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King’s News King’s Entertainment Vol 19, Issue 4 November 22 December 12, 2011

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@roar_news roar! newspaper 020 7379 9833 Macadam Building, Surrey Street, London WC2R 2NS

NEWS

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.

KCL DOMINATES STUDENT DEMO

#OLSX Roar!’s Remembrance Sunday at the Occupy

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London Stock Exchange

10

Presents

KCL Radio Win SRA Award KCL radio scoop top prize at National Student Radio Awards

FEATURES

editor@roarnews.co.uk

STUDENT GROUPS

Got a Story?

Sweet Charity

Sweet Charity!

See inside for info on KMT’s must-see musical this festive season!

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Postgraduates...

1. Postgraduate students must be better off, because they can afford to go further in education. Utter nonsense. I am not particularly well off at all, and I certainly don’t have a vast war chest of cash to keep me going.

On taking up my course this year, I needed to borrow £10,000 from the bank as a personal loan. No fee loan, no maintenance grant, just debt that has an almost immediate demand for repayment. I appreciate that postgraduates are more likely to do their degree part-time along with a job but we still have the same money woes as all you lucky undergrads.

2. Postgrads don’t know how to party. Now I know I just said we have slowed down, but that doesn’t mean we want to be off to bed by 10pm every night with a cup of tea and a novel. 22 is not over the hill! In fact, I have had some of my finest drunken moments since arriving at Kings. But what really makes it great is that the diversity of people I have met means that I have tried nights out beyond the standard weekly routine of the same old club with the same old people. We mix it up, postgrad style.

3. Postgraduate students love being called mature students. Technically, various student bodies have sometimes classified postgraduate students as ‘mature’. It is a term I cannot stand and here is why. Maturity, by it’s definition, is about having completed your development in an area, whether that is growing up to be an adult or in your sense of humour. But, we are still learning and understanding the world, and my goodness we haven’t developed a mature sense of humour yet. Boobies.

4. Postgraduate education isn’t for me. I always thought that. It would be too difficult. It would be boring. I want money and I want it ASAP. But the joy of postgraduate education is in education itself, to be the very best you can be and to push yourself to the limits of your ability.

Money isn’t everything. Knowledge isn’t just power, it is satisfaction as well. Don’t fear the boundaries of cost or admin, they are walls that you can smash down one way or another because everyone should have the chance to educate themselves completely. We are the future.

I have just come back from one of the strangest interviews ever! As you’ll discover, News Editor Luke and I decided to go down to St Paul’s and spend Remembrance Sunday with Occupy London (OLSX). Partly because if anything kicked off we wanted to be there and partly because on the one month anniversary of the occupation the camp seems to be going from strength to strength. Anyway, you can read all about it on page 4.

Nothing with this interview went as I expected it to. I had arranged to meet the chief press officer but when I turned up she seemed to have gone awol.

After wandering around chatting to people I called Matt who is also a press and legal adviser for OLSX. Having tried and failed to get in touch with the head of press himself - he said he was on his way from Mayfair - I waited and watched amused as the BBC journos got a roasting from the ‘occupiers’ about their coverage.

Matt eventually turned up just as the 2-minutes silence was starting outside the Cathedral. I hadn’t at this point realised why everyone was congregating by the steps so it was a bit of a surprise to be grabbed by the hand and included in something reminiscent of Auld Lang Syne - everyone standing round in a circle holding hands!

We made our way to Starbucks, where Matt told me that the protesters aren’t anti-Capitalist, note my raised eyebrow, and besides, they need free internet! We were just getting into the swing of the interview when a man I recognised from the camp suddenly rushed in. He approached our table and told Matt to come because someone had been arrested. Matt grabbed various accoutrements (fluorescent jacket, flier on legal advice, and a note pad) from a rucksack, clearly kept close to hand for such occasions and ran out without a word of explanation!

FASHION AND LIFESTYLE

When I stood as Postgraduate Taught Campaigns Officer for Council this year, I did it as a new student to the university and as someone not all that far past their 22nd birthday. So I suppose this article is an outreach, a cry for attention, a very wordy waving banner that can be summed up as ‘WE AREN’T OLD, USELESS OR BORING’. So here are a few myths I’d like to bust...

Keeping myself Occupied...

Cupcake recipes Make great cupcakes with Kristina Freeman’s easy to follow tips!

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ARTS

Even the word has a sense of depression about it. Postgraduate, past it, has-beens, after thought. But did you know that postgraduate students make up around 39% of all the students at KCL? Or that the vast majority are under 30?

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Dead On Paper, Alive on Canvas The Ghosts of Birds Gone By reviewd

And so our interview was over. When Matt found me again he asked if I want to go with him to the police station...strangely, I declined!

Go down to OLSX if you can...it will be interesting at the very least!

Lots of love,

MUSIC

By Chris Hares, Post Graduate Campaigns Officer

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Editor’s Note

Zoe xxx

Getting ready to march from KCLSU on 9th November

5. Postgraduate students are boring. If you have read this far, that myth is busted.

6. Postgraduate students make lousy campaigns officers. The jury is still out on that one, I’ll get back to you!

Ceremonials Florence and the Machine’s new album dis-

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sected in full

PG student? Email christopher.hares@kcl.ac.uk with your comments, ideas and rants about King’s!

FILM

The most viewed on w w w. r o a r n e w s . c o . u k 1. Goals Galore by Charlotte Richardson, Sports Editor 2. O.A.P. Fashion (old and priceless) by Coryn Brisbane, Fashion and Lifestyle Editor

Film For A Fiver Natural Born Killers

3. Top 5 Refereeing Blunders by Charlotte Richardson and Samantha Hull

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Editor Zoe Tipler editor@roarnews.co.uk

News Editor Luke Chattaway news@roarnews.co.uk

Student Groups Editor Laura Arowolo students@raornews.co.uk

Film Editor Kate Loftus O’Brien film@roarnews.co.uk

Proofing Editor Sofie Kouropatov proof@roarnews.co.uk

Head of Design VACANCY!!

E-mail editor@roarnews.co.uk if you are interested

Comment Editor Michael Miller comment@roarnews.co.uk

Fashion and Lifestyle Editor Coryn Brisbane fashion@roarnews.co.uk

Music Editor Shivan Davis music@roarnews.co.uk

Legal and Advertising Fran Allfrey vpsme@kclsu.org

Features Editor Rupert Clague features@roarnews.co.uk

Arts Editor Theodora Wakeley arts@roarnews.co.uk

Sports Editor Charlotte Richardson sports@roarnews.co.uk

Next content deadline, 28th November

Presents

Sweet Charity

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Roar, November 22- December 12, 2011

News Edited by Luke Chattaway news@roarnews.co.uk

Student Demonstration II: Tuition Fiends

Words: Luke Chattaway Pictures: Charlie Ding

King’s Lead The March

On the 9th November, thousands of students from around the country gathered to demonstrate in central London against the Government’s plans outlined in Willetts’ White Paper - which includes the proposal to raise fees at Universities throughout England and Wales. It was hoped by the organisers – the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts – that this march would replicate the atmosphere created by last year’s student protests where over 50,000 students gathered in anticipation of the Parliamentary debate over fee rises.

Despite the passing of the tuition fee bill last November, opposition to the impending rises University costs and the Government White Paper that details these changes still remains strong.

Roar! (and KCLSU’s brand new TV society) joined the KCL contingent – including Union President Hannah Barlow and the three Vice-Presidents

‘Total Policing’

– on its way from the Waterfront up to the University of London Union on Malet Street and then around central London.

‘The Government’s doing a really bad

Students on the march encountered a new police tactic of ‘total policing’, which involved the employment of over four thousand officers equipped with riot gear and accompanied by mounted police. As the demonstration proceeded along its route, police hemmed it in from all sides and enforced frequent stops.

Care had been taking in planning the route of the march to avoid it linking up with the Occupy St. Paul’s movement happening simultaneously in the City itself.

job,’ said first year Maths student Johann Rajakarunanayake, ‘it’s not giving enough opportunities to students’.

Asked her reasons for coming out on the march, President Hannah Barlow said, ‘We want to raise awareness in

In the weeks leading up to the protest it was also revealed that the Metropolitan Police had delivered letters to known activists warning them to stay at home. The officers on the march had, in addition, been authorised to use rubber bullets on demonstrators, prompting a new crowd chant of ‘You can shove your rubber bullets up your a***.’

In the end none of these precautions ever seemed necessary, in spite of the presence of a number of black clad and hooded ‘anarchist’ groups, and the entire day passed without any major incident.

the general public and get people understanding what this white paper is going to do to Higher Education’.

Her sentiments were echoed by other Union voices like NUS delegate

Low Turnout Turnout for the demonstration was unexpectedly low: according to some sources only an estimated 2,500 protestors actually came on the day compared to a predicted number of 10,000 that was gauged largely from those who had clicked ‘attending’ on the event’s facebook page.

Even the larger of these figures, however, is dwarfed by the excess of 50,000 students that came down for last year’s demonstration.

Matt Williamson who added that the changes to university funding were ‘enabling the marketisation of our University system.’

Reasons for this disappointing turnout include the absence of a political flashpoint in comparison to last year. Unlike 2010, this march did not anticipate a large debate in Parliament over tuition fees and so many students may have felt a lack of real political agency.

Some have also pointed to a lack of leadership by the NUS, especially criticising president Liam Burns, in not publicising the protest enough and for allegedly refusing to offer any significant financial backing for universities outside of London as regards to insurance and travel costs.

Roar, November 22- December 12, 2011

News

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Tent City Sitting Pretty From September 17th when it first sprang onto the streets of New York, the Occupy movement has captured the media’s attention worldwide.

Almost every major city seems to have its own camp of protestors and – since London’s is just down the road from KCL’s Strand campus – Roar! decided to go check it out.

The campsite (affectionately christened by its residents ‘Tent City’) is neatly laid out at the bottom of St. Paul’s main steps and up along the north side of the cathedral. The strange juxtaposition between Christopher Wren’s towering masterpiece and the multicoloured patchwork of tents and banners, far from spoiling the Baroque artistry of the church, seems to lend the whole area a kind of whimsical charm.

Whimsical, however, is not the word

Pics by Zoe Tipler

Borough Council vs. KCL: Who’s going to (Scaf)fold?

to use to describe life in the campsite.

In spite of the free tea and coffee tents and the constant music that flutters pleasantly over the noise of the traffic, Roar! soon learned from speaking to some of the residents that running the site is actually a full time job.

The legality of Tent City remains a pertinent issue. Lawyers are currently debating whether the protest can be

The two derelict properties - at 129-143 Borough High Street - have been covered in scaffolding since 2006 and, for many residents, constitute an eyesore. Cllr David Noakes, who has led the criticsm of the College-owned buildings, has accused the scaffolding of doing "significant visual harm to the heritage asset" of the area.

Aside from purely aesthetic complaints, it is also alleged that the scaffolding on the pavement in front of the buildings creates an unnecessary blockage on a busy pedestrian thoroughfare and has prevented the paving in the area from being upgraded in line with the rest of the street.

A spokesman from the College has said they are in the process of cooperating with the Council and TfL to adjust the scaffolding issues and are "in the process of applying for a pre-application meeting with Southwark Council to discuss our plans to redevelop the properties, and we expect this to take place within the next month."

Entirely organised by volunteers and funded solely from public donations, Occupy St. Paul’s operates through a fully democratic system of management: every decision made about the site – from examining legal residency problems to deciding on appropriate symbols to advertise tents with spare room – must be debated until a consensus has been reached between everybody involved.

Recently, for example, a proposal by the Corporation of London that promised not to attempt to evict anyone until next year as long as they admitted that the occupation was illegal was rebuffed in a general vote.

The College has come under fire from Southwark council after two buildings that it owns in the borough have raised complaints from neighbours.

Roar!’s favourite Protest Chants defended under freedom of speech laws or whether it constitutes an act of trespassing. As Roar! goes to print, every tent on the site has been issued an eviction notice, though it is expected that the legal wrangling will continue well into next year.

The most impressive thing about the occupation is not, as may be expected, its explicit political message (or, more accurately, messages; the sheer volume of causes and ideologies being espoused by the multitude of signs and banners on display make it difficult to interpret any single shared or cogent argument) but how in the past month the movement has grown into a genuine community.

There are children’s areas, a free university and, with a welfare tent staffed by trained counsellors sworn to help anyone who needs it, has a real claim to being a genuine public service.

Occupy St. Paul’s seems to be, most of all, valuable as a symbol. Here, in the belly of the City itself, is a demonstration of an alternative to the coldness of the stone and steel monuments that surround it. An alternative based on co-operation and discussion rather than markets and money.

‘No ifs, no buts, no education cuts’ ‘When they say cutback, we say fightback’ ‘Nick Clegg, we know you, you’re a f***ing Tory too’ ‘Build a bonfire, build a bonfire, put the Tories on the top, put the Lib Dems in the middle and let’s burn the f***ing lot’ ‘You can shove your rubber bullets up your a***’ ‘Whose streets? Our streets!’

FANCY SEEING YOUR NAME IN PRINT? EMAIL LUKE OUR NEWS EDITOR AND PITCH YOUR NEWS STORIES. NEWS@ROARNEWS.CO.UK

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Roar, October 31 - November 20, 2011

Comment Edited by Michael Miller comment@roarnews.co.uk

STUDENT PROTESTS: IS IT TIME TO ADMIT DEFEAT? The latest student protest last Wednesday was disappointing, to say the least.

Organizers of the march claimed that as many as 10,000 people participated while Scotland Yard estimated only 2,000 attended. The discrepancy in numbers is revealing. The protestors are deluded about support for their cause and Scotland Yard won’t award the demonstrations credibility by allowing them to propagate their false statistics.

“

It’s all very well turning up to a march chanting ‘no ifs no buts...’ but it’s hardly likely to change things.

Many students have argued that this latest demonstration lacked the same enthusiasm captured by previous protests.

In fact, Chris Jowitt, a second year student at King’s College London, admitted that he didn’t even know the protest was happening until the day before. He only heard about it via reports that police would be allowed to use rubber bullets on wayward protestors. That was the most notable thing about the protest.

In a bid to avoid a repeat of last year’s violent riots and attacks on Millbank the police presence on the street during the demonstration was strong, as many as 4,000 officers, somewhat unnecessary if for the paltry 2,000 protestors. Needless to say, the protest was carried off peacefully, disappointingly for some, consequently gaining relatively little media attention.

Perhaps some students were deterred by threats of police brutality, however it does seem that the angry voice of the student body is waning. It’s true that no one enjoys these austerity measures, but surely with the Higher Education White Paper passing in both the Commons and the Lords, it is evident to most that they are here to stay. The rise in tuition fees happened despite mass pro-

YES test, even Nick Clegg came round to the idea – I doubt last week's passive protest will do much to get the government's attention. Instead of protesting against rising tuition fees and cuts we should call for better value for money in our education. If we’re soon to be paying £9,000 per year for tuition surely we should see some benefits of the increased funds.

Maybe I could have a seminar that has fewer than 25 people, some new books and better IT facilities? Better yet, I’d like to see more time for my money, 8 hours a week doesn’t even cut it at the rates we pay now.

I didn’t encourage the rise of tuition fees but suffice to say, violent or not, the protests weren’t effective. It’s all very well turning up to a march chanting ‘no ifs no buts...’ but it’s hardly likely to change things. With talk of the dreaded ‘double dip’ recession, cuts are going to become a common feature. And it is important that other areas get their necessary funding. Having had the benefit of free education all our lives, why do some feel entitled to more subsidised education?

Sure, everyone has the right to an education – but I think that entitlement should be satisfied after 12 years at school.

NO Sometimes in life it’s important to remind ourselves of the difference between failure and defeat. The latest student protest that took place on 9th November, was by most estimations a failure: the event failed to attract anything like the numbers seen at last year’s protest and the media coverage was equally disappointing.

At least some blame has to go to the shameful intimidation tactics of the police. Arguably in order to dissuade students from attending, the Met announced they’d received preauthorisation for the use of rubber bullets in the event of violence. Obviously it’s sad and stupid when protesters think violence is anything other than counteractive to their cause, but rubber bullets? Really?

They’re more dangerous than they sound. Used in Northern Ireland, a report on 90 people hit by rubber bullets found that one was killed and another 17 suffered permanent injury. You can see why students might have had reservations about turning up on Wednesday.

More significant to the failure of the protest, though, is the sense of defeat felt by campaigners and commentators alike. It would seem that there is no stopping the Higher Education White Paper and indeed any of the coalition’s planned austerity measures. If the huge opposition shown at the enormous student protest last year failed to sway politicians, why would a repeat performance make any difference? In terms of judging any likely outcomes ahead of Wednesday’s protest, it would have been reasonable to conclude that it’s all a bit late in the day to protest about a policy that passed in both the Commons and the House of Lords last December, and thus there’s no point, that we should give up.

By Matt Lever I can’t help but feel that this misses the point entirely. Yes, perhaps the ultimate goal of our right to political demonstration is to enact changes in government policy. But equally important is self-expression for the sake of itself.

A necessary starting point for any democracy is not just for citizens to have opinions but to voice those opinions in a public forum, especially in circumstances where there is mass public dissension with the policies of government.

On winning the tuition fee vote in the Commons, Vince Cable said the next step was, ‘to explain this policy to the country. It is nothing like as threatening to young people going to university as has been portrayed.’ Even if Wednesday’s protest could never have achieved any tangible political outcome by itself, it’s nonetheless important that we make clear the fact that as the young generation of this country, we do understand the policy and, by and large, we don’t like it.

Whatever your thoughts on the question of who should pay for higher education and the principles behind the increased tuition fees, the reality of the policy is in its perception: bright kids from poor backgrounds will choose not to go to university because the vast amount of debt saddled on them at graduation just doesn’t seem worth it – a perfectly legitimate perception. University will thus become the domain of the wealthy and the institution by which the upper middle classes can propagate themselves. Until that point, we must try and try and try again to voice our concerns using our right to protest. Interim failure is inevitable, but ultimate defeat is not an option.

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It would seem that there is no stopping the Higher Education White Paper and indeed any of the coalition’s planned austerity measures.

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By Olivia Selley

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Roar, November 22- December 12, 2011

G20 - “Cannes” they not do any better?

Nils Brunelet Many King’s students probably know the chic coastal city of Cannes, in Southern France, for its international film festival held each May. This month, however, it wasn’t Brad and Angelina who visited Cannes, but Barack and Angela.

On November 3rd and 4th, Barack Obama and Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, were invited to Cannes by the French leader Nicolas Sarkozy, along with David Cameron and many others, for the annual meeting of the G20, the group of twenty major economies. The results were in tune with the weather, which was unusually bad for the French Riviera.

At the beginning of this year, ambitious goals were set for the 2011 French presidency of the G20. Reforming the international monetary system, strengthening financial regulation, fighting corruption and supporting development were some of the items on the wish list.

The development agenda for instance, focused on infrastructure, food security in the most vulnerable countries and the all-important question of development financing. Everyone knew that agreement would be hard to reach on these

Comment

thorny issues, but the European debt crisis stealing all the thunder surely did not help. Hopes of levying a small tax on financial transactions, which could have raised billions for development for example, had to be quickly forgotten.

the battered economy of the continent and the world. Furthermore, a default could mean that Greece would leave the Euro, or the EU itself, which would have unknown but severe consequences, both politically and economically.

Most of the summit’s conclusions were vague as the limelight shifted from the official agenda towards Euro worries around Greece and Italy.

The size of the mountain of debt accumulated by these countries (almost €2 trillion for Italy alone), the interconnectedness of financial markets and the fragile situation of many other countries effectively mean that the threat from those two is global, and worthy of the G20’s attention.

Although not a member of the G20, Greece seemed to have taken centre stage, especially following its Prime Minister George Papandreou’s announcement, days before the summit, of a referendum. Before it was even made clear what the referendum question would be, Papandreou changed his mind, cancelled it, and then announced that he would resign.

The other unwilling star of the G20 was Italy, which despite being better off than Greece, is much larger and therefore at least equally worrying. A noteworthy step has been taken regarding its debt situation: the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is going to step in to make sure that Silvio Berlusconi, the country’s much criticised and now seemingly departing leader, keeps his difficult promises to sort out the mess.

In international politics, this is more or less the equivalent of having to show Mummy your

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homework every evening because she cannot trust you anymore after those awful marks last term. Therefore, to make it slightly less embarrassing, it was claimed that it was not imposed, but that Silvio asked for this himself. While this is a step in the right direction, it is miles away from clearing up the Euro debt chaos, which makes it all the more obvious that the summit failed to deliver on its original goals.

Unfortunately, it seems this visit to Cannes didn’t offer the hoped-for happy ending and the world’s economic woes continue. On the positive side, the summit seems to have sped up Berlusconi’s demise as Prime Minister, which means he’ll have more time for his bunga bunga parties.

Greece’s messy politics scare investors, some of whom now believe that the country will eventually default and simply not repay its debt. Many countries and large banks in the EU hold some of this debt, and for them a default would mean billions of Euros disappearing into thin air. This would further deteriorate countries’ balance sheets, make banks weaker and less able to lend to businesses and individuals, and overall deal a serious blow to

The Emerging Labour Force Matthew Trueman It’s been a tough 18 months for Labour supporters. Since the party’s electoral hammering last May, the Tory-led government has been rampantly rolling out an agenda of vicious public sector cuts and privatisation. The challenge from Labour has been dismal to say the least. Ed Miliband has been largely disappointing and his cabinet has been woeful. Miliband has consistently failed to significantly dent Cameron at the dispatch box, his tame attack during the special recall of parliament in the summer to discuss phone hacking being the prime example. The shadow cabinet has been limp and lightweight and the ill-fated appointment of Alan Johnson to face-down George Osborne during one of the most important periods of recent economic history remains baffling.

There is hope for Labour though. At the Labour conference in September, Miliband successfully changed the archaic shadow cabinet election system, gaining full control over the selection process. This was followed quickly by his first reshuffle and an influx of new blood into the team.

Significantly, the shadow cabinet now contains 11 women, compared to the cabinet’s 5. With Government cuts reportedly hitting women hardest, female support for the Conservatives is disappearing and a recent poll claimed that only 13% of all women feel that the Tory party is the party closest to women. Cameron’s absurd ‘calm down dear’ to Angela Eagle and schoolboy mocking of Nadine Dorries has done him no favours and the problem was exasperated when celebrity retail advisor Mary Portas dismissed female cabinet members as ‘ugly’.

That the focus on senior female politicians normally ends with hideous labels of a generalised group - ‘Blair’s Babes’ are now ‘Mili’s Fillies’ – says everything about the acceptance of women at this level.

Newly promoted Rachel Reeves (Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury) is a prime example of the hope on offer to frustrated Labour supporters. Reeves is a highly qualified economist (and an under-14 chess champion, no less) and is largely untainted by the Blair/ Brown years. Highly rated and tipped as a future Labour party leader, Reeves offers the expertise and fresh thinking that the shadow cabinet so desperately needs, and it will be interesting to see if she can build a sustained contest to Danny Alexander.

If Reeves is not the first woman to lead the Labour party it will almost certainly be Yvette Cooper. Cooper is among the few to have mounted any worthy opposition to the government and has excelled during the recent border control debate, although previous Labour policy on the issue made it difficult to deal a killer blow.

The comparison this week between her battle with Theresa May and Miliband’s poor performance against Cameron at PMQs is stark and it is looking an increasing shame that Cooper did not stand for leader. Polls may look favourable for now but Miliband’s personal electability remains in question and he would be well advised to encourage his female shadow ministers to the fore.

VACANCY!!

We are looking for a new Comment Editor (Mike’s off to America for a Semester!)

Send your cv and 200 words on why it should be you to editor@roarnews.co.uk

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Roar, November 22- December 12, 2011

Student Groups Edited by Laura Arowolo students@roarnews.co.uk

King’s Harry Potter Society (the coolest student group since Dumbledore’s Army)

AMELIA TAIT With the release of the

last ever

The Great Hall (otherwise known as

(note: you will need a chicken egg).

Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and

room 1.17 in the Franklin Wilkins

Suddenly, it was time for the Sorting.

the Deathly Hallows Part Two, many

Building) was packed to the brim

Nerves wracked my body as I remem-

considered 2011 to be ‘the end’ of

with eager-eyed students, waiting to

bered the immortal words of Draco

Harry Potter. But, as Voldemort was

begin their journey into the Wizard-

Malfoy: 'Imagine being in Hufflepuff,

crumbling, and as fans wept at the

ing world. The house-elves (Trishya

I think I’d leave, wouldn’t you?’ The

end of an era, Trishya Gandhi came

Gandhi and the society organisers)

Sorting Ceremony did not disappoint;

up with a new, brilliant idea to con-

had prepared the traditional, sump-

students were called up one by one,

tinue the magic: a King’s College

tuous Hogwarts Welcome Feast (as-

sat on a chair and had a replica Sort-

London Harry Potter society. The

sorted flavours of McCoys crips and

ing Hat placed on their head. A tense

first session kicked off on Monday

mini-chocolate muffins). All was set

pause followed. The organisers then

the 24th October, and this curious

for a great evening ahead.

played sound clips of the hat from the

student popped along to see what all of the fuss was about.

movies, shouting out the appropriate The fun began with a Harry Potter

house. Prior to my arrival, students

spin on the party game ‘Headbanz’,

had filled in a questionnaire, the

Like a young and flustered Harry, I

where each individual had the name

answers to which determined their

arrived to the ‘Sorting Ceremony’

of a Harry Potter character stuck on

house. Unfortunately, I arrived too

late. Unfortunately, I’d missed the

their head, and they had to guess who

late to fill one in, yet was still sort-

Hogwarts Express (or rather, the

they were. The winner (first person

ed in to the noble and mighty house

number 168 bus) and, not being in

to correctly guess their identity) won

of Gryffindor (I guess my bravery/

possession of a flying Ford Anglia, I

a poster of our favourite child-star,

daring/love of gingers just shone

had to break into a steady jog to ar-

Daniel Radcliffe, which in itself was

through).

rive at a decent time for the first ever

surely reason enough to attend.

meeting of the Harry Potter Society.

A brief intermission before the Sort-

All in all it was a good evening,

The aim of this event was to recreate

ing gave me a chance to talk to the

lasting an hour and twenty minutes.

the ‘sorting’ into houses (Gryffindor,

new society’s members, one of whom

Members were informed they would

Slytherin, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw)

initiated a conversation on the appro-

receive house membership cards at

of first-year Hogwarts students.

priate method for breeding a Basilisk

the next meeting.

“Not Slytherin, Not Slytherin!!”

Trishya Gandhi (the society’s Dumb-

ment, Yule Ball, games of Quidditch,

ledore) remarked that she was pleased

potion making, and for the next ses-

with the turn out, with well over sixty

sion a ‘find the Snitch’ treasure hunt.

attendees, although 600 individuals did sign their names up at the Fresh-

To get involved with the Harry Potter

ers’ Fair (they were probably all

Society register your interest by owl

Muggles anyway). She discussed her

post or by visiting http://www.face-

plans for the society’s exciting future

book.com/KCLHPSOC.

events, such as a Triwizard Tourna-

Palestinian Students Visit King’s Raghda Ibrahem

The human rights charity Camden Abu Dis Friendship Association organised a Palestinian students’ exchange project. The KCL Action Palestine society is actively involved in the Look at Our Lives scheme.

Eight Palestinian students from AlQuds University spent nine days (11th-20th November) with British students from London universities and Oxford University.

KCL ACTION PALESTINE SOCIETY’S LOGO

The project’s aim is to raise awareness about the situation in Palestine and in particular Abu Dis, a small town near east Jerusalem. British people had the opportunity to hear first-hand about living in the Palestinian territories, and studying under these impossible circumstances. The main objective of the exchange was to draw attention to the impact of occupation on education and student lives. To this end there was a photo exhibition on 19th November. For more information visit www.camdenabudis.net.

KCL Action Palestine hosted two of the students on Wednesday 16th No-

vember at Guy’s Campus. They were Zakariya Zanoon, a first year dental student from Nablus and Zaid Ayyad, a second year dental student from Abu Dis. The Palestinian students were buddied with students from King’s who were both dental and non-dental students. The purpose of the visit was for them to experience student life at King’s. The students toured Guy’s Campus (including the Gordon Museum), attended dental lectures and shadowed dental students during their clinical sessions. We feel that the Palestinian students met a great range of King’s students and hopefully started new and lasting friendships.

This was an amazing opportunity to spend time with students whose education is much more strained and less of an assurance than ours.

We are a privileged student body at King’s and meeting these students made us appreciate that more.

For more information, please email raghda.ibrahem@kcl.ac.uk.

Roar! recommends the KCL Creative Writing Society’s new novel, ‘Fostering Guilt’, available now on Amazon and in the King’s Shop for £11.99!

Roar, November 22- December 12, 2011

Careers Section

Student Groups

9

Self-Employment: An Entrepreneurial Adventure

Georgia Rajah, Careers Editor

With December looming upon us, many of the deadlines for job applications, in finance and consulting for example, are beginning to close. The rigorous competition to secure these corporate jobs is leading many students to consider the benefits of self-employment.

Claud Williams and Bola Awoniyi, two current undergraduate students, studying at the BBP Business School and Loughborough University, took the initiative to start a business in parallel to their degrees. They came together to create Cosmic Inc. an umbrella company for various different brands, such as Starlight Imagery, a media company offering film and photographic services. Both Claud and Bola had set upon business ventures preceding the creation of Cosmic Inc, but for one reason or another the projects never stuck. They shared with Roar! the experiences that led to the creation of their enterprise and had advice for other budding entrepreneurs.

How did you initially manage to fund your enterprise?

Bola: We had a little bit of funding initially but there’s not been too much in terms of funding that hasn’t really come from ourselves or from doing events.

Claud: The beginning of Starlight was actually pretty easy because customers were finding us rather than us finding them… The only sources of income, other than our personal accounts and the money the company has made, has come from a program at my university called Enterprise Inc… but other than that we had no financial backing.

will learn so much about the business world and what mistakes not to make on your real project.

and Twitter make it easy for either your business to gain a good reputation or a bad one at the same time.

Bola: Don’t let anything hold you back, however crazy or complex your idea might be in the first instance… You need to at least get things running off the ground whether it’s market research or putting together prototypes, you need to have an awareness of how customers perceive your product or service. Try and do that as soon as possible because when you approach investors about your business, even if you’re really passionate about it, they’re not going to believe in it unless you have a good hard solid product in front of you.

Claud: If you try to be a superstar in business and you try to have everything on your shoulders, you’re not going to go very far. There are technical things that you need to understand such as accounting or marketing. If you can’t do it then find someone else who can… One of the reasons why Bola makes a great business partner is because he’s great when it comes to numbers, whereas me personally, I can’t stand to look at spreadsheets and balance sheets, whereas he’s passionate about it.

Claud: By organizing an event you get experience in loads of different areas of business…

Networking and having a good reputation is key as well, in this modern day people need to trust the brands where things are coming from. Facebook

cosmicinc.co.uk Global Entrepreneurship Week UK 14th -20th November : The GEW will be hosting hundreds of events, seminars and workshops across the country, go to http://www.gew.org.uk/ to find out more about entrepreneurial opportunities.

***

More information about graduate entrepreneurship and selfemployment can be found at www.prospects.ac.uk/self_employment.htm, also ‘Like’ the fb page ‘King’s Career Networks – entrepreneurship and Social Enterprise’! Through it you can access other pages such as ‘Starting Your Own Business’, and be kept up to date with competitions, courses and other business opportunities.

Starting a business is in no way an easy venture, however one thing that Claud and Bola stressed was that with passion and determination, you can go a long way. To find out more about Cosmic Inc. visit www.

KCLSU and the Careers service at King’s are also running skills workshops for budding entrepreneurs, or those interested in gaining skills for any career. See the kclsu.org/skills for more information.

What advice would you give to students looking to start their own business?

Claud: Expect and Embrace Failure Both of our first businesses failed, but from starting a business you learn so many things…I can almost guarantee that the first project most people start is not likely going to work but from that you

Above (Left) Claud Williams, Manager and Director of Cosmic inc.

(Direct Left) Bola Awoniyi. Chief Financial Officer

POINT BLANK!! King’s Rifle and Pistol Club LEE WATKINS ‘It’s unusual for King’s to have a rifle range in their basement,’ admits Adam Lakhani, President of the King’s College Rifle and Pistol Club. But then, it seems that virtually nothing in this club operates the way you’d expect. It’s a stormy, wet evening and the group has taken refuge in the out-of-the way Cheshire Cheese pub’s downstairs, which is mainly composed of pleasantly worn dark wood surfaces and outfitted with an incongruous TV and Wii. Much like the club itself, you wouldn’t find the pub unless you were looking for it. It’s located on a strange little back street, invisible to ordinary passers-by, and to make matters worse there’s a different pub with the same name about a ten minute walk away. But come rain or shine, members of the club meet here once a week to get a pint and disagree with each other.

The cast of characters around the scratched table have diverse opinions on just about everything, but there’s one topic on which they all relate. Despite the popular conception of shooting as a loud and impulsive sport, many members express that they are attracted to the serenity of the activity. ‘I like shooting because it is a refuge from the stresses of university life,’ says Tom Hynes,

a polite French and English major, ‘With slow breathing and ear defenders on, it’s like meditation.’ Lakhani agrees that there’s a zen element to the art of shooting. ‘I put on a jacket, a hood, a blinder for my left eye. With sensory deprivation to focus on that one thing, you get into the zone in an intense way.’

Each person seems to have their own advice on how to improve your shot. ‘Everyone has their own silly routines and rituals,’ Lakhani says. Having shot at the Imperial Meeting competition (essentially the British Open for shooting), he likely has quite a few of his own. Hynes counsels that when pulling the trigger, ‘It should be slow… slow… slow… and then surprise shot.’ He’s been an avid shooter since firing the Hotchkiss Noon Day gun in Hong Kong Harbor at age seven (with blanks, of course) and was the head of the Combined Cadet Force at his school at 16, though he admits that he ‘very rarely shot at school – mostly polished boots, practiced marching, got lost a lot…unlike Adam [Lakhani]…’ It’s ‘more a discipline than a sport,’ the club President states. ‘Over 90% of shooting is psychological, being in the right frame of mind.’ Hynes adds in counterpoint, ‘It’s relaxing.’

Every topic seems to cause an outpouring of opposing points of view. Between the five of us gathered today, we have eight countries of residence and origins in eleven nations, creating a dizzying web of connections and complex genealogy stories. When our Range Warden, Manfred Kronen, explains his life story I’m reminded of the locales of the Bourne trilogy; born in Germany to Austrian and Italian parents, he was raised in Switzerland, Italy and France. He roundly criticizes British gun policies and says that in his experience, the Swiss have the best attitude. Meanwhile, our lone purely-English Englishman is Alex Lintott, previously Treasurer and now a member of the Supervisory Committee. He sheepishly says that he’s spent his life living in London and Surrey.

Despite their differences, there’s at least there’s one thing they do regularly and happily together – complain about the price of ammunition. ‘A pound a round!’ Lakhani exclaims. There’s a nodding of heads and loud verbal assent.

10

Roar, November 22- December 12, 2011

Student Groups Edited by Laura Arowolo students@roarnews.co.uk

KCL RADIO WIN GOLD STUDENT RADIO ASSOCIATION AWARD

Adapted from an article by Isabella Fitzpatrick at kcl.ac.uk KCL Radio has won a Student Radio Association award this week for ‘Best Live Event’ for their coverage of last year’s London Varsity.

ing, ‘This is audio made by students, for students’, which is ‘technically impressive and full of colour and excitement’.

The Student Radio Association Awards (the SRAs) were held this year on the 9th November at the glitzy IndigO2 venue, with Radio 1 DJs Annie Mac and Scott Mills hosting a night dedicated to rewarding the best of upcoming radio talent.

Vice President of Student Media & Engagement, and last year’s station manager, Fran Allfrey commented, ‘It feels so brilliant to know that industry professionals took notice of our entry.

It was amazing to beat URN and LSRFM; they’ve both been established for at least 20 years, whereas KCL Radio is barely two years old!’ The Student Radio Awards recognises and celebrates the diversity of content and the wide-ranging talent in student radio.

They help to launch the next generation of gifted broadcasters into the radio industry and have kick-started the careers of well known broadcasters such as Scott Mills, Greg James and Alex Zane.

As Roar! previously exclusively revealed at www.roarnews.co.uk, KCL Radio were nominated for their coverage of the London Varsity 2011, which consisted of live commentary of the annual rugby match between King’s and UCL, as well as pre recorded interviews and a KCL vs. UCL sound-clash. At the awards night, Head Judge for the Best Live Event category, Colin Murray, revealed that KCL Radio had beaten Leeds and Nottingham to be the Gold award winners. The broadcast was KCL Radio’s first ever live broadcast, with industry professionals comment-

Colin Murray was great and seemed genuinely impressed with our entry, especially as he knew we were the underdogs. Of course for those of us that have graduated it crowns a wonderful time we have had with KCL Radio, but for the station itself it is a statement of intent that we are ready to have a kick about with the big boys.

For me working for KCL Radio, and commentating on the now award-winning varsity coverage was the best experience I had at King’s.’

King’s History graduate and presenter for the broadcast Sam Norris said Current Station Manager Freya Pasof the evening, ‘We all went to the call added, ‘I can’t wait for next awards considering ourselves really year’s SRAs now; it’s such a great lucky to have even been nominated. start to the year. I’m going to be and the organisation grew. This summer, Tenteleni will place 120 volunteers in projects established in South Africa, Swaziland, Zanzibar, Malawi and Kenya.

Tenteleni wants you!

Tenteleni is recruiting volunteers for its projects in Summer 2012. Projects run for a duration of 8-13 weeks. If you want to learn more, Tenteleni KCL will be holding info In Summer 2009, after months of nervous excitement, I evenings on 22nd November (Waterloo, Franklin Wilkins finally packed as much as I could fit into my 65 litre ruck- Building, Room 1.67) and 24th November (Guy’s, New sack and got ready to catch my plane. I was flying out Hunt’s House Classroom G4). Both events start at 6.15pm. to Johannesburg’s after most tourists were leaving, world You can also visit our website: http://www.tenteleni.org or cup madness over. At this airport, I was to meet 16 other email kings@tenteleni.org.uk.

Tenteleni Shakeup university students—King's and non-King's— some I’d Party for a good cause!

The Tenteleni Shakeup will be held previously met and others I had not, but all of whom I would be on the same project and sharing a living space on Saturday 26th November at Cantaloupe Shoreditch, and EVERYONE is invited! Tickets are £18 including enwith for the next eight weeks. try, dinner, live entertainment from the Bolsha Band and After several intense weekends of preparation for this trip, Kasai Masai and a motown DJ set to top it all off. Dinnerwe still weren’t sure what exactly to expect. But, we knew free tickets also available for less. Join us, and invite your we were in safe hands; Tenteleni, the organisation that we friends too! Email kings@tenteleni.org.uk for tickets! were volunteering with, had been working in the area for 10 years, and had formed sufficiently close relationships with schools and organisations here to understand the best ways of facilitating cultural exchange and skill-sharing between volunteers and local partners. Within the placements, volunteers were told to be open to the type of roles we would get, but most importantly to bring energy and enthusiasm and share ideas. Volunteers all take on the role of being teacher’s assistants, supporting learning in classrooms where class sizes range from 40 to 60, covering topics from English, youth issues to HIV/AIDS awareness.

Volunteering in Southern Africa with Tenteleni: An unforgettable experience!

Outside of our formal roles, there were a lot of opportunities to get involved in the community; we spent time in children's homes on a regular basis, forming friendships and helping with homework. Volunteers are also encouraged to build further relationships with other local charities and NGOs. In that sense, volunteers do contribute towards keeping the organisation relevant and receptive to evolving needs within the placements.Volunteering was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had, and the rewards were so much richer than what I had expected—in addition to learning more about yourself, you learn so much about a culture too.

About Tenteleni Tenteleni is a youth-led, volunteer-run charity that supports UK university students and graduates in travelling to Tenteleni placements in Africa. Tenteleni was founded in 1998 in South Africa by Sarah Copas, a British student who volunteered in Tenteleni Primary School in the township of KaNyamazane, in the Mpumalanga province. The next year, she returned to South Africa with five friends,

asking all of our members to start thinking about their awards entries for next year now!’

Above: some of the team with their award, photo: SRA

Join the KCL Radio team now: just go to www. kclradio.co.uk for info!

Roar! Contributors’ drinks!

Now that things have started to settle down and that first reading week essay deadline has passed we would like to invite anyone interested in contributing to Roar! to our Contributors Drinks at 7:30 in KCLSU Lobby on Tuesday 22nd of November.

Whether you want to take pics, proof read or write for us, come down meet the editors and see if you would like to get involved!

Roar, November 22- December 12, 2011

Features

Celebrate Disability History Month:

11

Edited by Rupert Clague features@roarnews.co.uk

A first for King’s!

Ana da Silva - Student Council Disabled Students’ Officer Hi! Just to introduce myself my name is Ana and I’m your Disabled Students’ Officer on Student Council. As well as this I’m President of KCL Disability Awareness Society and am on the NUS Disabled Students’ Committee.

This year is the first year that Liberation officers (which are Disabled, Women’s, Black and LGBT Officers) are on Student Council which is a massive step forward for KCLSU and so far it has been a massive success. Since being elected I have submitted two motions to student council which passed without any abstentions or against votes. One lobbying for KCLSU to support the Hardest Hit Marches (more info at http://thehardesthit.wordpress.com/) and the other requested that KCLSU help support and run the four liberation history months (Disabled (Nov-Dec), LBGT (Feb), Women’s (March), Black (Oct).

Alongside the work at Student Council I have met with a number of the KCLSU student officer team and staff to discuss issues our disabled students have raised and these are now being actively addressed with College. If any of you have an issue that has affected you however big or small please feel free to contact me and/or the KCLSU advice service (advice@kclsu.org), as this will really help us continue to make the a strong case to College in. There are many issues our student union is unaware of and if they don’t know about it they won’t be able to lobby College for change.

The more input we have from students the better the case we have to ask for reforms from our university. We expect to update you on developments during Disability History Month from 22 November - so get your ideas and comments in!

What’s on: Disability History Month 22nd Nov – 22nd Dec

This year is the first year that KCLSU will be helping to run Disability History Month. There are a whole range of different events that will be taking place... with more to be annonced soon!

22nd November: Mental Health Workshop (Guys) 25th November: Film showcase: ‘Inside I’m Dancing’ (Guys)

28th November: Deaf Awareness and a taster to BSL (Waterloo) 5th December: Quiz night ‘Who Wants to be a Disabilityaire?’

(Strand) 7th December: Study Skills Session - Learn about free assistive software (Strand)

Alongside these events, look out for our displays showcasing influential disabled people from history and the Disability Activist Timelines. Check kclsu.org/dhm for all the info on the events!

If you are interested in being involved in anything or would just like a little more information please feel free to contact Ana: ana.da_silva@ kcl.ac.uk

Taking To The Ice Zoe Tipler

KCL Disability Awareness is a group for all students at KCL. The aim of our socity is to CAMPAIGN, VOLUNTEER, increase people’s AWARENESS and SUPPORT our students.

This year KCLDA are planning a number of big campaigns on Mental Health, the NUS Access Challenge and Disability History month.

If you are interested in being a member of KCLDA please join up to our groupspaces website or send us an email http://groupspaces.com/kclda kclda@live.co.uk

Green Eyes@ roarnews.co.uk Remember, remember… anyone remember what happened on the fifth of November?

Forget Starbucks’ Christmas coffees, my shot of spicy gossip is all you need to get you up and going.

The days may be getting shorter, but with longer nights prepare for seasonal tales of fireplace romances, ice skating mishaps and mistletoecarrying fools trying their luck.

For now, Bonfire season is among us, and November 5th was the perfect time for snuggling up against warm bodies and experiencing some fireworks of our very own.

Flasks of Bailey’s and shimmering displays in the skies; what could be more romantic?

I’ll tell you what: guys without moustaches. Sure, the ‘Movember’ movement has noble aims in promoting issues of men’s health around the globe. But there is nothing, I repeat nothing, more tragic than stepping into uni and seeing every guy you know wearing a line of unattractiveness across their upper lip.

Skating at Somerset House - for King’s students an annual sign that Christmas has begun. We watch in anticipation as the rink is put up, gleefully waiting for the transformation of Somerset House from sun trap into winter wonderland.

This year they’ve pulled out all the stops to make taking to the ice more than a one-off event. Now it’s an out and out experience, a decadent day’s worth of rink-side attractions. What for instance could be more entertaining than munching on fish and chips from Michelin stared chef Tom Aitkens’ restaurant, while other people glide and crash on the frozen wastes? As for Dancing on Ice, why not practice those cool moves to the groove of guest DJs at late night skating on Thursdays and Saturdays. And for the aspiring Torvill-and-Dean’s amongst you, there’s always the option to bag a lesson with one of the special Somerset House rink tutors before you have to face your public, or the ice.

Student priced tickets are now on sale at the Somerset House Ice Rink Box Office.

When it comes to grooming, we all know guys have it easy. Bedhead?

Sexy. Stubble? Gives us a rash, but let’s be honest who really cares when it makes them look so damn good. The only thing us women ask of you is to shave that line of hair that looks like a dead rat sleeping across your face. And walking into class one day to see the crush of your life showing off a Poirotstyle, swirly moustache? An instant passion killer. The only good thing about the Movember tradition is that guys challenged in the facialhair department are, for one month only, swamped by a sea of swooning girls, running as far as they can from boyfriends who try to kiss them with these ridiculous displays of facial hair.

Our player of the month, who was on a date with four unsuspecting ladies simultaneously at the South-

wark firework display, did not sport a moustache. With all the excitement and benefit of the dark, he even managed to pick up a fifth woman’s phone number (but rumour has it, in bright daylight her Adam’s apple was a bit too pronounced for his liking). The only thing more awkward would be having your back pressed up against your ex for half an hour at a crowded bonfire display, whilst being kissed by your current unsuspecting flame. Thank goodness that never happened... Oh wait, it did, to the Philosophy student in the blue coat in Richmond Park.

Another memory worthy of forgetting? The second year girl at a house party who smooched the guy of her alcohol-fuelled dreams, only to realise that her potential significant other was a significantly older mature student with greying hairs, clutching desperately onto the last threads of his youth. In her defence, he was hot.

As are several of the students at the Strand Campus, if the reliability of a model scout outside of Topshop can be established. So far two girls and a guy have been approached to work at a London-based fashion house – whilst one of the girls perhaps overzealously whipped out the pepper spray, screamed for help and ran away, the other two students are allegedly on route to being Britain’s next top young model – so let the bitch fights and drama begin!

In the meantime, let news of a King’s Computer Sciences student hacking into the UCL network and changing all their passwords give you a high that’ll sustain you until my next column. And as always, email me with any swore-you’dnever repeat stories you cannot wait to see in print (or I might just have to reveal your secrets instead) Yours truly, Green Eyes

ch Bus r o 12 T c i p m y a Cola Ol ember 4th, and c o C e h t on Nov es: with s ’ m y e u r Strand t G e x t e h t a f t t o i s r h a i t p p lympic S Paper marching as a mon O w f r o e he lot! t t b o l m e r e a u e t t d i p Nov n h a ittle joy a against the HE W ing was there to c l a g n i d sprea harlie D th Demo C 9 r r e e h b p a m r e g the Nov ar! photo o R d n A campus.

Roar, November 22- December 12, 2011

Roar, November 22- December 12, 2011

Whether you’re a budding photogra pher, you play on you’re part of a st a sports team, or udent activity gro up, be sure to sen d in your snaps to Roar! for publica tion next issue!

13

14 Fashion & Life Style

Roar, November 22- December 12, 2011

Edited by Coryn Brisbane fashion@roarnews.co.uk

When High Street Met High End

When we heard Versace and H&M were collaborating Roar! Fashion couldn’t be more excited. The long-awaited collection is avaliable now and we know we’ll be camping outside first thing in the morning ready to get our fashion hungry hands on some fabulous high street Versace!

Miriam Sandiford As students the high-street is our often undesired shopping domain, and we can usually only lust after high end designer items. But occasionally the two fashion worlds collide…

H&M is best known as a reliable provider of everyday basics, woollen comforts and the chic trend section. But they’re also becoming reliable in providing us with top designer collaborations. These have previously included the likes of Karl Lagerfeld, Roberto Cavalli and Jimmy Choo.

This time H&M have teamed up with none other

I Need a Muse!

Lauren Clark One thing the noughties bequeathed us fashion-wise, besides a tribal dedication to skinnies and Uggs, was an onslaught of celebrity/designer collaborations. Be it the movie star as artistic muse (Sofia Coppola and Marc Jacobs, we mean you) or the commercial team-up of Blake Lively and Stella McCartney, we have seen it all. Often it has worked like a dream.

Remember when Emma Watson gave back that edgy cool to heritage brand Burberry? However, the potential for clashing style egos is huge.

The concept of the designer muse has its roots in the relationship between Marilyn Monroe and William Travilla, who designed Monroe’s costumes for Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. But it was not until Madonna and Jean Paul Gaultier fused their creative minds to great effect for her 1990 Blonde Ambition tour that this kind of partnership really took hold. Madonna benefited from the formation of an iconic

than Donatella Versace for their new collection.

The collection consists of a mix of styles; from studded leather party wear to tropical summer brights.

Versace’s actual spring/summer 2012 collection includes leather items with studded detailing but in white instead of black and this is a trend they’ve extended through their collaboration collection. So there is similarity between the actual Versace and the H&M Versace (just to tempt you a little more).

The pieces in the collection are more expensive than the standard H&M items, but they’re still a fraction of the price of the designer pieces. For investment pieces which bring you a touch of

image - remember that cone corset outfit - and Gaultier received fantastic exposure.

It is little wonder that other designers have been increasingly eager to follow suit and secure an informal muse for inspiration, the more glamorous and famous the better. Matthew Williamson has his long-time friend, the effortlessly well-dressed Sienna Miller, while the late Alexander McQueen had Kate Moss and Sarah Jessica Parker in his time, a true indication of a gifted designer if there ever was one.

Indeed, celebrity brand ambassadorship becomes a given as soon as one achieves any form of fame. However, these relationships are mutuallybeneficial, unashamedly commercial operations. They most often evolve into big-budget advertising campaigns - see a chic Keira Knightley motorcycling around in the name of Chanel - and I have seen no less than Charlize Theron for Dior and Gwyneth Paltrow for Coach by page four of this month’s Vogue alone. This welltrodden celebrity passage still creates much discussion - did we just hear

Versace into your wardrobe some of the pieces are a bargain. Granted, not all the items are student budget friendly but our favourites, including the tropical printed knit (£29.99), studded shift (£49.99) and fake-fur gilet (£39.99) are steals! The collection was launched on 17th November and we hope by next issue we’ll be glad in these glorious brights.

H&M has also announced another collaboration, this time with costume designer Trish Summerville. The collection is based on her latest movie, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and the 30 piece strong line will bring an edgy, urban rawness inspired by the book and film’s anti-heroine Lisbeth Salander. Key pieces include leather leggings, tribal earrings and plat-

that Angelina Jolie is the new face of Louis Vuitton Fall!? An advanced and clever commercial relationship incorporates celebrity product placement, boosting sales dramatically for designers and padding out the closets of the beautiful. This is exemplified

by Mulberry’s decision to christen its Alexa handbag after Miss Chung herself, immediately multiplying its desirability.

Unfortunately, the celebrity/designer relationship can turn nasty too. A poorly judged collaboration can severely harm the reputation of both parties. Lindsay Lohan was ridiculed when she sent unforgivably hideous outfits down the catwalk at Ungaro.

Designers will even go that extra mile to ensure certain tabloid celebrities fail to get their hands on their creations.

Arguably, without celebrity endorsement designers would struggle to publicise their brand to the masses.

Celebrities similarly benefit from that trendy, artistic association and styling. It is fashion’s greatest friendship.

form wedges. It will be available in stores from 14th December.

A less likely partnership high-street designer collaboration is Primark and Selfridges. Primark is opening a menswear concession in Selfridges meaning your (forgive me) Pri-marni and Armani will actually be in the same store.

However, this union seems a bit unnecessary as whilst most collaborations are to make designer-wear accessible, Primark are merely having a concession in the store. Selfridges say they want to broaden their clientele and steps have already been undertaken to this end with their stocking of Joey Essex’s ‘Reem’ collection but I fear the luxe exclusivity that Selfridges exudes will be irrevocably knocked by this new concession.

Roar, November 22- December 12, 2011

Fashion & Life Style

Movember Coryn Brisbane

TRENDING

The month has come for us single ladies to take a leap of faith in the dating game. Why? Well, the month of Movember is upon us and moustachecladded men are filling London’s streets. Let’s be honest, the moustache is an acquired taste. The rate of success for a well-coifed moustache is relatively slim. Sure, you get the rugged exceptions like Tom Selleck but all too often that can easily turn into Ron Burgurndy – and do you know what links them? The 1970s, and that’s where they should stay.

Some modern offenders have pulled it off, such as Orlando Bloom and Jude Law, and we all have a penchant for the moustached Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow. But, then again, trying to think of those who can pull off a hair-lined upper lip is a lot harder than finding those that can’t. You say the word moustache to me and I think of Hercule Poirot, Beppe DiMarco, Borat and Hulk Hogan. Not many people’s dream line-up and certainly not mine.

Amelia Lily’s return to X Factor. Now the bookies’ favourite this girl is proving Kelly she made a BIG mistake Gingerbread Lattes.

We missed you, never leave us again!

Live Lounge covers, this month we’ve been spoilt. Our favourite is Kasabian’s cover of Lana Del Rey’s Video Games Vaseline’s limited edition Creme Brule flavour. Tastes good enough to eat, but don’t.

Heston’s pine smelling mince pies.

These festive treats smell delicious and taste even better.

Grab them if you see them because their first arrival sold out in hours.

Linsay Lohan’s Marilyn Monroe inspired Playboy shoot. You’ve messed up your life and now you’re ruining Marilyn. Cheers Linsay.

Frankie Cocozza - fuck off! No one messes with our Gazza B and gets away with it Downton Abbey Season 2 finale. We need the Christmas special NOW. Our shameful love of crap TV. Sorority Girls, Desperate Scousewive. We know it’s awful but we love it none the less Winter accessories on the public sauna that is the tube.

TRAILING

Yet, alas, this month we must embrace all that is facial hair and welcome Movember. The reason for this ‘trend’ is for the all too deserving

Welcome to my World at least it’s a reality as opposed to the fantasy world my boyfriend has come to occupy

Francesca Paul As Call of Duty, MW3 hit the shops last week (no, this is not a review) Francesca Paul gives us a brief insight of what we can come to expect from our beloved partners for the foreseeable future. Coincidence it came out for reading week? I don’t think so.

‘Hi!’ No reply. ‘HI?!’

Opening the door a monstrous sight greets me. Stuck to the squishy, black leather chair, half clothed and sweating profusely, with brow furrowed deep in concentration, sits my boy-

friend of two years. Clamped to his head is a humongous set of headphones, one of the earpieces snapped off as a result of a previous game’s frustration. On the desk sits his laptop screeching out encouragement, a horrendous sound loud enough to be heard through the massacred headphones: ‘GREAT SHOT! KILL ‘EM BOY!’ The furious clicking of the mouse adds the finishing touch to the riotous hubbub as my twenty-one-year-oldsoon-to-be-medic boyfriend frantically attempts to kill the opposing team with what looks like trees throwing fireballs.

A pained few minutes commence during which I can see his mind working furiously in the battle to answer my question and succeed in his, infinitely more important, game.

‘Er, about… five minutes?’

A quick glance at the timer on the screen (yes I have learnt where it is) is enough to uncover the traitorous liar these games have turned my boyfriend into. Forty five minutes and counting. I sigh as I close the door on yet another three hours of revelling in a fantasy world wherein masculinity and aggression is asserted by slaughtering elves and imps.

‘How long have you been playing this for, then?’

Resignedly, I realise the expectation of any response is completely futile.

Roar! Come Dine With Me Roar! are organising our own Come Dine With Me, set to be as amazing as the original...if not better.

If you think you’re the next culinary talent, as mouthy as Gordon Ramsay, or as innovative as Heston Blumenthal then this is for you.

We want provocative, interesting and amusing people to take part. It will be filmed as videos for roarnews.co.uk and will also be documented in this section.

Email in a few of sentences, to fashion@roarnews.co.uk, telling us why you think you’d be the perfect host. We want to know your likes, dislikes and what you will bring to the table.

We’ll begin initial stages of selection in the next couple of weeks so get emailing your pitches in.

Join our Facebook page (Roar Come Dine With Me) and spread the word!

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Prostate Cancer Charity. The money raised by the fine moustachery of participating men, known as the Mo Bro’s, is directed towards promoting ‘awareness and education, survivorship and research’ for the condition.

1 in 9 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime and in 2008 a third of those diagnosed with the disease died as a result of it. Women dedicate a lot more time to publicity of their health in comparison to men (http://uk.movember. com/mens-health/) so the frivolity of Movember is designed to bring men together in camaraderie to positively take measures in ensuring and prolonging their health.

So men, get proactive this winter and grow a moustache: Super Mario or handlebar, Viking or pornstar. Girls, it will require a bit of imagination when meeting new guys this month to envisage them without a hairy upper lip but remember the guy approaching you donning a Tom Selleck is not necessarily a creep. However, if the guy you’re talking to is bearing the resemblance of a dictator, donning a Hitler or a Stalin, politely excuse yourself and run.

Send a picture of yourself or your friends embracing Movember to us @roar_news.

cut out and keep

Cupcakes

Our own domestic goddess Kristina Freeman is back to show us how to make these delicious cupcakes: simple enough for all of us!

175g caster sugar 175g margarine 175g self-raising flour 3 eggs (beaten together) 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract For the Butter-icing: 150g softened unsalted butter 275g icing sugar 1 tablespoon milk 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract 1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160 Fan/ Gas Mark 4. Cream the margarine, caster sugar and vanilla extract together until light and fluffy 2. A little at a time sieve in the flour into the butter mixture followed by small amounts of beaten egg. Repeat until well combined.

3. Lay out some paper muffin cases in a tray. Divide the cake mixture between the paper cupcake cases.

4. Bake the cupcakes for 15-20 minutes until golden and springy to the touch. Allow to cool.

5. Butter- icing: Cream the butter, icing sugar, milk and vanilla extract until light and fluffy. Add food colouring if you’re feeling creative. When cool spread or pipe the icing onto the cupcakes and decorate as desired- a bit of edible glitter doesn’t go a miss!

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Roar, November 22- December 12, 2011

Arts Edited by Theodora Wakeley arts@roarnews.co.uk

WILHELM SASNAL

tions can be effectively expressed through the use of total abstraction.

The second gallery of the exhibition contains some of Sasnal’s earlier work. The paintings here go a long way in showing Sasnal’s initial

A Literary Childhood

Henry Cross

rejection of the conventional artis-

Y

The memoir is not entirely focused on Joseph Heller himself but also gives an insight into the woman behind the man: Shirley. Moments of humour alongside tender expressions of great sadness detail her battle with cancer. A touching moment that renders the reader to sudden breathlessness is the desolation of the memory Erica now holds of her mother. Rather than remembering her as ‘pretty, scrappy, robust, and lively’ the remaining picture is that of Shirley as ‘brittle and thin, desolate and in pain’. Anyone who has lost a parent can relate to Erica, and anyone who has not will be able to imagine such a feeling due to the in-depth writing style that this passage exhibits (in contrast to the often distant style throughout the rest of the novel).

Having read Catch-22 and falling for the original and cynical approach to the war and delighting in the biting comments of the narrator, I have always been curious about the man behind the work. Yossarian Slept Here satisfies such a curiosity and provides a frank description of Joseph Heller and his often difficult relationship with his wife and children.

Erica is very candid in her style. Her honesty is what makes the book excellent. And for those who have read Joseph Heller’s works, you might just notice a remarkable similarity between father and daughter’s style. Clearly, a knack for writing runs in the family.

The current exhibition of Wilhelm Sasnal’s work at the Whitechapel gallery is, some might say, a very rare thing. As well as containing a variety of works which may be deemed ‘abstract’ and not within the realms of ‘fine art’, the paintings on display also present to the viewer some deep moral dilemmas and uncompromising portrayals of reality, often through the use of said abstraction.

The first gallery of the exhibition contains what Sasnal worked on from 2005 until today. All of the paintings here are based on pictures that Sasnal took himself or sourced from the internet. They present a wide variety of issues, from contemporary family life, to news and motifs from art history and all are underpinned by a deep sense of struggle.

One of the paintings that first grabs your attention upon entering the gallery is a rather unassuming picture of Agathe Kanziga Hakyuriman. On reading the description, though, the true nature of the picture is revealed.

The picture that Sasnal based the painting on was the moment at which Agathe discovered that she was implicated in the Rwandan genocide of 1992. The painting movingly captures the look of confusion and disgust that was shared by the artist upon discovering the true nature of the woman.

Another piece that takes one’s interest is Photophobia, a work completely abstract in nature. At first, it is the randomness of the piece that generates curiosity, but then, upon reading the description, again it is the subject matter that is truly gripping. The picture shows what Sasnal describes as his portrayal of a hangover, something which students will no doubt be familiar with. The mesmerising mixture of swirling bright colours shows how reality and emo-

tic techniques shown to him at the Krakow institute of Art. Along with slightly less provocative copies of comic book pictures without their speech bubbles, the flourishing of the artist can be seen to a large extent in works such as Untitled (Rubber and Metal). This abstract shows the bare outline of materials mentioned in the title, which together serve as a depiction of the cause of the Concorde disaster of 2000.

The final gallery of Sasnal’s work shows a cinematic dimension to the art. As well as showcasing actual films that Sasnal has made, which are very similar in content to what is seen in the standard paintings, the pieces here attempt to retain the ‘narrative’ that can be seen in film, whilst also maintaining what Sasnal described as ‘a certain atmosphere of anticipation’.

This is evident most of all in Sasnal’s series of abstracts based on the work of Metinides, a photographer famous for his pictures of the aftermaths of gruesome accidents.

The changing of these brutal depictions of reality into near abstract compositions with unassuming backdrops creates an extremely uneasy sensation as one tries to reconcile this overwhelming contradiction.

This, more than anything else in the exhibition, demonstrates Sasnal’s core belief that painting has nothing to do with ‘withdrawing from society’. In fact, ‘the artist must be aware of the world and the society which he or she is part of,’ which makes Sasnal a thoroughly original painter and this exhibition fantastically thought-provoking.

Wilhelm Sasnal is showing at the Whitechapel Gallery until 1st Jan 2012. Free.

Kelly Kirkham ossarian Slept Here, a well-written exploration of the relationships within the life of Erica Heller, is a rare and insightful memoir. As the daughter of Joseph Heller, the genius who wrote Catch-22, Erica’s memories of her childhood, her parents’ relationship and her parents’ deaths, are haunted with the sadness of one who struggles to understand the dramas of life. Yes, there are amusing events to keep us entertained; Joseph Heller’s indeterminable energy and love of mischief when hiding the baby Erica in the wardrobe is just one such example. But within the pages of the book lies a true desire from the author to try and understand the contradictory personality of her father.

Yossarian Slept Here by Erica Heller, published by Vintage, £8.99

TICKET GIVE AWAY! You’re invited to join Office Party! Get ready to be recruited as an employee of a fictitious company and be witness to all the hilarious activities at this riotous annual party. Immerse yourself in the surreal world of Product Solutions Head Office and let your Head of Department take you on a wild night out of outrageous comedy and cabaret at the Pleasance Theatre, Islington. Roar! has 2 pairs of tickets for Office Party to give away to the first person to send ‘give me tickets’ with your name and student number to arts@roarnews.co.uk

PRIZE: 2 pairs of tickets to Office Party, valid for all performances until 15 Dec. Subject to availability. Tickets are non-transferable and no cash alternative will be offered. Thanks to http:// www.officepartyshow.com. Winning tickets will be reserved for collection at theatre Box Office.

If you don’t win, you can book tickets via the box office on 020 7609 1800.

LIFE IS A CABARET Ruby Fitzpatrick Halloween is a great time to dress up and no one does dressing up quite like The Magic Theatre. Three times a year the Rivoli Ballroom in Crofton Park is taken over by London’s most extravagant cabaret fans: expect corsets, stockings and A LOT of makeup – and that’s just on the men.

This Halloween, Saturday 29th October, lovers of cabaret and extraverted self-expression gathered in their ‘scariest’ Halloween get-up for an evening of cabaret and costumed fun. The night started for me and my friends with a long journey from North to South but it was completely worth it. As usual, the costumes on show were amazing. Everyone had convincingly transformed themselves into a creature of the night and the cabaret was equally well thought out. When we got there a DJ was playing a mix of old and new songs to entertain the crowd and get the audience in the mood for cabaret.

The first act was an impressive mime singer completely making the songs her own through her expressions and movement ,with a few cheeky costume reveals thrown in. And then we had the stripper, disguised at first as a mourning widow, a staple of all cabaret nights, who was brave enough to bare all and then surprise you by taking off even more clothes. After that excitement came the dancers, two other London students who had put together a clever Halloween inspired Dr. Frankenstein act that was great to watch. The main attraction of the night however was the Fabulous Lounge Swingers: a lounge swing band that sings all the pop classics but in a whole new lounge rhythm. They really got the crowd going, singing and dancing along into the early hours of the morning.

Magic Theatre nights are always a huge amount of fun and an eye opener into the world of the alternative. The next night is Saturday 10th December, the big Magic Theatre Christmas Party. I will definitely be there to see more cabaret and fantasy fun.

For more information visit http://www.magic-theatre.co.uk/pages/home.php.

Roar, November 22- December 12, 2011

Dead on Paper, Alive on Canvas Theodora Wakeley

I love birds. I eagerly anticipate a time when twitching is as in vogue as knitting and I’m not ashamed to admit to having spent quite a few hours of my life shut up in a bird hide trying to spot some elusive barn owlets.

‘Ghosts of Gone Birds’, an art exhibition in Shoreditch publicising the vulnerability of our feathered friends and reminding us of which species we have so far lost was thus, not surprisingly, a must-see for me and having to walk past flocks of native Greater Spotted Hipster Tits to get there was a small price to pay.

The exhibition brings together a wide range of familiar (Peter Blake, Ralph Steadman) and unfamiliar artists who have all been tasked with producing a

visual image that will inspire us into action. Each piece deals with a different extinct species. Of course the dodo is there, but the artists use this cultural mainstay to draw attention to the other birds - Peter Blake’s Dead as a Dodo is a long list naming all the birds that have lost their fight with man, ending with a subtle drawing of a dodo to emphasise their fate.

I’m not guilty! I feed the birds in my garden regularly, sometimes donate to the RSPB and I don’t eat any sort of bird, farmed or hunted. But, wait a minute, I also own a cat. Ahhhh.”

Cats are the devil incarnate at Ghosts of Gone Eyes, their eyes often lurking in the background of the paintings, telling of a grim future unnoticed by the innocent feathered protagonist.

The most strikingly beautiful and colourful images (e.g. Bishop’s O’o

by Ben Newman, pictured above) deal with long forgotten birds as their subject matter. Just how forgotten is emphasised by Harry Adams’s painting Tahiti Rail; the only evidence currently in existence that this bird ever actually flew is, sadly, a watercolour painting. This proves that this project has relevance – art is just as necessary as photography and skeletons for preservation and remembrance.

Even if you are not particularly a fan of birds and wildlife charities make you feel cold then I would still recommend you go just for the wonderful room of distinctive Ralph Steadman drawings that are often comic, such as The White Winged Gonner, but mainly extremely pleasing on the eye.

Many of the pieces go beyond the aesthetic into the political. A Katrina Van Grouw painting focusing on the plight of the Moa (a 12ft flightless bird native to New Zealand) includes a Maori lament, ‘We are lost like the Moa’ and Philip Hardaker’s sculpture Exterminated by Civilised Man 18401910 is basically a mirror. While on a surface level this mirror seems just a reminder of the environmental atrocities committed by our ancestors, it also forces you to consider how complicit you are. For example my train of thought went like this: “Me?

OUP Book Review Hergé: The Man Who Created Tintin

by Pierre Assouline Tintin erately recent behind

fever has officially hit the nation. Delibtimed to coincide with the release of the film, Assouline’s biography of the man the comic is an intriguing and passionate study.

Leaving no stone unturned in his quest to deliver an interesting account of the famously elusive illustrator,

Sylvia Plath’s Sketches Ben Jackson I entered the Mayor Gallery in Mayfair with slight trepidation, as I wasn’t entirely sure why we needed an exhibition of Sylvia Plath’s drawings. Surely her poems are cause enough for celebration. It didn’t take long to discover the primary reason behind this exhibition: money. The drawings that line the walls are placed above prices ranging from £950 to £4,500. I say, let the rich have their sketches and leave the rest of us to appreciate the poetry.

Not all of the drawings are even signed by the ‘artist’, which brings into question whether Plath meant these mere sketches to be seen in art galleries. Further proof of this is the three drawings, which I shall group together under the title ‘studies of

Arts

My one problem with this exhibition is that it made me envious – all the pieces (except the Steadman originals) are for sale and if I could afford to I would have bought them all and made my home an artistic bird paradise but, as it was, I couldn’t even afford the full-size prints (retailing for a couple of hundred quid) and most of them had the ubiquitous red spot lurking underneath anyway. Never mind though, it was still bloody fantastic and by the time you read this there will only be a couple of days left to go so what are you waiting for? FLY! Ghosts of Gone Birds is showing at Rochelle School until 23rd November. Free.

Assouline easily displays a level of detective competence on a par with our hero Tintin. From his ‘grey’ childhood to his extremely colourful adult work, we see Hergé emerge from the shadows. Controversy does not go untouched - by delving into the back story of the arguably racist Tintin in the Congo and detailing Hergé’s alleged collaboration with the Nazis Assouline ensures the reader of an unbiased portrait. Read as a depiction of a trouble genius, this biography becomes accessible to everyone and is definitely recommended.

To win a copy email arts@roarnews.co.uk with the answer to: what was the name of Tintin’s Dog?

boats’, in which Plath is clearly in a learning process as they are simply penciled outlines of boats. I’ll be frank. Sylvia Plath’s drawings should not be in an art gallery. The walls of art galleries should be reserved for people whose sole artistic interest is in making marks on a surface, not for people who sketch bowls of fruit in their spare time.

Granted, one or two of Plath’s drawings are of artistic value and not just in an aesthetic sense; the ink drawing of a pair of shoes entitled The Bell Jar is linked to her semi-autobiographical novel of the same name: ‘I had removed my patent leather shoes after a while, for they foundered badly in the sand. It pleased me to think they would be perched there on a silver log pointing out to sea, like a sort of soul-compass after I was dead’.

But apart from this one speculative twinkle, this whole debacle leaves me feeling quite outraged. To dis-

play the mediocre sketches of a poet for purely financial gain in a once-respected gallery is an insult to art and an affront to culture. It brings into question the idea of authorship and how far one can go in exhibiting the collected works of a literary icon. How long before we see Plath’s shopping lists at the Mayor Gallery?

Sylvia Plath: Her Drawings is showing at the Mayor Gallery until 16th December. Free.

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The Not-So-Empty-Stage Bryony White A new regular guide to student-friendly Off-West End, fringe, and alternative theatre.

What I saw…

The Swallowing Dark at Theatre 503 Straight from its sold-out run in the Liverpool Everyman Theatre, Lizzie Nunnery’s The Swallowing Dark has hit Theatre 503 in Battersea.

For those of you who haven’t yet heard of Theatre 503, this innovative, quirky fringe theatre is creating and producing really exciting new work.

The Swallowing Dark centres on the re-opening of an immigration case. Martha, a decidedly confident immigration officer is assisting Canaan, a young Zimbabwean, who has been living in the UK with his son in order to escape the horrors of the Mugabe regime. The play follows the life of this apparently dissimilar pair, who repeatedly tell themselves ‘there has to be an end’, leaving the play with an unforeseeable resolution.

The performance is a raw comment on the nature and dificulties of story-telling. Despite looking deeply at how one can narrate the self, and quietly asking how one can legitimately narrate others, the play remains simple and honest. Most importantly, this play is beautifully written; its power lies in its subtlety. Perhaps then, the ‘end’ is The Swallowing Dark: the playing out of this intense, beautifully pared-down production.

The Swallowing Dark is showing at Theatre 503 until 26th November, £9 Students. Theatre 503’s ‘Pay What You Can’ takes place on a Sunday.

A Place at the Table, presented by Daedalus Theatre, Camden People’s Theatre Having just returned from A Place at the Table at Camden People’s Theatre, I feel hungry. Hungry, in that I want to ask more questions and get more answers.

As I walked into the CPT’s blackbox space, I found it filled with a massive mahogany table. Sat ‘round it were four actors and what seemed like an exposed technician, perhaps a stage manager. Wires, laptops, papers and intense table lighting filled the scene. I was engaged, just like that. I was there, in the action, in the audience, ready.

What proceeds is a piece ofVerbatimTheatre, delving into the horrors and atrocities of the Civil War within the East African country of Burundi. The piece begins within a clinical yet complex conference at the United Nations.

As much as I try to engage, the action is too fast and the information is too much. Then the piece ruptures, intentionally breaking down and exposing itself. The actors begin to ask themselves and the audience who they were and what was going on. They keep insisting, ‘Let’s take it back to the beginning’. All of a sudden the rhythm of the piece changes: we are transported into the story and back to the beginning of time. The performance refreshes itself and starts anew. As the play climaxes, we are drawn to be hungry, to get fed and ask questions together.

Sometimes I think it’s pretty easy to forget that the nature of theatre is a levelling experience. It is an event that is shared and it seems this is what Daedelus Theatre sought to achieve and did so with honesty, innovation and ease.

A Place at the Table is showing until 19th November at Camden People’s Theatre, £8 Students.

What I am going to do…

Determined to experience something a little different this week, I am planning on undertaking the ‘Wapping:audio’ audio tour. Created by CPT’s Matt Ball and many other international theatre-makers who are deeply invested in the experience of the city, the audio tour guides you ‘round the district of Wapping, overlaying the space with an auditory theatre experience. The best part is, it’s an entirely free download and only forty minutes long!

For more information visit: http://www.wappingaudio.org/

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Roar, November 22- December 12, 2011

Music Edited by Shivan Davis music@roarnews.co.uk

‘Ceremonials’ Florence + The Machine **** THOMAS FLANNAGAN

‘And the only solution was to stand and fight’ is the outcry on opener ‘Only If For a Night’, as the frantic orchestra that is now The Machine rolls out.

Brace yourself, Florence Welch is back (and fighting too). You’d think that after the monumental success that was 2009’s Mercury nominated, Brit-Award winning, platinum album Lungs, Florence might let herself catch her breath.

Apparently not, at least if Ceremonials is anything to go by. An explosive record, it’s got an almost cataclysmal nature to it, with Florence’s war-mongering vocals coursing through the album’s twelve tracks. In the build-up to the album, Florence described it as being more ‘chemical and elemental’, and there’s definitely a sense that her sound has expanded on the larger moments of Lungs. Take ‘Rabbit Heart’, ‘Cosmic Love’ and ‘Drumming Song’, for example, which are twisted into one relentless, drum-centered record of Welch’s own vision of gothic soul.

There’s no question: this album is huge.

Anyone familiar with Florence will

U2 – ‘Achtung Baby’ (20th Anniversary Reissue) SAM SPENCER know that big is what she does best: the voice, the drums, the harp, you name it. Opening track ‘Only If For a Night’ is in some ways the perfect opener: its colossal, orchestral presence and larger-than-life images of sacrifice and the supernatural are a good indication of what’s to come. Florence, throughout the course of the album, seems to obsess over ideas of drowning, crying, and of performance and sacrifice, as well as the devil. Each song becomes a ‘ceremonial’ in its own right.

‘Let the only sound be the overflow,’ sings Florence on the six minute folkrock epic ‘What the Water Gave Me’, inspired by stories of parents who swam out to rescue their children who’d been swept away by the water, but who drowned in the process, whilst their children were saved. Water and the ocean seem to be the key ‘elements’ that Florence describes herself as being interested in; they’re an overwhelming and prominent aspect of the huge track ‘Never Let Me Go’; ‘It’s breaking over me, a thousand miles down to the sea-bed...the arms of the ocean are carrying me,’ she sings, as the surge of orchestra descends into action. There’s something irresistibly beautiful and cinematic about Welch’s lyrics throughout,

Roar Playlist: 1. Professor Green- “Read All About It” (feat. Emile Sande) 2. Sufjan Stevens- “I Walked” 3. The Magnetic Fields- “All My Little Words” 4. Loik Essien- “Me Without You” 5. Pixie Lott- “What Do You Take Me For” (feat. Pusha T) 6.A$ap Rocky- “Peace” 7. Drake- “Lord Knows” (feat. Rick Ross) 8. Holy Ghost!- “I Wanted To Tell her” 9. Birdy- “People Help the People” 10. Kelly Clarkson- “Mr Know It All”

Reissues. The epitome of scraping the barrel, released as artists become increasingly lacklustre, or a chance to revisit seminal albums for a whole new generation? Either argument can be made for this release. Although recent times have seen U2 veering dangerously towards becoming their own tribute act, they are still sometimes capable of writing excellent songs. Additionally, their classic albums desperately need to be revisited, as U2 become increasingly known About halfway through the album there’s for the infuriating activities of Bono rather than their music. an obvious toning down of sound, with Welch instead opting for the mid-tempo With this in mind, then, we come to the 20th anniversary edition of jam that is ‘Breaking Down’. It’s all Achtung Baby, regarded by many as their finest albums, if not one of twinkly keyboards and softer vocals, yet the finest ever. For the most part, it still sounds incredible. We must there’s still the familiar crescendo of the remember how radical a change this album was for the band; comorchestra as the song progresses, when paring the juddering guitars of epic Krautrock opener ‘Zoo Station’ Florence, almost unbothered, notes, to, say,‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’ shows just how far removed this ‘I think I’m breaking down again’. album is fromits predecessors. From the fabulously demonic ‘The Fly’- the song that, for better or for worse, created modern U2 (even ‘Lover to Lover’ is perhaps a step too far recent single‘Get On Your Boots’ sounded like ‘The Fly’, albeit writout of the album’s sound with its hand- ten by drunken toddlers), to the all-night Berlin party of ‘Mysterious claps and 60s piano jams. Florence is Ways’, to paranoid torch song ‘Ultraviolet’, this is the sound of a band soulful, but you can’t help feel you’d reconstructing themselves in fascinating ways. Even ‘One’, forever find this more at home on an Adele or destroyed by a million ill-advised X-Factor performances, is revived Duffy album (and that’s not just because here by its electrifying performance and stunningly bitter lyrics it sounds uncannily familiar to the Welsh (‘have you come here to play Jesus/to the lepers in your head?’ songstress’s ‘Hanging on Too Long’). never has paranoid despair seemed so fun!) That said, this reissue stand on the original alone.

Fortunately, though, there’s a return to cannot and ‘Never Let Me Go’ exemplifies not only The Machine’s increasing presence as a force to be reckoned with, but the more romantic side to Florence as well: the damsel, but never in distress.

what Florence does best in her soon-tobe third single ‘No Light No Light’ and ‘Heartlines’. Easily two of the standout tracks on the album, they could both just as likely be the summoning chant for a religious sect’s ceremony as a warcry for an army on the verge of battle.

Although the second disc has many interesting songs, providing insight into the journey between The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby, (‘Lady With the Spinning Head’, ‘Salomé’, ‘Korova 1’) there is a distinct lack of new material, with nearly all the songs being B-Sides or remixes of mixed quality. Surely such an astounding album, made with one of the greatest producers of all time, Brian Eno, must have better material hidden away; perhaps it’s being saved for the 25th anniversary.

Unknown Mortal Orchestra – ‘Unknown Mortal Orchestra’ (Fat Possum Records) **** JOE BROOKES ‘Don’t be surprised if we/Shine as Big White,’ wails Ruben Nielson as he welcomes you into the immersive psychedelic world of UMO’s self-titled debut album. Unlike many modern psych-rock bands’ efforts (see MGMT or Tame Impala), the album has a scratchy lo-fi production quality that still draws you into a trippy mess of colour and acid-inspired riffs reminiscent of this style’s originators in the 60s and 70s. There is no need for mindless, heady effects that so many other bands rely on. Instead the song-writing rings true, and the band is gifted with a sophisticated rhythm section that has a gravity-defying swagger on tracks like ‘Funny Friends’ and ‘Bicycle’ that forces your limbs to move in ways you never thought they could. The third track, ‘Thought Ballune’, opens with the fantastically hallucinatory lines, ‘Building islands in the sky/While I’m a prisoner in my mind’, a nod towards the heavy influence that drugs have had on this album. The Portland-based Kiwi admits to influences ranging from Syd Barrett to Wu-Tang Clan producer RZA, and ‘Little Blu House’ follows a similar route with Nielson chirping, ‘Oh, to be high on the mountainside.’

Overall the lyrics and instrumentation fuse together to provide the escapist quality that this record prescribes. Nielson himself lived for a few years in a Yurt in the back-country of his native New Zealand, in which the majority of this album was created, with the use of an old analogue Dictaphone. On a first listen this album is fresh, with a distinctly simple production quality and lyrics that stand out from the currently clinical sonic realm. However, it is very easy to get tired of what the band does; a few things are done impeccably well, yet most of the techniques are used over and over in every one of the nine tracks. But who cares? This is an album to get lost in, and rather than being a one-trick pony it is more like a racehorse – bred for only one purpose, but doing it with the utmost elegance and ability.

Roar, November 22- December 12, 2011

Gig Review: The Antlers @ KOKO, 10th November, 2011 *** SHIVAN DAVIS

Photo: Burak Cingi for DrownedinSound.com No one in the audience for The Antlers’ show at Koko on 10th November would have anticipated an evening of feel good music punctuated with banter from this melancholic group. The Brooklyn-based indie outfit began as a soloproject for lead vocalist and songwriter Peter Silberman.

After writing material for two albums, Uprooted and In the Attic of the Universe, Silberman enlisted drummer Michael Lerner and keyboardist Darby Cucci. Together, the three recorded a couple of EPs that later became the band’s critically acclaimed 2009 concept album Hospice.

Hospice is a devastatingly bleak yet beautiful album that relates the story of an abusive relationship, centred on a terminally ill child in a Hospice and a hospital worker.

The narrative is fragmented and interrupted by nightmares and conversations which convincingly make the listener believe that the story unfurling is an autobiographical one.

Silberman refuses to detail the extent to which this may or may not be true. The melodies and instrumentals match the despair of the lyrics in being a blend of the ambient and

the hysterical. At one moment, Silberman is almost chanting along to the stifled guitar riffs and in the next, such as in ‘Sylvia’, he is practically screaming. Hospice was followed up in May this year by the bands most recent effort, Burst Apart. The title simply describes how this album breaks boldly away from Hospice in being a collection of songs that have a looser connection to one another than the songs in Hospice did. Moreover, it’s much more focused on electronic instrumentals, which adds to their brooding sound. Like its predecessor, Burst Apart received mostly positive reviews from critics. So it’s no wonder that, in one of their largest London shows to date, the band decided to shift between the two albums.After keeping the audience waiting, the band arrived on stage to leap straight into the music - no need for introductions, apparently.

They began with ‘Parentheses’ from Burst Apart, which is the closest the band comes to sounding like Radiohead. This was followed by ‘Kettering’ from Hospice. In ‘Kettering’, Silberman’s soft falsetto floated eerily above a creaking electronic drone and staccato piano, bringing the audience - who had been incredibly noisy - to a standstill. Their delivery, however, is a little too drawn out and lost the creepy nursery-rhyme-like dynamic that is present on the album. Next was the stunning ‘No Windows’, which brought the audience into a soporific swaying. However, after a stilted delivery of the anthem ‘Atrophy’, the audience once again lost focus. It became clear that whilst the band had lost themselves in their music, the audience had not. This resulted in a strange moment when the keyboardist shushes the audience. I could hear several expletives shouted back in response.

This relationship remained strained all evening. The audience seemed to be incapable of concentrating on what is admittedly a demanding set. A group of boisterous students were definitely at the wrong gig if they wanted drunken revelry. As were the couple who stood beside me and continuously dry-humped for the entire hour, often knocking into me in the process - The Antlers don’t write songs for romantic evenings. In fairness, the band was too self-indulgent at times and often allowed the songs to descend into an electronic growl. However, The Antlers have such an impressive catalogue of songs that their self-indulgence was only slightly detrimental to the overall quality of their performance. The second half picked up significantly and the perfectly executed ‘I Don’t Want Love’ in the encore ensured that nobody went home too disappointed.

What’s on in Tutu’s Nightclub KCL UNICEF’s Summer Wonderland 25 November 2011 @ 20:00-3:00 £6, or £4 for NUS card holders UNICEF KCL is proud to present our SUMMER WONDERLAND CLUB NIGHT in collaboration with WTF at Tutu’s on Friday the 25th of Nov! This event is not to be missed and will be an amazing night that aims to raise awareness for climate change and how its effecting us and the rest of the world. The dress code for this spectacular evening will be SUMMER clothes- this can be anything from Flip-Flops, T-shirts to skirts and sunglasses College Dropouts 26 November 2011 @ 22:00 - 03:00 £5 with student ID The best in chart pop and dance... College Dropout is the most exciting student night to hit London for years, showcasing the best Student DJs, along with our very own request loving resident.

Giveaways and prizes galore, including the inaugural London University Beer Pong League, topped off with an exclusive drinks promotion every single week! Think Animal House, American Pie, Road Trip and you’re starting to get the picture!

You can get your tickets at any KCLSU Desk (the Macadam Building Lobby, The Spit, or Kinetic Gym), at http://kclsutickets.com (tickets have 70p booking fee online!) or by calling 020 7848 1588 PLUS! Look out for New Year’s Eve night tickets coming soon... for the best view of the fireworks you’ll get in any club in London!

Music

19

Foster The People and The LA Music Scene DANIEL WEST Continuing on from last issue’s format of reviewing an album and talking a little about the background genre, I thought it would be nice to discuss a relatively new band who debuted their album this summer – Foster the People and their album Torches.

I’m going to come right off the bat here and say the album slightly disappointed me; not for lack of musical talent or ideas, because it features really catchy and interesting songs like ‘Helena Beat’ and ‘Pumped up Kicks’, but just because given the background music scene they’re coming from I expected more. But before we get stuck on why I love the LA music scene so much, let’s turn to Torches.

Considering the band has only been around since 2009 it’s pretty damn impressive their first album has done so well – it reached number 8 in the US music chart, first in the US alternative rock chart, and 24th over here in the UK (not that I think charts are in any way a good measurement of musical skill, but it’s certainly a good measurement of popularity). The band consists of three members - Mark Foster (vocals, keyboards, piano, synthesizers, guitar, programming, percussion), Mark Pontius (drums and extra percussion), and Cubbie Fink (bass and backing vocals), all in their twenties. The more sharp eyed among you would notice that the lead singer’s name is Foster, and yes there is a link between this and the name of the band; originally they were called ‘Foster and the people’ but people misheard this as ‘Foster the people’ and eventually they decided to keep the name. Good on them!

As for the album, it features some really weirdly catchy tunes like ‘Pumped up Kicks’ which, despite the fact I was not love-struck when I heard it, I kept coming back to. ‘Helena Beat’ also grew on me with its really odd bass and trippy guitar work. That’s one thing I do have to praise the album for: if you want to compare this to the latest Kings of Leon album, or any other prominent rock group’s work, then it definitely is making strides in the right direction, experimenting with instruments and achieving an at times weird, but distinct and interesting sound. I’d give it 3/5 for pushing the boundaries a little, but ultimately not enough. And here’s why (to quote Phantogram – who I may review next week).

LA has produced some jaw dropping, outstanding bands in the last couple of years and these are bands that don’t just push the envelope musically but take steel-capped boots, gasoline and matches to that envelope. We have the towering goddesses of dark experimental rock – Warpaint (who I am, and always will be in love with), the fantastically shoegaze Autolux, the also shoegaze but more clean cut Silversun Pickups and last but not least - super group Them Crooked Vultures. Now, whilst these bands are not quite changing the face of music irrevocably, they are doing interesting things, especially Warpaint (who you must listen to because it will change your life).

Foster the People are just unlucky in my mind to be from LA where a lot of cool stuff is going down. It’s not a real fault of theirs; if they were from Canada I’d complain they weren’t like Godspeedyou!Blackemperor, so I guess the best thing to take away from this article is that there’s no pleasing me!

20

Roar, November 22- December 12, 2011

Film Edited by Kate Loftus O’Brien film@roarnews.co.uk

Parked

How To Stop Being A Loser

Emily Dunn Set in a post-recession Dublin, Parked is a black-comedy-come-tragedy, which explores the relationship between two men who have only their mutual homelessness to unite them.

Fred Daly (Colm Meaney), a proud, but awkward man, returns from an untold past in England to find his adversary in Ireland’s bureaucratic welfare system.

With the arrival of 21-year-old Cathal (Colin Morgan) to the seaside car park, the men form an unlikely companionship. Against a backdrop of the harsh Irish coastline, Cathal struggles with drug dependency, whilst Fred tackles the problem of inviting a girl round for dinner when his home is his car.

Matthew Pitt

After a great year for Irish cinema, Parked well and truly hits the bar.

Capturing the bitterness of harsh financial times without melodrama, Darragh Byrne’s angles and personal close-ups create a sincere poignancy.

However, love interest Juliana (Milka Ahlroth) is somewhat misplaced, her position obvious as the token Scandinavian in this Irish-Finnish fusion.

Her fleeting mention of being from Helsinki feels as though it should be followed by a tourist board announcement, giving the Fins some way to go before the film can be considered a credible cinematic collaboration. This being said, Parked combines powerful acting and beautifully bleak cinematography, joining the ranks of a fantastic repertoire of Irish cinema.

Welcome to the Rileys Kate Loftus-O’Brien If you fancy seeing Kristen Stewart play something non-sparkly and fang-obsessed this month then Welcome to the Rileys could be just the thing. Hair-tugging and lip-biting are still her key modes of expression but I have to say, in this indie-drama it definitely works. Directed by Jake Scott (son of Ridely) the film tells the tale of Doug and Lois Riley as they struggle to hold their marriage together following the death of their teenage daughter some years prior. The pair are at breaking point when Doug heads off to New Orleans on a business trip, his head full of anger and grief, his eyes full of tears.

Here he meets Mallory, a self-destructive 16 year old who has run away from home and pays for her meals by turning tricks. Misguided sexual advances and stroppy arguments ensue until an unlikely friendship is formed between the loud-mouthed teen and

Film for a Fiver Nicole Bergin If there has ever been a film that has been vastly underrated by the masses it’s Natural Born Killers. For a measly £3.65 you can be taken on a psychedelic trip filled with sex, drugs and no, not rock and roll, but something much better - a good, old-fashioned bloody massacre. I know what you’re thinking, murder shmurder, but, and here’s the clincher, never have you fallen completely and utterly love with protagonists such as these.

The premise of the film is that Mickey (Woody Harrelson) and Mallory Knox (Juliette Lewis) are a couple madly in love. I know, so what? Well, here’s

British comedy is a notoriously variable genre in its quality, and combined with noticeably lower budgets than their American counterparts, the films can often seem unappealing, and even inferior. However, in the case of the UK’s latest comedic output, How To Stop Being A Loser, the distinctions from grander US productions give the movie its charm.

How To Stop Being A Loser follows James (Simon Phillips), a social pariah who shies away from any contact with women. Tired of his ostracism and loneliness, and inspired by his late friend’s failure in the same area, he vows to reinvent himself. With the help of self-proclaimed lothario Ampersand (Craig Conway), James hones his skills in an attempt to woo the girl of his dreams, Hannah (Gemma Atkinson).

It’s easy to be sceptical of the film at first; within the opening half an hour, there’s far too much reliance on crude

the melancholy middle-aged man.

The film garnered considerable buzz at Sundance and although the performances are good (James Gandolfini is particularly good as the immediately loveable and heartbroken Doug), it seems that buzz has now slowed to a gentle hum or murmur.

And rightly so.

It’s not that Scott’s sophomore foray into features lacks depth; many scenes convey emotions subtly with a lingering camera and a scarcity of dialogue, but something about this story is tired - we’ve seen too many grieving par-

ents in our multiplexes of late. Thankfully, despite indulging in too many clichés along the way, Scott avoids a Disney happily-ever-after that would truly allow me to place this film in a box labelled ‘Cheesy’. Instead it eludes my cinematic filing system, the understated direction coupled with fantastic acting (the couple’s dynamic alone is enough to merit a cinema trip) make for engaging slow-paced viewing, but the film lacks plausibility and ultimately never overcomes its hackneyed save-the-stripper premise.

what, Mickey and Mallory Knox also happen to be cold blooded killers rampaging through America lustfully murdering anyone and everyone in their path. Despite the grim synopsis this film somehow manages to draw you into Mickey and Mallory’s allconsuming passion and ever so subtly you’ll find yourself rooting for the bad guys. And if this wasn’t enough then surely an encapsulating performance by Harrelson and Lewis as the leading characters will be enough to blow your socks well and truly off.

sic in its own right. When you come to the conclusion that you’re not in Kansas anymore you’ll quickly realise why, it’s the undeniable influence of Quentin Tarantino as producer. Stone and Tarantino worked wonderfully together and it is hard to miss Tarantino’s strong influence on Stone’s directing. However, Stone still manages to give this film that certain je ne sais quoi that distances it from the Kill Bill creator.

This is a film that will challenge your perceptions of good and evil and take you on a trip like no other.

Don’t be fooled by all this talk of murder and violence, Romeo and Juliet pale in comparison to this pair. Natural Born Killers is more than a classic, and for £3.65 it would be rude not to watch, wouldn’t it?

This film is besieged with a star studded cast and at the helm of this perverse love story is Oliver Stone, a director responsible for such classics as Platoon and JFK. This film is a world away from his gritty Vietnam blockbuster but is nonetheless a clas-

jokes – in both the sense of unsophistication and obscenity. But as the plot progresses, so does the humour, and the awkwardness and incompetence of the protagonist provide a number of laugh-out-loud moments. Some of the more risqué scenes, on the other hand, are hit-or-miss, and will either leave you giggling away, or squirming in your seat with embarrassment.

Although the cast list contains few familiar names, some of the more inexperienced actors give convincingly comical performances; depending on the success of the movie, they may indeed gain a name for themselves in the British film industry.

However, the more established actors – in a relative sense – that have been used in promotional materials, such as Richard E. Grant and Martin Kemp, appear for no longer than what could be considered cameos.

The film is less farcical and outlandish than the themes that some writers rely on to make their productions entertaining, and contains realistic and relatable comedy. Everyone knows someone like James. The final thirty minutes takes a more serious stance, but the conclusion is heart-warming. How To Stop Being A Loser is reminiscent of the summer’s The Inbetweeners Movie, and proves that British comedy still has much to offer, even to international audiences.

KCL Film Soc Listings Thurs 24th Nov - Hable con ella (Talk to her), 2002, Pedro Almodóvar Thurs 1st Dec - Inside Job, 2010, Charles Ferguson Thurs 8th Dec - Don’t Look Now, 1973, Nicolas Roeg All films are screened in the Arthur and Paula Lucas Lecture Theatre

Film

Roar, November 22- December 12, 2011

21

VANCANCY!!!

We are looking for a new Film Editor (Kate’s off to America for a Semester, lucky thing!), if you are interested send your CV and 200 words on why it should be you to editor@roarnews.co.uk

In Conversation with Kermode

in the plot’. Apologising for a trite comparison, he argues that Shakespeare’s works played to the masses, and sardonically remarks: ‘No-one told Shakespeare that Hamlet needed a few more laughs.’

Hugh McDaid

The return of 3D is another source of anguish for Kermode. He relentlessly slates it on television and radio, insisting that it has been around for sixty or so years, only returning to temporarily draw in larger audiences; it has no artistic merit. Again, he casually recalls another past conversation, this time with Werner Herzog.

Herzog had experimented with 3D in Cave of Forgotten Dreams, but afterwards exclaimed that, ‘Whatever it is, it is not cinema’.

Thankfully, Kermode predicts that by this time next year, 3D will no longer be so widespread – people usually get bored with it.

The future of cinema is not in lowbrow blockbusters, Kermode assures me. It is not in 3D. The greatest triumph of 3D, he says, is a flying eyeball in Friday the 13th. As long as that remains the case, it is hard to imagine he could be wrong, but when it comes to lowbrow films, well – Big Momma’s House 3: Like Father Like Son is out now on DVD.

Mark Kermode is Britain’s leading film critic; he has interviewed every major name in modern film. On Radio 5 Live with Simon Mayo, he provides the authoritative reviews on the week’s cinematic releases. He has just finished a nationwide theatre tour of promoting his new book entitled The Good, the Bad and the Multiplex, as well as discussing the failures and future of cinema. I was able to chat with him in his dressing room before one of these shows.

Talking to Kermode is surreal; while the tone of the conversation is incredibly laid back, it is simultaneously an onslaught of anecdotes concerning conversations and run-ins with big screen legends. My first question on the subject of films for younger generations alluded to the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and this prompted him to launch into a story about how in 1987, Peter Jackson, while making a trashy gore-fest called Bad Taste, had

Girls, Interrupted: What is the future for women’s cinema?

Katie Sinclair On October 26th, the Birds Eye View festival, an annual celebration of cinema made by women, was

Top 5... Rainy moments Francesca Reece Winter is a ‘coming and that means one thing only: the rainy season is upon us.

Console yourself by remembering that even beautiful Hollywood types suffer the wrath of Mother Nature.

been pointed out to Kermode, and described as ‘the future of cinema’. He had scoffed at this, but years later, he was proved wrong.

Having mentioned Jackson’s rise to success from humble beginnings, he went on to say he really was the future of cinema: the LOTR films retained their artistic credibility whilst engaging a generation of children on the threshold of adolescence, much

cancelled for 2012. After the UK Film Council was axed last year, Birds Eye lost 90% of its funding and it cannot afford another festival. With this blow to the promotion of female filmmakers, the future looks bleak for girls in the industry.

The statistics are hard-hitting: fewer than 10% of UK directors and 15% of screenwriters are female.

The Birds Eye festival was a valuable opportunity for women in an industry that is dominated by men.

With increased competition and decreased budgets, it will be even harder for women to get their films made, let alone seen by the public.

1) Singin’ in the Rain (1952) Well, we could hardly have a list about drizzly cinema and not include this cinematic classic could we?

Dancing, singing, Gene Kelly and umbrellas. Plus that song.

If you’re not sold yet go forth and buy yourself a soul.

2) Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) Oh great stalwart of Top Fives worldwide! With breathtaking shots of New York, more style than a front row at London Fashion Week and a cat,

like the original Star Wars films had done years earlier. Kermode contrasts these films with atrocious lowbrow movies prevalent just ten years later, things like Big Momma’s House and the Twilight sagas.

‘For ages and ages we’ve been told that to make money back, any movie that costs 150 million dollars upwards had to be stupid in order to pander to the lowest possible common denomi-

Why aren’t women getting their fair share? The answer isn’t clear, although rumours of sexism dog the industry. Insiders have also speculated that motherhood does not allow the time to direct or write. Simply put, women don’t seem to be ‘bankable’, which is perhaps why female filmmakers are more commonly associated less with mainstream cinema and more with experimental film and documentaries.

The tables have been turning. Kathryn Bigelow, of course, waved the flag on the industry Everest last year when she became the first woman to win an Oscar for direction. Bigelow

what more could 1961’s adaptation of Truman Capote’s classic possibly deliver? The greatest kiss-in-the-rain in history of course! The sceneall brownstones, trenchcoats and yellow cabs- oozes with chic, but above all it’s the final fulfilment of a perfectly crafted and understated (let’s put aside the fire escape serenade…) love story.

3) Say Anything… (1989) Poor old John Cusack spends this entire film in a raincoat so let’s be honest, we’re all pret-

nator.’ This is how he describes the philosophy of studio executives, and it certainly rings true; think Avatar or the Transformers series. However, he cites Inception as proof that intellectually challenging films are ripe for mass consumption, and points out that with Christopher Nolan’s movie, ‘Not only did audiences in the multiplexes understand it, they walked out to the parking lot and picked holes

has improved the industry’s confidence in the abilities of female directors. Films by women are taking a bigger share of the box office, and Phyllida Lloyd’s Mamma Mia has become the biggest selling DVD in UK history. Women produced six of the Best Picture nominees this year and Susan Hudson took over as chief executive of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

A reported 34% of film school students in the UK are women. It is not quite equal yet, but it is a start.

What other options are out there? The Birds Eye organisation funds ‘Labs’, which are master classes in various

ty thankful when the heavens finally open on him mid-meltdown in a phonebox. This film is absolutely iconic regardless of its famous cloudburst scene (three wordsbedroom, window, boombox) and is worth watching if only to remind yourself that nice guys do exist (in Hollywood).

SEE ALSO: High Fidelity…

Basically any film of the John Cusack oeuvre; I swear he has it written into his contract to get rained on.

There’s even a video dedicated to it on youtube!

aspects of filmmaking, ranging from writing to animation. Various script competitions are held, such as from the Alliance of Women filmmakers, to find the next big talents in female filmmaking. Women must essentially take the same routes as men in order to ‘make it’ in the industry. However, despite this setback, it seems as if Hollywood is finally acting on its gender inequalities.

For more information: http:// w w w. b i r d s - e y e - v i e w. c o . u k /

4) Blade Runner (1982) If Ridley Scott’s epic portrayal of the future teaches us anything it’s this; if you’re intending to live into the age of the robot invest in a good anorak. The sheer pluviosity of this film is just unreal. Rutger Hauer’s masterfully-done rooftop demise is a must-watch for any fan of cinema. Or precipitation SEE ALSO: Star Wars IV: Harrison Ford on a desert planet… I need some vitamin D!

5) The Go-Between (1970) A fairly understated work of slow, thoughtful cinema, this film comes to an unexpected, tragic climax in the heat of a long-awaited summer storm. Who can forget the matriarchal Mrs Maudsley drag Leo through the sodden grounds to a sight that leads to the blinding, tragic denouement of the film?

SEE ALSO: Pride and Prejudice (2005)- period costumes do not fare well in unexpected showers!

22

Roar, November 22- December 12, 2011

Sports Edited by Charlotte Richardson sports@roarnews.co.uk

Notes from the sports editor So reading week has gone as quickly as my first box of mince pies.

It's November - how and where has the year gone?! Before we know it, it will be the Olympics (heaven help us). I say 'we' but I actually need to survive my finals which halves my chances of being able to while away summer hours watching everything and anything.

It is impossible to avoid the Olympics as students in London, and as sports editor of Roar! I have been conscious not to over- or under-sell the event in this paper. But like Essex and fake tan, Walkabout and snakebite, Frankie Cocozza and cocaine, one can't come without the other.

The Olympics have moved to the foreground of our sporting lives at King's and as Londoners. If they haven't already for you, you need to make sure they do (check out our feature of the Gold Challenge). Let's face it, this will never happen in your lifetime again!

On another note, in the upcoming weeks I will be interviewing as many King's sports teams’ presidents as possible and uploading interviews onto our website. Our 'Presidents in Profile' section is just an idea I had to bring together our sporting community in a similar vein to the way Matt Brookland has done nationwide with his project unisportonline. co.uk, which I strongly suggest you check out or contribute to yourselves.

All the best!

Charlotte

Diary of a Fresher: Swimming Gala and Initiation in Cambridge Fraser Peh initiation :noun 1 the action of admitting someone into a secret or obscure society or group, typically with a ritual: rituals of initiation [as modifier] :an initiation ceremony Anyone who has been a member of a university sports team will undoubtedly hark back to the halcyon days when they were clueless freshers enthusiastically participating in the above. Chances are that every swimming fresher will remember his or her initiation!

The Cambridge Relays Gala has been somewhat of an annual ritual for the King’s College London Swimming and Water Polo Club, marking the beginning of the swimming season. This year was no different, and on Saturday 22nd October, about 40 swimmers made the short trip up the M11, continuing the tradition.

This year saw a large number of freshers join the swim team and the gala represented the first opportunity for many to compete. For the others it was the first set of races after a long summer break out of the pool. The gala, though a lighthearted affair, also served to provide an overall gauge of the team’s standard and fitness level. Other teams included Imperial College London and the University of Sheffield.

The evening kicked off with individual events over 100 metres in all strokes, with King’s taking second place in the Men’s 100m Butterfly and Women’s 100m Breaststroke. This was followed by a series of 4x50m relays in all strokes, with the gala culminating in an 8x50m Mixed Freestyle relay. King’s took third in both the Men’s and Women’s Freestyle relays in 1 min 45 sec and 2 min 3 sec respectively.

Overall, the team performed admirably, finishing sixth out of eight teams in a tight contest where only seven points separated third from sixth. However, our team spirit was second to none. In every race, our swimmers were cheered on passionately by teammates at the poolside.

Earn yourself a gold star and take on the KCLSU Gold Challenge Charlotte Richardson

After the gala, there was more time for team bonding. The team changed into ridiculous-looking costumes: one-piece striped bodysuits (henceforth referred to nostalgically and fondly as 'onesies'), which had been bought purely for embarrassment and humiliation. Not that it would matter in a short while. Perhaps fittingly (excuse the pun), the freshers’ costumes were innocent blue and white stripes, with the seniors donning devilish red and black stripes.

As the night progressed, it must have been a sight for passers-by to see a large group of intoxicated students in striped onesies cartwheeling, wheelbarrowing and rolling around on a large grass field. The photos say it all, really.

The next morning everyone still managed to wake up to watch the Rugby World Cup Final which was won by the All Blacks. Later in the day, Man City hammered Man Utd 6-1 at Old Trafford, bringing to a close what was indeed a memorable weekend. It is no wonder that Cambridge holds a special place in the hearts of all King’s swimmers.

KCLSU is challenging all students to participate in the Gold Challenge. Alongside King’s Health Partners our Student Union have devised this project as part of their Olympic development to integrate sport into students’ lives during the build up to the country’s most anticipated event this century. And we are raising some money too just for good measure!

To celebrate the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games King’s now have their own Olympic challenge. KCLSU is daring students to learn an entirely new sport, push themselves over 2, 012 km or complete the Gold Challenge in one day, all in order to raise funds to develop cancer services for young people at Guy’s & St. Thomas’ hospitals.

The first of the three challenges you can select from is the Olympic Sport Challenge. You can take part in a 5-, 10-, 20- or 30-sport challenge. First things first - you need to choose a sport (check out Roar!’s sports section on the website for a list of all 30 Olympic and Paralympic sports), find your local club or contact the respective club at King’s and complete your challenge. In order to do this

you simply need to have at least three hours of coaching in that sport or play in a competitive event.

If you are already an avid sportsman or woman and fancy a fresh challenge, the 2012 challenge might for you. There are three possible levels you can take on, depending how confident you are feeling - 2, 012 km, 201.2 km or 20.12 km. You or your team must cover your chosen distance (for teams this will be an aggregated total): running, walking sailing, rowing, windsurfing, canoeing/kayaking, cycling, swimming, horse-riding or by wheelchair.

The final challenge is tailored for King’s gym bunnies! Again, you can do this by yourself or as part of a team. If you are already a member of a King’s sports team, why not get a group of you together for some extra team bonding? This is a grueling test of your fitness and you can choose the level best suited to you: sprint, endurance or ultra.

All disciplines can be done outdoors or at Kinetic gym. If you are in a team you can complete the challenge as a relay.

The challenge itself should be enough to entice all sportsmen and women at King’s to participate.

However, if you are not a very sporty person but still want to join in, there are challenges suitable for you too.

Have a go, unleash your inner Linford Christie or Kelly Holmes and help raise money to improve cancer care at our own Guy’s and St. Thomas’.

I end with the words of Victoria Ellinson, a patient at Guy’s and St. Thomas’ Cancer unit: ‘If money can be raised to ensure that young people can talk to other young people who know what it feels like to have to face an illness like cancer and be able to have normal teenage/young adult conversations, then I whole-heartedly

support and encourage participation in this event.’

So does Roar! Newspaper - and so should you.

Register for your event at: http:// www.goldchallenge.org

Roar, November 22- December 12, 2011

Sports

Olympic message false starts in poster campaign Olivia Humphrey

B

The Olympic 2012 posters wereunveiled this week. I don’t think I was alone in having high hopes for these, on the grounds that Lord Coe’s cultural coterie had some serious atoning to do after the symbol debacle. It’s been four years since that beauty was unveiled. It might be so commonplace that it no longer smacks as shockingly bad, but it’s definitely still bad.

Some of the posters are pretty cool. My personal favourite is ‘A’ Divers by Anthea Hamilton.

It’s obviously about sport. It’s obviously about the Olympics.

The posters are, after all, supposed to be adverts. It’s supposed to be patently clear that this is a celebration of the impending Olympic Games, the biggest and most spectacular sporting event on the planet. And yet, this is the only one where the five ubiquitous symbolic rings are actually used. It’s not a massive problem - ‘B’ isn’t so obvious, but at least it’s dynamic and exciting.

E

More than can be said for ‘C’: Yes, there are rings, but rings like the ones left by tea mugs. Tea’s perfect companions are digestive biscuits, dressing gowns, the sofa and ‘Neighbours’. Not the Olympics. It’s all a bit lethargic.

So I’ve got to say, some of the others are not so great. Some are a bit too ‘tube-postery’ (‘D’). I personally quite like the abstract nature of those - when you’re crammed on a Victoria Line station during rush hour, wishing to God you’d not opted for that extra thermal layer, the ability to

D

while away the minutes staring at a piece of art so bloody abstract that it leads you to question love, the relationship between truth and beauty, the meaning of life, etc. etc., comes as a somewhat welcome distraction.

Thing is, these posters won’t just be for the tube. I imagine they’ll be on the streets too - bus stops, advertising boards. Whilst London traffic is slow, I don’t think even the most agonising gridlock would be time sufficient to discern exactly how ‘E’ essentially a Paul Smith knock-off, relates to anything Olympian. Or anything at all. Maybe I’m narrow minded, but I can literally only deduce one relevant thing: ‘I see stripes.

Stripes are like lanes. Athletes run in lanes’. Beyond that mind-blowing piece of analysis (you can tell I’ve got two years of my degree under my belt already), I’m coming up blank.

Others simply look like greeting cards (F). Where, I must ask, can we find that gritty Olympian steel portrayed? It’s not like these athletes simply float into their events, participate in a dreamy trance, and swan off back to their exotic nations afterwards. There’s probably a bit more to it than that.

So I know I sound conservative and grumpy, sort of like those people who lament endlessly over how the Tate Britain always fails to attract as much recognition as its trendier Modern counterpart on the South Bank. Modern art is great, but it seems to me that the Olympic message isn’t simply lost among the achingly cool - too often it just doesn’t seem to be there in the first place.

C

23

Reggie doesn’t Roar, he Tweets…

Roar! is catching up with the 21st century and checking out how sporting life at King’s truly is according to your tweets. Not featured this week? Well, make sure you are next week. Follow us @roar_news or our sports ed @Charlotte_R22.

A

@ashleylh12 Another win for my netballers :D #winningstreak sooo tired now!!! Bath time @ KCLNetball Congratulations to our president @Marinations - now an ambassador of Right to Play! Hard work is ALWAYS rewarded :) x x @KCLSU_Holly What a day . . .over 1200 students held the Olympic torch!

A few of the picture[s] are up on kclsu. org and more to follow. #Olympics

F

@kcltennis Well done to everybody who played against Imperial on Wednesday! Over the three matches we lost 2-1 but we’ll get ‘em next time! @KCLAtweets Much fun had at the #kclagames on Saturday, even if the students did inflict something of [an] ass-whupping in most of the sports on display... @tfbrown91 First win for the KCLFC 2s, 3am walkabout tonight... life doesn’t get much better @Marinations 34-27 victory over Goldsmiths 1sts. Adrenaline, tension, injuries...and a victory. My kind of game. @KCLNetball @LondonVarsity_ Congratulations to @KCLRadio who won GOLD at @ SRA awards for their #thelondonvarsity coverage! Massive achievement!! @KCLSU_Hannah This Friday the Olympic torch is coming to @ KingsCollegeLon Guy’s campus!

The torch, music, free Coca-Cola and Diwali show are performing!

Uni Sport Online - taking student sport and running with it Samantha Hull

Many of us at King’s struggle to maintain a balance between high academic demands and strenuous sporting schedules. Not so for Matt Brookland, who managed to combine his sports science degree with his love of sport to co-found unisportsonline.co.uk. Only a year after graduating from Exeter (and whilst studying for an MA), he set up what is essentially a university version of BBC sport.

Uni Sport online offers results, reports and interviews about university sport across the country. Prestigious sporting universities such as Loughborough, Leeds Metropolitan and Cambridge are part of this nationwide sporting network and publish articles a whole range of their sporting achievements on a daily basis.

A favourite saying of sportsmen is that ‘the score-line didn’t accurately represent the game’ and unisportsonline bridges the gap between the game and the result with articles that detail an entire match, giving readers deeper insight into the world of university sports. It also includes a lifestyle section with helpful pieces for every athlete, regardless of their sport of choice. It is about time Kings got with the programe and from now on people can send their club’s sports articles to the website- whilst reading up on how their fellow sportsmen and women are getting on this season.

‘The best sports reports published in Roar! are automatically featured on Uni Sport Online. If you’re looking for a career in sports journalism or commentary, those ‘by-lines’ would be a great CV boost!’ - ed

Unisportsonline is well on its way to becoming what every student athlete needs: a comprehensive hub of sporting information and match details that offer more than a quick look at fixtures live. Having covered the long process of setting up a business plan, marketing and finding funding – they were recently approached by Red Bull – Matt now believes the best way for his website, and the university sporting world, to progress is for everyone to get involved. More contribution to the website offers readers a chance to know more about the nationwide community of student athletes and offers prospective journalists a chance to be published. Finally, more media coverage creates the opportunity for university sport to establish itself as an important level of sport in itself, rather than a too-oftenignored subset of the athletic world.

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st r fi t a e r g a d a h e v ’ u o y e p o h e k We a m p l e h o t e v o l ’d e w d n a . . h c u o t semester. n i t e G ! r te t e b n e v e r a e , l i a m e the New Y a i v s a de i d n a s t n e m a e v a h with your com d n a e m o c r o , k o o b twitter or face ! t a h c d e n o i good old fash