Leicester February 2017

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LEICESTER EDITION February 2017

P24 INTERVIEWS

The DJs reminisce about cereal and underage raving

SEX SPECIAL

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The end of Black History Month?  JOHN SHAW The future of Black History Month is under intense scrutiny ahead of a big debate at De Montfort University.

Key figures and students from DMU are calling for the celebration, which takes place every October, to be refined or ditched ahead of the Scrap Or Reform? discussion on Thursday, March 2.

Kola Akinsanya, African Caribbean Society president, said: ‘We think BHM should definitely not be scrapped but a revamping will be welcome.

‘Cultural traditions can only be recognised and celebrated based on the information Afro Caribbeans have on their culture. Therefore the revamping must begin by including

We think BHM should definitely not be scrapped but a revamping will be welcome

Kola Akinsanya, African Caribbean Society president

accurate and detailed black history as part of the school curriculum.

‘That way by the time it is BHM, there is an actual appreciation for black history within the black community which ultimately transcends to the general public.’

However, some students have argued the event, which was first celebrated in the UK in 1987, has run its course.

Journalism student Tom Cole said: ‘I always think that when it comes to racial stuff like this, it draws more bad attention to it than if it didn’t exist at all. Surely it should just be human history every month?’

But Stephen Angell, an economics and politics student, said: ‘At face value, it might seem regressive to confine a race’s achievements to one month a year, but it’s important to

celebrate the contributions that black people have made to art, culture, politics and more.

‘I was amazed to learn about how black people essentially invented so much of the music that is dominated by white people today, like rock ‘n’ roll, blues and even house.’

Experts Karen Salt from the University of Nottingham and cultural historian Mark Sealy MBE are looking to settle the debate at the Scrap Or Revamp? discussion taking place in room 3.01 of the Clephan Building.

The pair will look at the relevance and suitability of the celebrations and share memories from the past 30 years of BHM. To book your tickets, which cost £3 for students, go to www. serendipity-uk.com.

Campaigners fight against intolerance and hate Full story Page 3

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SARA PASCOE Reveals her inner animal P18

EMILY WITT Takes a very personal trip

HIGHLY SUSPECT Speak their minds

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SHAPPI KHORSANDI Celebrates being British

See the light

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February 2017

Day of love: Students and staff spend 24 hours battling hate ‘First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out – because I was not a communist.’

Pastor Martin Niemöller’s poignant words were read out by De Montfort University’s Prof Dominic Shellard as he opened his speech at the uni’s 24-hour #LoveInternational vigil.

The DMU head organised the event to show solidarity with refugees and victims of intolerance in response to political events in the US and elsewhere.

In attendance were various student groups including the Palestine, Islamic and Libyan societies plus local religious figures and members of the City Council.

The first hour of the vigil was closed by participants signing a ‘no bystanders’ pledge, demonstrating the unity and determination of those

PICTURE: DE MONTFORT UNIVERSITY

 Chris Doyle

Standing together: DMU vice chancellor Prof Dominic Shellard (centre) with representatives of the seven Muslim-majority countries whose citizens were banned from entering the US by Donald Trump

present to fight against hate.

Performers at the event included singers from the DMU choir and religious figures reading poetry and passages from religious texts.

Speakers such as deputy city mayor Rory Palmer used the opportunity to highlight the importance of removing hate and praised the work of the staff and students who have made it such a diverse and vibrant place.

There was significant optimism among those present, with many highlighting the positives of multiculturalism and diversity.

DMU student Toby Jeffrey said he felt it was his duty to make those on campus feel welcome and hopes others can follow in the example DMU has set and be more inclusive.

Prof Shellard and student representatives from the seven countries Donald Trump banned in an executive order closed the event by lighting a ceremonial candle.

Searching for an answer

Student works with medical researchers  Amy Denman

A DMU student is helping to find a cure for a severe disease, which threatens millions of people in the world’s poorest countries.

James Cooper, who is studying biomedical science, is helping to develop a drug to fight human African trypanosomiasis, after being given a grant by the Wellcome Trust.

The disease, also known as sleeping sickness, is spread by the bite of a tsetse fly – an insect from mid Africa which spreads

Gifted: James was given a grant

the trypanosomes pathogen from infected vertebrates.

The illness causes headaches, joint pains and itching however, the symptoms can worsen to confusion, poor coordination and disturbance in sleep cycle.

It can be fatal if it is not treated, however, there are known carriers of the parasite who have survived.

James said: ‘It feels good doing something to benefit others and it’s great to know the research will be taken forward.

‘The work, led by Dr Avninder Bhambra, is vital because the drugs used to treat the disease are outdated and have unwanted side effects, in some cases even death.

The 22-year-old spent eight weeks working with DMU biomedical science researchers to create a new treatment to tackle the parasite.

The opportunity was funded by a Wellcome Trust Biomedical Vacation Scholarship, which aims to give promising undergraduates hands on research experience.

The trust also funds grants for individuals, teams and resources for a number of areas including population health, social sciences and product development.

James said: ‘I was thrilled to receive such a competitive grant.

The experience I gained was invaluable.

‘I got the opportunity to meet and work alongside international students, both undergraduates and postgraduates, and attend guest lectures.

‘It was a really fun experience and has provided me with skills I can take forward.’

He plans to continue to contribute to the research programme with his final-year project and wants to apply for a PhD and become a research scientist.

He said: ‘I was looking to study something in the field of biology and DMU’s biomedical science course looked interesting and had the Institute of Biomedical Science accreditation.’

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IN BRIEF

On a high: Chris Wright

Daredevils brave drop for needy

Lionhearted fundraisers defied a 100ft plunge to raise more than £2,000 to improve the lives of some of India’s poorest people.

The group of 40 De Montfort University students and staff abseiled down the side of towering Gateway House for charity DMU Square Mile India.

One of those courageous bunch was game art lecturer Chris Wright.

After making it safely down, he said: ‘That was great, definitely.

I mean I’m scared of heights, honestly, it gets me every time. But, I’ve done rock climbing before, and you just focus on the wall in front of you and get yourself down.’

Home away from Rome What did the Romans ever do for Leicester?

Well, bring a much higher quality of living apparently.

A team from the University of Leicester Archaeological Services has uncovered evidence of a lavish home decorated with elaborate mosaics and underfloor heating.

The courtyard house, situated next to the John Lewis car park, is thought to date to the fourth century AD.

News

Cash cleanup Will campuses lead the fight to keep fossil fuels in the ground?

Clean energy campaigners say students are instrumental in halting the flow of cash to coal, oil and gas industries

 Louisa Kendal In an age in which dirty energy is destroying the environment while becoming more scarce, universities are coming under increasing pressure to stop investing in the industry.

At the forefront of this movement is People & Planet, the largest student network in Britain fighting to protect the environment.

‘Universities often set the tone in society about what is acceptable,’ the group’s campaigns and movement building co-ordinator,

It sends a message out to society that fossil fuels can no longer be supported

Dalia Gebrial, People & Planet

Growing number of UK universities are withdrawing their investment from companies dealing in non-renewables

Students urged to pressure their institutions into moving funds to clean energy sources and ethical interests

Dalia Gebrial, told TUP. ‘They are seen as the benchmark for ethical standards and historically their morals have been the starting point for change.

‘It sends a message out to society that fossil fuels can no longer be supported, and other institutions are likely to follow suit.’

The group’s communications manager, Andrew Taylor, added: ‘It is part of a much wider movement that we hope will keep fossil fuels in the ground and safeguard our futures.’

The first UK institution to commit to full divestment was the

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February 2017

University of Glasgow in 2014, following a sustained campaign led by the Glasgow University Climate Action Society.

In a groundbreaking move, Glasgow university’s court – a decision making body – ruled the institution would reallocate £18million of fossil fuel investments over a decade.

At the time of the announcement, the court’s secretary, David Newall, said: ‘The university recognises the devastating impact that climate change may have on our planet, and the need for the world to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels.

‘We will steadily reduce our investment in the fossil fuel extraction industry, while also taking steps to reduce our carbon consumption.’

There are now 43 universities committed to diverting a total of £10.7billion from coal, oil and gas industries towards other, more sustainable, energy sources.

However, there are still more than 100 universities that have not made any commitment to divest.

Ms Gebrial said: ‘I can’t see a reason why a university would choose to continue putting their money into fossil fuels.

‘It makes sense on an economic, environmental and ethical level for universities to divest. Fossil fuels are beginning to make universities less money than if they invested in greener energy sources, and they are destroying our world.’

I don’t think we’d have got so far if it hadn’t been for student campaigners Carla Denyer, Green Party

But People & Planet hopes its project will continue to add institutions to the list.

Mr Taylor said: ‘The campaign has grown massively and we expect more than half of universities to have made a commitment in the next 12 months.

‘It takes some time to establish a new way of thinking – it took two years of campaigning before we got the first university to divest.

‘In the last year, we have had more than 20.’

One of those which has pledged to look into divestment is the University of Bristol, which currently invests £4.1million of its £64.1million endowment fund – six per cent – in fossil fuel companies.

The institution has recently put £3million – five per cent of the fund – into companies aiming to enhance the environment and lives of the communities they operate in.

Bristol’s deputy vice-chancellor, Prof Guy Orpen, told TUP: ‘Sustainability remains one of the central strands shaping the university’s vision of the future and, as a large civic institution, we take our responsibilities very seriously.

‘We contribute to issues related to climate change in many ways, both teaching and researching about sustainability and providing evidence based on our research that informs policy.’

Universities that have not yet divested are facing increasing pressure from their student bodies to support cleaner fuels, with the emergence of student-run Fossil

Fuelling progress These green schemes are helping UK universities reduce their carbon footprints

Thousands of people use universities every day, bringing with them the potential for a lot of pollution. But these projects show innovation can help them encourage the whole community to be more eco-friendly.

1. Power to the grid It’s been known about for a very long time, but it seems everyone thinks electric power is the future.

That’s why Newcastle University has taken ambitious steps and installed its first ten vehicle-to-grid charging points on campus.

The innovative technology will turn electric vehicles into storage devices, allowing energy to travel both to and from the cars’ batteries.

Newcastle’s Myriam Neaimeh, a researcher in transport and energy and the vehicle-to-grid project leader, said: ‘Smart energy storage has the potential to be a real game changer as we move towards decarbonising the grid and electric vehicles will play a key role in this.

‘Using the new charging system, cars will not just take energy from the grid but can also be used to put energy back, providing a number of grid services that can support the operation of the power system and lower the cost of EV ownership.’

2. Well-versed in gas Writing poetry is known as a great way to cleanse the soul, but this incredible piece of tech at the University of Sheffield also cleans the air around it.

The 20m tall poster, which displays the poem In Praise Of Air by Sheffield poetry professor Simon Armitage, is printed on material coated

Free campaign groups across the country.

‘Change has always come about from people power, not people in power,’ Ms Gebrial said of the

with microscopic pollution-eating particles of titanium dioxide, which use sunlight and oxygen to react with polluting nitrogen oxide gases and purify the air. It has so far removed more than two tonnes of pollution since it was installed in 2014.

Prof Tony Ryan, who came up with the idea of using treated materials to cleanse the air, said: ‘This is a fun collaboration between science and the arts to highlight a very serious issue of poor air quality in our towns and cities. The science behind this is an additive which delivers a real environmental benefit that could help cut disease and save lives.’

‘This poem alone will eradicate the nitrogen oxide pollution created by about 20 cars every day.’

3. Keep an eye on it Ever been suspicious about how much energy one of your university’s buildings uses? That old library is suspiciously toasty...

Well, students and staff at UWE Bristol have the chance to keep a close watch on the carbon footprints of the facilities around them thanks to an innovative app. The app shows members the carbon emissions of each building in real-time and as monthly and annual summaries.

Kirsti Norris, carbon action manager for UWE, said: ‘This is a really practical tool for our colleagues and students, helping people make a connection between their day-to-day actions and carbon reduction.

‘The beauty of the visualiser is it will work for staff, students, academics and also the thousands of visitors to the university every year.

‘Commitment of a 50 per cent carbon reduction is significant.’

emerging groups.‘From women’s rights to more recent change, it is always people standing up for what they believe in that brings change.’

The University of Bristol Court

than 2,300 students and 50 staff members. The motion to divest won a two-thirds majority at the university court’s hearing.

Fossil Free Bristol member Stephen Le Fanu said: ‘The Fossil Free group has met with the finance director and delivered our proposal for how we would like a divestment policy to look and the university have been very supportive.

‘In line with the rest of the movement, and to set a real political precedent, we are pushing for divestment from all fossil fuel companies, including gas and oil.

‘Hopefully Bristol university will live up to its research reputation and the reputation of the city.’

Cllr Denyer said: ‘I don’t think we would have got so far if it hadn’t been for student campaigners – it’s how it has worked in a lot of other universities as well.

‘I got involved after the student campaign had been going for about a year and at Bristol university there was a staff campaign.’

As well as being a local councillor, she sits on the university court and said this was another way of gaining leverage. ‘[Fossil Free Bristol] didn’t have members who sat on the court themselves but it was very much their work that got us 80 per cent of the way there,’ she added.

She said students elsewhere could have a similar impact to those in Bristol.

‘Most UK universities have

It is part of a much wider movement we hope will keep fossil fuels in the ground

Andrew Taylor, People & Planet

Smart energy storage has the potential to be a real game changer as we move towards decarbonising the grid

Myriam Neaimeh, Newcastle University

voted for divestment after the student group Fossil Free Bristol ran a petition, along with Green Party councillor Carla Denyer, which was signed by more

Should universities divest from fossil fuel? Email editor@ unipaper.co.uk

a “Fossil Free university of x” campaign,’ she added.

‘In most cases it’s an official university-incorporated society so they can join that.

‘There’s usually an associated petition – even if they don’t have time to be really active and attend demos – there’s usually a letter or petition they can put their name to and that helps to show the university management there’s significant support to this.’

Cllr Denyer said the recent announcement that a quarter of UK universities had made some kind of commitment to divest from fossil fuel industries had also helped put pressure on Bristol.

‘It was a real asset to be quite blunt to members of the court and management,’ she said. ‘I proposed the same motion two years running and it narrowly fell by a couple of votes last time. So in my speech this time I said “last year I was asking you to be a leader, this time I’m just asking you to keep up”.

‘Most of those universities will have a mission statement to say they exist for their students.

‘Most of their students are still going to be around in 40 to 50 years when the effects of climate change are getting really bad.

‘They need to bear that in mind and really think about the consequences of the way they run their university, as a business, to really benefit their students and not just in terms of their education but also their overall lifelong wellbeing.’

6|Research

February 2017

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Future little piggies could be conceived with two dads Scientists have found a kinder way to spread the seed of prized pigs.

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh have used DNA editing to switch off the sperm production of male ‘surrogates’ and implant the genetic material of the superior sire.

They altered parts of the host pigs’ genetic codes to make sure their weaker sperm was not used to fertilise female pigs.

Stem cells with the potential to become sperm were then implanted into the testicles of the surrogate.

Because the gene therapy left the host’s testes intact, the stem cells of the pedigree pigs could then develop into fully formed sperm.

This allows the superior male’s DNA to be passed on by many surrogate fathers after its death.

Existing techniques use chemotherapy drugs and irradiation, similar to the methods used to treat cancer in humans, to make

PICTURE: JP/FLICKR

New study on how surrogate sperm pigs could host the seed of sought-after fathers and breed valuable piglets

Pig improvement: Scientists used DNA to help breeding

Pain during sex not uncommon  Amy Denman

Nearly one in ten women experiences pain during sex, a two-year survey found.

More than 8,800 women aged 16 to 74 between 2010 and 2012 spoke to researchers at UCL and the School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, for the National Survey Of Sexual Attitudes And Lifestyles.

Of the 6,600 who had been sexually active in the past year, 7.5 per cent of those reported feeling pain during sex.

Nearly two per cent of those had ‘morbid’ pain, lasting at least six months, occurring very often, and leaving them feeling distressed.

Of the 1,708 who had not been sexually active in the past year, two per cent said they avoided sexual

Clear up IVF stats or ban ads, researcher tells the industry  Amy Denman

Big picture: Scientists called for care to take in sex lives

intercourse because they had felt or feared pain during sex. Researcher Dr Kirstin Mitchell said: ‘This data demonstrates the importance

of taking a holistic approach to medical care which takes into account the sexual, relationship and health context of symptoms.’

Success rates shown on IVF clinic websites could be misleading, according to a study from the University of Manchester.

The rates advertised by fertility specialists can be cherry picked by the clinics themselves, leading to an inaccurate picture of how many people they help conceive.

Jack Wilkinson, a medical statistician at Manchester, is calling for clinics to be banned from advertising unless a binding standard for reporting success rates is introduced.

The doctoral research fellow said: ‘The concern is that clinics can always

the surrogate pigs infertile before transferring proto-sperm cells.

But as in humans, this harms the pigs’ other organs and can damage the sperm production tissue in the testicles – a problem bypassed by this new type of gene editing.

The technique also allows female pigs’ genes to be altered without making them infertile, meaning the DNA edit can be passed on through conventional breeding.

Prof Bruce Whitelaw from Edinburgh’s Roslin Institute, said: ‘This could dramatically improve the production efficiency and quality of farmed pigs, as well as enhancing other desirable traits such as disease resilience in production animals.’

Prof Whitelaw’s team worked with researchers at Washington State University and the University of Maryland in the US, as well as the country’s Department of Agriculture.

A gynodioecious lobelia

in terms of their ability to change sex to suit their surroundings.

The study at Lincoln took four years to complete and found the amount of light received by gynodioecious plants has a significant effect on sexual expression and reproductive output.

Researchers found the flowers that received high levels of light in their habitats were more likely to change their gender, which scientists believe is because the ability to

change sex takes a lot of the plants’ resources and light means energy.

Dr Sandra Varga, who led the research at Lincoln, said: ‘The evolution and maintenance of such sexual polymorphism has been investigated by evolutionary biologists for decades. It is one of the most important developments in the evolution of plant breeding systems. However, understanding the causes and consequences is challenging because so many

Future of bugs at risk An insect’s ability to reproduce is hindered by climate change, according to a University of Sheffield study.

Bugs living in high latitude, or northern, countries such as Sweden are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change, but insects in lower latitude, southern countries are also affected.

The study found that young creepy crawlies exposed to mild heat while living in more northerly places had trouble reproducing as adults, which puts the future of their species in danger.

Lead researcher Dr Rhonda Snook said: ‘We already knew that insects are feeling the effect of climate change but we now know they are felt at much lower temperatures.

‘Our study is unique as we only exposed the insects to mild heat but tested the long-term impact this had on them as both juveniles and when they reached adulthood.

‘The results show that even small increases in temperature may still cause populations to decline because, while these insects don’t die because of the mild heat, they produce fewer offspring.’

Viable cure for hang-up Eggs-plain: Patients need clarity construct figures that show their own performance in the best possible light while making competitors look bad.

‘This is not helpful to patients, who may struggle to understand differences in what each clinic reports may be misled into making comparisons on the basis of incomparable results.’

The researchers found out of a total of 79 IVF practices listed on an online registry, 53 used performance outcome measures on their websites.

Out of the 53 clinics, 83 per cent reported pregnancy rates, but 51 per cent reported live birth rates.

The clinics used 31 different ways to report their success rates.

Plants change their sex depending on the weather Some plants alter their sexual expression depending on how much light they can get, according to a study from the University of Lincoln.

Dioecious plants, including mulberry and spinach, which start as male or female, are well known to be able to change sex each time they flower each year.

But gynodioecious plants, which carry either female or both sex parts, have been relatively under studied

IN BRIEF

different factors might be involved in the process of changing from one sex to another.

‘Our research clearly showed sex expression was changeable over the course of the study and was directly related to light availability.’

Scientists observed 326 plants and changed their location several times, varying between high and low levels of light to replicate the different environments the plants would be exposed to.

Scientists at Imperial College London may have found a cure for mental disorder affecting people’s ability to have fulfilling sex.

Researchers are in the early stages of a study looking into kisspeptin, a hormone that stimulates the release of other reproductive hormones.

Scientists have held a trial, in which 29 heterosexual young men who were healthy were injected with the hormone or a placebo.

While in an MRI scanner, the men were shown a variety of sexual and non-sexual images of couples while researchers scanned their brains to analyse how kisspeptin affected their responses.

The trial showed there was enhanced brain activity in the men who had been given the hormone.

Researchers believe this could be used to stimulate brain activity in people with psychological sexual disorders, but the trial will need to be conducted on a larger group.

Dr Alexander Comninos, first author of the study, said: ‘Our study shows that kisspeptin boosts sexual and romantic brain activity as well as decreasing negative mood. This raises the interesting possibility that kisspeptin may have uses in treating psychosexual disorders and depression, which are major health problems which often occur together, but further studies would be needed to investigate this.’

DJ Hannah Wants talks making lists as a child, underground raves and coming out to play

I realised my dreams  Louisa Kendal

S

ETTING a list of goals as a child to help you land your dream job is a pretty normal thing to do. However, not

everyone can tick those targets off in the years to come.

DJ Hannah Smith, AKA Hannah Wants, has been able to do exactly that. ‘I actually found a list I set myself on my computer the other day, that I had written years and years ago and it had stuff on there

such as “have a Radio 1 show” and “have a Mixmag session”.

‘It’s nice to see my hard work has got me where I wanted to be.’

The dreams written on her list were not the only ones she has been able to make happen through pursuing her music career.

‘DJ EZ was at the forefront of the grime and garage genre when I was growing up and I bought all of his albums,’ she tells me.

‘He’s my DJ idol and I played before and after him at an event, which is the dreaded task of any DJ, but it was an honour.

‘He said some really nice things to me – to hear him say he enjoyed my set was amazing, for someone of his calibre to say that to me.

‘He’s so talented and so passionate about the art. When I was a teenager I never would have dreamed I would be playing on the same bill as him, so it’s stuff like that you can reminisce

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M

studio sessions as we chat over the phone and is currently working on an album, which we can expect at the USICIANS’ careers to success in 2016 with By Your Side end of this year. might be inspired and Perfect Strangers.

But he tells me he is dedicating the by their favourite He says after Fast Car he was next few studio sessions to recording artists and kick programmes around,’ he laughs. getting demands for more music a single, scheduled for release in started by a talent ‘But to me, as a young kid, it was and got to work writing his next March. This is the only information spotter or an agent. amazing to see this island and the successful single, Perfect Strangers, he is allowed to give me though, and But for Jonas Blue, it all started with music. I was really inspired by that. almost straight away. he moves on to talking about his I had all a box of Coco Pops and a cheesy TV ‘To be able to see people such as ‘It came about when Fast Car was and the pairing proved a recipe for upcoming tour. of these fans show on clubbing holidays.

Carl Cox, David Morales and David blowing up all around the world and success, as the single reached No.2 in ‘I’m working on the live shows, I never knew Jonas Blue, real name Guy Robin, Guetta made me say, “that’s what I the record label asked me what was the UK charts last year. where I’m going to be featuring a full I had writing tells me his passion for DJing started want to be”.’ next,’ he adds.

Robin shows no sign of slowing band and performing all the songs and asking at just seven.

His first big break came one ‘I had all of these fans I never knew down for 2017 – his year has already live to certain key gigs,’ he says. for new The Londoner grew up watching morning at breakfast.

I had writing to me and asking for got off to a positive start, with A full live schedule for the DJ is yet music a TV programme about clubbing ‘Around that time a box of cereal new music, so I took some time and nominations for two Brit Awards, for to be disclosed, but We Are FSTVL Jonas Blue holidays, similar to BBC Three’s Sun, that I used to eat religiously had sat in the studio. best British Single and best British and the Isle Of Wight Festival have Sex And Suspicious Parents, which prizes in it,’ he explains.

‘Like with all my songs I started Artist Video. announced he will be gracing their inspired him to try DJing.

‘One of the weeks the prize was a with the piano, and work out some ‘It’s crazy,’ he tells me. ‘Last year I stages this summer.

‘It was one of the worst free piece of software for computer melodies that sound really cool and went as a guest to the Brits and to go This isn’t enough for some fans programming and that’s how I got progressions.’ back this year with two nominations, though. Robin is very much in into music production.

The DJ tells me it didn’t take him a billion streams and 10million worldwide demand, with followers ‘And I’ve been doing it every day long to come up with a catchy tune – singles sold – it’s a little bit of a tweeting him from Manchester to the since – thank you, Coco Pops!’

‘The opening sound that you hear is difference from last year.’

Philippines asking him to visit a place Three award nominations, two the first thing I came up with.’

Being nominated alongside artists near them soon. top ten singles and 20 years later, He collaborated with JP Cooper, such as Calvin Harris, Rihanna and ‘It just goes to show that music is he certainly has a lot to thank the a fellow British artist, for the track Tinie Tempah is also proving to be a a universal language,’ he tells me. popular chocolate cereal for. surreal experience. ‘It’s going to be a ‘One of my first gigs was in Mexico, to The record producer gained crazy year,’ Robin says.

100,000 people, and I only had Fast international recognition in 2015 with It’s clear the success still hasn’t hit Car out at the time.’

When members buy own brand products in food stores. Exclusions and restrictions apply. See Membership T&Cs at www.coop.co.uk/membership his single Fast Car, featuring a Dakota home for the producer.

With 20 years’ experience under his Exclusions and restrictions apply, see coop.co.uk/studentfeed cover of the 1988 original by Tracy ‘I am so grateful and happy that I’ve belt, you would think the musician Chapman. He continued his journey got the chance to be there and be nominated,’ he adds.

The 27-year-old is in between

 Maya Jundi

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Comment

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February 2017

Want to have your say about a current event? Email your comment to editor@unipaper.co.uk

Intolerance should be banned, not PJs Why does it matter what others wear?

PICTURE: NICHOLAS WANG/FLICKR



the right wing’s hysterical reaction to trivial issues.

The Mail Online made a gibe at the honours system in reaction to the death of campaigner Jill Saward, asking: ‘Doesn’t it say it all about our rotten honours system that while vapid celebrities and self-serving mandarins are showered with gongs, a woman of grit and integrity who immeasurably improved the lives of countless others got nothing?’

The response to the death of someone who dedicated her life to campaigning for sexual assault

overreaction was the backlash received by Gary Lineker on Have I

I would never wear pyjamas to Tesco, people wearing them in public doesn’t affect me

Thomas Hughes, Nottingham uni

Got News For You, where he joked that most Leave voters would be dead by the time Brexit takes place.

Do they not know that he was on a comedy show, and it was a joke?

What these cases show is that right-wingers are constantly itching

are from the very group who defend free speech. They are correct to do so, but if it’s acceptable to poke fun at minorities then it is acceptable to ridicule right wing blunders too.

As part of their commitment to free speech, the advocates criticise universities for preventing hate speech on campuses to not offend minority students. This idea of filtering to avoid offence sprung to mind when reading Tesco’s response to the pyjama photo.

The Facebook comment said: ‘Many of our customers have told

opened, just like it is now.

‘The dance moves have definitely changed but other than that it’s still all about the music and the places you go to.’

As well as touring the UK and Ireland, Wants will take Play across the Atlantic. She tells me an American crowd is different from a UK one.

‘America is a lot more happy than the UK,’ she says. ‘When I go to America everyone is there for the us they uncomfortable rave butfeel there doesn’t seem when to be a they see other shoppers wearing drug culture. unsuitable our stores ‘They’re aclothing lot morein talkative than and we trycome to find a grab balance Brits anddo will and me that everyone happy with.’20 Is it before my set. is I will put aside just me, to or chat do these anti-pyjama minutes to people – I’m customers sound blessed to do whatremarkably I do so I willlike never students feel uncomfortable take thatwho for granted.’ when theyWants are confronted with Hannah plays Hideout offensive theruns right?

Festival in views Croatia,from which from Perhaps Tesco should June 26 to 30.

For full Playstart tour putting dates, trigger warnings in the windows go to www.hannahwants.com

of their stores, warning people that other shoppers might be dressed in a way which upsets them, and giving them the option to go to Waitrose if they are offended.

Apart from being easily offended, students, according to many on the right, are also guilty of possessing a sense of entitlement.

Well, I’d say the man who took the photo of the pyjama clad women is also pretty entitled, as are those who believe the freedom of others should be sacrificed for their quality of life.

This is not the only example of how the left and right are similar.

While they both have some valid criticisms of one another, they are often guilty of the same faults.

People from both sides of the political spectrum cannot stand it when someone proposes an alternative view to their own.

The difference is liberals tend to stick their fingers in their ears and hope the view they disagree with goes away, whereas the right respond with angry discourse in the hope that they will intimidate the opposition into silence.

Mental health problems affect more people than you think and just because you cannot see them does not mean they are not there.

When someone has cancer or breaks a bone you can see they are suffering and in pain. However, when someone has demons inside their head it isn’t necessarily visible, but it doesn’t mean it’s not there.

In 2015 there were 6,188 recorded suicides in the UK and over 75 per cent of those were by males.

Suicide is the most common cause of death for men aged between 20 and 49 in the UK. On December 14, Sam Ashe, a bright young man who had the world in front of him, took his own life. He was only 19.

He was loved and extremely well thought of by his family, friends and girlfriend. His school peers were distraught. He was the last person you would expect to be dealing with mental health issues, however

You have no idea what goes on behind closed doors, especially behind the closed doors of someone’s mind

Emma Mazey, University of South Wales

Hannah Wants

For more music interviews and entertainment news, go to www. unipaper.co.uk

No fakes: Every woman’s body shape is ‘real’

Curves are not just another trend for the fashion world Last year we had the year of the curve. Social media adulated the likes of Khloe Kardashian, Ariel Winter, Iskra Lawrence and many other curvaceous models and actresses.

The magazines and newspapers told us ‘curves are here to stay’.

We’ve been instructed to embrace and flaunt our womanly shapes.

In a time where being skinny has been glamourised by the fashion industry, it has been refreshing and empowering to see another body type flourishing under the media’s attention.

Despite the benefits, we can’t ignore the psychological harm this new ‘trend’ has brought in. For a start, women’s bodies should never be portrayed as a trend.

Being curvy is not a phase and neither is being skinny, nor anything else in between. Women’s bodies are not like mom jeans or chokers for you to wear one season and dispose of the next. No body

and destructive and some men and women use it to criticise bodies they don’t like and to state their own preference.

Being told ‘real women have curves’ is just as psychologically detrimental and hurtful as saying all women should be skinny.

Every woman is real regardless of whether their hips measure 39 inches or not.

Indeed, it is truly wonderful the media is starting to embrace a wider range of bodies. However, the range represented in the media is still somewhat limited. Although curvy bodies are showcased, they are usually the same.

The models have a somewhat idealistic hourglass figure with big assets, hips and a flat stomach. To a lot of women and girls this is just as unrealistic as being a size zero.

It is simply inaccurate for the media to state that it is an accurate realistic representation of women.

Iskra Lawrence is a plus size model

Brit-nominated Jonas Blue tells us his chart success started with a cereal habit

Popping out hits

Mental health is invisible but it needs to be seen  Emma Mazey

I used to go to house raves back in the day and it was about the love of music

PICTURE: IVANNAH DOOBIE/FLICKR

I would love to have those tracks just to play for myself at home. ’ Wants is now in the middle of a UK on and it makes you happy.’ and Ireland tour titled Play. The tour, But her achievements have not which is her brainchild, will see the come without hardship.

British DJ accompanied by new and days and admits she was a bit young ‘Back in the day, I used to run an established faces . to be attending such events. online record store, when I was about ‘I was getting a bit sick of seeing my ‘I started raving when I was about 20,’ Wants tells me. ‘Everything got own name all the time so I wanted to 16 because they weren’t so strict on stolen. It was one of the worst days change the tour name,’ she laughs.

ID back then,’ she adds. of my life because they took my ‘Play came about when I was in ‘It was a time when house, bassline massive collection and some rare Ibiza and my friend and I would and garage were at the forefront [vinyls] that I will never find again.’ always joke “we’re coming out to of the Birmingham music scene, so However, she was determined not play” so we thought it was a funny I learned a lot about music from to let the theft stop her doing what use of words. watching the local DJs.’ she loved.

‘It’s still going to be about finding She believes the underground rave ‘Giving up DJing was never an new talent and bringing in bigger scene has remained largely the same.

Thomas Hughes option,’ she says. names.’

‘When I used to go out I was one You may to becollect awareCDs of the story of ‘I began as quickly The inspiration for her new tour of the younger ones raving with an a Tesco customer who branded as I could, then USBs to allow me to comes from her days of underage older crowd and now I’m one of the two fellow shoppers ‘bloody have loads of music without carrying raving at gritty venues in her home older ones raving with a younger disgusting’ forwallets. wearing their around my CD town of Birmingham. crowd,’ she says. pyjamas in atoSalford ‘I’ve started rebuildstore. my vinyl ‘When I was a raver it was all about ‘I used to go to house music raves He posted anand image two collection now I’ve of gotthe some the music,’ she says. ‘There are more back in the day and it was just about women onwhich the supermarket’s turntables I use as a hobby, but events on now than there were the love of music until the doors got Facebook page and demanded ten years ago, so we want to take customers dressed this way should it back to the music and make the not be served. production a lot darker.

The news received mixed ‘We’ve been working on the reactions, with some agreeing that production for months so we can’t wearing pyjamas in a public place is wait for it to come to life. unacceptable and others condemning ‘At EDM events the lighting can be the man for his actions. so overpowering. We’ve handpicked Personally, I would never wear Pyjama drama: underground venues that are perfectA shopper browsing their nightwear pyjamas to Tesco, or any public for the rave scene. victims to it celebrate her for something to get angry about. place, however people wearing ‘Whenshould I was a be raver would either lifedark and house achievements, exploit The atrocities taking place in Syria pyjamas in public doesn’t affect me be parties ornot warehouses themthe as music an opportunity nor does it affect the man who took and and that’sto it –attack that’sthe are bloody disgusting, two people honours which has wearing pyjamas in Tesco is not. the photo, which is why his reaction where mysystem, love foran theissue underground little relevance to Jill Saward.

The irony being that the people was so unnecessary. scene comes from.’

This is not an isolated example of Another exampleabout of right who criticised Lineker’s comment The DJ reminisces herleaning raving

here we are mourning the loss of a young life taken too soon.

Less than a month later, another young man from my school year, Matthew Rowe, also took his life. He was another incredibly intelligent person, who had a loving family and friendship group.

These examples make it very clear you have no idea what goes on behind closed doors, especially behind the closed doors of someone’s mind, which is perhaps why it is so hard to identify.

Sam’s family have set up a charity called 19, with the aim of helping to reduce suicide rates among young men so tragedies like these don’t keep on happening.

The charity is a place for men to talk about their emotions and debunk the myth that showing these emotions isn’t the ‘masculine’ thing to do. It has been set up in Sam’s memory and I am sure, knowing his kind-hearted nature, he would be ecstatic his family are using their grief to prevent the loss of more

would want to slow down and take some time to bask in his well-earned success.

However, he shows no desire to take a break just yet and with a prosperous year ahead of him who can blame him?

Robin says his motivation comes from his fans across the globe as well as himself.

‘I do music because I love it,’ he lives. says. ‘I have made it my passion and do it day in, day out. And the It is vital mental it is spoken about sole reason I make musichealth is to make people happy.’ and treated with respect.

A friend We Are FSTVL takes place once near said to me: ‘You probably London on May 27 and 28.have more chance of

If you feel you are at risk of self-harm or suicide, you can call the Samaritans 24/7 on 116 123

saving someone from suicide, as long as they have the resources available to them, than you do of saving them from dying of cancer.’

So let’s do just that: help those suffering and acknowledge their pain is worthy.

Rest in peace Sam Ashe and Matthew Rowe – two incredible young men who had their whole lives ahead of them.

The phrase ‘real men like curves, only dogs go for bones’ is damaging but some people use it to state their preference Ursula Rifat, Cardiff University

shape should ever fall subject to a particular trend and we should never be made to feel like we need to change the way we look in order to be en vogue.

The comments I see on celebrities’ Instagram pictures sadden me. A large number of young girls often write comments along the lines of ‘I wish I looked like this’ or ‘why can’t I have curves like her’.

Even worse are the men (and women) who claim ‘all women should look like this’ and ‘this is what a real woman looks like’.

Skinny shaming is very much a thing and has particularly come to light in recent years, mainly because curves are ‘in’.

The phrase ‘real men like curves, only dogs go for bones’ is damaging

and a brilliant role model. She is often called ‘real’ in a number of publications.

However, the issue is that just because Iskra is ‘curvy’, this does not mean she represents the rest of the female population accurately by default.

So what can we do about it? At the end of the day, no particular type of body should ever be put on a pedestal and whether or not we buy into harmful consumerism, it is important to remember women’s bodies are never a trend.

We cannot be flexible and yield to whatever the media, celebrities or anyone else thinks we should look like. Let’s hope 2017 will be the year of self content.

Ursula Rifat

Your Life

11

Students reveal their unique experiences at university. Email editor@unipaper.co.uk to tell your story

Stripping pays my way as a student

February 2017

Do you have an unusual lifestyle at university?

Email editor@ unipaper.co.uk

Rather then work in a shop to fund her time at the University of Brighton, Misha, 21, decided to get a job as a pole dancer

I

GOT into pole fitness when I was 15 and I always fixated on the idea of being a stripper. When I was 18, as soon as I got the opportunity, I went for it.

At the time I was at college studying an art foundation course and once I decided I was going to uni to do an actual degree I knew I was going to move my dancing from Bristol, where I’m from, to Brighton.

I haven’t told any of my lecturers or tutors about my job. There have been times when I haven’t been in at my 9ams because I have been working until 5am the night before, but I can’t say ‘I was naked in the VIP room sipping Champagne’.

I told one seminar leader once and I tell all my friends. I will keep it from people if I need to.

When you first tell people, they’re curious, but now my friends know,

it’s not a big deal for them.

When I first started uni, a few guys came into the club. I was fairly new and I gave them a dance and it turned out they were at the University of Brighton. I said ‘that’s cool’ but a week later I saw them walk into my lecture room.

I hid my face but they noticed me.

It’s a bit awkward. I’ve also given a

When I give a dance, I think about if I can be bothered, or if I want some food, how I’m going to make him spend more money or make sure he doesn’t touch me, but I don’t have to switch off.

A perk of the job is that I don’t have to wake up in the morning and go to work – I’m not a morning person. But getting ready for work, sometimes I just can’t be bothered.

I can’t say ‘I was naked in the I’ve got to shave [everywhere], VIP room sipping Champagne’ there’s so much preening before you go to work, which I’m bad at – lap dance to a lecturer from another usually I don’t even brush my hair. university.

Also, it’s hard to keep two sets of Maybe it’s a bit like when you friends, your stripper ones and your work in Tesco and you see your uni ones, because you have to keep friend and it’s a bit embarrassing. them separate.

I don’t feel empowered by my job, And then there’s also having your but then I don’t think you should friends who want to go out in the have to – a waitress shouldn’t feel week on student nights but you empowered because she brought don’t want to because you want to you over a plate of chips. go to sleep and have a night off.

Two lives: Misha on the pole during one of her shifts at work

Another problem with dancing is there is the stigma and a stereotype where everyone thinks you’re rich, but as a dancer everyone forgets it’s just your job.

The thing about being a dancer and a student is it’s quite bland and normal.

My friend gets up to lots of mischief, but I’m a lot more boring.

She’s taken a guy out and slept with him for £1,000 because he was in a wheelchair. She said he only lasted two minutes but I mean you could do that if you got the opportunity – £1,000 for about two minutes, brilliant.

We have some absolutely horrendous house parties.

Have you ever been out for a night, come back with all your stripper friends and a few strangers, gone outside and made clothes out of bin bags and played musical chairs at 7am?

I wouldn’t call dancing a career, it’s just a job.

We’ve got girls dancing in their mid-30s and earning thousands a week but that’s not me. I will probably look for a career in something that interests me, maybe something similar, to do with the sex industry.

But I think I’m going to be a stripper for as long as possible, however secret it has to be.

It’s good for now and I would like to dance all over the world.

Jobs

February 2017

Ann Summers CEO Jacqueline Gold tells TUP how you can be the perfect candidate

ALSO ON JOBS. UNIPAPER.CO.UK

I

 The University Paper CON of British business Jacqueline Gold knows a thing or two about putting yourself forward as a top candidate.

The Ann Summers CEO took a small chain of shops and turned it into a multi-million pound industry thanks to some great ideas (hello Rampant Rabbit), great marketing and, of course, hiring the right people.

We caught up with her to find out what she looks for in an applicant, how to make a CV stand out and acing an interview...

Dragons’ Den star Deborah Meaden reveals how you can survive a tough interview

What advice do you have for graduates trying to stand out from the crowd when applying for jobs?

Think about what really makes you different, whether that’s through a skill, experience or a particular passion and make sure you share this and make it relevant to the role you are applying for. For me, cover letters are one of the best ways to grab the attention of a prospective employer so make sure you spend a good amount of time getting this right and presenting yourself in the best possible light. Always remember that a prospective employer will want to feel you are not just knowledgeable but passionate about their business.

Content is absolutely critical, but also think about how you are visually presenting the information.

You will be one of quite a few CVs and they will all be on white paper with black ink – think about how you can make yours stand out visually and be memorable.

How would you make a CV and cover letter stand out?

The best are tailored and written specifically for the business that the role being applied for is within. As an employer there is nothing worse than receiving a CV that shows no understanding of the business or thought as to how the skills being showcased would work for the specific role being applied for. No one wants to receive a CV that it’s so clear has been sent to many other businesses. I appreciate applying for jobs can sometimes feel like a numbers game – just getting lots of CVs out – but I believe to be successful you need to be tailored and really think about making every application as specific to the business you are applying to as possible.

Which experience should graduates include on their CVs and which should they avoid including?

Look at the experience you have and how you can describe that to best suit the role you are applying for. Don’t discount any experience you have, just look at it from different perspectives and think of the skills you have learnt and challenges you have overcome.

Every experience teaches us

Reggae Reggae Sauce’s Levi Roots talks about his difficult route to success

Former Dragons’ Den investor Kelly Hoppen speaks of her incredible journey

Make sure your CV fits the role you apply for Brief encounter: Jacqueline Gold, above, recommends doing your research before any interview

Fancy more interviews with industry titans and magnates?

Head on over to jobs. unipaper. co.uk where you will find heaps of great articles and advice on offer

something, it’s just presenting that in the right way.

What do you look for when you hire new staff?

I love to work with passionate people who are genuinely excited about our business and what we do.

I want to work with people who will challenge me and are full of ideas as to how the business can move forward and continue to grow.

For me, the best new hires are the people who demonstrate they really want to work for us and have that fire in their belly to want to achieve and grow with us. Any business can help to develop and teach an individual skills – what you can’t teach is self-motivation, belief and passion. That’s what I want to see.

Do you have any tips for job interviews?

Do your research before you go to any interview. Make sure you know as much as you can about the company. If they are on social media, follow them so you can get a feel for their tone of voice and style and also get up to speed on any company news. I’m always impressed by candidates who can

talk about the latest products we have launched, know about our business updates and have a view on what we can do next. I also always think you should finish any interview by asking the person who has interviewed you if they have any reservations about you that you could address before you leave. It’s a bold thing to do, but it gives you a chance to address any concerns they may have upfront rather than leaving them to dwell and question your suitability for the role.

I want to work with people who will challenge me and are full of ideas

Jacqueline Gold

What are the common mistakes people make that can put employers off hiring?

Not knowing enough about the business and making it seem as if they just want any job. On top of that, there are also the cardinal sins of turning up late, not dressing smartly and avoiding eye contact – but I’m sure most of your readers know to not do any of those things!

Do you think female graduates have a harder time getting noticed?

I don’t think it’s fair to generalise that female graduates have a harder time getting noticed, but I do think

Looking for a graduate job?

Go to jobs. unipaper.co.uk

in certain sectors there are more challenges than others. I want women to be more confident in their own ability, and this needs to start as soon as you put yourself out into the workplace. Believe in yourself and your ability, don’t talk yourself down or out of a role, and always put yourself forward. Too many young women sit back and wait to be offered a role or promotion, as women we have to take more control and have the confidence to believe that we can be whatever we want to be. Don’t be put off by male dominated industries – if you want to follow that career path then go for it, show what different skills you bring and if you can find yourself a mentor who will help support, guide and advise you then do that. The support will be invaluable.

You took some brave risks in your career which paid off and made Ann Summers very

successful. Would you advise people to take risks in their careers?

I wouldn’t say I have taken lots of risks. I have made decisions that I have felt passionately about and sometimes not everyone has agreed so the perception may be that these are risky. But I know my business inside and out and every decision I make is to take it forward and give our customers what they want. I don’t always get it right, but that’s how we learn and grow. I have always pushed myself outside of my comfort zone and I don’t think that’s risky. I think it’s about growing as an individual and always challenging myself to be better. I wouldn’t advise people to take risks, what I would advise is to step outside of their comfort zone as when you challenge yourself and do something different, the possibilities are endless. Don’t be afraid to go after what you want.

What’s On

13

The Lowdown

February 2017

Y L H G HI CT E P S SU

P18-19

EMILY WITT The author tells us the future of our sex lives

Rock ‘n’ roll warriors

P23

SARA PASCOE On hair, hormones and finding sperm research

Highly Suspect’s Johnny sticks it to the man

P24-25

HANNAH WANTS Is far from finished with underground raving

A

 Tom Gellatly

JONAS BLUE Goes retro to tell us how a ‘90s TV show inspired him to get into music

PICTURE: JENN FIVE

P24-25

MERICA is something of a divided country following the election of Donald Trump and rock band Highly Suspect have played an active role in the political debate, on Twitter at least.

‘There are a lot of emotions,’ lead singer Johnny Stevens sighs. ‘Anger is one of them. Humiliation, shock, embarrassment, sadness are all emotions that go along with that.

‘It’s not even Trump himself I’m so upset with – he’s always been a douchey person and he’s never tried to hide that. It’s the fact that so many people think it’s OK to hold their prejudices. America’s in a really weird spot right now.’

The Massachusetts trio, which is also made up of brothers Rich Meyer on bass and drummer Ryan Meyer, have made anti-Trump statements on their Twitter page since the billionaire was elected in November. Some of their

opinions have been criticised by fans but the band are far from shy of biting back.

As I ask Stevens about their Twitter, we get on to the subject of Martin Luther King Junior, who the band posted a photo of on his birthday.

‘That is just something you do to observe a great man,’ Stevens says.

‘I was attacked by people saying “don’t put your political bias upon us,” but what I did wasn’t a political move at all. That was just celebrating one of our national heroes and never before would anyone have thought it was OK to open your mouth and be negative.

‘But now we’re in a climate that’s so divided it feels like nothing I’ve ever felt as long as I’ve been alive in this country. It feels like this country has taken a massive step backwards.’

I ask Stevens if the backlash bothers him. ‘A lot of people say to me “you’re going alienate your fans”,’ he says.

‘I don’t feel like that, I feel like my country has alienated me. I refuse to be silenced. Compromising your principles for the sake of sales is not what rock ‘n’ roll is about.’

It’s something the trio can speak with authority on, as their track My Name Is Human has been nominated for a Best

Giving up your principles for the sake of sales is not what rock ‘n’ roll is about

Johnny Stevens, Highly Suspect

ON TOUR Mar 4 Glasgow, Saint Luke’s Mar 6 Birmingham, O2 Academy Mar 7 Manchester, Sound Control Mar 9 London, KOKO

Rocking rebels: (clockwise from front) Johnny Stevens, Rich Meyer and Ryan Meyer

Rock Song Grammy Award.

‘It’s very humbling,’ Stevens says.

‘This song is our third nomination.

‘It’s been surreal but also very validating. It’s crazy that we’re there with the legends David Bowie, Metallica and Radiohead, who are some of my favourite musicians ever. To be placed in a category alongside them at the Grammys is a high honour.’

Going up against their heroes means the band also have offstage reputations to keep up with.

‘I guarantee you I have crazier stories than anyone I’ve ever been on tour with,’ Stevens assures me, but it seems he is more willing to speak about politics than the trio’s antics.

‘I just don’t speak about them because it’s really not appropriate,’ he says. ‘We keep those among ourselves.

It gets really wild on tour.’

We judge for ourselves when the band tour the UK in March. I ask which venue Stevens is looking forward to performing at the most.

‘I’ve heard KOKO is pretty awesome and I’ve got a lot of friends in London, so maybe that’s the one I’m looking forward to the most,’ he says.

‘But to be honest, I can’t decide – I’m looking forward to all of them. I just love playing in new venues and going to different, new places.’ The band will

play tracks from their latest album The Boy Who Died Wolf, which has been hailed as an impressive show of the band’s potential.

I ask Stevens if the reception from fans has been equally positive.

‘It’s been great – everybody’s been really receptive, which was nice because I wasn’t sure how people would react,’ Stevens tells me.

‘But I don’t worry about that when making an album – my intention is not to please everyone.

‘There were people who heard it and didn’t like it, they thought it was too different to the first album and that’s cool too.’

After the tour, Stevens plans to leave whatever it is the trio got up to on tour behind him and settle back down to writing.

‘Towards the end of this year I’m going think about getting back into the studio and recording another album,’ he tells me.

‘Touring is fun but it takes a lot out of you – by the time a year is over I’m pretty much spent.

‘I’ll be looking forward to getting back into the studio and making another album, and seeing where my head is at that point.’

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The Lowdown

15

February 2017

Hello

OVERHEARD ON CAMPUS

from The University Paper

Us Brits tend to fall into two categories when it comes to discussing our sex lives.

The first type of person remains steadfastly tightlipped about all things S-E-X. They’re lights out, doors locked, secret, secret, secret.

Yes they might admit to taking someone home on a night out but, come on, we want all the gory details!

The second type is the complete opposite.

They’ll tell you about every smudge, splash, speck and splosh until you’re screaming at them to keep shut up, at least till you’ve finished your poached eggs on toast.

In this, the sex edition of The University Paper (which was VERY eye-opening to write, by the way) we very much belong in the second category.

We chat to the president of

Should I swipe right on a man from the gym? Would it be super awkward?

the University of Birmingham’s Fetish Society about everything from penchants for feet to – the very-literally named kink – electric play.

We also speak to sexual libertarian and author Emily Witt about getting hot in an orgy tent in the Black Rock Desert, orgasmic meditation and attending a shoot for a porn film.

However, if you’re more the first type of person, who would prefer to discuss anything but sex, we’ve still got plenty to enjoy – we talk about launching a career thanks to Coco Pops with musician Jonas Blue and DJ Hannah Wants discusses underage raving and fulfilling the life goals of her younger self.

Much love

The TUP team

University College London

I don’t know how my flatmate does it but he always manages to go out and convince guys to give him their hoodies or jackets so every night he comes back with four additional bits of clothing.

Cardiff University

Had a tummy bug for around a week now. Thank god for communal toilet roll buying, it’s saved me a fortune.

Manchester Met

Today’s library progress: Tinder matches: minus one. Meal deals consumed: two. Doodles: two.

Work completed: zero. Anxiety levels: 999,999

University of Edinburgh

I’m not that fussed about Ed Sheeran – am I a bad person?

University College London

Cereal hitmaker: Jonas Blue

Why is socialism bad? (Genuinely don’t understand)

Manchester Met

Where did old Zealand go when New Zealand came along?

University of Edinburgh

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EDITORIAL

Thanks to the infinite multiverse theory, we can sleep peacefully knowing there’s a universe in which Donald Trump is affected by an immigration ban, Brexit didn’t happen and socialism works for us all.

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Sex

Secrets bind The leader of a fetish society tells us how they help students explore

F

 Amy Denman

IFTY Shades Of Grey drove many of us mad with desire, even if for some it was the desire to tear the pages out in frustration at phrases such as ‘my inner goddess is beside herself’.

The book, and now film series, has brought the world of whips and chains to the mainstream.

But as Rose, the president of Birmingham Guild of Students’ Fetish society, or FetSoc, is explaining, there’s so much more to kinky sex than ‘springing’ erections and red leather-clad play rooms.

It can be hard to find a safe space to express your darker side at university and Birmingham FetSoc, one of few university clubs of its kind, is dedicated to creating a friendly environment to explore.

Rose talks me through a typical session: ‘We usually start off in the student union bar – as people are arriving, it gives them somewhere chilled out to meet,’ she says.

‘Then we go to the sessions and we either have a general meeting where people just chat or they might talk about specific types of fetish they might have.’

Rather than a darkened dungeon, the society’s meeting place is the Rosa Parks room at the Guild – a carpeted space with a built-in projector and a computer.

They even have their own kit bag.

‘We’ve got things such as rope and floggers [tasselled whips],’ Rose tells me. ‘People can practice techniques together and have a lowpressure go with things they may never have used before.’

Like most societies, FetSoc has a stall at freshers’ fair, which tends to get a lot of attention. ‘We get all sorts of people coming up to

Darker sides of sex: Fifty Shades Of Grey sparked FetSoc interest

us,’ Rose tells me. ‘Sometimes it’s people on their own, sometimes it’s groups of friends who are like “so what do you guys do?” and sometimes you get couples.

‘It depends on the people, but we tend to get groups of friends who join and are just a bit curious.’

And for its faults, EL James’ work has sparked potential kinksters’ interest in alternative sex.

‘In the wake of Fifty Shades Of Grey, people have been introduced to a lot of these ideas,’ Rose says.

Society meetings can mark the first time members have been brave enough to discuss their fetishes.

‘We have a lot of things in common with LGBT+ groups because we’re dealing with people who have different interests and different ways of expressing their sexuality, who often feel discriminated against,’ she adds.

‘They can feel quite embarrassed and anxious about it.’

But she stresses the society is a

they’ve tackled BDSM on a budget.

‘It was about how to make the most of the things around you, rather than having to go out and buy expensive things,’ Rose explains.

And the group always tries to find new subjects to delve into.

‘We’ve got things coming up about bondage without rope – whatever our members want we will endeavor to have a session about,’ Rose says.

‘It’s all about making sure we’re learning together. It’s about exploring curiosities and broadening your mind.’

I ask if anything has ever made the president raise her eyebrows.

‘Is it bad I can say very little shocks me?’ she laughs.

‘The more unusual things that people have fetishes about are hands, or people who are into sploshing, which is food play.

‘People get a paddling pool, fill it with custard and have a wrestling match in it. Needle play is quite a

You’ve always got people to come to, if you have problems, who are never going to find it awkward that you’re talking to them about Rose, Birmingham Fetish society sex, sexuality and fetish place for members to explore their desires without prejudice.

‘People are very relaxed around each other because there is this real sense of no judgment within FetSoc – anything goes,’ she adds. ‘We have this saying, which is “your kink is not my kink but your kink is OK” – as long as it’s consensual.’

I ask what areas tend to come up for discussion.

‘We often have workshops, demonstrations and presentations on different areas of fetish,’ Rose says.

Topics covered in previous meetings include wax play, where a hot candle is melted over the subject’s skin; pet play, where one person acts as an animal – usually a dog, cat or horse – and safe anal sex, as well as anal play.

Riskier sounding areas of exploration have included electric play, where electrodes are applied to the body, and controversial kink, which can involve rough sex within pre-agreed parameters.

Sensibly for a student society,

high-up one – people have medical needles pushed through their skin to create patterns with it, but it’s quite an intense experience – that’s one of the more extreme ones. You also have take-down bondage, which is where one person will attack and attempt to restrain another person while they fight against them.’

With all this chat between members about deeply personal desires, it’s easy to understand how they form bonds (pardon the pun).

‘We build up great friendships because you’re letting people into this more secretive area of your life,’ Rose says. ‘That journey and progression builds up a lot of camaraderie.

‘We all go out to events together and people look after each other. You’ve always got people to come to, if you have problems, who are never going to find it awkward that you’re talking to them about sex, sexuality and fetish.

‘People tend to come out having a bit more understanding and appreciation about just how varied people can be with their sexuality.’

Do you have an interesting extra curricular activity?

Share your story by emailing us at editor@unipaper.

For more real life stories visit www. unipaper.co.uk

17

February 2017

us together their deepest desires in a safe, non-judgemental environment

Confessions of a dominant kinkster at university

 Amy Denman

Being the dominant INK online and in films and books has encouraged many in the relationship to dip their toes into the tends to mean world of BDSM. But for some, the acronym, which you don’t wear any markings stands for bondage, discipline, domination, submission, sadism and or brands, and masochism, is more than a curiosity. you can dress as you wish I asked a student who enjoys so there’ not being sexually dominant in much to hide, relationships with ‘submissives’ physically what it’s like to be a real-life

K

Christian Grey.

The male student, who wishes to remain anonymous, says he was ‘very young’ when he first became interested in control.

‘Proper research into the kink scene started at around 14 and I started engaging in kink at 16,’ he tells me.

The 19-year-old says he is ‘dominant by all accounts’ but admits: ‘I’m open minded, so few things are off the table.’

However, he does have favourites.

‘I enjoy dominance and submission, rope play, minor pet play [role-playing as animal and owner], objectification, master and

Dominant

slave relationships, sadism and pain play,’ he says.

The chemistry student adds university can be a hard place to start exploring fetishes.

‘I was already in a kink dynamic before entering university,’ he says.

‘However, from what I know from [fellow students], the scene is basically non-existent on campus.’

He says students tend to rely on FetLife, a social network for people with fetishes, to explore their kinks, adding: ‘Before I entered into a long term relationship it was a combination of social networking and online dating.’

He says he rarely visits fetish clubs but stresses they’re not the sordid places they are sometimes perceived to be.

‘Fetish clubs come in a vast array of quality, with decent security, bouncers, and play monitors [safety wardens],’ he adds.

‘There’s little that can cause someone to come to immense harm.

‘Because of the stigma surrounding kink, the community at large has become very safety conscious.’

Despite the stigma, the student

reveals he has not hidden his preferences from his housemates.

‘I have no qualms,’ he adds. ‘We are pretty open with each other, so they know – they probably assume I’m joking, but they know.

‘Being the dominant in the relationship tends to mean you don’t wear any markings or brands and can dress as you wish, so there’s little to hide, physically.’

‘Lesbian’ and ‘giantess’ popular porn searches

Pornhub reveal top searches in their 2016 stats review  Amy Denman

It’s not just in real life that Brits are exploring their kinkier side.

The latest stats from website Pornhub show searches for giantess kink, where women are made to seem well, giant, using PhotoShop or clever camera angles, have shot up by 354 per cent in the past year.

The site’s 2016 review also shows ‘lesbian’ was the most popular search

UK searches for ‘giantess’ rose by 354 per cent in the last year while ‘lesbian’ was the top term term in Britain over the 12 months, with ‘MILF’ and ‘step-sister’ lagging some way behind in second and third.

The average time for a British person to spend on the site last year was nine minutes and 18 seconds, although this rose by 19 seconds for visitors from Birmingham.

PORNHUB.COM/INSIGHTS

Pornhub

Future Sex  Henry Edwards

W

HEN I first heard about Emily Witt’s book Future Sex, images of people having steamy liaisons with Westworld-style androids came to mind.

But as the New York-based writer talks me through her research for the book – watching the filming of a porn shoot, visiting the virtual rooms of a webcam site and having sex with a stranger at a festival included – it seems the relationships she set out to examine were entirely human.

The book begins as Witt finds herself as a newly single 30-yearold questioning the monogamous, relationship-based sex life she assumed she would lead.

‘At first I thought I was going to write a cultural history of sexuality,’ she says. ‘Then a couple of weeks after I got the book deal, my relationship ended and I realised I was trying to answer some personal questions.’

Witt puts her own experiences at the centre of many of the book’s chapters, for example when she tells the reader about the day she got to know a stranger at Burning Man festival in America’s Nevada Desert, visiting an ‘orgy tent’ and steam baths with him.

She tells me it was hard to make the transition in her mind between charting a history of sex and writing about her own experiences.

‘At first, I was scared I was going to make myself unattractive to people,’ she adds.

‘If I went on a date and they Googled me, they might be put off by everything I’d done.

‘But in the end, that didn’t really happen and it was kind of the opposite.

‘I think some people were drawn to me, because I was comfortable about being honest.

I was worried if my dates Googled me, they’d be put off by what I’ve done Emily Witt ‘As women, we’re taught to fear the consequences of any sexual representation of ourselves but most men, I mean Donald Trump as an extreme example, can speak about their sexuality in a casual way.’

She was also worried about the potentially embarrassing experience of her family reading a book about her sexual adventures.

‘My parents read everything I write,’ she says. ‘When I started writing the book, I would try and write these really third-person accounts, but it read a bit stale.

‘In the end you’ve got to close your eyes and just do it.’

The ‘just do it’ attitude also proved useful as Witt immersed herself in her research.

While working out what to do with her new-found sexual freedom, Witt came across a group running workshops on orgasmic meditation – a practice where a woman lies on a yoga mat in a ‘nest’ of cushions while a ‘stroker’ – her partner or, in Witt’s case, someone she’s just met – touches her clitoris while wearing latex gloves, for a 15-minute period, timed on an iPhone. She

Getting it on(line) and off

Undercover: Witt writes about visiting an orgy tent with a stranger

Author’s journey reveals it’s always best to be open-minded about where your sex life might be heading says the experience, which was one of several she reported on first-hand, was one she was ‘not so comfortable with’.

In the book, she describes feeling ‘a deep, intense comfort’ from the breath of her ‘stroker’ against her leg and from concentrating on her own breathing, but not the orgasmic state of mind the workshop’s description suggests.

‘What I learned from the book is it’s better to put yourself in more uncomfortable positions rather than just to do what’s safe,’ she says.

‘It was good to try things – at least I found in trying things I was left with a sense of more possibilities.’

It’s better to put yourself in less comfortable positions rather than just to do what’s safe

Emily Witt, author

Another world she experienced for the first time was porn.

‘Writing the book was an interesting process of finding out how conservative I was,’ she says.

‘I didn’t think porn was for me, but I didn’t ever explore those beliefs, I just took them as truth.’

As a newcomer to explicit recordings, Witt threw herself in at the deep end, attending a professional shoot for the BDSM series Public Disgrace on Kink.com and, at the other end of the budget and production-values scale, watching and speaking to amateur stars of the live webcam site Chaturbate over the course

of several weeks. It was while interviewing users of the site that she came across the idea of being ‘internet-sexual’ – only having sexual contact online.

She came across a woman who performed sex acts with children’s toys, a female US college student who quoted a lot of literature, sometimes with no clothes on, and an artist who had left her hometown to care for her father and now used the site to connect with people.

It was the artist and women like her that Witt managed to interview for the book.

‘They were in isolated communities and taking care of an

For more entertainment news and interviews, go to www.unipaper. co.uk

elderly or sick relative,’ Witt says.

‘They weren’t in a position to go out or to go to a party.’

I wonder if the future of sex lies in this kind of website, which can present fewer risks than meeting for face-to-face sex – the dangers of STIs and being alone with a stranger are ruled out, for example.

‘The optimistic vision of this stuff is not that it’s going to create a more isolated society, but that it’s going to allow people who are more isolated to have some contact,’ Witt says.

And she insists sexual expression is not moving purely online.

‘I still think the end goal is companionship and sex,’ she says.

19

February 2017

From love nests to spontaneous orgasms, author Emily Witt examined plenty of sexual phenomena in her book. Here are a few of the terms she uses explained...

Coregasms They may sound like a ploy to get us to do more exercise, but core-orgasms, or yogasms, were discussed by sexologist Alfred Kinsey in 1953. No-one knows exactly why they happen, but they have been reported after lots of core work, often during yoga, by men and women.

Who knew a workout could be so fun?

This stands for bondage: using restraints to enhance sexual pleasure, discipline: imposing rules, punishments and rewards, and sadomasochism: the pleasure of pain, often embodied by whips, chains, nipple clamps and other implements likely to leave you a bit red in several places.

Internet-sexual

Personal journey: Author Emily Witt

This seems to be a term coined by Witt, after she spoke to a Chaturbate webcam performer who said she had never had sex in ‘real life’, although she had performed sexual acts for her followers on the site. Witt predicts that in the future, sex over the internet will

CHRIS@UNIPAPER.CO.UK 020 7580 6419

Advertise with us and get your business out there

PICTURE: ONE TASTE

BDSM

Strokes for folks: Orgasmic meditation

move from being seen as some kind of risky performance to being thought of as just another kind of sex.

Orgasmic meditation The group OneTaste, which Witt visited, describes this practice as harnessing the ‘orgasm state’ without focussing on whether or not someone climaxes.

A ‘stroker’ strokes the clitoris of a

‘strokee’ for 15 minutes, focussing on the sensation. Pillows are arranged in a ‘nest’ and each stroker wears a latex glove and uses a large amount of lube.

Plenty of ‘OM-ers’ have testimonials on the group’s website, detailing how much happier the practice has made them. Witt found orgasmic meditation in the wealthy, tech-savvy San Francisco Bay Area of California, but it’s also arrived in the UK – turnonbritain.co.uk.

22|The Interview

February 2017

Trump and I could get along Shappi Khorsandi chats about Britishness and losing her virginity – and tells Katie Hopkins where to go

Y

 Dan Heard

‘

ou sound Welsh’ is one of the first observations Shappi Khorsandi makes about me as we start chatting. She’s not wrong, because I am.

‘That’s the thing see, when I’m performing somewhere in England, I’m considered to be British, but if I was to go to Wales, I’d be considered English, and it’s the same in Scotland,’ the comedian says, before joking: ‘But in Cornwall, I’d be a pasty.’

Khorsandi is famed for her keenly-observed standup and is currently on tour with her show Oh My Country! However, she is also an accomplished author.

Her latest book, Nina Is Not OK was nominated for The Jhalak Prize, a new award created to

PICTURE: PIERS ALLARDYCE

honour the achievement of black, Asian and ethnic minority writers.

However, the 43-year-old decided to withdraw her book from the list.

‘I felt my book didn’t really fit in – it was something of an impostor there,’ she explains. ‘I mean, on the long-list, there were some incredible writers and people I admire, but it was awkward. I didn’t want to offend anyone, but it was challenging.’

She has tweeted that she felt her skin colour was up for the award rather than her book.

‘For me, it’s the whole black, Asian, minority thing,’ she adds.

‘I have an issue with that acronym and it being kind of thrust on me.

I didn’t want to get nominated or even win the award and then be known as BAM writer Shappi Khorsandi.

‘I think the author should be invisible. You don’t want to be picturing the author when reading the book, that’s why I like when writers do the pseudonym thing.

‘I even went as far as to name the main character Nina, as then, when the book is inevitably made into a film’ – she laughs – ‘any actress of colour can play her. If I’d named her Pandora, I’d have boxed myself in.’

Born in Iran, the comedian and her family moved to England

Those core things of British identity, like tea, Boris Johnson and Joanna Lumley, aren’t British at all

Shappi Khorsandi

when Khorsandi was six.

She tells me how her latest tour was her way of marking her years of being in the UK, and what being English means to her.

‘I was inspired by that hashtag that was used a lot during the referendum, #ProudToBeEnglish,’ she says. ‘I noticed how it was being used by people who wouldn’t really consider me to be English.’

Khorsandi wants to share the hypocrisies of British culture with the public.

‘Those core things of British identity, like tea, Boris Johnson and Joanna Lumley, aren’t British at all,’ she says (Boris was born in the US and Lumley in India). ‘Even HP Sauce isn’t – the ingredient that makes everyone love it? Tamarind.’

Her standup tour is, in her words, ‘a giant raspberry’ to anyone who says she isn’t British.

The show is open to everyone – Khorsandi would even welcome Nigel Farage and Donald Trump to watch.

‘I don’t believe they hold those convictions or attitudes,’ she says.

‘I think I could genuinely get on with them if they came to my show or met me.

‘I think with them, it is more of a case of peddling fear to further themselves, a fear of foreigners, and it worked.’

We start to talk about the influence of the two politicians and Khorsandi tells me that the media also have a lot to answer for.

‘Now you have the right-wing media effectively adopting their kind of attitudes, only in the national press,’ she says.

‘You have people like Katie Hopkins, who has a similar, if not worse rhetoric, pillorying white rape and not rape. Her job is to make people like her look hard done by – her people, as she calls them.’

Khorsandi also has a message for the Daily Mail columnist: ‘Listen mate, these are my people too and my country, so f*****g do one!’

The comedian reveals that her show was originally going to be

High tea and comedy: Shappi Khorsandi

Khorsandi’s tour runs until June.

Nina Is Not OK is available not in paperback, published by Penguin. Go to www.shappi.co.uk for details

about Hopkins and her opinions, but Khorsandi re-evaluated her material when audience members said they didn’t know who The Apprentice star was – ouch.

But she refuses to let the likes of Hopkins define her, and instead looks to her time at the University of Winchester as an influence on her adult life.

Khorsandi studied drama, theatre and television. Reflecting on her time as a student, she tells me: ‘I was expecting, well, I wanted a jazz-hands experience, but I got there and found it to be a lot different – a lot more academic.

‘My classmates were all reading Marxist stuff, and I later found out that there were about three boys to every twelve girls or so, which had I known, I probably wouldn’t have gone in still a virgin.’

She laughs and adds: ‘This meant, obviously, that I ended up losing my virginity to the town drunk.’

Like many students, Khorsandi spent most of her time away from

her books at the union bar and she tells me she has some regrets.

‘I was a very enthusiastic student, especially about my course, but I only wish I hadn’t drunk so much,’ she says.

‘I don’t really want that for my kids when they go, because when I was getting drunk in the students’ union, it was because I wasn’t very confident.

‘If I had been confident, I wouldn’t have been dancing on tables and thinking my classmates were boring and quiet, because they weren’t, they were just confident and interesting.

‘But because of my lack of confidence, I hung out with other exuberant people.’

But perhaps without those drunken student days, we wouldn’t have someone prepared to stand up to the likes of Hopkins.

Shappi Khorsandi

The Interview

S

 Dan Heard CIENCE was never Sara Pascoe’s strong point. She makes this clear as we chat about her book Animal: The Autobiography Of A Female Body, published last year.

However, the standup star reveals writing the book helped her discover more about biology and anthropology.

‘I learned a lot and did lots of studies on hormones and transmissions,’ she says. ‘Evolution was another big thing I looked at, as well as sort-of studies on body image, in that there hasn’t been much study on the female body image – certainly not from what I found.

‘My research was basically combining two things: reading science books and looking at what was covered in them and how it compared to my own life, how the things they talk about have happened to me.’

Pascoe also looked into some ‘really interesting’ sperm studies, but says there were nowhere near as many out there as she had expected.

She began to notice the scientific studies she was researching focused more on men than women.

Which led us on to one of the more personal topics of the interview – female pubic hair.

‘I found it fascinating, honestly,’ she tells me. ‘A lot of my research involved looking at depictions of women in or looking at pornography, and the depictions of women who are hairless, as in is it considered to be a display of youth.

‘There is the issue of men finding prepubescent women attractive, and that attraction there is like a control of fertility at the same time. These men are attracted to these girls before they have begun menstruating, so they can’t get pregnant, which is that display of youth again. It’s an odd subject.’

Speaking of pregnancy, 35-yearold Pascoe mentioned in the preview of her upcoming tour, which shares the title of her book, that she would be exploring some more personal subjects.

More specifically, she broaches

the question of whether she should have a baby – something she isn’t afraid to talk about.

‘It’s a very philosophical question,’ she says. ‘Intellectually, it’s probably a terrible time to think about having a kid with everything that’s going on in the world.’

Although issues such as Brexit and Donald Trump’s election win are concerning, Pascoe feels it is important to ask big questions about society and uses her tour to do so.

‘The show is in part about me thinking about having kids but I wanted to use the book and the tour, which won’t be exactly the same, as a way to explore things around

23

February 2017

announced to everyone I was a feminist,’ she says. ‘I remember there was a guy called Tony who kept using the word prostitute around me, so I didn’t get on with him. I was very precocious.’

Her passion for comedy, however, was discovered much later in life.

She didn’t take an interest in standup until after she graduated from the University of Sussex – a time she remembers fondly but admits wasn’t always the most enjoyable.

‘To start with, I had two years out and I didn’t have much money throughout my time there, so I kept not being able to get money out

There is the issue of men finding prepubescent women attractive, and that attraction is like a control of fertility Sara Pascoe being an adult,’ she says. ‘The first version of the show will be about empathy and how we can show more.’

The 35-year-old appeared on Frankie Boyle’s post-Brexit and US Election specials last year and considers it important to joke about political events, even those you see as a bit of a disaster.

‘A lot of what is brought up could make you sad, but doing these shows is better because we can cover a lot more serious stuff that can get cut out of other panel shows,’ she explains.

‘One thing I never want to do is a politics show that becomes about superficial stuff, infantile humour, such as critiquing the focus on women and their looks one minute and then talking about Trump and saying “he looks weird, he can’t be president”.’

Identifying as a feminist from an early age, Pascoe wasn’t afraid of making her political views known, even if this meant she didn’t get on with some of her classmates at school.

‘I went into school one day and

or my card kept getting declined, which wasn’t great,’ she says.

Forced to sacrifice the student party life to earn a living, Pascoe took a part-time job.

‘I worked in charity call centres for money, which was really horrible and everyone else was having more fun than me,’ she recalls.

But the English student found a way of entertaining herself.

‘I would read loads of crime novels – I’d pretty much get through a book a night,’ she tells me. ‘I’d start one in bed on my own and then finish it and get scared.’

Perhaps it was Pascoe’s love of crime novels over her more literary course texts that saw her graduate

with a lower grade than she had hoped for.

‘I came out of university with a 2:1 in the end, but I think if I’d done a little more and not had to worry about money and things, then I maybe could have got a first,’ she says.

While she may not quite have made the top grade, Pascoe still has an eye for interesting use of language on social media.

‘I think some of the stuff you see on Twitter is really interesting,’ she says.

‘Like the one about the guy from UKIP offering to drive immigrants to the airport to send them away. You had loads of people messaging him saying “my flight’s at nine in the morning, thanks for offering”.

‘Or there was that town that opposed a neo-Nazi march by joining in with funny signs and just ruining their awful message.

‘Twitter is sometimes everyone shouting, sometimes they call people out and sometimes people can show love for one another on there.’

Pascoe’s UK tour Animal runs from March 10 to April 29. For full dates, go to www.sarapascoe.com.

Pubic hair is so fascinating PICTURE: IDIL SUKAN

We talk fuzz-free attraction, sperm studies and female evolution with the world of science’s wittiest

DJ Hannah Wants talks making lists as a child, underground raves and coming out to play

I realised my dreams  Louisa Kendal

S

M

ETTING a list of goals as a child to help you land your dream job is a pretty normal thing to do. However, not

everyone can tick those targets off in the years to come.

DJ Hannah Smith, AKA Hannah Wants, has been able to do exactly that. ‘I actually found a list I set myself on my computer the other day, that I had written years and years ago and it had stuff on there

 Maya Jundi

USICIANS’ careers might be inspired by their favourite artists and kick started by a talent spotter or an agent.

But for Jonas Blue, it all started with a box of Coco Pops and a cheesy TV show on clubbing holidays.

Jonas Blue, real name Guy Robin, tells me his passion for DJing started at just seven.

The Londoner grew up watching a TV programme about clubbing holidays, similar to BBC Three’s Sun, Sex And Suspicious Parents, which inspired him to try DJing.

‘It was one of the worst

programmes around,’ he laughs.

‘But to me, as a young kid, it was amazing to see this island and the music. I was really inspired by that.

‘To be able to see people such as Carl Cox, David Morales and David Guetta made me say, “that’s what I want to be”.’

His first big break came one morning at breakfast.

‘Around that time a box of cereal that I used to eat religiously had prizes in it,’ he explains.

‘One of the weeks the prize was a free piece of software for computer programming and that’s how I got into music production.

‘And I’ve been doing it every day since – thank you, Coco Pops!’

Three award nominations, two top ten singles and 20 years later, he certainly has a lot to thank the popular chocolate cereal for.

The record producer gained international recognition in 2015 with his single Fast Car, featuring a Dakota cover of the 1988 original by Tracy Chapman. He continued his journey

to success in 2016 with By Your Side and Perfect Strangers.

He says after Fast Car he was getting demands for more music and got to work writing his next successful single, Perfect Strangers, almost straight away.

‘It came about when Fast Car was blowing up all around the world and the record label asked me what was next,’ he adds.

‘I had all of these fans I never knew I had writing to me and asking for new music, so I took some time and sat in the studio.

‘Like with all my songs I started with the piano, and work out some melodies that sound really cool and progressions.’

The DJ tells me it didn’t take him long to come up with a catchy tune – ‘The opening sound that you hear is the first thing I came up with.’

He collaborated with JP Cooper, a fellow British artist, for the track

I had all of these fans I never knew I had writing and asking for new music

Jonas Blue

and the pairing proved a recipe for success, as the single reached No.2 in the UK charts last year.

Robin shows no sign of slowing down for 2017 – his year has already got off to a positive start, with nominations for two Brit Awards, for best British Single and best British Artist Video.

‘It’s crazy,’ he tells me. ‘Last year I went as a guest to the Brits and to go back this year with two nominations, a billion streams and 10million singles sold – it’s a little bit of a difference from last year.’

Being nominated alongside artists such as Calvin Harris, Rihanna and Tinie Tempah is also proving to be a surreal experience. ‘It’s going to be a crazy year,’ Robin says.

It’s clear the success still hasn’t hit home for the producer.

‘I am so grateful and happy that I’ve got the chance to be there and be nominated,’ he adds.

The 27-year-old is in between

such as “have a Radio 1 show” and “have a Mixmag session”.

‘It’s nice to see my hard work has got me where I wanted to be.’

The dreams written on her list were not the only ones she has been able to make happen through pursuing her music career.

‘DJ EZ was at the forefront of the grime and garage genre when I was growing up and I bought all of his albums,’ she tells me.

‘He’s my DJ idol and I played before and after him at an event, which is the dreaded task of any DJ, but it was an honour.

‘He said some really nice things to me – to hear him say he enjoyed my set was amazing, for someone of his calibre to say that to me.

‘He’s so talented and so passionate about the art. When I was a teenager I never would have dreamed I would be playing on the same bill as him, so it’s stuff like that you can reminisce

studio sessions as we chat over the phone and is currently working on an album, which we can expect at the end of this year.

But he tells me he is dedicating the next few studio sessions to recording a single, scheduled for release in March. This is the only information he is allowed to give me though, and he moves on to talking about his upcoming tour.

‘I’m working on the live shows, where I’m going to be featuring a full band and performing all the songs live to certain key gigs,’ he says.

A full live schedule for the DJ is yet to be disclosed, but We Are FSTVL and the Isle Of Wight Festival have announced he will be gracing their stages this summer.

This isn’t enough for some fans though. Robin is very much in worldwide demand, with followers tweeting him from Manchester to the Philippines asking him to visit a place near them soon.

‘It just goes to show that music is a universal language,’ he tells me.

‘One of my first gigs was in Mexico, to 100,000 people, and I only had Fast Car out at the time.’

With 20 years’ experience under his belt, you would think the musician

25

February 2017

on and it makes you happy.’

But her achievements have not come without hardship.

‘Back in the day, I used to run an online record store, when I was about 20,’ Wants tells me. ‘Everything got stolen. It was one of the worst days of my life because they took my massive collection and some rare [vinyls] that I will never find again.’

However, she was determined not to let the theft stop her doing what she loved.

‘Giving up DJing was never an option,’ she says.

‘I began to collect CDs as quickly as I could, then USBs to allow me to have loads of music without carrying around my CD wallets.

‘I’ve started to rebuild my vinyl collection now and I’ve got some turntables which I use as a hobby, but

I would love to have those tracks just to play for myself at home. ’ Wants is now in the middle of a UK and Ireland tour titled Play. The tour, which is her brainchild, will see the British DJ accompanied by new and established faces .

‘I was getting a bit sick of seeing my own name all the time so I wanted to change the tour name,’ she laughs.

‘Play came about when I was in Ibiza and my friend and I would always joke “we’re coming out to play” so we thought it was a funny use of words.

‘It’s still going to be about finding new talent and bringing in bigger names.’

The inspiration for her new tour comes from her days of underage raving at gritty venues in her home town of Birmingham.

‘When I was a raver it was all about the music,’ she says. ‘There are more events on now than there were ten years ago, so we want to take it back to the music and make the production a lot darker.

‘We’ve been working on the production for months so we can’t wait for it to come to life.

‘At EDM events the lighting can be so overpowering. We’ve handpicked underground venues that are perfect for the rave scene.

‘When I was a raver it would either be dark house parties or warehouses and the music and that’s it – that’s where my love for the underground scene comes from.’

The DJ reminisces about her raving

days and admits she was a bit young to be attending such events.

‘I started raving when I was about 16 because they weren’t so strict on ID back then,’ she adds.

‘It was a time when house, bassline and garage were at the forefront of the Birmingham music scene, so I learned a lot about music from watching the local DJs.’ She believes the underground rave scene has remained largely the same.

‘When I used to go out I was one of the younger ones raving with an older crowd and now I’m one of the older ones raving with a younger crowd,’ she says.

‘I used to go to house music raves back in the day and it was just about the love of music until the doors got

opened, just like it is now.

‘The dance moves have definitely changed but other than that it’s still all about the music and the places you go to.’

As well as touring the UK and Ireland, Wants will take Play across the Atlantic. She tells me an American crowd is different from a UK one.

‘America is a lot more happy than the UK,’ she says. ‘When I go to America everyone is there for the rave but there doesn’t seem to be a drug culture.

‘They’re a lot more talkative than Brits and will come and grab me before my set. I will put aside 20 minutes to chat to people – I’m blessed to do what I do so I will never take that for granted.’

Hannah Wants plays Hideout Festival in Croatia, which runs from June 26 to 30. For full Play tour dates, go to www.hannahwants.com

I used to go to house raves back in the day and it was about the love of music

Hannah Wants

For more music interviews and entertainment news, go to www. unipaper.co.uk

Brit-nominated Jonas Blue tells us his chart success started with a cereal habit

Popping out hits would want to slow down and take some time to bask in his well-earned success.

However, he shows no desire to take a break just yet and with a prosperous year ahead of him who can blame him?

Robin says his motivation comes from his fans across the globe as well as himself.

‘I do music because I love it,’ he says. ‘I have made it my passion and do it day in, day out. And the sole reason I make music is to make people happy.’

We Are FSTVL takes place near London on May 27 and 28.

26|On Campus: UCL, London www.unipaper.co.uk | t @TheUniPaper | f TheUniPaper | 020 7580 6419

We asked: tupidest s What’s the d has n ie fr a thing done at uni?

This month, ege ll University Co nts e London stud ates m shame their

By Jasmine Chinasamy

February 2017

a Al icio MurtlenPoo

Amel i a K irk

i h s a y a H i k Yu

ed her uages  d why he’d kickm end dernd uplatonthge lecturer and asedkeou o ng that y friing m yi h sa t, it w s m be oo h or st up t st d d a er en de m ur fri , 20 our lecture and my d refused so the lect was how my friend en ayasthkii,cked out of Yuk i mHeo out. My frien . Long story short, that ne go ck my friend es

inut to ki Once so lecturer tried back in five m out. Then my ne by the time he came y. go with carved lls. should be t of a lecture by securit Sainsbury’s ked past this d took it back to our ha  al w y e w g escorted ou n he lo an w o in sychon ith my friendshave it, stole the pumpk , 18, pe st K irkfro n e night w Amelalia m th atio decided that we had to e m ho I was w king tside. One of my friendsit rotted. es go to society events suchatasshe had to go pumpkins ouour flat for so long that sciengec n a th m u unk to h dr t , He kept it in 0 unk and saidd? Evian. oolek ,to2go clubbing, but she wr illsociety events really dr rton-P u vourite bran M fa he r un of He dr ia . e t er on ge ic at ’t m l A this friend who won she came back fro ttles and brands of w d bo e time I have the different size debates. On e bottom of d presidential op. All she bought was  cture, when he noticed threattoatesthca sh y , my frien g pe lo on a Tesco o ly p nthro le immediate With nowhe late for a le , 18, a ie d on the tube, rwards, chaos emerged. He watched as the peopthe escalator.

A ty si a er h iv s un o . to Sh d was commuting imb back up seconds afte nding doom pped. In thestrong sense of his impe him frantically tried to cl My frien oman had tri a escalator a w wn the escalator with er her and those behind descended dody were forced to trip ov behind the lady was fine.

Luckily the la

e i d A a h s Sho

Musician of the month  Tom Gellatly How would you describe your music?

Acoustic indie pop. Our sound is unique because we bring a massive amount of energy with such a small setup. We love to get audiences involved in our set.

Who are your major influences?

The 1975, Bastille and Ed Sheeran are major influences on our sound.

Who are your favourite artists right now?

Jack Garratt is one of our favourite artists at the minute. We love Bastille’s new album. We are also huge fans of Twenty One Pilots – they are killing it right now.

27

February 2017

Just keep smiling Each month we introduce the best student bands and artists from UK campuses.

This time we chat to lively indie pop trio DriftWood

We would really love to play at Leeds Festival – the band has always attended and enjoyed the festival for its diversity in the music line-up.

We are putting together an album – we are currently running with the name ReTHINK and Marcus and Hugh are writing the songs as we speak. We also keep our social media regularly updated.

Where do you want to be in ten years’ time?

We want to make a career out of our music and would really love for this to become a reality in ten years’ time. Recording and touring with new material for our very own fans is a massive dream of ours.

It would be amazing to work with Ed Sheeran. It has always been a dream of ours to collaborate with him – it would be so much fun and we think our genres and performance aspects would compliment one another. We could put an amazing show on with him.

We like to write about relatable topics. Not just your standard love songs, but something which people can listen to and understand. Also we try not to take ourselves too seriously and like to think our songs

Where would you like to play live?

What are you working on right now?

If you could collaborate with one artist, who would it be and why?

What do you write songs about?

are a reflection of that.

What do you enjoy doing outside of music?

Marcus really enjoys playing rugby league, but because of the demands of the band, he has not had time recently. Hugh and Nathan both enjoy skating. We all also love to have a good night out.

For more from DriftWood and other student bands, go to www. unipaper.co.uk

If you had to choose one philosophy to live by, what would it be?

Lively lads: (l-r) Marcus Maddock, Hugh Aitchison and Nathan Walker

Don’t ever give up, don’t take no for an answer and keep smiling.

Advertise with us

CHRIS@UNIPAPER.CO.UK 020 7580 6419

and get your business out there

Time to move?

With more UK properties than anywhere else, find your next student home at Rightmove.

TimeToMove_Student_PrintAd_Sept2106.indd 1

08/09/2016 11:50

Digs

www.unipaper.co.uk | 020 7580 6419

Nobody wants to Netflix and chill in a dingy dorm room

R

 Amy Denman OMANCING on a budget requires a fair bit of imagination, so here at TUP, we have put together some tips to add some class to your room and ensure your pile of dirty washing doesn’t stop you from getting to third base.

29

Make a love nest of your own

February 2017

closed box. Also, open the window a few hours before your special friend is expected to arrive to let some fresh air circulate. And if you want an excuse to get cosy, you could always keep the window open to give the room a bit of a chill. Candles and air fresheners are an easy way to enhance the smell of the room too but if this isn’t an option for you, fill an empty spray bottle with a nice smelling soap and some water and spray that around the room.

Clean up your act

TUP Top Tip: Ditch the dub and house for some softer jams for more romantic mood music

Give your lighting some libido

For more home tips, go to www. unipaper.co.uk

We’re not trying to perpetuate a stereotype here but ask yourself: when was the last time you had a proper clear out of your room?

Well, now is your chance to get down and dirty before getting down and dirty. Vacuum, polish and mop until all those dust bunnies have disappeared. Maybe we’re all clean freaks at TUP, but we find a tidy room a bit of a turn-on.

Having a bare bulb in your room doesn’t give off the sexiest lighting and can be quite distracting. Basic lampshades are fairly cheap from budget stores such as Wilko. If you find a plain lampshade less than stimulating, you can luxe up your lighting by pricking holes in the shade in a pattern, to create a starry

effect around your room. If you prefer the softer shadows thrown by a bedside lamp then you can chuck a translucent (heat-resistant) scarf

over the top to filter out any harsh lighting and change the colours in the room – great for hiding that mysterious stain on the wallpaper.

Sex up the scent

No-one likes walking into a smelly house and the last thing you want holding you back is the smell of

stale trainers swamping the room.

Do away with potentially unsavory smells by removing any food from the room and hiding shoes in a

Soften the sheets

Changing the sheets isn’t presumptuous, it’s polite. If the laundrette’s tumble drier has seen better days and leaves your covers a bit too crisp, a good hack is to soften up your love nest by scattering the mattress and sheets with a light sprinkling of talc. This will make the sheets smell and feel amazing and will guarantee to get bae into bed.

Shower them with compliments

Rose petals may have looked good in American Beauty but, if we’re honest, they’ve had their day. So why not give this old trick a modern (and cheaper) twist? Cut some bits of coloured paper into heart shapes and scatter them around the room for your love to find. Just try to make your observations more original than ‘you have lovely eyes’.

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Sport

31

February 2017

The biggest sporting event in the university calendar is nearly here.

To celebrate the fifth BUCS Nationals, we take a look at some of the most exciting talent at the extravaganza...

Fact Box • The action will take place

across seven magnificent venues including the English Institute of Sport, The Climbing Works and ICE Sheffield.

 John Shaw

• There will be more

than 6,000 students descending on Sheffield to compete in the sporting highlight.

• It takes a huge amount

of organisation to get the event running. More than 500 officials and volunteers will make it all happen.

• For the third year in a row

PICTURE: TEAM BATH

If you want to see the rising stars of UK sport there’s one place to be this February: BUCS Nationals.

The future greats of track and field will come together for the sporting event of the university year.

More than 6,000 athletes will look to make a name for themselves at the competition, which takes place from February 17 to 19.

This year they return to Sheffield to compete in a number of venues including the English Institute of Sport.

But who are some of the big hitters to look out for?

Alex Lane Badminton University of Bath England international Alex is surely a shoe-in for an Olympic spot.

He’s already been a triple national

champion (in U13, U15 and U17 age groups) and he reached the semi finals of the 2015 national championships.

The 21-year-old plays for Bristol Jets in the National Badminton League but you will be able to catch him with his Bath colours on.

Omololu Abiodun Athletics University of East London Blink and you’ll miss him.

Omololu Abiodun is a serious talent and has already claimed

three golds at BUCS competitions.

The 100m and 200m sprinter also claimed a silver in the 2015 Sainsbury’s Indoor British Championships.

He uses the hashtag BuildingAChampion on Twitter, and on current evidence, he certainly is.

there will be a mascot race in aid of Anthony Nolan and Sheffield Marrow charities. It takes place on Saturday, February 18 at the EIS.

For more news, events and sport go to www. unipaper.co.uk

On track to steal the show

If you’re going to the Steel City then you won’t want to miss this fabulous five – they all promise to deliver big performances for you

Max Litchfield Swimming Sheffield Hallam University If you were addicted to last year’s Olympics then you’ve probably already heard of this swimmer.

Max claimed an incredible fourth place in the 400m individual medley in Rio and was subsequently the BUCS Sportsman of the Year.

Make no mistake about it, Hallam are fielding a potential Olympic champ – it will take something special to beat him.

Emmanuel Nartey Judo University of East London Emmanuel Nartey can fairly be called a pioneer.

The PhD student was the first

Ghanaian judoka to compete in the Olympic Games when he stepped out for his country in London 2012.

Now he is setting his sights on back-to-back gold medals at BUCS Nationals.

The returning champion is odds-on to fulfill his wish.

Adeline Gouenon Athletics St Mary’s University If you beat Adeline Gouenon, you’ll win the 60m sprint.

The Ivorian is the current BUCS

Nationals champion and recordholder, and is looking to defend her crown.

The 23-year-old is already an experienced international sprinter having secured a silver medal in the African Championships in Marrakech in 2014.

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