Quench issue 92 - 1 March 2010

efterklang

Los t prophets

Mardi Gras

TH I S I S art?

Editor Simon Lucey Executive Editor Emma Jones Assistant to the Editors Elaine Morgan, Hector Roddan Arts Amelia Forsbrook, Natalie Stone, Blind Date Sarah Kilby, Caroline Baldwin Books Emma Pocklington Fashion Emily Cater, Kate Eaton Features Ellie Woodward, Sarah George Film Lloyd Griffiths, Jody Tozer, Steve Wright Food Harriet Davies, Hayley Pyper Gay Lucas Owen Going Out Jack Doran Interviews Steve Beynon, Tom Rouse Listings Steve Beynon, Tom Rouse Music Sam Smith, Phil Guy, Si Roach Photos Jake Yorath, Liz Foggitt Travel Dom Kehat, Paul Stollery Podcast Director, Lloyd Griffiths Proof Readers, Martha Partridge, Kate Boddington, Lucy Sheriff, Michael Brown, Rebecca Dubock, Rebecca oakley, Amelia Forsrbook printed on recycled paper. PLEASE RECYCLE.

INTERVIEWS p. 19

Cover Design: Simon Lucey

FOOD p. 08

ART p. 39

Ihave been thinking a lot recently. It is what philosophy students are meant to do apparently. However this time my thought drifted away from Socrates, Plato et al., no this time it took a very different route. You see it appeared to me that some of the finer things in life are horribly undervalued, they grant us great pleasure yet demand nothing in return.

OUT IN

Tampons:

Could get lost up there

Just don't spill them...

ba dom tish

I suppose the most underappreciated thing in the world is pretty obvious. No it is not peace, humanity, or morality, it is quite obviously cheese. It is fucking ace. Whether it is a classy, crumbly goat's cheese along with a smothering of caramelised onion chutney all on a chunky seeded ciabatta, a stinking, mature, blue stilton on crunchy digestive biscuits along with a fresh, sliced, granny-smith apple, or my personal favourite the classic melted mature cheddar inside a tantalising toasty stuffed with wild mushrooms and bright red tomatoes, cheese is essentially brilliant.

Then there are the possibilities when combined with pasta. How such a bland, dry meal can be so easily transformed into this rich, moist, cacophony of flavours, creating a group orgy on your tongue as the previously innocent cheddar tingles and torments your tastebuds. The positive impact of cheese on the world can not be underestimated: who can accurately guess at the number of arguments, quarrels or even world wars that have been avoided due to the incomparable pleasure of a good cheese sandwich?

Whilst Obama has gained the recognition of a Nobel Peace prize, cheddar simply sits by, like the unsung hero it is, constantly preventing confrontation in every sphere. Maybe it is time that we gave edam, stilton and brie the international acclaim that they deserve. Potentially the Eurovision Song Contest?

jolly humorous stuff

A married couple down on their luck decides to make a few extra bucks by reluctantly having the wife work the corner. After the first day the husband picks her up and asks "how did you do?". She says, "I did pretty well, I made $200.50". He asks, "What asshole gave you 50 cents?" and she replied "all of them".

dictionary corner

on the buzzer with student filth

When your washboard abs are covered by a beer gut.

These are stealth abs, not a muffin top. I didn't want to at- tract too much attention from the ladies with a well-defined stomach.

Voyeur

at would e Muga do?

Dear Robert, If you could be a hate crime what would it be and why?

Fred, Cathays

Dear Wanker, Name calling.

Rob

Dear Robert, British farmers are having a tough time at the momment, have you got any advice for them?

Hector, Somerset

Dear Hector, Here is my two point plan to help white British farmers, 1. Fuck off. 2. And die. Regards, Rob

Dear Robert, Would you prefer to enter a civil partnership or adopt a white child?

Tom, Students-Union

Dear Robert, Who would win in a fight between Allah and Jesus?

Dear Tom. I'd kill them both.

Rob

Dear Robert, Will you be following Gordon Brown's lead and having a televised political debate at the next election?

Lloyd, Cathays

Dear Lloyd, What election?

Rob

Disclaimer: Robert Mugabe may not be a brutal dictator and these views may not rep resent his own. Indeed Zimbabwe may be a budding democratic beacon of hope. LOL.

Sam, Cathays

Dear Sam, Robert Mugabe would win in a fight between Allah and Jesus.

Rob

Dear Robert, Do you think that Avatar is a metaphor for the oppression of white farmers in Zimbabwe?

Simon, Bridgend

Dear Simon, Yes.

Rob

Dear Rob, Have you got any advice for two first time

Behind every shit man is a good woman

2010 is the year of the cheat, with not even Vernon Kay able to resist a cheeky text. Robbie Wells considers the ever decaying world of monogamy...

As the great Stewie Griffin once said, “Women are wicked creatures. Their treachery has precipitated the downfall of history’s most powerful men”.

To add to this sentiment, I read a piece in the Daily Mail a few weeks back suggesting that Vanessa Perroncel was to blame for the John Terry fiasco, essentially because she wanted to make a name for herself.

She has certainly made a name for herself, but she’d have to be a bit narrow-sighted if she thought it was ever going to make her the next Paris Hilton; there are ways and means of being a slut and coming out of it smelling of roses. Making a sex tape and getting it on the internet usually helps.

But the accusation still stands: Are women the ultimate vice of men? Let’s look back at the most powerful men in history that I have carefully selected in order to enhance my point (no double entendre intended).

Plato, one of the first great thinkers of the Western world was not one to be distracted by women, preferring young men instead.

Alexander the Great apparently had little sexual attraction for women and is often depicted as bisexual, and he did pretty well for himself. And Hitler was notoriously asexual, barring of course a few accusations that he enjoyed a spot of urolagnia (a urine fetish). I wish I could rid my mind of that mental image, but it adds a bit of insight into why five of his partners attempted suicide.

Urine fetishes aside, the point is

/robbie@gairrhydd.com

that these powerful icons in history were perhaps more focused without the distraction of women.

Now, talking about sportsmen after that is going to be a major anticlimax, but why is fidelity so difficult for the rich and powerful?

John Major, politics’ blandest man, couldn’t help himself, so who would blame Bill Clinton, politics’ most charismatic man, from dabbling? Ronnie Wood felt that the grass was less grey on the younger side, and delved into an affair that, after watching Celebrity Big Brother, I cannot blame him for.

"Ashley Cole, just look at Cheryl, you absolute rectal itch!"

And now it’s time for those with more pounds than brain cells to take the headlines. Tiger Woods’ life has been shattered; sponsors have left, he’s had to go to a clinic (because it was all a ‘condition’) and his wife is considering half of a considerable amount of dollar.

Who cares?! If you cheat once, then you can put yourself into a clinic and apologise to the sponsors. When you’ve cheated with a dozen women, and only visited a clinic

once you’ve been caught, then you can’t expect sympathy.

As for Ashley Cole, what more can I say apart from “Just look at Cheryl, you absolute rectal itch!”.

Incidentally, Cashley has also just been voted the most hated man in Britain, in a poll of 3000 women. Predictably, John Terry picked up second place. And winning the bronze was Muslim extremist Abu Hamza, proving that, in a list mainly of love rats, inciting racial hatred is still pretty bad. So bad in fact that Tiger Woods was pushed in to a respectable fourth place.

I deplore their actions, sure, but I can’t help but think it shouldn’t affect what they do; I pay money to see them play sport, not have a successful marriage. It’s not even as if what any of them did was illegal. And that really baffles me.

Take two instances. First, Tiger Woods, with over $100million to his name, can have extramarital one night stands with a dozen different women whilst away from his wife, who is at home caring for children. In a different scenario, a man can have four wives, who he loves very dearly, treats well and cares for and all of whom are happy. Okay, the latter is idealised, but it doesn’t change the fact that the second guy is a criminal, and Tiger is a free man. Where’s the justice in that?

Looks like the only way for Ashley Cole to get what he deserves is if he makes honest women out of all of his affairs.

The dickhead would probably still cheat.

Blind Date

Are this couple as perfect a combination as ham and pineapple or as bland as a margherita?

Andy

1.So what were your first impressions?

Very approachable and a nice smile.

2. Best & worst bits?

"Spilling

chocolatethe sauce of our dessert was pretty bad... all over myarm!!"

It was nice that we stayed for dessert. Worst was having to check with the waitress to makes sure that the food was free.

3. Were you listening....? Give us a fun fact about your date?

She is a keen scuba diver.

4. Any embarrassing moments? When she dripped ice cream on herself.

5. Describe them in three words? Chatty, fun, pretty.

6. Were you nervous? What did you do to get ready?

Not really nervous no, I just did the three S's.

7. So will you be meeting up again? Who knows...?!?

8. Did you have a "lorra lorra" laughs together?

Yes we had similar sense of humour which was good, but wasted on the waitress.

9. What animal did they remind you of and why? Opisthocomus hoazin. (eds: Google it!)

10. And the infamous chuck, fuck or marry?

I wouldn't say chuck so let's go with fuck.

Caz

1.So what were your first impressions?

He was tall (yes!!) and nicely dressed and very friendly.

2. Best & worst bits?

The fact that the conversation didn't go stale after two and a half hours, plus the ice cream!! Worst was explaining that I wasn't his original date Abby!

3. Were you listening....? Give us a fun fact about your date?

He's an "unlucky charm" for his football team - they always lose when he plays.

4. Any embarrassing moments?

Spilling the chocolate sauce of our dessert was pretty bad... all over my arm...oops!!

5. Describe them in three words? Handsome, interesting and easy-going.

6. What did you do after the date?

He insisted on walking me home, even though it was well out of his way.

7. So will you be meeting up again? I wouldn't say no to another evening of his company.

8. Did you have a "lorra lorra" laughs together?

Yes, I appreciated his dry wit and we shared a liking of classic British comedy programmes

9. And the infamous chuck, fuck or marry? Too cute to chuck, so I'd say one of the other two!!

The couple enjoyed their meal thanks to Pizza Express, High Street. Pizza Express are participating in Orange Wednesdays! You can get 2-4-1 and free garlic bread or doughballs with an Orange moblie. Call 029 20233091 for bookings.

The Skinny on... Veggies

In the words of Morrissey, 'Meat is Murder." Quench Food investigates whether the veggie life can be a tasty treat or is just munching on rabbit food.

Simone Miche adopts the less recognised diet of a pescatarian, which involves abstaining from eating all animal-flesh with the exception of fish.

For those of you who think ‘vegetarian’ is just another word for ‘fussy’, then my lifestyle takes that theory to a whole new level! I’m what you call a pescatarian; someone who doesn’t eat meat but eats fish. I think my way of life has a lot to do with looking after my health and personal preference.

When I was young I never ate red meat because it’s notoriously high in saturated fat and linked to heart disease and two years ago my impartiality to white meat led me to becoming a full blown ‘pesky’. Now, I get my protein from fish, nuts, beans

and legumes, tofu and other soya based foods. I love fish and I didn’t give up meat because I don’t agree with killing animals; I think its all part of life so to speak! But I do think that people should be responsible about the amount of meat they eat; there are leaner options and healthier ways to get your protein fix.

I absolutely love food and all my meals are huge but healthy: I start my day by having a bowl of porridge, raisins, cinnamon and almonds with soya milk as well as a mammoth fruit salad. For lunch I’ll have a really colourful mixed salad with some avocado, butterbeans, pumpkin seeds and sesame oil to liven it up. Dinner is always really green too. I love making spicy Thai curry from scratch or fish and stir fried veg. A lot of people think that vegetarian food is boring and tasteless but I really enjoy

the challenge of making it flavoursome and I’m proud to say that I’ve silenced a room of carnivores with my immensely moreish homemade chickpea curry! People also think it’s ridiculously expensive to eat fresh fish and hordes of fruit and veg, but it only pushes up the shopping bill if you don’t shop sensibly. Don’t buy pre-packed veg. pick it yourself and save money, plus you’ll get the amount you need which means you won’t end up wasting it. Buy canned fish: sardines, pilchards or tuna are cheap and go really well with chopped tomato, chilli, ginger and garlic or you can get fresh Mackerel from the fish counter for about 80p! I spend anything from £15 to £20 a week, which shows that you can buy healthy food and lead a pescatarian lifestyle without having to fork out.

Mel Parry has chosen to become a vegetarian for ethical reasons. She gives us an insight into her eating habits and how they compliment her student lifestyle.

Being vegetarian is not always the easiest thing to do. People always react with panic, especially when they’ve just prepared you food. Throughout the discomfort arises ‘won’t you just eat a little bit?’ , ‘why?’ and my personal favourite, ‘but it’s only thin ham’. Vegetarianism is often viewed as a phase, but after not eating meat for six years, I can never imagine myself eating it again.

From an early age I was against using animals for entertainment (circuses, rodeos, horse racing etc.) and had a hard time understanding why anyone would degrade intelligent creatures in this way. As an animal lover I object to vivisection as I don’t think animals should be dis-

Chickpea
Curry

Can of chickpeas (drained)

Can of chopped tomato

1 large red onion (diced)

Half a butternut squash (cubed)

1 level tsp. curry powder (or to taste - I like mine quite hot!)

1 level tsp. mixed spice

Ground almond

1 red chilli

About 2 tsp. of ginger (finely chopped)

2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped) Fresh coriander (optional)

1. Chuck onion and butternut squash into a pan and fry with a bit of olive oil

2. Once the onions are soft, add garlic, ginger, chilli, curry powder and mixed spice and stir

3. Then add chopped tomato, chickpeas and leave to simmer

4. When butternut squash is soft, add enough ground almonds to make it creamy, stir it through and leave to simmer for a minute or two before serving up with rice and a sprinkling of coriander...

sected, injected, gassed, burned and blinded in the name of science and progression.

In my mind eating sheep is just the same as eating a cat or a dog (yes, a Welsh girl obsessed with sheep, how ironic). Cats and dogs are widely eaten in China, Korea and many other countries. This may seem unfathomable to a British person whose culture places dogs and cats as pets and valued family members, but to me all animals should all be treated the same. Eating one animal is just like eating another.

My high school influenced my choice of lifestyle greatly. They educated me in the suffering of animals by showing videos of intensive meat farming where chickens are unable to move, and animal testing where thousands of rabbits are seen trapped in small boxes with chemicals being rubbed into their fur and eyes. I’m not saying that my school was trying to turn everyone into hard core veggies, but this culture shock

Butternut
Squash
 Risotto

1 litre vegetable stock

2 cloves of garlic

2 tablespoons white wine

1 teaspoon tomato puree

1/2 small butternut squash, about 250-300g, peeled and diced 50g butter

Half an onion, finely diced 100g Arborio Rice

25g of grated Parmesan

1. Put stock in a pan with garlic, white wine and tomato puree. Bring to boil, then simmer for 5-10 mins

2. Add squash to the stock, and continue to simmer for 10 mins. Lift out squash and put aside, then take out garlic cloves and discard

3. In a second pan, melt half the butter and gently fry onions until soft.

4. Add rice and fry for 3 mins on low heat while stirring

5. Add stock, a ladleful at a time, and stir constantly. Make sure all the stock is absorbed by the rice before you add the next ladleful

6. After 15-20 mins, stir in cooked

tactic definitely worked for me. Being a student vegetarian is relatively easy and possibly cheaper. Cardiff University are constantly improving their vegetarian food and the union in particular offers a wide range of meat free snacks which is greatly appreciated. Eating out is much healthier and 9/10 cheaper for the simple fact that meat is more expensive than vegetables. After a night out I’m never in any danger of purchasing a dodgy burger or sausage, so there are no regrets there. However, a food shop in Lidl is not the same. Even if you think something may be vegetarian after searching and analysing the ingredients for ages, chances are it isn’t.

The new Cardiff University Vegetarian and Vegan Society is up and running and offers people a chance to meet, eat vegetarian food and socialise in a friendly environment.

squash, and continue adding stock until the rice is creamy and stock is absorbed

6. Stir in cheese and rest of the butter, season with freshly ground black pepper, and serve with sprinkling of cheese

Vegan
Lasagne

1 onion, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

2 medium courgettes, chopped

100g tinned or frozen sweetcorn

75g chopped nuts (Mixed or walnuts)

5 sheets Lasagne

40g wholemeal flour

400ml soya milk

50g breadcrumbs

25g vegetable spread (vegan margarine)

1. Fry onion and pepper for a couple of minutes.

2. Add courgettes, cover pan and

Warm
new
potato
 and
mackerel
 salad

350g new potatoes

Half a 200g tub crème fraîche

1sp horseradish Jjuice of 1 lemon

A tin of mackerel

85g bag watercress/ any salad

1. Cook the potatoes in a large pan of boiling salted water for 15-20 minutes or until tender.

2. While the potatoes are cook-

Quorn
chilli

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 red and 1 yellow pepper, deseeded and chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

2 teaspoons cumin seeds, lightly crushed

300g pack frozen Quorn mince

350g jar tomato and chilli pasta sauce

410g can kidney beans

1. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over a high heat. Add 1 red and 1 yellow pepper, deseeded and chopped, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring, until

cook gently until courgettes begin to soften.

3. Add sweetcorn, nuts, salt and pepper.

4. To make the sauce, heat 2 tbsps oil and stir in the flour. When it begins to colour, add soya milk whilst mixing to keep the sauce smooth. Allow to thicken and add salt and pepper.

5. In an overproof dish, put down a layer of lasagne, cover with courgette mix and then some of the sauce. Cover with pasta, the rest of the sauce and top with breadcrumbs.

6. Dot the top with margarine and bake at GM 5 / 375 °F / 190 °C for 30 minutes.

ing, mix the crème fraîche in a large bowl with the horseradish cream and lemon juice. Season well with freshly ground black pepper (there's no need for salt because of the saltiness of the mackerel).

3. Drain the potatoes, halve and set aside to cool down for a few minutes. Tip into the crème fraîche mix and stir so it coats them and becomes quite runny.

4. Now add the mackerel and watercress and toss gently together. Pile on two plates and serve straight away (it's best while still warm).

softened and charred. Reduce the heat slightly, add 3 garlic cloves, chopped, 2 teaspoons cumin seeds, lightly crushed, and a 300g pack frozen Quorn mince. Fry for 3 minutes, then pour in a 350g jar tomato and chilli pasta sauce.

2. Add 150ml water to the jar, rinse out into the pan and stir in 410g can kidney beans in water, drained. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 10-15 minutes or until thick and rich. Stir in a good handful of chopped fresh coriander and season to taste. Divide between plates and serve with cooked rice. Top with a dollop each of soured cream and fresh, ready-made guacamole, if you like.

egan Way The

So Quench has proved that becoming a vegetarian or pescatarian is feasable but would becoming a vegan drive Alana Charlton nuts?

Ever wondered what it would be like to give up your favourite foods? A life without pizza or chocolate would, I'm guessing, be hell for most of you. Well, try giving up your favourite foods…and more.

For the past week, I have been seeing what it’s like to be a vegan, which effectively meant cutting out the majority of what I normally eat. It was interesting…and challenging. I have never thought about food so much in my life.

Basically, a vegan does not eat anything produced by animals. Alongside the obvious meat products, I was also not allowed to eat any foods that contained dairy, which was seriously restricting. Bye bye milk chocolate!

At the beginning of my vegan week I had to first see what exactly I wasn’t allowed. Everyone knows what a vegetarian can’t eat yet I had never considered a vegan’s diet. As my friends know, I love my food, so undertaking a challenge like this was going to take a lot of restraint.

I also wondered why people become vegan, what is the point in

cutting out all these different foods and surely it’s too much hard work to keep up for good?

"My vegan diet cut out about 90% of what I would normally eat"

I discovered that there are many good reasons to go vegan. To produce meat, a large quantity of grain is used, which could be fed directly to humans instead. To put it clearly, the beef in a Big Mac uses enough wheat to produce five loaves of bread. All this wasted grain could be used to feed starving people around the world. Apparently, if every American ate one less meat dish per week, enough grain would be saved to feed 225 million people. There are environmental reasons as well and concern for the wellbeing of milk herds and battery hens

are commonly cited in defence of veganism. When people hear about the conditions animals live in just so we can eat them, it’s no wonder some people decide to cut all animal products out of their diets. Similarly, there are various religious justifications for veganism.

There are numerous health benefits as well, including weight loss, lower cholesterol and blood pressure, as well as feeling and looking great. With this in mind, I set out on my meat-free week.

For breakfast, I normally have toast. Of course, butter was out of bounds so I went for jam instead, which wasn’t bad. So far so good. Lunch, however, was more tricky: my normal diet consists of tuna sandwiches, omelette or soup.

Firstly, there wasn’t much I could now put in my sandwiches: no ham, tuna, cheese, mayo, egg (out goes the omlette as well) or chicken… Soup was also problematic since most brands include milk or cream. However, I didn’t even consider this before eating a bowl of tomato soup and afterwards realised it contained cream. This shows just how much

attention needs to be paid when buying foods on a vegan diet: I spent an implausible amount of time looking at labels very carefully!

Dinner was just as complicated — without meat I thought it would be very boring. My vegan regime cut out about 90% of what I would normally eat for dinner, so I ventured to the shop.

Looking around my local Co-Op, I realised just how much food was off limits. I looked at the vegetarian substitutes for meat and decided to try some Quorn products, so I bought some fake chicken and mince. For dinner on the first night I made myself rice, roasted veg and (meat-free) gravy. Somehow, I didn’t feel satisfied without any sort of meat product.

Day two breakfast went without a hitch: jam on toast again. Lunch was easier as well because of the Quorn chicken, which I had in a sandwich. What's more, I could happily snack on fruit throughout the day. Dinner consisted of potato, quorn mince and veg – very healthy. However, the chocolate craving set in and I ventured to the shop to see what sort of

sweet stuff was available for vegans. After searching around the shop for about 15 minutes I couldn’t see any. Obviously, milk chocolate was out of bounds: but surely dark chocolate was acceptable? Yet after reading the ingredients on numerous bars, I found that there was not one I could eat!

"Obviously milk chocolate was out of bounds, but surely dark chocolate was acceptable...?"

Halfway through my week, I went to a health food shop to see what vegan goodies I could find. Result! There were so many different products I could eat, from biscuits to chocolate. However, they came at a

price and not only for my wallet. The chocolate I bought was called Carob and was disgusting. Not one of my friends liked it either! I had pasta for dinner but could only have tomato sauce with it, which was just a bit bland!

For the rest of my vegan week, I survived on pretty much the same sort of things. I felt like the diet had taken over my life because I was constantly thinking about food and what I could (and, more usually, couldn't) eat.

In my opinion, I don’t think it is a very good way of life. Overall, I did not find the vegan experience enjoyable at all and found it very difficult having to check every single thing I ate. I think if I did it longer I would have lost some weight and maybe felt healthier, but it’s just too much hassle.

However, I can see why some people may opt for a diet like this. I understand that there are benefits from a diet like this but it’s just not for me.

Goodbye veganism...bring on the chocolate!

Because we like it...

And we wanna put a ring on it. What the hell are we talking about? Don't worry, Yasmin Nagy will explain everything....

Three weeks into the second semester and in search of article ideas. I chirpily began raking through the flourishing hordes of Google results containing the word ‘gay’, when I came across ‘The Gay-o-Meter’ on Channel4.com.

The application led me through an emotional minefield of rigorous and demanding questions which aimed to scientifically analyse every last detail of my sexuality. Questions included: “Do you, or have you ever owned a pair of leather trousers?” (To which of course I answered ‘no’ — as if you’d admit to that), and stuff like: “Would you rather be a cat or a dog?” (to which the answer is clearly cat – eat, crap and bugger off out of the flap? Sold).

An arduous 4 minutes later, the Gay-o-Meter concluded that, with a score of 53%, I am officially a ‘happy and well-adjusted lesbian babe.’ However, after a little reflection on whether or not this was true, I realised there was something that troubled me about this result, and not just the fact that being called ‘babe’ makes me want to throw up. Rather, there is one important aspect of my sexuality that I’m not actually that happy about, or very well-adjusted to either. This is the fact that, being a lesbian and all, I’m not allowed to get married. Despite how utterly naff the test was, it got me wondering not just about whether or not my gay self is ‘well-adjusted’ to society, but in fact, whether or not society is well adjusted to gays. So refusing to let this imbecilic Gay-o-Meter device distract me for any longer, I decided what I was going to write about: the difference between civil partnerships and gay marriage.

Firstly, a quick look at the facts: the UK ‘Civil Partnership Act’ came into effect in December 2005 and there have been thousands of partnerships formed since. Civil partnerships have the same legal status as marriages but partnership ceremonies cannot take place as a religious service. ‘Opposite sex couples’ are not allowed to get a civil partnership in the UK and ‘single sex couples’ are not allowed to get a marriage. There are no plans for

the British government to revise this policy and gay marriages are recognised in a tiny minority of countries. This means that the protection and legal rights that come with gay marriage (wills, insurance, taxes, child custody etc) are invalid throughout most of the world.

Canada, 2003: Sue Wilkinson and Celia Kitzinger have gotten hitched. But, when they get home to the UK a couple of years later, the High Court rejected the marriage, meaning they are unable to sustain the relationship status that they had been granted in Canada. Since then the couple have been lobbying for legislative change in Britain, and have massive global support. On their website (equalmarriagerights.org), they comment that “As the history of civil rights struggles show, separate is not — and never can be — equal.” Civil partnerships do not equate to equality.

"I am officially a happy and welladjusted lesbian babe."

California 2008, and ‘Proposition 8’ is passed. This is an act that states that “only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognised in California”. In fact prior to this act being passed, gay marriage was perfectly legal in the state and there had already been 180,000 same-sex marriages performed before that time. Though California has a larger gay community than most states in the US, this act still gained massive support from voters and therefore caused widespread concern for the global gay community. So why does all this stuff matter? Well gay marriages are illegal on the grounds that the traditional definition of marriage is not satisfied, and it has been widely recognised that this definition is predominantly defined by religion. But isn’t it true that not all heterosexual marriages have a religious basis? They can

be performed just as a legal binding and surely this doesn’t satisfy the ‘traditional definition' of marriage either? In fact, there is been a clear divide between Christians who are not opposed to gay marriages and those who are. Plus, if it is legal for an atheist to marry, why should the institution of marriage be defined by Christian values?

Even if you’re talking about the traditions of society in general, you could say it’s a little pedantic to harp on about the ’traditional definition’ of words when things change all the time, and so do people’s perceptions. The dictionary might say for example that the traditional definition of ‘music’ is: “the art of combining vocals or instrumental sounds in a pleasing way” — clearly this concept wasn’t thoroughly considered during the production of Ke$ha’s latest dollop of a song Bla Bla Bla — but it still qualifies as ‘music’, right? My point is thus: just because something has always been a certain way, it doesn’t mean that the concept or definition can’t change. One of the first things I was told about going to uni was being prepared to have my opinion changed.

A lot of pro-gay folk also reckon that religion and politics should be kept separate. After all, Adam and Steve can stay together for just as long as Adam and Eve (epochslong supposed history of humanity notwithstanding). They support each other, contribute to society and care for children on a long-term basis, so why do they not deserve the right to legally marry? Why does their relationship have to be given a different title? But supporters of gay marriage are not aiming to belittle the civil partnerships that people already have. In contrast, many believe that the title given to your relationship should not vary dependant on your sexual orientation. Civil partnerships are a massive achievement in the history of gay rights, but I’m going to wait until one day I have the option of getting married like all those timeless showbiz partnerships: Cheryl and Ashley, Charles and Diana, Katie and Peter...

Mardi Gras

Whilst here in the UK, Shrove Tuesday brought with it copious amounts of pancakes; across the Atlantic there was a real party going on. Liz Foggitt tells us of the excitment that is New Orleans.

The Princess and the Frog is a notable film release, since it is a return to form for Disney. After a decision to discontinue 2D animation some years ago, this film reminds us of what Disney does best and why most of us grew up in love with their classics. The forces behind The Princess and the Frog have expertly depicted the atmosphere of New Orleans: a city super-rich in culture with a wealth of experiences for all tastes.

Watching the film made me crave to be back there where the tempo of life feels slower and the mood more relaxed. But where, at the same time, there is a certain excitement under-pinning it all.

The obvious draw of New Orleans is the Jazz and Blues scene. Louis Armstrong set the standard and now outstanding musicians who have a hard time gigging in other parts of the world can find their home in this laid back, heady corner of the USA. This is definitely a force which supports New Orleans, but this is not to say that it is exclusively the domain of musicians and jazz fans. Far from it; the ample opportunities to see live music are a welcome addition to the other cultural joys.

Sweet potato pie and homemade lemonade sold by the side of the road is a beautiful thing to walk by, and impossible to resist. The Ameri-

cans are known (fairly or unfairly I pass no judgement!) for their voracious appetites which means, for lucky visitors there is just too much to try. New Orleans has a unique mixture in this respect with Creole and Southern Cajun influences which merge with classic American cuisine – think ‘gator burger and fries.

"New Orleans stands apart from the rest of America"

New Orleans stands far apart from the rest of America in terms of its aesthetics. The architecture is the most notable thing; ornate iron balconies circle tall houses, which is a look almost at odds with the laid back attitudes common there. There is a distinctively ‘Deep South’ feel to the streets that these houses line which can feel like stepping onto a film set (imagine Benjamin Button, or Interview with a Vampire).

The other obvious thing to mention is Mardi Gras, a longstanding celebration for Shrove Tuesday which is basically a carnival. Everyone really goes for it, and people travel from all over to be in

New Orleans on this day. It’s a big, free street party with an inimitable atmosphere. There is a serious abundance of bars there too which is partly because of the healthy jazz scene and partly because New Orleans residents know how to have a good time.

One of the biggest tourist traps for the city is Bourbon Street which hosts a collection of bars and clubs offering 3-for-1 drink specials. Come evening and the street is teeming with people, mainly tourists and very few locals. For an alternative evening out, Frenchmen Street allows you to escape the tourists and enjoy some quality jazz. Another thing worth mentioning is the area surrounding the city. Louisiana is famous for its alligators and taking a trip out along the Mississippi into the swamps to see these prehistoric creatures.

All these things would be reason enough to visit the city. But it is so much more than the sum of its parts. It is one of the most exciting places I have visited and somewhere I long to return to. If you’re looking for somewhere to visit which you can enjoy on lots of different levels, New Orleans is the place to go. A couple of tips: those in the know never refer to it as ‘the Big Easy’ (apparently), and you mustn’t tether your alligator to a fire hydrant. It’s highly illegal.

Edinburgh. . . BEST OF BRITAIN

History, culture and cosy cafés are in abundance in the Scottish Capital, and with the help of Camille Lavoix, your days will be packed full with the best that Edinburgh has to offer.

Ever thought about checking out Edinburgh? Think it’s too far or have another bad excuse in mind? Forget about it, the beautiful Scottish capital is just one hour away and as the flights are cheap it won’t ruin you.

After landing early in the morning, my first thought was getting breakfast and, in Edinburgh, you’re blessed with choice. What lacks in Cardiff is here on every corner: arty, cosy cafés with a sheltered and soothing atmosphere, the perfect place to chill out. Try out the ‘Two Thin Ladies’ and their gorgeous muffins just out of the oven!

Ready to ‘attack’ the legendary castle perched on an impressive rock overlooking the city? Ready also to have a heart attack thanks to the colossal £11 ticket to enter the fortification. But I have to admit that we had a good return on our investment since it’s more of a little city than a castle and the views are stunning. Plus, there are plenty of things to see: museums, jewels, and reproductions, all avoiding the pitfalls

18 /travel@gairrhydd.com

of a historical lecture with interesting and lively anecdotes.

"What lacks in Cardiff is here on every corner"

Time for lunch and luckily we stumbled into a delicious and friendly Italian restaurant. Martone has very good prices and views since it is located at a junction where we could admire the National Archives of Scotland building, the Duke of Wellington statue and ‘local Big Ben’: the Balmoral Clock Tower. The tower is situated on Princess Street and is the perfect starting point to explore the numerous shops, historic lanes and monuments along the entire length of this bustling avenue.

Second stop; the world's largest monument ever built in memory of a writer, the Scott Monument: a 200

ft tall neo-gothic tribute to Sir Walter Scott. Holyrood Palace is yet another essential sight the Queen’s official residence in Scotland — de facto popular since it’s not steep and transports you right into the countryside (we even saw a little fox!) in the very heart of Edinburgh.

After all this culture, the shopaholics amongst you will be more than thrilled with the offerings on Princess Street. Once the wallet is emptied, getting lost in the interlaced alleyways listening to the bagpipe players is the best way to get a real feel of this city. It's very ‘Harry Potter’ and carries an absolute mystique.

Finally, you must take the time to climb Calton Hill, with its bizarre monuments and dazzling views. And at the end of these busy days? The warm and homely Valentine B&B is ultimately a doll’s house with unbeatable prices and a delicious Scottish breakfast.

And so to the last low-down: before you going back to Cardiff, have a look at Clarinda’s tea-room near the castle: it’s a must!

Ponty-pride

Robbie Wells discovers that when it comes to album creation Lost Prophets believe the way of the tortoise is almost certainly superior to that of the hare.

Prolificacy is not a word you would associate with Lostprophets. Since they tentatively formed as a side project of hardcore band Public Disturbance in 1997, Lostprophets have produced just four albums.

Compared to someone like Jack White, who formed the White Stripes in the same year and has six albums with sister, Meg, two Raconteurs records, a Dead Weather album, and another two in the pipeline for later this year, they may look like they’re slacking.

But it’s simply not the case. After being criticised early on for being slow to follow up The Fake Sound of Progress, the band took strides to get Liberation Transmission made in record time. Seeing it head straight to number one was clearly motivation enough to optimistically state that they wanted to release its follow

up in 2007

However, after recording a full album’s worth of material with John Feldman of Good Charlotte-producing fame, they decided to scrap it and start again by themselves. The result? A darker, heavier and more personal Lostprophets than ever before.

"When you start travelling the world... I think you become even more patriotic"

Was this a conscious decision

given the frustration of the recording process?

“Yes and no. I think it was kind of a natural route that we went down, when we started writing it. But I think it was more a conscious decision by Ian to kind of try and change it up."

“You know, we had three albums of all positive messages to really rally people to do something with their lives, but on this one, it was more Ian singing about himself; more introspective, more about the darker side of his personality.”

With a lot of criticism levelled at the band for being too pop orientated, maybe a return to the days of Public Disturbance would be a way to prove the doubters wrong.

“Ohh no! Nothing like that. It’s heavier, but when you go back and listen to Fake Sounds of Progress, I think that that’s still a heavier album than this one. Every record is always

where we are at that point in time, so it was kind of just the vibe we were feeling when we were writing this one.”

With the lyrical direction taking a turn for the introspective, how are the songs going down live?

“It’s been amazing actually, every date has been awesome. The crowds have been incredible! Out of all the new songs, I think ‘Where we belong’ has gone down the best live; all the kids start singing for that one.”

And when they’re not on stage, they’re using their days off to visit the delights of “chilled out” towns like Yeovil with their mates.

“We just watch a lot of movies, play videogames, write music, just the usual kind of stuff really. It’s been fun on this tour though, because we’ve been with our mates. Kids in Glass Houses and Hexes are on tour with us so it’s been fun hanging out with them, having a laugh.”

After this UK tour, Lostproph-

ets travel to Australia, Japan and Europe before returning home for a rescheduled homecoming gig at the CIA on May 1. But where is the best place to play?

"Every record is always where we are at that point in time"

“Japan’s always amazing. It’s just a totally different culture to what I’m used to; it’s just so different to Britain or America, and the kids over there are insane at the gigs so Tokyo is always one of my favourite places to go.”

Given the difficulties of recording the new album, is life in a band bet-

ter on the road?

“I prefer touring to recording. But touring is a little more difficult now to what it used to be, because I’ve got a family now. It’s different to when I was 23-24, when it was just about being with my mates. So it’s a little more difficult because of that, but I still prefer playing live than being in the studio.

“Saying that, recording this last album was a lot of fun once we finally got down to it; producing it ourselves with everybody getting stuck-in in the studio.”

When the band return to Cardiff in May, do they intend to hit the town in style?

“Hit the town in Cardiff!? Haha, yeah, probably see my mates that I haven’t seen in a while. No doubt we’ll have a big after party after the CIA gig so yeah, it should be a blast.”

With vocals from Ian Watkins that sound anything but Welsh and

"I don't think we'll ever do a stereophonics"

not carrying a Wales flag around at every gig they play like some other acts, you’d be forgiven for thinking the band aren’t as patriotic as they could be.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, we’re definitely patriotic! It’s funny, when I was a kid growing up in Wales it was always something I didn’t really think about. But when you start travelling the world going to different countries and different places, then I think you become even more patriotic, and even more proud of where you’re from. I think growing up where we did, definitely shaped us as a band, and shaped us as individuals as well. We’re definitely proud of where we’re from.”

How about an “As Long as We Beat the English” style rugby anthem?

“I don’t think we’d be doing anything like that. It was pretty cool that they used ‘Where We Belong’ on Scum V when they were showing a

montage of Wales beating England two years ago at Twickenham. It definitely gave me Goosebumps hearing our song played in that context. So it’s cool with stuff like that, but I don’t think we’ll ever do a Stereophonics or Catatonia…But never say never.”

"We are definetly proud of where we are from"

The whole sporting anthem thing is simply not the kind of attention that Lostprophets crave. When asked about the hysteria that comes with Ian’s prowess with the ladies, Mike seemed unbothered.

“I’ll pass him the message.”

Is there any sign of jealousy from

the rest of the camp?

“No, not at all. Obviously I can’t speak for everybody else, but I’d rather it be on Ian to be honest. I couldn’t give a shit about being famous! I never want to be centre of attention or anything like that; I’m quite happy just being in the background, doing my thing and not have to deal with all of that nonsense.”

And for all the criticism that gets levelled at Lostprophets about being too slow to record, for being too interested in pop music and not staying true to their original principles, the simple fact is that the band are just interested in making music.

If that means playing to small towns, producing themselves and taking four years between albums, then so fucking be it!

Pappy's

Tom Rouse tries and fails to comprehend how anyone could ever consider performing 200 comedy sketches in an hour.

Pappy’s are a sketch group who can boast arguably one of the most ambitious world record attempts ever conceived by a comedy group: their show at the Edinburgh festival last year was titled ‘200 sketches in an hour.’ Definitely not something for the faint hearted. We caught up with Tom Parry as he took a break from the road. The obvious starting point therefore was to ask just what inspired them to pursue such a madcap idea:

“We had to come up with a great title for our show and going for a world record seemed perfect, so we sent it off. Afterwards, we realised although it was a great idea, we were like what have we let ourselves in for. "We started off writing 18-second sketches, but realised it would be hard to entertain the audience like that. so we concentrated our energy on figuring out ways to cheat the world record. We wanted to make the most fun show possible. The focus was on making the sketches as long as they needed to be to make the audience laugh, then basically we tried to use elaborate cheating methods to fit the 200-sketch theme in. We had no idea whether we’d be able to pull it off or not but we gave it a go.”

As anyone who travels a lot knows, driving all day every day is not the world most exciting activity,

though Pappy’s, as you’d expect, have their own solution to the problem. “We have to think of lots of games to play in the car when we’re together to avoid going mad. Our best game is one where you add movie titles to existing ones. For example, look who’s talking then someone says look who’s talking to kill a mockingbird and so on.”

"In many ways radio is a purer form of comedy than television"

For all you budding comics out there who are considering becoming the next Russell Howard or Frankie Boyle, Tom’s advice is simple — “start out as a hobby and find a job which doesn’t require you to use your brain so you can spend all day dreaming about material and the show in the evening. Your best plan is to write something and get it up on Youtube and just keep plugging away. Local comedy nights are your best friend, take every opportunity to get out there and perform.”

For Tom, comedy was never the plan A, a serious career in theatre or theatre education beckoned until “we

realised that people enjoyed watching us; we ended up being really lucky with how it all panned out.”

Radio seems to be the natural starting point for many sketch acts, who then progress to television, but Tom argues that in many ways radio is a purer form of comedy. “You don’t have to worry about anything else other than the words on the page: what you write is what you get with radio, whereas with television you have to think in a third dimension; you have to account for what the camera sees and does.”

You’ve probably all heard of the theory that everyone knows a Dave, but what you may not have heard is the lesser known theory that nearly every person called Tom is funny. To test this theory, a comedy show was held in London where every comedian and event involved someone called Tom, which Tom said was one of the highlights of the year “the crowd were pleased to see you just because you were called Tom.”

The interview was, as ever, rounded off with Interview’s most hard-hitting question, ‘what creature from fantasy or mythology would you be?’ As you’d expect from a comedian Tom’s answer was refreshingly offbeat, stating that he would “be a wizard at Hogwarts, probably in Hufflepuff’ so he could get together with Hermione but only if she did in fact look like Emma Watson.

Lee Alexander McQueen

(1969 – 2010)

Gwennan Rees pays tribute to one of the industry's greatest innovators, Lee Alexander McQueen...

Istill remember the first time

I heard the name 'Alexander McQueen', and thought it was filled with prevailing majesty. Born Lee Alexander McQueen in 1969, his career really took off in the 1990's when Isabella Blow (fashion director of Tatler at the time) recognised his talent and helped him rise.

Throughout his career he was four times winner of the British Designer of the Year Award, the International Designer of the Year at Council of Fashion Designers Awards as well as receiving a CBE in 2003.

Describing himself as ‘the pink sheep in the family’, McQueen’s designs have always been at the cutting edge of change. Epitomising this is his SS 2010 collection which is saturated with reptile patterns and

digital print dresses, kick starting the seasons ‘cyber trend’. These designs are a world away from the romantic, neutral, and military trends which dominated the season’s shows.

Whether conjuring wild birds in models’ hair or sending them tottering down the runway in shoes that made us wonder whether their feet had shrunk to the size of ten year olds, his collections have always been breathtakingly avant garde.

Fittingly, Lady GaGa, who is famous for her out-landish outfits was Lee’s ‘unofficial muse’. She has often stepped out in his creations and can be seen swaggering in a pair of McQueen’s 12-inch, beautifully carved heels in her music video for ‘Bad Romance’ . Alexander McQueen's white

skull-print scarf has also been ostentatiously draped around only the worthiest fashionistas, such as Liv Tyler, Nichole Richie and Kate Moss. McQueen has, throughout his career, been a name which has signified luxury and innovation. His death has left a devastating chasm in the fashion industry.

The fashion world was shocked this week when the news spread that Lee Alexander McQueen had taken his own life at the age of 40 in his London flat. In the words of Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman: ‘his death is the hugest loss to anyone who knew him and a great many who didn’t.' His clothes are more than just clothes; they are works of art, ways of life. His clothes live on in wardrobes, magazines and museums. And so will his memory.

Fashion's Revolutionaries

Fashion explores the legacies of some of the greatest and most influential designers past and present. Do the lates live up to the greats?

Fashion's
Greats

Karl Lagerfeld

Ever since Lagerfeld took over as Creative Director at Chanel, he has been a prominent figure. His reinvention of Chanel has resulted in sales soaring massively and his stretch now includes lines at Fendi and H&M. Lagerfeld has been praised as having the ability to “interpret the mood of the moment” through his clothing and although controversial at times with regards to his view on skinny models, he is undoubtedly one of fashion's greats.

Twiggy

Twiggy, with her androgynous figure completely revolutionised the concepts of beauty during the sixties. Her waif look marked a move away

from previously voluptuous models. With an almost instantly recognisable image, she remains one of fashions biggest icons. Her look inspired designers to move back to the waif look in the early 1990s with Kate Moss.

Vivienne Westwood

Responsible for bringing punk into the fashion mainstream, Westwood is one of Britain’s finest fashion exports. She has the unique ability to create cutting edge garments which constantly challenge fashion whilst remaining chic. Famed for her sky scraping platforms she is also passionate about human rights.

Steven Meisel

Described as the ‘Godfather’ of fashion photography, Meisel has been dominant in the industry. Frequently working for US and Italian Vogue he has gained enormous

rapport and has managed to adapt many different styles. Perhaps one of his greatest feats was convincing Italian Vogue to release an issue with purely Black models in it. Not only does he take stunning and innovative photographs but he grasps the sense of change, which is so necessary in fashion.

Anna Wintour

Love her or loath her it is unmistakeable that Anna Wintour, editor of U.S Vogue, has had an enormous affect on the industry. It has been argued that she has the power to make or break a collection and is credited with the influx of younger designers at large fashion houses, such as John Galliano at Dior. As the Alpha female of fashion, the industry in the latter part of the twentieth century has been greatly affected by her input.

Emma Wilford

Fashion's
Lates..

Levi-Strauss.

Drainpipes, flares, jeggings, and bootlegs. The world would look very different minus jeans. No matter what size, shape or colour they were all born from the womb of the jean mother otherwise known as LeviStrauss.

Moving from Germany to San Francisco when he was just 18, Strauss worked building and fixing canvas tents. Whilst working, he noticed that many miners complained about the fragility of their easily torn cotton trousers and went on to create heavy duty trousers. 'You got them, and they were stiff as a board, and you broke them in.'

Luckily now jeans have became more flexible, but it's funny to imagine..wearing jeans and being unable to bend your legs!

Yves St Laurent

At the tender age of 18 Laurent won an international design competition

which led to an interview with Christian Dior, who hired him on the spot. Following Dior's death in 1957 Yves became head designer aged 21. Yves St Laurent began a social revolution since he was the first, and for a long time, the only designer to use models of colour in his runways/advertising. He then began a womenswear revolution when he introduced pants as eveningwear. He said, "My small job as a couturier is to make clothes that reflect our times. I'm convinced women want to wear pants."

Sadly, the loveable Laurent suffered a collapse during his conscription in the Algerian War, after receiving electric shock therapy in the military psychiatric hospital, many said he was 'never the same'.

Chanel

Chanel is legendary due to her signature suits, LBDs and pearls, but beneath the pearls this was one controversial lady. At age 18, Chanel began an affair with millionaire Etienne Balsan during which she was smothered with dresses and jewellery. He financed her relocation to Paris and the opening of a hat shop. Balsan's best friend financed her expansion

to fashion lines and a relocation to the coast. Her confidence could easily be mistaken for arrogance as she is often remembered for saying: "There have been several Duchesses of Westminster. There is only one Chanel." Her legacy and fashion empire continues to flourish under the hands of Karl Lagerfeld.

Richard Avedon

Avedon told us, 'a portrait is not a likeness', 'photographs are not facts but opinions'. The way we see icons like Monroe, Chaplin, Bardot or Picasso is largely due to Richard Avedon. His lens became our eyes into celebrity, his opinion became our fact. Composing photos focusing on the individual and not his surroundings, Avedon was able to perfectly capture a mood, face or body in all its simplicity.

Staff photographer at Vogue for 25 years, he also worked at Harpers Bazaar and Life and Look. This inspired Funny Face, an epic film based on his early years in photography.

Lucy Trevallion

From L-R: Twiggy, Vivienne Westwood, Yves St Laurent, Chanel.

Blogs of Style

Claire Dibben wonders: Are fashion bloggers the next fashion 'greats'?

Recognise the names Rumi Neely, or Susanna Lau? No? Well, you soon will. Fashion blogging is fast becoming the most stylish way to gain access to the fashion industry. Hell, even thirteen-year-old blogger, Tavi Gevinson managed to pinch a seat on the front row of Christian Dior’s Haute Couture SS/10 show. Clearly, these bloggers have been stealing the hearts of the fashion designers and public alike; Lau receives an

average of 20,000 hits per day on her site.

It isn’t surprising then that the increasing popularity of these blogging fashionistas has caused a few catwalk catfights amongst professionals in the field. Even The Independent picked up on the backlash coming from some of fashion’s most prominent front-row figures. Personally, I ask: what’s the problem?!

Read the blogs and it becomes clear that these writers, however

amateur they may be, have the passion, skill and talent to do what they do. What’s more, they deliver a fresh and personal perspective on the industry. I mean, who cares if they took the less traditional route to get on the fashion writing scene? Isn’t that what fashion is all about? The extraordinary, the unconventional? If you ask me, I think a few too many bitter professionals have got their high-waisted sequin knickers in a twist.

Bottom:

Susie Lau of 'Fashion Bubble'

Top:

Tavi Gevinson of 'Style Rookie'

Sam Smith explores the sweaty, dirty world of gig photography and shares a plethora of tips, tricks and images.

Ask a live music photographer responsible for an ‘iconic’ image how they managed to capture such a moment and more often than not the response will be along the lines of “I was just in the right place at the right time.” Whilst not an overwhelmingly helpful statement to hear upon embarking on the practice of live music photography, my personal experience would definitely seem to strengthen its veracity. My personal background in music and playing live made the step to this form of photography a natural one as soon as I started to pick up a camera. In my mind there’s few things more exciting, more powerful than watching a band or artist play live to an enthusiastic crowd. Despite the static nature of the image, photographing such events can definitely convey some of the energy and atmosphere of the event to those who missed out.Whilst there is definitely an element of luck in capturing the perfect gig photo, it’s not quite as simple as pointing your camera at the stage and pressing the shutter button. There are questions that have to be considered:

What are you shooting with?

A point-and-shoot camera, whilst perfect for nights out in Oceana/ TigerTiger/Insert generic nightclub here is going to be out of its element in a gig environment, particularly if you’re aiming for high quality images. If you’re serious about getting into photography you should probably be looking at DSLRs anyway, even more so if you’re specifically interested in photographing live music. The options available and the customisability of a DSLR outperforms a point-and-shoot in every way possible, and gig photography is something that can make the most of these selections.

Where are you shooting from?

Are you in the crowd or in the press

pit? If you’re shooting from the crowd, taking good photographs is going to be tricky. The further away you are from the performers the more likely you are to rely on your camera’s zoom function, which may result in a sacrifice of quality. The closer you are, the easier it is. See if you can blag your way into the press pit (that bit in between the crowd barrier and the stage at larger venues) and photograph from there. Many venues such as the Cardiff Great Hall or the CIA will however require that you are from a magazine or a company, so get yourself affiliated quickly!

What is the environment like?

The environment I refer to here is stuff like the stage set up and the lighting available. In gig settings, the lights will mostly focus on the performers on stage, leaving the rest of the venue dark. Make sure you’re equipped to deal with this. The more light your camera has access to, the quicker the photo will be taken, meaning a clearer and stronger image. So keep your aperture as wide as possible, and alter your ISO rating accordingly. I generally use an ISO of 800-1200. If you stick the ISO up too high, the image will contain more noise, which can look a little messy. Nowadays there are Photoshop filters such as NoiseNinja that can be used to reduce the presence of noise, but the image can end up looking a little fake and overprocessed if done incorrectly.

To Flash or not to Flash?

Many of you might be thinking that if the light levels are low, the first step would be to use flash when photographing a band. But this isn’t always the best option. Again speaking from a first-hand experience, having cameras flashing at you while you’re trying to play through a song can be quite distracting and annoying. For this reason, many promoters and venues will ask that you refrain from using flash photography. Per-

sonally I feel that gig photos taken with flash often end up looking too static and fail to portray the energy on-stage. Also if you’re in the crowd and taking photos, your flash is likely to illuminate, and thus focus your camera on the heads of the people in front of you rather than the performers on stage. And your photo will look shit, so don’t do it.

What’s the music like?

It should go without saying that the more aware you are of the band/ artists you’re shooting the easier it will be to capture images. Give their CD a listen before you head to the venue. Even if it’s just once, you should be able to figure out whether people will be running about on stage or standing solemnly in one place. Energetic performers understandably make for more interesting subjects, but if you’re clever with lighting and angles you can hopefully make even the most boring of live acts something decent to look at. That said, performers might surprise you and act completely differently to how you think, so keep on your toes and keep your finger on the shutter button!

What is RAW?

For those unfamiliar with this file format, RAW is basically a picture file with a level of customisation that utterly ecplipses that offered by JPG or the unwieldy GIF. By shooting in RAW format at gigs, you are given loads of options in the processing stage when you get home. Loading the pictures into Photoshop or a similar RAW editing program, you will be able to tweak brightness/contrast/colour levels in much the same way you would with other file formats. However, where RAW comes into its own is the ability to recover exposure data and alter the white balance of the original photos. So if the lighting wasn't particularly kind to you or the band on the night, there may be hope yet for your photos.

"There’s few things more exciting, more powerful than watching a band play live to an enthusiastic crowd."

If You Like This...

Atmospheric and eerie, Elizabeth Kostovoka’s

The Historian is a brilliant adaptation of the gothic genre, combining traditional shocks with adventure, history and thriller.

Beginning in Amsterdam in 1972, the action focuses on an unnamed narrator’s attempt to find out about her family history and, in doing so, confronts the ever-present threat of Count Dracula. The plot combines historical fact with gothic horror.

The action travels from Amsterdam, through Eastern Europe and finally to Bulgaria, enabling Kostovoka to intricately weave her storyline around some beautiful scenery.

Literature is a key component throughout the novel. It ensures that the fantastical events retain a degree of authenticity by connecting them with the historical facts found in the libraries and universities of the text.

Not only is the novel a thriller, it also contains elements of romance as the narrator learns, through her father’s letters and narrative, about her own parents’ love story.

First published in 2005, ten years after its conception, The Historian is a modern take on the gothic literary form, and an evocative reimagining of Bram Stoker’s Dracula

"The plot combines historical fact with gothic horror"

Then You'll Love...

Kate Morton’s The Forgotten Garden also combines mystery, history and a buried romance.

Like The Historian, the novel centres around the discovery of a book which causes the female protagonist to question her past and in doing so, her whole identity. Set both in the present day and the Victorian era, The Forgotten Garden captures a historical moment whilst creating an intriguing mystery.

Carlos Ruiz Zafon’s Shadow of the Wind is a must, beautifully translated by Lucia Graves. Set in Barcelona, after the Spanish Civil War, this novel not only gives a sense of place and history but in its characterisation of a boy who falls in love with a book thus uncovering the author’s own tragic life, creates a hero whose own life also becomes a source of fascination for the reader.

Michael Cox' The Meaning of Night is another absorbing Victorian era novel. Edward Glyver, the protagonist, sets out to assassinate Phoebus Daunt, a mysterious man from his past. Bringing to life a seedy Victorian underworld, the narrative makes effective use of letters within the novel as the mystery slowly unfolds.

Miranda Atty

Dark Origins

by Anthony E. Zuiker

Pub: Michael Joseph

All forms of entertainment inevitably move on, be it TV, internet, radio. All these have shifted from their original form. And now, so has the book. Dark Origins is the world’s first ‘digi-novel’. In other words, you read some of the book, then when the book instructs you to do so, you log onto a website, type in a code and watch a few minutes of a scene,

Jealousy

by Catherine Millet

Pub: Serpent's Tail

Catherine Millet’s work Jealousy is the follow-up to The Sexual Life of Catherine M, supposedly ‘the most explicit book about sex ever written by a woman’ which was so revealing that there were ‘no taboos left to conquer’. Except that of the last taboo: jealousy. I entered into this expecting a rollocking good read of sexual exploits of a graphic and controversial nature. I was sorely disappointed.

Millet’s book is essentially a two-hundred page justification of her promiscuous activities whilst

and then you go back to the book. In some ways this is very advanced, combining the oldest form of entertainment with the newest. However, this also eliminates most of the environments that people generally read books in, such as on the train or sitting in the park. Now, instead of shutting yourself off from the world and opening a book, you have to open yourself up to the world of the internet. And although Dark Origins is a very gripping, exciting thriller, your imagination cannot run wild like it usually would with your average novel. The characters are already displayed in front of you, giving no scope for you to imagine them in any other way. Having said this, Dark Origins is written by the creator of CSI, and if you’re into crime thrillers, you’ll love this one. With an excit-

simultaneously describing the hurt she feels when her partner Jaques is also indulging in some extramarital fun. Except they are not married – presumably because she is so liberal she doesn’t believe in the institution of marriage – she hypocritically expects to do exactly as she pleases and is then devastated when she discovers her partner does the same. Millet makes for a frustrating narrator as she details

"Millet's selfcentred nature is proven through her pretentious metaphors"

ing plot and some unusual twists and turns, this novel really is a page turner. And the small internet clips in the middle of the books do add a sense of novelty to the pastime of reading.

Kimberley Dunn

"The video clips add a sense of novelty but your imagination can't run wild"

her many licentious ways yet defends that ‘I was never a flirt’. Well, that’s alright then.

Jealousy is a somewhat meandering novel that, for me, had very little purpose. At the beginning, Catherine and Jaques were together. At the end, they were still together. In between, the reader is treated to many anecdotes which only further confirm that Millet is self-centred, duplicitous and utterly insensitive to the feelings of others. And much of this is proven through the use of incredibly pretentious metaphors. I think The Sexual Life of Catherine M must have been a lot more fun, although given her conceited nature, she probably managed to drain much of the excitement out of that too.

Elizabeth Blockley

Something's

Amis

Nazisim, religious intolerance and pensioner genocide, but is Martin Amis really as bad as his misquoted comments make out? James Dunn investigates...

Britain is not known for producing controversial novelists. Charles Dickens, the Brontë sisters and Jane Austen are all recognised as some of the greatest writers in English literature. Yet they represent the public opinion at a time when few people could give voice to the lower classes. In our modern society, the throttling influence of political correctness renders many authors without a means for expressing opinions that can go against the grain. This, however, has failed to pose a significant barrier to Martin Amis.

Born in Swansea in 1949, Amis is on the eve of publishing his 12th novel: The Pregnant Widow. As with all of his novels, the book portrays

an ironically named protagonist in a controversial situation. Keith Nearing is described as `a 20-year-old student of English literature as well as a sexually anxious short arse dazzled by the sudden array of babes on offer at a house party in Italy. Nearing is a character who is in turmoil over what sexual fantasy he should surrender to: his girlfriend, an attractive hostess, or a fellow guest.

One aspect of Amis’ writing that makes him so popular and yet so controversial is his ability to play devil’s advocate to such a high degree. In Time’s Arrow, he consistently seems to be jumping over the fence in support of the Nazi regime, a tendency that turns out to be entirely ironic. In Money, Amis seems to be emphatically lending his favour

to rape and misogyny. Again, this is entirely misleading for the majority of the novel.

"Keith Nearing is a sexually anxious short arse"

It is his life outside of the literary world that makes Martin Amis such a fascinating public figure. He is a man who has never been worried about pulling his punches. It seems that he aims for whoever he can make as apocalyptically angry as is humanly possible. In 2007, he angered the literary community by seeming to

condemn the Islamic community as a whole. It later transpired that he was in fact drawing a distinction between the Islamic faith and Islamic radicalism, and was not being disparaging of the entire religion.

"Amis is a man who has never been worried about pulling his punches"

But this was a mild eruption compared to the recent media volcano

that Amis has managed to unleash. On the 24th January, less than two weeks before the publication of The Pregnant Widow, the author advocated the use of `suicide booths` in light of a `silver tsunami`. The argument was that sufferers of Alzheimer’s – for example his close friend the late Dame Iris Murdoch – should at least have the legal option of euthanasia. Critics claimed that this would result in a "civil war" between the young and old, end with the young pushing their elderly relations into toilets on the street, slotting in a couple of quid and getting what the Head of the Care Not Kill Alliance termed a `lethal cocktail.` The media, then, decided to make light of this, effectively blaming Amis for some imminent pensioner genocide.

Yet this is not the case. Amis has personal experience of what debilitating diseases such as Alzheimer’s can do. His comments, taken entirely out of context, were simply an idea to legalise euthanasia and actually give people the option of taking a way out of a life that they find unbearable. His novels, for the most part, have always reflected such concepts and contemporary controversies. Money is disparaging of the capitalist society in which he writes. Time’s Arrow is equally satirical of the kind of barbarity that we can fall into all too easily. And his latest novel, The Pregnant Widow, released on the 3rd February, promises no less.

The beehive and the bard are due to tour together: portraits of Shakespeare and Amy Winehouse will sit side by side in a new exhibition celebrating Writers of Influence. "Writers Under the Influence" would perhaps be a more apt title: Wino will be joined by the likes of Jane Austen, Jarvis Cocker and Johnny Rotten in this celebration of penmanship. No such event of course, would be complete without an appearance by family favourite J.K Rowling. The real magic of this exhibition however is the Chandos portrait of Shakespeare, the only one with any claim to have been painted before the man himself. Writers of Influence opens at the Graves Gallery, Sheffield on Saturday 17th April.

Kirsty Allen

Prior to the Haitian earthquake, artists in Portau-Prince had been taking corpses out of graves and using their skulls to create depictions of voodoo spirits. Locals were using scrap pieces of metal and furniture and the odd carcass or two, to create vicious results that reflect a "dystopian view" of society. With the help of Western collaborators, the work can be found in the Foundry Bar, East London. So if you can summon the courage to have a demon made out of a rusty car bonnet, showing off a giant metallic phallus, and with a rather discontented look on his face, staring at you in your own home, you will be happy to know that now all proceedings will go to a Haitian fundraiser.

Alexi Gunner

Could an empty gift shop be a new set for a play? With the economic crisis, one in seven shops is boarding up and leaving town centres a little less exciting, numerous experimental creative organisations are taking advantage. And now the free derelict spaces have been transformed into theatrical sets and art galleries. And you thought that the arts were going to suffer from the economic downturn. Perhaps every recession has a silver lining... Natalie Stone

arts seen

Can you keep a secret? Robin Morgan shows us how the most exciting best kept secrets are never kept schtum for long.

Cardiff has gone through a period of rejuvenation over the past few years, such as down the Bay and more recently St. David’s 2. There is one change, however, that was a little bit more subtle. You know what I’m talking about – bollards.

Yeah. Actual bollards. They’re not what the kids on Skins are taking, they are those silver things knocking about in town. You’ve probably tried to hurdle them with severe consequences.

Eight of them, however, differ greatly from the rest. From outside

Witness for the Prosecution Theatre

The New Theatre

The sixth production of the Agatha Christie Theatre Company, Witness for the Prosecution is directed by Joe Harmston.

This whodunit revolves around a stony broke bloke named Leonard Vole who is accused of murder of an elderly, affluent woman called Ms Emily French, when the aging French bequeaths him her mighty wealth.

In the second half of the first act,

TK Maxx, all the way down to Spillers Records, there are eight bollards, slightly larger than their nearby counterparts, with small peepholes in the top.

Inside the peepholes is a miniature version of Amsterdam! There are boobies everywhere! No, I jest. Inside are Post Secrets, designed by Jane Edden, and commissioned as part of a £1.5 million public art project.

These Post Secrets display scenes using monochrome figurines, and are “more like design and problem solving than fine art”,

according to Edden. "I wanted them to be little moments of calm so that when people do bend down and look inside they completely enter another world."

Honestly, there are no amount of words and snapshots of these artworks that can portray their charm, you really do have to go and look for yourself. Go to St. David’s 2. Ignore Hugo Boss and the sixteen Starbucks. Find the first bollard with the orange peep hole. Bend over. And take in the art.

the story spins around. A scene at the barrister’s office and the wife’s volte-face statements in the court later, the accused is set free. However, the director has tweaked the end from the original narrative and worked out an opposing climax.

"pacey, pithy and piquant"

Incidentally, the three-act play was narrowed down to a two-act performance. Although the first two acts were suitably merged together, it made the first half, which ran for little over an hour, lengthy and tedious. The interval seemed long overdue. In contrast, the second half was pacey, pithy and piquant.

Of the performances Denis Lill as

the master barrister was rightfully restrained. Caroline Oakes as his ditsy secretary was endearing, as was the domestic help, essayed by Jennifer Wilson. Honeysuckle Weeks, as the wife of the accused and victim of circumstance, gave a stellar performance as a woman torn between love and betrayal. The wooden set and the lighting transmuted from the barrister’s office to the court room was befitting. The music, an Allegri Misereri, sung by the choir of King’s College, Cambridge punctuated between the scenes. The Misereri, which uses the words of Psalm 51, which talk about seeking mercy from God, helped set the mood as well as elevated the dramatisation of the text.

Definitely a play worth witnessing. Reema Gehi

THE PROJECT

Theatre/Event

Cardiff Arts Institute

The CAI, one of Cathays’ recent additions to the growing gang of quirky bars-come-cultural-hot-spots, was the perfect location for THE PROJECT. This was an event that challenged the expectations of theatre, and probed experimentally at artistic boundaries. Undeb, made up of two university-fresh lads with big ideas to shake-up the Cardiff art scene, produced an eclectic array of theatre at its most chilled out, appealing to a new generation of culture vultures.

The event targeted the ‘anti-valentine’ crowd on the 14th February,

and fittingly it was therefore SpeedTheatre, and not speed-dating on the agenda. In a somewhat unsettling fashion; you found yourself involved in a series of intimate theatrical dates, with seven actors relaying one minute monologues – ranging from descriptions of an intense dislike for potato wedges, to a passionate confession of love for a priest. The experiment gave new writers a chance to flex their muscles, as well as the scattered audience a chance to consider their traditional position as a passive entity. It was a stimulating deviation from conventional dramatic roles, giving the pieces an extra personal resonance.

Comfort zones re-aligned, next came the eye-wateringly brazen

When Cheryl was Brassic by Leo Richardson. Exploring the innermost depths of two contrasting sex lives, the play left no detail unexplored. Credit to the actors: with scripts in hand, they committed fully to their roles, from their convincing,

bare-faced delivery to all manner of compromising positions and Nutella smearing. Yes, Nutella

However, the highlight of the evening was the refreshingly subtler love story Feedback by Joel Horwood. Two endearingly humorous monologues intertwined effortlessly, until the couple described their union in their two respective tales and so came together on the stage. The piece was highly polished, yet retained an accessible familiarity, a feature which seemed a key theme of the night.

Undeb’s challenge to the way in which we conventionally perceive a night out at the theatre provides a welcome change, and with such innovative ideas and such a truly inventive approach this early on we can surely only wait in high anticipation for what to expect next. Keep your eyes peeled for the next event – but in typical Undeb style – you’re surely in for a surprise.

Natalie Stone

haunting monologue about his life in a colony.

10 Feet Tall

"Would anyone like a cocktail?" asks an actor from behind his unusual stage of the upstairs bar at Ten Feet Tall. For the past five minutes this man has been simultaneously making a mojito (with accompanying tips such as 'the key is to make sure you crush the mint') and delivering a

The man next to me shifts from one foot to the other awkwardly as I try to recall a moment where self-preservation and decency has caused me to deny a cocktail. I consequently try to justify why refusing a cocktail now is the thing to do. Finally, a woman, who by the sounds of it has already had one or two, accepts the drink.

This is often the thing about sitespecific theatre. It takes the familiar and exploits it to such an extent that every action becomes out of place. This night was no different as in this take on Joseph Conrad's fin de siècle novella where we were fed

fragments of a brutally disturbing tale and invited to dive deeper into the narrative. Deliberately split up from the friend who I had clung to for reassurance before the performance began, I was alone in a roomful of strangers unsure who was meant to be acting, to the extent to which I felt it was me who should be taking on a part.

To describe this event further is to expose the mystery on which it stands. My only advice for theatre of this kind is be open-minded, be brave – and get your cocktails in beforehand.

Amelia Forsbrook

Heart of Darkness Theatre

Heavy

ARTillery

et us begin with a definition of art from the Oxford English Dictionary: the expression of creative skill through a visual medium such as painting or sculpture."

A completely pompous opening on why art should be Picasso and Picasso alone you might think. Well no not exactly. Speaking for myself, the child who always got glitter stuck to the her face as opposed to the Christmas card being lovingly crafted in Year 4 Design Technology class, I display not so much as an artistic hunch.

The gift of being artistically talentless however is that you can appreciate when somebody else actually is. You can appreciate a level of genuine artistic skill because you know that you sure as hell don’t have any yourself. Which brings me onto the other sheer beauty of being creatively challenged: knowing when the price is right. After all, Warhol did say, ‘Good business is the best art.’ The man who made millions out of Monroe’s face alone should know.

exhibition, without feeling intimidated by the watchful eye of a steel rimmed spectacle wearing assistant with a History of Art degree.

Art, whatever form it may be in, should be a gateway to escapism, a right that any spectator deserves. High art should not be inaccessible, exclusive and pretentious despite the fact that it is an accomplished creative product. So what exactly is contemporary arts’ excuse for taking everyday cultural objects, such as the humble urinal, placing it in a more superior cultural setting than the men’s lavatories and branding it with that shape shifting label of ‘art’? Postmodern art: still pretentious, still comes with a price tag. What’s to like?

"Elitism is not the definition of art but surely standard of skill should be"

Vintage movie posters, edgy photo collages, papermâché models, stately home gardens, poising on pointe, the Vivienne Westwood runway, comic book strips, Royal Worcester Porcelain, Nan’s cross stitch sample, even the Blue Peter ‘here’s one I made earlier’; to an extent all of these things are artistic in their own right. All of them are cultural products, some higher brow than others. Elitism is not the definition of art but surely standard of skill should be. I am most certainly not a believer that somebody should feel that they cannot go into an art gallery and appreciate art, be it Picasso, postmodernism or the Charlie and Lola

‘The moment that changed art forever’ was the tagline to the Duchamp exhibition that ran at the Tate Modern last February. Yes, maybe it did change the art world; The Fountain (the title given to aforementioned urinal) was the champion of his ‘readymade’ collection, was named the most influential artwork of the 20th century by 500 selected British art world professionals and sold for a mere £816,000 at the Phillips de Pury and Luxembourg auction in May 2002. Art critics reckoned the buyer had snapped up a real bargain of a bog. If art is about is about escapism and the buyer managed to truly escape into this Fountain then I guess its money well spent. It’s about creativity, not cashing you cynics out there. Now, any readers who are interested in purchasing Art Attack vs Glitter Glue, a unique collection of homemade Christmas cards circa 1995, please give us a call. Price on enquiry.

Kirsty Allen

This week, Arts sets Kirsty Allen and Simone Miche into battle to fight out what art should be about.

Say goodbye to romanticism, realism, renaissance art or just anything remotely masterful. Paintings of flowers in vases and picturesque scenes in gilded frames are no more. Nowadays it seems that the more garishly ugly art is, the more popular it becomes, and I think it’s about time you conservative art enthusiasts wake up and smell the rubbish.

I for one am a fan of contemporary art. Yes it can be vile, common and sarcastic (I’m thinking particularly of works by Michael Duchamp and the like when I say this) and isn’t exactly an image of beauty or skill that, lets say, the Mona Lisa is. But I can’t help feeling drawn to its playfulness and comic mockery. And there’s proof in the pudding that I’m not alone. Take Claus Oldenburg’s absurd, five by nine feet painted piece of cake for example. Why would it be hugely exhibited in highly regarded art museums such as the MoMa, or Jeff Koon controversially be given permission to exhibit his work (namely inflatable dogs and hanging lobsters) in the historic halls

"it’s about time you conservative art enthusiasts wake up and smell the rubbish"

of Versailles if people didn’t think these novel pieces oozed character and charisma?

I recently visited Banksy’s exhibition in Bristol Museum along with a horde of other fans following the mystery graffiti artist. We queued for hours to be greeted by Ronald McDonald, coaxing us from the top of the building to come inside and catch a glimpse of the highly questionable delights Banksy had

conjured up with spray cans and marker pens. I felt like I was at a theme park rather than an art exhibition, being taken on a rollercoaster ride of visual thrills! I could see why some people would think it morally adulterous for the museum to let Banksy exhibit his statue of a Greek goddess clad with 6 inch heels, a fag and a kebab box or his reproduction of Claude Derain’s The Flight to Egypt defaced with an Easy Jet advert. But I was satisfied: it had been an exciting experience, filled with the optical adrenalin I was hoping for, and it certainly hadn’t been just another day out staring glumly at portraits of stately figures in the ‘English Heritage’ section of an art museum.

Now, before the Monet fans amongst you get a little hot under the collar, I’ll appease myself; I’m not trying to say that we should grow ignorant towards archaic classics because they are humdrum and boring. Their beauty and craftsmanship undoubtedly deserve recognition. Nonetheless, I think people should stop writing off modern art just because it doesn’t conform to our expectations of what art should be. Why shouldn’t art be a playground? It should be allowed to be enjoyed by everyone, not just those who can appreciate pleasant tones and decent brushwork. Why shouldn’t it be sardonic and common as muck? Yes, as the saying goes, sarcasm is the lowest form of wit and people are probably afraid that this celebration of all things mass produced and everyday is going to dumb us down and make us less refined. I, on the other hand, think it’s fascinating and appealing, humorous and sharp. In fact, if anything I think it's wisdom in disguise and teaches an invaluable lesson about life — not to take it too seriously.

Simone Miche

An Interview with

Jazzsteppa

Hailing from Berlin and London, Jazzsteppa are a causing a stir in the dance music scene. Dissatisifed with spinning records, they pioneered the world's first live dubstep band. With a gig at Cardiff Arts Institute fast approaching, Jack Doran caught up with Gal Moore, one half of the infamous duo...

Gal, what style of music would you say has been your passion or biggest influence?

We used to play jazz, that’s where we come from, that’s our musical education, our passion was jazz, a long time ago when we were young.

So do you still consider yourself a jazz musician?

At the moment not at all, no. It's basically being on stage doing some real clever shit that you’ve been practising for 10 000 hours, and people look at you, and you know and usually either they’re not impressed or they might be impressed and they’ll clap at the end.

What was it that drew you to the dubstep sound?

"I was off my tits on ketamine"

First time I heard it was about three years ago, Mala and Sgt. Pokes, off my tits on ketamine, heavy, heavy fucking soundsystem! Every tune they dropped, you knew that no one knew that shit. There was about fifty of us in the club, and everyone knew that we were part of something, something secret. You can feel it, there’s a vibe, you can feel it. From then on we said, let’s do it, let’s write music that people feel

not hear, you know? That’s what the sub is all about, it’s about rattling people’s fucking bones.

How did you guys come together?

That’s a long fucking story! I’m living in London, my partner’s living in Berlin, but we both met in Israel.

There’s something a bit special about live dance music, do you find you get a big reaction wherever you go?

Luckily, definitely yes. Definitely, people feel it, people get excited. Last weekend I got a Belgian kid, fifteen years old, up on the drum kit in front of a thousand people. The

going out

fucker had a go on the drums! You know, it’s the fun stuff you can do with the real instruments that you can’t do when you’re just throwing on vinyl.

So you guys, your from Israel, one of you lives in London, the other in Berlin, is there any city that you find has the best vibe?

My partner in Berlin would probably say London, and yeah, I guess I’d also say London, I love this place, I feel at home.

Have you ever played a gig that stands out as your best ever?

Big Chill Festival. That was a surprise, we didn’t know what to expect, we got ten thousand fucking people in the tent, well up for it, so yeah, that was a good gig.

The smaller size of Cardiff Arts Institute offers a fairly intimate, intense atmosphere, do you have a favourite type of venue to play?

It doesn’t matter at all, it’s all about people. It’s all about the crowd, it’s all about the people. That’s the only thing that really matters.

Cardiff is full of talented young DJs and producers, have you got any advice for those looking for a break?

Get a cat, it improves your life. Find a beautiful girlfriend, live a good life, with lots of love.

Ooookay. Finally Gal, what can we expect of the mighty Jazzsteppa in the coming year?

Well we’re going to the states for a month in April, round May we should have our new album out. I’ve started making some house music, maybe that’ll be on the radio in the next few weeks.

Any festivals over Summer planned at all?

Yeah I think we’ll probably do that one Rob Da Bank runs, Bestival. We’re playing some festivals outside of Europe, like Canada and hoping to get something nailed in Japan at some point.

You can catch Jazzsteppa at Cardiff Arts Institute on March 5th. Hosted by TRAFFIC, £3 before 11pm, doors from 9pm.

Jazzsteppa

Friday 5th March

Cardiff Arts Institute

Furiously blurring the boundaries between live and sampled music, Jazzsteppa are a breath of fresh air.

A trombone, drum kit and laptop at their disposable, the pair pace back and forth between soulful jazz and trembling dubstep sounds.

Hosts TRAFFIC have strayed from their residency at Undertone Basement, appearing for the first time at Cardiff Art Institute. The more spacious venue is bound to be better suited not only to the live music, but also to TRAFFIC's messy, interactive antics. We're told it's going to be on a whole new scale including a live graffiti wall, juggling and audio-visual DJ sets. At only £3 to get in, this event is quite simply unmissable!

PJehst

Tuesday 9th March

romoters Flip The Script continue their impressive string of bookings with one of the biggest names in UK hip-hop: Jehst.

Having lived up and down the UK, he styles himself as the 'High Plains Drifter', a theme evident in his verse. His resounding lyrical dexterity is widely acknowledged, Jehst has collaborated with some of the biggest names in the genre including Harry Love, Klashnekoff and Usmaan. He can even say he has shared a stage with legends Lee Scratch Perry and Max Romeo.

Once again, it is a rare opportunity to see such a prolific artist in the small, initmate surroundings of Buffalo Bar.

ABedlam

The Great Hall

nother term, another epic Bedlam blow-out. Having run the night for eight years, this lot know what they're doing.

As to be expected, drum and bass will be presiding with the ever-popular, jump-up king Andy C in prime position.

Representing the dubstep sound will be Skream and Benga, two names that have become synonomous with the genre. Their continuous stream of huge productions keep them right at the top of the game.

A mighty string of support acts include the red-hot DnB duo Spectrasoul, Brummie dubstepper Emalkay and grime MC Skepta.

If you like your events on a big scale then Bedlam tick every box.

music

editorial

While this section of Quench is usually reserved for those artists hailing from our own city of Cardiff, for the sake of our neighbours we decided to make this week an exception. Bristol-based Dr Meaker swagger across the Severn preceded by an increasingly impressive reputation as one of few groups claiming to play live instrumental drum and bass.

They're usually a 7-piece medley that spread everything from trumpets to a double bass over the soulful vocals of lead singer Lorna King, but for their show in Cardiff they were depleted to 5 which seriously retracted from their performance. The beats were provided by DJ and creator Clive Meaker who, while putting in an enthusiastic effort, could not make up for the lack of live percussion - something which is surely a given in a "live drum and bass band". And while The Globe's wide stage and intimate size offered what could have been the perfect venue, there was never enough of a presence to feel really entranced by what was in front of you.

Overall the evening felt like watching an act who are normally good, or even great, but without the full unit were just never quite there.

Those of you who have had the foresight to save your loan beyond the first 2 weeks of January will be duly rewarded as a plethora of artists come to our (relatively) fair city over the next fortnight, with some of Quench's favourites being mentioned here.

Followers of the nu-folk scene which has been gathering so much momentum over the past few years will be pleased to see that Johnny Flynn & The Sussex Wit are playing Clwb Ifor Bach on Tuesday 2nd ahead of their upcoming EP Sweet William. Going by the success and acclaim of their debut album, this is a show not to be missed.

If folk-rock isn't your thing, however, then make your way down to Cardiff Arts Institute on Friday 6th where Traffic presents Jazzsteppa; Germany's own live dubstep duo and the first group to express the genre through acoustic instruments. Make sure you're ready for this one as Traffic's recent form along with the presence of such an exciting act all point to this being a huge night.

The Talybont Social is also hosting the semi-finals of 2010's Battle of the Bands on 4th and 11th, so be sure to go down in order to see all of Cardiff University's up and coming local artists.

Idon’t know about you but I bloody love remixes. When I say remixes I don’t mean the act of sampling, something that I’ll leave up to the expert hands of Daft Punk and The Prodigy. Rather I refer to taking a song and transforming it into something different, but still with a nod to the original.

Remember last year when La Roux’s In For The Kill got reworked at the hands of seminal dubstep producer Skream? From the first time I heard it I was blown away. Despite the inclusion of the same vocal track, Skream’s mix was moody, dark and progressive, and ultimately piqued my interest in electronic dance music such as DnB and Dubstep. Another recent example is Pendulum’s remix of Stay Too Long by Plan B. The original, whilst entertaining in its own right, is utterly eclipsed by the snarling energy of Pendulum’s remix. Artists like Ellie Goulding, whose own material is quite forgettable, are redeemed by the fact that the studio originals are ideal for chopping and slicing, such as Dexcell and Jakwob’s efforts. With bands like Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails and Trifonic releasing stems to their tracks online for free, there’s no excuse why you shouldn’t give it a go.

Efterklang

Lloyd Griffiths discusses their ethereal new album with leader Casper Clausen...

Perhaps the most pleasing thing about interviewing Casper, Efterklang’s Composer/Singer, is how far he is from what you may expect. The album which introduced me to the band was 2007’s Parades, which is a simply astounding piece of work. Music which, rather than pushing musical boundaries, seems to come from a completely alien place as if made by some kind of post-human musician.

Casper, however, is as warm and enthusiastic as you could wish such a supposedly avant-garde artist to be. Talking about their upcoming tour, he illustrated part of their raison d'etre is their communal nature.

"We try to make every occasion special and look people in the eye, I don't think we'd make music if we weren't able to"

This is as far from an annoying post-rockstar Libertines-style attitude as you could get, as their collaborative nature presupposes their desire to make music. "I feel inspired by working with the visual aspect of music such as after [1st album] Tripper, we worked on making collage movies. With the energy between visuals and music it helps create something

bigger than music or ourselves and spreads beyond our own heads"

More closely referring to Parades,, Casper explains part of what the band tried to capture in the albums sound. "It creates some small monsters because they sound like they can’t be played in the real world. Its more like you are listening to a some scientist making music in a lab. It's not very real"

"We created small monsters. They sound like they can't be played in the real world"

This is fabulously demonstrated by the opening of Parades, Polygyne, which rather than setting the tone for the album, throws away the possibility a set tone even matters. It darkly builds from delicately composed strings and disjointed vocal chanting until somewhat incongruously, a marching band take over. When soaring violins continue the

crackling twilight, you will be astounded by the journey that this one song can take you on.

Fully prepared, the album contrives to surprise and construct wonderful soundscapes, each in and of themselves and of a wonderful album. Even that Drowned in Sound described it as "The album Bjork wanted to conjure when she made Vespertine" is no exaggeration.

You may think that following a project they may rest on their laurels, but instead, Efterklang decided to reproduce Parades live with the 50 piece Danish Chamber Orchestra.

"It was like a big puzzle at some point, performing with 10 of us and a 40-person orchestra. And also more than a dream because we always work thinking 'oh that needs a tuba player there and violins here' "

After over 18 months of making itself and then a year composing arrangements for the live concerts, it makes sense that they sought to work more conventionally on Magic Chairs.

“It’s for sure a reaction to performing Parades, we didn’t really feel we could make it much more big.It felt a natural step because we wanted to increase the gap between

us and the end result”

You still get the sense, however, that their aim is still to create something ‘bigger than themselves’, but in a different way.

“We’ve been working with song structures and trying to make a song. A lot of the elements are consistent rather than a musical collage so people who listened to our old records might think it's strange for good or not”

That the album is deliberately conventional also gives reward to more listens as the compositional intricacies become more evident. It may sound self-concious or the sort of music only appreciated singularly, ears quivering for the tiniest nuance, but Casper distances himself from this idea.

"I couldn't really picture myself being Thom Yorke or Bon Iver. Process-wise, maybe, but we always think people listening is part of creating something bigger than having music which 'we personally own'. Maybe we're not cool enough to pose at the front of the stage."

Efterklang's new album Magic Chairs is out now on 4AD

MEfterklang Magic Chairs

4AD

any reviewers have chastised Efterklang’s latest release as a regression from their more complicated material and The Guardian even compared them (favourably) to Elbow. But while Elbow nuanced emotive rock with an orchestrated varnish, Efterklang’s songs are stunningly composed as to create a distinct atmosphere which marries their classical instrumentation within their most conventional song structures to date.

It begins with Modern Drift, a song that builds with melancholy piano and kettle drums while powerful delivery overcomes this mood in exultant tones. Alike is a distant echo of their electronic based Tripper, yet shows the trumpeteering joy of Parades.

Perhaps I Was Playing Drums most successfully embodies the album, with its embracing of harmonies and repetitive drums as

structure and rhythm drive the song. However, as with the best songs on the album, the elaboration revealed by more listens makes it poignant. As the symphonic complexities are unravelled, the subtleties of the violin and piano score seem clinically composed yet are all the more beautiful for this realisation.

Despite the less avant-garde nature of the LP you're prepared to overlook the less convincing works such as The Soft Beating which has promise but remains a somewhat plodding affair. It feels like the formal constraints act as a playful barrier for experimentation rather than background. And while they partly forego impressionistic noises there is more than enough channelling of the bands creative drive to atomise the senses upon single tracks. So while it doesn't achieve or even seek to achieve the structural cohesion of Parades, Efterklang still show how they are a brilliant band at constructing compositions which rather than interesting abstractions are unique and yet far from being alienating.

8.

The Drums The Drums

As NME Tour openers and BBC Sound Of 2010

Gavin Jewkes discusses their growing acclaim short

They are The Drums: cool, edgy little blighters from across the pond with a penchant for Morrissey and being ‘extremely selfish’. A breezy hybrid of 1950s American pop and the Factory Records’ bands that reigned over 1980s Britain, The Drums fuse the feel-good sentiment of the Beach Boys with melodious bass-lines akin to New Order.

The Florida-via-New York quartet, consist of singer Jonathan Pierce, guitarists Jacob Graham and Adam Kessler, and their infectiously energetic drummer, Connor Hanwick. They are currently on the road as part of the NME Awards Tour 2010 along with Bombay Bicycle Club, The Big Pink and The Maccabees. I met with Jacob and Adam from the band after the Cardiff-leg of the show, where we discussed their reaction to their growing critical acclaim.

You (Jacob) and Jonathan (Lead Singer) met on Summer Camp when you were kids. How did the group come together as a four piece?

Jacob Graham: I was living in Florida and Jonathan was living in Brooklyn. He hadn’t done anything musically for a few years, but I knew he wanted to. We’ve been best friends since we met so I said ‘Why don’t you just move to Florida

and we’ll just record a bunch of songs?’. Finally it happened and we recorded some songs. We were there for about six months, had crappy jobs and were really secluded. We didn’t have any friends, we didn’t have a car.

Sounds pretty depressing.

JG: Yeah it was. All we would do is go to work, come home and record. Once we felt we had a good batch of songs we thought ‘Well, we’re really happy with how these have turned out, let’s just be ridiculous and pack up our lives and move to New York’. Adam here used to be in a band with Jon before, so Jon gave him a call and asked him if he would be interested in joining the band too.

And was the fusing of old band members with new quite harmonious?

JG: It really was. I met Adam and Connor at our first practice which was also the day of our first show. We played as many shows as we possibly could, which meant we spent a lot of time together and we all sort of became best friends.

Did you have a New York audience in mind with the songs?

JG: We didn’t really have an audience in mind. We thought ‘Let’s

nominees, the hype-machine has fallen for Brooklyn four-piece, The Drums. ly before the band take to the Great Hall stage for a sold-out performance...

make music for the first time in our lives that’s extremely selfish and only to please ourselves’. Our first shows were performing at The New York City Popfest, which had an Indie-pop vibe and seemed like a logical place to present ourselves for the first time. Thankfully we got a really good response, especially from the taste-maker blogs, who said really good things about us.

There is a lyric in Let’s Go Surfing which says: "Wake up/ There's a new kid in the town/ Honey, he's moving into the big house". I’ve read that this lyric refers to Obama’s election success. Is that the sort of thing that influences your writing?

JG: We are not typically influenced by politics. When bands get really political we find it really annoying. We wrote Let’s Go Surfing, however, on the night that Obama was elected and from inside our apartment block you could just hear people running out into the streets screaming and cheering. It felt like the whole world was a football stadium. We don’t usually like external things to affect our song writing; we like things to be internal and personal. When we wrote it we wanted the whole Obama thing to be very subliminal and personal to us, but we needed to write about it.

With such an introspective ethos,

how do you see The Drums’ developing over the next few months?

JG: I’m not too sure. We have such a strong vision- but it’s kind of vague.

So a strong but vague vision?

JG: [Laughs] It’s hard to describe. It’s this thing where we exist in a bubble and we don’t do anything too dated, and just let our music be its own thing.

How does it feel to come over to Britain and play in the country that has cultivated the bands that have most influenced you (i.e. The Smiths)?

JG: It is actually very edifying. We played Manchester in October and Mike Joyce, the drummer of The Smiths, came up to us after the show and told us that he loved it. The same thing happened when we played at the new Factory Records and met Peter Hook (Joy Division/ New Order) who said that he loved our music too! You feel like somehow it validates the whole thing when your idols say that.

You recently came fifth in the BBC Sound Of 2010, which has predicted success for the likes of Lady Gaga and Vampire Weekend. What was your response to

that?

JG: As our album had already been finished we didn’t have to respond with an album that lived up to all of this hype. There is nothing we can do about it, and even if we could, we wouldn’t. But, admittedly it is insane to think that we are at the same place that someone like Lady Gaga was this time last year. It is so exciting to hear our songs on the radio. It sounds so out of place, almost ridiculous, but a triumph.

After the NME Tour do you have any other live gigs coming up?

Adam Kessler: We’re going to come back and try to do some festivals and perhaps do some headlining tours in the late fall. We’ll be back here in May to tour with Florence And The Machine, who invited us along. She’s really cool so we’re looking forward to that.

The Drums have come a long way in a short space of timewhat advice would you give any students looking to pursue a career in music?

JG: I would say, no matter what the results, only make music to please you. If you’re not doing something you love, then you should scrap it and start over. it is only then that you can be passionate about what you’re doing.

Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip

The Logic Of Chance Sunday Best

It's s mere 6 weeks into the new decade but it seems we already have a possible contender for album of the year. This may seem a somewhat grandiose claim to make so early in the year but even upon first listen, Logic Of Chance greets you with aural slap to the face and kick to the crotch as it unveils a sense of immediacy that parallels very little from the recent past. Opening track Sick Tonight is a blistering distillation of pulsating dubstep beats, courtesy of Mr. Le Sac and lyrical mastery at the hands of Mr. Pip.

Whilst Logic Of Chance is undoubtedly a record far more ‘bouncable’ than Angles, it is most definitely not an exercise into acceptance within the mass market. Logic is a bitter indictment of many of the less-than-palatable aspects

of modern-day life; knife crime, under-age promiscuity, domestic abuse and murder are all acutely examined under Pip’s cultural microscope, but not in an accusative, holier-than-thou way. Instead, he simply voices the opinions that have been fermenting amongst the disillusioned for some time.

Pip’s razor sharp observational skills are wonderfully juxtaposed throughout by Dan’s ability to create beats and layers that are both wonderfully direct, yet extremely subtle & nuanced.

If we are living in an increasingly secularised society then it seems rather fitting that Scroobius Pip’s sermons be heard far and wide as he has an uncanny way of articulating public unrest; indeed, he is almost shamanic in his exorcism of the public’s demons and in the time following we may see Mr. Pip being heralded as something of an anti-messianic prophet, sent to save us from our sins. But perhaps the excitement of listening to this release is sending me into something of a delirium.

8.

Tear The Signs Down Armoured Records

Generally, bands with debut albums considered “poppy” or lacking in depth aim to bring a new maturity to their subsequent albums and The Automatic are no exception to this rule. Tear The Signs Down, their third full length offering, showcases a new mature sound, but is it any good?

Unfortunately for the most part the answer is no. Lead single Interstate sets the tone for the rest of the album, and it's not a particularly inspiring one — although the melodies are still there, they're distinctly less upbeat than the previous album. There are no stand-out tracks in the vein of Monster or Steve McQueen, although for some fans and perhaps the band themselves this may be a good thing. However, for the rest of us the album just serves as a reminder of why the band's albums aren't chart toppers in their own right - without a few catchy singles there's no hook to draw you into the rest of the album.

Cannot Be Saved is arguably the best song to feature; the chorus harks back to better days, and it's lyrically reminiscent of the first album's personal touches. Other than that the pickings are fairly slim. There is no real variety between the tracks, not particularly surprising but for a band that seem keen to be taken more seriously, it is perhaps a waste that they've not attempted to display some versatility.

It would be harsh to describe the album as bad but neither would it be fair to describe it as good. The word that seems most apt is worthy - the energy and sense of fun that permeated the bands previous efforts is sadly lacking here. The Automatic's signature style has been sacrificed in a shot to be viewed as something more than one hit wonders which, unfortunately for them, has somewhat backfired, and as a result the album as a whole falls considerably short of the mark.

Tom Rouse

4.

Jon Berry

Dan Le Sac Vs. Scroobius Pip

Natascha Sohl

Dirty Little Word

Granite Music

In a musical climate saturated with angsty American female singer-partial-songwriters, Natascha Sohl has nobly stepped forward as Britain’s "much needed" answer to Avril Lavigne. With an album cover proudly displaying the long-abandoned ‘Parental Advisory’ badge, and a tracklisting that reads more like a teenage girl’s diary than a magnum opus, hopes are high that Sohl will indeed be able to match her US peers in terms of marketability, er, songwriting.

Predictably, the vast majority of the music is of the punk pop-rock variety, with little room between distorted power chords and ‘heavy’ drums for any originality. The melodies, whilst solid and memorable enough, are marred by the sheer mediocrity of the lyrical content, best seen in the chorus of ‘girl power’ anthem If I Was A Boy: ‘Boys have all the fun. Boys think they’re Number 1. Boys they rule the world, but we all know it’s all about the girls, girls.’ Well, quite. Despite these flaws, all is not lost as the slower-paced Yesterday’s Rain and Hands Off My Past help to redeem the album both musically and lyrically, showing genuine promise and variety. Closing track Afterglow hints at a wider musical vocabulary, with exotic, middleeastern instrumentation perhaps unfortunately juxtaposed with mundane lyrics like ‘I put the kettle on’ . Ultimately, Natascha Sohl cannot be faulted for her enthusiasm (as indicated by the abundance of exclamation marks in the album’s liner notes) but this second effort fails to hit the mark. Whilst possessing a vocal delivery reminiscent of Alanis Morrisette, Sohl lacks the lyrical observations that made her idol so crucial in the female singersongwriter movement. Stranded in a sea of similar but superior artists, Natascha Sohl may well be left floundering, unable to hold her head up under the musical weight of her numerous contemporaries.

Michael Brown

Serena Maneesh

Abyss In B Minor 4AD

TMagdelena (Symphony #8).

The name Serena Maneesh apparently derives from the Norwegian words for 'veil' and 'the area around a stage' - apparently the wondrous melody is a glinting treat from behind the veil and there are a lot of elements in the music like the area surrounding a stage...yes, exactly.

Not ideal if you're looking for something easily accessiblethis album is the stuff of dream sequences, flying over beautiful mountain scenes...through lush forests....waving at the dragons flying by. But seriously, some of these tunes are colossal, charging through instruments like they're going out of fashion. From faraway violins to pounding drums, each track is varied enough to captivate a listener.

Despite all the drama and hyperbole though, Abyss In B Minor is not one of those to listen to over and over again but if there were a film of your life this would make one hell of a moody soundtrack.

Amy Hall 6. 5.

his latest album, Abyss in B Minor, is the follow up to Serena Maneesh's self-titled debut, released a leisurely four years ago. It's definitely an album to be listened to from start to finish; you can tell that band leader, Emile Nikolaisen, a veteran on the Norwegian rock, punk and 'retro-pop orchestra' scene, has really thought about making this a record to be listened to the way it should be: in its entirety. It is worth struggling through the no man's land in the middle of the album – tracks like Melody for Jaana could make even the most cheerful person wonder why they bothered getting up that morning. But make it to the end and be rewarded with some surprisingly soothing tracks, ultimately rounded off by the sweet and dreamy

Natascha Sohl

NME Tour

Great Hall, SU

13th February 2010

Every year The NME Shockwaves tour is renowned for showcasing bands which are set for stardom in the coming year. Previous artists such as Florence And The Machine and Arctic Monkeys have found massive success after the tour, and therefore it's unsurprising that I have been counting down the days since I bought my ticket.

After the jittery excitement that surrounds the beginning of a gig, the Brooklyn based band, The Drums, took to the stage. With their eclectic upbeat style of music they were unlike anything currently in the charts - think Vampire Weekend meets The Beach Boys. Songs such as Let’s Go Surfing and I Felt Stupid stood out as possible anthems for the summer and although few in the crowd recognised many of the songs, they maintained a vibrant atmosphere.

Second to play were The Big Pink. I have to admit I was a little apprehensive about this band as I

had not heard many of their songs, apart from the slightly overplayed Dominoes. However, when their heavily synthesised electro-rock music started to play I was pleasantly surprised. Their style of music was a little darker than the other bands, coming as a refreshing break from the typical guitar band music and their use of electronics allowed for certain songs, Velvet in particular, to feel especially powerful.

Bombay Bicycle Club were next on stage. Despite the fact that people were now starting to get a little drunk, it was clear that the crowd recognised their music more as it became livelier. I have always enjoyed them but was unsure of their live potential. However, as I should have learned by now, most bands are better in a live environment. Lead singer Jack Steadman belted out favourites such as Dust On The Ground, Always Like This and their current single Evening/ Morning to great sing-alongs from the crowd. His animated performance made it hard to avoid dancing to their songs.

As the last and clearly most popular band playing, the atmosphere as Orlando Weeks and co. stepped out onstage was exhilarating. The

crowd pushed forward as The Maccabees opened with William Powers and then went on to play several songs from their latest album, Wall Of Arms

Sadly there were notable songs missing such as About Your Dress and Lego from their first album, but their new material was known well enough for the crowd to create a lethal mosh-pit. Orlando went on to dedicate Toothpaste Kisses to the couples for Valentine’s Day. Their apparent last song was the dark No Kind Words, but after strong encouragement from the audience they made their way back on to finish with Love You Better

Orlando constantly praised the audience saying he had not expected to be received so well, promising a return to Cardiff. Their performance certainly highlighted that this band simply must be seen live. Although I went home with savagely bruised feet and a broken handbag, it was one of the best gigs I have ever been to. Despite the murmurs that indie bands such as these are a thing of the past, these four bands are a clear testament against it.

Emma Wilford

Beach House

16th February 2010

Beach House take to the modest CAI stage accompanied by a drummer and an abundance of hype. Music journalists around the world have lumped the phrase ‘dream pop’ with the Baltimore duo,and though cliché, that is exactly how to describe what they delivered, a sun kissed performace drenched in warm reverb, shuffling drum beats and dreamy lyrics.

They take a laid back approach towards their shows. A shoeless Alex Scally plays his guitar sat on a stool whilst his partner, Victoria Legrand haunches over her keyboard, constantly fighting back masses of tousled hair from her face. This relaxed mood is translated into their music, it’s a stripped down act with few instruments and effects, the driving force being Legrand’s husky vocals.

"Drowsy, rolling synths animated by brighter guitar riffs"

They begin with Walk In The Park, a strong opening that introduces the band’s signature sound of drowsy, rolling synths animated by brighter guitar riffs. Zebra was met with particular zeal from the audience, as was Used To Be a beautifully crafted song which sees Scally adding a bittersweet edge to the vocals with breathy harmonies.

Most of the songs were taken from their latest record Teen Dream, however, much appreciated was Gila - an older song that showcased their previously haunting sound. The set could of perhaps down with more of this, as the new material can at times be samey, not that anybody could complain about the night rolling into one long hazy lullaby.

Megan Dobson

Kelly Clarkson

CIA

17th February 2010

Kelly Clarkson is one of those rare vocalists who gains respect from both pop and rock communities, males and females, young and old. Or perhaps this is what I kept telling myself to drown out the incessant chatter of prepubescent girls and their equally enthusiastic parents. Whether a guilty pleasure or just a good night out, Clarkson can still draw quite a crowd, likely thanks to her (management enforced) return to catchy, dance-floor filler singles on latest release All I Ever Wanted

A minimal stage setup – aside from an undeniably cool light-up mic stand for If I Can’t Have You – provided the platform for Clarkson’s impressive vocal presence. Opening with the title track from her aforementioned new album, the singer’s entrance occurred with little fanfare and instead let her voice do the talking. Upon seeing her

live show, it becomes quite clear why Clarkson won American Idol: her vocal performance was pitchperfect yet brimming with emotion, particularly on ballads Sober and Save You

Backed by an impressive set of musicians, with guitar heroics aplenty, Clarkson wasn’t afraid to stray from her catalogue to cover some of her personal favourite songs; a particular highlight was her solo take on The Black Keys’ Lies, stunning the audience into silence with her impressively authentic blues embellishments. Similarly, old favourites were given new interpretations, with an acoustic Behind These Hazel Eyes and a not so well implemented dance version of the menacing Never Again.

Throughout the ninety minute set, Clarkson was in high spirits, eagerly sharing stories about every song, with particular emphasis on her management’s complaints about only writing ‘depressing’ material and then ‘giving them the finger’ with Impossible. Judging from the evening’s performance, it seems that nothing is beyond Clarkson’s reach, especially if she keeps hitting those high notes.

Michael Brown

Lady GaGa ft. Beyoncé Telephone Interscope

7.

This is not the first time Lady Gaga and Beyonce have sung together about telephones, but this version is one of the catchiest songs I have heard this year. I’m the first to admit that this type of music isn’t always my cup of tea. However, Lady Gaga has once again managed to create a pop song that doesn’t make your ears bleed. Can’t wait to hear this one in the clubs. EW

If you can handle your electro served as a raw and jagged frenzy you'll be eating up Uffie. Otherwise you'll imitate your parents, wanting to turn this racket off sharpish. Allow it to digest though. After the fourth futuristic 'I got something MCs can kiss' mixed to a heavy beat you will be ready to hit up some electro at Welsh Club, brimming full with a Ke$ha-style fuck-you attitude. LT

4.

Delphic are certainly riding the crest of a mighty media wave, but upon listening to their forthcoming single, it’s hard to find any discernaile characteristics to set the track apart from the flotsam of pseudo-electronic rock’n’rollers currently taking up the airwaves. If this is the créme from their debut, then you must forgive me for greeting Delphic with a less than enthusiastic tone. JB

4.

The Arctic’s latest offering may leave previous fans feeling somewhat disappointed. It lacks their former animation and the lyrics are completely devoid of their usual wit. The song’s forced retro vibe and monotonous bass come off as highly pretentious. Those who found their earlier tracks too mainstream may appreciate the unique style of this song but for most, it just won’t live up to their previous singles. ES-W

Seal Cub Clubbing Club Made Of Magic Fiction Records

2.

If given the choice between clubbing baby seals to death and listening to this song again, I'd probably opt for the latter but only because seals have never done anything to me personally. It's yet another vaguely indie-electro mess of noise with a lead singer who is clearly going for "distinct" and instead only manages to offend your ear drums.

TR

This is anti-folk at its best. The Cave promises listeners uplifting countrified sounds, an epic crescendo of instruments and a much anticipated, but nevertheless awe inspiring, passionate eruption from lead singer Marcus Mumford. A perfect accompaniment to the album which fans of Noah and the Whale and Laura Marling will enjoy and devotees to the more traditional sound of Woody Guthrie will find refreshing. SM

Lady GaGa

film

Upcoming Releases

5th March

Alice in Wonderland

Case 39

Chloe

Legion

Ondine

12th March

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Green Zone

Hachiko: A Dog's Story

The Kreutzer Sonata Shutter Island

We Like...

- Carey Mulligan and Colin Firth doing well at the BAFTAs. Go UK!

- Duncan 'Zowie Bowie' Jones getting 'Outstanding Debut' for Moonfinally some long overdue recognition for one of the most underrated films of the year.

- Watching Dustin Hoffman glare at Jonathan Ross.

- Shrek Forever After already shaping up to be better than the previous film on the basis of the trailer alone.

- Kick-Ass on the front cover of Little White Lies. Should be good.

- Watching the Die Hard films backto back: Yippee ki-yay, Motherfucker indeed.

Kick-Ass

If anticipation already wasn't high enough for this dark comic satire of the superhero genre, then the recently released unrated RedBand trailer should moisten the tastebuds further. For those of you who are unfamilar, Kick-Ass centers on the eponymous wannabe superhero (Aaron Johnson) and his attempts to clean up the streets, all the while ably assisted by the similarly scrawny Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), the Adam West-Batman channelling Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage), and his incredibly lethal and pottymouthed daughter, Hit Girl (Chloe Moretz). With this trailer showing ample snippets of the bucketloads of gore and ultra-violence on display, this looks set to be one of the surprise hits of the year. SW.

Trailer Trash

We Don't Like...

- Nominating Meryl Streep every time she breathes.

- Kristen Stewart winning 'Best Newcomer'. Nothing against her personally, but her acting consists of staring into space and blinking a lot. Besides, all the other nominees were more deserving. A classic example of why the general public are morons.

- Seeing all the negative reviews of The Lovely Bones Ignore them, it's a great film

FILMOSOPHY

Wow. Another pretentious article by this guy. An article by a man who clearly does philosophy and has too much time on his hands other than to impose his musings upon Hollywood, I hear you think. (I can hear you think, it’s one of the advantages of being a philosopher). Well, stick with me on this one okay. If its only for the thought that I discuss Blade Runner somewhere down the page! Just think, Harrison Ford would listen to me ramble philosophically if his wife was in trouble. If that doesn’t inspire you to trudge moodily through this article like the good man does through Los Angeles streets then you got problems. Indeed, you may not be able to consider the same sort of dramatic realisation that Ford’s character Deckhard does in the teary, rainy denouement of Ridley Scott’s Sci-Fi. But we will return to that later. What, then do we normally consider when we awkwardly place together philosophy with film?

Undoubtedly it is most common to for philosophers and film critics to begin to consider what constitutes

a film, what the word ‘film’ even means, what the essence of films are. This, of course has great impact when you go through the film theory and realise some of the meanings. But it doesn't mean it is right.

Could the replicants of Blade Runner figure as metaphorical actors?

Consider some of the interpretations of Hitchcock’s The Birds I encountered during last semester's English course. According to Lacanian (don’t worry, no idea who he is either) and psycho-analytical readings, it was a film representing the fundamental disruption of the family unit. Or an expression of Hitchcock’s disturbing fixation with blondes. Or whatever they liked, pretty much.

Strangely enough, everyone else just thought it was quite scary that birds randomly attacked and many people hated the ending. The obvious thing about these interpretations is that they seem to be brilliantly contrived abstractions. All the odds are with the philosophy and they can barely seem to see beyond their own hand for want of a better phrase. It seems almost absurd to try and justify our reactions to films at all in philosophical terms. Are we meant to think that by not seeing the complexities we have ‘seen wrongly’? This idea frankly angers me a little, and it seems films have little or no voice to speak with. But this is far more than a general cry against philosophy (I’d be a tad hypocritical otherwise!) but frustration double fold, that philosophy can be so ignorant and that people may come to discard any possibility that film can engage in rather than merely illustrate philosophy.

Perhaps its best to turn for academic help to expand. Stephen Mulhall, philosophy professor at Oxford argues that the Freud-Kampf machine that distinguishes humans from replicants in Blade Runner

Lloyd Griffiths asks whether film can ever take the place of literature when it comes to philosophy.

is a visual metaphor for the movie camera. It seems more plausible if you consider it seperates the seemingly real people from mere copies, androids which do no more than resemble what humans supposedly tell them. That the replicants could figure as actors opens up all sorts of philosophical arguments, most brilliantly when Deckhard's situations explore mortality.

While getting beaten by a repilcant, Leon, he asks when his programmed death date is, only to be told that "Well i'm going to live longer than you then", as Leon is about to kill him, only to be dashed by a fatal gunshot. Suddenly our ideas of mortality are exploded as neither man has control over death. A simple premise perhaps, but one entirely constructed by the cinematic tools in front of us.

Rear Window is a film of equal internal coherence and atomises filmic philosophy to thinking about its very own conditions. Just as Deckhard could be, Jeff is the metaphorical director, this time from behind his own camera, spying on his neighbours and supposedly in control of the action in front. Except that he is

flung out his own apartment window by the villain of the 'play' he is supposed to be viewing at a distance. It is perplexing and relieving at once, tempting our voyeuristic tendencies but all the while plotting to undermine them. It is a brilliant discourse about the conditions of cinema, as convincing as Nietzsche or Plato.

Our ideas of mortality are exploded entirely by the cinematic tools in front of us

It is philosophy of the redemptive kind, reaffirming storytelling for its own sake and has mirrors with Martin Heidegger's conception of films. Heidegger saw in the constant swirl of consumer images in the modern world a numbing and manipulative ubiquity. Luckily, cinema he thought was one way of authentically over-

coming this, applying the images to creative ends. It is a theme director Wim Wenders (Paris, Texas) turned to. While many of his early works tell only of the difficulty of storytelling in postmodern turns, he creates a beguiling tale in Wings of Desire which is as equally as redemptive and life affirming each viewing.

It's as rigorous in its execution as Rear Window. For 45 minutes, we are given the grey vision of Damiel, an angel who helps and supports humans, without ever really being 'there' with them. He longs for action and dwelling away from the 'eternal' realm he walks. As he falls for a beautiful trapeze artist, the film begins to suggest with the colour of the real world and finally when he is able to become mortal spreads into complete life. Its remarkably lyrical, affirming of life, fiction and film. All proof film can do philosophy. And philosophy can be more redemptive than you may have thought.

Lloyd Griffiths

Crazy Heart

Dir: Scott Cooper

Cast: Jeff Bridges, Maggie

Gyllenhaal, Colin Farrell

Based on the novel by Thomas Cobb, Crazy Heart tells the tale of down on his luck country singer Bad Blake (Bridges), an enigmatic performer who’s headlining days are well behind him. Playing in ramshackle bars and back alley bowling clubs, Bad struggles to make a living, and any musical capabilities are shrouded by his self-destructive addiction to cigarettes and whiskey.

It is obvious that Bad Blake loves his craft, but somewhere along the way he has forgotten to love himself. It is only through the relentless encouragement of companions such as writer and love interest Jean (Gyllenhaal) and buddy Wayne (Robert Duvall) that he begins to confront his inner demons. Tommy Sweet (Farrell), Bad’s former protégée,

provides a pivotal subplot as he stimulates Bad to recapture his passion for song-writing and provides him with the opportunity to perform alongside him on tour. Bad finally begins to produce new material like ‘The Weary Kind,’ an emotional song that provides a sorrowful insight into the traumas of his life.

Cooper's first attempt at film directing isn’t all that bad, and amid the clichéd plot there are some quality moments where the details of Bad’s lifestyle are realistically and knowingly constructed. However, these moments of genius can perhaps be credited to Bridges' profound connection with the character he plays, committing himself to the lifestyle of Bad Blake with compelling credibility ,and his Oscar nomination for Best Actor is undoubtedly deserved. With lesser actors this film would have failed to make such a significant impact in the awards season. Even with the appealing original music, it is only the stellar performances of the cast which will delight audiences. But I have to say, the only downside really is having to look at Colin Farrell’s greasy ponytail and earrings...dodgy.

Charlotte Fennell

The Wolfman

Dir: Joe Johnston

Cast: Emily Blunt, Benicio del Toro, Sir Anthony Hopkins

Benicio del Toro’s latest opus The Wolfman is an odd pastiche of gothic film-making, and a self-conscious parody of the horror genre. A stellar supporting cast of Sir Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt and Hugo Weaving make the best of a film unsure of what it wants to be; Hopkins in particular has a lot of fun hamming it up as Lawrence 'Wolfman' Talbot's dad, and Blunt does a convincing job as Gwen Concliffe, the woman in love with the monster. Having arrived a couple of minutes late due to my obsession with cinema snacks, the film was in full swing as we walked in and I was shrieking at the gruesome killings before I’d even had the chance to remove my coat. The film relies on excess of gore and heart-stopping 9.

moments as opposed to psychological games for its scares, and it works. After a stressful week, my already frayed nerves were in pieces.

However, del Toro’s resemblance to a severely sleep deprived Michael McIntyre and consistently dodgy accent detracted somewhat from the gravity of the film. At times the beast more closely resembled a shaggy dog than a fearsome monster, and the overly bloody deaths might have benefited from some restraint in the special effects crew.

A Single Man

Dir: Tom Ford

Cast: Colin Firth, Julianne

Moore, Nicholas Hoult

Tom Ford’s directorial debut astounds with its meticulous attention to detail. Every colour and every shift in camera’s movement falls into the distinctive, melancholic yet still hopeful picture. Tom Ford simply uses them as words to talk about loss and hope, desire and despair, and most of all – beauty and love.

a commercial film can still strive for art, which in most cases tends to be shamefully neglected.

All in all though, if you are looking for a fun night out with a few scares from a film that doesn’t take itself too seriously, you could do much worse than The Wolfman, But not if you have a queasy stomach, or like me you’ll likely spend much of it hiding behind your seat.

Elizabeth Blockley

Not giving too much away; George meets a young, attractive guy, who appears more like an embodied fantasy, under the skyline struck with warm shades of stuffy and sensual pinks and reds, the interior of the house in which his loneliness is most underlined is toned down and reserved, whereas at the very moment when George first meets Jim the colours are bright, warm and vivid. Tom Ford mastered film’s aesthetics, giving us the hope that

A Single Man is, however, not all about looks, and is certainly far more than a mere feast for arty filmgoers. Whilst being clever and very post-modern in the way it touches on matters of time and loss and isolation, it is also highly entertaining, with the suspense accompanying us from the very beginning right to the end. Its sublime twist is certainly something to look forward to. Subtly, it also highlights issues of homosexual love, marginalisation and estrangement whilst avoiding being transparent and political.

The astounding performance from Colin Firth is, it is safe to say, by far his very best. This striking debut will open doors for Tom Ford, and stand proud amongst other new releases.

Anna Siemiaczko

... Realising how evil we are

District 9 (2009)

Aliens may look nasty, but beauty is only skin-deep. That’s the message District 9 so perfectly delivers. Humankind, it seems, is very ugly on the inside.

Peter Jackson’s (he of Lord of the Rings fame) latest vehicle, directed by newcomer Neill Blomkamp, seems a bit weird at first glance; an alien craft is suspended over Johannesburg, South Africa. After several months, people go for a poke around. Turns out it’s stuffed full of starving alien workers. The solution? Create a shanty town to house them – the titular district –then force them to evacuate once the locals get sick of their grubby habits. It’s a sterling example of another race being held up to us, showing how awful we really are, and spookily similar to Avatar’s premise. Essentially, humans are portrayed as prejudiced, powerobsessed and selfish, and you can’t help but completely subscribe to that view once District 9 has masterfully woven its inventive tale –more brilliantly than the aforementioned blue-folk flick, even. On this basis, it seems human kindness is an alien concept.

BEST FILM FOR...

…making Sir Arthur Conan Doyle spin in his grave

Sherlock Holmes (2009)

Fights, explosions, gung-ho fun. Sherlock Holmes had everything you’d want in a modern action flick. Robert Downey Jr, fresh from his comic book cyborg antics in Iron Man, lends his pitch-perfect acting class and razor-sharp looks to the role of the legendary detective. He’s on typically great form throughout as Holmes attempts to figure out what’s going on with cackling bad guy Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong), who is threatening to end civilisation.

The real mystery, though, is how on Earth this is anything to do with Sherlock Holmes. Yes, it’s got some clues, sussing and Watson, but it also has Downey Jr running around topless and bare-knuckle scrapping whilst his elementary sidekick helps kick ass rather than bumble about like he should. It’s a good film, granted, but it’s not Sherlock Holmes by anything other than its name. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wouldn’t be turning in his grave so much as drilling to the Earth’s core at 8,000 rpm.

... realising how good

Casino Royale was

Quantum of Solace (2008)

Most 007 fans agree: the series’ fresh new take on James Bond, Casino Royale, was a great new take on an iconic franchise when it hit cinemas in 2006. It retained all of the franchises' key elements – car chases, gunfights, far-flung locales and hot women, whilst adding a very human fallibility to the agent on Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Quantum of Solace, then, should have been an easy sequel. We got a suitably hateful baddie – slimy Frenchman Dominic Greene (Mathieu Almaric) – and hot lady-things to woo in the form of sultry Camille Montes (Olga Kurylenko) and the sumptuously named Strawberry Fields (Gemma Arterton). It even opened with a car chase, followed quickly by a shoot-up. But somehow, it faltered where its predecessor shone. Instead of a tense, twisty plot, we got some ropey guff about environmental terrorism and Bond going rogue. Neither story fulfilled their potential, leaving us with a film that felt more like Casino Royale: What Happened Next. It failed to find its own identity, and as a result, only serves to make Casino Royale look even better.

Alex Evans

Monday 1st

SIBRYDION: Buffalo

Tuesday 2nd

Johnny Flynn: Clwb Ifor Bach

To Kill a Mockingbird: New Theatre

Wednesday 3rd

Alphabeat: HMV

Lady Gaga: CIA

Peter Andre: St David's Hall

Listings

Thursday 4th Battle of the Bands: Talybont

Friday 5th

Trivium: Students' Union

Lynyrd Skynyrd: CIA

Saturday 6th

Wax: Cardiff Arts Institute

Sunday 7th

Ronan Keating: CIA

Monday 8th

Newton Faulkner: St David's Hall Exlovers: Buffalo

Wednesday 10th

The Dubliners: St David's Hall

Thursday 11th

Rocky Horror Show: New Theatre

Sunday 14th

Chris Corcoran: Millenium Centre Scaletrix Social: Cardiff Arts Institute

Listings Poetry Corner

We thought we'd try something different with listings this week so heres a selection of Haikus for your enjoyment.

Lady Gaga:

Friday 12th

Stiff Little Fingers: Millenium Music Hall

Saturday 13th

Katatonia: Barfly Snowball: Cardiff Arts Institute

Wearing stupid shit

Singing crappy poppy songs

She has a penis

Newton Faulkner:

Beardy with guitar

Playing it like no one else He rarely offends

Ronan Keating:

Ex-boyzone now lone He's really gone downhill Really fucking dull

Rocky Horror Show

Transvestites abound Tim Curry sadly absent Entertaining night

Trivium:

Hairy men around Just metallica ripoffs Axe solos abound

Lynyrd Skynyrd:

Deep south country rock

Bring your sister/mother too

Free bird a dead cert

Alphabeat:

Catchy vapid pop

With unneeded male vocals

We think she's hot though

This week, Arts sets Kirsty Allen and Simone Miche into battle to fight out what art should be about.

Say goodbye to romanticism, realism, renaissance art or just anything remotely masterful. Paintings of flowers in vases and picturesque scenes in gilded frames are no more. Nowadays it seems that the more garishly ugly art is, the more popular it becomes, and I think it’s about time you conservative art enthusiasts wake up and smell the rubbish.

I for one am a fan of contemporary art. Yes it can be vile, common and sarcastic (I’m thinking particularly of works by Michael Duchamp and the like when I say this) and isn’t exactly an image of beauty or skill that, lets say, the Mona Lisa is. But I can’t help feeling drawn to its playfulness and comic mockery. And there’s proof in the pudding that I’m not alone. Take Claus Oldenburg’s absurd, five by nine feet painted piece of cake for example. Why would it be hugely exhibited in highly regarded art museums such as the MoMa, or Jeff Koon controversially be given permission to exhibit his work (namely inflatable dogs and hanging lobsters) in the historic halls

"it’s about time you conservative art enthusiasts wake up and smell the rubbish"

of Versailles if people didn’t think these novel pieces oozed character and charisma?

I recently visited Banksy’s exhibition in Bristol Museum along with a horde of other fans following the mystery graffiti artist. We queued for hours to be greeted by Ronald McDonald, coaxing us from the top of the building to come inside and catch a glimpse of the highly questionable delights Banksy had

conjured up with spray cans and marker pens. I felt like I was at a theme park rather than an art exhibition, being taken on a rollercoaster ride of visual thrills! I could see why some people would think it morally adulterous for the museum to let Banksy exhibit his statue of a Greek goddess clad with 6 inch heels, a fag and a kebab box or his reproduction of Claude Derain’s The Flight to Egypt defaced with an Easy Jet advert. But I was satisfied: it had been an exciting experience, filled with the optical adrenalin I was hoping for, and it certainly hadn’t been just another day out staring glumly at portraits of stately figures in the ‘English Heritage’ section of an art museum.

Now, before the Monet fans amongst you get a little hot under the collar, I’ll appease myself; I’m not trying to say that we should grow ignorant towards archaic classics because they are humdrum and boring. Their beauty and craftsmanship undoubtedly deserve recognition. Nonetheless, I think people should stop writing off modern art just because it doesn’t conform to our expectations of what art should be. Why shouldn’t art be a playground? It should be allowed to be enjoyed by everyone, not just those who can appreciate pleasant tones and decent brushwork. Why shouldn’t it be sardonic and common as muck? Yes, as the saying goes, sarcasm is the lowest form of wit and people are probably afraid that this celebration of all things mass produced and everyday is going to dumb us down and make us less refined. I, on the other hand, think it’s fascinating and appealing, humorous and sharp. In fact, if anything I think it's wisdom in disguise and teaches an invaluable lesson about life — not to take it too seriously.

Simone Miche