FASHION / FITNESS / TRAVEL / COMEDY / BEAUTY / MUSIC
Student Rag Edinburgh #22
Freshers 2015
BRIDGES IS BACK AND WE’RE GIVING AWAY TICKETS TO SEE HIM!
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the
bannatyne S
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www.bannatynespa.com
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contents
32-34
TREND SETTER
Autumn fashion.............4-10
FUNNY GUY Nish Kumar................12-13
GIVE US A MINUTE Du Blonde....................14
WHO...WHAT...WHERE Autumn City Guide.........16-20
STRING QUARTET Clean Cut Kid Interview...22-24
DECK THE HALLS Freshen up Your Digs......26-28
YOU’RE HAVING A LAUGH Matt Forde...................30
COVER STAR Kevin Bridges Interview...32-34
VISITING HOURS Top Places to Check Out...36-42
WELL FIT Home Exercise for Less....44-46
CITY LIGHTS Glasgow & Edinburgh guide.48-51
NEUTRAL OBSERVER Beauty for Autumn.........52-54
JUNGLE DRUMS Glasvegas Interview.......58-61
34
4-10
SOUL MAN Leon Bridges Interview.......58
WHATEVER NEXT Coming up live near you...60-61
36-42
Editor: Debbie McInnes. glasgow@student-rag.co.uk Design: Calvin Douglas. Contributors: Stephen Butchard, Katie Campbell, Alice Cruickshank, Fiona Kennedy, Richard Jones, Susie Daniels.
www.student-rag.co.uk Published by Track 10 Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited. Student Rag magazine takes no responsibility for claims made by advertisements in this publication.
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fashion
KITSCH ON CATWALK
THE
l Luna on the Moon Plastic Glitter Bags £25-£35
l Moschino A/W Loony Tunes, gaudy colours and sportswear
Make a bold step out in kitsch fashions like Katy Perry, Pixie Lott and Marina Lambrini Diamandis. It’s all big, bold and beautiful. Think gaudy colouring and mass produced imagery! Perhaps full on kitsch is too much for some; however I’ve highlighted a few simple accessories from ‘Luna on
the Moon’ [available on etsy]. These glittery gems show kitsch in a more artistic sense with pop art twists on everyday objects. She’s even made flying pigs! Clio Peppiatt is another designer to watch, even if her designs require some saving.
l Hand Illustrated Textile www.cliopeppiat.com l Dalmation Print Mini www.cliopeppiat.com
l Luna on the Moon Pop Art Bags £60-£90 four
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fashion
GRUNGE IT UP
l Alexander Wang A/W Tartan Catwalk
Grunge is the style ever famed by Nirvana. It presents the image of trying without trying. Stripes, tartan, and doc martens are all key to the look. It’s even acceptable to have ripped tights! For inspiration look to Frances Bean Cobain (right).There have been many adaptations to the trend over the years, however Cobain remains the most true to dad Kurt’s concept. To style the look layer up long sleeves with short sleeves and opt for long loose silhouettes [cosy baggy cardigans etc]. Choose midi / knee length skirts or dresses or skinny jeans.
l Dr Martens www.drmartens. com/uk £65
l Bad Habit Overdyed Plaid Dress www. disturbia.co.uk £31.35
l Slacker Striped Cardigan www.disturbia.co.uk £30.35
l Come Undone Vest Dress www.disturbia.co.uk £26.25 five
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l Concho Burgundy Shorts www.willowscall.bigcartel.com £28
The 70s unveiled a variety of looks; hippies, disco, psychedelic – the list goes on. Chloé had the rockstar/ groupie look perfected. Skinny ties, snakeskin, knee high boots, open blouses and free flowing silhouettes. If you want to get the look
70s VIBING
fashion
then vintage stores are your best bet. www.beyondretro. com have an amazing selection. However, if you are put off by the idea of second hand then check out reproduction stores such as HuzzarHuzzar, WillowsCall and VelvetCaveClothing.
l Chloe A/W
l Glamorous Cord Flare Jeans www.asos.com £35
l Roksanda A/W
l Psychedelic Maxi Dress www.huzzarhuzzar.com £20 For colder weather invest in an Afghan coat to perfect the Penny Lane look. Some celeb fans of this look include Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen.
l Rokoko Skinny Flare Trousers in Paisley Floral Festival Border Print www.asos.com £11
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We’ll soon be opening on The Shore at 38 Bernard Street! Raawwwrrrr!!! We’ll soon be opening on The Shore at 38 Bernard Street! Raawwwrrrr!!!
om full bodied stout to organic rumpy; light golden ale to oak From full bodied stout to organic atured vintage cider comeale down scrumpy; light–golden to oak see whatmatured we’ve vintage got in the of down ciderway – come to see what we’ve got in the way of ward-winning ales and ciders, from ales and ciders, from nly £4.00 award-winning a litre. only £4.00 a litre.
e something you the look into in store in Seelike something youof? like Step the look of?our Stepstore into our rningside for aMorningside free sample. We’re pouring from 14 for a free sample. We’re pouring from 14 varieties, all on tap fills. for growler While some eties, with them all onwith tapthem for growler Whilefills. some produced year round, others are seasonal. s are producedales all are year round,allothers are seasonal. We’re adding new beers and ciders all the time, offering
’re adding newvariety beersbeyond and ciders all the offering what you’ll find time, in the pub, supermarket and ety beyond what you’ll find in thefrom pub,microbreweries supermarket off licence. We source alland over the UK and basically anywhere else we can licence. We source from microbreweries all find overflavoursome the UK beers and ciders. d basically anywhere else we can find flavoursome beers d ciders. Ask us as many questions as you want. We’ve filled up hundreds of Growlers in our time – we’re knowledgeable
(when it comes to beer and We’ve cider anyway), we’ll help you us as many questions as you want. filled up pick and give time advice. ndreds of Growlers in our – we’re knowledgeable en it comes to beer and cider anyway), we’ll help you k and give advice.
GROWLER BEERS are located just along from The Canny Man’s pub, opposite the cheesemongers, I J Mellis (or opposite Marks & Spencers for the dairy-free non pub goer).
OWLER BEERS are located just along from The Canny n’s pub, opposite the cheesemongers, I J Mellis (or Opening Hours: posite Marks &Due Spencers for change, the dairy-free to seasonal please check the website. n pub goer). Otherwise 12pm - 9pm and someone will be growling!
w. growlerbeersuk.com ening Hours: t. 0131 447 0022 e to seasonal change, please check the website. erwise 12pm - 9pm and someone will be growling! Student Rag 22E.indd 7
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fashion
l Gucci Atumn/ Winter Collection left and below
l Knitted Tee in Rib with Stripes www.asos.com £22
GEEKY GALS
Geek chic is back! This time more emphasis is being placed upon the chic. Gucci, for example, incorporated berets, fur, chiffons and velvet with thin framed specs and loafers. Vintage shops are perfect for this! Vintage Guru in Glasgow often has 50% off. To style this look layer pussy bow blouses under knitwear or coats. The double breast is very much in. You can also take a Jonathan Saunders direction and make use of colour blocking and linear patterns – Topshop and Asos have some. Look to Florence Welch (right) for inspo.
l Socially Pointed Loafer Heels www.asos.com £45
l Gabriel Candy (Cognac) www.clarks.co.uk £60
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fashion
GLITTER FEST So you may have got accustomed to glittery eyes over the festival season. However, it doesn’t have to stop there! Glitter and sheer fabrics are all in for Autumn/Winter 2015. One Scottish design company Isolated Heroes is putting all the sass and femininity into this look with floor
length coats and vibrant shades. Their garments require some saving on a student budget but they are totally worth it! Miley Cyrus is your go-to girl for this trend. Perhaps going all out isn’t for you but picking one key piece and teaming it with a solid colour still looks good.
l Be Happy Sequinned Trophy Jacket www.isolatedheroes.com £250
l Barbie Pink Sequin Party Dress www.isolated-heroes.com £95
l Harlequin Sequin Top www.isolated-heroes.com £45
l Bottega Veneta A/W 2015 nine
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FASHION
fiona k’s VINTAGE stories THIS issue I grabbed a quick chat with Anna Nicholson at Herman & Brown. The store can be found at 151 West Port, Edinburgh, EH3 9DP. Available at www.hermanbrown.co.uk or on Facebook. HOW long have you been selling for and what is your interest in Vintage? My shop Herman Brown opened in 1984. I had a boutique previously from the late 1960s til 1975. In 1983 I really wanted to start trading again. This was when I came upon the second hand trade, coming upon vast hills of discarded clothing in visits to the Rag merchant. These huge stores of that time literally took my breath away. So basically, after realising that I could spend hours wading through bundles of clothing to come away with two or three worthy items and myself in need of a long bath. I had the proverbial lightbulb moment of thinking this is what I want to do – namely to rummage through things and find ‘goodies’. Now, I go to Amsterdam and Florence and sometimes Paris to search for vintage items for the shop. Items that have a certain ‘thing’ about them, I do not know what exactly that ‘thing’ is at all but I do always seem to recognise it. Now on a regular basis people bring things to the shop and I then select what I like and I often go to people’s houses when they are looking to clear out and likewise select items, it is exciting but still hard work.
HOW is the vintage market in Glasgow and Edinburgh? What’s exciting about selling here? The Vintage market in both Edinburgh and Glasgow are thriving as never before but Vintage clothing, jewellery and accessories have been growing hugely in popularity throughout Europe especially in the last 15 years. What are your top picks within your stock? I have and have had far too many beautiful and fine items and objects to even name a few but here goes: I have a Bus Stop collection from the 1960s (not for sale at present) I do also collect plastic bangles and rings from the 1920s to date (also not for sale) The shop always has a large collection of 1930s/40s beaded bags and also some Edwardian chain work bags. At the moment I have some early 1980s red, yellow and black waterproof ponchos that I was excited to find. I usually have a good cashmere knit collection.
ten
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BEHIND THE CURTAIN, BUT IN FULL VIEW OF AMAZING rights and wanted to do something for such an inspiring community. I’ve never had the chance to volunteer before but always wanted to. When Jonathan suggested I join the team I jumped at the chance! All the staff are great and always try to bring out the best in you.
NAMES: Daniyal Ashraf & Jonathan McCann POSITION: Volunteer ROLE: Administration Support TASKS: Data entry Using SurveyMonkey to collect responses Admin support Mail management Counting money Attending regular meetings TRAINING: C:Card Training, Health and Safety Training
Greater awareness of issues affecting LGBT communities Team working
SKILLS DEV: Enhanced communication skills Using email professionally Proof-reading skills Working to deadlines/ time management Increased confidence
QUALITIES: Keen, self-motivated, hard-working, compassionate and empathetic Interested in LGBT issues
LGBT Youth as I wanted to support the LGBT community but not in a face to face role. I knew it would be better to find an admin role. When the call from the Volunteering Manager came, he was really friendly and made me feel instantly valued.
WHY WE CHOSE LGBTYS: J: I began volunteering at
D: I volunteer at LGBTYS as I am passionate about LGBT
OUR EXPERIENCE: D: Volunteering has been empowering and fun. It’s wonderful to be around committed, hard-working and caring people. I’ve been able to meet new people and learn more about LGBT issues. J: LGBT Youth has and always will be an ‘amazing’ experience. The staff and other volunteers are lovely people to work with and make the role fun. There are so many opportunities to try new things.
Vintage clothes, shoes and jewellery. Vintage clothes, shoes2589 and jewellery. 0131 228 151 West Port Edinburgh EH3 9DP www.hermanbrown.co.uk 0131 228 2589 www.hermanbrown.co.uk
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INTERVIEW: SUSIE DANIELS
W
HAT DO you call a person who looks Jewish from the left, Arab from the right and Indian dead centre? No, it’s not a Jim Davidson joke from 1984. It’s semitic-looking Nish Kumar whose comedy material used to focus on the essence of his appearance. Nish has never had the stomach to insult race or highlight perceived negative religious attributes. He’d rather ridicule all that is obvious and salient in an ‘I’m mocking myself so it’s okay’ sort of way. Nowadays Nish has moved on from me me me to blah blah blah with a big dollop of politics thrown in for good measure. His new show is abstractly called ‘Long Word..Long Word…Blah Blah Blah ..I’m So Clever?’ The British comedian, who grew up influenced by Richard Pryor, Chris Rock and Stewart Lee – comedians whose acts rotate round self-deprecation – no longer focuses on who he is and where he’s from more, ‘what do I stand for’. Nish explains: “Yeah, I did do the ‘I look Jewish from one side of my nose, Arab from the other and Indian from the front’. “When you’re a comic you’re explaining yourself and you’re trying to in-
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interview
The many faces of Nish Kumar troduce yourself, what you look like, where you’re from but now I’ve done all those things so it’s a wider reach I’m aiming at. The thread of my new show is, well, my mother called me a left wing comedian so it’s about where you are as a left wing person. “Scottish left is more energised because of the rise of the SNP. The English left is more of a tricky situation as there’s currently a backlash against political correctness in comedy. “At the beginning of my new show I discuss that and I point out even comedians that we think of as conservative aren’t so clear cut. “It tends to be left wing and neutral. It’s difficult to do right wing comedy. “We’re in a point of anxiety where people are worried we’re going too far and have got to the point where we’re undoing alternative comedy – comedy in the eighties from acts like French & Saunders, Rik Mayall and Ade Edmundson who were alternative.” So alternative is dead, what about popularly mocking others, that’s still alive. Does Nish see Frankie Boyle jokes such as mocking Katie Price’s disabled child an easy target or in bad taste? Nish says: “I’ve never really had the constitution to be an insult comedian. It’s not really my skillset. “Frankie Boyle is very good at it. I wouldn’t sign a petition to ban a comedian like Dapper Laughs – he had an ITV2 show and last year people signed for it to be banned as it was deemed extremely sexist – as I don’t believe in censorship but I find that sort of thing reprehensible.” Like his peers such as Daniel Kitson and Josie Long, Nish gets the same buzz from stand-up, thankfully just in a different form from the insultmongers. He says: “I still enjoy the process of performing. I enjoy working on something and it’s immediacy in the response from the audience. “When I started doing stand-up
Daniel Kitson and Josie Long were around. Josie was amazing and was a real influence on me. “She was nominated for the Perrier Award in 2006 and I thought, ‘I’ve never seen anything like her’. “She seemed to be doing something no one else had done. She’s more of a political comedian and activist now. “The big show I watched when I was growing up was The Simpsons. I was a massive fan and then Third Rock From The Sun came along and I was massively influenced by Tina Rey.” Having studied at the University of Durham in 2004, the raw young comic met Tom Neenan and they soon became a double act. he two last performed together in 2012 at the Fringe, after which Nish went solo. Nish enthuses: “At university I was in a sketch comedy society, ‘The Durham Review’. “I was studying English and History and I really loved comedy and thought I’d like to try it but I couldn’t have done it, wouldn’t have had the guts without the Society. “That’s when I started and met Tom. Tom’s still one of my best friends and we still do stuff and have a couple of things we’re working on now. “He’s doing solo work at the Fringe too.” Nish has performed far and wide, touring his new material always interested to see reactions from different audiences. He reveals: “Last year the Melbourne Comedy Festival sent comedians to tour in India. “The road show tours the entire year and it
T
was experimenting and pushing it out to Asia. A lot of my material is about my specific experience so I barely needed to change it for an Indian audience.” The Indian audience may find Nish’s cousin more instantly recognisable for his comedy and acting ability as comedy appears to run in the family stretching all the way to India. Nish explains: “When I went into comedy no one in my family was in the entertainment industry and they were absolutely baffled by why I was doing this. “Say you want to be an accountant you train but say you want to be a comedian they question ‘are you funny?’ They question the basic principal of what comedy is. “In India I’ve got an older cousin who does movie acting and comedy on the side. “He takes comedic roles in Bollywood movies and he’s also a successful marketing executive. He started around the same time as me and we compare basic notes.” But it’s not just his cousin who’s an all rounder. Nish has appeared on Virtually Famous, Russell Howard’s Stand Up Central, Sweat the Small Stuff and hosts Newsjack on BBC 4 Radio Extra. At the moment he’s focusing on another couple of series of the topical news programme and ‘a bit of this and that, yeah I’ll be on panel shows’. Though he’s great on radio it’s the stand-up with his friendly multi-cultural features that make it easy for audiences to warm to him instantly. He’s the perfect example of how great life could be if we embraced our Indian, Arab and Jewishness – there’s an Indian, an Arab and a Jewish man…and they all got on fine. Now where would the comedy be in that? thirteen
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give us a minute Quick questions with: DU BLONDE You’re set to tour supporting Future Islands. Have you worked with them before? I’ve known Sam (lead singer Sam T Herring) for a couple of years and he sang on my record Mind is on My Mind. We went on a west coast road trip without ever having met in advance! Wow, like a blind date and the date is a road trip!? Yeah, we didn’t know each other when he came to pick me up at LAX. He’d flown in from Baltimore and it did cross my mind, ‘he could be a murderer’ but after nine hours a day driving together and staying in rotten motels it was fine. We’d spoken a month before by email so by the time we actually met we knew each other’s history. The album cover for Du Blonde’s debut Welcome to Milk has you wearing a wide open short shaggy fur jacket, white trainers and socks, a short piece of fur dangling over your nether regions and nothing else. Is this a statement photo? It was from a photoshoot with two really old pals of mine who’re both really creative. It was just some fun photos at the end of the shoot. I looked back at them and thought it was really funny. A lot of it is about embracing who I am. It’s the final thing I’m not running from. Why the name Du Blonde? The record company were pushing for different names and nothing seemed right. For a couple of years my friend Kyle in LA called me Du Blonde, it was our in joke. I had a few days left to choose the name and I thought, ‘no one else has it’.
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IN the video Hunter, released as an LP in May this year, you wear a striking blood red lipstick, leopard print fur jacket and have a Patricia Arquette, True Romance look about you. Tell us about the lippy and look. I think that is Ruby Roux by MAC or Lady Danger. They’re both matt and I only ever wear those two lipsticks. They stay on when I sweat on stage. I always got lipstick in my hair and a pink streak on my cheek so they’re the only ones I’ll wear. I saw True Romance for the first time two months ago and realised that’s my look. I have a lot of fake fur coats in my wardrobe and old t-shirts with cool logos. I’m all about the comfort being on the road and travelling a lot. WHAT about after gigs, are you all about being a party animal? I’ve never been a party animal. I’ve been to three parties in my life and I’m not a big drinker. I don’t go to parties though I’ve always had a dark, free mind that does what it wants. You’re a singer-songwriter, do you play any instruments? I play piano, guitar and banjo. A lot of the piano and guitar in my album is me. When we toured with Hooves of Destiny I didn’t get to play lead which was a shame as I love playing lead guitar.
Your advice earlier in the year to land a record deal was to go on an accounting course. What did you mean by that? I said that as a joke. I mean that it’s a very tricky business and it’s very hard to make money and very easy to lose money. A lot of people don’t realise when you get a record deal until you’ve got the money back from the record sales you don’t have any money. You get put up in hotels on tour but that’s your money you have to repay. It’s great to pursue a career in music but if you just get into if for the chicks and riches it’s not the job for you. You seem an overall creative person with all your own graphic drawings on your website. How do you relax after touring – with some creativity? After touring I relax by doing some drawings, photographs and music. I like drawing people with very expressive faces like the actors Bill Murray and Steve Buscemi. I’d love to go on holiday to relax but I don’t have any money.
Du Blonde will support Future Islands at Glasgow Barrowlands Ballroom on Sep 9.
FREE “I’VE ALWAYS HAD A DARK, NTS” MIND THAT DOES WHAT IT WA 19/08/2015 03:28:42
ELEPHANTS and BAGELS
10%
Student Discount 37 Marshall St, Edinburgh, EH8 9BJ 0131 668 4404
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ED IN B
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You could never be bored when living in a vibrant city like Edinburgh or Glasgow. As a student, there are countless exciting and diverse events happening every single week. And yet, I find myself spending nights watching old Friends episodes and Hagendaasing myself into an early grave, simply because I haven’t heard of half these events. Naturally, with so much going on all the time, it can be hard to keep up with what will interest you, and so this list will act as an entry point into some of the cool things happening across the two cities over the autumn, with something that will hopefully suit everyone. We’re all familiar with Halloween and Bonfire Night so STEPHEN BUTCHARD brings you the events that you may not have even heard of...
Oktoberfest Edinburgh Edinburgh’s Oktoberfest event is a chance to soak in the Bavarian holiday without breaking the bank on plane tickets, whilst still satisfying you’re thirst for ridiculously oversized beer and hotdogs. Student binge drinking is a horribly overused stereotype that I try my hardest not to adhere to. However, when there’s a festival literally encouraging social outdoor
drinking, you can’t really pass up the opportunity. Taking place in Princes Street Gardens between the 7th and 11th of October, the event should be a fun social gathering for anyone wanting to work on their beer belly. o OKTOBERFEST Edinburgh takes place in Princes Street Gardens from October 7-11.
Daniel Sloss – Dark Daniel Sloss emerged onto the scene as an eager teen with jokes to rival any big-name comedian. Now, as his style evolves and he’s finding love over in America with the help of excellent slots on Conan, some are no longer laughing at the new-found darkness to his act. Dark, his latest tour, is a self-aware reaction to this, filled with sharp observations on growing up, fame, and the usual targets like his sister. It has been well received at the Fringe, selling out to the extent that more shows were required. o Dark will play at the Stand on September 30.
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AUTUMN in the city
An Evening With Noel Fielding Trippy surrealism, oddball anecdotes and infantile goofiness mesh together to create a night of comedy that’s exactly what you’d expect from the man that brought the world a hermaphroditic merman called Old Gregg. Despite entering his early forties, the Mighty Boosh founder shows no signs of growing up, which is no bad thing when shows as bizarrely entertaining as this are the result.
Fielding’s sense of humour naturally won’t be for everyone – there’s a section where a pink triangle called Gordon has sex with Fielding’s imaginary wife, and then pops a ‘Toblerboner’ – but fans of his shtick are going to be in weirdo heaven. o Noel Fielding will play the EICC on November 14 November and King’s Theatre, Glasgow, on November 15.
The Amazing World of MC Escher NO, he’s not Deutschland’s favourite hip-hop artist; Dutch graphical wizard MC Escher is one of the most celebrated figures within modern art, with a stunning catalogue of work that uses optical trickery to confound its audience into questioning the reality outside of the painting. Although his work is meticulous and extremely clever, it remains accessible to anyone who witnesses it thanks to the way AS comedy double acts go, you’d think Queen Elizabeth II and Margaret Thatcher would be near the bottom of the laughter pile – perhaps a cut above the Chuckle Brothers, but not by much. However, the monarch and former Prime Minister have been paired in several productions over
it puzzles and pleases the eye. Referenced by everyone from Douglas Hofstadter to Family Guy, his work is a cultural and artistic landmark, and can be experienced in person through the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art’s exhibition covering his life and work. o The exhibition will run until September 27; Tickets cost £9.
Handbagged the past few years to great success, perhaps most notably in Moira Buffini’s sharply written Handbagged. This sees younger and older versions of the two political giants squabbling amongst each other in a
play that paints a portrait of this unusual relationship with vivid colour and sardonic wit. It’s stuffed with intelligent references to the politics of the era it re-imagines. However, the deeply self-aware meta-humour
and imaginative dialogue ensure that it will please even those with little interest in British politics. o Handbagged will play the King’s Theatre from November 2-7. seventeen
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go w gl as
One Man Breaking Bad: The Unlicensed Parody The sombre finale of Breaking Bad left many fans feeling lost. Instead of satisfying this addiction with House of Cards or, y’know, going outside like other viewers post-BB, LA comedian Miles Allen instead decided to submerse himself in the cult appeal of the show completely, by setting up a one man parody act as a love letter to Vince Gilligan’s masterpiece. After amassing millions of views
online for a short skit, Allen eventually brought his act to the Melbourne Comedy Festival and the Fringe where it became a sell-out. Now, he’s going worldwide. Covering 60 episodes in 60 minutes, complete with character impersonations, cheesy singalong segments, and a whole lot of fan service, it acts as a collective AA meeting for super fans. The near sacrilegious approach to
the show’s legacy as well as some tasteless pop culture references have proved polarising. But lovers of the series looking for easy laughs with a dose of crowd participation will find their addiction satisfied. o One Man Breaking Bad will play the Theatre Royal Glasgow on November 1.
OOG Unsettling and unforgettable in equal measure, Al Seed’s OOG is a masterfully warped piece of contemporary dance to rival any other in Scotland. It acts as a companion piece to the critically lauded ‘The Factory’, a decidedly uncomfortable work that challenged audiences through its unrelenting darkness and abrasive soundtrack, focusing squarely on the deterioration of its only character’s humanity through a performance raw with inhuman contortions and visceral physicality. Set solely in a locked cellar, dark except for a single shaft of light from above, OOG’s focus relies solely on the disturbing movements of Seed’s creature, backed by a metallic soundtrack from Guy Veale. Despite its brief 30-minute runtime, it remains intense throughout. It won’t be for everyone, by any means, but no matter your thoughts on OOG, it’s a performance that won’t leave you unchanged. o OOG will play on September 24 at The Tron Theatre.
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NO matter the medium, childhood grief is a subject difficult to discuss both thoughtfully and delicately without over simplifying. Oliver Emmanuel’s ‘Dragon’ does it brilliantly, with immense emotional power and pensive reflection – all without a word being spoken. Returning after its rapturous 2013 premiere, the production follows a 15-year-old boy coping with the loss of his mother as his family collapses, told through the visually striking puppetry of the dragons that begin to infiltrate his world. Imaginative in staging and raw in storytelling, don’t be surprised if Dragon leaves you as a blubbering baby by its finish.
Dragon
o Dragon will play at Citizens Theatre from October 1-10.
What Goes Around What Goes Around, Liz Lochead’s contemporary reimagining of the once-forbidden classic La Ronde is not exactly one to take your mother to. The play is an intimate, uncompromisingly raunchy comedy focusing on sex
and its many shades. The playwright is one of the most celebrated in the country, and given the bold move to focus solely on two actors, playing seven characters each, it’s an ambitious production with promise.
o What Goes Around plays at the Tron Theatre on September 17-19.
The Choir
Pic: Eoin Carey
Pitched as a gritty, yet heartwarming modern channelling of classics like Billy Elliott and Brassed Off, The Choir looks to be a true crowd pleaser in every sense. The musical comedy tells of a disparate group of choir singers, ranging from an Iraqi Refugee to a Tory Councillor, who gradually begin to learn more about each other by sharing their favourite songs with the group each week. It was written by Paul
Higgins whose debut ‘Nobody Will ever Forgive Us’ was received warmly upon its release, and features music from Deacon Blue’s Ricky Ross. The duo are apparently well aware of the play’s potentially schmaltzy premise, but promise the play has a realistic edge. o The Choir will be performed at the Citizen’s Theatre from Oct 24-Nov14. 50p tickets on sale on Oct 17, 10am.
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H
endrix, Squire, Greenwood...uhm, Swift. It shouldn’t be difficult to equate guitar playing with the ultimate in
cool. Yet Clean Cut Kid frontman Mark Halls is on a mission to do just that, concerned as he is with the downgrading in recent times of rock’s most iconic instrument. “A lot of people think that the guitar is a cool instrument”, Halls says. “In mainstream pop, for the past three or four years it’s been the opposite of that really – it’s been really hard to make the guitar cool. “I’ve played in loads of sessions with loads of different people for all different genres, and I’ve just had this picture in my head of what to do to make this different, to make this cool again.”
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The Liverpool based quartet’s debut single Vitamin C is receiving love from mainstream stations such as Radio 1 as well as the more eclectic 6 Music, so it seems like his approach is working. The track’s slinky, fuzzed out guitar riff swaggers around a thumping bass drum that stomps purposefully, keeping its cool until the song swells into a sugary chorus, close harmonies ringing out between Mike and wife Helen. Crackling amp feedback and rustic bum notes hint at a raw, in-the-moment recording, but the polished production and clean mixing make it apparent that everything surrounding Clean Cut Kid has been carefully calculated. That’s not to call the group manufactured; my chat with Mike makes
it obvious that he’s a performer who is methodical about how his group sound. And he makes it clear that they are the ones with control; right down to their tangerine coloured vinyl, everything that comes of out the band is their own. What’s even more apparent is that he’s in a state of shock, but not about how fast things seemed to have happened; the work leading up to this moment has been anything but sudden for him: “It’s been a bit of a strange journey anyway, regardless of where it’s going to go in the next stage,” he explains. “Vitamin C was part of an EP made completely by myself about 18 months ago. “I just made it in the studio, played all the instruments, arranged it all,
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interview
Strings attached INTERVIEW: STEPHEN BUTCHARD produced it – just did it all in the studio, and then had this big 18-month mission where I decided ‘okay, this is good, and it’s probably going to go somewhere,’, but I knew that it’d be rushed into the development process by a load of labels if I kind of brought it to them, because there was no live band – it was basically me playing the instruments. “So I just spent 18 months putting the band together. We virtually had no socials. We kind of leaked bits out for people so they heard little snippets, and then right away from little 30-second leaks we just got loads of mad stuff coming in. “There was an 18-month period of total radio silence where we had nothing, and then the moment it was
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ready, it just went mad. “For years I’ve been amassing hundreds of tunes and everything has been ready to go, and at the same time it’s kind of just bringing in money as a session guitarist, so that’s been ticking away. “You just do a load of work with no exposure, and nobody telling you it’s any good and you’re just working your t**s off and thinking ‘wow I hope this actually goes’ after all this work!” The band’s press releases dub them as offering “soulful pop ballads washed in Mersey water”. What does Mike make of being tagged as a Scouseband from Scouseland? “In the least clichéd way I can say, I’m a massive Beatles fan – and that’s
not like a card to play,” he says. “From being a little kid I’ve just been completely and utterly addicted to the Beatles. That wasn’t anything that was pushed on me. It just grabbed hold of me and I was just hooked. “The Beat thing is always gonna be in the sound of Clean Cut Kid; that kind of bouncy beat is always gonna be in there. “That’s not something conscious, that’s just something that’s been pre-programmed into Scousers. “The Liverpool thing is more the attitude that we take to it all. We’ve all worked really hard. “Everyone was a full-time musician before this band, but everyone was twenty-three
19/08/2015 03:32:00
doing teaching and whatever bits of work they could to stay in music and keep this bouncing along. “My dad is a builder and my mum’s a mentor in a primary school, and I’ve kind of watched them my whole life work 12-hour days. “Every second of doing this is amazing to me. The Liverpool thing I think we’ll always carry the work ethic over” While Beat music may linger in the background, for Mike, it’s the left-field approach of Pink Floyd, Kate Bush and Paul Simon that he really wants to channel, thanks to the off-kilter use of textures and song construction that fill even their most universal work. It’s this thing that we’ve got in our heads, and we know that it’s do-able. “Where you make a pop record with amazing singles that kind of appeal to the masses the way a great pop single does, but then the way it’s put together is totally and utterly unorthodox” t’s something they aim to reflect in their music videos too, such as in the video for ‘Vitamin C’, with its mix of sweetness and sleaze in the same breath. “The original idea was developed on by the director, a guy called David Mould (‘High and Dry’ – Radiohead). “He’s a legendary music video mak-
I
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er. The original idea was like, we were in some labour club somewhere – it was kind of a mad freak show, like a crazy, weird Shane Meadows version of Britain’s Got Talent where we were the last act playing “What we were trying to get from the video was to take all these British characters, and all this raw stuff, the labour club vibe, and all these small town things, and draw the beauty out of them. “It’s a kind of reflection of the way we make the music, with wild textures everywhere, but a really nice, beautiful layer of sound, and that’s what we wanted the video to do. “It’s got that Reservoir Dogs thing, with the ‘Stuck in the Middle With You’ tune. “It’s got that kind of thing where you’re kind of laughing at it and it’s funny, but it’s also quite menacing and threatening, and at the same time it’s also got this beautiful thing. “With the video we actually synched all the dancing and choreography to Ain’t That a Kick in the Head by Dean Martin, so it was a conscious thing to be like ‘this has got to have this undercurrent of being quite uncomfortable’ and it was one of the ways that the director did it, by saying
‘okay, here’s how we’ll make his movements really uneven’ because ‘Vitamin C’ is quite a four to the floor really straight tune, so we kind of get that swingy movement to it all.” hile the band celebrate their new found success, Mike and his bandmate/ soulmate Evelyn have just celebrated their one year anniversary. With a constant gig schedule looming, working with his spouse feels like the most natural thing for Mike. He says: “I think it would have to be somebody that would be creative anyway because it’s such a mad game. “I’m so prolific and I write so much, and I’m just swallowed up by writing sometimes. “There’s a lot of quirky things in there that surround creativity that people that are non-creative, I guess, would struggle to be able to get a grip on it. “She was a musician and artist in her own right to start with. We don’t know any other dynamic to be honest.”
W
Clean Cut Kid will play with Shura at King Tut’s in Glasgow on Sep 26.
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freet even TLY STRIC+ 16
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free event STRIC TL 16+ Y
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l Amtevik Lamp Shade www.ikea. com £15
Deck the Halls
l Round Velvet Cushion www.ebay.co.uk £12.53
WIN Text your answer FREE along with your name, contact
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19/08/2015 03:33:44
pho
tact
STUDENT halls aren’t exactly the most attractive of places to stay, so why not brighten up your time whilst studying. How? A little bit of interior design. We’ve selected two themes for inspiration and highlighted a few items you can purchase at reasonable prices. Space is limited in halls so why not make use of the ceiling? Macrame hangers are ideal. They can be used for decoration and storage. Why not get crafty and l Flower Garlands make some embroidery wall www.ebay.co.uk hangings. £2.99 Embroidery hoops and thread can be found for bargain prices on eBay.
QUIRKY POP
A source of kitsch, pop art vibrancy to give your halls some colour. Excessive framed imagery on the walls and a flower garland round your bed’s headboard are a quick way to bring in some colour. Hang some fringeing as curtains or over a door opening.
TICKETS FOR AT THORPE PARK
l Tastrup Rug www. ikea.com £35 l Glasgow Girl Poster www.clairebarclay.co.uk £10
Win your ticket to the greatest scare on Earth as the circus comes to town this October at the UK’s most thrilling Halloween event, FRIGHT NIGHTS at THORPE PARK Resort. NEW for 2015, twist your way through the brand new scare maze set at an abandoned carnival on the island’s Amity Beach, while former entertainers of the once Amity Circus come back to life to haunt those who dare to trespass. Then, experience the new escape rooms, as you step into haunting interactive challenges to find you’re ultimate escape. The thrills do not stop there, in partnership with Lionsgate UK, experience four horror movie themed live action mazes for you to endure alongside riding our famous roller-coasters in the
dark including SAW – The Ride and THE SWARM, the UK’s first winged rollercoaster. For the chance to win one of three pairs of tickets simply answer the following question. What roller-coaster at THORPE PARK Resort has a beyond vertical drop of 100 degrees and is named after a 2004 horror film? A. Saw V B. SAW – The Ride C. SAW – The Sheep FRIGHT NIGHTS begins on 9 October and runs through 9-11, 16-18, 23 – 31 October and 1 November. For more information visit THORPEPARK.com
phone number and email address to 07746-792724 or email competitions@ student-rag.co.uk
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Closing date September 23. Editor’s decision is final.
19/08/2015 03:34:01
DECK THE HALLS l Macrame Hanger (left) www.amazon.co.uk £8.96
l Akerkulla Rug www.ikea.com £20
BOHEMIAN DEN
Rugs are perfect for vamping up a room! Ikea have a huge selection – shaggy, paisley and vibrant.
l Wooden Box www.purplepuffin. co.uk £9.28
to be a STUDENT RAG intern Student Rag Magazine is on the lookout for new contributors to join our growing editorial team. If you’re on a journalism/ media course or just have a great way with words and an inquisitive mind, you might be just the person we’re looking for. Footballer-style wages are out of the question of course, but our writers can bask in the knowledge
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that their contribution to the country’s top student publication ensures they’re gaining invaluable experience as well as seriously enhancing their CVs. And we’ll gladly swing you a free gig ticket or two! Just ask Katie Campbell and Stephen Butchard, two of our top contibutors. Sound like your cup of tea? Then stop faffing about and drop us an email at glasgow@student-rag.co.uk including your name, course and areas of interest.
19/08/2015 23:20:21
nDani
Getting it together... Notebook? Check. Highlighter? Check. Insulin? Check. Starting university or college is an exciting but nerve-wracking time. For thousands of young students across Scotland, this will be the first time living away from the security of their family’s watchful gaze. While this can be empowering, for young people with a long term condition, such as Type 1 diabetes, there is a lot to
consider before packing your bags. Diabetes Scotland’s young people’s group runs an online resource called JUST DUK 1T which offers support for people aged 16-25 living with Type 1 diabetes. It’s not just about providing facts, but about connecting young people across Scotland, helping them take control of their Type 1 and not allowing the condition to control them.
L O R T N O C TAKE TOP TIPS Try to be as organised as possible and accept help from your parents if they want to help! They will relax more knowing that you’re well prepared. Keep a note of when you need to order prescriptions and find out where to collect them. Always keep a spare hypo kit in your new residence.
Dani, 25, from Edinburgh was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was 13 years old. She is returning to university this September to study Radiotherapy at Queen Margaret Uni. Dani said: “The first time I went to university, I was an outgoing, loud, boisterous 17-year-old. “At the time, starting uni didn’t faze me at all. Managing my Type 1 diabetes wasn’t really a priority to me, I wanted to go out and enjoy myself like every other fresher. “I think I learned the hard way what kinds of challenges my Type 1 would throw at me. “I met some really good friends at uni and
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DANI moved in with them pretty soon. It’s really hard when you leave home and suddenly you have nobody around you who understands. “At home, you don’t have these worries because your family have been through it all with you. “Telling people was something I was really bad at. I just wanted to hide it away and live in denial. Looking back, I wish I’d had the confidence to tell people about my Type 1 and maybe then it would have been easier. “I didn’t let my diabetes hold me back at all at uni, but I maybe
would have made it easier for myself if I had been comfortable with it all. “The best thing I ever did was reach out to other young people for support. “JUST DUK 1T has been able to do that for me and many other young people with type 1. “If you don’t have Type 1, have a look anyway, it would be great if more people knew about the condition, and who knows, you might end up meeting someone at uni with Type 1 and you’ll be able to support them! Most of all, enjoy uni, it will be some of the best years of your life!”
Tell your friends you have Type 1 diabetes and make them aware of signs they should look out for to recognise if you’re having a hypo and what they should do if you need help. Eat well. It will be tempting to live on fast food and avoid cooking but eating a healthy, balanced diet will keep you feeling good. Talk to your diabetes team before you move as they can give you a bit of advice about going it alone. Take things one step at a time and don’t put too much pressure on yourself. It’s a big step for anyone to make and lifestyle changes can also mean changes in your diabetes.
ut JUST DUK 1T To find out more abo t.org.uk log on to www.justduk1 USTDUK1T or Follow on twitter @J com/JUSTDUK1T Facebook facebook.
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finish the look. To be fair, many of them dress like this in private already.
interview You’re having some drinks in an Edinburgh pub with friends when Nicola Sturgeon pops in and offers to buy you a round. She gets you drunk, swaps clothes with you and has you laughing for ages about something she’s asked you to do. What is it? How did you know about this? Has Nicola told you? All conversations I have with the First Minister are confidential and I cannot reveal what happened on any of the occasions that she and I have swapped clothes drunk. It’s just a thing we do and I don’t know why the gutter press are so fascinated by the idea of her wearing a Nottingham Forest kit and me wearing SNP branded underwear.
All politicians are sent back to university to study a refreshers course in politics. What are the most important things they learn? How to grow a beard and wear a hat that looks riddled with BO. It’s working for Jeremy Corbyn so everyone should just copy him. That’s how politics works copy the successful. Unless you’re in the Labour party, in which case, copy the disastrous. Over and over again.
YOU’RE HAVING A LAUGH with MATT FORDE
You bump into Kevin Bridges and tell him he could have a career in politics if he could just do one thing – what is it? Lose the accent. I just don’t think people in this country will vote for someone who sounds like that. Always saying “sidewalk” and “pacifier”. Those EE adverts are awful as well, stop doing those. Sorry, did you say Kevin Bridges? I thought you said Kevin Bacon. You manage to recreate the magic of the House of Commons in the Queen Vic bar in Eastenders. Which MPs do you think would fit in? Who would be pulling pints, who would be pulling faces and who would be pulling anyone? Nigel Farage would be doing all three. He’s a one man pub tornado. You get voted in as Prime Minister. What is the most honest thing you can tell the nation? My name. Everything else will be a fabrication designed to mislead first the nation, then the world and then the universe. Either that or I’ll just tell them I love pasties. AS Prime Minister you bring out a Parliamentary Bill that has been voted through but has the whole of the country in shock for years – what is it? The Britain in Shock (For Years) Bill. It was the only way to keep the entire nation shocked for years and represents the most disgusting and depraved pieces of legislation known to mankind. The section on dogging is a corker. All politicians have been given a new dress code. What is it? Fur coat. No knickers. Ball-gag to thirty
You travel back in time to the young you. What do you tell yourself? That one day I’m going to be doing an interview for an internationally renowned student publication and that under no circumstances should I answer the question about being a newsreader honestly.
they’ve all been tagged for crimes against the English language. Until they stop using phrases like “squeezed middle”, “hardworking families” and “stronger economy and fairer society”, then they have to live under house arrest and listen to Ed Sheeran all day. That’ll sort them out. Politicians are forced to tell the truth for a day and it results in a new political party surfacing. What’s it called and why are its policies the most popular in over a century? The Liars Party because if a politician claims to be telling the truth all the time, they’re definitely lying. Their popular policies will include: Nationalise the Railways, Free Tuition Fees and Free Steak Bakes for all. The most heartbreaking lie of the lot. You take over as Labour’s spin doctor and send all the Labour politicians on a gruelling five day boot camp course – what do you get them to do? Relax, have other interests and NEVER EVER NOMINATE SOMEONE TO BE LEADER WHO YOU DON’T EVEN SUPPORT. That last one may well be topical.
You become a TV newsreader for a day and get to read your own news. What do you tell the nation? That I’ve got a massive willy. (The young me is a real rebel). The Houses of Parliament throw open its doors to the public who get involved in mock debating. It’s filmed and politicians learn how to change their style to win voters – what new techniques do they learn? There’s an assumption here that a random sample of people would be better than our current crop of MPs. Or indeed that politicians are capable of learning anything. They’d probably learn how to sit back and let someone else speak, which if you’ve seen the Labour leadership contest, most of them did anyway. Politicians are tagged and are now banned from going out in the daytime thanks to a new law introduced – why was it introduced? There’s a topical reason that’s highly controversial that I’ll stay away from. Let’s say twenty-five
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Award winning Mexican inspired street food celebrating our 5th year of business! Home to the ORIGINAL haggis burrito delivery in and around Leith after 5pm through: www.loscardosonline.com 281 Leith Walk, Edinburgh
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19/08/2015 23:18:55
COMPETITION
WIN
TICKETS TO SEE KEVIN BRIDGES Kevin Bridges’ remarkable 135-date ‘A Whole Different Story’ tour kicked off on August 14 in Dunfermline. He’ll be playing an incredible 16 nights at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow – and we’ve got THREE PAIRS of tickets to give away for a date of your choice . To be in with a chance of winning one pair of tickets, simply answer the following question:
HOW MANY NIGHTS IS KEVIN PLAYING AT THE SSE HYDRO IN GLASGOW AS PART OF HIS ‘A WHOLE DIFFERENT STORY’ TOUR?
Text your answer FREE along with your name, contact phone number and email address to 07746-792724 or email competitions@ student-rag.co.uk Closing date September 23. Editor’s decision is final.
Kevin Bridges’ brand new live DVD ‘A Whole Different Story’ will be released on November 23.
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A
NDY Bridges could choose his rewards from an almost infinite list; Rolex, Ferrari, Gucci – you name it. But the modest father of the best comedian of a generation simply asks that the laughs keep on coming. And fortunately for the whole Bridges family – not to mention an expectant global audience – providing gags on demand is the very thing Kevin thrives on and is supremely talented at! The good news, then, is that Kevin is again sharing that with the people as his 135-date ‘A Whole Different Story’ tour of Europe hits Glasgow and Edinburgh between September and November. Fans can rest assured that only the finest and funniest material passed the Bridges Test, as Kevin still runs his gags past dad Andy for quality control. It’s a bond that was formed early in Kevin’s career and one which provides both men with the kind of satisfaction that money simply cannot buy. Kevin explains: “I asked my dad [Andy] what is the one thing you would do if you could...what is your dream? “Andy loves trains so he immediately said, ‘a trip on the Orient Express!’ “I was able to make that trip happen for him and my mum – which he loved. “And I also took my mum [Paddy] on a trip to New York – she is a ‘WAG’ and you can keep that in! “My mum definitely likes her handbags. “But Andy made it clear he has financial security and doesn’t want for anything. “I could buy him an expensive watch but he’s not interested. “What excites my dad much more is when I come to him with a new idea for material, this new ‘bit’ and I take out my notebook and we go over it together and he is in fits of laughter. “He’ll chime in with his own wee ‘bits’ but he knows they’re s***e and we’ll laugh that off and start talking ideas again.
19/08/2015 23:27:47
COMEDY
Rolex watch... Ferrari motor... You’re having a laugh! “This is where a lot of my drive comes from. My dad was at my first-ever gig and we share that father-son bond through my comedy. “Making my family proud is important to me. “After my first ever gig my dad welled up a bit and that was a huge moment for me, I was blown away by that. “It had come after a time of two or three years not going off the rails as such but definitely getting into trouble at school; getting into trouble with the police a couple of times; falling in with a bad crowd “From my parents’ point of view there was a sense of ‘what on earth is Kevin going to do next?’ “So for my father to see me on stage for the first time being creative it meant I could say ‘See dad, the police and teachers are not lying, I am quite funny!’ The ‘A Whole Different Story’ tour marks Kevin’s
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return to the stage following his immensely successful ‘The Story Continues’ tour. You’d be forgiven for thinking that he’s setting off on his biggest ever tour to get a break from the frantic pace of his life since he was last on the road. Kevin’s ‘time off’ has been anything but restful– a testament to his permanently curious and adventurous nature.
I
n the interim, beyond writing and fine-tuning this show, he’s become a house owner, been coached by José Mourinho, shown nautical skills in his nifty little boat, acquired a muchloved dog and written his brilliant, funny and revealing book ‘We Need To Talk About... Kevin Bridges’. The Clydebank boy has also scratched an itch by attending the incendiary Boca Juniors v River Plate Buenos Aires derby at the legendary Bombonera Stadium and presented wellreceived shows tied in to last year’s Scottish Independence referendum. None of that would have been possible had he not taken some significant ‘me’ time away from
stage performances – a decision he partially owes to advice from a wise soul-mate/father in Andy. Kevin explains: “If you’re working extremely hard and you’re chasing a level of quality to which you’ve made people accustomed then you’re on a kind of treadmill – with the button jammed up to top speed! “The process is all about having to keep up with yourself plus the demand you’ve created. “I never once felt like I could relax and ‘be Kevin Bridges’. “When things really took off in 2009 with my first television breakthrough I became a successful comedian with a career which was soaring but, initially, with the idea ‘this run could end at any minute’. “I was in demand for television and I was receiving calls from my agent saying: ‘There are people who want to meet you and talk ideas...’ “I had no interest in being a comedian who simply went on TV only then to ‘burn-out’...not unlike the X-Factor or Britain’s thirty-three
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COMEDY Got Talent contestants. I concluded that if I put in the hard graft to write and perform one more big tour and DVD [2012] that would then afford me valuable time off to relax. “In fact Andy said as much to me at the time. “His advice was that I was established, that huge amounts of people had come out to see me and that if I were to take time off then they would come back. “Andy argued, ‘You have done two big arena shows and two DVDs and you’re only 25. If you want to do this your whole life then you can afford to ‘pull back’ for a while’. “My dad knows me well. He has a different perspective and can see things from the outside. “This ‘A Whole Different Story’’ tour will be my first for three years and I initially thought that if I took that much time off people would forget about me...but they haven’t. “What has become very
WIN
apparent to me is that you need a reason to tour. “You need the right mindset. It is psychological. “I continue to write material, but I need a reason to tour. “I know it sounds like a cliché but all this is not simply about the money. “My dad’s suggestion to take a break was good advice. “In the time off I reflected and wrote the book. “I have a sense of gratitude and calmness but I still have the insecurity and it is that insecurity – I have 10,000 people coming to see me at some gigs – that motivates me to do the work. “You need that deadline and that pressure because without it you are nothing.” n Details of Kevin Bridges’ tour, “A Whole Different Story...” can be found on www.offthekerb. co.uk and www.kevinbridges.co.uk
NOEL FIELDING TICKETS
AN Evening With Noel Fielding is touring Thurs 12 Nov - Sun 13 Dec. The show is at Edinburgh EICC on Sat 14 Nov and Glasgow Kings Theatre on Sun 15 Nov. An Evening With Noel Fielding is also released on Universal live DVD on Mon 16 Nov. For full information and tickets go to www.NoelFielding. co.uk We’ve got a pair of tickets for both Glasgow and Edinburgh dates. To be in with a chance of winning one pair of tickets, answer the following question: AS PART OF WHICH DOUBLE ACT DID NOEL FIELDING MAKE HIS NAME?
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Text your answer FREE along with your name, contact phone number and email address to 07746-792724 or email competitions@ student-rag.co.uk
Closing date September 23. Editor’s decision is final.
19/08/2015 23:28:19
lete
p Com
T SE2L0L1-4O/1U5
WEDNESDAY 30 DECEMBER 2015 – FRIDAY 1 JANUARY 2016
www.edinburghshogmanay.com EH2016 BOX OFFICE: 0844 573 8455 / Fringe Office, 180 High Street, Edinburgh TICKETS SCOTLAND: 127 Rose Street, Edinburgh / 237 Argyle Street, Glasgow RIPPING RECORDS: 91 South Bridge, Edinburgh Principal Funding Partner
Created & Produced by
Edinburgh’s Hogmanay and Edinburgh’s Christmas are produced by Unique Events and Underbelly on behalf of the City of Edinburgh Council
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19/08/2015 03:35:49
travel
Adventure capitalists! I’ve lived in Glasgow for over two years now, and to be completely truthful, my list of places to visit in the rest of Scotland remains untouched, and growing in bullet points. For a small country, there’s a surprisingly large amount of things to do, and the slow realisation that I’ve spent about half of my time here either dancing my
ass off in various clubs, or recovering in Pinto is a bit depressing. To ensure that you see more Scottish wildlife than the creatures stumbling out of Bamboo, let’s start with the basics. I’m STEPHEN BUTCHARD and here are my ten essential and unusual adventures to take in Scotland while you’re here:
Fire festival in Shetland On the last Tuesday of January, Lerwirk, Shetland goes full on Game of Thrones, with its full day fire festival. The Up Helly Aa festival attracts thousands of visitors every year to take part in its torch lighting and galley burning celebrations. Pulling directly from the town’s Viking roots, expect plenty of Norse chanting and flashy costumes. The day begins with the Jarl Squad marching through the town in traditional battle gear, and ends with an evening party in the towns halls.
In the evening, over 800 Jon Snows form ranks in the darkened streets. A rocket bursts over the Town Hall to signal the start of the ceremony as torches are lit. Music plays through a half-mile long strip as soldiers light up the burning sight – a replica Viking longship. The festival is largely a local affair, but tickets are available from several halls for visitors to take part. If you should miss the Lerwick’s Up Helly Aa, don’t worry – there are another eight fire festivals in various districts of Shetland during the late winter.
thirty-six
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travel
Magic on the Isle of Skye Within arguably the most picturesque corner of Scotland lies proof that magic exists. The Fairy Pools of the Isle of Skye are like something from a Tolkien novel. You can almost picture an elven nymph whimsically bathing within the waters. Yet in reality, the elven
nymph is replaced with chubby uni students (Hi, that’s me). At least the pool is still pretty though, right? Situated at the foot of the Black Cuillins near Glenbrittle are the Fairy Pools, with beautifully clear water filling the rocks as it runs down from the River Brittle. These famous pools entice visitors from all over the world,
and make for the most stunning skinny dipping spot in the whole of Scotland (the pools will look beautiful regardless of all genitalia involved). With stunning waterfalls and an engaging walk through the isle coming with it, the Fairy Pools are a must see for anyone taking a trip to this scenic island.
More than just Edinburgh Castle’s homely cousin, Stirling Castle is an important part of Scotland’s history and heritage, and now acts as one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country. It was the chosen residence of the Stewart kings and queens who held grand celebrations there. As an important strategic point separating the Highlands and Lowlands, it was attacked numerous times throughout its early centuries, becoming a focal point in Scottish military history. American tourists with “Celtic ancestors” now flock to
Stirling Castle the castle where knights and nobles once did. As a bustling tourist destination, it features costumed characters in the roles of bodyguards, court officials, maids of honour and servants to guide you through 16th century life as a royal. With knowledgeable guides to lead you through the walls (not literally), it’ll be an educational day trip as well as a scenic one. The castle gardens provide some lovely Instagram opportunities too. thirty-seven
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travel
Dunrobin Castle Scotland has a ridiculous amount of good looking castles. Sutherland’s Dunrobin Castle is too good to pass up on. As a child growing up in the Highlands, I was dragged around all the castles you can think of. Whenever family would come to stay, we would be taken to all the usual tourist points: golfing at Dornoch beach; hiking around Loch Ness; binge drinking in the living room; all of it! But to my undeveloped brain, Dunrobin Castle was the only one worth going to. The castle grounds are stunning inside and out. Centuries of history permeate every wall, which are filled with period
costumes, original furniture, weaponry and other generally cool stuff. Its exterior looks like a Disney castle in real life, and its vibrant gardens allow for hours of lazy wandering. But what really stole my attention was the falconry display in the castle gardens, with a flurry of birds swooping around the grounds, as the expert falconer rallies them in. On one particular visit, an owl landed on my head. I nearly cried. If having a large bird sit on your face sounds like a nice way to spend a Saturday afternoon, then this is the place for you.
Achmelvich You don’t have to go on an overpriced ‘Ladz’ holiday Malaga to find white beaches and crystal water during the holidays. In fact, just a few hours drive away on the west coast sits a string of gorgeous beaches that act as the perfect stopping point on a highland road trip. Perhaps the best of the bunch is
Achmelvich, a hidden gem tucked away behind the narrow, winding roads of the highlands. The untouched sands are rarely busy, and its stunning water will have you believing you’ve driven into another country completely. Fear not; there are no sticky nightclubs or STDs on legs here – unless you brought them along yourself that
is. Instead, there are only peaceful country sands and highland air. Whether you fancy windsurfing, hiking through the hills or just want to channel Harry, Ron and Hermione in Deathly Hallows Part 1, Achmelvich is a must visit for all of those wanting to experience the Highlands at its most un-Scottish.
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Uncover your Edinburgh by calling into our Edinburgh and Scotland Information Centre. Pick up a free guide to the city or speak to one of our experts to discover world-class attractions, museums and great days out. We can also book tickets for events, activities and transport across Scotland.
Share your unforgettable experiences of this vibrant city with the world using #brilliantmoments
Call in and see us at Princes Mall 3 Princes Street Edinburgh 0845 2255 121
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UR O Y ER RGH V CO BU UNEDIN
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Loch Morlich Just ten minutes from the centre of Aviemore lies Loch Morlich, a bastion for all things wet and dangerous. Overlooked by the Cairngorm ski resort, which is almost certainly out of any student’s budget, sits this gorgeous loch, boasting a kilometre of natural sand and ‘seaside award’ winning waters. Lessons in kayaking, canoeing, windsurfing and even mountain biking through Glenmore Forest Park are available at the boathouse, all for budget-friendly prices. If physical exercise isn’t your thing, there’s enough room on the beach for the timid to chill out on too. Fresh sandwiches and home baking from the boathouse restaurant are the literal icing on the cake for an off-the-wall, adventure-filled day. It’s a short drive from the snowtopped Aviemore, where you can grab a bite to eat at the winter shack, Skiing Doo (ORDER THE CURLY FRIES), and rest at one of the many student hostels.
Only a Haggis Burrito can fill the void inside
I
T all started on a road trip in Colorado in 2004. With a love of burritos and a desire to return to Scotland, co-owners Neil and Kim Miller conceived the idea to bring one of their favourite styles of food to Scotland. In April of 2010, Los Cardos opened its doors on Leith Walk and the first Haggis Burrito was served to the public. At the time, not many people in Edinburgh knew that they needed burritos in their lives. Far fewer had ever thought that a Haggis Burrito was a void that needed filling. While there was some serious culinary convincing to do, they were confident that, by getting the more traditional burrito fillings right and ensuring some of the best customer service around, people would trust
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them about the haggis. Since those early days, Los Cardos has gained a loyal following for the “chieftain o’ the puddin race” burrito, including the likes of Irvine Welsh. The more traditional options are pretty popular too, with the carnitas in particular, being a huge hit. Now in it’s fifth year, Edinburgh’s longest standing burrito shop, Los Car-
dos continues to gain popularity and the idea of Mexican inspired streetstyle food is catching on like wildfire. They also offer a nightly delivery service for those living in and around Leith. Burritos, Burrito Bowls,Quesadillas and Tacos are just a click away on loscardosonline.com. The menu is loaded with healthy options that can be mixed and matched to suit most dietary needs. With the better part of thirty combined years experiencing different styles of Mexican cuisine in the southern US, the owners understand what makes fresh-mex soul food: authentic flavours and simple, high quality ingredients. Check it out. Los Cardos is the small, friendly shop on Leith Walk with the big flavour and the only place to find a haggis burrito.
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Loch Ness
Jacobite Steam Train This charming train journey acts as a pilgrimage for some obsessed Harry Potter fans. The three-hour single journey starts at the foot of Ben Nevis in Fort William. It then crosses the Glenfinnan Viaduct made famous by the Potter franchise, and pass the shiny
sands of Morar before arriving in the fishing port of Mallaig. The rustic charm of a steam train with beautiful views Waccompanying will be enough for some travellers, but the journey also acts as an unorthodox way to travel through the country.
Don’t bother packing the binoculars; you won’t find Nessie here. What you will find though, it one of Scotland’s most idyllic lochs, steeped in history and a very large amount of water. You can board an award winning Jacobite cruise tour, which will guide you around the scenic loch, and allow for plenty of good Instagram opportunities – we know that’s the main reason you’re going. Nearby is one of Scotland’s biggest and most striking forts, Urquhart Castle. It was once an essential stronghold, and despite being in ruins now, it still acts as one of the best viewpoints of the whole of Loch Ness. With an interactive exhibition located in the visitor centre, the entire history of the area can be absorbed in just one afternoon. You can pick up an adorable highland cow plushie while you’re there too.
Scotland’s Best Visitor Attraction 2014!
The ultimate live action adventure through 1000 years of Scotland’s murky past. 2 thrilling rides including Edinburgh’s only underground boat ride!
Save up to 30% online! Student Rag 22E.indd 41
thedungeons.com
Student Discount Available!
19/08/2015 03:39:50
Fingal’s Cave Fingal’s Cave is in equal parts stunning and spooky. The sea cave is located within the uninhabited Isle of Staffa and can be reached by a small boat ride from Mull off the west coast of Scotland. Known for its eerie echoing acoustics and striking basalt columns, similar to those in Ireland’s Giant Causeway, the cave is an
intriguing natural phenomenon to be explored. With daily cruises to the cave running from April to September every year, it makes for a unique point of interest on a highland road trip.
During spring and early summer, the grassy hills and cliffs are home to various nesting seabirds including guillemots, razorbills and puffins. Keep an eye out for dolphins on the ferry ride over, as they are known to swim alongside the boat. Nature is pretty cool, right?
Are you aged 16-25 and living with Type 1 diabetes? Diabetes Scotland is hosting a free event for young people aged 16-25 with Type 1 diabetes Saturday 14 November 2015 at the Holiday Inn, Edinburgh Lunch and refreshments included A free coach will be available to take participants to and from Glasgow
This event is a chance to come together, meet new people, try out activities and have fun! Places are limited so, if you would like to attend, please contact the Diabetes UK Events Team on eventsteam@diabetes.org.uk or call 0345 123 2399* or log on to www.diabetes.org.uk/careevents *Calls may be recorded for quality or training
Keep an eye on facebook.com/JUSTDUK1T and facebook.com/DiabetesUKScot for updates
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@DiabetesScot and @JUSTDUK1T.
19/08/2015 03:41:07
EE...... R ’ U R ’ O IIFF YYOU
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Make sure you’re in on the deal – it’s a brilliant chance to try opera for a tenner. 2015|16 Season Carmen | Ariodante | Rusalka | The Mikado | The Devil Inside Scottish Opera
scottishopera.org.uk/under-26
is core funded by
Registered in Scotland Number SCO37531 Scottish Charity Number SCO19787
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FITNESS
Home run
Not a gym bunny? Rather work out at home where nobody will judge you for having no makeup on, your hair scraped back into a tight bun or being covered in sweat?
Prefer being out getting fit in the great outdoors? Then let SOPHIE McNAUGHTON present the 10 best and most affordable pieces of gym equipment to use at home or outside.
Swiss Gym Yoga Ball This burst resistant yoga ball is perfect for a whole spectrum of workouts and suitable for everything from general fitness to pregnancy exercise and sports rehab. The multi-functional gym ball can easily be used in the comfort of your own home to help you improve the quality of standard exercises as it acts as a fitness aid. You can incorporate into your exercises including sit- ups, press-ups and stretching.
Davina Aerobic Step
ARGOS
£19.99
The gym ball improves stretch, flexibility and helps to define your body, tone your muscles and increase the strength of your core muscles. The gym ball is available in: 55cm high in yellow (22”) diameter for people who are 5’0” – 5’9” tall; 65cm high in blue (26”) diameter for people who are 5’6” – 5’9” tall; and 75cm high in red (30”) for people who are 5’9” – 6’4” tall.
THE aerobic step from the Davina fitness range is a great aid to cardiovasc ular workouts. Lightweight and compac t, it’s perfect for workouts at the gym and at home. The aerobic step also give you the option of building s up your fitness gradually before adjusting the height for a
Nike Training Kit This training kit is part of the Nike Crosstown Running range. If you’re a runner and enjoy doing cross-country and exercising outdoors, this kit is perfect for you. The training kit offers a range of accessories to be incorporated within a versatile workout regime with a long medium-resistance band, speed rope, circular light-resistance band and a lightweight storage bag perfect for when you’re on the go. This is the perfect portable buy for varied exercises anytime, anywhere.
PHYSIOROOM.COM
£11.99
more intense session. This fitness aid is a great too l to help you get into shape, build up the strength of the muscles in your legs and cor e, and will give you that extra push during a workou t. It can be easily taken to the gym for step classes or used in your living room alon g with a Davina DVD.
JD SPORTS
£25
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FITNESS Davina Vinyl Dumbbell Set
This dumbbell set from the Davina Vinyl range at Argos is a steal at only £14.99 for three pairs of practical, yet fashionable and vibrant dumbbell weights with handles in neon pink, green and blue. With a choice of weights including 0.68kg, 1.13kg, and 2.3kg, you can ARGOS pick the best set for you £14.99 based on your current level
of fitness and strength. These dumbbells can help you to gradually build up your fitness levels over time, allowing you to get a little bit stronger every day and helping you to reach your fitness goals. They are ideal for home use and are small enough to be easily stored away when not in use.
in Bar
Bodymax Ch m at piece of the gy Have a little dymax Upper Body Bo home with this and Push up Bar from Up Chin Up, Pull ess. Fitn this piece Powerhouse , you can use 99 2. For only £1 do a variety of exercises in to t of equipmen e. your own hom d with an Easy to use an time for mbly estimated asse nds, the seco under only 5 the perfect Chin Up bar is me ho start piece of t for gym equipmen beginners. agree Many experts e one of the that pull ups are exercises for developr most effectiv and physique in the uppe ing strength is what makes the Chin is body which al because it Bar such a ste ally effective and re st, co low l. multifunctiona dymax The Bo Chin Bar
POWER HOUSE e at im er with the ult FITNESS provides the uscan be fitted to most £12.99 selection as it without the need for s door opening d it uses a cantilever grip- l ta an s on riz ing fix ho as a screw iddle the same way ping action in can be lifted without the m s ed ick br of ck sta essure is appli pr t ien ffic su ones falling if ch side. from ea ordinary But this isn’t an r either, ba ing inn ch model the Bodymax r a can be used fo pull combination of raises leg ups, chin ups, of different nge and a wide ra exercises. y and from a doorwa When removedor, it can also be used flo placed on the sh ups. pu for wide arm y functions and such With so man in e Bodymax Ch a low cost, th solute no ab an is r ba Up brainer!
Resistance Band Exclusively from John Lewis, this bargain piece of home gym equipment is an easy to use, versatile fitness accessory that can be adapted for use in dozens of workouts. The resistance band is ideal toning up the upper and lower body and for building up your core strength and flexibility. The resistance band is a small, lightweight piece of equipment meaning it can easily be used at home and portable enough to be thrown in a bag and used on the move. Perfect for personal workouts or as part of a Pilates regime, this cheap and effective band can also improve your flexibility through stretching your muscles.
JOHN LEWIS
£8
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FITNESS TESCO
York Fitness Exercise Wheel
SPORTS DIRECT
£17.99
Ditch the abdominal crunches and get your mitts on one of these bad boys! The exercise wheel from York Fitness with an anti-slip rubber tread diameter roller, comfortable padded handles and smooth radiation is the perfect little addition to a home gym. The exercise wheel is ideal for strengthening and toning up the
Nike Push Up Grips
THESE Nike Push Up Grips are ideal for a quick athome workout. With an ergonomic design and padded hand grips, these enable you to exercise and build up strength without the risk of pain or injury. The added elevation and position of the hand grips allows you to add a greater range of movement and variety to your workout; allowing you to build up the muscles in your chest, triceps and shoulders. The Nike Push Up Grips add an innovative new twist to the standard push up exercise. Features include rubber nonslip pads and a wide stable base to ensure you have a fun and safe workout.
MBE South Bridge 12 South Bridge info@mbeSouthBridge.co.uk EH1 1DD 0131 652 3672
MBE Rose Street 196 Rose Street info@mbeEdinburghWestEnd.co.uk EH2 4AT 0131 220 1999
MBE Mornigside 44-46 Morningside Road info@mbeMornigside.co.uk EH10 4BF 0131 446 9777
When you are out of your accommodation for the holidays, travelling in the summer or simply have just too much stuff then why not take advantage of our student storage services? We will collect your packed boxes from you and deliver them back to you when required. No more hassle trying to arrange transport to the ‘out of town’ storage companies.
£60 for the first box £20 for every box thereafter
After the three months of storage you can either take out another three month package or, for more flexibility, rent per month for £30 for the first box and £10 for every box thereafter.
Other services available: Student Mailbox, Printing, Binding & Courier Services. Terms & Conditions apply
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£8
muscles in your abs, arms and thighs. Simple and comfortable to use, the exercise wheel comes in a stylish black and grey design and is specialised to work out your whole body as well as your abdominal muscles. This lightweight and compact piece of equipment is ideal for home use as it can be easily stored away and brought out when it’s time for a home workout.
3D Smart Pedometer Available in white, blue, red, orange, green and black, this 3D Smart Pedometer Sport Bracelet with step and calorie counter from GearBest is a bargain at only £6.08! Perfect for tracking your progress when walking, jogging and running, this bracelet provides an accurate count of how many steps you take and how many calories you burn; providing you with an insight into how much you’re really doing during exercise. Features
ST.
GEARBE COM
£6.08
include: a builtin 3D acceleration sensor with high sensitivity which catches even slight movements; monitoring your burning calories, steps, distance you’ve travelled and can set and inquire your movement (distance) goal; a digital LED screen which displays the time, date and ambient temperature intelligent sleep monitoring to improve sleep quality; a built-in rechargeable Liion battery which is powerful and environmentally friendly; a strap which integrates USB interface; and it is compact, lightweight and fashionable.
Fitness Mad Spiky Massage Ball
TESCO
£5.99
The fitness massage ball from A&A Sports is the ideal aid for those post-workout aches and pains. The massage ball relaxes tight and uncomfortable muscles and even releases toxins and improves blood circulation after those physically intense, can-no-longer-move workouts. Best of all it can be used anywhere as it is small and compact enough to be easily stored or thrown in a bag to be used on the go. Available in purple, the ball is suitable for all ages and fitness levels; providing relief and comfort when you feel burned out and sore. The ball is essential for recovering after a workout and at this price, they’ll definitely fly off the shelves in no time!
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A tale of two c glasgow university IF you haven’t had time to fully appreciate the rich history of Glasgow’s oldest uni, we don’t blame you. It can be hard to fully appreciate how important the room you’re sitting in is when you’re listening to your physics lecturer tell his fifth quantum theory joke of the class. Established in 1451, it is the oldest university in Scotland, and fourth oldest in the UK. Its halls have been graced with the presence of numerous important world figures, such as the father of modern economics, Adam Smith, television inventor John Logie Baird, and Emma Richards, the first woman to sail solo around the world. The uni has also been home to seven Nobel laureates, one Prime Minister and Scotland’s inaugural First Minister. Scotland’s first female medical graduates completed their degrees here in 1894. The uni currently sits within the top 100 in Times Higher Education World University Rankings. Whether you’re a student or just a visitor with an interest in Glasgow’s history, The university’s daily tours are a must for exploring the rich history of a prestigious establishment. The Hogwarts-eqsue architecture is impressive enough to warrant a visit too.
Scotland’s sister cities are brimming with stories to be heard and places to be discovered. The constant battle of ‘Glasgow v Edinburgh’ becomes irrelevant when you realise how much each city has to offer on its own. STEPHEN BUTCHARD presents a guide to exploring two of the UK’s most beloved cities, and a few of the tales that come with it.
glasgow necropolis Glaswegian hero Billy Connolly once stated that “Glasgow’s a bit like Nashville, Tennessee: it doesn’t care much for the living, but it really looks after the dead.” The stunning Necropolis is a prime example of this idea. Situated on a hill to the east of St Mungo’s Cathedral, the Necropolis might be the most significant burial grounds in the whole of Scotland. Fifty thousand individuals have been buried here, living up to the notion of the gardens acting as the “city of the dead”. Only a small percentage of these are named on monuments, and not every grave has a stone, and yet, there are over 3,500 monuments on site. All of this sounds pretty morbid, but in reality, this city acts as a celebration of life more than a spooky-wooky tale of death.
Some of the most significant figures buried here, such as Strathclyde University establisher John Anderson, are given their own elegant monuments, and the several tombs placed along the necropolis streets are striking to look at. Built in 1833, Glasgow’s necropolis continues to remember its dead through guided tours that reveal the interesting elements behind its construction, as well as the stories of those buried here.
THE BARRAS The sticky floors of Barrowlands are the very lifeblood of the Glasgow music scene. Throughout its over 75-year history, the venue has been graced with some of the biggest acts in music: Oasis, U2, The Stranglers, The Clash, The Smiths, Big Country, Muse, and Foo Fighters all passing through. The venue’s age shows; the sign out front looks more like a bingo house than a
University of Glasgow
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o cities concert venue, and the dance hall looks like the perfect place to host a school disco. But the acoustics alone are what pulls in bands and punters alike. A gig at the Barras is a must for any music fan.
kelvingrove art gallery and museum AS the most popular attraction in Scotland and most visited museum in the UK outside of London, Kelvingrove art gallery is a must visit. It currently holds over 8,000 exhibits, which means millions of possible Instagram filter combinations, and hours for rubbing your beard thoughtfully. Established in 1901, the gallery has been giving visitors a glimpse into modern, classical and abstract art ever since. Its construction was partly financed by the proceeds of the 1888 International Exhibition held in Kelvingrove Park which it faces. Urban legend says that the architect in charge accidentally built it back-to-front, and jumped from one of the towers in despair when he realised his mistake. Sadly this is only a myth. Reality sucks, doesn’t it? In 2006, it closed its doors as part of a £24m restoration project to bring it back to its former glory, and since then, it’s
been a hub for Glasgow arts and culture. Admission is free into the gallery so there’s no reason not to check it out.
oran mor SITUATED in the stylish west end is Oran Mor, a converted Gothic church, with a neon hula hoop wedged on its spire like a drunken hipster at Coachella. Formerly known as Kelvinside Parish Church, Oran Mor was built in 1862 to supply the growing need for a place of worship in the west end. Taking influence from Italian gothic cathedrals, the intricately designed church became an instantly impressive piece of Scottish architecture thanks to its foreign look for the era. Now the building acts as one of the leading small venues in the city. Its upstairs auditorium features gorgeous murals by Scottish artist Alasdair Gray, but the bulk of gigs are held in its tomb-like basement. The small space feels just as intimate as some of Glasgow’s other flagship underground venues such as Stereo and Broadcast, but without the grimy aesthetic. This is in part because during the day, it is home to the acclaimed ‘a play, a pie and a pint’ lunchtime theatre event, which is just as worth checking out as the gigs.
Oran Mor
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
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FEATURE cAMERA OBSCURA AND WORLD OF ILLUSION Camera Obscura and World of Illusion – Edinburgh’s oldest purpose built visitor attraction – still finds love from guests from all over the world thanks to the simple visual pleasure their optical illusions bring. From the top of its 150 year old observatory, the Camera Obscura sits looking out, the roving mirror projecting a 360 degree panorama of the city. Below, the rest of the displays and interactive exhibitions place visitors in a world of illusion and warped images that are instantly entertaining in their disorienting feel, but also provide an excellent glimpse into Edinburgh’s
history through the staff’s wide knowledge on how the Camera Obscura came to be such an attraction. The attraction finds its origin with Maria Short, a daughter from a family of scientific instrument makers who turned her family’s ‘great telescope’ into an observation point and popular attraction in 18th century Edinburgh. Eventually, Patrick Geddes, the famous town planner, purchased the observation tower, turning it into a disorienting optical illusion used to make social commentary on the nature of life through its blending of images.
Chances are, you’ve already been to Edinburgh Castle. According to the Edinburgh Visitor Survey, more than 70% of leisure visitors to the city had visited the castle. If you live in the city, you can’t exactly avoid it; from its position on the Castle Rock, it dominates everything as the centre of a bustling city and the cobbled streets that surround it. From the Iron Age onwards, hu-
edinburgh castle mans have been drawn to the rock on which the castle sits, and there has been a royal on the rock since at least the reign of David I in the 12th Century. Today, the castle remains a hub of the city, with over 1.4million visitors every year. As the backdrop to the Edinburgh Military Tattoo during the Internation-
al Festival, it has become a symbol for the city and the rest of Scotland. The striking beauty of the fort when matched with its cultural significance will make it a focal point in the capital city for years down the line. Drunkards heading back from Cowgate can use the castle as a pretty good point of reference too, lit up in the hazy night sky. How romantic.
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FEATURE
the old children’s bookshelf The quirky side streets of Edinburgh are home to a string of peculiar shops, many of which succeed through to their niche appeal. These odd side streets are fun to explore thanks to the curiosities that can be found within. The Old Children’s bookshop plays into this idiosyncratic aura of mystery whilst supplying something of genuinely high quality. Shoppers go in out of curiosity, expecting to have a nose and then go off to buy a mocha latte with extra sugar. Instead, they find themselves leaving with a handful of vintage girls comics from the 1950s. Nestled into Edinburgh University is not just a place of education; its history and impact is entangled with that of the city, and it has become synonymous with Old Town. That might sound like something you read on a swanky flyer at an open day, where all you wanted to do was throw up in a Starbucks bin out of the shock of impending adulthood, but it’s actually true. Founded in 1582, the uni is the sixth-oldest in the English speaking world. Its past students are some of
edinburgh uni the major figures in modern history, such as Charles Darwin, David Hume and James Clerk Maxwell. Over 20 Nobel Prize Winners, two Turing Award winners and Pulitzer Prize winners and three prime ministers have walk through the uni’s doors, and this is just for starters. Even the university’s student newspaper, ‘the student’ is the oldest in the UK, having been founded in 1887
the Cannongate side streets, this tiny shop sells children’s comics and books from the vintage era. It focuses on the classic works of authors such as Enid Blyton, AA Milne and Beatrix Potter, some of which come with original illustrations, dust jackets and in the case of ‘Last term at Malory Towers’, a message from the original owner. The shop revels in nostalgia, acting as a time capsule for the literature and memorabilia of children from yesteryear. Its charm is a reminder of why libraries are so beloved, and its walls are a symbol of not just children’s literature, but of the magic that can be found in Edinburgh’s side streets.
by none other than Robert Louis Stevenson, making my gig reviews in the Strathclyde telegraph look a bit less prestigious… The uni currently sits 17th in the world by QS rankings, and the 47,000 applicants per year prove that it continues to grow. Many of the beautiful Old Town buildings have a tie to the uni, and are well worth exploring to get a glimpse into the rich history behind not just the school, but the city itself. fifty-one
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beauty
Move into Seeing Red MAC have proclaimed this season that of the beautiful and the damned: bare eyes and the darkest possible lips. Pair a soft and feathery brow with bare eyes and the darkest lip you can stand. It’s not for everyone, and it takes a bit of courage and precision to master (you have to have a sure hand to do a dark lip) but if you do take the plunge, it’s a perfect bold nighttime look. Remember to pair your lipstick with a good liner to hold it in place for as long as possible. A velvet matte lip is also very on trend for autumn.
Berry matte lips with a dark eye is the ultimate 90s grunge look. Just make sure you exfoliate the hell out of your lips before applying any matte colour as it’ll draw attention to a messy lip, and no-one wants that. Channel your inner Taylor Swift and rock a classic red lip. Make sure you pick a more blue toned red for winter. Don’t be afraid of red – there is one for everyone. No-one does a red lipstick like MAC, and their classic blue-toned red is Russian Red, a favourite of Madonna. Find the red that works for you and wear it boldly.
Katie Campbell’s Lip Service No.17 STAY POUT LIPSTICK IN SHOWMANCE/ AUDITION boots.com £4.49
Hippy hippy shake
, and in their place are Cu rls are firmly out -by-step guide to unstep a e’s Her es. 70s wav and giving your hair y hipp r inne r you leashing love vibe, maaaaaan: and ce pea out fart tha your hair using 1) Wash and condition and condia thickening shampoo gy. tioner, like Elvive Fibrolo a barrel 2) Blow dry hair hair with me at brush to give lift and volu the roots. curling 3) Take a large barrel loose iron and create large, curls in the hair. ghly to diffuse the 4) Brush through thorou waves. 5) Set with hairspray.
ILLAMASQUA CREAM PIGMENT IN HOLLOW debenhams.com £18.00
MAKE-UP BAG
ESSENTIALS
L’OREAL LUMI MAGIQUE HIGHLIGHTER superdrug.com £8.49
BARRY M LIP PAINT IN CRANBERRY RED superdrug.com £4.49
FOR AUTUMN
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beauty
o neutral
Autumn means the beginning of longer, darker nights and brown foliage. Say goodbye to bright neons and colourful statements, and hello to neutrals, blacks, and the all new craze for Pablo Picasso-esque graphic eyeliner. It’s time to get back to black and welcome in the winter months with a brave new look. KATIE CAMPBELL guides you through the last of 2015’s statement looks.
Brave & The Bold
The The Craft and Dig out your copies of goth chic is n– study it well for autum this season finally making its return cticing your pra t star to t wan ’ll You they’re about to smokey eye, because . return with a vengeance shadows and Soft grey and black eye rs are going to line highly pigmented khol be your best friend. ve, the most For the bold and the bra lining. This is phic gra is d tren re -the out r off the lashline all about moving the line metric shapes or and creating blocky, geo the crease. g thick brush strokes alon bold liner is to The secret to the perfect liner, so stock or gel use a precision liquid up on them. Nailing It
Sp rin g/summer’s neu and in their place are trals are gone, the permeating this season gothic colours ’s Burgundy and high-sh looks. are back, along with beaine black polishes tones as seen in Chanel’utiful autumnal s autumn/winter runway looks. Following the classic red limited edition Le Vernis lip trend, their nail colour in Ecorce Sanguine will be a As with eyes, a graphic smash hit. rage for the season. Pai nail is all the were the talk of Paris nt splatter nails fashion week, but if you’re looking for som ething a little more simple, try a grey nail with a minimalistic stripe in the centre. Simple, effective, and chic.
ing Face
BOURJOIS AQUA BLUSH 12hr boots.com £8.99
NYX COSMETICS DEWY FINISH SETTING SPRAY nyxcosmetics.co.uk £10.00
NARS RADIANT CREAM COMPACT FOUNDATION houseoffraser.co.uk £35.00
Giv so popular by the Th e contouring made hian is still a of likes Kim Kardas n/winter huge part of the autum growlook, and thanks to its year, URBAN DECAY ing popularity over the r 24/7 GLIDE ON it’s now easier than eve ely EYE PENCIL IN to learn how to complet PERVERSION reshape your face with debenhams.com make-up. £15.50 Illamasqua’ brand new is sculpting palette (£44) the definitive kit for face and body sculpting. sp If you’re struggling to gra ze, the whole contouring cra ua check out ex-Illamasq of en make-up artist and que ve on evie contouring Jamie Gen s. YouTube for tips and trick fifty-three
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It’s 7.30am and you’ve just been woken up by your phone. Who’s texting you at this hour? Why are they asking where you are...? Oh. Wait. No. It’s 8.30am, you’ve slept through your alarm, and you’ve got half an hour to make it to that one 9am lecture that will be the
death of you, you swear.Who said you can’t run late and look fabulous? Let KATIE CAMPBELL – the woman with the worst timekeeping abilities in the known universe – lay out the basics for your ultimate on-the-fly make-up kit. You can thank her later.
Top picks for a quick fix
Perfect Fit
Maybelline’s Fit Me anti-shine stick should be the centrepiece of your “oh good god I slept in what time is it what do you mean I have to be in a lecture in ten minutes oh dear god” kit. The wonderful thing about the anti-shine stick (right) is that it can be used as a foundation when you’re short on time, or a heavy coverage concealer when you’ve got the chance to bake your mug. It even has an inbuilt primer to ensure smooth, even application. Blend it with a damp beauty blender – try Real Techniques’ Miracle Complexion sponge (left, £5.99) and you’ve got the world’s quickest airbrushed look without any help from Photoshop for Dummies. Don’t forget to blend – nothing says “I woke up ten minutes ago” like unblended foundation.
Cream it in
IF you’re not sold on the idea of Fit Me and want something even easier, invest in a good BB cream. NARS’ Pure Radiant tinted moisturiser (below, £29.00) is perfect if you’ve just had your bonus in from work, but if you’re not looking to take out another student loan just to buy make-up, Gosh’s BB Cream (above, £9.99) is an amazing addition to anyone’s arsenal. Combine it with a setting powder to reduce shine – get change from a fiver
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for Collection’s translucent powder (£2.99) or buy the holy grail, Illamasqua’s pressed powder (below, £24.50) and you’ve got the ultimate quick make-up.
All about the base
AS for what you top the base with, that’s all on you. If you want a quick and slick black liner, Bourjois’ Kohl Kajal eyeliner (£6.99) is perfect – it can be used as an inner or outer liner, and glides
so smoothly across the lid. If you’re just looking for a neutral eye, Urban Decay’s Naked palettes are incredible – super pigmented colour and a pallet for every skin tone. You can get the Naked Basics palette (below £23), which is worth every single penny. But if that’s too much, Make-Up Revolution’s #Selfie palette (£4.99) is very similar tonally to UD’s Naked 1 palette. These palettes can easily be taken on a bus or train if you’re into make-up on the go. Brows and mascara are all about personal preference, but Maybelline’s Lash Sensational and Brow Satin (both £5.99) are quick, easy and super dramatic.
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LYCON PRECISION HOT & STRIP WAXING THREADING HD BROWS LVL LASHES SEMI PERMANENT LASH EXTENSIONS SHELLAC NAIL BAR 25% STUDENT DISCOUNT SALONS ACROSS EDINBURGH & ST ANDREWS
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WIN
We’ve teamed up with Alton Towers Resort to give away 3 pairs of tickets to their annual Scarefest. With frightening fun and many new thrilling attractions open until 9pm, there are lots of Halloween horrors to be enjoyed by everyone.
T&Cs: The prize consists of 4 tickets which are valid from the 17th October – 1st
The Alton Towers Resort’s annual Scarefest is back for 2015 and will be scarier than ever before with two brand new spine-chilling horror mazes. Taking place from 17th What’s your the #MoodForOctober – 1st November Mackies #chocolate? two terrifying new mazes add Mackie’s of Scotland to the spine-chilling selection of Scarefestishorror attractions a family business in Aberdeenshire which has become one of Scotland’s November 2015. The food or drink, fastrack top and favourite food pass is for entry into or any additional; paid the theme park only forbrands. activities. Tickets are non transferable. and does not include Mackie’s make ice
TICKETS FOR ALTON TOWERS SCAREFEST and mazes. Returning for 2015 is the frightening favourite, Terror of the Towers, what lies within. Set inside a new route, it will once again reveal its dark and horrifying secret! Also new for this year are two startling scare zones! For more information visit www.altontowers.com For a chance of winning a pair of tickets, simply answer the following question: cream, potato crisps and ON WHAT DATE DOES recently started making FALL? HALLOWEEN chocolate.
Text your Youanswer might FREE not bealong with yoursurprised name, contact phone number to know that and email address to students are one of the 07746-792724 or email groups withstudent-rag.co.uk the biggest competitions@
appetite for chocolate!
Closing date is September 23. You can find Mackie’s Editor’s decision is final
#tickets26
rcs.ac.uk/ tickets26
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fresh15
Sep 22
free event
THE BEST FRESHERS R!*R* FAIR E EV VEE * a realistic prediction made only yesterday by the event’s organisers
Where else can you take part in a free cocktail masterclass, ride the Tiki wave of love, become an African drummer and hook up with an instant date – all under one roof in one day? Building on the success of Student Rag magazine, we are thrilled to announce our annual student fair – FRESH 15. This unique event will shine the spotlight on interactive and quirky fun. You’ll find out how on September 22 when FRESH 15 takes over all three floors at Mansion House bar in Glasgow city centre – just a two-minute walk from George Square. You could find instant love at our speed dating session then celebrate your new-found happiness by throwing together a cocktail or two in our free masterclass. Alternatively, you could lap up our live African drumming taster in our specially-themed Tiki bar before giving it your best Taylor Swift routine in our karaoke booths -did I say it’s all free? Plus we’ve got loads of surprises up our sleeves, which we’ll reveal in the lead-up to the event. First hundred through the door get freebies to make their friends weep! So feel free to hop on the free Campus Coach which will shuttle you to the venue where a redcarpet welcome awaits.
free event STRIC TL 16+ Y
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Your approach to soul music sounds so authentic in reimagining its golden age – you even used equipment on your debut strictly at least 50 years old. What was it about this sound that drew you to it so much? Prior to going down this path I’d been searching for my voice. I tried a neo-soul and alternative rnb style but it never clicked with me. A wide door opened when I was introduced to soul music. I saw that the 1950’s and 60’s era of soul was the best time for rnb and I wanted to recreate it in my own way. The raw quality and innocence in the songwriting of that golden era of rnb is what spoke to me.
Q & A
What sort of artists soundtracked your childhood? When was it that you became aware with old school soul music? As a kid I was influenced by the sounds Ginuwine, Usher, 112, Dru Hill and Silk. Those were great rnb artist of the 90s. I was introduced to soul music as a kid but none of it really resonated with me until I got older. DO you get tired of your music constantly being compared to Otis Redding and Sam Cooke? It’s flattering that people compare me to such greats but I can never fill their shoes. It’s easy for people to identify with the sound of the music when compared with something familiar. You recorded Coming Home with White Denim’s Austin Jenkins and Josh Block. What was the recording process like? Is it true that you didn’t realise that they were a big name band until way afterwards? I didn’t know who White Denim was prior to meeting them. The process was the best experience I’ve had in my life. It was a great feeling to see my vision come to life when working with them. I decided to go down this path musically two years ago but it was just me and a guitar. I didn’t know if what I was doing came across to people as timeless. There’s only so much you can do solo on a guitar. Everything came together when I met Austin and Josh.
Leon Bridges
You first met Jenkins through your shared interest in vintage clothing, is that right? Why is your image so important to you? We all love things we weren’t able to experience. There shouldn’t be any boundaries just because a person hasn’t experienced it. It’s very clear that I’m emulating something of the past. I dress the way I do and make the music I do because it brings me joy.
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There’s a lot of talk that you’re bringing back ‘real music’. How you feel about statements like that? It’s very flattering. I’m not doing anything new. I’m just looking at the blueprint of the soul greats that paved the way and writing whatever comes out naturally. IS there a need for more authenticity in mainstream music? What would you say is your ultimate goal, musically? There’s a lot of music in the mainstream made for quick and temporary listening, and that stuff is great. There’s a time and place for everything. I want to make music that will stick with someone forever. People may say I’m cheating because I’m making “retro music”, but when it boils down
to it, it’s all about lyrics and the way you execute them. How you do deal with the media exposure? Do you pay attention to reviews? I prefer being low key but I’m not mad at people latching on to my music and wanting to get to know me. I don’t read all of my reviews. What artists do you dream of working with, living or dead? Given the success of Coming Home, are there any artists you can realistically imagine coming together with? Definitely Kendrick Lamar, ASAP Rocky, James Bay, James Blake, and Lianne La Havas.
Leon Bridges plays the O2 ABC in Glasgow on Sep 24.
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How To Find Us！
Cosplay
Manga
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Anime Products
SNACKS AND BEVERAGES
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COMING SOON TO A PLACE NEAR YOU...
Looking for a gig or new release and don’t know where to go? Never fear, STEPHEN BUTCHARD has a gander at what’s goin’ on... THE woozy melodies that fuel Beach House’s songs continue to be captivating, over ten years after their innocent, rustic beginnings. Now, duo Victoria La Grande and Alex Scally find themselves as one of indie music’s most successful acts. Their early material was rough around the edges, with tinny drum machines and lo-fi recordings adding charm to the band’s dream pop sound. Gradually, they were able to expand on their lush lullabies on the album Devotion, which saw the inclusion of grander live instrumentation and sharper production. Since then, the band
has been delivering some of the most captivating and dreamy pop tunes the genre has to offer. At their centre sits Victoria’s vocal. Its husky, soft quality is instantly recognisable, standing out from the sparkling guitars and pool of synths that glitter around it. On their latest offering, Depression Cherry the emotional pull of the band is as potent as ever. The seductive power of the band is most tangible in a live setting. Beach House play the O2 Academy on October 26. Depression Cherry is available now on SubPop Records.
Jamie XX
NOT only is Jamie one third of indie darlings ‘The XX’, but he’s also one of the UK’s most impressive DJs – with a serious fetish for rectangles and steel drum synths. His debut solo album In Colour shows a passion for the latter in buckets. In many ways, though, the album acts as a celebration for dance music in general, with Jamie chucking in influences from post-Dubstep, UK Garage, micro-house and plunderphonics to create a long-play that satisfies more than any other electronic album this year. Gosh is an homage to Orbital’s ‘Belfast’, kicking things off in a rave worthy of the apocalypse with energetic live sets that live up to the heady mission statement of his album. Singles Loud Places and Good Times will go down well, but Jamie’s love of dance will mean for an eclectic mix on deck, with Chicago house classics sitting next to Tame Impala’s ‘Let It happen’ at previous shows already this year. Jamie will play the O2 Academy in Glasgow on October 17.
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Beach House London-based Wolf Alice are at the forefront of Britain’s guitar rock revival. Well, that’s what NME keeps banging on about anyway. In truth, they are just a gutsy band that are a lot of fun to mosh to. The
curse of being another indie buzzband doesn’t seem to affect the quality of their tunes though. Ever since 2010’s Leaving You, they’ve been churning out catchy alt rock jams worth frothing over.
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Future Islands
Frontwoman Ellie Rowsell and lead guitarist Jeff Oddie met in 2010. After acquiring a kickass rhythm section, Wolf Alice eventually morphed from an acoustic duo to an electric quartet with a grunge-pop flavour. A handful of acclaimed singles and two notable EPs followed, along with a relentless tour schedule. In June they released their much anticipated debut My Love Is Cool, an eclectic collection of 12 songs that put to rest the notion that they’re merely grunge revivalists. The gothically tinged Turn to Dust sits comfortably next to new-wave anthem Bleach, with both showing off sharp songwriting and style. Wolf Alice may wear their influences on their sleeves – lit up in neon green – but that doesn’t make them any less worthy of attention. Wolf Alice play Glasgow O2 ABC on Sep 19.
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IN a world where walking through Glasgow’s Hope street can cancer-fy your lungs, Claire Boucher’s music holds a type of naïve positivity that helps you forget how much the world sucks sometimes. Although her music is willing to embrace shadowy sounds and dark lyricism into its cyber-punk aesthetic, there’s an air of euphoria undercutting everything she puts out. Her breakout album Visions is a key example of this. Its barebones writing and ‘kawaii’ synth arpeggios had some cynics labelling it ‘tumblrcore’ before tweens even had a chance to appropiate it. Those willing to look past its simplicity found a diverse and original album that stood as a badass antidote to all things serious. The anticipation for Being launched to stardom through becoming a meme can be a blessing and a curse. Just months after appearing on Letterman’s late night chat show, Future Islands were performing to thousands at SXSW, the biggest crowd of their career. Still, there were a portion of that crowd only there to see Frontman Samuel T Herring’s wonderfully silly dance moves. In April 2014, the
Grimes
the follow-up has only gotten greater following the release of scrapped song ‘REALITI’. It’s a sharp piece of modern pop, which finds Grimes absorbing trance and EDM into her ever growing palette of influences – she named herself after the genre when she discovered it on myspace. Not only is the track a lot of fun, but it finds her adding new weight to her songs, with unexpectedly human lyrics. We’re hoping Grimes brightens up our realities soon, after hinting that she will be ‘surprise’ releasing her new album in October…which isn’t how that’s supposed to work, right? It will also apparently feature a Nine Inch Nails influence and more real instrumentation
little-known trio performed their infectious single Seasons (Waiting on You). The dramatic performance and scary hip-shaking of Herring made it a viral hit. Said single gained numerous ‘song of the year’ accolades and the album it stemmed from found new success. Their previous records In Evening Air and On the Water were beloved by a devout
few, but largely overlooked. Singles perfected their formula of crafting tight pop songs with bubbly synths and smooth instrumentation. In the studio and in concert, Future Islands continue to prove themselves after a meme worthy moment. TO see them in their true dramatic and campy form, catch them live on Sep 9 at Glasgow Barrowlands.
Brand New
Emo heavyweights Brand New hold a special place in the hearts of many a scuzzy Scottish teenager. For a time, if you had a lopsided haircut and lyrics from ‘The boy who blocked his own shot’ in your MSN instant messenger bio, you were a kid worth knowing. At least, that’s the way it seemed to us obsessed fans. Their evocative lyricism, vulnerable song topics
and ability to adapt with every new project has given them a sense of longevity that only a handful of hardcore acts have managed to hold on to. Playing to the hardcore/ emo blueprint in the early 2000s, Brand New could have been anyone. But with follow-ups Deja Entandu and the Devil and God are Raging Inside Me, they expanded and sub-
verted their sound to create dynamic and emotionally abrasive tracks that are incredibly dark, multifaceted, and operatic in structure. Judging by single Mene, the boys are returning to form with a mixture of accessibility and cut throat aggression. Brand New play at Edinburgh Usher Hall on September 21. sixty-one
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Could pizza be worth a 20minute walk ?
Sourdough pizza @ the Bakery 2 s l i c e s - £3
weekdays noon–3pm
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