Quench 140 - Dec 2013

Quench ISSUE 140 - HOLIDAYS 2014

Features 5 LGBT+ 11 Fashion & Beauty 15 Food & Drink 26 Travel 30 Culture 34 Video Games 42 Technology 46 Film & TV 48 Music 56

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AN OPEN LETTER To the VC, the Union trustees, and anybody else who’ll listen

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My name is Michael O’Connell-Davidson.

I’m a journalist, a JOMEC student, and I’m lucky enough to be Quench’s chief editor.

I won a national award last year for writing about the time I spent homeless, and brought Quench to national attention last month at the Mind Media Awards where I was nominated for the mental health writing I’d done in the magazine. Before coming to University, I worked in newspaper production. I’d like to get into app development or academia after graduating, depending on who’s hiring.

But who I am is deeper than that, and it’s important to what I’m about to say. My mother works at McDonalds (she just won employee of the month, actually, so please send her your regards), and my father is a lonely eurosceptic who drives a van. I’m the first in my family to go to university, and one of the only people I know from back home who made it into a Russell Group institution. But while I might be remarkable in my own way, I’m part of one of about two hundred people who’re equally remarkable.

We’re Cardiff Student Media, and we’re pleased to meet you if we haven’t already.

I’m writing to you - no matter who you are - following the events of November’s AGM / AMM. If you were there, you might have seen me: I was the loud one who got way too into it (although, truth be told, that probably doesn’t narrow things down much; in fact, it probably describes half of the crowd). I spent most of the evening tweeting with fellow Quench staff member Tom Connick, and we noticed some things that really worried us.

I think that student media has a problem, and if we don’t fix it, we won’t be around much longer.

I didn’t come to this conclusion as a result of motion six (which largely revolved around the semantics of Tom Eden’s sabbatical role), but as a result of the dialogue that surrounded it. As often happens, people were wondering why the Union (and the university by proxy, I suppose; I understand that they also contribute to CSM) spends as much money as it does on financing our operations; as opposed to debating the motion itself, there were questions and tweets that appeared to imply student media is somehow unnecessary, or not worth the money.

Let’s put a few things on the table: our budget is about £42,000 a year. That’s a lot of money, but it’s decreased year-on-year for over a decade; it stands to reason that there might not be a Quench in another ten years. Still, it’s £42,000, and split among 28,000 students, that’s £1.50 each. For that, you get a year of Quench (which I’m operating under the assumption you enjoy, given that you’re reading

this), about thirty issues of gair rhydd, as well as a television and radio station. While we’re far from the BBC, we’re the closest thing the university has to it, and we’re being bled to death.

If you’re wondering why the union spends so much money on Cardiff Student Media, then I’ll offer up a couple of reasons. I feel like we owe you that much, considering we’ve done a reasonably poor job of communicating our importance in the past.

For starters, we hold the union, the university and its students to account; while it might seem obvious, were it not for gair rhydd, the football club’s misguided ‘joke’ would’ve probably gone unnoticed. It’s easy to forget that the paper is nearly half a century old, but during that time, we’ve shaped key areas of union policy that have vastly improved the lives of students.

Five years ago, I was homeless. Now I write for The Independent. Why? Cardiff Student Media

More than that, we represent the university on a national level. Nobody questions the university’s PR or marketing budgets; they’re taken as given. Yet for free we produce remarkable content and win national awards. Quench has either won or been nominated for Guardian Student Media awards in six of the last ten years, and we’re getting better by the day. Xpress was credited as the third best student radio station in the country weeks ago, and they’ve been producing that level of content on a shoestring. (I remember the lights in the studio occasionally turning out due to some electrical fault towards the end of last year.)

I don’t know why you’d see that as unimportant: I’ve met people who have said gair rhydd or one of the other wings of student media was one of the reasons they come to this university, and they’ve gone on to do great things. (Five years ago I was homeless; I now write for The Independent on a regular basis.)

And that brings me on to my next point: CSM is, in essence, a subsidised work experience scheme.

During all of this kerfuffle about unpaid internships (which are total shit, by the way), CSM has been there as a non-profit and non-exploitative option for those students who can’t afford two weeks of making tea in London. You might frown at that notion, especially if you’re not a humanities student, or if you’re in another society - but given that people are now expected to pay £9000 a year for what amounts to an extremely expensive book club in some cases, I don’t think I’m

being untoward when I say that I expect what we’ve been given. I’m thankful for it, of course, but without Cardiff Student Media, the net value of a humanities degree would plummet for some students.

Let me be clear: I understand that it’s not a rose garden for anybody right now. There are few societies or sports teams that don’t complain about the budget they have (my heart goes out to the sports teams who can’t a), and being told to work with local companies is no solace. Kieran Gandhi (a former Sabbatical Officer) told me to go out and get advertising, but at that point, if I was going to prostitute the magazine, I might as well start my own business instead of doing the union’s job for them. I’m sure many of you feel the same way, and I don’t want to make it sound like we’ve got it worse than anybody else, but I’ll be frank: by turning on each other, we’re only making things worse for everybody, whether they care about CSM or not.

The view from the third floor (where our office, which is open access to all staff and students, is located) looks pretty bleak, though, and I don’t know how much time we have left. It might be years after I graduate, or it might be longer. Hell, it could be months; when I was sworn in as Quench editor, I was told the magazine might not exist this year because “it was the bit nobody understood”. I have every reason to be scared, because I spend about 40 hours a week on this magazine (on top of my studies and my job), and I don’t want somebody who doesn’t understand the value of our institution to flush it down the drain.

The AMM was interesting because it showed just how estranged from the student body we are. So what are we supposed to do? Despite increasing the value of a degree tenfold for those who properly get involved, we’re given only token recognition.

Somebody suggested we smeared the football team by publishing the front page of the gair rhydd that detailed their now infamous social, which is the most cynical thing I’ve heard in a long time. The idea that a student newspaper could smear anybody by reporting the truth is brazenly offensive, yet there was no widespread drawing of breath: objectionable as it was (at least if you care about women), people just seemed to accept the notion that a free press was only free when it said nice things. I assure you, I’d love to report on unicorn sightings, but I’m not going to write about those until every student feels like they’re a part of this university, and that they are - universally - being treated like a human being.

So let me make an appeal to you, whoever you may be. The next time you read Quench or gair rhydd,

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listen to Xpress, or watch something on CUTV, please remember that we’re not just doing this for ourselves.

(Of course there’s a selfish element; but considering how cut-throat British society has become, I imagine everybody’s selfish to one degree or another.) Without us, you would have nobody seriously questioning the university. You wouldn’t have the best student media in Wales (while it’s easy to forget if you’re English, Wales is a country, and it’s huge), an award that was bestowed to us last year by the NUS. You wouldn’t have a platform for minority communities that lack the clout to win in majoritarian politics, but who deserve as much of a voice as anybody else.

Student media is crucial to any institution of merit.

If you’re in a position of merit - the Vice Chancellor, a sabbatical officer, or student politician - before you

consider throwing our work under the bus, remember that student media is a living, breathing thing, and that it does a great deal to hold the university accountable. We are the closest thing to a fourth estate that Park Place and the Heath have, and we provide a voice to those who might not otherwise have one. (Last year, I pitched Falling Through the Net, the piece on homelessness, to Vice, Gawker and others; it was rejected. Quench printed it last year, and I won a national award for it.) If you’re not in a position of power, or if you couldn’t give two hoots about any of this (and I can’t blame you, because you’ve got your own life to lead), then keep doing what you’re doing: reading this magazine, reading gair rhydd, listening to Xpress and watching CUTV. I took a voluntary budget cut for Quench at the

Quench IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY...

Andy Love Features editor @andyluvv Chloe May Features editor @chloejayne_ Hattie Miskin Features editor

Jordan Brewer Fashion Editor @JordanAffairs Sophie Falcon Fashion editor @sophiefalcon1 Emilia Ignaciuk Food editor

Suryatapa Mukherjee LGBT+ editor @sugaryDEMON Emrhys Pickup LGBT+ editor

Dylan Elidyr Jenkins Food editor

Helen Griffiths Columnist, dep-controller CUTV @_HelenGriffiths Jess Rayner Fashion editor @jessie_rayyy Jacqueline Kilikita Fashion editor @J_Kilikita

Emma Giles Travel editor @EmmaGiles94 Kathryn Lewis Travel editor @KathrynLewis92 Amy Pay Culture editor @YayAmyPay Sum Sze Tam Culture editor @sumtzenbumtzen

start of this year, because our future was already uncertain. I think I’ve done a good job of making the magazine a force to be reckoned with, but if we’re forced to take another involuntary cut, this magazine - and all the creative energy it holds - will die. That’s not an exaggeration, either; I’ve done the economics, and our position is so weak that we literally cannot cut back any further - yet look what we’re achieving!

The time has come for the institution and the wider student body to start valuing us and our work beyond a “thing that’s nice to have.” And, really, I think you’ll agree: you need us just as much as we need you.

Yours faithfully, Michael O’Connell-Davidson and the Quench team.

Michael O’Connell-Davidson Editor @mikeocd Sophie Lodge Deputy Editor @sophiel2013

Rhian Carruthers Video games editor @RoutineEnvelope Matt Grimster Video games editor @MattGrimster Charlie Andrews Online, Interim Film and TV @CharlieRAndrews Tom Connick Music editor @ginandconnick Jimmy Dunne Music editor @GrimmyBumm Hannah Embleton-Smith Music editor @HEmbleton Charlie Mock Online editor @charlie_mock

SPECIAL THANKS

Oh, and...

Imran Bukhari, Hannah Clarke, Holly Marsh, and Eleanor Webb-Dickin for their help proofreading on deadline night, as well as Emrhys Pickup, Jordan Brewer, the Notorious B.I.Gnaciuk, Sum Sze Tam, Rhian Carruthers, Charlie Andrews, Charlie Mock, Jacob Dirnhuber, Tom Eden and the whole music team for helping Soph and I sub the pages. We’d also like to give thanks to Eden and the other student media section heads for lending their support to the above open letter, Martyn Fowler for being an excellent director of rugby (and the right man for the job), Craig Longdon, Matt Hardnut, gair rhydd sports, Elouise Hobbs for the assistance she’s given the Culture team, Meek Mill, Jess McFarlane, James Martin, the Vitamin String Quartet. Oh, and happy birthday, Helen Zhang!

No, I’m [MOCD] not running for head of media and marketing (ever). Let me put that in writing, so somebody can bring it up and torpedo me if I ever do fancy it.

I love the union, I love student media, and I love this magazine - but I’m not a politician. I’ve fought enough battles for one lifetime. I just want somewhere to sleep, enough food for me, my partner and my future kids, and Cardiff Student Media has helped me approach that goal, hence the above letter. No politics here, folks.

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LIFESTYLE FEATURES

THE BATTLE OF BANTER

Has real humour been discarded in favour of “banter”? Charlotte Wace discusses lad culture, sexual harassment, and the scandal that just keeps on going.

The term ‘banter’ is pretty friendly. Or at least, it used to be. Once upon a time, it meant an amicable ‘rib-digging’ between two leisurely gentlemen about who had caught the biggest fish; it was a dance between words, not an offensive battle. Banter was the icebreaker in the office, a temporary mood-lightener or a break in an intense conversation. Those days are gone: banter now IS the conversation. ‘Banter’ has morphed from a light-hearted, conversational device to an excuse for being rude and offensive. At university today, it is becoming synonymous with bullying. Banter has even created new words for bullies. Bullies are now ‘Bantersaurus Rexes’, ‘Archbishops of Banterbury’, or ‘Kings of Banterville’. ‘It’s just banter mate’ is becoming the go-to line after you’ve asked your mate for the second time if their slightly overweight girlfriend is pregnant or ‘just fat’. ‘Banter’ it seems, is rapidly becoming the armour to prevent a punch in the face. If someone dares to get offended by comments made, it’s their own fault that they can’t handle ‘the bantz’. This is a similar concept to the film ‘Hall Pass’, where two half-witted wives insipidly allow their husbands to sleep with whoever they want for a week to ‘improve their marriage’ (because apparently infidelity is the key to the nuptial success). It is this ‘free pass’ attitude that is being embraced by the banter wagon: except we’re addressing reality now, not a film. The rise of banter comes somewhat ironically at the height of political correctness, where it is harder than ever to speak openly without being defamatory. This has impacted society to the point that people have complained about a ‘Big Brother’ state, where the right to free speech is being impacted. Anything can be taken out of context. Technically if my boyfriend told me the dinner I made was amazing (unlikely, as my cooking is self-admittedly poor), I could accuse him of abusing my gender and insinuating that my true place is in the kitchen. I could ring up the nearest women’s rights allegiance and get him woman-handled out of my house faster than he could swallow his dinner, let alone his words. Technically, if I casually suggested that my grandfather (with a bad leg, a bad back and a heart problem) was too old to go parachuting, he could accuse me of being ageist and patronising. All

over the world, people are obligated to guard the words that come out of their mouths like political grenades. Some organisations in America have changed the term ‘brown bag lunch’ (a well known phrase dating back to the preTupperware era) because it could offend African Americans. The term ‘brainstorming’ is now considered taboo in some schools because it may offend epileptics, and one school in Seattle has renamed Easter Eggs, ‘spring spheres’.

However, although political correctness is regimentally enforced in the workplace, schools and the press, keeping overt banter under control within the private realm has become increasingly problematic. Adjacently to the rise of PC policing has been the rise in ‘lad culture.’ To be a ‘lad’, you are often required to go as far against cultural and political expectations as possible, show very little regard or respect to your own body and the bodies of others and go out of your way to shock, regardless of the injury that may cause. It’s worth noting that Urban Dictionary also includes in its definition of ‘lad’; ‘a lad is a male who specialises in creating and distributing exquisite banter’. The main problem with lad culture and banter is that they are accepted, expected, and over time, normalised. Despite many regulations (our own university has its own ‘Sexism Spotted on Campus’ group, societies have faced repercussions for offensive behaviour, and it’s possible to report comments made on most forms of social media), most people become pressurised or victimised by banter and lad culture in social settings, which is a lot harder to regulate. Having been at university for over two years now, I’ve seen and heard a lot. I interviewed a random cross-section of students at a club night for CUTV (Cardiff’s student TV channel) during Freshers’ Fortnight, including several mumbling, drunken idiots of questionable ages, stating ‘I’m just here for the drunk fresher girls’ – but with a lot more C words. If you thought the hideous term, ‘Fuck A Fresher Week’ was a myth, I can confirm through those unpleasant individuals that it exists. More specifically to ‘lad culture’, I’ve been to an all-male house party where a tally chart was pinned to the fridge revealing the number of girls housemates had slept with. This encouraged bullying (sorry, ‘banterous comments’) against the one with no notches. This guy in last place was constantly under attack: ‘maybe

I’ve heard about hockey initiations where girls were forced to strip to their underwear in the street

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it’s your shit clothes mate’, ‘maybe it’s your shit chat’ and other playground-level remarks. This individual was left far more likely to take desperate measures to boost his numbers (needless to say, we didn’t go back to that house again). Few people would admit to being peer-pressured sheep, but the sad truth is that many are: who knows what efforts that aforementioned guy would go to in an effort to keep up with his friends. Peer pressure is the main reason people sacrifice their self-respect just to gain an ounce of temporary respect from a peer who seriously doesn’t matter in the long run anyway. What is being achieved by the temporary laughs and backslaps ‘lads’ are constantly striving for? Where is the ultimate ‘top lad’ and ‘banter king’ going to be in a few years time anyway? They’ll be those older men in clubs, who assume that by offering to buy a drink for a girl half their age, she’ll be obligated to accompany them back to their seedy flat (she won’t). However, focusing on scenarios that happen in ten or twenty years’ time is beyond the point. Despite many lad-culture supporters being fully aware that their current lifestyle isn’t going to get them far in later life, it continues to impact many university students’ lives presently. It is in an inverted way, rather than a subverted way, that minorities are being excluded. When sports teams base their initiations and socials almost exclusively on drinking, they’ve wiped out inclusion for anyone who chooses not to drink. Despite team members not engaging in overtly prejudiced behaviour that would break political correctness laws, you are considered as ‘not one of the lads’ if you don’t join in their regular alcohol-based antics. The infamous initiation process overrides other more positive or important aspects of being part of a sports team or society. Initiations are intrinsically linked to lad culture and banter; it’s not just about how good at sport you are, but how much of a ‘lad’ you are; how stupid you are willing to be and how much you can drink. I don’t disapprove of initiations necessarily; I just disagree with how far they can go. If no one is hurt or puts their health at risk, then who knows, maybe they can even be character building? When my first-year flatmate had to put an alive and writhing fish in his boxers for the entire night during an initiation, even he laughed about it afterwards. Speaking to Elliot Howells, Cardiff University’s current VP of Societies and Campaigns, he said, “the biggest issue with initiations is that people don’t know where to draw the line. I completely see the point of a few games and challenges to bring teams together and get to know each other! It’s

people being forced to play rugby naked on a field rolling in their teammates’ faeces that I have an issue with. I like a drink as much as any other 20 year old, but the horror story initiations would definitely put me off playing a sport!”

However, I’ve heard about hockey initiations where girls were forced to strip to their underwear in the street, whilst forcing down concoctions of cat food, washing up liquid and alcohol. It seems that most initiations involve vomit, which in itself is degrading and unnecessary, but some initiations can actually pose serious risks to the members involved. My brother’s rugby initiation in Manchester, for example, involved (amongst other things) the Freshers putting the end of a match-lit loo roll up their backsides, only to be extinguished when they had finished their pints.

It was only when this particular ‘task’ had started that the third years realised they hadn’t thought about how they would put the fires out. Somehow no one suffered serious injuries, but there were apparently a couple of very close misses. At one point, a group of policemen approached the boys when they were hanging upside and inebriated from the play park monkey bars, clad in thongs. When they were informed it was initiation, they simply moved on. It seems even the police don’t want to be accused of ‘not handling the bantz’ in some cases too.

It’s difficult to write an article on this subject without coming across as a killjoy. But I’m not saying stop initiations, stop drinking alcohol or stop making any type of joke in case it’s deemed offensive. Nonoffensive banter in moderation is great. I’m merely suggesting that banter and lad culture has simply gone too far. Banter needs to be brought back down to reality in the same way that lad culture and its endorsers need to find something worthwhile to achieve beyond just sex- and alcohol-related goals. The real world can’t function as one massive joke or one big piss-up. Imagine telling your boss all his opinions are shit? Banter isn’t going to protect you from dismissal.

Outside of the university bubble this style of interaction isn’t acceptable, so why do we accept it? When so many conversations are being reduced to a strained conflict of offences, I just believe that we’re all more intelligent and articulate than that. Even if you’re not using banter offensively, you can still be using it extensively. Banter is not a substitute for wit and it’s time to bring back some old school humour that goes beyond a stream of half-hearted insults. If people react unfavourably to your stance, or worse still, give you banter for it, you can’t complain: it’s only banter, isn’t it?

What is being achieved by the temporary laughs and backslaps ‘lads’ are constantly striving for?

Where is the ultimate ‘tap lad’ and ‘banter king’ going to be in a few years time anyway?

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LIFESTYLE FEATURES

BLURRED LINES Should Cardiff University and the Students’ Union ban Robin Thicke’s controversial hit? Yes, says Chloe Chilvers-Livadeas Blurred Lines: the best-selling single of 2013, number one in fourteen countries and the fastest selling song in digital history. Why has a record with such huge popularity been banned from playing in over 20 University Student Unions, including UCL, Edinburgh and Leeds? Should Cardiff University be the next to follow in their footsteps?

The reasons behind this censorship have received endless media coverage, especially when combined with the video (where a bunch of girls dance practically naked around a creepily fully clothed Thicke). The song’s lyrics have been deemed sexist, misogynistic and demoralising to women. After its release in March, it’s been labelled online as ‘the rape song’, with the title ‘Blurred Lines’ conveying some controversial notions about sexual consent.

But despite all this, do the Unions’ actual members agree with a ban?

When speaking to students about this issue, the general consensus is yes, the lyrics are offensive, sexist, even disgusting (something which it seems few can deny). But at the same time they do not believe them to be dangerous, and therefore do not think a ban is necessary - ‘If they played Eminem’s Stan in Solus, does it mean I’m going to attack a girl and put her in the boot of my car after the club shuts? I’m not going to sexually assault someone just because Blurred Lines is playing’ - is the usual line of argument. They feel many popular songs contain lyrics that some would find offensive – why should Blurred Lines be treated differently?

Yet the truth of it is that sexual assault on women is such a prominent issue, and especially amongst students, that it cannot be brushed over or simplified in such a way. A survey conducted by the National Union of Students in 2010 revealed that one in four female students had been a victim of unwanted sexual behaviour. So why, when such a shockingly high percentage of the nation’s female students (and remember, this is only the number of women who spoke up) have been through that experience, should we not be making every possible move available to us to reduce these kind of statistics? In most cases, the victim knew the attacker, which suggests they were also a student, members of these unions. What’s more, a third of the surveys participants said they felt unsafe when visiting their university buildings at night, because they were worried about being approached and intimidated.

The track’s popularity, regardless of the meaning of the lyrics, is proof that the kind of attitude about the relationship and dynamic between men and women that the song suggests (i.e. women are voiceless objects who, without a doubt, ‘want it’) is accepted as the norm. Surely action must be taken against anything that contributes to the normalisation of such sexism and misogyny in today’s culture. Especially when this is a culture where there are students who feel threatened on a night out at their own Union.

All universities have a ‘duty of care’ towards their students and staff, meaning it owes to each of its members a duty to take reasonable care for the health and safety of those students and staff. This includes both psychological and physical safety, and the Student Union should therefore be a place for its members to feel safe, happy, and relaxed. What’s more, shouldn’t the University be a place where young people are educated, cultured, and developed as people? And how is listening to T.I. rap ‘I’ll give you something big enough to tear your ass in two’ every Friday over a pint going to do this?

When speaking with my Grandmother on the subject, she was surprised to hear that Universities were taking such strong action against a sexist song, and told me that when she was at St Andrews University from 1957 to 1960, women were not even allowed to enter the Student’s Union without an invitation from a man. I suppose this is an indication of how far the UK has come in a short space of time, but this progress has to be continual so that in another fifty years’ time, equality between men and women is a fact, rather than remaining a concept. This feels unlikely when songs like this are met with such popularity.

A first year student at UCL, which banned the song from playing anywhere in union spaces and events last month, said she believes the release of the song (and the video) has actually done the UK a lot of good: ‘I think that it has resulted in the surfacing of problems people haven’t discussed, and showed that normal everyday people, although mostly female, are no longer putting up with this kind of crap.’ This is true - it has highlighted many issues surrounding the topic of sexism and sexual consent that normally do not receive enough attention.

But in some ways it is hard to share her view when you hear the chants of ‘I know you want it’ from hundreds of students when it plays on a night out.

For me personally, it’s not so much about the actual song being on the DJs playlist.

Banning one song from playing will not bring about significant change on its own.

It’s more about if Cardiff’s Union followed suit in the ban, the University would send a powerful message to its students – the derogation of women in any form is a serious, current and relevant issue. And as the number of Universities who make a stand against it gets bigger, this message gets louder across the UK. The National Student Union has made their opinion on this subject very clear: ‘We consider “Blurred Lines” to be deeply offensive and dangerous. It reinforces the shameful way sexual assault is often represented in the media and wider popular culture.’ They even ‘applaud all the other Students’ Unions that have taken this brave step and encourage others to do the same.’ Cardiff, what exactly are you waiting for? It’s not going to ruin a person’s night because the track has not been played it is much more likely to ruin a person’s night if it is. Why then should this ban be anything other than celebrated and encouraged?

All universities have a ‘duty of care’ towards their students and staff

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DIAGNOSIS: ONE STUDENT’S EXPERIENCE WITH HIV In the wake of World AIDS Day, one student recounts their experience with HIV and the support they were offered to help them cope with this ordeal The last thing you expect to hear from someone when you have an almighty hangover are the words “I have HIV”. That was the reality for me when I called in to pick some stuff up from my ex-partner, who I had recently split with on a rainy Sunday afternoon. My world stopped, my instant reaction was to be sick, my first thought was, “do I have HIV?” This is something that happens to over 6000 people a year in the UK, yet the subject is still viewed by many as taboo. Looking back at that moment I think to myself that maybe I was slightly irrational, but when you’re scared, your first instinct is to protect yourself.

I wasn’t crying because I thought I had HIV, I was crying because I thought it was going to turn my life upside down The stigma which is attached to people living with HIV is extremely disproportionate for what can be viewed as a chronic health issue. The issue of HIV emerged in the 1980s when very little was known about the virus or how it was transmitted, and this led to fear in the wider population where much of the discrimination that is seen today stems.

However, even with the information campaigns and advances in HIV treatment over the past 30 years, social attitudes towards people living with HIV are still relatively hostile. As I sat there on the cold tiled floor of the bathroom with tears streaming down my face, I felt completely alone. Never in my life have I felt so empty, so helpless and so vulnerable. I couldn’t stand or speak, all I could do was sob. After about thirty minutes of nothingness sitting on the bathroom floor I managed to pull myself together enough to make it back downstairs and sit on the sofa. Whilst I sat there he tried to explain about what having HIV would mean for him, and I couldn’t listen. I was still too selfish to care; all I could think of was myself and whether I had the virus. I had already had two routine checks at my local GUM clinic a couple of weeks previously which had included the HIV test, both of which came back negative, so why was I worrying so much? The next few hours were a blur, it just involved me sobbing and the most incredible pain in my body. When I did eventually come around from the emotional black hole which I felt I was in, I hugged him and left to go home like some sort of cold hearted **** (I’ll let you decide).

The following day I woke up early. Unable to sleep from the news the previous day, I set off for the GUM clinic. I don’t know what I was expecting them to do, I just wanted to know whether I had HIV and I wanted to know now. I got there, filled in my forms and went to see the nurse. I broke down. I explained my story and she listened carefully. Her reply to my fears: “It’s no longer a death sentence”.

I looked at her bewildered, as if she was talking a different language; in my mind HIV meant you would die, wasting away. She assured me that was no longer

Q 8

the case; modern antiviral treatments are now so good that people with HIV can expect to live as long as people without it. I was also informed that the antiviral drugs are so effective that with correct usage, the viral load (that is the amount of HIV present in someone’s bloodstream) can become undetectable. The more I have read about HIV the more I question why I was so frightened. Obviously, it’s something which forces you to make some lifestyle changes, but more often than not these are lifestyle changes that are beneficial - getting more exercise, eating the right foods, and generally looking after yourself. With regards to the antiviral treatment received, if followed correctly HIV positive people can expect minimal side effects. The information I was given at the clinic reassured me, but I was also told that I would have to wait until December to have a conclusive result from a HIV test. This is due to the fact that sometimes the antibodies, whose presence is tested for, may take up to three months from infection to show up in substantial enough numbers to be detected. I have to emphasise the importance of seeking help straight away if you do believe that you have had sexual contact with someone who is infected with HIV, as there is a treatment called ‘Post Exposure Prophylaxis’ which is a course of antivirals you can be put on to try and prevent HIV infection if you are thought to be at a high risk. This is available from sexual health clinics and also A&E departments, be it a weekend or a public holiday.

According to the Terrence Higgins Trust, one in 650 people in the UK have HIV Visiting the clinic really put things into perspective. When I left I went to see my ex-partner - not to shout, abuse or explain how scared I was, but to show him my support and that I was there for him. I did cry when I saw him, but it wasn’t for myself, it was for him. I couldn’t believe how strong he was being in the face of what many people would say is a life changing situation. We talked about how he was feeling, and it dawned on me: it’s not actually HIV which is the problem, it’s the stigma which surrounds it. People are uninformed about what it means to have HIV in 2013, and that rainy Sunday afternoon showed how uninformed I was. I wasn’t crying because I thought I had HIV, I was crying because of the way I thought it was going to turn my life upside down. I was scared of how I thought things would change for me, how I’d have to change my behaviour, and how people would take an instant dislike to me if they knew. According to the Terrance Higgins Trust, one in 650 people in the UK have HIV. Chances are you’ve probably got more friends than that on your Facebook, and I wonder if any of them have HIV and you don’t know. Being HIV positive isn’t the same as it was twenty years ago. It’s no longer a death sentence, its stigma that’s the issue. The one thing I have taken away from this experience is how people take much of what they have in their lives for granted and sometimes a significant event can put everything into perspective.

It’s important to stay safe, get tested regularly, and never judge.

LIFESTYLE FEATURES

CARDIFF AT CHRISTMAS

HERE OVER THE HOLIDAYS? Although the campus may seem uncharacteristically quiet towards the end of December, Cardiff city centre will still be a hive of activity. Here is a list of the best things to do and the top attractions that will be gracing Cardiff over the festive period.

1. Winter Wonderland. This annual favourite has once again popped up on the City Hall Lawn on Park Place. The attraction remains in Cardiff until the 5th of January and includes an open air ice rink and stalls selling festive food and drink.

Frances Stewart discusses the provisions made by Cardiff University for students that choose to remain on campus over the Christmas break and what a Christmas spent at Cardiff is like The Christmas holidays. Most students start counting down the days to the frenzy of seasonal television, Bailey’s and pyjamas as legitimate daywear in mid-October. However, not everyone at university is fortunate enough to be able to go home and re-bond with their family and pets for four weeks over winter. Whether it’s because they have to stay to maintain a job, or because they are international students who cannot afford the transport costs for their journey home, a minority of the student population is left behind in Cardiff.

In the process of researching this article, I was surprised to discover that although halls of residence are kept open for students over the Christmas period, the university provides little to no support otherwise. I think that as Cardiff keenly welcomes students from overseas to come and study here, more consideration should be put into their year-round pastoral care. It is not sufficient to suggest that students should leave their homes and their families in order to study and then not maintain the level of support that is offered during term time. However, it is not just international students who stay in Cardiff. As all students are given the option of being able to stay in their houses or halls of residence over the Christmas break, it seems then contradictory not to give any real advice or guidance to those who do choose to stay.

So, what can students who stay in Cardiff expect to experience? Outside of the university bubble, the city of Cardiff boasts a pretty impressive array of Christmassy events such as markets, festive theatre and open-air ice skating.

Although university halls of residence remain open over Christmas, it is not just undergraduates

who have the opportunity to stay. I spoke to postgraduate law student Fiona who is planning to stay in Cathays over Christmas. Fiona moved to Cardiff from her home in Ohio in order to study here. When I asked Fiona why she chose to come to Cardiff to study, she said that she was lured here by the low cost of living. I proudly agreed, as I couldn’t name another university whose student union offers double vodka mixers of a dubious quality for just £2.50, or a greasy fry up for a fiver. However, despite money saved through cheap booze and reasonable rent, return flights back to America still prove to be totally unattainable on a student budget. Fiona said, ‘My parents are flying to Cardiff to visit me over the Easter holidays. Buying two lots of flights between the UK and America in a year is just inconceivable due to the massive cost.’ When I asked Fiona if the university had provided her with any advice or information about staying in Cardiff over the Christmas period, she said they had not. However, she did feel that ‘there is probably support for international students who choose to stay in Cardiff for the whole year, but these services could be more widely advertised.

People tend to be shy about asking for that kind of information if it’s not given to them, especially if the person isn’t entirely familiar with the university yet.’

When doing the research for this article, one of the only pieces of information I found through the university website about provisions made for students over Christmas was a link to the Host UK scheme website. Although this scheme is run via an external organisation, it is advertised on the Cardiff University website underneath the International Students section. Host UK states that

2. The Cardiff Christmas Market. This German-style market pops up on the 14th November and stays until 23rd of December. The market has a huge range of stalls, including Celtic Woodcrafts Ltd, Sarah Bunton Luxury Chocolates, Land of Make Believe and Hurley’s Knit Wear. It’s the perfect place to find one of a kind presents for loved ones.

3. Panto! If you feel that Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without minor celebrities donning bejewelled tights and leotards for your entertainment, then look no further than The New Theatre. This year, there will be a pantomime production of Jack and the Beanstalk starring none other than Julian Clary. The production runs from the 14th of November until the 19th of January and tickets start at a reasonable £10.50. No doubt it will prove as comforting as a large glass of mulled wine.

Although halls of residence are kept open for students over the Christmas period, the university provides little to no support otherwise 4. Seasonal Ballet. If you’re still craving bejewelled tights and leotards but in a slightly more refined scenario, the Russian State Ballet and Orchestra of Siberia are bringing yuletide favourites The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake to St David’s Hall over the festive period. The Nutcracker will be performed from the 19th to the 24th of December, Sleeping Beauty on the 27th to the 31st and Swan Lake on the 3rd to the 5th of January.

Student tickets are around £29.50, depending on where your seats are.

5. The Royal Arcade. Tucked away in the heart of the city centre, this arcade is transformed at

9

Q

Christmas time; fairy lights are draped as far as the eye can see and all of the shops put up spiritlifting window displays. However, this is not your average shopping arcade. You won’t find the usual high street chains that litter the rest of Cardiff here.

I mean we all have that one relative who really, really loves vinegars, oils and spirits, right? Well my friend, you have come to the right arcade! A trip to the questionably named Vom Fass, which only sells vinegars, oils and spirits, should fulfil all of your giftgiving requirements. Got a friend with tricky dietary requirements? Well, Health With Herbs is sure to have a suitable gift. They stock products such as ‘festive digestive’, an enzyme-based digestive aid to tackle that post-turkey bloat. Alternatively, there are less offbeat shops such as Wally’s Delicatessen, which stocks literally every edible Christmas delight you can think of. And yes, in this case, I do mean literally rather than figuratively. It’s that good.

Cardiff has plenty to offer; you just have to search for it 6. Go Ice Skating. Channel your inner Blades of Glory and head down to Planet Ice at Cardiff Bay. It costs £7.90 for a session on the ice including boot hire, or £5.90 if you’re already pro and you’ve got your own blades. Or, if you’re more into watching rather than participating, the ice rink will be reformatting Alice in Wonderland as a ‘pantomime on ice.’ It’s only being shown at 7pm on the 5th and 7th of December and tickets cost £7.

So, if you choose to spend Christmas in Cardiff, there is plenty on offer but you just have to search for it. It seems surprising that an institution as big as Cardiff would keep accommodation open over Christmas for students, but not really offer further support. However, as the university is only really required to provide education for students, is it up to them to make arrangements for people who might not be able to go home? As Cardiff is a capital city, it can provide plenty of entertainment for anyone who resides here over the holidays, but it still seems somewhat unsatisfactory that students seem left to their own devices when the university is aware that not everyone will be leaving the campus at Christmas.

Q 10

it aims to ‘promote international friendship and understanding by arranging for international students studying in the UK to spend a day, weekend or Christmas in a British home.’ There is a £60 administration cost that students have to pay, although some institutions will cover this fee on their students’ behalf. But, after the cost of administration the actual visit is free. Visiting students have the option to stay with their host for a weekend in the holidays, or over Christmas eve, Christmas day and boxing day. Students can request to stay with a host who lives within the vicinity of their university if this is possible, or else the student must state a travel budget that they can afford, and the organisation will find a host whose journey cost is within that budget.

Although it is good that the university is advertising these kinds of schemes, considering the size of the institution, it should really be capable of running schemes like this within the university. Furthermore, if the university runs and regulates arrangements similar to Host UK, students then might feel more confident about applying to them. Additionally, I agree with Fiona in that these resources should be more widely available for students. For instance, the Host UK web link is on the Cardiff University website, but it is not signposted or immediately obvious.

One area of the university that is open all

through the Christmas holidays is the multifaith Chaplaincy located on Park Place, which describes itself as ‘a place of friendship, hospitality, reflection, support and dialogue.’ It provides a place for students to socialise when halls might seem like a lonely place to be and is open to all, regardless of whether you are religious or not. There is food available and students are also encouraged to come and use the communal kitchen if they are in groups too large to accommodate in their own residences.

Father Gareth Jones, who runs the Chaplaincy, says ‘Most years there has been a traditional Christmas day lunch at the Chaplaincy. I would hate to think of any student being alone over Christmas. They will certainly be welcome at the Chaplaincy.’ Although a Chaplaincy is traditionally a place where people of religious beliefs congregate, Father Jones was keen to stress the fact that everyone is welcome at the university Chaplaincy, regardless of whether they are religious or not. When asked whether students needed to hold religious beliefs in order to visit, Father Jones said “Do students have to be Christian, or believers of some kind to be invited or welcomed? The answer is no. All I’d ask is that they believe in ‘the division of labour’ and don’t leave behind a mountain of washing up! Christmas is a celebration of a birth. I think we can all relate to that”.

LIFESTYLE LGBT+

ALWAYS GAY, NEVER A PERSON Liam Havard shares his thoughts on the negative connotation of the word ‘gay‘ and the increasing popularity of the ‘gay best friend‘

DISCRIMINATION This month, to conclude the semester, a few members of the LGBT+ community get together to talk about discrimination in their public and private lives, constructed legally and socially by the world around them.

2013 and still feeling like a category? and segregating them, but there are other Although prejudice against the LGBT+ factors contributing to this. For the average community is dissolving, homophobia still gay person, they just want to be seen as Joe, exists today - even in the subtlest of forms. but nowadays it is easier said than done.

There are several factors out there today that Consider the typical gay man – you imagine do this, such as how the word “gay” now him as having good fashion sense, being has negative connotations associated with wildly camp and being a little bit catty, it and how there is increasing pressure to yet this is hardly the case. The media has be that ‘gay best friend’. Are these forms constructed this image and it seems every girl out there is falling for it, hence their ‘destiny’ of homophobia or are they just a bit petty?

“This is so gay!”, “I know this is gay, to find their ‘gay best friend’. This ‘gay best friend’ all these girls but...” “You absolute When girls find out I’m want generalises every gay boy!” – sound gay and they’re like ‘oh my gay man out there by familiar? saying that they are all Does “gay” today god, I love you already,’ it the same. It says that mean homosexual? does offend me, because gay men are defined by Does it refer to they haven’t even met me their sexuality, which is something that is completely ridiculous! rubbish, useless or even soppy? Is there another level of meaning Why is there this need for a gay best friend, to this word? More and more people today because more often than not, they are like are using the term “gay” to describe things every other Tom, Dick & Harry – pretty darn average. negatively.

Every day, floods of gay men are being The issue here is that it may be interpreted as a form of homophobia. One must ask if introduced by others as the ‘gay best friend’. this new meaning is trying to degrade the This raises the question of why can they not LGBT+ community by saying that they are be introduced as just the ‘best friend’. The rubbish or useless. Many argue that there fact that they cannot be introduced like is a connection, and it’s clearly visible why. everyone else is a bit sad. It creates a sense By referring to something that is undesirable that gay people are on a different level to to you as “gay”, you are arguably enforcing the straight community and that they are a an association that homosexuality is category and not a person.

Some anonymous sources have spoken undesirable. Whether one wishes to create this blatant connection or not, it is there. out recently about the pre-assumptions of However, with words constantly evolving, being gay: “I am not defined by my homosexuality. maybe there is no real reason to get your knickers in a twist. It is used by so many When girls find out I’m gay and they’re people today that surely not everyone using like ‘oh my god, I love you already,’ it does this word is trying to offend every gay man offend me, because they haven’t even met and woman out there. Maybe this word me!”

“I don’t introduce my friends as being did evolve from a form of homophobia, but today, it seems like a light-hearted term my straight or bisexual friend, so why am I to describe people’s dislikes. Having said introduced as the gay friend?”

Obviously, there is some frustration over that, it is reasonable to ask: Of all words, all of this in the LGBT+ community and it is why “gay”?

Maybe the way “gay” is being used is causing some upset, but maybe there is a offending some of the LGBT+ community silver lining to all of this…we’re in demand.

11

Q

WELL I WOULD GIVE BLOOD, IF I COULD Currently UK guidelines prohibit the donation of blood from men who have sex with men within a 12 month period, regardless of whether condoms are used or not, or whether two men are in a monogamous relationship. The argument provided by the ‘Give Blood’ website elucidates the fact that ‘The criteria [to exclude donations from men who have sex with men] are based on complex assessments of risk and must by their nature be based on evidence and statistics that are recorded at a population level. Such

So what happens to men who have sex with men then? Are they just unable to give blood? an approach results in assessments of certain groups as being at a higher risk than others of carrying blood-borne infections, and can make individuals that are deferred from donation feel they are being placed into a “category” even if they believe their own sexual behaviour and risk-taking would not be a risk to the blood supply.’

The reasoning behind this comes from research by the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs (SaBTO) who explain that a blood donation system based on individuals’ behaviour and level of risk rather than applying deferrals to groups is not viable stating that ‘there is insufficient evidence available to be able to determine the impact on blood safety of such a system. It is also not certain that all people could objectively assess their own level of risk.’ So what happens to men who have sex with men then? Are they just unable to give blood? It seems completely ridiculous that two men in a committed, monogamous relationship with each other are unable to give blood when they know that they are not HIV positive (whether through health checks or other reasons), and is particularly insulting when they have been committed to each other for a number of years. Is their only option sexual abstinence if they wish to donate blood? How is it fair that a heterosexual male who has regular one-night stands is able to give blood not knowing himself whether he has contracted HIV or not and a man who is in a monogamous relationship with

another man for over a year cannot when he is sure of his HIV status?

The fact that all men who have sex with men are tarnished with the same brush as engaging in higher risk sexual activity due to the assumption that they are unable to have committed relationships is grotesquely unfair. It reflects a disgraceful societal, stereotypical view that men who have sex with men are either individuals who partake in regular onenight stands or who do not engage in any sort of sexual activity. As LGBT+ Officer, I myself fall into this category unable to donate blood when I’ve been in a monogamous relationship for over a year. I will be making sure that the LGBT+ Association focuses on awareness of this issue and lobbies the NUS and Welsh Assembly over this. It is now even more insulting since the passing of the Equal Marriage Bill in July of this year that married male couples are unable to give blood despite having equal status to married heterosexual couples.

Adam Duce

SOME ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS There is a tendency among activists and allies of the mainstream gay rights movement to treat marriage equality as the be-all and end-all of LGBT+ liberation. This is despite the fact that there are neighbourhoods across the UK where same gender couples risk violent assault if they dare to hold hands; some trans* people are still dependent on ignorant or unpleasant doctors for lifesaving medical treatment. But marriage equality, with immediate results, is easier to talk about! It comes with adorable photos of gay newlyweds, and by next summer it’s going to be happening every day throughout England and Wales. And all it took was a simple Act of Parliament, not a long-term educational drive to eradicate violence and shift cultural perceptions of vulnerable minorities. No wonder celebrities are so ready to tweet their support.

Don’t get me wrong. Equal marriage is a wonderful step forward and something to be celebrated; both in immediate terms for the people who will now be able to demonstrate their commitment on equal footing with straight couples, and for the progress it seems to promise in related areas. But I remember the day it passed as one of mixed feelings, especially in the trans* community, where jubilation took a back seat to bitterness over the shortcomings of the Act in its final form. Few of its high profile supporters seemed interested, but many trans* people still feel that that the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 gave us the short end of the stick.

What exactly does equal marriage have to do with trans* people? Good question. After all, we may share a movement with gay, bisexual, queer etc. people - but our issues are very different, hinging on gender roles and bodily integrity

Q 12

rather than sexual and romantic relationships. But when your gender in the eyes of the law doesn’t necessarily align with your gender in reality, complications arise. What about two straight, transsexual people in a relationship, only one of whom has obtained legal recognition of his transition - should they be denied marriage because the law regards them as a gay couple? Or a newly out woman who wants to remain married to her supportive wife? In the past she would be forced to go through divorce before receiving a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC), the document formally confirming her female identity.

Fortunately, this year’s Marriage Act abolished that particular inconvenience, but it failed to fix other problems and even introduced some brand new ones. Refusal to disclose prior possession of a GRC is still considered grounds to annul a marriage - disturbing, given the supposed purpose of a GRC as the ultimate privacy seal on a trans* person’s history. One controversial part of the Act states that in order to convert a provisional GRC to a full and permanent document, a married applicant must now obtain written permission from their spouse.

Given the unsupportive and obstructive attitudes of many partners who do not cope well when their spouses come out, this could cause untold misery for unhappily married trans* people in the future.

Same gender marriage is an achievement, but its implementation is tied to outdated, authoritarian notions of how gender works and who has the right to label it. Real equality will only come about when the law recognises gender as flexible, variable and above all irrelevant.

Kevin McGowan

LIFESTYLE COLUMNIST C O L U M N

R O A D

with Helen Griffiths

It’s Hard Out Here

PVC underwear during what is supposed to be a family-friendly, internationally-broadcast awards ceremony is, admittedly, bad taste which-ever way you look at it (sorry Miley). But wearing tight revealing clothing shouldn’t result in you being automatically branded a “slut”.

Nor should it be taken as a sign that you’re looking for a “hook-up”.

Worryingly, a victim’s appearance or choice of clothes seems to be cited all too often as an excuse or reason for rape. My housemates and I recently stumbled upon an article about a study, conducted by Middlesex University, which compared quotes from British “lads mags” to ones from interviews with convicted rapists. There were scarily few differences between the two, though the idea that a woman dressing a certain way is an indication that she wants sex was found only amongst the rapists’ quotes. What was even more chilling was that some of the user comments beneath the article were actually defending the quotes.

One user, for instance, questioned what men are supposed to do if women are wearing short skirts and “turning them on” – ignore their natural instincts? I read this particular comment to my housemates, and they responded with as much outrage and disgust as I felt. Our answer to you, commenter, is YES. Yes, you should ignore your natural instincts, if those instincts are to force women into doing something they don’t want to do!

Excuse me while I deviate from the usual light-hearted nature of my column slightly this month. Writing about serious topics doesn’t exactly come naturally to me, and gender equality is by no means an easy thing to discuss, but I’m going to do my best.

It’s easy to fall into trap of thinking that sexism is dead, in the UK at least. These days, nobody would dare openly suggest that women are in any way inferior to men… so why do we still see people acting like that’s the case? There’s been a renewed interest in this debate recently - it’s certainly a hot topic on campus, what with an incident involving the Cardiff University Football Team and an offensive presentation about “picking up women” getting picked by national press. It’s a debate that can never have too many voices, so I’m adding mine into the mix. And I’m saying this kind of behaviour is categorically wrong.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that sexism is dead Last month, the ever controversial and utterly fantastic Lily Allen burst back into the public consciousness with her new single “Hard Out Here”.

Apart from striking an almost comically stark contrast to her cover of Keane’s “Somewhere Only We Know” (as featured on the John Lewis advert - you’ve all seen it), “Hard Out Here” articulates in no uncertain terms some of the pressures on women in the music industry. The video is a commentary on the all-too-common theme of the objectification of women in the industry; we see Lily and a group of scantily clad women dancing in an overtly sexualised manner, being instructed and egged on by the same middle aged, white, male executive who was leering over her at the start.

The scene is certainly reminiscent of far too many music videos, the only difference being that the executive male figure is on the opposite side of the camera for a change. Make no mistake, though, he’s almost always there – in a recent interview with The Observer, Lily claimed that women in the music industry have always been controlled by “male execs”, pushing them towards making certain decisions (i.e. the ones that will make them the most money).

It’s easy to see how young, impressionable women (ahem, Miley) can end up going overboard with provocative dancing and clothes. However, while we’re on the topic, there is a point to be made about the fact that we should all be able to wear what we want without being judged by others. I mean, clothes are clothes, right? They shouldn’t necessarily be taken as a reflection of you as a person. Okay, dressing in flesh-coloured

Needless to say, we were all fuming after having read this article and some of the comments beneath it. However, we then settled down to watch Made in Chelsea, and within minutes we found ourselves calling some of the female characters sluts. It just goes to show that none of us are innocent; even women who feel passionately about feminism can find themselves judging other women unfairly. It’s become such a norm in society that we rarely even think about it.

I’m not saying that men never get a raw deal, either. These days, they’re under just as much pressure as women to make themselves attractive.

And, when women try to seek empowerment in all the wrong ways, men can be the victims. For instance, I don’t know if you’ve heard of a new app called Lulu? No? It basically allows women to rate men whom they’ve had some kind of relationship or “encounter” with, based on a number of different factors. The women remain anonymous, but the men involved have their photos uploaded directly from Facebook without any permission or notification. They are then given a score, and even reviews – all of which can be seen by this anonymous, lurking network of women. It’s a horrible idea. Allen herself said she designed the app as means of empowering women… But, actually, it just highlights the fact that women can also be terribly derogatory towards men. And it opens the question of “if women can do this to men, why shouldn’t men be allowed to do the same to women?” Of course, if they did, there would be a huge outcry.

I’m not sure what my closing thoughts are on this whole mess, really.

I guess, to sum up: sexism isn’t dead. But women can be just as bad as men. It’s not just hard out here for a bitch - it’s hard out here. Full stop.

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LIFESTYLE FASHION

Fast Fashion

Fashion on the go: @QuenchFashion

Who knew that ‘Fresh Prince’ style vintage shirts would make a come back for our winter wardrobes?

Floral, whacky and colorful, the more ‘out there’ the shirt is, the more fashion points you will get.

With celebrities such as Alexa Chung and Fearne Cotton going all out with this trend, it’s one you are definitely forbidden to miss out on.

Admittedly, this is the type of trend where most of us will fear because of the styling. However, it isn’t as difficult as you might origionally think.

There are a veriety of different and really easy ways to style this trend.

For casual daywear, team your shirt with a pair of baggy Levis, a fur coat to keep you warm in these winter months, and a pair of ankle boots to toughen up your outfit. Or, layer it up with a simple cardigan and a pair of slim cut jeans, to soften up your daily look. If you’re styling your shirt to

wear on a night out, layer it over a little black dress, team it with a pair of chunky cut out boots and don’t forget the bright lipstick - you’ll definitely stand out. Boys, team your shirt with the skinniest pair of jeans you can find.

Take a trip down Albany Road; you will be spoilt with the range of charity shops teasing you with these baggy vintage shirts. Have a peek and bag yourself a bargain. With your student budget, you can’t go wrong with spending only a couple of quid on a statement shirt, especially when your money is going to a good cause.

Alternatively try out the Cardiff Fashion Quarter; you’re bound to come across a variety of flamboyant, printed, over-sized vintage shirts. If you’re lazy like me and love a steal from the tip of your fingers, ASOS Marketplace is an absolute treat.

SURVIVING THE SALES Christmas means different things to different people.

It’s a day of festivity, food and family, for others it’s all about gifts, party’s and haveing a good old drink; but for some it’s merely the calm before the storm as we creep towards the Christmas Sales. Every year, thousands of people get up at the crack of dawn in order to wrestle their way into Next to get a pair of sandals or bootcut jeans at 60% off. We’ve all seen images of riots in the U.S. on ‘Black Friday’ along with horror stories of fistfights breaking out over the last reduced toaster.

Shops become warzones

PRIMARK A/W

TREND WATCH: VINTAGE SHIRTS

as people tear through rails like piranhas, so we can buy last seasons gear at a marked down price – only for it to be reduced further in two weeks time. It’s a fairly miserable experience. The problem is, it never seems to be the things you want that get reduced. The garish t-shirt that seemed so on-trend three months ago is down from £25 to £5, yet now it doesn’t seem quite as appealing.

The jacket that you wanted now at half price, doesn’t have the same charm knowing that SS14 will be released in 3 weeks. This is my problem with sales – even though it’s cheaper,

Reena Dosanjh

you’re still spending money on last year’s trends. There’s a reason they’re flogging it cheap.

That said, sales provide a good opportunity for restocking your wardrobe with decent essentials.

Deciding what you want before you go in is key, otherwise there’s a chance you’ll suffocate in discounted floral and leopard prints. Stick to easy colours, not patterns, but don’t be afraid to be interesting. Knitwear is always heavily discounted in Christmas sales, so try picking up a classic cable knit jumper or sweatshirt

that you can wear all year round. Similarly footwear is great during sales – a decent pair of brogues will never be out of fashion and can be picked up cheaply in lots of places.

Once you’ve exhausted the high street, look around smaller independent shops in the Arcades – there will always be something.

The key is to keep looking forward; forget old trends and start trying to figure out the new. But let’s face it, the best way to do that is to skip the sales and save your cash for the beginning of the new season.

Conor Brown

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THE FASHION AND BEAUTY BEST OF 2013

Best Accessory Statement Necklace

This year’s must have accessory has been the statement necklace.

Rather than buy into a trend that may not be wearable next season, it is a lot cheaper and quicker to buy a new necklace that stands out to update an old look. Aztec prints have been everywhere, but by buying an Aztec design statement necklace your favourite LBD

This year we’ve seen designer-highstreet collaborations from Isabel Marant for H&M, the increasing popularity of DIY nail art and just about tartan everything.

With 2014 set to be one to watch in terms of fashion and beauty, Quench narrows down the best trends, products and shops that have made the current year such a stylish one.

Best Trend Tartan

My favourite trend this year has to be tartan, the trend which keeps coming back! Tartan is great as it can and has been incorporated into a variety of items; from dresses, trousers and much more. It can be dressed up or down and worn in so many different ways. Tartan can be the focus of an outfit; tartan dresses are everywhere at the minute. It

can also complete any ensemble by adding a tartan scarf. Tartan has appeared on the catwalks of Stella McCartney, Marc by Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton this year.

Rita Ora, Cara Delevingne and even Theresa May have been sporting tartan and it is definitely a trend to watch!

Erinn Bradley

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Scarf £28, ASOS

Kirsty Fardell

Best Dressed Male Justin Timberlake

Justin Timberlake is a man with so many talents, including his impeccable style. He can sing, he can dance and he can definitely dress well. Since the release of ‘Suit and Tie’ he’s rarely been seen without one on and there is nothing classier than a man in a sharp suit. He’s brought back the classic timeless look with the Bow tie, which this year has appeared on everyone from Nick Grimshaw and Pharrell to Prince William. His hair also looks great longer and slicked on top, with the occasional appearance of subtle stubble. He never fails to bring sexy back.

Kirsty Fardell

Satchel £130, Cambridge Satchel

turns into an on-trend look for the night, or when layered on to a shirt it makes you fashion forward for the day time. There have been plenty collar designs on the high street too and hanging designs to give a plain garment a trendy twist.

LIFESTYLE FASHION & BEAUTY

Best Hairstyle Dip-Dye

With L’Oreal’s release of the do-it-at-home dip dye kits, this trend has become more popular, affordable and easy to achieve.

Having used a blonde ‘Ombre kit’ on my best friend and getting a great result, I tried the latest Red Ombre kit on myself and love the look. You can choose the intensity of the final colour by the amount of time you leave it on for. So if you’re a

first-time dyer (like me) you don’t have to go dramatically different. The look gives waves or curls a shimmery twist and makes natural un-styled hair look more interesting and fun. You also don’t need to worry about touching up your roots!

Kirsty Fardell

Best Dressed Female Sky Ferreira

In a year that has been sartorially obsessed with all things ‘Grunge’, it’s only fair that Sky Ferreira wins the accolade of Best Dressed Female. The bleach blonde singer may be more famous for her modelling than her music, but her ability to rock a band tee and biker-boot combo is not all that has caught Quench’s attention.

Whether opting for oversized denim jackets and sleek skater dresses at her gigs, or working monochrome on the FROW, Sky Ferreira seems

to vacillate between low-key and high-glam with relative ease. Her covetable smudgy eye make-up and Topshop-style ankle boots mean that even in tartan dresses, she never loses her signature edgy style.

Encompassing that ‘it-girl’ aesthetic that stores like Urban Outfitters and American Apparel are desperate to emulate, Sky is one fashion icon whose look is, for once, not too far out of reach.

India Thomas

L’Oreal dye £7, Superdrug

Best Store Topshop

Being an avid fashion fan and self confessed shopaholic, the task of picking one shop as the best of 2013 was not a decision I took lightly. However, after much thought and deliberation, there was one obvious champion for me and that is high street staple Topshop.

I feel this year they have had a much higher turnover of stock, meaning every time I visited Queen Street I was greeted with an array of fresh, new clothes. excellent for the wardrobe, not so good for the bank balance. My favourite

purchase of this season is a pair of acid wash skinny jeans at the bargain price of £32.40 (after student discount).

They seem to match every jumper I own perfectly; brilliant for this winter season.

Topshop seems to cover every trend in their store, for reasonable prices (most of the time) and do so using quality materials that don’t give up after months of use.

This is why for me, Topshop represents the best of 2013.

Josie Copson

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BeautySpot With Christmas just around the corner Quench Fashion have picked their favourite stocking fillers to help you through the stresses of Christmas shopping!

CHRISTMAS STOCKING FILLERS FATHER CHRISTMAS BATH BOMB - £3.25 EACH FROM LUSH

14 PC NAIL CUBE - £15.00 FROM ELF

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SOAP AND GLORY LIMITED EDITION A GREAT KISSER PEPPERMINT - £5.00 FROM BOOTS

HAIR OF THE DOG BOOK, £10 FROM TOPMAN

LIFESTYLE FASHION & BEAUTY

FOR HER

‘PUDDING KNOT WRAP’, £2.50, LUSH COSMESTICS

E.L.F, BEAUTY BOOK, £6 WWW.EYESLIPSFACE.CO.UK MAC ‘LADY DANGER’ LIPSTICK, £15

‘BORN LIPPY’ LIP BALM SET, THE BODY SHOP, £8

BOUTIQUE MANICURE SET, BOOTS, £7

FOR HIM TOPMAN BODYWASH DUO, BOOTS, L’OCCITANE SHOWER GEL, L’OCCITANE, £13

PACO RABANNE EAU DE TOILETTE, SUPERDRUG, £40

Merry Christmas from the Quench Fashion Team!

TREVOR SORBIE MG STYLING WAX, BOOTS, £6.10

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Shunita: Hat £16, Blouse £45, Sweater: £88, Skirt £38 Jamie: Jeans £65, Scarf £18, Quilted bomber £70, T-Shirt £25 Nia: Beanie £20, Cardigan £45, Dress £68 (All shoes models’ own throughout )

URBAN OUTFITTERS QUENCH FASHION Q 20

Shunita: Cropped Jumber, £42 Necklace £16 Jamie: Shirt £79, Converse £35, Jeans £50 (Watch, Model’s own) Nia: Lace Slip Dress £35, Velvet Leggings £32, Pocket Bumbag £28 Hannah: Boyfriend Jeans £55, Velvet Crop Bustier £28 John: Farage Vintage Polo £40, Cheap Monday Black Jeans £49, Hat £18

Quench Fashion has teamed up with Urban Outfitters to inspire you this Christmas season.

Key daytime looks come in soft tailoring and pussy bow collars; monochrome knits and (urban) shades of grey. Tartan, as a trend shows no signs of disappearing with the original red tartan scarf being a firm favourite this Winter. Hang up those Christmas party dresses, ladies, because evening looks infuse delicately embellished crops, textured two pieces and trouser suits. Sometimes less is more, so leave the overdose of glitter to Liberace, and opt for subtle sparkle with a glitter eyeliner or statement necklace.

We want to thank our amazing team that made this shoot a success; styling by the amazing Georgie Giggs at Urban Outfitters Cardiff, our beautiful (and tolerant) models, and the talented photographer, Abi Burbidge of Burbidge Studios. We would also like to thank Jacob’s Vintage Market for their hospitality, providing us with the best view of Cardiff.

Turban £12,£12, Cross Crop back Crop Shunita: Turban: Top Top £28, Necklace £16 ?, Trousers £45, Necklace £16 Urban Renewal Bomber £48

Velvet Crop Top (Black) £28, Velvet Miniskirt £30, Tassel Bag £42, Double Necklace £18

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Hannah: Velvet Scalloped Dungarees £95, Pussy Bow Blouse £42, Sweatshirt £38 Aden: Vintage Renew Harrington Jacket £55, Shirt £55, Scarf £18, Chinos £45 Nia: Sweater £42, Little White Lies £65, Earmuffs £16 Jamie: Sweater £65, Trousers £50 Shunita: Beanie £16, Scarf £16, Cardigan £48, Little White Lies Lace Dress £125

Aden:Shirt £55, Hat £25 Nia: Beanie £20, Cardigan £45, Dress £68 Jamie: Jeans £65, Scarf £18, Anerkjendt Kurt Quilted Jacket £70, T-Shirt £25

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Shunita: Hat £16, Blouse £45, Sweater: £88, Skirt £38

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Acknowledgements: Models: Aden Howard Jamie Lock John Burbidge Hannah Davies Nia Grocott Shunita Barry Stylist: Georgie Giggs M.U.A: Jacqueline Kilikita Jess Rayner Jordan Brewer Photography: Abi Burbidge (Burbidge Studios) Editing: John Burbidge Artistic Director and Organisation: Sophie Falcon A huge thank you to Urban Outfitters, Jacob’s Market and Buffalo Bar

Deck the halls ‘Tis the season to be cooking... Food & Drink editor Dylan Jenkins tells about his family Christmas expertise Christmas is tradition. There’s no other way of putting it, at least in its modern secular meaning. To me, it’s an integral part of the celebration - every year I listen to the same songs, watch the same films and eat the same turkey toasties, and every year I look forward to doing it! I like to think that every individual and family have personalised rituals, their own set-plays for their perfect Christmas. For example, in the Jenkins household we have a routine like anybody else’s, usually consisting of getting up early and opening presents, putting on new pjs, and of course feasting on some exceptionally prepared turkey (usually resulting in some hard-earned napping on the sofa afterwards). We’ve even taken to having fishcakes with pasta and cheese sauce on Christmas Eve for as long as I can remember.

Every family put their own twist on Christmas, after all it’s the one day you get to practice together every year to ensure you get it right!

But there is one custom that around 80% of us share, one that has bewildered me for years in fact, and one that people put so much of their effort into getting just about plucking right.

The turkey first appeared on our Yuletide tables in the sixteenth century, having been introduced by trader William Strickland in 1526. Popular history tells of King Henry VIII to be the first English monarch to enjoy the beast, and so for the past 500 years it has been

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our bird of choice (although duck and goose have proved very popular as well, the turkey’s meatier body can go farther). Before the turkey, history tells us that our ancestors used to tuck into a roast boar or even peacocks on Christmas day. Evidently, nothing says Happy Noel better than a gigantic, colourful, flightless bird.

Now we’ve always had turkey for Christmas, but for the past couple of years preparing it has been my duty. It’s a big responsibility, knowing that this bird will be the staple food of my entire family’s diet for the foreseeable future. There is a certain obsession surrounding it, an urgency to obtain the largest, juiciest bird possible, and many a time have I heard tales of supermarket brawls and desperate housewives fighting over the last turkey. I didn’t even realise people enjoyed it that much.

The main problem with the bird for me is its tendency to dry out and become a bit tough to chew. I attempted to research a little before going at it myself, reading various cookbooks and articles on the Internet. This way I was able to learn techniques I couldn’t have thought of myself, with a guideline of ingredients to use and how long to cook the bird (with time and preparation dependent on its size). I prepare it on Christmas Eve, before heading off to midnight mass – I’m not religious, but my Welsh blood does mean that I truly can’t get enough of carolling at Christmas time, and free mulled wine and mince pies don’t go amiss either.

The secret ingredient to my stuffing is sausage meat and apricots. Standing alone, they both

LIFESTYLE FOOD & DRINK add something rather amazing to the stuffing, but together they can prove it to be the highlight of the meal (apart from the fact that nothing beats a pig in a blanket of course). My secret technique is to then stuff the stuffing in between the turkey’s meaty body and its skin, meaning that when the golden-brown bird is ready to carve, every slice will be succulent, juicy and have a delicious layer of my homemade stuffing on the outside. The gap between the extra layer of stuffing and meat also means that the bird will not dry out so quickly. Making the gravy from the juices is also as crucial as preparing stuffing from scratch. I find putting an orange inside the turkey adds another fruity tone to the meal, and compliments the bird’s flavour immensely.

Admittedly, the Christmas dinner is pretty much just a glorified sunday roast. The roast of all roasts, even! For this reason I find it’s important to stray from big brand names, and source your food locally. It’s better ethically and more often than not, will significantly improve the taste. I love the way a family butcher never forgets a face, and Morgan’s Butchers in Aberystwyth have recognized mine since I was little boy and used to go in with my mam-gu to get some meat on a Saturday. Christmas is all about familiar faces, after all.

Eating is pretty much non-stop throughout the festival when I think about it, and I could go on for hours about all the treats I get to eat. I love plum puddings with white sauce for dessert - its fruity spiciness is so heart-warming, along with the fact that I only get to eat it a few times a year. Maybe that makes it taste that bit better. I love, and I mean LOVE turkey toasties.

There’s always loads of meat left over from our turkey, as it’s only shared between three of us.

So there’s always plenty of meat left over, and my favourite way to use it is to combine turkey, brie and cranberry in some good bread and toasting it. Simple, yet truly amazing. My mum uses up all of the turkey’s bones to make stock, which she usually turns into cawl afterwards (cawl is a Welsh delicacy, a kind of broth, living in Wales you should know). I love Terry’s boxes of chocolates and borrowing from my mum’s hampers. I love eating meats and cheeses and pickles with bread on Christmas night because we’re all too full from the lunch. I love the constant tipple of Shloer, wine and sherry that our house always has, and the ease with which it flows down after a hard days eating!

The Christmas holidays are definitely the best. For me it’s the eating and drinking highlight of the year, with endless treats to indulge in as well as the best nights out of the year (remember, Mad Friday, boxing night and New Year’s Eve are yet to come). Being home is the best – it’s warm and it’s simple, especially during the coldest time of the year.

Christmas time is just a reminder that it’s ok to be a cliché once a year and that familiar sights, sounds and tastes are sometimes the best. Nadolig Llawen! Enjoy the feast.

BOOZY BReWs Dylan Jenkins shares some of his favourite drinks to warm you up this winter

Terry’s HOT Chocolate Orange Now here’s a fruity alternative to your everyday hot chocolate. Why not try melting a packet of Terry’s Chocolate Orange cut into chunks over a saucepan this year as you would normal chocolate, to make a silky-smooth hot chocolate surprise. After melting the chocolate, add milk or cream for a smoother finish, and if you’re feeling adventurous you can even add some liqueurs or spices to really add some flavour too! You can use combinations with chocolate that has more cocoa as well if you feel Terry’s will be too sweet, but remember, it’s not Terry’s…it’s MINE!

Winter Iced Tea Now this one’s one for the partying. If your house is anything like my family’s house at Christmas, it’s going to be overrun by the delicious Shloer, a sparkling non-alcoholic grape juice, or gwin plant (kids wine) as we used to call it. Using the red or white variety, add to a mixture of vodka, gin, rum, Cointreau and a drop of apple and lemon juice, with plenty of ice, for a cool awakening when you’re ready to party.

Hot Toddy Mulled Cider There’s nothing better than walking around a Christmas market, bratwurst in one hand, and mulled wine in the other. But this winter, why not try and mull your cider? Combining good apple juice or dry cider, with a couple of clove-studded apples, cinnamon sticks, allspice berries, orange zest and some optional rum in a saucepan, and simmering them together for around half an hour produces a warming batch of your new favourite mulled drink! You don’t even need to add any alcohol – spiced apple punch will make you forget any cold, and goes great with a slice of Christmas cake or plum pudding.

Hot Toddy generally implies a hot, sweet and spicy alcoholic punch, traditionally drunk before bed in times of cold and flu. But it can be enjoyed by anyone with a certain appetite for warming, spicy booze. Now the alcohol and spices you use are generally up to you, but Hot Toddy commonly suggests a whisky based drink. Put around 60ml of water in a saucepan, with some cloves, a cinnamon stick, some pieces of peeled and sliced ginger and the peel of a lemon. Heat gently, bringing to a simmer. Pour some whiskey into a heatproof glass, and pour the mixture over, adding honey and lemon juice to taste. Topping this off with some nutmeg really adds to the feel of the drink, and will really fill your lungs when inhaled. A great alternative to lemsip, or just a warm drink to be enjoyed at a cold time.

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As temperatures drop, there’s few things better than sinking into a sofa and cosying up with a coffee, tea or chocolate (or all of the above).

Food & Drink editor Emilia Ignaciuk finds out where to indulge your inner cafe fiend this Winter

hoffi coffi

winter retreats

coffee barker Castle Arcade

2 Colum Road

a shot in the dark 12 City Road

If you’re stranded on campus and yearn for a caffeine break, but don’t really fancy braving the frankly impressive lunchtime queue in Costa, Hoffi Coffi might just be what you’re looking for. This new coffee shop is located at the hectic crossroads of Colum Road and Park Place, on premises formerly occupied by a letting agency.

The busy location might not make it seem like an obvious choice for somewhere to wind down after a day of lectures, but just a peek upstairs will change your mind. The décor feels like stepping into someone’s living room – it’s slightly haphazard but feels unpretentious and inviting, and it really is a pleasure to cosy up in the bay window overlooking the street outside.

If you’re feeling a bit peckish, all the usual suspects are available – there’s a good selection of brownies, cupcakes and flapjacks (bonus points for welshcakes), however the flavoured coffee is where Hoffi Coffi really shines. If you’re in the mood for something a bit more festive, they have just introduced a new eggnog latte on the menu – it’s certainly worth a try.

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A Shot In The Dark is the kind of place Cardiff doesn’t have nearly enough of – it’s a cross between a café and a bar, open from 8 AM until late. Its distinctive black shop front makes quite a statement amongst the endless stretch of takeaways, marking it as one of the few places on City Road that does not sell fried chicken in any form. It’s got everything under one roof, making it a brilliant choice for those of you who like your nights out slow and sedentary. Its upstairs area is all dim lights and deceptively comfortable sofas, making it the kind of place where it’s all too easy to have a quick coffee break transitioning into dinner, just to culminate in impromptu pre-drinks, or just drinks proper (the kind of evening I would highly recommend).

Both the food and the drinks are of a good standard, so whatever your plans for the morning/afternoon/evening are, they’ve got you covered – both the coffees and cakes are nothing to scoff at, and for a comfort drink look no further than the Cointreau hot chocolate – striking just the right balance between boozy

For a spontaneous coffee date in the centre of Cardiff, Coffee Barker is a pretty safe bet if you’d rather avoid the ubiquitous chain coffee shops. An unlikely but welcome offshoot of the recently closed Barker boutique, it scores some serious points with the care taken in its ambience. while strolling through Castle Arcade, it’s hard not to find yourself drawn inside by the floor to ceiling windows and the lively tables scattered around the entrance. As soon as you step in you find you’re faced with a tempting display of cakes and sandwiches enough to make you want to stay.

The interior feels cosy but not cluttered, despite the multitude of vintage furnishings and knick-knacks scattered around – maybe a bit too earnestly quaint, but quite endearing once you settle in one of the sumptuous sofas with a cup of hot chocolate.

The selection of hot drinks on offer is sure to titillate your tastebuds – and crucially Coffee Barker also caters to the not-coffee-inclined.

Right now they’ve got quite a few seasonal specials on offer, so if a gingerbread milkshake or peppermint hot chocolate sound tempting enough to you, look no further. It’s worth noting that Coffee Barker are branching out, with an afternoon teahouse set to open in the next few weeks in High Street Arcade – worth keeping your eyes peeled for.

LIFESTYLE food & drink

Foodie gift guide

Aimee-Lee Abraham plays Foodie Godmother and searches for the perfect gifts to suit both gluttons and gourmands For the Middle Eastern feaster The Jerusalem Hamper, £55, Ottolenghi Middle Eastern cuisine is divine and Yotam Ottolenghi is the demi-god of Observer Food fame.

This beautifully wrapped box features ingredients difficult to source, including baharat, ground cardamom, whole Iranian limes, sumac, zaatar, date syrup, pomegranate molasses, tahini and malva alongside essential grains and pine nuts.

For the drunken elf Star Creamy Liqueur Set, £22, Vom Fass

Nestled in Cardiff’s Royal Arcade, Vom Fass is a hidden gem offering a wide selection of personalized spirits and oils.

What could be more festive than their selection of three Christmas liqueurs, complete with personalized greeting and big red bow? There are many customizable combinations in store, so it’s well worth a browse.

Personally I have my eye on their ‘Eve’ pink gin, a cerise-hued bottle of mother’s ruin in an impossibly chic bottle reminiscent of Jean Paul Gaultier’s Classique perfume.

For the cider connoisseur Mix and match set of 6x50cl bottles, £19.99, Rekorderlig

Pick and mix for guzzling grown ups. Rekorderlig produce the best Swedish cider, and for just under £20 your friend can indulge in their selection.

Choose any combo of six from: Mango-Raspberry, Orange-Ginger, Apple-Blackcurrant, Apple, Pear, Wild Berries, Strawberry-Lime, PeachApricot, Passionfruit and Winter Cider (a festive blend of apple, vanilla and cinnamon).

For the tea-fiend Afternoon tea for two voucher, £27, The Waterloo Teahouse This voucher will allow a friend to reserve a table for two at Cardiff’s premium teahouse where they can sit comfortably and indulge in a quintessentially British treat.

Provided: a three tier stand comprised of finger sandwiches, freshly baked scones with clotted cream/jam, cakes and a pot of tea each. On arrival the recipient can handpick the cakes and choose the tea of their choice from an extensive selection of over fifty brews. Marie Antoinette would approve.

For the ethical eater Chickens for a Family, £10, Oxfam Unwrapped

A mere tenner can provide a family in the third world with chickens and the appropriate training to look after them, hatching a livelihood.

Oxfam will do the work and your foodie friend will receive confirmation of your donation in their name via an adorable thank you card. Accompanying ‘little extras’ such as a cute chick keyring or fair-trade chocolate hen can be added at the checkout for a few extra pounds, serving as a physical reminder of their good deed.

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CHRISTMAS AROUND THE WORLD It’s that time of the year again. Christmas is fast approaching as we all get our winter woollies out and prepare for the festivities, but things are very different Down Under. There’s never a white Christmas in Australia-with the holiday falling during their summer months, average temperatures are between 17°C-26°C. This difference in climate has a big impact on the nature of celebrations.

Whilst we’re all looking forward to getting cosy at home over our short Christmas break, watching Christmas films and drinking hot chocolate, Aussie students are preparing to break up for summer where many of their celebrations will occur outdoors. Bondi Beach in Sydney, as well as many other local beaches, attracts thousands of people each Christmas day, where typically families as well as travellers play cricket and drink cold beer.

But who wants to eat a hot turkey dinner in the sweltering sun?

Although many Aussies are fond of an ‘English Roast’, Christmas dinner to them is more like steak and prawns on a barbeque in the backyard, or a picnic at the beach, where seafood and cold meat are preferred to turkey and vegetables.

‘Carols by Candlelight’, which originated in Melbourne, 1937, also occurs thanks to the warm summer evenings around Australian Christmas. In most towns and cities individuals join together, along with famous Australian singers, to create outdoor concerts and sing Christmas Carols. The two major concerts from Sydney and Melbourne are televised across Australia, creating Christmas spirit across the whole nation. It’s all so lively and festival-like on the other side of the world!

Josie May Copson

AUSTRALIA VAST LANDSCAPES OF TROPICAL FORESTS AND WINDING RIVERS IN THE AMAZON TO EXTRAVAGANT STREET CARNIVALS IN RIO

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LAPLAND

As Christmas draws closer, everyone’s a-buzz with the excitement from all the decorations and Christmas trees that are already up in the city centre and of course by the thought of Santa Claus and the presents he’s going to bring. Every child knows that Santa is from Finland or at least every Finnish child does. He lives in the Mountain of Korvatunturi in the town of Savukoski. This town is in the northern section of Finland and is more famously known as Lapland.

Lapland is not actually a country in itself but is in fact made up of regions in Northern Finland, Sweden and Norway. It is traditionally the home of nomadic reindeer herders, which is probably why Santa lives here. Christmas traditions in Lapland are centred on home and family. Christmas Eve is spent with family decorating the tree, drinking “glogi” (mulled wine), bathing in a Christmas sauna and a Christmas Mass at midnight. Resorts like Levi Fell and Olos provide a wide range of activities for families visiting Lapland during winter. In addition to visiting Santa Claus at Roveniemi, you can also go reindeer sleigh-riding.

Downhill and cross-country skiing and snowmobiling are available in most of the resorts in Lapland. Not only are they a great way to spend free time but also an opportunity to discover the local environment.

If you’re lucky enough you might be able to see the Northern Lights which are unique to the Arctic Circle. With all the beautiful traditions and activities around Lapland, it definitely proves to be a winter wonderland that brings all Christmas dreams to life.

Krishna Hemaraj

LIFESTYLE TRAVEL

For many, Christmas means time spent in the comfort of home; this month, Quench takes things a little further afield amongst the predictable British weather and countless Christmas movies on BBC, and explores how Christmas is celebrated around the world.

GERMANY

Christmas is naturally a magical time, the whole world seems to be sprinkled with a large helping of happy dust. Never is this more evident than at the iconic German markets that take place in over 70 locations scattered all over Germany, including Berlin, Frankfurt and Hamburg.

Traditional wooden cabins, luminous sparkling Christmas lights, the aroma of fresh German food and the sight of many excited revelers is enough to get anyone in the mood for the festive season. These traditional markets are much more laid back than the hustle and bustle of the high streets near Christmas.You can purchase hand crafted German products, including knitted winter wear, scented candles, wooden carvings and home-made confectionery amongst other things. Then to finish your night, why not treat yourself to a mulled wine to warm you up topped with a Frankfurt sausage to re-fuel after a long stroll around the huts. Or maybe a piece of garlic bread flavoured with cheese and herbs is more your thing. Those with a sweet tooth may prefer a hot chocolate with a splash of brandy, and a crepe coated with sugar and lemon.

The choice is vast and varied, and the Christmas fuelled ambiance is unmissable. Alternatively if your student loan doesn’t quite cover the cost of flights to Germany, these German markets travel to Birmingham and Bristol in the UK and both begin in midNovember. Both feature the same aspects of the markets that are loved and cherished in Germany, however a train ticket is a lot more affordable. It could be the perfect day out to get you all excited for Santa to slide down your chimney.

Anica Whitmore

The colourful and vibrant countries of South America have alternative Christmas traditions, making it a perfect holiday destination for a different cultural experience during the festive season. With vast landscapes of tropical forests and winding rivers in the Amazon to extravagant street carnivals in Rio, South America is an enticing Christmas travel destination for people of all ages and tastes.

Unlike the UK, South Americans don’t usually have Christmas trees – instead they display the presepio (‘nativity’) to represent the holy birth of Jesus and elaborately decorate their homes with candles and ornaments. The main festivities usually take place on Christmas Eve, when families congregate and head to Missa Do Galo (the ‘Rooster Mass’) in churches and cathedrals. Afterwards, or sometimes before the mass, a delicious feast of turkey, ham, olives, salad and festive fruits are enjoyed accompanied by wine, beer and champagne. Santa Claus, known as Papa Noel or Old Man Christmas, brings gifts for the children and in Ecuador it’s traditional to write him letters and place shoes in the window where he may leave their gifts. The streets are lit up with fireworks, firecrackers, live music and dancing and the whole family celebrate by partying through the night.

Christmas treks through the Amazon and hikes up the beautiful and ancient Machu Picchu are also available for adventureseekers. But whether it’s living like a local and joining in with the vibrant festivities, observing the spectacular firework displays or sipping mojitos in the warm waters of Venezuela, South America is a hub for a culturally rich and lively experience during the festive season.

Cliona Eliott

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PARIS

This week Mary Bulgin takes our travel journal on a wild weekend in one of Europe’s little-known party cities, Paris Paris has a reputation for being one of the most beautiful and historic cities in Europe. So when I won a September trip for myself and nine friends I was ecstatic to spend a weekend exploring the historic streets of the capital. You don’t need a lucky win for Paris to be an affordable getaway; return coach travel starts from just £40 return from London Victoria. However, in reality we spent the daytime dragging ourselves around landmarks with exhausted hangovers and the night time extinguishing said hangovers amidst the vibrant nightlife Paris has to offer.

After a seven hour coach journey, spent disrupting fellow travellers with loud gossip and fuelled by a few cans of Thatchers’, we arrived.

Hurriedly we jumped on the Metro (just €3 a day for 16 - 25s on weekends) ready to find our hostel and set up our base for the weekend.

Our hostel, St Christopher’s, was located opposite a picturesque canal, the perfect place for our group to have morning debriefs of the preceding night’s antics. Mainly filled with young backpackers, it had a relaxed atmosphere perfect for socialising and meeting like-minded travellers.

Our first night out began with some warm up drinks at the hostel’s in-house bar ‘Belushi’s’, which had reasonably priced drinks. The hostel also sports a basement club, but during our visit we wanted to explore further afield. ‘Belushi’s’ bustling bar provided the perfect recruiting ground to invite other backpackers to join our entourage for the night. Eventually, with a few Australians in tow, we found ourselves being directed by a gigolo to an underground nightclub. This grungy basement club was filled with the sounds of swinging trumpets

and the DJ booth was housed inside a retro Mini Cooper. This club was far from the commercial R’n’B driven night we were all eager to escape.

The following morning we heaved ourselves from our drunken slumber into the sunny streets of Paris for some sightseeing. I recommend walking from the Notre Dame to the Eiffel Tower. The scenic route alongside the river Seine is scattered with quirky stalls, buskers and street food to munch on along the way. Upon reaching the infamous Eiffel Tower I was struck by the sheer size of the structure, but also the length of the queues. Therefore, rather than waiting in line we decided to bask below it in the sun and snap some stereotypical tourists photos.

to normal life. Fortunately, it turned out that our return coach tickets were for the wrong date so after much dismay we managed to gain a free final night’s stay at a Moulin Rouge hostel. That night we took to the streets, alcohol in hand, to finally see the Moulin Rouge. This was sadly underwhelming as it was tiny compared to common cinematic depictions. The streets are lined with sex shops, strip clubs and dealers trying to sell you washing powder as cocaine. Just a short walk from the Moulin Rouge is a completely different scene, one of cultural grandeur rather than seedy sex shops; the Sacré Cœur. A giant white church on a hill may not be on the top of your party weekend in Paris but it’s views are incredible on a clear day, it’s free, and winding your way through artists and street performers gives you a small dip into the cultural hubbub of Paris.

Just be careful not to get put off by the pushy street merchants who will not give in easily. A firm “non merci” should get them off your back.

If you’re not looking for a long wekend of drinking and can stomach getting up earlier, both the Louvre and the Museum D’Orsay are worth visiting. If you can stand the queues (around an hour at 9am on a weekend) it’s worth the wait.

In just one weekend I gained a taste of lively Paris nightlife and I’m impatient to go back for more. I even managed to squeeze in some vital sightseeing and get an impression of its beautiful history which I plan to explore more on my next visit. Paris is the perfect student get away; budget price travel, a choice of cheap hostels and an unforgettable trip to cosmopolitan city with equal measures of historic culture and European club culture.

This grungy basement club was filled with the sounds of swinging trumpets and the DJ booth was housed inside a retro Mini Cooper

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As soon as we sat down we witnessed a mugging, so take note and make sure you keep your bags close; pickpockets are rife in Paris, especially around the tourist attractions. We then began our chase of the ‘Techno Parade’. The Techno Parade is a bright carnival pounding the streets with electro every September, followed by a huge crowd of fist pumping tourists and locals. This was a great way to meet more party goers and bond with complete strangers through a shared enthusiasm for dancing on bus stops. With the Techno Parade also comes a mass choice of electronic DJ shows, so it’s a great time to come to Paris if you’re looking to explore some alternative nightlife.

The coach station was where we journeyed back

LIFESTYLE TRAVEL

TRAVELLING TASTES Travelling in a foreign country provides a great opportunity to explore new dishes and tastes, whilst immersing yourself in a different culture.

This month our fellow students share their weird and wonderful food experiences from around the world.

BACON VODKA It’s no secrt that students love bacon, and that they love vodka. I am guessing that it is under this premise in which Seattle based Black Rock Spirits invented ‘bacon vodka’. The meat-infused treat has been adopted by bars around America, with certain bars serving up ‘bacon martinis’. In spite of myself, I can’t help but want to try it.

Emma Giles

EMU BURGER When travelling in Australia, my preconception and the general stereotype that Australians will barbeque anything was confirmed when I visited a night market. Vendors offered passers by the choice of a variety of their childhood favourite animals from kangaroo to crocodile in burger form. I opted for the emu burger which was surprisingly tasty, if not extremely chewy.

Jack Talbot

DEEP-FRIED TARANTULA

SCORPION SKEWER

In Cambodia, it is not unusual to see the streets lined with local people presenting platters of tarantulas. That’s right, tarantulas. In Britain we see them as an appropriate bush tucker trial snack for the Z-listers on I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, but in Cambodia they are sold in the masses to the passers by. Their taste can be compared to that of crispy shredded beef. Sorry if that puts you off your Saturday night Chinese take away.

Along the bustling streets of Bangkok you bear witness to an endless range of weird and wonderful street food.

After an alcohol fuelled evening out in Thailand I was tricked into eating a deep-fried scorpion and to my surprise it actually didn’t taste too bad, something akin to a very crunchy prawn. The only thing I couldn’t bear to try was the sting, I think in my drunken state I was scared of poisoning myself.

Josie May Copson

Kathryn Lewis

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SINGING IN THE RAIN Singin’ In The Rain is kicking off at Cardiff this month, and Culture Editor Amy Pay gets together with leading lady Faye Tozer, of dance-pop group Steps fame. They talk musicals, performance and production - including 12,000 litres of water Most Quench readers will recognise you as one of the hit pop group Steps.

Tell us a bit about your transition from charttopping popstar to lead actress (e.g. how and why you made the move).

It started back in 2004, two years after Steps disbanded. Bill Kenwright invited me to audition for “Tell Me On A Sunday”, a one-woman show. I fell immediately in love with musical theatre and have pursued it ever since.

Singin’ In The Rain: The Musical is based on MGM’s iconic film. Had you seen the film or the West End production before you considered taking on a starring role? If so, what did you think?

Who hasn’t seen the film? I have always been a huge Gene Kelly fan ever since I was a child, so I knew the movie well.

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When I heard about the show, I was invited to see the London production before I auditioned. It was so close to the screen story with all its style and glamour it had me really excited. I took my son with me and he squealed with delight when it rained.

Your character, Lina Lamont, has quite a specific style of voice. Have you had to adapt your pop voice and vocal technique to fit the role?

I’m not sure I would say Lina ‘sings’, but I do use a singing voice to create her distinct vocal tone and high pitched squeaking! I had a vocal coach and a diction coach to help me develop her sound. I place it in my head voice and use a nasal twang then tip over my breaking point to flick between that and my chest voice. It creates an almost yodelling effect to make it just that bit more ridiculous and comical.

Your character’s outfits take influence from 1920s Hollywood glamour. What do you think of the costumes? How does it feel to be dressed so glamorously for work?

Lina’s costumes are divine. I enter dripping

with beads and sequins, then my next scene is the movie set where I don a powdered wig and a stunning 18th century style dress. Even the shoes are to die for! Lina is definitely the most exotically dressed in the show. The flamboyant colours and trimmings really help me to get into character. Every girl likes to dress up and so for me, I’m in heaven!

The show is touring the UK throughout this year and next, but your stint as Lina Lamont finishes in April. What would you like to do afterwards? More musicals?

Another type of acting? A return to pop, even?

I leave the show in April and look forward to spending some quality time at home with my husband and four year old son.

I have a few projects in the pipeline but I’ll be pursuing more acting roles and musicals as that is where my heart lies. I’m also thinking of returning to the recording studio this summer to get my creative juices flowing. Who knows what will be round the corner? That’s why I love my job so much.

ENTERTAINMENT CULtUre

BattLe time BreaKDanCinG

A jam is a highlight in any b-boy or b-girl’s diary. It’s an event for breakdancers to showcase their skills often with a live DJ and a big audience. Sophie Lodge tells us about Battle Time 3, a jam that recently took place in Newport.

My expectations of a jam were what I had seen on terrible street dance films from the 2000s; bad 90s fashion, cornrows, and a lot of angry guys with dark pasts who were there to ‘win it’. Whilst I’ve been breakdancing for just over a year, I headed to my first jam in Newport last weekend with Cardiff Breakdance Society for Battle Time 3. Thankfully the vibe coming from the Riverfront Theatre was anything but angry; instead, a sense of anticipation filled the air.

We turned up just as the crew battles were kicking off, and everyone was raring to go. The main theatre in the Riverside is your average auditorium with plush red seats and a large, raised stage. For Battle Time 3, the stage was brimming with DJ decks, a leather sofa for the judges and the crowd, who were sitting around the edges of a vast linoleum floor. The rest of the theatre stood empty.

The first thing that struck me was the sheer variety of people who had turned up.

There were toddlers who made everyone laugh when they tried to copy their dads and brothers, but there were teenagers who looked about fourteen entering battles and winning against adult b-boys and b-girls. That’s not to say the younger dancers stole the show. There were entrants over forty showing they could still groove. Apparently this broad age range is normal for breakdancers, many of whom get involved because of other family members in the scene, and its popularity with the younger generation is growing.

No longer is this a sport obsessed with crazy power

moves (the flips and head spins) but instead the focus is on style, allowing younger and older entrants to do as well as prime-aged, more experienced b-boys and b-girls. Musicality, originality and style are core elements in judging breakdancing. Moreover, this isn’t just a sport dominated by men: b-girls made a fair shout in both the crew and solo competitions, with the all-girl crew Trouble Funkers storming their way to the semi-finals.

The crew battles were definitely where things kicked off. You could feel the energy pulsing from each team as they battled it out for a place in Floor

Wars, a well-known international competition held in Denmark for which Battle Time 3 was the UK qualifier. As the knock-out rounds wrapped up, only the best crews went on to the semi-finals (with nail biting tie-breakers), and then onto the brilliant final.

For me, the best parts of the battles were where crew members used pre-planned routines as smooth transitions and round highlights. The competitive element in battles can often lead to things getting

a little too heated, but at Battle Time 3 it seemed to only bring out the best in everyone, and each team gracefully took their leave as Soul Mavericks took the top spot.

The solo battles were less intense, with only a cash prize, but it was a pleasure to watch such a vast variety of different breakdancers. The dance style has evolved rapidly since its birth on the streets of New York and each dancer is unique in their musical interpretation and rhythm. Some focused on top rock (any dancing without your hands touching the floor), some on comedy, and some on straight-up, mad power moves.

While I was expecting rivalry and competition, the event was really much more social in nature. Even during the frequent breaks the DJ would keep the music running and circles (creating a circle and taking turns breaking in the centre) would pop up as people danced purely because they enjoyed it. It was all about seeing old friends, dancing because you love it and celebrating other people’s performances.

Battle Time 3 opened my eyes to the huge diversity and multiplicity of people in breakdancing, and that breakdancing itself is not the narrow stereotype many people perceive. Just like any other artistic outlet, it means different things to different people, whether that is a sport, a social activity or an art.

Watch the whole competition online at: http:// www.funkstylers.tv/fstv-battle-time-3-nov-2013/

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LLAREGGUB

PETER BLAKE TAKES ON UNDER MILK WOOD

Cardiff is celebrating the centenary of Dylan Thomas, one of Wales’ most prominent poets. The year-long Dylan Thomas 100 festival features celebratory events ranging from comedy, visual arts and performances, bringing Thomas’ beautifully lyrical works to a new generation. Daniel Krajnik explores one of the launch events.

In Llareggub, Peter Blake, the acclaimed figure of twentieth century British pop art, shows over 170 pieces inspired by Dylan Thomas’ ‘Under Milk Wood’. ‘Under Milk Wood’ presents the characters living in a fictional Welsh village, Llareggub. A narrator takes listeners inside townspeople’s dreams and stories that took place there. It made Thomas a well-known author. Before that, his journalism and poetry brought him praise.

Friends used to call him a “drunken and doomed poet” which, while Thomas used to wet his whistle often, partially associates him with the generation of cursed nineteenth century poets, such as Baudelair. Blake’s Llareggub is merely the start of an exciting year dedicated to celebrating and remembering the life and works of Wales’ turbulent bard.

Blake first came across the famous play for voices while studying graphic design at London’s Royal College of Art. Some decades on, Blake’s vision of Thomas’ play is open to the public in this collection of pencil portraits, watercolours, graphics and collages. Nobody has put as much effort into depicting the atmosphere of ‘Under Milk Wood’ as Blake, something examined in BBC Cymru Wales’ documentary that accompanies the exhibition. As ‘Under Milk Wood’ was one of Thomas’ last works, Blake listened to recordings of it read by actor Richard Burton instead of the poet himself.

Despite how the creative process took over 28 years, Blake’s outcome is coherent. Sixty pencil drawings depict close-ups of ‘Under Milk Wood’ characters, where muted shades and flat grey tones are shattered by the characters’ sharp facial expressions. Blake’s watercolours in the exhibition differ in mood; the delirious scenes of the townspeople’s dreams are similar to works of surrealists such as Dali and Ernst.

Alongside these artworks is an array of collages; Blake’s most preferred and powerful technique. A member of the Brotherhood of Ruralists movement (1970s) and later the Young British Artists (1990s), Blake was an influential figure during the second half of the twentieth century.

Collaging filtered into his paintings, giving the impression of flatness and congestion regardless of medium. The magnum opus of his career is the album cover for The Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band”, for which he was paid only £200.

Find Peter Blake’s Llareggub at the National Museum of Wales for free from 23rd November to 16th March 2014.

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ENTERTAINMENT CULTURE

THE FELT MISTRESS

If you visit Wales Millennium Centre this winter, you may think you’ve stumbled through the wardrobe into Narnia. A new exhibition has taken over the building, transporting both young and old deep into the imaginative world of the ‘HiberNation’, where colourful creatures made by the Felt Mistress hide from the formidable Welsh winter.

Louise Evans (the Felt Mistress) created the exhibition, inspired by The Guardian illustrator Jonathan Edwards. Evans trained in fashion design and millenary, and has

collaborated with Edwards many times; in 2010, the Welsh duo created a Christmas window display at Selfridges, Oxford Street.

Edwards’ work has appeared internationally, including its’ use as album art for a Black Eyed Peas record.

The exhibition includes original works of watercolour, acrylics and ink drawings depicting fairytale lands inhabited by mystical creatures. The centrepieces of the collection are three imposing 8-10ft felt creatures: a fierce snow queen;

a huggable yeti and a mischievous woodland guru.

The pieces are made from recycled and vintage fabrics including flannel from Welsh mills, tweed and wool. The vintage fabrics add to the quirky nature and personalities of the cartoon creatures and the textured fabrics allow these 3D creatures to become engaging, playful beings. Video content introducing the creatures’ personalities will be projected on walls around the centre, creating a narrative for the art and making the

via Elouise Hobbs

exhibition interactive.

The pieces encapsulate the Welsh winter aptly; pale blues and greys dominate, yet they are contrasted with bright oranges of eyes and unknown creatures. They’re brought to life through their emotive faces, from euphoria to fear. This exhibition is a lovely addition to wintery Cardiff and is definitely worth a visit, even if it is just to hug the giant yeti!

The ‘Hiber-Nation’ is being displayed at Wales Millienium Stadium from 6th December to 5th of January 2014, free entry.

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BOOKS OF 2013:

Hosseini made a name for himself with his beautiful novels ‘The Kite Runner’ and ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’. However, do not begin this novel with any preconceived notions of his style. Hosseini switches it up this time, no longer solely concentrating on one main character. Instead, the book resembles a collection of short stories, each of the nine chapters told from a different character’s perspective. Hosseini does not stray too far from his classically heart-breaking subjects.

Focusing on family connections, the story centres on a brother and sister who become separated when the sister, Pari, is given to a wealthy couple. It is not an easy read and is at times emotionally exhausting, but, ultimately, as with Hosseini’s other novels, it is emotionally rewarding. Not only does it explore the universal theme of families and the way they wound, betray, nurture, honour and even sacrifice for one another, it provides another compelling, conflicted and complex portrait of his home country of Afghanistan to give the novel enormous gravity in the world today.

Jasmine Freeman

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It is impossible not to lose yourself in the story of Ursula Todd. She initially dies at birth, but events are altered so that the doctor cuts her cord in time, allowing her to lead a fulfilling life. She lives, that is, until she has a fatal accident, from which she dies. Then, again, she is reborn. The story continues in this manner. Her life repeats itself with small changes that make big differences. It is set in wartime Britain, a poignant backdrop to this tale of fate, as it is not only Ursula whose life is changed by little decisions; those fighting face fatal consequences with one false move too. The novel ultimately captures the fragile realities of life and death and the consequences of being able to correct mistakes. It feels surreally realistic as it seems plausible to think of the endless possibilities and consequences of the many choices we make everyday.

It is interesting to see how even seemingly insignificant decisions can change your life in untold ways and it makes you think a little more about choices you would never have given a second thought to.

Elouise Hobbs

‘The Luminaries’ broke records this year. It is the longest book (832 pages) to win the Man Booker Prize, and its author, Eleanor Catton, is the youngest Booker winner at just 28. Set in 1866, it follows Walter Moody, a prospector who travels to New Zealand goldfields to try to make a fortune. He encounters a tense gathering of local men who meet in secret to discuss unexplained, unsolved crimes.

Walter is drawn into a complex mystery of linked fates and fortunes. Catton’s structural choices make the book incredible and groundbreaking. Each of the twelve parts decreases in length, mimicking the lunar cycle and it is organised according to astrological principles.

While each character is associated with a sign of the zodiac, or the sun and moon (the ‘luminaries’), they also interact according to the predetermined movement of the heavens.

This novel is an award winner because of the questions it asks and its creativity. Through its complex intricate narrative, Catton questions what a novel is and what it can be, while providing readers with an incredible story.

Jasmine Freeman

ENTERTAINMENT CULTURE

CHOSEN BY YOU

If Steven King had written ‘The Time Traveller’s Wife’, it would have looked something like this. Certainly, ‘The Shining Girls’ is nothing if not original. In 1931, the morally inept Harper stumbles across a key to a house containing a dead man, girls’ names and possessions. On discovering the house’s ability to facilitate time travel, he sets out to visit the girls at various points in their lives and brutally murder them.

His crimes seem unsolvable. Only one person is willing to try: the sole survivor. Beukes’ concept is refreshing, and while contrived at times her narrative style is easy to read; blunt and humorous in the right places. Like Beukes’ ‘Zoo City’, it has beauty and simplicity. Its intriguing jigsaw puzzle style is well rendered, allowing a gripping insight into Harper’s psychosis whilst driving readers towards a satisfying denouement. Worth picking up merely because Beukes stretches the boundaries of convention to produce something fresh, ‘The Shining Girls’ is more than just a curiosity. If you are looking for something new, something different, ‘The Shining Girls’ is it.

Holly Marsh

Long-listed for the Man Booker Prize, ‘Unexploded’ transports readers to Britain’s state of paranoia in 1940. Exquisitely written, it tunes into the history of Mackleod’s native Brighton, a town that suffered under the agonising fear of invasion by Hitler. Macleod effortlessly weaves this fear into the fabric of characters’ lives, causing tensions between protagonists to simmer on the dark surface of the novel. At the heart of the novel is Evelyn’s relationship with her husband and son, Geoffrey and Philip, and her encounter with Otto, a degenerate German-Jewish painter. Otto is a prisoner in Geoffrey’s internment camp, but despite initial distrust, sparks soon fly and culminate in a thrilling climax. Fans of Woolf will appreciate this novel’s sheer depth. Flicking perspectives, it captures a range of human emotions: fear, love, and at times, total despair. This novel is not just a love story or a war story. It is a story of collisions. Fear collides with love, art with war and characters are forced to make heartbreaking decisions that affect the way they see each other forever.

Kirtey Verma

This is the heart-warming story of August, a 10-year-old boy born with a severe facial disfigurement. Having been home schooled all his life, the novel follows him and his family’s reluctant decision to send him to school and the hurdles he has to overcome in his first year.

Although his facial disfigurement is never fully described, the severity is explained through the reactions people have to him at first glance, echoed by August’s thoughts and feelings, tainted with sadness or humour. The way he deals with the complicated children he meets will have you both in tears and pining for triumph and the good fortune he sometimes receives mirrors the compassion you feel for such an innocent, humble and funny character.

The narration takes you inside the mind of August as well as the classmates he meets, so you see how the other children perceive his disfigurement and feel the acts of kindness from every angle. Palacio brings out the importance of equality and acceptance of differences, as the disfigurement August has can be translated into something within all of us.

Kirsty Fardell

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ARTING AROuND ChRISTmAS EvENTS

With the threat of exams coming up but the enticing smell of Christmas just around the corner, you know you’d much rather be out in the crisp winter air than coop yourself up indoors revising. here are some ideas for what to do from Culture editor Sum Sze Tam when you have to take a break, for the sake of your continued sanity:

sleeping beauties sherMan CyMru DeC 6 - jan 4 This Christmas, Sherman Theatre put a twist on the classic Sleeping Beauty fairytale, where there is not one, but two, heroines. See how this mysteriously magical production unfolds, and the deep new meanings it brings to the traditional story.

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tWelfth night rWCMD DeC 3 - 14 Shakespeare’s classic romantic comedy is retold to you by the students of the RWCmD. Though some might find the dialogue of the era a bit bumpy to understand, the narrative more than makes up for it: topsy-turvy awkwardness, gender-bending and unrequited love abound.

ENTERTAINMENT culture Christmas event

the nutcracker, sleeping beauty and swan lake St david’s hall dec 19 - jan 5 The Russian State and the Orchestra of Siberia bring three magical Christmas Ballets to Cardiff this winter; guaranteed to be of amazing quality, the dazzling costumes and spectacular production sets that accompany are the perfect way to endow some Christmas spirit into you and your friends!

the full monty new theatre jan 23 - feb 1 Adapted from the original 1997 film, this critically acclaimed production is brought to you by the original screenwriter Simon Beaufoy. The story follows six unemployed men, four of whom were steelworkers, who band together and create a striptease act. A wonderful combination of hilarious entertainment and socially relevant issues, this show will make for a rip-roaring night out.

trine sondergaard: stasis ffotogallery nov 9 - jan 25

rent RWCMD dec 6 - 14

Sondergaard is a Danish artist whose exhibition of beautiful photography revolves around stillness and introspection. ‘Stasis’ consists of three recent collections of work: ‘Interior’ is a series of abandoned Danish manors, ‘Strude’ features the eponymous mask-like hoods, and ‘Guldnakke’ is a study of the bonnets that women used to wear in the 1800s. Head on down to ffotogallery before exam hysteria for a quick fix and see these beautifully simple and elegant pieces.

Perhaps one of the best and most famous musicals in modern culture, ‘RENT’ is the story of a group of friends living with AIDS, drugs, music and death in 90s-era New York. Based on Puccini’s opera ‘La Boheme’, composer Jonathan Larson’s songs will have you jumping, dancing, laughing and crying along with the cast.

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What’s the deal with ?

The success of the Humble Indie Bundle in 2010 has led to many repeats, a weekly sale and now the Humble Store. Rhian Carruthers explores what this means for our wallets and our consciences It’s December. Fairy lights are up in town, tinsel is draped over every shop display (and has been since October), shower gel and shampoo suddenly come in little gift packs donned with ribbons and sock sales are about to go up immeasurably. Some of us will be asking for consoles. The PS4 and Xbox One are on the shelves and with them a nice little line up of launch titles to pad out our lists.

Around this season we’re encouraged to give, to remember those in need and share what we have. Most of us will be more inclined to drop a pound or two in a charity bucket and maybe buy the Christmas Big Issue if the seller is sporting a suitably seasonal hat. Something about the holiday season makes us want to give and makes us more approachable, and this year with Typhoon Haiyan still fresh in our memories Charity seems to be a word more prolific than in recent years.

You may have heard of The Humble Bundle before.

It’s an idea of simplistic brilliance. Pay what you like for a few games, decide where the money is allocated and enjoy a boost to your game library. Pay more than the average (usually around $5) and you’ll also receive some extra titles or other bonuses such as soundtracks. That’s six or so games for just over £3. Whatever way you look at it, that’s a good deal. Not to mention it’s all DRM free, and the games go straight to your steam library.

As I said, you can allocate where the funds end up. You can split the money between the game developers, Humble Bundle Inc or charities. If you are particularly fussy about where your money goes you can even choose which developers your money is given to, or split your charity donation between Child’s Play or Electronic Frontier Foundation. The original Humble Indie Bundle raised a grand total of $1, 273, 588 and thankfully the success led to repeat ventures.

We can’t deny that gamers have a bit of a reputation these days. We’re seen as lazy and selfish, angry little children who shout into headsets or lethargic and jaded husks who hate the outdoors. Even ‘Grand Theft Auto 5’ played up the trope with the character of Jimmy, Michael’s millennial son come drain on his resources who’s sole purpose in life seems to be abusing his father’s generosity and playing video games. Google ‘Grand Theft Auto 5’ and you’ll no doubt return a thousand results all centred around the violence debate. It feels as if half of the world feel we’re sitting on our thumbs and the other half think we’re all one bad day away from a blood-fuelled rampage.

The Humble Bundle is the perfect opportunity for us to prove we’re something more. Child’s Play (childsplaycharity.org) donates game systems, toys, books and other such niceties to hospitals and therapy facilities.

This might not seem important, in the grand scheme of things, but it allows children to interact with friends and family while, distracting them from what otherwise would be a generally unpleasant environment. It helps bring a little joy to those who need it, and at this time of year it seems all the more important. EFF fights to defend free speech, privacy and consumer rights in a world of growing technological reliance, the importance of which cannot be overlooked.

Now there’s even the Humble Weekly Sale, which works in the same way as the bundles. You pay what you like, you decide where the money goes and you get five or six great indie titles to add to your steam library. You can even buy them as gifts and send them to friends as little online stocking fillers. I implore you to check it out. Who knows, you might come away with a soothed conscience and a few great games.

Charity seems to be more prolific in recent years

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ENTERTAINMENT VIDEOGAMES Some Facts and Figures • 31% of sales for the Humble Indie Bundle went to Charity • Windows users on average paid the least ($8) for the bundles while Linux users paid the most ($15) • The Humble Origin Bundle is the best selling bundle to date, making over $7million in the first 5 days • Minecraft Indie Heavyweight Notch was overtaken as top contributor in the last thirty minutes of the Humble Indie Bundle

• The two charities recieved 31% of the Humble

The Charities Child’s Play is a game industry charity that has been working since 2003 to provide toys and games to children in over 70 hospitals worldwide. It was founded by Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins of Penny Arcade fame, the popular web comic centred on all things game culture. According to their press release, the idea was a response to the negative media portrayal of gamers, and the pair ‘called for the gaming community to donate to Seattle Children’s Hospital during the holiday season.’

The response was overwhelmingly positive, raising over $250,000 and that number was up to $10 million by 2010. It’s a great testament to what the gaming community can accomplish when they pull together.

It might seem irrelevant, giving games to ill children when the money could be allocated to treatment and research, but the feedback Child’s

play receives from the friends, family and even doctors of those it benefits has been nothing but positive. There are also studies which show the playing of games while undergoing treatment can lead to patients needing less pain medication. They also retain some normalcy in conditions which are anything but. Child’s play works to ease the emotional and physical stresses through play, and it does make a difference.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is a non profit organisation that works to defend our digital rights. Since 1990 it has battled for the public interest in the minefield that is digital rights. As technologies continue to change and advance they make a point of defending our free speech, privacy, innovation and consumer rights. On their website you can find a list of cases they’ve been involved in, and other information on their cause.

In a Nutshell So if you’re feeling charitable this Christmas you might want to visit humblebundle.com. Whether it’s the current bundle itself, the weekly bundle or even an item from the store you can rest assured that your money is heading to a good cause. It’s important to support not only the charities themselves but also the developers who put their games forward. With all this going on it’s easy to forget that the Humble Bundle Inc. also rely on donations and a slice of the profit so that they can continue to run the site and the events.

If you’re a fan of indie games you owe it to yourself to have a look at what’s on offer. Even if it’s for someone you know you can pick up a few games for (more than) a reasonable price, and you won’t have to queue in Game or HMV. It’s all DRM free, it’s all accessible from your steam library, and if you already have one game in the bundle it’s simple enough to gift to someone else.

The Humble Bundle is a refreshing piece of positivity when this form of media has been garnering so much negative attention.

It goes some way towards proving that video gamers aren’t separate from the bulk of society. We do contribute and we do care. Actually we care enough to do something about it. It just so happens we’re doing that by purchasing more games. There’s nothing wrong with that.

Go on, visit humblebundle.com. Have a look, browse the store, and spend a few pounds. You won’t regret it.

Before I forget you can donate directly to the both Child’s Play and EFF on their websites. If you want to keep an eye on what’s on offer you can follow the humble bundle on twitter and facebook.

@humble facebook.com/humblebundle

You can also read more about the Humble Bundle at:

blog.humblebundle.com

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LEGO MARVEL SUPERHEROES AVAILABLE ON ALL MAJOR SYSTEMS DEVELOPER: TT GAMES OUT NOW

3/5

Charlie Andrews looks at the latest instalment in the ever-popular series of LEGO video games - but does it make you want to save the world, or let it be destroyed?

Traveller’s Tales have already tackled big film franchises such as Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean and Harry Potter, but the LEGO series has struggled to replicate the same ingenuity since the realise of 2005’s LEGO Star Wars. Marvel offers a huge universe of characters and decades worth of intricately woven story lines in which Lego Marvel Super Heroes can draw from in order to create an original story, but sadly leaves players feeling unsatisfying.

The plot is typical of the genre; Loki wants revenge on Earth and Asgard and so manipulates the world of super villains to aid him in his evil plight. The levels have been well constructed and fully utilises the immense roster of characters on offer. You might start a level as Cyclops and Jean only to end using Storm and Beast. The level structure is also similar; you can spend the entire level chasing down Magneto only for Rhino to jump in as a miniboss and demand your full attention, which helps drive the plot whilst keeping the player both entertained and challenged. The boss battles have even been adapted; where once you would simply button mash until you had defeated Darth Vader, now you have to solve a puzzle in order to defeat the boss. Take Rhino for example, he will just keep charging at you until you have built an object (a pumpkin for some reason), to stand in his path which then gives you the opportunity to damage him.

The character roster in this game is immense, boasting over 100 heroes and villains to play as. Playing the story unlocks these characters at a decent rate; you start with Iron Man and Hulk before quickly unlocking the rest of the Avengers, most of the X-Men, the Fantastic Four and everyone’s favourite wall-crawler: Spider-Man. When unlocked, these characters can be used in the game’s hub world, or in the traditional free play mode in which players go back and replay story missions, in order to find

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the hidden minikits. Between missions players find themselves in the open world island of Manhattan, where you will find landmarks such as the Baxter Building, Stark Tower, Oscorp, and the Statue of Liberty. This open world hub is one of the game’s greatest features: players need to navigate this hub in order to find the remaining gold bricks, unlock even more characters and assist troubled citizens.

Any player can find a character or corner which they recognise and love, whether it is Daredevil, Elektra; Ant-Man or Thor - there is an iconic representation for everyone (yes, even Moon Knight).

In terms of gameplay the LEGO series is pretty much refined by now, but this time with the addition of powers and abilities augmenting pre-existing gameplay mechanics. Whilst most are implemented well in the game some are not, such as Wolverine using his claws simply to dig up LEGO bricks. Certain powers are annoying to use, such as Hulk transformation, and whilst these powers are a good concept it does make some characters feel obsolete. Travelling through the hub is made much easier by characters who can fly, therefore characters without this power are never used. It is the same in the levels, when in free play mode you might chose to play as Drax - but seeing as he doesn’t have any abilities, will soon found yourself changing to Iron Man to use his rockets, then to the Hulk to smash or lift something big, and so on. However, Deadpool does offer some quirky bonus levels in order to unlock the 11 Deadpool bricks.

Any player can find a character which they recognise and love

LEGO Marvel Superheroes is a welcome addition to the LEGO series and it is the best Marvel instalment since 2006’s Ultimate Alliance. The open hub is a tonne of fun, the powers are a nice touch but there is definitely an issue of refinement. Again, the story needs more depth, the plot is lacklustre - only weighing in at under eight hours. This game is a must if you want some fun, light-hearted humour and superhero action.

ENTERTAINMENT VIDEO GAMES

BATMAN: ARKHAM ORIGINS AVAILABLE ON: PS3, 360, PC, WII U DEVELOPER: WB MONTREAL OUT NOW

2/5

The third entry in the Batman: Arkham franchise serves as a prequel to the series. Adam Bown sees if it lives up to the reputation of its predecessors When an IP earns a sequel, and in some cases its own franchise, it usually takes one of two paths. Either it beats the same dead horse over and over until it becomes atomised, like your Assassin’s Greeds and Cash Grab of Duties, or it attempts to creatively build upon its predecessor, like Bioshock: Infinite or Far Cry 3, showing that perhaps resuscitating the horse and treating it with love and care is a better option.

When it comes to the Batman: Arkham franchise, it certainly seemed to have gone with the latter. Arkham City expanded upon Arkham Asylum, introducing an open-world aspect, a chance to play as multiple characters and a plethora of side-quests incorporating various characters from the comic book world. But has Arkham Origins continued this trend of innovation?

This entry in the franchise follows the eponymous caped-crusader several years before the events of Arkham Asylum, as he is being hunted down by eight assassins all after a fifty million dollar bounty placed on his head by Black Mask.

A suitably over the top premise for a story based on a man who fight crime while dressed as a bat, yet it never truly uses the potential of such a premise to good effect, not at the beginning of the game at least. In fact, the first few missions of the game were as entertaining as watching grass grow flanked by drying paint, and contain some of the worst utilisations of antagonists ever witnessed. Killer Croc, a boss you have no choice but to run from in Arkham Asylum as he would end you Ozzy Osbourne style otherwise, is beaten in a more straightforward bout of fisticuffs with ease. While Deathstroke, despite all the focus on him during the promotional material, is bested by the Bat in one of the opening missions in a boss fight with more grind than a MMORPG. At this point the game was on the verge of overstaying its welcome, the antagonists were push-overs, the narrative was flat and while

the ‘free-flow’ combat championed in the previous games continued to be satisfying and fluid, it was not enough to make up for what, at that point, the game was lacking. Even the addition of a new game mechanic which added to the ‘evidence scanner’ of prior entries allowing Batman to deconstruct and reconstruct a crime scene seemed superfluous, as it ostensibly had no endgame. Yet, a crime scene investigated at Black Mask’s safe-house provides a plot twist that finally allows for the clown prince of crime the Joker to enter the fray, and suddenly the game sprang to life. It is as if the writers recognised what they were creating was painfully boring and decided to be proactive about it. Then, finally, the stakes are raised, and with a clearly defined central antagonist the game becomes enjoyable.

Arkham is on the verge of overstaying its welcome

Although, if relying on the Joker to be the main antagonist is a retread of the other Arkham games, albeit here it was more relieving than annoying, then the other features in Origins are looking to form a conga line. The combat is essentially the same, the majority of gadgets still remain from Arkham City with a couple of additions here and there and even the boss fights evoke an eerie sense of déjà-vu.

For instance, if the boss fights with Copperhead and Mad Hatter were combined the end result would be the Scarecrow levels from Arkham Asylum.

On a more positive note, voice actor Roger Craig Smith, does a decent job of taking up the mantle of Batman from veteran Kevin Conroy, seemingly mediating the voice work of Conroy and Christian Bale from the Nolan-verse, while Troy Baker, who voices Booker DeWitt in Bioshock: Infinite and Joel in The Last Of Us, does likewise with the Joker a role left vacant by Mark Hamill at the end of Arkham Asylum.

Overall Batman: Arkham Origins is a disappointing entry into the series that feels tired and played out, if you are a fan of the protagonist it will satisfy you; otherwise, it should be avoided.

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Q

A Grand Experiment:

LG GOOGLE NEXUS 5 Price: £299 (16GB), £329 (32GB)

Operating system: Android

Manufacturer: LG

“...the Nexus 5 represents just how far Google have come since entering the smartphone market, posing genuine threat to Apple in its simple approach to hardware and software....”

Arguably, the two heaviest hitters in the smartphone market are Samsung and Apple. Both occupy headlines in their seeminglyeternal patent battle, and both produce devices with similar hardware.

But times are changing. Take the HTC One, for example; it’s sleek, it runs Android, and it’s just as heavy a hitter as the S4.

The Nexus One, a precursor to the Nexus 5, was widely regarded as a failure; it was under-marketed and released before Android had a real foothold in the market. But times are changing, and so is Google’s approach to their flagship smartphones: enter the Nexus 5, arguably the most impressive Android handset on the market. It’s clear that the Nexus 5 wouldn’t draw a second glance if it didn’t have the branding it did - its design is a little mediocre, and is manufactured by LG, who are better known for their television than their mobile prowess - but don’t let that put you off. The Nexus 5 is absolutely worth your time.

Out of the box, the Nexus 5 is exceptionally simple to set up, requiring little from the end-user; indeed, if you have a Gmail or a Google+ account, then the hardest part is out of the way before you turn the phone on. Once you find yourself on the home screen, you’ll find yourself struck

In terms of hardware, the Nexus comes with basically everything one might expect from a premium smartphone. The handset is LTE enabled, so if you have a contract that either offers 4G, or will do so in the new year, the Nexus 5 is prepared for the switch. The back camera - which we’ll come to later - is excellent, and the front camera and microphone array are both exceptionally clear. (The microphone array is especially noteworthy, as everybody I’ve spoken to using the phone has noted how clear my voice is compared to my previous handset, the iPhone 4).

Worth noting, however, is that the Nexus doesn’t have a card slot - it comes in 16GB and 32GB flavours, but you won’t be able to expand that, so bear that in mind before purchase.

In terms of processing power, the Nexus boasts a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800; with four cores clocked to 2.4 ghz, it can handle basically any task you throw at it. This is supported by 2GB of RAM, basically putting its specs on a similar level to a consumer laptop. As such, I’ve noticed basically no slowdown using the device, and there’s probably very little available on Google Play that could genuinely stress it out, so if you’re looking for a phone that’s quick (Blackberry users, I’m looking at you), the Nexus will tick that box.

That’s partly because of how well put together the Nexus is in terms of software. Android KitKat, the newest version of the operating system, comes preloaded onto the phone without any bloatware or ‘helpful’ manufacturer apps. For power users, this is a dream come true, as it allows you to basically fully customise the phone out of the box, without having to uninstall / hide apps inferior to equivalents you can find on Google Play for free (I have never met anybody who uses S Note over, say, Evernote). It’s been described by Google as the leanest version of Android ever, and that’s true in terms of software optimisation as well as interface design.

Indeed, I’m not a massive fan of iOS 7 (although, saying that, I used it on the iPhone 4, which isn’t really designed to handle it) and the hyper minimalistic design philosophy that Apple have come to espouse.

It seems at odds with the App Store, which, at this point, feels bloated and lost, especially if you have the misfortune of accessing it via iTunes (which limps closer to obsoletion by the day). KitKat is a really, really nice vacation from that. It’s simple, but nuanced; the typography is fantastic, and icon distribution is smart and user friendly.

It’s hard to review the Nexus 5 without reviewing KitKat at the same time, which is something you might have noticed if you’ve read other reviews of the handset; that’s because the Nexus 5 is the first handset to come with it pre-installed, and the hardware feels married to it - creating

For £299 Sim-free, it’s an absolute steal: the Nexus 5 cannot be beaten on cost

by how far Google have come in terms of user interface design.

It’s quite a large phone, but no bigger than an S4 or iPhone 5. The Nexus 5 has a 1080p AMOLED screen, so if you’re desperate to watch blu-ray quality video on the go, the phone does a great impression of a modern television. You won’t find anything in the box aside from a USB cable, a plug and the phone itself - so no headphones - but chances are, you won’t require anything anyway. There isn’t much in the way of customizability when compared to, say, a Nokia Lumia; the back cover is replaceable, but is only available in black and white at present.

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ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY Camera test (unedited, default settings):

an experience that previously only Apple offered.

Google and LG are particularly enthusiastic to market the Nexus 5 by the strength of its camera, and that’s not much of a surprise; it produces some really beautiful photos. Particular regard should be paid to its HDR feature, which produces exceptional photos in situations where lighting could be better. It comfortably records 1080p video at 30fps, easily competing with consumer video cameras.

As such, if you love Instagram, Vine, and other photo and video sharing applications, the Nexus is a fantastic partner in crime. The handset feels as though it’s built around the camera (to be honest, the way it juts out of the back is a little ugly), and the result is extraordinarily high quality photo and video. Indeed, for hobby photographers, the Nexus 5 might represent a step up from your compact camera.

In terms of flaws, the Nexus is ahead of the curve in such a way that you might feel part of some ‘grand experiment.’ Some apps are a little unstable because developers haven’t optimised their software for 4.4, such as Vine, which occasionally refuses to post videos without a fight. Indeed, NatWest’s Android app flat out refuses to install, despite the fact that there’s no reason it should be incompatible.

Sure, there’s no bloatware, but that doesn’t mean Google hasn’t included their own weird additions. The face recognition software offered by the Nexus 4 returns, and still doesn’t really work if you’ve got a particularly round / shiny face, even if you try and train the device. The Nexus 5 feels like it’s come straight out of the lab, and that might put some people off who’d rather adopt something a little more user friendly. For those people, the iPhone 5S might be a more appropriate choice. It’s also a little plasticky - both the front and back are made of the stuff, but it doesn’t feel cheap.

However, the Nexus 5 simply cannot be beaten on cost. For £299 sim free, it’s an absolute steal. It fights the iPhone 5S in all categories despite its modest price point, and despite punching above its weight, often wins over its brushed aluminium cousin.

The Nexus 5 feels like it’s come straight out of the lab, which isn’t always great

OUR VERDICT: 5/5

In summary, the Nexus 5 is an extremely well-priced smartphone that doesn’t cut corners, with particular regard to its camera. A fantastic offering for £299, the Nexus 5 represents just how far Google have come since entering the smartphone market, posing genuine threat to both Samsung and Apple in its simple approach to hardware and software. If you want to upgrade your phone, or in the market for new hardware, then look no further than the Nexus 5. Via Michael O’Connell-Davidson

MOBILE GAMES YOU MUST TRY

SWORD AND SWORCERY: EP The playfully-titled Sword and Sworcery was previously only available on iPad, but earlier this year it was ported to Android. It’s really excellent; beyond its fantastic art style and involved storyline, Sword and Sworcery has one of the best soundtracks I’ve heard in any game, let alone a mobile title. S&S comes highly recommended.

ADVENTURE TOWN This free game can’t quite decide what it is. It’s ‘Final Fantasy’ meets ‘Farmville’, as you send your heroes on quests to rebuild your little town. Everything works on a timed basis, with tasks and quests expiring if you don’t complete them quick enough. It’s colourful and fun, if a bit of a time trap, but be careful – it will try and make you pay for more in-game money and weapons. Ignore that, though, and it’s great fun.

ZOMBIES ATE MY FRIENDS With a whole section in the PlayStore dedicated to them, you’ll probably end up with at least one zombie game.

‘Zombies Ate My Friends’ is a funny little gem with turnbased combat and quicktime events. It’s difficult in terms of resource management, rather than skill. The animation is charming and the writing good for a chuckle, and yes – there is a dog that will scavenge for health and supplies. As zombie games go, this is a scream.

NAKAMA t’s really hard! ‘Nakama’ is a cute little side-scroller which fully embraces the retro aesthetics. The controls are minimal - left or right and A or B. The ten-second tutorial tells you all you need to know. You can jump; hold down A and dash; you can jump and dash at the same time. In true retro fashion, it can also be frustratingly difficult – but oh, so rewarding.

Via Rhian Carruthers

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ATTACK ON TITAN Is Attack On Titan the best new anime? Sophie Lodge thinks so This summer the anime world has been obsessed with two stunning new debut shows from Japan; Free and Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin). If you are ‘down’ with the anime scene and you haven’t heard of Attack on Titan you must have been living under a rock. This series sky-rocketed to fame back in April due to its extremely disturbing content and hardcore fans, who literally bungee jumped off buildings in the name of cosplay. When I say extremely disturbing content don’t get the wrong idea (you pervert); in my eyes it could qualify as a horror anime. Attack on Titan follows the story of young Eren Jaeger, a boy who lives within the walls of humanity’s last settlement. The rest of the world was massacred over 100 years ago by the titans; giant humans with a taste for human flesh See what I mean about the horror element. The first season tracks the fall of the outer wall of the settlement, the massacre that follows, and Eren’s resolution to join the Survey Corps, a branch of elite military which works outside the walls to kill and research titans after his mother is (quite graphically) eaten.

There’s a beautiful contrast between germanic towns and countryside panoramas While its graphic content might be alarming to someone like myself (I’m more of an Ouran High School Host Club girl), its initial interest lies in its shock power. Many animes aren’t willing to push this far and Shingeki no Kyojin has been criticised for being unnecessarily gruesome, particularly in its first few episodes. I don’t think this was necessarily a bad thing. Yes, I had to look away at some parts but it’s a realist portrayal of the horrors of war.

To me it broke a boundary in popular anime and captured the resonance of the carnage of war.

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Whilst the art style of the manga has been criticised for being messy, the animation used in Attack on Titan is on par with other animes released in 2013. There’s a beautiful contrast of settings between the busy, medieval Germanic town scenes and the stunning panoramas of countryside outside the walls and both benefit from its modern animation style. It isn’t the most extraordinary animation I’ve seen this year, with anime taking leaps and bounds in its ability to capture rain and water in particular, but it’s of average quality. Instead Attack on Titan has focused its energies on successfully animating 3D manoeuvre gear; the military equipment used to attack titans which allows characters to fly from building to building like Spider-man (hence the bungee jumping cosplayers). While at first, to me, the Titans looked clunky and unrealistic, their disproportionate features actually succeed in making them more haunting and sinister. In general, you aren’t concentrating so much on the animation when your favourite character may or may not be about to die. (As I mentioned, it’s a bit gory, though if you can handle shows like Fullmetal Alchemist then this will be fine).

What made this anime such a success is its 5 star storyline. I haven’t read the manga yet (it hasn’t been released in English past volume 9 and I hate

online scans) but I know from friends that it’s a killer (no pun intended). Attack on Titan isn’t afraid to kill off a main character, and its cliff-hangers keep you clicking ‘watch next episode’ until the early hours of the morning. I know one guy who blitzed the entire series in less than a day. It might be a little too serious for you shoujo fans but it’s refreshing to see such an original storyline with this much depth. You could call it stereotypical in that it follows the story of a young boy out for revenge against a dead parent when he finds out he has a special power (whoops spoilers), but there is something different in Attack on Titan that’s hard to describe. There’s no pansy love interest or ‘resolve’ to protect the protagonist’s family.

Eren literally just hates Titans and wants to kill them all (it’s a bit obsessive really). Its setting, its characters are more three dimensional and there are some brilliant plot twists in there I’d really like to talk about. It has also been praised for its strict following of the manga (even down to camera angles) instead of flying off on a tangent in the last few episodes like so many other good animes.

It’s refreshing to see such an original storyline with this much depth I was talking to another editor this week about how I hardly read film and book reviews because I find them so subjective. There’s no way of knowing whether or not you’ll agree with me, but the statistics speak for themselves. Six of the seven English volumes released as of October 2013 made it into the New York Times Manga Best Seller list, 20 million copies of the manga have been sold in Japan, and it is definitely one of the biggest animes to come out of Japan this year. It’s definitely worth watching the pilot at least, even just so you understand those cosplayers at Expo dressed up as inside-out people.

ENTERTAINMENT FILM & TV

THE LEGEND OF

Avatar: The Legend of Korra is taking the animated world by storm.

Sum Sze Tam explores the elements behind its success Sequels have a reputation for being awful.

It’s hard to build a new storyline that holds itself together for the same characters when you’ve already established an ending. So when Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, the genius duo behind Nickelodeon’s popular cartoon series ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’, announced that they were developing a sequel in 2010, two years after the old series had ended, you can imagine the fan hype, excitement, and speculation that exploded over the internet.

The world of ‘Avatar’ is one where some humans have the ability to ‘bend’ – manipulate based on martial art and spiritual power – one of the four elements: Water, Earth, Fire and Air. Together, these make up a spiritually-ordered cycle. The Avatar, a reincarnated human, is the only one who can bend all four elements, as well as act as a bridge between the human and spirit worlds.

As for life in this universe, the animals are often chimeras or smushes of two animals in our world (e.g. polar bear dog, otter penguins), society is set in past epochs, and all the cultural tics, clothing, food, and lifestyles are taken from Asian or Inuit culture. As comic book artist Derek Kirk Kim eloquently described, ‘it’s all an evocative, but thinly veiled, re-imagining of ancient Asia.’ Despite these influences, it’s important to note that Avatar isn’t technically anime – or Japanese animation – which has a distinct style of their own and possess a sizeable cult following in the West.

Set seventy years after ‘The Last Airbender’ ends, ‘Avatar: The Legend of Korra’ follows the adventures of an older, feistier, and female protagonist – Korra, a girl from the Southern Water Tribes. The finale to the second season was aired only last month. Konietzko and DiMartino, or ‘Bryke’, as the fandom affectionately call them, have departed from ‘The Last Airbender’ and made a show that is more mature and threedimensional than the last, but without losing its goofy humour (Meelo!). The world has progressed since the days of Avatar Aang, the eponymous ‘Last Airbender’: where the old series had animal-drawn carts, the new one features fast cars, motorbikes, ‘movers’ (movies) and geometrically snazzy buildings. There’s undoubtedly a much more badass steam-punk vibe about the new show, which is all embodied in Korra’s appearance: tougher

voice, ponytail, toned biceps, boots and baggy pants.

As a story, ‘The Legend of Korra’ has really matured in its themes, and is definitely big sister to ‘The Last Airbender’, to mirror its now older audience; the writers address a previously unnoticed issue that would actually be a really big deal in human society: the inequality between benders and non-benders. In retrospect, it’s a little sad that viewers were never alarmed by this massive power inequality in the old series – we only laughed when the cabbage man had his stall upturned by bending, or if Sokka was dumped on his rear by a bender, because it was set up as a comic situation. However, there’s no denying that a bender could set that stall up again in a matter of seconds, whereas the average non-bender would have to spend hours picking the cabbages up by hand. But I get that it’s meant to be humour, and that if we nitpicked at every slightly politically incorrect situation, the point of the show would pass us by.

It’s refreshing to see such an original storyline with such depth ‘The Legend of Korra’ has also left ‘The Last Airbender’ in the dust in another aspect – the visual crafting of the scenes have gone far beyond what the old series used to look like. The fight scenes are mind-blowingly epic, but more than that, they manage to retain the emotional side – the sense of danger and risk – throughout the action, so that audiences really feel it in their gut when heroes suffer a loss, or positively euphoric when victories are won. There are also subtler scenes that use symbolism (one of which features cake), which are great at creating tension and adding detail to characters.

Characters in ‘The Legend of Korra’ often break free of stereotypes, something a lot of ‘family shows’ are guilty of, with perhaps the best example being Tenzin, Korra’s spiritual and airbending mentor. Tenzin is not the flawlessly all-knowing wise man just because he is the son of the previous Avatar, and neither is he an exact copy of his bubbly, non-confrontational father – in fact, he’s quite the opposite. It’s revealed that family

life wasn’t picture perfect during his childhood, and that despite being a man of great political and bending power, Tenzin has many of his own fears that prove to be a serious barrier – and it’s his ability to overcome them eventually that shows us his inner strength.

Though the show has grown a lot, some of the progression from being a show for pre-teens to teenagers hasn’t been good; perhaps the biggest issue is the excessive amount of teen angst – where ‘The Last Airbender’ gave us just enough of an insight into the characters’ love lives, without having it intrude on the main plot, the endless rally of the Korra-Mako-Asami love triangle is fatiguing from the start, and really detracts from the character development (i.e. it makes Mako look like a tool, which would break my heart if it were true, so I refuse to believe it).

Viewers may have noticed the obvious rush to the finish with the season 1 finale, although this was more because Bryke hadn’t known whether ‘The Legend of Korra’ was going to be allowed to continue after season 1. It’s a good example of where the backstage, political economy side of things had a seriously detrimental effect to what could have been an amazing ending. The season 2 finale didn’t feel like three episodes crammed into one, but where it did let up was the high number of unexplained conclusions, a deus ex machina, and plot loopholes.

Sure, it was epic and flashy and some of the action scenes positively lifted me off of the floor, but narratively, they weren’t as well-constructed as what we know Bryke are capable of from ‘The Last Airbender’. It’s a shame that a show that carried a momentum of such great of themes had to leave a final impression as unfulfilling as that.

However, ‘The Legend of Korra’ still remains the undisputed top dog of all animated artwork; check out the elegantly two-dimensional style of the mid-season 2 special, ‘Beginnings’, and some of the gorgeous landscapes, throughout the series, that pour themselves over and out of the screen. Despite all the shortcomings mentioned above, ‘The Legend of Korra’ is still an exception to the rule that sequels are always worse. There’s still a certain quality about Bryke’s work that makes people come back for more, whether that’s hidden in the magic of the Avatar universe, the compelling characters we’d shed tears for – or maybe it’s in the optimistic vision for mankind that can sometimes feel a little absent in the real world, today.

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Q

HUGE, INTERCONNECTED MARVEL TV SHOWS ANNOUNCED FOR NETFLIX Marvel is about to go big on the TV front. Really big. Avengers Phase One is complete and with, the release of Thor: The Dark World, Phase Two is well on its way to completion and with it Marvel’s success on the big screen is unprecedented. However, Marvel currently has one series airing on the small screen, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, but this is about to change. The company has just signed a deal with Netflix to produce four separate new live-action series – Daredevil, Luke Cage, Iron Fist and Jessica Jones. These four shows will lead into a team-up miniseries, The Defenders.

Daredevil will be the first show to air in 2015 followed by Jessica Jones, Iron Fist and Luke Cage. Netflix notes “the epic will unfold over multiple years of original programming,” and that it will “take Netflix members into the gritty world of heroes and villains of Hell’s Kitchen, New York,” emphasizing the fact these shows are going to be heavily interconnected (Hell’s Kitchen is the traditional home of Daredevil in the comics). Each series has been given a minimum commitment of 13 episodes each, as with Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D which has now been picked up for a full season of 22 episodes. The Defenders is described as “a dream team of self-sacrificing, heroic characters” Alan Fine, President of Marvel Entertainment said: “this deal is unparalleled in its scope and size, and reinforces our commitment to deliver Marvel’s brand, content and characters across all platforms of storytelling. Netflix offers an incredible platform for the kind of rich storytelling that is Marvel’s specialty”.

He continued to state, “this serialised epic expands the narrative possibilities of on-demand television and gives fans the flexibility to immerse themselves how and when they want in what’s sure to be a thrilling and engaging adventure”.

“Marvel’s movies, such as Iron Man and Marvel’s The Avengers, are huge favourites on our service around the world. Like Disney, Marvel is a known and loved brand that travels,” said Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos. “With House of Cards and our other original series, we have pioneered new approaches to storytelling and to global distribution and we’re thrilled to be working with Disney and Marvel to take our brand of television to new levels with a creative project of this magnitude”.

Talk about Marvel seeking such a deal is not new; in fact, the first details surfaced a couple of months back. Among the characters being used, Daredevil is notable as having two previous live-action interpretations of the character, with the 2003 movie starring Ben Affleck being the most recent. Marvel re-acquired the film and TV rights to the character in 2012, after 20th Century Fox was unable to begin production on a new movie in time to stop the rights from lapsing. Marvel had also previously developed a never-filmed Jessica Jones project for ABC, written by Melissa Rosenberg (Dexter, Twilight). No writers or producers have been announced as yet for the new Marvel TV shows.

Via Charlie Andrews

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ANNOUNCED HEROES INCLUDE: DAREDEVIL

Living in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of New York City, Matt Murdock is blinded by a radioactive substance that falls from an oncoming vehicle. Whilst he can no longer see, the radioactive exposure heightens his remaining senses beyond normal human ability. His father, a boxer named Jack Murdock, supports

him as he grows up. However, Jack is later tragically killed by a group of gangsters after he refuses to throw a fight. Matt then dons dark red costume and seeks out revenge against his father’s killers as the superhero Daredevil. During his crime-fighting career he is assigned the nickname “the Man Without Fear.”

When Daniel Rand was nine his father decided to bring him and his mother to the mystic city of K’un-Lun; accompanied by Rand’s business partner Harold Meachum.

During the journey Daniel’s Father Wendell fell from a ledge and called to Meachum for help, but Meachum, hoping to control Rand’s business shares, caused Wendell to plunge to his death. Shortly afterward, Daniel’s mother sacrificed her life to protect him from

a wolf pack. The denizens of K’un-Lun found Daniel and took him in. Daniel studied martial arts while growing up in K’un-Lun. At nineteen, Rand earned an opportunity to win the power of the Iron Fist by confronting Shou-Lao, whose power resided within a flaming brazier. Rand slew Shou-Lao, a feat no other warrior had accomplished, and plunged his hands into the brazier, imbuing himself with the mystic energy of the Iron Fist.

Lucas finally realised how his criminal actions were hurting his family and so sought to better himself as an adult.

However, Lucas is later framed and incarcerated. In prison, Dr. Noah Burstein recruited Carl Lucas as a volunteer for experimental cell regeneration based on a variant of the Super-Soldier Serum.

During the experimentation, one of the prison guards misuses the experiment’s

controls hoping to maim or kill Lucas. As a result Lucas’ treatment was accelerated beyond its intent, inducing body-wide enhancement that gave him superhuman strength and durability. He used his new power to escape prison and return to New York, where a chance encounter with criminals inspired him to use his new powers for profit thus launching a career as a Hero for Hire under the alias Luke Cage.

Jessica Jones was riding in a car with her family when they collided with a military convoy carrying radioactive chemicals. Her family was killed and, after spending several months in a coma, she was placed in foster care and adopted by the Jones family. Months later she awoke and later discovered

that her radiation exposure granted her super strength, limited invulnerability, and flight. The Joneses re-enrolled Jessica at Midtown High where she witnessed a fight between Spider-Man and the villain Sandman in her own class. This inspired her, in a way she cannot put into words, to use her abilities in a positive light.

IRON FIST

LUKE CAGE

JESSICA JONES

ENTERTAINMENT FILM & TV

WILL THE DAY OF THE DOCTOR BE RECORDED IN HISTORY? Or should it be crossed off the ledger? James Ayles investigates And so, it came to pass. After, well, 50 years all told, of waiting, Saturday 23rd November finally saw Doctor Who return to our screen in a truly unprecedented whirl of hype and anticipation. Following in the wake of weeks of documentaries, trailers, teasers and the superlative ‘An Adventure in Space and Time’ drama recounting the early days of Doctor Who, 77 million viewers worldwide tuned in. Ostensibly focusing upon an impossible day, the Day of the Doctor, this jaunt promised to be an epic, enthralling tale of the Doctor in his darkest moment, and in truth, seemed in danger of being unable to live up to the unbelievable levels of expectation.

Yet, looking back, could it have ever been anything but a spectacular success? With many loyal Whovians expressing the first signs of disgruntlement following a relatively disappointing series in early 2013, this anniversary special was perhaps the perfect riposte.

Featuring three wildly different and fantastically diverse representations of the titular character, Doctor Who tore across time and space like never before, crossing between the dystopian, epic vistas of the Time War and the rustic surrounding of 16th century England with abandon. Based largely around the long-teased premise of the identity of John Hurt’s Doctor and his actions during the Time War, this offered the perfect setting for some early titanic battle scenes, ensuring this episode arrived with a bang.

Showrunner Steven Moffat steered this episode, perhaps the single biggest moment of his career to date,

with trademark and characteristic flair, imbuing the script with remarks and quips so typical of Matt Smith’s soon-todepart Doctor, and reigniting the mercurial presence of David Tennant’s Doctor with effortless ease. Yet he also added new, unexpected elements that kept his audience guessing and counter-guessing right up until the final few moments; the unforgettable cameo of Tom Baker in the closing moments was a touching moment that bridged perfectly the past with a seemingly bright future for televisions longest running Sci-Fi show. The muchanticipated return, of Tennant alongside the irrepressible Matt Smith and John Hurt’s War Doctor completed what many considered to be the perfect line-up, and allowed for seemingly endless in-jokes and Who-Universe references to flow throughout. Whilst the abundance of throwback moments and self-deprecating jokes seemed to take precedence over any semblance of a true plot, this was a night where celebration and remembrance of what many believe to be “the greatest show on earth” took centre stage.

This was a celebration of 50 years that has redefined family drama and created an institution Perhaps one of the more surprising elements of the evening was the primary villains of the piece. Having not featured since their only previous appearance in a 1975 serial, the rubbery, shape shifting Zygons proved an interesting choice of villain for this particular caper.

They offered a sinister and mysterious presence for the opening hour, although they were admittedly discarded the moment the story moved on to the larger themes at work, themes that seem certain to dictate the future direction of Doctor Who when it returns. This is not to say the 50th Anniversary special was without flaws; it seemed to fall foul of its own grandness at times, the plot

twisting and shifting more than necessary, at times too confused for its own good. The idea of Gallifrey being swiftly destroyed and undestroyed very almost got the better of me. The casting of Joanne Page as Queen Elizabeth I seemed a little overwrought. And, though I don’t expect this to be a universal view, it often seemed that the inclusion of Billie Piper as what was effectively a totally new character, that of that the conscience of super-weapon The Moment, was done simply for the sake of it. Whilst she was undoubtedly magnificent, most particularly her scenes with John Hurt’s morally-anguished Doctor, her inclusion was perhaps needlessly obscure, if wonderfully compelling.

Whilst this 50th Anniversary special will by no means win awards for its subtlety of script, or quality as a single piece of drama, to judge it on these facets alone is to miss the whole purpose of this episode and the joy of Doctor Who as a whole. This was a celebration of 50 years that has redefined family drama, that has created an institution and legacy that surpasses, yet it is forever indebted to all the individuals that have contributed to it over the decades. If ever the old cliché of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts rings true, then it is in this instance; not just the three marvellous Doctors on show here, but each and every actor that has and will inhabit the role over the years. Indeed, Peter Capaldi’s Thirteenth Doctor was given the briefest of debuts here and judging from the menacing glint in his eyes, the story of the Doctor promises to continue far beyond this Anniversary and long into the future. Long may it continue.

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‘TIS THE SEASON FOR ENDLESS REPEATS:

FILMS FOR THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT

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What makes Christmas Christmas? For a lot of people it’s the turkey, the trimmings, and the cranberry sauce. It’s the uncle you hate and the relative whose defining characteristic is the amount of money you find in whatever tacky card they decide to send out this year.

Yet even though we seem to be decided on what constitutes a Christmas song (Fairytale of New York, anybody?), Christmas films are far more controversial. Home Alone, sure. And nobody’s going to dispute Love Actually, but Die Hard?

So we’ve all pitched in and curated a list of our favourite Christmas films - even if they’re not really Christmas films - because I’d argue shit TV and re-runs of Elf make Christmas Christmas just as much as cranberry sauce.

When I told my girlfriend about this article she was excited to hear about my choice … until I answered with Toy Story. She immediately denounced my suggestion, branding it “not a Christmas film”. I disagree. Ok, it is not explicitly a Christmas film; it is not about Christmas, it is not set at Christmas but it does make me laugh, cheery and feel good, and that is what a Christmas film should be about.

When we were younger we would get toys for

Not only does Home Alone epitomize Christmas, it epitomizes the childhood dream. Don’t try and tell me you didn’t imagine yourself building traps from the top to the bottom of your house in the hope that you’d catch some bad guys, or that being left on your own for more than 3 hours didn’t seem like the most exciting thing ever.

No, this movie is what every child wanted

TOY STORY

Christmas and we all wondered what happened when our backs were turned. Toy Story follows the exploits and antics of a loveable group of toys who do in fact come to life when unobserved.

Oh, and just to finish: all three Toy Story films premiered on TV on Christmas Day (Toy Story 3 will air this year). That must surely make it a Christmas film?

Charlie Andrews

HOME ALONE

and more, because it just so happens that little Kevin McAllister found himself Home Alone over the holidays. Sure, his parents were maxin’ and relaxin’ in Paris, but did Kevin care? Never. He had the house to himself and no one could tell him what to do.

Charlie Mock

DIE HARD I hate films with a message; they reek of Oscar-bait, a self-congratulatory smirk on behalf of the director. It’s why I love the action genre, chief of which is Die Hard, one of the only Christmas films to use international terrorism as a major plot point (but think of how fantastic Home Alone V could be). The antagonist is a German Alan Rickman, the protagonist a New York cop (Bruce Willis) who, for budgetary reasons, must resolve a hostage crisis in LA, wearing two vests and no shoes.

People are thrown from rooftops, bodies are rigged with explosives, and Deeno sings Let it Snow over the credits.

If, in this hour and a half of BRILLIANCE, there is a message, it seems to be Merry Christmas, motherfucker.

Jimmy Dunne

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ENTERTAINMENT FILM & TV A CHRISTMAS CAROL: THE MUSICAL

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This amazing musical is composed by Alan Menken, the genius behind Disney films like Hercules, the Little Mermaid, and Beauty and The Beast.

Though the three ghosts are really tacky, the child actors were all clearly casted for their singing rather than their acting, and the spectacle of the chorus dance numbers are diminished by having it captured in film, it’s the classic story and the

trademark Menken-melodic, catchy songs that make this such a satisfying film to watch.

If you’re a lover of deeply cerebral films, then perhaps this movie will only be a weird fringe cultural phenomenon; but otherwise, this is an innocently feel-good film for anyone to enjoy.

Sum Sze Tam

MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET

A clichéd choice perhaps, sometimes derided for its saccharine and sentiment, whilst in other areas criticised for not living up to the 1947 original. But, between the ebullient, eternal optimism of young Marie Wilson and the twinkling, effervescence of Richard Attenborough’s Santa Clause, this film to me does epitomise the true spirit of Christmas. The triumph of an admittedly photogenic and loveable popular figure over cynicism and greed with the aid of a little girl is a transcendental tale that will

always ring true to the young child in all of us. In contrast to the all-out action of the Great Escape or Arnold Schwarzenegger’s version of Christmas cheer, Miracle on 34th Street, to me, is a wonderful, easy modern retelling that encapsulates Christmas and reminds us, in between colossal dinners and the inevitable bickering amongst siblings, what the true values of Christmas really are.

I think I like The Grinch because he is the personification of myself in winter. I don’t want to go outside, I don’t want to be battered

by Christmas shoppers and I don’t enjoy watching all the mushy couples buying each other gifts. It’s too cold for any of that.

But even if you do enjoy the Christmas spirit Dr Seuss’ tale is a brilliant way to spend an evening with the family and have a laugh. Like all good Dr Seuss stories it’s got some meaty

messages about acceptance and consumerism but don’t worry, you can enjoy it without having to concentrate on the symbolism.

All in all, Jim Carrey does a fantastic job in his golden era of comedy and it’s a film everyone can enjoy.

James Ayles

THE GRINCH

Sophie Lodge

It’s Christmas and the Sami inhabitants of a tiny village bordering the Korvatunturi mountain in Lapland are facing a grim reality.

While American geologists dig in the distance, searching for a lost treasure worth millions o’bucks, the people below face a fruitless festive season in this dark antiChristmas film that laughs in the face of the saccharine smothered stereotypes inhabiting our screens.

Pietari, the primary-school-aged protagonist, looks mournfully at his Father over the pitiful portion of gingerbread cookies laid before him in the guise of an evening meal. ‘Is this all we’re having?’ he asks.

Meanwhile, the reindeer are dying en masse in mysterious ways. Radiators are being ripped from the walls and potatoes separated from sacks stolen by an invisible thief with a strange motive.

Then, the children start to vanish.

Rare Exports delves into the mythology of the Finnish Santa, who, far from his jolly bulbous-bellied twin, takes form in a satanic creature who captures and punishes the naughty. The Americans have stumbled upon his burial ground beneath the depths, unleashing terror as he, alongside his devilish elves, awake from their icy slumber.

Pietari staples his advent calendar shut, terrified of what awaits as the build up to Christmas descends into hell.

This premise of this film is deeply unnerving but director Jalamari Helander’s execution is breathtaking and highly original, laced with the kind of surrealist dark humor only the Scandinavians can pull off. The blatant mockery made of the consumerist nature of the season acts as a sideline to dilute the pure horror, making it an achingly apt choice for the Scrooge we all know. Aimee-Lee Abraham

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CINEMA REVIEWS

MORE ONLINE:

DIRECTOR: Francis Lawrence SCREENPLAY: Simon Beaufoy Michael Arndt STARRING: Jennifer Lawrence Josh Hutcherson Liam Hemsworth STUDIO: Color Force BUDGET: $130m REVIEWER: Mark Williams

CATCHING FIRE

The sequel to the surprise 2012 hit begins with the return of Katniss Everdeen, who is now suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, and the same dystopian world now on the edge of rebellion.

The malicious President Snow seeks to put an end to growing tensions, and more importantly put an end to Katniss, who has become a symbol of hope for the rebellious. Enter new head gamesmaker Heavensbee, who devises the 75th annual Hunger Games, whereby the contestants are chosen from the victors of the previous games.

There, Snow and Heavensbee hope, Katniss will meet her maker.

There is a central flaw in the film: it is incredibly similar to the first. However,

THE FAMILY

4/5

seeing as though the film is based on the books, it is hardly the filmmakers’ fault. The film is still engaging, thrilling and shocking. Let us not forget, this is a film about kids killing kids to the bitter end (all within the 12A remit of course).

Where the film truly excels is the performances. Stanley Tucci, Lenny Kravitz and Elizabeth Banks add sterling support, and Donald Sutherland is suitably menacing as the President. Phillip Seymor Hoffman bizarrely looks like he has just walked in to say a few lines, yet still brings a chill to the proceedings.

But it is Jennifer Lawrence that is the true standout. Fresh from winning an Oscar, she delivers a performance that makes the audience care what happens to its lead character, something of a rarity for similar film franchises.

3/5

Based on the novel by Tonino Benaquista and directed by Luc Besson, The Family centers around a mafia family sent to Normandy by the witness protection program.

Filmed in picturesque Gacé and Le Sap, with a star-studded cast featuring Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer and Tommy Lee Jones, it’s hard to see where the movie could go wrong. And for the first forty minutes, you could be convinced that De Niro had returned to his mob-movie roots. Action fans are treated to a series of bloody and humerous incidents (often a mixture of both) as the unconventional family attempt to integrate into the stereotypical rural French neighbourhood. Yet the mid-section of the movie falls a little flat, as it shifts to focus more on their personal lives. This felt like a half-hearted attempt to make the family of socio-paths more relatable, which merely succeeded in disrupting the pace of the film as a whole, particularly since there was then another jarring change of tone as the film ramped back up again for the explosive, trigger-happy denouement.

While I’m not rushing out to see this one again, if you’re a Scorsese fan, a certain ten minute segment makes The Family definitely worth a watch.

Holly Marsh

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ENTERTAINMENT FILM & TV “...his chameleonic ability to transform and immerse himself has cemented his place as one of the shining talents in Hollywood...”

DIRECTOR: Joseph Gordon-Levitt SCREENPLAY: Joseph Gordon-Levitt STARRING: Joseph Gordon-Levitt Scarlett Johansson Julianne Moore STUDIO: Hit Record Films BUDGET: $6m

REVIEWER: Imran Bukhari

DON JON

The opening scenes of Don Jon lets the audience know exactly what to expect, with a flashy bombardment of sexual imagery, followed by a salvo of explicit scenes. This film definitely isn’t for the faint hearted. The movie follows the title character Jon as he goes about his life in a repetitive and robotic manner. He spends time with his family and friends. He takes good care of his flat and car. He goes to the gym and to church. He also spends his nights at clubs taking a different girl home like a contemporary Don Juan. The only problem is that it isn’t enough for him… He is addicted to online pornography. It takes the arrival of Barbara played by Scarlett Johansson to provide him with the possibility of breaking this habitual cycle. However she herself carries a lofty level of expectation from her new boyfriend, having been brain washed by romantic comedies. The film soon develops into much more than just a humorous version of Shame and becomes an entirely new beast; delving into the psyche of modern relationships and examining how the media affects our concept of love.

Credit lies in the tight and concise script for not ramming this message down

PAIN AND GAIN

Sitting down to watch Pain & Gain I must admit it wasn’t my first choice of film to watch on a Saturday evening but unfortunately I owed the boyfriend a favour. I wasn’t expecting anything more than a few cheap “lad” jokes and some seriously ‘roided up and slightly past their time actors in Michael Bay’s first big film since the Transformers trilogy.

However I did honestly enjoy the action/ comedy hybrid which is based loosely upon the real kidnapping, torture and murder of numerous targets by a group of body builders.

Mark Wahlberg stars as a working class personal trainer in a rundown gym in Miami who grows envious of his wealthy clients. Recruiting the help of fellow gym goers (Dwayne Johnson & Anthony Mackie) Wahlberg devises a plot to kidnap a client, steal all their assets and get rich quick, but like everything in Hollywood, this doesn’t quite go to plan. Along the way the cast deliver some genuinely funny lines and scenarios, but to my disbelief it’s Johnson’s character who steals the show: the naïve Christian

4/5

your throat. Instead this is a confident, zingy and funny directorial debut that has just enough substance to make you think once you’ve left the cinema. The only negative is that the ending is slightly forced and a much braver route could have been explored. Nevertheless Joseph Gordon-Levitt proves that he is capable of pulling off the triple threat of starring, directing and writing his own movie with consummate ease. His performance as the Jersey Shore lothario makes an extremely unlikable character on paper somehow relatable on screen; allowing the viewer to fully support him on his road to redemption. Gordon-Levitt does have rom-com form with 10 Things I Hate About You and 500 Days Of Summer.

However his career has evolved dramatically over the last few years and he has now truly emerged; demonstrating his acting chops playing a young Bruce Willis in Looper, a cancer sufferer in 50/50 and invading people’s dreams in Inception. His chameleonic ability to transform and immerse himself into a wide range of roles is once again evident in Don Jon and he has cemented his place as one of the shining talents in Hollywood.

3/5

produces the most laughs, and is a surprising example of the film’s impressive acting.

The film contrasts the traditional action/comedy film by using interesting and creative camera angles and digital techniques which heighten the visual experience of the film, giving it a slightly ‘indie’ feel. Sadly the excessive use of violence which is demonstrated in the action scenes counteracts the variation from the norm in the filmography and affiliates the film with any other muscle centred blood fest. Furthermore the humour in the film becomes more stereotypical and relies on ‘black guy jokes’ towards the end of the film, in what seems like a desperate bid to frame the film as a mainstream comedy.

In conclusion, Pain & Gain is a good “one time film”; enjoyable to watch the first time but a second viewing would leave me reaching for bejewelled on my iPhone.

Kathryn Lewis

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BACK TO THE FUTURE JACK GLASSCOCK takes a look at the reunion culture of the modern music industry: is it shameless money-grabbing or a second chance for fans?

It seems to have become a trend in recent years for bands to reunite and embark on comeback tours for an array of reasons and with varying degrees of success. You don’t have to look far to see these reunions taking place; the recent announcement of selfproclaimed supergroup McBusted for instance. Or just look down the list of the recent and upcoming shows at the Students’ Union in Cardiff which includes The Darkness, The Stranglers and Blue.

To begin with, one has to consider what really constitutes a reunion. Does a band have to have disbanded in the first place for their reassembly to be deemed a ‘reunion’? Or, could a band just remain inactive for a slightly prolonged period of time and ‘reunite’ in a dramatic fashion? To use an example of a band that recently graced the stage of The Great Hall at Cardiff University, The Darkness are band that never actually broke up. Frontman Justin Hawkins left the band in 2006 after falling into a vicious circle of drugs and alcohol, forming another project in the form of Hot Leg after a stint in rehab. However, five years later The Darkness returned to the scene with their original line up, billed as a ‘reunion’.

Is this really a reunion considering they never officially disbanded? Or would it be more appropriate to call it a ‘comeback’? Especially given that they went on to produce a third album. They came back, rather than merely reunite for a one-off show.

The word ‘reunion’ is also one that holds with it several connotations.

Initially a reunion would simply imply a group getting back together, having split up. However, it could also be cynically suggested that the word ‘reunion’ also implies a group cashing in on a single tour in which they perform their greatest hits in a lacklustre fashion, before promptly disbanding again. Desperate acts like 5ive and S Club 7 spring to mind, reforming and disbanding on more than one occasion, both struggling to achieve anywhere near the same success as they once had; even struggling to bring the number of

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members that their respective names promise - 5ive become Four, S Club 7 become 3.

This would make term ‘comeback’ a far more optimistic and commendable one. A term which implies a group reuniting for more than just one show, or one tour, but to actually produce more music and attempt to be just as good

group. Whatever your opinion on Take That is, they have contributed a great deal to music in general since their comeback; a more worthwhile venture that just a ‘reunion’.

Therefore, the next question that begs to be discussed is: are the majority of artists getting back together for the right reasons?

Are acts reforming

Bands are now breaking up in the knowledge that they will get back together as they ever were, or even surpass their previous success. A good example of a group with this mindset can be seen in 90s boy band Take That. Having disbanded in 1996, the boys reunited in 2005 along with a new album, and went on to become undeniably more successful - with over eight million album sales and eight sold out dates at Wembley Stadium, are considerably more credible than they ever were.

They are now heralded as the world’s greatest ‘Man Band’ that produce some of the most faultless pop music in contemporary music, rather than the homoerotic boyband they once were in the 1990s. They are almost a new

because they’re a bit low on cash and fancy a holiday? There are several acts that appear to be guilty of the aforementioned ‘cash-in’ tour. Prime examples would be the pop groups that reformed to take part in the ‘The Big Reunion’ documentary on ITV2, which was followed by a comeback show. Acts that took part included the likes of 5ive, Atomic Kitten and Liberty X; all acts that hoping to relive their 1990s heyday and most likely looking for the hefty payslip waiting for them at the end of the ‘comeback’ show above everything else. It is striking that it was billed as a ‘comeback’ show which suggests more activity from the groups

involved, even though it was also, somewhat paradoxically, explicitly said to be a ‘one-off’ show. This would further illustrate that these pop acts that are still stuck in the past, a few decades behind the rest of the planet, were in fact only on the hunt for a cheque rather than to actually ‘comeback’ and reunite as the title of their tour and the documentary would suggest.

Although this is what people would expect from these manufactured pop groups, they are not the only ones that are guilty of searching for the financial benefits. The band who spring to mind would never have been expected to reform, and especially not just for the money – Sex Pistols. The instigators of the British punk movement in 1977, the epitome of the metaphorical ‘two fingers’ to society. They reformed for the appropriately titled ‘Filthy Lucre’ tour.

How could they of all people reform for such a lowly reason? Especially after adamant claims that they could never get back together due to the death of bassist, Sid Vicious. However, this ‘cash in’ was arguably almost justified, made acceptable because of The Sex Pistols refreshing attitude towards it.

They made no effort whatsoever to hide

ENTERTAINMENT MUSIC THREE OF THE BEST

the true reason for the reformation. In addition to the extraordinarily arrogant tour title, Johnny Rotten stated that the band had finally “found a common cause, and that’s your money”. In a sense they were still standing by what they always had done; doing what you wanted when you wanted, for your own reasons and not caring to what anyone else thought of that. Very punk, but does it make it right?

Whether or not Sex Pistols’s ‘Filthy Lucre’ tour was morally acceptable, if they could do it, then why couldn’t anyone else - surely no act is too credible to reform if Sex Pistols did? Does any band ever really mean that they’re breaking up when they call it a day?

Even if they explicitly say that they will never reform under any circumstance, in reality, every man has their price. For instance, Refused - arguably the Sex Pistols of their generation. Refused are a band that defined a new genre of punk with their seminal and self-aware 1998 album ‘The Shape Of Punk To Come’.

After their break-up in the same year they released to the a statement in the form of the open letter entitled ‘Refused Are Fucking Dead’, which seemed to strongly suggest that they never intended to get back together. But, lo and behold, given the chance to make some money over a decade later, they reunite. But again, is this so wrong? Although Refused also have no intention of producing any more material, a whole new generation of people have the opportunity to see a hugely influential band.

There is even room to argue that bands are now breaking up with the knowledge that they will get back together. For instance, recently disbanded My Chemical Romance gave dubiously vague reasons for their break up. This could suggest that they didn’t really have a reason other than to hope that they’ll be more popular when they announce their inevitable comeback tour, given their downward trajectory in the few years prior. However, this logic has served certain other acts well recently. For example, another act guilty of breaking up with the knowledge of a reformation in the not so distant future would be Fall Out Boy; a band that

announced their dissolution in 2009, only to reunite in 2013. However, given time apart they clearly gathered some wider influence and returned with a brilliant album unlike anything they had produced before. Would they have ever released an album this eclectic and brilliant if they didn’t disband? Or is it still unfair to toy with fans like this?

Would it be more appropriate to just state that you’re taking ‘a considerable amount of time’ out, like Mumford And Sons did recently? Although the length of time is vague, the meaning is clear for all of their expectant fans, the band will be back to make mus The expectation of new material upon reformation is also a discussion point.

New material could be what proves a reunion to be genuine, rather than a quest for cash. It also separates nostalgia acts from bands that still have things to offer. For instance, Black Sabbath recently staged a comeback with their original line up and embarked on a worldwide tour after the release of their well-received comeback album with Ozzy, ‘13’. This made clear that Sabbath meant business and were serious about a ‘comeback’ rather than a meagre ‘reunion’. Having said this, there are bands such as Rage Against The Machine and Fleetwood Mac that reunite with no intention of recording new material, content with just reuniting and it works brilliantly. They granted fans the chance to see them which would have otherwise been impossible. They came back, played just as hard as they ever did and reaffirmed their musical reverence.

There are a whole host of reasons why any group may stage a reunion ranging from the moral and credible to the arguably immoral and purely nostalgic.

However, this is not to say that any reunion is necessarily more worthwhile that any other. As long as they come back with good intentions and give the fans what they want, whether that be one unbelievable show for those that have never seen them, a new album for those who think they have more to give, or a full on comeback for those that are eager for more. A reunion needs to have a point to be anything worthwhile.

MCBUSTED Short of Harry Styles offering himself up for a worldwide succession of kissing booths, a McFly and Busted collaboration is probably at the top of the majority of teenage girls’ wish lists. Not only have McBusted managed to sell out a nine-date tour in a matter of minutes, increase it to 32 dates and get on Backstreet Boys’ radar (‘It sounds like a McDonalds sandwich’), the now-sextet provided one of Children In Need’s most anticipated performances to date. The impending success is inevitable because, let’s be honest, who wouldn’t want to hear ‘What I Go To School For’ and ‘Five Colours In Her Hair’ back to back?

TAKE THAT Not many bands have done ‘the reunion’ to be met by the success that Take That have. Scratch that, none have. Sure, Robbie isn’t the most reliable of the 90’s boyband that stole the hearts of millions across the globe, but what does that matter when the four remaining members have secured over 20 awards since their 2006 rebirth? Hits like ‘Patience’ and ‘Rule The World’ stormed the charts and continue to receive airtime at Christmas parties across the country. You can say what you like about Gary and his backing band but when all is said and done, they really are back for good.

BLINK 182 Blink-182 have governed the adolescence of millions. Whether it was ‘Enema of the State’ or ‘Take Off Your Pants and Jacket’ that provided the backing track to your summer, the presence of Travis, Mark and Tom was undoubtedly felt at some point. The hype that surrounded their 2010 UK reunion tour was unrivalled, nor was the disappointment that followed when the run of shows was rescheduled to allow for the completion of comeback album ‘Neighborhoods’. Despite this, support for the trio was unwavering and continues to be so; clearly, Blink’s pop-punk influence is no small thing.

Via Charlie Mock

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BRIGHT LIGHTS. BIG CITY.

HAS CARDIFF GOT WHAT IT TAKES?

There’s a lot more to the Welsh music scene than Tom Jones. Cardiff is a hotbed for both up-andcoming and long-standing talent, but does anyone know it? Should more be done to showcase everything Wales has to offer? We looked into the matter and spoke to future stars to find out if we’re getting enough of what’s new…pussycat.

When talking about the Welsh music scene there are two events that immediately spring to mind: the Welsh Music Prize and Swn Festival. If you caught last month’s issue of Quench then you’ll already know that Swn festival is at the forefront of showcasing the wealth of talent in Wales. While not entirely featuring Welsh acts, it prides itself on a vast majority. This is far from limiting for Swn festival and the quality of the whole weekend is the best example of what Wales has to offer.

The Welsh Music Prize, now in its third year, is quickly becoming a huge part of promoting Welsh music and making the shortlist can do wonders for an artist’s future.

This year’s winner Georgia Ruth was virtually unheard of until winning but is now embarking on a UK tour next year.

Previous winners include Future of the Left, who recently released a well-received third album on their own label, and Welsh legend Gruff Rhys of Super Furry Animals fame.

We got a first-hand account from two of this year’s nominees of the Welsh Music Prize effect. Seasonal orchestral fivepiece Winter Villains and Welsh hip-hop producer Metabeats talked about their two very different experiences of being nominated within genres that are worlds apart: WV: “It meant a lot. Being nominated for awards is not something we’ve ever thought about, but being recognised as part of a very strong shortlist was an honour. To be included alongside the likes of Neon Neon, Trwbador and Euros Childs was a bit overwhelming. I think it’s an excellent way to draw attention to music in Wales.”

M: “I’m very grateful to have been considered for the prize, however I will still keep the same mentality and approach to what I do, and I can assure you I would have the same thoughts if I had won the prize.”

Winter Villians spoke about how Cardiff’s culture encourages the formation of new bands: “Wales has always had a strong cultural heritage and modern-day Cardiff is a very diversely creative city. It’s a very self-sufficient community, with loads of creative people running labels, as well as others putting on gigs, hosting festivals and generally getting involved. It’s a vibrant and creatively healthy place to be.

That said, while Winter Villains saw a relatively quick and easy rise to the level they are at today, this was not Josef and Faye’s first musical venture. It took years of making connections in the Welsh music industry before Winter Villains were able to get sufficiently represented to achieve what is still regrettably a relatively low level of fame. Josef described their struggle: “We’ve both played in bands for years and at times in the past it certainly felt like trying to find your way in the dark. But we just kept making and playing music and following our ideas. Along the way we came across great producers, great musicians, and talented friends from other art forms who all helped out massively.

By the time we started Winter Villains, I think we had learnt

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from those years.”

Metabeats was able to give an insight into the little-reported world of Welsh hip-hop. Artists within this genre admittedly are few and far between and Metabeats was faced with a struggle unparalleled by most other emerging genres in Wales: “There was no industry down here. But what it did do was keep us focused on what we enjoyed as there was fuck all else to do around our way. You could go walk the streets, get into some trouble, or stay indoors and write raps or make beats.

“Starting off was kind of weird as up until, say, ’99-2000 a lot of the people I was rapping with had never heard much UK hip hop, so we still sounded like little snot-nosed Americans. Then we watched a documentary that featured the likes of Skeme, Rodney P, Ty and Task Force. That showed us another side to the music and was definitely a pivotal moment for us all. Our approach changed towards writing and recording tracks. It also made us feel more comfortable rapping in our own accents.”

Metabeats is doing more to support new hip-hop artists than anyone before him Metabeats is unique in that, while finding his feet in an almost untouched genre in Wales, he is also doing more to support new hip-hop artists than anyone before him. Through the features on his tracks he is giving some much-needed support to Welsh MCs and giving them a break difficult to come by in such a rare genre for Wales: he’s certainly one to watch for the future.

It is clear that Wales has no shortage of musical talent and its culture is ideally suited to promoting that, but what else is being done other than the two annual events to ensure that this talent isn’t left unheard? The Horizons Scheme is at the forefront of ensuring that this doesn’t happen. Set up recently ahead of WOMEX 13 (The World Music Expo), Horizons is a UK-wide collection of organisations. The Welsh section incorporates The Arts Council of Wales, Cerdd Cymru: Music Wales, Wales Arts International and Welsh Music Foundation, working together to help showcase and support up-and-coming Welsh artists. Welsh Music Prize winner Georgia Ruth is just one example of what is set to be many success stories helped by the project, promising a bright future for the Welsh music scene.

The Cardiff music scene is one that has seen an incredible rate of growth over the last few years and one that is set to continue growing with the help of schemes such as Horizons, events such as Swn and The Welsh Music Prize and labels such as Barely Regal and Associated Minds. If there’s one thing to be seen by the juxtaposition of Metabeats and Winter Villains, it’s that Cardiff is embedded in a culture which favours certain genres over others. Metabeats is a perfect example of how this can and is being changed. So, if you weren’t already aware, keep a look out: there’s a lot more to Wales than meets the eye. Henry Boon

ENTERTAINMENT MUSIC

BEST OF CARDIFF IN FORMATION Tom Connick spoke to ambient producer Ed Watson about taking his first steps into Cardiff's renowned music scene How did In Formation come about?

I think the idea behind ‘in formation’ came about halfway through my first year of Uni. I had played in a number of bands before and was hoping I could start another one up on my arrival, but alas I had no mates or people willing to write with me. So as such, I purchased a Mac and some audio equipment and began writing in Talybont South. It was this point, by falling in love with electronic music (especially that of the ambient variety), when I decided to do something I hadn’t previously attempted. As for the name, that’s kind of a long story. But the short story is that I was in a lecture and I accidentally left a gap between ‘in’ and ‘formation’ when trying to write the word ‘information’.

Do you have plans to go live, or is this strictly a bedroom thing?

In the next few months I plan to get some sample pads, maybe a nice analogue synth and Ableton Live to perform a few of my songs live. But my problem is that, as a lot of my songs are comprised of many layers, I’m hesitant about merely whacking on a backing track and then proceeding to sing a few lines. I personally think that the aesthetics of this just aren’t interesting enough for a live setup - I might as well just put on the recorded track and leave. But for now I think it’ll have to do until I meet some other people that would be interested in joining the ‘ambient chillax’ clan.

Are there many opportunities for smaller producers such as yourself in or around Cardiff?

So far there hasn’t been anything that has struck me, but that’s probably because I only uploaded my first E.P a month ago and haven’t played a gig yet. But recently, I’ve started sending some of my songs to a few radio stations and music blogs. In fact, I was very lucky to get a response from BBC Radio Wales’ Adam Walton who opened his new music show with my song ‘Welcome Home’ recently. As someone that’s only ever played at a village hall in a band, this was a pretty cool moment for me.

You recently released debut EP ‘Summerlancholia’.

What lies ahead?

I have a load of songs stored on my laptop that I’m waiting to finish. My problem is that I’m never really happy with my music, and I think that’s probably down to the fact that my knowledge of audio production spans back just over a couple of years, which in the grand scheme of things is not much time at all.

Hopefully I’ll have another EP uploaded around January, but for now I’m going to continue considering the multiple ways I could perform ‘Summerlancholia’ live. I’d also love to see if anyone wants to remix anything I’ve uploaded too. Remixes are wicked, and given that I have no monetary incentives at the moment, it might be a nice way for people to come find the original tracks.

LOCAL SPOTLIGHT

JEALOUS LOVERS CLUB

Jealous Lovers Club are promoters of live music in Cardiff, Newport and London. They aim to bring audiences a broad spectrum of music with math rock at one end and indie at the other. When it comes to the local scene in the Welsh capital, Jealous Lovers Club frequently hosts nights at the iconic Clwb Ifor Bach, as well as getting involved with events and shows throughout the calendar year.

Early next year, the Cardiff-based company are hosting Neck Deep at Clwb Ifor Bach, and in the past the promoters have put on shows featuring everyone from Playlounge and Tall Ships to Dinosaur Pile Up. The Jealous Lovers Club was created with the intention of bringing high-quality live music events to the city and since their inception they have strived to book quality international acts.

The hard part for any promoter is deciding how to go about informing potential audiences that a show is happening. Jealous Lovers Club try to tell as many people as possible through as many media as possible, be it by handing out flyers, using social media platforms or

word-of-mouth. One look at their Twitter page is enough to prove how popular their nights are (with a thousand followers and counting).

This year the Jealous Lovers Club raised their profile even higher by getting fully involved with Swn Fest for the first time. Every October the festival takes over Cardiff’s city centre, and for Friday’s proceedings the Club hosted their very own stage at Four Bars. They also saw three of the acts they manage make the line-up this year in the form of Radstewart, Samoans and Kutosis. This is a massive achievement for the promoters, who are still a relatively young company.

Despite being established less than two years ago, Jealous Lovers Club are now an integral part of the Cardiff music scene.

Bringing us everything from the latest poppunkers to intricate indie acts, Jealous Lovers Club host something for every audience. It is this inclusive outlook that sets their live nights apart.

India Thomas

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LIVE REVIEWS

MORE ONLINE:

THE DARKNESS • SOLUS • NOV 17 Time hasn’t been kind to The Darkness. The anthemic yet tongue-in-cheek hard rock of debut album ‘Permission to Land’ saw them become superstars instantly. Since their reunion in 2011, they haven’t seemed to maintain the success they once had, this current UK tour being in a lot smaller venues than the arenas they were once used to. It seems appropriate after how successful ‘Permission to Land’ was that tonight they are playing the 10-year-old album in full.

Supporting are The River 68s, whose acoustic-led sound is a contrast to The Darkness’ AC/DC-inspired riffing, but some impressive falsetto vocals must have made The Darkness proud listening backstage. Up next are Derbyshire emo-rockers LostAlone, who get the crowd singing and clapping along. Lead vocalist/guitarist Steven Battelle’s Monsters Inc. jacket is a hint at some of the amusing attire to be worn later in the evening.

Opening with an assortment of B-sides, tracks from two most recent studio albums and brand new song ‘The Horn’, The

Darkness manage to triumph over technical difficulties to give tonight’s crowd a very entertaining rock show. Lead singer Justin Hawkins manages to keep everyone entertained through lesserknown tracks, staying true to his promise to give an audience member £100 from his wallet when he sees them singing along to B-side ‘Curse of the Tolland Man’. ‘Permission to Land’ comes towards the end of the set, with hits like ‘I Believe in a Thing Called Love’ alongside some well-received album tracks showing that for all their ridiculousness, The Darkness certainly have some great songs to back it up. Through Hawkins’ pink catsuit, crowdsurfing on a roadie’s shoulders and a cowbell descending from the ceiling for ‘One Way Ticket’, this is a show that displays every rock cliché there is, but that’s exactly what you’d want from The Darkness. Closing on an encore of the seasonal favourite ‘Christmas Time (Don’t Let the Bells End)’, this is a band that isn’t conquering the world any more, but they seem to be having too much fun to worry. Alec Evans

MIND FEST • VARIOUS • NOV 23 For over 65 years MIND have been committed to ensuring that those experiencing mental health problems receive the help and support they deserve. Local promoters God Is In The TV Zine, Rockpie and Red Medicine grouped together to organise MIND Fest - a two-day, four-stage showcase of local talent that put the charity under the spotlight.

Backed by quotations from well-known personalities who deal with mental health issues (think Stephen Fry), Third Party took to the surreptitious Four Bars stage. Despite facing a slightly thin-on-the-ground crowd, the quartet filled the room with their post-punk bass lines and ska overtones to the enjoyment of the few who had turned out.

My Name Is Ian, whose noise sounds a little like the result of Frank Turner disregarding his folk-punk progressions for something more like Morrissey on a good day, stole the show with their sharp lyrics and excessive reverb, managing to get

the room moving enough to fight off the numbness that had overcome punters due to the Arctic weather of the weekend’s proceedings.

R.Seiliog, moniker of Robin Edwards, gave a consistent set of hypnotic krautrock full of trance-like repetition and keys that reverberated in the upper octaves. Lyricless, Edwards and his band moved seamlessly between songs bringing an air of minimalism to the tiny underground setting that couldn’t have been more overflowing.

Welsh-singing soloist Gwenno took it down a notch with her melodic, synth-led pop providing just the level of calm that was required before Heavy Petting Zoo’ arrived with their headline set. The Swansea foursome brought the night to a close in the dingy-yet-homely basement that is Undertone. Gyrating, white tux-wearing dancer in tow, the ‘post-punk-garage-rock wet dream’ that is HPZ did not disappoint. Charlie Mock

STEREOPHONICS • MOTORPOINT • NOV 24 Rocking up in Cardiff for a three night stay at the Motorpoint, Stereophonics began their residency with a smashing twohour set.

Leading off the gig were openers Kitty, Daisy and Lewis, who hit on a nostalgic vibe with their swinging rock’n’roll, receiving a warm welcome. Set-up complete, the lights dropped again to prompt the main act; Stereophonics strutted onto the stage to kick off with the shouty ‘Catacomb’ from their latest album ‘Graffiti on the Train’. It was perhaps a surprising choice, but as a tone-setter it hit the spot and showed the band knows exactly what they’re doing on the live scene. Other new songs were less exceptional, the title track of that album is hardly their best work, and it seemed as if the crowd agreed.

Undoubtedly, everyone enjoyed the hits; ‘Maybe Tomorrow’ and set-closer ‘Dakota’ were terrific, with no expense spared as lasers, balloons, flames and the lot were pumped out to

Q 60

give a real sense of spectacle. A particular highlight was a delicious breakdown at the end of ‘The Bartender and the Thief’ accompanied by smoke streaming out from the stage and confetti covering a delighted audience.

Perhaps the best moments were Jones’ story-telling amongst the songs, the biggest cheer of the night followed a reminiscence of the band coming to Cardiff in their youth.

With mentions of landmarks such as Clwb Ifor Bach and Cardiff Arms Park, the lead-singer introduced a collection of songs from 1997, the year of their debut album. The roar back from the crowd as ‘A Thousand Trees’ sparked up was immense, and the feel of this being a true homecoming gig for the Glamorgan band was palpable- it was vividly clear that many of the fans there in 2013 had been there since the ‘90s- and the band did every one of them justice, a great performance. Marc Mayo

RECORD REVIEWS

ENTERTAINMENT MUSIC 4/5

LADY GAGA • ARTPOP

Lady Gaga’s career has always been one of the more intriguing in popular music. Calling her latest release ‘Artpop’ and describing it as “a celebration and a poetic musical journey” shows that Stefani Germanotta shows no signs of slowing ambitions. Lead single 'Applause' was a competent but not earth-shattering release, but the electropop of the chorus hinted at positive things from the album.

Despite always being seen in Madonna’s shadow to many, on her third release Lady Gaga manages to take on a number of new influences. From the Ennio Morricone-styled intro of opener 'Aura', to the Daft Punk influences in the chorus to 'Fashion!', it manages to have enough musical twists and turns to keep sounding interesting, whilst having enough memorable hooks and not experimenting too far to alienate fans

of previous releases. Honourable mentions go to the R. Kelly-assisted 'Do What You Want', perhaps Gaga’s catchiest since 'Just Dance' and the huge-sounding 'Mary Jane Holland'. On a less positive note, the amount of sexual themes border on overkill, neither 'Sexxx Dreams' nor MANiCURE leaving much to the imagination.

‘Artpop’ and “a poetic musical journey” are slightly pretentious ways of describing what is on display here and the album is not without weaker moments, but this is a very strong addition to the catalogue of one of the most interesting forces in mainstream pop.

Having hinted at the possibility of a sequel featuring more experimental material in future, the potential of this album suggests a very interesting future for Lady Gaga. Alec Evans

2/5

BLOOD ORANGE • CUPID DELUXE Devonté “Dev” Hynes came to the attention of the music press for being one third of the neon splattered dance-punk group Test Icicles. After Test Icicles split in 2006, Hynes went on to release two albums of orchestral and confessional folk-pop under the moniker of Lightspeed Champion, until 2011 when Hynes became Blood Orange and starting pushing a dark and moody conglomeration of 1980’s synth-funk and new wave.

'Cupid Deluxe' takes the formula that Blood Orange first synthesised in 2011’s 'Coastal Grooves' and exceeds it with a greatly expanded sonic palette and a host of varied guests. Opener 'Chamakay' is strong, with some tasteful percussion and thumb piano. Caribbean instrumentation is beautifully juxtaposed with the song’s minor vibe evoking a rainy day on a paradise beach. 'You’re Not Good Enough snubs a former lover over the top of a melancholic new wave track that pays homage to 'Tango in The Night' era

HAIL! THE PLANES • SEND A SIGNAL...

As the biting cold Cardiff winter descends 'Send a Signal to Me, Love' is the perfect soundtrack to a bleak frosty morning. The delicately beautiful sound of Hail! The Planes has further matured, cumulating in what feels like one single flowing piece full of swelling and falling emotion guided by the fragile and touching vocals of singer Holly Müller. The drawn out and carefully put together sound may not be for everyone, residing within the genre of what is essentially modern folk but the musical talent demonstrated by the Cardiff six-piece is undeniable and if this isn’t usually your thing this could well be the band that changes

Fleetwood Mac. Hynes is happy to hand over the spotlight to some of his guests, stopping his affectedly mawkish voice from wearing you down too much. On 'No Right Thing', Dirty Projectors’ David Longstreth gives a great performance with his exceptionally agile vocals.

Hynes’ talent lies in his ability to recreate the sonic signature of 1980’s pop music, though he seems unable to recreate the infectiously hooky song writing. Cupid Deluxe is dominated by some prosaic and uninspired compositional decisions: 'You’re Not Good Enough’s amateurish synth solo, 'Chosen’s corny saxophone solo and gospel choir section plus a slew of dated drum breaks; these features add nothing more than a kitschy “yuck factor”.

If you worship the likes of Prince (be that genuinely or ironically), pick up this album. However, those who aren’t enamoured with the plasticity of 80’s pop 'Cupid...’s campiness could induce cringing. Jac Jones

ENTER SHIKARI • RAT RACE

your mind.

Reminiscent of early Portishead in their raw emotion and cinematic sound H!TP are creating a lot of buzz and off the back of mesmerising festival performances and radio appearances This buzz is far from misplaced as H!TP represent a kind of musical story telling rarely showcased.

As Christmas deadlines loom ever nearer and stress levels are at an all-time high if nothing else Send a Signal... is the perfect EP to throw on, relax and float through that troublesome essay. Henry Boon

4/5

St Albans’ Enter Shikari have become one of the most acclaimed forces in modern rock with their electronic take on post-hardcore.

The final one of the band’s three singles released this year, Rat Race, is a song that gets straight to the action, with its hard-hitting intro riff recalling The Shape of Punk to Come-era Refused. The slightly progressive nature of this riff soon gives way to the more typical post-hardcore of the verses, with anthemic repeated chants of ‘They know what’s best for us’, the contrasting riff and shout-along verses managing to fit together well. Slight flourishes of

dubstep in the chorus and towards the end don’t work quite as well as electronic sounds incorporated into their music in the past, but overall, this track is one that is destined to go down a storm in the live environment. Having recently headlined London’s 10,000-capacity Alexandra Palace as part of Warped Tour UK, Rat Race’s lyrics ‘out to defeat everyone’ seem increasingly appropriate for this band and their continuing rise.

Alec Evans

3/5 61

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MOUNT KIMBIE Liam McNeilly caught up with Dominic Maker of the Brighton post-dubstep duo ahead of their Bristol Fleece show

Following the release of their second album ‘Cold Spring Fault Less Youth’, Mount Kimbie have found themselves on the road with a hectic touring schedule. Prior to their sold out show at The Fleece, Bristol, the band had flown in that afternoon having had their UK tour interrupted by a one off show in Dresden, Germany. The touring of their latest album has seen them play throughout Europe and in the United States, and will finish in the new year when they descend on Australia and New Zealand.

“Major cities are always great in America; we’ve been fortunate enough to build up a modest and solid fan base. The big change for us was in the smaller towns where a lot of the venues were kind of beaten up and the sound systems are crap. Although that could be frustrating it benefits us as a band in overcoming those sorts of challenges.”

“In Europe they have a lot more funding from governments and they tend to pump it in to music and culture and live venues benefit.

It’s always great playing on a massive sound system with amazing monitors but part of us will always love the small, sweaty clubs and rock venues that you get in the UK. There’s a sort of romance to it.”

The live shows that Dom reflects on would not have been possible without the release of their second album ‘Cold Spring Fault Less Youth’, an album that received consistently high praise from critics. Six months after its release, it’s a record that Dom continues to see in a different light.

“For us it was definitely more of a grower. I listen to it now and see it in different ways when I revisit it and I hope that’s the same for other people”.

The album saw the pair explore new sounds, experimenting with new instruments and equipment, something that they have worked hard to recreate live. “With Kai and myself it just got to a point that we just weren’t able to replicate our songs as we wanted to on stage.” This has seen them introduce a live drummer to their set up, something that Maker admits has taken some time to get right.

“It took a little while to adapt to. It’s been quite a fast transition.

We didn’t really have much rehearsal time and most of it has been done on stage and there have been a few hairy moments. Having Tony [Dom’s school friend] in on drums is a real bonus though. I’m really happy that we’ve got him in and he’s applying his own ideas as well which is awesome.”

Dom goes on to explain how the hurdle of developing their live arrangement was not the greatest challenge in writing the new

album. Following their largely instrumental debut ‘Crooks & Lovers’ in 2010, the introduction of more prominent vocals provided a fresh but challenging element to their sound. “We aren’t very comfortable in expressing to one another what we want to say in our music so sitting down to write lyrics together would just be out of the question. It was probably the biggest challenge of the album, because it wasn’t something that we’d done before to that extent.

We were worried that having lyrics would answer too many of the questions that were in the music before. For us it was important to keep a level of anonymity and leave questions unanswered as we have done before” Whilst Maker and bandmate Kai Campos prefer their music to be underpinned by a sense of mystery, the piercingly direct approach of collaborator King Krule - aka Archy Marshall - put the tracks on which he featured at the opposite end of the spectrum. “He got involved with us in terms of the direction of those tracks and it was very odd being around someone who has moments, which to us strike as moments of genius, all of the time. We turned the microphone on and he laid down the verse and it was done. It was strange being around someone like that because we’re constantly having lots of self-doubt and not sure where we are going with it. Archy knows what he wants. It’s quite rare these days, especially in electronic music, to be able to put a real human side to it, and I’m really glad with the way that Archy came across in those songs because you can feel what he’s saying and to me it just feels really honest what he laid down on those songs.”

As the conversation moves on to 2014, it’s clear that Maker is driven by the prospect of penning the third Mount Kimbie album.

Given the development and innovation that the band continue to demonstrate, it’s a prospect which should excite music fans. “It’s too early to think about what we want to do with a third album, but we want to do it and we want to do it soon. There was too much time between ‘Crooks & Lovers’ and the latest one. When we sat down to write the second album we were at a loose end to be honest. We had a moment thinking, ‘do we really want to do this anymore?’ It was so far in the back of our mind that when it comes down to it you kind of forget your trade and you don’t know what the hell you’re doing. We soon got over that though and found the passion that we had for it, and that is something that has run through us ever since.”

It’s quite rare in electronic music to be able to put a real human side to it

Q 62

ENTERTAINMENT MUSIC

5

Another Irish folk import in the vein of Damien Rice and Lisa Hannigan, McMorrow is enjoying a seemingly endless public enthusiasm for acoustic melancholy.

He tours in anticipation of new album ‘Post Tropical’, released 14th January, and in classic follow-up fashion, he’s got synths now. Adding an electronic element has only strengthened McMorrrow’s repertoire, latest single ‘Cavalry’ bringing a very traditional genre bang up to date.

Jimmy Dunne

MOTORPOINT 08.02.14

“Trouble’s what you want?

Then you’re gonna get it!” Quite possibly the most fun live band going, Newport’s Skindred are making their descent upon Bristol. Combining bouncy metal riffs with reggae and dancehall influences, the band, touring their fifth album ‘Kill the Power’, have been described by Metal Hammer as one that ‘don’t do bad shows’.

The show, led by the hilariously charismatic Welsh-Jamaican Benji Webbe, should make sure you leave with a smile on your face after witnessing the closest thing to a middle ground between Bullet For My Valentine and Shaggy fans.

Alec Evans

SUPPORT: EVERY TIME I DIE & THE STORY SO FAR

BRISTOL O2 30.01.14

SUPPORT: SOIL

SKINDRED

WNO FALLEN WOMEN VARIOUS 01.14 - 03.14 Welsh National Opera’s next season revolving around the theme of ‘Fallen Women’ is a true highlight not to be missed. The season is made up of three masterpieces - Puccini’s Manon Lescaut, Verdi’s La Traviata and Henze’s Boulevard Solitude.

Manon and Boulevard are also new productions being mounted by WNO and will be exciting to see their approach to these works. If you are a newcomer to opera or looking to see your first, La Traviata could possibly be one of the best to see as this production received amazing reviews when it premiered and is still regarded today as one of the finest works in the operatic repertory.

Jordan Nicholls

A DAY TO REMEMBER

The hip hop Essex dream team have been collaborating since 2008 and with new album ‘Repent Replenish Repeat’ comes a new tour. dan le sac provides the electro beats for Scroobius Pip’s flawless spoken lyrics. The result is rough and deliciously dark, with sociopathic lyrics crashing into a juddering accompaniment.

Joining them on the stage is vocalist and producer Sarah Williams White, the female mirror of le sac and Pip’s artistic purpose. Her voice blends in as another layer to discordant jazz-edged dub beats, touting ‘fearless’ artists from M.I.A. to Prince as her inspiration. Probably not one for the faint-hearted.

Hannah Embleton-Smith

JAMES VINCENT-MCMORROW ST GEORGES, BRISTOL 25.01.14

DAN LE SAC VS. SCROOBIUS PIP SOLUS 27.01.14

THINGS LOOKING FOR AN EVENING OFF THE BEATEN TRACK? QUENCH CONTRIBUTORS PICK THEIR HIGHLIGHTS NOT TO FROM CARDIFF’S UPCOMING MUSICAL CALENDAR MISS

Fresh from the release of latest album ‘Common Courtesy,’ Florida’s kings of mosh-punk hit the road for their hotly anticipated European tour. Known for their personalised brand of metalcore and gargantuan shows that throw everything from beach balls to toilet paper at the sweaty hoard of fans, the five-piece are not to be missed.

With a host of supports rivaled by few, ADTR offer The Story So Far, Every Time I Die and a further act yet to be announced to get you in the mood for what is guaranteed to be a night to remember.

Charlie Mock

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