Concrete Sex Survey Yes, it’s that time of year again! Log on to http://surveymonkey. net/s/concretesurvey2011 to complete this year’s survey.
Win Angelos Epithemiou tickets! Win tickets for the comedian’s show in the LCR by turning to Competitions.
Tuesday 1st February 2011 • Issue 251 • UEA’s Independent Student Newspaper • Twitter: @Concrete_UEA
UEA sees 18% increase in applicants as fees set to triple • •
Record number of university applications in anticipation of threefold fee increase UEA reports an unprecedented 18% rise in applications for 2011/12 academic year. James Hughes
News Reporter
The anticipated scramble for university places for the prospective autumn intake this year has been confirmed by record figures released by UCAS. UEA have announced an increase in applications which reaches nearly 19%. The figures, which UCAS have referred to as the “highest number” of applications since their records began in 1964, are indicative of a generation desperate to avoid the imminent rise in the cost of tuition fees, which will take effect from 2012. UEA and the other East Anglian higher education institutions have experienced an unprecedented rise in applicants for the academic year 2011/12 with UEA seeing an astonishing increase of almost 19% on the number of applications from last year. This has raised the application threshold to the tune of around 3,000 extra, whilst the amount of places available remains disproportionate, meaning that the scope for disappointment and rejection will be far greater. The total number of applicants for higher education has increased by 5.1% according to the official statistics; however, these figures
have painted an uncertain picture regarding the movements of the next generation of university applicants. Whilst the numbers depict a percentage increase on recent years, the rate at which candidates applied dipped around the time of the protests against the controversial Higher Education Bill. The significant rate of 20% at which the applications had been rising crashed suddenly after the announcement of the decision to pass the Bill in December. Although the Bill does not come into effect until the academic year 2012/13, the passing of it was enough to discourage this year’s applicants from contemplating embarking on a university course. These figures have demonstrated the huge impact that the rise in fees has and will continue to have on future students, who may be blighted by the financial implications of higher education. President of the NUS, Aaron Porter, has put added pressure on ministers claiming that they are “at risk of letting down a generation, who have had opportunities taken away from them and must urgently provide opportunities and funding for our future”.
Tinie Tempah, Tinchy Stryder, N-Dubz and Taio Cruz announced as headline acts for new Norwich summer music festival. Turn to page 3 for full story.
NEWS: Salinger’s letters donated to UEA library.
NEWS: Acton speaks out COMMENT AND OPINION: Just being against visa proposal. Frank?
FEATURES: Censorship special report.
COMPETITIONS: Win tickets to the Kerrang Tour!
Catcher in the Rye author’s letters reveal appreciation for Tim Henman and Burger King. Page 4
Vice-Chancellor Edward Acton speaks out against Government plans for international student visas. Page 3
Jonathan Parr investigates the implications of the recent censoring of Mark Twain’s iconic Huckleberry Finn. Page 12-13
Turn to Venue for your chance to win a pair of ticket to see the Kerrang! Relentless Tour at the LCR Venue Page 24
Henry Croft comments on the reasons behind Frankie Boyle’s Comedy Awards snub. Page 11
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City Academy being rebuilt as part of £21 million regeneration project
UEA’s Independent Student Newspaper
Editor:
ISSUE 251
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• •
New building is scheduled to open to students in September 2012. Academy aims to become one of the best schools in the country by 2018. David Murphy News Reporter
Construction has begun on a brand new City Academy Norwich which will replace the current buildings in 2012. Work officially began on Monday 24th with an earth cutting ceremony attended by the Academy’s various sponsors, including UEA and City College Norwich. Contractors Kier Eastern are aiming to open the building to students in September 2012 ready for the beginning of the new term. The new building, estimated to cost £21m, will incorporate two crescents joined back to back. The larger of the two will face in towards the current grounds and house most of the teaching rooms for students. The second, smaller structure will face out towards Bluebell Road and will include reception areas as well as rooms to be used by adult learners and
Artist’s interpretation of the new City Academy building, currently under construction.
other members of the wider community. Other features include a link to UEA’s heating system which will greatly reduce carbon emissions, an outdoor amphitheatre for drama and other performances and a fully computerized e-wall in the learning and resources centre. Principal David Brunton said: “Staff and students are
exceptionally keen to see their thoughts and ideas brought to life in this new building”. City Academy opened in September 2009 in the old buildings of Earlham High, the failing secondary which it replaced. It has already posted improved GCSE results and the new building is part of a plan to turn the once failing school into an outstanding one within the
next 10 years. Many students and teachers still feel that the school is plagued by the stigma of Earlham High being singled out as one of the worst schools in the country back in 2008. While vast strides have been made, City Academy still struggles to achieve the national standards required in performance and attendance.
UEA LGBT posters removed Jonathan Brady News Reporter
Last week, fifty posters advertising LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) workshops in February were removed from around the UEA campus in what one lecturer is calling “hate-motivated crime”. Literature and Translation lecturer Dr B.J. Epstein, who put the posters up, says permission was granted from both the Union of UEA Students and the security lodge. Despite this, most of the posters had been removed within an hour of being put up. The workshops will be held in February, to
coincide with LGBT month and are designed to provide peer support to students who need them. Dr Epstein said: “the removal of the posters implies that UEA is not necessarily so LGBT-friendly and there is quite clearly a need for such coming-out workshops”. She added that, “the workshops are run for the students and at times they can be very emotional and powerful”. With the possibility of more posters being removed, advertising for the workshops is taking place via email and plasma screen adverts and encourages all those interested to attend.
ISSUE 251
NEWS
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Tuesday 1st February
UEA launch pioneering breast reconstruction course
Line up for Norfolk Spectacular revealed •
N-Dubz, Tinie Tempah, Taio Cruz and Tinchy Stryder are amongst the big names that will be headlining the new Norfolk Spectacular festival at the Norfolk Showground.
•
Festival is set to “benefit everybody in the area”, with more acts yet to be announced. Rianne Ison
News Reporter
The University of East Anglia has unveiled a pioneering new MA course for breast reconstruction surgery. The new e-learning master’s degree in Oncoplastic Breast Surgery is the first of its kind to formally qualify surgeons in the UK in this crucial field. Oncoplastic breast surgery plays a vital role not only in the surgical removal of breast cancer, but it also benefits the patient’s postsurgery recovery and psychological wellbeing. The e-learning course is taught predominantly through an internet-based system, whilst also incorporating local mentoring and assessment. Professor Jerome Periera, who helped to develop the course, said “80% of the work will be done online and 20% is practical.” This method will ensure that there is still plenty of face-to-face teaching for the students. “Most of the theoretical aspects will be delivered online. The practical skills will be delivered by tutors who will take them through specific operations and increase their range of skills.” The first two-year course, due to be attended by 15 surgeons, will commence later this year. Prof. Periera outlined his hopes for UEA to be a world leader in this field of surgery. “Using this method, surgeons will have to cover the full range of operations... They will be receiving the highest quality of training in this field anywhere in the world.” Rogue cancer gene discovered
UEA has also been in the news this week as researchers appear to have identified a rogue gene that could be influential in the battle against cancer. Researchers are hoping that with the right drugs, this gene could be blocked and cancer could be prevented from spreading to other parts of the body. Alex Mansell
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Festival season is to continue in Norwich this summer as it plays host to the exciting Norfolk Spectacular in September. The event will occur over two consecutive days (September 3rd and 4th) and will feature huge names from Britain’s pop, R&B and hip-hop music scenes, including those who are currently storming the charts, such as four-time Brit award nominee Tinie Tempah. Thirty-thousand music lovers are expected to descend upon the event, which will take place just outside of Norwich, at the Norfolk Showground on Dereham Road. The festival has been planned to celebrate some of the biggest names in the current British music scene, with at least ten acts performing across the two days. Pop will be the primary focus of Saturday, with Sunday featuring R&B and hip-hop. Sunday’s line-up has already been announced with urban music stars Tinie Tempah, Taio Cruz, N-Dubz and Tinchy Stryder all set to wow their fans. It is also rumoured that Labrinth will complete the line-up for Sunday. The Saturday line-up is yet to be announced, but it is certain that there will be some enormous
stars taking to the stage, although the confirmed acts are being kept tightly under wraps. However, the logistics manager Roy Tricket has ensured that it will be an immense line-up, saying: “We are very excited about the line-up. The acts on the Saturday are confirmed and they are very big names, but I can’t tell you who yet.” Tickets went on sale on Monday January 24th, with those who have NR postcodes receiving ‘early-bird’ discounts of £6.50 per day for the first week of sales. Like other festivals of its kind, the Norfolk Spectacular is specifically aimed at teenagers, but Mr Tricket reassured the local residents by stating that it will be a well organised event, with a “very strong drug zero tolerance” policy which will ensure that it is “a safe event and a family event”. There is a considerable amount of support for the festival from Norwich Arts Centre and also the Norwich and Norfolk Festival, with Head of Communications Matthew Sanders declaring that it “can only benefit everybody in the area” and put Norwich on the map as a cultural centre. Concert organiser, Joseph Bridge, has called the event a “big coup for Norfolk”.
Greg Mann Tinie Tempah, who graced the LCR stage in October last year, is set to perform at the Norfolk Spectacular in September
UEA Vice-Chancellor speaks out against Government proposals
James Schofield
News Reporter
Edward Acton, the Vice-Chancellor of UEA, has been a leading voice against Government plans to restrict the number of international students entering Britain, saying that proposals would lead to universities becoming a “deeply wounded” sector. Professor Acton has spoken out against proposals made by the Home Office regarding the student immigration system, with the Government aiming to reduce the number of foreign students studying in Britain. He argued that the measures could have a damaging effect on universities
across the country, and the economy of the East of England region, with international fees making up nearly 10% of the total income of universities. However, it was the plan to introduce tougher English language requirements that Professor Acton took particular issue with, saying: “If that language requirement is imposed, the catastrophic effects on universities will, for a period, actually make the home fees matter slightly fade from centre, so grave will it be.” International students currently make up around 15% of the UEA student population. Professor Acton went on to argue that this amount would
be significantly lowered if the Government’s proposals went through, and labelled the exercise
as a method of reducing the number of legitimate students entering the UK.
Professor Edward Acton has spoken out against proposals to limit the amount of international students studying in Britain
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ISSUE 251
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Future of East Anglian film archive called into question Questions have been raised over the future of the East Anglian Film Archive. Staff have recently been asked by the University to stop taking bookings to visit the archive after August, fuelling speculation over the future of the archives. Neither the council nor UEA have made any definite promises regarding the centre, but UEA have said they are looking at the “long term future” of the collection. The archive used to be housed at UEA before being moved to custom built storage within the Norfolk Archive Centre. Some are asking if the collection is to be moved back to UEA, or even if the centre is to be closed altogether. UEA has so far refused to comment until further decisions are made. Ed Leftwich
NUS President heckled at protests in Manchester
A protest in Manchester against tuition fee rises and Government cuts has been shrouded in controversy after Aaron Porter, the President of the National Union of Students was reportedly targeted with anti-Semitic chants. Porter had to pull out of the rally where he was due to speak and was escorted away from the demonstration by police. Chants calling for Porter to resign were audible, as well as some eyewitness reports stating that protesters were shouting “f**king Tory Jew” at the NUS President. The rumoured anti-Semitic comments appeared to be confirmed by Porter on his twitter page, as he said on Sunday morning: “Will not back down to intimidation, and certainly not to racial abuse. We need unity to win for students”. 16 arrests were made after a group of about 150 people broke away from the main body of protesters. Davina Kesby
concrete.news@uea.ac.uk
Climategate debate rages on
• Independence of inquiries called into question by MPs in the Science and Technology Committee. • Grey area in Freedom of Information Act with regards to how it should be applied to scientific research. Susanna Wood
News Reporter
An investigation into the inquiries made after the Climatic Research Unit email hacking incident has recommended a greater degree of transparency between the science world and the public. The Science and Technology Committee have been investigating two inquiries, commissioned by UEA, to check that they were thorough and neutral. The findings were made public last week. The Committee praised the comprehensiveness and transparency of one of the inquiries, the Independent Climate Change E-mails Review headed by Sir Muir Russell. It concluded by commending the “constructive recommendations” made in the inquiries, some of which the University has already implemented. The incident itself, which came to a head in November 2009 as thousands of emails from within the Climatic Research Unit at UEA were leaked, provoked international media attention. The content within the emails was seized upon by climate sceptics as seeming proof of a conspiracy within the scientific community to hide data about climate change. While the scientists in question have been cleared of any scientific malpractice, the debate
Controversy surrounding the Climatic Research Unit has continued to plague scientists at UEA
has not disappeared in the media as to the way the University dealt with the situation. The University of East Anglia has acknowledged the investigation’s findings, stating that “both of these reviews were commissioned by the University, but were independent and conducted in accordance with processes established by their respective chairs.” “We particularly welcome the Committee’s call for urgent resolution of how the Freedom of
Information Act should be applied to scientific research, as this remains a grey area - and its view that it is time to move on.” These findings come in the same week as a documentary shown on BBC 2 entitled ‘Science Under Attack’, featuring Nobel Prize winner Sir Paul Nurse. The program, which was partly filmed at UEA, discussed the CRU scandal in detail, and suggested that an “unholy mix” of the media and politics ends up “distorting the proper reporting
of science”. It also suggested that scientists need to do more to adapt to modern media and make their research more transparent to the public to avoid further scandals. The Committee’s final advice is that it is “time to make the changes and improvements recommended and with greater openness and transparency move on”; a sentiment echoed by the University as it hopes to leave the difficulties of this incident behind and look ahead to the future.
Salinger’s private letters donated to UEA library Davina Kesby
News Editor
Extracts from the private letters of reclusive author J.D. Salinger have been released on the first anniversary of his death. Letters from the Catcher in the Rye author to his friend Donald Hartog were donated to the UEA archives by Hartog’s daughter Frances. Now, one year after Salinger’s death, extracts have been released that show the notoriously reclusive writer as a man who enjoyed simple pleasures in life. The correspondence dates between October 1986 and January 2002. The men originally met in 1937, after they were sent to Vienna by their families to learn German.
These letters have revealed a different side to Salinger, as he expresses a fondness for watching tennis, particularly the Wimbledon Championships, with the author being a fan of Tim Henman. In addition to this, a preference for burgers from fast-food chain Burger King is disclosed. Chris Bigsby, Professor of American Studies at UEA, said: “Salinger had this reputation as a recluse, that he kept himself to himself. This is another Salinger, this is an ordinary Salinger, not the reclusive, angry person people thought he was”. The collection contains 50 letters and four postcards, as well as a photograph of Hartog and Salinger taken in 1989, when the two men were reunited for the first time since 1938.
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Sportspark pool floor damaged Regular swimmers at the Sportspark’s Olympic-size swimming pool were surprised to discover its closure last week. This commenced at 7am on Monday January 24th, with the centre’s website citing a mechanical failure. It has since been revealed that the fault specifically concerned the hydraulic floor jack which adjusts the depth of the pool according to requirements. Initial updates stated that the pool would reopen by the following Thursday, however it was announced that day that the pool would reopen as normal on Friday January 28th. The Sportspark staff have thanked customers for their patience in the matter, apologising for any inconvenience caused. Philip Thomas
Union opposes street light switch off
Plans to switch off vital street lights in Norwich have been met with fierce criticism from UEA students. To date, the Union of UEA Students has sent close to 100 letters to Councillor Adrian Gunson and Director of Transportation and Planning Mike Jackson. Student concern has arisen because many of the roads they frequently use between campus and student areas of the city will be affected by the proposals. Therefore, the students’ safety may be at risk if the proposals come to fruition and they are forced to make their way home in the dark. Tom Dolton, Communications Officer of the Union, said: “The Union hopes that the student voice is considered during the proposals and want to ensure that the switch off won’t put students’ wellbeing or safety in jeopardy”. Beth Wyatt
Norwich features in The New York Times • The New York Times cites Norwich as “a refuge for writers”. • Millennium Library received 1.5 million visitors last year. Oliver Steward
News Reporter
Norwich has found its way into the pages of the The New York Times – with the United States newspaper hailing it as a “Getaway for book lovers”. The praise of Norwich has not been unfounded. In 1373, Julian of Norwich wrote her “Revelations of Divine Love,” often seen as the first English-language book by a woman to have been published. More recently, in 2006, an artist inscribed the entire 40,000 word English text of Sir Thomas Moore’s Utopia on the brick façade of an old electricity plant near the riverfront. The building has since become an embodiment of Norwich’s literary enthusiasm. Andrew Parrott, a graduate from UEA’s Creative Writing School, was quoted in the article saying: “There is something about the interiors of all the old buildings that forces tables to be close together…it is a really good
eavesdropping town.” The article continued as it detailed the picturesque lanes: “The comfy cafes within the town’s narrow old lanes are full of aspiring writers pecking away at laptops, dreaming of becoming the next Ian McEwan or Kazuo Ishiguro, both of whom got their start here at the University of East Anglia’s esteemed Creative Writing Masters’ program”. There was praise too for Frank’s Bar in Bedford Street, which was described as “the premier latenight spot for students of an intellectual bent.” The New York Times also listed Lecture Theatre 1 as a good place to visit, as it hosts readings, events as well as literary festivals. Other places mentioned include the Library Bar & Grill, the Book Hive, the Dean and Chapter’s library and Norwich Arts Centre. Formerly known as St. Swithin’s Church, built in the 15th century was refashioned as the Norwich Arts Centre in 1980.
Laura Smith Norwich’s Lanes have been singled out for praise from The New York Times
UEA graduate Green Party councillor nominated speaks out against kettling Kettling, which involves the for Oscar Sam Lewis containment of a crowd by security
News Reporter
A Green Party councillor has spoken out against the recent tactics used by police in their efforts to control protesters. This follows an apparent increase in the use of kettling in demonstrations against tuition fees and Government funding cuts. Samir Jeraj, City Councillor for Town Close Ward, raised a motion during a City Council cabinet meeting held on 25th January, asking for cabinet to work with Norfolk Police Authority to facilitate demonstrations in Norwich. The councillor said: “We should oppose kettling and work together to ensure peaceful protest in Norwich”. Many students from the University of East Anglia were kettled by police for up to seven hours during demonstrations in London on the day of the vote in Parliament that saw a tripling of student fees.
forces, was a practice established under the former Labour Government, used during the 2001 May Day demonstration and at the G20 summit. Councillor Jeraj said: “We have a duty to oppose these indiscriminate and dangerous tactics and see that they are banned before more people are harmed.” The Green Party hope that raising this issue will encourage debate about the policing of demonstrations in order to avoid future violent confrontation. Rachel Wemyss, President of UEA Greens, commented: “It is vital that students are not deterred from exercising their right to peaceful protest by this disgraceful police tactic. Members of UEA Green Party will continue to protest against the Government’s unjust cuts to education and urge the police to reconsider the lawfulness of kettling.”
Davina Kesby
News Editor
A short film written by a UEA graduate has been nominated for an Oscar. Tom Bidwell, who studied Literature and Drama at UEA, said it was “surreal” to be nominated for his short film Wish 143. The film cost about £15,000 to make, £500 of which came from Mr. Bidwell’s own funds. He said: “It was one of those films where everybody scraped together”. The film is about a young cancer patient who is granted one wish before he dies. Wish 143 depicts 15-year-old David’s race
to lose his virginity and has been nominated in the Short Film (Live Action) category of the Oscars. Tom, who has recently been diagnosed with ME, said that the film was partially autobiographical following his own battle with cancer. He said: “It was based on my experiences in hospital and of hopefulness”.
Concrete is excited to announce that we have teamed up with your favourite bus driver, Clive Ashcroft, to bring you “Clive Cares”. Just email clivecaresconcrete@
gmail.com if you have a problem that you would like Clive to deal with. We’ll print the best ones, but don’t worry - we won’t use your real name!
UEA graduate Tom Bidwell
Concrete introduce... Clive Cares
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INTERNATIONAL
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ISSUE 251 concrete.international@uea.ac.uk
Visualising Valentine’s Valentine’s Day; The Eastern Way
Concrete looks at how Valentine’s Day is celebrated half way across the world.
Rachael Lum
International Writer
Mention Valentine’s Day and your mind concocts images of roses, chocolates and sentimental cards. Though such traditions have now been commercialised there are different ways of celebrating this occasion in several Asian countries. Qi Xi Festival, regarded as the Chinese Valentine’s Day, falls on the 7th day of the 7th month in the lunar calendar, which is the 6th of August in 2011. To commemorate the love between a goddess and a human cowherd, weaving competitions and star-
gazing ceremonies used to be held in ancient China. These days, much of the old traditions are dying out.
“Qi Xi Festival, regarded as the Chinese Valentine’s Day, falls on the 7th day of the 7th month in the lunar calendar”
In Southeast Asia, there is another version of the Chinese Valentine’s Day called Chap Goh Meh. On the 15th day of the Lunar New Year, young unmarried maidens would throw
Is Valentine’s overrated?
Isabelle Carty
International Writer
February the 14th will undoubtedly mean different things for different people. For some it will mean romance, flowers, candlelit dinners and romantic movies and for others it will simply be just another Monday, no different from any other. The idea that the “holiday” has become particularly commercialized and as such, overrated, is not a new one. For years, television and magazine advertisements as well as movies and TV shows have presented society with extravagant ideas that have led to increasingly high expectations. For those in relationships, the pressure of Valentine’s Day may prove to be quite overwhelming; choosing the perfect gift, the perfect date and the perfect card to live up to a romantic ideal can be quite agonizing as there is always a fear of not living up to expectations. Consequently, for those that are single, feelings of loneliness and depression are quite common. Others, whether they are in a relationship or not, may even resent the fact that there is a designated day for them to show any kind of emotion or affection. On a brighter note, many have come to enjoy the surprises and delights of Valentine’s
Day. Whether it is a day of indulging in delicious chocolates or proudly walking around with single, red, long-stemmed roses, some cannot help but feel a rush of excitement as the day approaches. Additionally, under the guise of inspiration from the meaning of Valentine’s Day, many well-meaning secret admirers have suddenly appeared much to the jubilation and amusement of their valentines. Indeed, it seems as though chocolates and flowers or jewellery have become prerequisite gifts. However, the origins of the celebration stem firstly from the fertility festivals of ancient Rome where young women were whipped with animal hides in the hope that it would make them more fertile and secondly from the Christian priest Valentine some centuries later who secretly performed marriage ceremonies for soldiers, even though the emperor had forbidden it. Valentine’s Day has clearly evolved from its humble beginnings into a special day that is recognized and celebrated worldwide. Whether, it is a day you look forward to from one year to the next or one you dread, it is undoubtedly a day that cannot be overlooked. So if nothing else, simply spare a thought of love on this day that is set aside to celebrate it.
tangerines into the river in the hope that their other half would find it. Nowadays, the girls would write their phone numbers or webpage links down on the tangerines beforehand. Likewise the boys would have nets prepared to scoop the fruits out. While in Western culture it is the men who shower gifts on the women, in Japan it is the ladies who would present gifts, the most common of which are chocolates, to the men. To friends, co-workers or bosses, they are tokens of friendship or obligation. Handmade chocolates would indicate he is someone special. One month later, they celebrate White Day. This is when the tables are turned and
the men return gifts to the women. White Day is carried out in South Korea as well, but there are also celebrations of love on the 14th of every month. In April, there is Black Day for people who are single. Other examples include Kiss Day in June, Movie Day in November and Hug Day in December, which need no further explanation. Most of them, however, are hardly observed anymore. Arguably, the younger generation has accepted the Western version of this lovefest, and certain customs have ebbed away or altered with time. Nonetheless the fact remains that it is a day people from all around the world celebrate.
Love from, your Valentine Krishnaveni Padala
International Writer
“Roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet and so are you!” This poem should be banned! It is the most overused poem to describe how somebody feels for their partner on this Day of Valentine. However, if this day isn't perfect the stress could last a very long time! Many of you will be planning your perfect day with your lovers, fitting it in with lectures, trying to find ways to surprise your partners without them guessing, girls trying to find the sexiest clothes and guys trying to search for the perfect bunch of roses! Valentine’s Day is one date which couples from all over the world want to celebrate! But do you know the real reason for celebrating this day? Valentine’s Day originally began as a cultural event in the Roman times to honour Juno, the goddess of marriage. Saint Valentine was a priest who performed marriages illegally after a Roman emperor, Claudius, forbid marriages since nobody would join the army in fear for leaving their loved ones. Saint Valentine was finally caught and put in a prison cell. Here, many young people visited him to show him that love will never fail. He became very good friends with the
daughter of the prison guard and on his final day of life, he wrote a note thanking the girl, signed “Love From Your Valentine”. Surprisingly, few people have negative views of this day and see it as ‘just another day’. “Why should there only be a specific day to celebrate relationships between lovers?” or “What will all the singletons do on a day like this?” For all the lovers out there – it truly is a day to show your partner off to the world and express how proud you are to be with them and for all you single people – there will be millions of discounts on flowers, teddies, food, gifts – so go crazy and treat yourself! Who knows? You may find your perfect partner waiting in the aisle of Boots, or waiting for a dance in Mercy! Whatever you all decide to do on this day, celebrate in style!
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COMMENT AND OPINION 9
www.concrete-online.co.uk
Tuesday 1st February
Eton Rifles: is there a price to pay? Last week saw the resignations of the Conservative’s ‘Essex Boy’, Andy Coulson, and Labour’s former postman, Alan Johnson. Is there anyone left in British politics who can truly represent us? Concrete looks into the Eton elite who are increasingly monopolising power in the UK. Lauren O’Neill
As Andrew Neill found in his BBC documentary Posh and Posher: Why Public School Boys Run Our Lives, there seems to be clear evidence
that politicians no longer represent a wide demographic of people. Indeed the leaders of all three major parties appear to only represent the minority population of upper middle-class millionaires, with Clegg, Cameron and Miliband all being Oxbridge educated. Not since John Major in the 90s
Above: The now infamous Bullingdon Club photo featuring both David Cameron and Boris Johnson
has Britain seen a non-privately educated Prime Minister in power. If one were to Google the key figures in Government at the moment, the same education establishments will come up time and time again: Oxbridge, Westminster, Eton. The full figures on education are startling: of the 119 Government ministers, a staggering 66 per cent were privately educated, compared with just 7 per cent of the population as a whole. 10 per cent of the Government ministers went to just one school: Eton. Alan Johnson, who until last week was Labour’s shadow chancellor, was perhaps the last ‘man of the people’ that our current political climate had to offer. With humble beginnings as a postman involved in union politics, Johnson represented the average person. With him now out of the core shadow cabinet, Labour’s three most visible people are Ed Miliband, Ed Balls and Yvette Cooper; all educated at Oxford and Harvard. One might expect
this kind of elite education in the background of a Tory government minister, but for a party like Labour, with such a history of union links and representing the working class, it seems as though they’re moving away from their roots.
“Of the 119 Government ministers a staggering 66 per cent were privately educated, compared with just 7 per cent of the population as a whole”
Last year’s election saw the Labour Party make a move that overtly showed its new allegiances to the middle class. Stoke-On-Trent, a safe Labour seat, saw their longserving MP step down last year, and when the new Labour candidate was to be announced many people expected it to be the secretary of the local Labour Party, Gary Elsby, a local resident of Stoke-on-Trent and
Labour party member for more than 30 years. But, rather surprisingly, this was not to be the case. Labour’s national executive committee instead decided that the seat would be more suited to Tristram Hunt who just so happens to be the son of a Labour peer and was educated privately at University College School, Hampstead and Oxford. Oh, and he also happens to be a close friend of Peter Mandelson. While Mr Hunt may be highly educated and intelligent it seems rather unlikely that he would be able to represent the views and needs of the average Stoke-On-Trent family. Of course, class isn’t the only exclusionary factor of the current political sphere. Diversity is also coming into play, with there being only 11 black or Asian Tory MPs, 16 in the Labour party and a disappointing zero in the Liberal Democrats. Can it really be said that the needs of the average British citizen are being met by this government when they represent such a small fraction of the population?
The Palestine Papers and the fork in the road for the peace process With the leak of over a thousand papers detailing the peace process talks between Israel and Palestine, Concrete questions how influential these papers really are and what they mean for the prospect of peace in the Middle East. Ashley Johnston
The latest instalment of the IsraeliPalestinian conflict saw Al-Jazeera, the Qatar based television network, obtain and leak over 1,600 classified documents from the 2008 peace negotiations. The documents indicate that as part of the proposed deal, Palestinians would let Israel keep all but one East Jerusalem Jewish enclosure, Har Homa. Initially dispersions were cast over the authenticity of the papers with some laying claim to the leaks being a Hamas or hard line Fatah hoax
in a ploy to weaken the current leadership. Exclusivity of the documents was shared with UK newspaper The Guardian which released a series of the leaked documents over the course of a week. The newspaper was later criticised for misreporting information and heavily ‘spinning’ the facts. Not too many surprises there. The Guardian dramatized the event with bold front paged headlines. It also appears to be the only paper to award front page status to the leaked documents, reporting it as though the revelations were ground-breaking news. Is it, however, really news that there were negotiations in 2008 and
that these negotiations concerned issues such as borders, Jerusalem, refugees, security, and settlements? No concessions were made, no land swaps were granted, it’s all in the past and it didn’t happen. So why get our knickers in a twist over a situation that hasn’t even occurred? What the papers do tell us is that both sides come across as being very committed to the process, despite the fact that little has changed since the triumphant attempt of Bill Clinton to coerce both sides into peace talks at Camp David in 2000. Having said this, the documents aren’t likely to boost the popularity of the Palestinian authority any time soon. With the release of the documentation, Palestinian leaders look feeble and desperate;
something which Hamas aren’t likely to ignore. The offered concessions also contradict the longheld Palestinian public demands. Palestinians will undoubtedly feel betrayed and somewhat vulnerable which could ultimately lead to a rise in Hamas popularity, something which has already been highlighted by the 2006 general election results. On the other hand, the Palestinians appear more willing to compromise than Israelis. Many have announced the death of the two state-solution as a result of the leaked papers. Perhaps this is the case, but if this is to be prevented, the first step Israel must take is to heed the advice of Mr Obama of a ten month freeze on illegal Israeli occupation in the West Bank and Gaza strip.
The Fact Box
1,600 documents, detailing peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine have been leaked The Guardian and Al-Jazeera are the two organisations publishing the papers
The papers show that Palestine was willing to accept Israel’s annexation of all but one settlement
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How sweet is the ‘Jasmine Revolution’ really?
It’s been a month of riots and protests in Northern Africa, with the protests in Tunisia spreading into Egypt. Dubbed the ‘Jasmine Revolution’, these protesters are demanding liberal democracy, but at what cost? Concrete investigates...
Jennifer Woods
Before December 2010 no Tunisian would have believed that in one short month they would lead an uprising that would topple Tunisia’s autocratic government regime. Even more shocked would they be if they knew that their protests would result in the flight of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who has comfortably presided over the country for the last 23 years, maintaining a repressive political system that ignored the growing prevalence of unemployment while he and his cabinet enjoyed wildly disproportionate wealth and luxury. Yet with January coming to a close, Tunisia has seen exactly that: an ousted President fleeing to the same site of refuge sought by Idi Amin. Since Ben Ali’s flight two weeks ago, change is already
underway, with a new transition government, led by Fouad Mebazaa - the former parliamentary speaker - which now includes politicians from opposition parties, with fresh elections promised in the next six months. It is hard, however, to avoid scepticism of the country’s potential for veritable political change. Although temporary, the current government still includes many members of the ruling Constitutional Democratic Rally (RCD), a party that for Tunisians still represents repression and corruption. Western politicians, while halfheartedly praising Tunisians for their courage, also make it clear that they would rather a swift end to the protests; Foreign Secretary William Hague called for “restraint from all sides” and a “return to law and order”. Media coverage of the events in the East has also been relatively poor here. There seems the underlying Western wish for stability to be returned to the region in order that our good relations are safeguarded, whether this means a
democratic government or not. It is important also not to romanticise about the uprising now commonly dubbed the ‘Jasmine Revolution’. Not so sweet-smelling is the memory of Mohamed Bouazizi, the unemployed graduate who, in tragic desperation, set fire to himself in front of the municipal building in Sidi Bouzid. His selfimmolation was not just an act of personal despair, but political too; a literal gesture that Tunisians’ livelihoods and freedom are burning. It is unsurprising that his act ignited the spirit of Tunisians. However, the fact this educated young man was driven to such a devastatingly painful and public end is a reminder that drastic change to improve the lives of those like him may be slow to take off. Alongside the thought of dozens of people already killed in protest, there is fear that the voices of the Tunisian people may be silenced by tear gas before the level of change they desire is reached. Despite all this, what Tunisia has started will not be forgotten. A domino effect is already being
seen in the region, most notably in Egypt, Jordan and Algeria. Corrupt political systems seem to be collapsing or at least under threat throughout the region.
“The uprisings in Tunisia offer hope for the prospects of its educated young population. Here, numerous education cuts and the rise in student fees will instead restrict and complicate young people’s chances of higher education ”
Tunisia is moving forward. In all this, it is hard not to compare the UK. While Tunisians have overthrown corrupt politicians, UK citizens are still reeling from the expenses scandal. As the Tunisian media is finally set free, the BBC World
Service receives news of cuts that will initiate the loss of 30 million people worldwide from reaching the balanced journalism that it offers. Tunisians are ousting their elite ruling class to be better represented politically. In the UK our government appears to be run by a narrowing social elite, as BBC broadcaster Andrew Neil observes. The uprisings in Tunisia offer hope for the prospects of its educated young population. Here, numerous education cuts and the rise in student fees will instead restrict and complicate young people’s chances of higher education. While hugely successful in Tunisia, our nationwide student protests in the UK - despite making some impact - were also frequently overlooked or misrepresented in the media due to the episodes at Millbank tower, and our voices seem to have been largely ignored. Although it may not succeed, Tunisia is at least determined not to return to the past. That’s already more than we can say for ourselves.
Berlusconi: the Silvio fox Another week, another sex scandal for the 74-year-old Italian Prime Minister. Say what you want about Cameron and Clegg, but at least they’re not paying weather girls for sex. Berlusconi is refusing to step down so we can enjoy more tales of his prostitute-filled parties, for another week at least. Randy Gray off to the Middle East? Reports suggest that former Sky Sports commentators Andy Gray and Richard Keys have been offered jobs by Qatar-based news agency Al-Jazeera. Good luck to the both of them. With strict rules outlawing lewd behaviour between men and women in Qatar I reckon the two of them might need it. Newsbeat’s ‘Booze Calculator’: How did you measure up? This week saw us all shrieking at the BBC’s ‘Booze Calculator’. It lovingly informed me that on Thursday night I drank the calorie equivalent of a slice of pizza, a burger, a hot dog and a doughnut. Gym bunnies, you have been warned.
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He’s just being Frank After being snubbed by the British Comedy Awards because of his increasingly rude, crude and lewd jokes, Henry Croft looks at why Frankie Boyle has fallen out of favour, and whether people need to just chill out?
Henry Croft
People are moaning about Frankie Boyle - again. Tramadol Nights, his recent TV show, has been flooded by a tsunami of complaints. This immediately strikes me as silly: complaining that Boyle’s jokes are distasteful is like tuning into Television X and taking offence at the relentless procession of sweaty, intermingled bodies. I find it hard to believe that the viewing public are so naive – surely people know what they are getting? That said, the fact that Jordan was amongst those lobbying complaints might explain the wisdom behind this backlash. She took offence at a joke Boyle made about her disabled son Harvey. Now for people that laughed
at that joke, me included, the amusement is not at the expense of the disabled child. It is a joke dipped in irony, its crosshair lodged firmly on Jordan’s vacuous, media-hungry agenda. If Boyle’s jokes were not underpinned with irony – if he meant every word he said - then his whole act would fall apart. After all, jokes that belittle the appearance of celebrities, if bereft of irony, do not work coming from a man whose own face resembles A n n e
Left: Boyle and his fetching beard
Robinson’s vagina. I say the further he blurs the borders of taste, the better. Art is there to be assaulted and twisted, for a reaction undercut by shock is better than feeling nothing whatsoever; that is to say, as Baudelaire once proposed, it is better, in a paradoxical way, to do evil than to do nothing: at least we exist. Now the currency of this contention might not be watertight in a court of law (if you’re charged with rape, waxing lyrically from The Flowers of Evil and claiming you did it to show the institutional banality of our society is not going to cut it), but c o m e d y,
however, is not a forum that should be anesthetised and swallowed up by inertia. I for one would rather be shocked and disorientated by edgy jokes than listen to Victoria Wood ramble on about her ovaries or hear an anecdote about someone’s ethnic upbringing. Most importantly though, we, as viewers, should not have our intelligence insulted by censors running roughshod over art. Comedy is subjective; in the end, our laughter is the ultimate litmus test. Regardless of personal preference, if Boyle is making anyone laugh then that should be all that matters. If people stop finding him funny he will quickly disappear; people won’t buy his DVDs or go to see his shows. However, we, as an audience, shouldn’t be told what to be offended by. No-one has the right to take offence - it’s just a gripe that has no conducive presence in our society.
Dressing for fashion or comfort? Or the battle against the fashion dictatorship? In light of the increasingly high amount spent on fashion each year, Bell Thomas asks who should control what we wear?
Bell Thomas
Isn’t it amazing the way some people think they know a whole lot about fashion? When their pinnacle of all things fashionable and chic is...wait for it…jeggings! Are you surprised? But why not? I’m not the one getting accosted at night clubs because some drunk girl had the balls to say out loud that I shouldn’t have bothered coming out tonight because my clothes were fugly! How do you recover from that? Easy! Buy another fashion magazine, look up the ‘What were
you thinking?’ section, just right where Katie Price reigns supreme as queen of fug, and think to yourself, “If she can pull off hot pink then so can I”. Critics ask “why”? But I ask “why not”? Who is society, sorry, Anna Wintour, to tell me what and what not to wear? After all, fashion is what I say it is. It’s all about expressing your feelings in a world of chaos where your only medium for expression is your clothes and accessories. I say it must be a good day for jeggings lovers out there; somewhere in this world, someone has saved the economy a lot of money by coming up with the novel idea of combining leggings and denim to form jeggings! You may be thinking, is this
tirade about jeggings? What on earth have jeggings ever done to you? It’s only the most comfortable piece of clothing in the world; right next to my very warm poncho and, of course, my snood.
“Who is society, sorry, Anna Wintour, to tell me what and what not to wear? After all, fashion is what I say it is”
Today’s fashion has also brought a new meaning to the phrase ‘wearing your heart on
your sleeve’. Gone are the days when we used to play hard to get. Oh no, I’m going to let my intentions be known as to what I’m going to do to you tonight. You think my shirt is outrageous? I dare you to find a shirt that can top off my ‘Me+you = bonking tonight’ T-shirt. Fashion is not just a random form of culture and Anna Wintour is not the devil. So the next time you get harassed by a group of drunk people on a night out, laughing at your clothes, just flick your hair, buy a magazine tomorrow, close your eyes and point at your next chic ensemble - still of course from the ‘What were you thinking’ page. I mean, you’ve got to get it right sometime. Right? A girl can dream.
Oscar nominations: why white only? Following the Oscar nomination announcements Concrete questions whether there needs to be a Hollywood racial quota?
Ellen Steers
The award season is upon us once again. Along with it comes the constant discussion of rightful nominees. The announcements of this year’s Oscar nominations were cloaked in a racial argument. For the first since 2001, the nominations saw no thespians of ethnic origins being recognised either on screen or off screen. The question of whether or not the Oscars now need to have a racial quota has been thrown about.
“True film fans out there should not be pre-occupied with the racial background of the stars”
It seems everyone has forgotten the acclaim that the independent film ‘Precious’ gained last year, with three nominations (Best Film, Best Director, Actress in a Leading Role) and a win for Mo’nique in her supporting role. If we were to look at the roles that these and other prestigious African Americans have taken in the last year perhaps this would explain the lack of nominations. For example, Gabourey Sibide and Mo’nique opted for roles in TV whilst Morgan Freeman and Jamie Foxx went for the comedy in ‘Red’ and ‘Due Date.’ True film fans out there should not be pre-occupied with the racial background of the stars and stories but the quality of what we are seeing. To nominate solely to meet a quota will diminish the credibility of the long-standing Oscars.
Have an opinionated itch you’re desperate to scratch? Email concrete.opinion@uea.ac.uk and we will get your voice heard
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SPECIAL
A modern classic? With the new ‘clean’ edition of Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn due to be published, Jonathan Parr examines the implications of removing racist attitudes from classic
Greg Mann
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ISSUE 251
S
ometime within the next month we will see the publication of a new edition of American author Mark Twain’s most celebrated work, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. However, this is not the Huckleberry Finn that we know; the publishers, NewSouth, are releasing a carefully sanitised version edited by Dr. Alan Gribben. This edition will not feature the language that has been the cause of the novel’s continuing controversy; the repeated use of a particularly insulting and derogatory term for the black characters has been removed, as has the use of the slight “Injun...” which will be replaced by Indian. On their website, NewSouth argue: “such language has caused Twain’s books to join the ranks of out-dated literary classics Twain once humorously defined as works ‘which people praise and don’t read.’” In today’s society, racism is never acceptable. Yet to try and remove it from books that deal with it, particularly if written in an era when such terms were prevalent, is nothing short of astounding. The unfortunate fact is that slavery is an indelible part of the history of the world, and more particularly American history. To try to view that part of history in contemporary standards is nonsense. Twain was writing throughout the 1800s and what he produced was a reflection of the time in which he lived. It is not for us, with our wisdom of hindsight to try to rewrite what he produced. Beyond being just a novel, it is a historical text and to try to cleanse it would be to rewrite history. There is much debate on how this will change the meaning of the novel itself. The characters who use the word in question are the repulsive and deeply vilified father and the two children who skip school. However, as Twain has chosen to make these characters the primarily racist figures, it seems obvious that he is ridiculing the institution of slavery and racism, especially when taken in context with the progress of the narrative. By removing the offensive terms, the novel loses its credibility and its impact as well as its sense. The proposal is to replace the offensive term with “slave...” Whilst still a word with negative connotations, the fact is that it could then be read as a mere statement. The characters referred to as “slaves...” were slaves; it becomes a statement of fact rather than an insult, which
Twain was writing throughout the 1800’s and what he produced was a reflection of the time in which he lived. It is not for us to rewrite what he produced.
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the more offensive term clearly is. Thus, whilst Twain was quite possibly making overt ridicule of those who carry racist attitudes, this new novel will read like a dry history textbook merely stating the facts of what happened without the critique attached to it. Twain left school shortly after he turned eleven. By all accounts, he was not an academic. He went on to occupy a number of manual jobs, which provided much inspiration for his writing. It is widely believed that he served briefly in the Confederate army during the Civil War. This does make the debate more difficult as the Confederate states fought primarily to maintain the institution of slavery. Nonetheless, the novel then becomes, if nothing more, a rendering of a certain period in American history and presents the ever-present stain that is the racism inherent in America, from a first-hand account. However, even a surface reading of the text would leave the reader in no doubt as to Twain’s feelings regarding race and slavery. So why have NewSouth seen fit to publish this new edition? Alan Gribben, the cleanser of the text, told Concrete that it was due to “the negative potency of that racial slur when uttered in our integrated classrooms in certain regions in the States.” He went on to say that he would not even try to convey any more meaning than this to a British student and so we, on this side of the Atlantic, must be left unable to understand. There can be no doubt that the use of the word does make conversation regarding the novel difficult in a classroom environment. However, this should not be a reason to avoid the issue. Other, far more unremittingly prejudiced works are taught in schools and universities and by not teaching it, or by trying to edit it, the issues removed are not solved. If anything it is damaging to the issue of equality as racism in the past is being judged to be something that people ought to try to forget. This can only be bad, as these issues ought to always be remembered so that they can be dealt with in the open, rather than made to be something that is wrong to talk about or to try to understand. If the youth are not taught about the mistakes that their ancestors made, or are taught to forget that it happened, then how are they to deal with this issue or one similar, when it does finally present itself in
Other, far more, prejudiced works are taught in schools and universities and by not teaching it, or by trying to edit it, the issues removed are not solved. If anything, it is more damaging.
their lives, and it inevitably will? It seems that to edit Twain is to do our contemporary world a service in keeping our hands clean. Like the tortured Lady Macbeth: “Here’s the smell of the blood still”. Literature has always stirred strong reactions in its audience, particularly over such issues as racism. The question of what makes a novel contentious is so subjective that opinions fly in all directions, meaning that a novel could be guilty itself of a controversial issue or it could be a subtle critique of that same subject, depending upon how the individual reader perceives it. However, seldom are works considered suitable to be rereleased and edited some 100 years after the book was written. Books attain a status that puts them somewhere beyond correction. But what makes a great work of fiction great? Why are some books beyond criticism? A book, in whatever category it falls, be it fiction or nonfiction, can be made to be more important than it might deserve by its own literary merit. This is often due to the circumstances in which it is published and then received. The current generation of writers are finding that their work is starting to be questioned regarding the automatism of the high status that their books receive upon release. The argument is that the works do not challenge the reader and that these writers turnout alarmingly similar material in terms of themes, plot and language. Here is a sort of tortoise and hare question. Twain received consistent notoriety for his written output. In his own day, Huckleberry Finn was denounced and widely banned for its perceived intention of encouraging certain behaviour in the country’s youth. Since then the racial aspects of the novel are what have, rightfully, been scrutinised. However, the fact remains that the book has survived. This is because it has done something which challenged the perceptions of the day and has continued to challenge us as readers. In Huckleberry Finn, Twain became one of the first, if not the very first, white writer to deal with the issue of slavery as an intrinsic aspect of his writing rather than just as a motif or scene setting device. No matter what opinion is taken as to the actual political and racial beliefs that Twain held, the fact that he questioned the racial sentiments of his day cannot be
denied. This is the tortoise to the hare of our own writers. The conclusion is that though Twain’s work is no doubt controversial, that does not mean that it ought to be subject to some professor with a godcomplex deciding that it is his right to cleanse it, or that it should not be read. If you are in disagreement with what Twain wrote then that’s great; he has challenged your views and made you think about the issue at hand and isn’t that more than can be said for some more contemporary writers? Literature should challenge and deal with issues and just because humanity may have changed its values, the written word cannot be expected to have adapted alongside it. Though here again and finally, we return to our friend Lady Macbeth, “What’s done cannot be undone...” Though were Gribben to have his way, I’m sure that he’d say that this was not the case and try to edit it out of the text.
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SPECIAL
Behind closed doors
Adam Fenwick takes a look at the controversial and often secretive world of film classification “Getting head whilst driving on the M25!”
“On the car in front of my house using a vibrating strap-on” “Vomiting on someone’s penis”
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I
n today’s society, you’d be forgiven for thinking that we’d become more tolerant. But film censorship in Britain and the United States is still a big part of their respective film industries. Few people know about the role of censors before the film they are watching has been released. But do censors still have a role in these modern times, or has the act of censorship become out-dated? Britain’s film classification authority is the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) who rate cinematic and home movie releases based on their content. In recent years, their classification guidelines have become more tolerant. However, this wasn’t always the case. Back in the 1980s, the Thatcher government introduced the Video Recordings Act which required all films to be classified by the BBFC. This was in response to the growing number of ‘video nasties’, a collection of somewhat objectionable video material of which the sole intention was to shock audiences. Surprisingly, the BBFC cut scenes from many of these releases and banned others altogether. Although the Video Recordings Act is not in effect today, the BBFC continue to classify all releases and the majority of previously banned ‘video nasties’ have been classified, re-released and marketed at ‘previously-banned’ to sell more copies. The board that classify films in the UK consists of a team of people that watch upcoming releases every day. There is no
secrecy as to who they are; they can be found on the BBFC website and the public can find out why a particular release was given a certain certificate. The situation in America, however, is a very different picture. The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) is the board’s equivalent in the US, but it has managed to attract a large amount of criticism since its introduction. The people who classify the films are unknown to the public. They comprise of an apparently random selection of the general public but their names are never released. The 2006 documentary This Film is Not Yet Rated explores the criticisms of the MPAA. The filmmakers attempt to find out the identities of the board.
The Motion Picture Association of America is comprised of a secretive group of unknown individuals who classify all films for general release.
They also found out that the people who classify films have children over the age of eighteen or no children at all, which contradicts the association’s previous statement which suggests that the board predominantly consists of parents of children between the ages of five and seventeen. The American rating system can cause a problem for film distributors. Ratings for more
adult-themed releases can be given a ‘Restricted’ or ‘NC-17’ classification. ‘Restricted’ allows under 17’s to be accompanied by an adult whilst ‘NC-17’ does not allow anyone seventeen and under to be admitted. Whilst this may seem unimportant (similar to the UK’s ’15’ and ‘18’ ratings), in America this can be the death of certain cinematic releases. If a film is awarded an ‘NC-17’ classification it cannot be advertised on TV at certain times, it is less likely to be picked up by a distributor and past evidence suggests that releases with this rating are likely to make significantly less money compared to ‘Restricted’ rated films. With the board’s secrecy regarding its marking criteria and the identity of the people who rate films, it is incredibly easy to make releases they believe are inappropriate to fail financially. The film This Film is Not Yet Rated was awarded the highest ‘NC-17’ rating because it contained brief nudity. Or was the real reason because the MPAA did not want the public to know how it operated? The British and American boards are worlds apart, but this does not mean that we should be thankful for the British system. Censorship is an inherent part of film as well as media in general. It can be a force for good, to protect those most vulnerable in society, and also a negative thing, to restrict material that a chosen few believes is too inappropriate for the rest of us.
ISSUE 251
I love New York in the winter time From window-shopping along Fifth Avenue, to ice-skating in Central Park and chowing down on clam chowder at Grand Central Station, Georgie Adolpho-Couling heads to a wintry New York City.
There is nothing New York City loves more than putting on a show; from the neon eye candy of Times Square to the glittery cityscape views from the 86th floor of the Empire State Building. Manhattan, the all-singing, all-dancing star of the show, will give you plenty of opportunities to be struck silent in wonder. As long as you’re armed with a good pair of gloves and some sensible walking boots, there is no reason to be afraid of visiting Manhattan during the winter; not only will you find the queues for major attractions to be almost non-,.existent, but it is more than likely that you will be generously sprinkled with New York snow, and what is more enchanting than taking a stroll through Central Park amid rows of snow-topped elm trees? Make the experience unforgettable with a visit to the Wollman Ice Rink, located on the south east side of the park. It is open to tourists from November to March and with closing hours extending to as late as 11pm; being cradled
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by a backdrop of skyscrapers as you glide across the ice is a perfect way to make the most of those chilly New York evenings. To get the best out of a short stay in the city, get up and out of the hotel as quickly as possible, making sure you’re fuelled with a hearty American breakfast involving vast amounts of maple syrup and armed with a trusty guidebook or two hidden in your coat pocket. For $2.50 you can get a single subway ride to anywhere in the city. Grand Central Terminal at 42nd Street and Park Avenue is
“...what is more enchanting than taking a stroll through Central Park amid rows of snowtopped elm trees? ”
a short walk from Central Park and a must-see for tourists, not only for its beautiful architecture but for a quick and affordable lunch at the oyster bar underneath the station. With its stunningly lit domed ceiling and choice of 26 different types of oyster, you will forget that you’re inside the terminal until a subway train rattles above your head! Order the New England Clam Chowder for a memorable dining experience. There are plenty of things to see when in mid-town Manhattan; the Museum of Natural History and the Museum of Modern Art are a perfect way to satisfy a cultural craving, whilst a waltz down Fifth Avenue will leave you gazing longingly into the extravagantly lit shop windows wondering whether anyone would mind if you spent your entire
student loan on a Louis Vuitton handbag or a pair of Italian leather loafers. But you can always cheer yourself up with a two dollar hot dog or a giant pretzel from one of the thousands of street stalls dotted around the city! Take the subway to Battery Park to experience one of the city’s greatest bargains – the Staten Island Ferry. For no charge at all, you can hop on the ferry to enjoy the mesmerizing views of the Manhattan sky line. Alternatively, if you fancy a more interactive tour of the Statue of Liberty for no more than $15, ferries depart from Battery Park every thirty minutes and take you on a round trip stopping at both Ellis Island and Liberty Island for as long as you please. Like any city, Manhattan comes alive after dark. Step into Times Square at night and you’ll feel as though Sarah Jessica Parker will be along any minute to join you for a drink. If you want to take yourself away from the hustle and bustle of mid-town, make your way to the heart of Greenwich Village, once known as the Bohemian capital. On 115 Macdougal street, you will find a small underground club called Cafe Wha? Don’t be put off by the dimly lit staircase - this brilliant club is where prodigies like Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix made their first appearances. With its sensational house band covering everything from jazz to rock, they will undoubtedly satisfy your every musical need. Order a big plate of nachos and sing along to your favourite songs. By the end of the night you will have burnt off all those extra calories, dancing til dawn in the city that never sleeps.
Enter the Exeter experience Poppy Jones
Travel Writer
Exeter is the small, friendly and historic regional capital of Devon in south west England and is perfect for a weekend away. The cathedral makes a good start to any visit, dating back over eight centuries. On the outside, elaborate patterns and sculptures cover the building, while the interior has recently been restored. The cathedral’s stained glass is some of the finest in the country and it boasts a ceiling that is the longest and most intact of its kind in the world. From there, head to Exeter’s historic quayside for a stroll down the river. Stop for lunch at a pretty little café and admire Custom House, Exeter’s oldest brick building and the many restored Victorian warehouses. For something a bit more adventurous, try exploring the passages beneath the city’s streets. These were originally created in the fourteenth century to provide the city with fresh drinking water but today, the tunnels provide one of Exeter’s most fascinating attractions. For food and drink, The Old Firehouse is an extremely popular
venue featuring several rooms of rustic design with a lively ambience, setting it somewhere between a cosy pub and a late-night bar. The pizzas here are huge, delicious and not to be missed; perfect for late-night snacking with your mates. A quirkier bar is Mama Stone’s, a live music locale owned by the mother of Joss Stone. Cheerful and brightly decorated in an ethnic style, it provides relaxing sofas and excellent entertainment. For a real Exeter experience, try heading to Gandy Street for some intriguing shopping. This narrow, cobbled Saxon street is home to various peculiar little shops which are great fun to explore. Allegedly, J. K. Rowling based Diagon Alley from Harry Potter on Gandy Street, so if that’s not an incentive to the curious visitor, what is? Here then, are some of the highlights of Exeter: a charming city which is just waiting to be explored.
Top travel tips: Delve into Delhi Sula Deane
Travel writer
There are three great things about Delhi: you can leave by plane, bus or train. ‘Smelly’ Delhi certainly lives up to its name. The stench of human faeces clings to the back of your throat and mingles into the sweat of millions of breathing bodies, making for a pungent aroma. To the locals you are nothing but a shiny rupee, which they will try anything to rinse out of you. They assume you are a billionaire, which in a sense you are in this sadly impoverished and overpopulated place. As a result, you soon learn to take on the unfortunate mentality of distrust. Arriving and staying here as green as peas is a sure ticket to getting swindled, which could put a dreary spell on the rest of your adventure. So plan everything you can in advance, and don’t be afraid to say ‘no’ to people. Always remember there are no shortcuts here, so it’s best to be wary of anybody offering you one, as they may be charging extra. Learn to haggle as this is the only way to secure a good price. Shop owners
assume you will barter with them and look almost disappointed when you don’t. For such a lively and fastpaced place, the best way to really enjoy it is to jump right in, so give them a good run for your money and get those bargains going! Finally, to avoid unwanted fuss, ask to be dropped at a neutral point near your intended destination by your rickshaw driver, who could have deals with travel agencies and shops. However, don’t be put off by any of this. Delhi is most certainly an experience and is a unique city that you can never forget.
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One man’s rubbish is another man’s gold
The fringe pursuit of Freeganism or ‘dumpster diving’ is gradually becoming a more mainstream pursuit amongst UEA students Susanna Wood
Lifestyle writer
Buying food for yourself is one of the big lifestyle changes that students have to face when starting university. This is more of a challenge than people realise; prices are rising, and paying £1.50 for a loaf of bread suddenly seems like a lot of money. Students are always on the lookout for a bargain, but some have begun to take this one step further. ‘Freegan’ is a word used to describe someone who trawls through bins to find edible foodstuffs that have been thrown away by businesses such as supermarkets, cafes and bakeries. Businesses tend to err on the side of caution rather than risking selling food that has even the slightest risk of being dangerous to the consumer, which is why they create so much waste food. While for some foods - such as eggs - it is probably best to follow the ‘useby’ date, a lot of food is still fine for several days after. It is this sort of food that is treasure to the discerning freegan. Tom Gegg, a second year student at UEA who is studying Environmental Geography and International Development, started rummaging in bins when he moved into a shared house at the start of the academic year. “We haven’t bought bread in months!” He told Concrete proudly. “We also get lots of vegetables that a local organic
veg shop throws out.” A lot of people who ‘dumpster dive’ do it not just for financial reasons, but also because of awareness that food waste is a serious environmental issue. It is estimated that we throw away about a quarter of the food we buy, and much of this waste ends up in landfill. Tom also told us that his degree inspired him to find alternative ways of buying food. “It’s really exciting to get food that should be thrown away and make something tasty from it; I get a real thrill out of that.” With the catering business dominated by large corporations, it is reassuring that some large companies, such as Pret-A-
Manger, are beginning to organise schemes to give away their waste. However, while these companies have large resources it also means that problems of insurance and bureaucracy prevent the waste food getting to people who would appreciate it.
“people... do it not just for financial reasons”
A scheme to tackle this problem has just arrived in Norwich: Food Cycle. Driven by volunteers, Food Cycle is a country-wide organisation which takes the waste food from companies and turns it
Graduate prospects in the army Concrete examines a life changing career choice: joining the army James Dixon
Lifestyle editor
In the last couple of weeks, Norwich has experienced a recruitment push from the armed forces with a large amount of advertising visible on bus stops around the city. Job prospects for graduates are currently poor due to the economic climate. One career choice that can provide reliable employment and opportunities for promotion is a career in the armed forces. The army offers a chance to travel, a sense of camaraderie and a dependable pension. Graduates can apply to the Army Officer Selection Board to enter the forces as an officer, which involves developing a person’s skills in
leadership. The Board assesses the applicant’s intellectual capabilities and practical skills. If successful, the applicant begins an eleven month training course at Sandhurst Royal Military Academy. After completing their training at Sandhurst the Officer will then serve a three-year short commission in the field of duty. If a graduate is qualified in certain professional areas such as healthcare or law they may be eligible to complete an intensive four week training course instead of the standard eleven month training course. There are many jobs in the army that do not involve service on the front line as the armed forces have a great demand for people specialising in logistics, information technology
and engineering. Degrees in any of these three areas are highly valued in the armed forces as warfare becomes more entwined with modern technology. There is a certain moral question involved with joining the armed forces though. With multiple roles in controversial conflicts such as Iraq and Afghanistan, a person involved in the armed forces is essentially a cog in a machine with a great capacity for destruction. The Iraq war saw many casualties on both sides. Man’s capacity to kill one another is not something to be proud of. A person considering entering the armed forces must question their own morals and decide whether it is the right choice for them.
into healthy, cheap meals. It won the Prime Minister’s Big Society Award last week, with David Cameron praising it as a “simple but brilliant idea”. Political doubts about endorsement from the Prime Minister aside, it is still fantastic that Food Cycle is getting backing from the government. Hannah Walker, a student at UEA who is helping out with Food Cycle, told Concrete: “I have gone ‘dumpster diving’ before, though I can’t help but see it as fad-ish, like one of those things middle class kids do for kicks! The Food Cycle project is a more sustainable, realistic idea of how Freeganism can be ‘done’ in everyday life… food waste seems to sum up all the worst characteristics of consumerism - greed, indulgence
and excess. Food Cycle is a step in the opposite direction, as well as forming a community which serves others and has a lot of fun doing it.” Want to try the freegan way of life for yourself? Start checking out the bins of your local supermarket after they’re put out, usually after 1am. Don’t be put off if you’re unsuccessful; it will come as no surprise that there is a lot of rubbish in bins, but with a bit of perseverance you will soon start finding gems. If a bin is locked or protected by barbed wire, maybe it’s best to avoid it. If this all sounds a bit much, you could start by getting a free meal from Food Cycle, which meets at 7.00pm on Fridays at the Friends Meeting House off St Giles Street.
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Tuesday 1st February
Concrete’s collection of culinary building blocks Crispy potato wedges with a honey and mustard dip Curious courgette cake
Emma Williamson
Lifestyle writer
Homemade potato wedges These rustic wedges are the perfect side to any meal, or even just a gourmet snack. Cheaper than chips, these require far less fat than their deep-fried counterpart and make a delicious healthy alternative. Ingredients: • Three Maris Piper potatoes • Sunflower oil • Two cloves of garlic • Rosemary (fresh or dried) • Salt • Pepper
Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees
Celsius and place an oven tray inside to heat.
2. Wash and dry the potatoes and then cut them into wedges. 3. When the oven has warmed up, take out the oven tray and drizzle with sunflower oil.
4. Place the wedges in the tray and shake to ensure that the oil has been distributed evenly, covering all of the wedges. 5. Crush and dice the garlic, then sprinkle it evenly over the wedges. Add the rosemary, salt and pepper and shake the tray once again. 6. Place the tray in the oven and cook for 25 minutes until golden
brown. Serve immediately. Honey and mustard dip
This dip will compliment your wedges perfectly, and can also be used to go with pizza, salads and pork dishes. Ingredients: • A quarter of a cup of mayonnaise • One tablespoon of honey • One tablespoon of lemon • One tablespoon of mustard
Method: 1. Whisk all ingredients in a small bowl until all lumps are gone. Add more mayonnaise to thicken.
The perils and empty chasms of extreme dieting
For the topping: • 200g icing sugar • 50g soft butter • 100g cream cheese • 1 tsp vanilla essence
Method: 1. Grease a cake tin and preheat the oven to 200°C. 2. Cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. 3. Add the eggs and flour at alternate intervals until both have been fully absorbed into the mixture. 4. Beat in the cinnamon and vanilla, followed by the courgettes, raisins and nuts. 5. Spoon the mixture into your cake tin and cook for one hour, lowering the oven temperature to 150°C for the final half hour. 6. Mix together the topping ingredients until the mixture is a pale golden colour and smooth in consistency. 7. Leave the cake to cool for half an hour and then spread the topping across the cake using a flat knife. 8. Decorate with nuts, raisins and grated courgette.
intake, small changes can make a big difference; one extra biscuit a week can lead you to gain 5lb a year – cut that out of your diet and you could lose the same amount. However, perhaps embracing our natural shape is what’s more important. With constant bombardment of
celebrity mags and advertising involving ‘perfect’ and impossibly thin models it can be easy to forget reality. The average English man is 5ft 9ins (1.75m) tall and weighs 13.2st (185lbs/83.9kg) while the average woman is 5ft 3½ins (1.62m) tall and weighs 11st (155lbs/70.2kg).
Laura Razavi
Lifestyle writer
This recipe makes two loaf cakes or one large round cake. Ingredients For the cake: • 225g courgettes, grated • 140g soft butter • 250g caster sugar • 300g self-raising flour • 4 eggs, beaten • 140g seedless raisins • 85g chopped nuts • 2 tsp ground cinnamon • 2 tsp vanilla essence
Kristina Stephens looks into the bizarre and worrying world of fad dieting It will be news to few people that there is increasing pressure, coming from ever-growing obsession with celebrity culture, to have the perfect body, and whilst girls might be expected to have curves in all the right places, that still means skinny. Consequently this has led to the growing trend of the ‘fad diet’, idiosyncratic diets and eating patterns which promote shortterm weight loss, at the detriment of long-term weight maintenance, and denying health concerns. These bizarre eating plans enjoy temporary popularity as they offer instant results for those who can’t face healthy eating and exercise, which would provide a more sustainable effect. The celebrities are all at it;
Beyonce favours the ‘Master Cleanse’, which has been labelled a “terrifying and potentially dangerous diet” involving ten days of no solid foods. It is famed for purportedly assisting her drop 20 pounds in two
“a...potentially dangerous diet”
weeks by consuming a concoction of homemade lemonade, maple syrup, water, and Cayenne pepper. Wholesome America’s sweethearttype Reece Witherspoon, has been said to have lost weight fast on a diet of baby-food. By feeding yourself mashed up food intended for an infant, with less than 600 calories per day, your body is being
seriously deprived of what it needs. Victoria Beckham’s lithe figure is no easy feat; Victoria, a shadow of her former spice-girls self has been reported to live on a diet of soya beans, strawberries, and lettuce, and to drink two pints of an algae and seaweed smoothie every day. These diets can severely restrict calories required by the body, and the types of food ‘allowed’ can lead you to be deficient in the nutrients and vitamins that your body needs. If weight-loss is your goal, make sure it involves healthier eating and greater levels of activity, which can be sustained. Burn the bus pass, as even light exercise, such as a short walk or cycle into town or campus, will be beneficial if done most days of the week. And when it comes to calorie
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concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk
Cocktail Society Ellen Steers Cocktail Society Secretary
If you are looking for a society that will keep your diary booked up with socials throughout term time, look no further than the Cocktail Society. As one of the largest societies at UEA, we guarantee that by the time you leave, you’ll have made even more friends and had some fantastic nights out. For £4, a member can receive an exclusive membership card that gets discounts at bars and clubs all around Norwich. Your nights out won’t be the same after getting one of these cards. The staple in our society is the fortnightly Monday lessons held at Essence. Taught by the cocktail connoisseur, Andrew Stallion, for either £3 or £9, you and friends are treated to an evening behind the bar: tasting, making and creating your own cocktails. The main event this term is when over 100 students will be embarking on an eventful weekend in Amsterdam! Along with universities from all over the country, students can forget their deadline woes and just enjoy a good and memorable
weekend away with all their friends. Along with the lessons, we also offer many other socials, including pub golf and scavenger hunts through our delightful city of Norwich. We never leave a term without a big celebration, whether it’s a meal at
We never leave a term without a big celebration, whether
it’s a meal at The Library or a
good ol’ party. Each term goes out with a bang when you’re with us!
The Library or a good ol’ party. Each term goes out with a bang when you’re with us! If you are at all tempted to come and see what we are all about then get in touch via our Facebook group or email cocsoc. uea@gmail.com.
Interested in saving money and the environment? At Edenel Toners we sell a wide range of recycled printer ink cartridges suitable for all major printer brands. These are manufactured to the same quality standards (i.e. ISO 9001; ISO/IEC 24711) as original branded printer ink cartridges, but are up to 50 % cheaper. We also provide free UK delivery.
So if you are interested in saving money on your printer ink cartridges and reducing your carbon footprint, then why not visit us at
www.edeneltoners.com
Is your future looking bright? What to do after university is a major headache for many students. What opportunities are out there? How do I get my foot in the door? Your search for that perfect job has just got a little easier this year with the establishment of UEA Bright Futures Society. The Society is part of a national non-profit organisation which works with some of the UK’s top graduate employers at campuses across the country. By hosting events with employers such as BT, IBM, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Barclays and Deloitte, Bright Futures gives you the opportunity to impress the right people. We offer our members the chance to network with recruiters and improve their employability skills, increasing your chances of gaining an internship or job. Several UEA students this year have already been offered work experience after impressing employers at a Bright Futures event. The High Flyers report, The Graduate Market in 2011, published this month revealed that ‘a third of the vacancies that [graduate employers] are promoting for 2011 are expected to be filled by undergraduates who have had previous work experience with their organisations, such as internships, industrial placements,
vacation schemes or sponsorships’. That is a lot of jobs being filled by people who got their foot in the door early! Be one of them by joining the Bright Futures Society for only £3 at one of our events. For more information go to www.bright-futures.org.uk or join our Facebook group. We are also looking for students willing to take over the Society next year. A committee position offers access to unique events and opportunities, such as an Accenture mentoring scheme, along with training in job hunting, personal branding and networking from the national team, plus it looks great on your CV. For a committee position you must be a member of or join the Society, please email g.zamo@uea.ac.uk for more information.
ISSUE 251
concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk
“Virgins are not a precious commodity” Dear Concrete,
In reading the headline to last edition’s feature article entitled “Is virginity an issue for university students?’” I was expecting a sensible look at sexuality’s innate subjectivity. The idea that although we live in a society where we are pressured into a prescribed sexual lifestyle, we should aim to feel comfortable enough in ourselves to peruse whatever sexual activities we wish to proudly. I didn’t expect what was published, which was a diatribe on the evils of sex. The initial use of the supposed regret of teenagers was doubtful at best and disingenuous at worst. The fact that a majority of teenagers think they should have lost their virginity later on in life (or perhaps with a different person) does not equal them wishing that they had never had sex. But rather that they’ve bought into the idea that there is one universally correct time, place and scenario to begin having sex - either that or they want to ruin it for younger kids who may want to have sex around the same time they did. Either way I wouldn’t take their word for it. Whilst it’s not contentious that today’s media sexualise anything it can get its hands on, the corporate version of sexuality – like a lot of corporate versions of most things – is one dimension, controlling and bland. The correct response for someone wishing to subvert this standardised homogeneous sexual culture is not to replace it with another equally detrimental one. Sex is a natural process and lust is as normal an urge as hunger; and as the problem with food is only found in the obese and the anorexic, sexual urges only become a problem when we can’t handle them properly. The main fallacy here is that ‘virginity’ is something real or medically recognisable, it is in fact a social construct. An idea created by those who saw that their daughters – and control of them – had value. Virginity and sexual conduct is in this way a woman’s price tag, why else is ‘slut’ an insult? Whilst I’m sure there are people who feel they have the right to presume to pry into their partners’ previous sex lives, there are others who respect their partners enough to not regard pursuing a healthy sex life before you met them as “sordid”. An attitude which again, smacks of a wish to control people, to own them, to have exclusivity over an aspect of their personality and actions. Virgins are not a precious commodity as the flip-side of that is that sexually active people are damaged goods. It is this attitude that leads to the forms of female slavery that occur around the world and have been incarnated most disturbingly in the “daddy-daughter balls” - a strange ceremony which takes place analogous only to marriage as a daughter (usually around ten years old) pledges freehold over her sexual organs to her father, as only he can give her permission to use them. Call me a hedonist but the idea of my parents having a say over my sex life just sounds messy. This is not anger at someone who wishes to remain a virgin, as previously stated, everyone’s sexuality and preferences are their own. Rather it is anger at people and organisations who view
LETTERS & EDITORIAL 19
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Letters
Concrete wants to hear from you. Whether you have read something you agree or disagree with in Concrete, or just have something you want to say to the students of UEA, we want to hear what you have to say.
Just email concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk
‘Innocent until proven guilty’: A response. Dear Editor, Having read the article entitled ‘Innocent until proven guilty?’, Issue 250 about what was called “Police brutality”, I was a little disappointed to say the least. Firstly, it was stated that Edward Woollard (the protestor sentenced under Section 2 of the Public Order act) had “hurt no one.” Had the fire extinguisher he threw hit someone, it wouldn’t have been hard to see a murder charge being brought forward. How would the writer have felt if a relative had been killed by Woollard? I fail to see how the sentence was unjustified. Your writer claims that law and order criminalises ordinary citizens over “imaginings of what might have happened.” The truth of the matter is that when a police officer is put in a position where a use of force is necessary, they act within the confines of the law. Naturally, mistakes are sometimes made as is the case with any job and is not in any way intentional. However, the violence shown towards the very same
Guilty: Woollard’s actions, for which he was jailed, have provoked heated debate among students
officers by students that day was not lawful and was certainly intentional. Furthermore, the legal system which charges those who break the law acts on evidence not allegiance or some form of totalitarianism as is suggested. As a Special Constable with Norfolk Constabulary myself, I found the article very offensive to the hard work I and many other caring individuals put in every week to make Norwich safer for my fellow students. If Mr Jack Brinded has a dislike for the Police that is, of course, entirely up to him, opinions are
a progressive, positive thing. However, it should not be presented as the generalised opinion of Concrete or indeed of the student population at large. I believe other opinions should be sought before articles of this sort are published. It was biased, offensive, and in my opinion blatantly over-politicised. Concrete does really good work to report on student matters and I do enjoy reading it despite my current misgivings. Anon.
those of us who wish to express our sexuality with each other as wrong or damaged in some way. This is coupled with a feeling that maybe if we want a healthier sexual culture we should empower children with knowledge and teach them to trust themselves and believe in their own choices, rather than the disgusting idea of viewing lack of sexual activity as a commodity to be traded, exploited and used. Matthew Taylor
PO BOX 410, NORWICH, NORFOLK, NR4 7TJ 01603 593466
Concrete is published by UUEAS Concrete Society ©2010 Concrete. ISSN 1351-2773 Letters should be addressed for the attention of the Editor, Danny Collins. Letters must include contact details, but we will consider anonymous publication. We reserve the right to edit for length and clarity as necessary. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the Publisher or Editor.
No part of this newspaper may be reproduced through any means without the express permission of the Editor, Danny Collins. Printed by Archant.
So, it turns out that our friends across the pond at The New York Times are rather fond of Norwich; and with the little winding streets of the city, it really isn’t that hard to see why.
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Nelson Court leads Switch Off rankings • Nelson leads Browne and Suffolk Terrace as student energy-saving competition reaches its halfway point • Student carbon emissions reduced by over 45 tonnes Neil Jennings
Student Switch Off
Students living in halls of residence have made a great start in the Student Switch Off energysaving campaign. In the first term, energy usage in Halls reduced by 12.2% compared to the baseline usage. Together, students have reduced carbon emissions by over 45 tonnes, which is equivalent to leaving a 15 watt energy-saving light bulb on for over 600 years! It just goes to show that small actions can make a real difference in the fight against climate change. The savings have been brought about largely as a result of the actions of the 400+ students in halls who have pledged to use their energy carefully. These students have been switching off lights and appliances when not in use, putting lids on pans when cooking and not overfilling their kettles. As an incentive to adopt these simple energy-saving actions, the Student Switch Off has been giving out Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, tickets to the LCR as well as energy-saving gadgets. Currently leading the way in the competition is Nelson Court, followed by Browne and
Suffolk Terrace; but the campaign continues until the end of the academic year, so there’s plenty of time for things to change and there are loads more prizes to be won. There have been a few difficulties with meters in some of the halls so unfortunately we don’t know how all the halls have done. Richard Bettle, UEA Environment Manager, said: “I’ve been really impressed by the enthusiasm that UEA students have shown in getting involved. It provides a heartening example of the responsible attitude the next generation of young adults have towards our environment”. The Student Switch Off is a national campaign running in 37 Universities this year. Neil Jennings, the campaign founder and former UEA student, said: ‘Students from UEA are contributing to a national campaign making significant environmental and financial savings across the UK, and playing a part in the fight against climate change’. For more information on the scheme check out www. studentswitchoff.org. If you’re living in halls and want the chance of winning Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, LCR tickets and eco-gadgets then join the “UEA Student Switch Off ” Facebook group.
Turned on?: Nelson Court certainly are, as they lead the UEA Student Switch Off standings
The unfair fuel stabiliser
• Hester Lee questions the implications of the proposed new measure to combat high fuel prices Hester Lee
Turf Reporter
When leafing through the Conservative Manifesto for 2010, the ‘Fair Fuel Stabiliser’, the brainchild of Danny Alexander, is to be found, tucked somewhere in between pledges to ‘reform energy markets’ and ‘deliver investment in low-carbon energy’. While it’s not technically one of the many coalition Government’s green proposals, it is undoubtedly indicative of their attitude towards renewable energy sources. The Fair Fuel Stabiliser (FFS) demonstrates the desperation
with which the Government are clinging to crude oil for transport, and the neglect of viable public transport as opposed to the insular bubble of the car. The thrust of the current proposal is to reduce the impact of rising crude oil prices that are, according to Cameron, ‘incredibly painful for families’. This philanthropic veneer is somewhat farcical given the fact that while prices at the pumps may not rise hugely over short spaces of time, neither will they fall from their current position; the idea being that fuel duty increases when wholesale prices are low, in order to counteract
the reduction in duty when they are high. While organisations such as the Federation for Small Businesses are calling for a fair fuel stabiliser to help reduce the cost of transport for small business, it is possible that they are overestimating the impact it would make. This, again, is diverting attention away from other possibilities within the field of transport. Charles Hendry, Minister for Energy and Climate Change, agrees that ‘we would do well to look into taking the train whenever possible’. While projects such as the high-speed rail link
and other radical developments continue, public transport will continue to become less accessible and more price-driven. Even without the FFS it is still cheaper to drive from Norwich to London with three people than it is for those three to take the train. Instead of fuel duty exemptions, the Government must be pressured to exert their majority shareholder position in the privatised railways in order to prevent above-inflation price rises which discourage the public from using open transport. In the words of the CEO of First Travel, we are now witness to a ‘commercial
service to the public’, rather than a public service. Adjustments within the realm of public transport are just a few ways of reducing both carbon emissions and fiscal impact to families of rising fuel prices; schemes such as car shares do what they can to increase efficiency and decrease costs, but this needs to be reinforced by strong government policy that, instead of a flat rate duty freeze, incrementally taxes more inefficient and indulgent modes of transport and puts the ‘public’ back into public transport. FFS? For F***’s Sake.
ISSUE 251
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Tuesday 1st February
‘There’s only two Norwich Citys...’ No Djoke for Murray Canaries strengthen their community bonds with brand new venture Freddie Magee
Sports Correspondent
Grant Holt had better watch his back - there may soon be a few new challengers to his No.9 shirt. The Norwich City Down’s Syndrome football team has been founded this month by the Norwich City Community Sports Foundation (CSF), and held its first training session on Saturday Picture courtesy of Archant Publishing
January 22nd at City College. Twenty young people aged between 5 and 25 attended the session, during which they were able to hone their footballing skills under the watchful eyes of the CSF coaches. The initiative was started in 2006 by DSActive (Down’s Syndrome Active) in partnership with the Fulham FC Foundation, a charitable branch of the London-
Enthusiastic: The inaugural training session enjoyed a promising turnout
based Premier League club. The programme has since seen huge growth with 11 clubs, including West Ham, Ipswich Town and QPR, now participating up and down the country. Scott Pollington-Woods, football development officer at DSActive said: “The overall aim is to get as many people with Down’s syndrome playing and enjoying football”. The presence of CSF mascot Sportasaurus certainly brightened up everyone’s day. The green and yellow dinosaur posed for pictures and dished out hugs to all who were interested. There are already rumoured to be plans for the team to play an introductory match against local rivals Ipswich. If Saturday’s session at City College is anything to go by, then people with Down’s syndrome in the Norwich area can look forward to an exciting future in football.
BUCS Results
SATURDAY 22ND JANUARY Badminton UEA Men’s I Coventry Men’s I
7 1
Badminton Warwick Men’s I UEA Men’s I
7 1
WEDNESDAY 26TH JANUARY
Basketball Northampton Men’s I UEA Men’s I
Football UEA Men’s I Loughborough Men’s III
THE
INDEX
Every issue this term, we’ll be running a comparative table of UEA’s sports teams as listed on the BUCS website, www.bucs.org.uk www.bucs.org.uk.. The table compares the various teams UEA �ields in university sports by win percentage and points difference. Win percentage (furthest-right column) is the primary means of sorting the teams, with games won serving as the tie-breaker.
Matt Scrafton
Sports Correspondent
World number three Novak Djokovic proved too strong for Britain’s Andy Murray, as the 23-year-old Serbian won his second Australian Open �inal. Djokovic completed a straight set rout (6-4, 6-2, 6-3), having entirely outclassed Murray and leaves the Scot still searching for his �irst Grand Slam title. Sunday’s match completed what has been an excellent tournament for Djokovic, who came through against number two seed Roger Federer on his way to lifting the trophy. Djokovic was the aggressor from start to �inish, dominating the long and brutal rallies and maintaining a superb �irst serve percentage. Murray was quickly worn down and out-hit by Djokovic, who moved exceptionally throughout the match. The �inal was perhaps the most one-sided affair since Andre Agassi thrashed Rainer Schuettler in 2003, and Murray could do little to prevent the Serbian taking control. Many will doubtless attribute Murray’s defeat to a lack of mental toughness, however it certainly appears that Djokovic is simply the superior player.
“Murray was worn down and out-hit by Djokovic”
It may also be suggested, given the absence of the top two seeds from the �inal, that the 2011 Australian Open has witnessed a ‘changing of the guard’ in men’s
77 65
Disappointed: Roddick exited early
tennis. Whilst this is doubtful, one can’t help but feel that the end is nigh for several familiar �igures. With newcomers such as Alexandr Dolgopolov and Australia’s very own Bernard Tomic at the start of their potentially fruitful careers, experienced players such as Nikolay Davydenko, David Nalbandian, Lleyton Hewitt and Andy Roddick all had wayward tournaments. On the women’s side of the tour, Roddick’s American compatriot Venus Williams continued her unwanted statistic of not holding a title for three years. Instead Kim Clijsters was victorious, defeating China’s Li Na in three sets. Meanwhile Justine Henin was forced to retire from the sport for the second time, following a recurrence of a niggling elbow injury. The Belgian, winner of seven Grand Slam titles during her impressive career, �irst quit tennis in 2008, at which time she was world number one, before returning to the WTA Tour in January 2010.
4 0
Hockey Birmingham Women’s IV 4 UEA Women’s I 1 Netball Leicester I UEA I
Rugby Nottingham Men’s VI UEA Men’s II
Tennis Notts Trent Women’s I UEA Women’s I
28 47 58 24 8 4
In BUCS this week: February 2nd is another big homestand for UEA’s sporting elite, with Football Men’s I and Women’s I, Rugby Men’s I and Men’s II, Hockey Men’s I and Women’s I, Netball I and Tennis
Men’s I all at home. Much of the action will be taking place at Colney Lane, with �ive UEA teams getting matches underway at 2pm. Elsewhere, Basketball Men’s I travel to Anglia Ruskin and Rugby Women’s I visit Northampton.
Second time lucky: Victory just as sweet for Djokovic after 2008 triumph
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U:EA
Update: East Anglia Chris Teale
Sports Correspondent
Norwich City continued their good run of form with a 2-1 victory over Shef�ield United at Bramall Lane thanks to two goals f r o m Andrew Crofts (inset, right). The �irst half was a very evenlymatched contest, which the scoreline of 0-0 at halftime re�lected.
In the second half, Crofts grabbed his �irst goal in the 61st minute after the ball fell to him in the penalty area following a corner. Ched Evans soon equalised for the home side, but Crofts popped up again in the 80th minute to score with a powerful shot through a crowd of players, giving Norwich a hardearned away win. Norwich chairman Alan Bowkett announced that he was weighing up the ‘risk-reward’ of making additional funding available to manager Paul Lambert to
facilitate a promotion push, as well as revealing details of a proposed 8,000 seat extension to Carrow Road. The Canaries’ promotion ambitions were boosted by a 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace, which saw Lambert’s side move second, but they perhaps should have won after Grant Holt missed a key chance from eight yards out. Meanwhile, Norwich have been active in the transfer market, loaning out Owain Tudur Jones to Brentford and Matthew Gill to Walsall for a month each. In addition, City have extended the loan of Arsenal youngster Henri Lansbury until the end of the season. Ipswich Town are looking nervously over their shoulders currently sitting just �ive points off the relegation places - but they took
a big step towards safety by securing a vital 3-2 win over fellow strugglers Doncaster Rovers. Ipswich were forced to battle for the three points, having gone behind early to a goal from Billy Sharp, before recovering in the second half as David Norris and Connor Wickham scored two goals in three minutes. Doncaster equalised through Sharp almost straight
away, but Carlos Edwards blasted the winner to seal a dramatic victory. The second leg of the League Cup semi-�inal was next up for the Tractor Boys, as they travelled to the Emirates to take on Arsenal, hoping to hold on to their slender 1-0 advantage from the �irst leg. The game and the occasion combined to provide arguably the highlight of Town’s season. However, despite the Tractor Boys’ stubborn resistance up until the interval, Arsenal scored twice in three second-half minutes before Cesc Fabregas sealed their 3-0 victory. Ipswich’s move to sign Swindon striker Charlie Austin broke down over the weekend, but they have had some transfer window success in signing Hull City mid�ielder Jimmy Bullard (left) on loan until the end of the season, and Luton winger Andy Drury permanently for a reported £150,000 fee.
No clear favourites as Six Nations kicks off Sports Editor Rob Schatten previews the 2011 RBS Six Nations ahead of the first round of fixtures, featuring England v Wales in Cardiff Once a year, there is a change in the pace of the premier rugby union leagues of the Northern Hemisphere as �ive of the most respected and feared national teams on the planet (and Italy) lock horns in an outburst of testosterone and patriotism lasting just under two months. And now, it’s Six Nations time once again. This spring’s edition looks set to be one of the most open in recent years. There is no clear favourite as the tournament gets set for kickoff this Friday, when two major
contenders, England and Wales, will face off in Cardiff. On Saturday, tournament outsiders Italy head to Dublin to face Ireland, the 2009 champions. The Irish have been ravaged by injury during their preparations for the tournament but should still be favourites to beat Italy, who are yet to make a substantial impact since they joined the expanded Six Nations in 2000. France will host Scotland on Saturday evening at the Stade
de France, with the Scottish on an excellent run of form. Former England coach Andy Robinson has steered the Scots to �ive wins in their last six games, including a stellar 21-17 triumph over reigning world champions South Africa. The French, by contrast, had mixed results in their autumn campaign, looking unsure against Argentina and getting torn apart by Australia. The French will be carrying with them strong hopes of a successful title defence, with Marc Lievremont
Wide open: Defending champions France are one of several teams with realistic title hopes
bringing back his veterans having blooded several debutantes in the autumn. Should they manage to get some of their wounded back on the �ield in time, Ireland have a squad capable of competing, while Scotland’s recent form cannot be overlooked. Friday’s opener, meanwhile, is crucial for Welsh hopes of a �irst Six Nations crown since 2008, with their next three �ixtures all away from the Millennium Stadium. Despite some injury concerns in their pack,
the Welsh will still call on enviable depth in the backs, with perennial superstars James Hook, Stephen Jones and Shane Williams all set to feature. For England, who have not lifted the Six Nations trophy since their 2003 Grand Slam, the key to victory will lie with what is on paper a superior pack, capable of dictating this match from the scrum. As with the tournament in general, the outcome of this game is balanced on a knife-edge.
ISSUE 251
SPORT 23
www.concrete-online.co.uk
Tuesday 1st February
So You Think You Know American Football? Sports correspondent Oli Platt brings you an insight into the world of the Pirates, UEA’s very own gridiron Goliaths Oli Platt
Sports Correspondent
With Super Bowl XLV on the horizon, there has never been a better time to pick up the United States’ most popular sport. The climax to the National Football League season is a huge event across the Atlantic, with 10 of the 42 matches to date featuring in the US’ twenty most-viewed broadcasts. American football can seem a daunting game
to learn at �irst, but in reality the rules are fairly straightforward. When in possession of the ball, each team has four ‘downs’ to gain ten yards up the �ield. Doing so resets the downs and brings you back to ‘1st and 10’, allowing you to keep possession of the ball. Despite the helmets, pads and stop-start nature of the game, American football is one of the most physically demanding sports around, with many professional players exceeding 300lbs in weight. It’s a game of speed, as well as
power, though; Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson can complete a 40-yard dash in just 4.24 seconds.
“American football is one of the most demanding sports around; but it’s a game of speed, as well as power”
UEA’s American football representative in the British Universities American Football
Hockey stick it to Staffs Henry Kilmister
Sports Correspondent
UEA Hockey Men’s I Staffordshire Men’s I
6 0
UEA Men’s Hockey I continued their winning form in the BUCS Cup with a fine 6-0 victory over Staffordshire, a hugely impressive result against a side placed three leagues above the hosts. The match began with a flurry of end-to-end exchanges, with both sides struggling to find any early rhythm. Staffordshire almost drew first blood but were
Greg Mann
denied by a save from captain Tom Palmer. UEA proceeded to strike an early blow and take the lead; a short-corner led to Joseph Broadbent beautifully dragflicking the ball into the back of the net. This strike eased the tension, and UEA were able to go from strength to strength, spurning a number of excellent opportunities to increase their lead. Staffordshire enjoyed some decent spells of possession, but were unable to
Dominant: UEA’s excellent performance stunned their much-fancied guests
penetrate through the strong UEA defence. The hosts doubled their lead just before half time, from another short corner, converted this time by Samuel Johnson. The frustration was evident on the faces of the Staffordshire players, one of whom was booked for a horrendous stick challenge just before the interval. UEA emerged from the break stronger than ever, dominating possession with consummate ease and quickly nullifying the threat from a jaded Staffordshire. James Fanger slotted a third for the hosts after a mazy run, firing home on the reverse pass the helpless visiting goalkeeper. With victory secured the home side were able to relax, and played some majestic hockey in the second half, almost effortlessly doubling their tally to complete the rout. To their credit, not once did UEA take their foot off the gas, keeping up their intensity until the final whistle blew. Such an imperious performance and emphatic victory can only bode well for UEA, who now advance to the quarter finals of the BUCS Cup and must look to translate this success into good results in the league too.
League (BUAFL) are the Pirates, who have a record of two wins and three losses so far this season. Despite this, all three losses have come against the top two sides in the South Eastern Conference; as such as the Pirates will hope to move up the table in the coming weeks. UEA Pirates train on Tuesday
and Thursday evenings from 7pm until 9.30pm, and on Sunday mornings from 10am to 1pm at Colney Lane. The team are holding a SuperBowl party in the Blue Bar this Sunday, where live coverage of the Pittsburgh Steelers v Green Bay Packers season �inale will be shown.
Ladies emerge from nailbiter with win Ellie Day
Sports Correspondent
UEA Women’s Football I faced Oxford II at Colney Lane on Wednesday, following a 1-0 defeat the previous week in the corresponding �ixture in Oxford. However, captain Ashley Johnston dispelled any worries of another bitter defeat by putting out her strongest squad, ready to put the team’s newly-prepared 4-3-3 formation to the test, the intention being to generate greater attacking support and more chances in the box. The move appeared to pay off almost immediately, Leanne Stubbings sending an early effort against the crossbar from the edge of the area. This narrow miss only increased the home side’s determination as they unrelentingly pressurised the Oxford defence. On the half-hour mark, a dazzling set of passes in the box between wingers Beki Fisk and Christy Haynes ended with Haynes �iring a thunderbolt just wide. With stand-in skipper Sophia Charalambous commanding the back line, UEA were unshakable under Oxford’s advances. The Simon Partridge
UEA Football Women’s I 1 Oxford Women’s II 0
visitors’ rare breakthroughs �izzled into nothing, every shot �loating straight into the safe hands of goalkeeper Axelle Courlander. The wintery showers of the second-half failed to dampen UEA’s spirits. With sharp passes reminiscent of Arsenal’s lauded ‘pass and move’ style �lowing from the UEA mid�ield, the hosts unremittingly pushed forward in search of the winning goal. The breakthrough �inally came when a streaking run from Haynes was followed up by an inch-perfect cross into the box, which was effortlessly converted by striker Aisha Shuaibu. UEA’s incessant hard work throughout the match took its toll in the �inal minutes as Oxford pressed for a late equaliser, but it wasn’t to be, the visitors’ �inal attempt harmlessly clearing the crossbar. Following their hard-fought victory UEA remain fourth in the BUCS Midlands 2B League, having closed the gap on the division’s pace-setters.
Close contest: UEA Women’s Football emerged victorious at Colney Fields
sport
The Concrete Index Turn to page 21 to see the de�initive rankings list for UEA sports clubs, The Concrete Index
Australian Open Sports correspondent Matt Scrafton follows Andy Murray’s seemingly neverending quest for his �irst ever Grand Slam
Rugby put opponents to Bed
Lincoln teach Netball a lesson Sam Tomkinson
Sports Correspondent
UEA Netball II Lincoln I
Greg Mann
Thrashing: UEA made light work of Bedfordshire, who couldn’t prevent the hosts running riot and continuing their promotion push Danny Collins Editor
UEA Rugby Men’s I Bedfordshire Men’s II
62 7
A virtuoso display from UEA Rugby skipper Scott Golding led the Men’s 1st XV to a dominant 62-7 victory over Bedfordshire 2nd XV at Colney Lane on Wednesday. The talismanic Golding ran in three tries and had a hand in all that was good about a dominant display of attacking rugby from the home side. UEA’s attacking intent was made apparent directly from kick
Fortnight in Sport It’s been a busy couple of weeks across the sporting spectrum; with F1 on the horizon and the FA Cup still as unpredictable as ever, here is Concrete Sport’s rundown of the stories that caught our eye...
off, as Golding crossed for his first two minutes in after a fluent five phases of play. The stand-off was again at the centre of play two minutes later when his crossfield kick was collected by Myles McAlone to touch down for UEA’s second. It would be an injustice to the quality of UEA’s play to overemphasise the poor standard of Bedfordshire, who struggled to string together any semblance of fluency, as the home side clinically tore apart the visitors’ errors. UEA continued to build upon their momentum throughout the first-half as the ball was spun out to winger Dominic Baron, who
handed off his opposite number to touch down. Golding then ran in from thirty metres for his second after only twenty minutes. Not to be outdone by the backs, UEA’s forwards put in a strong display, outmuscling their Midland counterparts at every given opportunity. A strong drive from the pack saw scrum-half Daniel Woodward pick the loose ball up and dive over. Despite a further try by McAlone, Bedfordshire rallied towards the end of the first half, and continued to do so well in the second-half, bundling the ball over the line for their only score just before the break.
Their response, however, was short-lived as UEA replied with renewed vigour. Golding completed his hat trick of tries ten minutes into the second-half, as he evaded several tackles on a 50-metre dash to the try line. This score put to bed any measure of fight that Bedfordshire still possessed, as replacement stand-off Charlie Dower, and flanker Stephen Wilson both crossed to complete a humbling 62-7 defeat of their Midlands 2B counterparts. The result leaves UEA third in their BUCS table, with a promotion push building momentum as the season reaches its halfway point.
Crawley get dream FA Cup tie
side to reach the Fifth Round for 17 years, and now face a clash with Manchester United at Old Trafford. Other shocks came at The Liberty Stadium, where Leyton Orient squeezed past Swansea City, while Notts County came within ten minutes of knocking out bigspending Manchester City.
Ferrari F1 win �irst ‘race’ of 2011
Upsets were at a premium in the FA Cup Fourth Round, but the weekend was lit up by nonleague Crawley Town knocking out League Two Torquay United, despite missing two penalties. Crawley are the �irst non-league
The �irst race of the new F1 season has been won by Ferrari - who were �irst to reveal their 2011 car, on January 28th. The new season’s cars are mostly expected to mirror last year’s all-conquering Red Bull,
25 46
UEA Netball II fell to a 46-25 defeat against a strong Lincoln side at the Sportspark in a veritable game of two halves. Following a lethargic start by the home side, Lincoln were quick to grab the initiative - and an early lead with the visitors’ centre court players controlling the early encounters. UEA soon found their range however, with Sarah Wilson and Emily Carpenter making the most of improved service to �inish impressively, and putting the hosts into a 10-8 lead at the end of the �irst quarter. This momentum was carried into the second quarter as an explosive start saw UEA increase their lead, yet it was a short-lived ascendency, as Lincoln forebodingly began to discover their rhythm. Had it not been for strong defending from Eryn Mann, which kept the home side in the match, the score-line could easily have been more than 20-17 at half time. UEA’s previous lustre began to disappear in the third quarter; the hosts appearing jaded against a Lincoln side animated in attack as well as defence. The visitors took their chances impeccably, making use of their superior height advantage to take a 33-19 lead into the �inal quarter. UEA made wholesale changes going into this crucial period in an attempt to turn the game around, but careless passing and ill-discipline allowed Lincoln to dominate the centre court and bombard the home side. The result will be disappointing for UEA after a strong �irst half, but may prove to be a crucial learning curve as the season progresses. although Ferrari’s design also featured elements of McLaren’s 2010 developments. Lotus, Renault and Sauber released their cars on January 31st, and most of the rest of the grid are set to unveil their new racers by February 7th. The �irst race is on March 13th in Bahrain.
10 O’Clock Live
Feb 14th..
our verdict
where to go
triumph or toss?
fail-safe tips
venue
< WIRED > focus on THE 3DS < FILM > reviewed BLACK SWAN < COMPETITION > win KERRANG TOUR TICKETS
White Lies ritual reviewed: sophomore-ish?
venue Editor-in-Chief>Danny Collins| concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk Venue Editor>Duncan Vicat-Brown| concrete.event@uea.ac.uk Deputy Venue Editor>Fiona Howard
concrete.fashion@uea.ac.uk| Fashion Editor>Kat Jones Deputy Fashion Editor>Hannah Britt
And now, some uncensored and deeply self-indulgent words from the editor... This issue, we’re all about little changes.
Take our new-look front cover, which I hope you like; huge props to Music Editor Alec Plowman for flexing his design muscles! Then there’s Black Swan, reviewed on p. 14, which is all about change (well, a little) and made the wicked-smart decision of ‘Portman/Kunis cunnilingus’ over ‘not Portman/Kunis cunnilingus’ and thus added a hefty whack onto the box office (and unfortunate choruses at screenings of ‘That film was well random’ - art thou testing me, Satan?). While I’m on a roll, lets keep this word-association-stylee thang going: the St. Petersburg Ballet Theatre company, double-reviewed on p.6, who performed both Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake; both different, yet both unmistakeably ballets. Good ones too, if our writers are to be believed. Which they are, always. I hope they never change. Not even a little.
Have a week!
Fashion Contributors>Milly Sampson, Eleanor Wilson, Rachel Hawkins, Hannah Britt
concrete.arts@uea.ac.uk| Arts Editor>Liz Jackson Arts Contributors>Harriet Jones, Rachael Lum, Rebecca Hazlewood, Victoria Highfield, Duncan Vicat-Brown
concrete.creativewriting@uea.ac.uk| Creative Writing Editor>Robert Van Egghen Creative Writing Contributors>Ella Chappell, Sebastian Middleton, Jamie Sykes, Jamie Starr, Jennifer Grey, Rachael Lum, Robert van Egghen
concrete.tvdigital@uea.ac.uk| Television Editor>Tasha Golley Television Contributors>Matt Tidby, Helen Eaton, Amy Adams, Beth Wyatt, Natalie Fletcher, Mark Morris
concrete.wired@uea.ac.uk| Wired Editor>Vaughn Highfield
n a c un
D
Courtesy Taxis
Wired Contributors>DJ Turner, Mehul Samani, Kate Allen, Richard Joslin, Vaughn Highfield
Prince of Wales Rd, Opposite Roccos/Mercy
concrete.music@uea.ac.uk| Music Editors>Alec Plowman & Alex Throssell Music Contributors>Tom Duffy, Emily Prichard, Rose Clark, Josh Clift, Jamie Lewis, James Woodward, Ant Firth-Clark, Alex Throssell, Alec Plowman
WEAR FOR A CHEAP FARE!
concrete.film@uea.ac.uk| Film Editor>Paul Martin
COURTESY TAXIS DISCOUNT
Deputy Film Editor>Catherine Watts Film Contributors>Helen Jones, Lorna Pontefract, James Burrough, Doug Baulf, Beth Davison, Anna Eastick, Tim Bates, Carmina Masoliver-Marlow, Samantha Rogers, Sam Dordoy, Emily Bater, Jack Burrows
concrete.listings@uea.ac.uk| Listings Editor>Georgina Wade Listings Contributors>Georgina Wade
concrete.competitions@uea.ac.uk| Competitions Editor>Henry Croft Competitions Contributors>Henry Croft
WRISTBAND
50 SEAT WAITING AREA IN THE HEART OF CLUBLAND OPPOSITE MERCY/ROCCOS PRINCE OF WALES ROAD
44-66-44 WWW.COURTESYTAXIS.COM
01feb11 ISSUE 251
fashion
concrete.fashion@uea.ac.uk
Globe Trotting WIth the Oscars just around the corner, the Hollywood starlets gave us a taster of red carpet fashion at the Golden Globes. This week, three fashion writers take a look at dresses that leave us both green with envy and green with horror. We also take inspiration from those who got their outfits right on the money with a movie themed fashion shoot, showing you the look of high class glamour on a student budget. Dreaming of an entourage of stylists and designers? Topshop in Norwich is all you need. Milly Sampson: Christina Hendricks’ dress is not entirely flattering for a lady with a bigger bust. However, she does win points in the sophistication states.
Red Hot
Rachel Hawkins: Oozing sex appeal on the red carpet in classic Hollywood style, Christina Hendricks and January Jones are the epitome of old school glamour in fearlessly showing off their killer figures.
Pale and Interesting Eleanor Wilson: Bejewelled draped tulle styles worn by Scarlett Johansson and Sandra Bullock created ethereal grace; Rachel Hawkins: In keeping with 2010’s love of all things neutral, beige, greige and nude these three classy ladies have ticked all the right boxes with these stunning ensembles.
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4
Red Dress; Motel at Topshop £45 Eleanor Wilson: January Jones looks polished in a cut-out tasselled column dress, but Christina Hendricks outshines her co-star, playing up her famous curves in an elegant one shoulder design .
Lace Waistcoat; Topshop £45
Entrance with a Bang Milly Sampson: I can’t deny that Helena Bonham Carter doesn’t stand out. She manages to pull it off surprisingly well. Eleanor Wilson: Helena Bonham Carter dressed in her customary kooky style, fashioning a multicoloured shiny lace affair and mismatched shoes, perhaps not to everyone’s taste. Rachel Hawkins: Has the recession really hit so hard that actress Helena Bonham Carter has to recycle outfits that she’s worn in Harry Potter? It’s not cool to look like a psychopathic witch in real life, let alone to the Golden Globes
Dark and Seductive
Shoes; New Look £29.99
Rachel Hawkins: So much black does run the risk of looking a bit sombre – in this case accessories are key and Longoria is sadly lacking in that department. Tie Dye Print Maxi; £49 River Island
fASHION
ARTS
CREATIVE WRITINg
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Milly Sampson: Scarlett is washed out by the shade of her dress and it’s not the most inspiring or flattering outfit she’s worn; she needs a little more wow factor. Nicole Kidman as always looks like an old school Hollywood Starlet; her simple dress is a good choice.
Milly Sampson: Eva Longoria pulls off this glamorous number perfectly with an elegant hairstyle to match. Eleanor Wilson: Eva Longoria creates a dramatic silhouette in a beautifully cut, floor sweeping fishtail gown. Dress £39 and Cluster Ring £7.50’ both Topshop
fashion
concrete.fashion@uea.ac.uk
01feb11 ISSUE 251
5
LISTINGS
COMPS
A Night at the Pictures
As actors and actresses posed their way down the red carpet at the Golden Globes this week, one thing was evident: it’s a hard life for a boy. Before you strike this off as a piece of digressive anti-feminism, allow me to explain. The girls resembled a box of Quality Street - a huge array of shiny wrappers. Some, such as the disgustingly beautiful Angelina Jolie, made like the big purple one and looked delectable. Others, however, did not fare so well. Catherine Zeta Zones, dressed like a badly trimmed Christmas tree, left a bad aftertaste – the gross coconut toffee one often does. However, whether the dresses were adored or abhorred, at least one could say that they were interesting. The boys, on the other hand, were not so varied. Remaining with the theme of confectionary for continuity, the actors flexing down the red carpet were like a box of After Eights – delicious but all in the same wrappers. After a while the taste became boring. Monotonous. A conveyer belt of suits. We girls can flash a little or a lot of leg, we can bump our cleavage up to their chins. Our straps can go sideways, longways, crossways... The fashion world is our oyster. The same cannot be said for the hairier sex. His suit can be “standard” fit, or “skinny” if he’s
feeling indie. It can be grey, dark blue, or black. Only the brave would dare to don a more exciting colour- stand up Elton John. Suits cannot be cropped or strapless, and if his trousers were cut above the knee he would look as if he has had an unfortunate run- in with an escalator. Girls can swathe themselves in chiffon, silk and lace. A boy can choose from a range of cottons or wool. Woman can dress as men; the trend for mannish dressing is huge this season with androgynous models such as Freja Beha Erichsen taking centre stage. If a woman wears a man’s trousers, she is seen as edgy and fashion forward. However, if the roles are reversed, some serious questions are asked about his sexual orientation... Even the most beautiful of manly creatures cannot get away with wearing women’s clothing. Remember when David Beckham wore that sarong in 1998? It was front page news material. Men can show a little chest (as long as it’s a good one). However, if they reveal too much chest they look like a JLS audition hopeful. Fashion is not a realm of equality. And that is something that we girls should celebrate. As I am sure Emmeline Pankhurst would attest to, sometimes, it is bloody good to be a girl.
Thank you to Topshop and Topman for the clothes and to Jack at Cinema City. Fancy something different, quirky, quaint ? Head to Cinema City for a great night out.
MUSIC WIRED tV
If Red Carpet Fashion is anything to go by, Hannah Britt certainly thinks so.
CREATIVE WRITINg
It’s a Girl’s Life
ARTS
Photos by Laura Smith
fASHION
Taking time out from starring in blockbusters, this duo ditch the awards in favour of catching a cheeky movie at Cinema City. Home for the indie and arty films, as well as iconic classics, Cinema City is definitely worth giving up the globes for.
FILM
COMEDY
Topshop and Topman prove that fashion from the good old Great British high street can knock the socks off of ludicrously expensive award ceremony attire. Our very own Bradley James and Emma McKee certainly give Robert Downey Junior and Leighton Meester a run for their money with delicately bejewelled lace and metallic sheened suits which shout A-List quality.
01feb11 ISSUE 251
ARTS>
Ballet>St Petersburg Ballet Theatre>The Sleeping Beauty Who wouldn’t know The Sleeping Beauty? The classic fairytale of a princess who sleeps for a hundred years upon pricking her finger and wakes up after a prince kisses her is one that has lasted for centuries, whether Disney film or traditional ballet. St. Petersburg Ballet Theatre (SPBT) brought this story to life through Tchaikovsky’s popular ballet at Norwich Theatre Royal and lived up to their reputation, exceeding the expectations of the audience. The choreography was spectacular, complimented by seasoned ballet dancers who made complicated routines seem flawless. It does not take a professional to tell that the dancers have been through rigorous training - Atkhik Ohannesyan deserves recognition for her superb role as the lead, proving her talent in her shining moment during ‘Rose Adagio’, where Princess Aurora dances with four suitors. Ohannesyan performed a demanding routine with many arabesque movements and spinning all on pointed toe and with an enthusiastic smile on her face, making her performance highly enjoyable to watch. Dancing alongside her were Dmitry
Rudichenko as Prince Florimund and Anna Samostrevola as the Fairy of Goodness. This dynamic trio demanded stage presence, particularly when the prince was led by the vision of the sleeping beauty in the woods. The world formed on stage only added to the charm, from the elaborate costumes to the detailed stage set - there were four layers of cloth used to create the castle, complete with fabric pillars for the interior. Another interesting device was the large semi-transparent cloth, whereby flashes of the storyline can be seen with the fading in and out of the spotlight. Where there wasn’t ballet involved, the pantomime served to bring out the essence of the fairytale. Sergei Davydov was brilliant in the dramatic portrayal of the villain Cantalabutte. Not short of humour, the audience’s laughter could be heard whenever the comedic routine of officer with the magically transformed donkey head appeared. Additionally in the third act, Dimitry Shevtsov and Inna Andreeva entertained the audience with Pussin-Boots and Cat’s playful feline waltz, all of which built up the family-friendly
atmosphere. The arrangement featured the best of Tchaikovsky’s compositions, conducted by Vadim Nikitin. Those familiar with the Disney animation would recognise some of the scores that were adapted for the soundtrack. ‘The Garland Waltz’ was especially memorable as it had been adapted into the love song, ‘Once upon a Dream’. There were very few flaws to this
performance which only adds to the impression that SPBT have produced a world-class interpretation of this ballet. Some of the audience may have found the second act comparatively short, with Prince Florimund’s triumph over evil and Princess Aurora’s awakening occurring a little too quickly to allow tension to build and enhance the impact of the scene. Overall however, the night was beautifully
Ballet>St Petersburg Ballet Theatre>Swan Lake
CREATIVE WRITINg ARTS fASHION
ARTS
concrete.arts@uea.ac.uk
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6
The chance to see one of Ballet’s all time classics performed by arguably the world’s most prestigious dance company promised to be an unforgettable evening, and the St Petersburg Ballet’s production of Swan Lake at the Norwich Theatre Royal most definitely did not disappoint. The St. Petersburg Ballet Theatre was founded in 1994 by Russian entrepreneur Konstantin Tachkin, to deliver classical Russian ballet to audiences worldwide. The company tour extensively, including repeated visits to
Great Britain. It is made up mostly of graduates from the infamous Vaganova Ballet Academy in St. Petersburg, where they travel with their own fantastic orchestra under the baton of talented conductor Alexander Kantorov. Swan Lake is a ballet by Russian composer Tchaikovsky and his wideranging work accommodates symphonies, operas, ballets, instrumental and chamber music and songs. He wrote some of the most popular concert and theatrical music in the classical repertoire including Swan Lake, The
Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker. Tchaikovsky was a composer who firmly assimilated traditions of Western European symphonic mastery in a deeply original, personal and national style. With no need for modernisation, this production of Swan Lake embraced traditionalism, managing more beautifully than ever to portray the enchanting tale of Odette, a princess cursed by the evil sorcerer Von Rothbart. Swan by day, princess by night, the only way to break the spell is if an unblemished youth swears fidelity and marries her, which is where the character of Prince Siegfreud comes in during Act One. However, before he can confess his love for Odette, day breaks and she returns to the form of a swan. This played out beautifully in the duet sequence between the two characters which enchanted the audience, highlighting SPBT’s mastery of some of the most difficult ballet techniques and injecting a palpably emotive aspect to the performance. Act Two dazzled the audience with a string of stunning dances performed by the guests at Sigfreud’s 21st birthday party. Whether it be by sorcery or one too many drinks, the Prince is fooled by the evil sorcerer into swearing his love for another woman,
who closely resembles Odette. Horrified by his mistake, the prince runs to apologise to his true love. Von Rothbart appears as a black swan and a heart wrenching battle
With
no
need
modernisation,
for this
production of Swan Lake embraced
traditionalism,
managing more beautifully than ever to portray the enchanting tale of Odette... filled with stunning leaps and pirouettes is fought. Finally evil is vanquished and the spell is broken. However this ending clearly did not allow the impression of the ballet to fade in the audience’s minds, as they remained spellbound by Alla Bochorova’s performance as Odette and this showed in their applause, demonstrating that this is a performance not to be missed. This stunning ballet will finish its European tour in France in February.
Theatre>Norfolk & Norwich Operatic Society>Fiddler on the Roof The recent performance of Fiddler on the Roof at the Theatre Royal by the Norfolk & Norwich Operatic Society was charming and enjoyable to watch, and received a glowing reception from the audience. The night undeniably exhibited great pride in raw local talent and was a reminder of how much musicals make us smile, despite their popular stereotypes. First produced on Broadway in 1964, and standing in history as a record breaking production, the show is and continues to be a huge success worldwide. Whether shown in New York, Jerusalem, Tokyo or Paris, Fiddler on The Roof is prominent in attracting diverse and large audiences with its dazzling dose of catchy songs, witty characterisation and bizarre imagination. Set in the quiet village of Anatevka, Russia, just before the Russian Revolution, we are introduced to Tevye (played by John McInnes), a poor but decent father of five daughters who doesn’t live life as easily as he wishes. A Jewish man who often questions God’s choices of the small pains in his life including his ‘moaning’ horse and his lack of sons, we see Tevye’s appreciation for culture and tradition as a focus for the way he lives his life. Change, however, threatens all that he once knew, as his daughters reach out for independence and question tradition as being both shallow and limited.
Love is presented as a key theme within the show, as Yente (the local matchmaker) loses her touch in her pairing involving Tevye’s eldest daughter. In particular, we see issues of wealth, race and pride interfering with romance within the tight community, provoking questions in the audience’s mind as to their actual significance in comparison to love, as well as love’s importance for acceptance. Protagonist John McInnes was the star of the show as an average father who appreciates a drink and the comforts of money. Sympathetically the show also portrays a family separating and breaking away into the unknown, providing something the audience is able to relate to with a great deal of empathy. Tradition is seen as giving order, comfort and security to stop ourselves failing or falling “like a fiddler on the roof”. The cast was full of all ages, and everybody seemed confident and convincing in their roles, whether singing or acting. The production effectively brought together the entertaining and talented efforts of all the cast members and was definitely a memorable, effective and most of all entertaining performance. A (perhaps) less profound but nonetheless relevant and refreshing inclusion in Theatre Royal’s Spring programme. Harriet Jones
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on the rhythm and musicality of prose, and passages flow as seamlessly as symphonies. It’s also funny, sexy as hell and seriously cool, with characters discussing hipster trademarks as disparate as John Updike and Boris Vian (if you don’t know who this is, you’re missing out; check out ‘Je Bois’, the first line of which translates as ‘I drink systematically / So I can forget all the friends of my wife’). Despite the worries of his fans, there are also beautiful surreal touches, the most impressive of which details Toru’s attempt to remember a walk through open fields with Naoko. The scene develops and blurs as details are recalled or lost, the setting and description altering as the memory shifts between warm and bitter. It’s the most intelligent dissection of the nature of memory that you’re ever likely to read. There’s never been a better time to discover, or revisit, Norwegian Wood. With a film adaptation due for an international release this year (don’t worry, it’s a Japanese adaptation, so it’ll probably be fine), and its setting against the student protests in late 60’s Japan bring up some situations and characters that will be all too familiar for today’s students. It’s thoughtful, gripping, inspirational and hip. And no-one sparkles. Duncan Vicat-Brown
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standing still or moving forward. These are weighty issues we’re talking about here, and Murakami refuses to back away from some deeply distressing material. But it’s not all gloom and nihilism. First of all, it’s beautifully written; Murakami has a masterful grasp
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The other is Midori, independent and unpredictable, whose past is in ruins and whose future is uncertain, but who ignites a previously dormant sense of excitement and strength in Toru. These two women lead him to a difficult choice, between grief or acceptance, the past or the future,
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Coming into 1987, Haruki Murakami was a young author who had enjoyed a moderate level of critical and commercial success for a handful of genre-blurring novels, known for blending both Japanese and Western styles with elements of Eastern mythology. When he announced that his next novel, Norwegian Wood, was essentially a romance, many of his hardcore fans assumed he’d lost his damn fool mind. Fast forward to today, and Norwegian Wood has sold more copies in Japan than any other novel, propelling Murakami to such a level of fame that he fled to the US In 1991. But fear not; despite the overwhelming sales figures, this is no Twilight. Proving that they are just better than most people, the youth of Japan went out in droves to buy a great novel that transcends the typical romance mould in every way. It’s the story of middle-aged businessman Toru, his days as a student in late 60’s Tokyo, and his relationships with two very different women. One is Naoko, the long term girlfriend of Kizuki, his best friend. After Kizuki sudden and unexpected suicide, they take solace in each other ‘s mutual grief, but Naoko’s own fragile mental state threatens both their relationship and her life.
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Literature>Haruki Murakami>Norwegian Wood
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concrete.arts@uea.ac.uk
01feb11 ISSUE 251
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01Feb11 ISSUE 251
concrete.tvdigital@uea.ac.uk
television
PrimeTime>10 O’Clock LIVE
Download> Grey’s Anatomy
The commitment of Channel Four to providing exciting ‘alternative’ content has been rooted into its DNA since its inception in 1982. 10 O’Clock Live is another attempt by the channel to return to those core principles, combining its two famed strengths, comedy and news. Essentially a live hour of political discussion fronted by forehead salesman Jimmy Carr, token female Lauren Laverne, famed sourpuss Charlie Brooker and Lordamongst-Men David Mitchell, 10 O’Clock Live attempts to provide a fun, anarchic alternative to Newsnight. All the ingredients for an excellent programme are here; funny, intelligent comedians, a variety of formats for debate and larks and even a set that looks like a TV budget, multi-coloured Tron. Sadly, from the evidence of the first episode, it may take some time to live up to this promise. Some of the ‘sketches’ were woefully bland, with little or no time given
Recently recommissioned for its eighth series, Grey’s Anatomy, the hit American medical drama series, shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. This is despite worried grumblings from fans that the show couldn’t survive the departure of one of its main characters, Izzie Stevens, played by the Emmy awardwinning Katherine Heigl (Heigl has now confirmed, to the relief of many, that she will return to Grey’s Anatomy sometime in the near future). Always more focused on the drama than the medicine, Grey’s Anatomy is perhaps better categorised as a soap rather than a clear-cut medical drama, in the vein of some of its competitors, such as, House. But this does not mean the show is any less intelligent. Following a group of surgical interns recently arrived at Seattle Grace Hospital, as they struggle to juggle their medical training with their personal lives. Grey’s Anatomy has achieved both commercial
Channel 4, Thursday,10pm
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over to in-depth interviewing that made the show feel a lot less sleek than intended. It wasn’t all bad news though - David Mitchell’s ‘Listen to Mitchell’ rant-tocamera segment worked brilliantly live, and Charlie Brooker’s partially prerecorded and carefully scripted analysis of the situation in Tunisia demonstrated how good the show could be if the hosts were allowed to play to their strengths. In short, there is a mass of potential here for an excellent programme that maintains and heightens Channel Four’s reputation for innovation and the foregrounding of current affairs. Simply, it needs Charlie Brooker doing more scripted, pre-prepared analyses as per his Newswipe experience, more Mitchell rants, less cringe worthy sketches and more time given over to in-depth interviews. Despite these deficiencies, if you find Paxman a bit ‘old hat’, this is worth a look. Matt Tidby
and critical success winning numerous awards, including 3 Emmys and a Golden Globe, as well as spawning a successful spin-off, now in its fourth series, entitled Private Practice. The show centres largely around the trials and tribulations of one of the new interns, Meredith Grey, who narrates the episodes, and whose complicated love life, along with those of her fellow interns, (who helpfully give their conquests nicknames such as McDreamy, McSteamy, and the equally imaginatively named, McVet), will soon get you hooked. You too will find yourself being dragged into the fast-paced and often witty world of who’s sleeping with a fellow intern, who’s sleeping with a patient, who’s sleeping with their boss, and who’s, well, just sleeping. All of which is set to a killer soundtrack. Of course. Natalie Fletcher Season 5 and Season 7 are currently airing on Living TV.
Mark Morris looks at why the tv licence fee is worth the money.. A seemingly anti-BBC atmosphere in the press has inadvertently exposed a broader question: is there a place for a compulsory publicly funded broadcasting service in this modern digital age? The £140 a year for the license fee is a fairly large amount of money, especially for those on low incomes like students, but this personal cost has to be weighed against the benefits. The BBC provides programming of a consistently higher quality than ITV or Sky. It does this because it can take risks, risks it wouldn’t be able to take with advertisers breathing down its neck. It seems unlikely that programmes such as The Office, Gavin and Stacey and Life on Mars would ever have been made without the BBC. The news content from the BBC is the envy of the world. Impartial, fair and easily accessible it benefits society even indirectly; without the BBC setting the standard, it is fairly easy to imagine how our news channels would go the way of those in the USA: polarised, extremist and biased. One of the last barricades against the “foxification” of the UK news media is the BBC. Anti-License Fee campaigners suggest a subscription model, why should they pay
for others to watch the BBC? A subscription model for the BBC simply wouldn’t work, not enough people would voluntarily pay a charge to maintain the quality of news and programming that it currently stands for. Advertising is not a solution either, advertising would drive the quality of programming on the BBC down. This would be bad for society as a whole. There are many more arguments in favour of the license fee: the good work of the World Service, the commitment to niche programming, their online content; but in the end, there’s one thing that many would say is even more important: there are no adverts on the BBC. Mark Morris
concrete.tvdigital@uea.ac.uk
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Venue has been taking a look at British drama and why we don’t need to compete with American drama.
he is a vampire but doesn’t care that he might kill her because ‘true love’ conquers all. Being Human may not have all of the features that make American television great, but it is precisely this that makes it a fresh take on what is fast becoming a saturated genre. Helen Eaton BBC ONE, SUNDAY 9PM
Hawes), which brought a more complex layer to Hunt’s image. In addition to the popular setting and characters, the show’s mystery surrounding how and why police officers appear to be sent back in time also kept viewers hooked, right until the final, phenomenal episode when all was finally made clear. Most impressively, the show grew in popularity throughout its three series,
despite significant budget cuts by the BBC, proving that British drama does not need the same high budget resources as American shows, such as Lost, in order to be successful. All it needs is a great concept, brilliant writing and an inspired cast.
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of what sets British television apart. Rather than focusing on special effects, Being Human is concerned with character and narrative, creating those that the audience can relate to. Not only this but there is a move away from the standard vampire-related formula emerging throughout US film and television: young, innocent human meets strikingly handsome, mysterious man, she finds out
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the ‘vegetarian’ vampire (most of the time); and George, the unwilling werewolf. Brought together by remarkable coincidence the trio not only have to deal with coming to terms with who they are but with each other and the dangers attached to being a ghost, werewolf and vampire in modern Britain. With the third series starting recently on BBC Three Being Human has managed to remind audiences
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Recent years have seen an influx of supernatural-themed television shows including such American programmes as Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries and True Blood. Being Human is the British attempt to break into the genre using alternative methods from its US counterparts. Being Human focuses on three supernaturals: Annie, the overly friendly ghost; Mitchell,
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television THE BEST OF THE BRITISH
Brace yourselves Captain Jack fans, for Torchwood will be back with a vengeance this year – and the fourth series aims to top the thrilling Children of Earth by introducing new characters and locations. No longer solely confined to Wales, Torchwood will be set in places across America and around the world. This new direction will only strengthen the popularity of the show on both sides of the Atlantic. Instead of viewing the familiar Welsh landscape, imagine the heroic Captain Jack fighting off aliens at the White House, the Eiffel Tower, or the Roman Colosseum. It will also be exciting to discover the
new characters that creator Russell T. Davies has lined up, as Ianto’s death has widened the hole formed in the team after Tosh and Owen’s deaths. Like Spooks the short life spans of main characters gives the show a constant new injection of life and keeps the programme fresh and appealing. Torchwood is arguably one of Britain’s best dramas in recent years . With a creator not afraid to push the boundaries of drama and science fiction, Torchwood is quickly proving there is a level playing field with American drama. Beth Wyatt
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Torchwood
Amy Adams
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previously unthinkable shoulder pads! However, it wasn’t just the new time period which made the show so popular. The return of Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister) was celebrated by all, as the larger-than-life anti-hero who got away with saying on a weekly basis all the things which are now restricted by a PC twentyfirst century. Not to mention the chemistry with female lead Alex Drake (Keeley
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Spin-off shows can be tricky, as there is always a danger that they will never quite leave the shadow of the original, and consequently never come to be accepted by viewers as a show in their own right. For Ashes to Ashes, however, this was not the case, and it eventually came to be seen as just as iconic as Life on Mars, rocketing the 80s back into fashion almost everywhere – we even saw a return to the
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concrete.tvdigital@uea.ac.uk
Creative writing
REVIEW>DON PATERSON>RAIN I recently broke one of the unwritten rules of twenty-first century life and read the reader comments section of an online newspaper. It was a well-intentioned article about getting more children reading poetry. Most of the comments were dismissive, hostile or obscene, or sometimes all three. One though was quite baffling – “all modern poets are crap, apart from Don Paterson”. You could be forgiven for assuming then, on the basis of that comment, that Paterson must be some sort of literary giant, towering above all other poets and rendering their efforts obsolete. Well then…you would be wrong. Rain is a good collection, but ultimately it falls short The good comes in the disorienting quality of the poems – the wry playfulness of ‘Two Trees’ where, having seemingly built the poem up to end with a great revelation, Paterson shrugs “trees are all this poem is about”; the nagging sense of loss in ‘The Swing’ where the narrator describes putting up a swing for his children but having done so sees only “the child that would not come”. But then, just like Frank and Nancy, Paterson goes and spoils it all by ladling big dollops of sentiment everywhere. While the lesson, or moral, of the poem is left implicit, lines like “the bright sweep of its radar arc / is all the human dream” distort the focus of the poem, the poem’s culmination in “I gave the empty seat a push / and nothing made a sound”, which desperately wants to be an earth-shattering ending but isn’t, ends up leaving us with the sense that Paterson has missed his cue. This is also the case with ‘The Circle’, written for his son. Yet, while you cannot dispute the context, Paterson’s ending the poem with “look at the little avatar /
of your muddy water-jar / filling with the perfect ring / singing under everything” again means that what starts out as a subtle dialogue between father and son ends up striving for something metaphysical and missing it. The poem for his other son, ‘Why Do You Stay Up So Late’ is better, and quite moving in its stark depiction of the complexities of the father-son relationship with the son trying to understand what it is his father does, ending with the bleak couplet “then I paint it with the tear to make it bright. / That is why I sit up through the night”. Yet too often, one of Rain’s main strengths, the formality of Paterson’s poetry, ends up becoming one of its greatest weaknesses. The title poem apart, where the lyric acquires the force to brush such concerns aside, Paterson’s verse too often seems sing-song, as if the main focus of the poem is to find a good rhyme. ‘The Rain at Sea’ would be much more effective if it did not contain such clunky rhymes as “There would be all hell to pay. / I turned and shut my eyes and lay”. Yet, just when it seems that Paterson has rather overdone it, ‘The Lie’ appears, building its mystery slowly through its hypnotic AABA rhyme scheme before bringing the whole thing crashing down and leaving us dazed and disoriented with the ferocity of it all. Rain then is a confusing collection; sometimes good, sometimes bad, sometimes both at the same time, and never clear whether Paterson meant it to be this way or not. It is a deeply earnest book, and yet it contains an ode to a goddess of Georgian techno. It beseeches us that “I fell to somewhere far below the earth” but, at the end of the collection, reassures us that “none of this matters”. Paterson’s mastery of clear, direct English is to
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This article is taken from etceterart.blogspot.com. Check out etcetera for original writing, reviews and more
CREATIVE WRITING EVENTS
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Tuesday 8th February - David Harsent at UEA Spring Literary Festival The poet David Harsent will be reading from his new collection Night (published in January 2011). His last book, Legion, won the Forward Prize for best collection in 2005 and was shortlisted for both the Whitbread Award and the T. S. Eliot Prize. The event will be held in Lecture Theatre 1 at 7pm. Individual tickets are £6. Saturday 12th February - Cafe Writers with Michael Symmons Roberts plus Competition Winners Whitbread Prize winning poet Michael Symmons Roberts will be appearing at Cafe Writers, along with the winners of Cafe Writers 2010 Poetry Competition in Jurnets Bar, Wensum Lodge, 169 King Street from 7:30pm
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be admired but the sentiment wears off after a couple of readings. Rain ultimately seems a strangely faceless collection, and what was so enchanting initially seems to have evaporated – the poetic equivalent of the Cheshire Cat. Robert Van Egghen
Thursday 3rd February - Stop Sharpening Your Knives 4 Anthology Launch The Stop Sharpening Your Knives series is fast establishing a reputation for spotting the best new poetic talent around. Edited by the poets Emily Berry, Nathan Hamilton, Sam Riviere, and Jack Underwood, SSYK 4 is being launched at The Book Hive, Norwich on Thursday 3rd Feb from 6.30. There will be drinks, readings, copies for sale, editors and contributors mingling with whoever wants to come and join in. Free entry. The anthology is also available from Eggbox Publishing (www.eggboxpublishing.com)
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For the next issue, we are looking for submissions based on Two Figures in a Room by Francis Bacon, from the permanent collection at UEA Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts. Please email submissions to concrete.creativewriting@uea.ac.uk by 9th February.
Tuesday 15th February - Norwich Poetry Club featuring Adam O’Riordan Adam O’Riordan will be reading from his new collection In the Flesh, published by Chatto and Windus. With support from Sam Riviere. Hosted by Luke Wright, the event takes place in The Bicycle Shop, 17 St Benedict’s Street, Norwich from 7:30-9:30pm. Tickets are £5.
01feb11 ISSUE 251
concrete.creativewriting@uea.ac.uk
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Birdless
Night Wanderers
We built the car park, and the industrial estate but still they come Despite the mess we make, movement like light from a quivering mirror
We’ll wait here until they’re gone. We’ll hide here amongst the trees.
Jamie Sykes
Blind and lovesick on the serenade they will fly till they die Because they knew how to live all along
All you kept was the idea and nothing less of seeing the devil in her new dress.
And I will slip seamlessly under their wake, again
So that was that, you hoped, but in the press of darkening thoughts, only you could suppress the fear of waking with the dawn to see her wandering across the lawn as you sunk deeper into the austere feeling of being wrong in being here.
Waking with the taste of last night in your mouth, and here and there flashes of a gritting lorry soundtracked by the beeping of its slow reverse Plugging in your iPod to drown it out, finding it midway through your favourite song and remembering where you were when you stopped listening to it sat on a bus, ignoring the man tutting, thinking of her and wishing you were not. In the morning, she is a thought fading like music from a car passing Sebastian Middleton
‘All I am trying to do is order the nightmares of my thoughts, trying to escape the stares’. And so you planted yourself in the maze, stumbled from session to session till the days folded into one another and you had to revert to blathering about light and floods and hurt, wondering why putting something together involves breaking it up and you never realised how much this would ache or that she could come to you when awake. It all seemed so different to how it would again and you would often think of that moment when nothing had more colour than the flurry of traffic when walking alone and the hurry of her footsteps on the pavement interrupting what had at the time felt like somethingRobert Van Egghen
Hangover
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Blocks of Colour
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We come down like meteorites. Now everyone’s awake. We’ll lie still with half-smiles in our sleep.
They taste the iron of the air on their oyster tongues, Try to garble it out to the morning sky but by winter the pressure gives
Ella Chappell
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We burn like spirits, Borrow wings and fly for 7 hours at a time.
And Then and then I watch the clouds churn down blind channels transform into a dog a cat a cup with six handles and then the rain writes letters on the pane to the moth who circles up the light folds in and dies a tiny black eye and then I stand outside to see me pale and then Jennifer Grey
Breaking the Labyrinth Lie Still. The labyrinth is sealed. Its bloodhound snout will track The lost pup. Snarls by the door. Unconquered, the shadow master Makes its minions choke the floor. Frustrated fingers find her next. The child’s house is home no more.
Bag rumbling as phone is stirring
QUOTE OF THE WEEK because Steve S is flashing up “I want to give a really bad party. I mean it. I want to give a party where there’s a brawl and seductions and people going home with their feelings hurt and women passed out in the cabinet de toilette. You wait and see.” - F. Scott Fitzgerald, Author of The Great Gatsby, Tender is the Night, This Side of Paradise and The Beautiful and the Damned, chronicler of the Jazz Age, husband of Zelda Fitzgerald, notorious alcoholic and all-round hero.
and suggesting ‘Drink soon? xx’. Was he the one from the club with long hair and a funny voice.... Three cups of coffee later and it feels like your teeth are melting into your cheeks. You scratch at your eyelids and take the pin out your head.
By morning, blank faces Catch her periwinkle flush But that is all. The moonlit curse She was forced to never tell Grew her heart a concrete wall That waits to be decoded, For a door to be unsealed Till then nothing she can do but Lie. Still. Rachael Lum
Jamie Starr
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And always just slipping under their wake, again. Deaf To the Earth’s low song set in metal, magnetic chords.
Skip like young children. Break the silence, make up neat words.
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Virginial white beneath, wrapping themselves unbridled Into their own robes. We are castrated at the shoulder blade
We’ll climb out into moonlight, Ghost-light, that’s right.
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Their bodies crack into wings that meet at the tips Like last-kiss lips, barely daring to touch
We’ll lie still until everyone’s asleep and gone. We come out at night. At night we come alive.
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Always present if you bother to look, but untouchable. A flutter As you put your hand on the door. Only remnants: a gem blue egg, a feather
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This issue, we invited submissions based on the theme ‘Lie Still’....
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Creative writing
($250), though prices have been popping up online ranging from £219.99 (HMV) to £229.99 (GAME Group Stores GAME and Gamestation), so it is looking as if the console will be cheaper than the PSP Go was on launch back in 2009 (£249.99). Another
Little Big Planet 2
Format: PS3 Release: Out Now Price: from £39.99 - £44.99 (collectors) For those of you that don’t know, Little Big Planet was a game that came out of nowhere and shocked the gaming community with its cleverness, cuteness, its simplicity and its depth. The idea is simple; it’s a sidescrolling game, with a physics based level maker from which everything you see in the game is made. Add to this stunning visuals and endearing presentation and you find yourself with a game that’s won countless awards and many more hearts.
So with over three million user created levels and counting already available to download for the original game, what could possibly be done to justify a sequel? Astonishingly, developer Media Molecule has the answer. First of all the sequel is compatible with every level already made; so that’s millions of levels to choose from to begin with, and no concern of missing out on any user made levels if you haven’t played the first one. But what is there to convince you that you should pick this up instead of the first? The graphics are only marginally better than the original’s, but with the art style of the game it is hard to imagine how this might be improved. Again, the general presentation remains similar, the outrageously endearing world of Sackboys with the reassuring voice of Stephen Fry guiding you into the game. The main game changers are the new tools Sackboy can be equipped with. First of all is the Grabinator, which lets you to easily pick up and run around with objects; allowing there to be many more easily operable puzzles than the first game ever allowed. The other main tool is the Grapple
9/10 Hook, which is self-explanatory. Sackboy’s new contraption becomes essential to much of the action gameplay, and, whilst it can sometimes be frustrating to direct, it mostly behaves as you would expect and gives the game variety that you’ll want to exploit. Another potential game changer is the package of Move-only co-operative levels which are great fun, but all too brief. As well as these tools, which feature throughout the game, there are level specific weapons that always keep things fresh. For example there is our favourite, the Cakinator; quite simply a gun that fires cakes. How such a simple idea can change gameplay shows the genius behind the game; you can use cakes to fire at enemies, make fire traversable and, most impressively, to stick to the level so you can create. Finally, Media Molecule have also made it possible to alter the visuals and audio to unrecognisable levels, but, most importantly, they have made it possible to directly control objects with your controller rather than with the floaty Sackboy controls. Throughout the game a combination of cunning level design
and surprises will often leave your mouth agape with wonderment. Unfortunately this comes at the cost of the joyful grins the first game summoned. It seems the focus of the single player is to show what the engine is capable of and some of the magic of the music and the optimism of the first game has been lost. Fortunately, it is worth shouting about! Perhaps more importantly, already there are user created levels online that will satisfy any gamer. This is no longer a platform game; from 2-D shooters to music games, LBP2 is truly a games platform. Its potential is limitless and what’s already there is enough to justify the purchase. Quite simply, if you enjoy games you cannot afford to miss this. Mehul Samani
The Good + Most versatile game ever produced
The Bad - Disappointing campaign.
Buds and Toys Pretty much self explanatory really. People take photos of their childhood toys with a little bit of contraband and it completely takes away that childish innocence they always had. Who knew Kermit was such a fiend? http://budsandtoys.com/ Señor Gif! Part of the Cheezburger family of websites (Failblog, Comixed), this time it’s all amusing, weird and wonderful GIF images to help you procrastinate like any good student should. http://senorgif.memebase.com/ Great White Snark One of the geekiest websites you’ll ever want to casually browse, hosting some of the most amusing and unbelievable videos and pictures paying tribute to all corners of the nerd globe. Take, for instance, the Yoda Dressing gown, complete with ears, or real life Little Big Planet! http://www.greatwhitesnark.com/ Sleeptalking Man We’ve all done it at some point; said something whilst nodding off when we didn’t mean to, or just chatting pure BS in our sleep. In a similar vein to ‘S**t My Dad Says’, this is a compendium of a ‘mild mannered’ Englishman and his sleep talking antics. It even includes sound clips for your pleasure! http://www.sleeptalkinman.blogspot. com/
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Some of the best, most interesting or just downright funny people tweeting right now!
With Facebook users expanding everyday, there are groups springing up for every occasion. Here are some of the best!
@Simwise Glamour model, Gamer, Music Journalist and just plain weird, ex-UEA student Alex Sim-Wise lets you into her weird and wonderful world filled with Otaku wonders and her newly acquired ‘assclown’. Just by following her you’ll discover some of the weirdest sights the Internet has to offer.
Should I save this last £5 for my taxi? ...DOUBLE VODKA REDBULL PLEASE!
@robbrydon Chap. Plain and simple. This wonderful welsh comedian continues his everyday wit and humour onto his twitter page by just tweeting on as he does. The man’s a natural at what he does, and his everyday tweets just show this talent even more. @GregPuciato Singer for Mathcore band The DIllinger Escape Plan, Greg Puciato knows what it means to get mashed, rock hard and tear the place up. His Twitter is a mix of a mad man’s observations on life and promoting his many projects. No matter what he’s saying, it’ll always be filled with profanities and it’ll always be hilarious.
If you have ever scrambled around in the back of a taxi looking for your ‘lost’ £5 that you drunkenly forgot you spent then this group is for you. With over 35,000 members it should make you feel less alone next time you have to beg and borrow money off your friends just to make it home. Embrace your impulsive bar buys; it’s not your fault, everyone knows it doesn’t matter where you hide, it’ll still be burning a hole in your pocket! I forgot your name, so I shall call you ‘Oi’ Meeting so many new people at uni can be a daunting prospect, even worse when you have a seminar with someone you know you’ve met and have already asked their name 5 times… the solution? Facebook group, ‘I forgot your name, so I shall call you Oi’ has eloquently helped 333,164 people avoid social embarrassment. Kate Allen
COMPS computing a lot easier and safer for the majority of users, and would likewise make the distribution of popular software faster and more efficient. It fits in line with the Apple philosophy of taking responsibility and control away from the users, and
retaining it for themselves, which has proved extremely popular in recent years as Apple products like the iPhone and iPad sell extremely well, despite cries from their critics that they are restrictive. In hindsight, the evolution of app stores seems almost inevitable, as the Internet and computing becomes more consumerist, mainstream, and profitable. The target demographic has shifted, and
this new business model has been brought upon us because of that. Is it a good thing, though? For the majority, it will make things easier and smoother. Making software and computing easier for the masses seems like an inherently noble goal. Yet people such as Wikipedia’s founder, Jimmy Wales, have called app stores “a threat” and “dangerous”. While the goal of making things easier for the average user is laudable, one has to ask if the means it is being done by is the right path. Is taking away control and choice, which app stores arguably may do, really better than helping develop people’s capacity to browse the open ecosystem of the Internet as a whole and independently install software on their devices? While this is simple enough for desktop OS, for a Smartphone, manually browsing and installing may be seen as too hassling and only for the hobbyists. Therefore the solution to making the end user experience easier, but without binding our hands and shoving things down our throats is to simply have more than one shop in the high street. Apple would be loathe to do this, but should things such as the Amazon app store and others develop a quality and big enough range of exclusive apps on Android OS, then Apple would eventually have to cave and allow a free market environment. This would stop repeats of events that harm consumers such as the recent disappearance of VLC media player from the app store. Richard Joslin
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As Apple’s App Store reaches its 10 billionth download, the nature and narrative of contemporary computing is changing into a more streamlined, simpler, centralised experience. Although Apple did not invent the idea of a centralised store for application programs (apps), they have certainly popularised it. Google, RIM and multiple other corporations have launched their own equivalents to varying success, with the Android Marketplace being the biggest competitor - it currently has more free apps than the iOS App Store, although less overall. Microsoft have taken (quite right) steps to stop Apple from trademarking the words “app store”, and Amazon have confirmed that they are working on their own, undoubtedly similar app store. It remains to be seen whether Apple will achieve a Hoover or Aspirin level of brand recognition and monopoly on the word “app” to the extent that people start calling all programs “apps”. In any case, the result of all this is that it is understood by the vast majority of Smartphone owners that the sole and only way to download and install apps on their phones is to go through such stores. It’s significance is in how it is spreading from phone operating systems to desktop OS like Mac OSX and Windows, and how it’s easily foreseeable that within five years all software on all computing platforms will be exclusively available and downloaded from monopolized, corporate app stores such as Valve’s cross platform Windows and Mac Steam gaming store. It would make
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bonus is that many high street retailers and online outlets are still taking pre-orders and deposits on the console, which is said to be limited to 900,000 units for Europe during the first three weeks of release. Nintendo have high expectations for their newest member of the family, particularly when we consider that the original DS took over three months to hit one million European sales back in 2005. Confirmed launch titles include Nintendogs + Cats, Super Street Fighter IV and PES 2011. Ubisoft have also confirmed that they will release eight titles for the launch window, but from day zero their ever popular Ghost Recon and Splinter Cell series will be busting out some titles alongside newer entry Asphalt 3D and an entirely new Rayman 3D, which is by far the most exciting news as the last true Rayman game was nine years ago back in 2003! The 3DS may not be a console for everyone, many people shun handheld gaming right from the off, but this is by far the greatest leap in gaming anywhere and is seriously going to be even more of a trailblazer and trend setter than the original DS was. With games pandering to the casual market and many coming out that will slap the faces off all the hardcore gamers (3D Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater anyone?). Will consumers feel alienated by it? Nintendo certainly think so, but only time will tell. DJ Turner
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called autostereoscopy which eliminates the requirement for 3D glasses; this really is low-maintenance handheld gaming. Because of the complete lack of glasses the 3D wizardry can be switched on and off at your leisure, and it means developers can
switch it on only when they want to, and you’ll be able to marvel at some incredible spectacles. You may be wondering what all this is going to cost. Nintendo were initially reluctant to announce a price point for the UK launch, although they couldn’t help shouting about the US price point
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and special graphical technology (the console will come with pre-loaded software that supports these cards), and a charging station. Notice how there are no 3D glasses? That’s because you don’t need them with the 3DS, it’s glasses-free 3D all the way. That’s right, as I’m sure you’ve all heard by now the 3DS uses a special process
concrete.wired@uea.ac.uk
<Internet>
<Gaming> The 3DS is coming, and it’s coming in a big way. Nintendo’s latest handheld marvel will be sizzling its way onto the UK market on the 25th of March 2011 – a whole two days before the handheld hungry US get their o v e r- s i z e d mitts on it. The good news came during the simultaneous Nintendo 3DS conferences held earlier this month (one in New York, the other in Amsterdam) on the 20th January, and as punters whack down their deposits left right and centre the anticipation is building to a gripping climax. The question is, will it be worth the wait? The cynicism is audible when you mention to anyone that Nintendo are releasing yet another DS console, though you would think that anyone paying attention would pick up from the title – 3DS – that this is not just another re-packaged DS; the 3DS isn’t simply a smaller or larger DS, nor is it simply a console with a couple of cameras thrown in, it is an innovative piece of 3D technology, pushing the boundaries of not just handheld gaming, but gaming as a whole. Where else can you play The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time not only on the go, but in 3D to boot? Nowhere! That’s where bubba! So what do you get in the box? The cherry is obviously the Nintendo 3DS console itself, and then there’s that special extending telescopic stylus pen that makes me do some extending of my own if you get what I mean. There is also a set of six augmented reality cards, which will allow the player to interact with 3D environments
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Thunderbird
Ever had trouble finding the words? Well now there’s no need, with WordKit, a handy new Smartphone app that helps you solve anagrams, complete crosswords and even check spelling! Available on the android and iphone platforms for just 59p, this application has access to 120,000 words and is great for solving crossword puzzles and playing wordgames like Scrabble. Since all data is accessed locally, you can use it on planes and trains without worrying about network connection. After testing the app in and around campus, people found it very easy to use. A particular favourite was for its use in anagram games.
Brought to you by Mozilla, the same company that unleased Firefox upon the world, Thunderbird is a no fuss e-mail client that serves as the perfect replacement for Outlook, iMail and the ever reliable UEA Webmail. The newest version of Thunderbird features tabbed e-mail browsing so no more never ending layers of windowed e-mails clogging up your screen. Featuring all the same jazz that Firefox users get, such as improved spam detection, customisable themes and a stupidly easy interface for adding new users and accounts, it’s all rolled up into a neat and tidy package.
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/ wordkit/id412794377?mt=8# Krishna Raghvani
www.mozillamessaging.com/en-US/ thunderbird/ Vaughn Highfield
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Black Swan Dir: Darren Aronofsky Release Date: 21/1/11 Darren Aronofsky’s film has already received an enormous amount of media attention, and has been met with polarised criticism. It has been nominated for five Oscars and showcases the undeniable talents of Natalie Portman. Perfection to Nina (Portman) is all about control. However it is Thomas (Vincent Cassel) who shows her it is also about letting go. Her timid, girlish ways are contrasted with Lily’s (Kunis) rebellious wiles, and the film follows her progression from
childhood to maturity through the role of taking on both the White Swan and the Black Swan. However, Nina becomes immersed in the role of the Black Swan and obsessed with desire for perfection. She learns to let go of her innocence. Her progression is beautifully executed and sexually charged. The audience are taken into the mind of Nina through hand-held camera shots and tricks that blur the boundaries between illusion and reality. An interesting connection is made between Nina’s beauty and sexuality, and her descent into madness. Nina’s fate is foreshadowed by Thomas’ former star Beth
The Dilemma
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Fact: Clint Mansell’s score is based around a distorted version of the main theme from Swan Lake, played backwards. He’s so talented, it’s almost hateful..
(Winona Ryder), who is forced into retirement and is now suicidal. Nina’s own self-destructive behaviour is apparent before she is cast in the role of the Black Swan, through her habit of scratching herself in her sleep. Her over-protective and controlling mother tries to protect Nina from
herself and is the only person to notice that the role is destroying her. Yet, the mother also has a part to play in her daughter’s destruction, and there are elements of emotionally abusive tendencies; living her own dream through her daughter, her need for control, ordering her to take her top off and
Hereafter
clipping her nails. Again, this emotional abuse has a sexual tone, and Nina’s break from asexual innocence ties in with the break from her mother. The film plays with the imagination, fooling the audience with what is real, so you do not find out the full devastation of the tragedy until the end. Playing on dualities, the film is simple, yet effective. The audience is carried through the conflicts in Nina’s mind, her emotions and her experiences. Although Nina falls from a lift during the first part of the dance on the opening night, she wins the theatre audience over and as the curtain closes whispers ‘I felt it... Perfect.
It was perfect.’ Yet due to Portman’s and co-star Mila Kunis’ extreme method acting, the quality of the film has been tarnished in some respects. Both actors lost around twenty pounds, through rigorous training, to attain an authentic amount of ballet technique, and to present the realities of the pressure in this world to be dangerously thin. Although this may mean that a new diet fad appears in the wake of Black Swan’s success, the film itself in fact shows the tragedy of striving for socalled perfection. Carmina MasoliverMarlow
The Ward
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Director: Ron Howard Release Date: 21/1/11 Typically when the name Vince Vaughn is mentioned, you would immediately think comedy. The Dilemma surprisingly turned out to be everything but. However, luckily enough, this was a pleasant surprise. Generally speaking, The Dilemma is a story of a man who witnesses his best friend’s wife cheating and the dilemma of whether or not to tell. Fortunately, the plot manages to dive deeper; focusing on the true struggles one may face in this situation. While trying to help his best friend, Ronny (Vaughn) finds his own life
and relationship rapidly falling to pieces. The film is one of true emotions and is essentially pulled forward by the characters. It deals strongly with the ideals of friendship and relationships. The Dilemma sets out the premise of these ideals right from the outset with a discussion on how long it takes to fully get to know someone, and as the film progresses, it shows that it does not matter, so long as people stay true to each other. Although The Dilemma is not a comedy, it has comedic moments that really tie it together into a neat little package of brilliant effect. Samantha Rogers
Director: Clint Eastwood Release Date: 28/1/11 Any film tackling the afterlife will walk a fine line between credulity and ridicule; nonetheless Clint Eastwood examines the subject, through three parallel story arcs. French journalist Marie, after surviving a natural disaster, is compelled to delve into the arena of the afterlife. In London, twins Marcus and Jason are presented with the reality of death; whilst in San Francisco George, (Matt Damon) former professional psychic, is attempting to lead a normal life. Eastwood’s familiarly simplistic direction refuses to overplay scenes, a technique perfectly suited to
Damon’s quiet performance as a humble man searching for happiness. The most powerful sequence shows George tentatively beginning a relationship with a young woman, only to show the heartbreaking speed with which it unravels. Hereafter’s problem, however, is the structure; much of the running time is used to convincingly establish the characters. Thus the strands converge at an inevitably fast pace with such hackneyed devices that the plot descends somewhat into the ridiculous. It’s a shame; up to this point the film finds itself upon the side of credulity, due mostly to the subtlety of Damon’s performance, which remains worth seeing. Emily Bater
Director: John Carpenter Release Date: 21/1/11 Recently, John Carpenter has developed a burgeoning reputation as a has-been. Films such as Ghosts of Mars have flopped massively in comparison to his early cult success with The Thing and Halloween and, with its formulaic plot, The Ward looks to continue the trend. The movie follows Kristen (Amber Heard), a troubled young woman, who is brought to an ominous asylum. She has no memory of her past, but, with the aid of her four ward-mates, comes to discover that she is under threat from something within the asylum itself. Unfortunately, mental asylums have featured
in horror for a long time and The Ward brings nothing new to the long list of associated clichés. Stereotypical goodlooking girls being picked off one by one? Check. Disproportionate amount of stormy weather? Check. Twist ending that’s visible a mile off? Check. In fairness, Heard does remarkably well with the flat dialogue she is given, although other characters (the brainy one, sexy one, babyish one and angry one) are too stereotyped for empathy. The Ward also contains a hair-raising musical score and enough gore to discomfort the average cinemagoer, although die-hard horror fans may find it induces a yawn, rather than a scream. Sam Dordoy
concrete.film@uea.ac.uk
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Morning Glory How Do You Know
Helen Jones
attempt to track down Mary, Cathal draws on some kind of occult-esque Celtic magic to conjure up knowledge of her whereabouts. While Cathal pursues the exiled mother and son, a monster lurks in the shadows of the Edinburgh ghetto that makes Shameless’s Chatsworth Estate look like Disneyland. What ensues is 94 minutes of classic blood and gore. What makes the movie different from other movies in the genre is its
intelligence. Nesbit and Dickie offer deliciously dark and complex performances. The gritty realism of the physical backdrop coupled with the atmosphere of gothic terror, as well as the strange eroticism evoked through the practicing of black magic, leaves us with a movie that is strange, yet compelling. The Outcast is worth seeing and more than worth the rental fee on those lazy Sunday afternoons. Doug Baulf
Jonah Hex
Outcast
Director: Jimmy Hayward Release Date: 27/12/10
Following the murder of his wife and child at the hands of former commanding officer Quentin Turnbull (John Malkovich), scar-faced confederate soldier, Jonah Hex (Josh Brolin) is left with the ability to speak to the dead. After discovering that Turnbull died in a fire, Hex turns to bounty hunting to satisfy his murderous desire for revenge, utilising his supernatural powers to track down his targets across the vast and desolate Wild West. Despite the popularity of the DC comic on which it is based, Jonah Hex fails to deliver anything but a
Director: Colm McCarthy Release Date: 17/1/11
mish-mash of subplots, interspersed with gunfights, explosions and cheesy oneliners, leaving the more important aspects of the story brief and unexplained. It’s unsurprising that the film did so poorly in its cinematic release. The supernatural element of the film is given a back seat by the filmmakers in favour of Hex’s unconvincing and perfunctory relationship with a prostitute, Lilah, played by the corset-clad Megan Fox.
Quentin Turnbull is a one-dimensional and predictable villain, putting Hex into elaborate and easily escapable traps rather than killing him. It is in fact Turnbull’s psychotic Irish henchman, Burke, played by Michael Fassbender, who seems any kind of threat to Hex. The scenes with Fassbender are probably the film’s only saving grace but they are few and far-between in a totally confused film. James Burrough
Forget the backdrop of a grotesquely pristine Beverly Hills high school. Forget the cast packed with thirtysomethings playing late teen-somethings. This isn’t your typical slasher movie. The setting of Colm McCarthy’s gothicmeets-kitchen-sink-drama cinematic outing is a council estate on the barren outskirts of Edinburgh, Scotland. Mary (BAFTA Scotland award-winning actress Kate Dickie) and her teenage son Fergal (played by newcomer Niall Bruton) are on the run from her ex-lover Cathal (James Nesbit). In an
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Lisa (Reese Witherspoon) is facing a crossroads in her life; having been recently cut from the USA Softball team, she finds herself questioning everything from her life plans to her newly blossoming relationship with baseball player Matty (Owen Wilson). What she certainly doesn’t expect is the interception made by George (Paul Rudd), a man tackling both a federal investigation and a volatile relationship with his father (Jack Nicholson). This romantic comedy had all the potential to be adorable in its mushiness while creating some laughs
along the way but somehow it ended up falling short. None of the characters are particularly well developed, and the chemistry between them feels somewhat lukewarm. The way Paul Rudd’s storyline interlinks with the rest of the plot feels awkward and stilted. Its most exciting moment comes way too late in, and it’s a shame the director James L. Brooks didn’t play upon it more. Thankfully, there are a few funny and endearing scenes sprinkled throughout the narrative, which rescue this film from complete failure. However, each time one crops up you do feel as if you’re catching a glimpse of just how great this film could have been. Lorna Pontefract
Director: James L Brooks Release Date:28/1/11
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Morning Glory was far from glorious. From the screenwriter of The Devil wears Prada comes this new comedy starring Rachel McAdams, Harrison Ford and Diane Keaton. McAdams plays TV producer Becky Fuller, a career-driven woman who has no time for men or a life outside of work. Becky lands herself a new job on a failing morning news show and brings in disgruntled ex news reporter Mike Pomeroy (Ford) to co-anchor with the long-standing Colleen Peck (Keaton), in the hope that his legendary status will boost the ratings. The film is incredibly
generic. All too often we’ve seen the working girl who has no time for love, desperately trying to make it in a male orientated world. Predictably, things begin to go well for her when she hooks up with Adam, another producer, presumably her first romantic relationship for many years. Although the acting was good Harrison Ford seemed out of place in this film. Despite playing the role well, he seems better suited to the action adventure genre, and his intense drawl seemed to slow the film down. It is always a pleasure to watch Ford but perhaps in this case he was cast for his star status rather than any true suitability for the role.
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Director: Roger Michell Release Date: 21/1/11
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Statham’s back in the surprise role of squinting automaton destroyer of all things prevalently evil, where he ‘fixes things’ – ‘fix’ being ‘annihilate’ and ‘things’ being ‘skulls’. The film’s logo of a gun is subtly misleading, with a substantial vehicle-related death rate over actual shootings in the face. Featuring a valiant effort from Donald Sutherland, The Mechanic nonetheless features children suffering from drug baron oppression, casual slow-motion manquaffing from an incredibly suitable Ben Foster, and a healthy dose of aggression against homosexuals and
religious paedophiles. Arthur Bishop (Statham), is an amicable, taciturn chap who listens to classical music, drives a boat, and exits overt scenes of destruction with unparalleled ease. He pairs up with his mentor’s son, Steve, and the pair systematically plough through a bunch of questionable men. Statham finds out he’s been betrayed, master and padawan share a joke, then they blow up a street and shoot a guy around 40-50 times because he swears at them from a car window. That’s upsidedown. Simon West doesn’t really touch on Con Air with a constant sunset pallet, some horrific clichés and not enough explosions to merit student price admission. Jack Burrows
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Director: Simon West Release Date: 28/1/11
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Up and Coming... Going by the title, you would be forgiven for thinking Sucker Punch is this years Fight Club, or Million Dollar Baby, or even some ungodly sequel to the mess that was Donkey Punch; however you would be pretty far from the reality, or should we say lack thereof. After 2009’s Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole marked a bizarre curve ball for director Zack Snyder, Sucker Punch sees a return to familiar form. Following the massive success of the graphic novel adaptation of Watchmen, Snyder has a lot to live up to. It seems that with the tantilizing trailers released into cyber
world in July of last year, the gun toting, scantilly clad female protagonists (Vanessa Hudgens included) now have many a fanboy salivating over their keyboards. The film itself combines the worlds of fantasy, action and sci-fi to surreal effect. Beginning in a mental institution, protagonist Baby Doll is played by Emily Browning (otherwise known as that-girl-fromLemony-Snickett-allgrown-up) who must excape the mental asylum within which her stepfather has imprisoned her for his own dark purposes. To escape this torture, as well as a labotomy that is just
‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ on crack, or soft porn with big guns and dragons? Beth Davison takes a look at Zac Snyder’s ‘Sucker Punch’.
five days away, Baby Doll, along with her companions Sweet Pea, Rocket, Blondie
thinking, and yes the girls do sound like extras from a Power Puff Girls movie but
and Amber, must fight for her life. Leaving the scenery of rural Vermont far behind, Baby Doll’s coping mechanism is that of an alternate reality, and from here on in things literally escalate to out of this world. I know what you’re
have some faith in Snyder’s talents – they really do kick some bad-guy ass as stills from the set reveal dragons, weaponry and explosions aplenty. In true Snyder fashion, the stylistic elements of Sucker Punch break every rule in the book
Talking Movies Over the last decade it has been a joy to witness the development and success of a once struggling British film industry. Through the help of the UK Film Council, there has been a dramatic increase in the amount of UK films produced each year. The Film Council has emerged as the most successful film support organisation that the UK has ever had. With help from
much-needed sources such as the National Lottery, a significant number of British films have become fully or part funded by the council. Recently nominated for over 25 prestigious awards, The King’s Speech has received overwhelming success, and is partially funded by the UK Film Council. It is startling to think that films such as these could not have existed without this national financial backing. It is unfortunate then to come to terms with the notion that soon there will be no UK Film council. Yes, sadly, this short-lived
Dick Van Dyke in studio hired to teach him a cockney accent was Irish. Mary Poppins
Looking back, that might explain it.
Halle Berry Catwoman
and as we move further into the imaginary world of Baby Doll’s psyche the snippets of CGI released so far suggest that, as the tagline adequately suggests, You Will Be Unprepared. After the iconic sequences in 300 there is no question that Zack Snyder can do violent battles as well as anyone. Although his back-catalogue has been criticised for appealing only to niche audiences, this time around a healthy mix of battle scenes juxtaposed with the emotional frailty of our heroine means that Snyder may have found the perfect balance at last. The relatively unknown cast of leading ladies have been
perfecting their martial arts techniques and armoury skills for a large part of 2010 apparently learning from the Navy Seals themselves. Physically, they certainly look the part and here’s hoping they pull off emotional challenges of this reality-bending asylum drama with as much conviction. Whatever the outcome, cinema goers and Snyder fans alike certainly have their proverbial ears pricked. Having waited patiently for 2 years since Watchmen, lets hope Sucker Punch, released on March 25th 2011, is the knock-out everyone’s expecting. Beth Davison
Anna Eastick chokes back the tears and takes a look at one of the great losses of the recent cuts: The UK Film Council. cinematic saviour has come to an end. In July 2010, it was announced that the Film Council was to be abolished as part of the many costcutting measures made by the new Tory government. The organization is set to completely close down with its assets by April 2012. The question here is obvious, why? Why choose to axe the Film Council? Over the course of ten years it has channelled roughly £160m into films such as Bend It Like Beckham, The Last King of Scotland and This Is England, building an archive of films unimaginable before its
The Popcorn Chart
Generally regarded as the worst ‘British accent’ in film history, this performance alone showed that Dick Van Dyke cannot do a cockney accent. Or an English accent. Or a European accent. Or any accent other than Chicago. His voice jumped back and forth so often, it was like watching a schizophrenic combination of Ray Winstone crossed with Tom Cruise. Defending his performance, Mr Van Dyke said the man the
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A young actress makes history by being the first African-American
founding. It seems the new government has ostracized an organization that has helped to construct a strong British identity though cinema, and bring in considerable revenue while doing so. The CEO
of the UK Film Council, John Woodward remarked, British film “deserves better”. So what happens now? The prospects of the UK film industry look increasingly bleak, and the future is uncertain. It is more than likely that the number of UK films produced each year will decrease and that products will have to rely on overseas financing, forming the basis of a film industry that we can no longer call our own. It is not just money that is an issue; British films will now become internationally constrained by a significant
amount of overseas input. Just as our national cinema thrives, the new government has abruptly challenged the industry in it’s prime. It is almost like the nation has sat down to watch a film, and just as the story is about to get good; they are told they cannot watch the end. One thing is for sure, that if this were a movie, the Tories would be the villains. So lets be the heroes of this story, let us support the films funded by our very own nation. Anna Eastick
Awful Cockney accents, Oscar winners donning lycra? This week Tim Bates counts down the Top 4 Worst Examples of Miscasting in Film.
winner of the Best Actress Academy Award, for a startling role which saw her portraying a young woman in the American South, trying to deal with the racial undercurrents of loving a white correctional officer from a racist family. What do you do next? Dress her up in lycra, give her a whip, and make her act a script that sees her strut around rooms like a dominatrix more then talk. You can argue the X-Men films had a part to play, but it was this film that wiped all her previous achievements off
Hollywood’s mind.
Natalie Wood West Side Story
in
When a musical of this calibre comes out, it’s easy to overlook the few mistakes it makes. But think about it: this is a film entirely about the racial issues around a white American boy falling in love with a PuertoRican immigrant girl. The first thing you need for that is a great hispanic young actress. So, of course, they hire Natalie Wood, a woman about
as hispanic as George W. Bush. A mistake all the more glaring, because a much better candidate for the role, Rita Moreno, is constantly standing right behind her.
John Wayne in The Conqueror In 1956, Hollywood picks John Wayne to play the
part of Mongolian warlord Genghis Khan. The result is every bit as bad as it sounds. An Asian accent from John Wayne would sound about as realistic as one from Dick Van Dyke. To his credit, Mr Wayne seems to realise this, and delivers each line with the same American drawl he used in his Westerns. Slap on some quite racist make-up, and you’ve got a role that’s only good for one thing; type it into YouTube, and have a good laugh. Tim Bates
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jumping erratically between sincere melody, complex intertwining guitar jams and outright explosions of noise. It’s clear to see that Olympians have a loyal following at home. Their fans are on top form, constantly shouting out the titles of their favourite songs and the band pepper their set generously with tracks from the new EP, whilst still leaving ample time for old favourites. The intensity of their performance gradually increases as the heavier moments start to outweigh the gentle, culminating in a fantastically distorted zenith of thrashing guitar before the strings of lead singer Daniel’s instrument snap mid-chord. Such is the composure of the band at this point however, that the bemused crowd wonder whether this was, in fact, all part of the act. Either way the set is untarnished. With recently confirmed dates playing alongside indie legends Dananananaykroyd, the future looks bright for these math-rock heroes, and judging by this performance, they are fully deserved of such an honour.
On a bitterly cold Saturday evening it takes something truly special to drag gig goers away from TV trash such as the desperate meat market that is ‘Take Me Out’. Luckily, local night Twee Off! is not unaware of the power of temptation, pulling together an unmissable line up at the Norwich Arts Centre featuring one of the brightest bands to emerge in British music this decade, Holy State. Whilst bar staff ladled out themed ‘Holy Stew’ to hungry punters, three-piece opener MEN took to the stage and in a bout of prolonged banter, revealed themselves to be far more boyish than their moniker would suggest. However, the playful in-jokes with the audience soon gave way to heartfelt punk lamentations of the frustrations and disappointments of ordinary life in ordinary workplaces. There was no rock and roll pretension in their brand of upbeat catharsis and all those watching were faced with a bleakly honest yet exuberant band of brothers who stood in solidarity with everyone in just another mind numbing office job. Headliners Holy State entered Twee Off! as returning heroes: heads held high and a stuffed magpie perched on an amp, fresh from an arena tour supporting Biffy Clyro. Norwich bred (though Leeds based), the quartet have steadily built up a reputation as a truly progressive punk band through
releases on both Holy State and Dance to The Radio. Launching into a set that showcased their hardcore influences with teasing hints of Fugazi-style riffs, Holy State let out a pounding torrent of sound that proved broodingly sexy and as close as possible to being unhinged without compromising the well-oiled machine that is their live act. Though heavy, Holy State’s sound is not the brainless clamour of so many hardcore bands clogging the arteries of the current scene. EP track ‘The Beaus and the Oglers’ was accompanied by Robin Fuller’s surrealist projections, the chattering teeth and stocking clad legs flickering behind vocalist Rob Jarvis as he earnestly yelled above the menacing din. In a nod to middle aged golfers everywhere, Bassist Dan Chaudron’s pioneering use of glasses cords anchored his spectacles to his face despite the high level of trashing displayed during single Medicine Hat. As a band, Holy State exemplifies an uneasy balance between restraint and total release and with a debut album due to be released later this year, appears to have straddled the void between the two effortlessly. After a night of primal intensity, the audience spilled eagerly out of the Arts Centre as hopeless followers of a new musical cult. It’s time to get devoted... Emily Prichard
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HOLY STATE: Norwich Arts Centre 22/01/11
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Olympians are stalwarts of the Norwich indie music scene and Friday’s headlining gig at the Arts Centre was held to promote the release of their new EP, To Our Wives and Sweethearts, out on the 24th of January. Support comes in the form of a set of indie garage-pop from aCivilian, aka Phil Critten, who is definitely worth a look for his song ‘The Madness’ alone. He is followed by somewhat unhinged synth-punk clowns Death of Death of Discotheque, who even threaten to overshadow the headline act with their eccentric stage presence. The bizarre juxtaposition of these two opening acts makes it difficult to imagine what Olympians might sound like, but rather than encompassing the sounds of their two openers, they carve their own unique niche. Amid the fervent cries of their fans, Olympians take to the stage against a backdrop of martial arts footage. And why not? One may argue that Olympians provide the perfect soundtrack to duelling ninjas. They call it math-rock but it’s more like echoes of early Biffy Clyro combined with Beach Boy-style harmonies. Their edgier songs keep the audience on their toes though and the crowd find themselves
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The world already has one Kings of Leon! Unfortunately, this LP marks a magnificent leap away from the intelligently crafted, insecurity-wrought lyrics present in previous Cold War Kids releases. Mine Is Yours lacks the gutsy punch we are used to. Usually, Cold War Kids’ songs tell a story, but it appears the wit and guile we know and love has dissipated. Instead the focus of this release is the use of electric guitars, which are employed in such a way
lack the rough tones with which Cold War Kids are synonymous. Previous releases sounded like they were born of heavy drinking, bitterness, and betrayal. ‘Finally Begin’ sounds like a Come Around Sundown B-side. Often if a film is lacking in substance, every exciting moment is crammed into the trailer, leaving the cinemagoer with an understanding of the plot without ever having bought a ticket. This is precisely
that some songs on the record sound as if they would be welcome in any football ground’s half-time playlist. One thing’s for sure, this LP is anthemic, and the band may accumulate new fans as a result of this straight-edged release, though there will be some losses along the way. Any fan eagerly anticipating another raw release with an air of the Deep South and riffs that make you want to learn the harmonica may as well stop reading now. Where’s the swagger? The album is too polished and Nathan Willett’s vocals
how Venue feel’s about Mine Is Yours. When ‘Louder Than Ever’ was released as a single, it left fans wanting more of the same. However, disappointment ensued as the album becomes dazzlingly indifferent from the intro of track three onwards. With Cold War Kids’ stunning debut LP Robbers & Cowards and the subsequent Loyalty to Loyalty being self-produced, we’re at a loss as to why it was a good idea to fix something that wasn’t broken! Bring back the magic. Bring back Cold War Kids. Josh Clift
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White Lies second album, Ritual, is much like their first. Harry McVeigh’s distinctive vocals continue to spill over emotional, epic indie anthems, and the band appears to be replicating the angsty ballads of To Lose My Life with a fresh addition of electro synth. It doesn’t work as well as one might hope. Their initial success came in catchy, powerful songs that made you want to run through the rain pretending that your life was as dramatic and poetic as their music. This doesn’t happen in Ritual. ‘Bigger Than Us’ ends up being a less effective attempt at round two of ‘Farewell to the Fairground’, and instead of imagining all the poignant points of your life in slow motion with these new songs as background music, you are left feeling a bit irritated. ‘Bad Love’ is a perfect example of this, with the particularly clichéd line “If I’m guilty of anything/ It’s loving you too much” conjuring nothing but sickly annoyance. The electronic touches do reap some rewards though. The 80’s vibe works well
in some places; ‘Peace and Quiet’ has hints of a Joy Division/New Order sound, which complements McVeigh’s voice nicely but in other places they miss the mark and at one point during ‘Is Love’ they may as well have segued into The Human League’s ‘Don’t You Want Me’! [Ed. I fail to see why this is an issue...] All in all, Ritual is okay. There are highs; ‘Come Down’ has a particularly nice section of vocals and good guitar and bass lines. ‘The Power and the Glory’ starts off slow but once it gets going is a high point too. On their own the songs aren’t offensive, but put them together and it becomes too much. If this album was your friend you’d be sick of them whining to you about their love life. If this album was your boyfriend/girlfriend you would have ended it as their initial sensitivity quickly became needy and their constant worry of their inadequacy drove you insane.
Chapel Club’s debut album, on first listen, is a bit hit and miss, flittering between inspiration and indifference. You want it to open up to you. Unfortunately, despite longing, wishing, praying and even grovelling for more on repeated listens, hit and miss is how it remains. It’s not a great start when your debut’s first track seems pointless. What they have aimed for is a mood setter, a wash of ambient sound to welcome you to the Palace which they have built, an overture of sorts. What they actually achieve is very little. At just shy of two minutes long ‘Depths’ is fine as a composition; a piece of background music for a poignant Attenborough-esque landscape shot perhaps, but as song, well, it’s going to be nobody’s favourite. The album sparks into life with the next track, ‘Surfacing’, which should be the opener. Its staccato verses are choppy and tense but finally crescendo into a cathartic chorus which impresses time and time again. It’s a majestic song, one that shows the apogee of Chapel Club’s talents in both their shoegaze instrumentals and, with the classic lines “dream a little dream of me”, Bowman’s poetic lyricism. From herein tracks wax and wane. Both ‘Five Trees’ and ‘After the Flood’ are disappointingly average and, despite only being four songs in the Horrors meets Editors tremolo/vibrato guitar lines are beginning
to grate, not because of their inclusion, but simply because the album is plagued by overproduction. What could have been a seminal release is marred by an overstated intent to follow in the footsteps of My Bloody Valentine. The vocals are lost and any promise to fill the shoes of those melodramatic indie giants are quashed as they begin to sound more derivative and even more predictable. This is not to say that there aren’t some amazing tracks on the album. ‘The Shore’ is a brooding and dreamy, yet ethereal creation and allows the band to show their more tender and darker side with the haunting lyrics “you liar/ you coward/you snake” echoing over their subdued instrumentals. ‘O Maybe I’ too, is a strong song, but by this point the album needs reinvigorating. Thankfully ‘All The Eastern Girls’ is track number nine. Superlatives in abundance could not describe how brilliant this song is. Its beautifully crafted lyrics, accomplished guitar parts and its position as saving grace of the album make it the standalone track by a country mile. You can skip final track ‘Paper Thin’, because the ‘All The Eastern Girls’ refrain of “This is a love song/This is a love song...” is a much more fitting ending and the best and most sincere thing they have done.
Rose Clark
Alex Throssell
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“Hey Johnny, what are you rebelling against?” are the first words which greet you on Guilty Hands’ debut album. Well, they are certainly rebelling against the idea that they should fall into any particular genre. The further Desire on a Short Leash goes on the more it becomes clear that they will not fall into any easy indie clichés, and instead lead the listener along a winding path featuring a variety of musical ideas.
“The Killing of Isla Nicholson” allude to drowning. Any happy or optimistic themes are notably absent. But it’s not all doom and gloom. Sure-fire single ‘Gregory’ could be an indie dance floor hit with its upbeat tempo, bouncy synth-lines and driving guitar. Indeed if the band seems to have a rather macabre worldview, this doesn’t stop them from having a good ear for melody and catchy repeating choruses,
If a less talented band attempted this it would undoubtedly result in a disjointed album. However, Guilty Hands manage to hold their LP together by striking a consistently dark tone, not dark in the same sense as White Lies’ general gloominess, but dark in a more unsettling and creepy way. The atmosphere throughout is one of distinct unease and this is only compounded by the morose lyrics, which in the case of
as is also evident on opening track ‘Razor’. The more interesting features on the album such as the use of jittery electronic beats and eclectic vocal delivery sets them apart from your average indie band. Overall Desire On A Short Leash comes off as a confident yet darkly atmospheric indie-pop album, but its not quite that simple...
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indie stabs and metal licks. Nowadays it’s a bizarre format, but one that ran riot during nu-metal’s hay-day. The vocals suggest an off-key combination of influences from Serj Tankian, Jello Biafra, and Eugene Hütz; but are notably weaker and less dynamic than any of the above. By the second song ‘Jesta’, the vocals have lost any charm they might have offered and the weirdness in his voice just sounds obscenely forced. The music takes on the standard format of intro, verse, chorus, verse, etc; with the chorus delivering the typical heavy distortion supplied in every standard rock breakdown. It’s very run of the mill stuff. Throughout the album, the band nod their head towards international rhythms, and even some tweaks at a late 90’s Primus obscurity but again lack the innovation to pull any of it off convincingly. In the pursuit of originality in an overdone heavy rock genre, too many styles have been bashed here. It comes across as a messy and strained mush of ideas that fail to commit to pop sensibilities as much as it does musical progression. For an edgy rabble of 15 year olds, this would be a product to be proud of, unfortunately they’re not. Just Before We Go Mad? To waste the amount of time they have creating this uninspiring, boring and dull artefact; they’ve clearly already gone mad. But it’s not all bad! At least the album was recorded in tune. It’s also very functional: it fits nicely inside any moderately sized bin, and it’s also a digipack (the case is made out of card) which means you can supplement rising heating prices by burning it. Ant Firth-Clark
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James Woodward
Jamie Lewis
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Snatching at a CD that a room full of people are curling their lip at is never going to suggest overwhelming potential; but there’s always hope, right? Nope. This bizarre school of angry foreign poisson’s introduce themselves by an eerie dark opening with rolling drums and twinkling guitars. The vocalist welcomes the listener in the vein of a ringmaster preparing an audience for an awe-inspiring performance. It’s not what you get. The entrance song ‘Johnny Sideways’ chops between a creeping down-tempo verse and a chorus with guitars that utilises
balance and gives the listener a chance to catch their breath before bursting into ‘Just Because’. The second half of the album is a step back from the foot to the floor tempo of the opening tracks. With delicate guitar sections and vocals more melodic in nature, ‘Postcards of Persuasion’ opens this up and demonstrates the more relaxed after party vibe of the Los Angeles quintet. This album has suffered from the hype and expectation of the music-media machine and as a result it was always going to struggle to meet the expectations placed upon it. Accusations of the album being too try hard in trying to create a dance-pop album of significance miss the point. This is an album to represent the lifestyle of LA party residents, not to break down musical boundaries. Funeral Party have created an album that is fun, easy and popular, if not revolutionary; rather like a Monday night at a Norwich nightclub.
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Despite what the title might suggest , this album is not about a Monday night out at a Norwich nightclub. What it is about is a lifestyle filled with partying, dancing and sunset yard parties in L.A. Exploding out of the blocks with ‘NYC Moves To The Sound Of LA’ Funeral Party display the confident, cock-sureness that sets great bands apart from the average. The up-beat party tempo is relentless throughout the first half of the album and when coupled with the numerous shoutalong chants throughout recent single ‘Finale’ a sometimes unnecessary in your face attitude is created. Criticised in some press for being “nothing new”, Funeral Party happily play up to this with ‘Where Did It Go Wrong’ by wearing their influences on their sleeves. Hints of The Strokes and various other early 2000’s American Indie bands shine through. Rather than detracting from the album this produces a change in sound to the opening tracks and gives the album much needed
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THE BROWNIES/FEVER FEVER Or how Norwich music came out of the ether to kick your fucking arse
The Brownies (left) and Fever Fever (right). Go and see both of these bands To many of the Norwich music scene’s devotees, the Marquee is held with the sort of regard as New York’s recently deceased punk mecca CBGB’s. On whether or not comparisons between the two have been drawn primarily because of their legendarily fetid toilets, Venue is unsure. What is clear though is that the calibre of bands performing at the Marquee last Friday evoked the kind of buzz that you’d expect from New York’s premier punk club back in its ’76 heyday. The joy of underground Norwich music is that it is relatively untouched by the stiflingly pretentious and ultimately selfserving factions that plague the scenes of the bigger cities. It has sustained itself; it has nourished itself and, in the process, created something with a distinct flair of its own. It’s a bit art rock, totally fuzz drenched and with enough British eccentricity to keep it consistently fresh and entertaining. Oh, it also kicks the shit; more than your favourite twee indie fuckup band ever did anyway. Friday night sees the Marquee packed out, sold out in fact, and smelling like a gym locker. There’s a kind of nervous energy,
and a sticky haze in the air. Lady Panther takes to the stage, saying very little. They’re letting the music do the talking, which is no bad thing. It rips like a bitch, a burning, fucked up rock and roll mess. Down and dirty like an old Kyuss record, the band somehow manages to keep their sound lean and mean with an altogether Britpunkier edge. No fuss, no frills, just back of the net and they’re gone… good start. While Lady Panther seems to have perfected the art of getting straight to the point, Cold Hands are apparently in need of a crash course in cutting the crap. Well, that and staying (relatively) sober before taking to the stage. While the trio has something of a burgeoning reputation on the Norwich scene, their set at this juncture feels like the weak link in an otherwise iron-cast chain. They’re sloppy, they’re disengaged and they look and sound like they’re two Jägers away from waking up in a pool of their own bile. An end set instrument swap doesn’t do them any favours, and the resulting debacle is like witnessing an onstage car crash. Stick to the J2O next time, lads. If Cold Hands can’t find the strength to
clean up their act, they might at least want some of what Fever Fever is on (whatever it is, Venue can only assume it’s very illegal. We also want some...). The band’s infectious venom is the first sign of the night that East Anglia could be on the verge of a musical revolution. Distinctively jagged with a noise-punk, art rock flair, Fever Fever deliver the goods with a snot nosed British wit that feels like a valiantly raised middle digit to every shit band you’ve ever been forced to listen to. Venue doesn’t quite know where they’ve come from. The important thing is where they’re going. With a performance already confirmed for this year’s SXSW in Texas and moguls such as Everett True amongst the converted, Fever Fever could well be the next big thing. That’s something that we here at Venue wouldn’t have a problem with. The night’s headliners have organised
this gig as a fundraiser for their own Gravy records. They’ve also motivated a large number of the audience into attending. They are The Brownies, and while their name might connote the junior contingent of the Girl Guides, their music is pure rock. Proper rock, in fact: the kind of rock that starts a movement. It’s sexy, it’s angry, it sounds like Quentin Tarantino shot ‘90s Riot Grrrl through the head with a twelve gauge shotgun and then turned it up to eleven. The band is a well-oiled machine, powered by relentless fuzz riffing that penetrates your eardrums and leaves you sore in the morning. Over all too quickly, The Brownies leave you wanting more. Indeed, they might be in contention with Fever Fever for the title of Norfolk’s premier band. Alec Plowman
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Fever Fever. You don’t get this from the bloody Ting Tings
The Brownies. They rock. Any questions? Photo © Huckle 26
* SHOCKWAVES NME AWARDS TOUR 2011 feat. Crystal Castles + Magnetic Man + Everything Everything - LCR - 7pm (approx. £17 - call for availability) * Film - The Town - LT1 - 7:30pm (£2.80) * Snow White and the Seven Sins Norwich Puppet Theatre - 2:30pm/6:30pm
Tuesday 1st
* Pirate Party - LCR - 10pm (£3.50adv) * The Caucasian Chalk Circle - The Playhouse - 2:30pm/7:30pm (£10-£12) * Hairspray - Theatre Royal (daily shows until the 12th of February) 2:30pm/7:30pm (£6-£39.50)
(£6-£6.50)
Saturday 12th
Wednesday 2nd
* Phil Beer Band - The Assembly House 7:30pm (£16) * Norwich Jazz Collective Presents: Pangaea - Norwich Arts Centre - 8pm (£4)
Thursday 3rd
* NT Live: King Lear - Cinema City 6:45pm * POW Feat. Bloc Party DJ’s - LCR - 10pm (£6) * Juan Martin - Norwich Arts Centre - 8pm (£10-£13)
Friday 4th
* Varietease Burlesque Revue - Norwich Puppet Theatre - 8pm (£10) * Film - The Other Guys - LT1 - 7:30pm (£2.80)
Will Ferrell and Mark Whalberg star in the 2010 comedy The Other Guys showing this month at UEA
Saturday 5th
Tuesday 8th
7:30pm (£10-£12)
6:30pm (£6.50)
* Now 90s Feat. N-Trance + Vibe in The Hive - LCR - 10pm (£4.50) * The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) - The Playhouse -
Sunday 6th
* White Lies - LCR - 7pm (£16)
Monday 7th
* Kerrang! Relentless Tour 2011 (feat. Good Charlotte + Four Year Strong + Framing Hanley - LCR - SOLD OUT
* Go Commando - LCR - 10pm (£3.50 * David Harsent - UEA Literary Festival LT1 - 6:30pm (£6) * Opera De Paris: Caligula - Cinema City -
Wednesday 9th
* Imelda May - LCR - 7:30pm (£16.50) * “Dr Phil’s Rude Health Show” - Norwich Arts Centre - 8:30pm (£11-£13)
Thursday 10th
* Jimmy Webb - Norwich Arts Centre 8pm (£22.50)
* The A List + Harmony - LCR - 10pm (£4.50) * Norwich Alternative Valentines Sale @ Waterfront - 10am-5pm (£1 entry) STRICTLY OVER 18’s * The Banff Mountain Film Festival - The Playhouse -7:30pm (£10-£12) * Met. Opera: Nixon In China - Cinema City - 6pm (£21.50)
Sunday 13th
* Britten Sinfonia: English Song - Theatre Royal - 7:30pm (£6-£25)
Monday 14th Valentines Day
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which you can spend your 14th of February in Norwich. To all the hopeless romantics, why not go old school and take that special someone on a picnic. Prepare their favourite food; roll up a blanket and head on down to the UEA Lake for the perfect romantic atmosphere. Simples! If you don’t fancy braving the inevitable cold, Venue would like to suggest an idyllic location to spend this special day. Nestled quietly in the centre of Norwich are The Bar and The Dining Rooms at Cinema City. This one building, dating back to the 14th Century, houses a bar, restaurant and several cinema screens, with a covered medieval courtyard; adorned with fairy lights and timeless rustic charm for all its diners. With an impressive selection of food and wines on their menu including Wild Rabbit and Hazelnut Crusted Venison Loin, you won’t be short of choice either. A word of caution, be prepared to hand over a decent amount of your student loan, as all of this doesn’t come cheap! For the more “hands on” couples, get
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VALENTINE’S IN NORWICH It almost seems like as soon as we’ve had chance to put away our Christmas decorations for another year, shops are stacking their shelves with the commercial flora and fauna aimed at drawing in the hapless consumer into departing with their well-earned cash in the name of celebration. For some of us, Valentine’s Day marks one day of the year where people become obsessed with the notion of “love” and get sucked into the hype of an over publicised, money making farce. However to some, this day means a little bit more. At its core, this is meant to be a day to celebrate the ones whom you love and cherish, no matter who they may be: this notion seems to have been lost to the masses under a tidal wave of marketing and cynicism. The truly special thing about Valentine’s Day is that there are an infinite number of ways in which you can celebrate it, every one being as wonderful and unique as the next. So in the spirit of love, Venue would like to make some suggestions as to ways in
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Who will be your Valentine’s?
yourself to Thai Wellbeing for a Couples Massage, where you and your partner can share the experience together. Two therapists will accompany you and perform a treatment of your choice from their wide range available. Last but not least, all the singles out there, Lola Lo are hosting a special edition of their student night Trashed with the “Trashed
Chat Up Challenge”. Pretty self-explanatory, just bring your best friends along and see if the sparks fly! With free entry all night, there really is no excuse not to make the very most of your Valentine’s Day.
Georgina Wade
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1: Cover (6) 5: Springsteen Album, Born in the ___ (3) 7: Bottle (5) 8: Destructive flood (7) 9: Governed (5) 10: Not as dark (8) 12: Edible seed (6) 14: 18 times 5 (12) 17: Remove monarch (8) 18: Irritate (5) 20: Large flowers (7) 21: Boredom (5) 22: And not (3) 23: Bon Jovi song (6)
2: Coming from south (7) 3: Cooking in a simmering liquid (8) 4: Just (4) 5: Small,four stringed guitar (7) 6: Comedy, Police _______ (7) 7: Greater in quality (5) 11: Someone who stays up late (8) 12: Call before court (7) 13: Wind (7) 15: Tautly (7) 16: Plural of tempo (5) 19: American (4)
Win The Kerrang! Relentless Energy Drink Tour 2011 will be coming to the LCR on Monday the 7th of February. If you fancy going to see, amongst other musical heavyweights, Good Charlotte, a band that weren’t even cool ten years ago, then all you have to do is bring your completed crossword to the Concrete Office by 3pm on 04/02/11.
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Win Comedian Angelos Epithemiou will be performing at the LCR on Thursday the 3rd of March. All you have to do to win two tickets is circle the correct answer to the following question and bring it to the Concrete Office by 3pm on 01/03/11. What is Epithemiou’s real name? A) Renton Skinner B) Rent Boy Skinner C) Skinner the Rimmer
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