Venue 375

Ellie Robson Venue Editor

ellie.robson@uea.ac.uk Hello! Can you believe that we’re publishing our tenth issue of the year? 375 is a beauty, and I’m so excited to welcome back Jo Castle and her gorgeous illustrations for her first issue of 2020. I’m writing this in somewhat of a sleep deprived stupor., having finished my latest summative at 2am this morning. I’ve rewarded myself with a lovely new book - now I just need the time to read it. Life after uni is starting to feel all too real now, and I’m not sure how I feel about it. I only have two essays left, and this week I started having house viewings for people who want to take over our property next year. I even (finally) booked my graduation dinner. This is the last time you’ll hear from Amelia and I before Easter, so we hope you all have a lovely break and come back feeling refreshed. I’m going to Sheffield for the Student Publication Awards over the break, so hopefully I’ll be greeting you next time by talking about all our prizes.

Amelia Rentell Venue Deputy Editor

concrete.venuedeputy@uea.ac.uk Is it Easter yet? I’m tired. Maybe it’s deadlines, maybe it’s post uni worrying, or maybe it’s going to every Damn Good for the last three weeks. Please, if you see me there again - tell me to go home. I really don’t need to be out on a Tuesday anymore, especially at a Damn Good. What’s happened to me? I was always a die hard A-Lister but I haven’t been to one all year! Moving on from that - how are you? Bit stressed? Me too. I am craving the warm sunny weather that brings everyone out into the square. I miss my freckles that make my face 101% more interesting. I can’t wait to leave behind what seems to have been the longest winter on record. Hurry up Spring! This issue is full to the brim with insightful and thoughtful pieces. Jo Castle has given us what I think might be my favourite cover yet. I’m seriously considering making a print out of it. It’s giving me the exact vibes I’m after. I hope it makes you feel just as happy and that you enjoy this weeks issue.

Featured Articles:

Check out a variety of writers telling us about their favourite literature inspired music on pg. 15.

Read Roseanna Battle’s “Make your hair an afro” in our Fashion section.

SECTION EDITORS ARTS - Leia Butler

concrete.arts@uea.ac.uk

FASHION - Maya Coomarasamy concrete.fashion@uea.ac.uk

CREATIVE WRITING - Oliver Shrouder concrete.creativewriting@uea.ac.uk

02 Cover art: Jo Castle @reverseorangejuice

MUSIC - Lewis Oxley

concrete.music@uea.ac.uk

GAMING - Martha Griffiths concrete.gamingtech@uea.ac.uk

FILM & TV - Fin Aitken

concrete.film@uea.ac.uk

Guilty pleasures

Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth If I were to write, in an academic paper, that Batman has just as much literary significance as Jane Eyre, chances are I would be laughed at. Yet, Morrison’s ‘Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth’ is an exemplary piece of literature that shows even the superhero-genre can be ‘literary’. It begins as a typical Batman story would: the inmates, under the Joker, have overtaken the asylum and are demanding Batman. Soon, however, it devolves into a paranoid exploration of madness and Jungian psychology, with Batman’s villains representing our unconscious fears and psychoses, while subtextually positing the argument (bastardising Larkin’s beliefs towards churches set out in ‘Church Going’, from which the title is derived) that madness will always underlie each of our ‘sane’ psyches. All this is complemented by McKean’s grotesquely beautiful artwork, which feels like it’s pulled out of a surrealist nightmare. This is not your typical Batman story: this is a story about what makes the human race disturbing. This is a story about the things that we like to bury away in asylums and call ‘mad’ but may, in fact, be lurking closer to each of us than we would like to admit.

Alex Grenfell

Darkly Dreaming Dexter Everyone has watched the TV show, and basically everyone was disappointed by the ending, but I feel as if the book avoids that criticism. Well, the first one does, anyway. While it is unnecessarily edgy at times, the portrayal of Dexter here is far more playful and sarcastic than in the adaptation, leading to an overall entertaining experience– even if you get the feeling throughout the book that what you’re reading is completely unbelievable. Although the novel has some interesting social commentary, the writing quality feels almost like young adult fiction at times in its simplicity (which I’d usually avoid), making this a guilty pleasure for me.

Jack Oxford

Photo: PickPik

Special gems Hendrickje Stoffels My special gem is the ‘Portrait of Hendrickje Stoffels’ by Rembrandt that hangs in the London National Gallery. While the painter tends to be well known for his dark and stoic portraits of wealthy men, this piece is a tender and intimate creation stemming from love and admiration. It’s a gem that means so much more when you know the context of its painting; a young Stoffels was employed by the painter to take care of his infant son after his wife passed away. They fell in love but couldn’t

marry for financial purposes, and so their relationship was very much frowned upon. Rather than let that stop them, they continued to live together for the rest of her life, raising a child together, and she was put in charge of the art firm that sold his works. The portrait is much lighter in colour than Rembrandt’s most famous works, depicting Stoffels in a loose and revealing robe, far from the expectations of Dutch portrait work at the time. The

style shows great love for the subject, but also respect, as she is looking head-on at the viewer rather than lowering her gaze in a docile way. The reason I chose this artwork is because it made me cry the first time I saw it. Even before I learnt about the subject, there was something about it that drew me in, and I have had to go back and see it every time I’ve been in London since.

Martha Griffiths

Ulysses ‘Ulysses’ will forever be a gem. James Joyce’s modernist epic of 1922 set the foundations for a whole new literary style that was about the portrayal of characters’ stream of consciousness. The day in the life of three very different people (Stephen Dedalus, Leopold Bloom, and his wife Molly) on the day of 16th June 1904, has become so famous, it’s officially recognised as Bloomsday. Kidney Fritters all round! What is key to the legacy of ‘Ulysses’ is the not only the episodic tales of Dublin’s streets all mapped out, but the incredibly unique style that Joyce incorporates and experiments with. The short, yet meticulous nature of Bloom, versus the

04 Image: Pixabay

continuous monologue of Molly, making it the longest sentence in modern literary history for some several decades, enshrines the polar opposites of Joyce’s ambitions in creating his style. What also makes this work canonised forever is the incredible spectrum of vocabulary used by Joyce, many of which are words invented by himself. The wordplay of ‘Ulysses’ is what makes it have outstanding criteria for a literary gem. Joyce, through his words, creates something so playful and endearing that you’d have to be very stubborn not to appreciate its genius. Something crucial to the language is sound, and

onomatopoeia finds itself running through the veins of the text. Ulysses was written at the time of the Irish question being answered, and an ‘Irishness’ was being fulfilled. ‘Ulysses’ is something to be cherished, it’s place as literature’s bold modern experiment is enshrined indefinitely. To use Joycean language, I hope this Scribbledehobble hasn’t been a botch-up.

Lewis Oxley

Unknown favourites Our House ‘Our House’ is a jukebox musical based upon songs from the 80’s band ‘Madness’. It premiered in the West End in 2002, but had to close ten months later because the British public has no taste. Following 16-year old Joe Casey, we see his life, love and coming-of-age within a deeply troubled, but equally loving, London community. It tackles themes of class, gender and religion with realism and heart, to the background of such tunes as ‘Baggy Trousers’ and ‘It Must Be Love’. Underpinned with witty, intelligent writing, ‘Our House’ glitters with energy and life. It doesn’t have the polish and glam of other musicals, but it is unapologetically British, charming and real. In times of conflict and division, it is warm and inviting: the characters are likeable, and you can see the cast loved what they did. The whole thing is on YouTube, so give it a watch – it’s excellent.

Izzy Pankhurst

The Erl-King Weird, profane, and uncomfortably euphoric, Michel Tournier’s ‘The Erl-King’ (also known as ‘The Ogre’, but I prefer the former title because of its Angela Carter-esque connotations), combines historical fiction with a forceful dose of magical realism. Set during WWII, it follows Abel, a French schoolboy, who grows up to become a physically grotesque man, at odds with his meek personality. He undertakes an arduous journey that transcends location, religion, and morality. We witness an increasingly blurred line between good and evil, and how the latter can very often be perceived as the former; there is something sickening about its contents, but it is undeniably a game-changer. The novel burrows under the surface of subjects such as the Nazi regime, and paedophilia, unravelling ideas of purity, insanity, and broken and bleeding humanity, to touch upon the interconnectedness that both binds and separates us, in a harrowing voyage bestowed upon one man.

Ally Fowler

Image: Wikipedia (books), Public Domain Pictures

Make your hair an afro

I read the note passed to me as I sit in my year nine French class. I’m the only girl of African descent in a sea of white. I am hyper-aware the instruction is meant for me. I read the note again and glance up to see if anyone’s looking at me. They are. All of them. I smile nervously, shaking my head theatrically. Looking again, I count and see that all my classmates’ have signed the note. They mockingly frown at me and then giggle. The girl next to me whispers, “now you have to do it”, grinning from ear to ear. I suspect she started the petition. I smile back and shrug, slipping the note into my pencil case. Out of sight, out of mind I hope. In my white privileged high school I was one of only five girls of African descent in a year of ninety. I was acutely aware of my otherness. My self-consciousness rooted itself in my attempt to control my hair. Armed with bobby pins, hair ties and headbands I tried to conceal any signs of frizz. Looking back, I realise now that my obsessive desire

Image: Roseanna Battle

to contain my curls did not go unnoticed. Whilst I do not fault my peers for their curiosity, I had the crippling teenage desire to ‘fit in’, and so the acknowledgment of my lack of sameness was shattering. A part of me was also embarrassed that even if I wanted to fulfil my schoolmates’ fantasy, I couldn’t. I have a 3B/3C curl type, which means my hair is super curly but not kinky. My curl pattern is described as being a ‘s’/’z’ curve shape, rather than the coils needed to create the Angela-Davis-like ‘fro my peers envisioned. I wasn’t African enough. My hair has been a complicated part of my identity. As an explicit reflection of my mixed heritage (half white and half Nigerian), my journey with it has symbolised my struggle with my hybridity. For the majority of my teen years, I straightened it for the important events: house parties. Subconsciously adhering to Western standards of beauty, I wanted to look like all my friends in an attempt to attract recognition from the adolescent WASP Neanderthals of the neighbouring school. Not original, I know. However, as I grew older and more confident, shedding my need for such restrictive validation, I began to wear my hair curly. As one of the laziest people I know, no longer having to spend hours burning strands of my hair was an easy change in lifestyle. More deeply, adopting my curls expressed a desire to explore a part of my identity that I knew so little about. Eventually, and it’s still an ongoing process, I have learnt to nurture it. Switching between oils, gels and hair masks. I’ve gone through the movements. I’ve twirled and twisted, scrunched and released, and even damaged and dyed it in the newest chapter of my hair story. The otherness I once scorned, I now cherish. It has been (and still is) a journey to attain complete and utter hair love, but I have made great strides. On the topic of ‘Hair Love’ – the name of the adorable animated short film, that fol-

Make your hair an afro lows the trials and tribulations of a dad styling his daughter’s natural hair – I felt such a sense of pride for its Oscar win. The mainstream media has been starkly absent from natural hair, and this lack of representation (let alone celebration), fed into my childhood obsession for ‘flicky’ hair. If I had grown up seeing women with hair like mine on screen, it would have made me feel proud – and far less alone. That’s why I see wearing my curls in all their glory as such a powerful act – it’s a rejection of what the mainstream promotes as beautiful. And I confess to a secret a desire that one day a little girl will see me on the street and gain the bravery to stop hiding her own crown.

Roseanna Battle

To Buy or Not to Buy: Micro Bags We should’ve seen it coming; micro tech, micro pigs, finally the micro trend has infiltrated the fashion industry, resulting in some of the smallest handbags known to man. Obviously, micro bags aren’t exactly useful - at the AMAs, Lizzo was a vision in Valentino, choosing to pair her ruffled mini dress with a tiny Valentino Garavani bag, which sparked numerous memes where people questioned what her bag could possibly hold (self-esteem and life savings seemed to be some of the most popular answers). This hasn’t prevented people from going crazy over the trend, which first originated in Jacquemus’ Spring/Summer 2018 collection, and quickly became a staple of the runway, inspiring fashion houses such as Maison Margiela, Gucci, Givenchy, and Hermes. High Street retailers were quick to copy this trend, offering a far less expensive alternative, and preventing the small bag from creating a huge dent in your bank account. Although

hilariously impractical, it’s impossible to deny the statement micro bags make, and when has fashion ever been practical? Fashion is, first and foremost, a form of creative expression and yes, that includes a £15 Topshop lime green micro bag. It’s also important to realise the luxury of a bag that cannot be cluttered by the debris of your day-to-day, stripping your possessions down to the bare necessities. However, if you’re not a fan of the micro bag, don’t worry. There’ll still be plenty of opportunities for you to cram your life into as many shoppers, totes and backpacks as you desire, and to those who have been completely sold on the micro bag trend, if you’ve got it, flaunt it.

Imogen Ince

Image: Roseanna Battle

The cult of Supreme

If you find yourself walking through the streets of SoHo and stumble across a queue of hundreds of young people eagerly awaiting something, you might assume a movie star or singer is in the vicinity. However, the more plausible answer, is that you’ve stumbled across a Supreme shop. Instantly recognisable (whether you’re a fashion fanatic or not), with its red box logo framing the brands name, Supreme has been going since the 90’s, but catapulted to cult-like fame in the last ten years. Starting as a brand catering to skateboarders, it has since moved on to become the biggest streetwear brand in the world. But how did the brand evolve to create such an extreme following, with incomparable ‘hype’ surrounding the release of new items of clothing? In the age of engagement, where nothing is more important than the relationship between brand and consumer, Supreme do not adhere to the rules. With very little communication with shoppers, and making their loyal fans queue for hours on end to spend hundreds of pounds on a jumper, the brand has created an elusiveness and exclusivity that leaves people wanting more. The excitement that accompanies waiting to see if you have managed to score an item from their extremely small collections, and the novelty of something being limited edition (a concept which continues to grow in popularity), has struck a chord with modern shoppers. In fact, the brand has such a loyal following that people can make careers out of reselling items online. You can now even purchase

Images: Unsplash

bots that will add items to baskets the second they drop on the website, or hire someone to wait outside the shop in your place. Some of their releases appear to taunt their devoted fans and expose the extremes people will go to in order to own something from the brand. A key example of this is the Supreme branded brick they sold in 2016, where for $30, fans could order a clay brick that had the brands logo embossed on the front. As you can imagine they sold out in minutes, with people jumping to resell them on eBay for up to $1000. All for a brick. To cater to the hoards of queuing fans, many of whom wait overnight, Supreme branded sleeping bags and water bottles have been released, making it even clearer for anyone walking past exactly what people are waiting for. In the age of sustainability, with an emphasis on reducing waste, something has to be said for the lack of discarded clothes the company produces, with no leftover stock coming as a result of their limited drops. Whilst fashion insiders might turn their nose up at the brand, Supreme has collaborated with some of the biggests names in the industry, from Nike to Louis Vuitton, showing that it has its feet firmly planted on the streetwear scene. What could be next for the brand: Supreme furniture or Supreme cars? Either way there is no doubt that their loyal following will be ready to snap it up the second it comes out.

Maya Coomarasamy

Bodies There is no easy time to do this; it is always too cold. You are a wrecked expanse, spread thin, limbs out and covering every bed-sheet stain, fabric bundled in the bend of each finger, face bundled in the wring of each kiss. I dive then, low and mask-less to knock a wearied fist against a door (winged like a Rorschach) without a lock, but I knock and knock again sinfully holding my breath. I came for nothing else; I breathe faster. I trace the maps, the wreaths that spiralled out to mask its own stories, darken the ice, hide the soft decay of soil and I feel your cold, cradled in, balled like a doorknob and I knock again, and it opens to a mirror, that bloodied image of myself with different hair and voice and size but too much me. Nothing here remains; I leave no mark. Until I surface, I search, Dredging up the mud whites of dead snow searching searching the fallow for the smallest green bud of Spring, the limpest sprig in a case of white until I surface, red in the face, wishing for warmth but saying nothing. I left no mark; nothing here remains.

Oliver Shrouder

Image: A Rentell

On the Fabric of the Human Body I hear it whispered over cadavers, Declared in lecture halls: Our bodies are architecture, Our lives but short-lived squalls. Our genes mere family heirlooms, Or chromosomal spelling errors. Your skin, so tender and sweet, Mere defence against infectious terrors. Your almond eyes - as still as morning mist Just photon chaos tamed by a warped lens. Your lips curled in pure ecstasy, An orchestra of muscles tensed. Memories live in primordial circuits, Your thoughts are unseen sparks, Your dreams pulsating matter, Love never lived in the heart.

O, love! Cast off this mortal frame, Fated to wizen, crack, and fail. Let our souls dance in the ether In a place beyond the pale. Bid farewell to your flesh, Leave your limbs in the dead of night, For there is far more to savour When you fear not the dying of the light. If what I propose wreaks fear, If your interests lie elsewhere, Do not expect me to wait I’ll be communing with the air.

Rahul Mehta

Body Text Wear Times new roman, not calibri (body) that’s what everyone else is doing Squeeze a size 12 into a 10 Personal

space

please

Too short… you need to be at least 2 times and lines longer…………………………………………………. Your body needs to stand out a little more That colour washes you out You are looking quite wide face on, turn a little please Sorry, not the body we were after for this text.

Leia Butler

Image: Ant Rozetsky, Unsplash

When We Reflect When we reflect I see you but I can’t see me in you. I see those things that others see as me Height colour eyes All those things I can’t replace But that still Aren’t Me.

face

And then I bully them. I prod poke push Beat bind brush Until some semblance of you is how I think me should be seen. And when done when we reflect still I bully you. Name call tut glare hate About something so ridiculous as weight And waist and thighs and shoulders and teeth Compare Contrast Can’t compete And I can’t stop looking at you Need to start loving you. Need to see what of me is in you Brain and heart That work overtime Would wrap themselves around the world To be kind. When we reflect I need to bring you together. And reflect On us As one.

and me

Martha Griffiths

Image: Hunter Newton, Unsplash

More Than Just a Concept The term ‘concept album’ is a very broad one, so broad in fact that if you went to extremes you could probably argue any album as being one. Woody Guthrie’s ‘Dust Bowl Ballads’ from 1940 is probably the oldest example of a group of tracks linked by concept, in this case, the Dust Bowl. Surprisingly, the album is available on Spotify, and is surprisingly listenable, with Guthrie’s charm shining through the slightly hazy audio, providing sharp social commentary on ‘Pretty Boy Floyd’: “Some will rob you with a six-gun, some with a fountain pen.”

somewhat of a sellout moment. Kendrick’s albums are intensely personal, showcasing some of

Since his commercial album debut, every one of Kendrick Lamar’s releases have been critically-acclaimed concept albums, even if his recent release: ‘DAMN.’ was considered

his darkest moments: ‘u’ from ‘To Pimp A Butterfly’ is an alcohol-fuelled spiral into a suicidal depression, whilst ‘Sing About Me, I’m Dying Of Thirst’ is a 12-minute epic acting as ‘good

kid, m.A.A.d city’s’ climax. The contrast between Guthrie’s and Kendrick’s style is clear, yet there are undeniable similarities. Both artists are great storytellers and musicians - it takes a special kind of talent to be able to tell a story in an interesting fashion, let alone setting it to music. They also both explore political themes, with Guthrie’s snappy proverbs being quite different from Kendrick’s more subtly interwoven commentary throughout ‘To Pimp A Butterfly’. ‘Dust Bowl Ballads’ lacks the narrative connection between tracks that Kendrick’s works have, however, but this does not invalidate its status as a concept album. It simply illustrates how concept albums have changed over time.

Music Mavericks: Mark E Smith Few musicians have been as enigmatic and irascible as the late Mark E Smith. As leader of post-punk renegades ‘The Fall’, for 40 years, Smith took a new approach to being a frontman. He showed that there was no need for singing, when you could just mumble passages of prose and not lyrics. Just like a dictator with a vice grip, Smith was not to be crossed; sacking over forty members over the course of those 40 years (including 3 partners). One of his most memorable quotes: “If it’s me and yer granny on bongos, it’s The Fall” proved his extent to his humorous outlook on having so many members as

Jack Oxford

some footballers have career goals. Despite the controversy Smith gained in public life, his creative output was huge. Albums such as, ‘This Nation’s Saving Grace’, ‘Extricate’, and ‘I am Kurious Oranj’ are up there with some of the most influential albums to come from Manchester and the postpunk movement. While Smith irked many of the critics and entourage around him, his attitude established him as a poet, providing a voice that gave a post-modern take on ordinary life. Smith was someone to be taken with a pinch of salt.

Lewis Oxley Images: Wikimedia Commons & Flickr

“Brexit is putting the music industry in jeopardy” In the eyes of many, the music industry is at the heart of British identity and the economy. The challenges that Brexit will bring to the music industry will make being a musician more expensive on all accounts. It will cost more to tour, cost more for administration, and more to book classical artists. From the looks of it, the music industry in Britain is at the beginning of a downward spiral. The music industry in the UK is worth multi-billions. Music festivals are everpopular amongst Britons, especially in the summer. However, the introduction of visas for every person who visits Britain will cause havoc among the various acts and bands who fly into the country to entertain us. The industry is calling for musicians to have special visas in order to make the process easier. It is typical for acts to fly a day, if not hours, before they are set to perform live on stage. The longer queues at customs will affect bands entering the country. This could possibly deter bands from touring in the UK, as tours are already very hectic and busy, the new customs will only slow them down. Perhaps Brexit’s biggest and most harmful impact upon the music industry is its effect

upon the live music sector. This will impact artists visiting from abroad, but also British musicians going abroad on tours and playing festivals. Every artist who tours will now have to list everything they take into that country. All instruments, all merchandise, all technology will have to be listed when it is taken on tour.

This will cost time and money, leaving small artists much worse off compared to larger, more recognised bands. Brexit’s interference in the music industry doesn’t stop at music festivals. No, CDs and vinyls are also impacted. Most vinyl records and CDs are made in Europe, Brexit means that these goods will now take longer to get through customs, meaning we will get physical access to new music much later than the rest of the continent. Yes, there are

streaming sites which means we have instant access, but there is something incredible about having music in the physical form. This doesn’t only affect the consumer, but will also affect record shops. Brexit will mean that it will be more difficult to go on tour, making touring very hard to afford for smaller acts that have not risen to fame just yet. This might deter younger people who love making music, from going into the industry if they don’t have the financial means to support themselves with the added costs. When looking at Brexit’s impact in the classical music sectors, many musicians are demanding to be paid in euros because of the fall in the British pound. This makes classical musicians more expensive for venues. The problems within the classical industry doesn’t stop there, if European musicians start to need visas, then administration costs for musicians will become a lot more expensive, and therefore increase the number of barriers in the way of booking international artists. Brexit is putting the music industry in jeopardy, but sadly there is nothing we can do to help the beloved industry.

Jess Barrett

Paperback Writers: books and beats Jess Barrett

Dylan Davies ‘Breezeblocks’, by Alt-J, is an interesting example of a song inspired by literature, as it uses the inspiration from the children’s book, ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ to portray a toxic relationship, translating quotes from the book into a much more mature context. At the end of the book, the ‘wild things’ say, “Please don’t go! I’ll eat you whole!” and Alt-J transfers this meaning onto the much more adult themes of their song – a relationship where one person is willing to hurt another in order to keep them.

‘Romeo and Juliet’ is perhaps one of the greatest plays ever written. Whilst many would consider those who have knowledge about the English literature canon, the likes of Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber have taken inspiration from the Text. In fact, the first song I ever heard by Taylor Swift was ‘Love Story’, at the time I thought it sophisticated and well written. Now that I have grown accustomed to great music and literature, I realise how deluded I was. Perhaps the only song I approve of that mentions ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is the Arctic Monkeys’, ‘I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor”.

James Ward ‘Ramble On’ by Led Zeppelin is a romantic ballad, reimagining the monomythic journey of Frodo and Sam from ‘The Lord of the Rings’, as a love story. The band has often referenced Tolkien’s works, for example in the song ‘Misty Mountain Hop’. It contains references to Mordor and Gollum from the series, and compares the obsession of love with the One Ring of the tale.

Fontaines D.C. Portrait of the Artists as Young Men Monday night at the LCR, the start of the working week, and I’m about to be hit by the raucous sound of Ireland. Everyone is packed like sardines. The breath of someone behind me running down the nape of my neck. To say Fontaines D.C, have had a hell of a year would be incredibly understated. Tunes such as ‘Big’ and ‘Too Real’ have certified them as the new face of punk. Their debut album, ‘Dogrel’, has been the recipient of thunderous critical acclaim, with epic tales of Irish life that are embedded with brutal realism: very endearing, very Joycean. Their literary influence is there for all to see. The stream of consciousness lyrics of vocalist, Grian Chatten, flows perfect-

ly with the gritty post-punk sound, recapturing the alternative aspect of Ireland. First up on the bill, are neo-psychedelic mavericks, TOY. Although their lighting was providing something of a Gesamkunsterk effect, their sound was rather uninspiring, purely for being too loud. The lack of decent audio, made their so-called ‘lyrics’ unintelligible. The light show made up for the music’s lack of delivery. Then, as the crowd pondered in anticipation, Fontaines emerged. Their set kicked off with the raw and enticing, ‘Hurricane Laughter’. The number couldn’t have been named more aptly: the mosh pit towards the centre, was the eye of the storm. The middle

of the set and the band introduced some new tunes taking another direction, numbers including ‘Lucid Dream’ and ‘A Hero’s death’, accompanying nearly the whole debut album. The swooning rhythms of ‘Roy’s Tune’ and ‘Dublin City Sky’ gave a calm and reflective tone to the raw and razor-edged sound that cranks the album and performance up another notch. The mosh pit is like a revolving door opening then spinning you out into a place you weren’t before. And then, with ‘Too Real’ and the epic, ‘Boys in the Better Land’, I was taken by its course. The set closer, ‘Big’ (surely the shortest set closer of all time), left a fiery mark that I won’t forget anytime soon.

Lewis Oxley Image: Lewis Oxley

Microtransactions: Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t play, pay!

If you had to ask me which single mechanic defined gaming last decade, Microtransactions would easily take the spot, and not in a positive way. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a system that is now omnipresent in 99% of modern games in some form or another. The concept is simple: you pay a relatively small amount of money in exchange for some benefits in-game. It can take various forms: from cosmetics, to mini-DLCs, to premium currency in Free2Play games (F2P). The system saw a massive surge in popularity in the last four years, after developers took note of the profits that companies such as EA and Activision Blizzard were making. While the core concept is not in itself terrible, especially in certain F2P games, their implementation in the world of full-price Triple-A titles has been awful. While previously games would be designed

Image: Mohamed Hassan, pxhere

to reward the player with a sense of accomplishment after being completed, the philosophy has now changed. Completing a game and owning all collectables (skins, amour, weapons) is now about how much you can spend, rather than how much time you dedicate to the game. This is then followed by the introduction of game components which outright favor customers who spend more money. So called Pay-to-Win, with games such as FIFA, allowing big spenders to have a significant advantage against players who decide to not invest in the game any further. Developers now seem to produce games around microtransactions in order to generate profit, with a tendency to force Lootboxes in their games at the expense of gameplay. As the most popular form of microtransactions, Lootboxes have recently come under a lot of pressure as some people argue their

status as gambling. This pressure resulted in countries such as Belgium banning them. This is an interesting development, as most Mobile games rely on this mechanic as their core. Microtransactions in games have also given an incentive for developers to release an incomplete product, and then gradually announce new DLCs behind a paywall. More and more often I see myself browsing the store and seeing DLCs which are meant to complete certain games storylines, or add different endings. It now seems that in order to experience the full game you are forced to pay more on top of the ÂŁ50 already invested. Gone are the days of spending hours of grinding for that secret armor set, nowadays you just open the store and purchase it.

Marco Rizzo

Monster Sanctuary

Exploring a colourful world and collecting similarly colourful monsters is a pass time most of this section’s readers are familiar with, I’m sure. But I doubt you’ve ever done it like this. In Moi Rai Games’ ‘Monster Sanctuary’, the RPG subgenre of monster collecting is combined with classic platform exploration akin to Metroid.

The game opens with the hero– a Monster Keeper in the land of Monster Sanctuary– picking a familiar monster, which will talk to you throughout the story. This will be your first monster, and in my experience of the game, one of your best. The eagle is strong, being adaptable to any battle. You are then treated to a tutorial, showing the controls on how to explore – running and jumping, alongside the various abilities the monsters will grant you that allow you to reach new areas – and the turn-based combat system, which has a focus on combos and synergy. ‘Monster Sanctuary’ is a game of experimentation, allowing far more synergy between individual monsters than a game like Pokémon. You use three monsters in a battle and have over 70

Image: Vectortoons, WikiCommons

to choose from now – there are also light and dark-shifted variants that add another layer of strategy – resulting in hundreds of combinations. Every monster also has extensive skill trees, requiring the player to plan based on their other monsters’ capabilities. These skill trees can be reset, allowing for experimentation, and the monsters can be given equipment and food to further fine tune their stats. As ‘Monster Sanctuary’ is an early access title, it is still a way from being complete, with a target release in late 2020, and a Switch port coming soon after. In its current state, the game is thoroughly enjoyable, with roughly 20 hours of content, although I’d like for the platforming elements to receive more of a focus in later updates. Sections of platforming often reward you with little – just a new weapon that changes your stats in a slightly different manner. The game is rath-

er easy as well, with most bosses only requiring a few adjustments. Although, beating the bosses isn’t the challenge I’d say – the game has a system that gives you better rewards based on the efficiency with which you kill each boss, with the ultimate reward of adding them to your party. I had to customize my team a lot for this, although the eagle, slime and monk proved versatile enough for most of them. Moi Rai Games have done a great job so far, responding well to feedback from their fanbase. Online PVP was recently added, which I have yet to partake in, although I imagine optimising your team (three in battle and three in reserve for Keeper battles), to face the unexpected would be incredibly satisfying. I’m excited for the future of this title, and whilst more of the same would be welcomed, I think Moi Rai Games could capitalise on the game’s unique nature, becoming something so niche that it transcends the indie label.

Jack Oxford

Consoles vs Computer Consoles and PCs have always been at war in the gaming community. ‘The PC Master Race’ claim that the superior processing power, mod-ability of games and rigs (console has this feature with some games but not to the same standard), and vast gaming library set it apart from its more commercialised console rival, which offers a streamlined experience at the expense of user choice. PCs are known for being able to run higher intensity games however. This is because of the higher processing power available through new parts. A console is guaranteed to be able to run any game available for it, albeit not necessarily at a consistent framerate, but this makes it more accessible to the general gaming community. PCs have more choice when it comes to shopping for games. Online stores such as Steam, GOG, and Epic Games, provide the player with a wide variety of shops to venture to. Consoles on the other hand

require the user to go through the preset store, for example the Playstation Store or the Nintendo eShop. Furthermore, PC stores are more likely to have sales due to the greater variety of purchase-points and the sheer number of wares available. It does seem that makers are tailoring more towards consoles now however, as usually a console version for a game is released first, exposing it to its general audience in a more accessible medium, and is then ported to PC. In the case of games like ‘Red Dead Redemption II’, these were generally considered rushed unlike their console version. Overall, I would argue that the PC and console versions of games are better for different things. Sometimes I want to just pick-up-and-play a game which is easier to do on console, especially with the Nintendo Switch. The mod-ability of PC however, does provide almost unlimited freedom for tailoring games to your wants.

James Ward

Preview: Resident Evil 3 Following the success of last year’s ‘Resident Evil 2’ remake, the third game in the series is getting the same treatment, and much sooner than most would have expected. Like its predecessor, ‘Resident Evil 3’ takes place in Raccoon City, although this time we get to experience both the very beginning, and very end, of the T-Virus outbreak which overran the city. This isn’t the first time protagonist Jill Valentine has faced off against zombies and monsters, and the gameplay reflects this: the dodge mechanic from the original RE3 returns here, requiring precise action, but letting you avoid a lot of damage too. The Images: Mizter_X94, Pixabay

developers have assured that every enemy from the original game will be appearing in the remake, which serves as a relief after a number of unique monsters didn’t make the cut in RE2’s remake. On the other hand, something absent from all advertising so far is the original’s ‘Live Selection’ feature, in which the player makes a certain decision during some cutscenes like in a Choose-your-own-adventure novel. This led to different fights, locations and even endings, thereby making it a disappointing omission if it didn’t make an appearance in the remake.

Jude Davies

‘Home’ - “Hard Hitting and Eye Opening” Last year I was introduced to ‘Home’ by my boyfriend who had stumbled upon the series whilst flicking through 4OD. It’s one of those shows that has unfortunately flown under the radar, but deserves all the attention it can get. It tells the story of Sami Ibrahim, a Syrian refugee who snuck across the English Channel in a family’s car on their way home from their holiday. The six episodes in the first season carefully balance great comedy with hard hitting and eye-opening moments depicting the refugee experience. The season tackles, through the perspective of Sami, the

hardships and struggles refugees face as they transition into their new lives in the UK. The inclusion of a typical English family: Peter, Katy and her son John, allow for the average white, middle class person to insert themselves into a situation they may otherwise complain about over breakfast. ‘Home’ relays the true tragedy refugees are facing to people at home in a manner that is impossible to ignore. Season two carries on this polemic story telling. Whilst the first season tackles Sami’s introduction to the UK, this season deals with how refugees are treated once they have applied for asylum. This

season mirrors its predecessors’ wit but has slipped in a few more jokes here and there. What does differ between the first season and the second is the use of more melodrama, but not enough to be distracting. This season does linger on cliché relationship struggles; these subplots, whilst entertaining, felt unnecessary to the overall plot and cringey in certain places. Overall, ‘Home’ season two was a wonderful addition to Sami’s story. If you haven’t watched ‘Home’, I implore you, give it a watch. It’s a truly fantastic show and is a fascinating look into the treatment of refugees.

Niamh Brook

To All The Sequels I’ve Liked Before To those unaware of Netflix’s ‘To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before’, or indeed Jenny Han’s 2014 novel of the same name, the story follows Lara Jean, who writes letters to the boys she has ‘liked’ in her years, and her younger sister Kitty sends out the letters. This is where Lara Jean and Peter Kavinsky’s relationship begins. Before the sequel, we are left with Lara Jean and Peter confessing their feelings and kissing before walking off together. Just before Valentine’s Day, the sequel starring Lana Condor, Noah Centineo, and Jordan Fisher was released. Lara Jean (Lana Condor) and Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo) are now a couple. As we follow them in their relationship, we are introduced to

Image: Wikmedia Commons

a new character, John Ambrose (Jordan Fisher), one of Lara Jean’s previous crushes, who sends her a letter in reply to the one she wrote him in sixth grade.

The film keeps the same charm and style of the previous film, but for the audience, we crucially learn that there is no such thing as the perfect relationship. When I first heard about the sequel, I had a cause to feel nervous. Rom-

coms typically steer away from the prospect of sequels as to not tarnish the success and positivity of the first film. Despite some interesting elements, such as the film not featuring a stereotypical love story, I simply don’t think that the film excelled from the first one. Personally, I would have liked to have seen a little more character development, with the end especially feeling rushed. But most of all, I do think that the film kept its authenticity due to Lana Condor and Noah Centineo’s natural on-screen chemistry. While certainly not perfect, the film has solid moments and does ultimately bring a smile to your face.

Caitlin Telford

‘This Country’ and Rural England ‘This Country’, the mockumentarystyle comedy set in a small village in the Cotswolds, has returned to BBC Three for its third and final series – that it is not aired primetime on BBC One might be the main oversight behind problems at the BBC. The first two episodes have met the high standards already set by sibling writers Daisy May and Charlie Cooper, who also star in the show as cousins Kerry and Kurtan. The show’s undeniable charm can be attributed to their on-screen relationship, as naïve best friends whose attempts to keep boredom at bay constitute much of the mundane drama in the village. A scuffed water sprinkler is a major plot point, as well as Kurtan’s outrage at June opening her garden to the public for 50p. Both actors play their parts with complete sincerity, making their childish reasoning and righteous indignation both convincing and hilarious. Daisy

Cooper’s facial expressions could carry the show alone. The mockumentary format is perfect for this project, as much of the humour derives from the characters playing up to the camera crew, taking pleasure in spreading gossip and casting judgement on the residents, all with zero self awareness. Of the kind, soft-spoken vicar, played by Paul Chahidi, Kurtan says “there’s no place he’d rather be than at the centre of an almighty shitstorm that he’s created”. The show is special, though, for the sensitivity it gives to its subjects. This is perhaps most clear in the episode dedicated to Michael Sleggs, a friend of the Coopers, who played Sluggs on the show and died last year. The first episode deals with the fallout from Sluggs’ passing, and the conflict that emerges as a result between Kerry and Kurtan. By the end, they forgive each other, and

brand him a “shit stirrer from beyond the grave”. “It just goes to show”, Kerry says with a shrug, “people don’t change, even in death”. It’s a touching tribute, and very funny. ‘This Country’ has won four BAFTAs, and its writers have used their platform to speak on their own experience of poverty and growing up in rural England. Daisy May Cooper told Radio 1: “When you’ve got no money, you have no choices... there are so many brilliant people that don’t have the opportunity.” It is the knowing detail, and the affection for the people and the place it centres, that underpins the show, and gives it power as a new perspective for British comedy, so often dominated by privilege. Charlie added: “Our biggest concern was that we didn’t want it to come across as us laughing at these characters…We wanted to have warmth and heart”. It is safe to say that they have succeeded.

Eliza Jack

Image: Wikmedia Commons, BBC

Doctor Who and Retconning Television ‘Doctor Who’s’ current series is splitting its fandom. In the recent episode, Fugitive of the Judoon, showrunner Chris Chibnall has introduced us to a new incarnation of the Doctor played by Jo Martin, and the internet is scratching its head to try and work out where this can possibly fit into the timeline of the character as we know it. But many have also asked: does it really matter that much? Shameless ‘Doctor Who’ fan that I am, I’ve been puzzling over this as much as anyone. The riddle has become deeper since Chibnall released a statement assuring us that Martin is the real deal and not a parallel version of the character. The episode seemed to be doing everything to point us towards this being a version of the Doctor before William Hartnell – the first actor to play the character back in 1963. Even this, however, has its problems. Classic ‘Doctor Who’ aside, episodes as recent as The Name of the Doctor and Listen made clear indications that Hartnell was indeed the first Doctor. Of course, Martin’s Doctor may be something else entirely that I can’t predict. But, the fact of the matter is, if Chibnall doesn’t make this fit within established continuity, I will be upset. Many have scorned this attitude and insisted that Chibnall can do what he likes and need not worry about the past. According to these fans, the show is constantly evolving and so should be more concerned with telling good stories in the present than being held back by its past. It

sounds

Image: Pixabay

noble

and

legitimate position to take, but frankly, I think this attitude does TV a terrible disservice. In fact, the show’s past is more important than ever before. We’re in an age when people will binge shows start to finish and thus be aware of everything that’s come before (or, in this case, since 2005 at least). To compare with examples from ‘Classic Who’ (as many have) is hardly relevant. When writer Terry Nation retconned the Daleks’ origins in the 1975 serial Genesis of the Daleks he wasn’t expecting most viewers to have even seen the more-than-ten-year-old story which he was rewriting, let alone remember it well enough to spot the contradictions. But does Chibnall expect viewers not to have watched The Name of the Doctor or Twice Upon a Time (which is the most recent story from before his time)? Not only are they recent, they’re also readily available to viewers everywhere right now on the various platforms that stream the show. More than ever, the show’s past matters. What’s more, I can’t abide this idea that respecting the show’s past is some kind of constraint on its present. The series isn’t rebooted with every new showrunner; it’s still the same story. And, again, this is more applicable to post2005 ‘Doctor Who’ than ‘Classic Who’. Because ‘Classic Who’ did have an element of ‘character reset’, made up of standalone serials without carefully planned character arcs for the Doctor or companions. Nowadays, by contrast, the show has continuous storylines and character arcs that are interwoven into the episodic stories.

But, leaving aside ‘Classic Who’, it might be argued that Moffat proved retconning is worth it in the popular 2013 special The Day of the Doctor, in which he created the character of the War Doctor. Indeed, I like this episode a lot. But whilst there was indeed a ‘retcon’ in the strictest sense of the word, it was one that was done carefully enough to not actually contradict anything that had gone before. In fact, the episode is a perfect example of why the past is not an impediment to good storytelling, but a key part of it. Moffat used the past skilfully, challenged what we assumed to know about it, and developed the Doctor’s character in the present in the process. And it is because The Day of the Doctor respects the past that it manages to be so good. The amazing variety that can come out of ‘Doctor Who’s’ individual episodes and distinct eras is one of the show’s main strengths, but what also makes it special is the fact that they are still part of the same story. If a sequel to a novel contradicts the original, a reader is more likely to find that frustrating than praise the writer for ignoring the past in the name of a ‘good story’. TV may well have a reputation for long-running shows that become inconsistent for behind-thescenes reasons, but that is not in any way something that should be aspired to, or treated like an acceptable norm. Especially not in an era where viewers are both able and prepared to watch the whole story from the beginning. It’s not good storytelling to ignore the past, it’s lazy storytelling. Good luck Chibnall. Don’t mess this up.

Sam Savelli

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