Live Magazine vol 2 Issue 10

Free

Spring

2013 #VOICEOFYOUTH

VOL 2 ISSUE 10

How YouTube took over from tv

L marshall

youngers

raving with your mum

mic righteous

casinos

blog, view, comment, debate, share, tweet, attend, act, create www.live-magazine.cO.UK youtube.com/livemaguk @livemaguk

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Ed’s Letter The Crew / Key Playaz Big Ask & SOMEWHERETO_ Loves & Loathes Dummies Guide to diets Live asks: suli breaks For and Against: YOung Marriage Gadgets We love: street style Inside Job: Joern zirfass World in Focus: North & South Korea OurTube: Sincerely oghosa Live Challenge: partying with mum6 Cooking With: l marshall

Features

Watching The Throne via Kanye West. Image by PHDLDN >+

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mic righteous gambling: let the good times roll?

Youngers Rapper tribes youtube: forget about tv photovoice race to the top my brother the devil run dem crew Fashion

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Sound Advice Fully Booked Front Row Culture Club Games

Ed’s Letter Spring is here and all new things come to life!

We’re going to shed some light on some new trends and you better jump on these now before you look like the person who only clocks on to trends when they are dying out.

I haven’t had a TV in my room for two years. I’m not even sure how and where it disappeared to, but I sure don’t miss it. My MacBook is my TV now and what I love the most is the independence to choose what I want to watch instead of the big bosses controlling what is available to me. There’s no doubt the internet has opened up the world of broadcasting to all corners of the earth and to different communities. Now millions of people can tell their story, representing all walks of life without Ofcom stamping down on them. There’s no surprise then, that YouTube is the world’s number one source for shows. We got inside the minds of the YouTube stars who are shaping the future of tomorrow’s telly on page 26.

Don’t be surprised when E4’s new comedy drama Youngers is a hit. Why? Because it’s a down to earth and funny look at what is happening on the current mainstream music scene without the drugs, gangs and violence. It features our YouTube stars Mandem On The Wall and we met the cast to talk about urban dramas and how Youngers has changed their lives. See page 20 for the results.

From pioneering urban dramas to hanging out in casinos, London has had a Vegas face-lift. We are not saying you should go gallivanting on the high street going crazy in the crude back alley casinos – this is definitely not cool and not smart. On page 18 we dig deep into the trend of young people making casinos the new place to be. No need to fly all the way to Nevada to enjoy yourself: when Leicester Square is only a train ride away.

And finally topping off the trend list of spring is our observation of the changing faces in politics. On page 32 we explore how young ethnic minorities are making their mark in politics by securing top roles in the youth parliament and are shaping the future. Read Race To The Top to find out how these guys are making moves with words from our very own British Obama, Chuka Umunna.

Peace and love, signing out!

@CelesteLiveMag

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Copyright Livity. Nothing in this magazine may be reproduced in part or in full without prior written permission from the publisher.

Live Magazine endeavours to ensure that all information enclosed is correct and true. All efforts are made to ensure non-copyright images are used and photoghraphers are credited. Prices and details are subject to change. The views expressed in the magazine are those of the writers and not necessarily the publisher or editorial staff.

Live Magazine, Unit 11, Piano House, 9 Brighton Terrace, Brixton, London, SW9 8DJ Tel: 0207 326 5979

The Crew

LIVEMAGUK Editor Celeste Houlker, 21

Features Editor Zindzi Rocque-Drayton, 22

Games editor Jamal Wright, 22

Online Editor Christina Lai, 24

Deputy Features Editor Eli Anguelova, 17

GadgeTS EDITOR Alex Shickell, 16

Art Director Henry Houdini, 24

Fashion Editor Fiona Aber-Taurnona, 19

Film Editor Jacob Stolworthy, 21

Senior Designer Louis Harris, 22

Music Editors Ayman Al-Juzi ,21 Alya Mooro, 24 Demi McGrane , 18 Emma Hitchens, 22

books editor Aida Gugsa, 17

Deputy Editor Iram Sarwar, 21 Deputy online Editor Kamara Bennett, 20 Yara Sheikh, 18 EdiTORIAL aSISSTANT Shineze Henry, 17 international Editor Keisha-Monique Joseph, 21

politics editor Omar Shahid, 21 SportS editor Christian Adofo, 23 culture editor Verity Nelson, 23

YouTube editors EveYasmine Saoud-Easton, 18 Moses Ssebandeke, 21 Tom Jeffery, 22 cover illustration Lefki Savvidou, 22 Designers Malin Persson, 23 Louise Gadd, 22 Janae Edwards, 17

Senior Mentors Emma Warren Steve Yates Production Manager Kay Daylami Advertising and Business Development Andrea Gamson Live Mentors Alana McGowan Jason Page Naomi Brown Callum McGeoch Caspar Llewellyn-Smith Ruth Saxelby Patrick Kingsley Mark Calderbank Nadia Gilani Graham Peace

Contributors Darcy Thomas, 24; Teju Adeleye, 23; Hari Mountford, 19; Suraiya Mukith, 16; Margaret Zawedde, 15; Lily Ro’Yal, 15, Josh Correia, 15; Caroline Wilson,

19; Meera Sharma, 24; Clarissa Pabi, 21; Dermot Neligan, 16; Jack Brennan, 15; Hannah McKellar-Ricketts, 19; Jasmyn McNamara, 16; Charlene Russell, 15; Nimisha Dudakia, 15; Victoria Lawall, 21; Thalita Rodriguez, 15; Gold Mokwe, 22; Lashelle McDonald, 15; Snehal Shah, 18; Monwar Hussain, 17; Kerrie Braithwaite, 21; Stephanie Saldanha, 22; Jodie-Ann Gayle, 24; Campbell Kenny, 22; Alice Carder, 22; Ayshia Armani, 20; Omari Okwulu, 20; Myles Warwood, 22; Winne Arhin, 21; Jonnell Rowe, 21; Helene Richardson, 21; Nazeem Francis, 16; James Burrows, 22; Uche Amako, 23; Daniel Icha, 21; Ahmed Abokar, 24; Temi Omotosho, 23; Isobel Williams, 23; Ruweyda Dool, 22; Sophie Bright, 17; Sarh Gbamboi, 17; Yolanda Walker, 17; Nazeem Francis, 16; Lilufa Uddin, 19; Ricardo Fernandez, 17; Mariam Alakiu, 14; Connor Turner, 17., Bradley Smith 21, ; Sanah Ali, 21; Monique Gerachty, 24, Sagal Yusuf, 18; Annie Rockson, 23; Petra Valenti, 21; Aysha Amarni, 21; Alex Moore, 24; Harriet Thomas, 22, Amar Sejpal, 23

thanks to Alan Rusbridger, somewhereto_, Deborah Orr, Chipotle, Ty Stanton-Jones, Toast PR, Fiona McKellar, Book Mongers the Phoenix Cafe, Aziza Francis, Jordan Jarrett-Bryan and Cleo Soazandry, Merv The Swerve, Mahta Hassanzadeh, Therryi Jay Brown, Sian Anderson, Lina Bastides, Kiran Kaur, Kate Burt, Chantelle Fiddy, Rahul Verma, Camelia Muldermans, Ben Ferguson, Mark Gurney, Sam and Michelle and anyone who’s ever helped out.

Key Playaz

Monique Todd

Christina Lai

Hari Mountford

Ryan Ravalier

Jack Brennan

Joining the team in August 2011, Monique became Online Editor, and hasn’t looked back since. She’s written for the likes of Dazed and Hunger, and is now working as freelance events manager and writer, planning special networking seminars for young people. She’d also love to have her own brand that deals with the events and publishing sector. Check her interview with LA car designer in Inside Job.

Our new Online Editor, Christina discovered LIVE when reading about our work in a newspaper.

She describes her role as “very fulfilling and challenging” and wants to explore every creative area as much as she can, to make sure she doesn’t give a label to herself before she’s even tried them – although she admits her overriding interest is in fashion. She has an incredible energy that cannot be stopped!

Stumbling across LIVE in May 2012 while attending a focus group, Hari has since been able to exercise her passion for journalism. She focuses on arts and theatre, but this issue she’s exploring the youth invasion of casinos. She wishes to do a masters after university and to one day become a foreign correspondent for the BBC or have an arts column in The Guardian.

Ryan is a recent addition to the team, gracing our HQ with his unique personality since last year.

It was his love of football and sports generally that first drew him in and you can read his regular opinion pieces online.

For this issue, though, the East Londoner explores the world of slimming and fitness in our Dummies Guide to Diets. He keeps things undercover but boy, there’s a lot going on under that hat.

Jack joined LIVE last year. His obsession with computers led him to start the LIVE magazine forum and he’s always coming up with online ideas, making powerpoints to persuade us that we should do them right now. He wants to go to college to get qualifications in computer and ICT maintenance.

He’s a devoted gamer – check his previews of the biggest new releases on the Games page.

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Darcy’s Dos & Don’ts

Big

Ask

duain

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Words Yara Shaikh 18

I do think people need to chill with the army clothes.

Everyone is looking the same now.

In terms of men’s fashion, those extremely skinny jeans need to be left behind.

Francesca 16

angelica 21

Batty riders in winter. Also garments with spikes and studs in it – don’t rate them anymore. Nike Blazers: when too many people get it, they dead it out.

The doughnut bun, I hate that! When girls comb out their hair, and use the doughnut ring, from Boots, I can’t stand that anymore!

Chiffon I can’t stand either. Lita’s by Jeffrey Campbells. I can’t, I just can’t.

Chris

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Those wedge trainers. Girls, throw them away. In terms of menswear, everything! People who wear shorts and flip-flops, they need to stop! And men who wear vests in winter, it needs to stay in the past.

Photography Harriet Thomas 21

Some looks come and go. Others hang around like a bad smell.

We went out on the streets to find out which fashion trends of today need to be yesterday’s news

What’s good people dem? Due to the launch of our new comedy channel (www. youtube.com/boomcentraltv) today’s column is about the dos and don’ts of creating an online following

serwa 16 I really think girls should stop drawing on their eyebrows!

All the concealer under the eyebrows; it’s not nice! They should get them threaded, it looks so much better and more natural.

1. Start small and watch it grow Remember, to begin building a following you must cater for your friends – if they like it then you’ve more chance of it going viral.

Send it to everybody, as word of mouth is the best form of advertising. Even send it to your nan or uncle, they could have a friend in China who loves it, before you know it your video is going Gangnam Style.

2. Keep it simple and be consistent There’s a reason why the web has become the number-one place to watch content – you can have what you want without jargon or adverts. Don’t bundle us with loads of random stuff – if it’s comedy, keep it funny. If it’s science, do science and make sure you stick to a schedule. The last thing we want is another adolescent acting as if they run the world with one upload and no subscribers!

3. Don’t bank on making a million Don’t think that the video of you farting in your friend’s face is going to make you a millionaire cos it won’t! The reality for online views is this: for every 1,000 views you will only make £1.50. So lets do the math! If you do actually make it to 1 million views, you only make £1,500 – just enough to cover rent, council tax, food, gas and an electric bill in a standard London flat. If you want to make money you’re better off doing a Midnight Beast and using your following to get a deal with a TV broadcaster and letting them pay you to make more content just for TV. Remember people if you need help, I’m here! Tweet me @princeldn or email me via www.theinnercityarts.org.uk and I will get back to you ASAP like rocky.

Holla, Love & Peace!

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Darcy was given this space by somewhereto_ Visit www.somewhereto.com to find your space.

Loves & Loathes Getting a text Don’t lie, I know most of you feel flattered when you get a text from someone you’re feeling or haven’t spoken to in long. In the age of BBM, a text is just that bit more personal. (LU)

Drinking I’m sorry, if you cannot handle your drink, don’t drink in the first place. When certain individuals consume alcohol it’s like a whole different personality has come out of them and they often do things they wouldn’t do when sober. (RF) Westfield directions Why is Westfield so big and yet it doesn’t have any directions or arrows or some kinda poster sign to show you the way out? Every time I go there I get lost looking for the exit. It makes no type of sense. (SY)

Vaseline Come on, we all gotta love vaseline. It is the hero for dry chapped lips and it’s fairly cheap, so we can all afford it. So really, who wouldn’t wanna kiss you when your lips are nice and soft? (LU)

Girls saying ‘all boys are the same’ Forgotten songs So a girl has just broken up with her boyfriend Remember that one song that you listened to 24/7? You haven’t heard it for years and then suddenly someone plays and she’s crying into her pillow and consuming ice-cream by the bucketful. NOT EVERY BOY IN it and you still remember all the words. [CT] THE WORLD IS THE SAME! You may get treated badly in life, but you shouldn’t let one person affect your judgement of others. (RF) Park strolls I can’t be the only one who enjoys a nice stroll around a park or maybe even just around the block. It’s a motivation and gives me time to think clearly and just breathe. [CT]

The Skorpion Show These entertainment bloggers are the funniest duo on YouTube, with their VERY honest weekly uploads getting the stamp of approval from Kelly Rowland and Lady Gaga. (SY)

Snoring It can be so jarring. You’re really tired and you’re trying to sleep, but someone in your room or the room next door is snoring away!

You wear earmuffs, put your headphones in but ARGHHHH you still can’t sleep. (LU) Cold food There are so many people in the queue that the food is served COLD! That sucks.

The food no longer tastes good and doesn’t do justice to all the time and effort standing patiently in line! (LU) Pigeons Don’t you just hate it when you’re out on the roads, enjoying your food, reading a ping or a text. Everything’s all cushty then BAM! Pigeons flying everywhere.

Yuck. (LU)

Marley’s Mellow Mood Just the best drink and a natural high that gets your mood right for the day. The berry flavour is the business. (SY)

Babysitting Lil kids can be lovely to play games with and boss around, but their sky-high energy levels can leave you proper exhausted. They will turn the house into a pigsty, and leave you to clear up as well as supervising them. Aint nobody got time for that, yoo! (LU) Nagging parents Tidy your room! Put your clothes away! Walk the dog! When your parents tell you to do the same thing over and over again. That sucks. [CT]

Words Mariam Alakiu 14

Words Connor Turner 17

Words Ricardo Fernandes 17

Words Sagal Yusuf 18

Words Lilufa Uddin 19

My Bed When I get back from school. When I get back from shopping. When I get back from anywhere. I walk upstairs, open my bedroom door, drop my bag on the floor and I HAVE REACHED MY DESTINATION. My bed. (MA)

Photography Monique Todd 20

Buffets Whenever I go to restaurants I never know what to get.

But with a ticket to a buffet I can eat the whole restaurant.

Literally. That’s if my stomach doesn’t explode after having six different starters. (MA)

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Dummies Guide to Diets Guess what!

Diets don’t work! Ryan Ravalier

explains

Facebook and Instagram have had an unexpected side-effect: this body-conscious generation have become even more self-conscious.

An increasing number of people are turning to diets to make sure that profile pic looks as good as possible. But there’s just one problem – diets don’t work.

Diets are no longer just for celebrities or girls with issues. They’re everywhere, and come and go like music trends. Pineapple diets, caveman diets, calorie counting... they reinvent themselves like house music and become relevant all over again.

Let’s take calorie counting. Studies have found that food labels and diet books aren’t accurate because they’re based on a study from 100 years ago in which a chemist literally burned raw food and measured how much energy it released. Your body takes more effort to digest chicken than it does to eat sugary or processed foods, so even if they have the same amount of calories, one will make you put on more weight than the other. And low-fat foods? They’re often full of sugar.

Calorie counting is quite similar to another diet known as IF (Intermittent Fasting). Dieters eat normally for five days of the week and fast for the remaining two. They lose weight quickly, but some dieters have reported bad breath and sweating, which is not the most attractive thing.

Photography Henry Houdini 24

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Words Ryan Ravalier 21

One of the most renowned diets today is the Atkins. It has pros and cons. The low-carb diet introduced in 1972 by Dr Robert Atkins is

based on limiting the intake of carbohydrates. By performing this diet successfully it has been promised that dieters will lose weight, not be hungry and will be guaranteed better heart health. While all of this could be true – although claims about heart health are hotly disputed – the diet has an Achilles’ heel: you tend to put the weight back on .

But there are deeper problems with dieting. While your body may resist the temptation to eat more, the mind does not. It actually changes your metabolism. A cycle begins: yes you can lose excess amounts of weight, but it will be put back on at a staggering rate as your body extracts maximum calories from everything you eat.

Chaka Bars, 25, is a former soldier and celebrity personal trainer based in east London, who specialises in his own fitness methods and dietary regimes. He’s blogged extensively about why diets don’t work. We meet at La Pain Quotidien in Notting Hill with Chaka sporting one of his traditional Nike tracksuits.

“Diets don’t work,” he insists, over salad. “If the diets spoken about in the magazines worked, then there would only need to be one diet.

Everyone is different: there is never going to be one diet. It all boils

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regulars

down to what people see around them, on the internet, on TV and in fitness magazines. After all, that’s what sells.”

“Have we dismissed the idea of being healthy and replaced it with just looking good?”

People are now getting gym membership cards with the intent of looking good, rather than exercising and staying healthy. But are they pursuing it the right way? Furthermore, has society dismissed the notion of staying healthy and replaced it with just looking good?

A critic of the gym and a specialist in street training, the creator of the Sparta Bars fitness classes describes the gym as an ‘artificial’ form of exercise. “If you’ve ever gone to the gym you never really see anybody in there who is really fit, like a track athlete,” says Chaka. “I’d rather look chubby and be able to run miles than to appear healthy and not be able to do anything.” Can most of us say that now?

He might be right: look at one of the most well-known footballers in the English game, Wayne Rooney. In terms of physical attributes, the Manchester United forward looks more like a Sunday League footballer, lacking the obvious physical presence to get the credit he deserves as one of the fitter, faster players in his team. However Wayne Rooney’s greatest attribute is his astonishing work rate and he covers more ground than most players week in, week out. All because he knows his physical requirements and he’s healthy, despite not looking as physically fit as, let’s say, Tyson Beckford.

Yes we all want to keep healthy and maintain a sustainable and healthy lifestyle, but we have got to make sure we are doing it the right way. You don’t want to overdo it just to be a socially accepted clothing size. You have to treat your body with the utmost care and maintain it. So the next time you come across an exaggerated Heat Magazine ad consisting of the title “I’ve lost three stones in less than three months” from a glamourised celebrity, ask yourself: did they go about doing it the right way? Just something to think about, I guess.

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Live Asks

Spoken word artist Suli Breaks became a YouTube phenomenon with his Why I Hate School But Love Education video, which has generated over 2 million views. He answers your questions on careers, controversy and why his mum missed his graduation

Yasmin James Do you think the recession is underlining What would you do to improve school what you were saying about the value education? of traditional education?

Too much testing makes people feel The main issue is a lot of people are unintelligent. There’s a diagram on the going into education narrow-minded. internet with a picture of an elephant, a They are not really aware of what they monkey and a giraffe and the teacher want to ascertain when they finish, says the test is for all of them to climb so there’s never an incentive to push the tree. Obviously it doesn’t cater to themselves to find a job in that area. everyone. The manner in which they Obviously the recession exists, I can see test people should cater to different how you made the correlation, but I individuals’ needs and skill sets. don’t think it’s the main issue.

Zindzi Jess Why didn’t your mum come to your Completing education provides people graduation? with more opportunities in the long run and the uneducated are generally the She wasn’t in the country at the time, poorest. Don’t you think it’s a bit naïve but I don’t fault her for it – my mum’s my to say otherwise? biggest supporter now.

You’ve misunderstood what I was saying in Why I Hate School But Love Education. I was asking how do you define education? For you to say that somebody is uneducated because they didn’t complete their schooling is quite a naïve way to interpret education.

What you do find is that people who are educated in what they do, like Sir Alan Sugar, do excel.

Zara Are there any spoken-word artists you look up to?

Jason Your latest video, The American’t Dream (The Purse Suit of Happyness) is about working full time just to survive. What do you say to people who want a career but don’t have the means to leave their job?

Tom You have been described as controversial. Why do you think that is?

If you have a passion, you should reach for it. The average age someone can live to is about 70; some people are 30 and have already given up. I just don’t want people to sacrifice their long-term passion for short-term gain. Always have that in mind and keep on going.

Yusif You are very open with your fans on social media: what is the most interesting thing one has said to you?

Photo Henry Houdini 24

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Words Annie Rockson 23

A woman watched my video and was extremely inspired, she’s going to go back to school at age 40. She said that she’s so proud of me and if she was my mother there’s no way she would have missed my graduation!

There’s a group in America called Strivers Row, they just blow my mind!

In the UK there’s this guy Chip Grim, he’s a boxer and mixes boxing into poetry. I also like Kate Tempest, Tshaka Campbell – there’s a lot of people in the underbelly of the UK scene.

The term’s applied to anyone who has an opinion – if you say something that doesn’t fit with the social norms you are called controversial. The term should be ‘overly honest’.

Michael In your video Why I Still Support Kony 2012 you said our generation was finished. What do you think would improve it?

What would help our generation is if everyone discovered their identity and tried to share that, instead of living up to the identity and norms of society. If we all have our own opinion our generation would blossom but when everybody starts going down the same route because something is popular, then I feel it gets worse.

regulars

For & Against: MARRYING YOUNG

We keep hearing that more and more young people are getting hitched. we asked Snehal and Alya to argue it out

FOR

AGAINST

Let’s be clear here: marrying young is NOT the same as marrying impulsively. Lots of young people marry and then divorce because they did it all too quickly. But so long as you’re both mature about it and understand why you’re doing it, there’s no reason why getting hitched isn’t right for you.

Young marriage is a misunderstood concept. It just means you’re making a lifelong commitment to the person you love most in the world. You don’t have to start a family immediately and it doesn’t have to get in the way of your career or other dreams.

People say that marriage ties you down, but this simply isn’t true. You’re freely choosing to commit to someone else, ignoring what society dictates about young marriages failing. Besides, if you really were with someone you love, you wouldn’t feel tied down.

Marriage is more than just the next step after a relationship.

It’s about becoming part of a team – a ‘we’ rather than an ‘I’. Shared dreams, efforts and all that malarkey. Dating, being in a relationship, or living together is all a bit onefoot-in, like you’re keeping your options open and putting yourself first. Prioritising yourself is fine, but if you want more, age shouldn’t be a limiting factor.

Words Alya Mooro 24

Words Snehal Shah 18

When you’re young, you’re still growing, still forming your identity. Pairing up permanently with someone in that early stage means you can grow together, like entwined ivy.

You become a perfect fit with that other person and that unique, mega-strong bond is what marriage is all about.

In your late 20’s or 30’s, you’re your own individual person, much more set in your ways. What are the chances you’d meet someone who fits you so perfectly at that stage?

You’ll probably settle for someone you’re compatible with, but that just isn’t the same. (SS)

“Everyone I know is getting married or pregnant. I’m just getting more awesome,” says Barney Stinson, player extraordinaire from TV show How I Met Your Mother. More and more, I feel he’s in the minority – and so am I. It seems with the increasing difficulty of finding a job, more and more young people are looking to add an element of security to their lives by tying the knot.

There’s no escaping the fact that the time will come when you’ll have a full time job, when you have to pay the bills, nurse a screaming baby to sleep at night and argue over late rent or mortgage payments. The time will come when you will have to think of someone else, all day, every day. So why lessen your stride before your time?

Your 20s are a time for experiment, for fun, a time to figure out who you are, what you want and where you’re going. They’re a time to figure out what your relationship ‘deal-breakers’ are and who your most appropriate partner would be.

New research suggests that the human brain is not fully developed until 25 – meaning that young adults are even less likely to make sound decisions than previously thought.

I’m not blind to the fact that you can get married at 50 and still make a mistake. But why lower your chances? The National Centre for Health Statistics in the US claims that 60 percent of marriages between under-25s end in divorce.

And divorce? Messy, painful and, in many cases, avoidable.

Get married when you’re ready, not when you’re lonely, and definitely not to prove to the world that you love each other as much as you claim to.

Despite what Beyoncé says, he can like it without putting a ring on it. It’s not a race. (AM)

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Gadgets

We’re all about the future here at Live, so we asked our tech team to bring you some gadgets that could be trending by this time next year Sony SmartWatch Sonymobile.com, £89

Tech Talk

This is not the kind of watch you see every day! This device connects to your Android phone to keep you posted with notifications and calls at those times when it’s not convenient to look at your phone. We’ll be talking to our wrists soon! (AG)

Hello everyone!

Celluon Magic Cube projection keyboard Amazon.co.uk, £129

You might think you can’t live without your phone, which is your way of contacting people, accessing the internet, listening to music, and all from one device. But what if I told you that in some thirdworld countries, where phones have none of the fancy features ours do, and people think the Samsung Galaxy is found in space, your life might literally depend on owning a mobile.

The Magic Cube projects a full size keyboard onto any flat opaque surface, boasting a multi-touch mouse. With a detection rate of 350 characters per minute, typing on the move is a piece of cake. (HM)

MiLi iPhone Projector 2 iwantoneofthose.com, £179.99 This nifty gadget for your iPhone will project your movies and pics onto a surface of up to 6ft. No longer will your friends crowd round your phone, complaining they can’t see the hilarious YouTube video you’re trying to show them. (AS)

Examples of this can be found everywhere. The SMS function offered by even the most basic mobile handset can be used to provide farmers with instant updates on the weather and the value of their crops.

This can improve productivity and negotiating positions, and therefore help their families to survive.

EPOC neuroheadset emotiv.com, £190 It sounds nerdy. It looks futuristic. It is actually awesome. Using your fingers for gaming is so last decade (as the Kinect has shown) so this little piece of tech uses brain impulses instead of a joystick. (AS)

The M-PESA system of paying for things with your phone credit has spread all over Africa, where mobile phones are also priceless when it comes to tracking and preventing the spread of malaria.

APP attack

we cast our eye over the most happening new apps for your phones and tablets

In Afghanistan, a new literacy programme has enabled women to learn to read and write using their mobile phone. While in Nairobi sending a text can be used to find the closest clean water supply.

KitchenPad Timer Pro App Store, £1.99

Deezer App Store, free

Words Aida Gusga 17

A helping hand for any Deezer is a music streaming masterchef, this app service that surpasses enables you to set different Spotify with similar costs. timers and varying heats for The interface is user friendly, multiple hobs, meaning that downloads are quicker, and burnt food can (hopefully) it’s easy to find new and be avoided with it running in exciting music in the everthe background. (HM) growing library.

Words Hari Mountford 19

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Words Alex Shickell 16

We could all probably learn a thing or two from the innovative and revolutionary ideas that have sprung from the need for simple solutions to complicated problems found in the developing world.

Facebook recently hit a billion users, and, if technology continues to help improve people’s lives, it’s not hard to see where the next billion will come from.

Gridrunner App Store, £0.69 Gridrunner has become the king of retro games on iOS. Lock and load and get ready to enjoy some classic shooting for the modern era as you try to blast your way through grid after grid of aliens and monsters.

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We Love: Street style

1. Furs t-shirt £24.99 www.friendorfaux.co.uk 2. Black leather t-shirt £35.00 by Harry Phinda 3. “I look like money” T-shirt £20.00 www.4loveandmoney.co.uk 4. Grey marl t-shirt £22.00 www.4loveandmoney.co.uk 5. Black & floral snapback £25.00 www.4loveandmoney.co.uk 6. Green Educate Elevate beanie £22.00 www.educateelevate.com 7. Grey Jumper £50.00 by Harry Phinda 8. Grey hoody floral pouch £45.00 9. Jacket £50.00 www.4loveandmoney.co.uk 10. Black Rumknuckles jumper £49.99 www.rumknuckles.com Styling: Celeste Houlker Photography: Fernando Ucheda

inside job regulars

Inside Job: Joern Zirfass

Meet Joern. He’s a senior creative interior designer for General Motors in LA, making the inside of cars look as sick as the outside. “It’s about nice shapes and function,” he tells Monique Todd How did you get into the job?

I always wanted to be a product designer. It’s so appealing to be able to think about how things should be, and then make them work from the first napkin sketch to the final product.

I started studying product design thinking about irons and hairdryers and all these classic designs. I think the only industry where you can really create shapes, where shapes get spoken over and liked or not liked, is in the car industry and maybe footwear. Cars are about styling and nice shapes and function.

So, how does it work? You get a brief and then you create something in response?

Yes. You get a briefing so you know the DNA of the brand.

You have your own idea of where the brand should be positioned. Anything you don’t like on the existing car, you have an idea of how it should be changed. You need to find a formal way to express this and to incorporate all the demands and all the needs. And it has to be cooler than anyone else’s proposal.

How tight are the deadlines? How much time do you have to work on a problem?

Oh, it depends. The bottom line is if there’s a short deadline, then the project is hot and it’s worth working on it. The best result always comes up when the deadlines are short.

14

Words Monique Todd 20

Do you think that’s the same with anything creative?

I think so. You need a little bit of pressure to be really creative. But not too much, because it needs time to make things nice.

What do you do on a typical office day?

I can describe the ideal day because the ideal day is much nicer. You come in, you have your first coffee, check your emails. The thing you’re working on is usually either a clay model or digital model. So you go see your modellers, see the purpose of the model. Modellers work a different shift to designers. They stay late, come late at night, come a little later in the morning. So in the morning you can see the changes you asked them to do. Then you’ll meet your team, come up with new ideas. After lunch, I sit down and put my headphones on. I sketch. I model in 3D. Oh, that’s an important thing – we have to sell paper to our managers.

What does that mean?

I have this great idea of what a next car interior should look like. I see it in my head, but I have to communicate it and this means selling paper. I have to make nice drawings – like really nice drawings, probably photo-realistic – that I can pin to a chart and everyone understands right away and they’re ‘oh yeah, this is cool’.

How hard do you think it is to get a job in product design or car design?

It’s getting harder because things are getting online, so there’s online communities who do designs on some products and people have to have a mix of skills, little bit of talent, little bit of thinking out the box. It’s getting very popular to work in design. But let’s say it is easy: you go to art school, you have to know how to sketch a little, to make a good presentation, to have good ideas. It’s something that almost everyone can do with a little bit of training, but when it comes to succeeding in the job, that’s the hard part.

regulars

DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF KOREA

POP.

24.5MIL

North & South

REPUBLIC OF KOREA POP.

50MIL

Korea is divided between

with the current borders fixed by the

July 27 1953 armistice, which ended the civil war and split the country along the 38th parallel

North Korea’s military is the fourth largest in the world, with some

1,106,000 active personnel, and 8,200,000 reserves, dwarfing

the British Armed Forces (220,350 and 181,720 respectively)

World In Focus: Korea For 60 years North and South Korea have glared across the border at each other. Dermot crunches the numbers you need to know

Famine is rife in the North with a mere

K-POP

$33 billion Gross Domestic

is on the rise recent exports include the

Product dwarfed by highly developed South Korea’s

$1.15 trillion almost

35 times larger

Gangnam Style The current ‘Supreme Leader’ of North Korea

Kim Jong-un is the third in the Kim

phenomenon by South Korean rapper Psy, which amassed over 1 billion views

Illustrations Louis Harris 22

Words Dermot Neligan 17

dynasty, inheriting power after his father Kim Jong-Il’s death in 2011

15

Photography Petra Valenti 24

Words Ayman Al-Juzi 21

16

mic stand Mic Righteous is that rare rapper whose bite is as big as his bark. ayman meets the mc coming from a ghost town

Education didn’t play a big role in Mic Righteous’ life, he says, flicking through paperbacks in a tiny bookshop in Brixton. We’re taking photographs of the surprisingly camera-shy rapper. “I dropped out of school when I was about… 10,” he says. “I haven’t read a single book in my life.” He pauses and laughs. “I’m joking.

I’ve read a few books.”

Musically, though, he was schooled by the likes of Tupac and Eminem, but as soon as he heard about the UK hip hop scene he was inspired to take up rapping himself. And as soon as he started, he was straight in there, performing freestyles comparable to poetry.

“My older brother Faheed introduced me to English Frank. He played me a CD – actually he didn’t play me a CD, he played me a recording on his phone that he had recorded of him spitting. He was like ‘listen to this’ and just from that 30-second clip, I was like ‘that’s sick, I want his CD’. I’d never heard a UK rapper before that. So I got bang into that straight away.”

Three years on, he murdered a Fire in the Booth session with Charlie Sloth on 1Xtra. Not only did it get way over a million views, he also sparked controversy and made it onto mainstream media when the BBC deleted the phrase ‘free Palestine’ from his performance. It made him a whole lot more popular with activists, but even though he talks about the daily struggles of the poor in Britain regularly, he doesn’t see himself as a conscious or political rapper.

“To be honest, the whole political side to my music I think is non-existent. Because I don’t have any knowledge on it, I just know about who’s in charge of the country. I just know what people feel like when they’re affected by decisions made by governments. So I can just announce that, and then people take

it on the chin as if I’m a political activist. At the end of the day a struggle is a struggle, that’s just relatable in any situation.”

Although he is of Iranian roots, and does occasionally reference the Middle East in his music, Mic feels his values and loyalties lie in the small and empty Margate, recently named one of Britain’s worst ‘ghost towns’, where he spent most of his childhood.

“I’ve never really been in touch with my roots because I never grew up in a stable household. You know what I mean? Maybe if I did I would’ve known my history better, but I grew up in a predominantly white community outside of London, by the seaside. That’s all I knew.”

Mic’s understating his past when he says it wasn’t stable. His mother died young and his father spent much of Mic’s childhood in prison.

Mic himself has spent a fair amount of time sleeping rough – including in Brixton, where we meet today. Wandering round the market and high street, he gleefully points out the KFC, outside which he used to jam, and old haunts where he used to bed down when he couldn’t couch-surf with fellow MCs such as Logic or English Frank. Although he consents to discussing his background, it’s a subject he doesn’t like to dwell on. So he asks that we finish on a happy note.

OK, where did you learn to bark so well?

“I don’t know. I didn’t even notice! Until I watch a freestyle back again, I think ‘what the hell did I just do there! What was that?

Where did that come from?’ (laughs). Maybe I was a dog in a past life and it just came out of me then. That happens innit?”

Maybe it just comes from DMX? “Yeah I love DMX!” Open Mic is out now

17

regulars

Let the good times roll?

Stratford Rex has given way to the casinos of Stratford Westfield as the ultimate night out.

Hari Mountford reports.

Its 11pm in Aspers Casino in east London’s Westfield and it feels like Vegas. The huge circular lights overhead give the illusion of somewhere very exclusive and the atmosphere is punctuated by the click of poker chips. I am surrounded by roulette and blackjack tables and over 150 slot machines. It feels like a different world: a world where jeans are frowned upon and heels welcomed; a world where cash machines charge and huge amounts of money can be lost; a world that’s seemingly getting younger.

Looking around, the variety of gamblers is astonishing – women and men, different races, nationalities, ages. A fair proportion, however, are surprisingly young: sitting at the roulette tables, drinking at the bar, playing on the slots. They look perfectly at home here and don’t stand out among the older, more experienced customers. The Gambling Commission recently reported that Britain’s gross gambling yield is up £200 million from the previous year. Clearly, a shortage of money hasn’t stopped everyone taking risks with it. In fact, it appears the trend is increasing and the young are playing their part.

As soon as you pass through Aspers’ strict ID checks and step on the escalator, you are ascending into an environment entirely different to its grimy east London surroundings. Funny thing is, not everyone is here with the specific intention of gambling. An increasing proportion of the casino crowd are coming for much more than the roulette wheel. They’re attracted by the 24/7 opening hours, the bar, restaurant and screens and the glamour, real or percieved, of smartuniformed croupiers.

18

Words Hari Mountford 20

The Hippodrome in London’s thriving Leicester Square has three floors of gambling, five bars, a cabaret theatre and restaurant, makes this iconic venue arguably the top casino in the city. “Casinos just used to be for gambling,” says owner Simon Thomas, “but the 2005 Gambling Act took away lots of the previous restrictions, and enabled them to be more of a fun, mature, adult night out rather than merely a place to gamble,” he says. “Once inside, you don’t

have to gamble. If you want to go and smoke a shisha pipe on the terrace, have a vodka martini and play James Bond, that’s brilliant and people have real fun doing this”.

On its increasing appeal to youth, Simon emphasises that The Hippodrome has a reputation to live up to. “When young people come for the first time, we have a host team to show them around.

We attract all sorts of people but will only let in those we believe will behave themselves. If someone has had too much to drink, we won’t let them in.” He’s seen the changes, too, and admits they’re “certainly seeing an increasing number of younger people”.

“Casinos are somewhere you can have a good time without crazy ravers. We dance and drink, although I never gamble” Roxy Miller, a twenty-something who now regularly attends casinos, says at first she was a little hesitant. “My friend asked me to go for a drink, and I thought we’d go to a bar, so I was shocked when he suggested a casino. I thought they were places which were very exclusive, charged entry fees and would be expensive. But it was really good.”

After her initial surprise, she’s now a regular after a night of clubbing.

“They have restaurants which are open 24 hours, so we tend to go there for food after a night out. It’s better than a kebab! Casinos

regulars are somewhere you can have a good time without crazy ravers. We dance and drink, although I never gamble.”

Despite the argument that casinos are fuelling an increase in problem gambling, Simon claims they’re the safest place to gamble, although it’s fair to say he would say that. “Our high staff-to-customer ratio, tight security and staff who are trained in problem gambling awareness ensure this is a safe place to gamble. In contrast to betting shops, where it is possible to lose £18,000 an hour, most people come to a casino with a set budget in mind.”

The young – and too young – keep coming. Last year, there was a 43% increase in the number of young people who were refused entry for being unable to prove their age, according to the Gambling Commission.

Rizwan Rahman, 24, a keen gambler, sounds a note of caution: “It can give people a thrill going into a casino after a night out. Drinks are readily available and this often leads to money flowing and losses turning exponential.” He warns young people turning up after a night of drinking means that they are often taken advantage of.

“It’s very dangerous to enter a casino if not sober: there are always regulars, known as ‘sharks’, who thrive off inebriated patrons and simply eye them up as ATM machines.”

“last year there was a 43% increase in the number of young people refused entry to casinos” Casinos may be alluring but they can be dangerous. Anyone going into a casino needs to be well informed, because the poker chips can look quite tempting if you’ve had a few drinks, especially if everyone else you’re with is doing it. A good place to start is GamCare, who reported that a third of calls to their helpline came from under 25s last year. They claim that 60,000 UK young people have a gambling problem - imagine all the people who run the London marathon and add another 25K on top, and that’s the amount of people we’re talking about.

Problem gambling is a serious issue and can destroy lives. And that’s even aside from the risk to your bank balance! Gambling can be addictive and if it gets out of control, can seriously damage your physical and mental health. It can lead to a loss of relationships, can cause problems at school or work, and in severe cases, it can cause people to commit crime in order to fuel the additction.

GamCare have just launched a new website called Big Deal, which aims to give good information to young people. “Gambling isn’t an investment,” they say. “you’re buying entertainment. Treat it as a fun activity or social event, not as a way to earn money. And don’t gamble because you feel pressured or to impress your friends.”

It’s advice that casino convert Roxy Miller agrees with: “I’m careful because I know myself,” she says. “I can’t even behave myself in an arcade! I spent £25 on coin pusher machines once so I know I can’t take it to the next level. When people ask me if I want to play Blackjack, I just say I don’t know how to do it. No-one wants to play with someone who’ll be a liability.”

The casino, it seems, is not just a place for gamblers. Just keep your wits - and your stylish clothes - around you! www.bigdeal. org.uk

Inside the Hippodrome, Leicester Square

www.live-magazine.co.uk

19

Peckham: calling not balling

W

alking slowly through the narrow corridors, approaching the stage; the roaring crowd and harsh lights would be the last thing they’d see before knowing their fate. Looking at each other nervously, this is what they’ve all been waiting for – their shot at making it big. No, it’s not Eight Mile, but a city story much closer to home.

The exciting new E4 comedy drama Youngers focuses on a group of three friends, Yemi, Jay and Davina, who are trying to make their dreams come true and score their big break in the music industry. Set in south-east London, it follows their journey through teenage life in a world that’s more about swagger than straight ‘A’s. We’ve all seen this story before. So what makes Youngers unique? It’s a drama with a difference, a family-friendly show about teens that steers clear of gangs, drugs and violence, pioneering a new angle on the ‘urban’ dramas that pour out of British cinema and television.

20

Words Ayshia Amarni 21

Calvin Demba, Ade Oyefeso and Shavani Seth were selected from the thousands who auditioned to play the lead roles of Jay, Yemi and Davina respectively, starring alongside popular YouTube stars Mandem On The Wall (Percelle Ascott, Joivan Wade and Dee Kartier) who inspired Youngers, with writers basing the programme on their online series. “It will be crazy to actually see it on TV,” says Mandem’s baby-faced Percelle. “Right now I’m still pinching myself because it hasn’t sunk in yet, but I can’t wait.”

Ayshia meets the cast of Youngers to talk TV, rap and running round tables screaming.

A sense of pure elation radiates off all six. It’s the first major acting role for each, and they’re unable to conceal their sheer enthusiasm. “I was just so excited about the project, so passionate about it,” says Ade Oyefeso, who plays the role of Yemi, the star student with a passion for music production. “I was always interested in drama and we had some passionate teachers who put on some really amazing plays. Just being around that made me want to pursue it. In school I always just about passed except in Drama – it was my favourite subject and the only thing I got ‘A’s in.”

The camera-shy Ade relates his experience in typically quiet style, but Shavani Seth, who plays the group’s aspiring singer, has no such inhibitions, admitting she went nuts when she heard.

“I was working as a waitress when the call came, polishing over 200 glasses, and my manager said ‘Oh, still looking for your big break?’ and did this sort of smirk. I just kept smiling. I finished my shift, checked my voicemail and it was my agent asking me to call back. I did, and he asked why I hadn’t been attending classes. I explained I couldn’t afford it. He wasn’t too happy so I told him, OK, I’ll be back in class. He said ‘No you won’t, because you’re going to be doing the E4 series Youngers as Davina’. I was in Marleybone station, I dropped all my bags and I was screaming. I ran back into the restaurant where I worked, ran around the tables and shouted ‘I’m leaving!’”

Calvin Demba, who plays Jay, the loudest, most boisterous of the trio – obviously he’s the rapper – had no such drama. “My agent gave me a call and said we have an audition for a show named Youngers,” he says. “When they first told me about what the role involved, I was a bit dubious. They told me I had to rap so I went straight to YouTube and looked at MCs I thought would correlate nicely with Jay. I looked at Benny Banks, Ratlin and a few others rappers. Then I just learnt the rap, delivered it in the audition and when it was filmed for the actual show I was more or less alright.”

So how did the rest of the cast prepare? “The role is so similar to myself in certain ways so I could relate to him a lot,” explains Ade. “He’s so driven to be successful and he’s not doing what everyone else wants him to do because he thinks that’s the easy way out, he wants to give it a go.”

The cast seem so relaxed and open, I decide to go for the jugular: were there any off-screen romances? A laughing Shavani clarifies, “Everyone always asks that! No, we see each other like family. But I don’t blame them – they see us at our worst, in the morning, with no make-up, no hair done, just dragging ourselves out of bed.

We know each other too well now.” And like a family, they play off each other’s comments, re-living old jokes, like school friends who’ve known one another for years. “Everyone was really cool to work with,” Calvin says.

Asked to sum Youngers up in one sentence, Ade pauses. “It’s a fun family show that you can watch with your parents and not have to leave the room because of inappropriate scenes.” Shavani is more fulsome: “It’s real, it’s teenage, it’s south London, it’s Peckham, it’s music and it’s the media. It’s about what happens in people’s lives.

It is a brilliant show and there is nothing like it on TV right now.”

21

RTraibeps from the boardroom to bully pulpit, hip hop throws up characters by the yard. we finger the rap types who never go away.

Illustration: Alex Moses

a t e s h g T an G

The bang bang rapper has some serious muscle. He loves talking about shooting, murder and the mean streets where he was raised. You wouldn’t want to mess with any of these guys if anything they say has the slightest hint of truth in it. See The Game, Ice Cube, K Koke

e h T EO C

Illustrations Alex Moore 24

22

Words Ayman al-Juzi 21

The CEO is a rarer category of rapper. He tends to have high-quality music, own his own label and an investment portfolio of fashion, sports and drinks, many of them namechecked endlessly in his rhymes. Also exhibits signs of believing he’s closely related to Jesus and should be put on a platform high above mere entertainment. See P Diddy, Jay-Z, Kayne West

The ftie So

The Softie is in many ways the most controversial rapper in hip hop (at least on YouTube). Is it real hip-hop? Is it even rap at all?

The Softie expects sympathy for sleeping with so many women and/or struggling to cope with the incredibly tough life of being a multimillionaire player. Despite his success and wealth, childhood issues and inner turmoil are never far from the surface. See Drake, Wale, Kid Cudi

The Act

ivi

The activist rapper’s music is conspicuous by its absence from clubs, where tracks about natural disasters, wars, oppression and the lack of hope in the world tend not to set the joint jumping. Unless you’re into self-harm on the dancefloor. Not that activist MCs are into dancing, which they probably see as a frivolous distraction from poverty, police brutality and inventing conspiracy theories connecting the Illuminati to everything from war in Mali to why the No. 38 bus is always late. See Immortal Technique, Lowkey, Logic

st

The -Chatter S**t

The S**t-Chatter always has the most intriguing lyrics. Not only do the lines not follow or even scan, the grammar would make your English teacher go purple with rage.

When things get really bad, they just make up words entirely or resort to making noises. I wonder what some of these bars look like written down on the notepad. See Chief Keef, 2Chainz, Lil Wayne

23

The y Girl Facet

The Facety girl looks like she could destroy you with one lash of her tongue. She raps with that attitude too, and isn’t shy of explicitly laying out what she expects in the bedroom and why all the men and quite a few women are crazy for her. If the Taliban could sum up everything they loathe about western civilisation in one MC, she’d look a lot like Facety Girl. See Azealia Banks, Angel Haze, Amplify Dot

The Stone r

The stoner rapper is… usually very stoned. He (or occasionally she) raps about how much weed they have, how high they always are, and how high they plan to get next time they get high. Videos usually involve copious quantities of the stuff being presented to their audience in order to verify their claims. Expect to see them popping up in the news occasionally for legal problems arising from a particularly thorough customs search. See Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa, Juicy J

The Icey

There’s a rapper with a pendant on one of his chains that’s actually a caricature of himself wearing a chain with a pendant of his face on it. Does that even make sense? Welcome to the world of the Icey MC. Don’t expect much beyond the yards of shiny jewels hanging off his neck or the occasional set of earrings he bought for his ‘ho’. See Rick Ross, Trinidad James

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YOUTUBE CHANNEL OF THE ISSUE

sincerely oghosa known for hair and make-up channel That Sweet Poetrie, feminist Oghosa Ovienrioba has launched a new slot for her comedic side.

On Sincerely Oghosa she releases her inner crazy

So who are you?

Most people would know me as That Sweet Poetrie. I created my new channel because I want to take it to bigger places and do more with videos, make it almost cinematic. I want to make videos that change the way people think. Like one of my videos is called You Sound Like A Rapist because I felt really sick about how the rape victims are treated. [I wanted to] change the mentality of ‘oh she deserved it ’cos of what she was wearing’. I want my videos to have a serious side as well as a funny side.

OURtube

need some food for thought? look no further than YouTube, home to a burgeoning spoken word and poetry scene. In fact there’s too much to see, so we waded through the words to bring you our top poetry picks

Ldpoetess This lyrical Londoner combines the best of both worlds, sharing her poetic passion (under the name LD Henriquez) through soulful beats and hoping to make a positive impact through her words. Her sultry style makes this young poet a favourite.

Listen to Just Is Not, where she powerfully communicates her opinion about the justice system and society.

The Strivers Row

The Striver’s Row is a collective of New York poets, which includes Alysia Harris, Carvens Lissaint, Miles Hodges, Joshua Bennett and Jasmine Mans. Individually they have performed at a number of high-profile places, including BET and the NAACP Image awards. Some pretty deep and political stuff, I must say. These are performers that literally take you by surprise.

How did you get into YouTube videos?

I wasn’t really enjoying uni in my first year at all. I am a very creative person, I sing and I like art and I didn’t have anything to put my creative side into. Before uni I used to do poems and one of my first was called That Sweet Poetrie. I think what people like the most about me is that I don’t care what other people think. I was completely free and myself in my videos.

What’s the main purpose of your channel?

The new channel is not going to be about hair and makeup like That Sweet Poetrie. It’s basically just me being wacky and me releasing funny videos after funny videos. Acting is one of my passions. That’s what I love mostly about doing Sincerely Oghasa. Its just skit after skit and I couldn’t do it on my last channel because I had business involved with the hair and make-up.

What’s your USP? I am a feminist and believe the power of women should be equal to men 100%. I think that comes through with videos such as S**t That Boys Say. I wanted to to show boys how stupid they are. My main USP is that I am a girl and I mainly act like a boy, and that one thing makes me relatable.

Interview Sagal Yusuf 18

Words Margaret Zawede 16

www.youtube.com/user/sincerelyoghosa

Suli Breaks

Speakeasynyc

You may remember Suli Breaks from his spoken word piece Why I Hate School But Love Education, which blew up on YouTube with over 1 million views. His channel brings a new, urban vibe to spoken word by focusing on topics that concern young people of today. His witty and comedic side keeps you entertained while his more personal pieces keep you intrigued.

Poetry might seem the most solitary of pastimes, but go to Speakeasysync to have your preconceptions turned upside down. Here you can see the joyful pleasures that spoken word duets can bring though the intelligent interlocking and harmonising of words, bouncing off each other with wit and rhythm. This New York channel features poetry to indulge your senses.

subscribe to our Youtube channel youtube.com/livemagukm/

25

The tube goes overground

Words Zindzi Rocque Drayton 22

Forget about TV. The next generation of superstars are broadcasting straight onto our laptops and phones. words:Zindzi Rocque-Drayton

Young filmmakers have found strength in numbers in the YouTube community, as the most popular video makers end up doing more collaborations than a DJ Khaled track, popping up as their invented characters and appearing in each other’s sketches.

Nothing demonstrates this better than the recent online series, Smokey Barbers.

The show was created by Jazzie, who assembled a disparate group of YouTube personalities. He created a new world for these characters to come together, away from their personal channels, to exist in an improvised series as workers in a crazy London barbershop. As well as Jazzie, the show also stared Humza (from Diary of a Bad Man), A Dot and The Vujanic, who have all made a name for themselves individually with their eccentric, over-the-top online personae. “Yeah that was very crazy, that whole project,” says David Vujanic aka Bricka Bricka, one of an endless pool of hilarious talent beaming out from the 21st-century stage of YouTube.

‘It’s just funny, because I grew up watching these people,” says David, “and now I’m working with them.”

The trio behind Mandem On The Wall bowl up to the LIVE offices in bright matching hoodies emblazoned with their eye-catching logo.

They’re joking around and catching up with each other but once the questions start firing, they’re straight to business, eager to explain why Mandem On The Wall has got so crazily popular.

“Before YouTube came everybody conformed and just had to watch whatever was on TV,” says Joivan Wade, who plays the joker of the group, Failure, alongside Percelle Ascott and Dee Kartier. “Kids are watching YouTube, so the TV networks and producers have noticed and they’re thinking ‘Hold on, the only reason they aren’t watching these things on TV is because it doesn’t exist’.”

It’s a new phenomenon. There’s a rising tide of comedy sketches, parodies and talk shows that are home to the next generation of TV superstars. The reality is that the next Peep Show or Inbetweeners is already bubbling away on YouTube. The new online stars are moving in the same direction as so-called urban music: mainstream. “Our culture has taken over fashion, music, you can’t hide from it, it’s massive!” says Dee. “Our audience has grown: the world is watching.”

The traffic is not even one-way. Gemma Cairney’s new show Fox Problem, which is being co-presented and co-produced by Georgia LA and Georgie Okell, is broadcasting live not on BBC3 but on a Google+ Hangout.

Mandem On The Wall is one of the many series that are redefining the landscape. Primarily set on an estate wall, the 20-minute episodes follow three characters as they recall their crazy misadventures through a series of flashbacks. Since starting the show almost a year and a half ago, their channel has racked up over 18,000 subscribers and 2 million views. One of those viewers was My Murder writer Levi David Addai, who’d just got a job as scriptwriter for new E4 sitcom Youngers.

“When Levi was floating ideas to the producers at Big Talk, he said the show needed something like Mandem On The Wall. The producers were like, ‘hold on who’s Mandem On The Wall?’” Dee picks up the story: “Levi, showed them some episodes online, they liked it and said ‘yeah, let’s get these guys in!’”

Mandem came together when Brit School students Joivan and Percelle met Dee at a talent show and decided to join forces by showcasing their talents online. They were inspired by their friend Marcus, who uploads skits, cartoons and short films, on his YouTube

“

the only reason they aren’t watching these things on TV is because it doesn’t exist

“

r on

channel, Noble Television. “Marcus did this series called Marble back in 2009, It’s underrated. He was kind of out there before a lot of people, but because that wasn’t the big thing then, it didn’t really get the recognition that it deserved,” says Percelle. “What it did do though, was show me that YouTube is powerful. I saw that there was something going on here that I wanted to be part of.”

27

“

Our culture has taken over fashion, music, you can’t hide from it, it’s massive!

“

For David, one of the most rewarding things about creating his own shows is that they are made for and appreciated by his own community. “It hit the audience that we intended to hit,” he says about the success of Smokey Barbers. “It’s the audience where I grew up from – underprivileged London teenagers.” Their characters and situations are relatable in a way TV productions aren’t, and by being influenced by what’s online, these comedians are constantly inspiring each other.

Up-and-coming actor Sanchez Brown is also part of the new generation.

An English graduate, stuck in retail, he was inspired by the short films people upload online and set out to create his own mini-film, YOLO Therapy. It’s a 42-minute feature following the out-of-control antics of four young people who need rehab after taking the YOLO motto just a bit too far. “I watched this film online called Illegal Activity, directed by Sebastian Theil,” he says. “That film had such a great positive message at the end and I was like I want to do a film and do something with a similarly positive message.” The YouTube community tend to help each other out: Sanchez’s future scripts and projects are now being mentored by Sebastian Theil, simply off the back of this YouTube film.

YouTube, and other online video sites such as Vimeo, are essentially a global distribution platform. “They play a huge part, just getting it out there and getting it seen; if YouTube weren’t there the only people who would have seen [YOLO Therapy] are those that came to the premiere,” says Sanchez. “There’s actually an audience, people are watching it. I went to Stratford yesterday and this guy actually stopped me and said ’that ‘breaking the ice’ line is the best line I’ve heard in time‘. And I was like ’rah, this guy has actually seen it’.”

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With over 800 million visits a month, there’s no telling where YouTube can lead. For David, one two-minute video made him a viral hit throughout the UK and Western Africa, with the hype concluding with him dancing in the presence of the king of cool himself, Kayne West. With several hit videos already under his belt, it was his White

Boy Azonto, where he performed the African dance in front of bewildered Oxford Street shoppers, which led to him being invited to dance in D’banj’s video for Oliver Twist and even do the hilarious dance on stage at the Afrobeat superstar’s concerts.

“So many of the opportunities I’ve had have been awesome,” David says. “The most exciting for me, I think is the D’Banj video shoot. Pusha T, Big Sean was there.

I saw Kanye West in real life; I was like ‘Kanye West, bloody hell!’ This is the guy who I used to queue up for his concert, years ago I queued up for his trainers overnight! He’s like an idol of mine, YouTube can really take you places.”

No one could have predicted that a two-minute video of someone dancing in the street would end up with them being in the same video as Kanye West, but it’s a great example of how endless the opportunities become once you upload yourself onto the global platform. You don’t need expensive PR campaigns or a big distribution company – you just need people to like and share.

A lot of hard work and determination goes into the clips, though. “I actually sold my car you know,” Sanchez says, still in disbelief at the lengths he went to fund YOLO Therapy. “It’s crazy. I had a nice car, a 56 plate as well, the first car I ever bought. But like they say, YOLO, so I thought I might as well go for it, do something positive, you only live once, so I’ll try and make a film.”

Even David, who has over 7 million views on The Vujanic, has produced most of his work without the luxury of a budget. “Most of the stuff that I’ve done, none of it has really been funded. If you are creative and you feel like you’ve got the idea, you have just got to try and do it. You’ve just got to try and approach people and get out there.”

For Mandem On The Wall, the laughs don’t really come until the cameras stop rolling. “We have to write it produce it, make sure we’re in contact with all of the extras and actors, locations, props, equipment, lighting, money is so essential,” Jovian says, listing the extensive planning that goes into creating each episode. “When you’ve been grafting day and night to make an episode, blood sweat and tears, and then you release it. Then it’s over in ten minutes. And then people are like ‘OK cool, that was good... when’s the next one?’”

The world of online video is fast and constantly moving.

With two hours of video uploaded onto the site every single minute, who can blame them? “There’s so much on YouTube, so many people, so many things, from documentaries, to music video, you can literally do anything. It’s like freedom here. It’s just about experimenting and finding your own lane,” says David.

Like Mandem On The Wall, his success on YouTube has caught the attention of a big production company. “I’m going to be working with Bad Teeth, a new YouTube comedy channel run by Hatrick Productions [production company behind Have I Got News For You and Facejacker]. They produce some amazing stuff and the fact that they know who I am, for me that’s a privilege.

You’ve got to get on the radar and if people like you, you never know where you are going to end up.”

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look through the lens. What do you see?

These pictures are not just pictures: they’re a response by the young photographers at PhotoVoice’s Lookout project to some of the real-life issues affecting young people in this country.

PhotoVoice offers training and mentoring from pro photographers and then showcases the results – and they’re looking for young people to take part in their Lookout project.

We’ll be showcasing their images throughout the year so follow them now on Twitter @photovoice or check them out online www.photovoice.org/lookout.

We’ll also be showcasing the work online so you know where to go www.live-magazine.co.uk.

Visit www.photovoice.org/lookout for more photos and details of how to submit your own photos, videos or music tracks.

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2

3 Picture Credits 1. Keyarn Nelson “I am not a shadow, I am a human being.”

2. Anon, Lookout Walthamstow “When I see knives it makes me cry because it makes me think about my uncle. It’s made me wonder how people think it’s right to take someone’s life away from them.”

3. Anon, Lookout Walthamstow “I started to give up on myself and my life. When I said no I got threats but when I said yes they still wanted more. I couldn’t win.

Death seemed like the only way out. The safest option. But I wasn’t ready to die and if I killed myself, I would have been letting them win.”

4. Siham Rkik “To make a change, start with the person you know the most.”

5. Nisreen El Mesbahi “My life, my love.”

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4

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Brought to you by

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Words Iram Sarwar 21

Words Meera Sharma 24

www.live-magazine.co.uk

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Some say politicians are all the same. But one thing’s for sure: the next generation of MPs won’t look like the current one.

Omar Shahid reports

It was one of those eye-rubbing moments when you’re not sure if you’re dreaming. Standing in the spot David Cameron normally occupies in the House of Commons was Sumaiya Karim, 17, a Muslim girl wearing a hijab. After forcefully voicing her reasons why the national curriculum should be changed, she received rapturous applause from her fellow young politicians at the UK Youth Parliament debate. In that moment, Karim became the first person in the Commons’ 700-year history to speak while wearing the hijab. This, on its own, looked like a harbinger of change.

The annual UKYP debate, where topics relating to youth are discussed, is chaired by the Speaker John Bercow and run by the British Youth Council (BYC) with Government support. “MYPs are so much more representative of the country we seek to represent. The annual debate has an outstanding record on that front,” Bercow says.

Rosina St James, 22, is chair of the BYC, and has received a Rare Rising Star award as one of the top ten most outstanding black students in the UK. She believes the reasons for the diversity among MYPs is clear.

“Young people are being hit by so many adverse changes, from the removal of EMA, the increase in tuition fees and cutting under-25s housing benefit, so young people from all backgrounds are becoming much more involved with politics.”

Currently, out of the 645 MPs who sit in Parliament every week, only 27 are from a BME [black or minority ethnic] background. That’s around 7%. Ethnic minorities make up around 14% of the country’s population.

What’s more, there are 146 female MPs, which is around one fifth of Parliament whilst women make up a little over half the population.

Dismissing the progress that has been made recently would be disingenuous.

At the 2010 General Election, the number of ethnic minorities in Parliament increased from 16 to 27. The Conservative party, who still struggle to gain non-white votes, went from two to 11 BME MPs, a clear indication of progress, but far from sufficient. Labour also seem to be moving in the right direction. Sadiq Khan, a Muslim MP who represents Tooting, has recently been chosen by Labour leader Ed Miliband as shadow minister for London, putting him in a strong position to run for Mayor.

But there was more. Almost 40% of the young politicians, or more specifically, MYPs (Minister of Youth Parliament), were non-white and over half were female. This is striking: for those who catch a glimpse of Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesdays, the current ethnic makeup is far from diverse.

Karim believes it’s time for others to get involved. “Any obstacle that people face because of race, religion or gender is due to a lack of understanding,” she says. “I think this country is trying to educate people about differences. In 15 years’ time, Parliament may not completely change but there will be a lot more BME people in the world of politics.”

Illustration Corban Wilkin 22

Parliament might be full of middle-class white men, but some are role models: in 2010, Baroness Sayeeda Warsi made history by becoming the first female Muslim in the cabinet as co-chair of the Conservative party. “When I stood as a Parliamentary candidate in my hometown of Dewsbury in 2005, I was the first Muslim woman standing as a Conservative candidate. I didn’t win,” says Warsi, now the Senior Minister at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Minister for Faith and Communities. “I always said that I was too brown for some people – those who would not vote for an Asian – and too female for others – those who thought it was wrong that a woman was running for office,” she says. “But being female, Asian and Muslim, none of these are hindrances. That’s who I am: I bring all my experiences and background to the table.”

Words Omar Shahid 21

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Race to the top

“Politics has become quite young.

A lot of people going into it are in their twenties and are the children of ethnic minorities” Bercow, among others, has made it one of his key priorities to ratchet up the number of BME MPs, to make Parliament more representative.

The Conservatives have given party vice-chairman Alok Sharma the role of developing greater BME participation. Labour even holds regular meetings to improve the situation. “Things are changing in the Commons but it’s still far from satisfactory,” says Bercow.

Parliament’s failure to reflect society as a whole could be one of the key obstacles in engaging young people with politics. A 2012 survey of 1,000 young people by researchers from Nottingham Trent University found the majority are interested in politics but are turned off by politicians and political parties. “Young people are more politicised than ever before. But this isn’t to be confused with being party political,” says Chuka Umunna, 34, the Labour MP for Streatham and the first AfroCarribean member of a UK shadow cabinet. “I think it stems from the fact that representation is not a given and they don’t see many people who look like them in positions of power and want to change it.”

www.live-magazine.co.uk

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After the 1987 General Election breakthrough where four BME MPs were elected, progress appeared to stall.

“Not much happened for 15 or 20 years. But the hidden story is the progress in the last five years,” says Sunder Katwala, director of think-tank British Future, in a private room in its Holborn offices. “The average MP will be in Parliament for three terms, which is 15 years, some even for six [terms].

So the Parliament you’re looking at is a snapshot of the last 25-30 years.

But there has been an acceleration of progress recently,” Katwala adds.

But what are the reasons for such change? “A lot of people were putting out some gloomy messages in order to catalyse for faster change. Many people were saying it’s going to take 75 years to get there, but that was nonsense,” he says. ”There has also been a generational shift in British society. Politics has become quite a young profession. A lot of people going into politics are in their late 20s and early 30s and are the children of ethnic minorities. They’re strongly British, educated in our schools and confident about their equal stake in British society,” Katwala says.

“I believe that young people are seeing what’s happening in politics, with more and more BME leaders, and thinking ‘I could do that’,” Warsi concurs.

The number of BME MPs needs to double for the Commons to look representative of the wider population. Although there has been some change, why has it been so slow? Simon Woolley, director of Operation Black Vote, an organisation dedicated to enabling the African and Asian British community to claim their place in European politics, thinks there’s an element of racism involved. “We don’t mean racism in the wretched sense, meaning people don’t like black [and Asian] people,” he says. “It’s rather an unconscious racism that favours people who are doing the choosing. It means black and Asian talent consistently is being ignored. This unconscious bias is probably the most pernicious.”

He adds: “If we are vocal, the potential to radically influence the next General Election is fantastically real. It’s about whether the penny drops and young people realise how powerful they are. They have within their grasp the power to transform society.” Woolley believes BME youth should take inspiration from the re-election of President

“I’d like to think we could have a BME Prime Minister, but It will only happen when young people realise their power” Obama and urges them to register to vote. The Ethnic Minority British Election Survey found estimated rates of under-registration ranged from 16% of Pakistani communities, 17% for Indian, Bangladeshi and Black Caribbean communities and 28% of Black Africans. Young people are also the most likely to be absent from the register.

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“Too many African, Caribbean, Pakistani and Bangladeshis aren’t even registered to vote, which is extremely worrying. We need look no further than the election of Obama, that it was young black people that ensured he had a second term,” he says. Umunna, too, believes there is “racism which pervades through the political system” but is encouraged by the progress. “When I was growing up, there were four MPs who looked like me. Now we have more than six times that,” he says. “We can’t stand back and say what wonderful progress we’ve made. My fear is we’ll take our foot off the accelerator.”

There has been a lot of speculation about who the British Obama could be. Adam Afriye, a millionaire mixed-race Tory MP for Windsor, who was born and raised in Peckham, was recently touted by friends as a potential challenger to David Cameron, but few commentators took him seroiusly. “Priti Patel has got a very strong profile as the most right-wing person in the Conservative party,” says Katwala.

“She’s probably going to be the most promising voice on that side of the party. For Labour, Umunna could be a potential candidate for party leader. It will be unlikely that ethnic minorities aren’t running for party leader within the next five to 10 years.”

Patel, who declined to speak to Live, and Kwasi (aka the “Black Boris”) Kwarteng are two of the most influential, emerging right-wing Tory MPs. Traditionally, BME communities have been put off by Tory right-wing rhetoric, perceiving it as a racist party. That the pair, of Ugandan-Asian heritage and Ghanaian parents respectively, are respected on the Tories’ ideological right, highlights the new diversity, which can only be a good thing for the Tories by broadening their appeal to their core voters.

Having been brought up in a fairly wealthy family and attended private school, Umunna is a bit of an anomaly. He’s one of the very few black middle-class public figures in the media. Though routinely dubbed the ’British Obama‘, he refuses to comment on the post of party leader, insisting he’s concentrating on looking after his constituents. Kwarteng, like Umunna, had a privileged upbringing, winning a scholarship to Eton College, which paved the way for Cambridge and Harvard.

“Parliament should be as representative of the country. We need more people from working-class backgrounds, who’ve worked in manual jobs, public services and the charitable sector,” says Bercow.

While many are looking forward to a black Prime Minister, there has yet to be a black Chancellor, Home Secretary or Foreign Secretary. There doesn’t have to be a sequential hierarchy, but it’s worth noting that the African-American Colin Powell served as US Secretary of State in the ‘90s, breaking down some of the barriers before Obama became President.

“I would like to think we could have a [BME] Prime Minister by 2020.

I’m an optimist,” says Woolley. “It will only happen when young people realise how much power they have in demanding progressive change in this country. Equally, we are going to need a charismatic individual with traits like Obama who can skilfully cross the ethnic divide and encourage BME groups to vote in impressive numbers.”

British politics seems to be changing fast – maybe faster than other institutions like the media, or FTSE 100 businesses. While Parliament now looks a lot better in terms of its ethnic make-up, it also must start sounding better. Different voices from various ethnic communities will not only enhance Parliament but also society, as they can provide unique perspectives – ones that have been lacking for far too long.

www.live-magazine.co.uk

inside job

BROTHERLY LOVE My Brother The Devil was an award-winning highlight of last year And now it’s coming on DVD. Live met rising stars Fady Elsayed, Ayman Hamdouchi and James Floyd MBTD is edgy and realistic. How did the film get this right?

JF: Sally (El Hosaini, director) could make it authentic because she knows a lot of the boys who inspired it. She’s been in that world before, went back in and found the realism of it.

AH: The authenticity of the movie is the extras. Sally will see kids from the estate and put them in the film.

JF: The people from [Hackney’s] Gascoyne estate, where we filmed, were the first to see the film. The real compliments came from them.

You have people who are happy on an estate, it isn’t all bad.

FE: Sally portrayed even the gangster characters in a vulnerable way, even the bad guys. You feel sorry for them.

Do you feel it will help deglamorise the street lifestyle?

JF: It does because it’s telling the truth. It portrays everyone as human and three-dimensional. It’s not an anti-knife campaign. It debunks the myths a lot of other urban films put forward. Sally hasn’t fallen for the trap of mythical ideas about the streets.

The film touches on both sexuality and religion, and because it’s based in the modern day, most people are accepted. Individuals can still feel excluded, however. What scene shows this best?

JF: The last scene. It shows the overall conflict. The main thrust is about two brothers – the younger one is coming of age and the older one is coming out. They come from a world where if you’re gay you are not seen as an equal. It’s that homophobic! The younger brother is deciding what he really thinks of the fact that his hero is gay. It is unexpected and interesting.

What do young people need to do to stay individual?

FE: Be yourself. Don’t follow others.

JF: Be you. Everyone else is taken.

Words Ruweyda Dool 25

How did MBTD overcome the youth stereotype?

JF: Ultimately, anything can be stereotyped, but if you tell the truth about someone who is stereotyped, it can’t be stereotypical! There are gangs and drugs in the film. Guess what? Those things happen! It’s the way you show it; not the stereotype itself.

MBTD categorises itself as multicultural. It encapsulates love, family and culture, and a lot of people can relate to the situations the characters face. Was there any pressure playing a lead family role?

FE: No. I could really relate to my character. With my family being Egyptian, my mum and dad in the film are like my mum and dad in real life. Personally, those were my favourite parts, when I was acting my character with their family.

JF: It’s very rare and the first time I’ve seen a British-Arab-Egyptian family portrayed that accurately.

Ultimately this film is about family.

This film has broken boundaries. Was it hard acting the sexual scenes?

JF: I had no problem acting those scenes. I believe if you’re an actor, you’re a slave to the story and character. I’d do anything for a character if I feel the script

is worth saying.

FE: The scene when Mo sees Rash being gay, and his reaction, that broke homophobic boundaries.

JF: Homosexuality on the streets and homosexuality in Islam are two things that are very rarely taken on in films because people are scared. Sally did it in a creative way: Arabs, seeing an Arab in a film that isn’t about terrorists – don’t stereotype people!

It’s won numerous international film festival awards…

JF: It was amazing. I got a bit emotional. I cried twice during one speech. Just getting nominated was enough, but to win it, I didn’t expect that.

My Brother The Devil is out on DVD and BLURAY on 18th March through Verve Pictures.

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‘It’s inspiring for other people’

Finish Line

We photographed the Run Dem Crew and asked them why they’re running the London Marathon.

Photography Harriet Thomas 22

Photography Henry Houdini 24

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Words Celeste Houlker 21

‘Motivation’

The London Marathon returns this spring, so prepare yourself for the crazy people dressed up as Captain Planet, Harry Potter and all kinds of superheroes. Try to hold your emotions back and not get annoyed when the roads are closed because these superheroes are actually super and not running for the sake of it. Most are taking one of the biggest human challenges for a charitable cause, something bigger than them.

LIVE has challenged our art director Henry Houdini to join the Run Dem Crew Youngers, a running crew from London, who are doing the marathon for YouthNet and AgeUK. These two charities are teaming up to create a project that combats isolation among older people by getting them to work with young people and technology. These guys have taken to the streets to train for their first ever marathon. Twenty-six miles is nothing to them – so here’s our photographic tribute to the crew in the run up to the London Marathon 2013. Power!

‘IT’s easier to run with other people’

‘HEALTH IS WEALTH’

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spread the vibe

Hayward: Starter jumper ÂŁ50; Judge & Jury chinos ÂŁ40

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Stylist: Fiona Aber Art Director: Henry Houdini Project Manager: Celeste Houlker Assistants: Christian Lai and Maria Tran Models: Auli-Jade Conte, and Charlotte Wilmot and Hayward Davis of KM Models (www.kimanimoore.com)

Auli: American Apparel cotton spandex jersey crop tee £21 and stone wash high-waisted jeans £70; Timberlands shoes £135; R1 snow pom beanie £11.99

Hayward: Esprit shirt £29; Levi’s shorts £60; Dr Martens shoes; American Apparel cotton bow tie £16; Crooks and Castles hat £30

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Auli: Rocawear vest top £22; American Apparel dark wash high-waisted jeans £70

Charlotte: Not So Classic polka dot blouse; £40; American Apparel medium wash high-waisted jeans £70; Underground shoes £125

Auli: Esprit t-shirt £!9; Bench patchadom playsuit £50; Underground shoes; £99 Dr Marten’s jacket

Hayward: Original Penguin bomber jacket £70; Bucks & Co jeans £90; Nike Air Max shoes £100

Charlotte: American Apparel Fisherman’s pullover £66; Vans skinny denim jeans £65; Levi’s waistcoat £70; Fam Irvoll x Underground shoes £99

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regulars

live challenge

Mum’s the word It’s every boy’s nightmare, your friends seeing you with your mum. Now imagine she’s crashing your party. Amar challenges himself to face down

the ultimate embarrassment

“We have just the task for you, Amar,” said the email from LIVE. I knew this wasn’t going to be good. Nightmare visions involving toilet seats and the smell of broccoli flashed across my mind. The reality wasn’t that – it was much worse. Having swallowed my fears, tapped out a nervous ‘yes’ and hit send, my challenge came back: I had to party with my mum. Vom. Suddenly the thought of toilet seats and the smell of broccoli seemed pretty tempting.

By a quirk of fate, it just so happened to be my birthday the following week and I was holding a house part(a)y. To set the scene: a blockbuster theme was set with iconic film posters taped up, popcorn in cinema buckets, the sister chaperoning for any un-conservative matters and people in their dozens making more noise than the Spice Girls playing bagpipes in a doghouse. Oh, and fancy dress was essential.

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Words Amar Sejpal 23

Before LIVE turned my world upside down, I’d negotiated for my mum to stay at least

three Wetherspoon’s away from the house until 2am. It was agreed that, on her return, she would avoid eye contact with my guests and go straight to her room. As an incentive she would get a slice of cake and a quick cuddle. Gotta sweeten her up somehow!

I listed all the pros and cons of inviting her. On the downside was the inevitable hit on my social status, my “cool” factor. I could already hear the chant of “Amar, Amar, what a dud you are” echoing out, like when I was 16. On the plus side: there’s my passion for journalism.

Tears and the possible contempt of peers brushed aside, I gave my mum a curfew and some strict rules for the night. She had to be under her duvet by 12.30 – and she wasn’t allowed to talk to anyone she didn’t already know. Just smile and wave, Mother.

Inspired by Home Alone, I also put together a list of ways to distract Mrs Sej. This meant four and a half hours’ worth of manoeuvres when I was supposed to be just enjoying myself, but needs must.

1. Give her a duty. My mum loves responsibility, so out came the camera. Not only would this keep her out of photos but also let her feel like she was in the party. She definitely felt like the social squid.

2. Reintroduce her to people she already knows. This way she’ll feel like I’m being the golden child and it will keep her occupied for about four minutes per person.

3. Give her something to worry about. “Mum, I think I heard banging upstairs!” This is a timeless trick and gets Ma searching where the party isn’t for a good 10 minutes. Once she’s content that she hasn’t found anything, put her back on camera duties. Those pictures aren’t going to take themselves, lady!

4. Be loud. Nothing’s worse than having a good relationship with your mum in public.

Divert all attention from her to you by singing Happy Birthday to yourself (Britney Spears X Factor style, YouTube it), calling people’s

“My mum started getting adds from my friends! Worse, she was liking their pictures and commenting on statuses”

names from across the room or, if desperate, doing the Gangnam Style/Soulja Boy/ Macarena/Migraine dance. With my plan in place, I was feeling assured of a good night.

Thank you, Macaulay Culkin.

Come 9.00 on the night, there I was, squeezed into my black Power Ranger morph-suit, freshly cut hair and ‘host with the mostest’ smile. To keep myself distracted from the lurking parent, I started handing out the cinema-style cups to my fellow party-goers, most of whom were dressed as chickens or Audrey Hepburn. But, as my mum strode around and it became obvious to all she was here for the duration, I could see my friends whispering “he’s so going to have an ‘I <3 my mum’ tattoo when he’s older”.

Getting a tattoo at this point sounded less painful than seeing my mum offering drinks to my friends and saying, “You look so good!

And how’s your mum?”

11pm: Everyone’s warmed into the music, smiles and laughs all around and I realise my mum has been nowhere to be seen for almost 10 minutes. As I investigate, I find her in the middle of a group of my friends in the living room, dispensing advice on their relationships and life. One distinct memory is hearing one friend, whom we shall call Britney, say how much she’s still in love with her ex, Justin. Soon there were tears and cries of “You’re so right, Sandy (they’re using my mum’s name!), time is a healer!’” Just writing this makes me want to punch my cat.

Four people walked out of that room giving Mother Sejpal a hug and thanks. Jay-Z and Kanye West’s N****s in Paris was playing in the background and the party was chanting in unison “that sh** cray”. It certainly was “cray”. Not only did my mum break the unwritten barrier, but my friends became

enthusiasts, even fans, and were blearily shouting “Amar, we love your mum!” No matter how often I filled their cups and tried to engage them in conversation, it was my mum they really wanted to talk to. She’d become a hit! Social status down the plug hole. Amar Sejpal is a damp squib. By now, I’m thinking of quitting my own party and just hiding under the duvet.

But, I asked, what would Beyoncé do? So I manned up and toughed it out. After watching my mum become the latest addition to the ‘it clique’, I thought I might as well party as if it were my last. Cue Rita Ora and How We Do. The next day, prepared as I was for the worst, I thought I’d still post the routine “thanks for coming” status and hide under my dodgysmelling duvet, waiting for the aftermath to clear. As I posted my status, my friends were beginning to add other people from the night. I basked in the knowledge that I was a social cherub, expanding people’s friendship groups. But then it happened – my mum started getting adds from my friends!

Worse, she was ‘liking’ their pictures and commenting on statuses with “come around soon”. This might make me a bad journalist, but FML. Yes, FML. But rather than blubbing (although I am whimpering behind my keyboard), I must admit I learnt a few things. One is to never accept a LIVE Challenge. Two, change my name. And three, well, actually I can’t deny that my party gained good credit. It went better than expected and didn’t end up around the theme of a toilet seat or the smell of broccoli as anticipated. I’ll give myself a quiet whoop whoop for that. I guess having Mum around wasn’t so bad. Which means one thing: thank you LIVE!

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regulars

cooking with:

L MarshalL

It’s lucky L Marshall can sing and write hit songs because he’s a rubbish cook, reckons Tej Adeleye. “This is gonna be a disaster!” says the singer

Chipotle manager Everton got grill skills

Visit L Marshall’s website and, under the About section, you’ll find a lengthy biography of a wonderkid. “A captivating, charismatic writer and performer, incredibly bright, handsome, polite, confident young composer who enjoys martial arts, Manga and movies is incredibly likeable and ultimately, and most importantly, fantastically talented.” Dayum!

Annoyingly, it’s not a fabrication, and dude is aware of his positives. We’re in tasty Mexican grill Chipotle, on St Martin’s Lane in central London, to see if this star in the making measures up in the kitchen. Over a coffee, we talk about rapping and singing. Drake is a huge influence (“he changed the rap game for good”). Back when L first got into music, the only singer of note was Craig David. “He was the biggest thing to ever happen in UK urban. Think about what it meant for him to have that success then. He was a pioneer. Bo Selecta did him so breezy, he was the man, very much a sweet boy.” Does L feel like he’s falling into that label?

“That term’s chased me my whole life. I’m comfortable in my own skin nowadays, and just look at things realistically: I can sing, I’m light skinned and I’m hella good looking!”

But that confidence ebbs away once he gets into the kitchen to make a burrito. His manager confirms what we’re all thinking. “This,” he says with a grin, “is gonna be a disaster.”

Yes, blud

This Castle is made of beans It’s the stage, not the kitchen, where he shines: you’ll recognise L as the cocky, nonchalant voice on Wretch 32’s Traktor and it was his songwriting skill that made Loicke Essien’s How We Roll live up to its name. The success of mixtape The Wait and single Castles have earned him that 21st-century measure of acclaim, over a million YouTube hits.

It wasn’t always so. L spent most of his formative years in Brazil. “It was a very racist country at the time, and we were the black people on the block. It’s such a multicultural place but the opportunities are limited if you are not white.” Returning to England, race was still an issue, but in a different way: “There were different stereotypes. It was before ‘mixed race’ was a politically correct term, so I was just straight-up black, I didn’t mind, but I was always the only black kid in the class.”

Photography Henry Houdini 24

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Words Tej Adeleye 23

Flippin’ L

L admits he used to get into a lot of trouble at school. Trying to make sense of, not excuses for, his headspace at the time, he says, “I think being from Brazil and being different and moving around so much [he went to several schools in London and in Lagos] made me feel I had to go the extra mile to be the centre of attention.” That extra mile got him

regulars

“Shut up! I actually wrote How We Roll!”

shipped to Nigeria after the headmaster told his mother he’d either end up Prime Minister or in prison. “It freaked me out because I wasn’t close to my family at the time. I didn’t want to go, didn’t like the food. I grew up on take-outs and cookies! I didn’t have any friends and didn’t get the culture, but weirdly Nigeria became the one place I found a culture I could call mine.”

In the kitchen, L’s getting into the swing, showing off his martial arts skills.

He’s about to slice the steak and is wearing superhero-style chainmail gloves for health and safety. L stands for Lagos and London, but also his favourite manga character (L from Deathnote). “I was never in any one place long enough to truly soak it up, except Nigeria. But I’ve always been the kind of person that goes into their own little world. I went into myself and found out who I was, found a way to be happy.”

“I can sing, I’m light skinned and I’m hella good looking” He relates to his namesake’s “oddness”, and we can confirm that the real-world L is indeed odd: his idea of a workout is walking with weights strapped to his limbs while stretching for biscuits in the cupboard and even toyed with the idea of a 15kg body suit. L came back to the UK to study sound engineering, but Traktor happened before graduating.

The child prodigy is now the prodigal son who’s made mistakes but found a home in music.

“It’s hard because I don’t have a lane, I mix up so many genres. I’d love to put out certain songs next, but we have to get the build right. Its hard to stay patient. I’m really proud of my album. I make music I want to listen to. It’s a solid record that won’t be what people expect – deep meaningful, timeless-sounding songs that have nothing to do with rap or that Robbie Williams s**t.”

L’s putting the finishing touches on his burrito now, not doing too bad, but it’s kind of cheating as he’s just loading stuff onto bread.

After tucking in the edges like a pro, he raises his burrito like a trophy, perhaps thinking ahead to his album. “Watch me do it,” he says with a serious glint in his eye. “I’ve worked way too hard on this album for it not be the biggest thing that drops when it’s out there.”

Nom nom nom

Huge thanks to Chipotle for hosting Cooking With... and for amazing burritos.

Find your nearest restaurant www.chipotle.com

Watch MORE ON our Youtube channel www.youtube.com/livemaguk

45

Music

Sound Advice Albums

C2c

= essential music = Good Stuff = Worth a listen = I’ll Pass = Meh...

Album

Of The Issue

KEATON HENSON

Tetra

C2C sound like the child of Gorillaz, Scratch Perverts and DJ Yoda. The debut from these veteran turntablists is built on a nice variety of sources, from blues to house spiced up with rap vocals. The scratching and mixing of chopped vocals makes it feel more like a mixtape with its flow and design, perfect for kicking back to and letting your mood flow.

Already platinum in their native France, expect them to make a good impression over here, too. A feelgood genre, executed to perfection. (AJ)

JOSH KUMRA

Birthday

This is the kind of album your girlfriend would play if she wanted to break up with you.

Mournful and bereft it can at times feel overwhelming.

Like the songs on his debut Dear, which charmed critics and led them to describe his music as ‘beautiful and unbearable’, this album has moments of tender allure and genuine fragility projecting an intimate atmosphere with sparse arrangements. On the downside, it lacks variety and the songs do start to grate after a few listens. But if your appetite for whimsical folk is bottomless, Birthday is a musthave. (DW)

Press Play

Good Things Come To Those Who Don’t Wait

Having made an abundance of ‘one to watch’ lists since his appearance on Wretch 32’s Don’t Go, Kumra’s debut is set to place him firmly back in chart territory. Building and breaking, the album encompasses a variety of musical tones from heartwrenching Brave Face to energetic, jazzy tracks, allowing Kumra to showcase his vocal elasticity throughout.

Powerful, haunting vocals, poignant lyrics and cinematic melodies recall long drives staring out of car and train windows, thoughts tangling and untangling themselves in your mind. (AM)

ANGEL

About Time

The debut album from the much-touted Londoner Angel is a mega pop infusion, softened at the edges by a distinctive R&B tone that vibes throughout the album, smoothing over each track. Catchy lyrics and a playful aura are trademarked and About Time is at its freshest with the already familiar Time After Time, the third single and an instant standout from the bunch. For those worried it might be too smooth, there are guest appearances from Wretch 32, Chip and Sneakbo to give it more of an urban flair. Ranging from a club beat to the more melodic track, it’s a good listen for Angel fans everywhere. (DLM)

benny banks is the next rapper to make waves. What’s on his ipod? Bet you weren’t expecting him to say “heart FM” What have you been listening to recently?

A lot of house, you know! I’m getting into A$AP Rocky as well. I’m not really a raver, I don’t go out like that, but I’m starting to get into house.

SBTRKT as well… I’m on a house ting.

Do you have a song on your iPod that you always skip?

Not really. I won’t have it on my iPod if I’d always skip it. I’d have deleted it already.

What track have you always played since you first heard it?

There’s quite a lot. I don’t want to be cheesy and pick any old Tupac song. There’s too much. Too many songs get me in that mood.

What forthcoming track or album are you most excited about having?

I’m most excited about my own album! I’m also looking forward to some new Kendrick Lamar and the UK rap scene on a whole.

What’s your guilty pleasure musically?

Words Demi Leigh McGrane 18

Words Ayman Al-Juzi 21

Words Alya Mooro 23

46

Words Dan Wilkinson 21

Ballads! I don’t really go on YouTube, I’ll just be in a van with people I’m working with and they’ll be listening to the radio or Heart FM or whatever.

inside word The days when having an amazing voice or brilliant writing ability were all that was needed to make a star are no more. Nowadays they have an appearance that’s been sculpted for success with all the care of a Rodin masterpiece.

Apart from the likes of Adele, who’s still standing strong, the ‘girl next door’ archetype no longer exists. She’s been replaced by the independent, feisty-looking female with the distinctive image, trend-setting styles and wildchild ways that speak way louder than her music ever could.

the dude sets them. Artists like him create such an impact the industry is never quite the same again.

Perhaps it’s all a consequence of there being no distinct separation between many genres anymore. Rap, R&B and pop have all merged into one seamless Eurobeat with only the vocalists to distinguish them by.

It’s all about the artist, less about the music, so they leave their

options open, work the beats, strive to be the first to create a new phenomenon and let their tweeting do the rest. Everyone’s chasing the dream living for the day when all their hard work and patience pays off and they can finally say “I’ve made it”. A day when they’re welcomed to a land of non-stop partying, celebrations and red carpets laid out at their feet.

Sounds appealing, right? But with headlines being at the centre of every successful artist’s career, does the music really matter anymore, or is the route to the top determined by how much publicity is wrapped around your name? Which raises the question: is it originality that draws the fans’ attention, or is it making sure your name, whether that’s bitter or sweet, is smartly placed on the tip of everybody’s tongue?

Tw

ot

ow at c

h

More and more it seems it’s the artist’s image that is rapidly becoming their selling point rather than the music. Take Rita Ora – she spent a year being seen at every party, getting in every gossip column, but then

when the music finally came, was it really that great? It’s also why some of our grime artists resort to sprinkling a little of that pop magic over their tracks, to finally get the mainstream recognition they’ve worked towards for so long. Then there’s those few artists who let their passion do the talking. They embrace the originality that comes naturally to them and run with it. Ed Sheeran, for example, doesn’t need to follow trends –

New artists should be blazing their own trail. instead they’re being sculpted for success says Demi Leigh McGrane

Pedro123

Purple ferdinand

For an 18-year-old university student, Ben Grant, aka Pedro123, is already a significant producer. He describes his music as “somewhere inbetween UK funky, grime, 2-step & UKG” and is looking to make his break into the music industry in more than one way. In December, he co-started a new label called Crystal Culture, which recently released its first tune. He also runs a bi-monthly night in Dalston: “I love that I’m in a position to book the DJs I want to hear and to release the records I want other people to hear.” His tunes have already been played out by prominent DJs such as Cameo, Roska and Skream.

“One of the craziest things is when DJs you’ve grown up listening to reach out to you and play your music.” If this kid keeps going at his current pace he is sure to soon be making bigger waves. (AJ)

Appearances are deceiving. And none more so than ukulele-fiddling tattoo artist Purple Ferdinand, whose exterior gives way to a whisper of a voice. The 24-yearold burst onto the scene with the sincere and soothing Beautiful Anomaly. “My music is from within, from corners of my mind that people don’t always want to explore because they might not be the most happy. But I think that embracing all corners can lead you to a more fulfilling life.” The past few months have seen her go from strength to strength, inking a deal with Sony and appearing on ‘one to watch’ lists thanks to her ability to jumble nostalgic folk and soul with goosebump-inducing honesty in a world of fast beats and short attention spans. But what does she want people to take away from her music? “Love,” she says. “Just love, and growth.” (AM)

47

Entertainment

Fully Booked

= Just read It! = Good Stuff = Worth a look = I’ll Pass = Meh...

the fault in our stars (penguin) john green

confessions of a fashionista Angela Clarke (random house)

Words Alya Mooro 24

Words Jas McNamara 17

We’ve all felt insecure at one point. Although we’ve not all been over 30 stone, there’s always something to feel low about. For Marshall, the main character in this debut novel, it’s his weight. We meet Marshall, or ‘Butter’ as he’s known, and follow his struggles and his relationship with the saxophone, an instrument that he takes up to help him deal with his breathing problems. He’s so big that people can’t even be bothered to bully him: he’s just ignored. So he announces he’ll be eating himself to death online, on New Year’s Eve. It’s quite a deep book but it’s easy to read and you sympathise with the main character in ways that challenge your own attitudes. (AG)

Words Sanah Ali 21

48

(faber)

Words Aida Gugsa 17

butter Erin Lange

(Harper Collins)

This is an action-packed story of two sisters with extraordinary powers who become involved in corporate espionage. Fia and Annie are orphans, enrolled at The Keane School foundation where the one-to-one curriculum is adapted to the students’ ‘special’ needs. But under the scheme, their powers are harnessed for evil ends. The idea of students having supernatural powers that are used against them is unique, a darker flipside to the traditional super-hero persona. But the flashbacks cloud the story and the girls’ narrative voices are so similar it’s difficult to tell who’s who. Fabulous idea, poor execution. (JM)

Words Bradley Smith 21

Sister Assassin Kiersten White

Confessions Of A Fashionista is a gripping book revealing the ins and outs of the real world of fashion and passion. Taken from the hit online Daily Mail column, it lets the readers slip into the shoes of fashion and gives us all the gossip behind the glamour and glitz. As I got lost reading more into the book, I found that everything is not what you’d expect and comes with a twist. The book is brilliant and hilarious but also sad. It has the most random and thrilling stories of the fashion industry, while grabbing every bit of attention you have as you read into a book full of drama. (SA)

la ss eC

Only John Green can make a book about two teenagers fighting cancer and falling in love not as depressing as that instantly sounds.

And only he can make the book hopeful and funny at the same time as slapping you around the head and screaming ‘shut up about your first-world pains because some people have it worse, but deal with it better’. With the ability to invert all your beliefs, reaffirm them and all the while make you aware that happy endings are not all you want them to be, John Green and his magically spun novel of bravery, triumph and failure will leave your nerve-endings on display and your life forever changed. (AM)

Liv

Book

Of The Issue

ic

Reviews of what’s coming and what’s already here

nineteen eighty-four george orwell (penguin classics)

Compelling and unnerving in equal measure, George Orwell’s classic creates a dystopian future in which protagonist Winston Smith lives in a futuristic totalitarian regime that watches you 24/7. NineteenEighty-Four is no ordinary book: it changed the language, introducing ‘thoughtcrime’ and ‘Big Brother’ to everyday speech. Smith wants to overthrow the regime, but lives in fear of being tortured, executed and his very existence erased.

Unrivalled in creating a realisable future where pleasure, privacy and personal relationships are impossible, replaced by censorship and alteration of history, it’s particularly resonant now, with the omnipresent CCTV and Facebook detailing your private life for all to see. A satire that’s more than mere fiction. (BS)

Entertainment

Front Row Review

= Just Watch It! = Good Stuff = Worth a view = I’ll Pass = Meh...

Reviews of what’s coming and what’s already here

Review

dark5 April skies

gIMME THE LOOT

Some may scoff at this littlehyped horror that follows in the footsteps of the Jason Blum powerhouse behind the Paranormal Activity series. But this latest scare story, which follows a family having nighttime encounters with an unstoppable force, is surprisingly successful. Keri Russell plays Mum, and Josh Hamilton Dad, to the sons who pique the interest of these unwanted intruders.

They’re characters we’ve seen before in varying guises, but don’t fret, there are genuine frights to be had. Director Scott Charles Stewart deals adeptly with potentially run-of-the-mill fodder ensuring Dark Skies is a horror worth the screaming. (JS)

Taking place over two hazy, lazy summer days in New York, Gimme The Loot is Adam Leon’s first feature-length film and it relies heavily on the prowess of his two leads. There’s not much of a plot, with the endearing characters and their banter taking centre stage. To this extent, the film is a success, effectively capturing the dynamics of a youthful relationship, all cheeky comments, endless days on the streets, and a succession of effing-and-blinding chuckles.

Aspiring to tell a story about the joys of youth, rather than the perils of stereotyping the young black leads, the film is successful. Beyond that, it’s a little aimless. (AM)

Screen Life

3 May

Mawaan Rizwan, 21, is an established YouTube star as the face of Malan TV and the director of short film Jimmy Will Play “The first thing I realised was don’t be afraid of learning.

My inspiration stems from non-conformity and instinct.

I chose not to go to university and at first I felt left out, but now I’ve come to appreciate my individual journey. I’ve come so far from the days when my younger brother and I would imitate the Bollywood stereotypes my parents watched. They usually chucked us out!

My YouTube stuff is self-

eC

la

ss

ic

Footloose is an ’80s classic about a young teen moving from upbeat Chicago into the small town of Boumont where dancing is illegal.

Liv

Starring a young Kevin Bacon as Ren McCormak, the story reveals his struggle to settle in and adapt to the repressed, religious attitudes of the town folk. Along with Lori Singer playing Ariel Moore, the reverend’s daughter, Ren leads the teenagers into a rebellion by organising a senior prom.

The film also features an early

FOOTLOOSE Words Monique Geraghty 24

Words Alya Mooro 23

Words Jasmyn McNamara 17

Words Jacob Stolworthy 21

1983

funded on zero pounds and it’s more guerrilla. I grab a camera, I have a weekly deadline and I make it however, wherever I can.

Jimmy Will Play took longer.

It’s sort of autobiographical and did quite well – it won the Audience Award for the Film London Best of Borough and was in the London Film Festival.

I was happy about that, but it was because I already had a YouTube audience. Making people laugh is the most important tool, the message comes second. I really want to get involved in helping the next generation bridge the gap that’s growing between young and old.” (MG)

appearance of Sarah Jessica Parker as Rusty, Ariel’s friend.

The most memorable scene is what I call the “angry dance”, where Ren vents his frustration at the town’s suffocating attitudes with a spectacular dance routine. The story is timeless (the film was remade in 2011), capturing the rebellious, juvenile vibe of young people trying to express themselves.

It’s fast, furious and fun and has a truly incredible soundtrack. (JM)

More Film Reviews, Interviews and Previews online www.live-magazine.co.uk

49

Entertainment

CULTURE CLUB Poet’s Corner

world I’m from, so it can be lonely, but it is good to mix with different people.”

Walk past George The Poet in the street and you’d probably miss him. But this 21-year-old Politics, Sociology and Psychology student at the prestigious Cambridge University has a sold-out show at the Elgar Room in the Royal Albert Hall to his name, as well as working with top UK talent such as Emeli Sandé.

Born George Mpanga to Ugandan parents, he was raised in north-west London but went to school outside his area. “It gave me a different perspective to the madness that was going on back home,” he says. “I began rapping in year 10 but when I got to university I decided to rap without music and people called it poetry.” And so George the Poet was born – with some difficulty. “People were responsive to rap but it’s harder to get your point across with poems.”

A boy from the rough Stonebridge Park mightn’t be expected to get into Cambridge, or even continue education, but George wanted to break the stereotype.

“It’s intense,” he says. “I don’t have much of a social life, what with poetry and university, and there aren’t many people from the

George is in demand. He’s performed in Monaco, appeared on TV, and with Nas, Tinie and Labrinth. His witty, political videos such as My City, Lemonade and Bucketful Of Crabs have racked up more than half a million views. Taking the mic at the Albert Hall, he performs old and new material supported by singer Jacob Banks. “I would never have foreseen this. Even as late as this time last year I was doing shows at other people’s events.”

Now in his last year at uni and unsure how long he’ll pursue poetry, George wants to take in as much as he can. “I want to have more presence in education, more workshops on a bigger scale, as well as getting into mainstream music,” he says. “It’s rewarding to work with young people as it helps you think more about what you want to say. Once it’s out there, you can’t take it back.” Despite the acclaim, George remains grounded, saying his proudest moments come from connecting with people. “I’ve worked with Emeli Sandé and met Prince Charles, but nothing hits home like when a person says that I’ve changed them or they got something from me. I’m pouring my heart out in my poetry.”

LIVERPOOL MANCHESTER

BIRMInGHAM

LICHTENSTEIN: A RETROSPECTIVE

REFUGEES OF THE SEPTIC HEART

Glam! The performance of style

Three birds

21 February – 27 May £14, Tate Modern

7-8 March £10, Birmingham Hippodrome

Until 12 May £8, Tate Liverpool

27 February – 16 March £10/12, Royal Exchange: The Studio

Roy Lichtenstein was part of the infamous pop art movement spearheaded by the eccentric Andy Warhol. Renowned for his signature hand-painted Benday dots, the American artist features in the biggest full-scale exhibition of work ever held, with 125 pieces showcasing at the Tate Modern. Drowning Girl, Whaam! and Look Mickey will be on display along with unseen drawings, collages, sketches and his ceramic and brass sculptures. Bold, bright and brilliant, this exhibition is one of the highlights of 2013.

Inspired by producer Shackleton, dubstep meets street dance in Refugees Of The Septic Heart, a reflection of a nation on the brink of change. This provocative, philosophical production leaves no stone unturned, the Tom Dale Company utlising digital animation, poetry from Vengeance Tenfold and his own inventive choreography. Refugees… is awash with visuals, movement and music. Gritty urban sounds melt into mischievous, high-spirited dance as they search for a society free of greed, manipulation and control.

Britain in the ‘70s experienced a new subculture – glam, a crazy pop style featuring futuristic sounds, extravagant fashion and a ton of glitter. Tate Liverpool is hosting the first major exhibition dedicated to the phenomenon, looking in depth at its development in Britain and its outward growth into Europe and North America.

David Hockney, Andy Warhol, Cindy Sherman and more will be on show, as will Marc Camille Chaimowicz’s vibrant installation Celebration?. Expect Bowie, mirrorballs and all things over the top.

A dark drama about childhood, family and fantasy featuring home-alone siblings Tiana, Tionne and Tanika. Tiana is playing at mum and taking charge of all the homework and housework; Tionne’s experiments are getting more and more strange and, more worringly, Tanika is starting to act up. Three Birds, set in south-east London, is written

by Bruntwood Prize-winner Janice Okoh who writes with intelligence and perception about the world of children left to their own devices.

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Words Verity Nelson 23

LONDON

Entertainment

Game On arrested development

What comes first: the game or the art? Jamal argues gamers need to show its developers a bit more respect Gaming is now one of the biggest layers in the entertainment industry worth at least $74bn, arguably as big as film or music.

And with that size comes scrutiny from fans as obsessive of those in any other field.

wouldn’t be art, see? I was fine with this, as I feel a storyteller should be allowed to do just that – tell a story. No one demanded that Jack lived in Titanic or Harry Potter didn’t keep the Elder Wand (or if they did no one was listening).

Partly it’s due to the nature of the medium, with the games being interactive. This is a doubleedged sword: the audience are more invested in the tale, but gamers expect more in return, especially for those games offering choices to shape your own story. Mass Effect 2 is a good example: despite being a game that lets you play however you wish, it has a central plot: having to work with an enemy from the previous game. To some that’s of minor significance, but others feel it goes against their character’s style as set out in previous titles. Would you accept Optimus Prime having to work

Key point is, they didn’t change so why should a game bow to fans? A director such as Quentin Tarantino shows exactly what he wants, whether that’s a Nazi having a symbol carved onto his face or a gangster’s brains papering the roof of the car. How is this different from Activision’s infamous ‘No More Russia’ mission in the Call Of Duty? Admittedly it may not be in the best of taste, but if the storyteller thinks it’s crucial it should be in. You can’t claim artistic integrity then bow to pressure. You can’t have it both ways – tell your story your way or maybe its not worth telling.

with the Decepticons?

Storytelling is playing a larger role and developers claim every new twist or character is part of their vision and to change it would be a fatal compromise of their artistic integrity.

Witness the great Mass Effect 3 debate BioWare faced last year.

When fans were disappointed by the ending, outrage hit the web.

With the series built upon player choices shaping the game, the ending disappointed pretty much everyone who played through all three, for reasons varying from the ending’s tone to its effect on the universe’s lore.

BioWare announced an ’extended cut’ DLC to “address fans’ concerns over the ending”, but claimed its overall feel wouldn’t change. Doing so just

Game Previews tomb raider

Release date: 26 March Age: 18+ PS3, 360, PC

Release date: Out now Age: 18+ PS3, Xbox 360,PC

Release date: Out now Age: 16+ PS3, Xbox 360, PC

Release date: 5 March Age: 18+ PS3, Xbox 360, PC

Bioshock Infinite is the futuristic game of 2013. With amazing graphics and two new main modes, this edition has an improved online multiplayer, shooting feature. It is based in the floating city of Columbia in the year 1912. Private detective Booker DeWitt has to rescue Elizabeth, who was kidnapped 12 years ago, fighting alien creatures, as he goes. Sure to be a fabulous game. (JB)

With electric guns, aliens wearing shockwave suits and a vast arsenal of weaponry, this has been keenly anticipated by gamers everywhere. The most excitinglooking feature is the ability to travel to unknown planets. There are also plans for a new co-op on Xbox Kinect, which would be amazing for the new voice commands they hope to introduce. But even without, this game is a great way to kick off 2013. (JB)

This has some of the best graphics I’ve ever seen. Amazing advanced weapons let you make your way through the New York battlefield. It offers a huge selection of maps and armoury, and incredible close-up features, including top-secret experimental animals, drive and destroy weapons and 3D graphics. This is a major step for Crysis, after some criticisms over the second version’s graphics. (JB)

Nominated for over 30 awards, it has partnered up with E3 for a great Lara Croft game. There are big hopes for this game, with lots of unlockable content and features included. It’s set in cold and rainy weather, with players expected to fight in the forest and on top of buildings. It’s 100% made to make you jump out of your seat. Fight with a manic selection of weapons and earn your stars while doing it. (JB)

Jack Brennan 15

crysis 3

Game reviews

Dead Space 3

Words Jamal Wright 22

Bioshock Infinite

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IT’S YOURS.

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