Palatinate Indigo 719

indigo 22.06.2010

Farewell For Now...

“Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you should hold onto. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young�

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t’s the summer time and the weather is fine - for the moment. Pimm’s o’clock is finally 24/7 and books have been banished from sight. Over every garden fence and from every open door waft the smells of barbeques (and screams of fire alarms set off by said barbeques...) Not to mention the joys of the never-ending college balls and society shenanigans.

For all that, though, we thought the graduands among you might be feeling a tad nostalgic, and longing for a whimsical jaunt down memory lane. So here we have some snippets of the delightful juvenility of your Durham days, and some of the of the more serious moments too, for good measure.

The theatre scene has gone hay-wire, it’s impossible to cover it all in two pages, but keep checking the website for more reviews.

And... for the moment all you palati-bachelors have been waiting for, read on for the ‘Battle of the bachelors’ final’ and all shall be revealed...

Happy reading in the sun (unless it’s raining... standard Durham).

AB & RB

Notes on an epic cartoon

It seems quite fitting that my last illustration for Palatinate is one which looks back on three years at Durham University. When I got the request for an illustration entitled ‘a trip down memory lane’, I, like any Durham student, knew exactly what moments I would pick to highlight my time here.

They are moments familiar to everyone.

From your initial moments trying to take in the whole experience at matriculation to the long road that leads you finally to graduation. Along the way are your first moments at college, taking part in sports teams and societies, a bit of love perhaps, a lot of late nights, crazy formals, nights out on the town, moments you’d rather forget, the panic of careers and life after university and of course the dreaded dissertation.

But when you get to the end of that long road, you will each, like me, have your own unique memories but also those which we all have shared.

Anthonie Chiu-Smit

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How to sum up three years of your life in one picture? We tried boats in the river, we tried a ‘Graduate’-esque scene with the cathedral, we tried post-exam revelry.

In the end, we went for the picture that we thought best represented our ‘Farewell For Now’ theme: five friends walking home after a great night out in the early morning sunshine before going their separate ways.

However, we’d like to thank Durham Cathedral for granting special permission for photography within the cathedral.

All academic dress was kindly provided

by Gray & Son Ltd., where you can obtain all your graduation clothing, including Palatinate scarves and cufflinks.

Thanks also to Nino Caruso, Anna Golikova, Lanre Okanlawon and Billy Zeng for their assistance and patience in these photos!

Front cover photographer: Robert Burgess Cathedral shoot photographer: Jonathan Allen

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indigo’s Class of 2010 Playlist: 1. Closing Time - Semisonic 2. Everybody’s Free - Baz Luhrmann (as quoted on front cover) 3. Time of your life - Green Day 4. The One and Only - Chesney Hawkes (Freshers Ball ‘06!)

5. Reach - S Club 7 (Klute memories) 6. Don’t Stop Believin’ - Journey 7. You Got The Love - Florence and The Machine 8. Sex on Fire - Kings of Leon 9. I Gotta Feeling - Black Eyed Peas 10. Acceptable in the 80s - Calvin Harris

ILLUSTRATION: ANTHONIE CHIU-SMIT

“the end is where we start from...”

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Lifestyle Features My rape: dealing with the unforgettable the top of this piece. I decided anonymity was not the way to go: I, and people who have been through similar experiences, have nothing to be ashamed of. Whilst I am far from proud of everything I have done, I am proud of how I have dealt with this: I sometimes still have physical pain when I have sex, but I am capable of having loving sex with someone I care about; I am capable of talking about my experiences, of acknowledging how they affected me.

It is true that I am a victim of rape – but that does not define me. Now, I still don’t talk about it much – not because I am ashamed, but because it is not the sum total of who I am. It will always be with me, but then so will a lot of things. I am a rape victim, a dancer, an avid reader, an editor.

I am many things, and that one dark cloud dominates me no more than any other.

Those people who suffer something as humiliating and painful as rape – and those who have gone through other traumas like physical abuse or even the death of a loved one – deserve the respect of being able to talk about their experiences without being shunned or subdued. These women are remarkable: yes, they are victims of rape. But far more importantly, they are survivors.

ROCH

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mum and I were staying in. It devastated me. It made me feel powerless, and it made me afraid of men. I pretended it didn’t – I purposefully and idiotically strode down dark alleyways at night, and I slept my way around the world, even though it physically hurt every time. I was as outspoken as ever, and I drank like a fish. I cheated on my beloved boyfriend in spectacular fashion, “There was something and it took me two years to deeply shameful – not about tell him what had happened being raped – but about letto me, and to explain why I ting myself be affected by it. ” forced him to accept an open relationship.

In all this, I felt utterly Mine was alone. I am a 21st century girl, and when rather differ- I was dealing with this, my source of ent. information was the Internet. It is appalling An what is not online. The familiar discourse article on of withdrawing, of shying away from life grief I came - that was alien to me. The narrow way in across recently which we expect women to deal with sexupointed out al abuse stifles further those who have had that ‘the brave different experiences. Rape is not an act of thing to do is to sexual satisfaction; it is an act of violence let your feelings and power. It is an attempt to subordinate affect you. Because, women, to terrify them into silence. When in effectively saying, we as a society then tell them how they ‘I’ve been stripped by must react – or worse, when we treat rape this’, you’re telling the as a taboo topic that should be kept quiet – truth’. So I’m going to tell the truth. we silence them further.

In November 2006, I was violently raped I talked to my friends and my family by the reception clerk of the hotel my about whether I should put my name at NNY A COSTA

s I look back at my three years at Durham, there are some obvious things that have shaped my time here: DUCK, Palatinate, my course and my housemates. There’s one more too, that stayed hidden from view, but that defined my university experience perhaps more than any other.

It took an awfully long time for me to start talking about this. It wasn’t that I denied it – I knew it had happened. I remembered him raping me. But I didn’t realise for months that I had been raped. I thought of it as I thought of eating fish and chips, or getting off the bus. It was something that happened a while ago, nothing particularly out of the ordinary.

Similarly, my behaviour during the following two years was normal to me – I knew I’d acted unwisely, but I didn’t attribute it to what had happened in Malta, “It is true that I am a victim my euphemism for the violation, of rape – but that does not than the only way I define me.” he already had. ever refer to it. On Some of what my gap year, and I’ve just written will seem bizarre. This is in first year, I spent my time thinking that not the reaction to rape that we all expect I was in control. I was a sexually voracious

and understand. When we read true life stories in Cosmo, or come across rape information sites online, we hear of rape victims retreating into themselves, withdrawing from their friends and family, becoming terrified of men, in some cases going practically mute. This is the familiar discourse on rape.

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girl, I decided who I slept with, I was in control of my body. I was refusing to be thought of as a ‘victim’. There was something deeply shameful – not about being raped – but about letting myself be affected by it. I was Strong. I was Resilient. I would not let him take more of myself from me

ADHA

Liza Miller

If you have been affected by the issues in this article, do not suffer in silence.Contact the Rape & Sexual Abuse Counselling Centre on 01325 369933.

Seventeen years of education down to one handshake with Bill Bryson. Suddenly at that “A sudden, and surmoment something is supposed to change. prisingly heavy, weight In my final year at Durham I took the When you step off that of expectation.” module Ancient Greek Rituals in which stage (passing, hopefully safely, we were taught about many of the ancient through the period of liminality, what it was festivals, rituals and rites of passage in the if we’re sticking with the ritual theory) that we were Ancient Greek world. you are physically the same. You look the ready for.

Alongside the different rites of passage same and, aside from a few extra letters As it of the Ancient Greeks we studied ritual after your name, you are essentially the turned out, theory, and in amongst that, the theory of same person that stepped onto the stage. liminality. Essentially this suggests that all Physical appearances aside, the idea is that, and to my great relief, rituals, and in particular rites of passage, having passed through the rite of passage, there was no bring about some you have, requirechange in their “All that remains between the somehow, ment that participants. irreversibly student who matriculated and we make up Each rite itself changed. our minds involves its sub- the real world is a moment on a This as to which ject entering a stage in an enormous cathedral change can’t period of ‘limi- shaking hands with Bill Bryson.” be seen, but in life path to nality’, a sort most of those follow then and there. of emotional, graduating There was no and even physical, flux; an unstable period alongside me two years ago it made itself one standing through which they will be brought safely known in the question going through all with a clip by the proper conduct of some part of the our heads – ‘what on earth are we supboard as we ritual process. posed to do now?’ handed in No part of the Durham experience For all of us graduating, the ceremony our gowns could be better characterised this way and the parties that followed were a saying, than graduation. After three or four years celebration of all that we had achieved in of work and many hours spent agonisthe last few years and yet they came with a ‘please fill out the life plan ing over a dissertation, all that remains sudden, and surprisingly heavy, weight of between the student who matriculated expectation. It felt like we’d been preparing box and sign on the dotted line’.

Over the next few months both I and and the real world is a moment on a stage for something and were being told we were those with whom I graduated began to in an enormous cathedral shaking hands ready and yet very few of us had any idea work out in our own time what to do next.

Alice Himsworth

VINCENT MCAVINEY

indigo discovers that turning from graduands to graduates isn’t quite so daunting as it might seem

Personally I decided that law seemed like a good idea and began applying to various firms in London, successfully delaying the need to adopt grown-up responsibilities like a mortgage and taxes for another two years. I spent that time in York, took the law conversion and am currently one exam away from completing my professional exams. I wouldn’t have been able to tell you at graduation that law would be something I would enjoy or that I would stay in the North for so much longer but I’m very happy that I did both. In two months I start working for a London firm of solicitors and, finally, I think I’m just about ready to take up the responsibility that seemed so daunting at graduation.

Graduation may be a rite of passage, it may symbolise that we have made the journey from naïve freshers to knowing graduates, and it may feel like we now have to start making choices that really “I think I’m just about matter in our lives, ready to take up the re- but I think it is sponsability that seemed important to not get too worried so daunting” to see the physical manifestation of that We change too soon. There’s plenty of time may have become graduates but once graduation celebrations are over to that didn’t mean we had to grow up too think about what happens with the rest of much or take on too much of the adult your life. responsibility for which we felt hideously underprepared.

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Palatidating: The battle of the bachelors warmth and ticked the trickiest boxes on the dating checklist with a couple of casual references to parents and exes.

No mention of these at all normally has Just as we’d hit the home straight with the paranoid part of my brain considerour dating experiment it almost seemed ing whether my date has in fact offed it was doomed for disaster. A series of their nearest and dearest with a shovel problems and it looked as if there would (yes, it’s definitely me that’s mad), whilst be a gaping hole in our Palatidating final obsessive references to either most exactly where Mr Mildert was meant definitely suggest an unresolved Oedipal to be. complex or that they’re simply too hung The lucky lad who finally filled the up on their ex. place was found The only snag with my Mr Mr Mildert by my fellow Mildert – or perhaps the “He ticked the A-Teamer on a college he represented – was trickiest boxes on the its bizarre taste in college casual night out.

For someone so competitions. Mr Mildert dating checklist.” totally thrown in alluded to a particularly notoat the deep end rious contest enjoyed by the with the experiment (he’d read only one college – weighing the breasts of female past review and knew nothing of the students in order to ascertain who had infamous chunder disaster), Mr Mildert the biggest jugs. Classy. performed perfectly. He arrived early, Unsurprisingly, this practice jarred managed the art of polite eating sans somewhat with my feminist sensibilities cutlery and even drove me back home. and though Mr Mildert didn’t seem to Initially, I was suspicious that Mr Mild- express a particular enthusiasm for the ert would be your typical Durham ‘lad’ comp neither did he demonstrate the given his impressive array of sporting kind of indignation that would have activities. But rather than signing up to won over this particular A-Teamer.

Mr Ustinov as many as possible in order to maximThat said, Mr Mildert delivered an ise how many alcohol-fuelled socials otherwise pretty impressive performhe could attend, Mr Mildert showed a ance. When grilled by my fellow remarkable amount of commitment to dating partner as to how our date had his sports of choice. gone, Mr Mildert showed appropriate I won’t pretend that a serious chunk enthusiasm, with no awkward pauses of sports talk didn’t go straight over or sleazy asides. It should also be noted my head (we even discussed the finer for further reference, that he also has a points of different Lucozade varieties), rather nice car. but Mr Mildert spoke with genuine his attire but, considering he’d shown up straight from work, it was rather impressive how he switched so effortlessly into date mode, swiftly ordering a couple of cocktails.

So according to the oh-so illustrious Teacher he may have been, but this grapevine, the central Durhamites are didn’t mean Mr Snow was lacking in apparently supposed to take a somewhat disparaging view of their Queen’s GSOH (the term all serial daters must of course be familiar with). We manCampus counterparts. Given my permanent state of ignorance with regards aged a lengthy discussion about urinal etiquette. A passing to well, everyremark on Tracey thing, it’s perhaps “Aside from condoms Emin’ s bed-based unsurprising I had and urinals, he acted art also had our Mr yet to hear of this. how any beloved mothSnow joking that a bed Although I walked er would expect her son littered with condoms away with the is less art and surely to perform on a date.” utmost respect for more the result of a Stockonites, my standard night out... At date nonetheless taught me we’re living least I presumed it was a joke... rather different student experiences Mr Snow Aside from condoms and urinals, in Durham and Queen’s Campus.

Mr Snow pretty much acted how any Mr Snow was certainly was far more prepared for the real world than I could beloved mother would expect her son to perform on a date: he wore a freshlyhope to be. He came straight from a ironed shirt, demonstrated good table work placement – as a student of Primanners, nailed all the pleasantries of mary Education, he’s currently spendconversation and casually placed his ing his days teaching the Year 6 terrors plastic on the bill tray at the end of the and the next day had to rise and shine night. in what we regular students would call What was perhaps missing was any the wee hours, in order to take the kids on a school trip. He’d also spent a brief hint of the details of his private life.

Whilst I don’t expect strangers to whip career as a police officer, and was the out a carefully detailed family tree on perfect image of the nice young man suited for public service (definitely one the first date and tell of long-buried scandals or regale me with tales of their to introduce to gran).

Mr Stephenson romantic disasters, I walked away feelAs we joked, he couldn’t have ing I knew very little of the personal life looked more like a school teacher in of my Mr Snow.

Look over to the next page to see who has been crowned our Palatidating champion!

Name: Chris Boyd College: Ustinov

happening. He, however, was on the ball, and later in the conversation said “Is this banter?”, to which I replied “Yes, yes it is!” And there was plenty of it.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have had a His manners were spot on throughbreakthrough. It’s taken 7 dates, but a out the date – I’ve already raved about guy has finally footed the bill for dinner. the fact he paid but there were also little Now call me old-fashioned but I think things such as him holding the chair it really says something when the guy is out for me. I know plenty of feminists willing to pay the extra tenner that says will come down on me on this one “I had and say things like that are a good but let’s face “I was instantly charmed condescending, night, it, although both guy and girl by those dulcet South you’re are each trying to impress the Californian tones.” worth other on a date, genetically it”. So men are programmed to do when the wooing, and rather than Mr Ustinov offered, which other dates find traditional politeness patronising, have done, but then followed through, I find it charming – it makes you feel it topped off what was an animated yet you’re worth chasing. easy-going date.

The only potential flaw I can find, I was instantly charmed by those and let’s face it, it’s a weak one, is when dulcet South Californian tones; with an he pulled out pictures of his adorable accent like that he could say no wrong. little sisters, prompting the cynical It wasn’t just the accent that won me side of me to assume it was a ploy to over but the ridiculously laid-back show his ‘sensitive’ side. However, he Californian attitude. While I was complaining about my current “He seemed genuine in hectic schedule he told me to chill everything he said and did; out and enjoy the night, which put things in perspective and made me a he was totally himself.” lot more relaxed.

A rather amusing part of the date in- did seem genuine in everything he said volved me trying to explain the concept and did; I got the feeling he was being of ‘banter’ to my date, an uninformed totally himself, which is pretty rare and American. I didn’t realise how hard it is a great thing for a first date - top marks to capture the essence of banter in a few Mr Ustinov! words so I said I’d tell him when it was was our extra-curricular activities, and the amount of time we spent talking about them made me see how good it is to date a person who is ambitious and who has a genuine zest for life. This a guy isn’t afraid to order a girly drink. was different to past dates whose list Mr Stephenson straightaway went for of hobbies have been confined to one a Strawberry Caprioska despite my sport. Of course, it could be seen as insinuation this was somewhat emascu- overly judgemental to claim guys must lating, ignoring my jibes and continuhave loads of interesting past times, but ing to order the less than manly cocktail for me the volume and variety of his throughout the night. This must be interests made Mr Stephenson stand applauded. It is so far removed from out from the crowd. the ‘lad’ culture we have in Durham The A-Team have always rated a good where guys must conform to certain sense of humour so when he pointed standards - especially where drinking out where he wanted the photo taken is involved - to (see left) despite prove their worth. “A guy whose achievements being a pretty have included both captain- cheesy joke, his It’s so refreshing to come across ing rugby and painting mu- endearing personsomeone who, rals makes for an irresistible ality meant he was despite ticking able to pull it off. combination. ” all the ‘lad’ I must point out boxes, (had a that throughout gap year, counts rugby and skiing as Palatidating we haven’t tended to have past times etc.) certainly did not match any particularly romantic gestures, so it the stereotype. was quite sweet when Mr Stephenson That is not to say he was lacking in folded his napkin origami-style and his cool credentials; he definitely had presented me with a carefully crafted the confident yet laid-back aura of a flower. He did this in a jovial and guy who is naturally and effortlessly uncontrived way, showing he didn’t savvy. And yet he clearly had a softer take himself too seriously. Boys, bear side - a guy whose achievements have in mind, this is a pretty good way to included both captaining rugby and earn brownie points, and served to add painting murals makes for an irresistto the long list of things that made Mr ible combination.

Stephenson surpass many of my past Chat revolved around lots of different dates. things, but a main topic of conversation

ALEX MANSELL/ELECTRICINCA

Name: Will Kruis College: Stephenson You know you’re onto a winner when

ALISON MOULDS/ELECTRICINCA

Name: Richard Hall College: Snow

ALASTAIR BARBER/ELECTRICINCA

Name: Alex Trickle College: Mildert

ALEX MANSELL/ELECTRICINCA

Check out the A-Team’s final dating exploits - this week Van Mildert, Ustinov, John Snow and George Stephenson take up the challenge...

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Features Palatidating: The Final

The winner of Durham’s most talked about social experiment is unveiled...ladies, join the queue to get a piece of Durham’s best bachelor, Mr Ustinov...

ALASTAIR BARBER

What has Palatidating taught A-Team members Alex Mansell and Alison Moulds about men and dating? Here they reveal the lessons learned on their amorous adventures...

We’ve all heard the rumours about the ridiculous percentage of Durham guys and girls who end up at the aisle some time after graduating, so it seems the pressure is on to find a suitable mate on these quaint little cobbled streets.

The stereotype of the student singleton may be someone who spends many a quaddy-drenched night hooking up with randoms in Klute or watching re-runs of Star Trek on their lonesome.

We wanted to disprove all the myths surrounding being single during your student days, and thought we’d take it back to basics by embarking on a mission to rediscover the possibilities for romance in Durham, through the somewhat forgotten art of dating.

“So has our venture onto the Durham dating scene given us faith in Durham guys?”

“Rediscovering the somewhat forgotten art of dating.”

So through Palatidating, we’ve had 16 dates, sampled the entire Spag’s menu, drank countless glasses of wine and can reel off the Fabio’s cocktail menu in a minute. But what else (other than a handful of phone numbers) have we taken from the experience?

For a start, we’ve learnt to discern the difference between a good date and a great date. It became clear that the key ingredient to make the grade is ‘banter’, that quintessentially Durham quality.

Admittedly, we used to use it somewhat ironically to mock the trademark arrogant behaviour of that much-maligned sub-species of rah. But now we must confess it has its place after all. We’re not talking banter that entails strawpedoing Reefs on the latest rugby social, we mean that extra sparkle that brings an element of playfulness to the proceedings.

“Be bold, flirt, give them the eyes!”

So many of our dates were nice enough, but lacked that certain pizzazz.

Anxiety about overstepping the mark stifled just how flirty a few of the dates were prepared to be. Bear in mind dating is supposed to be fun - be bold, flirt, give them the eyes! Saying that, we wouldn’t recommend Mr Collingwood’s brilliant line (“I’m glad I’m wearing my good pants”) quite so early on in the date unless you want to receive a restraining order.

Some of the dates tended to be rather formulaic in that department, sounding like they were reading from a badly written script. Although they were obviously just trying to impress, it meant they seemed a little false. Patronising we

enjoy the date. He also managed to strike a perfect balance between good old fashioned manners and the modern concept of banter. It’s all about being polite but not overbearing, flirtatious but not lascivious. Of course dates are nerve-wracking, but even if you don’t have any sexual chemistry you’ll at least have brushed up your dating skills. One A-Teamer had never had a date before but, 8 dates later, considers herself a pro!

Mr Ustinov informed us he was proud to have represented Ustinov and joked that the girls of Durham “should make the effort to walk up the hill and see what’s on offer there!” Although the postgrad college hasn’t always enjoyed the greatest of reputations when it comes to the social scene, our experiment has

Competition winner Mr Ustinov (a.k.a. Chris Boyd) with the A-Team, Alex Mansell and Alison Moulds. He managed to combine a relaxed attitude with a healthy dose of banter making him a well deserved winner.

may sound, but the best dates were with those guys who were totally comfortable and open.

Boys, take note and be yourselves!

So has our venture onto the Durham dating scene given us faith in Durham guys? In a sense, yes - it is clear there are lots of genuine men out there, and al-

though one or two weren’t the sort you’d bring home to mother, we nonetheless learned that dating can be a hell of a lot of fun.

And despite the misconception that dating is designed to appease the woman, we discovered a lot of the guys had a good time too. Mr Ustinov, the fi-

nal winner, said it was “a pretty awesome experience” and that he “had a lot of fun on the date”.

So why did Mr Ustinov win? Well, for a start he encapsulated exactly what we’ve just described in terms of being genuine - he seemed to have no hidden agenda and was relaxed enough to sit back and

A quick guide to the do’s and don’t’s of Durham dating Do

Don’t

Plan an escape route in case of SDS (Shit Date Syndrome). From ditching to attend a friend’s birthday or a generic bar crawl, it’s good sense to have an out. If you’re relying on friends phoning with excuses, remember ‘friend-in-crisis’ is more convincing than ‘pet-in-carcrash’.

Plan any commitments you can’t avoid just in case things go well. Had the A-Team not been flexible in their evening plans, they may have missed out on the chance to go to house parties, random bars and even Newcastle with their dates.

Use alcohol as a way to get closer. Whether it’s sharing a bottle of wine or experimenting with new cocktails, you’ll both be squiffy in no time and it’s much classier than standard student drinking practice.

Use small talk as a starting point but don’t let it dominate the night. We found a particularly good way to up the ante of the conversation was the tried and tested “What’s the most embarrassing thing you’ve done when drunk?”

Them.

Drink so much you chunder everywhere. Bitter experience informs the A-Team it’s not the best way forward.

Follow the rule of avoiding religion, politics and exes.

Everyone loves a bit of controversial chat and the taboo of it helps you bond.

Forget to be aware. Durham may seem ridiculously safe, but if you’re entering the murky waters of blind dating it always pays to play it safe. Make sure friends know you’re out and ensure you check out their Facebook credentials first!

only served to show that college reputations shouldn’t cloud your judgement when meeting new people. Mr John’s was more than happy to lash it up, not every Hatfielder has a loyalty card for Jack Wills and the Queen’s Campus boys refuted any notion that the calibre of their colleges are in any way inferior.

Remember though, children, that ‘meeting new people’ isn’t just a rather coy euphemism for hooking up from someone on the Hill if you’re all the way over on the Bailey. University is one of the greatest opportunities to throw your social net a little bit wider and that includes making new friends too.

Not every date is going to guarantee you a passport to long-term love but that doesn’t mean you should shun your date the next time you see them on a bar

“Not every date is going to guarantee you a passport to long-term love.” crawl. If nothing else, you can at least land yourself a new Facebook friend, and who doesn’t enjoy upping their count?

So always end it on good terms - Durham is a small place where the avoidance game soon becomes a trauma.

We have learnt a lot about men, however, one of the greatest things the A-Team have found (cue mushy moment) is a friendship with one another. And whilst we agree this may sound a little tacky or an empty gesture towards Cosmo-esque feminist-girl-power, it’s safe to say that we wouldn’t have had half as much fun were it not for the fact we always had each others’ backs.

You may graduate barely speaking to all the past notches on your bed post but (unless your friends are among them), hopefully you’ll have gained a number of comrades in arms for life.

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Food & Drink Did someone say Pimm’s o’clock?

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Lydia Ashby FLICKR ID:ROCKYOFACE

Summer is synonymous with ice cream.

Homemade ice cream is infinitely superior to anything in the shops. Not only is it fresher, but you know exactly what has gone in to it.

However, people often complain that without the aid of an ice cream machine, it is frustratingly complicated to produce.

Ingredients 1 tin condensed milk 500ml double cream Any flavourings you want – pieces of biscuit, brownies, fudge, raisins, soft fruit.

1) Whip the cream into soft peaks, do not overwhip 2) Combine with the condensed milk 3) Pour into a plastic container, suitable for freezing 4) Stir through your choice of flavour 5) Freeze over night 6) Remove from the freezer 10 minutes before serving.

ously. If you prefer more fruit, different fruit or no fruit with your Pimm’s, then by all means customise. Pimm’s is about what you do like, not what you should like.

There’s only one way to find out: try it!

And remember to make the most of post-exam drinking during the day, as it’s always Pimm’s o’clock somewhere!

If in vino is veritas, then in Pimm’s is pleasure, so be sure to make the most of this drink whilst the notoriously fickle English summer holds up as you’ve only got until October...

Ingredients - Pimm’s No. 1 - Lemonade - Strawberries - Orange - Cucumber - Mint or borage Method Mix 1 part Pimm’s with 3 parts of lemonade (or champagne etc.) over ice.

Add strawberries, slices of orange and cucumber and garnish with sprig of mint or borage. Enjoy!

Celebrating graduation in true style Lydia Ashby

The dreary, drizzly mornings which the Durham climate seems so adept at producing need not threaten the gaieties of graduation; although a soggy mortarboard may be less aerodynamic, there exists a deluge of frivolities to lighten the mood. Happily, food is central to the festivities, and Durham is home to a plethora of restaurants.

Some immediately spring to mind: the likes of the Pump House, Gourmet Spot and Bistro 21 all offer sumptuous menus sure to make any graduation celebration start with a bang.

However, for the over-eager revellers who end up prematurely comatose, or for parents who choose to leave the inebriated gyrations in Klute to their offspring, it is essential to have hotels that offer both the plushy comfort of a bed and also a decadent dining experience. Unfortunately, Durham suffers from a deficiency of such establishments, meaning the search for the perfect graduation hotel must be cast slightly further afield.

Hotel du Vin in Newcastle manages to provide both fantastic food and rooms. Set on the quayside, with a backdrop of the iconic Millennium Bridge, the hotel is a 20 minute walk from the city centre. The ‘greige’ colour theme that runs throughout the bedrooms epitomises the modern, comfortable and fashionable aura of the hotel. With 42 rooms and two private dining rooms, the hotel is perfect for big group celebrations. Luxurious roll top baths, beds

that cocoon the snoozer, and extremely snazzy flat screen TVs are sure to keep the not-so-late-night partiers entertained and happy. The staff tick three very important boxes: they are knowledgeable, helpful and have mastered the art of the gin and tonic.

The sommelier for the evening was FLICKR ID: MYSTIC STAR

The condensed milk in this recipe ensures that your efforts will pay off- no more frozen and impenetrable lumps of pastel coloured cream, but soft scoops of delicious ice creaminess!

Pimm’s Royale- add champagne (again 3 to 1), with a strawberry added to a champagne flute of Pimm’s for a more f you could bottle the English sumrefined twist that will go straight to your mer, it would be Pimm’s. Along with head, and which may be damaging to Wimbledon, bad weather and BBQs, health and wealth.

Pimm’s is synonymous with the post-exam Pimm’s Deuce - add orange and season: long shadows on cricket grounds, cranberry juice (1.5 parts orange juice to the sound of leather hitting willow, long 1.5 parts cranberry juice to 1 part Pimm’s) days in Brown’s boats and lazy afternoons for a drink perfect for sporting occasions, on Palace Green. Pimm’s in Durham is as from regattas and lawn ubiquitous as boattennis, to croquet and ers at Henley, but “If you could bottle cricket matches. the perfect Pimm’s Pimm’s Ginger is as elusive as a the English summer, it add ginger beer (mix it Henman victory at 3 to 1), ice and a slice Wimbledon. for a fiery twist on would be Pimm’s” Without Pimm’s, this quintessentially the last month English drink. of Easter Term would be painfully long, Tips: socially awkward and terribly boring – with It’s not Pimm’s without Pimm’s! None of it, Easter Term goes by sociably, enjoyably this Pimm’s-a-like nonsense, only Pimm’s and all too quickly. After working 20 hours No 1 Cup will do! a day for the past four weeks, and with little 5 a day – the Perfect Pimm’s should else to do until October, we deserve only strike a balance between being a fruit salad the perfect Pimm’s. (too much fruit) and a cocktail (too little Substitute lemonade and create the folfruit). lowing Pimm’s with a twist: Pimm’s and food – try adding Pimm’s to Pimm’s Pim-Pom- add pomegranate deserts, and make a boozy Eton Mess, trifle juice (3 parts to 1 of Pimm’s), with a slice of or Pimm’s soaked fruit in cakes. orange and ripped basil for a fruitier twist Experiment – despite its establishment on the classic Pimm’s. image, Pimm’s is not to be taken too seriJoseph Willis

charming, and as my friend commented, it was a surprise to have an English sommelier. He recommended that we try a wine ‘flight’. For £10, you are given three small glasses of different wines. This was an ingenious idea, perfect for diners not intimate with the intricacies of the grape.

The menu offers a good selection of dishes which range from high to low on

both the adventurousness and extravamagnificent cheese board was wheeled gance scales. our way, resplendent and groaning under Unfortunately, the starter of English as- an array of cheeses, chutneys and biscuits. paragus, fried duck egg and Cumbrian ham I had gathered a steely determination to appeared to have been so popular that by confront the pudding selection head on, the time my friend and I had polished off and was hurtling towards the gooey depths the remnants of our exceptionally delicious of a rich chocolate tart with caramelised and bountiful bread bananas. To my disbasket, there was none appointment, by the “Luxurious roll-top left. So I opted for second spoonful, a the Iberian ham and brown and velvety baths, beds that remoulade instead, mist had descended which was a great cocoon the snoozer, and and I was forced to substitute. My friend admit defeat. The chose the mozzarella, pastry was short extremely snazzy flat pancetta and pine nut and crisp, but the salad. The mozzarella chocolate filling, screen TVs.” was top quality: silky even for a devoted and milky, which chocoholic, was too complimented the saltiness of the pancetta much to bear. and the richness of the pine nuts.

Despite these few little criticisms, the For the main course, my wild sea bass evening was a resounding success; the food with Iberian ham sauce was beautifully was delicious and the staff exceptional. cooked, combining delicate fishiness with The next morning, I was still so full, and crispy skin. I liked the idea of the Iberian so comfortable that I couldn’t even roll ham sauce, providing salty bursts to cut down to breakfast. So if you’re looking for a through the oiliness of the fish. It worked special place to celebrate your graduation, well, although the texture wasn’t saucy Hotel du Vin offers a great alternative to enough. There was an oily film of pan the drizzly mornings of Durham. juices on the surface of the plate, which made the vegetables slightly rubbery. My Hotel Du Vin, Newcastle friend chose steak with béarnaise sauce. www.hotelduvin.com Whilst it was cooked well, it seemed a little 0191 229 2200 overpriced at £25.

Room prices range from £160 for a standard By this stage of the evening, my room, to £290 for a studio. friend was forced to admit defeat against Bistro Main Courses from £12. the opulent pudding menu. Instead, a

FLICKR ID: DARCIE

The ultimate British summer drink

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream

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Travel

Land of the free, home of the road trip

StylishTravel

indigo buckles up to drive down Route 66 in search of the perfect summer adventure

FRANK KOVALCHEK

Katy Balls

‘Holyboy road, madman road, rainbow road, guppy road, any road. It’s an anywhere road for anybody anyhow’

H

ighlighted by Kerouac, no other adventure quite seems to capture the freedom and possibility that a road trip offers. Environmental niggles aside and carbon footprint in hand, inhabiting an auto mobile however rundown or however plush gives way to an experience like no other. A sense of opportunity and lack of constriction awaits you. Gone are the days of waiting on buses, missing train connections and welcome are the days of experiencing the world at your very own pace.

Of course a road trip can refer to any length of time or distance. Cool or not, I spent most of my sixth form referring to drives to the slightly larger supermarket just out of town as ‘ROAD TRIP!’ Foolish youth aside though, when it comes to planning your travels this summer (or for some finalists your endless summer), indigo firmly suggests giving the car a look in. I put the idea to the test when I took my seat in a car with three male strangers and hit the many winding roads of South Island, New Zealand.

While this might sound like the beginning of a Crime Watch story, rather luckily the three boys were a selection of cross continent gentleman with whom I went off the beaten track and sometimes the actual track for two weeks of down and dirty road tripping.

For me, the road trip offered value for money as well as a way of seeing a different side to New Zealand. For those unfamiliar with the bustling Brit tourism of NZ, the

Following Jack Kerouac’s footsteps: the open road beckons you for an adventure that could be your making

most popular method of getting around is backpacker buses. With several companies competing for your business you can pick between the ‘Kiwi Experience’ (also known as the vagina liner), Stray (also known as the OAP bus) or Magic buses (didn’t even get a nickname).

While these buses will get you around, they will also have about 90% of Brits on them and take you to all the chain hostels and sites.

It was in a bar at an Irish Dancing Contest in Auckland, that I started talking to Florian, a boy who had already rented out a

car and was looking for people to share the petrol costs. I soon realized that this could be the defining travel experience I was looking for and then agreed.

Our route was to take us around the North Island and then finish in the South. On the first day we all gathered outside of our hostel in Auckland and after some careful positioning/ramming of rucksacks we boarded our ticket to the open road.

Our jubilant attitude began to waver after a traffic jam on Queen Street meant we took two hours to leave NZ’s biggest city. But then we were out on the open road, joking along and singing along to American tracks.

Our first stop was Rotorua, home of

“Welcome are the days of experiencing the world at your very own pace”

the rotting egg. More precisely home of volcanic mud which has the side effect of causing the town to stink of said rotting egg. While the town had some charm, the smell was too much for the four of us, so we stayed only one night; a choice a prepaid bus tour couldn’t have so easily afforded us.

More appealing stops for us included Tauranga, Wellington and Queenstown.

Memories that will stay with me until I get amnesia or dementia include the time we reversed the car into a muddy ditch and had to push it back out, the drive up the narrow winding roads of Queenstown’s surrounding mountains where I screamed for our lives and then more importantly, the view from the top once we got there.

In short, grab a car, grab a map, grab some friends (or if you prefer, ride solo) and hit the road this summer, for on the road you never know what will happen.

Each edition we test out one of Durham’s many forms of travel. This week our volunteers Andy Gale, Matty Brown and Thomas Roberts try out the in trend mode of travel known as the ‘human centipede’.

A human centipede is...

When humans join together to become one all encompassing creature.

Did you enjoy being a human centipede?

Yes, I’d like to make it more permanent.

Do you prefer being a centipede or a single human?

Centipede because its more communal.

Any problems?

No, I can’t foresee any possible problems How would you rate the human centipede out of ten?

10/10

A beginner’s guide to the human centipede Step 1: Locate some fellow humans you would like to be linked with

Exploring East Africa: this year’s summer spot Katie Arnold

Let’s be honest, we were all guilty of creeping away from the library for a ‘revision break’ purely to absorb some precious rays of sunlight. Perhaps for many this indulgence was short-lived, dismissed with the realisation that the post-exam period would provide ample opportunity to work

on beach brown bodies. But has it? No. So where can we go this summer to top up on the sun’s crucial vitamins. Surely our gap years fulfilled our needs to nurse a regular hangover on a pristine beach, refreshed and revitalised by the lapping of crystal clear waves? Durham students don’t need to melt in the homogenous mass of hedonistic students that take fulfilDANIEL SMITH

Experience the weird and wonderful by Lake Victoria this summer vacation

ment from hostels that resemble a hall of residence in Freshers’ week. Why not take a trip into the darkest depths of East Africa where each night you will lay down your backpack in a completely novel style of accommodation?

Uganda’s white water rafting and bungee jumping opportunities mean that one can certainly indulge in the odd western hostel complete with buff Australian kayak instructors and bars with a rainbow selection of drinks.

But more rural areas of the country mean that you can also immerse yourself in the raw and earthy aromas of mud hut housing. Later you can reward such manifestations of nasal stamina by visiting an ornate Arabic art gallery in the notoriously laid back Lamu town of Kenya.

If one is prepared to hitch a ride with some fisherman and amongst some rather potent local delicacies, you could even find yourself banqueting in a private castle on a secret island in Lake Victoria. An exclusive, well groomed beach will devour your day times, whilst in the evenings the eccentric Kenyan ex-pat owner will entertain you with stories from the opulent days of colonialism and endless quantities of home brewed banana rum. Price of the above accommodation: pennies. Price of the wholly individual experience: priceless.

For anyone trying to scrape together the remnants of their student loan in order to find a land of eternal sunshine, reconsider the usual student haunts and go somewhere that will make your Facebook photo album stand out from the others.

“Make your facebook album stand out from the others”

Step 2: Using your hands, attach yourself to one another

Step 3: CRAWL!

Photography by Katy Balls

Indigo

Features

Food

Travel

Feathers, Frills and Farewells

Fashion

As term draws to an end, we embrace the last few Durham summer days. From casual daywear for lazy afternoons to glamorous cocktail attire we show a laid-back yet stylish approach to summer dressing.

Clockwise from left: Grey detailed blazer, £170, Remus at Woven. T-shirt, models own. Dark denim straight-cut jeans, £89, MQT at Woven. Black floral maxi dress, £50, Lipsy. Faded denim playsuit, £37.50, Mango.

To right: White lace detail dress, £42.90, Mango.

Bottom left: Cream striped tee, £59, BDW at Woven. Navy white striped cardigan, £49, taupe cargo shorts, £49, both Selected:Homme at Woven.

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Features

Clockwise from left: White lace dress, £27.90, Mango.

Blue striped dress, £22, Scarlet Ribbons.

To right: Graphic tee, £39, Junk Food at Woven.

Navy cargo shorts, £49, Selected:Homme at Woven. Straw trilby, £7, Scarlet Ribbons. Navy and white print belted playsuit, £37.90, Mango.

Below: Green hooded jumper, £35, Whittawer.

Green and pink reversible cargo shorts, £49, Selected:Homme at Woven.

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Above: Peach sequin and feather dress, £175, Lipsy.

Grey check suit, £250, white dress, £45, both Remus at Woven. Blue spot silk tie, £29, Marc Philippe at Woven.

Cream gold sequin embroidered dress, £175, Lipsy.

Navy suit, £250, Remus at Woven.

White shirt, £45, Selected:Homme.

Tie as above in red.

Pale pink chiffon cut-out dress, £65, Lipsy.

With thanks to...

Clothing:

Stylists: Antonia Thier Emma Spedding

Lipsy. Metro Centre Newcastle 01914619940

Photography: Harry Gatt Robert Burgess

Mango, Metro Centre Newcastle 01914609867

Models: Charlotte Gatehouse Connie Bruce Francesca Macfarlane Jamie Bomford Mark Dale

Scarlet Ribbons, Durham sales@scarlet-ribbons.co.uk

Location: Half Moon Inn Browns Boathouse Ltd.

Whittawer, Durham representative Francesca la-Franais

Hair & Make-up: Dream Oasis 01913848912

Props: Ebony

Location Manager: Matthew Richardson

Woven, The Gates, Durham 0191374100

Creative director: Vincent McAviney

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Big Brother 11: All the fun of the fair?

As the last ever series of Big Brother hits our screens, indigo assesses the legacy of the decade-defining show, and whether our obsession with ‘reality’ TV has gone too far...

ENDEMOL UK/CHANNEL 4

off the rails and there was no one there to support them.”

As the show’s ratings fell, the fortunes of the contestants after the show also disappeared. “Everyone think that going on a reality TV show like Big Brother will make you a millionaire - that happened in 2003 but nowadays housemates leave the show and just go back to their previous day jobs with the press not really caring,” lamented Glyn Wise.

Drummond, who has returned to his previous job in a call centre, agreed with Glyn, “I think Big Brother has made people think they can be famous more easily. It seems that quite a lot of people see it as a way of becoming a star overnight, but its not lasting, it’s a false economy.”

Indeed, in a recent piece in the Times weighing up the fortunes of the ten previous winners, the first champion, Craig Phillips was ranked the most successful. Phillips has consistently worked in television since leaving the house, fronting countless DIY shows and amassing a reported wealth of £5 million. Phillips, who donated his initial £70,000 winnings to pay for a friend’s heart and lung transplant, has used his success to improve the fortunes of fellow young tradesmen. In 2005 Phillips set up the largest independent construction training centre in the North-West. After two years of planning and development

by Phillips, Cherie Booth QC opened the facility which trains 500 young tradesmen every year.

Whilst many of you will struggle to remember any of the more disposable ‘stars’ of the show, there is one who even the most oblivious will have heard of, Jade

Goody. Big Brother made Goody the most successful reality TV star of the decade, becoming a tabloid favourite and a stalwart of LivingTV. However, her reprisal in Celebrity Big Brother led to an international incident after she bullied the Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty.

Whilst trying to make amends in the Indian Big Brother house, Goody was informed that she had cervical cancer. Her controversial high-profile battle with the disease was arguably the culmination of a phenomenon which had turned every aspect of her private life into a public spectacle, designed to quench our relentless thirst for sordid entertainment.

In Goody’s obituary, the Telegraph tragically hailed her as the “poster girl of the curious contemporary cult of talentless celebrity”. Nevertheless, her untimely death led to a massive increase in awareness and testing of cervical cancer amongst young women.

Big Brother’s once-shiny star may have dimmed somewhat but despite its drop in ratings, the head of programming for Channel 4 maintains that the axe was for creative reasons - BB could hardly innovate in a cultural climate where we are swamped with supposed ‘reality’ shows.

The launch show of BB11 attracted 4.5 million viewers, which was 2 million more than the series average enjoyed by the last cycle and on par with the first ever series.

So whilst this summer may indeed be Big Brother’s swan song, there seems little chance that our national obsession with reality television will be stemmed any time soon.

“how tawdry reality programming has become . . ”

Summer stalwart Davina McCall presided over more than a decade of Big Brother ‘madness’. For inaugural winner Craig Phillips, success was the most lasting and profitable, with his fortune estimated at £6m. after consistently fronting home improvement shows. For Goody, who was ill-equipped to deal with the trappings of fame, it both built and destroyed her before her untimely death.

Alison Moulds & Vincent McAviney

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“that BB has courted controversy is nothing new”

the other side of the camera of plying her with cigarettes and alcohol in an effort to entice her into wearing outrageous outfits and fabricating lies about her life.

In its ten years Big Brother has produced a vast cohort of entertaining housemates who the public quickly tired of once they had been released from the house. Indigo spoke to Glyn Wise, a contestant in BB7 and now a university student and part-time presenter on BBC Radio Wales about his experience as a contestant. “To be honest, I wanted to be exploited, that’s why I was there, we knew what we were doing.

I was a massive fan of the show and wanted to live the experience, I love it, but also wanted to see what the fame game was all about, even if it only lasted a year or so.”

When asked if he thought he had been looked after well enough by the production company, Wise believed they had been. “They gave us an agent to look after us, but I felt like I met so many psychiatrists beforehand when I didn’t need them.

We were treated like stars before the show then we were left to kind of look after ourselves.”

However BB10 contestant Charlie Drummond disagreed with this: “Past housemates said to me that they feel exploited by Big Brother. You are basically a puppet and they control what people see.

I don’t think the aftercare team looked after any of the contestants from my year well. Sree slit his wrists and Freddie went

“Big Brother’s once shining star has now dimmed ” ENDEMOL UK/CHANNEL 4

n 9th June, Britain’s most infamous house welcomed a fresh batch of fame-hungry neurotics and extroverts to its circus-style Big Top. For critics of the Big Brother phenomenon the theme for the last-ever series could hardly be more apt. With an interior bordering on the carnivalesque, BB seems to have unashamedly accepted its status as something of a modern freak show.

Whilst gaudy enough to drive even the most pacific of inmates to meltdown, there’s little innovation in the concept itself.

Pop princess Britney Spears’ management long ago realised how fitting it was to equate the entertainment industry with a veritable circus, with an album, song and even tour all tapping into this concept Not to mention Take That and Pink.

Yet whilst decidedly unoriginal, the theme is perhaps Big Brother’s greatest acknowledgement of just how tawdry the whole genre of reality programming it spearheaded has ultimately become.

As a child I remember the delicious feeling when the first series hit our screens and I was given parental permission to stay up past bedtime to watch the latest action from the house. Yet whilst my not-so-liberal parents had their misgivings about what exactly I was watching, it was difficult to predict just how scandalous the show would become.

Five years later antics from the house unleashed a public furore when Michelle Bass and Stuart Wilson of BB5 finally consummated their lust under the dining room table, protecting their questionable modesty with the help of some strategically placed cloths.

However, Michelle and Stuart’s antics seem virtually romantic when compared to Makosi Musambasi and Antony Hutton’s romp in the pool only a year later, or their fellow housemate Kinga Karolczak’s apparent attempts to indulge in a spot of self-loving with the aid of a champagne bottle.

That BB has courted controversy is certainly nothing new. BB1’s infamous ‘Nasty Nick’ earned his moniker when he attempted to deceive others into believing his wife had died in a car crash. And the casual nudity quickly adopted by the later housemates is hardly much of a shocker nowadays when even the BBC’s primetime programming could be considered soft pornography Desperate Romantics anyone?

Surely the most disturbing aspect of the show is the way in which it has so irrevocably blurred the lines between fact and fiction. In an exclusive with the Mirror, the now notorious Kinga insisted the footage of her with the bottle had been manipulated by producers, claiming they had deliberately held back images that would have shown she was only pretending to pleasure herself. She also accused those on

The ironically named Celebrity Big Brother also became an annual TV trash-fest

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Drama is conflict - but this is something else. . .

The Assembly Rooms get serious with this show about the Iraq war and its consequences on people’s daily lives DAN JEFFRIES

Palace of the End First Person Theatre Company The Assembly Rooms ««««« Matthew Richardson

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eviewing is often a shocking business. Surprising, perhaps, considering we gutter-level penpushers, sniping and cavilling at the creative outpourings of others, are not a breed easily jolted.

Oiling over to the Assembly Rooms, a nice back-massage of a play, some breezy jeu d’esprit was meant to be flexing itself in readiness for my critical attentions. Instead, one ticket waited for Palace of the End: a frothy, cappuccino of a comedy about... the horrors of the Iraq war, the unflinching barbarism of humankind and three monologues of bowel-breaking earnestness.

“The second monologue was a master class of black comedy.”

But then it happened. My scabby preconceptions ripped raw. Ten minutes into the first monologue, it was clear the

pretty shaky staging for any actor to tread.

Claydon handled it magnificently, trilling and eyebrow-raising her way through a good half-hour of emotional and verbal body blows.

A son’s death, gory coups, rapes and family torture are just some of the thorny dilemmas navigated past. And it was a credit to Claydon’s flair that flutters of twinkly humour didn’t jar against the tragic thwack of the main drama, her complex performance never bubbling and over-acting into bathos.

The second monologue was a master class of black comedy. Tessa Coates wobbled and loped across the stage as a pregnant US soldier embroiled within the scandal of Abu Ghraib. Again, another faultless accent with startlingly assured gear-changes between the comic and tragic, often criss-crossing the two with pyrotechnic ease. A blackly comic humanity peeked out beneath the horror, all virtue of her glaucous-gazed portrayal.

Steffan Griffiths was superb in the third monologue, though suffered from playing David Kelly, a part and story recently documented, drama-ed and dissected into cliché. Such shop-soiled material struggled

to seem fresh. The piece alone survived on Griffiths’s considerable skill as a dramatic performer, valiantly attempting to repair some of the textual squeakiness during performance.

The set-designs worked well, visual additions aiding the various metaphors adumbrated throughout. Adam Usden’s direction was wonderfully mature and professional, delivering a restrained production that resisted any hot-tempered rush to castigate or preach. The changeovers were quick, the costumes convincing and the musical background dovetailing in delightfully at various intervals.

The time-length was also well judged.

After an hour of being force-fed and plated up with the ubiquitous savagery of man, even the most empty-stomached spectator could count himself full. It didn’t outstay its welcome.

To use the word ‘enjoyable’ would be to insult the actors. The subject matter compels it to be more than that: instructive, enlightening and unnervingly real.

But, most of all, it is a chance to witness a director and a cast who will surely proceed to far glitzier stages in the years to come.

“A son’s death, gory coups & family torture are some of the thorny dilemmas navigated past. ”

Steffan Griffiths (pictured) portrays the late David Kelly in this brutal dramatic masterpiece

ambrosial Elizabeth Clayden had other plans: one coy, yet coquettish, half-glance and my customarily crusty 500 words of invective were gone. Caught, reeled and ice-bucketed before so much as the first

mawkish tear or throaty cry for human compassion.

Delivering a monologue is tough enough. But delivering a monologue as a fifty-year-old Iraqi ghost is, one imagines,

Do drama and brass band make a perfect team?

indigo’s reviewer is a little brassed off after seeing Peculius Stage Company’s latest offering at Caedmon Hall sounded more like recitals of a children’s choir than an upset miners’ community.

If Brassed Off was intended to heighten the audience’s awareness of the personal tragedies of the villagers, a certain rawness of emotion and acting should have been aimed for, a goal which cannot be achieved solely by engaging a dialect coach.

TT Y GA HARR

Genuine emotion was nipped in the bud by an atmosphere of haste, so that the band’s triumph and defeat evoked similar degrees of apathy. ««««« If the spectator’s emotions are to be Kathy Lazlo dictated by raising one and the same couple of chords at each change of scene, be it a hopeful or a poignant one, there is If Peculius Stage Company’s production of engendered an almost Beckettian sense Mark Herman’s Brassed Off brought about of one being trapped in a a single revelation, it was of the continuously degenerating problems director Callum Cheatle spiral of doom. had to face when aiming to stage Nonetheless, the sudown-to-earth drama. Attempting perfluous funeral march to present authentic characters of served to position the Grimethorpe Colliery Brass Band highlight of the play, in a Yorkshire village of the 1990s, Durham University struggling with the aftermath of Brass Band (DUBB). the closure of their pit, this allegMore than once, edly simple task provided dramatic DUBB comstumbling blocks, so that attempts of pensated what innovation choked on the sooty dust would usually be of authenticity. expected from Granted, the opening tableau of acting and stagtownsmen in ribbed shirts and faded ing: wit, emotion jeans, complaining about Thatcherite and variation. politics, did its best to transfer the auSignificantly, dience into the unemployed miners’ the first little landscape but this was undermined chuckle was not by the weary reiterations of elicited from the demonstration slogans which Paul Moss attempts to imbibe alcohol whilst playing a Baritone Horn audience until

Brassed Off Peculius Stage Company Caedmon Hall

the band begins to play expertly and are rewarded by applause. Then, the conductor Danny’s (Dough Gibbs) disappointment at the “crap” they are delivering is so obviously misguided that not even the predictability of the situation prevent it from being genuinely entertaining.

Moreover, Gibbs’ introduction of the band’s interpretation of Joaquin Rodrigo’s Concerto de Aranjuez as “Concerto de Orange Juice”, comically coloured by his dialect and the character’s obvious ignorance, provided a reasonable piece of dead-pan humour.

The concerto was indeed a positive surprise, not least because it brought with it Victoria Hayworth as flugelhorn-playing Gloria, whose self-consciousness Hayworth captured in as little as a glance to the side, while the hint of a smile towards her fellow musician Andy (Paul Moss) revealed but never imposed on the spectator their sprouting romance.

In particular, Hayworth’s interpretation of the concerto deserves praise for its subtlety and genuine emotion. The music attributed the play with the metaphorical

language it needed in order not to drift off into meaninglessness.

Symbolism was attempted and individual actors’ performances were touching.

When little Shane (Anjali Singh) asks his grandfather Danny to catch him as he lets himself fall, always secure, it is difficult not to draw a poignant parallel to the adults’ lives who are waiting in vain for anyone to catch them.

Sadly, the never-ending musical blackouts and reiterated slogans minimise the effect of such tentative but luminous instances. Ultimately, they are less symbolic for the problems of the play than the production, the latter content to fall into the secure arms of the former, relying entirely on the story rather than providing an interpretation of it.

David Head’s startling portrayal of his character’s attempted suicide in a clowns costume, both visually and emotionally powerful , with a rope loosely hanging off his shoulder, failed to be allegorical for the absurdity of these people’s lives. Rather, it illustrated the death sentence the production issued to itself.

“. . . more like recitals of children’s choir. . .”

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Medieval mysteries make a comeback based on the Bible

indigo explores the dramatic offerings of Durham’s local people in their modern revival of a 15th century tradition ADAM GRAY - NORTH NEWS & PICTURES

The Durham Mysteries Various Theatre Companies Durham City ««««« Gabbi Freemantle

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Cain and Abel’s story is recreated (right) whilst local school children interpret the Creation story (above)

augmented by the real musical talent of the actors playing both ‘Lucifer’ and ‘Mankind’, who regaled the audience with such classic hits as ‘Cheek to Cheek’, ‘Paint it Black’ and ‘Flying Without Wings’. Comic touches, such as references to ‘Faithbook’ and the use of the Hallelujah Chorus within the theme tune kept the audience interested and added an extra flourish to the already polished performance.

My only criticism would be the stuAmongst the plays which really stood dents’ use of the stage and, more particuout for me was The Fall of Lucifer, or Heav- larly, the lighting. The performers were en’s Got Talent, which was performed in the apt to step out of spotlights or begin lines Gala Theatre by students from Gilesgate whilst standing in shadows, though this Sixth Form College. The short play was was only a minor flaw and did not much vibrant, colourful, exciting, and bursting detract from the overall effect of the play. with talent. The sixth formers’ confident Other high points of the Mystery Cycle portrayal of Lucifer’s fall from grace was included a hilarious interpretation of Noah’s Ark, called Noah and the Fludd, which was performed on The Sands.

Noah and his family took the direction of an absentminded God and some quirky angels, and built an ark from scratch on the stage.

Colourful costumes props indigo is positive that Heaven has Talent but would Simon Cowell agree? and contributed

ADAM GRAY - NORTH NEWS & PICTUR

ES

“The short play was vibrant, colourful, exciting and bursting with talent ”

“The Durham Mysteries made for a very interesting evening. . .”

ADAM GRAY - NORTH NEWS & PICTURES

n arriving at the Gala Theatre to see the first of the Durham Mystery plays, my initial impression was of the sheer scale and diversity of the audience. It was made up of families and friends of the performers, local residents, students and tourists, all ready to be delighted by the events of the forthcoming evening. The plays themselves were based on the historical tradition of the Mystery Play, which came to peak popularity in the 15th Century. The whole community of a town or village would be involved in re-enactments of major events in the Christian character, presenting scenes from the Creation to the Day of Judgement.

These plays would be performed in a cycle on festival days.

Durham’s modern take on the Mysteries saw students from local schools, along with adults and children from the wider community, putting on ten plays in locations around the city, in a bid to revive the tradition.

exited using the aisles, and the enthusiasm of the performers was evident.

Unfortunately, the very nature of the Durham Mysteries presented a serious problem in itself. End to end, the ten plays lasted over five hours. Whilst this was undoubtedly less of an issue on a medieval feast day, sitting through them all in one evening was a mammoth task for a modern audience. This was especially true of the eight plays which were performed on The Sands, as it became much colder

to the slightly surreal imagery of the play, whilst confident actors presented a spectacle which was truly worth seeing.

In stark contrast, The Miracle of Lazarus, also performed on The Sands, used everyday items and a thoroughly modern setting to enthral the audience. Props included a real ambulance, and Jesus was portrayed as a mysterious wanderer who attracted a great deal of local support. Emotive and serious acting from the cast of Lazarus stood in effective contrast with some of the other plays, the majority of which were presented from a more comic angle.

“Props included a real ambulance. . .”

Although the three locations in which the plays were staged offered plenty of visual contrast, they did present several logistical problems. Firstly, some elderly members of the audience were not up to the walk between locations, and were forced to undergo the hassle of moving cars and paying for parking.

Secondly, the locations chosen did not suit some of the plays themselves. Most affected by this was The Fall of Creation, the ‘Community Opera’ staged in the Cathedral. Although an imposing setting, the layout and nature of the Cathedral actually detracted from the performance. The performance took place in the nave of the building, under the tower, which meant that the sound from the musicians was lost almost immediately. From my seat towards the back of the audience, I could neither see nor hear with any clarity. The diction of the singers was also poor, meaning that one of the main points of interest, the macaronic libretto, was lost. Issues of space and restricted sight were not approached

with much imagination by the directors, as all of the action of the play was based in one place.

However, the bright and colourful costumes did give the audience something to look at as the performers entered and

later in the evening. This is probably my greatest criticism of the cycle, and it would have made sense for the organisers of the event to warn the audience of the length of the plays in advance.

Despite this, however, the Durham Mysteries made for a very interesting evening, and the talent on display was, at times, quite awe-inspiring. The historical Mystery Play is firmly back on the map.

What’s On? Thursday 24th June - Saturday 3rd July Sun Trap - Gala Theatre Productions - Gala Theatre If you fancy leaving the North East in favour of sunny Tenerife, then this play might be the show for you - just don’t expect it to be all fun and games... £13, £12 (concession) - 7:30pm Sunday 4th July The Comedy Store - Gala Theatre Three top comics. One great night. You do the maths... £10 (£8 concession, £7 NUS) - 7:30pm start, no under 16’s Sunday 20th June Dinnerladies - Newcastle Theatre Royal Fans of the sitcom should check out the world premiere tour of this adaptation for the stage featuring several original cast members £8.00-£27.00 - Mon-Sat - 7:30pm, 2:00pm matinee on Thurs, 2:30pm Sat

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Music indigo’s Evolution Festival special Summer festivals in 60 seconds

Glastonbury, oh but of course.

The measuring stick of every other festival. With a crazy number of acts new and old, and after the heroic decision of Gorillaz replacing U2, we are wholeheartedly envious of anyone attending.

Hop Farm Festival in Kent en-

compasses the original philosophy of festivals being about the music rather than branding. With a lineup including Bob Dylan, Blondie, Van Morrisson and Seasick Steve as well as all the year’s folk freshlings, this is maybe the most underrated festival this year.

T in the Park highlights this year include The Prodigy and Biffy Clyro as well as Jay-Z and um...

Diana Vickers. So anyway...

No it isn’t an anthropological congregation... We delve into the North East’s biggest music festival

Jess Denham and Olivia Swash

W

ith a line-up to be reckoned with at only £25 for a weekend of live music, the word ‘Evolution’ had been buzzing around for weeks during inter-library chat as a beacon of hope for hazy post-exam revelry.

The atmosphere of anticipation and bank holiday drunken freedom was tangible throughout the city, which would seem an unusual setting for a festival, set amidst the iconic Newcastle quayside as opposed to a boggy field, and for two days was swarmed by a

Leeds and Reading lineup this

Sonisphere - Anthrax, Iggy and

the Stooges, Maiden, Placebo, The Cult... If you aren’t even into alternative this would still probably blow your mind.

Split Festival in Sunderland

Ellie Goulding, the starry-eyed ‘Sound of 2010’ Christopher Hay

lines an emotion it would take three songs for others to clumsily describe.

“I’ve always been good at reading people,” Goulding admits. “I’ve been tuned in to people’s emotions from a really early age. It’s weird…little details, the way people say things. Intuition maybe? Whatever it is, I find that sort of thing fascinating. And yeah, it definitely helps with my songwriting.”

Goulding is currently living the single life.

“I love being in a relationship, but it’s difficult at the moment,” she says. She is based in London, and hates it. “It stresses me the hell out. I’m so lucky I live near a little park so I can go running and clear my mind. But urgh, it’s dirty, it’s stinky!” She tells a story about her friend being attacked on her street by two men with a knife and baseball bat. “When I hear stuff like that it just makes me so angry,” she declares.

Embracing her well-deserved success a little more would cheer her up. Or she could just go for a run.

TREV PAINTING

“I’m not famous!” Ellie Goulding protests, lounging in a luxurious leather armchair next to a wide-screen TV pre-gig in her private tourbus. Her debut album, Lights, has already gone gold and a Brit Award sits Tramlines in Sheffield is a free proudly on her mantelpiece at home. Not multi-venue weekend festival with bad for a 23 year old.

Mystery Jets, Echo & The Bunny“People ask what it’s like to be famous, men, and Blood Red Shoes. There’s but I’m not. Yes, I’ve gone into the ‘pop’ always Craig David and Dane Bow- sphere but I’m still so unphased. It would take a lot for me to suddenly start thinking ers if you fancy a bit of real quality I’m famous,” she insists. She followed in music... the footsteps of 50 Cent, Keane and Adele by topping this year’s ‘BBC Sound of…’ poll, and has been tipped for greatness by most quarters of the music industry. But it is as if the clamour of praise and plaudits sits uneasily with her.

WIN a DAB digital radio!

“Life’s not mental. I haven’t let anything get to The nice chaps at Classic FM have given us a me, I haven’t changed. I’m brand-spanking shiny new DAB digital radio to still normal,” she laughs. “I’m glad I don’t know how to be give away to listen to your summer tunes on. affected, I’ve just got this conFor a chance to win it, answer this question: stant wall.” Far from the fake modesty of many musicians, Which composer was the 1984 Goulding’s charming humilfilm Amadeus about? ity is genuine. She is happiest talking about anything Send your answers to music@palatinate. other than her own music. She org.uk comes to life when given the chance to discuss her obsession with running, for example.

“Oh I love it! I can’t stand not feeling Horses and Under the Sheets enciting a huge fit, it’s horrible. I can now go on properly singalong response which almost drowned long runs, it’s awesome. But I still don’t feel her own vocals out, making the microlike I train enough.” Such was her concern phone somewhat unnecessary anyway. that her fitness regime would suffer while Wearing an unpretentious and casually on tour that she has teamed up with Nike cool outfit of blue jeans and a black strappy to help stay in shape. “Nike have helped top, Ellie clearly wanted her music to speak me organise runs with my fans – I meet for itself. Banging her drum with up with them wherever I’m touring and passion and looking like she just go on a run around the city with them. It’s a great way to “London stresses me the get to know my fans, so much better than just a quick meet hell out” and greet.”

Goulding was first spotted while studying Drama at Kent University. was born to She was entered into a talent competition perform, she as a joke by her friends, where a music roused envy industry insider happened to be in the in the vast audience. majority “I feel like this whole thing to me has of females been a journey. It sounds really cheesy, watching her but it’s been an amazing journey, because set. A natural people have followed us- me and Starand likeable smith, my producer – right from when I performer, Ellie put my first demo online. I feel like it’s not proved herself as like a ‘pop-star’ thing, it’s more a journey as someone who could a musician.” easily be hated but just Her music is infectious, in part thanks can’t help being loved. to the slick production of Starsmith, who Her album presents a wellhas worked with the likes of Frankmusik, polished pop-synth sound that belies the Marina and the Diamonds and Paloma delicate intimacy of her lyrics. And it is Faith. “I could work with him forever,” this lyrical poignancy that separates her Goulding gushes. from the current crowded field of female Despite some technical microphone singer-songwriters. “I try out a smile and I problems at the start of her set at Evoluaim it at you/You must have missed it/You tion festival, Ellie powered through her always do,” she sings wistfully in the fragile top-selling latest album with Guns and The Writer, perfectly pinpointing in three

...

brings us the best of North East music with Maximo Park and The Futureheads as well as newer up and coming bands.

transforming the atmosphere created by waiting for Enter Shikari to grace the stage, his support with chilled out guitar pop that unaware that they were witnessing such perfectly accompanied the summery vibe hip-hop greats. as the sun set over Newcastle.

Upon being turned away from the Glaswegians Dananananaykroyd did dance stage where Delphic were to headnot fail to entertain and proved that their line due to rioting over crowd limits on the ‘Fight Pop’ ditties are bridge, it was time to not only good for the stage “Charles Darwin would investigate FIFA 10 soundtracks, which encompassed but also for the pure a more festival-like have been proud...” enthrallment of hunexperience, Ballast dreds of teens as Hills. the crowd was Here, folk and split down the middle to create a roots were the order of the day and shock‘wall of hugs’ experience. ingly there was real grass to be seen! The Both the diversity of the Swedish three sisters Baskery showcased lineup and the bizarre order their talent on the acoustic guitar, banjo of acts was highlighted when and upright bass, with cheery songs easy to during the set of the legendary indulge in a bit of country-style jigging to, De La Soul on the whilst in another tent a circus act wowed Monday evening, its audience with acrobatic and dance acts. the front of the Despite the inevitable downfalls in festival crowd was ethos, as there wasn’t a tin of cold beans or sturdily grubby sleeping bag in sight, the weekend accommo- was memorable for all the right reasons. Yes dated by we felt very old, and very tall, compared to disinter- the rest of the attendees, and yes we’d swap ested the tarmac for a muddy field and wellies any eyeliday, but the festival did the North East proud. nered Hopefully it will ‘evolve’ into something even bopbigger and better next year. Charles Darwin pers would have been proud.

TREV PAINTING

year seems an utter blast from the past, with varying degrees of oldschool boasting Cypress Hill, Bad Religion, Guns n Roses, Blink 182 and The Libertines. Although not necessarily fully reformed...

crowd predominantly under the age of 15.

The first-time-drunks excitedly wormed their way to the front of the main stage to witness a refreshingly diverse lineup including crowd-pleasers Paolo Nutini and Tinchy Stryder as well as Calvin Harris’ lively hits such as Ready For The Weekend and I Get All The Girls. Compared with earlier acts, Calvin proved himself a charismatic showman with an on-stage energy that transformed his raviator-wearing fans into a whirlwind of screaming, dancing, jumping lunatics.

Paolo Nutini followed as the Sunday headlining act,

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One Day author talks books, politics and life

indigo meets up with David Nicholls as his third novel is released in paperback Matthew Richardson

D

avid Nicholls is fast becoming Britain’s greatest living popular novelist. Having jogged round the games field a few times, warming up with the campus comedy, Starter for Ten, then stretching a limbful of literary muscles with the follow up, The Understudy, Nicholls has now produced his first major work: One Day. And with mild-mannered English politeness, the apprentice to Hornby has rather dramatically outstripped his master.

Setting off in the familiar Nicholls-land of eighties studentdom, the narrative channel-hops through the eighties, nineties and into the noughties, hinging on an ingenious narrative daring: slicing up a relationship and unfurling it through one day a year for twenty years.

Nicholls has always had a dramatic approach to the machinery of storytelling, whether it be the sprightly present-tense prose of his debut or the disjointed, uneasy narrative fissures of The Understudy.

Far from the writeby-numbers approach of many contemporaries, Nicholls is no slob.

And right from the start he has sorethumbed his way out of any easy categorisation. To straitjacket his work into the spongy labels of romantic-comedy or lad-lit is impossible. Rather Nicholls is that genuine enigma, a Dodo-like sight in literary circles: that of the natural-fibred popular novelist.

In an age of opposites – either commercial fiction or literary fiction, stylist or story-teller, social observer or solipsistic scribbler – Nicholls has lassoed all possible ingredients together with near Victorian presumption. From Starter for Ten onwards, a Dickensian sensitivity to the stitch and weave of modern-day society has been plated up with a punkish, yet aristocratically easy, style that can boast and muscle its way among any of the great prose performers currently working: Amis, McEwan, Smith, Rushdie et al.

But Nicholls has yet more to offer. His three novels haven’t been forged and fired in the sweat of the seminar room. He can riff on theories and literary patter, and often does (for comic purposes) while also arranging the chess pieces in unusual ways and ornamenting his works with a few allusive frills. But, most crucially, he can really do character.

Whether it’s Brian Jackson, Steve McQueen or Dexter and Emma, they are breathing, moody, tearful paragraphs of actuality. The wiring and boiler-room business of narrative experimentation and verbal gold-stars are dealt with in an unshowy and fuss-less way. He’s moved beyond the how-to manual of technical excellence, and has started the far trickier task of making people live.

In person he is as pleasingly abstract as one could hope. A thin frame packaged in retro garb that moonlights as middle-aged daddishness (he now has two children), a pair of actorly specs (again, his first career) and the endearing crumpledness of Brecht on a lunch break.

His voice is woody, smooth and wise.

We start by talking about genre. The main triumph of One Day is the way Nicholls loosens ties to the toothless constraints of the usual light comedy tradition, giving his narrative more legroom in which to stretch. I asked whether this was a conscious decision.

“It was really,” he said. “When I first started writing scripts I felt drawn to a more bittersweet romantic comedy. The first two books were kind of underdog stories, in the tradition of the hapless, socially inept underdog trying, failing and then getting the girl. I just wanted to write something different.

“I had a bit of a break from novel writing. I wrote a few scripts that weren’t comedies, and I think that gave me a bit more confidence about writing stuff that wasn’t just pratfalls. I just didn’t want to write another I-love-you declaration scene.

I’m in my forties now, so it feels a bit silly to write another first-love, young-love story. I

just wanted to write something a bit more epic and varied in tone.”

It is the novel’s unknotted brilliance that allows the inventive narrative structure

1. Edinburgh International Book Festival This internationally-renowned gathering of bookworms, writers and publishers takes place from 14th to 30th August.

The event describes itself as “An inspiring literary festival, the world’s largest public celebration of the written word, right in the heart of Edinburgh: hundreds of author events, debates and workshops packed into 17 extraordinary days each August.”

At the time of going to print, this year’s line up was yet to be announced. However, it is almost guaranteed that many famous faces will make an appearance at the event, as previous attendees have included Salmun Rushdie, Margaret Atwood, Ian Rankin and Sebastian Faulks.

“The apprentice to Hornby has rather drammatically outstripped his master...”

THELIST.CO.UK

Nicholls has also penned TV’s Cold Feet, and the recent adaptation of Tess of the D’Urbervilles

again are people like Scott Fitzgerald and Philip Roth, a lot of American fiction. I think, like a lot of writers, I was much more influenced and inspired by twentieth-cen-

Summer Book Festivals

Dexter and Emma’s on-off relationship will haunt graduates long after finishing the book

2. London Literature Festival

– inspired by a Hardy poem. The moist, clammy thrill of a detective story becomes hidden in the daywear of comedy and romance. “It becomes a sort of puzzle. You have to make sure the days are varied, that you plant the clues in 1993 that pay off in 2002. You have to plot it all out quite intricately and I really enjoyed that. It meant I could change mood and style.”

All of which means Nicholls can capture the mould of different decades.

One Day is an intensely engaged social novel, firmly shot on location rather than green-screening in the fluff and puff of air-headed fantasy. “They are not political cries to action, but it would be really hard to write about British universities in the mid-eighties without talking about politics and class. It was the dominant subject. It was so prevalent.

“And it’s really impossible to talk about the change in personalities without touching on the politics.

“I suppose what I didn’t want to do, though, was write one of those novels with the old cliché of the personal and the political. And neither did I want to write one of those heavy-handed books where, you know, because it’s 1997 everyone is saying ‘I’m really excited about this New Labour government and all the changes they’re going to bring...’ I don’t think there’s a mention of 9/11 in the whole novel.”

Influences are key. The strut and insouciance of American fiction has often birthed sportier older brothers for many contemporary British novelists: Updike for Julian Barnes and Ian McEwan, Bellow for Martin Amis. Nicholls is no exception, happy to leech some of the swagger and ambition of his trans-Atlantic cousins: “People who I read and read again and

From 1st to 18th July this year, London’s South Bank will be transformed into a meeting place for “some of the world’s best writers and thinkers”.

tury American writers starting with Scott Fitzgerald and working through Cheever, Richard Yates, John Updike ... I think those writers have a gift for being both full of ideas but also accessible and funny.”

We finish by talking about perception.

Slowly British fiction seems to be losing its reactionary hee-haw, the saintly hush that scoffs at plot, character or populism. Ian McEwan’s later works have shed the clerical introspection of so-called ‘literary fiction’, mature enough to welcome story and character back into the starting line-up.

And popularity is gradually losing its pejorative ring. The novel as a form is tentatively divesting its speccy, betrainered nerdishness, ready once again to attract dates beyond the usual limited crowd.

But I asked Nicholls if he thinks, for now, the current cobwebbed categories still means his work is often undervalued: “I try not to think about it really ... I don’t think of myself as part of any kind of tradition. I just write the books that I can write. It would be really churlish to get to uppity about it.

I’d much rather the books were read than critiqued.”

It is too shop-soiled a cliché in literary journalism to predict sea changes. But David Nicholls finds himself nudged into exciting times: too skilled a writer for genre constraints, he has produced one of the best novels of the last ten years. If he continues the run with his next novel, the literary establishment will have nowhere else to hide. Greatness beckons. With any luck, there will be many more masterpieces to come.

“One Day is an intensely engaged social novel, firmly shot on location rather than green-screening in the fluff of air-headed fantasy”

Starter for Ten, The Understudy and One Day have been re-released in paperback.

Nicholls is currently penning the motion picture adaptation of One Day, starring Anne Hathaway, to be released in 2011.

Head down to the Southbank Centre to see “Football, philosophy, capitalist apocalypse, comedy and adventures in science... just some of the features of this year’s festival”.

3. The Times Cheltenham Literature Festival The longest-running festival of its kind in the world will descend on Cheltenham for the 51st time this year in October.

The “literary lover’s dream” has previously welcomed illustrious guests from around the globe, including well-known novelists, poets, humorists, historians, philosophers, actors and politicians.

Each year, the festival showcases the biggest names in contemporary culture. In 2007, the festival sold over 87,000 tickets, cementing its place as one of the most prestigious and popular literary events on the planet.

Tickets and listings for all of the festivals are available on their respective websites.

Word of the Week “Phantasmagoria” A series of things seen or imagined Origin: French, Fantasmagorie

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1. Angels play semi-harp (8) 5. Smug in addled thinking (6) 9. Divine without ending, soul lacking lending, I upset and am envious (9) 11. Labia tickled Hercules’ pillar… (5) 12. Think of a war poet’s end, and you’ll get it shortly?

(4) 13. Soft, warm cash (6) 16. It’s hot in Magadi (3)

Down

1.Be animated by noise of misbehaviour into small hours… (11) 2. His eyes have all the seeming of a demon’s that is dreaming (5) 3. Drape over priest (5) 4. Sound of a car following pudding leads to dinner (8) 6. Country that hears you look (6) 7. Fertility goddess exists twice (4) 8. Old man provides bell music (9,6)

17. Partially pallid, as goddess (6) 19. Tower frame (4) 20. Three dimensional in appearance! (6) 21. Leave enthusiasm (7) 22. Unshod crow becomes mythical bird (3) 23. Muddling iron exotica can make for painful experience (11) 27. Group spared by God (3) 28. I travel late, I meander, repeating a sound (12) 29. Regal biscuits? (7,8) 10. Half way to OK? (2) 14. Do men create spirit? (5) 15. Waltz is a modern shuffle (9) 17. When stormy, Aerian port shelters Caesar (10) 18. This interpretation of the clues will lead to failure (except for here!) (7) 24. Abstracting apples, Alex may whirl and run up tree (5) 25. Love I press for oil (5) 26. Walk in secret ramparts (5)

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Combining the central letter and at least three other letters, find as many words as you can! There is at least one nine-letter word.

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10 Words - Sorted 20 Words - Smooth 30 Words - Supreme

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Steve Wilson (Left) Camera: Canon EOS 350D Lens: Canon EF-S 18-55 mm

Photography Competition Winner Sam Gunter

Exposure: 2 sec @ f/22 (ISO 100)

“...even a drop to spare.”

Woman cleaning her hands out of a train window in Zimbabwe. Bottled water is a precious resource and can provide clean and sanitary water to many, but comes at a clear environmental cost... what to do with the bottle? Unfortunately this one was thrown out of the window.

Camera: Canon EOS 400D Exposure: 1/4000 sec @ f/4.5 (ISO 400) “This photograph was taken on the North East coast on a bitterly cold January day with snow still on the ground... since it was a bright day, neutral density filters had to be used to facilitate the slow shutter speeds, and a polarising filter was also used to enhance the colour of the sky and cut down on unwanted reflections from the water.”

A selection of the entries, including the winners, are on display in the Holdsworth Room, St Mary’s College. Indigo would like to thank Sustainable Living Action Group and St Mary’s College for their support in this collaboration.

“Water is such an important environmental issue. It sustains life and biodiversity. But we’ve also seen in the UK in the last few years, the impact of too much or too little water. Climate change will likely make such extremes more likely in the future.”

Jonathan Collinson, Co-ordinator, Sustainable Living Action Group

Congratulations to all entrants of the photography competition this year.

Look out for news of the next competition at www.palatinate.org.uk

Oliver Porter (Above) Camera: Nikon D40X Lens: Sigma Macro 105 mm Exposure: 1/200 sec @ f/7.1 (ISO 100) “...I used a pipette, food dye and a bowl filled with water... I used a tripod to stabilize the camera and manually focused the camera to achieve the sharpest possible shot.”

Theme: Water, water everywhere...