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MUSIC NEWS... CHANGE IN LAW TO AFFECT LIVE MUSIC VENUES There has been a change in licensing laws which means that venues of less than 200 capacity can play non-amplified music without a licence. The bill, which is in effect as of last Monday 1st October, is part of a government move to free smaller businesses from red tape and could hopefully promote and encourage live music in a further 13,000 music venues. It comes as a success after years of campaigning by various groups and has been welcomed by live music fans and artists alike. Previously, smaller pubs and restaurants may have been dissuaded from applying for a live music licence due to the time-consuming bureaucracy involved in the process.
MINAJ'S TWITTER RANT Feisty rapper Nicki Minaj has taken to Twitter to lighten allegations that she said she wanted to shoot fellow American Idol judge Mariah Carey with a gun. Carey has asked for extra security after supposedly fearing for her life. Minaj has been named the fourth most active musician on Twitter, and she frequently takes to the social media site to set right her public image. In April 2012 she closed her account for eight days after a dispute between her and her fans over leaked album content. American Idol, with Carey, Minaj and country singer Keith Urban as judges, will premiere in January.
SKYFALL THEME TUNE Within hours of release, Adele’s new single for the latest Bond film Skyfall, rocketed to the top of the iTunes single charts. The track, also entitled ‘Skyfall’, was released last Friday 5th October at 00.07am in a clever promotional twist on behalf of Sony and XL. The heavily pregnant singer confirmed the months of rumours when she posted a photo of her hand on the Bond theme tune score on her twitter page. Adele now joins the list of other notable Bond singers including Jack White, Alicia Keys, Lulu, Craig Cornell and Shirley Bassey. Skyfall is due for release on October 26th.
retro record Lou Reed
Transformer
1972
The former Velvet Underground frontman, Lou Reed, became involved in one of the most experimental and innovative cultural circles, where the likes of Bowie and Warhol helped inspire and develop his ideas. It begins Reed's alternation between comical songs and far more serious tracks like ‘Perfect Day'. A risky but paramount inclusion, 'Walk On The Wild Side’, is lyrically one of Reed's best: “Shaved her legs and then he was a she” evokes the cultural changes Reed and co. were leading. Singing about sex and drugs was not particularly taboo anymore, but culture hadn't caught up to the idea of trans-sexuality. Singing about “coming out of our closets, onto the streets” was a shock to popular culture, but the risks Reed took have helped to lift restrictions on music. Reed's solo work is at its best here, the album has some of the best songs he's ever written. As a collaborative effort, Bowie and Ronson are obvious influences on the album. Yet even more so is New York, Reed's innumerable mentions of the city and its residents give the album a very real feeling. Transformer is a tour of NYC from its cultural leaders. 40 years old next month, Reed’s solo masterpiece is the serious side to glam rock, taking inspiration from some of the most innovative people of the last century. It is aside from everything else, still a great listen. MARTIN WAUGH
VISION'S GIG DIARY Campus: >Saturday Week 1 - Live & Loud - Hes East - Tickets £25 - yusu.org/shop Featuring Pro Green, Pendulum DJ set and Little Comets York: >Friday 12 October - Newton Falkner - The Barbican - Tickets £17.50 www.yorkbarbican.co.uk/purchase >Monday 22 October - Submotion Orchestra - The Duchess - £8.50, £10 OTD - 0844 477 1000 >Saturday 27 October - Benjamin Francis Leftwich - The Duchess Tickets £12 - 0844 477 1000 The rest of the UK: >Friday 19 October - Spector - Leeds Uni Union - Tickets £10 - viagogo. co.uk >Monday 17 December - Ellie Goulding - Manchester Academy - Tickets £24.75 - ticketmaster.co.uk
In the Limelight... The description of an 'all girl group' evokes an image of bands such as Girls Aloud, Little Mix and the Spice Girls. The nature of a 'girl' band has been tainted by what we have previously known in music. However, The Staves mark the future, and provide a refreshing and original mark on the phrase 'girl band'. Their unique, harmonious songs are a mixture between the new wave of folk that arrived through artists such as Laura Marling and newer artists such as Ben Howard. The Staves actually supported Ben Howard in New York, played a set at this years Bestival and start their UK tour this November. Their gentle, slow starting songs are comparable to the Fleet Foxes, radiating consistent, fragile harmonies yet contrasting them with a beat to fasten the pace. The three sisters have provided a new wave of 'girl band' and one that we should embrace. NIAMH CONNOLLY
SINGLES
VENUES IN YORK... York may not be a city as geographically vast as Leeds, or Manchester, but music in York has more to offer than meets the eye. Niamh Connolly takes you on a journey through York, with her arty illustration and some hints for what to expect at particular venues... STEREO. Located in the back room of a pub on Gillygate, near York St John. It has everything a low-key band venue should offer. The atmosphere is intimate and it is always popular with student bands.
FIBBERS. Sweaty, grimey & perfect for gigs. Hosting a variety of alternative club nights as well being a good live music venue.
DeadMau5 ft Gerard Way 'Professional Griefers'
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eaturing vocals from Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance fame, 'Professional Griefers'' debut coincided with the release of FIFA13, a video game which the track features heavily on. It’s not hard to see why it’s on the game, with its catchy, heavy beats and strong synthetic strikes. The vocals aren’t jarring, but Way’s voice is extremely whiny and begins to grate by the 3 minute mark. There’s nothing particularly new or different here, but electronica fans probably won’t be disappointed with this venture. RORY MCGREGOR
Red Hot Chili Peppers 'Never Is a Long Time'
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have made a conscious effort to avoid the Red Hot Chili Peppers since the release of Stadium Arcadium back in 2006. Not that is was a particularly bad album, just one that showed one of our generation’s favourtite bands clearly on the wane. Similarly, ‘Never is a Long Time’ is not a bad song, but it would not even have got a look in as an album track, let alone a single, back in the days of Californication. If you’re going to listen to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, stick with the old stuff – you’re not missing out on anything. ALEX FINNIS
THE DUCHESS Close to Fibbers in location and purpose, The Duchess is another great gig venue. It has an informal, open layout with small sofas around the edge of the dance floor.
THE BASEMENT 17 Coney Street York, YO1 9QL This venue is one of the musical gems of York, located in the downstairs ‘basement’ of York's City Screen cinema, The Basement hosts live music, poetry, comedy and the arts. A night of live music at The Basement will always refresh your enthusiasm for the original and the talented.
Ellie Goulding 'Anything Could Happen'
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nything could happen? You're right about that: Ellie Goulding has gone electric. We should have seen it coming after noticing her radical new hairstyle and since dating Skrillex. 'Anything Could Happen' begins highpitched and met by Goulding's signature sound which is effortlessly infused with electro music. An explosive climax, it should be the golden ticket to success. The chorus is catchy yet lyric-less, which demonstrates the artist's ability to capture her audience with more ways than words. HELENA KAZNOWSKA
Paloma Faith 'Never Tear Us Apart'
THE BARBICAN Paragon Street, York, North Yorkshire YO10 4AG A diverse venue, recently refurbished and perfect for students of all tastes. Newton Faulkner, Jools Holland and his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, and Paloma Faith all play throughout the autumn term.
THE PHOENIX INN George Street, YO1 9PT. The Jazz pub provides a different vibe to York's musical scene. Fuelled with talented and unique acts, The Phoenix is one of York's best kept musical secrets.
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et’s face it, as we approach the season to be jolly, we also approach the season to be bombarded by endless covers of classic songs churned forth from the X-Factor machine. Still, it’s not all bad; Paloma Faith has teamed up with John Lewis to record her own version of INXS’s 'Never Tear Us Apart'. Her soulful vocals croon perfectly alongside the bluesy piano before launching into a rock-inspired electric guitar section. Paloma captures the essence of the original whilst showcasing her flair for the evocative. ALYSIA JUDGE
ALBUM REVIEWS MUMFORD & SONS BABEL
DAVID BYRNE & ST VINCENT LOVE THIS GIANT
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umford and Sons’ new album Babel marks the triumphant return of a band whose revolutionising of the rock-folk genre earned them a place at the top and marked them out as one of the defining bands of our generation. This latest musical offering is packed with delicious melodies and the subtle literary and biblical references that make their sound so rich. But with their first album Sigh No More going platinum four times in the UK and twice in the US, has this new creative chapter managed to find fresh material to work with? The answer is a resounding “yes”. Whilst Babel has maintained the band’s essential sound, this is the work of a bolder, less tentative Mumford and Sons. Babel (literally meaning ‘jumble’) is, of course, a reference to the Hebrew name for the city of Babylon and its tower, thought to be the origin of all languages. Certainly, there are many voices and sounds all mixed into one united noise that is Mumford and Sons. Particularly prevalent is the obvious influence on the band of their recent time spent in Nashville, Tennessee. The title track ‘Babel’ is an explo-
sion of joy, tempered with the sophistication and control of a matured band that have developed into something truly grown-up and self-assured. The album bravely progresses with a balance of brawling audacity and haunting beauty. Just as 'Little Lion Man' and 'The Cave' did on Sigh No More, ‘I Will Wait’ has already enjoyed success as a single with the mournful and exploratory track ‘Hopeless Wanderer’, the haunting ‘Whispers in the Dark’ and the penultimate 'Below My Feet' tipped to follow. From start to finish, Babel really is a colossus, a tour-de-force that eclipses anything else that has come before it. It has secured Mumford and Sons' place in the annals of both great folk and rock music and points to things still to come. Mumford and Sons will be around for a while yet - watch this space. MADDY PELLING
The XX
he new collaboration between Talking Heads frontman David Byrne and waifish singer St Vincent may not seem like an obvious one, or perhaps it seems like it is pandering to the critics, hungry for surprises in the ever changing landscape of music news. However, on listening to the album, Love This Giant, it becomes clear that the two artists are a match that makes sense. Byrne brings in his distinct vocals and slightly off-kilter rhythms and lyrics, while St Vincent offers up her funky sounds to the record. In this way, the age gap between the two appears irrelevant - they are both strangely timeless artists who have happened to find each other. By far the stand-out track on the album is jazz infused romp; 'Who', which opens the album and, perhaps cleverly, remains in the mind of the listener for the rest of the record. There is an irreverent charm to the track, and the enjoyment the pair got in creating this music together especially comes through. Indeed, they did spend two years working on the album together, and it shows. There is no doubt that Byrne has retained the musical prowess proved by his work whilst in Talking Heads and
LOUISA HANN
Grizzly bear
shields
Coexist
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illing a seemingly non-existent gap, The xx’s debut album was released to critical and commercial acclaim; winning the 2010 Mercury Prize and topping the album charts. The band changed the way we look at electronic music, paving the way for the likes of Jessie Ware and The Weeknd. Choosing an approach for the second album is always difficult. Coexist delves deeper into the world of whispering vocals and brooding guitar movements, aiming to perfect the band’s signature sound. Inspiration is the usual artistic, but tenuous, story: “I liked the idea of us three coming together; only when the three of us are together, that's when it exists.” The band wrote songs individually before coming together to record and produce, a strangely detached approach but expected from a band evoking such a reclusive nature. As interludes go, Jamie xx’s could not have been more successful. Following his excellent work with Gil Scott Heron the one-man electronic wonder continues to impress on production. He ups the BPM towards the middle of album; ‘Reunion’ is a sublime progression from the band’s trademark transient rhythm to a faster and more
in his other projects with greats such as Brian Eno. However, while before, he may have been preoccupied with creating a piece of music to challenge and subvert musical trends of the time, now Byrne seems to be making music purely for the pleasure of it. Perhaps a flaw one can point out in the record is its track listing. It appears that the pair prioritise their most impressive tracks, placing them at the beginning of the album. For example, 'Weekend in the Dust,' the track which follows 'Who' is equally exciting and bold, and it seems as one works through the album this becomes less of a common theme. The whole album itself, however, has few flaws one can really pick at: it is fresh, intricate and a must listen for all fans of Byrne's earlier work and St Vincent's young, jazzy sound.
N advanced, but still unbelievably simple sound. The album’s opener ‘Angels’ is nothing less than beautiful. There is, however, a lack of lyrical imagination; I found myself craving a line as creatively simple as "We watch things on VCRs". It’s only in Jamie xx’s superbly controlled breaks that you begin to notice things have been refined. Croft’s primal vocals contrast against a guitar so faint it’s sometimes imperceptible. The slightest chord change is laden with emotion. All the while things are timed to perfection; you’re left hanging on the edge of a break, engineered by the country’s best producer. Coexist takes the defining features of The xx (hushed vocals and simple guitar work) and eliminates almost everything else. If the phrase ‘less is more’ is ever applicable, now is the case. MARTIN WAUGH
ovember 2009 will go down in musical history for many reasons; the release of Fall Out Boy's greatest hits and Justin Bieber's meteorically cringe-inducing ascent up the Billboard 100 charts, but when casting your mind back nostalgically I implore you to recall Grizzly Bear's Veckatimest, with the fondness usually reserved for family pets and your favourite spot on the sofa. With this in mind their follow up offering Shields presents a more avantgarde approach to folk pop than its post collegiate predecessor, presenting a vibe that's more edge of your seat than back of the sofa from start to finish. If this is what you're looking for then Shields might prove tough armour to crack with tracks like 'Sleeping Ute' and 'Gun Shy' providing a harder, bolshier edge to previous easy listening fan favourites. In this way it is easy to see why the album may sharply polarise the band's fanbase simply because it defies the easy autumnal listening craved during this time of year, as much as an extra hour in bed or a warm woolly jumper. Though that isn't to say there aren't some calmer moments to enjoy with the reverberating drums on 'What's Wrong' providing a release from as-
tonishing vocals into the territory that have made the band so chart friendly. Veckatimest in itself was a raw outburst of crowd pleasing, energetic talent whilst Shields offers a more tentative display of artistic prowess. Indeed throughout each song you get the feeling that the album is one that will grow and mature as you do, growing in polish as you do in appreciation. By creating an album that does this the quality of the band and its collaborators is presented in force, speaking both to the produced record as much as hinting at the excitement of ventures yet to come. Shields ventures into the experimental and the album offers everything a true fan can profess to want by pushing the boundaries whilst also remaining true to their roots. A success on all counts. JORDAN LLOYD
THE ENEMY
NINA PULLMAN TALKS TO THE ENEMY'S BASS PLAYER, ANDY HOON, ABOUT THEIR PLANS FOR WORLD DOMINATION
In the six years they’ve been around, The Enemy have achieved more than most bands achieve in a lifetime. The three piece guitar band from Coventry exploded onto the Indie music scene in 2006 with their debut album, We’ll Live and Die in These Towns, charting at number one in the British album charts. Appearing around the same time as Bombay Bicycle Club, The Kooks and The Mystery Jets to name just a few, and as part of a surge in popularity in Indie guitar-based groups, perhaps this early success alone would not have been enough to make you sit up and take notice of just another addition to the hordes of skinnyjeans wearing boy bands. But the 2008 follow-up, Music for the People, charted at a tasty number two and soon pushed The Enemy out in front of their peers. Whereas this kind of success so early on in a career might have overwhelmed other bands, The Enemy took a break for a year, before reforming after ditching their mainstream label and choosing a smaller one to record their third album. Released in May of this year, Streets in the Sky was another top ten achievement, and Vision caught up with them a week before their extensive latest tour of the UK to showcase the new album. “Basically it’s a month of partying, you might be feeling a bit hungover but then you come off stage absolutely buzzing and you just want to go out and do it all again. It’s mad. People say touring’s hard but it’s completely self-inflicted – if all you did was get on stage and do the set it’d be the easiest thing in the world.” Fans will be particularly excited to hear this latest studio album played live, as it may be a little different to the previous two. “Working with Joby Ford, from The Bronx, gave us our sound back. There was no messing around with cool sounds, just us, as a three piece guitar band.” “We demo’d in London, played two songs for him. Then he had to go back to
L.A. where he lives, so we packed our bags and went to stay there for two weeks. ” Despite being on their way to some serious success, the band found their smaller record label much better suited to their hands-on method of working: “Our label, Cooking Vinyl, put us in a room two doors down from the offices and just let us do our own thing. I mean, we’re the songwriters, and they respected that. There was no hassling, they just gave us our own space.” Known for consistently retweeting new and unsigned bands up and down the country, The Enemy have experienced first-hand just how important it can be to be recognised and supported by bigger bands. “Oasis is one of our favourite bands collectively, and so when their management rang up and asked if we’d support them, we were like 100% yes. When Liam first came up to us, it was like 'Oh My God it’s Liam Gallagher'. But by the end of the
tour it became a bit more normal.” Of course, with all this behind them, The Enemy were never going to be slack with plans for the future.
"WE DIDN'T START A BAND TO PLAY IN PUBS, WE STARTED A BAND TO BE THE BEST BAND IN THE WORLD" “We’ve got a lot of travelling planned for the next few years. We’d love to do America, and Japan is definitely up there. And we’ve just released in Australia. It’s just about getting The Enemy out there, getting as many people to hear us as possible.” “It’s our dream to headline a festival. T in the Park is great, it would be incred-
ible to headline that. We went to Snowbombing in Austria this year and it was just crazy, we went snowboarding and skiing and stuff and then went back to do the show at night. The management were shitting themselves a bit as bassist Andy is a bit accident prone.” The Enemy have so much infectious energy when they are talking about the future of the band, that it is hard not to feel excited about what the next 10 years will bring for them. It is no surprise when they say, with a touch of light-heartedness but with the underlying focus which has brought them so far so quickly, “we didn’t start a band to play in pubs, we started a band to be the best band in the world.” “We’re at a good place at the moment, we’ve got two albums and one with a slightly different sound. Our attitude with each other is spot on. We’re back at square one with all our enthusiasm and passion for the job. It feels like we’re us again.”
LIVE REVIEWS MUSE
Wet Nuns, ...and The Hangnails, Drenge and Fawn Spots
27/09/2012
STEREO, YORK
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n the blacked out back room of Stereo, four bands prove that the bassist’s days are numbered. The first act on, Fawn Spots, were originally a guitar and drum duo, but have recently drafted in another guitarist. There’s not much bottom end in their brash guitar sound, but their experimentation with rhythms and tempo make them a must see. Main support came from …And The Hangnails, who played a sterling set
of tight, loud and fast blues rock. Lyrically, choruses of ‘So Cool’ ad infinitum aren’t hugely inspiring, but the band kept confidently churning out so many face-melting solos, riffs and fills that by the end I was left speechless. Then headliners, Wet Nuns appeared on stage. Over the past year the filthy guitar and drum set up has been developing a cult following in the dirtiest bars in the land and tonight they showed why. Doused in red light for the duration of the show, a painted man smashed the drums to within an inch of their life while a boy with too much hair on his chin and head played guitar as if suspended from the ceiling, his feet rarely touching the ground. Where Wet Nuns appeal lies is in their onstage banter and attitude as much as it is within their songs; surely it’s alright to pause mid-song for a gyrating competition. Yet they were outdone by their crowd who had their own agenda. Heckled from the off, the Nuns looked comfortable with the audience largely entertaining themselves. As the set wrapped up the band announced that they had one song left, “Write another!” came the wry response. EOIN LOVELESS
AZEALIA BANKS LEEDS MET union, leeds
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aving the wife of the Prime Minister enthuse about your first single might be enough to push an artist from the fringes into the mainstream, but if Azealia Banks’ current tour is anything to go by she’s not ready for that just yet. The hype around her is unfathomable and it’s a testament to how much devotion she inspires that this is my third and only successful attempt to see her. Her support act Zebra Katz and Njena Red Foxx burst onto the stage all in black, and deliver a darkly sexual performance. Both are talented rappers but it is a shame that Njena Red Foxx was reduced to being a backing dancer for Zebra Katz throughout most of the set. When she was centre stage, she dominated completely. ‘Ima Read’ was met with a rapturous response from the audience. Banks’ own DJ Cosmo played a short set that neatly segued from pop classics to heavy pulsing techno and built the atmosphere into a frenzy before Azealia came on. She didn’t disappoint. Hair newly dyed bright green and wearing a flashing LED, Swarovski-embellished crop top, she burst onto the stage and immediately began her set. Although she
music@yorkvision.co.uk
03/10/12
ROUNDHOUSE, CAMDEN
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use announced their return to the UK with a relatively intimate performance at Camden's Roundhouse. For a band used to the grandiose surroundings of Wembley Stadium and the San Siro, a show in front of 3,000 competition winners was a rare treat for fans who had queued for hours just to get a place in the crowd. With a new album just about to be released, this marked their first UK show of the new touring cycle, and just over a year after their appearance at Reading and Leeds. Opening with new falsetto-infused album track 'Supremacy', the trio performed a sixteen song set taking tracks from their last five albums. With this as only their second live appearance, mistakes were to be expected, but perhaps not in quite the frequency that Matt Bellamy produced them inamongst his prancing across the wide Roundhouse stage. Despite the various errors, highlights included a number of new tracks which came to life compared to the studio versions, particularly Nero-produced 'Follow Me', whilst old favourite 'Time Is Running Out', which frontman Bellamy introduced by saying "Check out this dubstep bassline from 2003". Certainly The 2nd Law showed that
the rumours of a dubstep concept album were false, but the influence is clear. Fan favourites 'Knights of Cydonia' and 'New Born' came towards the end of the evening, although perhaps the biggest cheers of the evening came for live-staple 'Plug in Baby', which Bellamy led the crowd into a mass sing-along, after yet another mistake. The gig closed with Olympics anthem 'Survival', a fitting ending to their first show in the nation's capital since the summer games, leaving the sweating, heaving crowd satisfied. If their new tracks were anything to go by, Muse are back after a blip, and in spite a couple of mistakes in this performance. OLIVER TODD
jonquil and nzca/lines fibbers, york
O pandered to the crowd with old favourites like ‘Liquorice’ (teasing the crowd as she introduced it as the ‘Azealia anthem’) and ‘L8r’ with a twinkling smile that belying the sweary lyrics that comes from it. However, the main body of her act was new material from her Fantasea album, which despite keeping the trademark dry staccato delivery, is an entirely different beast. The sheer variety of genres that Azealia alluded to in her short set was breathtaking. Where ‘Jumanji’ is a thrilling calypso with an irrepressible hook, ‘Esta Noche’ is smoothly seductive toe-dip into classic R&B, until the sirens drop and everyone goes wild to the pumping beat. She plays ‘212’ inevitably at the end, and as one the crowd roars the refrain that made the song a legend, a perfect end to a perfect set. JO BARROW
30/09/12
n entering Fibbers before the first band of the night, Jonquil, graced the stage, it was clear that the York demographic and the arty, disjointed sounds of the anticipated bands were perhaps not a match made in heaven. A group of teens clearly uncomfortable with the emptiness of the venue sat in the corner, while the band members and a few other solo punters wandered around the grimy dance floor. Despite the emptiness, something all new and upcoming bands have to inevitably deal with at some point, both Jonquil and NZCA/Lines embraced their tasks jovially, playing sets to the best of their efforts and showing the few people there what they were made of. Jonquil kicked off their set with their alternative rock sound, impressively incorporating the brassy sounds of a battered trumpet and everyone's favourite percussion instrument, the cow bell. There didn't appear to be any set list for the band to stick to, so there was a certain informal appeal to the set, as if the band were playing to a group of friends. Jonquil managed to slip in some new material, which was impressive. By the time it was NZCA/Lines' turn
03/10/12 to take to the stage, it was clear the crowd would not exceed more than twenty people, but frontman Michael Lovett threw himself into performing. 'Okinawa Channels', perhaps the best known song, proved how well the disjointed, electronically created sounds could translate into a live set. NZCA's sound is certainly not something that will appeal to everyone, but it would be hard not to enjoy a set with Lovett in it, as he engaged the crowd and made the emptiness of the venue bearable with his endearingly nerdy dancing. Perhaps York is not yet ready for this London-based band's sound. However, they certainly deserve more appreciation than what they got at Fibbers on October 3rd. LOUISA HANN
S h a r k i n g Hotspots Whether it’s on the dance floor , in the queue or at the bar, the fins are up, the teeth are bared and the sharks are ready to attack. Henna Ishaq and Bertie Baker-Smith identify the top four sharking hotspots this freshers’ week.
REFLEX With its revolving dance floor and relatively wet ground, this 80s bar is a haven for both young and old sharks searching for prey. The revolving floor, or rotating kebab is often watched from the depths of the sea, otherwise known as the wet flooring from an innocent party goers perspective. The sharks in Reflex, especially those more matured, are often harmless and generally just rotate around the room, livin’ on a prayer with their eyes fixated on the aforementioned dancefloorkebab, but they rarely strike.
MANSION Mansion is the place where you will probably find the greatest number of sharks; some have even evolved to hunt in teams in here. The verging on overcrowded dance floors and somewhat sweaty atmosphere are what give it a unique charm but equally makes it an ideal hunting ground for the sharks. However their success rate within the dripping walls remain as low as anywhere else. The layout of the club with its winding corridors and staircases means an escape route is never too hard to find, and they soon lose interest. But if you fancy a spot of shark watching there is no doubt Mansion is definitely the place to do it.
WILLOW Willow is where the more audacious and carefree sharks gather. It is said that the string of blue lights and carefree swimmers has been attracting the more wild sharks for many years, although the swimmers are rarely perturbed by the sharks and welcome them as part of the making of a great night. Willow Sharks, although more active, are generally the weakest of the sharks, as they can easily be brushed off. Therefore, although they are extremely lustful, they are equally weak and carefree and Willow remains a popular destination amongst the student population.
LIBRARY The recent decision to have a 24 hour library has proven popular with library lovers, especially in the run up to exam season. However, some sharks have been lost at sea and it is rumoured that they have wound up in the library, snatching sneaky glances at innocent library-goers. The Library shark is often unpredictable, however, due to the library's policy on 'quiet study', the sharks are often kept at bay. Some dispute their existence, as they are rarely sighted, but when they are the accompanying stories are often troubling.
Cocktails and Mocktails
If you like Pina Coladas and getting caught in the rain, if you’re not into yoga, if you have half a brain, if you’d like a glass of your favourite cocktail hangover free, we have the perfect mocktail concoction, as well as the original cocktail recipe.
COCKTAIL
Pina Colada
•3 oz light rum• •3 tbsp coconut cream•
MOCKTAIL •3/4 cup pineapple juice• •1/4 cup coconut cream• •ice•
•3 tbsp crushed pineapple•
For the perfect tasting Pina Colada it is imperative the coconut cream is of the right consistency . Otherwise the coconut milk may be too thin, however adding condensed milk and pineapple juice will thicken the consistency. Crush a handful of ice into a blender (optional) before adding the ingredients listed above. Blend or mix at a high speed for approximately forty-five seconds before straining (optional). To garnish, throw in a maraschino cherry and add a wedge of pineapple to the top of the glass. Pour into a Collins glass (optional) and serve with a straw.
Long Island Iced Tea
The Long Island Iced Tea is the basis of many elaborate alcoholic drinks; its enticing, sharp taste is addictive. However, with its heavy alcoholic content there is the option to substitute that second glass for a mocktail Ice Tea, enjoying the same great taste and still feeling fresh in the morning.
•0.5 Measure Gin• •0.5 Measure Tequila• •0.5 Measure Triple Sec• •0.5 Measure Apple Vodka• •0.5 Measure White Rum• •0.5 Measure Lemon Juice• •1 Teaspoon Caster Sugar• •Top up with Coke•
•0.5 Measure Apple Juice• •0.5 Measure Sour Mix• •0.5 Measure Lemon Juice• •1 Teaspoon Caster Sugar• •Top up with Coke•
For the perfect Long Island Iced Tea, it is vital to use an equal measure of each liquid component. Crush two ice cubes into a glass. Mix the ingredients together over ice in a glass before pouring into a shaker and giving it one brisk shake. Pour back into the glass and make sure there is a touch of fizz at the top. Garnish with lemon or lime, mint leaves and serve with a straw.
Mixers If you struggle with the sophistication of cocktails through intoxication or general lazyness, or just don't think mocktails are worth the effort, then simple mixers can be used as an easy pre-drinks option. For the non-drinkers or lightweights out there, coke or lemonade are undetectable to the drunk and obnoxious. However, for those who want the traditional freshers experience, there are a number of options that are more adventurous/effective than the standard options. Fruit juices generally disguise the taste of spirits better than fizzy drinks, enabling greater consumption volumes. Beer or cider can be used to take the edge off vodka and other spirits, whilst maintaining a higher alcoholic content.
FILM From Godly lion to light-sabre wielding Jedi, Vision charts Liam Neeson's career...
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Many of the best movie moguls began their career at university. York is a veritable hot-bed of creative talent, and you're missing out if you don't jump straight under the covers with it. Rory McGregor outlines all the cinematic opportunities our campus has to offer...
Schindler's List (1993) Based on a true story, Neeson is Oskar Schindler in what is widely regarded as his magnum opus. A tear jerker.
Neeson-O-METER
Release your inner film-maker
The Chronicles of Narnia (2005) Neeson's velvet smooth vocals serve him well as omnipotent -semi-celestial lion / fluffy-cuddle-giving- kitty, Aslan.
Michael Collins (1996) Crucial to the establishment of the Irish free state, Neeson's charisma pays perfect homage to Michael Collins
Every Monday, Thursdays and Fridays at 7.30pm during term time, York Student Cinema show a selection of recently released, big-name blockbusters. It’s a great way to see films you may have missed the first time round on the big screen in P/X/001 and at £3, it's a fraction of the price of normal cinemas. You can also get involved in projecting, writing for their magazine, selling tickets, and can arrange to have one of your short films put on. Whatever your preferences, there's always and option for you at YSC!
York has a plethora of performance societies and these societies also have plenty of opportunities relating to film. Dramasoc holds weekly shows, many of which require promotional trailers or photography. You can also pitch for Open Drama Nights, where for one night you can arrange to put on a premiere of a short film or documentary. ComedySoc also have a weekly comedy show and often promote these with trailers. The best way to find out more is to contact the societies directly or find them at Fresher’s Fair!
If interested in directing, you can pull together crews through UYFS and, as a paid-up member, make free use of the filming and editing equipment. UYFS offers teaching in the basics of camera technique, lighting, post-production and screen-writing too. The society’s big termly event is the planning and eventual production of a UYFS collaborated short film, so there’s a chance for everyone to get involved in every different stage.
And of course, if you fancy, you can write for us at York Vision! Every issue we have a feature article which can be about anything film related, plus our film reviews, which are easily watched in the two local cinemas in town (and we can even get you free press passes!) What’s not to like? If you’d like to get involved, we hold section meetings before every issue, the details of when are released on the mailing list which you can sign up to at Fresher’s fair or email us at film@yorkvision.co.uk.
NEWS C O L D
Star Wars: Episode 1 (2011) In his trademark mentor role, Neeson is Qui Gon-Jin in this highly anticipated prequel that failed to impress die-hard fans.
Clash of the Titans (2010) Despite a beard that would make Gandalf proud, Neeson's role as Zeus was panned by critics.
Left In The Dark The Dark Knight Rises was one of the biggest films of 2012 and the subject of such fervent speculation that Director Chris Nolan became more than a little plot-protective. Cast member Liam Neeson has revealed he had no idea of the plot when filming saying: “[Nolan] takes it to another extreme. I went and shot a scene for two hours with Christian Bale. There was a set, and Christian was tied up.“I said, ‘Chris, what am I doing?’ [As Nolan:] ‘Um… well, just walk forward, and say the lines, walk back, and that’ll be it, really.’ I said, ‘What the f**k? Tell me the story!’ [As Nolan:] ‘Um… I’d prefer not to, really.’ ‘Okay, don’t mind me. I’m just an actor.’”
Like Father like Gun The new trailer for the fifth Die Hard movie has surfaced online, In a nearly dialogue free promo, we see NYPD John McLane (Bruce Willis) blow things up a lot, try to reconnect with his son Jack (Jai Courtney) whilst taking down a motley crew of international thieves. Directed by John Moore and due for release on February 14th, this looks to be next years more explosive Valentine's day cinema outing.
An Extended Journey Warner Bros have confirmed that An Unexpected Journey will be released with unseen footage on DVD towards the end of 2013. Whilst the fact The Hobbit has been stretched into three films has us us biting our fists in glee (that’s our Christmas presents sorted for the next three years) we can’t help but wonder how many scenes will be, well ‘unscene’. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey opens in UK cinemas on 14 December 2012.
Dir. Olivier Megaton
H
e did find them. And he did kill them. But unfortunately, sex-trafficking-Albanian-pimps have daddies too; daddies with automatic rifles, grizzled beards and angry expressions reading: “You killed my son, I’m going to rip off your face”. In the first film, retired CIA agent Bryan Mills flies halfway round the world to rescue his kidnapped daughter from the clutches of a sex trafficking gang and electrocute their kneecaps in the process. In the sequel, the families of those faceless lackeys try to go all Liam Neeson, on, well, Liam Neeson. You can guess how that works out for them. But let’s pretend this isn’t called Taken 2 for a minute. Let’s call it “Albanian Revenge Trip”. Or Jim. Jim is great, a stalwart guy independent of any prequel comparisons. He tells a good story, can sprint across picturesque Istanbul rooftops without breaking a sweat and has a penchant for explosives. In short, Jim left me pretty satisfied (perhaps I should have chosen a different name). The unfortunate reality is though, there IS a two emblazoned upon the advertising posters. Taken 2 is a sequel that, whilst entertaining, doesn’t bring anything new to the table that the first film let us gorge on. Bryan’s female family members are kidnapped, a rampage ensues through a foreign city and none of the local authorities seem to care. Indeed, the ludicrous plot is peppered with as many holes as the Albanians’ bullet-ridden backsides: daughter Kim’s (Maggie Grace) step-dad is completely absent, reportedly now a “vicious bastard” embroiled in a divorce with Bryan’s ex-wife Lenore (Famke Janssen) despite having been completely loved up in the first instalment. How fast the honeymoon period wanes. Likewise, the long-armed reach of Al-
Suspend disbelief and prepare to be enteratined, says Alysia Judge
banian crime lords and their multiple connections amongst Turkish police sergeants, passport offices and the like are never explained. Still, suspend all disbelief and it’s a surprisingly enjoyable romp through the vibrant streets of Istanbul. For Kim, long gone are her damsel-in-distress days, instead when her parents are taken she marches through the streets armed with a city map, shoelace, marker pen, and a handful of grenades she lobs over her shoulder every now and again while the general populace blink at the ensuing explosion and wonder who sneezed… Though it does take some coaxing from her father though a nifty device he had concealed in his trouser-leg for just such a situation for her to come out of hiding from his bedroom cupboard first. The sole reason you are able to take such far-fetched scenes seriously is Liam Neeson himself. When Kim asks him in a tremulous whisper “what are you going to do?” he delivers: “What I do best” with such gravelly, poker-faced conviction you can’t help but believe in the now sixtyyear-old’s ability to karate chop his way through the population of an Eastern European town. Still, with the door left open for a third installment, we can’t help but hope poor Bryan’s family learns to holiday in safety.
Looper
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Sinister
Dir. Rian Johnson
Dir. Stephen Chbosky
Dir. Scott Derrickson
Savagely Similar Times change but posters don't
L
ooper is the sort of breathtakingly original film that is destined to become a cult classic in the near future. This is only Rian Johnson’s third film and he manages to instil a kinetic swagger to proceedings that make Looper not only stylish, but also extremely entertaining. What makes this better than the average science fiction film is the sheer scope of what it explores. Through one relatively simple time-travelling concept, Johnson succeeds in examining the themes of identity, maternity and destiny, all while maintaining a complex plot that never seems far-fetched despite the time-travelling subject. The world Johnson creates is one of dystopia but not exaggeratedly so. The cars are dirty and the streets are dark but without the campness so common in recent underwhelming science-fiction efforts such as the increasingly dreadful Terminator franchise. Along with 2010’s Source Code, Looper indicates that sci-fi is enjoying renewed success with talented filmmakers coming up with dazzling concepts that will be enjoyed by all. A must see. Tom Bonnington
W
hen approaching any coming of age film, it is easy for the writer/ director to forget the hardships that came with growing up and instead create a nostalgic, clichéd and sometimes downright dull movie. So you’d be right in feeling dubious about Perks of Being a Wallflower. But luckily Stephen Chbosky’s film avoids those pitfalls which so many other films have fallen victim to, producing a sincere account of adolescence, which truly lives up to the cult novel that inspired it. Set in the early 90s, the film follows freshman Charlie (Lerman), who is dealing with the suicide of his best friend, and desperately trying to fit in. Luckily for him he meets the flamboyantly gay Patrick (Erza Miller) and his step sister Sam (Watson) who quickly include him in their group of ‘misfit toys’. With strong performances from Logan Lerman, Erza Miller and Emma Watson, who proves that she can do more than just say ‘wingardium leviosa’, plus an engrossing soundtrack, there is little to fault. Overall, Perks of Being a Wallflower joins the ranks of other superior coming of age films such as Juno, and ups the standard for future film makers looking to explore their adolescence. Cat Gobert-Jones
S
inister depicts the haunting of a family by a supernatural entity after protagonist Ellison Oswalt, (Ethan Hawke), discovers reels of footage depicting brutal murders. Hawke plays a true-crime novelist who, after hearing of a multiple unsolved murder, decides to move with his family near to the crimescene, hoping this slaughter can form the basis of a thriller. However, after he watches some footage he finds in the attic and sees a figure with a demonic face in a drowning scene; all hell breaks loose. Reading the above synopsis, one might think Sinister is just going to be like any other horror-movie of the last decade or so, (an impression hardly removed by the frankly typical jump-scare trailer). Yet, although director Scott Derrickson uses loud noises as a scare-tactic, he complements these by employing unexpected camera angles and peculiar images, which more effectively plant the horror in the viewer’s mind. Unlike in other movies in this genre, Derrickson allows the viewer to build up an emotional connection with the protagonist as the horror is revealed to us at the same time as Ellison. Unfortunately, the other characters come across as merely serviceable and this, in addition to a weak script, really let the film down. However, if you’re looking for a movie that will have you visibly trembling in the cinema this really is a must see.
BABEL (2006)
savages (2012)
Will Barnes
film@yorkvision.co.uk
N O I S I V E TEL Coming soon...
As the cold sets in and staying huddled inside becomes a must, these are our top TV picks for Autumn:
Golden Oldiesbyfor Fresh-Faced First Years Katherine Birdwood
As winter's coming, you are going to seek refuge indoors. Welcome to the wonderful world of student TV (licence optional!). However, most of you won’t possess a TV. Laptop, yes, TV, no, but don’t fear - I am going to, as a wise and brilliant third year, recommend to you some life changing DVD box sets. Don't panic - I'm not about to recommend Grey's Anatomy or Don’t Tell the Bride season 4. Classics though they undoubtedly are, I am looking for something a little different. Here are some student staples you won't have to pay £9,000 for:
Mrs Biggs Rising star Sheridan Smith delivers an excellent performance in a dramatisation of the life of 'Great Train Robber' Ronnie Biggs. Dowton Abbey The third series of ITV's runaway success continues with more drama upstairs and downstairs - essential Sunday night viewing. Hotel GB Channel 4's latest endeavour sees a host of celebrity faces trying their hand at hotel management in an attempt to combat youth unemployment. 'Drugs Live': The ecstasy trial In perhaps the strangest of television experiments since Big Brother, a group of guinea pig volunteers test out drugs while viewers witness the consequences. Never Mind the Buzzcocks Now in its 26th series, the familiar faces of TV's best music panel show return for more musical banter.
1. War & Peace
Ideal for the arts student with too much time but who can’t be bothered to read the book. But don’t let this undermine its brilliance. 900 minutes long in total, it is not for the faint hearted, but if you want a brilliant cast, and a brilliantly executed adaption of a classic in an accessible format, I can’t recommend this highly enough.
2. Yes, Prime Minister
If you haven’t seen either, you have to. It’s that simple. Surprisingly fresh, funny and relevant, which either means that the scriptwriters were genii or politics hasn’t changed over the last thirty odd years.
3. The Thick of It
WE FINALLY HAVE THE NEW SEASON, which is fortunately turning out to be just as funny as the previous ones. A new spin on the well-known political, satirical comedy, it’s good to see it finally back on our screens. To fully appreciate the full and er...delightful characters, catch up on the previous series first.
4. Brideshead Revisited
An oldie but a goodie, this series is always on top ten lists. Much better than the recent film, the series stays true to the Evelyn Waugh novel and demonstrates the potential of British drama, perhaps even making the point that sometimes a TV series works best with literary adaptations.
5. Spooks
With its previous roll call of attractive men (and women) taking part in dashing and daring deeds, Spooks became a household name. Now sadly finished, it would be a great one to go back and watch the entire series. You might not maintain a life while doing so- but come on! University is all about one time experiences.
Nigellissimma - not so bellissima?
Gok sheds Baggage and betrays the larger lady As an empowerer of the larger lady, Gok Wang has become a household name, but his new show Baggage leaves much to be desired. This Channel 4 show, of which he is the host, is proving to be quite popular. God only knows why. Gok makes his entrance with show-like spectacle, surrounded by slender women dressed as air hostesses to maintain the theme of the programme. However this image is completely contradictory to Gok’s former attitude that all women are beautiful and we should not judge ourselves based on images portrayed in the media. The image that he now seems to endorse. The women from his former show, How to Look Good Naked, would not fit in with the ‘stereotypically perfect’ idea of a woman being paraded about in baggage. One show tries to make women feel good about themselves despite their diversity whilst the other reinforces the ‘perfect’ model thin image which makes the rest of us feel so self-conscious. The women perform basic routines as a backdrop to Gok’s entrance and exit to the show and
could not be more plastic fantastic if they tried - hardly the ‘natural woman’ that Gok claims to love so much. I’m not being weirdly bitter about this, although I can’t claim not to have fallen prey to the green eyed monster, it just seems like a bit of a philosophy crash for the image of Gok as the champion of the larger lady to be strutting about with these ‘air hostess Barbie’ characters. I’m not saying I’d necessarily prefer the clients of his old show to be the ones shimmying about on stage but that’s more to do with the fact their presence in general seems a little pointless and adds significantly to the tacky image that the show manages to portray. If you fancy an alternative Take Me Out, that’s less catchy and without the typical Paddy charm, then this might be worth a watch. If you’re expecting the same Gok we’ve come to know and love though you might be in for a disappointment, ‘darrrrhhling’. Claire Hogarth
Monday night saw Nigella Lawson slinking onto our screens once more for her new series – Nigellissima. Not only is the title grammatically grey, but the recipes don’t sit quite right - a strange hybrid of Italian and New York stodge. And isn’t that ‘food-porn’ thing getting a bit old, anyway? Nigella’s husky tones spoke of her time as a chambermaid in Italy: living off Prosecco and falling in love with the food. That classic Italian dish, the unbaked cheesecake went down well with the cherubic babies
poised strategically to improve the feng shui of the set. The show ended with her late-night favourite 'Eggs in Purgatory'. I couldn’t think of anything worse than eggs boiled in tomatoes, and despite her ranking as one of the sexiest women in the country, even her ‘double-dipping’ couldn’t tempt me. Her steak with Tuscan chips looked nice though. Putting the off-kilter recipes aside, there were still too many gimmicks in the show ;the perennial seductive sucking of spoons and tottering into her larder in her black stilettos made the show a caricature of itself. I’m all for a beautiful, curvaceous woman presenting cookery programmes, but isn’t it all getting a bit old now? Kate Bull
The Emmys 2012 Vision looks at the big winners at this year's Emmy Awards
Homeland
Modern Family
The show proved to be the sweeping success of the night, scooping the best actress and actor awards for Claire Danes and Damian Lewis, and winning the Outstanding Drama award. Catch it on Channel 4 this autumn. Obama reportedly loves the show, and if it's good enough for the US president...
The US hit was a worthy winner of four awards, including Outstanding comedy and individual awards for Julie Bowen, Eric Stonestreet and Steven Levitan. With its mixture of social commentary and black humour, the lives of this eccentric family are well worth watching.
Game of Thrones
Downton Abbey
With a magical mix of the medieval, feuding clans and a few dragons thrown in along the way, this show has been a refreshingly different viewing experience and contributed four award to HBO's haul of awards.
Not forgetting the British success that is this colossus of a period soap, with an accolade for veteran actress Maggie Smith, awarded Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. ITV's Drama added to its host of awards this year.
Sex and the New City The girls are back in town My devotion to the '90s cult that was Sex and the City is such that the majority of discs in my DVD boxset now refuse to play, as if urging me to stop living vicariously through the characters’ - let’s face it - wholly unattainable world of Cosmos and Manolos, and get out into the considerably less ‘fabulous’ world I inhabit. For many fans, 2008’s film revival was a welcome return to the ostentatious land of Manhattan’s elite; one where Vivienne Westwood just so happens to decide that a couture wedding gown ‘belongs to you’. And then, along came SATC 2…and well, the less said about that the better. Even the most diehard of fans ‘got to thinking’, Carrie style, that maybe Miss Bradshaw and co belonged to another era. And then, earlier this year, HBO started touting the arrival of a brand new show, one they presented as 2012’s answer to Sex and the City. Given its similar themes – the friendships and sex lives of a group of young female New Yorkers – as well as the phenom-
enal success of the SATC brand, those at HBO could be forgiven for milking these comparisons. And yet, on closer inspection, the world Lena Dunham – the young, rising star who both writes and stars in the show – presents us with could not be more different. The fact that Girls is the brainchild of Dunham alone makes its presence on our screens all the more noteworthy. Rather than a group of middle-aged American screenwriters gathered in a boardroom, the show presents us with the lives of a young female graduate and her friends through the frank and funny eyes of someone who knows the experience first hand, and just happens to have made her own TV show about it. Yet since its release, Dunham could be said to be experiencing what can only be described as a ‘Marmite effect’. Criticism has tended to fall into two polarised camps, which is perhaps unsurprising given that the characters she presents us with are all considerably flawed, selfish and self-indulgent. Critics have bemoaned the girls’ status as privileged, middle class young women, and have described them variously as ‘smug, self-satisfied’, and - somewhat unforgivingly - as either ‘neurotic sex toys’ or ‘psycho man eaters’, as well as citing a lack of diversity among the main characters. But I am baffled by such a response. Certainly, Dunham’s exploration of the trials of girlhood is limited to a group of arts graduates living in New York, but, as Dunham herself attests, a show “that so perfectly represented every
culture, race and religion it would seem so forced [and] deliberate that it would take away from any good intention it was going for.” Some of the most popular shows of recent times- Friends, How I Met Your Mother, The OC et al, are not exactly ground-breaking in their approach to diversity, yet they seem to have escaped the critics’ wrath. It would seem therefore we have now come full circlewhile SATC was applauded for its frank display of casual sex and the idea that women could ‘have sex like men’, critics are now shocked that a young woman now has the audacity to complain about anything – what have you got to moan about they seem to suggest: you can have sex, independence and as many shoes as you want, and these days no one’s going to tell you that you can’t. As the show finally makes its way across the Atlantic this Autumn, if you find yourself believing the show to be ‘unstoppably irritating’ as one critic supposedly did, ask yourself: Could this be because Girls hits a little too close to home? Sian Gardiner
A Note from the Editors In honour of your arrival to the dizzying new world of the University student, we have put together a spread displaying two paradoxical sides of your new life: self-improvement and (perhaps more pertinent in your Freshers' week) self-destruction. We hope to inspire you to work hard and party harder by showing you how the literary greats set the example with both. This is our final time as editors of the books section, so if you think you'd like to come and have a go at it yourself, come along to the York Vision Freshers' elections in P/X/001, Physics Exhibition Centre Tuesday Week 2 at 7pm. You can also find Vision at Saturday's Freshers Fair.
MARTINI GENIUS It is Freshers’ Week and once again, the struggle to balance lectures and alcohol is rediscovered. But fear not, historically, many of the best minds were keen drinkers, especially writers of fiction. The literary hedonist may have become a cliché, but the fact remains that some of the best literature is soaked in enriching booze. As Roland Barthes said, "knowing how to drink is a national technique’." Britain’s confidence in this respect was made legend by none other than the national bard himself. Alcohol is referred to at least once in every single play by William Shakespeare with a total of 360 separate specific references and 196 more creative figures of speech. When asked what "does drink especially provoke?" the porter in Hamlet answers "Lechery, sir, it provokes and unprovokes; it provokes the desire but it takes away the performance." It is fun, also, to imagine how alcohol might have affected sober literature: Mr Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet would have hooked up a lot earlier had they been serving tequila
shots at that first dance. And so it is that bad decisions make good stories. The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886) opens with a drunken decision poorly made when Henchard auctions off his wife and daughter, much to his regret. James Joyce’s Ulysses, the definitive modernist novel, is so embedded in Irish drinking culture, that you’ll be hard pressed to find a pub in Dublin that doesn’t claim to be its inspiration. The ultimate literary party, however, exists in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. During the prohibition a mysterious Jay Gatsby holds a series of wild garden parties at his Long Island mansion in a vain attempt to rekindle an old love. The ‘spectroscopic gaiety’ of the events ultimately becomes a destructive force, but the descriptions are thrilling and enticing nonetheless; the best parties you will find in the pages of a book. The reason alcohol is such a great narrative device is because of its lowering of peoples’ inhibitions; Ernest Hemingway went as far as to say: "A man does not exist until he is drunk." From intimate conversations in pubs to explosive confrontations after one too many, stories are pushed forwards with liberal helpings of booze. Hunter S. Thompson, the authority on intoxication, said, “Drinking is an emotional thing. It joggles you out of the standardism of everyday life, out of everything being the same.” What better time than Freshers week to take advice from the literary giants of past and raise a toast to the liberating qualities of alcohol?
We hope you enjoy our final offering! Phil and Jo Books Editors The 120 Days of Sodom by The Marquis de Sade "To be truly happy in this world a man ought not merely fling himself into every vice, but should never permit himself one virtue." If searching for an authority on all things hedonistic, one need look no further than the scandalous aristocrat and quintessential libertine that is the Marquis de Sade. His infamous 1785 erotic novel The 120 Days of Sodom is all the more shocking for the period in which it was written. Filled with the most graphic sexual imagery one could possibly imagine, it makes 50 Shades of Grey look like Winnie the Pooh.
D! E H C U A B E D
SCANDALOUS! The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde "The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it." Aside from being perhaps the most quotable book in English literature, Wilde’s only novel is a fascinating study on the darkest desires that drive humans. The reader witnesses a young man’s soul descend into total corruption when blessed (or cursed) with eternal youth and beauty, with the effects on his soul being mirrored in his eponymous portrait.
Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis “A dusty thudding in his head made the scene before him beat like a pulse. His mouth had been used as a latrine by some small creature of the night, and then as its mausoleum. During the night, too, he'd somehow been on a cross-country run and then been expertly beaten up by secret police. He felt bad.” Lucky Jim tells the story of James Dixon, a reluctant medieval history lecturer at a redbrick university and his various scrapes and faux-pas during a cringe-inducing weekend spent with his boss. Its charm lies in its comic depiction of everyday awkwardness and his farcical booze-fuelled misadventures
Meditations Attending university for the first time is an incredibly exciting prospect, and the thought of having an entire year dedicated to settling in without the pressures of work contributing to your final degree only adds to the adventure. However, it is also a year that will, fundamentally, shape the rest of your life. No new student can possibly prepare themselves for the myriad of changes they are about to encounter, how they will deal with problems that arise amongst people they are unfamiliar with, and how their way of thinking will develop amidst the fountain of knowledge they receive from their new degree. Philosophical by nature, I thrive on musing about the constant flux and continuity of events that life consists of and how they affect me; hence, I chose to read this book.
strive towards a more honest, pure way of living and maintain a tranquil state of mind in all situations. He pushes strongly towards finding and fulfilling one’s true path in life; to realise one’s dream and to strive and work hard towards achieving it, never faltering along the way or developing a victimized sense of pity and desire for sympathy or admiration. Many a time, whilst facing a crisis, I have picked up this book and felt instantly soothed. Marcus teaches us that "Nothing can happen to any man that nature has not fitted him to endure," and to regain our selfcontrol as swiftly as possible to regain our inner harmony and serenity. Life does not conspire against us; every subjective negative is an objective positive.
"Our life is what our thoughts make it."
Meditations, written almost two thousand years ago by the great Roman Emperor and Stoic Philosopher Marcus Aurelius, is a pensive, profound work that I read throughout my first year at York. Written personally for himself and split into twelve books containing quotes of varying length, Meditations contains Aurelius’ musings concer ning self-improvement, living virtuously and the nature of the Universe. His words teach sincere lessons that stimulate the reader t o
"Do every act of your life as if it were your last." For me, Meditations has been put down as one of the most inspirational books I have read to date. It has urged me to see the world in a more positive light, has reminded me that adverse occurrences are essential to my self-improvement and the bad connotations attached to them are pure concoctions of my own mind, and that thinking and acting virtuously are essential for the fulfilment of my dreams and the happiness of the whole. I can only thank ole’ Marcus for making my first year at university one that I can look back on with a spiritually heightened sense of satisfaction.
Dear Freshers... At the beginning of this new stage in your life there is no better time to read the book that could alter it. This article's direct way of addressing you will also make sense if you read Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower. It is a cult favourite in America because of its straightforward, unembellished honesty, which partly arises as a by-product of the epistolary format. We have no idea who Charlie is, or who he is writing to as he addresses each letter ‘Dear Friend’. We come to realise none of this matters. Standing ‘on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective... But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor’. So states the book’s blurb. This pretty much parallels what the beginning of university means to any student. With a plethora of new experiences and activities all waiting around the corner, whatever you get involved in is bound to be different and exciting. Charlie is a ‘wallflower’, a being that exists on the peripheries, passive and alienated, but as he starts the next stage in his life he must learn to strike a balance between observing and participating. He is helped along the way by his English teacher and misfit friends, Patrick and Sam. But this is more than just a high school coming-of-age novel; Charlie must also cope with mental illness and emotional trauma as well as the seemingly trivial issues of day to day life. He navigates through this journey with a wealth of film, music and literary references, which are all worth diving into afterwards. With the aid of the right people and the right song on the right drive, he discovers what it is to feel infinite but, ultimately and more importantly, what it is to take responsibility. Author Stephen Chbosky has directed and produced the upcoming film adaptation starring Emma Watson and Logan Lerman although it is difficult to see how its subtleties and ambiguities can translate into film. All I can say is: read this book, and hopefully in the course of the next three years, you too will have the chance to experience a moment in your life in which you feel truly ‘infinite’. "Sam sat down and started laughing. Patrick started laughing. I started laughing. And in that moment, I swear we were infinite." Yours, Katrina Northern
Kiki Bee Epicurus' philosophy teaches that the purpose of life is to achieve tranquility and happiness through a self-sufficient lifestyle surrounded by friends.
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The Poetry of Kate Tempest
UPLIFTING!
Some of them are bound from greatness, some of them are bound to waste it, just like every generation that is being and all those still to come. They got the potential to change everything, and we love them cause they are still so young
EVERYMAN
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Kate Tempest is a performance poet from London. At only 26 she has exceptional social consciousness and a complete mastery of her art. She’s on this scale because her poetry is dizzyingly exciting but completely truthful and her hopeful message is one that inspires all who hear it. Kate is currently touring the UK with Scroobius Pip
The Alchemist by Paul Cohlo "The secret of life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times." The Alchemist is a short legend about following your dreams and self-discovery that has inspired millions for decades. It tells the story of a young shepherd who dreams of discovering treasure and resolves to do so, and of the characters he meets on the way. The final moral is one that every new university student should take to heart: live in the singular pursuit of your dreams.
INSPIRATIONAL!
iPhone 5: Our Verdict W
ith all the hype surrounding the new iPhone 5, our tech team decided to throw our own verdict into the hat of endless reviews out there. Much like with all previous launches of the iPhone, Apple has managed to build a great amount of suspense and excitement over the iPhone 5. Starting off with the obvious, it appears to be very similar in looks to both the 4 and 4S models, only with a slighter longer body to accommodate the new 4 inch screen. It is also clear that it is significantly lighter then most phones and feels very comfortable to hold in the palm of your hand. Looking at the exterior, it's clear that Apple has adopted the Porsche strategy of taking a very minimalist point of view, only making changes where absolutely necessary. The only controversial change is to the 30 pin connector, which is being replaced with Apple's new lightning port, a smaller, faster connection to allow better data transfer, although at the cost of requiring a new adapter for any third party accessories you may already own. After playing around with the new iOS interface, we found it to be incredibly simple and easy to use with a few minor but noticeable improvements. If you are a fan of any previous iPhone, this will be a doddle to use. We did miss the customisations that Android handsets are able to offer such as multiple screens with music player widgets and screen set up variations, but this isn't something you'll be losing sleep over. The phone itself is powered by a speedy A6 dual core chip clocking at just over 1.05Ghz on each core. However, make no mistake, this will give the new quad core mobile chips that Androids sport a
great run for their money thanks to Apple's design strategy. It also packs the same amount of runtime as the 4S, despite the faster processor. Whilst it's unlikely to last more than a day on moderate use, we expect any smart phone to be on charge at the end of the day and see the estimated life Apple has given as a positive indicator. The iPhone 5 also comes with an 8 megapixel sensor that is able to snap
photos up to 40% quicker than its little brother, the 4S. It is also better equipped for dealing with low light conditions with a few new settings. However, the biggest change involves the introduction of Panorama mode, a feature that allows you to take multiple portrait photos and convert them into one very large 28 megapixel image. As the first manufacturer to offer this inbuilt as a phone feature, we enjoyed using this very much and think that
it should be incorporated into all upcoming phones. Finally, Apple have managed to sneak 4G data speeds into the iPhone 5, but sadly we'll be unable to experience this in the UK for a good few months at least. Though we still appreciate Apple being considerate and future proofing the phone unlike most manufacturers currently. To sum up, we all know that the main competitor to Apple's launch is the Samsung Galaxy SIII, becoming very well known for it's incredibly good looking screen. It's clear that this is obviously the best iPhone to date and it's very hard to dislike it on any of its technical aspects. Web browsing, listening to music and communicating are all a breeze and we can't think of many phones that do them much better. However, with the fact that the OS feels like little has changed and with the ever increasing price tags starting around ÂŁ529, it seems very pricey for what it is, given the other less costly alternatives available. To summarise, in an age where we now expect our phones to do everything rather than just make calls, Apple has done very well with the iPhone 5. By keeping a very straightforward formula and adding only what was needed to keep it competitive with other manufacturers, it has managed to deliver yet another high quality product that will without question attract a lot of attention. Overall verdict: If you're an Apple lover, this is without question the phone for you. If you're willing to try something different, it may be worth holding out for future releases or consider the Samsung Galaxy SIII as an alternative smart phone.
Top 5 Tech Essentials for Freshers Xbox 360/PS3/TV With FIFA 13 and the new Call of Duty coming out, chances are you'll be spending a lot of time glued to a TV with your mates playing endless amounts of Fifa or Black Ops (probably as part of a drinking game!) By bringing an Xbox or PS3, you're room is bound to become the social hub on campus and it's always a great chance to get to know your fellow freshers. Speakers Make sure that you do not wake everyone in your block at a silly hour in the morning, but it's well worth picking up a good set of speakers. Ideal for chilling out with pre-drinks before a night out or for the house parties you'll be hanging at after you get bored of clubbing every night.
Extension leads (many of them!) An absolute necessity wherever you are. Most of your rooms in halls are likely to have only one or two plug sockets, or they'll be placed in ridiculous positions that will ruin the room you've taken ages to set up.
Digital/Phone Camera Whether you're rocking the new iPhone 5 or just a simple straight forward snapper, it's always handy to keep one on you for those nights out. You'll be able to get a nice shiny profile picture on your Facebook or inevitably catch your Our overall verdict: We love FIFA 13 mates doing somejust as we did FIFA 12, if not more. Yes, it thing totally unforgetis likely to ruin most of our degrees and table! many nights will be wasted away sitting in front of a huge TV, but it really is very Alarm clock impressive. We don't like that referees (es- After enough nights hitting the town, you're pecially Derek Milborrow) always seem bound to end up wanting to have a month to still be biased against all of our slid- long lie in. Having an alarm clock will prove ing challenges, but the added content still crucial when you have that 9am lecture you makes this a necessary purchase for all really need to make - especially when your gamers out there. phone is out of use thanks to spending freshers Game rating: week being dropped in an array of different clubs.
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o, if like myself, you had nothing better to do, you would have seen me with my mates, along with a bunch of hooded gamers, crowding around the entrance of Tesco at midnight last Monday. That's right, FIFA 13 was being released. Now that we've been playing it for about a week, we can let you know whether we're giving it a thumbs up or thumbs down. That's if you haven't already got it (which you probably have). Looking into the game play, I can't help but say it feels fairly similar to FIFA 12. But this is a good thing, we liked how easy FIFA 12 was to learn and get to grips with, and EA have picked up on this it seems. The touch has changed to some extent with the gaming engine being much more responsive to the amount of power you place on a pass, but this only serves to make the game feel even more realistic once you get the hang of it. The online experience has changed too, with the addition of head to head seasons as part of the multiplayer mode.
This allows players to compete online, starting at division 10 and attempting to reach division 1 through winning or drawing seasonal games.
But by far the biggest improvement to the game are the noticeable reactions in artificial intelligence. Players on your team will respond better to runs or through balls that you make, allowing you to stop shouting at teammates and actually score more often.
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Kate Nash chats to Philip Watson A rriving at the Brudenell Social Club in Leeds prior to my interview with Indie-pop singer/ songwriter Kate Nash, it strikes me the venue appears somewhat less grandiose than what I had previously envisioned. For an artist with a platinum-selling smash of a debut album (2008’s Made Of Bricks) and winner of a multitude of prestigious music awards (Best Female Artist at the 2008 BRIT Awards and Best Solo Artist at the NME awards in the same year, to name but a few), I really was expecting more affluent surroundings. Instead, a group of flatulent older gentleman sit around swilling their pints in the rather outmoded social area, discussing in conspiratorial tones the drawbacks of parsnips on a Sunday dinner to the backdrop of the barking (and ill-trained) guard dogs of the adjoining scrap yard. Despite my diehard devotion to the music of Nash, to whom I have been listening with unwavering continuity for years, the realisation unpleasantly comes to me that perhaps she is no longer the breakthrough sensation she was 4 years ago. Despite a solid follow-up album that is- in my humble opinion - superior to her critically acclaimed debut, 2010’s My Best Friend Is You was criminally underrated. Even with the wealth of astonishing and downright beautiful material on her second album, Nash’s music was either dwarfed by the sheer ubiquity of Katy Perry as she made her first appearance on the modern musical stage or regrettably lost amid the effluence of trashy pop that is inevitably created as by-product from Simon Cowell’s money-making machine. With a new album waiting in the wings, could the time be ripe for Nash to burst triumphantly back onto the scene? No time for further musings as the tour manager approaches and, after the obligatory niceties, I am escorted into Nash’s dressing room. Considering this is my first actual face-to-face encounter with someone even remotely famous- my only prior experience of ‘meeting’ a celebrity before this moment was pursuing Duncan Bannatyne through a Debenhams in Middlesbrough - I am more than a little nervous and not entirely sure of what to expect. However, upon entering Nash’s dressing room my nerves are immediately allayed. Helen, Nash’s sister, sits on the floor drawing an amusing frieze of explicit cartoons on the wall while Kate herself sits nonchalantly in the corner of the room, demurely sipping hot water and lemon while chatting spiritedly to her sibling. I am struck by her appearance as we greet each other; while I was expecting the red-haired girl-next-door Kate Nash that I know from 2008’s Foundations music video, instead I find myself shaking hands with a new Nash: blackhaired urbanite, indie fashionista and a punk-feminist ‘riot grrrl’ of the 21st Cen-
tury. After accepting a dairy-free chocolate coin from Nash (surprisingly tasty), we sit to begin the interview in earnest. From the first question it becomes unmistakeably apparent that, for Nash, her music is everything to her. She really has never wanted to do anything else, and in her own words she could not give a sh*t whether anyone likes her music or not. Her musical origins are delightfully anecdotal- I ask her if it is true that her song writing really took off when she broke her foot and was housebound, to which she affirms: ‘Basically, I was rejected from all the universities I applied to on the same day, and fell down some stairs’. (She doesn’t clarify if this all happened on the same day. I do hope not.) ‘I was working at Nando’s or River Island, a fabulous prospect (here she scoffs sarcastically). I was really bored and wanted to do something creative, so it gave me the spur to do it.’ Unexpectedly, Nash now delivers an erudite little epigram, which turns out to be the first of many in our conversation. ‘I’d rather be scared than bored. I’d always be a songwriter even if I was still working in Nando’s.’ Bravery in the face of the music industry, the media and indeed of life itself seems to be a common theme in Nash’s musings on her career. She believes her studying theatre at the BRIT school from 2003-5 made her a braver person because of the very nature of theatre and performance, and she recalls her first ever gig at Trinity Bar in Harrow (she remembers making the gig posters for the venue. She remembers being both terrified and excited, reminiscing fondly that her two Polish friends- Kasha and Christian- brought her flowers. Here, she urges me to contact Kasha on the grounds that she is amazing- a search which is regrettably still ongoing. As the interview progresses, I venture into more personal territory- namely, how Nash found, and still finds, the pressures of being in the public eye. Her response is so passionate and defiant, and so loaded with expletives, I find myself grinning and blushing simultaneously. ‘It is a lot of pressure, people slag you off in a personal way, like the way you look. I’ve been called everything you can think of. You should maintain who you are. Young girls should be able to relate to a normal human, not a botoxed, vajazzled and airbrushed image that you could never look like. Perfection isn’t real. It’s dangerous. Why the f*ck should I change who I am because some d*ckhead at a magazine
"I’d rather be scared than bored. I’d always be a songwriter even if I was still working in Nando’s"
called me a c**t?’ Moving onto the subject of her approaching album release later this year, I ask Nash about the rather radical shift of musical direction it promises with the release of her single 'Underestimate The Girl' released online in June. Written and recorded in less than 24 hours, Nash reveals ‘I felt a real build-up. I play bass in the band The Receders and [playing bass] makes me feel empowered, makes me into heavier stuff...[The sound is] quite aggressive and angry ‘cos I’ve been feeling that lately. Everyone has different emotions y’know- when I sang 'Do-WahDoo' I was happy, and sometimes I’m just like ‘f*ck everything!’’ Indeed, the strident punky sound of 'Underestimate The Girl' elicited mixed opinions from fans and critics alike upon its online release. While some branded it as ‘just noise’, others praised its brazen ‘anti-pop’ and anti-mainstream sound, something which Nash feels is important- as she quite simply puts it, ‘The charts are sh*t.’ Nash concedes, ‘Essentially I write pop music. I have influ-
ences from punk, and folk from my Irish background. Whatever I like there I put to a pop melody. Charts are sh*t so people think pop is sh*t - but the Beatles were pop. I like the ethics of punk. My music is changing as I get older.’ With the interview at an end, Nash bids me farewell (alas, the dairy-free chocolate coins have ran out) and I depart with both Nash’s autograph and a renewed sense of optimism for the evolution of the popular music artist. Perhaps Nash’s evolution away from the radio-friendly sound of 'Foundations' may not be to everyone’s taste, but what is really refreshing is that Nash obviously does not care what people think of her. Here is an artist who has a no-compromise approach to making music, writing about what she truly believes in, rather than being a thrall to the transient glitz of the pop charts. The Brudenell Social Club even seems to have transformed in my eyes during the 20 minutes I spent with Nash. Perhaps it may not be the most luxurious of venues, but the underground clubs that
hosted real punk artists rarely were; and to me, that’s what Nash really is - a pop-punk paragon of the 21st Century.
S ON TI 20 QUWIES TH: ELLIE TAYLOR
Ex-York student Ellie is a comedian and presenter from Essex, who most recently took over as presenter of BBC3’s hit make-under show, Snog Marry Avoid. She has an impressive list of TV credits, having appeared on 8 out of 10 Cats, Show Me The Funny and Big Brother’s Bit on the Side. The funny lady chats to Sarah Cattle about dead cats, snogging Harry Styles and, um, olives. 1. If you weren’t a comedian, what do you think you’d be doing? Probably my old day job in marketing where I spent my days sending branded pens to Macedonia whilst dying inside. 2. Do you have any pets? Not anymore. As a kid we had a succession of cats that all got run over. My parents’ garden is full of miniature burial plots - it's like a feline house of horrors. I'm surprised the authorities haven't become suspicious. 3. Let’s speak about York. What did you think of it? Loved it. My three years up there was one of the happiest times of my life. Thank goodness for those persistent student loan people who prevent my rose tinted glasses from steaming up too much. 4. Were you a Willow regular? No, but I was involved in a full blown affair with Thomas the Baker. 5. What are your plans for the coming year? At least one dinner at Pizza Express (with a 2-4-1 voucher, of course). 6. You were a guest on 8 out of 10 Cats. How was working with the likes of Sean Lock and Jimmy Carr?
Great. I find doing things that are daunting an excellent way to learn how to shit oneself discreetly. 7. What made you decide to go into comedy? Arrogance, neediness and boredom. 8. What have you been up to this Summer? I spent August at the Edinburgh Fringe gigging in a nightclub at midday every day for a month, and then spent September holidaying in Norfolk with my family where I was made to sleep in the hall due to lack of beds. It's been an extremely glamorous time in my life. 9. We thought you were great on Snog Marry Avoid. Did you feel the shoes of ‘The Frost’ were big ones to fill? Stop flirting! (Don't.) The show's a different entity now to how it used to be and I feel like I've made it my own. I'm looking forward to getting cracking on the next series later in the year. 10. Would you go to POD for fashion advice? I don't need advice because I'm a follower of a sartorial dictatorship aka Topshop personal shoppers. It takes out all the hassle of trawling the high street plus they have cupcakes by the tills.
11. Let’s play now. Snog, marry, avoid: Joey Essex, Harry Styles, Daniel Radcliffe? Snog Harry because he's filth, avoid Joey because he has better hair than me and marry Radcliffe because the scope for 'expelliarmus' jokes would never get old. 12. Tea or coffee? Tea from anywhere but Starbucks please (God I love saying shit like that).
hate in her eyes and said “That's Tesco.” 16. If you could have three famous people to your dinner party as special guests, who would they be? Stephen Fry, Queen Elizabeth I and Sir Ranulph Fiennes.
13. Everyone has a favourite joke. What’s yours? £9000 a year tuition fees.
17. If you could change something about yourself, what would it be? That I was less of a wimp. And that I liked olives.
14. If you could have a super power, what would it be? Time travel because I'd enjoy pissing off sci-fi geeks by using my powers for mediocre gain. Like ensuring I don't buy my Jamie Oliver wok before an unexpected blue cross sale.
18. Who have been your toughest crowd yet? I once gigged in front of 300 pissed soldiers on a barracks in Scotland where the stage was surrounded by tanks. I was bricking it but they turned out to be a delight which is always nice.
15. What’s your most embarrassing moment? I had a good one at a wedding the other day - a lady I sat next to said she worked for Sainsburys. I wittily replied that 'every little helps'. She looked at me with
19. Who was your last text from? Another comic talking about going to watch another comic. 20. What’s your usual hangover cure? Carbohydrates, nurofen and self pity.
SCENESTERS Scene Editors: Jordan Lloyd & Maddy Pelling Music Editors: Niamh Connolly & Nina Pullman Deputy Music: Louisa Hann & Martin Waugh Books Editors: Philip Watson & Joanna Barrow Deputy Books: James Carr
TV Editors: Sian Gardiner & Claire Hogarth Deputy TV: Judith Marzo Film Editors: Alysia Judge & Rory McGregor
Deputy Film: Will Barnes & Catherine Gobert-Jones Nightlife Editors: Ben Huckle & Henna Ishaq Deputy Nightlife: Zena Jarjis Tech Editors: Dan Cornwell & Vish Nithi