Serial Culture Issue 4 by Serial Culture

Exploring the lives and art of young people in Halton

Serial

SEPT 2021

CULTURE

FLIGHT Gig / Refugee's Journey / GLOW LGBTQ+ The Queen of Hearts / Cultivate / BUTTERFLY HOUSE 1 ISSUE FOUR

Seri @lary_the_dinosaur

Here's this month's Lary. Picasso dinosaur - Charlotte Hughes

04 COVER ART 06 THE SCARLET WATCH 08 VPET & BUTTERFLY HOUSE 10 COLDPLAY DISCOGRAPHY 12 H.E.A.R.T.S 14 WANDERLUST 18 MAKO 20 ASKING YOUR COMMUNITY FOR HELP 22 FLIGHT 26 CULTIVATE 28 GLOW 30 QUEEN OF HEARTS 32 PLAY COUNCIL 34 LARISSA 36 O.X. COLLECTIVE 38 BLACK MIDI 42 THE BIRTH OF GOLDENARM

Editorial Advisory Team Editorial Team Facilitator - Meg DeMar Designer - Greg Oldfield The Studio Project Manager - Louise Nulty

COVER ART

Abby Moyle I am 18 and based in Widnes. How long have you been creating art? Since I was 5 years old. How did you first get into it? I got into art by growing up with cartoons like bugs bunny and Mickey Mouse, I always wanted to create my own character and make children laugh and fall in love with something I created.

What training do you have? I have 3 years of training from highschool when I studied digital art, then I moved onto college where I am currently study graphics design.

What media/ software do you use? I use Photoshop, Illustrator, Ibis Paint X and Animate.

What is the inspiration for Dexter? Me and my nan came up with a story when I was younger about a dragon who walked down a mountain and made friends along the way, I started drawing the dragon at the beginning of High School and continued ever since, and here he is to this day!

Where can people find you on social media? You can find me on Instagram; @abby_m0yle / TikTok: Stibby Creative Portal: Abby Moyle / graphic designer

The Great Gatsby: Simply Beautiful and Deeply Harrowing Writing to you guys to tell you about another film. This edition it’s The Great Gatsby, a film I’ve always wanted to watch. The Great Gatsby is a dramatic tragedy based on the 1925 novel by acclaimed American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. The film explores the first-person narrative of Nick Carraway uncovering the mystery of Mr Gatsby. I was attracted to this film initially not only because my mum and auntie love this film but the director, Baz Luhrmann. Luhrmann also directed Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge and Strictly Ballroom, also known as the Red Curtain Trilogy, and I thoroughly enjoyed all of them and would recommend a watch. You can watch The Great Gatsby on Netflix and the trailer is available on YouTube.

FILM REVIEW

As I have told you, this is a Baz Luhrmann film, but he also co-wrote the script with Craig Pierce. The story follows Nick Carraway, played by Tobey Maguire, and his recollections of the summer of 1922 as he battles his alcoholism by writing a book about said summer. He recalls his neighbour, a man named Gatsby played by Leonardo DiCaprio, and his parties, fame and mystery. These parties take place in Long Island across the lake from the house of Nick’s cousin Daisy Buchanan, played by Carey Mulligan, and her husband Tom Buchanan, played by Joel Edgerton. The mystery of Gatsby unfolds over this visually stunning 2 hours and 23 minutes as we see forbidden loves and ego ultimately lead to heartbreak. We follow Nick blindly following Jay Gatsby, his cousin and their friends into the heart of the mystery losing himself as us, the audience, sink into the splendour of it all.

Delightful acting from the cast, including Elizabeth Debicki’s Jordan, create a sense of unbridled optimism of the rich which will later become not so rosy. The costuming is beautiful and the set design is to die for as the fantasy of Gatsby is mirrored in the world building. The theatrical parties mirror the style of Moulin Rouge and Romeo + Juliet. Luhrmann uses a trick, that in my mind is only associated with him, by using modern day music in stories set in the past - which he did with Moulin Rouge. This makes the piece more engaging and off beat which I love. It also makes the soundtrack really worth checking out. Dizzying yet electrifying sweeping shots move us through the world in a thoroughly enjoyable way. The word choice and instantly quotable lines mirror the immortality of the original book.

The Scarlet Watch from Elkie Atherton Jay Gatsby is a very complicated character and, in my eyes, though I am sure many would disagree, not a clear-cut hero. He lies and cheats and places too much on Daisy. Daisy is an instantly likable character with all her frivolities though we are ultimately drawn to Nick’s ending thoughts of the carelessness of her and Gatsby when combined. But of course, we would side with Nick because Nick is truly the author of the book. We forget that this is really Nick’s memoir told with all his biases and ego. Therefore, the fact that we side with Nick so often and sympathise with this man so much could be by his manipulation of the facts to make him, as the protagonist and writer, seem the most ethical and uncomplicated character in the narrative. Nick more than anything is the Mid-Western good boy inclined to reserve judgement, and we will never know if that’s the role he played in the summer of 1922 because Fitzgerald, in his writing, and Luhrmann, in his directing, only show the narrative told by Nick Carraway who still adores both Jay and Daisy and has stronger disdain of Tom and George Wilson, who are both really the villains of the story. This is then amplified by the charming Toby Maguire and the villainy of Joel Edgerton and Jason Clarke. But looking back on the story the real villain seems to be time itself. Overall, I really enjoyed this film as an experience. The visuals and sound design really just made it jaw dropping. Though I feel like the story sometimes lost its way, it definitely deserves a watch. You can expect similarly astonishing visuals from Baz Luhrmann’s other work and I would definitely recommend Moulin Rouge and Romeo + Juliet which I believe are knockout films. I hope, if you enjoy this review, you check out the film and like it too. Remember to stay safe and keep on nerding.

Victoria Park Environment Team has been working alongside local artist Georgina Ridehalgh, to create an art installation to go inside the Glasshouses in Victoria Park funded by Made In Halton Borough of Culture community grant. The idea of the piece was to spotlight a butterfly that has experienced a severe population decline in the past couple of years, so chose the Silver Studded Blue. VPET held several workshops inviting people to get creative and learn about what they can do to help with conservation efforts. Using paints, sharpies and plastic milk cartons, lots of recycled plastic butterflies were created for the art installation, which is still ongoing. The installation will be a visualisation of the Butterflies in Crisis in Britain today. To learn how you can get involved or to become a volunteer with VPET, email vpetvols@gmail.com

They used to rule the world. For a band as huge as Coldplay, they’ve got a very polarizing reputation. Call it trend-chasing, evolution or just experimentation, but they’ve changed a lot over the years, for the better and for worse. So, to celebrate the upcoming release of their ninth album, Music of the Spheres, coming out later this year, let’s look back on the previous eight and see what releases hold up. Let’s start with the first four albums, the first decade of Coldplay’s career.

Parachutes (2000) Parachutes is a great first outing for the band. Sonically, it follows the post-Britpop sound set up by Radiohead’s “The Bends” and Travis’ “The Man Who” but it’s the thematic elements that really sets this release apart. More than any other Coldplay album, Parachutes wears its heart on its sleeve. It’s album full of heartfelt love songs like “Yellow” and “Shiver” along with devastating songs about breakups and failing relationships like “Trouble” with the album finishing off on the reassuring “Everything’s Not Lost”. There’s a reason why it’s often considered one of the best debut albums of the 2000s. It’s a compact, well-paced album that shows off Coldplay in their rawest form. Parachutes is Coldplay at their most human and simple. They’ll grow from this point quite a lot and begin to carve out their own identity further, but for a first attempt this is a very good project.

A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002) A Rush of Blood to the Head tackles the difficult task of following up Parachutes and somehow, ends up being even better than it. There’s still a lot of their romantic spirit carried over from the debut on tracks like “Green Eyes” and “Warning Sign” but for the most part, this is the sound of a band maturing and getting more serious. Just compare the most famous tracks from both albums. “Yellow” is a beautifully sincere love song whereas “The Scientist” is an emotionally bitter yet harshly clinical breakup song. A Rush of Blood to the Head also sees the band incorporate more varied instrumentations such as the strings on “Daylight” or “In My Place.” It’s an album with a much bigger scale overall than its predecessor. A logical and satisfying evolution.

X+Y (2005) X+Y was a strange direction for the band to take after A Rush of Blood to the Head and in hindsight, it ended up being more of an interesting detour than the next evolution in their sound. Of their 2000s albums, X+Y is easily the one of them to get the least attention and acclaim, and that’s understandable to me. It’s a black sheep but I’d still call this album pretty good. X+Y sees the band heavily incorporate synths into their sound, as can be seen from the very start of the first track “Square One”. Unfortunately, I find this album to be a little bloated. It’s just over an hour long and 14 tracks in length and I think it could’ve been shortened by about 10 to 15 minutes. All that being said, I think the high points of the album can justify where the album drags in parts. There’s still a lot of great tracks on here such as the poignant and raw “Fix You”, the otherworldly “Speed of Sound” and the acoustic beauty that is “Til Kingdom Come.” X+Y is quite samey and lengthy as an album but overall, I would say it’s worth your time despite its shortcomings.

Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends (2008) Viva La Vida, or Death and All His Friends is a very ambitious and cohesive album that was needed after the messiness of X+Y. The album is themed around love and war, particularly historical war. This is also one of their most ambitious albums musically, taking in a wide variety of influences across its tracklist. Featuring strings, sitar, violin, organs, synths and influence from tribal music and afropop. The songs are larger than life and feature some of Chris Martin’s best lyrics. Songs like “Lovers in Japan” and the title track showcase the band at their absolute creative and instrumental best. Despite not being a concept album, it’s a record that gets you invested in its universe and has an amazing flow between tracks. It’s what I’d personally call their best album in their whole discography. The band would change their trajectory significantly in the 2010s, jumping from sound to sound and leaving behind them a polarising series of albums. They would never be the same after Viva La Vida but that doesn’t mean that it’s all downhill from here. This’ll be an interesting part 2 To be continued in Coldplay Discography Retrospective: Part 2 -By Luke Hardman

H..E.A.R.T.S have provided four weeks of fun activities for children in and around Halton. Our Dance Summer School has been funded by Edsential, this provided free provision for child who are entitled to free school meals. We have had over 100 children join us over the four weeks. Our Summer School has ran from Monday till Thursday inline with a typical school day ( 9am - 3pm). We have enjoyed activities such as Dance, Drama, Musical Theatre, Arts and Crafts and we even created a mini sports day for the children. Every child was offered a hot lunch or a choice of a sandwich.

We are currently enrolling for the new upcoming term. We run classes every Saturday at The CRMZ on Kingways via Vicarage Road in Widnes. Email us for more information Hearts.theatre.school@outlook.com

Ahmad Ashram

One Refugee's Journey from Syria to Halton

In August, the Serial Culture editorial team met with Ahmad Ashram, a 20-year-old refugee from Syria. Ahmad told us how he immigrated from Syria to Egypt with his family, and how he later ran away in search of a better life for himself here in the UK. This is his story. ‘Hello, my name is Ahmad Ashram, I come from Syria. I left Syria in 2012 because of the war and moved to Egypt where I lived until 2016. I went to school in Egypt and my dad had work so all of my family were there too. I felt very bored in Egypt, I didn’t like it so I asked my dad to send me away to anywhere because I wasn’t happy in Egypt. My dad sent me to my Aunty who lives in Turkey, just for a few weeks holiday at first hoping that I would change my mood and I would come back to Egypt, but when I went to Turkey I decided I still didn’t want to live in Egypt. I stayed with my Aunty for three months at first and then the second time I visited her I stayed for eight months. I went to a private school in Turkey to study but I wasn’t really interested in anything in particular so I studied Turkish language which helped me out a lot while living in Turkey as Turkish people don’t normally learn any other language, they like you to speak Turkish. Only about 25-30% of Turkish people can speak English. My mother’s language is Arabic which I can also speak. I used to visit a coffee shop in Turkey and I started to hear people talking about going to different countries for a better life and better opportunities. I listened to them from the next table where I was sitting as I was interested in what they were talking about. After that, I met with them twice when I visited the coffee shop and they told me about how they were planning to leave the country. The way that they were planning to travel is not legal as they were going to be using other peoples ID’s because they did not have their own.

There are some restrictions for people from the Middle East when travelling and because I come from Syria and have a Syrian passport I was unable to enter a lot of countries because of the war. It is all politics, but people are scared of Syrian people because of the war. I thought if I could get out and travel I would really enjoy it. I was planning to leave Turkey with these people, but my parents and Aunty knew nothing about it. When I would go to meet my friends to make our plans to leave the country I would tell my Aunty I was just going for a walk. The first time that I tried to leave the country they caught me at the airport and I went to jail for seven days. I went to a jail that is for non-Turkish people and I saw people from all over the world there. I was placed in a room with other people from Syria and within an hour of arriving there I got slapped by someone! It was not fun and I don’t reccommend it to anyone! I was taken to court for trying to leave the country without the permission of my family and for using a fake ID. They told me that if I ever tried this again I would be sent to jail for 3 years or they would send me back to Syria where I would have to join the army and be sent to fight in the war. At the time though I was only 15 and underage so they told me I was not allowed to be kept in jail and sent me to a children’s home for children who don’t have any family. I ran away from here the next day and went back to my Aunty. She asked me where I had been and I told her that I had been to the city with a friend. She didn’t mind this, but she was a little angry that I hadn’t told her so she told my dad who said that he didn’t want me to stay in Turkey anymore and that I must come back to Egypt. I kept in touch with the group of friends that were trying to leave the country and told them that I was still interested for when they next tried to leave. We all agreed that we wanted to go to any country that was a safe country and start a new life there. I didn’t choose any country in particular I just wanted to leave Turkey. I went back to the airport and this time no one checked my ID, which was very lucky for me as the police caught my friends and they all got arrested. I came to the UK and when I arrived I was trying to see where I was. I didn’t know what language I should speak or where I had to go or what I had to do. I had arrived at Heathrow airport where I stayed for a few hours watching the planes come in and go out – I had no idea where I was! I then went to the police and asked them how do I leave, and a police woman told me to follow her. I didn’t have a passport with me and they asked to check it before I left the airport so they asked where it was and I told them I didn’t have one. They asked me how I got here and I said on an airplane! They thought I was joking about being alone and not having a passport so they told me to go and get my family.

I told them I was alone and they asked me where I was from so I told them Syria which they didn’t believe at first. They thought I was Arminian. I said I wasn’t but I didn’t have any proof with me as my Aunty had my passport with her in Turkey. The officer found someone who could speak my language, Arabic, and she asked me where I thought I was. I told her I didn’t know so she said ‘look up’ where there was a big sign that said UK BORDER. She asked if any of my family knew where I was and I said no so she gave me her phone so that I could call my dad. I called my dad and he told me they had been looking for me, but my Aunty could not find me and I told him it was because I was in the UK. He asked me how I had got here and what I was going to do as I had no money, no passport, nothing. I explained everything to him and he said he should never have sent me to Turkey and that I shouldn’t be traveling alone – he said this was all his fault. I told him I was fine where I was and I felt fine. They sent me to a children’s home in London and I applied as a refugee as I had nothing to prove who I was. I lived in London for four months and then I moved to Liverpool. The first time I heard the scouse accent was funny! I was thinking to myself ‘do these people speak English?!’ because in school I had only ever studied the American accent – I thought ‘I don’t speak this language!’ The first scouse word I learnt was ‘chokka’ which I now know means busy! I went to college and studied ESOL [English for Speakers of Other Languages]. After that I started studying IT and Functional Skills level 1 and level 2. I completed level 1, 2 and 3 in IT but I didn’t really enjoy it and was told that I had to change my course to something else. I tried to think what I would like to do and I thought I would really like to be a pilot. So I applied to become and Aviation student and because I had level 3 in IT I was able to begin at level 3 in Aviation. Because I enjoyed it I did really well and my attendance was good. When I do something I like and feel like it’s my place I do well in it. In September I will be starting my second year of the Aviation Diploma and hopefully next year I can begin my training. I’ve decided that is what I want to be – a pilot. My dream is to become the very first Syrian Refugee Pilot. I have visited lots of countries and I speak different languages so it suits me well. I also help out at the colleges and with the local council with translation for people who don’t speak English very well. I enjoy this as I know how coming to a new country can be very hard as everything is so different, but if you meet someone who speaks the same language as you it feels a bit more like home.

Since coming to the UK I have been able to travel a lot and have visited about 10 countries around Europe including Greece, Belgium, Germany, Spain and France. Because of Covid and Brexit it has become much more difficult to travel but I am hoping to be able to do that again soon. As my dad is a business man he is able to get a visa and travel easier that other Syrian people and he has come to visit me in the UK.’

It was an honour to talk with Ahmad and we are very grateful to him for being so open and honest and sharing his story with us.

Trinity Safe Space supports asylum seekers, refugees and vulnerable migrants in Halton with essentials such as food, clothes, shoes, household items, sanitary products etc. They also signpost people to organisations which can offer them legal advice and family support. They help people register with health services and school admissions where necessary and advocate on their behalf. They are registered referrers for the Foodbanks and link into many organisations in and outside of the Borough and offer non accredited English for Speakers of other Languages (ESOL) classes either online or in person (when allowed). Currently they are only open in Widnes on Mondays from 11am - 1pm at Trinity Methodist Church, Peelhouse Lane, Widnes, WA8 6TN just for referrals. Email address: tsshalton@gmail.com Phone for more information: Pauline Ruth on 07967627554  They also work in close partnership with A Better Tomorrow, Halton CiC. 17

MAKO PIXEL ART PROJECT

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The Mako Create team are challenging you to create a Pixel Art design that will be showcased alongside hundreds of others in this community art piece to help Celebrate Halton. This specially designed Pixel Art Wall exhibit is currently being displayed at The Culture HQ in Runcorn Shopping City. We are really excited to collate and showcase hundreds of Halton’s individual pixel art creations into one giant exhibit to celebrate Halton’s diversity of culture during Halton Borough Of Culture 2021. Using FREE online software Pixilart.com, you can create Pixel Art that says something about you. The possibilities are endless. Ideas could include: ● An avatar of yourself ● Your initials in your favourite colours ● Your favourite Book/TV series/Film ● Your favourite thing to do with friends and family. ● A landmark from around Halton ● Your own random design or pattern

X I

Take a look at the site, get creative and send your pixel art in to Mako. You can find out more about the project and submit your art here: https://www.haltonmakefest.co.uk/project/celebration-halton-pixel-art-wall/

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ON ASKING YOUR COMMUNITY FOR HELP -FINN OLDFIELD The moment I found out I’d gotten into journalism school, my heart sank. Not because I wasn’t insanely proud of myself, or aware of the privilege in getting into the UK’s number one NCTJ journalism school, but because I knew I couldn’t afford it. Up until the point of being offered the place, I’d spent a year and a half stuck in my overdraft, paying off credit card fees and doing multiple freelance gigs alongside my part time job to keep myself from slipping into an unarranged overdraft, or what I like to call, “the dark side.” The only time I’ve really ever had any money was at university; I received the largest student finance loan, along with several bursaries and scholarships. But that’s all gone now, so when I was told I had one month to pay the £1,000 deposit fee to secure my place at journalism school, I froze. I’ve never had a problem being ambitious with plans when I’m short on funds, but accepting the offer to study on a course that I’d have to pay for myself felt like a step too far. To some it may not seem like a lot, but to me that amount of money seemed insurmountable. My interview for the Journalism Diversity Fund (who provides bursaries for people who can’t afford their course fees) was weeks away, so I had to find a way of somehow paying the deposit myself before I would get a chance to get my fees covered.

I decided to accept the offer, and considered my options. I took on more freelance work, I researched other funding opportunities, and most importantly to this story, I started a GoFundMe, thinking I would raise a few quid. I posted it on social media and hoped for the best. That’s when my community stepped in, within two weeks of posting my fundraiser, I’d raised the full deposit of a thousand pounds; the money came from people I grew up with, people I’d met at work or at university, and people that I’d met online. These people believed in me enough to help me get over the finishing line. Without them, I wouldn’t have been able to afford the deposit to secure my place. Without them, I wouldn’t have been able to sit my interview for the Journalism Diversity Fund, where I spoke to leaders in the industry about my commitment to journalism and how I would add diversity to a newsroom. And I wouldn’t have been able to get my course fees fully funded by passing that interview. I say this not to draw attention to myself, but to highlight the power of asking the people around you for help, even if you don’t expect anything from it. If I wasn’t prepared to be vulnerable in letting my friends and family know that I couldn’t do this thing alone, I wouldn’t be about to start journalism school in October. There is always hope, there is always someone willing to shoulder your struggle, but only if you let people in. Have the power to ask your community for help, and your dreams may just come true.

PREPARE FOR

FLIGHT… BEN COOPER

THE MAYOR & MAYORESS OF HALTON, CLLR CHRISTOPHER ROWE & MRS JOANNE ROWE

It was safe to say that things at The Studio were beginning to heat up again. After an excruciating year-and-a-bit of gig free procedure - with the tight-knit assembly of Studio Associates driven online, forced to combat covid through the only means left available to them: the zoom meeting - it felt good to throw the doors of the establishment wide; free, at last, to breathe in the sweet air of Lacey Street, Widnes. The closest we came to gigging during lockdown was ‘Gig in Your Gallery’, an Instagram open-mic series led by yours truly, in which an incredibly professional host provided an online platform for local talents to keep on rocking in the free, albeit locked-down, world.

LOOSE Community Records

JODY HOLLAND

While these virtual open mics were without doubt some of the best experiences of my life, there was always going to be an element of beauty lost in translation online. Along with most people, what I missed most during lockdown was going to see live music - the foot tapping, limbs flailing, raucous exuberance of it all; the mellow serenity of an acoustic night; the sheer, unparalleled joy of a well curated DJ set spinning all your favourite songs. YouTube clips of long broke-up bands playing shows to seven people simply wouldn’t suffice anymore. I had to get back out there – I had to get back to gigging. No wonder I was so excited to be a part of JuLive, then - a whole month packed full of live events, to commemorate The Studio’s reopening to the public.

RHYS HOPKINS

JOHN BOSTOCK

LIAM & ADAM HILLYER

I arrived at the venue on July 30th clad in Studio Associate T-shirt, rearing to make my way to my place on the sound desk. I loaded up Spotify with a vague skeleton of the night’s ‘DJ set’ in mind and started playing tracks through the PA, while the infinitely more talented technicians around me geared up for soundcheck – the room was filling up, and nerves were running high. I was starting to doubt my song choices, believing, in a confused state, that playing the wrong Arctic Monkeys song might inspire mutiny amongst the steadily growing crowd. A great deal more stress was invoked when I spied THE MAYOR AND MAYORESS OF HALTON, accompanied by equally important entourage, entering the room; I was in a state of near conniption fit when I accidentally queued the music from the Homebase advert instead of ‘This Charming Man’, scrambling to switch the song.

The fact that we were actually staging a real gig seemed a very important thing, and it was vital that we do our best to ensure that nothing went wrong. And I’d say we were resoundingly successful in accomplishing that aim. The night featured great performances all around – brilliant acoustic sets from Jody Holland and my long-time GIYG co-host Rhys Hopkins, as well as a truly heart-rending performance from The Studio jam group’s own John Bostock; an intense, and incredibly passionate performance from solo artist Quinn, followed by the excellent Widnesian duo Liam and Adam Hillyer. Kelly Creswell and Colin Guthrie were the final act of the night, debuting Kelly’s single ‘Try’, a fantastic song (available now on Spotify!! Go stream it!!)

QUINN

KELLY CRESSWELL In fact, all these songs are available on the Loose Community Record flight compilation albums, available to buy on Bandcamp! Support local venues and artists! COME AND SEE LIVE MUSIC AT THE STUDIO! If me shouting at you through the page can’t entice you enough, videos of the gig are available on The Studio’s YouTube JuLive series - this was a long awaited, truly amazing night, and though it isn’t noted in videos remembering it, my DJ set really was fantastic.

Find Flight compilations at: Loosecommunityrecords.com

Since the end of May, GLOW (The Studio’s LGBTQ+ youth group) have been working with Rods and Cones, a North West based community arts company, on two exciting projects! The first project saw the group make puppet versions of their fashion icons and inspirations which included Freddie Mercury, David Bowie, and even Pat Butcher! The puppets were to be used at the Walk Across the Bridge event taking place as part of Halton’s year as the Borough of Culture. While the event was unfortunately postponed due to Covid, GLOW persevered with their puppets who now have a permanent home at The Studio. For the second project, GLOW put together a short performance for an audience of friends, family, and members of the local community. The performance included some

pieces of poetry, spoken word, and creative writing that focused on key issues and topics which are important to the group. In-between the pieces being performed, there was an opportunity for these issues to be explored further in a facilitated discussion between the audience and GLOW. When talking about the event, one member of GLOW said: “I really enjoyed how the project encouraged me to try something I’d never imagined before, especially considering alternative viewpoints and opinions to my own.” This was the first in what will hopefully be many more public projects for GLOW.

Here are some poems from the GLOW LGBTQ+ group, that were written as part of the event they held as part of JuLIVE at The Studio. They are on the topic of ‘Safe Spaces’.

Soft blue waves Feels like home Not feeling lost I’m home I know Warmth like sun Wish I could stay here Till my days are done But I can’t at least not yet I really would Stay forever But for now I’ll cherish the moments My safe space and I share together

Screaming and cheerful Loud and happy Never snarls or a dodgy stare Open arms welcoming you home Tell us your name you are never alone Quiet and peaceful Silent and safe He is my safe space Oliver Riley (He/Him)

Elĳah Bray (He/They)

The Queen of Hearts has a heart for Halton People are �red in hospitality, especially for big chains who dish out minimum wage and long hours as a standard without thinking which has ul�mately been the industries downfall. With 102,000 job vacancies from April to June 2021 we can no longer point blame at covid, but at establishments that don’t have good staff support in place and who seem to simply not care about the people that consume and work for them. Loyalty comes to play here as people are refusing to become mindless cogs in an unapprecia�ve machine, when looking at the likes of the Queen of Hearts it is clear in Halton that this place and the management love what they do and in turn create a great environment to visit and work. Management and chains should be emo�onally inves�ng in their staff, regardless of the demand taking a break and hal�ng the money making process will prove to benefit as already 85% of places are in need of chefs and 80% in need of wai�ng staff. Employees are refusing to waver their self-care especially when over skilled, over worked and underpaid and thus are leaving poor working environments in search for be�er. This is where having a good local repertoire benefits as people want to work for a caring and fun establishment where they feel seen.

Since the beginning of the pandemic the Queen of Hearts in Murdishaw have been at the heart of community support ini�a�ves. Despite things almost being back to normal the pub has not wavered in their a�empts to raise money and help those in need in the local area. From dona�ng food and �me to the elderly, to recently holding a funfair at the site to raise money for a muchneeded defib machine for the haven hospice next door, this Marston’s pub shows that generosity and compassion can exist within a chain establishment to help without wan�ng.

It is not surprise that unlike many restaurants and pubs across the U.K. who struggled once reopening that the Queen of Hearts was rewarded for their charity work by loyal and thankful guests and staff. As we currently witness a na�onwide labour shortage within the hospitality industry it begs the ques�on whether all establishments, whether chain or independent should strive to do more for their customers and local areas especially in unforeseeable �mes. A li�le bit of humanity which was unexpected and unasked of by the Queen of Hearts but has benefited them and their locals incredibly by sharing individual’s just giving pages to gather financial support for their health and disability needs as well as small business pages to boost customers and recogni�on.

Photo - Lauren Quayle

Going above and beyond for not only your customers, but also your staff in 2021 proves to be somewhat a necessity today in such a disorien�ng and blight poli�cal climate. With the pub supplying packed lunch boxes for the local children and garnering supplies and support from locals who can afford to give back and help; the Queen of Heart’s illustrates the strength in coming together and suppor�ng each other in �mes of crisis where government have failed to humanise problems.

EMILIA GROWNEY

POLITICS, CLASS & SOCIAL ISSUES Emila is currently studying History & Politics and has a keen interest in social and class issues.

COMMUNITY TALKS Halton Play Council has sent Serial Culture some photos from the extra summer sessions they have provided during August for their SEN ( Special Educational Needs) service users. They offered support to 30 young people, aged 4 to 18, in various sessions, each had the opportunity to attend 4 sessions over a 2 week period - they enjoyed Art & Crafts, Sports . Games, and much more. They also had a visit from The Windows Project who held a creative writing workshop.

Larrissa Burton This piece of art has been inspired by the colours in summer and the insects in my garden. I have used watercolour and acrylic pens to create the shape and colour of the oranges and used white pencils to add highlights, on one of the oranges I used a biro pen to show the structure of the orange. Larrissa Burton is a 16 year old artist from Runcorn who approached Serial Culture letting us know about her passion for art, experience taking GCSE, her style and influence. I have always loved creating art ever since I was a young child, anything creative or colourful would take my eye and I'd always have a go. I was always drawing, painting and doing crafts like origami. In high school, I took art as one of my options, which became my favorite subject which wasn’t much of a surprise. GCSE art gave me a whole new outlook on art as a subject. It was no longer just painting and colouring but there were so many different techniques to experiment with, some of my favourites include printmaking, using stencils, oil pastels and collages. I have just recently received my GCSE results and got a grade 8 in art, which I am ecstatic with. I am now looking forward to continuing my creative path in college and further developing my personal style.

I love painting with acrylic and layering over biro pen and sometimes white charcoal pencil. I often steer away from traditional methods of painting and drawing because I want to find my own unique way of expressing myself through mixed media art. I also love using watercolour, layering different media and mixing bright/ bold colours.

I often find inspiration from nature as there are so many different: patterns, textures, shapes, structures and colours; ready to be explored. I love using explosions of colour in my work so painting flowers and insects is always fun. I also read fashion magazines often looking at the latest patterns, colours and shapes that are “on trend “. Recently bold flowy swirls and bright, bold patterns have been a statement within many brands. I’ll take these images and recreate them and somehow incorporate them into my work.

Creating art is a passion that I find really exciting and enjoyable. I believe that art is not only a hobby and entertainment but also a form of well-being and a way to relax. I love to create art and express emotion through it and give a piece a personal touch. After hours of fun creating my art to then have a final finished piece to admire and be proud of is a bonus.

NEIL HATTON

O.X. Updates - Recently the O.X. Collective have got the ball rolling on their biggest project yet. Commissioned by Loose and Halton Council, the group have been working on pre-production for a documentary series exploring the musical history and heritage of the borough. The eight-part documentary sees the group dive into everything Halton, from the club and indie scenes of the 80s and 90s to the Stone Roses infamous gig at Spike Island and through to the uprise of Allo Sound and the Celebrate Halton Weekender. With shooting already underway, the insightful series is set to begin release in October.

O.X. collective

THE RACKET

Aside from this, the Collective has also worked on shoots for Neil Hatton, gig photography for The Racket and are in the pre-production phase of making a showreel with dancer and previous collaborator Abby O’Connor. Episodes of the groups “Stereo Typical” podcast continue to be released bi-weekly onto youtube and all major podcast streaming services. Most recently the show has seen the boys go in-depth on the effect of the internet in being a musician as well as review albums from the likes of Billie Eilish, Arctic Monkeys and Kanye West.

For further information on O.X. head to www.oxcollective.co.uk and be sure to follow us on instagram @o.x.collective.

S N O E IG P E UR T L U C To celebrate the release of Black Midi’s sophomore album ‘Cavalcade’ the expansive, highly realised successor to the trio’s explosive mercuryprize nominated debut - I met up with my good friend Luke Hardman, fellow music nerd and newest addi�on to the serial culture wri�ng team, to share some thoughts on the band’s new direc�on: I know the album’s been out for a while now, Luke, but I think it’s important to ask, did you catch the single run? I did! I followed the singles pre�y closely; I’d say my favourite was probably ‘John L’… or ‘John 50’, whatever you want to call it. Yeah, ‘John 50’ is probably the standout track from the album for me maybe even the defining song of the 2020s. In the best way possible, It certainly sounds a lot like how the last year has felt – to be fair, most Black Midi songs tend to be like that though.

That’s one way of pu�ng it.

BEN LUKE

Photo credit: Anthrox Studio

Totally, maybe even more-so on the first album, though. That album makes me feel like punching holes through windows.

‘Schlagenheim’ is one of my favourite debuts ever, so I was very excited when they started releasing new stuff. What did you think of it? I like Schlagenheim a lot, it’s a very rowdy record, I guess you could say – complete chaos for a lot of it, but that just massively helps the pacing really. Favourite track? I’d probably say ‘Reggae’. The dynamics on that song are just so eerie, it’s incredible. Yeah, Reggae is a highlight for me too, it’s stupidly underplayed. ‘Western’ just beats it out for me, although every song on there is just great. It was at this point that we began to spin Cavalcade on the turntable,and were both taken aback by the ominous introductory drone. Is that the THX thing? It’s like the THX intro that used to play before cartoons, but somehow bassier. They didn’t put this on the streaming version of the record, but it’s s�ll pre�y cool. It sure sets the tone. I wonder where this is going… makes me think of ‘Over the Hedge’. Very ominous film. Ah, straight into John 50! This one sounds like a cursed ‘Sonic’ level.

The video for it is absolutely terrifying, don’t you think? Oh yeah, the choreography is so aggressive. Absolute nightmare fuel. Geordie’s vocals really shine on this track - the band’s proggier approach to song-wri�ng gives him a lot more chance to totally go for it, especially on the more acous�cally driven tracks. Yeah, ‘Marlene Dietrich’ is probably the best place to see that in ac�on. Greep definitely has the most dis�nc�ve voice of the post-punk revival, he has such an interes�ng way of singing. I’ve seen some people calling them ‘POST-post-punk’ online, which I honestly quite like. Though that probably applies more to Black Midi than it does, say, Shame. Yeah I can see that - BM are a lot more avant-garde now. Like, the bassline on ‘Slow’ is so jazzy, but always maintain the energy of the first album. Did you catch that live session with all the trumpets…? Oh, they sounded great on that, maybe even be�er than their first �me on KEXP. That version of ‘Dethroned’ is just brilliant, the guitar tone is DIVINE. Watching it, I couldn’t help feeling that ‘post-punk revival’ wasn’t a fair term at all to describe the band. Like, they sound nothing any of the other revival bands – you can’t compare this madness to Interpol!

BEN LUKE

Photo credit: Yis Kid

Maybe post-post-punk is a be�er term then – they seem more influenced by the weird sort of post-punk that never really took off all that well anyway. Like, say, This Heat, or The Pop Group. You can definitely hear some Talking Heads on the album though, maybe even some Television. I can see a li�le bit of ‘Marquee Moon’ in ‘Ascending Forth.’ Really? I’d never thought of that. Well, now that I think of it, that’s might just be because they’re both ten minutes long. What a closer though. That must be one of the album closers I’ve ever heard. It’s the grand send-off the album deserves. I much prefer it to their first record, honestly. I like how unashamedly prog influenced it is. Schlagenheim will always be dear to me, but this seems a really promising direc�on for the band. I can’t wait for the next album. Me neither, Ben – me neither.

Edigbe Ubido - The Birth of Goldenarm For all the latest information, publications and competitions visit the instagram page @thebirthofgoldenarm

Four more pages coming in each issue! If you can’t wait you can buy the full version on Etsy! 45

Serial Culture Zine- Origin Story! Serial Culture zine has been created to provide a platform for the young people of Halton aged 11-25 to share their artwork, cultural activity and lifestyle loves. Through Halton Borough Council’s youth provision programme, young people responded to our survey and call out for contributors. A small team have developed the zine from scratch with a larger community of young contributors. If you want to add your cultural voice and artwork contact serialculturezine@gmail.com The views expressed are those of the contributors. LOOSE has been creating opportunities for the people of Halton to perform, record, share and develop creatively since 1997. In 2010 LOOSE opened The Studio in Lacey Street, Widnes. This community venue is home to our current Lottery funded project, partner organisations and community groups. To find out what we currently offer, visit: www.thestudiowidnes.org.uk

GET INVOLVED! Are you age 11-25 and living in Halton? Serial Culture would love to hear from you! We are looking for budding writers, artists, poets, photographers (the list is endless!), who would like to be featured in our new zine. Perhaps you have a local story you would love to share, want to write a piece on something you are passionate about or show us another talent of yours. We are looking for submissions for upcoming issues, so if you fancy sharing, email us at serialculturezine@gmail.com It doesn't have to be a finished piece; it could even just be an idea! We will work with you to make it print-ready. We only ask that articles are 500-700 words.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING WHAT MAGIC YOU CREATE.

COVER ART ABBY MOYLE