ISSUE 5
APRIL 2021
“Guilty Pleasures"
EDITOR Morgan McMillan editor@theedgesusu.co.uk DEPUTY EDITOR Maddie Lock deputy-editor@theedgesusu.co.uk NEWS EDITOR Sam Pegg news@theedgesusu.co.uk RECORDS EDITOR Alice Fortt records@theedgesusu.co.uk DIGITAL CULTURE EDITOR Harry Geeves culture@theedgesusu.co.uk CLASSIC CULTURE EDITOR Elizabeth Sorrell culture@theedgesusu.co.uk FILM EDITOR Theo Smith film@theedgesusu.co.uk FILM SUB-EDITOR Lucy Maggs film@theedgesusu.co.uk LIVE EDITOR Jo Lisney live@theedgesusu.co.uk PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER Kiera Gormley, Becky Davies relations@theedgesusu.co.uk ONLINE MANAGER Menno Kramer manager@theedgesusu.co.uk HEAD OF DESIGN Rahul Sonegra design@theedgesusu.co.uk FUNDRAISING, EVENTS AND PUBLICITY OFFICERS Georgie Holmes, Charlotte Brennan publicity@theedgesusu.co.uk RECORDS/LIVE EXECUTIVE Katie Evans CLASSIC CULTURE EXECUTIVE Emily Dennis
e t o N s ’ r o t i Ed Are you guilty? Loving something you know is so wrong, but feels so right? Take those who are Amy Schumer fans (p. 35) love movies the critics hate (p. 19), or even go as far to shamelessly blast N-Dubz on repeat (p. 17). We are all guilty of loving something that society deems wrong, but this magazine is all about no longer being ashamed of the things you enjoy. A guilty pleasure is something we should take pride in, its an aspect of our personalities that we may often hide but we should take pride in. Our writers do this as they delve into their experience in fandom culture (p. 21) or their love for boybands (p. 39). Growing up we all had a ‘phase’ that never truly ended and it is fantastic to see our writers reminisce about their secret favourite areas of entertainment. I think what is so great about this magazine is you realise that the things you think you should feel ashamed of like loving Twilight or a certain artist are truly nothing you should be afraid to express. The Battle of the Taylor Swift eras commences on page 10 as our writers discuss the highly debated topic on which era of Taylor Swift is truly her best. Or gather onto page 27 to enter a world of video game nostalgia. As well as being guilty, this magazine features an extraordinary interview with Wolf Alice (p. 13) ahead of their recently released highly anticipated album Blue Weekend. It’s an interview for fans of the band and those who want to know the process that goes behind making an epic album! This magazine also features an interview with University of Southampton student, Callum Holgate (p. 33). Who has recently released a poetry book titled Boys Will Be Boys which is available to buy on Amazon. As a student magazine we want to put the voice and work of students at the forefront of our magazine. If you are a student who has created work you would like us to share then please get in contact with us: editor@theedgesusu.co.uk. Alongside the release of this magazine, this has been a fantastic week for The Edge. We have been shortlisted for three awards at this years Student Publication Association National Conference. In the categories of Best Website, Best Overall Design and the Billy Dowling-Reid Award. Again, we want to thank our amazing writers for contributing to another fantastic magazine and lastly I would like to give a huge shoutout to Rahul (our new Head of Design) for giving The Edge a new and ‘edgier’ look. I hope you enjoy!
CONTENTS
01 02 03 04 05 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 16 18 19 20 22 25 26 28 29 30 32 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 43 44
Masthead Editor's Note Contents The News Box Nostalgic News Entertainment's Guilty Pleasure Conundrum Guilty Pleasure Tracks Playlist My First Vinyl Hidden Gems Hidden Gems: The Sounds Covers That Beat The Original Battle of the Taylor Swift Eras A Guide to the B List Genre My First Trip to the Cinema An Interview with Wolf Alice Actor in Focus Nostalgic Music We Hate to Love In Defence of Films The TV Shows of Our Childhood My Experience Our Dream Live Covers Hidden Gems: Britannia Hospital A World of Nostalgia James Baldwin’s Another Country The Edge's Podcasts Picks Retrospective Review An Interview with Callum Holgate I'm an Amy Schumer Fan! The Edge Roundtable Podcast A Bauhaus Exploration of the Human Form Deep Dive Iconic Performers of the 90's The Obsession with Boybands Listings Social Media
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Cover image courtesy of Dirty Hit/RCA
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NEWS IN BRIEF
The Academy Awards are set to take place Monday 26th April (BST) with Mank leading the way with a staggering 10 nominations including Best Picture. Apple Music announces they now pay double that of main competitor Spotify per stream. Taylor Swift breaks The Beatles' UK record for having the fastest run of three number one albums. Reports surface of a The Last of Us Remake happening at Playstation Studio while plans for a Days Gone sequel are scrapped. Alfred Molina confirms that his Doc Ock character will return in the upcoming SpiderMan: No Way Home.
REMEMBERING HELEN MCCROY SAM PEGG
The Edge’s Entertainment Picks! EDITOR High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (14/05/2021) Following the sensational first season, along with the off-screen drama that followed, we should all be anticipating High School Musical: The Musical: The Series season 2. It follows Nina (Olivia Rodrigo) and the cast as they train to perform High School Musical 2, otherwise known as the best HSM.
RECORDS OLIVIA RODRIGO - SOUR (21/05/2021) Olivia Rodrigo swept social media with her hit single ‘Drivers License’, and her latest track ‘Deja Vu’ appears to be following suit. With her debut album Sour, I’m curious to see if she can live up to the hype created by these two charttopping bops.
FILM NOMADLAND, dir. Chloé Zhao (30/04/2021) This quiet, understated film is a beautiful look at life on the modern American frontier. Frances McDormand is formidable as Fern, a widow who packs her bags and ventures out as a Nomad and adapting to a new spontaneous way of life. Intimate, meditative and undoubtedly awards-worthy.
CULTURE WITH TEETH by Kristen Arnett (01/06/2021) Due to be released in May, With Teeth is the story of Sammie. Sammie becomes increasingly scared of her son, Samson, as he jumps from a turbulent childhood to antisocial adolescence. This also allows space for resentment between Sammie and her wife, Monika, as they fight to preserve a pictureperfect image of a queer family. Eventually, Samson resorts to physical violence, and Sammie must confront her role in his upbringing, as well as the reality of her family and the household she runs.
LIVE AUSTRA - SONGKICK (29/04/2021) She's been in the business for the last 10 years and given us hits such as 'Home' and is an incredible singer-songwriter. She'll be performing hits, new songs and showing all why we should be keeping an eye on women in the music industry. If you are into your electronic, indie & alt or pop, she is the one you should be tuning into!
Stage and Screen star, Helen McCrory has passed away at the age of 52 after a secret battle with cancer. The actress who starred as Narcissa Malfoy in the Harry Potter series, Polly Gray in Peaky Blinders and, most recently, Stelmaria in the BBC adaptation of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials; had a career that spanned roughly thirty years. Amassing many award nominations (including ones for the Olivier Awards) and wins throughout her career, McCrory has had a huge presence within the British film and TV industry, one that feels a little more empty after her passing. Many fans and fellow actors and actresses have all taken the time to remember McCrory, with her husband, Damien Lewis, paying tribute to his late wife as a woman with "fearlessness, wit, curiosity, talent, and beauty". McCrory passed away on April 16th. 04
NOSTALGIC NEWS 5 YE A R S A G O
1 0 YE A R S A G O
LEMONADE Becky Davies
THOR Louise Chase
To say that Lemonade was anything other than revolutionary feels like an understatement. This album, released with no prior notice, was accompanied by a sixty-five minute film divided into 11 chapters: Intuition”, “Denial”, “Anger”, “Apathy”, “Emptiness”, “Accountability”, “Reformation”, “Forgiveness”, “Resurrection”, “Hope”, and “Redemption”. It encompasses themes of feminism, race, family and infidelity - with the whole world infamously becoming detectives and trying to work out who exactly ‘Becky with the good hair’ is, and what happened between her and Jay-Z - and ranges across a multitude of genres from country to gospel to R&B. Lemonade has gone down in history as Beyoncé’s best album for many reasons, and it isn’t difficult to see why. From her incredibly empowering collaborations such as ‘Don’t Hurt Yourself ’ with Jack White and ‘Freedom’ featuring Kendrick Lamar to her impeccable vocals on heartfelt ballads like ‘Pray You Catch Me’, ‘All Night Long’ and ‘Sandcastles’, this album embodies strength. It also cements Beyonce’s position as one of the greatest innovators in the music industry and is credited as reviving the album format after such a long time being dominated by singles and streaming, as well as for reinventing the themes of storytelling and breakups in modern music.
Back when the MCU was still in its infancy, and before we had The Avengers as one collaborating team, we had Asgard. In 2011, the first of the Thor films (directed in this instance by Kenneth Branagh) was released, introducing Chris Hemsworth as the titular God of Thunder, and Tom Hiddleston’s Loki amongst others. “Magic is just science that we don’t understand yet” - and just how right they were. Thor saw the Marvel Cinematic Universe take a leap into the realm of gods and far away from Billionaires and World War Two. As with Guardians of the Galaxy in Phase Two, Thor changed the status quo of the MCU. Ten years and still credit Thor as the film which got me into the franchise, and as the last character origin movie before Avengers Assemble in 2012, it placed the final building blocks in place for one of the most talked-about cinematic pieces that year.
15 YEARS AGO WHO THE F*** ARE THE ARCTIC MONKEYS Georgie Holmes
Arctic Monkeys are most well known for iconic singles like ‘Fluorescent Adolescent’ and popular tracks from AM (2013). However, their second EP Who the Fuck Are Arctic Monkeys is something which every AM fan should listen to, as with just 5 tracks it satisfies every component of the band’s talent.‘Despair In the Department Lounge’ is the slowest of the EP, capturing the softness of Alex Turner’s voice, which is followed by equally soothing ‘No Buses’. The percussion in this track is perfect, and the song concludes in the most typical Arctic Monkeys fashion. Although each song is flawless, undoubtedly the best on the EP is the title track, which is impossible to listen to on any quiet volume. The guitar riffs which open are instantly intriguing, but it is the song’s break down that follows Turner’s call “bring on the backlash” which is what makes Who the Fuck Are Arctic Monkeys so memorable.
Images courtesy of Parkwood/Columbia/HBO and IMDb 05
NOSTALGIC NEWS 1 5 YE A R S A G O
2 0 YE A R S A G O
KINKY BOOTS Katie Evans
A KNIGHT’S TALE Louise Chase
In all the glamour and beauty it still holds to this day, it’s crazy to think that Julian Jarrold’s Kinky Boots, based on the true story of a Northampton shoe-making factory, turns 15 years old today. The film is an incredible journey of love and friendship, with excitement and passion that makes you want to get up and dance; it’s no surprise the film inspired a musical now into its 9th year travelling around the globe. Fronted by the brilliant Joel Edgerton as business-owner Charlie, Kinky Boots proves the importance of unlikely friendships and unexpected inspirations. Chiwetel Ejiofor as drag queen performer Lola isn’t exactly what you expect from your average film viewing, however, it’s one of most scene-stealing performances in all of cinema. Lola lights up the room with her ‘kinky boots’ and amazing tunes, with ‘Whatever Lola Wants’ and ‘Yes Sir I Can Boogie’ being the ultimate feel-good songs. I want to visit the Kinky Boots Factory just to meet Lola.
In a period of time where cinema had an assortment of anachronistic historical films released in close proximity, A Knight’s Tale still stands out among them. Whether it’s the acting from a cast including Heath Ledger and Paul Bettany, or the glorious use of Queen’s “We Will Rock You” in an iconic crowd shot, the film is memorable. Inspired by Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales and aside from that, the film is just a bundle of chaos and jotusting and Heath Ledger trying to improve his stars. It definitely does not resemble the original tale, nor the historical setting - think of it as a spiritual inspiration with nods here and there by having Chaucer himself as a character. That being said, blacksmith Kate is perhaps my favourite character out of the ensemble, but Rufus Sewell does make an excellent antagonist. One of the commentary tracks even calls it “rocky but with jousting” and once you look at A Knight’s Tale that way, I doubt you’ll be able to unsee it.
20 YEARS AGO BRIDGET JONES’S DIARY Becky Davies Bridget Jones’s Diary is a cult classic film for many reasons. It is adapted from Helen Fielding’s novel of the same name, which is widely credited as kickstarting the chicklit genre we’ve grown to know and love. It stars Reneé Zellweger in the titular role, with an English accent so good that many people today still don’t realise it was fake, alongside Hugh Grant as womanising publisher Daniel Cleaver and Colin Firth as his rival, human rights lawyer Mark Darcy. But most of all, we have taken Bridget Jones into our hearts because she is relatable. Moments such as when she sits in her pyjamas singing along to Celine Dion’s ‘All By Myself ’, her embarrassing entrance into the tarts and vicars party when she didn’t get the memo that the dress code had changed, and her accidentally using blue string in soup encapsulate how perfectly imperfect she is. Bridget’s status as a British pop culture icon wasn’t the only thing to come out of this film. Zellweger was nominated for an Academy Award for her role, and the film was also nominated at the BAFTAs and the Golden Globes. And twenty years on, we still love her - just as she is. Images courtesy of IMDb 06
Entertainment's Guilty Pleasure Conundrum
Lucy Maggs Morgan McMillan The term 'guilty pleasure' has come to take on various meanings, however, all situate under the same umbrella: that you should be, or do feel ashamed to admit your liking of something. So, in entertainment, what makes people deem something a guilty pleasure? The most obvious explanation can be the quality of the piece. While nobody would compare the works of Mozart to ABBA, both have fans, and it is the latter that gets most people up and dancing. It is unfair to compare these two completely different sets of art. However, a guilty pleasure must come under scrutiny to earn its name as such; the validation of art we like receiving awards and making the textbooks is how some know a piece of entertainment is 'good', and therefore are allowed to like it. When something does not receive as much acclaim and is usually criticised - often for not being very serious as opposed to their high-brow counterparts - a guilty pleasure is born. It can be as simple as that, however, delving deeper can expose more complicated sources for this shame. For example, sitcoms of the 90s, such as Friends, still have an enthusiastic fanbase. However, some are more hesitant to admit they enjoy these shows due to some content being outdated; transphobia, homophobia, and a distinct lack of racial diversity to name a few that weeds its way into much of this era of entertainment can cause discomfort and therefore hesitancy in admitting you like it. This sense of shame is certainly understandable and justified; most don't want to keep bringing up problematic entertainment, and it is a shame to admit that a show that can make you laugh in one second can also have you cringing in the next. Unfortunately, shame is all too often weaponised against specific forms of media. Entertainment targeted at teen girls seems to have been society's source of mockery ever since it began. Twilight (2008) and One Direction were not just criticised by quality and content, but by who it was primarily consumed by, inevitably generating shame amongst much of that demographic that became too embarrassed to join the fanbase. As silly as it sounds, I refused to even watch or listen to Twilight or One Direction growing up out of fear that I would like it, and hence be lumbered into the pile with which other demographics would 'hate-watch'. I am not claiming that Twilight is without its problems or should have won an Oscar, however, it happens to be a prime example of the binaries in which so many view entertainment: is it 'good' or 'bad'? If we only allowed ourselves to enjoy super serious, complex content, think of all the fun entertainment we would be missing out on! All of these reasons exist to seek validation when in reality all forms of entertainment have their own sets of problems, their own sets of good and bad, and it is okay to like somethings while condemning the other. Of course, sometimes the situation is really not that profound; if you think The Room (2003) is awful yet wonderful at the same time, it is pretty harmless as guilty pleasures go. However, next time you start to feel that shame, it could be enlightening to dig a bit deeper behind your reasons why. 07
Image courtesy of Summit
Guilty Pleasures Tracks For those songs that you secretly love to jam out to!
La La Land
Demi Lovato
3:16
Playing With Fire
N-Dubs, Mr Hudson
3:47
Ready Or Not
Bridgit Mendler
3:20
Gotta Be Somebody
Nickleback
4:09
Sandstorm
Darude
3:45
Baby
Justin Bieber, Ludacris
3:34
Sk8ter Boi
Avril Lavigne
3:24
Fire Burning
Sean Kingston
3:59
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Earl Sweatshirt’s I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside MY FIRST VINYL!
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Reece Beckett It’s easy to imagine that for many reading, their first experience with vinyl is most likely one connected to their childhood and one pervaded by warm feelings of nostalgia. However, in my case it came much later. In a perfect world, this article would be focused on the time that I found MF DOOM’s 2004 record Mm… Food for a ridiculously cheap price on the (very) limited green vinyl, however, mistakes were made and the DOOM was snatched up by somebody else so fast that it was almost unbelievable. So, to try to console myself over that loss, I ventured to the nearest record store intent on finding a personal favourite record - at the time, I was heavily focused on darker abstract hip-hop, so it makes sense that Earl Sweatshirt’s bleak 2015 album I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside (which will be shortened to IDLSIDGO throughout!) caught my eye in the moment. It was a while before I was actually able to listen to it, but in the meantime I must have looked at the credits, the samples, the grim imagery on the sleeve and the artwork in general a thousand times over. When I did finally spin the record, it was just as good as I remembered. The album is only 30 minutes, so it fits comfortably on one record, and as odd as the interruption in the middle felt in comparison to the usual track to track flow, there was something distinct about listening on vinyl. The album itself is incredibly bleak - a genuinely icy, very concise album featuring a lot of very oppressive lo-fi beats and watching Earl’s style transition from his (ironically) MF DOOM inspired lyricism towards something much darker and altogether his own. It’s certainly the record that shows the most growth for him as an artist, even if his 2018 release Some Rap Songs made for another fascinating jump in style. Subverting just about every expectation built from his first two releases, Earl seems to crash into depression with tracks like ‘Grief ’ detailing his issues with paranoia and anxiety and ‘Off Top’ explaining this pit of self hatred that Earl says he has had ‘‘since the Motorola Razr’’ (Earl was 10 when the phone was released). For all of its aggression, there are some brief moments of beauty. They wouldn’t be fully realised until Some Rap Songs in 2018 (with songs like ‘Azucar’ and ‘Riot!’), but the instrumental interlude that closes the absolutely harrowing ‘AM//Radio’ adds some semblance of hope to what is otherwise a seriously hard listen. It seems a little blunt that my first experience with the joys of vinyl would be on a record with self loathing lyrics such as ‘‘Nowadays I’m on the hunt for mirrors to box with’’, but at the same time, it’s altogether fitting that the album became only more intense thanks to the artwork and the slightly tinny sound of my lower-end record player. It all came together in the end, just in an unexpected way - and thus, a new obsession was born… and an expensive one, too. Image courtesy of Tan Cressida/Columbia
HIDDEN GEMS: “LIVING IN AMERICA”
The Sounds Morgan McMillan The Sounds are an epic Swedish new wave band that formed in 1998, with Living in America being their debut Englishlanguage album. Despite being released in 2002, the album feels completely unique and brand new; there’s a rawness in this record, being told through a multitude of different genres. It’s hard to tie this down to just one genre! Living in America blends punk, rock, pop, disco, technopop and more, making it a brilliant, varied listen. Living in America merges my two clashing personalities; I love dance music like Eurodance, and also have a punkier side. This album brings those two aspects of my musical library together. ‘Hope You’re Happy Now’ is a clear display of these two personality clashes, it opens relatively rocky with a strong guitar and bass line then comes in the synth. However, when the track gets to the bridge, it starts with just guitar then transforms into an 80s disco track where the synths are the main aspect of the song. It’s absolutely epic! Lead singer Maja Ivarsson screams “fuck you and fuck your liars” in her punk raspy voice and all the elements of the track just come
together. I can’t explain how empowering the track is, but to give you an idea, the opening lyrics are “you can call me a slut, you can call me a liar”; it’s about totally owning yourself and not caring about what people think. The best track from the album is ‘Hit Me’; unlike the other tracks on the album, there’s a lack of synths in this song. ‘Hit Me’ is the first song I had heard from the album and I absolutely adored it; it gets you up and moshing in your front room whilst your dissertation sits abandoned in the background. It’s punk, edgy and the lyrics are so repetitive it’s the perfect track to just scream your anger away. The Sounds have been regularly compared to Blondie, and you can definitely see this in tracks such as ‘Like a Lady’ . ‘Like a Lady’ has one of the most epic choruses, with heavy guitar and a smooth 80s synth in the background. I love how this track takes you on a journey, the synths are prevalent throughout the whole track but change dimensions throughout, going from loud to quiet. As the song develops the synths become louder and the whole song seems to change pace and direction by the end. Living in America is dancy, angry and ridiculously catchy, the lyrics are easy to learn, it’s the perfect album to listen to when you can’t tell what emotional state you’re in. Each song feels completely different and takes you to a different journey, all thanks to synths and amazing musicality of the band.
Image courtesy of Original Signal Recordings
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Covers That Beat the Original This may be controversial to say, but sometimes, the cover really DOES beat the original. Here’s a few of our favourite covers that just might have stolen the spotlight from their predecessors.
Meg Myers - ‘Running Up That Hill’ Sam Pegg It feels wrong to say that anyone could sing Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)’ better than Kate Bush could. Yet, the truth is, Meg Myers elevates this song to a whole new level, keeping the original intact while imbuing it with her impeccable vocals and keeping it nostalgically rooted to the 80s. The thing is, on your first listen, I don’t even think you realise it’s not Kate Bush singing because the vocals are just that strong. Everything about it, from the backing track to its producing is simply flawless, only bolstered further by the deeper and breathier voice that is Meg Myers. In a song that always felt like it teemed with something deeper and personal, Meg Myers just brings a depth to it that no cover of the song has come close to before. It respects the original source material while exploiting its weaknesses (if we could really call them that) and turning them into something fresh but just as enthralling as the original. Seriously, go listen to it and fall in love with everything Meg Myers, one of this generation’s most underrated singers!
Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes - ‘Nothing Breaks Like a Heart’ Katie Evans ‘Nothing Breaks Like a Heart’ must be one of the most covered songs at the moment, with artists such as Sea Girls, Clea and Ten Fé all doing beautiful covers of Mark Ronson and Miley Cyrus’ captivating original track. However, whilst all these covers are stunning, it is punk rockers Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes take on the tune that truly gripped me when I first heard it. Not only does it give the original more pace, Frank Carter’s cover also brings in a wealth of musical layers such as edgy guitar riffs and drum beats to overhaul the original, motivating you as you listen. The grit of Carter’s voice works so well with Cyrus’ lyrics it’s unbelievable, making you feel like Cyrus wrote this song just for the band to play. The build-up to the final bridge lets the momentum build, and you can just envisage a mosh pit being built up in a sweaty crowd of rock fans. Cyrus has always written rock-influenced tracks, her latest album Plastic Hearts (2020) is evidence of that, yet it’s ‘Nothing Breaks Like a Heart’ whose rocky vibes feel hand-made for the Rattlesnakes.
Eva Cassidy - ‘Songbird’ Alice Fortt Eva Cassidy’s version of a Fleetwood Mac classic is beautiful, to put it franky. Even Though I’m a diehard Fleetwood fan, it clearly beats the original, perhaps partly due to the context of the song’s release; Cassidy passed away a year before the song was released, having not achieved nearly the success she deserved in life. The cover is breathtaking, with the beauty of Cassidy’s voice being seemingly effortless, rising from the softest whisper to astounding perfect notes. There’s an undeniably heartbreaking beauty about a onceunknown artist singing perhaps one of the most poignant love songs in music, with the knowledge that she’ll be parted from her own loved ones very soon sitting at the front of her mind. It’s hard to listen to this song without getting emotional, because you can just feel the utter devotion that Cassidy is pouring into her words. Not to mention, the singers talent is undeniable, and the song is transformed into something just so much more poignant under her care. ‘Songbird’ takes on a whole new meaning in Cassidy’s version. 11
Image courtesy of RCA
Speak Now (2010) Morgan McMillan Whip out your cowboy hat, boots and fiddle out because Taylor Swift’s Speak Now era screams “yeehaw”. Before I delve into the amazing artistry of this era, I want everyone to know that this album was written entirely by Swift, and that the album is about confessions; love and confessions. Speak Now features the best love song of all time, ‘Mine’, which was later covered by Santana on Glee. The track is a story about a girl who is scared of falling in love due to her parents’ failed marriage. I truthfully cannot relate to the song in any way shape or form but it still hurts my feelings and makes me cry. It’s definitely going to be my wedding song, it’s completely country and massively powerful. Swift also rebirthed rock and roll in ‘Better Than Revenge’, a song which is rumoured to be about actress Camilla Belle, who stole Joe Jonas’ heart whilst he was with Swift. This song is reminiscent of 2000s teen movie soundtracks, it’s full of rage and aggression, it’s a different side to Swift that her other eras rarely tap into.
BATTLE OF THE
t f i w S r o l y a T ERAS
Reputation (2017) Maddie Lock
folklore (2020) Sam Pegg ‘It feels generic saying it but we can’t deny that folklore is Taylor Swift at her music-writing heights. Written during the lockdown and possibly one of the most intimate and storydriven albums of her career, it was another reinvention that just shattered all previous conceptions of her. It showcased a maturity we’d never quite glimpsed before; it was Taylor Swift writing an album that felt like it wanted to explore and celebrate music as a whole. While tonally it was a refreshing break from Swift’s previous discography, at its heart was the Taylor Swift that we all know and love, just better than ever. Songs contained beautiful poignancy whether that be ‘exile or ‘my tears ricochet’, there’s some of that later Swift attitude no-nonsense approach in ‘mad woman’, ballads to serenade you through the night like ‘cardigan’ and ‘hoax’ and even more singer-songwriter pop classics in ‘the 1’ and ‘the last great american dynasty’. Basically, Swift took her extensive career and merged it all into one while branching out musically - it isn’t the black sheep of her discography, it’s the matriarch of her discography, and you don’t want to mess with folklore because of it. Image courtesy of Rolling Stone
Whether you love or hate Taylor Swift, deep down, even if known to no-one but yourself, you are a lover of Reputation. If an album could win a Nobel peace prize, Reputation would be first on the list for bringing together both lovers and haters of Miss Swift. Unless you’re a Kanye West fan that is (insert sick emoji). Swift quite literally defined pettiness with this album, taking a shady snake emojis subtweet from Kim Kardashian and turning it into a globally renowned pop revenge album. Aside from the behind-the-scenes drama, Reputation features some of Swift’s best work, she serves us rock and pop anthems with ‘Look What You Made Me Do’ to ‘Don’t Blame Me’, sexy songs such as ‘Dress’, and of course some romance in ‘Delicate’, ‘Gorgeous’ and ‘New Year’s Day’. It combines all the best aspects of Swift, and without it we wouldn’t have the Reputation Tour film, so I rest my case - Reputation is Taylor Swift’s most superior era.
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A Guide to the B Movie Genre Maddie Lock There’s no denying it, we’ve all loved at least one B movie in our lives. I’ll always remember the joy I felt when I’d go on our weekly family trip to Blockbuster, most likely to pick out some dodgy parody film that was practically a B movie. Think Disaster Movie (2008), where fake Hannah Montana gets crushed by a meteorite, Alvin & the Chipmunks are rabid zombies, and for some reason Kim Kardashian features on the cast list. But parodies aside the genre that’ll always keep you coming back for more, whilst simultaneously questioning this decision, is the B movie. Of course, a discussion on B movies wouldn’t be complete without one of the best in recent years, the Sharknado series. Shockingly they made six Sharknado films, clearly identifying its popularity. Sharks fly in the sky, a guy jumps across sharks like lily-pads, a shark is chainsawed in half, and many strange cameos occur - Billy Ray Cyrus, Perez Hilton and Kelly Osbourne to name a few. In Sharknado 3 (2015), we even witness the Sharknado take flight to outer-space, and Sharknado 4 (2016) features a firenado when the sharks catch alight. It really doesn’t get much crazier or entertaining than the Sharknado franchise. Or does it?
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With a similar aquatic theme, the Sharktopus (2010) movie and its many alterations are just as wild. You get the premise, a shark and octopus are formed to make a Frankenstein combination of a shark head and octopus tentacles. You’d think the craziness stops there, but just wait for Sharktopus vs. Pteracuda (2014) or Sharktopus vs. Whalewolf (2015). In the former, sharktopus takes on a pterodactyl crossed with a barracuda, and in the latter they take on a whale crossed with a wolf. You really wonder how they come up with these ideas, but I’m not complaining. Something about the utter ridiculousness of two completely different animals merging, particularly ones that are extinct or land and sea animals becoming one, just makes it all the more engaging. After all, it’s not the budgets but the completely unbelievable plots that keep us coming back for more. One thing that stands out about B movies are their titles and a personal favourite of mine has to be The Gingerdead Man trilogy. This follows a man who’s possessed by an evil spirit that’d been sentenced to death via the electric chair. With the tagline “evil never tasted so good” you really can’t go wrong, but the second and third movies
pushed the boat out to deliver us even greater titles and puns. Although The Gingerdead Man: Passion of the Crust (2008) is pretty good, ultimately the winner has to be The Gingerdead Man 3-D: Saturday Night Cleaver (2011). I wish I’d come up with that. Another clever, but somewhat revolting title, is Monsturd (2003) with the tagline “don’t get caught with your pants down”. Not quite as tasty as the Gingerdead man, but still some genius wordplay. From Frankenstein-esque beasts and monsters to hilariously worded titles and taglines, the B movie will always hold a special place in my heart. It’s a true guilty pleasure genre, one you know you shouldn’t be enjoying but you just can’t help it when the plots are so unbelievable. Whether it’s with uni flatmates or your family, you should introduce regular B movies into your watch schedule. You won’t regret it.
Image courtesy of IMDb
Finding Nemo
MY FIRST TRIP TO THE CINEMA
Jacob Hando Old memories are strange. Some can exist untarnished for life whilst others can evolve from telling yourself that something happened and slowly believing it. My oldest memory (I believe) luckily sits in the former category: seeing Finding Nemo in the cinema. This was the first time my father took my three-year-old self to the cinema, with my older sister in tow. The cinema was Canterbury’s Odeon, a reasonably sizable auditorium with a hefty screen. I’m sure my mind was blown seeing a screen bigger than the 20-inch cube that adorned my living room’s shelf. A hazy experience followed; I no doubt enjoyed the film but all I can vividly recall are two specific moments. One of them is the wide shot of Marlin and Dory calling out to a distant whale, only for the whale to slowly emerge from behind them, darkening the bright blues of the ocean surroundings with its enormous size. As a memory this has no doubt persisted because of the crippling sense of fear it installed in me. I was too young to work out what was really happening but seeing something so big and dark consume the small, funny aquatic protagonists was terrifying. The cinematic scale accentuated the shot, searing it into my brain. The second moment I can definitely remember comes right at the film’s end, where the iconic shark trio of Bruce, Chum and Anchor arrive to save Marlin, Dory and Nemo. The content of the scene didn’t entirely matter; the point was that I remembered it because, perhaps ten years later, I re-watched Finding Nemo for the first time and was questioning my imagination when, after the shark sequence in the first act, I didn’t see the three sharks in the reef environment. But come the end of the film I was overjoyed to see that the shots I recalled of the sharks in the vibrant Great Barrier Reef environment was indeed right at the picture’s end. I come back to Finding Nemo quite a lot; it is the memory-lane of my film collection. My father, not a big fan of animated films, often cites his surprise when he took me to see Pixar’s underwater odyssey. He was impressed with the animation and he of course responded positively to the themes of fatherhood within the narrative. According to him I was a patient audience member, neither restless or loud, and was pretty engaged with the screen. This first experience has always been accessible as a memory because of the sense of awe and fear I felt from one blue whale. On a VHS tape at home I’m certain a first watch of Finding Nemo would have been far less memorable at a preschool age. The effect of that whale shot would not have filled the room like it did in the cinema, and the subsequent feeling it provoked would not be a part of me now. If there is any defence for cinemas as being superior to watching at home, it starts with that first memory. Image courtesy of Disney/Pixar
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"Everything's a bit more focused on the lyrics & melody" 15
An Interview with Wolf Alice Connie Seamer After their Mercury Prize-winning Visions Of A Life, Wolf Alice are Despite this, it seems that Wolf Alice has had enough experience of back with their highly anticipated album Blue Weekend. I sat down being in the public eye to be able to talk about whatever they want with Ellie and Joel to chat about the new record. with confidence. The song that epitomises this is ‘Feeling Myself ’, a cinematic track that explores the repression and treatment of female Blue Weekend signals the band's full realisation of their sound. sexuality. Ellie states that “getting older” has given her the confidence While it sounds familiar to their previous records, the new album to be able to write songs such as this, as well as allowing her to realise takes Wolf Alice in a new, more mature, direction. “how much society tries to suppress that side of people”. On these differences in the new album’s sound, Ellie quotes another “It’s not true to say that women in music have never spoken up about journalist who described it as “fuller and wider, yet simpler”. “I can’t that stuff, it’s not always easy to find. [...] [I'm] just bouncing off years quite elaborate on it but I feel like she got it right”, she says. of feeling like you’re supposed to be one thing and suddenly being like ‘oh, I’m not supposed to be anything!” Joel agrees, pointing to the producer of the album, Markus Dravs, for this new simpler sound: “Markus would always talk about the Ellie has been vocal about being a woman in music in the past, and stillness in songs, with things like ‘How Can I Make it OK’ and ‘No the difficulties that come with it. Considering the controversies Hard Feelings’ […] I think there’s maybe a bit more of those kinds surrounding the lack of female headliners at recently announced of moments in this record than in previous ones.” This is certainly festivals, I ask the band what their message would be to festival true; the album is full of much more detailed, careful production bookers who claim that it's too hard to find female musicians to book. that produces both elevated bold songs, and moments of stillness. Joel adds that this means that “everything’s a bit more focused on "Try harder!", Ellie retorts. the lyrics and the melody, and I think that’s a really good thing for this record.” Joel agrees, saying quite simply that “it’s not [too hard]”. He points out the fact that “the same bands […] play the same festivals, in the same These moments of stillness manifest in the acoustic songs on the slots, [and] get all the promotion”, stopping newer artists from being record. "A lot of people’s favourite bands have loads of acoustic discovered. songs", Ellie says. "A lot of sing-a-long-y songs; old songs; traditional songs – often just a voice and a guitar. It’s strange that often you Having more well-known bands such as Wolf Alice talk about the rife feel like you wanna shy away from that – I guess it’s quite scary gender inequality and blatant sexism in the music industry is essential because it’s quite naked […] so it’s brave in that way; it’s really your to making a change from within; hopefully, conversations such as this songwriting on show there.” will continue, and we will start to see more women being given the spotlight for once. Blue Weekend has a lot more vulnerability to show – the record is underpinned by a nakedness that seems to have come from These conversations are also heard implicitly within Blue Weekend: newfound confidence, which Ellie says allowed her to finish the it is an album full of unforgiveness and self-realisation that does not more stripped-back songs without overdoing it, and say “yeah, let’s hold back. leave it at that then”. Blue Weekend will be released 11th June 2021. This theme of confidence and self-realisation is a recurring one on the album, particularly in ‘Smile’, where Rowsell sings about being labelled ‘unhinged’ (which she humorously says has been misheard as “I know you all think I’m on Hinge”). I ask her what made her what to delve deeper into people’s expectations of herself and reclaim them in such an unapologetically confident song. Ellie points to the confusing and unique situation of being in the public eye, which exemplifies the act of “questioning ourselves all the time”. “I mean we all kind of can experience being in the public eye to an extent now with social media and stuff, so I feel like we’re questioning ourselves all the time […] I feel like it’s a really confusing thing to go through all the time." She goes on to say that having to constantly talk about yourself in interviews is “a bit of a trip, really”. 16
Actor in Focus: Adam Sandler Reece Beckett Adam Sandler has, undoubtedly, become a controversial figure over the almost 30 year span of his acting career. However, after Uncut Gems reminded audiences that he really can give an incredible performance (similarly to the way that the Safdie’s previous film, Good Time, proved Robert Pattinson’s acting skills to his many naysayers), Sandler seems to have become a point of interest to many film fans - why exactly does a clearly gifted performer choose the roles that he does? The simple answer to that may just be money, but let’s give the Sandman a little extra credit looking back, his career really isn’t as bad as many seem to suggest. Good roles are peppered throughout, including many of his comic turns. A majority of critics seem to have forgotten his turn as a family man and chef in James L. Brooks’ beautiful romantic-dramedy Spanglish, his odd yet hilarious performance in The Waterboy or even his very strong performance in Paul Thomas Anderson’s acclaimed Punch-Drunk Love, which was for a long time the one Sandler film that seemed unanimously accepted as his finest moment. Now, Sandler may not choose the most challenging roles for himself - or the most challenging scripts - but all of his films remain linked together by one element - his wonderful screen presence. There’s certainly a uniquely warm magnetism to the man when on screen, no matter what he’s doing. There’s good reason that so many of his comedies feature romance focuses or sub-plots, from 50 First Dates to the aforementioned (and more grounded) Spanglish - Sandler has always carried with him a certain charisma that is rarely found, the type of charisma that truly makes him a star as opposed to just another Hollywood actor. He may be lazy with his choices sometimes, but his performances themselves are almost always charming, even if they become repetitive from film to film. Another overlooked Sandler turn - and another of his serious dramatic roles - is in the post-9/11 New York drama Reign Over Me, in which Sandler plays the role of a man left introverted and distraught after the death of his family in the 9/11 attacks. The film has comic elements (don’t worry - it is nowhere near as bad as that makes it sound), and falls into cliche a little too often, but it is a truly beautiful film that is thrusted forward by the lead performances by Sandler and co-star Don Cheadle. Again, Sandler can be seen as the centre point, the reason that the emotional scores of the film really come together and lift the film as a whole. There’s no denying that Sandler has appeared in a few duds - they seem to change from person to person, depending on the chosen sub-genre - but Sandler’s hated position in Hollywood seems to reflect the current general attitudes toward Hollywood comedies (let’s not beat around the bush - it is incredibly negative, and sometimes deservedly so), especially seeing as when he takes on a serious role such as his appearance as Howard Ratner in the previously mentioned Uncut Gems was so highly acclaimed. There’s a reason that the end of the love for the gross-out comedy in the early 2000s also led to a switch of attitude toward Sandler and his films, and it seems a shame that it continues to hang over his career, even if Hubie Halloween may have reminded us of just how bizarre some of his Netflix co-produced works are.
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Guilty
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Nostalgic Music We Hate to Love La La Land Alice Fortt Demi Lovato was EVERYWHERE on Disney Channel back in the day, and her tune ‘La La Land’ would pop up in the adverts between Sonny with a Chance and Hannah Montana all the time. I was obsessed with it at the time, and still kind of love it now, despite its obvious cringeyness. This was definitely Lovato in her fledgling songwriter stage; the lyrics are.... bad, to put it bluntly. ‘’I’m not a supermodel/ I still eat MacDonald’s/ That’s just me’’? It’s not exactly poetry, and REEKS of the whole ‘I’m not like other girls’ trend. However, Lovato’s delivery in ‘La La Land’ is fantastic, despite the cringey lyrics; her singing is snappy, yet she really shows off her vocals in the chorus, belting out its leading lyrics. I wouldn’t necessarily say that ‘La La Land’ has stood the test of time (Lovato has certainly released better music in recent years), but the song does still get stuck in my head from time to time, and every frame of that music video is etched into my memory. You can’t deny that it’s a catchy tune!
Playing With Fire Katie Evans Picture the scene, you’re in primary school circa 2010 and you’ve just downloaded the latest N-Dubz song to your iPod. Honestly, after the band’s infamous collaboration with Tinchy Stryder for ‘Number 1’ a year prior you’re expecting big things - and oh boy do they deliver. ‘Playing With Fire’ couldn’t be a catchier tune, with the classic N-Dubz ‘nana, naeee’ sound at the beginning of the tracks to the notable blend of Dappy’s harsh lyricism and Tulisa’s softer notes. If you knew me in 2020 you would have known I couldn’t stop listening to this song, to the point my parents had to introduce me to new music. The hip hop scene in the early 2000s was a vast place, yet N-Dubz somehow found their spot and grounded themselves in it for a good few years, then they suddenly seemed to drop off the map with Dappy releasing some of his own questionable songs. Let’s be honest, I still listen to ‘Playing With Fire’ every so often as it oozes that nostalgia, throwing me back to easier days where music was one of my main concerns. It’s a tune; always has been, always will be.
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Image courtesy of Hollwood/AATW
Ready or Not Maddie Lock From the opening “He-e-ey / he-e-ey / ooooh”, Bridget Mendler’s ‘Ready or Not’ will instantly transport you back to 2012, landing you in the prime of Disney Channel popstars. Annoying, despite being a cheesy generic 2010s pop song, it’s hard not to fall in love with ‘Ready or Not’, and even harder to get it out of your head once Mendler starts singing. The lyrics are truly awful, with painfully 2010s lines like “I’m kinda shy but, you’re super fly, yeah” and an even worse chorus, “ready or not, here I come / I like your face, do you like my song? / Just sing it la la la la la la la and I’ll find you”. However, all of this aside, I can’t help but belt my heart out along with Mendler and dance each time the song plays. If there was a definitive guilty pleasure song definition, ‘Ready or Not’ would be it.
This may be controversial to say, but sometimes, the cover really DOES beat the original. Here’s a few of our favourite covers that just might have stolen the spotlight from their predecessors.
If Today Was Your Last Day Louise Chase I pride myself in having a somewhat secured music taste made up of soundtracks and a few favourite artists; I rarely deviate from those. That being said, I grew up around a dozen or more albums in my dad’s car, being played on repeat. Nickelback’s records are perhaps the ones that stick out the most to me... purely because I still might listen to them sometimes. It might be a bit embarrassing, but if I hear ‘If Today Was Your Last Day’ and have a proper jam session to it, then my day is made. There seems to be a dislike towards the band from somewhere, but I never really understood it. Some of their hit singles aren’t that bad! ‘Burn it to the Ground’ is a great heavy sing along, and ‘Gotta be Somebody’ from their album Dark Horse just perfectly encapsulates the alt-rock sound that defined the late-noughties. As shameful as it might seem to say, I genuinely enjoy their music. In fact, the whole of Dark Horse is full of great tunes. And now they’ve done a sea shanty version of ‘Rockstar’?! I might be tempted to give them a second look Image courtesy of Hollwood/Roadrunner
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In Defence of Films Brassed Off (1996) Theo Smith Nestled within the catalogue of 90s British classics like Four Weddings and Funeral and Trainspotting, Mark Herman’s Brassed Off is a name that probably won’t leap out when mentioned. At face value, it’s a sentimental comedy-drama about the colliery brass band of Grimley as they attempt to reach the National Final at the Royal Albert Hall. But underpinning this tale is a brutal reminder of Thatcherist Britain as Grimley’s struggle to keep their pit open reflects a difficult moment in British history where jobs were lost, and entire workingclass communities were wiped out overnight. There are notable subplots including a budding romance between Ewan McGregor and Tara Fitzgerald but at the very centre is an outstanding turn by Pete Postlethwaite as the band’s conductor Danny. It’s a performance that wears its heart on its sleeve and watching him nobly conduct the band to Joaquín Rodrigo’s ‘Concerto de Aranjuez’ as they’re on the verge of losing their jobs always leaves me in tears. In recent years, it’s gained a cult following within the brass band community but nonetheless, it’s still one of the most overlooked British films of the 90s that deserves more love and respect.
Crossroads (2002) Reece Beckett Crossroads on release received countless negative reviews across the critic spectrum, however I beg to argue that it isn’t as bad as it seems. To begin with, it stars Britney Spears and features her covering ‘I Love Rock & Roll’ by the Arrows, which is arguably one of the best covers of all time and never would have existed without Crossroads. As for the film itself, it’s about the power of friendship as three former friends, who drifted apart during high school, reunite to open up their ‘wish box’ and follow the dreams they had made when they were only six years old. In hindsight may seem bad to others actually tackles issues like sexual assault, growing up and finding your own place in the wider world. It has cringy elements that are expected from a 2002 teen flick but is still fantastic nonetheless especially since it used Britney Spears’s stardom as a huge platform to discuss important issues like sexual assault. It may be a little cringy to some, but it’s still a very under-appreciated movie that got more hate than it deserved. 21
Images courtesy of Film4/Paramount
The Lone Ranger (2013) Jacob Hando Back when Disney was daring with its live action project, the company pumped an enormous budget into what would become a gigantic box office flop: The Lone Ranger. Unfairly hammered by critics, this blockbuster Western deserves a lot more love. Pairing up Johnny Depp and director Gore Verbinski together for the fifth time, The Lone Ranger has all the smooth camera work, narrative propulsion and ridiculous humour that made Pirates of the Caribbean such a hit. It is a mighty 150 minutes in length and is not without any flaws, but what critics missed was the palpable sense of fun that everyone involved was having. Quentin Tarantino is one of the few authorities who has praised it, in particular its bombastic climax which, set to the Hans Zimmer’s refining of the William Tell Overture, stages one of the most impressive trainorientated action sequences ever. It’s a shame bad publicity around the film’s budget led to audiences turning away, and it is an even mightier shame that critics forgot to have some fun at the cinema. Perhaps Disney’s stale slate of current live action films is due to the backfired risk of making this splendidly enjoyable and different film.
Within some of our favourite films, there will undoubtedly be a personal favourite that we consider as under-appreciated by fellow critics and moviegoers. As our new magazine celebrates guilty pleasures, our writers pick their favourite films that have been under-appreciated and are worth defending.
After Earth (2013) Reece Beckett M.Night Shyamalan has received more than his fair share of criticism as a director, and After Earth might be his most hated film alongside The Last Airbender. The vitriol towards After Earth has always been a little confusing - both stars Will and Jaden Smith seem to be magnets for criticism, just as Shyamalan has been since 2000’s Unbreakable - but in the last few years, it seems that a growing number of moviegoers are starting to come around to After Earth a little more. It’s undoubtedly an odd awry piece of sci-fi, but there is something genuinely elegant at its core which overtakes the film’s flaws completely. The tagline “Fear is a choice” emphasises the story’s focus on overcoming anxiety and although it might strike as insensitive, the way how Shyamalan articulates it visually is genuinely beautiful and arguably reminiscent of Werner Herzog’s war epic Rescue Dawn. Although typical in Shyamalan’s work, After Earth handles it in a unique manner that actually uses its action to navigate the steps towards recovery. It’s not a perfect film but it’s far, far better than many have allowed.
Images courtesy of Walt Disney/Sony Pictures
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The TV Shows of Our Childhood Ben 10 Jacob Hando Take an everyday item of clothing (a watch), turn it into a shape shifting device for ten different alien skins and watch kids go berserk over it. That is the nature of Ben 10, Cartoon Network’s triumphant first series between 2005-2008. This was the show I dashed home from school for: to see Grandpa Max and his Rust bucket, Kevin Levin and Vilgax, Four Arms and Diamondhead. With a highly memorable theme song and a host of terrific creature designs that generated fabulous merchandise, this show of a ten-year-old saving the galaxy is still a joy to return to. The episodes were undeniably formulaic, but the novelty comes from seeing which creature Ben would slap into his wrist and if any new ones would be added (Cannonbolt is the greatest). The later series, Alien Force and Ultimate Alien, were solid enough continuations of the characters as they grew older, but it’s pre-pubescent Ben and the classic aesthetic of the creatures that still sticks in my mind. And Ghost Freak still haunts me.
Disney Channel Games Emily Dennis Imagine it. The summer of 2007. You switch on the television and what do you see? Miley Cyrus singing ‘Life’s What You Make It’ to groups of Disney Channel stars wearing four different coloured shirts. There’s Dylan Sprouse! Corbin Bleu! Emily Osment! Welcome to the Disney Channel Games, an unforgettable and unmissable event for the hottest months of ‘06-’08. The competition was hosted by The Suite Life’s Mr. Moseby and caretaker Arwin, and had four teams compete to win £25,000 for their respective charities. There were inflatable obstacle courses, dunk tanks, and a bunch of jealousy emitting from the other side of the screen. It was competitive and exciting. What was so special is how real it made people that usually felt so far away from us. 2006’s event had Zac Efron, for crying out loud! Troy Bolton is a real person, just like me? It was a very special thing for any child to watch, and still holds a little bubble in the back of my mind.
House of Anubis Katie Evans I’m guilty of watching House of Anubis a few too many times, but the teenage-aimed show that aired back when I was a mere high schooler was just that good. It combined the teenage drama of the classic childhood programme yet its British roots allowed it to be both quirky and experimental; blending romance with science fiction with crime and cults, and much more! Nickelodeon’s House of Anubis featured a diverse ensemble cast which was brilliant to fulfil that need to identify with a specific character - as it had a *lot* of characters. From the smart Nina (Nathalia Ramos) to the confident Patricia (Jade Ramsey) all the way to the cheeky Jerome (Eugene Simon), the show explored a range of issues that targeted teenage struggles through a gripping narrative involving a creepy school and a cult of God-fearing teachers. 23
Images courtesy of Cartoon Network/Disney/Nickelodeon
My Experience: Fandom Culture Alice Fortt Yes, I will admit it, despite the innate shame I feel: I was a part of fandom tumblr back in the day. No, not only a part of it; I LIVED and BREATHED fandom culture, spending near excessive amounts of time on the internet talking about my favourite fan theories, ships, and characters, watching fan-edits and reading fan-fiction (and occasionally writing it too; don’t ask). And yes, just to make it extra Tumblr-stereotypical, I was obsessed with Superwholock Tumblr. I ran a Supernatural themed blog, with an equally cringey username, and spent my days trawling through endless Destiel (if you know you know) edits and fancanons, even creating a few myself. Forums would explode following every episode, flooding my creaking laptop with excited jargon regarding what could happen next, ‘omg did you see the way they looked at each other??? THEY’RE IN LOVE’, and other general fandom lingo. It wasn’t only Supernatural for me either; Sherlock, Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, Hannibal (I still stand by this show as the best thing ever), LOTR, Dragon Age, Marvel... the list goes on. Even saying these once internet-ruling names makes me feel like a relic. As much as I cringe at it now, I actually look back at my Tumblr days with a bit of fondness, too. Don’t get me wrong, fandom culture can be incredibly toxic; don’t even get me started on the arguments that would crop up over the tiniest of things, like deciding on a character’s certain eye colour in an episode. But in my obsession with this questionable TV show, I found a community of people who enjoyed (and actually wanted to talk about) all these little things that, in a wider picture, seem meaningless. I’d chat for hours on group chats and forums about fan theories, would read my online friends fanfics, reblog their artworks, and listen to their character playlists; it felt like a safe space I could retreat into. It’s also safe to say that, despite looking back on it now it was definitely a questionable place to gather info and find that kind of community, I, amongst other Tumblr kids, learned a lot about sexual identity as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community who didn’t really know where else to look. There’s an inside joke that Tumblr back in the day was just the place that all the gay or gayquestioning kids flocked to, and to be honest, that rings true in my personal experience. It wasn’t a weird thing to talk about there, and even though fandoms definitely weren’t the best place to learn this information, I didn’t really have anywhere else to turn to, and I’m thankful I was given that space to learn and grow. This felt almost like an exposé and a confession of my Tumblr days, but honestly, it is a period of my life that, albeit still feeling a bit embarrassing, I do find almost endearing. I made some really great friends online that helped me a lot through my formative teenage years, and still have great memories. Live watch-parties and the explosions following a new episode or the excitement that oftentimes would crash Tumblr following a new trailer or TV spot (looking at you Marvel). Tumblr might have fallen out of fashion now, but fandom culture lives on in new spaces, in the form of stan Twitter and stan Instagram; I think fandom culture will always prevail. Communities form out of a shared love of something and want to share that love with others, and this is exactly what fandoms epitomise; I find that kind of beautiful, in a way. 24
OUR DREaM LIve CoVERS 25
Taylor Swift - ‘Potential Breakup Song’ Alice Fortt Aly & AJ’s ‘Potential Breakup Song’ is already a tune by itself; play that anywhere and you’ll get everyone dancing along. It’s the perfect ‘screw you’ song to all those terrible exes the majority of us have. That’s why I think it would be the PERFECT song for breakup song queen, Taylor Swift. Can you imagine the power of Taylor singing this song, especially in a concert setting? Unbeatable. It fits in perfectly with her already great roster of breakup songs, from ‘We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together’, to ‘Bad Blood’, to ‘I Knew You Were Trouble’... the list goes on. Not to mention, its blatancy also feels in a way like a bit of a screw you to the media for their own fixation on Swift’s relationships, with them often taking centre stage over Swift’s actual music, at least in the Red and 1989 eras. For a covers section of a concert, ‘Potential Breakup Song’ is just the perfect fit for Swift, and I can tell that she’d absolutely kill it.
HAIM - ‘Untouched’ Jo Lisney The Veronicas’ hit ‘Untouched’ was one of the
biggest songs around in 2007 and boy, it still hits 14 years later! From the combination of strings with that of the heavy guitar riff and synth-pop beat, it is so late 2000s it is definitely cringe-worthy. With that being said, the angst it gives off is of course valid. I’d love to see the lovely ladies of HAIM cover it in another Triple J performance. They would strip away a lot of what makes it distinct to that era in music and start again from almost scratch. HAIM are also indie, so adding that into the mix will make the song their own. I imagine it would top their Shania Twain ‘That Don’t Impress Me Much’ cover because they are not only doing an acoustic version, but the genre change creates a more complex problem that I know the band can overcome with ease!
Images courtesy of Wonderland/Net-a-Porter
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Paramore - ‘7 Things’ Maddie Lock Paramore is known for their alt-pop, screaming in songs and most importantly Hayley Williams’ ability to alter and make every song sound better live. Who else is lowkey a rock queen and would pair perfectly with the band? Miley Cyrus, which is why her anthem ‘7 Things’ would be an unforgettable Paramore performance. Whether Cyrus joined the performance or not (which would be an out-of-this-world combination), Hayley could definitely do the song justice. Imagine her scream-singing “the seven things I hate about you/you’re vain, your games, you’re insecure / you love me you like her!” It could be the song to replace ‘Misery Business’, filling that hole in fans hearts after the band decided to no longer perform the song for being antifeminist. ‘7 Things’ blends rock with acoustic and would make for an epic finale to any Paramore concert. There would be tears, sore throats from screaming, and probably some dropped jaws if the band ever covered ‘7 Things’, but it would be amazing.
Nicki Minaj - ‘S&M’ Morgan McMillan A world where Nicki Minaj does a cover or features on ‘S&M’ by Rihanna is a world I want to live in. We have already seen a fantastic version of the song featuring Britney Spears, so this is not an ask too big. I picture Nicki’s alter ego Roman coming out during S&M and screaming “rawr rawr” throughout the track, with a hardcore breakdown with a feature from David Guetta whilst Rihanna is singing “I may be bad but I’m perfectly good at it”. Nicki’s verse will go like “I don’t need no sticks, I just need a dick, I ain’t talking no anaconda, I just want your tricks”, I’m not a rapper but you get the point it would be the coolest and most epic cover of all time and will hopefully bring back some of Nicki’s Roman Reloaded era. No matter what song Nicki is on is already a platinum record, so imagine Nicki featuring on one of the greatest tracks of all time. The performance factor would see Nicki with whips whipping the dances whilst they pretend to be horses, Rihanna is floating in the air doing acrobatics just proving she really can do anything.. 27
Images courtesy of DIY/Wonderland
Hidden Gems: Britannia Hospital Max Williams A mad scientist hell bent on revolutionising humankind with incendiary technological innovation, to the point where he will perform beheadings in order to create the perfect human. An irrational mob angry at a hospital treating private patients and foreign dictators, to the point where they’re blocking the gates and preventing ambulances from delivering victims of a recent bombing. Meanwhile the hospital staff refuse to treat the victims when they do get in because they’re over the 24hour limit set by their unions. All on the day Her Royal Highness is due to visit the hospital. A hospital with a brand new shiny ward that isn’t being used due to a shortage of cleaning staff. A hospital where the occupants are kept docile with sausages, hymns and cheery hospital radio DJs. Vincent Potter is not going to have a good day. Britannia Hospital was a critical and commercial failure when it first opened in cinemas in 1982. It was dropped after barely a month and pretty much killed off the film career of its director, Lindsay Anderson. It’s also a brilliantly intelligent film, unafraid to send up both sides of the political divide for the amoral, uncompromising sellouts and weasels that they were then, and still are now. The faintly surreal black comedy is still relevant today, perhaps even more so, in an age where we still cling on irrationally to our traditional but vague vision of Britain as an empirical force with an immovable monarchy that is above scrutiny. Included are personalities as varied as militant protesters who see no irony in them blocking hospitals and ambulances
(see Extinction Rebellion), investigative journalists who chase stories for the fame and the money rather than the integrity (while assisted by stoned technicians who react with unsympathetic detachment to news reports), single-minded administrators, and men in suits with twisted visions on how to improve humanity’s problems. The film is fantastically paced with not a moment wasted. Mike Fash’s cinematography is dynamic and ahead of its time in how vaguely dreamlike it looks. No one is spared by the savage satire, which takes influences from sources as diverse as deadpan surrealism, cumulative Carry On farce and even Hammer horror. Credit must go to Alan Price of the Animals for a haunting soundtrack, and David Sherwin for a script packed with ideas and genuine feeling. If nothing else, it’s worth watching for some fabulous performances from some of the best actors that were around at that time. Blink and you’ll miss a young Robbie Coltrane in a bit part as a protestor and Mark Hamill appearing for an unpaid cameo. But the eccentric late Graham Crowden steals the show, particularly with his closing speech which is arguably one of the most underrated movie endings ever. Watch it, and if you like it, check out Anderson’s earlier films, the revolutionary school drama If.... and the Brechtian coming-of-age epic O Lucky Man!. Also see his documentary on the Free Cinema movement, and mourn the British filmmaking innovation that was inevitably lost to the money makers and philistines. Many film buffs maintain that there was never anyone like Lindsay Anderson. It’s easy from this film to see why.
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a WORLD OF NOSTaLGIA
Pokémon Pearl Jacob Hando On December 25th, 2007, I unwrapped Pokémon Pearl. Since then, I haven’t stopped thinking about it. The DS Lite was the crown jewel of my indoor life as a child, and Pokémon Pearl was by far the console’s highlight. Released alongside Pokémon Diamond (which may just have the better Pokémon on it), it took the player to the Sinnoh region to do the usual quests of defeating gym leaders, preventing some evil team from something or other, and capturing the legendary Pokémon that adorns the front cover (in this case, Palkia). It is a simple formula, but the game is more than that too. From the excitement of choosing your starter Pokémon (water-type, every time) to the gradual expansion of the Pokédex, there is no shortage of entertainment or side quests in this mammoth game. My DS politely informs me I have a 650-hour game time on Pearl which is testament to the many options and paths you can follow. There’s the underground aspect, which permits you to dig up fossils to get the ancient Pokémon, the Pokémon League (best way to level up your troops up) and Pal Park, which uses the GameBoy slot of the DS to link and trade Pokémon from such iconic games as Emerald or Sapphire. It is a truly expansive world, one which makes you respect those credited on the game’s production at the end of the main storyline. Beyond the campaign, Pearl and Diamond also have a superb multiplayer experience. Head upstairs in any Poké Centre and you can connect wirelessly with your friends, something which will never not invoke the nostalgia for sleepovers after a hard day of primary school. In the multiplayer format you can trade your Haunters and Machokes in order to get the Gengars and Machamps, you can team-up in the Battle Park or you can test your legendaries against each other in single or double matches. Presumably my excessive time in the game came from such occasions. I dug my DS and Pearl out in the lockdown last year and, after shaking off the memory-lane cobwebs, found the game still held up as good old fun. With a fellow friend who also still had his, it meant fighting and trading Pokémon was again a vital part of my entertainment. The temptation to reset the game has persisted because of how engaging the story structure and long journeys were, effectively demonstrating how the game mixed easy gameplay with frequently challenging moments that makes it an all-round investing experience. I will also die on the hill that Gen IV has the best set of Pokémon (see: Kricketot) 29
Image courtesy of Game Freak/The Pokémon Company/Nintendo
James Baldwin’s Another Country Reece Beckett It seems that, recently, James Baldwin and his work have had something of a renaissance, thanks to two films that came from his written work. The first of those was I Am Not Your N*gro, a documentary based on Baldwin’s unfinished final novel directed by Raoul Peck, and the second was Barry Jenkins’ highly anticipated follow-up to his 2016 Best Picture-winning Moonlight, an adaptation (albeit not a literal one) of what may be Baldwin’s most famous novel, If Beale Street Could Talk. Both films seemed to respire the conversation surrounding Baldwin and his achievements as a writer - one who challenged the representations of race and sexuality in the 1950s and 1960s through his intensely beautiful and melancholic prose.
Of course, because of this, it isn’t a particularly easygoing read: Another Country’s pages are mostly bleak ones, but there is something to be said for a book so bold and so brave, especially one written in the 1960s. There is an electrical vibration behind it all, one that thrusts the plot forwards and the characters in their various directions (often towards tragedies that the reader must choose if they deserve or not) and remains uncompromising from start to finish. Baldwin was always a brilliant writer, but Another Country may be his crowning achievement. It’s a jaw-droppingly sharp book, written with such distinct beauty and emotion throughout that it is impossible to shake from your mind, but to Baldwin, it was just another incredible novel to add to his list of published works.
Another Country was written almost a decade after Baldwin published his debut novel, Go Tell It on the Mountain. The book is centered on Rufus - a self-destructive jazz musician living in New York, experiencing just what you’d expect him to in a Baldwin novel in the at-first wonderful but eventually grim social underbelly of the city lifestyle. The book, perhaps expectedly, was met with some shock - Baldwin certainly wasn’t new to shaking up his audience, and even seems to get some joy out of it considering that his writing only seemed to become more challenging with time. Most of the book follows the aftermath that Rufus leaves in his wake, particularly the drama that ensues surrounding his best friend, Vivaldo, and his sister, Ida who are left troubled by Rufus’s problems and search for peace. However, few people read Baldwin’s novels for the premise - his poetic prose has always been the selling point. His way with words blends beautifully with the perspective he is speaking from - when with Rufus, the world is dark, metallic, and horrifying in a way that can hardly be articulated without spurting thousands of words. The writing is laden with a unique and distinct sense of melancholy, one that can become overwhelming were it not for some of the wonders in the dialogue between characters, particularly their often dry humour and their slick talk. Baldwin’s political lens also comes through clearly - his disdain for the American way of life stays splattered on each and every page (Hell, it’s even in the title!). It’s a book torn between two equally soaring passions - love and hatred - detailing the everlasting war between the two by simply witnessing how they seem to spur each other on and constantly become intertwined.
Image courtesy of Parade/Anthony Barboza
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The Edge's Podcasts Picks MARCH 2021 Last month (horrifyingly) featured the anniversary of the UK's first national lockdown. Predictably and justifiably, much entertainment was again consumed as we all waited for restrictions to be lifted. Among these were, of course, podcasts; Edge writers have collected their regulars from March below.
Think: Sustainability Maddie Lock Think: Sustainability is a podcast dedicated to all things sustainability, finding positive ways that we can reduce our waste in all forms - environmental, carbon, food, clothing, and so on. The show currently has 4 series, totalling 140 episodes, so if you get hooked you won’t run out any time soon. Series 1, which I’m currently on, is hosted by Ellen Leabeater and Jake Morcom. What’s lovely about this podcast is that it’s both educational and fun, with various jokes bouncing between the hosts, and music or sound clips to cut up segments. Episodes are also just under 30 minutes, which means you can squeeze them in while you get ready or walk to work/uni. So far I’ve heard about worm farms, unethical clothing factories, nappies, coral ecosystems, the most sustainable pet (worms), and antibiotic resistance to name just a few! Each episode covers either one in-depth, or two to three smaller sustainable topics, which is why it’ll always keep you coming back for more. The Bun and Cardigan Show Morgan McMillan The Bun and Cardigan Show is labelled a Detroit Pistons podcast; however, it is so much more than that. It is hosted by Detroit beat writer James Edwards III and the champion of Pistons Twitter, Nicolas Henkel. They are both educated on Detroit basketball history and always give you the latest news and notes around the team. But that’s not what makes this a fantastic podcast, as we hear amazing stories about how to break into the journalism world, nostalgic stories of growing up in Michigan and supporting sports franchises that haven’t been good in a *long* time. We also get an insight into the mind of Henkel, who is currently a rising star making his ESPN television debut recently as being the guy who showered himself in beer after Pistons beat the Brooklyn Nets. Edwards III also gives you insight into how the front office works in the NBA and usually ends up talking about his once favourite team, the LA Clippers. This podcast isn’t for everyone, but it is just a great laugh listening to 2 friends who have a very father-and-son dynamic discuss basketball, life and even their musical recommendations. 31
Retrospective Review: Spiderman 2 (2004) Josh Le Long In the space of 2 short years, we were hit by a holy trinity. Star Wars: Battlefront II, The Simpsons: Hit & Run, and Spider-Man 2. I revisited all of these games recently for that glorious hit of nostalgia and to honestly see if they still held up to today's pretty high standards (I'm afraid I couldn't type that last bit with a straight face), and although I certainly had a blast running through the Simpsons again and blasting some super battle droids, I was even more surprised at how incredible Spider-Man 2 felt after 10 or so years. It might have been the nostalgia speaking or the remains of my brain after playing for 9 hours straight, but the game just FEELS better than anything I've played from the current gen. Take the web-slinging, for instance, because of course, it's a Spider-Man game. Spider-Man 2 is the only Spider-Man game that has got it 100% right. Sorry about that, Spider-Man for the PlayStation 4. You're good, but you automatically let go of the web when I'm at peak swing, and that really doesn't butter my croissant. On the PlayStation 2, you need to be good at the game to get the most out of it, and that is even more poignant when you realise that unless you get good at the game, it just straight up won't let you progress. I was around 5 years old when I played Spider-Man 2 for the first time and I did not have the dexterity at that age to finish the story. Gosh, I barely had it to finish it at 21, but what I could enjoy was the movement. Treyarch (the developers) absolutely nailed it, so much so that even when you're moving through the copy-pasted, low-res, blocky, city of Manhattan, it's just as satisfying, if not more, than doing it as Miles Morales on the PlayStation 5. They have it all: cool midair flips, variable speed, loopy loops, wall-running, pizza delivery, and it's been available for the last 15 years, all while countless other Spider-Man games have tried and failed. There, you would just hold down the web-sling button and it would do it all for you, or you could web onto the sky. I don't know about you mate, but if you fire a web, to then swing on the web, shouldn't you need that web to attach to something other than the air? All I'm saying is that Spider-Man 2 holds up. Not aesthetically, not in the slightest, but mechanically, it's the best Spider-Man game to ever come out. If you haven't played it, dust off your old PlayStation 2, grab yourself a copy and wonder where you've been for the past 2 decades. I hope it surprises you as pleasantly as it did me. I wish I could finish this up without referencing any massive issues with the game, but it appears some stupid child has lost their balloon.. 32
“all I’ve ever wanted to do is make people laugh.”
An Interview with Callum Holgate Sam Pegg University of Southampton student, Callum Holgate, is a third-year English student publishing his first book of poetry. Boys will be Boys, is a compendium of poems written over the years; some of them previously appearing on Callum’s Instagram or Twitter, as well as including more intimate poems and ones written specifically for the book. As Boys will be Boys comes out in March, I sat down to chat with Callum to talk about all things poetry and how he was feeling about his first self-published collection.
“I wanted to take that very valid concept which is that the phrase “boys will be boys” is a bad thing. Because there is no such thing, what a boy or man should be. The first section [...] asks ‘how does one be a man’? What does it mean to be a man, is there such a thing as the man that someone should inspire to be? There is a lot of poetry in there that looks like it is suggesting that, but it’s the total opposite and is actually quite critical of people being forced into boxes or being given a particular role.”
Going into the collection, Callum talked about its four sections as well as the difficulty “to pin down the things I write about.”
What I took away from this is that for a guy that very much sets out to make people laugh or smile, there’s also an element of social critique, an urging to look out to the bigger world and just think, even if only for a moment. While the books promise to be filled with poems designed to make you laugh, it’s also at times going to make you evaluate problematic situations surrounding this idea of what it means to be a man. As brought up in conversation, the title-poem is in part a “response to the Harry Styles debate”.
“There’s kinda these three sections dealing with these things that you more typically expect to see in a book of poems, or from someone who takes their poetry somewhat seriously, and then in the end there’s all my weird dumb stuff about cats and stuff.” It’s through the multiplicity in Callum’s writing that makes him feel like such an accomplished poet already, one-day writing poems like the humorous ‘WORM’ that reads in a familiar tune, to offering snapshot scenes of brooding seriousness like ‘ghosts’ or even ‘Robin’. Callum is anything but a one-note poet, and it’s something that became important in the creation of Boys will be Boys. “One day I write something kinda serious, and then the next day I’ll write about a crisp packet. I wanted to reflect all of that.” Callum wanted to emphasise that “I don’t take myself too seriously, a lot of the time,” and this comment was particularly important when he was talking about the more weighty aspects of the collection. “More often than not, I’m trying to make people laugh, or think about something upsetting in a funny way or see some degree or some silver lining.” It’s only apt then that Callum listed his favourite poet as Philip Larkin, attributing it as probably one of the reasons his own poetry is often “ironically pessimistic [...] starting off one way, and then I like to take a comedically dark turn at the end.” Even when delving into the depths of himself or with significant themes, humour is at the core of Callum’s poetry, at times offering a dichotomy aimed to make the reader laugh and occasionally think. It’s this contrast that’s also important entering the collection, especially with the title Boys will be Boys and where the title arose from. “So there’s definitely a sort of an overall, I won’t say argument, but a point I’m trying to hammer. [...] Boys have some sort of responsibility for their actions, and you can’t use ‘boys will be boys’ to batter off some particularly problematic issues.” Describing to me how the first section of the collection is the “Boys will be Boys section”, Callum wanted to drive home the fact that there is something that he challenges in the book’s conception as well at times in its own ambiguity.
Back in November, Harry Styles appeared on the cover of Vogue wearing a dress that sparked controversy, most notably coming from Candace Owens’s call to “bring back manly men”. Callum flashed me his painted nails as he commented on the event and its significance. “I feel that was a considerable turning point for everyone’s perception of gender politics and what it meant to be a boy or a man. Whether men should be allowed to wear dresses or whether clothes can be gendered, whether painting your nails makes you a girl.” It’s an important moment and one that works brilliantly as inspiration for the title poem because it hints at how many different things Callum may attempt to challenge in this upcoming collection. Although, it remains important to bring us back to the main point of the collection. While it may set out to challenge certain issues and themes, it’s always going to at its heart in making me laugh and validating those who read it: “If at least one person buys my book and reads one poem and says “I feel somewhat seen by what is here”, then I will feel like I have achieved something in my writing that’s not just an expression of something I feel. It’s something that someone else can appreciate and if it makes them feel slightly better about something they’re dealing with or going through, then I feel like I would have achieved something.” It was an admirable wind-down to our interview, offering a glimpse into Boys will be Boys, but before we finished, Callum had one last thing to say. “My favourite comment I get from people is when they say “this made me laugh” or “this made me smile”. All I ever want is for people to enjoy what I write, or smile at what I write – to have their life affected in any way they can be by the silly words I have written down on paper.” 34
I’M aN aMY SCHUMER FaN! Sam Pegg It feels wrong admitting that I absolutely love Amy Schumer. Among allegations of her stealing other comedians’ work, making constant sexually degrading jokes, and not being the nicest person in the world - there certainly is a lot to hate. Yet when I watch her, whether that be clips on Youtube, her Netflix Leather Special, or even the films she stars in (everyone needs to watch Trainwreck), she always manages to make me laugh. So much so, I even have a signed copy of her autobiography (which I got by making her laugh - but that’s a story for another time). Simply put, Amy Schumer is my guilty pleasure, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. I won’t excuse the stealing of jokes, that’s never okay, but there’s just something about her presence on stage that always gets me going with laughter, but again, a comedian’s work should never be exploited by another comedian. It’s a huge shame about those few occasions when it’s been pointed out because when Schumer is at her best is actually when she’s originally talking about her body. It’s a whole lot of sex jokes, innuendoes, and psyching the crowd out, but it just works because Schumer capitalises on what men have been doing in comedy for years, while turning the tables. It’s a huge f-you moment when a man says “I don’t like her comedy because it’s always about sex”, but they’re rallying male comedians who talk about the same subjects, and Schumer loves to exploit this and bring it to our attention. Sure it’s crude and uncomfortable, but she weaves it with such comedic timing and self-awareness (always aware of her weight but celebrating it with bodypositivity), that it’s genuinely hard to hate. I’d go as far as to say that Schumer exposes toxic masculinity and sexism and mocks it all the time. Frankly, Schumer doesn’t care if it’s making you uncomfortable, as long as she’s making people laugh. Although I agree, sometimes those jokes bring us stiflingly close to Schumer and familiarise us a bit too much with her body. While wearing leather, she won’t hesitate to hike a leg up or talk about how sweaty she’s getting under her clothes, but that’s at the same time that’s part of the charm. Sure the gag can go on for a bit long, but in a comedic circle that’s been celebrating d**k jokes since the rise of comedy (pun unintended), it feels like a statement about the longevity of male comedians telling the same jokes over and over again. At least with Schumer, it’s a one-hour special broken up by different stories along the way. There’s so much more to Amy Schumer though, in general though, she’s just a wild woman always at the forefront of sexual humour but in a starkly positive I-have-no-shame way that’s refreshing. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s mesmerising to see what people will tolerate with male comedians, but slam Schumer for doing its female equivale. Whether wittingly or not, she’s always been great at exposing toxic cultures in comedy (as well as being part of them occasionally as well). While it’d be a stretch to call her a feminist by any means, I do have a lot of respect for the comedy she writes when she stays away from being offensive. I can’t excuse everything she does, but when she does the right things and tells the right jokes, she absolutely slays in. 35
Image courtesy of Variety
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The Edge Roundtable Editors and writers for Southampton's The Edge entertainment magazine gather to discuss films, music, books, gaming, and more.
WandaVision
Edge editors and writers discuss the 9-episode WandaVision, Marvel's latest and phase 4's first release. Spoilers ahoy!
World Book Day
Edge editors and writers chat about life-changing books, fan fiction and Hunger Games love triangles to celebrate...
Pixar's Soul
Edge editors and writers gather round a virtual table and discuss Pixar's latest feature Soul (spoiler warning!)
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A Bauhaus Exploration of the Human Form Maddie Lock The Triadisches Ballett is a bit of a hidden gem in the world of ballet. It was conceived in 1912 and premiered in Stuttgart, Germany in September 1922. This ballet was the work of leading Bauhaus figure and German artist, Oskar Schlemmer. The Bauhaus art and design movement began in 1919, following the end of WWI, and was based at The Weimar school in Germany. It has been praised for championing “a geometric, abstract style featuring little sentiment or emotion and no historical nods”, as stated by History. com. Most importantly, the movement/school had no set boundaries between or defining the varied forms of art. They practiced textile design, architecture, woodworking, theatre design, painting, and of course ballet to name a few, all of which came back to their geometric and abstract stylistic principles Schlemmer’s ballet featured two female and one male dancer, 18 costumes, and was segmented into three parts involving 12 choreographed sequences. Quite frankly, it is a historical masterpiece. Although not well versed in the art of ballet, even I can appreciate the beauty and storytelling within the Triadisches Ballett. Although there is no linear narrative to this performance, the overarching theme is that of exploring the body, its boundaries, and how these limits can be pushed. One way in which this exploration takes place is through the choreography, performing slow, beautiful and at times confusing movements that illuminate their exquisite and somewhat limiting costumes. Schlemmer described his choreography style as “a party in form and colour” and “artistic metaphysical mathematics”, linking back to the Bauhaus geometric themes. Overall, Schlemmer wanted the performance to leave audiences “in awe of every possible movement of the human body”, which is evident in the boundaryblurring choreographed movements of the performers. However, it is the costume design that is most enthralling about the Triadisches Ballett. They are extremely avant-garde in their design, and even without the choreography, they force you to consider the shapes and movements of our bodies. Not only are the costumes geometric masterpieces, but they are also aesthetically stunning and very unique in terms of fashion design. The colours compliment one other beautifully, the curves are wonderfully thoughtprovoking, and all-in-all the costumes truly make the ballet what it is - a visually engaging question of humanity and human biology. As Dirk Scheper explained, “draping the dancer’s body with movement-impending costumes was an extremely rare, even revolutionary act”, showing that the costume just as much as the choreography is what made Schlemmer’s ballet so powerful. Schlemmer’s costume design is truly phenomenal and has left me staring in awe at the various swirls, curves, and mixed material that are used to create these stunning costumes. Although the original was not recorded, thankfully in the 1970s the Triadisches Ballett was recorded. This can be found on YouTube, so if you’d like to be mesmerised by the ground-breaking choreography and design of Schlemmer, be sure to give it a watch. Although this is a recreation, with it being filmed in the ‘70s it means we get to experience the colours of the staging and costumes, which arguably are what make this exploration of the body truly pop. Even if you don’t want to watch this performance, research the Triadisches Ballett, even just the sketches and designs - I promise you won’t be disappointed!
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Deep Dive: Is Reading a Rock Festival? Connie Seamer Reading Festival has had a number of historic changes to its musical policy over the years. But these changes have recently caused people to question whether or not it is still a rock festival. Originally founded as the National Jazz Festival, it was first held in 1961 and solely catered to jazz performers. It developed swiftly, soon bringing in new genres of blues and rock, with The Rolling Stones appearing in 1963. By 1969, jazz was nowhere to be seen on the bill. After that, rock slowly dominated the stage; by the mid-70s it was its primary genre. Reading’s line-ups in the 70s and 80s were littered with the likes of Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath and The Jam. However, as time went on and the industry changed, Reading attempted to adapt. Their previously unchanged policy of rock and alternative music had left some audiences feeling alienated, and meant new markets of music hadn’t been taken advantage of. In the late 80s and early 90s acts such as Meatloaf, Bonnie Tyler, and even Ice Cube made their way to the sweaty stages of the Reading Festival, often to be greeted by bottles. During the 2000s and 2010s, the festival continued to expand its musical horizons. At first, this worked: the headliners tended to be catered mainly towards rock and alternative music, with other genres filling up the rest of the bill – this ensured that the festival’s primary audience could still be satisfied, while also continuing to keep with the times and attract newcomers. However, in recent years this formula has become spoiled. There has been much speculation on the genre and audience of the festival, and rightly so. In 2019, Reading had Post Malone, Foo Fighters, Anderson Paak and Billie Eilish all performing on the same stage. This is a confusing line-up, to say the least. The problem is not that these artists are not talented enough – they are all the best in their game. The problem is that they are all in completely different games, and no one knows where to look. This has caused problems for fanbases and the artists themselves. There have been many instances of bottling and violence against acts that wouldn’t usually receive such behaviour. In 2016, lead singer Tyler Joseph of Twenty One Pilots was attacked and robbed when he crowdsurfed; other acts such as Daphne and Celeste, 50 Cent, and Panic! at the Disco have been bottled and yelled at throughout their sets. It makes you question why such differing acts are placed next to each other on the bill when it causes so much conflict. So, to answer the question: no, Reading is not a rock festival anymore. Understandably, it has had to change with the times in order to stay relevant. The problem is that this change has gone too far – the festival no longer seems to cater to one audience and has attempted to dip its feet in too many genres. We know that this method can work – Glastonbury delivers a beautifully varied yet synchronised festival every year, without clashes between fans and artists. But Reading is not Glastonbury and fails to combine mainstream and alternative audiences into one harmonious event. Granted, perhaps Reading doesn’t need to be a rock festival anymore – there are plenty of others on the market now. But if it wants to reclaim its status as a leading festival and keep its customers safe and happy, it needs some careful curation to disperse contrastingly different bands throughout its line-up without so much conflict. 39
Iconic Performers of the 90's Whether or not you were there for the 90s, this decade bought some of the best artists to life. Many of our favourite karaoke songs were born in the 90s... and some questionable fashion choice! Our writers give their take on who they consider to be an iconic performer of the 90s.
Björk Maddie Lock Björk is truly a specimen unfathomable by humankind. She debuted in the 1990s with an album literally titled Debut and started her long and mind-boggling career. What comes to mind when you think of Björk is probably her 2001 unforgettable swan dress for the 73rd Academy Awards, in which she stopped to lay an egg. However, she has plenty of iconic musical performances, many of which occurred in the 90s. For instance, during her performance of 'The Anchor' at Pinkpop Festival in 1994, she ends the song by dancing, bowing, and making strange movements to the sound of an electric piano. Her show at the Cambridge Corn Exchange in 1998 is another strangely wonderful watch. She performs with a live orchestra, has gorgeous lighting throughout, and moves her body in a truly Björk dance style in a flowing white outfit that only exemplifies these movements. Björk is a visual explosion of joy and confusion to watch, making her unique performance style one of the most iconic from the 90s.
2Pac Morgan McMillan 2Pac is one of the most influential rappers of all time who became a key symbol of West Coast hip-hop. In songs like ‘Brenda’s Got a Baby’ he addressed social issues that plagued black inner cities, one of the most empowering lyrics is “just ‘cause you’re in the ghetto doesn’t mean you can’t grow”. When watching old concert videos of 2Pac there is irresistible energy about the way he performs and interacts with the crowd, each song feels completely different compared to on record. He also regularly invites his friends to come to join him and rap onstage, like Snoop Dogg, you can tell when watching that all the people he creates music with are his friends and they are just jamming and having a great time. Watching the videos, you can see the audience is invited to this hangout session and each performance feels intimate. 2Pac is a performer I never got to see live and never will but watching how amazing he was with connecting with the crowd and revamping his songs for a concert makes him one of the greatest performers of the 90s.
The Verge Katie Evans The Brit-Pop scene of the 90s was a nationwide sensation and Wigan-based rock band The Verve found themselves at the forefront. Whilst the band sadly split in 1999, they’ll always remain one of those classic acts that I just can’t get enough of. I’d be pretty surprised if you said you hadn’t heard their influential track ‘Bitter Sweet Symphony’ from their chart-topping 1997 album Urban Hymns, as the song’s opening orchestral sounds can be recognised from a single note, showing just how important the tune remains throughout the changing musical eras. Brit-Pop will always remain in the heart of music, and The Verve were always at the forefront - even though they are often pushed to the back and forgotten due to the fame and fortune of bands such as Oasis and Blur. Urban Hymns (1997) remains in the top 20 best-selling albums in UK chart history, boasting other melancholy tracks like the beautiful ‘Sonnet’ and the emotionally-charged ‘Lucky Man’, showing a softer side to Brit-Pop. The band had a pretty tumultuous time in the limelight, often attempting to steer clear of drama yet still being sucked into the rock-and-roll lifestyle since their conception in 1990 leading to their group's demise, yet frontman Richard Ashcroft continues the bands' songwriting prowess to this day with solo tours that feel as close to The Verve as we’re ever going to get again. 40
THE oBsESsION WITH BOYbANDS Morgan McMillan In memory of all the fallen boybands, I think it’s time to discuss the obsession I and many others have with boybands. Before delving into my unhealthy obsession that really was “never a phase”, I want everyone to know, I never had friends at school. To kick the party off, I will discuss One Direction. As a true Directioner who had a fan account with over 5000 followers on Instagram, I declare myself a true “stan” going as far as to travel all the way to Manchester from London just to see my favourite band live on their Take Me Home Tour. It was the greatest experience, Zayn Malik (my favourite) winked at me from 4000 feet away whilst they were singing ‘Summer Love’ a truly heart-breaking classic that had all the tweens (including 13 years old me) crying over the love I never had. Not to forget I brought a book to this concert, so One Direction knew I was different, sadly they never invited me backstage and I am now a 20-year-old university student who is not married to One Direction. I sadly unlike the true #Stans out there have only seen One Direction two times, the second time at Wembley Stadium. The famous show where Liam Payne said “fuck” instead of “Rock Me” in their song “Rock Me” which again, had all the tweens (now 14-year-old me) crying and partying. My true obsession with boybands comes from my love of 5 Seconds of Summer or as fans call them 5SOS. In a space of a year I had seen them a solid 4 or 6 times, I am still unsure how I did this, but I did. For most fans, 5SOS was the alternative kind of boyband. For one they played their own instruments and two they loved Green Day and would cover ‘American Idiot’ on tour. Though 14-year-old me is raging that I dare declare 5SOS a boyband, the truth is, they are a boyband all in thanks to us fans. The title ‘boyband’ is truly only given to bands who are powerful enough to make teens and young adults sell their souls just so they can attend their concerts. But what is it about boy bands that make it so easy to obsess over? Is it the lack of friends many of us have in our lives? Or the simple fact that Wattpad has made us believe a guy in a boyband is the modern-day version of Prince Charming? I am here to declare that the reason boy bands are so infectious is down to the simple fact they are created to make sure that every single section of society is covered. You have the sweet, sensitive blonde one, the dark-haired rock one, the one who is always topless, the one with good hair and finally the parental figure of the group. No matter your type, there is a least one member you can relate to. This theory is relevant to every single boyband: Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, One Direction for example.comes through clearly - his disdain for the American way of life stays splattered on each and every page (Hell, it’s even in the title!). It’s a book torn between two equally soaring passions - love and hatred - detailing the everlasting war between the two by simply witnessing how they seem to spur each other on and constantly become intertwined. Sadly, boy bands as powerful as Backstreet Boys, *NYSNC and One Direction are not currently reigning supreme over the music world, but don’t worry fellow stans save up your cash because the next big boyband will destroy your credit score soon. 41
Image courtesy of Columbia/SYCO
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Listings LIVE MUSIC 22 April - PUP @ YouTube.com 23 April - GRAYBEAT @ Twitch.com 23 April - DAVID MYLES @ YouTube.com 23 April - RAGERS @ Facebook.com 23 April - PINK PANDA @ woov.live.com 29 April - AUSTRA @ songkick.co.uk 30 April - ASHNIKKO @ songkick.co.uk 11 May - KOKOROKO @ Engine Rooms 18 May - ORCHARDS @ Heartbreakers 18 May - JESSICA LYNN @ The 1865 21 May - 3OH!3 @ Electric Ballroom 22 May - GOAT GIRL @ Tufnell Park 22 May - TWENTY ONE PILOTS @ live.twentyonepilots.com 26 May - BURY TOMORROW @ The Joiners
THEATRE 25 April - LETS ZEP @ Eventbrite 27 June - HAIR THE MUSICAL IN CONCERT @ Mayflower Theatre 30 June - THE SIMON AND GARFUNKEL STORY @ Mayflower Theatre 1 July - A BEAUTIFUL NOISE @ Mayflower Theatre 11 July - ADAM KAY - THIS IS GOING TO HURT @ Mayflower Theatre 16 to 24 July - ROCKY HORROR SHOW @ Mayflower Theatre 26 to 31 July - HAIRSPRAY @ Mayflower Theatre 31 August to 4 September - 9 TO 5 @ Mayflower Theatre Until November - UNCLE VANYA @ timeout.com Until 31 December - LOCKED DOWN @ Morpheus-show.co.uk
COMEDY 21 to 23 April - CROWDSAUCE @ thecomedystorelive.co.uk 30 May - JACK DEE: OFF THE TELLY 21 June - ALAN CARR - NOT AGAIN, ALAN! @ Mayflower Theatre 4 July - JIMMY CARR: TERRIBLY FUNNY @ Mayflower Theatre 25 July - SARAH MILLICAN: BOBBY DAZZLER @ Mayflower Theatre
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