The Skinny Student Guide 2019

STUDENT GUIDE

FREE • 2019

Dundee — Edinburgh — Glasgow

SIGRID

“I’m a college dropout!”

MAKING MUSIC IN HALLS • BANDS WHO FORMED AT UNI • PROMOTER GUIDE ALTERNATIVE NIGHTS OUT • GOING ALCOHOL-FREE • MAGAZINE CULTURE ZERO WASTE SCOTLAND • PLASTIC-FREE SHOPPING • GET INTO NATURE VINTAGE SHOPPING • WHAT TO DO IF UNI ISN'T FOR YOU

30

Feature

THE SKINNY

September 2019

Feature

31

Work-Life Balance Ahead of her biggest UK tour in November, we talk to Sigrid about dropping out of college, working hard and staying grounded

Interview: Megan Wallace

“I

Photo: Francesca Allen

“I wanted to be so many things, but I figured out that music is the only thing that I really want to do” Sigrid

4

Feature

STUDENT GUIDE

’m a college dropout!” Sigrid Solbakk Raabe (known mononymously as indie-pop singer Sigrid) exclaims, somewhat bemused that she’s been chosen as the cover star for The Skinny’s student guide. However, while she’s not been through the multi-year slog of coursework and last minute library sessions – it was only a few weeks into a Comparative Politics degree that she decided to devote herself to music – she’s certainly someone that any fresher, or any young person for that matter, could learn a thing or two from.

A fresh-faced 22-year-old, music journalists have been keen to stress her youth, painting her as some kind of Nordic ingénue plucked from obscurity. Yet, even over the course of our conversation, it’s clear that this narrative misses the mark. Yes, she’s remarkably young for what she’s achieved – she already has a debut album, a slew of charting singles and the BBC Music Sound of 2018 title under her belt – but there’s nothing wide-eyed about her.

Perfectly courteous, with each statement from her mouth seeming so carefully considered and unabashedly serious, she’s professional to a fault – even when peppering her sentences with stateside slang or declaring her unbridled enthusiasm for Tame Impala. Initially it’s easy to think she has her guard up, that no 20-something is this together, but she assures us her personality has always been marked by precocity. “I’ve always been one of those kids who try to be a bit more grown up than they are,” she admits, with a laugh. However, she’s not shy to admit that music, and the various skills she was forced to develop as a DIY artist, was a crash course in the dark arts of “adulting”. “I was still in high school – I was only 16 – when I started to talk to labels,” she says. “I was sort of running my own music career. That was my introduction to email!”

Her journey, from first gaining attention in her native Norway to blowing up internationally with the slow-burn hit Don’t Kill My Vibe – a slice of zeitgeisty, empowered pop released at just the right time – to now embarking on her biggest ever tour across Europe and the US, it started in her teens and has taken her into her 20s. The emotional intensity of these years, when it can feel like your life is brimming with potential one minute and careening towards disaster the next, is tough for everyone, so it’s hard to imagine managing that while simultaneously forging a career in the limelight.

Yet Sigrid, in her own words, is “doing pretty well” – though she admits it’s not always plain sailing. “I’m 22 and you’re still figuring out stuff [at that age] so it’s strange that everything [I do] is on display if anyone wants to know. But maybe that’s what makes it really exciting too.” Her concerns, however, don’t seem too different from your average Gen Zer reared in a digital age where, thanks to social media, each life moment is searchable at the click of a button. She seems relatively unfazed at being in the business of playing festival main stages (at the time of our conversation,

THE SKINNY

“Any experience will change you in some way, and I think that’s cool and exciting”

SIGRID’S TOP TIPS On being taken seriously as a young person: “I can’t say that it’s always been easy being the youngest one but usually I feel very respected and it always goes back to the fact that I’m the artist. I’m the one that’s on the poster for everything – I’m the boss of my own career so I need to love everything I do because I’m going to promote it.”

On working in music, even if you’re not musically inclined: “Maybe you don’t play an instrument but you want to work in the music industry. I had no idea the music industry existed before I was in it, I didn’t even know what a label was. When you start figuring out all these things [that make up the industry] it’s incredible how many things you can do.”

On giving things your all: “My luxury problem in school was that I didn’t know what I should be most focused on – it was kind of halfway school, halfway music. I was supposed to play some really cool gigs in Norway in my last year of school but I cancelled them. I wanted to go to these shows and really kill it if I was going to do it, so I took a year off music to focus on my grades.”

On doing what you love: “There are so many opportunities our generation has now. I think it’s important to work for something you have a passion for – it’s a real privilege.”

September 2019

Sigrid

ing things out, and Sigrid, the pop star on the rise, seem to coexist so peacefully. She shrugs it off, saying: “I just try and suck in all the incredible moments I get to see or do. It’s a good mix of incredible things that happen with my job and normal things that I still like to do.”

It’s amazing to think that someone like Sigrid, whose down-to-earth demeanour makes her seem like anyone you could have been friends with in high school, had the vision and the tenacity to pursue her ambitions – particularly when so many of us shy away from doing the same in our own lives.

While she acknowledges her success caught her off guard, she does believe in the power of working out what you’re passionate about and following it through. “Eurgh this is going to be cheesy,” she says, audibly wincing down the phone, “but my perspective on life has dramatically changed. I never thought I was going to do anything as crazy as to actually work full-time as a musician.

“When I started writing [music] I heard there was some international potential in the songs… but to go from ‘potential’ to the actual reality of touring the world, well, I didn’t think that was going to happen.” It was after a move from her hometown of Alesund to Bergen, where she became invested in promoting herself on the local scene, that things really fell into place. It’s then that she stopped thinking about who she wanted to be in the future and really took stock of what mattered to her in the present. “I wanted to be so many things, but I figured out that music is the only thing that I really want to do.”

However, with alarming candour, she explains that she doesn’t necessarily buy into the idea that “if you work at something you love, you never work a day in your life.” She might be doing what she loves but she doesn’t

Photo: Francesca Allen

she’s fresh from a top-billed gig at Oslo’s Øya Festival) or touring globally. “In some ways you get used to the thought of people listening to your music from across the world,” she says, though there are some moments when things do still feel a bit surreal; “in other ways it still kind of blows my mind.”

What, then, has she learned from what’s admittedly quite a unique experience (even if she seems keen to downplay its significance)?

“I think I’ve just grown more and more secure with who I am and what I want,” she says, after taking a moment to consider our question.

“Obviously I still have doubts sometimes of what to do and how to do things but I still come back to my gut feeling.” We’re struck at the easy confidence Sigrid has in her abilities and the faith she has in her own intuition. For most people, this self-assuredness only comes much later in life, after years of looking to others to work out who we should be.

It seems that she’s not found success to be a distraction from remaining in touch with her “authentic” self – quite the opposite, in fact. However she’s not overly attached to the person she once was and, rather, is keen to embrace the change and growth that comes with growing up, regardless of what your chosen career is. “Obviously I’m going to change a little bit because that’s what happens when you grow older: whether it’s studying or working, any experience will change you in some way, and I think that’s cool and exciting.”

Yet, on the other hand, it does seem like she’s managed to remain remarkably grounded. She tells us she still has the same hobbies she did as a teenager and that she still loves “going back [home] to see my family and hang out with my friends.” It’s by keeping such strong ties with who she was in her pre-fame years that Sigrid, the 20-something still figur-

for a minute suggest that it feels like she isn’t working. “Sometimes my job is meetings and emails and budgets and contracts. It’s not just going onstage, playing a song and going to a party afterwards. That’s just not how it works at all – there’s a lot more than that.”

In a world where side hustles have not only become the norm, but where a state of “never-not-working” has become something of a skewed status symbol, it’s oddly refreshing to hear Sigrid being so open about the more mundane side of her working life. Perhaps that’s why she’s never allowed her personality, or her values, to be eaten up by her appetite for success.

At the end of the day, she knows that she’s so much more than what she does for a living and refuses to be defined by her career.

“Even if you go for something you love, everything is a job sometimes,” she says – a simple lesson that we should all take to heart.

Credits Editors: Tallah Brash & Rosamund West Designer: Fiona Hunter Production Manager & Picture Editor: Rachael Hood Illustrator: Katie Smith Contributors: Becca Inglis, Fraser MacIntyre, Dylan Tuck & Megan Wallace

Sigrid plays Usher Hall, Edinburgh, 26 Nov thisissigrid.com

STUDENT GUIDE

Feature

5

Turn It Down It’s pretty easy to be unintentionally loud living in student halls, but it’s important not to let the close-knit culture of halls limit your enjoyment of music

I

n halls, the walls are paper-thin, and moving about without being as noisy as smashing two frying pans together can often be a challenge. With that can come an all-too-tempting feeling that you need to silence yourself to avoid being overly loud, especially during the timid, early days just after you’ve moved in.

But the fact is, that mindset just starts you off in completely the wrong way, and develops an unhealthy way of living during your time in accommodation, which can be particularly detrimental to those who enjoy playing or writing music. While it can be difficult to settle in and make music in your new home, it’s important to remember that your space is your space, and you should feel free to do whatever music you want to in halls.

What to do From the get-go, play your instrument, sing,

listen to music, or do whatever it is you normally do with freedom. It’s easy to succumb to the idea that being heard playing your instrument, singing, or even just having your music tastes known can be embarrassing when others can listen in, but in reality, it really isn’t. You’re in halls for a long time, and it’s important to start on the right foot and allow yourself to do what you enjoy.

Another thing: if you make music, try and meet other people who do the same. If you’re lucky enough to have people like that in your flat, then you’ve hit the jackpot. If not, ask around your friends, join some societies and meet other people. Scottish cities are full of creatives looking to meet other like-minded allies and being at university offers a great chance to do just that. If you’re looking to start a band, then sites like JoinMyBand and BandMix are great, and from there, you can

Words: Dylan Tuck good, it’s important not to feel silenced in your halls. That’s why setting precedent from the start by doing your thing soon after you’ve moved in is a good habit to form. It’s okay to be a bit timid at first – who wouldn’t be? – but by playing music right from the start, it becomes something to find comfort in when starting somewhere new and even lets your flatmates know that this is what you do, and what you’ll continue to do.

Finally, be careful not to go too far the other way. If you’re loudly singing along to ABBA at 4am before your roommate next door’s exam, then you’re going to get told to shut up. Do music your way, but just be courteous and aware of the others you live with – there’s no point pissing people off, so be careful that you’re not being mega loud or playing at bad times.

hire band practice spaces across most Scottish cities for fairly small prices – so it’s not like you’d have to bring the whole group back to your tiny bedroom.

What to avoid If you play an instrument, then stopping playing altogether is the absolute worst thing you can do. It’s like any skill – playing an instrument needs practice to get better, and if you don’t, you can quickly lose touch of the talent you have. If you find practising in your boxed-in bedroom difficult, then perhaps looking outside of halls for alternative places may be better. Around universities, there are bound to be music rooms that can be pre-booked out, and often provide certain equipment themselves. That way you’ve got a designated space just for being loud.

That said, while alternative spaces are

Stay In School, Kids There’s a number of bands that made their fame starting from paying student fees and getting degrees in Scotland, and here are a few of the best studious, scholarly examples Belle and Sebastian Despite having a name that sounds like it could be a Disney film about the adventures of a brunette princess and a talking lobster, Belle and Sebastian are undoubtedly one of Scotland’s most recognised groups. While their members didn’t technically attend a university, the group met and formed the band at Stow College – now Glasgow Kelvin College – where the two Stuarts, Murdoch and David, enrolled on a Beatbox programme for unemployed musicians, which, quite frankly, sounds fantastic.

The band began as a college project, with Murdoch even using the band’s first record, Tigermilk, as his finished assignment. Wonder what it was graded.

Django Django This is one that seems to be quite well-known to most Edinburgh music-lovers. All four members of Django Django studied at Edinburgh College of Art in the early 2000s, where the quartet became friends and later formed the band. They may have headed south to continue their project in London, but the foundations of Django Django’s psychedelic groove-licks were born in the Scottish capital.

Snow Patrol Ahh, Snow Patrol. Scotland’s answer to Coldplay, only with a bit more likability, better tunes, and no Chris Martin. While the days of Chasing Cars, Chocolate and Run topping the

Words: Dylan Tuck

indie charts are long gone, the band’s university days stray even further behind. The group first formed when Gary Lightbody, Michael Morrison and Mark McClelland met at the University of Dundee, where they played venues around the uni and city together. Fun fact: they were first called Shrug, before changing to Polar Bear after another band had that name, only for another band to have that same name too, forcing them to switch again, finally to Snow Patrol.

musical friendship when Cook produced some tracks for Doherty’s then-band Julia Thirteen and also worked together on a few alt-rock projects over the years after. Lauren Mayberry also attended Strathy afterwards, graduating with an MA in Journalism in 2010, before CHVRCHES later formed in 2011 when Cook and Doherty made the switch to electronic music and enlisted Mayberry’s talents. It’s fair to say, they haven’t looked back since.

Franz Ferdinand A few members of FF entered the world of academia, but not altogether. Alex Kapranos, frontman of indie-heroes Franz Ferdinand attended the University of Aberdeen, before dropping out and heading over to Strathclyde to complete a degree in Theology. Bob Hardy went to art school, while former guitarist Nick McCarthy studied jazz bass (cool, right?) in Munich. Kapranos also met drummer Paul Thomson at a party, which is about as student-y a formation we can think of.

CHVRCHES Iain Cook and Martin Doherty actually met at the University of Strathclyde all the way back in 2003. The pair formed a long-standing

Franz Ferdinand

6

Feature

STUDENT GUIDE

Photo: David Edwards

C Duncan Unsurprisingly, the charming composer is highly trained in multiple instruments, receiving his education at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow, where he fittingly studied composition. His exposure to playing in bands, having also learned bass, guitar and drums, led him to write music with a classical-meetsmodern twist that has earned him generous praise over his past three albums. That’s what we call putting your studies to good use.

Honeyblood Before the group made the switch to a soloproject earlier this year, the founding members, Stina Tweeddale and Shona McVicar, both met while studying at the University of Glasgow. Yet, after forming as an indie duo, the pair realised that they had more musical matters on their minds than simply doing their degrees. As it turned out, pursuing their creative career is proving to be a pretty fruitful decision.

THE SKINNY

September 2019

STUDENT GUIDE

7

36

Feature

STUDENT GUIDE

THE SKINNY

An Alternative Night Out on the Town Fancy dancing the night away without enduring all the shite tunes? Well, our guide to alternative clubs has you and your night out fully covered

Words: Dylan Tuck

SPARE A PENNY How to scrimp on a night out and still have a brilliant time

Firewater

I

f you’ve ever been dragged along to a club that wasn’t your preferred destination and forced to endure a night of tragically mediocre pop songs, then this one’s for you. The next time your flatmates ask “So, where we heading tonight?” before tanning pre-drinks and scrambling for a taxi, make sure you’re heading to one of these alternative destinations.

Cathouse 15 Union Street, Glasgow Say the words ‘alternative club’ and Cathouse is the first that springs to mind – mainly because it deals exclusively in alternative music. With two floors of punk, metal and everything rocky (not Balboa) in between, this a scene-teen haven and will surely release any inner emo to singalong and get moshing. They also host a shed-load of after-parties for shows and festivals, with various band members gracing their steps for a taste of Glasgow nightlife, if fanning over famous people while slurping some cheap drinks is yer thing.

Banshee Lab is now one of the capital’s most iconic night-time venues. Beware haunted spectres and spooky underground vaults, Banshees is a free alternative ‘entertainment centre’ like no other – boasting a pool room, multiple bars over several floors, and a 50-seater cinema (naturally, of course). If you like your night out to consist of rock music, ex-torture chambers and creepy dungeon gear, Banshees is the place to be.

The Flying Duck 142 Renfield Street, Glasgow A deliciously-good vegan basement restaurant by day and a buzzing nightclub by nightfall, The Flying Duck is a thriving centre of activity right at the heart of Glasgow’s city centre. Hosting a huge variety of events, from gigs, club nights, DJ sets and film screenings, as well as regularly playing a whole ton of eclectic music, it seems there’s always something good going on in this hipster labyrinth. Oh, and they also have board games and a free toast policy too.

Firewater 341 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow Located on the ever-buzzing Sauchiehall Street, Firewater is an absolute student hotspot, and not without good reason. Thursdays see this place positively heaving, largely thanks to the significantly discounted entry price and, dear god, the cheaply priced drinks, starting from just 90p(!!) for a single. Music-wise, expect a bit of everything, which nicely caters for even the fussiest of musical tastebuds. It’s a please-all kind of place and an absolutely cracking night out – you can trust us on that.

Opium 71 Cowgate, Edinburgh Alexa, define ‘alternative club’. Located in the Cowgate, Opium is not one to be missed for any alt-music fans knocking around the ‘burgh.

Often hosting gigs, but more often than not providing brutally loud classic rock and metal tunes, guest DJ appearances and, you guessed it, ‘rockeoke’. It’s one of those places you’ll end up in as the night reaches its end, as this place seems to be open all night (it’s not by the way, just 'til 3am) but it’s certainly never a bad way to wrap up your evening.

The Banshee Labyrinth 29-35 Niddry Street, Edinburgh A place drenched in pretty dismally dark history as a former prison for the poor,

Cabaret Voltaire 36-38 Blair Street, Edinburgh Another venue built in Edinburgh’s underground vaults and decked out in extremely

September 2019

Photo: Will McGregor

Pres are key Drinks are expensive. For a night out, that poses a rather obvious problem, so your best option is to think ahead. Get yourself down to your local supermarket, stock up on stupidly cheap value lager or some discount brand spirit and get yourself started before the word ‘taxi’ has even been suggested.

trendy decor. A hugely hip destination, it’s more on this list for its intensity as a clubbing experience than anything else. Musically, they host a lot of live music, often with guests on the decks, and a tendency to play booming dance music, a night in Cab Vol is a serious night out. But if that’s too much, the side room plays all sorts of singalongs, so, y’know, enjoy that instead.

The Garage 490 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow Most notably recognisable for the garishly large truck-front that bulges out above the entrance to this iconic Glasgow institution, The Garage is famed for having something on every day of the week, 365 days a year. While it’s not exclusively an indie/rock club, it hosts many alternative bands and ensures there’s at least one room playing your favourite rock tunes on the regular, with Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays ramping up the distortion. So if your pals drag you to the chart remix room, live safe in the knowledge that some gainheavy singalong escapes are lying just around the corner.

Flat 0/1 162 Bath Street, Glasgow Okay, sure, Flat 0/1 doesn’t play alternative music, but you try finding a more hipster place than this. It’s literally a flat, decked out with fully functioning audio equipment and a bar slap bang in Glesga city centre! There are always DJs doing some madness on the decks, decor time-travelled straight from the 70s, and, thanks to a generous free entry policy, always feels like the ultimate flat party experience that you’re welcome to gatecrash every week. What’s more, this is a party that won’t be getting shut down either – unless the roof caves in (again).

STUDENT GUIDE

Just keep strolling, strolling, strolling…

On that note, don’t get a taxi – walk to the club, even if it’s in Mordor. If you do have to cab it, try blagging a cheeky “I don’t have any cash on me, I’ll buy you a drink when we’re there instead” to your mates and that should suffice. Just don’t forget (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) to buy that drink later.

Free, not fee An entrance fee? To a club? Nah. Go somewhere where they don’t charge for the privilege of gracing their dancefloor with your sick moves. If you have to pay, continue with the “but I’ve got no money” line you blagged in the taxi and hope your pals (again) have you covered.

Not today, cloakroom Honestly, £2 just to hang up your rank, old ASOS jacket is far too much. Instead, wear it like a fashion statement. Tie it around your waist and give zero fucks.

Even if it’s a puffer jacket, other partygoers will definitely appreciate your serious sense of style (promise).

Get away from the bar (tell your boyfriend hold your jar) Seriously, stay away from the bar, it’s nothing but trouble. If you’d have done pres right, there’d be no need for it anyway. That is, unless, you’ve got some generously drunk mates who are willing to flash the notes to pay for your drinks.

These are good people. Ensure they hang around for the long haul.

Let’s talk about chips, baby Scran after a night out go together like bread and butter. It’s a staple tradition of British nightlife, but £3.50 for large chips at a takeaway?! Yeah, no. Instead, make sure you’ve got some good yums stacked in your freezer for when you get back home. Sure, waiting for your mates to scoff their oil-slathered grub may be a tough experience, but focus on that generous plate of frozen fries, chicken nuggets or pizza that’s waiting for you back at your gaff. Plus, it’ll taste better because it’s technically free (N.B. it’s not, you just bought it earlier).

Feature

9

The Promoters’ Promoter Russ McMahon, Frogbeats “Anything involving North Fire Sound. Ben Parkinson, who runs that, has been at the centre of the festival scene ever since I met him some years ago. He’s just moved up to Edinburgh where he’s putting on Dub & Grub days at The Pitt. He does a lot with Maxiroots, Samson Sounds, Mungo’s Hi Fi and Mighty Oak Soundsystem, and he’s creating a big hub for dub, reggae and soundsystem culture based in Edinburgh. In terms of his style it’s a positive, upbeat, warming music very much related to reggae, afrobeat and funk.”

About Frogbeats: Frogbeats started out in 2011 to fill a gap in jungle and drum ’n’ bass culture in Glasgow. After doing events at Sub Club for a couple of years, they evolved into an open house for creative ideas, involving a multifaceted team of artists, designers, musicians and writers, and revolving everything that they do around underground music and culture. frogbeatscollective.co.uk Chris Astrojazz, Samedia Shebeen “For me, a good promoter is someone who transforms the context of the music and in the process spreads the message and gives a great experience, not just presenting particularly ‘hot’ artists in a bog-standard club environment that could be in any city. Old hands Optimo still lead the game in Glasgow, I think, with their one-off curated nights, and are probably the guys I respect most for setting the scene. In Edinburgh, Nightvision have done an amazing job in building a huge following for electronic music, and their Terminal V events are totally off the scale, up there with anything else on the planet in terms of vision and bookings.”

About Samedia Shebeen: Samedia Shebeen is a travelling venue that mixes immersive stage and décor design with modern global club music, with a focus on Africa, Latin

America and the Middle East – think kuduro, tropical bass, baile funk, GQOM, dancehall, as well as classic afrobeat, salsa and cumbia sounds. Their second Fiesta Do Samedia is this October, which features live acts including Nihiloxica from Uganda’s Nyege Nyege Tapes. facebook.com/samediashebeen Hannah Currie & Aileen Lynn, MILK “We love what Push It (Stereo, Glasgow) and Pretty Ugly (The Admiral Bar, Glasgow) do – just all-out fun, run by legends, and we’ve been lucky enough to DJ both. Memories are hazy, vibes are great.”

About MILK: MILK began in Bath Street at Flat 0/1, where crowds would cram in on a Wednesday night for free cookies and complete chaos as bands bent all the rules in the book.

Playing host to everything from hip hop to heavy metal, the early years of MILK passed by in a blur of White Russians, Mad Dog and a whole lot of fun. Its 90s/00s Never Been Kissed nights at The Rum Shack and Pop Punk Karaoke nights at Cathouse have become sold out staples of the Glasgow club scene. facebook.com/milkglasgow01

Matt Belcher, Lionoil “My favourite club night right now is Heaters, every Wednesday at Sneaky Pete’s. It has a super broad music policy with an ethos to platform up-and-coming DJs as well as really big names (guests this year include Leon Vynehall, Avalon Emerson and Project Pablo). Sneaky Pete’s is a very special place. It’s a tiny wee box where everyone’s on the same level as some of the world’s best DJs and local legends. It’s the jewel in the crown of Edinburgh’s vibrant and all-too-often undersung music scene. So many long lasting friendships have been forged there and countless careers inspired – it’s the place for music lovers in this city for sure.”

About Lionoil: Lionoil Industries started back in 2014 to put out the music of a group of DJ and producer pals who were making great tunes centred mainly around Sneaky Pete’s.

Since then, they’ve put out eight records from local artists and thrown regular parties, mostly in Sneaks but also in The Bongo Club, The Mash House and elsewhere, always putting the local acts on the same level as any touring guests and playing long sets, usually B2B. lionoilindustries.co.uk

Interview: Becca Inglis SKOOP collective “Our notable mentions go to nights like RAREWAVE in Edinburgh – who do ridiculous parties with full-on fast-paced skelpers and some of the finest in hardcore, donk, jungle and gabber – and to Skillis, who runs Headset and SSL. He’s definitely one of Edinburgh’s hardest working promoters and booking some great acts. Shout out to the Glasgow cats too – HNDPCKD are a sick collective who do some real smooth classic jazzy hip-hop sessions with live producers.”

About SKOOP: SKOOP is an Edinburghbased label championing experimental hip-hop and lo-fi culture. Their regular haunts include The Mash House, Henry’s Cellar Bar and Wee Red Bar, where they play a range of electronic and rap music including grime, trap, dubstep, drum ’n’ bass, hip-hop and dancehall. Since their arrival on the scene two years ago, they’ve put out a host of genrespanning releases and hosted events further afield in Bristol, Leeds, Manchester, London and Amsterdam. skoop.bandcamp.com

MILK Karaoke

Photo: Greig Gallagher

Tips on the top nights that Glasgow and Edinburgh’s club scenes have to offer from the ones who know best

Make Mine Alco-Free With the non-alcoholic market blowing up, now is a better time than ever to get drinking without getting drunk

“W

hy would anyone want to drink an alcoholic drink without any alcohol?”

I hear some cheeky shit at the back yell. The answer is: because after two half pints of Coke on a night out, you’ve had your sugar intake for about a week, and may fancy ingesting something other than fizzy liquid glucose. For those who thirst for alcoholic drinks without the alcohol, here are some of the best alcohol-free options out there for those wanting something a little bit different.

Beer Alco-free beer is currently at the top of the non-drinker’s food chain, with plenty of guzzelable goodness available in most mainstream supermarchés. Probably the most recognisable beer is Heineken’s 0.0% lager, which, unsurprisingly considering its zeroalcohol content, is pretty bland, reflected in its cheap price.

Brewdog are pretty good at coming up

10

Feature

Words: Dylan Tuck

with batshit beer titles (see Albino Squid Assassin and Dead Pony Club for example), and the aptly-named Nanny State is up there with the best of them, and with a great story behind the beer too. After alcohol regulators criticised the company’s tendency to release hella high ABV drinks, Brewdog responded by bringing out Nanny State, a 0.5% IPA, as a piece of high level shithousery. What’s better is that it’s actually a bangin’ IPA alternative, and is available almost everywhere now too.

Another slurp of Brewdog goodness is Punk AF, a non-alcoholic version of the standard Punk IPA, and a 0.5% Raspberry Blitz, a sour beer that’s… well, just that.

If you can get hold of it, Big Drop Brewing Co.’s stout is almost as good as the real thing – with chocolatey, coffee-ish hits of smoothness, like a creamy, boozy milkshake with neither the booze nor the milk. Others to note are the 0.5% version of Adnams’ Ghost Ship – made by simply filtering the alcohol out of

the regular batch – and Erdinger’s Alkoholfrei, a go-to for those craving a wheat beer.

Wine Alcohol-free wine may not be as commercially big as beer, but there are still some brands worth having a glass of. Eisberg Wine has a decent range, with a crisp Sauvignon, bittersweet Chardonnay, floral Rosé, ruby rich Cabernet Sauvignon and a couple of sparkling bottles too. A warning to all veggies though, these guys aren’t for you – they contain traces of fish (authentically replicating the filtering process of many regular wines by the way), which is a bit of a bummer. On the note of fizzy piss though, Nosecco – about as subtle as a fire alarm with that name – is capable of filling the gap for whatever inkling you may have for a tall, ice cold glass of Prosecco.

Cider The most popular cider brand in the alco-free

STUDENT GUIDE

world is Kopparberg mixed fruit cider, and it has now hit most supermarket shelves. Think full-fat sugary fruit abomination minus the quality of getting you slightly tipsy, and you’ve hit the nail on the head. With students and Strongbow Dark Fruits being a fairly common stereotype, this is the closest alco-avoiders can get to that level of purple sickly sweetness.

Spirits The prices ramp up as we move onto spirits, but at least that’s reflective of regular, alcohol-included drinks, right? The high-hailed big daddy of the spirit market currently is Seedlip, most notably their Grove 42, a floral gin alternative that combines citrus and spice into something nice. But at either £12.99 or (*gulp*) £26.99 a bottle, you may wish to stock up on M&S low-alcohol gin and tonic can combos, or Teetotal’s G+T instead if you fancy the gin taste without the bitter aftertaste of Seedlip’s price.

THE SKINNY

September 2019

STUDENT GUIDE

11

40

Feature

THE SKINNY

Print Is Dead, Long Live Print We speak to Edinburgh’s magazine makers about the rise of print culture and the radical act of switching off

I

f you’re reading this offline then you’ll know that we still have faith in paper, but there have been many over the years who have predicted print’s demise. How could magazines compete with the instant gratification of the internet, they said? Physical pages are passe and swiping is the future, they said. More fool them. About one in ten of you are now using magazines as your main source of news, and last year Ofcom reported that magazines are people’s most trusted type of media, charging ahead of newspapers, TV and radio. Print culture, we never doubted you.

“A few years back, there was a number of people who left the industry, and it felt like maybe magazines had had their big moment,” says Laura Dunlop, who heads up the publishers’ association PPA Scotland. “The really interesting thing that’s happening now is that many of those people are coming back.”

Dunlop is one of the brains behind the Edinburgh International Magazine Festival, which happens for the first time in the capital this month. It builds on the already existing party for all things paper, MagFest, extending from one day to a week-long series of talks, workshops and gigs in venues across the city.

“It is an incredibly vibrant event,” Dunlop says of MagFest, now in its eighth year and due to make up part of the new festival. “Everyone leaves it buzzing with excitement and love of magazines, but the thing is it’s always been primarily people from within the industry. I really wanted to make sure that we spread that love for a much wider range of people.”

London may be traditionally viewed as the UK’s media centre, but Scotland has a strong claim to be the nexus for magazine makers in the North. The world’s oldest publication still in print is The Scots Magazine – which resides in Dundee with creators of The Beano, DC Thomson – and there’s a strong creative buzz across the industry that means new magazines are being born all the time. “After London,

September 2019

Interviews: Becca Inglis

Edinburgh’s probably the best place in the country to try and set up an indie magazine,” says Sam Bradley, who edits the narrative journalism publication Counterpoint and indie music mag Dive. “There’s a community of publishers, designers, editors and journalists ready to work with you, a small but growing indie bookshop scene with a modern sensibility in the form of Typewronger, Golden Hare and Lighthouse. The fact that plenty of Edinburghers can afford to shell out a tenner on a fancy magazine probably helps, too.”

Bradley was drawn to making magazines for the very reason they were supposed to die out – time. Compared to the internet, with its short-form nuggets of content you can breeze through in between work or studying, magazines take longer to consume. You sit, you read, and you digest. You mull over the stories (or pictures) that draw you in the most. “I just think it’s one of the best ways of getting through to people,” says Bradley.

“Readers take more time with print, make it part of their day, and they take what they read with them after they’ve closed the back page.

Obviously, good writing works anywhere, but there’s something about print – the alchemy of design and writing and editing – that transforms it into a whole new thing.”

It turns out that the old cliché is true – what doesn’t kill you does make you stronger.

Rather than fade out under the internet’s dominion, magazines are filling in the gaps that online content misses, namely through its ability to add context to a fast news cycle. “The news magazines are having an absolute moment right now, and that’s because of their ability to really deal with complex issues that are going on in the world,” says Dunlop.

“They’re perfectly placed, because of the long-form writing, because of their slightly longer-term view, to take on topics like the rise of the right, or climate change, or changes in global politics.”

There’s also the reassurance that with editorial control comes some accountability.

While trust in social media platforms like Facebook has eroded, it appears to be growing in magazines that offer a safeguard against fake or poorly reported news. “There’s something to be said for using print as a form of protection against the fakery and falsehood of discourse online,” says Bradley. “Magazines made properly – with fact-checking and good editing and thoughtful writing – can rise above all that.”

“In a world turned increasingly digital, reading and creating print magazines can feel a little like staging your own personal rebellion” But more than an adjunct to online content, magazines can offer a respite from the digital world altogether. Where once the dream was that everything would be digitised and we could live in a Back to the Future-esque utopia, now our tech lives are supersaturated and it feels more radical to try and unplug.

“People are connected all the time and are now looking for an escape from the screen and to get a little lost in long-form articles as opposed to the clickbait scrolls we’ve all been

STUDENT GUIDE

exposed to for so long,” says Hannah Taylor, editor of the young women’s magazine The Delicate Rébellion. “I think the digital era has reinforced my love for print. Laying out articles on paper adds a dimension that you just can’t achieve with digital. It’s an art form in itself,” she concludes.

“In a world turned increasingly digital, reading and creating print magazines can feel a little like staging your own personal rebellion,” says Imogen Stirling, who managed this summer’s relaunch of 404 Ink’s literary magazine. “They exist to unite readers and to be shared. You finish your copy and you pass it on or leave it in a public place. You go to a cafe, or a library, or the dentist, or a train, and you expect to find a magazine to leaf through.”

It’s their tangibility that still gives magazines their charm. The pictures, the typography, even the smell of the paper – it’s not uncommon to see a couple of editors by the stacks at MagFest opening a new magazine and taking a satisfied sniff. 404 Ink – and lit mag newbie Extra Teeth – have taken that love of paper, and what you can present on it, to reimagine what a literary magazine might look like. No longer made up of black and white text encased in a beautiful cover, both publications are shot through with colour, brought to life with illustrations by Letty Wilson and Maria Stoian respectively. “I for one have never seen a literary magazine like the one we’re set to publish,” says Stirling. “I hope the revamped style will heighten the magazine’s accessibility and widen the 404 Ink community.”

“The niche magazines, especially some magazines that are very much for one audience group, really make a big play on the beauty and the design of them and the sense of the tactile pleasure of a magazine,” says Dunlop. “It’s very much analogous to the rise of vinyl and that sense of something that is precious in a way that a series of ones and zeros doesn’t get to be.”

Feature

13

Getting Out in Scotland’s Great Outdoors B

e it stunning mountains, beautiful beaches or breathtaking views, Scotland boasts some of the most gorgeous locations in the UK (not that we’re biased at all). Yet, sometimes, getting about can prove a stumbling block in itself, with cities like Edinburgh and Glasgow being heavily pedestrianised, meaning many students lack access to a car and limiting direct access to the great outdoors. But fear not, for good transport links mean that you can see the best of Scotland’s nature, either by train, bus, bike or on foot.

On Foot Thankfully for those who live around the Central Belt of Scotland, there are a number of pleasant places outside city-life that can be explored by pedestrians. In Glasgow, a three-hour stroll down the Kelvin Walkway leads from the city centre to the small town of Milngavie, where there’s a lovely river walk at the start of the West Highland Way. Although maybe don’t try and add that into your route, what with that infamous hike being just, ooh y’know, 96 miles long.

In Edinburgh, the trek along the Union Canal out to Ratho is achievable in a little under three hours, with a great deal of picturesque scenery throughout the journey too. Or, for some nature plonked firmly within the city, you can climb the iconic Arthur’s Seat if you fancy something a bit steeper.

By Bike It’s a blessing that Scotland’s major cities are so well-endowed with fantastic cycle paths and bike lanes to help cyclists get around easier. Edinburgh is so well-linked, that you can get from one end of the city to the other by bike in no time at all, with the paths being largely off-road too.

One of the best places to head to is Cramond. After getting off the main cycle path to Cramond, you’ll find yourself biking in parallel with the sea before reaching the small village of Cramond and having access to one of Edinburgh’s not-so-hidden treasures: Cramond Island. The pathway to the Island is cut off upon the tide rising, so make sure you’re well prepared – surprisingly, you can’t cycle your way through a full tide.

While there are no beaches in Glasgow (sad face), there are similar cycle-safe pathways to help cyclists out of the city. The route from the city centre to Uddingston is a particularly recommendable choice for both novice and avid bikers, being majorly off-road

and thoroughly littered with greenery – which seems quite apt considering that the route begins at Glasgow Green.

By Bus Lying just outside of Edinburgh are the easily-spotted Pentland Hills that dominate much of the city’s skyline. There’s a plethora of different routes and walks to be explored over the hills and luckily, getting to them is made simple. Catch either the no. 4 bus to Hillend or the 10 towards Bonaly, both of which land within walking distance of the big, bad hills.

For another coastal escape that’s a bit further afield, head to Gullane beach, which is accessible by getting a bus from Edinburgh’s city centre out to the wonderfully-named Goose Green. From there, a short walk along

Feature

By Train ScotRail might not be everyone’s favourite all year round, but they do offer great routes to many of Scotland’s scenic places. Edinburgh has direct lines to the east coast, with North Berwick a greatly recommended destination for those after a bit of peace and quiet while also not being stuck for things to do. With stunning sea views, a boat trip to the Bass Rock that is, quite literally, the shit – the lump of rock made white by vast amounts of inhabiting birds’ poo – a walk up Berwick Law, or even just some fish and chips on the beach. If you feel like going further afield, you can even catch a bus across St. Abbs, the town now known for appearing as

‘New Asgard’ in Avengers: End Game, although don’t expect to see Thor necking pints while you’re there.

Where Edinburgh goes east, Glasgow offers western access – and a lot of it too. One of the best trips that are both affordable and rewarding in beautiful settings, is the short trip over to Balloch, right at the bottom of Loch Lomond. Here, you’ll find Balloch Country Park and a series of trails around the Loch that are widely accessible and not too demanding.

If the sun is shining down, this lovely little spot becomes even better. Add to that the fact that it’s also super close to Glasgow with only a 50-minute train ride separating you from the Trossachs, and there are no excuses for missing out on some Balloch bliss.

Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh

Have You Done The Reading?

Oh god, you haven’t, have you? Okay, don’t panic, we’ve got you covered – here’s an unfortunately quite experienced guide to getting through a seminar when you’ve *gulp* forgotten to do the reading material Read around the subject, quickly!

This can vary depending on the degree, but there is usually a quick-fire way to consume an awful lot of written waffle. If it’s a novel, poem or any other form of literature you’re reading, then SparkNotes and Shmoop are your best friends. If it’s an essay or paper, the abstract summary is yours. If you do any other course that requires you to actually read the entirety of the paper – I’m looking at you, sciences – then your best bet is to skippity-skip on down to the conclusion and hope the author has summed up their work conveniently enough for your brain to process it in a couple of reads.

Too late for that? Ask a pal what’s up Having mates on your course is good for a number of reasons. Missed a class? Borrow their notes. Want company in a boring lecture?

You got it. But most importantly, you have someone else to depend on if you inevitably make a mistake like, oh I don’t know, not doing your seminar reading. Find comfort in asking them if they’ve done the reading, which (of course) they will have done, and will proceed to tell you everything you’d missed. Unless they’re as neglectful as you, in which case they too

14

the coast takes you to a beautiful beach with sandy cliffs aplenty.

Words: Becca Inglis and Dylan Tuck

Photo: Rachael Hood

We all need a change of scenery every once in a while, and escaping the city can be a great way to shake up your mental health and take a break from studying

haven’t done the reading, you pair of bad apples.

Your friend hasn’t done it either? Panic stations – we’re going in You’re out of time. Now you enter the intellectual warzone. This is where tactical thinking comes into play. As you walk into the room to seal your fate, think about the best spot to avoid direct eye contact with your tutor. Sit somewhere, either near the back, or, if you’re all dotted around one big ol’ table, head towards the far end on either side, just enough to be mostly out of sight.

Next, get that pen in hand and make sure you’re constantly, consistently and without stopping, writing. Write the date, the title, your name, your age if you have to, just make sure that you are always noting down what others – the good eggs who have completed the reading prior to this horrendous experience – are saying. Like, all of the time.

What? They’re not saying anything either?

In the most unlikely of scenarios, nobody in the entire room knows what they’re supposed to be saying. This is the absolute worst it can get, as one too many awkward silences can

STUDENT GUIDE

Words: Dylan Tuck only lead to one thing…

The tutor directly asks you a question? Oh god, improvise!

Oh shit. Of all the days, of all the silent people here, your tutor had to ask you. Of course. Any tutor that does this is purely evil, and this is the baddest of bad moves in seminar etiquette – but there’s no time to be pissed now.

Okay, think, whatever measly slithers of information you have sliding around your brain, now’s the time to use it. Here, you have to make a choice – confidence or guess-work. Confidence is best used in arts-based subjects, where a ‘what do you think this means?’ can be answered with any opinion as long as it’s backed with ballsiness. Guess-work is uncertain and better for fact-formed subjects, as you’re unsure of your answer: “I’m not sure, but I think…” is your golden ticket off this messy hell ride.

Ding ding! Time’s up You made it! Oh, thank Christ. That was a long hour. Now, get out and promise yourself you’ll absolutely, totally, 100% not forget about the reading for next week. No way. Nope…

THE SKINNY

September 2019

STUDENT GUIDE

15

16

STUDENT GUIDE

THE SKINNY

Off the Beaten Track

Martha Ffion

lorence Welch enchanted Princes Street Gardens and The National transformed a dreich Glasgow evening into a poncho-clad triumph at Summer Sessions, while Doune The Rabbit Hole found John Cooper Clarke sharing a line-up with Sister Sledge, John Grant and Blanck Mass. There’s been no shortage of gigs and festivals to intrigue this summer.

Fortunately, while our nights will soon be drawing in, they still have much to offer.

Did you know that Scotland’s most distinguished of duos – Aidan Moffat & RM Hubbert – are about to embark on a farewell tour, packing it all in after two records? While this parting of the ways will likely result in more solo gold from each former recipient of The SAY Award, and doesn’t appear to have come about after a Gallagher-esque dressing room bust-up, their collaboration is one many will miss. Aberdeen’s True North Festival boasts one of their final appearances, as they support The Twilight Sad (21 Sep), who have also invited recent touring companion Michael Timmons to perform in a more intimate setting earlier the same evening.

Bill Ryder-Jones headlines the Granite City’s Tivoli Theatre on 20 September, while Vic Galloway curates Rip It Up Live! at the Music Hall on 22 September. Following on from last year’s Rip It Up! exhibition and Galloway’s subsequent book of the same title – both of which joyously celebrated the history of Scottish pop – he’ll welcome the likes of Emma Pollock, Richard Jobson (The Skids) and King Creosote to the stage for one-off performances exclusive to the festival.

While Dunfermline’s Outwith Festival will introduce William McCarthy (Augustines) and Goodnight Louisa to the Auld Grey Toon in early September, James Yorkston will be keeping Fife on the map well into the winter months with his monthly Tae Sup wi’ a Fifer night, which the songwriter and author describes as “an inviting little folk club. We put on all sorts of oddities, from surround sound electronica to spoken word to Tony Conrad drone fiddle.

There’s soul singers, Sufi singers… Maybe it’s more a social club for people willing to take chances with their evening out. It’s mostly held on Saturday nights, but is very different to its televisual competition, Britain’s Got Talent.

Maybe it’s Britain’s Got Talent (on acid).”

September 2019

Questioned on the most rewarding aspects of putting on Tae Sup, which has found a “great wee home” in Kirkcaldy’s Adam Smith Theatre, Yorkston expresses his delight upon hearing that audience members have made a discovery. “A lot of people turn up not having heard a note or word of the performers, but they trust me now as a programmer.

Seeing a reasonably obscure and experimental musician from somewhere far away doing well on the merchandise table after the show is always good,” he says.

Ian Rankin (14 Sep), Mogwai’s Stuart Braithwaite (25 Oct) and poet Hollie Mcnish (16 Nov) have all found their way onto Yorkston’s upcoming line-ups, as rewardingly eclectic as locals and visitors to the Adam Smith have come to expect. “This December’s show has a man called Özgür Baba playing,” Yorkston begins. “He’s coming over from rural Turkey with his saz [a traditional Turkish folk instrument]. There’s a YouTube video of him playing while chickens cheuk about around him. Distant explosions are also heard, somewhat mysteriously. It’s very alluring. He’ll be with comedian Josie Long and harpist Rachel Newton [on 14 Dec].”

celebrating their ever-expanding roster with an all-dayer at Glasgow’s Òran Mór on 3 November. Fife psych-masters Domiciles will share the stage with the likes of Lemon Drink (set to release their debut single a fortnight beforehand) and Martha Ffion.

A couple of months prior in Glasgow, Freakender will return for its fourth year (13-14 Sep). Organisers Ross Keppie, Holly Calder and Ian Crawford aim to “push to the front interesting, and mostly relatively unknown psych, garage, post-punk and weird pop music from all over the world” at their festival. “We only feature bands we really love and strongly believe in,” they say.

This year, the three have reeled in, among others, Glasgow’s Romeo Taylor and Nashville’s Faux Ferocious to perform at The Old Hairdressers, which they describe as “the perfect space for a DIY event like Freakender.”

“It’s intimate, but being spread across three floors never feels too small, and it gets wild when it’s packed. The staff are so supportive of what we do,” Keppie says, “and the sound is great. It’s home. I love that within the space you can easily get around and never miss a band.

“We’re really excited to have the debut Scottish show from Modern Nature at the festival; the new project from members of Ultimate Painting, Beak> and Woods – it’s going to be very special.” He continues: “Aside from the festival, we’re passionate about all the bands we have coming up [throughout the rest of the year]. The Black Lips will always be special to us. They were top of our wish list of bands we could work with one day, so it’s humbling to have achieved that goal.” The Black Lips play Glasgow’s Stereo on 28 November, one show among a host of others on the Freakender

Interview: Fraser MacIntyre calendar, following their annual festival.

A little further away, Paisley Youth Arts Festival (3-15 Sep), open to young people under the age of 25, features Man of Moon.

Organisers say they are “keen to welcome music lovers from Glasgow and further afield,” and also have a host of theatre, gaming and visual arts events lined up. Later the same month, Belhaven Brewery celebrate their 300th birthday in Dunbar (21-22 Sep), with folk outfits Breabach and Niteworks set to play, and activities catering to all ages, from storytelling to beer tasting over its two days.

In October, the team behind Lost Map Records – the Eigg-based label run by Johnny Lynch, aka Pictish Trail, and one that Callum Easter and Kid Canaveral, among others, call home – will embark on a Lost Weekend, featuring events in Glasgow, Portobello and Paisley on 11, 12 and 13 October respectively.

Are they mad? Probably.

Later in the month, Cryptic will present Sonica in Glasgow (31 Oct-10 Nov), a series of exquisite installations and performances celebrating “world-class visual sonic arts” from local and international talent. As the cold sets in, Make-That-A-Take Records bring Book Yer Ane Fest XIII back to Dundee’s Conroy’s Basement (29 Nov-1 Dec), which they promise will be “three days of DIY punk/hardcore/ ecossemo goodness to raise funds, consciousness and awareness in solidarity with a plethora of local charities and community groups.”

While heavyweight gig promoters like DF Concerts, 432 Presents, PCL and Regular Music are welcoming the likes of Björk to Glasgow and Bill Callahan to Edinburgh, a host of other weird and wonderful events will be taking place across Scotland throughout the rest of the year. Seek them out.

“We only feature bands we really love and strongly believe in” Ross Keppie, Freakender

Elsewhere, Broken Chanter, the new solo project of Kid Canaveral’s David MacGregor, is booked to perform in Aviemore, Fort William and Tobermory in the coming months. For those enticed by the idea of tying in a gig with a visit to somewhere far removed from the major cities, catching MacGregor, or indeed any artist of his calibre, in locations such as these will likely be a memorable venture. Last Night from Glasgow – who are releasing Broken Chanter’s debut record alongside Olive Grove Records on 6 September – will be

STUDENT GUIDE

Aidan Moffat

Feature

Photo: Kat Gollock

F

Photo: Laura Meek

We speak to the organisers of Kirkcaldy's Tae Sup wi' a Fifer and Glasgow's Freakender, and shine a light on the cavalcade of events still to come this year in venues across Scotland

17

Ditch Fast Fashion, Go Vintage Baggy sports jumpers, retro denim jeans and polka dot dresses for days – vintage fairs are a great place to switch up the wardrobe

O

ne thing you’ll always see popping up at university is the ever-travelling circus of vintage fairs that drop by month after month.

With the dangers of fast fashion now more widely-known than ever, making the switch to buying second-hand is a great way to top up your wardrobe while equally being environmentally conscious. That said, here are some of the best vintage fairs and shops around Scotland to snatch a bargain or two.

Judy’s Affordable Vintage Fair Good old Judy. Her travelling vintage fair is always gallivanting up and down the land with buckets of retro clothes and trinkets perfect for anyone with an eye for old school fashion. If you’ve got room in your flat (and can carry it), the fair also stocks plenty of stylish furniture and household goods too, as well as a range of street food, so your haul won’t be affected by a rumbling belly.

University of Edinburgh, 12 Sep; Leith Theatre, Edinburgh, 28 Sep; The Briggait, Glasgow, 29 Sep Preloved Kilo The clue’s in the name. Preloved kilo is the UK’s largest kilo sale vintage fair, which basically means you grab a bag, fill it up and pay by how much it weighs. If you’re after some light bits then Preloved offer fresh looks for a pretty cheap price, although it’ll cost a fair bit more for heavy materials like denim, jackets or shoes. The trick is being savvy – watch what goes in the bag to go easy on the pursestrings.

No dates announced in Scotland yet Lou Lou’s Vintage Fair The self-proclaimed ‘Purveyors of Nostalgia’, Lou Lou’s is a reputable vintage fair that rocks up in town several times a year. Bringing together a range of traders and selling everything from fashion to collectables, crafty things and other handpicked goods. Like most vintage fairs, Lou Lou’s is pretty dependable if you’re after some cool snags, and was even voted Best Vintage Fair back in 2013.

Caird Hall, Dundee, 12 Oct West Vintage Calling all Glaswegian hipsters: we’ve got a

shop for you. Fancy rocking baggy sports brand jumpers, chunky dungarees, oversized tees or funky colourful 70s style shirts? West Vintage can fix y’all up. With a store in the city centre’s Saltmarket and one conveniently around the corner from Glasgow University, their retro must-haves are almost dangerously close.

649 Great Western Rd; 10 Kings Court, 95 King Street, Glasgow Super Market Vintage Super Market by name, but you can’t buy frozen pizzas or value lager here. Super Market is a female-led, independent events company who organise the vintage fairs held at student hotspot Hillhead Bookclub on the regular. With a range of nostalgic looks alongside being able to sink a beer while browsing, bar-meets-vintage is clearly a win-win.

Hillhead Bookclub, Glasgow, 22 Sep; 20 Oct; 17 Nov Headlock Vintage One for the uber cool kids on campus, Headlock often makes Glasgow’s QMU a destination, while also appearing at festivals like Glastonbury and Parklife. Stocking retro football shirts, rails upon rails of denim and a wide range of funky fleeces: think designer label clothes kept safe since the 90s; that’s Headlock’s deal. And, if you can’t make their fairs, they sell via ASOS Marketplace and regularly update their stock. Super trendy.

QMU, Glasgow, 16 Sep; Teviot Ros House, Edinburgh, 17 Sep The Vintage Clothing Kilo Sale Commonly found carting truck-loads of old school clothes up and down the UK, The Vintage Clothing Kilo Sale, as the name suggests, is a vintage clothing sale where you pay by the kilo. It does what it says on the tin, right? Celebrating their ten year anniversary since their inception, items are priced at £15 per kilo, meaning that if you come along to this fair, it’ll be bloody hard to leave without snagging a few absolute bargains.

The Briggait, Glasgow, 14 Sep; The Out of the Blue Drill Hall, Edinburgh, 15 Sep; Ironworks, Inverness, 21 Sep, Aberdeen Arts Centre, Aberdeen, 22 Sep

Judy's Affordable Vintage Fair

18

Feature

Locavore

Photo: Courtesy of Locavore

Words: Dylan Tuck

Vive La Plastic-Free Revolution Single-use plastics are officially out, and refill stores are springing up everywhere to help us reduce our waste – here’s where to pop for your package-free shop Words: Becca Inglis and Dylan Tuck The Eco Larder 200 Morrison Street, Edinburgh The trailblazers who started it all, ethical business owners Matt and Stephanie Foulds became more acutely aware of our plastic problem after watching that episode of Blue Planet 2. Edinburgh’s first ever dedicated plastic-free grocery store threw open its doors to the West End last November.

The Refillery 39 Newington Road, Edinburgh On top of reusing and refilling, The Refillery emphasises the necessity of reorganising for the plastic-free revolution – if your run-of-themill groceries take some forward planning, then making sure you have all your reusable containers and eating utensils to hand definitely does.

Weigh To Go 7 Crighton Place, Edinburgh Leithers are now catered for by this sustainable shopping outlet, which opened on Leith Walk earlier this year. They aim to resurrect old shopping habits including the milkround 2.0, where you can fill up on a locally-sourced dairy fix by bringing a refillable glass bottle into the store.

can choose from package-free, locally sourced and seasonally grown produce.

Greenway’s Refill Market TBC, Dundee On its way to Dundee this autumn is the brand new social enterprise which will come complete with a community hub, where makers’ groups can meet to create goodies for the store while giving people space to share skills and connect.

Hearty Squirrel Coop Gordon Aikman Lecture Theatre, University of Edinburgh Streamline your plastic-free shopping experience with EUSA’s volunteer-run food coop. Place your order on their website by Monday, then collect on Thursday on your way to (or from) the library. For a £3 membership you can also buy in bulk online from their supplier, Greencity Wholefoods.

Locavore 349 Victoria Road, Glasgow This Southside shop has become renowned within Glasgow. Locavore offers a wide range of groceries, cheeses, grains, pulses, meats and more, with the main focus being on both sustainable and local food.

The New Leaf Co-op 23 Argyle Place, Edinburgh This worker-run food cooperative took over the old wholefoods store of the same name in 2012 and has since focused on supplying ethical, sustainable and locally-sourced organic ingredients to the people of Marchmont.

Zero Waste Market 17 Hillfoot Street, Glasgow The Dennistoun-based shop offers a different approach – rather than simply selling the groceries, they instead supply a selection of plastic-free materials, using metals and bamboo to craft utensils for all your refilling needs.

Birchwood Emporium 28–32 Commercial Street, Dundee This is Heart Space Whole Foods 2.0. Ian Alexander closed the doors to his health food store earlier this year to re-open and re-brand as Dundee’s latest refill hub, where customers

Demijohn 382 Byres Road, Glasgow What’s better than food? That’s right, drink!

The folks at Demijohn have a unique selling point, in that they specifically sell liquids – labelling themselves as ‘the liquid deli’.

STUDENT GUIDE

THE SKINNY

September 2019

STUDENT GUIDE

Feature

47

20

STUDENT GUIDE

THE SKINNY

Clear Your Plate Scraping leftovers into the bin is doing more damage to the environment than we realise, but there are ways we can put food waste to better use

he war on plastic is on. Judging from the past year, it looks like we’ve finally gauged the amount that we’re clogging up our oceans and are now galvanised to do something before we end up living on a literal plastic beach.

Paper straws are advancing across our cities’ bars and cafes. Takeaway cups are being dropped with joyful abandon in favour of bamboo keep cups. Single use plastics will be banned in the UK from next April. There’s still work to be done, but things are looking positive.

So you can imagine our surprise when Zero Waste Scotland announced this year that food waste, not plastic, is a worse contributor to climate change in Scotland. The goal posts, it turns out, have moved, and your fridge is the next frontier to fight for a greener future.

Looking at Scotland’s waste that was collected in 2016, about 988,000 tonnes of it was just food – and 600,000 tonnes of that came out of our houses. That’s compared to the 224,000 tonnes of plastic that was collected that same year.

“Food waste is actually a bigger contributor to climate change than plastics because there is so much more food waste than plastic waste,” says Iain Gulland, Zero Waste Scotland’s Chief Executive. “When we waste food, we also waste all the resources that went into growing, preparing and transporting the food that ends up on our plate. The situation gets even worse if food waste is then left to rot in landfill, where it emits methane, a damaging greenhouse gas.”

We’re all pretty well-versed in our carbon footprint by now, and know to cut down on things like flying and heating to offset our personal mark on the environment. But what about methane, the ‘other’ greenhouse gas, second only to carbon dioxide in terms of its role in humanity’s impact on the climate?

Around 40% of methane is released into the air from natural sources, and 60% comes from us via cattle farming, biomass burning and food waste. “In the short term, this is many times worse for the planet than carbon dioxide,” says Gulland. “If it were a country, food waste would be the third-largest greenhouse gas emitter behind China and the United States.”

That doesn’t mean that we can let up on plastic, but rather that we should reimagine how we think about waste. The argument has been made before that we need a little plastic packaging in our lives to help our food last longer in the fridge – no prizes for guessing that many supermarkets have tended to take that line. That was shown to be, pardon the pun, trash last year by Zero Waste Europe, who concluded that Europe’s annual food waste has actually increased alongside our growing use of plastic.

Plastic wrapping our food may even be making the issue worse. Single people, you’ll know the pain of being forced to buy a multipack of fruit that you know you’ll never manage to eat on your own. There’s also the small format packaging problem. One report found that French beans exported from Kenya were being top-and-tailed to fit supermarkets’ length specifications, wasting about 30-40% of the produce grown in the process. Convincing Tesco to change their sizing rules is expected to save 135 tonnes of edible crop a year.

Kelly Wright, who left her career in food

September 2019

manufacturing to open the plastic-free store The Refillery in Edinburgh, argues that while packaging is sometimes appropriate, supermarkets are often overzealous with its use. “In certain food groups, you need to protect that produce. Things like meat and fish, that’s quite important from a contamination point of view,” she says. “But my own view is that we do not need plastic on fruit and vegetables. If you buy bananas in a plastic bag, you have to buy what’s in that bag, so that encourages more food waste. Everything that we sell is loose, so the customer can buy exactly what they need for that day or that week.”

Most of what The Refillery sells is dry goods, which has a longer shelf life and can be weighed out to help customers buy what they know they can finish. There is also a simple solution for food approaching its use-by date – put it in a free food bin, where customers can help themselves to last-minute scran on the cheap. “We don’t throw anything away unless it’s moldy or would present a risk to somebody,” says Wright. “If people want to take it and make something wonderful with it, they can. It encourages people to be more creative with their food, doesn’t it?”

Confusion over use-by dates and bestbefore dates is responsible for a huge amount of food waste in the UK, with the SHRUB Coop estimating that 54,000 edible meals are thrown out every week in Edinburgh alone. Because of this, several ‘rescued food’ initiatives have sprung up around the country, which intercept food from supermarkets before they go to landfill. SHRUB Coop’s Food Sharing Hub launched the city’s first rescued food supermarket in January this year, which encourages volunteer members to repurpose food donated by local businesses that would have otherwise gone in the bin.

The cost of membership is pay-as-youcan, which organiser Sydney Chandler hopes will encourage people to reflect on the worth of what they are eating. “The idea of keeping food in the system, not discarding it, making people aware of the value of food, is hopefully creating a different relationship to food,” she says. The goal is to keep food from landfill for as long as possible, which goes as much for the packaging it is donated in as the biodegradable waste. “There’s no point saying we’re not going to take any food in plastic, because then the food gets wasted and that’s counterintuitive to me,” says Chandler. “We have Tupperware offered for free for anything loose, but that has been donated to the shop or by individuals to the community pantry. So again, it’s not creating waste. It’s trying to give things a second life.”

SHRUB’s Food Sharing Hub already organises workshops with the university to help students plan key recipes for their rescued edible goods, and they hope in the future to bring those into the wider Edinburgh community. “Not only to take very basic ingredients and make nice meals with them,” says Chandler, “but also to take items that might go in the bin if you don’t know how to keep them properly and look into techniques like fermenting, pickling and things like that. If you’ve got a whole load of milk that you’re not going to get through, you can turn it into yoghurt or into

The Refillery

cheese rather than throwing it out.”

There are all sorts of creative uses you can put aging ingredients to, as demonstrated by The Real Junk Food Project’s branch in Glasgow, which previously teamed up with the Williams Bros. brewery and Freedom Bakery to create 50 cans of beer from old bread. Their intercepted food has turned up at events as varied as weddings, a free Boxing Day dinner, and an initiative by Glasgow City Council to supply meals to children over the summer holidays.

“The environment is at the core of what we do but there is often an overlap in to food poverty,” says Laura Wells. “Some of the events that we put on are pay-as-you-feel, so people can pay with their money, skills or time. We welcome help from everyone.”

If we’re going to tackle food waste, then the change has to come first from our own cupboards. There’s plenty of advice available, but how willing are consumers to make the

STUDENT GUIDE

Photo: Stewart Attwood

T

Interview: Becca Inglis

necessary adjustments to their cooking habits? “I think people are becoming more mindful of how and what they consume – buying local, opting for produce not in plastic, planning meals and only buying what you need – but I think the logistics of it is what still needs to be tackled,” says Wells.

For Wright, these logistics are less about thinking things anew and more updating tried and tested ways of getting your groceries. “A lot of our mature customers that come in say ‘we used to do it like this, this is not new’,” she says.

“But what we’re trying to do here is make it a little bit slicker, a little more accessible for people that have grown up in the convenience era. It’s a big step for people that are used to buying things in packets and are a bit detached from food. Iain Gulland, Zero Waste Scotland’s Chief Executive, calls it “back to the future.” zerowastescotland.org.uk

Feature

21

A Breath of Fresh Air Our Music Editor talks us through the highs and lows of University, dropping out and why you don’t need to have a degree to achieve success

I

n early 2000, poised before the difficult decision of what course to study at University, I got myself in a pickle. Well and truly confused, I found myself applying for six completely different courses: Computer Arts at Dundee’s Abertay University (I never went to the interview), Interdisciplinary Design at Edinburgh Napier University, two different courses at the Edinburgh College of Art and two at the University of Edinburgh – Music (I didn’t go to the audition) and Architecture (I accepted a place and quit less than two years into the course).

What a total shitshow it all was. I was 17 years old – how the fuck was I suppose to know what I wanted to do with the rest of my life?

I have to admit up front, I didn’t have the most relatable of high school experiences. I was once a highly competitive archer, which found me travelling a lot in my teens with the Junior British Archery Team, and Scottish Junior and Senior teams. An abnormal amount of pressure had, therefore, already been placed on me from an early age – I sat two of my Standard Grade exams in a hotel room in Italy for fuck’s sake – and then I had to figure out what to do after school. With archery, I was working towards hopefully one day competing in the Olympics, and The University of Edinburgh had the best Archery Club of everywhere I’d applied for, so I guess that’s why I ended up there? Either that or I was just drawn to subjects beginning with the word ‘arch’.

In an ideal world I’d have taken a year out, but no one from my family had ever gone to uni before (hello extra pressure) I’d grown up in council housing with my parents constantly struggling to give me the best life, and at the end of the day they just wanted what was best for me, which they thought was higher education, so convinced me otherwise. I’m

now 37, I haven’t done archery for at least 16 years, I didn’t go to the Olympics and I don’t have a degree. But, and this is a big but, that doesn’t make me a failure.

In 2002 I dropped out of uni. While I was managing to hold down a part-time job and doing reasonably well on the course, I was so deeply unhappy to a point where it was downright unhealthy. I was staying up late to finish coursework and then sleeping in and missing classes – it was a vicious cycle. Then, one night when I was drunk, on my way home from a club, I went into the studio and coloured in all of my technical drawings (24 hour access was both a blessing and a curse) the night before I had to give a presentation! It was not a good look. I somehow got away with it, but immediately booked an appointment with my Director of Studies as I realised I’d gotten myself into a mess and didn’t particularly want to continue on the course. He immediately pointed out the glaringly obvious – I was depressed.

After trying to convince me to stay – “but you bring something different to the course” – he helped me try to transfer onto a different course (Primary School Teaching for some reason) which led to rejection. He did everything he could to help me and then I just stopped going into uni altogether, and I stopped archery. I was miserable. I felt like a failure, like I’d let everyone down, but my mum made everything seem OK. It turns out she just wanted me to be happy all along (of course she did) and the degree didn’t matter. I told my mum I’d taken on full-time hours in the cinema where I worked until I figured things out. Her response: “As long as you’re happy.”

As long as you’re happy. Five such simple words that have stuck with me since that day. I

Words: Tallah Brash

went from the Odeon to working in a bank (hated it), from the bank to Monsoon/ Accessorize and from there to a whole big world of music. As a non-student I became a member of Fresh Air, Edinburgh Uni’s student radio station, and that was my turning point. I started a show with my friend and found myself applying for a Creative Industries HND in Radio at Edinburgh’s Telford College, which I fucking well completed. Self high five! Fresh Air changed everything for me and it was like setting off an elaborate sequence of falling dominoes.

Quitting uni was the best thing I ever did.

While it’s impossible to list everything here that I’ve done since I quit uni, I’m now the Music Editor for The Skinny and can without hesitation say I made the right call back in 2002; I have no regrets. I was employed at The Skinny based on my knowledge and experience, not on whether or not I had a degree. I’ve worked my way through various areas of the music industry over the years, offered my services for free, learning as much as I could along the way and fortunately it has led me here. It has been hard, but so is getting a degree. I’m now doing something I feel passionate about and I’m privileged to do what I do for a living.

So if you’ve just started uni, it is absolutely, unequivocally, more than OK if you’re not sure you’ve made the right decision yet.

Seriously. Anything you’re doing is helping shape your future, and if you’re anything like my boyfriend you might end up with a degree in Marine Biology but could become an award-winning baker. Stay true to you, and make sure what you’re doing feels right, and if it doesn’t, you feel stuck in a rut or not like yourself, talk to someone.

WORDS OF WISDOM “Please, please go with your gut. I left school three months before I was due to take my A Level exams. My mental and physical health was a mess. I knew that I was at a crossroad with all signs pointing straight but my heart just wasn’t in it. There is no better time to be selfish [...] Don’t waste time pondering your future, go and start building it!” Daisy Maskell, Breakfast Presenter, Kiss FM “I am in no way claiming to have ‘made it’ but I am super proud of what I’ve done.

At school I was offered four unconditionals which I rejected to do a three-day-aweek HND at Edinburgh College. Studying Music Business I got the whole ‘where is that going to take you?’ chat or ‘so when do you go to uni?’ I’m 20 and I get hired on my experience and drive, not a piece of paper I hold, or in this case lack of.” Jo Dargie, Co-Manager/ Director, Discovery Music Scotland “Get a job, work hard. Four or five years of experience and ladder-climbing will serve you better than four or five years of study. Sure certain professions demand a university degree but I know that a degree would have done nothing to enhance my career [and] it meant I could enjoy my early 20s. I learned an awful lot in those formative years.” Ian Smith, Founder, Last Night from Glasgow “I stumbled through school, crippled by what I now know is dyslexia. I started in the Civil Service straight from school but from my first glimpses of glam rock on Top of the Pops and seeing my first live band, music was in my blood. After playing guitar badly for years, running community music groups and a festival on a voluntary basis, I now run Mac Arts and I still can’t believe that this is called a job.” Chris Wemyss, Venue Manager, Mac Arts, Galashiels

DON’T SUFFER IN SILENCE If you’re feeling overwhelmed, like you’re struggling, or in desperate need of advice or help, talk to someone – that could be your Director of Studies, a tutor, your University’s Student Council Service, your GP, a family member or a friend. Alternatively, here are some helpful websites to consider: Nightline: nightline.ac.uk National Union of Students: nus.org.uk Student Minds: studentminds.org.uk Scottish Association for Mental Health: samh.org.uk Samaritans: samaritans.org Tiny Changes: maketinychanges.co.uk Mind: mind.org.uk

22

Feature

STUDENT GUIDE

THE SKINNY

September 2019

STUDENT GUIDE

Feature

51

52

THE SKINNY