings are horrible and confusing but, putting yourself in a more positive environment can work wonders. Have you spoken to her about this? She may not be aware of how it is affecting you, or how much you actually liked this guy. She may feel terrible and work to resolve this but if she reacts badly then she is not worth your time. (Harsh I know, but you deserve better than this!) It may be that she fancied him when you told her and she didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to tell you she did in case of drama or a friendship break up. Just speak to her about it, clear the air and get it all off your chest. Speak to her before you speak to him, because the last thing you want to do is meddle in their relationship. If I was you I would still be friends with them both but distance yourself from the situation until you are not confused about all of this. Keep your chin up and focus on you. Find yourself again, focus on the things that make you happy. Time is a healer, and hopefully eventually things will be resolved, but you need to do what is best for you rather than let this get the better of you. You are worth more than letting a boy bring you down. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got this girl.

! You are certainly not alone here. So many students feel the strain and anxiety of being away from their partner, and it is indeed a very lonely feeling. Communication is key. Keep in regular contact, whether that be through messaging, phone calls or Skype. You know what they say, distance makes the heart grow fonder? Well make the most of that and plan exciting things to do for when you see each other! It is important to make sure you are both putting in the effort and not making this an unbalanced, one-sided relationship. Take it in turns to visit each other, but as hard as it can be, remember to be understanding if he cannot always come to see you. If the relationship is meant to be, then you will stay together. If you can get through this then you can make it through anything.

AGONY AUNT

Agony Aunt