WESTWORLD
ISSUE THREE 2016
ART, FASHION, MUSIC & CULTURE
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DEC 2015 // WESTWORLD 002 Editors Dulcie Horn westworld@westerneye.net Portia Lyons music@westerneye.net Hannah Rooke westworldassistant@westerneye.net Elly Novick musicassistant@westerneye.net Contributors
On the cover:
Klara Foreman, Briony Watkins, Sam Walker, Chloe Fry, Hannah Williams, Amii Little, Jacob Mcquillan, Danny Cozens, Jack Tyler, Ryan Cronin, Ben Waller, Connor Burke, Antony Price
Photography by Klara Foreman. Model Jacob McQuillan. Read our Love Specs feature as part of the Love special on pages 4-5.
feb 2016
Hello! Welcome to our first issue of 2016. We’re welcoming in the new year with a special feature on the WESTWORLD team’s reccomendations for this year ahead, tips for things to do this Valentine’s day and the return of Campus Style on page six. There’s only two issues left this year but we’ve also launched a new website. f you would like to get involved please join our facebook contributors group here: facebook.com/groups/WSTWRLD/ or shoot any of us an email - contact details are on the right.
Find us online! @WSTWRLD Website: wstwrld.wordpress.com Instagram: instagram.com/wstwrld Twitter: twitter.com/wstwrld Previous issues: issuu.com/wstwrld
FESTIVALS MUSIC
16 THINGS FOR
2016
Words: Sam Walker, Briony Watkins, Hannah Rooke, Chloe Fry, Portia Lyons and Dulcie Horn
Anderson .Paak Having been announced to the world via Dr. Dre’s Compton album, 29-year old .Paak is now making waves of his own within the music industry. The singer-songwriter-drummer released his Sophomore album Malibu in January to critical acclaim and won Breakthrough Act of 2015 at Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide Awards.
Mike Dignam This singer-songwriter has slowly been building up a profile over the last few years, being featured on Huw Stephen’s BBC Introducing blog in 2014 and touring with artists ranging from Gabrielle Aplin to American Authors. His first full album ‘Fight to Forgive’ was released late last year and is definitely worth a listen! Jack Garratt 24-year-old experimental songwriter and multiinstumentalist Jack Garratt has already been highly lauded; he was the winner of the BBC sound of 2016 award. You can catch him at the o2 on 7th April.
Bristol Film Festival - 11th 13th March BriFF makes its debut on 11th March till 13th March 2016 bringing a celebration of the impact and influence of film. This film arts festival offers a variety of activates and entertainment such as guided studio tours, talks by industry experts, pop ups, music performances, immersive screenings, and screenwriting workshops. The main venue for the festival will be The Arnolfini and other events will take place across Bristol including an already confirmed chance to see Madagascar at Bristol Zoo. Bristol International Jazz & Blues Festival 18th – 20th March Head down to Colston Hall in March for the annual Jazz and Blues festival. Legendary and influential artists such as Maceo Parker (trumpeter for James Brown), Lisa Simone (daughter of Nina) and Dennis Rollins will be playing along with younger artists such as Melanie Gardot. 6 Music Festival - 12th-14th February This year the BBC 6 music festival will be hosted in Bristol this year over the 12-14th February. A wide variety of acts are playing the festival, spanning many genres including Bristol’s own Roni Size as well as Frank Turner, Laura Marling and Underworld. You can catch them at many venues including Colston Hall, Motion, Trinity Centre and Basement 45.
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CLUB NIGHTS
LOST - 12th March This unique festival brings a condensed version of their 24-hour Art and Music experience to the confines of The Island in central Bristol in March. In the 12-hour event, expect immersive painting, lush beats and tonnes of fun in the Old Police Cells. Sinewave x Wisdom Teeth - 27th February
Images: 1. Distrikt SARAH KOURY/VINDALOO ARTS 2. Art from Elsewhere, Brazillian Bank MESCHAC GABA 3. Jane Eyre MANUEL HARLAN
ART
Art From Elsewhere - 22nd April – 17th July Find out about life in conflict zones through visually immersive works at Art From Elsewhere, a free exhibition shown across Arnolfini and Bristol Museum and Art Gallery. It combines cutting edge video, photography and sculpture from artists across Africa, Asia and the Far East dealing with current social and political issues.
BOOKS
George R.R. Martin Book fans have been left disappointed after it was announced the much anticipated 6th book in George R.R Martins epic A Song of Ice and Fire would not be released before the premier of Season 6 of Game of Thrones. However, will 2016 see the release of the long awaited tale or will we have to hold in our excitement til 2017? The Night Manager by John Le Carr This was Le Carr’s first post-war novel, written in 1993. It is worth a read due to the big name TV adaptation coming onto our screens this year. With a cast including Tom Hiddleston, Hugh Laurie and Olivia Colman, it’s one for the reading list.
UWE Creative Industries Degree Show 3rd - 9th June 2016 The culmination of three years of work for Arts students, the degree show is the highlight of the academic year and a chance to discover a new generation of artists, designers and media practitioners. Bower Ashton hosts a spectacular range of work from a wide range of programmes including Animation, Drawing and Applied Arts, Fashion, Filmmaking, Graphic Design, Illustration, Journalism, Media, Photography and Printmaking. Work by undergraduate Fine Art and Art and Visual Culture students will be on exhibition at Spike Island.
Spend a night in the Prison Cells groovin’ away to some of the finest DJ’s on the techno scene. After an exciting 2015 and having just landed his own radio show on Rinse.FM heavyweight Hodge joins Wen, K-Lone and Facta in what’s lining up to be a heavy night. All distinguished producers with on their way to making it big, grab a ticket now for £8. Distrikt For their launch party with Ben Pearce in last month they Distrikt tranformed Lakota into a stunning Japanese urban wonderland - you can expect big things from them within the next year. Great music coupled with unbeatable production is what they’re all about. Taking inspiration from different parts of the world and beyond for each of their parties, we’re excited to see what they do next.
THEATRE Jane Eyre – Bristol Old Vic For their 250th anniversary programme, The Bristol Old Vic will be staging a production of Jane Eyre between the 10th of February and the 29th of March. This is an interesting production, as the play is divided into two separate parts, and is a must see for any Bronte fan.
Hamlet – The Tobacco Factory To celebrate Shakespeare 400, (400 years since Shakespeare died), The Tobacco factory will be running a Shakespeare Season within their theatre. They begin the season with perhaps the most celebrated play of all time, Hamlet. This production will be running from the 11th of February to the 10th of March. Billy Elliot – The Bristol Hippodrome After an extremely successful 10 years in the heart of London’s West End, Billy Elliot the musical is setting out on its first ever tour of the UK and Ireland. The production will be stopping at the Bristol Hippodrome from the 25th of October till the 26th of November.
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ALTERNATIVE THINGS TO DO ON
VALENTINE'S DAY IN BRISTOL Words: Hannah WIlliams It’s that time of year we either love or hate. Depends on whom you have by your side I guess. You could take your partner, best friend, Mum, anyone you like out, who said Valentine’s Day was just for couples? If you have someone in mind you want to treat, you can of course do your usual romantic dinner, sweet gifts and a drink but if you’re feeling more adventurous, here are some alternative things to do in Bristol this Valentines day. •Switch up dinner for an nice breakfast or posh lunch •Go out and connect with nature. Take a walk up to see Clifton suspension bridge with a picnic or take a walk to Ashton Court Estate and see the deer or even go to Bristol zoo for the day •At Tyntesfield, there is a mystery trail called ‘Sherlock’s Super Sleuth’, which is only £2.50 and follows the footsteps of the great detective allowing you to solve mysteries around the estate •Pair up with another couple and go out for dinner somewhere •The new Wardrobe Theatre is playing “Goldilock, Stock & Three Smoking Bears”, an refreshing, alternative show to see for only £10 will bound to have you laughing all the way through it •At the M Shed is the Wildlife Photographer of the year. This is free and contains 100 award-winning images. •The Theatre Orchard present Instant Wit at Theatre@TheBay, which is a quick-fire comedy improv show packed full of sketches, gags, songs and more. Tickets are £10 or £8 for groups of six of more
•Take a trip to one of the many cinemas in Bristol and see the latest movie and have a glass of bubbly while you’re there •Go and see the recent work from members of Studio Upstairs at the Guild Gallery presents. They are an art community working with people suffering mental health and emotional distress •Go and watch the musical, The Bodyguard, which is playing all month at Bristol Hippodrome, tickets from £18.50 •At the Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, the show, “death: the human experience”, which features over 200 amazing items dedicated to showing how human beings have approached death and dying around the world. Now I know this doesn’t sound romantic, but this would be so different and interesting for a date So if you’re not into wining and dining your date, suggest one of these options to whoever you want to take out on Valentines day, it won’t be one you forget if you do something different.
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THE LOOK
OF LOVE For this month’s LOVE issue we teamed up with the charity Love Support unite to bring you this special feature on their wonderful Love Specs. Photography: Klara Foreman Assistants: Hannah Rooke and Dulcie Horn Models: Amii Little and Jacob McQuillan Models wear: Love Specs Tezla Design Earrings
LOOK OUT FOR...
LOVE SPECS
You might recognise the glasses we’ve used in our shoot as the must-have accessory of last summer, perched on faces across the festival circuit all season- and also worn by Rudimental and Ed Sheeran! If you’ve tried them on you’ll know they’ve got some hidden powers: when you flip the top down every light you see bursts into rainbow hearts. Love Specs are more than just trippy shades though - they are quite literally spreading the love in real life with their charity projects. For every pair of Love Specs sold 100% of the profit goes to Love Support Unite who run Tilinanu Orphanage in Malawi. You can read more about LSU’s work on lovesupportunite.org. You can pick up your own pair at That Thing in Stokes Croft or head online to lovespecs.org.
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Manchester-based Everything Everything brought their unique art-pop sound to a sold-out O2 Academy in November. Primed for the 26-date European tour, frontman Jonathan Higgs led his band to the stage not only with their iconic matching outfits, but with an air of swagger not previously seen in the mathrock collective. With the rest of his band clad in grey tracksuit jackets, Higgs elected to go for a spiritual-looking poncho; an apt supplement to his God-like bleached blonde hair. The five-piece looked to have genuine smiles on their faces too, and after releasing their finest album to date, seemed like a band on top of their game. After being met with a hero’s welcome, the band kicked off with the darkly passionate To the Blade, followed by a run of other tracks from 2015’s ‘Get to Heaven’. Higgs later showed off his vocal qualities as his falsetto voice swung from light-speed, tonguetwisting lyrics to one word choruses with frightening ease as the performance featured fan favourites ‘Regret’ and ‘MY KZ UR BF’. Impressively, the backing vocals from the rest of the band did surprisingly well to harmonise with Higgs’ outrageously high-pitched tone, and were truly tested in Don’t Try and Duet from 2013’s Arc. Although critics have branded it as Everything’s
MINI SINGLE REVIEWS Words: Ben Waller, Elly Novick, Portia Lyons, Dulcie Horn
weakest album, tracks from Arc were some of the best received by the O2 faithful. Higgs, armed with amusingly bad puns, thanked the crowd for turning up to see them, only before half spluttering “if only I could get rid of this, ahem ahem, cough cough”; a cringe-worthy reference to their 2012 single which was met with a worryingly warm reception. After closing the set with their fresh new single Spring/Sun/Winter/Dread, it seemed to take an age for the band to resurface for the encore. When they finally did reappear, the lads were attired in dazzling pink, orange and yellow coats and with freshly opened beers in hand – it was time to get loose.
LIVE REVIEW:
EVERYTHING EVERYTHING EVERYTHING EVERYTHING MIKE MASSARO
Bristol O2 Academy: 18/11/2015 Words: Ryan Cronin
The first song was the up-tempo, synth-heavy Distant Past, which will be almost certainly jammed in the crowds’ heads for the next 24 hours due to its insatiable repetition. The second and final EE song was No Reptiles; a hypnotic track with a sing along chorus to which nobody fully understands. Feeling “like a fat child in a pushchair, old enough to run and old enough to fire a gun” is a very specific niche Higgs has chosen to cover but by the end of the gig I’m pretty sure there were several obese toddler-gun-crime-sympathisers leaving the O2.
RADIOHEAD SPECTRE
DAVID BOWIE DOLLAR DAYS
NONAME GYPSY SUNDAY MORNING
BILLIE MARTEN BIRD
Originally written for the James Bond film of the same name, this beautifully melodic vocal number by Radiohead is uplifting yet mysterious. Thom Yorke’s voice acts as a grounding feature in the piece, first coming in over a spacious and echoic intro. Then throughout at the breakdowns between the vocals, the instruments go wild really exploring their dynamic range with driving drums. It’s good to hear Radiohead exploring some new instrumentation and it gives high hopes for their possible new album, shame it wasn’t used in the film!
In memory of an inspirational figure in music and art. A gentle combination of piano and saxophone creates a beautiful, bittersweet intro to Dollar Days, a track from Bowie’s final album Blackstar. We now know that this was his farewell, released just two days before his death. Dollar Days is a beautiful ballad representing the Bowie we all know and love and it’s no coincidence the refrain fades out to ‘I’m dying too…’ which has a double meaning now.
As my mornings are spent looking at iced surfaces in my room, I can’t help but fantasise about summer, days spent sitting in Castle Park with a blanket and my speakers. Listening to Sunday Morning’s vibrant melody transports you into the summer bubble. A perfect song for frosty days.
This etheral track from Billie Marten’s EP ‘As Long As’ seems far beyond her years... The young songtress is only 16. Soaring strings accompany her sweet, breathy vocals on this acoustic folk influenced track. We’re now patiently awaiting a debut album!
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FROM ROOTS IN ROCK,
TO FLOURISHING IN FOLK Hannah Rooke talks to Jack Cookson, a UWE student who has been shortlisted for the BBC Young Folk Musician of the year award. I’ve never started an interview having just watched the interviewee hang my bedroom door following a drunken New Years Eve mishap, but I’m lucky to call Jack an old friend and DIY is amongst the many things he has a natural gift for. Singer/songwriter Jack Cookson picked up the guitar having been inspired by a film about two dumb kids struggling to prepare for a history presentation. “I started playing guitar partly because my mum played guitar and partly because I watched Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. I liked rock music after that and thought, that’s cool I wanna play guitar, so it pretty much all started from that.” Jack’s been playing for a decade, or as he says; “I’ve been learning for 10 years and I’m still learning really” but in that time he has become an extremely talented, multi instrumentalist. From performing at 2000 Trees Festival, to the Balloon Fiesta and even releasing his first album Jack has gone from strength to strength. In December 2015 more well earned good news followed as he found out he has been shortlisted for the BBC Young Folk Musician of the year award. “I actually found out just after my birthday so that was a nice present. I sent my application off in November and just had my fingers crossed that I’d hear something after the 4th then lo and behold I saw the email and I threw whatever I was holding across the room I was so happy” Jack is up against 10 other equally gifted folk artists and as part of the competition will attend a weekend away with them. “They select 10 artists to go away to Kendall to do this weekend of workshops and play a gig. After that they select 4 people to nominate and they go against musicians from other awards and if you do well in that you can win the award and that’s kinda scary!”
“I was presenting my project yesterday and it’s a folk music project and I was sat there listening to people who’d made a malleable control surface for music making and I’m just making a CD. But then I’m also forcing myself to write 7 songs in 4 months which is maybe something they couldn’t do. Everyone’s good but everyone’s different.” Jack tells me that Bristol’s music scene was one of the main reasons he wanted to study at UWE and who can blame him? With a niche market for every genre, an abundance of open mic nights and the constant opportunity Bristol provides, it’s any musician’s oyster. “I’ve found it really beneficial for getting out and playing music, Bristol’s cool and I just thought yeah, best get used to it. Studying creative music tech has helped as well cause you’re constantly surrounded by people that are a lot better than you. I think that’s called imposter syndrome y’know, like when you think you’re inadequate but you need to remember that your strengths are different to other peoples.” 2015 will be a hard year to follow for Jack, releasing an album, playing over 100 gigs and collaborating with the likes of Mark Legassick from Howlin’ Lord but I don’t doubt that 2016 will be another success and It’s exciting to se what Jack has in store. Best of luck!
GIVE US YOUR
Look out for a special anniversary edition of his album, Revolt and Resolve, released in February.
SOUND SUGGESTIONS
Jack is in his third year studying Creative Music Tech at UWE and despite being one of the most talented people I know, even Jack finds himself questioning his abilities.
Are you a musician, a DJ, a promoter or a producer who is looking for some exposure? Are you a budding writer who would like to go to gigs for free? Get in touch with us! We need writers to review gigs, albums and singles and we’re always on the lookout for local talent. If you’re interested ping our music editor Portia a line on music@westerneye.net. We also have monthly collaborative souncloud playlists we’d love you to get involved in: soundcloud.com/wstwrld.
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CAMPUS
STYLE
Bower Ashton winter Campus Style Photographer: Danny Cozens Assistant: Jack Tyler
Dionne, 3rd year media Kickers shoes, Topshop coat, vintage top, vintage trousers, Dice bag. Winter staple: Fur coat.
Lucy, 1st year Filmmaking Nike shoes, charity shop skirt, French Connection jumper, Converse bag. Winter staple: Colourful trousers.
Tanya, 3rd year filmmaking Topshop coat, Topshop leggings, Converse shoes. Winter staple: Turtleneck.
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WESTWORLD 003 // FEB 2016 Koya, 1st year fashion N.E.R.D cap, YSL top, Zara jeans, Saikoucon shoes, YSL coat. Winter staple: Trench coat.
Sam, 3rd year Film Studies Norse project cap, All Saints jeans, Vans, American Apparel shirt. Winter staple: Fingerless gloves.
With stormy weather on the way wrapping up is key to surviving the bitterly cold temperatures. Layer your favourite mom jeans and tee combo with an oversized boyfriend fit coat or bring some colour to dull cloudy days in a retro 90’s jacket. For the rare occasion the sun decides to bless us with some rays remember to pack your sunglasses because as beautiful as it may be your eyes won’t be used to it. Here’s how the students on Bower Ashton campus have been doing it this winter. See more campus style online: wstwrld.wordpress.com
Sam, 3rd year Film Studies Norse project cap, All Saints jeans, Vans, American Apparel shirt. Winter staple: Fingerless gloves.
Jake, 1st year photography Sr Martens shoes, ASOS jeans, Topman shirt. Winter staple: Adidas windbreaker.
Tegan, 1st year fashion design. Nike jacket, Levi jeans, Adidas shoes, vintage jumper. Winter staple: Fur coat.
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FEATURED ARTIST...
CONNOR BURKE For some people, the clarity of choosing what to do with your life is led by your strengths and for Connor Burke, from a young age art would be the basis of his career. From screen-printing to tagging the streets of Bristol, Hannah Rooke spoke to Connor about what’s in the pipeline after uni. So firstly, why did decide to do illustration? I’ve been drawing since I was 10, sort of knowing I want to do art. When I was like 5 I remember my teacher telling me I was good at art and I just kinda took to it after that. I went to uni on a bit of a random last chance thing, I was working before but my mum kinda got on to me and told me i need to make something of myself and she suggested uni so I applied through clearing and got in last minute Do you enjoy your course/is it what you expected it to be? Yeah in the way that art education can seem like a bit of a waste sometimes but it’s been worthwhile cause it’s given me the opportunity to do screen printing which is what I wanna do as well as opening up lots of other facilities I wouldn’t otherwise have access too. What is it about screen printing you enjoy so much? The whole process of it, making the image, preparing it and actually the whole printing thing is quite fun. Plus it means I’m able to create a brand using my own stuff. You’ve recently just started your own clothing brand, tell me more about that… I’ve got a t shirt line I’m trying to get up and running which is going under Conrico’s Clothing. I’m just gonna be printing anything I wanna draw, I don’t feel constrained to a brief or anything, I can have the freedom to do what I want. Are there any artists or illustrators you particularly admire? Yeah, to be honest I’m pretty shit when it comes to naming people like that because I just look at their work and think yeah that’s cool. But one person in particular is Hokusai he’s either a 17th or 18th century wood block printer. his whole style is so clean and effortless. Well, I say effortless, wood block printing takes months to make a single image cause you have to cut all the wood individually but the it comes out really really clean and that what I kinda like about screen printing as well. Like you an draw a really nice image with a pencil but it will always be a bit rough whereas if you’re printing with an ink it’s just block colour and nice crisp lines.
What do you see yourself doing after uni? Well I’ll be staying in Bristol it’s always been my home. I’m currently doing an apprenticeship at the screen printing company Squared Roots so ill be working there after uni and also trying to create my own business on the side with Conrico’s Clothing. One day I’d ideally like to run my own screen print studio in Bristol and run my brand as well as help other brands. You mentioned your favourite artist is Hokusai, where would you take him for dinner and what would you talk about? Considering he was 18th century I’d like to take him to an internet cafe and have some generic food from our time. It’d be a massive culture shock for him he’d probably just trip balls. I’d wanna talk to him about wood block printing and just learn where he got his influences and beliefs. He didn’t start printing until he was 60 and even then he didn’t really get recognized until he was 70/80 so within his lifetime he was never really known as a great printer. Ok I’m gonna ask a few quick fire questions: Favourite Music? Old School 90’s hip – hop. Notorious B.I.G, that kinda stuff. Favourite colour? Blue or Red. Ha, bread, Favourite thing to draw? Trees, eyes or tagging. So you do graffiti? Yeah but I try to keep to the legal side of it. I’ve always had an interest in it and since moving into town I’ve got into it more; you see it everywhere.
Would you like to be a featured artist? We’re looking for people who work in all formats. Email us on westworld@westerneye.net to show us some of your work.
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FEATURED ARTIST...
ANTONY PRICE Have you always been interested in photography? What triggered your interest? I was more born into photography. My dad owns a camera shop back home so I would work for him on weekends learning the tools of the trade as well as the information needed to sell the cameras and equipment. The interest came when I took my first professional style photograph in Ireland, I was 13, using an Olympus om1. It was an iconic moment as it was the first connection I had with an image I’d taken, my passion for photography has been escalating rapidly since that day. If you weren't doing photography, what do you think you'd be doing? Music or film, “I’m too creative for law” as my mum would say. But, its hard to choose which one and I still hope to work with both mediums in the future. What's your favourite style of photography? I’m naturally drawn to architecture, a sort of abstract fine art hybrid, bold lines and simple compositions excite me haha. But generally, portraiture is where I’m heading and as I intend to work a lot with people in the future, it’s a good idea to develop a certain style sooner rather than later. Which photographers do you love? Helene Binet – architectural photographer, more art related, but she is a brilliant artist to say the least.
Have you found it a difficult topic to cover? Depression was a very difficult topic to cover, it was on a personal level too so it made it harder to express the thoughts I personally had. I opted for a mix of my experience and the many thousands effected by it on a yearly bases. 1 in 4 will be effected by a mental illness in the UK, just this year! I felt it was something that goes un-noticed, especially with men, as in my opinion, depression derives from the fear of believing you can’t share what your feelings are inside, and sadly my research suggested men were at risk of not sharing these feelings often enough, increasing the effects of depression. So in short my series, focused around one model, was really more a psychological interpretation of depression. What would be your ideal job? I have two options, one is a photography collective idea I have, but that’s more of a long term goal. The other would be working for a music magazine, taking portraits of the artists. With the possibility of creating album artwork on the side. Best piece of advice you’ve ever been given? “Shoot the shit out of it” – genuine words of wisdom by my lecturers, it’s not to be taken too seriously, and I’m sure I could come up with a more philosophical quote, but this one rings in my ear whenever I pick up my camera now.
FEATURED
How has uni helped to develop your skills? It’s helped in so many ways, from learning the ethics surrounding a photographer, right the way down to using large format cameras, I doubt I’d ever have got the chance to use the new Mimiyas we have in the photography department, if it weren’t for uni, they’re way too expensive. More importantly though, it’s the guest speakers that do it for me. I don’t think I’ve ever left without feeling overwhelmingly inspired.
ARTISTS
What are you working on at the moment? I have just finished a series on depression, but I’m reluctant to disclose what I’m working on at the moment…