Quench Issue 161

ISSUE 161

THE

1975 WAR POET OF OUR GENERATION

OWEN SHEERS STREET STYLE GUIDE Y G O L MIXO

101

RN E D MO SICS:H RT S CLAOOKS WOBOUT A B ING TALK

DONNIE DARKO 15 YEARS ON

BEANS ON TOAST

TALKS FESTIVALS, FOLK & INDIE MUSIC SPIRIT

AROUND THE WORLD

IN FASHIONABLE WAYS

HOLIDAY

NIGHTMARES

E-SPORTS:

MORE THAN JUST A GAME

SPECIAL TY CELF AR TS SUPPLEME NT EDITION (TH AT’S WELSH ‘ART HOUSE’ FOR )

ADD A MEDIUM PIZZA

for only

£5

Deal

extra

PIZZA B L ARGE PIZZA, GARLIC & POTATO WEDGES

RE A D

DELIVERING UNTIL

5AM

DELIVERING UNTIL

/dominos.cardiff

@CardiffDP

Click

DELIVERING 7 DAYS A WEEK UNTIL

DELIVERING DELIVERING DELIVERING UNTIL UNTIL UNTIL

Tap the app

Pop In

Call

Winter Survival Deal Offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. Create your own is available up to a maximum of 4 toppings. Premium crusts, bases and additional toppings may be charged as extra. Collection or delivery, but delivery areas and minimum delivery spends may apply, please ask in store for details. Participating stores only. Ends 12th February 2017. For full T&Cs see Competitions and Offers at Boring Legal Stuff at dominos.co.uk

Ewch i food.gov.uk/ratings i ganfod sgôr hylendid bwyd ein busnes neu gofynnwch inni beth yw ein sgôr hylendid bwyd wrth archebu. / Go to food.gov.uk/ratings to find out the food hygiene rating of our business or ask us for our food hygiene rating when you order.

“Build your own pyramids, write your own hieroglyphs.”

Kendrick Lamar

A LETTER FROM YOUR EDITOR February is a weird month. It’s one of those months when I don’t really know what to do with myself. I am currently totally torn between collapsing into an endless cycle of procrastination and laziness in the midst of the ‘post-traumatic essay deadlines’.

I know that I’m in final year and I know that I need to sort my shit out, but for some reason, I still want to be stumbling home at 4am from Live Lounge with 20 chicken nuggets in my hand.

Once again, looking at my mountain of never-ending university work (that seems like it will genuinely never end), I abandon any desire to start this semester’s readings and dissertation work. Well that seems to be the easier option, and who doesn’t like the easy option?

Anyway, welcome to issue 161 of Quench Magazine. In this issue we find out pivotal questions, such as why director Richard Kelly used a rabbit in Donnie Darko, and how psychedelic drugs are actually used within blockbuster movies. In all seriousness though, and despite those articles being really cool, Quench still brings you the usual combination of serious, hard hitting articles and those of a more light-hearted nature. So whether it’s the Cathays cocktail scene you are craving or Korean skin care regimes, we pretty much have it all.

Something that I am insanely proud to announce, is that a large majority of the design and artwork in this issue is totally original. The design team have been amazing, as ever and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Jasper Wilkins, Stephany Damyanova and Lisa Doran for their continual hardwork and dedication throughout this issue.

As you may have seen on the front cover, this issue showcases the best creative talent that Cardiff University has to offer. Reintroducing the annual Ty Celf magazine, edited by Eleanor Parkyn. Although slightly smaller in size, the talent and calibre of entries were outstanding, and other pieces of work have been added to the online version.

I hope you enjoy this issue, and remember to pick up the penultimate issue next month (eek!)

Peace and love.

George

Editor-in-Chief: George Caulton Deputy Editor: Alice Dent Section Heads Features: Rachel Jefferies & Emma Riches International: Amica Phillips-Morris Culture: Hannah Hopkins & Beth Girdler-Maslen Creative: Sanja Dragojlov Music: Mark Sweeney, Sophie King & Erin Brown Food & Drink: Ellie Philpotts & Georgia O’Brien Travel: Gemma Gibson & Harriet Thornley Fashion: Jamila Gandhi & Megan David Video Games: Elis Doyle & Caspar Jayasekera Film & TV: Sadia Pineda Hameed, Naomi Davidson & Oliver Leigh Columnist: Molly Wyatt Design Team Head of Design : Jasper Wilkins Deputy Head of Design: Lisa Doran Lead Designer: Stephany Damyanova Page Designers: Sadia Pineda Hameed, Eleanor Parkyn, Elis Doyle, Emily Giblett, Lucy Aprahamian, Maria Collins, Emma Riches, Sarah Thompson, Sarah Foster, Anwen Williams Contributing Artists: Lisa Doran, Meita Singgih, Undīne Kalcenaua, Elis Doyle, Stephany Damyanova, Sadia Pineda Hameed, Tiffany Tong, Mark Douet, Bryn Evans Special thanks: to Alice Dent for being there no matter what, Jasper Wilkins ,Stephany Damyanova and Lisa Doran for all of their hard work throughout the Christmas break and exam season.

Thanks to Bryn Evans for making a return to help us out with our backpage doodles, and thanks to Eleanor Parkyn for tirelessly working through Ty Celf and Q3.

And finally, thanks to Elaine Morgan, fo r her continual help throughout this issue.

This magazine was made with: Marshmello Live at Ultra 2016 mix, BBC Radio 1’s Diplo In the Mix! January set and a lot of Milkybar mini eggs.

Can you find Dylan?

To be in with a chance of winning a Cardiff University hoodie, email or tweet us with the pages Dylan the Dragon is hiding on. There’s three Dylans to be found (not including this one!)

35

A special 8 page arts pullout featuring poetry, paintings and more from Cardiff students.

44

Holiday Nightmares

Lost passports. Velociraptor attacks.

Best stay at home really.

20 Best of the Noughties

46

Makeup Empowerment

Our musical archaeologists examine an ancient decade when shutter shades were cool and Kanye West didn’t think he was a fashion designer.

Define yourself as a woman through consumerism and compliance to shallow gender expectations!

49

Tech Fashion

22

Album reviews

6

Donnie Darko: 15 Years On

Director Richard Kelly talks teenagers, time travel and tips for budding filmmakers.

8

Age of Misinformation

Just how much do we know about politics?

10 The War Poet of our Generation

We catch up with renowned playwriter Owen Sheers ahead of his critically acclaimed Pink Mist theatre tour.

12

Fight for Sight

14

16

Tackling blindness in Africa.

Contemporary Art Brilliant, or bullshit?

Modern Classics

Literary masterpieces written when electricity wasn’t still a novelty.

18

Creative

Featuring The Beacon

by Thomas Martin.

19

Qpid’s Corner

Whether you’re seeking The One or just lonely and horny, let Qpid be your wingman.

Ty Celf

Lasers and shit.

Some people made some music this month. We tell you if it’s good or not.

50

Around the World

24

The 1975

52

Street Style

Exclusive gig photos from the chart topping pop-rockers making floppy haircuts cool again.

26

Beans on Toast

The folk legend reveals his favourite festival and more.

28

Healthy fats

30

Mixology 101

Avocados mate.

Apparently shoving a tiny umbrella in your VK doesn’t make it a cocktail.

32

Global Opportunities

Travel with Cardiff University, see the world, make a difference. Or, you know, just get some good pics for Instagram.

Different countries dress differently.

Tracksuits, Timberlands and more.

56 Typecasting

Starring Michael Cera as awkward indie teen with a super hot brunette love interest.

58

Film Reviews

Quench rounds up the spring blockbuster offerings.

60

Movie Psychedelics

A whole galaxy of multicolored uppers, downers, screamers, laughers.

62

Japanese Media

64

Period Drama

What’s the problem with Japanese Remakes?

Why are we so obsessed with them?

65 Videogames

Reviews, eSports and more.

@QuenchMag editor@QuenchMag.co.uk /QuenchMagazine

Molly

5

COLUMN

A little bit of

COLUMNIST MOLLY WYATT EVALUATES HER ESCAPE PLAN AWAY FROM ADULTHOOD

My childhood was spent yearning for the independence that adulthood would bring; I simply didn’t cherish the moments that being young offered. Whatever happened to nap times, tantrums in Sainsbury’s, alphabetti spaghetti, den-making, and your parents paying for their own Christmas present?!

Apparently I should no longer be doing these things.

Apparently, I am supposed to catch my own spiders and book my own doctors’ appointments.

Molly is a Journalism student who has a peculiar obsession with pineapples. A keen writer, she also loves being on the stage; you may have seen her in one of Act One’s drama productions. Having experienced mental health illnesses, she is a keen bean to use her awful sense of humour to throw this out into the world and rid the taboos and social awkwardness’ that can linger like a fart.

Find her on Twitter: @mollymokkamole or online at: www.mockandmole.blogspot.com Illustration by Lisa Doran.

Why is being grown up so hard to master? I may seem like a boring granny when I’m declining a night out to spend my evening playing Sudoku in front of The Bake Off but I still don’t feel like an adult. And heck, I certainly don’t look like one. Am I supposed to receive a certificate through my letterbox or a notification on Facebook to tell me I have reached the milestone of ‘Adulthood’? When I think of ‘adult,’ I think of parenting. Perhaps I should buy a cactus?

Or maybe I should just ask my mum about this whole adult business…

“Somebody once told me that you only feel like an adult once both of your parents have died.” Wow. Thank you mother for those words of wisdom. So, I asked her when she began to feel like an adult. “Probably when I had children.” [Long pause of contemplation.] “Actually I still don’t feel like an adult.” Oh. Perhaps parents don’t always know best. So we’re back at square one, still unsure when this adult thing is supposed to begin.

How are we meant to embrace this ‘grown-up’ way of living if we live in a world of convenience?! We can watch television from our bed, we can have pizza delivered to our door without even having to talk on the phone, let alone see them in person (God forbid). I’m clearly not alone in recognising this; people on my Twitter feed are frequently applauding themselves for #adulting. Congratulations for using an iron, for paying an un-paid bill or for once hoovering your rented house. And don’t get me started on that homemade macaroni a la cheese you just posted on Instagram! Masterchef is calling your name! Embarrassing or fact, we’re all too quick to have our basic human ‘achievements’ recognised.

But, hang on. Can we just acknowledge that we no longer live in our parents’ generation? Indeed, convenience may be our slutty friend, and indeed it’s easy to slam us millennials for this inability to be proper adults but I think this ‘adulting’ malarkey is an indictment of society, not solely us. “In my day I was in the factories earning a living;” “when I was your age I was married with two children, doing the housework.” There is some sort of shame in not having settled in your early 20s; if we’re not ‘getting with the programme’ (living up to long lived societal expectations), then we’re not being adult.

The more I think about this, the vaster the difference of ‘being an adult’ and ‘growing up’ seems. Being an adult is mandatory, you can’t avoid it, it’s life. But growing up is your own yellow brick road, and is inevitably going to be influenced by society. We live in time where there are onesies for adults, colouring-in books for adults, colouring COURSES for adults.

Embracing the nostalgia is unavoidable. We’ve grown up being told that ‘the world is your oyster,’ and to ‘follow your dreams,’ Yet success is often perceived by the job you have, the money you earn, the house you live in. Not about how many countries you’ve explored, how many essays you’ve written or how many hours, weeks, years you’ve poured into perfecting your art.

Just because I’m not crying out for a 9-5 job or married with two children, does not mean I’m not a grown up.

We have more opportunities becoming available, and (hopefully) less dictations into career choices.

A friend of mine has just turned down a London PR job to, instead, set up her own charity. Moving back in with the parents and working in a pub may sound like an adulthood avoidance move, but what’s more grownup than taking hold of the reins in your own future?

Just because she’ll be having home comforts for a while (mama’s homemade lasagne), and just because she won’t be wiping her bum with £10 notes, doesn’t mean she isn’t acing #adulting. And let’s face it, what she’s doing is bloody commendable.

So don’t beat yourself up if you don’t feel ‘grown up’ yet.

I intended to write this to moan about how easy being a child is and how I absolutely get where Peter Pan was coming from, but this has been more a piece of selfrealisation. It’s not about us being immature, it’s about not conforming to the mainstream expectations of adult, and surely the most mature thing you can do is trust yourself?

We are adults, but the route we take is our own. And if that means working from your laptop in bed, dressed in your onesie, eating cereal from the box, then you do just that.

Molly x

6 FEATURES

DONNIE DARKO: 15 YEARS LATER

On the 15th anniversary rerelease of his cult classic, director Richard Kelly muses on ambition, time transcendence and how teenagers never really change.

Interview: Claudia Rutherford Original artwork: Lisa Doran

7

BE BOLD, TAKE RISKS : A CONVERSATION WITH DONNIE DARKO DIRECTOR RICHARD KELLY Following the 4K restoration of the noughties coming-of-age indie classic Donnie Darko, we caught up with director Richard Kelly at the BFI Southbank debut screening in London. Wearing a sharp navy suit and sipping on a glass of water featuring a peculiarly squeezed lemon wedge, it’s hard to believe that a man so calm and collected could have made a film so psychologically twisted.

How did the concept of Donnie Darko come about?

(Laughs) Ah God! I had twenty three years of life experience and then I just started writing. Literally, I was in construction for twenty three years and then I just started typing it up. It was just life really, this is what came out. I don’t know why, but it did.

A lot of people find Donnie a highly relatable character.

What makes him so accessible even after 15 years since the films first release?

I think a lot of it has to do with Jake [Gyllenhaal]. I think he gave us an absolutely fantastic performance. He brings empathy to a character who might otherwise be unsympathetic. He’s running around with an axe and lighting people’s houses on fire. But there’s a rebellion to the character, an emotional authenticity and an emotional nakedness which is endearing. People could see part of themselves in the character. I think everyone has some degree of mental illness, we shouldn’t just put that on a small group of people and isolate them. It should be something where we all relate to this character because he’s flawed. Whilst he does enter into a world of fantasy and hallucinations that are supernatural or metaphysical, all of this is based on real human experiences; our families, our teachers. People are able to recognise that. I’m really grateful that people are able to sympathise with him. That’s a good thing.

What would you hope the new generation of teenagers would take away from Donnie Darko? What would you expect them to appreciate?

I hope that they can see that even though the film takes place in 1988 and that it was made in the year 2000 (both election years), that it can still resonate in 2016 – also an election year!

The themes are universal and timeless, right? Teenagers in 1958 were just as troubled as teenagers in 1988, or 2008, and teenagers are still gonna be troubled in 2018. Hopefully that is a universal language in the movie that transcends geography and time.

I’d hope that if they’re aspiring artists that they could also maybe see the narrative risks in the film and it would embolden their artistic creation. It’s so easy to be complacent and to just copy what’s come before. That’s all fine, but I think if you want to break out and forge an identity for yourself as an artist, you’ve got to try and take some risks and be bold. I don’t want to get complacent or surrender to the market place. I want to keep exploring new ideas. If this film could inspire a contemporary millennial artist to do that then that’s great. I’m all for that.

A Brief History of Donnie Darko 1997: Kelly graduates from USC School of Cinema-Television.

2001: His debut studio film Donnie Darko is released in US cinemas.

2002: In light of 9/11, the film suffers a delayed international release, but grosses double its budget worldwide.

2004: Donnie Darko’s cult following earns it a director’s cut special edition almost four years after its debut.

2009: The legendarily bad sequel S.Darko flops in cinemas.

Kelly was not involved and still claims to have never seen it.

2016: The film receives a restored 4k cinema re-release.

It’s amazing when a new batch of teenagers discover this film. I’m just grateful they don’t look at it and are like ‘Argh’! They actually listen and take it in. I was always worried that this film might just fall off a cliff. But I joke that it’s a bit like the energiser bunny, it just keeps going and going and oh my God, here we are again talking about it!

How different would Donnie Darko be if you rewrote it in 2016?

I think I would approach the logic of the tangent universe and the mythology of the time travel book as it pertains to today’s world. I would try to make it authentic to today. I would try to be emotionally honest to what transpires in the story. I would try to be inventive. I would never want to repeat myself. There would be a completely new incarnation of it. It would never be the same.

I would never want to reboot myself or remake myself, I always want to move forward.

What is your main creative output at the moment and what can we see coming from you next?

I’ve been working on a lot of stuff and next year we finally might see something concrete happen. A lot of stars have to be aligned for these movies to be made, especially because they’re so challenging and ambitious. They cost a certain amount. I wish they could be made for cheaper, but alas, I don’t control these things. We spend so much time getting the image to look the way it does so you can enjoy it overwhelm you in a theatre. As much as I love watching films on iPhones, films belong on the big screen.

Any advice for first-time filmmakers?

As to how one pulls this off in 2016 is a whole different story.

When we shot the film it was the year 2000 – a completely different world. Now people can make feature films with their phones. But iPhones didn’t exist in the noughties, we had to go and get a big expensive 35mm Panavision system and film stock.

As to now, anyone can make a film with an iPhone and get it to a competition at Sundance Festival… it’s happened. So that’s the method I would at least consider. If you can afford an iPhone, you can make a feature film. I don’t know if it’d be good, but you can definitely try.

How about the planning?

All of my movies have a significant amount of planning down to every last detail. They’re very ambitious stories and you can’t pull it off unless you know exactly what you want. Everything has to be planned down to the T because you only have twelve hours a day if you’re lucky and you’ll never get that time back.

They’ll never pay for you to come back and do it, not with movies like this. So we just have to have it together. Make sure you’re spending your money and your time wisely. I also do a lot of location photography. I also do some diagramming, camera placement, and I storyboard certain sequences. But it’s definitely becoming more of a photography based thing for me.

Lastly, why the rabbit?

I don’t know why! For whatever reason I just thought it’s gotta be a rabbit. Sometimes these things just appear, but I can’t explain any reason why.

8 FEATURES

VOTING BLIND: POLITICS IN THE AGE OF M I S INFORMATION

Quench investigates behind the scenes of the tabloids, broadsheets, propaganda and manifestos, and focuses on the box tickers – the public.

Words by: Rachel Jefferies Original artwork by: Undīne Kalcenaua

et’s recap, 2016 was pretty eventful in the realm of L politics. Brexit, Theresa May, Trump – the list of political events, within UK and US politics, was ever-

expanding throughout 2016. News coverage, debates and social media flooded decision makers’ information and reasons why you should (or shouldn’t) vote for a specific or opposing party. And when I talk about this (loose term) ‘information’, I’m not just talking about the professional journalists here. Our social media networks allow the public’s opinions to be expressed, and I think it’s safe to say that any sort of national political procedure musters up an uproar on social sites; Twitter in particular.

Also, notably not just by those who are voting – it’s becoming a worldwide fashion. Surprised? Absolutely not – it’s important the world cares about its future. A considerable 64% of young people did not vote in the EU referendum and only 43% of 18-25 year olds voted in the 2015 General Election. So, whether you voted or not, when it comes to making your voting decision, who, or what, influences your decision? Whether you actively participate and engage in politics or blame Brexit for the reduction of Toblerone chocolate, in this issue Quench Features raises the all-important question: are

we, as students, misinformed; has politics become too personalised? Do we just purposely choose to divert our attention away from politics and independent decisionmaking due to its indirect impact?

You’d think that the amount of information distributed is more than enough to make a decision on which party should lead our country for the next four years, or whether we should decide whether to leave the continent to become an independent country. I repeat- you’d like to think. However, Quench’s survey reveals that over 21% of respondents did not vote during 2015’s UK General Election, and 30% of those respondents admitted it was due to not feeling informed or interested enough to make a confident decision. Similarly, 16% of survey participants did not vote during the EU Referendum (otherwise known as ‘Brexit’), where 20% of non-voters, again, did not feel informed to make an educated decision. Not to mention the 11% of participants who admitted to not doing any research before making their vote. Okay, these figures might seem somewhat minute to you, but think about these figures on a bigger scale (such as the entirety of the UK or US). This is when these figures actually start

to become rather daunting.

Whilst some may raise the point that we are flooded with political information from the press on a daily basis, whether it is unbiased is a different story. Quench’s survey reveals that over 48% of survey partakers agree that information voters are provided with is too biased, despite the BBC claiming that their “news in whatever form must be treated with due impartiality, giving due weight to events, opinion and main strands of argument” in their Editorial Guidelines. It seems to be not a matter on how much information we are exposed to from media platforms, but what information rather, and even how it’s addressed. Granted, the severability of bias is a factor, but when huge media conglomerates such as Rupert Murdoch’s Sky News, The Daily Telegraph, The Sun, The Sunday Times, Twentieth Century Fox (the list goes on), are the overtone of everyday affairs, is there such thing as reporting without a right or left wing agenda?

It’s not just the press’ coverage that holds particular political stances – sometimes a simple Google Search can be a tad worrying. Take for example, just searching the

9

mere 5 characters, ‘Ed Mi’ into Google Images, presents you with the second most popular search suggestion as ‘Ed Miliband sandwich’, and various others that follow in the drop-down box, such as ‘Ed Miliband bacon sandwich’ and ‘Ed Miliband eating’. And there’s plenty more where that came from - Farage’s choice of clothing, Farage drinking water, Cameron’s piggate. Okay, perhaps comical coverage of politics keeps us a little sane, but the impact of stories like these end up being legitimate factors towards some voters’ decisions. Really? I hear you ask. Erm, yes really. Numerous photographs were uploaded onto Twitter with the rumour that US voters wrote ‘Harambe’ (yes, the dead gorilla) on ballot cards instead of selecting parties including Trump or Clinton.

Some claimed this number of votes to be 11,000, however, there has been uncertainty as to where this figure has come from.

With all the above said, it has raised the adequate suggestion, that perhaps politics should be supported within education. I’m not talking about political stances and who to vote for, as that could become very messy.

However, is there any wrong in teaching about where to

find useful and honest information, how to research, such as awareness of terminology, and even the mere process of a general election, or how taxes work? These sorts of changes (providing they are addressed impartially) could hugely benefit and encourage a researched, independent decision for the next generation. In light of this, over 78% of survey contributors agreed that politics should be taught in an unbiased, purely informative manner at school, even if it’s as minimal as an hour a week. That leaves 17% agreeing that possibly the political system should be taught, and 5% disagreeing for reasons such as “it doesn’t bother me, politics doesn’t do much to help me”, and one response believing that “for politics to be taught, it will always be biased”.

It’s easy to think about prospects for the future generation, but what about our generation? What about the young adults who have already experienced the lack of education, regarding minor details such as what inflation’s side effects really has on us, or how many seats a party may have, and what the term ‘seats’ stands for. Quench spoke to a Cardiff University Politics undergraduate about their thoughts on already existing

political education (and how little there is) – “political education is basically crap - I didn’t really understand how our political system worked before I chose to take it at A level... most people gain their opinions from their parents”.

So where do we draw the line? We are fortunate enough to live in a democratic society. It doesn’t make sense as to why so many of us are ignorant to how the system works. Should we point the finger in a mirror for not researching ourselves? Is it our faults that we struggle to make an informed decision? Or is politics really just misunderstood amongst the commotion of it all?

Perhaps we should be educated on the system of politics before we slide our party-preference-tinged glasses up the bridge of our noses.

Join the conversation on Twitter at @QuenchFeatures!

10 FEATURES

THE WAR POET OF OUR GENERATION

Owen Sheers is a renowned playwright and author from Wales whose critically acclaimed play Pink Mist is currently on tour around the UK until the 1st April.

First created for BBC Radio 4, the play is about three soldiers juggling life at war and their relationships with the women in their lives. Quench was able to talk to Owen and get an insight into his inspirations, the intricacies of Pink Mist and what it feels like to be called the ‘war poet of this generation’.

Interview by: Emma Riches Photograph by: Mark Douet

So you were born in Fiji and raised in Wales. Do you think your cultural upbringing had a significant impact on you and your literature?

I suppose physical and cultural landscapes can’t fail to influence us, especially on the level of language. I don’t think Fiji influenced me that much – I left when I was two – but Wales certainly has been a part of my literary heritage. It was in Wales that I read my first books and poems and went to my first theatre production. But I don’t like to think that nationality has to define the body of an author’s work. I’m certainly Welsh, but I prefer to say that I am a writer from Wales, rather than a Welsh writer. We write to cross borders and grow beyond ideas of nationality.

Who or what would you say are your main influences when writing?

I think it depends completely on what form I’m writing. When I wrote my last novel I was reading a lot of fiction from American writers at the time so I tended to get a lot of inspiration from them.

However, when I’m creating poetry I find that British and Irish poets inspire me most. Having said that, I always find R.S. Thomas to be inspiring. To be honest, it’s a shifting pattern as to who and what inspires me; I write across different styles and forms so it is difficult to pin down one particular person.

Your play Pink Mist was inspired by 30 interviews with returned servicemen.

What was that experience like?

Well it was a great honour and privilege to be able to have the chance to listen to their memories and share them. When I interviewed them first, they were part of a previous project on stage which was helping them to recover from their psychological or physical woundings.

Sharing their stories was part of a way for them to recover from the trauma.

I also felt very privileged because it was my job to be a conduit for their voices.

It was my job to create a vessel for their experiences and stories. Interviewing them was like being given gift, after gift, after gift. There was so much to say that I was unable to touch upon because their stories were so rich and detailed. The original stage project had to directly echo their stories as it was the soldiers that would be performing on stage, taking part in their own stories. However, with Pink Mist I was able to focus on other details of a soldier’s life such as the women in their lives.

11 ‘What’s on Stage’ stated that Pink Mist is one of the most important plays of the year.

Why do you think so many critics agree?

I was really thrilled when they said it. I suppose that with war also comes a tendency to anonymise people. We hear stories of soldiers returning from war or soldiers dying and they just become a number or another statistic. I hope what makes Pink Mist powerful is that it gives a voice and personality back to soldiers. Theatre has the capability to take us right back to the core of humanity. Theatre is able to humanise the otherwise publicly anonymous.

Pink Mist was first written for the radio, and this is also where I think it is special. With so much emphasis on the voices, you are able to get closer to the people in the play. It was originally thought that this would distance audiences from the characters but this was certainly not the case. When it was adapted for the stage, the directors did a great job.

They managed to create a physical language that was inherited from the form of verse that I had used. Everything that happens on the stage seemed to have naturally grown from the language. Pink Mist is still a play about relationships and young masculinity but I hope I have gone some way to broaden the sphere of the discussion of war. The play addresses the truth of war; that the casualties of conflict are not in any way confined just to civilians and soldiers who are in the arenas of violence.

You were named the ‘War poet of this generation’ by the Independent. How did you feel when you hear this?

I felt that this title was very generous. I suppose, in America there have been veteran poets and authors who have commented upon the post 9/11 conflicts. I could be wrong but I don’t think that happens very often in Britain.

We haven’t had soldier poets really exploring current or recent conflict in Britain.

Is there anything else you are burning to tell us here at Quench?

I know it sounds like a really heavy and serious subject but there is some humour in the play and it’s light-hearted at times. It is visually beautiful and has a great soundtrack, informed by Bristol dubstep and trip hop. It definitely isn’t an unremitting two hours of darkness.

12 FEATURES

13

Seeing Clearly: Blindness in Africa Words by: Amica Phillips Morris Design & original artwork: Stephany Damyanova

In

2015, Channel 4’s Unreported World broadcasted a ground breaking episode about ‘The Fight for Sight’ in South Africa, specifically in the underdeveloped country of Malawi. The programme followed a TV presenter and wheelchair basketball player, Ade Adepitan, as he journeyed across Malawi witnessing the life changing work of Sightsavers, an international charity providing cataract operations in Malawi. His experiences provided an insight into the lives of people living in one of the most neglected parts of the world battling for a sense that most of us take for granted every day.

Yet this is not only Malawi’s fight. The fight for sight is happening all over the world. Everyday people, especially young children, struggling with blindness go unnoticed. It is estimated that 285 million people are visually impaired worldwide, with approximately 90% of this number living in the world’s most deprived areas.

Adepitan spent three weeks in the South West of Malawi filming for Channel 4 and during that time met some incredible people, struggling daily due to their lack of sight. Unfortunately, eye disorders, such as cataracts that are easily identified and treated here in the UK, are one of the main causes of unnecessary blindness in developing countries along with glaucoma and trachoma. In Malawi those suffering walk barefoot for three miles just to reach clinics and children miss years of school because of blindness. Although there are success stories, like surgery for 80-year-old Jess and 14-year-old Rose, there are many more who don’t even get the chance to meet the doctors.

Originally starting with only four students at primary level the school has become an emblem of hope with students attending from several districts of Uganda and even neighboring countries.

Uganda faces some of the world’s worst developmental challenges, it is one of the most impoverished countries in the world, with nearly one-third of the population living below the poverty line.

Because of this, the chance of catching a disease that may cause eye problems and poor eyesight from a young age is much higher than in other third world countries. This has created a significant blind population estimated to be over 300,000 and with one of the world’s youngest blind populations (almost 50% aged 14 years or younger). The education and livelihood of these children needs to become a priority.

With children being our future generation, their education is a must in ensuring the future development of these impoverished countries, yet for blind children the notion of education is even further restricted than most! Although Hornby School is one of the most successful in Uganda it is also one of the very few with a blind section.

“In Malawi, it is estimated that about 10,000 children are blind because of undiagnosed cataracts.”

Jess and Rose met ophthalmic clinical officer Rex Bwana-Usi, who carries out eye examinations and stresses the importance of outreach clinics in diagnosing and hopefully preventing any further damage to patient’s’ eyesight. He is one of the many remarkable medical examiners in Malawi, as within a country of 16 million people there are only 9 ophthalmologists. Yet, incredibly, this isn’t the most shocking statistic.

In Malawi, it is estimated that about 10,000 children are blind because of undiagnosed cataracts. In the UK, we are quick to notice and treat eye disorders, yet in underdeveloped countries such as Malawi, parents either don’t have the means to bring their children to doctors or as Ade mentions in his blog about his experience, “many families hide their children with visual impairments out of shame. So the number could be higher”. In fact out of those 9 ophthalmologists, only 1 eye surgeon is able to work on children.

Children are supposed to be our hope for the future, so how can we let so many go unnoticed and slip through the cracks?

The fight for sight, especially for children, is something close to my heart having spent 2 weeks in East Africa with Rydal Penrhos School in 2015 and visiting the blind sections of Hornby Junior and High School in Uganda. During our time at the school we met inspirational students and their hopeful, encouraging teachers.

Founded in 1923, the school’s blind section was opened in 1969 by the Royal Commonwealth Society for the Blind. The school has since flourished both in its primary and secondary sectors.

Whilst at the school we gave the younger children balls with bells inside them so they could play football and, in our visit to the secondary school we talked to the older students about their education and hopes for the future. Meeting these students was both incredibly eye opening and heart wrenching. Being a first-hand witness of the daily struggles both teachers and students go through, the appreciation of the students and the kindness of the teachers was inspirational.

On our return to the UK, Rydal Penrhos School held a fundraising day with activities such as a blind football match where pupils and staff were confronted with the difficulties these children face everyday. The school managed to raise enough money to donate white canes for the Primary children we met in 2015. Nick Sissons, the Uganda coordinator for these trips, said, “The greatest thing is to see the excitement of the students and to know that we have played our part in helping their mobility around the school”.

Blind children, not only in Uganda but all over the world, urgently need education if they are to gain independence and avoid a cycle of poverty and mistreatment that has been evident in the past. This fight for sight runs deeper than the initial issue of care. Not only do these children need the clinics to be diagnosed early, and the medical care and assistance to be treated, they also need support in education to establish their own long-term futures.

Sightsavers and World Blind Union are some of the many charities that are globally contributing in the fight for sight. Although the fight has come a long way it still has further to go. We must ensure that this fight does not go unnoticed, that the lives of those affected, especially children, can be improved.

Unreported World is available to watch on Channel 4 every Friday at 7:30pm, and is also available on streaming services.

Visit www.sightsavers.org to find out more.

14 CULTURE

contemporary art. brilliant, or bullshit?

Brilliant.

From Martin Creed’s lightbulb in an empty room turning on and off, to Tracey Emin’s unmade bed, contemporary art can seem utterly perplexing. People have strong opinions on it: some love it, some hate it. Some people just don’t get it. There’s even been disagreements over its definition. These days, it seems like anything can be hung on a wall and called ‘art’. Many will have heard the story (and other similar tales) of a pair of teenagers, who, in an assumed prank, put a pair of reading glasses on the floor of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Gallery visitors flocked to them, gathering around the glasses, even taking photos of them as if they were part of the exhibition. As a response to art in which the teenagers thought they could easily replicate themselves, it leads to question whether something can really constitute art when it seems completely devoid of craftsmanship and ‘beauty’. This seems to be the general consensus of contemporary art, that it’s pretentious, expensive, or even just downright ridiculous.

What is striking, however, is that when one of the teenagers was asked to interpret the “art piece”, he said that its deeper meaning could be about perception – and I think that this is the real beauty of contemporary art. It inspires, confuses and baffles – how can a painting with a plain background and a single line on it mean something? Well, it does, it just depends on how you see it. Many artists, such as Jackson Pollock and Damien Hirst, can take complex ideas - space, the universe, life, death - and spell them out in a way that words just can’t do justice. Pollock dripped and threw paint at canvases, and at first glance, it may seem like just that, but in understanding the canvas as not just something to be painted on, he captured dynamically the energy and abstract nature of the universe on a single canvas.

Contemporary art cast aside, in this sense, the artistic traditions of the past rip apart the boundaries of physical space and time, taking the form of gigantic sculptures and sometimes even film to provide a truly immersive experience. Given the right perception, or even attributing your own perception to this, is when its often complex meaning can be found.

However, simplicity is often where contemporary art’s real value lies. Art is a reflection of the current time and, in an age where we have a constant need for visuals and where we want to understand and process information quickly, contemporary art responds to the speed of modern life. Reading a book, watching a film or play might take a few hours out of your life, but a political statement reflected in a piece of art takes only minutes to digest.

Hannah Hopkins

Bullshit.

Art, to me, consists of beauty. Objects and paintings that have the capacity to inspire which instantly capture my attention. When I think of the word ‘contemporary’ I think of something innovative, fresh and new. I don’t know what’s happened to the art world but it seems to have hit a brick wall. There just aren’t any original ideas anymore; Mr. Brainwash, being a perfect example of my case in point.

In his film Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010) Banksy tells the true story of how French filmmaker Thierry Guetta came to be the famous Mr Brainwash. Guetta would document street artists work, and catch them on camera when he could. Banksy allowed Guetta to film him doing his graffiti work, believing that he was a man who simply liked to document things through his video camera. Little did he know, Guetta had a bigger plan in mind. He decided that after watching how street artists produced their work he would give it a go himself. He manufactured art that showed utter plagiarism of Banksy and other artists’ work and hundreds of people were queuing up for hours for his “gallery” opening. Banksy’s film tells the true story of Thierry Guetta, a French filmmaker who documented Banksy and his graffiti art to then go on to become a graffiti artist himself. His work completely mimics the works of Warhol and Banksy.

Guetta’s plagiarism is laughable and yet people were still cooing over his work. His self-titled name Mr. Brainwash seems to mock his fans and followers because he is simply brainwashing them to appreciate what is called art because they’re told it’s worldly to do so - even if the artist has no talent whatsoever.

Other artists just seem to be taking this mockery a step further. A few years ago when I was looking around The London Art Fair one piece stood out to me in particular (and not in a good way).

It was an A4 sheet of plain white paper completely blank except for the words “fuck off ” typed in the top left hand corner in small print and the artist’s large signature written at the bottom of page.

The contemporary artist Martin Creed had the audacity to even put a 4-figure asking price on the piece! The cheek! The vulgarity of believing you’ll sell a piece of art solely because you have your name written on it is appalling. He is essentially charging thousands of pounds for his own autograph with an insult thrown in. I can’t tell if he’s pretentious to the point of absurdity or just having a midlife crisis. The collection itself is called “What’s the Point of it?” How he won the Turner Prize in 2001 is beyond me.

Emily Murray

48 15

DESIGN AND ORIGINAL ARTWORK BY: LISA DORAN

Damien Hirst’s controversial statue, Verity, on Ilfracombe seafront

16 CULTURE

Modern Classics: Millenial masterpieces in literature THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN

ASKING FOR IT

PAULA HAWKINS

LOUISE O’NEILL

On its release, The Girl On The Train absolutely revolutionized the mystery thriller genre, with modern day themes and its constant twists and turns. The story follows Rachel, who by looking through the train window to a couple’s house and watching their ‘perfect’ life, witnesses something that she cannot forget. This escalates when Megan, the woman in the couple, goes missing. While on a drunken stupor the night she disappears, Rachel must figure out what happened to Megan and what her part may have been in the case.

The story involves three female narratives and a lot of alcohol. The tight-knit plot overlaps and interlinks events and characters in ways that will shock the reader. The three perspectives allow a view into all three of the narrators’ lives in which they themselves have left details out, creating the unreliable narrator technique which we’ve seen in so many classics that never tires. This novel has made an unbelievable impact in the thriller genre and its use of psychological twists has made it classic.

Inspired by real events in the US, UK and Ireland, Asking For It confronts the issues of sexual consent and the aftermath of a gang-rape in a close-knit community. The story is told from the perspective of 18-year-old Emma O’Donovan, an Irish queen bee in a small town. She goes to a friend’s house party, and it is there that things take a turn for the worse. Heaped with praise and nominated for several major YA book awards, Asking For It is destined for ‘classic’ status. O’Neill deftly tackles issues such as sexual consent, social media abuse, cyber bullying, mental health issues and social exclusion. O’Neill has stated that Emma is not meant to be likable to make the reader question if she was indeed “asking for it”, and the value society places on women, depending on how ‘good’ they are seen to be. Don’t be surprised when Asking For It lands on the school curriculum in the future. It is a hard, but necessary read.

Marian McHugh

Beth Girdler- Maslen

SATURDAY

A LITTLE LIFE

IAN McEWAN

HANYA YANAGIHARA

Saturday should be considered a modern classic because it addresses contemporary fears that are prevalent in today’s society. It is set in London on February 15, 2003 and follows neurosurgeon Henry Perowne through the events of his Saturday. The date of the novel marks the largest anti-war protest in recent history, an event that effects Perowne’s day leading him to be involved in a car accident with Baxter, a fidgety London thug with a violent edge. The running theme of terror and war in the UK is highly relevant, with Baxter invading the family home and imposing terror upon them all. The novel, although fictional, gives a perspective of real events and gives the reader an insight into the growing fear of terrorism experienced by the West after 2001.

A Little Life is a novel which is set to be the new and modern A Clockwork Orange because of its controversial and unsettling topics. We follow Jude and his three college friends through their careers, turbulent relationships, successes, failures and their friendship with one another. The story tackles hard-hitting themes that include death, drugs, abuse, sex, race, sexuality and self-harm.

Yanagihara’s zero fear addressing these sensitive subjects makes the novel feel more real, and confronts the reader with the horrors of reality that can actually can happen to people. A fact that Yanagihara will not let you ignore.

Gabrielle Wan

Beth Girdler-Maslen

17

THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY DOUGLAS ADAMS This is a short ode to the Hitchhiker’s Guide series, rather than an attempt to champion it as a ‘modern classic’ – it clearly is and is widely recognized as such. I’m probably cheating, as it began as a radio show and is (technically) 5 separate books – but much like character Slartibartfast, “I’d far rather be happy than right any day”. The ‘trilogy’ does not lag for a single second, zipping along deliriously from one set-piece to another. After the Earth is destroyed by bureaucratic alien-race, the Vogons, in order to make way for a hyperspatial express route. Protagonist Arthur Dent, saved at the last minute by alien-pal Ford Prefect (he felt the name would be “nicely inconspicuous” on Earth), is whisked around the galaxy. Together, they travel from the barren surface of Magrathea, all the way to the end of the universe for a bite to eat. Beneath all the lunacy is the more profound message: although life ultimately has no meaning, there’s enough beauty and splendor in the world for us (with the right outlook) to have a good time while we’re here.

Besides, you and I are here whether we like it or not- we may as well get on board. Everything about Adams’ writing – the characters, the dialogue, the places – is witty, inventive and absurd. All ‘widermeaning’ aside, it’s still a classic. Oh, and don’t forget to bring a towel.

Joseph Fletcher

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS JOHN GREEN A contemporary teenage fiction novel, The Fault In Our Stars tells the story of two teenagers terminally ill with cancer. They meet at a Cancer Support Group and sparks do not instantly fly for the starcrossed, cancer-beaten teens. However, throughout the short novel, Hazel Grace and Augustus Waters fall head over heels in the kind of love that exists only in the fairy-tale world, the kind that makes your heart physically hurt. Augustus Waters is the type of poster boy of every girl’s dreams, but a complicated protagonist nonetheless and probably the reason for the immense popularity of the book.

Everything about him either screams arrogant prick or romantic, sweet boyfriend. He puts cancer sticks (cigarettes) to his mouth but doesn’t actually light them, a metaphor for not allowing the thing that can kill you to actually kill you. Augustus has one wish and that is to make Hazel Grace happy, taking her on a romantic trip to Amsterdam to meet the author of her favourite book.

The writing is prolific and beautiful; Green’s use of metaphors and lines such as, “my thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations;” “the world is not a wish-granting factory,” and “the marks humans leave are too often scars” have a way with resonating with every person who has read his book. A far cry from other mundane books out there, The Fault In Our Stars is a literary work of art.

Sanja Dragojlov

18 CREATIVE

The Beacon

By Thomas Martin

I felt the usual gluey blockage of anxiety in my ribcage as I entered the complex. The league of angel-like guardians guided me through the convoluted process and reminded me of the rules I had previously read at their request.

“It’s going to be simple, just ask the questions you have prepared. They are not too specific, are they?”

“No, they’re not,” I reassured.

“Good. If you weep or breakdown do not worry, this would not be an odd occurrence and you can take breaks when you like. Afterwards you will wake up at your home as if it was all a dream, just try to remember what you learnt.” She spoke in a voice that felt pre-recorded. I wondered if it was.

She escorted me to a room filled by a shining beacon that emitted pitch black light.

This was something that should not be possible. But this was not the first impossible thing I saw today and thought little of it.

“Talk directly into the black light. That’s where his voice shall come from,” she informed, “we used to do these things face to face, but participates would often react negatively to the experience.”

I could see why. What you saw was unlikely to be expected.

“The voice is also not your own,” she admitted, “instead it was a one chosen by your future self. Also…” she put a reassuring hand to my shoulder, “you may not understand some of your answers, but do not worry, maybe one day you will... Good luck.” The woman glided away. Leaving just the black beacon and the sharp silence.

The beacon seemed to emit invitation, and staring into its dark light felt oddly soothing. The peace was then cut. “Welcome, these are the words of Thomas Martin, 2072. The next voice you hear will be of Thomas…”

I swallowed deeply, nervous at what this may uncover. There was a long delay. I realised there might not be an answer.

“Hi!”, it said finally, “you came! How has your day been?”

I froze - I had heard that voice before. “I’m good, umm, I mean it was good yeah,” straining to keep my comfort with the anxiety creeping back.

“Do you recognise the voice?” it asked softly.

I thought deeply, trying to find its origins. Then it struck me. “It’s the voice of The Forgotten Night narrator!”

“You’ve got it champ!” it exclaimed, happy at my understanding, “I won’t burden you with knowing his name, how far are you in?”

“She just fell down the chasm,” I said with a little more confidence, this looking more like fun than I would have previously predicted.

There was a chuckle on the other end. “There’s a good bit coming up.” He then paused, as if getting ready for work, “do you have questions?”.

“Yeah,” I informed him, scrambling for the note book, opening it to the first page and rereading it again. “Okay umm, my first is… Are you happy?”

There was an additional pause.“Happiness,” he began, “is a complicated emotion.

In fact, when your older emotions do seem to get more complicated. Let’s just say I’m content.”

This was not the answer I was expecting. I thought of asking him for elaboration but decided against it, this would likely lead to more puzzles. “Okay…” I said, scanning the note book again. “What about love, umm, what is love like?”

“Oh, love is the best thing you will ever experience,” the voice informed, “but it is also the worse. Basking in it will bring relentless joy, but to see its light diminish is to see your very foundations shatter in your shaking hands. But do not be dishearten. As your heart, will be broken, and you will break hearts yourself, but you will never look back with any regret. And in the end, you will see it all worth the struggle.”

I couldn’t help but feel a little disheartened. It had never occurred to me that heart ache would be as big as love itself. I felt rather fatigued. But there was only one final question I had to ask. “This is the last one, do I, do I ever achieve what I daydream of?”

There was a final pause, this one longer than the others. “There’s a problem with any answer I give you. If I say no, you wouldn’t try. If I say yes, you may not try enough.

So, I will say something different. Some people will tell you not to try. These are the people who tried and failed. You do not know why they’ve failed, in a way they do not know themselves. Really, there is only one obstacle in the way of anything anyone might want to achieve…”

“And what is that?” I sparked up, leaning in.

“Themselves.”

49

19

CULTURE

QPID’S

CORNER find your perfect match with quench’s resident love angel

kindly sponsored by

Tom

Elinor

21, third year Politics and Histor y student

21, fourth year German and English student

TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF AND WHAT YOU’RE LOOKING FOR. My name is Tom. I’m a proud Plymothian and I love a good adventure. My favourite colour is green. I have a cat and a dog, but I don’t really like dogs. Fun fact: I was on Deal or No Deal in first year. Once did a gap yahhh. I’m looking for someone who is chatty, confident, doesn’t spend their life on their phone and will watch Peep Show with me. Other than that, I’m easy...

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST IMPRESSION OF ELINOR?

I was chuffed. She looked good and is pretty. Naturally I was a bit nervous as I was waiting for her but I think we were at ease with each other pretty quickly.

She was chatty and seemed interested in what I had to say so that can only be a good thing. Overall, very good first impressions.

HOW DID THE DATE PROGRESS? We were chatting loads, there were no awkward bits and I found her genuinely interesting. We talked about TV dating shows (I watched The Undateables to psyche me up), Erasmus years and life in general. We finished off the majority of the platter (it was huge) with only a few dropped chips. We moved on elsewhere for a few more drinks afterwards. I don’t think my suggestions of various oldman pubs around Roath really hit the spot with her so we went to Irie Shack instead, which I enjoyed.

BEST BIT? She was telling me how into Harry Potter she is, and how she used to write fanfiction online. I think she still does it, but she just wanted to test the waters to see how I’d react. Her theories on Harry’s long lost sibling were fascinating.

WORST BIT? I can’t remember anything that went horrific. I was sure I had a massive bit of chicken stuck in my teeth at one point, so I must have looked a bit odd trying to get it out without her noticing. I think that I got away with it, though. I also went through a portion of the date thinking that her name was ‘Helena’. Oops.

HOW ABOUT A SECOND DATE? Why not? I had a good time and I hope she did as well. We were together for hours and swapped numbers at the end. Also she never got to teach me this card game that she was bigging up so much. So who knows what will happen next...

TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF AND WHAT YOU’RE LOOKING FOR. I’ve never done anything like this before, but I think the nervous buzz of final year compelled me to do something crazy. I was hoping for a good conversation and proving to myself that I could do something outside of my comfort zone (and the free food of course, who can say no to free food?).

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST IMPRESSION OF TOM?

It was definitely a good first impression; he seemed to have a similar level of nervous energy to me and he was very smiley. He was automatically very forward, which I liked because one of my biggest worries was that there would be too many awkward pauses. I was a bit worried when he mentioned that he studied Politics as my housemates had warned me not to get involved in any kind of political debate. But we seemed to find loads of other things to talk about and politics didn’t come up at all!

HOW DID THE DATE PROGRESS? We shared the Mezze platter, which the waitress had recommended, and had a couple of glasses of wine each. Then, afterwards, we went on to another bar for a couple of cocktails – Mojitos! At the end of the night, he walked me home in true gentleman style! All-in-all, it went rather smoothly.

BEST BIT? For me, probably the revelation that he had actually read Harry Potter. The best bits were probably our shared enthusiasm for language learning and our Wanderlust. In terms of the funniest anecdote, however, it has to be Tom’s story about a flamenco dancing class he took part in last year! I’m annoyed with myself that I didn’t get him to give me a practical demonstration!

WORST BIT? The embarrassing moment where I revealed my inability to speak English properly…or the dropping of my food on the table in what was probably one of the worst displays of table manners I have exhibited in my twenty-one years.

HOW ABOUT A SECOND DATE? There was mention of a card game that I never got around to teaching him... and he did take my number. I think we’ll just have to wait and see.

Qpid’s conclusion:

Watch this space!

Is your love life one big left swipe? Got a mate who can’t pull to save his life? Let Qpid be your wingman instead! You and your date could enjoy a fantastic FREE meal and drinks for two courtesy of The Hellenic Eatery, Cardiff ’s finest Greek cuisine restaurant. Simply send a photo and a brief 100-200 words about yourself and your ideal match to Editor@Quenchmag.com with “Qpid’s Corner” as the subject and let Qpid do the rest!

Date night consists of a shared platter and two drinks, courtesy of Quench and The Hellenic Eatery. No cash alternative offered. Entry does not guarantee selection. Drink responsibly and always use protection.

20

MUSIC

the

NO U G H T I E S

Our contributors give us their top album picks from the turn of the millenium.

Design by Stephany Damyanova

2000 - Coldplay, Parachutes Coldplay released their first album Parachutes in 2000 which kick started their route to fame and their ongoing success. Quoted as being “one of the most impressive debut albums ever” it is one of the best selling albums of all time.The whole group are tight and sharp in the album; noticeably Chris Martin’s vocals and lyrics stand out throughout the tracks as does the folksy sound of the album which Coldplay has since adapted to a more pop-alternative sound. Yellow is the track that is most noticable from this album with its devoted romantic lyrics and its catchy tune which can be seen as inspiration for many of their later tracks with the quick verse and choruses and then the large instrumental sequence towards the end reminiscent of Fix You. The emergence of Coldplay around this time where there was a lull in Brit pop, captivates essences of Radiohead, Travis and U2 but ultimately thrusting them into the spotlight and Parachutes is no doubt their big stepping stone into the fame they experience today.

Beth Girdler-Maslen

2001 - The Strokes, Is This It Perhaps the most seminal record of the noughties; one that spearheaded the garage rock genre and re-invigorated the state of alternative music altogether. These New York rockers brought about a monumental change in mainstream music in the US, also inspiring a legion of budding musicians across the pond too. A band which appears twice on this list, Arctic Monkeys, as well as the likes of The Libertines and Franz Ferdinand, have a lot to thank the Strokes for. The record was praised for its charisma and rhythm, which often alluded to the works of 1970s garage rock bands and, for a short while, made the future of music sound very exciting again. It oozed cool and youthfulness, much like its CBGB era counterparts did over 40 years ago. It’s been sixteen years since Is This It was released into the world and its significance firmly remains. Brilliantly timeless tracks such as Last Nite and Someday are still blasted out of car stereos, sung loudly and proudly by people everywhere and of all ages.

Alannah Williams

2002 - The Streets, Original Pirate Material If there was ever a spark that accelerated the state of UK hip hop, it is found right here in Mike Skinner`s recordings as The Streets. The flourish of the UK garage, jungle and grime scene owe a lot to this unique sound of the naughties. Skinner, a native Brummie that spent time growing up in Birmingham and North London was evidently no stranger to the industrial, urban landscape that structures our lives. With an ear in hip hop, house and jungle, the sound of The Streets found a unique collective of all three but with a twist. The added social commentary that Skinner brought to the album added a sense of authenticity since the tales of drink, drugs and `deep-seeded urban decay` are what made this album so applicable to a society overwhelmed with all three. It was however, the start of something bigger, as the opening track Turn The Page indicates. If you fancy a throwback, let Mike take you back to the sound of the 2002 underground but, `brace yourself, this goes deep`.

Sean Kirkpatrick

2003 - Amy Winehouse, Frank There is no doubt that she was loved by so many, with her unique voice and the ability to create music that sincerely makes you feel; Amy Winehouse was an amazingly talented young woman. We were introduced to her with her debut album Frank which was released in 2003. Compromising mostly of jazz music, Winehouse gave us a relaxing and inviting album, with a raw yet also soft sound. Amy Amy Amy and I Heard Love is Blind are a must listen and are two of the most favoured tracks, with the first being more upbeat with soulful backing vocals and the latter a lot more relaxed and rhythmic. It may have not been her most successful album, however with Frank, we had been blessed to a small introduction of the feisty, original, and unique Amy Winehouse. There is no doubt that she has carved her name in the hearts of thousands, and is a performer that the world will always remember.

Sophie King

2004 - Greenday, American Idiot Punk, political and powerful; the three words that come to mind when I think of Green Day’s American Idiot. An album that echoes the civilian disillusion and fear of an American government who forged tragedy and anguish, following the life of ‘Jesus of Suburbia’, on a path of rage, loneliness, love and loss. Beginning with the anger inspired by George W. Bush’s presidency in the single American Idiot, slowing down to the depression of the Boulevard of Broken Dreams, with Armstrong’s raspy voice and dramatic guitar tempo encouraging the listener to believe his struggle. Then energetically bouncing into love and lust, which is dramatically short lived when the rock ‘n roll lifestyle takes over. The album illustrates the battle faced by the anti-hero, it is intense, believable and ultimately a fantastic piece of music that tells an inspiring story of trying to make sense of a world in chaos.

Alexandra Davies

21

2005 - Fall Out Boy, From Under The Cork Tree From Under The Cork Tree is Fall Out Boy’s second album, and arguably their most important. Featuring breakout hits Sugar We’re Going Down and Dance Dance, fans were drawn in by the catchy choruses and possibly the deepest vocals in pop punk, and then stuck around for Pete Wentz’ melancholy lyrical stylings, movie references, and unnecessarily long song titles. Alongside My Chemical Romance and The Used, Fall Out Boy were hailed as emo royalty, and introduced the world to skinny jeans, “guyliner” and a general feeling of discontent. As well as being a success story of its own, this record helped bring mainstream attention to Fuelled by Ramen label mates Panic! At The Disco and Paramore.

Emma Hotchkiss

2006 - Arctic Monkeys, Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not Whatever People Say I am That’s What I’m Not by Artic Monkeys is a rip roaring, energetic and youthful record that is one of the most influential albums of our generation. A decade later and many still consider this Arctic Monkeys’ best record, and it is not difficult to see why. Every tune is packed with tonnes of energy and authenticity, along with excellent Alex Turner lyricism reflecting the band’s upbringing in Sheffield. This is one of the first examples of Turner’s natural poetic flair that his audience have come to know and love over the past ten years, and the band’s well known animated instrumentation is displayed here too.

Clearly the start of Arctic Monkeys’ worldwide success, Whatever People Say... is easily one of the best albums of the Noughties, and will continue to be extremely popular for a long time to come.

John Jarman

2007 - Kanye West, Graduation Whatever you think of Kanye West, you cannot deny that his third album Graduation made an impact. The LP sees Kanye West’s flagrant infiltration into mainstream pop culture; shutter-shades and pink polos were even worn in appreciation of the ‘Louis Vuitton don’. Although Graduation didn’t provide a new sound like The College Dropout does, the albums layering and Kanye’s lyricism still brought us timeless hip-hop vibes. With Good Life and Stronger incorporating Michael Jackson and Daft Punk samples, the tracks are only enhanced by the dynamic electronic soundscapes. Combining clever wordplay and sonic variation, Kanye West’s Graduation contributed something special to the music scene in 2007. Besides some of his more popular tracks, highlights of the album include Champion and Can’t Tell Me Nothing. The simple truth, however, is that Graduation is seamless; every track brings something new to the table. It is arguably one of West’s greatest records.

Benita Barden

2008 - Stereophonics, Decade in the sun The sound of the noughties is definitely the sound of the Stereophonics and Decade in the Sun is comprised of some of the bands greatest and most timeless hits. Decade in the Sun showcases how Cwmaman’s Tragic Love Company became 2008’s ninemillion-selling global superstars. With tracks old and new we hear the best of the Phonics and how their music skyrocketed to stardom. The album opens with Dakota, one of their biggest hits. We also travel back to the early days of the Phonics with tracks like The Bartender and the Thief. My Own Worst Enemy adds its own edgy dimension to the album. Whilst other songs like Step on My Old Size Nines is beautiful and chilled out. The Phonics cater to every mood. In 2008 the Phonics were just ten years into their career. It’s testament to them as a band that even in the infancy of their career they released Decade in the Sun, comprised of hit after hit.

Lucy Pugh

2009 - Arctic Monkeys, Humbug As the noughties drew to a close, so did the Arctic Monkeys we once knew… Moving away from their boyish charm, Sheffield accents and songs about getting on it, Humbug brought a moodier, spookier and more mature turn. However, with this album brought great controversy; nominated for NME’s worst album of the year as well as being nominated for the best, it also upset a few fans along the way. However, being co-produced by Josh Homme, it was inevitable the album would twist to a darker place and potentially, better place. What was so good about this album was the significant leap the Arctic Monkeys took with Alex describing the previous two albums “A little less hard boiled”, playing on the name Humbug. The band were no longer the rugged teenage, Sheffield boys we once knew but instead, established themselves as the innovative, unpredictable band we now know.

Bringing unforgettable tracks such as Cornerstone and My Propeller, surely this album should be considered as the best Arctic Monkeys album?

Erin Brown

Album releases

MIGRATIONS Bonobo

Ninja Tune Available to stream and purchase Following the release of North Borders in 2013, Simon Green, aka Bonobo, returns with a quite frankly brilliant LP, which explores sound through the theme of travel. Green brings together warm organic sounds from other cultures and very cleverly integrates it into his evolving, melancholic, downtempo electronica style.

The album kicks off with the subtle piano of its title track, Migration, which then slowly builds into a track with a powerful atmospheric presence with weird, yet comforting female vocal chops. A personal favourite is Brambro koyo Ganda, a tribal, funky track which features Innov Gnawa, a New-York based collective who make gnawa, a spiritual Moroccan based music used in healing rituals. Alongside Ontario this song is where Green explicitly explores his theme of culture and travel as he tries to transport his audience and immerse them into unfamiliar sound.

More familiar than Innov Gnawa is Australian Nick Murphy, formally known as Chet Faker. Murphy features on the song No Reason, the third single released from the album, with his neo-soul vocals offering a much darker side to the album accompanied with Green’s pulsating beats.

This is an album ideal for relaxing in your room or gazing out of windows on long commutes to escape the rush of everyday life, even if for a brief moment.

Green takes you on an adventure through the tropics of his sophisticated instrumentals accompanied by carefully picked melodic vocals. Bonobo has produced a masterpiece of an album, the highlight of his 15-year career. It’s his first record which appeals equally to electronic music fans and the average listener, a record I whole-heartedly recommend listening to.

Yaw Twum-Danso

British Electronia DJ Bonobo stares off into the distance, probably thinking about cool DJ things

23

RENNEN

YOUTH IS ONLY EVER FUN IN RETROSPECT

SOHN

4AD Records Available to stream online and purchase in stores (CD and vinyl) now

Sundara Karma

British producer SOHN released his debut album Tremors three years ago, and now in 2017 he has given us another offering in the form of Rennen. So what’s changed in that time? Disappointingly, not much. While SOHN’s voice is talented, it’s overproduced and retreads much of the same ground, especially in regards to lyrics, which he stylistically repeats and chops over and over again. This can be tolerable in certain music, (who doesn’t love a chorus?) but with lyrics as cliched as ‘Guess I believed in a system /Where the bodies outweigh the cars’, it’s hard to find this repetition anything but irritating.

Chess Club / RCA Victor Available to stream online and purchase in stores (CD only) now Youth is Only Ever Fun in Retrospect seems the perfect debut album title for the Reading indie rockers, taken from single Deep Relief, the last song to be finished for the record. Not only does it reflect Oscar Lulu’s limitlessly poetic lyrics, but coincides with the underlying message of the album - youthfulness.

Rennen is technically fine, and arguably entertaining to listen to, it is the musical equivalent of the colour beige - it fades into the background, and gives the audience nothing interesting to convince them to listen more closely. The single Conrad stands out above the rest, but on the whole, this album is electronic R&B without any soul, without any blues, a classic case of an attempted revamp proving far worse than the original. Maybe in another three years SOHN will give us a more interesting album.

A Young Understanding opens the album perfectly. With Haydn Evan’s energetic drum beat, followed by Oscar Lulu’s gruff, yet heavenly vocals, belting out “it’s just a young understanding”. This youthful message beats throughout the rest of the album, particularly in Vivienne, a modern, young love story-turned-ballad.

Fan favourite She Said is undoubtedly the catchiest song of the album. With the bouncy lyrics and playful guitar riffs, this song is bound to cheer up a dull day.

Classic tracks such as Loveblood and Flame have been intertwined in this piece of poetic art, offering an injection of what Sundara Karma really stand for… producing absolute indie anthems!

Ash Cox

Charlie Minett

Night People

I SEE YOU

You Me at Six

The xx

Giving them their second no 1, Night People is the fifth album of Surrey rock quintet You Me At Six, containing ten punchy anthems that stay true to the band’s classic sound. The title track and songs like Plus One hit right in the rock-loving feels and you can easily jam to the whole album – as I have done several times since the release. Although some songs may feel a little generic for wider audience tastes (the band has generally received mixed reviews for the album), it hasn’t stopped the dedicated fans from raving about it and online – as they should!

Opening single Dangerous is a standout track from The xx’s third studio album – a trumpet hook punctuates the chorus and a strong bass line accompanies the verses to make the song a triumphant return. The trio experimented with this on sophomore album Coexist with tracks like Swept Away, but they’ve reappeared with a more polished sound on Dangerous, Violent Noise and On Hold. The whole album is atmospheric, the songs almost arch over you, and the listening experience feels like gazing at a colourful and starry sky.

Tracks like Take On the World, Spell It Out and Heavy Soul give a darker edge to the band’s image, seeing them grow with a maturer sound. I feel that the band have created an incredible set of songs that stay true to the adrenalised sound that the band are well noted for and the fans will definitely be wowed during the upcoming tour. Keep on keeping on boys!

Jamie xx’s solo influence is undeniably present, but it wouldn’t be the vibrant, multi-faceted album that it is without Romy Madley-Croft and Oliver Sim. Overall, The xx’s change of direction and experimental risk has proven fruitful, and set the bar high for music in 2017. I See You has victoriously thrust The xx up there as one of the most exciting bands at the moment, and has united music fans from so many different genres. Their tour kicks off in March, and it’s difficult not to be excited for what this gifted trio has to offer in the coming years.

Infectious Records Available to stream online and purchase in stores (CD and vinyl) now

Hannah Stait

Ellen Brown

Young Turks Available to stream online and purchase in stores (CD and vinyl) now

Ciera Littleford

STILLNESS IN WONDERLAND

Little Simz

Independently released Available to stream and purchase (digital only) now Starting rapping at the ripe age of 9 years old and performing her first self written song at 11, Little Simz has had years of practice crafting her art. Since 2013, Simbi Ajikawo (It means count money) has been prolific in her work-rate and has dropped 11 projects in total, picking up praise from the likes of Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar, earning a spot on Jools Holland’s show and even the privilege of supporting childhood idol Lauryn Hill in the States. All this came before the project we have before us now, a culmination of years of work detained on Simz’ Twitter. Recorded in various living rooms and featuring artists from overseas and her own Space-Age team, the album came together as a conceptual experience set far down the rabbit hole into Wonderland.

Simz has always been exploring sounds and the album as a whole contains an incredible mixture of styles. From the spiritual and introspective in LMPD to

confidently powerful and empowering lyrics in Picture Perfect and Shotgun which features a smooth as heck chorus from The Internet’s Syd. Although shunning the title of ‘Grime rapper’, veterans of the scene Ghetts and Chip struggle to keep up with Simbi’s incredible verse on King of Hearts.

Where my only personal gripe with Little Simz had been the inconsistency in the songs within her early EPs, she has firmly found her feet in the album format with this and her previous album A Curious Tale of Trials + Persons. This sophomore effort is far from sophomoric in content and gives a mature look from Simz perspective into spirituality, sexuality, the music scene and the world as a whole.

Rowan Lees

THE 1975 AT THE MOTORPOINT ARENA, CARDIFF

Frontman Matt Healy

“ Impeccably tight, the band jump between old classics and new material with ease.”

“LOVE ME,” screams Matthew Healy, frontman of The 1975.

It doesn’t need to be said though, as he addresses a packed Motorpoint Arena, the crowd already do. This has, undeniably, been their year; they’ve scored a second number one album, a handful of chart topping singles, sold out arenas and headlined festivals. This, the final gig of the year for the English pop-rock band, is a testament to what a show-stopping twelve months it’s been.

I first saw The 1975 play a basement set in early 2013. They last played Cardiff in early 2014, selling out the Great Hall.

Two years on, and they’ve raised the bar again. Their set is impeccably tight, the band jumping between old classics and material with ease. Visual production is second to none, with each song having a distinctive aesthetic personality, as well as sonic.

Bathed in colour they stood, the emblem of their first album now suspended above them, a nod to the work that put them on the stage where they currently stand, a cool illusion adding another dimension (literally) to the stage.

It seemed the perfect way to close their year; a victory lap of the country that got them where they are today. It was almost too fitting that they played opposite ‘The Big Sleep’ a hotel that shares one of their earlier monikers. The 1975 are here. They make for an inspiring reminder, ‘the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.’

- Mark Sweeney Find the band on Twitter @The1975 or visit the1975.com for upcoming tour dates.

Photography by Jasper Wilkins. Follow him on Instagram @Jasper_Photography

Adam Hann, lead guitar

John Waugh, saxaphonist

Two fans enjoy the view from the balcony

27 folk music legend

BEANS ON TOAST INTERVIEW BY CHARLIE MINETT WORDS BY JASPER WILKINS

Beans on Toast is a busy man. With eight studio albums, countless live tours and a music career spanning over a decade behind him, nobody can accuse him of slacking. Through sheer graft and endless drive, the self-described “English drunkfolk singer-songwriter” has become a cult figure of the British festival circuit, charming audiences from tiny bar gigs all the way up to headliner sets at Boomtown, YNOT Festival and Glastonbury, as well as opening arenas for friend and fellow folk singer Frank Turner. With ever more gigs in the pipeline, Beans on Toast - real name Jay McAllister - shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

“I’m doing the Independent Venue Week tour in a fortnight, which comes by Cardiff to Clwb Ifor Bach,” he explains. “I go to the States in March and do some shows out there, plus an incredible cruise to the Bahamas with [Irish punk band] Flogging Molly something I’ve done for the last couple years.

Then it’s back to the UK for festival season.

And then somewhere amongst all that I’ll be recording my next record with a UK and European tour at the end!”

“ GLASTONBURY IS THE

MOTHER...IT’S TAUGHT ME A LOT OF LIFE LESSONS AND HOLDS A VERY SPECIAL PLACE IN MY ” HEART.

Jay’s relentless work ethic has seen him put out a fresh album every year on his birthday since 2009, including his debut double album Standing on a Chair which contained 50 individual tracks. “It’s the only way to do it really,” he says. “I like to keep the wheels turning.”

And turn they do. Once famous for penning the song I Can’t Get a Gig at Glastonbury This Year, Beans on Toast has since appeared on the legendary event billing for the last nine years in a row. “Glastonbury is the mother - I’ve been going there since I was sixteen years old,” he says. “It’s taught me a lot of life lessons and holds a very special place in my heart.” It’s hard to imagine a Glastonbury without the troubador - though with plans for the festival’s year move to Longleat looking increasingly uncertain, we might soon have a troubador without his Glastonbury.

As well as his inability to say no to a booking, a massive part of Jay’s charm is his wit and relaxed stage persona. Often appearing barefoot in camo shorts and a battered baseball cap, his stage is typically empty save for an acoustic guitar and a crate of beers. His songs are endearing, observant - and with sharp titles like MDMAmazing and Fuck You Nashville, probably not the sort of folk music your grandparents grew up with! “I kind of get away with it,” he says. “As much as I don’t censor myself, there’s also no need to be swearing your head off in front of a bunch of kids. But if people book a Beans on Toast gig then that’s what they’re gonna get. I think because the sentiment is right, people can get past a couple of swear words.”

In the lyrical crosshairs at the moment is everyone’s favourite political boogeyman, Donald

Trump - President Trump, by the time this issue will go to print. ‘Man of the people/ son of the billionaires/ A lying viscious bigot in the allimportant chair’ Jay sings on I Think Everybody Should Be Terrified, before comparing the new American President to a shit 90s cartoon villain.

His latest album A Spanner in the Works contains a similar focus on the hyper-current, with opener 2016 being an apt - albeit depressing - summary of the year’s celebrity deaths and cultural shifts. As well as Trump, the album also contains shoutouts to the ‘self-righteous self-serving twats’ Boris Johnson, Nigel Farage and Michael Gove.

“I don’t wanna be a fearmongerer, so the easiest thing for me to do was write a song,” Jay reveals.

“Sometimes it’s the only way I know how to formulate how I’m thinking and feeling. When I am playing a gig I do want to talk about what’s going on, and it’s very easy to fluff your words and whatnot. But being able to knock it down into a two minute song is the most concise way to get things across, I find.”

Returning to his upcoming Independent Venues Week tour, Jay praises the indie music spirit that made it all happen. Despite his status as a scene legend, it’s still a very DIY operation. “It’s not like anybody organises it as such, it’s up to the venues and bands to do everything themselves.”

While the live music industry in the UK is thriving, smaller independent spaces for music are constantly under threat. It is estimated that in the past decade around 40% of London music venues have closed, reflecting a nationwide trend.

With this tour, however, Jay is keen to help reverse the trend. “I’ve got a tune on my new album called The Drumkit, which is all about independent music venues closing down around the country. It was a case of ‘put your money where your mouth is’. A seven day tour is quite short for me, but I’m very much looking forward to it.”

Beans on Toast plays in Cardiff on Wednesday 25th January. For other upcoming tour dates and more information please visit Beansontoastmusic.com.

28 FOOD/DRINK

HEALTHY FATS Does fat make us..fat?

ood the g d i a s ! t” “I of fa kind

WORDS BY: BETHANY RUDGE DESIGN BY: LUCY APRAHAMIAN ILLUSTRATION BY: SARAH THOMPSON The weight-loss industry has long been saturated with quick fix, artificially sweetened, too-good-to-be-true low fat diets. It is no wonder that people continue to reject the idea that fat can be consumed as part of a healthy diet.

Let’s face it, we all actually need some fat in our diet. Surprisingly, fats do a lot more for the human body than simply supply calories. However, a common misconception, heightened by the excessive availability and marketing of low-fat and fat-free diet products have led consumers to demonise fat as the biggest culprit behind weight gain.

What few people know is that the low-fat diet products that litter our supermarket shelves are often packed with high levels of sugar, as well as artificial sweeteners and chemicals. Yes, low fat yoghurts, cereals, breads and ready meals may be low in saturated fat but they are also often full with hydrogenated trans-fats and it’s these fats that we really need to be avoiding.

Despite this, many people continue to believe that fat is unhealthy and that ultimately eating it will make you gain weight, so it’s often the first macro-nutrient they cut out when trying to lose the pounds. This is a common mistake as not all fats are bad. In fact, some are essential to the body and should be incorporated into your diet.

So, why are the RIGHT fats important?

Fats have several important roles for the healthy maintenance of the body, including:

• Providing you with energy (1g of fat contains 9kcals, as opposed to just 4kcals in 1g of carbohydrate).

• Absorbing fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K (fat must be present for the body to absorb these vitamins).

•Fatty acids are essential for growth development and cell functions, but cannot be made by our body’s processes.

• Helping to produce hormones in the body.

• Maintaining healthy hair, skin and nails.

But before you rush off to your nearest McDonalds for some deep-fried cheese and fries, it’s important to understand a little more about the difference between fats. Knowing this difference can help you determine which fats can be consumed as part of a healthy diet and which you should be eating in careful moderation.

Types of fat Saturated fats from meat and dairy products have been wrongly demonised because of their association with increased bad cholesterol and risk of heart disease. For years we have been told to replace these saturated fats with polyunsaturated vegetable oils, margarines and low-fat products.

However, new research suggests that saturated fats from butter, milk, eggs and coconut oil increase good cholesterol and are beneficial for the heart. So don’t throw away your yolks, folks!

But proceed with caution. Just because these fats have been shown to be better for you than previously suggested, it does not mean we can all tuck into a block of cheese for dinner.

Fats do contain a high level of calories, so everything should be eaten in moderation.

The consumption of unsaturated fats (monounsaturated fats), sourced from foods such as avocados, nuts, seeds and olives are also great for increasing good cholesterol. Unlike sugary cereal bars, these foods will give you sustained energy.

Additionally, polyunsaturated fats found in foods such as herring, salmon, mackerel, trout and walnut oil and are an important source of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fats are considered anti-inflammatory, helping to reduce the risk of chronic diseases.

There are however, many foods which contain high levels of unhealthy fats. Processed foods such as crisps, doughnuts, ice cream and fast food products, as well as many ‘diet’ products are high in hydronated fats and very low in nutrients. They are also packed full of artificial ingredients that actually do more harm to our bodies than good.

So ultimately my advice is to eat real food! Ditch the ‘lowfat’ diet products, ready meals and processed foods and try to cook and prepare all your own meals using quality, fresh and unprocessed ingredients. Fat doesn’t directly make us “fat”. It’s all about getting the right balance!

30 FOOD & DRINK

MIXOLOGY 101 Drink like a lady, spend like a student

WORDS BY: ELLIE PHILLPOTS, GEORGIA O’BRIEN, MEL LYNCH AND GABRIELLE WAN

With a growing social calendar and an equally expanding overdraft, price can be a deciding factor for many students in search of their evening tipple. Many of us have become all too partial to a £5.99 bottle of Glen’s finest vodka, washed down with sweet splash of lemonade, as we warm ourselves up for a night of partying.

Cocktails, on the other hand, are reserved strictly for 21st birthdays and celebratory occasions. Their price tag is usually enough to make even the ballers among us quiver in their kitten heels.

But what if I told you being classy could be done on a budget? Courtesy of Quench Food and Drink, here are 10 simple cocktail recipes guaranteed to make you want to put your glad rags on this February. Using only Cathays’ cheapest ingredients, these refreshing drinks are the perfect beverage for any budding lord or lady on campus.

What’s more, they can all be made from the comfort of your humble abode!

31

Pina Colada

Woo Woo

A summer favourite, this tropical blend of coconut cream, white rum and pineapple juice will transport you to the Costa del Sol this winter. A personal favourite among many a sun worshipper, there is no better place to enjoy this drink than in the warm up to Juice on a Saturday.

Ingredients: 50ml white rum, 25ml coconut cream, 25ml single cream and 200ml pineapple juice.

Method: It’s as simple as mixing all the ingredients together in a (large) glass. To really save the pennies, why not swap the first three ingredients for Malibu or a cheaper alternative!

The go-to for every trip to Wetherspoons, it’s hard to believe you can get this cocktail any cheaper! Give this homemade recipe a try.

Ingredients: 25ml peach schnapps, 25ml vodka and 50ml cranberry juice.

Method: Add ice, vodka and peach schnapps to a large glass. Pour over the cranberry juice and mix well.

Enjoy!

The Fluffy Duck

A student classic, this cocktail incorporates a strange combination of spirits that work surprisingly well together. It takes only a matter of minutes and is guaranteed to give you that fuzzy feeling!

Ingredients: WKD Blue (or why not a blue VK?), port (small bottle), vodka (leftovers from last night).

Method: Mix together in a large jug the bottle of WKD with 50ml of Port. Then add 25ml of Vodka. It’s as easy as that.

Quirky by name and nature, this creamy concoction of advocaat, white rum, cream and lemonade is the perfect drink for anyone with a sweet tooth. Bright yellow in colour, this cocktail certainly lives up to its name. If it’s anything as popular as the yellow VK, we see it as being a hit with Cardiff students!

Ingredients: 25ml advocaat, 25ml white rum, 25ml cream, lemonade.

Method: Mix the rum, cream and advocaat with a sprinkling of vigor in a measuring jug. Add it to a glass and top it up with lemonade. Replace the cream with ice-cream for an indulgent twist.

Cheeky Vimto

Vodka Sunset

A sensual, fruity and refreshing drink, the perfect perk-me-up for any occasion. A hangover cure perhaps? Hair of the dog as they say!

Ingredients: 50ml vodka, orange juice, ice and 25ml raspberry cordial Method: Mix together the orange juice and the vodka, and pour in glass filled with ice. Add a splash of cordial and let it sink to the bottom like a perfect sunse

Singapore Sling

Quite the concoction, this cocktail is best served as a ‘bev’ for Revs Tuesday. Don’t let the long ingredient list put you off. It’s super easy to make and won’t cost you a small fortune.

Ingredients: 25ml gin, 25ml cherry brandy, 50ml pineapple juice, 10ml Benedictine, 10ml grenadine, 10ml Cointreau, soda water and ice.

Method: Mix all the ingredients (excluding the soda water) together in a large jug and pour over ice in a large glass. Top up with soda water to finish. Why not garnish with a slice of pineapple for some added je ne sais quoi!? oyster!

Mojito

A traditional all time classic and our favorite here at Quench, this zingy blend of lime, mint and rum is bound to have you feeling like the classiest student in Cathays. What’s more, you don’t need to venture out to Cardiff ’s bars to enjoy it - just follow this quick and easy recipe!

Ingredients: Half a lime (cut into 4 pieces), 5 fresh mint leaves, tablespoon of sugar, 50ml golden rum (Morgan’s spiced or Havana Club), soda water, ice and strawberries.

Method: Put the lime, mint leaves and sugar into a glass and mash them together. Then add in the rum and top with soda water, stirring well. For a fruity twist, add in a small handful of strawberries or raspberries for a burst of added flavour!

Ginger Gin

This super cheap but yummy cocktail is perfect for when you want to be fancy but can’t afford to visit the expensive cocktail bars in the city centre! As the name suggests, it’s perfect for all the gin lovers out there but is actually also surprisingly versatile. Why not give it a go with vodka or even rum if that takes your fancy? Lidl’s alcohol section is your oyster!

Ingredients: Gin (or own brand spirit of your choice), Ginger ale, Lime cordial, ice, a cheap cocktail shaker (to make you feel like a pro) and a straw (to make it classy).

Method: First pop your ice and about 50ml of gin in the shaker. Pour in a dash of cordial and shake well. Add the ginger ale and stir. Serve in your fanciest glass and take a well-deserved sip from the straw. Voila, Ginger Gin!

Lemon Drop

When life gives you lemons, make a lemon drop cocktail! It counts towards one of our five a day, right?!

Ingredients: 50ml vodka, 50ml lemon juice, 1 tablespoon sugar, ice and lemonade.

Method: Mix together the vodka, lemon juice and sugar in a glass. Top up with lemonade. It’s easy peasy lemon squeezey!

Taly Southern Comfort Only four ingredients are needed for this, as let’s be honest, alcohol is expensive. This will get you bevved on a budget whilst still clinging onto that last straw of your remaining classiness, which is the true goal, is it not?!

Ingredients: Southern Comfort, Peach Schnapps, orange juice and sugar. Optional: Strawberries, a paper umbrella and ice.

Method: Optional step - Pour some sugar into a shallow dish, making sure that the sugar’s reach is larger in diameter than the rim of your glass. Ensure you use a generous amount so the rim is covered. Then, using a clean sponge, moisten the rim of the glass with either a sliver of Peach Schnapps or Southern Comfort, before giving the glass a big dunk into the sugar. Add about two fingers of Southern Comfort and three fingers of Peach Schnapps, optionally you can just leave the drink as this if you fancy something a tad stronger.

Voila, there you have it. Enjoy your sophisticated beverage on the cheap!

Global Opportunities

The Global Opportunities team offers students the chance to study, work or volunteer abroad as part of their Cardiff University experience. An international experience is a great way to enhance your CV by demonstrating key skills such as communication, flexibility and collaborative working, but can provide you with valuable networking opportunities.

Global Opportunities offers a wide and diverse range of exciting summer opportunities, which in summer 2017 will include internships in China, Colombia, India and the USA; Summer Study programmes in Hong Kong, Singapore, Canada and Mexico; and Volunteering projects in Fiji, Cambodia, Japan and Sri Lanka. You may also be able to spend a semester or year of your degree studying at one of our worldwide partner universities.

Comprehensive information about all of the opportunities on offer, as well as bursary information and details on how to apply can be found on the intranet, by searching for ‘spend time abroad’, or you can drop in and see us at 51a Park Place, on weekday afternoons.

Make the most of your summer – where will you GO?

VOLUNTEERING IN CZECH REPUBLIC JASMINE OKAI In a microscopic student room in Talybont South, I decided I wanted to go to the Czech Republic on a four week volunteer placement with the Global Opportunities Centre at Cardiff University.

Filled with images of classic architecture, a string of clubs in Prague and goulash, I was very excited to receive an email of confirmation post-interview. After going through risk assessments, pre-departure talks, meetings and the seemingly endless form-filling, five students from Cardiff University were finally able to board our early flight to Václav Havel, Prague Airport.

Our first volunteer project was in a quiet village called Chric, west of Prague. After meeting the other international volunteers, we had a tour around the brewery we were volunteering in. The goal was to finish a dry stone wall that was already started by other volunteers in earlier years to prepare for the local beer festival happening later that year.

By the end of the first two week project, we had all gained a deeper understanding of true Czech culture by staying in an area outside of the main tourist destinations, visiting places of cultural and historical interest, and learning to associate the word ‘pivo!’ (meaning beer in Czech) with happiness and joy. As the youngest of the volunteer team, I think I may have learned to love this word a bit more than the others!

After spending the weekend being ultimate tourists in Prague, we travelled to the final volunteer project which was situated in a Czech school thirty minutes from Prague. From painting to fixing wooden benches to setting up outdoor cinema projections, we gradually came to learn more about and respect the local community. None of the friendships we made, the food we ate, the memories made, or the tacky souvenirs we bought could have been possible without the GOC!

Chris Gale, Global Opportunities

33

CLIMBING KILIMANJARO SOPHIE KING This summer I took part in a challenge to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in aid of Worldwide Cancer Research.

An experience like this has always been something I had wanted to do and it is only since coming to university that these opportunities have become available to me. It was in a lecture in November 2015 that I noticed a leaflet advertising the challenge and how to take part. That evening I attended a meeting with other students who were then strangers, where we were given more information about the ins and outs of the trip and also how we would be supported in raising the money for the charity.

The trip was led by a company called Choose A Challenge who attach themselves to various universities across the UK, and provides them with different challenges to raise money for worthy causes. Throughout the time leading up to the trip, we were constantly in contact with people from the company and we also had two student leaders who had done a trip the year before, climbing Machu Picchu – Abbey and Ella. These two girls were amazing at arranging meetings to discuss fundraising, socials so we could get to know one another and also being there for us in times of need (the fundraising process was stressful!). I can confidentally speak on behalf of the whole group when I say that if we did not have help from these two, we would not have all become so close, and would have not reached our fundraising targets.

The challenge itself was something I will never forget. It was one of the hardest weeks of my life, testing me mentally and physically. Reaching the top of the mountain and knowing that we had all raised a great amount of money for charity created a sense of pride within us.

YOUTH PROJECTS IN FIJI GEORGIA O’BRIEN Last summer, I was fortunate to receive a place on a volunteering project in Fiji with the Global Opportunities centre here at Cardiff University. The project was run by Think Pacific, a charity that aims to provide educational, financial and logistical support to some of the poorest areas in Fiji.

The Global Opportunities Centre was brilliant in ensuring I was fully prepared for the project. What many people don’t know about the centre is that they often provide financial support for students looking to travel abroad, either to study, work or like me, to volunteer. I was fortunate to receive £600 towards the project which was a massive help. This sum isn’t based on parental income, so it’s a great way for students who are struggling financially to travel abroad with the university.

The project itself (without sounding too cliché) was a life-changing experience.

The Fijian people are undoubtedly the most generous, kind hearted and friendly people I have been lucky enough to meet. I can’t help but smile when I think about the overwhelming sense of achievement I felt when I taught a child something new.

I went to Fiji to teach Fijians but I came away having learnt so much. I gave my first speech, I sang in front of people for the first time and I had my 20th birthday dressed in a traditional Fijian outfit surrounded by an entire village. I made friends for life and gained a family. I will treasure these memories always.

I, like many other who went abroad last year, am so thankful for the experience the University and Global Opportunities afforded me. It is so important as students, that we make to most of the opportunities around us while we are still in a position to do so. To someone thinking about doing the project in Fiji, or any other trip organised by Global Opportunities this year. DO IT. It will be the best decision you ever make.

ÂŁ20

Jurassic Coast SUNDAY 26TH MARCH 09:00-20:00

Sign up online > CARDIFFSTUDENTS.COM/GIVEITAGO

Photo: Moyan Brenn

Full of formations, beaches, rocks and fossils, the Jurassic Coast is a fantastic place for the geologically interested student. Not into geology?

No problem! The sights are stunning, walking routes are available and the day out is suitable for a variety of people.

TŶ CELF 2017 Writing

•

Photography

•

Artwork

1

TŶ CELF

EDITOR’S NOTE For the past six years Cardiff Student Media has produced Ty Celf, an annual anthology of artwork, photography and literature from the talented and creative students here at Cardiff University.

Over the past few years the ethos driving the anthology is that the creative works come first; the design should be as minimalistic as possible so that the key focus is upon the wonderful things that you make. Each image and piece of text is intended to have its own full page dedicated to it, ensuring nothing distracts from the carefully crafted works that the contributing students have devoted their time to perfecting.

Yet as is the way with many forms of artistic expression, this academic year, what was more or less a monthly magazine has been reduced down to only five ‘petite’ issues due to budget cuts affecting student media. Thus, this year’s Ty Celf is half the mag it used to be (but only in size we hope!). Regrettably this means that the notion behind Ty Celf of featuring one work per page has had to be abandoned along with our dreams of anything more than five issues of Quench a year. This certainly isn’t just a Cardiff Uni issue alone though. Last year a study from the Guardian showed us that not only are the arts not viewed on equal terms to other subjects, but in higher education, budget cuts disproportionately affect the arts. In a society that continually demands entertainment, it is essential that arts are given sufficient funding, but at present it’s barely getting what it needs, let alone what it deserves. We must fight to ensure that opportunities for creative students are not thrown away in coming years by further cuts to the arts, especially when it’s already so difficult to get your name in print.

It’s not all doom and gloom though; despite being a smaller magazine this year, we’ve still managed to pack in work from the same number of contributors as featured in previous years while still maintaining the Ty Celf mind-set as much as we can!

We would like to thank everyone who submitted pieces to be featured in this issue. The standard of work was incredible and choosing which entries would be included and which, unfortunately, had to be left out, was unbelievably difficult. We hope you enjoy the pieces selected to feature within this issue, and that this collection inspires you to create.

ELEANOR PARKYN, TY CELF EDITOR 2017

Diskit Monastery, Northern India - Elliott Wang

2

Artwork by Lucy Aprahamian

Gunpowder and Flame In Liverpool murk And the wet mud-clay Of the moor, I breathed my first.

The birth of character, Dark and disagreeable, Formed with an old iron pain; A silent history - the history of cursed, black things.

The gentleman with his horse Looked to me like A fiend in the night, Old foe, biblical King, Come to vanquish And smite.

Nightmarish figure.

Horse and head reared and Descended on my chest.

I know, pale creature that you are, You did not live until you met me.

How could those white, thin arms have lifted with life?

Insipid, closed, small, fair How could you?

With a scream I breathed my soul Into you.

Something of the wildness of that night, The spark of the sky and the rain And the moor, Became your countenance.

The cold room by the window.

Snow had gotten in and frightened your touch, Your arms clawed at mine and I did not let you go.

Myself, biting into the flesh with savage fingertips.

Cathy, deathly-wild and inane.

Divine, prophetic, a force of pure love.

A nature to be reckoned with.

Oh dear, sweet animal, How your body weighs down mine.

It is as though we are both lost at once In the earth.

At the foot of your window my skin burns red hot with Sweetness for you.

I rough the bark against my head waiting, Despised by you, Loved by you, Hated. Hated so completely.

In my mind I mixed our skin.

Degrading marriage, perverse happiness produced A monstrous child.

No less loved but sooner Dead.

Dead as you will be, Dead as I know you are.

Isobel Roach

3

TĹś CELF

Art by Jasper Wilkins

Willow like Wisteria The serrated curling ferns pulsate at their edges like convex turns in walls of glass Willow trees like wisteria hang like separate chandeliers their knotted branches bow like lit lanterns in ancient silver castles Their long thin leaves like bunched waves of golden auburn hair flames curling together in multitudinous coupled curves Purple peach flesh, bitter plums the suction bruising left after a kiss The colour of this exudes from within the green...

Beau William Beakhouse

4

PUSHING POINTS OF NO RETURN Jacob MacKenzie

To clarify, before I give you my full account of the truth, I never meant to hurt anybody. Not in the grand scheme of things at least – not on balance. You have heard, I assume, the words of Bentham – of doing the greatest good for the greatest number - https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jeremy_Bentham. Well that is what I always strove for. Every time I got out of my bed, every time I spoke on my theories, every time I sat down to do my damned work. It was never to hurt those I couldn’t help. Those I couldn’t save… But perhaps I’m getting ahead of myself; I will start, as is customary I believe, from the beginning. ....................................................................

I graduated from Edinburgh University, having studied Computational Biology, and utterly excelled in it. I try not to brag, but when you receive a high first class degree after several nights a week in ‘The Dragonfly Cocktail Bar’, it tends to be a mark of pride. My main interest, other than in Tokyo Iced Teas, lay in the physical implementation of the biological on the mechanical. I was utterly fascinated in creating working relations between mechanic prosthetic limbs and the muscles surrounding it. Sounds kind of nerdy, but I was inspired after watching Robocop (the original, not the God-awful Joel Kinnaman one). Actually scrap that, it’s still nerdy isn’t it. But I got so frustrated with the research – the connection to the muscles was never the issue; it was the communication with the brain. That was when I read the work of Satohiro Tajima, and it all changed. He wrote an article on the mechanisation of neurons in the control centre of the brain (http://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article?id=10.1371/journal. pcbi.1004537). That was honestly the crux of my life, sat in my pyjamas reading an article on brain function. Fun, I know right. ........................................... BOOT.INI/TERMINATE.FALSE But anyway, fast forward twenty five years and my position within the field has expanded. My focus has shifted from the mechanical to the digital and from limbs to the control centre of the body. Over the years some stiff bastards made comments, argued against my papers, and boycotted my lab. They said I was ‘playing God’ and ‘certifiably insane’. But that court-mandated psychiatrist sure showed them.

You see, I had admittedly over-reached in some regards. I know that now in hindsight. But I was so wrapped up in what I could do, what I could create, who I could save. I just… I may have pushed too hard for trials. Moved from theoretical to practical usage too early. You almost certainly saw it in the news, read about the hateful lies spread about me in crappy tabloids. I won’t lie, because you probably know, but suffice to say people died. And for that I am… truly sorry. Each of those poor souls hangs on my heart every day. From a biological standpoint their cranial tissue burned up and their neurons fried.

The integration of a digital computer in a human brain apparently is not a viable match. From a human standpoint, I failed. In doing so eight hopeful people, with their own unique and beautiful essences, were cut short in their travels of the world. ................... DUMP-FILE-LOCATION.[DEFRAGMENTATION IN PROGRESS] I don’t want to justify my actions. What I did was whole-heartedly wrong. However I only did it because I could see what was to come. With a computer working alongside the brain, how could that not be the natural step in evolving past evolution itself. We would be artificially selecting humanity to meet the dawn of a new age, arms outstretched towards a suddenly forgiving and refulgent sun. Constant internet access with no interface required. The inbuilt precision to wipe out human error for good. Memories no longer lost, but Alzheimer’s and the diseases which demyelinate and decay the neurons would be eradicated. Every human connected in their thoughts. The magic concept of psychic connection would be a reality in our new digital age. Countless lives would be saved. Saved permanently. Literally countless. But in order to reach it, sacrifices had to be made. I now see that using others was wrong. So I made the simple decision. Me… I will be the first to survive the process. Another species will rise, and I will be the father of it. ..CMD.PRMPT \\\ - UPLOAD 87% ------ 9075186478943KB/10431248826400KB It was a simple error of programming that did it. I hadn’t created an aggressive enough installation file. The humanity in people, as it turns out, is quite violent in self-preservation. The brain actually attacked the computer as if it were an infection, breaking it down, which in turn fried the components and destroyed the brain. By creating this enforced software on the implanted computer, I should be able to balance the two in harmony. Theoretically at least. But there has been enough time for waiting. I installed the computer before I began telling you this. It has been installing ever since. I just wanted to tell my story fully human before I rise superior, from this feeble and corrupted mind… .....DUAL.BOOT/FATAL/ERROR. FORMAT? Y/N But in spite of all that is happening. .....INSTALLATION COMPLETED. CONFIGURATION\\DEFAULT Despite my errors and triumphs. ....OPEN [[ROOT TREE]-[C:DRIVE]].....

Despite my beautiful, bitter and fading life. ......*FILE.SOURCE.CORRUPT I am afraid that I may not resurface from a plunge into the unknown. ....MODE -------- POWER|ON I. .......LOADING Am. ......SOFTWARE.OPEN.SUCCESS -------------- DELETE ALL FILES? Afraid.

5

TĹś CELF

HOME Claudia Rutherford

The intent of this project is to dismantle the stigma surrounding council estates. Using the aesthetics of minimal film photography, the photo story attempts to highlight the simplicity of home life. Along with this, I also wanted to capture the unique charisma of the council house environment. This is to show that life in low income areas is not always as gritty as newspapers like the Daily Mail depict them to be. The people who inhabit them, or those who have come from these areas (like myself), do not always fit the stereotype that is projected onto them. I wanted to provide an honest portrayal. Low income areas can be as much of a home to somebody as suburban areas can be. It is not financial authority that is required to make a house, a home.

6

Spellbound

Three Poems The distant moon was hanging above cemetery shores where lonesome ghosts ethereal saints with paper wings wandered with restless abandon and death watched with phantasmagorical eyes

I cannot breathe. I cannot act. I cannot scream. Yet, I cannot die. I must remain here, alone. Completely alone.

I was abandoned on this cursed land where the forest animals do not approach. If a deer ventured near, it would be enveloped in smoke, and with a choke be left limp and cold. Even the birds care not to fly near, for fear that the song they sing shall be their last. The hare must also beware, for might he dare to hop too close… oh, the sound… that sound… Putrid yellow eyes lurk in the leaves of the black wood trees.

These eyes, one could not mistake them, are only possessed by the darkest of creatures. The lecherous nymphs are watching me from their brambled towers. Their flaming eyes penetrate my soul, altering my vision and my thoughts. They ensure that I may not care for any other being but their Mother - that wild temptress of the night.

Heart beats tangible threads Extending into the crevices Of effervescent senses A living hiraeth burns inside longing of post-war streets and the golden hope of shredded dreams among fiery planes and explosive grenades.

She came to me in the woodland. Exquisite golden tresses ripple down her back and soft plush whiskers flutter over her blue eyes - that resemble tiny lakes, in which one yearns to swim. Specks of green adorn these pools like lily pads. I was only a mere boy at the time, destined to become a knight of the round table. Neither dragons nor men had ever left a scratch, but I lost my head to a forest fairy. Every caress from her pixie fingers led me further under her dark spell. Captivated, she made me her captive. How I adored la belle dame sans merci.

The rook, he dreams of cadaverous trees whilst effulgent autumn smiles at the cacophony of black-feathered souls pining one for the other in a lifelong orchestra The rook mates for life.

When she left me she stole not just my heart, but also my soul. She drilled into my head with those piercing eyes, extracting my happiness. With her full lips, she removed my ability to smile. From her tongue, she cursed me so that I might never utter the words “I love you” to another. I must think of no other being, but her. Only her. Always. I cannot be without her!

Yet, she will never come.

From when the sun rises up until the stars take its place, I remain here, frozen on this hillside. Forever cold.

Emily Murray

Sanja Dragojlov

17 We broke into the castle grounds that nighttumbling over the gate and landing in the cold, damp grass.

Did anyone look up at the hill that December evening and see usthe twinkling of our phone lightsguiding us around ditches and over fallen trees?

We all huddled around the crater, clouded by cigarette smoke, growing louder as each beer bottle emptied.

The maze of trees created a blanket of darkness.

And so we sat hidden, with icy faces, and warm winter coats, laughing and singing, with no concern for how our voices would travel.

Nobody could find us up there, so we raced through the trees- tripping over branches and crashing into nettle bushes, chasing no one, and running from nothing.

From the edge of the forest you could see part of the M6.

So there we all stood, our breath cutting through the icy air, staring silently as the cars streamed through the skythe red rear lights like shining rockets, growing smaller and smaller as they hurtled away from the town.

Louise Belcher Art by Lisa Doran

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS EDITOR

Eleanor Parkyn

DEPUTY EDITOR Sadia Pineda Hameed

DESIGN

Eleanor Parkyn

CONTRIBUTORS Becca Moody Claudia Rutherford Emily Murray Lisa Doran Isobel Roach Jacob MacKenzie Jasper Wilkins Louise Belcher Rowan Lees Lucy Aprahamian Sanja Dragojlov

WITH THANKS TO

All who sent in their work for consideration.

tickets Go on sale february 1st cardiffstudents.com/varsity

a massive privilege jack McGrath, Men’s 1st teaM captain.

welsh varsity 2017 wednesday 5 april at venues across cardiff.

cardiff university v swansea university

44 TRAVEL

HOLIDAY NIGHTMARES Hurricane Havoc In 2003 my family and I went to Texas. It was wicked. Growing up watching Blazing Saddles on repeat did not prepare me for the sight of real-life cowboys! But we had no idea what we were in for.

On that fatal day we were somewhere in mid Texas having dinner when suddenly, it started to rain…a lot. Looking around us, there was no one else eating at the restaurant, and the waiter recommended we leave the place to find ‘shelter’ immediately.

“What?!” We ran back to our hotel through storms and floods, appearing from nowhere in less than 3 hours, only to find out that one of the worst hurricanes that the state had ever faced was coming straight at us! I couldn’t sleep all night because of the noise. I thought we were in a war zone, and after all there was a cardboard cut-out of Bush holding a rifle in reception, displaying the slogan ‘Join the Army!’. When I woke up the next day, half of the Walmart next to our hotel was missing. Dad said they had decided to ‘renovate’ last night.

Yeah right, Tony.

Marielle Wilkinson

When has a holiday ever run smoothly?

As much as we all hate holidays going wrong, these are the experiences that we remember and learn from, as well as the first stories we tell. From bed bugs in hotels to dodgy cocktails, Quench’s contributors have been confessing their travelling tragedies to Quench. There is no such thing as the perfect holiday after all .

DESIGN BY SADIA PINEDA HAMEED ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASPER WILKINS

Skiing Without the Skis With skiing, comes a great risk of injury. Yet if you were to tell me that I would break my collarbone on the first day of a ski trip I wouldn’t have believed you. This, as I’m sure you have guessed, happened to me in Austria, 2012. We were starting our first run of the day and the instructor had chosen a red run for us intermediates. I didn’t manage to get more than three quarters of the way down the winding slope before I was cut up by another skier. I went flying. Laying face down in snow, an instructor stopped to help me. He told me to run my finger over my collarbone and if there was a bump it was broken. I’m sure that you can guess what I felt.

My instructor rang the rescue team who strapped me to a board and took me down the slope attached to the back of a snowmobile- a scary experience to say the least! Greeted by ambulance crew, I was taken to hospital. Not only did I miss out on skiing but I missed out on other activities such as gokarting and swimming. I then had to endure a 24-hour bus journey home.

Courtney Bridge

45

The Good Samaritan

Don’t Let the Bed Bugs Bite

What’s worse than being beyond drunk and lost in a foreign country? Being the friend of this girl. My holiday to Mallorca was advertised as a relaxing beach style holiday with the girls.

However, we soon discovered how conveniently close we were to the infamous Magaluf strip, and it would be silly to not to try it out...

The night was interesting to say the least. It wasn’t long before my friend was a drunken mess - pretty much unresponsive. In the five minutes I left her to buy food, she claimed she’d met a mermaid and made her way to the beach alone.

What could be considered the saddest part was that out of the five of us, three were fulfilling the underlying motivations for a trip to Magaluf that earned it the nickname ‘Shagaluf ’. My evening wasn’t so ‘romantic’ as I shared a bed with my snoring and butt naked best friend.

This summer my partner and I went on our first ‘couples’ holiday to Antibes, France. It was meant to be an escape, as any holiday is. The town and company were a dream. We traveled from Antibes, to Nice, to Cannes, all at our own leisure. Our room however (the place that’s meant to facilitate sweet dreams), was an actual living nightmare. Anticipating a double bed, you can imagine our surprise at seeing bunk beds and a pull out sofa.

Opting for the sofa, we also assumed we would be the only ones sleeping on it, but oh how wrong we were. We made some pals who took quite a shine to us (or our skin at least!): bed bugs.

I woke up to new bites every morning and my partner had the pleasure of one crawling across his face. As well as the hotel hosting many other failings - like having to pay extra just to be provided basic linens - resulted in us checking out early and booking a new room at a different hotel for the rest of the holiday. The second hotel we checked in to was landslides better; we even had a bed! We have convinced ourselves we need another holiday to get over the last though.

Kate Eagleton-Etheridge

Hannah West

Cocktail Cock-up

Visa Vexation

Benidorm. Fourteen year old me, on holiday with my parents.

After having explored the streets of Benidorm and being happy with my new purchase of a white ‘I <3 Benidorm’ hoodie with a pouch at the front, the sun began to get too much. We all agreed a cold drink would be a great idea.

Finding ourselves in one of Benidorm’s many bars, the waiter presented two cocktail jugs in front of me. My one being a mocktail and another being a fellow customers. The drink tasted somewhat peculiar, yet I thought I’d carry on drinking away. After finishing the whole jug I later discovered (or I should say, my parents later discovered) that mine was intoxicated with vodka. To reiterate, aged fourteen and drunk in Benidorm with my parents...

With a sudden need to puke, my handy hoodie seemed to be the only option. Feeling rough, and holding the majority of my sick in the pouch of my hoodie, I stumbled back to the hotel extremely embarrassed.

I was travelling to Morocco for COP22, a two-week United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and THE biggest climate change event of the year. I was supposed to receive my Visa Confirmation Letter before the trip so I would be allowed to get a visa upon arrival instead of applying for one beforehand, however the Moroccan Embassy’s inefficiency meant it was only e-mailed to me two hours before my flight.

If that wasn’t nerve-wrecking enough, I was denied boarding because EasyJet did not recognise the document! I spent several hours with Customer Services, and because it was the weekend I would have to wait two whole days before receiving the physical copy of the letter from the Moroccan Embassy. As a result I had to spend the night in London, a city I had never visited before. The next day, the Moroccan national airline thankfully acknowledged the validity of my document and I managed to book a flight within the hour, but lugging a 12kg backpack around London for 48 hours without having an actual place to go was an ordeal I won’t ever forget.

Rachel Nurse

Nachatira Thuraichamy

46 FASHION AND BEAUTY

empowerment through makeup

DESIGN AND ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPHY BY: EMILY GIBLETT

“ YOUR BODY IS A CANVAS

AND YOU ARE THE ARTIST”

47

Anytime my uncle came to stay with us, he would ask me, “Sarah, who are you so dressed up for?”

99% of the time, my plans for the day included staying home and binge watching whatever TV show I was currently hooked on. “Just for myself ”, I’d reply almost always, which for some reason always humoured him. “So you spend hours getting dressed and painting your face to sit at home and watch TV?” he would follow with.

I guess I’ve always just loved getting dressed. I mean, it’s not for everyone. I know dozens of girls who find the whole process incredibly tiresome but for me, as a former art student, I’ve always seen it as a somewhat creative process. I know it probably sounds a little clichéd but your body is a canvas and you are the artist.

Over the last few decades there have been mixed opinions on why women choose to dress and present themselves the way they do and to this day, we still have contradicting opinions on the matter.

While our environments give us the full freedom to dress as we please, it’s shocking how this isn’t the case for women in other parts of the world. In cities like Kabul or Mecca, being female inevitably means living under laws, which demand their hair to be covered and the traditional Islamic garment called a Burka to be worn, in order to leave the house.

Yes there are no formal laws but the West is no exception to similar conformity. Stories of many women who are prohibited from dressing how they truly want to due to their religion, family values or societal judgement is a common occurrence. It’s clear that pre-feminism, women were expected to dress and look a certain way. Yet with the change in our power and liberty, surely most women dress the way they do because THEY want to and not because anyone forces them to?

The stigma behind make up is an apt case in point.

Logging onto any popular social media platform, we’re bombarded constantly with tutorials from Instagram famous makeup artists and yet we still have people complaining about the art of makeup.

Fair enough, some people prefer the natural look but personally I couldn’t leave the house without concealing my dark under eye circles or filling in the obvious gaps in my eyebrows – I’ll save the Frankenstein’s monster look for Halloween thank you!

For me and many other women out there, makeup allows us to express ourselves and feel our personal best either when we’re already feeling fab or just need a glitter cut crease to shine through dull days.

It’s my face and my body, so why is it acceptable for others to judge and comment on ‘how deep I’m in a paint bucket’?

On the flipside, Alicia Keys recently announced her decision to go makeup free. This came as a shock to many, considering a huge part of being successful in the entertainment industry unfortunately revolves around maintaining your appearance.

Going against the norm, Keys still looked flawless regardless of her brave decision.

Being surrounded by enticing adverts and photoshopped images of six foot girls, with luscious

bouncy hair and a slim waist, it is undoubtedly challenging for the masses to ignore the dictating media and wear what empowers them. Like I said earlier, it’s crazy that in post-modernity and feminism, the media and society in general is still somewhat brainwashing us into thinking that we need to look and dress a certain way. On nights out, any girl knows that the positive vibes swimming around in the girls’ toilet of any club (especially GLAM) is the real reason girls get so dressed up.

I considered the girl who told me I have ‘fleeky’ eyebrows to be my immediate new best friend, despite the fact that I never saw her again.

I’ve always been intrigued by how men perceive the way women dress and why. Living with a bunch of guys is useful because every time I need an opinion on an article, I call them downstairs for an emergency house meeting or pretend I set something on fire. My housemate, Drew, hesitantly told me, “Women wear the clothes they do because they feel comfortable”. He followed this by saying he wasn’t sure because he wasn’t a mind reader (life would be a lot easier if all men were mind readers for sure). In some ways Drew is right but it also depends a lot on the person. I’ve worn shoes or a dress that have been super uncomfortable but in my opinion have made me look good and so made it worth it. However, in the same sense some girls choose not to wear makeup, some also choose to dress comfy rather than what society would consider ‘chic.’

Power dressing became a huge thing in the late 70’s and is still pretty big today. I guess a woman dressing in a way that establishes her authority in a professional environment is clever but again, considering it’s been decades since the feminist movement, why do women still feel the need to dress a certain way to assert themselves in their workplace? In the same wavelength, why is talent considered secondary to appearance in the case of celebrities and their potential to become big?

Artists like Katy Perry and Lady Gaga who’ve both been heavily criticised by the media and public for their unique sense of style, didn’t give a fuck and are proof that confidence doesn’t always need to come from the herd mentality.

Because wondering how we look comes so naturally to us, it’s normal to forget how huge a role appearance plays in the empowerment of women. I know, I for one feel so much more confident with the help of a bold coloured lipstick and a well fitted pair of trousers. While we all have different motives of why we want to look good, we all choose to dress the way we do because it looks good or at least semi-decent to us and that’s important! I think the whole stigma behind the way women dress is a bit over the top. As a whole, it’s important to admire the fact that everyone has a unique sense of style.

Instead of making snide remarks in our heads about how ridiculous they may look, if someone feels great about the way they look then appreciate that winged liner, encourage the painful heels and support yo’ sista!

BY SARAH HARRIS

49

Fashion Technology The good: Face Cleansing Brush This electronic investment may require you to flake on a few nights of going out in the town, but there’s a reason it’s recommended by so many beauty gurus and commoners alike. Claiming to cleanse six times better than your hands, the Clarisonic facial brush sounds like the technique to potentially wipe away your deepest sins of your dark soul. The soft mechanical brush gently moves back and forth approximately 300 times, eliminating debris much more efficiently than a face wash alone. Plus who doesn’t appreciate a mini-massage that stimulates blood circulation to temporarily forget about uni struggles? The gentle pressure pushes the dirt, make up, oil and other trapped impurities to the surface, unclogging pores that lead to breakouts. Only advised to use for about two minutes, the device is suitable for all skin types and successfully keeps the sensitive ones in mind too.

With the minimal maintenance, travel friendly option and apparent good return on investment, this game changing device may be well worth a try.

The bad: Temptu Airbrush System Mainly a luxury for those with less time on their hands and more cash to splurge, Temptu is an airbrush system that specialises in applying handsfree foundation. As airbrushing goes, the product settles into every fine line and old acne mark, defeating the purpose of the foundation by highlighting imperfections. Although time efficiency is their USP, the airbrush system ironically requires additional layers and re-application which takes longer, for decent coverage. Yet once sufficient coverage is acquired, a rub on your nose or quick hug can leave patches on your face and stains on your mate’s tee, turning your night into a fright. While the overall process is more sanitary and less cakey, the effects of the silicone-based foundation doesn’t always compare to a no-makeup face. So have a browse online for ‘before’ and ‘after’ pictures while we keep wondering if this tool was inspired by Meghan Trainor’s catchy “All about that bas(e)”. Final Verdict: Not worth buying yourself, add to your graduation or wedding registry list if keen.

The ugly: Lip Enhancer Once upon a time when Kylie Jenner’s lips were the talk of the town, fans were served a happy ending with an abundance of lip plumpers to combat any pout envy. While the industry may have thrived with a new product release, indirectly endorsed by a celebrity, the actual results of the Full Lips tool were shared by users and classic failed attempts probably made it to your social media timelines. Advertised as a cheaper alternative to Botox and collagen injections, the lip plumper is meant to be applied for a few seconds with noticeable effects.

With guaranteed bruising, irritation and reduced circulation post-application, there’s no doubt you’ll have temporarily “noticeable” stand-out lips. So while luscious-lipped Hollywood stars like Angelina Jolie may have tempted you to Give It A Go (your £15), experts recommend against the harmful long-term damage that sets you up for dry, aged, thinner lips. But if you’re still keen, we believe a Coca-Cola PET bottle is a much kinder alternative while you’re chugging away the sugar.

50 FASHION

AROUND THE WORLD

in fashionable ways Design by Stephany Damyanova

Korean Skincare

French Pharmacy

German Sportswear

Korean skincare has been the talk of practically every beauty blog worldwide and it’s easy to see why. At the forefront of skincare research, snail slime and starfish extract are only a few of the weird and wonderful ingredients which makes K-beauty so exciting. These bizarre miracle products and the new fascination with Korea’s approach to a daily skincare routine has truly taken the Western world by storm.

When in France, a trip to a local pharmacy is often at the top of the ‘to do list’ for the majority of beauty lovers, up there rivalling a visit to the Eiffel Tower and the Moulin Rouge. The packaging of French pharmacy beauty products may be pretty basic, but don’t let the no frills approach fool you. If you have sensitive skin or suffer with spots/acne then French skincare should be your first port of call. The ingredients are simple meaning they won’t aggravate your skin.

Germany is widely known as a leading exporter of cars, beer, electrical appliances and more cars, so it may surprise some that it is also the home to some of the world’s most iconic sportswear brands. The precision and innovation of German craftsmanship has become a trademark for fashion brands, Adidas and Puma.

Amy Brace

Adopting a beauty regimen can never start too early, especially with it being an essential part of Korean culture.

South Korean women spend twice as much of their income on beauty products than women in America, as do South Korean men who spend more on skincare than those in any other country. Major differences between the Korean and the western approach to beauty means it is typical for western women to follow a 3-step routine, cleanse-moisturize-tone. Korea however, are all about taking action before problems start. The infamous multi-step skincare regime that has intrigued the beauty world includes ten fundamental steps; oil cleanser, foam cleanser, exfoliator, toner, essence, serum, sheet mask, eye cream, face cream, and last but certainly not least, an SPF. It might seem overwhelming but finally the secret to the elusive flawless and glowing skin we’re all yearning for has been shared! It’s not too late to jump on this bandwagon, although lets hope the shipping costs don’t deepen your frown lines!

Katie Thole

France produce some cult beauty products and thanks to sites like Escentual and stores such as Boots and M&S we now have access to some of the seemingly basic but actually truly brilliant beauty that France has to offer over here in the UK (although a trip to France to visit the pharmacies is still completely acceptable).

It is continually raved about by bloggers and beauty journalists alike and for good reason.

While Bioderma, Avene, Vichy or La Roche Posay’s infamous Effaclar Duo or Serozinc will last you months and save your broke pockets, higher end magic Nuxe is a safe bet for luxurious but efficient skin care solutions.

Catering to all budgets and skin types, there’s no excuse to not quench our thirsty twenties skin with some youthlovin’ French magic!

Megan David

1. Adidas - With the sleek minimalist style of Stan Smiths and endless models that feature an innovative hybrid design and boost technology, it is no surprise that leading creative innovators such as Kanye West, Stella McCartney and Pharrell Williams continue to collaborate with the brand. “Tell Adidas that we need a million in production. I done told y’all all I needed was the infrastructure,” says Kanye, and Adidas certainly fits the bill. No doubt, this German sportswear brand is and will continue to be as fresh as it gets.

2. While Adidas is undoubtedly paving the way for the future of performance gear, Puma is certainly not far behind. The company’s partnerships with prominent figures in pop culture such as FENTY PUMA by Rihanna and Usain Bolt’s collection exhibit Puma’s forward thinking and non-traditional approach to sportswear, which is why Puma has also become a uniform for major public figures such as pop sensation The Weeknd, Victoria’s Secret model turned enchantress Cara Delevigne and social media royalty, Kylie Jenner.

With the brand popping up all over social media, I think we can assume that Puma isn’t going away anytime soon.

Equipped with ingenious fabrics and contemporary collaborators, German sportswear is certainly taking steps into unknown territory while keeping one foot firmly planted on wearability.

51

Swedish Fashion

Italian Leather

British Tailoring

A collective need to broaden the fashion spectrum of contemporary menswear in the past ten years has led us to the work of the Swedes. An unlikely source of influence maybe, yet our friends from the wintry Scandinavian mountains know how to lead the way in an industry that cries for simplistic significance. Here are three important Swedish clothing brands you need to know about:

If you’ve ever looked for a material with high longevity and superior quality, it’s likely you were recommended Italian leather. Whether you’ve seen it modelled on the runway for the most profound catwalk shows or spotted it as the trending statement piece to have in your living room, there are various uses for this classic European gem, including saving it as a potential family heirloom.

Handbags, wallets and belts go a long way especially when the primary material is Italian leather.

The craftsmanship of British bespoke tailoring as we know it today can be found all over the high street. It seems that the tailored look is key to being on trend in this modern age. The versatility of tailoring has lent itself to the biggest names in women’s fashion.

British designers such as Victoria Beckham and Stella McCartney have infused the clean lines and pure silhouettes of British tailoring into their current lines while attaching a modern twist. Paired with loose fit coats and slouchy knits, the tailored look adds a luxury dimension to your style.

Sean Kirkpatrick

1.Arguably the leaders of the Swedish charge, Nudie Jeans is a dynasty that gathers momentum year on year. The catalyst for this can be seen in the classics: Grim Trim and Steady Eddy. With the distinctive swirly stitching and tailored fit, it’s clear that these guys simply know how to make a decent pair of jeans, a staple in anyone’s wardrobe.

2.Our Legacy, a brand captained by designers, Christopher Nying and Jokum Hallin, was first revealed in 2008. The Scandi-simple leaders have grown a lot since a modest T-shirt collection. Now exemplifying the truth that lies behind less being more, the boys at Our Legacy have everything from wardrobe basics to pushing the boundaries of influential punk essentials in their collection.

3.The ever so popular Fjallraven (Swedish for arctic fox) are iconic for catering to your wintry outdoor needs. The coats and jackets provide both, functionality and fashion emphasis with their windbreakers and wind jackets being a stylish necessity for much of Europe. Chances are your mate has a Fjallraven jacket or backpack, you want one and you’re both pronouncing it wrong.

Jamila Gandhi

The more it ages, the more timeless this miracle material gets. But for your worst case scenario and to get the most value for your money, a lifetime guarantee for 2 years should be on your agenda before buying. Investing in a second hand piece online or via Depop or Vestiare is a more student-friendly way to own something leather, which otherwise may cost you a loan.

The TLC with which Italian leather is produced is second to none. By only using natural vegetables and plant extracts to transform hides into leather, there is guaranteed great attention to detail to ensure your Italian purchase is not a victim of mass production. As the best things take time, it will come as no surprise that the process of producing takes much longer than it would to produce cheaper alternatives.

Italians are as passionate about leather as they are about food. I’ve sampled their pizzas (for research purposes obviously..) from Pisa to Florence, and so I can conclude quality is their number one priority!

Megan David

Not to worry fellow students, you don’t have to spend your monthly budget to rock a tailor trend. High street brands have dedicated whole departments to the modern classics, where you can buy a sleek pair of pants or a structured blazer for a quarter of the price of Savile Rowe. Although, I would recommend spending a little more money if you can. Check out the stores like TK Maxx and the premium section of Zara, you’re sure to find a few investment pieces that won’t break the bank.

52 FASHION

JACKET: QUINCY SUEDETTE BOMBER, BOOHOO, £35 HOODIE: BLACK CASUAL ZIP

Driven by the explosion of grime culture, 2017 belongs to the streets. Minimal single colours, tracksuits and a healthy dose of skintight black come together in a look that is comfortable yet pronounced.

Clothes modelled by Wrayon Vassel, Libby Bristow and Toby Hodder. Shot for Quench magazine by Jasper Wilkins and Elliott Wang with assistance from George Caulton.

FOOTWEAR: MEN’S TIMBERLAND ICON 6-INCH PREMIUM BOOT, £170

FRONT HOODIE, RIVER ISLAND, £25 WATCH: SILVER BLACK VINTAGE LEATHER, KAPTEN & SON, £129

CAP: ADIDAS COLOUR TREFOIL BLACK SNAPBACK, URBAN OUTFITTERS, £23 SWEATSHIRT: SIXTH JUNE OVERSIZED SWEATSHIRT, TOPMAN, £33 TRACKSUIT BOTTOMS: ADIDAS ORIGINALS 3 STRIPES SUPERSTAR TRACK PANTS, £50 TRAINERS: ADIDAS SUPERSTARS, £70

JACKET: WOMEN’S MORPH DOWN HOODED JACKET, TNF BLACK, THE NORTH FACE, £120 LEGGINGS: ADIDAS ORIGINALS 3-STRIPES LEGGINGS, £25 TRAINERS: NIKE SPORTSWEAR TENNIS CLASSIC CS- WHITE, £65

54 FASHION

TOP: CAMOUFLAGE SWEATSHIRT, PRIMARK, £8

TOP: VINTAGE UMBRO SWEATSHIRT, WHITE, UMBRO, £30

TRAINERS: ADIDAS LOS ANGELES, JD SPORTS, £60

JACKET: ADIDAS ADC SUPERSTAR TRACK TOP, £35

DABBING WITH A SMOKE FLARE: PRICELESS

JACKET: COOPER HEWITT FO, LEGGINGS: COOPER HEWITT FO SHOES: COOPER HEWITT FO

DIESEL BUSTER TAPERED JEANS, RINSE 607A, DIESEL, £110

56 FILM & TV

Typecasting

a restricted repetoire

No matter what film, genre or style, we always see the same actors playing the same old roles for the same kinds of movie. Sounds quite samey doesn’t it really? Long gone are the days when actors played a plethora of roles; we are now products of the post-modern loop where we applaud celebrities like Eddie Redmayne for once again playing a socially awkward, fidgety protagonist.

Whether this is due to actors having a restricted repertoire or whether directors are just creating films that have already been made thousands of time before (with a slight twist) for their economic gain, it's really a question that needs to be thought about.

Emily Murray explores the issue of character typecasting within films, where the likes of Michael Cera and Ben Stiller play the same type of character in every ‘new’ piece of cinema. Character profiling is all subject to five categories of ‘type’...

The British Nerd

The English Rose

Eddie Redmayne stole the nation’s heart when we watched him in The Theory of Everything (2014). He won an Oscar for the brilliant role of Stephen Hawking, engrossing the critics with every aspect of his performance. Having become a British National treasure it almost seemed fitting that he would be cast in J. K. Rowling’s film adaptation Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016). According to the book, Newt Scamander is a socially awkward Hufflepuff who doesn’t have many friends because he’s a bit misunderstood and has a great love of animals. Redmayne seems to have taken the awkward part a tad too far. The way his jaw moves out of sync with his words in parts is uncomfortable to watch. Of course, the director will have encouraged his portrayal of the ex-Hogwarts student, but it seems that Redmayne’s past successful performances has led him to incorporate Hawkins into this Harry Potter role because of the praise he has received for it.

We need an English rose to star in a period drama. Of course, there’s always only one choice. Keira Knightley. Pride and Prejudice, Atonement, Anna Karenina, The Duchess. The list is endless. She came and she conquered with her perfectly prim and proper British accent.

Undeniably, Knightly has delved into some new roles - for instance, her roles in Begin Again (2013) and Laggies (2014) where she attempts an American accent for a change. In saying this, she is more a product of what she does best. Similar to Knightley, Lily James aka the star of Cinderella (2015) has become the new youthful face of our quintessential dainty damsel. The two could be sisters. She came to fame through her role as Lady Rose Aldridge in ITV’s Downton Abbey, the nation’s favourite British drama. Having played the role of the sweet innocent aristocrat twice before, she was obviously cast in BBC’s War and Peace as the beautiful and eligible Natasha Rostova.

The American Dork When does Michael Cera not play an awkward indie teen? In Juno (2007) he was a dorky high school kid running around in tight little yellow shorts with his socks pulled up, sporting a matching yellow headband. In Superbad (2007) he played one of three of the biggest losers in high school. In Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist (2008) Cera played a straight bass player in an all-gay band called The Jerk Offs making breakup mixes for an ex-girlfriend that dumped him. Year One (2009), Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010) - you get the idea. It seems that, with a lot of comedic actors, they only seem to get cast in the same role.

However, on the flip side Jonah hill, Cera’s co-star in Superbad, broke the mould and went on to act alongside DiCaprio in TheWolf of Wall Street (2013). He was even nominated for best supporting actor at the Oscars for the role. That’s gotta hurt. At least you’re not alone there Michael; Jesse Eisenberg’s still there with you playing the awkward Zombieland teen that he just can’t seem to run away from.

WORDS BY: EMILY MURRAY DESIGN BY: STEPHANY DAMYANOVA ILLUSTRATIONS BY: LISA DORAN

57

The Weird, Wonderful and Ordinary And finally, the one and only Johnny Depp. There really isn’t a role that he can’t play. He’s done it all. A camp cockney pirate, a chocolate maker who never grew up, a hairdresser in a musical horror, the excitable mad hatter. You never know what Depp’s going to play next. Not only does he go for extremely varying characters, but his performances for each are completely unique to the point where he is unrecognisable from one film to the next. In some cases being typecast means a lot of actors aren’t able to go for roles outside of the one that was assigned to them when they got their big break. Depp knew the pressure of Hollywood, setting you up to play the same role for the rest of your life. In order to not follow the heartthrob route after his starting role in the TV show 21 Jump Street he auditioned to play the role of Edward Scissorhands (1990) and met Tim Burton. A match made in heaven. Fans of Depp are looking forward to seeing how his character Grindelwald advances in the next Fantastic Beasts - let’s hope that Eddie picks up a thing or two…

The Cocky Genius Benedict Cumberbatch’s most notable roles have been Sherlock Holmes, Alan Turing and Dr Strange. What do they all have in common? They all share the same character profile: an arrogant, socially inept genius. Although there is a slight discrepancy between the way Cumberbatch delivers the roles, there is still an 80% overlay where the acting is interchangeable between the three parts.

58 FILM & TV

SILENCE Director: Martin Scorsese Certificate: 15 Run time: 2hrs, 41 minutes

SPLIT Shyamalan has given McAvoy a platform to showcase his talents in this cinematic masterpiece, with his differing traits and multitudes of personality. McAvoy’s versatility allows audiences to become fully immersed in each of the roles, as well as making them wait in earnest for the ever dreaded MIND new personality to arrive. Kasey Social media has been going crazy GAMES manages to expertly play the for M. Night Shyamalan’s latest personalities against each other venture into the creepy world of It is not the first time in an intense battle to the climax thriller films in his new release, that McAvoy has which leaves everyone in the Split. The film follows Kevin, played played a character with cinema feeling overcome with that

by James McAvoy, a kidnapper who Dissociative Identity film-goer satisfaction. suffers with Dissociative Identity Disorder, having With the success of Split, it would Disorder (DID), showing nine previously portrayed not be an exaggeration to say that of his twentythree personalities.

Detective Sargent Bruce awards can be expected for James Arguably a wise choice, Shyamalan Robertson in 2013 McAvoy performance and M. encompasses all twenty-three comedy-drama Filth.

Night Shyamalan’s direction, as the personalities through the two have proved that they work embodiment of Kevin. together seamlessly and have created something

Throughout interviews, McAvoy spoke truly thrilling; something that us viewers will not about the complex intricacies of this role, but forget anytime soon. Split has been categorised any hardship was not evident. James McAvoy as one of Shyamalan’s best pieces of work, and it effortlessly and seamlessly gave amazing multiple is totally understandable why. A film of suspense, performances as Kevin, the adorable Hedwig tension and psychological anticipation, Split and even Miss Patricia (who screams out as a truely is one of a kind. reference to one of the most famous portrayals of DID – Mrs Bates in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho).

The portrayal of these vibrant and contrasting characters definitely contribute to Split being a Hannah Stait must see movie.

The supporting cast, consisting of Anya

Taylor Joy and Betty Buckley work incredibly

with McAvoy to create some really intense, teeth grinding moments. Further supported by Haley Lu Richardson and Jessica Sula, Anya is able to highlight her misfit character and really connect with McAvoy’s characters, making this a film that will glue you to the screen from the eery start to the shocking end.

Split has more than enough personality with Shyamalan using his best tools to create something that has kept people talking. Creating a genre of its own with the likes of Sixth Sense and Signs, Shyamalan created an intense and anguished performance that will satisfy any fan of his work greatly. The shock twist at the end will leave those who know and love Shyamalan suitably stunned, and asking more questions than ever before. Those who aren’t familiar with his works, either blissfully bask in the superb quality of the film’s ending in general, or treat Split as the prequel to M. Night Shyamalan’s other works.

Director: M. Night Shyamalan Certificate: 15 Run time: 1 hr 57 minutes

“A FILM THAT WILL GLUE YOU TO THE SCREEN FROM THE START TO THE SHOCKING END...THEY HAVE CREATED SOMETHING TRULY THRILLING.”

Having been in development since 1990, Silence is Martin Scorsese’s passion project. Based on Shūsaku Endō’s novel, the historical drama follows two missionaries (played by Adam Driver and Andrew Garfield) as they travel to Japan, seeking out a priest that has gone missing and spreading the word of Catholicism despite the religion being outlawed in the country.

There is an affective, devotional quality to Silence. Akin to those in Scorsese’s Mean Streets, there are lingering and poignant shots that visually and silently ponder on human nature, spirituality and the conditions of religious salvation. Silence’s slow-burning tension can be torturous, however it is something that ought to be experienced if we are to let cinema communicate with us, provoke us, and show us something of our own human nature.

In terms of post-production, the CGI was noticeable and in conflict with the natural beauty of shooting locations, Taiwan and Taipei. Andrew Garfield, whilst a capable and popular actor, could have been better substituted with someone more commanding. However, these flaws are ultimately eclipsed by what the film accomplishes.

Sadia Pineda Hameed

MANCHESTER

BY THE SEA Director: Kenneth Lonergan Certificate: 15 Run time: 2 hrs, 17 minutes Casey Affleck astounds in his portrayal of Lee Chandler, a troubled man whose estranged brother dies and who must become the legal guardian of his teenage nephew, Patrick (Lucas Hedges). The story follows him as he returns back to his old hometown and tries to take care of Patrick, despite the mutual unease of the situation. The audience are compelled to feel empathy for Lee, whilst also feeling disengaged with his response to his familial duties. The root of Manchester by the Sea’s poignancy is undoubtedly it’s reflection of raw, real, human suffering- the sort of suffering we all hope we may never have to face within our lives. A film that will make you cry, laugh, but most of all, reflect, Manchester by the Sea excels.

Ben Thomas

59

A MONSTER CALLS Director: J.A Bayona Certificate: 12A Run time: 1 hr, 48 minutes 2017 is without a doubt dubbed to be a great year for film, and A Monster Calls is a remarkable opener. Despite only being in cinema since January, the film has captured the hearts of generations with its poignant messages and undertones of sadness. Based on the narrative by Patrick Ness and allied with fantastic direction by J.A Bayona, A Monster Calls is arguably one of the best coming of age films to bless our screens for years.

A terrifying, yet beautiful, tale of a boy and a tree, who become the most unlikely of friends. Having to deal with multitudes of issues, Conor (played by Lewis MacDougall) lives with his mother (played by Felicity Jones) who suffers from an illness, an uninterested Grandmother who couldn’t be any less caring (played by Sigourney Weaver) as well as the typical classroom bullies which he can’t escape. The Monster (voiced by Liam Neeson) visits him at 12:07 at night. With Conor having to deal

“A MONSTER CALLS IS ARGUABLY ONE OF THE BEST COMING OF AGE FILMS TO BLESS OUR SCREENS IN YEARS.” with more challenges than others at his age, he is misunderstood by everyone. The so called Monster tries to explain Conor’s hardships through the art of storytelling.

The gothic amination, dark themes and emotional turmoil amalgamate together to make this film an aesthetic delight.

Lewis MacDougall, who only started his movie acting career in 2015, is flawless, and when comparing his acting in Pan to A Monster Calls, you can see the professionalism and thought inspired by his role. A Monster Calls is quite frankly the perfect way of regaining touch with your emotive side.

Rachel Nurse

LA LA LAND Director: Damian Chazelle Certificate: 12A Run time: 2 hrs, 8 minutes Despite being set in contemporary Los Angeles, La La Land’s retro glamour backdrop reminds us of a recently forgotten past, when jazz clubs were the thing and old Hollywood stars were revered.

Characters, visuals and stories all merge into one and beautifully encompassed by the soundtrack of the film. While watching La La Land, you forget you’re in a movie theatre and feel like a bystander looking at the characters from inside the film. Its storytelling both takes you away from reality with its stunning aesthetics and hits close to home later on by exploring the conflicts in the characters’ hearts.

La La Land’s ongoing theme is hope, set against the contradiction between love, individuality and ambition. Sebastian, a jazz pianist who refuses to betray his principles (played by Ryan Gosling), and Mia, an actress who does anything she can to get a role (played

by Emma Stone) are the protagonists of the film.

The story follows them and their relationship and somehow manages to stay wonderfully human in the midst of romance and dreams.

The last ten minutes of the film are, without a doubt, a new level of cinema. The camera shots, the emotion and the honesty and integrity of both Gosling and Stone is phenomenal. Chazelle takes a simple idea and perfectly encapsulates the intricacies and

complexities of love, dreams and ambitions.

The questions sparked by Chazelle raises questions about whether, in life, you should choose love over your dreams. Although a rather negative depiction, La La Land suggests that humans can only fit into two categories, and that both dreams and love are incompatible.

As if we need any further reassurance that La La Land is a must-see, the musical masterpiece has recently won a whopping seven Golden Globe awards, including Best Motion Picture, Best Original Score and Best Song. Stone and Gosling also took home Golden Globes for their incredible performances; Gosling actually learned how to play the piano!

Stephany Damyanova

“THE LAST TEN MINUTES OF THE FILM ARE A NEW LEVEL OF CINEMA.”

60 FILM + TV

A Trip to the Cinema WORDS BY: SADIA PINEDA HAMEED & BEAU WILLIAM BEAKHOUSE DESIGN & ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPHY BY: SADIA PINEDA HAMEED

P

sychedelics are substances that create hallucinogenic effects and alter perceptions, expanding the mind beyond its usual limits. Drugs such as psilocybin mushrooms, LSD and DMT can produce unfathomable trips, opening up new synaesthetic sensations, visuals and senses of reality.

From Sacred Art, to the counterculture of the 60s, right up until the present day, people have always been attempting to express what it is to transcend the sensory world. In a 1976 interview with Roger Ebert, filmmaker Kenneth Anger said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;some movies can be the equivalent of mantras. [...] You can mix two elements together and get an unexpected result just beyond the edge of what you realize.â&#x20AC;? Cinema finds itself presenting the psychotropic trip both explicitly and thematically through an immersive and evolving medium, despite it being something inconceivable unless experienced directly. When cinema succeeds in this portrayal, it can become something transcendent in itself.

61

Psychedelic trips have often been recreated in popular cinema.

In a letter written by artist Paul Laffoley, he claims that Walt Disney experimented with mescaline, a substance found in peyote, ‘on a regular basis’ in the 1930s. Alice in Wonderland, Fantasia and the famous Pink Elephants scene in Dumbo all have animation very similar to the kind of visuals experienced: vibrant colours, shapes morphing fluidly into one another and a defamiliarisation of reality. Even in earlier, now classic cinema, the mystifying hallucinatory visuals of a trip were being explored.

Using more advanced technology, films like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas have focused on portraying these visuals. Through CGI, people’s faces become distorted, carpet patterns crawl off the ground, and fish eye lens shots all capture the perspective of an anxious Johnny Depp having an uncomfortable trip. Differently, Gasper Noe’s Enter the Void uses CGI to immerse the audience in the whole experience of a psychedelic trip, not just in the one specific sequence of its first person use of DMT. The divide between the visual and the holistic experience is something that is key to a true representation. For instance, DMT trips do involve extraordinary sights, yet the most notable effect of the drug is the out-of-body experience, with many users reporting that their being leaves the material body. Noe’s film shows both, also bringing in the character’s life, his childhood, and his relationship with his family. So whilst the visuals are fundamental and presented with immense accuracy, it is the experience as a whole, the sensations, the spiritual and personal meaning which make a trip fascinating for artistic representation.

Many films, whilst not explicitly recreating trips triggered by psychedelic compounds, are psychedelic in style and tell stories that are very similar to the spiritual journeys undergone by some takers of these drugs. The Holy Mountain, Fantastic Planet and Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome all tell stories of this nature. The latter, directed by Kenneth Anger, is a short based on Aleister Crowley and Thelema. It features occultist, mystical imagery that takes over the screen with up to three cells of film overlaid at a time - creating an other-worldly, hallucinatory experience. In his final re-edit of the film, what he called the ‘Sacred Mushroom Edit’, Anger used the futuristic, progressive music of Electric Light Orchestra as the soundtrack. Films like Anger’s have more of an intention to immerse the audience in the surreal atmosphere, taking them on a disorientating, hallucinogenic trip.

Rather than confronting the audience with direct psychedelic images and taking them on spiritual journeys themselves, some films recreate hallucinogenic trips in the context of their societies. A Scanner Darkly is set in an environment of drug use, in this case the fictional ‘Substance D’. The Rotoscope animation, which involves tracing over filmed footage, creates a dream-like movement with the animator free to depart from the concrete reality of what was initially filmed.

Embrace of the Serpent, a film about the history of white civilisation’s effects on the tribes of the Amazon rainforest, explores the search for both a sacred plant and the lost culture of the Amazon tribes. It features a short but highly effective trip

“Some movies can be the equivalent of mantras.” sequence in which one of the characters is allowed to drink the brew. The black and white film turns to high definition, vividly coloured graphics, viscerally revealing the ways of the Amazonians and a much wider perspective of human nature in the context of the cosmos. The atmosphere of both films take on qualities of the hallucinogenic trips featured in them, and as such reveals something about the societies they are set in as a whole.

Many other films, and perhaps cinema itself, tell stories of a spiritual nature akin to that of the psychedelic experience. Koyaanisqatsi and Samsara are both works that put the audience in a meditative state, opening them up to altered or wider perspectives wherein they can feel more connected with the universe. The documentary-like films have no narrative and narration, but are simply long

trance-like takes of different parts of the world, its nature, traditions and modernity. This kind of watchful position that the audience is placed in is very much a condition of taking psychedelic substances; the user becomes far more empathetic to the world around them, and in tune with the universe itself.

Psychedelics have been most fascinating to artists and users because of the transcendent view they can reveal. The life we live, perhaps considered an ‘everyday’ existence is shown to be something fascinating. Cinema also enables this much wider perspective of human life. Films are able to show an individual in a much larger context than their own everyday perspective. Because of this, many films could be considered ‘transcendental’ cinema.

Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life is one example, managing to explore the meaning and beginnings of the universe and life itself by chronicling the memories of a family growing up in 1950s Texas.

Like Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, it shows us humankind’s connection to the universe. Both films attempt to express the totality of existence by exploring a human reality within the context of life, the planet we occupy, the intangible energies that move us; and the unity between it all. It is cinema ‘just beyond the edge of what you realise’, exploring the mysterious, the psychedelic and spiritual experiences both with and without a narrative. It attempts to do more than just recreate the ‘trippy’ sensations of a psychedelic experience; it seeks to expand the audience’s senses and minds.

本 映画恐怖

LOST IN 映画怖 TRANSLATION:

非にく評

映画業界は

62 FILM & TV

the problem with Japanese remakes 映

本 映画 Eleanor Parkyn discusses how Japanese culture is getting lost in American remakes, and how whitewashing is still very much an issue. Original artwork by Tiffany Tong, design by Jasper Wilkins.

We’re all aware that Hollywood can be fairly problematic; from the continual scarcity of recognition for coloured actors, to the almost complete lack of roles for actresses who couldn’t also be found working for Victoria’s Secret.

Yet one area of Hollywood’s failings that is often less discussed is the way in which it has turned to remaking Japanese media over the past couple of decades. Rather than creating adaptations that do justice to the often critically acclaimed texts, the American film industry has ended up plundering narratives and returning them to the screen without the culture that is so integral to its original form. In doing so, these typical Hollywood wrongdoings of negatively representing race and women are being re-established in texts that had previously sought to abolish such limited portrayals.

The key problem with adapting these J-horror movies is primarily in regards to the new versions’ portrayal of women, which American adaptations have consciously chosen to ignore or change for the worse in favour of a plot which is regressive to the empowerment of women.

Firstly, a core difference is seen in the way in which the spirit is ‘dealt with’. In Western horror, the standard conclusion to the film involves defeating the ‘evil spirit’, whereas spirits in the Japanese narratives are not regarded as enemies, but as a co-existing being amongst us. The folklore surrounding the basis of the now iconic J-horror ‘ghostly female with long black hair’ is lost on the Western world, and the once justified avenging spirit becomes pure evil, re-establishing a link between femininity and evil as opposed to sympathy.

This all kicked off after the ten billionth sequel to John Carpenter’s Halloween, when the American horror film industry in the 90s was desperate for something new; their answer- JAPAN! With the success of Ringu, Hollywood saw an opportunity to finally return to a more horrifying form of horror without actually having to think up new storylines themselves, and the unknowingness of this foreign culture made it all the more terrifying for viewers.

Thus films like The Ring and The Grudge hit the screens; and while they were not terrible remakes, both being successful profit-wise, the key elements of the original films were lost in their newfound Americanness, leaving films that were originally complex social commentaries without any of the cultural influence that gave the film meaning, demoting it back into the realms of the simple American horror plots.

But secondly, and most importantly, these films featured female leads for a reason. Films such as Ringu and Ju-on: The Grudge revealed the fears held towards the growing rejection of tradition in Japan, resulting in an increase in divorce rates and shifts in gender roles. The female protagonists were single mothers and career women, notions that had caused tensions in Japanese society, and so were being played upon within the horror genre.

While the Japanese originals of these films can be seen as offering more progressive representations of femininity, the remakes for Western audiences have resulted in a regressive portrayal of women, instead conforming to the usual depiction of them as victims and sexual objects.

Unlike the Americanized versions, J-horror instead centres the narrative on the female figure, through which the concerns held by Japanese society are projected.

日本映画恐怖

These women are independent, and patriarchy is often criticised.

However over in America these women are presented differently, undermining the progressive, strong female characters in favour of re-establishing ideals that align more with the patriarchal ideology held by Hollywood.

These once independent women are made weaker and more reliant on the men who had previously abandoned them. They need to be rescued by, and seek to return to their prior relationships with, the men who had wronged them, re-establishing the ideas of nuclear families and weak women that the Japanese had been working to abolish years before. Yet there is no social motivation behind the American remakes, merely to cash in on the ideas of others when they have been seen to be successful, revealing how Hollywood deliberately chose to reassert the patriarchal hierarchy that Japanese horror strived to critique.

While the craze of J-horror remakes seems to have been left behind somewhere in the 2000’s, recently the American film industry has been adapting a different kind of Japanese media, in the form of anime turned into live-action feature films. This time however, the issue is all about the representation of race, in particular that of Asian (specifically Japanese) people. Hollywood is notorious for whitewashing the casts of their products, and this is made very apparent in their anime remakes. If you are not aware, whitewashing is a bizarre phenomenon in which ethnically diverse characters are for some reason consistently and unjustifiably played by white actors.

業界は 画評

63

評 に評画業界 When Japanese source material, involving Japanese characters living in Japan and doing things that are mostly only relevant in the context of their Japanese society and traditions is remade featuring ninety-nine percent white people and none of the essential cultural aspects, it’s not really surprising that many people get up in arms about it. And yet it happens time and time again.

Jaume Collett-Serra, the director of the on-again-offagain-will-it-ever-happen remake of beloved anime film Akira stated that he believed the original characters were not ‘interesting’, because Japanese culture, in his mind, does not make for ‘strong characters’. If there is this much misunderstanding of and lack of respect for the original texts, then being responsible for remaking them should be out of the question. That way mistakes like Dragonball: Evolution and Avatar: The Last Airbender can be avoided.

All of this can perhaps best be demonstrated with the upcoming remake of popular anime series Death Note.

The series is centred around Light Yagami, who comes across a Death Note, a notebook which leads to the death of anyone who’s name is written within it. These notebooks are controlled by death gods, or Shinigami.

The entire concept of the Shinigami is clearly firmly based in Japanese folklore, and the decisions made by Light are clearly seen to be influenced by the traditions known to him as a Japanese person. Death Note is rich in its cultural influence, through its mythology and characterization, and to remove this sense of culture would be to erase the beliefs and intentions of the original text merely to better appeal to an American audience. But surprise surprise, Light Yagami is being played by white actor Nat Wolff.

And his name is now Light Turner. Not only this, but none of the main cast are Asian.

There are already a very limited number of roles made available for Asian people within Western media, so when Asian characters are made available to be acted out, they should be cast in those roles, rather than have to witness them being whitewashed and replaced by white

陰ク

映画恐

actors who already have far more opportunities within the acting world without having to dip into the pool of available roles for people of colour too. But this isn’t a case of directors auditioning actors and picking someone white because they were the best. Edward Zo, an AsianAmerican actor, revealed his attempts to audition for a number of roles within the upcoming Death Note film, only to be told that he was ‘too Asian’ and that they knew from the beginning that they didn’t want any of the Japanese character’s to be played by Asian actors.

The roles available for Asian actors are so lacking already, and so harmfully stereotypical that a role in such a film, where characters are so complex and multi-dimensional, would be one step closer to the much needed visibility for a group that has been extremely marginalised by Western media. Yet this opportunity to break stereotypical barriers has again not been taken, and so Asian people will continue to be misrepresented and lack in roles destined for them until Hollywood gets the hint that whitewashing Japanese media and putting an Americanised twist on it will only cause the film to bomb. Hopefully they’ll learn their lesson soon.

映画映画恐怖 映画恐怖 映画恐怖 日本 映画恐怖 陰ク恐竜ツ笑日いク恐竜ツ

映画業界は 評 に評

Artwork: Tiffany Tong http://justplainrandom-draws.tumblr.com

The reign of TV period dramas

62 FILM & TV

WORDS BY: ALANNAH WILLIAMS DESIGN BY: MARIA COLLINS

There has never been a time in which TV period drama has been so fervent in its appeal to the masses, so aptly exemplified by two rival shows battling it out to win over primetime Sunday night audiences. At present, ITV’s shiny new Victoria seems to have the edge over the dashing Cap’n Ross Poldark of the BBC, even despite the likely outcome of Aidan Turner’s chiselled torso making an appearance or two. Of course, everyone remembers that iconic shot of Turner shirtless and in mid-scythe. It blew up like a storm and ended up becoming the talked about thing for a short while, thus bringing the BBC’s brand new addition to the costume drama genre to the forefront of British television early last year.

Yet, with series two of Poldark now airing in line with ITV’s Victoria, competition is becoming ever more common. In a television landscape that is dominated by historical drama, we viewers never fail to switch on in our droves. In 2016 alone, TV audiences have been given the likes of Versailles, War and Peace, Peaky Blinders, The Living and the Dead and endless more. That’s not to forget the grandfather of them all, the mighty Downton Abbey, which aired its final episode last December.

Not one of these cases demonstrated any inch of failure in continually achieving major appeal and success.

‘ We can be void of any

attachment or responsibility and divulge head-first in a highly fabricated era without much guilt.’

But exactly why are we so enamoured with period drama in this day and age? One would think that current society speaks immense inspiration for fictionalised or semi-documentary storytelling.

The problem is, however, that with our current lives comes some gritty realities. Themes like

violence, addiction or struggles with sexuality don’t often make an appearance in period drama and simply have no place in the comfortableness of times-gone-by. It begs the question as to whether television executives are using our notion of simpler times as a safety net for commissioning new drama which is less likely to offend.

Ask anyone in the generation above us and they will probably recall aspects of their childhood television experience as being forced to watch the trials and tribulations of the residents of Belgravia in Upstairs Downstairs, or enduring infinite Austen remakes, bonnets and waistcoats galore. The 70s were awash with costume drama, but not like we know it today. Nowadays it’s safe to say that the genre is adapting to keep up with its modernised, desensitised and mainstream audience.

For instance, Versailles’ unbridled sex scenes (which only received a handful of complaints) are unquestionably drifting from the safeness of traditional costume drama. Nevertheless, all is still situated in a time unfamiliar to us. We can be void of any attachment or responsibility and divulge head-first in a highly fabricated era without much guilt.

Our love affair with costume drama is much more complex than simple escapism from the pessimism of modern life. It certainly says something about the nation’s psyche in that we repeatedly prefer to look to the past rather than the future for entertainment. Is it the absence of difference – of ethnicity, for example - that some people find consoling? Or is it the more traditional gender roles we find attractive or is it just down to its fundamental ‘Britishness’?

So many factors are at play here, yet one thing is certain: historical television has become entrenched in our entertainment culture and is going nowhere anytime soon.

RAGE QUIT! 65

OUR CONTRIBUTORS TALK US THROUGH SOME OF THEIR

MOST STRESSFUL MOMENTS IN GAMING

ORIGINAL ART BY ELIS DOYLE

OVERWATCH COMPETITIVE MULTIPLAYER

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: OCARINA OF TIME

“DEFEAT!” The red text appears on my screen for the fifth game in a row.

Thanks for letting me know, Athena. As if I hadn’t noticed my steadily decreasing rank. In one sitting I’ve lost 200SR and at this point I’m gradually sinking further and further into my armchair. The opposing team taunts us in chat with unmatched eloquence; “ez pz” they say proudly.

Meanwhile, our attack Widowmaker flames us for being noobs. I emoted you during the setup, Widowmaker. I trusted you. Nothing infuriates me more than competitive Overwatch. it takes everything I love about the game and hurls it into a vat of salt and toxicity. What makes it worse is that I’m not good enough at the game to be higher than gold rank (silver this season), so I’m in teams that have no idea how to protect their support heroes and then spam “I need healing!” in chat over and over again. I’m a Mercy main, if you were wondering...

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (OoT) is considered one of the best games ever created. Having said that, it’s not always fun to play. I must have started this game about four times but I am yet to finish. Why? Because of some design choices which have wildly aged the game in certain places.

The biggest source of frustration I have with OoT is that if you die in a temple, you re-start at the entrance with three hearts. This isn’t such a big deal until you have to take out a boss which is causing you a bit of a problem. Then the pain starts. Of course, you could spend ages re-filling your heart counter after you’ve been defeated by such boss, but who is going to bother with that when that same boss is going to kill you again straight away?

A mother can only do so much to care for her rowdy incompetent children. That said, I can’t seem to pull myself away from the torture that is the climb from silver to gold (or the fall from silver to bronze if this season keeps going the way it is). The pain is worth it for the moments when my team yells at me in chat for not resurrecting them, imploring the enemy team to report me, and the horror when I get Play Of The Game for a 4 man resurrect. Take that, random person on the internet. And the worst part? Whilst quick play is good for a quick fix for when I need to chill, the lack of a coherent team composition fills me with just as much rage. That’s right. I’m one of those people now. I’m beyond saving.

Rebecca Cornish

I got stuck in this exact cycle of quick fight, death, quick fight, death against Dark Link, in the Water Temple. I couldn’t see how to defeat him with such low health. Who cares about the iron boots, Dark Link was the worst part about this temple. He would mirror your every move and once you swiped your sword he’d get a free hit at you. I had to repeat my fight against him several times, biting the controller in rage and eventually having to use Bigoron’s sword in the fight, just to give myself a slight advantage. Plus, when I defeated him I realised I was just spamming the sword thrust attack. Dark Link infuriated me like nothing else in game has done before or since. Because of him, I don’t think I’ll be completing this legendary game any time soon.

Bob Wigin

66 VIDEOGAMES

eSPORTS: MORE THAN JUST A GAME

Words by Kelsey Rees Original art by Elis Doyle For those who aren’t familiar with the term, E-Sports is competitive online multiplayer gaming in a professional environment. Some of the most popular E-Sports team-based games include Dota 2, League of Legends and Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO). There are various ways to become a professional gamer and compete in live tournaments around the world in the game of your choice, such as forming your own team, or by being ‘spotted’ by a professional team through online gaming. Such was the case for current Team Liquid member of the Dota 2 division Amer “Miracle-” Al-Barkawi, who was invited to join professional team OG on account of his number one ranking by matchmaking rating (MMR) in Europe.

Professional teams such as Dota 2’s OG earn their revenue through sponsorships and tournament winnings, as well as a separate team salary. The team’s largest

wins to date, in terms of proceeds and significance, came from the 2015 Frankfurt Major and 2016 Manila Major, pocketing $1,110,000 from each event. Still, the largest reward in E-Sports belongs to The International (TI) of the Dota 2 division, with a prize pool of $20,770,640, with this year’s first place awarded to Wings Gaming, who earned a stunning £9,139,002 for their team.

The larger the prize pool, the more interest will be generated from the professional teams and the fans.

E-Sports live tournaments are physical events where teams will compete in front of a live audience. This year’s TI tournament took place in Seattle’s Key Arena, which has a total seating capacity of over 17,000. Tournaments are also widely streamed on a global scale and are most commonly watched on the popular streaming service Twitch, drawing a viewership reaching the millions.

During TI 2014, more than 20 million people tuned into Twitch to watch the tournament, and the following year saw League of Legends World Championship generate a record-breaking viewership of 36 million for the final between SKT and Koo Tigers. But those figures are barely comparable with this year’s CS:GO Major Championship which drew a record-high viewership of 71 million video views. Fans also watched a record-breaking 45 million hours of live broadcast.

Twitch is an integral part of E-Sports as it provides various streams of tournaments in several different languages, allowing viewers from across the globe to tune into the

67

Photo: Jakob Wells, wikimedia commons

action. Twitch is also used by individual professional players to independently broadcast their own gameplay.

In doing so, this allows the players to engage with their viewers who even have the option to donate money to their favourite streamers. Henrik Ahnberg AKA Admiral Bulldog, member of Team Alliance in the Dota 2 division, is a keen Twitch streamer that broadcasts daily to his 315,784 Twitch followers. He’s known for his humorous streams and lighter toned gameplay which has given him a reputation as a fan-favourite in the online community.

Ahnberg’s use of Twitch has allowed the fanbase for his team to grow which has benefited the Dota fanbase as a whole.

E-Sports coverage is not only limited to online streaming but is also covered on popular television channels such as the BBC and ESPN, slowly integrating itself into mainstream media. The 2015 League of Legends World Championships were covered by BBC Three, broadcasting the entire tournament to its UK fans.

ESPN3 broadcast a half-hour long special profiling the 2014 TI tournament and the following year they aired the grand finals of the Heroes of the Storm collegiate tournament, Heroes of the Dorm. ESPN has increased its coverage of E-Sports in order to keep up with its evergrowing popularity and have even launched a subpage for the sport on their website. This covers all recent E-Sports news like tournament previews, team performances and roster changes to pro teams. However, the classification of E-Sports as a sport, and the increased ESPN coverage

has been met with controversy. During a technology conference in 2014, ESPN president John Skipper described E-Sports as ‘not a sport’, along with fellow ESPN analyst Colin Cowherd who expressed that he would quit the network if expected to cover E-Sports.

Despite its controversy, many have come to the defence of E-Sports arguing that the skills that are pivotal to the success of traditional sports are familiar, such as careful planning, precise timing, and competent execution. The professional E-Sports players are recognised as professional athletes, and in 2013 Canadian League of Legends player Danny “Shiphtur” Le became the first pro gamer to receive a United States P-1A visa, a classification designated for internationally recognised athletes allowing him to seek employment within the United States.

68 VIDEOGAMES

Quench game of 2016 winner

Final Fantasy XV Square Enix Available on PS4 and Xbox One

Aliens: Colonial Marines. Duke Nukem Forever. Daikatana. Prolonged development cycles can have hugely detrimental effects on highly anticipated titles, which comes as no surprise. You have to ask yourself, if these games were meant for great things, then why have they been passed from person to person like a corporate game of hot potato? For some back story, in 2006 I was a 10 year old kid eagerly anticipating Halo 3. I’d never even heard of Final Fantasy, and would continue to be oblivious of the 10 year long development hell that Final Fantasy XV endured, until it’s release date at the end of last year. As such, I strapped into this experience with no prior expectations, other than my brazen assumption the game would feature a special cameo from The Backstreet Boys.

I was mistaken, to an extent.

Final Fantasy XV is by no means a perfect game, it has glaring flaws that are unfortunately born out of its more successful features. For instance, the main cast consisting of Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum, Ignis Scientia, Prompto Argentum and Gladiolus Amicitia are the most engaging and authentic characters I’ve seen in a game.

You build a real connection with them during your journey and believe their camaraderie, despite their initially offputting appearances. But the game does a sub-par job of world-building. The rest of the characters are mostly unfocused, and though the plot is simple in a general sense, it feels like the third act to a much bigger story (locked away in two other pieces of media). This essentially meant

that towards the end of the story I was only bothered about what happened to the main troupe and not the fate of the world hanging in the balance.

Having not been accustomed to Final Fantasy’s traditional turnbased RPG combat style, I found the real-time combat variation incredibly enjoyable and solid. You only have two primary buttons for attacking, but even

“THE MAIN CAST ARE THE MOST ENGAGING AND AUTHENTIC CHARACTERS I’VE SEEN IN A GAME.” so, zipping around enemies keeps you on your toes and the weight of each of your attacks feels significant. However, unlike previous titles you can only control one member of your party directly, Noctis.

This feature became a real annoyance when I found myself constantly wasting Elixirs on Prompto, because somebody just HAD to get a close-up snapshot of that Deathclaw!

This is also the first Final Fantasy of the main franchise to fall under the weather with ‘open-world’ fever. It’s handled about as well as most JRPG’s, it’s a gorgeous world to look at and to drive through in your royal sports car, the Regalia. But come on, when are developers going to realise that just creating a huge world with nothing in it is just asking for trouble?! I concede that the world does have some activities spread out in it’s nooks and crannies, but

they’re just too few and far between to incentivise any long-term exploration.

Besides, with the advent of fast-travel, why bother walking for 10 minutes to a destination when you can pay a measly pittance of 10 gil to be there in a flash!

(By that I mean 10 hours of load-screens, oy vey).

But I digress, was this game fantastic?

Yes, it was, it delivered an enjoyable experience worth picking up, and strong footing for following titles to leap off of.

Was it worth the 10 year development cycle? No, but it’s intrigued me more than any other game this year, even ones I would consider exceptionally more polished.

For this reason, Quench Gaming awards Final Fantasy XV, its Pick of 2016.

Elis Doyle @LordOfWarthogs

in brief:

+

Main cast feels authentic, well written

+

Move towards openworld is well-rounded, not tacked on

+ -

Shake up of gameplay formula is fluid Story feels unfinished, pacing suffers in parts

Overall:

8.5/10 For the first time ever, check out the accompanying VIDEO REVIEW at: cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk/quench/

game of 2016 winner

The Stranglers

Ghost

Sundara Karma

February/Chwefror Treatment Presents: Dusky live

10/02/17, from £15 ADV

Sundara Karma 23/02/17, £11 ADV

White Lies

27/02/17, £20 ADV

March/Mawrth

April/Ebrill

Lucy Spraggan

2-Tone Tribute Tour

03/03/17, £14.50 ADV

08/04/17, £19.50 ADV

All Time Low

Parkway Drive

11/03/17, £28.50 ADV

Lower Than Atlantis

11/04/17, £25 ADV

Bury Tomorrow

18/03/17, £16 ADV

21/04/17, £16 ADV

Ghost

May/Mai

25/03/17, £25 ADV

The Stranglers

The Alarm

19/05/17, £22.50 ADV

27/03/17, £25 ADV

@CARDIFFUNION

CARDIFFBOXOFFICE

CARDIFFBOXOFFICE.COM

All tickets subject to booking fee Codir ffi archebu ar bob tocyn

THE MORAL CONUNDRUMS OF

MELANIA TRUMP