Venue 364

GUS EDGAR-CHAN Venue Editor

JOSEPHINE DOWSWELL Venue Deputy Editor

Welcome to the penultimate issue of Venue!

Easter is upon us, Pancake Day is behind us,

It’s been a strange few weeks for UEA. In the wake of four student deaths, the protests and petitions, and

and overbearing oh-God-what-am-I-going-to-doafter-graduating existentialism is all around us (I’m totally not projecting here). With two issues to go, I only have two editorials to offload my sage advice, and that second editorial’s probably going to just waffle on about Derby Day. So here’s some tips for those still at Uni next year:

1. Norfolk Terrace to Suffolk Terrace is like Unthank Road to Dereham. Interpret that however you want.

2. 1st Year feels like it lasts a lifetime. 2nd year goes by much faster. 3rd year doesn’t exist. Blink and it’s over. Make the most of what you can while you can.

3. Norwich is charming, but stifling too. Get out of it once in a while. If you can, go travelling, even if it’s for only a few days.

4. Numbers are just numbers, and not an estimation of your value as a student or general human being. Also, try not to get 2:2s.

5. Try the sudoku! It’s on the back of this Venue.

Johanne Elster Hanson

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Shelby Cooke

Jordan Hunnisett

Gabriela Williams

the increased distrust and disillusion with the powers that be, it’s hard to stay positive about UEA. As a newly formed protest group puts it, ‘not so fucking wonderful’. A message that bears repeating: look after yourself, look after your friends, and never be afraid to ask for help. You’re worth it, I promise.

Our lovely, yellow, bunny-encrusted cover acts as a good reminder of what really makes UEA wonderful.

And then there’s Easter: no matter your religious proclivities, Spring marks the birth of new life, and ain’t that nice and symbolic? Here’s to the leaves returning in our gardens, and in the more metaphorical parts of our lives. Pimp my Barrow is coming up, too, which is a true UEA staple. I’ve never actually been, I confess, but gosh, fancy dress and booze is a glorious combo. Stay safe out there, UEA. I hope the future will prove to be wonderful.

Nick Mason

Icons courtesy of Vecteezy

Rabbit by Fay Austen

Jodie Bailey

Gus & Josephine

Q&A with poet and UEA alumnus Luke Wright On March 30th, Luke Wright returns to Norwich for the 20th anniversary of his first gig with the show ‘Luke Wright, Poet Laureate.’

You’re touring with your new show Luke Wright, Poet Laureate which must be massively exciting for you – in what way is this show similar or different to the many other shows that you’ve toured with?

Fundamentally speaking, I do two different types of shows. Frankie Vah the last one that I toured with - was all

performed in one type of character.

This show is made up of different poems which are all linked together, sort of including stand up as well.

When I was 24 I did my first solo show and called it Poet Laureate, which was a way of talking about Britain. It was quite jokey, I was very young, there was no way people were going to take me seriously as if I was actually Poet Laureate. But then, when I was touring the show, a number of radio stations actually announced me and welcomed me on as Poet Laureate. This time I’ve called it Luke Wright, Poet Laureate as a kind of cynical marketing ploy since the next Poet Laureate is being announced in May this year. No, but really it’s an excuse to write about Britain again. It’s really revisiting a pivotal moment for me when I was 24 which was the year I got married and really I found that the more I started writing about Britain, the more I started writing about myself.

So this is the 20th anniversary of your first gig in Norwich: how do you think your shows and your style have changed since then?

I’m a lot more confident. I think that

now I have the self knowledge and confidence that comes with getting older, not just on stage but also just

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Image: Idil Sukan

as a person.

Aisle 16 (a poetry collective founded

by Wright and Ross Sutherland whilst at UEA) has clearly been a big part of your life: how do you think your time as a student at UEA influenced where you are today?

a middle class family, not a family that was very involved in literature - I mean my mum read a lot of novels but I didn’t grow up with literature around me. UEA normalised writing for me.

I saw that you led a workshop at the Festival of Literature for Young People last year. What advice would you give to any students who are passionate about poetry and performance and are considering pursuing this?

Read or listen to a wide range of stuff. I know my voice now but one of the great things about writing when you’re young is that you’re not afraid of trying new stuff. I would encourage you to read, and in terms of spoken word poetry, watch a really wide range of stuff. The more you do it, the better you become at it.

Oh, hugely so. I was surrounded by brilliant writers at UEA, we spurred each other on and made each other jealous which was the best thing for a writer. I was at uni with Joe Dunthorne, Ross Sutherland, Alexander Gordon Smith, I met Molly Naylor after I graduated - there are so many other people that I should probably

mention as well. I was surrounded by loads of great writers and we were all really close mates. I came from quite

Also, it’s OK to not enjoy it. At times I found writing difficult: it took a lot of mental energy and I felt ashamed for not enjoying it, as if I wasn’t a real writer. But that’s OK. It’s just like running; the more you run, the easier it gets and it starts to click. Writing is a muscle and you need to train that muscle. I’m not one of those people that says you have to write every day but it helps to do it as often as possible.

The show sounds like it’s going to be fantastic!

Thanks - I think it’s going to be something really exciting - it’s been 20 years and it’s my homecoming show so yeah, I’m excited.

Rosie Flood

Should we separate art and artist?

The separation of art and artist is a difficult topic to debate. In theory, a piece of art, whether that be fine art or a performance, is an entity in and of itself, and should therefore be distinguished from the artist who made it.

However, this is not always the case. In modern society, when news and events travel fast, we are more informed and aware of the lives of artists and celebrities, to the extent where their work becomes intrinsically bound to them. The question is, is this reality dangerous, and should the artist be separate from their work?

This discussion peaks and subsides in waves, usually coinciding with a new revelation in the world of the arts about an individual. This time, it is the alleged abuse of

two young boys by Michael Jackson that has sparked the debate once again. The issue is very polarising: with Jackson, some will abstain from listening to his music as a result of these accusations, while others will continue to listen to it simply because they continue to enjoy the music despite Jackson’s actions.

As mentioned previously, the fundamental idea that a detached entity has been created with no physical binding to the artist means that the artist should be separated from it, and this is my personal standpoint. If the artist then commits a crime or carries out an act that strongly damages the public’s perception of him or her, the work of said artist is viewed differently, and anything linked to their name is tainted.

One example that springs to mind is Kevin Spacey, a very talented actor that is now associated with accusations of groping and sexually assaulting young men and boys, some of them underage. Of course, his actions are awful, and the public disapproval is justified, but his actions do not change the fact that he is a talented actor who has given some incredible performances in the course of his career. In a discussion I recently had about the television series House of Cards, all parties strongly admired Spacey’s performance in the show, but I was alone in my continued admiration after the news about the actor came to light. To me, the series is still the exact same product as it was before the revelations, and it is just as impressive a

misrepresented as someone who condones his actions, which could not be further from the truth.

In light of all of this, is it even possible to separate art and artist? The answer, I believe, is no, but the extent to which this separation can happen depends on the individual consuming the art. When consuming art, whatever it may be, the credit is given to the artist and this is always known to the consumer. It is physically impossible, in my mind, to be exposed to a name that is associated with malpractice and not have the said malpractice resurface in one’s mind.

The link being made is subconscious due to the information we now have, and subsequently the connection between the art and its creator is made almost like a reflex. Our perception of the artist is tainted almost automatically, and I guarantee that the next time a scandal unfolds in the arts world, it will be a very similar scenario once again.

Sam Hewitson

performance.

On the other hand, this means that support is shown for a horrible person through praising their art. Although not supporting the actions that created the negative perception, the general backing of that individual can be questionable. To again use the example of Spacey, I have admitted that I still admire his performances, but there was a hesitance to state this fact due to fear of being

Image: Wikimedia Commons

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Book review:

A Ladder to the Sky by John Boyne Shocking, suspenseful and above all genius are three words that I’d use to describe John Boyne’s latest novel, A Ladder to the Sky. The story follows Maurice, a young and aspiring novelist with an all-consuming desire for success.

Throughout his journey to become an author, Maurice is determined and does not shy away from exploitative or deceitful measures – readers will be asking themselves how far Maurice will really go in order to achieve ultimate fame.

Boyne does not hold back, and this is a refreshing approach.

The book begins surprisingly, jumping straight into the story in immense and graphic detail. By discussing mature themes like sexual relationships on a deeply intimate level, to describing evil acts like theft and murder so blatantly,

readers are left having to catch their breath from the very start of the novel. Though initially shocking, the vivid detail brings the book to life, giving the story a dimension of reality. Originally, the shock factor does not feel as impactful and could potentially be viewed as a lazy way of tricking the readers into sticking with the story; however when the unexpected plot twists and shocking, explicit sexual and criminally evil details continued to emerge, Boyne’s talent shines through. The novel constantly keeps readers guessing and is exceptionally well crafted.

Clever structure is what makes this novel excel. The story is told through different parts and switching perspectives across multiple characters. The different parts of the novel are set in different locations, and by splitting the novel up in this way, it allows the switching perspectives to feel more realistic. The first part of the novel focuses on the beginning of Maurice’s career, however Boyne breaks readers expectations as the second part, named Interlude, switches location, leaving the path from part one behind.

Twists and turns are continued within the switching parts, as when reading each new part with new characters, new detail is added as the story progresses, which keeps the novel exciting.

Though at first this appeared confusing, as Boyne does not initially make it clear whose perspective it is when the story switches, there are subtle hints that enable the reader to piece together what is going on. In this way, reading the novel was an interactive experience that required engagement from the reader in order to evoke the most enjoyment. The switch between perspectives enabled the extent and implications of Maurice’s actions to be told through the eyes of different characters, allowing readers to gain an even deeper picture of his true character. Parts of the novel are set within UEA’s campus, drawing on

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Photo: Pixabay

Boyne’s experience of when he both learnt and taught on the MA Creative Writing course.

At times the story does appear frustrating, as readers wonder whether justice will be served for Maurice’s actions, but Boyne’s excellent manner of storytelling is sure not to disappoint, and the resolution to the novel is spectacular, keeping the consistent playful tone of the novel till the very last line. Though just over 400 pages, the novel is so tightly written that every word is meaningful and elevates the story. Boyne’s engaging writing means that the story does not drag, and instead readers are left constantly wanting to read more. It is clear Boyne could have written more to the story, however the point he chooses to end on is extremely clever, partially satisfying readers’ expectations for the novel, yet throwing in one last plot twist to leave their imaginations whirling.

If you are looking for a novel that will push you as a reader, forcing you to delve deep into the story to try and stay ahead of the plot, A Ladder to the Sky will give you just that. A highly immersive reading experience, this novel is especially fascinating for those interested in literature and the world of success and failure within the industry. Having spent the past 20 years of his life as an author, Boyne infuses the novel with his experience from the literary world, providing an extremely realistic and engaging plotline. This novel is perfect for those looking to be constantly wowed and entertained; uniquely and expertly written, A Ladder to the Sky exceeds all initial expectations.

Leia Butler

GETTING EMOTIONAL ABOUT BATMAN In 1937, DC Comics first published what would become one of the most iconic and longest running comic series the industry has seen, celebrating its 1,000th issue on 27 March. The ongoing series has come to define DC comics, becoming its namesake and most importantly introducing perhaps the most iconic character in all of pop culture. 80 years ago, Detective Comics #27 gave us the Caped Crusader, the World’s Greatest Detective, the Dark Knight; it gave us Batman. Created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, Batman has become one the most easily recognisable figures in media, a true piece of modern mythology that has remained at the heart of comics since his debut. Not only dominating comics as one of its most popular characters, he has transcended the page, moving throughout television, movies and games.

From the campy, and often ridiculous, 1960s Batman series to the beautifully crafted Batman: The Animated Series, the Dark Knight has dominated our screens in a way that no other superhero has.

So, why has Batman held our imaginations for so long?

Why, after 80 years, do we still see a Bat-Signal shining into the skies of our imaginations? The celebrations for this anniversary of the Caped Crusader brings about essays and articles (and even a poem by Neil Gaiman) that seek to answer this question, to explain why it is we love Batman.

There are many obvious answers people flock to; ‘he’s just a man’, ‘he has the best villains’, ‘anyone could be Batman’ - but I think there is far more to the Dark Knight than his lack of powers or his superior rogues gallery.

Batman is the story of taking trauma, taking the worst moment in Bruce’s life, and choosing to do good with it.

Often when discussing DC Comics’ most popular heroes Superman represents light, whilst Batman reflects the darkness; he is, after all, the Dark Knight. I think this is reductive. Whilst Bruce may be a character that is stuck in his grief, it may be that Batman must always be a product of tragedy (but isn’t every hero? Spider-Man lost Uncle Ben, Superman lost his whole planet), but

he is far more than that. The hero may be undeniably dark, but it is within others he finds, and brings, light; characters such as Robin (all four of them), Batgirl (all three of them), Alfred, and even Ace (the Bat-Hound) provide hope and family to the little boy that lost his parents in Crime Alley. Furthermore, Batman does not exist only to fight crime. His decision to take in his first ward, Dick Grayson, was so that he could stop this young boy who lost his parents from feeling alone like he did, so he could grow up to be a better man than Bruce.

Perhaps the most compelling aspect of the Dark Knight, and of Batman comics, is the idea of redemption.

Batman doesn’t kill, it is his first and perhaps most important rule. This is not simply so he isn’t just as bad as the criminals he fights, it is also in part due to a

belief that these people can be better. Villains such as Mr. Freeze or Poison Ivy are presented as sympathetic characters that seek either to save his terminally ill wife or to protect the wildlife, just with questionable methods. Batman doesn’t kill because everyone deserves a second chance, because all it takes is one bad day.

Batman stays with us not because he is the dark character he is often reduced to, but because he is the light in the dark. He is the hope and the saviour in a city terrorised by crime and corruption. He is a reminder that even on our darkest nights we can choose to make the world a better place, to fight evil, to protect those we love. He is a reminder to keep fighting, through our tragedies and our grief, every time we get knocked down, we get up. We keep fighting.

After 80 years of the Caped Crusader, his stories remain as important and as loved as they were when they began. Batman will stay with us, and his stories will be there to remind us that even on our darkest night, the Bat-Signal will be there to light up our skies, and he will be there to save us.

Talia Holmes

Images: Pixabay

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Jane Fonda and the funny feminism of 9 to 5 Jane Fonda might have reinvented herself more times than any other Hollywood star. From sex goddess to activist to Oscar winner to fitness video instructor to Netflix regular, she has shed so many identities that perhaps her defining characteristic is her ability to adapt. She’s a fascinating figure, with the extraordinary tenacity it takes to maintain such a long career, especially as a woman. But for me, her greatest role was as the creator and star of 9 to 5.

perform stand-up and then turned on the radio in the car on the way home and heard Dolly Parton sing, she knew she wanted to make a comedy with these fabulously talented women at the centre.

Fonda shot to fame as the titular sex symbol Barbarella in 1968, but never felt truly comfortable being subjected to the male gaze. She won her first Oscar for playing a New York call girl in Klute in 1971, a rare portrayal of a sex worker as a threedimensional character who doesn’t need to be rescued by a man. Her career stalled as she became involved with the Civil Rights movement and protested against the Vietnam War. She became a figure of hate for being photographed sitting on a North Vietnamese anti-aircraft gun, but, by the late 70s, she had cleaned up her image and made a comeback, winning her second Oscar for Coming Home.

Yet, it’s her 1980 feminist comedy 9 to 5, which is probably the most beloved of any of her films and remains sharply funny and insightful to this day.

while he steals her ideas. He constantly harasses his secretary Doralee (Dolly Parton), but she’s the one ostracised because her colleagues think she’s trying to sleep her way to the top.

The three women band together in solidarity, calling him a ‘sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot.’ In the film’s most memorable sequence, we see a montage of their revenge fantasies. Judy hunts him down and mounts his head on the wall, Doralee as a cowgirl lassoes him and Violet as Snow White surrounded by animated animals poisons his coffee.

9 to 5 was Fonda’s idea. She had originally planned to make a hardhitting drama about the inequalities women face at work inspired by real stories. But having seen Lily Tomlin

Fonda plays Judy, a newly divorced woman working in an office for the first time. She’s shown the ropes by the sharp-tongued Violet (Lily Tomlin), clearly the most qualified person by a mile, but who’s stuck making coffee for their boss, Mr Hart (Dabney Coleman),

9 to 5 is farcical and fun, but its underlying messages are quietly radical. The trio kidnap Hart and imprison him at home while they take over the office. The changes that they make include flexible working hours, the restoration of an unfairly-fired female colleague, equal pay and a creche, which still seem bold today.

The characters might seem too broad at first; Hart is almost cartoonishly awful, Doralee is a bombshell. Judy

is the meekest and least competent of the trio, and she cries when Hart berates her. But as the story progresses the female characters are developed beyond the boxes we might try to imprison them in. And is Hart really such an exaggerated, one-note vision of a misogynist? A reminder of who’s in the White House might make us think otherwise. Dolly Parton’s famous theme song might sound upbeat, but Parton beautifully articulates the struggles that women still face.

9 to 5 illustrates the strength gained from female friendship and the ongoing reality of workplace harassment and unequal pay for women embedded in a thoroughly entertaining comedy, for which we have to thank Fonda. She may not play the showiest role in the film, but it was her creativity and determination that ensured this enduring feminist classic made it to the screen. The film has since been adapted into a stage musical and Fonda announced last year that she is working on a sequel in which she, Parton and Tomlin will play mentors to a new generation of women. It might be just what we need right now.

Laura Venning

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Image: 20th Century Fox

Anne Hathaway: dreaming the dream When asked to consider the standout acting performances of the silver screen, it is easy to think of the greats: Laurence Olivier’s Hamlet, Helen Mirren’s Elizabeth II, Meryl Streep’s Margaret Thatcher. For me, however, there is only one performance that jumps to mind; one that prompts such a genuine and deeply emotional reaction every time I watch it that I believe it deserves to be up on that list as much as any of them do. Anne Hathaway’s Fantine in the 2012 film Les Misérables depicts a woman who has quite literally lost everything: abandoned by her lover, separated from her daughter, and forced into prostitution by an unsympathetic employer, Fantine is left to mourn the life she once knew through, perhaps, one of the most iconic theatre songs of all time. Hathaway’s chilling rendition of I Dreamed a Dream takes the audience with her as she reflects on her life before, which now seems a million miles away.

Director Tom Hooper punches in giving Hathaway a

pulls

no

single close-up shot for the entire duration of the song, in which she shows a frankly impressive range of emotion. She allows her voice to build, to break, and at times to be almost inaudible as she struggles for breath.

It is the progression through grief for her lost youth; anger at the people that forced her into this situation; disbelief that the carefree girl she once was could fall so far; and eventually an almost inevitable numbness, that creates the simply heart-breaking performance Hathaway gives. After

all, you don’t win an Oscar for just singing a song.

What takes Hathaway’s performance to the next level, however, is when you realise that she was singing live during the filming of this scene. The vast majority of musical films have a prepared soundtrack which the actors record in a studio beforehand and mouth along to during filming.

For Les Mis though, Hooper demanded ‘authenticity,’ and so all actors sang live on set as they were acting. Hathaway somehow manages to belt a perfect note and sob some of the most convincing onscreen tears I’ve ever seen all at the same time. As the song reaches its climax, Fantine realises that she will never be able to return to her dream life and that she will never experience the true happiness she felt then again.

Hathaway’s tears overspill and her voice reaches a crescendo that draws the last few viewers into Fantine’s plight. At this moment it is almost hard to separate the actor and the

character, as even the most adamant of viewers cease to see Hathaway and can’t help but suspend their disbelief.

Screen acting offers a unique opportunity for actors to create performances with very subtle nuances, nuances that simply wouldn’t come across on the stage.

Hathaway makes good use of this and, because of the extreme proximity of the camera, her performance relies largely on her eyes. At this final moment of numbness, Hathaway’s eyes, which until now have been distant, seeing only the dream that she sings of, suddenly return to reality. She looks around her, takes in the realities of her poverty and prostitution, and collects herself, ready for another customer. This very sudden switch to stillness and almost relief from the intensely emotive air of the last few moments has the ultimate effect of leaving the viewer shocked back into reality as well. The viewer feels what Fantine feels.

Hathaway’s seemingly effortless combination of acting and music – though admittedly not exactly hindered by the emotionally inspirational music itself – would be a technically difficult feat for any stage actor, but for them to be matched perfectly and to come across so effectively through the barrier of the big screen is the sign of a truly great performance. To me, Anne Hathaway does, in four and a half minutes, what so many actors could only dream of doing. She brings one of the most famed musical characters of all time, from one of the most mammoth musicals of all time, and makes every single viewer not merely sympathise, but genuinely empathise with a woman who can do absolutely nothing more but mourn the life she once knew.

Madeleine Bracey Image : Universal Pictures

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Mahershala Ali: the patient heart of Hollywood The first time I came across Mahershala Ali was in the Marvel Netflix series, Luke Cage (2016-2018) a couple of years ago, playing the Godfather-esqe chief of crime Cornell ‘Cottonmouth’ Stokes. Even then, I remember being immediately captivated by his performance; this effortless, smooth yet jarring performance as Harlem’s chief mobster; think the Kingpin drawing upon the swagger of Biggie Smalls, donning a sleek, tailored suit and seeking to legitimise himself through politics.

Ali has played a variety of roles in both TV and film, some of his most notable being The Place Beyond the Pines (2012), Remy Dalton in House of Cards (2013-16), and Wayne Has in the most recent series of True Detective (2019). But

there is a rare gravity to be acknowledged within Ali’s performance; an alluring dexterity and poise to every role he plays. If anything this can be proved through Ali’s Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in Moonlight (2016), demonstrating a level of mastery similar to that of Sir Anthony Hopkins in Silence of The Lambs (1991) who won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1992 having only appeared in the film for just under 16 minutes. Similarly, Ali appeared in Moonlight for the first half an hour of the film, playing Juan, a drug dealer who assumes the role as the unlikely father figure to the young, vulnerable and mistreated Chiron.

His most recent Academy Awarding winning portrayal as Don Shirley in this year’s Academy Award Best Picture, Green Book (2019) oozes grace, control and thoughtfulness; playing a man who possessed talent far beyond his time of the 1960s, yet contemporaneously dealing with the social conflicts of being a privileged black man in the Jim Crow era; not black enough to fit in within the black community yet not white enough to sit comfortably alongside the Elite.

The conflicting and multifaceted nature of the characters Ali has portrayed on screen reflects a compassionate and patient individual underneath, seeking to understand the nuances and motivations of the character. In the space of two years, he has excelled as the first black, Muslim actor to have obtained two Academy Awards in such quick succession, and I have a feeling that this is only the

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Image: Universal Pictures

beginning of his legacy.

Nevertheless, Ali’s cinematic performances are only one of a plethora of sides contributing to his eminent presence within Hollywood. In his incredibly moving Screen Actors Guild (SAG) award acceptance speech for Moonlight in 2017, he addressed that working on Moonlight allowed him to see ‘what happens when you persecute people’, with the role providing the opportunity to take these people who have suppressed and ‘uplift’ them; powerfully invoking how we need to do a better job of acting upon this within our own communities. Furthermore, whilst there has been a significant rise in recognition of black artist’s achievements within the film industry in the last decade, the privilege of the white male actor is hardly facing extinction. Through Ali’s progressive influence as an acclaimed actor, he has spoken out on this disparity in privilege as a black actor, where interviews tend to be dominated with questions of race and diversity as opposed to acknowledgement and discussion on his craft, creativity and development as an actor within the industry. Whilst race and diversity is a dialogue that incontrovertibly needs a louder voice within Hollywood, Ali also raises the equally important consideration of how this should not obstruct from the artist and their personal experiences as an actor. Ali has also involved himself with a vast range of charity work such as UNICEF, Vital Voices, Entertainment Industry Foundation, and supported causes to enable more support for victims of slavery and human trafficking, abuse, poverty and AIDS & HIV.

It appears that there is no end to Ali’s compassion and humble presence within the film industry, and I sincerely hope that his affinity for patience will pay off in the near future by winning an Academy Award for Best Actor. His success within the last few years has put him in good stead, but his best is yet to come.

Eva Wakeford

Eating disorders In a modern woman’s world there are many things that can cause low self-esteem. Social media is present in most young women’s lives and often represents their image in a public space. Although it is good to be able to have such an online presence, the pressure of maintaining a certain weight can be very dangerous for vulnerable young women. Instagram and dating apps such as Tinder and Grindr contribute to the ever-increasing gap between actual self and online self.

Jameela Jamil, known for her role in the popular Netflix series The Good Place, began an Instagram account after seeing people guessing the weights of the Kardashian women, called I Weigh. She did this to change the way that

women thought about themselves and their achievements online. She began with a post where she measured herself in her achievements rather than in kilograms. The post inspired women to do the same and the outcome was outstanding; thousands of women replied on Instagram and Twitter with their own stories.

Beat, a charity that specialises in supporting those affected by eating disorders in Norfolk and Norwich, provided a statement about social media, celebrities and eating disorders. The Head of Communications Rebecca Willgress wrote: ‘eating disorders are caused by a combination of people’s genetic makeup and other factors in their life that may act as triggers. The appearance of celebrities and comments on social media will not be the single reason for someone developing an eating disorder but they may cause great distress to people already suffering or who are vulnerable.’

According to the Anorexia & Bulimia Care website , ‘Young people between the ages of 14 and 25 are most at risk’ and ‘the average age of onset Bulimia Nervosa is 18 or 19 years.’ As well as these figures, most eating disorders affect young women. These crucial times come at the same time as starting university for some young women.

The combination of high expectations online and in real life alongside the added struggle of being in an unfamiliar space with people who you want to engage with is a metaphorical powder keg of problems that can easily spiral out of control.

This is just one of the myriads of mental health issues that university students face. As a society we should

be prepared to educate ourselves on the causes, the treatments and the ways we can help those that are struggling. As well as this governments, organisations such as universities, workplaces and communities should all be providing as much support as possible for all types of mental health. Unfortunately, this is something that is often at the bottom of the priorities list.

Anyone worried about their own or someone else’s health can contact Beat’s Helpline free of charge 365 days a year, via phone, anonymous one-to-one webchat, email or social media messaging: https://www.beateatingdisorders. org.uk/support-services/helplines

Gabriela Williams

Image: Wikimedia Commons

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The revival of 90s fashion We have had the 70s flares come back into fashion, along with the 80s vibrancy and now we are seeing the 90s appearing in our daily lives. Recently there has been an increase in shops and shoppers buying 90s style clothing.

Shopping spaces are now the site of a low budget Spice Girls tribute, whether this is enjoyable or not is up to the individual.

which seemed to be the new pattern of choice for a variety of clothing forms such as skirts to handbags, and even flip flops. These skirts then were paired with army style shirts and jackets, that have become emblazoned with a sea of badges, buttons and other slogan-isitc embellishments.

In a modern era that is so concerned with plastic in the sea we look for alternatives in many places, but our footwear has avoided this environmental revamp. Clear plastic shoes at exponential heights have become the pride of place in any clubbers wardrobe. Jelly shoes, that were once worn by our younger selves on holidays to Cromer, are now adult sized and selling well.

It’s not just fashion which has travelled back in time, the hairstyles and makeup trends have tended towards a 90s themed aesthetic too. Popular hairstyle include high ponytails and top knots, littered with butterfly hair clips and glitter. Pigtails have also seen a surge alongside a collection of complicated plaits. Jelly makeup and movie makeup has sparked a way of cheap and tacky eyeshadows, lip glosses and other items which I had hoped were banished to the fashion waste bin.

First we saw a rise in animal print. Especially leopard print

If like me you want to pick and choose your influences, I would recommend making a mood board of the fashion staples from the eras that you love the most. Failing that just hide underneath the duvet and wait for this nightmare to end.

Gabriela Williams

Makeup from the movies Themed makeup, for example to recreate the theme of a particular film, can be a cute way of delivering a fierce look whilst also paying homage to something you love.

But some argue this is just a way to exploit customers into paying more for certain products.

Most makeup in a collection themed around a certain movie is likely to be expensive as brands argue that the theme gives the collection added value. If it is simply the colours within the makeup line which are inspired by the movies and can help recreate a look, then I’d argue that the packaging isn’t worth the money when the look and colours can be found and recreated in much cheaper palettes or makeup products. These products can appear more as a gimmick than a serious product for a professional artist and perhaps should be viewed simply more as for fun than a high-quality item.

If makeup is something you love, then using makeup that reminds you of a loved movie could be a really special addition to your collection and could also make a fab

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Image: Jamie Flickr

gift for a friend. It could even encourage those who don’t have much makeup experience to start experimenting and unlock a new look.

Some makeup themed around a certain movie or franchise can be extremely nostalgic, such as Hot Topic’s Polly Pocket themed palette, or Ulta’s Mean Girls burn book palette. These are a cool, adding a vintage element to your collection. Furthermore, movie themed makeup varies on price, and though more high-end brands such as Ulta do charge more for the product, those such as Primark or hot topic also deliver a cute themed product for a cheaper price. Thus, if the theme alone is what makes the product cool, the price tag negative may be negotiable as you can shop in cheaper stores.

Ultimately, movie themed makeup can be a great edition to a collection, however unless it is an extremely well-loved movie and a very high-quality brand, I would suggest not paying too much for the product in order to avoid exploitation.

Leia Butler

Floral for spring: are they groundbreaking?

We’re on the brink of a change in season, so it’s time to shake up our style. Out with the heavy woollen jumpers and in with light and floating fabrics. However, how should we dress for spring? Florals are repeat offenders and seem to come back each year. I never think florals will leave our wardrobe, but designs are changing from lighter and whiter colour palettes made up of mostly pastel colours into being loud and bright. Change that pastel pink for a bright red. Swap the small print for a larger one. It’s time to subtly shake your style up, especially when it comes to floral.

Recently, monochrome has taken over the rails. I’m expecting a lot of black and white floral prints this season, maybe with a touch of blue or red to accentuate the pattern. Coming into spring there will be a shift in florals, polka dots, plaid and stripes will become firm favourites but also animal prints are a good way to mix up traditional patterns this season.

Florals are very versatile and are suitable for both casual dress but also for the workplace. A floral print bringing in either monochrome or minimal colours on a work shirt of even a dress can look very smart when paired with complimentary accessories.

Florals are usually associated with being delicate, however the image of a modern woman is shifting, and now we need to show this by what we wear.

Alongside the increase in popularity of plaid styles dresses and skirts, polka dot hit the winter season by storm and I expect it to stay. I’ve seen it everywhere – on dresses, skirts and trousers but also all over our accessories in the form of rucksacks, handbags and shoes.

Polka dots have always been a firm favourite of mine, and I’m glad that now I have a wide variety of garments, colours and styles to choose from in stores. Large dots make a statement and are quite funky, especially

when the print is a bright colour with either white or black paired with it.

Another firm favourite of mine is stripes. I love them.

Vertical or horizontal, give me them all. They’re good for

work but also a way to spice up your otherwise plain outfit.

Pinstripe paperbag trousers are everywhere on campus recently, paired with a plain roll neck top or long-sleeved t-shirt, this style can take you into spring. Especially now the climate is changing constantly from chilly to warm, this kind of outfit covers your back whilst simultaneously providing style.

Another pattern that I have seen increasingly over the last few months is animal print. I’ve seen both zebra and cheetah all over my social media feeds and in a variety of colours. Animal print co-ords are becoming increasingly popular and would certainly make you stand out for the right reasons on a night out. Co-ords also enable you to take a denim jacket out with you without compromising your style or having to queue up to take you coat to the cloak room. A winning idea by any stretch.

Whatever your style, there is a pattern out there for you. It’s time to shake your wardrobe up now we’re heading into spring.

Jess Barrett

Image: Flickr

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PIMP MY BARROW IDEAS It’s almost time for Pimp My Barrow, UEA’s annual excuse to get drunk and dress up. A lot of people are wondering why we center the day around wheelbarrows.

Well, we can’t answer that, because we have absolutely no idea.

The theory we’re running with at the moment is that UEA

and Norfolk’s wheelbarrow business have a shady deal going on. Maybe this isn’t the case, but either way, they’ve got dirt on their hands (do you get it? Because gardening involves a lot of dirt. It’s funny).

Yet whatever the potentially horrific context truly is, Pimp My Barrow is here, and here to stay. And as the deadline looms, it’s common for students to panic and rush their costumes. Well, we’re here to put you at ease: we’ve given seven exceptional costume ideas, most of them legal, for you to try out if you need something last minute. Without further ado, you’re welcome:

MIME IT

Enjoy dabbling in French culture? Can’t afford a barrow? Why

not dress up as a mime and pretend you have one anyway?

This inexpensive, trendy design frees up space in the square, produces no noise-pollution whatsoever, gives you an advantage in any wheelbarrow race, and, if you fully commit to the gettingdrunk-in-the-square-as-a-mime act, will allow you to pass any breathalyser test you come across.

SWAP CLOTHES WITH THE BARROW The one thing separating wheelbarrows from humans is that humans wear clothes. To bridge that gap and give your wheelbarrow sentience for a day, take all your clothes off and plonk them on the bugger (see: illustration of wheelbarrow with various clothes and oversized cap). Sure, you’ll be naked in front of hundreds, but no matter: people will mistake your wheelbarrow for you anyway!

RELIVE YOUR CHILDHOOD

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Sure, ‘80s nostalgia is all the rage at the moment, but how about going one better and focusing on your own Gen Z memories. ‘Member Tweenies? ‘Member Bill and Ben? ‘Member the Teletubbies? That latter one’s our pick of the bunch: you can dress up as your favourite teletubby and drape your wheelbarrow in a fashionable, homemade Noo Noo costume.

Steal a few of UEA’s bunnies and you’re right at home.

Images: Elliott Brown (flickr), Erich Ferdinand (flickr), Gus Edgar-Chan, Wikimedia Commons

FILL YOUR BARROW WITH PISS* Want a challenge? This fun, family-friendly barrow idea requires you to drink enough fluid to expunge the excessive amount of urine in the first place, and then, if you manage that, go the whole day without spilling it. It may smell in the sun, but it’s another life experience knocked off of an adrenalin junkie’s bucket list.

*Do not actually do this.

SNACK ON THE GO

If you’re looking to fill your barrow with something a bit more

edible than piss (or at least more socially acceptable to snack on), then may we suggest cereal? Fill your barrow with your favourite breakfast-time bran (I’m a Cheerios guy myself) and milk, and go to town on it during the day as all that walking and drinking is sure to make you peckish. It’s advisable to dress up a spoon, so you’re committing to the theme rather than just using the day as an opportunity to eat cereal.

USE YOUR BARROW PROPERLY If protesting the capitalist, hedonist undertones of Pimp My Barrow is more your thing, why not take your barrow and use the damn thing properly? You’re not dressing up as a gardener: you are a gardener. You’re not plucking flowers and digging up dirt from the UEA greenery because you’re a prick: you’re doing it because it’s your job. When everyone else is partying and dressing up as the Wizard of Oz or whatever, you can abstain with pride (and mud).

GO AUSTRALIAN To celebrate the wheelbarrow’s infamous Australian heritage (note: this may not be factually accurate), how about living as one for the day? Wear gloves on your feet, a shirt as trousers and vice versa, shoes and socks on your hands, and turn your wheelbarrow upside down. Now you too can experience the traumatic everyday living conditions of those down under.

Gus Edgar-Chan

Images:

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Mental health and the music scene CW: Mental health, suicide The music industry is well known for its highs and lows. Despite this, so many people seem to flock to the business. I became acutely aware of the toll that music can take on mental health last summer, sat behind the bins of a pub in Leeds, having a full-on panic attack following the worst show I’d ever played. 35 degree heat, tight timetables, financial pressures, a lack of sleep and a terrible diet had

caught up to me and I was ready to give up. It took a 1am phone call from my girlfriend just to convince me to play the last date of the tour.

That was the effect of a week-long tour. I can only imagine the sheer horror that accompanies ones that last months, or even years. The lack of a permanent home, stress of organising everything, the sheer cost and the feeling of motionlessness despite this is devastating. Every night is completely different whilst painfully the same. The DIY scene is a gruelling fight against feelings of apathy, the professional scene a precarious world of expectations and isolation. In both, the financial cost and emotional toll of touring and recording is significant.

Whilst some bands thrive off of this environment, others view it as a necessary evil. I remember Beach Slang frontman James Alex telling me how he couldn’t imagine not touring, whilst Foxing frontman Conor Murphy spoke of his tiredness and how he longed to be home. Cambridge rockers Lonely the Brave’s original frontman, David Jakes, left the band due to the strain of touring, telling Kerrang that he would have loved to just make music

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in the studio. It only gets harder as bands get bigger: tours get longer, venues bigger, the pressures greater and the control over your own schedule gets less and less.

Days go from getting to the city one is playing in, hanging about for a bit, soundchecking and playing to a full diary with press events, acoustic sessions, album signings and all manner more. To those struggling with anxiety and depression, this intense and endless cycle can be ruinous.

musicians’ work whilst battling with it. Modern Baseball’s final album, Holy Ghost, was promoted on the basis that the band had fought with depression and anxiety throughout it; footage of frontman Brendan Lukens crying as he tracked vocals was held up as emotive evidence of the monument to healing the album embodied. People ignore the fact that a year later the band broke up due to the toll the cycle had taken on the mental health of Lukens and his co-frontman Jake Ewald.

In the wake of the tragic news of Keith Flint’s suicide, many have been talking about the need for mental health support for musicians. This dialogue comes painfully late and should have been in our minds after the deaths of Chester Bennington and Chris Cornell, if not earlier.

Support networks exist, but are either painfully underfunded or not to a satisfactory standard (as highlighted by Punk Talks’ alleged extensive breaches of confidentiality in relation to Pinegrove).

That’s not to say openness about mental health isn’t something to strive towards. As with many of my opinionated rants I have authored for these pages in the past couple of years, it is the role of labels and marketing departments I oppose.

The insincere usage of mental health to promote a release, whilst simultaneously drowning artists in pressure to succeed and dropping them at a moment’s notice if they don’t deliver the goods, demonstrates how little labels care about the wellbeing of those on their roster. It must be for bands and fans to lead the change, with genuine and candid discussions of these issues. True catharsis without focus group-informed intermediaries.

There is then the added difficulty of the marketability of mental health issues in the music scene, at least in the eyes of labels. Press releases love to lay bare the struggles of the songwriters, how each and every release is catharsis relating to mental health, as though what you will hear is the healing process.

Too commonly, such statements will ignore the fact that the mental health issues grappled with are still present, or the toll which making the album had on the artist. It doesn’t matter to major labels, it’s a selling point. A carved up slab of the human condition, placed in a glass box and yours for £10 or a Spotify subscription. There’s a dark glamour given to poor mental health and

Music and mental health are uncomfortable bedfellows, but they need not be so. Support, care and recognition: the things musicians fight to gain for their art should not be something they also have to fight to gain for themselves.

Nick Mason

Blood Like Honey: epic Norwich rock There was an era in the late noughties when British rock bands knew how to make a chorus. Not just a repeated verse with identical lyrics, but a chorus. Hooks and all. It doesn’t take long before Blood Like Honey remind everyone what that’s like on their new EP, Hurricane Headaches. Opener 67 wastes no time setting out what the band seek to do on their second EP, harking back to the days when Canterbury was a band as well as a place and Deaf Havana played the Arts Centre, not the LCR.

You guessed it. Marrying the meatiest of instrumentations with lines will glue to the inside of your mind for weeks, across five songs the band show why they are some of the leading lights of the Norwich rock revival. From 67’s mission statement to Amsterdam Harbour’s atmospheric instrumentation, via the future pit starter Annex, the Norwich trio demonstrate a devotion and thought to their material beyond the typical offerings of DIY bands.

Hurricane Headaches is a beefy slab of alt-rock as it should be. The drums? Big. The bass? Big. Guitar?

of joy, Hurricane Headaches proves that the band are one of the British underground scenes hidden gems.

Sleep on this EP at your own peril.

An exceptionally strong 5-track slice

Nick Mason

Foals: preaching to the choir After a lengthy break of four years, Foals have returned with the highlyanticipated release of LPs 5 and 6, which sees a unique split of the LP. Not Everything Saved Will Be Lost has been split into two parts, with the second due for release later in the year.

influenced by synth-pop and percussion-heavy rhythms, giving each of the songs on the first half of the LP a funky yet pulsating feel to them.

The rise of Foals, from a stereotypical ‘uni band’ found at least on every student’s playlist at some point, to universally acclaimed mainstream rockers is something that is due a lot of credit. They are a band, that on each listen, seem to mature on every release, their distinctive feel-good indie sound something the band have become instantly recognised for.

The band seem to go for more outreaching sounds including synths, as well as psychedelia, and a move into dance-pop that make for a more varied aesthetic to their sound yet if there was one criticism of the LP, it is that Foals still are very much only appealing to the converted. It seems that they aren’t trying drastically to appeal to a newer audience, who, although not wanting something completely different, are perhaps hoping for something slightly from their comfort zone.

The latest release certainly furthers their maturity. The album sees Foals take a break from the catchy twangs of guitar riff-led music and opt for something largely

This being said, Foals have demonstrated, that as a creative unit, they musically complement each other very well and show why they have earned the respect from

bands and artists across multiple genres.

This LP shows Foals moving into a more creative stage of their career; let’s hope Part 2 is just as much of a thrill to listen to.

Lewis Oxley

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Indie-punk: big things on little stages Recently, there has been a wave of new guitar bands erupting out of various crevices across the UK and Ireland. I am not referring to a particular 80s rip-off pop-group, or one of the many gloss-rock bands, who, by the way, are the hottest band right now and are coming to your local tent/shack/cupboard/ bedsit. Instead, I am talking about the bands who create fantastical concoctions of post-punk, indierock and (occasionally) grunge.

While they have the life expectancy of a filament lightbulb, they are

far more enjoyable than their counterparts (like the filament light bulb). The reason for this gentle-punk revivalism is largely unexplained, the actuality of it is, again, relatively unexplained.

The timeline of it is abstract at best and the coherence of the ‘movement’ is similar to that of Theresa May’s Brexit strategy. This of course raises the question of why this piece is being written.

It is being written because there are bands, who fit into post-punk, indie-rock and grunge mix-ups, are not categorized or pigeon-holed in ways that almost every band in the history of modern pop-music has been.

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Image: Paul Hudson, Flickr

Some of the belligerents in question (not an exhaustive list, please don’t lambast me): Shame, IDLES, Murder Capital, Cabbage, Drahla, Hotel Lux, Fontaines D.C., Snapped Ankles, Goat Girl and Fat White Family Some of the commonalities between these bands are: guitars (bar Snapped Ankles), shouting, energy and relatively short, fast songs.

There’s also an obvious presence of macho virile, which is, frankly, quite unfortunate. Furthermore, whilst they aren’t quite ‘punk’, they’re not quite ‘post-punk’ either. They’re

diluted for sure, which is helpful for spreading their sounds to the masses. One further commonality is that they are all particularly eclectic: Snapped Ankles like Tree Music, Joe from IDLES is a big fan of Kanye West’s works, Shame appear to like everything ever made and the Fat Whites have a strange, slightly religious affection for Mark E. Smith.

The eclecticism should be credited to streaming, or at least the accessibility of music. It means that bands can listen to any influential album ever written. Perhaps their quick burning brevity is caused by the proximity of the Armageddon clock’s minute hand to the 12th hour. The trapping of being shout-y,

energetic and speedy is you’re largely stuck with smaller venues to maintain any level of atmosphere.

Fortunately, the cult of the small venue, indie guitar music and novel merch seems to elicit goosebumps from any gig-going muso, so perhaps these bands are hearing the demands of the people and are delivering.

This leaves us with a plurality of key reasons for this wave of music: impending doom, streaming, small venue-local-vinyl cultism and a keenly political youth. All of these bands appear to have similar reasons for formation, similar musical tropes and they all have sprouted up within a roughly similar time-frame.

This leads to a conclusion: is this a movement? Yes and no. While all of these bands firmly resemble each other in some way, their links are disjointed, and the ‘movement’ isn’t very obvious. Their motivations can only be guessed at (to be expected).

Therefore, all that can be certain is that we will know if something is happening well after the fact, and that’s largely all that can be said.

Callum Gray

NEW RELEASE: Metro Exodus Of the many post-apocalyptic video games released over the last decade or so, titles in the Metro franchise have often came as close to the most typical - and, in a sense, brutalistic - visions of a broken future after economic, social and environmental catastrophe. Opening with a nuclear winter that rages across what was once the former Russian Federation, the classic grey, dreary and gritty look to the series continues in its latest release, Metro Exodus.

However, as the third in a trilogy of games, based on the novel Metro 2035 written and published online

by Dmitry Glukhovsky in 2002, Metro Exodus differs heavily from its predecessors, Metro 2033 (2010) and Metro: Last Light (2013). While before players entered a world of faction warfare and mutated beasts focussed in Moscow’s metro system, where the surface proved a risk due to intense radiation, 4A Games’ newest addition to the franchise forces us overground with geiger counters, oxygen masks and hand-made weapons to explore the wastelands for survivors and find a new life in the far east. Its

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Image: steamXO, Flickr

best comparison, visually, is the environment of Bethesda’s Fallout 4 - but a little less wacky - and a little more lifeless, though in a much higher definition.

Unfortunately, Metro Exodus’ content feels just as bland as the way it looks, if a bit too cliché as well.

This isn’t to say the game shouldn’t be given a go; for the most part, it makes a gripping first-person shooter, in which its stealth and survival horror elements become intrinsic to building its tense, violent sci-fi plot. Taking the role of Artyom, an ex-ranger in the Spartan Order and protagonist of the previous two titles in the series, players follow his story after the dramatic ‘Redemption’ ending to Metro: Last Light, where the

D6 base is attacked but saved, in the end, by the chilling Dark Ones. After becoming convinced that life exists outside the metro, Artyom - along with Anna, his now-wife, and Miller, leader of the Spartan Order and his nowfather-in-law - ends up on a year-long journey to discover survivors and a safe place to live. On their path, the group encounter cannibals, areas

of dangerously high radiation, and beasts such as watchmen, demons, and a mutant bear called the Master of the Forest.

Ultimately, though, the narrative follows a basic roaming-to-find-home storyline, and while explosive for sure, doesn’t push for much or surprise the player. If you can manage the roughly translated and outdated dialogue, as well as crashing issues due to the expansive nature of the game, then it makes a leisurely title for those looking for a classic post-apocalypse shooter - but don’t expect the cinematic energy of Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us, or the frenzish gameplay of Square Enix’s Far Cry New Dawn. With controversy surrounding its exclusive release on the Epic Game Store, and therefore its discontinuation on Steam, it may really prove a tad of a flop for 4A Games - this means players can hope, however, for something much better from the franchise in the future.

Jordan Hunnisett

Realism and surrealism in video gaming As video game technology continues to improve at an exponential rate, games themselves seem to come closer and closer to reality. Take a look at any cutscene coming out of big AAA developers like Naughty Dog, incredibly detailed the characters and environments are. As a result of these technological improvements, we are beginning to see more and more games striving for realism, be it Red Dead Redemption 2 requiring you to eat, sleep and do chores for your camp, or something like ARMA 3, which grants you dozens of keybindings so you can accurately interact with military equipment.

Although, realism in games isn’t a new concept. Shenmue—developed

by Sega for the Dreamcast in 1999— was a groundbreaking game in terms of realism. The game focused on intricately recreating the feel and detail of a small japanese town, with a persistent world running on a day and night cycle. Everything ran as it would in the real world; people had daily schedules; shops had opening and closing times; buses had their own timetables and, at some point in the game, the protagonist picks up a part-time job moving crates between warehouses at the docks. The game truly focuses on the mundane day-today actions to create a believable and immersive world, drawing the players into the details. While this focus was incredibly divisive for players, the game achieved a cult following and had a sequel in 2001, with a third entry planned after a successful crowdfunding campaign in 2015.

Furthermore, Shenmue is credited with pioneering various staples in the video game industry, such as quicktime events and an open world.

Shenmue, however, was not the first game to focus on the mundane to create a feeling of realism, an earlier example can be found in Desert Bus. Magicians Penn & Teller worked on a Sega CD game in 1995 called Penn & Teller’s Smoke and Mirrors, and while it would ultimately be unreleased, a playable version circled the internet in 2005. This game was a collection of several ‘scam minigames’ designed to trick the friends of whoever bought the game. One of these was Desert Bus, in which the player must drive a bus—in real time—from Tucson, Arizona to Las Vegas, a trip that takes eight hours of playtime to complete, and as the bus spends the journey slightly veering to the right the player must stay with the game for the entire eight hours to make sure that the bus doesn’t completely veer off-road.

Of course there are some liberties taken, compromising the realism, such as the road being completely straight and there being no traffic or passengers on the bus, but while it’s clearly played off as a joke and not an earnest attempt, the game is almost a dictionary definition of realism.

The opposite side of the realism coin came about in the 1920s with the surrealist movement. Artists took to creating works that showed not what we actively saw, but instead what the unconscious wished to express.

This almost century old movement has inspired all types of creators

since is conception and video game developers are no exception.

Psychonauts, developed by Double Fine and first released in 2005 on PC, Xbox and PS2, is a game so clearly inspired by the surrealist movement.

From the iconic design of the game— with each level being a creation of the subconscious and the fears or memories buried within—down to the very plot itself, where protagonist, Raz, must use his psychic abilities to enter the minds of other characters helping them to overcome their issues. The game even has an area named the Collective Unconscious, a direct reference to the surrealist movement.

Perhaps this innovative approach to game design was a mistake, seeing that Psychonauts was a commercial failure. Was it down to the surrealist ideals? Or perhaps it simply wasn’t marketed correctly?

Regardless— much like Shenmue—Psychonauts gathered a cult following that continues to champion the game to this day and with a sequel due in the next year, perhaps a more mainstream interest in the series will be born.

There are many facets to game design, with the theming and style being just one part of the experience. While huge attention to detail required for a game based in realism may create a more engaging and immersive experience, and while a surrealist approach may make a more interesting world to explore and give a greater feeling of escapism, these things alone can’t make or break a game. The gameplay, the musical score, the writing or any other aspect are just as important for the package and are vital to a video games’ success or failure.

Charley Wilkin

Image: steamXO, Flickr

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Thinking back to boardgames: Articulate?

During darker times, when I identified myself in many ways that no longer resonate at all, I was selected to take part in a trip to Morocco with Girlguiding.

In preparation for the trip we met once a month to talk about what we would put in our backpacks and to break the ice, so to speak. We watched films and did Just Dance and sang songs and played Articulate!

It was from these experiences in some church hall in Preston with a collection of people I did not know very well that I developed the illusory sense that I was any good at articulating things.

My vicious, shouty way of playing was by no means ‘fun’, but it gave me a sense that I was good at something, that I wouldn’t be dead weight in this expedition the way I had been in others.

I would get a wodge of cards in my hand and start the timer and lose my mind about Sherlock Holmes, or Birch

22 Image: Lee Haywood, Flickr

Trees, or whatever the clues might have been.

And, you know, we went to Morocco and we slept under the stars in the Sahara and rode camels and helped women in a small mountain town develop the skills they might need to gain independence. In light of BadenPowell’s colonial proclivities, I’m not thrilled now about that project. But we went.

And we came back; I went on living my life and my tan faded out, and now, having spent over a decade in Girlguiding, I am not a girl, I am nonbinary. It might be too much of a reach to argue that it was Articulate!, and my awkward, rambling, aggressive way of playing it, that relied on certain assumptions and fixities within my understanding of myself, that the desperation in the way I grabbed the cards was a desperation not to win but to be one of them. And, while I value the memories of sand and Marrakesh and the view from our hostel, I am

also making peace with the fact of my difference from the women with whom I travelled.

I now take a different name to the one I used on that trip. And there are things I still need to do. Hopefully, the way I play board games will develop more.

Hopefully, my vicious, competitive streak will fade to nothing. Hopefully, my sense of irony will not.

The rush of playing Articulate! has not escaped me. When the timer is turned over, and you look at the card you have and you stutter a little bit, trying to figure out the pithiest way of explaining, it’s excellent fun. And I’m very glad now that the way in which I present myself coincides with the person I am much more than it did.

And it certainly helped that I had some rudimentary practice at explaining the concept of Mickey Mouse without using either of the words ‘Mickey’ or ‘mouse’.

Ezra Meikle

Leaving Neverland The world is in a state of shock, anger, and confusion once again after the release of a new documentary about Michael Jackson’s sexual abuse allegations. It has been hard to escape the controversy of the Leaving Neverland documentary, which explores the sexual abuse of Wade Robson and James Safechuck.

Directed by Dan Reed and produced

by Channel 4 and HBO, it refuses to hold back on the explicit accounts of the two men.

It is perhaps this lack of shame that has provoked the greatest backlash

point in the documentary, explaining that the public only knows Michael Jackson the celebrity, not Michael the everyday man. Much like we are constantly reminded that our Instagram influencers do not have the lives that they necessarily paint on social media, the true lives of super celebrities such as Jackson’s will always remain somewhat elusive.

Reed’s stark but neutral commentary on a complex and historic story does allow the viewer to draw their own conclusions. Though as the Rolling Stone describes: ‘by offering these men a forum, this doc has clearly

We find it uncomfortable to hear that a beloved name is not the person that we think they are, but Robson’s sister, Chantal, makes an excellent

These accounts, as I have mentioned, are stark, explicit and uncomfortable.

I actually found this a refreshing – if paradoxically unpleasant – documentary experience. We are largely moving away from the widespread unquestioning faith in prolific celebrities, though with names as internationally pervasive as Jackson’s, it does still remain. It is where these names are concerned that it is necessary to tell the truth as plainly and fully as possible. Other directors might have been more sympathetic in fear of the inevitable backlash. The Jackson estate is inevitably among those speaking

against all those involved; I have been deeply saddened to see the volume of people blindly defending the legacy of a celebrity who was plagued by accusations throughout his career. I struggle to empathise with those who can watch the raw emotions of someone discussing their PTSD and still dismiss the claims.

In the wake of the Jimmy Saville scandal and the #MeToo movement, it is a dangerous hole we are falling down when we continue to protect the rich and famous at all costs and simultaneously ignore those male victims brave enough to speak out and break the stigma surrounding male sexual abuse.

chosen a side.’ There is, I felt, little influencing at the hands of the editing or contextual information provided.

But the accounts of the victims should be conclusion enough in themselves.

in retaliation, stating that ‘Leaving Neverland isn’t a documentary, it is the kind of tabloid character assassination Michael Jackson endured in life, and now in death. The film takes uncorroborated allegations that supposedly happened 20 years ago and treats them as fact.’ It worries me that we continue to dismiss abuse claims, as though they never could be true.

Leaving Neverland is a bit of a marathon, not a sprint. Consisting of four hours of slightly gruelling viewing that gives you an alarming

insight into the dizzy world of fame, I wonder if a slightly condensed documentary would have been more palatable for some viewers. While I’m equally wary of censoring the truth of victims’ experiences, the matter is complicated when a name such as Michael Jackson’s gets involved. It is a careful balancing act of providing an unbiased platform while also encouraging as many people as possible to support those involved.

If the negative responses prove anything, it’s that this documentary has been in some way successful; the channels of communication remain open to the truth, beyond a celebrity’s death. Reed has produced a poignant and harrowing account of the extent to which people can behave wrongly when we allow money to equal power.

Becca Allen

Image: Daniel Sandvik, Unsplash

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Derry Girls - wickedly funny Lisa McGee’s wickedly funny sitcom Derry Girls has returned to Channel 4 for a second series, so viewers can follow the antics of Erin, Orla, Michelle, Clare, and James once more as they navigate their way through Northern Ireland during the Troubles of the 1990s. If you haven’t seen the first series, which you should catch up on immediately, the show revolves around these four characters who attend Our Lady’s Immaculate College, with their foul-mouthed humour getting them into all sorts of trouble with the nuns at the school.

Erin (Saoirse-Monica Jackson) is a teen who believes the world revolves around her, and her crazy and whimsical cousin Orla (Louisa Harland), who is often away with the fairies and is told by head teacher Sister Michael to ‘think about wising up’ when she suggests that rain is tears

from heaven. The loud mouthed and aggressive Michelle (Jamie-Lee O’Donnell) brings the majority of the drama to the group, leaving the jittery and often nervously sweating Clare (Nicola Coughlan) to the edge of a breakdown in almost every episode. The final, and slightly out of place, member of the group is Michelle’s cousin James (Dylan Llewellyn), who, because he is ‘a wee English fella’, is sent

to the girls’ school for fear of his safety at the boys’ school, often making him the butt of the jokes from students and teachers alike.

Whilst set against the backdrop of terrorism and conflict, the group still go about their lives as normal teenagers, raising money to go on their Paris trip and then partaking in the slightly less common activities, such as faking the death of a dog to impress an attractive priest. The second series opens with an episode set in a ‘Friends Across the Border’ camp, with music from The Cranberries thrown in to evoke some 90s nostalgia, in which the Catholic girls’ school has to mix with a Protestant boys’ school and work together to bridge the gap between the two groups to find commonplace.

Only two episodes of the newest series have aired so far (so there’s plenty of time to catch up), but if the first season is anything to go by, viewers are in for another series of quick-witted, inappropriate gags as the group attempts to suppress their rebellious urges in a Catholic school environment.

Maya Coomarasamy

After Life - personal apocalypse This six-part Netflix series tells the story of small-town journalist, Tony (Ricky Gervais), and his dealing with the loss of his wife, Lisa (Kerry Godliman), to breast cancer.

The show is both soul-destroying and heart-warming as Gervais’ character takes the perspective that with nothing more to live for, he no longer has to care what others think of him or how he acts.

After Life becomes moving in the same unexpected way The Office is renowned for; with very human characters having to interact with the extremely dark morbid character that Gervais portrays. As a series, I recommend watching it in a short period of time - coming in around the three hour mark, that’s entirely possible. Character development and heart wrenching plot points require continued viewing (apart from the breaks you require to pull yourself together). That said, the series starts rather slowly with the first episode being quite dire in its lack of comedic and plot-driven writing. However, each episode following does make up for the wobbly start in its exploration of the grieving.

Plot wise, we see Tony’s grieving process after his attempt to take his life that was only stopped due to his dog. The topics of grief, death, and suicide are constants throughout the show; it is important to highlight this if these topics are likely to upset you, this series isn’t worth the emotional

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turmoil at all. With death being the biggest theme, coping with the deaths of others as well as one’s own is brought up frequently. This, however, isn’t revolutionary when it comes to Gervais’ work, his Humanity tour, which can also be found on Netflix, touches on some of the same topics. His politics is also prevalent, his atheism is shoved in your face during several scenes of the show. Using this platform as a vehicle for many topics of debate makes for a sometimes annoying/sometimes thoughtful watch. Unfortunately, the show’s writing can appear unoriginal due to his extensive history in podcasting, meaning much of his material is recycled from life experience.

What makes After Life the special, introspective experience that many describe is its human aspect. From Tony’s father (David Bradley) to Sandy (Mandeep Dhillon) there are moments with almost every character that strikes you with both sympathy and empathy for the struggles of each individual. Gervais does a stunning job of highlighting that even when in the darkest places, it is other people that hold the light to guide your recovery, that one person is never truly alone.

Joseph Saul

The philosophy of... Fleabag and Killing Eve

Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s presentation of feminism is sensational, both Fleabag and Killing Eve are sophisticated works of art. They’re funny, emotional and moving. But they also dissolve stigma around sexual liberation. The presentation of female sexuality and agency in both Killing Eve and Fleabag is a welcome breath of fresh air.

Debunking myths surrounding sexuality and sex through television makes it accessible, and it’s much needed. The sexual liberation that both Villanelle and Eve have in Killing Eve is exciting to witness; the love-hate relationship was presented well on screen.

Waller Bridge’s portrayal as the eponymous protagonist in Fleabag is thrilling. We love to hate her, but we love to love her too. She’s a dysfunctional chaotic mess – and she’s on screen again with a second series. Although the majority of the Fleabag’s life is laid out for the audience to see, especially with her breaking the fourth wall in most scenes, we never find out her name. Does she have one? Or is she simply known as ‘Fleabag’? It’s a frustrating element to the show, she’s only ever referred to as ‘you’, ‘her’ or ‘she’. This decision was a purposeful one in Waller-Bridge’s creation.

Her nickname emphasises her characteristics – her sarcastic humour, her regularly inappropriate behaviour, her strong sexuality – and acts as a negative judgement about her behaviour. When looking at the show through a feminist lens, the lack of a real name could portray that women in society are often given a lack of identity. That women who are expressive of their sexuality are often labelled with names such as ‘whore’ or ‘slut’, but in this series case, she is deemed a ‘fleabag’.

The identity that both Fleabag and Villanelle are presented with initially is chipped away at throughout their respective shows. Like Fleabag, Villanelle is given a name. The character of Eve Polastri, an MI5 officer gives the assassin her name after she receives some perfume from her. We find out later that Villanelle’s real name is Oksana. And with this, we gain a new sense of vulnerability about the character. We learn about her past, what turned her into the skilled killer that she is now. The obsession that Villanelle develops over Eve is no surprise; assassins

must track and become fixated with their assignments, however the obsession develops into an infatuation. What is surprising is that the obsession is reciprocated by Eve. In the last episode of the series, Eve is clearly emotional when entering Villanelle’s apartment. This could be because this is the truest and most vulnerable representation of Villanelle that she gains.

Killing Eve is a very erotic show. The assassin is sociopathic,

sexual, and (for the most part) cold-hearted. The show is aesthetically flawless. Exotic locations, designer clothes and fabulous perfume. It’s easy to become absorbed into the fictional world created by Waller-Bridge. Villanelle oozes femininity and sexuality. But this is also combined with aggression and strength, creating an image of a women rebelling against patriarchal oppression.

It is refreshing to watch a series with this representation of women and sexuality. Not everyone sticks to the binaries that society places upon us. Although the show could be accused of queerbaiting, Eve’s sexual identity has never been explicit, and she has not engaged in a physical relationship with Villanelle - perhaps she never will. However, it is clear that their relationship is full of lust.

The second series will hopefully build on their relationship and explore it further, I’m sure in surprising and perhaps revolutionary ways.

Both Fleabag and Killing Eve are shows that are unlike anything you may have ever seen before. Hopefully both of their second series will further debunk the restrictions that patriarchal society has placed upon television and the representation of queer and female sexuality. We should all be very excited for what is to come.

Jess Barrett

Images: BBC America , BBC

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All at once i am a freed dove all at once i am a freed dove my frame is small, white; my foetal wings have guided me to land. the fresh-found twig has opened my gasping palms, my lord-starved eyes; this is a holy thing these are the sacraments: cloudy-day stained glass eyelids coloured still at the breathless hope of sunlight; gates and lattice and structure gilded gold like the very molten bones of me; dripping candle wax that heats, cools, heats again at the holy word every once-martyred part of me is a patron saint to a god i just learnt how to believe in

Dylan Davies

Plucking a Lily

Lily, I am yours In the strength of your petals, Like peace or armour or love.

I sit in your crimson twisted Crucifix that pools in your lips Like blood, flowering In the shadow of your double cross hands.

Lily, I am yours As you tattoo the grasslands With your sundial crown.

You flex your stem and twist The clouds around you To a crown of frames And thorns.

Lily, I am yours As your stamens Anchor you to the globe Like nails or lances.

You are poised like Longinus Towards your own glory, The coming incandescence of night.

Lily, you are mine As I break your back To frame my neck in fragrance.

I force your mouth up like puppetry And perch you in my pocket To taste the bitter drink Of your next kingdom.

Lily, you resound Through grass, Colours, Horizons, The silent command of loss And victory: It is finished.

Oliver Shrouder

Images: Unsplash, Pixabay.

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About a religious experience my mum’s pagan and when we used to eat bacon on sunday morning day dawning she’d tell me what the spirits were saying

‘Prayer’ Happy things encourage a destructive space.

We believe we are safe when we laugh as one But reality isolates dissonance Between our lonely voices.

they’re mean.

Jordan Hunnisett

Ugliness is all that is beautiful.

Beauty has become artifice.

All that is artificial is ugly.

The cycle goes on as I paint my face once more for the camera.

He’s still at the window, ravenous.

She cuts the universe to watch me through the scars.

If I were happy, I’d be in danger; If I were beautiful, I would be ugly.

Prufrock

In the room the women come and go Talking of Michelangelo.

The paintings they pass and the sculptures they see Instead I slide my tongue against corrugated iron, Are no match for Michelangelo, they all agree.

Obsessed and depressed with the cardboard I lie on.

Turning their noses up, they come and go, The Hatter And can only talk of Michelangelo, And Dali, and Monet, and Vincent Van Gogh, But they can’t find meaning in this ‘modern’ art show.

The women were here, but now they are gone, There’s nothing contemporary when it’s already been done.

So in this room the paintings come and go Harking back to Michelangelo.

And I stand and I wait for these paintings to pass, To pass passersby who only talk in the past.

What great art is accomplished in one single day?

Indeed there will be time to wonder, ‘Will it stay? Will it stay?

Will it be remembered and gawked at, will it at least be shown?

Or will it be lost to time, that I have known, And will all those women who come and go Finally stop talking of Michelangelo?’

And in your room you mark and you mock, Comparing my writing to the lines of Prufrock, The future’s uncertain, and he knew that well, As if it were a curtain that refused to unveil, Or a yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes, But our legacy tears down that curtain, and that yellow fog will give way.

Gus Edgar-Chan

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Image:s: Pixabay

Night Terrors excerpt PATRICK cradles the NIGHT MIME in his lap.

PATRICK: You fucking idiot. You let him in.

The NIGHT MIME nods vigorously.

PATRICK: Ash, there’s nothing I can do. He’s got control. Everything.

Look at you. What did he do to your beautiful face?

You had everything.

Fuck, Ashton.

You had absolutely everything. You were at university for fuck’s sake. You had your entire life

waiting for you and you threw it away. There’s nothing– there’s nothing. You could have been an

artist. You could have had the entire world if you just had a little faith. Do you have any idea

about how many people wish they could have the life you led?

You needed help. You needed to go and fucking see someone. You could have talked to me. You

could have talked to anyone, and you chose him. You chose the fucking nightmare, the monster

to open up to, to give yourself to. Can’t you see? He’s done everything you ever feared. He’s

turned everything that scared you– he made it your reality.

Where’s your voice?

Tell me something.

Please.

You can’t, can you?

You’re a night mime.

Lost life – and you don’t get another. I could have loved you. We could have had something.

Fuck.

What am I saying? It was just sex.

Why am I lying to you? Why do I want you to feel better? …

You deserve this.

This is natural selection. Survival of the fittest, and you’re so fucking weak.

If you can’t fight this, how can you survive anything else?

I’m sorry, Ash. I’m so fucking sorry.

The NIGHT MIME mouths “Kill me”.

PATRICK: I can’t. That’s against my work ethic. I’m not allowed. I’d lose my job and then who’d be there to

protect someone like you.

The NIGHT MIME cries. PATRICK is helpless.

PATRICK: If there was anything I could do I would. But there’s nothing. There’s nothing here. We’ve seen

enough death today. (indicating the PASTOR’s corpse) Look at him, he thought he was a leader

in the game of life; he was playing at God and look where it got him.

Ambition is punished. Lack of ambition is punished.

Someone needs to fucking rewrite the rulebook.

The NIGHT MIME notices a pistol at the edge of the stage, he begins to crawl from PATRICK’s lap to the gun.

PATRICK: What are you doing? Where are you going?

The NIGHT MIME continues determinedly.

PATRICK: We need to get out of here. Someone’s bound to call the cops and we can’t be here when they

get here. Ash, come on. It’s time to go. Please, no more bullshit. Get up.

The NIGHT MIME finally reaches the pistol.

PATRICK: Ashton, no.

The NIGHT MIME puts the barrel to his temple and pulls the trigger. Click. Nothing. PATRICK lets out a sigh of relief. The NIGHT MIME wails silently in agony and fury. He hits the gun against the floor and puts it back to his temple. Click. Nothing. Click. Nothing. Click. Nothing. Bang.

Frederick Zennor Image:s: Pixabay

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TAKE A BREAK WITH A BOOK

We’re in second term, and studying can get overwhelming. Sometimes it’s good to take a break with a book that’s non-curricular for a change. Our writers give their recommendations.

KARL OVE KNAUSGÅRD e MY STRUGGLE

Not much happens across the 3,600 pages of Knausgård’s autobiographical project; he mostly picks up his children from school, loads and unloads the washing machine, and bickers with his wife Linda. Interspersed with these examples of extreme normality are the author’s musings on art, literature, philosophy, his own childhood, his insecurities, his relationship with is father, and by the time we’ve reached the sixth and final volume: the book series itself. Critic James Wood claimed that Knausgård’s writing was so absorbing that ‘even when I was bored I was interested,’ while Zadie Smith said she needed the next volume of the series ‘like crack.’ Reading about the trials and tribulations of everyday life is oddly relaxing, and I promise that after you put the book down, you will end up viewing whatever mundane activity you do next through the Knausgårdian lens, which for a while will make ordinary life feel extraordinary.

Johanne Elster Hanson

DYLAN THOMAS OMNIBUS e UNDER MILKWOOD, POEMS, STORIES, AND BROADCASTS Even as a joint honours English Literature student, poetry tends to intimidate me; I was always fearful of not understanding it and not knowing details that GCSE and A Level exam boards expect you to memorise. However, the poetry of Dylan Thomas has always been a little different. The way Thomas uses language, creating and changing words to make impressions on the senses, as in the very beginning of the radio play Under Milkwood, and the pure ineffability of some of his poetry, such as ‘I fellowed sleep’, puts me at ease.

With Thomas’ poetry I can enjoy it regardless of whether I understand all the philosophical or religious references that he employs, as in ‘The force that through the green fuse drives the flower’ or ‘Do not go gentle into that good night’. His poetry is simply beautiful, bordering on the sublime.

Jodie Bailey

NATASHA PULLEY e THE BEDLAM STACKS Natasha Pulley’s The Bedlam Stacks is a charming romp, one that combines magical and paranormal elements with historical fiction. Young and crippled Merrick Tremayne, English horticulturalist, is given the task of retrieving medicinal quinine bark from the depths of Peru with his friend Clem Markham. On arrival, they are guided to the mysterious town of New Bethlehem, or Bedlam, with the help of the equally mysterious priest and native Raphael. It is here that occurrences of exploding trees, invisible adversaries, and moving statues present the visiting men with a myth of a place that is never as it seems. A novel that slips through (and plays with) both time and reality, The Bedlam Stacks is whimsical, surreal, unexpectedly romantic, and an overall lovely work that constitutes a completely immersive and entertaining read.

Ally Fowler

DEBORAH HARKNESS e ALL SOULS TRILOGY

Hardly literary, this bestselling trilogy about vampires, witches, and daemons has spawned a spin-off (Time’s Convert) and an excellent television series (A Discovery of Witches). I thought that I had outgrown this sort of fantasy fiction, but when you want a break from course reading, something fun and engaging like this is perfect. Historian and reluctant witch Diana Bishop accidentally discovers a long-lost magical manuscript in Oxford’s Bodleian Library.

Unfortunately for her, all the other magical species want it too, including the attractive and centuries-old vampire Matthew de Clermont. I think you can guess where the story leads from there. The books are chunky, but Harkness’ writing style makes these quite quick reads; start with A Discovery of Witches, and if you want to give the TV series a go, it’s an easy binge-watch.

30 Jodie Bailey

Images: Unsplash, Wikimedia Commons, Pixabay.

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