The Trinity Ball Guide 2012 by Trinity News

A SPECIAL EDITION OF TN2 MAGAZINE

The FRIENDLY FIRES

Trinity Ball PROFESSOR GREEN

LABRINTH

MARINA & THE DIAMONDS

RIZZLE KICKS

Guide

FAKE BLOOD & MORE

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Trinity Ball Guide

STILL BALLIN’

EDITORIAL & CONTENTS

MAY CONTAIN TRACES OF: Febuary 20 2012

4: DEVIL IN A NEW DRESS

Alex Towers

Stephen Moloney & Aoife Kelly Cooney offer advice on looking sharp

N first year I didn’t quite understand the appeal of the Trinity Ball. The price tag combined with the formal dress requirement meant I assumed it was haughty, overblown debauchery involving dancing all night to The Script with the people you actively avoid in college during the daytime. However when I eventually brought myself around to attending in second year, I was dazed by it. The Ball involves an inverting of our college. The dusty libraries are sealed up, circus tents are pitched, Front Square is gaudily illuminated and the students who spend the year trudging to classes around the campus turn off all sense of self and join together to become one frenzied, well-dressed throng of delirium. You stagger from one shouty social encounter to another, navigating through a sea of cigarette smoke, pounding dance music, overworked paramedics and gruff security guards. It sounds like a nightmare, but somehow it just works and delivers an unparalleled sense of carefree exhilaration. Coming to Trinity many of us were sold a sense of community that day-to-day college life often fails to deliver on, but with the ball coming on April 20th this year, students can look foward to indulge in a night of collective carefree exhilaration. Hopefully this special edition of Tn2 Magazine can go someway to helping you towards getting the most from the ball this year. The one thing I can fully recommend everyone should do in his or her college career at Trinity is to attend the ball. If you’re able to remember it in the morning, you’ll always remember it. Enjoy the issue. Editor: Alex Towers Deputy Editor: Michael Barry Contributors: Sam Marriott

Cormac Cassidy

Annelise Berghenti

Caitriona Murphy

Stephen Moloney

Fiona Dunkin

Hannah Little

Matthew Doyle

Clare Kealey

Karl McDonald Eamonn Bell Orna Lyons Robert Costello

Aaron Devine Aoife Kelly Cooney Stuart Winchester

6: TIE YOUR TIE LIKE A BIG BOI Alex Towers and his best friend André Patton teach you how to tie a bow-tie

8: SOAK UP THE BOOZE Clare Kealey provides recipes for your pre-ball dining

10: GUIDED BY VICES Aaron Devine rounds up the best in pre-drinking with cocktails, spirits and portuguese wine

12: CAUTIONS WHEN BALLING Cormac Cassidy and Annelise Berghenti impart wisdom on how to have fun before and during the ball

13: THE LINE-UP The full list of acts playing the Trinity Ball 2012 with a specially compiled playlist to get you ready

14: TREAT EM’ MEAN, KEEP EM’ GREEN Sam Marriott interviews headliner Professor Green about his rise to top, troubled past and previous Trinity Ball performance

16: DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER Caitriona Murphy looks at headliner Marina & The Diamonds and what we can expect from her at this year’s ball

18: DIG FOR FIRES Robert Costello profiles on-the-rise indie act Friendly Fires following their surprise slot as headliners for this year

20: RICHTER SCALE Robert Costello writes up chart-topping rapper Labrinth (a.k.a Timothy McKenzie) who might just be the act to see at this year’s ball

22: KICK OUT THE CHAIRS Fiona Dunkin on Brighton’s most promising hip-hop duo, Jordan “Rizzle” Stephens and Harley “Sylvester” Alexander-Sule , known together as Rizzle Kicks

24: THE ONES YOU DON’T KNOW All the acts you just haven’t heard of interviewed and profiled by our writers, so you can pretend to have heard of them all along

28: ONE HELL OF A PARTY Stephen Moloney and Hannah Little deliver a morning-after inspired photoshoot

34: MISER’S GUIDE TO FESTIVAL MANAGEMENT Resident columnist Karl McDonald talks about what would make his perfect ball

Special Thanks: Elodie Russo at Elle Yeah (www.elle-yeah.com) for the

picture from last year’s ball on page 12, Paste Magazine, Antwon ‘Big Boi’ Patton and original writer Nick Marino for the Bow Tie Guide on page 5 and 6, Clíona de Paor for the titles, Aoife Crowley for the layout tips, Karl McDonald for the wisdom, Chris O’Connor for the line-up.

WITH NAILS & I by Aoife Kelly Cooney a.k.a The Alpha Nail he recent surge of interest in nail art can be owed in no small part to its myriad appearances on the catwalks and in high fashion magazines. From Henry Holland making nail art a central feature of his recent collections to the emphasis on Lara Stone’s sculpted oval nails in Tom Ford’ s Beauty campaign, nails are becoming more and more important in the fashion world. It is also thanks to celebrities like Katy Perry, Rihanna, and Lady Gaga that nail art has become one of the must-have accessories. Many people seek affordable ways to emulate all things fashion and celebrity and something as small as the application of an in-season nail colour is a fantastic way to do this. Indeed, some of the most inexpensive ranges of nail polishes such as Catrice produce fantastic dupes of coveted colours like Chanel’s elusive “Jade Rose” (Catrice’s aptly named “Sold Out Forever”). From simple techniques like leopard print to the trickier tuxedo nails (so Ball-appropriate), nail art is only set to get bigger and it has recently been suggested that nail art is, in fact, becoming a social weapon for many worldwide. As nail artists are predominantly women (heavyweights include major businesswomen Sophy Robson and Sharmadean Reid), girls with little opportunity are being afforded the chance to push their creativity and skill. Good nail art requires time and the vision to transfer ideas onto nail and ultimately, nail art can be seen as another form of self expression. One’s sense of style is often a reflection of personality and each individual’s uniqueness can be reflected by the design they choose for their nails. Nails provide mini canvases which can be customised in almost any way and the same simply cannot be done as subtly with lips and eyes. This major trend is a fun way to spruce up an entire outfit and the impact of an item of clothing like a simple LBD can be taken to new levels with some serious nail art. So, come ball night, remember that you’re never fully dressed without having your nails did! Trinity Ball Special One full day before the Ball is being set aside for discounted manicures with The Alpha Nail (www.thealphanail.com). Places will be limited so email aoife@ thealphanail.com for further details and/ or to book in. You will be required to present your Trinity student card on the day to avail of the special Ball discount. 4

FIX UP LOOK SHARP by Stephen Moloney y now, with the announcement of this year’s line-up, your spirit are either raised to high heaven with anticipation, or you think that Ents have delivered a final crushing blow to your expectations of nocturnal extra-curricular life in Trinity. At any rate, you’ll probably still try hard to get a ticket, just to be part of that inimitable spectacle. For most, it’s a night that sets the sartorial stakes high, with what you choose to wear on par with the acts you try to see. Priority of good appearance lies just above not passing out before entry, and marginally below figuring out how to sneak your hooch of choice in. Part masquerade ball, mutton is often easily confused with lamb, and peacocks can be reduced to pigeons due to one unfortunate outfit miscalculation. Undeniably, It’s a night too where the only piece of outerwear to rival the vintage fur inherited from your grandmother is the foil blanket you pawned it for in the welfare tent. It’s a good idea to start as we don’t mean to go on, with that special occasion stalwart, that debutante favourite, the full-length number. Whilst ample room is provided for naggin-to-leg strapping, the risk of rips and trips increases ten-fold on this night, and there’s only so many stains a dry-cleaner can contend with. From my own observation, column dresses cause casualties. Terrifically striking however, perhaps choose something that can be knotted upon entry, therefore allowing you to enjoy the best of both worlds. Similarly, long and lean lines will put anybody on par with the statuesque, and who would challenge that? The more immaculate the dress, the grottier the Converse All-Stars (et al) I say, referencing the fact that this is, at the end of the day, a one night festival despite having glamorous intentions. As for fish-tail dresses, are you joking? Time now to take scissors to hemlines and discuss

the pros and cons of numbers far above the knee. The name of the game here seems to be balance. From what I can tell, exposed pins look best with full or three-quarter length sleeves and/or a high neck. More is more when it comes to less (you can’t make insightful shit like this up), and beware of the Lipsy – she does not have your best-interests at heart. To take the edge off a hot dress, consider sock exposure like that of Prada, Marni, and Anna Sui, should you need some runway styling credentials. While on the topic of dresses-that-aren’t-full-length, what say you about the three quarter length? Seventy-five percent skirting is on the up and up, and well worth your consideration. Continuing this piece thematically, it’s time to talk two-in-one. That is to say, when top meets bottom, by which I mean: the jumpsuit. Although it and it’s fair-weather friend the playsuit will offer you kudos galore in terms of outfit ferocity, your commitment to such a look may be cut short depending on how you feel about being far too close to naked than may be socially acceptable in a portable toilet, intentions entirely dependent, of course. Height is of the essence with playsuits, be it via chunky, block-heeled platforms, or a jagged stiletto. The trade-off with not looking like Humpty-Dumpty it seems, however, may be reduced cobblemobility. Odds-and-ends, optional extras, and spare parts – however you consider accessories, make sure you give them the same amount of consideration as the main event. Oftentimes, it’s the smaller act that you never heard of that trumps the headliner, and the same can be said for what you wear. The ancillary of an outfit should never be an afterthought. Cross-body bags that you can sling across to your side and forget about for the night should fare thee better. Clutches with the dimensions and capacity of an A4-page rule-out the inevitable flats that appear about twenty-two seconds after entering Front Square and any sort of cover-up (of which the scale begins with a pastel pashmina and ends at American Apparel zippy) is forfeited. Storage aside, occupy vacant necklines with layer upon layer of cheap-and-cheerful or explicitly expensive costume jewelry, or even better, a mix of both. For exposed wrists try stacking an infinite amounting of incongruously combined bracelets. So there you have it. A fairly disjointed conversation with myself about what one might or might not wear to the Trinity Ball. No resolution aside, hopefully it’s got your brain in gear that the time for outfit planning is now. Whatever you do end up throwing on your back, don’t judge. It’s the good, the bad, the ugly, the over-the-top and the blush-enducingly non-existent that make Trinity Ball the exhibition that it is. 5

Two

How to Tie Alex Towers & André “Big Boi” Patton teach you how to tie a bow tie

he bow-tie. You know how to do one right? Or were end while holding the tie at the top button to keep it loose. 2: Wrap the long end of the bow tie around the right side near you hoping you could just wear a clip-on and no-one would notice? Well think again, because André Patton your collar. 3:Fold the end of the other side of the bow so that it looks like a of Outkast is here to impart some knowledge. “When you have on a bow-tie, the bow-tie commands respect” half bow just like when tying your shoelaces, wrap the other side Big Boi says, “and if you got a bow-tie on, you gotta be a bad moth- of the bow tie around the folded piece of the bow tie. Wrap this side efucker to have a bow-tie on. Especially if it’s not a clip-on and you back around, and behind the bow. tied it yourself.” 4:Pull the end through the loop and tighten the bow by slightly 1: Start with the left end longer than the right end. Then slip the pulling on each side. 5:You are now ready to make your entrence at the Trinity Ball. short end under the long end. Choose how loose you want the tie to be. The buttons can usually be a refrence point (the longer end But always bear in mind the wisdom of this lyric from Big Boi’s song hanging between the 3rd and 4th Button usually suits. Then cross “Bowtie” : “Crocodile on my feet, fox fur on my back, bow-tie round’ the long end over the short end and slip the long end under the short my neck...that’s why they call me Gangsta mack.”

A Bow Tie

TIE ME DOWN

Choosing a bow-tie is of utmost importance. Although the traditional black is the most popular, there can be some acceptable alternatives: 1) This Paul Smith dotted mahogany tie shows that a slightly different colour combined with a plain pattern can look quite sharp. 2) Don’t go for checked. Jedward wear checked. 3) Silk ties often look creased but will make a better looking knot than the polyester ones. 4) Dark red can look slick as long as it doesn’t stray into Pee-Wee Herman territory. 5) Strange colours often look terrible. Just don’t. 6) Knitted ties can offer a slight variation from

With Canapés being key for any pre-ball party as well as providing crucial soakage for all the booze, Clare Kealey offers some choice selections

Smoked Salmon Towers Ingredients: Smoked Salmon Cream Cheese 1 Lemon A handful of fresh dill Method: 1 . Cut the salmon into vertical slices

around 3cm think. 2 . Rub cream cheese on the salmon slices and roll into parcels 3 . Serve upright with lemon wedges, dill and brown bread

Spiced Prawn Skewers with Coriander Mayo Ingredients: Prawns A sprinkle of cumin and paprika 1 egg A few dashes of hot sauce A handful of white breadcrumbs¬ For the Mayo: A dollop of mayo A bunch of fresh coriander leaves, chopped finely 1 lime Method: 1 . Place the prawns, cumin, paprika and hot sauce into a large bowl. Cover and leave in the fridge for 30minutes. 2 . Bathe the skewers in a pool of water for 30 minutes so they don’t burn while cooking. 3 . Next, make the mayo. Mix regular mayo, the juice of one lime and some chopped coriander to taste. 4 . Take the prawns out of the fridge, crack an egg in for coating the breadcrumbs and stir until evenly combined. Pop the prawns on skewers and grill for 15minutes at 200°c. 8

CANAPÈS IT FOWARD Guacamole:

Ingredients: 5 avocados A pundit of tomatoes 2 onions 2 red chillies 2 limes A bunch of coriander leaves, loosely chopped Method: 1 . Scoop the avocado off its skin and blend

until smooth using a blender or smush with a spoon. 2 . Add to this mixture the chopped tomatoes, onions, chilli and coriander. Squeeze in the juice of two limes. 3 . Serve with tortilla chips or warm pitta bread.

Pesto Pastry Wheels Ingredients: Green Pesto 10 sun-dried tomatoes 1 packet of fresh mozzarella cheese A handful of pine nuts 1 ready to roll short-crust pastry sheet

Mini Sliders

Ingredients: Mince Meat 1 egg A dash of Tabasco Burger Buns Method:

1 . Place the mince, egg and Tabasco into

a large bowl and combine. Roll into mini burger shapes on a bed of dusted flour to help the mince stick. Grill or fry. 2 . Shape the burger buns into mini buns using a cookie cutter. 3 . Serve with ketchup and small chunks of cheese held up with a wooden skewer.

Method: 1 . Roll out the pastry sheet and smear green pesto over the entirety of it. Next, sprinkle on some chopped sundried tomatoes, squares of mozzarella and pine nuts. 2 . Roll up like you would a swiss roll. Place in the freezer for 30minutes to allow it to set. 3 . Using a very sharp knife gently cut into 3cm wide pieces. 4 . Place grease proof paper onto an oven tray and line the wheels with a little distance in between each. Cover with tinfoil to ensure the tomatoes don’t burn. 5 . Bake at 200°c for 18 minutes. Take the foil off and bake for a further 3-5 minutes.

Too Drunk to Cook?: A Guide to Post-Ball Food

The Hard-To-Pleaser Bewleys This traditional Dublin tearoom is a legendary pull spot. Make sure to sit beside the stain-glass window for extra romantic brownie points. The Happy-Go-Lucky-Lad’s Lad McDonalds Breakfast If only it was on the Euro Saver menu. The Trinity Continental Cigarettes and aspirin Skipping breakfast altogether for fear of puking. A quick fag is all one needs for breakfast. Gotta keep up the image. The Been-Together-Forever Londis Breakfast Roll You don’t mind that he asks for extra brown sauce so he can mix it in his tea later or that she stuffs a bag of cheese and onion Tayto into the already choc-o-block roll. No judgements allowed. The On-Campuser Cereal In Mine? Simple but effective. Just make sure your milk is in date. 9

Aaron Devine provides a guide to liquoring up at The Trinity Ball

SCRAPING THE BARREL ranted there’s nothing wrong with knocking back a few cans of Druid’s before heading into the Ball, but if you’re going to dress sharply, then why not add a bit of class to what you’re drinking too? Buying Portuguese wine is a great way to do that, as you can get your hands on some top quality wine, but at a far lower price than you would pay if you were buying Spanish or Italian, for example. Portuguese wine is often overlooked in Ireland, and it’s almost impossible to get your hands on a bottle outside of Dublin, but as the Algarve is becoming an increasingly popular tourist destination, hopefully all that will change. Many people choose wine based on the grape, and that is perhaps a sticking point for Portuguese wine, as bottles will often consist of a blend of numerous grape varieties. In fact, the Portuguese instead categorise their wine by region, much like the French, with Alentejo or Douro being two examples. Here are two recommendations for tasty, affordable Portuguese wine and suggestions of where you can get them: Quinta da Lixa Vinho Verde 2010 – €9.99 Pegos Claros Palmela 2008 - €12-13.00 Both these wines are sold by Dominic at The Wine Boutique, Bridge Street, D4. He suggests complex wines with high tannins, such as the Pegos Claros, should be allowed to breathe for about 40 minutes before drinking as it improves the flavour immeasurably. For other stockists of Portuguese wine, visit www. portuguesewine.ie. Aaron Devine

STREET SPIRITS lthough we would recommend that you steer clear of the hard spirits before the ball (as Cormac Cassidy and Annelise Berghenti detail on page 12, this can end in disaster…) many people cannot seem to resist glugging vodka, gin or whiskey (or sometimes an unfortunate combination of all three). If you do choose this option we would advise that you put a bit of thought into your particular poison. Whiskey is never a good option. Spirits are meant for sharing and diluting whiskey rarely works with anything other than coke and will leave you will foul breath. Gin is slightly more adaptable to mixer, but sharing is limited given many people’s white hot hatred for juniper berries. Vodka is the ‘safest’ option, but we would suggest you spend a little more on Absolut or Grey Goose rather than value brand paintstripper. You’ll thank us in the morning. Alex Towers

DRINK YOURSELF CLEAN LA DESPEDIDA

Ingredients: Vodka White wine Orange juice Any kind of tropical squash (Robinson’s Summer Fruits etc.) Fresh raspberries (the only luxury) Serves five. Method:

1 Add 350ml of vodka to 100ml of

LIME DAIQUIRI Ingredients: White rum Sugar Fresh limes Method: 1 For one drink, squeeze the juice of half a large lime into a glass with about 50ml of rum. 2 Add a heaped teaspoon of sugar and a handful of ice. 3 Cover and shake well with a cocktail shaker and strain into a chilled long-stemmed glass. 4 If you haven’t got a shaker, simply add all the ingredients (including the ice) into a blender and multiply the quantities depending on how many you want to make. 5 It might be necessary to add more rum to counterbalance the ice. Blend together until you get a smooth, slushy texture. 6. Garnish with a fresh slice of lime, and enjoy. Aaron Devine

white wine. Cheap wine will do, the taste isn’t important here, 2 Put this in a blender with 275ml each of orange juice and the tropical squash. 3 Add a handful of the fresh raspberries and about 3-4 ice cubes per person. 4 Blend everything together until smooth. It should be light pink in colour with delicious raspberry bits throughout. 5 That’s it. Just garnish with more fresh raspberries. 6 For a decadent touch, you can add a few scoops of vanilla ice cream before blending. This will take the edge of the alcohol and give it a milkshake consistency. Have it as a boozy dessert before hitting the hard stuff. Brendan Browne & Lorcan Cooper

CUCUMBER & BASIL MOJITO

Ingredients 2 shots of Gin 200ml of Soda Water 4-5 slices of cucumber, quartered 4-5 large basil leaves, loosely chopped Lime/cucumber slice to garnish

Method: 1 Muddle the basil to the bottom of the glass using a teaspoon. 2 Stir in the gin and the rum with some ice cubes. 4 Add the quatered cucumber and stir. 3 Stick a slice of lime on the side. Clare Kealey

How to…

HAVE A BALL Cormac Cassidy and Co. provide a guide to enjoying The Trinity Ball

ver the last 3 years I’ve attended the Ball has never failed to live up to its expectations. Accordingly I’ve had a chat with some friends and amalgamated decades of Trinity Ball experience to bring you the most helpful ‘How To’ of the year. ONE: Nevermind the anti-hype of “dunno if I’ll go, we’ll see when all the acts are announced”. If you have any desire to go, you will and should go, regardless of who is playing. T WO: If you’re only familiar with a handful of the line-up, research some others. Remember you are going to be entertained by musicians, not just a club DJ. Some of the acts that we had never heard of before are now some of those on any playlist we construct, from Ou Est Le Swimming Pool, to Dizzee Rascal to Mark Ronson to Ladyhawke. THREE: Try and get Front Gate tickets. It’s much grander than sliding through Nassau Street. FOUR: Pre-drink in someone’s gaff (see Annelise’s guide) before heading off on an invasion for an outrageously priced drink somewhere you wouldn’t often go. FIVE: Be strategic about your drunken intake. Don’t get plastered and show up at Front gate only to be turned away or K.O. later on and conclude your night by attacking a St. John’s ambulance member. SIX and Point of Note: Do not turn your night into an orienteering exercise. You may go in with a boyfriend/girlfriend, a group of friends or even your whole course but you will get lost and find yourself on your lonesome at some stage of the night. It is Trinity Ball law. It will happen. Enjoy what’s going on around you, you’ll most likely bump into someone you were looking for soon enough. SE VEN: Forget all about the plan you had to see certain acts at certain times and just go with what is fun at the time. You should know by now that there is little structured about Trinity Ball. EIGHT: While it is a ball, it’s not exactly the stuff of Cinderella. Brace yourself for the night that’s in it. Don’t be tempted to try heels this year because the path is now finished, they won’t work. If there is an act you love and want to get up the front for, prepare yourself for a gig-like atmosphere. Jessie J can warn you that not everyone looks after each other. NINE: If you do get with someone and drunkenly decide that you are going to have sex, make sure to do so away from plain sight. The last thing you want is pictures friends took of you having horrendously drunken sex up against the GMB. TEN: The actual Trinity Ball runs from ten at night till half five in the morning. Realistically you’ll have been drinking since half seven or eight. It is fairly hardcore. Get a solid sleep the night before and line your stomach Lucozade-style; before the ball, during (a la Abrekabra vendor in Front Square) and after, when

you are contributing to the annual collage of CCTV images of Grafton Street’s best dressed, headed for McDonalds, Burger King and Subway. ELE VEN : Soak up every minute of one of the most unique experiences you will have. 12

“You will get lost and find yourself lonesome at some stage of the night. This is Trinity Ball Law. It will happen. Just enjoy what’s going on around you”

PRE-BALL Annelise Berghenti teaches how to pre-ball

olid pre-drinking plans for before the Ball are key. Pre-drinking is where having a good time is within your control, and can be the best part of the night if done properly. At the Ball itself, so many things can go wrong, your date could abandon you, your phone could fall down a portaloo, the strap of your dress could break while in the mosh pit at Dizzee Rascal, causing you to accidentally flash the security guards (guess which one of these things has happened to me). But at the pre-party, you look good, there are no drinks queues and there is still the anticipation of the night ahead. It’s best if your friend, or friend’s friend, or just “person from the arts block”- is having a party, and even better if that friend is a good host. I went to a party a couple of years ago where the host provided the girls with slippers to take with them in their bags. This is one of the best things that has ever happened to me (admittedly I’m easily impressed). Being able to put on warm and comfortable slippers at 5am with no taxis about was a godsend. Of course, your host doesn’t have to provide you with slippers, but that’s the kind of pre-party standard you’re aiming for. Start drinking at a reasonable hour – pacing yourself is important, because if you start too early, you will definitely, inevitably, burn out. I’m always fascinated by the amount of people who never even make it to the ball, such a waste of a ticket, and they are not cheap. So don’t start drinking as soon as you wake up. Have pleasant, distracting plans for the day that in no way involve alcohol. I went for a ‘quiet pint’ with a friend before the Ball last time, which ended up in all day drinking, which ended up in me, hair still unbrushed, drunkenly crying because I couldn’t find the right shoes about twenty minutes before leaving for the party. Don’t be that girl. And also try and drink something nice. Nothing ruins the look of a good suit more then a can of Dutch in the hand. Try your hand at cocktails! Spend more than five euro on your bottle of wine! Or at least slice up a lime and put it in your vodka and coke. And, at the very, very least, drink out of a real glass. As for drinking at the Ball itself, no one can help you

there. People come up with some innovative ideas for smuggling drink in (strapping a naggin to your thigh with masking tape being one tested by your truly a couple of years ago. It worked, but at the expense of the skin on my leg). Buying pints isn’t really that much of a hassle if you do it in rounds, and saves fainting from fear in the queue to get in. Have fun out there kids and stay safe!

FRIENDLY FIRES, MARINA & THE DIAMONDS, PROFESSOR GREEN, LABRINTH, RIZZLE KICKS, FAKE BLOOD, DOT ROTTEN, EROL ALKAN, CONSUMER LOVE AFFAIR, TOTALLY ENORMOUS EXTINCT DINOSAURS, KANYU TREE, THE ORIGINAL RUDEBOYS, THE DEAD PRESIDENTS, THE MILK, RYAN SHERIDAN, CASHIER NO 9, TRINITY ORCHESTRA, AND MORE...

THE PLAYLIST

1) Labrinth- Eathquake 2) Rizzle Kicks- Down With the Trumpets 3) Fake Blood- I Think I Like It 4) Friendly Fires- Skeleton Boys 5) Marina & The Diamonds- Radioactive 6) Friendly Fires- Kiss of Life 7) Erol Alkan & Boyz Noise- Lemonade 8) Professor Green- Upper Clapton Dance

9) Cashier no 9- Lost at Sea 10) Totally Awesome Extinct Dinosaurs- Household Goods 11) Kanyu Tree- Radio 13) The Milk- Danger 12)Original Rude Boys- Stars in Your Eyes 13) Trinity Orhestra- Cresendolls 14) Dot Rotten- Are You Not Entertained? 13 13

av i n g reached great success as the freshest rap artist to come out of the UK over the last year, I spoke to Professor Green (real name Stephen Manderson) while he did his weekly shop at Waitrose. This Hackney born Jack-the-lad once had a place at St Paul’s School but turned down a scholastic trajectory for a genuine hip-hop education, sourced in the battle ring, earning a name for himself as a freestyler. Now with a string of awards to his name, his once crooked

the rap game to win over a more mainstream target audience. The road was a long one. ‘It took 8 years to make my first album. Until then all I’d done was battle. I released a mixtape, an EP and one single; it was a stagnant situation. Then the label went under and it looked bad but I think it was an important part of the journey because I wasn’t ready then.’ The label he refers to was The Beats, owned by Mike Skinner, the frontman of last year’s Ball headliners The Streets, which took a turn for the worse in 2008, leaving Green and associated acts such as Example to fend for themselves. ‘I started doing things which I shouldn’t have been doing. I went

“THERE WILL BE OLD SONGS AND NEW SONGS... LAST YEAR’S BALL WAS CRAZY. YOU LOT JUST FUCKING HAVE IT” teeth set straight, a debut album which reached number two, collaborations with made musicians such as Lily Allen and a triumphant return performance slated for the Trinity Ball 2012, the last year hasn’t exactly been quiet for the Professor. “What do they call it? Yeah the difficult 2nd album. It came really easily to me though,” he boasted mildly before he relenting to a good measure of what he calls the British self-deprecation infused in so many of his tracks, “You know, when I write melodies in my head they sound perfect but when I actually sing, unfortunately it sounds like me.” Immediately it was evident that Professor Green has struck a balance between the ‘aggy yoot’ he once embodied way back when, whose prevalence is marked in tracks like “Upper Clapton Dance”, an ode to life in the East End where ‘all these cats looking to lash on your goodies’ and the eloquent young man who broke away from the throes of

through a couple of things, you know my Dad took his own life and then a year after that I got stabbed – I just started wondering what I was doing it for. My life wasn’t really progressing, and as much fun as I found the music it was just a hobby.’ However, things got better almost as quickly as they turned sour when Green met Lily Allen, or ‘Lils’ as he affectionately calls her. From his meeting with Allen and collaboration on the track “Just be Good to Green” he found a new image, one that left behind the frustration at his fruitless experience of music thus far. The transition was incredible from the more genre orientated label he had once been with to the commercial behemoth that is Virgin Records. In spite of this Green had anticipated the necessity for easier music which didn’t just blitz listeners with hard bars about the code of the streets, composing popular tracks such as “I Need You Tonight” and “Stereotypical Man” years before the move over. At the suggestion that

PROFESSOR GREEN Sam Marriott talks to Professor Green about his influences, his rise to stardom and his barnstorming performance at the 2011 Trinity Ball he may have consciously begun to gear his music toward the chart formula, where “if you get a certain producer to compose a hook and you make a dance song, you’ve automatically got a number one” he snapped, “What, as if I somehow left behind my roots? I think it’s ignorant for people to expect me to make one song over and over again.’ Though he hastened to sooth the conversation with the personal insight that, “There is a happy side to me, it might not rear its head too often but it does exist.” He raises a fair point, that as a rapper one has to decide whether to remain in obscurity or ‘sell-out’ to a degree. He tells us of the early days when he used ‘to roll with Skinny(man,) Jehst and Taskforce, all UK hip-hop heavyweights, “I wasn’t really exposed to a lot of that world until later because there wasn’t that much of it around; I used to be a big Jungle fan before I got into hip-hop.” The plain fact is that either you pull a Dizzee Rascal and start making music with David Guetta, with track names turning from ‘Hold Ya Mouf’ to ‘Holiday’ or you stick with what you know, carry on making ‘hard, hard music purely that’s what they live, and end up either in jail, dead, or like JME. It’s easy for speculators to claim that popular music nowadays is abhorrent, perpetuated by the recyclable offspring of soulless initiatives such as X-Factor; but one can

hardly blame characters like Professor Green for taking that step to stardom. In fact, though not one of the serious culprits, he accepts that music made in a purely profitable vein ‘loses its integrity and it loses its voice – it’s not really made for a purpose other than getting to No 1 and that’s not the aim is it?” Conceding that today’s music isn’t quite what he wished it was he explained the influences which brought him to this sound he coined for himself. “I’ve not adapted that much you see. I still use the same musical features that I brought from the beginning. I listen to everything from Portishead to Nirvana. All those influences are still prevalent in my music. My favourite rap artist is still Biggie, and I listened to a lot of US hip-hop because there was more of it than in the UK.” On the topic of his lyrics he pensively described the writing process as “instead of sitting down and working out what rhymes with what, it comes more naturally. One thing I avoid is the typical bravado you hear so much today, it bores me to listen to it. You need a level of cockiness, that’s good, it’s appealing. I take the mickey out of myself as much as anyone. Too many people take themselves too seriously man!” That said, Green has had his fair share of real life; namely his father’s suicide, the drugs and the attempt on his own life outside a London nightclub, events which he has taken in stride and channelled into his music, adding a refreshing dimension to the standard materialistic content of most mainstream ‘tunes’ today. “A line I spit at the end of ‘Avalanche’ is “the damaged become dangerous” because we know we can survive and that puts us in a very powerful position.” Professor Green (who earned his name because “I was a keen horticulturalist when younger, I had green fingers.”) he promises to lay down “Anything and everything man” when he plays live. There will be old songs, new songs – I’m really excited to show everyone the new stuff but keep old fans happy.’ He reminisced on his set at the Trinity Ball last year, recollecting ‘It’s crazy, you lot just fucking have it!’ Here’s hoping we still have it...

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Marina & the Diamonds Caitriona Murphy looks at headliner Marina & The Diamonds opelessly devoted to mainstream pop, this writer expected to be challenged with profiling a band whose name had never graced the O2 arena line-up, and was more suited to one of the daytime slots at Glastonbury. Instead, one of the headliners of this year’s ball is the comfortably familiar Marina and the Diamonds. The Greek-Welsh singer is sure to appeal to the masses with her sparkling ‘New Wave’ pop mixed with a healthy dose of Kate Bush-esque vocals and crashing piano chords. Full name Marina Diamondis, the singer first hit the main stage in 2010 with her debut album Family Jewels. Not to be mistaken for an ensemble act, the diamonds in her name refer not to the backing band, but to her fans, and as a throwback to her second name. The album was greeted as a refreshing break from formulaic pop, and featured acrobatic vocal swings and idiosyncratic lyrics. Irish audiences are most likely to recognise her from the single ‘Hollywood’, which went straight into the charts upon release, albeit at number 45. The singer has an interesting blend of mainstream and alternative appeal – her songs feature bouncing pop chords but her haunting vocals and melodies give her an entirely unique flavour. Often compared to Florence and the Machine, Marina may lack the flame red hair but like Ms Welch, her style is entirely her own. Lyrics from her first album highlight a strong desire to succeed at odds with a struggle to maintain identity, such as in ‘Oh No’ – ‘I know exactly why I walk and talk like a machine/I’m now becoming my own selffulfilled prophecy’. In other tracks like ‘Hollywood’, she seems to laugh at the clichéd ideas of fame and those who try to seek it. Other popular songs from this first compilation include ‘I am not a Robot’, ‘Obsession’ and ‘Are you Satisfied?’

After her first album, Marina announced that she would be releasing new tracks in 2011, the first of which, ‘Radioactive’, showed a strong movement towards more pop-friendly melodies. The track features Calvin Harris style backbeats and an electrified vocal melody. More dancefloor than indie, the song still shows off the singer’s soaring vocals and quirky lyrics. She has been teeming up with industry heavy weights such as Dr.Luke and Stargate, whose work with Katy Perry, Britney Spears and Rihanna may explain the new electro beats that are emerging in Marina’s tracks. In recent interviews the singer has stated that her new album will show her transformation from Marina Diamondis to Electro Heart, an embodiment of ‘the corrupt side of American ideology’ and also the title of said new album. In an interview back in July with The Telegraph, she described the album as being ‘about sex in a lot of different ways, it’s about being a female, being a feminist. I’m so in love with it at the moment. It’s exactly how I thought I should progress’. The album seems to have been both a stylistic and physical transformation - her characteristic dark hair has been replaced with a grey-mauve wash. If her first single is anything to go by, the music should show a change in influence and style as well as wide variation. In a preview of another track from the album, Fear and Loathing, we hear a much more haunting and soulful performance - ‘I’m done with trying to have it all/and ending up with not much at all’. With the full album being released on April 30th, the Trinity Ball will no doubt prove an interesting venue for the singer to show off her new material. Whether you be a dedicated fan already or a newcomer, this act will definitely be worth checking out

riendly Fires are an English outfit who play around in the disco end of post-punk. They are probably still best known for their debut album, Friendly Fires. They consequently became one of the most well-known bands of the Skins generation, with their music getting heavy rotation as a result of being featured on the programme. Even now, mentioning their name will usually induce a fond “oh yeah” in anyone who came of age during the era of Antics dominated by their 2009 singles “Paris” and “Jump in the Pool”. The band did not just appeal to an extremely youthful audience, however. At some stage the band were also annexed by the Ibiza crew, and during the summer of 2009 they honed their sound playing several impressive sets on the Balearic Islands. They also gained a significant bump in exposure later that year when they were shortlisted for the Mercury Music Prize, which showed how they had come to be accepted by more middlebrow critics. After that the band went quiet for a while. They continued to record, however, and last year they finally released their very fine second album, Pala. Pala was something of a jump forward for the band,

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as it gave them a more unique sound, while still retaining the band’s most fun traits. It also gave us the band’s best single to date, “Hawaiian Air”, which mixed rave samples with traditional indie rock orchestration. The band’s live show can be an intense sensory experience. Even during their ostensibly toned down festival appearances they seemed to seek to channel an entire carnival’s worth of dancers, back-up musicians, and glitter cannons. They can definitely work a crowd, and the impressively disgusting amounts of sweat the band seem to emit during any performance proves how much of themselves they put into their craft. Friendly Fires should be a perfect fit for the Ball. Their uptempo sound will most likely result in plenty of feet being good-naturedly trampled by rogue stilletos, while lead singer Ed McFarlane’s indistinct delivery will allow for the slurred projections of whatever lyrics feel right at the time to the drunken Ball masses. Their songs span so many different genres that even if you are unfamiliar with the band you are unlikely to come away from their performance disappointed. Perhaps most importantly, they will stand as a reminder during a gloomy Irish April that summer is just around the corner.

FRIENDLY FIRES

Robert Costello takes a look at headliners Friendly Fires

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LABRINTH Robert Costello takes a look at the promising career of Labrinth

imothy McKenzie is a talented man. He co-wrote, produced and featured on Tinie Tempah’s BRIT Award-winning single “Pass Out” which entered the UK Singles Chart at number 1. This attracted the attention of former Blur frontman Damon Albarn, who hired McKenzie to remix the Gorillaz single “Stylo.” He then popped up Professor Green’s Alive Till I’m Dead, providing vocals for the track “Oh My God”. After this, the Professor drafted him to start laying down lyrics for future songs, the latest artist in a list that includes Pixie Lott, Preeya Kalidas and Ola Svensson who have hired the Hackney native to pen their tunes. After being signed to Simon Cowell’s record label Syco (the first non-talent show signing in six years), he eschewed the usual route and decided to create his own label within Cowell’s, naming it Odd Child and signing singer Etta Bond. But while it looked initially that McKenzie was emerging as the latest producing talent in the U.K, he then decided to pursue a career as a solo act and adopted the stage name Labrinth. Following two back-to-back chart hits hit in which he collaborated with Tinie Tempah, Labrinth started releasing his own stuff when “Let the Sun Shine” was released in September 2010 and reached number 3. The critics lapped it up, with Robert Copsey of Digital Spy gushing “his passionate performance and heartfelt lyrics about letting go of negativity set him strides apart from the current crop of robopop vocalists, and with a chorus that fuses gospel, funk and R&B, it certainly feels worthy of a eureka moment for UK rap.” Unfazed by his success Labrinth then released his second solo single, “Earthquake” last October which reached number 2 and sold 115,530 copies, the second highest selling number 2 hit of the year. A slick fusion of hip hop, electro and dubstep which owes a great deal to Labrinth’s 20

evident confidence in himself. “That track was about making an earthquake and having people look my way because of all the noise I’m making” he explains, “Sometimes it’s the one that shouts the loudest who is the one who gets heard.” With the full album Electronic Earth set to debut on March 19th, it looks like Labrinth is posed to become the next big name in the UK. As he seems to be following in the footsteps of the equally charismatic Dizzee Rascal, let’s hope Labrinth can top the performance of “Bonkers” that brought the house down in 2010 with his own “Earthquake.”

RIZZLE KICKS Fiona Dunkin looks at the rise of Rizzle Kicks

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izzle Kicks. No, not the latest offering from Haribo or Natural Confectionary. No, not the newest 2 for 1 shot in Copper’s. They are Jordan “Rizzle” Stephens a n d Harley “Sylvester” Alexander-Sule, the hip-hop duo currently sweeping the Irish and British charts with latest single, “Mama Do the Hump”. You might recognise them from their stint with Olly Mur’s on last summer’s Number 1 single “Heart Skips a Beat”. The Brighton pair met first at the tender age of 4. Reunited while studying in pop’s hall of fame, the Brit school, whose alumni includes Adele, Amy Winehouse and last year’s TB headliner, Jessie J, they discovered a combined musical symmetry after Jordan enlisted the use of Harley’s vocals over samples of Gorrilaz and the Arctic Monkeys. In 2008, Rizzle Kicks was borne. Theirs is the now commonplace YouTube to riches tale. The buzz around their website “Your Daily Kicks” and YouTube channel attracted the attention of labels, and in 2010, just like that, they signed to Island Records. In 2011 they released “Prophet (Better Watch It)”, its video innovatively comprising 960 photographic stills, and their first official single “Down with the Trumpets”,

which soared to #8 in the UK charts and lasted an exhausting 13 weeks in the Top 40. Ed Sheeran (no, not Ron this time) popped into their video for “When I was a Youngster” which also secured a place at #8. After a summer packed with festivals, a support slots with Trinity ballheadliners Dizzee Rascal, The Streets and Professor Green, in December, their album Stereo Typical, went Gold. Cut to today where the Rizzle Kicks appear to be only at the beginnings of their prime. Collaboration, as we all know, is the name of the game in terms of establishing oneself firmly in the hip-hop world, and the Rizzle Kicks are no exception to this. “Mama do the Hump” is the lovechild of a session with Norman Cook a.k.a Fatboy Slim. After initial reservations, Cook allowed them the use of an unwanted hook languishing in the depths of his computer for the last ten years. A few weeks ago it was announced that they were in studio with unlikely suspect Jamie Cullum. An unusual pairing, Rizzle Kicks dubbed him a “wicked guy” who was “really, really, really, really good at the piano”. Whisperings of a meeting of minds with Labrinth (whose also on the bill this year) are also in the air. Constant access to their fans is another priority of the Rizzle

Kicks, who update their Twitter accounts on an almost daily basis, acutely aware of the all-powerful tool of social media. Whimsical musings, chit-chat with their followers and even a last-minute Tweet appeal last week inviting fans to appear as extras for their new video comprise the boys’ daily fodder. Even the King of Twitter himself, Stephen Fry, has made no bones about his graw for a good old Rizzle Kick-back, professing his love for the “old school hip hop sounds of Rizzle Kicks. My sister knows them.” Although not quite yet hip-hop royalty themselves, they were (astonishingly) bestowed with an invite to perform as headliners at the 21st birthday party of the son of the Duke of Westminster, Hugh in Eaton Hall on February 2nd. Golly gosh indeed. Next up for the pair is another line of summer festivals across Britain, including Wireless in London, alongside the ranks of Rihanna, Jessie J and Calvin Harris, and a performance with Olly Murs at the Brit Awards tomorrow night, February 21st. It’s all go for the duo who seem to be wasting no time either about springing back into studio, confirming commencement of work on their next album only three weeks ago. Hopefully we’ll hear what their working on the night of the ball...

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Fake Blood is one of the many personas of Theo Keating, the perpetually employed British DJ and producer. Keating found fame as one half of the hip hop duo The Wiseguys under the guise of Touché. Keating would then go on to eclipse his former band’s success alone as the fidgety house pumper Fake Blood. Despite this worldwide success of a persona, Theo Keating is now engaged in a new more chilled out project, The Black Ghosts, with Simon William Lord formerly of Simian. The man behind the Fake Blood mask has his fingers in many wideranging musical pies. The releases from Fake Blood have been sparse in numbers but packed to bursting in concentration. Still yet to release a full length LP, fans have had to whet their appetites on EPs and remixes. Keating definitely has the range and sounds to build a feature-length album, one can ponder the reasons that he has not endlessly. However the EPs are still pulse-accelerating, euphoria inducing affairs. The most popular of which, Fix Your Accent, houses the single “I Think I Like It” and the Duck Soup inspiring title track. The more internet savvy of us have also been drinking in his USED mixes exclusively on his SoundCloud. The remixes are five hour-long spell-binding journeys, consisting only of sampled classic Hip-Hop tracks mixed and rehashed together, allowing Keating a personal return to his roots. Those unfamiliar with Fake Blood can expect a auditory siege that touches all bases.

EROL ALKAN

Having already played Trinity Ball back in 2007, Erol Alkan will know what to expect come the last night of term. The question is: will we students know what to expect from him? Because Alkan isn’t one to be pigeon-holed musically, and his sets invariably come with plenty of surprises from all along the sonic spectrum. It is even said he invented the mash-up. Whether it’s 8000 students in tuxes and dresses or ravers in an abandoned London train station, Alkan treats each audience uniquely. Aside from legendary DJ sets, he is most renowned for his innovative remix work, as Erol Alkan and as half of Beyond The Wizard’s Sleeve. Some would criticise that little of his work is “original” and that there is little value in “reanimating” as he sometimes calls it. It seems to me, though, that Alkan assumes the same role as a theatre director would with a playscript. Rather than making something better 24

Hypnotic drum loops and synth repeats married with high pitched vocal samples make up a large proportion of FB’s released material. There will be definitely be hectic switch-up moments while Keating hits the decks, no doubt introducing some hip-hop beats into his traditional house sounds. There may be some familiar sounds filtering through the set, emanating from FB’s numerous remixes ranging from Noah and the Whale to Calvin Harris, so keep an ear out. This will be Fake Blood’s first non-festival appearance in Dublin since late 2010, making it a big coup for the Trinity Ball team to add a date to his otherwise empty agenda in the coming months. As it stands, this appearance at the Ball is a ‘for one night only’ event with no other tour dates ventured; curious behaviour for as big of an artist as Keating. Although curious behaviour seems to be his bag. For a man so eager to get his music into the world, Theo Keating is reluctant to actually speak about it. Steve Goodgold, Fake Blood’s agent quoted here, speaking in no uncertain terms ‘I am afraid Theo does not do any interviews, or talk about his music’. Whether this was a sidestep to communicating to ‘lowly’ student publications, or a long term vendetta against printed media is speculation. However, I don’t think anyone will be complaining once Fake Blood have hit the stage. Cause for the casually /constitutionally undone bowtie and swirling jacket in the air to make an appearance. Matthew Doyle

FAKE BLOOD

or worse, he grasps it and morphs it into something completely new. It’s a process from which he obviously gets a lot of satisfaction. “One of the things I was most proud of was a remix I did for Hot Chip. It is a fantastic song (“Boy From School”) and I was happy to add something to it. That way it becomes a fusion that would surpass either of us. It becomes more about music and less about ego.” So what about the Trinity Ball line-up? Is it right to include plenty of new artists, or does he think it’s fair that the line-up is sometimes criticised for not featuring enough wellestablished acts? “I believe that promoting new music is extremely

important because it means you can bring new music to people. Listening to new music was always a joy for me, even from an early age. It’s also important to raise the profile of independent artists. They need exposure to keep the whole process going.” So, other than plenty of live performances, what lies ahead for the man ahead of everything? “I’m enjoying DJing and working in the studio. I like to wait for the right remix to come along. I don’t like to succumb to offers too easily, it has to be right otherwise it’s just not worth it.” It’s totally refreshing for an artist to be so remarkably in control creatively and with a focus on just playing music that he loves. Alkan is a true DJ’s DJ, and for him it’s all about the dancefloor. It should be no exception come April 6th. Aaron Devine

TOTALLY ENORMOUS EXTINCT DINOSAURS While putting together this magazineI was faced with choosing one of the many acts to interview. Opting out of using Editorial privilege to horde one of the headliners to myself, I decided to talk to Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, mostly because the name sounded exciting. T.E.E.D is the alias of Oxford boy Orlando Higginbottom, an up-and-coming electro act who attracted attention with his catchy debut EP All In One Sixty Dancehalls and his somewhat viral video for his song “Garden”. However despite having one of the best band names around (and one of the best real names around), T.E.E.D is reluctant to acknowledge it. “I’m sorry to say that there is no great story or joke with the name” he explains, “I just wanted to do something ridiculous in a scene where people take themselves far too seriously.” This slightly skewed approach is somewhat reflected in central philosophy that runs throughout T.E.E.D’s work that all pop music is inher-

ently a tragedy. “I’ve tried writing happy songs” he admits, “But then when I start layering it with synths and piano it changes. I kind of think there’s something tragic about clubbing and pop music”. However with a catalog of remixes I was interested on his views on them being new songs. “Augmentation is not a bad word for it” he explains, “remixes are just strange things, best not to look too closely at what they are. I love doing them though. But how does he think his forlorn electronica will play to a packed dance tent at the Trinity Ball? “Honestly, I haven’t thought that far ahead. I’ll have some new stuff to play around with. Maybe some extra arms.”. At a recent summer festival T.E.E.D collaborated on a track with Trinity Ball headliners Friendly Fires, But is there any chance he might teem up with them again on the night?’ “I’m sure we will team up in some way, probably not on stage though, unless someone has a really good idea...”Alex Towers

TRINITY ORCHESTRA Trinity Orchestra are arguably Ireland’s most successful student crossover ensemble in recent memory. After a series of critically acclaimed summer festival appearances, the orchestra’s professional engagement for the Ball marks the ultimate recognition of the homespun talents of our very own university player, consolidating both their appeal internal and external to the walls of TCD, and in good time, too. Trinity Orchestra has tackled the works of Sigur Ros, Radiohead, Daft Punk and Arcade Fire to date, translating the distinct styles of these performers into the language of the 70-piece orchestra. Most recently, and perhaps most ambitiously, Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon was played to a packed Exam Hall, another welcome excursion into a prog classic by the orchestra. Not only are the performers exclusively students, but the arrangements of the music are too; each project has seen a generation of students setting about the task of re-imagining studio albums and tracks therein for a unique and novel arrangements, tailored to fit Trinity Orchestra, and Trinity Orchestra alone. Each setting is a boutique affair, curated, produced and realised by student members of the society, and student members alone. The success to date of the orchestra is a monument to the co-operative efforts of a this one-of-a-kind enterprise. Peter Joyce, present Auditor of Trinity Orchestra, which retains its independence as

an established college society, welcomes the impressive number of new arrangements that have been executed since the term began. The orchestra has increasingly set its sights higher and higher, consistently delivering on the expectations set by previous performance. “Each performance we orchestrate gives us an opportunity to smash the standards set up to that point”, he says “Trinity Orchestra is on an upward path, and we’re delighted to be asked to perform at the Ball as a recognition of our most recent successes.” As much a spectacle of sight as of sound, the vitality of the forces of Trinity Orchestra, matched with band incarnations of

top-notch vocalists, guitarists, drummers and keys means the Ball gig will be a hotlyanticipated set of the night. The Electric Picnic performance by the orchestra met with favourable reviews both home and abroad, described by the BBC as “the perfect festival wake-up call” while a recording of the more recent Arcade Fire gig was reblogged by the online music outlet of NME, with equally salutary tones. Joyce promises a sight to behold: “Imagine the band of students decked out in formal gear, playing and singing fresh arrangements of seminal music on a stage under the Campanile as the night rolls in. It will be some sight.” Eamonn Bell

The Kanyu Tree is pop. That much is true. Here’s the thing though: it’s kind of awesome pop. It’s well orchestrated, intelligent and dare I say, kind of funky. When I asked Oisin, one of the three brothers, to compare his music to another artist he was pretty quick, “Prince, the

Police and maybe, the Beach Boys.” Oisin also modestly calls their playing together “messin’ around” but it’s far more than that. Their debut album was produced by a former A Tribe Called Quest mastermind. After a string of supprt gigs for the likes of Example, the Kanyu Tree are determined to make it big themselves, and a entertaining performace at this year’s ball might just be what they need... Stuart Winchester

THE KANYU TREE

DOT ROTTEN

DEAD PREZIDENTS

Dot Rotten has been around for some time, having released ten mixtapes and numerous demos. Since 2007. he has managed to cause a stir in the underground grime music scene in the UK. His breakthrough year was 2011 which saw him sign a deal with Mercury records, release his debut single “Keep it on a Low” and go on to make the BBC Sound of 2012 list. You may be fooled by Dot Rotten’s suave appearance- in his array of slick suits he looks like he has stepped out of GQ magazine, but he explains in his lyrics “even when I’m looking fabulous remember that I’m Rotten and I’m from the hood.” So what can Trinity students expect from Dot Rotten’s show? Well, his new single, entitled, “Are You Not Entertained?,” is a stomper of a tune filled with the attitude and confidence you want to hear from a new artist. When asked what people can expect he just says “Lots of energy and real music. I want people to have fun, that’s all. Have a calm and enjoyable night”. Sounds good. Orna Lyons

After comprehensively proving how well they can work an early morning forest clearing at the latest Electric Picnic, Republican Party-loving electro DJs The Dead Prezidents will hope to achieve the cobblestone equivalent at this year’s Trinity Ball. In between supporting the Rubberbandits and (probably) obsessively rewatching Point Break the duo have honed an impressive set at venues across the country, which they will take to Trinity on April 20th. However, the DJs are also planning on showcasing a number of original tracks, which they promise won’t stray too far from their club origins. “We are electro house fiends. We are working on a number of bootlegs, remixes and original tracks at the moment, and we try to keep our electro roots in. We like to make a track that has a drop in it that makes people go crazy, but most importantly makes them do the squished up “that’s absolutely filthy” face.” The DJs are particularly excited about their Trinity Ball set: “What can’t the audience expect? We’ve never been lucky enough to get a ticket, even with all our presidential connections, so we are looking forward to losing our Trinity Ball virginity this year. We are planning on wrecking it. From our first track to our last we will not let up. We’ll bring a ton of energy, with nonstop, hands in the air, banging electro. We’ll bring all that if you promise to do the squished up face, deal? Ultimately we aim to please, that’s our political duty.” Michael Barry

CASHIER NO 9

After one listen of To The Death Of Fun, Cashier No. 9’s debut album, it’s hard to believe that they haven’t been around for a couple of decades. So fully-formed is their sound that it seems to traverse eras, with modern dance grooves underpinning jangly guitar sounds redolent of The Byrds or occasionally The Rolling Stones. However, this Belfast band’s songs are far from mere nostalgia. Under the guidance of producer David Holmes, they have crafted a wall-ofsound-style record that has a vintage hue but is at the same time instantly contemporary. Although not including early fan favourites like “42 West Avenue” or the raucous “When Jackie Shone”, this album is still littered with memorable tracks such as “Lost At Sea” or “The Lighthouse Will Lead You Out”. Some have pigeon-holed them as “power pop”, though not pop in the pejorative sense; catchy melodies are indeed abound on this record, but they are anchored by one of the most solid rhythm sections likely to be playing the Ball, and, with careful layering of synths and vocals, it’s easy to see how this record will be a lot more than just listenable in the years to come. What’s most impressive about Cashier No. 9, who are nominated for this year’s Meteor Choice Music Prize, is how they have managed to successfully bring the shimmery atmosphere of their studio work to their live performances. With a musical line-up featuring additional percussionists, they have seemingly pulled out every stop to achieve their all-encompassing live sound, one which makes them a must-see act at Trinity Ball 2012. Aaron Devine

CONSUMER LOVE AFFAIR

Consumer Love Affair are a depressingly young Dublin four-piece who make soaring anthemic indie rock. They are also veterans of last year’s Ball, where they by all accounts played a stormer. With emotive lyrics and earnest delivery they should prove to be the ideal soundtrack to an endof-the-night dalliance. Robert Costello

RYAN SHERIDAN

THE MILK Originally from Monaghan, Sheridan honed his craft on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, on the Glasgow scene and even busking on Grafton Street before scoring a surprise radio hit with Jigsaw two years ago. Having beaten 3,000 other acts to play at Benicassím in Spain, Sheridan’s live show showing the importance of performance to a man who once quit his job to play his music for pedestrians. After a recent string of dates across Ireland, expect Sheridan to be well prepped for the Ball. Robert Costello

The Milk are a new four-piece band from Essex set to take the world by storm in 2012. Their sound is advertised as encompassing rock and roll, soul, R&B and pop in what becomes a strong well rounded ensemble. Rick Nunn’s vocals, at the forefront of this band’s sound, are gritty, heartfelt and harkening of a simpler time. The rest of the band, however, plant this music firmly in the present with crisp recording and subtly mastered mixing. Success for this band, which is deserved,

will show a welcome return of real UK soul to the charts. Download the single “BRoads” for free, to listen to the eponymous single and belter “Broke Up The Family” in preparation, and watch the Milk take out a lease and start renting space in your head. At this year’s Ball, don’t be surprised to find yourself transported to a different time where Jitterbugging and Can-Canning are totally acceptable and encouraged. Matthew Doyle

THE ORIGINAL RUDEBOYS If you scanned the line-up and saw The Original Rudeboys, you’d be forgiven for expecting a trilby hats and Jamaican skank. Not so. The three-piece, consisting of singer/guitarist Sean Burch, ukulele maestro Sean Walsh and rapper Neddy Arkins, are more along the lines of Ed Sheeran but with a touch more hip hop roots showing through. Arkins is well aware of the mix-ups though. “When we played at Reading last year, a guy came up to us and said he saw our name and came down expecting ska. He still loved us though, which was cool.” Formed over cans on an average Friday night and named as part of an improvised attempt to convince girls that they were already a band before they really were, the Rudeboys’ impressive early success might even seem accidental. Their very first song, “Stars In My Eyes”, was recorded and uploaded to YouTube for friends to see. It went a little bit further than that. “We never set out to use YouTube like some artists do. We thought friends would see it and say, “that’s cool”, or laugh at it. Two hours later it had a hundred views and we went out and celebrated. The next day it had a thousand and it went from there.” At time of press the original video, lit-

erally just the three of them performing it live on a sitting room couch, had in excess of 320,000 views, and that’s not counting the official video or fan videos with lyrics. “When we saw the response to ‘Stars In My Eyes’, we decided to do it again with other songs with a similar vibe. They didn’t grow as fast, but some of them are pushing it for views now.” That sort of organic growth makes it tough for the establishment to ignore you. “All of a sudden we had RTE and TV3 producers emailing us. I think we’ve been on every radio station in Dublin now.” As if it couldn’t get any better, a positive review

from the BBC at Oxegen led to festival slots in England, which led to them hooking up with Jake Gosling, producer of Ed Sheeran and Wiley, to record their debut album. “We emailed him, expecting nothing, and a few days letter we had about five emails and two missed calls from him saying he wanted us over in his studio. He has experience doing acoustic stuff and hip hop stuff, so he was the perfect match for us.” If things go as well with the album, out 31st March, as they have to date, Original Rudeboys are going to be everywhere this time next year. Karl McDonald

YESTERDAY I WOKE UP by Stephen Moloney & Hannah Little

Clothes generously provided by Costume, Drury Street, Dublin 2 and shoes generously provided by Buffalo, Exchequer Street, Dublin 2. 29

The Chaff

ALL I GOT IS MY BALL AND MY WORDS Karl McDonald rinity students have a reputation for being posh and, by extension, rich, but we all know that that’s not necessarily the case. And the Ball is a significant expense. In order to solve this apparent difficulty, I’ve done some thinking about where corners can be cut. The average Trinity Ball line-up will consist of some acts people are actually excited about seeing and some acts that are excited about having people see them. The former tend to fall somewhere in between universally familiar and vaguely cool, so as to placate both Arts Blockers who could literally end up being too ashamed to attend an event with a pure pop act as the headliner and Hamilton people who aren’t likely to be inclined to understand the artistic merit of minimal post-dubstep with autotuned wolves over it. The acts that people don’t recognise are mostly drawn from the ranks of aspirational Irish groups who are in the midst of a push. Those in charge of trying to get them to make more money than they cost feel like it might be a good idea to give them a run-out in front of a horde of people pretty much honour-bound to be too drunk to really care what’s happening so long as it’s loud. All of this costs money though, not just in terms of fees but in equipment rental and sound guys and logistics and that kind of thing. My suggestion, as an attendee of several years’ standing, is that the Ball be reduced to three stages. The first one, where the main stage has been heretofore, will have three consecutive Rubberbandits sets at 11pm, 1am and 3am. The second stage, in Front Square, will effectively be Coppers. A solitary man will play all the hits and nothing but the hits from the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s and now, grabbing hold of a microphone at ten minute intervals to ask if everyone’s having a good night tonight at the Trinity Ball and announcing specifically before slow songs that it could be a good time to go in search of the shift. He will take requests and announce them with dedications.

“Walking into Front Square with the lights on and the music spilling out and everyone you’ve ever met in college in formal dress is a unique expierience and worth whatever the tickets cost”

Meanwhile, on the third stage, a single 808 bass drum will play on loop at 180bpm for the entire night as an unskilled temporary employee triggers basic arpeggiator patterns on a borrowed MicroKorg. This will keep the ubiquitous constituency of water-drinking huggers happy and out of the way, robbing them of their need to go wandering around to check twice what’s on in the same tent before inquiring of strangers about the quality of their night to express their love for having everyone all together having fun like this. In this model, everyone gets what they want. Those that want bangers get bangers. Those that want hits get hits. Everyone gets to see the Rubberbandits. The whole thing, excluding the presumably not excessive cost of getting the Rubberbandits to just play for six hours straight, will cost nothing. Ticket sales, admittedly, might become an issue without the lure of a few touring acts, but I have several suggestions for that eventuality too. Firstly, reduce the ticket price to ten euro, or eight euro if you’re found to be sober enough to be likely to buy a lot of pints inside. Secondly, you could pretend the person improvising anonymous electronic music was David Guetta. Thirdly, a poster campaign around college saying, “seriously, ask a grown-up how much of the actual sets they remember seeing the last time they were at the Ball.” Combine the three and you’ve got a guaranteed sell-out, with the profit margin for those with an interest still protected. Sometimes though, as permanent Ball enemy Jessie J reminds us, it’s not about the money. Walking into Front Square with the lights on and the music spilling out and everyone you’ve ever met in college in formal dress is a unique experience that’s worth whatever the tickets cost, no matter who’s playing. And, whether you end up with an amorous taxi ride, a trip to McDonalds or a visit to a morally suspect newsagents rumoured to sell wine even at 6am, you’re not likely to have had a bad time. So enjoy.

If you’re looking for more of Karl, why not download his podcast, Them’s The Vagaries? It would make his day: http://

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