Vol XXII - Issue 8 - OTwo

April 19th, 2016

OTwo

Issue VIII

Featuring interviews with: Evanna Lynch All Tvvins Little Green Cars Aoife Kelleher

Plus:

Food, Fashion and the latest in Games

Contents

2 Letter from the Editors 3 What’s Hot and What’s Not 3 Mystic Mittens 3 Soapbox: Ryan Tubridy - Louise Flanagan 4 Fondling With Fonts - James Healy 4 Prudent Patrick 5 Singapore - Eva Griffin

Letter From The Editors

FOOD&DRINK 6 BBQ Food - Niamh O Regan 7 SortedFood - Catherine Holland

GAMES

8 Early AAAccess Games - Aengus Cunningham 9 Game Reviews - Adam Donnelly and Aaron Poole

FILM&TV 10 Film Critics v Fans - Eoin Ferry 11 Aoife Kelleher Interview - David Monaghan 12 Film Reviews 13 Mental Illness on Screen - Siofra Ní Shluaghadháin 13 Top 10 Film Endings - Eoin Ferry

CREATIVE WRITING 14 Leaving - Dermot Christophers 15 Selection of Poetry

CENTRE 16 Evanna Lynch Interview - Patrick Kelleher

MUSIC 18 All Tvvins Interview - Adam Lawler 19 Album Reviews 20 Gig Guide - Aisling Kraus 20 Radar: Pecking Party - Seán Hayes 21 Laura Mvula Interview - Patrick Kelleher 22 John Metcalfe Interview - Owen Steinberger 23 Little Green Cars Interview - Róisin Monk

FASHION&STYLE 24 Dublin de Rigueur - Lucy Coffey 24 Vogue 100 - Laura Brohan 25 Homme Fatale - Katie Devlin 25 Make-Up Shake Down - Ciara Dempsey 26 Summer Strategy Shoot - Lucy Coffey

ARTS&LITERATURE 28 Finnian O’Cionnaith Interview - Meabh Butler 29 Wild Sky Review - Lucy Mortell 30 Lia Mills Interview - Siobhan Mearon 31 Fatal Fourway: Most Heartbreaking Endings 32 Fotografie

2

Let’s start by saying thanks,

THat’s Eva and Karl

Thanks to all of you who picked up the paper and gave it a read over the past two semesters. Thanks to the section editors who put it together and certainly thanks to the editorial team of Gráinne, Patrick, and James for giving us (powerteam Griffster and Karlton) the chance to be the COTwo you deserve. So thank you very much, everyone. It’s like a Christmas miracle. But ya know, in April.

So onto this, the final issue of OTwo. What would our last issue be without the one and only Rebekah “Best Colour Writer” Rennick telling us what is hot in this very cold April, and what is most definitely not. Mystic Mittens, our resident feline mage translates the stars for us for one last time in this OTwo and don’t forget to check out our soapbox on the increasingly ever-present Ryan Tubridy.

Prudent Patrick takes his pedestal again to dish out some much needed advice and our own James “Font Fondler” Healy fondles some fonts. Don’t ask, just enjoy.

Travel this issue is headed by none other than Eva “Best COTwo ever” Griffin on her visits to Singapore. We move onto Food next, opened as always by the connoisseur herself Niamh “Best Food Editor” O Regan on good BBQ food for this summer. Also interviewed, the guys behind SORTEDFood!

Next up is Games, as always player one is Adam “Best Games Editor” Donnelly with a review of Enter the Gungeon. Also reviewed is Moustache Mountain and a feature on Early Access games.

David “Best Film Editor” Monaghan interviews Aoife Kelleher in Film, alongside features on Film Critics and the treatment of mental illness on screen. We have a few great reviews for you too, including Bastille Day, and the outstanding Cop to The Future. Top Ten this issue is on the best film endings, no spoilers!

Our final creative writing section, under the ever watchful eye of Roisin “Best Creative Writing Editor” Murray. As always we have a few excellent poems for your pleasure and a short story sure to tug at your heart strings.

Our centre is an interview with none other than Evanna Lynch, known best for her portrayal of Luna Lovegood in Harry Potter, by our own Patrick “Prudent as hell” Kelleher.

We continue into the latter half of our paper with Music led by Aisling “Best Music Editor” Kraus as she gives the lowdown on the Gig Guide. All Tvvins, Laura Mvula, and John Metcalfe are interviewed alongside a few album reviews. The final radar to be seen is on Pecking Party!

On our last strut into Fashion, Lucy “Best Fashion Editor” Coffey brings the last shoot of the volume into the summer. We take a look at male supermodels, the situation with non-animal tested make-up and the Vogue Fashion Festival.

And at the end we have Arts & Literature of course, with Maebh “Best Arts & Lit Editor” Butler with an interview with Lia Mills. Also interviewed is Finnian O’Cionnaith and a review of the Centenary literary celebrations.

And at the heart-breaking end of this, our final OTwo, we have the last Fatal Fourway – on the most heart-breaking endings (themes!).

So from all of us here at OTwo, thank you for reading and we hope you enjoyed it.

Here’s to our final farewell, Karl and Eva

what’s hot & What’s not

Soapbox Ryan Tubridy

Hot

Not Hot

The University Observer:

Being hungover on a flight:

The Student Media Awards took place earlier this month and your beloved Observer only went and had a wonderful evening altogether. There was wine, there was Z-list celebs, there was a plethora of student journalists oscillating in their own self-worth, an attractive mix of student debauchery and developing maturity. Oh! And we also won three awards; Website of the Year, Sports Writer of the Year and Newspaper of the Year. And aren’t our mammies only delighted for us.

Summer Shenanigans: The evenings are officially longer and not even the forthcoming RDS rendezvous can taint the good vibes emanating from summer expectations.

If you’re Ireland bound, get yourself to one of the many festivals sprinkled around the summer months. Between Body & Soul, Castlepalooza, Longitude, KnockanStockan and Another Love Story there’s something for everyone. Not a festival-goer? Never fear, a few tins beside the canal brings a similar level of bliss.

Soak it up!

Father John Misty Watching Taylor Swift on LSD: Just yes, yes a thousand times yes. From live-tweeting a stranger’s Tinder date from a bar to showcasing his unflinching disdain for 21st century obsession with technology through his lyricism, FJM and LSD can only produce some classic results, especially with Swift acting as the background soundtrack. Explaining to Rolling Stone magazine how Swift “fully impregnated [his] dilated soul with her ideology”, who knew psychedelia and sugar-coated pop could produce such profound emotions.

Whatever people say or however they try to convince you that there is a worse fate then being violently hungover while waiting to go through security, don’t listen to them. They don’t understand, it is only you that is enduring this insufferable, self-inflicted experience. Even the easiest of tasks of locating your crumpled boarding pass and squashing all those tiny bottles of toiletries into that plastic bag of inconvenience seem like an insurmountable feat. The best thing to do is to continue marinating in your own boozey-perspiration and hope that that airport staff let you on the plane.

Dublin Bus: Still the worst thing going. From their timetables playing with every essence of our emotions, to the unceremoniously high fares who seem to have no end in sight, our hearts break a little every time we step across the bus threshold. If you enjoy being perpetually late for dinner, coffee dates or just life in general then this is the public transport option for you!

FOMO: FOMO or Fear Of Missing Out is a debilitating condition, affecting up to 80 per cent of students on any given night. Symptoms include unease, trepidation, sweating and a propensity to earnestly stare at your phone/ Facebook in an attempt to convince yourself you don’t really want to go to that party/event. Prognosis is generally quite poor, with survivors spending hours upset about missed opportunities, finding themselves on the outskirts of newly developed inside jokes. However, within a few days symptoms should resolve, yet beware of reoccurrence.

Mystic Mittens Aries

Libra

We can all see you listening to Christina Aguilera’s ‘Stripped’ album on repeat on Spotify so stop denying your penchant for a bitta Xtina.

We’d rather not watch you whip or nae nae thank you very much.

Taurus You woke up bleary eyed on Saturday afternoon following Trinity Ball. You no longer perceive our college counterparts as uppity renegades. You now enjoy top hats and the finer things in life. They have you now.

Gemini Months after never encountering your elusive housemate on campus you see them in Centra buying a chicken roll. You’re disappointed by their choice in salad, and are somewhat happy the friendship never worked out.

Cancer Your local area seemed to have erected a new bus stop pole without letting you know. You realise this after running head first into it.

Leo It’s week eleven and all of those responsibilities you’ve been putting off come knocking at your unsuspecting door. Pretend you’re not home and turn off the lights to avoid any more confrontations.

Virgo You wore your favourite outfit today, but thankfully you didn’t see anyone you knew so guess who’s going for round two tomorrow?

Scorpio Yes, that’s right it’s that time of the month again where your supply of toilet paper, tea bags and milk all run out simultaneously. Oh what a time to be alive!

Sagittarius That cute guy/girl you see every morning on your commute to college isn’t checking you out. They’ve got a staring problem, don’t be so vain.

Capricorn These past few weeks you’ve been very critical of your work. It’s time to give yourself a break, nobody expects anything more than a mediocre effort from you so chill.

Aquarius Eating your weight in Belvita Breakfast biscuits isn’t the key to happiness. It’s the key to fiber overload and too regular bowel motions.

Pisces Work hard today so you can enjoy well-earned free time later. Or do it tomorrow, the principle still kind of stands.

From the Late Late Show to morning radio, Mr Tubridy has become an unavoidable voice across the media-waves of Ireland (unless you’ve discovered channels outside of RTÉ – fierce modern of you altogether). His bouncy vocal cords and pubescent laughter would be enough to wake anyone up in the morning, or prevent them from having a sound night’s sleep on a Friday. From his humble beginnings right here in UCD, Ryan has risen through the ranks of the various levels of Irish famousness (now solidly lying somewhere between post “unnecessary journeys” Teresa Mannion and the fella who slipped on the ice). While he has gathered a keen group of followers along the way he’s also gained a group of not-so-keen people who would maybe prefer to not have so much Tubridy in their lives. I count myself in the latter category.

I know what you’re thinking now (or what a certain judgemental sub-population of you are thinking now): I shouldn’t know about this. I’m a 20-something student who listens to morning radio and watches The Late Late Show. Surely there is no venn diagram that can purvey this piece of information without some internal self-destruct button being pushed. This is true. You may think I am sad, and maybe I am – but I am far too engrossed in Irish broadcasting pop culture to be able to feel the judgement of your pointed glances and concerned expressions.

Truth be told I used to like Ryan. He was the fun Saturday night show host that followed the often serious and slightly uptight Pat on Friday. (Ah good old Pat though.

I wonder if he’ll ever find his way back across the dial to RTÉ?). The problem seems to have manifested itself since Ryan took up the golden gauntlet of Irish chat show shows that is The Late Late Show (or that’s how it was perceived in a previous, happier time when petrol was under a pound a litre and when Reeling in the Years didn’t exist yet because people were still living through it). Since taking over the role, Mr Tubridy, Tubs if you will, has tried to become the serious voice of the nation, and in doing so has become slightly uptight and considerably less fun. In fact make that very uptight – need I remind you of the Tatum-Hill Interview Incident of 2014? Ouch is all I can say.

The camera chap/chapess even felt so awkward at Ryan’s nervousness and inability to ask coherent questions that they zoomed in on Channing Tatum’s shoes for a number of seconds – seconds of eternity.

Not only is Ryan’s sense of insecurity in his newish “high profile” role palpable, he also seems to have an overwhelming sense of patriotism and feels the need to barrage any famous guests on his show with requests/orders to come to Ireland, to work in Ireland etc. The Irish tourist board speaks through him. They are one.

However, I think Ryan’s attempts at bringing the entire Hollywood film industry to Ireland really does more harm than good, even if he does sugar-coat it with free Irish sporting memorabilia.

Words: Louise Flanagan Illustration: Joanna O’Malley

3

James Healy, the first openly ginger designer of the University Observer discusses the gratification he gets when installing a new font I really like fonts. I like to think fondly of them. Fondling them is the term I think. I recently found out about a website called DaFont.com. It turns out that this is not a new thing. My first experience with DaFont. com was on Saturday night at 2am, lying in my own filth with Austrian Death Machine blaring from my Sony Walkman. I looked at several different types before deciding on one; the genesis of all fonts. It was called – Genesis. With its beautiful curves and serif, I found myself in an ecstasy of fumbling with my computer.

The room suddenly went quiet.

My Walkman had decided that it had had enough and stopped playing the soothing tune of angry Austrians with a Schwarzenegger twist. I went back to my computer and BAM! Round two. Helvetica, futura, caslon...

I woke up the next morning with the stench of cigarettes and shame clung to my person. It turns out I had downloaded multiple new fonts. I was officially... a font slut. Living with this over my head for the past few days has been tough. People on the streets have asked me if I was searching for a ‘Gutenberg Time’. The pun choice was poor, the delivery... dire. I told him to feck off. I was walking in a slightly less polished area of the city when I saw a thug of the

‘wife beater tucked into tracksuit bottoms’ variety. I crossed the road to the opposite side but he followed. Then he called out “Oi you! In the pink trousers!” I thought that this was the end. “This is how I die, in my salmon coloured crepe pants.” I turned around to the man and he handed me my type notebook and said “I think you dropped this when you were aggressively ripping off that sign.” I tried to tell him that Arial was not a font for a logo.

In my job as designer, I have to restrain myself when it comes to font selection. The fact that I could literally die with excitement leads me to believe that I am too invested in the practice. But who else will fondle the fonts? It’s too sad to think about. Too sad for a hashtag. That stinks. And rhymes. Could I get a fondling intern? Someone to partake in the fondling?

You see, in the industry it is easy to get ahead of yourself, to get lost in the black underworld of the internet. I found out the hard way when I wanted to find out the font the band Alice in Chains use. All I got were pictures of some poor young woman in a rather precarious position. Then I searched for blogs about font fondling and what I found scared me. Is that what fondling really means?

PRUDENT PATRICK

'' In my job as designer, I have to restrain myself when it comes to font selection. The fact that I could literally die with excitement leads me to believe that I am too invested in the practice.

But who else will fondle the fonts?''

Dear Sorcha,

Patrick Kelleher

Dear Prudent, I’ve been following your column now for some time, and am a huge admirer of your prudence. How can I be as prudent as you? Please help a brother out.

Paul

I feel your pain. It’s been a pleasure for me to disperse my prudence upon you all, but alas, like all good things, this too must come to an end. I’m going to give you the bad news first: as I’m the most prudent person to ever exist, and probably the most intelligent, you probably won’t find anyone else to answer your questions. The good news is that Prudent Patrick is as much a state of mind as he is a person. If you search within your heart, you will find Prudent Patrick’s voice, whispering to you – telling you how to live your life; how to be prudent. I know it sounds like I’m talking shit to make you feel better, and of course I am. That’s what this column is all about. Honestly, you’re all fucked without my wisdom, my prudence, if you will. Soz.

Dear Paul,

Prudent Patrick xoxo

Your query is brave and admirable, but unfortunately, there is little I can do to help you. Some people are, by their nature, not prudent. This is just a sad reality that you’re going to have to put up with. Personally, I didn’t choose the prudent lifestyle – it chose me.

I follow prudence like a religion. And frankly, I’m insulted at someone even thinking it’s possible to be as prudent as me. I am Prudent Patrick. I am the one and only. And that will never change.

Dear Prudent, So I’ve been seeing this woman for two years now. It’s been great; she’s smart, funny, sexy and pretty much an allrounder. The problem? Things are starting to get stale in the bedroom. How can I spice it up a bit without her thinking that I’m some kind of a creep who’s too into leather? Please help me Prudent Patrick!

Anthony

Prudent Patrick xoxo Dear Anthony,

Dear Prudent,

Photo BE SAFE, BE SEEN, BE PRUDENT

I always turn to your column for advice, so needless to say, I’m a little scared that this is your last time answering questions for us. Where will we turn to for advice when you’re gone?

Sorcha

You know what’s not prudent? Sex. Unless it’s protected, with the lights off – missionary only. Nothing else. And I don’t understand why you’d be wearing clothes in bed either to be honest (leather is far too warm for bed).

Honestly, your sex life sounds perfectly fine, and you need to learn to be happy with what you’ve got. Sort your damn life out, Anthony.

Prudent Patrick xoxo

4

The cosmopolitan city-state of Singapore can often feel like a commercial bubble, with long stretches of high-end stores making an expansive boulevard like Orchard Road an impressive yet intimidating venture. Indeed, it can be difficult to pull yourself away from the imposing skylines of big brand names and department stores calling out for a therapeutic splash of money. Boasting an unimaginable amount of shopping centres

by Irish standards, Orchard’s central hub can take up an inordinate amount of time if you don’t plan accordingly. Try to resist the allure of the long-standing Tangs - a home-grown department store with a labyrinthine likeness to powerhouses such as New York’s Bloomingdales. While Singapore can be viewed as a shopping destination first and foremost, there are many cultural activities that you can lose your funds to instead.

The tourist hub of Sentosa is a likely contender for your wallet. The island resort entices flocks of tourists and locals alike with a spectacular view to behold from the Tiger Sky Tower, Asia’s tallest observation tower. With a peak of 450 feet, the heart-stopping cable car ride is an adventure in itself, and the view that awaits is a worthwhile treasure. For further thrills, indulge your inner child with a trip to Universal Studios where you can fight alongside Optimus Prime and his Autobot pals, or if that’s too much to handle, there’s a spot on the Sesame Street crew too.

If, by some chance, you’re actually a big boy who doesn’t play with toys anymore, then get your kicks by checking out some badass sharks in the Underwater World Aquarium. Those lucky enough to substitute dollar bills for toilet paper can throw it all away on a once in a lifetime opportunity to spend the day with dolphin trainers. Why dolphins require training we’re not sure, but getting up close and personal with the extraordinary mammals is quite the perk.

Cementing Singapore’s status as an icon of modernity is its fantastical botanic garden. Covering 101 hectares with tropical plants, gushing waterfalls and surprisingly whimsical sculptures, the Gardens by the Bay demand a few hours of attention.

From the Flower Dome to the Cloud Forest, the gardens boast more than 500,000 species of plants. Most impressive are the spacey, high-tech Supertrees shadowing the expanse. Connected by the OCBC Skyway, an elevator ride up through the wired roots of the structures brings you to another gorgeous view. If heights aren’t too tantilising, then stick to the ground level and enjoy the rhapsodic light show that bursts onto the trees at night.

The Singapore Repertory Theatre is one of the leading English-language theatres in Asia, often staging classic western productions but showcasing the best of Asia’s acting talent. Their annual Shakespeare in the Park event in Fort Canning Park is one of the most popular arts events in the city, boasting a nightly

audience of 1,500 over the past seven years.

Last year saw the team construct a 14m high book as the set for The Tempest, and this year they’ll take on the challenge of Romeo & Juliet.

The outdoor venue is perfect for a picnic and a spot of culture.

Venturing outside can be a struggle in a city that seems to never cool down. A stroll to the bus stop is a sweaty affair and then there’s the whole ordeal of actually sitting on the bus while your legs stick to the seat and your hair is deliciously matted to your forehead. You may feel like an old biddy, but please, buy yourself some kind of ridiculous fan contraption or those overpriced bottles of mist – yes, you’ll still be wet after one spray, but at least you’ll be a refreshing kind of wet. Thankfully, most indoor areas are blasted with high-powered air conditioning, but do manage your time so that you don’t have to endure a 10 minute wait for a bus or taxi. If you do, once inside your transport of choice you’ll direct them to the nearest shower and bed.

To hit the required quota of cultural activities, one interesting museum deserving of a look is the Peranakan Museum on Armenian Street. In two hours you can explore the rich history of the descendants of Chinese immigrants who came to Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, also known as Straits Chinese.

The museum is divided into thematic galleries providing information on the various aspects of Peranakan culture, from wedding ceremonies to funeral traditions and the ins-and-outs of spirituality and feasting, there’s a wealth of knowledge to obtain. Thankfully, a wander through the museum doesn’t feel like work, and if your stamina for reading is a bit low, there’s an array of intricately detailed costumes on display alongside some impeccable beadwork. Further facts can be found sifting through the books available in the museum shop where replica embroidery can also be bought.

If the tourist predilection to shop still takes hold after one too many cultural affairs, a place deserving of your last few dollars is Kinokuniya, the mega-bookstore at Ngee Ann City. It’s hard to imagine a wider selection of books – you can find practically any title there and discover books you’ve never heard of available in almost every language. It truly is a bookworm’s paradise, and even those not so enamoured by the written word will find the sheer range of novels, comics and magazines impressive.

Yes, Singapore can seem like a millionaire’s paradise given the intimidating amount of shops, restaurants and bars filling the streets.

However, with one destination, you can easily travel the world within Singapore’s borders by darting between the districts of Chinatown and Little India to truly immerse yourself in the many cultural zones dotted around the city. If none of these suggestions peak your interest then there’s one last treat to dangle before your eyes – a sleepy cat café on Boat Quay with fine hot chocolates and even finer feline friends.

5

How do you do,

?

Summer may not always be hot, but there always seems to be time to barbecue. Niamh O Regan looks at recipe ideas which can easily be added to any barbecue and ensure sweet satisfaction Ireland is not exactly ideal barbecue country. The winds bring rain, and the winds come often. Low pressure bands are the norm, but every so often there is a fabulous high pressure front that comes in and brings with it warmth and sunshine.

While opportunities to use barbecues are few, there comes a day where you can chance it, and if you start at around two or three instead of five or six, the likelihood of comfortably being able to stay outside while you eat instead of sitting around freezing eating a lukewarm burger are higher.

In Ireland, barbecuing usually means quick cooking over flaming hot coals. In American barbecue terms, barbecuing is a much slower, relaxed process; meat is cooked slowly over a medium heat and flavoured by the smoke from the wood or coals used. This is important to bear in mind when looking at where your recipe comes from. While it may take a little more effort, preparing your own food to barbecue is always a winner.

BBQ Sauce The sweet tang of barbecue sauce compliments steaks, wings, ribs and everything in between. It can be used on its own or as a marinade to help soften meat and keep it moist. Recipes vary across sweetness and spiciness, so it’s best to shop around and see which one suits your own palate.

6

Chicken can be cooked in individual pieces or whole. To cook chicken whole, it needs to be spatchcock; simply cut down the chicken each side of the backbone to remove it. Turn over the chicken and flatten the breast with your hand so it’s all one thickness. Cook on the barbecue for 15-20 minutes each side until completely cooked through.

advised to help keep it together. Mackerel is in season during the summer and cooks in about ten minutes. Score both sides on the fish four times and season according to your choosing, perhaps with a lemon and rosemary rub. Mix together 1 tablespoon of salt with the zest of a lemon and 4 sprigs of rosemary, in a mortar and pestle. Rub in to the cuts on the mackerel and cover in olive oil. Cook for five minutes on each side and let stand for a few minutes before serving.

Shrimp are also in season during the summer and can be cooked quite nicely on a barbecue. For refreshing and spicy shrimp skewers, mix together a finely chopped red chilli, crushed garlic clove, finely chopped knob of fresh ginger, juice and zest of two limes, two teaspoons of honey and three tablespoons of olive oil. Peel and de-vein the shrimp, cover in the mixture and skewer, cook for about two minutes on each side.

Pork

Vegetables

Hotdogs give the option of Frankfurters, which just need to be heated up and quickly grilled, or more traditional sausages. Good quality sausages with high pork content are easy to come by. Some ranges also sell sausages with herbs and spices mixed in which are also great choices.

Despite how it might appear barbecue is not all about the meat. Corn on the cob cooks well on a barbecue either still wrapped in the husk on its own or in tinfoil. If using tinfoil, place a knob of butter in the middle of the cob, seasoned with salt and paprika, and cook for ten minutes on each side.

Vegetable skewers are also quite popular.

Chop peppers, red onions, courgette, and sweet potatoes into chunks, 2cm thick, leave button mushrooms and cherry tomatoes whole, assemble as desired and barbecue on all sides

Beef 500g mince beef, one onion, two cloves of garlic, salt, and pepper make the basic burger base (serves between four/five). Egg can be used as a binding ingredient, but if the onion and garlic are chopped finely enough, the mince should still bind together well. Homemade burgers may be more effort, but they will have less water and much more flavour.

Chicken

Fish Sometimes forgotten at barbecues, fish can be a really nice way to go. Cooking a fish whole is

until soft and charred.

Vegetarian food can be harder to cook on a barbecue because the absence of fat and binding protein makes it more prone to stick and more likely to fall apart. On top of this many vegetarians are not overly comfortable eating something covered in meat juices. The solution comes quite simply in the form of tinfoil, or using the temporary perforated barbecue trays.

Drinks Of course drinks are needed to complement the food. Lemonade is thirst quenching and versatile. For simple traditional lemonade, mix one part lemon juice, one part syrup and four parts water together and serve over ice, (the syrup ratio can be altered depending on sweetness preference). To jazz up the lemonade add raspberries, (either whole or blended) or alternatively, gin. Ice tea also starts from a very simple base that can be flavoured very easily. Make black tea, double strength, sweeten with sugar and leave to cool. Once cooled flavour can be added, lemon, strawberry, mango, peach, whatever suits your palate. Either boil the fruit with water and sugar to make a syrup and add to the tea, or blend the fruit and mix it with the tea after straining.

In terms of beer, an IPA is a good match to most of the food at a barbecue as is a good cider.

Food. Friends. Fun. Sorted!

With massive internet success and rumbling bellies, Catherine Holland talks to the people behind the hunger inducing sensation that is, SORTEDFood Jamie, Ben, Barry and Mike are the faces of leading online cooking community SORTEDfood, the British YouTube cooking channel and food website with over 1.4 million followers. SORTEDfood share the message to have fun around food and get your mates involved, as it was because of this that they began to enjoy food, cooking and the social aspect of it all. Over time, they “fell in love with it”. “We don’t see ourselves as a cooking show, but it’s very much a community,” Barry says.

So how did it all begin? They began sharing recipes with one another and were surprised at how easy it was to cook good food. Their sharing of videos and recipes started in 2010 after their own diets had become “awful” while they were in university: full of “takeaways, ready meals and fast food,” a diet familiar to many students. They decided to take control and make some changes.

The four lads had gone their separate ways after secondary school in their studies: marketing, IT, music teaching and photography, with only one of the guys having any interest in food, studying culinary arts. Despite their different backgrounds the four friends shared a

common interest, aspiring to have an impact on people’s lives, “no matter how small or big”. YouTube blogging was relatively new when they began posting some six years ago, but today with over one million YouTube subscribers and seventy thousand twitter followers, they are quickly growing as one of the biggest online cooking gurus. These four men attract audiences from all over the world from America to Asia. From sharing recipes on the back of beer mats in the pub, discussing cookery amongst college shenanigans to sharing culinary ideas over media platforms to over a million people. Their impact may be greater than initially intended.

They base their workshop and cooking pad in central London where their small team create their exciting recipes and videos. Their repertoire of sweet and savoury dishes are accessible to all culinary abilities, from beginners to the Neven Maguires. The boys note that when you see others sharing your material, it’s encouraging and you feel like you’re having a “positive impact on the world”.

Popular features on their website and YouTube channel are Fridge Cam, Battles

and Big Night In. They take each other on in hilarious encounters feeding their viewers with their food philosophy where their priority is “to make it as easy as possible and get people into the kitchen, to make food accessible.” They believe food has a social aspect and “doesn’t have to be a chore”. Fridge Cam records their week, what they ate and what antics they got up to, be it in Britain or Barcelona.

Comparing their first videos to what they have now, Barry jokes that “They’ve become a little bit less rubbish”. Initially the men had no training. As no one else was doing it, they started off with no TV qualifications on how to make proper shows, but after six years of “playing on YouTube” they now lead the market on how to make videos on food. “To have feedback on every single recipe what we did right, what we did wrong”, Barry remarks is “incredible”; every recipe has been tempered with thousands giving feedback. The boys express their inspiration and ideas come from their followers and growing community. “Unlike any other chefs out there who tell you this is how to cook, this is the only way to do something, our way of doing things is we

work with you guys to bring an idea so far but is by no means a finished product.

You can take the idea, develop it, change it and build on it.”

The first ever project the guys undertook was student cookbook Student Survival. They took staple meals and turned them into easy cheat versions, believing that “learning the simple basics goes a long way for those in university.” When asked what dish they would recommend for students lacking in culinary skills, a quick fire answering range of breakfast tortillas, avocados on toast, poached eggs followed with their number one go-to student dish “quesadillas!” Simple, tasty, hearty, suitable for both veggies and carnivores, it ticks all the boxes.

Future plans for SORTEDfood include expanding their community to all corners of the world. The four friends “want to create the world’s best cooking club online”: no matter your level, everything you need will be on their site. Plans to develop their website into a database of Q&As, videos and tutorials will leave no excuses for those lacking confidence in the kitchen.

In order to do all this, they will be travelling the world publicising their ideas, with trips planned to America, Europe and Singapore. As for teaming up with celebrity chefs or foodies, Ben, the only qualified chef, would love to join forces with fellow British chefs Delia Smith and Mary Berry. However, Barry has his eyes on the bigger picture and admits he’s not sure if their global audiences would be familiar with the two chefs popular in Britain, instead name dropping popular American YouTube food bloggers Rozanna Pansio and Anthony Bourdain.

Barry says a new book is on the cards, but when everything you need is already online for free, when SORTEDfood do write a book, it’s going to be about their experience and journey. It’ll certainly be one for all aspiring food bloggers to read.

“The recent YouTubers that are doing well are giving the inside beyond what they do onscreen,” they say. “It’s about the experience you offer with it”.

That’s what SORTEDfood is all about: the experience. Join their community of friends who love good food, fun and a lot of devilment. What’s not to love?

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In the world of gaming, there has been an unsettling and worrying trend forming leaving many dissatisfied with the state of gaming.

Games are now starting to come out in either an unfinished state or significantly lacking in content to the extent that players feel like they’re experiencing an extended demo. The most recent victim of this kind of action is the most recent instalment of the long-standing and well-regarded fighting series, Street Fighter.

Street Fighter V launched to arguably the finest mechanics and general gameplay in a series considered the epitome of great gameplay for fighting games, and undoubtedly the best visuals on offer that Capcom has ever produced. The online section has also been made significantly more efficient in light of their recent games, if only somewhat remaining in the middle of the park compared to other fighting games. While this paints a pretty picture for the game so far, it falls apart when players realise that in terms of single player content, this is the single most lacking campaign in the series’ history, this only being compounded by the absence of an arcade mode entirely or any way of playing against the AI outside of training mode. Further content is planned to be released in the future, but on the back of similarly empty games released such as Star Wars: Battlefront and Evolve, a serious examination into these practices needs to undertaken.

Before saying that publishers are committing some serious mistakes in how they release their games, it is important to first explain why this has begun to happen. As time has moved on, the technology used to create games has similarly progressed. This has subsequently created games that previously would have been unimaginable to produce, but has also now created an expectation that new games will not only utilise this technology to its fullest extent, but also push the boundaries in terms of what it can do. Matching leaps in graphical capability are jumps in sound design, gameplay, narrative, voice acting and every other facet of a game imaginable. The amount of work that now goes into making a fully-fledged game takes years with potentially hundreds of people working on just one game.

To help match the hugely growing market for games, the rate at which the largest developers publish their largest, AAA rated games grows alongside it. The Call of Duty series is published annually, but in order to match the quality that the series lives up to, a number of studios are responsible for publishing the game and each studio is given a cycle of three years to complete it. As studios follow certain trends for games, be it single player open world sandboxes, or futuristic themed first-person-shooters, there is an onus on developers to get their product out first in order to ensure that it sells before people become sick of that particular trend and move onto the next one.

The nature of game creation also lends itself to the prospect of a game being stuck in development for too long with this eventually prompting a cancellation, so there is an urgency to ensure the

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Early AAAccess Games With the recent trend of botched and half finished releases, Aengus Cunningham discusses this unfavourable trend and what it means for the industry

game is released in a timely fashion. Such was the case with Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain being released in order to ensure that its studio Konami, which was seeking to remove itself from the video game industry, didn’t shelve it indefinitely.

Against this comes the more idealistic view that the quality of the game should take preference over the corporate strategy of its delivery. Shigeru Miyamoto, widely-considered to be the Walt Disney of games recently said “a delayed game is eventually good, a bad game is bad forever” believing that the enduring legacy of a game will be remembered long after any delayed launch. This is evident through the likes of Sonic The Hedgehog, which was infamously released far before it was finished in order to launch alongside the Playstation 3 and XBOX 360, with the game suffering tremendously for it.

Perhaps the most insidious reason given for games being left unfinished is that there is a desire from the publishers and corporate side of development doing whatever they can to get a greater amount of money from a release, even if it means detracting from the finished product.

One of the clearest examples of this is pushing for games to be left without already developed areas and sections to be released later for greater profit by selling it as paid downloadable content, or DLC, at a later date. This is more difficult to always spot but when it is found, it is nearly always to the detriment of the game as a whole. This was most notable during the release of Deus Ex: Human Revolution where several chapters of the game were removed, explained away in the game as a jump to later on in the story before being sold as additional DLC later on.

This pressure from those funding the production of the game can also drive the direction in which the game is developed and by combining this approach with whatever is viewed as the most popular at a given time can lead to decisions such as pushing a game to be solely played online against others rather than adding a traditional campaign and leaving the game feeling entirely unfinished. Titanfall and Star Wars: Battlefront are notable examples of this, and while initially doing very well in the sales chart, the lack of any significant reason to keep playing after some time spent online has led to both of these game experiencing huge drops in activity.

The direction that gaming is being driven to meet trends by those not familiar with their audience has contributed significantly to the release of games that are incomplete.

Street Fighter V was released to praise for its look and feel, but took a significant amount of flak for the absence of many features that would be deemed essential by those familiar with the series and genre. The promise of the missing campaign alongside a revamped online system being released for free at later date ensures hope for the game, and that it was released in order to meet a deadline, but it is an ill omen for the gaming industry when the reverse being true is such a distinct possibility.

Moustache Mountain Review Words by Aaron Poole

“A young moustache enthusiast goes on an adventure to climb the highest flying mountain in search of a magical moustache gel”. That is the description of this game, provided by Steam. If indie developers were ever going to reach the pinnacle of perplexing concepts, this is it. In terms of what direction developer Nauris Amatnieks could take with such an idea, Moustache Mountain offers a premise that wouldn’t carry many limitations. You might be disappointed, then, to learn that it stands on a much simpler plane in terms of what it actually offers, but it’s not a bad game by any stretch of the imagination. As a matter of fact, it is quite addictive.

Moustache Mountain presents itself as a simple platformer, designed in a format that sees the player control the unnamed “moustache enthusiast” as he jumps through a series of puzzling stages, ultimately in an attempt to reach the magical moustache gel in its final stage. That’s as much backstory as you’re given, and realistically, it’s as much as you need. The story, the level design, and the ultimate goal will inevitably become the last things to concern you, as the 8-bit styled mountainous background, and accompanying sprites eventually

become imperceptible once you find yourself frustratingly restarting stages in an attempt to continue onto the next.

Moustache Mountain’s hook is in its design choice - its 2D stage setup and challenging, levelling difficulty makes it an addictive gem. Games that have followed this format before (namely Super Meat Boy) have found more success than anticipated because they take one aspect of gameplay, refining it until it becomes a perfect example of how it should be executed. In the case of Moustache Mountain, it is the balanced pace in gameplay and stage design that challenges your ability, offering a difficulty level that will certainly trip the player up, consistently maybe, before carrying out a successful attempt.

What sets Moustache Mountain apart from the likes of Super Meat Boy is its added challenging elements. You have three lives to complete a stage, and if you don’t manage to survive through them, you’re thrown back to the start. This is frustrating enough, and if their wasn’t already enough incentive to try and survive, once you do die (and you will), the stages are turned into alternative versions of themselves once you respawn. Stages can be mirrored, upside down, or they may stay the same, but you will never get the same sequence of stages again once you die. So

much for strategy.

Of course, the game doesn’t throw you to the wolves straight away. The first handful of levels slowly introduce you to the game’s mechanics, presenting relatively simple areas that are designed to get the player familiar with the controls (simple spacebar and arrow control, but supports controller input, recommended for the later levels if you don’t want to physically destroy your keyboard in frustration). The following stages introduce you to the mechanics you’ll end up using to avoid death later on, such as wall jumping, long jumping and slowing down mid-jump to avoid impalement. All of these are crucial tools in making sure you avoid all the creative ways that Nauris Amatnieks has created to challenge the player’s ability (spoiler: they’re brutal, and often result in a lot of pixelated blood).

Moustache Mountain is a welcome addition to its genre. One of the reasons Super Meat Boy was so popular was that it stood on its own as a unique indie release with a simple premise and controls. Moustache Mountain attempts to recreate the chaotic addictiveness that the former was so successful for, and it does so with improvements; and, despite the inevitable rage-induced quitting that it will cause, it also has a greater sense of accomplishment once it’s been beaten.

Enter The Gungeon review

Enter The Gungeon is about as about as much of an ambassador for the “bullet hell” genre as one could hope. It’s stressful, overwhelming, taxing, and it’ll push the most ninja-like of reflexes to their limits, and most of all it’s a total blast, both in the literal and figurative sense. Viciously challenging and infinitely rewarding in spades, this is a game for players with a thick skin.

Players can select from four characters in the beginning. Naturally, each avatar sports different attributes, strengths and weaknesses that bring variety to each run in the gauntlet. Known as the “gungeoneers”, the game explains that each of these marauders has a unique motive for entering the titular lead laden labyrinth, which holds a powerful weapon capable of literally erasing the past.

Delving into the depths of the Gungeon in search of the fabled firearm invites the player to take part in a humorous and intriguing narrative, brimming to the gills with an eccentric cast of characters, from the towering boss encounters to the shop keepers in the hub world.

Naturally with a title that’s 50 per cent pun and 50 per cent gun, it’s fair to assume that the Gungeon is heavy on trigger happy action. There are guns everywhere in this game, and that’s even before the player starts unlocking them in vendors.

The variety is delightfully copious and the

game’s sense of humour really shines as soon as one is able to get their mittens on some of the more out-there options.

One of the personal highlights of the game’s arsenal is a gun that quite literally spells out the word bullet as its primary fire.

Curiously, the game doesn’t allow to inspect the specific stats of each weapon which nulls the sense of strategy. Of course, simple math would lead anybody to think that an assault rifle should outclass a pistol, but not being able to discern which weapon is best for which situation is a bit of a strange omission nonetheless. However, this doesn’t hinder the ability to enjoy the game, as the real joy lies in zipping like a maniac in between streams of enemy fire, trying to identify your character in an avalanche of exploding pixels and feeling a million bullets ricocheting off one another all at once. That’s Enter The Gungeon at it’s best, but it can also be its downfall at times.

This is an intense game. No doubt about it. But sometimes it’s a little too intense for its own good. Death is a cruel mistress in Enter The Gungeon as it demands a complete rerun of the randomly generated dungeon with inventory stripped of all the awesome pickups acquired along the way. In this sense, Enter The Gungeon is very reminiscent of games like The Binding Of Isaac, and it is nice to feel the marginal sense of improvement that comes with each crushing defeat. That won’t save the game from the inevitable temper tantrums born of losing to a cheap skirmish with a

Words by Adam Donnelly

powerful boss late in the run. The option for a lower difficulty would have been appreciated.

Luckily, the game packs a couch co-op mode to alleviate any single player stress, giving a friend the chance to play as a support mage to aid against the onslaught. All loot and other resources are shared between players so be sure to be a good sport.

Enter The Gungeon doesn’t exactly reinvent the wheel, but it takes the wheel and near perfects it. It’s tough as nails and lightning fast, and while it won’t convert sceptics of the genre, it’s destined to please players in need of a good shot in the arm.

Publisher: Devolver Digital Developer: Dodge Roll Platforms: PS4, PC (Reviewed) Release: April 5th

9

Film Critics v. Fans

IMAGE: screenshot from batman v superman

Taking a look at the backlash that some film critics have received following the release of Batman v Superman, Eoin Ferry argues for their continued relevance in culture Upon its release last month, Warner Bros Pictures’ behemoth blockbuster, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, received extremely mixed reviews from critics, which in turn has ignited a peculiar debate about the importance of the film critic in culture.

Since the movie’s release, swathes of fervent fans of the DC Comic ‘universe’, which is home to both the titular superheroes, have attacked film critics on social media for their negative reviews, claiming that Zack Snyder’s film was unfairly targeted by the press, and questioning the relevance of modern film criticism.

The considerable hype that has surrounded the film since its announcement in 2013, coupled with DC Comics fans’ notoriously rabid enthusiasm and passion for the comic book franchise and its movies, has undoubtedly been the source of much of the aggression. This type of furore has precedent, as New York Times head film critic A.O Scott testifies in his new book Better Living Through Criticism. Scott describes the ‘backlash’ he faced back in 2012 when he gave a lukewarm review to the Marvel Studios’ film Avengers Assemble, where fans campaigned on social media to get him fired, a crusade incited by a bizarre tweet from one of the film’s stars, Samuel L Jackson.

During the current commotion surrounding Batman v Superman, many of the aggrieved fans have made the argument that critics are inconsequential, pointing to the fact that the film has grossed nearly seven hundred million dollars at the time of writing. Others have claimed that critics are ‘haters’, ‘pretentious snobs’, or simply ‘don’t get’ the movie. A particularly outlandish theory claims that DC rival Marvel have paid critics to slate the film. Perhaps the most obnoxious comments directed towards critics have been remarks claiming that film critics are nothing more than just failed film-makers, who simply exist to vent their frustrations against the industry. All this noise leaves us questioning, just how important are film critics in the modern entertainment industry?

Far from being ‘haters’, film critics are, first and foremost, fans of cinema, and there are a number of arguments as to why critics are important for film and culture as a whole. Film critics exist, at a basic level, to produce interesting pieces of journalism that a reader may find enjoyable. Film critics give their experienced opinions on films, which may entice or discourage consumers to see a particular offering, and help consumers to discern which films they might enjoy.

Diligent film criticism can serve as an antidote to the sterile, phony, ‘everything is awesome’ view of cultural media that some mainstream outlets espouse. At a deeper level, film critics function to educate audiences, improving their abilities to judge the intricacies of a film, which enhances their engagement with, and potentially enjoyment of, the work itself. Film criticism operates to hold creators to a high standard, which is crucial in all forms of art. Moreover, as Scott asserts in his book, criticism can be viewed as ‘art in its own right’, quoting eminent journalist and critic H.L Mencken

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''Far from being 'haters', film critics are, first and foremost, fans of cinema, and there are a number of arguments as to why critics are important for film and culture as a whole.'' who said that what motivates a critic “is no more and no less than the simple desire to function freely and beautifully, to give outward and objective form to ideas that bubble inwardly and have a fascinating lure in them, to get rid of them dramatically and make an articulate noise in the world.”

Criticism of art is as old as art itself, and the film industry is no different. Film critics have been working since movies began, with many becoming famous in their own right, from Pauline Kael and Roger Ebert to modern writers like Manohla Dargis and Mark Kermode.

In spite of the radical changes the film industry has experienced in the last 20 years, with the advent of movies-on-demand, and the increasing prominence of the Hollywood blockbuster, film critics have managed to keep their jobs. However, amidst the ‘content nausea’ caused by the internet boom, with the dizzying range of online media websites, and the amount of internet-users with a blog or even merely a Twitter page, there has never been such sheer volume of public opinion on the entertainment industry. This is evidenced by the Batman v Superman affair, with film critics finding themselves on the wrong end of a particularly outspoken and candid segment of public opinion.

Despite this trend, it is vital to remember that amidst the deafening roar, there still exists high-quality film criticism in the media, providing fascinating commentary on everything from Hollywood blockbusters to tiny independent art-house pictures, educating readers on the craft of cinema, and ultimately, improving the quality of the films we get to enjoy. In today’s sanitised corporate culture and content-saturated media landscape, good film criticism is certainly not irrelevant. It can be argued that it is needed more than ever.

David Monaghan sits down with Aoife Kelleher, director of One Million Dubliners and Growing Up Gay, to talk about making a film centred on life and loss, and being a voice for young LGBTQ+ people Aoife Kelleher did not have an early start in film-making.

In fact, she did not have any connections to the industry when she decided to study Film and Broadcasting in DIT. It wasn’t until she spent a few hours on the set of her friend Anna Rodgers’ student film that she abandoned her inclinations to become an English or Law major. “I just fell in love with the idea of being a director,” she says. “That was that, really.”

From there, Kelleher went on to produce student films, one of which focused on a funeral home on Aungier Street.

The inspiration for this project was born from Aoife’s fascination with the idea that there are people who live and work in the presence of the dead. “I was watching a lot of Six Feet Under at the time and reading the poems and short stories of Thomas Lynch, an Irish-American writer and undertaker from Michigan.” Ten years later, Kelleher would return to this subject matter, as well as the themes of life, loss and death, in her documentary One Million Dubliners. The film centres not only on those who are buried in Glasnevin, but the contemporary lives and experiences of people who live and work in the cemetery. In doing this, Aoife suggests, the film-makers “emphasise the fact that Glasnevin is a place where history is constantly being made.”

Although a troubling setting for many, any implication that it is a morbid one is met with protestation from the director. She says, “It didn’t actually occur to me that it was remotely morbid to make a film about Glasnevin! It’s a beautiful location full of incredible people – living and dead – and wonderful stories. It’s one of those special places in Ireland where history seems tangibly present.”

Among the subjects featured in the film are two women who work in a florist shop. In a humorous aside, they tell viewers that Michael Collins’ grave receives more attention that De Valera’s. Shane Mac Thomáis, Glasnevin Cemetery’s enthusiastic tour guide, also features prominently.

Unfortunately, he passed away during the film’s editing.

“Shane Mac Thomáis was really the central figure in One Million Dubliners,” reflects Aoife. “He was so funny and fascinating and the cemetery clearly meant so much to him.

He was also incredibly helpful in the making of the film – I think it became a very personal project for him.”

Kelleher spoke to Shane’s family and the staff at Glasnevin Cemetery before it was decided to continue making the project. “I think that One Million Dubliners has become an important part of Shane’s legacy. His death was such a tragedy but it’s something to know that he and his work continue to affect people.”

Growing Up Gay was her first professionally-produced documentary. Broadcast by RTÉ, it aired in two parts from 19th April, 2010, and would go on to become a seminal work not only for those in the LGBTQ+ community, but also for Irish citizens as a whole. The documentary focuses on the lives of LGBTQ+ youth from all corners of the country. The idea for the series came as a result of a meeting with Aoife’s friend Michael Barron, who had just established BeLonG To, the national organisation for LGBTQ+ young people. “He invited me in to see the youth groups and it was clear that many of the young people were having a very difficult time, whether at home, at school or in their communities.” She also says that there “seemed to be a general view in Ireland in 2005 that there was no such thing as an LGBT teenager but BeLonG To had commissioned research that found that most young people realised they were LGBT at age twelve.

It felt so important for these young people to be given a chance to tell their stories.”

The documentary aired in pre-referendum Ireland, seventeen years after homosexuality had been decriminalised in Irish law. The national broadcaster, RTÉ, caused controversy for suggesting the documentary was intended for mature audiences only. “Both the producer, Anna Rodgers, and I experienced some negative reactions to the fact that we were making a documentary about LGBT young people. Some people felt that the very fact of asking young people to discuss issues like sexuality and

gender was inherently exploitative. Others were concerned that the fact that these young people were coming out on television would mean that they would be stigmatised for the rest of their lives. Even though we didn’t feel that there should be any stigma around a young person’s sexuality or gender identity, we took the concerns raised very seriously.”

Aoife and Emma then liaised with the contributors and their families, and all the young participants met with a counsellor regularly to ensure they were confident in being filmed for the documentary.

While it is uncertain if she would be met with difficulty were she to make the documentary today, it is undeniable the progress that has been made in relation to LGBTQ+ rights in the country. “The lives of LGBTQ+ young people [have] changed immeasurably between 2005, when I first submitted the proposal for Growing Up Gay to RTÉ, and 2015 when the Marriage Equality referendum and Gender Recognition Act were passed. Just over ten years ago, there was a very limited acknowledgement that young people were even aware of their sexuality or gender identity. Now, LGBTQ+ young people are speaking out confidently in the media, in politics, in their schools and they have both legal and social frameworks to combat any discrimination they experience.”

She praises the work of BeLonG To, in particular: “[They] have done so much to change the lives and experiences of LGBTQ+ young people and the importance of their work can’t be overstated.”

Having tackled life, loss and death, and the experiences of growing up as a young LGBTQ+ person Ireland, Kelleher is now turning her sights to what may be a bone of contention for some: the role religion and faith play in Irish life. She says, “It’s not entirely dissimilar to One Million Dubliners but this film is about Knock in Co. Mayo.”

She is also working on a documentary for RTÉ One with Brendan Courtney. “We’ve only just started but I think it’s going to be very special.”

''It didn't actually occur to me that it was remotely morbid to make a film about Glasnevin! It's a beautiful location full of incredible people ' living and dead ' and wonderful stories.''

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Starring: Richard Madden, Idris Elba, Charlotte Le Bon Directed by: James Watkins

Once the opening studio credits recede, Bastille Day begins in Sacré-Cœur, Paris, where descending from the steps is an almost entirely naked woman shot from every angle.

There’s a shot focussing on heels, her legs, her breasts, her backside, her front, and, of course, her smile, but the obvious question is: why? Well, to show the viewer how adroit the protagonist (played by Richard Madden) can be as a thief. Yes, but that doesn’t explain why it appears to be the most complicated sequence in the film; a sequence which returns to remind the audience that she was, in fact naked. Eventually, when the movie is over, the answer becomes abundantly clear: they’re compensating for an action thriller that lacks any originality.

Madden plays Michael Mason, an American in Paris whose thievery has helped him get by from day-to-day. After stealing

what supposedly was a bag containing a teddy-bear and little else (unbeknown to him that the bear contained explosives planted by a terrorist group), Mason accidentally kills several Parisians in an attack that marks the beginning of a hostile city takeover led by an online group (in imitation of the real-life Anonymous). Mason is captured by CIA agent, Sean Briar (Idris Elba), and in order to clear his name, helps Briar track down those responsible for the bombing.

Credit should be given to Elba, who manages to show glimpses of charm in a character that has no personality. Elba regurgitates the cold, hard grimace of his TV character, Luther, but without any of the psychological afflictions that makes Luther an interesting figure. Yet Elba still manages to outshine his co-stars, who fail to bring strength to a lacking script. Once Madden and

Bastille day Elba are paired, the script tries to pull comedy out by awkwardly drawing on the buddy-cop formula that never congeals with the overall gritty, dead-serious tone of the film. By the time the final act commences, it becomes unavoidably apparent that Bastille Day is little more than an amalgamation of the third and fourth instalments of the Die Hard franchise, but without any of the charm.

In a Nutshell: A lacking, unoriginal bore that is only deserving of a single viewing for the hardcore Idris Elba fans. Otherwise, skippable by everyone else.

Michael O’Sullivan Director: Joachim Trier Starring: Gabriel Byrne, Jesse Eisenberg, Isabelle Huppert Out: April 8th

LOUDER THAN BOMBS What does grief breed? Does it breed anger? Apathy? Fear? Does it instead breed positive things, such as happiness, patience or empathy?

These are the questions Joachim Trier’s film Louder Than Bombs asks.

It follows Gene Reed (Gabriel Byrne) as he tries to relate to his emotionally damaged youngest son, Conrad (Devin Druid) and his fearful oldest son Jonah (Jesse Eisenberg) all while dealing with the reality of the death of his wife Isabelle (Isabelle Huppert) five years previously.

Louder Than Bombs is a sensitive and artistic film. However, this sensitivity impacts the story at times.

Grief is a raw emotion and this can

often translate into rampant and ugly scenery chewing or more subtle, private moments that are ultimately better expressions of such a personal moment. This film aims for the latter with only some success. Despite a great deal of realistic dialogue and narration, the script feels like it’s tiptoeing around the issue.

The title Louder Than Bombs seems like a reference to how explosive and violent grief can be, but nothing in the film properly alludes to this. Much of this sensitivity is offset by Trier’s superb direction. Fast paced montages glide seamlessly into pastoral, out-offocus flashbacks. It is in the montages that the themes of life, death and rebirth are put across exceptionally

well. The film however would be little more than a meditative art piece without the subtle, meditative and yet all too real performances of its cast.

Byrne’s character, Reed, is a man at war with himself. His wife’s death has disconnected him from his sons and from himself. He is adrift, incapable of doing the right thing and often failing to make decisions when they matter most. Like every character in the film he is deeply flawed. Devin Druid plays Conrad, the social outcast; absorbed in online gaming, the internet and impossible romantic fantasies. He can be difficult to relate to because of his dissociative behaviour, but ultimately he is more

sympathetic for it. Eisenberg’s Jonah is his mother’s son. He seeks to separate himself from his responsibilities just like she did in her job as a war photographer. These characters are flawed because of grief.

Grief has changed them, just like it changes everyone in the end.

In a nutshell: A timid but artistic look at personal grief and how it resolves itself in different ways.

Jack shannon

Cop To The Future and Back: From Briss to Bedlam Director: Patrick Kelleher and Gráinne Loughran Starring: David Monaghan, Joseph Gordon Levis, Karl Quigley, Katherine Heil Release Date: Yesterday on Earth One.

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“A blockbuster sequel that turned the very silver on which it was screened into pure gold”; this quote from leading man, David Monaghan is the only fair summary of the newest instalment in the Harvey Price saga. Price (Monaghan), hard-boiled, time-hopping, ex-cop who is also Jewish, returns for yet another chronologically flawed action-adventure that will push the limits of what is possible (and acceptable) on film.

This iteration sees Price struggle to accept his role as a father and reconnect with his double-denim garbed son, Best (Gordon Levi). An outstanding set piece in the first act is Monaghan’s single take descent into madness as he runs from a hushed delivery theatre without his newborn son straight into a drink fuelled orgy he initiates while passing through multiple rooms of a 1940s Cuban casino, before sinking into

a troubled and dehydrated slumber in the kitchen (fifteen minutes of footage later). Kelleher (who walked off the film halfway through due to sleeping schedule issues) has publicly defended his use of actual, on-screen intercourse as a method of showcasing the actors’ true talents. What’s more impressive is the cinematography throughout, given the controversy surrounding cinematographer James Healy’s one day work week and his refusal to film from anywhere but the cockpit of a plane: this made for some breathtaking landscape shots, but unfortunately they come at the expense of any actual close ups or still shots whatsoever.

The broody dialogue he was handed diminished Gordon Levi’s performance, but the fantastic performances of Quigley, playing

HK-01, his robot pal from the future, and Katherine Heil playing Ursela, the strict orphanage sponsor with a heart of gold who raised Best, more than make up for it. Quigley has been typecast once again, seemingly being written from the same template as his other voice-over jobs (and unsurprisingly the same writer, David Kent). He plays, once again, a robot with a military history and name that is never revealed other than in the credits. While he may be feeling stunted, there’s no question that he does it well.

When Harvey and Best meet, the drama of the moment contrasts nicely with the mindless violence and ardent homoerotic undertones. As they tear their way through the forces on opposite sides of the Jacobite Rebellion, the Boston Tea Party and finally the Berlin Wall we see Loughran’s politically conscious vision at work. The game of conkers Best and

Harvey play using the incumbent bodies of William of Orange and Pope Alexander VIII makes for the most touching, action sequence choreographed entirely with rent-a-cranes you’ll ever see.

This film doesn’t take its foot off the accelerator once; sex, leads to violence, leads to more sex and yet more violence.

Its violence is emotional, its emotions are violent. Were it not for technological restraints and a short production cycle, this film would be a shoo in for the Academy.

As it stands, it is the best father-son, action, sci-fi film of the year, with the most varied and hard-working cast you’ll ever see.

In a Nutshell: L’chaim or hate him, Harvey Price’s latest feature is as much a triumph of film-making as it is a 3-hour-porno.

AARON MURPHY

Mental Illness on the Small and Silver Screens

Top 10 Film Endings (SpoilerFree)

Síofra Ní Shluaghadháin looks at how something as complex as mental illness is treated in film and television Progress in Hollywood is a slow business.

In many regards, it is difficult to see much change in the film industry since the golden age of the cinema in the 1950s. There was much furore last year at Jennifer Lawrence’s open letter to the industry regarding the treatment of women. Yet, despite the hype in that moment, the issue has once again faded to a lull, allowing the glass ceiling to quietly solidify.

There is, perhaps, one issue where the gender divide in Tinsel Town becomes irrelevant, and it is one which is often swept under the rug: that is the representation of the mentally ill in cinema. The appeal of characters who suffer from mental illness has long been evident in literature, and it is easy to see why. Even today, in our modern, medical focused society, mental illness remains the last frontier, in many regards.

It creates an aspect of humanity that is at the same time both alien and familiar, and it allows characters to act outside the rigid confines of society’s norms. However, like many groups who live in the margins of society, Hollywood uses broad brushstrokes to describe the minutiae of the mind, leaning heavily on generalisations and tropes which often do more damage that the good gained from their representation.

One of the major difficulties with the representation of mental illness in mainstream cinema is how it often resorts to the image of the mentally ill as unstable

and fundamentally broken individuals. They are often used as accompanying parts in a narrative of self-fulfilment, or as an individual whose story exists as one of needing to be “fixed” (as is often the case with tropes such as the “manic-pixie-dream-girl”). This plays chiefly on the unknowable part of mental illness, the unpredictability of the mind, and how, in the end, all humans strive to fit into society. On the other end of this scale are the cases of horror; modern audiences are rarely surprised to find that a serial killer on the likes of Criminal Minds is mentally ill. One of the most famous portrayals of a psychotic break remains Jack Nicholson’s performance in The Shining, and it is difficult to forget the chilling-yet-intriguing portrayal of the psychopathic Hannibal Lector by Anthony Hopkins.

Another rendering of the mentally ill is, of course, as the butt of jokes, or as the punch line in set-ups. In these cases, they are lumped in with the socially awkward to create a sense of “othering”, or of us against the unpredictable other. In cases such as that of The Big Bang Theory, it is often the case that these two groups are mixed seamlessly.

It is hard to imagine many iconic comedies without odd and socially dysfunctional characters, as they often highlight the idiocy of society’s standards. Despite this, the presence of the mentally ill in comedy often only serves to reinforce the supposed “necessity” of these norms by poking fun at

those who do not exist within their confines.

Where does the narrative of mental illness on screen go from here, then? It is true that not all portrayals fall into these traps.

In recent years, films such as Silver Linings Playbook have offered us sympathetic and realistic renderings of mental illness. It’s Kind of a Funny Story gave us a compassionate and refreshing look at the world of psychiatric committal from a teenage point of view. Yet, despite these moves towards a more understanding and inclusive view on mental illness on screen, the prevalence of the narrative of danger remains. These are those which can be seen in American Psycho or, more recently, in Natalie Portman’s chilling portrayal of obsession in Black Swan.

In truth, it has largely fallen upon smaller productions and independent cinema to find ways of telling the stories of mental illness.

Documentary films such as Tarnation, filmed over twenty years, or stories such as No Letting Go, which depict a family coming to terms with their son’s mental illness, offer a beacon of hope in an area which has largely been obscured by the use and abuse of tired and worn out tropes.

What is certain is that Hollywood’s views on mental health, much like its views on women, homosexuality and diversity in general are hugely problematic, and there is still a long way to go.

''Hollywood uses broad brush strokes to describe the minutiae of the mind, leaning heavily on generalisations and tropes which often do more damage that the good gained from their representation.''

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Magnolia (1999)

The most ambitious film in Paul Thomas Anderson’s impressive canon, this sprawling tale of family, love, death and regret set in California’s San Fernando Valley ends with frogs falling from the sky (no, really) and one of the most poignant smiles in the history of cinema.

Dr Strangelove (1964)

This intensely satirical look at Cold War politics has an extremely surreal ending that is distinctly Kubrickian and darkly comedic, as Peter Sellers’ titular mad scientist suddenly finds his feet and Doomsday finally arrives.

Fight Club (1999)

One of the defining films of the 1990s ends with the narrator (Edward Norton) and Marla Singer (Helena Bonham Carter) hand-in-hand, silently observing the culmination of the chaos instigated by the anarchic organisation Project Mayhem.

As the towering guitar riff of Pixies’ ‘Where Is My Mind’ begins, civilisation crumbles.

Irreversible (2002) The genius of Gaspar Noé’s brutally powerful

drama is its unusual reverse-chronological timeline. Alex (Monica Bellucci) relaxes in a sunny park in the final scene (which is the start of the story), and the audience is presented with what is ostensibly a happy ending, rendered utterly heartbreaking by our knowledge of exactly what is to come.

Casablanca (1942) The gripping finale to this wartime classic

sees Humphrey Bogart’s Rick faced with a moral dilemma which is resolved in incredibly romantic, yet devastating, fashion. But as he walks off into the light, he’s already looking to the

future.

La Haine (1995) Tension is ever-present in this masterpiece of French

cinema, which depicts a day in the life of three French youths surviving in the projects of Paris amid intense riots and clashes with local police. The violent undercurrent that throbs throughout the film reaches a shocking conclusion in the electric final scene.

Chinatown (1974)

Roman Polanksi’s final film in the US is a gripping neo-noir mystery in which private eye Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson) struggles to unravel a web of deceit, corruption and murder in LA. The film’s perfect final line encapsulates the helplessness of his situation.

The Usual Suspects (1995) Rarely does a film subvert entirely what the audience thinks they know in its very final scene. A glance at a cluttered notice board, the smash of a coffee cup, the straightening up of a walk, and like that, “he’s gone”.

The Godfather Pt. 1 (1972) The inexorable ascent

of Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) to becoming Don of the Corleone crime organisation, and his transformation from a quiet family man to cold-blooded mafioso is complete with this stunning scene. A closed door has never been so chilling.

Raging Bull (1980) This powerful yet beautifully simple scene sees ageing, overweight, retired boxer Jake La Motta (Robert De Niro) staring at a mirror preparing for an appearance at a dingy nightclub, shadow-boxing and growling to himself, “I’m the boss, I’m the boss, I’m the boss”. He could have been the boss. He could have been a contender.

Words: EOIN FERRY

13

A short story by Dermot Christophers

Leaving

Ceiling! Ceiling is white and blank and looming. Fall closer to stop.

To rise, to fall. To stop. To stop.

So I start. And two arms heave to sit. To sit up. And yawn, and contorted face, and inside of pupils and sleep. Rub a face dry of night.

Flaked skin and longed rest. Fist clenched, angry moments of flight, take flight. Open blind. Open sun smiling in. Give me away. Away please. Desire to move up or out, or sideways. To spin around until stopped. Or to disappear. To worm, be a worm into a blanket. Cocoon: shield: feed: me. Such sweet syrup luxuries of space. Or lack of space.

Or awake. Or asleep. All it is is this beat. Thump thumping. What is wanted is a method. The keys to piano. Assemble me in order. I wish to hear the music flow out of me. And shatter me. Or splinter me hopeless. I just need a way to be a human being.

Alive is overstated and underplayed. Where is my time, my place, my face? Edge of bed is moment of testing. What is there, here or scream? Set fire to a room.

Unpeel it from my skin. This is how I go about leaving. A trauma of exit. Leaving. The door, the wound, my exit. Leaving. I can see

14

the handle, my space has almost come. Leaving. I dispose of the self of sleep, shackle him to the bedpost. Leaving. Clothes on, hair brushed, microphones lit to pitch me oh me you see. Leaving.

You see me but this is not about me. Handle of door and open a reality. Which reality? Leaving, left gone, already in bandaged skin. Close door to keep the rest in. Monsters of light: of darkness: of thought. Let me put my head of heads on. Twitch, twitch. It is not me, no, no, no. It has always been about him. Daniel.

I am always less insane once I leave the bedroom. There is too much noise in there. Too many voices. They surround and engulf me. But once I leave there is clarity. Or, if not clarity there is at least just one voice. I believe it to be my own.

I told you his name was Daniel but that’s hardly relevant. Who truly cares about names? I have no time for these. I have little time for anything nowadays.

He told me that we had become boring. One day, in the kitchen, when eating toast and drinking coffee. And I remember thinking how rude it was for someone

to say something so outrageous when eating toast and drinking coffee. He was wearing the black cardigan that I had gotten him for his birthday two months prior. It was always a favourite of mine.

In me asking what he meant he filled the room with his consciousness. He had clearly been thinking over all this for quite some time. His words had the element of a built up energy to them. The syllables cut into my skin, leaving marks. I don’t believe he meant to be callous. I have never known him to be cold. But, in between nervous slurps of coffee he had become distant, that much was clear. He had already left. His self was not truly there. He said the words with his vacant face and I felt myself become vacant in his presence. In him leaving me, I too, in a way, have left myself.

After collecting my social welfare payment from the post office I head to the canal. I walk alongside the water and remember a dream time where Daniel and I would walk too along the water, but walk in a different way. We would walk with excitement and talk about the future as if it were this abstract thing that you

could create collectively out of imagination. There were never any limits to our conversations.

They could stretch out past any conventional boundaries, and head out to a place in which not everyone dared to go. Each thread of talk would lead to something else, and our sentences would swirl together out into the cold Irish sky. Patterning the grey with our colours: our hopes, our dreams, our ideas. I used to think that this is what made us different, this is what made us interesting. Now I feel as though this may have been what our problem was. Daniel believing that life should be like our talks.

When I knew that the only reason life was manageable was because we had our outlet of conversational escapism. A fancy way really of saying that he was a dreamer, I a realist.

If he could see me now with my sad sleepless eyes, and my hands clutching my dole money what would he think? Is it bad how he fills my days, my nights, all my thinking moments? When I close my eyes it is just his figure that I see, and it seems to grow with each day, dilating and morphing with whatever the remnants of my mind

contains. It is hopeless to dwell on our past. But there is an addictiveness in it. Like when you have a cut and you can’t help but press down on it.

For nothing else, it is nice to feel.

I sit on a bench and stare out at the water that moves and breathes and blinks and has nothing to say and nothing to show, except for its vast blueness. I like that. I have never been a person adept in explanations.

Or storytelling. I think I’ll stick to the feeling. It is the only distinct thing.

The rest is blurred and faded. The rest, essentially, is unimportant.

This is neither a love or a heartbreak tale. Or, at least I don’t want it to be. I think of Daniel once more: his blonder than blonde hair, his lighter than light blue eyes – electric and fiery. What I wish to make a point of, sitting on the bench that we used to sit at, thinking of the words we used to speak, picturing the bedroom that I will soon have to return to, is this. That it is unfair how one person can have such an effect on another. How one person can skew and tilt a mind completely out of balance. That, in leaving daily, we never really know if we will be able to find our way back. And that, in itself, is a tragedy we need to learn to accept.

POETRY

MISANTHROPE

Lipstick lies A smudge of last night’s event The kissing of a breathless teen Starved and false A kiss for the hunger, A kiss to satisfy an irregular need The burnt imprint of another’s scent Have waves of impact that then lessen and lament In the morning she examines the figure A whole other person shadowed in a pout of pink An exclamation point without a hint Of the personality beyond it She should get rid of these nameless affectioners Who are a drug of boredom They carry no hope Simply attempt to erase the misanthrope Make-up scars In the back of cars, in the dark part of an alleyway, in the invasion of another’s bedroom Even through the enjoyment she can feel the pink line Dragging its hurt through tides of lies

Dermot Christophers

Women and Other Flowers (Trauma)

I have always wondered how women who carry war inside their bones still grow flowers between their teeth. after Survival, by Ijeoma Umebinyuo.

Kulov Kisses You only ever kissed me when we were drunk.

When alcohol made the rage rise in your veins making you forget who you were who you have to be.

Women and other Flowers (Thorns) I. The story begins with worth This body and its dark petals What does it mean to love your neighbour as you love yourself?

When your beauty is stolen from your skin – and your hair and the name your mother gave you when she took you from the wet hands of the midwife – Pale as you were – Your eyes were still fifty shades darker than the colour of sun-baked mud after the raining-season – And she knitted her Africa into your name – Tighter than the way God knitted it into your jungle hair and safari skin – and Now you cannot look yourself in the eye.

You write yourself love notes in Morse code.

Each indent is a question: Why faces with skin the colour of burnt caramel never grace the crystal ball Why love is a word said only with your back to the mirror and why there is so much sting in the silent bleed at the end of each question.

And even though it made you sick to take that poison in your mouth you did it. For me.

And sentimentality does II. Maybe. not suit perennial beings, there are seasons for What does it mean such morbid things.

Yet every time you’d The rest of the time is shoot that sidelong to love your neighbour as you love yourself? fragilestare Spent in the trauma of sick smile, When images of self-renewal wet lips glistening trying to be whole again.

I’d tie my heart in ----knots She told me her mother and wish never had a home. that just once you She would bury her could bring yourself bones in people to touch she loved short-term, dig them up whenever me she quit Without that bitter struggling to live taste with people who called of shame in your tombs home. mouth.

Perhaps she tried to stop leavingtrauma is an endless road, she could not resist trying to be whole again.

Chiamaka Enyi-Amadi

tendrils in test tubes to feel like victims or are thrown into your victors living room and they to feel ostracised or tell you – each cell socially submerged must be stripped to feel like they can be from its host for both Arab and Muslim security purposes – Without being a threat to There is much talk western security – of contamination to feel the warmth of – But then you read flesh not metal thorns, somewhere else...

To feel, without pain.III. somewhere... a smaller, more What does it mean to love transparent screen your neighbour as you love that it was babies, not yourself? tendrils on your flat screen – In incubators If every sunrise doesn’t and those bits of come singin’ you can get charred green flesh out of bed today! Because on glass-covered maybe you shouldn’t – floors are bodies, are Since each morning is a babies, are bloodied constant visceral assault – Overexposed flesh of mortality – And you peeling in Eastern blend into the night – And heat – Not strong lullabies ring out like enough for the outside elegies or sirens – world – Not strong enough for the once Because maybe you won’t crisp hospital air – make it not strong enough for even their mother’s through the night or past touch butthat check-point If you’re caught It’s been weeks and Out. Howling your fear all, and pride at the moon!

And there is death and there is only rot and danger in the face of dust now. everything Tendrils (or not ) That moves at you it is as good a reason and breathes to break deep from The Ritual.

And heavy Midnight-Mediaso that there is Rounds. no air left The daily staring for your contest with the heaving lungs. mobile abyss, and mourn as best IV. you can.

They were no family What does it mean of yours. to love your neighbour as So you will mourn you love yourself? not the loss Is it a slow blossoming of shared memories like a delayed blessing? but the injustice Or is it to become an (with no thought of injury: politics or other manA hurt like the gaping made things). ground of an expanding Simply that they fault-line? were not given the Settle into devastation chance to grow Christen your soul into an ally or enemy.

Victim.

Nipped at the tender Or try to be whole again. bud of terror.

They will never be Chiamaka Enyiold enough – Amadi

Ezra Maloney

Illustrations on pg 14 & 15 by Louise Flanagan

15

h c n y L na

n a Ev

Growing Into

The Role 16

As her new film My Name is Emily continues to garner critical acclaim, Evanna Lynch takes some time aside to speak to Patrick Kelleher about developing as an actor, living in LA and her writing ambitions

On a Monday afternoon, Evanna Lynch is in her family home in Louth taking phone calls from journalists. The Irish actress is home from LA for a few days following her IFTA nomination for her performance in the acclaimed My Name is Emily, an independent Irish film. Even though recent days and weeks have been filled with press interviews, Lynch is still on a high from the film, which becomes increasingly apparent as we speak; she has a love for both the character and the film that few actors could rival. This is dedication at its height. But as she explains, getting the role was all down to chance.

“It was actually just chance that it came to me,” she explains. “It was a friend of mine, she’s an actress, Scarlett Byrne, and she’s one of my best friends, and she was reading it, and I think she just felt that it was more suitable for me than for her, and she passed it on… I fell in love with it. It’s not often that you’ll get a script like that that’s so beautifully written, and the characters are so clearly defined, and I really admired Emily for the way she so boldly expresses her emotions, so freely, even though she’s only sixteen.”

Lynch never had a formal audition for the role, instead having a Skype conversation with writer and director Simon Fitzmaurice. “I didn’t actually get an audition for it. I remember pestering my agents to get me an audition, and didn’t hear anything back, so eventually I just did some Googling and found the producers’ email addresses, and I had the script so I made a self-tape and I sent them an email just begging them to show it to Simon, and that was it.”

After five weeks of shooting the film in Wicklow, My Name is Emily was eventually completed and released – although this was not without its challenges. The film had a highly publicised crowd-funding campaign a few years ago that raised €120,000 in 30 days. It looks as though the efforts have proven worth it. Since its release, My Name Is Emily has been the source of acclaim from critics, something that Lynch is proud of. “Everyone takes something different from it… there’s so many layers to it,” she says. “Personally I’m so drawn in by Emily and her Dad’s relationship, and the sadness around it in the sense that what they had can never be again. It isn’t usual that movies will portray that, they’re not so blunt about the sadness and the grief, and I love that about it. I love that everyone has something different about it. There was one reviewer who pointed out all the shots of pots of tea, and I just love that!”

While the film is firmly Irish based, Lynch herself isn’t. She’s been living in LA now since she was 19 years old – a decision that seems to have come about organically for the actress. What prompted

this move across the Atlantic?

“It was kind of on a whim to be honest with you,” she says. “I repeated my Leaving Cert because the first time I was more focused on the last Harry Potter movie… I really just wanted to act. I applied to a university, but very half-heartedly. I didn’t want to go to school at that point, because I felt like I knew what I wanted to do and I felt like I had a bit of a leg up, so yeah, I met a manager, and I met some people who were all really nice, and I wasn’t getting opportunities out here or in England, so I just wanted to try it. I think I wanted an adventure… like my parents travelled when they were really young, and just the crazy stories you hear. I wanted to be able to say ‘when I was in LA’, ‘I went on this road-trip’, that kind of thing.”

Before she decided to move to LA, there was a moment after repeating her Leaving Cert where she considered studying art history at Trinity.

“I wanted to go to Trinity, I had my art history teacher in the Institute, she taught there and I really loved her. I got in! But I just…” she trails off, seemingly unsure of exactly what prompted her to turn down the offer. Her art history teacher at the Institute of Education was left disappointed. “I met her recently and she was like ‘I saw your name, I expected you to be there!’ and I was like ‘damn, I took the wrong path!’”

It seems to have been the right path after all, though. As she is quick to point out, living in LA has provided her with valuable opportunities, as well as the industry expertise she was missing in Ireland.

“It’s just made me more knowledgeable on the industry,” she explains. “When I first got into movies and I got into Harry Potter, it was purely for the love of story and the character, and that is always at the heart of what I do, that’s why I do it. But you have to be quite savvy about the industry, and some people, they’ll go to drama school, or some people will have parents or agents that’ll coach them on that stuff. But I just didn’t really, I was very naïve on it really, on the business side of it. And in a way, you can’t just go into rooms and hope that people will pull whatever out of you, which to a degree… they did that on Harry Potter; they saw something.

I was shy but they would help it come out of me.

And I think in LA they don’t really have time for that, they don’t have time to nourish your creative spirit.

They just want you to be there and show them what you’ve got. So I’ve got more comfortable with expressing myself and not being afraid of myself.”

While a substantial amount of her time in LA is spent trying to further her acting career, Lynch isn’t short of hobbies. When she’s not going to auditions, her average days sound nothing short of

“It’s not often that you’ll get a script like that that’s so beautifully written, and the characters are so clearly defined, and I really admired Emily for the way she so boldly expresses her emotions, so freely, even though she’s only sixteen.”

blissful. She is woken by her cat in the morning, does some yoga, reads scripts and does work for the animal charities she’s involved with. Perhaps most interesting, however, is that she spends a significant amount of her days writing fiction. She likes to write about “weird people, people on the outskirts who aren’t noticed. I’m interested in just awkward feelings I think. My stories, they’re not big on plot, they’re big on moments, things that happen to you that will completely affect you, or can change how you see things, but it might just be a passing comment or something. I just love exploring those kind of things. I know I’m being vague but I don’t like to talk about my plots because I’ll just lose interest in them.”

This fascination with characters on the outskirts extends beyond her writing, of course.

Evanna Lynch famously began her acting career playing one of JK Rowling’s most unusual characters, Luna Lovegood, in the Harry Potter series. The story of how she got the role has been highly publicised in the intervening years. She got the role at just 14 years of age for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, signaling her break into acting. Lynch had been following the Harry Potter books closely for years, and had even exchanged letters with JK Rowling. While most 14 year olds are still trying to figure themselves out, Lynch was tasked with the challenge of also trying to figure out one of JK Rowling’s most challenging characters. What was it like landing that role at such an early age?

“It was really exciting,” she says. “I always knew I wanted to act, I just didn’t have a way into it. I think I was really frustrated at school because I was doing so many things every day that I knew I would never use again when I left school, and I felt so much of that was getting in the way of my calling. So it was brilliant to have that, and to have an excuse to go and do the thing I wanted to do.”

Being thrust into the spotlight at such a young age has had negative effects on many in the public eye, but this wasn’t the case for Lynch. In fact, it was quite the opposite. It offered a chance to prove herself, but also to grow into acting. “It was a boost of confidence,” she says. “Obviously it’s unusual, it’s not like you go into school, the way they say, ‘here’s how to be a teacher’, ‘here’s how to be a doctor’ – they don’t say ‘here’s how to be an actor’. So I needed that, and I think getting the role so young, it showed me that path and it gave me confidence in my dreams.”

The role was a defining one for Lynch, and getting to develop and grow into the role of Luna Lovegood was an invaluable experience. She is

still in touch with much of the cast, and Rowling herself. “We keep in touch,” she says of Rowling.

“Not all the time, because it doesn’t take more than a Google search to see how busy that lady is! But yeah, we do write letters every now and then.”

Much of Lynch’s youth has been highly publicised as a result of her time on the set of Harry Potter. Among this is her experience with anorexia.

When we move onto the topic, however, she makes it clear how unhappy she is at the Irish media’s handling of the topic in recent weeks. “I don’t like that it’s being used as a clickbait topic, because it is very personal,” she says. “It is something that I’m happy to write about, and I’ve only spoken about it because I think it needs awareness, but I’m a bit unhappy with how it’s been handled.”

In most interviews, her experience with anorexia has been the focus, whereas her acting – and most particularly, her performance in My Name is Emily, has been overlooked. “It’s annoying because it’s not like I rock up to these interviews for a therapy session, which is what it looks like,” she explains. “The only reason I talk about it is because I want to help people feel like it’s not just you, everyone deals with this. But they do, they use it – they abuse it, rather, to get people to click on it, to show something shocking, and it’s not that, it’s very delicate, and it should be treated that way.”

On what’s next for Lynch, the answer isn’t entirely clear. She’s always auditioning for roles, but her outlook has changed since My Name is Emily.

“Ever since I took My Name is Emily, I have been a lot more picky, because that project changed me, and that reminded me why I’m doing it. It’s not about making it, or outdoing yourself, it’s just about finding the things that move you. So after that I was like, ‘I’m going to write until something amazing pulls me away from my desk.’”

Becoming quite as recognisable and prominent in the film industry at such a young age is a difficult accomplishment for any young actor. For those who want to follow in her footsteps and break into the industry, Lynch says that you need to stay rooted in your love for what you do.

“Stay connected to the love, why you love it,” she says. “There is an industry side to it, and that side can weigh you down. But when you take all that away there’s a very pure, innocent, beautiful reason why you do it in the first place. And I think the way to stay connected to that is just be surrounded by people who inspire you – who light you up.”

My Name is Emily is in cinemas now.

17

Conor Adams of All Tvvins talks to Adam Lawler about genre-mashing and the value of pop music

Stars in Waiting If only the name “Phoenix” wasn’t taken; because if rising from ashes was an instrument, All Tvvins would be virtuosos.

Not that the ashes came from ruin.

Instrumental three-piece Adebisi Shank ended on good terms, while Conor Adam’s Cast Of Cheers are still active, just on hiatus.

Both bands have been successful and critically admired. So why the shiny rebirth?

“It’s just in mine and Lar’s nature,” says Conor Adams, who sounds knackered on the back of a performance at the Meteor Music Awards, sandwiched between dates supporting Kodaline on the European leg of their tour. “We’re always writing new music, and it’s always fun to jam with someone new. We didn’t even want to form a band at first. There wasn’t any intention; it just felt good.”

Feel-good is one way to describe the duo’s music. As evidenced by a stellar string of singles, from the nocturnally anthemic ‘Darkest Ocean’ to frenetic current single ‘Resurrect Me’, their style is accessible in a big way. Is “going pop” as much of a filthy phrase as it used to be?

“When we first got together we had these ten-minute long guitar jams, and they were making us a bit bored. We decided to explore other aspects of playing together. We decided ‘who cares?’ If the melodies are good, if it’s fun to play then… pop only means popular. It’s unashamed in its melody and lyrics. Even in how all

18

mimicked them in their own way and the songs are three to four minutes trend in pop music at present. Whether it evolved. Other people mimic that long. We don’t do that on purpose, but be the Daft Punk disco throwback of 2013 person and evolve; it’s healthy.” a lot of times when we write a song it’s or the 80s synthpop stylings championed One has to have at least some five or six minutes long and we go ‘you

by Taylor Swift and Carly Rae Jepsen, reference points when they’re starting know what? There’s no need for that sounds from the past are dominating out. “Even if you’re aware of it or not, bit’. It kinda grates on you after a while, the charts in a bigger way than ever. Is music is going into your subconscious; it’s nice to just put the meat in and kill this a show of reverence for eras past, the radio, friends, TV, you can’t help it,” the rice.” or emblematic of a lack of ideas in pop he says. “We don’t mind telling anyone As taken with the immediacy of pop right now? who we’re influenced by, as long as as they are, the pair are taking their time “You can’t come out and say ‘I’m a the music’s cool and it’s not a blatant with the album, although they’d like it to new artist with completely fresh, original rip-off. I don’t know what my musical be out sooner rather than later. “We’re ideas’, because you’re taking inspiration identity is. I guess that can only be at the stage where we’re trying to finish from everything you’ve listened to since seen from the outside. I just wanna it now. It’ll hopefully be out by summer. the day you were born,” says Adams. write good songs.”

There’s no mad rush anyway, we haven’t “Synth-pop is making a comeback now Genre-mashing seems to be felt the need to rush it. There’s no point if probably because it’s been overlooked standard for the Spotify generation, you’re not happy with it in the long-run.” for enough time now that it sounds fresh who have a wealth of the world’s Like the singles, an eclectic mix of styles again. In about five years I’d say it’s best music at their is the order of the Gone are day. “There’s no '' I don't know what my musical identity fingertips. the days of genre formula we have to stick by. We can is, I guess that can only be seen from the rivalries replaced by a ‘music is music’ have a heavy song, a outside. I just wanna write good songs.'' mentality. Adams funky one, a mellow thinks this is a one, and they’d all fit healthy progression. “Music isn’t a together. When we write a song it could gonna be the grunge revival. I can’t wait competition anymore. It’s not one style start on a little keyboard, or a guitar, for that one!” He laughs. “But it’s not like versus another. It’s just like ‘cool, we but then it’s the modern production; it’s rehashed in an unoriginal way, it’s a can dip in and out of different styles’. I there’s so much you can do, so many new modern take, which is cool because could listen to Kendrick Lamar and still cool new sounds as well as sounds that in thirty years time you get the recycling listen to Smashing Pumpkins.” haven’t been used for years. The same of that style again, so it’ll always evolve, Regardless of the band’s foray song could be a piano ballad or a crazy which is totally cool. It’s what music’s into pop and funk, there are some uptempo synth tune.” been doing from the start. Someone elements from their previous bands Revival seems to be the prevailing grew up on a band or heard a riff and

that Adams and Kaye can’t shake. “Lar has a really unique guitar style. Whether it’s Adebisi or All Tvvins, it’s always unmistakably him playing. And I suppose I can’t change my voice too much, it is what it is. Also the energy. We both love high energy shows. It’s not a contrived thing, we can’t really say ‘it’s going to be so energetic’, it just happens.”

That energy in a band doesn’t materialise by chance – not unless there’s electricity between the members, and the dynamic between Kaye and Adams is incredible. On-stage, their chemistry is palpable, as if they were a musical match fated to meet. “Playing with Lar just felt natural. To be honest we were trying to do the opposite of our bands, and explore things that we wouldn’t have explored like pop-style riffs.”

A healthy relationship, rising fame, great tunes. With everything in place, what does Adams see in the future for All Tvvins? Do they have a goal? “World domination,” he immediately replies, before laughing. “Nah, we just wanna see where it goes, playing music as our job, to be able to tour because it’s our bread and butter. If we can continue to do that and continue to make music and reach audiences then that’d be amazing.”

New EP Unbelievable, featuring current single ‘Resurrect Me’, is out now.

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros Person A Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros are back with the follow-up the their 2013 self-titled third album. Fans will, for the most part, not be disappointed with Person A, which is a progressive continuation from where the band left off in 2013. Most well known for their hit single ‘Home’, from their debut album Up From Below, the new album shows glimpses of the style they’ve become known for, while still being a very natural progression from the last album.

The first single from Person A is ‘Free Stuff’, an eerie, atmospheric ballad with the signature lyrics and style that will be instantly recognisable to long-time followers of the band. ‘No Love Like Yours’, the second single, is a more upbeat and typical Edward Sharpe number with a punchy chorus and a flowing melody which will pull in.

The album moves with the usual ebb and flow which one would expect from an Edward Sharpe album, however it lacks the hard hitting tracks to make the album memorable, which were prominent on other albums, such as with ‘Home’ and ‘Janglin’ from the debut, or ‘Man on Fire’ from Here. It is for this reason that the album seems to lack the cutting edge which its predecessors gathered such strong followings for.

Person A is a welcome return for Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, but it is not without its flaws. It lacks the substance that previous albums boasted that made their other works truly great listens. By no means a bad album, Person A is a fun and often enjoyable collection of songs – just don’t expect something quite as strong as their earlier material.

In a nutshell: A welcome return for the eccentric Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – it mixes easy listening with glimpses of greatness. Unfortunately it lacks the big tracks that drew fans into earlier albums, and hasn’t quite managed to live up to the hype.

Jeff Gibbons

Steve Gunn Eyes On The Lines You’ve heard Steve Gunn before. Even if you haven’t heard his work with Kurt Vile or Dirt Black Oak you’ve still heard him; in the wind-down at the end of a barbecue, on the bus home after a long day; in moments of melancholy contentment. The prevailing image is of Gunn and his band closing Austin City Limits as the sunset dissolves into lilac dusk.

Guitars are the focal point of every song here; they cascade elegantly on ‘Full Moon Tide’, intertwine playfully with the bass in the melodic contours of ‘Night Wander’, wind hypnotically on ‘Park Bench Smile’; a joyous blend of tones from mellow electric to bright acoustic. The love Gunn has for his instrument is clear, and is complemented superbly by shuffling percussion and mellow bass.

All of these elements make for a beautiful listen, but the sound doesn’t diminish the core of Gunn’s appeal: his inherent storytelling ability.

The songs here stretch out like a highway through the desert and subtly blossom into poignant vignettes of ordinary people trying to find their way. ‘Ancient Jules’ arrives on a clean guitar line feeling like a sunrise over the prairie. “You were lost / On the road from a different way” Gunn intones, evoking the struggles of ordinary folk trying to change paths and the confusion of the interim period; this is the first line. The theme of uncertainty permeates the whole record, and on ‘Conditions Wild’ the exuberant chorus faces the shadows of doubt “beyond the path you know”, and effortlessly vaults over them.

‘Ark’ brings proceedings to a close with Gunn “callin’ it on a restless feeling”. The track drifts into the future with Gunn at the mast staring into the horizon. No resolution is reached, but the melancholy undercurrent throughout the album pretty much acts as a warning not to expect one.

Instead he fades into obscurity again, but with at least a bit more understanding gleaned, on what is a truly sublime addition to Gunn’s gleaming canon.

In a nutshell: If Way Out Weather was his creative peak, this is Steve Gunn’s quietly confident assurance that he’s still an extraordinary songwriting talent.

Royce 5’9” Layers

The Coathangers Nosebleed Weekend

Royce 5’9” don’t fall off. His consistency can be traced far back: through his recent mixtape Trust the Shooter to the excellent self-titled project PRhyme with DJ Premier, to his days as half of Bad Meets Evil with Eminem, to his time as part of the group Slaughterhouse, and further still.

Despite the creep of time that so often tarnishes the legacies of hip-hop legends, Royce always delivers: his technical ability — flow, breath control — lyrics and rhyming schemes remain impressive even today.

Consistency is double-edged, however. Royce still crushes beats on Layers, but without those Premo instrumentals there isn’t enough energy left in them to push back. A wealth of producers contribute to this project, but somehow their beats all blend together in a haze of looped drum kits and choir vocals. Royce is left without much ground to stand on — not that he can’t keep up regardless.

Songs like ‘Tabernacle’ prove what Royce can do with words alone; he doesn’t need to reach into fantasy to tell a compelling story like so many of his peers. The tale of his grandmother’s death and the birth of his first child, which both occurred in the same hospital at the same time, on the fifth and ninth floors respectively, is heavy and hits hard. Ideas of fate and God swim through his mind, and he claims the title 5’9” in recognition of how “everything moves in cycles.”

Further along, however, tracks such as ‘Startercoat’ and ‘Misses’ show the limitations of Royce’s style. Dated lyrics and weak hooks make these songs feel like 90s relics that should have been left on the cutting-room floor. Either an inability or an unwillingness to update some elements of his style hold an otherwise great album back. Songs like ‘Tabernacle’, ‘Pray’, ‘Hard’, the title track and more all deserve praise, but at over an hour long, some might find Layers more trouble than it’s worth.

In a nutshell: Consistency pays off with another good project, but it falls shy of greatness due to poor beat choices and some stylistic elements which haven’t aged well.

The Coathangers’ Nosebleed Weekend is the band’s fifth album, keeping up with the edgy, punk rock vibe set by their back catalogue. Their latest offering is introduced by the second longest track on the album, ‘Perfume’. The song serves as a good opener and sets up nicely for the “no messing around” tone of the album that follows. Nosebleed Weekend offers tracks as violent sounding as ‘Dumb Baby’, ‘Burn Me’ and ‘Excuse me?’ and the track names don’t give any false advertising. The trio have filled this album with driving sarcasm and head-bang prompts that would not be out of place at a teenage anti-institutionalisation drive.

Lyrics stay fairly simplistic throughout the album with some thrashing chord progressions and patterns that resemble the musical styles of emerging bands such as Wolf Alice and Slaves. With respect to fans of the aforementioned bands and their fellow angsty punk rockers, this album is fairly accessible. Otherwise, if you like your music happy and soothing, this may not be the album for you; although if you are solely inclined to the sensibilities of soothing, happy music the album was likely not meant for you.

Overall, Nosebleed Weekend is consistent, with each track showing off the band’s edgy attitude.

Every track has its own vibe to it and each one promises a different perspective to the overall tone of the album. The music of the album remains simple throughout - this isn’t a bad thing as it serves its purpose. Listeners are likely to come out the back end of the album slightly more riled up than when they began.

In a nutshell: grab your skateboard, your headphones and head to the nearest picket protest – with this album on loop you’ll likely have a lot of angst ready and a few good tunes to back it up.

Daniel Ryan

Owen Steinberger

Adam Lawler

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GIG GUIDE Aisling Kraus gives the lowdown on the highlights of the Dublin gig scene in the coming weeks

Radar: Pecking Party John Gilbride and Ciara Ryan of Pecking Party speak to Seán Hayes about their band’s peculiar name, getting known on the Dublin music scene and getting to play Workman’s

Hiatus Kaiyote

Hiatus Kaiyote / The Sugar Club / Thursday 5th May Led by enigmatic frontwoman Nai Palm’s mindbendingly flexible vocals (her range is nothing short of remarkable) and rooted deeply in sophisticated, bass guitar-heavy grooves, it’s no wonder that music fans and critics alike struggle to assign a genre label to this Australian five piece’s sound. Fusing elements of soul, R&B, jazz and electronic music with hip-hop-style production, Melbourne-based Hiatus Kaiyote’s unique brand of mould-breaking “future soul” has earned them two Grammy Award nominations for Best R&B Performance, and consistent rave reviews for their live performances. Arrive early to catch the talented Wyvern Lingo’s opening set.

Chad Valley / The Hangar / Wednesday 11th May Since leaving his former band Jonquil and setting out to work on his solo project under the moniker Chad Valley, Hugo Manuel’s serene, glossy, 80s-indebted take on electro-pop has garnered major blogosphere buzz and comparisons to fellow champions of the genre including Active Child, Toro y Moi and Twin Shadow. 2011’s colllaboration-dense Young Hunger was followed in 2015 with more the more brooding Entirely New Blue.

Benjamin Francis Leftwich / Upstairs at Whelans / Sunday 15th May York-born Benjamin Francis Leftwich creates the kind of gentle, acoustic folk-pop that would fit snugly on a playlist between the sounds of fellow singer-songwriters Ben Howard and James Vincent McMorrow, and yet his work has been remixed

by Kygo, arguably the biggest dance music

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break-through act of 2015. The intimate setting of Whelans’ upstairs room is sure to make for a memorable performance from the maker of one of Zane Lowe’s “Hottest Record[s] in the World Today”.

Day Wave / The Workmans Club / Monday 16th May Jackson Philips makes mellow, synth and guitar-based dream-pop under the suitably hazy nom du musique Day Wave. Having only begun to release material from this solo vehicle in 2015, Philips has gained an impressive amount of traction for his polished tracks and has been very prolific, churning out three polished EPs in the space of little more than a year. This is less surprising given that Philips is experienced in the trade, making up half of electronic duo Carousel.

Philips is joined on tour with a full band.

Saint Sister / The Unitarian Church / Friday 27th May Dublin-based friends Morgan MacIntyre and Gemma Doherty have been creating what they have dubbed as “atmosfolk” since 2014, drawing on Celtic harp traditions as well as folk and electronic music, all infused with their own enchanting style of vocal harmonisation. The duo are well-seasoned performers by now, having once opened the stage for Arcade Fire’s Will Butler. Their debut EP Madrid dropped last November and has been met with an overwhelmingly positive reception from music critics and journalists. The haunting, resonant acoustics of Dublin’s beautiful Unitarian Church are ideally suited to Saint Sister’s “bewitching” sound and will make for an unforgettable sonic experience.

''It's difficult to get your name out there, especially if you're trying to do something a bit different.''

The phrase ‘pecking party’ originally comes from Ken Kesey’s novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, which involves a chicken seeing blood on another chicken and beginning to peck at it until, eventually, the entire flock has pecked each other to death. Yet this grotesque reference is exactly what the members of Dublin-based band, Pecking Party, had in mind when naming their group.

Explaining the reasoning behind it, guitarist John Gilbride admits that, “I thought it was a poignant image that reflects the massive lack of solidarity in our society. Free market enthusiasts love the idea of competition as a progressive force when, really, it brings out the worst in people. That, and it alliterates.”

In this way, the term can be considered as an apt name for the electronic-rock group, their musical produce being both catchy and socially aware in equal measure. Describing the band’s sound, Gilbride lists a number of pioneering influences, such as Enter Shikari, Portishead and alt-J. Expanding, he reveals that his formative years were significant in the sound he creates today: “I first came to listen to electronic music via bands such as The

Prodigy and Pendulum many years ago. They had a big influence on what I do with Pecking Party, both in terms of style and how to pull it off live from a technical perspective. You can still hear that influence in many of our songs, particularly where rhythm is concerned.”

Lead vocalist Ciara Ryan conversely attributes her musical abilities to her grandad: “He’s a wonderful singer who’s got a natural ear for music and can play multiple instruments.”

To many, the current Dublin music scene can seem close to breaking point, with a seemingly continuous stream of new talents appearing everyday, all vying for the opportunity to perform on the city’s noted stages. For the members of Pecking Party, however, it’s been an enjoyable experience so far. Gilbride explains that, “Personally, we’ve found it quite supportive. It’s difficult to get your name out there, especially if you’re trying to do something a bit different. But there’s definitely an audience for unique music out there, even if it’s not as big as the audience for the tried and tested.”

The group’s experimental vibe, however, shouldn’t be off-putting for “traditional”

audiences. Their unique interpretation and blending of rock and electronic rhythms has been well received from critics and audiences alike. The band recently played as part of WeBloom under the renowned spotlights of the Workman’s Club. The event highlighted some of Dublin’s brightest new talent, with Pecking Party sharing the billing with Be Curious, Kid and Sick Inc. Reflecting on the performance, Gilbride enthuses that, “it was definitely an electric feeling to be playing in a place like Workman’s, where so many bands have played before. As much fun as it is creating the music itself, there’s nothing like playing it live. For our sound, it really is the bigger the gig the better.”

Indeed, Pecking Party seem poised to go from strength to strength, with festival performances and an LP release all in the pipe-line. Their infectious and distinctive sound will, without doubt, see them fare far better than the chaotic, bloody pile of dead chickens in Kesey’s novel for quite some time.

Cuttings from the dreaming room floor As she gears up to release her new album The Dreaming Room in June, British singersongwriter Laura Mvula talks to Patrick Kelleher about trying to find inspiration for the new album and finding new influences SECOND ALBUM SYNDROME is a terrifying concept for musicians. They release a critically acclaimed debut – and then the second album comes. Dry, boring and turgid, fans are left disappointed, and critics are left asking ‘what happened?’ Luckily, this hasn’t happened to British singer-songwriter Laura Mvula, although she did spend a considerable amount of time fearing slipping into its grip. It is now over three years since she released her acclaimed debut, Sing to the Moon; in the intervening years, she’s been mostly trying to find out what she wants to say on a new album. That question has finally been answered. The Dreaming Room is set to be released in June, and despite all the soul-searching, Mvula is pretty happy with the result.

“I started writing The Dreaming Room about a year and a half ago,” she says. “When I say writing, I mean I literally sketched out about thirty seconds of music, because I struggled so much at the beginning to settle down and focus… I was so terrified – the air of anticipation around me, the thing in myself of wanting to do something exciting and new, but not being sure where it was gonna come from and how it was gonna happen. Feeling like I was in that place for too long, because it feels like there’s a timeline on everything in the music industry. Everything has to happen now, and I wasn’t used to that. I was ready to take my holiday in the Caribbean after Sing To The Moon!”

Her debut skyrocketed upon its release in 2013, something that came as a surprise to the singer. She concedes that nobody expected it to do what it did, but eventually, she accepted its success. “I thought I’d made enough of a mark to kind of bow out for a bit.”

This wasn’t entirely true, however – because almost immediately, the second album question cropped up.

“I remember doing a Graham Norton radio show – I swear it was in the same sort of year as Sing To The Moon had been out – and he was like ‘so where’s album two?’ and I remember thinking ‘what? what is this?’ And sure enough, those same questions came pretty much one after another after that,” she says.

“So I just took two or three trips – random trips – with the aim of writing. I went to Italy for a couple of weeks, I went to New York – two different trips – and all of them were, depending on how you look at it, unsuccessful if you look at it in the sense that I didn’t come away with an album of songs.”

After trying to replicate the momentum behind the writing of Sing to the Moon for months, it eventually came to her in New York. “It was only on the third trip to New York that I came away with these five sort of sketches. I really had to search – it was the kind of clichéd looking out the window, watching the snow fall – it was that bad. But I have to say, when it came, it was like mustard seeds. They were tiny, but

they were beastly in their richness. And I had a sense of that long before they blossomed into the pieces that they are today. But I have to say, it was such a long process for me, I don’t just mean in terms of literal time, but what it felt like.

You know when it’s like you’re in school and it’s February and you start thinking about the six weeks in summer? Like it’s so far away and so distant, you almost don’t believe it’s ever going to come – that’s how it felt.”

Once the magic started, it didn’t stop – and all the while, New York remained central for Mvula. “Troy Miller, who produced the record with me, asked me where in the world do I want to be making this record, and I said New York, because by that time I had developed such an affinity with the place.” Once they started working on the album, things continued to grow.

“I feel like this time, we went in on the detail so much more, because we were creating a whole sound world now – not just presenting songs, which is of course a beautiful art form – but this felt like an entirely different adventure, through using synthesizers – old synthesizers – and distorted guitar, which were alien to me… Those things were new to me before The Dreaming Room.” The process was experimental for everyone involved. “We were honing in on details and also learning how to look at the whole picture.”

What is obvious is that Mvula had to adapt hugely in order to create this album. In order to make something entirely different from what she had previously done, she had to look at what she was trying to convey. The result is that one of the major feelings coming from The Dreaming Room is one of freedom.

“I think it’s quite sexy in the true sense of the word,” she explains. “To me, sexy means extremely at home in one’s skin.” It is this sexiness – this desire to make something truly hers, that forms the core of the album. “I had always said that I wanted to make songs that I could dance to, because I think somewhere along the line as a kid – I used to dance very much as a kid – I guess with growing a bit older, you get a bit body conscious. Suddenly you forget how to move, or you feel too aware of your movements. And I’ve enjoyed re-exposing myself and putting myself in positions where I am free to move, basically, and the music has been a stimulus behind that idea.”

The Dreaming Room isn’t entirely removed from Sing to the Moon, however. “It’s still fragile, it’s still got the vulnerability of Sing To The Moon, because after all, I think that’s my DNA, as it were,” she says. “The thing that draws people in mostly is that so far, I’ve always written music that is to do with matters of the heart, and about the things that we’re quite clever at masking within our reserved culture. So I’ve been happy to have my music play, have that function of encouraging people to express themselves, or to be moved, or to sort of become comfortable with expressing emotion, whatever it is. That’s definitely all still in The Dreaming Room.” Perhaps it is that sense of “whatever it is” about Mvula’s music that makes it so triumphant and beautiful.

Whatever that feeling is, it’s sure to make as much of an impact as Sing to the Moon did – or perhaps much more.

The Dreaming Room will be released on 17th June.

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Musical Jack of all trades John Metcalfe speaks to Owen Steinberger about synaesthesia, collaborating with A-listers and making music a real job

Photo: John metcalfe

'' I'm being quite selfish, really - I just write stuff that I want to listen to.''

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John Metcalfe is a prolific composer, producer, and artist. His work over previous decades with acclaimed artists, such as Morrissey, Blur, Bat for Lashes and Coldplay is well known, even if his name is not. His solo projects have been overshadowed in the public eye by his more illustrious production credits. Working under his own name, however, has led to far more personal compositions which draw upon his own experiences to rise to towering heights of contrast and experimentation.

Despite complications involving the interview with OTwo being delayed and nearly cancelled, Metcalfe speaks warmly and enthusiastically, as if he has not been inconvenienced in any way. Even after his past encounters with famous egos he remains humble and passionate about his work and eager to discuss his creative process.

His most recent full-length album, The Appearance of Colour, is ambitious in its blend of classical and post-classical music with poppy synth leads, danceable melodies and epic-length song structures.

Metcalfe is unafraid to cross the genre divide; in fact, he hardly ever spares it a thought. “I have a classical background, and then a pop background and an electronic background, so it’s just what comes out when I sit down to write. I’m being quite selfish, really,” Metcalfe laughs. “I just write stuff that I want to listen to.”

It’s this selfishness that brings about a piece like ‘Sun’, the first track on The Appearance of Colour, a 20-minute saga that charts the sun’s rise and fall over the course of an entire day. Long meditative lulls are punctuated by moments of high-action, triumphant celebration or reflection. It’s a cerebral take on a common theme, which he acknowledges is “a bit of a cliché”—the song as a journey, with time as its centerpiece.

His solo career has been a journey in itself, a perilous one at that. “You can sort of get lost in the vortex,” he warns about composing without people to bounce ideas off. Metcalfe finds solo work to be an entirely different beast from collaboration.

“Working with other people has its own dynamic…

I find it much easier to do as something already exists, whether it’s just one vocal line or some chords.”

Working alone offers bigger challenges, but a greater reward to compensate. “I think it’s rather like a violin maker selecting a piece of wood,” he says – when it’s just you in the studio, you have executive control over the foundation of the process, what will eventually be crafted into “something beautiful.”

Personal process opens up a multitude of inspirations for Metcalfe: his synaesthesia-like experience of sounds mixing with colours, his fascination with trees and their natural musicality, and the potentiality of speed. “Whether it’s intellectual or something subconscious… it’s very hard to say. I certainly see, or have colours I associate with key signatures, with particular notes, letters, numbers, days of the week. I’ve always thought in those terms.” The album’s title and title track – The Appearance of Colour – deal directly with this experience, which “can be really cool,” but also disconcerting. “I’ll have to change things up,” he said, “to trip myself up a bit, so I don’t keep going in the same sort of compositional cul de sac.” He’ll paint the room a different colour, or hang up different shades of cloth on the walls. Metcalfe dives into his own incongruences in order to make a record definitively his own.

As for his infamous collaborators, “usually by the time [he’s] involved there’s a material in progress… they want to be serious and make a record, to make the music as good as it can be.” So myths of “hedonistic, drug-fueled parties” fail to line up with reality, at least in Metcalfe’s experience – if you’re serious about a profession, musical or not, it’s not going to be easy.

“If you talk to any group of musicians and they tell you, ‘hey I always love what I do! I always find it easy, it’s always great! oh, it’s wonderful!’—I’d say ninety-nine per cent of the time they’re lying.” However, the struggle is just another part of the creative process: “I think rigour is a very, very good word. You have to be organised… I think it was Brian Eno [who said] that you need to treat it like a nine-to-five job. You have to go in and be in your workplace, you can’t just wait for inspiration, or take something, or drink something or go for a walk, and then wait for inspiration to hit you. That

stuff sometimes can help you, but you need to be in your workplace: that’s when it really is work.”

Metcalfe stresses the importance not only of rigour, but also of maintaining momentum. “You’ve got to produce stuff, you’ve got to keep turning stuff out… so you don’t get stuck in those techniques… so that you feel you’re progressing as an artist.” Words like ‘inspiration’ and ‘creativity,’ as well as ‘talent’ for that matter, are constantly bandied about in artistic circles, but the reality of the music industry is far less glamorous. If you’re not a child prodigy or an industry plant, only rigourous, committed, honest hard work and a forward mentality will guarantee success, if that.

Metcalfe professes a need to absorb the music of other artists, past and present, in order to grow and improve. “Any of those great artists who people say have developed a style entirely their own… maybe they have, but it’s always a result of their past and their understanding of what’s come before.”

Of late, he’s been listening to London-based label Erased Tapes and John Hopkins, as well as a bevy of classical compositions. It’s a matter of synthesis, to find a harmony between the artist and the world around them, their place in space and time.

To Metcalfe, there’s a certain natural rhythm a musician should be able to tap into. “I think music feeds into [people’s] biorhythms, their metabolism,” he says pensively, “I’d like to think that something subconscious is going on with my sounds and in terms of my writing.” Metcalfe tends to avoid using vocals in his music as he “tends to look to an instrumental world” which he hopes “connects with people on a deeper level,” excluding traditional narrative. Regardless of his various musical theories, he is quite frank about his own abilities: “It’s a shot in the dark. It might do or it might not!” Great music comes about from an applied mixture of rigour and synthesis, but there’s a whole lot of luck involved as well.

Metcalfe plays Cork’s Triskel Arts Centre on 13th May.

Turn On The Green Light

With success comes a certain level of expectation, and after the huge success of their first album Absolute Zero, the pressure was inevitably on for Dublin quintet Little Green Cars. After taking the music world by storm in 2013, the band, who have been performing together since their early teens, have remained relatively silent over the last three years, leaving their audience even more eager for some new material. Their latest offering Ephemera, certainly doesn’t disappoint.

As a band that has toured extensively over the years, Little Green Cars are no strangers to the live stage. When speaking of the difference between the two experiences, vocalist and drummer Dylan Lynch explains the importance of the symbiotic relationship between the recording process and the live performance: “I think that the two processes go hand in hand. If the studio material lacks in quality, the live show will obviously not work. In the same way, if the album is brilliant, it needs to be replicated live.

We’ve always prided ourselves on being a great live band, but the only reason that we are is because we had to work hard on the material before we played it for anybody. Making music and playing it live is why we’re doing this in the first place, and there’s no greater feeling.”

With a sound that can be most easily

described as a haunting myriad of indie rock with some folk undertones, Little Green Cars don’t easily fit into one musical box, and that’s the way they like it. After crashing onto the scene in 2013, the media were quick to try and pin down exactly who and what Little Green Cars were, with some even tipping them as the next Mumford and Sons. While flattering, and just a little inaccurate, they didn’t let these comparisons affect what they were doing, opting instead to focus on what was really important: their sound.

“We never really felt like we belonged in that neu-folk bracket,” says Lynch. “As a band we always kept our heads down and focused on making the music that we wanted to make. With Ephemera it was the same process as Absolute Zero.

Maybe just in an elevated way. People are always going to make comparisons but it’s important to stick to your gut and make the music that is honest to you.

When we’re making something together, we don’t like letting the outside world in! Creatively, our whole world is the five of us.”

In spite of having been together as a band since 2008, Little Green Cars would still be described as being relatively new to the music scene. With this in consideration, it’s truly remarkable what they have been able to accomplish in

such a short space of time. The band have already worked with some major names in music, with seasoned producer Markus Dravs being a heavy influence on their first album. This time around, a little older and a little bit wiser, the band chose to take a more hands-on approach to the production of Ephemera. So what differences this time around stand out for the band? “One evening that sticks out is when we were tracking ‘You Vs Me’,” explains Lynch. “It was the end of a long day and we were still working out the song when we were tracking Ephemera in the studio. The microphones were set up and Stevie was playing it quietly in his booth. Very slowly the band joined in with a new arrangement and it all clicked. That kind of organic way of approaching songs is very satisfying for a band, especially after a long day in the studio. I think the finished product on the album sounds beautiful.”

The title of Little Green Cars’ latest offering, Ephemera, is a nod back to a poem of the same name by W.B. Yeats.

The poem in question describes the experience of a slowly fading love. While this has obvious romantic connotations, it would be fair to say that the album title focuses more on the difficult times the band have experienced, as a group and as individuals. With the breakdown

of two romances and two family bereavements, the band haven’t exactly had it easy over the last couple of years.

“As a group we experienced deaths in our families and difficult break-ups with partners,” Lynch says. “I suppose when you grow up these things start to happen to young people, and we were no exception.” However, through the most difficult of circumstances, the band managed to find a source of inspiration, and in turn offer inspiration to others through their music. “Stevie said something that I’ll never forget,” Lynch explains. “He said that all things can be ephemeral. Good experiences and bad ones. Even though these were difficult experiences, there is a hopeful quality to them because we know that they’re not going to last forever. What’s left is a kind of nostalgia that never leaves you, but actually shapes you in a positive way.”

Breaking America is on the agenda of any band really trying to establish themselves on the world stage. Making it at home is one thing; making it across the pond is another entirely, but after touring the heartlands of the United States an incredible four times already with a further 40 tour-dates this summer, it’s safe to say that Little Green Cars have done just that, and in spectacular fashion. For an Irish band in their twenties, this is no easy feat. “The feeling of

selling out shows in America will always be unforgettable,” Lynch reveals. Speaking of the universality of their music, he continues: “Our music seems to attract a very wide demographic of people. What encourages us to continue is seeing what our music means to teenagers, fathers, mothers and people going through difficult or happy times. We’ve made so many important friendships from touring in the States who we still keep in touch with, and seeing what our music means to people in America is a really special feeling.”

With Ephemera entering the Irish charts at an impressive no. 2 spot it seems there’ll be no red lights for Little Green Cars anytime soon. Hot off the return of their tour in the US this summer the band play Dublin’s Iveagh Gardens on July 23rd, which promises to be a show not to be missed from these talented Dublin natives.

Dylan Lynch of Dublin indie outfit Little Green Cars take time out from a US tour to tell Róisín Monk about breaking America and musically translating the challenges of young adulthood

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Dublin de Rigueur A slice of UNIVERSITY Fashion Name: Ciaran ‘top mot’ Gallagher Course: English and Drama Year: 4, apparently Clothes: SOMETIMES Jacket – Online from Urban Outfitters.

Jumper – H&M 4 years ago.

Trousers – New Look.

“I got the jacket from Urban Outfitters and I really think the black brings out my eyes. The jeans are from New Look and there’s a great supply of men’s skinny jeans in there, yes sir. Just a little tip to the boys out there. My favourite piece is my jacket – it smells like my youth.”

Name: Roisin O’Donovan Course: Masters in Psychology Clothes: Headband ­Monsoon Dress ­Monsoon Coat ­T.K. Maxx Boots: Handmade in Portugal.

“My boyfriend’s mom got me the scarf just last week. KEVIN, do you know where your mum got the scarf?! I love it though.”

Photos: Aisling McGuire

With the summer steadily creeping up on us, LAURA BROHAN talks about the best way to kick-start your holidays with the season’s most fashionable festival The Vogue Festival has been constantly growing since its inception five years ago and is now a firm fixture on the fashion calendar. It is a celebration of one of the most respected and influential publications in the fashion industry. The festival is made up primarily of a series of talks, tutorials and masterclasses from industry insiders. British Vogue celebrates its centenary this year and this milestone will be reflected in the theme and quality of this year’s festival. The festival is backed for the third year in a row by another icon of British fashion: Harrods.

The festival offers an insight into the minds of some of fashion’s most legendary figures, including designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabanna and Vogue’s creative director Grace Coddington. One of the most hyped events in this year’s line-up is a discussion focusing on make-up between Kim Kardashian West and renowned make-up artist Charlotte Tilbury, who have previously collaborated on makeup tutorials on

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Kim Kardashian West’s app. This year’s festival focuses heavily on offering practical insights to people aspiring to work in the fashion and beauty industry. Shoe designer (and winner of the BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund Award 2016) Sophia Webster, bestknown for her playful, quirky designs, will discuss the importance of brand identity when building a brand. There will also be a masterclass with Vogue assistants talking about how they broke into the industry and a panel discussion with industry insiders about the best way to start a career in fashion.

This year’s Vogue Festival will take place in London on May 21st and 22nd. It boosts an impressive line-up and with a century of stylish history to celebrate, this year’s extravaganza is sure to be one of the most fashionable ways to kick off the summer.

Illustration: Dearbhla Ross

"British Vogue celebrates its centenary this year and this milestone will be reflected in the theme and quality of this year's festival.''

Homme Fatale: Who are the real supermodels of our generation?

Katie Devlin calls out the so-called ‘social supermodels’ of today and instead looks at the real fashion trailblazers: men The 1980s and 1990s were undeniably revolutionary for the fashion industry.

Following the social and cultural changes affecting women that took place during the previous decades, fashion had become less of a question of just ‘clothing’ and practicality, and more of a means of self-expression and statements. Fashion was fun, but it also had something to say.

That being said, not everybody wanted to listen. Fashion was still at a stage where it not only seemed inaccessible, but for many, unnecessary. At the time, the vast majority of actresses did not want to model clothes or pose for the cover of magazines because they saw themselves as serious artists and fashion was regarded a frivolous endeavour.

Thus, the industry needed to create its own breed of celebrity to blaze the trail, and the supermodel as we understand it was born. However, most fashion magazines on newsstands today boast an actress, musician or other famous figure on their covers, with landing a Vogue cover seen as a prestigious accomplishment for any high profile star.

Increasingly, designers and creative directors have been opting to hire celebrities such as actors and singers with existing star power to lead campaigns and even appear in runway shows. This begs the question: does the term ‘supermodel’ really mean anything anymore?

In recent seasons, ad campaigns for luxury fashion brands have been pushing the boundaries of what actually defines a high fashion model. Designer Marc Jacobs has been prone to featuring more and more women in his campaigns that do not fit the typical model mould, including plus size singer Beth Ditto, transgender film director Lana Wachowski, and ‘older’ women such as

Winona Ryder and Sofia Coppola, both 44.

Is it necessary in today’s fashion industry to have young, tall women whose job description solely entails ‘supermodel’ in order to sell or attract attention to them?

That is not to say that the fashion industry no longer needs models. In fact, quite the opposite. Whilst actors and singers may appear on magazine covers and occasionally in ad campaigns, there is still a strong need for models to appear in shoots and on the runway. However, it should no longer be necessary for these models to fit certain physical requirements or indeed add ‘super’ to their job title. The fashion industry today is a completely different environment to what it was in the heyday of Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington, and no longer needs its own specific brand of celebrity to thrive.

So what does it mean when we refer to Gigi and Kendall as modern day supermodels?

Calling them ‘social supermodels’ is highly problematic. They are covering no more ground than those before them did, but yet are on a platform which allows them more public exposure and attention. Today, being a ‘supermodel’ is not perceived in the same way as it was 20 years ago, and in this way, contemporary models can easily become viewed as little more than ‘Instagram celebrities’ or reality stars in a time where everyone seems to be a model of some sort.

In some ways, today’s models are creating a new environment in a similar way that their predecessors did. The problem is that this social media environment is more detrimental than helpful to them due to the way it can make a celebrity out of almost anyone. What actually sets them apart? What makes them so ‘super’?

This new supermodel system is proving instrumental to the current menswear renaissance. In recent years and even more noticeably so in recent months, the male supermodel has begun his ascent to the forefront of the fashion industry. Although a select few have broken out to achieve name recognition and something of a celebrity status (Tyson Beckford springs to mind), male models were rarely required to develop a fan-base or public persona.

This fundamentally came down to the fact that men are not traditionally interested in fashion, and famous male faces were not needed to sell clothes to them.

Now, however, it is becoming the norm for men to not only follow trends, but also to pay attention to high fashion designers and the style of male celebrities. Stars such as Justin Bieber, Zayn Malik and Michael B. Jordan among many others have been regularly spotted front row at men’s fashion shows, in ad campaigns and simply showing not only an attention to but also a respect towards fashion that until recently, has not been all that common. Menswear is leaving the stage where it is regarded as frivolous and preparing to enter the fashion arena via the same path that womenswear took back in the 80s and 90s.

Lucky Blue Smith, Jon Kortajarena and Sean O’Pry to name a few are the Claudias, Naomis and Cindys of today, and not Kendall, Gigi and company as we have been led to believe. Because whilst the female ‘supermodels’ currently dominating the industry are simply following in the footsteps of their predecessors, the boys are blazing a whole new trail of their own.

''Calling them 'social supermodels' is highly problematic. They are covering no more ground that those before them did, but yet are on a platform which allows them more public exposure and attention.''

The Make-Up Shake Down Ciara Dempsey looks at the ethical trailblazers in make-up today who are creating their products entirely cruelty free and vegan friendly When it comes to finding cruelty free and/or vegan makeup, something that seems like it should be a simple enough Google search is rather more complicated. Companies deliberately use confusing phrasing in mission statements. They might not test, but have their ingredients tested elsewhere. However, much to the delight of animal lovers everywhere, there are a large number of companies that are wholly cruelty free. Two stand-out cruelty free companies to consider are cult favourites Lime Crime and Anastasia Beverly Hills.

Lime Crime, for those of you that aren’t familiar, are probably the creator of that navy blue or mint green lipstick you saw on Instagram once. Branding themselves as “makeup for unicorns,” Lime Crime are well known for their bold and unusual lip colours. Their Velvetine liquid lipsticks helped to kickstart the current obsession with ultra-matte liquid lipsticks. Founded in 2008, Lime Crime have been vocally cruelty

free from the beginning and made the transition from mostly-vegan to entirely vegan in 2012. Despite recent controversies surrounding a leak in privacy details of their customers, Lime Crime still remain one of the forerunners in cruelty free and vegan makeup and with many new products recently released, they’re only going to continue to grow.

Another favourite of the Instasphere are the goddesses of brows Anastasia Beverly Hills. When you think of brows, you think ABH. Got that perfect gradient and an arch to die for? Probably used ABH. The only thing better than flawless Anastasia brows is the fact that this pioneer of the on-fleek eyebrow trend are a cruelty free company. Unlike Lime Crime, they don’t use this as a marketing point; it’s not stated on their website and rarely mentioned on their social media, but they are certified by PETA. With more and more people making the switch to using cruelty free makeup, or simply appreciating cruelty free companies without using them exclusively, it

seems likely that ABH might actually benefit from being more vocal about their cruelty free status, especially considering the fact that Lime Crime’s cruelty free status doesn’t seem to be deterring any customers.

In recent times, it’s not uncommon for people to actively boycott non-cruelty free companies. When Urban Decay made the decision to sell in China, where animal testing is required by law, there was such outrage among their fans that they revoked the decision. In fact, with the EU ban on animal testing, it seems that many more companies would be cruelty free if it wasn’t for the appeal of the Chinese market. Hopefully, the popularity of cruelty free brands might entice more companies to follow suit, because let’s be real; all the makeup in the world is never going to make us as adorable as the poor lab bunnies who deserve better.

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The Summer Strategy Lucy Coffey lists the perfect way to keep your summer look fresh and cool without compromising your comfort or style

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In our last issue, we look at how to match summer goals with Irish realities by pairing the simple with the sublime. Dennis’s key look exemplifies the easy switch between tropical and thunderstorm by balancing out orange chinos and a beige, woollen polo neck with a navy chord shirt and distressed brown bomber.

The layering allows the wearer to disturb a typically demure pallet of burnt umber and ecru with a splash of something darker or brighter – playing to the brightness of the day or coolness of the night. If your intent is a trip down to the beach for a session on the Irish coast, or maybe a foray to somewhere more exotic, the colours in this outfit can form the foundation for any summer look without breaking the bank. With the inspiration for his look taken from the Vivienne SS16 Red Label collection, there’s no doubt that the accents of metallic in his link-chain necklace play to the relaxed-punk look that Westwood has started to incorporate into her label and which is gradually filtering down to the high-street.

The classic summer dress is another staple that can be hard to find, especially when the summer rush leaves you with little choice and a lot of drab. Sometimes finding that classic summer look is by sticking to something simple,

flighty and a little bit sexy. To illustrate this, Darya poses in a dress of powder blue, with a deep cowl neck. A blend of cotton and nylon, this dress is perfect for those light and airy days abroad as it sets off any skin tone, light or dark, and draws out depth in complexion, eye and hair colour. A soft set of natural pleats and a slightly longer hem-line means you could wear this dress in a more formal setting, and paired with a khaki trench coat it gives off that Holly Golightly-girl look. Matched with a pair of silver oxfords means you can leave the accessorisation to a minimum, and roam the streets of Dublin and New York alike in perfect comfort.

With the staple colours and pieces established, it’s time to refine your summer wardrobe. Saving money is key when going abroad so trying to spend as little on extras, which unfortunately clothes are when you’re trying to stuff everything in that roll-on, is the ultimate goal. Focusing your outfit down to a ratio of one key piece and several smaller but pairable and wearable ones is how you stay fresh and demure, even if you’re only going on a quick trip up North. For example, Darya paired a pistachio-coloured tulle skirt with a light cream blouse patterned with butterflies

and flowers in pops of colour. These pieces are easily interchangeable as their colours are delicate and can offset darker hues or accent lighter ones. So swapping the blouse for a cami when the humidity gets unbearable or the skirt for jeans if the rain starts pounding is an easy feat. Indeed, it’s so on trend that we can see it reflected in some of the most popular brands of the season, with the Michael Kors SS16 epitomising this in its use of colour, matching bolder colours with blacks or whites.

Never forgetting the make-up and accessory side of the look, Darya sports an intense smoky eye with a midnight blue concentration and rust overtone blended into the brow bone.

Offset with dewy skin, a smudge of blush on her cheeks and a matte peach lip, this look was inspired by Christian Child, who specialises in high-fashion make-up that translates well into current trend. By keeping the overall look soft and the eye strong, you can highlight your best and most piercing feature without having to alter your look for night-time wear.

By adding a shimmer of gold to your cupid’s bow and the inside corner of your eye, you can force the focus even more and make sure your glamour doesn’t get wasted. Meanwhile, keeping the accessories light for your travels

will work in your favour – both in the amount of accessories you wear and the colour. Keep the gold tones more on to the white or yellowgolds and, if you want that splash of colour try and go for a twist on the obvious. Dennis sports a necklace modelled on the green and blue tones of beetle backs, and the high shine on each piece allows for a startling colour contrast with anything you’re wearing.

Formulating a summer outfit for both foreign and familiar climates is difficult.

Sometimes keeping it simple is the easiest way to make sure you have a bag full of banging pieces as well as enough room for all your tasty souvenirs.

Photographers: James hEALY & Dmytro Moyseyev Models: Darya Protsenko & Dennis Shaw Make-Up Artist: Tess Stokes Supplier: The Harlequin Stylist: Lucy Coffey

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Chasing Pavements: Finnian O’Cionnaith

A book about land surveying might not be the first title most people reach to pick up upon arriving in Easons, but Finnian O’Cionnaith’s latest offering is a unique retrospective on Dublin in days gone by. Exercise of Authority is O’Cionnaith’s second book about land surveying in eighteenth century Dublin. His first book, published in 2012, is Mapping, Measurement and Metropolis: How Land Surveyors Shaped Eighteenth Century Dublin and it deals with a wide range of land surveyors and how they aided in the development of Dublin city.

O’Cionnaith’s second book, however, takes a more microscopic look at land surveying in Dublin through the eyes of Thomas Owen and the Dublin Paving Board.

In contrast to Mapping, Measurement and Metropolis which was a “macro look over an industry from about 1690 to about 1810”, Exercise of Authority revisits the same subject but from the perspective of one individual.

“There were a load of really great individuals involved but there was one guy, Thomas Owen…

I touched upon it in my first book and I kept coming back to it. I’d look at somebody else and say “aw they were really successful, they had a great career,” but I kept thinking about the Paving Board.” What was it for O’Cionnaith then, that kept bringing him back to this one idea and the work of Thomas Owen?

“You had this surveyor who was providing very important information for the running of the city, but you also had the organisation that, even though it was 250 years ago, so much of it was familiar… At the time I was actually working in the waste management industry and they were actually dealing with waste management issues in those days using the same sort of techniques. So, in many ways, I was looking at my own professional ancestor which I found very interesting.”

Certainly appealing for those with an interest in land surveying, but what about the rest of us, whose knowledge of land surveying extends as far as the people in hi-vis, on the side of the road with a funny looking camera? Is O’Cionnaith’s book for a niche readership only?

Apparently not. O’Cionnaith says that although undoubtedly an interest for those concerned by 18th century history or spatial measurements in urban management (you probably can’t get more specific than that), it will also be of appeal for the general public.

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“I always try and write for my friends and family and just see it from their perspective.

Would they enjoy this? It’s not just a cold analysis of how an organisation works. I try and put in as many stories and anecdotes as I can just to show you that this isn’t just happening in a board room or in minute books, this is real life people with real life issues, and real life Dubliners living in the same city and having the same issues… it really is for me the human element in how mapping and measurement impacts human lives… I think anyone can appreciate that.”

O’Cionnaith isn’t wrong. As he talks about 18th century Dublin, it is impossible not to draw parallels with Dublin city of the 21st century.

Exercise of Authority highlights the issues that the public and the Paving Board clashed over.

“A lot of it was resentment against taxation,” he says. “Everybody who owned a house was taxed on this and that money went towards the Paving Board. So in a lot of respects, issues we have today. People resent that intrusion into their lives, so that’s even where the title comes from. The Paving Board was an exercise of authority who controlled the streets. They were trying to organise traffic coming through College Green. They were trying to tell people which side of the road to drive on. They were implementing traffic restrictions.”

The Paving Board seemed to anger quite a number of people with these restrictions and taxes, and as a result, they were met with aggression.

“Some of it was downright buggery or vandalism, like you get in any city. People were just going around smashing lamps or they’d push the lamp lighters from ladders, that sort of day to day violence, late night rioting. The city wasn’t as peaceful as it is now with a police force, the gardaí. They didn’t really have a force like that. The board was empowered to fine or imprison anyone outside of the normal criminal justice system itself, which I always found very interesting. It would be like your local authority could send you to jail without ever even going to court and the only person you could appeal to was them.”

It’s hard to imagine the city like that today, but the people of 18th century Dublin didn’t appear to completely bow down to the power of the Paving Board either. “There was political turmoil at the time and there was a riot in

College Green, I mention it in the book, and the privatisation of the Paving Board was really what broke the camel’s back.” One can’t help but notice the similarities to the Paving Board and Irish Water, which was the last straw for many 21st century Dubliners too.

With all of this talk about the city, it’s difficult to miss the passion in O’Cionnaith’s voice for the capital and its landscape. At this stage, he must know the city like the back of his hand.

“I do, and the problem is, I know so many of the streets by their old pre-independent names, so I accidently find myself directing people to Sackville Street. That’s all totally my fault!” he laughs. “But yeah. I love the city and for me, it’s a passion about my own home and also my own industry. Just the history of it, and to bring the two of them together is just wonderful.”

So then, what are O’Cionnaith’s feelings about 21st century Dublin city, which can often come under criticism? “Cities have to evolve. We can’t live in a museum. I think it’s great seeing the LUAS across the city. I think the legacy we leave in our infrastructure, even things like the M50 that is a legacy that will last for centuries.

Positive or negative? Hopefully positive, but it will be there. I think everyone would love to see more being done with O’Connell Street.

It’s such a beautiful street… We’re doing better than a lot of cities, we’ve much to learn but this is the thing about managing a city. There’s no instruction book. Every city is different, every era is different.”

With passion and knowledge as great as O’Cionnaith’s, Exercise of Authority sounds like the makings of a captivating insight into Dublin city both 18th century and now.

Finnian O’Cionnaith speaks to Maebh Butler about the release of his second book, Exercise of Authority, and the parallels between 21st and 18th century Dublin

Photo: Caitriona Ennis and Ian Toner in Wild Sky

“With an empty grey stage and all three performers donning plain grey clothing for the entirety of the performance, the script was always the intended focal point.”

Wild Sky in Review Lucy Mortell takes an in depth analysis of Deirdre Kinahan’s Wild Sky, and dissects the dramatic structure of the piece There has been no shortage of events to commemorate the centenary of the 1916 Rising, but Wild Sky, a poignant play capturing the events that led up to the Rising brings its own fresh perspective.

This production of Deirdre Kinahan’s play is funded by Meath County Council and the action takes place on the outskirts of Dublin. Kinahan explores how the events that took place in the City Centre rippled through the county and the entire country.

Wild Sky takes a sensitive look at the cost of the Rising to the nation and to the private lives of ordinary people.

A graduate of UCD, Kinahan is a Dublin-based playwright and the founder of Tall Tales Theatre Company. She was commissioned to write the play by the Meath County Council Arts Officer, Gerardette Bailey, to commemorate the Rising. In her introductory note for the production, Kinahan admits that she was daunted at the prospect of writing a play about such a momentous event.

She decided to look at the Rising from a rural perspective – looking to the dramatic events in Dublin from nearby

County Meath. While the play is a work of fiction, Kinahan says she was inspired by human experience and passion. During her research she uncovered the many different views of the Rising at the time. To reflect this reality she uses two narrators to guide her audience through the play.

This production takes place at the Bewley’s Café Theatre – a fitting Dublin City Centre landmark for a play with Dublin at its centre. With just three performers, the play tells the love story of Josie Dunne and Tom Farrell and their friend Mike Lowrey against the backdrop of the political and military unrest. This is a strong cast made up of three Irish Times Theatre Awards nominated actors, UCD graduate Caitriona Ennis as Josie and Ian Toner as Tom. Live music, which supports the play, is arranged and composed by Grammy award-winner Susan McKeown and performed by Mary Murray on stage.

The play gets off to a powerful start set against the background of the retreat from the GPO. The story unfolds as Tom and Josie reflect on the recent happenings in their small, tightknit community. The core of the narrative revolves around three central characters: Josie, Tom and their childhood friend Mike, whom we never meet. A love triangle is exposed with Tom who pines for Josie, while Josie only has eyes for Mike. We see how the trio deal with this personal drama as the political upheaval surrounds them. To Josie’s disgust, Mike joins the British Army and she responds by joining up with Inghinidhe na h’Eireann and the Irish Women’s Suffrage League.

Tom joins the rebels in Dublin in the hope

of winning Josie’s affections. We hear Tom telling of his journey home from the GPO and his thoughts on the whole affair while separately we hear Josie telling us of her memories of their radicalisation through the various events and scenarios they shared.

This play has no dialogue. All the speech is presented in a series of individual monologues. This structure presents its own challenges for the audience, and it is complicated further as Tom and Josie’s narratives lie in two completely different points in time, so it’s quite easy for the audience to get lost as the characters never verbally interact with each other. The audience needs to pay attention and must be entirely invested in both characters’ stories to follow the narrative. Both actors rise to this challenge, however. Toner and Ennis catch and keep their audience’s attention throughout, delivering incredibly moving and captivating performances that leave everyone watching clinging to every word. While their stories are separate, they remain connected throughout. Without ever speaking to each other, each offered a ghostlike presence during the other’s speeches. Whether they moved, sometimes unbearably close to the other, or acted as a muse, there was always a powerful connection between the two characters.

They made the audience laugh, cry and feel uncomfortable at all the right moments.

Murray’s presence seemed almost intrusive as she intermittently burst into song throughout, but her presence provided a crucial dramatic device that supported the narrative. She represented

different female characters through movement, body language and slight shifts in facial expressions.

The stage in Bewley’s theatre is small and the sparse set and no props means sole focus is on the actors. Directed by Jo Mangan, the space was utilised incredibly well. Mangan skilfully made the reliance on monologues dynamic through clever choreography, movement and pause.

The costume and set design were simple and beautiful. With an empty grey stage and all three performers donning plain grey clothing for the entirety of the performance, the script was always the intended focal point. Moments of significance were highlighted by lighting with subtle changes and pulling the narrative along making up for the absence of any props, set changes or indication of time on stage. The only way the audience could follow the story was by paying close attention to the speeches. The simplicity and minimalism of the design ensured the complexity of the script could be fully appreciated.

Deirdre Kinahan’s play explores new ways of thinking about socialism, nationalism and feminism. Through a well-written story, beautiful music, extraordinary performances, simple design and a historic year for national pride, Kinahan and Mangan have created an outstanding theatrical experience. In her programme note, Kinahan hopes to inspire her audience to look back at an extraordinary time and Wild Sky manages to do exactly that.

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When 1916 Meets Modern Day: Lia Mills Lia Mills’ novel Fallen was published in 2014. This year, two years after its publication, and even longer since she began writing the novel, it has been chosen to represent Dublin in the One City, One Book programme. Mills describes her shock at the novel being chosen to both represent Dublin, and also commemorate the 1916 Rising. “I couldn’t believe it,” she says.

“Fallen is dedicated to the city of Dublin, so I was beyond thrilled by the selection.”

The novel follows Katie Crilly as she navigates life in 1916 Dublin. Despite its historical setting, Fallen creates a narrative that is familiar even today. “Many of Katie’s problems transcend time – they are recurring human issues that re-surface in every century, even if they come disguised as something else.”

Problems such as dealing with the sudden loss of a family member and deciding on plans for the future are universal to every young person, but in Fallen, Katie must deal with these issues while at the same time living through a rebellion. Mills also describes her aim for Katie to be a strong female protagonist to inspire and relate the themes so recognisable to young women today. Was it important for Mills to create a strong character who could work through these universal issues during a time of such conflict? In her opinion, the issues remain the same while the world changes around them. “Circumstances might change, but I don’t think the fundmentals of human nature do, or not much.”

The character of Katie Crilly must be revived after the traumatic death of her brother, Liam, fighting for the British army in 1914. “She’s been in a state of near-paralysis emotionally since he was killed. I wanted to bring her back to life.”

This is where many young people would see parallels in their own lives, a situation that forces them to think about their choices, and for Katie: “what kind of person

does she want to be?”

Against the background of the 1916 Rising, it is fitting that this journey is one of strength in the face of adversity, just as the Rising itself was. “It’s about survival, re-engaging with life in a meaningful way.”

The 1916 Rising as the setting for a novel is something Mills had been thinking about for a while. “Back in the 1990s I did research and taught in the Women’s Education, Research and Resource Centre (WERRC) in UCD. My area of interest was turn of the (last) century Irish women writers – so I knew something about the cultural history of the time.”

The time period is of course one of conflict and tension, but also of new ideas and progression, which is what initially attracted Mills to the idea of basing a story in 1916. “I always thought it must have been an exciting time to be alive in Ireland, with so much change in the air – especially for women.” The aspect of change is evident in the novel, with Katie befriending many influential women, spreading new ideas and deciding on a path for her own future by furthering her education. Revolution fosters change, and we see this more clearly when looking back on the events of Ireland’s past, as today in 2016 we commemorate and delve deeper into the thoughts behind the 1916 Rising.

Despite the novel’s portrayal of life during this period of change, Mills did not expect Fallen to come to represent Dublin during the centenary year. “When I started to write the novel, the centenary was years away,” she says. “It didn’t occur to me that publication would nearly coincide with it – when someone pointed that out to me, I assumed there would be so many other books set during the Rising that no one would want to publish mine. Luckily for me, that didn’t happen.”

“There’d be no point in writing it if I was to turn coy or evasive, or try to soften the experience too much.”

It is true, however, and even more noticeable this year, that there is an intricate link between the arts and Ireland’s historical identity, and the Rising in particular. Mills puts this down to several reasons. “The official narrative has all the elements of great fiction: strong characters and plot, romance and betrayal, high stakes, impossible odds, the surprise twist at the end that changes everything, new life in the ruins of the old world.” She describes the Rising as happening “in the context of an intense cultural renaissance.”

Again, a time of change that is constantly reimagined in the works of literature and art commemorating the Rising.

Essentially, as Mills sums it up, “it’s our creation myth, it’s no wonder we’re attached to it.” But she also praises the “re-assessments and honest critical engagement” with the 1916 Rising that this year has seen. “Maybe when this year is over we’ll be free to move on.”

Fallen, as well as Mills’ other books, all share a sense of honesty and reality that contributes to the universality of their themes. Was it a deliberate decision to tell

these stories as truthfully as possible? “I think fiction can explore and test truth in ways that non-fiction can’t. Reading fiction opens up that possibility for exploration to a near-infinite degree, depending on the receptivity of the reader and the skill of the writer.”

The level of truth that goes into her novels is clear, and Mills has said that she found her memoir, In Your Face, which deals with her treatment for cancer, much less exposing than the novels. Honesty in writing is obviously something Mills values.

“There’d be no point in writing it if I was to turn coy or evasive, or try to soften the experience too much.”

As UCD’s writer in residence, Mills works with many aspiring writers, and her advice for anyone who wishes to succeed as a writer is simply to write and read. “We all have a lot to learn and the only way to learn is by doing it, so the sooner you start – and commit yourself to it – the better.” She stands by the idea that you must keep stretching yourself and changing in order to improve. “Being a writer is a lifelong apprenticeship. Everything you write teaches you something new, you’re always learning… And sometimes, inevitably, you’ll fall flat on your face, or not meet your own aspirations. Then you just have to suck it up and try again, try harder.”

With a busy year ahead promoting Fallen for the One City, One Book programme, you could expect Mills to take a break. But the author promises a new novel is waiting.

Siobhan Mearon talks to UCD’s author in residence, Lia Mills, about writing, the 1916 Rising, and the universal themes of revolution

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FaTal Fourway Most Heartbreaking Endings

The end of childhood: Patrick Kelleher Childhood is a time filled with magic and beauty. You get dinners made for you, you’re called in the morning by a parent, you get to go to school where you can play and spend your day probably annoying a teacher. Childhood is bliss. And then one day you’re running through a park, probably kicking a ball or something else fun and then BAM!!! Puberty. Goodbye childhood. Hello acne, angst, hormones and awkward boners. They’re here to fuck you up. Everyone says that the teenage years are awful, but that one day, you’ll come out the other end. But guess what suckers – you never do! Life never gets easier (seriously, try paying rent, cooking dinners, and paying for your own electricity. It’s awful). And it is for all of these reasons that the end of childhood with the dawn of puberty is the most heartbreaking ending of all.

To make this feeling of crippling disappointment even worse is that as a child, all you can think about is the excitement of being an adult. You dress up as them – you play games where you are them – you’ll play the worst

kind of games, where you’re a teacher or a doctor or nurse, all the while failing to realise that you are quite literally pretending to be working, miserable adults. There is nothing appealing about this lifestyle.

Innocence is magical and blissful. You don’t have to worry about money, commitments, or the woes of the world. All you have to worry about is who you’re inviting to your birthday party. You know what you get to worry about when you’re an adult? Who you’re inviting to dinner parties.

Let that sink in for a minute.

What’s the solution to all of this, you might be asking?

Well, there is none. The only thing you can do is tell whatever children you know to enjoy what they have while they have it. They’re heading into a downward spiral that will only end with death – an ending that won’t even be heartbreaking because you’ll be so sick of being an adult at that point that you’ll be well primed to accept your fate. So please, warn all the kids around you of what is to come; they might as well try to enjoy the only years of true happiness they have.

The end of Friends: Eva Griffin Friends taught me that I’m the funny one in my social circle – as exemplified by this excellent and Friends: the quintessential show of the 90s that ushered us gently into the start of a new millennium. hilarious article.

While I can relive the unbeatable experience We’ve all see it, we all loved it and yes, we all miss of sitting in Central Perk whenever I like thanks to it. One could say that Friends was the glue holding our fractured society together. Whenever that wacky the stagnant schedule of Comedy Central, it really bums me out that we’ll never have a new episode and wonderful gang popped up on our screens, you of Friends. I know all the lines off by heart now simply knew that everyone else in the world was and frequently make everyone around me laugh sitting on their crusty couches watching the same by comparing every situation to an episode of thing. Uniformity – there’s nothing like it.

Friends. There’s nothing better than me shouting The best thing about Friends is that everyone PIVOT when my good chums are trying to move can identify with one of the characters. Personally, a piece of furniture, or when I say ‘ha, lads, this I’ve always seen myself as the Chan-man. Watching is just like that time Joey wouldn’t share his food Chandler make his great quips and get a laugh from – would ye ever get yer own bag of chips, Aisling!’ all of his mates, I could catch a glimpse of myself.

Cue endless laughter and barrels of fun. EVA DOESN’T SHARE FOOD! I think we can all agree that while the ending to Friends was satisfying after 10 seasons of great craic, I bet we’d all love 10 more years of Ross and Rachel – maybe they could go on another break! The reason I should win this final fatal fourway is because no heartbreak can compare to the loss of the greatest TV show of the 20th and 21st centuries – that’s two centuries and nothing can beat Friends. So let’s all raise a cup of the finest New York brew and say a toast to Friends – you may be gone, but we’ll be there for you!

The end of a box of Pringles: Gráinne Loughran It’s a Saturday night. I’m sitting on the sofa (alone, of course), and I’m mostly horizontal, but my head is kind of peeking up and aimed at the television. I’m covered in crumbs from food I don’t even remember eating. And then I reach into the Pringles box for a few Pringles to stuff into my already salivating gob, and am left tragically grasping at air.

Maybe it’s a false alarm. Maybe the ridiculous tube shaped container is hiding Pringles at the bottom and my non-tube shaped hand just can’t find them. I tear my eyes away from Tattoo Fixers. I extract my

hand from the tube with difficulty and peer inside, but no. It’s true. There are no Pringles left. I am doomed.

There is no goodbye more mournful than one in which the memories of your loved one remain so vivid and clear in your mind that it almost feels like they’re still there. The tang of salt and vinegar is still on my tongue. I can still feel the crunch of the crisps between my teeth, breaking into hundreds of tiny pieces of deliciousness. I start searching the inside of my mouth with my tongue for any remnants. I even go so far as to wonder whether that half a Pringle

that fell down the front of my top earlier might still be there somewhere.

And worst of all, the thirst. I am horizontal and clearly incapable of moving. But after my tube of salt and vinegar I am like a stranded sailor who hasn’t had fresh water in weeks.

Pringles, why have you forsaken me?

You have left me feeling full of your deliciousness but oddly unsatisfied, forever wanting more, like in a bad breakup. Goodbye, tube of Pringles.

Until next Saturday night.

The end of a cup of tea: Karl Quigley I’m not the only fatal fourwayer (if you will) that has chosen some form of food as their saddest ending, but I’ll be damned if people don’t hear and thus relate to my plight. It is something we almost all know the sting of, and it involves the sweet nectar of the gods: tea.

You know when you make a good cup of tea, a really good cup of tea. Or hell, even just a regular cup of tea. You boil that kettle, wait like a good little girl or boy. You get that teabag and work away, milk and sugar if that is your fancy. If it’s not, hey, I’m not going

to judge, plenty of ways to make a good cup of tea, forget about the freshly made tea for too long.

Reaching over and lifting the full cup to your lips ya know. So you’ve finally got the tea and you’re doing something. Playing a game, reading a book, only to have ice cold tea meet your taste buds.

This ain’t no ice tea, it’s shite! The mug is empty doing some college work (hahahah), or maybe watching a movie, and you’re there supping away and so is my life. It’s one of the saddest, most heartbreaking things that can happen. Either way enjoying that goodness. And as the activity goes you’re sitting there like some tealess pagan fucker. on, you have to tip that mug further and further So there’s a couple of things you can do; you can to get a drink out of it, and if you’re invested in the activity, I feel like many of you know what I’m pause what you’re doing and get some more. Or you can sit there, lonely and without tea. Or try the about to say. puppy dog look to whoever is around you: parents, You reach for your mug and you tip it towards siblings, house mates, whatever! Looking into that your mouth and a few sad drops fall into your empty mug is about as sad as anything can get. mouth. Oh Jesus no, it’s gone. Or god forbid you

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1: James Healy 2: Gareth Phelan 3: Aisling Kraus 4: Annabelle Nguyen 5: Annabelle Nguyen

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