Roar!

The Death of Protest?

Ian Stirling Investigates p5 Volume 10 Issue 3 October 26th 2001

Inside Arts this issue...

American Pie 2 Giveaway

Facts of Life @ Hayward

DECIDEDLY DODGY DENTAL DEALINGS Equipment charges akin to ‘top-up fees’ GKT Dental Students are being forced to pay large amounts of money for dental equipment that is essential to their course.

The equipment consists of a selection of dental tools, many of which you would recognise from your regular trips to the dentist. However many students complain that the range of equipment is too limited and dispute the argument that it will be useful for when they actually qualify.

The Dental Institute claims that it is ‘traditional’ for students to buy these kits. This is a reference to pre-merger days when the dental school at UMDS used to let students buy very heavly subsidised kits.

These kits were much larger than today’s and much cheaper. King’s Dental school ran a system of lending students the appropriate equipment for each teaching session. Since the merger the Dental Institute has started raising the prices of these kits and reducing the amount of equipment included.

Some students feel that whilst before these kits may have been worth owning, they are now too small to be of use and that the institute should revert to the old Denmark Hill based system.

The current charge is £423, which must be paid in full at almost exactly the same time as tuition fees. This means that some students are trying to pay £1075 fees and £423 equipment charge from their first loan installment which is less than this. These students still need to find money for basic living costs such as rent, and food.

Guy Schofield, the VPGKT said “Student hardship is at its highest levels of all time, and to levy

this charge is very simply unfair.

This is akin to a top-up fee. We are the only Dental school in the country to charge for equipment and I find this unnaceptable.”

Chris Piper, KCLSU President echoed this by saying “I find these charges absolutely abhorrent. There was no indication given at the start that hese charges wouild be made. At a time when King’s is trying to broaden access it is a backwards step and will only hinder the progress of less advantaged students’.

One dental student was told to apply for Access funding when he complained he couldn’t afford the charge. The Access funding is provided by KCL to help students who can’t afford basic living costs. It should not be used to cross-subsidise academic departments.

Following pressure applied to college by Guy Schofield and Chris Piper, Professor Pitt-Ford, the sub-dean of Dentistry, has been asked to review these charges. When asked about these charges he refused to comment.

The new Dean of the Dentistry School, Professor Nairn Wilson commented that he had been unaware of these charges up until Roar brought it to

his attention. He assures Roar that he will be investigating the matter. “I understand that these charges are clearly a cause for concern and that the money may be hard for some students to find. If these charges are to continue then there must be clarity in the way they are presented to students”.

ROAR is fully behind this campaign and will bring you Professor Pitt-Ford and Professor Nairn Wilsons suggestions when they deliver them.

BI-ELECTION NOMINATIONS AND MANIFESTOES IN re:UNION

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News

Tony’s Tuition Turn-around Brief Tania Teixeira After years of failing several thousands of students the government decides to do a U-turn out of the current student funding system and return to maintenance grants with an added twist.

It has taken four years and massive debt accumulation by present university students for the government to reach what it considers a fair half-way compromise. Free does not actually mean free under the new system as in exchange for maintenance grants future graduates will be required to pay extra income tax for 20 to 25 years after completing their degrees.

Two proposals are currently being considered to either make the grants available to all students and charge the "graduate tax" at a higher rate, or to make grants meanstested and lower the tax rate. Instead of becoming in debt during a degree, students can instead look forward to what the government interprets as a "graduate repayment."

Education Secretary Estelle Morris, who announced the Government's decision, justifies introduction of the "graduate tax" by reiterating the principle that students as the main beneficiaries should contribute towards their own education. She told the

Head of Law School Quits Robin Morse, Head of the School of Law has resigned after complaining of continued under-investment and health and safety concerns in the Law School buildings.

The last straw came when flooding caused the ceilings to cave-in in several law department offices, including Morse’s own.

At present, the Law School buildings are under investigation by Health and Safety officials. If they are not up to standards it is likely that they will be temporarily closed down and staff and students will have to be rehoused in other parts of the College.

To add to the unrest, staff and students are threatening to stage a mass walk-out unless some form of positive action is taken.

Watch this space for more details over the next few weeks.

New Chair for SRC

Times: "I think what has been a factor is the perception of student debt. We ran the risk of putting off people applying to higher education. Maybe we did not get the balance right first time round."

The Government's decision is an attempt to prevent an even further overall drop in the number of higher education applicants.

Although it expresses concern for the deterrent created by the current funding system, the Government could be accused of seeming more concerned with its 50 per cent expansion target. Ms Morris talks about how the Government might have reached this ambitious target, while adding "I do not want to run the risk. There was a worry it would have been a barrier to expansion."

Graham Zellick, Vice-Chancellor of London University, claims there is "no rational basis" for the Government's aim to get half of all young people to go on to higher education. He believes that university is not for everyone and this coupled with "so-called academic courses" is resulting in university leavers being inadequately equipped for the workplace.

"I do believe that there are some young people doing degree courses that they shouldn't be. It's not doing anything for them and they are just wasting their time

really. No-one in a serious university would think that someone who can barely manage two A-levels is suitable material for university degrees" Professor Zellick said at the Headmasters and Headmistresses Conference in London.

The question arises of whether the Government is more concerned with statistics rather than the quality of education as a skills-for-life issue. This in turn puts the question of whether a degree, any degree, is better than no degree at all. University time for most students goes beyond the main objective of intellectual enrichment. It is a crucial time in life when young people take time to think about the right career choices, to leave home and face the reality of life and interact with people from all walks of life. Indisputably essential life skills.

President of KCLSU Chris Piper thinks that the move by the Government will have a positive effect and help address financial disparities, which are a main factor in the quality of student life. He also expressed concern over the prospect of another unbalanced funding system that overlooks the fact that London students have extra travel and housing expenses. Chris Piper emphasises the importance that all King's students attend the NUS protest on Saturday 17 November at 4.15pm in Trafalgar Square.

Part Payment Students at King's College are facing an "unnecessary burden" by having to pay their tuition fees in one go, according to Union VP Education and Welfare, Simon Whalley. A large number of students had made complaints to the College Welfare Department and the Union's Advice Centre about the draconian system where payment in full must be made by 31st October.

Following these complaints the Student Representative Council passed policy for the Union Executive to lobby College to amend the system to allow students to pay their fees in installments.

Whalley is pleased the issue has been raised as many students are already in debt. "This is making life harder for a lot of students, who are already in financial difficulty. The College should introduce a new

system to ease the financial burden and widen access to students" VP Finance and Services, Richard Hilton who has also taken up the issue with the College points out that the current policy makes King's uncompetitive in attracting new students, "it's becoming common practice for our rivals to allow payment in installments this is the case for UCL, LSE, Imperial, Bristol to name just a few". The College already allows students to pay Hall Fees either in installments or by monthly direct debit, and there appears to be no reason why the Tuition Fees can't be paid in the same way. Students who are facing difficulty paying their fees are being encouraged to contact the Student's Union with their details so this can be represented to the College.

A new SRC Chair has been elected at Thursday 18th’s meeting. David Utting won by a large margin, and is enthusiastic about the following year.

“This will be a fresh start for SRC and 2002 looks to be a busy year” he told Roar. “I want to make SRC more productive and efficient, shifting emphasis away from dwelling on the constitution and proceedure onto useful discussion and debate”.

Roar would like to congratulate Dave for this achievement and we wish him the best of luck over the coming year.

News New Course Birmingham University is taking applications for a brand new, and rather unique, degree in GOLF MANAGEMENT STUDIES. Hundreds from all over the world have already shown interest, but they will be competing for only 25 places on the course. Applicants will need at least two C grades at A-level.

New Science Education Centre In conjunction with the University of California and the Exploratorium in San Francisco, King’s has been awarded an $11 million grant from he US National Science Foundation.

This funding aims at invigorating science in education and will form the basis of the Centre for Informal Learning and Schools (CILS), situated at the Exploratorum. King’s will be able to enrol 12 doctoral students and two postdoctoral fellows on this new venture at the centre.

Quote of the Week “It’s worth applying to King’s for the privilege of being able to work in it” The Independent, talking about the new Chancery Lane Library

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GKT DIWALI EXTRAVAGANZA 2001 Rupal Mehta

GUY'S GET READY TO SET THE STAGE ON FIRE! THINK London Apollo, in Hammersmith. THINK the Grease musical, Michael Jackson-just some of the acts who have graced the stage at this prestigious venue. NOW think thrills and spills on the evening of the 27th November -courtesy of the students at Guy's Campus, Kings College London. Move over Moulin Rouge, here comes another musical thriller!

Ok maybe I'm going slightly overboard with the Moulin Rouge bit, but believe me it's not difficult to get hyped up when you've had a chance to speak to the organisers of this year's show, that is set to repeat the success stories of the past decade.

Diwali is surely one of the most wellknown festivals in multi-cultural Britain.

Colloquially known as the 'festival of lights', celebrated by Hindus and Sikhs globally; the 15th of November this year will be marked by the explosion of fireworks, the exchange of sweets and the lighting of oil lamps (divas), placed around the home. A day that signifies so many different things, be it the remembrance of the return from exile of Sri Rama, or the return from imprisonment of Guru Hargobind. Ultimately 'Deepwali' as it was originally known in Sanskrit, meaning row of lights, marks the renewal of life, the celebration of life. And what a way to celebrate-an eclectic ensemble of acts, encompassing a 300 cross-class, crossrace, cross-religion, cross-age, team. A show that was established ten years ago

as a means to bring forth the culture of many of the Asian students at Kings, is now a multi-cultural event, open to anyone who wants to come along. It's about a whole lot more than just Diwali. 'It's about awareness of all different cultures, and also brings everyone at GKT together, freshers included. It's a great way to people', said Sheena Kotecha one of the top dogs., as she explained why she got involved.

The enthusiasm of the organisers this year-alongside Sheena, Rajan Nansi, Kartik Modha, Pooja Sikka and Mehul Lakhani, all in their third year, studying either medicine or dentistry-is at fever pitch as they face the enormous task of co-ordinating one of the highlights in the university calendar, that will kick off this academic year with a bang. The four thousand capacity of the venue is an indication of the sheer scale of the task ahead for the five, in my opinion, very brave, individuals. This is no amateur project, funded and managed independently of the university, it is by and for the students. Professionalism, high standards, and of course fun are the name of the game, as all cast members audition before they're let loose on the audience.

Be it feet first into the Latino fever-Salsa, a step Bollywood way, or a leg up as students show their martial art skills. A true fusion of East meets West, with a bit of comedy thrown in for good measure. Be it backstage or in the full view of the audience, everyone's got a part to play, and who at Guy's wouldn't want to associate themselves with a show that in the past has had sponsors such as Toni&Guy on board for the hair-styling, and companies such as Ciro-Citterio, Topshop/man and the Rang Collection-trendsetters in Asian fashion, for the catwalk creation.

From the contributors to the recipients, everything about the production line, is big, loud and well worth it. Last year's bonanza raised ÂŁ20,000 and was donated to three charities: Breast Cancer

Campaign, Evelina's Children Trust and Anand Ashram in India. This year it is hoped that the event will be another resounding success, raising money for Imperial Cancer Research Fund, and Evelina Children's Charity.

top clubs, for the first time in the history of the show, and with drink promotions and great music, the organisers are determined that the after-show party will carry on from where the show left off, as cast members and the audience unwind.

Sounds good for us the audience, who've got the distinctly easy of job of buying the tickets and turning up for what certainly seems a great melange of performances, as well as doing our bit for charity. But before meeting those who are devoting all their time and energy, one word still clouded over all the positive reasons above for participating in this non-stop, whirlwind of action-packed entertainment, and that was 'SCARY!'. Doing a presentation in a seminar in front of thirty of your peers is frightening enough, especially when you haven't done the reading! But to have the guts to showcase your talent in front of several thousand of them is something else all together; let alone taking on the responsibility of managing the whole thing. 'It's the buzz of the night that gets me through', enthuses Rajan.

Sheena agrees, 'all this is worth it, when you've got the night to look forward to, when you can enjoy what you've slaved over'. There's nothing quite like that adrenaline-pumping feeling, when you're filled with nervousness and excitement, and 'you're surrounded by all the people that you've worked so hard with'. And at the end of the day, there's always the climax of the evening to look forward to, the grand finale. When as many of the participants jam-packed on the stage, from the choreographers of the R'n'B grooves and such like, to the leaders of the pack, throw caution to the wind.

With previous venues such as the Wembley Conference Centre and Brixton Academy in their roll of honour, the GKT Diwali Show's great record speaks for itself, and with students going back for more both as participants and spectators, in each year at university, the shows seems to have a great future. And let's face it, it beats studying any day!

For more information about the show, look out for the fliers soon to be distributed. Tickets will be available from New Hunts House, Guy's Campus, London Bridge, as well as ticket outlets at other

Not to mention the after-show party.

Considering that partying the night away and propping up the bar, are synonymous with student life, there's nothing quite like the thought of a stupendous party at the end of it all to get everyone in the right mood. Tipped to be at one of London's

Price: party)

King's campuses, and other London Universities. ÂŁ20 (including the after-show

Dress Code: Smart Evening Wear (Eastern or Western).

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Part-time Protester Ian Stirling "Do you know where I might find a banner?"

"I'm afraid you're a bit too late for a banner. We can share this one if you want."

I expressed gratitude and explained that once again I had underestimated just how unpleasantly surprising the London Underground could be.

"I know how you feel. I want to protest against LT as well."

Jenny, the 18-year-old Londoner with whom I conversed, likes a good protest.

"Legalise cannabis was wicked."

Jenny and I, along with 15,000

were these that they warranted a weekl y

the guilt at holding up the traffic was almost unbearable listing in the local newspaper. However in covering but a few of these events, I was able to make various observations.

In France, it seems as though the protest is part of the political process. As important perhaps, as a debate in parliament. It can even work sometimes as we saw recently, against the cost of fuel.

Furthermore in Paris, when the Metro strikes, the public doesn't complain, but

This act was indeed quite against my programming. No matter how much I wanted to shout, I still felt as though someone might give me lines for it.

"George Bush! We know you! Daddy was a killer too!" shouted 'women against war', who marched proudly behind us.

"Bush, Blair, you must say! How many kids did you kill today?!" bellowed a young girl and her family, swiftly followed by 'Musicians against Nuclear Arms', who walked with conspicuous silence (what are musicians for, after all?).

In front marched a man with a banner quoting Mathew Parris; "A chair can be a cow when Tony says it is."

I began to get very worried in case someone might see it and say something.

Trafalgar square was a mass of people, banners and flags.

Afghans, Palestinians, Various Muslim societies, communists, Quakers, other Christian societies, student organisations, nuclear disarmament demonstrators, Greenpeace, those silent musicians, those angry women, myself, Jenny and a man calling himself 'Tin-pot George' moved in and evicted the pigeons for an afternoon.

From Nelsons Column speeches echoed across the square.

Trafalgar Square was a mass of people, banners and flags

other people, were protesting against the War in Afghanistan. Although, she was still smoking her way through another Cannabis joint while she was at it. This girl was quite obviously a pro. I on the other hand, was merely a novice.

When studying in Paris I attended many street protests, but merely for the purpose of taking photographs rather than voicing my dissent. I hardly felt it was for me to voice an opinion on French National Service, or Immigration, or the amount of mess left by dogs on the pavements of the capital, or any of the multitude of protests which took place on a daily basis. Indeed, so numerous

supports them. Jenny would not fit in.

Aside from writing a heartfelt complaint concerning the new Kit-Kat wrappers, this was the first time I had actually got up and shouted at something I felt strongly about. I was losing my political virginity. It felt very naughty.

The guilt at holding-up the traffic was almost unbearable, the looks which the police gave us caused me to smoke far more than usual and I still tremble at the thought of what Mr Blair must have thought of us. Was it not he who said how silly and irresponsible it had been to make such a fuss about the price of fuel!

"When living in a democracy, if a few are guilty, all are responsible!" said the voice from above.

"Here, here!" shouted George, chomping on what looked like a raw onion. Frankly, while feeling 'responsible' for the fact that he didn't own the proper utensils to cook an onion, I didn't think he was taking this very seriously.

"Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind."

Quoted the speaker.

George was smiling at the words, and patting various backs in approval.

"What made you come today?" I asked.

"I'm very scared of planes." He replied slightly nervously. "Every time one passes I'm shaking a bit" Who isn't?

"This woman talks very well." he said smiling "People have been frightened

into behaving as they never would before." concluded speech.

Strangely enough, I had great fun doing something very serious. Perhaps in a sense, I managed to equal Jenny in protesting against two things at once.

The primary objective was to express feelings about the war. But in so doing, I embraced democracy for the first time.

"Tony can be randy little Panda if I say he is". "Ha"

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Surrealism at the Tate William Bashford The surrealists were an extremely diverse and imaginative group. Their movement flourished from the 1930's to the 1960's. Their aim was to express the non-rational authentic self. This irrational side usually finds expression only in dreams and desires. The surrealists wanted to express it in their art.

By doing this they wanted to show us the aspects of life that cannot be explained by reason. For them, rationality was a barrier that stopped people from seeing the wonderfully inexplicable nature of existence.

There is currently an exhibition of surrealism on at the Tate Modern. It costs ÂŁ6.50 for students, and it is well worth going. I was in there for hours feasting my eyes until they ached from the beauty they beheld. Surrealism rules.

In the middle of the first room is Marcel Duchamp's Large Glass (The Bride Stripped Bare by her Batchelors). It is an odd looking piece. It has painted on it a coffee grinder, a cage and some more enigmatic shapes, all replete with meaning. To fully apprieciate it you need to know a little about Duchamp and his previous work. Duchamp was perhaps the most influential artist of the 20th century.

There is hardly been an artist since who hasn't taken something from Duchamp, directly or indirectly. When he was young he went through an impressionist and a fauvist stage. Then he became much more experimental and started producing work that would spawn the Dadaist, Surrealist, Cubist, and even Post-Modern movements. Two of his important cubistbefore-cubism and surrealist-before-surrealism paintings are in the left corner of the first room."Bride" and "Sad Young Man on a Train" were both painted in 1912.

"Bride" is an eery picture. Its subtle tones of brown and orange are both organic and mechanical. The strange stucture that dominates the picture looks more solid than some fragmented cubist images. As your eyes wander you wonder if a human figure is visible in among the undecipherable forms of the picture. If you look back at the Large Glass you can see the central structure from "Bride" at the top of the piece painted in grey. Perhaps this is the ghost of the bride from the painting.

There are some of Duchamp's Coffee Grinder paintings at the Tate, and his bird cage full of cubes of marble with a cuttle fish bone in it. All of this strange imagery is apparently symbolic of sex and sexual desire. In the Large Glass Duchamp draws on the network of symbols he has developed in these pieces. The coffee grinder is symbolic of the mechanical nature of sex, this theme was used later

by Ernst and Picabia amongst others. The bird cage is more mysterious. Perhaps it could symbolise the cage of inhibition that prevents people from fully enjoying the

sexual act.

Inhibitions about sex were much stronger at the start of the 19th century than now, so Duchamp's work was considered very subversive at the time.

The second room contains work by Ernst, De Chirico and Dali. De Chirico's work is characterised by distorted perspectives and warm mediterranean light. You can feel the warm air against your cheek and almost smell the scent of the Greek country side. Greece was De Chirico's homeland.

His landscapes are populated by sleeping figures. The dreamlike nature of his paintings reveals itself if you walk around the room while looking at one. This creates a beautiful optical illusion as the space within the picture seems to move uncannily.

Next to the De Chiricos , the two Dalis in

the room immediately stand out as having a more finished, final quality to them. Dali's mastery of oil paint is unsurpassed. In "Willaim Tell" a man with his penis exposed holds a pair of scissors in his hand. A piano grows out of his head, and two horses, one living, one dead, come from the piano.

There is a lion's head growing out of the piano players faceless face.

What, you ask yourself, does it mean?

There seems to be so much significance.

Can it all be down to sexual frustration, or is there some kind of metaphysical pain at work here?

In the next room there is more Dali, some Magritte and Delvaux. There is are rooms of surreal poetry and photography. There is work by Miro and Picasso, and more Ernst. When I was a child I used to look through a book of Max Ernst's wierd land-

scapes and figures. I found them very haunting.I remember feeling like I was looking at photographs of another world which really existed somewhere. I still love Ernst's pictures. It was a treat to see "The Robing of the Bride", a work I had known since being very young. A woman wearing a cloak of feathers with an owl's head on top is flanked by a green birdman carrying a spear, and another woman who is looking away. A green hermaphrodite goblin stands at the bottom of the picture. There is a small hole in the central figure's hood with one eye looking through it to the woman on the right. It seems to mean so much, but what you cannot say.

For me the highlight of the exhibition came right at the end. It was the only painting there by Chilean surrealist Roberto Matta. I discovered Matta about three years ago when browsing through an art book, and I could not believe that I had never heard of him before. The picture is called "I shame myself/I ascend" (1948), there is another of his pictures on permanent display in the Tate Modern, but most of his work is in America. He draws attention to certain points by giving them a very smooth finish. He creates a wonderful feeling of space with suggestive lines, and sometimes translucent areas of colour. In this picture there is a large yellow structure resembling a broken crossbow. There are several streaks of red over the cloud-like grey background, at least one of which looks like a vagina. A mechanical yellow arm extends holding a red piece of meat. The white spots on the left could be semen. It is hard to determine what the forms are in this picture, it keeps the eye guessing. There are many different layers, some near, some far, all ambiguous as to their distance from the viewers eye. There are mechanical forms, but the picture feels organic. The structure is dynamic. It seems to be moving and growing. The central structure could be a mechanical vagina, but there is something unmaterial to this picture. There is a feeling that some kind of otherworldly force is at work. Matta's dreams must have been very strange.

I like Matta more than the other surrealist because the forms in his pictures are extremely suggestive, but it is impossible to determine what they are. In a Dali we can immediately see the desert, the man with no face, the ants and whatever else there is there. There are determinate symbols, but there is interderminacy of meaning. In a Matta, on the other hand, there is far more uncertainty about how the forms relate to one another, and to reality. His work is more rarefied and sublime than anything else I have seen. It is hard to find a network of symbols in his work. New resonances keep suggesting themselves, the eye is constantly updating its interpretation of the piece. It is a far cry from contemporary art where the "meaning" must be known in advance before the work can be "enjoyed". A yerning to dream forever with the knowledge that soon you must awake; this is what Matta says to me. Let him and his friends speak to your subconscious too.

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GET OUT OF TOWN! Reading week coming up? Want to escape chaotic London for a few days? Kaye Holland reckons you should head for Paris Undoubtedly one of the most glamorous cities in Europe, Paris is all about style. So if you want to make like a true star, pack your bags and say 'salute' to old Paris. Paris is currently undergoing a renaissance as the city to visit, thanks to the huge popularity of the film 'Moulin Rouge.'

Whatever your interests, chances are that they will be more than adequately catered for in Paris.

WHAT TO SEE? There is so much to see and do in Paris that the real question is where do you start?! There is the Bastille Opera House, Les Halles shopping precinct for the girls, the new National Library. Yet you really shouldn't miss Montmartre with its small town feel, Sacre Coeur and the famous Eiffel Tower which dominates the Paris skyline, Notre Dame and the monumental architecture of the Arc d'Triomphe.

The Arc, Napoleon's homage to the armies of France and himself, provides the best view of the city and the stunning Champs Elysees. Don't forget to head to the Louvre for a glance of the famously celebrated and much hyped painting 'The Mona Lisa.'

the room in which the Treaty of Versailles was signed marking the end of World War One. Versailles is serviced by the metro (the Parisian equivalent of the underground) and is approximately a 30-minute journey.

If you want to escape reality then head for Disneyland Paris. For all the criticism levelled at the Park, it is still the best theme Park in Europe. The magic kingdom is divided into four lands: Discovery Land, Fantasy Land for the youngest kids, Adventure Land and Frontier Land. Several of the rides operate a Fastpass system. Visitors register at a ticket booth and are given a time to return later in the day. The idea being that you can go off and do something else until your time is up. It works well and nothing quite beats barging legitimately to the front of the Que! In Discovery Land, be sure to check out the stimulating 'Star Tours' and film 'Honey I Shrunk the Audience' where everyone is accidentally reduced to pint size figures! The shaking seats add to the sensation!

In Frontier Land, the rollercoaster Big Thunder Mountain and eerily effective Phantom Manor are not to be missed. Adventure Land boasts my favourite ride- the pirates of the Caribbean. The daily Disneyland parade down main Street USA (with its irritatingly catchy theme tune!) is not to be missed for watching Mickey et al strut their stuff. Main Street USA is designed like small town America with pretty houses selling anything and everything. The atmosphere is enchanting and everyone is smiling.

Disneyland is a magical experience which everyone should experience- not just children! Don't be convinced otherwise! You can get to Disneyland Paris by Eurostar from Waterloo directly to the park, or by catching the Metro from central Paris. Entry to the park is £22 per day.

OUT ON THE TOWN! Nightlife in Paris is varied. The lively banks of the River Seine come complete with cafes, bars and restaurants and the suburb of Bastille is as lively as any. One of the city's focal points is music and there are numerous nightspots, which encompass the best Parisian Music- jazz, salsa and so on. Take your pick!

If you are on a larger budget than we were, then consider a visit to the Moulin Rouge. It's not cheap, but very hip and lets face it now is the time to go! We were informed by those in the know that an evening out at the worlds most famous cabaret featuring the racy can can routine, is one of the most Glam nights out in Paris and the perfect way to experience that certain joie de vivre that Paris epitomises.

groundÖrreliable! Buses run all-night and free route maps are available. The one-day pass is good value.

WHERE TO STAY: Again, whilst accommodation in Paris is more expensive than in the rest of France, its still cheap compared to other European cities and finding a cheap bed shouldn't be a problem! We stayed at Euro Hotel in the suburb of Arnouville Les Gonesse for £10 p.n./pp (for a room of three) Tel 01343800.

Alternatively try IYHA hostels. To check availability

and rates look up http://www.hostellinginternational.com or www.hostellinginternational.com.

GETTING THERE: One of the best ways of getting to Paris is with Eurostar, which takes you from London to Central Paris in less than three hours. Return tickets start at under £100. We drove to Paris splitting the £170 ferry crossing from Dover-Calais (return) five ways.

On the return leg we stopped off at Boulogne-a charming Northern Channel port worth a visit.

Paris is only a hop, skip and a jump away and easily one of Europe's most exciting, captivating cities.

What are you waiting for?!

EATING OUT: Again there are plenty of establishments, which cater to every budget and taste, and eating out in Paris need not burn a whole in your pocket. The fixed price menus under F80 are a good bet and there is a huge range of cheap pastry shops selling chocolate croissants for 30p etc as well as buttered baguettes and the like.

AROUND PARIS: Versailles: The Palace of Versailles numbers one of the three most visited monuments in France.

Although it can be hardly considered an architecturally beautiful building by any stretch of the imagination, its place in history cannot be denied. This is

GETTING AROUND: Negotiating your way about Paris is surprisingly manageable! In comparison to central London, central Paris is smaller in scale and the metro system is cheap, fast, well signposted and unlike the under-

For further information consult the French Tourist board: http://www.franceguide.com www.franceguide.com

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Antwerp Attractions enough reason to go to Antwerp any day of the week. But going on a slight tangent, most students have at one point in time come across the poster featuring Ronald Reagan holding a pint glass and the slogan 'Beer, helping ugly people have sex since...'. Now lets talk statistics, and the relatively simply concept of direct correlation's. There is an infinite amount of beer in Antwerp, and in direct correlation with that fact, is the endless number of ugly people. Fair enough, I don't care if the blokes are ugly, but a reconstructive surgeon could make a gargantuan amount of money from fixing the ladies faces.

Not one attractive woman in the whole of Antwerp, and this from six blokes wearing pretty hardcore beer goggles. So now I am much the wiser. Belgium doesn't like to make lots of beer but invariably needs to

Nick McDermott

All humans have a slight habit of exaggeration. Even the most modest bloke is 7" not his true 5.5" if the occasion arises, and the less well-developed ladies among us are all secretly appreciative of the extra confidence provided by under-wiring and padded 'support'. In some the habit of exaggeration manifests itself into an excessive, pedantic, repetitive form of storytelling. Drinking 3 pints automatically becomes 'I drank 6', which sooner or later becomes 'I'm just a real heavy drinker....maan', and for that added bit of drama at the end of a day of excess storytelling, the classic 'I think I'm an alcoholic and I may need help' is icing on the proverbial cake. In other more severe cases, human fallibility to this most common of habits manifests itself into what is in fact pure, unadulterated fiction. And in no tale is the latter more severe case most often found, than in ye olde travellers tales, for you cannot justify expense with irrelevance, but with the pure lite-fiction, abundantly shaken, never stirred.

The locals: very attractive in an attempt to shake my hangover.

Actually, come to think of it, this is a city which proudly hosts two separate and distinct, fully functional, libido driven red light districts. Or RLD's if you're in the know. There's the everyday, common garden, whipit-out and crack-one-off variety, and the Russian variety, which is even more downmarket than the common garden type. The RLD's in Antwerp even come equipped with street side,

an average persons life than a mosquito letting wind somewhere east of the Sahara at high noon. So why did my fellow travelers incessantly bitch? Alright so the toilet was broken on the coach, and one unnamed member of the company had to [painfully] refill a wine bottle in lieu, to the delight of the coach driver when he found the stoppered bottle of what he thought was wine when we duly exited at our port of call.

it’s one step up from pissing on some poor bastard’s doorstep in Covent Garden Travel writing, otherwise known as the art of justifying inanely expensive holidays for individuals you'd rather not have in the office, is something I thought I'd have a pop at. Not that I'm unpopular in the office (ulnike Chris and Ralph), but a man must write to feed his family, so here goes.

6 guys, 2 days, 1 Belgian city.

Antwerp. My friend told me the socalled story on how the city came by its name. Its a boring story, and he's no longer my friend, so that's one score settled.

If its culture you want, then in total honesty, this city reviewer wouldn't know of any to mention. I assume there was a museum or two, and I swear that it wasn't me that vomited at the doorstep of the cathedral, therefore proving at the very least that there was a cathedral. Other than that I really can't say. I did go on a river tour, but slept right through it

a reconstructive surgeon could make a gargantuan amount of money from fixing the ladies’ faces make lots of beer, for purely aesthetic and procreative purposes.

On the transport side of things, there's plenty of trams in the city, and its easy enough to ride them without paying. The only piece of advice I would give is don't travel with the same bunch of dipshits that I did. On the occasion that we did get caught, at 7 a.m. on the Sunday morning, they sent the not too friendly inspector to me. I had drunk approximately 40 units of alcohol and slept 2 hours in the previous 2 days.

Surprisingly enough I failed to convince the dear inspector of our innocence, but did pay only a miniscule fine after incessantly shouting 'I don't understand' and breathing in his general direction. He most probably felt nauseous from my festering breath, but hey, it did the trick.

publicly viewable, get-it-out-andstick-it-in urinals. Passers by may not be able to ignore the stench, or the hastily and publicly shaken trouser snakes, but readers of this article must give this city's RLD feature some cultural credit. It's one step up from pissing on some poor bastards doorstep in Covent Garden.

We got to Antwerp by coach, and it took only 5 hours, which in the big scheme of things is less impacting on

Antwerp, 5:00 a.m. Saturday morning, what else is there to do except enter the first bar and wet your gullet. Beer glorious beer, manna from heaven for the coach-weary traveler.

Lets stick to the subject of beer.

Belgium has lots of beer, and Antwerp has lots of bars, with many open throughout the night. We went to one bar which had over 400 types of beer. Sheer unmitigated hedonism for the beer drinker, and a good

I finish this meandering tale by encouraging all who go to Antwerp to burn down the 'flurgen-hergen-burgen' we partially stayed at for the entirety of 2 hours sleep, otherwise known as the local YHA hostel. Burn the motherfuckers, burn them all.

Other than that, I highly recommend staying there. So if its beer or whoring you want, then beer and whoring you'll get in ye olde land of promise and abundance called Antwerp.

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Vol 10 Issue 3

The end of freshers week has seen the normal drop off in bar activity. The freshers are now recovering and as far as I can tell busy splitting up from home-based boyfriends and girlfriends. Having read the moaning letter in the write in column, I have decided to stop writing gossip about people living in Marcia Road and to rely on the gossip from people based outside that thriving little community.

Wanting to be fair I scoured the roarse1@hotmail.com e-mail address for suitable material. The slight problem here is that the number of e-mails I received is the same as the chances of Kate Bolwell (Kitson Road!) hanging on to a mobile phone for more than three weeks, ie none.

It has been a very busy couple of weeks since I last wrote this column. It has also been very interesting, with several of my campaigns taking big steps forward.

I have had a large new campaign brought to my attention concerning the Dental Institute. This concerns the compulsory purchase of dental equipment at a considerable cost to 2nd year Dental students . The details are covered by a separate article at the front of this issue (not written by me).

After a meeting with Graeme Catto, the Dean of GKT, Professor Pitt-Ford has been tasked to produce several proposals on what should be done about these charges. This campaign will be a long running one. I am also awaiting a reply to a letter stating my concern about these charges sent in conjunction with Chris Piper to Nairn Wilson, the new Head of the Dental Institute. It is a concern that GKT runs the only dental course in the country with these extra charges. I would also like to thank Priti Acharya, the President of the Dental Society for her help and support in this campaign Many students have expressed concern about the level of lighting around Boland House, and the security risk it presents. I have met with the Director of Facilities and Services, Jennifer Briggs, and she has agreed to look into a 'quick and unsophisticated' solution as a temporary measure before the redevelopment of the Great Maze Pond gets underway.

I also spoke to her concerning an extra staff member for the Greenwood Theatre, and her response was positive so look out in later issues for the results of this campaign.

Wednesday afternoon teaching in the Biomedical School is still not resolved, however I have succeeded in getting Graeme Catto to pressure the school for a quick response.

I will report the results in the next issue, and any plans if the results are not satisfactory.

I have approached the College about the possibility of an intercalated BSc in Law and the initial response has again been very encouraging. The resignation of the previous Head of the Law School, who was dead set against the idea, has provided a very timely opportunity. I would like to hear from students who would be interested in this course so I can take prospective numbers forward to College. I would also like to hear any suggestions for other non-medical BSc's that you would like to be introduced. Please e-mail me your course titles at vp.gkt@kclsu.org. Thank you.

Finally I would like to congratulate Gabrielle Lofthouse for winning the SMEC presidential election, and to say that I look forward to working closely with her over the coming year. In the same vain I wish everyone good luck in the up and coming Dental Society elections.

Guy Schofield VP GKT vp.gkt@kclsu.org Also, have a look at the Re:Union section about the good news concerning the Greenwood Theatre Campaign!

Dudley is still on form though. Security George is very proud to have caught him in the ladies toilets with a yet unidentified dental nurse. Allegedly Forest might have taken her home for an oral examination as well its not just the normal nurse that is mucky.

Ben Thorpe has been seen grinning from ear to ear after he has reversed his barren period as VPGKT, and apparently shagged his way around the world. When questioned about the risk of STDs he may have contracted, Chris White commented on his behalf and said ‘They were too young to have had time to contract anything like that.

Fantastic!’.. For printable gossip that seems to have wrapped it up, and now I have the rest of this bloody page to fill.

This does however present a myriad (look it up), a plethora even (and that one, come on geographer you know you want to) of opportunities for the rest of the column. I could continue in my current style, and write a Cattnap however I have just put that on hold so I will look elsewhere. I could move into the area of International Sport, by say writing in the style of Alan Hanson, a so called Alan Hanson. It is important you understand this link otherwise you won’t understand the rest of the article and that would be a shame. So back to the Alan Hanson, this would end up containing very little interesting writing, be mainly derogatory and of course, contradict itself entirely in the second half. There is a related option available, that of a David Beckham. This article would be very simple and be written in a ridiculous font, which of course would be copied by child journalists everywhere. It does come with a huge advantage though no matter what it said (or didn’t) it would immediately get published in all the national press, and make me rather rich.

ish (and possibly wearing ladies underwear).

That would be a bad thing. I could take a rival approach and write a Geri Halliwell. This would start out as a nicely fleshed out article but would undergo a severe editing and end up being just the bare bones of the original.

In addition to this the majority of the text would actually be composed of adverts as an article of this type would shamelessly seek promotional material. Turning antipodean (that one too, Geography boy) for a moment, I could write the Kylie Minogue. This would of course be a very small article with a well rounded off conclusion, you could even say a neat rear end. It may also have an unfortunate side-effect of causing men called Jason to answer several lifestyle questions.

The world of male celebrities could provide inspiration however. I could write a Brian Harvey this would be a poignant article about the dangers of overdosing on Ecstasy, written from personal experience. I would then have to promptly (and rather too publicly) withdraw the article and flush it down the toilet, along with any hopes of a future career. I could go back further in time, back to the King. Yes, I could write the Elvis Presley.

This would in effect be the opposite of a Geri Halliwell. It would start of thin, full of verve, and slowly flesh out to the point of being too big to fit on the page. It would also attract sponsorship from a large fast food restaurant - I think you know what I mean. I could try to widen the scope of the article and write in the style of a whole band. Someone has suggested that I write a Westlife (not a close personal friend you understand). Whilst thinking about this I also considered writing a Boyzone, an N’Sync, and even a 911. In the end though, I came to the conclusion that these would all be very similar, and would only appeal to a very young audience.

Talking of young audiences, I could write the Gary Glitter, but as you can probably understand I could probably only get it published in certain specialist European publications.

The worlds of Sport and Music have failed to supply a solution, so now I look at a world that specialises in creative use of facts - politics. Staying more generalised I could write a Tory article. This would be quite business based, talking of tax cuts and improved Health services. It would also be sponsored

by Regaine (the baldness cure) and have a propensity to advocate the locking up of certain types of travellers. Continuing my rivalry theme, I could write a Labour party. This would be full of promises, but give no actual idea of how to achieve them. That moves me on to a Liberal Democrat. This would be a long winded article with quite a lot of debate, but in the end would fail to decide on anything.

Following a very overused link (if it’s good enough for the Sun, its good enough for me), I could move into the outspoken world of popstars with a Posh Spice. This would be a Which is I suppose what I have just done. badly researched article that makes a bold controversial statement. Then promptly Graeme Cattnap takes it back, and leave me looking very fool-

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classic cars . classic cars . classic cars . classic cars

Old dog teaches old boy new tricks Ginger James There are a few unequivocal marks of an Englishman; namely a proper education, a few right wing ideals, a following of incomprehensible ball sports indulged exclusively by middle England and the possession of a fine automobile. Alas, another piece of my jigsaw was added this summer when I blew my scholarship on a bastion of fine investment that is a classic car (as opposed to New York real estate!).

Having dismissed the idea of a Triumph Spitfire, whose front wings now adorn English pastures more readily than speed cameras, the next obvious rung was that of the Austin-Healey Sprite. The original Sprite released in 1958 was nicknamed the ‘froggy’ and has a front grille that was not too dissimilar to Cherie Booth’s cakehole; later versions were designed in collaboration with Morris Garages (MG) which is why there are nearly identical to the MG Midget. Indeed, MG designed the rear end which explains its conspicuous similarity with the MGB. This car, a Sprite Mk III (1965), which I spotted in the sticks just outside Wycombe, differs only from earlier versions due to front disc brakes and a slightly increased capacity to 1098cc. The engine, a typical A-series, is famed for its longitivity and will be familiar to owners of Minis and Morris Minors. Dreamt up long before EU noise regulations were brought in, this small unit with its twin SU carbs (and no ladies, this is not short for carbohydrate) makes this car sound like the oddjob of

midgets! The car shudders from side to side in a manner not too dissimilar to a TVR Cerbera, although this is more likely due to the 36 year old suspension.

As regard the drive, I donítt know many 36 year olds who ride better (although one can dream of Anna ford).

Exhilarating too, at 70-mph atrial fibrillation kicks in and indeed, it is the only time I have ever obeyed the speed limit. As with all British sports cars of its generation, it is real wheel drive and suffers from a little oversteer, but is generally superbly balanced. Driving requires discipline and the sort of ‘pointing-of-thenose’ that keeps Moss masturbating in his 70s.

The only downside is a gearshift that screams ‘JCB operator’ and a braking zone beyond the horizon, but to be honest, this just adds to the fun! It is also a stunning little car.

Despite countless numbers of classics and disco juice-sappers that gaze in awe at the bodykit of the Nova behind me, old buys lift their heads from the Telegraph’s obituaries page as my wire wheel glisten past. Indeed, it has often been said that food is the way to a man’s heart. Phoney, wire wheels and/or quad-cam V8, my dear wenches!

And then comes the nemesis of classic car ownershipreliability; already the gearbox has been replaced.

They will break down and regular maintenance is required if parts are not to fail, but these cars are not intended for the school run but are a labour of love. In many ways, it is a bit like a beautiful woman: it requires plenty of spit an’ polish, squeals when ridden too hard and is out of action once a month.

classic cars . classic cars . classic cars . classic cars

STYLE CV Back by special request, style CV returns to bring you the most stylish students: This weeks its: David Utting 4th Year Medic He is mostly wearing: Shirt - cut away collar, double cuff (Cecil Gee), Tie (Sartorial), Trousers (Next), Cuff links (Tie Rack), Shoes (Ikon), Stethoscope + lab coat (Guys Supplies) My style: "Pin sharp not pin striped" or "clinical precision"

How to deal with PostFreshers’ Despondency Syndrome Miruna Canagaratnam Notice anything different lately? Does the Kickers-enhanced spring in your step feel a little weary? Is the once cutting edge ‘Toni & Guy’ haircut now flat and lifeless? Those bright innocent eyes slightly sunken? Has your social life taken a sudden severe turn for the worse?

Fear not, there is scientific basis for your symptoms, and down here south of the river some have coined the term: Post-Freshers Despondency Syndrome (PFDS).

Yes, you’ve heard all about SAD, ADD, & PND but there’s a new condition taking the world of students by storm this autumn. Notoriously merciless with her victims, she attacks due to the lethal combination served by a culmination of ten days continuous drinking, a noticeable lack of Rapid Eye Movement, and cortisol levels that can only be produced by the stress of making countless costumes with aluminium foil and toilet roll.

Fresher’s week has indeed come to an end. It’s okay to cry.

However, the most sickening aspect of PFDS is the shock realisation that your highly compacted ‘Restriction Enzymes, 101 Uses’ lecture handout is a far-flung whisper from ‘My Ladybird Book of Chemistry’ back at school. And that first tutorial test looms ever closer. The good news is that PFDS is short-lived if somewhat debilitating. Coping strategies can be adopted to survive the rest of the year, and are outlined as follows.

There are three possible schools of thought on the route to rapid recovery. The first is ‘Hey there’s always Easter’.

Easter is the path to salvation. A time when good will prevail, right will be done, books will be read, and facts will be learnt.

Easter will probably kill you, but as long as it waits in the horizon, there’s always time for another drink at the bar, another coffee in the caffeine-overloaded Coffee Lounge, another day off due to intense hangover, and another incourse assessment left at the wayside. This attitude requires of guts of steel, and a continuous act of nonchalance in the face of danger. Not for the weak of will.

Secondly there’s the ‘Did all the work over summer anyway’ approach. This actually requires pre-university planning. Think prevention rather than cure. In other words you should already know the uses of restriction enzymes as well as the benefits of the polymerase chain reaction because you spent your summer with your dog-eared annual review of Lancet. This route may bring you fame and freedom after Freshers’ but you certainly won’t have any friends.

Thirdly and finally, my old favourite: ‘Deny Deny Deny’.

Deny Freshers’ week is over. Deny there are lectures to attend. Deny you belong to a university. Guaranteed fun & games winter, spring, summer and fall. Guaranteed too, failing the year. Oh but a trifle.

For those of you with more serious cases of PFDS, my final advice would be this: Steer clear of eagle-eyed lecturers who have a penchant for ritual humiliation. In the meantime return to the family fold for a good dose of motherly love and a home-cooked meal. This should tide you over, that is until the Second Coming. It arises in the form of RAG week.

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Vol 10 Issue 3

Letters to the Editor Printing Cover Sheet is a Sheet Too Far -------------------------------------------------------

money could be used in our already cashstrapped libraries.

The enormous waste of paper created by a Printing Coversheet is a waste of money and an eco-nightmare. Every job sent to College laser printers is accompanied by an A4 coversheet detailing useless information such as time submitted and time printed. As a consequence, printers run out of toner and paper more quickly! The only useful information, a credit check, is accessible from the Print Utilities menu on screen.

David Utting MBBS IV

Editor Claire Glasby News Editor Daniel Davies Tania Teixeira Arts Editor Chris Beckerson Music Editor Alexi Duggins Film Editor Ralph Redfern Books Editor Samantha Hulston Sub-editor Kelly Hall

Dear Editor

Features Rupal Mehta Tanya Poppeau Kaye Holland William Bashford

Having read the first installment of the fasciWhat's striking is that this ridiculous waste of nating and insightful SE1 I felt compelled to resources started atthe same time as we offer my opinion. began to be charged for printing 3 years ago.

Special thanks to: How is it that the social life of the entire GKT Chris Piper, Guy Schofield, Andrew Beggs I commend the recycling boxes next to the college in SE1 has been compressed into a printers in our libraries,but doesn't it make single street - "Marcia Road". Surely SE1 more sense to not waste the paper in the first encompasses more than just this bunch of place? I also realise we are not charged for jumped up private school tossers who think the single page coversheet, but the cost of they run the universe(ity). throwing away such an enormous amount of paper in every computer room on every cam- If they feel it is necessary to put their "hilarious" pus surely has to be met somewhere? nights into the written word then maybe they should write There must be a hundred better ways this their own magazine.....how about "For anyone who gives a shit about the toffs By the turn out on the anti war march, on on Marcia Road".

Saturday 13th October, from King's, plenty are not apathetic and want to stand up and be Yours, counted and even fight back against the war The Rest Of SE1. against Afghanistan.

Something pissing you off?

Want to reply to one of our articles?

Email us at roar@kclsu.org to get it off your chest.

All GKT Students are able to Perhaps the Student's Union should take the submit gossip by e-mailing lead and organise political activities on behalf roarse1@hotmail.com, so and with the students and Kings please, instead of moaning write something in yourselves.

By the way our next event is a meeting and activities on Thursday 18th October at 6.30 in 2B18 at the Strand.

Dear Roar Chris Piper doesn't know what he's talking about when he refers to politically apathetic students at King's.

Approximately 100 students turned up to an anti-war meetingon 8th October at the Strand and many more are still writing to me to find out what else is going on.

Pauline Walker member of the King's College Stop the War Group sorry pauline but I stand by both Chris and the article. 100 out of 17000 students is hardly a great turnout

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President’s Letter . President’s Letter . President’s Letter . President’s Letter just hope that time spent on the wards did not deflect from getting a good sun tan!

The coming few months are to be a busy one for the Union. We have started the process of reforming our Executive Committee. The Executive Committee has to better respond to the needs and wishes of the many and not just the few. The SRC has already passed policy to reduce a Sabbatical and replace the Site Officers with portfolio officers such as an Equal Opportunities Officer and a Sports Officer for example. For more information see the KCLSU website and your SRC Representative.

Greetings, This is now the third instalment from the Executive Committee in this copy of Re:Union. I trust everyone is doing fine in this first semester. Judging from the attendance at events such as Phase, peoples appetite for enjoying themselves continues unabated.

I would like to welcome back the final year medical students who have returned from their overseas electives. I

We are almost upon the NUS Regional Rally. This will take place on Saturday 17th November at 4.15pm in Trafalgar Square. With the recent moves by the Government to end upfront tuition fees and bring the Grant back, it is more important then ever before to attend the rally. We will be producing campaign t-shirts and are continuing to do the petition. Owain James, the NUS National President, will be addressing King's students on the 6th November 2001 at 6pm in Room 2B08, Strand Building.

As many of you are aware, there has been countless problems with the distribution of the LT Student Discount Cards. I have been informed that there is currently a 50% backlog with the processing of the LT Student

Discount Cards. This is highly unsatisfactory and KCLSU have been taking this up with ULU, LT and the Mayor of London. LT promised a 7-day turn-around with the cards and have clearly breached this agreement.

Hopefully this can be resolved shortly but if you do have to wait an unreasonable time do come and speak to us.

As for the NUS Consultation on Democracy. This finishes on the 2nd November and it is important that as many King's students take part as possible. You can take part by logging onto the NUS website, which is www.nusonline.co.uk.

Lastly, don't forget to vote in the upcoming by-elections!

Apart from voting in the SRC elections, you can take part in the voting for NUS Delegates and ULU Council Representatives. Voting takes place cross campus on Friday 26th October and on Monday 29th October between 10am-4pm. There will be provision for late night voting on the Friday. See the website for more details.

See ya!

Chris Piper President KCLSU President@kclsu.org

This week Union Staff and Sabbaticals dressed in pink to raise money for Breast Cancer Research.

They managed to raise over one hundred pounds for the charity (and looked very fetching, too).

Inside...Nominations and Manifestos for Union Bi-Elections (including NUS delegate, Academic Board, Academic Affairs,Equal Opportunities, ULU Council, SRC)

re:Union is written & produced by KCLSU independently of ROAR

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Vol 10 Issue 3

STOP PRESS . STOP PRESS . STOP PRESS

Greenwood Glory Re:union is pleased to report that Alex Siddell and Guy Schofield have succeeded in lobbying college for an extra staff member. This will allow extra productions to take place next Easter term.

This is a major campaigning success for the two sabbaticals and will ensure that the theatre is used to its maximum potential. ‘This is a wonderful facility and it is very good to see more student productions able to go ahead.’ Guy Schofield com-

ments.

Guy and Alex would like to thank Liz Thornton and Rachael Samuel from the Student Activities department and Nicky Cleghorn, the new Research and Information co-ordinator for all their hard work in supporting the campaign. A special mention must also go to the Director of Facilities and Services, Jennifer Briggs for her support on this issue whcih was gratefully received.

STOP PRESS . STOP PRESS . STOP PRESS Government U-turn on upfront tuition fees & grants.

Regional Rally Grants not Fees 17.11.01 The government announced at the Labour party conference at the beginning of October that student support is being reviewed because debt aversion among the poor is jeopardising the governments 50% expansion target. The review to be carried out by the Department for Education and Skills and the Treasury will be concentrating on the balance between state and private contributions to student support.

Under consideration is the introduction of a graduate tax and the restoration of grants, possibly for all students and certainly for lowerincome students, The new arrangements will be in place from Autumn 2003 at the earliest. There are 2 models being considered: either, a maintenance grant avail-

able for all students with a higher rate of graduate taxation or means tested grants, allowing more student loans and a lower graduate tax.

Whilst this is a tremendous achievement for the student movement we cannot afford to become complacent. The government still needs to be pushed to ensure that upfront tuition fees are abolished and the grant returned. Talk about change is not enough; we need to keep pushing until the changes are in operation.

To this end there will be a Regional Rally taking place on Saturday the 17th of November at 4.15pm in Trafalgar Square. see publicity for details. In addition to this please come and tell us your level of debt; write it up on the sheets in the Waterfront Bar at the Strand site and at Guys Bar at Boland House.

Keeping Wednesday Free

Success on the Waterfront

It has come to the Student Union's attention that some lectures are still being scheduled for Wednesday.

The College had agreed that NO teaching, unless in special cases (like placements), should be put after 1.00pm. It has recently come to our attention that some schools, notably the Schools of BioMedical Sciences and health and Life Sciences, have indeed tabled lectures for times after the cut-off point on Wednesdays even though directed from upon high not to do so. It is something that your sabbatical team are looking into, notably Guy Schofield, VP GKT, as they see it as one of the main issues facing students, especially in GKT. It not only impinges on recreational time for students, but if they have to miss a lecture for the activity they enjoy, it becomes a worry for them.

Keep Wednesday afternoons free.

Students have welcomed the new look Waterfront Bar. As we reported last time the cleaner image with an extended food range has created a whole new concept. Student Neil Thomas, said ‘the new bar is more like All Bar One, it’s got trendier but it’s not lost the student atmosphere’. In the first two months, daytime usage has increased and the bar has been full on most evenings. The new Peabody’s Coffee Shop has also proved popular serving coffee and snacks all day from 9am until 5pm.

If you haven’t yet checked out the all new Waterfront Bar then come and see us on 2nd Floor, Macadam Building at the Strand Campus.

If you have comments or suggestions about any of the Unions commercial services then email Richard Hilton, VP Finance and Services (vp.finance@kclsu.org)

BI-ELECTION NOMINATIONS RECEIVED NUS Delegate 7 Places Richard Hilton Alexis Baker David Kitchen Sumon Banerjee Claire Glasby Guy Schofield Jessica Lipman Jacqueline Hoffman Simon Whalley Ralph Redfern Rijendri Shah Academic Board One place per school Guy SchofieldMedicine Sumon BanerjeePhys. Science and Engineering Joseph KurianPhys. science and Engineering Rachel Harrison-Life Sciences Matthew Smialowski-Medicine Stephen Daglish Medicine Ralph RedfernHumanities Philosophy SRC 2 Places David Lundie Amy Fricker Computer Science SRC 4 Places Jason Smartt Zeeshan Safdar English SRC 5 Places Polly Mackwood Rachael Castell SRC Geography 3 Places Amy Sherwood SRC Biomedical Sciences 12 Places Louise Thompson David Carter Bennett Alakakone

John Meneer Imogen Felton SRC Education 5 Places Simon Wright Jo Victoria (JV) Yupangco SRC Modern Languages 4 Places Claire Preston Nathalie Ioannov Satmeet Sahni SRC Medicine 12 Places Ilana Buelles Fiona Mullender Stephen Daglish Allen Hogg Thomas Bishop Anna Harris Matthew Smialowski Shaheen Kahn Manish Kalla Richard (Boyce) Freeman Miruna Canagaratnam Fozia Hamid Marcus Pittman Vasanthan Metupalle Shikha Duggal Naveen Puri ULU Council 4 Places Ian Campbell Guy Schofield Bennett Alakakone David Lundie Simon Whalley Vanessa Forster David Kitchen Strand Site Rep Academic Affairs Sunil Tailor Umair Ahsan Denmark Hill Site Reps Academic Affairs Allen Hogg Equal Opportunities Allen Hogg

St Thomas' Site Reps Academic Affairs Shaheen Kahn Thomas Bishop Equal Opportunities Stephen Daglish Post Grad, Mature & P/T Thomas Bishop SRC Music 2 Places Matthew Dury SRC War Studies 5 Places William Tann Richard Tongue SRC Life Sciences 7 Places Tariq Syed Tim Waterworth Margaret Walker Rachel Harrison Gulshan Batool SRC Chemistry 4 Places Atiya Shariff Olga Gora Amar Shah David Kitchen Ali Almashat Alexandra Critchley SRC Dentistry 9 Places Scott Rice SRC Law 13 Places Vanessa Forster Laura Rose Ian Campbell Rachel Xuereb Imran Aslam Sunil Tailor Christopher Moute Michael Ramsden Alicia Pattihis SRC Management 3 Places Max Kunkel Sara Eojourian

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NUS DELEGATE MANIFESTOS

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NUS DELEGATE MANIFESTOS

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In Arts...

Music The Charlatans Spiritualized New Order Rae & Christian Anthrax

Film American Pie 2 The Others Jeepers Creepers Band of Brothers

Theatre, Books, Art Facts of Life (at the Hayward Gallery) Chicago (the musical) Booker Prize news Peter Carey

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Vol 10 Issue 3

Music: Features Anthrax Declare War on Taliban Becoming the first band in the world to do so, Anthrax are declaring war on the government of Afgahnistan after what they see as a slur campaign against their name in the world’s media. “Enough is enough” commented a source close to the band, “Bin Laden and his cohorts have made a mockery of our name one time too many. We’re not sure exactly why we are suddenly the victims of this cruel attack, but what we do know is that this is not just an attack upon us, but an attack upon freedom: an attack upon hte freedom of metal bands throughout the world.”

Since the declaration of war, messages of support for the campaign have flooded in throughout the world: Napalm Death, Biohazard, Nine Inch Nails and Megadeth have all so far given their backing to the attacks, with only notably Metallica refusing to join in, having described the plan as “a bit silly really”. However, the band remain unfazed: “this is a struggle of good metal versus bad metal” commented our source, “and if you are not with us, then you are against us. These people have slandered our name throughout the world; ruined our planned comeback gig in Miami, and utterly sabtaged our planned publicity gig in the London Underground; they are trying to destroy us, and what’s worse, they’re doing a pretty good job of it too. I phoned up thepromoters in Miami recently; said ‘I’m bringing Anthrax to Miami’ and next thing I know I’m surrounded by FBI agents. This attack upon our name must stop. Bin Laden, if you’re reading, we’re coming for you and your cohorts. You can run but you can never hide. We’re going to flush you out of your hiding holes, you hear me? You AND Hetfield!”

Bin Laden! Are you listening?

Interview: David Thomas A large, bare-footed man in an orange apron stands on stage holding a melodeon. He takes a mouthful of spirits from his hip flask and glares at his audience. "Ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters.

I want to talk to you about self-pity", he announces.

"Ah, such a precious commodity. Nations built, empires launched on its back. It's a terrible thing to keep to yourself. You got to spread it around. Come, I invite you, ample generosity for us all. Come, sup at the table of my self-pity.” Possessed, he wobbles and shrieks as a trumpet blasts higher towards a frightening climax.

This is what David Thomas does today. Along with his two "Pale Boys", Andy Diagram and Keith Moline, he wails about time and space; abandoned gas stations; highways that stretch on forever but always lead the way home; a lost America. He tells tales of a country quite the opposite of the consumerist, Disney-based, super-efficient, have-anice-day-sir United States that the world's media is so intent on showing us. Andy Diagram's trumpet atmospheres soar in all directions, making Thomas' utterances all the more blunt, eerily close-by and totally real.

Thomas has been offering the world his thoughts for decades now, ever since his best-known group Pere Ubu started out. Things began in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1975, from the ashes of Thomas' previous band, Rocket From The Tombs. Unlike many bands of this era, Pere Ubu's riotous energy was both perceptive and profound.

They have been compared to both early Roxy Music and Captain Beefheart, and it's easy to understand why. Like early Roxy Music, they manage to achieve a wonderful balance between strange humour and deep emotion; and like Captain Beefheart most of their twisted songs would fall easily into most people's definition of "avant-garde", whilst still occasionally flashing a glimpse of their blues-based roots. However, these comparisons don't really do justice to Pere Ubu's unique and often extreme sound. David Thomas is one of a kind. He's been stretching the idea of what a vocalist should be doing to the limits. He squeals and shrieks as if he's been condemned to death. It's as though there's both too much time and no time at all.

Great bands like this flooded in when punk tore down the large iron gates to success. But today things are very different. Popular music is becoming an increasingly narrow genre. As corporate record companies seize more and more control over the music people make and therefore, to an extent, the music people listen to, any interesting stuff barely gets a chance. Today's best selling records are

emotionally sterile and overproduced; a triumph of style over content. This total lack of any kind of longevity is a great threat to any chance of an intelligent, meaningful, progressive culture.

Thankfully, David Thomas is still making music, though probably not selling vast quantities of his records. The live album "Meadville", by David Thomas and Two Pale Boys is an incredible collection of semi-improvised performances, brimming with Thomas' wonderful humour, and are one of the most exciting live acts in the world today. The atmosphere at gigs is, unsurprisingly, a curious mix of laughter and terror, as Thomas takes you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions. I met D a v i d Thomas in Hove to ask him about his music.

Roar: You have a very distinctive and unusual voice. Did it take a while to develop or did you right from the beginning find that you simply had a very individual sound?

David Thomas: I couldn't do anything about the tonal quality cos tonal quality I'm born with. In the early days, like on the Rocket from the Tombs stuff, I was pretty much a straight out-and-out screamer.

Over time you begin to change. I always had very distinctive notions of how a vocal should be and I never particularly liked melody a whole lot so that affected how I approached things. I think that vocals should be related to the nature of consciousness and thought and shouldn't be stylistically artificial which is usually what happens, what one would consider most singing to be. People don't think the way most singing is. The most important thing to me was to mimic as closely as possible the nature of thought in the voice. For a long time I wouldn't spread vowels. I decided I wasn't going to extend syllables. After awhile I stopped that cos it got tire-

some. But I'd say that over the years, the guiding principle of what I do is to as closely as possible mimic the human experience.

R: So it's been a conscious decision?

DT: There's no particular rules involved. I've always tried to find a middle path between spontaneity, improvisation and intellectualisation. I'm not sure I'd be happy thinking about it all the time but I do analyse what I'm doing and the purpose of what I'm doing is. Once you've set up the framework of what you're doing and why, then I tend to be free with it.

R: What sort of musical influences did you have when Pere Ubu began?

DT: We were very interested, along with many others, with the integration of sound into music, hence our interest in found sound and concrete sound and analogue synthesisers. Rock had reached, by 1970 or so, a certain level of nascent maturity and it was quite clear from everything that was going on that the next stage was the integration of sound into musical activity. The quest of the rock project was to create an art from that was increasingly complex and sophisticated, capable of dealing ever more satisfactorily with human experience, so you're always searching for tools that will allow you to say as much as possible in as short a period of time. And found sounds or concrete sound and analogue synthesization are the best ways of achieving this. You can set an entire scene with just a few bits of sound very quickly and that allows you to get on with things in the melody and harmony and the rhythm.

R: When the Two Pale Boys began were you specifically looking for a trumpet player and a guitarist?

DT: No. I was looking for two people. I had been

engaged in a series of solo things and I quickly came to the conclusion that a three piece was the optimum improvisational unit. I had experiments with various groups. I had a group in America called the Accordion Club which was Ira Kaplan and Garo Yellin. I needed to find somebody in England. My manager found Keith, probably through an ad, and that was successful. And my manager had heard of this violin player so we had a violin player for a while. The violin player got into this thing that was ever more minimal and one time in front of 800 people in Brussels he was just staring at the audience.

Then we heard of Andy and so we met for the first time about an hour before showtime and went through chords and various ideas and how to approach the problems. We did the show and it sounded good. That was about 5 or 6 years ago, around the time of the "Erewhon" album.

R: I love the way you combine slight humour with total seriousness at the same time.

DT: It's a part of what I've done since 1974. It's often been overlooked in Pere Ubu because it goes by really quick or people don't quite get it. There's a hell of a lot of funny stuff in Pere Ubu. I don't think you'll find a single album or concert that I've ever done that hasn't been a mix of that. It may be more apparent in the Pale Boys stuff. The Pale Boys is far more word and story orientated which is one of the purposes of the group. With Pere Ubu as a band, there's not a whole lot of time, that's one of the reasons why I started doing the solo work cos there were a lot of stories that I thought were kind of interesting and were only hinted at in the band version.

R: A major theme in a lot of your recent work is American geography, particular places and the people travelling through them. Ha this fascination for abandoned gas stations and ghost towns grown the longer you've been away from America or has it always been there?

DT: There's always been a significant geographical element. Pere Ubu was completely connected with Cleveland and regions of Cleveland. There are endless references to geography and space. I've always been interested in it and it's always been a part of what I do. I thought it was something that it was time to clarify or explore or explain or whatever. Since "Raygun Suitcase" all the things I've done have been consciously linked along those themes. At a certain point, the predominant thing in what I do will begin to shift away from that. It may shift on the next Pere Ubu album.

Daniel Patrick Quinn

Vol 10 Issue 3

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Music: Live Never let it be said that we’re not multicultural down here at ROAR. Oh no. This week we delve into the best that London has to offer in not one, not two, but THREE (count them) different fields of music. Yes, that’s right: we did something this week other than going to gigs and ckubbing; we went to an opera as well. So, sit back and prepare for a musical tour of London. It’s not easy, but someone’s got to do it.

Spiritualized @The Hammersmith Apollo - 12th October Following a 2-year-ish absence Spiritualized are back with a vengeance to prove that they can still give credence to their reputation of studio perfection, paradoxically combined with live success; but do they pull it off?

The gig kicked off with a couple of ambient tracks, which set the precedent for a long evening: for this was musical masturbation at its finest. The play list contained numerous reworkings from their 1997 album 'Ladies and Gentleman, We are Floating in Space' as well as new material from their well-received recent album 'Let it Come Down'. Despite remaining in the shadows throughout the show Jason Pierce was evidently at peace with his new 13 piece act, resplendent with a six-piece brass band as well as backing vocalists. After 45 minutes of self-indulgence, which veered dangerously close to prog rock, only without the dazzling guitar solos the gig finally took off.

There was a jazzed-up, abbreviated version of 'Cop Shoot Cop' as well as a perfunctionary take on 'Electricity'. However these two tracks were trumped by the new fun and funky 'On Fire'. Technically the band were infallible, turning out their own unique brand of dark trance fused with rock and overtones of jazz, blues and gospel with aplomb. Music such as this bridges the gaps between divergent genres and consequently attracts an eclectic audience. However the romantic and apocalyptic vocals, when present, were monotonous rather than sonorous, which resulted in a disappointing lack of poignancy.

Essentially 'Let it Come Down' is an atmospheric and sonically textured album, which boasts a 96 -piece (or is it 98-piece?) orchestra and choir. Unfortunately even the best efforts of an epilepsy-inducing light show failed to conceal the fact that it did not translate well into a live show and sent the audience to sleep in their seats, prompting the question: "are Spiritualized the Pink Floyd of a new generation?"

Domestic mere mortal

Do you want to be entertained in opulent surroundings by some of the finest artists of their generation for the price of a pint? If “yes” then head to the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden. Last week for £6 I got a seat in the gods to watch Richard Strauss’ greatest opera “Die Frau ohne Schatten”.

This tells the magical tale of a childless woman without a shadow and her entry into the world of humans to acquire compassion.

Her journey involves recognising the evil of greed and the triumph of loyalty and love.

Deborah Voigt excels as the Empress, but the finest singer by far is the American mezzo Jane Henschel playing the manipulative Nurse. David Hockney’s brilliant sets reflect the colourful music that is powerfully conducted by Christopher von Dohnanyi. I thoroughly recommend this production as an introduction to London’s operatic scene (if you don’t like it you can legitimately leave during the interval).

However a note of caution before you rush off to take up this bargain : don’t wear jeans, clap indiscriminately or attempt to buy a drink at the bar (it’ll cost three times the price of your ticket!). Die Frau ohne Schatten runs until the 30th October Rachel Sayers

Groove Sanctuary @ Madame Jojo’s - Every Saturday Deep in the heart of Soho, amid the strip bars and brothels lies Madame Jo Jo's - an old drag show venue.

Under new ownership, the club is morphing from its seedy past. Groove Sanctuary is an excellent expression of that change - a weekly Saturday night dedicated to playing new and latin jazz, and deep soulful house, within Jo Jo's herself. The small venue when filled to the 180 capacity has more than adequate space to bust a move, with 2 dance areas on 2 levels. Velour couches, dark lighting, and a small tabled area make this an intimate venue.

Saturdays are hosted by Raw Deal (aka Jimbo - see picture) and Fane with a selection of guest DJs who are often hard to better, from Gilles Peterson, Patrick Forge, MJ Cole and the excellent up and coming Paul Seiji.

Soulful house figures mostly on the playlist, with a few breaks and beats thrown in occasionally, always jazzy, but never tacky.

Drinks are pretty much standard club prices at £3 a bottle, and the green fairy juice (absinth) is £4 a shot. To enter the Sanctuary costs £6 before 11 and £8 thereafter not bad for a Saturday night in the West End where you can actually listen to some very high quality dance music, from 10pm-3am.

Pierce: You are feeling sleepy.

VERYsleepy.

New Order at Brixton Academy - 11th October

Die Frau Ohne Schatten @The Royal Opera House - 16th October

Paul Vig

The Charlatans @ Heaven, 17th October The band wanders onto the stage to their new instrumental, “The Bell and the Butterfly”, before the welcoming crowd. Tim’s wearing denim; velvet cap tilted to one side, practically covering his hair: reflecting his new lifestyle in LA. Although Mark Collins seems a little nervous at first, they ease into the performance and there is an unstated understanding that The Charlatans no longer need to prove themselves. After three number one albums their authenticity is no longer in question. This is a time to be enjoyed by their biggest fans and after all, as Tim says, the night’s only just started and we have until 10 o’ clock.

“Love is the Key” makes a soulful, rock guitar entrance, plunging straight into “Judas” with an even higher octave Burgess vocal that is stunningly on key. “You’re So Pretty, We’re so Pretty” and “A Man Needs to be Told” are played before a rejuvenation of “Tellin’ Stories”, “One to Another” and "The Only One I know", resulting in a massively enthusiastic response from the club.

"Wonderland", their best album since "The Charlatans", is well performed with even more life and funk than portrayed on the album. It works well alongside the old material as an exciting musical progression that seems only suited to their cred. The encore is led by "Forever" and ends, as usual, with one of their oldest songs, "Sproston Green" which never loses its "fresh as tomorrow" feel.

The gig was attended by all of The Charlatans" loyal, hardcore fans at this relatively small venue. It left the people touched, still in complete awe of their favourite soul survivors.

Nadine Khawaja

With the blistering opening of Crystal, New Order put paid to any lingering doubts that this was all some sort of nostalgia trip. The ageing crowd may have gone to reminisce at the shrine of past legends but what they got was a performance worthy of one of Britain's truly seminal bands.

In their prime, New Order have written a canon of incomparable pop songs and when combined with some classical tunes from their previous incarnation of Joy Division they have a set capable of raising any venue or audience to fever pitch.

If at times their beefed up live sound slightly detracted from the pop sensibilities of songs such as Touched by the Hand of God and Regret it more than compensated with the empowerment it gave to others, most notably Transmission and True Faith.

Throughout the night the undoubted star of the show was Peter "Hooky" Hook. Holding his base guitar as low as humanly possible he played it with a blend of delicate reverence and brutal savagery that dazzled and amazed and made it impossible for you to take your eyes off him. As the band walked off stage before the encore Hooky stayed on contorting and cajoling his base to create ever more improbable sounds immersed in a sea of feedback and to receive the adulation of the appreciative crowd. It is a sight that is not usually associated with bass players especially not overweight 45-year-old ones but this is probably because there has never been a bassist so instrumental in creating a band's sound as he is.

Bernard Sumner in contrast cut a much less imposing figure, yet still played his full part in the proceedings. His guitar playing helped create the melodic groove that is the cornerstone of all that is good about New Order and he sung with a venom that must have come as a shock to anyone who had not seen him perform live before. At times when singing Joy Division tunes he tried (probably subconsciencely) to ape Ian Curtis' vocal delivery but understandably was unable to match the desperation in Curtis' voice that made it so haunting.

For the encore the band belted out Blue Monday which was undoubtedly the highlight of the night. Swathing the venue with a multitude of colours from their impressive light show the instantly recognisable electronic rhythm started up interrupted only by the staccato drumbeat. The sense of anticipation building throughout the introduction was palpable and gave rise to a great communal emotional release when Sumner began to sing.

Pop music does not get better than this.

Kambiz Zolphagari

24

Vol 10 Issue 3

Album

of the

Issue

Music: Album & Single Reviews

AnotherLateNight Rae&Christian (Azuli Records)

Singles Call My Name Out - Matthew Jay (Parlophone)

Out comes the latest installment of 'AnotherLateNight' and it is definitely my favourite installment yet. The more I listen to this record the more I fall in love with it. Whether it's producing their own music or mixing other peoples records, Rae & Christian are becoming true champions of their trade. With their record label Grand Central plastering posters all over London and two fantastic albums behind them they are finally beginning to get the hype and success that they deserve.

This album is packed full of funky grooves and beats which would even get your grandma grooving.

The music just oozes class.

Whether it's the salsa sounding 'Strudel Strut' by Aromadozeski, or the fantastic Jose Feliciano version of 'California Dreamin' each track melts seamlessly into another whilst maintaining their i n d i v i d u a l i t y.

was the lyrics. Normally, the lyrics to a song don't particularly bother me one way or the other, but for some reason, these did.

Perhaps it was the song "Advertise Me" where they sing about vanilla ice cream and sex-addicted presidents, or "Painkiller Buzz" where Pamela Anderson's "teats" get a mention. All I can say about the Sky Diving Penguins is this; crap, crap, crap, crap and more crap.

type vocals (so don’t fret Bizkit fans), and the song finishes with Durst screaming at the top of his lungs: “WHY?!!!”.

Which is funny because that’s exactly what I was doing towards the end of it as well.

Apparently, the video for this song depicts guitarist Wes Borland (who recently quit the band. Damn. What a pity) being decapitated. Will this make the song appear any better? No. Will it create a fuss and give it more attention than it deserves? Probably. Will I enjoy seeing the irritating twat getting his head chopped off? Definitely. Can’t wait.

Hilary Keller Limp Bizkit - Boiler (Flip/Interscope)

The tracks have been articulately put together to create a superb overall sound. It's not just an album of 17 great tracks, it's a w e l l t h o u g h t o u t m u s i c a l j o u r n e y.

There are lots of rare gems on this album; I can only imagine what Mark Rae's record collection must look like. With tracks

Fruity Face Sky Diving Penguins (EP) (Gimpstar Records)

I have to admit that the only reason I reviewed this was that the name caught my eye. I had never heard of the Sky Diving Penguins before, and after listening to their stuff, I can see why. After putting the CD in, I felt the need to check to see that I hadn't been sucked through a wormhole, and back into 1997. A couple of songs sounded a bit more contemporary, through the use of nu-metal guitar riffs, but nu-metal mixed with Britpop sounds worse than you can imagine. It was tolerable, but only just.

The main problem that I had with the CD

Depeche Mode - Free Love (Mute)

Pilots (on a star) is exactly that.Hear Goldfrapp settle in the guise of a pair of drifters travelling into space, leaving the chaos of Planet Earth behind them. This is laid back and very chilled, with Alison Goldfrapp's luscious voice really complementing the subtle sound. This is atmospheric orchestral concord from another dimension. Pilots' Morcheeba-tinged melodies and blissful, spacy harmonies are just what the doctor ordered when all you want to do is sit back and relax. B-side 'Lovely Head' you may have heard on a recent television commercial...the one with some dodgy looking bloke talking about 'every one to one you've ever h a d ' . T h i s i s a n o t h e r s m o o t h n u m b e r, reflecting once again that Goldfrapp must be orbiting the dark skies as we speak. Haunting whistling carries the melody through, accompanied by a f e w d i s c o r d a n t s o u n d e ff e c t s t h a t f a i l to cause unrest. Their space-influenced mixing can perhaps be described as an alien attack on your Dad's favourite easy-listening record...but the results are surprisingly sublime. Another one to settle a h a n g o v e r o r a m u c h t o o h e c t i c d a y.

And, as for other B-side “Horse tears”, this one will send you to sleep!

Chryselle Pathmanathan

Grundy le Zimbra.

Goldfrapp - Pilots (on a star) (Mute)

It is just me or does Fred Durst, Limp Bizkit’s lead singer/rapper/squealer, have one of the most irritating voices in the music business, second only perhaps to Victoria Beckham? Well, decide for yourselves, but upon listening to this new offering from the Bizkit it’s not hard to see why he’s known as “The Most Hated Man in Rock”. The trouble is, does that term REALLY cover it? Perhaps it should be altered slightly to something along the lines of: “The Most Hated Man. Period.”

Now that would be a little more accurate, I feel.

It appears that Durst and the boys felt that some of their previous singles were not a true indication of what the band were really about. The last few releases such as “Rollin” and “Nookie” apparently didn’t show us the band’s sensitive side.

So we are presented with this little number, a God-awful 5-minute racket about some chick (presumably) that broke the poor bloke’s heart. Limp Bizkit fans that I have spoken to (in case you haven’t guessed yet, I’m not one) have assured me that songs such as “Rollin” are not at all their best, and to give credit where credit is due, “Boiler” is considerably better than any other of their songs that I have heard before. But then again that’s rather like saying watching ten hours of televised snooker is considerably better than having your testicles removed with rusty razors by Anne Widdecombe in a Bikini. Go on. Imagine it. The usual quietbits-followed-by-loud-bits format is still there, full of Durst’s trademarked whiny squeaky mongoose-trapped-in-a-blender

Oliver Howard

Like many people who grew up in the eighties, I loved Depeche Mode, one of the slightly different and interesting bands to come out of the decade. Their often dark and moody electronica-influenced tunes, such as the number one hit “Enjoy the Silence”, captivated me as a child growing up around countless mindnumbingly bad acts such as Jason Donovan and Rick Astley. They even managed to survive into the nineties with a reasonable amount of integrity, with stomping guitar anthems such as “I Feel You” creeping into the charts, a task that most eighties bands failed at miserably.

After drugs got the better of singer Dave Gahan, the band disappeared for a few years as Gahan went through rehabilitation. They eventually made it back, though, with “Ultra”, an album that, to be fair, was actually quite good considering.

So when I heard that Depeche Mode where coming back with new material for the new Millenium, I was excited.

However, somewhat inevitably it seems, the single “I Feel Love” was pants. But, like any reasonable guy, I was willing to give them a chance. “So they released a crap single, it happens to the best of them” I told myself, “the next one will show everybody what they’re really capable of”. Boy oh boy, was I wrong. “Free Love” is one of those songs that make you feel like you have just wasted four minutes of your life listening to. You press play and the song starts with a basic drum loop that continues unchanged for the whole length of the song. The bass line and Dave Gahan’s half-arsed vocals then flop in with all the excitement and charisma of Droopy the Dog, and nothing really happens for the rest of the song.

Then it fades out. There you have it. A complete waste of our time and theirs if you ask me. You could just as easily have more fun watching a whole episode of Watercolour Challenge, and at least then you’d know a little more about brush technique. I’m severely disappointed in Depeche Mode and if they don’t pull up their socks soon, I’m gonna be forced to go around calling them shit in front of my mates. And then they’re in trouble.

Grundy le Zimbra.

Matthew Jay sits on the cd sleeve staring wistfully into the distance, looking not unlike Tim Wheeler wearing a bad Richard Ashcroft wig. I’m told this is abreezy summery pop song about a girl with the “crooked smile”. Aah, I think, so he likes a girl with a funny face. What a nice boy. But this is the problem with Matthew Jay -he’s just too nice: the song ends up being bland in a way that borders on the offensive, and the sixteen John Powers-esque “hey na na na’s” don’t exactly do him much good either.

The end result is that you can’t help but want to tell him to stop being such a wet blanket and to go and take some ProPlus or something.

like the funky 'Copenhagen Claimin' Respect', infused with scratching and the brilliant upbeat '100 million ways' by Nash, this is an essential addition to anybody's record collection. If you haven't bought it yet I suggest you do. One warning though, don't play it before you go to sleep or you might just be tempted press repeat, turn up your stereo and stay up for another late night.

Vol 10 Issue 3

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Film: New Releases American Pie 2 15 Starring: Jason Biggs, Shannon Elizabeth, Seann William Scott, Alyson Hannigan, Eddie Kaye Thomas and Eugene Levy Director: James B Rogers This time the guys have rented a beach house for a summer of booze and sexy chicks . Some of them are willing to wait for the right girl, others are not so picky.

Unlike the first film, with the most memorable apple-pie scene in the history of cinema, this one has a set of scenes that will keep you grossed-out and laughing way past the ending. Perhaps this is why the cast members are all the ones from the original, who saw the potential of the script.

Having said this there is no doubt that certain members of the cast were included only because they were in the first movie. The characters of Heather (Mena Suvari) and Oz (Chris Klein) are surely included in the script only due to Suvari’s already strong celebrity. these two characters interact in the minimum possible way with all the others. At the beginning of the film Heather leaves for the summer and Oz is faced with a long period of celibacy. Can he cope? Do we care?

Here we get a guy drenched in urine, a super-glue lubrication scene, a lesbian rolereversal and a couple of innovative ideas on

The main appeal to the movie is the emphasis on those characters who drew most attention previously, which therefore explains why other characters are so under used. Jim’s

Director: Alejandro Amenabar A lone mother living with her children in a huge mansion on the Isle of Jersey soon after the Second World War, mysterious servants who seem unnaturally well attuned to the world of the dead, visions witnessed by the children.... and so on.....There are even plenty of white sheets to convince us that yes, this is a chiller.

The twist when it does come seem irrelevant and sentimental, almost comical because of the excessive sentimentality (the

sense of morality and fidelity than in the first movie. The ending to American Pie was very open ended, hence the sequel, but from the looks of this second helping, the director (James B Rogers) must think the audience will have had enough.

...And so "this one time"...I saw a sequel that was actually better and more disgusting than the original.

Yolanda Henandez-Blasco Dad, Stifler and Sherman gain a more frequent appearance on screen than before most likely due to their popularity. The humour of Stifler’s character comes not from the script or from timing, but from the brilliant performance of Seann William Scott.

Have your Pie, and Eat It:

****

HAVE AN AMERICAN PIE 2 PACK TO GIVE AWAY. TO ENTER EMAIL THE ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION: WHO IS JIM’S INTERNET ROMANCE WITH IN AMERICAN PIE : A NADIA B MICHELLE C STIFLER’S MUM

TO roar@kclsu.org

Although this is a particularly twisted and perverted film at times there is a far greater

Jeepers Creepers 15

final words that Kidman utters are horrendous). Whereas Shyamalan cooly and boldly forces the audience to reinterpret his whole film under a different light, Amenábar, with this device, only emphasise his film's disjointedness. A classic case of sacrificing the plot for the sake of a dramatic, new ending (e.g. what Kidman did to the children is never fully explained).

Chill us it does, but only momentarily, the rest of the time we are left puzzling about how the film works as a whole.

Recently, there have been so many films with an unexpected final twist that it would be more surprising to be confronted with a conventional ending. In the most effective example, the shattering truth uncovered in "Unbreakable" disturbingly jolts the audience from a complacent Sense of security to a new realisation that undermines all previous held beliefs. "The Others" is part of this strain, but less successfully so.

ROAR AND THE DAILY TELEGRAPH

Unfortunately, the most pitiful thing about this movie is that even though the guys are particularly sad and frustrated in the world of American Pie they still get the girls....

The Others 15 Starring: Nicole Kidman, Christopher Eccleston, Elaine Cassidy

Competition

trumpet - “I’m testing your threshold” Michelle (Alyson Hannigan) says to Jim (Jason Biggs) but trust me you have to see to believe it. We really thought that American Pie could not have gone further without being censored, we were wrong! This movie breaks the boundaries of decency like not many others have, talking strictly about the kinds of films that make it to the big screen of course.

Don't get me wrong, this film scared the shit out of me, but this is no excuse for the film's lack of fluidity. What is effective is the ambiguity projected on each character. At one point or another, they all seem bloody mental.

Amenábar strives and mostly succeeds in explaining the elements conventional in a classic horror intelligently. For example, the perpetual darkness that is forced on the house has a logical reason behind it...the photosensitivity of Grace's (Kidman) children.

But this is one of only few redeemable features in what is a so-so horror movie.

Trinh Hoang: Horrific:

**

Directed: Victor Salva Darryl and Patricia Jenner witness what they think is a killer disposing of bodies just off a road side in the American country wilderness. Curiosity leads to idiocy and the two siblings head back to discover exactly what it was they saw.

a movie”. Sadly this comes across as less ironic, and far more moronic.

The beginning of the movie, is terribly weak and acts only to develop the two main characters in a car journey conversation, the very definition of a contrived script. This is unfortunatlety a common event in an other-

As Patricia points out to her brother, if they go back there is a risk they might get caught - can you guess what happens next?

The findings of the teenagers soon comes to the attention of the stranger and a chase ensues that could cost one of them their lives.

‘Jeepers Creepers’ is a horror movie but there was very little to be horrified about.

Many of the devices employed were wholly unconvincing and rather insulting. However there are elements of the horror genre this film does very well, for example the slow build of tension from a feeling of total security to absolute despair.

Evoking elements of other recent horror/slasher movies there seems to be a reliance on old material, most apparrent in the ‘Scream’ genre references to “if this was

wise mediocre movie.

For what it’s worth this is not a bad little story, which may well be the fact that I do not quite appreciate. In essence the film had a good idea and a good cast, but no concept of what to do with them.

Based loosely on the theme of urban (or as the case my be here rural) legend, ‘Jeepers Creepers’ sets out to chill you to the core. In this one area the movie succeeds with flying colours. However, this goal is only accomplished by the final five seconds and will leave you cold and anxious to get home.

Robert Drake OOOh I’m scared!:

**

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Vol 10 Issue 3

TV: Features Band of Brothers Starring: Kirk Acevedo, Eion Bailey, Micheal Cudlitz, Rick Gomez and David Schwimmer.

Uncle Sam, I would soon get the hang of it.

The next episode concerned our heroes’ glorious but surprisingly hassle-free entrance in Normandy. The scene of dozens of planes in the night sky dropping their human load and occasionally exploding was visually impressive. But the soldiers’ subsequent wandering through woods, meeting only other members of their company seemed implausible, as did one character’s pally with a captured German-american, despite being based on real events.

Directors: DavidFfrankel and Tom Hanks.

Executive producer: Steven Spielberg On friday night the most hyped, and most expensive, war drama ever on TV hit our screens. It cost no less than £120 million, and you could certainly tell, the special effects and images of fleets of planes especially came into their own i the D-day based latter half of the opening double bill. Yet despite the Holly wood budget and Steven Spielberg’s involvement this was a very sensitive and down-to-earth interpretation of an emotionally charged event.

Cliches were kept to a minimum, although the standard shot of staring at the Statue of Liberty slipped in. the series was shot in Britain, involves several British actors, enjoyed heavy BBC investment and even employed Euan Blair as a runner, despite this the British role here seemed to be providing pretty countryside and a single caricature

cheeky chirpy Cockney. but the series is concentrating on the exploits of one group, Easy Company, who necessarily are from only one army. So I’ll forgive them.

The first episode, about basic training, had very subtle echoes of the similar beginning to Full Metal jacket, possible intentional.

David Schwimmer’s sergeant in particular reminded me of the screaming drill sergeant in that film, except with sadism in place of black-humoured verbal abuse.To me, this was Schwimmer’s best performance to date, although his character’s hesitancy and nervousness were played as Ross Gellar these same faults gave the impression of an over acheiver using cruelty to hide insecurities.

The majority of this episode was taken up with an assault by nine men to capture and disable three pieces of German artillery.

Dad’s army this was not, but nor was it Rambo. Small-scale set-piece battles like this are usually rejected in favour of gore ‘n’ guns spectaculars, so the the slow controlled, tactical nature of the scene made an interesting change. By now I was recognising characters more easily and the camaraderie suggested in the title was starting to show through in the final scene of the group joking and eating beans in the back of their truck.

A lot has been made of the timing of this programme in relation to the attacks in New York, but unfortunately the tone was unsuit-

able here. The actors portrayed their characters with nervousness bordering on fear, but also acceptance that they had to do what they were about to do, which is how I think most people feel about the current situation.

It did not glamourise war or use violence as the main entertainment, which is how such things should always be. I was more impressed by this programme than I thought I would be, and although I know how it will end I’m looking forward to seeing how this epic unfolds.

Dominic Cooper: Not to be missed:

There were so many secondary characters here that it was easy to lose track of who was doing what, but I decided that in a ten part series where a significant number of characters will make the ultimate sacrifice for

****

Art - Facts of Life @ Hayward Sushi and karaoke are often the first two stereotypes of today’s Japanese culture. That inventive little island that produces the square boxes that soak up our attention and finances on a yearly tide. This I write as I momentarily stop playing on an Nintendo Gameboy Advanced. So to see such a variety of contemporary Japanese art in the Hayward Gallery’s current exhibition ‘Facts of Life: Contemporary Japanese Art’ brings with it a new perception on this rich culture that often resides behind the gadgetry it exports.

In fact this is the largest collection of contemporary Japanese art to even be seen in London and that amongst the 26 artist on show are some very well established artist such as Hiroshi Sugimoto, Nobuyoshi Araki and Tatsuo Miyajima. Along side whom are some less established up and coming artists from Japan who’s talents allow them to place their ‘creations’ within the confines of the aforementioned artists without the fear of displacement. This is indeed a pastiche of young and old artists from the breadth of Japan not just Tokyo who some may regard as the centre of Japanese culture.

performance thus appealing to a broad and assorted audience. Some of the works have even been specifically created for the exhibition such as Yuji Watabe’s life size portraits, which have been drawn onto the gallery’s very own walls and Shimabuku’s project about befriending London pigeons. The Rogues Gallery has also created a very witty and inventive car that makes live music by mixing sounds from the car engine and placing them through a large amplifier. This piece is placed on one of the outside balconies.

There is also a recreation of Yayoi Kusama’s ‘Narcissus Garden, 1966 ( reconstructed in 2001)’ a collection of 1500 silver balls which are 17cm in diameter scattered on the gallery’s floor through which you can walk.

These four works alone symbolise the richness of the contemporary Japanese art that has assembled. It’s not often that a chance to see such work presents its self.

With thoughtful, energetic and sometimes purposely witty outcomes to the works that deal with present urban life and the branches that stem from such a topic, like the feeling of alienation within today’s large cities. The ambiguity of the pieces allows the viewer in many cases to make up the story and it is this interaction that increases the enjoyment of such a diverse collection. Variations of different media’s have been used, including painting, photography, video, installation and

James Banfield

The exhibition continues until 9th December.

The Hayward Gallery is found on the south bank next to the Royal Festival Hall in London.

Open 10am-6pm daily with late night viewing on Tuesdays and Wednesdays until 8pm.

Admission £7 ( £5 NUS), children 16 and under enter free out of school hours.

Enquires: 020 7960 5226 Online: www.hayward.org.uk/factsoflife

Vol 10 Issue 3

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Book Reviews The People’s Booker This year the Booker Prize introduced a new interactive element: on line voting for the public.

The rather obviously named People’s Booker encouraged the public to read and respond to the six shortlisted Booker nominees. This is definitely an exciting new initiative that is inviting the public to take an interest in one end of the literary spectrum that is usually out of bounds and accused of elitism.

The People’s Booker was won this year by Ian McEwan’s Atonement.

Although this consolatory prize is rather lack-

ing in the prestige of the £20 000 Booker, McEwan graciously accepted the announcement. He said it was ‘heartening to know that so many people are reading contemporary fiction’.

Postcolonial writers have now won the Booker for two consecutive years. The questions on the lips of the literary world must now be where will the Booker go next? Who will it favour and why? Indeed it would seem that the Booker 2001 explicitly demonstrated that the most prestigious of British literary prizes is changing. With the launching of the People’s Booker the elitist

image of literary events is gradually being broken down. Whatíss more this year being the first to publicly announce the longlist helped to reveal that there genres are starting to get recognised.

Acknowledgement for literary merit was directed towards the best-seller Nick Hornby and the dubiously termed children’s writer Philip Pullman, who both made an appearance on the longlist but were sorely missed from the list that really counted, the shortlist. It would seem that the same ugly argument of whether popular best-selling fiction can also be quality literature has reappeared. I feel the answer to this is obviously yes and the Booker judges for next year have to decide upon this answer quickly to stop the establishment of a new oppressive canon, that of Postcolonialism. They should instead open themselves up to the merits of popular fiction.

Q. How do you find your countries identity?

A. Move out of it.

fessed to suspecting he had it in the bag.

Kenneth baker, the Chair of the Booker judges, commended Carey’s work as a magnificent story of the early writer settler days in Australia, expressed through the unforgettable voice of a vilified man who came to

central narrative voice by Carey, Ned Kelly.

Earlier in the evening Ian Hislop had criticised this technique of just Carey being Kelly as very limiting. He felt it was too one dimensional. What, indeed, was Carey playing at?

When questioned about his motives for his traditional piece of story telling, Carey describes modern day Australia as a fortunate country able to invent itself in an attempt to masque the subservience of colonialism.

Thus, by inventing its own identity, Australia has also tried to invent its own literature, which has become a bit of a problem. Carey seems acutely aware of this dilemma. He has recognised the dangers of falling in to the colonial centre and the contrasting need to reconstruct the complexity of the true Australian voice. Consequently the question still stands as to how you can possibly represent all the varying stories and voices of the vast land of Australia in one book? It would appear that Carey’s solution to this is an ironic post-modern one, whereby he has returned to the colonial centre in so much as adopting a mono-narrative technique. Yet in doing so he has been able to focus and intensify the emotions of this one strand of Australia. He subsequently became capable of revealing complexities, even within the most simplified narrative style, of a covert national hero, Ned Kelly. Carey demonstrates that Australia, even in its most unadorned state, is as emotionally complex and highly developed as its imperial counterpart.

In a narrow, high-ceilinged room drawn away from the hall in which a prestigious dinner had just taken place, a handful of journalists were gathered. We, like the occupants of the hall, were awaiting the announcement of the 33rd Booker Prize winner at London’s Guildhall.

We had already eagerly lapped up the champagne and were now fixed on the live televised relay system. At 10:15pm it was announced that the £20 000 Booker Prize was going to Peter Carey’s True History of the Kelly Gang. That announcement made the Australian born writer the second person ever to have won the Booker twice. Carey’s earlier work Oscar and Lucinda won the Booker in 1988.

In a matter of seconds Peter Carey was confidently pulling off the man-of-the-moment role as he was ushered in front of a pack of animalistic photographers and us, a far meeker breed of media hounds. Carey was jovial, composed and relaxed before his media audience. This may be due to the extremely favourable odds he had been indulging in since the release of the longlist, this year being the first time that it was publicly released. When later questioned if he expected to win this time around, he cheekily con-

stand for more than he knew.

True History of the Kelly Gang has also been praised as the voice of Australia. Yet it is perhaps ironic that this true historical voice has only been able to be retrieved by Carey, the Australian expat who now lives in New York.

What is possibly even more perplexing is that the continuously asserted complexity of a Post-Colonial nation has been diluted into one

Blurb Following on from Posh’s autobiographical debut, Ms Anne Robinson has also encroached upon the most popular genre of today: celebrity autobiography. Yet unlike Mrs Beckham’s self-indulgent problems, Ms Robinsoníss book ‘An Unfit Mother’ genuinely overloads the reader with mint-fresh suffering and perceived injustice. The Blurb recommends that, if you are desperate to find out who the real weakest link, you should definitely try it.

Vintage publications is in the process of re-releasing the works of Virginia Woolf in its classics series. Her novel Orlando is an exact reproduction of the 1928 original with the added incentive of the editorial skills of Margaret Reynolds and Jeanette Winterson.

Is there another Woman in David Beckham’s life? Julie Burchill would like to think so in her book Burchill on Beckham. This particular publication seems to be worth a browse through for an intellectual look at the mentally challenged golden balls of football.

Yet another good reason for championing Harry Potter come to my attention recently in the form of R B Russell’s Guide to First Edition Prices. It would seem that the hard back version of the Philosopher’s Stone could be set to become a lucrative Modern First despite this curious collector’sniche going against the grain of individuality. It would seem mass production has become the new must-have.

As Books Editor I feel it is necessary to take some liberties of my position and so at this point I would like to take the opportunity to respond to Robin (you know who you are) regarding any apparent spelling or grammatical errors past or present.

The English language is a communicative entity in which there is no room for prescriptive attitudes. Instead we should be descriptive of the language and try our best to explore the boundaries of it. I hope this explains to you any interesting grammatical constructs, which are far from incorrect or nonstandard. They are merely attempts to alleviate pretensions, which was the whole point of my previous article. Thankyou.

The V&A gets radical Before I get too involved in writing this article I will take the time to admit openly that it has very little to do with books. In fact there is only once tenuous link to books in it, but seeing as I got an invite to the press preview of the new exhibition at the V&A I just could not resist doing a piece on it.

Sorry!

On the 18th October the V&A opened its new must-see exhibition Radical Fashion, displaying some of the most visually arresting garments to have graced the catwalk (or an East London depot in the case of Alexander McQueen) in the past few years. Pieces were contributed by the aforementioned Alexander McQueen (look out for the beautiful glass encased red feathered masterpiece), Hussein Chalayan, Helmut Lang, Maison Martin Margiela (a collection of boxes with disproportionate garments within), Comme des Garcons, Yohji Yamamoto, Junya Watanabe, Jean Paul Gaulitier, Issey Miyake, Azzedine

Alaia and Vivienne Westwood (absolutely stunningly feminine and modern).

In conjunction with the exhibition Radical Fashion the book has also been published. It has been edited by the exhibitioníss curator Claire Wilcox and serves to demonstrate the multi-dimensional aspect of the exhibition that flirts with the mobile and the static, the real and the fake and the artistic and the vain. It is an exhibition that is purposely designed to touch every human sensory perception. The ears are kept to attention by the music composed for the exhibition, designed to demonstrate how music has become integral to the culture of fashion. The listening visitor is perhaps however outdone by the viewing visitor.

This is because not only are the garments themselves stunning but they are displayed in such an open fashion that you could easily imagine their touch revealing the infinite potential and power of fabric when interwoven with the human form. That is not all though,

because through a series of optical effects the viewer is able try on haute couture garments, including an Alexander McQueen dress made out of a 19th century oriental silk screen.

Radical fashion is a triumph. It probes the fashion industry, the concerns surrounding it, the processes involved from studio to show and the fine line between artistry and vanity. It is designed to reveal the motivation, originality and ingenuity behind 11 potent innovators and visionaries.

And if the intellectualism all gets too much?

Just hop into the specially created Radical Fashion gift shop where a cafÈ bar is waiting and Radical Fashion the book is neatly displayed in the shelves for all fashion enthusiasts to take home (tenuous link number 2).

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Vol 10 Issue 3

Theatre and Eating Out West-End in crisis - The current state and future of London theatre The events of September 11th 2001 may have devastated New York's tourist industry, but nobody could have predicted how hard it would hit London. One of the capital's biggest tourist attractions has to be the theatre, having one of the largest districts in the world. But since the terrorist attacks in New York, productions in London have been struggling to attract audiences.

New shows like 'Peggy Sue Got Married' and 'Closer to Heaven' have closed just weeks after opening and successful productions such as 'Feel Good' and 'The Witches of Eastwick' have now posted closing notices. Tourists nation and world-wide are reluctant to come to London, but as 'Peggy Sue' star Ruthie Henshall said at the musical's closing; The show must go on!

So with all these new shows closing, what is the future of West-End theatre? Well, in order to attract audiences back, reduced ticket prices have been proposed. No sign of this happening yet, but as the situation is, we are likely to see ticket prices plummet and special offers to creep up everywhere soon. Long-running and star-studded shows remain unaffected; 'The Lion King', 'Mamma Mia' and 'My Fair Lady' are all still playing to full houses nightly. Despite many new shows not lasting more than a couple of months, there are still many exciting plans for the West-End, especially in the musical field.

The eagerly anticipated stage adaptation of 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' is set to explode onto the Palladium stage in the new year, while 'We Will Rock You', a new musical with book by Ben Elton, based around the songs of Queen will open at the Dominion in May 2002. As the long-running 'Starlight Express' leaves London, Lloyd Webber will be preparing to open his production. 'Bombay Dreams: A Bollywood Musical', at the same theatre next summer.

Whether these plans will tempt tourists back to London is something which cannot be predicted, but the high advance sales of 'Chitty' suggest that all is not lost. We have to support our theatres! Even though tickets are sometimes pricey and shows are often tourist orientated, they still thrive on the general public buying tickets.

‘Cheeky’ Dave Wallace’s Guide to Obtaining Cheap Tickets 'tkts' HALF PRICE TICKET BOOTH in Leicester Square This is THE place to get the best cheap seats for a wide variety of plays and musicals. All seats are the best available, sold at half price unless otherwise stated. Fame, The King and I, Starlight Express and Mahler's Conversion are all readily available.

ATLANTIS They sell a similar variety of tickets to tkts, but often can get cheap returns for popular shows during the week. Cats, Les Miserables and Mamma Mia have all been

known to be available. Phone 02074806869 on the day.

ON THE NET www.ticketmaster.co.uk feature a "Deal of the Week" area on their site. There is normally a West-End show discounted weekly.

STUDENT STANDBY Some theatres offer a special student rate for best seats if you go to the Box Office about an hour before the performance.

Tickets for "The Witches of Eastwick" are available at £17.50, "Starlight Express" at £13.50 and "Grease" at £12. The National offers a better deal; £10 as student standby.

STANDING Three musicals offer standing places for just £10, available on the day of the performance; "The Witches of Eastwick", "Starlight Express" and even "The Lion King".

FRONT ROW If you sit front row, for many shows you will save money. You may feel as if you are on show but you will have a much better view than sitting "up top" for the same price.

David Wallace

Review: Chicago

By Fred Ebb, Bob Fosse, John Kander Directed by Walter Bobbie Starring Anita Louise Combe, Leigh Zimmerman, Barry Jones, Michael Simkins, Alison Moyet Currently the most coveted (and arguably the most demanding) role in the world of musicals, is that of Roxie Hart- the lead role in the hit show Chicago.

Taking over sex siren Denise Van Outen’s recent run, is Anita Louise Combe; one of Australia’s most successful musical theatre performers. You might remember her as the lead in the popular Saturday Night Fever where she got to sing and dance with fellow Aussie, the delectable Adam Garcia, every night. (Some girls have all the luck. But I digress...)

Set on death row in the twenties, Chicago is one slick show. Created by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse with music from John Kander, the famous American musical charts the story of Roxie Hart- an adulterous wife who murders her lover and lands in jail where she meets fellow murderer Velma Kelly. Roxie and Velma become both firm friends and foes as they vye for publicity in Chicago.

The show features widely acclaimed songs such as ‘All That Jazz’ and has been playing to packed audiences for more than two years. The atmosphere created by the actors is electrifying and the smooth, sultry, super sexy vocals and shimmying shenanigans are arresting.

Zimmerman, Combe and co sparkled like true stars, turning in powerful performances.

This polished, professional, perfectly choreographed show makes for fab entertainment and is unmissable.

The show plays until December at the Adelphi Theatre, just a stone's throw from the Strand site.

Kaye Holland

‘Alright Ms Smith, where were you on the night of... good gracious’.

Eating Out: Football Football Looking for somewhere to watch the next big match? Then head for 'Football Football' in Haymarket. Football Football is billed as a 'Unique Entertainment restaurant.' Yet its is more than a restaurant - it is a restaurant, museum, shop, bar and multi screen venue all in one. Even if football is not your thing, it is highly likely that you will be impressed by the imagination of this place; you pass a bar into a player's tunnel from which you emerge on the pitch (a part of the floor painted green and lit by floodlights). Huge screens have been erected which show classic football-ing moments.

If you’re hungry? Then tuck into a trio of dishes under the title 'Geoff Hurst's Favourite Hat Trick’. Thirsty? Enjoy cocktails endorsed

by George Best. Once inside, you have the opportunity to see Maradona's 'Hand of God' shirt and a 1966 World Cup Flag signed by Sir Alf Ramsey. The waiters wear football shirts and tracksuit bottoms and many visitors are clad in their teams' strip.

Football Football is situated in London's fashionable West End and is an experience in its own right. A word of advice though: Do book in advance on important match days as tables go like hot cakes.

Kaye Holland

Roxie Hart - Chicago’s leading lady.

Vol 10 Issue 3

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Superstar DJ This week... Oakie The Gallery presents Paul Oakenfold @ Turnmills Friday Oct 12th It’s 10 o’clock: already a queue has formed all the way down Clerkenwell Road, and it’s not moving.

Turnmills doesn’t open for another half an hour, so why all the chaos? Two words: Paul Oakenfold!

Back in the country following his year of conquering the US and a summer of Ibiza madness, he is about to play one of his first sets in London for months and all his disciples are desperate to welcome him back.

By the time we get in Hernan Cattaneo is half way through his three hour set and in full throw, playing some of the classiest, progressive house around, and there was even an outing for ‘Pete Tong’s essential

tune’!. It must be a nightmare to warm up for a legend, but the Argentinian (complete with mullet) did a sterling job and had the main room buzzing. He even finished his set with a very Perfecto-sounding remix of Chris Isaac’s ‘Wicked Game’, which was tentative at first, before it kicked in, guitar riff and all. It was a top-class performance from a very talented up-and-coming DJ, he is definitely one to watch!

However, by 12.30, it was quite clear that people were taking their positions for their hero and by the time he graced the decks to the chants of ‘Oakey, Oakey, Oakey’, the main part of the club was like a road block.

The danger of moving an inch to your left and losing that valuable space was too great, and soon everyone’s hands were in the air, and that’s where they’d stay for the next two hours.

The incredible thing about Oakenfold is that for two hours he can make you forget that there’s a topless man right next to you, intent on stabbing you with his glowsticks after every bassline drop! The first hour was full of progressive tunes, of the exact calibre that you’d expect and sounding very much like one of his Essential Mixes or mix CDs might, but in the second hour the club was absolutely blown away! The revolution followed PPK’s ‘Resurrection’, a tune which sent the whole crowd into a state of pure euphoria. It was quite simply perfect. True anthemic stuff from the man

who can turn a club on its head at the throw of a fader.

It wasn’t the contrived, formulaic vocal trance that is so intolerable on the radio, but vocal white labels that only true Oakey fans could drone along to. Similarly, whenever there was an anthem, it was straight out of the Oakey promo box, probably never to be heard again outside of his sets! by the time he finished and did his usual swift disappearing act, failing to acknowledge eveb his loyal followers, the club was on another plain altogether. Daniel davoli and Steve Lee were given a chance to continue the energy, which they seemed to do very successfully.

Physically drained, it was great to take advantage of the wicked chill-out rooms on offer at Turnmills and to reflect on some of the tunes that I would love to hear again but probably never will. It was a truly awesome night and we ahd experienced an atmosphere second to none, it was just indescribable. There were some negatives, for example the severe lack of space, but if you’ve ever seen a man like Oakey before, you’ll know that it is jsut part and parcel of the night, just like his unlimited breakdowns and the regualr quiets before the storms.

Frederik Bjorn

Hot Action As The King’s Players Get Set For Another Year Of Drama

BY LAURA BRITTEN After the success of the Players productions in 2000/01, this year promises to be equally fantastic, if not better!

As the College drama society the King’s Players aim to get all budding actors and actresses involved in another year of fun filled theatrical masterpieces. The plan of action for 2001/02 is to stage two modern plays, A Man For All Seasons by Robert Bolt and The Invention Of Love by Tom Stoppard.

The auditions for A Man For All Seasons, directed by Toby Boon, which took place earlier this month, were tremendously successful. From the incredible sixty people who auditioned, a cast of twenty fine actors and actresses has been selected. Thanks must go to all who attended. Rehearsals on Wednesdays and Fridays are going well in preparation for A Man For All Seasons to

be staged from Wednesday 28th November-Friday 30th November at the College’s very own National-The Greenwood Theatre. Hurry along to the box office and get your ticket!

The Players next project is The Invention Of Love, directed by the society’s very own president Toby Cooper. Auditions took place last week at the Strand and Guy’s Campus, thanks to all of those who auditioned, it is clearly going to be a great play with a good mixture of very talented actors and actresses. The Invention Of Love is a poignant yet humorous play and promises to be a true success. The play is going to be staged from Wednesday 30th January-Friday 1st February 2002, watch this space for when tickets go on sale!

The Players are not only focussed on staging productions. For all of you who are interested in the theatre, or who just fancy seeing a London production the Players propose a trip to the National in the next few weeks. A play has not yet been decided on, so if any of you theatre lovers have any ideas on something that has had a

good review or want to see a particular show please contact President Toby Cooper, watch this space for definite details, these plays sell out very quickly. This is to follow tonight’s trip to see Jitney at the National (25th October), which is part of the Southbank Theatre’s 25th Birthday celebrations, unfortunately if you have not brought a ticket yet the play is sold out for tonight.

If that was not enough for you the society hopes to take a production to the Edinburgh Festival, in the summer of 2002, wow! This is obviously subject to funding and enough people wanting to take part, however if it comes to fruition this will be a truly exciting and enjoyable experience for all involved.

If anybody has any queries, ideas or wants to become a member of this action packed society feel free to contact president Toby Cooper at mailto:tobais.cooper@kcl.ac.uk. Come and join the FUN!

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Vol 10 Issue 3

King’s ís Not Very Imperious Cobham, 13/10/01

King’s 1 Imperial Medics 1 Champions of London for two years, King’s began their quest for a treble with a score draw that only the opposition was happy with. It could have been worse if Stan Matthews, entering his 5th year at King’s had not curled a shot into the top corner to cancel out a scrappy opener from the Medics.

On the long journey to Cobham the presence of train inspectors forced 4 players to alight at Hinchly Wood where the only pub had been burnt down. Not a place I would recommend to visit.

Vinny the paranoid Scottish midfielder thinks terrorists are gonna bomb him if he uses public transport so he had to walk 15 miles to the ground, but at least managed to miss the warm-up.

Big Jim, the coach, gave the usual war cries before and took a point of buildingup Stevie-old man-Bell: what was I gonna say about Stevie?Box-to-Box!...you’re our Captain Marvel.

But you aren’t our Captai! But if you were, you would be a Captain Marvel.

Two men in the wall, left hand side,eight men in the wall.In the onion.etc.

To the match. Warm conditions did not suit King’s with their large concentration of Northerners. At one point Roger Melli feigned injury to allow himself some time to recover and have a drink- this is what happens to professional footballers who attend phase too often.

King’s took time to gel with a number of new additions to the first eleven.

However, the boys gradually began to pas their way through an Imperial medic team with some quality but also some typically geeky gimps that Imperial attracts like flies. Captain Dury saved King’s with a typically athletic save then Melli, Bell and Pew all went close, but when the fat Scot blew half-time the two sides were locked in a goaless deadlock.

With the players ready to resume the second-half, the Ref, who had clearly eaten a number of Pies pre-match decided he needed to relieve himself.

With defecation, accomplished the boys began the second half with renewed vigour, breaking down the Medics defence but lacking the killer touch every time an opportunity arose.

Disaster befell the champions when a Medic cross caught the defence napping and a cunning little Dr. Fox slyly

tapped home from all of one yard: oneee-nil!

A number of corners were whipped in by Stan Matthews, but although Wise(?)man has gone, the Kingíss boys still cannot really head a ball goalward.

Mass still doesn’t really like to mess his hair up, Paul may score soon, but the rest just pretend to try and head it. From one such corner the ball broke to Bell who slipped in a ball to Matthews on the edge of the area, whose finish was world class - though aided by the presence of a Brazilian-like keeper.

The boys from the Stand poured forward for the winner - even Paul went up-front to leave Husband-to-be Mass to look after the defence all by himself.

The ref managed to annoy everyone but when the final whistle blew the score remained unchanged. A poor start for King’s but a hat trick of titles is not exactly beyond them in this league.

Man of Match: No-one Attendance: 2 Cost of transport: 5P Food: 7/10 Chips, Beans & SausageBerrylands take note Probably cost about 75P Loudest player: Chanty gave me a sore ear

Men’s 1st XV Rugby vs QMW Ian McArdle, Captain The men’s club got off to a great start this week with a convincing victory over Queen Mary and Westfield College, despite the pre-match injury to returning senior player Tom Ryall and the lack of opposition until 5 minutes before the scheduled kick-off time. with a team comprising a fair contigent of Freshers with a few old hands to lend some experience to the squad, the result was a deserved 34-14 win.

The return to the side of international stars Paddy O’Gorman and Ayoola Erinle boosted an already impressive back line, which consistently out-classed the lacklustre QMW defence, looking dangerous from the very start, with a well-created overlap leading to Alfie Rowcliffe showing his pace on the right-hand side and going over for his first score of the day.

QMW retaliated with a close-range barrage from their large pack, with some lapses in deiscpline resulting in penalty after penalty being given away by the home side, culminating with the King’s line eventually being breached. the pressure was not released after the score and, with the visitors entrenching themselves on the KCL line, before the ball was eventually retrieved and shipped wide for Rowcliffe to again use his dangerous speed, showing hisopposite man aclean pair of heels before touching down for his second, leaving the score at half time 12-7 to King’s.

The second half started in a similar vein to how it had ended, with a huge amount of pressure being mounted on the Duck Pond end of the ground, though this time it was the Queen’s outfit under the cosh. after being camped on the QMW line for several minutes, the referee had no option but to award a penalty tryafter continued ill-discipline by Queen’s prevented King’s from playing their favoured fluid style. straight from the restart, a miss pass from returning senior player Matt Lucas to full-back Pedro Lorenzo, beautifully chiming in to the threequarters cracked open the Queen’s defence, creating the

chance for Erinle to cut back inside and switch with O’Gorman for a superbly worked try.

The visitors managed a second try after sustained pressure eventually resulted in one of the Queen’s forwards thundering over from close-range after a further bout of penalties gifted by the King’s pack. Despite conceding this score, KCL were not deterred, and with the larger QMW pack waning as the half continued, the home side’s domination increased, with better recycling from the forwards, and continuing champagne rugby out wid3e. the pinnacle of this display invloved a neat show of the ball by Lucas allowing him to carve through the midfield, before releasing O’Gorman with a sublime reverse scissors, allowing him to race home for his second. A fantastic solo effort fromn Erinle hit the final nail in QMW’s coffin, using his raw power to crash home under the sticks. The final score was a convincing 34-14, which would have been greater but for a few squandered opportunities and questionable decisions.

The annual Top Gun competition was underway in this match, with old hand Robin Patterson picking up a point for some notable line-out work. Fresher Hywel Bray received two points for continued pinching of possession against the feed in he scrum- not an easy feat in the modern game. Lastly, three points were awarded to Matt Lucas on his return from a year abroad, for both excellent linking of the forwards and backs, and creating two fine tries. the new side showed great promise for the first match of the season, showing great natural flar, as almost no move had been planned beforehand by either forwards or backs.

However, the ill-discipline was disappointing from a team with so much collective rugby experience, and cost us a least one of the two conceded tries. If these tactical errors can be removed, and combined with some hard work on the training paddock, the season could be a prosperous one for King’s College London.

SLIPPERY SLOPE FOR QMW QMW V 2 - King's VII 4 Andrew Colin Mercer King's sevens arrived at Chislehurst in buoyant mood for their opening game well aware of the difficulties facing QM. Last year, in an appalling season QMW saw both their fifth and sixth team crash out of division 4, having amassed only a pitiful 8 wins and 29 points between them. As if this were not bad enough, on the weekend before the new season was due to start, the QMW sixth team collapsed due to a lack of interest. It was into this den of mismanagement, financial disarray and player unrest that the King's seventh team marched on a hot Saturday. A beating was on the cards and king's VII were just the team to hit a uni while it was down.

Minutes after kick off and king's were already testing the flimsy QM back three with a series of crafty through balls by veteran Chris Nicholas finding tricky new front man Mark Watters. And indeed it was this partnership that brought the first goal just over ten minutes in, a well aimed ball finding Watters who hammered the ball clinically past the hapless keeper. One nil king's.

After the breakthrough King's really began to turn on the style, new midfielders Pravin Rasalingam and Chris reeves enjoyed acres of space on the flanks, and defensive mid, captain Andrew mercer was left with little to do but watch his team score as the east Londoners backed deeper and deeper into their own half. The second king's goal came around twenty minutes into the first half, again it was the Watters and Nicholas partnership. This time a glorious pass found Watters on the right flank, he showed great control, waltzed pass three defenders and struck the ball cleanly into the roof of the net. Magnificent.

But goal-hungry king's would not rest and added another only minutes later, this time Nicholas turned scorer, netting a superb 30 yard chip after a trademark mazy dribble.

At three nil, and after 30 minutes of near ceaseless running, the heat and sunshine started to take its toll on the king's boys.

Some 'creative' defending by exhausted defender Damien Sorrell on the left flank put the king's defense under considerable pressure, and poor as they were QMW took full advantage.

The next ten minutes saw them net two scrappy goals, one from a yard out after a defensive mistake, and another a tap in after a typical division five goalmouth scramble. That said, a goal is a goal, and now king's had problems - five minutes to go in the first half and with only a one goal advantage. What could they do? What else but score another. Straight from the kick off after QM's second Chris Nicholas added another assist to a memorable performance, finding powerful forward Chris Ikimi on the edge of the six yard box with a terrific long ball. Ikimi howed great composure and drove the ball straight into the bottom left corner, and in doing so earned King's some much needed breathing space.

After the break both teams took to the field tired and weary.

Early QMW pressure tested the King's defense, but new full back Ig Fogarty rose to the challenge blocking many a goal bound shot, and with old hand Luke Moller and promising youngster Alex Daly in the center of the defence King's always looked the part. Later in the second period King's started to get it together in their opponents half once again, playing the delightful flowing passing game that had been so effective in the first half. Yet despite many a shot And a dubious "No Penalty" decision, this game was to see no more goals, and so after a grueling ninety minutes, in a game that had seen the best of attack and defense King's sevenths were the victors.

Sevens captain Andrew Mercer has always been confident that this year will be the year that King's sevenths say good-bye to the bottom division, and with performances like this there is no reason to doubt this claim. Perhaps this is the year that the sevens will share some of the limelight in sporting achievement at King's, we can only hope.

Vol 10 Issue 3

31

KCL Hockey Heroes Wednesday 10th October 2001 UL Men's Hockey Premier League King's 1st XI 3 - 2 UCL 1st XI This was the sweetest of victories sweet for so many reasons: First of all, the opposition is UCL, enough to whet any appetite. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, there was a hint of revenge in today's victory after the farce of last year's UL Cup quarter final when King's were denied almost certain victory by a floodlight blackout at UCL's home ground in Surbiton. Thirdly, UCL are current hockey champions of London. And finally, the proverbial icing on the cake was the dominating style of hockey that was played by King's and the nature and timing of the winning goal.

It was a slow start by King's, as has been so common with their hockey in recent years, and UCL had the advantage in the early exchanges but with little encroachment into the King's 'D'. It took some awesome skill by one of their players to break the line and slot the ball past the King's keeper, Ralph Mair, to take the lead. King's lifted their game and began to dominate key areas in midfield and attack. The front line of Ollie Bell, Hugh Wilson and Ed Fuller caused the UCL defence all sorts of problems and they were consistent in winning many penalty corners, one of which was converted by Hugh Wilson to level the scores. Wilson's incredible dipping strike flummoxed both UCL keeper and defence. With a better conversion rate on penalty corners, King's might have gone into the lead at half-time rather than at 1-1.

As with the end of the first half, the beginning of the second half was dominated by King's and UCL had barely a sniff at goal. King's unrelenting pressure was finally rewarded; Ollie Bell's superb individual effort from a short corner put King's into a deserved lead. Bell recovered a wayward injection from the penal-

ty corner, beat two defenders and flicked the ball with great speed and accuracy past the despairing UCL keeper. 2-1. King's continued its siege of the UCL half; on the few occasions that UCL ventured into King's territory, they were swiftly dealt with by the back line of fresher Richard "Muggins" HarrisDeans, the old pro James "Super T" Chadburn, veteran Adrian "Penudbutajarz" Vethanayagam and Patrick "Houdini" Holmes/Chris "Maximus" Bagnall sharing full back duties.

Goalkeeper and captain, Ralph "Herr" Mair, remained untested for much of the second half.

King's should have increased their lead by virtue of possession and territory but to no avail. King's were awarded a penalty flick when Ollie Bell was unceremoniously hacked down in the UCL 'D', a tackle which sent him to the substitute's bench and the treatment table. Hugh Wilson stepped up to take the penalty flick - which was missed, with the score still 2-1 to King's.

After still more pressure, King's still failed to convert this into goals. It seemed that this penalty flick miss would be costly as UCL broke with 5 minutes remaining on the clock and won a somewhat dubious free hit on the edge of the 'D'. The King's defence was caught on the hop as a UCL forward put the faintest of touches on the free hit to level the scores at 2-2, and it seemed to most spectators that King's had thrown away an almost certain win.

However, this "never-say-die" attitude of King's, that has been evident for the past couple of years and only seems to be growing, ensured that the afternoon would not end with the disappointment of a draw. With barely 30 seconds remaining, pressure on the left saw Ollie Bell and Hugh Wilson break the UCL defensive line to set up fresher Sam Haacke to slot the ball under the UCL keeper, to

complete the sweetest of victories against the Old Enemy. The lateness of the goal coupled with understandably enthusiastic goal celebrations meant that UCL didn't even have the opportunity to restart the game before the umpire's whistle signalled for full time and confirmed King's dramatic last-gasp victory.

Overall, King's performance was a dominant one and the scoreline somewhat flatters UCL; King's should have converted more of their pressure into goals.

Defensively, bar the two blips that led to the UCL goals, King's were strong and not one penalty corner was conceded in the entirety of the match - quite an achievement. Our midfield was generally dominant with fresher Tom "Britney" Sheridan (who is also Surbiton/England goalkeeper) stepping into centre half admirably. Nick "Target" Burns and freshers Sam "Tabasco" Haacke, Dan Bardwin and Ralph Jackson (the latter two have yet to do something silly) shared the other two midfield spots. The front line of Hugh "Slider" Wilson, Ollie "Iceman" Bell and Ed "QUAM" Fuller caused problems for the UCL defence all afternoon with their combined pace and skill, which won King's many penalty cor-

ners. Again, more of these should have been converted and it was disappointing not to see more goals from open play from this very talented team.

This was a massive victory for not only this team, but for the club and all of its members, past and present. King's have not beaten UCL at 1st XI hockey in living memory, having quizzed former Presidents and Old Boys' gurus Charles Parnell and Dermot Kelleher, whose combined memories stretch back to 1995. Six years is a long enough wait and signals a return to the Premier League. Most of last year's squad has returned this year. With these minimal personnel losses, the captaincy of Ralph Mair and the arrival of some more quality players, I believe that this squad will do King's College London proud in the coming season.

1st XI Squad: Ralph Mair (capt); Chris Bagnall, Patrick Holmes, James Chadburn, Richard Harris-Deans, Adrian Vethanayagam; Nick Burns, Tom Sheridan, Dan Bardwin, Ralph Jackson, Sam Haacke; Ed Fuller, Hugh Wilson, Ollie Bell.

KCL Women’s Hockey 1st XI v Brighton UniversityScore 0-4 The first eam travelled to Eastbourne with very little expectation to face a team with with three international players who beat us 10-0 last season. with only 10 players, some of whom (who shall remain nameless!) were hungover, injured or ill, the outcome was excellent. With superb performances from captain Sal Durgahee in goal and Sarah Beddoes in midfield, amongst many others, the girls did themselves proud. everybody worked hard and really came together as a team., And who can forget that inspired second-half run by Lindsey? We did put the ball in the net once- though maybe at the right end next time, eh Charlie? despite the strength of their defence which did beak through and create some great chances, with Jo and Gemma working brilliantly together. It was an excellent display all round which boosted our confidence and stands us in good stead for next week’s all-important fixture against UCL. Sherradan Lee