Venue 387

ARTS / BOOKS / FASHiON / CREATiVE WRiTiNG / GAMiNG / TV / FiLM / VERA VERA

387

VENUE

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editorial Welcome back to UEA after Easter!

We hope that those who celebrate had a lovely time, and those who don’t had a nice break, and have come back to Uni excited for the summer term. It’s always a stressful one, with dissertation deadlines and final exams, but you’ve almost got through the year so far and this is just the final push!

And, indeed, it’s a time to reflect on the year that we’ve had with some nostalgia as well as pride. For us, we are looking back on the issues of Venue that have been published since September, since this is the last issue under the current editorial team; a special one for us. We hope that you have enjoyed reading these magazines as much as we have enjoyed putting them together. It has always been a labour of love, for both the world of the arts which we reflect on, and for UEA as a community.

The three of us are coming to the end of our time at UEA now, and we’d like to touch on the feelings that surround such a time, since we are sure so many of you are experiencing the same sadness and anxiety, as well as pride. Graduating university seems a scary prospect, after so many years spent in the education system, and the last few in the tight-knit and comforting community of UEA. There’s a sense of the structure of life as we know it coming to an end, and of course the big question of what we want to do with the knowledge and experiences that we have honed during our time in Norwich. For those of you going through the same changes, we wish you all the best, and know that you’ll smash whatever path you take.

As for Venue, we leave you in the capable hands of the new team. Concrete has long been such a staple of the world of UEA, and such a brilliant example of student journalism. We are so proud to have been a part of it this year, and so proud of all that we have achieved with it. Wherever the next years of your life take you, we hope you find yourself coming back for more from our incredible student paper.

Enjoy Issue 387!

Fizz, Hamilton and Molly :)

Photo: Samuel Baxter (from L to R, Deputy Editor, Hamilton, Venue Editor, Elizabeth and Deputy Editor, Molly)

SECTION EDITORS Arts - Jack Warren

Music - Tom manning

Books - Louise Collins

Gaming - Holly Jackson

Fashion - Zorsha Taylor-Suich

Film - Laura Patterson

Creative Writing - Izzy Murphy

TV - Ben Smith

Front Cover Art by Gemma Lees.

Back Cover Art by Grace Phillips

contents Arts ................................................................... 4 Books ................................................................ 7 Fashion ............................................................ 10 Creative Writing ............................................ 14 Music ................................................................ 17 Gaming ............................................................. 22 Film .................................................................. 24 TV ..................................................................... 27 Vera Venue ..................................................... 31

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4

Arts

OUTPOST: Norwich’s Imminent Loss

By Lily boag

site

in

Norwich,

the

upcoming

OUTPOST has been a vibrant

specifically that of which has been

hub for the arts community in Norwich

created by students and emerging

redevelopment of the square means

since

charity

artists. Their second mission is to

that OUTPOST Studios will soon be

committed to promoting contemporary

provide a studio space which offers

demolished.

art, the OUTPOST gallery facilitates a

the relief of poverty among emerging

This will most likely have a dire

programme of five exhibitions a year,

artists, offering a place in which they

effect on the Norwich arts community,

in addition to managing offsite projects

can partake in creative practices and

with less opportunity for artists and

and events and running two artistic

are assisted by a support network.

creative practitioners, especially those

programmes.

Providing

experience

of whom come from disadvantaged or

The OUTPOST Core Programme is

in running a contemporary art space

lower socioeconomic backgrounds, to

designed to support emerging artists,

and studio through their volunteering

gain access to affordable studio spaces

students, and OUTPOST members. The

group The Norwich OUTPOST Steering

to conduct their creative practices.

OUTPOST Creative Programme, which

Committee, OUTPOST has supported

Consequentially,

is part funded by Arts Council England,

the

of

production and activity means the local

supports individuals from working

many individuals within the Norwich

contemporary art scene that works to

class

socio-economic

community.

diversify, inform, and engage gallery

backgrounds. Aiming to increase the

Offering

2010.

and

An

artist-run

lower

training

and

professional

an

development

affordable

studio

reduced

artistic

audiences and the public community

diversity of representation of artists

complex

and

in Norwich will be hit hard by the

through providing creative promotion

practitioners, OUTPOST Studios was

absence of local artistic contribution

and

developmental

founded in 2010 and remains to be

that OUTPOST Studios supports and

opportunities, The OUTPOST Creative

one of the largest studio providers in

promotes.

Programme

of

the East of England. With open calls

What does this mean for artists

exhibitions, events, residencies, and

for artist residency, OUTPOST invites

and audiences in the Norwich arts

workshops.

applications from self-taught artists and

community? Simply put, they must

equal

creatives across East Anglia, particularly

face the fated loss of a critical creative

and

welcoming Black, and minority ethnic

network

creative community, OUTPOST has two

candidates

lower

provides a space for artists and creatives

charitable aims and objectives. Their

socioeconomic backgrounds, so they

to establish their creative presence, and

first mission is to promote education

can receive mentorship from OUTPOST

an asset which has helped shape the

in the arts to the public though

Studios. However, being based at

Norwich arts scene.

maintaining an art gallery space that

Gildengate House in Anglia Square

publicly exhibits contemporary art,

which is known for being a neglected

beneficial

Founded opportunities

facilitates

a

series

on

providing

in

the

artistic

Editor: JAck Warren

for

over

and

80

those

artists

from

in

Norwich,

one

which

25

Arts

Shrapnel By Poppy MIller Shrapnel (@shrapnel.norwich) is an art

in March at Elm on Lower Goat Lane,

Elena has handmade beaded necklaces

dispensing machine based in Norwich,

where it stayed for the first month,

and

made from a repurposed carnival sweet

dispensing an assortment of stickers,

charms, with plastic and glass beads.

machine, allowing local artists to sell

badges and 3D printed models. The

their art for just £1. With few limitations

machine has since moved the record

illustrations) – Morwenna has screen

on the art in the machine, other than

store to Lowell, launching on record

printed her “Cowgirl Babe” illustration

size, the machine allows a wide range

store day, coinciding with the Bbytones

named “Picky Nicky” onto a heart

of creatives to advertise their art to the

launch event. The machine will remain

shaped guitar plectrum.

public. The tub-dispensing machine

here for around a month then travel

Alice (@alicewisbeystudio) – Alice

will travel around Norwich in various

to the Euphrasie (Norwich’s new art

is an NUA graduate, specialising in

local stores and events, allowing the

collective) showcase on the 30th of

punch needle rugs and accessories, and

discovery of local artists, musicians

April. All artists are welcome to get

has filled the tubs with a desk buddy

and creators at an accessible price. The

involved with the project, and only need

made from recycled paper, as well as a

machine consists of nine columns each,

to get in touch with the Shrapnel team

discount code for her Etsy shop.

allowing nine artists to dispense their

on Instagram.

earrings,

Morwenna

using

semi-precious

(@morwennafarrel_

Alice (@al1cewest) – Alice is a

Current artists:

Norwich and Bristol based illustrator

Sam

(@sagepixels) – Sam has 3D

who has filled her tub with handmade

local artist Elena Miles, and the machine

printed model armaments, each mini

abstract earrings and a small flower

was brought together and organised

printed weapon comes with their own

illustration.

alongside Dom Temple and me. The

lore, from a printed ancient bow to a

tub-dispensing machine made its debut

3D tarnished skull. Elena (@e.lame.a) –

art at a time.

The idea for the project came from

Meet Norwich’s new art collective, Euphrasie

By Elizabeth Woor

idea we looked at other ideas that made

that the gig elements are one arm

You may have heard a buzz surrounding

it less insular and branched out to more

of three different types of events:

a new arts collective here in Norwich.

multimedia things, not just music.

gigs, showcases and workshops. The

Comprised of seven core members, Euphrasie popped up on the local scene

How will the physical art side come into this and join up with the music?

workshops will be the collaborative, play focused thing that Elly and Ruby

just a few months ago. I sat down with

E: Within Euphrasie it’s been

are working on. Gigs, as we have lots

four members of the group (Elly, Dom,

all about stuff that will be playing

of musicians involved, they’re naturally

Miles and Callum) to talk about what

alongside the music. With this in mind

something we want to be doing and

the collective is all about, their plans for

we’ve gone more towards video work

then in terms of showcases, those will

the future, and how they feel about the

and installation work. Me and Ruby

be on a more intimate level.

Norwich art scene.

just went to Meddlers scrap yard to

Can we expect big performance

I gather you’re all friends, can you

film some video footage of us messing

tell me about how the idea of an art

around basically, but we got all these

E: Sort of, but also installation. We

collective first came into being?

ideas of ritualistic performance work,

want some physical objects too! The

M: It initially came from within the

things like that - using the body. The

whole idea is for it to be an artistic

band I set up, Red Mar. It was an idea

main idea is stuff to project with music

community,

that Dylan put towards the group about

playing so it’s collaborating across

art, anything. We’re involving lots of

having a collective name to branch all

media.

different people we know from uni as

of our individual projects, but since that

C: It’s important to note as well

pieces then?

whether

that’s

music,

well to collaborate with, so hopefully

6

arts

we’ll get some steam going to attract

and were friends with some of those

other artists and then just get bigger

people. They’re currently less active but

and better.

we really saw how creating a collective

D: We haven’t got anything fully

I was going to ask, is this project

allows you to build a community and

confirmed but we have spoken about

something you want to keep within

accessibility for getting involved. On my

putting on three big showcases a year.

your group for now or to expand widely

side of things that’s really where a lot of

into the Norwich community?

inspiration came from.

Speaking into the future – What are your plans?

M: The showcases are still in the works but we’re hoping to make them

M: I think, as with anything that

M: It wasn’t a frustration of not

full day events, so we can dedicate time

you’re starting, it’s good to start with

seeing something a bit more different

to actual exhibitions going into music in

a select few people so you can really

going on in Norwich but with the music

the evening. But for now, we’re starting

think about what you want to be doing.

that we make in Red Mar, we naturally

with something a little more digestible.

But, as much as I think we’re interested

are on the edges of what’s going on

E: It would be brilliant to collaborate

in presenting events, especially Ruby

in the mainstream. So, not only did I

with nearby places such as Yarmouth,

and Elly, we’re also interested in doing

personally want more of a platform

where although the scene is small, there

some workshops to invite people to

for the experimental music going on

are lots of new events and art spaces

experiment and have fun – to enjoy the

but I also wanted greater collaboration

popping up. We all know how young

playful side of making things. So that

between all forms of art. I’ve been

and full of artists Norwich is but it

will definitely open up to a community

looking for something a bit more out

would be interesting to go somewhere

thing.

there and I think that can be achieved

where that might not be the case.

C: I think it’s important to create a

by working with the visual arts.

D: Norwich almost feels like an

space where people can come together

C: The key question was - Is there

to collaborate but also where people

anything else going on like this for

can visit. I suppose the best way to

young people? There are a few people

articulate it is that we’re the ones

who put together experimental events

creating that space.

but not necessarily with younger people

If you’re interested in Euphrasie

How do you feel that this fits into

doing it. Norwich’s art scene is huge and

and want to keep up to date with what

the wider Norwich arts community and

there’s lots going on but it’s not always

they’re doing, you can follow them

the universities here?

joined up. It’s very fragmented due to

@euphrasie.co

the nature of Norwich and Norfolk, so

collective that me and ruby weren’t

it’s a chance to start connecting more

involved with but we went to the events

people.

Photo: Elly Lynn

E: There was a project called site

untapped gold mine.

C: They have been saying that for about 20 years though.

D: Well… We’re digging!

7

BOOKS

Beyond the Binary: Transgender and Non-Binary Representation in Literature

by Libby Hargreaves

Photo: Louise Collins

Avid readers who engage in online communities such as BookTok know that these spaces are saturated with ‘queer’ recommendations which only exist to fulfil a social quota: Call Me by Your Name (vastly problematic) and Red, White and Royal Blue (yet another mlm romance) are only two examples. It’s beyond time to focus on a more diverse range of queer literature especially that which represents the trans and non-binary communities.

In my opinion, the perfect place to start is Kacen Callender’s YA sensation Felix Ever After. Cishet society often requires labels, which leave little room to move beneath the ‘out and proud’ exterior of many queer folks. Callender masterfully captures this struggle for identity, whilst still maintaining a light-hearted, positive narrative. Don’t be fooled by the love triangle or enemies to lovers trope, this remains complex and compelling - older readers are welcomed into a sense of high school nostalgia without the all-American cheese.

The discussion of the ever-evolving nature of living on intersections of identity, and exploration of friendship, love and family

should make this your first summer read.

“Representation, in whatever form it takes, is vital to queer folks everywhere.”

If a whirlwind historical fantasy is more up your street, then allow me to introduce you to the world of She Who Became the Sun. Shelley Parker-Chan transforms the accession of Zhu Yuanzhang, who unified China and became the founding Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, into a genderqueer romance-filled adventure. The nuance of gender identity, presentation and societal roles are all explored within the pages of Parker-Chan’s brilliance, which has been described as “Mulan meets Song of Achilles” though I’d personally say that is a disservice to both the characters and writing of her work. They set a tone which keeps

the novel tight in your grip and close to your heart, even after the final words are read.

My own current obsession is Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe - a must-read for graphic novel lovers and newbies alike. An autobiographical comic, it centres around self-identity, yet, as written in the synopsis, “is more than a personal story: it is a useful and touching guide on gender identity for humans everywhere.” Representation, in whatever form it takes, is vital to queer folks everywhere, no matter their age. Unparalleled discoveries are made through trans and non-binary books, from seeing themselves in tales of misplaced teen crushes, to the comfort of knowing dysphoria is shared by a community, and that trauma isn’t written in every queer person’s fate.

8

books

Ashley Hickson-Lovence: “I’m always thinking about my next big project, a bit like Uriah.”

By Sam Gordon Webb

Ashley Hickson-Lovence arrives for coffee; he orders a latte, and I order a cappuccino. As the coffee machine grinds, he removes his tinted sunglasses, “I can’t see anything in these,” he jokes, opting for his reading glasses. “That’s better.”

Ashley says no question is off-limits.

“I’ll answer absolutely anything. I’m an open book.” We begin by discussing the inspiration behind his most recent novel, reviewed by the Guardian as “a nervy psychodrama fuelled by ambition, envy, doubt and ego”.

Your Show tells the story of the Premier League’s first and only black referee, Uriah Rennie, embarking on his incredible career. Rennie was appointed to the Football League list of referees in 1994 after over a decade of refereeing the Northern Premier League. His big break came on 23 August 1997, a Premiership game between Leeds United and Crystal Palace at Elland Road.

Writing a fictional story about a real person, Ashley had his work cut out.

“Originally, I wanted to write an autobiography about his [Uriah’s] life, because that was the only form I knew. I wanted to write about him since I was 16 years old, before I discovered my writing voice much later.”

Telling the story of Rennie was a challenge. “We met in a leisure centre in Sheffield. He’s humongous. We drank coffee and joked about Caribbean food and music. But he still needed convincing.”

Convincing?

“He didn’t understand why I wanted to write about him. I told him that I wanted to celebrate his career, putting his story at the forefront of our national conscience.”

“This was his show, his chance to shine on the biggest stage. It felt like a performance.”

Your Show is about more than football. “It’s a bit strange,” Ashley admits, sipping his latte. “A second person poetically styled novel about a referee - I could not have written a less marketable book. Faber picked it up, and it was a dream come true.

I have a lot of respect for them for choosing an experimental form.”

The title itself perfectly encapsulates Rennie’s fiercely independent spirit. “The title Your Show was inspired by my PhD supervisor, Andrew Cowan, who wrote Your Fault entirely in the second person.

I also wanted it to allude to Uriah taking ownership of the situation. This was his show, his chance to shine on the biggest stage. It felt like a performance.”

Despite the novel’s poetic form, embracing lyrical and rhythmic diversity, the

truth of it blows louder than a referee’s whistle. “I wanted to blend my interests in prose and poetry to build a compelling story. This is a book about a man, on his own, doing his job under incredible pressure.

It’s not just a book for football lovers.”

What’s next for Ashley? “I’m always thinking about my next big project, a bit like Uriah. I’m writing a 32,000-word piece of fiction. I’m not worried about the word count. As a writer, the most important thing is to accept that not everyone will like it.”

A former referee himself, still supporting the FA in bringing about greater diversity, Ashley sees racism as a key aspect of Uriah’s life. “He’s still the only black referee. He’s still on his own, in that sense. And yes, it’s shameful.”

But I sense uncertainty. “The reason I hesitate when I say that is because I know work is being done. I’m optimistic about the future, and I’m certain they’ll be another black referee in the next few years.”

Before we finish up, I wonder how he feels about the book’s positive reaction. “I don’t really care what people think about my work. Someone came up to me the other day and said “Your Show was the first book they’ve read cover to cover. That will always stick with me.”

Tear-stained Pages: Books That Make Me Cry

By Emily Kelly

Anyone who knows me in real life will know that crying is a big part of my dayto-day life, though much of it doesn’t come from real life situations. Instead, my imagination pulls out worst case scenarios and makes problems out of thin air. I think this is why I tend to cry more at books than I do at movies.

Seeing something traumatic or shocking play out on screen leaves no room for ambiguity, no space for interpretation.

One Day by David Nicholls, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne and The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky are all examples of this: on screen, the stark reality of each of the plot twists in these stories hits you like a bus, but you immediately move past it into the next scene. When reading the texts, however, one can re-read, ponder and imagine the intricacies of the story changing each time you pore over the words.

I would personally recommend any of these if you’re looking for a good cry, but there are so many books which elicit these passionate reactions from their readers, some of which have gained specific reputations for doing so. Before The Fault in our Stars, there was Little Women, Angela’s Ashes or My Sister’s Keeper. Even children’s books can surprise you, with classics such as What Katy Did or A Little Princess exploring deep themes and very

BOOKS adult concepts, which can still produce a tear or two. It would be wrong of me to write this list and not talk about Jacqueline Wilson: if you can make it through Vicky Angel or The Illustrated Mum without a tear, I’d love to know your secrets.

The most recent book which made me cry, however, was an autobiography- and not even for the reasons you might expect.

9 Theroux the Keyhole, from everyone’s favourite TikTok sensation and documentary star Louis Theroux, is a diary detailing the descent into lockdown and the takeover of Covid-19 from a filmmaker’s perspective: the cancellations, changing of plans and having to rethink how our day to day lives function. I, along with many others I think, have spent two years attempting

to repress these changes and the impact they had on every aspect of my life, so to find them so matter-of-factly described on these pages had me in tears after about five minutes of reading. Probably best saved for another day.

Photo: Unsplash

Shakespeare’s Impact: Fantastical Adaptations Across the Years

By Louise collins Shakespeare is known throughout the ages and across every continent. His plays are performed across countless theatres and are studied in countless schools. They’ve made a huge literary impact, so much so that adaptations are constantly being made.

Teen film classics like 10 Things I Hate About You (The Taming of the Shrew) and She’s The Man (Twelfth Night) dominate our screens, as do the many variations of West Side Story (Romeo and Juliet). Disney movies, such as The Lion King duology (Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet), and other animated movies like Gnomeo and Juliet. All of these are iconic takes of some of Shakespeare’s best works, following the themes but making their own impact.

Likewise with novels.

Honourable mentions include, The Academy by Emmaline Andrews: a sci-fi/dystopian with similarities to Twelfth Night, this was one of my first introductions to Shakespeare. Warm Bodies

by Isaac Manon was the zombified version of Romeo and Juliet which inspired the film. Finally, We That Are Young by Preti Taneja is an Indian retelling of the gruesome King Lear.

Some writers, like my recent favourite Chloe Gong, go all in on the Shakespearean adaptation. She adores the work of the historic playwright, following his plays with her own fantastical twists. Her debut duology, These Violent Delights and Our Violent Ends, follows Roma Montagov, the heir to The White Flowers, and Juliette Cai, the heir to the Scarlet Gang, as they make their way through 1920s Shanghai. With real Chinese history mixed with a supernatural threat, tensions are high for this young pair, in more ways than one. Based on Romeo and Juliet, we see the rival gangs, echoes of classic characters – Marshall, Benedikt, Tyler – and even iconic Romeo and Juliet quotes, such as “these violent delights have violent ends”.

The duology isn’t where her adaptations end, though.

Later this year, a spinoff duology, beginning with Foul Lady Fortune, features Rosalind, a Scarlet, and newcomer Orion, as they deal with the Japanese expansion into China in the 1930s. This duology is loosely inspired by As You Like It and is described by Chloe Gong as “speculative historical noir”. In summer 2023, the first in her upcoming Adult trilogy, Immortal Longings, has a fantasy 1990s setting, and takes inspiration from Anthony & Cleopatra.

As a Shakespeare nerd, and a lover of all things YA and Fantasy, I can certainly see all my money going to Gong’s works. Bring on the Shakespeare adaptations.

EDITOR: Louise Collins

10

Fashion

is cosmetic surgery on its way out? by badriya abdullah Cosmetic surgery can do a lot for a person’s self-confidence.

Take Khloé Kardashian, who admitted she loves her nose job and regretted not getting it done sooner. But recently a wave of celebrities have come out saying that they either regret their surgery or have had cosmetic procedures reversed. Bella Hadid spoke about getting a nose job at fourteen and now wishes she kept ‘the nose of her ancestors’.

Victoria Beckham wrote to her younger self advising against getting breast implants. MollyMae Hague documented her reversal of cosmetic procedures in 2021, wanting to embrace a more natural look. There appears to be a shift in people’s attitudes to cosmetic surgery and whether it truly is the one-size-fits-all solution.

This recent shift in mindset comes after an explosion of cosmetic surgery over recent years. With the rise of social media, it became very easy for anyone to become an influencer highlighting aesthetic lifestyles, glamorous outfits, and the body to match. Editing photographs became a skill that anyone with a phone could master, to get the perfect picture to share with whoever they choose. However, with this ability came the realisation that if you have the means, you can forgo the editing process – enhancing your features in real life through cosmetic surgery.

One of the most prominent and talked-about surgeries in the past few years is the Brazilian

Butt Lift, or ‘BBL’. The procedure distributes fat from other parts of the patient’s body into the derrière. Widely seen as a natural way to enhance someone’s behind without plastic inserts, it was then achievable to gain a figure similar to celebrities such as Kim Kardashian if you had the funds.

The procedure, as well as the slim-thick body type, exploded with popularity on social media.

According to the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS), a global survey of procedures conducted in 2019 showed that buttock surgery had the highest growth among all surgical procedures, with a 77.6% increase in butt lifts between 2015 and 2019.

Procedures of all kinds inevitably slowed in 2020.

Potentially, people were starting to find out the unexpected side effects of BBLs. Whilst the BBL became the fastest growing procedure in those four years, it also became the most fatal, with an estimated one in every 3,000 procedures resulting in death.

Many people documenting their BBL journeys told stories of their pain and how they wished they knew what it would entail beforehand. Yet, despite this pain, they all achieved the results they desired – a slim-thick body shape without the need for editing.

However, there seems to be a change in the desired body type – this being for people to embrace their natural selves. A number of reasons contribute to this, such as celebrity influences and the body-positivity and neutrality

movements (the former focusing on positive sentiments about your body no matter what, the latter appreciating your body for how it performs rather than how it looks).

Also, criticisms of the slim-thick trend argue that it appropriates the bodies of Black and Latina women without acknowledging any of the struggles they have gone through. Perhaps it is a combination of these factors, as well as the fact that this ‘trend’ of body type is slowly running its course.

As trends change every twenty years or so, perhaps soon the desired body type will be that of the 90s and 2000s: slimmer, toned bodies. But if this is the way that the trend will sway, I hope that the body positivity and neutrality movements persist with it, alongside an emphasis on maintaining a healthy body regardless of how it looks.

Photo: Unsplash

11

Fashion

the head-turning looks of coachella 2022 by sienna norris Photo: Unsplash Recently, the highly-anticipated Coachella took place, a festival which we Brits associate with glitz and glamour – the opposite of what we are used to. Coachella is predominantly known for its impressive line-up which, this year, consisted of Harry Styles and Billie Eilish – even Swedish House Mafia popped in to say hi.

The event is also famous for its fashion, with Mr. Styles’ Hannah Montana-esque jumpsuit being one of this year’s highlights.

After being postponed during the pandemic, those attending this year’s festival did not refrain from flooding Instagram with their outfits. Since Coachella is held in a desert, the boho-chic style has dominated these past few years. But, this year, “Y2K” (the year 2000) fashion has taken over the bohemian aesthetic’s legacy. Since the rise in social media influencers, it seems that the festival has resulted in a complete turnaround fashionwise. However, there was no lack of cowboy attire this year, with cowboy boots and fringe being all the rave – although seemingly outshined by the pool of neon and low-waisted denim skirts.

There were some notable looks that were a concoction of boho and early 2000s. One being the queen of Coachella, Vanessa Hudgens, who is arguably one of the best dressed at the festival every year. Some of Coachella’s most frequent guests like

Poppy Delevigne and Alessandra Ambrosio sported bohemian galore, yet some of the most memorable looks were from the performers.

Not only was Doja Cat’s performance phenomenal, but her astounding outfit changes and Conan Gray’s custom Valentino hot-pink outfit were like a dream.

Over the past few years, there has been controversy surrounding how much pop culture events have changed amidst the rise of influencers.

There were a few that crushed their looks for Coachella.

TikToker and model Maddie White did not hold back when it came to being a sparkling diamond… quite literally.

Euphoria’s influence was not lacking with the considerable amount of rhinestones on show, as well as the show’s Sydney Sweeney bringing out her inner ‘country music star’ with a simple white mini-dress and cowboy boots.

One influencer experienced some internet trolling for his outfit choices over the weekend, with some people comparing his final Coachella look to a weather

warning alert – that was, of course, James Charles.

Overall, there seemed to be a very different vibe at Coachella this year. Has Coachella truly lost its edge and flare as people say?

EditOR: Zorsha Taylor Suich

Would you like to join the venue team? positions for venue editor and deputy editors are opening soon Find us online @concreteuea or get in touch for more information We are also looking for: Writers Artists contact us at: @concreteuea or visit our website

14

creative writing

A Mistake

By Izzy murphy The thing is, you were an accident. A mistake. A problem to be solved. We just didn’t get there in time. I didn’t get there in time. I had always been irregular, so I didn’t think much of it. But I should have. I really, really, should have. I should have kept track. I mean, they have apps, or calendars for things like this now. I know, I know; it was a risk. I know what everyone was thinking. ‘This is just another way to get his attention.’ But I didn’t want his attention, I didn’t crave it. I needed it, I survived off it. It kept me going. I started to feel sick when he wasn’t around. But then I started to feel sick when he was around. I started to feel sick all the time. I thought it was a bug, a cold. I thought I’d get better. The shrink said it was just nerves. Wrong.

“Nausea,” He called it. What a load of rubbish. “It’ll pass,” he concluded.

Wrong, again.

Josie told me that you were a blessing. A gift.

She told me over and over again. Have i told you about your auntie Josie yet?

Well, she’ll be here soon; she said she wouldn’t miss this, she wouldn’t miss meeting you.. She’s a bit mad, as you’ll see, but she’s all we’ve got. We met in university, in our third year. She had been pouring pints and waiting tables at some seedy bar, when she saw me sat alone, waiting for a date that would never show. She bought over a free pint and called the no-show a dickhead. After that, we were stuck. Neither of us had a clue what we wanted to do with our lives, or what we wanted to get out of the world. We travelled around for a few years, hoping to ‘find ourselves’. Unfortunately, all we found was that travelling is expensive, having sex with strangers in shared hostel rooms is a bad idea, and no one cares as much about your adventures even remotely as much as you do.

Maybe you’ll want to go on a gap year some day, get some adventures under the belt like we did?

Anyway, once we had spent all of our money and exhausted all of our options, Mr Oliver, Josie’s step-dad, said he had a friend looking for ‘administrative assistants’ at some insurance firm in London. Well we both jumped at the chance; any opportunity, to ditch our streaks of making exceedingly poor choices.

Anything to get out of beaded necklaces and colourful baggy trousers with elephants on them. Together, we found a cheap two bedroom apartment, in a rather unsavoury part of the city, bought, somewhat acceptable, workwear, and agreed: no more foolish decisions for a while.

That lasted about three years.

Three years of good, sensible behaviour, and then I would wake up in a strange apartment, after Josie begged me to help her ‘enjoy her 20s’ by escorting her to dodgy bars in South London.

“Well, that was fun. When will I see you again?”

“I don’t think that would be a good idea.”

Three years and he would be introduced as the new head of finance.

“Can I grab everyone’s attention please, just for a moment. This is Mr Harrison, he is joining us from-” “Hey Fliss, isn’t that-” “Shh. Yes. It’s him.”

“-so I expect you to all make him feel very welcome.”

He would flirt. I would resist. A little. Three years and we would start fooling around in his office. Three and a half years and he would take me out on dates, trips away, show me off. Three years and eight months and his wife would show up at the office, holding the hands of two young boys.

Three years and eight months, and he would abandon me completely. He let me down gently, I guess, in his own way.

“We shouldn’t have gotten involved.”

“It’s been months…”

“Look, I guess I just got carried away. It was never serious.”

Three years and nine months and Josie would walk into the office toilets to find me vomiting.

Three years and nine months and there would be two blue lines on the test she grabbed from the corner shop. I cried. She said we would ‘sort it’.

She said that we didn’t need to make it any bigger than it needed to be. We could keep you a secret, or not, whatever I wanted to do. She would help me take care of it. She was good like that.

creative writing

15

A memorable weekend By melody chan Blue skies and blue waters. That is what I remember about the first weekend when we went our separate ways again. The distinction between the sky and the sea was impossible to spot, yet I know the line between them existed. Occasionally it made itself seen from the break of waters, other times it was a blur hiding behind the blue.

Just like the fragility of a relationship, the end of it seems far and unknowing yet lurks within the shadows. When a breaking point hits, the waves collapse and so does a relationship. But waves surge back, so will I. That weekend I took a train from Norwich to Cromer. There had been sunny days and I refused to feel dull at summer’s beckoning. A short 49-minute ride transported me to a petite seaside town, I remember breathing in the salty freshness of coral reef and stone. I had not been to a beach in a while, and I missed that sun-kissed feeling.

It was a Saturday, so the beach was packed with families and friends. Laughter and screams filled the air in a summer melody. That was what I needed— surrounded by joy and company. The wind gently brushed my cheeks, played with my hair, and caressed me in a reassuring way. At least that was what I thought the wind was trying to do. I walked through stacks of pebbles in different shades, sometimes stumbling and losing my balance. But I finally made it to a seat and rested on an elevated platform near the shore, the waves splattering hurriedly, then slowly, then rushing back and forth.

A dog threw itself into the waters, swimming into the sea by paddling his little paws at great velocity. He was reaching for something, his eyes desperately searching for it and when he finally found it, he turned and swam towards the shore.

Ah, it was a ball. The dog’s jaw clenched the thing tightly, holding onto it for dear life. But the waves were cruel, swooshing him backward whenever it swam closer to the beach.

He refused to drop the ball and continued fighting the waves as if it were a serpent strangling its movements.

Then a breaking wave built and pushed him forward in an unexpected force. His body submerged within the blue but resurfaced a few seconds later. Drenched and soaked with heaviness, he escaped the strong pulling of the sea and rushed up to the shore, never returned and never looked back.

For a minute, I was the dog. Its struggle to break free from the waters was akin to my struggle in escaping the truth and knowing that you cannot fix everything. As if you took one step forward, but later realised it was three steps back. Yet that was the reality and all you could do was move on. At least that was what I acknowledged from my trip to Cromer.

I faced the sun, closed my eyes, and let out a long sigh.

Photo: Unsplash

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creative writing

just the beginning By bella hatch I become aware of my surroundings like a diver rising from the depths. Slowly, and then all at once. Light floods my vision, and for a moment, I’m completely overwhelmed. Incrementally, my eyes adjust to my surroundings, and I become aware that I am standing in a vast, vaulted chamber, everything around me white, pearl and the palest shades of gold. I blink, turning in a slow circle, searching for some clue as to my whereabouts. Nothing immediately presents itself, nor upon a second look.

“Hello.”

I jump, and turn to see a man I had not previously noticed standing behind me, garbed in diaphanous white robes, hands clasped in front of him, half hidden inside his enormous sleeves. He smiles benignly, and I incline my head by way of acknowledgement, my mouth suddenly dry.

“H-hello,” I stammer, “sorry, might you tell me where I am?” The man’s smile fades, his expression becoming grave and sombre.

“The question so quickly asked, and always the most difficult to answer,” he says, “I am afraid you are dead.”

A dull throb of confusion settles in my temples, moving to a sharp ache in my chest, and finally settling heavily in the pit of my stomach. Varying emotions wash over me in waves; grief, fear, disappointment, disbelief. It is too much to think of everything I have left behind, and I have to sink my teeth into my lip to stop myself from crying out in anguish. A muffled sob still escapes my throat, and I clamp a hand over my mouth.

“My...my life...it’s all over? This is the end?”

A gentle hand presses against my shoulder, and I look up, having barely managed to compose myself.

The man’s expression is tender and understanding.

“That’s one way of looking at it. But I prefer, or rather, I find it easier to think of it another way.”

I stare at him expectantly, tears brimming in my eyes, waiting for him to continue, but he simply turns away, and raises his hands in the air, the trumpeted sleeves of his gown ballooning as they fall up his arms.

At the other end of the vast chamber, an enormous set of doors I had not previously noticed swing open smoothly. A gentle breeze lifts my hair, bringing with it the scent of fresh grass, wheat, and blossom.

“What- .” My voice cracks, so I clear my throat, and begin again, “what is the other way?” The man smiles at me softly.

“Think of it as the beginning.”

This time, when I feel tears pricking my eyes, I let them fall, taking in a shuddering breath.

“The beginning of what?”

Placing a guiding hand on my back, the man begins to walk me forward. The white marble beneath my feet is cool and soothing, and as I draw closer to the enormous doors, a profound sense of tranquillity settles on my heart and mind like an embrace.

“The beginning of everything.”

Photo: Unsplash

EDITOR: Izzy murphy

Music 17 INTO THE WILDERNESS BY ELIZA DELF: ALBUM REVIEW

by Tom manning

At the start of this academic year, I had the chance to interview the singer songwriter Eliza Delf. Six months on and Eliza is back with her debut album which I have had the chance to exclusively listen to before its release on the 13th May. I can safely say that this album is a must listen.

Eliza’s music is steeped in folk imagery and sounds while having an operatic feel to it that allows Eliza to showcase her truly phenomenal voice. The album is produced by the folk producer Jon Loomes and this professional production makes for an incredibly well-crafted and executed album.

Into The Wilderness is a fitting title to this album. The tracks are sonically vibrant, filled with instrumentation that

leaves you discovering more with each listen. The songs feel very well paced throughout the album and at no point do they feel unfinished or over staying their welcome.

Songs such as My Familiar and If She Were To Fall are empowering, focusing on female defiance. Throughout the album there is a clear recurring theme of female empowerment that comes through very strongly.

As I was writing this review, I was considering which songs I could use as examples for Eliza’s vocal performances but, if I’m being honest, every track showcases her vocal talent.

On Heaviness in the Head, Eliza delves into indie folk rock which makes for a welcome change of pace. The drums on this track sit perfectly behind

Eliza’s refrains of ‘no-one will ever know’.

My personal highlight from this album, however, is In The Court of the Queen of Strangeness. The title itself feels similar to a late 90s Bright Eyes song. The track begins with these dramatic violin strings that feel like we are about to witness the closing moments to an intense drama. The harmonising backing vocals create added layers to the track and give it a haunting atmosphere.

Into The Wilderness is set to be released on the 13th May on all digital platforms and with physical copies available too. In the meantime, you can listen to Eliza’s lead single Howl which is available to stream on all platforms.

How have we gone from The Beatles to BTS?

By Sienna norris

I’m sure at one point in your adolescence you had that one boy band you were obsessed with, especially if you’re a female. I recently watched the documentary Eight Days a Week, about The Beatles, and in most of the performance clips, teenage girls’ or “Beatlemaniacs” screams were louder than the music, I got to thinking about my generation and the chokehold bands like One Direction had on us, so why do teenage girls go so nuts over boy bands?

There’s actually a pretty simple answer; because it’s what boy bands are designed to do, yet it hasn’t always been like this. Contrary to popular belief, The Beatles were not the first boy band to exist, the earliest example of a boy band were barbershop quartets, in the early 20th century.

In the fifties, Doo-Wop became popular and paved the way for R&B, heavily influencing modern day music.

For the remainder of the century, boy bands progressed from disco

to alternative rock and pop, perhaps the most notable era for boy bands were the nineties, groups in this time tended to provoke extreme reactions from their female fans, to name a few: Take That, NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, and since, the definition of a boy band has hugely shifted.

It’s no secret that boy bands tend to be young and attractive, each member has their own unrealistic persona that’s projected onto their easily-influenced audience, each of these personas represent the different ideal male partners for young girls.

Speaking from experience, I was a pretty hardcore Directioner, at school me and my friends allocated ourselves to each of the boys, I was a Harry girl, and to this day, I still adore Harry Styles. Interestingly, several psychologists have said that these life-long obsessions we have with boy bands are longings for our childhood and upon learning this, I’ve had a bit of an existential crisis surrounding Mr

Styles - Do I really like him and his music or was my 12-year-old self just conditioned to do so?

I was listening to Rock Me by One Direction which I now know is about Liam Payne losing his virginity, at quite a young age, which is pretty messed up on both my part and for these types of boy bands too. Fifty years ago, The Beatles also produced extreme reactions from their fans but their music is like none other, it’s spanned across several generations, but boy bands from this century don’t seem to have that same artistry, it seems far more mechanical nowadays.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

18 Music A CONVERSATION WITH UEA ARTIST HANA YAZZ By tom manning When Hana Yazz isn’t busy studying pharmacy right here at UEA, you can find her performing in and around Norwich or making some of the most exciting R&B music you’ll find in this city. I had the opportunity to chat to Hana at the square late last month and ended up talking about how she first came into music (I promised to not include the influence Little Mermaid had on her as a child), some of her influences, and what we can expect from her going forward including experimenting with production and potentially a new EP. I opened up the interview asking about how she got into music. “I started off with little school things like Jessie J Pride kind of stuff in year 6 [at this point we went off on quite a tangent about Jessie J’s relationship with Channing Tatum]…and then when it actually kind of kicked off was when I was doing DofE in year 12. You need to do a skill for it and I mentioned how I could sing.

The teachers at the time were like funnily enough we’re partnered with a music studio kind of thing for young people and you can do it there. I’d never been to a studio before but it wasn’t what I was expecting because when I went there it turns out it was a juvenile thing which I didn’t mind and added to the heat of it! But it was kind of like community service kind of stuff and there were loads of roadmen and just me, I was doing covers mainly.

“One guy there though was working with the BBC and he asked me if I wanted to be in the choir for Harry and Megan’s wedding but I had to be 18 which was annoying. Then he said ‘hey why don’t you write your own songs’ and said how I can use type beats on YouTube as I couldn’t play any instruments. But yeah I really liked that and just kept doing it and after a while reached out to pretty much every producer in London. I got blanked by pretty much 90% of them but one person actually responded. She was like an assistant engineer at the time at this fancy studio. Funnily enough she’s now done stuff with Koffee and I think she’s been on something that’s Grammy nominated too. That’s the one that’s got all my plays too [Fantasy].”

Hana’s music has strong R&B influences sounding similar to the likes of Jorja Smith. I asked Hana whether Jorja was an influence and what other music has played an influence in hers. “It’s funny you should say that because in that time period I was listening to a lot of Jorja Smith, Daniel Caesar, Rex Orange County. That was one of the things I think that really made me want to start making my own music because when I started listening to Rex he had less than ten thousand plays, so watching him grow I was like yeah that’s definitely possible. Arctic monkeys

was an influence too. Especially their quite off beat lyrics. I think my influences have definitely changed and gotten a lot funkier.”

Hana recently performed at Voodoo Daddy’s with the Stripped Sets collective and I asked her about this experience. “Yeah that was really cool, I’d only ever done three other shows, a couple in London and this was the first one where it was organised by artists and probably the most proper show I’d ever done. It was actually quite stressful because the band I was meant to be playing with cancelled and so I had to switch to backing tracks which was fine in the end and my mum said I should just have fun. I think it definitely produced the best performance I’d done on stage.”

I asked Hana whether she had any other live shows planned in Norwich this year. “Yeah, I’ve actually got one planned on May 10th with the music college Access. That college is literally right next to Epic Studios and the gig’s in a café between the college and the studios and it’s free! I’ll be with a band too.”

Trying to do a degree is hard work in itself, but balancing music with studying is hard to balance.

I asked Hana how she found it, “If I feel like doing something musical I’ll tend to just do it, I don’t really do it in my day to day which does upset me. I do it when I can and sometimes I’ll get splurges. I think for making an album I want to wait until I really know what

Photo: Georgina Matuska

Music

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I want it to sound like. Right now it’s just experimenting so I think I want to do another EP before I do an album.

I’m excited about my new music, I think it’s a lot less commercial sounding and more whatever sounds great.”

Be sure to keep up to date with Hana’s latest work across all digital platforms.

Music Videos – Are They Necessary? by lily boag Growing up with a teenage sister in the early 2000’s, MT V ruled our television screen. Counting down the top charts while we fought over whose turn it was to take over the control, we spent the weekends dancing to music videos in the living room. But in an age where Spotify and TikTok now take precedence as the top video and music entertainment platforms, we may question whether music videos are still relevant today.

However, with the release of Blockbuster album length videos like Beyonce’s ‘Lemonade’, and Taylor Swift’s short film production of ‘All Too Well’ which took the internet by storm and turned the world against Jake Gyllenhaal, it seems that we’re on the verge of a new music-video golden age.

Having become a key part of an album rollout to have at least one music video accompany a single, music videos have become a staple of music in the 21st century. Designed to promote the creative vision of new and existing artists with artistic visuals that allow listeners to see the world of the music through the performer’s eyes, it’s no wonder that the music video scene continues to thrive as they function as an essential marketing tool to boost a musician’s visibility and exposure.

So, in celebration of the art of the music video, here’s my top ten list of cult classics and artistic explorations in order of their release: 1. Thriller – Michael Jackson (1983) A Halloween classic featuring the King of Pop’s iconic zombie dance.

2. Take on me – a-ha (1985) A surreal sketch-pad moment that helped redefine music videos for MT V. 3. Sabotage – Beastie Boys (1994) A grunge-rap song accompanied by a parody of 1970’s American cop dramas.

4. Baby One More Time – Britney Spears (1998) Features Spears’ iconic schoolgirl dance routine.

5. Stan – Eminem feat. Dido (2000) An obsessed fan named Stan writes the rapper multiple letters.

6. Weapon of Choice – Fatboy Slim (2001) Christopher Walken struts his stuff to a groovy number.

7. The Scientist – Coldplay (2002) Moving in reverse motion as Chris Martin sings his lyrics backwards.

8. Single Ladies (Put a ring on it) Beyonce (2008) A black and white clip featuring Queen Bey’s signature dance moves.

9. Wrecking Ball - Miley Cyrus (2014) A nude Miley Cyrus swings in on a wrecking ball.

10. HUMBLE. – Kendrick Lamar (2017) Winner of Video of the Year at the MT V VMA’s and Best Music Video at the Grammys.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

EDITOR: Tom manning

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Music

MANIC OBSESSION

BY SEB LLOYD A Google search of ‘Why do we Continue to Obsess about things that Disappoint us?’ throws up some Psychology Today self-care tips, celebrity obsession blog posts and if you keep scrolling, plenty of poorly curated Reddit feeds. At the height of my obsession with the Manic Street Preachers I saw them live at OnBlackheath in 2015. As the band laboured through their classics, my excitement curled into its shell like a hormonal mollusc.

I was disappointed, even embarrassed. Why, of all my family, was I the most excited to see these 3 grumpy Welsh men? Who the hell were these guys, I wanted MY Manic’s! James Dean Bradfield with a crucifix on his chest singing ‘We live in urban hell’, spitting on the crowd . What had this Dad-bod done with my band! My 15-year-old self could not cope.

Upon discovering their early 90s incarnation 2 years earlier, a bunch of no-good atoms smashed guitars on stage in my adolescent brain. The Manic’s were effeminate and masculine, glib and anti-establishment.

They cross-dressed, talked about books and miners strikes in interviews. They sounded like a scruffy Guns N Roses, not too punk, not too rock. They towed the line between my burgeoning Grunge love and MT V tuned palette.

Their self-destructive mantras ‘I believe in Nothing, but it is my nothing.’ Were clunky, poetic, nihilistic, smothered in leopard-print. ‘We thought we were a million times better than every band.’ Was the ballsy

boast, and I was sold.

My true obsession began around early 2014, by which time delivering me to their glory days required hours of Youtube and sentimental fanzines. I bought 10 albums, 2 compilations, 2 EP’s, I read 3 fan written books and watched every gig and interview there was to consume. I printed off Richie’s infamous response to criticism on the 15th of May 1991 when he carved ‘4 REAL’ into his arm after a gig at Norwich Arts Centre (right) and stuck it to my wall, much to the perplexity and disgust of my friends and family. His dark, hunting eyes would follow me around my room for 3 years. Merch followed, T-shirts, mementos, a pair of white jeans (not strictly merch but required!), I quickly covered the arse of said jeans with anti-climb paint on first use and haven’t removed the stain since. Crucially no matter what I said or did, they were still a tired old touring band.

One reason for this was my Manic Street Preachers never existed. I thought Richie was beautiful, I thought writing the lyrics before the music was poetic, I thought the look was tasteless, sexy and cliché. I even thought my friends dislike or at best indifference was kind of alluring. I was rejecting the greasy haired indie aesthetic that seemed to be re-establishing itself again with Alex Turner’s discovery of hair gel (although I still loved the Arctic Monkeys). They didn’t dress like Topman models and say things like ‘I like riding

Music

motorcycles indoors.’ (real Johnny Borrell quote) In my head they lolloped around, undereating, being antimachismo, reading Sylvia Plath and Tennessee Williams.

If I could do that, or get close, it wouldn’t matter what era I was in.

The disappointment of the band in reality caused me to start Reading collections of fans experiences at the time. I listened just as extensively, if not more, to discography post-Richie, even into their dwindling mid-2000s years despite some of the music being truly terrible (‘Emily’ from Lifeblood is a grim example).

Every piece of music I heard by the Manic’s had become potential to manufacture my own world. The quality or lack of quality in the art had become redundant.

They said things like ‘I wanted to be popular, nothing else.’ It was arrogant but honest. At 15, I thought it looked dazzling to be famous, more so to achieve it while still so naïve and impressionable yourself. They addressed sex (‘Yes’), masculinity (‘Little Baby Nothing’) and morality (‘Archives of Pain’) while Richie Edward’s disappearance meant the Manic’s went on to become both grief stricken and ironized. As a young Nicky Wire scoffed in 1990 “We’ll be dead before we have to (write love songs), anyway.’ But Richie for so many years was only missing, leaving them in limbo. A limbo I could not tolerate much longer. A year later I defaced my ‘4 REAL’ picture and retired my printed photo wall. I had to obsess about the Manic’s long enough for them to feel fully 3-dimensional,

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for me to gather enough information to build an obsessive Rubic’s cube of fact and fiction. Only when no side of the story was fully complete could I see the contradictions in these musicians I loved so much.

Only then could I exhibit any youthful self-care, and listen to someone within 20 years of my age, which I promptly did, maybe a little Manic Obsession wasn’t such a bad way of getting started.

Photos: All Wikimedia Commons

22

Gaming Sonic the Hedgehog: A FRANCHISE FAILURE?

By Holly Jackson

Photo: Unsplash As Sonic the Hedgehog 2 has been released in cinema, I decided to give the films a go. The series has been extremely well received, and I can see why, but as a lifelong Sonic fan, I was disappointed.

My main qualm with the films is simply that I don’t feel as though Sonic, a blue talking hedgehog, belongs in the real world. At the beginning of the first film, there is a fleeting moment where we see Sonic in Green Hill, the beautiful island from the original video game series. I was very impressed with how the games’ Green Hill Zone was brought to life in the film as the flourishing, nature-filled island in which Sonic grew up in. However, this was short-lived, as Sonic is quickly transported into Green Hills, America – a much more dull and bleak setting in comparison. Of course, there are animated scenes within the Sonic video games where we see him running through the streets of San Francisco and more, but their cartoon-like appearance is what really gives them charm. There are so many amazing settings within the Sonic video games that would have brilliant potential for action to take place (i.e. Chemical Plant, Sky Sanctuary, Water Palace) but we simply don’t get to see this in the films. Why not keep Sonic within his own world? As the old saying goes ‘If it ain't broke, don’t fix it’.

Another issue I had was the lack of the characters we see within the video games making into the films. Sure, Tails, and Knuckles feature in the second film – but where are Shadow, Blaze the Cat, Amy Rose, Silver, and the others? What I would have loved to see is a film where Sonic teams up with his friends to defeat Dr Robotnik and his other enemies within their own world, rather than see him befriend human beings to defeat Dr Robotnik and to an extent, the government.

I suppose what I believe the film lacked here was the element of escapism that is provided by the video games. Although Jim Carrey certainly portrays an excellent villain in his role as Dr Robotnik, I was mildly disappointed that his character bears little resemblance to the Dr Robotnik which fans are familiar with.

However, I did thoroughly enjoy the characterisation of Sonic himself – his character acts and speaks exactly as you would have expected him to.

My experience watching the Sonic films ultimately left me with two questions. The first being why Sonic? As far as the plotline goes, it is quite a simplistic and classic hero-villain story with some heartwarming moments along the way which don’t necessarily tie into the video games. This idea for a film series could’ve been effective using an entire-

ly new character, minus a few details that are specific to Sonic such as the few characters that are used and of course, the chaos emerald and rings. My second question is - why not just animate the entire film series instead of just Sonic, Tails and Knuckles? This would’ve allowed Sonic to thrive in his own world, been more visually appealing, and potentially provided a place for more of the original characters to feature.

In summary, the films are of course a great hit, and they are fun to watch if you haven’t already, just don’t expect them to be like the video games. The best way I can describe my own experience with the Sonic films is by likening it to when you read a book, only to find the film version is nothing like you had anticipated it to be.

23 Lego star wars: The skywalker saga: first impressions By HOLLY jACKSON

gaming

Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga released on Nintendo Switch at the beginning of April and is available at £49.99 (which unfortunately seems to be the standard price for a decent Nintendo Switch game) as a Switch game card or a digital download. It has since topped over 3.2 million sales, so I thought I’d see what the hype is about.

The game recreates all 9 Star Wars films (of course, in Lego) allowing you to follow the storylines and play through their key moments as different Star Wars characters. Players are offered a vast, open-world experience that is vivid and charming for players of any age. You can roam around freely and explore what the different places have to offer. Each location is exciting and vibrant and looks great even on the small screen of the Switch, albeit a little fuzzy at times. So far, the game has run very smoothly on my Nintendo Switch

Lite with no faults. Some players have reported a few minor bugs, but fortunately nothing that significantly hinders gameplay.

The Skywalker Saga is easy to play. Despite its lack of challenge, it is a very enjoyable experience due to the plotline it offers and its attention to detail. Its characters are brilliant, and the voice-acting and humour is very engaging - you won’t want to skip through it. The characters really add to the lore of the game and truly bring it to life - even the NPCs who simply roam around. The storyline combines action with light-hearted moments - I found myself embarking on a mission to then casually waiting on tables in a café before setting out on another adventure.

Additionally, the audio of the game is impressive - the soundtrack alongside the diegetic sounds that occur through gameplay combine smoothly with the

dialogue effectively immerses you within the Lego Star Wars universe, offering escapism.

In terms of how long you can expect to play the game, the main storyline is estimated to take around 18 hours to complete, although I’m sure you can eek it out for longer if you wish by completing extra storylines. For those who aim to complete absolutely everything, this game could keep you busy for up to 80 hours.

All in all, Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is a delightful game offering a fun and immersive experience that is worth purchasing.

fREE PC GAME PASS TRIAL IF YOU’VE PLAYED THESE TITLES

By HOLLY jACKSON

Good news! If you’ve been playing titles such as Forza Horizon 5, Halo Infinite or Age of Empires IV on your PC since they were launched up until the 28th February, Microsoft is offering new members a 3-month trial of their PC Game Pass.

Whether you’ve played these games through the Microsoft Store or Steam, you’re eligible. However, if you’ve previously been subscribed to Game Pass, you won’t be able to take advantage of this offer.

PC Game Pass includes plenty of exciting titles. If you’re an Age of Empires fan, you’ll be pleased to know that there are several of the games available on there.

Likewise, you’ll find plenty of Halo games.

There are also some big titles such as various Star Wars games, The Sims 4, and Life is Strange: True Colours.

If you haven’t already, you may as well check out this free trial before it’s gone.

There are rumours suggesting Game Pass may see a significant price increase (although these have yet to be confirmed) so it’s worth taking advantage of offers while you can just in case.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Editor: Holly Jackson

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FILM The joyful Feminism of the Nineties “dumb blonde” archetype

By Zoe Gouli

Photo: Unsplash

Clueless (1995) and Legally Blonde (2001) are iconic cult classics of the 90s and early 2000s that have managed to maintain their popularity decades later.

Both films have messages that are still important today, cementing them both as pop culture cornerstones. While the feminism of any film starring a rich, white woman should be taken with a grain of salt, the undeniable message of both movies still holds true: stop expecting mediocrity when you see femininity. The protagonists, Cher and Elle, were icons of a new movement: girly feminism, in which women, and anybody who wishes to, can be unapologetically feminine whilst simultaneously being clever, strong, kind and successful.

A theme that appears in both Clueless and Legally Blonde is the importance of female friendships.

Legally Blonde begins with Elle in her sorority house surrounded by her friends, or by definition her chosen sisters, who later support her through

her breakup with Warner and then through the murky waters of Harvard Law School. Arguably, the most important relationships that occur in Clueless are those which Cher has with Dionne and Tai. These two dynamics are the driving forces behind most of the film’s arc; Tai arrives as the new girl in school and is taken under the wing of the two other girls. She is introduced into Cher’s world via a makeover - a cliché but fun way for Cher to show her love.

The bubbly protagonists of both films are primary examples of ‘girly feminism’, a new wave that overcame pop culture in the late 90s and early 2000s as a result of third wave feminist thinking which placed an emphasis on individualism. Elle and Cher are both presented as kind, multi-faceted and smart young women without sacrificing their interest in things deemed as ‘frivolous’, namely fashion and their looks. In fact, in Elle’s case, her interest in seemingly shallow

things helped her to ‘fail upwards’; as she follows her patronising, sleazy ex-boyfriend to Harvard Law School and ends up becoming incredibly successful. She wins a major case via some unconventional methods like having extensive knowledge of perm maintenance. She ultimately exceeds all expectations and accomplishes an incredible feat by leaning into the parts of herself that have been deemed as flaws by the patriarchy. Elle begins her journey desperately seeking to get her ex-boyfriend back, only to realise that not only does she not need him, but she also doesn’t want him anymore.

Clueless takes a different but just as significant approach when Cher ends up with a romantic partner, but only after she has firmly established that she does not need one. Cher and Elle show us that limiting oneself to being either feminine or successful is a thing of the past. As a very wise woman once said: “as if!”

25

FILM Why DC is Braver than Marvel The DC v Marvel feud is one that has been going on for several years now. Since the mid-2010s, these cinematic superhero franchises have been compared and contrasted by critics and fans alike.

For a long time, Marvel appeared to be the winner in this race, outrunning DC on quality storytelling, interesting characters, quick humour, and all-round enjoyable adventures.

By contrast, DC had tried replicating Marvel’s success in making an extended cinematic universe. But, unlike Marvel, its attempts were often underwhelming, and this unfinished universe faded into obscurity.

The contrast in success could not have been starker. But now, things appear to be changing.

Since 2019, DC has dropped attempts to create its own universe and moved on with its own thing. Audiences have been amazed with adaptations, such as Joker (2019) and The Batman (2022).

Meanwhile, Marvel appears to be losing its magic touch. Whilst the franchise is not exactly in disaster mode, some fans are getting bored of the usual tropes. This is perhaps best reflected in The Eternals (2021), which has generally had the response: “it’s

okay”.

But why do the tables seem to be turning? An obvious answer seems to be that, since Avengers: Endgame (2019), Marvel has lost direction.

But there’s also another observation to make about Marvel and DC’s differences.

DC films are much braver than Marvel in terms of the subjects they tackle.

Joker was essentially about a mentally ill man living in a selfish society that drove him to the edge. In 2021, Suicide Squad tackled the issue of US government interference in Latin America. Just this year, I was amazed as I watched The Batman confront the theme of police corruption. Which, in the light of recent events, is chillingly relevant.

By contrast, Marvel seems to be incapable of having a serious moment without anti-climactic humour following up. After having seen a masterpiece such as Joker, Marvel films look almost grey in comparison.

Could they not do something just as brave?

Granted, some Marvel films have taken on certain issues. But they often tackle them in a way that’s vague

Films So Bad They’re Good Have you ever watched a film and thought this is so bad but then so good?

There’s just something enjoyable about a movie that is hopelessly committed to its (very bad) vision - whether it is bad special effects, awful acting, or a completely absurd plot.

A movie that comes to mind released recently would be the Disney+ release of Free Guy (2021). This action-comedy film tells the story of Guy, a non-player character in an extremely popular video game, Free City. Guy learns the true nature of his existence when he meets the girl of his dreams who is a human player. There are some impressive visual effects, modern day references and well-known A-List ac-

By Ellie scott and devoid of opinion. You never get the sense they have a message they really want to educate the audience about.

Just to clarify, I’m not saying Marvel must become a heavily politicised, preachy, dead-serious series. Suicide Squad managed to confront a dark theme, but still be fun and avoid just shouting at the audience.

Perhaps, if Marvel were to take this on, it would save it from the lack of direction it appears to be suffering from now.

A lot has happened to the world in the last couple of years and people rightly want to be engaged with it. This means our media helps audiences become more aware in understanding the issues that have shaped our world.

Whatever direction they go in now, let’s appreciate both Marvel and DC for the quality stories they’ve both brought us so far.

By Caitlin telford

tors. The movie is something different to anything I have watched before of this genre, but it does conform to the stereotypes and cliches of gamers.

However, this movie is consistently hilarious due to Ryan Reynolds. proving that actors can really change one’s perception of a movie, and their performances can distract from the absurd nature of the film.

Sequels are another example of films so bad they’re good. Is it because we fell in love with the characters from the first film the reason we watch its predecessor? Take Grease: 2 for example – this film has the same concept, but most people would consider it a bad movie, comparing it to the origi-

Photo: Unsplash

nal. The movie itself is a good watch, and there are a few catchy songs in the soundtrack. I think more people should give this movie another chance and watch it without thinking of it as a sequel. On its own, it is a decent movie, but in comparison to the original Grease movie, it’s not as strong.

Maybe you need to be in the right mood to watch these, or maybe they can be something you have on in the background - either way, these are my guilty pleasures!

26

FILM

An overview of the oscars By Eleanor Carr

Photo: Unsplash

Coverage of the 94th academy awards was dominated by the various controversies surrounding it. With stories from the cutting of several categories during the live broadcast, and the failure to invite West Side Story star Rachel Zegler to the now infamous slap, going viral on social media the actual wins and losses of the night were very much overshadowed. So for those of us that are wondering what happened at the Oscars, here is (almost) everything else that happened that night.

Dune ended up being the biggest winner with six awards, more than any other film. Composer Hans Zimmer won his second Oscar award (after The Lion King in 1990) for “Best Score”. Dune also won for “Best Sound,” beating the musical West Side Story. Dune went on to sweep the board for design, with “Best Cinematography”, “Visual Effects”, “Editing” and “Production Design”, beating strong contenders such as “Macbeth and “Power of the Dog” Cruella and The Eyes of Tammy Faye were neck and neck for costume, hair and makeup. Cruella’s villainous fashion ended up taking home “Costume Design”.

But the complete transformation of Jessica Chastain into the flamboyant TV Preacher led to Tammy Faye winning

“Hair and Makeup”.

Encanto won the best-animated picture in a section dominated by Disney, beating Mitchells vs The Machines and Flee both of which were included in the 2021 best films list.

However, despite live performances of two songs from Encanto, it lost “Best Original Song” to No Time to Die, the Billie Eilish hit released three years before the ceremony.

Ariana Debose won “Best Supporting Actress” for West Side Story, following in the footsteps of Rita Moreno who won the same award for the role in 1961. In “Best Supporting Actor” Troy Kotsur won for CODA, the first deaf man to ever win the award.

“Best Actress” went to Jessica Chastain for her role in The Eyes of Tammy Faye, beating Oscar favourite, Olivia Coleman. Will Smith won “Best Actor”, and took the opportunity to apologise for his actions; this was apparently too little too late, since the actor has now been landed a ten year ban from the ceremony.

CODA won for “Best-Adapted Screenplay” and Belfast for “Best Original Screenplay” winning Kenneth Branagh’s first Oscar. Jane Campion became the third women to ever win

“Best Director” for Power of the Dog, a triumph that highlighted again highlighted inequalities in Oscar nominations.

But the most awaited award of the night demonstrated key changes in the film industry. CODA won “Best Film”, making it the first film released only on streaming platforms to do so.

The film was praised for its powerful representation of the deaf community, and led to this being the first Oscars with sign language interpretation.

A powerful win for disability representation amongst the chaos of the rest of the night.

EDITOR: Laura patterson

TV

27

Are TV Shows Still Being Made for Television? by elena rodgers All organisms adapt to their surroundings in order to survive, this is true of television shows too. The early experimental shows of the 1930s developed into more regular broadcasting.

Regular television series such as Come Dancing have evolved into Strictly Come Dancing and have subsequently continued for years.

So, has the concept of a television show changed throughout the years? Initially they were solely produced and broadcast on television sets however since the rise in the use of streaming services many shows are now available to view anytime, anywhere, on any platform. The phrase ‘television show’ takes me back to watching Doctor Who on a Saturday night in the late 2000s.

It was an exciting, family event which involved a race when the adverts came on, with everyone hoping to make it back before the show resumed.

Now, television shows can be watched on any device, at any time and on various different platforms which have made it somewhat more of a solitary pastime.

The budgets of television shows have overall increased.

New Marvel television series, such as WandaVision and the more recent Moon Knight were budgeted roughly $25 million per episode. To put this in context, WandaVision had more special effects than Avengers: Endgame, which begs the question: are these series more like films?

WandaVision seemed to capture the balance between film and television by maintaining the

characteristics of shows, with its references to previous influential television programmes, and adhering to the style of the Marvel Cinematic Universe film franchise. Before 2021, the MCU was a collection of films therefore in order to maintain their audience they could not stray too far from the familiar. Even though their format, structure and length are more like television series their visual dynamics remain similar to the films.

Television shows such as This is Going to Hurt, based on Adam Kay’s book of the same name, keep to the format of a television show whilst breaking the fourth dimension. Filmed during the pandemic when the NHS was, and still is, under immense pressure, the show received immense praise for its harrowing portrayal of the NHS, in a time where the NHS was struggling to cope due to a lack of funding, whilst also comedically lightening the bleak situation.

Weekly comedy shows, such as Have I Got News for You, beginning in 1990, Mock the Week, 2005, and The Last Leg, 2012, all discuss, mock and challenge current events. The format of these shows has remained the same with the occasional set change and revamp, remaining on BBC and Channel 4. Despite their weekly release, they are all available on the corresponding streaming services which allows the viewer leniency regarding when they watch the show.

There have been fluctuations in the popularity of streaming services, most recently shown

through Netflix who took a $50 billion drop in their market value, with shares slumping 35%, after many customers cut back on streaming services due to the increase in the cost of living.

This was also due to the amount of content released during the pandemic, when there was an increase in the amount of users Netflix had. Streaming services require regular paying customers in order to keep producing new content which in turn keeps their audience paying to watch.

So, will this change? Will the concept of the television show become obsolete? Television shows have adapted alongside the concept of a television, which now include streaming services alongside their channels.

Personally, I think television shows, as programmes with multiple episodes and developing content, will remain because they bring joy to people. They will adapt to survive.

Photo: Unsplash

28

TV

Richard Osman Quits Pointless!

by laura patterson

While some might recall The Chase, or even University Mastermind, Challenge as their favourite TV quiz show, my go-to on a weekday afternoon is Pointless.

If you are unaware of this staple on the BBC, the premise of the show is simple: come up with the most obscure answer possible. Over a thousand episodes have been aired since 2009, which reflects its success.

The main reason for its popularity is the charm of its hosts: Alexander Armstrong, and particularly, Richard Osman, who creatively came up with the format for the TV hit. While Armstrong greets and asks interesting questions to

the guest contestants, Osman sits beside at a desk, offering additional trivia and fun facts after each round. He’s warm and witty, and there aren’t many presenters out there who would break the fourth wall on set to compliment the viewers if they got the answer right at home.

In recent news, it has been announced that after 13 years of copresenting, Osman will be moving on from the show to do other exciting things. He will be continuing as host for House of Cards, but most importantly, he will be focusing on his career as a crime fiction writer, having already written two best-selling novels, The Thursday

Murder Club and The Man Who Died Twice. Armstrong lovingly said in a statement: “Daytime television’s loss is international best-selling crime fiction’s gain. I say that like it’s a consolation - I’m going to miss the big man next to me Monday to Friday.”

So, how will the Osman shaped hole in our hearts be replaced at Pointless?

More details will be announced, but it’s confirmed the show will have a rotation of guest co-presenters alongside Armstrong. The BBC show has lost a great personality, but I look forward to seeing who they choose next.

the mistreatment of queer characters is more than fiction by libby hargreaves The mistreatment of queer characters in TV shows is nothing new: the ‘burying your gays’ trope has been evident in popular media for far too long. This is the idea that queer people are stripped of a happy ending or healthy relationship, likely including a fatality. Often, the queer character was only a display of tokenism in the first place, not contributing to the wider plot or instead working to improve the character development of the cishet main characters. Some of your favourite TV shows likely include this trope, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Larry, the only ‘out and proud’ gay character and only named fatality of the season three finale, and Hollyoaks which, though it has made waves for LGBT representation in soaps, plays heavily into the psycho lesbian trope.

On that note, Killing Eve’s recent finale similarly betrayed its queer audience by falling victim to many of these restrictive tropes. The ending of season three gave fans hope their favourite duo would finally find peace together, away from the wider corrupt systems that have confined them to a cycle of emotional

turmoil. However, Laura Neal- of Sex Education fame- had other ideas. For reasons not clearly explained, Eve and Villanelle seem to have forgotten about their entire reunition on the bridge scene: Eve is on a murderous mission of her own whilst Villanelle seeks divine intervention.

As sapphic audience members, the Christian rebirth journey to abolish sin is something many of us are exhausted from and reflects a wider lesbophobic discourse- that a woman-love-woman relationship is sinful, and that religious and queer identities cannot coexist.

Throughout the series, Villanelle’s bisexuality is casually a part of her identity, not dismissed yet not elevated. This type of representation is itself a rarity, and can be lifesaving to those who see themselves reflected on screen (though, hopefully, without the affinity for assassination). It is therefore beyond disappointing, and often actively harmful when, after several seasons of fan dedication and character growth. We see Villanelle embrace a softer side to life throughout the final season, that audience is

rewarded with a character they align with facing the happiness they have worked for suddenly revoked. The outcry we see from queer fanbases in such cases is because the hope that a queer person could be deserving of love and peace is something many of us have felt is beyond our reach, and even fiction won’t allow us to believe it. The reason this time feels different from similar examples such as in Supernatural or The 100- for which writers merely released a statement conveying their intent to do betteris because the actors are so clearly discontent with the series finale and even Luke Jennings, the author of Codename: Villanelle which Killing Eve is based upon, was “taken aback” by the ending. Producers should be taking note that we will no longer accept the mistreatment of queer identities. Queer TV fans deserve to be able to escape the realities of a heteronormative society through the world of fiction.

TV

29

The Privatisation of Channel 4 by molly phIllips Channel 4 is a much-loved British television channel, which has brought both newsworthy information, and powerful entertainment to the public since it was founded in 1982.

However, the government has now announced that they intend to go ahead with plans to privatise it. The reasoning behind this change is that ministers believe Channel 4, as it is publicly owned at the moment, is not able to progress with the rapidly changing televisual scene. For example, Nadine Dorries – the Culture Secretary – stated that, in comparison to paywall companies like Netflix, Channel 4 is always going to be on the back foot while its funding comes from the government.

One source even referred to the government funding of Channel 4 as its ‘straitjacket’.

But, like many big changes that the Conservative party have made, it has not been a cleancut decision. Dorothy Byrne, who was formerly head of news and current affairs at Channel 4 criticised Dorries’ argument, saying, ‘the argument doesn’t stack up because Channel 4 is not there to compete with Netflix.”

Byrne argued that Channel 4 is more a ‘public service’, producing, amongst other things, important news programmes, which Netflix would never make.

Aside from many members of the public having an, ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ attitude to the change, the decision has sparked more controversy than

just Byrne’s argument that it does not add up. Channel 4 was introduced under Thatcher’s 1980s government, to enable under-privileged audiences to access more TV programmes.

Channel 4 News remains an important source of information for many.

Krishnan GuruMurthy, who is the main anchor for the news show, tweeted that he believes facts have become muddled in this heated discussion - ‘Channel 4’, he wrote, ‘is stateowned, but commercially funded by ads and doesn’t get public money.’ Considering that a primary argument for privatising the channel is the money it takes from the taxpayer, this throws into question the Tories’ motives.

Location, Location, Location star, Kirsty Allsop, who has worked with Channel 4 many times even argued that it was an example of the Conservative government putting profit above culture.

The privatisation of Channel 4 does seem a tragedy on the culture front: it has been home to powerful and important, as well as deeply-successful, shows over the years. Russell T Davies’ It’s a Sin (2021), was nominated for 11 different BAFTAs but it is likely it would never have been made if not for Channel 4: the series was turned down by every other broadcaster before it found its home. Channel 4 bosses have suggested that the privatisation would lead to the axing of many such beloved shows and highlighted the £74m surplus that the network

made despite the pandemic.

To privatise, and therefore inherently restructure such a staple of British culture has been a shocking decision and it is hardly surprising that people have strong opinions on the matter. The network has produced so many awardwinning programmes, and provided so many with jobs, and does not appear to be doing any harm to the tax-payer’s money.

What is more, it is clear that television has been a source of some solace to many throughout the pandemic, and now with the war in Ukraine. The decision to remove an – ostensibly free – mode of access to this solace comes at a time when we are perhaps more acutely aware than ever, of the importance of accessible arts and culture.

Photos: Unsplash

EDITOR: Benjamin Smith

VERA VENUE 31 how to confront an emotionally distant friendship From esme, 21

Q.“Hi Maja! I’m really struggling with my best friend at the moment. She has always been very focused on romantic relationships and making sure she always has a person around to give her affection and attention. Since we came to uni together it has gotten much more intense and sometimes her love/sex life is all she talks about, and she doesn’t seem interested in me at all anymore. I don’t want to stop being friends but I also don’t know how to get her to change.”

Hello Esme! Thanks for a great subA . mission for my last ever Vera column.

Being in this kind of situation is very difficult and very common. Part of growing up with your close friends is seeing them change and go through phases, just like you are. Sometimes those shifts are positive, and sometimes they can create tension and friction where there were no issues beforehand.

While your frustrations are entirely understandable, it’s also important to see things from your friend’s point of view, for the sake of remaining fair. Her newfound interest in romantic and sexual relationships is probably, whether she realises it or not, an important step for her in figuring out what she wants in a partner and embracing her sexuality. While I definitely thought I knew everything at 21, I most definitely didn’t. I made plenty of mistakes along the lines of who I hooked up with and got into relation-

ships with, but they were all mistakes that ended up shaping me as a person.

However, even if this time and process is really important to her, your friend should still be able to provide you the attention and support needed in a friendship. In all honesty, she probably doesn’t even notice how much she’s talking about herself– especially if no one in her life has called her out on it. And it’s not necessarily true that she doesn’t care about you or is purposefully choosing not to ask about your life. People who have a tendency to talk about themselves (myself included) are so caught up in their own little world that sometimes the thought of asking about someone else doesn’t even cross our minds. Having somebody call out this behaviour can be a really helpful reality check to bring them back to earth.

And it doesn’t have to be a confrontation either! Depending on your relation-

ship, it can be a lighthearted reminder or gentle redirection to snap someone out of their bubble. For me, I appreciate the friends who will tell me they have something they want to talk about upfront, so that I know it’s my turn to listen and their turn to talk.

If it does turn into a confrontation, which it might (people tend not to take super kindly to being told they’re a neglectful friend), make sure you stand your ground. You are not stuck in any relationship, and there are always options to choose from. Whether you want to work on this issue with your friend or move on to other people, I love that you’re putting yourself first in this situation. No matter what happens, you deserve people in your life who know how to pay just as much attention to you as they expect you to pay to them

About Vera: Maja Anushka is this year’s Vera, Concrete’s Features Editor, and on the MA Broadcast and Digital Journalism course. As well as being almost as nosy as she is empathetic, Maja has almost a decade’s experience of making YouTube videos which have covered topics such as mental illness, LGBTQ+ issues, grief, relationships, body dysmorphia, and self-esteem. Her goal for Vera Venue is to promote self-love, mental wellbeing, and healthy relationships, and create a space where people can see that they are not alone.

Photo: Unsplash