Venue 336

336

3 Arts Kate Romain

7 Film Willa Hope + Louis Pigeon-owen

10 Fashion Emily Claridge 15 Creative Writing Hugo Douglas-Deane 19 Gaming Kirsty McAlpine 23 Television Denise Koblenz 27 Music Alice Mortimer + Lois Young Art And design assistant: Emily Mildren This week’s front and back cover: DOUGIE DODDS and Nimah Jones

editorial Editors-in-chief Dougie dodds + niamh Jones

Venue

deputy editor:

Melissa Haggar

ell well well, how did we get here ey? It’s only a few more issues left until we pack up for the year, and leave VENUE to the up and coming! This issue we have the arts supplement, a sexy art supplement that we’ve poured our heart and soul into. It’s taken a lot out of us, so half of me is happy to see it sent to print. But that’s not the end of it! We’ll be holding a gallery for all the artwork, complete with an open mic for the creative writing on the 10th March, 18.30-21.00, in bookable room 6. Hopefully see you there my lovelies x Dougie

FEATURE 06

h my goodness. I’m so ready for Reading We- I mean, uh… ‘Do Something Different Week’. I fully intend to relax a bit. That’s my different thing to do. I’m going to get stuck into the big stack of books on my bedside table, drink a lot of tea and just veg out. We’ve been so busy making the ‘Waste’ Art Supplement for you (look at it, it’s SHINY and GLOSSY!!) and I hope you enjoy checking out some of the awesome artistic talent at UEA. We may not have art or design courses at UEA, but that doesn’t stop this lovely lot from creating some wonderful stuff. Nothing's stopping us from illustrating and creating outside of our degree, so go ahead, pick up those crayons and get going. Niamh

fashion

W

O

h, Week 7. Basically the week where everyone goes home and does minimal work based activity for the whole week (at least in theory). If you're looking to continue your lazy days, might I suggest reading through a snazzy new issue of VENUE, perhaps with a slice of cake.

We’ve got some lego-themed content in film, literal fireworks for features and 50 shades of orange in fashion. We've also got a swanky art supplement for you to indulge in. We spoil you, really. Melissa

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Photo Credit: Wikicommons, EneasMx

‘...you might find yourself asking the DJ to play “My Unfortunate Erection”.’

Open your arms wide and let our unusual cast albums into your life.

Want a War and Peace Parody and an erection song? We’ve got you set.

12

‘The plus size campaign is far from over.’

Kate Mussett looks at the impact and unresolved issues in the world of plus size modelling and clothing.

GAMING

21

‘Acceptance speaks to those who’ve - during some point in their lives have felt they don’t fit.’

Charlie Nicholson, one of our avid gamers, examines gender binaries in unusual game Acceptance, containing a most prominent pivotal choice.

Concrete.venue@uea.ac.uk

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Arts 03

Concrete.arts@uea.ac.uk

the book review

get yourself to uea’s book fair dan box The 2nd of March will mark a momentous day, with the launch of UEA’s first Book Fair. It takes place in the LCR, from 10am until 4pm.

Celebrating World Book Day, the Book Fair aims to promote the magic of all things literary, as well as to support our local Oxfam Books and Music, who will be attending with a book stall.

Devised by the powers that be at UEA Literature Society, specifically our Secretary Lucy Schofield, the Book Fair plays host to stalls by many different societies, literary and otherwise.

EggBox Publishing, Octarine and the Feminist Society will be selling Zines, Baking Society will be producing all sorts of tasty treats for us, and there’s even live performances from the Live Music Society and the Creative Writing Society!

We should all be fEminists Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

should all be feminists, we should all want equality.

abi steer This isn’t really a book, it’s more like an essay, which Adichie based on her earlier TEDtalk of the same name. But, regardless of format or origin, this essay is still well worth a read.

It’s relatively short and focuses on the experiences of Adichie as a Nigerian woman as well as the experiences of her friends and peers, even remarking on the behaviour of total strangers. It bluntly strips back modern ideals of gender and feminism into something undefined, yet surprisingly clear; we

norse mythology by neil gaiman

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niamh jones If you are a Neil Gaiman fan like me, you will probably know about his latest

In the days leading up to the Fair, LitSoc is running a book drive.

Got any unwanted, rejected, or nolonger-needed books? Find us in the Hive (all the details are on our Facebook page) and donate them to us. We’ll be selling our horde at the Book Fair.

So do something different, and join us for an amazing literary extravaganza.

Illustration by Hugo Douglas- Deane

offering. If not, let me enlighten you. Mr Gaiman is the author of such wonders as Coraline, Stardust and American Gods. He’s a fantastic curly-haired genius, and he writes some of the most vivid adult fantasy that you can find anywhere. But I digress.

Last week, Gaiman’s Norse Mythology was released, and I managed to devour it in a single night. This re-telling of his favourite childhood Norse tales prove just how little we know about these fantastic legends.

You may have seen Thor at the cinema, perhaps half taken in the peripheral characters, but when you read Gaiman’s short tales, you begin to realise how alien this Norse landscape is to us. Each short story is filled with the ancient voices of a thousand years ago, and it feels as though this might mark the resurgence of Odin and Asgard. Someone tell the Greeks to step aside, it’s time to raise your flagon of mead and march into Valhalla.

04 Arts

Concrete.arts@uea.ac.uk

you say you want a revolution?

VENUE REVIEWS THE 1960’S EXHIBITION AT THE V&A olivia campbell

The Sixties, as a decade of indulgence and revolution, represents a somewhat mythological entity within our society. As an era, it spawned an unmistakable cultural revolution, widespread social upheaval and political rebellion and dissent. To the baby boomers of the 1960’s, many now in their late sixties, the era represents a period of eclectic nostalgia for time arguably much different from ours.

The V&A’s exhibit, directly in the heart of London, aims to capture all the icons that defined such an immersive time in what can only be described an impressive dedication to the past.

The exhibition itself is divided into sections dealing with key themes of the decade- namely the role of rock ‘n’ roll as a form of artistic revolution, the challenge to authority and tradition, various civil rights movements and perhaps most infamously, the widespread drug culture. The entire exhibit is adorned with intense visual imagery; whether its

rows upon rows of record covers from the John Peel collection, psychedelic posters or flamboyant fashion garments inspired by drugs.

Memorabilia present within the exhibit is also diverse and extensiveTwiggy themed coat hangers and handwritten lyrics hidden amongst excesses of sixties culture, demonstrate both the creativity and

rooms dealing the various civil rights movements and the subsequent protest that arose from it. Footage of the 1968 destructive Paris riots are reflected off the ceiling which then morphs into the deadly Kent State students of 1970. It’s loud: screaming, shouting over the din of police cars creates a jarring contrast with the expressive music

landscape of post war America and United Kingdom is displayed, analysed and immortalised throughout the exhibit. Through the use of headphones provided, sensors play and change the specially selected music at random- the likes of Simon and Garfunkel, Jimi Hendrix, the Rolling Stones and many more are intertwined with speech, TV adverts and news reports in order to create sense of chaotic fervour. Fans of the Beatles will marvel at entire displays dedicated to their influence to rock ‘n’ roll as well as their use of narcotics to write some of their best work. Inevitably, it is as colourful and flamboyant as one would imagine. Perhaps it is also important to note that other musical genres that defined the counterculture were not neglected either. Dedication to Soul and Motown is duly given, largely represented as form of peaceful artistic protest and a key role in the racial integration of popular music.

consumerist nature of the post war society.

that is playing throughout the rest of the exhibit. One particular room mimics the Woodstock festival complete with fake grass and gigantic screens showing live footage of The Who, Jefferson Aeroplane and John Sebastian.

Overall, the exhibit is highly inspirational and a true piece of artistic demonstration. Those who are a fan of the 1960’s society and it’s long lasting influence must visit and truly marvel at all its excess and influence.

As mentioned before, the role of music and its cultural and political impact underpins the entire exhibit. Indeed, the musical

Photo credit (top left) to wikimedia commons by Cratolus Horridus (middle) Flickr by Feminist_Killjoy

Videography plays an important role in conveying all aspects of the exhibition, whether it’s recreational drug users recounting experiences of LSD or archive footage of Bob Dylan concerts appearing at random intervals. Perhaps the most persuasive use of original footage is present in the

Arts 05

Concrete.arts@uea.ac.uk

my sketchbook, myself taking a peak inside the sketcHbooks of uea artists

kate romain My sketchbooks are often a collection of newspaper and magazine clippings removed from their original context and reassembled to create strange and other worldly characters; the more haunting and bizarre the better. Often, when I begin cutting and sticking I do not know what I’ll end up creating. I select the images and words that stand out to me the most and work from there, taking inspiration from the images themselves.

For me, collage is the ideal medium: I can quickly assemble and reassemble, experiment with composition and form. Nothing is final until it is stuck down.

Carefully cutting out intricate images can be time consuming, but generally I find collaging to be a quick way of working, allowing me to churn out art and quickly learn from my mistakes and develop my work.

I have also experimented with photograms, ink, and simple line drawings. The sketchbook pages featured on this page also went on to be inspiration for a stop motion film, stills from which are included in the sketchbook itself (top left). I feel that including these other techniques and mediums have enhanced and developed my sketchbook, but it is the collage aspect of my work that ties my ideas together.

Photos by Kate Romain

LET CAST ALBUMS INTO YOUr Life

Image (L-R): Flickr, Mark Mitchell; Wikimedia Commons, hamiltonbroadway

CHARLOTTE SPENCER For the first time in 50 years, two Broadway recordings are in the Billboard top 200. The most recent, Dear Evan Hansen, is a soaring, emotional and hilarious new work about anxiety and family written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, whose lyrics you’ve likely just heard in La La Land. The other, LinManuel Miranda’s Hamilton, is an epic rollercoaster of rap, jazz, hip-hop and ballads, elucidating the life of one of America’s founding fathers.

These two albums are so vastly different from each other and successful in their own rights that they make a huge case for why cast albums deserve a spot in your playlist.

It’s forgivable, but not advisable, that your music collection might be bare of cast recordings, but the sheer variety in the great albums released even in the last five years means it’s a fair bet

perfect soundtrack for those angsty final weeks of term. there’s one that will blow you away. Murder Ballad by Julia Jordan and Juliana Nash is sultry, sexy, and thrilling, with songs that wouldn’t sound out of place on an Arctic Monkeys album, and contains an engrossing story to boot.

Hitting off-Broadway in 2013 and recently completing its limited London premiere, it’s far from fighting Hamilton for record sales, however if you’re searching for something to listen to that will make you feel like you can take on the world, look no further.

Another new gem, one which London hasn’t seen yet, is Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812. This is a sumptuous, overwhelming score written by Dave Malloy and based on one volume of War and Peace (the one

with Natasha, Pierre, and the comet.) This is a note in its favour already – it’s way easier to listen to the album than to read War and Peace (I’ve tried both). It’s meta, with lyrics like “It’s a complicated Russian novel, everyone’s got nine different names!” meaning the cast is on your side, wittily letting you in on their secrets.

On adaptations, Laurence O’Keefe and Kevin Murphy’s Heathers is angry and powerful, reminiscent of the times in high school when you knew the whole world was against you (or when you loved your dead gay son.) At the same time it’s life-affirming, in a kind of ‘it’s not okay now but it probably will be one day’ way. Above all it’s raucous and exciting, and it’s the

The best part of exploring the Broadway and offBroadway canon is that the five albums above, distinct and brilliant individually, are but a taster, because there’s so much that I couldn’t cram onto this page. Musicals about spelling bees, criminals, lesbians, and baking pies have all recently been hits, adored by those who knew where to find them. You won’t hear these songs blasted in the LCR, but give them a shot and you might find yourself asking the DJ to play “My Unfortunate Erection.”

Honourable mentions: Newsies for harmonising boys and rallying anthems. Once for big, heart-wrenching love songs. Next to Normal for emotional exhaustion and tears, just tears.

imag

Film 07

Concrete.film@uea.ac.uk

the lego batman movie

Melissa Haggar In a world where Lego reigns supreme, a brooding brick Batman (Will Arnett) eagerly awaits his latest big screen debut. It’s a curious scenario, a tiny toy securing his own big movie deal, but it’s a familiar one none the less, one spurred on by the astronomical success of The Lego Movie in 2014.

And that is where we are joined at the start of the movie – it’s been a few years since the last Lego outing, and suffice to say, the Big B has gotten a little lonely. Resigning himself to his mansion, and consuming an excessive amount of latenight lobster after lacklustre crime-fighting escapades, this billionaire playboy appears to have lost his appetite for life. But never fear, the boisterous boy wonder is here! Michael Cera

assumes the form (voice) of Robin in the latest flick, complete with absolutely fabulous sparkly yellow cape, and little Lego goggles which only serve to enlarge his endearing eyes, and no doubt, your heart. He’s the perfect yang to Batman’s yin, balancing out the Dark Knight’s tougher side with something more fun, innocent, and energetic.

sulky Batman to stop them, along with help from capable police chief, Barbara Gordon (Rosario Dawson), the world’s most patient butler, Alfred (Ralph Fiennes), and a whole heap of ridiculous bat-themed outfits for the group to wear. Frankly, we didn’t even know we wanted to see Alfred dressed as a British police-themed bat riding a tank…until now.

But all is not so cheery in Gotham, and as the The Joker (Zach Galifianakis) begins to threaten the City (again) with a whole host of new villains. Be prepared for a Lego Dark Lord – it’s up to fashionista Robin and

Needless to say, the film excels when it embraces its sillier side, acknowledging its own history in clever flashback gags and inserting in countless in-jokes and intertextual references that are self-mocking and

delightful. Frenetic and breath-taking, there is never a dull moment when it comes to The Lego Batman Movie, as it consistently provides colourful visuals and unique experiences that were first introduced in the original. Kaleidoscopic Lego bricks gleefully collide to paint a distinctly immersive and captivating picture that flows perfectly; a suitable testament to the advancements in computer animation.

Whilst it seems strange to witness another Batman film so soon after the lacklustre Batman vs.

Superman, Lego Batman proves to be a worthy successor and without a doubt, the best Batman movie of recent years.

lion beverly devakishen Lion is a beautiful and incredibly moving film, made even more touching because it was based on a true story. The first half of the film is set in India and shows the childhood of the main character, Saroo (Sunny Pawar). He is separated from his older brother at a train station and goes through a series of ordeals before finally getting adopted at an orphanage by an Australian couple. As a child actor,

Pawar’s performance as Saroo is absolutely stunning.

Everything from his facial expressions to his body language helps to create the balance between the character’s fear and his tough resilience, and the depth that Sunny gives to the child is impressive.

The second half of the film is about how Saroo grows up with his Australian parents, played by David

Wenham and Nicole Kidman.

His adoptive mother is very passionate about raising Saroo and another adopted Indian child named Mantosh, and Nicole Kidman plays this role brilliantly. One can feel the mother’s anguish deepen as Saroo becomes more distant from her due to his increasing obsession with finding his biological mother and brother.

Image T-B: Dougie Dodds, Flickr, veganstraightedge, Pixabay, raheel9630

The highlight of the film

is in the final act, where emotions will take over.

You’re heartless if you don’t at least tear up at some point in this cinematic treasure.

Although the movie was fairly predictable and somewhat slow, it was so heartbreaking and emotional that one could still get completely taken in by the show.

k

08 Film

Concrete.film@uea.ac.uk

i love you philip morris (2009)

sara lapinova Jeff Nichols’ Loving is a film with a soft heart, but unfortunately an even softer execution. Following one of the most influential civil rights cases in America, the film begins with great potential, depicting the mixed-race marriage of Richard (Joel Edgerton) and Mildred Loving (Ruth Negga). A relationship which in 1958 Virginia was not only controversial, but illegal. Richard and Mildred were consequently jailed and banished from their home town, sentenced to live out of the state for 25 years.

It is a quaint, humble film, enveloped in soft lighting and picturesque scenery.

However, the beautifully tender cinematography does not match the static, reserved portrayal of Richard and Mildred, who seem to act as mere vessels to tell a heartfelt story as opposed to being the heart of the story.

This results in a film that is too restrained in emotion.

With a primary focus on its genre as a biopic, it neglects to draw out the protagonists beyond their skin colour.

The film opens with Mildred announcing she’s Photo Credits:Flickr pregnant; it is their love and

family they must sacrifice so much for, and so the vacant presence of their first child left the film feeling hollow.

Mildred is shown bearing child after child, but there is a lack of focus on parenting and genuine moments of intimacy, reducing their marriage down to a mere montage. This array of superficial characters and a slow-paced unfocused plot causes the film to tumble into mediocrity.

'With a primary focus on its genre as a biopic, it neglects to draw out the protagonists beyond their skin colour.'

Loving has many themes at its fingertips. Beyond racial issues, it inherently engages with homesickness, family and sacrifice. The film however, merely skims over these, leaving a vast capacity of emotion unexplored.

For a film about love, it is too bashful and floods a large amount of screen time with shots of Richard endlessly working on his car while Mildred is

seen handling the issues on her own. Although the film is shot in a slow, delicate fashion, each character’s relationship is rushed and underdeveloped, a contrast which makes the film feel dull despite its powerful historical background. There is not enough catharsis to salvage it as a strong civil rights movement film, yet not enough sentiment to make it a romance. The highlight of the film is Garnet (Terri Abney), Mildred’s sister, whose response to the consequences of Mildred’s and Richard’s marriage is earnest and impactful.

Negga’s performance as Mildred is serene and graceful, and she is certainly an actress to look out for in future films, however it does not retrieve the film’s overall underpowered feel.

Beyond its portrayal of the bigotry that predated American Civil Rights revolution, the film is deprived of any other interest, and left me feeling nothing more than lukewarm about their relationship, and frustrated with its reticence.

I know, I know, you’ve heard it all before: straight-laced cop (Jim Carrey) comes out, turns con-man and falls in love with fellow inmate (Ewan McGregor) in a Texas jail. Although the hilarious, off-beat flick has enough cartoon slapstick to make Laurel and Hardy blush, Carrey’s surprisingly sensitive and understated performance grounds the film with tear-jerkers, emotional gut-punches and endlessly quotable speeches.

- Louis Pigeon-Owen

red dragon (2002) A prequel in plot to The Silence of the Lambs, Red Dragon tells of Hannibal Lecter’s downfall into captivity, and his first time as a call-on psychopath with Will Graham (Edward Norton). While it may not compete with Jonathan Demme’s classic, Red Dragon is equally as creepy, gory and star-cases, of course, another phenomenal performance from the chilling Anthony Hopkins.

- Willa Hope

JACKIE BROWN (1997) Probably Quention Tarantino’s least known movie, Jackie Brown stars the brilliant Pam Grier as Jackie, an air stewardess who manages to lay her hands on half a million dollars. There’s also Samuel L. Jackson with a ginger-braided goatee, if you needed any more persuading.

- Louis Pigeon-Owen Image:Dougie Dodds

Film 09

Concrete.film@uea.ac.uk

BIOPICS: is fiction finished? sophie bunce As biopics fill the cinema listings, we must ask ourselves: is it good story or good profit that puts them there? Most recently with the releases of Barry, Jackie and Nina it seems audiences love the genre. Could this be the future of cinema? It seems that we have run out of stories to tell and fiction is finished; here comes the age of biopics.

Biopics suffer from one main affliction: an obligation to the truth. They promise to tell a real person’s story on the cinema screen. This means that in the pursuit of accuracy over art they seem bland and formulaic. They lack the spontaneity that great movies hold dear. For cinema is not the setting for the truth, not the place for fact but somewhere to escape from it. We know in a biopic there will be a clear

beginning, middle and end, because that’s how our lives and stories work. But do we need it in cinema? Another problem is glamorisation of lives that weren’t that glamourous. There is always the threat of romanticising the past and biopics offer the perfect setting for misplaced nostalgia. These films can skim over details to present a more pleasing version of the truth depending on the target audience: just look to the Thatcher biopic The Iron Lady. We must consider ethics, in this case, as we see who is remembered in a biopic and who conveniently didn’t make the cut. We are being bombarded by these versions of the truth through film, but are they worth our time?

But maybe this is too harsh. The most recent released biopics offer

education and not at the expense of artistry. With this genre, like anything, there will always be some good and some bad. The new releases show a more artistic approach concerned with cinematography, unlike their predecessors who instead fixated on fact and story. Barry was classy. It told an unknown story of a well-known man. It was nice to see Obama before politics, before Michelle, before he became ‘The’ Barack Obama. This allowed audiences access to his story though a well-shot lens and showed that biopics don’t have to be dull. They capture all types of people, whether they are concerned with the underrepresented minorities or key figures in history. With our loss of icons, biopics allow a cinematic eulogy. Whether this is the right or wrong

way to use cinema is debateable. For some, it’s a way to capture those we have lost. It’s important to tell these stories. In a time where many find cinema easier to consume than books, how else will people learn? Otherwise we have a world full of people who may not know of Jackie Kennedy’s story, only her husband's. In the light of Natalie Portman’s amazing performance in Jackie, that would be a great shame.

I have no problem with biopics when done well. I like learning and I like the cinema so it feels like a convenient fit. However, as the genre becomes more popular, it is important to ask; why are they being made? For profit and success alone, I am not interested.

For a powerful film, I am there.

Image L-R: Flickr, Ma_Co2013, canburak, O Cinema, Travis Cooper, Movies Forever, Federico Mauro, Spencer Fornaciari, Movie Poster Shop, screen relish, Reina Joana

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Fashion

Spring guidE Sophie Wiggins

start planning my summer wardrobe. Well, global retailers are saying that it is definitely not too early. We’re already seeing some of our favourite brands going live with their tempting new Spring Summer collections, phasing out the winter trends in the last weeks of AutumnWinter 2017. If you’re like me, then you’ll be opening your arms to the exciting Spring and S u m m e r fashions that will be up for grabs this season.

T h e sun has finally decided to show itself in the last week or so and I’ve already started questioning whether it’s too early for me to ditch the jumpers and

When considering the big players in fashion, there’s been a lot to say this week with the New York and London fashion weeks having just been and gone, and there seems to be some recurring themes already.

Aside from the classic white dress, beach looks and lots and lots of pink, the catwalks this season seem to be inspired by going back to the 80s. Big colours, big shoulders,

and big patterns are what we’re expecting for Spring 2017, and that goes for the guys as well! From Saint Laurent, to Alexander Wang, to Gucci- we’re facing a full-on revival!

However, if that’s not your thing, and you’ve never dreamed of your wardrobe being a Madonna-inspired 80s throw back, then fear not, the catwalks this season were also showing some trends that I think will get us all excited for summer. Kendall Jenner in a gorgeous, strappy, Alexander Wang number, for example. Bralettes will be coming back big time, along with the classic floral and striped prints that will be spicing up our wardrobes for summer.

Some more familiar styles have also made it back on to the catwalk this year with the extremely popular off-the-shoulder design giving the everyday shopper a much simpler style to follow.

However, if like most of the population, your wallet doesn’t quite stretch to the high-fashion prices, then all of the catwalk styles can easily be found in high-street equivalents. For example, Jenner’s bralette has

already been mirrored online via Misguided. co.uk, Prettylittlething. com, and boohoo.com.

Plus, like the catwalks, high-street brands such as Topshop, Topman, Zara and Newlook have all started to phase in their spring-summer styles, with lots of our Norwich retailers bringing bursts of colour, more stripes, and more patterns, contrasting this with the soft pastels and florals that define Spring-Summer fashion.

There was also, however, one trend from the catwalks that I felt UEA students particularly needed to know about before heading into Spring-Summer.

The robe trend. That’s right, catwalks this season were showing models wearing all sorts of very comfy looking robes, which all students can relate to, being a community of stereotypically lazy creatures.

So, if you’re style is more classically “studentorientated”, then the best news you will hear all day, is that to be in fashion this Spring-Summer, just toss on a fancy robe or dressing gown and you’re good to go.

Wiki Commons: Karen Arnold

Fashion 11

Concrete.fashion@uea.ac.uk

50 Shades of Orange Becca Hemmings

Foundation is a staple product for millions of people worldwide, so it’s rather bizarre that with the many different skin tones in the world, brands aren’t reflecting this in their foundation shades. Walking through the aisles of Boots it’s disheartening to see 50 shades of orange… and pretty much nothing else. But it’s not all doom and gloom! There are plenty of brands out there that have a wide variety of shades and won’t leave you having to mix two together to find your perfect match.

MAC

Unsurprisingly, as one of the most popular makeup brands out there, MAC measures up pretty well on the foundation front. Not only do they have 15 available foundations but they come in a whole array of colours. With the MAC Studio Fix Foundation, available in 44 shades there is bound to be a shade for you and they always have a beauty expert on hand if you need help finding your perfect fit. MAC is available in MAC stores and online at www.maccosmetics.co.uk or online and in stores at Debenhams, John Lewis and House of Fraser.

L’Oréal

The L’Oréal True Match foundation is raved about by many people because it comes in 23 shades and it won’t break the bank. L’Oréal

claims it matches 98% of skin tones which makes it a great option for people who don’t want to splash out on high end products but want a foundation that comes in a broader range of shades. You can get this foundation online and in stores in Boots, Superdrug, Tesco and online at www.feelunique.com.

Maybelline

Maybelline’s Fit Me Matte and Poreless Foundation is also a good budget pick for more shades. It comes in 18 colours and certain shades are developed specifically for women of colour to accurately blend with the skin’s natural highlights and tones. You can buy Maybelline online at www.lookfantastic.com or in Boots and Superdrug.

Clinique

Clinique’s Beyond Perfecting Foundation and Concealer comes in 28 shades and is a high pigment formula which adapts to your skin tone as it settles on the skin.

Clinique also have over 15 other foundations with lots of shades to try and have a filter on their website for you to choose your foundation based on your skin tone so you know it’s a good pick for you! You can buy Clinique at www.Clinique.co.uk, online and in store at Debenhams, House of Fraser, John Lewis and selected Boots stores.

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Concrete.fashion@uea.ac.uk

12

Fashion

plus size modelling Kate Mussett

H

ealth and body ideals have long been an issue for the fashion industry, with the preferred model being between size 6 and 8. The call for more plus size models has always existed in the fashion industry, and has grown with the more accepting society.

In recent years, some of these have been highlighted in a vast scale causing great steps to be made, such as the protests in London Fashion week of 2016 when six models protested for more plus sized modelling and to get rid of the obsession with size zero; the Curve Fashion Festival, first in 2015 is coming back ‘bigger and better’ this year, quoted from the website; and celebrity and star Zendaya has released a new clothing line that now caters for plus sized women. These are just a few of the examples of how far the fashion industry has come, albeit the more publicised examples. However, there is still a long way for the fashion industry to go for it to catch up to modern ethics.

Popular shops like ASOS have specific sections for plus size clothing, however, the models for these items are very often at the very bottom of the plus size scale, wearing the smallest size available.

This is part of the reason the campaign isn’t reaching its full

Why the issue is not resolved potential. It is also not a fully adopted idea, to offer a plus size range. Many brands and shops still do not offer plus size clothing or use plus size models.

One factor that is not largely discussed surrounding the idea is men. Although many brands offer plus size clothing for men, the selection is usually a lot smaller and a lot less advertised. It could be that there is less of a demand from men for more advertisement of plus size models and clothing, but if this is the case, it shows the reluctance and lack of support from the fashion industry towards the movement.

“The plus size campaign is far from over”

We live in an age of technology, of social media and most importantly, of uninterrupted communication that allows for the spread of popular opinion and ideals.

The ideals that are advertised today in the fashion industry for the perfect figure and body are still mostly indistinguishable

from those of before the plus size campaign existed and progressed. Yes, more plus size models are being used in advertisement today, both online and on the runways, but it cannot be said that the plus size issue has been rectified until there is no longer a gap between plus size and regular modelling. More clothes are now available for people who fall into the plus size category, but the plus size campaign did not only call for this but for the advertisement of healthier and more obtainable body ideals, it is this that the fashion industry is neglecting to change.

The stigma surrounding the size of clothing worn shows that the plus size campaign is far from over.

Wiki Commons: Petr Kratochvil

The Importance of Font Look at this page. Isn’t it nasty?

Niamh Jones and Dougie Dodds

Font can do a lot of different things, from making a page look classy or, in this case, make a page look like a year 10 powerpoint presentation. Here we have personified some of our favourite/ least favourite fonts in what we think describes their characters.

We’ve also fulfilled our lifelong dream of putting Comic Sans in a ‘professional’ publication, and making a page as ugly as possible. In fact, this page has been carefully constructed in to show you how much effort we put into design. It’s here to hurt your eyeballs and frazzle your brain. We’re sorry, but good design is important.

Baskerville

is that suave hipster in your seminar group. It has read all the indie chapbooks

that you’ve never heard of. It doesn’t agree with anything you say, in fact its favourite sentence is ‘ummm... actually....’

Bradley Hand

is the kid at school who tried too hard on his ICT project. Look how

cool it is, it looks like handwriting. In pencil. Its similarity to Comic Sans isn’t irritating at all. Nope. Not one bit.

Webdings would speak for hours and hours about its day, yet nobody would listen.

Comic Sans

desperately wanted to be taken seriously, but due to its childlike disposition

whenever it tried to speak about neuro-science or astrophysics people would just laugh.

Brush script

used a small loan of a million dollars to start its own company, but due to terrible

foresight it ended up out of its depth and in charge of a lot of people.

Zapfino

Once upon a time, in a kingdom far far away,

Giddyup

had just get another pony from daddy.

liked was a huge fan of Antonio Banderas, and like to dress up in black while putting on an

Italian accent.

Impact

Didn’t take no crap from no-one.

venue arts supplement

waste

waste VENUE’s Art Gallery and Open Mic Night Bookable Room 6 10th March 18.30-21.00

wanted to turn everything upside down, for this issue at least.Half of the pieces were laid out as you see them here, albeit with my added backgrounds and colours,and half have been messed with (indicated by starred titles).

I

un/f-o-r-m

C. Writing 15

Mary Dodds

Concrete.creativewriting@uea.ac.uk

A r t — Lucy Caradog



Anger Rage Terror I lose my mind trying to please an inner demon rattling at the bars of my brain screaming at me to jump over the mountain that is my creator’s block but also assuring me that nothing I make will ever be worthy of the demon’s silence.

Assured Relaxed Tranquil As I watch the colours and words and symbols and sounds stream out of my mind through my hands in rainbows and rivers, I am calm, I am at peace, and I can barely notice the little demon’s limp body in the corner.

Concrete.creativewriting@uea.ac.uk

16

Freedom Elisha Rose

End Game Elisha Rose

She wears her freedom // like a purple cloak Like a golden crown // like an eagle’s wings carries feathers Unwavering and determined – a formidable combination.

She is a new wave, crashing against the rocks.

Both the claws of the tiger and the softness of its fur.

She is well-read, well-rehearsed, real // reserving judgement, kind, experienced.

She wears this all – she suits it.

It fits her beautifully, right down to the bones.

C. Writing I thought it would hurt less if I left without a goodbye – next time we meet, you needn’t say hello.

Public Privacy

ALICE KOUZMENKO

If you want to understand someone, ask them to empty their bag – be it their patent leather purse, briefcase or backpack. Or, on the likely chance that they refuse, wait until its unattended, when you’ve been trusted to keep an eye out while they nip to the toilet, and rummage around in secret.

Turn it upside down so you can get to know them inside out.

Find ripped receipts, those lingering reminders of money that would be better left unspent. Lip balms that’d long been labelled lost, foreign coins, loose pieces of spearmint gum, wrappers stained with guilt and milk chocolate remains.

A grandmother’s ring, sachets of white sugar, a yellow crayon, a misshapen almond, a makeup wipe stained black with last week’s mascara, a pink highlighter missing its lid, a glasses case (with no glasses inside), an old cinema ticket, expired vouchers, a safety pin, more sachets of white sugar, a lighter with no fluid, a giant paperclip, another receipt, a pair of rusty tweezers, a tampon, a mini paperclip, bills that have

yet to be paid, stained with coffee and dusted with cracker crumbs.

Search “What’s in my Bag?” on YouTube and you’ll be bombarded with about 20,700,000 results. Ten-minute long videos of the conventional wallet, water bottle, car keys, house keys, maybe an odd lipstick or hairclip. The spotless, censored version - an assortment that ceases to be embarrassing, but one that also isn’t true.

Devoid of unwashed socks, one that shows the fresh pack of tissues but hides the loose used ones from view.

Make sure to be done at least a minute or two before they’re back, enough time for you to be scrolling through your phone and for their mismatched items to settle back into those places they’ve chosen for themselves.

For each expired bus ticket and fridge magnet is part of their everyday (bag)gage.

Private belongings that we dare to carry around in public.�

C. Writing 17

Concrete.creativewriting@uea.ac.uk

one blind, one deaf — gus edgar Binded by me blinded I fell behind did I, dead eye.

lungs

— y. b

ir

d T h e air is sucked out of you.

You jump up and down, b ones eye disclosed Dead this exposed globe close to closed, I sigh. chatt e ringthe watch world watches whirled wishwashes, I wish. fOn reezmy l i k e ing thdays stopped teethto stop daze and glaze my eyes glazed, it’s pish.

Wishing e gr itIqcount und – can’t, canter, see I see my stupid stupor, my eyes sear. uakes as a ocunt, whlively ere y life I’ve loved and lived here, Hear, Hear! At least I can hear.

Sear the ou wa lk. __________________

desert the But and your lungs start carry can’t They

G iv h e w er h s at w he an ts Wra

relentless is to give in. forever. you

p tied her u u and p wit p in sm h Mak add a a bo oke, w e su birt re y hday ou writ card. e yo u’re so

rry.

Mary Dodds text from an ex — Freya Scott Broomfield 

I don’t know. I’m very private. I like my words to be wrapped up in stealth. I wasn’t asking if you wanted to go with me… I phrased it clumsily. Well, the right kind of miserable can help when I’m miserable. Silence is good grim fare if you fancy cinema.

Wait, did my profile reactivate? I think I only deactivated it temporarily. I’m going to deactivate for foreseeable future. Hope I do it properly now.

Illustrations by Hugo Douglas-Deane

I can’t WhatsApp you. Messages don’t go through. They’re clogged up like a fat man’s arteries.

Hope you are well and haven’t cut your hair. We should do the bluebells this year.

Gaming 19

Concrete.gaming@uea.ac.uk

Sunless skies: kickstarter launch zee-captains Ahoy! This ship’s sailing for the stars...

Helen Jones Zee-Captains and Aztronauts alike will be thrilled to hear that Failbetter Games, creators of Fallen London and Sunless Sea, have recently launched a Kickstarter for their newest game: Sunless Skies.

Taking place ten years after the events of Sunless Sea, Skies launches players into the High Wilderness of the stars on the wings of Queen Victoria’s imperial fleet. Following in Failbetter’s tradition of dark, chthonic steampunk worlds, Sunless Skies promises a rich narrative universe for players to explore and attempt to survive.

This time space-farers will set their vessel a-sail in a ‘Victorian nightmare vision of outer space’, colonising star-systems, murdering suns, and evading cosmic abominations.

I say all this with certainty because Failbetter Games passed their kickstarter goal of £100,000 within just four hours of going live, and at the time of writing are 250% funded. Failbetter have a proven track record with Kickstarter projects, which funded both Sunless Sea and its DLC Zubmariner back in 2013. So Sunless Skies is now

inevitably set in motion to release in 2018, with earlyaccess coming to backers and non-backers alike this summer.

Of course, stretch goals are still up for those keen to

unlock extra content and bag some pirate swag, but what’s been most interesting about this Kickstarter is Failbetter’s decision to offer secrets, elucidations, and future content in exchange for social goals. It’s a clever

‘‘In Xanadu did Kubla Khan A stately pleasure-dome decree: Where Alph, the sacred river, ran Through caverns measureless to man Down to a sunless sea. ‘‘ way to get free publicity and get fans involved at the same time, compelling fans who might not have the money to invest to take part instead by writing zee shanties, dressing up as characters, and baking Lovecraftian cakes to unlock goals.

Sunless Sea was on many people’s top games of the year in 2015 and it’s exciting to see that people want to see Failbetter keep doing what they do best – and if you’re a newcomer to the community who’s interested in some whimsical Gothic hijinks then I can happily recommend Fallen London as a free game available on browsers and app stores to get yourself started.

B i t t e r old sailors, meanwhile,

will be pleased to hear that Failbetter intend to deal with the issues players had in Sunless Sea: namely problems with combat and slow, unchanging early game content which players who died repeatedly would have to slog through. Combat is being reworked and will be the subject of a future dev stream on Failbetter’s Twitch channel. While devs have confirmed that you will now be able to pass down items, ships and money to the unwise sailors who follow in your sunken legacy. Your choices in previous lives will also now have narrative persistence, meaning the places you visit may be permanently changed by the choices you make even in previous generations, and will come with shiny new consequences.

Finally, having reached the £200,000 stretch goal Failbetter have promised that smuggling will be coming to Sunless Skies. Trading will be more viable in Skies partly thanks to the new legacy allowances and partly due to new Prospects and Bargains systems allowing merchant vessels to set out in search of rare and rumoured opportunities or to hunt down lucrative deals. Overall I’m excited to see Failbetter expand the Fallen London universe into the bottomless skies, and am looking forward to finding out where this new journey takes us.

Photo Credit: Asi Makri (deviantArt) Portrait: Wikicommons, National Portrait Gallery

20 Gaming

Concrete.gaming@uea.ac.uk

Top five gaming soundtracks no shortage of bangers

Daniel Box Sure, plot is vital, characterisation brings a game alive, and mechanics make an enjoyable player experience, but I think we can all agree that the soundtrack is what really makes a video game memorable.

From the nostalgic electronic bleeping of Crash Bandicoot to the delightful 50s radio stations of the Fallout series, I’m going to take you on a dive into the depths of your speakers, and reveal my top five video game soundtracks of all time.

5. The Sims 3 – gentle yet joyful, many of us growing up were semiconvinced that this would be the soundtrack to real adult

life. As we all now know, being an adult isn’t quite as fun, but still it’s a soothing and whimsical soundtrack perfect for building houses or drowning families of Sims in swimming pools to.

Recommended tack: not a single track in particular – this is a calming background music soundtrack in general.

4. Sonic Heroes – the must have game of 2003/4, although I’m not quite sure why.

What cannot be faulted, however, is the soundtrack.

I still sometimes hum along to that amazing theme song.

Recommended track: Sonic Heroes Theme 3. Mass Effect 2 – despite

the fact that we ended up defeating the Reapers with three Instagram filters, Bioware brought out the big guns with this soundtrack.

Although Mass Effect was a great tone setter, and Mass Effect 3 brought the trilogy to a fittingly sombre close, Mass Effect 2’s grittier soundtrack brought the perfect amount of art noir and epic to the table.

Recommended track: Suicide Mission 2. Halo Reach – sure, the original trilogy was beautiful with its soaring choral symphonies, and Halo 3: ODST added a rather unique noir edge to the mix, but Halo Reach is something else entirely. It still feels

Layers of fear Dougie Dodds Have you ever wanted to shit your pants so hard from fear you’re reduced to a blubbering mess? You could eat a dodgy German sausage from Aldi, or you could play Layers of Fear. There’s a story in there somewhere, but I can’t tell you about any of that, because I didn’t get that far. What follows is my list of each layer of fear I experienced playing what must have been the worst experience of my life:

Level 1:

Everything seems fine, the house you’re in seems pretty nice. You’re not too sure why you’re here,

like Halo, but with an extra dose of epic, a sprinkling of the sombre, and a hell of a lot of despair. The perfect soundtrack to the only game which crippled me emotionally.

Recommended track: Winter Contingency.

1. The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim – at the number one spot, we have the video game which dominated the teenage years of many of our readers. Skyrim straddles that line between medieval nostalgia and adventurous fantasy, condensing this fantastical vibe into a soundtrack ideal for stealing the souls of dragons to.

Recommended track: Sovengarde.

Image Credit: BagoGames (Flickr)

More like layers of soiled underwear but you know it’s a horror game. That is enough reason to feel your hand getting moist with sweat. It’s all fine just standing there, looking around tentatively without moving your feet. But there comes a time when you have to move, and move you do.

Level 2:

You thank your stars, there was no jump scare. You start to feel a little more confident, opening the doors around the small area you’ve become accustomed to. You start feel the fear subside, everything might just be *CRASH!* Thunder strikes and a little bit of wee

Level 5:

comes out.

Level 3:

Okay, that was a little scary, but after a cup of tea and about half an hour of recovering you feel confident enough to keep going. The cold sweat comes back, but you’re determined to power through.

Level

4:

You’ve successfully scouted out every room downstairs and there’s nothing much there, so you decide to go up the old creaky stairs. It’s at this point you wonder how much adult nappies cost.

There’s a piano up here. You think ‘oh that’s nice, I can waste some time tinkling away on it’, and start to furiously tap ‘E’. A sweet, single fingered tune rings out, seemingly calming until the lid slams down with a mighty, forceful crash. In that moment, you let out a high-pitched scream that would shame your ancestors.

Level 6:

If you’ve got this far you’re a stronger soul than me. It took a lot of theory and sleeping pills to get over the events of this night, I still cry every time I see an ornate grand piano.

Image credit: Wikimedia, Dave Gandy, Emmanuel Huybrechts

Gaming 21

Concrete.gaming@uea.ac.uk

Reviewing Acceptance Walking in Unfamiliar territory

Charlie Nicholson Of course, every review is ‘personal’ in that views can never be wholly objective, but when reading about games such as Acceptance, it helps to know how the writer might specifically relate to them. Created

by Laura Kate Dale (who identifies as a transgender woman), Acceptance is a short visual novel intended to place players who identify strongly with their birth sex in the situation of someone who doesn’t. Identifying as a trans guy myself, I was interested to see how Dale might express (as the game’s bio puts it) ‘how it feels to live life while trans’ to someone who’s comfortable with the sex they were assigned at birth.

The game’s pivotal choice is the one that sets its storyline in motion. Before anything else happens, you’re required to tell the narrator your gender. Firmly nestled within conventional concepts, it’s a choice between two binaries: you’re either male, or female.

Identifying quite confidently as a man, I selected ‘Male’. I was promptly told, however, that the narrator didn’t quite agree with my answer.

No, Narrator felt much more comfortable accepting that I was female and – more aggressively – insisted that I accepted it as an objective, unarguable fact.

Those

who identify as trans or non-binary may find some instances in Acceptance familiar.

Squeezing into medical-grade binders, refusing to remove my hoodie despite unmanageable heat, and flitting painfully between male’ and ‘female’ public bathrooms brought back some interesting memories.

I find myself feeling lessconstricted nowadays, but I was surprised to be feeling again that similar discomfort those details caused. What surprised me more was how I now took many of those things for granted.

If there’s a criticism to be made of Acceptance, it’d be on its status as a game. Though the importance its messages exist cannot be overstated, there’s no hiding its action selections are limited; I could either isolate myself completely or plunge myself into the hubub of sideways looks and selfconsciousness. Visual style can also feel a bit restricted, and I did find myself wondering how a splash of colour might’ve aided the game’s themes.

But its doodlish a r t - s t y l e and faceless characters are undeniably suited to its narrative,

allowing the player to colour visual gaps with elements of their own experience.

But again, Acceptance is all about binaries, and as frustrating as it was ingame to only ever have two options to choose from, it’s a frustration expressed by many of the binaristic conceptions still – often unconsciously – underlying modern culture. I’d like to say many of the game’s social issues are being addressed, because in many places they are. But during a time in which bathroombills are enforced while gun-restrictions are not, and children’s authors are kept out of schools because of how they identify, and talking about these issues is consistently intimidated by SJW-branding, the creation and recognition of experiences like Acceptance is perhaps more important than ever.

I also mentioned some aspects of Acceptance may prove familiar to players.

The game’s tendency toward the dramatic can understate the story’s emotion. As I mentioned above, it was when the smaller things I’d regularly

taken for granted became obstacles that impacted most, and I feel like the narrative would’ve been just as effective without sudden arguments or fights. I know violence is still regularly experienced by many transfolk (both internationally and locally), but these encounters seemed so out of the blue that it interrupted my identification with my hand-drawn protagonist.

Any game concerned with any angle of identity will inevitably run into issues of representability. No matter how much its themes speak to me, or indeed any other individual player, identity is so multifaceted that it’s impossible to capture an entire experience in one fifteen-minute visual novel.

Acceptance’s story may largely be ‘about’ gender, but the discomfort the game itself expresses I suspect chimes within a more diverse concept of identity than expected. It raises attention to the pressure to conform to extreme aesthetic, social and personal expectations – and that’s too common an experience to be pinned strictly toward gender.

Ultimately, Acceptance speaks to those who’ve – during some point in their lives – have felt they don’t fit.

Illustrations: Kirsty McAlpine Logo credit: Wikicommons, ParaDox

Visual Effects BETH PAPWORTH

No w ad ay s, fi lm s ar e m or e la yers of CGI imag lik el y es, rather with to in co rp or at e an imaginative th an animating a computer anim reality involve character usin ation and fro d singing, da g practical effect m scratch. ncing CGI (computer s to and co generated mplicated cam welcome us ba era ck to the m images). Avatar ovement. All of is a prime revival of the go this had to However, La La ld en example of ag e.

Land is be intricately ch manipulating oreographed, reverting back to images to create traditional pr e-designed and an illusion cin La La planned.

La ema as they nd is visually of real life scenar use more impr Yet, Chazelle’s ios. In 2009, pr es siv ha e, rd ac work tical effects to ill mapped the CGI for the out pays off be ustrate with on film Avatar, Mi cause the hilltop e continuous ca a and Seb floatin directed by Jam m er a dance scen g up to the shoo es Cameron, pl e demonstrates t. Chazelle wa anetarium. The was innovative nted it the director, to fe complexity of and ground Da el lik bringing e m ien Chazelle a single take breaking for th carefully that in complicated is time. The flo fil we m cr d sh af ots to fro ts the visual m one scene Na’vi figures ar achieve practical effects to anot e realistic to ef he fe r. ct Th s. show the pair e cars in the because they dangling open have used by ing scene had a po the visible wire motion capture werful s that visual This is not to replicate gr effect as the acto the only adually fades aw the movements r leapt blockbus ay as the onto and facial au te r fil m th e th ve at has hi di cles and sang. ence become im expressions of mersed Howeve grabbed audience the actors. in s r, wi Ry th an th their e fantasy world and Emma’s pr These successfu . The hilltop actical effects, l CGI avatars dance overlookin wires reappear as Star were created g Lo br s Wars: The inging the Ange by blending ch Force Awakens les was difficult aracters safely ba real characters to shoot used ck to the with a combination of with many gr practical effects CGI and ound. Chazelle because practic is playing the al effects to en six minute unbrok gage en shot with th e viewers. J. J Ab rams

, and entertaining. The old kdrop of a huge crashed bac y awa ng g dyi vin is mo traditional cinema to Wars is not yer. filmed real life explosions re er-generated Star Destro put com from out and films are making mo the ensure the urgency of is it ing ent , ead erim money by exp to graphics. Inst Ultimately, these film actors by making it close cts. with practical CGI ing bin com with different visual effe n Fin s are moving toward rs cto reality. In the scene, dire in re ed mo iev ach is this ough ir effects that is bination of CGI and Alth and Rey are running for the com a Rey is re it whe e, ts ive to produc on, one of the sho effects to make expens al lives from the explosi ctic pra e dun d ! san run a g it in the lon of is sliding down s more diverse worth giving a powerful sense against the their movie set i, Dab Abu in r Sta Yet, dramatization.

Image: Wikimediacommons, patpatpat.

Television 23

Concrete.Television@uea.ac.uk

Santa Clarita Diet A Zomedy with heart

Jodie Bailey Meet the Hammonds, your typical suburban family – Joel (Timothy Olyphant) and Sheila (Drew Barrymore) work together in real estate, their teenage daughter Abby is the apple of their eyes and Sheila’s new diet has really given her a confidence boost.

The only problem is that the said diet involves first degree murder and smoothies comprised of human flesh – Hannibal Lecter would be proud. The reason for Sheila’s bloodthirsty tastes?

She’s simultaneously dead and undead; we don’t use the word zombie though – ‘it’s inherently negative’.

So too, you might argue, is the zombie genre. Overdone, over-clichéd and over my dead body if you think this sort of series is the type that I would usually watch. Except it is not. Well, maybe Santa Clarita Diet is a little on the unoriginal side – but what I mean is that does not make it bad television. We are so used to online platforms

giving us high quality, clever originals like Stranger Things and House of Cards, that of course we are going to be taken aback when Netflix does something less groundbreaking. It just takes the ‘zomedy’ genre but it adds a bit of heart to it. Initially the series did not favour well with audiences, but actually if you give it a chance, it will begin to grow on you.

The pilot episode is certainly weaker than the rest of the series, but do bear with it. How Sheila’s zombification process was caused is glossed over early on - but aren’t most zombie origins? All we know is that she undergoes a transformation that, for better or worse, changes her into a walking, talking, maneating corpse. One moment she is boringly normal, and in the next all her inhibitions are gone and she is eager to munch her way through every person who happens to be on the wrong side of her. That being said, from the getgo we are plunged into the

Illustration: Dougie Dodds Background Image: Flickr, Jeff Turner

grotesque with gore galore and guts everywhere – in a very literal sense, I assure you.

Perhaps it is not to e v e r y o n e ’s taste, but then whenever was the ‘zomedy’ genre prided on being subtle?

Re g a r d l e s s of the horror elements of the show, Santa Clarita Diet has family at its heart. The bonds between the characters and their humour in the face of death is genuinely heart-warming. This isn’t a show to be taken too seriously; just enjoy it for what it is and have a giggle with the rest of us.

Concrete.television@uea.ac.uk

24

Television

Oldie But goldie ANTANAS LAURUSAS Have you seen the Sopranos yet? No? Well, you should.

It is no longer a question whether it is worth seeing Sopranos, rather than why it is the best-written show ever, according to the Writers Guild of America.

Sure, Sopranos is not the easiest watch with episodes

10 years since the sopranos final lasting up to an hour. It is not a perfect binge watch either with episodes usually lacking strong cliffhangers to hook the viewer for the next episode.

However, what Sopranos may lack in contemporary television stylistics it makes up in its narrative and creative presentation. Who wouldn’t want to see a New Jersey mob boss named Tony struggling to separate his domestic and crime family affairs, while tackling panic attacks, that interfere with his work and stature, with a help of a therapist?

Sopranos is a modern comment on the life of the criminal world as it lacks the typical glamour presented in classical mafia dramas such as The Godfather or Scarface. Sopranos is fun to watch due to its truthful depiction of how Italian American mobsters conduct their daily business and struggle to manage their public and private lives. The humorous tone of the series works surprisingly well with characters embarking on a journey to answer tough philosophical questions through their interactions

with each other, while serving in their out of the ordinary occupation.

Sopranos may not be everyone’s cup of tea, however, it remains and shall remain the series that redefined family and more importantly television drama for years to come.

Image Credit: Wikimedia, Open Clipart Library

STRANGER THINGS HANNAH JARMAN A new teaser trailer of the hugely popular sci-fi drama that left so many asking for more, has already caused much excitement. Opening with a 1980’s advert for Eggos, the trailer is clever in rooting itself in this sense of 1980’s nostalgia that was so essential to the popularity of the first series. It may also remind viewers of the way in which series one ended – with Chief Hopper, placing a packet of Eggos in a box, seemingly for Eleven.

Indeed, although Eleven disappears during the last episode, the trailer most definitely confirms she is still at large, particularly due to Image Credit: Dougie Dodds

Excitement for new teaser trailer the close up of her bleeding nose, a striking image that viewers will recognise as an after-effect of the use of her superhuman powers.

Yet, the trailer does not only focus on Eleven, but also the other significant children of the first series – Mike, Dustin, Lucas and Will. The former three (plus one other who, due to the angle of the shot, remains hidden) appear in GhostBusters costumes in the trailer, as they stand outside the school. This scene evokes a number of questions, not only because one character is left a mystery, (is this Will? Eleven?

A new character?), but also due to the surrounding school children who are in every day clothing, making it unlikely that it is a Halloween dress up competition. Yet, what alternative reasons could there be for the use of them?

The trailer comes to a climactic end in the form of Will and his experience of the ‘Upside Down’. As expected due to the last episode of the last series in which Will, for a brief moment, experiences the ‘Upside Down’ once again when washing his hands, the trailer emphasises that Will is yet to escape it. A close up of one of his drawings of

a huge creature with dark long legs, is followed by an exact replica that flickers in the dark sky. Perhaps Will’s drawings will predict what is to happen in series two, giving us more insight in the ‘Upside Down’. Let us hope the first episode, which hits our screens on October the 31st, lives up to the building expectations.

Television 25

Concrete.television@uea.ac.uk

WHICH FLIX? HOW MUCH HAS VIEWING CHANGED? HARRIET GRIFFITHS My friends, the future is upon us. No longer will lengthy train journeys or internetfree cafes be a problem for our entertainment-starved brains. Netflix is now available to stream offline.

How is this possible? You ask. I am afraid I have no answer. I prefer not to look a gift horse in the mouth.

But hey, now that Rick and Morty is available to watch ANYWHERE, whether you are procrastinating at Unio or ice fishing in Siberia, it appears, to me at least, that Netflix has officially won the media platform war.

Short of literally teleporting the viewers directly into whatever we are watching, what more can Netflix have to offer? I am excited to find out, but worried about what will happen to the more traditional viewing formats.

Remember YouTube?

The blessed website that introduced us all to Nyan Cat, the adventures of Charlie the Unicorn, and the

sheer amount of ways that people could mess with the line ‘Yerra wizard Harry’.

The less said about that last one, the better. YouTube, I find, is still keeping up with our modern demands.

After a rocky period of shoving compulsory 30 second advertising down our throats (even for 20 second videos), the website has finally decided to ditch this, possibly in favour of more insidious methods. It is free though, with all the movie trailers and peppy amateur vlogs you can stomach. I have a feeling that life on the internet would be a lot duller if YouTube was not around.

Then we come to TV. Ah, TV. A 20th century miracle, now reduced to the laughing stock of the entertainment universe. Even BBC Three has deserted the struggling format in favour of greener internet pastures. Often inconvenient to watch unless possessing an always-overbudget TV licence, television is fast becoming a platform exclusively for quiz show addicts and those stumbling home from a night out, drunkenly up for watching ‘whatever’.

Overall,

while good for nostalgia and novelty, television is definitely in its death throes.

Despite this sobering reality, I feel that any entertainment format that only requires the user to simply sit and watch has got potential. While Netflix is a dominating force among viewing platforms, it still requires a monthly fee. This is often well worth the few quid a month, but alienates those who can not or will not pay the amount. YouTube, with all its advertising faults and occasional glitches, is free and the sheer amount of entertainment found nowhere else on the web is almost unfathomable. And TV, well. TV is TV. In the words of Homer Simpson, ‘without TV, it’s hard to tell when one day ends and the other begins’. Even though the viewership is decreasing as the internet becomes more and more available, there is definitely a reason why it is still hanging around.

Even when anyone now can literally find exactly what they want to watch within minutes through our huge choice of media platforms, we still choose to watch stuff on TV that interrupts

every twenty minutes with annoying adverts that cannot be fast forwarded through, and equally annoying celebrities who make you marvel at the fact that they are actually paid to be there.

In short, there does not seem to be a clear winner in the YouTube vs. Netflix vs. TV debate. They all have their own flaws and failings, but who am I to judge anyone’s viewing habits?

Thank goodness everyone has different ideas for what quality programming is, so the war between these three giants can wage on, striving to create more and more varied programming for us to mindlessly procrastinate over and enjoy.

Image Credit fom top: Wikimedia, Sachin lukose | Wikimedia, Netflix | Piotr Siedlecki, Public Domain | Image4free, Public Domain | Pexels, Unsplash

Music 27

Concrete.Music@uea.ac.uk

TONY ALLEN Don’t Kill My Vibe Sigrid

Sigrid’s breakthrough single begins with a heavy, melancholic intro, before the empowering first chorus marks an uplift in mood. The Norwegian’s voice is pliable: sweet but with dashes of abrasion. After this grower, the 20-yearold’s is undoubtedly a name to note.

Chained to the Rhythm Katy Perry (feat. Skip Marley) Perry’s triumphant chart return is well worth the wait. Lyrically, this could be a 2017 update of ‘Last Friday Night’ with a political consciousness. Featuring a thumping reggae/dance bassline and fitting Marley cameo, this sees Perry at her dancefloor-ready best.

BETH RAMSAY Boyfriend Marika Hackman

Emerging from the hazy siren sounds of her 2015 debut is Marika 2.0.

‘Boyfriend’ is an avalanching anthem of sapphic liberation with a gutsy, tonguein-cheek tone. Featuring London pals The Big Moon and innuendo-driven dolphin screams, it’s a good one.

Georgina Hewison

How Can I Compete The Magic Gang Prepare to salute your new summer soundtrack with this jaunty new release from beloved Brighton babes. Harking back to the jangly guitar melodies of their early single, ‘Jasmine’, this tune bites back just a little bit harder.

Semper Femina is out March 10th

Concrete.music@uea.ac.uk

28 Music ALICE MORTIMER

SemperLaura Femina Marling

Double Dutch Superfood

In a music buying industry dominated by streaming

soul artists appearing in the Marvel film.

However, vinyl is now FREYA GIBSON to when earlier albums, and more reaching a far writing wider audience literary fantasy fiction as result of thantowards this. With the majority n Monday 13th February, Laura Marling reading morecoming poetryout and Side usingofincreased such as Stretch Spotify,with of new releases graced services Goldsmith’s SU, The the Moon to recently a dazzling return via Dirty Hit gained experiences that come with age.

She EyezIn Apple and Tidal, vinyl and on vinyl and its availability her presence and Music, humbleness, discussing J.Cole’s 4 Your Only. indie group Superfood have Records, Rainer Marie Rilke Vinyl as hertakes favourite stake album, its in alabelled vast amount of highperforminghas songsmanaged from her to upcoming dropped full advantage ofdaydream cut ‘Double Dutch’ with a surprising swerve into synthpoet andlike a contributing to the place as a nostalgic, cultural street chains Sainsbury’s, inspiration Semper Femina.

Marling explains that the this, as the careful process heavy electro-pop. Remaining as concept of the album, after of the his record in theasphysical Tiger, and Urban Outfittters - oflearning album titleproduct translates ‘Alwaysmusic Woman’ removing fromin style as their debut, but as slouchy a sample-driven banger, the now-duo distorted perception of femininity.

According the people of all ages and genrewhich is a market. concept that has beentoimportant the sleeve and placing the demonstrate an exciting new direction. brought than preferences are buying up needle discourages skipping to her for aBPI, long2016 time, to the more extent that at the components million records.In further exploration of tracks, the age of 3.2 21 she had UK therecord words sales, tattooed, allowing for aEgo more Milky Chance a series which ispoint 53% in more arguably a defining one’sthan life. the Semper of femininity, Marling released thoughtful andof appreciative podcasts called Reversal The Muse in previous year andchallenging places UK the So, it surely comes Of Femina experiments with listen.

From their upcoming sophomore in which she interviews various female vinyl sales at as itsahighest 25have down2016, to the cultural value male perspective which society,inwe release, Blossom, German duo Milky Chance uncover upbeat bouncer ‘Ego’, and musicians ritual of including listeningDolly to Parton, become so years. accustomed to and comfortable For Emmylou some, though, it’s which sounds exactly what you’d expect Harris, and Marika vinyl.

MusicHAIM listeners haveHackman with as a way of interpreting the way we simplyin order aboutto making from MCa2.0. The track remains reggaeinspired and melodically funkadelic, the nature of the throughInthe have speculated beendiscuss far removed from theindustry see the world. Many Instead, the album is written statement. a BBC survey, wrapped up organically with Clemens feminine perspective.

This project on perspective the sudden and resurgence physical product of music for from a female explores the 48% of alongside vinyl buyers did not raspy trademark vocal.

Rehbein’s the new hersodirecting debut with of femininity. vinyl, highlighting a while now,album even and more variances of When asked its if she play the vinyl they bought, for singles, ‘Soothing’, ‘Wild Fire’even own a rise parallel to theofcurrent withvideos the recent abundance uses literary fiction as a source inspiration and 7% didn’t CHRIS and ‘Next services.

Time’ collectively seem to point retro craze; with old artists of streaming This turntable. when writing lyrics, Laura explains that she Instead of the GROSSET towards progression in maturity and out newfrom music and and instant and Laura’s easy source to musical is beginningbringing to move away gothic experience,Automaton the Jamiroquai curiosity both as a‘genius’ woman and a musician. young which artistsshe producing billions of tracks, romantic themes would be on drawn popularity comes from the the basis of nostalgic 70s and recommendations, and 80s style. Vinyl’s imperfect, ‘perfect’ digital sound, has somewhat warm and “We’re immersive deprivedaccustomed listeners of tothe seeing women eyes, and sound is often thought as through value of men’s actually discovering, naturally that was my inclination to of complimented most by buying, and owning a piece try and take some power over that, classic sounds and old school music. LPs fill in this gap with but Therefore, very quickly the production styles. their realised contrastingthat wholeness, powerful thing fragility, to do was to look worth. at with the resurgence of retro and collective women through a woman’s eyes.

It was music itself, 2016’s top vinyl Artists have always little stumbleemphasized at the beginning of sales include aDavid Bowie’s the narrative record, a self-conscious stumble in- an final album,the Blackstar, power of song placement but yes that’s from.”

Amy Winehouse’s Back to where album,that from came Pink Floyd’s Dark

O

With fears that a revival of Jamiroquai

Black, Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours, and the Guardians of the Galaxy Mix 1-, a compilation of various 70s rock and

a r twould i s t ionly c be a ‘cash grab’ everyone’s favourite guilty pleasure had a lot value of to live up to. An intro of electronic s l edisharmonies eve instantly separates d e away s i g nfrom s these doubts delivering a rhythmical, hypnotising song with an andenergetic the break down in the middle marking Jamiroquai’s return to form!

Hallelujah Money Gorillaz

TO READ ABOUT LAURA’S PERFORMANES HEAD to concrete-online.co.uk

‘

Gorillaz are back! Albarn and Hewlett’s virtual band, newly incarnated, have returned to their old habits of using other artist’s vocals to augment their song writing; in this case creating a soulful - if not a little understated almost poetic song pulsating the vocals of Benjamin Clementine.

Music 29

Concrete.music@uea.ac.uk

music through the decades lucy croft

50s racterised by the phrase The film Grease is cha oom’, a tribute to one of ‘Awopbopaloobop Alopbamb decade; ‘Tutti Frutti’ by the greatest numbers of this the tone for the musical Little Richard (1955). It set onymous with the 1950’s, style that would become syn rs. Merging the blues, yea and thus Grease in later of American gospel, the boogie and some elements was the new cultural hub, song signified that America g we remember about this and made 50’s rock the thin want to put on best song musical decade. It makes me could you want from a song? and go dancing, what more

70s

dy by Queen (1975) topped In 2012, Bohemian Rhapso wide search to find “The ion the polls on an ITV nat One” from over 60 years Nation’s Favourite Number re’s a person who doesn’t of music. I don’t think the song is played in a public know all the words if this chorus- a testament to its no ng place, despite there bei hard to see why. This song greatness, I’m sure. It’s not accessible, but with Brian made 70’s progressive rock kly seductive, guitar solos May’s flawless, and quite fran s rock feel to it. With so it’s still got a distinctive 70’ ething everyone can enjoy. many passages it’s got som

90s

ly revealed that, according Someone close to me recent dance to around to Torn by to his mother, he used to n he was little, what good Natalie Imbruglia (1997) whe ne could make this one alo taste he has! This anecdote the 90’s. The acoustic guitar of my favourite songs from feel, and picks up on the gives this a really nostalgic t was re-emerging from the singer-songwriter vibe tha t this is a cover, originally 90’s. It’s hard to believe tha e lia’s voice fit with the ton an Ednaswap song, Imbrug ’d she t tha d ieve really bel of the song so well, you ame one of those breakbec rn’ ‘To k. rea rtb known hea and as the 90’s saw teen , up anthems for a generation fore once more, this song and dance pop came to the fectly. fits the mould of the 90’s per

60s

The 60’s saw the rise of Second Wave Feminis m; women fought for the rig ht to equal pay and burnt their bras for the pri vilege. Originally a Les ley Gore song, Dusty Spring field’s ‘You Don’t Own Me’ (1967) brought to Britai n, in lyrical form, the ide a that women had a distin ctive voice and that the y were not property – it is everything I have com e to love about this decad e. Its sultry walking be at that runs through the entirety makes you fee l empowered. Even the sheet music states ‘w ith determination’ at the top, and Dusty is so sou lful that you feel as if your freedom is also threatene d.

It’s one that makes you want to join the cause, and thus makes it my top song of the 60’s.

80s The ethereal lights, the hair, and the powerful and sometimes coarse voice of Bonnie Tyler in ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart,’ (1983) make this an 80’s anthem from start to finish. The ballad really became one of the pinnacles of 80’s and this song is perhaps one of the best of them. It’s melodramatic, it demands to be heard, and it’s heart-breaking, like all the shoulder pads that define this decade.

00s The noughties is the throwback era for our generation.

These songs, for us, are all coming-of-age anthems that epitomise our school days and fumbling through a talent show convinced that Simon Cowell would come knocking on our door any day. I don’t know about you, but I would rock ‘Sk8ter Boi’ by Avril Lavigne (2002) on Sing Star every time. Avril was every girl’s angsty teenage-skater phase. The line ‘there is more than meets the eye’ reminds us to be ourselves, and that personality is everything. Just what our teenage selves needed.

Illustrations by Lois Young