Bad Taste Magazine: Issue 2 by Timothy Ngwena

BAD TASTE UNIVERSITY OF YORK CAMPUS MAGAZINE ISSUE 2 SUMMER ‘07

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EDITORS’ NOTE:

Welcome to the second edition of Bad Taste: your campus magazine. From new artwork, a fresh approach to politics and some exclusive interviews to a continuation of the very popular fashion shoots, we have tried to focus on bringing you a greater breadth and depth of content. Our outstanding graphics designer and photographer, alongside hard-working heads of departments/section editors bring you a lively and novel insight into campus life. Take advantage. If you’d like to get involved with the magazine in any way, please email badtaste@yusu.org.

Editorial Directors

CONTENTS: LIFESTYLE

Good Taste by Judith Connolly Half Way Hall by George Taylor A look at the university experience New Generation Society by Duncan Piper Jump York by Nicky Woolf A look at the art of Parkour on campus A letter from Seville by Jess Selfe York’s Litle Gem by Nicky Woolf

4-5 6-7 8 9-11 13 50-51

ARTS

Langwith Arts Festival by Duncan Piper Graphical Book Reviews by Ilaf Scheikh Elard, Marius Karabaczek Confessions of a Student Playwright by Nicola Fairhead An interview with DramaSoc’s Jethro Compton Sections - Artwork by Mathew Hanley Trainspotting by Duncan Piper Short Story by Paul Hague York Student Cinema by Helen Citron

FASHION

12 14-15 16-17 18-19 20-21 22 23 24-29

Lazy Daze Summer fashion on campus Evil Eye

41-48

MUSIC

30 31 32-33 34-35 37 38-39

Looking Ahead by Daniel Sjöström Interview with Slow Club by Roxana Darling What is Indie? by Roxana Darling Pop Music Age by Ben Rackstraw Mr Hudson and the Library by Helen Nianias Making Sound by Ruth Evans Sarah Coggles, 91-93 Low Petergate Babydoll Boutique, Leeds Corn Exchange every Saturday Blue Ballroom, 36 Gillygate Ofﬁce, 3 Coney Street Give the Dog a Bone, 17 Fossgate

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BADTASTE Editorial Directors: Duncan Piper, Missy Christey, Ilaf Scheikh Elard Graphics Designer: Timothy Ngwena Photography: Matthew Grum Head of Marketing & Distribution: Oliver Blair Features Coordinator: Nicky Woolf Good Taste Editor. Judith Connolly Fashion & Style Editors: Kate Bevan, Sarah Graham Performing Arts Editor: Charlie Bruce Music Editor: Roxana Darling Contributors: Paul Hague, Kim Middleton, Georgie Pettiffer, Andy Young, Rebecca Jones, Marius Karabaczek, Iain Smith, Daniel Sjöström, Nicola Fairhead, Helen Citron, Mathew Hanley, George Taylor, Jess Selfe, Ben Rackstraw, Helen Nianias, Ruth Evans, Hannah Welch, Rennie Hoare, Jonny Dack, Diane Propsting, Mark Fountain, Kristy Harper, Camille Augarde With special thanks to: Sarah Coggles, Evil Eye, Ofﬁce, Give the Dog a Bone and Blue Ballroom. Babydoll Boutique. The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of YUSU or of the editorial team. Every care is taken to ensure all information published is correct at the time of print. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is strictly prohibited. Bad Taste cannot be held responsible for information provided by advertisers. Cover by Matthew Grum and Iain Smith. Apologies to Tom Weil ( magician ) for failing to provide contact details in the Spring ‘07 edition: www.tomweil.co.uk , tom@magichat.co.uk.

t s Ze N

ew in the centre of York, Zest specialises in both branded and non-branded perfumes and cosmetics at very keen prices. For a small independent in the high street there aren’t many avenues for differentiation, but they try to be as competitive as possible on price and have a helpful, flexible attitude. If you’re after a rare or discontinued line, they will try their best to track it down. So if you’ve run out of Brut or Vera Wang, head for 9 Market St.

“

DID YOU SAY THIS COMPANY IS OFFERING STUDENTS DISCOUNTS IF THEY MENTION BAD TASTE??

”

rmy and Navy Su rplus store– this shop might be qu ite domineering fro the outside, but in m side it is a treasur e trove of bargains for all yo u crazy kids, rang ing from parkas, army jacke ts and pumps, all at affordable prices.

o g s a t y ce ta S , lly s. no yon n Co a L th ssic i : By Jud & Je a Go en : n gw hy : m g N p ru si De Tim gra w G o he t o t Ph Mat

F V

eeling eckish

irtually everything is homemade, from the bread and pies to the coleslaw and chutneys. The best bits of the menu include the deli board (you create your own platter from cheeses, meats, antipasti and various other nibbles and dips), the huge burgers, and daily specials. 30% off all food and drink for students every day of the week. £7 for a bottle of house wine for students anytime this term. Open till 2am every day of the week. Don’t forget the upstairs area which is available to hire for free. Dusk, 8 New Street, York, YO1 8RA.

girls of inity for in m fe an d more th uty an ion, bea le spotlight for h s e fa r f y o e year th the sty symbol timeless rbie has been in AC, earlier this ucts. These are M Ba od all ages, ow teamed with collection of pr , eyes, skin and r N ks u . e s lo e e o h ad ps, c ion c Malibu four dec ited edit -up artists for li . Will you be a m li ur ir e k for yo leased th ofessional make you living dolls etics.co.u m r s ll p o a c r y c b a used ww.m reated fo ecially c g Chick? Visit w nails, sp in k c r a Ro Barbie o ckist. to s t s neare

d o o e t s D

Bad Hair Day!

ishpaste is the ultimate styler. It works like a wax/gel but will dry matt, and enables the hair to maintain a malleable hold all day long. Its strength will give your hair life, and add texture to define chunky choppy layers. Suitable for all types of hair. Celebrity punters include: John Terry, Robbie Williams and Jimi Mistry. Available at Boots. RRP £4.99 for 50ml.

ress your feet in style with Faith’s vast selection of pumps, staple flip-flops, bejewelled sandals or understated trainers to keep your feet cool. If you have a fetish for shoes and want to hit the towering heights of fashion this summer, opt for vertiginous wedges.

Give the Dog a Bone

quirky shop offering quality yet affordable gifts. Selling anything from candles and canvases, to Tintin t-shirts and rubber ducks. Ideal for unique individual gifts, or to treat yourself. 17 Fossgate.

Sweet Tooth

his old fashioned sweetshop on the internet is crammed with about 600 of your favourite traditional, retro sweets. You can relive all of your childhood memories with flying saucers and midget gems delivered to your door. There are sweets and chocolates from Willy Wonka (scrumptious fudgemallow delights), curly wurlys, sherbet pips and candy necklaces - you will be spoilt for choice! Sugar, gluten and gelatine free sweets available. aquarterof.co.uk

PR Shots

iss Selfridge. Simmer in style this opman. Summertime’s big easy…in summer. For highstreet versions addition to their large range of of all this seasons major trends, let Miss fashion tees – stripes, graphics and Selfridge dress you. As the temperature embroidered – Topman can keep you rises so do hemlines – watch out for minis cool in neutral coloured shorts and and denim hotpants. Look out for soft and summer accessories from shades to straw floral feminine styles to help you bloom this trilbies to be worn at a jaunty angle. For summer, and keep an eye out for shades of a sophisticated and urban casual look to all shapes beach cool at affordable prices, head to o and sizes! BAD TASTE N 2 SUMMER 2007 Topman.

Halfway Hall Words by George Taylor

Reading Kirsty Watson’s ‘I ♥ NY’ article in the last issue was frightening for two very different reasons. Firstly, ‘how on earth have I been here this long, and never had the time to do number 58?’². I see that bloody wind man at least three times a week; how have I never had a camera with me? I often wonder what Mr Purple Wind Man thinks about; ‘…if only I hadn’t wasted my second year, I could have been so successful…’

ou see these things happen at this time of year. Why is it sometimes more depressing to be halfway through something, than at the end? I remember someone pointing out we were halfway through our first year, what a horrible thing to say! Next are gloomy questions like, ‘how did you spend your first term?’ Well, between me and you – I played a lot of ‘The Sims’, but we’ll come back to that. For many of us, last term brought a big shift in our Uni experience - but it’s easily missed. Cambridge actually celebrate the occasion, they call it ‘Halfway Hall’. Till now, it seemed like we would all just be at University forever. The loans would keep coming, and the overdraft forever deepening. But time is running out. Stray thoughts are entertained more than you’d wish; ‘how many more Ziggy’s do we have left?’, ‘how come I’ve only just heard about this topless bar?’¹ For second years, week five of last term meant the middle week, of the middle term, of the middle year. It’s all downhill from there.

But the more striking thought, for me at least, was thinking, ‘how could you have gotten this far without some of these experiences?’ I can remember arguments over the seemingly smallest things: full-scale domestics sparked by spilt, or more often ‘borrowed’, milk. How can you forget that week where you gave up the booze, just to see if you could, only to have failed by Toffs on Tuesday? You have long grown to love the queue, but sober you’re noticing so much you hadn’t before…the smell…the sweat…the proliferation of mingers (let’s face facts)…the slightly too pervy bouncers…why is that barman so small?

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for stability. But maybe this is why University is so addictive. For the ﬁrst time ever, we are whoever we want to be, and we’re doing the things we love to do. After all, isn’t ﬁrst year just like playing ‘The Sims’, at triple speed?

Do you remember that month at the end of the summer before your ﬁrst year, when all your school friends had already left for Uni? My memories are of being sacked (it wasn’t my fault – honest), so I had weeks and weeks to kill with no job or friends. The answer to this loneliness was obvious – I didn’t fancy meeting real computer freaks over the internet, so I just made my own…

¹. If you do know of the whereabouts of this mythical bar, please get in contact. ². “Pose with the wind man.” For those forever stuck highlighting in their rooms, the purple wind man can be found outside Evil Eye most busy tourist afternoons. He’s normally easy to spot.

In case you’ve never heard of the game ‘The Sims’ – basically, it’s real life. Just more fun. But how, or more appropriately, why? Have you ever played ‘The Sims’ in real time? Of course not, it’s too dull! So we play on double, or even triple, speed until we are hooked. You can create any character in any setting you like. Well, I spent my ﬁrst year in Goodricke’s Cell Block – so maybe I didn’t choose my setting in real life, but my character wasn’t similarly constrained. Strangers I’ve met at University don’t know that I wasn’t popular at school; they don’t know I didn’t get 4 A’s; they don’t know I didn’t captain the swimming team; didn’t play the lead; or ever win cross country. I could create the person I had always wanted to be – York was providing a beautifully blank canvas. They say the ﬁrst year at University is the best year of your life. All I can remember though was this overwhelming sense of speed. Just quite how fast everything happened. I’m not the person I was at College - since when did I start needing to shave? I can recall many instances of stumbling around a confusing staircase in Ziggy’s, only to pause and be overwhelmed by the idea that a whole week has passed since I was last scrabbling at these same walls

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The New Generation Words by Duncan Piper

n the shoot that accompanies this feature, we hoped to present James Townsend as someone who isn’t always suited and serious, but accessible and really rather normal. Yet, the whole feeding geese by the lake looks more like a leadership campaign photo than we had expected – it just had to go in. I’m a little unsure as to why we are featuring Mr Townsend in this issue – he seems to be one of the most well known individuals on campus already and most have heard of the NGS. They have done an awful amount to get their name out there, seemingly relentless in the plastering of our walls with their paraphernalia and in the past couple of terms we’ve seen the likes of the Dean of York, Iain Duncan Smith and Baroness Thornton, to name a few. For clariﬁcation, I asked Townsend to relay to me the aims of the society: ‘to come up with fresh thinking, to get people involved in politics by talking […] and then there is a third one which I can’t remember – I should be able to – I’ll email it to you sometime.’ So, clarity is perhaps not their strongest trait but I actually

feel that this works in their favour – ‘the philosophy doesn’t always come out that clearly because it’s still evolving in my mind’, but it is this idea of fresh thinking that is the bedrock of the society. ‘What do we want society to be like when we’re ﬁnished here?’ is what they ask as ‘answering that question is not what conventional politics is designed to do.’ In a very loose sense, they are trying to ‘provide politics with a much broader look’ and they are adamant that ‘young people want to do politics, basically’. But since its launch in January, Townsend & Co (as I think it should perhaps be renamed) has quietened down a little. The big names ‘serve as a shock tactic purpose – they get our name out and they bring people to us’ but also allow the NGS to ‘learn lessons from a previous generation’s experience’. Now, they can reach their goal – ‘sitting in pubs and having chats about…stuff’ (although it’s a ‘bit more sophisticated than that’). From here, the NGS is developing a website which will link avid debaters from the two branches (York and Durham) and says that the next o BAD TASTE N 2 SUMMER 2007

stage is to get ‘the political parties to come in and say “hey, you’ve got some ideas going on here. We’re developing some policies for young people at the next election” and we can take not a pressure group role but an advisory role’, getting them thinking about the direction we want politics to take. On top of this, the usual number of high-proﬁle speakers will continue to keep the NGS company and we will see the continuation of student-led debates, informal weekly meetings and the introduction of an online journal. James contends allegations that this ‘is a way of me building up a political army of potential voters who I can then attach to a particular party if I ever go into politics’ and is in fact quite modest in his self-promotion: ‘although’ he says, ‘this sounds a bit pretentious really […]we’re tapping into something. We’re not creating it; we’re just letting it show.’ And so it becomes clear that it is not just James who is doing the pondering but in fact a really rather large group of avid thinkers that make the society what it is, of which he hopes more will be part. Thus next year, in wanting to ‘disappear and go off to do national stuff [like opening new branches]… well actually I’m going to go off and do my degree’, Townsend hopes to allow others to ‘get their hands dirty and make the society their own.’ For more info or to get involved, contact newgenerationsoc@yusu.org

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Nicky Woolf speaks to Will, a third year from James College, about Parkour, training on campus and how to get from A to B as efficiently as possible. “Parkour... It’s all about getting somewhere efficiently. Whereas the aesthetics and flair part has kind of started to come more under the term ‘freerunning’.” “There are definitely times you look at stuff, and think ‘I want to be up there.’ And of course, you start thinking about how you would get up there, what would you do to be there and how would that work, and that does make you look at things in a new way. You’re working out how stable they are, what the grip would be like, stuff like that. All the kind of stuff that, when you start to interact with things physically, you need to know.”

“I think the best trick isn’t really a trick... it’s when you do something and there’s a real sense of speed and consistencywhen it feels like all one move.”

“Fluid is a good term, but it’s more than just that; when it’s good it’s like it’s a consistent piece of you, your whole, and it’s... getting somewhere, you know?”

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‘Parkour started with a guy called Raymond Belle. He grew up with the French army, and it was when he spent some time in Vietnam they realised that being able to move swiftly and carefully through urban environments was very important to their survival and effectiveness. So when he came home, he taught this to his son, who looked at it more through a child’s eyes and adapted the techniques for fun.’ For more information, visit www.northernparkour.com

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Langwith Arts Festival Words by Duncan Piper

n the first term of this year, I argued with a friend about our university. I claimed that you not only come to get used to the eyesore architecture but you actually come to enjoy it. I was merely trying to convince myself that York doesn’t look all that bad. I think I may have been lying. And so, in a bid to enliven our dreary surroundings and to create an outlet for York’s stifled artistic verve, Dr John Issitt, Provost of Langwith College, came up with a plan. He heads the Langwith Art’s Festival which he hopes will ‘compensate a bit’ for the lack of a ‘thriving arts culture’ at York. So what is this all about? In his resonating voice and boisterous eagerness, Issit tells me that the volunteers ‘don’t really know what it is yet, none of us do. But in a sense, that’s the excitement of it.’ Hmmmm…I guess that novelties are always difficult to predict, but what we do know is that the day is to involve a number of different societies to create a good few hours of lively entertainment, based around the theme of ‘movement’, and will be ‘as dynamic as it goes’. We will see things along the lines of dance, jazz, barbershop, break-dancing, panto, magic, juggling, opera, drama and an many other energetic delights, including a talk by Karin Greenhead (an expert on ‘movement in music’).

the next degree […] or whatever it is.’ He wants students to enjoy the now. In his last job, at the Open University, Issitt saw the success of other cultural events: ‘we got miners from wherever mixing with housewives from Dulwich and, you know, producing stuff which was just hilarious – a lifetime memory was created in those things.’ Increased interaction between different groups is something he wants to see recreated at York – due to the success at the OU, people ‘grew, developed, found new conﬁdence, tested themselves in new ways’ with no ‘bloody feedback sheet or a goal or an objective assessed and stated and all that [insert profanity here]’. Whilst tackling the way in which ‘human expression and cultural expression is played down’ at university, the Langwith Arts Project also hopes to increase the ‘link between our college and the local community’ as members of sixth form col-

Issit values the extra-curricular as much as the degree and insists that students who ‘pay three thousand quid to come to university […] want a whole experience’ which will ‘develop your other skills’. He tells me that ‘there is a thirst for it and there is a great room for it’ and his concern is that ‘people’s ability to develop themselves as people – in their interests, in their social potential […] and in their cultural engagement […] tends to be blocked or at least minimised because we are all rushing towards o BAD TASTE N 2 SUMMER 2007

leges in the local area are encouraged to attend and submit pieces of art for the accompanying exhibition in the Norman Rea Gallery (also on the theme of ‘Movement’). Although Issitt is hugely enthusiastic about the project, he is also modest in his expectations: ‘we’re not going to take over the world but it will be a contribution’. He is also refreshingly optimistic: ‘in a sense, why don’t we say to ourselves ‘it’s a success now?’ Yeah, it is a success now. Whatever we do is a success, you know, if two people come – so what – it’s a success.’ Although it is reassuring to know that it cannot really fail, I’m sure those involved would welcome your support. In return, you get to see a most novel project take shape and may acquire yourself some free strawberries and cream. The Langwith Arts Festival will be held at Langwith College on Saturday 26th May from 11am.

Hola from

Sevilla Espana 14th May 2007

Spain!

I have som ehow foun d myself in It is an in credible se Seville, the nsation w capital of my windo hen I wak the Andalu w onto – n e each mo ot a grey, sian regio of colourfu rning and duck-gua n of Spain l houses a find myself no encrust . nd an unfa tures - Eng g e a d z ‘6 in 0s wastela lteringly b g out of lish, Spanis nd, but a lue sky. I a h and Nort Art) for tw bright arr m here to h America o terms. Th ay study a va n – (as we is is thank who lived, ri ety of litera ll s as History to Erasmu at various , s - a 15th times, all losophy - th century Du Philosophy and Fine around Eu at travel b tch monk rope; and roadens th student m and teach clearly set e mind an obility ha er the preced s become o d inspires thing with e nt for a ph th n e e soul. As a of today’s which I co ikey educa result, inte nsider my When I arr tional opp self incred rn a ti ived I was o n al ortunities ibly lucky ting out o somewhat and is som to be invo n some kin idealistic lv e e d. – I felt myse d of Home knowing a ric quest. I lf to be a lo nyone befo had the ta nely trave rehand – a a lot to be sk of findin ller, setll rather in desired, A g somewhe timidatin ndalusian somehow I re g to live, no . b My Spanish eing one o revelled in t f the more speaking sk being so se Lectures h d if ills left lf-sufficien ficult diale ere, unlike t. cts for a n night (!!!) at York, oc ovice, but , but the p cur every d rofessors h ay from 8:0 home. This e re 0 have quite is lucky, b in the morn ecause mo relaxed att as well… ing until st Erasmus it 9:00 at u des compa st u d re e n d with tho Out here, ts have a fa the hasty is se back ir ly relaxed att row”, and substituted itude to w accompan fo r th ork e relaxed. M ied by a sh unwanted anyana, li rug of the academic te shoulders, rally mea task or du is obligato ning “tom is an all-p ty. Lunch ry to have orurpose resp in Seville is a siesta. T then time o n n se to an ’t h e u n to hit the n b ti y l th a t e least 3PM, time you h town! This menco on after whic ave woken is when Se the first nig h it up it is din ville really ht I arrive along with n c er time, an o m d e , and was s alive. I fi its compell d immediate rst experie ing rhythm ever seen. nced Flaly capture I think we s, makes it d by its pa could all d one of the I live in th ssion. This most mesm o with a d e centre of , ose of the S erising of a French g the city wit dances I’v p a n is irl. If the d h one othe h spirit! e eprivation r York stud too much, ent, as well of York Min then we Yo ster, the ca as two Ita rkies can re ing in suc lians, and mpus duck minisce to h a cultura s or Mickle gether. On lly diverse In stereoty gate becom e of my last house was pical Itali es ing memo the arriva an style, h over our ti ries from li l of my Ita er family li ny flat for v li a terally me n flatmate a week – b openness o ant her wh ’s family. ut I have n f spirit. Ne ole family ever experi ither have Being in S . T h e e n I y all c e e d v er seen so pain has b such gene much ama rosity, warm took een about from our o zing food! learning to wn and I th and leave the w live in a c ter: ords of a g ulture so a reat poet, mazingly Byron, to d different escribe its “In Seville e x o tic charac was he born , a pleasan Famous fo r oranges t city and wome Who has n n - he ot seen it w ill be muc So says the h to pity proverb - a nd I quite Of all the agree Spanish to wns, none is more pre tty…” From my sh ort stay in this lovely place, I re ally canno Much love t disagree . Thank yo u Erasmus! Jess Selfe

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GRAPHICAL BOOK REVIEW - A visual interpretation of great books by digital artists

Costcutter unbranded

Naomi Klein - No Logo

‘A

‘M

s a private person, I have a passion for landscape, and I have never seen one improved by a billboard. Where every prospect pleases, man is at his vilest when he erects a billboard. When I retire from Madison Avenue, I am going to start a secret society of masked vigilantes who will travel around the world on silent motor bicycles, chopping down posters at the dark of the moon. How many juries will convict us when we are caught in these acts of beneﬁcent citizenship?’

any of today’s best-known manufacturers no longer produce products and advertise them, but rather buy products and ‘rebrand’ them, these companies are forever on the prowl for creating new ways to build and strengthen their brand images. Manufacturing products may require drills, furnaces, hammers and the like, but creating a brand calls for completely different set of tools and materials. It requires an endless parade of brand extensions, continuously renewed imagery for marketing and, most of all, fresh new spaces to disseminate the brand’s idea of itself.’

David Ogilvy, founder of the Ogilvy & Mather advertising agency, in Confessions of an Advertising Man, 1963 (quoted in Klein’s No Logo).

São Paulo unbranded

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GRAPHICAL BOOK REVIEW - A visual interpretation of great books by digital artists.

“Now I understand; I remember more vividly what I have recently felt on the beach when I held these pebbles in my hand. This was a kind of sweetish feeling of sickness.”

Jean-Paul Sartre - Nausea

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Confessions of a Student Playwright I

f ever there was a man to debunk the myth of the neckerchiefed, overly ﬂamboyant, ‘I can’t work with these people!’ type director, then we have found him in Jethro Compton: a ﬁrst-time writer and director, whose debut original play, Subletting, is showing this week in the Drama Barn. Despite being somewhat casual in his role, Compton is a man who knows what he wants to see onstage, and this project has been the perfect opportunity to realise a two year old vision. I met up with Compton to discuss his views on bonding exercises, his devotion to the Drama Barn, and in particular the story behind his creation of Subletting, which promises to be a very exciting production indeed. Compton is a man of many commitments and consequently very little time – ‘I’m practically married to the Drama Barn!’ He has an

Words by Nicola Fairhead arm-long list of achievements (making himself known onstage as well as off) but he carries with him none of the airs and graces of the overly accomplished. He has a refreshing outlook on the York drama scene, advocating it as a great way to meet people and not the intimidating, elitist society that many consider it. Subletting is a one-act black comedy set in a small apartment and explores the eccentricity of an unlikely couple’s search for a new lodger. With characters that would feel right at home in the ‘League of Gentlemen’, Subletting has been described by the Royal Court Theatre of London as ‘sharp, idiosyncratic, funny, dark and satirical.’ Having tested the water at the Royal Court and received a good response, Compton continued to work on Subletting which has been effectively a work in progress for the past two years. o BAD TASTE N 2 SUMMER 2007

Compton doesn’t hesitate in stating that despite starting Subletting as a solo project, outside inﬂuences have partly deﬁned the shape that the piece takes on today. He named his main inspirations as Stevie Berkoff and Nick Dark but added that Subletting has not been inspired by one work or playwright in particular, but rather an amalgamation of outstanding moments of theatre he has seen over a number of years. The play itself has transformed almost as much as Compton’s dramatic style. The writing process for Subletting began in a curious way. ‘It’s a weird story,’ says Compton ‘I was staying over at a friend’s house and the next morning he told me I had said ‘sub-letting’ in my sleep.’ Compton ran with this midnight mumbling, carrying around a notebook and writing down any ideas that occurred to him. ‘I was constantly

thinking “that could be a scene, that could be a scene”’ until the notebook was ‘full of little ideas’ that ‘the plot has thickened and developed from’. Since teaming up with producer Alice Boagey, Compton says the play has transformed dramatically and his dad even suggested one of the central themes of the play (which we won‘t spoil by revealing here). Through his play with exaggerated caricature, he is rebelling against naturalism – ‘I didn’t want people to see my characters and think “oh, I know someone like that.”’ Subletting ‘is not your typical student piece’ - it isn’t setting out to be edgy or controversial, brimming with excess ‘smoking, swearing and vulgar sex references’. Instead, Compton’s ﬁrst priority as a playwright is to entertain.

‘crazy lighting and disco music’ for the audience ‘to enjoy’. This continuous visual entertainment parallels the stroke of comedic genius of last term’s production of West Side Story, when the crew physically dragged the actors playing Riff and Bernardo offstage after their death scene. It’s the same idea of embracing the medium and mocking its artifice – an unexpected self-awareness and dedication to entertainment. Compton expressed a definite consciousness and gratitude for the opportunity Drama Soc has given him to produce his play. To outsiders, Drama Soc can definitely seem intimidating but ‘too many people get put off and never go back’ says Compton. When he first arrived at York, Compton admits ‘I didn’t

Compton is quick to add that he has the utmost respect for plays that are out to make a definite point. Back in Cornwall he took part in Colour-blind – an absurdist piece portraying racism in the UK. ‘Afterwards the audience was silent for 30 to 40 seconds […] it’s amazing that we made them think’. By stepping away from this style of theatre, Compton is not dismissing it but is instead trying to fill a niche that has been overlooked. ‘There is a lack of theatre just to entertain, especially in the Barn’ says Compton. The flexibility of the student-written script won’t be too greatly impaired even on opening night with Compton’s laid-back directing style. As a director, he wants his cast to ‘be comfortable’, like his audience. Being an actor himself, he has known the anxiety of worrying ‘about that line and how close it’s getting’ in a scene – but ‘at the end of the day, it’s your character’. The actors enjoy nearly the same freedom with the script as Compton has enjoyed in writing it. This informality even makes an appearance in Compton’s innovative plans for his scene changes. Instead of the usual rushed transition, Compton sees this as yet another opportunity to ‘entertain’ his audience. His scene changes will include o BAD TASTE N 2 SUMMER 2007

get a single role […] it deﬁnitely knocked me back a bit’. But he remained a persistent presence in the Drama Barn through ‘teching’ and found ‘everyone really friendly’. ‘There are so many opportunities that people overlook’ in terms of getting involved in Drama Soc, but once you are involved and you make those connections, more doors will open for you. Still singing Drama Soc’s praises, Compton added that ‘people forget how hard they work to make opportunities’ for students. Subletting will be showing next week (Week 5) at 7.30pm on Friday 25th, Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th May. Tickets are on sale WednesdayFriday of that week between 12noon and 2pm at Vanbrugh Stalls.

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“Sections” - Break-ups, broken up. By Mathew Hanley

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Words by Duncan Piper

hen someone says ‘Trainspotting’, you think ‘one of the ‘90s greatest cult films.’ Most do, and the reason most do is because we easily remember crazy stuff: people going down toilets, faeces being strewn across dining rooms and creepy babies crawling along ceilings. You are probably less likely to think of the novel by Irvine Welsh or the play by John Hodge, but Alex Wright and Simon Maeder (Co-Directors) alongside Lauren Clancy (Producer) of the DramaSoc production at York hope to change that. I spoke to Danny Boyle and the York directing/producing team to get an overview of the whole thing. The director that bought you Trainspotting, 28 Days Later and now Sunshine is, as expected, no easy man to tie down. He has none of pomp and circumstance you’d expect to see in such a well-known and successful individual and although looking somewhat dapper in his suit and polished shoes, his loosened tie and bold Lancashire accent immediately contend with any presumption you may have had. Whilst touring the globe to promote his latest film, I had to ask Boyle to cast his mind back to one of his earliest successes. But from Welsh’s novel (what Boyle terms ‘a modern, present day Ulysses’), he explored something very different to what DramaSoc are attempting to do… I initially asked him about the apparent shift from the ‘gritty nature’ of his early films to his seemingly less realistic later ventures but he quickly explained that the acting in Trainspotting is ‘not stylised’ but ‘extremely high acting […] it’s actually quite presentational.’ In a film that ‘gets more of its energy from an ecstasy club culture, in a way’, parts are actually quite ‘surreal’ (remember the whole going down the toilet thing). ‘The reason we wanted to make it was that there is something about a group of friends who are chained to each other […] you have mates who you hate but he’s a mate, what can you do?’ This simple, holistic concept is one which seems to have given the film the success it deserves – although full of junkies, they are dregs we can all relate to. But then, the question arose as to whether any novel can be made o BAD TASTE N 2 SUMMER 2007

Trainspotting

Danny Boyle - Photograph by Duncan Piper

into a film. ‘No’, was his response. In a book that is born out of ‘a series of episodes and incidents’, it was ‘difficult to find the narrative – I think we were worried about that at one point.’ As a result though, they ‘cobbled together what we could’, and quite a successful cobbling it was too. However, when you pace towards the Drama Barn on the weekend of Week 7 (and/or towards the Edinburgh Fringe between 1st and 23rd August), Maeder advises you to ‘forget as much about the film as you can’. I agree, that’s a lot to ask, but even Boyle is aware that the stage play ‘is very different – very dark, not as funny as the film – very savage’ and instead of, as Forsyth (playing Renton) suggests, ‘thinking this is going to be a rehash of the film’, ‘some will come really enthusiastic’ and it is the latter who will have a more entertaining evening. Alex Wright tells me that he wants to ‘take it slightly further away from just the drugs […] and make it a lot more personal and a lot more packing a punch to the rest of the audience.’ You will be given the opportunity ‘to see […] a version of what you know as the film in a completely different way’, Maeder explained, but, as Forsyth goes on, there is a great focus on character: ‘in the play [Renton] is absolutely vile […] this uneducated druggy – there’s nothing glamorous about him whereas you could almost idealise the character Ewan McGregor plays […] it’s a cool crap life. It’s running to Iggy Pop and sinking into carpets where my guy is shitting himself.’ They are ‘completely stuck in the cyclical and shit-tip life they’ve got.’

I wondered if our York legends were attracted to similar things as Boyle: Clancy told me, ‘it has got that complete punch, and I don’t think we’re shying away from that at all’, whilst Wright was quite clear that it’s the most ‘stripped down, bear, no shit piece of theatre ever and it doesn’t try to do anything pretentious at all – awesome, awesome characters’ (with a ‘very, very strong cast.’) He’s hugely excited by the ‘electricity between the characters, the brutality, the violence and the hilarity […] some bits are really beautiful’. Incorporating music and ﬁlm as well, York is really going to really ‘pimp it up.’ Beginning in the theatre, Danny Boyle has a great appreciation of the stage: ‘why I’m any good as a director comes directly from the theatre […] the one thing that theatre gives you more than any other thing is it teaches you how to use actors. You work so intensely, just like you do on a ﬁlm, but then when you come to perform in front of the public, the actors push you away. They always say “with respect…when I’m playing it in front of a live audience…”’ In an amusing echoing, Forsyth said, ‘not to sound like a cawny analogy, but the directors are the parents nesting the sort of egg […] when the play gets onto the set is like when you leave your parents for university – you have everything you’ve been taught but at the same time, it’s a live animal.’ We are promised a raw and grating production. As Wright says, ‘we’re going to do as much as we can to make it shit hot.’ Be there. .

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A Night at the Movies Words by Helen Citron

o an ignorant observer the situation is a perplexing one: its 7.30 on a Friday evening and students are queuing up to buy tickets for a night in the physics exhibition centre’s lecture theatre. The explanation lies with one of York University’s oldest and most well established student societies: the York Student Cinema. ‘The YSC emerged from the UFS (University Film Society) which went bankrupt in the early 1990s’ explains Jenny Stevens, the society’s Secretary. The newly formed society aimed to make unusual films available to a wider audience, as opposed to just the expert enthusiast. ‘We think it’s important that students have the chance to see classic and art-house films on the big screen’, I’m told. Indeed, the attraction of the YSC’s program is its diversity. This academic year foreign language films, animations, docufilms and revivals of classics have all made an appearance on the

schedule. ‘We hope that the student audience wants to be challenged and that’s why we do include some fairly experimental choices’ says Stevens. However, whilst blockbusters may not be the YSC’s priority, the society recognises that they do make a profit on ticket sales for these screenings, whilst making a loss on the less well known films. For a society that is entirely self financed and, apart from a recent grant from the Alumni fund to replace equipment, relies heavily on ticket sales, concessions like this have to be made. The film on offer Friday Week 7 of Term 2 was Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny and I was invited behind the scenes for an insight into the workings of the projection room. John Neeson, Treasurer, told me that ‘the gear we have here is of a very high standard and could compete with any commercial cinema’. Certainly, compared with the simplicity of DVDs, o BAD TASTE N 2 SUMMER 2007

the scale of the equipment is daunting. An enthusiast informed me that ‘a two hour film is 3 km long’, making last minute checks to some huge reels of film. As 7.30 approached, the atmosphere in the projection room became anxious. I waited with baited breath to see the outcome of all this technical preparation. This term’s ‘must sees’: The Good Shepherd (Thursday 17th May) Paradise Now (Monday 21st May) The Illusionist (Thursday 24th May) The Science of Sleep (Monday 4th June) The Lives of Others (Monday 18th June)

All shoes from Office

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Diane wears: Patent Constance Court Shoe Jonny wears: High Top White Mono Converse

Rennie wears: Black Swear Shoes Hannah wears: Raspberry Cecille Slingback

Photography by Matthew Grum

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Umbrellas, Give a Dog a Bone. Shoes, models’ own. Rennie wears: Blue t-shirt, tan summer jacket, skinny jeans, Blue Ballroom. Jonny wears: Maroon cardigan, red t-shirt, pinstripe jeans, Blue Ballroom. Plimsolls, Ofﬁce. .

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Hannah wears: Purple slash neck top from Blue Ballroom. Hair accessory made by Kate Bevan.

Hannah wears: Floral dress, Blue Ballroom. Necklace and belt – model’s own. Jonny wears: Striped top, Blue Ballroom. Jeans and accessories – model’s own. Rennie wears: Lacoste jacket. Jeans, Blue Ballroom. White mono Converse from Office. Diane wears: skirt, Blue Ballroom. Top and accessories – model’s own. White Jazz Pumps – Office. Picnic blanket – stylist’s own. Picnic accessories – Give a Dog a Bone.

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Diane wears: Floral bandeau dress with electric pink scarf, Blue Ballroom. Shoes – model’s own.

Looking Ahead: The Summer Music Scene Words by Daniel Sjöström

am not sure where Norse mythology comes into to the picture. To me, Hammer of Thor is something straight out of the Off World Colonies. Where Riton’s album was relatively boring, his remixes of Mystery Jets and Annie are absolutely brilliant and his Square Eyes collaboration with Erol Alkan is just -- weird. This is (hopefully) what the new year will bring in the way of dance music. Replicants beware! Hammer of Thor and Kris Menace have been saviours so far where many of the old forces have failed to inspire. Justice’s new single Dance is pretty poppy, but nothing like some of the dance monster hits we’ve been spoilt with the last couple of years, especially of course Justice vs. Simian’s We are your friends, Mylo’s Drop the pressure, or Alter Ego’s Rocker. Sebastian’s ’fuckedup-beats’ are uninspired, Annie’s heir apparent Frost may yet turn out something good, but so far the Free Your Heart, Sleepwalker and One Hundred Years EP’s have been far too bland to stand out. Together with Alan Braxe and some of the

Norwegians -- Lindstrøm, Todd Terje, Trentemøller etc -- who seem to just spring out of every club crevice in the world after Erlend and Røyksopp paved the way we instead look to Kris Menace! We’re talking serious space-techno with beats a la Stuart Pearce incarnation Thin White Duke, only in luxury wrapping. A smooth ride all the way. However, as always there is one band I am looking forward to most this year. Ever since 2001 with that masterpiece of masterpieces Since I left You, The Avalanches’ upcoming album (apparently completely remade from scratch as they weren’t satisiﬁed with an early version) is what I await with baited breath. But in the meantime, sign up www.theavalanches.com and download some of their goodies. Also, keep an eye out for Zeigeist. Either 12”, Mp3’s or – dare we hope – a ﬁrst album? They seem a natural heir to fellow Gothenburgers The Knife. Their song Tar Heart is a clear indicator of that. Lately, however, songs like Chasing Your o BAD TASTE N 2 SUMMER 2007

Shadow have shown us that Zeigeist aren’t content just with imitating The Knife (although there is a lot of that going on) and nodding to the 80’s – Zeigeist are in fact an 80’s band. And a good one too. www.myspace.com/thezeigeist

Slow Club Interview by Roxana Darling

‘S

low Club’ consist of the most lovely people you’ll ever meet. The band is quite unique in that it only consists of two people: Rebecca (vocals and percussion) and Charles (vocals and guitar) and they don’t conform to the genres most popular at the moment. They are as interesting to watch as they are to hear; with a large array of home-made (seemingly ready to fall apart) instruments making the most amazing and interesting sound. They are not big – most people hear of them by stumbling across one of there small gigs in tiny places or from their support of bands like the ‘Tiny Dancers’ but once you hear of them you won’t be able to get the fantastical lyrics off your mind: “I’ve got a needle and thread/ To stitch up your head/ But no one owns the sea/ ‘Cept you and me”.

one song as each song is a different time. I suppose also lyrics are from over-hearing conversations, earwigging on a bus or something and translating it into a song.

Describe Slow Club? R: Um... a new age anti folk for people who love ballad songs C: Come and see us, that’s the best way to describe us.

What bands do you like at the moment? C: King Creosote, The Shins and Tiny Dancers. R: Jeremy Warmsley. I love Regina Spektor and I like Kid Harpoon. I love Martha Wainwright and obligatory old stuff as well.

How do you choose what instruments you’ll use? R: The chair and stuff? We were practising in Charles’ garage which had loads of crap in it; that’s where we got the chair originally. The bottles were sort of from my family - they drank a lot of Schloer! I don’t consciously think “gotta be weird, gotta be weird”, it just makes a lot of interesting sounds which sound good. Visually its also different – I’m always looking for something different and interesting to. We’re calling out to anyone who’s got junk. C: Junk shops! They’re really, really good.

How did you meet? R: Charles went out with a girl who was my best friend at school C: We were both in separate bands. Becky was in the Bedlin Project... R: Do not look that up! C: I was in ‘The Conversation’ and we both played a gig together way back, like a couple of years ago. I was doing a bit of recording and I asked Becky to sing. It just worked and we both ﬁtted together. R: And here we are now!

Why should people like/dislike you? R: You could dislike us because we’re not a full band or whatever; we don’t make a great deal of sense. But people love us for both those things! C: Its a love hate relationship... some people may love one song and hate another. R: We’re not rock stars either... C:There’s no drugs on the rider... just grapes and paracetamol!

Whats been your biggest achievement so far? C: I’ve got my 25 metres (in swimming!) R: We’ve played with a proper league of people... Tiny Dancers are wow... And King Creosote who are amazing! I think the best thing was when we played with King Creosote; he played the accordion in one of our songs and we got up and sang in one of his... it was really cool and an honour! C: We didn’t even know him really, we’d just played with him a couple of nights. On the ﬁrst night i played the maracas and Rebecca played the chair, and on the second he taught me the guitar (for his song) before sound check. R: I sang and harmonised.

Check these guys out at www.myspace.com/slowclub

Where do you get the ideas for your lyrics? R: Charles does the quirky stuff and I tone it down to something you could sing to your girlfriend. C: Its not really from a speciﬁc place, it’s just a combination of loads of different places...just being around people who are just interesting...writing about their characteristics and the way that they move and stuff. I can’t say for o BAD TASTE N 2 SUMMER 2007

What is Indie? Words by Roxana Darling

o what exactly is Indie music? Indie music, and how it is perceived, has changed dramatically from era to era. Originally when the genre was introduced into the music world, a band would have to be signed to an independent label to be classed as an Indie band, whatever their genre of music; making music for yourself and friends rather than proﬁt and popularity. Bands like Oasis, who were signed to Creation Records (a label Alan Mc Gee started in the 1980s on a small scale) in the early 90s, helped the independent label become more rooted in the record industry, and thus we end up with a completely different deﬁnition of what Indie is. Some people claim that Indie is now nothing more than a branding tool: a highly money driven movement, more concerned with marketing a particular image instead of promoting a truly independent nature and passion for its art. This is more prevalent in ‘modern’ Indie bands, like The Killers (“Indie Rock and Roll?” I don’t think so...) who seem to conform to a certain sound (i.e. Poptastic Indie - you hear it on the radio every hour with choruses that are easy to sing whilst drunk) rather than being independent. However, this isn’t to say conforming is a bad thing as sometimes it’s good to bop around and sing drunkenly in Toffs to Kaiser Chiefs. Underneath all the commercialism and money making of modern Indie, there are still real gems of bands who do make music that you haven’t heard before and who don’t bore you to death after the second time you hear one of their songs. Some bands, such as Sonic Youth, who are signed to major record companies, have managed to keep their identity and original genuine love for the wwmusic. Other less known bands, such as Bromheads Jacket, are signing to smaller labels (in their case, Marquis Cha Cha) only to re-

lease a single or an album so they are not bound by the constraints and requirements of a big record label. So, where do you draw the line between Indie music and other genres such as Dance and Hip Hop? Sub-genres are forever being created by record companies and music magazines such as the NME, and these always seem to ﬁt in with the fashion of the time. A more recent one is ‘Nu-Rave’ which covers bands such as Klaxons, CSS, and New Young Pony Club and has bought about a love of all things 80s – luminous items of clothing, bold icons, glow sticks and, for those so inclined, rave drugs that will keep you dancing all night. It is impossible to cover all the sub-genres of In-

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die music in this one article, but one thing is for sure – some will never go out of fashion like some more recent sub-genres. Britpop, for example, will never be forgotten as bands like Blur and Supergrass have imprinted themselves into the minds of 90s kids. Whatever the case and whatever fashion dictates, new Indie bands will always crop up out off the woodwork and will always keep people interested in the genre.

Where to go in York for Indie Words by Roxana Darling

ork is not really known for its music venues and Indie club nights. Think of a place to go out in the evening and most students will think of Toffs or Gallery’s Indie rooms (which doesn’t really satisfy the Indie soul of most, as they mostly have the same playlists every week). However, look a bit closer and you’ll see that you don’t have to travel far to have an enjoyable night.

BASEMENT BAR – A brilliant venue, underneath the City Screen cinema, the Basement Bar showcases a diverse selection of performers, recently including the breathtaking Willy Mason, bluesy Hijak Oscar and any number of Bob Dylan-covering folksy troubadours. Their clubnight, ‘Cert 15’, presents some great local talent and even the University’s own ‘Burn The Jukebox’ occasionally provides an evening’s entertainment.

FIBBERS – The list of quality artists at Fibbers continues to grow: last year’s performances, from the likes of Jamie T, Maximo Park, Imogen Heap, Graham Coxon, CSS and Little Man Tate, are really are something to shout about. Throw in the ‘Up The Racket’ club night every Friday and you have the venue for live Indie music in York. Remember, every successful band has to pass through this kind of venue at least once; and most return to them often during their careers.

JUDGES LODGINGS – Home to Indiesoc’s regular ‘Queens Amongst Idiots’ night and ‘Burn The Jukebox’ (events that are always worth a look-in if your fringe is at the correct angle), Judges has some pricey pints but atmospheric surroundings with exposed brickwork and alcoves to sit in. Ah, cellar architecture. Aside from that, the Indie tastes good, and there are breaks and funky house ﬂavours available.

CERTIFICATE 18 – Cert 18, noted for its Rock, Hip-Hop and Goth nights, takes its music a little darker than Fibbers. However, Indie-tastic delights are to be had here as the occasionally less hardcore band and regular open-mike night calm things down a little. It’s a bit more personal than the bigger venues too. THE JUNCTION – Often overlooked for being a little out-of-the way, The Junction is worth the walk (or taxi-fare if you are an Alcuinite) for its regular Breaks and House nights. The venue’s offerings of live music last term included the up-and-coming British Emo of The Maple State, the funked-up swing of York regulars, Nu York State, open mike nights and York College band showcases. This is the perfect place to pick up on local Indie talent.

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Pop Music Age Words by Ben Rackstraw

‘Take That’ will be branded a copycat and thus be denied any success.)

op music isn’t for old people. Pop is loud and fast, and makes people over 40 say things like “is that a girl singing?” or “is that from a Supertramp song? I prefer the original.”

A slightly more left-ﬁeld example of old people continuing their efforts to produce pop music comes from Yoko Ono, who, despite being in her seventies, has released an album that sounds like Simian Mobile Disco produced by Nelly-Furtado-improving-superman Timbaland. ‘Yes I’m A Witch’ contains the sort of music that pretty people with elaborate hair dance to in clubs; places you won’t hear about until they get shut down. Although Ono’s prettiness is hard to gauge from her album cover - her face is 80% sunglasses - the age of some of her numerous collaborators, a bloke from Public Enemy, The Flaming Lips and Jason Pierce out of Spiritualized, should mean that that this is a million miles away from the new dance pop that cool people talk about very loudly. So why isn’t it?

Not only are the oldies wrong to say these things, they are also wrong to be listening to the music in the first place. Pop is about being young, pretty and shiny, hence the proliferation of ‘New Bands!’ and ‘Unsigned Sensation!’ articles in newspapers and on the internet TM – the official home of new music . (NB: Most unsigned bands are unsigned because they are rubbish, but, in a twist of logic, this doesn’t mean that all signed bands avoid the affliction of rubbishness). All this feverish unsigned action means lots of quickly signed new acts, and a situation where only five of the twenty top selling singles of the last two years were performed by acts with members over 30 years of age.

This could be something to do with the hidden age of behind the scenes pop music people. The writing and production team Xenomania are the reason that the twin-peaks of British pop, Girls Aloud and Sugababes, are putting out some of the best music of all time, yet include writers born in the 50s! Like your Dad! And not to forget Richard X, who, according to his Myspace page, has reached a century, yet has managed to mastermind all the good bits from recent Rachel Stevens releases and the incredible Luke Haines record.

Even this mainstay of ‘the latest thing’, however, suffers the occasional ﬂurry of activity by people pushing the wrong side of 29. Mostly these are the unsuccessful attempts of aging stars vainly pursuing their dead careers: Gina ‘beatenfor-the-eurovision-by-Katie-Priceand-Javine’ G, anyone? How about 5ive, or now, more accurately, 4our? But occasionally someone who has ‘been around for a bit’ manages to produce something good. The Take That comeback may have been partly fuelled by nostalgia, but if ‘Patience’ wasn’t such a bloody good sing-at-the-top-of-your-voice modern pop ballad it wouldn’t have gone anywhere. (Although Boyzone, 911 and the aforementioned 4our should take note that as the 90s boyband revival thing has already been done once, and anyone attempting to do a

Added to this are all the people who seem new, but have actually been at it for ages - Sophie Ellis Bextor for instance, who started off in band The Audience ten years ago, when she was just 18, before graduating with Spiller; or the amazing Robyn, whose ﬁrst single was released in 1995 when she was 16, beginning a brief dance career before disapo BAD TASTE N 2 SUMMER 2007

pearing to release singles only in her native Sweden until her re-launch this year; or the unstoppable Justin Timberlake who is unrecognisable from his post-Mickey-Mouse Club pop conscription years in N*Sync. Perhaps, then, it is the ‘product’ that must be new – this is why teams of song writers like Xenomania or solo writers like Cathy ‘Can’t Get You Out Of My Head’ Dennis and Linda ‘Get The Party Started’ Perry need a large roster of performers to keep their productions popular. This false kind of newness may seem to be the essence of pop music. They are shiny-teethed, lip-syncing aesthetically altered teenagers with toned, amphetamine-ﬁlled bodies underneath carefully styled clothing and hair, dancing to the tune of an overlord pop guru – and this is the kind of thing that many, including our own Matt Houghton in the last issue of Bad Taste, dislike about the industry. There is, however, a growing acceptance of the idea of the pop production line, outside of the demographic of teenage girls and gay men. Just one look at the ratings for Pop Idol and its ilk will show you that people are fascinated with the behind the scenes workings as well as the sparkly paper and pretty bow that the music comes wrapped in.

from some far distant future where medical advances mean that everyone can dance. Take That did it by latching on to the current trend for acoustic guitars and male harmony, care of Snow Patrol et al. And if the superﬁcial newness of the pop industry lies in musical innovation, even if it is along the moany acoustic route, and if it can throw up somebody who is great through experience rather than through newness alone, then it can’t be a bad thing.

So if the actual age of the performer isn’t a problem, and the position of the older father/mother-figure pop svengali is more fascinating than repellent, where does the omnipresent newness of this pop business come from? Well, as a million earnest bands have said, ‘it’s all about the music’. If the sound is fresh then the pop-buying public - although this is the public that propelled all five of the Pop Idol and X Factor winners to number one (with apologies to Will Young, who is every inch a pop deity) - will lap it up. This is how Mr Timberlake and Take That managed their phoenixlike rebirths. JT did it by first teaming up with Pharrell Williams and then Timbaland, both of whom make music that sounds like it’s o BAD TASTE N 2 SUMMER 2007

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Mr Hudson and the Library Words by Helen Nianias

generation’, dossers off the street, the intrigued general public and even (said with mock horror) ‘old people, heaven forbid’, a public library must seem a pretty exciting place to be – quite a far cry from our library, then. Describing the band as ‘cross legged… captivated by books’ between rehearsals and sound-checks, Mr Hudson expresses something totally un-rock’n’roll, and something a hell of a lot more interesting than any amount of ridiculous rock posturing - the antithesis to the bloke on the left . ‘I don’t read the NME’: How Anti-Cool is here to stay.

h, the library; the final bastion of the truly geeky. The smell of moulding first-editions. The sound of enraged sighing as you realise every set text on your course is taken for the next five years. The general funk of depression that shrouds that enormous pile of secondary reading on your desk.

I don’t know if Barbour jacket-clad, messy, loud, lairy Grime music mixed up with Sinatraesque crooning with steel-drum undertones strike you as entirely incongruous with the general ‘library’ feeling, but Mr Hudson & the Library have a different slant on this atmosphere. After playing the ‘Get It Loud In Libraries’ shows, trilby-loving Mr Ben Hudson came to realise that libraries are ‘not all this kind of intimidating, silent, old-whiteman-with-a-beard place. The gigs made libraries seem cool.’ Indeed, when packed out with the crowd, including what Mr Hudson termed as ‘the MySpace

Citing inﬂuences as diverse as Dr. Dre, Chet Baker and The Lemonheads, this is a band with a pretty impressive backcatalogue of references; none of this ﬂash-in-the-pan ‘let’s make up a genre’ (I’m looking at you, Nu-Rave) music-making for Mr Hudson and cohorts, then. Indeed, having supported Vincent Vincent and the Villains, collaborated with Indie-remixwhore Grime artist Lethal Bizzle and claiming to be ‘huge fans’ of Jamie T, they strangely, almost lecherously seduce the audience with a steel-drum infused rendition of Sinatra classic, ‘My Funny Valentine’. Embodying the swagger of reggae and rockabilly, who says the library lacks sex appeal? Bassist Maps Huxley and the brilliantly named drummer Wilkie Wilkinson, both only slightly pissed after the show, describe the gigs in the libraries as ‘blue’, then saying ‘Scarborough!’ with the loaded emphasis you could only give to a three way involving two nuns, a Rabbi and a hell of a lot of cocaine. When asked if this sexuality infused their music, o BAD TASTE N 2 SUMMER 2007

Maps described himself as ‘a very sexual person.’ I slightly regretted probing further; with the encouragement of Wilkie, he professed to being ‘basically like Prince or Barry White. I’m like them having sex together, THAT’S how sexual I am!’ One can only imagine… However, if Mr Hudson & the Library were based on this swagger alone, the simple truth is that they wouldn’t be any good. Their Anti-Cool, random book-loving ways elevate them far and beyond some of the trite alleged Indie music and places them alongside classic music makers. By looking ‘forwards or backwards and not at the present,’ Mr Hudson & the Library avoid being fashionable or immediate, thereby avoiding becoming too dated too quickly. In twenty years time, I ﬁrmly believe that people will look back and laugh at Razorlight in the same way I endlessly mock my parents for their Kool and the Gang collection. Anti-Cool means that the band cannot be pinned down by the scruffs of their Barbours into the tight-jeaned ‘Indie’ catergory of this day and age. They are therefore free from any ‘cool’ stereotype and have the freedom to experiment to their hearts content, even if the ‘experimentation’ is with the image of Prince and Barry White rogering each other senseless on a library desk.

Making Sound Words by Ruth Evans

t doesn’t take much to draw a link between music and fundraising. Last year we saw ‘Live 8’ and ‘Oxjam’ raise millions of pounds to ﬁnance crucial charity work and to promote live music in the process. Considering the huge success of campus charity events like Woodstock and Fusion, it seems that this movement has grown at a university level too. The latest campus project to fundraise through music is a very simple, yet potentially very successful, idea: Making Sound. I spoke to the organiser, Chris Pike (second from right) , to ﬁnd out more… So…what is Making Sound? It’s a compilation CD showcasing some of the best music by students at the University of York. The project’s aim is create a high quality album that can be enjoyed by as many people as possible, whilst at the same time raising money for a valuable cause. What sort of music is on the CD? And who is involved? There is a complete range of styles across the twentyone tracks; Electronica, Hip-Hop, Drum’n’Bass, Dance, Trip-Hop, Dub, rock, Ska-punk and singer/songwriter stuff. We wanted to represent the diversity of student music at York. There are a lot of musicians producing amazing music in their bedrooms and most of them never get a chance to have it heard. We decided that a CD would allow this side of the music scene at York to come out into the open. There are, of course, several live bands on the CD as well, many of which featured in Battle of the Bands 2007. We hope that Making Sound complements events such as Battle of the Bands and Woodstock, providing a complete picture of our music scene. All of the tracks on the CD contain York students, mostly undergraduates but several post-grads feature as well. When selecting tracks for the CD out of those submitted, one of the main criteria was the number of York students involved.

tional copies to the media and the record industry to get feedback and publicity for the bands and the project. Who are the profits going to? All profits from the sale of Making Sound are being donated to the Slum Rise campaign in Nairobi. This campaign is raising funding for valuable projects in Korokocha, one of the cities poorest areas. The main focus of Slum Rise is Gladycare Children’s Home, which was set up in 2000 by a Kenyan couple, Zablon and Gladys. They share their home with 35 children who they care for full-time. These children are AIDs orphans, abandoned street kids or have been forced to leave violent and unstable homes. Gladycare has very limited space and facilities and is in desperate need of financial aid. We are trying to provide immediate support and draw attention to their situation, so that international charities will get involved. How much money are you aiming to raise? The initial target is £1000, which would provide Gladycare with the money for essential provisions such as bedding, educational materials and medical supplies. The CD production costs have already been covered by sales and we are on our way to this target.

Who benefits? The bands/artists will gain a lot of exposure by being included on Making Sound – since there is no regular music venue on campus, it can be difficult for bands to reach a wide audience. This gives people the chance to listen to what’s going on campus, and find new music they never knew existed at York. We’re also sending promo-

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an email to cwp500@york.ac.uk and look out for social events this term. Where can we buy it? The CD is available from Track Records on Goodramgate and through the website. We set up stalls regularly at campus events and in Vanbrugh stalls so keep an eye out. The CD is also available at Your:Shop Some thoughts from the bands… We asked Jon from Adacto (and Clip the Apex) and Aaron from Make It Better Later about their involvement with Making Sound… Why did you want to get involved? Jon: I was involved in the first Making Sound CD in 2005, and thought the team did a great job promoting campus music back then. Knowing that all profits go to charity simply tipped the balance – it’s a great opportunity to get heard whilst helping others. Aaron: It’s for a great cause and it’s such a great idea! Anything which unites the bands and artists on campus is a good thing. Music and live music in York has always struggled but things like Making Sound are really helping to raise the profile of local talent. Why should we buy it? J: Firstly, at £5, it’s a bargain to hear that much new music – to get twenty-one different artists of such high quality speaks volumes about our musical base here. And secondly, because all profits go to the Slum Rise campaign which is a worthwhile cause. A: It’s great! Lots of fantastic music, and also the artwork is amazing this year! A mere five pounds for lots of musical goodness – how can you not buy it? Plus you’re not only supporting a great cause but also all the hardworking acts of York University. For more information, go to www.makingsound.co.uk

With enough support and interest from students and staff at the University we could raise over £4000. This money would allow Gladycare to expand and take more children in. They would also like to be able to set up a shop and buy farmland to help make the home self-sustaining. Could you describe the stages of development- how did you put the CD together, get bands involved etc? How much interest was there? We advertised around campus for people to submit tracks and listened to everything we were given. There was a lot of brilliant music submitted. Once they were all in we had to select the tracks that would feature. We had to consider the quality of recording and the balance of different musical styles to get as much variety as possible. What does the future hold for Making Sound? Most of the Making Sound team graduate this year but if anyone wants to take it on and do a third one then go for it. It doesn’t belong to anyone – it’s just an idea, but one that I would really like to see carried on. How can people ﬁnd out more and get involved? You can read about the bands and artists, and have a listen to a sample of each track on our website- www. makingsound.co.uk. If you want to get involved, send

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for the best campus deals, visit

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Evil

Eye

Camille wears: Dress, Day from Sarah Coggles. Bag, Babydoll Boutique. Lights & jewellery – Stylist’s own.

Photography by Matthew Grum

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Kristy wears: Dress, McQ from Sarah Coggles. Jewellery – stylist’s own. Mark wears: Jeans, April 77, hoodie, Modern Amusement. Both from Sarah Coggles.

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Mark wears: Leather jacket, Diesel, zebra-print skinny jeans, April 77. Both from Sarah Coggles. Plimsolls – model’s own.

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Camille wears: Dress, Fornarina. Shoes, Irregular Choice. Both from Sarah Coggles.

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Mark wears: Polo Knit, McQ, skinny jeans, Cheap Mondays. Both from Sarah Coggles. Shoes – model’s own.

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Kristy wears: Dress, McQ from Sarah Coggles

Photograph by Iain Smith

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Kristy wears: Shirt and skirt, Vivienne Westwood from Sarah Coggles. Neck scarf, Babydoll Boutique. Suspenders and shoes – stylist’s own.

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York’s Little Gem The Banana Warehouse Words by Nicky Woolf

here would you go to find a fireplace? An organ? An Italian three-wheeled car? A pedal-powered copy of a Sinclair C5 electric tricycle or a Georgian dining table? A sofa or a wall-mounted deer’s head? The Banana Warehouse was established more than three decades ago and stocks all these things and far more besides. Residing for the last nine years in a riverside warehouse on Piccadilly, a stones’ throw from Clifford’s Tower, it is enchanting in all the ways that an antiques and bric-a-brac shop ought to be. Haunting classical music, from a radio taped to one of a cornucopia of chandeliers that hang from the warehouse ceiling, echoes down row upon eclectic row of furniture and assorted junk. Sofas, desks and dining chairs are piled on top of each other in great mountains of leather, wood and beige cloth. Unearthing treasures here is the name of the game. Obtained mostly from house and hotel clearances, the merchandise at the Banana Warehouse are both for sale and rent; as props to theatres such as the Drama Barn and the Theatre Royal. Junk from here is, at the moment, enjoying the limelight on the London stage in a production of ‘Steptoe & Son’. Me, I found a box of matchbox cars like ones I used to play with as a child, and couldn’t resist them. What will you find? o BAD TASTE N 2 SUMMER 2007

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