VOL.XXV, Issue 6, OTwo

All About Áine Volume XXV, Issue 6 19th February, 2019

New Name, New Music

PLUS: HARASSMENT IN VIDEO GAMES KILLIAN WOODS: BADGERING WRITERS AND EDITORS THE PAPERBACK SPINE OF REVOLUTION

THE IRISH FASHION INNOVATION AWARDS

OTWO VOL. XXV ISSUE 5 CONTRIBUTORS

EDITOR Brían Donnelly

DEPUTY EDITOR Dylan O’Neill

ART & DESIGN EDITOR Fiachra Johnston

OTWO CO-EDITORS Clara Brannigan Tara Hanneffy

ARTS & LITERATURE EDITOR Heather Reynolds

GAMES EDITOR Ash Gomez

FILM & TV EDITOR Emma Kiely

MUSIC EDITOR Aoife Mawn FOOD & DRINK EDITOR Shivani Shukla

FASHION EDITOR Shane Cullen TRAVEL EDITOR Fiadh Melina Brosnan

ONLINE OTWO CO-EDITORS Adam Lawler Ash Gomez

CHIEF OF ILLUSTRATIONS Freya Williams

CHIEF OF PHOTOGRAPHY Alex Fagan

STAFF WRITERS Rebecca Sibley Anne-Marie Lyons Andy Prizeman-Nolan Dayle Nolan Jack Knowles Emma O’Regan-Reidy CONTRIBUTORS Sinead Dunphy Killian Woods Bláthnaid Kelly Caoilfhinn Hegarty Cormac Lehnen Kristen Bell Nathan Young Sophie Carberry

LETTER FROM THE

CONTENTS Arts & Literature 5-7 Games 8-9 Film & TV 10-13 A Chat With...

14-16 Music 17-20 Food 21 Fashion 22-25 Travel 26 APERTURE 28

EDITORS

Hello all!

Welcome to Issue 6! We’d just like to point out that the products featured in the above photo were #gifted, and that Clara takes her coffee with a shot of milk, and Tara with a spoon of sugar and a decent dash of milk. Moving swiftly onwards, Killian Woods takes over the Alumni Corner for this issue, and are you mad at the prospect of a Gossip Girl remake? So is Sinéad Dunphy, so make sure to see what she has to say about it in the Soapbox.

After that, you’ll notice that some of the articles this issue are a little longer than usual, but believe us, there are some absolute crackers in here. The Arts and Lit section discusses the important topic of queercoding on screen, and there are also articles that look at the popularity of conspiracy theories in a ‘fake news’ era, and ‘Zine culture in Dublin. Ash, our Games editor shares her own experience of being a woman who plays games and the negative connotations associated with being a female ‘gamer’.

The Film section has a special focus on the Irish filmmaking industry this month. Our Film and TV Editor Emma had an exclusive chat with Gemma Bovenizer after the release of her film ‘This is Not Consent’; read this to be inspired about the next generation of artists that are growing up in this country.

There’s also a look at the films and TV shows that make us proud to be Irish, and a particularly topical look at the issue of racism in film.

In this month’s music section, we have an interview with Greyface, who were crowned the winner of UCD MusicSoc’s Battle of the Bands in Whelan’s.

We also take a look at whether UCD offers enough opportunity for those hoping to break into the music industry.

In Fashion, we have a great line up for you, we delve into the world of Irish fashion and take a look at The Irish Fashion Innovation Awards. Don’t forget to check out the fashion shoot, where we have a look at the latest men’s wear from Magee on South Anne Street.

Clara Interviews the rising star Áine (pronounced awn-yah) and they chat about her new record deal, her greatest inspirations and what is in store for her over the next year. She talks about her latest EP and whether she will be playing any festivals this summer, so keep your eyes peeled!

Finally, to round off what we believe might be our best issue yet (gasp), there’s an article in travel that you might want to read if you’ve ever fancied going to Montreal. Prepare to be mad as some of our editors cast their votes for the WORST Irish accents (ever) in film and television.

That’s all for now folks! (p.s. The matching red lipstick wasn’t planned; we’re really ARE that in sync)

-Tara & Clara xoxo

Illustration: Emma O' Regan Reidy

Soapbox:

The Hollywood reboot: Has anyone ever wanted one?

Mystic Mittens Aquarius January 20 - February 18

Spotted in the SU shop stocking up on the chocolate Aquarius?

Valentine’s Day can’t have been that bad...

Pisces February 19 - March 20

Might be time for a glow-up this month, Arts Cafe style. All on the surface. Also: Happy Birthday!

Aries March 21 - April 19

Looking for something to do this month Aries? The University Observer have coffee mornings every Wednesday - the coffee is free and the chats are mighty.

Taurus April 20 - May 20

Might be time to ditch the bought lunches and bring your own... except don’t bother with anything microwaved. Your life isn’t long enough for that.

Gemini May 21 - June 20

Live your life with the same enthusiasm as that guy that sang ‘Tequila’ at karaoke.

Cancer June 21 - July 22

It’s time for you to stop snoozing your alarm and arriving 10 minutes late for lectures. After all, what are you paying an arm and a leg for?

Leo July 23 - August 22

We are feeling your positive energy this month Leo! Woo! Keep it up, it looks good on you!

(Too enthusiastic?)

Virgo August 23 - September 22

Stop being a bookend in lecture halls Virgo, move over and let other people sit beside you.

Libra September 23 - October 22

Mystic Mittens says that you will find your true calling at Workmans Karaoke this Sunday... be there when the clock strikes midnight.

Scorpio October 23 - November 21 We’re just as confused as to where your socks go to Scorpio.

Sagittarius November 22 - December 21

Avoiding your feedback sessions with your lecturers is pointless, own your up to your mistakes Sagittarius. Denial ain’t a good look.

Capricorn December 22 - January 19

Don’t know what to say Capricorn.

There’s always one.

Sinéad Dunphy

Hollywood has run out of ideas. The last few years have been dominated by reboots or revivals and the years ahead promise many more to come. Every day I live in fear of another favourite of mine being ruined by a group of Hollywood execs who would rather recycle the same project over and over than, God forbid, take a risk on an original idea.

The latest beloved show to get the reboot treatment is CW hit Gossip Girl; particularly baffling given that the show only ended in 2012. While not yet underway, CW President Mark Pedowitz confirmed the network’s interest in rebooting the series. It’s easy to understand the backlash to this announcement. I mean, who could ever match the effortless blonde-bombshell charm of Blake Lively as Serena or the bordering on creepy yet somehow seductive intensity of Ed Westwick as Chuck Bass? Don’t care about Gossip Girl? Well, with the arsenal of reboots Hollywood has up its sleeve this year, you’ll be sure to feel the same protective outrage Gossip Girl fans are feeling right now.

Disney fans can look forward to seeing childhood classics like The Lion King, Mulan, Aladdin and Dumbo exploited until there is no nostalgia left in them. The live action Mulan might be interesting but come on, did any of us really need to see Will Smith painted blue for Aladdin? (It’s downright disturbing and immediate meme material). Speaking of Smith, his classic Men in Black franchise (which had one too many sequels as it is) is set to come back to theatres this year with Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson taking over for Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. I won’t exactly be lining up to buy tickets but hey, I guess I should at least be happy they gave one of the roles to a woman, right? Although, maybe if we just wrote more roles for women then we wouldn’t have to lump them with recycled roles á la Oceans 8 and Ghostbusters.

Recent reboots have varied hugely in quality and reception. While Queer Eye has been welcomed with open arms, the queer-ified TV revamp of 80’s classic Heathers tanked almost immediately because literally no one asked for it. Reviving popular shows has been a trend lately, from the disappointing Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, to Will and Grace and of course, Roseanne (now The Conners) which could have gone better, to say the least… Maybe lay off the Ambien next time, Roseanne!

Basically, if you’re hoping that your favourite film or show will be left alone by the desperate pandering of Hollywood, I’m sorry to tell you, no story is safe, no franchise is sacred. At least we can all hate-watch them and have a good moan about it!

OTwo

Alumni Corner: Badgering writers and editors Killian Woods, Deputy Editor Vol.XX

During my time in The University Observer I picked up some real nasty habits. As Sports Editor, Otwo Co-Editor and Deputy Editor I learned the art of pushing a deadline, submitting articles at the last second and pissing off numerous editors along the way. And old habits die hard, so here I am writing this column hours after it's due.

If that was the only lesson I took away from student media, I'd be screwed. Repeatedly filing late copy doesn't cut it in a newsroom, but having that proper experience of working under pressure does stand to you.

The University Observer is not a perfect replica of a real-life newspaper, but it's damn close. Whether you're the news or Otwo editor, you look at a near blank slate each issue and it's your job to fill it.

And there's only one way to do that, by managing a team of writers and picking up the slack by writing thousands of words when needs be.

The pressure is real in The University Observer and you get to see up close what this career path is like and the scrutiny involved. You never count down the minutes to the end of your shift in media – you beg for more – and you lay your work out there for readers to see. It needs to be good or it will get ripped apart.

Some people go down the academic route to get into journalism, others don't. Each crowd protests that their path is better, both are wrong. I was an equine student who learned he wanted be a journalist from writing for The University Observer and this route worked for me, but the lecture hall suits others better.

I've worked for TheJournal.ie, Newstalk, Fora.ie and now for the Sunday Business Post; and The University Observer taught me this is the career I want to pursue. I don't necessarily get a kick out of writing – which I'll admit is a weird thing to say – I enjoy finding the news story or thinking of the idea for an article and seeing it come to life. I learned that in The University Observer.

I've done a lot of reporting I'm proud of, but the proudest moment of my career was creating the Badger sports column for this paper back in Volume XVI. I loved that my stupid idea for a sports column fronted by a snarky fictional badger was given a thumbs up, but I also got a huge kick out seeing the column continue on well after I had left. It's a nice feeling.

What’s hot, what’s not

Hot

Not

Kacey Musgraves - Kacey Musgraves is super HOT. She

Microwave queues - Goodness gracious. The microwaves

Sex Education - Were you a fan of Skins? Well, Sex Education

Internet “cancel culture” - This is getting ridiculous

has won four Grammys, proving the country music stations who didn’t give her airplay wrong, due to her outspoken voice about LGBTQ+ rights. We stan this Queen. on Netflix is giving us some seriously nostalgic vibes. Definitely worth the watch.

The grand aul’ stretch in the evening: - If there is

one thing the Irish love to talk about it’s the weather, but they have a point. These brighter evenings and pretty skies have us feeling all sorts of hopeful...as you’ve probably see from everyone’s Instagram stories.

are great and all, but only if you’re willing to spend your ENTIRE lunch break in the queue, staring at that person who takes 10 minutes to heat pasta. What are you doing?! people. While we are the first to condemn any kind of inappropriate behaviour, sometimes it’s just too extreme (in reality, we’re still bitter over TayTay).

Expensive hot drinks - Charging more than €2 euro

for a cup of tea can surely be classed as criminal. It’s hot water and a teabag?! Capitalism has gone too far this time.

OTwo - Arts & Literature

Perhaps the truth isn’t out there?

Bláthnaid Kelly explores why, in a fake news age, we are increasingly obsessed with conspiracy theory media.

In the past few years, the popularity of YouTube channels like Buzzfeed Unsolved, who look into cold cases and conspiracy theories (such as The Illuminati) have skyrocketed, with their views over the last 30 days going up by almost 30%, totalling over 98 million views across their channel in the nine months since it launched.

In October of last year, a podcast was released where NBA player Kyrie Irving said the earth was flat. It was listened to by so many people that the numbers of people who believed the ‘flat earth theory’ more than doubled within the month. The massive rise in the popularity of this type of content has us wondering, what

“If you believe in one conspiracy theory, you are more inclined to believe in others.” exactly is the reason that conspiracy theories are becoming so popular in mainstream media?

While it is extremely common, and actually expected, for conspiracy theories to gain popularity in the months after an American election, there has been something different about the period since Trump came to power.

Since 2016, the number of people consuming this type of content has risen, through podcasts, YouTube videos, TV series and more. In fact, it is now believed that over half the global population believe in some sort of conspiracy theory. On top of that, it is often claimed that if you believe in one conspiracy theory, you are more inclined to believe in others. The number of celebrities in popular media stating their beliefs in these theories, like Irving, rapper B.O.B and even President Trump, is one of

the possible reasons that the consumption of media discussing conspiracy theories has risen, although there are several other suggested reasons for this phenomenon.

The most prevalent explanation that I have come across is that people like to find a scenario that is more palatable than the truth, which is often how these theories are formed. For instance, it is easier for some people to think that the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School was staged by the government, than it is to believe that a 20 year old man walked into an elementary school and killed 20 children.

People want to believe that the world is a better place than it is, and so they find ways to change the information presented into a less tragic story.

This would explain the sudden rise in the popularity of conspiracies after 2016; Trump was elected as US President , Britain voted ‘Yes’ to Brexit, and there was a spike in terrorist attacks. The world was becoming a darker place to be in, and people were compensating by coming up with more personally tolerable reasons for the atrocities that were, and still are, occurring.

Not all of the people who are consuming this type of media actually believe in the theories that they hear about. There are certainly some people staring at green ink sites like educate-yourself.org, with tinfoil hats on, trying to encourage anti-vaxxers because they are afraid of autism. Some of us, like myself, have fallen down the rabbit hole that is YouTube. It’s not hard to find yourself watching conspiracy theory videos about child abductions, and reading those twitter threads about the FBI agent in our phones, when the information is just so accessible. It’s not that we

necessarily believe them, but still they manage to capture our attention too. Why is this?

I think that the answer is simple really; it’s like

“There are certainly some people staring at green ink sites like educate-yourself. org, with tinfoil hats on, trying to encourage antivaxxers because they are afraid of autism” reading sci-fi novels, or watching dystopian dramas. To those of us who don’t believe, these are just stories. We compartmentalise them from reality, and take them on as works of fiction. It gives us something to think about and debate with our friends over what may have happened. Literature and media that aim to debunk these sorts of theories is just as popular, with books like Escaping the Rabbit Hole, and Just Stop gaining five star ratings.

We like mysteries and puzzles, which is why murder mysteries and games such as Cluedo are popular regardless of age or gender. So when we hear about a real-world example of someone trying to prove or disprove an outlandish theory, it piques our interest. We want to know their thought process, how someone seemingly normal could jump to such conclusions with the evidence at hand. With a growing number of people believing more and more outlandish theories, it’s only natural that we would seek it out in our media. As Jerry Fletcher said, “a good conspiracy is an unprovable one...If you can prove it, it means they must’ve screwed up somewhere along the line.”

5

OTwo - Arts & Literature

The paperback spine of revolution Heather Reynolds looks back at the history of zines in activism and calls for cultural change.

It’s hard to pin down exactly what a zine is. By their nature, they can be anything. Typically, however, zines are a locally published, small batch magazine, which focuses on a single niche topic, that is usually atypical or countercultural.

They’re produced at a low cost, and sold at a low cost, or distributed for free in certain cases. However, the main thing zine’s tend to have in common, from early zines like Fire!!, to the 80’s Riot Grrrl zine movement, to modern publications, is their prominent association with the activism of the time.

Fire!!, a literary magazine from the Harlem renaissance, is widely considered to be an early political zine, who’s nature is not explicit, but implicit. Edited by a host of young and bright African American writers from Harlem, Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston among the team, it aimed to create content for the young, black, artistic people who were pushing boundaries across the neighbourhood.

Published in 1926, it hosted tales of bisexuality, homosexuality, prostitution and interracial relationships, aiming to uplift and centre the politics that many in early 20th century Harlem stood for. However, Fire!! was not accepted easily, and after their first issue was published their headquarters was burned to the ground, and a second edition was never published.

Despite this tragedy, Fire!! succeeded in many ways, namely, by planting the seed of inspiration for activists and change makers across the next century. If your publication is not owned by anyone bar you, no one but you can decide what is published in it. Particularly in the local area, its short lived existence helped to spark the literary rejuvenation that was the Harlem Renaissance, a movement which centred the experiences and artistry of marginalised people in the district.

As time moved on, zines became more commonplace, and with that emerged another

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subsection which continues to live on to this day, the Fanzine. Fanzines were incredibly popular throughout the mid 20th century, and were a common way for local fans of media like the Beatles and Star Trek to share ideas, to share art, to share how this media impacted them, and, to a lesser extent, to share fanfiction. This was always a subversive practice, with teenage girls, young women, stay at home mothers, and the budding LGBTQ+ community alike joining together to share a creative space that is not bound by the strict media censors of the time.

However, as time moved on, a distinct zine based counter cultural movement emerged; the early 90’s punk submovement called Riot Grrrl.

Riot Grrrl is a punk, direct action based feminist movement that centred itself in northeastern America in the early to mid 90s.

Word was spread about protests and gatherings through fanzines for popular feminist punk bands like Bikini Kill and Courtney Love, with Jigsaw, a zine founded in Washington state in 1988 by members of Bikini Kill (These members later went on to form a second zine, focusing on the same subjects, also titled Bikini Kill).

“Its short lived existence helped to spark the literary rejuvenation that was the Harlem Renaissance.”

This movement encouraged activist actions like attending the March for Women’s Lives and the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, as well as holding interviews with important and influential punk bands they met on the road. Famous as performers for their early 90’s punk aesthetic and their iconic call of “Girls to the front”, Bikini Kill and Jigsaw

furthered the feminist cause in Washington and surrounding areas through their publication, and both informed and inspired young feminists across America both in writing and action.

At the same time, here in UCD, the then Gay and Lesbian society were producing their own zine, Gluepot. Gluepot was a zine which

“Word was spread about protests and gatherings through fanzines for popular feminist punk bands.” published poetry, short stories, news and political essays written by LGBTQ+ students in UCD in the 1980’s. Homosexuality would not be decriminalised here until 1993. The zine contained calls for legalisation, information on safe sex, news that was relevant to LGBTQ+ people in Dublin, and many other things that many people of the time would have found unnecessary or outright abhorrent.

This practice has continued into modern day, with zines like Nothing Substantial, which raises money for local charities through poetry, prose and art, and ziens from the NOT4U collective, which centre works from LGBTQ+ writers and female writers, providing them with a space for creative and political space for their art. As well as this, UCD LGBTQ+ society is bringing back Gluepot this year, providing a space for similar work here on campus.

The nature of zines is that of subversion, it’s counter cultural, it fights against the status quo. So as long as there are zines, they will be associated with activism, and with direct action. Their essence calls out for it. I for one am looking forward to what future generations of zine makers will bring.

OTwo - Arts & Literature

Queer-coding: Gays do it in the subtext

With explicit LGBT+ representation becoming more and more popular,Caoilfhinn looks at the often assumed to be archaic practice of queer-coding.

Our screens have seen a slow, steady increase in LGBT+ representation. On any popular show these days, it feels more unusual for there to not be at least one 'queer' character. Many assume that queer people were non-existent in mainstream media until the 90s, when shows like Will & Grace introduced them to a wider audience. This is a misconception. The first recorded film in history that is considered to be sympathetic to LGBT+ people was released in Germany in 1919. Ten years later, the American film A Florida Enchantment debuted, the first depiction of bisexual characters in the country's cinematic history.

In the following decade, concepts of sexuality and gender were being explored across a wide range of works. All this ended in 1930, when moral panic led to the implementation of a 'Motion Pictures Production Code' which forbade, among other things, 'any inference of sexual perversion.’

It looked like the end of the line for queer characters in media, all of whom would have definitely counted as this by puritanical moviecensors. A new angle had to be taken. By giving characters certain mannerisms associated with queer people, directors and writers could imply, but never explicitly state, that a person was LGBT+. This visual shorthand is known as 'queer-coding'.

Queer-coding has an unfortunate history, since in most early examples it was unsympathetic characters and outright villains who received the queer-coding treatment, leading to the pretty unsavory implication that immorality and same-sex attraction were synonymous. The 'Depraved Homosexual' trope existed for decades, prime examples being the effeminate HIM from The Powerpuff

Hegarty

and there were several minor characters that were implied to be trans. The show was intended for young girls, so significant changes were made, including the bizarre creative decision to portray the lesbian couple of Haruka and Michiru as cousins who were just really close.

Although Western media is generally LGBT+ positive in the 21st century, there are still companies that are incredibly wary of showcasing queer characters. Disney not only markets itself mainly to children and families, and has a large conservative viewership, but it also has to market its films abroad to regions with very different cultural values. The House of Mouse almost couldn't release the remake of Beauty and the Beast in Malaysia when it emerged the character Le Fou had an exclusively gay moment. Broadcasters like Nickelodeon also still play it safe. In 2014, Avatar: The Legend of Korra's final scene in the series ends with the hero holding hands with her friend Asami as they gaze into each other’s eyes, but the relationship wasn't confirmed to be romantic by the creators until several hours later, which was rumored to be against studio wishes.

Dreamworks' Voltron: Legendary Defender also confirmed one of their lead’s sexualities off-screen at a convention, preferring to stick to ambiguous dialogue and subtext in the actual script for two seasons. The series' blinkand-you'll-miss-it gay wedding finally confirms Takashi Shirogane as an out and proud queer man, but fans, both gay and straight, were disheartened that it only had a screen-time of seconds.

Despite feelings of disappointment from

some quarters with regards to characters being queer-coded as opposed to having open LGBT+ representation, it's a practice that can be used positively. In Cartoon Network’s breakout success Steven Universe, the coded same-sex relationship (and eventual marriage) of Ruby and Garnet is an important part of the show, as are Pearl's feelings for Rose. Other main characters are also coded as queer, one even uses they/them pronouns when they are in a fusion. These identities are viewed as natural within the world of the show and go unremarked upon. To some, this treatment of LGBT+ characters as being 'no big deal' is as valuable as focusing on coming-out plots and homophobia, as they normalise queer relationships. Dreamworks’ 2018 reboot of

“To some, this treatment of LGBT+ characters as being 'no big deal' is as valuable as focusing on coming-out plots and homophobia.”

She-ra, for example, features two princesses, Netossa and Spinnerella, as a loving couple, and also has plenty of queer-coded elements.

Female characters dance together at balls, share beds, and a huge emphasis is placed on the dynamic shared by the main character Adora and her former best friend Catra, a relationship which, if it were a boy/girl pairing, would be hard to portray as anything but romantic. This subtler representation means that when shows are shipped abroad, they slide under the radar and broadcast in countries where explicit queer representation is simply not done, providing affirmation, and a mirror, to the LGBT+ people in these areas that arguably need it most.

Queer-coding is a storytelling tool, and like all tools, it's neutral. When used negatively it can and does cause harm, but in the hands of the right people it's also an agent for good.

Ultimately, queer-coding is another way to explore the lives and loves of LGBT+ characters, and it deserves continued exploration instead of the dismissal it so often receives.

“the bizarre creative decision to portray the lesbian couple of Haruka and Michiru as cousins who were just really close.”

Girls and Ursula from The Little Mermaid, based on the drag-queen Divine. As time, and society, marched on, different motivations for queer-coding gained more popularity. In the last thirty years tentative moves were made to portray LGBT+ characters in a positive light.

Xena and Gabrielle from Xena: Warrior Princess, Mr Smithers from The Simpsons, and even Bert and Ernie from Sesame Street are all popular queer-coded characters that would later have their orientations confirmed off-screen, and, in the case of Mr Smithers, eventually in-show.

But including representation was still risky.

In 1999, Cloverway bought the rights to dub the popular anime Sailor Moon for English audiences. There was just one snag: two of the main female characters were in a relationship

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OTwo - Games

GAMER IS A DIRTY WORD

Detailing her experiences as a woman in the gaming community,

Ash Gomez explains why she can’t identify as a “gamer”.

According to the Pew Research Center, in a 2015 survey, 33% of young men identified as “gamers”, while only 9% of young women felt comfortable with the label. Yet the same survey found that there wasn’t a huge difference between the overall number of men and women who actually play games - 50% and 48% respectively. Why are women almost four times as hesitant to embrace the label for what they enjoy doing?

I can’t speak for all those women who were surveyed, but I can offer my own thoughts. I am a woman who loves video games. I love video games so much that I spend time in which I can’t play video games thinking about exactly what I’m going to play once I get home. I waste roughly half of my day fantasizing about my favourite game at the moment. Constantly entering my dreams, gaming is a large part of what makes me happy and is a significant of who I am as a person. But I do not identify as a “gamer”.

There is nothing inherently wrong with the word, and I often must succumb to using it because saying “people who play video games” can be so clunky. The truth is that the word has a bad reputation; it represents everything about the gaming industry that I don’t like.

For many, the term immediately serves as a reminder of Gamergate, the 2014 raid encouraging violence and harassment toward women for criticising the gaming industry. It was a momentous occasion for gaming, and not in a good way. Suddenly, gaming communities were featured in mainstream news articles scrutinizing gaming culture. The already commonly-held-belief that video games can cause aggression gained momentum, as gamers made headlines for their death threats toward women.

That was four years ago. The culture of gaming has changed since then by taking the smallest baby steps. Discussions were sparked about online harassment and ways to prevent another controversy of the same magnitude. Gamergate was defeated for the moment, but women did not win. They simply learned to be silent.

I learned to be silent in the first online gaming community I ever experienced, which happened to be from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. I had played the game a lot with my siblings, and I would watch

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my brothers play online and talk to strangers. When I eventually became pretty good at the game, I decided to give this a try. I was only 11 years old, but I immediately adopted a behaviour that I still stand by to this day: never leave your mic on.

This is common practice for women who game. We prefer to use a text chat if we absolutely need to communicate, and our sentences are often punctuated by “dude” and “bro” in order to avoid suspicion.

I once experienced a wholesome interaction when I realised that the person I was playing with was overusing these terms. I privately asked if they were a woman, and I ended up having the warmest conversation and friendship with this young woman from England.

But that’s a rare occurrence within gaming communication, and the wholesomeness stops there. The verbal harassment I faced when I was 11 showed me that the world could be cruel. Even though I turned off my mic after that first game, I still received messages for months from men who asked me where I lived, how old I was, and if we could talk. I deleted all the messages before my siblings could see them. I was embarrassed.

I somehow felt like it was my fault. It was my fault for using my voice, for

“Just as I learned to be ashamed of my gender as a child, boys learned that they could do as they pleased.” sounding feminine, for being a woman.

I’m 23 now. I exclusively use the name “Ash” as a gender-neutral shortening of my full name. Gaming has been a large part of that decision. Yet even with this protection in place, I will sometimes be harassed by men who ask if I am a woman. I think that the mere fact of the name being neutral can give it away; some men seem to be constantly searching for the women who hide in their gaming circles.

To be clear, I love the name I use now. But I was never given a chance to love “Ashley” because it was intrinsically connected to womanhood.

I have unfortunately gotten used to most harassment in voice chat,

OTwo - Games

Illustrations: Samaneh Sadeghi-Marasht

but I am always surprised by the very young boys who occasionally try to bother me. Their language isn’t as outright hateful as the men I have experienced, but it is clear that they want to make me uncomfortable.

These children are around the age I was when the harassment started. Just as I learned to be ashamed of my gender as a child, boys learned that they could do as they pleased. In fact, I would argue that these boys learned that they should harass women.

When this is the community it stems from, it is no wonder that women avoid the label “gamer”. But even worse than the word “gamer” is the phrase “gamer girl”.

The second entry for the term on Urban Dictionary describes it as “the chick that goes on voice chat . . . to act all ditzy and flirty”. I have never encountered a woman who does this, and I find it hard to imagine that the abuse one would receive for being a woman -- and worse, a dumb woman -- is something anyone would actively seek out.

Interestingly, the entry goes on to say that the alternative to the gamer girl is the girl that plays games, who “will sometimes hide her gender and play as a male in games . . . that require an avatar.” Even though the entry acknowledges that women often camouflage themselves while gaming, it does not indicate that this is for any particular reason.

It couldn’t possibly be because when a woman tries to use voice chat and rebuffs a man’s advances, he turns around and claims she was flirting with him and acting stupid. It certainly isn’t because of men like the one who had written that entry in Urban Dictionary.

The gamer girl myth is prevalent in most gaming communities, despite there being very little evidence that anyone acts this way. Search for the term, though, and you’ll find forums and animated videos in which men mock this kind of person relentlessly. Meanwhile, there is very little acknowledgement of the harassment that is so plentiful, that you can hear a personal anecdote of it from any woman who games.

How do we even begin to reclaim the term “gamer”? Firstly, women have to feel accepted into the community. But that’s a huge first step; mending years of abuse and cultural ethos cannot happen overnight.

And how do we even start these conversations when this community has

a history of silencing anyone who speaks out?

Gamergate did not end. It lost its momentum and ceased to be a newsworthy story, but the men who participated in it are still active online, and the majority have faced no repercussions for their behaviour.

There’s even a chance that these men gained significant followings in

“[we can’t] cede the internet to whoever screams the loudest at the most people, and just hand over this amazing technological achievement to the nastiest people.” the years since the controversy, and that children are watching their Let’s Plays on Youtube today.

It is certainly clear that Gamergate did not tie men to the scandal in the same way that it did to the women involved. Anita Sarkeesian, a feminist thinker who criticizes the portrayal of women in media, has continued her activism even after she was targeted. Sadly, she laments the fact that she can only get so far away from the controversy, saying, “It’s frustrating to be known as the woman who survived Gamergate.”

There is no perfect solution to fix the gaming community, but the last thing we need is for women to go even further off the radar. Zoe Quinn, the initial target of Gamergate, still receives threats to this day.

To her critics who tell her to simply go offline to avoid threats, she says, “[we can’t] cede the internet to whoever screams the loudest at the most people, and just hand over this amazing technological achievement to the nastiest people.”

Imagine if gaming communities were spearheaded by women, and harassment was kept under check. It’s a world that feels so far away from ours that I don’t even dream about it. But I want it so much more than whatever game I’m going to play when I get home tonight.

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OTwo - Film & TV

Gemma Bovenizer on "This Is Not Consent"

Emma Kiely interviews UCD filmmaker Gemma Bovenizer who just released her first short film “This Is Not Consent”.

On a brisk Thursday morning, second year philosophy and sociology student Gemma Bovenizer braves the cold to meet me for a coffee and a chat about her first film, This Is Not Consent, and all the pressing issues that the film brings to light. Gemma screened her film at the monthly meet-up for student filmmakers “The Film Scene”, in Workmans and entranced a room full of people, whilst also alerting us to the hushed issue of consent in Ireland.

Dublin native Gemma, like nearly every girl in Ireland, was horrified by the Cork rape trial where the victim’s thong was used as evidence in defence of the accused. This, along with the infamous Paddy Jackson case, inspired Gemma to turn to visual art in order to contribute to the expanding conversation about consent in Ireland. Gemma recalls noticing that although these two cases instigated much talk about consent, no action was being taken. “It was being shown that there was a problem, but there wasn’t anything being done to try and help the problem or show people that it exists every day and not just in these big cases.”

This is at the heart of what This Is Not Consent is discussing; girls face discomfort, fear and threat in regards to consent every day.

In all places, work and college, as well as pubs and nightclubs, Gemma observes that, “being

sex outside consent is quite taboo”. This is an extremely truthful observation as it seems only younger generations are open to talk about sex and the pleasure of it. Amongst the majority of older generations, the topic of sex is still stained with a feeling of shame and is very much hushed into silence.

Social media is a very effective platform that is extremely beneficial to the expanding of important discussions, and aids people in speaking up about important problems.

Gemma highlighted this as she said “people are more bold on the internet and they say what they really want to say.” However, Gemma went beyond her phone screen and decided to go that extra mile and instead of telling us how she felt, she showed us. She turns to visual storytelling and brings a radiant truth to the old saying “a picture paints a thousand words.” The young women’s blank expressions are indicative of the way in which Irish people have become accustomed to hearing atrocious news such as a seventeen year-old rape victim having her thong used as evidence against her.

Gemma explains that she felt that the “visual aspect of the film would impact people more” rather than dialogue or writing.

The film ends with an ever harder smack of reality as Gemma included the phone numbers

“This is at the heart of what This Is Not Consent is discussing; girls face discomfort, fear and threat in regards to consent every day." touched inappropriately on a night out or even when you’re dressed, how you want to dress... someone interprets that as they can treat you a certain way.”

The film is a visual piece with no dialogue, because it doesn’t need any to present its message. It shows several young women taking off pieces of clothing in front of a projector casting up images of news articles about the two aforementioned rape trials. Gemma comments on her decision to have all of the girls wearing their everyday casual attire rather than outfits for nights out as she “wanted to show that it happens even when you’re not thinking it could happen.” As we, the public, have become so accustomed to hearing about girls having their consent disregarded by men during nights out and parties, it is easy to forget that this is a problem that girls face all day, every day.

Although consent is very much an issue that people in every country face, Gemma and I spoke about why it seems that, as of late, Ireland has been caught in the eye of the storm. She observes that it is not the actual issue that Ireland struggles with, but the way in which we discuss it and we do not follow through with a solution to the problem. She says “it’s so ingrained in our society to be hushhush about things” especially amongst older generations. She also notes that aside from consent, sexuality has remained an undiscussed topic in Ireland, commenting, “talking about

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for every rape crisis centre around the country.

Thinking it was to further the impact of the film, I asked Gemma to explain why she ended the film with the directory and she explained that she simply wanted the audience to know that there are places to go for help; “Not that I wanted to put it in to benefit the film, but to benefit those watching it if anyone was impacted by anything and see numbers and know that there is help.”

It was interesting to learn from Gemma how useful and beneficial a tool social media has become in aiding a filmmaker. Gemma explained that she cast her film through Instagram and also employed a musician to score it through Twitter. Other than that, Gemma completed the film entirely by herself, directing and editing it in her own house over the space of a few days. It was inspiring to hear how one of the most impactful short films I’ve seen in a while was made in such a minimalist environment. However, with such a talented and devoted filmmaker at its core, it is not a surprise. Gemma told me that the film has received a very positive reception with boys applauding the film and girls telling her how powerful an impact the film had on them. What adds to the power of the film is that Gemma made a conscious decision to release it on the UN International Day of Violence Against Women as she felt it “was such an important topic and to release it on that day would be the most impactful.”

Photo: Alex Fagan

In terms of her next project Gemma intends to maintain a topical core to her work, with her next project surrounding life after Ireland repealed the Eighth Amendment. Although we, both pro-choicers, thought it would be sunshine and daisies, Gemma points out that we clearly have a long way to go. Only a few weeks ago a woman was denied an abortion in Dublin after being told that she had a foetal abnormality, which Gemma so aptly points out “is not what we voted for”. Gemma expressed an interest in furthering her career into featurelength films but says that she would like the core of her work remaining topical and surrounding current social and political issues.

Gemma also expressed how free and open she feels to talk about these kinds of issues with her fellow students in UCD. Commenting on the transition from secondary school to UCD she says “things like that were not as talked about as casually and openly as they are here.” We agreed on the sense of an open communicative unity in UCD and that most students are as Gemma says “so open to talk about things”.

After interviewing her, it is safe to say that Gemma, although a year younger than me, is my role-model. Resourcefully and selfdependently, she brought life to a hushed issue in the hope that we can bring Ireland to a time where there will no longer be mishandled rape trials and girls can feel comfortable and safe whatever they are wearing. Where people will understand that no means no. With her film, she penetrated the suffocating silence that our long conformity to the Catholic Church has brought upon us. It is filmmakers like her who give the microphone to what we really should be listening to and to further conversations into actions.

Gemma is also an accomplished photographer and you can check out her work on her Instagram @gemmabovenizer. After the interview, This is Not Consent was accepted into the “Girls Impact The World” film festival.

OTwo - Film & TV Pictured: Daniel Kaluuya in Get Out (2017) Photo: BagoGames

The bending of racism in cinema

Jack Knowles analyses the film industry’s racist past and how the unique and provocative ways racism is employed in films today.

When cinema first began, films were full of overtly racist tropes. That has now shrunk to subtle racial undertones, but racism still has a presence in films today. This is particularly noticeable in American cinema, since it has been the biggest exporter of films. The American film industry has been made up mostly of white directors, producers, actors, cinematographers, and editors (mostly male too, but that’s another story).

When one calls back upon their favourite film stars of golden Hollywood with nostalgia and awe, one thinks of white leads: Charlie Chaplin, Humphrey Bogart, Judy Garland, Ingrid Bergman, and James Stewart. The thread here is that they’re all white. Now demographically speaking, in America, caucasian is and was the predominant ethnic group. Although, that does not excuse the complete absence of various ethnicities. This is a reflection on the societal values of the period and racial distraction from the society that dictated the film industry for decades.

Films such as The Jazz Singer, the 1927 musical-drama directed by Alan Crosland, ooze racism. This film remains a landmark in cinema due to it being the first film to feature synchronized sound. The film’s main protagonist Jakie Rabinowitz, played by Al Jolson, performs a show in blackface. Blackface is racist not merely because it is representing another ethnicity, but also because of the connotations it has harboured over the years. It stems originally from blackface minstrel shows which were a popular form of entertainment in the 19th century in the United States. It consisted of white performers using blackface to portray African-Americans, often characterizing them as ‘slapstickly-stupid’, lazy, clownish and carefree. The racist atmosphere it spurted into American culture is still visible today. By using blackface, The Jazz Singer stereotypes African-Americans and pokes at their entire ethnic group as something that is not normal.

Another film that exemplifies racism in cinema is the film The Sheik released in 1921 and directed by George Melford. This film was a box office hit at the time but contains layers of racial discrimination. What is most notable is how the film portrays Arabs as being savage and brutish. In the film, Rudolph Valentino plays Sheik Ahmed Ben Hassan. The actor is a white man portraying an Arab through costume instead of paint, similar to blackface.

The film conveys deeply negative conceptions about Arabs. While these racist films reflect actual and real attitudes people had towards other ethnicities, they also feed into the racist pool; they inform and encourage racial

discrimination.

Over the years, conceptions of race have dramatically shifted. An increase in diversity and representation has been stressed and truly manifested. This is crucial in its reflection of society and for informing society. What is occurring now with racism in cinema is something truly unique. Now that overtly racist films are being flung into the abyss, racism now exists in films in a contorted manner. Three films stick out specifically: Jordan Peele’s Get Out, Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman, and Boots Riley’s Sorry To Bother You. While these films differ in many ways, all have one thing in common; they twist racism to be funny. What these films achieve is they give a perspective on racism that makes it appear so absurdly ridiculous that it’s comical. They make racism seem utterly stupid. There are scenes in BlacKkKlansman when John David Washington’s character Stallworth, a black man, is posing as a member of the Ku Klux Klan over the phone to the Klan’s leader David Duke, played by Topher Grace.

When viewing the scene it is comical, but it is comical because there is an understanding of how the racist dimension works in society.

Boot Riley’s psychedelic anti-capitalist film Sorry to Bother You does the same. It inverts the use of racism previously found in film. It contains racism in its world to allow it to display how racial discrimination is still present in society yet, in subtle forms. It pokes and laughs at it too. This is most evident from the ‘white voice’ that black characters put on to be more successful in the workplace and climb the social hierarchy. It is funny for the same reason as BlacKkKlansman. They both show that racism is absurd and that being racist is so ludicrous that it’s funny.

Jordan Peele’s Get Out also magnificently achieves this use of racism. The premise is so completely mind-boggling and played with such horrific realism that when you start to think about it, you chuckle. The premise of a white family’s desire to plant their consciousness inside the bodies of black people is a satirical commentary on racism, highlighting the liberalminded conception of black people. The humour being that these people who consider themselves not racist at all are still racist.

Jordan Peele seems to think that it’s kind of amusing and simultaneously horrifying.

In surveying the history of film and seeing how the use of racism has been inverted and eschewed is one that is encouraging of society and the film industry itself. This trend of films bends our perception of racism; while also manages to educate us on the horror of it and absolute insanity of it in the first place.

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OTwo - Film & TV

The ones that make us proud: Irish storytelling on the big and small screens

From animation to drama, Emma Kiely looks back on the films, shows and people that make us proud to be Irish.

It is no secret or lie that Ireland is a nation of storytellers. Our famed writers have brought copious amounts of pride and recognition; from Joyce to Yeats, we have been acknowledged as a country that breaths great stories. As the world evolved and we started to turn our heads towards films and television, Ireland’s longstanding status of high quality productions and pioneer artists has remained.

Quality Irish television has ranged from a sit-com about priests to drug gangs controlling the streets from Dublin. Whether it is RTÉ One or Two, there is a programme that people of all ages and tastes can appreciate. What could be argued to be one of the most innovative and new programs that RTÉ broadcast was also the one with one of the lowest production budgets. Back in 2007, Dan and Becs was the first Irish programme to be shot in the blogger webcam style that we are all now so accustomed to. It starred David Coffey (who also created the show) and Holly White, who played a Dublin couple in their 20s navigating work, fame, art and love in the big smoke. Its charming characters, perfectly-timed editing and hilarious dialogue makes it a legendary timestamp of Irish comedy. With its scathing critiques and accurate observations of what it is like to be a young person in Dublin, twelve years later it still has its effortless and eternal charm and all it took was two actors and a webcam.

The sit-coms that are globally recognised are predominantly from America. No one can honestly say that they have never heard of Friends or Seinfeld. However, Ireland has produced some stellar sit-coms that are just as well-written, well-acted and hilarious. In the mid 1990s, the Catholic church and religion in general was still a serious subject that was rarely scathed or discussed in any tone other than reverent. Father Ted was the first programme to satirise priests and the Catholic church with writers Graham Linehan and

Arthur Matthews taking the risk of satirising the Catholic church at a time when speaking openly about religion was still quite taboo, let alone making fun of it. However, the BBC picked it up and the show gained an extensive following including celebrities such as Jim Carrey, Stephen Spielberg and Madonna.

The programme established Dermot Morgan as an unforgettable pioneer of Irish comedy and is still a laugh-out-loud hilarious viewing experience, two decades later.

Other stand-out Irish comedies include Pat Shortt and Jon Kenny’s D’unbelievables that provided us with one of the most iconic Irish comedy sketches where a young schoolboy (Shortt) pesters shop owner (Kenny) over how many sweets he can buy and ends up leaving with two cigarettes. From that sketch alone the catchphrase “How much are dem?” is recognised widely across the country. In recent years, comedies such as Moone Boy starring Chris O’Dowd as the imaginary friend to Boyle schoolboy Martin (David Rawle) is a refreshing spin on the Irish family comedy.

This year, Channel 4’s Derry Girls was a source of great praise for its hilarious performances by both new and established actors, including comedian Tommy Tiernan, and for its insight into life as a teenager against the backdrop of the troubles in Northern Ireland.

Its stand out character is the loud-mouthed Michelle played by Jamie-Lee O’Donnell who has some lines that could leave you in laughter for days.

When it comes to Irish film, there is one name that stands above the rest: Lenny Abrahamson. Abrahamson has directed some of the finest Irish films in recent years. His ability to take what we see as commonplace or ‘everyday’ and marry it with his direction and style to produce a film results in not only an aesthetically pleasing, but also extremely impactful work and is what makes him a truly unique director. A prime example of this skill Photo: William Murphy

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can be seen in his 2007 film Garage starring Pat Shortt as Josie, a garage worker with a learning disability in a small town in the midlands of Ireland. The film is extremely harrowing due to its truthful portrayal of Irish rural life and sad ending; but it really is a masterclass in Irish film. It showed that Abrahamson was not afraid to make films about the commonplace and proved that sometimes the things that we mostly see as ordinary can sometimes be the most extraordinary.

When we think of Saoirse Ronan, we think of a horrific accent that we all love to make fun of. Yes, she can sometimes overkill her whole “I’m just your average Irish girl” act in interviews, however, there is no interview too cringeworthy that can take away from the fact that she is an exceptional actress. Her range has spanned from English period dramas to neurotic American black comedy, to good old fashioned Irish films. No matter what genre she finds herself in, she performs every role with fervent intensity and a deep exploration of her character. It is still shocking to think that she was only thirteen when she made Atonement, as she delivers her performance with such maturity and an understanding and awareness of her character in such a thematic complex film. Like her personality or not, Saoirse Ronan is one of the most talented and established young actresses in the world and is most definitely an Irish national treasure.

Animation is not a genre that receives as much attention and acclaim as it deserves and when it eventually does, it’s usually a Disney or Pixar production. Irish animation production company Cartoon Saloon has raised the bar for both Irish film and animation as a whole.

Based in Kilkenny, Cartoon Saloon bring together animation with old Irish mythology and detailed folk drawings to produce an animated film that is utterly enchanting and also informative on old Irish culture. Both their films, The Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea, have charming and thematically relevant plotlines that engage with old Irish folks stories and myths to offer a viewing experience that is most visually captivating and emotionally enthralling. Both films were nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars but lost to films either from Pixar or Disney. It is a shame that none of their films won as they are perhaps the most innovative and detailed animation films of recent years. However, award winning or not, Cartoon Saloon are another name on the endless repertoire of exceptional Irish storytellers.

Whether they make us laugh, cry, scared or just simply entertained, on the small and big screen, Irish stories have etched themselves into the history of television and film. Since time immemorial, despite being one of the more conservative countries, when it comes to writing stories, producing films and running television shows, we are not afraid to take risks and tell the truth. We have bred some of the greatest writers, comedians, actors and directors that have made all of us here at home, immensely proud.

OTwo - Film & TV

DC Entertainment vs. Marvel Studios: Who wins this battle?

With a new superhero movie coming out every month, We’re living in a golden age of superhero films with more comic book characters making their cinematic debuts than ever before. This has led to public scrutiny over the fight between Marvel and DC, with Marvel seemingly coming out on top as DC is often criticised for emphasising spectacle over story and straying too far from the roots of the original, beloved characters.

Historically speaking, DC is credited with the invention of superheroes, and arguably boasts a greater cast of more complex and interesting villains such as Lex Luthor, Harley Quinn and the most famous of them all, the Joker. To explore why the DC comics have consistently faltered on the big screen in recent years further, we may look to its rival for answers.

Cast your mind back to 2008, when within a few months of each other Iron Man and Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight represented Marvel and DC in cinemas

Cormac Lehnen

tells us why Marvel are miles ahead of DC’s league.

Although it received mixed reviews, it was a success at the box office. However, within the three years it took for their next release, Marvel had already made five additions to their cinematic universe, including Guardians of the Galaxy and an Avengers sequel. Essentially, DC was missing the opportunity that Marvel saw in world-building. But quality over quantity, right?

Maybe this could be forgiven if audiences were being given films that did justice to their favourite superheroes. Maybe 2016 was going to be the year of DC, but then Batman v Superman happened, followed by Suicide Squad which was one of the biggest cinematic let-downs and shock disappointments in recent years. These additions to the DC Extended Universe were heavily panned by critics.

Plagued by lacklustre to outright laughable performances, jarring editing choices, and an overall forgettability, Warner Brothers seemed

and accessible, might limit the scope of filmic possibility.

Going forward for DC, it seems it’s trying to amend some of the criticism it received for overly-relying on the success of "the big three": Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. DC is turning its focus towards stand-alone films like the recent Aquaman, and upcoming Shazam, and Birds of Prey, giving other heroes a chance to shine. Marvel’s future ventures include Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, and Spider-Man: Far from Home, all set for 2019 releases- all highly anticipated to be both box office and critical successes.

Now, with a superhero film coming at us from every direction, it really is no question which comic group are the better producers.

One cannot deny that DC have created some truly exceptional characters that bounce off the comic book page. However, other than

Marvel [have] seemingly come out on top as DC is often criticised for emphasising spectacle over story and straying too far from the roots of the original, beloved characters." respectively, receiving a rapturous reception from both critics and audiences; but Marvel had a plan that was already in action, as Iron Man pioneered Phase One of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, and Captain America; The First Avenger all followed over the next four years and by 2012, The Avengers dominated the box office becoming the highest-grossing film of the year. Its success bears testament to how audiences were invested in the characters and engrossed in their unfolding stories.

By 2013, DC was still playing catch up as it released the first film of its extended universe, Man of Steel. With Watchmen director Zach Snyder on board, the project seemed promising.

to be digging their DC Universe its grave. By the time Justice League was released in 2017, so little had been done in the way of worldbuilding that the cinematic experience felt thin and audience investment had wavered compared to Marvel who had successfully created a world that felt ‘lived in’.

The Marvel name has also had a few duds in not so distant memory. One need only remember 2015’s Fantastic Four, unfaithful to its comic book roots and plagued by bitter conflict between director Josh Trank and 20th Century Fox. With that said, Disney’s strict formula over its Marvel films runs the risk of creating a cookie-cutter cinematic experience, while although being entertaining

Christopher Nolan, it seems as though no one can do them justice on the big screen.

DC’s obsession with creating an aesthetically alluring world full of delinquents, sex and power with absolutely no depth to the narrative or the characters, is just not good enough. As opposed to Marvel, who have portrayed their never-ending string of rounded, empathetic and inspiring characters played by more than able actors who help to rise Marvel to a level of quality DC can’t even see. Marvel do not waste all of their time and energy on guiding money-paying audiences to cinemas, they focus on what happens after the lights go dark and the screen comes on.

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All About Ă ine

With a new name and new music, Ă ine is about to take over 2019. Clara Brannigan checks in with the rising pop singer-songwriter.

OTwo - A Chat With... Áine Cahill emerged in the Irish music scene with her now iconic single ‘Black Dahlia’ in 2014, this enchanting song caught like wildfire and her following grew quickly. She has recently decided for her stage name to just be “Áine”, explaining, “I think the change to just Áine is much cleaner. It’s hard enough to pronounce for people outside of Ireland”, she laughs and tells me a comical few mispronunciations.

Áine explains how her inspiration for singing and songwriting began.

“I was always into sports but then I wanted to learn how to play the piano.” Áine was heavily involved in her local GAA club in Cavan, she reflects, “I did a lot of singing at home, but I thought I couldn’t sing.

There was a piano in our concert hall in school and one day someone was playing a song and I sang along with it and everyone was like ‘wow’, and that was the first time I thought ‘maybe I’m not a bad singer.’” Áine began writing her own music when she left school at 19 and quickly became known for her intricate storytelling lyrics; “When I started writing, at first it was like story-telling. Over the last year I tried to put more of myself into it.” She has been branching out lyrically in her latest singles, with a new sound emerging too. She adds, “I used a lot of those stories to talk about myself but not in a direct way. Before I started writing music, I always had trouble opening up to people and that was the way I just got all my feelings out.”

There was a massive shift in Áine’s career when she was given the opportunity to play at Glastonbury Festival in 2016, playing the bread and roses stage. “When I got to Glastonbury, things changed.” During the Glastonbury Festival she was spotted by the BBC and was asked to play an acoustic performance live on their Glastonbury TV coverage.

“I signed with my manager at Glastonbury and this is the manager I still have today.” She shares that he has been a key component in her success so far. “He really pushed me and pushed my name out to record companies and then I got signed.”

In 2016, Áine joined fellow Irish musicians Kodaline, Picture This and All Tvvins to play the sold out 2FM Xmas Ball in Dublin’s 3 Arena. She then went on to tour with Kodaline as their support act. She joyfully reminisces “that was probably the craziest thing ever. I remember sitting at home and I got an email from my manager he was like ‘Kodaline tour, its next week’, and I was like ‘woaaah’.” She explains that she had only a week to prepare herself to go away for a few weeks, “it was unbelievable,

and the lads are so lovely, so it was a nice experience.” In October 2017, she had toured with JP Cooper, and explains that it set her up a little bit “but nothing could prepare me for this huge tour with Kodaline.”

Moving on from her previous contract with Warner’s records, Aine has recently signed with Parlophone records. She gushes, “it’s probably one of the most iconic labels ever, signing the likes of The Beatles, it’s crazy to even think about.” Parlophone have worked with other iconic artists like Queen, David Bowie and Coldplay, making it a huge step in her career. “I’ve been working with them since a few weeks before Christmas and I just feel like they really take me seriously as an artist.”

Spending time between Ireland and London, Aine is currently working on her new EP set to release in the coming weeks. “At the minute plans are happening now, because I have been working on music

"I used a lot of those stories to talk about myself but not in a direct way. Before I started writing music, I always had trouble opening up to people and that was the way I just got all my feelings out.” full stop for the last year and working with different people and cowriting.” After signing with Parlophone she has been constantly writing more and more. “It’s just the case of getting it out there and that’s what I am focusing on now.” In 2018, she released her single ‘Water Into Wine’ which features her ever-present powerful yet pensive vocals. She gives her own insight into the song: “I love ‘Water Into Wine’, I wrote it at the start of last year, so it was finished for a long time before it came out, but ultimately, it’s a song about taking back control over your own mind.”

An album is more down the line for Áine; “an album, in my head, has

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to be ten or more of the best songs I could possibly do and until I feel like I’ve reached that I won’t put out an album.” Showing true signs of a woman who is full of ambition and is deeply passionate about her music, Áine mentions her expectations, “I want it to be a real example of what I can do because in the last year I have grown so much.” With the world of streaming being the most popular way to make a name for yourself Áine highlights artists have more creative control. “My sound is changing and evolving, I don’t want to be put into a box in terms of my sound. I don’t think there is a need to be a certain type of sound when you could be anything.”

The Irish music scene has always been known for producing some amazing talent, but that has been taken to an all time high with huge acts emerging annually. Áine shares her thoughts on the industry, “in the last four years that I have been part of the industry, there has been so much

"In October 2017 she had toured with JP Cooper, she explains that it set her up a little bit: “but nothing could prepare me for this huge tour with Kodaline"." amazing talent coming from Ireland...Everyone is always looking for new artists and when someone new comes on the scene, the Irish people support them right away and I think it’s unreal.”

Discussing the challenges that come with trying to break into the music industry as “for me it was a lot of hounding people to get any type of air play on the radio.” Áine’s sheer determination worked in her favour and she remained positive, she says that, “if music is something you really want, you will work as hard as you can and keep going. I believe if you push for it, it will happen, that’s how I see it.” Although the Irish music scene may be booming, there is still a need to sign oversees for some artists. She thinks for a moment, “I 100% think signing oversees will give me more of a reach internationally, the focus will be on UK and Ireland first, then Europe and then America.” Áine shares how “Lana Del Rey has influenced my music” and how her own lyrics are a testament to this as she too is gifted with talent

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beyond her years. Her latest single ‘Blue Valentine’ is a testament to her talent. She admits that Lady Gaga has inspired her the most and gave her the push she needed to pursue a career in music. “She got me into music, when I listened to her music, I got obsessed with pop music in general.” She casts her mind back, “I saw a video of Lady Gaga playing the piano, she was playing an acoustic version of ‘Paparazzi’ and I was like ‘wow I love that’ and wanted to learn how to play it.” She quickly adds “...and Marina is Queen,” which would be certainly hard to disagree with.

Moving onto her plans for the next year; “Everything me and my manager have been working for over the last few years, everything feels like it’s falling into place right now, I am so happy with everything and It feels right.” Her music video for her latest single ‘Blue Valentine’ released fittingly on the Valentine’s Day. “I am nervous to put out my new music video, but I am so excited because it is so different from the other videos I have done, and I love it. The last scene is a little bit controversial, but I am so excited to put it out.” The new music video is set to drop in the following two weeks and there is also plans for a few more singles in the coming months and “as for the rest of the year, I plan to do a few festivals, I didn’t do many last year as I was writing, but I hope to get to play a few”, so keep your eyes peeled for this incredible artist on your festival line-ups. Áine’s new single ‘Blue Valentine’ has just dropped on Spotify, so make sure to head over and check it out if you haven’t already. One thing is for sure, this is only the beginning for Áine, if you didn’t already know her name, you will now.

"Everything me and my manager have been working for over the last few years Everything feels like it's falling into place right now, I am so happy with everything and It feels right.”

ALBUM REVIEWS

OTwo - Music

Gig guide Rebecca Sibley KNEECAP 19 FEBRUARY THE WORKMAN’S CLUB

It takes a particular kind of rap group to rhyme ‘marijuana’ with ‘Connemara’, and Kneecap happens to be exactly this group. With songs that effortlessly alternate between rapping as Gaeilge and in English, this Belfast-based trio gained infamy after RTÉ’s Raidio na Gaeltachta banned their single Cearta for its profanity and drug references. Gangsta rap with a large helping of Adidas tracksuits may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but Kneecap are worth it for the novelty of their bilingual lyrics and their brash depiction of youth culture. Catch them at the Workman’s Club for a show that promises to be mad craic, but remember to brush up on your Gaeilge first.

Tickets from €11.53 Check it out if you like: N.W.A., Dr. Dre, Versatile

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thank u, next

The Last Goodbye EP

Sinead Dunphy

Tara Hanneffy

Following the smash success of 2018’s Sweetener and the hype surrounding ‘thank u, next’ (Grande’s first Billboard number one single), fans have been eagerly awaiting more. Unfortunately Grande’s fifth LP is a disappointment in comparison to the quality of its singles. The one exception to this is the atmospheric lament ‘ghostin’ which is heartbreakingly honest in light of personal tragedies the singer endured this past year and mixes delicate strings perfectly with spacey, other-worldly production.

While Sweetener was a masterclass in pop production, thank u, next is often amateurish in comparison. This makes sense as Sweetener was created largely by pop powerhouses, Pharrell, Max Martin, Savan Kotecha and HitBoy and went through the usual lengthy process to ensure quality before release. In contrast, thank u, next, while still involving major pop names like Martin, includes credits to friends of Grande; Victoria Monét, Tayla Parx, Tommy Brown and Social House who are not yet in the prime of their careers. The album only began production around September of 2018 and the rushed process shows in the quality of some of the songs.

While the album is more stylistically cohesive than its predecessor, and will undoubtedly delight Grande fans with its authenticity and honesty, much of it is very fun but ultimately forgettable. Lyrics have never been Grande’s strong point and that is painstakingly clear on some of these tracks like ‘NASA’ and ‘make up’. Simplicity can be effective, but that is not the case with thank u, next.

Wild Youth are the latest in a series of musical acts to break onto the male dominated Irish scene in recent months; and while the plethora of ‘me and my guitar’ style Irish bands is getting boring, Wild Youth offer something slightly different from the norm.

Made up of childhood friends Conor and Dave, as well as Ed and Callum, when Otwo sat down to chat with them last September, they stated that Prince, The Weeknd and Michael Jackson were the musical influences for their upcoming EP. You can hear these influences clearly on the The Last Goodbye, made up of five tracks (which subject wise, all seem to be connected – a conceptual cop out in this case).

Catchy guitar riffs combined with Dave Whelan’s distinctive voice to create pop-infused tracks across the EP that are very likeable.

Songs like ‘Can’t Move On’ and ‘Making Me Dance’ have been successful singles in recent months for the group, and ‘Drinking About You’ and ‘The Last Goodbye’ are more of the same. All the tracks on the EP are let down by the somewhat basic lyrics; in a pop saturated market, storytelling is now more important than ever. However, the tunes are groovy, and for a first release, it’s a step in the right direction.

The songs are catchy and boppy, but there’s no real sense that Wild Youth have found their niche yet; but this is something that might be rectified with more experience on the market.

27 FEBRUARY THE BUTTON FACTORY Founded on the belief that we’re living in an era that needs to protest music more than ever, the members of this Rage Against The Machineinspired brass group originally came together as a response to the rise of Trump. More than a tribute band, Brass Against reimagines the music of Rage, Tool, Black Sabbath and more through covers that channel the rebellious spirits of their heroes.

Despite it being hard to do justice to these iconic songs, Brass Against succeed in creating excellent standalone versions. With their unconventional instruments and powerful female vocals, this is a band that is forging its own brand of attitude-filled rock music that doesn’t seem like it should work but really does.

Tickets from €20.83 Check it out if you like: Rage Against The Machine, Black Sabbath, Tool

Æ MAK 8 MARCH THE GRAND SOCIAL Æ Mak’s music experiments with tribal rhythms and synths drawn out of vocal samples to create a joyous confusion of human and electronic noise.

This Dublin-based band’s distinctive sound layers ethereal melodies over earthy baselines to form sophisticated art pop that is full of playfulness.

A natural-born performer, singer Aoife McCann accompanies her celestial harmonies with jerky movements and dances that seem to have come straight out of an aerobics class. Æ Mak’s experimental style and natural weirdness are what makes the band’s music and performances so much fun, and one not to be missed this March.

Tickets from €15.46 Check it out if you like: The Knife, Tune-Yards, Fever Ray

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OTwo - Music

UCD has a serious sound problem: Why we need to promote music on campus

Kristen Bell and Aoife Mawn

It seems that lulls of silence without music are growing scarcer by the day. When I should be attentively note-taking in class, I’m scouring the web for an upcoming gig in a new venue. At home, my exhausted record player constantly spins, with the music only ceasing in the moments I flip the record from Side A to B. Of course, this experience is not unique to me. Each and every morning, I cross campus in a hurry on my way to class among a sea of headphone-wearing students, blaring music of all genres directly into their ears. Regardless of the clear interest in music amongst UCD’s student population, the accessibility of music events, namely those promoting local, Irish artists, in Ireland’s largest university is shockingly scarce.

Take the case of this year’s installment of the annual Battle of the Bands competition.

for free, it was unlikely that you would trek all the way to Whelan’s and then pay to see them again, unless of course you were a die hard fan.

In an already struggling music scene, we simply cannot afford to lay out obstacles such as this.

At the same time, of course, there are platforms for the die-hard music lover and the casual dabbler to find their niche in the throes of university life. Both Belfield FM, the university-run radio broadcasting station located in the Student Centre, and MusicSoc, allow students, young and old, to express and discover their passion for music. Additionally, there have been some successes in making UCD a more music-friendly campus.

This past Thursday, the Clubhouse Bar hosted an Open Mic Night, where talent was abundant. Duo Rusty Claymore, comprised of Adam Hilario and Reggie Murphy, closed

Sponsored by both the UCDSU and MusicSoc, the preliminary rounds were showcased in the on-campus Clubhouse Bar throughout the duration of Rag Week this past January, without charge. The four finalists, GREYFACE, Kevin Koivisto, Magazines, and MYTH, were invited to play the main stage of Whelan’s on Wexford Street to compete in a final competition.

While I understand the allure of playing a legendary venue in the heart of the city, this certainly did not help turnout on the night.

Also, the ticket price of €10 for non-MusicSoc members, and €8 for members of the society was steep for a student to cough up. If you had previously seen the bands in the Clubhouse

the night with the crowd on its feet. More events such as these are vital to promote the existence of artists from UCD, encourage more to try their luck in the industry and make UCD a more welcoming place for budding musicians.

While promoting talent breeding in UCD itself is important, in order to get more people out and listening to live music on campus, perhaps it would be beneficial to recruit artists from outside to inspire our own musicians. Last April, the Commerce and Economics (C&E) Society hosted the electronic music duo Bicep, who have recently ascended to international acclaim, transforming Astra Hall into a techno lovers dream. In past years, MusicSoc have

"Regardless of the clear interest in music amongst UCD’s student population, the accessibility of music events, namely those promoting local, Irish artists, in Ireland’s largest university is shockingly scarce."

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also hosted acts such as Heathers, Dermot Kennedy, Hudson Taylor and Aslan. By bringing in artists like these, there is a higher chance of UCD students feeling inspired by what they can achieve, as well as promoting a culture of music across campus, creating a buzz around the scene.

In terms of booking external acts to play on campus, why can’t we follow the precedent that the C&E have set, and use our gravitas as Ireland’s largest university to book more acts to play on site? With the selling point of a potential audience of nearly 35,000, it is surely not one to be sniffed at by any artist. If we can begin to create a culture of music across campus through inviting bigger, external acts to come and play, surely we can expect to see the growth of a homegrown scene?

Another potential initiative to lure the budding UCD musician out of their shell is to use the advantage of having a stage set up during Freshers’ Week each year to encourage newly formed bands or aspiring singer songwriters to sign up to play it. Often, that stage lies completely dormant, with no one playing or making use of it. By combining both external acts and UCD artists, we could create our own festival as sorts, and provide a better soundtrack to the endless trawl through the stuffy white tent than the shoddy speakers blaring Top 40.

When we consider that UCD is Ireland’s largest university, with an enormous campus capable of hosting large sports games and talks, it is extremely disheartening to see the lack of enthusiasm and support given to the music scene that, as anyone who attended any of the Battle of the Bands heats will know, is very much there. There is ample opportunity, space and talent, so we have no excuse really.

We boast about our famous sports, political and literary alumni, so why not look to branch out further and become known for our musical graduates too? As mentioned previously, the talent is there; it is now up to us to protect and support it.

OTwo - Music

The win that left them grey in the face

UCD’s Band of 2019, Greyface, talk gigs, EP’s and the future

Aoife Mawn

Tuesday 29th January saw Greyface crowned the winner of UCD MusicSoc’s Battle of the Bands in Whelan’s after a close call finish. The band, made up of vocalist Roy Geary; guitarist Sean Keogh; bassist Oisin O’Keeffe; drummer Korey Thomas and keyboard player Lughaidh O’Brien; formed gradually after Roy met Sean while photographing his previous band.

United through a love of metal music, their various different tastes began, and continue to influence their sound, giving them a different sound from your generic screamo band. Their stage persona’s are brash and bold, comprising of dark makeup, gothic outfits (featuring a fetching pink dress) and a loud and proud attitude. Offstage, however, the lads are more subdued, but still as in love with music as their stage characters. Roy met with Otwo a week on from their win, and explained the foundations behind the band, what is coming next and what he thinks UCD can do to nurture bands like theirs.

The band have all adopted stage names to go with their outlandish personas. Geary is ‘Shaye Saint Lawrence’; Keogh is ‘Icarus’; O’Keeffe is ‘Evra Von’; Thomas is ‘Éalú’ and O’Brien is ‘Sluagh’. These are all tied in with the concept of ‘Greyface’ itself; letting go of your inhibitions and losing yourself in the music.

While they all have similar music tastes, they differ in certain areas, giving them their unique, alternative sound. Hip-hop, rap, indie and classic rock are all influences, and Geary explains that all of these have contributed to their tracks.

“Our tastes have all evolved a bit, Greyface is where we meet in the middle,” he explained.

He stressed the importance, for him personally,

on the quality of lyrics over the sound, and how they are inspired by the likes of David Bowie in terms of their stage performances. “We’re very into the theatrical side, it’s certainly a big part of the show. We don’t like limiting ourselves down to anything in particular (in terms of influences).” The performance they put on in Whelan’s was certainly very Bowie-esque, and other influences such as twentyone pilots, Alice Cooper and Weezer could also be heard throughout the five song set.

Whelan’s came alive during Greyface’s performance, the crowd all moshing together and reciprocating every one of Geary’s yells.

He tells me that while he loves playing venues like Whelan’s and The Academy, the dream is to play bigger shows. “For me it would have to be the 3Arena. I say that strictly because I’ve seen so many shows there and everytime I go to see a show I imagine how great it would be to play there.”

He also cites The Olympia and Wembley as two other goals, as well as playing at more festivals, particularly in the U.K. The immediate future for the band is busy, with a future gig planned at Whelan’s Midnight Hour as well as plans to go into the studio soon and begin recording. “We’ve recorded stuff in the past but this time we’re working with a producer, James Darkin, so we can put a more polished finish on it, so we’re really looking forward to seeing where that goes.” With their fantastic, raw live sound, it will be interesting for us to see how this translates onto a recorded piece, with the lads hoping to record an EP after working with Darkin.

We also had a chat about what they

would like to see UCD do to promote homegrown bands more. “It’d be cool if the college had regular contact with venues to help get guys who want to get started playing more, like Midnight Hour at Whelan’s; people get paid for that which is a great incentive.” Also mentioned was the Fresher’s Week bandstand, which Geary noted was played by Irish band Otherkin this year, to a near empty field. “I think part of the issue is promotion, it would be great if the college made people more aware of the live music on campus. I’d love for UCD to be known for having a band culture.” Geary also suggested The Clubhouse having a live night once a week in order to promote and encourage more UCD based bands and artists.

As for UCD acts we should be looking out for?

MYTH, also featured in Battle of the Band’s final, are one of Geary’s highlights, a four-piece alternative rock band whose sound mirrors the likes of Wyvern Lingo.

Greyface are sure to have a bright future, and with future gigs and recording planned, they are certainly on the right path. Their unique, live set is one that has to be seen to simply be experienced, and Roy, while being sworn to secrecy on the exact details, says that what could be their biggest gig yet is in the pipeline, so keep your eyes peeled for that.

Certainly one of the most exciting live bands UCD has to offer, it will definitely be one not to be missed. Our chat ends with a final discussion of keyboard player Lughaidh’s animated dance moves, reminiscent of Bez from the Happy Mondays: “He’s been banned from moving away from his keyboard,” assures Roy. “Maybe DanceSoc will let him in.”

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OTwo - Music

Summer 2019: Your festival line-up guide and predictions Cormac Lehnen and Aoife Mawn

The time of festival line-up announcements is upon us with Electric Picnic fast approaching, and in the build up towards summer we take a look at the acts that are set to play at various festivals across the country and speculate on who else may be announced.

Life (24-26 May)

Life is staying true to the electronic sound that its known for, with a line-up that includes Bicep, Camelphat, Denis Sulta, Fjaak and Nina Kraviz.

Life ‘19 is set to return to Belvedere as strong as ever, with very little change from the sound we have heard in previous years.

Forbidden Fruit Festival (1-3 June)

Nestled in the grounds of Kilmainham, tucked away from the city landscape, this June bank holiday weekend festival consistently books fantastic acts and has earned its reputation as one of the best ways to kickstart a summer of festivals. This year’s line-up was recently announced, with headliners, Skepta, Danny Brown, Mura Masa, Elbow and First Aid Kit. Other acts which will perform throughout the festival include, Jon Hopkins, Paul Kalkbrenner, Mall Grab, and Ross From Friends. There is something for everyone on the bill, from the most honed in of music fans to the casual listener; lets just hope we get the scorcher we had last year.

Sea Sessions (21-23 June)

Another festival with a spectacular setting, Sea Sessions returns to Bundoran, Co. Donegal this year with headliners: Sigrid, Clean Bandit, and Two Door Cinema Club, as well as Wild Youth and Le Boom. Sea Sessions has sold out every year and is always praised as a standout event.

With the line-up staying consistent through the past number of years, returning revellers know exactly what to expect. If the weather is right, though, it’s often the beach and surfing that make this festival stand out.

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Longitude (5-7 July) Longitude has evolved over the years, and its line-up seems to cater for the younger crowds it pulls in. This year’s festival will include performances from A$AP ROCKEY, Cardi B, Brockhampton, Vince Staples and Chance the Rapper among others. Much like last year, we can expect to see plenty of huns off on their post Leaving Cert rampage, praying that Cardi B doesn’t pull out again.

Indiependence (2-4 August)

Biffy Clyro, Bastille and Gavin James are set to headline this Cork Festival, with another yet to be announced. Booked on the same weekend as All Together Now, the festival’s longevity helped it secure its dominance last year, but with the hype around its Waterford counterpart growing, it remains to be seen if they can continue being the South’s biggest festival.

Another two major Irish summer festivals have yet to announce their line-ups for 2019: of course. Ireland’s largest festival, Electric Picnic will make headlines when they announce theirs next month and also there is the Picnic’s possible successor, All Together Now. While All Together Now received rapturous reviews last year and secured an impressive line-up, all eyes will be on the festival to see if they can keep the momentum going. They have already announced The National as one of their headliners but for now, the rest is unknown. Returning again to the picturesque surroundings of Curraghmore House in Waterford, the setting is stunning, and accompanied by the right weather we could see it further cement itself as an Irish summer staple.

Tame Impala, Childish Gambino, and The 1975 are among the names of acts that you are likely to see in the upcoming weeks. Tame Impala played at Electric Picnic 2015, but they may be due a return to Stradbally or perhaps

a debut All Together Now performance in Curraghmore. Currently on a world tour, and headlining Coachella in April, it’s possible that we will see them reach our shores. Childish Gambino is still riding high from his triumphant return in 2018, and has recently concluded his ‘This is America’ tour. With his name also on the top of the bill at Coachella, it’s possible that Electric Picnic could look to repeat the draw of Kendrick Lamar last year and bag him as their headliner. The 1975, also playing Coachella, are a shoe-in, particularly as they are currently on tour with their A Brief Enquiry into Online Relationships album, and are releasing a second album Notes on a Conditional Form in May.

Other acts whose names have been thrown in the ring are the Arctic Monkeys, Idles, Vampire Weekend, Charli XCX, The Cure, Janelle Monae and Lana Del Rey. All are festival staples, with Monae announced as one of the first Glastonbury big names, alongside Stormzy and Kylie Minogue. Arctic Monkeys are no strangers to Irish soil, and following the release of their sixth album last year, could easily be found here again. With Vampire Weekend, The Cure and Lana Del Rey scheduled to play outdoor shows here during the summer, it’s possible they will stop by again to grace one or two more festivals.

No matter who is announced for whatever festival, there will always be the naysayers who complain about the line up. Still, it’s the experience we all go for, and summer 2019 should be no different.

OTwo - Food

Avant-garde eateries in Dublin With an increasing number of eateries in Dublin,Shivani

The food scene in Dublin, like any other modern city, is increasingly becoming more eclectic. This eclecticism is not only in diverse food options but also in innovative ways of using interesting ingredients in dishes.

Masa on Drury Street catches one’s eye with its minimalist metallic signpost.

As you wander in, the functional decor and the tropical garden in the centre makes you wonder if the food will be as Mexican as the interior. Indeed! Their range of delightfully low priced tacos and quesadillas is quite a revelatory experience. What set it apart from other Mexican restaurants for me was the freshly made tortillas, whose taste holds the almost smoky taste of maize and coarseness that gives it an automatic authentic feel. The highlight of one’s meal here can be the flawless

Photo: Akaka Poké

Shukla explores writes on what makes certain restaurants stand out.

churros, straight out of a frying pan and coated in brown sugar. The idea of a proper taqueria in Dublin is unique in itself, and Masa delivers.

Another place that caught my attention is Meet Me in the Morning, an easy-breezy café on Pleasants Street. It was voted the Best Café in Dublin in 2017, and having visited it for a casual Sunday brunch, I can see why. The ingredients used in the dishes are all locally sourced from organic farms, and at times even foraged by co-owner and chef, Kevin Powell.

This quirky-cool manner of picking ingredients ensures that the dishes on the menu are seasonal and of freshest quality, and in no way compromises with the taste. Every bite offers a fresh burst of taste. The homely structure of the café renders it an endearing quality and will for sure make you go again, if only for Powell’s

foraging lessons.

The Seafood Café on Temple Bar is the third food venture by Niall Sabongi, and trumps all other seafood places in the city for me. The unparalleled charm of the place is not limited to its Hawaiian classy setup; rather every offering on its eloquent menu holds promise of a delightful experience. All seafood used in the lip-smacking dishes is locally sourced, and every single dish I have tried here, in my multiple visits, has been memorable. The restaurant’s quirky cocktail menu features a Bloody Mary (with a slice of raw salmon!) that will make you go tomatoes for it!

With a growing demand for parallel foods, standing out is a must for new Dublin restaurants and these places ace the delivery!

Your guide to global cuisines: Vietnamese Nathan Young writes on what makes Vietnamese food so uniquely flavorful.

Vietnamese cuisine is based on a philosophy of balance between the five elements, each of which is described with a different flavour.

Wood is sour, metal is spicy, fire is bitter, earth is sweet, and water is salty. It's believed that each flavour corresponds with a different nutrient, and that in turn, corresponds to five different organs of the digestive system.

What this means for the quality of the food is that meals are well balanced, as chefs aim to appease all these tastes. There’s also a focus on balancing the five senses. Fresh herbs and chilies are used to garnish most dishes, as the smell, sound of crunch and appearance are considered almost as important as the taste and texture of the dish.

There’s something of a variety of Vietnamese restaurants in Dublin, and while none of them are especially fancy affairs, they offer good food at fair prices. Aobaba on Capel Street offers Vietnamese street food, and is accordingly cheap and cheerful. It can be hard to get a seat here, but they also offer takeaways.

Although not authentic Vietnamese, they also serve a range of bubble teas and iced coffees.

Without raising the price point by much, joints like Pho Ta in Temple Bar offer more western style service, with starters, mains, and desserts.

Photo: Abhijna Bellur

In Vietnam, only the dessert would ever be served separately from the other dishes, and food is placed communally in the centre of the table to be shared.

Compared to other east-Asian cuisines, the Vietnamese use very little oil, instead preparing food in broths, or often simply serving vegetables raw. Fresh chillies cut finely and bean sprouts are often served alongside soups and broths to be added last minute by the diners, so that they retain the fresh crunch.

Flavour is also added in sauces, including soy sauce, fish sauce, and hot sauces. Phở, a broth with rice noodles and meat, is perhaps the most successful Vietnamese dish internationally. The meat options include beef, chicken, pork, and seafood, but there are options for vegetarians as tofu also features heavily.

Due to war, social upheaval, and colonialism, the majority of Vietnam has been in poverty for a most of the previous century, and the food reflects this - offal is common, and few luxury ingredients appear on the menu.

Stir fried and deep fried dishes are available, but they aren’t as prevalent. Because of this, and the popularity of fresh vegetables among chefs, Vietnamese food is often considered one of the healthiest cuisines in the world.

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SIMPLY SPRING Step into the new season styled by a selection of Irish design essentials

Clothing kindly sponsored by: Magee 1866 South Anne St, Dublin 2 www.magee1866.com Photographer: Alex Fagan Stylist: Shane Cullen Models: Daniel Browne Ryan O’Donnell

As a new season approaches, a change in our outfit selection beckons. Moving away from the heavy woollen coats and scarves, we turn to lighter knits and shirts as blue skies replace the grey. This issue of Otwo fashion we’re focusing on Irish design and Magee 1866 menswear on South Anne St is the perfect fit. The location of the shoot was carefully selected to incorporate the magic of natural lighting in Spring.

- Shane Cullen, Fashion Editor

OTwo - Fashion

OTwo - Fashion

THE IRISH FASHION INNOVATION AWARDS A DECADE OF DESIGN

Shane Cullen discusses this year’s biggest celebration of Irish design and fashion.

It would be a major understatement to say that Irish design, and the Irish fashion scene in general, have gone under something of a revolution over the past decade. Each season we look to London, Paris or New York for fashion week inspiration, yet there’s always something special about the works of Irish designers, and 2019 looks set to be Ireland’s biggest year for Irish design yet.

Celebrating ten years of supporting Irish design, the Irish Fashion Innovation Awards team are gearing up to host this year’s ceremony at Galway’s Galmont Hotel on 14th March. Hosting a press launch earlier this month at Dublin’s The Morgan Hotel, Golden Egg Productions gathered finalists and fashionistas to give a sneak peak of what to expect next month. If the press launch is anything to go by, it looks like it’s going to be an exciting spectacle of decadent design.

With up to seven award categories available, there’s something to reward all talents at the Irish Fashion Innovation Awards.

These include Student Designer of the Year, Ones to Watch and Fashion Designer of the Year. This year it has been announced that there will be a new category called “The Perfect 10”, where an array of established Irish designers will feature their collections to close the show. The impressive list includes designer Carla Johnson, who has had her swim-wear collection featured at 2018’s New York Fashion Week.

As the final list of nominees have been announced, excitement now builds as we meet this year’s finalists. Nominated for the coveted Fashion Designer of the Year accolade at this year’s awards, Dublin-based designer Helen Hayes is a Grafton Academy graduate, who brings a touch of couture and signature ribbon to her handmade pieces. A strong

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contender in the category, she has previously won Fashion Student Designer of the Year at UCD Fashion Show back in 2016. Sharing the news on Instagram, Hayes expressed that she was “delighted and humbled” to have made the final cut. Hayes tells Otwo Fashion editor that she is equally nervous and excited to be a finalist: “I was so delighted when I first got the news that I was a finalist. Since then it’s ranged from fear that I won’t have everything finished to stage fright, but through it all I am honoured to show my work on such a platform.”

With every award comes a success story, and for last year’s overall Irish Innovation Awards Winner Sarah Murphy, that seems to be quite the case. Since winning the title last year, Murphy’s career continues to soar, recently sharing on Instagram that she has been busy designing gowns for the BAFTA and Oscar red carpets. Her self-titled collection, which is produced in Wicklow, is currently being stocked at Brown Thomas, Donnybrook’s

having worked with Alexander McQueen for five years as well as working with other luxury brands including Louis Vuitton and Yves Saint Laurent. More recently, he’s worked closely with David Beckham for a collection.

If you get a call from Lady Gaga’s team looking for a hat from your collection, then you must be doing something right. Margaret O’Connor, a designer and milliner from Clare, has had international appraisal for her courage to be bold with her designs. In 2013, O’Connor’s big break came after Lady Gaga wore one of her hats to an Alexander McQueen and Philip Treacy exhibition in London. O’Connor labels her brand Notions, which she says incorporates inspiration from Irish history and encourages her wearers to always be bold.

Speaking to Otwo Fashion about the Irish Fashion Innovation Awards celebrating its ten year milestone, Managing Director, Patricia McCrossan had never anticipated such success. "When I first had the idea of creating

“This year it has been announced that there will be a new category called ‘The Perfect 10’, where an array of established Irish designers will feature their collections to close the show.”

Havana boutique and Emporium Kalu boutique in Kildare.

Away from the Irish Fashion Innovation Awards, Irish designers are making a name for themselves on runways in the UK and beyond. One of the designers that has caught the industry’s attention for many years now is Dublin-born designer Daniel Kearns. An NCAD graduate in Fashion Design, Kearns is currently the creative director for British label Kent & Curwen. He’s no stranger to the industry,

the Irish Fashion Innovation Awards back in 2009, I never imagined it would be such an unbelievable success. We support on average 45 designers across 6 categories each year. We have some amazing finalists that have gone on to showcase internationally like Una Burke and Carla Johnson of Mona Swims. Some have gone through the ranks from Student Designer, to Ones To Watch, then Designer of the Year.

It’s a great time for Irish Design."

OTwo - Fashion

Fashion Flashback: “Gotta Tell You” about Samantha Mumba

Clara Brannigan

Victoria Beckham x Reebok: the nineties meets the now Emma O’Regan Reidy reviews the highly anticipated collaboration collection Posh Spice has been taking inspiration recently from Sporty Spice’s wardrobe. As the other four Spice Girls are currently gearing up for a comeback tour this summer, fifth member, Victoria Beckham is reaffirming her position in the limelight in another way; by continuing to expand her fashion empire. Last month, the former singer released her latest endeavour: a collaboration with the sportswear brand Reebok.

The collection follows a tailored neutral palette featuring a bright orange motif.

Reebok presents the collaboration on their website with the tagline: “mixing the relaxed demeanour of elevated streetwear with technical performance, underpinned by

“The pieces and the campaign are an ode to the iconic, ef fortless look she emulated in the 90s, continuing the trends of crop tops and bulky joggers.” the minimal sensibility intrinsic to Victoria Beckham’s aesthetic.” The pieces and the campaign are an ode to the iconic, effortless look she emulated in the 90s, continuing the trends of crop tops and bulky joggers.

The collection elaborates on this premillenium fashion but updates it with contemporary cuts and hues, following Beckham’s sophisticated aesthetic as she

gracefully enters new stages of her life.

Some standout items from the collection include the boxy cropped branded cowl which offers a cosy yet elegant take on gym apparel.

Beckham effectively translates gym wear into effortless, everyday attire without sacrificing comfort or fashion. The Victoria Beckham Bolton sock shoe in both its standard and “lo” iteration offers a refreshing take on the sock shoe trend catalysed by Balenciaga. These trainers emulate the chunky, clunky shoe fad of the moment but offer unique colourways.

The camel and navy tones with pops of bold citrus hues distinguish the collection from the seemingly myriad sport and leisurewear collections offered by most brands.

On these shoes in particular, Beckham told Vogue in an interview: “I’ve wanted to put a trainer in my collection for a long, long time, but it’s something that’s very specialised—I had to do it with a brand that had the technical experience and the know-how.”

In the same interview, Beckham affirms that “every time I launch something new, it’s because it’s something I want in my life.” The funky, functional collection will be a wardrobe staple not just as winter transitions into spring, but for the entirety of 2019. Although a number of pieces from the collection are already sold out, the collection is available to shop now online and in stores with pieces starting at €30 and ranging to €400. As the old philosophical quote goes: “Spice up your life!”

Samantha Mumba is one of Ireland’s most iconic pop artists, yet her brave fashion choices are something still worth reflecting on. I hope you’re feeling nostalgic as we take a flashback to 2000.

In 2000, Samantha Mumba arrived on the Irish pop scene with her first single ‘gotta tell you’ and it quickly became an international number one hit. The catchy chorus isn’t the only thing to be remembered, Mumba’s outfit choice should be too. Cast your mind back to the music video, to her fresh R&B look with her long braids, a hot pink corset and unsurprisingly, she looked gorgeous. In a true noughties-esque style, she performed stunts like jumping to and from buildings, acrobats and let’s not forget the dramatic airport scene as she runs alongside a private airplane, all in a pair of low riding boot cut jeans with Aztec stitching along the hems.

Surprisingly, this isn’t her most talked about outfit. In 2004, Mumba arrived at the Spiderman 2 premiere in London sporting a €4.5 million diamond encrusted spiderweb dress. It was designed specifically for her by the iconic Scott Henshall. The dress was accompanied by a giant diamond arachnid ring. This dress can be deemed a true 00s

“Cast your mind back to the music video, to her fresh R&B look with her long braids, a hot pink corset and unsurprisingly, she looked gorgeous.” red carpet look; a Risqué lack of fabric with enough ‘bling’ to make up for it.

We may be reminiscing back to her old fashion looks, but we won’t have to for long as Mumba is set to release a new album late this year. The anticipation is almost too much but let’s graciously embrace this new era of Samantha Mumba.

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OTwo - Travel

My Erasmus adventure:

Sophie Carberry - Montreal, Canada It was always my intention to get to Montreal at some stage in my life. For a lot of my adolescence, I had a fascination with Québécois film, so much so that it became one of my primary reasons for pursuing French in university. The accent intrigued me, as it was like nothing I had been taught in school. I wanted a unique exchange experience – one that catered to my fascination with Québécois language and culture, as well as adding nuance to my experience as a student of French. If, at some point, I really wanted to live in Paris or Nantes for a year, I could quite easily book a Ryanair flight and seize that opportunity after college. The same could not be said for Montreal, and I would say that it was this that really pushed me to choose Canada.

My journey began as soon as I got the email notifying me that I had been nominated by the School of French to study at the University of Montreal. From there, it was a mad rush to get applications submitted for the university’s exchange programme, along with study visas, accommodation – the whole shebang. That summer was plagued with anxiety about getting documents finalised and ready before my departure date in late August. Luckily, everything worked out with relatively enough time to spare. Fast forward two weeks, and suddenly I was in Canada. Canada. Thousands of miles from home. Alone. It was unlike anything I could have prepared for.

If I had to list the cons first, I would halfheartedly say the winter was truly a struggle.

I say half-heartedly, because this was also the basis for some of my best memories. At first, layering up constantly, and trying not to do grievous bodily harm by slipping on the icy pavements was a burden enough to keep me indoors. There’s also this thing called ‘freezing rain’ which sounds exactly like what it is.

Imagine rain, except it’s tiny shards of glass that collectively bury themselves into your face

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when you’re innocently trying to get to college.

Not a super pleasant experience.

The cost of groceries was also something I don’t have particularly fond memories of. In general, Montreal is quite affordable. But if you weren’t careful, you’d find yourself eating into your monthly budget just by wanting spaghetti bolognese for dinner. Prices on things such as meat and produce were never predictable no matter where you went, and there are no equivalents of Lidl or Aldi to rely on. But they make up for it with the multitude of poutine restaurants that always seemed to be in your vicinity.

They also have these things called depanneurs, or ‘deps’ as they’re colloquially known. These are essentially convenience stores, and can save your life when it’s almost midnight and you’re out of milk. You also form a very special bond with the cashier at your local dep, particularly since they are the ones who see you at your lowest points, like when you’re up until 2am studying for a midterm for your impossibly difficult French linguistics class, with a craving for Hershey’s chocolate, since good old Dairy Milk just isn’t the same there.

While most of my time there was spent wrapped up to protect against the harsh weather, Quebecker’s attitudes to a bit of snow are a lot more upbeat than back home. They make the most of the winter period, adorning the streets in soft, festive lighting, and hosting festivals for celebrating just about everything winter-themed, from snow sports, to mulled wine, to this winter delicacy known as ‘maple taffy’, where they pour a maple syrup into the snow and roll it onto a stick, in true Canadian fashion. Eventually, you learn to love the winter, and you find you develop a bit of a complex when your mates back home are complaining that it’s -5oC, when that seems like summer in comparison to the temperatures in Canada.

Another upside to Montréal was how

affordable it is compared to other North American cities. Where I lived was right in the city centre, near all the major universities.

Not only was this great for making friends, but it was also the equivalent of €500 a month, which included bills. We also got a TV, dishwasher, double beds, a gym and a cinema room. Even better was the public transport situation. Because I lived a bit out from my university, I ended up having to get an OPUS card, Montreal’s answer to a Leap card. Per month, a €30 top-up got you unlimited use of every public transport service city-wide, which worked out a lot cheaper than travelling in Dublin. Plus, the underground train system connected to all the major shopping malls, so you essentially got to live underground if you weren’t feeling being out in the snow too long.

Another benefit of Montreal was its proximity to other cities in Canada and the States. In September, we went to an orchard a little outside Montreal, and got to visit a pumpkin patch to get in the festive spirit. For Canadian thanksgiving, I got to go back to Ottawa with my housemate, and celebrate with her family, where I was able to try pumpkin pie for the first time. I also went to Québec City for their annual Carnival Winter festival, which we took one of those yellow school buses to get to (which really made me sympathise for Canadian school children, because those things get cold.)

While there are reams I could write about my experiences of Montreal, I don’t think I could ever convey quite how incredible it was.

Not only do I now have a twinge of Quebecois influence when I speak French, and a newfound resilience to -30o temperatures, but I also have a wealth of memories that I will always look fondly on when I remember my college years, as well as a city I cannot wait to go back to.

OTwo

Fatal Fourway The worst Irish accents in TV/Film

Heather Reynolds – Arts and Lit Editor: As a lesbian, Ocean’s 8 means a lot to me. Like, that many beautiful, talented women on one screen at the same time was a truly transcendent point in my life.

A transcendent moment that I was inelegantly pulled out of every time Rose (Helena Bonham Carter) opened her mouth. While the accent she used was a tried and tested British standard, that test is one it has failed every time, and Bonham Carter is no exception. It was inaccurate, stereotypical, and actively farcical at times (something which she seemed to be aware of as she slipped out of it regularly). There was literally no reason to make this character Irish, and all it did was distract from what the overall scene was setting out to do, because the accent was just that egregious. Other bad Irish accents in film have been because the film was set in Ireland, and the filmmakers couldn’t think of a bankable Irish star, but Rose literally had no reason to be Irish as it was set in the States. This decision could easily have been scrapped once it was realised that Bonham Carter was unable to do the accent, but it wasn’t, and I’d find that more annoying than the quality of her brogue any day.

Emma Kiely – Film and TV Editor:

No foreign actor has ever done the Irish accent justice; trying to sound like a native whilst butchering the pronunciation of Ireland (it’s “Are-land”, not “eyer-land”).

However, there is one that stands out as the sorest thumb of this sea of horrific accents. Gerald Butler, already a pathetic actor with the acting range of a coffee mug, was somehow chosen to play Galway native Gerry in the 2007 rom-com P.S I Love You. The reason this accent is the one I have chosen to express my disgust at, is because Butler doesn’t even try to feign an Irish accent. He constantly sounds inebriated (which probably seemed accurate to the American producers) and his attempt at embodying the Irish party boy Colin Farrell prototype is more tragic than the fate of his character. Now, the film most likely had American women swooning over the Irish tragic hero and had them fleeing to Connemara in the hope that a tall dark drunk stranger would serenade them with an acoustic version of Galway Girl and bathe them in Guinness. However, to us native Irish, the only accent that Butler’s performance somewhat resonates with is a drunk Saoirse Ronan, and that is not a compliment.

Aoife Mawn – Music Editor:

This is the hill I will die on. Genuinely the worst Irish accent in film, Julia cycled through all 32 counties in her attempts to sound like Longford woman Kitty Kiernan in the 1996 film. It would have been all too easy to cast an Irish actress in the role, but instead Hollywood producers wanted the draw of star Roberts, and due to this, the historical aspect of the film came second to the love story between Collins and Kiernan. It was a poor choice, as Julia Roberts genuinely cannot do an Irish accent, or rather she can’t decide which one she wants to do. Sounding Northern one minute, Corkonian the next, her entire screen time is painful to watch, and makes her interactions with Liam Neeson more awkward than two star crossed lovers. If you’re going to put on the accent, at least work out which general area of Ireland you’re from, but with our Julia she was told she was supposed to be from Longford. Go and sit in a pub in the town centre for half an hour and you’d have it down! As if her turn in this film wasn’t bad enough, she starred in ‘Mary Reilly’ the same year, and further continued her assault on our wonderful native tongue. Disgusting.

Fiachra Johnston – Art & Design Editor:

Sons of Anarchy will forever be, what I believe “the kids” these days call, my trash baby. Kurt Sutter’s grimdark TV series starring the titular motorcycle gang had no right to be as enjoyable as it was (though its current spin-off series Mayans MC, is a remarkably wellput together American Crime Drama), but it was stupid, cheesy fun that ticked all the boxes for me. However, this all changes for me in season three, when the plot decides they need to go to Belfast for eleven straight episodes, and all of a sudden every single stereotype about Northern Ireland is alive and well and right in your face. With a total of one actual Northern Irish actress in the show, you can expect some truly despicable attempts at a Belfast accent. Titus Welliver, playing the season’s big baddie Jimmy O’Phelan (because nothing tells your audience that a character is Irish better than an O’ in their last name) is the prime suspect, but everyone is guilty here, and every word that comes out of their mouths makes me want to vomit shamrock shake and Jameson, or whatever they think Irish people consume, everywhere. The setting is trash, your accents are trash, you playing Flogging Mollys and Black 47 non-stop is trash, and all of this is just signalling the beginning of the end for your show, "fellas".

Illustrations: Michael Donelly

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APERTURE #6: “The Life Aquatic”

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Kartik Sharma

Laura Kenny Ravikanth Gollapalli

Rajit Banerjee

Marie-Juliette Michel

Elly Dzhungurova