Westworld - Issue 6 - March 2011

March 2011

006

Exploring Arts, Culture, Music & Film within Bristol.

WESTWORLD

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Featured Artist - Sophie Madeline Waitt

Sophie Madeline Waitt Sophie Madeline Waitt is a third year Drawing and Applied Arts student.

This series of images aim to recreate the personal emotions felt in response to a specific site. Barrow Gurney hospital is a huge abandoned psychiatric institution, isolated by the surrounding landscape. It closed in 2006 after having been branded one of the dirtiest hospitals in Britain. It is currently being dismantled.

EXHIBTION INFORMATION: Barrow Gurney Institution Opening night / Private view 10th March 8pm 10 Mar - Apr 2011 Sublime Bar 31 King Street Bristol, Avon BS1 4DZ sophiewaitt@gmail.com 07707063415

Front cover Title: 'Time machine' Jonathan Granger Level 3 Graphic Design Jonathan's work is predominantly illustration based, with a strong use of colour and my main goal when designing is to keep it simple and to the point. www.jonathangranger.com Jonathan_ granger@hotmail.com

Submit Artwork westworldinfo@gmail.com

Publications Editor George Rowe

Submission deadline for the April issue - March 20th

Editors Sean Guest Alice Palmer Brown

Join us on Facebook Westworld news Twitter twitter.com/Westworld_news Tumblr westworld-news.tumblr.com

Creative Direction & Design James Somerfield hello@jamessomerfield.co.uk Alex Green alexinleeds@gmail.com

Contributors Jonathan Granger Sophie Madeline Waitt Alice Palmer Brown Kate Bird Lucia Dobson-Smith Sophia Jarvis Emily McCorry Hattie Barnes John Howell Rob Meek

Contact UWE Publications Frenchay Campus Coldharbour Lane Bristol, BS16 1QY www.westerneye.net Typeset Grotesque MT Std Berthold Akzidenz Grotesk & Warnock Pro

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Eight Drawings & Oneman Travelplan / Arnolfini

EIGHT DRAWINGS

and ONEMAN TRAVELPLAN

By Alice Palmer Brown

As 2011 marks the 50th anniversary of Bristol’s Arnolfini, Kate Bird takes a closer look at what makes the place such a success.

–

Half a Century of Innovation

THIS FEBRUARY/MARCH Matthew Douglas, an MA Fine Art student at UWE, exhibits his work at the Christmas steps.

Believed to be ‘his most industrious and intricate work to date’, Matthew presents us with art produced during the latter months of 2010. Accompanying the exhibition is a limited edition catalogue featuring all drawings on the show.

Since 2002 Matthew has been making temporary work in the form of sculptures, actions and installations. Most recently, he has worked with steel both in Bristol and London and sculptures in Berlin all of which only existed for the duration of their exhibition. He currently lives and works in Somerset and Bristol.

His exhibition at the Christmas steps opens Monday 28th of February and runs until Saturday 5th of March. Following this, Matthew will be curating ONEMAN TRAVELPLAN, at the same venue. This exhibition by Daniel le Mesurier presents a selection of art forms inspired by le Mesurier’s travels in West Africa. Out of this stimulating experience developed an abundance of material: ‘hundreds of photographs, drawings, an enriched travel diary and weeks of video footage’.

From this Matthew Douglas and le Mesurier have compiled an exhibition presenting a varied selection from this archive, of drawings, limited edition photographs and an edited film.

Now, two years after his travels, le Mesurier is working as part of ‘a growing collective of artists cultivating 'the island' into a strong, current centre of art’ and holds a studio in the old Bridewell police station, Bristol.

Both events will take place at 18 Christmas Steps, Bristol BS1 5PS. For more information email: information.douglas@gmail.com or visit www.matthewdouglas.eu EIGHT DRAWINGS - Exhibition opens Monday 28th February and runs until Saturday 5th March.

Opening times: 12pm until 5pm. A closing event will take place on Saturday 5th March from 13:00. Free Entry.

– ONEMAN TRAVELPLAN - Exhibition opens Monday 6th March and runs until Saturday 12th March.

Opening times: 12pm until 5pm

YOU MAY KNOW BRISTOL’S CULTURAL HEART, the historic waterfront, more for its lively night spots than for its art galleries. Then again, the Arnolfini, located in the former tea warehouse opposite the Vshed, is so much more than just an art gallery. The building’s 3 floors and 5 exhibition spaces play host to some of the most innovative and experimental contemporary art around, encompassing everything from performance to sound art, from film to interactive sculpture, from the benign to the bizarre: truly something for every taste and interest. And despite celebrating its 50th birthday this year, the Arnolfini looks far from a mid-life crisis or an anticipatory gaze towards retirement.

Founded in 1961 by Jeremy Rees, Annabel Lawson and John Osborn, above a book shop on Clifton triangle, the Arnolfini aims to bring all aspects of contemporary art together in order to stimulate innovation and push the boundaries of existing art to whole new levels. Rees’ mission statement, ‘to seek out challenging, often controversial, sometimes relatively unknown artists and to provide a vital showcase for their work’,

still remains the adage firmly at the centre of the Arnolfini psyche, surviving relocations to Queen Square, the building that now houses the Watershed and to its current home on Narrow Quay.

This last move in 1975 was an especially brave yet insightful one, considering that the Bristol harbourside was far from the hub of activity that it is today. In fact the move here arguably catalysed the rejuvenation of the area as a whole; making the waterfront one of the city’s most lucrative districts and cementing the Arnolfini as a tie between its native Bristolian roots and the growing international community of the arts.

Despite exhibitions from local artists, interactive work and involvement with the local universities, the main aim for the Arnolfini’s director, Tom Trevor, is to do away with preconceptions and reach a wider demographic. He claims “it’s hard to change people’s mindsets: all we can do is to present these opportunities. If anything, we need to communicate better what we do here. We did a big survey of audiences recently, which found that we’re really good at preaching to the converted, but that there was an incredible opportunity to open up to new audiences.”

This anniversary year plays host to free exhibits exploring ‘The apparatus’, provoking a much needed discussion on the nature of contemporary art; its uses and its limitations. This begins with work, largely in textiles and wood, inspired by the deadly and all too familiar sin of ‘Sloth’, created by the German artist Cosima Von Bonin. Her work aims to link high art with popular culture, with some of her pieces reminiscent of Ikea furniture and deftly described as a ‘hallucinogenic menagerie of fatigue’.

If modern art isn’t quite your thing though, the list of other events taking place throughout the year is endless and includes Japanese film, spontaneous music making with the Full Moon Orchestra, a visit from the poet laureate at the spring poetry festival as well as lectures exploring Britain’s economic situation during the festival of ideas. Also, in conjunction with UWE, the venue is hosting a number of fine art lectures from the 9th of March with free entry for students and staff.

In spite of the reported 0.5% cuts (just under £6,000) on spending on the Arnolfini by the Arts Council, the gallery’s future continues to look bright. The support provided by loyal visitors and contributors helps to fund this 2 million pound a year space and enables it to continue offering a wide range of free exhibitions and diverse events.

Here’s to the next 50 years!

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Shakespeare Review

Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory: Twelve Years and Counting

By Lucia Dobson-Smith

BRISTOL BASED Shakespeare theatre company, Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory (SATTF), are currently in the middle of a successful twelfth season, presenting a much lauded version of William Shakespeare’s Richard II at the Tobacco Factory Theatre in Bristol. A professional theatre company, SATTF have consistently received nationwide critical acclaim for their productions of some of Shakespeare’s finest material.

The company, which was established in 2000, typically produce a Shakespeare double-bill at the Tobacco Factory, between February and April each year. Their second offering for this season will be the delightfully confused identity farce, Comedy of Errors which will run from the 24th of March to the 30th of April.

Past SATTF productions include everything from Shakespeare’s ever popular comedies, such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream, to the less well known, but the equally worthy of attention, plays such as Troilus and Cressida; The Tobacco Factory Theatre provides audiences with an intimate inthe-round setting that has proved perfect for the intensely provoking and emotional interpretations of Shakespearean plays produced by SATTF. Acting under the watchful eye of artistic director Andrew Hilton, the company itself is made up of a core of 21 actors, of which a handful are chosen to play in each production.

With the absence of celebrity names in leading roles, SATTF ensure the emphasis remains on the quality of the material in hand.

Over the years the company has branched out into new territory producing plays by other authors, including a 2004 production of Thomas Middleton and William Rowley’s The Changeling, and a 2005 production of Anton Chekhov’s Three Sisters. SATTF’s 2009/2010 season saw the hugely successful production of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya, and Moliere’s The Misanthrope, both of which played on the main stage at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre. SATTF’s production of Uncle Vanya also went on to play as the centre attraction at The Galway Arts Festival in Ireland. Richard II marks SATTF’s first foray into Shakespeare’s history plays.

As an unsubsidised theatre company, receiving no government funding, SATTF rely entirely on ticket sales, patronage, and their friends scheme, through which members pay a small sponsorship, in return for special offers and booking privileges.

SATTF also run an annual program of season workshops for 12-17 year-olds, working in conjunction with local schools and colleges. The workshops are targeted at young people interested in theatre and professional acting, and many of the season workshop alumni have subsequently gone on to professional theatre training and colleges across the UK. SATTF have produced a grand total of twenty-four stage productions, and enjoy a nationwide audience. After four consecutive sell-out seasons, and playing to packed auditoriums, SATTF are hoping up to 20,000 people will see each of this year’s double-bill of Richard II and Comedy of Errors.

SATTF have consistently received nationwide critical acclaim for their productions of some of Shakespeare’s finest material.

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Richard II - Review SHAKESPEARE AT THE TOBACCO FACTORY Rehearsal images

By Sean Guest

Hilton relies on Shakespeare’s language, which he claims ‘entranced’ him at a young age, to create an image of medieval England – SOMEWHAT SURPRISINGLY, it has taken Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory’s esteemed director Andrew Hilton twelve years and twenty productions of the Bard’s finest to reach the histories. Whilst Hilton acknowledges that this is his first foray into the thus far neglected genre, he actually considers Richard II to be ‘one of Shakespeare’s first great tragedies’, which perhaps provides an insight into the thinking behind the selection.

Richard II is a play well suited to the intimate setting provided by the Tobacco Factory. The audience surrounds the action, which takes place on a small rectangular space in the centre of the room, and even become a part of the production when King Richard and his retinue sit briefly amongst them.

Hilton relies on Shakespeare’s language, which he claims ‘entranced’ him at a young age, to create an image of medieval England, rather than using props which are kept to a minimum. The subtle use of lighting and music are also a credit to the production and along with the elegant costumes, designed by Bristol Old Vic Theatre School graduate Harriet

de Winton, they further enhance Hilton’s vision.

Though not famous for its historical accuracy, Richard II provides an account of the king’s tragic decline following his decision to banish his cousin Henry Bullingbrooke, who eventually returns to dethrone the monarch, from his kingdom.

The simplistic plot permits Hilton and his cast an opportunity to engage with the characters psychologically, an endeavour in which they are extremely successful. None more so than John Heffernan, who deftly portrays the king at his most humorous, by glancing into the audience whilst delivering a delicious slice of the Bard’s wit, and at his most harrowing, by spitting out the vitriolic final tirade as if the words were his own.

Although Heffernan’s performance is faultless, it is in fact Benjamin Whitrow’s turn as John of Gaunt that steals the

show. The seasoned veteran, who played Harry Percy in the Bristol Old Vic production of Richard II in 1961, delivers an impassioned and moving portrayal that is unsurpassed on the night. Julia Hills also excels as the Duchess of York, exhibiting just the right combination of energy and emotion in tandem with a tearful Oliver Millingham as the Duke of Amurele.

The highlight of the production comes in the form of the play’s most famous scene, as Heffernan delivers the ‘scepter’d isle’ speech with an intelligent restraint that makes the subsequent loss of his kingdom, punctuated by a touching final embrace with the Queen (Ffion Jolly), all the more moving.

Engaging and intelligent, this production is at once loyal to the politics and poetry of Shakespeare’s prose and extremely modern. It is undoubtedly one of Hilton’s most triumphant interpretations to date. Long live the king!

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Shakespeare Interview

Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory Interviews:

By Sean Guest

John Heffernan

KING RICHARD II

Ffion Jolly

Richard II is less plot-focused than many of Shakespeare’s plays and instead relies upon a psychological engagement with the characters that permits both actor and audience to really get under their skin, what have you learned about yours?

I think Richard II is one of the most complex and psychologically fascinating of all of Shakespeare's characters.

His journey is vast; starting the play with an almost unassailable self-confidence that kingship has been granted to him by divine right. However, as his former friends and allies turn against him, his isolation grants him profound selfawareness. Through despair, he comes to learn that the crown is not protecting him but poisoning him and indeed all human structures and hierarchies are fundamentally superficial.

Eventually he is stripped of everything and comes to the realisation that the only search worth making is the search to become nothing.

The role demands that you capture both the humorous and harrowing sides of Richard II, often shifting between the two in the blink of an eye, how did you prepare for this?

Richard does indeed seem to suffer from some pretty violent mood swings! At its most extreme, as perhaps seen in the scene of his return from Ireland when he rocks from total conviction and authority to deep despair, I even wondered if nowadays he would be diagnosed as bipolar. He is hyperintelligent and super-articulate, and as an actor you are required to try and keep pace with the speed of those thoughts.

In fact as the play progresses, his exceptional facility with language is the only weapon he has left and it is one that he directs against both his perceived enemies and against himself.

It is one of the reasons that the character is so exhilarating for an actor to play.

You’re playing the lead in Richard II and have also appeared in King Lear, Much Ado About Nothing, Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet, which of these is your favourite Shakespeare play and why?

Well, I would have to say that at the moment Richard II is my favourite play, without question. I know this may sound incredibly pretentious but I think its insights into the human condition are so moving and so profound. I saw an amazing production of it at Stratford with Samuel West while I was studying at Bristol and I've just been in love with it ever since.

I also think King Lear has to be one of the greatest plays ever written and recently I've been intrigued by how Shakespeare has the word "nothing" echoing and reverberating through both plays. They seem to share a nihilism at times that isn't a million miles removed from Beckett.

Have you any advice for aspiring actors?

Just try and do as much of it as you can and if it ever feels like nobody is giving you the right opportunities, go ahead and put it together yourself. Sometimes you have to be utterly shameless and beat down doors but it's worth it!

QUEEN TO KING RICHARD Jack Bannell

HENRY PERCY You made your Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory debut last year in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Tempest, how was that experience and what have you been up to since?

You trained with the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, can you tell us a little about your time spent there?

I loved my time at the drama school. The quality of training in the basic arsenal of skills an actor needs is exemplary, but for me the best part was being given the opportunity to work and think like an actor for 3 years, working with professional directors and being exposed to the industry, all of which BOVTS delivered. It's a very professional institution that Bristol should be proud of.

You play Henry Percy in Richard II, can you tell us a little bit about him and how he fits into the grand scheme of things?

Henry Percy is the son of the Duke of Northumberland.

He is one of the chief instigators and allies to the rebellion against Richard II. He turns up enthusiastic and fresh faced to aid his father and the rebellion, but as the plot thickens his responsibilities grow and he finishes the play as one of the new kings (Henry IV) most trusted lords. Whether or not he trusts the new King by the end of the play is questionable.

You recently played Franklin in Upstairs Downstairs; do you prefer acting on the screen or on the stage?

I feel more comfortable on the stage as I've been practicing for 11 years (you don't get much amateur T.V out there) and I enjoy it more as it comes most naturally. However, I am enjoying the degree of subtlety you can achieve on film and am hungry for more practice.

Have you any advice for aspiring actors?

Just keep acting. A busy acting C.V., whether amateur or professional, will always help you up to the next rung on the ladder. Also, you should always make the most of every opportunity as every character in a piece of drama is important or the part would not have been written. Sometimes the small parts are the most fun!

Last year was absolutely delightful. SATTF has to be one of the friendliest companies to work for and the cast last year were a lot of fun. They are this year too. Andrew has a talent for getting together casts that can work well together and also get on as people. I relished the opportunity to play two great Shakespearean women, who are both in extraordinary situations and go through incredible emotional journeys through the stories. Having to kiss Jack Hardwick and Ben Askew was a bonus!

Since then I have been in London doing various bits and pieces including a new sci-fi drama for the Microsoft 7 phone called Timedancer and a new fusion of radio and stage drama called Auricular. It's quite refreshing coming back to do Shakespeare, I couldn't have been doing anything more removed in the meantime!

You’re playing the Queen in Richard II, is she a character with whom you sympathise?

It is very easy to sympathise the Queen, having her husband and status taken away from her. What was difficult was trying to understand her loyalty to and love of Richard, which, at the beginning of the play, seems implausible given his behaviour.

However, the beautiful scene at the end of the play in which they part is one of true love and love is rarely rational.

You graduated from the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in 2008, can you tell us a little about your time spent there?

Bristol was three years hard graft and very rewarding because of that. There is a fairly gruelling timetable of dance, singing, voice, stage combat, and acting projects in the first year. The second year is spent touring around Bristol and the West Country with three different shows and then the third year is spent doing graduate shows, a London showcase and a couple of TV and radio projects. It's a very small school so you get plenty of attention, whether you want it or not.

Have you any advice for aspiring actors?

In the words of George Michael, you gotta have faith!

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Fontstruct interview

Brick by brick

Left: “Slice The Serif ” by Kathryn Evans Prosser “Crayon” by Chris Price

UWE take over FontStruct

Below: “Xavier” by Charles Allen

By Rob Meek An interview with: John Paul Dowling & Gabriel Solomons

EVERY AUTUMN, some remarkable visitors arrive on FontStruct. For a few weeks, a great storm of creative energy rages through the gallery. Our servers creak and groan. Bricks fly in all directions. And then, as suddenly as they came, they go; leaving behind some exceptional FontStructions and, everywhere, the mysterious tag: UWE. This year, we succeeded in tracking down some of the people behind this strange phenomenon. We asked them to tell us about their work, and they very kindly agreed …

Who are you, and what is UWE? We are the course team on the “Communicating with Words” module at The University of the West of England, Bristol, UK. Module Leader Gabriel Solomons with supporting lecturers John Paul Dowling, Jez Hattosh-Nemeth and Stephen Monger.

How do you use FontStruct in your teaching work?

The students who participate in the FontStruct project are in the first year of their three year BA in Graphic Design. In part one of the project they are tasked to choose one word from a list of themes such as “Dynamic”, “Reflection”, “Chaos” or “Decay” to then create a display face of at least 26 characters plus a basic set of punctuation. We encourage the students to spend time collecting information and materials from the environment. These will be used to inform the production of their digital typeface so they must consider how the materials generated (by sketching, photographing, etc.) can result in a modular, grid-based font. Students are encouraged to apply a wide range of image-making skills to the collection of their research. It is in the translation of these recorded visual elements from location to the making of letterforms, which provide the individual quality of the student’s typefaces.

Part two of the project then asks them to produce either an A2 type specimen poster, or multi-page type specimen booklet for their FontStruction that demonstrates the development, attributes, characteristics and usability of their font.

Why did you decide to use FontStruct for your graphic design course?

The structure of the typographic education over the first two years of the course begins with the history of alphabets, moving into the anatomy of type, character design, typeface design, words, paragraphs, pages, spreads, publications while also looking to promote and enhance experimental typographic interpretations. FontStruct gave us an easy and accessible way to introduce type design at an early stage.

Asking Level 1 students to use Fontlab and implementing the rigour of designing a full character set at the initial stages of a students graphic design education was decided to be too much too soon.

FontStruct is a public, virtual space with users discussing and rating each others fonts. There are also editorial interventions in the form of “Top Picks” and “Featured FontStructions” chosen by FontStruct Staff. Do you think this poses any challenges for educators?

We actually found these elements a positive from an educator’s point of view. Students had to write descriptions of their work, thus improving their written design vocabulary. They had to learn to take criticism or praise from other members of the community. They gained confidence and showed great attention to detail in the work they produced knowing it would be on display for the whole world to see. The ‘Top Pick” and “Featured FontStructions” served as a reward, and external acknowledgement of the work they created. There seems to be a very engaged community of “FontStructors” on the site all helping to support one another with considered feedback, suggestions for improvement and problems or glitches encountered. Our students really engaged with this public discourse and have learned to see the huge benefits of taking an active part.

Start with pen and paper. Research, research, research in as many and as vast subject areas as possible. Design on paper without the worry of how you will turn your design into a fontstruction. Use grid paper when first progressing your initial sketches into designs that will work with the modular system. Study the tiles and blocks, understand how they work on the grid system. Then and only then move onto Fontstruct and figure out how you can best stay true to your initial designs using the application. Once this has been achieved the typeface needs to be put through a number of iterations utilising feedback from staff, students, peers and the FontStruct community.

Many of the UWE project themes (Chaos, Decay …) seem especially difficult to interpret given the grid-based, modular restrictions imposed by FontStruct. Was this intentional?

The simplicity of using the program is a definite plus.

Students can quickly get a grasp of using FontStruct, which also effectively teaches them about the building blocks of typography and the elements of type design. Learning about the subject from books and admiring the work of others only goes so far in engaging students in what some still consider to be quite an esoteric strand of graphic design (type design).

FontStruct really does help students take that initial step and rewards their ambition (for display types at least) in a way that some of the more industry standard type building programs can’t.

Yes completely! We felt that if had we given them a brief which asked for the design of a modular typeface, the results would be quite narrow. We decided to go in the opposite direction and choose words with an often ‘organic’ interpretation to see how far they could push their solutions using a grid-based system. Students had to begin their process “offline”, exploring the theme in the real world. Some initial sketches and ideas were often impossible for us to imagine resulting in a gridbased font but the students regularly came up with methods – many of them ridiculously time consuming – that would enable their ambitious ideas to translate effectively.

FontStruct is used by schools and colleges throughout the world.

Can you explain why the students at UWE produce such a consistently high standard of work? Maybe you have some tips for other educators?

What do you think are the advantages of using FontStruct in teaching typography and graphic design?

Thankyou!!

To view the full interview, as well as more samples of work visit: http://fontstruct.com/news/2011/2/12/interview-with-uwe/

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Johnny Harris / Out like a Lion

THIS IS

JOHNNY HARRIS

Out Like a Lion

By Hattie Barnes

By Sophia Jarvis & Emily McCorry

JOHNNY HARRIS IS a brutally honest, funny and friendly man. Don’t recognise the name? Well, it’s hard to forget his powerful performance as Lol’s abusive and manipulative dad, Mick, in This Is England ‘86. He has also appeared in such films as Gangster No.1 and Rock‘n’Rolla. Johnny recently visited UWE to talk about his TV and film roles.

Proving that there is no ‘correct’ path to success, Johnny left school at the age of 13 to pursue a career in boxing, winning the Junior NBA National Boxing title at 16. He then enrolled at Morley College in London to study acting, and it was there that he met UWE Drama lecturer Craig Snelling. After finishing college he began his acting career in the fringe theatres of London, where his raw talent was discovered and his determination to succeed was put to the test.

Johnny then landed bit parts in various films and adverts. He admitted to us that he found himself drinking heavily, whilst living on the dole and waiting for the right kind of work to come along. It was during this period that the casting directors of Eastenders came calling with a lead role, however, he turned down the opportunity because he believed that being a soap actor wasn‘t for him. For Johnny, this represented a decision between taking roles that he was passionate about and the stability provided by a five figure salary.

Through sheer determination Johnny stopped drinking and focused more strongly on his career. He heard that acclaimed director Shane Meadows was looking for actors to star in This Is England ‘86, a televised follow-up to the incredibly popular 2006 film This is England, and he jumped at the opportunity. Johnny auditioned directly to Meadows, who thought he was so perfect for the role of Mick that he was given the part that evening.

Johnny said that the role, which involved a number of extremely dark scenes, didn’t come naturally to him and that never before had he been forced to dig so deep into a character’s psyche.

Johnny was highly praised for his portrayal of Mick and his star continues to rise following an appearance alongside Sean Bean in Black Death. Not bad for a bloke that left school at 13.

Despite being a relatively young band, they have racked up an impressive number of shows all over the place and have recently returned from performing all over the country –

2011 HAS BARELY HAD TIME to establish itself yet, but it is already looking like a busy and life-changing year for this four piece from Bath. Out Like a Lion were formed when two successful local bands, Blackchalk and Mathematics, went their separate ways (due to musical differences) and two members of each band, Max and James and Richard and Matt, respectively, were left twiddling their musical thumbs. A mutual friend introduced people here and there and then, in the autumn of 2009 Out Like a Lion came into being. Despite being a relatively young band, they have racked up an impressive number of shows all over the place and have recently returned from performing all over the country whilst embarking on their ‘We Love Eggs’ tour, which included playing a show with Example (Eggsample, if you will!). In the very early days they recorded tracks in singer Matt’s bedroom, before uploading them to their Myspace. Because the songs were so enthusiastically received, they built up the confidence to upload them to the BBC Introducing page online and soon they were being played all over the BBC Bristol radiowaves. As a band they are a real example of how well the Introducing platform can work to support and boost the careers of young, charismatic and talented musicians. The four boys, Matt Aldus (lead

vocals/guitar), Max Blunos (drums), James Scott(vocals/guitar), and Richard Gully (vocals/bass), were signed to EMI in the summer of 2010 shortly after they played on the BBC Introducing stage at Glastonbury, which I hope you’ll agree are achievements that speak volumes about their talent and their potential.

At the beginning of this year the BBC decided to launch the profile of their Introducing scheme and played competitions on different Radio 1 shows where a snippet of a song was played everyday of the week until the Friday, when the DJ and the producers chose their favourite band and the song was played in full. Out Like a Lion’s song ‘Little Bit of Love’ won the first week, when the breakfast show had the decision. As a result the track was playlisted and played across the BBC for a whole week, a massive deal for any new band. The exposure that came with this has created a buzz of excitement for the band’s E.P. and has ensured they were listened to by people they wouldn’t have been able to reach otherwise. Chris Moyles himself described the record as a ‘good song to drive to’ and whilst that, coming from him, might seem a little irrelevant, Moyles is listened to by a huge number of people who value his opinion. Also, as much as I hate to admit it, he is right. The tracks they’ve released

already are perfect driving songs, with a good beat and gently poppy hooks, reminiscent of summer and perfect for car sing-a-longs.

When the band recently opened their tour with a show at the Croft I went down for a cheeky listen. I was expecting to see the standard crowd of friends they have amassed along the way, being a firm local favourite, but I wasn’t quite expecting the whole back room of the Croft to be stuffed with expectant listeners, beers in hand. They are a band that are definitely worth seeing live, they are fun, definitely dance-worthy and the faces Max pulls while drumming are, quite frankly, spectacular.

Whilst there isn’t an exact date for the release of their E.P., xlovers, I have been promised that it will be out sometime during March, and it is eagerly awaited by old and new fans across the country. In the mean time you can find their music at www.Myspace. com/outlikealion and on Facebook, where they regularly post updates and details of new shows.

For more information about BBC Introducing go to: www.bbc.co.uk/introducing

8

Samuel Abrahams / Competition

Connecting with Samuel Abrahams

COMPETITION Win Tickets for Hercules and Love Affair

By John Howell

Bet you didn’t know that an ex-UWE student received a BAFTA nomination this year?

Samuel Abrahams’ Connect, which is about a young woman whose life is altered by a surprise connection with a stranger on a bus, was nominated for Best Short Film.

Although it didn’t win the BAFTA, it did receive the Jury Award at the Brief Encounters International Film Festival and also got selected for the Foyle Film Festival and the London Short Film Festival.

On behalf of Westworld, John Howell caught up with Samuel Abrahams in order to find out just what it’s like to receive an invite to the BAFTA’s...

So Samuel, what did you study at UWE and how do you remember your time there?

I studied my Foundation in Art, Design and Media back in 2000-01. The foundation is a one year course designed to help you figure out which area of art you want to focus on for your degree. Prior to this I thought I'd go on to study photography or painting, but during my foundation I started playing with video and was encouraged to pursue filmmaking.

I ended up studying Fine Art (New Media) at Chelsea College of Art, which gave me an artistic context to continue making films.

I loved my foundation course. I often look back and think I was very confident back then and I really did make the most of it. I made my first films on foundation and last year when I found myself in a bit of a crisis over what exactly I wanted to do, artistically speaking, I found myself looking back to the first ever film I made in my foundation Media class. The film was very deliberate and, without realising it, it was more 'my film' than anything I have made since. It’s a scary thought, but sometimes it can take a long time to figure out exact what your voice is, and for me I had already found it and then managed to somehow lose it along the way.

My recent short film, Connect has a much bigger budget and the scale of the production was huge in comparison to the film I made by myself on foundation, but in many ways my direction is very similar; the approach from a storytelling and visual point of view is very similar.

How did it feel to be nominated for a BAFTA? Receiving a letter through the post from BAFTA that reads...

"Dear Samuel, I am delighted to inform you that you have been nominated for a British Academy Film Award." ... is just incredible. To receive this kind of recognition from the industry is wonderful.

It’s a great opportunity for a young filmmaker and really opens a lot of doors.

What was it like to be at the award ceremony?

It was surreal. I remember when our driver turned to us and said, "we are three cars away, sir". I just freaked out a little. The idea of walking down the red carpet was a little daunting. But I'd be lying if I didn’t say it was fun. The ceremony itself was crazy and of course I was disappointed when we didn't win, but had a really great night going to all the after parties. My producer managed to get us into the Weinstein after party which was just filled with BAFTA’s. Everyone was there and in a weird way it was very inspiring. Making films isn’t about awards of course; it’s about telling a story and really connecting with an audience. But when you are in the same room as Christopher Nolan, Darren Aronofsky, Tom Hooper and Danny Boyle, you can’t help but be inspired.

What's next for you?

I'm working with an amazing young playwright on a bigger and more ambitious short film that I am hoping to direct later this year, whilst also developing a first feature for me to direct. Also, I've just signed with a great production company called Smuggler, to rep. me for directing commercials.

Connect will be going on a year-long nationwide tour with the other four films nominated in the Best Short Film category.

For more information on Samuel and Connect, visit the following: www.samuelabrahams.com www.facebook.com/connect.film

Electropop hipsters Hercules and Love Affair will be smashing up Metropolis, Bristol, on Wednesay 16th March, and we here at Westworld have got TWO TICKETS TO GIVE AWAY! Amazing, isn’t it? All you have to do to win the chance to see this smashing band is draw a picture (in any medium) of Greek demigod Hercules having some sort of love affair, and send it to westworldinfo@gmail.com by Tuesday 14th March.

Best/funniest pic will win! Get drawing. NOW.