Quench - Issue 85

The man and the beard:

Scroobius pip Simon Bird Autumnal fashion + all the latest film, music, and book reviews

contents: Issue 85 // Oct 12th -14th

THE STUDENT MAGAZINE OF THE YEAR AT 8!

200 RDS AWA DIA GUARDIAN STUDENT ME

VOYEUR ROBBIE BLIND DATE FEATURES FASHION TRAVEL MUSIC p. 39

INTERVIEWS GAY PHOTOS FOOD GOING OUT ARTS BOOKS MUSIC

Cover Design: Simon Lucey Cover Photo: Jake Yorath

FILM

04 06 07 08 10 14 17 24 26 30 32 34 36 39 47

FILM p. 47

Editor Simon Lucey Executive Editor Emma Jones Assistant to the Editors Elaine Morgan 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 Photos Jake Yorath, Liz Foggitt Travel Dom Kehat, Paul Stollery Proof Readers Natalie Copp, George Carpenter, Sarah Magness, Katie Weeden, Hannah Goddard

printed on recycled paper. PLEASE RECYCLE.

voyeur

IN

OUT Burning Bras: expensive

T

he first few weeks of the university year have passed in a haze of filthy debauchery, alcohol, and all round shamelessness. I've been barely conscious of what is happening in the outside world such has been my constant levels of intoxication.

And blimey what I’ve missed. Big Dave Cameron has been trying to convince northerners that he is no Maggie, the media has ditched fat face Gordon, and Rihanna has probably got a new hair style or sunglasses or something. And that is all whilst polar bears continue to heroically cling on to melting Arctic ice caps.

Student apathy has reached an all time high, with the most talked about topics of the last few weeks probably being the release of Fifa 2010 and the Strictly Come Dancing controversy.

Are we apathetic or are we being supplied with rubbish by our ever reliable media?

It seems students are ignoring some of the finer things in life, (and no I'm not talking about Gordon and Dave's impending dual) but some of the tasty chunks of student life that are right on our doorstep.

So here it is, your antidote to lazy student syndrome. We've avoided boring Tory rants, and instead sifted through the best Cardiff student culture, serving it to you in this tasty little magazine.

We've got interviews with legendary wordsmith Scroobius Pip, Inbetweeners star Simon Bird, and we catch up with soon to be Swn stars The Wild Beasts.

Arts give you a guide to whats hot in the theatre, whilst the fashion team head out to explore the latest autumn trends.

Film give you a lowdown on one of the best venues to catch up on underground independent cinema, along with all the reviews of the latest big blockbusters.

Don't say we don't treat you guys.

SL

04 / voyeur@gairrhydd.com

Spikey Bras: extreme feminism

ba dom tish

jolly humorous stuff

Three guys go to a ski lodge, and there aren't enough rooms, so they have to share a bed. In the middle of the night, the guy on the right wakes up and says, "I had this wild, vivid dream of getting a hand job!" The guy on the left wakes up, and unbelievably, he's had the same dream, too. Then the guy in the middle wakes up and says, "That's funny, I dreamed I was skiing!"

dictionary corner embracing student filth

Pirate bath: The process of washing just the arm pit area and the private area with a wash cloth or handful of water. People will ask you to define a pirate bath, the easy definition is "pits and privates" E.g. Kyle was in a helluva hurry and didn't have time to take a full shower. He instead took a pirate bath and he was on his way.

Voyeur

voyeur

What would Jo W hiley do?

similar vein, I’m a Dear Jo, ic, fashion and milfhood. In a You are a true pioneer of new mus lated your popularity, status and sexual prowess all e emu fresher who can be said to hav tickety-boo, so to speak, a- the school yard. All seemed be it in a far more cutthroat aren la crème de la crème, the diamond in the rough, due to ard, to your regular Radio 1 as I was the talk of the schooly dy's deep pockets and (thanks my undisputable good looks, Dad ge. ersity, my whirlwind show) up-to-date music knowled the academic orgasm that is Univ At school you see, However since I’ve indulged in ion. down into the depths of depress use it against me, referlifestyle has been turned upside parentage however here people rich my for me d people respecte ’. ‘rah , fully understand ring to me as a term that I do not seems my natural gifts bestowed upon me by Daddy it Jo please can you help me for ule. seem to be the subject of ridic Regards, Dandelion

that I'm an inspiraDear Dandelion ng in touch. It is a comfort to know Firstly Dandelion, thank you for getti thinking about it, it is hardly a surprise that I can ough presenters at Radio 1 tion to young girls like yourself. Alth you look around my fellow female ty friendly Scot, but offer you such help. If for example chat a as Bowman may come across you will not find much help. Edith once She . thing beware Dandelion there is no such I shall never . wore the same dress as me to work forgive the bitch. ie MacOthers provide even less use; Ann stroclau et clos Cox h Sara gy, drug mental on ed start me get even t phobic, and don' the Osbourne girl.

So yeah, basically you've come to actuthe right girl. As you may know I lem prob e sam the ally suffered from as you, being a 'rah' but I've man ation aged to take lessons in pronunci to give me my common twang.

Through a lot of hard work and perspiration you can reach my level of commoness- but in the mean time try dropping the 'T' in day to day words like 'butter' and 'bitter.'

Hugs and kisses,

Jo

voyeur@gairrhydd.com / 05

“ “

“ I

t’s official. Long before any actual campaigning or even voting begins in earnest, Labour have lost the election. The reason is simple; the Sun has switched its allegiance back, and is throwing its considerable weight behind the Conservative Party.

Now, the opinions of the Sun and its readers should usually be laughed and derided more than when Ringo Starr tried writing lyrics.

However, the problem is simple. If you’re a decided voter of the left, you will read the Guardian, Independent or maybe even the Mirror, if you lean to the right you’ll be reading the Telegraph or Express and if you’re a pseudo-Nazi you’ll pick up the Daily Mail. If you don’t really care too much for politics, like the vast majority of our apathetic population, you may just read the Sun, as it’s light, easy to digest and includes mild porn.

This is why when the sponges that make up the Sun’s readership see the words “bogus asylum seekers poured in to the country”, they instantly get angry and have an opinion; an entirely uninformed and ridiculous opinion, but an opinion and a vote all the same.

Another bullet pointed ‘fact’ (highlighted in the same article as reasons for the loss in confidence of Labour) was that “four out of 10 kids (sic. Note the continuity of words and numbers to describe the fraction) cannot read, write or add up properly” after they leave school.

Maybe it has something to do with Sun headlines, like its boast after the 1997 election that “It was the Sun wot won it!”. Seriously, where do they get off condemning bad grammar?

The final reason for their supposed loss in faith in Labour is

06 /robbie@gairrhydd.com

POLITICS

The Sun has truly put its neck on the line and gone against the grain of popular support this week, by turning its back on Labour. But why? They seemed so happy together? Robbie Wells examines...

the war in Afghanistan where the government has left troops “to die through chronic under-funding”. This is a subject that is very sensitive, but under-funding is not the problem in Afghanistan. The fact that we are fighting a war in Afghanistan at all is the problem. Unfortunately the Sun loves a good war; it gives them the opportunity to be patriotic and decry anyone who doesn’t support the war as a weak, lentil eating hippy. For their information, lentils are a great source of protein for a plant.

“

If the Sun ruled, we'd be living in a Nazi State

“

robbie

If the Sun formed the government, we’d be living in a near Nazi state “Let’s bomb this lot today! We don’t like anyone who isn’t like us! Get out of our country! You what? You don’t want to join in? Fine, here are some tits on Page 3 then” - simplistic, hate-filled rhetoric that is syringed into the blood of those incapable of actually thinking for themselves. Not one of its readers will question why the Tories will be better than Labour, or why they should trust the Sun’s judgement this time, when they clearly fucked up last time.

The funny thing is that the Sun suggests that it is left with no alternative but to side with the Tories.

Poor Nick Clegg is left to sit outside in the cold like a three legged spaniel; everyone thinks he’s cute, sure, but no one’s going to invite him to dinner, just in case he’s incontinent.

It is curious that, whilst the Conservative’s reputation is being muddied

with links to Nazi Waffen SS loving parties in Europe, and Alistair Darling's hair and eye brows are defying all previous notions of contrast, the liberals keep their noses fairly clean and no one really gives a shiny shite.

Simply put, the election has been decided for some time and Rupert Murdoch does not support a losing side. In order to get the freedom to do whatever the hell he wants, he needs to have leverage over those in power. Claiming to be the reason for winning an election is usually a good way about it. It is well known that Tony Blair made long flights to liaise with Murdoch prior to the ‘97 elections and now Cameron is doing the same thing. It really would be interesting to see the effect on Murdoch’s empire if Labour actually won. It won’t happen, but it’d be nice. I’d just like someone to give the Liberals a bone; they must be freezing out in the wilderness.

blinddate

Blind Date The Quench Cupids worked their magic this week on Jess and

Buck, will there be any chemistry between these two scientists?

Buck - "This is uncomfortable" Jess - "The chair or the situation?"

Jess

Buck

1. What were your first impressions?

Very good, he was smart, interesting, kind and gentlemanly. Although one of the first things he said was, "this is uncomfortable!" I asked "the chair or the situation?" He replied, "the situation!!"

2. What were the best and worst parts of the date?

Best: Tapas was amazing.

Worst: Being beaten at pool four times.

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

I had a shower!

4. Did the date continue after Mango?

We went to play pool and he thrashed me in four games!

5. Any cringe-worthy moments?

No, but it was suggested that during pool, losing by 7 balls would result in a forfeit of running around the table naked. Luckily he was joking and I'm not that bad.

6. So how well did you get to know his anatomy?

I'm not an anatomist, I'm a zoologist!!!

7. And the infamous chuck, fuck or marry?

Befriend but (by process of elimination), chuck.

1. What were your first impressions?

She was pretty and talkative. But more than anything, I was just grateful that someone was there!!

2. Were you nervous? Did you do anything special to get ready?

I wasn't really nervous. As for special prep... I did get my housemate to iron my shirt for me. That count?

3. Did the date continue after Mango?

Yeah, we went to the Crwys pub after for a couple drinks and some pool. She also talked me into doing Tae Kwon Do the following Monday.

4. As a chemist, do you think you have perfected a love potion?

I personally don't think there is a specific formula. Just occasional mixtures that work.

5. What animal did she remind you of and why?

I've got to go with a parrot. Colourful and talkative.

6. And the infamous chuck, fuck or marry?

Not a chuck. I'm gonna go with marry. Namely cause I don't see myself as crude enough for the other.

Jess and Buck enjoyed their meal courtesy of Mango, 105 Cathays Terrace. This award winning restaurant and cocktail bar offers a wide selection of Mediterranean, tapas and Mexican cuisine, specialising in Mediterranean-themed parties. Now featuring a heated beer garden and relaxing shishas. Call 02920 228221 for bookings.

blinddate@gairrhydd.com / 07

features

Feeling sluggish after Freshers' fortnight? Too many greasy kebabs?

Chloe Hibbert finds her perfect solution to feeling fit once again...

...Run Fresher, run!

The Cardiff half marathon is taking place on the 18th October, at 9.00am starting off at the Bay. Be more than just a spectator and lace up your running shoes. Note that places are limited For more information see www. cardiffhalfmarathon.co.uk

08 / features@gairrhydd.com

features

A

s fresher’s week draws to a close, a general feeling of guilt sweeps students around the country as they contemplate the effects of excessive alcohol and take-aways. New resolutions to eat healthily and get fit are made on a daily basis, often thanks to the wide range of sports societies offered at the Freshers' fayre. Whilst many people join these clubs for both the exercise and the social scene, there are some who find team sports an intimidating prospect.

Last year I was one of these students, with no extracurricular activities to speak of. That is until I made a spontaneous decision to go for a run, and discovered a more accessible way to get fit.

personal feeling of achievement and the satisfaction of surprising everyone (not to mention the trophy sitting proudly on my shelf), there have been other noticeable benefits.

Research has proved that running is an effective stress-reliever, and that adults who exercise regularly are happier than those who don’t.

In fact running is often suggested to help mild depression. Scientists have suggested that strenuous exercise releases extra endorphins and adrenaline, helping to create the ‘runner’s high’ that many people feel after a long session. These psychological benefits far outweigh the physical pain, and leave you feeling more energetic and creative during the day.

"It was incredibly "All you need is a liberating to know road and a pair that I was getting of shoes" fit without being For the majority of my school life I avoided P.E, making every possible pressured" excuse to get out of competing.

When forced to participate I would usually stick to the sidelines for fear of exposing my awful coordination skills. At university I followed a similar pattern, disregarding the sports societies as too intimidating and competitive for someone with as little talent as myself. However, after the first semester when the notorious Fresher’s Fifteen started to creep up on me, I realised that some sort of exercise would be a good idea.

However, my one and only visit to the gym did not improve my reservations; indeed, the competitive groups of guys surrounding the weight machines caused me to feel even more inadequate. After encouragement from my incredibly active boyfriend I decided to try running, but my hopes were not high. It was only after I came back from my first twenty minute run feeling surprisingly proud of myself that I realised it could be a perfect way of getting fit.

A year on and I have completed my first 10k run in just over an hour, a perfectly acceptable speed for a beginner like myself. As well as the

As well as psychological advantages, running benefits your health as well. Regular aerobic exercise lowers your blood pressure, reducing the risk of heart disease. It also helps to keep your lungs healthy, which is particularly beneficial if you are a smoker. Running is also one of the best forms of exercise to lose weight; the high intensity causes your body to burn off calories quickly.

In fact, running burns more calories per mile than any other exercise, with the exception of cross country skiing. Indeed, since I have started running my thighs have noticeably toned up and the weight I put on over Freshers' week has disappeared. It has also been proven by scientists at the Harvard school of Public Health that the increased flow of blood around your body increases your sex life, a benefit that everyone can appreciate.

Whilst most forms of exercise have psychological and health benefits, the key thing that attracted me to running is the accessibility of it.

There are no gym fees or equipment costs involved in running, all you need is a road and a pair of sports shoes (Asics is a popular reasonably priced brand). The possibility of running anytime and anywhere increased my motivation; whenever you have a burst of energy you can take advantage of it. Google Earth is a great way to measure how far you have run, so you can improve each time and accurately boast about your distance. I recommend Bute Park as a perfect place to start, particularly if you are living in Talybont. This is a popular place for runners and is hidden from the traffic, reducing any self-consciousness you may have about your appearance. As I discovered on my first run, looking attractive during intense exercise is pretty unachievable. However in the summer a pair of sunglasses is the perfect way to hide the majority of your sweating red face and help boost your confidence. Going with a friend is a great way to keep yourself motivated, but if you prefer to run alone as I do, an mp3 player can keep you company.

"A year on and I have completed my first 10K run in just over an hour" There is one final benefit of running that far outweighs other forms of exercise for me, the fact that it is all about you. Whilst that first run was painful, intense and slightly embarrassing, it was incredibly liberating to know that I was getting fit without pressure; you make the rules and set your own limits. There are no angry team members shouting at you when you fail to catch a ball, and no groups of competitive men huddled around exercise equipment showing off their muscles. Plus, when people ask you what you do in your free time, you can claim that you are a runner, and immediately appear fit, healthy and intimidating some qualities that people strive for their whole lives.

features@gairrhydd.com / 09

fashion

our

Sleekest season This week fashion explore some of the latest formal autumnal trends. Its all about big statements whilst retaining a subtle class..

10 /fashion@gairrhydd.com

fashion

fashion@gairrhydd.com/11

fashion

12 /fashion@gairrhydd.com

fashion

All photos: Jake Yorath Models: Emily Cater Ben Hall

fashion@gairrhydd.com/13

travel

A

h, the city of forbidden pleasures. There’s plenty here, though a fair amount of it isn’t what you’d really want to scribble on a postcard home.

It’s the ideal student destination - young, spirited and possible to do on the cheap. Well, as close to ‘the cheap’ as the current exchange rate allows, anyway.

Flights are short and sweet about 75 minutes from Bristol or Cardiff to Schiphol airport. With EasyJet a return ticket comes in at around £80. Trains run regularly between the airport and Central Station, which is conveniently located - as the name suggests -right in Amsterdam’s beautiful centre.

And it is a beautiful city, make no mistake. Popular consensus is that it’s best to stay as centrally as possible in order to soak it all in, whichgiven the volume of youth hostels- isn’t difficult. One of the most popular hostels is Warmoesstraat’s Hostel Meeting Point, located on one of the lively streets fringing the notorious red light district.

Even at the height of August’s

14 /travel@gairrhydd.com

tourist season, three nights set us back just 60 euros each. Not bad for somewhere within easy staggering distance of so much nightlife.

18 bunks in one room isn’t the lap of luxury, but we quickly made new friends, albeit for a few hours at a time. More on them later.

"Make sure you censor the post card home" On our first night, we decided to take in the mythic, cliched Amsterdam experience. Wandering the red light district is initally slightly disconcerting, mainly as there’s nothing like it at home. Women in lingerie stand in glorified shop windows under Roxanne-esque red lights. They mainly just look bored. Some file their nails; others sit texting. Thronged by stag parties, it’s hard to find any of it particularly sexy; it’s seamy, but not overtly aggressive.

The area is also the main hub

for coffeeshops. Slighty misleadingly-named, these are places with licenses to sell marijuana. Pre-rolled joints often cost less than a single alcoholic drink (around €3.50) and there are enough different strengths on offer that there’s guidance for smoking virgins as well as something for the more experienced.

The next morning, we decided it was time for something a little more cultural so headed for one of the numerous museums for whichAmsterdam is famed for in more cultural circles. We chose the sex museum.

It’s incredibly seedy and is basically just an extremely extensive porn collection, but at 3 euros it's one of the funniest (and filthiest) mornings imaginable, it’s well worth it.

As Amsterdam’s centre is shaped like a spider’s web, with numerous canals forming the spokes, a canal boat trip is also definitely worth a go. For around 8 euros you can relax for an hour at a gentle cruising pace, checking out some of the most interesting sights from a different viewpoint.

We took in the Anne Frank House,

travel

Amsterdam

Emma Davies investigates the city that has it all; sex, drugs – and utterly fucking mental Dutch people on bicycles

too, which is the epitome of historical Holland.

The cramped quarters in which she passed her last few years and penned her famous diary don’t make for the most cheerful of times, but only a philistine wouldn’t bother. The queues tend to look huge, but do move fairly quickly.

After all this, we realised we’d been far too sedate. So, when some of our new friends suggested we tag along with them on an organised pub crawl, we were enthusiastic. Perhaps a little too enthusiastic.

We joined the ‘Party Kings’, paying 10 euros for free shots in every bar along the way, cut-price drinks and all the vodka shots we could drink along the way. T-shirts were an extra, but we somehow ended up with one of these orange monstrosities apiece for free. A good look when combined with abject drunkenness.

Freshly-earned cultural dignity?

We threw it all away that night. Or vomited it all away, in the case of my friend - who woke up the next day with her bunk splattered in sick.

Lovely.

Taking it easy was definitely the next day’s plan. As well as sex, drugs and sin, Amsterdam is renowned for its bike-friendly status.

At just 9.50 per day, we decided this was certainly a more chilled way to kill time.

"Freshly-earned cultural dignity?

We threw it all away that night" This decision was made having never experienced cycling in Amsterdam. It’s a widely-cycled city, yes; unfortunately, nobody sees fit to warn you about the Dutch cyclists themselves. They’re utterly fucking mental and there were points where I pretty much feared for my life, wob-

bling among the two-wheeled chaos.

If you can brave the occasionally terrifying bike ride to the Vondelspark on the outskirts of the centre, it’s the perfect place to kick back with a picnic, or to cycle lazily around one of the paths through the endlessly extending greenery. Heaven when hungover.

By our final evening we were exhausted, still suffering from the previous night’s excesses for anything more than a simple trip for dinner. I’m sorry to say that I have very little idea of what Dutch cuisine entails, but Amsterdam offers a little of everything.

Prices vary greatly, but an average main course is around 10 euros.

Drinks are expensive, though, so it’s worth making sure you’ve got plenty set aside even if you’re sticking to soft drinks.

It’s easily possible to do Amsterdam for a few days on a budget of under £350, especially if you’re savvy about how you spend. Go before you graduate and embrace it all. Just make sure you censor that postcard home.

travel@gairrhydd.com / 15

travel

IN F BRITA BEST O

. . .Ogmore-by-Sea Each issue, Travel showcases some of the best travel destinations from across the British Isles. Only a short drive fromCardiff you reach the idyllic village of Ogmore-by-Sea, complete with beaches and pub lunches. Katie Prescott explains why you too will fall for its charm.

S

orry, was that Freshers’ week? While most of you have been staggering around school uniform parties, struggling from supermarket to home under crates of beer, us journalism postgrads have been experiencing an intense first week of hard work.

As part of our assignment to ‘get to know our patch’ of South Glamorgan, we decided to combine work and fun and use our homework as an excuse to hit the beach.

Only 40 minutes drive along the southern coastal road from the city, and factoring in twenty minutes getting lost time, is the beautiful village of Ogmore-by-sea. And for those of you without a car, it is possible to cycle from Cardiff. One of our friends did it in an hour and a half – by choice I might add! It’s really worth the short trip to escape from the city.

Long sandy beaches stretch around a bay dotted with surfers.

Fishermen perched quietly on the rocks and beach barbeques were sizzling away, ready to receive the

16 /travel@gairrhydd.com

first catch. So if you love surfing it’s a great place to come. For those who don’t, walking in the sea air along the coastal path around the headland helped us to clear away the cobwebs of the night before. It was a welcome break from Queen Street on a Saturday.

"At a couple of quid on petrol, sea air is cheaper than a Starbucks Coffee" From the beach, you can walk up the wide estuary, past blue-tinged rocks to reach Ogmore Castle. There might not be much left of it now but we found it was a great setting for a rowdy game of sardines.

Next to the ruined castle is the quickest way to cross the estuary to Merthyr Mawr: ancient stepping stones. In the winter, locals hold races across them to see who can reach the other side the fastest without falling in the water. But noone fancied getting their hair wet this

weekend, particularly before we had explored another kind of watering hole.

We ate in the 18th century pub The Pelican in her Piety inn which sits on a hill opposite the castle. We piled in to a cosy low-ceilinged room at the back to sit at what can only be described as a banquet table. The food was locally sourced, and traditionally cooked – from pans of mussels to haddock and lamb, and most of the meals were on the specials board. At about £15 a main, it didn’t come cheap but the price certainly reflected the quality.

In case you’re wondering, the unusually named pub was named after a traditional Christian symbol of a pelican pecking herself to feed her young with her own blood. We don’t have to be so self-sacrificing. As a London girl, I love how near Cardiff is to such beautiful countryside – no hour commute through the suburbs here. And for a couple of quid on petrol, sea air is cheaper than a Starbucks coffee. What’s not to like?

"oh!

interviews

it's the

OnE

with

the

massive beard! "

Scroobius Pip is one of Britain's most bearded men.

Jake Yorath and Oli Franklin swap facial grooming tips with the spoken word star.

W

hen you first sit down with Scroobius Pip, there’s two things you notice. The first, as Jim Broadbent would say, is his great big bushy beard. The second is his quirky habit of wearing a Casio watch on each hand, one in silver and one in gold.

The third thing that you notice is that Dan Le Sac sounds outrageous doing sound check.

Well, at least that’s what you notice if you are us, sat on the Solus sofas with one half of the acclaimed hip hop duo Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip, a mere couple of hours before they go on stage for a (as we would later find out) fantastic performance.

Incidentally, for those of you admiring the grandeur of the beard in question, take note; “It’s

all just persistence. It struck me that it would be difficult to shave, living in a van [whilst touring the country promoting their debut album ‘Angles’].” And for any aspiring musicians looking for that killer image- “It’s the best marketing tool,” says Pip, “There are loads of spoken word artists that are way better than me, but we’ve had way more success because they all say ‘Oh! It’s the one with the massive beard!’”

The duos gritty, unorthodox style of spoken word lyrics over tempestuous, infectious beats is the result of an unusual production process. “It’s really varied all the way through. There are some tracks where Dan just sends me a beat. Working on the new album, Dan sent me a load of beats but none of them really fitted the stuff I’d written.

interviews@gairrhydd.com /17

interviews

"I

wrote the

guitar solo to

torn..."

It inspired some new ideas, so it kind of works both ways.”

It’s not easy coming up with the lyrics for tracks like ‘The Beat That My Heart Skipped’ though.

“I put a lot of time into it, but it’s something that’s quite hard to force. I’ll have a period where I write a load, and then another period where I’ll sit down to write and nothing. At the weekend, as my brother was on the way round to my flat and I came up with an idea, so that when he got there he had to sit quietly for half an hour while I typed it out, ‘cause I suddenly had a moment where it was all flowing.”

It’s a process that adds tremendous creative pressure, but it’s under these conditions that Pip thrives. “The reason that I got into spoken word though really was that I had been in a few bands and you’ve got to rely on everyone else, but with spoken word, if I was motivated enough, then it was all on my own shoulders. If I failed it’s my fault, if I succeed it’s my fault, and I like that pressure. There’s no one else to blame, it’s all on me.

With me and Dan it works nicely for us because we’re both quite comfortable to say if something’s not quite right. Dan’ll make something, and I’ll say ‘I like it,

but maybe if that did that…’ It’s good I can say, ‘If it went a bit bloargh there’ and he can take that idea and turn it into something rather than a stupid idea in my head. We seem to have a good way of working there.

Same way that with the lyrics Dan can say ‘that’s a bit shit.’”

A profound way with words isn’t the only gift that Scroobius has been bestowed with – when asked what he thought his best song was, his response was a revelation. “The best song I’ve ever been involved with was I wrote the guitar solo for Torn, by Natalie Imbruglia.” Suckered, we replied. “Really?!”.

“No.” Oops.

With their growing success though, Pip is maintaining his strong ethical beliefs, including a performance this summer for MacMillan Cancer Research.

“It’s just trying to have a bit of social awareness. I’m always conscious lyrically to try and talk about things that are not covered much in songs. It’s popular in interviews to just bang on about being green, pollution and that, but if you’re then going and singing another love song, then what’s the point? You know?”

The passion about this subject that comes through in his lyrics

18/interviews@gairrhydd.com

is even more evident in person.

“Five percent of your audience might hear that interview, but they’ll all hear your songs, so if you are going to talk about something why not put it in your songs? I’ve done some work with the Samaritans. There’s a track called ‘Magician’s Assistant’ on the last album which is about self harm- a lot of our fans are going to have a deeper connection, maybe.”

It’s clear that Pip is a man with a musical conscience. “I tend to drift into a sort of darker area.

I don’t know why. When I write about these subjects I never tell a complete true story. I’ll make a new story from it, because to use your own experiences is one thing, but if it’s a stranger or someone close to you, to tell their exact story and put it on your album…it’s kind of a bit… shitty. So I’d rather root the emotions in reality, but then create a new story.”

The pair are currently working on a new album, and if first impressions are anything to go by, it will go down well amongst their gathering fan base.

Check the duo out on Spotify, or visit www.myspace.com/lesacvspip for a musical enlightenment.

interviews All Photos: Jake Yorath

"...Really?"

"NO."

interviews@gairrhydd.com /19

goinginterviews out

A chat amongst The Inbetweeners has become a student phenomenon providing us lary. One guy who is bound to be knee deep in clunge, going from met up with him when he came to the Cardiff's student union to

T

he night of one of the most anticipated gigs to grace our student union, had arrived. Simon Bird, or more famously known as 'Will the briefcase wanker', from the award winning ‘Inbetweeners’, was actually going to perform in CF10.

As you can imagine, tickets for this event were harder to get than a ‘beat the shit out of Mika’ gig.

In the past, Bird has performed stand up comedy and has taken part in the Chortle national student comedy awards, achieving second place in his final attempt, and notorious for his deliberate disqualification in 2007. With this in mind, I was expecting an evening of hearty guffaws.

This evening I was being accompanied by my moral support, Robin Morgan. So there we were, creeping up the corridor, feeling a little

edgy as I had been told earlier that day by his management that I would not be allowed an interview. Simon was far too busy and there would be absolutely no exceptions. We chucked a few ideas around such as getting fake important looking passes, sussing out the bouncers movements and other covert style capers. I wish I could say that we did, and as a last resort ended up lacing the bouncer’s coffee with rohypnol, but quite boringly we just kind of walked in there and spoke to him.

"We're all friends here" The unguarded 25 year old, looked quite the tired chap, as he yawned and rubbed his eyes. After

20/interviews@gairrhydd.com

telling us politely that we couldn’t have an interview because he would get in trouble, we merely suggested a nice chat between friends, as we liked to think we would be friends by the end of the night.

“We’re all friends here” he replied.

Stalker friends, we imagined. So we set about our casual chat with our new, thumbs up, ‘friend’.

Simon told us that this tour was not a stand-up tour, but his “experimental game show”, which he described as ‘shooting stars style-esque’. He had previously taken this show to Edinburgh fringe festival a few years back. This was his chance to test out some new material and he was also keeping himself busy writing some of his own stuff. This was his first time in Cardiff, and unfortunately, with no time to sight see, he was off to Bristol the very next day to continue the tour. At

interviews going out

the Bird with laughs as well as fantastic new vocabugeek to chique is Simon Bird. Jody Tozer perform his 'experimental game show'. this point I decided to start raving about Bristol, that it has waterfronts and everything. My hopes faded that he did not think of me as crazy with a penchant for water, but he kindly nodded and smiled. He told me he had heard of the very magazine that this ‘casual chat’ would appear in, as he remembered it from his media rival days. With that he got whisked away by the production team, and we were kicked out to prevent us seeing any game show spoilers. The one small hitch with being chucked out is that the burly bouncers were starting to appear, and Robin did not have a ticket.

“We thought we had 2 guest list” we lied.

"I have a spare comp you can have” Simon piped up.

New famous friend.

While we waited to be entertained we talked to some of the

attendees - Georgie Linscott and Lucy Steels were freshers who had managed to get tickets shortly after getting their A-level results. They had been getting excited about university, as we all did, and had been stalking the website for future events, “he just makes me cringe” Georgie claimed in reference to his role in ‘Inbetweeners’. We debated whether he was in fact, hot or not, “maybe if I hadn’t of seen him on inbetweeners” Lucy decided, as clearly geeks with briefcases, were not hot pickings.

interviews@gairrhydd.com /21

interviews The show was kicked off with Dan Mitchell, comedy club’s weekly compere who did a short 10-minute skit mostly about spectacle wearers.

Next up was Dean Burnett, a comedian who loves a bit of science.

Placing ourselves right at the front we should have expected to be picked on - my poor partner in crime Robin Morgan had managed to be called a date rapist, alcoholic and speccy bully victim, in other words Frankie Boyle.

"He clasped his hands together in that Will Mackenzie way" Then the main event, Simon Bird came onto the stage in a bright orange cardinal outfit, he explained that this venue was not a dirty café that serves chips and still smells of fryers, this was the Vatican city and he was in fact going to find the future pope in that very room by making the audience perform various tasks. With such challenges as riding a child’s bike ‘back to the Vatican’, before claiming that after death, most of us would end up in limbo. “We’re all going to limbo. We’re going to limbo”, as a prelude to a game of limbo in a bid to become the new Pope. The search was on, culminating in a speed round with three guys as girls had been eliminated from the search, as apparently the pope cannot be female.

They battled it out in a question round until finally a delightful guy with a funny twang in his voice called Mark won the prize position and a bottle of your finest ‘jack rabbit’ wine.A very short but sweet show, in conclusion was not really that funny, what added to the laughs is that these were students pissing about on child’s toys and saying stupid responses, or your typical student house party. Simon was very good at enacting his host role in this game show but it would have been nice to see some of the comedy stand up that he has

performed so well but lesser known for.

However, he was a really nice guy, who nodded sweetly to my witterings about Bristol, was happy to have photos taken and sign autographs with us before he departed to stay at an Ibis, “at least it’s one up from a travel lodge” he said as he clasped his hands together in that Will Mackenzie way.

So having tried our very best for this to have not seemed like an interview at all and more of a chat, we decided that maybe we should ask one proper question, we might just get away with it, so racking our brains for the ultimate question, we came up with “so what would you like to be asked?”, pure genius we thought, this answer is going to be absolutely, utterly hilarious, giving us a real insight into how the legend that is Simon Bird functions. “pass” he answered.

Touché, Bird.

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gay

L

Nick

edo

ueir e Fig

d

ike many others, I de cided that university was the perfect time to come out. A fresh start and all that.

I’d decided before I go t here that I wanted to at uni, and because be out I’d decided to be out, and had got my own head around tha t, actually coming ou t didn’t seem that epic anymore.

Everything’s new at uni so nobody cares if you ’re gay. It’s back home where the people are who you’ve known since you were 4, and who you hope will take the fact that you swing the other way wit hout fainting or throwing something at you. I never really tho ught anyone would hav e a problem with it, but that rat ional 90% of your brain still can’t silence the other 10% that remains stubbornly afraid of people’s reactions no matter how much you reassure it.

In the end my coming out was very painless.

I had promised myself I would have told my parents by the end of December, and between getting here in September and returning in January I had time to get my head around the idea of the m knowing, and of the m being ok with it. I told them separately, and both my brothers. None of them went entirely as planned, but once you hit ‘I’ve got som ething to tell you’ there isn’t really any backing out of it so, pla n or no plan, they’re going to be told . My little brother was the last to find out and then my sexuality became normal to me .

F

mas Nia Tho

or me the hardest th ing about fear of reje coming o ction, fear ut was fea of non-ac my friend r: ceptance, s would no known the lo n g e r se people like me. W fear that fro hen you’v potentiall e y losing th m the age of 3, the thought o em is quit worked up f e daunting. but the fa It’s easy to ct is, no m someone get att you can n ever say fo er how well you kn ing to rea ow r sure how ct. There’s th always th unknown. at small m ey are goargin of th Coming ou e t was one of the best I’m free to things I’ve be the who done. Now le me, and place to ‘e university xperi is the perfe less than st ment’ if you think yo ct u might be raight. a little You’re me eting new people all different b th ackground s with so m e time from lots of It’s a time any differe to open your may have nt views. mind: talk previo to those pe I was lucky, usly steered away fr ople you o m I . kn e w a few ga friends I fe y people th lt I could ta rough lk to, and th estimate h at helped m work and have ow much te e a lot. Do lling even n one perso n can make ’t underyou feel.

Come out

24 /gay@gairrhydd.com

different to us all. ” means something eing “out and proud how you fit in the d an elf very of yours It’s a personal disco rd for everyone ur own identity is ha world. Discovering yo h my mum was ug tho en d cultured world. Ev an e not ers div s ay’ tod in myself, because I'm found it difficult to be always ve ha le op gay, over the years I Pe e. on just sleep with some h the type of person to if you haven’t slept wit you know you’re gay do ow don’t I ich wh n me questioned, “H ard ply, I have feelings tow someone?”. Quite sim self “How do you I grew up, I asked my as d An towards women. ht?!” know that you’re straig mum was gay it was umed that because my ass ays People have alw after me and I underays loved me and looked in easier for me. She alw didn’t make it easy… t tha t Bu sn’t a bad thing. stood that being gay wa n it even more. ry fact it made me questio eleven. My first memo ht be gay when I was mig ide ins ling fee ird I first thought that I and a we ron Carter music video was of watching an Aa n’t understand why. did I g. son the in girl not the of me wanted to be the who I am, was hard. I’m at sense Accepting how I felt, and gre e, gur fi who’s got an amazing , who Joe cliché type of gay guy e rag ave r you ss sense. I'm never out of style and amazing dre ing ortant in school, so com the t felt that fitting in was imp tha d tan ers s too naïve to und happened for me. I wa ryone. eve for e tru cliché is not s what eone who didn’t care wa Being friends with som and tle set me ped hel It found.

I needed, and eventually I suddenly felt ed. erg em y alit son the camp side of my per s 18, I was happy. When I wa at ease with myself and nds, while frie my of t res the to set exploded out of the clo going back ars. The week prior to I was drunk at New Ye so worried felt I ; life my of ek we to school was the worst was that my lise rea . What I didn’t and almost dropped out ed. Now her bot s wa ody nob t tha news was old news and the first for ud I can be out and pro I'm at university I feel

B

time.

Mark A nderson

In recognition of International Coming Out Day on October 11th, Quench talks to members of the Cardiff Uni LGBT Society about how they approached the delicate subject of coming out, how people reacted, and how revealing their sexuality has changed their life.

to play!

gay@gairrhydd.com / 25

a A photos

this is a

Liz Foggitt and Jake Yorath gives you a nice, simple, 'use when you're hungover,' a-z glossary. Next time you'll know what we're talking about.

Aperture: the circular hole behind the lens that lets light onto the sensor or film. Measured in F numbersthe lower the number, the wider the aperture and the more light is allowed in, and vice versa.

Exposure: the amount of light that falls onto the sensor when taking a photograph. If there is too much light the image is over exposed, and vice versa. It is governed by aperture and shutter speed.

ISO: is used to indicate the sensitivity of the sensor to light. It is at its most sensitive when the ISO is high but can create a grainy effect. Lower ISO is less sensitive and has a finer resolution.

Bokeh: an often misused term. It is a Japanese word referring to the out of focus areas of a photo taken using a shallow depth of field, normally made up of many small, roughly circular shapes.

Flash: is artificial light to illuminate a subject. Flash is used when there is not enough light available, or to capture a moving object, or to create a different light mood for the photograph.

JPEG: a common file format used for the images produced by the digital cameras that is governed by the Joint Photographic Expert Group.

Chiaroscuro: is not only a great word, but also a great effect. It revolves around the contrast between light and dark, especially placing one against the other to emphasise their difference.

Grain: photographs are made from tiny dots called grains. Smaller dots allow for sharper images and smoother transitions between colours and contrasts. Coarser grain can create atmosphere in an image.

Kit lens: this is a starter lens, which is usually sold in a kit with an interchangeable-lens camera such as a ‘single lens reflex’ (SLR). These lenses can also be sold separately and tend to be inexpensive.

Depth of Field: the distance between the nearest and furthest part of a photo that is acceptably focused - a shallow depth of field means very little of the photo is in focus, and is often used for artistic effect.

Histograms: simple graphs showing the brightness of an image. The area under the graph represents pixels, the shape of the graph measures the brightness. The left being the dark pixels; the right the bright pixels.

Lens: the optical part of the camera through which the image is seen and focused. For SLR cameras it is possible to get a variety of lenses, all of which will serve different functions and allow different effects.

26/quenchphotos@gairrhydd.com

glossary photos

Macro: Close up photography. On most point and shoot cameras (even some mobile phone cameras) there is a macro setting to get extreme close up detail. You can get a macro lens for very detailed pictures.

Raw image file: contains minimally processed data from the camera's sensor. Similar role to negatives in film photography: not directly useable but contains the information needed for a presentable image.

Viewfinder: this is what you look through to compose and often focus the image. Many digital cameras now use electronic viewfinders that project the image onto the screen.

Objective: the aim for the photograph. We are going to be setting themes and asking you to send us your photos. It’s always important to keep the objective in mind if you are aiming to get your work printed.

Shutter: the device that allows light in and out of the camera to create an exposure. Most cameras allow you to manually adjust the shutter speed, which determines the amount of time light is let onto the sensor for.

Wide-angle lens: is used to widen the field of view. It is useful for ‘fitting more in’ and is often used in landscape photography. Wide-angle lenses usually have a much greater depth of field than a telephoto lens.

Pixels: are the grain that make up a digital image, each supported by coded data that describes the brightness and colour of the dot.

The higher the number of pixels the sharper the image.

Tripod: a three-legged stand in which you can place your camera for unwanted movement. Very useful in situations of low light such as night scenes. Try using a tripod for selfportraits.

You: the most important component to taking photos! We encourage you to practice and keep trying, after all it is your creativity, imagination and skill that will ultimately create the best photographs.

Quench Photos: your essential source of tips, ideas and competitions to help you improve your photography as well as a chance to have your pictures printed, and see other Cardiff students work.

UV Filter: used to protect your camera from UV light. In addition they can reduce haze and fogginess in an image. The filter is transparent to visible light and so can be left on the camera to protect the lens.

Zoom lens: a lens that has a range of focal lengths that change the angle of view, allowing composition to be pulled forward or pushed back.

Useful in sports or wildlife photography.

zZ quenchphotos@gairrhydd.com /27

Photo: Liz Foggitt

food

A Cupcake a day keeps the sweet tooth away!

Ceri Isfryn learns a valuable lesson in cake-making from entrepreneurial expert in the field, Mark Rogowski...

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my friends, am a self-confessed disaster when it comes to cooking. Ask me to quote Shakespeare and I will; ask me to rustle up an omelette and you’re looking at a few tedious hours cleaning the stove with a heavy duty Brillo pad. So who better to send to a cupcake masterclass than my very own hazardous self?

My expert for the day was to be Mark Rogowski, a part-time Biology teacher/ cupcake maker extraordinaire. Donning a snazzy suit and tie, you can most definitely tell he is one of the ‘cool’ teachers in school, made even cooler by his baking skills. Lemon cupcakes, rocky road cakes, soft brownies, all a walk in a park for Plwmp.

Mark set up Plwmp with his wife Sara, who is a newsreader on BBC Cymru, after a romantic trip to New York, where they visited the infamous Magnolia Cupcake store.

(Mark also proposed to Sara with a Tiffany sparkler in Central Park. I’m not jealous. Honest.)

At the moment they operate a delivery-only service, but are hoping

30 /food@gairrhydd.com

to set up shop in the city centre in the next few years. Mark spends the earlier part of his week teaching the ins and outs of biology before dedicating the back end of the week to making cupcake tiers for weddings.

“Brides can be very picky about what colour cupcakes they want; they have to match the table trimmings exactly. I spent ages last week perfecting some royal blue icing!”

When asked who is the better baker of the pair, Mark replied “I think as things stand I’m a better baker than my wife, but that’s just because I’ve had more practice.”

My lesson started with mixing the sugar and butter. Of course, nobody is stupid enough to put a hand blender on full power when dealing with sugar… are they? Ahem. Cue a decorating session of the blissfully clean kitchen, which I spent the next half hour apologising profusely for.

I then gave the bingo wings a good spot of exercise by sieving the self-raising flour before adding it alternately to the sugar and butter with the eggs. (It says a lot about the

state of my fitness when I woke up the following day with a distinct ache in my arm…).

The whole process was a bit like slow torture for me because as a child I was a serial bowl-licker when it came to cake mixtures. Like an ardent student, I managed to resist temptation until the very last minute, when my inner-child took over licked the spoon. Bah to the salmonella risk; it was bloody good.

When it came to the icing, I sort of wished I wasn’t with a biology teacher.

“If you know what the stuff in that butter and icing sugar did to your insides, I doubt you’d look so excited!”

One taste of the minty-green icing, and all thoughts of my rotting organs were immediately replaced by waves of sugary ecstasy. (Yeah, that’s rightI just made cupcakes sexy). What’s better is that the cupcakes are two-thirds cake, one third icing, and damn did they look pretty after being doused in multi-coloured stars.

Nigella, go back to getting kicks from your blender, Miss Isfryn just graduated from cake class.

food

MARK'S TOP TIPS FOR BETTER BAKING “Oven temperature gauges are hardly ever right, so if you’re serious about getting things right stick a thermometer in before putting cakes in to ensure they don’t burn.”

“As tempting as it is to be impatient and whack the icing on, make sure the cupcakes have cooled down properly first. This way, the icing will stay on better.”

“If you’re going to pipe your icing on top of the cupcakes, then put the piping bag in a cup and fill it this way. It’ll save you a lot of mess, and you’ll get as much as possible into the bag.”

“Sieving may seem like a pain, but it is important especially when making the butter icing to ensure the best consistency possible.”

Buy One Get One Free!!

If Quench readers bring this token when ordering cakes, Plwmp will give you an extra cake for free! For prices (which include free delivery in the Cardiff area) and a full list of products, visit www.plwmp.net, call 078 248 13674 or email contact@plwmp. net.

food@gairrhydd.com/31

going out

Hello, Hello...

I

n an unbelievable act of generosity, the city of Cardiff has got another plethora of massive nights ahead that you would be mad to miss. It’s going to be fresher than a first year, fatter than anyone’s mum and larger than something very big; get involved.

The fortnight kicks off with Cardiff Uni’s TRAFFIC society landing at the Undertone basement. A night run by, and for students with house, electro, techno and breaks on the menu, it is sure to be banging. Powerhouse c-y-n-t

Bedlam: The Big Number Three Great Hall

Reviewed

S

aturday night saw the return of the untouchable drum and bass event of the year, Bedlam, and with standards set at the first two Bedlam events, expectations were at an all time high for the Big Number Three.

Yet again, Bedlam delivered an incredible line-up that had the entire crowd knuckle-grazing from nine till four. A monster sound system; some of the most famous dub step DJs in the world; and visuals and lasers to assault your senses, Bedlam was one thing: THE place to be.

Kicking off the night was the ever-dynamic Monkey, joined

continue their residency at Clwb Ifor Bach on Thursday, if you have not yet sampled the delights of this mid-week session then you don’t know what you’re missing. This week Kry Wolf will be taking to the decks with their brand of fidgety, bassliney goodness. Saturday the 17th sees One Mission celebrating their tenth year of existence featuring Brookes Brothers and Lenzman. Koko Gorillas will be the venue for this night of drum and bass lunacy.

Another Thursday and another c-y-n-t, this time the main event being master of the dirty wobble, 16bit. If you are easily offended then stay well, well away!

The week will be coming to an end in massive style with two huge nights to tempt you off your sofa.

On Saturday the 24th Annie Mac is hosting at brand spanking new venue, the Millennium Music Hall.

DJ Mehdi, Jack Beats and Miss Mac herself will be keeping you stuck to the dance floor all night.

Keen not to be outdone, Bedlam will be packing out the union the following night with the hugely popular Chase and Status.

Another fortnight, another shed load of reasons to not rot in your room or hide in your house. Get out!

Jack Doran

by Diversify. The Great Hall was packed from the start and Monkey set off the night with tunes that had the crowd buzzing for more.

Caspa's incredible bass lines shattered the stage from ten till eleven. One Mission hosted some big names in the union’s CF10; the Big Number Three proving that Cardiff’s Student Union is becoming more and more exciting in terms of what it can offer. CF10 was busier than usual this year, broadening its usual focus on dub step to hard-hitting drum and bass, offering the likes of Sigma, Tribe, Marvel and Mr. Ben. Bedlam favourites Scratch Perverts stormed The Great Hall stage from eleven till half twelve, ninety minutes of gripping turntable skills. The trio returned in style with their ever-relevant selection of hip hop, dub step, breaks and drum and bass, you don’t forget a set like that in a hurry. These boys, hosted by Darrison, proved their worth once again and by the time they had finished their set.

The Great Hall was unrecognis-

ably banging. Skream presented next and for me stole the show this year. Arguably the most famous dub step DJ and producer in the world, Skream took the crowd’s energy to a new height. The man behind La Roux’s 'In for The Kill (Get Ravey Remix)' helped to make this the best line-up so far at Bedlam. When his signature tune dropped, an atmosphere of pure hedonism took control.

Dutch producers Nosia hosted sixty minutes of their teasingly brilliant tunes, presented by Master X. Finishing the set was the indisputable master of drum and bass, Andy C, stealing Bedlam and taking it to a new level. After eighteen years, he is still the one you have to see.

If drum and bass is the music you live for, or if you’re craving an indulgent night of tunes that make your feet unable to stop, then Bedlam is where you need to be. See you at Bedlam –The Big Number Four.

Laura Brunt

32/goingout@gairrhydd.com

going out

Drum and Bass duo Chase and Status are set to smash up Solus, Jack Doran takes a closer look...

C

hase and Status are part of a not so common phenomenon. They are one of those few acts that are firmly rooted in the underground dance music scene, yet effortlessly cruise into the mainstream arena; a recipe for huge success.

Saul Milton and Will Kennard have been DJing since the mid nineties when they met at Manchester University. It wasn’t until 2004 when their career as producers took off, releasing a remix on label Future Cut. This was followed by a succession of drum and bass anthems on many of the major labels in the industry, including Breakbeat Kaos and DJ Zinc’s Bingo. In 2005 they were granted real recognition as they picked up the award for ‘best single’ at the BBC 1Extra Drum and Bass Awards for ‘In Love’.

Last year the pair compiled their debut album release, More Than Alot, to great critical acclaim. Featuring singles Pieces, with Plan B, and Against All Odds, with Kano, the record shot to number two in the dance music charts.

"Solus no doubt will be bursting at the seams" With ever widening appeal and a fanbase of millions, Saul and Will now find themselves being approached by a host of famous names. With remixes of tunes by The Prodigy and Jay-Z under their

belts, they have most recently turned their attention to producing much of Rihanna’s new album with the singer claiming that they are ‘the backbone’ of the new record.

Not content with living in the studio, Chase and Status have embarked on an epic 29 date tour, and for the first time ever, its going to be live.

Solus will no doubt be bursting at the seams for this extravaganza. Drummer Andy Gangadeen of The Bays will be furiously bashing out rhythms whilst an as of yet unannounced vocalist will complete the show. If all that isn’t enough then support comes in the form of drum and bass and dubstep players Nero.

Be sure to buy tickets in advance, available from the Union box Office and its 14+ so you can bring your little brother. Happy days.

goingout@gairrhydd.com/33

w arts

reviews.

Rain Man Theatre 29/09/09 dir: Robin Herford cast: Neil Morrissey Oliver Chris Charles Lawson

The New Theare, Park Place

A

dapting an awardwinning movie starring two of Hollywood’s hottest properties is one thing; ensuring that the end result isn’t a complete disaster is another matter entirely. Thankfully, the stage anticipation of Rain Man manages to rise above any doubt by being truly brilliant.

" Neil Morrissey not so much steals the show as becomes his own oneman band."

The script remains mostly untouched by director Robin Herford, with the exception of a few added modern nuances. The only major deviation from the source material is inevitably in the stage design, where any temptation to recreate the larger-than-life Las Vegas sets

34 /arts@gairrhydd.com

has been shunned, with the smaller sets allowing the focus to remain on what is essentially a very characterdriven tale.

The acting, for the most part, is very good. The Office and Green Wing’s Oliver Chris is very believable as arrogant, brash Charlie Babbitt, and whilst his American accent is hammed up just that bit too much at times, he generally impresses. It is Neil Morrissey however, who not so much steals the show as becomes his own oneman band. His portrayal of autisticsavant Raymond is nothing short of exceptional, giving a performance that whilst was never going to top Dustin Hoffman’s in the original, is still great in its own right.

The relationship between the two is the fulcrum of the story, and very importantly is nailed down to the tee. Charlie is allowed to be humanised and sympathised with without ever being excused for his flaws, and Raymond’s story manages to

be at times funny, tragic and uplifting without ever blurring the line

" Rain Man succeeds in recreating the spirit and endeavour of the original" between reality and more fantastical depictions.

In what could have so easily been another lazy stage adaptation, the end result is instead something truly unique, with Rain Man succeeding in recreating the spirit and endeavour of the original without ever compromising its integrity, or the relevance it still possesses today.

Steve Wright

arts arts

Cell Dance 27/09/09 dir: Sarah Hall and Andy Marshall. perfomed by: Jon Luxton and Jodie Allinson.

Chapter Arts Centre

C

ell employs the multiple mediums of dance, music, dialogue and on screen media graphics to explore the relationship between two reallife characters who are brought together in an Italian prison cell; Josef Megele, infamous Nazi doctor responsible for medical experiments in Holocaust concentration camps, and a disabled street musician.

"Haunting and suitably bleak" The piece supposedly explores ‘what it means to be human’ and how ‘people come to embrace what they previously found abhorrent’ –a pretty ambitious project for any ninety-minute production. Although there are some interesting moments, in general it is very difficult to decipher what is happening and this is not helped by the fact that both actors play two characters at different times, and at different

periods in history.

The story is ‘told’ using short bursts of conversation or long drawn out silences followed by jarred and modern dance sequences performed by each character, delivered in front of a screen showing a diverse array of seemingly unrelated backdrops. At times both characters ‘dance’ together, intertwined, in quasi-sexual/violent movements, with Luxton impressively creating a new sub-genre by dancing and moving while wheelchair-constricted.

Throughout both actors appear totally consumed by their characters and seemingly give everything to their respective performances.

However, easily the best part of the production, the music (performed solely by Bethan Frieze on a variety of string instruments) steals the show. Haunting and suitably bleak, the diversity of sounds, from dramatic string plucking to delicate melodies, is simply astounding, and adds some tension to an otherwise rather strained production.

At times achingly pretentious and squirm-in-your-seat uncomfortable, while at others moving and shocking, the production left a sense of emptiness and confusion.

Though certainly ‘original’, ‘Cell’ is not necessarily watchable or accessible, unless you’re in want of a real challenge.

Eli Boulstridge

commentary.

T

his week Quench has been soaking up all the diverse events Cardiff has to offer.

Here are some quick insights into what we’ve been thinking…

The term ‘choir’ just doesn’t cut it for Soweto. They are an incredibly visual bunch of artists with fantastically colourful costumers and the strongest vitality. Their traditional African dance-offs were so impressive we need to call up Run-DMC and demand a new video for ‘It’s Like That’.

Richard Parker at the Sherman was surprisingly entertaining. Never has the term ‘darkly comic’ been more accurately applied.

We can’t wait for student comedy nights at CF10. Unfortunately we weren’t lucky enough to get tickets for Simon Bird, for that see Interviews- but there are a few names on the lineup we’ve got our eyes on.

Just a note to leave you with…

Does anyone else agree that giving a standing ovation and then leaving before an encore is the same as saying ‘I love you’ on a one-night stand?

arts@gairrhydd.com / 35

books

Stairway to Hell Charlie Williams

Pub: Serpent's Tail

G

iven his previous novels’ penchant for invoking comparison to Tarantino blockbusters and Irvine Welsh bestsellers, and a plot line revolving around Jimmy Page’s soulshifting experiments in the 1970s, it would not be too surprising if Charlie Williams’ new book ‘Stairway to Hell’ turned out to be a bit mind-boggling.

In fact, Williams races his readers through a fast-paced plot line and only reverts to the bizarre as a dramtic aside. As a result, the intrigue of this book lies mainly with

"If you deplore political correctness, love music, or just have a sense of humour you will enjoy this book" its convincing observations of life around the sleazy Blue Cairo club and the characters that frequent it rather than its esoteric concept – although its originality certainly makes it stand out.

It’s funny too. The wit is often subtle, and those with an interest in music will no doubt appreciate certain puns more than those who don’t, but the events that unfold are often laugh-out-loud funny.

In just one night, Rik Suntan is attacked by a beer bottle while on stage, sees his best chance at the big time kicked into touch, is locked

out of his flat by his girlfriend and shot in the chest by a midget in a pork pie hat.

This is just the beginning however, as Rik soon finds out that he is the reincarnation of David Bowie as well…

The depiction of the protagonist’s occasionally wavering pursuit of super-stardom is incredibly entertaining. If you deplore political correctness, love music, or just have a sense of humour, you will enjoy this book.

Andrew Papworth

The Mistress of Nothing Kate Pulinger

Pub: Serpent's Tail

D

espite the abysmal title, and the rather Mills and Boon like front cover, I thought that Kate Pullinger’s new novel had a certain amount of promise. I hoped that, at worst, it would be a trashy holiday read that would at least keep me turning pages until the end. And so I sat down full of expectation and was begging for mercy within ten minutes.

"The book falls spectacularly flat" I gave The Mistress of Nothing a fair trial for the first fifty pages but as the stagnant plot dragged on I completely lost interest. So that

36 /books@gairrhydd.com

"This is one of those books that you feel the need to fling across the room when you've finished it" you don’t have to wade through the rubbish that I did I can tell you that it finally picks up somewhere around part two, ominously labelled ‘death’, but after the brief excitement of an unwanted pregnancy and its consequences everything falls flat once again.

This novel culminates, finally, in an unsatisfying and frankly irritating ending.

This is one of those books that you feel the need to fling across the room when you’ve finished it followed by a daylong rant about the time you’ve wasted reading it.

The Mistress of Nothing is supposed to be a powerful romance marred by the sharp tinge of class relationships but the subservient tone of the lady’s maid narrator quickly becomes nauseating.

The Egyptian setting is described very well, but the charac-

"The one saving grace is that the novel is well researched" ters just aren’t likeable, and it’s difficult to enjoy a novel when you don’t really care what the outcome will be. The one saving grace is that the novel is at least very well researched and based on a true story, but perhaps, given that the book falls so spectacularly flat, that makes the whole thing so much worse.

Emma Pocklington

books

Schoolboy Holly Howitt

Pub: Cinnamon Press

A

re we bad people if we do bad things? Our narrator is Nick, an adolescent with drugs, sex, and booze on the brain. We follow as he ploughs through puberty, learning the workings of his inner mind. Incredibly, no matter how screwed up his inner mind gets, somehow we can still empathise with him.

But when the teacher he desperately fancies turns up violently raped and murdered, seeds of doubt grow. Is Nick an innocent, average, boob obsessed little boy or something far more sinister?

On this trail of discovery fuelled with corruption and danger we find out...

The good: Howitt has somehow snuck into the mind of a sixteen year old boy in this novella.The

"This would be certificate 18 if it was a film and plastered with warnings." incredibly realistic characters are fantastic! They seem to swagger off the page, smothered in lynx, clutching fake IDs and desperate to lose their virginity. Think of 'superbad', with a 'Lord of the Flies' dark side.

Is Nick an innocent, boob obsessed little boy or something far more sinister?

The bad: Slower than a tractor at the start, Howitt takes too long to introduce the characters. Push on through though. It's worth it.

The ugly: This book is ugly.

With themes of lust, violence and paedophilia. This would be certificate 18 if it was a film and plastered in warnings.

For example the first line is 'I want to suck your bones and wrap them in my skin.' Certainly not your average chat up line.

This brute of a book is not for the faint hearted, but for those who applaud honesty. And I for one applaud Howitt for her thoughtprovoking, daring and controversial debut.

Lucy Trevallion

Live and literary in Cardiff...

Wed 14th Oct The launch of I Spy Pinhole Eye, an innovative collaboration between poet Philip Gross and photographer Simon Denison.

7.00pm Bar One, Wales Millennium Centre.

Thurs 15th Oct Author Bernard Knight will be in Neath Library to discuss his work. He specialises in forensics and crime fiction. 6.30pm.

Nigel Jenkins will be launching his new book Gower with photographs by David Pearl. The book is all about the local area. 7.00pm Dylan Thomas Centre.

Fri 16th Oct Poets at the Castle with Clare Porter - a selection of poets will read their work followed by an

Gower: Thurs 15th Oct

open mic session. 7.30pm Castle Hotel, Brecon.

GPS- The Global Poetry System has recently been launched.

It is based on the idea that poetry can be found anywhere, in any form. Simply upload poems, art,

videos, music or anything you see that you think is poetic. You can then mark it on the global map.

The website has been running for a couple of months now and it looks great. It's definitely worth checking out.

books@gairrhydd.com/37

books

Vicar Joe's Religious Joke Book A religious joke book? How could the tedium of the Sunday sermon ever be made into comedy? Emma Pocklington finds out.

H

aving never attended a book launch before I was uncertain what to expect.

The title of the book I was to see launched made the whole affair even more doubtful: Vicar Joe’s Religious Joke Book, I wasn’t sure if it would be a sombre affair in which several vicars, their wives and a few bishops chortled over some anecdote about the possessed pigs in Matthew 8, or a much more ironic sort of occasion.

As suspected, on my arrival I found that I was easily the youngest person in the room, and I caught the glimpse of more than one dog-collar amongst the crowd. The launch took place in the impressive Dylan Thomas Centre, and I had lots of time to admire it. We sat through at least an hour of general chit chat and free wine before anything started to happen. What occurred then was not part of the evening but was at least quite comical; two vicars and a tech-

38/books@gairrhydd.com

nician going to war with a misbehaving microphone.

"Over far too quickly" When proceedings finally got underway the wine had been flowing for a good while and we all settled down for a good laugh. I did admire the genius of the authors’ plan of getting us all suitably drunk before they told their jokes.

Kevin Johns and Peter Read have tried to steer clear of the classic ‘have you heard the one about’ and lots of their jokes are based upon true events and stories. Their book is based loosely around the character of Vicar Joe, the ‘football-mad alter ego of Kevin Johns’ and takes jokes from parish life, grave stones and church noticeboards. It is safe

to say that you don’t need a scrap of knowledge relating to the bible to find these jokes funny. Nor do you need to know the political ins and outs of church life.

After a prolonged build up it was all over rather quickly, each of the authors read out a few of the jokes from the book and thanked everyone profusely. I thought perhaps it was a bit of an anti-climax given that we had been made to wait so long. Nevertheless the evening did provide more than the occasional chortle.

The book is divided into different sections but I think the best of these is probably the chapter on children.

There are however several jokes in the book that do no more than produce a slightly pained groan, “What kind of lights did Noah use on the ark? Floodlights”. Oh dear. But the majority of the book is worth a read.

The launch wasn't perhaps the most intellectual event I've ever attended, but it was a bit of a laugh.

music

music live:stereophonics interview:wildbeasts

albums:jay-z

local:preview newsinbrief swn '09! coming swn!

A

s we break into October, the only thing that stands between us and another crushingly wet Welsh winter is the prospect of Cardiff's premier music weekend, Swn Festival 2009. Chances are that you've had an eaful of how great it's going to be ever since you got back from your summer break, so we're not going to spoil that trend any time soon: it's going to be great.

The latest news is that Kendalborn oddballs Wild Beasts are set to perform on the back of their spectacular Two Dancers album.

They join the likes of Los Campesinos, Girls, Johnny Foreigner and a whole lot more, taking place around Cardiff's many venues and bars. We've an interview with them this issue to mark their recent announcement, so check out their recent goings-on just over the page.

As for the rest of the weekend, everything's looking promising. Live Music Society are all set for their night over at Dempsey's on Friday 23rd, assisted by the Quench Live team and Xpress. Make sure you support this first for our student media, and the tireless efforts of this year's LMS. Go to www.swnfest. co.uk for the latest news - and for those without a ticket, move quickly!

club NME launches in Cardiff

F

or those young Cardiffian hipsters who've been neglected up to now by their favourite musical weekly, the opening of Cardiff's own strand of Club NME is going to be a welcome addition to the local nightlife.

The date set for the launch party is Wednesday 14th October, and it'll feature a string of acts including the likes of Kitsune DJ David E Sugar, Strangeknife, Andy Johnson and Ross!n! all playing the night out in Buffalo Bar. Featuring a host of promotional offers for members including Topshop and local vintage store Hobos discounts, this is a scenesters dream, and it's bound to go off with a big glow-stick wielding bang when it comes to town in the next few weeks.

What's more, apparently some secret gigs are on the cards with rumours of pixie-man Patrick Wolf and beat-box prodigy Killa Kella circulating. Mind you, remember that Daft CYNT thing? That was some pretty comical rumour mongering, but chances are that these are a little more grounded than those hilarities, so look out for news.

So, The Club NME launch party: get trendy, and get going! It'll be all cutting-edge and fresh and whatnot.

cool cymru at st. david's hall

C

ool Cymru? Deary me...

Alarming to say the least.

I think we'd all hoped that Cool Britannia was a forgotten period in our island's history, but apparently the folks over at St. David's Hall are giving it a Welsh resurrection. The story here is that St. David's Hall - also known as the National Concert Hall - is transforming a part of itself into a brand new music venue aimed at emerging bands with the tagline Cool Cyrmu. We can't be too critical, it's certainly well-meaning.

Blas* begins on October 20th and features young-guns from around South Wales flocking to the National Concert Hall to showcase their band's uneven self-belief-toability ratio. Blas* also features the opening of St. David's new music venue, the L3 Lounge. The L3 Lounge is a 300 seat capacity venue which will play host to 'the most wide ranging programme of live music in Wales', so says the press release.

Having said that, the L3 Lounge will be also be home to Roots Unearthed, so perhaps they have something there. That's world, jazz and roots music which - to be honest - sounds far more worthwhile than an open-house for Valley metal bands. We've got Barfly for them.

music@gairrhydd.com / 39

music-features

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Wild Beasts

features-music

Hedonism, grace and soundscapes: Phil Guy talks to Hayden Thorpe...usic scene.

W

ith rain thrashing against the windows of a darkened Bristol Thekla, Hayden Thorpe - Wild Beasts’ hallmark vocal enigma - is more than keen to reminisce on a summer well spent. The power’s failed with only hours before doors open for tonight’s show, but Thorpe is content to dwell on the sun-kissed days spent touring Britain’s festival circuit rather than face the gloomy prospect of a cancelled gig, and the kind of weather that can only mean winter is coming.

“I think the beauty of festivals is that anything can happen. The weather and the building of these communities and towns in the middle of nowhere within a few days - that element of adventure - is always what makes them I suppose. It’s flirting with disaster that’s part of the thrill.”

It’s a summer that has seen his Cumbrian quartet thrown to the top of the pile when it comes to forwardthinking British acts, courtesy of second album Two Dancers, as well as a series of festival appearances and tour dates that have enriched the reputation of Wild Beasts as true oddities in the field of pop music.

A four-piece guitar band stemming from the North is hardly a recipe for originality nowadays – more like a guaranteed pub-friendly drone – but Wild Beasts prove that the most simple of formulas can provide the strangest of results. Their eccentricities and stark avoidance of the fashionable and conventional has made them an endearing presence on the festival circuit, reportedly stealing the show at fringe festivals like Offset and Field Day, as well as playing to thousands at a Leeds Festival opening event. Their appeal has not been lost on audiences in the past few months, and it would seem that the nature of debut album Limbo, Panto and it’s divisive vocal experimen-

tation has been turned over for a sound that – while maintaining the charisma of that work – is certainly winning over the uninitiated.

“That album was a surge of testosterone and at the same time vulnerability. It had this duel feeling of aggression and complete abandonment as well. For Two Dancers we felt more composed, and musically we just got better and more expressive as musicians. The words just narrated the soundscape the music was depicting. It wasn’t being carried by the front anymore, its but by the back. We moved the engine from the front to the back.”

There’s no doubt that Two Dancers has propelled Wild Beasts towards a new level of attention, with many reviewers demonstrating little restraint in tagging it one of the year’s best releases.

"People get fucked up.

There's a real beauty, and a real tragedy to that."

It’s tales of hedonism and youthful indulgence are painted in a romantic and gracious light that, while paradoxical in theory, again show Wild Beasts’ creating a new trick from old cards. Lord knows how many records we’ve been subject to in the last few years that detail young outfits riding their waves of success by indulging in youthful exuberance, but Two Dancers is not of that sort.

“It stems from us being on tour for a year and living in this very surreal environment. We’d be watching people in front of us lose themselves.

It’s strange to be the figurehead of an environment where people go to get fucked up and let go of all the inhibitions they have to deal with in everyday life. There’s a real beauty to that, and also a real tragedy, and we tried to capture it. It’s looking at it with a fond eye.”

This evolving version of Wild Beasts is one that’s been forged through busy touring schedules, and that is not set to change as they head into the darker months of this year. The big news recently, of course, is that Wild Beasts are headed straight for Cardiff and our very own Swn weekend this month; as if the line-up wasn’t tantalising enough already.

For us as Swn-goers, the timing of Wild Beasts’ booking is impeccable.

Their performance will mark one of the last dates on their current tour, shortly before their departure for foreign shores. ‘It gets more daunting by the day,’ Thorpe exhales wearily.

‘You think you’re at the bottom of the mountain, and you can just walk to the top. Then you get to that point, and the top’s moved higher, and then higher. You get e-mails and suddenly you’re going to Portugal.’

Don’t let him fool you though, the foursome are relishing every second of it. ‘With the first album we felt like we were seeds scattered. You could scatter fifty seeds and maybe one would grow, and we desperately wanted to find the one that poked through the soil. Now we've felt the sunlight after Limbo Panto, we don’t anger anymore. We’re relieved and grateful and can relax and I think that’s what we’re doing. We’ve rooted now, and we’re just enjoying it.’

Wild Beasts play Swn Festival, 2224 October. Two Dancers is out now.

music@gairrhydd.com / 41

music-albums Jay-Z

Atlas Sound Logos

4AD

B

Jay-Z The Blueprint III

Roc Nation, Atlantic

T

he more I listen to this album, the less I like it. Not the most optimistic of sentences to start a review, least of all one for the work of arguably the biggest name in hip hop. Following up 2007’s highly acclaimed American Gangster, Jay-Z’s latest effort is the third in his Blueprint series of albums, and it’s almost certain to divide the masses.

On the one hand you’ve got tracks like Run This Town and Empire State of Mind, with colossal hooks that make sensible and no doubt successful singles. Then there’s D.O.A (Death of Autotune), a phenomenal commentary on the current state of the genre – “…Singing too much/Get back to rap you T-Paining too much”.

Timbaland rears his head, producing three tracks, including personal favourite Venus vs Mars, a track dripping with subtle sexiness and bass

42 /music@gairrhydd.com

that will vibrate every part in your body. As much as the Timbalandproduced tracks stick out like a sore thumb due to his signature style, they’re actually pretty likeable. So far so good right? Almost.

"The songs lack substance" The album begins to grate and lose it’s appeal with every listen. The songs are enjoyable but there’s just something about them that feels hollow and free from the substance that made the original Blueprint and The Black Album so powerful. Jay-Z’s lyrics peak on tracks like Off That and D.O.A, but that’s about it. As entertaining as the album is, there are no explicitly memorable lines or wordplay that stick out here.

The Blueprint III is a decent album, there’s no mistake. But compared to the records Jay-Z has put out before, it doesn’t stand up. It’s worth a listen.

Just not too many times.

Sam Smith

5.

radford Cox – of Deerhunter renown – releases his second solo album under the Atlas Sound moniker following last year’s whimsical and textural debut Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel. Though that debut was met with critical acclaim, Cox’s desire for sonic experimentation meant that his prioritisation was a little askew: the songwriting came second after the layers of ethereal, washed-out guitar effects and distorted vocal harmonies. It was an intriguing listen, but comparatively, Logos works far better as an album and as a complete work opposed to the formless structure of the debut.

If Let The Blind… was the practical experiment, then Logos is the written results; it’s more concise and a far more focused affair, maintaining the exploration of ambience as a footnote rather than as the songs themselves. Altogether it sounds as if these were written as plain-old acoustic songs before being put to Cox’s musical treatment, and the songwriting is more distinct for it.

His typically fragile and tentative vocal contributions are matched with straightforward acoustic lines, haunted by swirling electronic mystique that never threatens to overpower the actual content of the songs. Atlas Sound benefits from being simplified on Logos, and the decision to focus more on the songwriting over the musical tangents is a good one.

A collaboration with Noah Lennox of Animal Collective provides a lively highlight on Walkabout, proving just how effectively Logos can lend itself to pop.

Atlas Sound’s progression seems to mirror Deerhunter’s last year: with Microcastle, they developed their noisier and undeveloped roots into something far more contained, and something far better. This is the same of the transitions between Let The Blind… and Logos. It seems that Atlas Sound is beyond the stage now where it can just be called a side project.

Phil Guy

8.

albums-music

Fabric Live 48 Filthy Dukes

Fabric Records

7.

Volcano Choir

H

olding no previous knowledge of trio Filthy Dukes, I approached the latest release from Fabric Records with an air of curiosity. The well renowned Fabriclive series has seen artists ranging from John Peel to The Freestylers compiling their tunes of the minute for our audio enjoyment. It was these preconceptions that fuelled my anticipation for this latest mix.

The Dukes are a pair of DJs, producers and promoters hailing from Camden. It was in this corner of London that they made a name for themselves with club night Kill 'Em All. Discarding notions of genre, they fused their love of indie with electro, guitars with synths. It wasn’t before long that they were approached by promoters of Farringdon’s super club, Fabric, offering a venue of epic proportions for their nights.

Their roots as club promoters is overtly evident in Fabriclive 48 as the album progresses in much the same way as a night at Kill 'Em All. The journey begins with synth-laden This Rhythm, a release of their own, and continues in the same melodic vein for much of the first leg. By the tenth track the pair have thrown the guitars out of the window opting for pure electro with POPOF’s uplifting tune Serenity.

Mix after mix, they cruise deeper into the fields of house and techno with a selection of stomping beats.

Interestingly, they seem to often stay true to their roots with instrumental rhythms being hammered out on cowbells and keyboards.

Towards the conclusion of the trip there seems to be an unfortunate dip in imagination as they rely on the familiar Daft Punk, Aphex Twin and Mr. Oizo tracks.

Altogether this is a carefully considered selection of tunes, there's nothing especially fresh or challenging to clasp hold of. Although pitch perfect in many respects, it would have been nice if Filthy Dukes had reached a little deeper into their record box and broken the genre codes they claim to defy.

Jack Doran

Volcano Choir Unmap

Jagjaguwar

I

t’s starting to seem that Just Vernon, better known as Bon Iver, can do no wrong. The debut release of For Emma, Forever Ago made its mark as one of the most acclaimed albums of 2007, and the release of the Blood Bank EP earlier this year only reinforced his status as one of the most deservedly successful folk artists around today. On his latest recording he’s combined efforts with post-rockers Collections of Colonies of Bees and, like most of his endeavours, it’s good. Real good.

The two groups have, on the surface, two very different styles of music. Most of Vernon’s songs are hugely simplistic in their structure and recording, often focusing on lyrics and interesting vocals to produce the ardency which seems so effortless for him to produce, whereas his chosen collaborator’s are partial to instrumental progressions which couldn’t be further from his acoustic ramblings. When heard separately

it’s intriguing to consider how the the latter could welcome in a voice such as Vernon's without sounding like a cluttered mess, but in practise the group have attained a balance which enhances and never restrains the other's conflicting style.

Vernon’s hugely distinctive voice is used more like an extra instrument rather than a means of portraying lyrics - it rides along next to the buzzes, drones and claps as just another layer - and somehow transforms the Bees' scatty mathrock into something a lot more accessible than their solo material. It feels as though the lyrics are never truely important but instead its the presence of Vernon's voice as a new dimension of the progressive framework which helps maintain such a consistently refreshing album.

Particular highlights are Sleepymouth and Island, IS, where catchy guitar riffs and looping keyboard hooks are met with the richness of Vernon’s voice in particular harmony.

This is an album which continually surprises over unexpected turns and pleasantly varied changes, and thus should be enjoyed by fans of both folk and experimental music alike.

Bon Iver could be getting a run for his money.

Simon Roach

8.

music@gairrhydd.com / 43

live-music

Photo: Chris Halpin

Stereophonics

Stereophonics Cardiff Castle

3rd October 2009

I

t could be said choosing to re-create their original 1998 performance at Cardiff Castle was a bold decision for Stereophonics, no matter how successful they’ve become. Very few bands could get away with it but their confidence of an open-arms reaction was more than justified.

Roughly 6,000 fans poured into the Castle grounds, clearly life-long devotees and eagerly awaiting an afternoon as legendary as that of 1998. After 40 minutes of semientertaining but ultimately ridiculous Goldie Lookin’ Chain, Stereophonics strolled on-stage just after 4pm.

The opening number, She’s Alright, is fresh from the forthcoming album Keep Calm And Carry On and the rest of the 21 song set was laced with a handful of other new tracks.

The beautifully honest Could You Be The One? and 60’s-esque Innocent promise album number seven to be, as Kelly put it, “a f***ing belter.”

The rest of the 100 minute performance was mostly a mixture of firm favourites from Word Gets Around and Just Enough Education To Perform. A Thousand Trees, Bartender And The Thief, Just

Looking and Pick A Part That’s New have certainly cemented themselves in the ‘Phonics archive of timeless classics. Highlights of the gig include Kelly’s mesmerising solo performance of Maybe Tomorrow not to mention Local Boy In The Photograph.

So were there any disappointments? You can’t help but think they rely on much of their original fan base and possibly overlook some of their newer listeners. The majority of the crowd that day, though - myself included - had clearly followed the band’s albums and singles, highs and lows from 1998 up to now. A taster of the new record suggests it’s nothing ground-breaking, however listenable, and branded with that unmistakable Stereophonics sound.

Regardless of this, it’s reassuring they remain true to form as a quality live act.

After closing with Dakota, Kelly, Rich, Adam and Javier bid farewell - “time for the pub” -but promised “something special” for Wales next summer. We can only hope that includes some decent weather: Saturday 3rd October apparently marked the return of both Wales’ most-loved band and most-hated climate. But perhaps a few raindrops only added to the mini-festival atmosphere that made the day a unique and somewhat iconic date in ‘Phonics history.

Julia Leonard

The Boxer Rebellion Barfly

22nd September 2009

P

loughing through songs off 2009’s Union, you can’t help but be charmed by The Boxer Rebellion. Their sound is difficult to describe, alt-rock but with moments of introspective guitarwork that seems to echo a post-rock influence.

Vocalist Nathan Nicholson’s impressive talents also have that quality of sounding like something you know well, but remain difficult to put your finger on.

The band have drawn comparisons to The Bends-era Radiohead, and whilst this can be seen in places, their sound is ultimately quite unique, a combination of bleak yet beautiful, monumental music.

Lead single Evacuate goes down a storm, passionate yet almost melancholic. As the band flow into some older songs like Watermelon, the mood shifts and the music gains a heavier tint, getting the crowd moving a bit more energetic.

Unfortunately it signals the end of the evening, but it stands as a testament to the evolution of The Boxer Rebellion’s sound. Expect big things in the future from this band.

Sam Smith

music@gairrhydd.com / 45

music-singles

Los Campesinos!

singles round-up

Thom Yorke Feeling Pulled Apart By Horses/The Hollow Earth W.A.S.T.E.

7.

In true subversive style, Thom Yorke has released a single without anybody noticing. And (of course) it’s vinyl and download only. The bass wankery, sparse, delaydrenched vocals and what appears to be a mid-size dog’s woof make it reminiscent of The Eraser. Good fun, but it had better be for £1 a minute. LS

John Mayer Who Says Columbia

5.

"Who says I can't get stoned?" croons the soothing voice of the singer/songwriter. The track is a little more stripped-down and folky than the American's usual efforts, and is passable. The track suffers from repetitive musical melodies but maintains a relaxing ambience that will no doubt carry it to a modest position in the charts. SS

46 / music@gairrhydd.com

Death Cab For Cutie

5.

Los Campesinos!

7.

Meet Me On The Equinox Atlantic

The Sea Is A Good Place To Think Of The Future Wichita/Arts & Crafts

Death Cab's contribution to the Twilight: New Moon soundtrack was apparently written with the original novel's themes and motifs in mind.

This would probably go to some lengths to explaining why this is such a sub-par release. Not even Ben Gibbard's lovely vocal talents can add variation to this dull track.

SS

Ex-Cardiff students and this year's Swn headliners come out with an uncharacterisically sombre latest single. Taken from their upcoming album, could this be a divergence from their twee indiepop? The wishy-washy lyrics take away from the title's poignancy and make for an average song.

SR

Fever Ray Seven Rabid/V2

8.

Fever Ray, solo alias of The Knife's Karin Dreijer Andersson, releases Seven as the latest single from her acclaimed debut album. Electronic drums are minimilistically pieced together with a simple melody in this expectedly dark and sinister soundscape. Only Andersson could make subject matter as trivial as dishwasher tablets sound this menacing. PR

Girls

Lust For Life Fantasy Trashcan

5.

Riding on a wave of expectation, Girls seem to be all over the place right now. Although upon hearing the 2nd song from their debut album, it's hard see why. Slightly catchy at best, it sings solely of better-life-yearnings for three very forgettable minutes - "I wish I had a boyfriend/ I wish I had a loving man in my life,"...really? I kinda just wish your band was better. SR

film

film news .rumours. events MARVEL-OUS

CHERRY PICKER

STUDENT FILM NIGHTS

All ye fans of the mighty one known as Thor, rejoice, as the cast list continues to grow, fanboys thus continue to salivate in anticipation. Pirates of the Caribbean and Mamma Mia! star Stellan Skarsgard has been slated to appear in the Kenneth Branagh-directed project in an as-yet unspecified role, joining Chris Hemsworth as the titular hero, and Natalie Portman, who will play the role of love interest Jane Foster.

Elsewhere in the magical world of Marvel, David Goyer has been approached to write Ghost Rider 2, which may be considered a surprising move considering the mixed reaction the first film received.

Whether Nicolas Cage and Eva Mendes will reprise their roles remains to be seen.

Rupert Grint has finally managed to secure a release date for his new film Cherrybomb, thanks to a fan-organised online petition.

Also starring James Nesbitt and Kimberley Nixon of Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging fame, it depicts a teenage love triangle, and, Potter fans be warned: ‘will involve drug-taking and scenes of a sexual nature’. Whatever would Hermione say?

Back at Hogwarts, the cast for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows continues to grow. Rhys Ifans has been confirmed for the role of Xenophilius Lovegood; even better, all-round legend Bill Nighy will play Rufus Scrimgeour, and Ciaran Hinds of Munich and There Will Be Blood will assume the role of Aberforth Dumbledore. Nice.

Fans of freebies rejoice, for there are numerous price-less showings happening at the moment. There are plenty of opportunities to watch films which are quirky and unheard of, so don't be afraid to dip your toes.

Cardiff Film Society are showing the eccentric Withnail and I at The End pub from 7.30, 13th Oct followed by their trip to the BFI London film festival from 23-25th October. If that's out of bounds, check out Survive Style + in the ATRiuM on 24th as part of the 1pm K-Hole showings. The K-Hole has a tantalising line up for its first season, with even the Film desk struggling to name any of the films.

Our formula is the lesser you know, the better it is.

Through the rabbit hole: Quench Film takes a look at auteurism, p.53 film@gairrhydd.com /47

film

Chapter Moviemaker Night With the recent replacement of Future Shorts with Moviemaker, Natalie Stone makes the leg-crumbling trek down to the Chapter Arts Centre to check out the Cardiff film scene

48 /film@gairrhydd.com

film

AUTEURISM

In light of Tim Burton's highly anticipated adaption of Alice in Wonderland, Hannah Goddard explores the notion of Auteur Theory. Invasive or insightful?

50 /film@gairrhydd.com

film s many of you may have seen, Tim Burton’s wonderfully kooky take on Alice In Wonderland is due to hit cinemas early in March next year. Being a massive fan of Burton’s work I am incredibly excited by this idea, but when I expressed this to my housemate she responded with: “Oh I hate his work...It’s just all the same”.

Having studied Film at A-level I was horrified by her comments, and it got me thinking about auteurism and just how relevant it is to today’s mainstream film audiences.

For those of you who haven’t heard the term before, auteurism, or ‘auteur theory’ has its roots firmly planted in French cinema, or more specifically, in 'Cahiers Du Cinéma', a French film journal frequented by the likes of French New Wave directors Jean-Luc Godard, Claude Chabrol and François Truffaut. It was the latter’s essay within the pages of Cahiers Du Cinéma that influenced American film critic Andrew Sarris as he argued that American films – and directors – could hold their own against their European counterparts. The basic concept of auteur theory is that of the director as the author of the film, and that consequently each film bears recognisable characteristics – whether visual or thematic – of that individual director’s style.

What both the critics writing in Cahiers Du Cinéma and Andrew Sarris were trying to encourage was this view of film as an art form, as a creative outlet for each director to express his own style and personality. If we think about contemporary directors today, Tim Burton, Quentin Tarantino and Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar all certainly fall under the category of ‘auteurs’. Each of these men has their own recognisable style and their signatures on the films that they make can arguably be seen as a selling point to audiences. How many of you went to see Inglourious Basterds because Tarantino’s name was on the poster? It’s certainly the reason that I went and I was not disappointed; the film delivered to me everything I expected of a Tarantino film: An abundance of cultural references, knowledge

of obscure films, a dialogue-heavy script and, of course, excessive and bloody violence.

"Atmosphere can be as much created by the story being told as it can by the signature weirdness of Burton's visual style" However, the question I am currently being plagued by is “how significant is auteur theory in today’s mass market film industry?”

– Do the ‘great directors’ have a profitable future when all the main cinema-going audience wants is to be entertained? The film geek (and über Burton fan) inside of me hopes that they do. On the other hand of course, it is possible to have a great film without this notion of a ‘great director’ at the helm. For example, The Shawshank Redemption: Clearly this is a fantastic film, but how many of you know who directed it? The answer is Frank Darabont, but even I had to look it up on Wikipedia. What I am suggesting is that great films such as this do not need to be marked by a certain director’s name on the poster; The Shawshank Redemption is a great film because of the strength of the narrative and the performance of the actors. I can pretty much guarantee, as much as I love Tim Burton, if it had been him behind the camera the finished product would not have been anything near the brilliant cinematic treat that it is. Perhaps it is sometimes good for the cult of the director to take a backseat and for the brilliance of a screenplay to shine through in an

understated way. Atmosphere can be as much created by the story being told as it can be by the signature weirdness of Burton’s visual style – a massive black Gothic castle at the end of a surreal, pastel suburban street anyone?

Now I am certainly of the opinion that films driven by the narrative or by the celebrity of the actors are generally more widely accessible as a cultural product. The studios are businesses and naturally want to make a profit from the films that they are funding, but I also believe that it remains important to have stand out directors working in the industry. The niche remains which allows certain directors to make certain films in certain styles, and directors such as Tarantino and Burton manage to embody the principles of ‘auteur theory’ whilst also guaranteeing to bring a profit into the studios they are funded by (most often Miramax and Warner Bros respectively). Some film buffs would perhaps suggest that it is tragic the way that film has become a marketable commodity rather than a respected art form – that it is more often the draw of the stars than of the director that fills the seats in the cinema but I prefer to be more liberal in my approach. I love film in all its forms and guises and I don’t think it suffers as a creative medium for being popular.

Mutual appreciation of a film is a wonderful bonding experience and that becomes even better if the conversation can move onto the directors themselves. I sincerely believe that auteurism can still be relevant to today’s cinema audiences but perhaps it is only the ‘stand out’ directors such as Tarantino, Burton and Scorsese whose style will be recognisable to the general public. I wish to declare ‘Long live the auteurs!’ and the creative approach these directors bring to their filmmaking, I do not think it matters whether they are truly art-house or part of a more mainstream cult – as long as film is popular, stimulating and interesting auteur directors will remain.

film@gairrhydd.com / 51

film

Surrogates dir: Jonathan Mostow cast: Bruce Willis, Ving Rhames, Rosamund Pike

out now, 88 mins

S

urrogates raises the issue of artificial intelligence and its extreme integration into society. Set in modern-day USA, this sci-fi thriller which drags us into a virtual reality in which 98% of Earth’s population have their own rechargeable 'surrogates'; unblemished, elite, immaculate robotic ideals, which can be controlled from the comfort of the host’s own home whilst being hooked up to a curious interactive device.

We are thrust straight into the action by witnessing the only murder in recent history. This crime sets the plot in motion, which centres around Tom Greer (Willis), an FBI agent with his own surrogate – a dodgy wig-wearing, younger looking clone - chasing the murderer and discovering the existence of a lethal weapon with the potential to destroy both surrogates and their human counterparts in one shot.

The investigation escalates into a fairly predictable action sequence, with a sub-plot involving Greer’s faltering love life, his and struggle to come to terms with surrogate technology.

Essentially, Surrogates is a satisfying watch if you are not looking for a straightforward action-thriller (the stunt scenes leave a LOT to be desired) The complexity of the idea, such as humans being able to have multiple surrogates under different guises, can be too much to take in in an often fast-moving and somewhat complicated plot. Ultimately, Surrogates fails to answer many questions it raises, whuch coupled with the somewhat laughable, ending, makes it not one of one of Willis’ finest moments.

Joanne Cresswell

6.

52 /film@gairrhydd.com

The Soloist dir: Joe Wright cast: Jamie Foxx, Robert Downey Jr.

out now, 112 mins

T

he Soloist is director Joe Wright’s third feature film after Pride and Prejudice (2005) and Atonement (2007).

It is an adaptation of a book entitled, 'The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music', written by LA Times columnist Steve Lopez, based on his real life encounters with a homeless, schizophrenic yet gifted musician, Nathaniel Ayers.

Lopez (Robert Downey Jr.) writes a column on the lives of everyday people in the city of LA. One day, the melodious sounds of a violin lead him to Nathaniel (Jamie Foxx), who intrigues him in their first meeting. Lopez soon discovers that he is a drop-out from the Julliard School of music in LA and immensely interested, he develops a friendship with Nathaniel and begins writing about him in his column.

The Soloist’s main achievement is its departure from a traditional Hollywood stprytelling narrative. It succeeds as a pragmatic piece of cinema that showcases a beautiful display of how human compassion can bind and heal different people.

The director succeeds in depicting a myriad emotions of the story through excellent cinematography. The classical music numbers are supported by sensational visuals, whilst the portrayed madness of schizophrenia and the drug and crime-riddled brutality of LA’s streets sends chills down the spine.

"There are riveting performances from Downey Jr and Foxx" Coupled with the riveting performances from Downey Jr., as the maverick, agitated journalist and Foxx as a man seeking refuge from his illness in his music, the movie’s cumbersome storyline is easily overlooked. The Soloist serves an emotional cocktail that will leave viewers with smiles on their faces and a poignant heart. It is yet another successful novel to screen adaptation by director Joe Wright.

Ayushman Jamwal

8.

film

Creation dir: Jon Amiel cast: Paul Bettany, Jennifer Connelly

science, concentrating instead on the man behind it, which makes for a refreshing change.

"It is clever, stylish and unsentimental"

out now, 108 mins

A

two-hour Charles Darwin biopic may not immediately set pulses racing, but the timely and subtle Creation deserves a chance. Adapted from the book ‘Annie’s Box’ (written by Darwin’s great-greatgrandson Randal Keynes) it is far from the stodgy intellectual affair you might be expecting.

Director Amiel largely shuns the

The Invention of Lying dir: Matthew Robinson cast: Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Rob Lowe

out now, 99 mins

W

ith his latest offering, it appears that Ricky Gervais’s Midas touch has finally deserted him. A world where people can't lie may seem novel; in practise it is a resounding failure.

Set before the publication of his magnum opus ‘On the Origins of Species’, the focus is on Darwin’s internal struggles with his iconoclastic theories, and their effect on his relationship with his wife Emma (Bettany’s real-life spouse, Jennifer Connelly) in the role Bettany was born to play. As we have previously seen in Master and Commander, he excels in the role of the fussily academic Englishman, and his Darwin - a shy, family-loving invalid afraid

Essentially it’s a one-joke premise that whilst initially somewhat amusing, runs out of steam very quickly. The inability to lie is one thing; being needlessly and brutally rude is another matter entirely, and after the thousandth joke about protagonist Mark (Gervais) being fat and button-nosed, this feature has long-since passed the point of irritation.

With a plot seemingly designed purposely to restrict storytelling potential, the characters become little more than clichéd caricatures.

Thus it is hard to discern whether the actors are simply having a bad day at the office, or if the writing and direction is sub-standard.

When faced with a cast that includes Edward Norton, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Jason

of the implications of his ideas contrasts intriguingly with modern images of the great man. It is Connelly, however, in a film overflowing with great actors, that outshines them all. She is heart-rending as the cool, disapproving Emma, torn apart by her religion and her love for a man who has ‘killed God’, as Thomas Huxley (Toby Jones) puts it. The film’s fragmented style could in lesser hands falter, but thankfully it never does. At times, Creation feels slow and stilted, but the charisma of the two leads saves it from ever being dull.

This clever, stylish and unsentimental film deserves to be a success (and with the controversy surrounding it, especially in bible

belt America, it’s bound to be one anyway).

Chloe Grant

7.

Bateman, you become inclined to think towards the latter option.

Gervais’s performance is acceptable for the most part, but any acclaim is problematised by his apparent inability to play anyone other than a chubby loser.

Coupled with a half-arsed religious allegory, his performance reeks dangerously of self-indulgence, and not in a good way.

Jennifer Garner is hopelessly miscast as Anna, the love interest, whilst Rob Lowe is wasted in his role as Mark’s rival for the affections of Anna.

The Invention of Lying is the first serious blip on Gervais’s otherwise unblemished CV, and could well end up ranking as one of the worst movies of 2009. It’s that bad.

Steve Wright

3.

film@gairrhydd.com / 53

listings

Monday 12th

Monday 19th

This City + Sharks Barfly Walter Trout + The Radicals The Globe

My Passion+ Summerlin Barfly Cinema Sam + Steve French 10 Feet Tall Club NME & Late Night Live 10 Feet Tall

Tuesday 13th Tommy Reilly The Globe Everything Everything Clwb Ifor Bach Wednesday 14th The Drellas + The Dead Class Barfly PopTart- Resident DJs 10 Feet Tall Thursday 15th October The Noisettes The Students Union The Zombies The Globe CYNT: Hi Rankin + DJ Burns Clwb Ifor Bach

Tuesday 20th

A^hi^c\h DXi &'i]"'+i]

Cliff Richard & The Shadows CIA Ian Parker The Globe Geoff Eales Trio Dempseys The Wave Pictures + Stanley Brinks + Freschard Clwb Ifor Bach Wednesday 21st The Proclaimers St David’s Hall Stereo Decade Hard Rock Café Curved Air The Globe

Friday 16th Bat for Lashes + Yeasayer The Students Union The Nolans CIA Huw Stephens Barfly The Towel + Tommy B + Gareth Sutton Buffalo

Thursday 22nd- Saturday 24th Swn Festival Thursday 22nd Amon Amarth Solus Blues Band The Globe Friday 23rd

Saturday 17th Gladys Knight + Tito Jackson CIA Lowri Evans Wales Millennium Centre Sunday 18th The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster Barfly Full Fat Anti Social!

10 Feet Tall Nerina Pallot The Glee Club

Alesha Dixon St David’s Hall Paul Potts CIA Saturday 24th Tinariwen The Great Hall The Kids R Alright + The Complete Stone Roses The Globe Sunday 25th Chase & Status Solus

listings@gairrhydd.com/55

film

best film foR

...Convincing yourself you're normal

...Reaffirming your belief (in comedy)

...Pretending to be cultured

Secretary (2002)

Dogma (1999)

Les Choristes (2004)

Normality is a questionable idea.

How do you know if you’re normal?

Do you even want to be normal? In Secretary, Maggie Gyllenhaal plays a young woman (Lee) with mental problems that involve her selfharming. Living with the constant idea that she is not normal, Lee struggles to make her life more conventional. She recovers enough to get a job as a secretary in a lawyer’s office, but her boss has an interesting approach to displaying criticism. When the humiliating punishments handed out by the boss are decided inappropriate, Lee finds that she misses them. They soon find they need each other and the film becomes a dialogue between what they want and what society demands of them. It’s a disturbing film, I’ll admit. And yet by the end of the movie, you question why their love is less acceptable than in a ‘normal’ relationship. They’re happy, and no one else is affected, so it shouldn’t require approval. To be honest I think there is a key message in this film: we’re all messed up, but in our own special way.

A film that starts off by insulting platypus-lovers - is there anything better? Dogma is one of those films that you never feel the urge to watch, do begrudgingly, and then wonder why you never thought to watch it in the first place. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck play two angels that are no longer in God’s favour, but have found a sneaky way back into heaven. Bethany has been chosen to stop them, with the help of a mouthy apostle (Chris Rock) and two moronic prophets.

The cast also features the heavenly Alan Rickman, who at one point reveals the back-side of himself to be as smooth as a Ken doll. If you get the Christian references then great.

If like me you don’t, then that’s fine too, it will all still make (slightly deranged) sense. To be honest, it’s a comedy that happens to have a religious plotline; the history of Christianity is considered fact, it’s the bible that’s questioned. It’s not the place to be insulted however, by either those with a religious or platypus-based disposition.

Yah darling, foreign cinema is so the bourgeois conversation topic du jour. Truffaut and Godard were just spiffing, but an easier way to get some cred is by watching the quirky European films that have been released this century rather than last. Set in the late 40s, Les Choristes (aka The Chorus) is the story of an inspirational teacher who brings music into the lives of a group of boys in a correctional boarding school. It is technically a musical, I suppose, but no leotards are involved, I promise. The gist of the plot is that this new teacher gets the rowdy boys to form a choir, so the music is part of the story.

The boys are adorable, the music is beautiful, and it’s subtitled throughout, so no worries there. It’s a great film anyway, but it’s also a good conversation point and I bet you the soundtrack will be on your iPod within the week.

54 /film@gairrhydd.com

Annie Richardson