Concrete - Issue 268 27/03/2012 by Concrete - UEA's official student newspaper

Issue 268 | Tuesday 27 March 2012 | Fortnightly | Free

UEA’s Independent Student Newspaper

BECOME A CONCRETE SECTION EDITOR You don’t need any experience, it looks great on a CV, and anyone can apply | See page 2

Men’s Rugby appeal against Union ban Amelia Edwards and Susanna Wood | News reporter and News editor

According to Mr Bloomer and community and student rights officer Tash Ross, the decision to suspend the Men’s Rugby Club was made mostly out of concern for student welfare, and partly because the Rugby Club’s behaviour has been having a negative impact on the appearance of the Union and the University. However, both officers have made it clear that they want the Rugby club to appeal. Bloomer told Concrete: “I hope they do appeal … as it will either prove that we’re accurate with what we’re saying, or if they present something we

KAOS FASHION SHOW 2012 SEE VENUE INSERT

Continued on page three

SPORT | P23 Fight Night relaunches after a year hiatus to huge success

Ga Chun Yau

Tom Oliver

COMMENT | P8 INTERNATIONAL | P15 LIFESTYLE | P16 Men’s Rugby: should individuals Concrete reviews Go Global Week, Strictly fever hit UEA, and be banned, not the club? which showcased UEA’s diversity Concrete has the full lowdown

Ga Chun Yau

Concerns about student welfare

didn’t previously know about, we can be fair to them.” In a statement, UEA Men’s Rugby Club president Andy Driver said to Concrete that the club does not condone sexism or racism, and affirmed that they “do not want the reputation of the club, Union or University to be tarnished by the foolish and thoughtless behaviour of some individuals who represent us”. Nonetheless, the club made the decision to appeal because they felt that the punishment was too severe. Driver stated: “Individuals who are responsible for the accusations against us should be appropriately and severely punished, not the Rugby Club as a whole”. He also claims to have new evidence which was not previously brought to light due to a lack of investigation. The Men’s Rugby Club has had a history of bad behaviour. Ross claims that the Union has “had to punish the RFC for something every year for the past five years”, including criminal damage amounting to £1,800 at a hotel, as reported by Concrete in March 2011.

Tom Oliver

UEA Men’s Rugby Club has appealed against the Union’s suspension of the club. The Union of UEA Students made the decision to ban the club in reaction to a number of complaints of racism and sexism made against it on Thursday 15 March. In an interview with Concrete, Rob Bloomer, finance officer, said: “Rugby hadn’t been that much of a problem this year, although they were on their last chance after previous incidences”.

www.concrete-online.co.uk Tuesday 27 March 2012 - Issue 268

NEWS

facebook.com/ConcreteNewspaper concrete.news@uea.ac.uk @Concrete_UEA

TWEETS TO CONCRETE THE EDITOR’S COLUMN

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@Concrete_UEA without condoning racism or sexism, the uni have now set a precedent. Which clubs + soc are next? Wheres the line going to be? @PaulBullard92

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UEA Rugby Team Disbanded As Members Dress As Joseph Kony, Gary Speed, Baby P And KKK http://huff.to/GGL4yB first picked up by @Concrete_UEA @HuffPostUKUni

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@Concrete_UEA If rugby want to be ‘fairly judged’, perhaps they should disclose what this ‘unknown incident’ on derby day was? @uefacup81

Chuckling at silly responses to UEA RFC ban on @ Concrete_UEA. Defo not representative of the ppl I met last week #freshershaterugby @LiamMcCafferty

Got a story? concrete.news@uea.ac.uk

Editorial inquiries / complaints concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk concrete.event@uea.ac.uk

Website(s) www.concrete-online.co.uk concblog.wordpress.com

Telephone 01603 593 466

Concrete welcomes all letters and emails, so please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Letters should be addressed for the attention of the editor-in-chief, and include contact details. All emails should be sent to concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk. We will consider anonymous publication, and reserve the right to edit for length and clarity as necessary. Anonymous article submissions are permitted. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the newspaper. No part of this newspaper may be reproduced through any means without the express permission of the editor, Chris King. Published by UUEAS Concrete Society ©2011 Concrete BMc ISSN 1351-2773

EDITORIAL

CONTRIBUTORS

Editor-in-chief | Chris King concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk Deputy | Hannah Britt concrete.deputyeditor@uea.ac.uk News | James Dixon / Susanna Wood concrete.news@uea.ac.uk Comment | Joshua Resoun concrete.comment@uea.ac.uk Travel | Greg Lewry concrete.travel@uea.ac.uk Features | Billy Sexton concrete.features@uea.ac.uk International | Rachael Lum ueaconcreteinternational@gmail.com Lifestyle | Hasina Allen / Rianne Ison concrete.lifestyle@uea.ac.uk Turf | Becky Hazlewood concrete.turf@uea.ac.uk Sport | Matt Scrafton / Chris Teale concrete.sport@hotmail.co.uk concrete.sport@uea.ac.uk Copy | Amy Adams / Harry Slater concretecopyeditors@gmail.com Chief Photographer | Laura Smith Deputy Chief | Harriet Jones concrete.photographers@uea.ac.uk

News | Michael Drummond, Tom Cannon, Timothy Bates, Amelia Edwards, Adam Plom, James Dixon, David Murphy, Sophie Witts, Alex Throssell, Chris King, Riccardo Monni, Chris Teale, Kari With, Beth Wyatt, Rachel Knott, Susanna Wood Comment | Ciara Jack, Thomas Stringer, Matt Finucane, Clive Lewis, David Murphy, Sebastian Crawford, Greg Lewry Travel | Alex Collins, Flo Reynolds, Rich Canton, Greg Lewry, Holly Spanton, Claire Sangster, Polly Grice Features | Sam Emsley, Polly Grice, Chris King, Mimi Gaston-Kennedy International | Max Hui, Isabelle Carty Lifestyle | Joshua Resoun, Miranda Hutchinson, Lucy Jobber, Susanna Wood, Natasha Bailey, Freya Barry Turf | Louise Withers Green, Rosie Rawle, Toby Samuels Sport | Billy Sexton, Joshua Resoun, Adam Plom, Matt Scrafton, Oli Platt, Chris Teale Proofreaders | Hatty Farnham, Charlotte Cox, Matthew Weddig, Beth Wyatt, Kirsten Heywood

You know it’s a tough issue when you don’t get home from work on a Monday night until 2am. The drugs issue was the most stressful but ultimately the most satisfying of the year. The Derby Day pull out was expertly compiled and organised by Sport editors Chris Teale and Matt Scrafton. Credit to both for producing a fantastic souvenir for UEA sports clubs. Huge thanks must also go to my Deputy editor Hannah Britt, for donning her superhero cape and swooping back into the office to assist me with pulling the issue together. Personally I feel that, despite a couple of minor errors, the “drugs issue” had it all: excellent writing, fantastic features, and magnificent photos. My thanks go to all the supremely talented photographers we have at Concrete,

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

whose fantastic efforts were displayed to the maximum extent possible. I would also like to give a quick mention to James Dixon, Susanna Wood and our reporters, who rushed around to cover the elections and produced a great piece on the new officers at very short notice. Features editor Billy Sexton did a brilliant job laying up the drugs survey, but I would like to apologise to Billy for accidentally using the incorrect pull out quote in the article “is there a case for legalisation?” by Sam Emsley. Concrete also selected its new editorin-chief last week. Congratulations to Amy Adams, who was chosen from a number of superb candidates. It was an extremely tough decision, and a very competitive application process. I have full confidence that Amy, and next year’s team will continue to bring Concrete forward. One final note: if you are set on a career in journalism, becoming a Concrete editor is a great place to start, so please take the time to apply.

Dear Editor, I am writing to complain about Concrete's coverage of Derby Day. I competed for UEA trampolining and we won against Essex. I noticed, however, that we (and plenty of other victorious sports clubs) were neglected for ridiculously long articles about more “mainstream” sports. I am disappointed at the lack of diversity, especially because of the high quality of the photographs of us competing and the lost potential of a really interesting Derby Day pull out. Sincerely, Tilly Wood

Chris King Editor-in-chief

INSIDE VENUE THIS ISSUE MUSIC

Music | p8

Has British pop finally broken the United States?

Kind regards, Chris King, Editor-in-chief

Television | p17

Venue analyses UEA:TV’s Story Behind The Status

2011

concrete.music@uea.ac.uk

album sales are released, showing adele’s dominance in the us and the uk charts, and british boy world of music.

In the past week, UK record industry body copies in one year than any other artist since to the top of the US Billboard 200 albums the BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Usher’s Confessions in 2004. If this wasn’t chart on the first week of their debut album’s announced that British musicians took enough, she also spent a total of 12 weeks release. 176,000 copies of Up All Night their highest share of US albums sales, in at number one in the US singles chart with were shifted by the band and, thanks to a 2011, for over a decade. With 30 UK acts Rolling In The Deep and Someone Like You. huge promotional tour all over the States, the having sold at least 100,000 copies in the However, Adele wasn’t the only British group are already building a huge fanbase US, the total British albums sold accounted success in the US. Mumford & Sons also across America with rumours surfacing that for 11.7% of all albums sold in the US stamped their authority on the US Billboard they have even penned their own US TV in the past year. Meanwhile it was also Charts, with their album Sigh No More show on children’s channel Nickelodeon. Their immediate popularity in the US revealed that the UK album market was also ending the year as the sixth bestselling dominated by British artists with 52.7% of album in the States, whilst Coldplay’s Mylo comes on the back of recent US chart the total album sales last year, their biggest Xyloto, Florence and the Machine’s Lungs, success from fellow Brits, The Wanted who market share for 15 years. It is probably no and even Susan Boyle’s Someone to Watch recently became the highest charting UK surprise then that the woman leading this Over Me enjoyed US success, finishing in boy band in the US singles chart with their surge of British dominance forward is none the top 100 bestselling albums of the year. single Glad You Came reaching number other than the award-winning Adele. So, with all this success on the other side five. The lack of homegrown boy bands in The London-born singer-songwriter took of the pond, could this be a sign of a new America means that it is likely that both One the world by storm in 2011, ending the year wave of British dominance in the world of Direction and The Wanted could continue with her album 21 scoring the biggest selling music? to see prolonged success as the British boy album of the year in both the US (5.8 m) If British boy bands are anything to go bands take advantage of a gap in the US and the UK (3.8 m). In doing so, she became by we could be seeing more of this success music market left by the likes of N’Sync and the first British act to top the end of year in the years to come. Last week X Factor The Backstreet Boys. US billboard charts since the Spice Girls manufactured boy band One Direction Boy bands aside, the future of British in 1997, while also selling more US album became the first British group to go straight artists also looks bright. Female artists

Dear Tilly, It would have been fantastic to cover UEA trampolining, and it is unfortunate that we were unable to. We chose longer articles as they tend to do greater justice to matches than short summaries. We had a finite number of writers, but the lack of diversity is regretful and certainly wasn’t planned. Next year I hope we will be able to give you the prominence you deserve.

27.03.2012

keep on selling in the free world in a week where the end of

bands make their mark on america, sam parker asks if could we be seeing the comeback of british music acts staking their claim on the

27.03.2012

Jessie J and Rebecca Ferguson have been nominated in the “Brink-of-Fame: Music Artist” category of the NewNowNext Awards in the US (a category which aims to spot the rising stars of the future of US pop culture), while it is also hard to see a future US charts which doesn’t feature Adele after her sheer dominance of the American music industry last year. Let’s also not write off promising artists such as Labrinth, Emeli Sande and Ed Sheeran who have all had huge success in the UK and are yet to release their debut albums in the States. Although it is a bit premature to be predicting a British overhaul of music charts across the world, it is promising to see a surge of artists and groups conquering the US and it can only be positive to see the increasing array of new British talent emerging each year. Will 2012 prove to be an even more successful year for British music? We’ll just have to wait and see ...

TELEVISION

concrete.tv@uea.ac.uk

the new student sitcom coming soon from uea:tv starring: sophie north, hayley hammond, tom castle and tom ritchie

Beer cans litter the room. Empty pizza boxes are on the table. Sofa cushions are in disarray. To the naked eye, this is a standard “morning after the night before” in a student house, but in fact it’s the set of episode two of UEA:TV’s new self-produced sitcom Story Behind the Status. After being revived at the start of this year, UEA:TV has recruited some new creative minds, from which Story Behind the Status has come. Co-Heads of Comedy Sam Richards and Libby Masters joined forces and together their comedy genius has created a 6-part show based around four friends at the fictional Horsewick University and their antics after they move into their second year house. However, as you can guess from the title, it’s more than just a show: each character has their own Facebook profile, and each episode will revolve around what happened to provoke the characters latest statuses. Their pages will be constantly

updated, not only by the writers but by the cast, as they live out the online lives of their adopted characters. Crewed by volunteers from the society and with a student cast collated from open auditions, filming for the first episode recently concluded, beginning the gruelling task of editing, and resisting the temptation to spend all day watching outtakes. Nevertheless, later episodes are being written and filming has already begun on episode two;. Of the future, co-writer Sam Richards said, “as much as I love these characters, it won’t be an easy road for them.” Only time will tell what’s in store for the characters in upcoming weeks, so keep an eye on UEA:TV for details of when the first episode will be released. Get ready to laugh your socks off! Unless you like your socks, in which case, we suggest you fasten them down, or wear shoes. Bex White

then and now: the west wing, today

This year, Barack Obama will be challenged by a Republican hopeful in the presidential elections. The decision over who will be the lucky opponent is being dragged out, state to state, in the Republican nominations, as the candidates perform in a wild media circus, introducing themselves to the world. As we watch potential future Presidents become increasingly slanderous as the votes are counted, we can take refuge in a programme that remains as important in considering American politics as it did upon its debut. From the moment that the pilot screened on NBC in 1999, The West Wing presented itself as a fast paced insight into the workings of fictional president Josiah Bartlet’s White House. Albeit an admittedly glamorised version of US politics, the show’s engaging,

witty dialogue and ambitious characters won legions of viewers and critical acclaim. Despite the insistence of Leo McGarry, Bartlet’s Chief of Staff, that “there are two things in the world you never want to let people see how you make ‘em; laws and sausages”, Aaron Sorkin’s scripts captivated an audience living under the turbulent Bush administration. The West Wing never shied away from being relevant to the political climate. Whilst airing, the show presented an alternative approach to topical issues, taking them away from the blundering clutches of George W. Bush and passing them into the capable hands of President Bartlet. Subjects like nuclear ambitions, oil, and the “War on Terror” were all discussed in the show’s storylines,

27.03.2012

and it’s those political philosophies that still resonate in the current landscape. We can find ourselves drawing upon them to judge the Republican candidates, particularly when they address an issue key to American cultural identity: the relationship of Church and State. President Bartlet’s Catholicism is a key part of his character; he understands his faith and its place within his presidency, keeping a distance between what he believes and the decisions he has to make. However, in the season two episode The Midterms, he humiliates a homophobic radio host on her use of the Bible, a type of intervention perhaps missing in the continued influence of Rush Limbaugh. Further similarities persist in the social positions of the candidates. In the show,

Governor Richie turns Bartlet’s education into a slur, disgracing him for being an “academic elitist.” Real-life candidate Rick Santorum made similar criticisms of Obama’s policies, calling him a “snob” for wanting college education for all Americans. Despite the apparent nonsensical tone of Santorum and others, they fulfil critical tropes seen again and again in US politics. As the candidates reduce in number and the election draws closer, we should continue to think of The West Wing and the value of its satire and political positions, whilst hoping that none of the Republican candidates have the chance to follow in President Bartlet’s fictional footsteps. Bridie Wilkinson

FILM

concrete.film@uea.ac.uk

film preview:

the rise and rise of michael fassbender

prometheus

Film | p21

Take a look at Ridley Scott sci-fi past and present

It has been a long wait. 30 years have passed since Ridley Scott last took the reigns of a science fiction film, since Blade Runner left its indelible mark on cinema. Prometheus (released on June 1), descending from Scott’s acclaimed Alien, marks his anticipated return to the genre, and to a universe he first brought to life in 1979. Understandably, the mouths of many have been salivating like, well, a xenomorph’s. That comparison, however, wears thin. It has been refuted that the iconic extraterrestrial antagonist of the original could make an appearance in what will be, presumably, a prequel to the events witnessed through the eyes of Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley. Instead, Prometheus could unleash a new, terrifying monster. Be prepared. However, by distancing itself from aspects of its predecessor, Prometheus has taken bold steps towards a new audience (something that will only be aided by a talented ensemble that includes Noomi Rapace, Charlize Theron and Michael Fassbender), while nods to Scott’s classic will cater for those who embraced the series 33 years ago. In actuality, little is known of Prometheus’ narrative or the true extent of its relationship to its ancestor, with Scott having stated ambiguously that the film will contain “strands of Alien DNA.” Thus far, the secrecy has been preserved through a meticulously crafted marketing campaign that has seemed intent on cryptically revealing information. But make no mistake: what has been revealed omnipresence throughout the film looks spectacular. Its trailers have combined the thematic Of course, Alien cannot be discussed without considering and the visceral, offering glimpses of intriguing imagery, Sigourney Weaver’s role as Ellen Ripley. Weaver was of a foreign planet, mythological symbols, and a lot of thrust into the spotlight following her role, earning a Bafta impending fear. They evoke the art design of HR Giger, nomination and taking her first step on the road to becoming and there are references to objects and creatures seen but the “Queen of Sci-Fi”. Ripley was one of the first major never explored in the original that could prove integral female protagonists in a major Hollywood science fiction to Prometheus’ plot. Even its title is typographically production, a fact that was rather groundbreaking at the time. symmetrical to Alien’s DNA: Scott wasn’t lying. But all She was not a secondary character, a love interest or just this conjures are unlimited questions: will it explore the there for eye candy. She was running around the spaceship origin of the xenomorph? What about style, will it follow with a large flamethrower. This changed the game, and in the minimalist approach of Alien? And what, exactly, is most strong female leads in modern science fiction or horror, causing so much doom? you can see a glimpse of Ripley. Prometheus, right now, is an enigma. Until its release, There are many more things that could be discussed here: that is the way it should remain: a project that leaves its Scott’s anxiety-inducing direction, the shocking chest-burster fans tantalisingly short of absolutes, blending familiarity sequence, and the fantastic supporting cast. But when it with mystery. In a viral short, Fassbender’s android David comes down to it, taking the legacy and status away, with has claimed: “Big things have small beginnings.” He Alien you are left with a truly effective, timeless film. And that should not be so modest. Prometheus has the potential to is what makes it a modern classic. be even bigger than its forebear.

2009 saw the release of Quentin Tarantino’s much anticipated seventh film, Inglorious Basterds, and helped rejuvenate the career of a middle-aged Austrian actor by the name of Christoph Waltz. But it also kick started another actor’s career, that of Michael Fassbender. From a character who’s principal purpose was to show us that Germans indicate three on their hands differently to us (I’ve checked, it’s true), within three years Michael Fassbender has gone on to play Magneto in X-Men: First Class, Carl Jung in A Dangerous Method and Edward Rochester in Jane Eyre whilst acting alongside the likes of Viggo Mortensen, James McAvoy and Keira Knightley … and he’s only 34. Clearly then his career has advanced at an astronomical speed but unlike some other actors whose stars have recently risen, he has avoided being typecast; the most obvious comparison being Robert Pattinson, who will struggle to distance himself from the Twilight films. Instead Michael Fassbender has successfully plied his trade in both bid budget Hollywood blockbusters and small-scale indie films playing a whole array of varied characters and

receiving critical acclaim for each portrayal. In the same year he has played an iconic mutant who can control metal in one film and in another a man in his mid-30s dealing with sex addiction. In no more certain terms were his acting abilities demonstrated then through his performance in the film Shame which was described as “brilliant and ferocious” and for which he received the Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the Venice film awards, as well as Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations and even led some to call for an Oscar nomination. Now fresh off the heels from the critically commended Haywire and due to appear in Ridley Scott’s highly anticipated Alien prequel Prometheus in the summer, with a further outing with Ridley Scott in the works, his career appears to have only just begun. If the next three years go as well as the previous three have, then it is safe to say that the name Michael Fassbender might become one which we will all have to get used to, but hey, what’s so bad about that? Alex Dobrik

modern classics: alien (1979) “In space, no one can hear you scream.” The haunting words from the trailer to Ridley Scott’s 1979 sci-fi horror classic Alien. Has a tagline ever summed up a film so perfectly? Tense, terrifying and totally immersive, Alien was released to critical and financial acclaim. Finding suspense in silence, as all the truly chilling films do, Alien took the horror genre into space, putting the unlucky crew of the Nostromo against a stronger, more intelligent and seemingly undefeatable enemy. Praised at the time for its special effects and the design of the alien itself, the film has been highly influential, with multiple successful sequels and spin offs released. In Alien, we have a true masterpiece of the genre and of modern cinema. At the centre of it all is the xenomorph alien itself. A towering creature of incredible agility and speed. A hunter that bleeds acid. A mysterious being that is born via human chests. This was a terrifying creation, made even more so by the fact you barely ever see it. Indeed, it was even designed to blend in with the dark walls and large wires that adorned the walls of the Nostromo. Whether hidden in the shadows or crawling through the air vents with only a faint beep to tell you where it is, the xenomorph creates a terrifying sense of

James Lillywhite

Kieran Rogers

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NEWS

concrete.news@uea.ac.uk

GET INVOLVED | WRITE FOR NEWS Found a story? Want to join our mailing list? Never written before but fancy trying your hand? Email the News editors at concrete.news@uea.ac.uk Crime

Vandals target Wilberforce Road Tom Cannon | News reporter Wilberforce Road has for the last few weeks sparkled with glass as a result of another recent spate of car crime. The road is a major route for students on their daily commute onto campus. It also runs past the University Village and is a favoured overnight parking spot for many students, particularly first years and those on placement. The crimes in question have ranged from damaging wing mirrors to several vehicle break-ins, with many students the unfortunate victims. This is not the first spell of car crime on Wilberforce Road. In fact it appears to be becoming more frequent and casts a shadow on the policing of the area and the University’s car parking policy. Indeed the recent outburst in crime has highlighted some of the problems faced by many students on campus

concerning parking. This reporter spoke to several students who feel that their voice is being ignored, with increased parking restrictions on the roads around the University’s periphery and little secure student parking available. One student, who wishes to remain anonymous, has described the parking problem as a “complete joke” and said that there is “little provision for students who need their cars”. In times of financial uncertainty and commitments to making the campus greener, it will be hard to balance everyone’s interests, but it appears that the recent crimes on Wilberforce have caused considerable frustration for the owners and serves as a stark warning to others. Earlham police have advised students to be vigilant and not to leave any valuables on show; to remove stereo panels; park in well-lit areas; lock cars and close all windows/sunroofs.

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www.concrete-online.co.uk Tuesday 27 March 2012 - Issue 268

Union Elections

Union spends thousands on Officer training Michael Drummond | News reporter It has come to light in recent weeks that thousands of pounds are to be spent on hotel accommodation for residential officer training. Recently elected student officers will receive off-campus training in order to ensure they carry out their new roles efficiently. However, controversy has arisen over the cost of this venture, especially in light of the Union’s £250,000 deficit. At the Student Committee meeting on 2 March, Anna Tomson, women’s officer, raised the issue of the planned £3,500 expenditure on off-campus accommodation. She made the point that at a time when the Union is in deficit, such costs could be saved. Toby Cunningham, membership services manager, was also present at the meeting and argued that being off University grounds enables officers to better focus on their training, but confirmed that said training was under review, with other avenues being explored. He also said that a training event would take place over Easter and

would be on UEA campus. Tomson accepted that time spent away from campus was beneficial for the officers, but maintained that this time need not be spent in an expensive hotel. Mr Cunningham, however, advised that making financial cuts to officer training would be an unwise move. ethical issues officer, Allanah Bayliss, suggested that camping or self-catered accommodation might be considered in order to save costs. The Student Officer Committee agreed that Cunningham would draft a list of options, with the target of saving £1,000 from the cost of student training. The current proposal involves reducing the number of attendees, thus saving £850. With the Union still in a substantial deficit, student training will by no means be the only place where cuts are considered. Final decisions still lie with the four full-time student officers. The committee also agreed that new officers should be trained so that they can better respond to events such as national demonstrations. Minutes for this meeting are available on the Union’s website.

UEA RFC ban

Men’s Rugby appeal against Union ban Continued from front page Rob Bloomer stated that the present punishment is a culmination of all previous offences, but that the allegations of sexism and racism against the club had led to a faster reaction than would have occurred with any previous offences. To start the appeal process, Men’s Rugby had to submit the names of those

members who had committed sexist and racist offences in their letter of appeal. The appeal will be discussed at Union Council. Go to www.concrete-online.co.uk for Concrete’s comprehensive interview with Union Officers Rob Bloomer and Tash Ross, an official statement from Andy Driver and more coverage of the RFC ban, along with comments from readers.

University

Sad passing of staff member Timothy Bates | News reporter

Tom Cannon

Natasha Curson, director of postgraduate programmes in Higher Education Practice, passed away last week, after a long illness. Since her appointment in December 2000, she moved between different jobs several times at the University, beginning as an educational advisor for the Centre for Staff and Educational Development (CSED), and becoming manager of a Learning Technology group in 2003. She moved on to postgraduate programmes in 2005. She also served as an honorary EDU

lecturer from 2006-2009, and worked on a British History Cinema project between 2001 and 2004. In addition, she served as president of the University’s UCU branch. Paul Levy, the head of the CSED, said: “Natasha was a fighter and although her illness in the end overwhelmed her, she never lost heart or her positive outlook. After the tremendous changes she had made in her life and work over the last three years, it is tragic to lose her now, when she had so much still to offer the University and the community”. The University flag was lowered on 15 March in her memory.

www.concrete-online.co.uk Tuesday 27 March 2012 - Issue 268

facebook.com/ConcreteNewspaper concrete.news@uea.ac.uk @Concrete_UEA

NEWS

Union elections

Higher education

UEA remains among 1994 as Union faces criticism for four more join Russell Group unrepresentative elections Adam Plom | News reporter The decision of the University of York, Exeter, Durham and Queen Mary last week, to leave the 1994 Group of universities to join the Russell Group, prompted questions over whether UEA would follow suit. However, since then, the University has revealed that it has no intention of leaving the 1994 Group in the near future. The University defended the coalition, saying: “The 1994 Group members are highranking institutions with global reputations and shared values and principles”, adding: “we are smaller institutions with a more personal touch”. The Russell Group is perceived as being more reputable and is said to “hold considerable influence in Whitehall” over funding, due its commitment to high class research. Indeed, a 2008 study found that 60% of the UK’s world-leading research

occurred in Russell Group Universities. The University rebuffed any accusations that remaining in the 1994 Group would have a negative impact on the standard of research at UEA, saying: “The 1994 Group outshines research excellence of the Russell Group in some cases”. The University concluded: “We wish the four universities well in their new mission group, but seeking to change groups is not high among our current priorities”. Interestingly, this statement comes after Vice-Chancellor, Edward Acton, had previously hinted towards Russell Group membership to enhance UEA’s academic reputation. The Union said that while UEA holds a “strong position” within the 1994 Group, “the University’s Corporate Plan suggests aspirations to become an institution similar to those in the Russell Group”.

London 2012

Olympic torch bearers selected Beth Wyatt | News reporter Three of the University’s own are celebrating after being selected as torchbearers for the London Olympics. Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Professor Tom Ward, and students James Colley and Melissa Ilboudo, will all carry the Olympic flame through Norwich on 4 July. Last year, UEA was one of the institutions that joined forces with Samsung to find inspirational individuals to represent their universities and communities. The trio were informed in November 2011 that they were nominated and have only now been informed of their success. Colley told Concrete: “I am thrilled to have been chosen for the Olympic Torch

Relay for my contributions to sport. It is a real honour and I hope that I can do the University proud on the day”. Ward is also proud to have been selected. He said: “I am honoured to be representing the University by being a torchbearer. Many of the runners have achieved great things, or overcome huge obstacles. Our two students who will be running have used their skills to contribute to the world in many ways. My involvement is different, it is not about anything I have done. It is really about UEA, and the efforts of all its staff and students to contribute to education, knowledge creation, and to society. I will be running (slowly) in honour of the work done by everyone at UEA.”

Harriet Jones Rachel Knott | News reporter The recent Union elections may have enjoyed a slightly higher voter turnout than last year, with 1,999 students voting in total compared to 1,700 in the previous election, but this increase has not resulted in a more representative group of student officers. Of the 14 newly elected officers, the majority are HUM students, despite UEA boasting some of the nation’s top courses across the board. Even more worryingly, the four full time officer roles are to be filled by exclusively white male candidates. This is disappointing for a university with a male to female ratio of 41:59 respectively, and a student population comprised of almost 20% international students. Next year’s Union officers are set to represent only a small fraction of UEA’s diverse student body. Voter apathy will certainly have affected this outcome. With less than 15% of students voting in the elections, the

chance of a fully representative body is unlikely. However, even last year, despite a smaller voter turnout, there were two female full time officers elected, for the positions of academic and community and student rights. This prompts the question: is UEA regressing, regardless of the small success of increased voting? Many students have expressed disappointment with the aforementioned non-representative results. Several posted critical comments to their Twitter accounts after the Union announced the results, expressing their displeasure at the fact that four male officers had been elected to the full time posts. It is yet to be seen how the officers will perform in their new roles, and it is difficult to say whether they were voted in on the strength of their campaigns and ideas or popularity among the student body. With many big decisions needing to be made next year, the candidates will be looking to balance manifesto pledges with wider issues within the Union.

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University

Papergirl project UEA launches hits Norwich new MA course Alex Throssell | News reporter

Chris King | Editor-in-chief

Papergirl is participatory, analogue, non-commercial and impulsive, and the worldwide project of giving out free art on bicycles is being brought to Norwich for the first time thanks to NUCA student Kiama Petit. A total of 365 submissions of original artwork from 52 local and international artists will be exhibited at Stew Gallery (Fishergate) throughout the week commencing 26 March, with the exhibition fully open to the public from Tuesday to Saturday, 10am-5pm. In preparation for the day of distribution, interested cyclists can then take part in the Pimp Your Ride bike workshop day from 2-5pm, on Tuesday 3 April at Bicycle Links (Duke Street). Here, all cyclists will receive some tips for cycle maintenance as well as a custom Papergirl messenger bag thanks to The Bicycle Shop. Distribution Day is Good Friday, 6 April, where each cyclist will be given a full bag of artwork to hand out free to the public, with the day’s good work ending with a celebratory drink or two at The Birdcage. More information can be found at papergirl-norwich.blogspot.co.uk or the Papergirl Norwich Facebook page.

The University has launched a new MA/ MSC course in Environmental Sciences and Humanities, which will begin in September. The course aims to combine the strengths of the various schools in HUM, and the School of Environmental Science (ENV), to cater for students wishing to bridge the gap between the human and the natural world. Founders of the course include leading environmental scientist, Professor Mike Hulme, and humanities lecturers at the University. Hulme said: “In a world where environmental concerns have become integral to all human concerns, this course will see students bridge the “two cultures” gap between the sciences and humanities in the context of environmental change”. Leading the course is Angela Breitenbach, from the School of Philosophy, who said: “This course is the ideal gateway for anyone who wants to turn a passion for the natural world, and a concern for the future of humanity, into a career in sectors including conservation, media, government, research and education.” For further details on the course, search for Philosophy courses on www.uea.ac.uk.

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UEA scientists call for environmental overhaul

Murder at boxer’s house

UEA academics have contributed to a major scientific article calling for an overhaul of global environmental governance. Published in the journal “Science”, the article is hailed as a key input of the science community to the June 2012 United Nations (UN) Conference on Sustainable Development, “Rio+20”, and features contributions by Dr Heike Schroeder from the School of International Development and Professor Andrew Jordan of Environmental Science. The piece highlights the need for a “constitutional moment” involving major reforms of UN environmental policy to avoid global disaster. These include the UN Sustainable Development Council working to better integrate sustainable development concerns across the UN system, an upgrading of the UN Environment Programme to a full-fledged UN agency, and stronger consultative rights for representatives of civil society in global governance. The UEA authors were among 32 leading international experts affiliated with the International Earth System Governance Project, who contributed to the piece.

altercation with another partygoer, and collapsed outside the house’s patio area. Of the three suspects, two have been released on bail while a third, 18-yearold James Clough, of Norwich, is due to appear before magistrates at a later date. Police believe that up to 300 people may have attended the party at Hide’s £1.5m mansion in Bawburgh, on the outskirts of Norwich, where Hide lives with his wife and two children. They are appealing for any further witnesses to come forward.

Sophie Witts

Riccardo Monni | News reporter Three people have been arrested on suspicion of murder following the fatal stabbing of a man at the Norfolk home of former heavyweight boxing world champion Herbie Hide. Tafadzwa “Taffy” Khan, a 25-yearold resident of St. Giles Street, Norwich, suffered stab wounds and was pronounced dead at 12:44 am on Sunday, 18 March. He is thought to have been attacked in front of several witnesses following an

Laura Smith

National

Protest poet banned The National Union of Students has condemned the decision to suspend student Owen Holland for two and a half years, after he interrupted a politician’s speech with a poem. Universities Minister David Willets was speaking at the University of Cambridge in November 2011, when Holland interrupted his address with a poem entitled “Go Home David”, a protest which resulted in a decision to ban Holland until 2014 by the University’s court of discipline. NUS president Liam Burns criticised the “outrageous sentence” and added that he was sure “Mr Willetts himself would agree that universities should be encouraging the voicing of critical opinions rather than attempting to silence them. The government’s changes to higher education have been profound, and no-one should be surprised that students will take issue with them.” Burns mirrored the anger of Cambridge students and staff in calling out the “disproportionate punishment”, with the Union confirming that over 500 people had attended a demonstration against the suspension last week. Sophie Witts

www.concrete-online.co.uk Tuesday 27 March 2012 - Issue 268

NEWS

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Concrete World News Philippine sea

Sri Lanka

The director of viral video Kony 2012, Jason Russell, was admitted to hospital after witnesses spotted him screaming and running through the streets of suburban San Diego, naked. His wife reports that exhaustion and stress caused him to suffer from a “brief reactive psychosis” and that he will remain hospitalised for several weeks.

The United Nations Human Rights Council has adopted a resolution on Sri Lanka that calls upon the Sri Lankan government to investigate and address alleged war crimes against humanity and international law. Amnesty International’s Sam Zarifi said it was an “opportunity to end the longstanding impunity for human rights violations” that marked the country’s 26-year-long civil war.

Director, James Cameron has become only the second person to dive to the deepest part of the sea off the coast of the Philippines, in the Mariana Trench. He completed the solo dive in a specially-built submarine, equipped with lights, film cameras and robotic arms. The first manned expedition took place 52 years ago, and involves travelling seven miles down from the surface of the ocean to the sea bed.

Kari With

James Dixon

America

Senegal President Abdoulaye Wade has peacefully conceded defeat to Macky Sall in Senegal’s recent elections. The incumbent had served two terms in office that totalled 12 years in power. His bid for a third term was met with riots that left six people dead. Upon news of his victory, Sall stated that Senegal was entering into a “new era”. James Dixon

University

Go Global week takes UEA by storm

Students’ motion to boycott NSS

Chris Teale | News reporter The University of East Anglia has celebrated the diverse nature of its student body with Go Global Week 2012, giving all of its students opportunities to discover cultures abroad, and the fantastic opportunities available for them outside of these shores. The week began with an opening ceremony in the Square on Monday 19 March. Food and drink from various countries around the world was on sale across campus all week. After Tuesday’s Global Opportunities Fair, Wednesday night saw arguably the biggest celebration of Go Global Week with the International party in the LCR. The night saw 16 societies from different countries and cultures perform on the LCR stage, with highlights including a mini-drama by the Chinese Society, a musical performance on various items of rubbish by Jamnesty, and a 20 minute routine of singing and dancing by the Indian/Hindu Society, all received with rapturous applause by a packed LCR crowd. Wednesday saw a troupe of Morris dancers entertaining the crowds in the Square during the daytime. There was also an international quiz hosted in Nelson Court. Thursday’s entertainment included

a fun run at the lake, and then a roller disco at Funky’s and a bhangra night hosted by the Indian/Hindu Society at Rocco’s, both in Norwich city centre. The Blue Bar then played host to one of their ever-popular Salsa nights on Friday, with the Salsa Society offering free lessons to all those in attendance, and also demonstrating several routines of their own. The week culminated with Kingdom of Characters in the Sainsbury Centre on

Ga Chun Yau

Saturday night, an evening of live music and art inspired by the culture of Japan, and the Pakistani Society celebrated the first day of spring with the traditional festival of Basant by the lake, with guests being treated to food, music and the chance to fly kites as part of the celebrations. UEA has a very culturally diverse student body, and Go Global week was a perfect way for many to learn more about their peers, and about the cultures and countries they have come from.

David Murphy | News reporter Students at Union Council motioned to boycott the National Student Survey, a feedback system carried out by the National Union of Students, which UEA regularly performs well in. Callum Corkery, a first year student in the School of Economics, told the Council that the Union of UEA Students should move to boycott the survey. He said that as the Union already had policies set against the commercialisation of Universities, as laid out in a government White Paper, this was a logical step, as universities market themselves in response to the results of the annual survey. Meg Evans, Union Academic officer, who spoke against the motion, told Concrete: “Whilst the Union absolutely decries the commercialisation of education and the use of statistics to pit students against each other, we do recognise that the National Student Survey does have its benefits in terms of raising student issues. The provision of exam feedback, the refurbishment of library study spaces and the 24/7 library opening times are all changes that have come directly from feedback gathered in the NSS”. Union Council came to a close before a vote on the motion could be held.

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Hobbit inn is not a rights infringer A charming local pub and music venue named The Hobbit has been accused of copyright infringement by lawyers representing the Saul Zaentz Company (SZC), US movie lawyers in California. With a colourful selection of cocktails, including an ice-blue Gandalf and cloudy pea-green Gollum, and regular student customers, the busy local potentially had a lot to lose. Astonishingly, Stephen Fry and Lord of the Rings actor Sir Ian McKellen have generously agreed to pay for the copyright licence fee in order for the pub to trade under its original name. The timbered, Tudor-style tavern has been threatened with legal action,

something the popular pub cannot afford to financially confront. Its landlady, Stella Mary Roberts, said: “I can’t fight Hollywood”. This quote not only sounds like it should be a camp 70s disco hit involving spangly trousers, but it also perfectly illustrates their weak position in the legal battle. Prior to Fry and McKellen’s admirable bailout, they were

legal rights to Tolkien’s work these days?” Perhaps a vested interest could be what stirred the US movie lawyers? The company has “exclusive worldwide rights to motion picture merchandising, and other rights in certain literary works of JRR Tolkien, including Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit”. It goes without saying then, that SZC is a consumer giant that

“If you mess with a tavern called The Hobbit, you therefore mess with Sir Ian McKellen. And nobody messes with Gandalf. Not even the Balrog. And he was on fire” hopelessly caught between a rock and a very hard place. Not only do they not have the financial resources to fight the case, but rebranding the pub would “cost thousands”. How curious then, that the “Save the Hobbit” Facebook page has acquired 50,000 “likes” in support, whereas SZC seem to be the only people fiercely opposed to the pub’s name. I doubt a devout regular dressed as an orc is going to complain “well this Gimli cocktail is all well and good, but who owns the

must be creaking and groaning under the amount of money that it has made since the release of the Lord of the Rings films, and the future release of the The Hobbit movie. The pub isn’t flogging dodgy £5 DVDs or fake merchandise out of the back of a van. It is a sentimental tribute that has traded under the name for 20 years. Moreover, The Hobbit is a pub that largely depends on local interest. SZC owns the legal rights to an ubiquitous name whose lucrative market spans

globally. In an interview with the BBC, Mr. Zaentz explained his reasons for the legal action. He said: “Regardless of the size of the company, if we didn’t go after these infringements, then other people would say “if they can use them without authorisation, why can’t we?’” There is no doubt that naming your local company The Hobbit is a bandwagon just waiting to be swarmed over by future business opportunists. They’ll have a hard time chasing after all the Bilbo’s Baggin’ some Bargains, Treebeard’s Bushy Barbers and Brandybucks that have popped up all over the high streets these days. When two high profile national treasures have to nobly donate money to stop a local business from having their pockets emptied by US movie lawyers, the action seems all the more impersonal, distant and cold. But if you mess with a tavern called The Hobbit, you therefore mess with Sir Ian McKellen. And nobody messes with Gandalf. Not even the Balrog. And he was on fire. Ciara Jack

The Republic of London, why ever not? Red does not mean go At first glance this might seem like a false premise. For one, Scotland has traditionally had its own separate identity, only becoming part of the UK in 1707, some 300 years ago. Ever since then it has still exerted a degree of autonomy, if not political or economic, then certainly culturally. Historically there also appears to have been a greater clamour within Scotland for autonomy than within London. Geographically Scotland also seems to be a more logical candidate for a region of the UK to become independent. However, when one inspects the facts closer, it becomes apparent that independence for London makes at least as much sense as it does for Scotland, indeed possibly even more so, as I shall make clear. From a purely economic perspective, it is clear that London has good cause to demand independence. Salmond talks of London as if the fact that the House of Commons resides there means that it is London itself which is dictating Scotland, whereas in fact the opposite may well be the case, with politicians on all sides competing to see who can hit London the hardest. This can either be through attacks on London’s financial industry, or the Liberal Democrats‘ proposed “mansion tax”, which would overwhelmingly affect properties in London that, for the most part, cannot be described as mansions. An independent London would be able to protect its own interests and would not be hampered by these politically motivated attacks, borne out of a peculiar type of envy

of London’s success. London should not allow itself to be treated like a cash cow by ministers eager to gain political advantage. Currently London is the only UK region to be in net surplus, and overall it subsidises the rest of the UK by the grand total more than £20bn annually, a full £7,000 per household. So it is clear to see that Londoners have a far greater cause to feel an economic grievance. In addition, culturally London is massively misaligned with the rest of the UK. This difference is clearly visible and has been widely noted by many commentators, including Ian Jack of the Guardian, who noted last year that “never has London’s atmosphere as a rich citystate felt so extreme”. This discrepancy is particularly highlighted by the politics of London. In the

areas that came out in favour were located within London. It uniquely understands the value of immigration and cultural diversity that arises from it. London is a city built on immigration, with one third of residents now born abroad. This compares starkly with a UK government currently attempting to place arbitrary caps on immigration. Some would argue that London would not be able to stick up for itself, or would not have a prominent place in the world, but this is misguided. It is of note that over half of the members of the UN have lower populations than that of London. Many widely respected commentators have increasingly been advocating the city-state as the preeminent method of governance. Renowned economic historian and prolific author Niall Ferguson

“Letting cyclists through red lights would reduce collisions”

argues that it is the competition between the multitude of small states in 16th and 17th centuries that caused the economic success story of the West over the last half millennium. Nassim Nicolas Taleb, author of The Black Swan, argues that the city state, being small and well defined, is the most stable of all the methods of governance, and least likely to suffer black swan events. Given all the recent talk, this may well not be beyond reach as it appeared previously.

waiting for the lights to change, allowing them to move with the rest of the traffic over the busy A140. Most cyclists wait patiently within the ASZ (Advanced Stop Zones) for the red light to turn green, but a few intrepid cyclists will venture forward, using the lull in traffic while pedestrians cross to gain a head start over the cars behind them. Moving past the stop line when the lights are red is technically illegal and will incur a £30 fine if spotted. However, there is a strong case for laws to be changed to allow cyclists to go through red lights when they deem it to be safe. Recently, Paris councillors agreed to let cyclists turn or go straight on at red lights, and there are calls for London to follow suit. Most related accidents involve cyclists and HGVs at junctions, but letting cyclists through red lights would lessen the rate of collisions when red eventually turns to green.

Thomas Stringer

Greg Lewry

“Independence for London makes as much sense as for Scotland” capital’s mayoral elections, the candidates compete frantically to disassociate themselves from their national parties in a bid to prove how autonomous they are. Indeed, Ken Livingstone, when asked what he most wanted to achieve as mayor, apparently said: “Total independence for London, a Republic of London”. Though this may have been said just a little tongue in cheek, he professed this desire knowing full well that it was to political advantage. On specific policies too, London stands out. For instance, with AV, 60% of the

For those of you who cycle along The Avenues on your way to University every day, the crossroads with Colman Road will be a familiar place. During rush hour times, there can be as many as a dozen bikes

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For David Murphy

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THE BIG DEBATE

Against Sebastian Crawford

In light of the Union of UEA Students’ decision to ban Men’s RFC, Concrete asks:

Does the Union have the right to punish a club for the actions of a minority of members? on their members and that would have saved the club from being banned. As the president of another club this year, I have made those tough decisions whenever I have seen that what individual players want to do is at odds with what is best for the club. It is by no means enjoyable, but when you recognise that you are part of something bigger than just the team playing this year, you realise it is the only option but to take disciplinary action against your fellow club members.

“Many clubs have enjoyed the Union’s attitude that some groups may flout the rules” and create the best possible environment for its members and those outside of the club, and the individuals have failed to respect the greater needs of the club itself. Let’s start with the issues at club level. For a long time Men’s Rugby have had a reputation for poor behaviour out of line with the aims of the Union, to promote a safe and friendly environment for all of its members. While those against the latest discrepancy will say that these previous complaints of years gone by (which have rarely been officially investigated) should not be brought into the current debate, I have to disagree and say that they must. Many clubs have enjoyed the Union’s attitude that some groups will flout the rules, and until a large company like the Maid’s Head Hotel last year, or a victimised set of individuals in this latest instance, walk right up to the doors of Union House and complain about how the Union is so willing to turn a blind eye, nothing can be fixed. Speaking to UEA alumni has revealed that several clubs have had these reputations going back into the mid-90s. This build up of pressure on the Union has meant that its eventual reaction was always going to be severe. Why should this year’s Rugby Club bear the brunt of the Union’s punishment? This year’s Men’s Rugby committee, which includes players in their fourth year with the club, will have been well aware of how their predecessors behaved and of the stigma associated with the club. From the moment they took over they would have signed agreements to protect the safety and wellbeing of their own members and anyone else their club interacts with. At the same time, they were in the position to come down hard

This leads us into how the individuals in the club contributed to its downfall. Sports clubs at all universities form an integral part of the students who join them: from matches and meetings to club attire and socials, all members enjoy being recognised as part of that unique brotherhood of club community. Those clubs work hard for the benefit of their members. I know all too well the hours that are spent making sure the club runs smoothly and your teammates get the best possible experience. This latest incident shows that the members of Men’s Rugby who did this did not return that favour to their committee. All the members of my club understand that whenever they are identifiable as part of the team they have to protect its reputation. We accept that mistakes happen, but every member of my club knows that they must work to restore its reputation as soon as they have realised their wrongdoing. The perpetrators in this instance should have stepped forward and taken the heat for the club. If they do not feel that sense of duty there is clearly a lack of unity and pride in the club. To be clear, I am not happy that Rugby’s problems have escalated to the point that this ban had to be imposed. The Union needs to take a long look at how it deals with the first signs of trouble among its members. However, given the repeated incidents over time, and the years Men’s RFC have had to reflect on themselves and make a change, the Union had no other choice than to punish the many for the actions of a few. I sincerely hope that whatever form of Men’s Rugby emerges in a year’s time is better off for knowing what responsibility they have to their members, and the University as a whole.

Rugby is a sport that helps define a university. The tradition, stretching back to its inception in 1823, is rich and diverse, and a competitive, successful club can only be an asset to the university it represents. And so it was with dismay that I read the open letter sent out by the Union confirming the ban on UEA RFC. “Laddish” behaviour, remarked a select few, is to blame for the unruly behaviour that led to allegations of racist remarks against individuals within the team. But this is a culture that has

a final decision without due consideration of the effects, not only on the aspirations of those who committed no foul action, but also on the image of the University as a whole. Some might say good riddance, or that rugby plays no bigger a part in the makeup of UEA than korfball, but with the news of the ban being broadcasted in national news bulletins and online, the consequences of the Union’s decision will reach much further than a simple one year ban.

“What is at the heart of the issue, is that the Union is punishing the club for the actions committed by a small minority” developed over the last few years and that, for better or worse, has taken a hold of societies, teams and friendship groups up and down the country. Before I go on, let me underscore the fact that I do not condone any of the actions of the individuals involved. What I cannot comprehend, however, is the rash decision that the Union has made over the future of the club for next year. What

Tom Oliver

From the moment the Union of UEA Students announced it would ban the Men’s Rugby Club, there were calls for it to refocus its punishment on the individuals who were at fault. I agree that those particularly responsible in this instance should receive severe punishment well beyond the ban from joining sports clubs which the Union has already imposed. The reason the Union has to go further in this instance is twofold: the club has failed to promote the aims of the Union

seems like a knee-jerk reaction by those on Union Council, the decision to ban the club has not attempted to resolve the issue in the right or proper manner. Firstly, the ban was announced almost instantly, without either investigation into the allegations taking place in a formal setting, or consulting those involved in the various incidents, both perpetrators and victims. Secondly, and what is at the heart of the issue, is that the Union is punishing the club for the actions committed by a small minority. The actions of these people cannot and do not represent the values of the club itself, values that the Union deems the club to have lost a sight of. Taking away a group’s collective right to play sport will not change the mindset or attitudes of a limited few. The Union seems to be washing its hands of the issue, arriving at

UEA has been plastered over a variety of news sites, associated solely with the ban. This in turn has led to a great deal of negative connotations, directed not only at sport at the University but towards the establishment as a whole. Most people will assume that, if they come to UEA and join a society, any disruptive behaviour by a limited number will jeopardize their opportunity to play a sport they really enjoy. The old adage doesn’t apply here: this publicity is only bad publicity. Further, the minority of members who have committed the actions listed in the open letter are still at large, still able to join other societies and still have the ability to dish out racist or sexist remarks on and off campus. One more issue that makes me despair at this decision is the continual references in the letter to past offences. Citing that they have received complaints against the club for a number of years, the undertones in the letter are that they have been compiling these offences, waiting for the perfect opportunity to make a move and ban the club. Each incident should be treated individually, irrespective of the actions of previous players who, as the letter relates to incidents “over a number of years”, have not been attending the University for some time. A blanket ban on the club will not result in disciplinary action for those who have sullied the reputation of Men’s Rugby, and that of the University as a whole. It will only further tarnish relations between the Union and its clubs, who will perceive that any step out of place will result in a disproportionate reaction. It is an unfortunate turn of events whereby an entire team can be held entirely responsible and punished with overt severely for the actions of an unruly few.

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Legislation should be used to bring the Church into the 21st century Anyone would have thought that the announcement of a proposal this week that will allow tens, if not hundreds of thousands of Britons to legally marry would have been openly celebrated and welcomed by the Church and other traditional denominations. Regrettably, this was not the case, and instead it provoked an overwhelmingly bitter and intransigent response. The grounds for such bitterness towards these people? Their sexual orientation. The Government’s proposal is for a consultation period of 12 weeks with the hope of upgrading the 2005 Civil Partnerships Act to a point of full equality. While this has been seen in general as a progressive step, it met fierce criticism at the pulpits of leading religious figures including the archbishops of Canterbury and York, and, more explicitly, from the leader of the Catholic Church in Scotland, Cardinal Keith O’Brien. In a particularly venomous attack written for the Daily Telegraph, the Cardinal called the plan, and presumably those it accommodates, “grotesque”,

and likened it to the legalisation of slavery. I include the presumption of the precise target of O’Brien’s vitriol, on the

accurately reflect the sentiment of the people, irrespective of how that might change.

“The grounds for such bitterness towards these people? Their sexual orientation” assumption that one cannot hold disdain for the democratic government that acts on public sentiment, but instead reserves it for what, or whom, he later called “the degeneration into immorality”. The Archbishop of Canterbury on the other hand, was considerably more tempered in his criticism. His disapproval was not on moral grounds, but on his objection to legislation being used “as a tool to bring about social changes”. This statement exemplifies his differing opinion on the role of legislation: that its task is to preserve archaic custom, as was the case in the Nullity of Marriage Act 1971 (the first British act to explicitly prohibit what had been embedded in Christian society since its emergence, gay marriage). The more prevalent view, and the one I happen to take, is that legislation should

Indeed, highlighting the abhorrent nature of some of these remarks does not take much time at all. The more arduous task ahead will be trying to convince Cardinal O’Brien, and those who share his views on this matter, of why they are not acceptable in the 21st century. This will not be a task I attempt here, but I will fleetingly conclude, as any staunch advocate of universal human rights ought to, that it is my belief that the right to full, legal marriage ought to extend to all people equally, irrespective of sex, gender, race, culture, or religion. After all, it is the state that administers and recognises marriage, not the Church. The Government’s announcement coincided with some unfortunate news. The Bishop of Canterbury will be resigning to take a place at the University

of Cambridge. This is unfortunate because Rowan Williams symbolised and brought out the absolute best in the Church of England and showed its most progressive side. During his 10 year tenure, he witnessed the first ordination of openly gay clergy as well as the very first female bishops: a truly great legacy. His likely successor, Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, is held in less high regard. Famous as one of the four bishops who refused to sign the Cambridge Accord (an acceptance in the global Anglican Communion of the human and civil rights of homosexual people, and their equality in the eyes of God). He was made famous more recently for his criticism of the Government for “acting like a dictatorship”, by trying to “impose” gay marriage on society. In contrast to the pragmatic and progressive leadership of Rowan Williams, the likely appointment of John Sentamu would be a sorry step backwards into the dark for the Church of England and the Anglican Communion. Matthew Finucane

War on Iran would be a disaster, yet we must beware of the United States’ hypocritical rhetoric The likes of George Osborne and Michael Gove would no doubt urge the cabinet to support the attack (moral support not military, our capacity for such a strike now being minimal). The vast majority of Liberal Democrats would be aghast at such a stance. Ironically where tuition fees and the Clive Lewis | Labour candidate War on Iran is by no means a foregone conclusion. But among those who understand such things, 2012 is still considered the year Israel will most likely attack Iran. If this happens, there’s a good chance the US will play a part. The language coming from Washington is depressingly bellicose. But with an election coming up, timing will be everything. I have no doubt that above Benjamin Netanhayu’s desk is a large calendar with the US election dates blacked out. What comes after them is anyone’s guess. I doubt it involves paddling in the Dead Sea. With the war in Afghanistan still ongoing, and the nightmare of Iraq remaining an uncomfortably close memory (and let us not forget Libya), it’s a depressing thought. The drums of war appear to be on looped playback. But if the US does become embroiled in attacking Iran, then pressure will mount on the British government to take a position on the matter.

would be unlikely; Iranian oligarchs fear regime change has always been the US’ ultimate goal since 1979 and would not want to give them an excuse to indulge in a favoured pastime. More likely is an asymmetrical response of increased intensity, destabilising the region yet further.

“Ironically where tuition fees and the Health Care Bill failed, a decision made thousands of miles away could yet seal the fate of the coalition” Health Care Bill failed, a decision made thousands of miles away could yet seal the fate of the coalition. But in international terms the fate of Clegg and Cameron is of little concern. Not too long ago, former Israeli Mossad chief, Ephraim Halevy, warned that an Israeli attack on Iran “could have an impact on us for the next 100 years”. Certainly in terms of a lasting peace with the Palestinians, that could well be the case. A strike would be yet another nail in the coffin of that process. You’d also imagine such an attack bolstering a flagging theocratic regime in the eyes of its people as they rally together to face the “western aggressors”. And rally they would. As an emerging power, Iran has influence across the region including Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Afghanistan and Gaza. Conventional forces retaliation

And what of the long term? Military strategists in the US now talk of “mowing the grass”: in effect, a constant use of force to prevent Iran from ever becoming a nuclear power. When I hear such talk, I have to ask myself what right any country has to prevent another acquiring technology it takes for granted? I know we’re not talking about iPads here, but the principle remains the same. Now before I go any further let me be quite clear: I’m no apologist for the government of Iran. It merits severe condemnation on many counts. It is a theocratic oligarchy that to this day suppresses its own people and is widely believed to be implicit in human rights abuses. I also believe in Israel’s right to defend itself. But the hypocrisy of the US and Israel when dealing with Iran is, no matter

how you look at it, quite staggering and ultimately unhelpful to their avowed cause of nuclear non-proliferation. On one hand the US strives to pass and enforce “legally binding” UN resolutions condemning Iran and imposing ever tougher sanctions. But Israel’s bellicose threats and America’s “all options are on the table” posturing are flagrant breaches of international law. The UN Charter outlaws “the threat or use of force”. Meanwhile, in recent polling more than 80% of Americans favoured making the Middle East a “nuclear free zone”. And yet the issue of Israel’s 100+ nuclear arsenal is never up for discussion. Of course I’m not for one second comparing democratic Israel to theocratic Iran. But if democracy is a prerequisite for admittance to the accepted nuclear club, why on earth did the US not threaten nuclear Pakistan during the military dictatorship of General Pervez Musharraf (instead of pumping billions of dollars to its country’s military leaders)? The answer: it was politically convenient. It was also the case that, just like North Korea, Pakistan already had a nuclear capacity. I fear this is the real lesson for developing countries watching this potential tragedy unfold: acquire your nuclear capability quickly and quietly before it can be taken away from you. Alas, hardly a formula for increased world stability.

www.concrete-online.co.uk Tuesday 27 March 2012 - Issue 268

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Jailbreak 2012 : I want to break free On 10-11 March, 19 intrepid teams took part in Livewire’s annual Jailbreak event, raising over £5,000 for Cancer Research UK. The aim of Jailbreak is to get as far away as possible from the start location in 48 hours, without spending any money. Thanks to the generosity of travel companies and random drivers, the UEA teams managed to spread themselves all over Europe. Here’s three stories from their great escape ‘‘A slightly hungover dream ended in truly bromantic fashion at the Eiffel Tower’’

‘‘We watched the sunrise from an Irish clifftop and then headed home and straight to lectures’’

‘‘Rejection after rejection left us with the only option of heading to the roads and hitchhiking’’

After raising over £75 on a “pre-drinks” fundraiser on Thursday 8 March, a slightly worse for wear pair set off at 12pm the following day with the naïve hope of achieving Jailbreak greatness. With the sun shining, and the barriers at Norwich station broken, only one word crossed our minds: fate. Was it fate that the ticket inspector didn’t find us until Stratford, and that the Underground let us roam freely, offering well wishes? After camping at LSE on Friday evening with an all expenses paid dinner courtesy of Alex Turner’s dentist’s daughter (claim to fame), and after a mere two hours sleep, we were ready to go again. Despite a lack of sleep, with charm and persuasion we managed our most impressive freebie and hopped on a Euroline coach to Paris. It all seemed far too easy and once we got to Paris, sensing our luck was running out, we checked out the sights instead. What started as a slightly hungover dream ended in truly bromantic fashion at the Eiffel Tower.

My boyfriend and I managed to get to Rosslare in Ireland, and I will definitely be trying to top that next year. We had so much luck with our Jailbreak, but I think we can put it down to Adam’s monkey onesie and a sign saying “escaped from zoo, please help!” We started off by hitchhiking on the A11 at the end of Unthank Road, and the first person to pull over for us was going to the Brecon Beacons in Wales, and straight past my mum’s house. We travelled 248 miles in the first afternoon alone, and had a comfy bed for the night and hot home cooked food. Hitchhiking felt very luxurious at that point. The next day we hitched a couple of rides to Swansea, where we were stuck for a bit, but we enjoyed watching the rugby in St David’s Square with a big crowd of supporters. We managed to blag a train to Fishguard, and then from Fishguard, the lovely people at Stena Lines gave us a free ferry trip to Ireland along with a free breakfast. We watched the sunrise from an Irish clifftop and then headed home and straight to lectures. Flo Reynolds

Team Ladzarus set out for Jailbreak with the hope of getting a flight from Stansted after a free lift with Goldstar Taxis. Rejection after rejection left us with the only option of heading to the roads and hitchhiking. From a service station on the M11, we were taken to London and then treated to free trains across the capital and down to Dover. An almost sleepless night on the floor of a Dover hotel reception was followed by an eventual lift on to the ferry to Calais with a kind French chemistry teacher, who took us to Lille. We were granted trains (after a lot of pleading) to Liege in Belgium, which gave us a much needed chance to sleep. Looking at our map of Europe we saw that Luxembourg was the opposite direction of Norwich and so that’s where we headed next. After countless trains and lifts, 48 hours after setting off from UEA, we were in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg and very tired.

Alex Collins

Rich Canton

Team 505 at the Eiffel Tower

How to travel the world for (almost) nothing Travel editor Greg Lewry offers advice on how to fulfil your lifetime travelling ambitions without spending beyond your means

Thumb a free ride

Surf on couches

Sit in a house

Work like a dog

Immortalised by Jack Kerouac in his classic On the Road, hitchhiking has become the ultimate way of travelling the world on the cheap. The tradition of hitchhiking stems from the Great Depression in the United States, however it has now been outlawed in over half the states in America due to safety concerns. Nonetheless, thumbing a ride is still a popular way of travelling in America, and it has featured in films ranging from Into The Wild to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Over the years, hitchhiking has become a popular sport, with many UK universities holding Jailbrealk events for charity and Link Community Development holding their famous hitch from the UK to Morocco and Prague every year, with hundreds of participants. Hitchhiking is even encouraged in many parts of Europe, however catching a lift is illegal on motorways in the UK.

Couch Surfing is a San Francisco-based corporation that runs a social networking website, allowing users to advertise a free bed in their house or search for a bed in a city that they are visiting. With over three million users, Couch Surfing has opened up 246 countries and territories to anyone looking for a free place to stay. However, Couch Surfing isn’t just for those looking for a place to rest their head: it can also be used to meet up with locals in a city and make friends with people from across the globe. Surprisingly, Couch Surfing is very safe and there are various security measures to make sure that all posts and profiles are genuine. Couch Surfing insists that no exchange of money takes place but generally surfers pay for their expenses or treat their host to dinner. The city with the most registered Couch Surfers is Paris, but English is spoken by over 70% of the Couch Surfing community.

MindMyHouse.com works in the same way as Couch Surfing, but instead of just offering a place to stay, MindMyHouse offers houses, farms and even mansions to look after for a period of time, ranging from a weekend to a year. The concept allows homeowners to go on holiday while their house, pets and possessions are looked after by a housesitter. Current listings include ranches in New Mexico, a private island on Lake Victoria in Uganda, and looking after three cats five minutes from Jomtien Beach in Thailand. The annual membership costs around £15, and this allows you to contact the home owners listed and offer your services. Housesitting worldwide is becoming a phenomenon, as it allows homeowners to go on holiday without paying for costly pet sitting agencies and travellers to find free accommodation on their trips around the world.

WWOOF (Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms) offers travellers the chance to find free accommodation and food in exchange for agricultural work during the daytime. It is built around numerous national WWOOF organisations that offer work on everything, from private gardens to commercial farms. Started in 1971 in Sussex, WWOOF has grown to 100 countries across the world, with 6,000 hosts offering work to anyone who doesn’t mind getting their hands dirty, in exchange for a bed and three meals a day. The placements are unpaid, but they offer long term travellers the chance to keep their travelling going throughout the year, especially when paid work is hard to come by. Membership to the UK version of WWOOF is £20, and it opens up hundreds of listings, with direct links to the employers looking for willing workers on their farms.

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www.concrete-online.co.uk Tuesday 27 March 2012 - Issue 268

A different way to see the world So it’s finally that time of year where the sun is shining, dreams of summer are on the horizon, and we are enviously looking up at the aeroplanes painting our spotless blue skies with their fluffy white vapour trails, wondering what spectacular views they’re destined for. But what if your dreams of travelling afar are shattered by your fear of flying? Or you simply feel that funding an industry that has a carbon footprint larger than the size of Bigfoot is inexcusable? Well, you may have another option. There is one form of travel that is remarkably under represented by students, and that is the wonderful world of cruising. Cruising can truly take you anywhere. There are short weekend breaks to the

likes of Brugge in Belgium and longer stints around Europe, where you can visit medieval fairytale cities such as Tallinn. There are even full blown escapades around the world, where you can wake up one morning smelling sweet Asian spices and the next cuddling a koala bear in Australia. It is a wonderful adventure and an experience that is completely unique, and it might not be as expensive as you think. There is no denying that cruises cost more than backpacking, undoubtedly the ultimate student holiday, but there may be some things you don’t realise that make the costs more appealing. Firstly, all food is included in the price. What’s more, food is supplied all day, every day and there is a

ridiculous amount of choice, with a menu that changes daily at every single eating venue (and there are a lot of them). On top of that, you are given an on-board spending allowance. This is to help cover the cost of your drinks, which are set at off-duty prices for the whole trip. For example, this summer, I have been given £75 on-board spending money, which will definitely help me make my way through the cocktail menu (a feat that I can proudly say I managed to complete on my last cruise). I may even buy a cheeky spa treatment with it. Who knows? The world really is your oyster on a cruise. It isn’t hard to see that cruising allows you to live a pretty glamorous lifestyle (heck,

I even got a taste of caviar canapés at the captain’s celebrations) while managing a reasonable holiday budget and not missing out on any of the fun. How could you when all of the entertainment is absolutely free? There are copious amounts of pub quizzes, musicals, comedy shows, club nights, bingo sessions and other amusements arranged around the clock to keep you from tapping your fingers in your cabin. Furthermore, the entertainment officers are all young and up for a laugh, and it isn’t hard for all of the young people on the ship to find each other. It’s like freshers week all over again, and I still talk to some of the people I met on my cruise in 2010 on a weekly basis. If you want a holiday where you can wake up in a different country each day while being treated like royalty, and have amazing fun on the ship while exploring lots of different cities, then cruising may very well be your answer. Don’t forget, even exploring doesn’t have to be expensive: the hop-on-hop-off buses in nearly every major city are cheap and the perfect way to quickly explore new sites with your new friends. Happy adventures amigos. Claire Sangster

Get that je ne sais quoi in Top three tips for travel La Ville Lumière Travel expert Holly Spanton, from STA Travel in Norwich, With coach company Megabus announcing a new London to Paris service for as little as £1, there’s never been a better time to visit the French capital. If you don’t fancy queuing for hours to see the Mona Lisa, and are looking for a more unusual Parisian experience, this alternative guide provides you with some inspiration to start planning your Easter getaway. Forget the Eiffel Tower, the best city views bar none come from the top of the Montparnasse Tower. You can see the entire city from the skyscraper’s viewing terrace on the 56th floor and, at 210 metres tall, it’s a view like no other. Pick out famous landmarks around the city or just take in the spectacular 360˚ panorama. It is great at any time of the day, but watching the sun set over Paris is something you won’t forget in a hurry. It seems like everywhere you look in Paris there’s a church, but the one you should really pay a visit to is St Sulpice. Fans of The Da Vinci Code will recognise it as one of the many Parisian locations in the book, but this Roman Catholic church is worth a look even if you aren’t a fan of Dan Brown. As well as its stunning architecture and impressive works of

art, St Sulpice has played an important part in the history of the city, hosting Les Miserables writer Victor Hugo’s marriage and pioneering French poet Charles Baudelaire’s baptism. If nothing else, go for the scathingly critical note on the Da Vinci Code film, which hangs from the church wall. Speaking of churches, head to the Notre Dame but ignore the lines of tourists waiting to get in, cross the river and spend an hour or three inside the Shakespeare and Company bookstore just opposite. An independent shop in Paris’ bohemian left bank, Shakespeare and Co. has every book you could imagine, and then some. With a reading room overlooking the River Seine and a library of antique books, it couldn’t be further from the likes of Waterstones. Grab a book off the shelf, find a sofa, and lose yourself in a good novel for a few hours among writers, poets and artists alike. For less than the price of a Jägerbomb in the LCR, you can be in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. So what are you waiting for? Grab your passport and some friends and rediscover Paris. Polly Grice

gives us her top three tips for travelling the world

Take stopovers and travel overland A lot of people don’t realise that if your flight stops via another city on the way to your destination, you can turn that stop into a visit to that city. Usually it costs no more if you request it before you book. You can also fly into one airport and out of another, so you can take different modes of transport and travel with the locals to get a clearer picture of the region you’re visiting.

Live like a local They know the most interesting attractions to visit, and the best places to eat and drink. It is their home after all. Street food is usually the tastiest and cheapest available. Many destinations can accommodate homestays with local families and there’s no better way to get to know a culture and its people than by living there.

Be prepared People often hit problems if they haven’t planned ahead, and the more you prepare, the more freedom you have after you arrive. Sort out your visas, vaccinations and insurance well in advance and work out a realistic daily budget. Then, once you’re away, you can relax and enjoy your trip. Unfortunately, you can’t prevent problems cropping up, but you can do a lot before you go to make sure they don’t spell the end of your adventure.

STA Travel in Norwich is located in the city centre on London Street. Come along to their Round the World talk for travel advice, inspiration and freebies on Tuesday 27 March at 7pm. Contact norwich@statravel.co.uk

FEATURES

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Hobbit pub row

A Southampton pub is facing legal action from the lawyers of a major US film company over alleged copyright infringement. The Hobbit pub received a letter from the legal representatives of the Saul Zaentz Company (SZC), which owns the rights to many of J.R.R Tolkein’s works, including The Lord of the Rings triology, and of course, The Hobbit. The Hobbit, which has operated under this name for 23 years, uses many characters from Tolkein’s masterpiece on their drinks menus and has a picture of Elijah Wood as Lord of the Rings hero Frodo Baggins on their loyalty cards. SZC is demanding that the pub re-brand itself with a non-Middle Earth theme, which could cost the owners thousands of pounds. Southampton University student Emma Anthony describes the pub’s atmosphere as “unique”. She says it is very popular with students as “it’s such a niche. Really interesting people went there as i t ’s not like any

other pub; it’s sort of cosy but really open.” A Facebook page, set up to raise awareness and support for the pub’s cause, has reached 50,000 likes in just a few days (at the time of writing). It claims that the impending lawsuit is an example of SZC “exerting their legal rights” as part of an “on-going dispute with New Line Media”, who are currently filming The Hobbit in New Zealand. The owners of the pub say they are not cashing in on the success of the films, and therefore they are not guilty of copyright infringement. Gandalf himself has joined in the dispute, with Ian McKellen posting a message on his website in support of the pub and their fight against what he is calling “Hollywood bullying”, citing the Southampton local as “clearly not a place to ill-treat hobbits, elves, dwarves and wizards, in any way”. Fellow The Hobbit actor Stephen Fry also drew the attention of his 4 million followers on Twitter to the pub’s plight, by tweeting a link to the Save The Hobbit campaign and confessing he is “ashamed of the business (he’s) in”, calling the SZC’s actions “bullying”. This isn’t the first time a small business has been threatened with legal action by SZC. In November, a Birmingham café called The Hungry Hobbit was also ordered to rebrand. Neither the owners of The Hobbit pub nor The Hungry Hobbit café say they can afford a court battle over this issue, nor can they afford to change all their signs and menus as demanded by SZC. They have instead joined forces and are currently discussing “the way forward” for both establishments. Polly Grice

concrete.features@uea.ac.uk

brought through the gates of this immense killing yard, never to return to their homes. In the final room of our tour, a long table is adorned with possessions that once belonged to the inmates of AuschwitzBirkenau. One of said items is a pair of keys. The key, an internationally-recognised symbol of freedom and independence, now an exhibit, merely one small part of the most terrible of lies: the lie of liberty. Auschwitz II is truly chilling. It stands as a lasting monument to our capacity to dehumanise, degrade and abuse. It remains a permanent, unashamed example of mechanised, stringently planned, mass execution. The first thing that strikes you about Auschwitz-Birkenau is the sheer size of it. Entire villages were dismantled, and their materials re-used, to make this death camp. Every building, every watchtower, every cold red brick, every wooden cabin, every inch of railway track, and every centimetre of barbed wire was geared towards the elimination of human life, on a scale never witnessed before or since. Only through scale can the enormity of the Nazi crime against humanity be truly understood. The piles of suitcases, one belonging to a young boy born in 1944, and of every day household items such as toothbrushes, shoes, and cutlery, next to the

site of the infamous Canada II complex. It was so named because work there was akin to a “promised land”, sorting through the valuables of the prisoners. Such was the volume of cherished items and consumer goods that, when the Nazis ordered the destruction of the 30-barrack-strong Canada II ahead of the Soviet advance on Auschwitz-Birkenau, the buildings burned for five days without halt. Men and women, even children, were “sorted” by guards. A thumb, nonchalantly placed to the left or the right, meant the difference between immediate death or prolonged suffering, the only “life” Auschwitz-Birkenau had to offer. The trains which brought inmates into the camp, on a line specially diverted from the main railway through to Prague and Vienna, could barely fit 20 comfortably. They were filled with hundreds. We complain when our services are delayed, or when there are track closures. Survivor testimony acts as an assault on our complacency: “We hoped people would die to make room”, said one survivor. Decisions such as this were by no means uncommon. The realities of everyday survival in Auschwitz-Birkenau depended on such a skewing of the moral values by which we exist. For the 216 that set off from Stansted

Tuesday 27 March 2012 - Issue 268

Polluting beauty

‘Hearing is not like seeing’ “Work sets you free: the biggest lie in Auschwitz”, says our guide, Lukasz Lipinski, as we stand beneath the infamous “Arbeit Macht Frei” sign marking the entrance to Auschwitz I. Stolen on 18 December, 2009, these three words, perhaps the most abiding symbol of the Holocaust, were quickly replaced, unlike the majority of Auschwitz I. Almost all of the buildings are original, in this antiquated pseudo-industrial city, which believe it or not, was insured along with its guards by the Nazis during the Second World War, through contemporary insurance giant Allianz. The firm is one of the major German companies to have collaborated with the Nazi regime, and helped engineer its genocide in Europe, as well surviving to this day. Allianz joins names such as IG Farben (that profited heavily from the industry of the Auschwitz III camp and produced the lethal gas chamber poison, Zyklon B), which despite being disbanded in 1952 still exists in the form of chemical company Bayer, one of its previous divisions, and Hugo Boss, who joined the Nazi party and produced uniforms for the Hitler Youth and SS soldiers in the 1930s. Hearing the brutal stories of terror, humiliation and cruelty, recounted by Lukasz in vivid, unflinching prose, and delivered with the utmost sincerity and matter-offactness, it is hard to believe that Auschwitz I was the “nicer” camp. A photograph on the wall of the notorious No. 11 prison block shows an inmate of 20 years. He was brought into Auschwitz in April 1942, and died less than a year later in March 1943. The average life expectancy for women in the camp was a mere four months. Seeing this human face on the wall, merely one of hundreds adorning the long corridor, was the first moment at which the reality of Auschwitz, and the betrayal of humanity known as the Final Solution, was brought home. This is what the Holocaust Educational Trust (HET) is doing for thousands of sixth form students across the United Kingdom, through the “Lessons from Auschwitz” programme. Established in 1988, the HET operates on the premise that “hearing is not like seeing”, and it is hard to disagree with this statement. Having studied modern history, I felt myself to be well-versed in the events of the Holocaust. I had seen the figures, but they were nothing more than numbers, and through focusing on these, I had almost become desensitised to the Holocaust. Joseph Stalin once said: “The death of one man is a tragedy. The death of millions is a statistic”. Despite the callousness of this affirmation, the statistics concerning the Holocaust do nothing to emphasise the intense human suffering inflicted upon each and every one of the individuals that were

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Airport at 7am, a contingent made up of 169 pupils, 21 teachers and 26 educators and guests, the visit to Auschwitz had a clear and visible impact. Even for the educators themselves, whose visits to the death camp may be in double figures, each trip yields different emotions. The sombre, deathlyquiet nature of the coach journey back from Auschwitz-Birkenau, meanwhile, said everything words could not, about the impact of the day upon these students. Chilled into silence by what they had seen. In a closing service, led by Rabbi Marcus, a minute’s silence was held to remember the victims of the camp. He reminded us that, while “man has conquered almost every distance open to him”, yet to be overcome, sadly, is “the distance between men”. The poignancy of this closing service, held just a few metres away from the destroyed remnants of the gas chambers, was not lost on anyone present. It permeated the silent crowd, as Rabbi Marcus once again put the Holocaust, and our visit to Auschwitz, into simple scale: “Auschwitz I is all about what you see. Auschwitz II: what you don’t. If we were to hold a minute’s silence for every Jew killed here, you, me, this crowd, we would not speak for three whole years”. Chris King

Chris King

“No artificial colours, no preservatives, nonGM, no MSG, locally sourced, organic”. These claims leap out from the labels, boxes and bottles of numerous food items in an attempt to appeal to an increasingly health conscious British consumer. So why are we making such special efforts to monitor what goes into our bodies via food, and ignoring what goes onto them? Shampoo, moisturiser and deodorant are probably not the first things that spring to mind when you think of pollution, but up to 60% of what we put on our skin is absorbed into the blood steam and then processed by our liver (OMC). The average woman uses around 20 different beauty products a day, absorbing around 5lbs of chemicals per year. In 18 months that equates to the average weight of a newborn baby. What remains astounding is that consumers believe that cosmetic manufacturers really have their best interests at heart. However, many of the chemicals used in popular products are known carcinogens, irritants and allergens. The problem with determining just what exactly is in the bottles and jars that clutter our bathroom shelves is the use of the full, unpronounceable chemical names on the labels. So here are a few of the bad boys from the “dirty dozen” that we should be looking out for, and steering clear of. Mineral oil, Petrolatum/Petroleum Jelly (Vaseline). These are petrochemicals, by-products of petrol manufacturing. Used

in foundations, moisturisers, lipsticks and lip glosses. The product sits on the skin, preventing it from breathing and often causing spot breakouts. There are links to liver and kidney damage when swallowed. Sodium laureth sulphate (SLES) is irritating to eyes, skin and lungs when repeatedly used and it is also used as a foaming agent in shampoo, shaving cream, shower gels and toothpaste. Parabens, most common being methylparaben, probylparaben and butylparaben: these are chemical preservatives used in cosmetics to extend the shelf life of a product. Parabens can mimic the hormone oestrogen, and traces of parabens have been found in cancerous tumours. So what can we do to avoid these toxic cocktails? Switching to natural or organic products is a safer and healthier way to care for our bodies. Faith in Nature and Green People are just two brands from the UK that use natural ingredients with no parabens or sulphates. Unfortunately, these brands are not as readily available as Maybelline or Rimmel, but with enough demand from consumers, we can influence the cosmetics industry, like the food industry, into removing cheap, harmful chemicals from their products, and make cleaner cosmetics more accessible to all. Until then, “free from mineral oil”, “free from parabens” and “free from sulphates” should be the labels to watch out for. Mimi Gaston-Kennedy

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FEATURES

Tackling student unemployment

On 15 March, Scottish and English MPs met in Scotland at The National Convention on UK Youth Unemployment. According to studies undertaken by the English Parliamentary website, around 1.04m people aged 16-24 are currently unemployed. This is clearly a problem for the government. As students, we are currently in the process of acquiring the skills that make us far more employable than people with fewer qualifications. Even when you consider the debt we acquire when paying for our fees, the majority will leave university in a much better financial position than those who opted out of higher education, simply because we are far more employable, and therefore warrant much higher pay. Figures from late last year stated that only 3% of graduates from 2007 were completely unemployed, which is a reassuring figure, given the current state of the economy. But for those who don’t have any qualifications, it is as hard as ever to get a job. However, there may be some ways to reduce both the unemployment levels for very unskilled workers, and ensure that when the current generation of students graduate, they’ll be able to find work also. Firstly, the government needs to lower the minimum wage rate. Now it may sound intuitive to say that a higher minimum wage helps benefit poor employees because they receive more pay

and can therefore live a healthier lifestyle. This is true if you actually have the skills to acquire a job, but the minimum wage law completely discriminates against those people without skills, who are unable to get a job. The wage of around £5 presupposes that the employee is generating more than that, so the employer benefits from their labour, but if the employee is too unskilled and doesn’t generate enough money, they are never going to be hired. Businesses aren’t charities, and believing that they’ll consciously accept losses to fulfil some duty to society is absurd. However, if the minimum wage were lowered, those people who don’t have as many skills could find jobs, and while their initial pay would be lower, it would allow them to acquire the skills and training to permit them to progress to higher positions and receive higher pay grades. Even a 45-hour a week job that pays £3 per hour would earn somebody just under three times the benefits they would normally receive in a week. But if the minimum wage remains as it is, then these poorly skilled workers won’t even get on the career ladder, let alone learn how to climb it. Another change in governmental policy could be further incentivising the unemployed to learn workplace skills. The public berated the government’s new scheme, through which the unemployed are offered placements where they can go and acquire knowledge of the workplace

and skills needed for getting a job. Some even likened it to slave labour when they began working in Tesco, but this is preposterous. Many companies pulled out because they didn’t want to take on unpaid work, but how is it unpaid? They still receive Jobseeker’s Allowance every week in order to live: is that not payment enough? What the protestors don’t seem to understand is that working in the private sector teaches the unemployed the skills necessary to get a job. Many of those who are currently unemployed would like to work in these sectors and attain such skills in the hope of acquiring a similar job, but now this has been jeopardised. Finally, one more thing the government can do is to deregulate the banks and allow them to lend more. If banks are prevented from lending, this seriously hinders any chance of growth. When banks can freely lend to more people at different interest rates, then new businesses can appear through the influx of capital into the private market. This would allow people who may have been refused small business loans previously, to start up new businesses, and current businesses can acquire the funds needed to expand. Couple this with cheaper labour, and new businesses will appear everywhere, and with them will come new production. The economy would start to become more prosperous, potentially meaning the end of the current situation, far more

quickly than originally thought. This isn’t mentioning all the money the government would save on unemployment benefit and the new tax revenue that these businesses would generate, money that could go towards repaying the substantial debts the government has racked up. Now here is where students come in. If businesses can expand, they will not only seek cheap, unskilled workers but also higher paid, skilled workers to help run these businesses. People with degrees in various subjects could find whole new avenues for employment through fresh business ventures. Or, if you can’t find a job out there you like, you could invent one. If the capital is made more readily available, many students could start their own business and become self employed, straight out of university, doing a job that has never existed before. More than ever it is young, intelligent people who are seeing the world around them and predicting the changing conditions. Through creating brand new products and services, they make the world a much better place to live in. The possibilities are endless, but as long as governmental policy remains as it is, limiting the employability of unskilled workers and potentially hindering the possibilities of the current generation of students, unemployment will remain high and the economic outlook bleak. Sam Emsley

INTERNATIONAL

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Go Global Party: celebrating with the world Max Hui | International writer Every year UEA appreciates the cultural diversity existing at the University, and, with the help of the Student Union and societies, a wonderful event was formed which many will be looking forward to again next year. The Go Global Party, held on the Wednesday 21 March, was broken down into three main parts: the international cuisine market, the cultural

performances and a disco party to finish the night off. The event rundown started with the tasting of international cuisines where students revealed the “secret recipes” brought from their own countries. Food is an integral part of culture, and the students shared their wonderful palatable cultures to the rest of the world through food. Having many enthusiastic students walking around stalls to sample the wide

spectrum of international cuisines, such as fish balls from Hong Kong, soy sauce eggs from Taiwan, Greek salads and bread,

As with previous years, how could the night end without performances? A series of performances held by students

“The event started with the tasting of international cuisines where students revealed the “secret recipes” brought from their countries” Bruneian desserts and other delicious local foods, showed that the party was successful. Ga Chun Yau

took place after the tasting. Some of the memorable performances of the evening included a hot drama from the Chinese Society, singing from the Malaysian Society, and cultural dances from the Indonesian Society, Kazakhstan Society, Mauritian Society and Afro-Caribbean Society. Singing and dancing were the best ways to exert the “tingling” feelings inside them, and over fifteen exciting performances were presented. All the performances, organised and ran by students, blew the audience away. A total of over 900 attendees were present in the informal event. The party ended with a disco to let students from all over the world dance the night away. This is a loud applause to all the participating individuals, student societies and the Union of UEA Students for an amazing evening. UEA will be looking forward to another great International Week next year. To see photos of the night’s events, visit the Union’s Facebook page.

Swaying to traditional Caribbean beats Isabelle Carty | International writer Traditional Caribbean dances have their roots in both African and European culture, creating a unique form of expression and cultural identity. A large number of elements of traditional African dance can be seen in a variety of different Caribbean dance forms, creating a fusion of history and culture.

merengue to dance floors. One theory of the dance’s origins states that it began with chained slaves who were forced to drag their heavy foot along, as they cut sugar to the beat of a drum. Using a rhythm that is favoured throughout the Caribbean, the merengue is an easy dance to learn. It's also well-suited to small, crowded dance floors since it does not require much room. Bachata combines

“Through festivals and carnivals these cultures strive to keep the dances, costumes, music and stories of traditional folk dances alive, and maintain a link to their Caribbean roots and culture” All throughout the Caribbean, music is a prominent fixture of everyday life. Each island has its own particular rhythms but the result is the same: dance. The dances of the festivals, parties, and streets may now be the best known dancing in the islands, but there are forms of folkloric dance which are still performed to educate and entertain travellers and youngsters with traditional dances on each island, ranging from the Jamaican jonkonnu dance to the Afro-Cuban abakua. Influences for Caribbean dance range from Latin beats to French rhythms. The Dominican Republic and Haiti brought

merengue with the romantic bolero style. Zouk is a form of dance and music in the French Caribbean descended from the Brazilian lambada. From the word "party" in French Creole, zouk has been described as a lighter version of the lambada, whose music combines reggae, salsa, and merengue with a fast beat. Today, in some areas of the Caribbean, hip-hop threatens to eclipse more traditional dance forms, thus overshadowing some of the elements of Caribbean culture. Therefore, through festivals and carnivals these cultures strive to keep the dances, costumes,

music and stories of traditional folk dances alive. Through this, they hope to

maintain a link to their Caribbean roots and culture.

www.concrete-online.co.uk Tuesday 27 March 2012 - Issue 268

101 tips For students, by students Freya Barry reveals her top tips for getting to grips with university life

45.

Shop online to avoid impulse purchases and stick to your budget. You can also find countless vouchers for online shopping.

46.

Always take off your makeup before you sleep to keep skin clear and stop you looking like a panda.

47.

Remember to break in your new shoes, wearing them around the house first. Nobody wants a blister.

48.

Start compiling revision notes now so that you are not caught out in the exam period.

49.

Don’t get with friends’ exes. Ever. It never ends well and will always be awkward.

50.

Set up a savings account, so that at the end of university you will have a small fortune.

51.

Always have a well stocked contraceptive drawer: you never know when it will come in handy and it’s better to be safe than sorry.

52.

Always buy salt and lemon with tequila.

If you have a tip that you would like to share with the rest of campus, tweet us at: @Concrete_LifeS #101tips

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LIFESTYLE

Strictly magnificent Joshua Resoun explores the backstage area of UEA’s Strictly and runs through the highlights of the night Enter the backstage door, and you enter a whole new world, cut off from the sleek show of fantastic performances that made up Strictly UEA, and into a room of frantic costume changes, nervous performers and overtly stressed organisers. Despite being in the midst of all these, Strictly UEA, even from backstage, was a tremendous night, and as the first of its kind, went rather well. To summarise the event, 15 sports clubs put forward their members to be paired up with a member of DanceSport (or the “professionals”, as they were labelled), to dance a randomly allocated number on stage, in front of 500 people, in a rigorous contest of flexibility and footwork. It takes guts to put yourself forward for this sort of contest: each dancing pair had only six weeks to prepare their routine. Add this to the other demands of student life, and it becomes an incredibly short space of time. That said, the atmosphere in the crowd was one of exuberance, and at times suspense. The four-strong judging panel gave a score of 36 to one couple, 35 to another, and a respectable 34 to five couples, leading to a nervous few minutes backstage while the judges deliberated among themselves about who to put forward. In the end, it was Simon Russell and Hannah Godfrey, representing karate and dancing the tango; Sam Walford and Sarah-Jayne Aston representing American football and dancing the Viennese waltz; and finally Russ Khroma and Amy Wright representing windsurfing and dancing the waltz. All three couples met the judges’ highest expectations, and received a welldeserved round of applause. However, the loudest cheer went to Sam Walford and Sarah-Jayne Aston, and it was to these that the Glitterball was awarded to, and so it was that UEA American Football won the first of (hopefully) many Strictly UEAs. Hasina Allen, having the pleasure of enjoying Strictly UEA from the audience, told Concrete: “The level of professionalism displayed by everyone involved was an unexpected surprise and from where I was sitting, the night was a complete success”. Mathilde Stenersen, who sat on the judging panel, said: “It was really difficult to judge the people that I have known for such a long time”. Russ Khroma and Amy Wright (pictured bottom right), who danced the waltz and came in third place, spoke to Concrete before the dance. Amy said that Russ had “done really well” throughout their practices. The same sentiments were echoed by each and every pair, with Sam Walford, having just been awarded the first of two

10s for the night, saying: “We put a huge amount of effort in, and I think we had more practice hours than a lot of couples, so we’re just glad that it’s paid off”. Overall, it was a truly dazzling

performance, with all the couples thoroughly enjoying their time on stage. It is difficult to say how next year’s event can top last Monday’s evening of entertainment. Ga Chun Yau

Ga Chun Yau

LIFESTYLE

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www.concrete-online.co.uk Tuesday 27 March 2012 - Issue 268

Society spotlight: Yoga In the last few years, yoga has taken the western world by storm, with a host of celebrities including Madonna, Lady Gaga and Sting also jumping on the bandwagon. But what’s all the fuss about? Yoga is a sport that is easily adaptable to everyone. It’s not a competitive sport, but it leaves you with the opportunity to push yourself. It can be slow and gentle, while challenging your strength, and not only does it have countless physical benefits, but yoga is as much about internal strength and the power of the mind, as well as keeping you fit and healthy both inside and out. Each yoga lesson is catered to everyone’s ability, from those who are beginners to those willing to attempt more complex poses. You can accomplish strength, flexibility and balance, with no fancy piece of equipment needed other than your body and a yoga mat or towel. Classes usually begin and end with a five minute mediation, which allows you time to clear your mind while the teachers run through mindfulness techniques. The lessons run three times a week on a Monday, Thursday and

Norwich’s Assembly House Norwich is a city brimming with medieval buildings, but it also features the marvellous Assembly House. The light, airy rooms are a welcome antidote to the dark stone-work of many of Norwich’s medieval churches. The Assembly House is free to enter and explore. It holds art exhibitions, concerts and performances, and it features an excellent restaurant. Prices are at the higher end for students, but tea and cake won’t burn too much of a hole in most budgets, and it is well worth at least looking into the beautiful dining rooms.

Saturday, with three different teachers: Julee, Joss and Sally, who each have their own distinctive methods of teaching. It also doesn’t need to break the bank, costing only £10 for an entire year’s membership or a fiver if you want to give it a go for the rest of the term. It may not

be the road to spiritual enlightenment, but it’s a good laugh in a comfortable atmosphere. To find out more search “UEA Yoga Society (Official)” on Facebook. Lucy Jobber

A problem shared is a problem halved If you have a burning issue, Clive Ashcroft is the man for the job. Email clivecaresconcrete@gmail.com

Scent of deceit Dear Clive, In October my mum bought me a pot of petunias. They died in November and I’ve been lying about it ever since. However, she is coming to visit next weekend and will see what has happened. She is really fond of plants and I don’t want her to be upset and think that I didn’t take care of it properly. I hate lying to her, but don’t want to hurt her feelings. What should I do?

Dear reader, Due to petunias being a bedding plant, I’m sure your mother will be very understanding, so please don’t lie. There may be other reasons why the plant died so there is absolutely no reason to blame yourself. My advice to you would be to talk to your mother, who I am positive would be pleased to help and advise you regarding the caring of plants. Have a great Easter with your family and friends. Take care.

Read more of Clive’s solutions on our website: www.concrete-online.co.uk

Lent down Dear Clive, I recently gave up chocolate for Lent and had been doing really well, not giving into temptation, despite wanting to. However, I had a blip and completely forgot about it: when I was offered a chocolate I took it and ate it. I now feel really guilty and don’t know whether to carry on with the challenge I set myself or simply give up. What do you think Clive?

Dear reader, Oh Chocolate! Such a big temptation for so many people, so please don’t feel guilty about breaking your lenten vow. You may still like chocolate and have your reasons for not wanting chocolate: however, should you wish to continue eating it, make sure it is in moderation to ensure you have a healthy balanced diet. May I suggest a sugar gluten free chocolate, which may help reduce the craving. Good luck!

CliveCares

“Franz Liszt even played there in 1846, although the locals didn’t seem to like his music” The Assembly House has an impressively long history. It was built in the 17th century as a family house, but never used as one. Since its construction it has been a meeting place, although the location has been important for celebration since the thirteenth century. The Assembly House was modernised in 1753, based on the second, cheaper set of plans. It played host to a century of entertainment and social occasions. Franz Liszt even played there in 1846, although the citizens of Norwich didn’t seem to appreciate his music. The Assembly House boasts two ballrooms, and one was used to hold a triumphant celebration after the victory at Trafalgar. In the 1930s, the house narrowly escaped demolition. During the Second World War, it came back into use for a very different purpose. The Assembly House was the headquarters of the Eastern Region’s Army Camouflage School, which was headed by a famous set designer. In 1942 it was hit with nine incendiary bombs, although they were extinguished, saving the house. After the war, the Assembly House’s restoration began, and it reopened in 1950. Today, it survives as one of the finest examples of Georgian assembly room architecture. For students wanting a break from their studies, a stroll through it, entering down the drive with its lovely fountain and flowers, is a peaceful way to de-stress. And of course, it’s also ideal for anyone wanting to spend some time pretending they live in a Jane Austen novel. Miranda Hutchinson

www.concrete-online.co.uk Tuesday 27 March 2012 - Issue 268

LIFESTYLE

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Meet the meat Conscientious carnivore | Susanna Wood Let me get one thing straight, Lifestyle readers: I am not a carnivore. I am wholly, happily, heartily omnivorous. I want both slices of the nutrition pie. Here is my confession: for a five year period in my life I actually went entirely vegetarian. Granted, this was probably a reaction to owning a host of fluffy guinea pigs and simultaneously learning about Peru in Year 4 Geography (“they roast them on spits? Oh God no!”). The veggie stint ended in my mid-teens and I’ve never regretted my decision to have meat back in my life. These days, I won’t be guilttripped into giving it up again. I believe you can eat meat consciously, ethically and guilt-free, as long as you give what is on your plate a little thought. So here’s my crash course to a meat-loving lifestyle with no remorse. The best way to eat meat is to not have too much of it. The 2007 World Cancer Research Fund report recommended that meat eaters eat no more than 500g of red meat a week, and very little processed meat. Despite this, red meat in small quantities is a great source of iron. While iron can be found in green vegetables such as spinach, the body finds it easier to absorb when it comes from meat sources. I probably eat meat three or four times a week, and limiting my intake means that

I can get nicer cuts of meat. I am always tempted by those big bags of frozen chicken joints, but ultimately the peace of

flesh-time on the cheap. I’d recommend responsibly sourced mackerel: oily fish is particularly high in nutrients.

“I believe you can eat meat consciously, ethically and guilt-free, as long as you give what is on your plate a little thought.” mind a small amount of free-range chicken gives me is worth the price every time. Nutrition experts also recommend eating several portions of fish a week, and this is a great way to get some high-protein

Don’t be afraid to try something different from your standard meat cuts and varieties. I’ve eaten black pudding in Bury, snails in France, currywurst in Germany and salmon burgers in

Canada. I even tried reindeer meat in Finland. Food is inherent to experiencing different cultures, and since humans have always eaten meat, it will always form an important part of the cultural heritage of many countries. That is not to say that you shouldn’t still be aware of where your meat comes from when you are abroad. While there are some foreign meat traditions that have been branded by conscious consumers as unethical (for example the French duck delicacy foie gras), outside Britain people seem to have a substantially more frank attitude towards eating meat. Here, meat is primped and packaged. If you’re going to eat meat, you should know that what you’re eating is flesh straight from a once-living thing, and you need to be okay with that. One way you can challenge the powers that be is by shopping for your meat at butchers or markets, which offer an antidote to the vacuum wrapped packages we find in shops. Benjamin Franklin defended his return to meat-eating in his autobiography by saying: “When the fish were opened, I saw smaller fish taken out of their stomachs; then thought I, “If you eat one another, I don’t see why we mayn’t eat you””. If it is good enough for a Founding Father, I guess it is good enough for me.

Main | Homemade spicy lamb burgers Ingredients for the burgers

Method for the burgers

Method for the buns

> 1kg minced lamb > 2 garlic cloves, crushed > 1 medium onion, finely chopped > 1-2 tbsp mango chutney > 1 red chilli, de-seeded and finely chopped > ¼ tsp ground turmeric > 1 tsp coriander seeds, crushed > 1 tsp cumin seeds, crushed > Flaked sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Place all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl, before seasoning well with salt and pepper. 2. Mix by hand until the ingredients are combined. 3. Divide and shape the mixture into 10 evenly-sized burgers. If necessary, add extra flavourings or seasoning. 4. Place the burgers on a cling filmcovered tray and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. 5. To prevent the burgers from sticking while cooking, ensure that each of the burgers are brushed with oil before barbecuing. 6. Barbeque over medium heat coals for six minutes on each side. 7. Serve in homemade buns with the relish of your choice.

1. Heat milk, water and butter in a small saucepan until simmering. 2. Place the yeast, sugar and some of the flour in a large mixing bowl, continue to stir in the milk mixture, and then add the egg. 3. Stir in the remaining flour, a little at a time, ensuring that you beat the mixture well. 4. When the dough has come together nicely, turn it onto a lightly-floured surface and knead until smooth. 5. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces, while shaping into balls. 6. Place on a greased baking sheet, while flattening each bun slightly. Cover, and allow the mixture to rise for 30 minutes. 7. Place in a pre-heated 200 degree oven for 12 minutes, or until golden brown.

Ingredients for the buns > 240ml milk > 120ml water > 60g cup butter > 500g cups all-purpose flour > 25g package instant yeast > 2tbsp white sugar > 1½ teaspoons salt > 1 egg

CONCRETE’S TIP

Extra tip: ideally, the burgers should be made the previous day, so that they can be kept in the fridge overnight to ensure that the flavour is rich and that the seasoning has sunk in

LIFESTYLE

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www.concrete-online.co.uk Tuesday 27 March 2012 - Issue 268

Viva la vegan The vegan lifestyle | Natasha Bailey Becoming a vegan isn’t really something I’d ever considered while growing up. I suppose like most people, I had been brought up on dairy and meat, and didn’t consider any alternative option for my diet. On reading what I had originally perceived to be a “fad diet” book, I was shocked to discover that not only could I eat amazingly healthy and tasty food, I’d also be helping to prevent the exploitation of animals in the process. The title of the book is Skinny Bitch, and despite its somewhat garish title, I would highly recommend it as an introductory text on becoming vegan. People look at me as though I am completely mental when I tell them I’m vegan, the most common question being: “what do you eat?” It’s a bizarre question to be asked, but I understand its roots. You see, although people perceive veganism to be a chore, it isn’t difficult at all. In fact, I eat a more varied and healthy diet now than ever before. Yes, I have to check the ingredients in most things, but it takes two seconds, and it is fascinating discovering which foods contain animal products and which don’t. Substantial amounts contain lactose (a milk sugar), but it doesn’t deter me from finding foods that don’t contain any animal products: it’s almost become a hobby. Prior to being vegan I never would

have tried soya milk, or any of the dairy free options available today, but in all

fat than any dairy rich alternative. If you take one thing from this article, I urge you

“It isn’t difficult at all, in fact, I eat a more varied and healthy diet now than I ever did” honesty they are tastier and far lower in

to try a soya latte with a dairy-free syrup,

they are delicious. I spend far less on my weekly shop and some of the recipes I have experimented with are delicious and nutritious. Not only have I discovered a healthier way of living, I also feel rather good about the fact that I’m not contributing to the sometimes horrific way animals are treated, merely to provide us with food. People are becoming increasingly aware of the way animals are farmed, so there’s really no reason not to dig a little deeper and find out the facts. I think a lot of people would change their eating habits substantially if only they knew the origins of the food they are eating. Being vegan has changed my life. I never feel guilty about anything I eat, never follow fad diets, and eat a delicious, varied diet. So why not consider giving veganism a go? Not only will you be super healthy (studies suggest that soya milk can provide more calcium than cows’ milk), your carbon footprint will be reduced (the livestock industry has been claimed to produce 18% of greenhouse gas emissions) and you’ll still be able to eat yummy food. What more, could anybody want from their diet? To find out more, visit vegansociety.com, and hopefully you can kick start a healthy new you.

Sweet | Vegan banana cake with peanut butter filling Ingredients for the cake

Method for the cake

Method for the filling

> 225g self-raising flour, sifted > 1.5tsp baking powder > 200g golden caster sugar > 145ml sunflower oil > 225ml water > 1tsp vanilla essence > 1 large ripe banana, mashed

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees and grease and line with greaseproof paper (this is really important otherwise the mixture sticks) the bottom of two cake tins. I normally use around 8 inch sized tins. 2. Put the flour, baking powder and caster sugar in a mixing bowl 3. Beat in the sunflower oil, water, and vanilla essence and add the banana until well combined 4. Divide the mixture between the two cake tins and cook for around 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean

1. Combine the ingredients together until you have the desired creamy consistency.

Ingredients for the filling > 250g icing sugar, sifted > 30g dairy-free margarine (found in any leading supermarket, and normally the same price; if not cheaper than its dairy counterparts) > 80g peanut butter > 50ml water (optional depending on desired consistency)

2. Once the cakes have cooled, sandwich them together using half of the filling. 3. Use the remaining can be used to decorate the top!

Natasha Bailey

CONCRETE’S TIP

Extra tip: you can pick up some cheap dairy-free white chocolate buttons from leading supermarkets for extra decoration, or use banana chips. In fact, why not use both?

www.concrete-online.co.uk Tuesday 27 March 2012 - Issue 268

TURF

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UEA boycotts ‘Climate Week’ Environmental and ethical campaign group, People & Planet, succeed in their campaign against unethical sponsors If last week you happened to see the proud and busy Climate Week stall occupying the foyer of the library, you may have got the warm fuzzy feeling that UEA is taking action against climate change. But stop there. For all its good intentions, it was an unpleasant discovery to see the list of its main sponsors. Indeed, EDF Energy and Tesco are not exactly the world’s most radical activists which spring to mind when we think about climate change. For one, EDF operate two of the five biggest coal fired power stations in the UK. Last time we checked, Tesco’s business model was based on transporting slightly cheaper goods halfway across the world, probably a few times. But let’s not list all our itchy concerns about Tesco. Still, does it matter where the money comes from? Surely it’s better that we

have a climate week that raises awareness and brings communities together to act and create their own green initiatives, than have no climate week at all? However, climate change is no secret: everybody knows it’s good to recycle and turn off a light. But the truth is, our small efforts will pale in comparison to the destruction of the planet that these companies cause. Ultimately, we are being encouraged to clean up their mess, a feat quite impossible for a goodwill stall in the library. What we really need to do is pressure governments into enforcing tighter regulations that ensure these companies clean up after themselves.

JAPAN

Kingdom of Characters 4 February - 24 June 2012 Only UK venue, admission free

Louise Withers Green Rosie Rawle

The future of nuclear

One year on from the Fukushima disaster, the world is looking differently at the role nuclear has to play in our energy future

One year on, ripples of the disaster at Fukushima are still reverberating around the world. The earthquake, estimated to have been nine on the Richter scale (the fifth most powerful since modern records began). This, in turn, triggered the formation of a tsunami which devastated the northern coast of Japan. With over

changing opinions on the future of nuclear energy. As the tsunami ripped through Japanese infrastructure, it also knocked out the electricity connection to the now infamous Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant, and flooded rooms containing the emergency generators. This resulted in the shutdown of the pumps circulating coolant

“Radioactive isotopes that leaked from Fukushima were detected worldwide” 60,000 people killed, injured or missing, and over a million buildings damaged or destroyed, the wounds of March 2011 will be slow to heal. However, this catastrophe has had a wider impact beyond the loss of life and economic wreckage, in the form of

water, leading to the uncontrolled heating and eventual meltdown of three nuclear reactors. The subsequent explosions and radiation leakage forced the evacuation of a 20-30km radius around the power plant. In the weeks following the event, traces of the radioactive isotopes iodine

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Organised by

Images clockwise from top left: © Nintendo, Creatures, GAME FREAK, TV Tokyo, ShoPro, JR Kikaku. © Pokémon. ; © Mine Yoshizaki/Kodokawashoten, SUNRUSE, TV TOKYO, NAS, BV; © BRANDAI . WiZ/TV TOKYO . 2009TeamTAMAGOTCHITV; © 2010 SAN-X CO. LTD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED; © 2006 Nagaru Tanigawa . Noizi Ito/a member of SOS

and caesium that leaked from Fukushima were detected worldwide, including in the UK, at sites in Glasgow and Oxfordshire. At the end of May that year, Germany declared it was abandoning its nuclear energy programme, initiating the shutdown of six of its power plants with the remainder to be closed by 2022. Over the past year, the Japanese government was forced to shut 49 of its power stations, following mounting public pressure, leaving only five still in operation as of January 2012. This has been followed by an Italian majority vote to remain non-nuclear; Switzerland and Spain banning the

construction of new plants and in France, one of the world’s biggest producers of nuclear energy, the political opposition leader, François Hollande, has proposed cutting nuclear power’s electricity contribution by a third by 2025. However, emerging economic giants India and China have five and 26 new plants under construction respectively, and China isn’t planning to stop there. A further 100 stations are in the pipeline, a hefty addition to nuclear energy production worldwide, considering there are currently 435 reactor units in operation. This has been mirrored by other big players in the nuclear field, including the Russian Federation, which currently has 10 plants under construction. As for the UK, the planned construction of new power stations by French-owned EDF Energy and British-owned Centrica promises to lead us into a controversial nuclear future, given the apparent shunning of nuclear power by other European countries. Nuclear power remains an ominous force with the potential to devastate global environmental and public health, especially in regions of seismic unrest, as the Fukushima disaster demonstrated all too clearly. Given the dangers involved, perhaps it is time to come to an international agreement on the role nuclear power has to play in our energy future. Toby Samuels

SPORT

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Editors’ Column

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www.concrete-online.co.uk Tuesday 27 March 2012 - Issue 268

Football unites for Fabrice Muamba Adam Plom reports on the events surrounding the Bolton Wanderers midfielder’s cardiac arrest

Carlos Tevez returned to action last week during Man City’s vital 2-1 home win against Chelsea. Looking rather portly, he played a significant role in City’s winner, playing in Samir Nasri, who chipped over the oncoming Petr Cech to give them the allimportant three points to keep them in touch with title rivals Manchester United. His introduction to the game came when Gary Cahill’s deflected goal had given Chelsea the lead, and with just 25 minutes left on the clock it looked as though City’s title challenge could be under threat. They say desperate times call for desperate measures, and the Argentine was ironically brought off the bench to a mixture of applause and boos from the Etihad crowd. This whole episode comes after Tevez had refused to warm up in the Champions League defeat against Bayern Munich back in September. Since then, he and the club remained at loggerheads in the following months, and the former Manchester United and West Ham striker is said to be £9.3m out of pocket following his indiscipline. It’s actually quite funny seeing how quickly football fans, players and managers alike forget their principles as soon as something big is at stake: the Premier League in this case. Carlos Tevez could seemingly impregnate half of the crowd’s sisters and they still would not care, as long as he in some way, shape or form helped them gain that coveted title. But this is the modern football fan we are talking about here. Nothing else matters as long as their team wins. Roberto Mancini has been praised for his pragmatism, yet only a few weeks ago he was being commended for the tough stance he was taking with his player. You cannot have it both ways. But as those oh-so-knowledgeable pundits say: “We’re now at the business end of the football season”, and getting Tevez back in the action will be seen as a means to an end. Mancini’s decision will be hailed as a master-stroke if that trophy comes their way at the end of the season. Unfortunately for the Citizens, Tevez had no impact off the bench at Stoke on Saturday, but they’ll be hoping he can get in the goals in the title run-in. Matt Scrafton

“It’s only a game” is a phrase of annoyance to many football fans, a saying used to belittle their over-exuberant reactions to 11 men running around a pitch. However, there is an element of truth to it and, for football fans, it takes extraordinary circumstances to remember. Such circumstances occurred at White Hart Lane on Saturday 17 March. 41 minutes into Bolton’s visit to Tottenham, Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba collapsed. With nobody around him, it immediately became clear that something was seriously wrong. As it turned out, Muamba had gone into cardiac arrest. The players and crowd were panicstricken as club doctors from both sides and a cardiologist from the crowd attempted to resuscitate him. All of a sudden, football no longer mattered. After failing to resuscitate the player on the pitch, Muamba was rushed to The London Chest Hospital. It has since emerged that, while in the ambulance, several further failed attempts at revival occurred. At 19:31 on Saturday evening, Muamba was finally resuscitated in hospital. The midfielder had, in effect, been

dead for a remarkable 78 minutes. By the end of Saturday night, Muamba was described as being “critical yet stable”. The footballing world waited desperately for good news. On Sunday, a collective out-pouring of best wishes emanated from both England and abroad. Gary Cahill revealed a “Pray 4 Muamba” T-shirt after scoring for Chelsea against Leicester, while Liverpool and Stoke fans sung Muamba’s name during their FA Cup clash. Abroad, Real Madrid too sported “Get Well Soon Muamba” shirts before their game against Malaga. Meanwhile, #pray4muamba was the top trending topic on Twitter. Finally, on Monday, it was announced that Muamba was talking in both French and English, and was able to recognise visitors in hospital. Then, on Tuesday, Bolton manager, Owen Coyle, revealed that he had had “brief’ but “positive” conversation with his player. On Wednesday, Muamba’s condition was described as “serious” but no longer critical. Although it is still early days, several doctors have described his recovery thus far as a “miracle”.

Pirates fall just short in Cup semi Chris Teale | Sports editor

Sheffield Sabres 34 UEA Pirates 16 UEA Pirates fell to an unlucky 34-16 defeat to the Sheffield Sabres in the semi-final of the BUAFL Challenge Trophy, meaning their season is finished after a superb playoff run. It was the Pirates’ offence that had the first attempt to put points on the board. However, they could not take advantage and were forced to punt the ball away. On their first drive, the Sabres managed to make some good headway. On a fourth down, having elected to keep their offence on the field, the Sabres quarterback managed to hit one of his receivers to give the home side an early 6-0

lead. They missed the resulting extra point attempt, and after the Pirates conceded a safety on their next drive, the first quarter ended with the home side up 8-0. The second quarter saw the away side’s defence show a great deal of spirit, but Sheffield’s defence was also proving hard to break down, so both sides were forced to punt. The Pirates fumbled, handing Sheffield the ball very close to their goal line, and on their first play, they rushed for another touchdown, and now held a lucky 14-0 lead. Despite some superb offensive play, the Pirates ran out of time in the first half, and were unlucky to go into the interval 14-0 down. The third quarter began with some superb Pirates defending, and then running back Chris Carson began to cut swathes through the home side’s defence before running in a touchdown. With their

Chris Teale

attempt at a two-point conversion being successful, the deficit was cut to 14-8. The Sabres were clearly rattled, and their offence could not drive downfield. However, despite the efforts of Carson and quarterback Mark Rivett, the Pirates were halted in their charge and turned the ball over on downs. Unfortunately, the Sabres offence began the fourth quarter well, and managed to find another receiver in space for another touchdown. Despite not converting their two point conversion, Sheffield now found themselves up 20-8. On the next series for UEA, a succession of superb receptions and more incisive running saw the away side make an instant reply. Carson made his way into the endzone once again, and with the two point conversion again being successful, the Sabres now only led 20-16. The Pirates’ hopes were dashed when the Sabres quarterback threw a superb pass to his wide receiver, who took it home for another touchdown. The extra point was converted, and the score was now 2716, but the Pirates still had hope. Unfortunately, the home side finished the game with another rushing touchdown, putting the game beyond doubt meaning the Sabres progressed to the final courtesy of a 34-16 win. The result flattered the home side a great deal, and on a different day, the Pirates might have taken the win.

www.concrete-online.co.uk Tuesday 27 March 2012 - Issue 268

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Canary Corner by Oli Platt

Norwich City ended a five-match winless run with a 2-1 victory over struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers at Carrow Road. Grant Holt scored two goals, the second coming from the penalty spot, and was later sent off for a needless foul on Michael Kightly that earned him

Jackson’s pass, lobbing the bouncing ball over goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey and followed it up with a header into the empty net. Holt then doubled his tally from the spot after Eggert Jonsson blocked Hoolahan’s shot with his arm. Aside from Holt’s red card, the only real sour note on the afternoon for City

came in the form of a spat between goalkeeper John Ruddy and defender Elliott Ward in the first half. Ward took issue with a few choice words offered by Ruddy following a Wolves attack, but the defender’s reaction was not wellreceived by the supporters behind the goal in the Barclay Stand. Lambert had insisted that he had remained happy with his players’ performances despite their difficult run, maintaining his view that City deserved more from their match against Newcastle United last weekend, which they lost 1-0. Norwich, in 11th, are just a point behind eighth place Sunderland, but Lambert continues to focus on securing Premier League survival. This victory leaves his side requiring just a single draw to reach the coveted 40-point mark.

SPORT

Formula One makes fast start Billy Sexton | Sports correspondent

“The Canaries led 2-1 at half-time, but seemed uneasy at times in their new setup” a second yellow card. Despite some late Wolves pressure, Paul Lambert’s team held on to secure a deserved, if ultimately narrow, win. Lambert employed a 3-5-2 formation in the first half, with Simon Lappin making just his second Premier League appearance of the season at wing-back, but switched back to his preferred 4-4-2 diamond at the break. The Canaries led 2-1 at half-time, but seemed uneasy at times in their new setup and the performances of midfielders Jonny Howson and Wes Hoolahan markedly improved after the break. Holt enhanced his growing reputation as a Premier League striker by cancelling out Matt Jarvis’ opener within 90 seconds of the Wolves winger giving the visitors the lead. The striker latched on to Simeon

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Former two time world champion Fernando Alonso surprisingly leads the 2012 Formula One Championship after two very different opening races. Jenson Button recorded a dominant victory in Australia in a performance that solidified pre-season claims that McLaren had produced a very competitive car

to bet against him being a Championship contender for a third consecutive year. Damage limitation were the words coming from Fernando Alonso’s lips after the opening race, as he secured fifth place behind the two McLarens and Red Bulls, even though Ferrari appear to have built what is, frankly, a dire piece of machinery. Alonso took a surprise victory at Kuala Lumpur in a rain soaked Malaysian Grand

“Perez, in his second year of Formula One, threatened Alonso’s lead throughout the race, but a mistake meant he had to settle for second” following a dull season of Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull dominating the Championship. McLaren locked out the front row in Albert Park, Melbourne, with Lewis Hamilton taking his 20th career pole position. However, after a poor start, Hamilton’s team mate and fellow countryman Button was able to storm into the lead by the first corner, and he never looked like relinquishing his victory. Unfortunately, Hamilton wasn’t able to make it a McLaren one-two after he was caught out by the safety car, allowing Vettel to inherit second place: a result the 2010 and 2011 World Champion will be more than happy with. If Vettel can still manage to get on the podium despite not having the most competitive car, it would be very unwise

Prix ahead of Sauber’s Sergio Perez, with Hamilton crossing the line in third place. Perez, only in his second year of Formula One, threatened Alonso’s lead throughout the race, but a mistake meant he had to settle for second. Nevertheless it was a superb result for the young Mexican. Alonso heads the standings after two races, five ahead of rival Hamilton who is also five points ahead of teammate Button. Vettel is languishing down in sixth place after failing to score points in Malaysia. If the opening races are anything to go by, 2012 is certainly shaping up to be an illustrious season for Formula One, and the sport certainly needs it after receiving criticism for being dull and boring in 2011.

Men’s Lacrosse enjoy successful end to season Matt Scrafton | Sports editor Men’s Lacrosse ended the season in style at a bright and sunny Colney Lane last Wednesday (21 March) as they cruised to a crushing 8-0 victory against the University of Nottingham II. Earlier in the season, UEA edged out Nottingham 8-7 in the away fixture, so the convincing nature of this result may come as a surprise to some. Not so for those who were in attendance though, as the superiority of the home side was clearly evident from the outset, and the scoreline could have been in double figures on another day. This huge win caps off what has been a highly successful season for the Eagles, who finished in second place in the Midlands 2A division, only overshadowed by Leicester I, who recorded a flawless 10 victories from 10 games. The victory was never in doubt. Nottingham were completely overrun and out-performed by an impressively ruthless, aggressive and talented UEA side. The visitors were completely futile in attack, and they rarely threatened the

UEA goal as they failed to counter the hosts’ superior checks and slashes. The rapid pace and aggression of the tenacious midfield supplied the dirty work for UEA, thwarting Nottingham’s attack before offloading to the attackers who were more than happy to take advantage. Rob Gale was the greatest beneficiary, grabbing himself a hat-trick with a number of notable finishes, two of which came in the opening quarter to give his side a 2-0 lead. His opening goal came after Michael Pullinger had darted through a number of Nottingham players to set up a dangerous counter-attack, before offloading to Gale who finished with aplomb. His second was a close range finish after careless defending from the visitors. The second half of the game saw UEA rack up the goals, as Nottingham failed to deal with their fast-moving play, accurate offloads and precise finishing. Michael Bolton added his name to the scoresheet with a clever flick, getting in on the act with Gale and Dickson. As Nottingham began to tire, UEA kept their foot on the pedal and punished

their opponents with a number of neat moves. It was 5-0 by the end of the third quarter, and UEA then added another three in the final period to really add insult to injury. This impressive victory capped off

what has been a successful year for UEA Men’s Lacrosse. Not only have they finished in a superb second place in the league, but they also reached the semifinal stage of the Midlands Conference Cup.

Greg Mann

SPORT

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Tuesday 27 March 2012 - Issue 268

Tom Oliver deserved to win given that he had been training more. The evening reached its climax in the final three fights, which included a re-match between Zulfiqar Azam and Vangelis Nicolaides. Both fighters had enormous support, with air horns and sirens being sounded around the LCR, particularly when Nicolaides entered the ring. Both men were clearly putting their heart into the fight and Nicolaides received a headbutt to a sensitive area in the second round, much to the anger of the crowd. However, he was still able to dominate the final round, with the timer having to be stopped numerous times due to Azam’s exhaustion. The crowd anticipated a knock out, but it was to no avail and the fight was brought to a close early by the referee, who noticed that Azam had a bloody lip and was unable to

Tweets from #UEAFightNight @concretesport The videos of the knockout are brilliant @AdamPlom #UEAFightNight looked so badass, wish I’d seen it! @susannaclare I can’t sleep because my head is buzzing, but I am so happy with my fight tonight. #UEAFightNight @Maur4Maura

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UEA Fight Night 2012

Billy Sexton | Sports correspondent The LCR was packed out on Sunday 18 March for UEA Boxing Club’s annual Fight Night. There was an electric atmosphere among fighters and fans alike as around 200 people took their seats for an extremely entertaining evening. The first bout that got the crowd on their feet was between Seb Newport and Jack Shreeves. Both fighters were very aggressive in the opening round and Shreeves was looking worse for wear at each interval, whereas Newport was on his toes and clearly ready for more. There was somewhat of a fight back from Shreeves in the final round but it didn’t prevent the judges unanimously deciding that Newport was worthy of victory. Shreeves later admitted in a postfight interview that he knew he lost to the bigger man and Newport claimed he was thrilled to have won the bout. UEA’s DanceSquad provided entertainment during the intervals before the first female fight took place between Maura Flatley and Liz Coe. It marked a great occasion for the club and both ladies fought well, and despite having never fought in front of a crowd before, they put on an excellent show. The night also saw some comedy boxing when members of the crowd volunteered to take part in a bout wearing gigantic gloves. This lightened the tone somewhat and shows that spectators got real value for their £6 entrance fee. The first blood was drawn in the sixth fight of the evening, as Oliver Broad took on Kyle Furbert. As Broad dominated the first round, it appeared that the fight was going to go only one way. He was physically bigger than Furbert, was more composed and selective with his punches and had a bigger reach too. However, he couldn’t match the speed of Furbert as the fight intensified in the third round, Broad sustaining a nose bleed after a flurry of punches from his opponent, who won the bout by a split decision. Both fighters were exhausted after the bout, with Broad admitting that Furbert

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Seeing a guy knocked out within 12 seconds of round 1... impressive! #UEAFightNight @Beckie800

continue. Nicolaides won by unanimous decision but in a post-fight interview stated that the rivalry between himself and his opponent was full of mutual respect. The penultimate bout of the evening saw two fighters with eight years of experience between them enter the ring. Ed Howes, fresh from his victory at Derby Day 2012, took on Luc Donati in what would prove to be a one sided fight. Howes was able to land some tough looking punches, which left Donati clinging to the ropes. He had a number of visible injuries too, with marks on his back from being on the ropes and a bleeding nose. Howes won by a unanimous decision, continuing his good form from his bout in Essex. The final fight of the evening was certainly the highlight. Abdullateef Abiola Shogbeni entered the ring to massive

support, followed by Michael Gomes. Gomes soaked up the atmosphere from the crowd and taunted Shogbeni on his way to the ring, and he certainly looked confident. However, this was shattered within 12 seconds as Shogbeni landed a series of punches that left his opponent slumped against the ropes and gave the crowd at the LCR the knockout they had been so eagerly anticipating. He later said that he was “delighted” with his performance, whereas his opponent stated his hopes of bouncing back. All fighters should be applauded for giving the student community here at UEA a fantastic evening of entertainment. Dan Tulloch, one of the organisers behind the night, was happy to see nine great fights, and he said he was “proud of each and every fighter”. Roll on UEA Fight Night 2013. Ga Chun Yau

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issue268 27march2012

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UEAsport BUAFL match report | p21 Lacrosse match report | p22 UEA Fight Night report | p23

Inside concretesport this fortnight: • Billy Sexton gives us the lowdown on UEA Fight Night 2012, while Adam Plom reports on the ongoing recovery of Fabrice Muamba • Chris Teale sees American Football narrowly edged out of the Cup, and Oli Platt writes on the recent fortunes of Norwich City FC

Staffs put to the sword in Cup Final Joshua Resoun | Sports correspondent

Men’s Fencing I 127 Staffordshire I 106 As glorious sunshine blanketed Norwich with some much needed warmth, the Men’s Fencing team entered the Sportspark for their Midlands Conference Cup final against a strong Staffordshire University side. The last time these two teams fought against each other, UEA scraped together a tight victory, winning by a close four points. This time Staffordshire were hoping to stop the hosts from taking the cup, but it was not meant to be. The épée kicked the afternoon off, with UEA putting forward Thomas Jolin, Kris Sales and Martin Walters. Despite Staffordshire’s training, which was conducted by the director of the British Fencing Association’s wife, the UEA fencers continued to slip through Staffordshire’s guard, coming inside their reach and negating any advantage that their coach could have bestowed upon them. UEA took a quick lead early on, scoring hit after hit on the visitors. Both teams displayed phenomenal footwork and swordplay as the combatants leapt from one end of the strip to the other. As the épée drew to a close, UEA’s Martin Walters greeted his opponent with a friendly wave before landing a number of straight hits on the Staffordshire fencer. At the end of the épée, UEA led by fifteen points, bringing the match to 45-30 in UEA’s favour. The sabre followed the épée, with UEA putting Tom Day, Lawrence Arnold and Luke Baxter up to fence. This round proved to be more to Staffordshire’s taste, as the visiting team held their own against the hosts. The slashing nature of the sabre makes it a hard hitting weapon, but this did not put the UEA fencers off, and as the round progressed UEA slowly but surely widened their lead over the

Tom Oliver

Men’s Fencing celebrated a success in the Cup, capping a highly impressive season for the team visiting team. Playing the home advantage, UEA’s Lawrence Arnold demolished his opponent. However, as the final bouts finished, Staffordshire regained momentum and finally took the lead over the home team, and as the round closed the points for the sabre were UEA 37, Staffordshire 45. With everything to play for, the foil saw UEA’s Will Ormondroyd, Adam Ahmet and Rob Johnson take to the stage, with the hope of bringing home the Midlands Conference Cup. The foil,

as a stabbing weapon, always results in a number of “falses”, which occur when the two fencers come together at the same time, and as a consequence the weapon can prove to be frustrating to some. As the bouts progressed, UEA’s Rob Johnson scored a quick succession of hits, finishing his opponent off in record time. With UEA needing to lead by eight to win the Cup, tensions were running high. As the final bout came to a close, UEA officially took the cup with an impressive score of 127, compared to Staffordshire’s 106.

Club President Will Ormondroyd remarked that he was “proud of each and every team member who fought today”, and as the medals were handed out, the joy of victory was plain on each and every member of Men’s Fencing. This cup victory caps what has been an excellent season for UEA Men’s Fencing. After finishing second in Midlands 2A Division, one place behind Cambridge II (who recorded an impressive six wins from six), and six points ahead of Cup final opponents Staffordshire, this trophy adds gloss to an excellent campaign.

VENUE

Concreteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fortnightly culture pullout

Photo by Aaron Toumazou

issue 268 | 27/03/2012

The seventh edition of Latitude Festival, the UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s favourite multi-arts event, is back for another long weekend at Henham Park on 12thâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;15th July 2012 and tickets are on sale now. FOUR bespoke music arenas full of the greatest musical talent from across the globe, alongside ELEVEN arts arenas full to the brim with the hottest names from the worlds of comedy, theatre, poetry, literature, art, dance, film and cabaret are ready for you to discover. If you like the sound of headliners BON IVER, ELBOW and PAUL WELLER mixed in with the likes of JACK DEE, TIM MINCHIN and so many more, then Latitude Festival is for you. Find out the full line up and buy tickets now at www.latitudefestival.com.

03 IE

VENUE CONTENTS

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ssue 268 | 27.03.2012 ditor-in-Chief | Chris King | concrete.editor@uea.ac.uk

enue Editor | Alex Throssell | concrete.event.uea.ac.uk

Picture the scene if you will: deadline day, tons still to be done, yet half of the remaining editorial team are sprawled around the floor of the office doing their best Kate Winslet impression screaming, “no Jack, no, I’ll never let you go!” while Celine Dion’s My Heart Will Go On comes to a climax in fittingly emphatic fashion. The capability to capture the mood of the room and express it simultaneously in interpretive dance isn’t usually a talent considered to be useful by employers, but somehow Hannah and Suze’s “performance” acted as the perfect catalyst for these Monday night blues. For a few minutes I forgot I had loads of coursework to do once I got home, I forgot about all of the possible mistakes in the issue and just had a good old fashioned laugh. Surely one of the best reasons for working in this silly little office, week in, week out. Have a great holiday and we’ll be back with our last issue of the year in May.

Alex

Music | Editors | Alex Ross & Jordan Bright Music Contributors> Marco Bell, Oliver Balaam, Aaron Toumazou, Cheri Amour, Rachel Moss, Sam Parker. Wired | Editor | Josh Mott Wired Contributors> Harry Frost, Josh Mott, Leo Hunt, Joe Fitzsimmons. Fashion | Editors | Hannah Britt & Milly Sampson Fashion Contributors> Hannah Britt, Becky Evans, Jess Beech, Freya Barry. Arts | Editor | Emma Webb Arts Contributors> Aaron Toumazou, Angeline Dresser, Katherine Holder, Amelia Edwards, Emma Webb.

TV | Editor | Matt Tidby TV Contributors> Bex White, Bridie Wilkinson. Film | Editors | James Burrough & Anna Eastick Film Contributors> Meg Fozzard, James Lillywhite, James Burrough, Rachel Greene-Taylor, Sam Langan, Sam Warner, Saul Holmes, Alex Dobrik, Kieran Rogers. Competitions/Listings | Editor | Sam Tomkinson.

Photo by Laura Smith

Creative Writing | Editor | Ella Chappell Creative Writing Contributors> Michael Clampin, Tom King, Ellie Reynard.

MUSIC

27.03.2012

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album reviews

paul weller sonik kicks

Paul Weller’s resurgent solo career continues to go from strength to strength with his new album, the impressive Sonik Kicks, which has reached number one in the charts this week. Coming strongly off the back of the successful Wake Up The Nation, the album strays away from the safe waters he knows with a heavy emphasis on a psychedelic style. The opening track Green immediately throws you into a whirlwind of echoing vocals with Weller ensuring a frantic pace from the outset of the record. His voice sounds as good as it ever has and his ability to produce unique melodies stands out through the album. The guitar based tracks are distinctly homed towards a trippy yet mellowing resonance and Kling I Klang is a catchy song returning to Weller’s Jam roots with an upbeat tempo and witty lyrics. From here the album continues on its frenzied journey, stopping to slow the tempo with a number of softer songs. Sleep on Serene is made up of purely melody but has a beautiful sound which has an altogether relaxing and satisfying effect. A sense of being lost in time is achieved with a range of interesting synthesisers and distortions which side towards the very psychedelic representation Weller wants to address. It’s perhaps a style not typically associated with Weller but he succeeds with the sound brilliantly. Nevertheless his forte for acoustic numbers still shrines through, and the

calmer tracks are the highlights of the album. By the Waters is a harrowing song, with a saddened tone which perfectly suits Weller’s aching voice (the song is reminiscent of his classics such as English Rose and You Do Something to Me), although his willingness to try and incorporate his voice into a more interesting genre is well worth a listen for. The first single of the album, That Dangerous Age is an addictive track with a number of Weller like lyrics which hint at a homage to his own age and lifestyle with a good sense of humour. The whole album almost feels like one long eventful trip not too dissimilar to the albums produced by the likes of Cream and Pink Floyd, whose influence seems apparent at times. The album swerves in many different directions with ease, with an obvious psychedelic influence which in turn makes the album one of easy listening with some particularly powerful and indulgent songs. Study In Blue and Be Happy Children, which include his daughter as a female backing singer work well, as she complements Weller’s more rough ragged voice, and both are worthy inclusions. No doubt the Modfather will be geared up and ready to tour this notable album with the energy and commitment which has seen him revive his career in the last few years.

the first of many folk songs on the album; Tomorrow Will Be Kinder is a touching melancholic waltz with wobbly but resilient vocals. Taylor Swift also steps out of her comfort zone to deliver two surprisingly adult tracks. Not all the folk tracks are so successful: Daughter’s Lament for example, wails about mockingjays (fictional birds) in the hope that fan service will make up uninspired songwritng, but it is one dud in an otherwise outstanding collection. The military drums return when Kid Cudi throws a curve ball into the mix. Groaning and lurching he sings “You’ll talk you’ll say nothing okay?” from the perspective of the voyeuristic, authoritarian game makers. It aggressively sets the album back on edge and reintroduces a sense of threat; it’s also catchy

as hell. The Decemberists’ One Engine is also a highlight and, with more than their normal quota of electric guitar, almost sounds like early REM. Last but not least Birdy demonstrates her incredible range when she closes the album with the genuinely stunning Just a Game. Something should be said for the album’s production. Overseen by T-Bone Burnett, all 16 tracks carry a cohesive aesthetic while allowing each artist to excel in their own way. He even makes Maroon 5 sound alright. Regardless of what you think of the film this is a daring and remarkable album and should not be missed.

Marco Bell

various artists the hunger games ost With The Hunger Games shattering box office records last weekend you would be forgiven for seeing the release of a “songs inspired by” companion album as little more than a cash grab. It’s a marketing tactic that hasn’t been popular since the likes of Top Gun and Dirty Dancing so it’s a surprise and a pleasure to report that The Hunger Games: Songs from District 12 and Beyond is an impressive collection in its own right and an interesting exploration of the film’s aesthetic and themes. Arcade Fire’s distorted lullaby Abraham’s Daughter opens the album and sets an appropriately dystopian tone. Militaristic drums forcefully guide Regine Chassagne’s vocals and their awkward juxtaposition produces a palpable sense of conflict. Next up The Secret Sisters introduce

Oliver Balaam

27.03.2012

wild beasts the waterfront

30.02.12 Kendal based Wild Beasts have come from strength to strength since their debut album in 2008, culminating in a set’s worth of solid crowd pleasers that stunned an enthusiastic Waterfront audience. Genre hopping Alt J kicked off the night, a compelling trip-folk band that did a great job in revving up the venue, which was almost at full capacity from the very

MUSIC

concrete.music@uea.ac.uk

gig reviews

start. Inspired by the likes of Radiohead, Elliott Smith and Lamb of God, they offer a unique amalgamation of varying sounds that did well in complimenting the Wild Beasts’ set that followed. Wild Beasts came on stage promptly after Alt J’s departure, with a taste of their acclaimed 2011 album Smother, starting with Bed of Nails, which was received by a wave of adrenaline and the speedy formation of several mosh pits. Hopping momentarily back to their Mercury nominated Two Dancers for a zealous We Still Got the Taste Dancin’ On Our Tongues, and back again to their latest album. It became quickly apparent

after the first half dozen tracks that the band have no weaknesses on the song front; constantly inspiring a fanatic and enthusiastic response within each track’s opening notes. It’s quite something that they’ve managed to churn out three albums worth of gold in the space of just three years. After climaxing at a fantastically performed Hooting & Howling, a somewhat orchestrated pantomime-esque show came about whereby a dumbfounded audience beckoned them back. Their return was inevitable as the tracks they were yet to perform are two of their best. Restarting with an immensely haunting Lions Share

to the great delight of everyone present, leaving the ultimate culmination for the wonderfully piercing shrieks of All The Kings Men, which perfectly rounded off an astounding live set. At the end of the gig, lead singer Hayden Thorpe made a point of noting their quick accession in popularity in the space of four years, where such venues might only half sell and festival tents weren’t received so eagerly; now they are selling out around the UK, Europe and Australia, and are in high demand at popular music festivals such as Latitude this year. Aaron Toumazou

MUSIC

27.03.2012

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camping out

before their eagerly anticipated arts centre show, venue’s cheri amour sat down with summer camp Two pieces are all the rage at the moment. Jack White and his sister Meg were the first set of winning doubles way back in ‘97, all red white and black and now The Black Keys, DZ Death Rays and Blood Red Shoes are all proof that, as Marvin Gaye once said, it really does take two. One thing that’s not so en vogue is the 80s. Sadly dismissed as the era following the rock cool of the 70s and power pop and Brit hits of the 90s, the 80s sauntered off the dancefloor like a shy teen without a partner at the High School prom. Luckily for us, Summer Camp provide the perfect balance of Teen Wolf bravado and Pretty in Pink chic to make the 80s sizzle with electro glitz and Hollywood glamour. We caught up with the preppy pair before their recent show at Norwich Arts Centre to chat about the truth behind their identities, Sweden’s cool factor, and a spot of volleyball. Both of you were independently established before you became Summer Camp; Jeremy with your solo music and Elizabeth as a journalist. How did the band initially come about? E: We just did a song for fun together and then it kind of took off. I think it took us a while to think, maybe we shouldn’t do those other things. It was a really nice way for it to happen though. It felt very natural J: I think a lot of the time if you push really hard for something to happen – I mean, I’ve had that with bands when you’re busy sending out demos, just trying really hard to make it happen, and that almost makes it not happen. With Summer Camp, it was always something we were just doing for fun, when we felt like it and so then when it took off, it was great. That might sound like a massive cliché saying we’d do it even if no one liked it, but it’s not like that, we just didn’t even think we would ever play any of our songs live. Initially, the band’s identity was quite secretive; at one point Summer Camp appeared to be a Swedish export. Was this secrecy intentional when forming the band? J: We also said there was seven of us! E: It wasn’t like a plan though, it was more that we just did this song, and then Jeremy was finishing the mix so we made a myspace and it put out the nationality default as Swedish. We weren’t going to send it out to anyone or play it to anyone, but then we started getting all these messages in Swedish and had to try and use Babelfish to write back to them. J: Apparently at the time, Swedish bands were being marketed as cool and so pretending to

be Swedish made us cool E : It was really weird. It’s one of those things that in retrospect, you think why did we do that? Why did we lie? J: It wasn’t like we didn’t say who we were because it was some big secret and we were really Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow, but more because we didn’t think that anyone would really care. Were you surprised by the encouraging feedback to the songs? Do you think this perhaps propelled the project along initially?

J: Definitely. It’s definitely more rewarding doing something when people are enjoying it. It’s not like we do what we do and if people like it, it’s a bonus. The fact that people got into and liked it encouraged us to spend more time on it. Otherwise, we might not have realised there was any worth to it. When you’re writing songs, it’s very hard to tell whether anything is good or not. Mostly people tend to think that everything they write is brilliant, or everything is rubbish – I’m most likely the former, Elizabeth is most probably the latter – so, you kind of need to play it to someone else to figure out if it is any good or not.

E: But we wouldn’t have done another song if that blog hadn’t found us though. Your album, Welcome to Condale, is out now on Moshi Moshi Records. Did you think it was important to release the record on an independent label? E: No, it was more because that was the best label that we met. To be honest, it was the people. We met people at majors and we met people at indies and we met people who weren’t even proper labels but we always came back to Michael, Steven and Rachel at Moshi because they just let us do what we want to do.

27.03.2012

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becky cj a singer songwriter with over 94,000 hits on youtube, uea’s own

J: I think if that team had been working at a major label, then we would’ve signed to the major label. It’s who you’re working with at the end of the day. E: Major labels get a lot of bad rep but I don’t think they’re any better or any worse than independent ones. It depends more on what kind of band you are, how you deal with it and how hard you work. And luck! J: I think what it is, is that at major labels there’s a lot more money being thrown around and they have a lot more bands. If things go wrong at a major label then it seems like a much bigger deal than if something was to go wrong on an independent. E: Expectations are a lot higher. Your work centres around a very kitsch Americana, where did this influence come from? E: Well, the LA suburb Condale that we named the record after actually doesn’t exist. We made it up. The place that we probably spent the most time in other than, of course, London and where we grew up, is California. So, it made sense for us to have that. Also, growing up we watched so many films – looking at America and getting this really, as I think most people do, idealised view of it, especially through teen films. It just made sense to us. We wanted to set the album somewhere and we wanted to have characters, something to write about and so we made something up.

J: But he’s a great actor! [laughs] You are supported on this tour by glitch popsters, Fixers – a perfect paring – but what bands are you currently listening to? E: I’m listening to a lot of Alex Turner’s solo stuff. I’m not really a fan of The Arctic Monkeys, but I really love Alex Turner’s solo stuff. He did The Submarine EP, his lyrics are so good. And, PJ Harvey. She’s a genius. J: I’m listening to a band called Three Trapped Tigers, a British band from London. They have just put out a compilation of their first three EPs and I think it’s better than their album. It’s really amazing. I’m also listening to David Bowie’s live album from 1972 just after Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. It’s really great. To end, in light of the name I wanted to pitch a small game to you guys centering around whether or not the following subjects are summery or just a little camp?

phone kept flashing and I was thinking, “you’re so annoying!” I finally looked at it and was like “what the fuck.” I had an email saying Ed Sheeran had just tweeted me.” The tweet simply said: “your covers are wicked, keep it up!,” but Ed’s re-tweet of Becky’s video meant views instantly rocketed. Despite the popularity of her covers, Becky insists that original songwriting is most important to her. “I don’t want to be just another YouTube sensation, people started requesting covers and that’s not what I want to be known for.” In the immediate future she will be focusing her time on writing, so as not

So will we be seeing Becky CJ’s face on an album cover anytime soon? “I’m in talks with various people … It’s a case of finding the right record label for me, I want to take things slowly so that my music and fan base grows organically. I’m still learning”. We talk more about gigging, but most of all, about how Becky wants to finish her degree in Song Writing at London Centre for Contemporary Music. She concludes our interview by wishing me all the best for the rest of university; despite her overwhelming success, Becky CJ has her feet firmly on the ground.

J: I don’t have any camp associations with that, for me it’s summery. E: It’s camp.

Miami Vice?

E: That’s neither! J: For me, that’s camp. E: That’s Del Boy. J: That’s one of the best elements of camp.

E: Well, it was the 80s. Pedal pushers, pastel shades. I think that’s summer. Finally, all speedboats and sunkissed sheen, Duran Duran?

J: Daniel Radcliffe.

E: My friend actually just supported Duran Duran on tour. She sang backing vocals and when they came out, they all had individual circles on stage for their faces for when they began their performance ... but Rio, on the speedboat, that’s pretty summery but no, I guess it’s pretty camp.

E: He is way too short.

J: Camp in the best possible way.

E: No, John Lennon?

to “tarnish” her reputation as a serious artist. With echoes of Adele’s 21 album, Becky’s own songs, with tracks such as Opposites Attract and Easy For You are dominated by themes of heart-break and lost love; surprising for a girl who is “really happy” with her current boyfriend. She laughs, “I just find it hard writing happy songs!” Despite her music’s heavy content, the budding star assures me that she’s “not actually been through that much drama”, but instead uses the experiences of others as inspiration for her music. “I use their stories as a starting point, and keep adding creatively. The end product doesn’t really end up being about them at all.” With the pressures of “celebrity culture,” fame is something any aspiring musician has to contemplate. “I’ve not got this dream of being the next Katy Perry; I just want people to hear my music and know that it’s me behind it. I know that if I have to become something I’m not, it could all go to shit.”

E: Right, well Top Gun. That has to be the most homoerotic game of volleyball ever but you can’t argue that it’s not summery.

If you starred in a teen movie, who would play you?

J: Who would play me? You’re better at this than me. Maybe the kid from Almost Famous?

It’s easy to forget that Becky CJ is not your average 19-year old. “Um”s, giggles and the odd swear word show that the singer herself is not sure how to take her recent online success. “It’s all a bit surreal” says Becky as she chats to me on the phone from her London bedroom. No wonder; her videos of lyrical pop covers and original songs were initially recorded by her sister on her mum’s iPhone at their Croydon family home. Becky grew up in a musical household, her father Steven Jeffries writes and records music for adverts. Despite this she hadn’t considered her music reaching such a wide audience; she uploaded videos to the web “just to see what happened.” It was surprising then, when Ed Sheeran’s co-writer Chris Leonard and producer Jake Gosling shared her video via Facebook and messaged her to say they enjoyed the cover of Ed’s Lego House. “I was rehearsing with my guitarist. My

J: Oh this is good!

Next, tiny umbrellas in cocktail?

E: Ally Sheedy [The Breakfast Club] or Winona Ryder. A little presumptuous having Winona perhaps, as she is so beautiful...

moss about music, men and her new mate ed sheeran.

First up, volleyball?

J: It’s not so much that we spent so much time there, it’s more the idea of reaching out to this impossible place that you grew up with in cinema and in TV shows because of Hollywood I guess. A lot of things were set in that kind of sun kissed small minded, beautifully flawed areas, and all the coming of age stories are the same in America, it made perfect sense to have it there.

J: Orson Wells [The Cradle That Rocks]?

becky cj is set to take the music industry by storm. she talks to rachel

MUSIC

27.03.2012

concrete.music@uea.ac.uk

keep on selling in the free world 2011 album sales are america, sam parker asks

in a week where the end of

released, showing adele’s dominance in the us and the uk charts, and british boy

bands make their mark on

if could we be seeing the comeback of british music acts staking their claim on the

In the past week, UK record industry body the BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) announced that British musicians took their highest share of US albums sales, in 2011, for over a decade. With 30 UK acts having sold at least 100,000 copies in the US, the total British albums sold accounted for 11.7% of all albums sold in the US in the past year. Meanwhile it was also revealed that the UK album market was also dominated by British artists with 52.7% of the total album sales last year, their biggest market share for 15 years. It is probably no surprise then that the woman leading this surge of British dominance forward is none other than the award-winning Adele. The London-born singer-songwriter took the world by storm in 2011, ending the year with her album 21 scoring the biggest selling album of the year in both the US (5.8 m) and the UK (3.8 m). In doing so, she became the first British act to top the end of year US billboard charts since the Spice Girls in 1997, while also selling more US album

world of music.

copies in one year than any other artist since Usher’s Confessions in 2004. If this wasn’t enough, she also spent a total of 12 weeks at number one in the US singles chart with Rolling In The Deep and Someone Like You. However, Adele wasn’t the only British success in the US. Mumford & Sons also stamped their authority on the US Billboard Charts, with their album Sigh No More ending the year as the sixth bestselling album in the States, whilst Coldplay’s Mylo Xyloto, Florence and the Machine’s Lungs, and even Susan Boyle’s Someone to Watch Over Me enjoyed US success, finishing in the top 100 bestselling albums of the year. So, with all this success on the other side of the pond, could this be a sign of a new wave of British dominance in the world of music? If British boy bands are anything to go by we could be seeing more of this success in the years to come. Last week X Factor manufactured boy band One Direction became the first British group to go straight

to the top of the US Billboard 200 albums chart on the first week of their debut album’s release. 176,000 copies of Up All Night were shifted by the band and, thanks to a huge promotional tour all over the States, the group are already building a huge fanbase across America with rumours surfacing that they have even penned their own US TV show on children’s channel Nickelodeon. Their immediate popularity in the US comes on the back of recent US chart success from fellow Brits, The Wanted who recently became the highest charting UK boy band in the US singles chart with their single Glad You Came reaching number five. The lack of homegrown boy bands in America means that it is likely that both One Direction and The Wanted could continue to see prolonged success as the British boy bands take advantage of a gap in the US music market left by the likes of N’Sync and The Backstreet Boys. Boy bands aside, the future of British artists also looks bright. Female artists

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WIRED

27.03.2012

concrete.wired@uea.ac.uk

review: fifa street EA have once again decided to release a football game that takes you back to the streets, allowing you to enjoy end to end action which is fast paced and fun to play. For those who are new to the series, Fifa Street focuses on matches with six players or less on a team playing on street lit pitches similar to that of astro turf. The focus is shifted from slow build-up play and clever through-balls to performing a variety of tricks to leave your opponents on the floor, making the action much more intense. This particular edition has added a more realistic edge to the series. Players look much more like their real life counterparts and rather than performing crazy tricks off the wall, the tricks in this edition are similar to that of real life freestylers. The venues also have been glossed with a touch of realism and the back lit street venues are particularly evident of this. As well as an improving the graphics, the inclusion of a World Tour mode creates a substantial career that was lacking from previous editions. This allows you to create a squad of 10 players and take this team to the streets to dominate on the world stage. There is

also a strong set of customisation options that allow you to meticulously design the players on your team as well as being able to import a Virtual Pro from Fifa 12. The customisation continues as you earn points in matches from pulling off clever tricks and scoring goals which are then converted into experience points for your players. As they level up they gain points which can be used to improve their stats, however, the inclusion of an auto level up system is omitted and so it can become tedious assigning points when several players level up at once. To progress in World Tour the points you earn in matches are converted into points that are then applied to your world ranking. This is important as it dictates which events you can access, however, early on, some events will require a high ranking and it does mean that many events will have to be repeated in order to reach the levels required. What this career mode does offer, however, is a much more in depth and rewarding mode that is certainly a big improvement from the series’ third edition. Performing the tricks is also straightforward, with a quick flick of the

right analogue stick you will be performing roulettes, step overs and all kinds of fancy skills. There is also plenty of depth in this system, as to master the more complicated tricks will take plenty of practice to learn all of the button combos. Timing is also important to get past the opposition players and the system is simple yet effective. As well as World Tour, Exhibition matches are available and allow for a wide variety of different game modes or even the option to create your own. Up to four players can play on the same console or you can take your world tour team online and battle it out against other players. The best mode is the Street League mode in which you play 10 games against other opponents in a bid to gain promotion from one of the fifteen leagues. The multiplayer adds another dimension to the game and certainly makes this Fifa Street

one of the most complete versions to date. Although there are some minor issues, this game will provide plenty of entertainment and have you feeling like Lionel Messi in no time. Harry Frost

review: journey

Released 14 March as a Playstation Network exclusive, Journey is a beautiful platformer in which the player takes control of a cloaked figure as they make their way across a desert towards a mystical, distant mountain. Journey is video game minimalism at its finest with no HUD, and no clear objective set out for the player except to travel towards the mountain on the horizon. The world consists of deserts,

snowy tundra, and underground caves that inspire the feeling of being underwater. The designers have clearly taken inspiration from Team Ico’s Shadow of the Colossus as there are no other living creatures in the world as one glides through the dunes and tundra towards the Olympus-like mountain which one can guess to be the destination of your beautiful journey. One of the key focuses of Journey is to

build up the length of your cloaked figure’s scarf. This is done by finding ancient, hidden material which is spread throughout the world. This allows your character to jump and fly higher. Wired’s favourite gameplay feature is the dune surfing and one particular level sees the cloaked figure gliding down a huge dune pit, dodging in and out of the ancient ruins that are scattered across your path. One other unique and wonderful initiative that Thatgamecompany has implemented is the random online grouping which occurs throughout your journey. Players can be grouped with one other random travelling figure throughout the games story and you can choose to help each other reach your collective goals or go about one’s own business, occasionally seeing another figure glide across the horizon. There are no character names and no way of communicating with your strange travelling companion, truly making the two of you strangers, however there is something intrinsically touching and satisfying about the experience you have with these unknown cohort. One of the most memorable moments in any game Wired has reviewed this year came in the form of two Journey strangers collaborating in their accent of the mystical mountain, through thick ice and snow, both of us sharing this

beautiful experience together whilst we are so incredibly separate and foreign to one another, never to communicate in any way shape or form. One will never find out whom this person is but the experience you share will forever be memorable to the two of you. In the ending credits you are actually given the names of all the people you met along the way but there are often too many to actually contact, and in any case, one would not want to spoil the experience. However, despite the uniqueness and beauty of Journey there is one slight downside, it is incredibly short taking only two hours to complete. There is some replay value in terms of exploration, but with a price tag of £9.99 the game feels too short and will leave the player wanting more and feeling hard done by. Nevertheless, Journey is an incredible gaming experience, one you will not find in any of the big blockbuster titles. It is a solitary meditation through one of the most beautiful virtual worlds one will ever experience, Journey will be one of those games that people look back on and say “this was influential”, and “Journey solidified videogames as an art form”, and for these reasons it is definitely worth the asking price and a must for any Playstation 3 owner’s collection. Josh Mott

27.03.2012

WIRED

concrete.wired@uea.ac.uk

retro special: wired’s top 5 boss fights

ornstein and smough: dark souls

Although the game is packed to the gills with hardcore bosses, this encounter in Dark Souls takes the proverbial cake for its teeth grinding difficulty. Sounding like the comic relief from a Shakespeare play, Ornstein and Smough are a double act of armoured knights intent on making your life hell. Smough is fat and slow, Ornstein is fast and nimble, and both of them hit like a train. Whichever dies first, his companion takes on his powers and becomes even stronger. Like every boss in Dark Souls, they require hours of patience and pattern learning in order to defeat, but the feeling when they finally fall is oh so sweet. fire leo: viewtiful joe

A somewhat niche 2D beat-em-up from the Gamecube’s heyday, Viewtiful Joe also boasts a healthy roster of tough fights, but Fire Leo is in a league of his own. A

flame headed cartoon lion with a roman gladiator shield and a bizarre ballerina’s attack stance, Fire Leo sounds like a strange nemesis, but his boss battle is a monstrous endurance test requiring pitch perfect timing and a healthy amount of swearing. The saving grace is the bombastic guitar track which plays while you battle, which you’ll probably end up hearing a lot of. phantom gannon: legend of zelda ocarina of time

There’s something about the Forest Temple, and Wired is not talking about the werewolves or the twisty corridor, or even the terrifying hands that drop from the ceiling. No, we’re talking about this handsome firey eyed gentleman, who is encountered in a strange art gallery, filled with paintings of a menacing country lane. Phantom Gannon rides on horseback in and out of said artwork, forcing you to keep a

close eye on which painting the horseman is in. A clever, creepy boss which makes the perfect ending to a clever, creepy dungeon. bowser in the sky: super mario 64

Bowser gives you some aggravation several times over the course of Nintendo’s masterpiece, but it’s the final encounter with him up above the clouds which remains burned into your memory. Going toe-to-toe on a floating rock platform with incongruous disco lighting, you have to grab the reptile monarch by the tail and swing him into the bombs which he carelessly left around the edge of the arena. Although arguably not as challenging as some bosses listed here, Bowser retains a special place in our heart as the childhood boogeyman who could, with some welltimed spins, be defeated. psycho mantis: metal gear solid

Psycho Mantis grabs the top spot, not for his difficulty but for the unique form of the encounter. Psycho Mantis is the first postmodern boss in modern gaming. In his pre-fight monologue Mantis addresses not the game’s hero, Snake, but rather the player. Mantis “reads your mind” by searching your Playstation’s memory card, and will comment on what other games you’ve been playing, and on how many times you saved while playing Metal Gear Solid. He goes even further, instructing you to place your controller on the ground, and then “moving it” with the power of his mind (activating the rumble function). In order to prevent the psychic reading your “thoughts” the player must plug his controller into the number two socket, after which the boss becomes defeatable. A little gimmicky, perhaps, but for sheer inventiveness Psycho Mantis takes the number one spot. Leo Hunt

game over? On Wednesday 21 March, shortly after removing themselves from the London stock exchange, GAME Group PLC officially filed for administration. This move will have come as no surprise to anyone who keeps up with gaming industry news. The company has been in serious financial problems for months now. However, the decision will still have a huge impact on the game market in the UK and is a reminder of just how fragile the retail industry is at the moment. Major warning signs concerning the future of GAME Group (who own both the retail outlets GAME and Gamestation) started to surface in February this year, when both GAME and Gamestation came under a hailstorm of criticism for failing to supply customers with copies of Bioware’s new

release Mass Effect 3, which many had preordered months in advance. The reason for this was EA’s decision to cease supplying GAME Group stores with new release EA titles, through fears that should the company fold they would be unable to recoup any losses through unsold copies. This was a huge blow for GAME Group, as they were forced to refund thousands of pre-orders as well as losing the chance to stock what will no doubt be one of the year’s top selling games. Just weeks later, Capcom followed suit and GAME Group was forced to refund all pre-orders of Street Fighter X Tekken. GAME giant Nintendo also announced its decision to cease supplying new titles, and with that, GAME’s demise was all but certain.

With the recent announcement, both GAME and Gamestation stores have begun huge discounts and sales in an attempt to minimise loss through unsold titles and lost stock. GAME Group has announced little in terms of when and at what rate they will start closing their stores, but after a rejected offer of a buy out from investment firm OpCapita earlier this week, it looks unlikely they can hold out for much longer. The consequences that this will have on the gaming industry in the UK will no doubt be severe. GAME Group is the largest high street game retailer in the UK, with over 1,200 stores and 10,000 employees worldwide. With their now inevitable closure, high street shoppers will find their choice in video game shopping destinations

severely limited. Gamestation in particular was well-known for its emphasis on preowned game titles, attracting younger and more cash-strapped customers, who may now find game purchasing difficult without access to internet shopping. The high street has seen a lot of its famous names close their doors recently, and now with GAME Group they see Britain’s biggest and most recognisable video game retailer fall victim to turbulent economic times and the rise of digital media. With so many gamers choosing to directly download (both legally and illegally) their video games rather than purchasing physical copies, the future of game retailing as a whole looks uncertain. Joe Fitzsimmons

FASHION the hotlist smokin’ Curves Always smokin’.

Creme eggs How we like our men: hard on the outside but with a soft gooey centre.

These Oh McQueen, it’s almost worth never going out again so we can afford these.

chokin’ Vodka tonic Might be good for you, but it tastes like cat wee.

Posture correcting trainers We don’t care if they improve your posture, you look like a dickhead.

Calorie counting Booooooooring.

28.02.2012

concrete.fashion@uea.ac.uk

skinny love

Big women. Small women. Curvy. Skinny. Are we all beautiful? Not according to the catwalks. Our view of what is beautiful is warped and I blame the media pressure to be a size zero. Numerous debates, campaigns and slogans have all taken place in order to allow women to feel beautiful whatever size they are, so why are we still striving to be skinny? Yes it is important to keep a healthy, balanced diet, and we are all guilty of those nights of binging on too much chocolate, but why can we not be happy just being ourselves? I look at models strutting down the catwalk with ribs and hip bones jutting as they sway and feel sorry for them, not jealous of them. Inspiration comes in many forms, not just in the superficial. Personally I am a happy size 14 and when I look at Kate Moss I just want to bake her a big cake and force feed it to her, not starve myself to look like her. According to the rich and famous model: “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels”. I beg to differ, quite frankly I’d take an Indian takeaway any day. It has been proven that if a woman becomes too skinny she can no longer menstruate, cannot carry a child, and suffers from hair loss and increased mood swings. So why are girls still taking advice from a drug addict model? So after all this ranting who should inspire us? My perfect example is my mother. She played many roles: a mother to two kids, a wife, a career woman, a caring daughter, an important member of my small village, and through all this managed to keep a smile on her face. Now she brightens children’s days by taking them from their difficult inner city lives to the countryside (most of them have never seen grass) all in the name of charity. To me that’s infinitely more fulfilling than losing two stone, especially when one sees genuine joy across their faces. A woman once said to me “you should look in the mirror every day and say ‘I am beautiful’”. I wish I could say this to every self-starved teen out there. So I implore every woman who may read this article to take a good look at yourself, your life and think of the importance of the size zero. Maybe instead of spending every waking hour trying to figure out the best way to become skeletal, we could spend time writing a novel, a script, saving people’s lives by studying medicine, or catching criminals. So no, Kate Moss, I can think of a hell of a lot of things that are better than skinny feels. Stick that in your crack pipe and smoke it. Becky Evans

touch me up In the early years of childhood most girls have a Barbie doll placed into their eager little hands. Therefore, before they have even started school, they are presented with a tiny, unattainable model of what a woman should look like. As a child, staring down at the Barbie, you saw beach blonde hair, a flat stomach and blemish free plastic skin. Pouring over the latest issue of Vogue, 20 or so years later, the glossy image staring back at you has not changed much. Gok Wan on his recent show, which aimed to improve teenager’s self-esteem, took a group of girls to see a fashion shoot. The model entered to meet the girls, effortlessly beautiful, before being whisked off to spend three hours in hair and make-up. Every shot they took of this preened and polished glamazon was amazing. Yet even before they left the studio, the photos were already being edited. It is not just a case of making people skinnier. Her muscles are removed and added in the “right” places, her face was re-sculpted and they even added extra strands of hair. This is just the first phase of editing. No woman needs, let alone has the time, to spend three hours on their make-up. The idea that even after all this time the image is still not “perfect” shows that striving to look like the models in magazines is just not attainable. It says so much that people are shocked to see images of celebrities

on the beach leaning over to show a miniscule roll of fat. Women are used to seeing stars in glossy advertising campaigns where this would have been heavily airbrushed and disguised. It is a delight to see them looking naturally beautiful and to see that they are normal people too. Yet the media often uses these images negatively to mock and insult them, setting yet more impossible goals for young women. Magazines which include sections dedicated to street style and photograph normal, well dressed people are sending out a much more positive message. It is refreshing to see attainable images of fashion and beauty. Katy Perry is currently taking part in an advertising campaign for acne treatment. It is great to see a global superstar admitting that she does have imperfections that the cameras do not see. The coalition government promised to make changes, but we are yet to see any real evidence of this. It is fine to be presented with inspirational images of beauty but not those which are physically impossible. Striving to look like these women will provide nothing but disappointment. Put down Barbie and look at the people around you for inspiration. Jess Beech

27.03.2012

FASHION

concrete.fashion@uea.ac.uk

plus size

s s ize

Photographer: Elizabeth Margereson, Model: Polly Grant

plu

my body’s too bootilicious for you, babe As a woman, I find everything I eat, everything I wear, and how much I choose to reveal in what I wear, discussed by magazines at great length. As a lady in the 20th century you really can’t win. We’re either too fat, or too thin. We are bombarded with images of incredibly thin, photoshopped celebrities who are lambasted for putting on weight with those tiny, angry, red circles Heat magazine so loves to deploy. Our culture is so obsessed with weight gain and loss that adverts for the latest diet fads have become so commonplace that we barely

acknowledge them anymore. ‘Stop eating carbs! Stop eating meat! Stop eating food with a shadow!” What these adverts really mean is “Stop eating everything!’” In order to combat this depressing culture that celebrates the thin, TV shows featuring cuddly presenters like Gok Wan have emerged, instructing us all to love ourselves and embrace our shapes whether they be pear, apple, cantaloupe… I’m all for embracing our bodies, although I can’t help but wonder where the Spanx pants these wardrobe gurus distribute are putting that fat.

Rather than trying to dress ourselves thin, or wear padded bras to add a cup size, or stop eating carbs, why not just live? Have a doughnut, have a margarita. Just in moderation. I love fashion and clothes, but not the way the industry operates or the way it puts extreme images of underweight or tokenised overweight women on the catwalk. Here’s the thing, I’m an average size woman with a healthy BMI. I like food, I exercise occasionally (though not enough) I also probably drink more than I should. I’ve been thin, chubby, been an AA cup, a

D cup and then a C cup. Throughout my teenage years I have been assaulted by messages and ideas of how I should look as a woman. I’ve had enough. I refuse to be bullied into conforming to narrow ideals of what is attractive. What I weigh does not define who I am or what kind of person I will be. My body is not available for public approval or acceptance. In the words of Christina Aguilera: “I am beautiful in every single way, words can’t bring me down.” Freya Barry

ARTS

27.03.2012

concrete.arts@uea.ac.uk

bent: uea drama studio Minotaur Theatre Company’s production of Marin Sherman’s Bent was one that effectively evoked a whole spectrum of emotions in a very effective and poignant way. Revolving around the persecution of gay men in Nazi Germany, the comic elements came as a pleasant and rather necessary surprise. The humour is epitomised by the laugh-out-loud satiric rants of Rudy (Elliot Hughes) and an unexpected bout of vulgarity and nudity on Wolf’s part (Eliot Ruocco-Trenouth). The tragicomedy amalgamated well to entertain, and still represent the plight of homosexual men under Hitler’s regime in an appropriately sombre manner. The story began remarkably comically in the Berlin apartment of the central character, Max (Tom Wingfield), and his partner Rudy. Max’s waggish antics of the previous night unravel in an entertaining passive-aggressive censure from Rudy, but the comedy of the scene is quickly undermined when three Nazi officers enter, leaving the two as outlaws, and Wolf, who is an amusing accessory to Max’s drunkenness, killed. It becomes clear that the previous night was not quite the comic drunken escapade that was first depicted but in fact the historic Night of the Long Knives. From here the gravity of the Nazi regime takes the forefront in the play as Rudy and

Max keep cover for two years until they are eventually caught. Comedy is still injected through Rudy’s whining and the witty remarks of Horst (Jonathan Moss), whom Max meets and falls in love with in Dachau. Kudos to the actors, who were especially well cast for their roles. Particular credit should go to Elliot Hughes, who captured a neurotic, high-maintenance character exceedingly well. The female cast of Nazi representatives acted with suitable menace, especially in the final scenes. The set was equally endearing, effectively using minute devices to set the scene. For instance, a fairylight bordered frame to instigate a dressing room, and an orchestrated movement of torches to render a solemn train journey. At other times staging was awkward to watch. When Max and Horst make love using only words and their imagination the scene is uncomfortable, but appropriately so. The scene is cleverly as compromising for the audience as it would have been for those in concentration camps. The ending of the play grounded the ultimate tragedy, which was heightened by a chilling freeze frame climax and the absence of a final curtsy. Aaron Toumazou

john lanchester: uea literary festival As part of the UEA Literary festival, John Lanchester read a short passage from his new novel Capital and the audience were treated to an insightful Q&A during which Lanchester discussed his writing style and shared his thoughts on the general state of the world today. Capital deals with the bonus culture of London’s financial sector whilst examining how the lives of culturally and economically separate people intersect in the capital. The protagonist suffers from comically odd sociopathic tendencies which Lanchester effectively delivers in a deadpan tone. Lanchester has been criticised for joining the long line of authors who have recently attempted to write the overarching state-ofthe-nation book. He surprisingly countered this accusation by arguing what a futile task it is to attempt to write such a book. Fiction is a very limited space, Lanchester explained, in the sense that ideas must always be excluded and there is not space to explain all tangential thoughts or offer a lengthy back story. Lanchester’s selection process for writing fiction appears to follow his observation that “life is tragic in structure, comic in texture”. He added that tone is central to communicating this essence of

human nature. Lanchester employs the perfect tone for his protagonist who is struggling to come to terms with the loss of his million pound bonus and the fact that he has been delegated the task of babysitting his children whom he does not understand. His wit makes this character’s struggle perversely appealing and somehow hilarious. When questioned about how he decides what will benefit a novel, he explained how some things are only interesting because they are true which, of course, makes them unremarkable and redundant in a narrative space. A sense of reality is what makes Capital such a captivating novel, however. Lanchester attributed much of his inspiration to the London which he witnesses around him, even on his street. This reality has apparently caught his attention because the city is rapidly changing, in his opinion. To hear Lanchester’s claims that London is a city of extremes and one on the brink of what he referred to as “Manhattanisation” offered weighty insight into the tensions at work in Capital.

Angeline Dresser

14 hindi for

beginners in jarrold’s pantry Taking place in the run-up to UEA’s Go Global Week, it seemed only fitting that the designated “Café Conversation” on Wednesday 14 March was An Introduction to Hindi. Tucked up in the Pantry, a kitsch café on the top floor of Jarrold’s, a gathering of students and members of the public congregate weekly to take part in intellectual discussions and conversations, organised and hosted, for free, by UEA student Alex Valente. The atmosphere was extremely welcoming, relaxed, and informal, and it was easy to settle in amongst the more regular “conversationalists”. “Namaste”, our teacher began, “Mera naam Anandi hai.” Within minutes, we were all learning simple Hindi phrases and had the opportunity to ask questions about the Hindi language, its structure and history. Primarily spoken in north India, Hindi, alongside English, has become the official language of India’s Federal Government, howvere it exists alongside 22 other constitution-approved official languages in India. Hindi contains 11 vowels and 38 consonants, and, according to Anandi, it sounds a lot like spoken-Urdu. With upcoming subject matters ranging from “An Introduction to Turkish” to “Myths, Mutants and Superhumans”, the topics of “conversation’”are varied, intellectually stimulating and fun. Indeed, there is an undeniable satisfaction in losing oneself amongst coffee, homemade cakes and riveting conversation for an hour, especially if you can come away having learnt something new, and having challenged yourself to think outside of the box, or indeed bubble, of UEA life. A Beginner’s Guide to Hindi: • Namaste, kya haal hai? Translation: Hello, how are things? Pronounced: Na-mast-ay, key-ar harl hay? • Sab kuchh Tthik hai. Translation: Good, thank you. Pronounced: Sub kutch teek hay. • Aapka naam kya hai? Translation: What is your name? Pronounced: Arp-car narm key-ar hair? • Mera naam ____ hai. Translation: My name is ____. Pronounced: Meera narm ____ hair. [For further information on future Café Conversations, visit: www.uea.ac.uk/ssf/cue-east/ events] Katherine Holder

27.03.2012

ARTS

concrete.arts@uea.ac.uk

standing water by terri armstrong Standing Water, the debut novel by Terri Armstrong, is a deeply moving work. Armstrong, a UEA alumnus, won the 2010 Yeovil prize for it pre-publication, and from her writing style and completely believable characters, it is easy to see why. The novel focuses on the return of Dom Connor, an Australian who has been living in England, to his family farm near the fictional town of Marrup. When he returns, he finds the farm a victim of a major drought and the town nearly deserted. He also finds that his brother Neal no longer wants to speak to him and is trying to maintain the illusion that nothing is wrong with the farm he has tended for so long, at the expense of his wife Hester’s happiness. Loss if a major theme in Standing Water. Dom returns to Marrup for his mother’s funeral, but he misses it by a day. The potential loss of the farm hangs over the story, increasing the already obvious tensions between characters to near breaking point. Other characters, such as Andy, Dom’s old friend, have already lost their connections to family and friends. In addition to loss, death characterises this book; when Dom

this week in arts history

drives into Marrup the first thing he does is accidentally run over a neighbour’s dog. Armstrong’s powerful use of these themes shows how the characters, especially those in Marrup, have become hardened to emotion. This, along with the extremely vivid descriptions of the heat and the flies, creates an incredibly bleak feeling. The characters seem trapped in an ultimately hostile little town. Nonetheless, there are more hopeful elements to Standing Water. Both Dom and Andy, re-entering Marrup from cities with their own disappointments, work as forces for change in their own small ways. The tensions of the novel mostly sit around this work, will the inhabitants of Marrup accept change, or will they reject Dom and Andy altogether? This is a beautifully written book with profound insights on the nature of family and friendships. The descriptions of rural Australia are completely engrossing, from the heat and the discomfort to the tree branches covered in cockatoos. Although thoroughly engaging, it is perhaps a little too bleak to be really enjoyable. Amelia Edwards

dancesport hosts strictly uea In an event that has since been recognised as “the biggest student-organised event at UEA ever,” fifteen novice dancers from UEA Dancesport took to the LCR stage on 19th March with fifteen willing volunteers from a variety of sports clubs across the Student Union. Organised principally by Dancesport President Chloe Rochester and Dancesport Publicity Officer Gurdas Singh Sually, Strictly UEA! followed the popular television series Strictly Come Dancing with dedicated accuracy, including interviews and training videos of the couples, and strategic integration of the recognisable theme tune. The highly successful event sought to raise funds principally for UEA Dancesport. Half of the proceeds were donated to the sports clubs represented by the competitors taking part. Four judges, including Finance Officer Rob Bloomer, were entrusted with providing scores for the evening and hailed UEA American Football Treasurer Sam Walford and partner Sarah-Jayne Aston as the champions of this brand new event, Turn to Concrete (p16) for the full report.

... 1892

walt whitman died in new jersey aged 72 on 26 march 1892 Born as Walter Whitman in 1819, Walt Whitman became one of the most

influential poets of the United States, despite his work recieving heaviy criticism

during his lifetime. A humanitarian and “father of free verse” in poetry Whitman’s most recognisable work Leaves of Grass was accused of being heavily obscene and radical in a time of slavery, discontent and civil war. Whitman left school aged 11 and went into employment to help support his family. Deprived of the extensive education many of his literary peers would receive, Whitman instead observed much of the literary world in his various jobs at newspapers and printing agencies. Whitman worked as a teacher for a period of time and, after receiving little or no fulfilment from the job, founded his own newspaper The Long Islander in 1838. The publication was sold the following year and unfortunately, no copies of The Long Islander that were produced under Whitman’s eye have survived to the present day. Whitman published Leaves of Grass in 1855 out of his own pocket, and many who read it bandied it as obscene, profane and pretentious. Less than 800 copies were originally produced. Ralph Waldo Emerson is often noted as the most approving critic of this particular work and his attitude

brought much of the fame, or infamy, to what would become an American classic. Deeply affected by the travesties of the American Civil War, due in large part to his brother George’s involvement on the front line, Whitman produced later works reflecting on the nature of war, further fuelling the humanitarianism in his poetry. George spent a period of time as a prisoner of war in Virginia, which caused Whitman much distress, but George was later released, and survived the war. Whitman’s sexuality was repeatedly called into question during his lifetime, and remains so today, with critics attributing homosexuality or bisexuality ‘at least’ to him because of the sexual imagery and ideas present in his early poetry. Whitman suffered two paralytic strokes as well as sunstroke in his final years, and eventually died on 26th March 1892. After lifelong struggles for fame and literary recognition, his funeral was a nationally recognised affair, and Walt Whitman is now hailed as a revolutionary of his time, a national literary tradition, and a successful, appreciated poet. Emma Webb

CREATIVE WRITING

27.03.2012 concrete.creativewriting@uea.ac.uk

poetry corner

i often wondered what we did

i sailed on down to catapult

i often wondered what we did with those days. they circled and circled at the plughole of my memory (foamy and indistinct) and then they just ... slipped away. cockroaches clambered over them and they decayed, their half-life all run out. when we found them again (years later) we had to check against dna records

I sailed on down to Catapult On a short sunny day such as this (They speak Catapult there you know) I got there at two-thirty clock and sat all along the dock Watching my boat slowly sink Then, crying gently for my floaty stock, Ran ‘tween the chapel gates and found the lock, Now suddenly I was in a spit of trouble Having lost the key and not speaking a word of Catapult,

to know they were really ours. Hmm I thought and knelt I best learn fast

By Michael Clampin

By Tom King

they said that god was hidden

modern day drifter

they said that God was hidden in the cracks between the walls somewhere behind the radiator but all i found out was that it’s hot as hell back there

Here is another advert. I am being sold everything. I want nothing. I want to live in the jungle. I can’t get a break. I can no longer sleep on my pillows at night. Or put on a pair of socks.

By Michael Clampin

There is no relation between people in the supermarket. Only between them and the walls. They are the supermarket.

review: uea creative writing

There is no drama to life. The world is uninhabitable. It does not need inhabitants. People is now a strong term that carries questions. Some wish somewhere Gave me and everyone else a future in light.

anthology 2011 As you are all probably aware, UEA’s Creative Writing master’s boasts an extraordinary list of alumni. The names Anne Enright, Kazuo Ishiguro and (of course) Ian McEwan have been dripping off the lips of likeminded students for years. But with such a high profile course that has run for so long it is sometimes hard to know where to begin looking for ex-student’s work. All hail the Creative Writing Anthology. £9.99 is just not a huge price to pay for such a wide smorgasbord of talent, and copies are almost certainly lurking somewhere in the library. The book is divided into three sections; Prose, Life Writing and Script Writing (Poetry gets its own publication) each with its own introduction by a resident MA tutor at UEA. I challenge anyone to become bored whilst reading, I started and finished the book in a day unable to stop myself from thinking “just one more, just one”. The collection spans from ghost stories to biography to artificially intelligent supermarkets. It’s a bit of a whirlwind, but it’s a good one. The real advantage here is that even if a particular piece of writing doesn’t quite grab you it won’t be long until you are on to something completely different. The disadvantage is wanting some of the authors’ entire collection of works at your fingertips within moments of finishing their contributions. But this is nothing a trip to Waterstones can’t fix, in fact the campus store currently has an entire display dedicated to Creative Writing alumni. If you are a Creative Writing student, buy this book. If you are reading the Creative Writing section of Concrete, buy this book. If you are as obnoxiously proud of attending UEA as you should be, buy this book. Make sure to look out for Marianka Swain’s script and Rachel B. Doyle’s novel extract as particular treats. Ellie Reynard

But this is our future. We are here in the darkness. By Tom King

concrete short story competition 1st Prize: £30 Waterstones Voucher 2nd Prize: £10 Waterstones Voucher Free to enter for all UEA students. Closing date for entries: 20/04/2012 Submission rules: An original short story on any theme up to 2,000 words in length. Send all entries to concrete.creativewriting@uea.ac.uk in a Microsoft Word attachment with your name and a contact email address. Winners will be announced and their stories published in the final issue of

27.03.2012

concrete.tv@uea.ac.uk

TELEVISION

the new student sitcom coming soon from uea:tv starring: sophie north, hayley hammond, tom castle and tom ritchie

then and now: the west wing, today

FILM

27.03.2012

concrete.film@uea.ac.uk

the kid with a bike Finally the post-Oscar pre-summer slump has ended and here we have a French delight from the Dardenne Brothers that has been scooping up the alternative festival awards from Cannes and the European film awards. The eponymous kid in The Kid With A Bike is Cyril Catoul (Thomas Doret) who has been abandoned by his father and put in a care home and, by a random act of kindness, is living at weekends with a hairdresser named Samantha. One of the questions asked in the film is “So why do you do it?” and the only answer given is “For you”. The characters seem to have no motive for what they are doing. Cyril’s dad leaves him for no real reason, Samantha cares for him because she feels she should, and Cyril turns to gang solidarity because he has nothing better to do. It reverses the typical story of a father searching for his child as Cyril desperately knocks on doors, answers ad-

verts and even steals money, only to find that his father never wants to see him again because he has decided he “can’t cope with the stress”. This all makes for a gritty, realistic story of a child living in a world where he has to face poverty and clings to any father figure he can, similar to the equally bicycle-themed Italian film Bicycle Thieves. And the bike is just as important as the kid himself; it is his escape plan, his pastime and the last part of his life with his father that he has left. Possibly the most heartbreaking scenes are not when Cyril is without his father but when he is without his bike, because it is constantly being stolen from him. The film manages to follow everyday events like these without being boring and incorporates moments of drama, such as Cyril’s violent outbursts, without becoming melodramatic. It’s probably the energy from Cyril himself that gives the film pace. He is always running, not to

anything in particular but just running away in general, and the tracking camera shots follow this perfectly. The cinematography captures the bright colours of a pretend childhood at the care home and the Belgian countryside, and contrasts nicely with the dark streets of the neighbourhood where Cyril is drawn into crime. You can see why this film won the highest accolade available at the Cannes Film Festival, above A Separation, but did not make the Oscars. Its story does not wrap up neatly enough or contain enough feel good heart warming moments to satisfy that kind of audience. But after viewing, you do walk away with a feeling that even though all is not well, Cyril has found some sort of happiness, and that is enough for this film. Meg Fozzard

27.03.2012

in darkness

wild bill

A warning. Do not trust the marketing for this film. Ignore the trailer, ignore Zoo magazine’s recommendation. Because that would have you believe that Wild Bill is another Guy Richie rip-off. But in Wild Bill, director Dexter Fletcher has created a sweet, touching tale of fatherhood set in gangland London. The film concerns infamous exgangster Bill Hayward (the excellent Charlie Creed-Miles) being released from prison to find his two estranged sons, Dean (Will Poulter) and Jimmy (Sammy Williams), living alone in squalor, and his attempt to clean up for their sakes. What separates Wild Bill from the countless

FILM

concrete.film@uea.ac.uk

Richie wannabes is that, at its soul, it is a character piece, a film which examines a young family’s trials and tribulations. There is all the effing and blinding you would expect from the genre, but it never feels false. If anything, the stereotypical gangster traits add to the sense that this is something different. All in all, Wild Bill is a revelation. With an exceptional cast, strong script and very little gangster posturing, this film has defied expectation. If you were expecting Snatch 2, then be warned. If you want a film full of heart, then Wild Bill is for you. James Lillywhite

In Darkness tells the true story of Leopold Socha, a Polish sewer inspector who harboured a group of terrified Jews in the underground sewers of Nazi-occupied Lvov. Unlike former Holocaust dramas, the film refuses to paint any of the characters (including the persecuted Jews) simply as unflawed victims. Director Agnieszka Holland instead dissects issues of morality and humanity both above and below ground, eschewing the sentimentality of Spielberg’s Schindler’s List. She spares the audience none of the brutality suffered by the Jews, including the pain inflicted upon themselves within the group. The film’s most striking scenes are those fleeting moments of humanity that remind the characters why they must endure this persecution. A child plays with a toy truck along the walls of the sewer

James Burrough

ranter’s corner

the hunger games First there was Harry Potter. Then came Twilight. Now the latest teen novel to be adapted for the big screen is Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games, and the great action sequences set it apart from its predecessors. Expectation surrounding the book-to-screen adaption has not disappointed audiences. In contrast, having read the book sets you at a greater advantage, for at times plot intricacies can be hard to follow. The story is centred on Katniss Everdeen

while his sister sings an uplifting song. A young couple consummates their love for each other beneath a pile of worn sheets, providing a brief respite from their depressing reality. For a film that spends most of its runningtime underground, the cinematography is surprisingly laudable, capturing the squalid conditions of the dark sewers in vivid detail. The audience can almost smell the sewage and feel the damp. They share the characters’ claustrophobia and the sense of impending danger that looms throughout. As a result, In Darkness is not an easy watch. It is simultaneously haunting and uplifting. A worthy addition to the plethora of Holocaust dramas, it is certainly worth enduring.

(Jennifer Lawrence), who has taken on the pressures of the role admirably and performs exceptionally well. After North America is destroyed by war and famine, the Capitol renames the continent Panem, and divides the land into districts. Each year, two tributes from each district are chosen at random and forced to compete in a specially created arena which is broadcast to the people as a reminder of the Capitol’s power. To save her sister, Katniss offers herself as District 12’s volunteer, and enters an

arena where only one of the 24 tributes can survive. Think Battle Royale meets Big Brother. Importantly, don’t go before 8pm or you will be ambushed by hundreds of 16 years olds swooning over the characters Peeta and Gale. This is, after all, a film targeted at teenagers, which does send a rather bizarre message when they all start butchering each other in the arena. Rachel Greene-Taylor

Trailers are essential in the marketing and advertising for any film, but someone in the office gets it wrong from time to time. They mislead the audience and manipulate them in coming to the cinema on false pretences. Paying money to see a bad film is one thing, but paying money to see a film that you thought was going to be one thing and then turns out to be another is just plain frustrating. Some directors even pride themselves on making a product that you think is going to lead you down one path, but takes you down another. This debate was enhanced this year as Sarah Deming from Michigan attempted to sue the distributors of Drive because she was expecting to see a film more akin to The Fast and the Furious series. Quentin Tarantino blamed the financial failure of the Grindhouse films in 2007 on the poor trailers promoting the film. He claimed that the marketing put people off going to see it, as it looked like there were two feature films back-to-back, a five hour extravaganza. There are thousands of people out there who deserve their money back, especially for those who went to see Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. The trailer made it look anything but utter tosh. Sam Langan

FILM

27.03.2012

concrete.film@uea.ac.uk

21 jump street

the popcorn chart venue’s top 5 british gangster films

The teen comedy has seemingly been milked dry: done to death. The same can easily be said of the buddy cop film. It is easy then to dismiss 21 Jump Street as simply another entry into the catalogue of catastrophes that is the history of both genres. The odd combination of genres is mirrored by the pairing of Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum as leads. The plot, as in any buddy cop film, is paper thin, giving both actors little room to test themselves. However, this film is all about the jokes. Both actors display a deft comedic touch with a wide variety of humorous devices. Inevitably, this

quest to give the film a broad appeal leads to a hit and miss comedy, thankfully with more hits than misses. However, 21 Jump Street’s true value comes from its fearlessness. Directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller have succeeded in creating a fresh and original balls-out comedy, formed entirely from the cliches of its genre. Overall, 21 Jump Street is entertaining and at points hilarious, a good film which only becomes great when seen as a rebellion against the trashy restrictions of its genre. Saul Holmes

we bought a zoo

The words “does what it says on the tin” do come to mind occasionally when you go to the cinema ... ok, a lot of the time. But honestly, in this case, it’s not a bad thing. In Cameron Crowe’s latest film, Matt Damon plays bereaved husband Benjamin Mee who looks for a respite from the unfortunate fate that has befallen him. Along with his two children, he buys a zoo. Well, don’t we all? But Mee struggles to maintain the zoo as it approaches opening day, as well as clashing with his son over their sudden change in lifestyle. However, support is at hand from Scarlett Johansson’s zoo keeper and they all

manage to move on and live happily ever after, while Sigur Rós’ Hoppipolla plays blissfully to the setting sun. No, seriously. The film is predictably very formulaic, meandering constantly between heartbreaking sentimentality and witty one-liners. Crowe holds his crown up in this respect, but it is nowhere near his best work. Nevertheless, it is genuinely uplifting and a wonderful film to watch if you need to relieve yourself from stress over coursework and exams for a few hours. It certainly proved a wonder for this reviewer. Sam Warner

sexy beast (2000) Sexy Beast doesn’t sound like a British gangster film, but that’s exactly what separates it from the rest. It’s an original and unconventional piece of British cinema. Ray Winstone plays Gal, a retired member of London’s grim underworld living in rural Spain with his beloved wife. Unexpectedly, Don Logan, played by Ben Kingsley, turns up and pressures Gal into taking one last job back in England. Logan is morose, vindictive and a psychopath, everything Gal has run away from. In one sense it’s a black comedy, in another it’s a surreal Greek tragedy. Whatever it is, Sexy Beast rips up the rules of the British gangster model and transforms into a poetic masterpiece. layer cake (2004) When Guy Ritchie went off to America, his long-time producer Matthew Vaughn was left to direct this tale which revolves around the lower, middle and upper echelons of British crime. Vaughn brings a level of maturity and realism which is left waning in his previous partner’s work. A pre-Bond Daniel Craig plays the lead, a smart, professional drug pusher looking for a way out of the business. The supporting performances of Colm Meaney, Ben Whishaw, Sally Hawkins, Michael Gambon and others are outstanding and give grace to the twisting and engaging narrative. get carter (1971) Set within the criminal underworld of 1970s Britain, Get Carter is a tough, loveless film that becomes even more iconic with age. Starring Michael Caine as Jack Carter, the story follows a London-based gangster who returns to his roots in Newcastle when he hears about the death of his estranged brother. The character of Carter is a typical anti-hero and Caine

captures this with aplomb. As it starts to become clear that his brother was murdered, Carter starts terrorising the men and women he thinks had a part in his brother’s death. Even 40 years on, the film is still as brutal and controversial.

the long good friday (1980) Arguably, Bob Hoskins has never played a more famous role than that of Harold Shand, an old fashioned gangster facing the changing landscape of British crime. The film is set in Thatcher’s Britain: political corruption, IRA terrorism and the boom and bust of big business is rife. Shand is trying to go legitimate with the backing of the American mafia. But due to a series of explosions around the capital, his plans for a life away from crime are put in jeopardy. As Shand tries to find out who is behind the violence, he starts to lose grip on his whole operation. lock, stock and two smoking barrels (1998) Lock, Stock is a British success story: a major hit at the box office yet made on a tight budget with an eclectic cast. Writer/director Guy Ritchie’s debut feature is unique in every sense, but the strongest element of the film is the diversity of the ensemble cast. Eddy loses big in a card game with an evil mob boss. In order to win back the money that he and his friends owe, they attempt to steal a large amount of drugs from a local crime syndicate. The combination of slapstick humour, combined with the violent activities of the cockney criminals, makes the film an electric ride. Sam Langan

27.03.2012

FILM

concrete.film@uea.ac.uk

film preview:

the rise and rise of michael fassbender

prometheus

omnipresence throughout the film Of course, Alien cannot be discussed without considering Sigourney Weaver’s role as Ellen Ripley. Weaver was thrust into the spotlight following her role, earning a Bafta nomination and taking her first step on the road to becoming the “Queen of Sci-Fi”. Ripley was one of the first major female protagonists in a major Hollywood science fiction production, a fact that was rather groundbreaking at the time. She was not a secondary character, a love interest or just there for eye candy. She was running around the spaceship with a large flamethrower. This changed the game, and in most strong female leads in modern science fiction or horror, you can see a glimpse of Ripley. There are many more things that could be discussed here: Scott’s anxiety-inducing direction, the shocking chest-burster sequence, and the fantastic supporting cast. But when it comes down to it, taking the legacy and status away, with Alien you are left with a truly effective, timeless film. And that is what makes it a modern classic.

It has been a long wait. 30 years have passed since Ridley Scott last took the reigns of a science fiction film, since Blade Runner left its indelible mark on cinema. Prometheus (released on June 1), descending from Scott’s acclaimed Alien, marks his anticipated return to the genre, and to a universe he first brought to life in 1979. Understandably, the mouths of many have been salivating like, well, a xenomorph’s. That comparison, however, wears thin. It has been refuted that the iconic extraterrestrial antagonist of the original could make an appearance in what will be, presumably, a prequel to the events witnessed through the eyes of Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley. Instead, Prometheus could unleash a new, terrifying monster. Be prepared. However, by distancing itself from aspects of its predecessor, Prometheus has taken bold steps towards a new audience (something that will only be aided by a talented ensemble that includes Noomi Rapace, Charlize Theron and Michael Fassbender), while nods to Scott’s classic will cater for those who embraced the series 33 years ago. In actuality, little is known of Prometheus’ narrative or the true extent of its relationship to its ancestor, with Scott having stated ambiguously that the film will contain “strands of Alien DNA.” Thus far, the secrecy has been preserved through a meticulously crafted marketing campaign that has seemed intent on cryptically revealing information. But make no mistake: what has been revealed looks spectacular. Its trailers have combined the thematic and the visceral, offering glimpses of intriguing imagery, of a foreign planet, mythological symbols, and a lot of impending fear. They evoke the art design of HR Giger, and there are references to objects and creatures seen but never explored in the original that could prove integral to Prometheus’ plot. Even its title is typographically symmetrical to Alien’s DNA: Scott wasn’t lying. But all this conjures are unlimited questions: will it explore the origin of the xenomorph? What about style, will it follow the minimalist approach of Alien? And what, exactly, is causing so much doom? Prometheus, right now, is an enigma. Until its release, that is the way it should remain: a project that leaves its fans tantalisingly short of absolutes, blending familiarity with mystery. In a viral short, Fassbender’s android David has claimed: “Big things have small beginnings.” He should not be so modest. Prometheus has the potential to be even bigger than its forebear.

James Lillywhite

Kieran Rogers

COMPETITIONS

27.03.2012

concrete.competitions@uea.ac.uk

across

3. What film has become the most successful horror film since records began 20 years ago? (3, 5, 2, 5) 6. How many world records does Andrew Flintoff hold? (7) 7. Which two time world darts champion died recently? (6, 6) 10. What do Panda Bears eat? (6) 12. What song did Katy Perry cover in Radio 1’s Live Lounge, which is also a famous city? (5) 14. What is the name of the Sport Relief single? (5) 17. What is the highest peak in South America? (9) 18. Which cricketer has reached the milestone of scoring 100 international centuries? (6, 9) 19. Who painted the last Supper? (8, 2, 5) 20. What’s the largest lizard species? (6, 6)

1 3

2 4

5 6

9 10

12 13

down

1. What’s the best-selling single/volume book of all time? (1, 4, 2, 3, 6) 2. What’s the largest lake in England? (10) 4. Who is England’s representative in this year’s Eurovision song contest? (9, 11) 5. What’s the capital of Jamaica? (8) 8. Who is the Father of the House in the House of Parliament? (3, 5, 7) 9. Apart from Great Britain, which is the other nation attempting to break the land speed record? (9) 11. Which animal’s name comes first in a standard dictionary? (8) 13. A noble gas (5) 15. Which former Blue Peter presenter has recently discussed his experiences with web trolls? (7) 16. What month has the highest average temperature in England? (4)

16 17

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O Y

word wheel:

puzzle (left):

see how many words

requires numbers

you can make.

You

must use the centre

letter in every word

There

is at least one

nine letter word to be found.

1-9

each, row, column and shaded box.

mini sudoku (right): requires

1-6

column and

in each row,

2 x3

box.

courtesy of john white

WIN DELILAH TICKETS Win two tickets to see Delilah at the Watefront!

certainly an act to watch this year. Her YouTube channel has already had three million views, and Go was A-listed on Radio 1.

Following the release of her debut album From The Roots Up yesterday (26 March), Concrete has two tickets to giveaway to one lucky winner to see 21-year-old British singer-songwriter Delilah at the Waterfront on Sunday 22 April. Having released her second single Go, on 19 December last Delilah has also performed year, which reached 17 in the alongside Emilie Sande and British singles chart, Delilah is been shortlisted for the MTV

Brand New for 2012 list, joining previously listed acts such as Jessie J and Tinie Tempah. Tickets are available for £9 from UEA ticket bookings website and the campus ticket office. To be in with a chance of winning, just submit your completed crossword to Union House reception by 12pm on Thursday 29 March. The winner will be contacted that day and tickets will be left at Union House reception.

23 Tuesday 27th March 2012 LCR Club Nights: Fashion Disaster (10pm) Price: £3.50 UEA LCR Wednesday 28th March 2012 Waterfront Gigs: UFO (7:30pm) Price: £20.00 The Waterfront Waterfront Gigs: The Queers (7pm) Price: £9.00 The Waterfront C*A*B*A*R*E*T Comedy Night (8pm) Price: £2 The Birdcage Waterfront Gigs: Flux Pavilion (7:30pm) Price: £8.50 The Waterfront Thursday 5th April 2012 Waterfront Gigs: Rocket From The East - Semi Finals (7pm) Price: £4.00 The Waterfront Thursday 12th April 2012 Waterfront Gigs: The Black Sharks @ The Waterfront Studio (7:30pm)Price: £5.00 The Waterfront

27.03.2012 concrete.listings@uea.co.uk

27 march Thursday 29th Gravy & Werewolf Promotions Present: The Minutes details (7pm) Price: £3 Take 5 The 39 Steps (7:30pm) Price: £9 Assembly House

26 APRIL 2012 Friday 30th March 2012 Waterfront Gigs: Los Campesinos! (7pm) Price: £10.00 The Waterfront

Waterfront Gigs: Rocket From The East Semi Finals (7pm) Price: £4.00 The Waterfront

LCR Gigs: Cher Lloyd - The Sticks and Stones Tour (7:30pm) Price: £15.50 UEA LCR

Wednesday 4th April 2012 Waterfront Gigs: Rocket From The East Semi Finals (7pm) Price: £4.00 The Waterfront

The Tilting Sky presents These Ghosts + Deers + The Soft + Rory Hill (8pm) Price: £6 adv/ £8 door Norwich Arts Centre

Tuesday 3rd April 2012 LCR Gigs: McFly (7pm) Price: £27.50 UEA LCR

Waterfront Gigs: From The Jam + Twisted Piglet (7:30pm) Price: 20.00 The Waterfront

Sunday 15th April 2012 Waterfront Gigs: We Are The In Crowd + Every Avenue (7pm) Price: £10.00 The Waterfront

Friday 13th April 2012 Waterfront Club Nights: Color & MC Esksman presents Overload On Tour (10pm) Price: £12.50 / £10 (NUS) Adv The Waterfront Saturday 14th April 2012 LCR Gigs: The Golden Years 2012 (6:30pm) Price: £10.00 UEA LCR

LISTINGS

Saturday 21st April 2012 Waterfront Gigs: Twin Atlantic (7pm) Price: £12.00 The Waterfront Sunday 22nd April 2012 Waterfront Gigs: Delilah The Waterfront (7pm) Price: £9.00

LCR Gigs: Emeli Sande (7:30pm) Price: £15.00 UEA LCR

Wednesday 25th April 2012 Waterfront Gigs: Deaf Havana (7:30pm) Price: £10.00 The Waterfront Thursday 26th April 2012 Waterfront Gigs: Feeder (7:30pm) Price: £20.00 The Waterfront Waterfront Gigs: Rocket From The East The Finals The Waterfront (7pm) Price: £5.00

get that summer feeling Lectures and seminars are almost over; exams are looming and nights out in the city centre have been replaced by late night library sessions. This may seem a bleak time as students start to stress over their degrees, however this not so. It is quite the opposite actually. The lake becomes a hive of activity with hundreds of students enjoying themselves, with barbeques galore and general merriment being had. There is also the massive event out that is ‘Pimp My Barrow’. Organised by RAG this is charity event sees a thousands of UEA’s students design a barrow before wheeling around the city to different pubs. Last year saw designs range from Thunderbirds to the Spice Girls. The day has a real festival feel to it, well organised and it’s all for a good cause so it is highly recommended to attend. The LCR will still be home to a variety of live music from big names in music as well as an assortment of club nights. The Waterfront will do the same. UEA students will continue to perform either comedy or music at places such as the Birdcage and Olives. There is also the most important thing … The weather. Last year’s weather was glorious and if it’s the same this year I am certain that the mood around campus will be much more jovial then first expected. Sam Tomkinson

Photo by Harriet Jones

Aaron Toumazou

the kaos fashion show 2012

GOT SOMETHING TO SAY? WANT TO KNOW WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING? check out or write for our brand new blog:

ueastudentblog.com

or email union.communications@uea.ac.uk The Union of UEA Students is a registered charity England and Wales no 1139778

Page three

The kaos fashion show 2012

“Fashions fade, style is eternal” - Yves Saint Laurent Revolutionz Ark

House of Fraser

Aaron Toumazou

Ga Chun Yau

Maddie Russell

Elements

“Sweatpants are a sign of defeat - you lost control of your life, so bought some sweatpants” - Karl Lagerfeld Poppy Valentine

Ark

New Look

Greg Mann

Ga Chun Yau

Aaron Toumazou

Revolutionz

“Give a girl the right shoes and she can conquer the world” - Marylin Monroe Page three

The kaos fashion show 2012

the kaos fashion show 2012

Elements

Ark

Laura Smith

Maddie Russell

Aaron Toumazou

New Look

the kaos fashion show 2012

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New Look

Warehouse

Greg Mann

The kaos fashion show 2012

Laura Smith

Page four

"Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a new era in fashion - there are no rules. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all about the individual and personal style, wearing high-end, low-end, classic labels, and up-and-coming designers all together." - Alexander McQueen

biggest poser

Page four

the concrete swag award

best accessory

The kaos fashion show 2012

worst outfit

best outfit

best model hottest guy

the kaos fashion show 2012

hottest girl

page five

The kaos fashion show 2012

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... and some more abs

More abs

Smart

Pretty pastels

Abs

Gorg

eous

vintage

Fierce Tropical prints and Pocahontas hair

Vintage Retreat backstage

er y farm x e s e Th we dig

Afro-caribbean society backstage

Last minute touch-ups

ed t in r o h ' in Smok

look licious

Swaga

This girl knows how to rock a one-piece

Tequila duck

Bringing 1940s hair to UEA

Brightens nude with a red lip

Sassitude

Cute in stripes

pull out: hannah britt milly sampson photography: laura smith greg mann ga chun yau maddie russell aaron toumazou susanna wood hannah britt

Prim in purple

Sexin g the s up now

Cheek

The hosts: Puja & Jacob

The founder: Gbemi

The kaos fashion show 2012

Jay Z/Kanye West - Niggaz In Paris * The Cataracs - Top of the World * Amanda Blank - Might Like You Better * Ladyhawke - Dusk Till Dawn * Ladyhawke - Paris is Burning * DEV - Booty Bounce * Marina & the Diamonds - Oh No * M83 - Midnight City * New Young Pony Club - Ice Cream * Fanny Pack - Hey Mami * Nicki Minaj - Starships * Sneaky Sound System - We Love * The Strokes - Taken For A Fool * The Ting Tings - Hang It Up

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Ga Chun Yau

miss the show? hit up www.concrete-online.co.uk to relive the magic . . .