Nice People Issue 5 by Nice People Magazine

nice one mate. Welcome to Issue 5. School’s out for Summer. Congratulations on getting through this first part of the year. With the stale state of politics as of late and the worrying changes in our climate, we’re living in slightly scary times. Thankfully we’re surrounded by nice people who are doing nice things to keep the place we live a good place. In this issue, Kieran Blyth has written a wonderful feature on how to live sustainably in Leeds. More than just a guide, it is an ode to the locals who are making it easier for us to reduce the negative effects we have on the planet. Meanwhile, Laura McDermott introduces us to the brilliant people at Meeting Point. They organise amazing workshops, socials and classes to help refugees feel part of the community. Another group of people who are making the world a little bit nicer are the artists behind Open Spaces. They paint murals on closed down shopfronts to highlight how Stockport is still a vibrant and colourful town. There is never a shortage of nice people in Leeds. The artist behind this Issue’s brilliant cover, Ricky Butcher, is one of the nicest. We met him at a Gross Studio print fair and have been obsessed with his fantastical art ever since. Read about his work on pages 12-18. As always, thank you to our amazing contributors: Laura McDermott, Kieran Blyth, Megan Fairgray, Charlie Freer, Megan Dobbyn, PAPERFACE, Grace Moore, Martin Flynn and Sarah Niesius. And a big thank you to our amazing friend Bea Fletcher (@bfdoodle) for drawing us so good. Stay nice, Meg and Tom (Co-Founders)

Nice People Magazine June 2019

Jooloosooboo

What Are The Neighbours Up to?: Maisy Summer x Open Spaces

28 | Poetry: Your Number by Sarah Niesius 29 | Poetry: Train Of Thought by Martin Flynn

Front cover design: Ricky Butcher (Instagram: @whereidraw) Logo design: Julia Pomeroy (Instagram: @j.uliapomeroy) Printed by Mortons Print Editorial: Meg Firth | Events: Tom Nixon

FIND US | SAY HELLO Facebook: Nice People Magazine Instagram: @allthesenicepeople Email: allthesenicepeople@gmail.com

Follow Nice People Magazine on Spotify for playlists inspired by our gig listings. Discover new music and get yourself to some nice gigs this month.

Nice gigs in Leeds June-July Laid Back

What’s your flavour?

Something New

Vibey

Wednesday 5th June Yonaka For fans of: empowering punk The Wardrobe, £.8.80 (SeeTickets)

Saturday 22nd June World Island presents: Ezra Collective & More For fans of: new jazz blended with early hip-hop Headrow House, £21 (Dice) 18+

Thursday 6th June Femi Kuti + Leaf Label DJs For fans of: Tony Allen, King Sunny Ade, Fela Kuti Brudenell Social Club, £22 (BOtW)

Tuesday 25th June Interpol + Pixx For fans of: Bloc Party, White Lies, Arcade Fire O2 Academy, £28 (Ticketmaster)

Thursday 6th June Lucy Dacus For fans of: Pheobe Bridgers, Snail Mail, Tomberlin Belgrave Music Hall, £11.55 (Dice)

Thursday 27th June Mac Demarco + Yellow Days + Amyl & The Sniffers For fans of: woozy romance from a charmingly laidback slacker The Piece Hall, Halifax. £35.75 (Dice)

Friday 7th June This Is The Kit For fans of: British folk with Parisian flair Brudenell Social Club, £17.60 (Dice)

Friday 28th June Flat Worms For fans of: psych-rock and album covers with dogs on Brudenell Social Club, £11 (Ticketmaster)

Friday 7th June OSHUN For fans of: Raveena, Jorja Smith, Childish Gambino Headrow House, £15.75 (Dice) 18+

Thursday 4th July L.A. Witch For fans of: ‘goth-garage’ and lots of reverb Headrow House, £10.50 (Dice)

Saturday 8th June This Feeling presents: The Pearl Hearts + Bad Bug For fans of: Lending Room, £7 (thisfeeling.co.uk)

Saturday 13th July Gus Dapperton For fans of: delicious pop Headrow House, £17.75 (Dice)

Thursday 20th June Peakes + Tallsaint For fans of: St. Vincent, Self Esteem, Talkboy Hyde Park Book Club, £6.60 (Luna Tickets)

Thursday 18th July The Bug ft. Miss Red For fans of: iconic reggae and dancehall beats Belgrave Music Hall, £15.75 (Dice)

Friday 21st June Brooders For fans of: Calva Louise, Fizzy Blood, Hand Off Gretel Hyde Park Book Club, £5 (Music Glue)

Hot and Sweaty

Tuesday 30th July No Vacation For fans of: wavy gravy dream pop Brudenell Social Club, £14.30 (Dice)

Nice People Magazine June 2019

Going out out?

Tight Lines presents:

Salèmango 2019

0800 disco presents:

Sorry, no signal We’ve been out of service for a month, tracking down our disco ball and phone. Finally, we found the tricksty buggers floating out on some tropical shores, laying low in the summer sun. Lucky for us all, they couldn’t miss the final 0800 of the year and neither can you! Come and get freaky with us, for the only the party to finish the year and begin your summer. Expect disco bangers from all over the world, to transport you to a tropical paradise. When: Friday 7th June Where: Temple of Boom, LS2 7QG

When: Wednesday 5th June - Friday 7th June Where: Hyde Park Book Club, LS6 1BL

Fresh junk presents:

Bodies In Motion A party with room to move in a curated environment, Bodies in Motion is a space for surrounding yourself in flow. Come early for the exhibition or see it out the corner of your eye when you’re getting down. Revellers, dancers and party people will enjoy in equal parts. As a fundraiser for MAP, all proceeds go to charity. When: Friday 14th June Where: Wharf Chambers, Middle Floor, LS2 7EQ

Introducing...

@ruthiesongs_

Image by Tom Nixon

Nice People Magazine June 2019

Bringing the 1970’s into 2019, Naomi Baguley dons one of her funky ‘glam suits’ and

becomes Ruthie. With tales of breakups and lost loves, Ruthie’s songwriting is wonderfully familiar and comforting, like a big hug from your mum.

You’re quite a new artist. How did the project come about? I was in a band called Bruising for a few years, trying to sound like The Breeders. When that ended, I knew I wanted to go in a different direction musically. So, I started writing with my Bruising bandmate Ben, and that became Ruthie! Where did your name come from? Was it something that came naturally alongside the music? Ruthie is actually what my family has called me since I was a kid, because my middle name is Ruth. I also wanted to use a name that was like a character that I could use to channel the emotions I was feeling into confidence and strength. Your three singles so far have had similar undertones of breakups and religious themes. Is this a key part of the concept “Ruthie”? I wrote the three singles just after a breakup, and most of the lyrics are about the time directly after that, when I felt like I had to rebuild my life, as well as being really fucking

sad. Religion has been a big undercurrent in my entire life, so is always something I come back to - and question - and probably will continue to do that forever. What has been the main influences for your writing? Whether that be musically or literary? Musically, Ben and I were really influenced by the classic songwriting we both grew up listening to, like John Lennon and Fleetwood Mac. But we both wanted to bring that kind of songwriting into 2019. Personally for me, when I’m writing lyrics I feel inspired by Joni Mitchell and Arthur Russell, as well as the writing of people like Jeanette Winterson and Hera Lindsay Bird. You play with a full band. How does the writing process work? Ben and I will usually trade melody ideas over voice message, then I’ll go and write lyrics, usually working out a theme or feeling I’ve been thinking about for a while. Then the two of us will get together and demo an arrangement, before teaching the song to the rest of the band.

You have a strong visual style as an artist. Is this an extension of your personality or an artistic concept? I guess it’s both! I would love to be someone who has like a definite aesthetic style, but I think I’m too easily distracted and all over the place! I also like the idea of changing the look of Ruthie with every release cycle, like Madonna. With this first phase of Ruthie, I was really inspired by 70s adverts and the glam suits of Gram Parsons and other country music artists. I’m already getting inspiration for the next phase, which might be quite a different look but you’ll have to wait and see…

“I’m already getting inspiration for the next phase...” Finally, what is around the corner for Ruthie? We’re playing a couple of festivals this summer and will be recording our next release... watch this space!

Introducing...

@jellyskinband

Nice People Magazine June 2019

jellyskin are a band that has your full attention as soon as the first beat drops. Combining abrasive techno-beats and synthy krautrock, the Leeds duo are as captivating as they are unique. In the midst of working on an album, Zia Larty-Healy and Will Ainsley speak about the creative process behind their ever-evolving sound. How would you describe the jellyskin sound? Will: It’s hard to define because it changes so much. There’s a gentle lean towards the grand and the triumphant, I suppose. Zia: At the moment I would say... plastic-y kraut pop with intertwining textures and a lot of moodiness. It’s really hard to describe your own music without sounding like Nigel Tufnel. Your sound is definitely unique, especially to the Leeds scene. What inspires your sound? W: It’s hard to pinpoint. I find that it’s mainly lyrics and production that are more influenced and influenceable than the music itself. My words have been influenced (among other things and people) by authors such as Italo Calvino or George Orwell, perhaps even James Joyce. These are all writers who can convey something arresting without resorting to purple prose. In terms of production, listening to something arranged in a certain way can make me rethink how to approach a problem. Z: I think we’re inspired by our drive to be original, as we’re very conscious of not wanting our music to be compared to the same artists over and over

again. I want to get to that point where people hear our music and instantly know that it’s us. How do you work together on new tracks? W: We used to never work on words together, but we’ve written a few together over the past few months. There’s no formula. I often have a backlog of little ideas that I like to try out whenever we write. For our newest song, Zia made a really chewy, ugly beat and then I kind of worked an old idea around that for an introduction. Then we just kind of experimented with different noises, then before we knew it the song had a kind of vague form. Do you find making music and performing cathartic? Z: Yes and no. Yes because it’s my favourite thing in the world, and no because when you care that much about something, you’re almost too stressed for it to be cathartic; being a perfectionist is a blessing and a curse (hello Nigel Tufnel again). But those moments when we hit on a promising idea or when we play a show and get a great reaction - that’s when it’s joyous. Sitting down with my synth or a piano or laptop to casually play around with ideas is always cathartic.

You’ve been gigging in Leeds for a while; where are your favourite places to play and why? W: An obvious choice, but The Brudenell is our fave. We love going there, either on business or pleasure. It’s got hench sound, good atmosphere, everyone tends to be nice. We also had some really good shows at Belgrave. Z: Definitely Wharf Chambers and Hyde Park Book Club [too], . Places like these are so important to ensure the music scene stays healthy and thriving. Do you have any exciting plans coming soon? W: We’ve been working on an album for around five or six months. We want to release it but we keep writing songs. We’ve got about seven finished, seven more in the production stage, and about four that are written but not recorded. Z: While we work on the album, we’re fitting in a few select shows over summer: we have Long Division Festival coming up this weekend, the Nice People show (!) which we’re very excited for, as well as This Must Be The Place in August, which we’ve been wanting to play for ages as the lineup is always stellar!

Introducing...

@roe_greenuk Image: Tom Nixon

Roe Green are refreshingly positive. The wonderful songwriting of Antonio Panzera mixed with the sensual production and performance skills of Hanibl x Dante have created a sound that is not only unique, but god damn sexy. You started Roe Green as a solo project. What made you extend the band to its current size? I’m a songwriter first and foremost. The first year or so were about falling back in love with the enjoyment of it after previous projects. Once this joyous confidence had been restored, I decided to release Summer Moods EP and take it from there in terms of the live aspect. When I gained national attention via BBC Introducing Artist of the Week, I felt more could be made of it. Serendipitously, in stepped Hanibl X Dante into my life and all seemed to just fall into place. Everything is better with more smiles to share in it all.

“... In stepped Hanibl X Dante, and all seemed to just fall into place...”

Your bassist (Hanibl) and drummer (Dante) are twins and are very tight as a rhythm section. Is this key to Roe Green’s groove? It’s a very fortunate and lucky position to be with to play such compassionate talents who share the same saliva type. The key to any groove is empathy and patience. With a dash of fun in the mix, a groove is just the musical personality personified. Your new single ‘(Fitting In)’ is great. What inspired that song and who did the artwork? We hope it brings some tingles to the table! Lyrically, it’s a simple message of togetherness and endearment for those who just feel that little bit of disconnection at times and how a smile can make it all worthwhile. Hanibl X Dante bringing their slice of smooth to

the table was a hugely sexy factor. The artwork was a bi-product of an inspiring conversation with my girlfriend’s building receptionist , Dave. I showed him the track and let him describe what came to mind. How does the writing process work. Is it always a group effort? It always starts off with myself bringing the core song to the room but then after that you’re a jam away from a new sound. Teamwork is what makes the best happen. So far we’ve heard lots of singles from you. Are there any plans for an album or an EP? (Fitting In) is the first of 4 to drop in terms of singles. After that we would have most likely recorded another batch ,so you choose.

Nice People Magazine June 2019

Introducing...

Image: Tom Nixon

Right at the beginning of his venture into solo musicianship, Josh Barnett’s wonderful mix of harmonies and an ever-growing band is proving to be the start of some very exciting new music. he speaks about how starting Jooloosooboo has given him the space to explore personal songwriting. This is your first solo project. How did it start and how are you finding writing alone? It started with recording a few demos myself, then with Jonny, and sending the tunes to some friends. The original plan was to get my friends to help craft a release. However, being asked to play two Nice People shows wasn’t something I wanted to turn down so the live shows have come first. It’s something I am thankful for; rehearsing for a live show has changed the songs massively. It’s something I wouldn’t have been able to do myself. Writing alone feels amazing but, without having a second pair of ears to help me, I think I would have gone insane.

You are a member of several other bands, (Tall Talker, Pravitas, Whatjacallit). Is Jooloosooboo a way for you to explore new things? Certainly. This is my only project where I write the melody, harmony and lyrics. With this project, I feel there are so many instruments I can mess around with. However, I quickly realised working with other people is the best way. The tunes now wouldn’t be as good without the help of the band (Jonny Gleadell of Segel, Adam Fenwick of Dusseldorf, Adam Greener and Alexander Kershaw of The Magic Eye Pictures, Tom Nixon of Nice People).

“Writing alone feels amazing but, without having a second pair of ears to help me, I think I would have gone insane...”

Which artists would you say have influenced you most on the project? Andy Shauf’s The Party influenced me to make the first demo. It all stems from getting into The Beatles and getting into way more pop bands. At the moment I am trying to rip off The Zombies, Scott Walker, Sun Kil Moon, Nick Drake, Jonathon Wilson and Richard Dawson. What’s next for Jooloosooboo? Record the songs and release them in some way; I want to get more people involved. Who knows, hopefully we shall release something grandiose. I’m on a path towards something. I’m not forging anything so far, more just throwing shit and seeing if enough of it will stick.

Behind the Cover...

Enter the fantastical worlds that Ricky Butcher creates and you’ll find yourself lost

within a landscape of beauty and infinite detail. The Leeds Arts University graduate

uses digital techniques and his limitless imagination to create immersive worlds that you never want to leave. Ricky speaks to Meg Firth about the escapism of art, his creative methods and the future of augmented reality within illustration.

icky Butcher is a “massive lover of all things fantasy and science fiction based”. The magnificent worlds that he creates pay homage to the beauty and mystery that ordinary life offers. Finding inspiration by “travelling, seeing new sites, learning about the history of places and meeting new people”, Butcher’s imagination is always racing: “Ideas can come to me at any point but usually when I least expect it. I could be buying some milk, in the shower or, a lot of the time, I’ll be about to go to sleep and my brain starts thinking about a million things at once and I’ll have to get up”. With a strong sense of escapism, Butcher’s work is a visualisation of the fantastical, carefree landscapes that we wish to escape to. Butcher himself is “somebody who lives very much in imaginary worlds”, and uses his artistic finesse to “create ways to share worlds with everyone else”. His Fantastical World series does just that. This collection of stunning realms exhibit Butcher’s eccentric imagination and thoughtful attention to detail. These worlds present fictional kingdoms that offer sanctuary for those who want to escape the mundanities of everyday life. As Butcher explains: “The series focuses on mental health, using the escape from reality with fantastical worlds as a means to deal with that. I feel that as a society hidden behind phones screens we tend to let things build up; it has become almost taboo for us to talk about what’s going on inside our heads. I wanted to highlight that it’s okay to feel a bit crazy sometimes and it’s definitely something you can express, be it with words, music or, in my case, some pretty pictures.

“I think the great thing about fantasy illustration is that you can make your own story from it”. This element of escaping to a better world is personified in Butcher’s work with the recurring motif of a boy in a parka [he’s even on the back cover of this Issue!]. Butcher’s intention behind this curlyhaired boy was to “contrast these crazy fantasy worlds with your normal everyday guy hiding in them”. The level of detail in Butcher’s work is astounding. You notice another bizarre yet beautiful element of his work every time you look back at a piece. From the emotive expression of a hidden character to exceptionally executed textures, Butcher’s art truly holds an entire world within its digital dimensions. Butcher muses on how incorporating this level of detail is an immersive experience in itself: It’s mad how much time can pass while I’m working on a piece with lots of detail. It’s so easy to get lost in these worlds that I find myself looking at them too much for too long. If I give it a day or two before revisiting the work it’s always good to have fresh eyes in case there’s something I missed. Currently, Butcher is designing the cover art for the American singer-songwriter, Matt Shill. Although it’s under wraps, Butcher says that is similar to work in his Miniature World series. In this series, Butcher creates care-free sanctuaries within everyday objects; in ‘Nature’s Brew’, a man reclines on a towel within the base of a coffee cup. Butcher expresses why he’s proud of this series in particular: “At first glance, it’s just a coffee cup covered in moss, but when you look closer there are all these tiny details,

All images used by kind permission of the artist © Ricky Butcher (@whereidraw)

Nice People Magazine June 2019

‘Stay In Touch’| Fantastical World series © Ricky Butcher (@whereidraw)

“It’s fantasy but hanging on by its fingertips to reality. There’s a story there, but that’s down to the observer to write...” Right Nature’s Brew Overleaf Night

like a Where’s Wally piece. It’s fantasy but hanging on by its fingertips to reality. There’s a story there, but that’s down to the observer to write”. Although Butcher’s worlds are created digitally, he always starts with a hand-drawn sketch until he gets an idea for composition and a vision for the piece. He reflects: “[Pen and paper] has taught me to allow lots of time for preparation when starting a new drawing even if its just one for fun. Then I move into the digital world with my Cintiq and get lost in a mountain of custom brushes and Photoshop layers.” With an ever-expanding mind, Butcher embraces technological developments to further enhance his art and storytelling. He has harnessed the power of augmented reality to further inject a sense of reality into his fantastical worlds. Augmented reality is the process of adding movement to an otherwise static illustration through an app. As Butcher expresses: “Augmented Reality is really exciting and I love the potential it has for extending a visual narrative. I wouldn’t call it the future of illustration as much as it’s definitely becoming another path for illustrators to take”. Butcher has augmented his dragon illustration on this Issue’s cover, and it’s a very exciting spectacle.

The old and the new don’t always agree, but in the case of art, they can be embraced to create something beautiful. As Butcher observes, augmented reality and technological developments present a wealth of opportunity for creatives and future artists. I ask him what advice he would give to who wants to get into digital illustration but feels overwhelmed by the technicalities of it: “The best advice I could give someone is to just give it a go. There is so much software available to work with these days - such as Photoshop, or [the free software] Gimp. If you’re less of a desk jockey and would want to draw on the go, you should check out getting an Ipad with Apple Pencil and drawing on Procreate. “But no matter what, don’t get to hung up on the names and tools, just find whatever suits you best and try it out. I would also say to make sure you have your fundamentals of drawing down first if you want to take it seriously. I was a bit rubbish at drawing when I first got a Wacom and somebody kindly gave me the advice to maybe pick up a pencil first and boy am I glad they did.” Originally from Peterborough, Butcher moved to Leeds “for the awesome art student university life” and the “diverse creative culture Leeds has to offer”. From East Street Arts to Girl Gang to Gross

Nice People Magazine June 2019

Studio, Leeds is certainly a melting pot of all sorts of creatives with lots going on to support artists. Coming from a place where “there’s little to no creative scene”, Butcher describes Leeds as a “hub of art, music, performance, parades and pop up markets full of nice people”. He notes how this community spirit is invaluable for an artist: “If you’re not careful, illustrating can get lonely being sat at a desk getting lost in. To have an amazing creative community on the doorstep makes you feel part of something big and exciting, and not alone. On the other hand, if you need a break there are the dales a bus journey away. Nature is such a prominent theme in my work, and that hybrid of beautiful rolling hills and the busy city is something I love exploring”. So, next time you feel the weight of the world on your shoulders, find refuge in one of Ricky Butcher’s immersive worlds. Or, just distract yourself by watching the dragon on this front cover move (through the Artivive app). It won’t be time wasted.

Words by Meg Firth

“If you’re not careful, illustrating can get lonely. To have an amazing creative

community on the

doorstep makes you

feel part of something big and exciting, and not alone.”

All images used by kind permission of the artist © Ricky Butcher (@whereidraw)

Nice People Magazine June 2019

ÂŠ Charlie Freer @charliefreerillustrations

Back in March, Laura McDermott linked up with Ben Cooper and Rob Harper from the WYS Graphic Design Studio to find out about Take Note, a recent project in collaboration with artist and friend Ewan Waddell. Focusing on the creative process: Take Note brings to light the work that goes behind ‘a final piece’, the exposure of which can be just as fascinating as what the artist often believes to be the perfected final product itself.

YS stands for ‘What you sayin?’, a daily greeting used between mates. The Leeds Arts University graduates explained that the name is a play on our generational slang. Rob explained that they didn’t want the name of the studio to be anything too serious; they save any seriousness for their work. The idea of being a creative studio has meant the duo aren’t limited in their work to one facet of design, rather they have the span to get involved with all that interests them. The studio is double-sided: they have a service side through which they do the classic graphic design. The other side is the product side, which Ben explains to me is all about initiating projects. This side is where they can have a bit of fun. An area of work the boys are always keen to get involved with is collaboration, it provides an opportunity to learn other artists, keeping the work fresh, which is why they were so keen to get Ewan Waddell involved with Take Note. Focusing on Leeds as a city, the boys explained that having the ability establish themselves within a creative scene - that is quite young in some respects has provided a world of opportunity that would not be possible elsewhere. Ewan explains that because there are so many young people who may not have a huge amount of experience yet - but are super talented and really keen to collaborate - it welcomes a birth of a creative scene. The boys gave a special nod to their mates at Slumpsounds and Treehouse, who they say “are doing bits on the music scene”. “The whole thing is,” says Rob, “There is no other place like Leeds”.

Take Note, “Celebrat[es] the creative process, displaying artists’ unseen and unfinished works. Work that otherwise would never have seen the light of day”. Handpicking three artists, the boys asked to flick through their sketchbooks looking into the creative process of each artist and dismantling what their work was really about. They then took specific designs, putting them onto a tangible item, with each artist having their own featured garment. This hidden section in the creative process is what the trio found as “artistically beautiful”, this interest is where the project has derived from: the want to exhibit this beauty. Rob stated how lucky they all felt to work as a three for Take Note, saying that he felt like their ideas had streamlined into something bigger than themselves. When artists have an end product in mind, they strive for it to be perfect, but nothing is ever holistically so, as art in itself is subjective. So, looking into what the artist believes “perfect” actually is alongside the raw unperfect process which leads to this is what the group found so fascinating. Ewan went on to add, ‘whatever the artists process is, it is an inherently unfinished concept that we have taken and made a finalised piece out of. The juxtapositional nature of the whole project leans on this threshold of finished and unfinished.’ The creative process is truly captivating because everybody’s is so unique. It has an impact outside of the art world, ‘Malcolm X, James Baldwin or the Suffragettes, all had their own viewpoint. Taking physical action as a result of this to make a tangible change is fascinating… the creative process is something which can and has changed the world’.

Nice People Magazine June 2019

“Take Note celebrat[es] the creative process, displaying artists’ unseen and unfinished works. Work that otherwise would never have seen the light of day”

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The project has evolved significantly into an entity the collective were unaware was even possible.â&#x20AC;?

takenote.live @wys.studio @ewan.runescape Take Note featured artists: @rifke @camerondukeart @skhockett

Nice People Magazine June 2019

Discussing the impact the group wanted Take Note to have, they explained they wanted to celebrate their chosen artists, creating a platform for an audience to respect their work through seeing their creative process and how much of a grind they put in. On a wider view, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about making the creative process more obvious and bringing it forward from their subconscious of individuals whenever they engage with art in the future. At the beginning of April, the collective held the launch night of the project at streetwear store Bene Culture, in Birmingham. The event was an exhibition and pop-up shop all in one. The exhibition involved a video display of the artist interviews, in which they each had the opportunity to describe their own process, allowing them to show off themselves as a creative. In terms of a sensory experience, people could see the garms produced whilst hopefully absorbing the creative process by looking at the sketchbooks on show, reading the publication and watching the audiovisual documentary. Linking up with Leeds based artists Slumpsounds to create the specific music for the event and the Mannequin Collective for the more complex digital elements, the group really are serious about the importance of collaboration. Another Leeds based company, Jailhouse Print co. did the printing on the garms and Ben added that they were key in bringing the whole thing to life. In the future, the boys hope to bring Take Note to cities they see as influential. With the Leeds date to be set in the very near future, the event is something you definitely want in your calendars - keep an eye on the Instagram pages on the left. The group hope to end the tour de Take Note in London and maybe even Berlin. The boys are positive for the future that lies ahead for the project due to the wide scope of potential that it has. Even throughout these early stages, the project has evolved significantly into an entity the collective were unaware was even possible. We look forward to seeing the path Take Note ends up on.

Words by Laura McDermott

Meeting Point is a drop-in centre run by a group of over 40 volunteers, who provide emotional and practical support for Refugees and Asylum seekers. Speaking with volunteers Judith and Bernard, we discovered that the support they give to those in the local area has been a crucial part of integration for many who have travelled to this country with the hope of gaining citizenship. Meeting Point grants such individuals a safe space where they are welcomed and free from the prejudice many refugees come across in their daily lives.

he key aim of the centre, which recently celebrated its 16th birthday, is to instigate the social integration of Refugees and Asylum Seekers into the local community. This is done through a range of different factors, such as providing people with advice on health, employment and child care as well as an array of different food sources. Such facets of the organisation help people to find their feet in the new and daunting environment of a foreign country, in which their first language is often not understood. The drop-in provides aid to a range of multicultural receivers, with the majority of refugees coming from Iran, Iraq and Syria. Across a normal week, a multitude of different services are offered. There are two weekly food dropin sessions which are visited by over 80 people per occasion. During this, a snack is provided on arrival as people socialise, waiting for the home cooked meal which always follows. People then receive a dry food package to support them through the next few days until they come to Meeting Point again. Additionally on these open days, the centre offers clothing to men, women and children. English speaking lessons are also offered; with language barriers being one of

the greatest challenges faced in integration, such a resource is essential for the immigrant community, but not offered in many places. The opportunity to learn English is the catalyst in a chain of events, that can help individuals overcome employment challenges and establish themselves within this country. Meeting Point also provides legal advice to refugees and asylum seekers wanting to apply for British citizenship. On top of all of this, the centre offers a vast amount of help regarding childcare. With an onsite crĂ¨che and a parenting programme, parents are helped to understand the cultural norms of raising a child in the UK. One example given to us, was that of a parent who would leave their 8 year old to look after their 3 young siblings in their home country, something completely culturally normal to them which would be frowned upon in Britain and could even leave them in trouble. Trips are organised by Meeting Point, including a summer trip to a city within the UK. This trip is often the first time many refugees have left Leeds since they arrived in the country, which is often many years prior. They also have smaller-scale trips, recently Nice People Magazine June 2019

bringing a group from the centre to experience lambing season on a Yorkshire farm.The mental health benefits of such an organisation are of crucial importance and must be acknowledged. Humans are social beings and often Refugees can be left feeling extremely isolated in their situation. Thousands of miles from home, often separated from their family and friends, in a country where they face antiimmigrant prejudice and may experience a lack of ability to express themselves due to English not being their first language. Meeting Point generates a sense of community in which they can escape such loneliness.

Arts and crafts workshop

Sharing the memories of home in their native tongue is a sense of therapy in itself and the volunteers who provide the opportunity for people to have this are so important to our society. They enable people to stay connected with who they are. On top of this, many volunteers at the centre were once refugees who have now have the opportunity to help others like them, an opportunity which can be incredibly dignifying. These volunteers, whose first language is the same as new refugees, can be a comforting welcome in an intimidating and unfamiliar environment, as well as a shining example of what their own future could become. During a time when anti-immigrant rhetoric is thriving across the continent, communities such as Meeting Point provide a safe space in which refugees and asylum seekers can take solace for a moment. With the native population of Armley being predominantly white, the acceptance of those who are visibly ethnically different is often limited, Bernard tells us. With the key aim of the centre being integration, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s this a challenge they are wholly aware of.

Judith and volunteers working in the kitchen

The work that the volunteers at Meeting Point do transforms the lives of so many. It is impossible to do justice to all the work they do in one article, but it is worth trying in an attempt to bring attention to their cause. A cause that would not be sustained without the volunteers who work there. If you fancy getting involved with the Meeting Point team, then check out their website, they are always keen for volunteers and any donations are incredibly welcomed. www.meetingpointleeds.org.uk

Words by Laura McDermott

Christmas Lunch

A GUIDE TO SUSTAINABLE LIVING IN LEEDS It is often difficult to imagine the bigger picture of environmental destruction and waste pollution when we all live within very small niches, and much more to actually understand the impact which we can make as individuals. Here are just a few of the numerous ways in which you can achieve a more sustainable lifestyle within the city.

ne of the most effective ways of reducing waste is by shopping at zero-waste stores, therefore cancelling out the big-hitters, food packaging. Leeds city centre is home to a number of specialist zerowaste stores that provide a diverse range of products, most notably The Jar Tree, a stall found within Kirkgate Market, as well as Ecotopia, located in Central Arcade. An alternative for those living in Leeds’s northern suburbs, however, is Waste Not, situated in Burley in Wharfedale. At these stores, you can use your own containers and fill them with all sorts of goodies, ranging from kitchen staples such as pasta, rice and dried foods, to cleaning and beauty products. All of these stores also provide sustainable household items, including bamboo toothbrushes and cutlery, which can be recycled instead of being destined for the landfill like their plastic counterparts. As a more general practice, a Tupperware container can also be your best friend when eating or drinking out. You can bring these into cafés, restaurants and takeaways to save the extra waste that goes into single-use packaging, so your slice of cake or portion of noodles can be enhanced by the delicious taste of sustainability.

Leeds is also home to a number of initiatives and campaigns to encourage residents to recycle more. The #LeedsByExample project, for instance, has placed over 100 orange bins across the city centre, whilst several cafés and restaurants have pledged their support – visit any branch of Caffè Nero, Costa Coffee, McDonald’s, Pret A Manger or Starbucks and you can recycle your coffee cups on the move. Furthermore, the initiative has also enabled the installing of Recycling Reward Machines, which provide 10p vouchers for the plastic bottles and aluminium cans which you recycle. The machines can be found in a number of locations, including Kirkgate Market, Trinity Kitchen, Leeds Beckett University, Heron Foods and a selection of Shell stations.

Slightly further afield is the Real Junk Food Project, situated at their Kindness Sharehouse supermarket in Wakefield. Here, surplus food is intercepted from 92 stores and is redistributed on a ‘pay as you feel’ basis, therefore working on two levels. On one hand, the environmental benefit is substantial; since 2013, the Real Junk Food Project has saved over 5000 tonnes of perfectly edible food from going to waste, the equivalent of nearly 12 million meals. On the other hand, the Real Junk Food Project provide food for those that need it the most, including local schools, community groups and charities.

Nice People Magazine June 2019

Sustainability extends much further than we might think, however, as it also encompasses clothes and general household items. Luckily, The Repair CafĂŠ on Bridge Street offers a solution to disposing broken or worn objects. The ethos is to fix things, rather than chucking them away at the sign of the slightest malfunction. Visitors can bring in items such as clothes, electricals, IT tech, toys and jewellery, which a team of volunteers can inspect and repair. Whilst this is a great way to reduce waste as an individual, The Repair CafĂŠ has been known to fix dishwashers and cash registers for businesses, ensuring that they also can save money and prevent unnecessary waste.

Illustrations by Megan Dobbyn (@megdobbyn_illustration)

If you find yourself with excess wood, instead of throwing this away and it likely ending up in a landfill site, you can use Leeds Wood Recycling services. They provide a collection service that not only prevents wood from going to waste, but does so at a cheaper rate than standard skip services. They also have a wood shop on Croydon Street in Holbeck, which repurposes the collected wood into tables, shelving, flooring, doors and bird boxes, which can then be resold. The service has proven to be incredibly sustainable, having rescued 113 tonnes of wood from the waste stream, as well as saving 57 tonnes worth of CO2 by using trucks that use less than half the fuel of a skip lorry. Leeds Wood Recycling is therefore the perfect way for individuals, warehouses and business to reduce wood waste and carbon emissions.

The methods above are but a handful of the numerous ways to live more sustainably; Leeds offers many more services and resources to reduce waste, whereas the internet is rife with ideas in a more general sense. The Zero Waste Leeds and #LeedsByExample initiatives provide lots of resources online and via social media which are specific to the city, but researching sustainability beyond these projects is incredibly valuable. And do not forget, creativity and imagination are not only the best ways to live a sustainable lifestyle, they are also the most fun. Words by Kieran Blyth Seagulls is a refill and zero-waste shop on Kirkstall Road. Illustrations by Megan Dobbyn (@megdobbyn_illustration)

What Are the Neighbours Up To?

port

Open Spaces is a non-profit community project founded with the aim to brighten up and regenerate the streets of Stockport. Megan Fairgray chats to artist Maisy Summer, who transformed an empty shopfront into a colourful and nostaligic homage to the shops history.

Nice People Magazine June 2019

Run by Jane Crowther and Vicky Carr, Open Spaces gathers local artists and designers to redecorate closed and empty shopfronts in Stockport’s Old Town. Celebrating both the town’s rich and colourful industrial history and the community of creatives that reside there now, the Open Spaces project breathes new life into the area.

aisy Summer is a Manchester-based artist who was recently involved with the project. She explains that the importance of this kind of work goes beyond artist passion, saying how the project is “to show the residents of Stockport that people care and that we can help support the area with creativity. he Stockport high street has been on the decline, but with new independents opening, there needs to be more things for people to visit, see, enjoy! So projects such as this supports the shops and vice versa.” The theme of the Open Spaces project that Maisy worked on was ‘Remembrance’. Through a lot of detective work, Maisy discovered that the empty shopfront she had been assigned had once been a Lipton grocers: “I started to piece together that small part of the high-street. It helped that I have a Nana and Great Auntie who actually lived through the 1930’s and could help me with products & brands I should include.” Maisy, who is a resident at Marketplace Studios in Stockport, wanted to “give the public a tiny bit of history and backstory to the high-street of Stockport” with her mural. Engaging both the locals and the odd tourist, Maisy wanted to show “the wonders of Stockport and what the community have to offer now.” She recalls that the best part of her experience with Open Spaces was the “array of bizarre encounters with the public”: the “majority positive, people saying they really love the work, saying its brightening up the streets and being interested in the design and back story. Some people thought I was actually opening up my own fruit and veg shop!”. The aim of Open Spaces is “to highlight empty shops, and to get more people with great ideas to open up the empty shops”. Everyone benefits from these type of projects, and it is refreshing

to see people take pride in their community and celebrate the talent of local artists. In turn, artists have the opportunity to create a large scale project that foresees the town’s colourful future, while the community get to flaunt what Stockport is all about. If you want to see more of Maisy’s work, you can visit her website: www.maisysummer.com; follow her on Instagram: @maisysummer; and peruse her Etsy shop: www.etsy.com/shop/maisysummer. Interview by Megan Fairgray

Your Number Words by Sarah Niesius Illustration by PAPERFACE

In this very moment I try not to tell you How my body aches for your touch There was this time I did not check up on you Some time Where your phone number was deleted from my contacts But tonight You came back To my dreams My longing For you is something I wish I could delete As simply as I can delete your phone number But here I am Stuck with you On my mind Your phone number on my lips Somewhere thousands of miles away from yours I feel the need to tell you: My body aches For your loving embrace And your sweet whisper Telling me that we will be fine Someday I might delete you again But just as you come back to my mind, your phone number is burned into my fingertips Oh, how I wish this to be the end Tomorrow might just be another deleting One of thousands to come

Train of Thought Words by Martin Flynn Illustration by Grace Moore

Through the gap in the train seats I glimpse half a bald head Shiny and smooth, still gleaming with youth Suggesting style rather than surrender. From out of shot a hand appears Nails painted perfectly with violet And as the fingers gently stroke the ears They conjure – to my mind – a crystal ball. I can’t read the future from seat 22 But as a neat red bob nuzzles over The dapper dome meets it halfway And I see good things ahead.

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