venue CLASS OF 2015
THE CRIBS
APRIL STORNOWAY
Saturday 23rd WF £18.50
TOM BAXTER
+ THE LOST BROTHERS Wednesday 29th WF £14
+ ROB RICHINGS Saturday 23rd WFS £15
MAY SON OF DAVE
HAWKEYES Thursday 28th WFS £6
+ DOVE & BOWEEVIL Friday 1st WFS £10
JAMES ARTHUR
MOBB DEEP
‘THE INFAMOUS’ 20TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR + MUSIC LESSONS + CHROME Monday 4th WF £26.50
SUNSET SONS Tuesday 5th WFS £9
UGLY DUCKLING Sunday 10th WFS £12
LUCY SPRAGGAN + KAL LAVELLE Monday 11th WF £14.50
INME
+ THE DIRTY YOUTH + ASHES Wednesday 13th WFS £12.50
SLEAFORD MODS + YOUTH MAN Thursday 14th WF £12
OZRIC TENTACLES + MANTIS MASH Saturday 16th WFS £15
ARCANE ROOTS
+ GALLERY CIRCUS + SOLEMN SUN Sunday 17th WFS £10
DJANGO DJANGO
THE LAFONTAINES Sunday 31st WF £17.50
+ SEAN MCGOWAN + DUCKING PUNCHES Friday 8th WFS £9 Saturday 9th WFS £12.50
Friday 29th WF £20
FINCH
+ COLLIDER + MOUNT HOOD Thursday 7th WFS £5
THE DOORS ALIVE
HEAVEN 17 Saturday 30th WFS £7.50
WITCHERS
SKINNY LISTER
Friday 29th LCR £20
RON SAYER JR
+ CHARLOTTE JOYCE Sunday 31st WFS £12
JUNE CHAMELEONS VOX
PERFORMING ‘WHAT DOES ANYTHING MEAN BASICALLY?’ Tuesday 2nd WFS £15
TUNE-YARDS Friday 5th WF £15
Wednesday 24th - Friday 26th WFS £5 PER EVENT
PAMS HOUSE & TIDY SUMMER BALL Saturday 27th LCR £13.50/£10
ROOM 94
Saturday 27th WFS £10
JULY SNAKECHARMER Friday 3rd WFS £20
I DIVIDE
+ SILHOUETTES + PALMED SOUL + DIE A VILLAIN Thursday 9th WFS £7
POUT AT THE DEVIL + SILENT DIVIDE + BREAKING BELIEF Friday 10th WF £5
DELLA MAE
Wednesday 22nd WFS £14
THE WEDDING PRESENT + CINERAMA Thursday 23rd WF £16
CAMEL
Thursday 11th LCR £25
LITTLE BARRIE Thursday 11th WFS £10
DANNY & THE CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD
Monday 18th WF £15
+ SOIL + THE DEFILED + DOPE Thursday 21st LCR £20
Saturday 20th WFS £10
MARK MORRISS (THE BLUETONES)
Friday 2nd October WF £22.50
DOC BROWN
Sunday 4th October LCR £14
RALEIGH RITCHIE Friday 9th October WF £10
DIRTY DC
Saturday 10th October WFS £12.50
WHEATUS
Sunday 11th October WFS £15
JOANNE SHAW TAYLOR Tuesday 20th October WFS £20
DANNY BRYANT
Wednesday 21st October WFS £12
DREADZONE
Saturday 24th October WF £15
MOSTLY AUTUMN Sunday 25th October WF £15
DAN BAIRD & HOMEMADE SIN Saturday 7th November WFS £12.50
BON JOVI EXPERIENCE
YOUNG GUNS
YOU ME AT SIX
FROM THE JAM
Sunday 26th WF £20
TYKETTO
+ NOTHING BUT THIEVES Saturday 6th WF £12.50
Wednesday 30th September WFS £14
TOTAL STONE ROSES + OAYSIS
THE SONICS
Friday 5th WFS £9
GUN
Friday 24th WF £22
ADMIRAL FALLOW
+ MICHELE STODART Wednesday 17th WFS £10
COAL CHAMBER
YGN FESTIVAL FT. COMIC BOOK ENDING, THE GAZELLES & LOBSTER
Wednesday 29th WF £17
ALSO ON SALE FOR 2015
MORDRED
Friday 7th August WFS £12.50
FLOGGING MOLLY Thursday 13th August WF £17.50
CAST
Friday 28th August WF £18
STEREO MC’S
Saturday 14th November WFS £11 Saturday 14th November WF £12.50
PORTICO
Tuesday 17th November WFS £12.50
AYNSLEY LISTER
Saturday 21st November WFS £14
HAPPY MONDAYS
‘PILLS, THRILLS & BELLYACHES’ 25TH ANNIVERSARY Friday 27th November LCR £28.50
SHED SEVEN
Saturday 26th September WF £17.50
+ INSPIRAL CARPETS Tuesday 15th December LCR £21.50
Saturday 26th September WFS £10
Saturday 13th February LCR £23.50
WINTERFYLLETH
FUN LOVIN’ CRIMINALS
EVERY TUESDAY 10-2
THEMED FOR YOUR CLUBBING PLEASURE THE LCR, UEA
FOR OUR FULL LISTINGS & TO BOOK TICKETS ONLINE GO TO UEATICKETBOOKINGS.CO.UK
PRESS AD
026
venue
031 concrete.venue@uea.ac.uk
April 28 / #312
editors Holly J. McDede Adam White
art commissioner Ana Dukakis
cover art Tamara Chang illustrators Dougie Dodds Ana Dukakis Nancy Netherwood
Lucinda Swain
Adam White
Music 04-07 editors Myles Earle Mike Vinti
I have become a lot angrier since I became the editor of Venue. Although I haven’t checked yet, I might even be less of a human. For instance, the other day, an editor we’ll call Lucy Loo informed me she had not gotten the pictures I asked her to for one article. I messaged her, “You should message them. Now.” Then I felt bad. So I quickly typed back, “I mean, maybe not now. I mean, when you get a chance. I mean, get it to me next month, if you want. Or never is fine, too! Up to you!” Who have I become? But I’m not as angry at people as I am at forms, which is more socially acceptable. I recently organized an art exhibition through Concrete, and spent entire days asking people to fill in forms. The form asks questions like, “What is your ethnicity?” and “How have WE helped YOU?” and “Do you have a religion or belief?” I have some beliefs, yes. Do you? Go up to the nearest person and ask them, “What’s YOUR ethnicity?” and I guarantee they won’t say, “Oh my! I’ve been waiting for someone to ask! I’m German with a tinge of Hawaiian
and a spoonful of Iranian!” Stop wasting my time with your pointless forms, people. This doesn’t feel like a goodbye. I don’t even know what I’m saying. Let me give love and gratitude a try. To be fair, I learned a lot as the Venue editor. I learned that horoscopes are a hit, that the white arrow thing on Adobe InDesign does different things than the black arrow thing, that copyright is important, that Adam White will make a great porn magazine art director one day, that Peter Sheehan is a patient individual, that Geri Scott is a powerful woman, and that life is not all that serious. If there’s anything that will teach you how insignificant mistakes can be, it’s editing a student newspaper. No one really reads them. It’s basically an imaginary newspaper and all mistakes are basically just as insignificant and imaginary, too. I’m not sure if “life is as imaginary and fleeting as a student newspaper” is a good lesson to take away but I’ll take what I can get. As Kurt Vonnegut says, so it goes. Goodbye! Holly J.
There was a girl who lived in my building in first year who had the worst hair to ever grace the face of the earth. It was blonde and felt-like, and it swooped and stuck up in multiple directions like a bizarre carnival hat, or Lisa Simpson if she stuck her head in one of the machines that make candy floss. I bring that up because not telling her that her hair was ridiculous is the one thing I have slight regrets about when it comes to my university experience. Everything else was pretty good. Like it was meant to be. People were loved and appreciated. I grew and learned as a person. Didn’t do anything too weird. Caused a couple of scenes. An all-round success! In regards to Venue, I think we had a pretty good year. We kind of went in with silliness, annoyed everyone
under the sun, and then checked out with a bunch more ridiculousness. We had fun. I’d like to think the three of you regular readers had fun, too. Holly has been a hoot, by the way. She is far more talented than all of us, disgustingly so, and while I have never found out how old she is, or the mystery behind the ‘J’ in ‘J. McDede’, she will always be someone I consider a friend. So long, friend. So long. As a toast to Venue, I will be participating in what will resemble a cult-like ritual next week, throwing every copy I can find of Shake It Off, Uptown Funk and that song where Adam Levine shouts ‘sugar’ a lot into an enormous bonfire in the square. Please join me. Goodbye! Adam
Fashion 08-09 editors Gemma Carter
Helena Urquhart
Arts 10-11 editor Katie Kemp
contributors
contributors
contributors
Mike Brett, Myles Earle, Kelsey Frick, Daniel Jeakins, Murray Roy, Mike Vinti
Sharon Abraham, Clare Bartington, Adam Dawson
Ben Baulch-Jones, Adam Dawson, Abigail Walton
Creative Writing 16-17 editor
Television 18-20 editor
FINAL ISSUE SPECIAL!
Jake Reynolds
Adam Dawson
News Eats Man! 13 Cover Retrospective! 14-15
contributors
contributors
Julian Canlas, Scarlet Dawson, Hugo Douglas-Deane, Louis Pigeon-Owen, Carlo Saio
Adam Dawson, Dan Struthers, Adam White
Gaming & Tech 21 editor
Film 22-25 editors
Fun and Listings 26-27 editor
Joe Fitzsimmons
Neven Devies Silvia Rose
Daisy Jones
contributors
contributors
contributors
Tom Bedford
Isis Billing, Neven Devies, Melissa Haggar, Jamie Parsons, Louis Pigeon-Owen, Chris Rogers, Silvia Rose, Dan Struthers
Daisy Jones
FACES BY SARAH MICHAELS
music
041
concrete.music@uea.ac.uk
One criticism that has been levelled at pop music this decade is that it really doesn’t seem to mean anything anymore, and it rings particularly true at present. One of the most hotly contested general elections ever may be going on right now, but stick on the radio and you’ll find the latest generation of artists more worried about ‘finding themselves a cheerleader’ than the people running our country.
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
WIKI
What better way to get in touch with your political opinions, than with the soulful tones of the free-spirit that is Lauryn Hill. The woman who put words of community and love, coupling it with the struggles of the average man and woman in a world of gender inequality. The advocate of choice who spits over a heavy beat, after showcasing the mastery of her vocals, puts into perspective the importance and power of your choice; what else is more important?
Janelle Monae
FLICKR (MARK SEBASTIAN)
The Electric Lady
The new kid on the block, Janelle Monae’s The Electric Lady’s distopian setting is an environment rife with contemporary political issues. From the marginalised sectors of society, to the criticism of the powers at play, Monae’s Cindy Mayweather, the android protagonist running throughout all of her albums, as well as from the government, is part of the equality movement Monae brings, establishing politically charged themes and issues to a soulful audience.
As a former Etonian, Frank Turner’s position as a left-wing political commentator has been brought into question by a lot of people on the internet. Personally, I don’t think anyone’s upbringing should prevent them from holding a particular political stance, and the folk-rock singer made a great political statement with his 2008 release Thatcher Fucked The Kids. An angry assault of the Tory government of the 1980’s, Turner proves with this song his ability as a diverse, extremely talented songwriter.
venue’s musical to the Selections by
Mike Vinti Myles Earle Daniel Jeakins
WIKI
Lauryn Hill
Thatcher Fucked the Kids
WIKI
Frank Turner
It wasn’t always this way, of course. Billy Bragg’s been unleashing left-wing political anthems on the world for years, whilst The Sex Pistols’ anti-monarchy chart battle on the week of the silver jubilee has gone down in musical history. There’s even been a few recent political statements in the charts – from Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead’s ascent to number two upon the death of Margaret Thatcher to an auto-tuned remix of Nick Clegg apologising about his tuition fees U-turn going viral. With that in mind and in the wake of the general election, I’ve been flicking through my record collection to find some of the great political anthems. Daniel Jeakins
The Clash
The Clampdown
There’s a few decent choices for political Clash songs to choose from – Rock the Casbah being the most obvious option if you’re after something with mainstream popularity – but Clampdown might be the best choice out there. One of the highlights from London Calling – widely regarded as one of the finest punk records of all time – Clampdown is an absolute anthem about the working classes working for the gain of the rich and not themselves.
music
051 FLICKR (NRK P3)
concrete.music@uea.ac.uk
PJ Harvey
WIKI
Let England Shake
Triumphing in one of the strongest Mercury prize shortlists ever, PJ Harvey’s Let England Shake tackled themes such as the futility of war and decline of western culture with incredible success on her 2011 album. One of the most stunning, politically charged works ever, Harvey’s eighth studio album is adored by critics and is often cited as one of the best releases of the decade.
Jamie XX
All Under One Roof Raving
Best known for his work with working class Britpop legends, Pulp, this is Jarvis’ melodic ode to the state of the world. He blissfully rages against corporations and governments, attacking the elite that dominate seemingly every facet of the modern world. Taking to the piano, Cocker pulls no punches when it comes to disdain for our current class of leaders.
Public Enemy
Fear of a Black Planet
Released in 1990, Public Enemy’s Fear of a Black Planet finds the hip-hop pioneers on the form of their career. Songs like 911 Is a Joke, which attacked the appallingly long call-out time for police in black neighbourhoods, enjoyed critical acclaim upon its release and has since become a modern classic. If you’re looking for something political in the world of hip-hop, you really can’t do much better than Public Enemy.
Never Mind the Bollocks
The ultimate political album, the release of Sex Pistols’ Never Mind the Bollocks is arguably the most politically charged moment in British musical history. The band’s anti-establishment message was hugely controversial at the time and had a genuine impact on society – something that can’t really be said of any musical release since.
WIKI
guide general election
Sex Pistols
Bob Marley War
Punk isn’t the only genre to tackle politics head on – some of the best reggae artists also tackled important issues head on. Bob Marley & The Wailers’ 1976 release War’s lyrics were taken from a speech made by the Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie before the United Nations in 1963. Somehow despite this obvious limitation it also manages to be one of Marley’s best tracks.
FLICKR (FRANCESCO)
WIKI
Cunts Are Still Running the World
WIKI
Jarvis Cocker
Paying tribute to the glory days of Acid House and Rave before the Tories ruined everyone’s fun (again), this song is an important reminder that British culture is more than the manifesto pledges and UKIP slogans of this general election. With gentrification sweeping away much of biggest cities nightlife, now more than ever the UK needs a reminder of life outside of election hype and political posturing. Bouncing basslines and British accents litter the track creating a sense of nostalgia for the golden age of British rave, even if most of us missed it.
music
061
concrete.music@uea.ac.uk
don’t sleep....
FLICKR (FARM9)
the skints -epic studios Murray Roy
“Could reggae take over the world?” asked a sample used at the beginning of a demo recording of ‘Sociopath’ on The Skints’ first EP in 2008. Whether or not they intended to prophesize about the ascent of their own blend of Jamaican and British styles in a sound unmistakably from their beloved East London home, a look at the band that stepped on stage at Norwich’s Epic Studios provides a persuasive argument for its fulfilment. Making Norwich their first stop on the UK leg of the tour, off the back of a staggering 14date campaign to bring new album FM to the continent, The Skints left a serious impression of a band that has tirelessly grafted; finally getting the success and recognition has been such a long time in the making. As I joined the queue that was already
Cherry Bomb - Tyler, The Creator Luke Brett Cherry Bomb follows hot on the heels of I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside, a well-received drop from Tyler’s Odd Future companion, Earl Sweatshirt. But, what we’re looking at here are
snaking way down Magdalene Street, barely an hour after doors the anticipation of what was now sure to be a memorable one was hard to escape from. From the moment of arrival until lights, the entire evening was a spectacle in itself. A very special support set from Hollie Cook, another of the UK’s reggae stars, quietly rising under the studio guidance of Prince Fatty, along with her band General Roots, mesmerised the Norwich dub club in full attendance. The Skints family has become a fully-fledged unit, with MCs Rival, Horseman and Tippa Irie, a legend of British sound system culture, all featured on the latest release and taking to the mic to bring the experience of ‘FM’ – Frequency Murderation - and its imaginary London-reggae-radio theme to life. Every fan favourite from FM was executed defiantly
with the hefty rhythms, bass and harmonies, conscious and uplifting lyrics and irresistible hooks that The Skints have built their reputation upon. The progression evident in the difference between the band that played at the Arts Centre in my first year and the band that played tonight is undeniable. The Skints have become a truly heavyweight force, overflowing with a confidence that has certainly been earned, showing no sign of fatigue having just landed back on this side of the Channel. Their enthusiasm to even just be playing to their biggest ever Norwich crowd emanates throughout the room, particularly when guitarist Josh Waters-Rudge recalls their first Norwich gig many years ago, which was attended by ‘”about 15 people”. Now playing to a sold out Epic Studios,
clearly humbled and grateful, they were also deservedly relishing and enjoying the moment. It feels right - they’ve achieved this despite reggae’s minimal representation on mainstream British radio and in its music press, without all the hype and by constantly refining and redefining the music they want to play without compromise. Some of their earlier, punkier cuts such as Murderer, Mindless, and their staple set-finisher Culture Vulture are also still present on the set list, unashamedly showing those that first picked up the band on their newer records that they stick to their roots, and rewarding the old hardcore for staying with and supporting the band up to the present day. Nobody left Epic tonight with any doubt that The Skints have the potential to become one of the finest and best-loved reggae bands of this generation.
two musical polarities; far from Earl’s reserved been widened, and as a result, the album feels and quietly thoughtful beats, Cherry Bomb is much wider and more carefully produced fast, loud, and different. than his previous work. As mentioned, he That last descriptive is what I’ll be basing isn’t afraid to overstep the mark and put his the majority of this review upon- while feelers into unknown territory- his willingness trickles of Odd Future to experiment with a “Tyler’s flow is still syrupy still drip from the variety of samples and edges of this 13-track, mixing arrangements smooth, rumbling through the 54-minute album, it is has given us an album a fundamental change. album with masterful rhythm and that is consistently rhyme” we’ve still got Tyler’s refreshing. characteristic bassy drawl The album, while slicing its way through sparse and minimalistic home to several excellent tracks, began to tracks, Odd Future’s inherent darkness seems to feel a little too jumpy and, in some places, have become darker still- the heavy, thumping overly conceptual. While I admire Tyler’s drumlines and aggressive distortion of the attitude and flair for coming up with new album’s title track serve to remind us that Tyler arrangements, his production becomes too isn’t afraid to dig a little deeper. much on some tracks, such as THE BROWN For the most part, the album is great. STAINS OF DARKEESE LATIFAH PART Tyler’s flow is still syrupy-smooth, rumbling 6-12, where rain-sticks and kazoos combine through the album with masterful rhythm to create some of the weirdest, and heaviest and rhyme. Old-school inspiration coupled production sounds that I’ve heard on recent with new-school technology has resulted in a releases. It’s not terrible, but on some tracks, well-produced yet classically authentic album. Tyler’s experimental mixing nearly succeeds in At nearly an hour, Tyler’s creative scope has drowning out the rap itself. There are honestly
some songs that I can’t finish, purely because the various clicks and beeps are too annoying. This is my only real gripe with Cherry Bomb. While Tyler has once again proven that he can not only rap, but that he is prepared to continue the Odd Future tradition of pushing musical boundaries and bringing something new to the hip-hop game. In this case, though, he may have pushed the boat out a little too far- I’m a big fan of Tyler, and Odd Future, but some of the production of this album is questionable at best. However, this is not to say that this is the case with all of the tracksin fact, most of the tracks are the classic Molassesvoiced Tyler walking us through a forest of brass instruments and reverbladen beats. Finally, to top it all off, there’s a Kanye feature towards the end. Overall, a very solid album that might get a little annoying over time.
music
071
concrete.music@uea.ac.uk
artist / activist
don’t sleep DESHAUN CRADDOCK
Kelsey Frick explores how System of a Down have used their music to call for justice over the Armenian genocide
De La Soul X Nas
ALTERNA2
Ahead of their new Kickstarter funded album, De La Soul have dropped a collaboration with New York legend and GOAT Nas, check it out on their Soundcloud.
Chemical Brothers
April 24th marks the centenary of the Armenian awareness of the Armenian genocide. They’ve genocide, an event which existence has been called on the support of their fans and urged hotly debated throughout the past 100 years. them to seize this opportunity to bring justice Though often considered the first genocide to this cause and encourage discussion. of the 20th century, the Turkish government Beginning in April, the tour started in the has steadfastly denied the event and the issue US and will make its way around Europe and has become more political than ethical at this South America before finally coming to a close point. Only a handful of countries currently in Mexico. What makes this tour special is recognise the mass killings and death marches that, since their formation in 1994, SOAD had of 1.5 million Armenians as genocide. In 2015 never played in their home country of Armenia, alone, Austria, the Czech Republic, and Syria On the 23rd April they played there first home have officially condemned the genocide for the show, as part of the tour, to commemorate the first time. centennial. The tour has gotten resoundingly System of a Down, probably the most good reviews since its kick off in southern politically charged band of every metal kid’s California. SOAD has incorporated educative youth, have always been incredibly vocal about videos, narrated by fellow metal activist Tom their disgust for the Turkish government and Morello, to inform their fans of the current their war crimes. They’ve written a plethora of state of genocide denial and the harsh realities songs dealing with the subject, most notably faced by its victims. P.L.U.C.K., an acronym for Politically, Lying, Every member of System of a Down is the Unholy, Cowardly Killers, with lyrics like, descendant of an Armenian genocide survivor. “We’ve taken all your shit/Now it’s time In a video announcing the tour in LA, vocalist for restitution/Recognition, Restoration, Serj Tankian said, “I think you have to have Reparation”. Not only vocal through their incrimination, I think you have to have justice, music, SOAD have been featured in Screamers, courts involved, et cetera. It’s got to be done a 2006 documentary the right way.” featuring the band Tankian and “They’ve written a plethora of songs and members of drummer John dealing with the subject, most notably Dolmayan opened their families. The film highlights the P.L.U.C.K... Politically, Lying Unholy, themselves up for Armenian genocide a chat in a recent Cowardly Killers” and its denial along Reddit ‘Ask Me with various other Anything’. In it, genocides, including Rwanda and Darfur. they discussed their upcoming tour and the Although they haven’t recorded a new album implications of this centennial anniversary. since their hiatus ended in 2010, SOAD One user asked how to make the next 100 years announced their Wake Up The Souls tour at about the future of Armenia, rather than the the end of last year. Their message was clear: past. Tankian responded, “The genocide and the main purpose for the tour was to raise our quest for justice has now been engrained
into the DNA of Armenian culture and has become the most prevalent characteristic and bond among our people. No culture wants to be victimised forever.” “But does that have to take over our cultural treasures?” Tankian continued, “Isn’t what we’re doing with System Of A Down the perfect marriage of that? To present our cultural assets while fighting for justice. One without the other is an irreversible loss I think.” As SOAD continues to incorporate the ingrained heritage of the genocide into their music and political discourse, they have of course come under fire for their activism. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Tankian talked about how their Turkish fans defended them from a smear campaign started by whom he thinks was a Turkish government agent. That being said, there is a large minority of Turks that are disappointed with their government’s stance on the genocide. In 2008, Turkish activists launched the “I Apologise” campaign and reached over 30,000 signatures in just one month. Backlash was harsh in Turkey, some critics and politicians even going so far as to call for signatories to be punished under Article 301, a law that prohibits insults to Turkey, the Turkish nation, or their governmental institutions. SOAD have asked the Turkish government for permission to play in Turkey, but they have never had a response. They have made it clear that they will not abandon their convictions, and I believe that they have gained a lot of ground for the movement. They’ve encouraged discussion, empathy, and solidarity for the benefit of their people the heinous crimes committed against Armenians one hundred years ago.
IDOLATOR
Everyone’s favourite big beat pioneers, The Chemical Brothers, have announced their new album ‘Born in the Echoes’, out 17 July.
Sia released her new music video for ‘Fire Meet Gasoline’ for Heidi Klum’s lingerie line, featuring the model-turned-designer herself and Game of Thrones star Pedro Pascal.
KURDISH DAILY NEWS
Sia later
fashion
081
concrete.fashion@uea.ac.uk
Best Dressed UEA Media Collective Special!
beau of the ball
Adam Dawson gives us the rundown on how to rock formal wear trying to say you’re an elegant gentleman, not ‘omg look how random and kooky I am lol.’
FLICKR (TOUCHED MUCH)
Leah Omonya
1st Year - Fashion Writer
If you wanted to buy into gender norms, you might start this article by saying there are certain things a man should be able to do. Like build a shelf, or eat a plate of meat from the bone, or fix a car. There is really only one thing all men should be able to do, and do well (because it’s really not hard), and that is wear a suit. Let’s start with the basics of shopping. The same rule applies to anything you buy, but doubly so for suits: make sure it fits. A tootight t-shirt or jumper can be excused with an ‘everything else was dirty’ or ‘it shrunk in the wash.’ A suit is an altogether different beast – you want to look like you’ve made the effort, not like you’ve borrowed your dad’s. Go for a slim or tailored fit – they’re simple and streamlined, cutting out any extra fabric which would add weight to you. The same for your trousers – slim, not skinny. There are a lot of colours and patterns you could pick from too. Grey is hard to get right – too dark and you look miserable, too light and you look out of place. A mid-ground grey is less stuffy than black or navy, and with a solid black tie and black shoes is a wise choice. You’ll look like a 50s movie star, like Cary Grant. Navy is a good spin for a more formal occasion. If you’re feeling particularly daring, a pattern is good. You’ll stand out, for sure. But if the pattern is overwhelming, it’ll be garish. It should be a suggestion of a pattern, nothing more. You’re
Details are what makes a suit. If you’ve been wearing the same thing to all of your formal events, accessorise it so well its own mother won’t recognise it when you’re through. The right pocket square and a tie bar is enough.
There’s no need for overkill as white pocket squares are a good way of adding a classy touch. A patterned one is much more playful, and if you’re in a black suit it can be a little way of adding some of your ‘oh so charming’ personality. Do remember that your tie and pocket square should compliment, not match. That’d be overkill. No one wants that. Shoes are important on a daily basis, twice as important with a suit. The wrong shoe will make your whole outfit look messy. Unusual colours are modern and can bring out the best in your outfit. A mossy green and a navy suit will work well. A deep blue with a black suit too. Black shoes are always best though, they’re timeless for a reason. Also, here’s a tip for the rest of your life you can have for free: black monk strap shoes are the single best foot-based investment you can make. For the love of god, never wear brown shoes. And one more thing. Don’t wear a black turtleneck or a t-shirt with a beautiful suit jacket and matching trousers. It’s not going to work unless you look like Tinie Tempah or Jim Chapman, and they’d look good even if they’d been rolling around in a sewer for hours. After saying all that, there’s only really one thing that matters when you wear a suit. When it’s all on and you take that final look at yourself in the mirror before you head out, you should feel like you can take on the world.
bring on the beach Clare Bartington tells us about this summer’s hottest beachwear trends Joe Jameson
2nd Year - Comment Editor
Olivia Cheeves
3rd Year - Livewire Events Photography Leah Omonya
The sun is shining and summer is fast approaching! There’s no better way of celebrating than treating yourself to some new beachwear - after all there’s no better way to procrastinate than sunbathing in your garden or hitting the beach, to start on your tan. For some, the bikini is the way to go, maximising your tan with a bandeau bikini top. However, many will be pleased to hear, that straps are back – perfect for you girls who want that extra bit of support. Halternecks and crop-top styles are all the rage this summer, keeping you secure for those games of volleyball! There are now also a multitude of bikini bottoms to cater for all shapes and sizes; from the typical brief bottoms to the high-waisted, 1950s look, for those who want to feel like Marilyn on the sand. SWIMSUITS However, if bikinis aren’t your thing, have no fear – swimsuits can instantly pull off that modest, classy style, whilst still looking as hot as Queen Bey. They come in numerous styles: plunge, strapless, cut-out, looped straps... the list goes on. Patterned swim wear can make you stand out from the crowd. Whether it’s a matching bikini set or
mixed with a block colour, to draw attention to where you want it! Primark, is a great shout for this, thinking of that student budget, and you can quite easily mix the sizes without the shop caring, particularly on a Saturday when we all know the shop floor turns into a jumble sale. CUT-OUTS Why not try something new and unique with a funky swimsuit cut-out? Swimsuits don’t have to be straight up and down, and if you’re proud of your hard earned summer body then why not show it off a little. Though be warned, interesting tan lines could become problematic! BLOCK COLOURS You can never go wrong with a block colour swimsuit or bikini set – from elegant greens to sophisticated shades of orange and bronze which are in this season. You can mix it up as well and find the colours that suit you best. Love pink, but don’t want to look like the Barbie doll you had when you were six? Then grab a pair of pink bottoms and calm it down with a gorgeous blue top. COVER-UPS To complete any beach look,
accessories are a must. The shops have some great cover ups at the moment, especially River Island who have a great selection in at super affordable prices. Patterned cover ups are also a great way of injecting colour in to your outfit. You may only be on Great Yarmouth beach, but you can pretend to be in Thailand by wearing this Asian-inspired garment. SUNGLASSES Sunglasses always complete the look – whether you want the classic Wayfarer to finish off your elegant style, pretend to be in Top Gun with the Aviators or the more ‘hipster’ Clubmaster frame. There is a shape for all. You could even rock the catlike frame, which have become a huge, iconic hit since featuring in Swifty’s Blank Space video. HATS Moreover, hats have made a massive comeback in recent years. Relief for mums, who no longer have to nag you to wear a hat, so you don’t get sun stroke! Floppy hats are perfect for that breezy beachy look, and exude class. Or if you don’t want such a sad looking hat, you can work a more structured one - as there’s nothing worse than a burnt head!
fashion
091
FLICKR (LICENSE TO BOOT)
FLICKR (LICENSE TO BOOT)
concrete.fashion@uea.ac.uk
festival fashion Sharon Abraham shares her top tips for looking flawless this festival season In the famous words of Will Smith: “Summer, Summer, Summer time!” The long awaited sunshine has arrived! Ladies, we can now finally ditch our winter coats and put on our summer dresses. With Radio 1’s Big Weekend being hosted right here in Norwich and the sun shining brightly, it’s only right to start getting festival ready! One of the classic ways to achieve a festival look is by wearing shorts. Shorts became a festival staple in the early 90s to wear to music festivals and have stayed there ever since. They are comfortable and easy to walk around in, whether it’s a pair of denim or lace, shorts are fabulous for their versatility. Shorts can be paired with anything such as a bra-let or your favorite crop-top. Another good way to get that festival look is to throw on a statement t-shirt. Statement t-shirts are so versatile and can be worn with anything from hotpants to a flowing maxi skirt, instantly making your look edgy. Alternatively, if a statement t-shirt isn’t really your look you could also opt for the new, hot
‘fringe’ look. To create the relaxed festival vibe, you could wear a fringe camisole vest top or even a fringe kimono. These simple, staple fringe pieces look cool and a kimono is the perfect cover up at the end of the day when it starts to get a little chilly. Now we have clothes covered, what about footwear?! Whether you’re a wellies or boots kind a girl, the most important thing to consider is comfort (slightly hypocritical coming from me – whoops!) However, as you will be on your feet all day you want footwear that is not only comfortable but of course practical. Boots are the ideal choice of footwear for festivals whether they are cowboy style, boho, or grungy biker boots with studs and zips. Pairing ankle boots with an item you may already have in your wardrobe such as a pretty mini-dress or skirt can easily turn an outfit from girly to edgy, giving you that effortless festival look. In addition, you can always add some va-va-voom to your outfit by wearing some red lipstick to give your outfit a sexy edge.
With footwear sorted, what we cannot forget to do is accessorise, accessorise, accessorise! Accessories are a major factor in achieving the ultimate festival look. With Coachella music festival recently taking place, judging by all the celebrity photos on Twitter and Instagram, accessories are a MUST! First thing to bear in mind is don’t be afraid to add a burst of colour. You could do this with a cute floral headband, often favoured by the likes of Vanessa Hudgens. But, if a floral headband is a bit much you could opt for a classic fedora hat or take it back to the 90s with a bandanna! I know it sounds obvious, but don’t forget your loyal companion - sunglasses. Sunglasses are a big fashion DO and are essential to your festival look. Personally, I love statement jewellery and festivals are a great way to feature them. When it comes to festivals there are no rules so you could combine multiple accessories if you really wanted to. You could wear a bright summery statement necklace, and layer on
several colourful bracelets. Or, to enhance the statement look further wearing an arm cuff looks particularly cool. With the music playing, the most important thing is to be able to dance carefree without having anything weighing down. Carrying a small shoulder bag for your essentials i.e. phone, make-up, purse is practical. You want to be able to move and dance freely without the stress of having a big heavy bag. Not to mention everyone asking to put their stuff in there, once upon a time that was me - learn from my struggle! Following the fringe trend you could wear a shoulder fringe bag that is small, stylish and fits all your stuff in too. Or, if you want to be completely free you could wear a bum bag, which fits right around your waist so your arms are totally free to wave in the air when the music takes you way. Ultimately, festival fashion is about being fun, bright and colourful. Most importantly it’s about having a good time whilst looking flawless.
arts
101
ANA DUKAKIS
face of a generation
concrete.arts@uea.ac.uk
Adam Dawson questions the credibility of popular faces of contemporary art
Do you remember three years ago, when Lady Gaga was still relevant? Me neither, but she said some interesting things about three artists who had allegedly been her inspiration. The first was Marina Abramovich, possibly the most well-known avant-garde artist ever. She’s also the most overrated by a mile. Gaga admires her because of her alleged artistic integrity. Not because of her reusing old ideas or paying her assistants next to nothing, then. The second of Gaga’s artistic holy trinity is Robert Wilson, an experimental theatre director whose work is so bizarre and strange it makes Gaga look as normal as a loaf of bread. The final member of this oddball group was Jeff Koons. Koons is an interesting one to say the least. He has as many fans as he does enemies, as many people calling him a contemporary master as call him a fraud. His work sells for millions of dollars when it’s ‘just’ a pile of Play-Doh or a statue of Michael Jackson. No one thinks he’s just okay either – you have an opinion on Jeff Koons. If you’ve seen his work, you’ll buy into the cult of Koons, or you’ll think he’s pulling an elaborate trick in order to make money. This is why he’s the artist who best sums up our time: either he’s an incredible, innovative creator like no one else, or he’s doing it all for the money. Or both. He’s all surface and no depth, which reflects the cultural times we have the misfortune to be living through. The world now is stuffed with minor celebrities who stand for nothing. They are their image and nothing more. The horde of young YouTube stars (who I’m told are actually relevant) are so overly sincere that their audience doesn’t have to think or reflect critically on what they’ve seen. The same is happening in pop music. Taylor Swift, for instance, is all surface. People accept them on a daily basis without as much anger as Koons creates, and here’s why: those people aren’t in the art world. They might be complete nothings, just empty vacuous spaces behind a pretty boy or beautiful girl face, but Koons is an Artist. And the art world is full of snobs. There’s nothing in Koons we’re not familiar with. Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, or a shiny Popeye statue – he’s not saying anything new about these things, he’s repurposing their image. Highbrow art about Popeye? Yes. Koons is full of contradictions, which is the source of his power. We can stare and stare until our eyes fall out, but that’s really all there is to it. Koons made three versions of his Popeye statues, each six and a half feet tall and weighing 2,000 pounds. One of them sold for $28m. It’s not like the
work itself is interestingly made – Koons has a studio of people to do the hard graft for him. The surface of the statue is the thing itself, it’s not pretending to be any more than an amped up version of something you might find in a little souvenir shop in the tackiest corner of the planet. But that’s the whole point. Koons is selling – and his art is made to be bought by the obscenely rich – tacky souvenirs of our time. Instead of spending a few pounds on a plastic Popeye, spend a few million on a gold one. Let everyone know you’re obscenely wealthy by buying a Koons, not realising he’s just selling you something you can get for a lot less. But if you’re willing to buy into his image, you’re willing to spend your wealth on it. Koons has created a cult around himself. He perpetuates his image better than a PR manager can, and he’s certainly a better publicist than artist. All that bad artists need to get ahead is a good publicist (Banksy, anyone?), and Koons does his own work. Koons makes you believe that if you take nothing from his work, then you’re in the wrong and he’s a misunderstood genius, like Van Gogh or Duchamp were in their lifetime. Here’s the thing: there is nothing to be taken from Jeff Koons. There is nothing more to his work than the surface. The whole point is that everything is in front of you at once. The work is empty of anything deeper than image, as vacuous as the culture that led to its creation. Koons has won whatever game he was playing. Retrospectives of his work have taken place all over the world, the cult of Koons line up around the street to take a look at an enormous dog made of stainless steel. Koons, like him or hate him, takes the emptiness of contemporary culture and blows it up to an enormous size in order to ram down our throats just how very barren and obvious culture is right now. Of course this implicates his own work, and of course Koons knows it. He got disgustingly wealthy from it though, so do you think he cares? If you don’t like Koons’ work, take your complaint to the bland, boring people we’ve made famous. It’s their fault he exists, and it’s our fault they exist. If Koons infuriates you, good. We’ve accepted empty image for far too long. It’s time to stop letting people like Jeff Koons become wealthy beyond belief by peddling this utterly empty, purely-image driven kind of art. It means nothing. It’s time we celebrated people who stand for something, who are more than their image. Stop letting image create our culture. Start letting ideas back in, and we’d be somewhere close to the right track again.
arts
111
concrete.arts@uea.ac.uk
David Nicholls talks at LitFest
Abigail Walton reviews David Nicholls’ latest novel ‘Us’
Us written by David Nicholls is a picaresque and poignant tale of a family under strain. Nicholls speaks of his utmost surprise at being nominated for the 2014 Man Booker Prize, arguably more difficult than previous years, as the prize opened its doors to American authors for the first time last year. But the judges, including our own Sarah Churchwell, were right to nominate this extremely humorous but heartbreaking tale. Nicholls published One Day back in 2009, but it wasn’t until a year later, when the book sold over five million copies, and was adapted into a major film staring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess, that it was classed as a publishing phenomenon. While One Day looks at how Dexter and Emma grew up together, Us’ focuses on the time after the first kiss. Nicholls explains that he was determined “not to write a disappointing follow up,” and Us is certainly not that. This is a tale of a man who is almost the complete opposite of Dexter Mayhew.
Douglas Peterson is run by logic and seems to be a somewhat unimaginative biochemist. At first Douglas may seem an unattractive character. However when he is thrown into crisis by his wife, Connie, the more spirited of the two, who announces that their long marriage has run its course and should probably come to an end, we grow to admire and understand a man who “loved (his) wife to a degree that (he) found impossible to express and so rarely did.” This crisis happens on the first page and is complicated by the family’s plans to have one more holiday together before Albie, their bolshie son, goes off to university. This tale has beautifully woven together the issues of family life: the tension between father and son, the relationship between husbands and wives, and the differences between art and science. Nicholls states that although many claim his work to be ‘chick literature’, he thinks there are many aspects in his book that look past the disintegrating relationship
between Douglas and Connie. David Nicholls explains that he wanted to write about a journey that was usually reserved for young boys to prove themselves, and come back men, but for a 54-year-old man to struggle through the trials of inter-railing. “There is no reason that the subject matter cannot be worthy of serious study, especially if you look at American fiction, where love, marriage and family are frequently dealt with by critically revered writers.” Nicholls who is now 47, with a wife and child, seems to reflect this in Us, as this tale deals with the more mature concerns of middle age, parenthood and finding a way to knit together the damage done by the march of time and what that does to a romantic relationship. During the talk, late on Wednesday night, Nicholls spoke a lot about the influence of the high romanticism in Thomas Hardy’s novels, and especially the influence his new script Far From The Maddening Crowd (released May
1st) had on Us. In an epigraph to Us Nicholls refers to Hardy, quoting the moment Gabriel Oak proposes marriage to the beautiful, but unattainable, Bathsheba Everdean, “and at home by the fire, whenever you look up, there I shall be - and whenever you look up there I will be”… “her countenance fell, and she was silent for a while.” This neatly sums up Douglas’ perception of his relationship with Connie. He is content to be liked, and understands the inequality of their marriage. Douglas is scientific, uninspired but loyal; Connie is passionate and spontaneous, and through flashbacks telling how they met, courted and married, Nicholls movingly choreographs their awkward and unlikely dance of love. Us is an incredibly fresh book that is heartbreakingly beautiful with a humour that will leave you laughing at inappropriate times. Nicholls has once again written a superb novel that deserved its place amongst the Longlisted for this year’s Man Booker prize.
shock horror! Ben Baulch-Jones reviews Horrible Histories at the Norwich Theatre Royal biting the improbably named Viking ‘Ragnar Hairy-Trousers’. Naturally, this is followed by his longboat’s figurehead leading an inspiring singalong. Predictably, the proceedings become repetitive, and eventually the flying heads and gore wore thin. Even the most bloodthirsty eight year old was left cold, whilst the onslaught was all too much for the younger kids. This is where the show fell down; in comparison with its TV counterpart, it sometimes felt slapdash and repetitive, though never managing to lose our interest. Despite misgivings about gimmicky staging or repetitive tricks, it’s hard to react with anything other than glee to Horrible Histories: Incredible Invaders, be it childish or otherwise. Its brilliant blending of pantomime mayhem and cynical satire was passionately delivered and thoroughly entertaining throughout.
The play’s female narrator explored a relevant range of topics in a field dominated by dead white men, whilst the play’s humorous slant on immigration bringing us together felt surprisingly pertinent, despite being rooted in the distant past. The kids were entertained, and the adults were threatened into singing ridiculous songs about place-names. History teachers of Britain, take your notes!
HIM ME & THREE
As I entered the theatre, pen and notebook Pythonesque. The ensemble cast are fantastic; in hand, I could not help but observe I was four other actors play weather-forecasting neither a child nor a parent, a face out of place druids bothering Mavis, before performing amongst the sea of school children. A moment an off-beat musical number about slavery as of crisis; am I finally too old, too serious Roman soldiers. The audience can barely keep and boring to enjoy Terry Deary’s excellent up as the cast effortlessly switches between Horrible Histories series, a gory education in dozens of roles as the play moves through the past that includes a BAFTA award winning time, yet the air is of controlled chaos over children’s show and a million selling book utter pandemonium. Certainly the characters series? Of course not! are simple; a band of German-techno loving Though us students Saxons or marauding may not be the kilt-clad Scots, yet “Horrible Histories: target audience for the pacing and pantoThe Birmingham Incredible Invaders is a guilt- posturing of the actors Stage Company’s free treat for impressionable keeps the proceedings brilliant exploration lively and the pace young and jaded old alike” of Roman, Saxon punchy. and Viking history, On the subject of the show featured a range of humour to suit troublesome Scots, the writers have snuck in all ages. With surprisingly sophisticated dark a surprisingly serious undercurrent of on the comedy, gratuitous violence and singing nose satire and plenty of geeky jokes for the rabbits to boot, Horrible Histories: Incredible adults. Commenting on the construction of Invaders is a guilt-free treat for impressionable Hadrian’s Wall, a sarcastic Scotsman sneaks young and jaded old alike. in references to both the impending general Firstly, the scope of the play is truly election and Pink Floyd’s The Wall - a bizarre impressive. The attempt to squash 1000 years double whammy of cultural referencing. We’re of British history into below two hours of stage also treated to some wonderfully dark parallels time is gutsy in itself. Horrible Histories not between British and Roman colonialism via only succeed in this aim, but had the entire the medium of musical theatre, an impressively audience glued to their seats throughout. The bonkers feat in any play. story is a pantomime romp through early The play’s second half boasts ‘3D British history narrated by Mavis, a long- Bogglevision’, a chance for the audience to suffering Celt who can barely keep up with her don 3D glasses and have the stage show come homeland being endlessly pillaged. Never dry to life. The gimmick starts out fun, with a or didactic, the play soon takes a turn for the snake reaching out over the audience and
POLLING STATIONS
OPEN 7TH MAY SEE YOU POLL CARD FOR
YOUR POLLING STATION
LOCATION WATCH THE RESULTS LIVE IN THE BLUE BAR | 10PM ‘TIL LATE
131 It came to her in a flash of light, most probably. Holly J. McDede, she of the hat and accent, had unearthed and chronicled the secret art within little old Norwich, and decided the general public might like to see it to. Many months, tears and weird administrative forms later, NEWS EATS MAN: THE EVENT finally came to fruition. For two days, St. James Place was home to a vast collection of local art and illustrative highlights from Venue and our acclaimed arts and literature supplements, alongside live music, readings, and all kinds of beautiful people. If you weren’t there... ugh, you missed out.
Clockwise from top Arty people looking at art, artfully (Photograph by Ruth Knapp) Collections by Dougie Dodds (Photo by Ruth Knapp) An assortment of Venue covers on display (Photo by Ruth Knapp) Collections by Ruth Knapp, Lizzie Parsons and Kristiana Sizinceva (Photo by Ruth Knapp) A friendly collage outside the door (Photo by Adam Dawson)
141
HENRY BOON ISSUE 308 I wanted to create something that represented the intimacy of a relationship, without being too cheesy. As we all know, Valentine’s Day can be a very cheesy occasion. The girl just casually wrapping her arms around the guy and the two of them cheerfully looking at each other gave a nice sense of comfort and ease to the image. It is a hand-drawn piece that I finished digitally.
ELLIE GREEN ISSUE 304 I was lucky to be able do two covers this year, along with illustrating inside of Venue itself. The Sherlock cover, done in ink pen and watercolour, was meant to incorporate the idea that it’s an adaptation, with Benedict Cucumber reading one of the original books by Arthur Conan Doyle. It was really a quick sketch of the idea, but I like the poster feel to it.
cover stars
ASIA PATEL ISSUE 305 I used watercolour paints, a black Biro, and a black fine liner to create a Christmas-themed image addressing the traditional and modern aspects of the season.
One of our proudest achievements at Venue this year has been the introduction of illustrations to the supplement, in the process shining a light on artists within UEA and Norwich itself. To celebrate the final issue of this school year, we’ve compiled a retrospective of our acclaimed cover art, all with a little note from their respective artists. From all of us here at Venue 2014/2015, thank you for reading. Curated by Adam White.
ADAM WHITE ISSUE 299 This was something better in concept than in execution. I had the idea of making the cover a photograph of a freshers T-shirt, with coverlines already printed onto it, along the lines of the poster for 500 Days of Summer. It came out a little weird. And vastly different from literally every other cover we’ve done. Oh well. The actual T-shirt is hanging in my wardrobe, by the way. I’m sure you were all wondering about that.
TAMARA CHANG ISSUE 310 For the big Venue mash-up issue, Tamara put together an image made up of all of Venue’s individual sections, combining to make an enormous robot. It was drawn and finished digitally, along with the cover for this very issue, which Tamara also illustrated.
RUTH KNAPP ISSUE 303 The Sex Issue brief involved themes of sex and gender, and I had been reading a lot of old comics for inspiration, so I immediately thought of She-Hulk and another strong female character kissing. I drew her with Sheena, Queen of the Jungle as she is wild and free. They’re struggling in the composition, as if they were fighting and then the mood changed. For some people sexuality can be a struggle, but it’s also no concern of anyone else’s, so I liked the uncertainty in the piece.
ADAM WHITE ISSUE 301 Gone Girl is deliberately Hitchcockian in execution, Amy Dunne a post-modern reinvention of the traditional Hitchcock blonde. This cover was directly inspired by Saul Bass’ Vertigo poster, only this time with a woman tumbling into a strange abyss instead of a couple. It was achieved via traditional pencils and paints on canvas.
151 TASEEN RAHMAN ISSUE 306 This drawing took about two hours to finish – it was in pencil and based on the best cartoonlike picture of a brain I could find on Google Images! It was originally intended for an article on the human brain, and the relationship between the creative mind and mental illness, hence the dark and light beams coming from each half of the brain.
LIAM PAINTER ISSUE 300 When I was asked to do the cover I had just moved away and had no art supplies. So I began making my own textiles and materials with what I had laying around, reflecting the patterns and textures from the animals in a colourful manner. ANA DUKAKIS ISSUE 302 I wanted to incorporate Halloween elements with that of the upcoming Norwich Sound and Vision festival, so I used the NS+V logo along with a pumpkin which had music and art-inspired carvings. I also painted a skyline (the cover was water-colour) inspired by Norwich Cathedral, as it was both from Norwich and conveniently Halloween-esque.
HEATHER MILES ISSUE 298 Heather Miles is currently in Morocco, presumably not illustrating Venue covers. But she did do this one for our Handover Issue last year, which Holly personally commissioned. It’s nice, innit. ELLIE GREEN ISSUE 309 This Drugs Issue cover had a specific brief, with Adam White, co-editor of Venue, having the idea to do a sort of optical illusion image, with the title ‘Venue Does Drugs’ incorporated into it. My drawing was very simple and I used pencils and watercolour pencils to create a light wash of colour. The patterns of cannabis leaves and pills were obvious references to drugs, as I wanted to keep the design clear and simple. I enjoyed being able to contribute to Venue this year, having illustrations has really made each issue more exciting and encouraged bigger contribution from students, which can only be a positive thing!
RUTH KNAPP ISSUE 311 My favourite medium of all time is printing with stencils, so when I saw the brief requested something Mad Men-inspired, I knew it would make an awesome print. The main character is quite dark, so I pictured a noir vibe – moody with a cigarette. I hand-cut four stencils and painted through them, then used Photoshop to brighten the colours and make it look more graphic, but still hand painted.
SAM HARRONS ISSUE 307 This was a commissioned piece, but one strongly linked to Sam’s own aesthetic. Like several of his recent pieces, this was inspired by the redsplashed walls of Norwich’s Playhouse bar, with bright colours and a sun-drenched desert landscape at its centre.
creative writing
161
concrete.creativewriting@uea.ac.uk
‘Yes, of course we were pretentious -- what else is youth for?’
Meditation Writes on the Dream’s Back Dream Carlo Saio
o
Julian Barnes, The Sense of an Ending The best endings are short and sweet. Bye!
--Jake Reynolds
Bode Radio / Glass Light / Broken Hearts Hugo Douglas-Deane I am reminded of the opening of the millennia I have passed over two thousands and live to tell the tale they told everyone everything would stop. Broken glass, radio lights out, and a huge knockout to the hearts of all those looking toward to writing three zeroes in a row, even if with pencils or typewriters. I remember the light, the beauty which overcame those who came to the ceremony to accept death, not as death but as a gift, not as a broken heart, or a light going out, they did not see the ceremony as death. The serenity, the calm, the robes stripping off history, bringing them to with a stoic blank, and surely, as my eyes really saw it They flew To the ceiling like our friends did in the factory, and yet it was all a ruse. There was no truth in the prediction, the planes fell not from the sky, only the people who fell in with the myth. They fell. They struck the ground. They were felled and lay in three giant circles.
Untitled Scarlet Dawson The voices and laughter flicker and fade, extinguished by the icy morning air. Outside, muffled birdsong accompanies the first lights of dawn.
r
1 F
r
o m m the centre of nothing The world untethers and in the blushing birth of the stars forgets the end it was uncurling towards lapped by the scatter-spray span in the shade of its own Blink 2 the lotus bazaar of life is alive inside a flower you may never touch with the eyes that feed you Eternity in what you cannot see 3 absolve the surface to feel where legs find feet to the rootmind of a baobob tree and in their X of infinity, they meet to spread in arms across the palm beleaf of sky, above and beneath the seams to the Holocene fracture-screen Scree of what to perceive meditation written on the dream back’s dream
Microfictions
Submit your own to @miniaturestory on Twitter The lobby pay phone rang twice. Then stopped. Then three times more. They were coming for him. He took one last sip and loaded his Beretta.
ANA DUKAKIS
It strikes me as strange that the parties I go to always end at the beginning. That the birth of a new day should coincide with the demise of our absurdities and that, as waves of fire brim on the horizon and eventually reach out to stain red bricks and church spires, we scatter and retreat. Like so many slumberous stars.
creative writing
171
concrete.creativewriting@uea.ac.uk
Untitled
ADAM WHITE
Julian Canlas
My Stalker Louis Pigeon-Owen 1 My stalker has one breast like an apple, the other like a pear. She has a turned-down lip, a lazy eye and A tangle of thorns for hair that devoirs brushes and combs. My stalker has one leg longer than the other And corrupted, nicotine-washed teeth. She spits and burps and has one mole on the tip of her nose, Sprouting a single black hair. 2 My stalker broke in through the window And stood in my room glittering with splintered glass. We should never have existed, but She refused to leave when I dialled 999; She called my bluff, So we fucked And watched crap on TV until our eyes burnt out. 3 Now The world is mapped out with pizza boxes and We throw stale crusts at each other Screaming that this is love. I can hear god howling through the broken window And the devil giggling between her legs. Now The bed is stained with semen and clotted blood And I caress the bones poking through her skin. 4 My stalker let me tumble from her mind, She left early and only half of her came back, smelling different. It wasn’t like the sex was good: raw and chaffing like coarse sandpaper; Nothing poetic, But the piles of junk-food began to ache and my heart grew mould. 5 Now She has escaped, so I insert myself back into her life, Hijacking her calls And breathing electricity into her brain. Now I trace her to work, where I cling to the shadows And watch my stalker working behind her window.
‘I missed you.’ Sitting in the restaurant next to the windows, Rob reached for Aurelio’s hand, first slowly interlocking fingers with his to feel the friction—the tickle—of his skin, then into a tight grip. Rob had forgotten how warm Aurelio was, and when he looked at him Aurelio smiled; Rob bit his lip to feign composure. Aurelio glanced around the room. Filled with people by 8pm on a Friday, the restaurant was notable for its authentic representation of Indian cuisine (defined by whom? No idea.), and even recommended by the few Indians that lived in here. Not dubbed by a tripadvisor.co.uk (presumably white) reviewer as ethnic Indian vegetarian for nothing! The inside of the restaurant had humble décors, with plastic chairs comfortable enough to enjoy some vegetarian delights, one unscented tealight in a recycled jam jar on the middle of each table for eclectic romanticism, and a framed photo of a Mahatma Gandhi statue propped by a beautiful white Rover next to it. East meets West as a dynamic, with the former showing itself as accessibly authentic. Aurelio himself was also ethnic. In fact, he was the only ethnic person inside the restaurant. ‘Yeah, such a long time,’ Aurelio said. ‘Since November,’ Rob added. ‘Norwich was really foggy, cold, and windy back then. But now warm and sunny!’ He paused and frowned. ‘What have you been doing during these last six months?’ ‘Working really.’ That was true. What was he doing? Was there even a singular motive behind his actions other than to exist and to try to assimilate in this foreign place? When Rob tried to catch his eyes, Aurelio turned to stare at the street. A group of bikers whizzed past the cobblestones, students in uniform smoking, a beggar slumped on a building opposite to the restaurant, an old couple walking slowly while holding hands, two magpies perched upon the roof of a van in still existence despite the clamour. Aurelio was scared to look at him and feel for a flickering instant that past self emerge out of himself, that self deeply in love. ‘You said you needed some time alone, and before you know it six months has passed. Six months.’ Before Aurelio could answer, the waiter came to them with a notepad and a pen like a distraction given with consciousness. ‘Good evening. What would you like?’ the distraction enquired in a high baritone that could swoop tips out of any person’s wallet. Rob forced a smile at the distraction. After the distraction left, Rob rose from his chair and gently tapped Aurelio’s cheek. Rob leaned his forehead against his and whispered, ‘Look at me. What’s wrong?’ Despite the humdrum, everything around Aurelio whirred into a halt; he’d only hear Rob’s short, shallow exhales, feel the tips of their noses touching. Aurelio felt Rob’s gaze like a clear, blue sky—threateningly gravid with the emptiness. Uttered words were never enough, Aurelio thought. He found that despite having been with him for a year, they never changed from their dynamic binary existence---Rob,
pale, blonde and patient, and he black-haired and stubborn. Both of them reveled in their impulsion as travelers, but Aurelio knew that with that came a state of temporality, something that Aurelio didn’t want as a new inhabitant. ‘Sit down. Nothing’s wrong,’ Aurelio answered. ‘I’m just really tired.’ ‘Wait until you taste the food. When you told me you’ve turned vegetarian, I was so surprised! You used to consume a farm-full of meat every week!’ Aurelio laughed, as Rob told the memory, as if it was something told only yesterday. Aurelio thought their experience together came and went out of Rob’s head as a blur. ‘I didn’t eat that much!’ ‘You would eat an amount of meat bigger and larger than my forearm. When I asked you why you ate so much you said “for the sake of protein!”’ The waiter arrived with the food. Aurelio took a spoonful of his soup. ‘This is delicious!’ Bits of vegetables clung around the corners of his mouth. ‘Still such a messy eater.’ ‘It’s great food. You always know the good places around.’ ‘I have the best tongue for fine dining.’ The sky had darkened, a black canvas. Where the students used to be were now occupied by adults talking; the two magpies had flown away; the old couple gone; the beggar remained. ‘Now, you think we can see each other more often?’ Rob said as soon as Aurelio had finished eating. Aurelio stiffened a little. Rob extended his hand to the middle of the table. Aurelio drew back his. The silence returned, less tense than before. Aurelio thought about Rob’s question before; what’s wrong? It echoed inside him, inexplicably anchored with grief. But the answer to him was clear. After all the time they hadn’t seen each other, Rob didn’t even show any sense of frustration, no yearning. Rob might not be aware of it, but Aurelio knew that his being alongside him was, in itself, bound up to a state of transience. Ben broke up with his lover, right before they first met. Aurelio just turned out to be there. ‘I’ll see,’ said Aurelio. The waiter placed the bill on the table. ‘This is on me,’ Rob said. ‘No, it’s all right, let me pay for once.’ ‘All right, but do you want to go to the pub after this? Drinks on me.’ But Aurelio had reminded himself that love was not like the 2-pound coin given by the bus driver as change, then revitalized into new life by being left next to the empty plate, a solid upon the receipt, as the waiter’s tip. ‘I don’t think I can.’ ‘Come on. What did I do wrong?’ I don’t know, Aurelio thought. I don’t blame you. I think we just met each other under the wrong circumstances.
television
181
concrete.television@uea.ac.uk
don’t reboot me Mr. Ghostface A lot of 1990s nostalgia, that gimmicky, ridiculous and occasionally heartfelt pastime propped up by parody Twitter accounts and a sizeable chunk of the infrastructure of Buzzfeed, is a symptom of what we’ve allegedly lost. Throw in some natural aching for the freedoms and real-world ignorances of our collective childhoods, as well as a dash of pre9/11 whitewashing, and you have a solid foundation for treating the era as something arguably greater than it really was. But there are certainly elements to 90s nostalgia that feel relevant and worthy of acclaim, notably in that era’s pop culture teens. Whether it was Angela Chase or Sabrina Spellman, Dawson Leery or Kenan & Kel, there was a truthfulness to the era’s youngsters. Even when they had magical powers, they still worked dead-end jobs, slobbed around at house parties and hung out in skate parks. There was an interest in reflecting actual truth, or at least a superficial interpretation of it. It’s in direct contrast to the representation of teen idols today, representation which is dominated by the glossily aspirational, rather than the sometimes uglier truth. It’s a distinction particularly highlighted by last week’s reveal of MTV’s Scream, an upcoming television thriller inspired by the 90s comedy-horror series of the same name. The Scream franchise, created by one-time teen titan Kevin Williamson and
horror maestro Wes Craven, was always a lightning rod of broad appeal (a YouTube compilation of Scream 2 TV spots is an interesting case study, with commercials tailored for practically every irresistible demographic: Teens! Adults! Gore hounds! Comedy fans! Black people!), so it’s no surprise that MTV, already home of the radically rebooted Teen Wolf, would seek out such a pan-generational, multi-faceted audience. While Neve Campbell’s perpetually pained heroine Sidney Prescott lounged around in ugly sweaters before being chased through her suburban abode by a man in a Munch mask, the cast of MTV’s Scream reboot appear to have stepped straight out of Gossip Girl - boys styled like the second coming of Zayn Malik, girls plonking around in too-high heels and tiny cocktail dresses. But the show’s first minute-long trailer felt alien to what came before it, characters hanging out in plush mansions and jacuzzis, Abercrombie & Fitch long having thrown up all over them. This all in spite of being set in the same middle-America heartland as its cinematic predecessors. It’s all characteristically millennial. Which would be fine, if this were any other series. But a fundamental part of the Scream franchise’s appeal was its ordinary-ness, a world populated by relatable, diverse and endearing people who we then watched get
FOR WALLPAPER
Adam White tells us why the Scream TV show is going to be a car crash. horribly killed. Unlike its slasher ancestry, Scream granted its protagonists actual dimensions. That bag of meat chewed up in a doggy door in 1996’s Scream wasn’t just straight-up meat. She had a personality, agency, a style and character of her own. It’s no coincidence that the series’ least-regarded chapter, the tone-deaf Hollywood pastiche Scream 3, sacrificed a lot of its character work for a parade of faceless lambs gearing up for the slaughter. Which isn’t to say MTV’s Scream will inevitably abandon any pretense of characterisation. Hell, we’ve only seen a rapid smattering of clips from it so far. The scenes used to promote it though, along with its visual aesthetic and styling, are notable – an extension of the teen pop culture landscape as it stands. Right now, we’re conditioning young people to fantasise, encouraging the worship of the hyper-real. A quick Google reveals it starts young. Of the 13 live-action series currently running on the Disney Channel and Nickelodeon, seven are centred around worlds very few of us actually inhabit. If protagonists aren’t actual pop stars or former Hollywood celebrities, they’re normal kids who find themselves, through typical sitcom shenanigans, occupying worlds populated by the 1%. All teen television is somehow fantastical,
whether it’s the cool, grungy aesthetic of My So-Called Life, or the pop video wildness of Skins, but somehow it seems worse, more damaging, when it’s the fantasy of wealth. Series like the aforementioned Gossip Girl or vintage trash like Beverly Hills 90210 are set firmly and proudly within gilded hallways, tongue firmly in cheek where opulence is concerned, but when the 1% creeps in insidiously, on shows supposedly reflecting real life and real young people, even if they’re existing in extreme circumstances, it can’t be healthy. Nostalgia for a different time is a generational tradition, one that stretches back to the very cementing of ‘culture’ as a thing. It’s easy to dismiss, so entrenched as it is in a fantastical view of the past. But some of it is relevant and potentially helpful, more a time capsule chronicling generational transition and less a bunch of whiny fear-mongering. MTV’s Scream probably won’t rattle pop culture in the way the film franchise did, neither will it likely make much noise in a crowded, youth-oriented television landscape. But it’ll at least contribute to a lingering cultural problem, one driven by image, consumption and aspirations of wealth and excess. Treating them as ordinary, or the things that should be. NOW GET OFF MY LAWN.
television
191
concrete.television@uea.ac.uk
long live the (second) golden age
B
Dan Struthers is our guide to the second so-called Golden Age Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, Sherlock. These are just a few of the shows which mark this current TV renaissance, otherwise known as the second golden age of television, which has seen a surge from the late 2000s onwards. Even films are jumping on this bandwagon with the emergence of film to TV adaptations such as Fargo, Hannibal and Bates Motel, which all capitalise on the success of their film counterpart. Marvel in particular recognise this global trend in popular culture and have exploited this through their numerous TV shows: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, Agent Carter, Daredevil and the up-and-coming A.K.A Jessica Jones. Shows such as Breaking Bad showcase stellar writing, brilliant acting, and intriguing
characters and plot which have inspired various other TV shows in this recent age. This trend in TV has helped pave the way for other TV successes such as The Walking Dead, American Horror Story and Homeland which have all, despite receiving mixed reception during some of their later episodes, enjoyed at least one series of well written
YOUTUBE
and acted drama. This focus on quality drama has taught a modern audience to expect a certain quality in TV which, previously, many had not anticipated from television in the days of trashy reality TV as seen in American Idol, The X Factor and Celebrity Big Brother which all still exist today. HBO may be the root of this current expectancy for quality TV drama with the network showcasing Oz, The Sopranos and The Wire in the late 90s and early 00s. This introduced the viewer to intelligent drama. HBO marks a milestone in TV history as it does not treat the viewer like a brainless sheep and refuses to ‘dumb down’ complex drama to make it more accessible to a mainstream audience, which many channels choose to do in order to hit the high ratings. Even to this day HBO is enjoying commercial and critical success with Girls, True Detective and the almighty Game of Thrones: an impressive track record for just one channel. Possibly another reason why we are more openly critical of TV shows which do not
conform to this exceptional calibre is due to the surge in social networks which allows us to voice our opinion on things, whether it be the most recent episode of Game of Thrones or which actor is hot at the moment. Whilst this ability to tweet or post an opinion on TV programmes can damage them irreparably, it can also create fanbases for new TV shows which helped the likes of Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones become the global successes they are today. The foreseable future looks stable in this golden age with the current series of Game of Thrones, the upcoming Christmas special and new series of Sherlock, and the continuing success of Netflix which continues to spurn out hits by the second. Whether there is anything original on the horizon which will continue this extraordinary era of TV remains to be seen but, touch wood, long will this glorious small screen revolution last.
another superhero show review The story is a familiar one. Netflix commissions a series, people go mad for it, a day is spent in bed with ice cream and biscuits, consuming not only your body weight in snacks but also in TV. Then you forget about them the next day. You did it with House of Cards, Bloodline, and Kimmy Schmidt. Along comes Daredevil and its host of Marvel fanboys, wetting themselves over yet another chunk of the over-saturated they can pretend to be interested in. Except this time, Daredevil is actually quite good. The premise sounds like any other Marvel TV show/movie: a man is blinded by generic chemical X as a boy, but his other senses develop to the point of superpowers. So obviously he uses them to fight crime. That’s where the similarities stop though. Daredevil is a gritty, urban thriller so dark you might have trouble seeing what’s actually going on, as far away from the shambles which is Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. The show breaks away from the formulaic structure of the movies too. Without change, they go like this: superhero A/B/C/D/E/F/G has to fight an unstoppable villain, who will inevitably be stopped because the hero has three more already announced films to do. Daredevil is on a much smaller scale, the focus is a neighbourhood instead of all of creation. Hell’s Kitchen isn’t the hipster’s paradise it is now, instead it’s infested with scum and thuggery. Daredevil (Charlie Cox) wants to make it better the only way he knows how – being a genius lawyer by day and a vigilante at night. Here’s the kicker though: the fights are good, almost understated set pieces. When our hero has to fight four thugs at a time, it takes him a little while to deal with
them because it actually would. He doesn’t heal quickly either; he has to take his time to recover from a battle. How nice to actually see a character in a superhero role, not just a blank slate with superpowers. Kingpin, who could easily be bland bad guy number 86, is given as much a focus as the hero. The show is as much his backstory as it is Matt Murdock’s. Plus, Vincent D’Onofrio, who plays Kingpin, knows how to be a sinister, malicious presence. Every time he’s on screen, he looks like he’s thinking about the best way to kill you and get away with it. There’s no doubt he could too. The focus on the villain is another step forward for this stale genre. There are twelve episodes, which means twelve hours that can be used to really ramp up the menace. Kingpin himself doesn’t appear until the third episode, but by then we’re already terrified of him. Binging isn’t the right way to watch Daredevil, despite what Netflix always wants you to do. The episodes are too dense, too dark and gritty – which is a good thing in a market ripe with interchangeabley dull superheroes. The episodes shouldn’t be consumed all at once because they’re too good to be instantly forgotten about in favour of powering through the whole series. Daredevil is a step in the right direction for Marvel – a TV format allows for a much better look at a single character and stops them becoming just their super powers. There’s even character development and interesting storylines, shock horror! Who would have thought Marvel could have a hand in something that is actually worth spending 12 hours on? Watch this instead of seeing Age of Ultron, you’ll enjoy Daredevil so much more.
NANCY NETHERWOOD
Adam Dawson actually likes Daredevil. Who’d have thought?
television
201
concrete.television@uea.ac.uk
beginnings are endings
B
Adam Dawson
Battlestar Galactica
Pushing Daisies
Miniseries, Night 1
Pie-lette
A beautiful woman in a red dress asks a shocked looking man if he’s alive. They kiss. That scene is intercut with bombs being dropped at various locations. So begins the dark sci-fi show, where the focus from the very start is about character and story, not on over the top special effects or ‘cool’ things nerds wet themselves over. From the start, Battlestar was all about saying something interesting about life and living it.
No other show so strongly hits you in the eyes with its unique aesthetic from the start. For all its instantly dark subject - young Ned’s dog and mother die within five minutes - the lush, storybook-esque colours make this strange little world so inviting, it’s impossible not to fall deeply in love with the adventures of the Piemaker and his brought-back-to-life girlfriend, Lonely Tourist Charlotte Charles.
Desperate Housewives Pilot
A housewife goes about her business, taking care of her home as all proud housewives like to do. Then she shoots herself in the head. Marc Cherry’s opening completely subverts your expectations for the show - not all boring housewives are bored. So begins the life and times of the desperate housewives, whose lives are so filled with secrets and sexy murders you’ll be thankful and a little bit jealous your neighbourhood isn’t this interesting.
The Sopranos
30 Rock
Made in America
Last Lunch At its best, 30 Rock was the most brilliant, ludicrous, and utterly ridiculous sitcom ever. Jokes never went where you thought they would, and that’s doubly true for the finale. But more than the hilarity, it was incredibly touching. Jenna and Tracey did something geniunely selfless for Liz. Jack found himself on a boat trip. Liz got everything she deserved. The only terrible thing about this finale is knowing there’d be no more episodes. They were truly the best days of our flerm.
I DIGITAL TIMES
PEOPLE
FILM SCHOOL REJECTS
endings are beginnings
Everything has already been said about the ending of The Sopranos. The family gather for a meal in a diner, we wait to see if Tony is going to get shot. Instead, a Journey song plays over a montage of mundae events: struggling to park a car, talking about what to order. The tension rises, everyone could be a hitman sent to kill Tony. Then a startling cut to black. The finale aired eight years ago and we’re still talking about it. That’s how to make a masterpiece.
TV GUIDE
PODBEAN
HIDEF DISC NEWS
So this is it, then. The final time I’ll be editing this section. But all good things start somewhere, and below are the 3 best opening scenes I’ve come across in my TV watching life. Next time, this section will be under someone else’s control. Not all endings are terrible though, so here are the 3 best final scenes too. Happy watching, happy ending.
Twin Peaks Beyond Life and Death The culimnation of David’s Lynch surreal murdermystery-comedy-drama-tragedy seemed like it was going along nicely, all the twisted plots pretty much sorted. Dale Cooper knew who killed Laura Palmer and was preparing to leave Twin Peaks. Until he begins cackling maniacally as he slams his head into a mirror. BOB had taken him over because, like the rest of the show, it was never going to as simple as it seemed.
gaming + tech
211
concrete.gamingtech@uea.ac.uk
he got game
Tom Bedford reviews the marvel that was The Norwich Gaming Festival
If your interest in gaming surpasses mild curiosity, there were many lectures and talks over the course of the week. On the Monday, two NUA students talked about their video game art, showing the processes and programmes they use for creating 2D and 3D art. On Wednesday some of the indie developers showcasing games formed a panel do discuss what ‘indie’ meant for them, wondering if it had becometoo commercialised. Apparently, indie development is not as freeing as it may seem. For the more industry focused talks, Destructoid UK’s
the games! Most were created by local developers from Cambridge, London, and other nearby places. Of course there was not time to play all the games, and not the space here to report on them all, but there were some standouts. One highlight was Teaboy Games’ Fallen, (PC) a neat little colour-matching mobile game. While it wasn’t as large as some of the other games shown, the team seemed incredibly cool, speaking honestly about the game and problems they’ve had with creating it. A team having a public face can be a great help in engagement with a
Laura Kate hosted a discussion about games journalism and how to proceed with it, emphasising how crowded the industry is and how to make yourself stand out in the crowd. Not an uplifting speech for any budding journalists. Mark Johnson was also present to talk about procedural content generation with regards to his game Ultima Ratio Regum. It was mind-blowing how much detail is put in to creation of mottos, religions and aesthetics for a PCG database, and appropriately the game looks amazing. Enough of the talks though, the highlight of the week was certainly
product. One of the only games playable all week, The Swindle (PC) is a yet-tobe-released Spelunky-esque heist game that seemed simple to understand yet got harder - making it really compelling to play. Another fascinating title was 0rbitalis, (PC) a gravity/physics game where you must predict orbits around planets for a satellite. The creator, Alan Zucconi, was keen to meet the people playing and was passionate about what he was doing. As well as these standouts, other games worth mentioning include 10 Second Ninja (PS4) from Four Circle
Interactive. Giving you small levels where you need to destroy targets within ten seconds, the short but manic levels were great fun to play. Spilt Milk Studio’s Tango Fiesta (PC) and Aniode’s Nature’s Zombie Apocalypse (X1, PC, Mobile) were top-down four-player shooters, the first being retro action heroes against ‘bad guys’ and the latter animals vs zombies. Both were enjoyable in their own ways, feeling hectic due to four players and many enemies dashing round. Despite being much more graphic than other games, these two seemed especially popular with the younger audience, with the consoles almost constantly being assaulted by waves of small children eager to mow down the next wave of zombies. With so much on offer, it was unfortunately impossible to get first hand experience of all playable titles. Sadly missed titles included FPS Illuminascii, which had a wacky namesgeneration system for characters and enemies. Some titles were more suited to one audience. Niche and Weeble were childfocused games; almost to the point of excluding us grown-ups. Line Wobble on the other hand, was just something special. Instead of conventional consoles and a screen it was a single strip of LEDS showing different colours, forming an abstract dungeon-crawler. The creator Robin Baumgarten, lamented on its lack of commercial value in their ‘indie dev’ panel. It’s a shame, since it was so bizarrely entertaining. As well as promotion of gaming, NGF was also a force for good across the week. The event was run to support GamesAid, a charity that raises money for young & disabled gamers and a few other causes, as an umbrella charity. Norwich Gaming Festival is perfect proof that gaming is more inclusive than ever. NGF presented a wide-ranging community of gamers with a range of genders, ages and races present. The standard of games were amazing, the talks were informative and it was very professionally organised. I absolutely recommend jumping in your time machine to experience it - or failing that, playing the games described and attending next year. HOT SOURCE
Norwich isn’t known for its prominence in the gaming scene. However, you would think otherwise after visiting the second Norwich Gaming Festival in the Forum from 6 th-12 th April. For a whole week the foyer was host to East Anglia’s best celebration of gamers. As part of a continued move in the industry to bring videogames ever more into the mainstream, the event was very family friendly, with many of the attendees much younger or older than the stereotypical gamer. Watching a young girl beat her older brothers at one of the games showcased was amusing, and great for challenging preconceived notions of the identity of a gamer. There was a great range of diversity in the attendees, which provided a more welcoming environment to the event. The younger audience brought ironic humour too – one overheard highlight was a young boy playing Super Mario Bros, stopping to ask the question “what’s the point of this game?” Throughout the week, the main foyer held ‘The History of Gaming’. A small exhibition with playable classics from gaming’s history, complete with appropriately antique TVs. This was especially remarkable to some of the younger audience; surprised non-flat screen televisions still exist. Games such as Super Mario Bros, NBA Jam and LEGO Star Wars were available to play, and a big screen showed clips from other acclaimed games in the form of muted YouTube Top-10s. As well as games, the NGF had everything else that make up gaming culture covered. On display was a variety of interesting game artwork by artists from NUA. There were also small stalls selling vintages and modern games at remarkably cheap prices, making accidentally buying a Gamecube a very real problem. Ubisoft had a table where you could play some of their recent games that you’ve probably already played such as The Crew and Rocksmith 2014. Unfortunately, due to their decision to bring Just Dance 2014, Let It Go was almost constantly audible throughout the week from hordes of small girls playing. Turns out you can get very sick of it. Very, very sick.
film
221
concrete.film@uea.ac.uk killed. These outlaws, aided by the cowardly townsfolk, capture our hero, only for him to be freed by his brother, who is in turn killed for Director Kristian Levring his part. The film climaxes with the inevitable Screenplay Anders Thomas Jensen, shootout in which the hero emerges victorious Kristian Levring (despite the odds unsurprisingly being stacked against him), thanks in part to the leading lady, Starring Mads Mikkelsen, Eva Green, pulling the trigger on those whom Eva Green, Jeffrey Dean Morgan she once worked for. An array of characters are Runtime 92 mins met along the way and it is these characters, Drama/Western and the actors who portray them, that really make this film worth watching, rather than the Jamie Parsons almost predictable storyline. It is hard to shine in a film when your In an age where the superhero blockbuster reigns supreme, it may come as a surprise to character has no lines, but Eva Green manages some that Westerns are still being made, but just that; she thrives in the role of the mute those who are aware of this genre’s enduring (Madelaine, or Princess, whose tongue was cut popularity know that more often than not out as a child) and steals the focus in any scene these films fall into one of two categories: they she is in (not surprising to anyone familiar with either naively (and unsuccessfully) attempt to her work), with her piercing looks and evocative add something new to the genre, or they pose body language. Indeed she would have stolen as successful imitations of the Westerns of old. the show had it not been for the equally sublime The Salvation falls into the latter category, and performance of Mads Mikkelsen as our hero, the film stands up well against the backdrop of Jon. Mikkelson flourishes as the distraught widower hell-bent on revenge, playing the the Western giants of the early 20th century. The plot is relatively simple and definitive role with a deathly coldness that is matched in the final scenes by of the genre: the hero, Mads Mikkelsen, is “We’ve been hopin’, prayin’, the remorselessness of wronged and retaliates for someone like you to come Green. The rest of the cast are also strong, with violence against along” although as a football those who killed his son before raping and killing his wife. As is so often fan, it’s a struggle to detach Eric Cantona the the case, it turns out that these wrongdoers actor from Eric Cantona the violent karatewere part of a greater band of outlaws, who kicking footballer from the 90s. The meticulous attention to detail is don’t take kindly to their own kind being
Isis Billing
evident throughout, from the flies hovering around the corpses to the beads of sweat on the bodies of Madelaine and Delarou post-coitus, adds a resounding and thorough depth to the landscape and story. However, if you’re looking for ingenuity or innovation, you’ll find neither here. Director Kristian Levring acknowledges from the start that the way to succeed in a western is to not deviate from the tropes of the genre but to embrace and deliver them well. The gritty characters, the dusty landscapes and the clichéd storyline of The Salvation all conform to what we expect from the genre, and rather than trying to be overly clever as others have attempted and failed, Levring
simply allows us to immerse ourselves in the world he has created to great effect. For those not fans of the Western genre, this film won’t be for you. It won’t change your opinion on the genre, nor will it change the way the genre interacts with the world, The Salvation merely embodies everything that you probably already dislike about the genre. But for Western buffs or potential first-timers of the genre, it’s worth giving it a watch, even just for the prowess of Green and Mikkelsen.
introduction of the film’s foliage-obsessed McCrory) and a good deal of melodramatic widow Sabine de Barra (Kate Winslet) who is flashbacks about the death of her daughter. to be interviewed for a position as a gardener It is undeniable that A Little Chaos is at Versailles. Sporting a ridiculous hat, visually pleasing with its picturesque settings Sabine arrives for her appointment with chief and lavish period costumes, but the lack of horticulture honcho Andre le Notre (Matthias chemistry between its two leads is so painfully Schoenaerts) whose draconian landscaping dull that watching the film on mute may is supposedly at odds with her rather more in fact prove to be an improvement. One anarchic planting. In a particularly flaccid would not lose the stunning visual allure attempt at showing this clash we see Sabine but Kate Winslet and Matthias Schoenaerts shift one of Andre’s pretending to be attracted symmetrical plant pots to one another could prove “This abundance of before they engage in a more convincing without the sassy little spat over her chaos, this is your Eden” mediocre dialogue. Winslet apparently unstructured does however offer a few blueprints. moments of sincere suffering which can only Sabine of course gets the job against all go to demonstrate how she has earned her odds, triumphing over a gaggle of catty Parisian place as one of Britain’s period drama darlings. gentlemen and receiving a patch of soil and a Although Alan Rickman’s directing is not strict budget. Rolling up her sleeves and lifting entirely convincing, he and Stanley Tucci are the occasional log, Winslet’s fictitious pseudo- a delight to watch as they flourish around in feminist withstands the sabotage of her their wigs. One even occasionally gets the envious male peers but develops a rather saucy feeling that Rickman’s desire to create the attachment to her gardening guru. A shabby movie was directly proportional to his appetite outsider with poor taste, she is coolly ignored for fancy dress. at court by all except for Andre and his cheeky A Little Chaos was brimming with friend the Duc d’Orleans (Stanley Tucci) who possibility with its classy cast and brings a touch of effervescence to their bland costumes but seems to have been conversations. let down by a sadly dull story and Due to the film’s stuffy conventionality, it a complete lack of sex appeal. is possible to mention without fear of spoiling That being said, it will not a riveting plot, that Sabine does indeed finish disappoint those who have her garden and win the heart of the tepid a particular love of wigs, Andre. But this is not before a bit of scheming Alan Rickman and soft-core from his promiscuous waif of a wife (Helen gardening porn. COLLIDER
Director Alan Rickman Screenplay Jeremy Brock, Alison Deegan, Alan Rickman Starring Kate Winslet, Stanley Tucci, Alan Rickman Runtime 117 mins Drama/Romance
One can safely say that Alan Rickman’s floral fiasco A Little Chaos is anything but chaotic. It is an uncharismatic romance with the occasional flare of costume drama silliness, making the film so stiflingly rigid it would go perfectly with high tea on daytime television. Opening in the bedroom of Louis XIV, there is a touch of charm about the elegantly attired Alan Rickman declaring his desire to construct a new Palace to his little gang of rosycheeked cherubs. This initial burst of delight is, however, immediately abandoned for the
STANDARD
A Little Chaos
LA TIMES FILMBLERG
The Salvation
film
231
concrete.film@uea.ac.uk
shaky camera to illicit a more raw and personal experience. Perhaps because of this, the effect gives the film a lack of aesthetic clarity which Director Ester Martin Bergsmark mirrors Sebastian/Ellie’s stumbling through Writers Eli Leven, the fog of self-exploration. It is also very refreshing to see a film that Ester Martin Bergsmark deals with sex scenes completely openly, not Starring Saga Becker, Iggy by hiding various parts of people’s anatomy Malmborg, Shima Niavarani behind rapid scene changes, but in several long Runtime 85 mins camera shots. This story is about love, having Drama/Romance sex, and being seen as naked in its own honest, calm depiction of both. Slow-motion shots Louis Pigeon-Owen capture moments of acute pleasure and pain This love story between transgendered with palpable intensity through forcing the Sebastian/Ellie and straight-identifying viewer to observe facial expressions and bodily Andreas is undoubtedly one of the most reactions in minute detail. important films of the year so far. Directed by The film is also a kind of ‘anti-romance’ Ester Martin Bergsmark and co-written with love story as the use of the blood-caked tissue former lover Eli Levén, the feature follows the as an emblem of devotion, along with Andreas stunning story of Sebastian/Ellie’s journey of and Ellie/Sebastian seducing an older man self-acceptance and the finding of peace in- and tying him up in order to steal his electric between the two identities of an androgynous whisker and alcohol, would never initially male and trans female. have appeared romantic “You’re so beautiful but become amorous all the Something Must Break also shows the other side of the more because they are so I want to vomit” relationship, beautifully unusual and startling. capturing the struggle of Andreas who states Something Must Break is a seminal work, not emphatically that “I’m not gay!” as he attempts only with regards to its representation of sexual to come to grips with who his lover is and what exploration, the fluidity of gender identity and loving Sebastian/Ellie means for him. preconceptions about both, but for giving a Something Must Break really holds its own voice to trans people both in front of the screen against the colossal backdrop of Nordic Noir and behind it. Bergsmark identifies herself as Swedish directors, with their love of shadow and a transgender person and previously critiqued smooth, naturalistic shots; instead, Bergsmark the binary gender system in the award-winning favours melodrama and continued use of documentary She Male Snails and lead actress
Saga Becker (who plays Ellie/Sebastian), for whom this was her debut acting role, became the first transgender actress to win a Guldbagge award (the Swedish equivalent of the Oscars). Saga spoke at the award ceremony, describing the experience as being "about so much more than just some movie award. We've made history here tonight". And that they did. Hopefully, in a few years’ time, this film will be attributed as being a major turning point in making the voice of trans people heard through TV and
uncovering a series of brutal child murders committed by a serial killer at the height of Soviet rule, during Stalin’s era. Whilst this all Director Daniel Espinosa sounds riveting, the end result is an overdrawn Writer Richard Price jumble of multiple sub-plots and becomes so Starring Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, distorted you may become confused with what Noomi Rapace you are even watching. Sitting at around 137 Runtime 137 mins minutes long – that’s over 2 hours of bizarre bleakness – it’s undeniable that this particular Drama/Thriller feature is just way too long and drawn out for Melissa Haggar its own good. Unfortunately, often is the habit The spy thriller genre has been a popular of Hollywood films to stretch running times feature of recent years, with a new invigorated to insufferable lengths when they could have audience flocking to screens to see the iconic spent less time and achieved far greater success. James Bond battle it out in the highly successful One of the only positives of Child 44 comes Skyfall, as well as showing a keen interest in from its impeccably talented cast, with Tom Kingsman: The Secret Hardy fully immersing Service, released “Murder is a capitalist disease” himself in the role as earlier this year. But Agent Leo Demidov, and thrills are difficult to get right and sometimes the amount of effort and dedication required things just fall completely apart. This is where to fill this role is thoroughly appreciated. Child 44 comes in. Amongst the clumsy construction of the film, Directed by Daniel Espinosa (Safe House), his role is perhaps elevated to dizzying heights. this new addition boasts a star-studded cast Hardy has it all: the thick Russian accent, including Tom Hardy (in the lead role as Leo the strong mannerisms and the unapologetic Demidov), Noomi Rapace as Raisa Demidova delivery that readers of the novel will recognise (whose previous notable acting credits include as quintessentially Leo. Equally so, Noomi the Swedish film adaptations of The Girl with Rapace’s performance is captivating as Raisa, the Dragon Tattoo) and the formidable Gary but even her and Hardy’s combined efforts Oldman, who portrays General Nesterov. are not enough to save Child 44 from being Child 44 is, of course, based on Tom Rob a disappointment, especially considering its Smith’s novel of the same name, which surely potential to be a solid, mystery thriller with means with source material this promising that sublime source material. Child 44 is an exceptional cinematic success? In this respect, it seems unfortunate that Right? Not so much. Tom Rob Smith’s fantastic plot gets more than The basic plot centres on Demidov a little lost amidst the high drama and narrative
construction of the cinematic adaptation; perhaps this is just the case where a novel does not translate as well from book to screen, although you can’t help but wonder whether it would have fared better in different hands. Whilst the visuals and cinematography are intriguing and almost sustain enough interest to make it through the film reasonably unharmed, the entire piece is a distinctly dark and cold, with a particular sense of lifelessness – and not in the gripping way it should be. There is a constant feeling that this particular
COLLIDER OUTPLAYFILMS
Something Must Break
film, an honour of which it is undoubtedly deserving. Yet, as much as Bergsmark’s film is important for its addressing of gender and sexual politics, Something Must Break must be remembered above all things as one of the most exquisite and shocking love stories ever to be told.
AUSTRALIANSINFILM
COLLIDER
Child 44
effort just never quite culminates or grips in the ways it should; to put simply, it is plain and bordering dull. The film adaptation loses all of the novel’s original grit and vitality. In this respect, the general consensus on Child 44 is that it’s a mystery thriller without the thrill, although there is plenty of mystery – such as how it ever made it to post-production.
film
241
concrete.film@uea.ac.uk
i wish i could be...
Our writers embark in some roleplay and reveal their on-screen alter-egos
HERMIONE GRANGER OK, honestly, who doesn’t want to be Hermione? She goes to a thrilling wizarding school, can do all sorts of useful spells, is a total bad-ass (she did punch Draco after all) and seemingly has time to do all her work and still have fun. Oh, and she also has two best buds to go on awesome adventures with. If you were in Hermione’s shoes you’d simultaneously never be late to class (timeturner? Yes please!) whilst also being able to have free time to pretty much save the entire world (hey, Harry and Ron would have died from devil’s snare if not for Hermione). Melissa Haggar
OBI WAN KENOBI
PETER QUILL
THE BRIDE
Who wouldn’t want to dance around in a space cave listening to Come And Get Your Love and other 70s and 80s hits whilst kicking space lizards? I am of course referring to Peter Quill, AKA Star-Lord (AKA Chris Pratt) from Guardians of the Galaxy. Quill has the wit of Han Solo and the action hero status of Indiana Jones – he is essentially Harrison Ford from the 1980s. Okay, he has parental issues. His mum died when he was a child and he doesn’t know who his dad is, sounding on the surface like an episode of The Jeremy Kyle Show, but he gets the best line, the girl, and has a great time during the film. Dan Struthers
Single-minded, superhumanly agile, and perhaps the only person in history to look good in yellow, Beatrix Kiddo is the epitome of ‘Strong Female Character.’ Even though her past in the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad catches up with her – violently gatecrashing her wedding and leaving her in a coma – she doesn’t give up, thirsty for blood and vengeance. She may be a killing machine, but the bride is still human. When she learns that her daughter is still alive, a whole new layer emerges, one that reminds us of the pain she’s been put through, that she is really just a mother in mourning. She even inspired the name of a new species of parasitic wasp - Cystomastacoides kiddo, which proves her legendary status. Silvia Rose
His mentor is killed, his friends are taken from him, his brother-in-arms becomes his worst enemy and he is left to a life of exile…but Obi-Wan remains calm, composed and fair. When we face unimaginable odds, when we are tasked with preparing the next generation to make the world a better place, we should all be lucky to muster a third of his commitment and nobility. Asides from all that, who doesn’t want to be a swashbuckling knight of the galaxy, saving distant planets and toppling evil rulers every other day? Surely it’s worth it for the lightsaber alone? Chris Rogers
LEFT TO RIGHT: LUCINDA SWAIN, ANA DUKAKIS, DOUGIE DODDS
film
251
concrete.film@uea.ac.uk
DAS LIST
All good things must come to an end... This is our final issue, and to celebrate a wonderful, exciting, intellectually stimulating academic year, we present to you the definitive must-see movie list (in no particular order). Trust us kids, we know our shit. Stick this on your wall and give yourself a gold star every time you cross one off. So long, farewell, auf wiedersehn, goodbye! Fly my pretties! We are your fathers! Hasta la vista bitchez! Yippee ki-yay motherfuckers!
SILVIA 1. A PROPHET 2. THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES 3. ALL ABOUT EVE 4. PULP FICTION 5. BAD EDUCATION 6. GOODFELLAS 7. THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS 8. DO THE RIGHT THING 9. COUSCOUS 10. FRANCES HA 11. PRINCESS BRIDE 12. AMERICAN PSYCHO 13. RUN LOLA RUN 14. SEXY BEAST 15. SHAME 16. CACHE 17. BOYHOOD 18. A SINGLE MAN 19. BLACK CAT WHITE CAT 20. LOCK STOCK AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS 21. TRAINSPOTTING 22. HANNAH AND HER SISTERS 23. ANOTHER YEAR 24. NAPOLEON DYNAMITE 25. PINEAPPLE EXPRESS
NEVEN 1. IN THE CUT 2. AMER 3. RESPIRE 4. I SAW THE DEVIL 5. DEEP RED 6. KLOWN 7. STOKER 8. KILL LIST 9. IN FEAR 10. WALLACE AND GROMIT: A CLOSE SHAVE 11. RED NIGHTS 12. DEATHPROOF 13. AMELIE 14. THE RUINS 15. EXCISION 16. BEYOND THE BLACK RAINBOW 17. ANTIVIRAL 18. LOURDES 19. DAMSELS IN DISTRESS 20. IN BLOOM 21. CRIES AND WHISPERS 22. PRETTY PERSUASION 23. SERIAL MOM 24. CRUEL INTENTIONS 25. THE OPPOSITE OF SEX
the page of daisy
261
concrete.competitions@uea.ac.uk
50 things to do before you leave uea*
*(the sequel)
It’s my final semester at UEA – and this is the last issue of Venue that I’ll be a part of. So I wanted to give the year a proper send-off. Guided by an old Concrete article called 50 Things to do Before You Leave UEA, I’m going to see how many I’ve actually done in the past three years – and if I can cross off a few more… When I started UEA, I was young, innocent, and regularly mistaken for a boy. Honestly, people still look twice at my campus card. First year was full of new experiences – such as sharing my room with a student who had very clear personal space boundaries. Living in halls isn’t always easy. Using the combi microwaves takes a bit of getting used to, as I found out via an exploding jacket potato which nearly claimed my life. During first year, my diet consisted mostly of cheese on toast – not that the searing hot metal of the grill at eye level was much less hazardous. These days, I can make a mean spag bol, and just wait till you try my toad in the hole. And that’s not a euphemism. A few times in my first semester I overslept and ended up going to my 9am lecture in my Muppet pyjamas, newly obtained from the Disney store (aged 11-12). I was embarrassed, and then I saw a guy in a dressing gown that didn’t quite hide the fact he wasn’t wearing anything underneath. It was November. I saw things I’d never seen before that day.
9. Go to both malls (Chapelfield and Castle Mall) Yeah, you haven’t really lived until you’ve experienced the height of Norwich shopping.
28. Do the stride of pride Just don’t do it into your 9am seminar. Because your teacher looking at you and saying, “Have a good night?” is not a fast track to a first. Not that I’ve ever done that.
Daisy Jones
Being a part of Venue has been amazing – and I haven’t been paid to say that, I’m just terrified of Adam White. A year ago, I became Competitions and Listings Editor, and while I admit there wasn’t a gruelling application process, I am very proud of that. I went to Concrete’s Big Meet and Media Ball. They were my first ever society events, and afterwards I seriously considered never drinking again. And I did a blind date for our Valentine’s issue, which I think counts as “doing something incredible or incredibly stupid so you end up in Concrete”, because I essentially got burned by my date. There are some things on the list that have always been a part of the student experience for me. Staying up ‘til the sun comes up is one of them – not because I’m a wild party animal, but because I live dangerously and pull all-nighters. Student discounts have sustained me through three years’ worth of a serious Waffle House habit. And I’ve always enjoyed gigs at the LCR – although seeing Blue and meeting Duncan James afterwards was a definite highlight, I’m not going to lie. There’s plenty on the list I haven’t done. I’ve never been on a protest, because I don’t think I’m angry enough about anything to spend that much time outdoors. And I’ve not done any of the five L’s – shame. I’ve also never hosted a study group, although strangely everyone seemed to be less enthusiastic about that one.
49. Sit in on a class that’s not in your field I think we’ve all done that at the start of the semester. The worst thing is the slow creeping realisation that you know nothing about differential equations and if someone asks you a question, the jig is up.
17. Visit the castle and the cathedral ... When your parents come to visit. Because you don’t want them to see the state of your kitchen.
bonus round: fancy dress
I know that “make an amazing fancy dress outfit” is only one item on the list, but I feel I deserve a special mention. I have never missed a chance to dress up – and here are some of my best (or worst) outfits.
ALL PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAISY JONES
listings
271
concrete.listings@uea.ac.uk
The Waterfront Stornoway & The Lost Brothers
The Nick Rayn’s LCR
Son of Dave - Filthy 45’s Tour Part II & Dove & Bowee-
Damn Good presents... Skittles LCR
Wed 29 April (£14) vil
Fri 1 May (£10)
Mobb Deep & Music Lessons & Chrome Mon 4 May (£26.50-100)
Tue 28 April (£2)
UEA’s Annual Dance Show Fri 1 May (£4.50)
Sunset Sons
Damn Good presents... T-Shirt Party
Witchers - Album Release Thu 7 May (£5)
Open
Lucy Spraggan & Kal Lavelle
Craig Charles Funk & Soul Club
The Playhouse
Belle and Sebastian
Demon Barbers XL: Disco at the Tavern
Epic Studios
Tue 5 May (£9)
Mon 11 May (£14.50)
Sat 2 May (£15-17.50)
The Bicycle Shop
Tue 12 May (£3.50)
Fri 1 May (£15)
Fri 8 May (£25)
The Early November
Marc O’Reilly & Albert Jones
Tue 28 April (£10-12)
The Songs of Nick Drake
Tue 5 May (£15-17.50)
Tue 28 April (£10)
Wed 29 April (£10)
Jim Causley & Lukas Drinkwater Tue 5 May (£8)
Chinese Man
Beans On Toast & Benjamin Folke Thomas Fri 8 May (£9)
Kieran Gross
The Owl Sanctuary
The Blue Bar
Devil Sold His Soul
Damn Good presents... Pyjama Party
Transit & Such Gold
Wed 6 May (£12.50)
Tue 5 May (£2)
Sun 3 May (£10-12) Mon 4 May (£10)
find more listings at concrete-online.co.uk/events