Vol 19, Issue 4 January 23 February 12, 2012
www.roarnews.co.uk Got a Story? editor@roarnews.co.uk @roar_news roar! newspaper 020 7379 9833 Macadam Building, Surrey Street, London WC2R 2NS
COMMENT
Roar! is an independent Student Media society at KCLSU. Views expressed in Roar! do not necessarily reflect those of Roar!’s Editorial Board, KCLSU, its trustees, or its employees, or of King’s College London.
www.kclsu.org/sportvote
Burning Issue Roar!’s Ben Jackson asks: Is Celebrity Big Brother Any Good?
6
9
Starter Kit for the Music Industry How to get into the Music Industry.
SPORTS
King’s News King’s Entertainment
KCLSU Sport Referendum: Should we continue to support KCL and KCLMS teams? CAREERS
R
INSIDE THIS ISSUE: SPORT REFERENDUM PULL OUT! FREE
22
Racism in Sport Have we gone to far? Kisten Johnson tells us what she thinks.
2
INSIDE THIS ISSUE...
1. Only get divorced and re-married once this year.
2. Keep it to myself that I have trouble
Happy New Year one and all! I hope you all had lovely holidays, if they were anything like mine they were a cross between wanting to get into the festive spirit and utter essay mania panic! Always the most fun mix, but enjoyable nonetheless!
with authority when being interviewed.
3. Claim all my pets as dependents on my taxes.
Did you make New Year’s resolutions? I make them every year and every year I fail spectacularly in keeping them! Not for lack of trying, you understand, but more because of other peoples’ interference, I mean it would be rude not to eat cake with my housemates, wouldn’t it? So it’s really their fault, they should have all made the same resolution as me and then it wouldn’t be a problem! Ha! Logic at it’s best there!
4. No longer waste my time reliving the past, instead spend it worrying about the future.
5. Go back to uni to avoid paying my student loan.
For those of you who have been keeping your beady eye on the Roar! website (www.roarnews.co.uk) you will know that a few things happened at KCL over the holidays. We advised the government against legal aid cuts, are gonna help out on new drug overdose treatments, got charged an astronomical amount of money in library fines and saw KCL student Chibundu Onuzo make the Guardian Writers to Watch in 2012 list. Pretty good going, if you ask me! Who ever said the holidays were slow for news!?
6. Switch my username to ‘password’ and my password to ‘username’ to make each a lot harder for hackers to figure out
7. Do less laundry and use more deodorant.
8. Don’t hang around girls, they think you
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ARTS
I Can Resist Everything... Except Temptation
FASHION AND LIFESTYLE
Editor’s Note
The Best New Years Resolutions... EVER!
This issue I challenge you to play Spot The New Editor, there are a few of them! If you have anything you want to submit to them or any section of the paper drop them a line or send it directly to me, editor@roarnews.co.uk!
love them and that sucks.
9. Remember to brush teeth with bristley end of toothbrush.
The fashio low-down on what to wear this sporting season.
Arts in 2012 Arts Editor Theodora Wakeley pics her 2012 must sees
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Happy reading!
10. (And our personal favourite!) Never again take a sleeping pill and a laxitive on the same night!
Olympic Must Haves
Lots of love,
Let us know all about your New Year’s shenanigans: Tweet us @roar_news or FB Roar Newspaper
editor@roarnews.co.uk
MUSIC
Zoe xxx
Roar!’s newest reader: Percy the Puppy!
The most viewed on w w w. r o a r n e w s . c o . u k
Ones to watch Clement Marfo & The Frontline
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1. Review: Kasabian- Velociraptor - Charles Pegg 2. London 2012 Transport Costs Will Hit Students Hard - Zoe Tipler
FILM
3. Poor Sportsmanship - Part and Parcel of the Game or Time to Come Unwrapped? - Olivia Humphrey
Secret Cinema
4. Review: Moneyball - Philip Bailey
The worst kept secret in London, for the best
5. Tribe Vibe - Lucia Ariano Clearly tuition fees are as bewildering for him as they are the rest of us!
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film experience you’ll have all year.
Editor Zoe Tipler editor@roarnews.co.uk
Comment Editor Olivia Selley comment@roarnews.co.uk
Student Groups Editor Laura Arowolo students@raornews.co.uk
Film Editor Beth Cohon film@roarnews.co.uk
Sports Editor Charlotte Richardson sports@roarnews.co.uk
Legal and Advertising Fran Allfrey vpsme@kclsu.org
Head of Design Steph Fairbairn design@roarnew.co.uk
Comment Sub-Editor Ben Jackson
Fashion and Lifestyle Editor Coryn Brisbane fashion@roarnews.co.uk
Film Sub-Editor Maurice Loach
Proofing Editor Sofie Kouropatov proof@roarnews.co.uk
Next content deadline: 1st of Febuary 2012
News Editor Luke Chattaway news@roarnews.co.uk
Features Editor Matt Lever features@roarnews.co.uk
Arts Editor Theodora Wakeley arts@roarnews.co.uk
Music Editor Shivan Davis music@roarnews.co.uk
Proofing Sub- Editor Max Edwards
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News
Roar!, December 13th- January 22nd 2012
Edited by Luke Chattaway news@roarnews.co.uk
The year in Roar!
Tsunamis, revolutions, public sector strikes, riots: newswise, last year was exhausting. Just in case any of that overshadowed Roar!’s commitment to quality campus reportage, we’ve prepared this quick KCL-themed retrospective. Happy New Year’s! Disclaimer: Any anger provoked by cheeky (sexist) headlines should be directed at the previous editor.
‘BIRD IS THE WORD’
April
KCLSU’s highest ever election turnout brought the first all female Student Officer team to KCLSU. Former Editor Matt Quinton’s neaderthal headline aside, this was a defining moment for SU politics. Keep up to date on the Officers’ work at www.kclsuofficers.wordpress.com. What’s more, ALL of the Officer positions are up for election this semester, see www.kclsu.org/elections for more info (and that includes the editor in cheif role at Roar!)
‘HELLO AND WELCOME’
September
Our new editorial team put out the first new-look issue of Roar! to universal acclaim (or something like that), complete with A pull-out-and-keep freshers’ guide. It was a learning curve but we made it and haven’t missed a dealine since. Observant readers will have noticed the debut of the KCL gossip column ‘Green Eyes’. Who is this mysterious fountain of secrets? Wait until the end of the year to find out!
‘INITIATION: THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY’
November
Like all major media outlets, contraversy has hounded us from our very inception. In November’s memorable issue we tackled the contentious topic of initiation rituals and barely restrained ourselves from printing as much gratuitous rugby-based nudity as we could.
‘KCL DOMINATES STUDENT DEMO’
December
Another round of student demonstrations gave KCL protestors another chance to show the international press how it’s supposed to be done. The Student Union banner was big and bright enough to be seen from anywhere along the route and live tweets from Roar! brought everyone at home deep into the action as well.
‘IS IT WORTH IT?’ The end of 2011 is sure to go down in history as the time Roar! successfully combined a detailed investigation into the real cost of teaching at KCL with a wholehearted embrace of Yuletide fun. Other noteworthy incidents included the College declining our freedom of information request and Sam Spencer awarding 50 words for Snow by Kate Bush four stars out of five.
Christmas!
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News
December23rd13th-Febusary January12th 22nd2012 2012 Roar!, January
KCL Awarded Grant to Study Patient Welfare In a move that puts the ‘ward’ back
“We will also be comparing key
into ‘King’s College Hospital award-
metrics, such as infection rates, with
ed funding grant,’ the National Insti-
those in other hospitals which have
tute for Health Research (NIHR) has
not moved to new accommodation.”
approved a new £370,000 project to investigate the benefits of individ-
Old traditions of hospital care have
ual room hospital accommodation.
tended to focus on communal accommodation
Radio One DJ Tim Westwood ripping up Tutu’s over New Year’s Eve in his own inimitable style.
Shock: KCL Library fines 4th highest in Nation
Zoe Tipler
A new table published by The Guardian on the 7th of January 2012 shows that King’s College has collected £1.19 million in revenue from overdue books since 2004. We were
King’s Scholar Namedropped by Stephen Colbert, Beastie Boy
beaten only by Leeds (£1.8m), Manchester (£1.3m) and Wolverhampton (£1.25m). Fines at King’s: • • •
Four week loans – 10p per day (maximum of £20.00 per item) One week loans – 30p per day (maximum of £20.00 per item) Short/one day loans – 50p per hour/part hour (maximum of £20.00 per item)
Replacement of lost/unreturned books: • Replacement cost plus £10.00 administration fee per book, plus any accrued fine.
all your fines, no matter how small they are! So if you are hoping to wear your robes this October think about coughing up now!
in
large
hospital
Professor Jill Maben – head of the
wards: this research will try to un-
NIHR – says “This research will
derstand whether alternative single
investigate what advantages and
room environments are healthier in
disadvantages there may be in in-
areas including not only infection
creasing the number of single rooms
rates but also patient/physician re-
in hospitals, comparing the new
lations, cost and treatment options.
hospital with the old buildings. .
The full table is available online: http://www.guardian.co.uk/ education Comp. Lit. student Theodore MacGregor said, ‘I sure do love the library but these fines are redunkulous. It makes me afraid to get out the books that I need.’ In effort to cut down on fines, the library has begun issuing courtesy notices on one week loans.
K-Law go Top Drawer On the fourteenth of December – as the dark days of last term eventually dragged us into
You can’t graduate until you pay off
the Christmas break – most of US satirical punditry show The Colbert Report usually spends its airtime cracking wise at the expense of the American political and media scene. On Thursday last week, however, the work of College academic Tony Thorne unexpectedly found its way into the spotlight of this highly rated show. During a discussion Colbert had with Mike D of seminal 90s hip hop group the Beastie Boys about the meaning of the word ‘illin’, Thorne’s definition from The Dictionary of Contemporary Slang was debated. Thorne, formerly the head of the Language Centre at King’s, now holds the post of Language and Innovation Consultant and is involved with the study of slang and jargon used in youth culture, business and the media. The popular culture specialist’s College website headshot (pictured left) was flashed briefly across the screen
us probably had little more than
to expect grand things and were
mulled wine and minced pies on
delighted when they eventually
our minds. KCL students Micheal
came third in the national finals.
Fuess, Micheal Braunschweig and Stephen Garbin, however, were
The competition was aimed as an
concerned with far loftier goals.
opportunity to explore and devel op commercial law skills through
As team ‘K-Law’, the three had
a series of practical exercises that
entered ‘elite’ law firm Allen and
challenged teamwork, communi-
Overy’s Think! challenge for un-
cation and problem solving pro-
dergraduates. After finishing in
ficiency.
as Colbert and Mike D interrogated the accuracy of a crossword clue that claimed that ‘illin’ was synonomous with ‘wack’. Both also referred to the academic with reverence as ‘Professor Thorne.’
first place at the regional London
Colbert (above) recently caused a minor stir in the news recently after he polled higher in a Republican Party South Carolina primary than former Utah Governer John Huntsman. Some speculate that this humiliation contributed to Huntsman’s decision to bow out of the race over last weekend.
Dont Forget to fill in the National Students Survey! 400,000 students from across the country have the opportunity to Rate Their University. It’s really important for your department and KCL overall! This is your chance to influnce the national rating of KCL as a university. www.thestudentsurvey.com
qualifiers (ahead of UCL and LSE
Good job guys! Roar! hopes you
and with a score that put them
enjoy those iTunes vouchers you
first in the country at the qualify-
all manfully earned.
ing stage) our boys had the right
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Comment
Roar!, January 23rd- Febusary 12th 2012
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Edited by Olivia Selley comment@roarnews.co.uk
Hitchens’ and Dawkins’ Popularity Revisits Cylcle of Doubt
Oh Why Must The Great Ones Die?
Chris McCarthy
Matt Robinson
Other than to the most dogmatic believer, doubt and faith are not mutually exclusive concepts; they are wedded perpetually from the point of the latter’s conception. The struggle between the two is ultimately irresolvable, producing a healthy tension that holds both destructive and constructive possibilities. Doubt has been vital in shaping all faiths – without it, beliefs become intransigent creed. When we recognise this narrative we realise that what authors such as Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins have said in their tracts against faith is not new – they have not raised new doubts or promulgated arguments previously unheard. However, both attained tremendous commercial success with their books criticising religion, God is Not Great and The God Delusion, respectively. In turn, they sparked a huge critical response. A polemicist attracts attention, supportive or otherwise, typically for one of two reasons. Either they posit an argument, theory, or perception hitherto not expressed, or they cover something already explored but with language and in a manner, whether comedic, satirical, or acerbic, that breathes fresh life into the topic. The caveat to both is that the topic under discussion has to matter enough to enough people. An exposition on the most cost-effective means to grow moss on stone is unlikely to gather a substantial readership irrespective of how witty it might be. Religion matters to a great many people, but does the success of Dawkins and Hitchens owe more to the fact that they have given a particularly eloquent voice to pre-existing sentiment, or was their work an instigator of popular skepticism? The answer
lies somewhere within the blurred dynamic of the two and we can’t ignore the snowballing momentum both books generated, procreating with insatiable speed on every tube in the capital. There has been a growing trend towards secularism in many America and many European countries over the last century – both large consumers of Hitchens and Dawkins’ material – hinting that they have tapped into a rising wave of religious disaffection, albeit still small relative to the number of believers. Will their work expedite that trend? It’s unclear and we always have to be cautious not to confuse correlation with causation. Whatever the drivers of their popularity, popular they have both become. The question that follows is whether their contributions have been constructive or destructive. In one respect we should consider the fact that both books have received a large readership as an encouraging sign, in and of itself, of hopefully a better informed public. Whether a reader considers the content malign, benign, or somewhere in between, largely depends on how they perceive and frame their system of beliefs – or lack thereof. An evangelical who believes in the literal word of the Bible and rejects evolution will have a very different experience reading the texts than a committed atheist. Anybody who holds a faith should be prepared to re-examine it when challenged. Hitchens and Dawkins have (re)awoken a timeless debate for a new generation and infused it with powerful rhetoric and articulate prose. Theirs will not be the final word, however, in this recurring dance between doubt, dogma, and disbelief.
Another year, another celebrity cull. The Grim Reaper does it, they say, to prevent overpopulation of the species, to prevent myxomatosis, to prevent further inbreeding. Ushering an ethereal cocktail party of the ‘darlings’ into the hereafter with the flat of his scythe, he looks back up the mortal coil and sees the wet eyes, shiny coats and relentless fornication of those celebrities still living, and he knows the job is worthwhile. Art Garfunkel sings ‘Bright Eyes’ in the background. (Is Art dead yet? Please write in).
2011, however, has been a bit different, a bit special. Guardian writer Hadley Freeman has noted ‘the extraordinary number of celebrity deaths’, but put forth no theory as to why this might be. Instead we must turn to the vaguely European-sounding writer Slavoj Žižek. In his delightful book, lightly titled LIVING IN THE END TIMES, Mr Žižek posits that ‘global capitalism is fast approaching its terminal crisis.’ He goes on: ‘There should no longer be any doubt... [about] the four horsemen of this coming apocalypse: the worldwide ecological crisis; imbalances within the economic system; the biogenetic revolution; and exploding social divisions and ruptures.’ Only four, Slavoj? How medieval. Allow me to posit a fifth: celebrity extinction. The way of life as we know it would crumble. It’s already starting to. From Pete Postlethwaite (2nd of Jan) to Christopher Hitchens (15th Dec), 2011 didn’t let up. The only thing to do now is record it all, tot
up the toll and archive the names in a tightly sealed capsule somewhere, all for the purpose of educating the next species to inherit this good planet. How does one do this? Well, this is exactly what the Internet was made for. It’s a giant storage space for the details of the Special Ones, so that come the future, they can all be accurately recreated as heads floating in glass jars of fluid, like in Futurama. The internet is going to need some work though. So far, it’s woefully inconclusive as to what constitutes a celebrity death. Wikipedia is uncharacteristically pedantic on its ‘Deaths in 2011’ page, giving entries for every day. Oh dear, this won’t do. All the real celebrities are buried beneath what I can only describe as ‘notable deaths’, those touched by the eternal ignominy of the red Wikipedia link, the ‘no page yet’ marker, the searing brand of universal indifference. Sifting through such proles, my heart initially stops when I mistake Cliff Robertson (actor aged 88) for Cliff Richard. But it’s okay. Sir Cliff won’t die.
I’m a Geologist - Get Me Out Of Here! April Robinson It seems fair to say that there has been a renaissance in the social media, with respect to the accessibility of public figures such as Richard Dawkins, Stephen Fry and Sam Harris, to name but a few. Google and YouTube, along with other tools for spreading information, have made it increasingly easy for the masses to find and soak up the words of these modern day paragons of reason, science and intellectual honesty. In the past, information of this kind was only available to those who cared to seek it out in libraries, lecture halls and seminar rooms, but now enlightenment is at our fingertips, and long may it be so.
to be a visible and outspoken contingent of academics on the world stage. It can become the case that the most important opinions in our society (when it comes to issues of morality, economics, scientific advancement and policy) remain behind university walls, gathering dust in libraries. People like Christopher Hitchens reminded the public how refreshing it can be when the most qualified people have the loudest voices in the public square. It forces us to think about not taking things on the word of demagogues or power hungry politicians, but to search out the truth for ourselves and avoid the recrudescence of humanity for want of rational inquiry.
However, the recent death of Christopher Hitchens, one of Britain’s foremost public intellectuals, has led me to realise how necessary it is for there
Indeed, there has been a recent shift in the zeitgeist of British pop culture in that funnily enough, between the gossip about who got kicked out of
Just Google It! Chris Jowitt Before sitting down to write this article, I decided to do a bit of research. Upon googling ‘independent thought’, my browser crashed for a good 5 minutes before eventually giving up completely and closing down. A more fitting metaphor I couldn’t have come up with myself. The truth is, in a media age where we are bombarded with advertising wherever we go that tells us we ‘need’ some product and that certain items are ‘must haves’, we are gradually losing the ability to think for ourselves, simply because we don’t need to anymore. While this can be seen as largely harmless on a materialistic scale (bar the odd impulse purchase that sits in the corner gathering dust) a world where we simply believe everything we are told is a dangerous one. As the decisions we need to take as a society get tougher and tougher, the stakes are getting higher and higher and we cannot afford to be led like sheep into a future that we don’t necessarily want. What’s even more scary is that we have fallen so far into this habit of apathy that people are even starting to believe and accept that they are too unintelligent for their own good. An example is that in last year’s referendum regarding the AV voting system, the no campaign’s tactics were entirely based upon a sense of resignation among the voting, telling them that the new system would be far too complicated for their simple minds. The fact that a company or cause is now capable of making someone believe that they are too stupid for change or to even be able to make a decision for themselves is incredibly disturbing. Being content with how things are is not enough; passivity and indifference could be more dangerous to society than any of today’s threats in the long run, as change is what keeps society moving. Change is what makes us better and what takes us forward both politically and socially. So let’s not forget that we are capable of independent thought and can actually make these decisions by ourselves. Let us not be manipulated to other peoples’ will – and please, be discerning when ‘googling it’.
the ‘X factor’ and what has happened in the jungle, you might happen upon a discussion about the CERN particle accelerator or the oddity of dark matter. This is partially thanks to the BBC’s commissioning of documentaries by Jim Al-Khalili and Brian Cox. If you’re lucky you might even share a trinket of information with a friend only to find they had watched the same episode of QI as you and are already clued in! It gives me solace that there might be a new generation that is growing up in a Britain that embraces “the Fry”, “the Hitchens” or “the Cox” as rock stars in their own right. The increasingly technological world in which we find ourselves depends upon geeks and “swots” and people who are just a little bit too interested in that second law of thermo dynamics.
Roar! can exclusively announce Principal Rick Trainor & Vice Principal Eeva Leinonen are to attend Student Council Tuesday 31 January Stamford Street Lecture Theatre 6 - 8pm Open to all students! Put your questions to the heads of King’s! Roar! will be there, will you? Follow @roar_news for live updates and reactions from the Waterloo campus. See www.kclsu.org/whatson for more information.
Comment
Roar!, December 13th- January 22nd 2012
7
Comment Sub-Editor Ben Jackson
“IS CELEBRITY BIG BROTHER ANY GOOD?”
Max Edwards
YES
NO
High brow? Not a chance in hell.
ex-wife, and Ryan’s ex-lover)
Celebrity Big Brother? What a
and I spend hours staring blankly
High culture? Certainly not. High
wandering
load of old tosh! If I wanted to
into the TV screen while my copy
sit around and watch a load of
of Trotsky sits idly by the toilet.
around
in
bikinis.
fun? Hell yes! Celebrity Big
“
What does it matter whether it’s utter tripe?
Anthony Shaw
Brother returns to our screens on
And then, in two years’ time when
primates fling feces around and
January 5th, sadly relegated to
they complain about their privacy,
stick their own finger up their
Channel 5, and promises two more
we can turn around and tell them
bum I’d go to the monkey en-
weeks of Z-list bashing laughs.
to go to hell. As the great Daniel
closure at London Zoo! At least
Craig said, “You can’t buy your
I can class that as a ‘day out’.
What does it matter whether
privacy back. ‘Ooh, I want to be
it’s utter tripe? It’s an opportu-
alone.’ F**k you! We were in
nity to see for yourself that the
your living room. We were at your
rich and famous (okay, okay, the
birth. You filmed it for us and then
‘quite well-off’ and ‘have been
showed us THE PLACENTA, and
on the telly a few times’) are re-
now you want some privacy?”
ally just the same as you and me.
These people are only famous for being famous, which in itself is a bizarre concept. I work hard to make something of my life while they enjoy a life of drug
But instead I sit at home and turn
and alcohol abuse before dy-
on Celebrity Big Brother to try and
ing at the age of 27 in some auto
forget my own problems. I may
erotic
asphyxiation
scenario.
even have a little cry at the tragic life I lead and I come across these strange human beings who I’m
To be honest with you, Heat!
It would be doing them a disservice
pretty sure haven’t even heard of
magazine just doesn’t have the
not to watch the show, not to laugh
Beethoven or Einstein, and I even
exposure shows like this give me.
at their idiocy, not to realise that
fear they don’t even know where
they represent an element of soci-
France is on a map! Mon Dieu!
George Orwell is turning in his grave as a concept from his book is being used to create this modern day horror, a TV show that holds back human development and
And what better way to start my
ety that is coming about, desperate
could one day cause the downfall
2012 off than watching those
for wealth at any cost. They do it
of humanity. So forgive me as I
glossy-hogging
running
for the money, and they give us the
But I can’t tear myself away. I
once again get on my high horse
around, scantily clad, in the Janu-
right to judge. Isn’t it only human
watch as they eat and shower and
and ride off into the distance.
ary sun? No doubt the rippling
to take up that right and run with it?
I watch for hours as they sleep
The concluding lines of Nineteen
and dream of unicorns. I get en-
Eighty-Four were wrong, for I most
grossed by the analysis of their
certainly do not love Big Brother!
bodies
heatwave will get such luminaries as Natasha Giggs (Rhodri’s
relationships and body language
If you have any issue that you are burning to debate e-mail Ben at comment@roarnews.co.uk
“
George Orwell is turning in his grave...
“
The show that gave us such cultural highlights as Jade Goody running around naked and that girl who fingered herself in a box has returned to Channel 5 this month in its celebrity format. This year’s cohort of ‘celebs’ desperate for another minute’s fame are currently in the house trying to win the public’s vote. This month’s Burning Issue asks more than just whether this outdated show is good quality viewing. Reality TV has spawned a culture of idiots being famous for being famous. And continually, 12 talentless scumbags are being rewarded for it with more inane exposure on prime-time telly. Has reality TV run its course or has it become an integral part of modern culture? This month, Roar!’s new Comment Sub-Ed Ben asks the profound question: what good do TV shows like this do?
“
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Roar!, January 23rd - February 12th 2012
Student Groups Edited by Laura Arowolo students@roarnews.co.uk
BPS: FUNdraising for a great cause!
Mitch Cutmore
Don’t fancy running a marathon? Sleeping out? Or jumping out a plane? Us neither. So we’re dancing instead. The first half of the Brazilian and Portuguese Society run 8-hour Carnaval Danceathon will be Brazilian (with forró, funk & samba); aided by professionals aplenty to show us how it’s done/ distract from our enthusiastic but oafish efforts. Then we’ll dance our way from the 70s all the way back to today...with the songs we know and love from all the glorious decades in between, finishing before 3am – no later than any other good night out! Think Rio Carnaval. Think Truffle Shuffle. Think 90’s night. Think of all the great nights you’ve been to rolled into one for a great cause.
There are 5 easy steps to Carnaval Dance Marathon success: 1. Sign up. 2. Invite everyone you know. 3. Raise £100. 4. Dance for 8 hours. 5. Have loads of fun. And that’s it! If you want to get involved in the dance marathon, or you just want to donate, see www. facebook.com/kclsuBPS. If you want to register now, search for ‘Carnaval Dance Marathon’ on www.virginmoneygiving.com and click ‘start fundraising’, and we’ll see you in Tutu’s on the 1st March! Action for Brazil’s Children Trust (ABC) is dedicated to helping the most vulnerable young people of Brazil. The London based charity raises awareness and funding to support the work of local, community-led organisations who give children education, support and inspiration to transform their lives. Find out more about the Charity here www.abctrust.org.uk
More fundraising opportunities the YASW Charity Run
In February, the Sylvia Wright Trust society in KCLSU will be organising a 10k run fundraising event. The run will take place on 26th of February, and the team are looking for people who want to run but also want to donate to the cause.
Do you run a student group? Are you part of one? Have you just set one up? Get in touch and tell us all about it! students@ roarnews.co.uk
Start as you mean to go on! Charlotte Woods For many of you, the excitement of the first term with Fresher’s Week and being able to eat when you want (with the added pressure of Christmas food available over the recent holiday), may have left some of you wanting a fitter and healthier New Year! Many of King's societies and the fantastic Kinetic gym can help you on your way to fulfilling your New Year's resolutions. The Kinetic gym, open 7 days a week, is a great place to begin, and if the machines and weights are a bit offputting, you can always sign up to some of the classes on offer instead. Or perhaps you would like to join a society and meet new people along the way. There are a range of societies and clubs available that could help you with your resolutions. They range from breakdancing to football, and there are over 50 sporting and fitness clubs at King's. Plus (it just keeps getting better!) there is no experience necessary, so the clubs will support and help you, whether you are a beginner or an experienced sportsperson. If you are interested in King's supporting you with your New Year's resolution for a fitter and healthier 2012, then visit the KCLSU website http://www.kclsu.org for more information and contact details of the societies available. Alternatively, you can visit the Kinetic gym, located by the Waterloo campus, where the staff would be happy to help.
The main focus of the KCL Youth Arm Sylvia Wright Trust this year is to raise £12,000 to fund a state of the art ambulance to donate to the Rangammal Hospital in Tiruvannamalai . They need YOUR HELP to make this happen, so email yasw@gmail.com or post a message on their facebook group search: ‘KCL Youth Arm Sylvia Wright Trust’
It’s Time To Cut Loose With MMT! Jack Haywood With the release of the new movie in October 2011, it seemed like a perfect time for Medsoc Musical Theatre to put Footloose - the Musical on the Greenwood stage. The hugely talented and dedicated 28-strong cast have been rehearsing for this exciting and energetic musical since the beginning of the last semester, ready to perform at the end of January. Footloose follows the story of Ren (played by David Thaxter) who moves from Chicago to a small town called Bomont, where dancing is banned. He quickly gets on the wrong side of Reverend Shaw Moore (Frank Reakes), not only about the ban, but also his love-interest with the reverend’s daughter, Ariel (Jenny Galloway). With music from the Oscar-winning score, such as ‘Holding Out For A Hero’ and ‘Let’s Hear It For The Boy’ (and not forgetting Footloose!), this promises to be one of MMT’s best productions yet!
Rusty (Trisha Gupta) just wants to be loved! Performances are on the 25, 26 and 27 January at 7pm in the Greenwood Theatre. Tickets (£6 for students) are available from any cast/crew member, www.kclsutickets.com or any KCLSU desk.
Roar!, January 23rd - February 12th 2012
Careers Section
Student Groups
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For the Record: A ‘Started Kit for the Music Industry
Georgia Rajah, Careers Editor At the end of last term, Kings College students were given the chance to meet four prominent music executives. The Creative Cultural Studies department organized an event called ‘For the Record: A ‘Starter Kit’ for the Music Industry’. Chris Bellam (Head of Promotion, Beggars Group), John Best (manager of Sigur Ros), Dean Wengrow (Mute Records A&R agent) and Gillian Porter (Managing Director, Hall or Nothing PR) came to give advice and answer questions from Kings students; they shed light on how they made it to the top.
through the mail, don’t have your headphones plugged in and detach yourself from your working environment. Bellum himself started off in reception, which was a great role to get him seen. He stressed that “if you open your ears and your eyes you’ll eventually get a role”. John Best: “The industry is wide open…it always relies on what hasn’t happened, it’s like a gold rush, there’s always something somewhere that hasn’t happened yet, I would be looking”. After making his way up through the industry, first as a journalist and then as a publicist at Virgin records, John Best decided to start his own company at 29. Best managed The Verve before they went on to release their album Urban
sibilities as a manager at the beginning, however he came to learn on the job. He stated that leaving Virgin was “the best thing I ever did…I don’t know anyone who has disliked working for themselves more than they dislike working for a major record label”. Dean Wengrow: “Innocent arrogance got me a hell of a long way” Like Best, Wengrow stated that he didn’t know what he was doing. However through having an “innocent arrogance” he was able to get his foot in the door. He stated that especially in his line of work, “having opinions” was an important factor in the music business: “It helps you have an expertise”. Gillian Porter stressed that
Chris Bellam: “You can start the job before you get it by going to all your local venues, listening to the radio, keeping your ear to the ground and immersing yourself” It took almost a year and a half of work experience for Chris Bellam to find his way into the industry: “I didn’t have any contacts and that’s a key issue to get you into the industry”. Bellum made it clear that once you’ve got work experience, you need to let people see your enthusiasm. He suggested that even if you’re just sorting
stating: “99% of people that go into the music industry don’t really have a clue where the’re going to end up…if you love music and you know that’s what you want to do, you get in somehow and fall into different things.” For those hoping to make it as musicians, all four executives warned that breaking into the music industry, is, like any other profession, difficult (especially as the industry in Britain is relatively small). The executives stated that it’s hard to make money from being a musician unless you’ve got something really special about you (even then, being able to sustain a career over a long period of time is very rare). Best revealed that not that much money is invested in artist development anymore, however, all four stressed that if you love music, there are many different avenues to follow. As long as you show you’re enthusiasm and passion, you’ll eventually break in.
on youtube etc, that’s the key thing to getting you signed. It’s about creating your own buzz’.
Themed Weeks to look out
Tips for musicians: Best: “I’ve never found anything from playing a demo, if you play live, go down to where promoters promote good acts. If I wanted to get into the music industry now, I would go to The Shacklewell Arms in Shrewsbury. Hymns, and since 1999 he has been managing Sigur Ros. He claimed that he didn’t quite understand his own respon-
students looking to enter the music industry should always keep their options open, she rounded off the event nicely by
for this term: Assessment Centre Week: 23rd-27th Jan Media & Arts Week: 27th Feb2nd March Entrepreneurship Week: 12-16 March.
Bellam: “coming from a record deal perspective, if you can prove that you’ve got a good fan base, high hit rates
What’s On
23 January - 23 February // Election nominations open for the KCLSU full time Student Officer and Trustee positions! Could you be the next KCLSU President or one of the Vice Presidents? www.kclsu.org/elections
25 January // Live At Home Student Network: Movie & Meal January Event - Yates’ Bar. Celebrate the end of exams and coursework - open for all students! 25, 26 and 27 January // The brilliant Footloose, by Medsoc Musical Theatre, at 7pm in the Greenwood Theatre, tickets £6 from any KCLSU desk 28 January // The Wilderness Medicine Society present ‘Beyond the Limit’ WMS host their first day-long conference of 2012, looking at the science behind wilderness and extreme sports medicine to explore how we push our bodies, and medical capabilities, far beyond their natural limits. Tickets £15! the Harris Lecture Theatre, Hodgkin Building, Guy’s Campus 29 January // KCL Oncology and Cancer Research Society: Charity Concert Join the KCL Oncology & Cancer Research Society for an evening of fantastic music and wine, all in the name of a brilliant charity. With internationally renowned Badke Quartet playing classic pieces by Haydn, Mozart and Mendelssohn head down to enjoy a free wine during the interval. ALL the money from tickets and other dona-
tions you wish to give on the night will go to Cancer Research UK, (£10 minimum donation) kclcancersoc@ gmail.com 4 February // The Sounds + Special Guests Tutu’s nightclub For just £12.50 (advanced tickets), The Sounds promise their shows are ‘energy, just pure energy’. The Sounds are touring in support of their album Something To Die For, which was released in March on SideOneDummy Records. The Limousines will be special guest on the tour. www.the-sounds.com. 3 February // Welcome to Friday! That good old reliable mix of cheesy pop, club classics and sing along tunes returns! £3 Tutu’s www.kclsutickets.com 13 - 17 February // SHAG Sexual Health and Guidance Week: Monday to Friday Lunchtime stalls on campus, Monday Pub Quiz at Guy’s Bar, Wednesday Guy’s Bar Sports night with “Sexy” cocktails and “Drag and Queens” theme, Thursday Speaker night 13 - 19 February // The KCLSU Sports Vote www.kclsu.org/sportvote, “Should KCLSU continue to support separate KCL and KCLMS sport teams?” - you decide! Check www.kclsu.org/whatson for constantly updated and full listings!
Send in your event details to students@roarnews.co.uk, with the day, time, location, price and 30 word description for the event, as well as any website links.
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Roar!, December 13th- January 22nd 2012
FEATURES Edited by Matt Lever features@roarnews.co.uk
2012: What to look forward to before December’s apocalypse Hugh Thompson
On 6th February, the Queen celebrates her Diamond Jubilee, marking sixty years since her ascension in 1952. Hardly newsworthy, I hear you cry, and you’d be right. But there is some good to come out of it: an extra bank holiday in early June, which, added to the traditional spring bank holiday, will create a four day weekend! King’s student Chibundu Onuzo will publish her first novel in March. After the traditional postChristmas literary drought in January there is plenty to look forward to in 2012. Andrew Motion, the former Poet Laureate, will make his debut as a children’s novelist in April with his sequel to Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, whilst we can expect new titles from the master of popular science-fiction Stephen King in March and the acclaimed satirist Will Self in August. 22nd April will see the French Presidential election. David Cameron might be hoping for a new resident in the Elysée Palace given his recent fracas with Sarkozy, and it’s certainly a possibility. The most recent opin-
Feature writing: a very rough guide Daniel Cooke “This is my first attempt at writing a feature, which may or may not become apparent. As I have no pressing matter to discuss, I want to write about feature writing itself. An online university lecture on the subject of feature writing brought to my attention that ‘a summary may not be the best lead’ for this type of written work. However, I feel obliged to précis exactly why this is so. The use of a summary at this early stage of a feature does nothing other than cease any momentum the writer has achieved, which in turn serves to completely disinterest the reader. The proper way to begin, I have learned, is to offer clear background information on the chosen subject to ‘bring the audience up to date’. The key function of a feature is ‘to educate, to illuminate and to entertain’. Although some newspapers and magazines may feel this is achieved when they include spreads about face-cream or fashion or regret, a feature which deconstructs
the genre itself, I feel, just as effectively serves the purpose of what a feature should be. Essential to any good feature is the ‘so what?’ paragraph, wherein I must ‘explain the reasons why the story is being written’. Here goes: firstly, and simply, I really wanted to write a newspaper article. However, as I recognise that I am not at all interesting enough to be able to write about anything that people will actually relate to, or want to read, I have decided upon this particular piece (which I hope is not becoming tedious in its conformity to the rules of the genre). Yeah, that’s right. I’ve written a feature about feature writing. That’s like someone doing a dance about doing a dance, which doesn’t really work, does it? When writing a feature, one is also meant to establish a ‘voice’ which shows the ‘personality of the writer’. I believe I have done this. However, my lecture source for this piece suggests that such a voice
‘should be used subtly’; this is perhaps an area upon which I can improve. In addition to this ‘voice’, it also suggests that ‘dialogue may be used to keep a story going’. After finding this out, I turned to a friend and said, ‘How can I include dialogue in a piece of writing which solely concerns writing?’, but he didn’t have any ideas. To return to my lecture once more, I am told that ‘the ending will wrap up the story and come back to the lead, often with a quotation or a surprising climax’. Having now fulfilled the first of these two requirements all that is left for me to do is to offer a surprising climax. See below. I became aware during the writing of this piece that features are meant to be written using the past tense. Thus in an effort to maintain my work in its current state yet still adhere to the rules of feature writing I shall put this entire piece in quotation”, wrote Daniel Cooke.
Hi all, I hope you had a great holiday, if you want to get involved with Features in the New Year drop me a line: features@roarnews.co.uk. I’m on the hunt for new writing talent! Matt
ion poll puts Sarko in second place behind the Socialist Party candidate François Hollande with the National Front’s Marine Le Pen hot on his heels. From July 27th – August 12th, a festival of running and jumping known to many as the Summer Olympics will be held in London, England, for the first time since 1948. Expect to see disproportionate price increases, road closures, excessive security and queues that will make grown men weep. Aren’t we lucky that London offered such a cheap and relaxing travel environment to begin with… But if you were prepared to part with your hard-earned cash (a lot of it) and managed to get your hands on tickets (not many people did) then you can expect to see running and jumping of unrivalled quality. On the 6th November, Americans will too go to the polls, with Barack Obama aiming to secure another term in office. Despite managing to pass long-awaited healthcare legislation in March 2010, many liberal commentators have seen their quixotic expectations fail to be fulfilled.
Jackson Lears, writing in this week’s London Review of Books, epitomises a surprisingly widely held view: ‘To those of us who hoped that Barack Obama’s election marked a departure from right-wing rule, the president’s failure of leadership has been stunning’. As to whom Mr Obama will be standing against in the American presidential election, no word yet on the Republican side; primaries are currently underway between Mitt Romney, Rick Perry, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul. On December 21st, the world will end. This date is regarded as the end of a 5,125-year-long cycle in the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, with various theories having been proposed as to how it will actually come about, ranging from the Earth being swallowed by a giant black hole to its collision with a passing asteroid. Surprisingly, these theories have been met with some scepticism by scientists. Dr Stephen Hawking, of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, was quoted as saying: ‘The earth will end in 2012? Never have I heard such bollocks in my life.’
Roar!, December 13th- January 22nd 2012
FEATURES
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Is the BBC out of step? Steven Edmondson Remember how the BBC put out a documentary about the English National Ballet (The Agony and the Ecstasy: A Year With the English National Ballet) which they keep repeating and iPlayering again and again? Chances are, statistically, you don’t, because no one watched it the first time, and even fewer, I’d venture, watched the repeats. Even if you did watch it, you probably don’t remember because eschewing the documentary’s ostensible focus, the BBC lingered instead on the inevitable but entirely superficial human drama that comes when dozens of people are put in a pressure-cooker environment with dwindling funds, little time and ultimately very little inclination to stage their umpteenth production of Swan Lake. The unremarkable final product stood as utterly indistinguishable from any number of Human Drama documentaries put out since. Any consideration of the representation of ballet itself or questions of the aesthetic was sublimated to the burning question of whether or not Daria Klimentová’s leg ached a bit, or whether Derek Deane was a bit mean. It was remarkably timely and cannily well placed to capitalise on the popular association of ballet with peculiar psychodrama thanks to Darren Aronofsky’s
How to keep New Year’s resolutions Jack Masters
It’s three days into 2012 and I’m sitting on the tube, listening to the echoing groans of those having to return to their desks. Coming back to work after the Christmas break provides one of the bleakest images of human expression. However, my ears were quickly directed away from these colourless characters onto two gleaming, plump young ladies, who couldn’t stop discussing their New Year’s resolutions. The excitement over their ‘2012 belly buster gym plan’ brought a wry smile to my face, yet as happy as it made me to see such positivity, I couldn’t help but think that it wouldn’t last a week. My cynical negativity seemed harsh, but then I realised that New Year’s resolutions rarely, if ever, work. Statistics show that every year, around half the nation make New Year’s resolutions; by February, 20% have given up and after six months, almost everyone has failed. So why is it that we make resolutions at the beginning of every calendar year? Do we really, deep down, make a genuine effort to follow them, or are they simply put in place to make us feel better about ourselves? Are they an attempt to be positive in an otherwise deeply depressing, post-Christmas anti-climax? This year’s most common resolu-
tion, once again, is to lose weight. And it seems wise, given our growing reputation as one of the world’s most obese nations. However, the real reason seems to stem from our national obsession with ‘the perfect bod’. Whether it’s David Beckham sprawled out in his Emporio Armani’s, or Tyra Banks yelling at size 10 girls on America’s Next Top Model, our lives are run by the pressure to achieve that dream figure. It would seem that with our country’s fatties all deciding to lose weight, that might help us to avoid our growing reputation. So why are we so dreadfully bad at sticking to a New Year’s resolution? We don’t necessarily realise it, but we are always subconsciously looking for reasons to pack it in, and many of us will find the most insignificant excuse to give up. That ‘one off’ dessert won’t result in another love handle, and is by no means a reason to pack it in; however, it plants the seed of self-doubt in our minds, which then allows us to fall back on the popular excuse, ‘well, I’ve had one now, I might as well give up’. There are two ways that people can avoid typically weak attempts to follow resolutions: Firstly, be specific. The reason so
many people fail is because they set themselves vague, wishy-washy goals, which contain no sense of time. ‘I want to lose 2 pounds in a week’, would be a far more realistic goal. One can focus entirely on that 7 days alone, and potential reward schemes at the end of the week can instill confidence and belief that they can go on to achieve their goal. Secondly, if you’re lucky enough to have any friends, then make them aware of your goals. If you tell others of your plan to change something, you’ll feel more obligated to actually make that change. It is inevitable that you will encounter problems and slipups along the way, and trying to get through these on your own is an unnecessary barrier. Don’t beat yourself up; talk about them and ask for support. It is likely that over half of that tube carriage had made New Year’s resolutions, despite looking as if they’d already given in to that next cigarette. Whether they achieve their goals or not, we will never know, but despite my initial pessimism towards the ladies’ gym plan, their genuine excitement combined with teamwork, hinted that maybe it will last for more than a week. Maybe it will last two.
Black Swan. The Agony and the Ecstasy found its personal foil in a French documentary that went out just over a year prior, La Danse, a typically aloof piece of filmmaking from Frederick Wiseman, (lambasted as ‘elitist’ by The Guardian, ever the staunch defender of the proletariat), that glides along at a stately, glacial pace without the aid of talking head interviews, linking narration, profiles or really any of the mechanisms that motored the BBC’s piece and saturated the viewer with saccharine easy-entry points, presumably finding in ballet too icy a discourse to carry the viewer’s attention on its own. The focus in La Danse is entirely on the aesthetic. Predictably, the US/ French affair makes the ENB doc look like utter shit: in terms of the quality of the dancing, the aesthetic sensibility of the productions (with ENB’s swan lake presented à la Susan Boyle as an against-the-odds triumph, proving an almost laughably conventional and redundant realisation of Tchaikovsky) and willingness to not assume that the audience is incapable of engaging with the arts at any level of sophistication above that of a mediocre Australian soap. It seems natural, then, that it’s a film to come out of France, one of the
countries most at ease with the socalled elitist sensibility in the arts, where treating everything like a school-yard drama (in La Danse, no one loses their temper and no one argues and really no one talks about anything much at all, resisting focusing on the human drama at the exclusion of all else) is assumed to be a deficiency. Instead, Agony and Ecstasy seems to be a reminder of the increasingly atrophied culture in the UK establishment art scene, both in ballet and documentary, where a cheap redundant piece of filmmaking that responds to an increasingly restrictive climate by sidestepping all risk and showcasing a cheap, redundant ballet company that responds to an increasingly restrictive climate by churning out recycled and tired interpretations of one of the most overplayed and sentimental ballets of the 19th century. La Danse serves as a reminder that it’s high-time that the BBC looked across the channel when it comes to its art programming (though let’s preemptively discard any more lame attempts to rip off Chris Marker from Adam Curtis thankyouverymuch). .
Green Eyes @roarnews.co.uk ’Tis the season to detox, but fear not, my calorie-counting readers. This column is crammed with all the gossipy indulgence you could hope to stomach. King’s students travelled far and wide across the globe this Christmas and brought back with them the most scandalous souvenirs: stories to shock even the most hardened of readers. But before I revive the ghosts of Christmas past, let me begin by wishing you all a fabulous new year, whether January 1st began in lust, love or lewd behaviour. Or, in the case of the War Studies student who passed out at a party and woke up in 2012, with a considerable shorter barnet. On the plus side, I hear the ladies dig the new do, and a secret admirer in his Monday seminar will be revealing herself shortly. And though the magic of the Christmas spirit may be lost for another 12 months, these stormy winds bring with them enough drama to make us forget the appeal of goodwill, cheer and now sadly extinct amaretto lattes. So wean yourself off that tin of Quality Street as you savour this holiday tale, so delicious that I’ve
given my powers of embellishment the month off. Think J from Guy’s campus, left stranded at a Swiss airport by her ex after hooking up with the ski instructor, frozen limbs and that stunt from fight club being reenacted on a ski-lift to prove it. Defying gravity was only one of the collective achievements for King’s students in 2011, with Nate Stringer, the womanizing jerk of my last column, left groveling in Somerset House at the mercy of a John Tucker-inspired female army. As for me, the spirit of the Olympics has inspired me to up my game - and what better time to start than in the weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day, as the halls of King’s reek of the violence and desperation of the those who refuse to be single for another holiday. Until next time, try and reveal my identity before I reveal your secrets, or ensure your safety by keeping me informed at greeneyes@roarnews.co.uk. Yours truly, Green Eyes
Roar!, December 13th- January 22nd 2012
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An Overview Several sport teams at King’s currently compete under the names of KCL or KCLMS. Between 13th and 19th February 2012, KCLSU will be asking you whether you think this should continue, or whether the teams should merge under the one King’s name. A timeline for the referendum has been agreed as follows: 25 January - Deadline for ‘Campaign Leaders’ to come forward 26 January - Campaign Leaders Announced 27 January - Deadline for receiving yes and no argument statements 30 January - Campaign Leaders Meeting and Campaigning Begins 2 February - First Open Meeting and debate 7 February - Second Open Meeting 13 - 19 February - Online Voting Period
Keep supporting separate teams
The KCLSU Sports Referendum 2012
“Don’t fix what isn’t broken!” 3rd year KCL Netballer “Due to the demanding nature of the health schools’ curricula, KCLMS sports clubs are an essential part of providing an extracur-
Should KCLSU continue to support KCL and KCLMS sports teams? www.kclsu.org/sportvote Merge the teams
“There is enough of a divide already at KCL between medical schools and the rest of the university, we should combine teams in the name of having a cohesive university” - 3rd year Philosophy student
Roar!, December 13th- January 22nd 2012
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“The rivalries and big games are such a big part of King’s life!”
A Short History of KCL and KCLMS Sports Teams Then Once long ago, in a forgotten land called 1998, whilst we spent all of our time dreaming of becoming Spice Girls or Backstreet Boys with university a distant blip on the horizon, the United Medical and Dental Schools were merging with KCL and its existing medical school. The merge both changed the academic arrangements of the medical schools, bringing everything under “King’s” as far as admissions and teaching goes, and brought in all of the student union activity too, including sports teams.
ricular outlet for athletes at GKT, as well as their added social benefits and support structures, and the healthy competition and rivalry they create at King’s” - 4th year Medic
Years prior to this, in 1843, Guy’s Hospital Rugby was established. The team are now in their 168th season at Guy’s, making them the oldest rugby club in the world, a claim to fame for those of you who want another reason to brag about how special King’s is. Alongside this, other King’s and KCLMS sports teams also have their own traditions and roots stretching back into the 20th and 19th centuries. You can find a really detailed history of how some of the grandest and oldest institutions in London (including King’s, The Royal Dental Hospital of London and Guy’s Hospital), became the King’s College London we know and love today on the King’s website: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/aboutkings/history/dates.aspx
Now Following the merge in 1998, sports clubs chose whether to merge or not, and at this point in time only 5 clubs remain who are separate all season, whilst “King’s” clubs who have individual events (such as climbing) also take advantage of being able to give more members competition experience through entering them as KCL and KCLMS. KCLSU have financed and supported both KCL and KCLMS sports teams. KCL clubs are traditionally the home of Strand and Waterloo based students, whereas KCLMS clubs are the spiritual home for medical students. But not all KCLMS clubs have a KCL equivalent and vice versa: the only sports which are split between KCL and KCLMS are: Rugby (men’s and women’s), Netball, Football (men’s and women’s), Hockey (men’s and women’s), Badminton (men’s and women’s). KCL Mountaineering Club enter KCL and KCLMS separately in BUCS climbing competitions to allow more people to climb. Other KCL clubs who put members forward to compete in “individuals” events also have this option. Therefore, this referendum would only affect these clubs.
“Intra-college rivalry wastes resources that could be used to produce strong King’s teams, to beat national opposition. The Macadam Cup is nice....but kinda like school sports day!” - MA student, ULU Rower
Of course, all the clubs, both KCL and KCLMS, are open to any student to join. There are “Strandies” playing for KCLMS teams, and medics, dentists and nursing students playing for KCL. That being said, if a nonmedic was caught in a BUCS league game playing for KCLMS during card checks they could be asked to not play by officials. King’s students therefore regularly compete against each other as KCL and KCLMS in BUCS, ULU and other leagues, and (perhaps most importantly) in the Annual KCL vs. KCLMS Macadam Cup. The long histories, different kits, and social traditions of the once-separate institutions are all that distinguish the teams - aside from league performance, of course!
What sparked this referendum? Can’t we just carry on as we always have done? At the BUCS AGM in July this year, it was noted within a motion that BUCS ‘intends to begin resolving the “anomaly” of medical and non-medical students from the same institution competing as separate teams’. In the case of King’s, this indicates that BUCS will probably very soon be asking KCLSU to merge the KCL and KCLMS teams. Whilst KCLSU have always supported with funding and administration of the separate KCL and KCLMS sports teams (which implies support of non-merged teams in principal) we have not actually asked you, our students, what you would like, and do not have any policy regarding our stance if BUCS were to begin asking us to remove our “anomaly” of separate teams. You can find more information on why we need this referndum online at www.kclsu.org/sportvote
“Merging the teams would make us a much more powerful sporting force!”
What do you think? Are you for or against this change? Are you sporty? Would it make it more or less likely that you would play sport at King’s? Talk about it, write about it (for Roar! of course), and most importantly, between the 13th and 19th of February, get on that website, and VOTE! WWW.KCLSU.ORG/SPORTVOTE
14 Fashion & Life Style
Roar!, Januar 23rd - Febuary 12th 2012
Edited by Coryn Brisbane fashion@roarnews.co.uk
New Year, New You As we kick-start the second semester, Fashion and Lifestyle are here to forecast 2012. So, we’re three weeks into January and, as Eva Chaideftos will most accurately predict, New Year’s Resolutions will have come and gone. Let’s be honest, resolutions such as smoking less, dieting and having a better work ethic could not come at a more inappropriate time. As the clock strikes twelve we have our first inhale of cigarette smoke and by God, does it feel good. At 3am we’re stumbling home, kebab in hand and moaning to our friend that there’s not enough cheese on the chips. Or mayonnaise, for that matter. Twelve hours later we wake up in a pit of shame, which we won’t crawl out of until revision really, really must start. But, all hope is not lost. Instead of embarking on cliché resolutions which have as much chance of sticking as the nicotine patch on your arm, we propose a few other resolutions to make 2012 a bit different. - Book tickets to a band you’ve never heard of. The charts aren’t exactly inspiring these days. Sure, they produce music good enough to dance to at Walkabout, but we are in London after all, and if we can’t exploit the city for all its musical gems then I’m not sure what the point is. Get out in Shoreditch, or Brixton, or Dalston or wherever the wind/appropriate bus takes you and find something new.
Charlotte Richardson
- Go speed dating. If you’re looking for that special someone and you think that a city of 7 million people is going to spontaneously reveal that person, you are mistaken. At speed dating you may not meet Mr. or Ms. Right but make it a night out, have a laugh and if all hope is lost you can practise all those dodgy techniques you never thought would work. They probably won’t work but who cares, a minute later and that person has moved on. - Join a Zumba class. It is everywhere at the moment. See Charlotte’s piece in Sport for more inspiration. I know we said the whole ‘get fit’ resolution was a waste of time but if you want to you may as well dance to get those buns of steel, and no, the Walkabout dancefloor is not what we mean. - Compliment someone and yourself every day (we’re sorry). So, London isn’t the friendliest of cities, especially at 8am in the morning when you’re on a commuter tube and someone squeezes right in front of you, making reading the gossip section of the Metro impossible; cue heavy tutting. Try and make your day a little less hostile and a bit more pleasant by doing a good deed. And no, lies do not count – telling someone you simply love their crocs will not do!
as if...
The Honest Truth about New Year’s Resolutions Eva Chaideftos
Each year we make New Year’s resolutions, but how many of us manage to hold on to them? Even if we do not make them official, they lurk in the back of our heads; this is the year of transformation, of revolution, of change. Whether you are getting a new haircut or moving abroad, the New Year calls for change change change. It is about starting afresh; the first day of the first month – the first day of the rest of your life. However, let’s be honest; how many of us actually keep it up for more than a few months... or even weeks? January 1st, the day it all begins... and the day it all ends; the day most of us are recovering from a hangover and prefer staying in bed all day, bingeing on fast food. You should focus on making changes to your life when the time is right and when you actually have the will and dedication to do it. Because every day is the first day of the rest of your life. It’s all a bit like Valentine’s Day in that culturally we are forced to make some massive gesture. However, on NYE the gesture is not for another person, but for yourself. Yet, unlike Valentine’s day, we don’t get any chocolates but treat ourselves to a gym membership. What joy. Personally, I decided to actually make a few resolutions this year: I will exercise more, smoke less and eat healthier food. I really believe this is the year of change...
Fashionable Olympics!
Nothing is more on trend right now than the Olympics. Whether we like it or not, 2012 is all about the games that will grace our stylish city for three weeks this summer. The world of fashion is jumping over hurdles to produce the must-have sporting accessories and clothing so, here at Roar!, we thought it would only be fitting to take a little look at what’s hitting the stores. After all, we can’t clash with our city, right?
And even though I am no Jessica Ennis, us mere mortals will be able to feel invincible as we work up a sweat in the gym, thanks to Stella McCartney and Adidas. who have teamed up to design an inspiring line to be worn by Team GB athletes. The gold number is a personal favourite. I most certainly will be dipping into my student loan for many items in the collection to be worn at the sporting fashion mecca that is Kinetic gym...
I could definitely save on the electricity for a week to get this tea cosy though. Hey, I could even pull it off as a hat.
Links of London, the creators of the Official 2012 jewelry collection, have just released their Olympic inspired line. The range includes cute and playful charms, some dapper cufflinks and the special red and blue woven band with an engraved plate. Understated but classy best describes this collection and being timeless means that in decades to come these pieces will still be perfect accessories. Patriotism never goes out of style.
Every female student’s kitsch fave Cath Kidson uses London and the games for inspiration, with retro costumed athletes and swimmers on tea towels, aprons and bags. I will end on a positive note for those of you who can’t stand the prospect of even being in England during the games. You can invest in this passport holder and still have a little reminder of the city with you - and even send a postcard from your tranquil travels to those stuck in the mayhem.
Even the fashion powerhouse that is Alexander McQueen has helped make fashion and sport a medal winning combination. Sportswear will be a big trend for the summer and there are plenty of references to it already, such as this scuba-style top.
(Never to be worn in this combination) And even though I don’t have two weeks’ rent to spare, this David Longshaw scarf, from his Olympic themed collection, is ever so lovely to look at from a safe and affordable 1500m distance.
This year, London will look as good as we’ll perform!
Roar!, Januar 23rd - Febuary 12th 2012
Fashion & Life Style
2012 Fashion Forecast TRENDING
Lauren Clark
Take Me Out Paddy’s back! Let the curly see the wurly!
Lauren Clark gives us a low-down on the top ten fashion and beauty trends we can expect this year. Take note, you heard it here first.
The Award Season. This is the time of year when we simultaneoulsy lust after one gorgeous gown and bitch about another. Uggie from The Artist. Possibly the cutest dog we have ever seen. He can skateboard, who knew! Adele new boyfriend. She’s finally found someone like him. Que new album of happy songs. January. The month when it’s okay to be single before we are banished to our bedrooms as incipid couples take to the city and flaunt their ‘love’.
Spring collections in shops, student loan to spend on it but it’s still so cold! What do we do? Celebrity beak-ups. Katy&Russell, Ellie&Greg, Demi& Ashton Katherine&Gethin What happened?
6. New exaggerated hip silhouette created by the peplum skirt. Zara have some student-friendly alternatives to this Jason Wu number (note the pastel shade, we told you!) & 7. Black on yellow. Odd but it works.
1. Pastel and ‘ice-cream’ shades will be everywhere. H&M S/S collection is already referencing Diane von Furstenberg’s line and the rest of the highstreet is catching up quickly.
Jason Wu s/s 2012
Oscar de la Renta s/s 2012
8. Print. Choose from digital, graphic floral, polka dots or bird print.
2. The 2011 sixties revival continues; however think less American Mad Men and more European swinging London or French Riviera. Nina Ricci’s S/S models show us how it is done. Other hair do’s are the mod bod for girls and for guys the messy quaff is here to stay (we couldn’t be more happy!)
9. This season is all about the big bag. Zara’s tote has become the must-have accessory this winter and iconic fashion houses such as Celine are providing lust-worthy, bank-breaking, pieces.
3. 1930s Art Deco block colour appears on dresses and trousers. Celine’s “Gladstone Bag” from s/s 2012
Season 2 of ‘Sherolock’ ending. You CANNOT leave us on that ending without an explanation for god knows how long. Oyster Student Bus fares. The clue is in the name student so why are you extortionate?!
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10. Take inspiration from the catwalk for make-up instead of Desperate Scousewives scouse-brow. Matt complexions and contoured cheeks are this seasons beauty trends.
Frida Giannini s/s 2012 4. Crop tops are back. A little less 90’s Sporty Spice this time (thank god) and a little more sport chic.
Healthy Tomato Soup Kristina Freeman is here to help us try and get in shape this New Year. This warming tomato soup appropriate for winter will begin your diet for summer. 1 onion 450g tinned chopped tomatoes 1-2 tablespoons tomato puree 1 squeeze of lemon juice 2 tbs olive oil
5. Get a LRD (Little Red Dress).
Madonna. She only won a Golden Globe for a song in her film not the actual film. Take a hint and stick to what you know, you’re no Guy Ritchie, love.
TRAILING
Jill Stuart s/s 2012
450ml chicken or vegetable stock 1 tbs dried mixed herbs Pinch of sugar Salt and pepper
1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and dice the onion. Add the chopped onion to the saucepan and fry until softened. 2. Blend the chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, pinch of sugar, lemon juice and a pinch each of salt and pepper. 3. Together with the stock add to the softened onions and stir well. Bring to boil and then reduce the heat. Simmer the soup for 30 minutes; add the dried herbs 5 minutes to the end. 4. Take off the heat, allow to cool for a couple of minutes before blending once more until the onions are well blended into the soup (if you prefer a chunkier soup, leave out this step!) 5. Put the soup back into the saucepan and heat until steaming. 6. Serve in deep bowls with crusty brown or granary bread and savour every healthy spoonful of it!
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Arts
Roar!, January 23rd - February 12th 2012
Edited by Theodora Wakeley arts@roarnews.co.uk
2012, the year for….
Damien Hirst – the artist every- The Royal Ballet one loves to hate. Now’s the chance to see those artworks you’ve heard so much about, from the £50 million skull to the pickled shark. His butterfly works are surprisingly beautiful, even if they have been accused of being ‘conveyor belt’ art. Show-
Excitement! Let Arts Editor Theodora Wakeley guide you through the cultural year ing at the Tate Modern ahead. Start saving your from 4 April – 9 September, loan now. £12.20, Students. Blockbuster Art Call it the Olympic effect but London’s top galleries have created, once again, a fantastic programme for art lovers. This is art for everyone and you’ll sorely regret it if you miss any.
Academy until 4 April, £9 Students.
Lucien Freud: Portraits – Savagely realistic (you would
definitely have had to be comfortable with your looks before sitting for him!), look forward to seeing in all their glory pregnant models, flab and Freud himself. Sadly missed. Pay your respects here. Showing at
show much more satisfying – Munch is definitely not a one-hit-wonder.
Showing at the Tate Modern from 28 June – 14 October, £12.20 Students.
Fashion is inevitably a crowd-puller and until somebody decides to put on Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty in London these are the next best thing.
Christian
Louboutin
– Showcasing 20 years of red soles, I doubt this will be that much different from going to an actual Louboutin shop – you can’t afford them in real life anyway. At least here there won’t be any uppity shop assistants (hello, you work in a shop!!!). Show-
the National Portrait Gallery from 9 February – 27 ing at the Design Museum May, £12 Students. from 28 March – 1 July, £7 Students. Picasso and Modern British Art – Showcasing over 60 Fifty Years of James Bond works alongside British artists in- Style – Not just suits and bikinis cluding Francis Bacon, David Hockney (him again) and Henry Moore, Picasso becomes at once the Inspiration and the Anglophile. But have his admirers surpassed his genius? You decide. Showing at the Tate
Britain from 15 February – 15 July, £12.20 Students.
Opera House from 5 – 23 April. Tickets go on sale 7 February.
Edvard Munch: The Modern Eye – The Scream is still in Ballgowns: British Glamlimbo but that may well make this our since 1950 - … a new me-
David Hockney: A Bigger Picture – Recently opened, Fashion Becoming, um, FashionHockney’s huge colourful landscapes able are literally unmissable. If only East Yorkshire looked like this in real life…. Showing at the Royal
– now this sounds fantastic. Unnamed as of yet, a new work by choreographer Wayne McGregor will have music by Mark Ronson and designs by the king of unconventionality Gareth Pugh. I would love to see ballet dancers try and perform in his infamous latex suits… Showing at the Royal
- this exhibition will have the legendary gadgets on display as well. See it as a warm-up for the release of Skyfall later this year. Showing
at the Barbican from April.
BELIEVE THE HYPE
tallic one of which has been specially created for this exhibition. Unlike the Louboutin exhibit, it is extremely unlikely that you will ever in your lifetime be able to afford the gowns on display here so indulge yourself guilt-free in fantasises of what could have been. You would have looked so much better in that Versace safetypin dress than Liz. Showing at
Bingo: Scenes of Money and Death (Patrick Stewart) – Stewart is Shakespeare in this new revival of Edward Bond’s 1973 play. I’ve already got my ticket. Showing at the Young
Showing at the Museum of London until 10 June, £6 Vic from 16 February – 31 Students. March, £10 – 29.50. Globe to Globe – this internaBig and Small (Cate Blan- tional festival at the Globe is a oncechett) – The last time Blanchett in-a-lifetime experience to see all of was on stage in London was 13 years ago. Now a huge Hollywood actress, tickets are sure to sell out for this delicately surreal and Alice in Wonderland-inspired production. Show-
Shakespeare’s 37 plays performed in a different language. Hamlet in Lithuanian, Coriolanus in Japanese, Othello in Hip Hop?! Wow. Show-
relationships, pregnancy and birth. Sounds a bit middle class, but then again so did Green Wing so it’s sure to be a roaring success. Showing
Diamond Jubilee, get your fill of the Queen’s face with this exhibition entirely devoted to it, featuring work by the likes of Andy Warhol, Cecil Beaton and Gerhard Richter. My personal favourite was Rolf Harris’ portrait but I’m not sure if it features. Shame.
ing from 21 April (Shakeing at the Barbican from speare’s Birthday) at the Globe, £5-35 or £100 for all 13 – 29 April, £16-65. 38 plays. Birthday (Stephen Mangan) – The curly-haired funnyman The Queen: Art and Imstars in a new Joe Penhall play about age - Timed, obviously, with her
the V&A from 19 May – 6 at the Royal Court from 22 January 2013. June – 4 August, £10-28. Stars on Stage Mademoiselle Julie (JuLast year the likes of Michael Sheen liette Binoche) – Another Bar(whose Hamlet is still showing by the way) and Ralph Fiennes dominated the boards. This year proves just as compelling. Even if you are a theatre snob, you can’t help but agree that big names make going to the theatre that teensy bit more exciting.
bican exclusive, the Oscar-winning Binoche arrives later in the year to celebrate its 30th birthday. It’s a Swedish play but performed in French with English subtitles. Don’t let that put you off though, as it’s apparently très scandaleux. Showing
at the Barbican from 20 – Richard II (Eddie Red- 29 September, £16-65. mayne) – Actually opened in 2011 but there’s still a chance to see the hot face of Burberry, star of My Week With Marilyn and recent Orange Rising Star nominee take on the tragic king. Tickets were sold out months beforehand but, for those who don’t mind early starts, there are Day Seats available. Showing at the
birth, this looks well worth a visit. It promises to recreate the atmosphere of Dickens’ Victorian London. Jorvik Viking Centre anyone? I live in hope.
Celebrating English Icons There’s no getting away from it this year, I’m afraid, so you may as well join in rather than grumble.
Showing at the National Portrait Gallery from 17 May – 21 October. Vaginas
Or more importantly the history of. The most exciting book launch since Harry Potter, Naomi Wolf’s Vagina: A New Biography, traces how the female organ went from being thought of as something cuddly to something embarrassing (hmm, has the Hollywood wax got anything to do with it?). I’ve pre-ordered mine already. ¬Out 7 June, Virago,
£12.99.
Donmar Warehouse until 2 Dickens and London – Even if you’re sick to death of hearing February, £15 Day Seats. that it is the 200th anniversary of his
One Man, Two Guvnors
Now on its second airing at the National, get a day seat quick before it transfers and James Corden goes on to pastures new.
Nathan Olliverre Based on Carlo Goldoni’s classic Italian comedy, A Servant Of Two Masters, One Man Two Guvnors is a very British and very funny rework by Richard Bean, which is less Brighton Rock and more, say, Carry on Serving. Set in Brighton during the 1960s, the plot centres around failed skiffle player Francis Henshall, who finds himself working for two ‘guvnors’. The first, Rachel Crabbe, is hiding from the law by disguising herself as her dead twin brother, who was murdered by Francis’s other employer, the stuck-up public schoolboy, Stanley Stubbers. Stanley is also Rachel’s lover, but neither knows of the other’s whereabouts or that Francis works for both of them. James Corden did not have a difficult task in adapting his TV character, Smithey, for director Nicholas Hytner’s farce, but that works in his favour, as the comfort it provides him on stage allows him to deliver an enjoyable and talented performance. The scene in which he has to serve both his employers dinner simultaneously is a lesson in slapstick that could give Fawlty Towers a run for its money, with Tom Edden playing an ageing waiter whose hands shake more than the Millennium Bridge, and a tendency to fall downstairs at every turn. The rest of the supporting cast also shines, with special mention going to Oliver Chris, whose Stanley is reminiscent of a certain Mayor of London. The show itself is a masterpiece, mixing slapstick and comedic vernacular to perfection. When it breaks the fourth wall, it toes the line between theatre and pantomime but only occasionally sways over to the wrong side. Along with the pre-show and interval skiffle-playing, One Man, Two Guvnors, is a great showcase of what Britain does best. Although, with the play earmarked to appear on Broadway, this reviewer is not so sure that Americans will understand the humour. One Man, Two Guvnors is showing at the National Theatre until 25 February, Day Seats £25.
Arts
Roar!, January 23rd - February 12th 2012
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A Foray into Free Art Sam Spencer Amidst the news frenzy of 2011, an important London milestone was missed. The 30th of November marked, as well as the birthday of Dougie from McFly (Wikipedia is a wonderful thing), the 10th anniversary of free museum entry in London. Surely this is something to be celebrated – after all, being an art-loving, cash-strapped student, nothing brings me greater pleasure than seeing a Lichtenstein between lectures or Sunflowers before seminars, all completely free of charge. As such, to commemorate this decade, I suggest you all pick a museum to spend a few hours in this month – it’s amazing what you can find and it will kick off the new year in artistic style. Or, if you have the time to do a London-wide treasure hunt, here are my recommendations:
OSCAR, V&A
Let’s be honest, none of us, including me, will ever win one (though I do practice my acceptance speech a lot), so Annie Lennox’s in the V&A may be the nearest you’ll ever get.
Lichtenstein’s Whaam!, Tate Modern
A painting you’ve seen a thousand times on cards and books, but it’s not until you get close that you appreciate the effort of its Pop Pointillism
Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, National Gallery
Once the world’s most expensive painting, and certainly one of the most famous, if nothing else you need to go just to say you’ve seen it.
Mike Nelson’s Coral Reef, Tate Britain
The most intense art experience I have ever had, this exploration of the psychology behind religious fanaticism, made up of ominous deserted rooms, is installation art at its eerie best.
Hand Written Beatles Lyrics, British Museum
The British Library has an entire cabinet of Beatles paraphernalia, including lyrics for ‘Help!’ written by Lennon himself on a birthday card.
Hogarth’s Rake’s Progress, John Soane Collection
The satirical artist’s most famous series sits in a collection so chock-ablock it needs to hide its Hogarth behind a folding wall.
Picasso’s Vollard Suite, British Museum
On display from May, the museum has a complete set of Picasso’s most important etchings, the UK’s only full set (and, unlike Paris, you can see them all in one place).
Rosetta Stone, British Museum
The reason we could all spend that primary school lesson writing our name in hieroglyphs (we’ve all done it), this marvel of history sits in the museum’s legendary Egypt department.
Marc Quinn’s Self, National Portrait Gallery
Worth seeing for sheer originality, Self, is a sculpture of Quinn’s head made of nine pints of his own frozen blood…you can’t say that’s not worth a look!
Blue Whale, Natural History Museum
OK, I’m cheating by including this in the arts section, but this legendary cetacean is a masterpiece in its own right and, quite frankly, you’re not a Londoner until you’ve seen it.
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Roar!, January 22- February 12, 2012
Music Edited by Shivan Davis music@roarnews.co.uk
Blessing Force @Corsica Studios ****
One to Watch: Clement Marfo& The Frontline
Joseph Brookes
Marina Mansour
Corsica Studios is described by its website as “an independent arts organisation that sets up and develops creative spaces in areas of London.” It’s the perfect space for the artists and musicians inhabiting it tonight: Blessing Force - they’re all friends of Foals, coming from the brightest spark in the Oxford music scene. Finding the place was a problem in itself - it has no sign. Once I was finally inside, hoping for a warm and comfortable venue, I was surprised even further. I walked straight into a darkly lit, dustygrey warehouse. Dotted around were various art installations: projectors, paint-splattered mirrors, all soundtracked by ambient drones and white noise. The place was almost empty apart from the band-members themselves. First up was Solid Gold Dragons, the first in a line of side projects of the members of tonight’s headliners Jonquil. Sam Scott plays keyboard and Trombone, adding to the techno-jazz provided by the rhythm section. This sets the tone for the rest of the night: the audience is cold and static, but there’s a sense of community, not least because half of it is made up by Blessing Force themselves, but because this project seems miles away from the profit-grossing promoters and sound-engineers of the mainstream gigging circuit. Next we move into a different room, smaller, and experience the full emotional force of Andrew Mears’ Pet Moon. He dances and romps around the room like a public-schoolboy incarnation of Michael Jackson (awkward moonwalk included). To follow is Chad Valley, the chill-wave project of Hugo Manuel. This tiny burst of Mediterranean infused colour steals the show, and gets the only movement from the audience all night. To top it all off, the collective’s supergroup gets together on the main stage: Jonquil, by far the loudest and most digestible of the bands tonight. All the while you can’t help thinking that these guys are living on the edge in the name of their music, and Manuel pleads that the money made from tonight is what feeds them. Despite the intellectual self-indulgence which seems to surround so much of their work, you’ve got to hand it to them that this is what underground art is all about: living, eating, and creating with your friends.
Roar Playlist: 1. Lana Del Ray: “Born to Die” 2. Jessie J: “Domino” 3. Clement Marfo and The Frontline: feat. Kano: “Mayhem” 4. Taio Cruze: “Lovemaker” 5. Pixie Lott: “Welcome to the Stars” 6.Michael Kiwanuka: “Home Again” 7. The Shins: “Simple Song” 8. Nicolas Jaar: “And I Say” 9. S.C.U.M: “Amber Hands” 10. Justice: “Audio, Video, Disco”
Here at Roar! we like to keep you in touch with fresh, up-and-coming talent on the London music scene. It was only in October when a relatively unknown Clement Marfo and the Frontline smashed up the stage at our very own Tutu’s; now at the start of 2012 the sky’s the limit. Marina Mansour fills us in... Clement Marfo and the Frontline are a sevenpiece band hailing from South London. New on the mainstream scene but no stranger to its underground counterpart, the group have more than put the work in over the last few years to get where they are today. The band delivers a fusion of rock and rap, filling a gap in the mainstream market which has attracted a legion of devoted fans. The frontman is Clement Marfo whose stage presence and energy is magnetic to every member of the audience. His swaggering confidence is complimented by the musicality and skill of each member, particularly the smooth-toned vocalist Kojo.
released has made CMTF synonymous with high-energy, gets-you-on-your-feet tracks. Their latest song ‘Mayhem’, featuring grime legend ‘Kano’, is no different and by the support shown on social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook and views on Youtube, it is set to be the biggest of their releases to date. CMTF have no qualms with setting anyone straight on how they got to where they are. ‘Overtime’ featuring Ghetts is a melodic and inspiring track that sends out its message in the now recognisable, CMTF format. With the band working to bring their fresh energy to the scene, their manager, Luke Williams, 22, shares this same mantra. “I’ve been working with Clement since I was 17, I’m now 22, it’s taken 5 years of blood, sweat and tears, literally!” He added: “There is always someone out there one step ahead...If you believe in something, follow your heart and make that dream a reality.” There is no doubt that Clement Marfo and the Frontline are an example of home-grown London talent that developed through a focused worth ethic and a love for their craft. ‘Mayhem’ Clement Marfo and the Frontline Featuring Kano is out March 12th. Vote for Clement Marfo & The Frontline to WIN @MTVUK Brand New for 2012 on http://brandnew.mtv.co.uk/ and whilst you’re at it check out their website http:// www.clementmarfo.com/
With fans eagerly anticipating the growth and development of Clement Marfo and the Frontline, 2012 is set to be their year. With songs such as ‘Rule the World’ and ‘Uncomfortable’ still to hit the mainstream music scene, these are only a sample of the work that early-day fans are already acquainted with. So far, the material that record company Warner Brothers-signed to in 2010 has
Aloe Blacc@ HMV Apollo **** Daniel West On the night of the 15th of December, one day before the end of term, it came to be that a Mr Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins III, better known as Aloe Blacc came to town on the second last stop on his European tour. Aloe Blacc has become immensely popular since his second album ‘Good Things’ was released with many people knowing the very catchy “I need a dollar” (Dollar, A dollar is what I need, Hey hey). I actually came to know of Aloe Blacc many months ago when a sister of one of my friends was recommended this album in an HMV for said friend’s birthday, and to our surprise it was really good. It was really exciting then to find that he would be playing here in London and I would get a chance to see the soul stylings’ of a great singer. The HMV Apollo is always a great venue, but I have never seen it used quite like Aloe Blacc used it, mid set he commanded the crowd to part in order for a soul train like dance off to happen in the partition. His opening act also invited two members on stage for a dance off which was good fun.The energy was just fantastic as The Grand Scheme (the supporting band to Aloe Blacc)took to the stage, the full ensemble of drums, guitar, bass, keys, sax and trumpet really sounded great as they played through his entire album (with some throw backs to the first album) and often extended or just changed up the song. It kept you on your toes which is impressive enough given how prone you were to tapping your feet throughout. Props need to go out here to the supporting band who were incredibly tight and on top of everything, from the explosive drummer to the subtle guitar stylings to the more pronounced jazzy undertones of the brass section it all came together beautifully. But what was particularly impressive was what Mr Blacc himself brought to the show; His zest for performance, his ability to convey such human messages through such simple stories and his deep and vibrant voice carried through such fantastic performances as ‘Mamma hold my hand’ which stopped just short of bringing a tear to my eye. Aloe Blacc has bright things in his future, and anyone who attended the show can tell you that they are well deserved, an all-around great night and an all-around great man.
Music
Roar!, January 23- February 12, 2012
2012: A YEAR OF OLYMPIC PROPORTIONS Sam Spencer
From R.E.M’s split to Tom Waits’ return,from Lana Del Ray to Born This Way, 2011 was a great year for music However, although Glastonbury is AWOL this year, 2012 is certainly not going out without a fight, with some big albums due in the next twelve months.
After the debauched dance-styles of their 2010 standout Night Work, I’m very interested to see what this album will offer. With first single ‘Shady Love’ sounding unlike anything
SCISSOR SISTERS’ 4th ALBUM SPRING they’ve ever done before, even featuring lead singer Jake Shears rapping (it’s one of those things you have to hear for yourself), expect the unexpected.
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Say what you want about the world’s best-selling female artist, but with her film, W.E., out in January and a Super Bowl performance coming up, the 53-year-old icon is going to be everywhere.
MADONNA’S 12th ALBUM MARCH With producers Martin Solveig (responsible for the smash hit ‘Hello’) and William Orbit on board and with the leaked song ‘Give Me All Your Love’ sounding like a summery pop sensation, I’m expecting great things of her new album.
Following both festival appearances and a Jools Holland performance, there’s a lot of buzz about this London band. With their angsty anthemic singles so far pointing to a cross between
SPECTOR’S DEBUT ALBUM Pulp and mid-60s pop (listen to ‘Never Fade Away’ to hear them at their best), 2012 could easily be their year. Not bad for a band that looks like the cast of a spoof spy film.
After ten years of no albums, and no new songs since a strange 2009 cover of ‘Stand and Deliver’, Gwen Stefani’s band is now back with a new album.
Jackson, previously a member of my favourite band The Long Blondes, is about to release something phenomenal, if single ‘Wonder Feeling’, a sweet hit of ‘60s Americana, is anything to go by.
NO DOUBT’S 6th ALBUM
KATE JACKSON’S DEBUT ALBUM
At their best they were fantastic, but the quality of Stefani’s last album is questionable, so fingers crossed they can still write crackers like ‘Hella Good’, ‘New’ or UK number one ‘Don’t Speak’.
With Suede guitarist Bernard Butler producing and a line-up of great songs like ‘Date With Dawn’ and ‘Homeward Bound’, 2012 should be the year Jackson gets the recognition she deserves.
Other releases this year include: new albums from Garbage, Paul McCartney, Queens of the Stone Age, U2 and (apparently) a reformed Beach Boys. With such big names in the mix this new year holds some serious promise and Roar! will be here every step of the way, bringing you reviews of these new albums and much more. So roll on 2012!
What’s On At Tutu’s Nightclub?
KCLSU have announced that Swedish bands The Sounds and First Aid Kits are to perform at Tutu’s nightclub in February. The Sounds are a post-punk band who have toured with the likes of The Foo Fighter, The Strokes and Panic at the Disco. Although best known because of vocalist Maja Ivarsson featuring in the single for the 2006 film ‘Snakes on a Plane’( if you haven’t seen it, don’t bother),‘The Sounds’ have been together for over ten years, producing four studio albums in that time. The band will take to the stage on the 4th February. First Aid Kits are a more mellow outfit, comprising of sisters Joanna and Klara Soderberg . They became an internet sensation in 2008 after posting a video of them covering the Fleet Foxes’ ‘Tiger Mountain Peasant Song’. They released their debut album ‘The Big Black and The Blue’ in 2010 to critical acclaim. They perform on the 23rd February. Tickets for both gigs are £12.70 each.
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Film
Roar!, January 23rd - February 12th 2012
Edited by Beth Cohon film@roarnews.co.uk
The Artist Adam Brodie The Artist is pure craftsmanship. And, as a silent movie made for a 2012 audience, it is also a pretty ballsy project. But what it isn’t, is memorable or thought-provoking. The Artist is one of those movies that sacrifices depth for mass appeal and tries to make up for it with a visual gimmick. Yup, that’s right. This is the silent movie version of Avatar. George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) is the toast of the silent movie world. After a particularly successful screening, he collides with Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo), inadvertently thrusting her into the limelight. The two fall for each other on the set of Valentin’s latest movie, but the good times don’t last. When Valentin’s studio decides to end silent movie production and head into the new realm of films with sound, Valentin is cast out as the relic of a bygone age, and Peppy’s star rises to replace his. And at this point I am on tenterhooks. I mean, love at first sight? Two people whom the fates have driven apart? Good gracious, how on earth is this going to end? How you expect, is the answer. This story might be achingly conventional, but it isn’t all that bad. The plot cracks along at a decent pace, with a particularly gripping ending. Writer/Director Michael Hazanavicius has a talent for interesting visuals, and packs his shots full of symbols and sight gags. And, to top it all off, the lead performances are excellent. On top of this, The Artist also boasts multiple excellent performances. Both Bejo and Dujardin are brimming over with energy, and hit every comic beat with the timing of true professionals. John Goodman, too, is a fantastic studio boss, an im-
perious, cigar-chewing mass of a man, able to reduce a whole set to silence with a look. And there’s also Valentin’s devoted dog is a start to itself, easily the funniest thing in the whole film. But though the performances are good, the characters aren’t. Valentin is the only one to be developed at all. He is revealed as a friendly, charming man, able to inspire loyalty in animal and man, but crippled by pride and overcon-
fidence. He is your stereotypical protagonist: flawed enough to be interesting, but likeable enough to support regardless. But such formulaic character design looks like the height of artistry when compared to that of Miller. She is cheery and in love with Valentin, and that’s all. Honestly, I can’t remember when I last saw such an empty character get so much screentime. Bella Swan has more going on than Peppy Miller.
Film for a Fiver Maurice Loach Boogie Nights is a rare film in that it is perhaps most well known for its very final shot than any other, as Mark Wahlberg reveals a porn star’s most valuable talent. Paul Thomas Anderson (Magnolia and There Will Be Blood) recreates the booming porn industry in the San Fernando Valley of the 1970‘s and its heady downfall in the 1980‘s. A brilliant retro soundtrack accompanies Julianne Moore as a tragic leading lady of filth, guiding the way for Mark Wahlberg’s well endowed new comer. The sordid details of the group of hopefuls are best saved for the film, nor is Boogie Nights worth watching for any hope of debauchery (though it is present) because it is an absorbing emotional and somewhat depressing watch. The replacement of cinema distribution of pornography with VHS tapes is just one of the looming dark clouds of Boogie Nights and while it may seem outdated and amusing, the notion of the old being pushed aside in favour of the new is a timeless one which seems as relevant as ever in this age of ephemeral digital media. A massive part of the joy of Boogie Nights is of course its period trappings: flares, giant sunglasses, giant hair and polaroids fill the frame but are never the point of this human story. The icaru-esque “Dirk Diggler” is one of the most compelling on-screen sinners of all time, and the supporting cast (Heather Graham, Burt Reynolds, John C. Reilly) evoked my sympathy despite their hedonism, resulting in a remarkably downbeat third act. The film is far from being as existential as Magnolia or as dark and brooding as There Will Be Blood but it comes close and is all the better for it. A gloriously dark and salacious film for a fiver.
So, to reiterate, The Artist is good fun to watch. The acting is great, the animal is funny, it’s interesting to look at, and composer Ludovic Bource supplies the right tunes for the mood. But after the fact, the blandness of plot and character will let only the silence remain memorable. Honestly, I’ve seen much worse. Unfortunately, I’ve also seen much, much better.
KCL Cinemateque
Want to see films for free, right here at King’s? Relax after a day of classes? The KCL Cinemateque is back this semester with free screenings for King’s students and staff every Monday and Tuesday evening! Check here each month to see what films will be showing! Monday evenings will be devoted to Topics in World Cinema, and Tuesdays are a repertory night. Screenings are in the Arthur and Paula Lucas Lecture Theatre at the Strand campus (room S-2.18) and begin at 5:15pm (doors open at 5:05pm).
Mondays at World Cinema
Tuesdays at Repertory Night
23 January I Was Born But… (Ozu Yasujiro, 1932, 100 min.)
17 January DVD The Birds (Alfred Hitchcock, U.S., 1963, 119min) 24 January Psycho (Hitchcock, U.S., 1960, 109min)
30 January TBC Tokyo Chorus (Ozu Yasujiro, 1931, 90 min.)
31 January DVD Funny Games (Michael Haneke, Austria, 1997, 108min)
6 February Late Spring (Ozu Yasujiro, 1949, 108 min.)
7 February Jean de Florette (Claude Berri, France, 1986, 120min)
Film
Roar!, January 23rd - February 12th 2012 Love film? Up for watching just about anything? Roar Film gets press invites from everything from new blockbusters to the Hong Kong film festival. Get on the writers mailing list by emailing Beth at film @ roarnews.co.uk
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Sub Editor Maurice Loach
The Secret Revolution
Ben Jackson Location: Undisclosed Movie: Unknown Time: Night There is a quiet cinematic revolution going on in London right now. People are gathering at a secret location every night. The meeting-point is only made known to them the day before. Secret Cinema is a real-life journey that begins in the virtual world. Members sign up online to receive an invitation to this immersive world of a film that’s only divulged to them when it’s shown at the end of the night. I expect you’re very intrigued right now.
The day before the event, I was emailed with instructions as to what to wear, so I would fit in with the surroundings, and where to meet. On the night, a mysterious woman in an overcoat led me to the secret location from a tube station in London. As we walked through the labyrinth of back-alleys in this unfamiliar part of the city, reality and fantasy began to blend into one. I started to wonder who was acting and who wasn’t, becoming suspicious of everyone around me. Feelings of excitement – even danger – rushed over me as I was transported back in time. The experience is like a childlike dream as you’re invited to interact with the simulated
Martha Marcy May Marlene Katie Sinclair The title doesn’t tell you much, does it? It could be a nursery rhyme or a tale of four sisters with remarkably alliterative names, whereas in fact, Sean Durkin’s psychological drama is a dark vision of abuse and paranoia. Elizabeth Olsen brings a watchable charisma to the film that, while confusing in places, will remain burned in your retinas long after the credits roll. Martha (Olsen) makes a phone call from a diner in an unspecified American town. She has been missing for two years, and arrives at the extravagant lake house of her sister (Sarah Paulson), more than a little dishevelled. Details slowly begin to emerge: Martha has escaped from a cult. Taken in as a vulnerable, inexperienced youth, she soon becomes a party to vicious orgies and violent robberies. The spectres of her cultish life pepper her psyche, threatening to dismantle her recovery. Elizabeth Olsen quite literally shines in her first major fea-
world around you. What surprised me was the sheer scale of the setting. Every time I thought there was nowhere new to explore, another staircase or door revealed itself to me, or another actor came and whispered curious instructions into my ear. There was a stage, a post office, an auction house, several bars, and, of course, a cinema, where everyone gathered at the end of the night to watch the film on which the whole performance is based. Secret Cinema manages to provide a sensory experience that’s difficult to capture on film. Is this the future of cinema? Can you imagine if this was done with a big film each year? It would be a surefire way to combat the ever-
ture; her face is aglow with youth and she oozes sex appeal. While her sisters, Mary-Kate and Ashley, made kids’ films, she studied at the Tisch School of the Arts in New York, and it seems as though her training paid off. Olsen is more of a blonde Maggie Gyllenhaal than a twin looka-like, striking a convincing balance between promiscuity and vulnerability. John Hawkes offers excellent support as the cult’s abusive leader. Oscar-nominated this year for Winter’s Bone, he is terrifying and mesmerising in equal measure. Durkin has made the film extremely well, especially the creative flashback sequences. As Martha fetches a drink, her cultish self simultaneously pours water with a pill for a fellow member. Such nuances are the film’s strengths; it holds visceral and aesthetic meaning beyond its plot. We are constantly looking to piece together the full picture of what has happened to Martha, and there is a feeling that we will never quite find those missing puzzle pieces, jangling around at the bottom of the box. I suspect that the nauseating feeling the film leaves you with is entirely intentional. Martha Marcy May Marlene is a haunting piece of film craft. Beautifully dark, it is a sensual insight into the human psyche. Its drowsiness and dreariness aim to enlighten and, for a performance like Olsen’s, I can forgive its ambiguity.
present threat of illegal downloads. Previous films presented by Secret Cinema have included everything from old classics like The Red Shoes and Lawrence of Arabia, to modern sci-fi thrillers like Blade Runner and Ghostbusters. Watching a movie on your laptop is surely nothing compared to an all-encompassing, real-life cinematic experience of films like these. That’s all I can say right now. My lips are sealed. Though there are a limited number of tickets left until 22nd January, make sure to sign up to their mailing list to be the first to hear about future shows at www.secretcinema.org. Photo courtesy of Secret Cinema
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Sports
Roar!, January 23rd - February 12th 2012
Edited by Charlotte Richardson sports@roarnews.co.uk Note from the sports ed…
2012: the year all sports fanatics have been waiting for. Roar!’s first sport section of the year - post the turkey sandwiches and Quality Street toffees - is investigating how fit London is for 2012. And you readers can’t escape ... Determined to get back into my own lycra finest, I have hit the gym once more and, so I don’t suffer alone, I have devised a somewhat optimistic fitness diary for any other fellow students whose sins of Baileys, Brussels sprouts and brie have come back to haunt their New Year’s. With Kinetic Gym offering six months membership for £99, with FREE classes included, and only a hop, skip and jump from campuses, their facilities are definitely worth investing in with your replenished student loans. For those of you who would rather flex your intellectual muscles this semester, I am always looking for writers to contribute to our newspaper, website and radio. So if you’re interested please get in touch. Good luck to all of you with coursework deadlines, exams and those sportsmen and women who have the prospect of getting through their first competitive fixture after Christmas without a complete collapse of their respiratory systems. Charlotte
London 2012: Olympic enthusiasm burning bright or shot down in flames?
Roar!’s Stuart Smedley investigates…
The countdown to the Olympics in this city should be accompanied by a crescendo of hope, eager anticipation and excitement. Ever since July 2005, when London was revealed to have won the right to host the world’s greatest celebration of sport, such emotions should have been rising exponentially as the months, weeks, and days until the flame is lit went by. Instead, a string of embarrassing events have meant that with just over seven months to go, Britain approaches its third opportunity to host the Games with a whimper, rather than a wave, of enthusiasm. From the ticket sales fiasco to the feud over Olympic football, killjoy security announcements and, most notably, the prolonged dispute over the Olympic Stadium’s future use, the preparation for what should be 17 glorious, glorious days has been totally haphazard. Throughout the bidding process and in the years since it was won, the London organising team led admirably by Lord Sebastian Coe - have gone to great lengths to stress how inclusive the event in London would be. Indeed, one of the five ‘Legacy’ promises made was to use the Olympics as a means with which to inspire a generation of young people to get off their backsides and engage more in physical activity. To fulfil such an ambition very much a reasonable one - it would be presumed that tickets would be made affordable and distributed widely. The former is the case, but the latter has not been achieved thanks to the lottery system, which left roughly two-thirds of applicants - including athletes’ families - empty handed. Making matters worse is the way government has gobbled up tickets. Reports last month showed they lavished nearly £750,000 on roughly 9,000 tickets. So while those charged with running the country get to watch the world’s best athletes strive to achieve gold, a majority of those who are meant to be influenced most by the Games will have to do so from the awe-inspiring confines of their living rooms. One sport where demand for tickets has been minimal is football, which comes as something of a surprise. This can partly be put down to the bureaucratic infighting between the four Home Nations’ Football Associations over whether or not a combined British team should participate. The simple answer to that question is of course it should. And its make-up should not just be limited to English players as has
widely been suggested. (Nor should it include David Beckham because his presence would snatch attention away from those athletes for whom the Olympics is their lone platform to make a name for themselves.) It’s beyond comprehension why certain officials believe that football is a special case in which a combined team - which would be similar to the Lions rugby union side - is a non-starter, even for one very special occasion. While they have drained the fun out of Olympics football, the government seems to want to take the fun out of the entire Games, if alleged security arrangements are anything to go by. The possible deployment of surface-to-air missiles and - if the Daily Mail is to be believed - RAF snipers in case of trouble suggests that anybody setting foot on the Olympic Park should do so cautiously. Such measures would impose a climate of fear around the Games, a situation completely opposed to one of the seven Olympic values - that of friendship. Most embarrassing of all though has been the ugly spectacle surrounding the future of the Games’ centrepiece, the Olympic Stadium. Fearful of it becoming a white elephant, bids were received from two parties to take over the stadium, neither of which have proven satisfactory. Both involved - surprise, surprise - football clubs. Thankfully, Tottenham Hotspur’s claim was rejected, as the north London club, who are publically known to favour building a new ground in their current location, proposed to remove the track. Some legacy that would have left. A deal was instead struck with West Ham United, who promised to keep the track. However, this collapsed in October after the discovery of a potential conflict of interest and legal pressure from Spurs. The situation has become increasingly farcical with reports that Spurs’ legal team hacked the phone records of West Ham director Karren Brady in order to gain evidence to support their case. There was some bright news when London was awarded the 2017 Athletics World Championships, but what happens with the stadium in the five years until then is still anybody’s guess. It can be reasonably concluded that our Olympics organisers, hamstrung by complacency, have failed to prepare properly. The Games themselves can therefore not come quick enough so that sporting beauty can erase memories of a disappointing build-up.
Racism in sport-have we gone too far? Kirsten Johnson give us her opinion about the Suarex incident that plagued sporting headlines during a fantastic footballing period overshadowed by some less than merry incidents… It’s been a while since I’ve used my brain and not my brawn – not a good thing for a third year law student to admit. But when I headed home for Christmas my Dad reminded me of something that jolted me out of autopilot: “negro” in Spanish is a descriptive word. He didn’t say he agreed with the use of the word but stated that was the word Luis Suarez said to Patrice Evra, the word which landed him an eight match ban from the FA. And it is a descriptive word. Literally meaning “black”, used freely in some countries, including Suarez’s native Uruguay, apparently without offence – Uruguay’s AfroUruguayan Captain when they won the 1950 World Cup was affectionately nicknamed “El Negro Jefe” based on his complexion and his management of the game. It was a while ago but arguably that kind of word just isn’t found offensive in Uruguay, or is still acceptable. Nowadays we use black as a descriptor all the time. Then my Dad points out that sportspeople regularly say things to get their opponents riled up, to try to make them angry and make a mistake, and there’s my problem. The use of the word “negro” or “black” in this context means something very different, even from a man who can use the term freely in his own country, purely because it’s use is motivated by malice and is portraying the term as a negative. It’s not the actual word that is the issue, it’s the way that it’s used. Nevertheless, I think an eight-match ban for a word Suarez nonchalantly admitted to using (and therefore clearly didn’t think was as bad as it’s been construed) is excessive. Yes, I agree that N words shouldn’t be used freely; it annoys me when black people use the N word in speech or song purely because any non-black person can offend when reciting a 50 Cent song. Equally, I agree a sanction should be imposed; but not one which makes such an example when he didn’t mean it as others have in the past and no doubt still do. I feel Political Correctness has gone a bit mad. It amuses me when my friends try to describe me to people I don’t know, and feel like they have to go through every descriptor possible before attempting to find a way to say “she’s mixed race” because they don’t want to be offensive. I’m more offended when people say I (or Barack Obama for that matter) am black, because it negates the existence of my white father (or his mother). The fact people describe me partly by the colour of my skin is irrelevant for me because my colour doesn’t affect me. Which brings me nicely to poor Alan Hansen, who used the word “coloured” to describe Patrice Evra and Anton Ferdinand (the subject of abuse from John Terry) on Match of the Day, probably because he wasn’t sure he could use black or mixed-race, and found himself slapped by a huge backlash via social media sites forcing him (for the sake of his career) to apologise. Yet there was no way he meant it maliciously, he was mid-conversation and said the word whilst saying there was room for improvement on racism in English football; something which the FA is quite clearly and correctly taking seriously. Yes, pigments are wide-ranging, he usually has quite a colour himself, and it is a vague word which lumps a lot of cultures and histories together, but why such an extent of outrage? I can see the argument that by him using it on MOTD many more people may use it, but I’d rather hear that word a thousand times without any negative feeling behind it than “you black b**tard” as I once heard shouted at a bus driver who refused to allow a drunk girl on with her tricycle (no, I wasn’t high). Perhaps Hansen’s mob would have preferred that since at least the word was PC.
Granted it wasn’t the best word for him to use, any smart person will realise that some words need to be skirted around, but the main reason for this is that people take innocent mistakes too seriously. My friendship group is a diverse one and I’ll often make jokes to friends (allow me to search for words which won’t offend) who have foreign ancestral ties but were born and raised here that my pale skinned friends wouldn’t dream of saying. Why? Because if a white person says it it’s 20 times more likely to be construed as racist. If I, a person with parents from two continents, say it, then it’s banter. A lament, please, for double standards. So, in the heat of moment, should sportsmen simply accept comments are going to be made to make them angry and deal with it as part of the game, or should a little bit of aggravating be allowed but certain things be off limits? Where should we draw the line? If a hierarchy of comments was created, regulating them would become impossible, but stopping at obvious racism is arguably not enough.At this point I despair in my subject matter and ask if there is no honour left in competition. Why is it necessary to rile up the opposition with such unacceptable comments? I’m as competitive as the next sportsperson but I don’t mind losing quite as much if my team have held ourselves to good standards and our victors did too. Can we not play the game for the game anymore? Apparently not; add to the pile John Terry’s aforementioned alleged abuse of Anton Ferdinand, something which Terry denies. If (and it’s a big “if”) he said something racist then the FA’s headache worsens as their senior role model is disgraced and the problem they’ve been fighting against for decades becomes more prevalent. This big “if” is an issue in itself, as a lot of people seem to think disagreeing or doubting that an offensive comment has been made in the face of questionable evidence makes you yourself a racist, or a chauvinist, or some-other-ist, even if you “belong” to the group. I fail to understand why there should be a duty to put your voice to something which you don’t know for sure happened, simply because you’re similar to it in one aspect of your multi-faceted self. If the world worked that way we’d have a very messy and even more conflicted situation than we do now. If Terry was racist towards Ferdinand it goes without saying I wouldn’t support him, but whilst it’s uncertain, I suggest we think about it before jumping on the bandwagon for racism’s sake. If we cry “racist” too many times there will come a day when we as a society become desensitised to the issue and ignores real racism. I’d hate for common sense to be negated and premature anger to reign because Political Correctness tells us there is something we can get up in arms about justifiably. My point, I suppose, is that some people are racist, but at least it’s easier to debate with those who say something rather than with those who are silently prejudiced. I don’t doubt that measures need to be taken to combat racism, or that a lengthy match ban will serve its purpose to dissuade other players from making such unacceptable comments on the pitch. I do doubt that the threat of punishment changes anyone’s underlying attitude on its own. If the FA wants to tackle the problem of racism they need to be willing to increase conversation and education with players. If we as a society want to tackle the problem we must do this, but we also need to calm down and stop being so touchy. The sting is in the malice, not the descriptors. Right then, on to whether there is an issue with the lack of women shortlisted for Sports Personality of the Year... What’s your opinion? Have something to say? Join our debate and email sports@roar.news or alternatively tweet @roarnews or @Charlotte_R22.
Sports
Roar!, January 23rd - February 12th 2012
2012
THE YEAR OF FITNESS!
Monday 12.30-13.30: Pilates
Want to get yourself a bum like Pippa? Arms like Cameron? Abs like J-Lo? Well with Pilates on a Monday you’re practically half way there. All the celebs rave about Pilates for its help improving flexibility and core strength, without making you bulky. The class will focus on posture, core stability and body alignment. Classes are as demanding as they are relaxing, so make the perfect class to start your week.
18.30-19.30: Tone ‘n’ Sculpt
If you are looking for an energetic, challenging and fun workout for your whole-body then this class will work for you. The class is essentially a barbell workout with other weights incorporated. This class ticks all the boxes and will help you tone up, sculpt your body, promote weight loss and boost your stamina.
17.30-18.30: Kinetic Circuits Tuesday
From personal experience I can truly recommend this circuit class. If you find your workouts very cardio based, and lack the knowledge (or discipline in my case) to do any workout with weights, this hour session targets your upper and lower body and mixes strength exercises with cardiovascular exercises. It will push you to your limits and whilst you leave glowing in sweat you will be glowing inside too (n’aww…)
19.30-20.30: Dynamic Yoga
A brilliant evening class for students who find themselves locked away at the Maughan during daylight hours. Dynamic Yoga, as opposed to “Yoga” aims at improving both your cardio-vascular fitness and core strength. It’s a playful, challenging form of yoga that incorporates the energy of Ashtanga with the attention to alignment of Iyengar. Must be good then…
Wednesday 13.30-14.30: Nike Training Club
Make the most of Kinetic on a Wednesday, when all sports club have fixtures, and check out Nike’s Training Club. The Club is an athletic, energetic group workout that will improve your fitness, strength and flexibility through exercises inspired and used by world-class athletes. It incorporates skills, drills and principles used by such athletes to train the body in a multi dimensional way. So even if you’re not part of a sports team at King’s you can witness the power of teamwork, competition and camaraderie during this workout.
17.30-18.30: Tai-Bo®
Again, from personal experience I can only give Noel’s Tai-Bo® classes a glowing review. Noel is a fantastic leader, who demands 100% effort to maintain the high-energy that makes his sessions so productive. Tae Bo combines boxing, martial arts and dance and enhances your shape, strength, fitness and help you lose a bit of weight too-just in case you needed to justify that pint of snakebite at Walkabout later.
12.30-13.30: Hatha Yoga Thursday
To sweat away those hangover blues from socials, Hatha Yoga, provides the perfect cure, and is a darn sight better for you than a bacon buttie. An energising and relaxing class, you’ll practice Asanas (postures), Pranayama (breathing exercises) and relaxation to strengthen and rejuvenate your body.
18.30-19.30: Body Blitz
“Body Blitz” does what it says. An energetic barbell class, the hour is dedicated to strengthening your entire body by using the best weight-room exercises such as squats, presses, lifts and curls. You can tailor the class to your ability too, by choosing which weights you want to employ when working specific muscle groups, but what’s best is you don’t have to suffer in silence, as others will be sweating equally around you.
Friday 12.30-13.30: H.I.T (High Intensity Training) This session starts with fundamental exercises which are progressively sequenced into a scalable, High Intensity Training workout that challenges every fibre of your body, from head to toe and the depths of your core. If you are looking to go hard before you go home for the weekend (see what I did there…) then this is the class for you.
17.30-18.30: Zumba
The phenomenom that is Zumba comes to King’s courtesy of this session provided by Kinetic. Zumba is basically a Latin-inspired workout with dance movements set to pulsating international dance music and seems to have discovered a way to exercise and have FUN (GASP!). The classes are easy-to-follow so beginners are welcome. Improve your fitness, burn calories but above all have FUN!
Saturday
Exercise doesn’t stop for the weekend. Take yourself to another Circuit (11:00-12:00) or Zumba (12:00-13:00) class. Or alternatively…
14.00-15.00: Ashtanga Yoga
Another sibling to the yoga family, Ashtanga yoga, is physically demanding and will increase flexibility, strengthen and tone your body with a series of precise postures synchronized with the breath. If you’re an avid fitness fiend this is worth boasting to your friends about trying out.
Sunday
We are here, Sunday, the day of rest- oh no, no, no. Not when Kinetic offers:
11.00-12.00: Vinyasa Yoga
This is a chilled class to end your stressful week but your body will still reap the rewards. Throughout the hour, physical movement is consciously aligned with the breath, turning static yoga postures into flowing meditative sequences, linked throughout by strength-building sun salutations. And you can finally take that big deep breath as your week of fitness and fun comes to and end… Until Tomorrow!
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