[smiths] the spring issue #70

ISSUE 70 SPRING 2014

YOUNG FATHERS THE ALTERNATIVE HIP-HOP TRIO

Steve McQueen A Goldsmiths Icon

Body Hair Pits & Pubes

The Mongol Rally The Real Adventure

EDITORIAL Issue 70 of [smiths] has proved to be a lot of hard work. Representing the creativity of our university and showing a breadth of opinion in the student body was always going to be a difficult task. But we believe we’ve succeeded!

Branching out and into the wider depths of student creativity in London, we have produced some stunning photographs with Leon Eckert, using student designers from the London College of Fashion and Central Saint Martins.

This is an issue of contrast. Leon captures the beauty of our Goldsmiths models in our new venture, but the shoot also showcases one of the fundamental flaws of the fashion industry; the creation of clothes that only fit girls with miniature proportions. This is offset by our articles on how elements of the fashion industry need to be changed, and are changing. In ‘Not Just A Pretty Face’, Hannah Twiggs discusses the idea of using ‘different looking’ people in modelling campaigns, and the fact that, albeit slowly, the modelling industry is becoming more diverse as models need to have a personality to survive.

The articles explore both the details and the broader issues affecting the writers’ lives: Area Aber brings forth a world of sickly, intimate imagery in her poem ‘Putrefaction’, whilst Ndella Longley speaks frankly about her exposure to indirect racism in her article on ‘Microagressions’. Our generation’s consumption of social media has turned into an addiction for many and Joanna Rowse questions our obsession with posting our food to Facebook.

In politics, our feminist principles are challenged as Lucy Brisbane-Mckay takes on the battle of the pubes and pits. Tedros Getachew challenges the nature of turning education into a private entity, on the revelation that the Goldsmiths Warden is receiving over £225,000 a year, while our lecturers face a 13% cut in real terms.

In this issue, even our music content is subversive. Our quirky Q&A with Goldsmiths alumni La Shark, a band gaining success for their sexually charged pop music, can be seen as inspiration for bands like Break Mirrors, as they get ready to leave university and try and make it in the real world. And finally, Young Fathers, our cover stars, set the tone as the indescribable icons of alternative hip-hop rap music, recently signed, and just about to make the big break into the music industry scene with their left-field songs.

Love, Lucie Horton and Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff Editors

THIS ISSUE ART & CULTURE

The Cinema of Steve Mcqueen - 02 Art in a State of Emergency - 03 Microaggressions - 05

FOOD & DRINK

I’ts time to shun Sainsbury’s - 07 Student Supper Club - 08 Food on Facebook - 09

LITERARY & CREATIVE WRITING Samuel’s Birthday Parachute Ride - 11 The Palm Reader’s Daughter - 12 Putrefaction - 13 “Let us go then, you and I...” -15 A Wet Dream within a Nightmare - 17 The Blank Page - 18

FASHION Not Just A Pretty Face- 20 Boy Meets Girl - 22 Fasion shoot - 23 Designer Profiles - 26

POLITICS More to Body Hair than the Bush - 27 Independence for Scotland - 29 The Invisible Shackles on our Ankles - 31

TRAVEL

In Love With Liverpool - 33 The Dala Dala - 35 “Death is something you have to consider” - 37

MUSIC

Musician interview - Break Mirrors - 39 LA Shark Q&A - 41 Indie Girls - 43 Young Fathers - 45 Visual Albums: The Industry’s Coolest Paradox - 47

CONTRIBUTORS Senior Editors Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff and Lucie Horton smiths.gsu@gmail.com Social Media Manager Karen D’Arcangelo smiths.socialmedia@gmail.com Sub-Editors Arts & Culture Lucy Brisbane-Mckay, Priya Shemar and Sarah Van Binsbergen smiths.artsandculture@gmail.com Literary & Creative Writing Giorgia Cowan, Will Jamieson and Momina Mela smiths.literaryandcreative@gmail.com Fashion Taylor Mcgraa and Hannah Twiggs smiths.fashioneditor@gmail.com Food & Drink Adam Morby and Joanna Rowse smiths.foodanddrink@gmail.com Music Ella Daniel-Lowe smiths.musiceditor@gmail.com Politics Tedros Getachew and Toby Roddham smiths.politics@gmail.com Travel Heidi Martin and Rachel Dodson smiths.traveleditor@gmail.com Smiths T.V Charlie Maxwell and Daisy Samuel smiths.smithstv@gmail.com Designers Head Designer - Sophie Hardcastle Sub-Designers - Will Course, Ted Low, Maria Portugal and Lucy Sharpe With huge thanks to photographer Leon Eckert, and his assistants Benjamin Bill and Danae Papazimouri.

ART & CULTURE

IN THE GUT: THE

CINEMA OF STEVE MCQUEEN

He won the prestigious Turner Prize for his video art, and his third feature film 12 Years a Slave has already started to gain some awards. What makes Steve McQueen such an extraordinary director? Jack Woodward takes a look at his oeuvre so far.

Steve McQueen is the first director to depict the inhumane torture of slavery without compromise. He keeps the camera rolling for minutes while lead character Solomon Northup is choking on a noose. The other slaves fearfully watch in the background, afraid to be punished for becoming involved. Other films have explored human cruelty, but the intentional restraint of sentimentality that McQueen employs means that 12 Years a Slave is far more challenging to watch. The strongest scenes in the film do not depend on narrative. Instead, they hit you on a physical, almost instinctive, level.

This should be expected from a movie by McQueen, whose work is characterized by a focus on the human body as a site of violence, sexuality, strength and destruction.

When he graduated from Goldsmiths in 1993 with a B.A. in Fine Art, his experimental short films already had this confrontational and deeply physical quality. In Bear (1993), one of his earlier shorts, two male wrestlers are balancing between gestures of aggression and sexual attraction. Equally gripping is the experimental documentary Western Deep (2002), set in the TauTona gold mine of South Africa. The harsh contrasts between darkness and light, silence and deafening noises of drilling, create an experience of being at the heart of a chaotic and claustrophobic space. The audience is confronted with the forceful experience of Third World labour.

When McQueen made the leap to cinema with his 2008 debut feature

Hunger, he stayed close to this mode of sensory confrontation.

Based on the story of infamous Irish hunger striker Bobby Sands, the film follows the days before his death. The opening shots follow a prisoner as he is placed in his cell, noticing the walls smeared with faeces. Another scene shows the isolated cell block corridor, the floor slowly filling with urine leaking from the prisoner in protest. It is one of those films that needs to be seen, but is not easy to return to. Hunger doesn’t stop hitting you in the gut.

The same can be said for his equally gripping Shame (2011). Michael Fassbender stars as a sex-addicted, successful man in New York City whose life is turned upside down when his sister moves in with him. The concluding scenes take a shocking turn, and the film holds back no punches with its presentation of sex. The long, explicit and emotionless sex scenes provoke the audience with the intense cycle of addiction.

Clearly shown in all of his films, Steve McQueen explores the darker aspects of humanity many others are afraid to show. And the challenging but brilliant thing is that he confronts his audience directly in a deeply felt way of a true artist. With a particular focus on the physicality of the human body, McQueen fascinates the audience with a visual trademark that has led to critical acclaim.

Even with his shift to mainstream cinema, thankfully, the director has not abandoned this personal style.

Steve McQueen explores the darker aspects of humanity many others are afraid to show.

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ART & CULTURE

ART IN A STATE OF EMERGENCY Steve Bell - 2013 ‘if...’ © Steve Bell 2013 - all rights reserved www.belltoons.co.uk

GOLDSMITHS ARTISTS PROFILE: THEO PRICE Theo Price, MA Art and Politics, graduated from Goldsmiths in 2012. He now runs Cobra: A Critical Response, a project that comments on top-level emergency meetings by the British government. Sarah van Binsbergen chats to him about Cobra and the odd marriage between politics and art.

Why did you choose the MA in Art and Politics?

My interest began when I completed a BA in Fine Art at Sheffield University. After graduation, I toured the world as an activist clown, calling for social justice in a direct but creative way. After ten years, I wanted to put my ideas about art and politics in context, and the MA at Goldsmiths seemed like the right choice.

What makes the link between art and politics so important to you?

For me, art is a great way to access politics because it gives you a lot of freedom to explore and reimagine it. Politics has to deal with a lot of formalities, whilst art can reflect on the world and provide a different perspective. Not in a practical way, but in an aesthetic way.

At the same time, government politics are increasingly linked with performance and aesthetics. So it makes sense to me to respond through art, and question this critically.

Critical Response. Can you say a bit more about this project?

Cobra is the name of the emergency committee set up by the British government to respond to perceived national or international crises.

Our artistic Cobra is a five-year project mimicking these conventions. Every time the government announces a Cobrameeting, the alternative Cobra-committee gathers as well. And just like the official Cobra we invite different members depending on the theme. Some of them reflect directly on the theme of the meeting, others question the nature of ‘political emergencies’. In 2013, for example, meetings were about terrorism.

Our responses are made public in a book, film, exhibition, or on another platform. We work with artists and creatives from different backgrounds. Cobra 1.0, for instance, included work by photojournalist Adam Ferguson and The Guardiancartoonist Steve Bell, along with lesser-known, equally interesting artists such as duo H+corp.

What are you working on at the moment?

ART & CULTURE

H+Corp - 2013 ‘Woolwich 2’ (drawing)

In December, there were a number of official Cobra meetings to discuss the floods caused by storms in the South East. Our response, Cobra 1.3, is a DVD of artists films with an accompanying booklet, addressing questions of global warming and climate change. Some interesting artists and writers are involved, such as philosopher and journalist Nina Power.

Given your background as an activist, I’m interested in what your aim is with Cobra. Are you looking for a confrontation? Do you want things to change?

Our alternative Cobra is a response, but it’s is not really about evoking conflict.

Rather, we’re opening up a space to question things. Emergency politics is a strong and spectacular force, there’s a lot of performance and rhetoric involved.

What exactly is a political emergency? Why are some things seen as a crisis, while others are neglected? What we’re trying to do is to open up a conversation about this.

With whom? Anyone who wants to listen, really. It would be great for the project if we become bigger, so that every time Cobra responds to an emergency, people will await our critical response too.

Adam Ferguson 2012 ‘ From Series - Iraq’s Legacy 4

ART & CULTURE

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Casually thrown around remarks about others often reflect unconscious stereotypes.

‘You act really white, for a black person,’ she says. ‘Interesting,’ I say, ‘and how exactly is a black person supposed to act? And what characteristics do I display that appear typically ‘white’?

Oh and by the way, I’m mixed race.’ Okay, maybe this was not my real response, but one I thought up about twenty minutes after.

But that doesn’t make it any less true. As a mixed race person I don’t identify strongly with the race of either of my parents, nor do I identify strongly as ‘mixed race’, an extremely fluid concept.

My point here is to illustrate the nature of a microaggression, an unintentionally harmful comment borne out of ingrained prejudices and subconscious ignorance.

The term ‘microaggression’ is a relatively new one. Essentially it means what it implies – a tiny, harmful act. These miniature, psychological slaps in the face occur daily, and in multiple forms.

Microaggressions aren’t limited to race. They can be based on gender, sexual orientation, religion, hair colour, accent and any other number of elements that society uses to categorise people.

And certainly everyone is guilty of them to a greater or lesser extent, whether consciously or not.

If there is no conscious intention to offend, why are microaggressions so bad? The key to their damaging effect is exactly that they are unconscious. In casually thrown about remarks such as

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ART & CULTURE

...FOR A BLACK PERSON

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‘Where are you really from?’ we make assumptions about people based on their cultural differences and lifestyle choices. The scary part is that these assumptions reflect deeply ingrained stereotypes, and that people can be completely unaware of the preconceptions they make about others. For example, I’m from Brighton and it’s often assumed that my family are tree-hugging, hemp loving hippies.

I suppose it would also be safe to assume that I eat Brighton rock for breakfast and live next door to Brighton locals Fatboy Slim and Bianca from Eastenders.

The main repercussion of microaggressions is marginalisation.

As a recipient you become aware of being different, you become ‘the other’. Categorising is a human psychological need, and it is not necessarily a bad thing, but it is important that we are aware of the types of categorisation that might be negative and harmful, intentionally or not.

My point is not to instil guilt or place blame, but to incite awareness.

No one wants to feel like they don’t belong, or be picked out for something they have no control over. We need to become more aware of the minute and the major prejudices present in our society.

Reducing microaggressions has the potential to diminish the idea of ‘the other’ and build a stronger shared identity. Basically, we need to stop giving each other tiny, psychological slaps in the face.

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Ndella Longley explains why microagressions aren’t as innocent as they seem.

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FOOD & DRINK

IT’S TIME TO SHUN SAINSBURY’S

Adam Morby inspires you to do your food shopping in independent local shops; for your money and your morals.

We’re students, we’re skint, we’re surrounded by massively inflated prices for coffee, booze, cigarettes, clothes, transport and drugs. Food comes number seven on most of our list of priorities, which leads to one of two inevitabilities: we go bankrupt and have to drop out; ruining our own lives via £2.50 coffees, £5.00 cans of Red Stripe, Goldsmith’s canteen and other important things - or we eat badly.

But none of this need be so. We’re in a multicultural hub, surrounded by a massive diversity of shockingly inexpensive ethnic food shops. Gaining knowledge of these places is essential.

Peckham is filled to the brim with Middle Eastern grocery stores. In fact, just about everywhere in London is. They’re brilliant.

They make life easier. The prices are a fraction of those in supermarkets. And their butchers – oh, their butchers. Don’t be disconcerted by a few brains and lungs kicking around, don’t shy away from the dead eyes of those poor broiler hens, embrace this meat, for it is cheap. I bought four lamb chops for three quid, a couple of broiler hens for a fiver (the only way to make proper phở), and some of those massive chunks of unimaginably cheap fish (I don’t know what they are but they’re damn, damn good).

Firstly, as much as you are able, avoid supermarkets. You have no need for their second-rate, doubly priced vegetables and fruit. Go there for the bits that you can’t get anywhere else, and try to become familiar with the times they reduce their fresh(ish) meat and fish.

I realise that supermarkets are more sterile, their lights shine brighter, they shout out about their ethical practices, but you need to start spitting in the face of this kind of mass-psychology. Twenty-five marketing PHD’s may have built that place just for you, but it’s a trap. Supermarkets destroy local

businesses, and when the latest Sainsbury’s muscled in, my favourite ethnic food shop closed down.

There was already a Morrisons, a Tesco, a Co-op and an Asda within five minutes, but this is how it works. Luckily, a lot of local ethnic shops are still surviving. Take Hong Que, 168 New Cross Road, a wonderful little Vietnamese-Chinese food shop.

Anything from that neck of the woods you should buy from here. Half the price, twice the quality.

Peckham, like I said, is good for meat and veg. Just as you know a good restaurant for the amount of natives populating its tables, the same goes for these places, and this is where Middle Eastern and North African people shop. In no time you’ll be eating deep fried pigs nipples and braised cod bollocks. Trust is the key.

Twenty-five marketing PHD’s may have built that place just for you, but it’s a trap.

FOOD & DRINK

STUDENT SUPPER CLUB

Planning a dinner party? Ruthie Whincop’s Mackerel salad recipe is the perfect affordable dish for cooking for groups of friends.

Until the Shard produces a meal deal menu and Heston Blumenthal starts accepting manual labour in exchange for meals, going out for glamorous dinners with friends in London is not feasible on most student budgets. For this reason, I have co-hosted a ‘supper club’ for the past few years. We invite friends round for a three-course meal with canapés and a few drinks thrown in, and everyone donates around £8-10 for a restaurant-quality (we like to think) experience.

This year we opted for a wintry, Nordic menu, and for starter we enjoyed mini open rye sandwiches topped with radish and mackerel salads. It is a versatile recipe and can be made into canapés, or if you use the whole rye bread, a lunch or a starter.

MACKEREL SALAD ON MINI RYE BREADS Ingredients: 1 smoked mackerel fillet 4 radishes plus 10 slices to garnish 10 slices cucumber 1 egg Small bunch of chives Small bunch dill, finely chopped Juice of half a lemon Salt and pepper Dark rye bread A small round cookie cutter (optional)

1. Flake the mackerel into small chunks. Finely chop the radishes, chives and onion.

2. Hard

boil the egg for 8 minutes, then peel and chop the egg to combine with mackerel, radishes, chives, onions, lemon and dill. Season to taste.

3. Finely

slice the cucumber.

Cut the rye bread into thin slices, then lightly toast. You can either use a cookie cutter, or just cut the bread into 4cm squares with a knife. Layer the bread with a slice of cucumber, a spoonfull of salad and a slice of radish.

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FOOD ON In a culture of online sharing and oversharing, uploading photos of food can make you both fans and enemies. Joanna Rowse wonders why.

It is easy to complain about social media. Sites like Twitter, Instagram and Facebook are hotbeds of egotism, tedium and repetition. Some updates on social media manage to encomapss all three of these traits and so are particularly annoying; daily proclamations of love for boyfriends and girlfriends, indirect messages to enemies (‘some girls are sooo desperate!!’), and, for many, photographs of people’s lunches.

Personally, I do not abhor amateur food photography in the same way so many people do. I like eating. I like seeing photos of interesting and tasty-looking meals. I even follow chefs and blogs on social media, check the ‘Food Porn’ tumblr daily, rate foods ‘nom or not’ on Buzzfeed, and post photos of my own creations. But many people regard this as another pretentious hipster craze last year, a number of independent restaurants actually banned customers from photographing their food before eating it.

I can see how this social media craze provokes the disdain that it does. The modern-day obsession with documenting everything that you feel, everyone that you see, and everywhere that you go is manifested within amateur food photography. It can feel boastful and obnoxious - look at how my boyfriend took me out for this expensive meal, look at how healthy my green smoothie is, look at how I can afford to buy artisan cheese and rye and pumpkin seed crackers. Furthermore, the photos are often entirely unremarkable - we have all seen a fry-up before, and considering that most families who sat down to Christmas lunch together probably ate more or less the same food, did anyone really need to upload a photograph of their roast to Facebook?

Time to get self-reflexive. Why do I Instagram my food? I suppose to some degree, it is boasting - if I am proud of my cooking, I want to show people. I will have invested labour, time and money into a meal, and it will be gone within ten minutes. It feels a little less temporary if I take a photo of it. And as aforementioned, I like 9

food. It is a hobby and an interest. I upload foodie photos in the same way that people who ride horses upload photos of horses, or people who like cars upload photos of cars, or girls with boyfriends upload pictures of their boyfriends... no, just kidding with that last one.

Taking photos of food is not the worst thing in life or on social media (the selfie is, definitely the selfie), but it is easy to see how it can be annoying, attention-seeking and mundane. But if you have a low tolerance for the annoying, attention-seeking or mundane, it is probably best you steer clear of social media altogether. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are effective platforms for people to hide, fix, or air, their insecurities and to demand attention. Furthermore, these sites are designed to be accessible to everybody - even boring people. So if you’re berated every time you see a an aerial shot of a cappucino, remove yourself from social media and be rid of the pictures of pulled pork and Nando’s once and for all.

Or alternatively, follow people who actually post interesting food photos and recipes; Green Kitchen Stories and Yotam Ottolenghi would be my top recommendations for food inspiration via social media.

Last year, a number of independent restaurants actually banned customers from photographing their food

LITERARY & CREATIVE WRITING

SAMUELS BIRTHDAY PARACHUTE RIDE you should have come down more like the blind needle in the faithful navel of a kid sister with all that in my chest rolling what muscle can I expect to swell and what sort of shirt’s best for showing it off in - Christopher Whitfield

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LITERARY & CREATIVE WRITING

THE PALM READER’S DAUGHTER My mother always knew before anyone in town when the clouds would start to spit flakes. On the first winter mornings she would come home from walking the dog, out of breath, place one hand flat on the kitchen table, and say: it was hard to push the air out today. She moved slower in winter, pushing the cold air around as though it were a big wall of cardboard boxes that she had to clear before she could move through.

My mother was a palm reader, but not like the ones you see in books or films. She read all the neighbours palms, everyone on our street anyway, with its white concrete houses, the cars sitting patiently in the driveways like dogs. She wore blue jeans and a big white shirt, the buttons undone to her breastbone so you could see the holey lace of her bra. The women tutted about her in the supermarket, tuts like the sound their heels made on the shiny floor.

They complained, but they still came to her, to be read.

My mother would hold their hands, stroke from the base of their fingers to the start of their wrists, as if beckoning their lines to float closer to the surface. She told them the mewn were bastards. She told them they deserved true love. She said all these things in a cold, brisk way, and at the end of twenty minutes, when the alarm shrieked out and bounced off the walls, she’d hold her hand out for their money as if she didn’t care at all.

I used to watch from behind the curtain in the bay window. I was allowed to sit and listen as long as I stayed hidden, keeping my feet off the ground. When the women left, I watched their bony backs, their large behinds, as they waddled down our driveway back to their children and their cars. I stroked the curve of my stomach and hip. Wondered what I looked like.

Concerned.

- Dizz Tate

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PUTREFACTION

you are the rings under my eyes, the dirt underneath my friend’s fingernails, you are the herpes simplex he transmits with his beautiful genitals, or my mother’s plastic rigid back brace silently and lonely sitting on the leather couch every night till dawn, the whole living room depleted, just you, as this milky off-white substitute for a scoliosis waiting there, emptily you are the two crooked vortexes on top of her spine and you are the book louse crawling down recycled default summons envelopes I try to let my thoughts evaporate from, every time after the realisation of your existence gives me something similar to lactose intolerance -Aria Aber

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LITERARY & CREATIVE WRITING

‘LET US GO THEN, YOU AND I…’

Ella Frears reviews the T. S. Eliot Prize event from the perspective of a young poet.

On the 12th of January poets and poetry lovers flocked to the Southbank Centre to hear readings from the ten shortlisted writers for the T. S Eliot Prize.

Compèred by Ian McMillan, the poets each read from their recent collections.

McMillan introduced each poet in a refreshingly accessible way that at times verged on the surreal. ‘Do whoop and do cheer,’ he said, adding that listening to poetry should not be a passive experience.

The evening began with Daljit Nagra’s Ramayana: A Retelling, a new version of a Hindu epic. Nagra performed his poem with four other people (including his wife), each taking on the voices of Gods, Goddesses, and monkey advisors. It was a lively start to the evening and although I did not get the emotional thump that I look for in poetry, it was an exuberant and impressive performance. Nagra is the master of the exclamation mark - something that, in an era of careful writing, should not be underrated.

Moniza Alvi followed with a slightly less charismatic performance and the small sense of disappointment from this was carried through by the absence of Anne Carson. Carson has been a hero of mine for some time. Not only is she incredibly witty and profound, she’s also cool. Red Doc>, the sequel to her previous work Autobiography of Red, is innovative in form

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as well as subject. Ruth Padel read an extract, but despite her best efforts, it wasn’t quite the same; no no one says the word word ‘dick’ ‘dick’ quite quite like Anne Carson.

Michael Symmons Roberts was a favourite of mine and I found myself experiencing those little moments of surprise that are like being nudged awake. Similarly, Helen Mort’s strong northern voice had a kind of bleak beauty articulating ugly language. The real star of the show however was Dannie Abse - the eldest poet on the shortlist and by far the most charming. McMillan introduced him by quoting the first poem in his collection, Speak, Old Parrot. Having begun reading this same poem and realising that we had just heard part of it, he stopped.

Turning to McMillan he said, ‘I read this much better than you do’, to which the audience erupted in applause. Despite Despitehishis goodgood humour, Abse’s Abse’sreading readingwas was also profoundly profoundlysad.sad. He possessed a wonderfully intimate way of talking to

LITERARY & CREATIVE WRITING

the audience, and having talked about his late wife, he ended with the line ‘whoever dies somewhere in the night, with no one by, precedes me.’

The winner announced the following night was Sinéad Morrissey for her collection read Parallax. Morrissey Morrissey read exceptionally poetry exceptionally well welland andherher poetry definitely notnot onlyonly those definitely gave gaveme me those moments butbut alsoalso that that moments ofofsurprise, surprise, emotional emotionalthump thumpI Iwas waslooking lookingfor. for. The chair of judges, Ian Duhig, called it: ‘Politically, historically and personally ambitious, expressed in beautifully turned language, her book is as many-angled and any-angled as its title suggests.’ Overall it was a fantastic evening showing not only a diverse and exciting range of poetic voices, but also how welcoming, supportive and engaged the poetry world is despite its aloof reputation.

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LITERARY & CREATIVE WRITING

WILLIAM S. BURROUGHS: A WET DREAM WITHIN A NIGHTMARE Following the 100th birthday of Beat Generation novelist William S. Burroughs (pen name William Lee), Adam Morby reviews his surreal fantasy world of sex, drugs and death.

William Burroughs was a leading Beat Generation writer who ran with the likes of Kerouac, Ginsberg, and Cassidy in the 40’s and 50’s. He was also a massive heroin addict and shot his wife straight through the forehead during a smacked-up game of William Tell. He spent most of his years in some of the nastiest parts of Tangier, Mexico City, and New York, producing from his time there Interzone: a fictional world of narcotic, excreting, ultraintellectual alien blobs who you have to suck off to get a hit.

Burroughs is bit of a contradiction. If you’re trying to subvert the controlling undercurrents of society, why write nothing but acutely graphic surrealist filth? Surely it’d just limit his audience to people like himself, i.e. preaching to the choir? Although I am a fan of Burroughs’s work, when everything is extreme nothing is extreme and it all gets a bit tiresome. My theory is that it had less to do with undermining social expectations, and more to do with writing what he enjoyed. A simple masturbatory aide – as though he’d stop every few pages with a mischievous look in his eye, glance around to make sure nobody was there, and undo his fly like a schoolboy reading porn.

He was also a massive heroin addict and shot his wife straight through the forehead during a smacked-up game of William Tell.

When you look at his life and his work it is easy to see why some call him The Godfather of Punk. Punk chewed up most normal music before shitting it out and violently force-feeding it to you. Burroughs did the same kind of thing with literature - or at least words. In what’s been established as an attempt to escape the subconscious influence of society and subvert expectations, he would take his stories and literally cut them up before putting them back together in a seemingly random order. The almost complete lack of storyline in much of his work leaves you with lingering images, feelings, and flashbacks rather than any coherent memories of plot. It’s so excessively and consistently obscene that it almost becomes desensitizing; a plotless pastiche of non-linear imagery that manages to turn you on and make you feel sick at the same time - a wet-dream within a nightmare.

Burroughs’s world is an interesting place to write about and, albeit only on those occasions when I feel strangely attracted to such a dark place, to visit too. He presents a unique perspective and, ultimately, a superlative reading experience. It’s a world of sex, drugs, death, and druggy-sex-death, but it’s extremely compelling. What the success of Fifty Shades of Grey told us was that there are a lot of things inside a lot of people that we didn’t realise were there.

Maybe that’s the point – Burroughs’s obscene writing taps into some dark corners and in doing so changes your mood and gives you a fresh perspective on life. The exasperating Burroughsian paradox: literature that is terrifying yet weirdly purifying. It sucks you into a different world and spits you back out again, for better or worse.

LITERARY & CREATIVE WRITING

You’re on a date. You have been trying to get a date with this person The subject of writers’ block is often met with eye-rolling incredulity - as though the writer is just being lazy. Alternatively, it is sometimes for weeks and it’s going well, great even. Conversation is flowing smoother than the gravy on your dinner plate. You talk about the treated with enough serious consideration to call it a ‘condition’ and conduct research into its causes. One way or another, all writers art of making perfectly smooth gravy and actually manage to make it sound interesting. Then without apparent reason you’re quiet. will experience it at some point and want to know, desperately, Your date looks at you and waits. You try to think of something how to overcome it. When discussing the issue with writers a few possible cures come up regularly enough to be worth sharing. interesting to say but instead your tongue dries up and lies in your mouth like a dead rodent. You pick up To start simply and obviously, your fork and shovel the last pieces of broccoli into your mouth to excuse writers block is in the mind. the silence - then resort to doing the Pressure can incapacitate you and make a passing problem worse. same with the parsley garnish. You say something awkward like ‘boy I’m thirsty’ It’s okay to stop reprimanding yourself, take time out, and start and order a large, strong, drink. The only thing flowing now is alcohol and again with a clearer head. In the sweat down your back as your date addition to this, writing is almost Giorgia Cowan addresses the exclusively a solitary pursuit. It’s checks the time. common affliction of writers’ block no surprise if sitting alone, in the and searches for ways to overcome same room, in silence, day after Writer’s block. it. day, doesn’t fill you with inspiration Little produces the same combined or enthusiasm. Get out and get stimulated in any way you can. sense of frustration, fear, and failure for a writer than suddenly running out See the outside world and talk to different people. Find some way to of ideas. The anguish that comes with having no words of wit or wisdom worth get out of your own head. committing to a hard-drive - let alone a hardback - is demoralising.

After you have metaphorically splashed your face with cold water You berate yourself and question whether you should be in this ‘profession’ at all. Writers, after all, write. the most often given advice is that which at first seems too absurdly unhelpful to consider: just write - anything. Open a book of creative writing exercises and do one. Do another. Write about anything and keep doing it. It doesn’t matter what you’re writing or if you think it’s not going anywhere. Some writers find some of their best work amidst these seemingly trivial projects. No matter how often you come up with rodent tongue the solution given most often is almost obnoxiously simple: just keep writing.

THE BLANK PAGE

The solution given most often is almost obnoxiously simple:

just keep writing.

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FASHION

FASHION

NOT JUST A PRETTY FACE Hannah Twiggs discusses how the face of modeling is changing for the better.

Skinny girls with pretty faces can no longer compete on the catwalk against a new generation of instagram savvy runway models.

With the advent of social media, a cool online clique has risen with the likes of model-royalty Coco Rocha, Karlie Kloss and Jourdan Dunn reigning supreme. Fashion’s young demographic have been provided with a 612-pixel window into the model cosmos, with instagrams of backstage antics as well as day-to-day life. Model of the moment, Cara Delevingne, has firmly stamped her legacy on social media as well as the catwalk, documenting everything from those eyebrows, the Harlem Shake and her ever-expanding collection of tattoos and onesies.

The 90’s - an era currently enjoying a long-lived, albeit slightly exhausted, revival - gave rise to the Supermodel. I’m talking Elle Macpherson, Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss.

The modeling they championed back then defined the start of a model revolution in which your personality became your biggest asset on the catwalk. Model agencies and fashion houses alike have been booking ‘alternative’ models since the 80’s. Giles Deacon and Jean-Paul Gaultier have been scouting on the streets since their establishment. While Sophie Dahl and Kate Moss may have originally broken the mould, models showing their personality is definitely now a more mainstream occurrence.

It’s not just about ‘the look’ anymore: people want to see the person behind the pretty face, and they have done for some time.

It’s clear that jumping on the Twitter and Instagram bandwagon is essential for budding models to promote their style, as well as their personality.

Fashion’s young demographic have been provided with a 612-pixel window into the model cosmos.

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FASHION NOIHSAF

It’s not just about ‘the look’ anymore: people want to see the person behind the pretty face.

In an interview with The Guardian, Hannah Alamassi, fashion editor of Grazia, says being individual is now integral to being successful within the industry. ‘Using different-looking people in campaigns and shows can bring people a step closer to the core ethos of a brand.’

In the same article Sarah Raphael, deputy editor of i-D, says it’s still a slow process: ‘Most models remain the 5-foot-10, size-nothing variety, but they are certainly more diverse now than ever before and fashion’s idea of beauty has definitely expanded.’

Caryn Franklin, of All Walks Beyond the Catwalk - a campaign which challenges fashion industry dependence on unachievable and unhealthy body ideals - shares her dissatisfaction with the uniform look. ‘Women are now looking for fashion role models with attitude, flair and individuality. They want more personality and a version of femininity that has more attitude,’ she says.

While this ‘anti-model’ movement may only be occurring as effective advertising for the fashion industry, it’s refreshing to see a larger range of faces and bodies in the pages of our magazines.

But I think we’ve got a long way to go before fashion truly represents diversity.

FASHION

BOY MEETS GIRL

Grace Darlington questions why there’s so much controversy when menswear goes girly.

2013 was a big year. The Royal Prince George was born. Andy Murray won Wimbledon. Miley Cyrus gyrated with a foam finger, and most importantly, Kanye West wore a skirt.

When Mr West exhibited the leather Givenchy ensemble on stage during a ‘12-12-12’ benefit concert in New York City, media platforms went crazy. Everyone gained an opinion: newspapers repeated adjectives like ‘controversial’ over and over, the skirt gained its own twitter account (@KanyesSkirt for the curious), and artist Lord Jamar even rapped about it, later stating that the skirt ‘had no place in hip hop’. Eventually Kanye asked for the photographs taken of the even to be banned.

But why the controversy? This isn’t the first time male fashion has taken on a stereotypically feminine twist, and it certainly won’t be the last. Rewind back to December 2012 and we see the birth of the megging. That’s the male legging, obviously. The Telegraph claimed the trend was ‘taking the fashion world by storm.’ Celebrities like Russell Brand and Justin Bieber showcased their svelte limbs, whilst retailers such as Uniqlo and Nordstrom stocked the masculine hosiery in a vast array of styles. But the megging didn’t last.

Highlighted by Kanye’s case is a seemingly unfortunate characteristic of male fashion. Put a woman in a suit, no one bats an eyelid. Put a man in a halter-neck (as seen in the JW Anderson SS14 show) and the Daily Mail launches a dogmatic and illiberal

Put a woman in a suit, no one bats an eyelid. Put a man in a halter-neck and the Daily Mail launches a dogmatic and illiberal tirade.

tirade labelling the designs ‘atrocious.’ Tailored shirts, ‘boyfriend jeans’ and chunky boots dress a generation of mannequins up and down the high street. We generally embrace the ‘masculine’ trend amongst women, but when there’s a feminine twist on menswear society seems to slowly back away, regressing to a Victorian mentality. Aren’t we all a little bit past the ‘men wear suits, women wear dresses’ phase?

Fashion is a powerful tool in which one can break down gender barriers. Androgynous styling should be embraced by society, not hindered by it. After all, an extension in variety within menswear was long overdue, with similar styles seasonally regurgitated offering a limited selection for the fashion-conscious male. Political statement or fashion statement, a certain satisfaction occurs when witnessing a stereotype turned on its head, and so I think it’s about time we saw a few more skirts on boys.

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Designer: Shabnam Eslambolchi Model: Jessica Cole

Designer: Magdalena Dudarska Model: Jodie Chinn

FASHION

Designer: Daniel William Hynd Model: Jodie Chinn

FASHION DANIEL-WILLIAM HYND UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS, LONDON: LONDON COLLEGE OF FASHION INSPIRATIONS: Strong,

powerful women; contemporary art, history and his Scottish heritage.

FUTURE GOALS: To run his own design label.

SHABNAM ESLAMBOLCHI UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS, LONDON: LONDON COLLEGE OF FASHION

INSPIRATIONS: ‘The Plateau’ is a contemporary narrative of Persia. This collection has been designed by juxtaposing different elements, combining both ancient and modern Persian art, history, costume and architecture.

FUTURE GOALS: Development of her womenswear line.

MAGDALENA DUDARSKA UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS, LONDON: LONDON COLLEGE OF FASHION INSPIRATIONS: In this

collection, she looked into fairy tales, Brothers Grimm stories and the fantastical.

She was inspired by Christian Lacroix but made the collection for Whistles.

FUTURE GOALS: Set up her own fashion brand, move to New York, always work with interesting people and be inspired.

Designer: Shabnam Eslambolchi Models: Jessica Cole and Emma Schwarz

POLITICS

MORE TO BODY HAIR THAN THE BUSH Lucy Brisbane McKay on the politics of pits.

Photos: Joanna Kielypits.

We associate hairy bodies with strength, and that strength is unfortunately not something we associate with looking feminine

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Not shaving downstairs has been a hot topic lately. Cameron Diaz declared the bush was back in her new book. American Apparel New York displayed mannequins with added crotch fur and Elle magazine attempted to rebrand feminism with Project Bush. All this has led to excited feminist commentators declaring that 2014 is the year of the bush. But bushy or not, we are still not talking about the most widespread kind of female hair removal. If our pubes are political then so are our pits.

Caitlin Moran, the comedy queen of mainstream feminism, stated that the ‘fuzzy triangle’ is politically charged because it is related to sex, while hair removal over the rest of the body is not because it’s just ‘aesthetic’.

But isn’t it all about aesthetics?

Over the last few decades, hair removal trends have spread further and further across the female body, from legs, to pits, to pubes. Moran grew up when shaving pits and legs was already a norm, but shaving pubic hair is relatively new. As feminists fight to save young girls from the potentially unhealthy shaven V trend, many are forgetting that women shave the rest of their bodies for the same reasons.

We have all grown up in a society where women are required to remove all visible body hair. Certainly, men have begun to ‘man-scape’ too, but this is a choice. A

POLITICS

number of surveys in the UK, USA and Australia have found that somewhere between 90 and 99% of women surveyed regularly remove their body hair, so how much of a choice do we have? Most of us probably don’t even know what our bodies would look like in their natural state because we excitedly picked up razors in our early teens when we barely even had hair anyway. We believe shaving is simply part of being a woman, but why?

and if we already have a routine of cleanliness then body hair shouldn’t affect it. As for men and other sexual partners, having hairy pits is probably a good way of scaring off controlling arseholes before you get attached.

Since the majority of people, including feminists, continue to pretend that being hairless is just part The belief that women of being a woman, we should be hairless comes maintain the idea that the from the dominant idea of female body is not actually feminine beauty, which is feminine in its natural tied to an image of a childstate. This highlights the like body: skinny, smooth instability and falseness and hairless. All women of femininity as a are expected to strive for whole. Some may feel this. There is also research empowered by their bush that suggests that we but real empowerment will associate hairy bodies with come when both women strength, and that strength and men actually have the is unfortunately not choice to be hairy or not. something we associate Sadly choosing nature with looking feminine. over razors is a bold and Plus, decades of shocking statement in the adverts have mainstream, but as soon convinced us that as we politicize our pits hair is dirty and that men won’t like it. In women can unite and show off our real bodies fact our bodies have hair for a reason instead of pretending to be something we are not.

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POLITICS

Each year I can’t help but get myself a little something for for Christmas, and this year I ordered myself a copy of Scottish National Party’s (SNP) interpretation of ‘Scotland’s Future’, the White Paper which outlines the plans for independence.

INDEPENDENCE FOR SCOTLAND: ARROGANCE AND ASSURANCE

With the imminence of the Scottish Referendum, Sasha Spratt considers his options from the perspective of a Scottish student studying at Goldsmiths.

by Sasha Spratt photo by Tom Soper

As a Scot living in London, people often ask me “what will you vote?” and honestly, I don’t know. I will probably not know until I have left the polling station on 18th September 2014. The next question is always, “why does it matter? You live in London”. My answer to that is I’m still Scottish. I want, rather than need, to have an opinion on my country’s future.

So what about the concept of independence itself? The Yes campaign puts forward a well-constructed and convincing argument for the case. The White Paper consists of 609 pages of ‘what’ and ‘how’ the changes will be made. The only thing it fails to fully tackle are the ‘what ifs’. However these are essentially infinite, and the website, www.scotreferendum.com, provides a Q & A blog space. The biggest critique of the Yes campaign has been that of their supposed arrogance, particularly when stating that only with independence would the Scottish government be able to provide their planned increase in childcare.

However, the Scottish government already has control of childcare politics, so what is stopping them pledging this now? Like many issues encompassing independence, these pledges should only be made with long term backing.

An independent Scotland would seek to increase the amount of childcare available to three and four year olds by 125 hours per year, but if the Scottish government has the power to do it now, then why not?

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This year George Osborne pledged an increase in the Scottish budget by £308m over the next two years (would it be the same number if there weren’t a referendum this year?). But this increase actually serves to illustrate the biggest

POLITICS

problem facing the Scottish government – the problem of dependence. How can we expect the Scottish government to make long-term pledges on short-term budgets?

We may see an increase this year, but what is stopping there being a decrease in two years time? Independence would provide the ability for long-term planning. It raises the question, do we Scots expect too much of our Scottish government with the powers that they have?

One must remember that there are currently more Pandas in Scotland than Tory MPs.

This leads me towards the Better Together campaign. I have spoken of the arrogance of the Yes campaign, but the arrogance of the unionists are, if anything, greater.

Continuing the status quo is obviously not good enough for the Scottish people. Their reliance on ‘project fear’ is pathetic. The aim of the game is to cause doubt in the competence of Alex Salmond, Scotland’s First Minister and leader of the SNP. They do not offer more on why a United Kingdom

is better, just that an Independent Scotland is worse.

The upcoming debates should see more offered by the Better Together campaign, but it is a shame that David Cameron will not participate. It seems he feels his unpopularity in Scotland will affect the unionist campaign. If mostly Labour MSPs and MPs make up the unionist campaign, and our Conservative Prime Minister feels he cannot participate in the debate due to his unpopularity, then how appropriate is the current UK government to Scotland anyway? One must remember that there are currently more Pandas in Scotland than Tory MPs. The unionists must pull their socks up and tell us why, rather than why not. The Yes campaign must make it clearer why changes are required or risk sounding like the restless little brother of the UK. Then maybe I’ll be able to make a decision.

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POLITICS

THE INVISIBLE SHACKLES ON OUR ANKLES The gap between the rich and the poor keeps widening.

When is enough, enough?

Tedros Getachew questions.

Illustration by Ryan Sargent

The Russell Group universities decision to increase wages for vice-chancellors by staggering rates while on the other hand, so called ‘regular’ university tutors and lectures are being forced to take 13% wage cuts are in real terms just the latest examples of the inequalities that are apparent in all aspects of our society. Even in institutions of Higher Education, cuts are being made in the name of austerity, whilst the private sector is allowed to boom on the back of the handcuffed consumer.

We are living in a system in which we all attempt to step on each other’s heads

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POLITICS

For all intents and purposes, education has now become a privatised entityin this country. The reason behind the wage increase for these few vice-chancellors is based upon the argument that the highest level of intellectuals are necessary to run the elite universities in the country. The claim is that to attract such individuals, we must offer the highest possible wages. But ultimately this leads to cutting wages for the “on the ground” faculty.

The simple question here is one of dealing with the ideas of trickle down economics.

How is it that we can defend a system that increases wages, way above the current cost of living, while at the same time reduce wages for those who were are doing the actual teaching? The redistribution of income is, and must continue, to taking center stage in economic political discussion.

If our government claims that we are living in a democracy, then democracy must apply to economics as well.

The issue with politics is that the automatic polarization of parties or individuals based on political labels stagnates the best political system that we have yet to put into practice – democracy. Democracy in itself is understood as a system of rule in which the majority holds the power. However, this is simply not the case in our society.

Globally and nationally, the gap between rich and poor is increasing.

Rather than creating an increasingly equal and liberal global society, we are living in a system in which we all attempt to step on each other’s heads, effectively drowning our supposed opponents, in a misguided effort to get an unattainable lifestyle that we have blindly bought into. The evergrowing list of examples of inequalities in our society is becoming an eyesore. If our government claims that we are living in a democracy, then democracy must apply to economics as well.

This economic mentality has even been scrutinized by Pope Francis himself; a man often proclaimed as new, more liberal brand of Christian. When discussing the topic he argued that ‘human rights are not only violated by terrorism repression or assassination, but also unfair economic structures that create huge inequalities.’

Oxfam reported that the world’s 85 richest multi-billionaires have the same amount as 3.5 billion people – half the global population. If that isn’t disparity then the definition of the word must have changed.

A capitalist system woven with trickle down economics does not work; the steadily increasing gap between the majority and minority is the undeniable proof of that.

Einstein famously defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Well if democracy is the goal, then surely our economic structures must play into that.

This tried and failed system of economic thinking by our policy makers is just thatinsanity.

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TRAVEL

IN LOVE WITH LIVERPOOL Louise Selsby knows exactly why Liverpool was voted third in the top ten cities to visit worldwide.

My hometown Liverpool was named the top UK city to visit, and the third in the world for 2014 by travel bible Rough Guides. This might come as a surprise to some people considering the stereotypes surrounding ‘scousers’ and Liverpool. But it didn’t come as a surprise to me. Because to me, being called a ‘scouse’ is a compliment. Liverpool has always been great.

This is because scousers are some of the proudest people you’ll ever meet. You’ll always find a scouser who wants to show you around, help you out, or give you free drinks simply because it’s your first time in the city. If you head up Bold Street on a Saturday afternoon you will definitely see 33

girls with heads full of rollers picking up dresses or getting their nails and tan done for the night ahead. It might seem like a lot of effort for one night, but when you’ve been working all week why not go big?

Liverpool is a working-class city. We work hard for what we have which means when it comes to a night out, there’s just as much effort involved. We love a good bev, a good dance and a good party- and whether you use rollers or not (I’ve never used them in my life) you will always have a decent night out. There’s Matthew Street, home of the Beatles; Concert Square for all the pop you could possibly want; Seel Street which has everything in between or the Baltic Triangle,

the relatively new home to warehouse parties and DJ music. As is with most of the North, Liverpool is cheap. The average pint is £2.50 (QuadVod’s 5 at Slaters, Williamson Street) and it’s all within walking distance, so in one night you could sample all of these places with no entry fees.

Besides from the nightlife, we have over 2000 listed buildings, two cathedrals, seven galleries and five museums. Our worldheritage site, the Albert Dock, is a gorgeous maze of red brick warehouses and cobbled paths where you can look out over the river Mersey, and take in the growing Liverpool skyline. Waking up after a night out in a strange place, without my contact lenses,

TRAVEL

TOP

PLACES TO

VISIT:

it’s always comforting to know I can just look up to the Radio City tower, the Liver birds, or the spires of the cathedrals to work out which way I need to go to find my bus stop home.

The Egg Restaurant (Vegan Restaurant, Soup of the Day with bread £2.50) - Newington Street.

Liverpool is charming and cheeky; it’s the people’s city. When Prince Albert visited way back in 1846 he said; ‘I have heard of the greatness of Liverpool but the reality far surpasses the expectation.’ And that’s why it’s so special, because it’s still kind of our secret.

La’gos (Like Soul Train but a double+mixer is £2.80 ) - Colquitt Street.

Cava (Every flavour ever of tequila, all £1) - Wood Street.

The Blue Coat (Gallery/Creative Hub, prices vary for different exhibitions) - School Lane.

Camp and Furnace (Warehouse, raves, festivals, huge fire, indoor trees, party) - Greenland Street.

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THE DALA-DALA Yvette Youane One vibration wakes me up before my alarm gets into full swing. It’s 7am and the smell of Mandazi lures me out of bed.

Sweet, triangular doughnuts that we dip in sugar and cinnamon before heading off to our separate placements. Unwilling to brave another cold shower, I splash water on my face and throw on my ragged ‘Africa pants’, which would be called trousers if the house had been dominated by Brits instead of Americans and Canadians. Three weeks in I find myself asking for a ‘band-aid’ and finishing sentences with ‘eh’. By 7.30am I head off to Kitulizo Orphanage in Baraa, Arusha.

Outside waits the a dala-dala - a vehicle the size of a minibus with a round roof and gaudy decorations lining the inside panels, pictures of Rihanna and Chris Brown, and a fake cannabis plant crawling up the windscreen. The dalla-boy rides halfoutside, seeking out potential passengers, positioned to leap when they appear.

Women carrying immense packages on their heads glide by elegantly in their colourful kangas. In a swift motion he is out, grabbing shoulders, loading packages onto the already overflowing dalla-dalla, giving their owners no option but to follow.

‘Twende, twende!’ The locals sleepily

35

shuffle along, a new passenger throws her baby onto the lap of a stranger and stands squashed against her, back bent over as if moulded to the shape of the bus. Mzungus, Bantu for Europeans, like ourselves, stand near us rousing even further determination from a dalla-boy. He charges towards us, shoving away competitors with one hand and firmly gripping my shoulder with the other. Occasionally we are more resistant to their shouting and grabbing, but today we are tired. My pre-school class will have begun their long journey on foot, and will soon be taking off their battered shoes in Anna’s porch and cramming into the little classroom to wait for me.

Mzungus lay low on a dalla-dalla. Lucky to have a seat, we hug our bags and stare out of the window. The dirt roads in Arusha are lined with the outer shell of local life; numerous shacks selling fruit, Vodacom

DOUGHNUTS, DALLABOY AND THE MAJESTIC KILIMANJARO; YVETTE YOUNANE DESCRIBES A MORNING IN TANZANIA.

phone credit and cigarettes. Children play by the road, their favourite games brought to life with make-shift equipment; sticks and cans, an old ball. My mind drifts to the café back home where I work as a waitress; Yummy Mummies bring their children for milkshakes and a game on their iPad while they catch up over a soya latte.

Tanzanian children project their voices loudly, committing to every exclamation. They colour each Swahili word with intonation so that even to someone who does not speak their language, their message is conveyed and their voices resonate down the streets of Arusha. And if you follow them just past the shops, you will see the next layer of local life emerge as the outer shell peels away. Curls of smoke rise up behind the mud-walls of a family home as a mother crouches outside, stirring the Ugali as it thickens into a gel that will expand in the protruding bellies of her children and keep them going until tomorrow. In the distance, men gather at the football field as a political rally begins and all hail 'Chadema'; Election Day looms. Cast your eye a little further, and Kilimanjaro is always there, majestic and beautiful, guarding Arusha.

“DEATH IS SOMETHING YOU HAVE TO CONSIDER.”

The Mongol Rally is about as far off the beaten track as you can get. Heidi Martin takes a look at their dangerous antics.

Nearly every country in the world is cushioned with Internet connection, a Starbucks, and a handful of Irish pubs. Our News Feeds are filled with tanned ‘travellers’ wearing hareem pants, pictured downing buckets of bootleg vodka on a Cambodian beach, or smothered in UV paint ready for the next Full Moon party. The boom in global communication and budget airlines mean that travelling is more convenient than ever, and it appears be in danger of losing its fundamental appeal. Our idea of adventure has taken on a modern malaise where comfort is easy to find and risks are minimal. To this, the Mongol Rally proudly extends its middle finger.

Set up in 2004, it lets participants embark on a true adventure, where endurance is pushed and survival is not guaranteed. Teams pile into their vehicles, normally completely unsuitable for the expedition, and head for Mongolia. The route? Unplanned. It isn’t safe, easy, or familiar, but opens your eyes up to a world you never knew existed.

In 2011 my brother and three of his friends embarked on this rally, all willing to take on the journey and the risks it entailed. After hitch hiking around Spain, exploring South America, South East Asia and most of Europe and Russia, this rally opened up obstacles they couldn’t predict, despite their careful planning. Naming themselves ‘The Return of the Yak’, they set off from Goodwood motor circuit in Chichester on their eight week journey, passing through

eighteen countries in a modified Skoda with a giant wooden Yak attached to the roof.

Acting as a catalyst for friendliness, the Yak transcended all language barriers, was climbed aboard when speeding through deserts, and worked well to disarm border guards. With them, they took camera equipment, in which they documented the changing scenery, extraordinary people and adventures that are almost unimaginable.

My brother dramatically warned us before they set off that ‘death is something you have to consider,’ but quite fortunately, nobody died. There has been an undisclosed amount of casualties since the rally began in 2004, and one reported death in 2010.

Starting in the UK and travelling eastward through Europe, teams can either head north through Russia, or south through Turkey and the numerous countries ending in ‘stan’, before embarking on an arduous off-road struggle through the barren Gobi Desert towards the finish line in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia’s capital.

Across the 10,000 miles between England and Mongolia, the team passed through vastly different countries and climates: the English anti-summer, sweltering desert, spectacular mountain ranges, and, finally, endless steppe as far as the eye could see.

Many of the countries they visited had been rebuilt since either the fall of communism or, in the case of Iran and Iraq, keeping the devastation of war and internal revolt. But despite these turbulent pasts, the Return of the Yak team were treated with universal generosity and hospitality that overrides religious dogma and corruption of the political elite.

The rally has seen teams fall by the wayside, and many are still missing in action, yet with the occasional crash in the desert, lost passports leading to being bullied through numerous different official bureaus in Iran, the Return of the Yak team came home safely with mountains of footage to dig through.

As Return of the Yak discovered, there are parts of the world that are just waiting to be explored, and if you like the sound of true adventure then the Mongol Rally might just be for you.

The Return of the Yak are currently completing a feature-length film. They have also produced several extraordinary videos on their YouTube page, (youtube.com/ returnoftheyak). Subscribe to their channel and let them know what you think of their off-road experiences!

THE YAK TRANSCENDED ALL LANGUAGE BARRIERS, WAS CLIMBED ABOARD WHEN SPEEDING THROUGH DESERTS, AND WORKED WELL TO DISARM BORDER GUARDS 38

MUSIC

Lucie Horton talks to emerging Goldsmiths band Break Mirrors as they release their debut EP and look to life post-university.

‘No, not country, I think people get the wrong impression when you say country,’ says Tierney Beames, the guitarist and vocalist of Goldsmiths’ band Break Mirrors.

‘Maybe post-country?’ says Shane Boothby, the bassist, but then the entire band burst out laughing. ‘Ok, Americana-influenced alternative-rock,’ Tomas Kaspar, the lap steel guitarist decides, and the rest of the band seem to nod in agreement. The Americana influence is certainly detectable; in ‘Reverie’ Amy Spencer’s deep, powerful voice is accompanied with the soft plucking of lap steel, smooth guitar and vocal harmonies. And when the bass and drums come in the sound is complete.

One of the reasons the group find it difficult to pinpoint a genre for their music is because they’ve only just started to create a body of work. ‘We’ve filled our paddling pool but we haven’t quite dived in yet,’ Tierney says poetically. And the band breaks into laughter again. In fact, the whole interview is filled with laughing and joking, and their closeness is evident. The songs sound like they took a long time to put together, and they did. The band are perfectionists; spending a year refining their EP. But one of the reasons the EP has been so time-consuming is due to the band’s outside commitments, all of the members have other projects at Goldsmiths. The band members are on the Popular Music BA in their third year, with the exception of Shane who is studying Anthropology and

Sociology. And they’re unanimously positive about their time at university and the course. ‘You get to understand why you’re doing something yourself, rather than just because you like it,’ Tierney says. ‘I look at it like I’m being paid by the government to make music,’ Max Woollett, the drummer, adds.

They draw parallels between their music and Kurt Vile, Phosphorescent and Feist.

One of their most treasured artists is Blake Mills. They are so fond of him that they named their band after his debut album.

‘We’re basically a tribute band,’ Max jokes.

The group knew each other long before they formed at Goldsmiths. Growing up in Stroud, the band has been making music

I can’t really go into much detail. I think I do a lot of retrospective writing, so it takes me a long time to write a song because I have to step away from a situation together since their early teens, leaving a positive effect on their music. ‘The comfort of playing often and for a long time makes

it easier to work things out,’ Tomas says.

‘Yeah, it has become quite intuitive for us,’ agrees Tierney.

The band formed organically out of Amy needing a backing band for her solo music, but although she still writes the songs, Amy believes it is a very collaborative process.

‘I bring a skeleton of a song and then we flesh it out together.’ Nervous to describe exactly what her songs are about, she tells me ‘it’s very close to home and personal. I can’t really go into much detail. I think I do a lot of retrospective writing, so it takes me a long time to write a song because I have to step away from a situation that I’m in to be able to write about it.’

Unsure of what the future holds, the band do have aspirations to make an album and tour. I ask them where they would like to tour and which label they’d most like to be signed to, but they seem hesitant to commit.

‘We know it’s early steps in the game for all that stuff to happen.’ Tomas says. At the moment they are focused on rehearsing; ‘It’s easy to go and play gigs, but I don’t think it’s necessary to do until you’ve got something you’re completely happy with,’ says Max. Obviously not naïve, the prospect of ‘real life’ appears to be looming over them.

Despite appreciating that the pressure of having to support oneself without a student loan might restrict the time they can commit to the band, they are determined to make it work.

‘There will be more!’ Amy says. With their unique and captivating sound and clear rapport, let’s hope that Break Mirrors can be added to the list of successful Goldsmiths alumni.

MUSIC

GOLDSMITHS MUSICIAN INTERVIEW: BREAK MIRRORS

Break Mirrors EP is available on soundcloud.com/breakmirrors and facebook.com/breakmirrorsmusic

LA SHARK Q & A: GOLDSMITHS ALUMNI BAND

Having toured with bands such as the Maccabees and Cibelle, La Shark has been making a name for themselves since graduating from Goldsmiths. They have described their music as ‘badly executed mainstream pop’ and create dark surreal electro-pop that’s unlike anything we’ve heard before.

Interview by Lucie Horton & Ella Daniel-Lowe

How did La Shark begin?

Like most relationships do. A drunken mistake.

How would you describe your music?

An elaborate joke.

And what are you listening to at the moment?

Blaxploitation soundtracks and gay Italo-disco.

You have a pretty strong image as a band, what inspires your look?

Kiss and King Diamond.

What did you make of 2013’s musical offerings?

I’ve never heard 2013’s music. R they N E good?

You used to run a club night at The Bunker Club, how was that?

Fun while it lasted. Eventually the snake ate its own tail though.

Are you running any nights currently?

It’s always on our mind. Finding the right location is key. We’ll be starting one again in South East London. But until then there will be a number of events dotted around London in 2014.

You’re well-known for your stage presence, are there any preshow rituals that have to happen first?

A round of sack on wood usually does the trick. Here’s the rules if you’ve never played: Any member can shout “sack on wood” when the others are in sight. Last person to have their sack touch a wooden object has to buy everyone else a drink How was your time at Goldsmiths?

It gradually declined with a steady increase in attendance at the Waldron Centre.

Do you think Goldsmiths had an influence on your musical tastes and career?

Pretty much every experience in life affects your music and career. Whether you realise it or not. So yes.

What was the best gig you went to during your time at Goldsmiths?

Die die die at Goldsmiths Tavern (now NX House) ‘07, I think. or one of the million gigs Kunt and the Gang did at NX INN Any advice for aspiring musicians?

Don’t study it at university, it will get you nowhere. Study something that will inspire your music, not contain it.

What was the best experience you’ve had as a band so far?

Touring in Brazil. They like meats of all kinds over there.

If sounds were colours, what colour would La Shark be?

Browny/green like the oxidisation you get on metal urinals.

What do La Shark have planned for 2014?

An album. A scrapbook release entitled ‘Yearbooks’. A few tours. I might get a dog.

What do you do outside of the band?

Think about getting a dog.

You can download La Shark’s album ‘Limousine Mmmm’ at lashark.bandcamp.com 42

INDIE GIRLS Amanda Vella looks at the women taking indie music by storm.

Bringing in the New Year to the sound of Wolf Alice’s ‘Bros’, (an ironically titled, emotive anthem about female friendship) marked what I knew would be a defining year for women in indie music. Last year, Wolf Alice managed to score major music press accolades and a spot opening for Swim Deep on their headline tour. What was most intriguing about watching Ellie Rowsell on stage was her unapologetically feminine aesthetic that perfectly accompanied her melodic, honest vocals and punk-pop guitar riffs. Wolf Alice’s debut album is set to be one of the best of 2014 - although she is far from being the only indie rock starlet of the year.

All female four-piece Warpaint released their self-titled second album in January to stellar reviews. With dreamy rhythms, syncopated drumbeats and undercutting bass lines, Warpaint delve into the abyss, fashioning their own brand of shoegaze dream rock. You may have seen their portraits donning the cover of DIY magazine with bare, androgynous faces - it is clear that Warpaint do not conform to industry standards of femininity in either their music or image.

PINS are readying Warpaint have cultivated a reputation for themselves in the indie rock world, becoming a force to be reckoned themselves to take with this year. over indie music with

songs exploring the Last year PINS (another female quartet) supported Warpaint on their UK tour. PINS are readying themselves to take over indie complexities of female music with songs ‘Girls Like Us’ and ‘Lost Lost Lost’ which explore identity. the complexities of female identity, with straightforward lyrics and dark pop sensibilities. With one studio album already under their belt,

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PINS’s attitude, cohesive aesthetic, and clearcut ideas about their music make them ones to watch in 2014.

PINS joined Dum Dum Girls on their UK tour; the American four-piece released their third album ‘Too True’ at the In an industry that largely end of last month. Their latest favours men, it’s imperative singles ‘Rimbaud Eyes’, and ‘Too True To Be Good’ are the for women to see other highlights of the album; the women owning the stage and garage rock instrumentals blend with easy, singshaping the genre. a-long pop choruses.

The band continue to prove their tact and shrewdness and have gained commercial success and shown musical progression. With ‘Too True’, Dum Dum Girls have seemingly cemented their influence in 2014 indie rock.

Even now, indie rock music is increasingly defined by male model clones masquerading as musicians. It’s crucial that Warpaint and Dum Dum Girls continue to represent themselves within the genre, enabling emerging bands like PINS to further occupy a male dominated space as female musicians.

In an industry that largely favours men, it’s imperative for women to see other women owning the stage and shaping the genre.

Because it’s not about being ‘better than the boys’, it’s about giving women the exposure and validation that they can make great music too.

YOUNG FATHERS: THE MUSICAL CONVENTIONS OF UNCONVENTIONALITY As Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff discovers, Young Fathers, an alternative hip-hop trio from Edinburgh, are not only recreating genres, but also what it means to be a performer.

Young Fathers is more than a band name.

It’s a name that belies their cause; of family, prejudice, and most obviously, controversy.

Their sound is controversial because it is different. A Liberian, Nigerian, but ultimately Scottish fusion of words, moans and heart wrenching melodies.

The three band members, Graham ‘G’ Hastings, Alloysious ‘Ally’ Massaquoi and Kayus Bankole are all juniors, named after their fathers. And the importance of family resonates through their work. In their song ‘Sister’, the chant ‘Don’t let your sister go’ is emotionally charged and sincere. When probed on the subject, Ally says; ‘It means a lot if you’ve got family that loves you and looks out for you, but if you’ve not, then it’s not gonna mean much, is it?’

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Although they all claim that their families are not particularly musical, they were brought up surrounded by music. Kayus describes how, when he was younger, his mum ‘made up a song to wake me up in the morning, and a song to get me to dance.’

Recently signed to Big Dada records, who

Young Fathers have a beautifully constructed image of darkness also have the likes of grime MC Wiley and Roots Manuva on their books, 2014 looks set to be the year Young Fathers break through. They released their debut album, Dead, in at the beginning of February, a follow up from two EPs ‘Tape One’ and ‘Tape Two’ released through their current

record label, Anticon, in 2013. ‘Do you want to make it to the big time?’ I ask them, and surprisingly unabashed, the answer from G is simply; ‘Yeah, big time, that’s what we want. That’s what we’ve always wanted.’

But it is not desperation for fame or arrogance that causes them to have this mindset; it is simply dedication. Just 14, the boys first met in an underage ‘sweaty club’, filled with ‘girls in mini skirts’ and pumping hip-hop music. G describes how he invited the boys back to his house to record ‘in ma bedroom’. It has been a bumpy ride since then, but they have persevered. Originally signed to Black Sugar Records at the tender age of sixteen, they eventually came under the management of Tim London, formerly of fleetingly famous 90’s band, Soho Young Fathers have a beautifully constructed image of darkness that fits well with their alternative African inspired, rap and hiphop music (not that these preconceived genres can even begin describe them). The liveliest band I have ever seen perform, some online blogs have claimed that they look like they could be on speed - although this is not the case. It makes sense to hear that Kayus was encouraged to dance when he was a young boy, and that the trio met originally through their dance moves rather than their voices. ‘There was a space in the middle of the dance floor and everybody

would go in and do their bit,’ G explains, ‘we never actually spoke, just shook hands.’

Onstage nowadays, they use their bodies simultaneously and separately: Kayus whips around a furry tail, G pushes his face out enigmatically into the audience, and Ally body-pops his way though their set.

Young Fathers only tip for aspiring artists is not to confine themselves to any particular type of musical training. ‘There’s no recipe,’ G says, ‘and it might be more interesting if you just pick it up.’ Although this might be bad news for our music students, there is no denying that a more traditional route into the industry could have hampered the Young Fathers’ originality of sound. The most often picked-up lyric by journalists is ‘white boy beat, black boy rhythm’, from their song ‘Rumbling’, but even this does not define them. At the moment Ally’s favourite lyric is ‘She’s sitting on my face, but I forgot tae say grace’, and they make clear that unconventionality is their forté.

Ultimately, it is not easy to put Young Fathers’ music into words, as their sound is so fresh and unqiue. My advice is to pick up your headphones, check out their Souncloud (soundcloud.com/youngfathers) and attempt to wangle your way into one of their sold-out gigs on their current tour.

Young Fathers are definitely a band to be watched.

VISUAL ALBUMS: THE INDUSTRY’S COOLEST PARADOX

Self-indulgence is nothing new for artists who find themselves at the peak of their careers. Arctic Monkeys had their (relative) flop ‘Humbug’ and Kanye West’s ‘Yeesuz’ met harsh critical reception. Few artists can claim to have an ‘indulgence’ which becomes a huge selling album within 5 days of digital release. But if she has reminded us of anything this winter, it’s that Beyoncé Knowles-Carter is not most artists.

Beyoncé, godmother of modern R&B and an icon at 32 years, pulled no punches in releasing her eponymous visual album last month. Not only does the self-titled album signal a shift in the artist’s musical style, but the seventeen accompanying videos also mark a new era within the industry itself. In our image-fuelled age, videos are becoming as, if not more, important than the music they exhibit.

Beyoncé’s efforts have undoubtedly been heralded as a bold and ambitious move.

Rich, opulent aesthetics are featured throughout the videos which jump from a Brazilian paradise in ‘Blue’, a Gatsbyesque drama in ‘Jealous’ to a roll call of supermodels in ‘Yonce’. A feast for the

Megan Pengelly considers the shift of focus from auditory to visual within the music industry, making light of the success of Beyoncé’s recently released visual album.

eyes seems only fitting for the woman who has come to define pop’s zeitgeist - but the feasibility of visual albums remains a fantasy for emerging artists, or indeed any established artist without the universality of Beyoncé. It’s difficult to imagine many other artists doing this. Even at their peak, could back-to-basics artists like Mumford and Sons or John Mayer be persuaded that seventeen videos starring themselves would retain their musical integrity?

Linking the musical and the visual is certainly nothing new. Using videos for promotional purposes has been a hallmark of boundary pushing art for the past five decades. Even puritans responsible for the vinyl revival may find the credibility of the visual hard to argue with; The Beatles’ trippy Yellow Submarine film was a groundbreaking animated showcase of the band’s work. The music industry is now defined by the meshing of visual and auditory components, arguably in the same way album sleeves became a platform for the expansion of an aesthetic for an album.

The success of BEYONCÉ aside, it’s been said that video killed the radio star. While the

visual certainly holds significance and is an artform in it’s own right, it is no surprise that many musicians feel (some begrudgingly) that image is becoming more important in a world where sound was once the great equaliser. Visual albums remain an exciting prospect for artists such as Beyoncé who have created personal brands in which image is a critical component. Beyoncé is a career-defining piece of work for an artist who has earned her place in R&B. But for artists who find solace in the stripped back power of sound alone, visual albums remain a distraction from the fundamental discipline of making good music.

A feast for the eyes seems only fitting for the woman who has come to define pop’s zeitgeist

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