VOL. XXIV, Issue 6, OTWO

SEE INSIDE: A LOOK BACK AT THE BEST FILMS OF THE NOUGHTIES P11 A CHAT WITH SNAPCHAT STAR JAMES KAVANAGH P14-16 SITTING DOWN WITH WICKLOW’S WYVERN LINGO P17 A REVIEW OF DUBLIN’S FINEST VEGAN RESTAURANT P21

Volume XXIV, Issue 6 20th February 2018

OTWO CONTRIBUTORS ISSUE 6 XXIV EDITOR Aoife Hardesty DEPUTY EDITOR Ruth Murphy ART & DESIGN EDITOR Joanne Olivia OTWO CO-EDITORS Claudia Dalby Dylan O’Neill

CONTENTS

ARTS & LITERATURE EDITOR Mary Sheehan

Greetings all,

FILM & TV EDITOR Alexander Glover MUSIC EDITOR Cian Montague FOOD EDITOR Aurora Andrus FASHION EDITOR Shane Cullen ONLINE OTWO EDITOR Conor O’Boyle

Arts & Literature 5-8 Games 9 Film & TV 10-13 Interview 14-16 James Kavanagh

CHIEF OF ILLUSTRATIONS Meadhbh Sheridan

Music 17-20

CHIEF OF PHOTOGRAPHY Phoebe Ireland

Food 21

STAFF WRITERS Clara Brannigan Bebhinn Campbell Emma Kiely Jack Knowles

Fashion 22-25

CONTRIBUTORS Senan Tuohy-Hamill Sophia Finucane Kate McBrearty Fiachra Johnston Cliodhna McGirr Adam Lawler Ciaran Busby Fearghus Montague Sambhavi Sudhakar Veronica Rozynek Gavin Tracey Aisling Brennan

Aperture 28

Travel 26

LETTER FROM EDITORS

GAMES EDITOR Katie Lalwani

It’s your friendly neighbourhood OTwo co-editors back again with another exciting issue of OTwo. This issue marks a new addition to the OTwo family. Our new Arts and Literature editor, Mary will be taking over the title, as Dylan has moved on to bigger and better things, namely writing this letter and referring to himself in the third person.

In between editing a successful arts and culture magazine, and balancing their final year in college, our two editors moonlight as top secret undercover spies, for Ireland’s super secret secret service. You can see them above, on their latest mission to infiltrate various society balls and take down the shady goings on. We’ve hidden the secret and saucy information in code throughout the paper, so the only way to find out is to read the entire thing. As you would have anyway!

In the Arts and Literature section, back by (un)popular demand, Harry Potter has yet again decided to grace us with his presence, read on to find where he’s mentioned. Also featured, is the lovable scamp Banksy in an article that highlights his message to society.

Remasters are the theme of the Games section this issue. Are they reinventing the wheel for gamers or are they just charging full price for a touch up on graphics with no originality? You decide.

In Film & TV, we see how the unstoppable force of the small screen has taken over music and stand-up comedy only to gain in power. Due to the sub-par DC Extended Universe films Hollywood has churned out recently, we take a stroll down memory lane to re-live and re-watch the highlights of the noughties.

Claudia sat down with the equally fabulous Snapchat star James Kavanagh to talk about his rise to stardom on social media and his growing food enterprises. He’s not personally growing the food, but he’ll still snap about it.

Music this issue, puts more bands I’ve never heard of on your radar.

Wyvern Lingo, a band that is very popular among UCD publications, is interviewed and pop stars go back to their country roots for some much needed highlights.

In Food, we ask have you really been keeping up with those New Year’s resolutions and keeping off those Hob Nobs. We also have a review tailored to those of the vegan persuasion.

Finally in the skin-deep world of fashion, we look back on the looks of all-round icon Lady Gaga and give you a guide to vegan makeup. That’s a thing apparently. Who knew?

That’s it from us here for another issue. Don’t let the endless monotony of lectures and essays get you down. Remember, Easter (and chocolate) are just around the corner!

Until next time,

Claudia and Dylan xoxo

Soapbox:

Man-Spreading

Mystic Mittens Aquarius Jan 20 - Feb 18 Enough with the “Going Away” parties, just accept that you’re here to stay. You won’t be flying away soon.

Pisces Feb 19 - March 20 You know you have four essays due at the exact same time right? Hurry up, or your GPA will be sleeping with the fishes.

Aries March 21 - April 19 That double vodka you thought was a good idea last night will soon start to feel as if you’re ramming your skull against a wall.

Taurus April 20 - May 20 This horoscope is a load of bull.

Gemini May 21 - June 22 Double the pain, double the gain. Unless it’s drugs.

Cancer June 23 - July 22 In week 5, people have been known to get crabby. Buy them a coffee and avoid unnecessary conflict.

Leo July 23 - Aug 22 This Easter, go wild...like a lion.

Virgo Aug 23 - Sep 22 You will find strength in numbers and silent reflection. Red and white are the colours you will find yourself in.

Libra Sep 23 - Oct 22 Balancing college, work, friends, and love is no easy feat. Keep up the good work.

Scorpio Oct 23 - Nov 19 It’s okay to let your guard down and put that venomous sting to bed; only sometimes though. Other times, it’s totally warranted.

Sagittarius Nov 20 - Dec 21 Just like archery, exams also require accuracy and precision. Become the academic Legolas or Katniss.

Capricorn Dec 22 - Jan 19 Struggling to think of any puns relating to sea-goats... (the symbol for capricorn). So today you learned that the sea-goat is the symbol for capricorn. Have a great day!

If you suffer from lack of space on the already crowded Dublin Bus, you may be entitled to financial compensation.

Just kidding. If only it worked that way.

The man-spreading epidemic is damaging the Dublin Bus atmosphere which, as we know, is already dismal. Picture the scene: you’re hopping on the 39a after a long day at college. You pick a window seat. Suddenly, he steps onto the bus and makes his way towards the only the available spot on the bus, located right next to you. He takes control of the entire space, leaving you cramped, meek, and unhappy. He is the man-spreader!

Renowned for his ability to somehow always pick the exact bus you’re seated on, the man-spreader will spread his knees wide open, spread eagle style, claiming his territory. Presumably as part of a show of dominance to others on the bus, the consequence of this display is the innocent seat-buddy becoming squished against the window or pushed into the aisle. On an already long enough commute home, this causes great discomfort.

When man-spreading occurs, you are forced to confine yourself into the smallest version of yourself. In order to scroll through your Facebook timeline or Whatsapp message your mom, you develop t-rex like arms.

This discomfort culminates in the noticeable warmth of their limbs touching yours. You suddenly become hyper-aware of heat radiating from his thighs as they rub against you, their elbows as they jostle for even more space, taking away more breathing room. Often man-spreaders make a big production of getting up for you when the bus comes to your stop, as if any disruption to their widened knees is a massive inconvenience.

Looking around at Dublin Bus, no matter what time of day, you’ll find yourself surrounded by gloomy faces. People will have their headphones in and robotically get up for you to exit the seat at your stop. Dublin Bus can be viewed as an abysmal metaphor for true adult life: misery and routine.

This begs the question, what can be done about this epidemic?

In short, nothing can be done. But we can dream that evolution may result in men growing shorter legs or ceasing to demand precious space from innocent passengers. Another option would be to speak up and demand your comfort, or even to widen your stance yourself. Establish dominance and take back your space!

Author: Mary Sheehan Illustration: Aisling Brennan

OTwo //

Advice from Andrew J. Geeks How do I write an article and not get sued?

“Journalism is an ever-changing environment. Defamatory allegations, politically-motivated attacks, gossip, and scandal are the orders of the day while objective writing, the former standard of the industry, is often, and rightly, shunned; a mode discredited by the foolproof criticisms of the online gentry.

In this day and age, we suggest pushing the boundaries of investigative journalism using an innovative method of ‘throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks.’ Worry less about whether the article you’re writing is ‘true’ in a traditional sense, and more about whether there’s a chance it could be true.

The devil is in the detail, so avoid anything specific. Broad, sweeping generalisations should be welcomed, as well as a fundamental misrepresentation of the facts.

An additional benefit of ‘creative news journalism’ is that one is not tasked with finding sources to go on the record, or finding sources at all. The efficiency gains here in terms of content generation and turnover time are substantial.

Remember, you can’t be wrong every time.”

The College Tribune Guide to News Journalism is available on Kindle and all bad bookstores.

How do I find a date to a ball? (any ball at all will do) When it comes to dating, most Australian men tend to suffer from a collective lack of self-confidence, most likely stemming from our losing a war to a herd of flightless birds in the early part of the 20th Century.

In an effort to combat ‘la hésitation collective,’ I’ve often spent many Friday afternoons trying to stay abreast of developments in the dating world, seeking sage wisdom from the Clubhouse regulars and UCD’s Deity of Dating - Robert Sweeney.

If I’ve learned anything, it’s to avoid asking a student of medicine - they’re the only thing more likely to make you nauseous than the questionably poor quality of food you’ll be provided with on the night of the ball. While courting a commerce or law student might mean you won’t have to worry about making interesting conversation, you’ll likely be rather fed up with having to remind them to breathe, blink, and drink water every so often.

By far, the easiest way to find a date to a ball this semester is simply to hang around the SU corridor and wait for any of this year’s SU candidates to ask you for your support. As long as you say that you’re an undecided voter, you’ll have them running Circles around you all night long.

What’s Hot,What’s Not

Hot Society Balls

Thesis Deadlines

Whether you’re a society virgin or in your year of grace for the umpteenth time, society balls are a great way to dress up, meet members, and pretend to be classy. Ranging from €15 to €60 depending on the society, it’s well worth the spend for a thoroughly enjoyable night with friends.

If you’re in your early years of college life and don’t have a thesis, this doesn’t apply to you. Move on. If you do have a thesis due, then I am here for you. You can do this! It’s almost over...until you have to present it the week after.

Emailing your local TD Whatever way you swing in the Abortion Debate, emailing your TD to let them know is an important part of the upcoming referendum for both sides. It’s the best way to let them know how the people they represent feel on the topic, before the referendum.

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NOT The Luas Most likely due to the “marvellous” extension in attempting to connect the Red and Green lines, the Luas has suffered delays and breakdowns. This is nothing compared to the breakdowns of students who missed their 9a.m. lecture because of said delays and overcrowding.

Oscars 2018

The endless amount of teaser posters

This year the Oscars are on March 4th. Tune in for the red carpet couture, tear-jerking acceptance speeches, and scandalous snubs. We here at OTwo are pretty hyped for the Oscars, and you should be too.

Looking at you Pixar! It’s been 14 years. 14 YEARS! Just gives us Incredibles 2 already.

OTwo // Arts & Literaturem

The Rise in Mental Health Narratives:

Picture: Larry D. Moore via Wikimedia

An Interview with Jay Asher

The author of the popular novel 13 Reasons Why, Jay Asher, has a unique role in the realm of young adult fiction.

His book, and its Netflix adaptation, tell the story of Hannah Baker, a high school student who takes her own life as a consequence of traumatic bullying. Rarely has a single narrative polarized such a vast amount of readers and viewers.

I was very conscious of writing it from a teen emotional perspective, and I do think that’s why it’s connected to so many teens. It doesn’t feel like an adult trying to preach.

While his novel depicts suicide and mental illness, Asher is careful never to explicitly put his characters in boxes.

In regards to this he says, “that’s part of the criticism, that I never diagnose Hannah. If I said she was bipolar or she had this, it would’ve given the characters and the readers an excuse to not look at the small things.” Asher defends

his decision to leave the protagonist undiagnosed, reflecting how we don’t know everything about people we meet in real life. “We don’t know what people are dealing with. I wanted the reader to recognise that the person that you think you know walking down the hall might have a chemical imbalance that makes what you do to her that much bigger.”

The overarching concept that Asher wanted readers to take away from his novel was the idea of a snowball effect; that actions have a knock on effect. Asher states, “good and bad, we affect each other. This is the part I wanted to get across, an incident on top of everything else that person has gone through. People talk about walking down a hallway and smiling at someone. It’s a small gesture but you never know what it could mean to to them.”

Writing a novel that deals with such a raw and painful subject requires a bit of emotional distance. Asher “came up with the idea for the novel nine years after my relative tried to commit suicide. I think that distance was necessary. I wouldn’t have been able to put any blame on her right away. It became a thing where there was more she could’ve done to get help, there’s more she could’ve done to limit some of the hurt that happened to her. Honestly, showing the victim having imperfections allows you to see it’s a real person, and that’s why this stuff hurts so much.”

Asher’s descriptions of this suicide attempt appears to place a lot of blame on someone who may not have felt able to seek help or may not have been aware of the channels to go through.

It may be thoughts such as these that

have led to heavy criticism of the netflix adaptation, which many view as problematic. The show has also been heavily criticised for its use of graphic imagery, and appears to defy recommendations for reporting on suicide which can be found at reportingonsuicide.org.

Only positive things will come from letting people know you care. You don’t want someone in the moment who’s feeling suicidal to not know where to go.

Asher also admits that his success with the novel is bittersweet and unexpected. As a writer, he says he did not foresee tbecoming such a widespread phenomenon, or that it would resonate with so many people. Asher believed only a few people would truly “get it.”

According to Asher, the book’s popularity is ultimately a consequence of society’s hesitancy to discuss issues with a stigma attached to them. “It’s been bittersweet… I have to acknowledge that one of the only reasons people say

they have a book they really relate to, is because it deals with things we don’t like to talk about.”

Asher advocates that despite its tough thematic content, this book is absolutely a young adult novel. He states, “I was very conscious of writing it from a teen emotional perspective, and I do think that’s why it’s connected to so many teens. It doesn’t feel like an adult trying to preach. Any preaching coming from it is from the reader preaching to themselves.”

Lastly, Asher has a deliberate message for communities facing a crisis, or multiple crises, similar to Hannah’s. He asserts, “it’s one of those things where there isn’t a right way to deal with it.

There’s a wrong way, and that’s to not talk about it at all. People get so caught up in being afraid to say the wrong thing, they halt and say nothing at all.”

Describing the response to his hit novel, Asher recounts how one email he received from a fan said “all we need to do is care,” which he goes on to reiterate, “there’s no way to do that wrong. Only positive things will come from letting people know you care. You don’t want someone in the moment who’s feeling suicidal to not know where to go.”

Since the writing of this article it has come to light that Jay Asher has been removed from the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators due to allegations of sexual harassment.

If you are struggling with your mental health you can contact Pieta House at 1800 247 247 or pieta.ie, Niteline at 1800 793 793 (between 9pm and 2:30am) or niteline.ie, and Samaritans at 116 123 or samaritans.org.

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OTwo // Arts & Literature

Looking Back on Gavin Tracey looks back at the ‘career’ of England’s most notorious guerrilla artist and political satirist, Banksy.

Words and Waves Senan Tuohy-Hamill Words struggle to burst forth from the fleshy cavern of my mouth, smashing against the tidal wall of teeth.

An angry, implacable wave that yearns for freedom as a tsunami yearns for destruction.

On a dreary night sometime in the early 2000s, an unknown graffiti artist from Bristol lay underneath a lorry, hiding from the police. As he looked above him, he saw the stencilled letters adorning the undercarriage, and had the idea to start using stencils to speed up his work.

Thus, a legend was born.

The question of who Banksy is, which has taken up its fair share of column inches, remains both pointless and uninteresting.

Banksy is now a household name.

The street artist extraordinaire has risen from the role of small-time graffiti artist in Bristol, to occupying an untouchable level of fame and respect. His work has risen to the status of street art, and he is known for mercilessly ridiculing the “capital A art world.” His work shows true originality and the ability to truly democratise art, by literally bringing it to the people.

For a man so famous, he still remains an elusive figure. Indeed, that is all that is really know of him; he is a man, and he’s from Bristol. Yet the question

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of who Banksy is, which has taken up its fair share of column inches, remains both pointless and uninteresting. His art mocks the whole notion of celebrity and popular culture, his series of Che Guevara prints that slowly deteriorate into meaningless drips of paint illustrate this point perfectly. We live in an age of infinitely reproduced and reproducible images, that have long since lost all meaning. His anonymity allows him total freedom in his art. Banksy is answerable to no one.

Most notably, Banksy employs extreme juxtaposition of ideas and images.

Each piece of art demands the viewer to question its meaning: the masked protester about to hurl a bouquet of flowers, a white dove wearing a bulletproof vest, a young girl frisking a soldier. His art is overtly political in many ways, for example his decision to display his work on the Israeli West Bank barrier wall. He painted a large crack in the concrete, and pasted up an idyllic blue sky and the image of a young child with a bucket and spade crossing from one side to the other. Themes of both innocence and the loss of innocence feature heavily in his various pieces, most famously the young girl who has just lost her grip on a bright red heart-shaped balloon, as it is swiftly picked up by the wind and blown away.

If one is to attempt to link all of his art together with one overarching theme, it would be a sense of witty and ironic irreverence. This, the notion that no one is off limits, is exemplified in works such as two policemen wrapped together in a passionate kiss, or the queen with a

David Bowie lightning bolt on her face.

He challenges the status quo, and comments on the advertising art we see regularly: “They butt into your life, take a cheap shot at you and then disappear.

They leer at you from tall buildings and make you feel small.” Perhaps one could put it most simply by saying that what he aims to do is bring some colour and joy back in to our increasingly grey urban existence. Upon looking at a Banksy, one cannot help but grin at the sheer anarchic joy of it.

What will happen when Banksy inevitable retires due to inability or incarceration? Have his works inspired people

If one is to attempt to link all of his art together with one overarching theme, it would be a sense of witty and ironic irreverence.

to the point where anyone can inherit the mantle of Banksy or will his memory and messages drip away from the pages of history? Only time will tell.

Or is it a random gushing torrent that springs into being from the depths of the well within?

Picture: Rhea Cassidy

Picture: Wall in Palestine via Flickr

But does a wave yearn, feel, want?

Does this tumble of words have deliberate intent?

OTwo // Arts & Literature

YA Fiction: A Genre Worth Holding On To

Pictures: Top Left: Ashley-May via Flickr | Top Right: Carissa Rogers via Flickr | Bottom: Dohkoedi via Flickr

With many popular YA novels being turned into franchises, Mary Sheehan looks at why they are still popular among readers young and slightly older.

There’s a certain guilty pleasure that comes with enjoying young adult (YA) fiction past your adolescent years.

Some people cannot ascertain how a story about teenagers can resonate with adults of all ages. Is there an appropriate age range to read young adult fiction? If yes, when exactly is the cut-off date?

Although YA novels deal with adolescent protagonists, they tackle subject matter that is vastly diverse. There are unique subgenres and themes that come into play. Many think of young adult novels as strictly puppy-love stories, or otherwise simplistic and juvenile.

Students often find themselves in a literary limbo, as they are ‘too old’ to enjoy books about teenagers, but too young to read about the perils of death and divorce.

In spite of this, complex novels such as the Hunger Games depict a world in crisis and turmoil, not unlike our current state of affairs. In spite of having teenage protagonists, the Hunger Games in particular serves as a crucial commentary on the hyper-focus on reality television in conjunction with society’s fixation and

fascination with violence. Simply put, a novel dealing with characters under the age of eighteen can be sophisticated and offer a powerful commentary on modern society.

John Green is perhaps one of the most influential YA fiction authors.

However, the enfranchisement of his novels, like many YA authors, has diluted the message behind his works. The film adaptations of two of his books, The Fault in Our Stars and Paper Towns became so vastly popular, that the phenomenon has outweighed the narratives themselves. Instead of focusing on the story of two star-crossed teenagers with cancer, the focus became the phenomenon of the film. In terms of Paper Towns, a narrative that was intended to subvert the archetype of the manic-pixie dream girl, many focused on how the actress’s portrayal of the protagonist was too attractive to be authentic to the story.

Thus, YA fiction comes under fire for how the content is distorted when it becomes very popular. This reinstates the notion that the target audience of such films are specifically young viewers and distances older viewers, where the original books did not.

YA fiction has passed through many seasons and phases, not unlike ourselves in our teenage years. Mid 2000s brought us paranormal romances, such as Twilight. Following the success of the Twilight franchise, bookstores dedicated entire shelves to paranormal romance novels. Television shows such as True Blood retained high viewership, until the next phase of YA literature approached.

Following vampire romance came the sickness genre, with novels such as The Fault in Our Stars and Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. These works prompted additional television and film

productions, as well. The circumstances in these examples of YA literary movements are vastly different. However, connecting these subgenres is the way we as readers identify and connect with the characters.

What we might call an “adult” book would be one with characters of older ages, but also with more adult events and themes: divorce, having kids, infidelity in marriage. These are events that we as university students might not relate to yet. Students often find themselves in a literary limbo, as they are “too old” to enjoy books about teenagers, but too young to read about the perils of death and divorce.

There’s also what scholars refer to as “literary fiction” contrasting to what might be popular in the young adult realm. Novels centred around teenagers are not a new phenomenon, but it is only been within the last while that we as a society have collectively called YA fiction a genre. Catcher in the Rye, perhaps the earliest and most classic example of a YA text, is characterized as both literary and YA fiction. Its fame and its handling of the growth of is main character Holden Caulfield from boyhood to adulthood allowed it to enter the literary realm.

YA literature has always been around, and will continue to be produced for the masses. Teenagers feel things more intensely, therefore identifying with these characters and their experiences is both simpler and more meaningful. It is satisfying as readers and as viewers to grow alongside the characters, therefore there is no correct age to stop engaging in this type of literature. As certain stories and movements grow in popularity, society often reflects and grows alongside.

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OTwo // Arts & Literature

My Favourite Book: Anne of Green Gables Sophia Finucane describes why the children’s story Anne of the Green Gables is her favourite book.

New York Times review of the book described Anne as “altogether too queer,” she “knew too much...and greatly marred a story...that had charming and quaint possibilities.”

The book encourages higher education in women, as well as sensitivity in men.

This quality is what makes the book stand out for me. Anne ‘mars’ the quaint possibilities of early 18th century children’s literature by being very bright and slightly odd; a ‘too-intense’ little girl.

We see this as she talks to her reflection, which she calls ‘Katy’ in the mirror, overwhelms the simple character Diana with fondness, and constantly gets herself into trouble for her well-intentioned yet clumsy attempts to do good.

I am aware that evocative description is not the most important quality in a novel. However, Anne of Green Gables is an important text to me. The book encourages higher education in women, as well as sensitivity in men. This is exemplified in the character Matthew Cuthbert. These elements, along with subtle comments on the puritan nature of monarchical Canada and on the gentle process of ageing, are often lacking in literature today. Day-today issues which strongly affect personal lives are often overlooked if they are “too subtle.” Montgomery provides refuge through these characters for those who, like me, wish to be reminded that others can feel similarly to us in these subtle yet powerful ways.

These feelings are also intertwined with the incredibly comforting and absorbing imagery mentioned above.

Together, these create the perfect piece to comfort a frazzled university student or employee who needs an escape to feel sane again. So, while this is a children’s book, I cannot recommend it enough. You may find a much-needed friend in Anne.

Picture: Archive via Wikimedia

No matter how many books I have read and loved, Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery is still my favourite. It is a classic tale of not fitting in, and is heart-warming in the most honest and least self-conscious way. This separates it from the clichés of other stories of this nature.

Anne of Green Gables follows an orphan girl’s journey to the quaint town of Avonlea on the stunning, Prince Edward Island. The island needs no picture to illustrate its beauty, due to Montgomery’s vivid recollections, which is the most descriptive writing I’ve come across.

Anne insists her name be spelt with an E, Montgomery gives her “a crinkly feeling all up and down (her) back” and she is “so glad (she lives) in a world where there are Octobers.” To me, she perfectly encapsulates the nature of an imaginative, slightly lonely child. Anne unabashedly yet unintentionally, thinks about things differently to what the society’s conventions of children expects.

Mark Twain called Anne, “the dearest and most lovable child in fiction since the immortal Alice.” However, the 1908

Smock Allies: Scene + Heard Festival With the annual Scene + Heard festival running until 3rd March, Kate McBrearty gives us the rundown on all the events.

This year, Scene + Heard will showcase 100+ new works by various companies.

In 2016, the festival’s inaugural year, Scene + Heard saw 85 pieces of new work being showcased. Audiences were invited to give feedback on each performance, via a video booth, secret ballot, or candy poll for example.

Last year the festival featured acts such as Chromatics, a new Irish musical which is soon to debut a full performance in the Mill Theatre, Dundrum; Mursery, a grizzly retelling of classic nursery rhymes from an adult’s perspective; and Smashing Barriers, a piece devised and performed by people with disabilities to challenge the perceptions and stereotypes cast upon them.

This year Scene + Heard will showcase 100+ new works by various companies. Tickets start at €5, and the audience will often get to see more than one piece with their ticket, as pieces are

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grouped together in “Blocks.” Generally, each block will contain two pieces of new theatrical work of contrasting themes, giving the audience a variety that appeals to everyone. Some blocks will contain only one longer piece.

For example, Block 1 this year features two pieces of drama: Magpie, and Waiting for Wifi. The programme describes Waiting for Wifi as a “comedic” piece that follows the protagonist, Maggie, as she travels through tropical South America with the goal of making

a successful travel blog. The catch, “Maggie is an agoraphobic failed Journalism graduate hiding in her bedroom in Rathmines for the past year…”

Drama is not the only type of theatre that features in the festival. Pine the Pilcrow in Block 28 is a music and movement piece, to launch the group’s EP. By contrast, the second piece in Block 28 is described as a “physical comedy.”

The festival also stages social commentaries. Block 31 features an interactive piece called Rape HaHa!

which invites the audience to “examine the transcript and decide if rape is ever a joke.”

Aside from these examples, there are many more pieces to experience at the Smock Allies: Scene + Heard festival this year.

The full programme can be found on www.smockalley.com. The festival runs from February 13th until March 3rd.

Picture: William Murphy vis Flickr

The Scene + Heard festival is a platform for up-and-coming directors, writers, producers, and performers to showcase their works. The festival stages diverse genres such as music, dance, theatre, comedy, and spoken word. Taking place in the Smock Alley Theatre, it contains four separate stages: Smock Alley Theatre, The Boys School, Black Box, and The Banquet Hall.

OTwo // Games

Re-master of None: The Trouble with Remasters Fiachra Johnston takes a look at the strengths and pitfalls of remakes and their place in the games industry.

It was a disassociation between two eras: all the polish of a modern game, but all the awkwardness of a vintage title.

On the one hand, Plante adored the new additions this remaster brought: not simply a redrawing of the world, but an update of one. It was a perfect modern adaption of an old classic for a newer audience.

On the other hand, the jerky controls and awkward camera angles of

2005 were left in. It was a disassociation between two eras: all the polish of a modern game, with all the awkwardness of a vintage title. Creativity thrives under limitations, however, with no limitations, the title ran rampant in its evolution of the game and had, for better or worse (even Plante wasn’t sure), melded the two philosophies together.

Go back five to seven years, and remakes were everything: God of War, Halo: Combat Evolved, countless Zelda remakes, and even a previous remastering of Shadow of the Colossus for the PS3. These remasters were cash cow nostalgia trips; collections of titles that, while appreciated, were limited in what they offered in terms of progression to the industry. They provided the same experience but with marginally improved graphics and modern features like autosaves. This allowed these games to be brought to a modern audience, that may not have had the same appreciation for them in their original, graphically limited forms.

While some, like Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, went above and beyond in trying to update themselves, others fell flat by either trying too hard (a la The Masterchief Collection) or simply not trying hard enough. The biggest example of this was a remastering of legendary horror games Silent Hill 2 & 3. Again, creativity thrives under limitations. Although what made these games great to an audience in the early 2000s,

eerie fog to hide a lack of rendering distance and awkward controls used to increase tension, were worthless in the era of next-gen consoles. Add bugs galore, as well as unforgivable comic sans usage, and it spelled disaster for the remastering industry.

Recently however, we seem to have learned from past shortcomings. Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy was released to critical acclaim, while a modern Okami release has sparked a huge resurgence in its popularity. On top of that, the new Shadow of the Colossus had launch

week sales 70% higher than that of the original, and it seems remasters are back on the up and coming.

Despite entering into an era of Triple A games that constantly focuses on pushing the graphical boundaries of the 4k console/war machines they ride upon, these remasters are something more than simple graphical updates.

They are testaments to how far we’ve come in the industry, and surprisingly, how much we can improve upon them as we enter into a new age of gaming.

Picture: images.igdb.com

Polygon’s Chris Plante had a lot of thoughts on the PS4 remake of the PS2 era classic Shadow of the Colossus, comparing it to translating a famous foreign text: “There’s a balance at play between changing something as essential as the language of the text, while maintaining the integrity of the original author’s intent. One-to-one translation is impossible; the translator inevitably informs the translation.”

REVIEW: MONSTER HUNTER WORLD

Picture: BagoGames

Developer: Capcom Publisher: Capcom Platform: XBOX ONE, PS4 (Reviewed) Release Date: 26th January 2018 Reviewed by: Katie Lalwani

Although well known in Japan, the Monster Hunter series has never quite reached mainstream popularity over here. The latest offering of the action role-playing game, Monster Hunter World, hopes to change that. The game sees players travelling to the New World, a place inhabited by mythical dinosaur-like creatures and embarking on quests to kill or capture these creatures in the name of research.

The sprawling open world is a marvel to behold. Each environment has its own unique look and feel from the colourful ocean-like world of the Coral Highland to Wildspire Waste’s abundance of canyons and sandy dunes. Every one of these unique habitats is home to different types of monsters. When taking a break from monster hunting, players can hang out in Astera, a base camp bustling with activities. Here you can forge weapons, dine at a canteen staffed by cats, and meet up with other online players in The Gathering Hub. Of course, the stars of the show are the monsters themselves. There’s a breathtaking array of beasts to discover, each presenting its own unique challenges. With their appearance and behaviours appearing so lifelike, it can be difficult not to feel a pang of guilt when forced to kill or capture them.

The big draw is the thrill of the hunt itself with players engaging in lengthy boss fights. Combat is challenging with patience and practice needed to learn how to anticipate each monsters’ fighting style. Different play styles are catered for with a wide range of weapon types including swords, hammers, and bowguns to choose from. The large number of various intricate systems to juggle including armour type, stamina, crafting, food buffs, and more can be rather confusing, especially for new players to come to grips with.

Each environment has its own unique look and feel.

Brimming with hundreds of hours of gameplay and so much depth, the expansive world of Monster Hunter World will certainly satisfy fans. For newcomers however, the game’s steep learning curve may be off-putting at first.

That said, the game should not to be disregarded entirely. With some time and effort, it may become an unexpected favourite.

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OTwo // Film & TV

A brief guide to the Audi Dublin International Film Festival by Jack Knowles.

The capital will be transformed into a cinephile’s heaven as the Audi Dublin International Film Festival (ADIFF) takes place from February 21st to March 4th.

The festival presents a mix of emerging and highly anticipated international and Irish films, old and new. It features VR conferences, workshops, guest speakers, and many great films.

The Light House cinema in Smithfield will be where most of the action takes place, but other events will be held around the city at various cinemas. The Irish Film Institute (IFI) will be showing a great deal of Cedric Gibbons’ work. Gibbons was born in Dublin and is considered by many to be the most successful art director in Hollywood history.

Films you won’t want to miss will include Wes Anderson’s new stop-motion animation Isle of Dogs, which is screening on February 28th at Cineworld.

Review: A

Arguably Ireland’s best animation studio Cartoon Saloon, which is responsible for The Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea, will have their next film The Breadwinner make its Irish debut on the 22nd of February at the Light House Cinema. The film is nominated for an Oscar for BestAnimated Feature. The classic Studio Ghibli film My Neighbour Totoro is also screening on the 22nd of February at the Light House.

A cluster of Irish films will be screened at the festival, predominantly at the Light House Cinema. The Delinquent Season by acclaimed playwright Mark O’Rowe features a stellar Irish cast including Cillian Murphy and Andrew Scott and will be screened on March 3rd. Writer/director, David Freyne, takes a new fresh take on the zombie genre in his debut film The Cured, playing on February 25th, and featuring Ellen Page.

West Cork filmmaker Pat Collins, will be presenting his new documentary Twilight on February 28th.

Screenwriter and director Paul Schrader will be honoured at this year’s festival. Schrader is best known for his work with Martin Scorsese, writing films like Taxi Driver and Raging Bull. He will be awarded the ADIFF Volta Award and will be presenting his new film First Reformed starring Ethan Hawke and Amanda Seyfried. First Reformed will be screening at the Light House on February 23rd. Schrader was also selected to be a curator for the festival and he has selected some masterpieces such as Robert Bresson’s Pickpocket, Donald Cammell and Nicolas Roeg’s Performance, and Yasujirô Ozu’s Autumn Afternoon.

Other guests attending the event include director Garth Davis, and actors Joaquin Phoenix, and Rooney Mara. They

Schrader is best known for his work with Martin Scorsese, writing films like Taxi Driver and Raging Bull. will be attending the gala screening of their new film Mary Magdalene on the February 28th at the Savoy cinema.

The festival has an enormous amount to offer. The full schedule and ticket information can be found on the DIFF.ie website, with students able to avail of a 10% discount.

Fantastic Woman Release Date: March 2nd Reviewd By: Emma Kiely

A Fantastic Woman chronicles the story of Marina Vidal (Daniela Vega), a transgender woman living in Santiago, who suddenly loses her much older partner Orlando. She faces criticism from members of his past whilst coming to terms with his death. Marina is left to deal with those Orlando left behind when he chose to begin a life with her: his brother, the only glimmer of understanding in the film; his territorial ex-wife; and his transphobic, unaccepting son.

film at the upcoming Oscars, A Fantastic Woman is one fantastic film.

In a nutshell: A tale of love and loss that will make you think next time you point a finger and ask ‘Is that a he or a she?’

It’s a heartbreaking love story that just so happens to centre around a transgender person.

We follow Marina through the events that follow Orlando’s death which include her being pursued and investigated by the police, being physically and mentally attacked by his family, and her search

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for Orlando’s dog whom he left to her.

The majority of the supporting characters all maintain a facade of acceptance but once broken down, they are just as unaccepting as each other.

This is the latest picture from Chilean director Sebastián Lelio, whose past success includes the 2013 Oscarnominated picture Gloria, which is being remade in Hollywood. Despite limited experience, the story is in trusting hands, as he balances the narrative between Marina’s alienation and the grieving of a loved one. This is a hero’s story and Vega (in her movie debut) is the perfect fit. Her range from fear and respect of Orlando’s family, to her defence of who she really is, and her relationship with Orlando make the film both an emotionally intricate and universally relevant story.

In recent years, trans culture has been explored in more media and we’ve seen a varied range of transgender characters. What makes Marina’s story different, however, is that it’s not a trans film.

It’s a heart-breaking love story that just so happens to centre around a transgender person. Although there is transphobia, there are no repetitive stereotypes and it doesn’t sit back and rely on the fact that the hero is transgender to make a story.

The depth goes beyond Marina’s identity.

With its stellar lead performance, glowing direction, and above all, its insight into being pushed into a corner where one’s feelings and emotions are made inferior to others, this is a must-see.

A contender for best foreign language

Picture: Martin Kraft via Wikimedia

Director: Sebastián Lelio Writers: Sebastián Lelio and Gonzalo Maza Starring: Daniela Vega, Francisco Reyes, Luis Gnecco, Amparo Noguera, and Aline Küppenheim

OTwo // Film & TV

Noughtie Rewatches

Pictures: FLicker

As we move another year further away from the noughties, Emma Kiely recommends films of the decade that are worth revisiting.

What comes to mind when someone mentions the 2000s? For some, it may be the boozy trio of Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, and Britney Spears. A time of low cut jeans, peroxide straightened hair and ‘mysteriously’ leaked sex tapes.

For others, it’s a much darker time, with Fahrenheit 9/11 and Capitalism: A Love Story.

Throughout the decade, animation stayed afloat amongst the successful dramas and thrillers.

The decade may have been a time of social and political upheaval and disastrous fashion sense; however, these issues didn’t stop great films from being made. From the first time we came face to face with our beloved Harry Potter to Heath Ledger’s chilling laugh in The Dark Knight, the 2000s saw the release of hundreds of films that we’ll be telling our grandchildren to watch.

There’s no denying that this decade saw the release of some great major blockbusters. However, many of the independent films that were released will surely stand the test of time. For the majority of the decade, it was small budget, independent movies taking home Oscars and black comedy skyrocketed. With Alexander Payne’s

painfully hilarious Sideways and Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation, audiences had moved on from the guy-gets-girl narrative.

The crowning jewels of the noughties are undoubtedly Juno and Little Miss Sunshine. Both films address harsh yet universal issues such as abortion, adoption, infidelity, bankruptcy, suicide, unrequited love; the list is endless.

However, they both do so in the most heartbreaking yet hilarious way. The eccentricity of the characters is placed in the trusting hands of some of the best actors of our time (Allison Janney and Paul Dano in particular), and they deliver.

These two films are simply unforgettable and will be the new Pulp Fiction wall poster must-haves for generations to come.

In 2001, franchises began sprouting everywhere and children and adults alike finally got to see screen adaptations of their favourite literature. Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy raked in over $2 billion, won Oscars, and rebooted the fantasy genre. In the same year, a boy in a cramped cupboard with a lightning scar took over our screens and gave the new generation their own hero. Harry Potter reminded the world that nobody is too young or too old to believe in magic.

In 2005, Christopher Nolan commenced what is arguably the greatest superhero trilogy with Batman Begins.

Nolan changed the game by bringing a superhero into the crime thriller genre.

His version of Gotham City was grounded in reality and made audiences believe that this caped crusader could actually exist. Followed by The Dark Knight, the world witnessed a performance like no

other with Heath Ledger’s unforgettable final performance as the insane Joker.

Marvel can spend as many millions of dollars as they want, and Jared Leto can repeat ‘method’ all day every day, but no one will be able to emulate Nolan’s genius trilogy or Ledger’s legendary performance.

In 2004, we were given the gift that is Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, arguably the greatest and most complex love story of the 2000s

Throughout the decade, animation stayed afloat amongst the successful dramas and thrillers. DreamWorks’ Shrek proved to be the beginning of a monumentally successful franchise.

Pixar gave us The Incredibles, Finding Nemo, and Monsters Inc. To be honest though, there really is no film like 2009’s Up. Up gave us a more in-depth and complex love story in five minutes without any dialogue than the Twilight managed in four books and in five films.

Sometimes, simplicity really is key and an old widower, a chubby scout boy, a

talking dog, and an exotic bird proved to be the perfect combination.

Rom-coms were being made every other day in the 1980s and 1990s, so it was no surprise that audiences looked for something on the slightly more serious side at the turn of the millennium. Romance began to accompany important social issues with the relationship between two cowboys explored in Brokeback Mountain and Ewan McGregor facing the complexities of love and prostitution in 1900s Paris in Moulin Rouge.

In 2004, we were given the gift that is Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, arguably the greatest and most complex love story of the 2000s. Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet melted our hearts and reminded us that memories are the most important things that we own, plus no one had to drown in freezing cold water for it.

The drama and thriller genres both upped their game in the 2000s.

Daniel Day-Lewis gave us his second Oscar-winning performance in the intense There will be Blood. A friendship between two men on opposite sides of 1980s Germany who never meet pulled on our heartstrings in the 2006 German picture The Lives of Others.

Javier Bardem terrified the world in No Country for Old Men and Quentin Tarantino rewrote history so brilliantly in Inglorious Basterds that we should start telling our children that that’s how the war really ended.

Not too shabby for a time when Uggs were considered cool.

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OTwo // Film & TV

The Power of the Soundtrack

Pictures: Flickr

Jack Knowles explores the importance in film of a good accompanying soundtrack.

In light of Kendrick Lamar being the curator for the latest Marvel film soundtrack: Black Panther, it is time to reflect on the best film soundtracks over the past decades and the power they hold.

It is crucial to note the differences between a film’s soundtrack and its score.

A film score is instrumentals composed to accompany the film and enhance the story. Whereas soundtracks are normally licensed songs occasionally blended in with originally composed songs for the film. Now more than ever, the lines between score and soundtrack are blurred, resulting in a lot of crossover.

In recent years, soundtracks like that of La La land and Guardians of the Galaxy have become big hits after the film. Most recently, The Greatest Showman soundtrack has been a huge success, with over 7 million monthly listeners on Spotify.

A great soundtrack doesn’t just feed into pop culture, it is also a powerful device to elevate the film. The right song in a scene can become as essential as the visuals. When the two become intertwined and connected they can create memorable movie moments.

Think of the bathroom scene in Royal Tenenbaums, it wouldn’t be as deeply potent without Elliott Smith’s ‘Needle in the Hay,’ or, the ending of Fight Club with the Pixies’ ‘Where is My Mind?’ which evokes the sheer madness of the whole film. Baby Driver relies heavily on a big soundtrack to set the pace of the film and its action sequences.

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The soundtrack of Guardians of The Galaxy sets the whole mood and it is impossible to imagine the film without it. The same could be said for Suicide Squad, its soundtrack was one of the film’s only redeeming qualities and the original music was a big factor in its commercial success.

With a juggernaut in music like Kendrick Lamar being the curator of the music for Black Panther, the question is will we see more of this?

Some of the best-selling soundtracks are those from The Bodyguard, Saturday Night Fever, and Purple Rain. These each feature heavyweight artists and the soundtracks could stand alone without their respective films. However, the films add an extra element to the music. It becomes a new experience. The films give the music more life and it has proven to lead to longevity in cultural importance

in these instances.

Certain films go beyond this, they incorporate music into the story. Singin’ in the Rain would not be singing in the rain without Gene Kelly actually singing in the rain. You don’t just hear the music but you recapture the scene when you listen to it. Grease also does this well.

When you hear ‘You’re The One That I Want,’ you are transported back to the scene. This shows the power of a good soundtrack and its symbiotic relationship with the film.

Over the years certain directors have formed a style of soundtrack that they continue to use. Wes Anderson in his early films would normally feature a Rolling Stones song and contain music from the 1960s. Now he’s moved to the domain of original scores. For The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, he has (in very Wes Anderson style) Seu Jorge cover David Bowie songs in Portuguese.

Stanley Kubrick would often use classical music to stunning effect. Kubrick didn’t even listen to much music, only to find music for his films.

Quentin Tarantino’s first three films Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, and Jackie Brown each had fantastic soundtracks.

Tarantino has created some incredible music-infused scenes in cinema. There’s little more iconic than in Reservoir Dogs when the members of the heist are walking to George Baker’s ‘Little Green Bag.’ Artists have been composing original songs for films for a long time, just look back to 1959 when legendary jazz

musician Duke Ellington composed the music for Otto Preminger’s Anatomy of a Murder. Also, who could forget some of Will Smith’s biggest hits, ‘Men in black’ and ‘Wild Wild West.’ Funnily, the Wild Wild West soundtrack was a lot more popular than the film itself.

Composing original songs for film is set to continue as seen this year with Sufjan Stevens composing two originals for the critically acclaimed Call Me by Your Name. His song ‘Mystery of Love’ is nominated for an Academy Award.

With a juggernaut in music like Kendrick Lamar being the curator of the music for Black Panther, the question is will we see more of this? The answer is probably not. Musicians have been making soundtracks and scores for years.

The difference with Lamar is that he is the curator for the album. This means he reached out to other artists to create new tracks for the film. When the biggest name in hip-hop today reaches out with an opportunity to be on his soundtrack, you accept gratefully. Lamar does appear in some capacity on most of the songs too.

In films, we don’t remember the entire film scene for scene. We remember moments. Some of the best soundtracks create the moments that stay with us forever.

OTwo // Film & TV

Stand-Up Comedy on TV

Picture: Flickr

Aurora Andrus dives into the world of stand up comedy, from its TV origins to its streaming present.

The world of stand-up comedy has increased in popularity over the last ninety years and now holds its spot at the top of the entertainment pyramid. From the 1930s, it started to take shape with stand up shows, which led to sitcoms, sketch comedies, late night TV hosts, TV specials, and films.

In the 1950s, the Ed Sullivan Show became one of the most popular on TV, showcasing comedians and giving them a place in the entertainment industry.

When Jimmy Carson’s Tonight Show hit

Comedy has truly become one of the leading forms of entertainment in the industry today.

screens it worked as a launching pad for young comedians like David Letterman, Bill Maher, and Roseanne Barr. October 11th, 1975 marked a new era of television comedy with the debut of the hit show Saturday Night Live. Since then comedy has taken over.

Some of the best comedians have come from TV such as Robin Williams, Jim Carrey, Eddie Murphy, Dave Chappelle, and Jerry Seinfeld. These comedians

captured the essence of comedy and pioneered the art on television. Their jokes were honest and relatable. Their ability to do impressions, funny faces, and strange movements made them unique and everlasting. Carrey coined his key phrase “allll righty then” in his stand-up gigs, which made its way to the big screen for the Ace Ventura series.

Williams’ stand-up characters segwayed into unforgettable characters like Mrs Doubtfire and films like Good Morning Vietnam and The Cage.

As times have changed, so has comedy and the way we view it. More and more comedians are shying away from TV and moving to private companies like Netflix or HBO. This change has a lot to do with the type of jokes they want to tell. The controversial and foul nature of some jokes create issues with being aired on TV. The lack of censorship make them more appealing pushing comedians and audiences away from TV. Netflix has released stand-up specials for many of today’s top comedians and has been quite successful in doing so.

Since the noughties, stand-up comedians have pushed boundaries and provided a space that allows for laughter regarding the mockery of taboo subjects such as sex, foul language, sexuality, religion, and politics. Jokes of this style have become expected from modern comedians and audiences seem to love it. Some of the best and the raunchiest are comedians like Amy Schumer, Sarah Silverman, Bill Burr, and Jimmy Carr.

British comedians such as Lee Evans, Michael McIntyre, Eddie Izzard, and Russell Howard are appearing on television and netflix performing stand up comedy, with many also featuring on panel shows or their own programmes.

Shows such as Eight Out of Ten Cats, Have I Got News For You, Mock the Week, and QI have helped comedians to make their name.

Irish comedians also have their own successes with Dara O’Briain hosting a variety of shows along with his own stand up which is shown regularly on Dave. Tommy Tiernan is still going strong with a new role in the popular series Derry Girls. The likes of Des Bishop, Ed Byrne, and Neil Delamare do both stand up as well as TV shows.

The growth of comedy has created a space for female comedians to make their mark as well. Comedians such as Whoopi Goldberg, Jo Brand, Miranda Harte, and Sarah Millican showed that women could be just as hilarious as men. Comedians like Amy Schumer and Whitney Cummings keep the competition high amongst women and men.

Both ladies have a set of highly racy, sexual, and explicit jokes. Schumer’s first stand-up special, like Burr, was released on Netflix and HBO. Schumer’s crassness and offensive jokes make her one of the most loved and hated comedians around. However, that hasn’t stopped her from becoming a star on the stage and the screen.

The one thing all these comedians

have in common is their abilities to capture audiences at their gigs. Being at a live comedy gig, as opposed to watching one on TV, is incomparable. Live gigs deliver a different type of experience for comedy lovers. The main difference is the crowd. At a live gig, you have a room of people to laugh with. Sitting in your living room watching a TV special doesn’t deliver the same experience.

Comedy gigs are meant to be seen live to get the full effect. However, now we have them available at our fingertips and more and more people are discovering the comedy greats.

As times have changed, so has comedy and the way we view it.

Comedy has truly become one of the leading forms of entertainment in the industry today. Stand up comedy is unique and holds its own in a very difficult business. Comedians have become some of the biggest stars, producing not only TV specials but films and TV shows too. Comedy is more than just jokes. It’s a way for people to connect and feel safe to laugh about the things that society says we shouldn’t laugh at.

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OTwo // Interview

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OTwo // Interview

AN INTERVIEW WITH

James Kavanagh Claudia Dalby talks to James Kavanagh, of Snapchat and Instagram fame, about his recipe for the future.

For someone who has their fingers in a seemingly endless amount of (in some cases literal) pies, James Kavanagh started off with (relatively) humble beginnings. One Sunday, relaxing before starting another working week at his PR job, he decided to download the popular social media app Snapchat on a whim. After sending a few videos onto his story of him walking in and frightening the life out of his boyfriend William, an unprecedented following started to grow. The authentic (and over-dramatic) reactions offered by William that were set off

by James simply saying his name or walking into a room, caused James to amass tens of thousands of followers within as short a time as a week, “I guess people found that quite entertaining!”

Companies will ponder for hours in meetings how to make their promotional content go viral; James’ story is yet another example of how the internet is entirely unpredictable, and people will swarm to what they find entertaining at any moment.

The sharing app, which was primarily used at the time as a place for friends to share with friends, was slowly becoming more like social media giants Twitter or Facebook: a public platform to follow personalities and celebrities.

James was one of the first in a wave of Irish personalities to grasp onto the medium and make it their own. As his following grew, companies started to send him products to sponsor and shout-outs to make on their behalf, and once the money he was making started to surpass what he made from PR, he decided it would be a good decision to jump ship, “I thought, why not just do full-time me!”

His parents were unsure about the decision to leave a steady job, with a salary and insurance, to an unstable and

uncertain income. However, the fame that James’ brother had found off the beaten track certainly relaxed them to the idea. John Kavanagh, known as one of the best MMA coaches in the world and coach to Conor McGregor, studied engineering in college before telling his parents he had something slightly different in mind. “When he started training 20 years ago, no one was doing it in Ireland, and my parents were just as terrified.” Given the changing nature of the typical career path in recent years, James is certainly not the only one relying on an uncertain income, with many people jumping from different roles before settling, if they ever do so. James felt that he had a large enough fan base that it could work out, “they’ll save me! They’ll catch me when I fall!”

Most online personalities who make money from doing sponsored posts and brand endorsements, have a solid brand, be it fashion or beauty, or something like literature or diet advice. James however, felt he didn’t have this kind of specific branding, as “I was just broadcasting my life and people just found it interesting!” Despite the success he was seeing, he was still interested in looking for more financial stability looking towards the future. So in recent months, James has been delving into the food industry with his easily-scared other half.

The pair are deep in planning towards opening their own café in August, under their catering business brand ‘Currabinny.’

Their food ethos centres around organic, local, sustainable food for lunch time, and they hope to open the café in Ranelagh. In terms of looking towards the future, James would like to see Currabinny becoming an umbrella brand, and some distant ideas are to open a café in Cork, and potentially a homeware range.

The past few months have left them busy writing a cookbook for Penguin, which has an October release date. In terms of co-writing, they both write the recipes, but James feels that the combination of their skills is complementary - sweet and sour.

The business side of things is taken care of by James, and William, who completed a course in cookery at Ballymaloe cookery school, has a passion for food and comes up with most of the recipes. “We’ve fallen into two roles, and that helps, because I’m all about surrounding yourself with people who are kind of good at the stuff you’re bad it.”

James, felt that he didn’t have this kind of specific branding, as “I was just broadcasting my life and people just found it interesting!”

James is certainly good with PR; their food business has hit the public at a flying start, thanks partly to his fanbase. He credits the acceleration of their success to having his name out there already and having fans who are interested in what he does. He advises any up-and-coming food brands that social media is key. “Social media is

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free, can be such an effective tool that’s completely free to use, and it’s really worked for Currabinny.”

Their food ethos centres around organic, local, sustainable food for lunch time, and they hope to open the café in Ranelagh.

As well as that, booking a stand at markets rather than going full force into taking out a loan and going into debt for a café, is far more effective. “You’re getting your name out there, people are tasting your food, giving you feedback and it doesn’t cost you anything.

I can’t say going to markets and having a following was anything planned, but we wouldn’t be where we are today if I hadn’t been scaring William. It got a large amount of eyes on us and they were hungry for other things; like food!”

Of course, working with your life partner can be challenging, in keeping your love life and business life separate.

“You can be out for dinner and having a lovely couple time and then you remember what you were supposed to do in work world, so we’ve kind of started to find a balance.” When working with their cookbook team, he had to watch himself before getting narky and assume a professional relationship while at work.

Not all bloggers are out there stating their opinion, and many steer clear of contentious topics and stick to style advice or brand endorsements.

James thinks this is “a real shame.”

“We’re learning every day to work together and, well, love together. It sounds so cringey, but it’s important.”

James doesn’t keep quiet about issues that matter to him, such as Repeal, LGBT+ rights, autism awareness, STIs, and more. He pointed out my Repeal jumper, and immediately gave his opinion on the matter. He sees no reason to

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be anti-choice and has only “seen misinformation, red herrings, and a sadistic desire to control what other people do.”

However, not all bloggers are out there stating their opinion, and many steer clear of contentious topics and stick to style advice or brand endorsements.

James thinks this is “a real shame.”

“I don’t think anyone should be forced into saying something they’re not comfortable with, but I think it’s a shame if people are doing it to protect their audience.” He feels a lot of bloggers would be fearful that some of their following would drop off if they were in disagreement with the opinions of the person they follow for lifestyle advice. Bloggers are some of the most followed accounts on Instagram, with thousands of people reading and liking their content. “There’s some people out there who just follow Snapchatters and bloggers, they don’t watch the news or politicians, they get all their information from people like me. Bloggers have the ears of so many impressionable people and so many who would like the advice from somewhere.”

James hasn’t let this behaviour sway him in sharing his opinion and personal experiences. He has recently been talking in support of working to end homophobic bullying, and talks about his experiences in school. “I got horrendously bullied for three years straight. There was one guy who made it his business to invent new ways every day to make my life hell.” However, what was so important to his life were the people who stepped in to make a difference.

“This guy tried to pass a note around the class once, and one guy intercepted the note and stood up for me. That meant more to me than anything else, because it told me there’s actually nice people out there.”

Having gone through this experience, his advice would be focused primarily towards people who aren’t affected by bullying, and particularly non-LGBT+ identifying people, because the act of stepping in, which might seem like a “small gesture,” is in fact hugely significant and can make a world of difference. “I mean I’m still talking about it today so it must have been significant to me!” James sometimes visits schools to give talks and he’s delighted to see students doing projects on repeal, trans rights, and other topics, “they’re all a bit more woke than we were.”

As we move into 2018, James will be rehearsing for his newest appearance as a co-presenter for Ireland’s Got Mór Talent on TV3 Ireland, a delve into behind the scenes and chats with contestants and judges, with Glenda Gleeson. As he moves forward with his career, his creative output may change, but he knows he’ll never stop filming his life for his audience. “I was always mad into social media, I think Bebo was my first love, that’s kinda where it all began. So while I might be more focused towards the café and other things, I’ll never stop broadcasting, that’s for sure.”

Pictures: Cover and P16 Top: Aaron Hurley for VIP Magazine, P14/15 Elliott Browne, P16 Bottom: Elliott Browne

OTwo // Interview

OTwo // Music

WYVERN LINGO INTERVIEW Wicklow’s rising stars talk to Cliodhna McGirr about primary school, tour stories, and their long-awaited debut.

Huddled around a radiator in a pool hall one cold January morning, I speak to Karen Cowley, Caoimhe Barry and Saoirse Duane of Wicklow band Wyvern Lingo. Their self-titled debut album, to be released on 23rd February, is described by Caoimhe as “alternative pop influenced by rock and R&B.” This broad description reflects three talented musicians combining forces to create music that simply cannot be placed under one single genre, and it sounds great.

Remarkably, the band members have all known each other since primary school. They fondly look back on an important moment in their friendship: ‘First Aid’ in sixth class, where they looked after younger kids who had fallen in the yard. How did they do this? “We used to sing songs,” says Karen, accompanied by a firm “you’re grand,” yanking the fallen up by their arms.

Their long history allows these women to be completely trusting in each other, and this shows in their song-writing as they spill their hearts into their work. “We’re all very honest and always talk things out,” says Caoimhe. “A lot of the songs on the album are really delicate and personal…they touch on issues that are important to us.” All three contribute to the song-writing, mostly depending on what is going on in their lives or whatever profound thoughts are racing through their minds.

The topical ‘Out of My Hands,’ for example, touches on the refugee crisis, the eighth amendment, and gender inequality. The song was inspired by a conversation Karen had with a man in a pub one night about refugees, where she was met with a “current of apathy.”

The song is written from this man’s point of view, and it is uncomfortably relatable for the listener. “It’s natural to feel ‘it’s out of my hands, there’s nothing I can do’…but you also need to check yourself,” says Caoimhe. “[It’s about] training yourself to think about things in new ways.” Karen, who is involved in refugee activism, says she often sees these attitudes in Irish people. “It’s their defence mechanism… The song is about people not wanting to engage.”

We talk about ‘Maybe it’s My Nature.’ This song, as Karen describes it, deals with “having a wandering eye,” and the feelings of guilt that come with that.

The idea for this song came from thinking about “not being able to reconcile how you’re feeling and how you might be behaving, with depictions of women in literature.” A self-proclaimed poetry buff and fan of early twentieth-century writing, Karen says, “it’s really hard to read all that stuff that you used to think was God-like and then realise “wait a minute, there’s a pattern here, every woman that’s mentioned is a so-called absolute heartless bitch, for pure reasons of unrequited love.” I find that really interesting how that might have informed… how I act and how I think, and feelings of guilt.” The song itself is sharp, witty, and excellently produced with powerful harmonies throughout.

Wyvern Lingo are clearly confident in themselves as musicians, but they remain modest. They describe hearing crowds sing their songs back to them as “amazing,” “shocking,” and, as Saoirse so eloquently puts it, “totes emosh.”

At times our interview feels more

like overhearing a chat amongst friends, and it is a pleasure to catch glimpses into their close relationship. They describe a gig they played in Sweden where the crowd was “intently staring at us and very polite,” and how “people in Sweden don’t really dance that much.” Caoimhe explains that this relates to a dancing licensing rule in Sweden. At the gig, she jokingly said to the audience, “You know it’s cool if you guys dance… or is it? Will you guys get kicked out?”

During a discussion on collaborators, Karen remarks that she would love if she and James Blake “could just sit down and cry in a room for a while and sing a song together.” Her bandmates laughingly encourage her with Caoimhe saying: “I actually think that if you tweet that at him, it’d be pretty hard for him to resist.”

At one point in our chat the three simultaneously break into song, the age-old classic ‘Cheerleader,’ while recounting an incident after a gig in Paris.

They tell me that their taxi driver was blaring the song, and they loudly joined in. “These lads on mopeds were cruising by, singing along,” says Caoimhe. “It was a real Mary-Kate and Ashley moment.”

As Saoirse tells me, “we’ve actually started a podcast, because we talk so much.” With the interview coming to a close I ask if they have anything more to add, and they’re quick to reply: “preorder the album.” Caoimhe sagely adds that we should follow them “on all the social media, lads.” Message received, loud and clear.

Wyvern Lingo launch their selftitled debut album at Button Factory on 23rd February.

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OTwo // Music

Gig Guide TEBI REX – 10 MAR THE WORKMANS CLUB We were promised it back in November, and they delivered. The young Maynooth duo have released a new EP, Welcome to The Darkest Year of Our Adventures, and to support it they are hosting a launch party, which doubles as their first ever headline show. Expect riotous stage presence, plenty of crowd banter, and catchy dance rap that also makes you think.

Tickets from €11.75.

Check it out if you like: Hare Squead, Childish Gambino, Chance the Rapper

DVSN – 11 MAR THE ACADEMY These purveyors of slick electronic R&B are signed to Drake’s OVO Sound and have been making waves with their first two album releases. Vocalist Daniel Daley is nothing but smooth, and effortlessly commands a rich falsetto, while producer Nineteen85 (known for ‘One Dance’ and ‘Hotline Bling,’ among others) crafts dark, icy, atmospheric beats.

Certainly, this is music for night time. At €33.50, it’s the most expensive gig here, but it can be your reward for making it to Easter!

Tickets from: €33.50 Check it out if you like: Miguel, the Weeknd, Jeremih

REJJIE SNOW – 12 MAR OLYMPIA THEATRE Ireland’s biggest rap star is busy making a name for himself in America, making this something of a homecoming. Rejjie Snow has been active recently, dropping the lush, drugged out mixtape The Moon & You last May, and his debut album Dear Annie this month. His music features plenty of romance, laidback musings on existence, as well as tougher topics like race, all from a uniquely Irish perspective. Commanding a smooth baritone singing voice as well as his dexterous raps, Snow never seems to break a sweat, although he, and his audience, might do so at what is sure to be a lively affair.

Tickets from €22.

Check it out if you like: Joey Bada$$, Mick Jenkins, Loyle Carner

MØ – 26 MAR OLYMPIA THEATRE Danish electronic pop singer Karen Marie Ørsted may be best known for her features on international smashes like ‘Lean On’ and ‘Cold Water,’ but she has a fine solo catalogue as well, especially sole studio album No Mythologies to Follow. MØ has an ear for a melody, and her music features anthemic choruses and plenty to dance to. Importantly, she toes the line between crowd pleasers and the overproduced gloss into which Scandipop sometimes strays.

Tickets from €21.

Check it out if you like: Charli XCX, Zara Larsson, Spice Girls

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RADAR: Arms That Fit Like Legs Cian Montague shakes the hands of Arms That Fit Like Legs, and talks to them about making music on the side.

Arms That Fit Like Legs have only ever written one song with words in it, and it was in Irish. Members Mark Lynch, Gordon McCaughley, and Mike Mahon have been making music since 2008, when they were in NUI Maynooth, but Mike and Gordon first met in Coláiste Lurgan some years before. “Mike had smuggled in an electric guitar, an effects pedal and Radiohead CDs,” recalls Gordon. “This was all contraband,” explains Mike. The first collaboration of many came about on that course.

When I ask what the song was about, the response is instant: “tornádó ag teacht,” they laugh. “It still comes out at parties,” adds Mark. This I can believe.

Arms That Fit Like Legs have only every written one song with words in it, and it was in Irish.

Instrumental groups are perhaps not afforded the advantages associated with having a singer, but this Dublinbased outfit manage just fine. They craft tunes that are often fun, but elicit emotional responses too. From “very post-rock-y beginnings,” they have developed to encompass a more electronic sound. In their early days, their songwriting process was endearingly simple: “the three of us would sit down, and we’d pass the guitar around. We’d record loop after loop after loop.” These days they record live instruments over electronic beats made on Ableton. “It’s pretty improv-y,” says Mike.

The band released two EPs, before taking an extended break while Gordon

and Mike were in London. Since their return, they have been hard at work on their debut album, Legwork. They say that it will be more electronic than previous efforts, with both “lively and chilled-out tunes.” They take inspiration from a number of unusual sources.

The three of us would sit down, and we’d pass the guitar around. We’d record loop after loop after loop.

Their most recent release ‘You Will Go on My First Whistle’ alludes to the 1990s series Gladiators (“super corny, but

brilliant”), while another track from the album was born from the EastEnders theme. Musically, they cite Tycho, Todd Terje, Max Cooper, and Beach House (“they do so much with so little”), along with artists who are “constantly in the background,” such as the Redneck Manifesto, whom they revere.

Despite everything, there seems little chance of music taking over their lives. All three have other careers: Gordon is a screenwriter, Mike a motion graphics designer, animator and video editor, while Mark works in immunology research. Affable and happy to chat, they give the impression of three great friends who enjoy making music together and feel little pressure to take it further. As Mike puts it, “It’s part of us, but it’s not the only thing that we have.”

‘You Will Go On My First Whistle’ is out now. Legwork will be released this autumn.

OTwo // Music

The Rhinestone Renaissance

Pictures: Left: Ventu99 via Pixabay, Top Right: Montesinos via Wikimedia, Bottom Right: Nicholas Andrew via Flickr

Adam Lawler questions the motives behind the country reinventions of white pop stars.

Popular music is currently split between safe trop-house and forward-thinking hip-hop and R&B, but some of the biggest pop stars in recent memory are occupying that gulf and doing something that would be considered strange in any era: releasing country albums. In 2016 Lady Gaga released Joanne, last year Miley Cyrus released her post-Bangerz jaunt Younger Now, while most recently Justin Timberlake dropped Man of the Woods, a record misleadingly teased as an album of navel-gazing Americana which turned out to be more of an unholy fusion of country tunes and Neptunesbeats.

It illustrates what happens when pop commodities run out of ideas and panic.

When looking at their respective careers it’s clear to see why they needed a change. Gaga’s EDM-influenced ARTPOP drew no small amount of ire from critics and fans alike. Cyrus’s bad girl affectations could only further her career for so long, while Timberlake, in

the wake of criticism stemming from racial insensitivity and appropriation, most likely realised he could no longer reap from the ground which had proved fertile until now. Each move was made for the sake of damage control and course correction, even though this meant abruptly dropping the borrowed elements of queer and black culture that had made up the foundation of their success until this point.

This would be forgivable if the resulting albums were any good. On Joanne, Gaga drafted in Mark Ronson to produce. This gave the record a scrubbed-clean sheen that aped old sounds without committing to them, transforming even the Father John Misty collaboration ‘Come to Mama’ from an earthy demo into a monstrous exercise in overblown kitsch. The more “stripped back” songs dealt exclusively in generic platitudes and a heavily-affected accent.

The emotional richness was summed up in the documentary Gaga: Five Foot Two

by Gaga’s grandmother. Upon hearing the acoustic title track, about Gaga’s aunt who died of lupus, she admonished her granddaughter for being maudlin over something that happened so long ago and didn’t need dredging up. This was supposed to be Gaga’s step away from provocative antics and into vulnerability, but all she did was adopt the glitzy trappings of a genre to which she had no

prior connection.

Meanwhile, Cyrus’s album was a collection of bland, twangy drudges that sounded as though they were produced underwater. Timberlake has used his bloated 16-track chimera to continue coming on to women, but stripped of the R&B context in order to be read in tandem with a culture of chopping wood and pick-up trucks.

In all of this mess, if there is one country reinvention that warrants unexpected praise, it is Ke$ha’s sublime Rainbow. Like Gaga, Ke$ha was once a purveyor of sleazy dance songs, but unlike Gaga she has real connections to Nashville through her mother, Dolly Parton songwriter Pebe Sebert, and unlike Cyrus she does not exploit these roots for a calculated career move.

There is also the fact that this album was the direct result of Ke$ha being the victim of an abusive industry, from which Timberlake continues to profit without consequence, and consequently it rang more true in both its catharsis and wellearned humorous touches.

Ke$ha made a good country-tinged album because aside from being a good songwriter, her intentions were pure.

She wasn’t trying to skirt criticism or revive a failing career; she just wanted to be allowed to make good music. The very existence of Rainbow is a political triumph. The same cannot be said for

the others, and politics do not occupy the minds of any of the aforementioned stars. The closest they come to making a statement is ‘Angel Down’ from Joanne, which earned Gaga criticism for allegedly retroactively attaching the meaning of the song to Trayvon Martin’s murder, and ‘Say Something’ from Man of the Woods, a centrist anthem in which the central conceit is that maybe saying nothing is better than saying something of worth.

This is not surprising. There is nothing inherently wrong with “going country,” and there was a time when it would have been considered a ridiculous and amusing novelty. However, the fact that so many white artists are turning to country music in this political climate is highly suspect. It practically advertises an aversion to get involved in anything that would alienate the silent majority audience of the backwards USA Rust Belt to whom they are trying to pander with these albums.

Maybe these stars got too unwieldy and truly wanted to strip it back. Maybe it is about authenticity and getting in touch with their roots, present or not, or more realistically, maybe it illustrates what happens when pop commodities run out of ideas and panic. In any case, one cannot resist the urge to grab them by the shoulders and tell them to read the damn room.

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OTwo // Music

MGMT

Justin Timberlake

Franz Ferdinand

Review: Cian Montague

Review: Ciarán Busby

Review: Fearghus Montague

Always Ascending marks Franz Ferdinand’s first studio album since 2013. Having catapulted themselves on to the indie rock scene in the early 2000s with breakout hits like ‘Take Me Out’ and ‘Do You Want To,’ the Scottish band sound subdued on this new album, perhaps due to the departure of guitarist Nick McCarthy.

There are still anthemic guitar lines and riffs used over the course of Always Ascending, punctuated by mellow, bass-driven songs such as ‘Lazy Boy.’ However, generally Franz Ferdinand have swapped guitar-heavy tracks for a more synth-focused sound. This links with the band’s early promise to “make records that girls can dance to” in a world where indie is dominated by chants and riffs.

Standout songs on this album are few and far between, with much of the record feeling like filler for big tunes like ‘Lazy Boy’ and the title track. ‘Finally,’ for example, feels like a song that should be a massive hit, but it suffers from a lack of a satisfying climax.

Lyrically, there are instances of poignant metaphors for current events and the state of society in ‘Paper Cages’ and ‘Huck and Jim.’ However, lines such as “You make good choices to change our world so you could be happy,” on the song ‘Lois Lane,’ are a little on the nose. The rest of that song, too, feels convoluted, with a mishmash of ideas in every other verse.

In a nutshell: A lack of energy and meaningful lyrics for most of Always Ascending sees Franz Ferdinand hinder potential hits and tarnish their good name.

The fourth album from the indie duo drops more than four years after their last release. MGMT have never managed to reach the heights of debut Oracular Spectacular, so it is with a pleasant surprise that we dive into Little Dark Age to hear something of the band we know and love.

We’re immediately met with distinctly 80s basslines and a synth-pop sound in ‘She Works Out Too Much.’

It gets you nodding your head, but there’s something darker about the chords and the lyrics too; it’s not just a silly dance track. Such is the case with most of the album. MGMT’s social commentary is set on top of listenable tracks sprinkled with moments of dissonance and chromaticism that turn your head and make your ears prick up– did he just say he was going to blow his brains out?

MGMT are not afraid to try out different sounds.

‘James’ is an obvious change of pace where we hear a much deeper voice adopted over a pure French horn and a delicate piano line. Splashes of funk appear in the album’s basslines. ‘When You’re Small’ has a largely acoustic sound with an exposed vocal line that shows a raw emotional vulnerability.

Little Dark Age may lack standout tunes in comparison to the rake of hits on Oracular Spectacular.

However, there is a real sense of purpose to the album and with its darker sound, it simply isn’t the same old indie synth-pop.

In a nutshell: A fresh, forward sound from a band you might have forgotten about, and you’ll be sure to have a nice little boogie.

Little Dark Age

Man of the Woods Always Ascending It that a lot has changed for Justin Timberlake since The 20/20 Experience. When last we met him, he was kitted out in a ‘Suit & Tie,’ but today he tells us that he’s more comfortable in a ‘Flannel.’ Unfortunately, based on Man of the Woods, it seems the suit was the better fit.

A large chunk of the album is spent pushing Timberlake’s new outdoorsy, “simple living” image.

Sonically, this means plenty of midtempo country-tinged ballads. Lyrically, it feels vague and cheap. We get scoffs at “that fancy record company man,” on the nose statements like “Ain’t got no phone, don’t need it though,” and faux-profundities like “Sometimes the greatest way to say something is to say nothing at all.” You wonder how many camping trips it took JT to come up with that one.

From the more conventional pop tracks, ‘Filthy’ is the obvious choice for a hit, but despite its bellowing guitars and lofty ambitions, it’s hard to see it setting a stadium alight. Elsewhere, when Timberlake attempts to turn the swagger on, we get tired lines like “I’ll be the generator, turn me on when you need electricity.”

At 16 tracks and 65 minutes long, this thing is a slog. At times the production is so limp that you would scarcely believe Timbaland and the Neptunes are its architects. The one-two punch of ‘Hers (Interlude)’ and ‘Flannel,’ - a full minute of Jessica Biel talking about wearing her husband’s shirt, a startlingly boring track about said shirt, and then, preposterously, another minute and a half of Biel speaking - will leave you reeling.

Good moments on ‘Montana’ and ‘Breeze off the Pond’ are tucked away towards the album’s end, but you may be exhausted by the time you get there.

In a nutshell: This baffling, clumsy rebrand from Timberlake will have you wishing he’d bring sexy back.

What are you listening to? Music Soc Niamh Roche, Treasurer - All the Luck in the World - ‘Landmarks’ Aisling Stafford, Secretary - Zedd, Maren Morris and Grey - ‘The Middle’ Conor O’Boyle, Ents - The Horrors - ‘Something to Remember Me By’ Aoibhín Ní Ghabhann, Freshers Rep - Tom Waits - ‘Diamonds & Gold’ Jodie Ryan, Auditor - Big Sean and Metro Boomin - ‘Who’s Stopping Me’ 20

Pictures: Lifepict via wikimedia, La Route Du Rock via Wikimedia, Shelby Casanova via Flickr

Album Reviews

OTwo // Food

Review: Sova Vegan Butcher Sambhavi Sudhakar reviews Sova Vegan Butcher in Dublin.

In its capacity as a burgeoning movement and ever-increasing popularity as a lifestyle choice, veganism has witnessed the rise of many alternatives to meat and dairy-based foods. One of the most popular vegan food hubs in Dublin is Sova Vegan Butcher, located on Pleasants Street, just off Camden Street.

The seitan doner kebab with ‘beef,’ tomato, guacamole, white cabbage, mixed salad and a tartare sauce is a popular favourite.

The owner Barto Sova was a longterm vegetarian before becoming vegan in 2013. He established Sova Vegan Butcher in order to popularise plantbased alternatives to meat dishes that imitate the taste and texture of animal protein. Their aim is to promote vegan food that is “tasty, healthy, happy and sexy!”

Sova Vegan is found in a small two-storey building, with the capacity to seat 40 people. Aesthetically, it is minimalist with white walls in contrast

to furniture with a smooth, dark varnish.

The elegance of the restaurant truly lies in its simplicity and the atmosphere is conducive to bonding and conversation over meals. The service is provided by open, friendly, and approachable staff members heightening the appeal of the eatery.

The dishes at Sova sit on two separate menus, one for brunch and another for dinner. The dinner menu offers a deal consisting of a starter, main course, and dessert for €24.90. The dishes are presented in a way that is visually enticing.

The seitan doner kebab with ‘beef,’ tomato, guacamole, white cabbage, mixed salad and a tartare sauce is a popular favourite. Reviews from non-vegans indicate that the texture of the seitan in the dish is extremely close to the meat version. Other meat alternatives on the menu include burgers, a turkey roulade, a seitan steak, and a pulled pork bap.

The menu also features a generous supply of gluten-free dishes, of which the potato pancakes with cauliflower and mushroom sauce is a definite winner.

Another standout dish is the roasted cauliflower soup with cucumber, cashew salsa, and sourdough crostini. While the texture is relatively thicker than most soups, its evolving flavour and richness makes it another Sova success.

The dessert menu at Sova is vegan and gluten-free. While my seitan kebab main was definitely sumptuous and fulfilling, my cheesecake fell slightly short of the mark. My companion’s choice of dessert however, the apple

and cinnamon pancake, was a befitting conclusion to the Sova experience.

A visit to Sova is definitely a rewarding experience. With its balance of a refreshing ambience and a versatile menu, it is a top-notch Dublin restaurant.

New Year, New Me?

Staff writer Clara Brannigan looks at the positives and challenges of post New Year’s fads.

The tradition of making a New Year’s Resolution is centuries old and most of us have vouched to make changes at one point or another. The New Year often inspires motivation for self-improvement, which for many involves getting healthy, losing weight, or giving up smoking. Approximately 50% of the population make resolutions each New Year.

After the celebrations and overindulgence of the Christmas period, there comes a time at the beginning of January when people start pledging to go on diets and change their eating habits. These New Year’s resolutions may give some people the motivation needed to kick-start a healthy lifestyle, but are they sustainable?

There are many New Year’s fads that have emerged such as ‘Dry January.’

This is the annual movement developed by the UK charity ‘Alcohol Concern’ through which millions of people give up alcohol for the month of January.

This trend has made its way to Ireland, it drives a conversation about alcohol consumption and why we drink, but experts are divided over whether giving up alcohol for a month is the answer to our culture’s troubled relationship with alcohol. The latest trend is ‘veganuary,’ with an increasing rise in people turning

to a plant-based diet; many tried going vegan for the month of January.

One particularly popular Irish

Experts are divided over whether giving up alcohol for a month is the answer to our culture’s troubled relationship with alcohol.

it.” The support you are given in these groups can be the key part of staying motivated and reaching your goals.

This can be a positive starting place for people as it feels like a fresh start while also embracing a lifestyle change and not a restrictive diet.

Now that it’s February many may have forgotten these resolutions and have gone back to their normal lives,

but there are still some who find it motivational. It may not work for everyone but “It’s important to remember that you can change anything you want in your life at any time, and you have to start somewhere.” The key to keeping your New Year’s Resolution is to remember the supports out there, and to keep it realistic so that it doesn’t become more of a weight on your life.

trend is joining groups like ‘Slimming World’ or ‘Operation Transformation.’

OTwo spoke to Maura Laramie who is in her final year of Social Science. She shared her journey of choosing a New Year’s Resolution to become healthier.

She joined operation transformation “to become fitter.” Maura noticed that people joined to “lose weight, for stress relief and some for the social aspect of

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The Spring Awakening

Step into the new season with these smart and stylish looks.

Clothing kindly sponsored by: Magee 1866 21 & 22 South Anne St, Dublin 2

Photographer: Joanne Olivia Stylist: Shane Cullen Models: Thomas Fitzgerald, Mykhaylo Ryabov

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OTwo // Fashion

It is spring again.

The earth is like a child that knows poems by heart.

- Rainer Maria Rilke

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OTwo // Fashion

Walk, Walk, Fashion Baby Clara Brannigan reflects on the evolution of Lady Gaga’s fashionable career.

Her unique sense of style had designers queuing up to be at her beck and call as there were no limits to what she would try in the name of art.

Gaga quickly became one of the most iconic female artists of the decade.

Her unique sense of style had designers queuing up to be at her beck and call, as there were no limits to what she would do in the name of art. Gaga’s risqué fashion and her music have always held a political message with Gaga using her platform to

reflect current social and political issues.

Since her debut in 2008, Gaga has shocked the fashion industry countless times. Her ‘Bad Romance’ video saw her head to toe in Alexander McQueen – a full-body sparkling masterpiece.

Gaga debuted the reissued single, at McQueen’s final catwalk show, Plato’s Atlantis. The models wore the rare Armadillo boots that had been featured in the Bad Romance music video.

As her career progressed, Gaga soon became an advocate for equality.

The release of her second album features the track ‘Born This Way’ that became an inspirational anthem for anyone who has struggled with their self-worth. When she performed the album track at the Grammys, Gaga was reborn on stage, emerging out of a giant egg wearing latex prosthetics to resemble an alien. She had left The Fame behind her, showing a whole new side to Gaga, in the most literal sense, introducing her alter ego Jo Calderone in her music video for ‘You and I.’ Gaga’s fashion has always been a show-stopper. In 2010, Gaga arrived for her VMA Video of the Year award in the controversial ‘meat dress.’ There was a backlash from social media expressing their concerns about animal cruelty. Gaga explained the dress was a protest against the military’s restrictions placed on gay soldiers. Other shocking ensembles, like

her telephone hat and her fire shooting machine gun bra, consistently got people going gaga about Gaga.

Her fifth studio album Joanne, portrayed a stripped-back version of Gaga, swapping her flamboyance for more

low-key country rock’n’roll vibes. It seems Gaga has put her scandalising days behind her. Nevertheless, when it comes to show time there’s no doubt that the pop Queen will have something sartorial up her sleeve to surprise her little monsters.

SZA’s outfits consist of wardrobe basics.

Tracksuit sets (matching or otherwise), sneakers, denim, denim, and more denim. In this sense, she is the perfect accompaniment to the ease of Gap’s items. While their appeal may be widespread, their essentials can be styled in new and exciting ways. They provide the bones of an outfit; it’s up to you to do the decorating.

SZA’s advert with GAP comes in collaboration with Women Under the Influence, a group that works to promote women in the film industry. SZA is seen dancing alongside music producer

Metro Boomin and other familiar faces, including Youtube star Connor Franta and comedian Naomi Watanabe. The high-energy mood is enhanced by the dancers’ comfortable clothing; loose t-shirts, grey sweatshirts, and even some oversized dungarees. Not only is it a lot of fun and indicative of what Gap does best, but also the video comes as a celebration of the brand’s previous clothing lines.

SZA herself dons a limited-edition, patchwork-effect hoodie, which brings vintage Gap styles together into one colourful, effortless piece.

Picture: AlexKormisPS (ALM) via Flickr

Lady Gaga strutted into the spotlight 10 years ago with her first single ‘Just Dance.’ Her striking style and infectious pop-synth beats hinted at what was to come, with bold outfit choices like the infamous disco ball bra, platinum hair, and blunt bangs.

The SZA Season American label Gap has teamed up with Grammy-nominated R&B singer-songwriter SZA, in an ad campaign that celebrates their ‘Logo Remix Collection.’

The lively, smiley 60-second clip stays firmly on brand, echoing Gap’s easy-going, unpretentious style. This same sentiment is captured in the retailer’s own three-word summary: ‘Optimistic American style.’ Who better to personify such a straight-forward ethos than SZA, a refreshingly honest newcomer to the R&B scene.

While Gap may come from the land of opportunity, its reach and popularity is global

While Gap may come from the land of opportunity, its reach and popularity is global. The simplicity of their clothing is unlikely to turn heads, but its almost four thousand stores worldwide is testament to the universal appreciation for easy, uncomplicated clothing. SZA and Gap might seem an unlikely pairing. The music star’s aesthetic veers to the bolder

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side of the fashion scale: her impossibly voluminous hair is frequently matched by oversized dungarees, or equally baggy jeans. She sports bright shades, and somehow makes socks and sandals cool, as seen in an Instagram post layering platform cobalt Teva’s over contrasting mustard socks.

The key to SZA’s style is similarly the secret to her selection as Gap’s newest fresh face. It isn’t the individual items themselves, but how these items are worn and, of course, who they’re worn by. If you look closely, past the cool-girl poses and ineffable confidence, most of

Picture: Flickr

Bébhinn Campbell reviews Gap’s newest celebration of wardrobe simplicity.

OTwo // Fashion

Vanity Goes Vegan Sambhavi Sudhakar reviews the best vegan cosmetic contenders.

The best way to confirm whether your favourite brands are vegan and cruelty free, is to look them up online.

Famous faces such as make-up artist to the stars, Charlotte Tillbury, have opted to go for the cruelty-free cosmetic trend, and there has been a growth in vegan cosmetic brands worldwide.

In addition to being ethically tested, many of these products also seek to

be environmentally friendly with natural ingredients.

Barry M cosmetics is one of the most accommodating brands as far as vegan products are concerned. Since its inception in 1982, Barry M’s company policy has been strictly against all forms of animal testing, and the majority of its products are vegan. Barry M’s cosmetics range in price from €1.99 to €9.99.

Beauty Without Cruelty, founded in 1959, consists solely of ethically derived products which are free from chemical preservatives. BWC offers a wide range of beauty products and accessories which range from €6 to gift packs that cost over €30. Reviewers of BWC applaud its unique blend of natural ingredients and its assurance in terms of quality.

In 2016 Kat Von D’s make up line committed to the production of a completely cruelty-free range of cosmetics.

Kat Von D products are available in Debenhams and their affordability ranges from €15 to over €60. While it is definitely more expensive than the average brand, it offers high quality cruelty-free alternatives without compromising on colour and finish.

Among other vegan friendly brands are Phb Ethical Beauty and E.L.F. The

former is a family-run business whose products are vegan, halal, and free from palm oil. E.L.F. is an affordable, vegan brand which is easily available in outlets such as Penneys.

The best way to confirm whether your favourite brands are vegan and cruelty-free, is to look them up online.

There are many websites, such as PETA, Cruelty Free Kitty, and Vegan Beauty Review that offer a complete and

updated list as to the status of almost every brand.

With more shoppers becoming more environmentally conscious, retailers are gaining awareness to accommodate this demand. One of the biggest chains stocking cruelty-free beauty goodies is LUSH, which has become a high street favourite across the UK and Ireland. The vegan revolution never looked so ethically glamorous.

Picture: Flickr

The newest make-up bag must-have is not a new combination of shades or a celebrity brand, it is vegan make-up.

Buying vegan makeup can come with moral benefits such as knowing you are not contributing to animal testing and the use of animal products in make-up such as beeswax, animal fats, and some forms of animal excretion (gross).

Campus Chic Name: Sam

Course: Psychology Student Favourite part: “The gold chain.”

Name: Clara

Course: BA English & Sociology, final year.

Favourite part: “I love my shoes, they’re my favourite!”

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OTwo // Travel

Pomeranian Coast of Poland While visiting her grandparents in Poland, Veronica Rozynek introduces her friend and us to the welcoming country and its fascinating role in WWII.

A familiar place always takes on a divergent perspective when viewed through the eyes of a newcomer. My fondness for Poland can be intertwined with my cultural upbringing, as my parents are native Poles. Last month, I decided to visit my grandparents in Poland. I brought my Irish friend Chris along to give him insight into my heritage. I thought it would be a unique experience for him, as I know the region intimately, and would be able to give a personalised tour of the place.

Our flight landed in Szczecin, a major seaport that borders Germany and the Baltic Sea. From our arrival, we felt a refreshing sense that we weren’t tourists. Since I speak Polish fluently, I felt comfortable conversing with locals, and was able to translate for Chris.

From Szczecin, we took a regional train through Western Pomerania to reach our first destination, Bialogard. My grandparents welcomed us with food and open arms, though they couldn’t communicate with Chris, since they only speak Polish. Nevertheless, their warmth was able to transcend the language barrier, and Chris felt welcome in this rural village that was seemingly lost in time.

After a night with my grandparents in Bialogard, we took a train eastward to Gdansk, to visit my other grandmother.

Destroyed in the aftermath of World War II, Gdansk was rebuilt from the ground, attempting to create a Renaissance-style architecture with Dutch, Belgian, and French influence. Through its reconstruction, city planners attempted to forego its

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pre-war Prussian influences, mirroring the city’s underlying aversion to former Nazi occupation.

Destroyed in the aftermath of WWII Gdansk was rebuilt from the ground, attempting to create a Renaissancestyle architecture with Dutch, Belgian, and French influence.

We spent our day walking around the historical heart of Gdansk, the Old Town. On Long Street, we stopped at various historical landmarks along the way including Arthur’s Court, the Old Town Mill, and the Old Port on Motlawa River, monuments paying homage to 17th century Poland that was ruled by kings.

We made our way to Mariacka

Street, where we could appreciate various selections of amber, a native gemstone in Poland. In our wandering, we stumbled upon a local library, where we learned more about the city’s history and its connection to the war. Gdansk, formerly known as Danzig, served as a source of bitter dispute between Germans and Poles, who rivaled to own this well-positioned port. Most importantly though, we learned that just a few blocks from Old Town, in Westerplatte, on September 1st, 1939, World War II started, with the German blitzkrieg.

The highlight of the day, however, was going to see the newly built World War II Museum. We learned of the war’s extensive impact, spreading from Eastern Europe to Japan to USA. History, however, is in the eye of the beholder. This museum was heavily depicted through a Polish lens, which refracted a feeling of victimization, due to the country’s previous historical partitions. It was interesting to compare and contrast my perception of this event with Chris’ views, considering the Irish neutrality in the war.

Upon leaving the museum, we returned to my grandma’s apartment to get a second history lesson. Having lived through Soviet occupation, in southwest Poland, she was a woman of rigid morals.

Although some content was lost in my translation of her depictions, the sentiment was clear: her loyalty to Poland was deep-rooted and a hard-earned right, not a privilege.

The following morning, on our last

day, we decided to wake up early to see the sunrise in the spa town of Sopot, just a few miles from Gdansk. We woke up with the city as we walked along the streets at dawn. We passed the famous Crooked House, just before reaching the Sopot Pier, the longest wooden pier in Europe. Still dark, we were enveloped by the fragrance of the salty sea and sound of reverberating waves. The sensory overload, that is often so characteristic of metropolitan cities, was absent; we felt serene with our thoughts and humbled by the beauty of the surrounding view.

We walked back so Chris could catch his train back to the airport as his flight was leaving the same morning.

He was grateful for the trip, and all that he had been able to learn about this country, which is otherwise considered an underrated travel destination for most Irish people. I was appreciative of being able to see my culture through his eyes.

I felt a newfound sense of pride to have roots here.

In our modern day, we often claim a sense of ownership over places as excessive consumption becomes increasingly normalised. However, as this trip came to a close, it dawned on me that these visited places did not belong to me, but through my identity and character, I belonged to them.

OTwo // Fatal Fourway

Fatal Fourway

Fa v o u r i t e C h i l d h o o d G a m e

Pictures: Meadhbh Sheridan

Dylan O’Neill

Harry Potter Growing up in rural Ireland doesn’t offer much in terms of variety for games. There was GAA, GAA, and...GAA. Not being particularly sporty, I was somewhat at a loss. So I did what any child would do. I recreated popular scenes from Harry Potter and Star Wars with a broken tree branch and made stories I could live in.

Endless hours, well into my late teens, were spent outside in my grandparents barn, twirling around a dead stick and shouting at thin air. Some of my fondest memories are in that barn. Being a bounty hunter or a rough wizard, I found a love for the morally grey character. From that, my imagination grew and allowed me to write fiction on those days when my brother and sister were playing football in the pouring rain.

While there have been other games in my life, for example when we got a Nintendo Wii from Santa at christmas; playing by myself has always been something I’ve fallen back on. It needs no power source, no team players, just you and your imagination. Especially when I was grounded from playing the Wii for using the blue shell in Mario Kart.

Mary Sheehan

Candyland As a child, I could have spent hours playing Candyland. Between the bright and cheerful board and colourful characters, the game provided fun and entertainment, especially at a young age. With adorable animations including Gramma Nut and Princess Lolly, not only did the game make its players crave sugar, the animations brought a definite level of excitement to the experience.

When playing Candyland, the light-hearted humour it provided was enough to draw my older sister and I away from the allure of the television, much to the delight of our parents.

Most importantly, even as a five year old, I found it easy to rig the game. I learned at a young age that drawing the beautiful Queen Frostine card out of the deck indicated a soon-to-be victory. In contrast, drawing the Purple Plumpy card from the hand in the late state of the game meant a most certain doom.

Although winning was certainly an enjoyable part of the experience, what really mattered playing this game repeatedly was the excitement of it. The experience alone was enough to keep me playing over and over. While not as intense as Monopoly, it was just as strategic, especially when we grew older and the stakes became higher.

Gavin Tracey

Conkers I was, for the most part, a very antisocial child. Antisocial in a: “I’m going to stay in my room all day” way, as opposed to: “I’m going to throw rocks at cats and people” way. I never was one for games, video or board. Video games bored me, but board games involved other people, so that was a no go.

There was one exception to the game rule: conkers. My old house bordered a small forest, and late September of every year, myself, my Dad, and my brother would head down to where the “conker trees” grew. I am somewhat embarrassed to admit that I didn’t know they were called Horse Chestnut trees until writing this.

Here, we would spend most of the afternoon, throwing sticks at the trees to make the conkers fall, hurling them against the wall to break them out of their prickly outer casings. Dad would bring an electric drill (overkill I know, but sometimes he let us drill the holes, which we loved) and we’d string them up and whack them at each other until we were sufficiently bruised and wanted to return home. Usually, we would just turn on our dad until he chased us. In retrospect, it’s somewhat odd that some of my fondest childhood memories involve my father chasing me with an electric drill in his hand, but sure what can you do.

Ruth Murphy

Crash Bandicoot Being in the habit of coming second last in most school races sports or games that involve exercise have not been my cup of tea over the years. Luckily, one Christmas morning Santa blessed my brothers and I with a playstation 2! This gift was probably the most exciting event of my youth.

We played a variety of games such as SSX and GTA, but it was the Crash Bandicoot series that had us staying up until 3am to complete the entire game. Crash 3, Crash Bash, and Crash Team Racing (which I have realised since is definitely a rip-off of Mario Kart) had us glued to the screen, and forgetting what the outside world looked like. The game brought the family together despite me being a tiny, fragile, extremely shy child and my brothers being six and nine years old than me.

For my birthday one year my brother managed to get me Crash 1 and 2 even though they were mostly no longer for sale as they were for the PS1. It was almost as exciting as when he got me an Avril Lavigne CD. It is with pride that I recall that it is not apples but wompa fruits that you gather and that the evil character Uka Uka is just the good guy Aku Aku backwards. I liked to play as Crash Bandicoot’s sister Coco who used to randomly scream “Bandicoot power!” in CTR but then I realised that she was generally the slowest character which is a little sexist, and unfortunately fitting in my case.

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APERTURE Transience

Bronagh Kieran

Katia Gillen

Mary McGowan

Claudia Dalby

Dylan O’Neill