Issue 132

Quench

Photography February Features · Photography · LGBT+ Fashion & Beauty · Travel · Culture Music · Film · Videogames · Food & Drink

Issue 132 · February 11th 2013

Contents.

issue 132 · 11th February 2013

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20 19

31 Features

5 . OVER THE LIMIT A Cardiff student investigates the new Triage Centre in Cardiff.

7 · SINGLE MINDED applauds life as a singleton.

Columnist

8 · ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?

14 · SINGLE AND HAPPY Hector Roddan and Andy Love celebrate the single life.

15 · I WANNA HOLD YOUR HAND Josie Copson explains all about an organisation called ‘A Day in Hand’.

Fashion & Beauty 16 · STYLE CRUSH Fashion pick out

Photography

on February 14th.

17 · VALENTINE’S DAY: WHAT WILL YOU BE WEARING? Three Cardiff students describe what they will be wearing this Valentine’s Day.

the work of some of our new photography team.

Travel

Rachel Moloney talks Twitter.

ON THE COVER

9 · PHOTOGRAPHY Quench exhibits

LGBT+

13 · GAY MARRIAGE UPDATE

Colette Kincaid explains the current situation regarding the debate on gay marriage.

18 · GOING SOLO Ever travelled alone? Alex Aloi recalls his experience.

19 · NORTHERN SPAIN Ariana Moschopoulou tells of her adventures in the warm Spanish sun.

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28 Culture

Film

Jess Rayner interviews Ellen Green, the president of Cardiff University’s award winning drama society, Act One. 21 · THE 2013BOOK CLUB A sum up of the best new book releases this year from the likes of William Boyd and Stephen King.

ITS MEANING? Jade Attwood and

20 · HOMEGROWN THEATRE

25 · FILM-MAKING: HAS IT LOST making is all about getting awards.

26 · PROFILE: LEONARDO DICAPRIO 27 · REVIEWS Hyde Park on Hudson, Lincoln, Flight and Zero Dark Thirty.

Video Games

28 · SUPER TOMATO Michael

Music

22 · THE DOWNLOAD

GENERATION Jo Southerd takes a realistic look at how the internet has affected the industry, for better or for worse.

23 · LIVE REVIEWS Two Door Cinema Club, Funeral for a Friend and The Joy Formidable.

24 · REVIEWS ARC, Biffy Clyro, Disclosure and Bonobo.

speaks to Thomas Amato of Super Tomato about the future of retro gaming.

29 · DEVIL MAY CRY Phil Ellis reviews the latest game in the beloved hack and slash franchise.

Food & Drink

30 · WHOLESOME CARDIFF Isabel Larner &

take you on a

friendly restaurants and shops of Cardiff.

quench@gairrhydd.com ·@quenchmag

Q three

Editorial

Quench Editors: Laura Evans & Jo Southerd Creative Director: Luke Slade Features: Helen Cameron, Johannes Laubmeier, Rebecca Newby & Charlotte Wace Columnist: Rachel Moloney Fashion & Beauty: Sophie Chamberlain, Vicky Gadsden, Jacqueline Kilikita & Olivia Reidy Travel: Heather Arnold & Helena Lins LGBT+: Thomas Leeming & Erin Ekins

a word from

Jo

Valentine’s Day. It generally divides people into two camps: the sickly loved-up couples, with their cringey cards and scented candles; and the bitter singletons. This year I’m actually pretty indifferent. As future deadlines, important life-decisions and dissertation drafts hang over me like an academic sword of damacles, I’m beginning to resemble the poor guy from Edvard Munch’s The Scream on a worryingly regular basis. So this Valentine’s Day, I imagine I’ll be having a hot date with Julian Hodge. That’s if I’ve not fallen into a stress-induced coma, of course.

In this issue, Features and LGBT+ have provided a more

Film Culture get cosy with Ellen Green, president of Act One, ahead of their hotly-tipped production of Julius Caesar.

The last Quench saw the debut of our excellent new Videogames section, and this week you’ll notice that the team has expanded yet again. We’re proud to introduce a team of eight very talented photographers who henceforth will be suppling the magazine with brilliant photography.

Over this issue and the next, we’ll be welcoming them with a small exhibition of some of their work. Turn to page nine to appreciate the beauty.

While gair rhydd prepare for their 1000th issue, a fantastic achievement for a student publication, they also face threats of a No-Platform policy, which would seriously limit their freedom of speech. This seems somewhat of a contradiction considering gair rhydd translates to “free word”, and is a terrible shame for a newspaper with such a good reputation.

This magazine goes to print ahead of the AGM, so by the time you’re reading this I sincerely hope the right decision has been made.

On a lighter note, in two weeks’ time we’ll be honouring LGBT+ History Month by bringing you “The Fabulous Issue” of Quench. Watch this space.

Culture: Jess Rayner Music: Rosey Brown, Kit Denison & Stephen Springate Film: Becky Johnson, Amy Pay & Becky Wilson Videogames: Michael O’Connell-Davidson Food & Drink: Photography Team: Nandra Galang Anissa George Fielding Katarzyna Lewandowska Sher Min Tan Bethan Phillips Oliver Richards Óliviá Walthö Ally Warren Proofreading: Emilia Ignaciuk Felicity Jones Henry Boon Jordan Brewer Olivia Rendall Sum Sze Tam Tom Connick

Love Cover Photo: Bethan Phillips

four Q quench@gairrhydd.com · @QuenchEditor

OVER THE LIMIT Photos: Michael O’Connell-Davidson

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rinking in Britain is something of an elephant in the room. Despite the effects it has - both positive and negative - on wider society, it’s not often spoken about.

In comparison to other drugs, public opinion on alcohol is relatively neutral. Indeed, heavy drinking as a young adult is seen as something of a rite of passage rather than a problem that needs to be addressed.

There are few places where this is more obvious than at UK universities. The NHS and other public institutions have taken notice of this and have established a number of programs to

that they have extended funding to the centre for a further three months. A number of other parties have invested in the scheme: the Catholic church, who provided its premises, St. John’s Ambulance, the Police, and the probation service. Cardiff University is also involved and has helped to fund the project as part of a wider research scheme.

The centre is supposed to help lessen the burden on Cardiff’s accident and emergency departments in time for Freshers’ Week that, like many across the country, are often inundated with those who have drunk too much alcohol and require medical attention. In this regard, it has been successful, directing a

and enjoying their newfound freedom to drink and party as they please.

One such program was recently established in Cardiff. In September 2012, James Brewster-Liddel opened a Triage Centre as part of a three-month pilot program funded by the Drug and Alcohol Substance Abuse strategy. It is designed to

Eve, the triage took patients from thirty 999 calls and staff attend to 22 inebriated adults on average per night.

The centre garnered media attention last year because of its unique treatment and education of its patients. Those who

in the UK and the Welsh Assembly have deemed it so useful

the opportunity to view the footage before their release. The patients’ response to this varied considerably. Some expressed their regret for allowing themselves to drink too much but others

saw it as invasive. However, the Welsh Assembly stopped these interviews when they took charge of funding the centre at the beginning of 2013. is not advertised and staff at the centre asked me to dispose of the photos that I took of the inside and outside of the building.

Apparently there have been issues in the past with homeless people trying to gain access to the centre as a shelter for the night. There is also a concern that those suffering from alcohol addiction will approach the centre and ask its staff for assistance.

James admitted that there was little they could do to treat those who are fully dependent on alcohol. Even those brought to the centre by 999 calls would be redirected to rehabilitation centers because the Triage Centre lacks the resources to treat them.

A problem James highlighted was that those who arrive at the centre are often dressed inappropriately. As entertaining as it would be to see Tiger Tiger full of people in woolly jumpers, thick socks and thermals, it would be impossible to force club-goers out of vertigo inducing heels and Superdry t-shirts and into the sort of clothes you should be wearing at 4AM. I passed through

features@gairrhydd.com · @qfeatures

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the city-centre just after midnight, and though the temperature sat at a neat zero, the line into Glam was the usual parade of polo shirts and cocktail dresses. But the Triage centre is not the place The church which the Triage Centre is based in is currently undergoing renovation. The interior is largely bare with most surfaces painted white; in some respects, the centre feels as though it could have popped up overnight, with beds separated by wooden partitions. There are about a dozen stretchers, all of which were prepared for use later in the evening, as well as a wealth of medical equipment and bottled water to treat patients.

When I visited, there were a number of ambulance staff and beyond myself. Cardiff was blanketed with snow and ice and many had opted to stay at home that evening. the centre’s work is that despite being established to address the increased burden student drinking places upon Cardiff’s healthcare facilities, there have been far fewer 999 calls for students than expected. James believed that students were becoming increasingly aware of the effects of alcohol, and that health education programs were working. There are, however, a number of other theories.

Binge drinking is still a serious health concern for legislators diverse city, has been referred to as “the binge-drinking capital of the UK”. Last year saw the release of Maciej Dakowicz’ Cardiff After Dark: a photobook documenting the city’s hedonistic club scene.

Bournemouth is also notorious for its bar and club culture. I spoke to Adam Havelock, a Bournemouth resident who works as a club doorman, who shared his experience. “I watch young people week after week getting plastered and give into uncontrollable with people on the door about them being too drunk to be inside the club and they feel like they know best every time.”

Why? – “In this day and age, alcohol consumption has spun out for custom. I feel as though there is no middle ground, unlike Europe. We seem to drink to get smashed, not drink because we like the taste.”

There is no doubt that the Triage Centre in Cardiff is near indispensable, offering a unique service that far exceeds that offered by other cities in the UK. But if public health programs

are working, and people are becoming better educated, why is such a centre even necessary?

There were few Freshers’ Week events that did not encourage alcohol consumption in some way. While many postgrad events were alcohol free, there was only one designated non-alcoholic Freshers’ event, but even as a resident of Talybont, I have yet to encounter anybody who attended this. It would be ridiculous to criticise the Taf, which is a fantastic social venue within this discussion when the venue is full of posters adorned with messages such as ‘Save on heating, spend on pints.’

Like nightclubs struggling to stay in business, the union is a neither nightclubs nor the Students’ Union would offer a wealth of cheap drinks if people weren’t in the market to buy them. In drawing a comparison between the UK and continental Europe, Adam touched upon a sentiment that many other people share: relative to the people of other countries, alcohol serves a very different function for the people of Britain. Rather than serving as a social complement, it is a social facilitator, and there are few opportunities to meet new people that don’t involve alcohol consumption to one degree or another.

Are we dependent on alcohol as a nation? In a 2009 survey, the NHS found that less than 20% of the population kept count of how many units they consumed when drinking. Alcoholism kills more in the UK than any other drug after smoking. Alcoholics Anonymous claims that 33,000 die each year from alcoholrelated incidents and associated health problems. Of these, 15% are from road accidents, 26% from drowning and 36% from death about. A growing problem in the UK is the increasing number of children born (approximately 2-4%) with foetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Public awareness of the subject is low and many are unaware of the extent to which alcohol causes brain damage in an unborn child.

As I left the centre, James said that he and his team “weren’t there to be party poopers” by asking that people know their limits and drink in moderation. For James, the scheme is “about education, and getting people to drink sensibly and safely.” If the current group of students in Cardiff require less medical attention as a result of being better informed, then perhaps programs of public education like this one are what is needed to improve society as a whole.

Photos: Watt Dabney, marcus_jb1973

Q features@gairrhydd.com · @qfeatures

Single Minded Illustration: Nathaniel Quinn

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wo and a half years into university and I am still single. I have

you don’t have a boyfriend?’ or ‘why have you never had a boyfriend?’

My immediate reaction is always: ‘back off with the questions’ but, the truth is, I have no idea. If I don’t produce an answer straightaway, most give me a playful nudge and a suggestive wink. Sorry to disappoint you all but this is not the confession of a ‘player’…

Walt Disney once said: ‘all our dreams can come true – if we have the courage to pursue them’. Walt was a clever man; he built his own multi-billion dollar empire around the emotional exploitation of impressionable children, but something tells me he missed the hypocrisy in these words. Hey, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Snow White, Walt had a life lesson for you all: marry a beautiful man with more money than personality and have the life you’ve always dreamed of. Go get him girl and, while you’re at it, why not enlist the help of all those talking forest animals and asexual little men on your quest for that ‘happy ever after’? Don’t get me wrong, I love Disney; there are not many people that haven’t come back from a night out at least once and played The Lion King on to illustrate that, from the moment we entered the world, screwed-up relationship ideals were embedded deep into the depths of our unsuspecting little brains. ‘victim’ despite the fact that I, like many others, have parents who are divorced and who unsurprisingly rained all over the happily-ever-after parade a long time ago. What Disney ultimately gave us were unrealistic expectations of the opposite sex. At and I wanted a boyfriend only a little bit more than I wanted my belly button pierced. The problem was I was unbelievably shy when it came to boys. Sleeping Beauty had taught me that doing absolutely nothing would be sure to catch their attention. So what was the problem? It wasn’t until the age of 14 that I drank just enough beer (approximately one and a half cans) to muster up the courage to talk to the boys I fancied. This didn’t work out so well for me. My preferred weapon of seduction was to be on the defensive: insults. Why they weren’t queuing up down the street for me I will never know.

So whilst I was busy laying the foundations, or so I thought, for a healthy relationship by poking and biting the boy sat next to me in maths class, most of my friends were in relationships or having regular sex, though the line between the two was pretty blurred. Apparently in the UK the this statistic. Most lost it to random boys and girls, Bacardi Breezer in hand, round the back of the scout hut.

On a moral level, I always wanted to be in a relationship before I lost my virginity. So, whilst I did just about everything rebellious you can do as a teen, I didn’t sleep around, nor did I get a boyfriend.

I am not suggesting that it is a bad thing to do. Many of my friends messed around when they were younger so that they could get it a pessimist, as most people do, but realistically the majority of

my sister and my best friend broke up with their long-term boyfriends this is the rule. I know several couples that met in Freshers’ and they are still together and still happy. It would be a massive generalisation to say that there is no point in relationships at university. Some of my friends have found people that suit them so well it would have been a crime for them to hold back in fear of missing out on the whole ‘university experience’. To them, it doesn’t feel like they are missing out anyway. I also know those who got into relationships in Freshers’ and it’s all gone horribly wrong. Besides the couples I know where at least one of the two has relationship status. Whether they are always arguing, or going home early from clubs, or making a scene in the library, a university couple can be rather irritating for all parties. Some make it work well but others just can’t.

When I asked my friend to comment on relationships in university, she simply said: ‘don’t do it’.

There are obviously downsides to not having a partner at university. For a start, some people would rather not have to wade through a series of one-night-stands to meet someone decent. However, if there is ever an appropriate time to do this, university is that time. Perhaps we should look upon them as learning curves. Also, there are always those people, men in my case, who think that because you shared a bed with them you are in love with them simply because that’s what girls are like, right?

Wrong. Some people can’t believe that it is just a bit of casual fun.

Maturity levels in Freshers’ are not always up to scratch. In the end, I lost my virginity to someone that I didn’t really care about. It didn’t matter if they never spoke to me again. Coming from someone who once had relatively high morals on the subject of sex, that was a bit sad, but I got over it. Aside from a few slips that my mother wouldn’t be pleased about, I’ve remained a fairly happy singleton.

Of course there are times when I wish I had someone and I want to punch my housemate in the face. But if perhaps I am better off without. Luckily I have a solid network of girl friends at home that are there for me and I speak to everyday: my four surrogate boyfriends.

University is a pivotal point in life and I think it is important to have fun, work hard(ish), and make something of ourselves by becoming the people we want to be. I intend to do this on my own. My priorities the moment and that won’t change any time soon. At the end of the day (unless you are a mature student of course) we are pretty young. There is plenty of time for a relationship in the future and I am proud of the fact that I can be alone and happy. Some people have grown up not knowing what that is like and always have to be with someone to feel secure in life. I feel like they are missing out, just like I used to think I was missing out for not having a boyfriend. I’ve never had to rely on another person like that for anything and that’s the way I like it.

many thought that this was the case and couldn’t resist expressing this love for their ‘baby’ on Bebo and Myspace. #luvmabby4lfe. of getting a boyfriend at some point. At the very least I expected many people were on the same wavelength as me but that was fair enough. Many of us do not have the freedom to do whatever we want until the dawn of our university days. This is probably why both

features@gairrhydd.com · @qfeatures

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Columnist

Are you not entertained?

by Rachel Moloney

I

t took my friends ages to persuade me to get Facebook. ‘But guys, I can already talk to you on Bebo and MySpace. Hell, I can even write a letter if you’re that desperate to talk to me. Why would I possibly want something else?’

But not only have I since eradicated Bebo and MySpace from my viewing history, I’ve also gone and got Twitter as well. You see, I understand social media: which is more than can be said for HMV, who recently got a big slap in the face from one their ex-

capabilities, and no-one’s suggesting that anyone would actually cheat on her either. But that still didn’t stop Geordie Shore’s Holly from digging her oar in, claiming that Rita Ora had led Beyoncé’s husband Jay-Z slightly astray. Cue a very angry tweet from Ora, as she defended herself with the words ‘neva eva will any1 includin a red head dum z lister try talk s*** about me and my family.’ I sympathise with you Ora, but refrain from using text language in the future. It makes you look like you’re 14. After being a complete and utter numpty, Holly did something right for a change however, by conceding that no one actually gave a damn about what she had to say because no-one knows who she is anway. You’re right, go home.

So does this mean that instead of arguing openly on the streets, people are now taking their rage out on their poor little keyboards? It appears so, as Brendan Coyle, who spent most of last series’ Downton Abbey in a prison cell, also showed his anger online by blocking a naïve NHS consultant from his page. His outburst was prompted by their opposing views on Margaret Thatcher and his reaction unsurprisingly shocked the woman, who must have been expecting him to be nice and sweet like his character, Mr. Bates. But worry not, as Brendan Coyle soon got his comeuppance from no less than his own mother. ‘#yourenevertooold.’

Playful banter, childish backstabbing or simply sucking up to your mother: Twitter’s got it all. However I was still slow to jump on the hash-tag band-wagon, fully aware that I didn’t really have much to say. My highlight of the day ranges from eating nice food to buying new clothes, which is all a bit of a non-event really compared to these vain look-at-mecelebrities who persistently post photos of themselves on an idyllic Caribbean island.

page and promptly posted angry tweets about their decision to up for ‘mass execution’ had wanted to help the company get back on its feet. Now that’s revolution for you. #hmvXFactorFiring tweets soon reached the attention of the company’s Marketing Director, who markets things so well that he apparently didn’t even know how to ‘shut down Twitter.’ Whilst shutting down Twitter may be a little bit too ambitious for him, there is such a thing as a delete button. So use it.

Someone who recently did make use of the delete button was Match of the Day and Walkers Crisps. There’s only so much one can say.

However eight days after this grand epiphany, he re-activated his account and was promptly welcomed back with open arms.

Always-out-for-a-bit-of-attention Piers Morgan posted ‘Admit it…you just missed me too much,’ to which Lineker replied ‘tis true, missed kicking your exceedingly large a***.’ Oh Gary, I should have known there’d be a reference to football in there somewhere.

With these wise words, Piers Morgan clearly demonstrates that Twitter can be used to show a wide range of emotions without having to come face to face with the person in question.

After Beyoncé proudly sang the national anthem live at a press conference, she was thoroughly congratulated by Morgan Her vocal chords were on full display here, as they had been conspicuously absent at the President’s Inauguration. The popdiva controversially admitted to using lip-syncing at the event, arguing that she had not had enough time to prepare in order to make it perfect. Not perfect in front of nearly a million people?

I’m not surprised she cheated.

To be honest, no-one’s really challenging Bee’s musical

eight Q

Refrain from using text language in the future. It makes you look like you’re 14

so long as it doesn’t make me hate my own life. For instance Ashton Kutcher recently posted a photo of himself looking like Steve Jobs in order to promote his new biopic of the late jOBS, as well as the highly successful The Social Network, simply reminds us how much our lives have been changed by the internet and new technology; a fact that those poor employees at HMV have been made only too aware of.

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PHOTOGRAPHERS Alexandra Warren 1, 5, 15 Bethan Phillips 4, 6, 7, 10 Nandra Galang Anissa 3, 9, 13, 16 Oliver Richards 2, 8, 12 ร liviรก Walthรถ 11 Sher Min Tan 14

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LGBT+

GAY MARRIAGE UPDATE Colette Kincaid informs us of the current situation regarding the debate on gay marriage

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alentine’s Day is coming up, so let’s cue the heart shaped chocolate and love poems that make everyone who isn’t twelve wander around with a quizzical expression on their face for the rest of the day. But this year in Great Britain, we will see the beginning of a law to implement same-sex marriage.

Since 2005, civil partnerships have existed, giving same-sex couples the chance to experience the rights that married couples are privileged with but without the entitlement of calling themselves ‘married’. Soon, however, this all is set to change, with a new parliamentary bill to allow same-sex marriage.

Although still being based around state marriage, it will also include an option for religious institutions in agreement with the bill to opt-in, excluding only the Church of England in this (the Archbishop of Canterbury having already stated strong opposition).

What the politicians are saying...

On the one hand, British politicians seem very supportive of the issue. George Osborne warned MPs that without their votes in favour of gay marriage, the Conservatives could very well face losing the next general election. The vote, which took place on February 5th 2013, was free, which meant individual MPs could vote according to their own consciences.

The Labour Party is also backing the gay marriage bill.

What’s more, over in France, after months of protests both for and against same-sex marriage, the French National Assembly is also due to discuss the possibility of legislating same-sex marriage.

On the other hand, although the key players in government seem to be on board, Defence Secretary Philip Hammond was recently allegedly said to have compared the idea of equal marriage to incest whilst visiting Royal Holloway University on January 25th 2013.

What the Church is saying...

The Roman Catholics: In September last year, French Roman Catholic archbishop Cardinal Philippe Barbarin disputed any plans for reform allowing same-sex marriage with the argument that they would create an opportunity for incestuous and polygamist marriages. Whilst this obviously doesn’t represent the views of the entire church, it certainly is not supportive of the proposals. In late January 2013, in a last-ditch attempt to change the government’s minds, the Church handed out a million anti-gay marriage postcards with the idea that people would then send these on to Westminster with personalised negative feelings on the proposals.

The Church of England: In February 2012, the Archbishop of Canterbury was quoted saying that “issues like [gay marriage] have to be addressed at the level of culture rather than law.”This essentially sums up the view of the Church of England in facing the same-sex marriage vote. In a note sent to every MP ahead of the vote, the CofE argue that as far as they agree with civil partnership, they will continue to support the non-changsociety well thus far. One of the major issues that the CofE is concerned about is that, despite the bill including a change of the discrimination laws that would exempt the churches from be ineffective and prove unendurable.

The Church of Wales: However, although the bill originally excluded both the CofE and the Church of Wales, this has since been changed, with a statement from the Archbishop of Wales indicating that he in fact supported the proposals. So, it seems as if at least one religious body might opt-in to marrying same-sex couples, which in itself would be a dramatic change and fantastic news for gay couples wishing to have a Christian wedding.

What the general public are saying...

A poll conducted for The Guardian showed 3/5 Britons to be behind the idea of gay marriage, a dramatic increase from a March 2012 poll, in which only 45% supported the idea, with 36% against. Although gay marriage is supported by 60%+ across all regions of the UK, Wales was found to hold the highest with a backing of 74%. Studies have also shown that amongst all classes, in both genders and across voters for the three main political parties, those in favour of the proposals are in greater numbers.

In Paris, the January 28th 2013 march for equal marriage rights drew an estimated 125,000 demonstrators whilst the demonstration against, taking place on the 13th January, was thought to have 340,000. Despite this though, recent opinion polls revealed that 55-60% of the French nation approve of the idea of same-sex marriage; again, the majority are clearly in favour, if not as strongly as in Great Britain.

The bill on the 5th February passed by a clear majority of 400 to 175. Now that it has been passed, it will mean a great number of things, not just to those same-sex couples who wish to get married, but to everyone supporting it. To one group in particular, those who have sex changes whilst married who, divorce, the change will give these people the freedom to stay married, saving many traumatic and disrupting experiences for the families involved.

lgbt@gairrhydd.com

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LGBT+

Think you need to be in a relationship?

a friend’s for dinner, or on a night out, and felt that terrible third- What I am saying is that barring random quirks of fate and wheel sensation rolling in when you realise that everyone else has other serious accidents, I believe everyone has the capacity hooked up (either with Mr. Right or Mr. Right Now) and you are left all alone in the world? Unfortunately, the longer people are points out below, there are many great things you can do at in a relationship, the worse the sense of smug superiority gets.

For example, I was recently It simply does not enter my head told by a straight-and-married “Ever since we were told the tale friend how wonderful it was that of Noah’s Ark, our society reinforces incomplete as a person. To my mind, I’d found someone at last. Nine months into any relationship, the notion that humans, like Noah’s this view misses the massive diversity that seems a bit presumptuous to of emotional and sexual lifestyles llamas, should come in two-by-two.” that we, as human beings, have come be honest. Secondly, I’m twentyup with. It also fundamentally limits another human being who is your own aspirations and happiness willing to share my life (Doctor Who obsession included) if you are constantly convinced that you can only be happy and sex life (Doctor Who obsession not included) with me when Monsieur or Madame Right waltzes into your life with an makes me any more complete or happy as an individual. armful of roses and one of Cupid’s arrows between their teeth, There will doubtless be people reading this who believe I must be some sort of bitter, twisted incomplete human being So, this Valentine’s Day, whether you are with good lovers or without a soul, but hear me out. Certainly, I am not for a good friends or neither, remember this: at the end of the day, the moment saying I dislike sharing my life with my boyfriend. person who has the most control over how happy you are is you.

Despite being in a happy relationship, Hector Roddan thinks that society is too obsessed with pairing up.

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n the 5th of February 2013, the government passed the Marriage (Same Sex) Couples Act. This act will allow same-sex couples the same civil marriage rights as heterosexual couples. Well, in theory. Barring the Church of England, (the national church) and any priest or clergyman who gets their knickers in a twist about Adam and Steve. Certainly this is a massive step towards full equality for gay people and for that must be applauded. But it does leave me wondering if our society is too hung up on pairing up.

Ever since we were told the tale of Noah’s Ark, our society reinforces the notion that humans, like Noah’s llamas, should come in two-by-two. Every nursery rhyme and fairy tale tells us of fair princesses in gilded towers with pumpkin slippers.

OK, I’m getting my tales in a tangle but you get the idea.

As we grow up, the pressure gets even worse. Who hasn’t been at

How To Have A Me Party suggests alternative ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

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o here we are in 2013, and more than the 2012 Mayan Calendar scare, there is one thing that frightens people every year. No, we’re not talking about Halloween. Valentine’s Day is a tradition in many countries. To avoid the blues for those who are not currently involved with someone, here are some top tips to enjoy that holiday. Just remember to forget the Hollywood love drama for that day.

Throw an anti-Valentine’s Day party: This might seem controversial, but it works.

A very good friend of mine invited me to hers for an “anti-Valentine’s Day” party. There were many guests, music, nibbles (each person brought something) and lots of drinks. It is the perfect setting for some laughs with one added bonus: a concentration of single people who are also dreading this same day. If you’re hosting, you can also write some lovely cards for your guests to remember the day and say how much you like them.

TV Marathons: Another good way to celebrate the day is to gather a collection of your favourite series and

is someone you have known for quite a while and it’s a series you both enjoy, then you know you will have a laugh. While you’re at it, getting food can be a good idea!

Dating: This one should be applied with care. Don’t just go out there dating for the sake of it but it could is single and so are you, what have you got to lose?

The whole Valentine’s experience doesn’t need to be shared with someone like a Hollywood romance. At the end of the day, lovers come and go, but your friends are quite likely to be with take friendships for granted, but how amazing

Valentine’s Dinner: You don’t need to celebrate Valentine’s Day with someone you love physically, so get that best friend and book yourselves into a restaurant. Avoid all the awkward carrying of wine and a nice meal. Then, you can even laugh at all those awkward couples around you.

Games Night: tip, or a different night completely. Everyone loves a good gaming session with friends, especially if drinks and music are available.

Twister is always good, Have I Ever? is great for partners. Another good option is playing a drunk and let those hearts break into song.

fourteen Q lgbt@gairrhydd.com

Clubbing: As much as I love staying in, if all else fails there will always be loud music and company. Clubs are usually quite packed on Valentines’ Day and own Valentine. It is a good night to go out and celebrate the possibilities and, with so many people, a conversation or a song could be a good ice-breaker with added opportunity.

The Morning After: Whilst recovering from a hangover from the night before, go out and buy yourself double the chocolates and Valentine’s Day presents, as you didn’t have to spend the money on someone else. Go cure that nasty hangover at a nice discounted price, best perk ever.

interests and who doesn’t really care if you’ll look good in the morning? Many people will just throw their friends on the back burner and forget how important they are. How many of us don’t get tired of seeing our friends go through so many relationships tiring our ears (and our patience!) with so many disappointments wingwoman who has been covering your back for so long, listening to your troubles and dragging you out of the club and the creepers.

They deserve that attention for being with you for so long. After all, that’s real love right there.

LGBT+

‘I Wanna Hold Your Hand...’ fi

W

hen people think of the month of February, the

Valentine’s Day. For some of us, it is a dreaded day, as for those who are single it can be painful. However, it is a day to celebrate the love that exists in our world.

This is something the creator of the website A Day In Hand believes should be celebrated 365 days a year. David Watkins created the website essentially to celebrate the relationships we form in life and the feeling of love we publicly display by the simple yet so meaningful gesture of holding hands. Yet, for the people featured in the pictures on his website, it can cause an unnecessary backlash, this is people experience for simply showing their love for someone if you have not been in the situation personally. Perhaps this freedom is something many people often take for granted. I, for one, could not imagine what it would be like to be unable to hold hands with a partner whilst walking down the street.

To be discriminated against for doing something that is so natural and which does not affect other people is something that I cannot comprehend.

The website’s message is one of positivity and hope for the future. It encourages people to support the cause

outside. members of society, but it is also for anybody and everybody who believes that being able to express your love for website quite cleverly points out that you do not have to be black to object to racism, nor do you have to be female to object to sexism, and you certainly do not have to be gay rights”.

In fact, the website features straight people holding hands with people of the same sex, in order to show their support for the cause. The site also has other features, such as forums, latest news and links to other websites that have a similar theme, as well as messages from people who have got involved and supported the cause.

Valentine’s Day is for everyone, no matter what the sex and gender of the people in the relationship are; the handholding pictures are a simple and emotive way of showing that love should not just be for straight people. A Day In Hand is an innovative idea that challenges perceptions of so called unconventional relationships and instead should be relationships that people openly accept.

someone of the same sex you love, respect, or admire;

lgbt@gairrhydd.com

Q

Fashion&Beauty

STYLE CRUSH With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, take a look at how you can dress to impress this February 14th.

MONOCHROME

New Look, £24.99

Words: Siobhan McGovern chic.

POP-UP PRINTS 5 Gifts For Him

sixteen Q

fashion@gairrhydd.com · @quenchfashion

Fashion&Beauty

Valentines Day What you’re wearing

Beth Hogg Journalism, Film and Media “

Pip Reid Politics and International Relations “It would be something classic with a

a bit of height without looking too over the ”

Viv Yeung English Literature “ It looks classy and lets me show off my legs. I’d also tailor it with a brown belt to accentuate my waist.”

Ankle boots. Schuh.

Siobhan McGovern

fashion@gairrhydd.com · @quenchfashion

Q seventeen

Travel

G O I N G

SOLO during the longest journey I have ever taken by myself. I had been on airplanes several times before, but never on my own and not for any length of time comparable to the duration of a

Places We Love Travelling is a popular pass time for many to broaden horizons and learn a diverse range of cultures or Emma Bradely

Thailand “The native people of Thailand are very friendly and the locals are renowned for hospitality. Thai food from Thailand is leagues better than its takeaway counterpart and in Bangkok you’ll never have to wait for a taxi because they’re almost everywhere.”

Luke Tanprasit

experience, the journey quickly became frustrating to the point Atlantic, I became stranded in Amsterdam.

Anyone who says that intensive security is the most annoying

SouthAfrica

the nearest transfer desk and get in the inevitably long queue. to inclement weather, it is a very, very long queue indeed.

An enormous mass of businessmen, families on holiday and relatives returning from visiting loved ones abroad snaked its way through a roped off queuing area as a large number of blue clad airport workers tried to deal with the multitude of angry travelers that the snowstorm had provoked. As I took my place

“I stayed in the Tsitsikamma National Park in wooden cabins which over looked the Indian Ocean. The park had some beautiful scenery with gorgeous beaches and waterfalls hidden within the forests. The food was always delicious and fresh, the weather was always hot and animals such as monkeys and cows could wander around freely. A highlight would have to be going to the elephant park and being able to stroke and feed them. I went to Cape Town which gave you a real feel for the diversity in culture and history of the place as we went to the slums and to the preschools where the children were fascinated by nail varnish. There is so much to do and see with table top mountains that give you an amazing view of Cape Town and Robben Island. It’s

people who were no doubt in the same predicament that I was in, stuck in an airport for hours, not knowing if they would have “Going solo” only really started to get lonely when I wanted to talk to someone about my troubles. Earlier in the day, when everything was going off without a hitch, I didn’t mind being alone. In fact, I felt more like an adult, taking charge of my life and proving my independence. In the crowd of people wished that I could talk to someone about how frustrated I was.

Unfortunately, my cell phone didn’t work in Amsterdam, so I found myself trying to sort out several different options for support. I soon found out that my laptop battery had died as well, so I couldn’t rely on Skype or email to get in touch with anyone either.

Fortunately, right around the time that I was feeling lonely I ended up meeting several people in the same predicament.

As it turned out, many of the individuals who I was in line with were also students from the United States headed to Cardiff.

Saskia Hawking

London “I like London because there’s always something to do, somewhere with friends, shopping on Oxford Street or a Rihanna concert at the O2, there’s constant entertainment. It was been amazing last summer living right next to the Olympics and being able to be involved in the atmosphere and excitement as the British athletes won their medals. I of entertainment and past times!”

Eleanor Cooke

about the university and what we were going to study and of the world anymore.

Magaluf

with me, and I have to say, I was grateful for the company.

Just knowing that we were going to the same place made me

sunny weather that lasts the entire duration of the holiday is a total contrast to the rain that seems to dominate British summers. Many places can offer the good weather, but not as many catch the nightlife!

common, but it certainly felt better to have someone to talk to during the journey. If everything went bottom-up on us again, Still, we were basically strangers to each other, and if it wasn’t for the fact that we were all going to be studying at the same university, I don’t know if we would even have acknowledged one another.

At the end of the term, I am going to have to travel back across the Atlantic to the United States. I must admit that after my experience in Amsterdam I am not terribly keen on the idea of traveling by myself, but since I travelled here alone it really can’t be helped. Besides, I’d like to think that I’m a bit wiser for all the frustration it caused. Traveling solo can be irritating, boring and lonely, but if you plan your trip well and keep a cool head when things inevitably don’t work out, it can be an adventure in its own right.

Alex Aloi

eighteen Q travel@gairrhydd.com · @quench_travel

negativity towards these types of resorts, the mention of Magaluf will bring nothing but extremely fun memories of spending a week with school friends partying as well as soaking up the sun before facing the Nicola Miles

Russia “I visited both Moscow and St Petersburg when I went to Russia in 2008. I really enjoyed my stay there; it felt like you were living in history. For example whilst in Moscow, we saw 5 important buildings and each one had a 5 foot diameter red star on the top of it. It was incredible to see such a blatant symbol of the old communist regime still displayed over the city’s capital. Also the sheer scale of the country is awe inspiring; I took the overnight train from one city to another and this involved traveling for 13 uninterrupted hours and yet we only covered a fraction of the country.”

Eddie Greaves

Travel Travel

NORTHERN SPAIN BRIGHT ADVENTURES IN THE WARM SPANISH SUN On a cold summer evening, my boyfriend and I landed in the smallest airport I have ever seen; Santander Airport in the north of Spain just before closing time at 23:30. The drive back to the house was a long one as we were going to my boyfriend’s weeks we spent in Spain were worth the wait. Every day we had a different adventure to go on, and there was never a dull moment as we sat in the back of the car with a very energetic and funny 4-year-old; my boyfriend’s sister. towns such as Tazones, Gijon, Oviedo, Colunga, Torrelavega and many more quaint towns that are rustic and have some lovely traditions that haven’t been altered by tourism. I would although it doesn’t appear much in a tourist guide book, it is such a beautiful place to spend a few weeks. It’s very relaxing and the trains running across the northern border are so cheap; you can discover the whole of northern Spain for a very small

price.

The day before we jetted off back to Stansted we took our

needed to get back to Oviedo to collect our suitcases and get to be ready by then, so we ate a little something in a pub and

Los Picos De Europa. The day was perfect and the skies were clear. The car had been making some funny noises on the way up, but we thought nothing of it. Of course the sounds were not harmless, as we soon found out half way up a mountain and half an hour from the closest town; the car had broken down.

Smoke was coming from underneath the hood, so we all rushed out of the car and on to the little enclosure on the opposite side of the road. The roads were empty and we had only encountered a handful of people travelling up the mountains that day. Luckily a couple of cars drove past us that were on their way to a family lunch in a picnic area just off the road a few hundred meters down the mountain. They were gracious enough to drive us back down to the town where we it. Being the evening before our holiday was over, though, we

us all the way back to Oviedo. The next morning we took the Northern Spain is fabulous; the food is amazing, the beer is delicious and the Spanish people are very accommodating. Not having been a very popular tourist area made the journey even more incredible, it was pure and untouched by the myriads of fast food and hotel chains that so many towns around the world and food were traditional and the experience was unique. I loved every minute of this trip, even if in the end, I never got to see Los Picos De Europa but never mind, next time!

Words & Photos: Ariana Moschopoulou

travel@gairrhydd.com · @quench_travel

Q nineteen

Culture

HOMEGROWNTHEATRE THEATRE creating fresh theatre. With over 250 members, the society strives to help develop both writing and acting talent in order Ellen Green

Firstly Ellen, for those that don’t know much about Act One, can you tell me a bit more about who you are and what you do?

We are one of the biggest drama societies in the UK, and our main aim is to give as many people as possible the opportunity to get involved in drama. We put on seven main productions with a week’s run each every year, as well as shorter plays and events. We are also a very social society; as well as seeing each other several times a week at rehearsal we have weekly socials, larger socials for special occasions, and over Easter 65 of us are going to Berlin.

You won best society last year, has that put pressure on you as a society to continue to produce a certain standard of productions this year? the university! We always want to produce shows that

As well as obviously attracting students who love acting, do you encourage new writers and budding directors to get involved as well? aspect of theatre. Writing wise, four of our seven main productions this year have been written or adapted for stage by our members, we are taking two pieces of new writing to Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and we are holding an evening of new writing before Easter. play, but how much work goes into staging Act One productions?

Preparations begin the summer before, with the elected committee choosing the plays pitched by potential concepts and venues over the summer, before casting in are working hard throughout the rehearsal period:

well, then we should sell over 4000 tickets to our shows possible.

You have lots of exciting productions on the cards for 2013. Can you tell me more about what you have got coming up?

months, we do one night ‘Events’ which can be anything from half hour new writing to 2 hour plays, which tend to rehearse for only a few weeks. This means that whatever our members’ degree commitments are, they Jess Rayner

has a mixed gender cast which has allowed us to do something different with it. We also have the classic ; a murder mystery farce

Tickets for all Act One shows are available now at the Students Union Box Office.

new writing about the events leading up to the 2003 ; and the musical . The productions are all very different, so there is something for everyone.

www.actonetheatre.org.uk @actonecardiff www.actonemail@gmail.com

twenty Q

culture@gairrhydd.com · @quenchculture

Culture

The 2013 Book Club This year is set to be exciting in terms of literature, with the promise of a

sequel as well as

Helen Fielding, Bridget Jones’s Diary

William Boyd, Untitled

the increasingly popular trend of ‘chick-lit’,

winner

is set to write a new

next author to put himself in the spotlight by tackling

novel this

endearingly haphazard love life is returning to our bookshelves. Through the novels which are a light hearted take on the grapples with modern day romance, Fielding does what many comic writers fail to do, create a character that readers can relate to and will her to succeed in her attempts at love. Yet to be given a title, it has

of

the

Whitbread

Following in the footsteps of Boyd takes on the world of Bond, which has become embedded in our heritage through the iconic nature of culture. The title is still very much top secret, being referred to simply as ‘Untitled’ as the only detail Boyd has revealed is the 1969 setting that said to be a return to

everyone’s favourite singleton which is guaranteed to make you smile.

Fleming Publications, stated that Boyd’s ‘thrillers occupy fascination with Fleming himself, makes him the perfect choice to take Bond back to his 1960s world’. With the

Stephen King, Doctor Sleep

The Review Corner

can breathe a his long anticipated sequel. is one of King’s most loved novels, which has inspired a group of devoted fans and genre. King’s new novel, centres on the character Danny Torrance the young boy who escaped the beastly events pictures Torrance as a now middle-aged drifter who has ‘been drifting for decades, desperate to shed his father’s legacy of despair, alcoholism, and violence’ using his powers to comfort

‘Girls’, Sky Alantic The second series of the hugely successful

the honeymoon of a shotgun wedding, one is on a quest to fall in love, and one is dealing with the super sly new girlfriend of an ex-boyfriend.

York, each with different aims, objectives and desires, ‘trying, just trying to get through life’.

an audience you can’t help but see these girls

although was happy to give her magic in the bedroom, did not want anything more outside of it.

The second series however starts with the

strength of friendship hold them together and really does make for endearing viewing. The show asks the question of possibilities in life, it twists the everyday expectations into moments of sadness, happiness, pain and and triumph and shows the poignancy of change and the

struggles, Torrance is able to keep his past at bay, until his demons become reawaken when as ‘an epic war between good and evil, a gory, glorious story that will thrill the millions of hyper-devoted readers of and wildly satisfy anyone new to the territory novels that send shiver down your spine,

just want to feel it all’, and it this sentiment that on her to do everything for him, but now 10.00pm relationship sets up the narrative as we are reintroduced to the other girls, each struggling

Amy Endacott

culture@gairrhydd.com · @ quenchculture

Q twenty-one

Music M

y part-time job takes me to an odd mixture of events. There’s

myself at a record fair in Bristol’s Colston Hall. I could hardly believe my luck when I was told that, essentially, my job for the day was to circulate the fair and have a chat to some of the collectors.

Browse through limited edition Beatles LPs and make small-talk with music-lovers? There are worse ways to spend a day. So I began to mingle amongst the buyers and sellers, and before long I was wishing that I could be part of their club, wondering, what with my birthday and Christmas coming up, whether it might not be out of the question to save up for a record player and start my own little vinyl collection. I even took the card of a guy who sold turntables.

There’s something about vinyl that’s so much more exciting than the compact disc; but they’re also probably the most expensive form of music around, and on my current student budget they are a luxury I simply can’t justify. For less money than I’d be spending on one record, I can subscribe to Spotify Premium and listen to thousands of bands for a whole month. Of course my laptop speakers pale miserably in comparison to vinyl, but put it this way: it would be my whole week’s worth of shopping from the Tesco Value range. in this situation it feels more out of necessity than out of choice a month I have access to a huge online database of music, all at the Over the last few years I feel as though music has undergone somewhat of a metamorphosis. It has become a predominantly online experience, out of convenience more than anything else.

held about ten songs (wow) until I eventually got my grubby mitts on the iPod Nano. 16gb music in my pocket? Incredible. That Nowadays, I’ve fallen into the trap of listening to music in dribs and drabs online. On discovering a new band, you can bet your bottom dollar they’ve got singles scattered across Soundcloud, amongst other music-sharing-social-networkmedia-blog platforms. The internet is simply the next step in a long evolutionary process that probably won’t stop until we have microchips embedded in our skin which we control by tapping a magnetic tattoo on our ears. I’m not even joking. And we oughtn’t be afraid of these changes; we must embrace the internet for everything it can offer us, be it an advanced album stream or an exclusive free download. Do I feel guilty because the majority of the music I listen to is streamed online, sometimes for free? Not really. Surely there are better ways to support the music industry than forking out on a bunch of CDs that will inevitably end up in the glove box of a car I rarely drive: how about taking a chance on an up-and-coming band and actually going to their gig? You might be pleasantly surprised.

In the end, I decided against asking Father Christmas for a turntable and Rubber Soul on vinyl. Instead, I invested in an Internet Radio. The beautiful piece of technology can piggy-back stations from across the planet. Now if that’s not value for money, I don’t know what is. I have a lot of respect for bands who continue, relentlessly, to release their music on vinyl. I hope that vinyl survives, and I do hope that one day I can afford to get myself a turntable, and start building up my own beautiful record collection.

But for now, I’ll stick with my downloads, thankyou very much.

true fact that, as a consumer nation, we no longer value tangible The internet has caused the music industry to evolve rapidly, and poor HMV seems to have been left behind. I love record shops and I’m proud to live in the same city as Spillers, but growing up in the sticks I depended on HMV. I have fond memories of being a teenager, making a thirty-minute bus trip to the next small town in I wanted. Moreover, if HMV were to close down altogether, there would be a social void in shopping centres across the nation: where else could awkward teenagers kill time while their parents did the rounds at Marks and Spencer? But nowadays, I can enter the music YouTube; then if I like what I hear, I head straight to Bandcamp and download a virtual copy of their latest EP. I’ve purchased their music without even getting out of bed.

Obviously there are several drawbacks (aside from becoming increasingly fat, lazy and impatient) of buying music in this way. I do miss the joy of taking my chosen CD to the till, and the excitement of carrying my new purchase around town until I can get home and give it that all-important First Listen. As somebody who gets genuinely excited about album artwork and lyric sheets, bought an album on iTunes: “Is that it?”. Probably one of the last CDs I bought went on to become one of the most successful albums who bought it in physical form. Ironically, I don’t actually know where my copy is now, though I’d bet it’s in the glove box of my mum’s Ford Fiesta (no, she does not have legendary taste in music: we car-share in the holidays. And for the record, she’s more of a Roxy Music/ Culture Club kinda girl).

But I’ve had to adapt. It’s been years since I regularly bought music on CDs (sorry HMV), opting instead for the less rewarding

The Download Generation The way we engage with music is constantly changing, whether we like it or not.

Jo Southerd takes a realistic look at how the internet has affected the industry, for better or for worse.

a CD player here in Cardiff, save for the disk drive on my laptop.

Similarly, I have friends who, though in the past were notorious Rather than continue to apologise for these failing stores and their spent my whole life adapting to changing media formats. Let’s face it: our generation has never known just one way to listen to music.

I remember being tiny and discovering my parents’ cardboard box of Motown LPs that lived behind the sofa, collecting dust.

Sometimes they’d dig them out and show us how their old turntable worked, but eventually it packed up and was never replaced. As for myself, I was from the generation of the humble cassette, where recording music off the radio onto a tape. Then one day, those stubborn oblongs were replaced with shiny round discs, and our CD collections reigned supreme until they too were surpassed by the mighty iTunes Library. Through a combination of MSN sharing folders and naughty bitTorrent downloads, our teenage music

twenty-two Q

music@gairrhydd.com · @quenchmusic

Photo: Bethan Phillips

Music

TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB | THE GREAT HALL | 31.01.13

I

t’s always interesting to see how a band’s live

ospheric levels. Sometimes a band can embrace the arenas and stadiums that await them by writing anthems that bring together thousands of people (like Coldplay) and sometimes they cripple under their own hype with a record that doesn’t really translate at large levels. Sadly, tonight, it seems that Two Door Cinema Club came closer to the latter.

their brand of soft grunge summer-y goodness to combat the torrential rain outside. The Birmingham four-piece bring their feel-good vibes to a tough crowd, with debut single King City being a particular highlight. However jangly Spector-esque songs like future single The Sea the winter. Maybe this is a band that will be one to watch on this year’s festival circuit.

The real highlight of the show came when South London’s Bastille took to the stage. Celebrating a Flaws, the band stormed through a set of future classics Icarus and Bad Blood.

“This next one’s a bit depressing. Sorry about that” apologises singer Dan Smith (sporting the most impressive quiff since Morrissey was throwing Gladi-

ing of euphoria spreading throughout the room.

Finishing with an outstanding cover/mash-up of Rhythm is a Dancer and The Rhythm of the Night straight into their best song yet, Pompeii, it becomes clear that Bastille are an act built for big venues and even bigger anthems.

And so with a stage set that looks suspiciously similar to Enter Shikari’s Flash Flood of Colour album cover, the main attraction take to the stage. Storming through second album highlight Sleep Alone, all seems well for Two Door Cinema Club. However as the set drags on it becomes increasingly obvious that, while a decent album in itself, Beacon simply does not translate into the live arena. The big songs, and I Can Talk, of course sound as fresh as they always have, but by the time latest single New Year comes round, I can’t help but feel a bit bored. Two Door Cinema Club’s saving grace was fan favourite Eat That Up, It’s Good For You and an encore ending with a storming rendition of , but the overly long set leaves them in the shadow of their support acts, with fans wanting just that little bit more.

Matthew Jones

number Overjoyed, but even this can’t stop the feel-

FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND | CLWB IFOR BACH | 28.01.13

I

n celebration of the release of their sixth album, Conduit, local post-hardcore rockers Funeral For A Friend returned to one of their haunts

some people had come to hear the new material, it was obvious from the word-perfect crowd participation during the opener She Drove Me to Daytime Television that the majority of attendees were loyal fans who had followed the band through thick and thin, from the highs of Casually Dressed and Deep In Conversation to the lows of line-up changes and less impressive singles (Monsters was notably absent from the setlist).

The nostalgic start continued throughout the whole gig, despite how only two of the original band members remain in the group. Raucous material from the early stages of F4AF sounded as dynamic as ever; the jumping around during the pulsatingbass-laden Red Is The New Black side

Interspersing offerings from their back catalogue were songs from Conduit effused from the title track and High Castles, both spurring on pit circles spanning from wall-to-wall. vocals were perfectly delivered, the drums pounded right on time and the guitar tapping was textbook. musical skill though; in between a massively atmospheric Juneau/ History sandwich, vocalist Matt Davies spoke about his complete gratitude to everybody who has supported the band in some way over their ten year career. Such sincere appreciation of their listeners, combined with their love of communicating through complex music, made Funeral For A Friend a real treat to watch.

Amy Pay

THE JOY FORMIDABLE | SOLUS | 28.01.13

B

efore I start the live review, I have to make an apology for the slightly snarky review of their new album last issue. I believe phrases like ‘‘plodding carbon copy’’ and ‘‘pompous and radiofriendly’’ were thrown about. They’re the type of band whose music is completely transformed live, and as soon as they burst in with Cholla, I had a feeling that by the end of the show I’d come to appreciate their new material as much their old album.

I proved myself right. I already knew they were an incredible live force after seeing them play at Swn Festival last year, but the inclusion of songs from material and gave the show an added depth that was missing from what I previously thought was a perfect performance last year. Belters like Forest Serenade, This Ladder Is Ours and Maw Maw Song were right at home with older songs like Austere, Cradle and The Greatest Light Is The Greatest Shade. Quieter songs Silent Treatment and closer , which I really thought was quite boring when I heard it on the album, really came out of its shell in live performance, the captivating singer Ritzy Bryan reducing the previously raucous audience to a still silence. The surprise addition of from their early EP A Balloon Called Moaning provoked a similarly

subdued reaction. Aside from the perfect performances, the band were experts at interacting with the audience, at one point inviting everyone to come buy from the way they pissed about with each other onstage, it’s clear that they are just as close-knit as the perfect chemistry between them as musicians suggests.

My only regret of the night was missing support they’d gone above and beyond the call of duty of the support act to warm up the hardcore fans defending their places at the barrier and the few disinterested people mingling at the back. The Joy Formidable closed the night with the epic from their ria that only certain bands have the energy and presence to create, which can only be released by moshing away like you’re 15 years old again. I might have got an elbow in the face from a sweaty man who looked was too awestruck to really notice. If you ever have a chance, see this band.

Stephen Springate

L I V E M U S I C

Photo: Charlotte O’Shea

music@gairrhydd.com · @quenchmusic

Q twenty-three

REVIEWS

Music Albums

COMING UP

BIFFY CLYRO OPPOSITES 14TH FLOOR | 28.01.13

EVERYTHING EVERYTHING ARC SONY RCA | 14.01.13

as The White Album Opposites

Arc Man Alive

which Black Chandelier

Arc Cough Cough

opener Different People Duet, Undrowned And Man

Torso of the Week Alive

Arc

6

Black Chandelier Sounds Like Balloons

10 7 10

Henry Boon Stephen Springate

singles DISCLOSURE FT. ALUNAGEORGE WHITE NOISE PMR RECORDS | 17.02.13

BONOBO CIRRUS NINJA TUNE | 24.01.13 Cirrus

8

Cirrus is

10

7

Matthew Jones

twenty-four Q

Kit Denison

路 @quenchmusic

10

Film

FILM-MAKING: HAS IT LOST ITS MEANING? With the BAFTAs and Oscars looming around the corner, Jade Attwood and

YES

NO T

B

efore the announcement of this year’s Oscar nominations, I’m sure that all of us had a pretty good idea about which heavily promoted, all-star

perspective, it is easy to say that awards are the primary motivation of all

the cut. Les Miserables, Django Unchained and Life of Pi were just a few to

The BAFTAs, Golden Globes and Oscars

seen the former two, I was admittedly hypnotised by satirical bloody violence of very reactions that the

dates in the movie industry calendar, with the historically

for, choosing techniques destined to bring awardseason victory.

Les Miserables, however, did not live up to expectations. It failed to compare to the brilliance of the stage production.

Whilst it was enjoyable, the power was lost on some of the being so built up by prerelease teasers, a famous ensemble and awards tippings that we almost decided it was decent before we had even seen it. For a yearly awards ceremony, the nominations are released a conveniently short time before the ceremonies and are hardly representative of a full

to be entertained by captivating story lines and original

Capitalist

a mention in an industry that is dominated by world renowned cinema producers and often actors-turned-directors.

There are often exceptions, with self funded deserve. Putting their own money into a production shows true commitment of belief in their project. Director Steven Soderbergh, ground , focused on a awards despite that not being the original intention. What’s more, there are whole sections of the mainstream awareness; underground and

Don’t even get me started on teen movie awards. If you

documentaries made

MTV or awards, Twilight to admit it or not, but who can actually say that beyond the shallow level of enjoyment there is any depth to the plot or

reaction. Actors such as Shane Meadows, who has produced numerous gritty Once Upon A Time In The Midlands,

the initial sexual tension died

awareness for such

slowly deceased as the saga continued. Nevertheless, year after year the nominations still come rolling in simply because of the name behind the franchise. It then becomes less important to produce quality

The process of communicate, to express and to put into motion the ideas of the any art form, awards allow judgements to be made and a hierarchy to be assimilated.

Therefore, it can be said that some

already sold. and more on their award winning Oscar teat until it runs dry, the importance of winning these awards are as obvious on the DVD cover as Kate Winslet’s ridiculous 2009 Golden Globes acceptance speech.

synonymous to the want to gain awards.

Jade Attwood

·

Q

Film HYDE PARK DIRECTOR: Roger Michell

STARRING: Bill Murray, La

LEONARDO DICAPRIO

RATING:

Words:

FLIGHT

DIRECTOR: Robert Zemeck STARRING: Denzel Washin RATING:

NEWS IN FILM

twenty-six Q

路

REVIEWS

ON HUDSON

LINCOLN DIRECTOR: Steven Spielberg STARRING: Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, Joseph Gordon-Levitt

aura Linney, Olivia Williams

RATING:

T

Lincoln

Lincoln

U

Becca Eustis

Becky Johnson

ZERO DARK THIRTY

kis ngton, Nadine Velazquez, Don Cheadle

DIRECTOR: Kathryn Bigelow STARRING: Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, Jennifer Ehle RATING:

Forrest Gump

Flight Back To The Future

T

Zero Dark Thirty

Flight Cast Away

Homeland

Flight

Flight Transformers Battleship Zero Dark Thirty Rhys Edwards

Leanne Rachael Dixon

III

路

Q twenty-seven

Videogames

SUPER TOMATO

We spoke to Thomas Amato, proprietor of video game boutique Super Tomato, about indepedendent retail in Cardiff and the future of retro gaming.

Words: Michael O’Connell-Davidson

If you were to describe the store to somebody who’d never encountered it before, how would you pitch it to them?

At Super Tomato we take iconic pop culture items - retro videogames, manga, classic eighties toys, imported Japanese collectibles, which become the preserve of large online retailers like Amazon and eBay and put them back on the high street. We are a bright, tactile environment where browsing (and reliving warm dormant childhood memories) is positively encouraged!

We are the Haus of SEGA. What sort of products do you carry?

Amongst the more unique items we’ve had through our doors are Panasonic Q Gamecube consoles, the Nintendo 64DD and Super Famicom Satellaview peripherals, a Sega Mega CD dev kit, various versions of the original Nintendo Famicom and a myriad of other exotic museum pieces. We stock several hundred titles for each retro format at prices starting from 99p, and carry several thousand manga titles, many of which are long since out of print.

Super Tomato began as a comic and bookstore (with a then very modest number of videogames) importing items from a friend in Japan almost four years ago. Quickly, we realised that the greatest demand was for items from a very particular period of nostalgia and in short order retro videogames had monopolised videogame retailers had abandoned older formats and let the

twenty-eightQQ

Photos: Oliver Richards

internet monopolise that segment of the market. There was the unusual situation whereby if you were a movie fan you

are concerned about the archivability of consoles and video games in the face of DLC and locking games to consoles.

street. If you were an avid reader bookshops carried titles from antiquity. But no videogame retailer was selling anything more than six months old. It was a disservice to the credibility of the industry as an art form. In tandem with the rise of magazines like Retro Gamer and professionally produced online shows such as Classic Game Room, we were in the right place at the right time as classic videogames entered the zeitgeist.

After a couple of years of trading, and when it became apparent with the advent of the iPod, Kindle, DLC and the like that hardcopy media had become quaint, we worried about the sustainability of a retro videogame store. After all, what are the next generation of gamers going to be nostalgic about - it certainly won’t be cartridges or CDs, so what part of that can you make commercially viable? However, as time has gone by, we realised that a new era of gaming or console doesn’t supercede the desirability or collectability of the last. As Spillers Records found its niche catering to music fans who wanted to experience vinyl, we believe there will always be a market for the original Nintendo Entertainment System, or for the endearingly chunky

What’s the market like in Cardiff for independent retailers? What demographics do you serve?

Cardiff, with its maze-like network of historic arcades is a bastion of hidden independent retailers. We cater to a

that plug into them. were released, and a surprising number of younger customers looking to explore the heritage of their hobby. Gender-wise, it female and indeed a whopping 85% of our manga customers are women.

Do you get the impression that the idea of retro is ‘changing’ as time goes by and demographics shift or people get older?

What’s your opinion on the current state of the games industry? Are you beyond being excited for E3? Where would you like to see it move in future?

We’re actually quite optimistic. Virtual Console, Xbox Live and PSN have opened up the marketplace to smaller development teams once again, and to more intimate games. The boon for us is that advancements like downloadable services that offer those fun buried memories of misspent youth!

regards to the way the consoles of today are becoming less reliant on hardware and more on services? I know a lot of people

videogames@gairrhydd.com · @mikeocd

Super Tomato can be found at 17 Salisbury Road between Senghenydd Hall and Koko Gorillaz.

Videogames

RELEASES:

DEVIL MAY CRY Words: Phil Ellis When new to the series developers Ninja Theory unveiled a teenaged community a few years ago, it was unclear as to whether they understood the nature of humanity; that people despise change, and will express that relentlessly. However, with the success of new developers in the Halo franchise, there was optimism to be had for this reboot.

Forget previous iterations of the series, because the new Devil May Cry is a reboot of the franchise.

Protagonist Dante is still a arrogant and full of quips, but now he curses like a sailor. Vergil, Dante’s classier twin brother returns. He is the chief of The Order, an underground resistance faction who oppose the villainous demon king Mundus.

Finally, there is Kat, a member of the order who can shift between the realities of Limbo (the demon playground), and the suffering human world.

The story is more or less as you expect, employing standard cowboys and indians tropes (only this time they’re angels and demons), but is delivered with a healthy dose of humour and some thinly veiled satire directed at the mass media. While serviceable, it feels a little as though gameplay is given perhaps too much precedent over the narrative, and themes are not explored to the extent they could be. At times, the story starts movie, with Dante explaining things twice over in a manner reminiscent of Eddie Murphy in Beverly Hills cop.

Though by no means a deal breaker, it feels as though Ninja Theory let an opportunity slip.

The DMC series has always been unique in placing style above all else.

To use an analogy (as I know people

love analogies), Devil May Cry is the video game equivalent of a Rolex; while all watches tell the time, you’re unlikely to see Jay-Z and Kanye sporting a Casio. It’s a question of style, and in that sense, DMC is not just another beat ‘em up: it’s a catwalk. It’s the reason why taking damage has an effect upon more than just your health bar, as you see your hard work beaten into an insulting end-of-stage D level rating.

Devil May Cry 4 focused heavily on aerial combos, and Nero’s ability to pull enemies towards him made movement fast and slick.

Unfortunately, this made Dante feel a little sluggish by comparison, and the decision to give access to all of previous titles required players to stumble through an overcomplicated system. This isn’t a problem in the reboot, and in this regard, Ninja Theory have done a great job with the source material.

Dante now has three main categories of weapon: devil, angel, and his trusty Rebellion sword. All of these can be upgraded for extra damage and differing move sets, and are activated by holding down the shoulder buttons. This results in streamlined gameplay, but retains the complexity required for those tasty triple S ratings. Further hastening the pace, players can now either reel in enemies or pull themselves towards them to close the distance.

In a similar manner to the fourth game, enemies are designed with these mechanics in mind, with some techniques and weaponry.

Having each enemy require adifferent kind of weapon adds another interesting dimension to

trigger mode (which allows Dante to unleash his full potential) equally provides something unique. In addition to Dante receiving reduced damage and increased health, enemies are suspended in mid-air in anticipation of an aerial onslaught.

As a result, the action is frantic, but rarely out of control; if you make a mistake, the odds are it was down to your skill (or lack thereof). The ease of dodging also means that you can always relieve the tension, and are always able to get out of the way.

The other side of gameplay is the Inception-esque limbo (the aforementioned demon world)

traversal sequences. In these situations, the environment turns on Dante. Whilst it is unlikely you will ever die from these, they are a welcome distraction that both break up the game’s action segments and provide some stunning set pieces.

Unfortunately, there are some minor issues that prevent the lock on system is somewhat lacking, which will take many veterans of the series by surprise. Although the new system works, there’s a loss of control by comparison to previous performance pieces than an actual

has three separate forms, all of which are visually incredible, but require no more effort than almost any encounter with a regular batch of enemies.

Overall the latest entry into the franchise stays true to form, and can stand proudly alongside the rest of the series. Ninja Theory have created a game with the utmost respect for its fans, implementing new gameplay mechanics that converge to make a well-rounded and most importantly, fun product.

videogames@gairrhydd.com · @mikeocd

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Q twenty-nine

Food&Drink

6

1 7 2 8

CATHAYS STATION

QUEEN STREET STATION

3 CARDIFF CENTRAL STATION

4

thirty Q food@gairrhydd.com 路 @quench_food

5

WHOLESOME CARDIFF

Food&Drink Spice Of Life, 1 Inverness Place

The one-stop shop for all your needs regarding herbs, spice, and everything nice. They stock all the delicious teas you

1

Milgi, 213 City Road

2

Hungry Planet, 142 Clifton Street

3

Vegetarian Food Studio, 109 Penarth Road

4

Canteen, 40 Clifton Street

5

Embassy Cafe, 36 Cathays Terrace

6

Cafe Atma, 40 Crwys Road

7

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dish to the next level. This is not to mention the spices, seeds and powders that are too numerous to list. Buy preground or whole for true culinary autonomy, and all for a reasonable price.

Milgi, the welcoming home for all the coolest veggies in Cardiff. If you don’t know Milgi by now, is it high time you got thoroughly acquainted. The food on the menu has a certain Middle Eastern to South Asian vibe, and the drink their wonderful baked goods, waiting on display to accompany your chili-infused hot chocolate or honeycomb-laced latte.

For DIY ethical and wholesome cooking, the independent wholefood store Hungry Planet offers an impressive selection, from local vegetables and jams to an array of nuts, dried fruit, olives, herbs, and even ethical hygiene products. They also carry gluten-free products, and will offer a 10% discount to those eco-conscious enough to bring their own containers.

good to be true; home-cooked Indian food comprising of six items, including a daily curry dish that varies enough to stay interesting and chappatis to mop it all up, for an unbelievable £4. Did we mention that the meal is large enough to have leftovers? Does it get any better than that?

Opened by local veggie Wayne Thomas, who has had enough of the afterthoughts that often pass as ‘the vegetarian option’, Canteen on Clifton Street is as straight-forward as the name suggests. No-nonsense yet creative dishes with an emphasis on the vegetarian. Omnivores can fear not, for slow-braised meats such as tagines and hot pots ensure

Five minutes away from the Students’ Union, Embassy Café is the closest salvation for the hungry vegetarian or vegan. Part of the Cathays Community Centre, it provides simple but thoughtful food, making as much as possible use of organic and Fairtrade locally sourced ingredients.

Contrasting the bustle of Crwys Road, Café Atma is a laid-back space, running regular yoga sessions, with dinner and desserts included, for as little as £5. Perfect for a rainy day, the colourful and welcoming interior will comfort your mood while their famous desserts will delight your taste buds.

The one non-exclusively veggie landmark has been chosen for its homely appeal, though the owners themselves are far from Welsh. Aegean Turkish Restaurant is as unassuming as its name suggests, which has left it underrated, perhaps even forgotten, among the louder and more well-known restaurants that surround it. Eliza Nicholas explains why you should give it a chance.

Photo: Oliver Richards

AE GE AN TUR KISH RE S TAU RAN T

A

s I enter Aegean, a small Turkish restaurant in the heart of Cathays, I am warmly greeted by joint-owner Mrs Karadeniz, who is cooking in the open kitchen behind the counter. It is not busy, but the atmosphere is pleasant, and the enticing smells and Turkish music tempt me to the nearest table.

Mr and Mrs Karadeniz opened the restaurant 6 months ago, having previously run a similar place in their home country of Turkey. The family business prides itself on its home-cooked food, fresh ingredients, and the daily baking of speciality pies and desserts.

The menu is comprised of an intriguing array of Turkish dishes, most unrecognisable to me, so I’m relieved when I am redirected enthusiastically to a blackboard of the day’s specials, which change according to what the couple decide to cook that morning. Some of the options don’t have exact English translations, so I am slightly unsure as to what I have ordered! My lentil soup arrives, accompanied by Karadeniz watches me proudly, explaining that she does all the cooking herself from recipes passed down from her grandmother, a truly unique trait of this little eatery. The left wanting seconds of the delicious ‘börek’, the handIt saddens me to learn that the restaurant is often very quiet, with the lack of customers making life restaurants and fast food joints in Cathays impacts

harshly on the modest Turkish diner, with students gravitating towards their greasy favourites rather than opting for cultural alternatives. The visitors are of many example of their native cuisine. A Welsh diner I speak to tells me he discovered the restaurant recently, and has visited twice in the last week, keenly recommending his favourites. “It’s great food, and something different!

I wish more people knew about it”. It seems those who have tried it become frequent callers, with the relaxed café-like vibe also attracting workers with their laptops.

Aegean is a great choice for students, being the nearest we’ll get to a lovingly made home-cooked meal. More importantly, it is fantastically priced, with a further 10% student discount! Having rounded off my experience with a Turkish-brewed tea, the bill is shockingly low, coming to at least half the amount of my recent spend in the popular pub opposite. I’m full and happy, having made some lovely new friends, but leave feeling saddened by the struggle of restaurants such as these.

It’s a tragic reality that the threat of larger, mainstream chains will lead to closures of these cultural gems, a diversity. Students should branch out and experience the quality and variety that local eateries have to offer. The Karadeniz family encourage more people to “come by and try our cooking”, which I now thoroughly recommend.

Aegean can be found at 2 Coburn Street, Cathays and also have a Facebook page ‘Aegean Turkish Home Cooking’.

food@gairrhydd.com · @quench_food

Q thirty-one