Nominated best magazine at the Guardian Student Media Awards 2009
GOING OUT: GETTING YOU READY
MUSIC: FESTIVAL ROUNDUP
ARTS: GO COLOUR
FASHION:
THE NEW VINTAGE
contents: Issue 84 // 28 Sep - 12 Oct
THE STUDENT MAGAZINE OF THE YEAR AT 8! 200 GUARDIAN STUDENT MEDIA AWARDS
VOYEUR ROBBIE BLIND DATE FEATURES FOOD TRAVEL GOING OUT p, 34
FASHION GAY
“When performing live, I could do everything myself if I were a squid, but I am only a hermit crab and I only have two arms...” INTERVIEWS p,22
INTERVIEWS BOOIKS PHOTOS ARTS GOING OUT MUSIC FILM
04 06 07 08 12 14 17 20 22 24 26 31 34 37 47
Editor Simon Lucey Executive Editor Emma Jones Assistant to the Editors Elaine Morgan Sub-Editor Paul Stollery Arts Amelia Forsbrook, Rachel Yates Blind Date Sarah Kilby, Caroline Baldwin Books Emma Pocklington Fashion Emily Cater, Kate Eaton Features Ellie Woodward, Sarah George Film Lloyd Griffiths, Natalie Stone, Steve Wright Food Harriet Davies, Hayley Pyper Gay Lucas Owen Going Out Jack Doran Interviews Jody Tozer, Steve Benyon, Tom Rouse Music Sam Smith, Phil Guy, Si Roach Travel Dom Kehat, Paul Stollery Proof Readers Sarah Powell, Natalie Copp
printed on recycled paper. PLEASE RECYCLE.
voyeur
IN
OUT Regular wildlife: cumbersome.
C
hesty cough? Check. Severe headaches? Check. Endless stream of (usually bright green) snot flowing everywhere? Check. Yes it seems that I have once again succumbed to the flu that the new crop of freshers have brought upon us. The worst thing is all the aspirin in the world will not see off this wretched virus that has invaded my body. Our suffering lead to a philosophical and slightly drunken debate amongst my housemates about how a species that is capable of building the great pyramids, designing the Internet, and making Susan Boyle famous could not find a cure to the common cold. This quandary troubled us for many drunken hours, leaving a void in us knowing that such a basic human need has not been met. And so because we are a bunch of ambitious, proactive young students and Quench is always here to help you guys out, we have pledged to find a home remedy to the common cold. The reports of our findings will of course be published here next week, but I will guide you through our faultless methodology, in order to give you a preview. Our first subject's prescription is healthy. We figured that fruit is necessary to fight disease so they will live on a diet entirely of fruit. Nothing else. Our next must take a different tact. They will live on a purely unhealthy diet, (hey, you never know) so they will only be able to consume cake for a week. The third method is based on the premise that it is sleep that causes you to get ill. Obviously viruses can only attack when we are not paying attention, so this subject will only be able to sleep for 30 minute intervals. The last method is based on the great philosophy that beer solves all problems. This lucky housemate is not allowed to consume any nonalcholic beverage. Surely alcohol our saviour will stop us getting ill.
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Inflatable wildlife: easier for storage.
ba dom tish jolly humorous stuff
There was an elderly man who wanted to make his younger wife pregnant. So, he went to the doctor to have a sperm count done. The doctor told him to take a specimen cup home, fill it, and bring it back the next day. The elderly man came back the next day and the specimen cup was empty and the lid was on it. Doctor: What was the problem? Elderly man: Well, I tried with my right hand...nothing. So, I tried with my left hand...nothing. My wife tried with her right hand...nothing. Her left hand...nothing. Her mouth...nothing. Then my wife's friend tried. Right hand, left hand, mouth....still nothing. Doctor: Wait a minute. You mean your wife's friend too?! Elderly man: Yeah, and we still couldn't get the lid off of the specimen cup.
e-shopper
embracing consumerist filth
Obsessive compulsive action figure www.kitschulike.com ÂŁ10 Set includesSurgical mask. Hypoallergenic sanitary towelette.
Voyeur
voyeur
What would Alan Titchmarsh do? nd endless, hot, Dear Alan, of the woman I once was. I spe I come to you a measly shadow r demons, followed by days avoiding the knowing inne sweaty nights tormented by my you see, Alan, I have a horrible bush. One which I For stares of my contemporaries. My garden is so overwledge within my social circle. fear has become common kno hardly be reached due can r doo k bac my to speak that grown, the foliage so dense so . trail bits my garden d-ridden secret so to the plethora of wildlife that inhi that I can manage my bushy wee to me. Without Please Alan, give me advice so dear so hold I h whic n, ede my y enjo that I can once again gloriously this downward spiral towards perpetual shrubbery, on your help I will surely continue y fruits of my garden. and be unable to enjoy the juic Please help, Blossom x
overgrown front Dear Blossom e is nothing worse in life than an An intelligent person once said 'ther ger more radical student days when I too left my shruyoun hedge'. There was a period in my to the same sort of ridicule as you have experienced. ect subj was I ed Inde . med bery unta e between my transforHowever, I suppose the differenc numerous. are ts effor mation and your futile high quality I for one decided to write over forty and run ation sens radio and TV a me beca books, achievst whil all a,' afric for ds 'see my own charity ie. Lizz en Que , boss big ing an MBE care of the sad and Instead I expect that your life is so around a lves miserable that your existence revo shows, soaps poorly constructed set of reality TV . olate choc of and unethical brands grow a set of In short, Lizzie, I think you should icine' and go med rsh hma 'Titc the of bit a balls, take oggling at some forth and become sucessful whilst ginger bird without a bra.
Alan -
voyeur@gairrhydd.com / 05
“ robbie
C
hange is sweeping throughout the BBC’s radio towers at present with the biggest departure seeing Terry Wogan bid a fond farewell to his loyal TOGs. And as a geriatric, mumbling, Irish Christopher Walken impersonator leaves his post at the peak of British radio, a one time egomaniacal ginger prick with glasses who Jedi-mind-tricked Billie Piper to marry him is set to fill his shoes, much to the annoyance of Terry’s loyal fan base, who one can only assume will have to assume the title of COGs from now on. It will be a sad day when Terry moves on, even though it always seemed ironic to me that his voice, a potent sedative as it is, was utilised in a morning slot called Wake Up to Wogan. Coupled with the insistence of playing suicide-inducing classics from the likes of Jim Reeves and Katie Melua, it’s no wonder the work ethic of Britain is the way it is. The recession and unemployment is entirely down to the lack of motivation provided by Wogan in the morning. Fact. Actually, it’s in conjunction with the complete mindlessness of a particularly porcine presenter on Radio 1. As if Wogan’s grinding down of the older generation was not enough, Chris Moyles’ chat and faux manbanter spliced in between jingles declaring himself as some kind of radio Jesus is painful. I’ve heard more insightful, funny and coherent transmissions on baby monitors. Perhaps someone can help me, because I really cannot remember which of the two mediums I heard the song ‘Nana Window’ on. Who’s telling the guy he’s funny any more? Or is it merely because
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Twisted Little DJs In an age of CDs. MP3s and Roberta from Spotify, why is Chris Moyles still employed? Robbie Wells investigates... he says that he is enough that eventually people believe him, the same way that Danny Dyer thinks people will eventually believe he’s not a complete cock tool. Beyond the morning radio slots, you’re confronted with the likes of Jo Whiley, a more pretentious woman I’ve never known. The mere fact that she reads people’s Changing Tracks as if they are extracts from Nelson Mandella’s prison diaries is laughable. Dreary, self involved tales of teenage heartbreak that would make One Tree Hill look deep, linked to a song which is then supposed to evoke butterflies and goosebumps, only for it to be some garbage like The Script. Later in the day, you’re confronted with Scott Mills’ repetitive ideas of fun; prank calls, counting how many times words are said in TV programmes and of course talking about Scott Mills constantly. Self importance is a huge slice of being a Radio 1 presenter, and it just leaves me cold and waiting for a good song. And that’s the kicker; you only get three songs an hour. Three songs carefully selected from the ten that have been pre-approved for repeat. I think this week it’s Dizzee, La Roux and Jay-Z. As boring as Wogan is, at least he varies the dross that he plays. The farce of daytime radio and the BBC’s current ploy to ‘shake things up’, leaves me wondering whether there’s anything left to save any more. Every car has a CD player now, and most have ways to link up your GuyPod or mpShe and I know I’d rather
listen to music I like than to some fat northerner looking for laughs from changing the lyrics of Bulletproof to “If you’re going camping, you’ll need waterproofs”. For Chris Evans’ sake, I hope he can use his Jedi mind trick and make radio listenable again. It still won’t top the fact that with his looks and his personality, that he got Billie to sleep with him.
blinddate
Blind Date The Quench Cupids have set their arrows on Dan and Lucas will it lead to love or tears over a tub of ice cream?
" Is that a Brummie accent? " Dan What were your first impressions? Is that a brummie accent? So, what was the hightlight of the date? The waitress asking us if we were related and both of us bursting into laughter together. So were there any embarrassing moments? When I was trying to get us into Pulse for free afterwards and almost getting kicked out! Give us a fun fact about your date! He captains a football team, which was a total surprise. Did you have a "lorra lorra" laughs together? Yes, especially during karaoke at Icon. Did he seem keen to take you home? Totally!
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Lucas What were your first impressions? Funny guy! Also much more intelligent than me. Bastard. Describe your date in three words? Northern? No way!? What is Dan's fun fact then? He tells me the fly on a pair of keyhole boxers holds an iPod perfectly when dancing around the kitchen in just pants. Did you have a "lorra lorra" laughs together? Fairly constantly! We created a little dance routine all of our own. Did he seem keen to take you home? Yeah, he seemed very keen to be taken home!
Dan and Lucas enjoyed their meal courtesy of Pizza Express High Street. Take this page in with you to receive 20% off your bill before the end of November (not in conjunction with any other offer) OR email us for a free meal and wine along with a chance to meet the person of your dreams!
"the fly on a pair of keyhole boxers holds an iPod perfectly" blinddate@gairrhydd.com / 07
features
Beauty and the
Beast In a world driven by airbrushed depictions of perfection and competitions based around physical appearance, Ellie Woodward questions whether we’ve lost sight of what beauty really is.
W
hen Cheryl Cole was crowned FHM’s Sexiest Woman in the World, I have to say I was delighted; anyone who knows me will be aware that I’m in possession of the biggest Girl-Crush imaginable on La Cole and her position in this poll was proof enough that the entire world is in agreement with me. It’s not just the FHM Sexiest poll that has grabbed my attention, however. People magazine have
recently run a Beautiful People list (where Megan Fox undoubtedly finished on top...as it were) and, a little closer to home, the finals of Miss University of London are set to take place in February. For every contestant who says it’s liberating to be able to strut their stuff and be rated on their physical attractiveness, there will be another who claims it’s sexist and demeaning. It seems that there are few subjects which cause as much con-
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troversy or split opinions than that of beauty. With so much focus on who is beautiful, have we lost focus on what beauty really is? It’s no secret that beauty has been a quest of humans for as long as we can remember. Many women – not to mention an ever increasing number of metrosexual men – spend hundreds of pounds on grooming products. It was well documented recently that our very own Cheryl Cole spends a reported £100,000
features per year on the upkeep of her physical appearance, including hair extensions and colouring, manicures and pedicures, facials as well as the costly maintenance of that kilowatt smile.
"Beauty has been a quest of humans for as long as we can remember" It’s also well documented that besides being popular, beautiful people get special attention from teachers, the legal system and employers. Good looking people also tend to make more money than their plain-Jane counterparts, according to a study by the Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis, researchers found that beautiful people tend to earn 5% more an hour than their less attractive colleagues. It seems that whilst we know instinctively what appeals to our own sense of beauty – we seem to know it when we see it – defining what we deem ‘attractive’ is not always easy. But is beauty really a personal phenomenon? According to recent research, men have revealed they believe that female beauty boils down to two characteristics: happiness and healthiness. When we’re happy, there’s light in our eyes, we walk with vigour, we appear hopeful. When we’re miserable, however, our eyes are naturally downcast, our face tenses up, we slouch and wear darker colours. Happy people generally attract others whilst sad people tend to turn people away. Think of your close friends – they’re likely to be good fun and pleasurable to be around, not moping, snivelling wrecks. And if your closest friends resemble the latter then you’re likely to be as miserable as they are as a result of spending time in their company. Take Kerry Katona for example. There are few celebrities in such turmoil as the former mum who went to Iceland. With her greasy hair,
kebab belly and a permanent look of despair plastered across her face, it’s hard to believe that she’s only 28 years old and was once a fresh faced, bubbly Queen of the Jungle. The second component, healthiness, doesnʼt mean having the figure of Tomb Raider, but rather having good skin, being lithe, toned and active. There was a time when Britney Spears’ activity levels consisted of driving aimlessly around LA before stopping off for a calorific frappucino and Big Mac. Nowadays, in a bid to complete her gruelling world tour, Britters can be seen tucking into healthy chicken salads, going for runs and dancing for hours. The effects have transformed her – she’s toned up and is well on the way to getting back those abs of steel. Most research completed by experts reveals that more than anything else, facial symmetry is critical in determining beauty. Angelina Jolie is said to have the most symmetrical of all celebrity faces and there are few people who will argue her attractiveness. According to experts, men believe that female attractiveness comprises high cheek bones, big eyes and a thin jaw. The sum of Ange, then. When it comes to body proportions, it has been revealed that, unsurprisingly, most men usually like big breasts and hips which has been linked with the ability to bear and nurture offspring. We knew there was a romantic reason in there somewhere.
"Big breasts and big hips have been linked with the ability to bear offspring" And, not forgetting you men. Most women prefer a typically ‘masculine’ face with a strong jaw, big nose and small eyes, thought to indicate a strong testosterone level and therefore a potentially good provider
and protector for family life. And you know what they say about a man with a big nose... I recently read that Cheryl Cole experiences ‘fat days’ and mornings when she feels so ugly she doesn’t want to leave the house. This was comforting in some ways and infuriating in others, but ultimately it proved one thing: you can be dubbed the most stunning woman on the planet and still suffer the same anxieties and insecurities as us mere mortals.
"The major preventer of beauty is the poor self image that we possess" There are always things that we would change about ourselves and there are plenty of things we can do to offer the answer of what is beauty for ourselves, whether that entails a few minutes on the treadmill or more drastic and extreme measures involving scalpels and silicon. The major preventer of beauty is the poor self image that so many of us possess and the fact that our definition of beauty is determined outwardly – that goes for not only ignoring our personalities in our consideration of attractiveness, but also relying too heavily on images of Photoshopped perfection projected by the media. We want to be other people, we want to change parts of ourselves that don’t need changing when our most hated physical attribute may be the most attractive to somebody else. And whilst we are so preoccupied with airbrushed and unrealistic depictions of beauty in the media, we seem to forget that actually, beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder.
features@gairrhydd.com / 09
features
Reality Check?
If we were to go back a decade in time we would discover a distinctive void in TV broadcasts, which would later be filled by a genre aptly named Reality TV. Sarah George explores this ever-growing and quite frankly unhealthy obsession.
F
or the past ten years reality TV has played a huge part in our lives. Soap operas, as an interpretation of everyday life, have indeed been succeeded by the Real McCoy that which is reality TV. With inspiration drawn from George Orwell’s ‘1984’, the concept of an omniscient force watching your every move has been integrated into various TV shows, providing the epicentre to what has become an unstoppable craze. From Big Brother to The X Factor, Strictly Come Dancing to I’m a Celebrity, there is no point in the year when our weekly schedules are free of a reality TV show. As students we particularly embrace the regularity of such TV, knowing full well that we can tune in online or on the box whenever we so wish and while away a good few hours of our day. But why are we so obsessed with such forms of entertainment and is it actually an obsession we should be proud of? The fly-on-the-wall format of many reality shows really lays bare what
we strive to confirm for ourselves – just what exactly reality is (and how fame-hungry, albeit entertaining, some people actually are). It seems we seek reassurance from reality shows.
"It is not just the shows we are fascinated by, it is the contestants themselves" I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here is a prime example of such a show which strips celebrities of the extremely airbrushed and entirely artificial facade they usually portray, displaying that they are in fact just normal beings like you and I.
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Similarly, Big Brother is a show that works for its psychological framework. Although the simple format i.e. grouping twelve or so individuals in a house for three months, suggests a somewhat uninteresting outcome, it actually works remarkably well, for viewers become absorbed by the pre-written script. They engage with the characters themselves and the trials and tribulations between said characters that unfold. To this day the best series of Big Brother ever to be broadcast was the ‘experiment’ that was Teen Big Brother, simply because you couldn’t have created more controversy if you tried! Pregnancy tests, punch-ups and puke were just some of the pleasantries to be expected each episode. Controversy is undoubtedly one of the elements that make reality shows work so well and this is engineered to perfection in Wife Swap. Two wives with apparently opposite lifestyles are forced to live each other’s lives for a week - a simple concept but downright compelling all the same! In fact on closer inspection, it is a
food
The Great British Roast ...student style Wanna treat your new housemates? Don't know how? Luckily Harriet Davies and Hayley Pyper are here to help you out.
N
ow that everyone has settled in to the new term, the mania of freshers’ week has subsided, and lectures and deadlines are looming…settling down to a nice home-cooked meal is the perfect way to spend an enjoyable and cheap evening with your friends. One thing that most students will admit they miss most about home is a classic roast dinner… so why not cook one yourself??? With a little practice it is possible to get Michelin-star quality cuisine on a Little Chef budget! To the surprise of many, a roast dinner is not actually that taxing or expensive to cook, particularly if you split the cost and the workload between a few people!
Veggie???
THE classic chicken roast Feeds roughly 4-6 decent portions Ingredients: - 2 small chickens at about 1.4kg each (cooking two smaller chickens instead of one large bird will
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almost half your cooking time) - Pack of roasting potatoes such as Maris Piper - Carrots - Broccoli - Parsnips - Pack of sage and onion stuffing -
An alternative meat-free option to this classic recipe would be a nut roast (available at most supermarkets). Or for the more adventurous, try filling filo pastry sheets with seasonal root vegetables, such as squash and mushrooms, mixed with chopped garlic and hazelnuts, and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes. Serve with all the trimmings! -Frozen Yorkshire puddings (unless you prefer to make them yourself, its just pancake mixture on baking tray in oven for 15 mins) - Instant gravy - Butter - Seasoning
travel
Travel Crazy Societies... So many societies, so little time. So what socieites will let you esacpe that horrible Welsh rain... most well travelled society? Let the competition begin...
Debate society
E
very week as a member of Debating soc you can travel around the country, however, the World Debating Championships happens but once a year. Contrary to popular belief, debating is always a hugely social event; when debaters party, we party hard and last year's Worlds in Cork was no exception. Held over new year, every night had something different to offer from Karaoke to clubbing, four course dinners to city tours. Demands are made on your wardrobe; two black tie events and several evenings' worth of dressing up. Of course we debate hard too; nine rounds
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over three days, octos, quarters, semis and an incredible final displaying the best talent from around the world meant lost voices and exhaustion by the time we got home, but it was definitely worth it. Which is exactly why I am booking my plane tickets right now for next year's Worlds; Turkey, here we come. Sarah Ingram
travel
Student media
A
s head of music of Xpress Radio, I knew I was going to get certain privileges – free gigs, cds, the odd bit of merch… I did not anticipate that these privileges would include going to an electro festival on an abandoned quarry two hours south of Berlin. But include that they did. In their eagerness to spread the word of their festival far and wide, the kind people at Melt gave
me a free pass to give a students eye view to the proceedings. And so I got to witness some of the best DJs around today (see Erol Alkan, Rex the Dog etc), some incredible bands (see Digitalism, Phoenix, Metronomy etc) and learnt the wonders of the German drinking game Flunkyball, all for free. So sign up to Xpress, work your way up the ladder and blag yourself a summer of free Festivals. Just don’t expect them to pay for your flights. Sam King
.
Snow sports
T
wice a year, Cardiff Snowsports Society organises a ski trip to a resort, somewhere abroad and suitably snowy. In 2008, during the Christmas break, Cardiff students (us included) joined 3000 other students from various universities in the village of Val D'Isere for a week of epic skiing and classic student partying. The Cardiff University ski trip was honestly one of the best weeks of our lives; amazing nightlife, tons
And the rest... For those looking to ‘give a little back’ on there travels, Cardiff has a lot to offer in terms of opportunities- two of the most established being Hitch to Morroco and BACCUP. Hugely popular, and with rave reviews from participants is the Hitch to Morocco scheme, which encourages students to raise money for charity ‘Link’ whose mission is to improve the potential of disadvantaged people in Africa. On top on this it gives you an excuse to hitch through Europe with loads of mates without your mum having a go. Perfect. Those out there who prefer a more
of fancy dress and a village full of students for a week of crazy memories, some more memorable than others. A particular event, of which no names will be mentioned, was the occasion one of ours friends confusing his room mate's bed as a bath to vomit in, resulting in a boy covered head to toe in sick. We doubt he'll be rushing back, but we certainly will be, so if you're interested in skiing, beginner or expert, or just like a good laugh, the ski trip is definitely a must. Lizzie Floyd and Josie Bradley
hands on approach to charity should join BACCUP, set up 10 years ago by Cardiff medical students, it is now a branch of national charity SKIP, which supports the health, welfare and education of some of the worlds most vulnerable children. Every year students from Cardiff head over to the Belarusian capital Minsk to work in a state run orphanage, home to 208 children whom have physical or mental disability. Undoubtedly hugely rewarding, this is an opportunity to truly help people on a personal level. Dom Kehat
travel@gairrhydd.com / 15
IN F BRITA BEST O
. . . Nottinghill Carnival Each issue, Travel showcases some of the best travel destinations from across the British Isles. As one of the most colourful festivals in Europe, the Nottinghill Carnival is truely a spectacular sight to see. Dom Kehat takes you through the basics.
T
he sun beats down on thousands of faces, dub fills the air and for this weekend alone pushing in a toilet queue will most certainly get you in more trouble than smoking a joint in the street. It can only be Nottinghill Carnival. Since 1964, the August Bank Holiday weekend has seen the Nottinghill area in West London transformed into the largest annual street festival in Europe, and is a must for anyone partial to great music, great food and an incredible vibe. Primarily Caribbean in flavour, the last few decades have seen the appearance of a West African influence, but the tradition of floats, insane dancing and jerk chicken thankfully remains. This year was my first since I was but a wee nipper tied to the arm of my mother with a shoelace as she attempted not to lose me in the massive crowds, and the festival which existed as a somewhat mystical day
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of beautiful ladies in pretty outfits in my seven year old mind still holds great appeal 14 years down the line.
"The feel was definitely one of solidarity" On the Sunday, my friend Mark and I traipsed to Ladbroke Grove along with 200,000 other revellers. Now I would not say that Mark was particularly ‘laddy’ in character, merely enjoying the sight of a pretty lady; but the girls in spangled bikinis dancing in ways the attendees of Oceana could only dream of proved a little too much for his little mind. Between gulps of rum and coke I was forced to remind him on several occasions to close his mouth and
take his hands out his trousers. Ok, so I’m lying about the last bit….but you most certainly get the point. With everyone dressed up in their national colours, the feel was most certainly one of solidarity, with the police joining in with some of the most cringe worthy attempts of being ‘down with the kids’ ever seen. Bless em. Never one for doing things half heartedly, I returned to Carnival the following day, feeling worse for wear but not ready to miss the main event. The parade has undoubtedly decreased in size from previous years, but with the crowds still coming in droves and dozens of stages playing an incredible mix of reggae, dancehall, dubstep and techno, the Carnival lives on. A true representation of modern London, and a great (free!) weekend, I expect to see more Cardiff faces on the streets of Nottinghill next year.
fashion
The New Vintage Graduate Georgia Nash is creating quite a name for herself in fashion circles. Quench sends Kate Eaton to find out what all the fuss is about.
W
ith the Autumn/Winter season coming into fruition, it is only the glimpses of Fashion Week's most fabulous Spring/Summer collections that we can look to for a taste of lighter days. Nathan Jenden and Luella's fruit salad of colours, luxuriously layered fabrics and heavily embellished accessories serve to shift the darker winter shapes in to a feminine frenzy. Soft pastel shades, ribbons and bows – although delightful and dainty, are nothing new. However, 2008/9's freshly graduated fashion students bring the possibility of a much needed shake up in the relatively stale fashion industry and one to watch could certainly be Middle-
sex graduate Georgia Nash with her statement, heavily embellished and
" The intricacy forms a kaledoscopic treat for the eyes" structured pieces. The featured collection was inspired by Nash's love of the 1950's and fairy tale ballet 'The Nutcracker'. Her use of tulle within the skirt and
layering of soft, sheer fabrics create childhood nostalgia for after-school ballet classes and dressing up boxes, whilst heavy shouldered military jackets and toy soldier accessories give a masculine twist. In terms of detailing, Nash ticks all the right boxes. The intricate hand-stitched beading and cascades of vibrant ruffles coating her jackets scream more couture than 'ready-towear', forming a kaledoscopic treat for the eyes that one can only dream of wearing. Sigh. Still, until the graduates are let loose, there's always Christopher Kane's Topshop collection and Jimmy Choo's cheeky collab. with H&M to adorn our frames and spunk our loans on.
fashion@gairrhydd.com/17
fashion
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fashion
Designer: Georgia Nash Photographer: Afshin Kruszelnicki Make-up artsist: Lou Rooth Model: Charlie Brogan @ models1
fashion@gairrhydd.com/19
gay
Passion over For many people coming out is hard enough, but for others it's just the beginning of the battle. Second year Theology student Rob James talks to Quench on how he came to terms with being a gay man of faith in modern Britain.
I
t's 8am on a Sunday and, unlike most students, I'm getting ready to leave the house for church - I’m a practicing Catholic. When you hear the words “Catholic” and “Gay” in the same sentence it’s usually because some influential member of the Church has said something controversial - often the Pope. The usual reaction I get from other gay people when they discover I’m Catholic is mixed; some are quite impressed that I have faith, while others think I'm weird. Even friends accuse me of being a ‘walking contradiction’. To be honest, telling them I'm a practicing Catholic is similar to coming out to my family and friends, and is every bit as nerve racking! The question I’m most regularly asked is “How?”. How can I be gay and still call myself Catholic? The answer is quite obvious and yet it evades most people. It’s love, pure and simple. Christianity is based on this central concept of Love - am I exempt from this because I’m gay? I don't think so. One influential priest has said that it is homosexual Christians who carry the greatest burden. According to the teaching of the Church over the centuries, Catholics who happen to be homosexual are called to live a chaste lifestyle. They are called to be celibate, a living example of the ultimate sacrifice: that of oneself. I’m going to be brutally honest and tell you that I don’t follow the church’s teaching on this to the letter. Like many others on this, and a range of different issues, I fall short. Essentially I sin. I've known I was gay since I was thirteen. Shortly after this time, during my secondary school years,
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I lost my faith so initially didn’t anticipate any problems outside those that many people expect when they come to terms with their sexuality. I wasn't comfortable being gay at the time, and when I eventually found my faith again I would find myself praying regularly to be, as I called it, 'normal'. I just didn’t feel happy. Ultimately I began to hate myself. The reason? I could not understand what was happening, how could I be a good Catholic, yet be attracted to men at the same time? I thought there was something wrong with me. I had a conflict of interests; I firmly believed I could either be gay, or Catholic. Not both.
"I'm accused of being a walking contradiction" It would take me five years of personal battle to finally accept who I was and reveal my sexuality to those who are closest to me. My best friends would be first, followed by my parents, and then the rest of my family. On the whole they took it well - better than I expected. One of my brothers actually asked me in the end. It’s worth noting here that my family aren’t practicing Catholics; my mother goes to church twice a year and my father is a Methodist (Christian, but certain not a Catho-
lic). Regardless of that, my family have strict conservative values, so I was expecting a huge family rift. To be honest, I still expect it. That said, I know of people who’ve had worse experiences - far worse- so I think I got off lightly. I have a partner and religious matters are hardly brought up. If they are the conversation moves quickly on. He has no interest in religion at all and to be honest I prefer it that way. We each have our different interests. I sometimes wonder if we’re too different, if perhaps my religion might get in the way. I suppose I should try and put myself in his shoes, he doesn’t say it’s a problem, my religious beliefs that is. It must be putting some strain on the relationship; hopefully it won’t come to a point where I have to choose, between my faith and remaining in a relationship. Now I want to share my experience and ultimately offer advice to people finding themselves in a similar situation. Regardless of your faith, be you Christian, Muslim, Jewish, or whatever else, I believe it to be important to surround yourself with friends - good friends - who are sympathetic with your situation. Friends you can trust are worth a lot. My friends these days are a healthy mix of those from the gay community and elsewhere, and I wouldn’t have it any other way, I feel completely comfortable with them and even if I don’t find acceptance amongst peers, I know I have my friends to help me through the tough times! Remember this, and to be yourself and you'll be fine.
gay
Christ?
gay@gairrhydd.com /21
goinginterviews out
“When performing live, I could do everything myself if I were a squid, but I am only a hermit crab and I only have two arms...�
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interviews going out
'Intergalactic electro-pop' Lights up Cardiff This week Robin Morgan had the pleasure of meeting up with 'Lights', an award winning artist, online gamer and according to the Quench office, one hot chick.
L
ights, the 22-year old singer songwriter from Canada, is currently standing outside Cardiff Barfly, talking to my brother about World of Warcraft, and apologising for not joining her bandmates on a sinful trip to Oceana. I should backtrack. Lights (born Valerie Poxleitner), having just headlined another UK gig, is aspiring to big things. UK appearances are no longer a rare occurrence for this Juno Award-winning artist. V Festival dates and the Give It A Name Introduces Tour had seen her grace us with her presence for the first time in 2009. She is currently supporting Keane on their North American tour. After her Barfly gig, she remains at the back of the room, in deep conversation, posing for pictures, generally being harassed by fans (something I will myself admit to), until the bar staff angrily shepherd us all out into the street. Having clearly charmed her with my sophistication and wit, she agreed to an interview (which I must say thank you to Ashley Poitevin for) using a new invention called 'email'. With over 16 million plays on her Myspace page, Lights admits that the rise in internet-based music profiling over the past decade has helped her considerably: “I almost feel like no one outside of Toronto would know my music had it not been for Myspace and Youtube and all of these wonderful platforms.” Zach Braff also had her song, ‘The Last Thing on Your Mind’ as his Myspace profile song a few years back. True story. After asking how she would
describe her music to anyone who foolishly hasn’t heard it yet, she first thanks me for the compliment (see, evidence for my wit and sophistication), before coining the term ‘intergalactic electro pop’: “I put a high focus on melody, and use synth/ electronic elements to build a lush, atmospheric energy around the song.” Clearly influenced by 80s music (but only the good bits), she does admit to wish having wrote Don Henley’s Boys of Summer, as well as citing her tour with Copeland as “a wonderful time...I really learned alot”. Such modesty and maturity, as well as being plain adorable, will put her in good stead for the next step in her adventure. But yes. About World of Warcraft. After that aforementioned Barfly gig, Lights told us that she had met
"the female Seth Cohen in geek-chique terms" her boyfriend on the game. I’d be interested to see how many people have signed up for an account simply by reading that sentence alone. Regularly referencing comic books and video games would, for some, make her the female Seth Cohen in
geek-chique terms. And in some respect it’s true. When asked what film her music would perfectly be set to, she replies with Michel Gondry’s The Science of Sleep or the about-to-beremade 60s classic Barbarella. In a subtle bid to apologise for pestering her with questions, I asked what the most memorable comment she had received from a fan: “Well, one that I can recall on the spot is something that actually happened in Cardiff. A girl came up to me after the set and gave me a card and asked me to read it, but not out loud. And it said that thanks to my music, and specifically my song "The Last Thing on Your Mind", she was still alive. That made a lot of stuff worth it.” Light’s debut album, The Listening, is out in the Canada on 22nd September, but she does insist there will be UK distribution in the first few months of 2010, as well as returning to our fine country around the same time. One final comment. You will remember, about 560 words ago, I said that her bandmates, Maurie and Adam, came with me to Oceana. It was a Monday night during the summer. If you have ever been to Oceana on a Monday you will know this next description to be true. Maurie, or Adam (apologies to them, I honestly can’t remember which) piped up with a simply superb comment: "These girls dress like this on a Monday night? Man, we don’t even dress like that on Halloween." Outstanding.
interviews @gairrhydd.com /23
books
Sequel Fever Emma Pocklington asks if the public's demand for regular sequels is healthy for the quality of modern literature.
B
ook shops around the world are preparing for a repeat of The Deathly Hallows fiasco this week as the new Dan Brown novel The Lost Symbol hits the shelves. Thousands of fans eagerly await the last novel and Asda alone expect to sell almost 20,000 copies within the next week having cut the price to a mere five pounds. Shops across the country will be opening earlier and staying open for longer so that the desperate Brown fans can lay their hands on the muchawaited book. It’s all very reminiscent of the midnight scramble that occurred two yeas ago when the excitement reached fever pitch and young and old alike dressed as wizards and queued around the block for the great Potter finale. How is it that we have become so dependent upon what the Times refers to as ‘middlebrow drip-feeders’? Unable to wait a few more hours we find it necessary to traipse down to Waterstones at the dead of night. Then instead of taking the time to
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appreciate the novel and the author’s literary skill, we sit wide-eyed into the wee small hours feverishly turning the pages, desperate to be the first to know who lives and who dies. Many argue that these accessible
"Are these hastily rattled out blockbusters really literature?" mainstream novels steal literature back from the academic snobs and return it to the masses, but are these hastily rattled out blockbusters really what we would call literature? I have to admit I enjoyed Harry Potter quite as much as the rest of the nation, but I wouldn’t call the prose great
writing, and the same can be said for Dan Brown’s rather limited style. After all, when you’re rushing through the latest book in a few short hours you don’t really have time to reflect upon the quality of the writing. Today’s book market is stuffed full of these dashed out novels with story lines paced at break-neck speed, as well as the numerous cheap imitations of these successful blockbusters. Entertaining as Potter and his cronies are, there comes a time when the novels grip on your imagination becomes a strangle hold. There are many more novels out there, most of which are much more worth reading, such as the quirky works brought out by the independent Cinnamon Press, or you could even try picking up one of the old classics. It’s time to resist the temptation to make a nightly trip to Waterstones, pick up a Penguin Popular Classic for two pounds, and immerse yourself in something else.
books
Warrior of Rome, Kings of Kings Harry Sidebottom
Pub: Michael Joseph
T
he wonderful thing about Sidebottom’s second novel is that it stands alone, without having read the first I didn’t find myself lost for very long. The plot is relatively easy to pick up
Resurrection Leo Tolstoy
Pub: Penguin Classics
T
olstoy’s haunting novel Resurrection is brought to the fore once more by Anthony Briggs’ new translation. The story focuses on Prince Dmitri Nekhlyudov who is called up for jury duty only to find it is one of his long lost romances who is on trial for poisoning. Nekhlyudov feels responsible for Katyusha as she was forced to leave
28th Sept Cardiff University Creative Writing with Lindsay Clarke, who will be reading and discussing her work. Should be really interesting if you’re doing creative writing. 6.30pm Milgis, City Road. 30th Sept Newport and Gwent Literary Club. John Davis, Welsh historian and co-author of the Encyclopaedia of Wales, joins the group. I don’t know what they will be discussing, but they’re is only one way to find out! Pre-booking is neces-
and the characters are engaging. However, despite being incredibly well researched Sidebottom overcomplicates his book, every other word is a Latin term and like Ballista we quickly become bored of the intricacies of the Emperor’s court. At times the novel tries to be a little too gritty and real for its own good and I found myself alternately disgusted and amused. The tendency of the author to skip from one point of view to another is also an issue. Although it does help you to understand the characters, it fails to keep the focus on Ballista and his impressions of others and through this a little of the mystery is lost.
The ending of the book is mildly frustrating, and I assume therefore that this series will soon become a trilogy, but as a stand alone novel the conclusion is an unfulfilling one making all of Ballista’s struggles seem irritatingly pointless. Nevertheless, this book remains an entertaining read, particularly if you have any interest in ancient Rome and its history. But it’s probably worth intending to read it as one of a series rather than attempting to appreciate it on its own. Emma Pocklington
the haven of his aunt’s house after he seduced her. She then spiralled down into a life of degeneration and prostitution. Nekhlyudov undergoes a moral transformation as he decides to leave his life of luxury behind, follow Katyusha into Siberia and ask her to marry him. The rest of the novel follows the two characters as they struggle to bond with each other and come to terms with the life altering situation they find themselves in. The description in Resurrection really sets the scene and takes you in to the desolate setting of the novel. Regular internal monologues keep you in touch with Nekhlyudov
and his resurrection from his selfindulgent life. It’s not the most light-hearted reading but Resurrection certainly leaves a lasting impression. It forces you to question your own morals and values and the slightly open ended finale leaves you guessing what will happen up to the final page. Tolstoy’s writing is effortlessly graceful. It’s heavy going, but it’s worth it. Roseanna Peppiatt
Literary and Live sary, contact Jean Sullivan on 01633 663114. 7.00pm Holiday Inn, Coldra, Newport.
it’ll really be worth it.7.00pm Dylan Thomas Centre, Swansea. Free Entry.
1st Oct
3rd Oct
Dannie Abse and Hilary Menos reading their poetry. There will also be an open mic session if you fancy show casing some of your own work.. 7.00pm Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff. Entry £2.
A talk on the history and literature of Iraq is being held by the Arabic Society for Culture. The talk by Dr Sa’ad Al-Fattal will however be in Arabic, but if you can speak it it’ll defiantly be worth the effort. 6.30pm Japan Room, Wales Millennium Centre. Free Entry.
Kevin John and Peter Read launch their new title Vicar Joe’s Religious Joke Book. This is in Swansea, but it’s only a 55 minute train journey and this sounds like
books@gairrhydd.com / 25
FOUR
photos
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LIGHT TRA ILS
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R TIPS
photos
Jake Yorath gives four basic steps to better photos.
MONOCHROME It's a posh word for a photo with a single tone - normally black and white. Be careful using it. You can't just make a crap photo good by removing the colour, but you can make a good one crap with ease. Works best with high contrast, in my opinion, but it's always worth experimenting.
MOVEMENT
PHOTOS: Jake Yorath
It's a skill that must be ticed, capturing smoot prach movement. The technique is called ning, and involves simply panthe moving object in a following sw ing motion. You need to eepuse a fairly slow shutter sp eed - say 1/100th at first. Experiment though - th e above image is 1/50th.
quenchphotos@gairrhydd.com / 27
photos
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photos
PHOTO: Nat Hills
quenchphotos@gairrhydd.com /29
artsand red and yellow and green and brown and scarlet and black ochre and peach and ruby and olive and violet and fawn and lilac and gold and chocolate and mauve and cream and crimson and sil ver and rose and azure and lemon and russet and grey and purple and pink and orange and blue and red and yellow and green and brown and scarlet and black and ochre and peach and ruby and olive and violet and fawn and lilac and gold and chocolate and mauve and cream and crimson and silver and rose and azure and lemon and russet and grey and purple and pink and orange and b and red and yellow and green and brown and scarlet and black an ochre and peach and ruby and olive and violet and fawn and lilac and gold and chocolate and mauve and cream and crimson and sil Quench must admit that when Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour dreamver and rose and azure and lemon and russet and grey and purple coat come to town they get rather overexcited. Rachel Yates reports on the timeless and pinkshow. and orange and blue and red and yellow and green and brown and scarlet andenjoyment blackis ofand ochre and peach and ruby and prancing around in just a silver skirt course the adult huoseph and the Amazing with a feather duster until a rather mour that is surreptitiously sneaked Technicolor Dreamcoat largeand cigar waschocolate forcibly inserted intoand in to keep everyone amused! graced theviolet stage at the New fawn olive and and and lilac and gold his mouth. Of course the highlight Theatre in Cardiff from 15-27th of the performance was the timely September. Andrew Lloyd Webentrance of some inflatable sheep ber’s incredible musical cream stars mauve and "The highlight of and crimson and silver an that appeared sporadically throughCraig Chalmers from the hit out the show! television show ‘I’d Do Anything’ The performance all the emas Joseph and enjoys a range of rose and azure and the performance lemon and had russet and gre barrassing cheese and originality, colourful songs! that was of course expected, with Taking us back to our childhood fun additions of an Elvisand pharaohblue and enjoyment of pantomime, Joseph and purple and pink was the timely and orange and a pair of bumbling characters proudly returns to our old favourites for the butler and baker! Old love of talking scenery, speech bub'em or hate and 'em classics such as and sca bles appearing from the side and red and yellow and entrance of some green brown ‘Any Dream Will Do’ and ‘Close plenty of vibrant dancing. The Every Door’ were offset with aniperformance was full of energy and mated scenery and colourful – andand rub leaving the elevenand letenthusiasm, and black inflatable sheep." ochre and peach occasionally scandalous! – cosbrothers stealing the show with their
Joseph
J
for an eveningfawn of pantomime fun lilac and It certainly came as a shock to grabbing cameos. and vioand olive let and and and relaxing after a hard day’s work see a perfectly groomed Joseph The change from childhood gold and chocolate and mauve and cream and crimson and silver arts@gairrhydd.com / 31 and rose and azure and lemon and russet and grey and purple and humorous interludes and attention-
tumes. Joseph is just the musical
arts
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going out
Bedlam The Great Hall 3rd October £17
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top what you're doing, reach for your flat peak, get your gurn out - Bedlam is back! Smashing up the Students' Union for a third time, these guys deliver another epic line up. Heading the bill is the well matured trio, The Scratch Perverts. Comprising of Tony Vegas, Plus One and Prime Cuts, they have been at the top of their game for some time. Turntablists at heart, their skills are not to be underestimated, walking away with the title of DMC World Team Champions in 1999. Previously rooted in the world of hip-hop, the boys have become world renowned
for the huge variety in their sets. If you needed any further encouragement, check out their Fabriclive mix. If drum & bass is your thing, you're in for a treat as jump-up honcho Andy C takes to the wheels of steel for a whopping 90 minute set. Owner of Ram Records, producer, and holding international fame, Mr. C is a busy man. Expect no holds barred d&b as he races through the better known end of the genre.
"If Drum & Bass is your thing, your in for a treat"
Dubstep fans would be mad to miss this night as Bedlam brings a pair of the top dogs to Cardiff, Skream and Caspa. The pair have produced some anthemic tunes between them including remixs of TC’s ‘Where’s My Money’ and La Roux’s
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‘In for the Kill’. Getting regular radio play and enjoying ever more widespread appeal, these two are bound to pull a big crowd. The Union café, CF10, will be transformed for the night into a second room of heady beats, courtesy of One Mission. Some of the finest local and student DJs will be rinsing the drum & bass and dubstep all night long to keep you stomping. However, never keen to disappoint, the society head up their bill with one of the pioneers of his trade, Nicky Blackmarket. Over twenty DJs, ten MCs, one night, Bedlam is going to be a huge night for anyone with the faintest of interest in dance music. With a lineup as jam packed as this, it’s bound to be a sell out event so be sure to get your tickets ASAP.
music
music live:efterklang
festival special
albums:muse
local:preview newsinbrief swn line-up announced
B
ig news! The summer period has seen a mass of artists announced for Cardiff's biggest musical weekend to date; Swn Festival 2009. As always the weekend will host a wide selection of music both local and distant, familiar and unfamilar, but by the looks of things this is set to be the biggest and most action-packed Swn to date. There's no way we can condense the whole line-up into this slender column unfortunately, because it is looking epic, but we'll try and pick out the highlights for you. Ex-Cardiff alumni Los Campesinos! are the big names this year, and they'll be curating a stage at The Gate with themselves as headliners along with Dananananakroyd. The same day will see Tubelord and Pulled Apart By Horses return for their second year as well as Slow Club and Broken Family Band. Scottish angst-rockers The Twilight Sad and power-pop Brummies Johnny Foreigner are sure to be highlights over the weekend as well, but rest assured they'll be some unfamilar acts that will be the find our your weekend. For the full line-up go to www.swnfest.co.uk, and make sure you get your tickets nice and early to avoid any dissapointment this is one to look forward to.
the globe to close?
F
or those who have enjoyed the emergence of The Globe as one of Cardiff's premier music venues in the last year, get ready for a crushing disappointment. Remember The Point? Remember how councils ordered it's closure after noise complaints from neighbours? Well it looks like it's about to happen again, as rumour has it that as of as of 21st September, The Globe has lost it's late night music licence again due to complaints of noise. Details are shady at the moment, but what's certain is the massive blow this will prove to our live music; the last thing we need is another of the key players in Cardiff's live music community facing closure, especially when it's one of the more fresh faced venues the city has to offer. In the last year The Globe has seen the likes of Black Lips, Jamie T, La Roux and more recently Efterklang and Sunset Rubdown (see our Live Reviews section this issue). Similar threats were issued last year to the heart of live music in Cardiff, Clwb Ifor Bach, and at least for now it still seems to be beating as normal. We can only hope that these current threats slip by the wayside as well, so fingers crossed.
quench stage for swn
K
eeping to Swn-related news, this year will see a first as Quench Live curate their very own stage over at Dempsey's on Friday 23rd October. Needless to say, this is exciting news and after the success of the Quench Live events last year - featuring the likes of Casiokids, Decimels and Muscle Club - this will be another thing to look to for Swn 2009. Announced for the stage so far are whimsical Cardiff locals Silver Gospel Runners and Elephant & Soldier, as well as Manchesterbased cult singer-songwriter Gideon Conn and Dimbleby and Capper. The Live Music Society are lending their assistance too, so if you're interested in helping out, make sure you sign up at this year. More than anything, it's great to see Cardiff's student media holding such a great reputation in Cardiff's music scene, and the innevitable success of this year's Swn should help to boost this renown even more. With the news this week that both Quench and gairrhydd are again nominated at the Guardian Student Media Awards for best magazine and newspaper, it's looking like it's going to be a very successful year for our student media, so make sure you get involved.
music@gairrhydd.com / 37
music-albums
The Big Pink A Brief History Of Love
4AD
T
The Big Pink
Muse The Resistance
Warner Bros.
A
fter the phenomenal success of their last album, Black Holes and Revelations, Muse have finally made the deserved step up from cult legends to worldwide superstars. As such, a lot of pressure lay on their shoulders in the run up to their new album, The Resistance. The result is simply put, sublime. The Resistance is an album in which you get the feeling Muse have finally mastered their sound. Layered and produced to perfection, the combinations of effect laden guitar (which often evokes an early Brian May), drums and electronica combine in a way in which few bands ever before have achieved – an almost classical level of musical complexity. Standouts include first single The Uprising, The Resistance and Guiding Light. The biggest talking point though has to be the finale of the album, a three-
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part Symphony that takes several listens to fully be appreciated. It’s something that even Classical FM listeners would appreciate, for it’s sheer beauty and scale.
An almost classical level of musical complexity If there is one criticism, it would be that the album lacks in any immediate attention grabbers – there is no Knights of Cydonia or Starlight equivalent here. Instead each song has been crafted as a whole, not relying on one riff, or one chorus. It’s a strange sensation on first listen. However, that oddly doesn’t detract from the album – moreover it just makes Matt Bellamy’s achievement all the more noteworthy. The Resistance is easily one of the most eye-opening albums you will listen to all year. Oli Franklin
8.
he hotly tipped Big Pink release their debut album amid the current trend and success of ‘big’ British rock music where Glasvegas, Elbow, Doves and Kasabian all stand as leading players. If there’s one thing A Brief History of Love certainly is, it’s grandiose; this is a record that goes for huge, arenasized anthems from start to finish. It’s not the scale of the debut that leaves it unfulfilled - it’s clear that The Big Pink have ambition in abundance – but rather the absence of any underlying motive or purpose, other than to make something that sounds huge. Under the muddy layers of noise and over-processed vocals these are histrionic and mostly unconvincing love songs, with lyricism that feels as artificial as the synthetic drum patterns backing it. Whether or not this is intended to suggest a superficiality to fickle young love – there’s no suggestion that it does – the songs come off as somewhat clumsy and restricted by their lack of dimensions. Grand they might be, but in expressive purpose The Big Pink are lacking and the songs suffer for it. Sonically, though, it seems that The Big Pink are far more inspired than with their songwriting. Their big, dumb hooks are tinged with industrial menace, feedback and electronic glitching that creates a species of anthemic shoegaze that the duo can now call their own. There are times when it works to spectacular effect; older single Velvet is an explosion in the album’s mid section, proving just what The Big Pink can achieve when all the parts click into place. Consistency is not one of the record’s strengths, however, and with the exception of Crystal Visions and Too Young To Love the remainder feels vacuous in comparison. This is a long awaited debut, and we were promised great things from The Big Pink, but it seems that we’ll have to wait a while longer as A Brief History of Love comes across as something of a disappointment. Phil Guy
5.
albums-music
The XX
The XX XX
Young Turks
N
ow the eagle-eyed and pedantic among you will look at this article and cry, “Hark! You fools! This album was released over a month ago, why review it now?!” In reply I would first mock your use of the word “Hark”, and then go onto explain that although, yes, this album is over a month old, a genuinely good British album is such a rarity that it should not be forgotten just because it was released during Quench’s lonely summer days. Pedants, hear me out. Consisting of four 20-year-olds from South London, The XX formed in the same school that raised Hot Chip and Four Tet, two artists with huge respect in the music industry. Now, 4 years later, they have gone onto selfproduce one of the most anticipated
albums of the past six months. But don’t let the hype-junkies put you off; they may actually be onto something this time. The album’s opening Intro is the perfect start – an edgy guitar chimes as a faint synth gently rises in the background. Your head starts to nod as the clapped beat comes in and it’s then that you know you’re listening to something good. This is minimalist pop at its best. More interesting than that, however, is that The XX have strayed from the sort of formula you’d expect from a group of young indie artists, and they’ve instead looked to R&B and soft afrobeat for their inspiration. Mix this with the boy/girl vocal combo of Romy Madley Croft (guitar) and Oliver Sim (bass) and you have something quite unique. Croft’s fragile musings echoed by Sim’s lazy replies create a casual intimacy that feels more like listening in on a phone conversation than on a record. Awkward sexual confusion seems to be the topic of choice for many songs, which only adds to the album’s can-
dour ("Maybe I had said/ Something that was wrong/ Can I make it better/ With the lights turned on,"). Most impressive about this debut is the completeness and maturity shown throughout the whole album. The sound is understated and only subtly great – there’s nothing explosive about the fuzzy electronics and starry guitar hooks on stand-out Basic Space, instead the catchiness comes from intelligent composition and an eye for good melody. It feels like a band who have played with noise for a long time and slowly arrived at this nervy and delicate balance – think Radiohead’s journey from The Bends through to In Rainbows. The fact that this is their first ever record is a testament to their artistry; The XX have conducted the most fully-formed emergence of the past year. Overall, XX is not always an easy listen, but if you can latch onto its sparse arrangements and unadorned beats then you’ll find an intelligent record that gets better with every listen. Simon Roach
9.
music@gairrhydd.com / 39
music-live
Sunset Rubdown The Globe
16th September 2009
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Sunset Rubdown
Efterklang The Globe
13th September 2009
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eter Broderick left Portland for Copenhagen in order to join Efterklang in 2007, and while his contribution has surely been of great worth to the band, it’s really his own solo career which has benefited most. 2008’s Home ushered in a more inventive approach to his music and resulted in a blissfully pretty album. The night’s opening set saw him play much of this alone – slowly sampling guitar upon piano upon violin upon vocals – all coming together to form serene pieces of music which can’t help but make you sway in their breeze. Yet more enjoyable still was later in the evening when the whole band took the stage, and Efterklang could flex their considerable melodic muscle. The members themselves look like a mismatch of sorts – the boyish charm of Peter Broderick next to
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the rugged cool of lead man Casper Clausen is at first strange, but lends itself to the group’s amiability – they never seem too cool to take seriously. Clausen himself acts as a pleasant surprise, he appears as the sort of ultra-pretentious hipster that many average bands sport as their front man, but his attitude and behaviour are more like that of an enthusiastic child being given the chance to perform at a school play. Ambient post-rock is something which I had thought I was growing slightly weary of, but Efterklang’s passionate performance reminded me of why this sort of music has become so popular – the gradually building crescendos and mighty climaxes carry you so far that the hour-and-a-half set seemed to go past far too quickly. The night was then justly finished by a genuinely gratified encore of Chapter 6 that any Arcade Fire or Sigur Ros fan would have drooled over. The cohesive symphony of this band made for a hugely memorable event and they should be keenly looked out for in the future. Simon Roach
pencer Krug’s prolific reputation and ever-expanding catalogue of active bands and spin-offs - including the likes of Wolf Parade, Frog Eyes and Swan Lake – should be enough to ensure a relatively busy turnout, but his first visit to Cardiff does not sell out, and though the audience attempt to fill the vacant spaces with their own enthusiasm it’s a clearly disappointed Krug that takes to the stage. The quintet from Montreal assuredly weave their way through the labyrinthine arrangements and song structures that are characteristic of Krug’s output, and prove themselves more than capable of handling their demanding constructions in a live environment. Krug’s voice is every bit as bemusing and oddly endearing as on record, and completes a performance that’s a forceful representation of the band’s recorded material. There are repercussions to this, however. Sunset Rubdown do not write accessible music; it takes a great deal of effort on the listener’s behalf to approach it. It may be pop music – or sound like pop music at least – but such shape-shifting song structures mean that for unfamiliar ears it’s almost impenetrable, and this is unchanged for the live performance. Those songs that you’re familiar with sound fantastic, but the inclusion of some new material means that before you know it you’ve slipped into a Krug-induced form of hypnosis, and release you’re not actually listening anymore. This is not is criticism, however, that’s the music Sunset Rubdown write; complex, wistful and not instantly digestible. The problem is that it makes it incredibly difficult to connect with an audience, and can leave the uninitiated in isolation. Those who know the songs are keen to show their fervour, and it’s a thoroughly satisfied audience that leave The Globe, but the show confirms that Sunset Rubdown do not play shows for the casually interested, and perhaps that explains that open spaces tonight. Phil Guy
music-features
Phil Guy ditches Britain and heads for Barcelona, and Primavera Sound '09...ne.
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here better to spend a summer weekend than in the centre of sunny Barcelona, far from the rain-sodden mud-pits of the British festival season. Without a cloud, tent-basher or trilby-wearing numpty in sight, Primavera Sound operates on a permanent festival complex overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, the site sharing in Barcelona’s distinct architectural style and itch for grandeur. Complete with paved walkways, archaic stone seating surrounding each stage, and a main arena jutting out into the ocean, Primavera hosts a festival site of the highest luxury, and an equally impressive line-up to boot including My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth and Bloc Party. Day One displays strong early sets from Marnie Stern, Ponytail and grunge legends The Jesus Lizard before French pop fivesome Phoenix play a fantastically received set, and Yo La Tengo bring Day One amiably into the night. There are casualties, however, as Wavves stumble through an absolute disaster of a set over at the Pitchfork Stage involving a druginduced meltdown and more than a handful of thrown bottles, smearing an otherwise dream year for Nathan Williams. My Bloody Valentine play
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a headlining set that blows away any disappointment, however, delivering the usual combination of ear-splitting feedback and bitter-sweet melody, whetting appetites for the arena show they play on Day Two. Aphex Twin and Squarepusher see Barcelona through into the early hours of the morning. Day Two, and it’s a scuzzy lo-fi takeover with Crystal Stilts, Vivian Girls, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart and The Mae Shi all playing early sets with characteristic success. Dan Deacon provides one of the true highlights of the weekend with his 14piece dance ensemble and crowd-interactive activities. Sunn O))) drone the life out of anyone remotely near the ATP stage not long before Steve Albini’s Shellac play an explosive and enigmatic set in the early hours. The Main Stage sees a British invasion with Bat For Lashes, Art Brut, Jarvis Cocker and headliners Bloc Party all performing throughout the night apparently. Day Three is a slightly quieter affair with Herman Dune, Shearwater and Plants & Animals playing to suit their lazy afternoon surroundings, followed by an equally tranquil evening performance by Neil Young. But hey now, we’ve no time for too much of this serenity, there’s things to see -
next is the cruellest decision of the weekend as Liars ruthlessly clash sets with Deerhunter. The space between the two stages is littered with the indecisive going back and forth; we see ten minutes of Liars before managing to tear ourselves away to see Bradford Cox and co. As it turns out, everyone’s a winner here as both bands play remarkable, weekendmaking sets – each playing from their ever expanding back catalogues. It’s hip hop time before Sonic Youth, and El-P and Ghostface Killah both perform to weary crowds as the festival reaches a close. Their infectious energy sees them through, however, and the continually growing audiences are sufficiently revitalised for the final hours of the weekend. For the weekend's final set, Sonic Youth take to the Main Stage after an earlier collaboration with Neil Young. Taking songs primarily from latest album The Eternal, it’s a professional set with some older favourites thrown in to fuel the closing festival atmosphere. Thurston Moore et al’s distinguishing experimentation is kept relatively low key and it’s a surprisingly focused performance with little deviation from the set list. Nonetheless, it’s predictably a highlight to the weekend from some true veterans, and an idyllic way to finish the weekend.
features-music
Guy Ferneyhough delves into the Suffolk countryside for Latitude '09...iff's music scene.
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ight, lets dispense with the two tonne Guardianreading elephant that just lumbered into the room scoffing falafel and flicked on Radio 4 as soon as your eyes crossed the letters L-A-T-I-T-U-D-E. Yes, Latitude is middle-class affair, going above and beyond to adequately cater for anyone who would ever even consider calling their child Tabitha. Latitude makes a big play about being more than just a music festival, but aside from catching Sean Lock’s set and overhearing some anarchic ramblings from the poetry tent while strolling by, for me it was pretty much just a music festival; and a pretty good one at that. Regina Spektor opened my weekend and was her usual self; all smiles and graciousness. But as likeable as she is, she has shifted to the middle of the road over the years, and musically she hardly sets the world alight anymore. Luckily there were no similar problems later on in the Uncut Stage - Natasha Khan batted her lashes and dimmed the lights, leading us by the hand into the ethereal world of her latest record Two Suns. It was a splendid set, made all the better by a few choice cuts from 2007’s Fur And
Gold. Saturday came, and with it the most jarring performance of the weekend. Pulled Apart By Horses are just about the last band on the indie circuit you’d imagine ripping up the Suffolk countryside, but boy how they did! Brutal, brilliant, and oh so macho, it was the sort of chaotic live show we’ve come to expect from these guys. Next up, The XX, who offered up an altogether different proposition – minimal and considered, and dressed all in black, they played some beautiful love songs; the only downside was you had to strain to hear them over the Henham Park din. Later, Marnie Stern brought her unique neck-tapping style of guitar playing to the Uncut Tent. An accomplished set was only blighted by her bassist’s teasing of the audience – yes, they were statuesque, but this is Latitude after all. Headbanging here is akin to setting up a picnic blanket at the front row of Download; it’s just not the done thing. After a few mundane sets that couldn’t ignite feelings within me it was time for Spiritualised; a band I’d never seen before but who seem to be on the bill of every festival I’ve ever been to, ever. They were perfectly decent, and played a handful
of tracks from the allegedly seminal ‘Ladies and Gentlemen…’, but that didn’t manage to turn this agnostic into a believer. Sunday was supposed to be all about Thom Yorke playing the lunchtime slot, and I’m sure for everyone who went to bed at a reasonable time on the Saturday it was. Not for this hung-over camper though. No, for me Sunday was about two fantastic bands, one from each side of the Channel. Wild Beasts have released what many are calling the best British album of the year, and graduating to the main stage in this their third year running at Latitude, they showcased why many are probably right. Such beauty, such candour, and such balls! Phoenix followed later on, bringing with them all the hooks and choruses that have seen them promoted to the mainstream this year with Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. Nick Cave was on form to round off proceedings, headlining with a crowdpleasing set comprising of both classics and Dig Lazarus Dig!!! material. He and the Bad Seeds brought the weekend to a shuddering climax with an apocalyptic rendition of Stagger Lee, and an ending slightly at odds with what was otherwise an idyllic weekend in the Suffolk countryside.
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music-features
Simon Lucey heads to the Isle of Wight for Rob Da Bank's Bestival...gems of Car-
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he sun that shone upon Rob Da Bank’s festival this year was just reward for the organisers that had had to put up with record rainfall in 2008. Luckily the festival matched the glorious sun that it bathed in, justifying its tagline- ‘the year of the spectacular’. In a year where many smaller festivals struggled to sell out, the Isle of Wight’s second festival achieved this in record time whilst retaining its refreshingly independent feel exchanging corporate greed for fancy dress (space themed this year). It is fair to say however that if it is big headline acts that you crave, then there are better festivals for you. Whilst Elbow brought the festival to an appropriately dramatic end on Sunday, Massive Attack hardly enthused the crowd and Kraftwerk’s ‘robot pop’ only excited their diligent fans. However Bestival is about so much more than the big stages, where typically this year the sound quality was not up to scratch. Speech Debelle, fresh from winning the Mercury Prize charmed the small responsive crowd that managed to squeeze into the intimate Red Bull tent with her distinctive voice and powerful lyrics, providing possibly the highlight of many people’s weekend- possibly due to it being early enough to remember. Along with that Soulwax proved what a formidable force they are opening up proceedings on the Friday with remixes of Daft Punk and Justice, before sending the big top mad under their disguise of 2ManyDJs late in the night. By day Bestival is W.I. cupcakes, fancy dress, and inflatable churches, but by night it becomes something far darker. Small tents are transformed into heavy drum and base sets, the fire area Arcadia, erupts into a plethora of flames and sick breakbeats care of Krafty Kuts and the Bollywood tent plays host to some of the most experimental DJs in music. When the next day comes round, however the festival’s innocent alterego has returned and the bloodshot eyes that queue for cupcakes provide the only clue to the filthy debauchery of the night before.
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features-music
Lloyd Griffiths hangs out with the beard-strokers over at Greenman '09...ardiff's music
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reen Man 2008 was my first festival and a surefire lesson that Wellies are the foremost requirement on a foray to even the loveliest parts of mid-Wales. So, to be greeted by almost unbearable sunshine as we strolled through Glanusk Park this year was a delight and despite having bands such as Super Furry Animals and The National to follow from previous, the music this year outshone those brilliant performances. Stationed underneath the beautiful Sugarloaf Mountain and close enough to the Usk for viable skinny dipping, Green Man is a folk-firstfestival, both in it’s music and it’s endearing attitude towards the patrons. Gang Gang Dance kicked the door of the weekend open with a blend of psychedelic dance and vibrant tribal rhythms. Backed up Liz Bougatsos’ entrancing pounding of the drums, Gang Gang Dance united the crowd in awe of their enthusiasm and thunderous pace. Undoubtedly my most anticipated band of the weekend, Animal Col-
lective didn’t deliver the greatest hits show of old albums I desired, but perhaps that’s the point of their show. As they mixed Merriweather Post Pavilion to a largely unimpressed audience, their melding of one song-to-another grew on me, reminding me that Panda Bear and co. are at their best when you have to search for the fantastic melodies within the sonic madness. As Saturday night drew closer, my anticipation for Bon Iver pretty much excited the rest of the day away, except when Peter Broderick’s beautiful melancholic violin makes us feel as if time stands still, at least for the not-long enough set he played. Grizzly Bear brought their complex lo-fi folk to the Main stage and despite it’s brilliant production on Veckatimest, it transferred seamlessly to a live surrounding, with the four way harmonies lifting the crowd just in time for the highlight of the weekend, Bon Iver. Beginning with the desperately regretful Flume, Justin Vernon demands attention for the whole of his astounding set. Despite listening to
For Emma, Forever Ago to breaking point, it isn’t long before the intensity of the music such as Skinny Love and a defiantly bombastic version of Blood Bank hits home and I’m not ashamed to admit I cried for pretty much the entire set. The highlight comes with the set closer The Wolves (Acts I & II) where the transfixed audience sing along to ‘What might have been lost?’ for what seems like an age. Onto the Sunday, where Camera Obscura’s lonesome melodies don’t quite transfer from recent recordings and their (somewhat expectedly) morose mood doesn’t exactly help. As the dark enters, Dirty Three blow the crowd away with their visceral post-rock and Warren Ellis’ chipper tone makes us laugh alongside their intense sounds. Yet again, Green Man proved itself the go-to place for friendly folk and increasingly big acts make sure it will continue to prove a highlight of the festival season for years to come.
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music
La Roux
singles round-up
Wild Beasts All The King's Men Domino
8.
Wild Beasts are among a handful of young acts that are representing British music fantastically well as a forward-thinking and discerning field. All The King's Men is taken from recent second album Two Dancers, and it's one of the standouts. The quartet's trademark falsettos and octave-leaping vocal duels makes for a clean cut and intricately layered pop song. PG
Elliot Minor Love Game Interscope Records
7.
it was always going to be vital for frontman Alex Davies to nail that 'difficult second album'. The first single from their forthcoming album Solaris, gives listeners a taster of what’s in store for fans. And it’s a beauty. Matured songwriting, a gnarly opening riff and a highly memorable chorus make up the recipe for Elliot Minor’s developed sound - and it rocks. MT
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Bat For Lashes Sleep Alone Parlophone
7.
This is a captivating single from Bat for Lashes’ ethereal second album. A sublime contrast is forged between raw, industrial beats and Khan’s beautifully haunting melodies as they dance over 80’s synths and a gritty, hypnotic bass line. Childlike innocence permeates through the imaginative lyrics to create a mystical, gripping and sincere track. KH
Coldplay Strawberry Swings Parlophone
5.
A relatively low key release from an album that is now quite old, Strawberry Swing feels like an odd release from the global megastars. It sounds like it too. Pleasant but not particularly good, you get the feeling it is only being released on the back of the amazing stop motion video (YouTube it). Still, not one that the sold out Wembley crowds will be singing back to them. OF
Radiohead
9.
These Are My Twisted Words Self-Released
Released as a free download, Radiohead have hit the spot yet again. Similar in style to much of In Rainbows – think fast drums dotted among echoing guitars – the song slowly opens over a nearon-3 minute intro, and when they do come Yorke’s vocals are as haunting as ever, and with lyrics to match. Even more progressive than normal, a great song. SR
La Roux I'm Not Your Toy Polydor Records
8.
La Roux could have picked almost any of the tracks from their Mercury-nominated debut as the third single, such is its consistent excellence. This is a fine example of their catchy and emotionally-charged synth-pop that half makes you want to dance around your bedroom and half hunt down the selfish bastard who mistreated the unassuming lass and clip him round the ear. VF
film
film news . rumours. conjecture AN UNNECESSARY SERIES OF SEQUELS Despite the last film being decidedly less than impressive, and there being much debate regarding who was staying on, somehow a date has been set for Spider-Man 4: May 5, 2011. Even more amazingly, Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst have apparently agreed to reprise their roles, whilst Sam Raimi will return to direct. If this isn’t enough, 67 year-old Harrison Ford has shed light on a FIFTH Indiana Jones film: ‘The story for the new Indiana Jones is in the process of taking form. Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and myself are agreed on what the fifth adventure will concern, and George is actively at work.’ No aliens this time guys, please.
The Prawn Identity: Sci-Fi-Actionmentary in District 9: P.52
DOUBLE JEPOARDY
GOING GREEN
It looks like we’ll soon be graced with not one, but two Abraham Lincoln biopics. Shortly after it was announced that Steven Spielberg will be helming one (Ralph Fiennes is rumoured to be playing the bearded Prezza), it turned out that Robert Redford has a screenplay planned. The subject matter is where the similarities end however, as whereas Spielberg’s is planned as more of a straightforward biographical opus, Redford’s tentatively titled The Conspirator centres around the aftermath of Lincoln’s assassination. The Spielmeister isn’t too fussed about a potential ratings war, saying: ‘It is completely different to what our movie will be, and it will add to the commercial potential of our film. Lincoln as a subject is inexhaustible.’ So there.
In the wake of last year’s hugely successful The Dark Knight, another popular DC invention will make the transition from canvas to big screen. Ryan Reynolds has beaten off competition from Justin Timberlake and The Hangover star Bradley Cooper to the role of Hal Jordan, AKA the Green Lantern. Cue fanboys salivating everywhere. Moreover, fuzzy-haired funnyman Seth Rogen has been cast as the Green Hornet (no relation), a move which will re-unite him with screenwriter Evan Goldberg, having already worked together on Knocked Up, Superbad, Pineapple Express and Funny People. If this all sounds a bit too geeky for some of you, then be reassured that Cameron Diaz will make an appearance. Oh yes.
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ANTONI ENNUI Master of the Panoramic Existential Explorer
Lloyd Griffiths discovers the beauty and the angst in Michelangelo Antonini's work.
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tyle is a word difficult to define and banded about far too easily in its automatic connotative benefits of making a movie seem unique or special. Of course a film can look slightly odd or use 420 special effects per explosive transforming pirateship, but this hardly makes the style a rewarding cinematic experience. When I think of the best films I have seen this year, Moon and Synecdoche, New York both come to mind, with the unique directing talents of Charlie Kaufman and Duncan Jones using their directorial nous to drive the narrative from behind the camera without giving us mounds of empty symbolism to us what to think. Michelangelo Antonioni (19122007) was one of the greatest
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directors to emerge in post-war Italy. Beginning his filming career at 38, Antonioni's films are challenging, thought-provoking and sometimes downright depressing to watch but often stunningly beautiful. In his L'avventura, a group of wealthy Italian's including Claudia (Monica Vitti) are yachting in the Mediterreanean when Anna goes missing. This is the first uncomfortable and disconcerting event that takes place within the film. We are offered no reason for her disappearance, and as (seemingly) the main character, her absence haunts the narrative throughout the rest of the picture as her partner and Claudia begin an affair while searching for Anna. But while Claudia seems to experience genuine guilt, Sandro seems only to search for Anna in form.
It's like Tyler Durden says, "We're the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. Our Great War's a spiritual war... our Great Depression is our lives"
"As well being philosphical, he made genuinely beautiful Cinema" Nearly all of his films offer at best
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muted conclusions at their climax. Even when Jack Nicholson dies at the end of his attempt to live someone elses life (The Passenger), the slowly zooming camera remains transfixed from behind the same hotel window, staring blankly at the scene outside, without ever seeing Nicholson die. It is in the angst we feel as an audience viewing a film not only painfully slow but also seemingly bereft of obvious, common purpose we can identify with Antonioni's characters and the emptiness of their lives. Antonioni's films challenge the way in we watch the film, empowering you to engage with the characters more and see the reasons behind their shallow or lonely lives. All of this of course may sound the antithesis of what you may want
"Shot desperately slowly, his films view as if constructing one long panoramic image" to watch to make mates in freshers week and indeed when L'avventura showed in Cannes in 1960, people
jeered so much that Monica Vitti and Antonioni had to leave the showing. But as well as being empoweringly philosophical, Antonioni has continued to produce genuinely beautiful cinema through his career. Visions of empty towns and extended visual metaphors are shot desperately slowly, giving us time to do no more than take in the image as it appears, completely unrelated to the plot. Most clearly in 'Blow Up', Antonioni explores the permanence and beauty captured in photography, and his filming style is often so slow in his works that its as if he is constructing one long panoramic image. Stick with him through the uncomfortable viewing and you will find more than just a cinematic experience at the heart of his stunningly beautiful works.
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reviews- film
Adventureland dir: Greg Mottola cast: Jesse Eisenburg, Kirsten Stewart, Ryan Reynolds
out now, 107 mins
A
fter being forced to abandon his plans of spending the summer travelling round Europe, James Brennan (Eisenberg) resorts to working in a derelict theme park in order to fund his tuition at Columbia University. He quickly makes friends with the assortment of oddballs that work there, including kindredspirit Emily (Stewart), as the summer turns out not to be so bad after all…
Dorian Gray dir: Oliver Parker cast: Colin Firth. Ben Barnes
out now, 112 mins
A
fter seeing his portrait for the first time orphaned Dorian Gray (Barnes) becomes so desperate to maintain his youth and good looks that he sells his soul so the painting can do the ageing for him. Once realising his innocent appearance cannot be tarnished and encouraged by the questionable philosophies of his friend Henry Wotton, (Firth) the previously naïve Dorian embarks on a life of violence, gin and sex with suitably dramatic consequences.
"Parker's take seems to rely largely on gloomy lighting" Based on Oscar Wilde’s classic book, this film makes at least a
Upon first glance, Adventureland appears to be likeable enough, displaying much of the zest that director Mottola already showcased in the brilliant Superbad. However, there is one area where the similarities end. Superbad was very, very funny. His latest work, for all its quirkiness, simply isn’t.
"Stewart only manages to smile slightly more than she did in Twilight" It is hard to pick out why this is exactly. Newcomer Eisenberg comes across as Michael Cera using the Kooks’s hairdresser, and Stewart only manages to
smile slightly more than she did in Twilight. The biggest disappointment of all is saved for Reynoldsso often the life and soul of any production- simply looks jaded and bored. Few actors impress, among them being the underused Bill Hader as the theme park’s zany and violence-prone park manager, and Martin Starr as James’s erstwhile yet brooding co-worker. It isn’t all bad news though. Adventureland is effective at portraying that which is the most important in life; the pikes and troughs of growing up, which although they may have seemed bad at the time, will later be looked back upon as the best days of our lives. In short: as a film and as a commentary, Adventureland is a success. It's as a comedy where it falls down. Steve Wright
6.
passing attempt to represent the original story. Wilde’s primary characters are well represented; Barnes perfectly portrays the extremes of Gray’s personality whilst Firth apparently embraces his inner greasy old man as someone who thinks ‘pleasure is the purpose of life’. The costumes and sets are beautifully created and flawlessly fit the indulgent nature of the plot, add-ing atmosphere to a sometimes shaky narrative. The story perhaps looses its edge in this film. Compared to the gradual moral decline found in Wilde’s original, Parker’s take on the story seems to rely largely on gloomy lighting and an almost comical portrait which groans and moves with maggots to present Dorian’s evils. The dramatic murders and sex scenes along with numerous plot changes, although they may appeal to those who haven’t read Wilde’s version, arguably do not do the book any justice and are bound to offend those who are precious about the original material. If you do have a fancy for a film about a man too beautiful to age and don’t mind a few dodgy sex scenes, then this is the film for you. Becky Honeycombe
4.
film@gairrhydd.com / 51
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(500) Days of Summer dir: Marc Webb cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel
out now, 95 mins
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ith the pairing of indie starlets Gordon-Levitt (Tom) and Deschanel (Summer), expectations were set for a cool refreshing drink of an off-beat rom-com, that was neither gaggingly sickly sweet or watery without any real depth. Marc Webb’s background in music videos is apparent in the directorial style of his feature film debut. The film is imaginative, whimsical and chops the narrative into bite-size chunks by starting at the end and erratically jumping back and forth between butterflies and heartbreak (with a few dream sequences thrown in for good measure). As hopeless romantic lead Tom recalls his relationship with modern ‘love is just a fantasy’ belle of the office, Summer. The soundtrack also provides a strong backbone: there is karaoke at various stages of inebriation; a musical style dance piece;
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and just as The Shins bring boy and girl together in Garden State, so The Smiths set sparks flying for Tom and Summer. (500) Days of Summer is certainly charming, albeit due mostly to Gordon-Levitt who delivers a spot on performance throughout (which varies from anywhere between unparalleled bliss to awkward fumbling self-deprecation to paralysing depression.) However, the fact that the film tries so hard to adopt an irreverent style ultimately becomes its downfall. This allows for a degree of detachment from the narrative which leads to cringing, rather than an engagement with the parts which were impossibly corny, and in other parts it permitted us to humorously skim over the real emotional agony of the male lead. Total absorption in the story was repeatedly interrupted by a cheesy American voiceover which proceeded to irritatingly cram the message of the film down into your windpipe. While undoubtedly offering a welcome break from the predictable world of mainstream rom-coms, it tries a little bit too hard to be a cult classic, which cult classics never do. So no, not groundbreaking, but it still gets a lot of credit for digging around with an old spade. With a debut like this though, Webb is definitely one to watch. Natalie Stone
6.
The Firm dir: Nick Love cast: Calum McNab. Paul Anderson, Daniel Mays
out now, 90 mins
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he Firm is an adaptation of the Alan Clarke’s 1988 TV film of the same name. The original movie depicted the lives and clashes of football hooligans in the eighties of West Ham United and Birmingham, through the eyes of the West Ham firm leader, ‘Bex’ (Gary Oldman). Nick Love’s adaptation tells a similar story from the perspective of a minor character of the original film, Dominic (McNab).
"The Firm's 'old school' version of football hooliganism is refreshing" Dominic is a young lad, tired of his same friends and being treated like a child by his parents. He begins to idolize Bex (Anderson), the West Ham firm leader and through
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his constant support gels with the firm lads and engages in fights. However, after a brutal beating from Milwall, Dominic’s excitement soon turns to fear and Bex turns from idol to criminal when he jumps members of the Milwal firm and bullies his own members.
"They gradually unfurl the darker side of football hooliganism" The Firm’s ‘old school’ version of football hooliganism is refreshing after movies like ‘Football Factory’ and ‘Green Street’. The firm clashes, captured with an unstable camera, delivers authenticity to the experience, sucking the audience into the frenzy of violence. The cast successfully portray the world of eighties Britain, where Mcnab skillfully plays the disillusioned youth searching for respect while Anderson personifies the hard lined hooligan with a sharp tongue. Love’s direction and the dynamic cast display the thrill surrounding football hooliganism, but gradually unfurl the darker side. It’s a riveting piece of cinema that shouldn’t be missed by football or indie cinema fans. Ayushman Jamwal
8.
District 9 dir: Neill Blomkamp cast: Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, Robert Hobbs
out now, 112 mins
2
010: Aliens are landed on Earth and forcibly located in a slum area of Jo'burg, District 9. The munitions corporation, Multi-National United, is contracted to forcibly evict the population of alien ‘prawns’ (as they have been derogatorily termed) as humans become hostile to the visitors. During this operation, Wikus van der Merwe, a MNU worker is exposed to an alien chemical; his transformation making him dangerous and valuable to MNU. Ironically, he must return to District 9, where only the help of Christopher, a pioneering ‘prawn’, offers him any hope of not being turned into a human guinea-pig and escaping his transformation. District 9 is the latest production
"Don't point you're fockin' tentacles at me!"
from Peter Jackson’s Wingnut films. The fact that Jackson left the longrunning Halo film project to take this on speaks volumes for first-time movie director Neill Blomkamp’s promise. The first 45 minutes are shot in a mockumentary style, showing interviews in the timescale from when after the aliens landed, and after the depicted events of the film itself. Although parallels between the narrative and that of South Africa’s not so recent uncomfortable past are evident, they aren’t forced down our throats, and the audience is treated as intelligent enough to piece together the film is whatever way they wish. Rather than simply telling us that alien racism is bad, District 9 analyses how self-preservation and fear turn people against each other and that the conceptual separation of Aliens/Humans and Black/White soon disappears when Wikus has to deal with Christopher, who proves himself to have nobler motives than merely eating cat food. The special effects and explosions add extra intensity to the film, that could only leave Michael Bay feeling envious. For fans of James Cameron or Ridley Scott’s storytelling and directorial vision, Blomkamp’s debut ranks as a must-see.
Lloyd Griffiths
9.
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listings
+ Gavin Cole + Craig Bartlett- Glam
September 28- Pete Lawrie + Jimmy Alexander & The Satellites- Buffalo Bar 29- People In Planes + Exit International- Clwb Ifor Bach The Mission DistrictBarfly 30- Band of Skulls + The Muscle Club + Blue Wall + Pop Tarts DJs + Rowdy Club DJs- 10 Feet Tall Johnny Cave and The Voodoo Groove + What The Butler Saw Burlesque + Cassette Quality DJs- Buffalo Hey Monday + Out Of Sight + Every Avenue + Stereo Skyline- Clwb Ivor Bach October 1- Tinchy Stryder- Solus
Taint + Chains Of HateBarfly 2- General Fiasco + The Onlookers + Get Yer Rock- Barfly Kate Walsh- Clwb Ifor Bach
4- Mac 3000 + Ceri + Jen Long + Fanny Pack DJs- Buffalo Bar
A^hi^c\h
6- Cliff Richard & The Shadows- CIA Paolo Nutini- Wales Millenium Centre 7- Oxjam- Barfly
HZe '-i]" DXi &'i]
Mabon- The Globe 8- Deadmau5- The Great Hall Sound Of Guns- Barfly 9- The Slits + Wet Dog Clwb Ifor Bach Tom Jones- C.I.A. 10- John Cooper Clarke + Frank SidebottomBarfly From The Jam: Bruce Foxton and Rick Buckler + Ed Tudor-Pole + The Monty Dons- St David's Hall Nearly Dan- The Globe 11- Oxjam- Dempseys Skindred- Solus
3- Bedlam- The Great Hall
12- Traffic Launch PartyUndertone
Stereophonics- Coopers Field
This City + SharksBarfly
Bombay Bicycle ClubClwb Ifor Bach
Alun Cochrane- St David's Hall
Disco Heaven: David Dunne + Carl Hanaghan + Andy B
listings@gairrhydd.com/55
features-music
Festival Special
Simon Roach kicks off our Festival Special with the big one, Glastonbury '09...
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lastonbury. Of all festivals in the UK, I think it’s fair to say that this is the most famous and most iconic. Started in 1970, it’s still the largest greenfield arts festival in the world and still gets some of the best and most diverse acts. This year’s line-up was eclectic as ever – from Neil Young to Animal Collective, the Prodigy to Bon Iver, Blur to DJ Yoda – 2009’s Glastonbury truly did have something for everyone. Even Rolf Harris made a cheeky appearance. Surely it can’t get any better than watching the middle-aged presenter of a show about hurt animals wobbling a board around on stage. Glasto, you’ve done it again. As my train rattled across the English countryside on Thursday afternoon, I remember not quite being able to believe that I was actually about to lose my Glastonbury virginity. I had been going to
go regardless of the quality of acts playing this year, for I think it’s fair to say that whatever year you go to Glastonbury, you’re going to have a good time. The atmosphere upon arrival was expectedly euphoric. There was not particularly good weather and there was mud everywhere you looked, but still there was a collective sense of happiness wherever you went. This may be the case with most smaller festivals, but the fact that it’s so massive and still has such a relaxed and family-friendly environment is quite a special achievement. Compared to the edgy mayhem of tweenie-riddled Reading it was pure bliss. And I haven’t even mentioned the music yet. Headliners were Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen and Blur, all fairly legendary in their own way. This list alone would probably have rendered the tickets as sold out, but on top of that there were the likes of Fleet Foxes, Nick Cave
and the Bad Seeds, Bon Iver, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Jarvis Cocker and Bat For Lashes. But not a fan of rock music? That’s fine, there was also Dizzee Rascal, Animal Collective, Q-Tip, The Streets, 2 Many DJs, Deadmou5, Erol Alkan and Mr Scruff. The list of great acts could go on for a long time. More than anything it was at times frustrating how good the line-up was, at any one time there could be 3 or 4 acts that you wanted to see, but all were playing at once. Bruce Springsteen or Bon Iver? Blur or The Prodigy? So many difficult decisions in a single weekend have never been made. Although the music at Glastonbury 2009 was unbelievable, you can’t help but wonder whether it’s the people and experience that make it such a great festival. But, at the end of the day, does it really matter? The impressive line-up on show this year merely seals the deal on a predictably memorable weekend.
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