CUB 550 by CUB Magazine

CUB

ISSUE 550

Could you run the students’ union? The Students’ Union runs elections so you can choose who should be the next group of students to run and lead the Students’ Union. Elected students then set the direction of the Students’ Union; decide on student policy and run campaigns and projects to improve the student experience.

What Position Do You Suit? Full Time Positions Executive Officers are full time paid positions who receive £24,500 per a year. To be an Executive Officer you could either take a year out of your studies or do it the year directly after completing your degree. President, Vice President Barts & The London, Vice President Education, Vice President Welfare

Nominations Open: Mon 20 Jan Nominations Close: Wed 12 Feb

Part Time Voluntary Positions

Barts & The London Positions

Part time voluntary positions are to be completed alongside your studies. They are a great way to develop skills and make a difference.

Faculty Representative (Pre-Clinical), Faculty Representative (Clinical), Faculty Representative (Dental), Postgraduate Research Representative, Postgraduate Taught Representative, International Representative, Welfare Representative, Campaigns Officer, LGBT Representative, Multi-Cultural Representative, Vice President Barts, Vice President London, RAG Officer, Societies Officer, Sports Officer, Volunteering Officer, Dental Society President, External Affairs Officer

Student Trustee x4, NUS Delegate x4

Cross Campus Positions Commercial Services Officer, Student Media Officer, Student Council Chair

Mile End Positions Humanities & Social Science Faculty Representative x2, Science & Engineering Faculty Representative x2, Postgraduate Research Representative, Postgraduate Taught Representative, International Representative (Education), International Representative (Welfare), Disabled Students Representative, LGBT Representative, Multi-Cultural Representative, Womens Representative, Welfare Representative, RAG Officer, Societies Officer, Sports Officer, Volunteering Officer

Additional Non-representative Positions External Affairs Officer, Alumni Officer, Secretary, Entertainments Officer x2

How To Apply Pick up a nomination form from www.qmsu.org/elections or from the Students’ Union Hub Reception (Mile End) or the BLSA Reception (Whitechapel). All positions officially take office from 1 August 2014, except NUS Delegates who take office with immediate effect for one calendar year. To see the full eligibility requirement for each position please see www.qmsu.org/elections.

ISSUE 550 SECTION GUIDE

2 // The Editor’s Letter 3 // London 8 // Arts 14 // Film 20 // Features 26 // Music 32 // Style 40 // Photography 42 // Travel 46 // Columns 48 // The Team “A g a i n, y o u can ’t con n ect th e dots l o oking f orw a rd; you c a n only c on ne ct th e m l ookin g backwar ds. S o you ha ve t o t rust t ha t t he dot s w i ll s o m e h o w c on n ect in you r fu tu r e. Y ou ha ve t o t rust in some t hing . ” STEVE JOBS

ISSUE 550 - Editorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Letter

Wilkommen Bienvenue Welcome The early months of any new year are undoubtedly the worst. January blues are a very real thing, and the combination of final year essays and putting a magazine together was never going to be an easy one. Luckily I have some very dedicated writers and editors who are always willing to seek out (and sample) the best places for some light relief. We continue to showcase some of the best talents QM has to offer, from an anonymous jewellery designer to an upand-coming playwright to the usual style inspirations and photographic talent. Religion, sex toys and knitting are also covered, although thankfully not in the same piece... Exciting news is on the horizon as we begin seeking out more creative types for our next issue, kindly funded by the Arts & Culture Fund. If you are interested in getting involved, email editorcub@gmail. com for more info - no membership required! I hope you enjoy our latest offering with the usual enthusiasm. Lauren Cantillon.

LONDON

SIMON DRAKE’S HOUSE OF MAGIC At the moment it seems very ‘trendy’ if you can perform some sort of magic; there has been a considerable surge in magic and illusionist acts reappearing on TV - it’s as though they’re pulling them out of a hat or something? (Sorry). Shit puns aside, whilst Dynamo is wowing people from their sofas and David Blaine* is devising his latest stunt, I have had a genuine see-it-for-yourself close up magic experience. Simon Drake’s House of Magic is located, wait, I can’t tell you because it’s a secret (it’s already good isn’t it?)

Words: Lucy Sutcliffe

circle tables with - surprise - your card is on top. These guys were phenomenal and were probably worth the money alone, but they were only leading up to the crescendo - Simon’s show! I was astonished at the stunts, magic, illusions (whichever term is most endearing). It’s almost impossible for me to say anything else without blabbing, except it created the most thrilling evening I have had in a long time and I only wish it lasted longer. Simon Drake’s House of Magic is a genuine all-rounder, it’s an original experience and night out, and as you can tell I am going to insist that you go!

On arriving at the unassuming building we clambered through ‘The Enchanted Garden’ which looks like a mythical woodland Kingdombut far more eerie. We managed the anxious walk into the house and immediately decided to purchase a gin and tonic. The gothic interior of the house is very distracting - beautiful in fact. The evening promised to be a suave, enigmatic and wine filled night. Prior to the show there is an opportunity for a tour of the haunted cellar in the house, or to sit on the soothsayer’s whispering chair before dinner - which by the way was a delicious two course dinner - really homemade like a mamma used to. Now, I’d like to bring up the price (it’s pricey) but you’re allowed to splash out every few months, right? I promise that you’ll love it. Its £45 for dinner, the show and everything in between, which is about the same as you’d spend on a night out anyway!

To book an evening visit: http://www.houseofmagic.co.uk/simon.php

*Fun magic based trivia, which of these David Blaine stunts is actually (probably) true:*

Photo: Plaisanter

1) He attempted to bungee jump from Victoria

Returning to the evening, we had dinner in the drawing room, which looked quintessentially 1920s but with a Houdini style cryptic twist (it just so happened that we ended up dining with guys who worked for the MOD - that certainly spiced dinner up!) As a sort of warm up to Simon’s show, he had magicians circulating doing really close magic at the table. At first I had this horrid image of the guy your cousin enlists for her engagement party to miserably

Falls using his foreskin as a harness 2) He replaced all his skin with T-Bone steak and attempted to integrate into a Pride of Lions 3) He can successfully guess your card 4) He can simultaneously milk two cats of different breeds (David Blaine’s credibility was not damaged during the making of this article. He did that all by himself.)

Illustration: Alice Harry

LONDON

London editor Anna Thornton & Zhenya Tsenzharyk reveal the highlights of North London

buried there.

Antique leather clad seats and fine china

3: Arancini Factory:

make gorging on

A small, friendly Italian

cake an Austen-like

cafe serving the best

experience.

arancini (deep fried risotto balls, didn’t

7: The Cider Tap:

you know?) in London.

London’s only cider

Super cheap too.

bar offers a selection

reasonable price, their

to convince even the

filling udon noodles

most cynical that

dishes are worth the

cider isn’t just for

queue..

festivals. Located in Euston, decorated

4: The Blues Kitchen: Camden

with a challenging

may have fallen out

a place for a low key

of favour, but at this

evening where you

New Orleans inspired

can actually hear the

joint you’re a pot of

conversation.

spiral staircase, it’s

gumbo away from forgetting it. The food

8: King’s Place: North

is amazing, the music

London’s answer to

is great - and free -

the Barbican Centre,

seven nights a week.

King’s Place has everything a cultured

5: Camden Roundhouse: A

Londoner might need:

cultural hub in

spaces and different

North London, they

cultural events every

have live music,

night of the week.

delicious food, gallery

theatre, comedy throughout the year.

9: 69 Colebrook Row: Part of the fun

and exhibitions on

1: Aces and Eights:

leave the air guitar at

Incredible acoustics

is finding this ‘bar with

Enter this American

home.

if you’re thinking of

no name’. Be brave

booking gig tickets.

when walking down a

dive bar at happy Violence and prepare

2: Highgate Cemetery: It may

6: Louis: This

for a little light. The

for a night of dirty

seem like a morbid

patisserie is the

bar is tiny but the

rock’n’roll complete

day out, but the

perfect climax

cocktails are amazing;

with a jukebox and

scenery is beautiful

following a visit to

there’s even an in-

some very risqué

and there are plenty

Keats House and a

house lab. A first date

wallpaper. Please,

of interesting figures

stroll on the heath.

no-brainer.

hour, order a Parma

side road and looking

You know you’re a Londoner when... “Oh maybe it’s because I’m a Londoner, that I love London town” - so wrote Hubert Gregg, apparently. But is loving London town enough to know that you’re a Londoner? No, says this angry writer, it’s not.

I was born and bred in SM4, went to school in

Brick Lane .whilst reading a free magazine they

SW-whatever and have been playing about in W1

found in Blitz, bought an East End Thrift Store

since I was 12. My Nan knew the Kray twins,

cardigan and ate way too much overpriced food

my house is littered with trophies from my Dad’s

at The Breakfast Club whilst chatting about all

city-cricket-cups and there’s a scar on my knee

the hip places they know in Shoreditch. And

from mangling my leg in Wimbledon town centre.

breathe. But what makes a true Londoner?

So yes, it makes me just a little bit prickly when

How do you distinguish your Billy Mitchell from

a hoard of Freshers descend on Mile End and

your Billy Ray Cyrus? When do you know you’ve

start screaming “LAAAAANDAN” outside Drapers.

attained London status?

You’re not a Londoner. You’re an 18 year old Mancunian who suddenly got quirky eyeliner and

Words: Sean Richardson

green hair, started listening to mix tapes from

ONE You’re

suspicious;

always

questioning

why

someone is talking to you, always worried you might get mugged. When someone approaches you in the street, your reaction is to pop your headphones in. If they manage to grab your attention your first question is “Which charity/ religion/organisation are you from?” Your follow up question, if they’ve managed to hold you for that long (a true Londoner won’t stay for more than 2 minutes, tops) is “How much do you want?” It is a rare and beautiful occasion when one is stopped on the streets of Piccadilly and asked for cash.

TWO

You never eat anywhere on a main road. I once heard a joke that went like this: “How do you find a tourist in London? Look in the windows of an Angus Steak House.” Londoners have a sixth sense for overpriced food. This rule applies for street food too- tell a takeaway van on Southbank your postcode in your most Sowf Lundan accent and you’ll find the price of your hotdog decreases dramatically (with chips included).

LONDON

THREE You

develop

#LondonFace.

Londoners

look

strong, they walk with purpose, eyes ahead, not daring to waste time by making contact with those around them. Indeed, this makes navigating the city streets with anyone not from London massively challenging. The amount of times I’ve crossed a road only to find the person I’m with left on the other side, looking forlorn as vehicles buzz by. Once I even lost someone on the underground; they’d been moving out of everyone’s way on the platform like some horrible game of human Tetris, rather than marching, purposefully through the sea of limbs and Iphones. Londoners have superhuman speed and a face to beat even Margaret Thatcher’s best glare.

FOUR

You know at least one busker. Maybe you don’t know their name, maybe you’ve never spoken, but you definitely know them. I know three. The first’s an older, blind gentleman who whistles quick, zingy tunes at St Pauls. The second’s the coolest guitar player who busts out the Hendrix every Thursday evening at Bank. The third’s an old violinist with long, messy hair in the passage under South Ken. My Mum has a busker, my dad has 5, my brother is yet to get his first (he’s only 15, be kind, he knows a ticket warden at least.) Londoners know that London isn’t really that big, when you know you’re group of buskers.

FIVE

You don’t trust Journey Planner. No, JP, it does not take an hour to get to Clapham on a Sunday, it takes 20 minutes. No, JP, Old Kent Road is not 45 minutes away, it’s an hour fifteen. No, JP, I am not going to get on the fucking Thames River Cruise as part of my journey. JP is your old, annoying uncle that no one wants round for Christmas. You have to invite them, but they’re full of shit. They moan on and on about the rugby match they never went to or the football game they never played in. Be quiet uncle JP, no one wanted you here in the first place. And if one more new student arrives half an hour early or forty five minutes late to meet me, and blames it on Journey Planner, I am going to scream. Londoners know that Journey Planner is the biggest pile of bollocks, and steer well clear.

DO, EAT, SEE & LISTEN DO. Drink, Shop & Do 9 Caledonian Road, N1 9DX Creativity has gone old school and into the tangled web that is the world of knitting. I have been converted to granny status before my time; instead of hitting Dalston on a Saturday night, I can be found on a sofa with a cup of Earl Grey, a ball of wool and set of needles in my hands. Since being shown the basics, YouTube and a few elderly family friends have taught me the joys of knitting, though admittedly, hats, scarves and bags are my limits so far. From pubs and cafes holding craft evenings to Stitch ‘n Bitch groups across the city, it is obvious that it is no longer an embarrassing grannyfied skill, but an enviable, social and fun thing to do. Places such as ‘I Knit London’ and ‘Stitch London’ offer knitting events and classes. If you find that knitting gets you in knots, ‘Drink Shop & Do’ host craft evenings on everything from making Lego robots to tea towel printing. But YouTube provides great tutorials on everything knitting related, so there really is no excuse not to invest in that first set of knitting needles. HM.

EAT. The Gallery Cafe 21 Old Ford Road, E2 9PL The Gallery Cafe is a not-for-profit venture, a stroll away from campus in Bethnal Green. Part of the St Margaret’s House enterprise, all profits from the Gallery Cafe’s events and stomach-pleasing range of freshly made vegetarian and vegan food goes straight to charity. As well as providing a cost setting perfect to imagine yourself as a 21st Century Woolf or Ford, the Gallery Cafe offers art for you to brew over with your coffee. They also host regular events such as the monthly feminist spoken word night (with free mic spots available!) and a book club, amongst various comedy, music and film events. HB.

ARTS

SEE.

LISTEN.

Images: Hannah Höch c/o The Whitechapel Gallery; opposite, c/o mariae/flickr.

Whitechapel Gallery

Jamboree

77-82 Whitechapel High Street, E1 7QX

566 Cable Street, E1W 3HB

After Sarah Lucas’s oddly grotesque but

Tucked away in a former courtyard in Stepney

thought

provoking

Green is Jamboree, a peculiar gem deserving

rooms,

the

stint

exhibition have

of your attention. Focused around bringing the

pulled it out of the bag once again with an

best of London’s musicians under one roof,

exhibition

Hannah

Jamboree hosts fantastic music nights with

Höch. Active in Berlin in the 1920’s, Höch’s

entry ranging from a mere £4 and only rising

work

to a still perfectly affordable £8 for larger gigs.

creating

Whitechapel

the

avant-garde

unapologetically collage

Gallery artist

experimental, pieces

which

Thanks to the quirky bar meets Victorian curio

deliberately fragment and displace so as to

shop aesthetic it has a brilliant atmosphere

assess changing values and create surreal

and you can easily unwind with friends whilst

imagery. Critiquing stereotypes of women

listening to the mixture of folk, jazz, bangra,

and race in a post war world, Höch has

cretan and ‘gypsy rock and roll’. Drinks can be

surely inspired a host of artists succeeding

pricey, but it has the added edge of being able

her, and is a must see for anyone who

to bring your own snacks. The cocktails really

enjoys the gallery’s disposition towards the

pack a punch - so considering the value for

daring.

money in terms of entry, it is well worth it.

BN.

LR.

Words: Hannah Ballard, Belphoebe New & Luke Richmond.

The Beauty of Morality. Words, Photos & Jewellery: Anonymous

For me art is the outlet of something you’re obsessed with. The things you find you’re haunted by or that you continually find the most interesting. The work here is my way of combining two conflicting interests: my fear of mortality and the beauty of sentimental jewellery. Jewellery, at least originally, was usually a family heirloom, something that connected one to your relatives and family history. Most, if not all, my jewellery is either from significant dates, or given to me by my grandmother complete with stories attached. For this reason it is precious to me outside of the aesthetic. However, more and more jewellery is become something merely aesthetic. In a consumerist culture we change our earrings, bracelets and necklaces every day and I feel we are missing a vital use of jewellery: its ability to communicate to us a part of ourselves that is no longer present; a history we no longer belong to or a person who is no longer alive. This is what made me decide to try and make a modern Vanitas (or a series of) out of necklaces. The term Vanitas is often applied to still-life paintings from the early Dutch era. The subject matter was mortality and paintings often feature exotically coloured blooms on a dark background surrounded by insects. These insects are there to remind the viewer that everything will die even though the painting will remain. For me this is what the necklaces do. I am terrified of insects, particularly dead ones. But once encased in resin, they become symbolic and disturbingly beautiful: somewhere between precious jewels and grotesques in Victorian museums. The structure of the necklaces and the method of making them soothes me. It is crude, it is ungainly and what comes out is something that resembles a child’s creation; harsh garden wire which pricks the flesh, and chains that look as if they will fall apart. They capture for me my childish attitude towards jewellery: the stealing of my father’s bangles and my mother’s rings – none of which fit – and how I felt glamourous, connected to my grandmothers yet also terrified that I had taken things forbidden. Each necklace is this for me; something outsized and crude; charming and imbued with a secret narrative; terrifying on closer inspection and finally a reminder of what’s passing. The background for the photos, be it the fake flowers, the dead and dried blooms or the broken lightbulb (perhaps our only modern technology with such a uselessly short life-span) is a trope of the Vanitas; the thing that tells us we need our history, our symbol of mortality, as we leave things behind, move into the present and onto the future.

ARTS

Face Up to Yvonne Ossei: A Queen Mary Playwright Words: Belphoebe New It is always especially captivating to see pieces of work that wish to convey a compelling and unique message. This is in some part how third year English student Yvonne Ossei has gained notability for her play Face Up, which explores the horrendous effects of female genital mutilation (FGM), a practice common in Africa and the Middle East.

The play

is both intensely emotional yet sometimes lighthearted, something Ossei puts down to ‘life itself being not one-dimensional.’ Ossei’s sensitive portrayal of the topic has won her a prize at the British Urban Film Festival, and lead to her script being performed at Channel 4 studios. When asked about her success, Yvonne seems selfanalytical, downplaying the attention. ‘If I am still writing good narratives in ten years time then I can say I have something to be proud of.’ A trained actress herself, it is clear that she was heavily involved in all aspects of the play from writing to performing. Hailing from Ghana, West Africa, the issues in the play will possibly appear especially prominent for Ossei, yet she says that her inspiration to write the play came from a BBC news report on FGM. Perceived as a hidden crime, it is estimated that over 125 million have undergone the practice across the world. It is no surprise then that Yvonne’s first ideas for the play developed into a fully-fledged script, despite initially writing ‘something quite abstract.’ Despite the taboo subject matter, Ossei had few concerns in depicting the effects of FGM artistically. ‘If it is not addressed in arts, the only other way it can be addressed is through factual reportage, and there is only so much of that we can watch.’

ARTS

The play depicts the fraught relationship between a mother and daughter, in which the daughter has lost trust in her mother after undergoing the process of FGM.

In part, it allows some understanding of

FGM’s brutalising effects in tearing families and bodies apart, something a news report could never achieve. Ossei is particularly modest in her role in raising awareness of the practice of FGM. ‘Things are changing now, compared to 3 or 4 years ago.’ It is true that more people are aware of the practice, though she realises that. ‘When people think about the topic, they know it is somewhat traumatic, and that may effect their decision to watch the play.’ Certainly, the play asks much of its audience, laying down an unsettling tension between moral and cultural

concerns,

and

highlighting

the

horrific

long term emotional and physical effects on the woman themselves in undergoing the process. The important pervading question throughout is ‘when FGM goes wrong, who will take responsibility for it?’ When Cub took the opportunity to ask Yvonne how students might get their creative work noticed, she suggested ‘getting lecturers who work in theatre and film to read their scripts’, although they should be ‘careful who they send their work to.’ Already sounding

seasoned

professional,

Yvonne

herself is wary of revealing her latest projects. ‘A director friend of mine gave me sound advice in that, a lot of people are very busy talking about what they would like to do, but they don’t actually do anything.’ She emphasises the importance of ‘keeping your head down’ and getting the work done, a potent message for any student. Ossei’s success in tackling the difficult issues of Face Up is surely an inspiration to students who wish to translate their ideas from mind to paper, and we greatly anticipate her next projects. *** You

can

find

out

about

FGM

TheOrchidProject.org and Equalitynow.com, follow @FaceupDrama on twitter and catch up with Yvonne on facebook.com/yvonneossei.

CUB OSCARS 2014 This awards season the CUB Film team have picked our own winners from the past year’s crop of movies. Our choices might not feature too highly at the Dolby Theatre come 2nd March, but we’re sticking by them. We won’t be sending out any $50000 ‘swag bags’ to our nominees, but who wouldn’t be honoured to win a CUB Oscar?

BEST PICTURE

BEST ACTOR

The King’s of Summer The Kings of Summer is 2013s best kept secret. Jordan Vogt-Roberts’ feature-film directorial debut is a charming coming-ofage

comedy-drama,

Chiwetel Ejiofor

radiating

originality

and impressing on multiple levels. Likeable yet subtly flawed characters are portrayed effortlessly by a surprisingly low-key cast, with Parks and Recreation favourite Nick Offerman offering the biggest credentials.

Quite a bit of competition in this category –

Hanks,

McConaughey,

Dern,

Redford,

DiCaprio, Bale – but a performance like Ejiofor’s as Solomon Northup in 12 Years A Slave is something truly special. It’s a performance so raw, so real and so genuinely moving that we almost feel Solomon’s agony with every punch, whip and tear shed. Ejiofor is poised, dignified and incredibly emotive

Add to the mix a sincere and humorous

with every expression and gesture. Hardly a

script,

immersive

newcomer (he’s been acting for 20 years), the

cinematography and a youthful soundtrack

Londoner has been thrust well and truly into

and you’ll be left wondering how you let such

the Hollywood limelight with 12 Years, as the

a great piece of film slip under the radar! An

community finally recognise an actor at the

uplifting must see for everyone!

very top of his craft.

DB.

KT.

beautifully

fresh

and

Words: Davey Brett, Jessica Pratten & Kumari Tilakawdane.

FILM

BEST ACTRESS

Carey Mulligan British actress Carey Mulligan shot to fame with her role as Kitty in Pride and Prejudice in 2005. She had since been successful with her roles as Kathy in Kazuo Ishiguro’s book to screen adaption, Never Let Me Go alongside Kiera Knightly and Andrew Garfield. Her 2013 role as Daisy Buchanan in Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby was much anticipated and well received. Grasping her fame, Mulligan has been involved with the production of many films. It is her role in Joel and Ethan Coen’s film Inside Llewyn Davis that is set to

BEST BOOK-TO-FILM ADAPTATION

The Wolf of Wall Street Jordan Belfort’s biography has been turned into

highly

fast-paced,

truly

indulgent,

full-length

Leonardo

become one of her greatest yet.

DiCaprio

takes

representative, the

feature. lead

role.

Following Belfort’s character we see him

JP. Photos L-R: Asim Bharwani, c/o Universal Pictures, CBS Films, Tim P. Whitby & Getty Images for BFI.

head into Wall Street with a meagre $100

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

dollars to go onto become one of the largest

Only God Forgives

stock

brokers

America.

His

radical

lifestyle and hard-core partying gives an

Despite a thorny critical reception, Only God

insight into a way of life that will remain

Forgives saw Drive director Nicolas Winding

Refn at his artistic best. Draped in the filtered

red and neon of the Bangkok underworld

Martin Scorsese, DiCaprio stars alongside

cinematographer

and

long-time

fragment the

planets

the

imagination

population.

most

Directed

Kubrick

Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie and Matthew

collaborator Larry Smith paints a brooding visual

McConaughey- the film seems set to become

spectacle capturing the mood expertly. Regular

a box-office hit.

tracking shots slowly glide through looming

JP.

corridors maintaining perpetual suspense and emphasis on the foreground throughout make for a harrowing watch; the camera movement mirrors the reluctant plot tempo. With natural light even proving scarce during daytime, Only God Forgives continues its low light journey through the Bangkok shadows with effective bows to oriental cinema throughout. DB.

Undeniably, Catching Fire has been one of the most commercial success stories of 2013, being the highest grossing film that featured a female lead since The Exorcist in 1973. At first appearances, the Hunger Games Trilogy appears to be another teen-franchise with an uninspiring storyline and excessive money pumped into it (not naming any names... Twilight). However, prejudices aside, Catching Fire really is one of the best films of the year and shouldn’t be overlooked, nor should the Trilogy. Each year in post-apocalyptic Panem, to remind the districts of the ‘Dark Days’ (in which rebels attempted to overthrow the Capitol dictatorship) the Hunger Games are held: a boy and girl from each district must fight to the death in an arena in which only one victor can prevail. Its commercial success doesn’t detract from The Hunger Games being a great contemporary franchise - one of the few that has an awesomely intricate storyline as well as genuinely great acting: Oscar-winner Jennifer Lawrence plays leading lady Katniss Everdeen.

Catching Fire is by far the best Hunger Games book, and has turned out to be the best film so far, with two more to come. Don’t be a film snob, if you haven’t seen it already you really will be missing out!

UNDERDOGS. HELENA KERR PICKS HER

An alarming and harrowing documentary that will unfortunately ruin all your childhood dreams of dolphins frolicking at Sea World, Blackfish is definitely worth a watch. It features grown men crying over baby whales, a whale trying to kill its trainer (real life footage!) and a psychotic Orca hell bent on eating some human flesh. Unfortunately, this isn’t the plot for Free Willy 3 - it really happened. This film may make you feel like a terrible person if you’ve personally paid to see the Shamu show (which I have, whoops...) Jokes aside, Blackfish premiered at Sundance Film Festival in 2013, and was a surprising commercial success. The feature-length documentary focuses mainly on killer whale Tillikum, who killed his first trainer at a small sealife park, and then later at Florida’s Sea World reportedly attacked one trainer and eventually killed long-term trainer Dawn Brancheau in 2010. Rather brutally, Blackfish shows the cruel nature of money-making corporate theme parks which lull customers into a false sense that they care for these creatures, but use and abuse them for the sake of profit. Overall, Blackfish is an eye-opener, another reminder that it seems that almost everything humans do turns out to be harmful or cruel to some species or another in the end. Overall an interesting, alarming and psychological thriller, this film is definitely worth seeing if you haven’t already. I guarantee you will never visit a zoo, aquarium or anywhere that contains live animals ever again after viewing.

FILM

12 YEARS A SLAVE. Controversial, violent, uncomfortable, and the most important film of our time.

Words: Kumari Tilakawardane

12 Years a Slave is by no means an easy watch - when I saw it last year at a press screening dry eyes were very much in the minority. To see the crowd of journalists leaving the cinema was like a scene from The Walking Dead; completely emotionally exhausted, I literally couldn’t stop talking about the movie for days. It’s challenging to watch, but it’s too important to miss. The story of a free man, Solomon Northop (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who is kidnapped and sold into slavery in 1840s New York, 12 Years has been described as an American story, a white-guilt film and a black race film. Above all else, however, this is a human story and you cannot fail to be affected by it. Pretty much from the outset it’s hard to watch and there are violent scenes that I almost felt the need to turn away from. But the genius of British director Steve McQueen’s film is that it’s unflinchingly beautiful in its almost shockingly realistic portrayal of one of the worst times in humanity’s history.

Photos: top c/o Lionsgate Entertainment, bottom Tommy Brook.

When the film lost out in 6 of the 7 categories it was nominated in at this year’s Golden Globes, there were those who commented that Hollywood ‘wasn’t ready’ for the film, and that there is race bias in the voting for awards. Whether or not this is true, the fact that the film - documenting one of the worst times in not just American, but world history - has been seen by such a wide audience and nominated at virtually every awards show on the planet surely shows how far cinema has come since the days of censorship and the Hays code. I was just going to write about the film in the context of awards season, but that didn’t seem to do it justice. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot to be said about why this film has been nominated for so many shiny statuettes, but it’s so much more than Oscar-bait. One of the undeniable genius-strokes of Northup’s story, and McQueen’s adaptation of it, is the portrayal of the white slave-owners William Ford (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Edwin Epps (Michael Fassbender). There’s no two ways about it: slavery is and was unforgivable and wrong on every possible level; the brilliance of 12 Years is that it doesn’t simplify the suffering of the incarcerated. The contrast in characters of Epps and Ford makes this a harrowing story of humanity’s cruelty, lack of compassion and tenacity that really is a must see. This is an important film, no matter who you are. In an age where cinema is accused of being vacuous and shallow, a true story this profound is immensely special and deserves every bit of praise it gets.

THAT’S MY LOBBY BOY! Words: Jessica Pratten

If you’re a Wes Anderson fan, you’ll most definitely be awaiting this release. Preparing for what we think could be Wes’s most exhilarating and fun-filled film thus far, is keeping us firmly, right on the edge of our seats. The Grand Budapest Hotel is set for release in the US towards the beginning of March 2014. Adding some extra sparkle to his consistent cast, we get to see Saoirse Ronan, Ralph Fiennes, Jude Law and the brilliant Léa Sedoux (of Blue is the Warmest Colour), join the crew. The film is set during the 1920’s, wherein hotel concierge, Gustave H. (Fiennes), is bequeathed a painting named Boy with Apple. Madame D, to whom to the painting once belonged has been killed, and her son, Dmitri (Adrien Brody), vows that he shall have revenge upon, Gustave by framing him for the murder. Zero Moutstafa, Gustave’s lobby boy, Agatha, hotel employee and love interest of Gustave, help him to hide the painting from both the authorities and Dmitri. Alongside this there is the interference from M. Ivan (Bill Murray), the manager of Excelsior Palace - hotel rival to the Grand Budapest Hotel. In an explosion of vibrant colour, stylistic narration and fastidious attention to detail, Anderson brings together his growing portfolio. Typically surreal

and often shot in their country of relevance - The Darjeeling Limited being shot in India, and much of the photography for The Grand Budpest Hotel shot in Berlin - these films ooze originality. Shooting to fame with Bottle Rocket (1996), Anderson and his close friends, the Wilson brothers (in writing and casting) brought the story of three young misfits to our screens. Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson and Robert Musgrave star as three best friends who chose to rob a ‘bookstore’. They subsequently go on the run and on to adventure, as the film explores the folly of three dreamers. Looking back to some slightly better known films sees the 2001 Oscar nominated (best screenplay) The Royal Tenenbaums. This film is an eccentric,

FILM

extremely

inventive

creation

follows the famous Road Dahl story, yet loaded with some inventive

additions,

see

George Clooney voice the lead role. Mr. Fox leads you into the film with ponderings of his existence. He seeks to revaluate his lifestyle in order to better the life of his family. Taking on the meanest and most vile, Boggis, Bunce and Bean, Foxy returns, unbeknown to his wife, Mrs. Fox, to his sneaky ways as a chicken thief. Fox starts a war between himself and the three mean farmers who are determined at any cost to capture and destroy him. Running parallel to this absurdist

the

we see Ash, Fox’s son attempting to contend with

Tenenbaum siblings. This is Anderson’s third full-

the talents of his visiting cousin, Kristopherson.

length feature. During their youth, each of the three

Entirely endearing in every way this film showcases

Tenenbaums, Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow), Chas

the artist ability, diversity and flare that Wes

(Ben Stiller) and Richie (Luke Wilson) possessed

Anderson truly possesses.

Photos: c/o Fox Searchlight Pictures

extreme

story

following

talents.

During

the

lives

their

adolescence,

Royal, their father (Gene Hackman) leaves the

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) and The

family home and so their lives begin to slowly

Darjeeling Limited (2007) are also ones to watch.

fall to pieces. The film goes on to explore failure,

The Grand Budapest Hotel is coming to our screens

disappointment and ways to find redemption. The

during the springtime. Be sure to check out the

set is absolutely incredible and totally triumphs

trailer, but do be aware - it’s very enticing.

Anderson’s immaculate attention to detail. Many may recognize Anderson’s work in the brilliant

animation,

Fantastic

Mr.

Fox.

We. Cannot. Wait.

This

CUB Q&A: Helen Monks Helen Monks has recently arrived on our screens in ‘Raised By Wolves’- a sitcom about teenage and family life penned by journalist Caitlin Moran and her sister Caroline. Not content with featuring in TV and Radio dramas, she is also finishing a degree in English and Drama at the University of Sheffield. CUB caught up with her to get her views on University life, eating cheese and ambushing Caitlin Moran...

For girls who don’t go to school, the eldest two daughters are verbose and clever, was Germaine fun to play? I think it’s not going to school that makes them like that. They’re intelligent because they’re genuinely engaged in the world. They’re outspoken because there’s no one to shoot them down. Playing Germaine was the most fun I’ve ever had ever – she’s the weird, loud, confident side of a teenage girl that is normally suppressed by social awkwardness. Germaine genuinely loves herself because there’s never been anyone to tell her she’s not normal. Caitlin and Caroline Moran wrote the show semi-autobiographically about their childhood, did any part of the show reflect your own experiences? Oh god yeah, I’m just playing myself at 15. There’s literally no acting required. I wasn’t home schooled on a council estate in Wolverhampton, I’ll give you that, but I did go to a big girls comp in Birmingham where we’d be talking about Sylvia Plath over tuna sandwiches one minute, and then stalking the male sixth form students the next. The Moran sisters have got it bang on in terms of projecting what it’s like to be a teenage girl. I also think this programme is a real first in terms of presenting that intelligence doesn’t correlate to money. Although what they’re doing is dramatizing their very extraordinary upbringing, they’re also validating and normalising what for so many people is ordinary life. Living on a council estate isn’t being an outsider, it’s being nearly a quarter of the population. If you could have had any aspect of the show into your real life, what would it be? The amount of cheese on demand in their house. They seem to eat a block a day, at least. And the amount of time they get to just sit around reading books. That would be bliss.

You’ve spoken previously about the problems of University feminism, as well as your support of it, what do you think the next step to take it off campuses will/should be? I’m in the process of setting up a new online magazine ‘Hag Mag’ and so I’m sort of counting on that being a ginormous global success that’ll fix feminism: I’ll tell everyone what needs to change, and then everyone will get on and do it. Problem solved. I genuinely think the internet is the most powerful thing we have at the moment. It’s this extraordinary virtual world in which we can either project reality, or shape what we think reality is supposed to look like. Charles Dickens would have been all over that stuff. There’s no one in charge, no King of the internet – so everyone has a voice. While women still aren’t represented in parliament, business, journalism, films etc. there is no shutting them up on the internet. How do your beliefs affect your acting work? Do they influence the type of roles you take? Absolutely not. Any actor, particularly one just starting up, will tell you that you can’t be picky. The type of roles I take are the ones I get offered. Having said that, the reason I got the role of Germaine in Raised by Wolves was because of my love for Caitlin Moran. After traveling back from uni to see her at Birmingham Book Festival (front row, of course) I literally ran from my seat in order to be the first person in the queue to get my book signed by the great lady. She’d spoken in her talk about the fact she was penning a sitcom, as well as the film version of ‘How to be a Woman.’ When I got up to her desk she looked at me and said ‘Oh my god, you look so much like my sister,’ so I said, ‘I should play her in your sitcom.’ It sounds a lot cooler than it was because I then blabbered – A LOT – and told her how I should actually play her because ‘I LOVE YOU!!’

You’ve been performing for a long time, taking into account your Radio roles, do you think this has changed the way that you view the world? It’s funny, although I have always acted and will always act I don’t see myself as an actor really. When I think about my views of the world it’s from the point of view of a woman, or a student, or a leftie. Perhaps it influences me because of the arty farty people I surround myself with. But I like to think I’d be a big strident left wing feminist if I temped in an office, or competed at monster truck rallies. I like to think that art is an expression of politics, rather than the other way around. I definitely always view the world as a fiction though, a story we tell. That’s most definitely a product of working in the theatre. And it’s probably the reason why I’m still blindly convinced that communism could work. There is a lot of attention brought to the fact that female actors are valued less as they age, do you worry about this yet? My life-long ambition of all time ever is to play Miss Marple, so I’m absolutely counting the days I cannot wait. I think it’s a problem because of the roles there are. If you look at most blockbuster films, the women are young love interests, or sexy sidekicks. But that’s cool because I don’t particularly want to be in big block buster films. I want to be playing Hedda Gabler at a regional theatre where I can take naps and go on country walks. I bet you get a lot more tea breaks as you get older.

What’s the best tip for student life you’ve discovered during your time at The University of Sheffield? Oh just have the best time ever. I think don’t be one of those people that accidentally becomes a drug dealer and lies in bed all day. Be one of those people that accidentally becomes President of the SU and is everyone’s best friend. If you surround yourself with people like you, it brings out the best in you. And if you manage to get involved in doing things your good at, it absolutely brightens your life. I’d also say don’t forget about your course itself. You’re paying enough for it. I suddenly had a panic the other day that when I leave in July all these resources won’t be available to me! I don’t know if you have it at your uni, but we have this thing called JStor, where you can access academic articles on pretty much everything in the whole world ever. I’m going out and buying myself several memory sticks to download all the best ones on to before I leave. Because I forgot that when I stop paying, they’ll stop being available. I’d say, use every resource you can while you’ve got the chance. Do a Ghandi, ‘Live like you’ll die tomorrow, learn like you’ll live forever.’ God, I sound like an arse. Any feminist heroes? Oh my god, where to start! Well there’s the obvious ones like Emily Davidson, Malala and Beyonce. I’m a huge fan of Amy Poehler and Tina Fey – they are a really brilliant thing for the world. When I grow up I want to be Leslie Knope. Also, the people around me. My mum and dad. My housemate Maddy: through a lotta late night talks and many Facebook article links, we’ve helped to strengthen each other’s views. I think you often shape to the people around you and so I’m so thankful to be surrounded by such strong feminists. The more of us there are, the more there’ll be. Words: Bethan McAulay & Sean Richardson

FEATURES

She wrote her email address down in my signed book, and seemed to get almost as excited as I was about the prospect of me auditioning. She kept by her word, got me an audition, and I got the part. So I suppose it was feminism that got me the role in the end, really. As well as having the conviction to ask, which is a lesson I learnt from Caitlin herself. It’s how she got her own success: sitting down at The Times office and saying, ‘So, when do I start?’

How do you solve a problem like... Religion? It’s now very common to hear people say, ‘I’m rather offended by that.’ As if that gives them certain rights. It’s actually nothing more than a whine. ‘I find that offensive.’ It has no meaning; it has no purpose; it has no reason to be respected as a phrase. ‘I am offended by that.’ Well, so fucking what? These words came from Stephen Fry in a discussion about incitement to religious hatred with Christopher Hitchens. Whether or not Fry taking offence at people taking offence offends you, is it not a discussion that deserves to be had? At Queen Mary, we have seen a lot of discussion about religion and philosophy in the previous semester. The Student’s Union media outlets published regular coverage attempting to keep everyone abreast of discussions between the University, the SU and certain religious societies. Of course, this in turn generated debate. As some religious societies took offence at what they felt was insensitivity to their religious practices, others took offence at what they felt was privileging of one set of practices above another. Philosophical and religious belief, after all, is a sensitive topic. But in the light of Stephen Fry’s comments about offence, why is it sensitive at all? Why is it difficult to have a discussion about philosophy and religion without responding: ‘I’m rather offended by that.’ Being human, we all ponder deeper phenomena of our existence: what is the purpose of life? Does life continue beyond death? The truth is, none of us can answer currently unanswered questions with absolute certainty. We fear death because we do not know it, the answers we find to big questions tend to be those that give us the most comfort. Some of those answers will correspond with religious teachings, others will not. To each their own, as my Mother always says. Because philosophical and religious beliefs are personal, it is understandable that we take offence at alternatives as they threaten our idea of the life we live. But handling the discussion of philosophical or religious beliefs with kid gloves in formal institutions, namely Government and Education, can cause volatility in the corners of society where we can speak more freely without such attention to political correctness. Publications like the Daily Mail are guilty of perpetuating ignorance, and generalising religious groups as well as people that identify with them. Recently, the Daily Mail published an article detailing the verdict of the two men who murdered soldier Lee Rigby. Glancing at the headline says it all about the propagation of Islam as a violent religion: “A smile…then a kiss of the Koran: Lee Rigby’s distraught family leave court in tears after his Muslim killers show no remorse as they are found GUILTY of hacking him to death.”

The cultivation of misunderstanding we have observed in various areas of the media is not harmless. After the murder of Lee Rigby, two former soldiers firebombed a mosque in a misguided act of revenge. There is no justification for what happened to Lee Rigby, but there is equally no justification for arson against a mosque, whose attendees were totally innocent. This tit for tat kind of attitude – you’ve offended me, so I will offend you – is dangerous. We need to at least try to understand each other. If we do have any chance of understanding each other, we must reconcile our different beliefs by discussing them together. Asking each other questions is not offensive, assuming we know all the answers is. Words: Dandie Debieux “Beliefs – whether they pertain to a specific God, code of conduct or not – are a huge part of what constitutes one’s identity. When someone stridently opposes the values you hold, it seems only natural to take it to heart, because that opposition often feels like a denial of what makes you who you are. Beliefs are not about pleasing others; they are about following through with what you believe to be right and just – whether atheist, theist or other. To align your words and actions with what is in your heart – to value truth above social acceptance - takes much courage, but is of far greater worth than changing your behaviour in order to assimilate with those around you. However, in order to build pathways of communication between different cultural, social and religious viewpoints... open and sincere dialogue is vital. Every single person on this Earth has a right to express their beliefs – no matter how agreeable or disagreeable they may seem to others – and every single person has a right to respond. To take away one voice is a violation of freedom itself.” Sophie Fordham, member of the Queen Mary Catholic Society “From a Christian perspective, the taboo of talking about religion is real and ever present in our increasingly secular society. At the QM Christian Union we are ever aware of this taboo at our university and drive to engage students and staff in discussing how the beliefs in Christianity have a far greater... effect on individual lives. At the centre of the taboo is scepticism about religion. Gone are the days of being told what to do by seemingly authoritarian institutions in society. In today’s postmodernism, freedom is key; even freedom to practice your chosen religion. However... this “freedom” has been restrained by fear, guilt or shame from talking about religion in case we offend anyone. The ironic plight of both believers and sceptics. To develop a candid and accessible society this taboo should be confronted by education and honesty towards our inexperience with the diversity of religion around us.” Ricky Kimachia, President of the Queen Mary Christian Union

CUB Magazine contacted Atheist Society, Sikh Society, Jewish Society, Islamic Society and the Hindu Society but received no comment.

FEATURES

These two men did not commit the heinous crime they did solely because of their beliefs. But naturally, the Daily Mail used the incident to attack religion, plastering it all over their front page. We see the news and we are angry that Lee Rigby was murdered in the coldest of blood. We need somebody to blame. But rather than blame the sickness of the individual perpetrators, we blame religion. The Daily Mail are not alone in exacerbating misunderstanding and offence taken about belief.

The first year of Queen Mary was glorious. When my loan came through, my parents urged caution. “Put it in bonds!” “Give yourself a weekly budget!” were some of the words of wisdom they gave me, and faced with a heaving bank account designed to last me several months I spent everything instantly. I needed a job. I’d only really worked in an old people’s home until then, and as much as I’d enjoyed working there, the thrill of cleaning up soiled carpets was short-lived. I wanted something more exciting offering at least minimum wage. After dragging myself round handing out CVs I got offered a job at Ann Summers. My friends all said the job suited me perfectly (I’m still unsure what they meant by that) and I was thrilled. Here are some of the many ups and downs I experienced in my time as an Ann Summers’ girl...

Starting work... Telling my parents about my new job was bit daunting. Dad’s reaction was laughter and endless crude jokes over dinner. I told my Mum while she was washing up; she continued to scrub the pan, commenting “how liberal of you darling.” My boyfriend told his parents I’d got the job while they were having dinner. His Mum smiled, saying that she’d always wanted to go into one of “those places,” but was too nervous and that perhaps she’d feel better going in if I was working there. I am dreading her visit.

Christmas... The shop is decked with candy cane vibrators and the atmosphere has changed. No longer is the air filled just with the smell of sex enhancing room odorisers, there’s Christmas spirit somewhere in there too. All my friends are getting lube for Christmas. Warming, cooling, strawberry, tingling, pina colada, cherry - a good haul. Being surrounded by festively coloured sexual aids, sexy Santa outfits and listening to Santa Baby 356 times a day means that this year is oddly the most Christmassy I’ve every felt.

Words: Anonymous

Returns...

Sales... The kinkiest customers are the ones you’d least expect. The infamous 50 Shades has left everyone gagging for handcuffs and nipple clamps. The darkest of horses came in last week. My timid lecturer bought some handcuffs, not recognising me of course, but from then I have found it very challenging to concentrate in lectures.

Returns have left me questioning the general population’s sex life. I have now been presented with sexual aids covered in all manner of bodily fluids and worn lingerie, including a man thong. All customers look so sincere: “it’s never been used” or “it doesn’t work,” they say. I’m always in a state of shock when this happens, as I pull on the latex gloves for handling them all. Now wondering whether agonising over not finding a receipt for that unworn Topshop dress I want to return is really necessary.

Valentine’s... Male customers have now offered me money for sex three times. “Maybe it’s time to go brunette?” One guy asked picking his nose mid sentence. Who says romance is dead? Although my financial situation still hasn’t improved much, I’ve sadly had to decline these tempting offers. I’ve become quite good at selling sex toys and managed to procure the title of best saleswoman a few times. Who needs a degree!? As an incentive the manager gave me a heart shaped whip yesterday. Carrying it home after work was a tad awkward; a whole tube carriage full of judgemental glares and tutting and the preaching guy outside Mile End tube shouting “Jesus will save you!!” loudly in my direction.

Valentine’s is one of the busiest times but, unlike Christmas, being in the shop has not put me in the spirit. All my illusions (which were few and far to begin with) of what Valentine’s Day is are being crushed by the male customers asking for two sets of the exact same lingerie: one size 10 and one size 14, not even hesitating at explaining that one is for a wife and one for a mistress. I’m becoming increasingly sceptical of the whole holiday and walked home last night in my cheeky cupid’s outfit feeling pretty downhearted. Despite the seediness of a small number of the customers, I’ve loved working at the store. I’ve met some fascinating people that I wouldn’t have otherwise and had so much fun. Sadly, I’m having to leave to focus on uni work, plus, my friends are sick of lube for birthdays.

FEATURES

Secret Diary of an Ann Summers’Girl...

(EXERCISE MUSIC TO BE USED ONLY AS DIRECTED)

Let’s Get Physical, Physical. Words: Melanie Moran

There is nothing more motivating then blasting ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’, as you are trying to effortlessly run off all the carbs and excessive

alcohol

you’ve

consumed

over

the

holidays. Not only is it time to start shedding all those extra pounds you’ve gained over the last month’s, it’s time to clear out your iTunes and

Here is a playlist designed to make you block the

delete ‘Eye of the Tiger’ off your ‘Gym Playlist’.

burning sensation coming from your calves:

Recently in my Body Attack classes, my newly single instructor has been blasting a lot of

Duke Dumont, ‘Need U’ and Grimes, ‘Genesis’; for

aggressive hip-hop to scare us into exercise. If you

when you need to just dance

find yourself newly single (because hey Christmas makes us all a little crazy) and want a tension

Jimmy Cliff, ‘I Can See Clearly Now’; for when you

release, then look no further than these albums;

are flagging and are questioning why you are at

Fear of a Black Planet, Straight Outta Compton

the gym

and Yeezus. The constant shouting will not only work out all your pent-up frustrations, it will also

The Notorious B.I.G., ‘Everyday Struggle’; when

work off all the flab you gained whilst you tucked

everyday really is a struggle

into Ben and Jerry’s Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream. Sweet Female Attitude, ‘Flowers’; although listening Alternatively, if you are currently in the phase

to ‘Flowers’ may remind you of being in a tacky club,

of loving any dance class that makes you sweat

‘Flowers’ simultaneously reminds you of dancing to

by shaking what yo’ mumma’ gave you, try any

the song in that tacky club - i.e. effective escapism.

Don Omar, followed by a dose of ‘Jai Ho’ by The Pussycat Dolls. I also recommend listening to

And

any Shakira, as she is always guaranteed to make

reminds me, not only is summer approaching, so is

you feel sensual whilst sweating. I especially

Valentines Day.

recommend

‘Whenever,

Wherever’,

who doesn’t like remembering and

because

mimicking

Shakira’s sexy video and singing “lucky that my breasts are small and humble” at eight years old?

remember,

gym

instructor

kindly

MUSIC

STYLE OVER SUBSTANCE? One of my prejudices that I’ve been trying to quash is that I tend to disregard the aesthetic side of the bands I listen to. From choreography to corpse paint, it all tends to feel like either a distraction or a cynical way of hiding a lack of talent. I’m not completely shot of this yet, but I’ve come a long way from being the teenager who felt that guitar solos were the only measure of a band’s worth. This is at least partly the result of seeing one particular gig... A couple of years ago I was lucky enough to attend Devin Townsend’s Retinal Circus. Part concert, part musical and part circus act, this is still probably the most visually intense performance I’ve ever witnessed. At first I found this frustrating - even the musicians onstage were noticeably distracted at times by the theatrics that were happening around them. Yet this was more than compensated for by the show’s grand finale. Every performer and piece of visual flair that the production team could get their hands on was put to task filling the stage with a flurry of contortionists, sparks and confetti that grew to almost blot out the band. It was hollow bombast, nothing to do with the song being performed, but it inspired a feeling of euphoria that was

Photos: opposite, Birchworkout; this page, Kim Erlandsen

far beyond anything I’d felt at a gig before. It has always been obvious and slightly disappointing that acts like Slipknot and Lady Gaga wouldn’t get half the attention that they do if they discarded their masks and meat dresses. But there’s nothing wrong with accepting that aesthetics can be just as important to a band as their music. You can argue whether style or substance are more laudable - but you can’t escape the fact that no performer gets far in the music industry without plenty of both. Words: Nicholas Cleeve

OXJAM

A new kind of music festival.

There’s a new kind of music festival sweeping the UK that doesn’t involve the perils of camping, the unbridled horror of using repugnant portaloos, or the chance of getting plastic cups of dubious liquid launched at you from the back of the crowd by

marauding

groups

professional

lads.

Thankfully, Oxjam isn’t anything like V Festival. It’s infinitely better. Oxjam’s mission statement is to raise money for Oxfam through celebrating the UK’s local music scenes. A simple, but nonetheless effective formula. In fact, since its inception in 2006, Oxjam has raised over two million pounds and put on almost four thousand gigs. In essence, Oxjam Festival is a number of mini Live Aids happening all over the country, but with less of the self-righteousness attached. Bono, I’m looking at you. The gigmaker is given complete freedom over the planning of the event: it can be a low key affair, taking place in someone’s living room, or at the other end of the spectrum, it can make use of a number of different local venues simultaneously. Being a gigmaker is an extremely rewarding experience, and I’ve had the pleasure of being involved in organising two local events in the past few years.

MUSIC

My first attempt at arranging an Oxjam event

Naturally, with such an ambitious line-up, there

in August 2012 was surprisingly successful, but

was always the potential for disaster. However,

I learnt a vast amount from the stress and the

for us, Oxjam was about having fun and most

numerous complications that I encountered in

importantly,

the process. Fortunately, the next time around,

fundraising target. Therefore, if there was any

I was joined by my fellow band members, Ross

sense of pantomime farcicality to the event,

and Greg Hummell in organising the event and

it would have just added to our enjoyment.

as we were now working as a team, we wanted

However, the whole event was ultimately a

to go bigger and better than the previous Oxjam.

huge success and we managed to raise over six

ensuring

that

reached

our

hundred pounds for Oxjam. We chose the Essex Arms in Brentwood as the venue for our event. As we had played there a

In the process, we had danced stupidly, brought

number of times before and were familiar with

a diverse section of the community into social

the owner, we received a discount on hiring it

cohesion, had almost ten hours of pure, incessant

out. In addition, Bob Simpson at the local radio

banter, downed a few cheeky pints and maybe

station, Phoenix FM, kindly invited us on for an

slightly embarrassed ourselves. All for a great

interview on his daytime show. Through this,

cause of course. Undoubtedly, the event would

Oxjam @ The Essex Arms gained a considerable

have been an inexorable flop if it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t for the

amount of exposure in the local community, and

huge degree of support we received from so many

we are indebted to Phoenix FM for continually

people - from the all the bands who performed to

promoting the event even after the interview.

the two hundred people who showed up to watch them.

With

eleven

bands

performing

throughout

the day and into the small hours, there was a

Fundamentally, I hope that this article will

heterogeneous array of talent on display that

encourage you to get involved in Oxjam in some

spanned across a multiplicity of sub-genres,

capacity, for example, by attending a local gig

from math-rock to soul and alternative blues to

or even by transiently assuming a Bob Geldof

electronica. Who would have known that Essex, a

persona and organising one yourself.

barren cultural tundra, would be able to produce such a range of idiosyncratic musical styles?

Words: Tim Picton

paws in his home country of Norway, this kitty is now clawing into the underground UK and New York electronica scene. You may be more familiar with Magnus August Høiber, (the uber cool man behind Cashmere Cat), who has been making music from his bedroom for nearly ten years now. But in 2012 this pretty kitty was born with the release of his Mirror Maru EP, which showcased his puuurrfect glitchstep and editing skills, followed by the hyperdub/ electronic / J-Pop inspired single ‘Aurora’ in 2013. 2014 is no longer the Year of the Horse, it is the year of the Cashmere Cat.

talent to make a real impact on 2014. Last year’s Black EP was a stunning debut that showcased an alluring style of down tempo trip hop, amply crowned by her mellifluous vocals. Moko’s vocal delivery is delicate but never fragile - she manages to keep an uncommonly intimate feel to her voice despite its arena filling power. Currently in the studio, if she can harness the attention that she has earned through a recent high profile collaboration with Chase and Status then Moko’s next release could be the beginning of an exponential rise. NC.

undulating ebullience, combining the complex and

angular time signatures of jazz and math-rock with the

starry, coruscating sound of Sigur Ros. The ten piece

orchestral pop band hailing from Rennes, France offers

an innovative form of indie: baroque and cerebral in its

composition but nonetheless immediately accessible

and immersive for the new listener. Also, for empirical

proof of how good they are, it’s definitely worth checking

out their Take Away Show session with La Blogothèque

on YouTube. I’m eagerly anticipating what 2014 has in

store for these guys. TP. MM.

Although Cashmere Cat has firmly landed on all four

Blossoming from London’s fertile scene, Moko has the

Mermonte’s eponymous debut album moves with an

CASHMERE CAT

MOKO

MERMONTE

SOUND OF 2014 After careful deliberation, the CUB Music team has decided upon the musicians who we believe will be critical to 2014’s musical landscape. Spanning a wide variety of genres, the only common link between these six artists is that they seriously deserve your attention!

ton, Davey Brett, Zuza Nowak & Katie Jackson.

Photos: Luca Mailhol & Tom Øverlie

will undoubtedly sell out venues across the country. DB.

of guitar-led psychedelia and equally impressive hair

year for the Kettering four-piece. Their stomping brand

pencilled in for a February release, heralding a busy

and Oasis on hiatus! Debut album Sun Structures is

are enough to keep the Gallagher brothers mesmerised

band whose mere existence and pre-album releases

to suggest anything but an upward trajectory for a

about f***ing Temples and Jagwar Ma.” It’s difficult

his former Oasis band mates “we’re too busy talking

According to Noel Gallagher, whenever he meets

Ever wondered why Oasis didn’t reform in 2013?

TEMPLES

Words: Melanie Moran, Nicholas Cleeve, Tim Pic-

abstract folk with a playful darkness”. With an eclectic range of influences that includes Laura Veirs, Kurt Cobain and Sylvia Plath, it’s clear how she manages to resist being pigeon-holed. Disconcerting lyrics (‘have you seen my nose/I cut it off last night’) and delicate melodies are interwoven to create sparse, atmospheric tracks. As well as making use of her admirable multiinstrumentalism, Marika’s toolkit includes abstract percussion created by jumping up and down, hitting her stomach and tapping her head. Having supported Laura Marling, sessioned for Jo Wiley and modelled for Burberry, Hackman is braced for another impressive year. KJ.

album Dirty Gold, prompting Island Records to release it 3 months ahead of schedule. Stepping into 2014 with self–sabotage on record and no remorse, the girl is playing it rough. The sound delivered by Angel Haze is an interesting fusion of uncompromising, machinegun rate rap and pop-flavoured vocals over an electronic backdrop. If you want more Angel, her Soundcloud page is filled with fantastic unreleased tracks including a haunting rework of Eminem’s ‘Cleaning Out My Closet’ and some fierce freestyle over the subtle beats of Purity Ring’s ‘Lofticries’. ZN.

she rebelled against her label by leaking her upcoming

In her own words, Marika Hackman plays “grungy potential

significant figure of this year’s soundscape. Recently

the

MARIKA HACKMAN has

beauty

This

Brooklyn

ANGEL HAZE

WOMEN’S FASHION EDIT:

As Love Unlimited so famously sung, ‘It may be winter outside, but in Topshop it’s spring…’ so, somehow you need to get these SS/14 hues into action without freezing your tits off. Bright accessories (cue pom-pom headdress and neon socks) are going to keep you May-facing, whilst you can keep your black staples of loafers, sunglasses and jumpers firmly glued on. High-shine skirts are the easiest way to give whatever look you’re going for one big sexy kick-up-the-arse. Words: Daisy Murray

DETAILS Headband - Asos, £10 Sunglasses - UNIF @ Nasty Gal, £39 Bra - & Other Stories, £17 Crop Top - River Island, £8 Knickers - & Other Stories, £5 Skirt - Topshop Boutique, £110 Socks - Topshop, 3 for £8

STYLE

MEN’S FASHION EDIT:

As everyone knows, sixties fashion was the best for menswear. The mods had all the right things going on, and Michael Cain is still my style icon. His portrait by David Bailey simply emulates cool. With that in mind, this ensemble is for when you want to go for that smart sixties vibe. It should take you nicely from the cold snap we’re experiencing now to the milder weather. Words: Tom William Grace

DETAILS Trench Coat - Topman, £75 Ray-Ban Clubmasters - Amazon, from £69.50 Tie - COS, £29 Trousers - Topman, £25 Brogues - Selected @ Asos, £75 Shirt - River Island, £20 Merino Jumper - Reiss, £79

WE LOVE A GIRL WITH BLUE HAIR, TATTOOS AND A COUPLE OF PIERCINGS, SO IT WAS NATURAL TO ASK SECOND YEAR STUDENT ELLE DAINTREE TO POSE FOR US. AFTER LAURA BLAIR SNAPPED AWAY, ELLE SAT DOWN WITH SEAN RICHARDSON FOR A POST-SHOOT CHAT. Your style is very eclectic, can you try and pin it down for us? You’re right, I like a lot of different styles. I would say primarily my look is affected by my hometowns Eastbourne and London, mostly unintentionally, but that’s what I’m surrounded by. My hair is inspired by the Suicide Girl aesthetic, they’re a bunch of alternative models and pin up girls, many of whom photograph themselves. I guess that’s partly where I get my love of tattoos from as well, since a lot of them have ink. I also skate a lot, so loads of my clothes are practical. I wear a lot of men’s clothing, in fact most of what I wear is stolen from my male friends, ex-boyfriend’s and the like. Is the pin-up style something you admire then? Yeah, especially the likes of Mendacia Suicide. I like her look because it’s different, maybe when I’m older and have more confidence I’ll go for that.The fact the Suicide Girls are pin-up but with tattoos and piercings interests me, as I don’t dress typically girly at all really.

STYLE

Is vintage a big part of your shopping?

It is, not that I’m against wearing the same stuff as other people, or clothes from the high street. It’s more that I just don’t like the way high street clothes look on me, and I like to feel comfortable in what I wear. Also vintage clothes have stories behind them and often little quirky features, which are nice! Any other fashion focuses? I also tend to dress according to the style of music I’m listening to at that moment. I have a really varied music taste so one week I’ll be listening to the Ramones, dressing all in black leather; another week I’ll be really into gang starr, wearing more 90s hip hop inspired clothes like this rad silk bomber jacket I have. I also used to go through stages of wearing chokers, crosses and other Goth-esque stuff. Let’s talk about your tattoos. How many do you have? Eight, no nine. Six of them are professional and three of them homemade, including my new one, which I forgot about. Do you have any favourites or are they all special in some way? They’re all different. My favourite is the cat on my leg as I got it first and my friend did it, so it’s quite sentimental. Two I got on Friday the 13th, because they’re only £13; I like them because they’re kind of sinister in a way. I really like Kayley Warrington’s tattoo art so I knew that I wanted a tattoo from her, which is my biggest – the skull on my leg. Do you think tattoos are a kind of art? Yes definitely. Personally I think the aesthetic of a tattoo is more important than some arbitrary meaning. In the risk of sounding massively cliché, I do totally get people who say that the body is a blank canvas, so to speak. Body mods are a way of displaying art on your body. Sometimes a tattoo or a piercing doesn’t have to have a deeper meaning, it can just be beautiful; I don’t think my piercings “say” anything about me other than that I like the look of them. Do you want any more or are you finished for now? I plan to be covered, but slowly. I guess it is kind of the culture I’m surrounded by. My friends in Eastbourne and Brighton have loads of tattoos and piercings; homemade tattoos are especially prevalent among skaters as skate crews get matching ones.At the moment it’s my legs and torso that I’ve focused on, but when I’m settled in a job after university I’ll start on sleeves and hands.

ASKIRTISASKIRTISASKIRT. Words: Eleanor Doughty

Generally speaking, Ms Wintour is consistent. She buys and rebuys, sticking to neutral furs and traditional prints. By all accounts, her latest Prada acquisition is pushing the boat out a little. The Mail’s Liz Jones – she who, at the time of writing, was serving time in the Celebrity Big Brother house – complains about this rebuying. ‘Why has the legendary fashion editor insisted on wearing the same pair of nude, pointy-toed slingbacks to almost everywhere she has been since 1994?’ Well Ms Jones, that’s because she’s found her niche. Those Manolo Blahniks don’t need updating every six months because they sit timelessly in her (no doubt enormous) closet. It’s nice to know you’ve been paying attention to Anna Wintour’s toes for the last score years though. I’ve got a bone to pick with fashion of late. There’s a constant pressure – in weekly magazines and shops – to ‘transform your look’. It’s irritating no matter how deep your love for it all is. It might be terribly anti-fashion to do so, but I so wish they’d stop reinventing the wheel. A skirt is a skirt is a skirt, right? Apparently not. A skirt is not a skirt is not a skirt, because otherwise no one would make any money. That’s not to say we shouldn’t switch up every season, have a fresh ‘look’ when the mood takes us. But can we not be satisfied, at least temporarily, with the contents of our wardrobes? Can we not, and this question remains unanswerable, buy better the first time?

Topshop Unique S/S ‘13

Céline A/W ‘12

Anna Wintour, Editor of American Vogue and the woman who inspired my ‘what would Anna do?’ Libertysponsored bedroom memorial is rarely caught in the same outfit. Every season, she patronages a series of remarkable coats, straight off the runway. Her latest public Prada coating – at the Girls series 3 premiere – was described by the Daily Mail as the ‘unflattering portrait-printed’ coat, in an excellent display of literal headline writing.

STYLE

Every time a new jumper becomes fashionable – say Zara’s current Sloaney-type pearl-embellished crew neck (presumably to avoid you having to wear any actual jewellery) – I hunt through my knitwear drawer. I now have every cut of jumper possible, because the cycle is ever revolving. And newsflash! A jumper is a jumper. The shape doesn’t change!

But next week – and by the time CUB goes to print, no doubt – Topshop will be offering another promotion. Another type of jumper will get the ‘5 ways to wear’ treatment. And that’s because every week, there’s an ‘it’ jumper, bag or skirt. Supposedly, these are all innovations, fresh pieces to spice up your sartorial sense. But most of it has been around before. Almost nothing – excepting Isabel Marant’s wedge trainers and Celine’s furkenstocks – has been freshly innovated in my lifetime. The ubiquitous skinny jeans, those that switched up casual dressing a decade ago, have been around before. To us, they were new, but not to our parents; my Mum recalls lying on her bed, yanking up a pair of drainpipes. I realise this is sacrilege, but I’m tired of reinventing the wheel. If a garment has a head hole, two arms and is woolly, it’s a jumper; no two ways about it. I’m still positively chuffed with last September’s COS coat – it’s very Celine autumn/winter 2012. It’s not very ‘this season’ because I’m not a Russian mafia wife. I’m okay with wearing last year’s overcoat because – and sue me – I’d rather be stuck in the mud than a fashion victim.

Prada S/S ‘14

Topshop Unique S/S ‘14

Lately, Topshop has been promoting the grey sweatshirt. It’s a wardrobe staple – I’ve got several on rotation: navy, grey, mint green – and Topshop helpfully, just in case you couldn’t dress yourself, provides five options for its use. With boyfriend jeans, an A-line skirt, a pencil skirt, with tapered trousers or a boiler suit. I am surprisingly convinced by the boiler suit, it comes with Vans and a fun-times attitude, by the looks of it. The ‘five ways to wear’ marketing model is clever; it’s great for business and for those who need that final push in procrastinatory comfort shopping. I don’t know anyone like that, do you? *Cough*

Born-and-bred Liverpudlian Pippa Christian is a third year Psychology student at Queen Mary. In-between model castings, high-street browsing and watching (and re-watching) Beyoncé’s visual album, the outspoken Pippa squeezed in a chat with Lizzie Howis and Daisy Murray on how she achieves her L18-come-E1 vibe. WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR CLOTHES IS THAT A PLAYBOY ON YOUR BEDSIDE TABLE?

FROM?

Yeah that’s from the month I was born, year I was born.

I like high street shops like American Apparel, Topshop and Urban Outfitters,

LET’S TALK MODELLING. WOULD YOU EVER WANT TO BE IN PLAYBOY?

but it’ll just be random items that I’ve

Definitely! I saw this picture in there (I also instagrammed it and pretended it

seen somewhere, and then I’ll mix it

was me) of this woman covered in gold paint; I want to get painted in gold and

with vintage. The tartan pants were £3

be put in Playboy.

from a vintage shop, and my jacket too. Usually I’ll see something online or in

DID YOU GET SPOTTED?

a magazine and then think of my own

The agency I’m with now is called Oxygen, a boutique on King’s Road; they

outfit to put around that item.

spotted me at fashion week last year. I slipped in for one of the models that wasn’t there anymore and did a spontaneous catwalk. That was fun! I’ve just

WHAT

done a few test shots with them. I’ve also been to castings - I did a casting for

INFLUENCES?

Beyoncé’s video, Flawless! I got shortlisted and it was going to be videoed in

My mum seems to think that I want

Paris. That’s what I’m channeling right now, my inner Beyoncé...

to dress like her. Some of my clothes

WHO

ARE

YOUR

OTHER

are hers from the 80s but she thinks DO YOU CHANGE WHAT YOU WEAR FOR DIFFERENT CASTINGS?

she looks better in them than I do. I

Yeah, they tell you to ‘look young’ or ‘trendy’ or ‘sporty’.

don’t agree, I’m just like ‘you’ve made a better version of you’. But both my

WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST INFLUENCES ON YOUR STYLE?

parents influence me though. Also, in

I’d say Beyoncé at this exact moment, just because I’ve been watching her

this house we all vibe off each other, we

visual album every single day, religiously, when I’m meant to be working. My

have our own look but sort of add our

favourite video is Blow, I love the roller disco, and probably Flawless as well,

individual twists as well.

because she’s so badass. I want to wear the fishnet knickers but I don’t have any, so...

WHAT IS YOUR IDEALLY DRESSED GUY WEARING?

SO YOUR INFLUENCE CHANGES PRETTY REGULARLY THEN?

He’s quite cool in jeans that aren’t too

Yeah. I’ll see an outfit on Rihanna or someone like that and I think ‘I could

skinny or baggy - no one likes baggy

probably do that better’, so I just take snippets of what I like. I just slut it up

jeans.

more - I’m all about the fishnets.

shirt.

So slim jeans and a poppin’ Docs too.

Nice hair, nice face.

If anyone wants my number just follow WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON ‘LIVERPOOL’ STYLE?

me on Twitter. David Gandy is my ideal

Scouse and proud! My style right now has a bit of Scouse flair. That’s just

man full stop forever.

being a bit more out there. All Liverpool people, girls especially, have that inner confidence to do what they want to do. Especially if they want to wear

ANY LAST WORDS (NOT THAT YOU’RE

something really out there or silly - for example, curlers in their hair. That isn’t

DYING)?

really me but the Scouse confidence I’ve mixed with the E1 thing. I feel I’m a mix

Style over fashion, style is innate, not

of L18 and E1. I like dress things up with some lipstick, can’t go without lipstick.

my fault I was born with it, je suis fabulous...

HOW ABOUT MAKEUP? I don’t have much makeup. Usually just mascara, lipstick and a good brow. So

Like what you see?

I don’t look a show. No foundation, I just put bio-oil or baby oil on, and borrow

Follow @pippamelody on Twitter for

some bronzer, I don’t own any...

more.

Braids was more of a summer thing, I didn’t want the hassle of this ‘fro. For example if I take this tie out of my hair it just does not move, who wants that? I go through phases where I think I’ll shave my head and dye it blonde. But it would never grow back. It’s easy that I can just wet it, put conditioner on it and it’s fine.

Photo: Joy Wamae

HAIR? YOU DID HAVE BRAIDS.

PHOTOGRAPHY For our third issue of the year, CUB’s photography editors bring you images shot by Harry Murdoch, a final year Environment, Economy & Development student. To see more of Harry’s work, visit flickr.com/photos/harrymurdoch

‘Wanderlust’ noun

1) A strong desire or impulse to travel, or wander.

Even if you didn’t know the term, it’s likely you know the feeling. Whether you thought it was ‘itchy feet,’ youthful impulse or just boredom, wanderlust is a plague upon many, so why should we give in to it? Unlike any generation before us, we have a shrinking globe and the wonderfully discount-ridden haven of the internet. At the risk of sounding like an offensively cheesy travel advert; the world is there for the taking. We’re living in an age of InterRail and coach travel, of youth hostels and last minute deals. As your parents (or any other older relative or acquaintance) have probably chided you; you’re only young once, so make the most of it now. And they’re right. Being a student not only spending obscene amounts of money to endure stress-filled nights in the library and cheap red beer. For most of us, this is the time in our life where we have the fewest time commitments, the most flexible schedules and numerous friends in similar positions. This is the time of life where we can adventure and explore, a time that we really ought to at least try to travel. Maybe, like me, you weren’t able to take a life-affirming gap year to see the world and “find yourself.” Maybe you did, and you’re now bitten by the travel bug. Whatever your circumstance; you should embrace your wanderlust, and be ready to pack at a moment’s notice for a spontaneous adventure.

And we’re in the best position to do it. In Zone 1 alone, there are more than 20 stations providing National Rail services to nearly anywhere you can imagine in the UK; Brighton is less than an hour away by rail and offers seaside and exciting nightlife. You also probably have friends in far off Universities with floors you can sleep on if you want to escape the city for a new scene and cheaper drinks, just for a night. If your wanderlust leads you further

There’s a delicious excitement in not rigidly planning a trip. A thrill in getting to an airport and having a full English at 3 in the morning. Even the panic of not knowing where your hotel actually is until after you’ve gotten lost, has a romanticised edge of ecstasy. And if you think money constraints will hold you back; think again. A two night stay in Hamburg in the peak December period – breakfast and flights included was £115. If you have one less coffee

“I SEE MY PATH BUT I DON’T KNOW WHERE IT LEADS. Not knowing where I’m going is what inspires me to travel it.” - ROSALIA DE CASTRO afield, we’re also blessed with our London location. We are only half an hour’s tube journey from St. Pancras, which connects you with Paris and Brussels via the Eurostar, or out to Gatwick where an entire world of possibilities awaits.

and lunch at Ground per week (approx £6) and put that money aside, you could have £200 towards an adventure, just in time for the end of the exam period. And if you’ve got a part-time job it could be even sooner.

Now is the time to put aside anxieties and mental restrictions and jump in at the deep end; with 3 hours left on a desirable Groupon trip, that’s just what I did. With a month’s notice, and a vague notion of Christmas markets, myself and a friend decided to go to Hamburg; a city we’d never been to in a country we didn’t regularly think of.

This is a time in your life in which you can afford to cast aside the conveyor belt of University deadlines and monotonous lectures. Spontaneous travel can give you a sense of freedom that you probably won’t ever quite experience again; so what’s stopping you?

Words: Hannah Ballard

TRAVEL

travel. wander. see.

Destination? Escape! Here are a few suggestions for possible destinations to escape the rigours of university life. Chosen due to their affordability and accessibility, each country showcases that you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need to travel miles outside Europe or require a letter of recommendation for a visa application.

MOROCCO Tried and tested, Morocco is a safe bet for any students who want to travel outside Europe and experience a different culture. Having managed to carefully avoid any real protests in the 2011 Arab Spring, Morocco is currently North Africaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most popular tourist hotspot, mainly due to its reliable weather and cheap flights. Whether you want to marvel at the staggering Koutoubia Mosque in Marrakesh or get lost in the Kasbahs in Southern Oases, Morocco has it all. It should be a rite of passage that every person should ride a camel. Few animals are quite so awkward, bad tempered but deeply loved in Berber culture. Embrace your inner desert nomad and endure the agonising experience of perching yourself on the itchy saddle, allowing yourself to admire the endless sand dunes of the Sahara. Also consider exploring the souks of Fez and enjoy a bit of fresh air in the Atlas Mountains. As an all-round option, Morocco is perfect for any first time travellers or students who might miss some of the comforts of home.

TRAVEL

SCOTLAND It’s not a very exotic choice but Scotland stands the test of time as a reliable place for students wanting to escape the London rat race. Pints are cheaper and the weather is a refreshing contrast from the tropics of the library. For as little as £10 you could swap Drapers for a few nights out in Glasgow. In particular, the cultural city of Edinburgh is a lovely blend of galleries, museums and in the summer, the Fringe Festival. Even if you only visit Edinburgh for one day during the Festival, it is worth it just to find yourself swept up by the street performers. From A Cappella groups to fire eaters, you can usually still pick up cheap tickets for some fantastic acts, just by turning up on the day. Alternatively, there are more than enough free performances on the streets around the city. For a bit of sea air, head up to St Andrews and enjoy exploring the small coastal town, the home of golf. Make sure you bring a waterproof as it is usually guaranteed to rain at some point when you are there. Finally if you just want to completely escape civilisation, don your walking boots and bag a couple of Munros.

ROMANIA Buck the trend and head over to Romania. If you are feeling adventurous, why not take the 52 hour coach journey to Bucharest rather than flying. A journey of 1,600 miles, crossing the beautiful landscapes of Hungary, Austria, Germany, Holland, Belgium and France, really would be a trip you won’t forget. With a window seat and air-conditioning certainly not guaranteed, prepare to come home with an Odyssey of survival stories after crossing the length of Europe. Unlike commercial airliners, you can take up to four suitcases on the coach at minimal additional cost. It is perfect if you are indecisive and want to take your whole wardrobe. In Bucharest you can marvel at Nicolae Ceausescu’s colossal “House of the People”, now the Palace of Parliament, which can reportedly be seen from space. Head on to Timisoara and take a tour of the town where the 1989 Romanian anti-Communist

revolution

started

against

Ceausescu.

Much of Romania can be easily accessed by bus, allowing you to visit the medieval castles where Dracula was based in Transylvania as well as explore a host of museums, mountains and lagoons. With its low cost of living and beautiful landscape, it is worth considering Romania, even if you only stop by for a few nights on a Eurail pass. Words: Tom Wyke Photo: YoTuT/flickr

Eden Gilby - Columnist.

You’ve been hearing about it for a few days now. under the sun, but why do we give these people People asking if you’ve seen it. People telling you our attention? Are they really the ones to blame? how ridiculous it is. You decided to Google it Or is it us, the people chucking kerosene on the and there it was. A few peripheral links pop up campfire of self-involvement? first, headlines such as ‘Twitter blows up after...’, or, ‘Holly Willoughby bites back’. You’re excited Desensitised as we are to famous people saying to finally unpick the “he-said-she-said” to see mind-numbingly stupid things, it now seems that the relationship where it all got heated. has been reflected Ten minutes of your life in a terrifying way. have passed and you’ve UNKNOWN PEOPLE CAN NOW Unknown people can been ‘enlightened’ now become famous by the individual BECOME FAMOUS FOR SIMPLE for simple ignorance. who thinks pregnant It’s become positively women should be IGNORANCE. IT’S BECOME enforced on these banned from the tube dimwits that the because they take up POSITIVELY ENFORCED ON more inconceivably too much room. outrageous they are, THESE DIMWITS THAT THE MORE the greater chance I like controversy. I see they have of catching a it as an opening for INCONCEIVABLY OUTRAGEOUS glimpse of their smug debate and a chance faces on the front of to raise issues that are THEY ARE, THE GREATER CHANCE papers, magazines and current in a way that news feeds. people may not have THEY HAVE OF CATCHING A thought about before. So, what are we to do? I used to think it was GLIMPSE OF THEIR SMUG FACES Deny ourselves the unusual to like hearing pleasure of being able controversial things, ON THE FRONT OF PAPERS, to rant and rave for but the recent boom in several tweets about controversy shooting MAGAZINES AND NEWS FEEDS. the latest Daily Mail people into the article? Shield our limelight must mean eyes from Facebook, Twitter and Youtube, from that it’s something we all enjoy dabbling in. corner shop newspaper stands? Read Katie Unfortunately, some less than worthy people Hopkins’ Sun column in secret, delete it from have jumped on the bandwagon and found their our Internet history and slander those who ask calling in saying things that they know will propel if you’ve seen it? them straight to the top of the love to hate list. All totally viable options! However, I’d This petty and attention-seeking phenomenon recommend going about your normal lives, has succeeded in draining every last drop of carrying out your usual media involvement, and faith in humanity from me. Samantha Brick can when you get a glimpse of the next ‘controversy’ say women hate her because of her (apparent) sitting on the sofa of whatever chat show they’ve beauty, Liz Jones can say older women are sperm wormed their way on to - see it for the cheap stealers and Katie Hopkins can go around calling media stunt that it is. Why would they stop when children peasants for the most ludicrous reasons it works every time?

THE CITY AND THE NORTHERN GIRL NORTHERN DICTIONARY

‘scran’ noun / verb [scr-an]

1) To eat a lot of food quite quickly, usually junk food e.g. “Let’s go have a scran”

TO TWEET OR NOT TO TWEET? I am a self-confessed Twitter

old hat-trick. It’s addictive, like a

get tricky and a place where I

addict. You can usually find me

virtual bar of Dairy Milk, feeding

can feel truly safe in expressing

with my phone or iPad glued

my gossip needs.

myself. Take the past couple of

to my hand, ensuring that my

But Twitter has its saving graces

weeks for instance. It was essay

Twitter feed is just a mere tap

too, when it’s not busy fulfilling

hell for me (no exaggeration)

away. It’s the first thing that

its primary purpose to distract.

with five deadlines over a two

greets me in a morning, and the

Everyone from Hollywood stars

week period. My Twitter feed

last thing I check at night - the

to our very own Queen Mary has

has kept me sane - I have never

addiction hit new heights when

jumped on the bandwagon. And

received so much motivation

I started tweet-announcing my

you can see why, as it provides

and support from my followers

going to bed. But this isn’t just

a social space for you to feel

as they suffered alongside me,

affecting me: Twitter has a billion

as involved as you like. You

through my constant barrage

registered users, with 100 million

can express agreement with a

of 140 character-long moans.

of these actively using the social

retweet, show appreciation with

With every 200 or so words I

networking site each day. But

a favourite or simply use it as a

tweeted about completing, I was

way to keep friends back home

rewarded with a cheeky favourite

as close as you can. I myself

and half of my seminar group

have found it incredibly useful

waiting in the wings to spur me

whilst at university particularly

on (and the other half tweeting

Even just then, as I stumbled

since the introduction of the

about how they were yet to start

into momentary writers block

English

the essay).

(inevitable after the introduction

Twitter account. You can simply

of any essay/article), I sought

ask a question and 9 times out

As much as it can distract, it also

solace in my Twitter app by hitting

of 10, you can expect a response

allows you interact. Plus there’s

refresh. I have F5 syndrome, a

within the hour. The joys of not

nothing more satisfying than

socially-transmitted disease that

having to leave your flat! They’re

tweeting: “1500 more words till

is likely to be wreaking havoc

sassy too; providing sarcastic

the end”, to then tweet six hours

with my degree. Hands up those

comments, inventing hashtags

later:

of you who are guilty of the old

and even replying to indirect

hallelujah”. Now there’s a tweet

procrastination trick? Mine is

tweets (see pictures).

worth celebrating.

this

nationwide

benefiting

obsession

hindering

our

degrees?

and

Drama

School

usually that for every sentence that I write, I award myself

Twitter acts as my modern AA

with a sneaky check of Twitter/

group, always prepared to listen,

Facebook/ Instagram. Yep, that

there for support when things

“FINALLY

FINISHED,

EDITORIAL TEAM THOSE WHO HELPED PUT THIS ISSUE TOGETHER

EDITOR IN CHIEF: Lauren Cantillon DEPUTY EDITOR: Yuet Ann Chan SUB EDITORS: Alice Harry, Tasha Mathur LONDON EDITORS: Anna Thornton, Samar Malik, Lucy Sutcliffe ARTS EDITORS: Hannah Ballard, Belphoebe New FILM EDITORS: Jessica Pratten, Kumari Tilakawardane FEATURES EDITORS: Dandie Debieux, Bethan McAulay MUSIC EDITORS: Tim Picton, Melanie Moran, Nicholas Cleeve STYLE EDITORS: Eleanor Doughty, Daisy Murray PHOTOGRAPHY EDITORS: Laura Blair, Joy Wamae TRAVEL EDITORS: Tom Wyke, Alice Owen COLUMNISTS: Eden Gilby, Becky Hipkiss ONLINE MANAGER: Fazal Karimi ONLINE EDITOR: Sophie Lyddon PR & MARKETING: Sean Richardson, Hannah Sargeant, Camilla Bass

www.cubmagazine.co.uk

Monday 3 Feb

Film Showing: “Lars & the Real Girl” st benedict’s chapel / 6pm onwards

#Let’s Talk library square / 11am onwards

Lars Lindstrom is a shy young man in a small northern town who finally brings home the girl of his dreams to his brother and sisterin-law’s home. The only problem is that she’s not real.

The psychology Society will be on Library Square ready to start conversations about keeping your mind healthy – and they want your ideas too.

Mental Wellbeing Week / 3-7 Feb

This year the Union has made a pledge to tackle the stigma and discrimination of mental health on our campus.

Tuesday 4 Feb

#Let’s Talk library square / 11am onwards The psychology Society will be back in Library Square to talk about keeping a healthy mind.

Thursday 6 Feb

Join us in a week as activities as we start conversations about Mental Health. If you miss any of our conversations why not take some time out to enjoy other activities that will help your mental wellbeing. You can also join in other activities that the union will be running throughout the rest of term.

Tea & Talk blomeley room 1 / 1pm - 5pm The first ever Time-ToTalk Day. Come in for a free cup of tea and a chat about life with good and bad mental health – with the mental wealth society

Mental Health & Medical Students The Griffin / see online

Calm: Against Living Miserably library square / 10am - 2pm

A night exploring mental health in both medicine and media. Film Showing: Silver Linings Playbook. (nibbles provided)

A Tea, Biscuits and Secrets event to raise awareness around male suicide.

Friday 7 Feb Fuel your mind – Fuel your body library square / 9am onwards Fuel you mind with some free porridge. The best way to start off the day.

To see a full list of everything going on visit www.qmsu.org/ mentalwellbeing