nudity
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Newton Faulkner Frank Turner and A Night on the Streets
contents: Issue 88 // Nov 23rd - Dec 7th
THE STUDENT MAGAZINE OF THE YEAR AT 8! 200 RDS AWA DIA GUARDIAN STUDENT ME NOMINATED THIS YEAR!
VOYEUR ROBBIE BLIND DATE FEATURES GAY FOOD TRAVEL INTERVIEWS FASHION
FILM p. 55
PHOTOS MUSIC p. 45
BOOKS ARTS GOING OUT MUSIC
Check out the new Quench Podcast at www.gairrhydd.com!
FILM LISTINGS
04 06 07 08 12 14 17 21 28 30 34 37 42 45 55 63
Cover Photo: Liz Foggit Cover Design: Jake Yorath Editor Lucey Executive Editor Emma Jones Assistant to the Editors Elaine Morgan Arts Amelia Forsbrook, Natalie StoneBlind Date Sarah Kilby, Caroline Baldwin Books Emma Pocklington Fashion Emily Cater, Kate Eaton Features Ellie Woodward, Sarah George Film Lloyd Griffiths, Jody Tozer, Steve Wright Food Harriet Davies, Hayley Pyper Gay Lucas Owen Going Out Jack Doran Interviews Steve Beynon, Tom Rouse Listings Steve Beynon, Tom Rouse Music Sam Smith, Phil Guy, Si Roach Photos Jake Yorath, Liz Foggitt Travel Dom Kehat, Paul Stollery Proof Readers Jenny Pearce, Sarah Coburn, Martha Partridge, Kate Boddington, Natalie Copp, Rebecca Dubock
printed on recycled paper. PLEASE RECYCLE.
IN
OUT Pubic hair :cause nobody likes flossing
F
illing 300 words on any subject is bloody difficult. Essentially I could write anything here, which is I suppose the problem. When you've got 300 words to write, inspired by the whole universe, you can hardly do it justice. So this issue instead I've decided to narrow my field somewhat- by getting a random page from the authority that is wikipedia and then using this as inspiration for these definitely not pointless words. So here goes. INGROWN HAIR. Blimey I couldn!t have predicted this. Right well here goes. I!m proud to announce that I!ve never been a sufferer. According to wikipedia it is when the hair curls back on itself and grows into the skin, thus it is more likely amongst those of you with curly locks. Fascinating. Well this is going well I!m going to do another one hopefully it!ll get better. LIST OF FOREIGN MINISTERS IN 1950. Well the fun just doesn!t stop with ingrown hair does it? I study politics and this list of nobodies is boring me. Some funny names though, Long Van from Vietnam tickled me more than it should have, along with Percy “Dick� Spender who served as Australia's foreign minister briefly from 1949-1951. I think its about time we tried another word. HUGH GRANT. Right well, this should be easy. This floppy haired, quintessentially English toff first made it to our screens in the hit movie Four Weddings and a Funeral. Since then his stuttering, Hammersmith accent has wooed women, scored him loads of money, and become the stereotype for Englishmen across the whole North American continent. Well I think that this has gone well, there is probably a conclusion I could draw here, about humanity being fickle and only caring about ingrown hairs and Hugh Grant, but I'll leave that for you. Must try harder next week. SL
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'tache hair :for Movember
ba dom tish
jolly humorous stuff
I left my car in a car park the other day, when I came back to it the bumper and rear lights were all smashed up. Then I found this note under the wiper. It said: I just accidentally reversed into your car. Quite a few people saw me do it. They think I'm leaving my name and details. Well, I'm not.
dictionary corner on the buzzer with student filth
Beermallows: Marshmallows added to beer to absorb the flavor for later consumption.
My favorite part of drinking beer is the beermallows afterwards.
voyeur
You ask Moira Stewart the questions Moira, BBC I've missed your husky voice on where to and news. What have you been up can I hear you? ays Herbert Humperkinkle, 20, Cath
"" " # ed from Good to hear from a fan. Being sack excitmy of end the not inly certa BBC news is out into new ing career. I've decided to branch rtainment. and far more creative areas of ente phone t adul of art the into ed mov I've now quite dee voic my find le peop s lines. It seem man will find lightful, and luckily many a young pleasure in this. FestDiIf you want to have a listen call Sex d). sore (cen X XXX rect on 090XXXX Regards !
Moira ed to How do you feel about being sack Natah as be replaced by young hotties suc sha Kaplinski? Henry, 65, Bridgend Henry, hole in Kindly fuck off to your stupid little . Bridgend X
crisps. Call like to dabble in the odd packet of salted$ kinda y %read a I$m say I$d but g borin me e me go a bit girl. The simple flavours just mak giddy. Regards Mrs Stewart, d. Mummy says Daddy has change s t doe Mummy says he is a 'prick'. Wha 't love can this mean? And apparently he ? Why e. mor any Mummy Jess, 8, Roath Jess, Ask your Daddy. Hugs and Kisses.
Moira, you I've enclosed a picture of me do linski Kap reckon if you bump into Natasha to sign it. any time soon can you get her d it back sen and doll a be you ld cou n The to me? Kate, 19, Canton Piss off.
Moira, ps what If you could be any flavour of cris ? why would it be and Mr Walker, 21, Leicester Mr Walker, happens Thanks for getting in touch. As it the only way I!m not a massive crisp fan, I find as I have to keep my skin as smooth and tight ever How s. food fatty ding avoi by is achieved ess I conf t mus I kend wee the occasionally on
s in Disclaimer: None of the above view art Stew a Moir of e thos t esen anyway repr
voyeur@gairrhydd.com / 05
robbie
! " # $ % Christmas
Hate Capitalism This week Robbie Wells releases all his pent up anger on greetings cards, girlfriends and capitalism.
I
t!s around about this time in November, coincidentally nine months after Valentines! Day, that Facebook is continually reminding me that I have another birthday to attend and more money to haemorrhage. The sheer amount of birthdays being thrown at me got me thinking a little bit about capitalism; the thing that makes our little world go round. It got me thinking about capitalism because on my birthday, without fail, I get given presents from my family and close friends: If I didn't get presents I'd probably feel a bit unloved, and if I in turn, didn't buy my family and close friends gifts, I'd feel like a selfish wanker, or at least everyone else would see me as such. But why? Capitalism is so formidable because it's indoctrinated into every one of us that we have to get dressed up for Halloween and buy presents on birthdays and at Christmas, eggs at Easter and chocolates and flowers for Valentine's Day. What!s more, we then buy a card to accompany each one. The greetings card: The most inane of things. If I am going to see someone in the flesh, what is the point of a card? If I'm sending a present in any case, can't I just write a note to say Happy Birthday/Christmas/Valentine!s Day? No, I have to
06 /robbie@gairrhydd.com
spend another three or four quid to get some piss poor poet and a failed artist to say it for me. Of course, I'd never moan about receiving a card, as I know the right intention is there. It is simply a way for someone to say happy birthday. But isn!t there a problem with us when we feel obliged to buy a card in order to rid ourselves of some kind of potential guilt?
"I don't want to be a material girl, or at least the male equivalent." Gifts are no better. Sure it's nice to get stuff for free, but in the end, all we're doing is spending money on each other, so that we get the same in return. Say we spend £10 each on twenty of our nearest and dearest over a year (which is no doubt an underestimation), we're probably half expecting £200 worth of gifts to come to us on our day. So in essence, we're giving our friends and family £200 to buy us shitty deodorant we don!t like or a film that we already have, when it could quite
easily be spent wisely on something practical…like laser eye surgery. And if someone says it's nice to receive and to give, then it's simply because we're told that it is. As the has-been piece of gristle Madonna reminds us; we live in a material world. But I don't want to be a material girl...or at least the male equivalent. The big problem is that when you don't join in the merriment of capitalist delusion, you look like the dickhead. Think about not getting anything for your girlfriend for Valentine's Day; merely the same love that you have for them every day perhaps? Whilst explaining this, she seems understanding and tells you its fine. Deep down though, it's not. Advertisers are geniuses, without remorse, feelings or any identifiable human emotions for that matter. We are all pressurised into spending money on things that they tell us to. And the way that they do it, is to make it nigh on sociably unacceptable for you to not. If you deprived kids of Christmas, as surely all athiests should (and there are a fair few), it would probably scar them for life. If you think this is overly cynical and missing the point of gift giving, then I'm afraid you've missed the point entirely, and missed the point of capitalism.
blinddate
Blind Date
Annie and Luke wined and dined over Italian delicacies, but did they like each other as much as the delicious dessert?
"The date got funnier the more wine I drank!"
Annie So what were your first impressions? He was well dressed, looked intellectual...and to be honest a charming British guy! Best & worst bits? Well, the red wine was soooo nice, and the pudding was lush. Worst, I suppose was me turning up late! Describe them in three words? Intellectual, friendly, gentlemanly. Any embarrassing moments? Turning up late... or when my friends started texting and phoning me!! Did you have a "lorra lorra" laughs together? Some parts were funny.... I think it got funnier the more wine I drank! What animal did they remind you of and why? I think maybe an owl!!! He was pretty wise and had an something interesting to say about everything. So will you be meeting up again? Hm... doubt it. Facebook will do! And the infamous chuck, fuck or marry? Going to have to say chuck, sorry!
Luke So what were your first impressions? I didn!t really have time to make any, we fell into conversation so easily it was like talking to an old friend! Best & worst bits? Best, probably sharing the Italian dessert, it was unbelievable! Worst, turning up soaking wet! Describe them in three words? Charming, cultured, attentive Any embarrassing moments? The age conversation was pretty painful, we won!t go into that… What did you do after the date? Had a gentle stroll through Cardiff City Centre at 11pm, who said romance is dead? So will you be meeting up again? It would be nice to have a friendly coffee every now and then in the future. And the infamous chuck, fuck or marry? An impossible question! I!ll have to go with marry as the others seem pretty inappropriate!
Annie and Luke enjoyed their meal thanks to Gios Italian Deli Rastaurant, 10 Mill Lane. They have just opened a new cocktail lounge, with exciting drinks for £6. They have "special offer dates" for Christmas parties; three courses for £13.95 and areas available for New Years Eve private parties! Call 02920 665500 for bookings.
blinddate@gairrhydd.com / 07
features
Photos: Jake Yorath
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features
The Unseen Faces of the Streets This week Quench sends Simon Lucey out onto the streets to meet some of Cardiff's most ignored characters.
H
omelessness is a term that draws vivid images such as filthy sleeping bags, white lightning, and overgrown stubble. For some it may even conjure up something more fundamental, ideas of emotion; vulnerability, loneliness, and suffering for example. Very few however will have any knowledge of the characters who are truly “rough sleepers�. To most of us naive students the homeless are anonymous. For Andy Webb however each of the !down-and-
outs" has a strong identity. He leads a small team of Christians who challenge themselves to feed the hungry, quench the thirsts, and warm the cold bodies of the street. What Andy has achieved however is so much more than simply meeting the essential needs of these men and women; he has become their councillor and friend. As we travelled round the city in his car loaded with tea, coffee and dry clothes Andy reminisced about some of the characters he had met over the 30 years he had been do-
ing the !Thursday-night-run". As we approached each stop he would be able to describe the character that would be camped out, down to the amount of sugar they"d want in their tea. Finding Billy passed out in a slump behind the Psychology tower Andy took the opportunity to explain a little behind his background. !I"ve known Billy the longest, I suppose I"ve watched him grow up, he"s been on the streets over 20 years." Billy may be closest to our stereotypical view of those who live on the
features@gairrhydd.com / 09
features
streets. His life is one that has been ruined by alcohol; Andy concedes that he can get aggressive once he has had too much to drink.
"He recited a list of people who had died from a bad batch" We found Billy sprawled on the floor, he could be dead but people walk past as if he doesn!t exist. When we get there Andy gently tries to stir him from his drunken slumber but to no avail, only his heavy breathing gives any clue to life. Andy leaves him a bag with two pasties, two cigarettes and two dry socks, and then carefully rearranges his tattered blanket to help keep the cold night at bay, concluding it is better for Billy to "sleep it off.! We move on to meet a very different character. John, who must be around 70, is a very private character, mistrustful of outsiders, and has the knack of never giving a straight answer to a question. He doesn!t drink or take drugs but instead prefers the solitary life. John!s life may be the toughest on the street because he receives no support off the state, instead choosing to go it alone. It seems that if you can put up with the obvious hardships of the sleeping rough, for some people it is easier than real life. Here John has no responsibility, no ties, and no need to communicate with others. From old John we move towards town where me meet young John and "Taffy! a pair that could form a
comedy duo. Young John has got an infectious smile and what seems a genuine passion for life. It is the first time that Andy has seen him for a while because he has "gone walkabout.! John had begged, borrowed and probably stolen his way to Edinburgh, because "staying in Cardiff all the time can be a bit dull.! This seems one of the worst things about life on the streets; the unimaginable boredom. John is clearly desperate for company and talks endlessly of his past, his travels and football. He jokes that he supports Cardiff, Newcastle and Liverpool and he can!t decide which is the most frustrating to watch. With the boredom of day-to-day life on the streets and the readily available illegal substances it seems of little surprise that many turn to drugs. Indeed Andy estimates that in a lot of cases drugs are not the reason people go onto the street, but instead they get lured into darker activities once they are on the street. Having served seven years in the army John seems an unlikely candidate to be on the streets having been pretty successful, and it is difficult to gauge his reasons for being on the streets. However the reason for Taffy being a rough sleeper seems far more obvious; drugs. His eyes have the power to haunt you, his tiny pupils get lost in the deep shadows. It became evident that he is a serial liar; he recited a list of people that had all died from a "bad batch! indeed he had been to "Penny!s funeral just yesterday!. As we left we saw Penny walking outside the Hilton, looking lost but alive. With this in mind it seems difficult to accept his promise that he had been clean for two days and would never touch drugs again. I barely spoke to Penny; she
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looked empty and truly vulnerable. Andy explained that she is a heroin addict. She could barely hold her tea; she took a sleeping bag and aimlessly strolled into the night.
"She took a sleeping bag and aimlessly strolled into the night" All over the city there are more characters with their own reasons for being on the street. The thing that became evident is that their backgrounds are all very different. Before heading off into the street I was lucky enough to get a look into Taverstock House, a place for the homeless and vulnerably housed to come and get meals and socialize every Monday. It was here that I met Chris who, at the age of 53, has been disowned by his family and been given a few months to live. He has literally drunk himself to death. His story did not start off so bleak though, he graduated with a 2.1 from Cardiff and has fond memories of his time at university. "I was in all the societies and stuff, and yeah, I suppose I used to enjoy a casual drink but nothing as heavy as you guys do now.! He went on to be successful working in the City, buying a house, having family, but lost it all in his forties on a massive gambling and drinking streak. From here his life plummeted. The terrifying thing is that there are features of his earlier life in most of us, so what is to stop us being the next Chris?
Photo: Oli Franklin
features
features@gairrhydd.com / 11
gay
Coming out of the shadows Lucas Owen explores the ongoing renaissance of the Cardiff Gay Scene and muses on the emergence of the Welsh capital as a vibrant and upcoming gay destination
B
righton, Soho, Manchester... Cardiff? Well, our fair city hardly sits well with Britain's premier gay destinations right now, but that might be about to change. With the rejuvenation of the city centre all but complete, the choice of venues for the gay and lesbian community in Cardiff has also been given a timely makeover. In the last few weeks two new bars have opened on Churchill Way in what appears to be the start of a consolidation of what is a traditionally fractured city scene, and - with one of the biggest shopping centres outside of London just magically appearing out of nowhere - we could be witnessing the birth of a hot new gay destination.
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The 'Diff has been for some time the epicentre of all things gay and lesbian in Wales (with Aberystwyth among your competition, this is hardly surprising), but the heightened profile of the city within the media means that people from across the border are starting to take notice too. Given the more than convincing impersonation of London in Doctor Who and the enormous success of Cardiff Mardi Gras 2009 - despite clashing with Manchester's Pride celebrations - there is truly evidence to suggest that a renaissance of the Welsh capital is underway. Despite concerns that the community is too small to maintain so many gay and lesbian venues (Car-
diff is, after all, smaller than Coventry and Hull), the success of alternative events like Hell's Bent and Femme Fatale (find them on Facebook if you're not familiar) indicates this is not the case. The same can also be said for the local LGBT-friendly football and rugby clubs - Cardiff Dragons FC and Cardiff Lions RFC - which are also open to students. At this stage the continued growth and success of LGBT venues in Cardiff relies heavily on its use by boys and girls like you and me - sadly, I'm unable to keep them all in business by myself, despite recent efforts which imply the contrary. So get out there, get gay, and get happy!
gay
"The 'Diff has been for some time the epicentre for all things gay and lesbian in Wales"
gay@gairrhydd.com / 13
food
Liver and Caramelised Onion
Forget posh nosh;
bag a bargain!
Are we spending too much on food shopping? Should we be watching our wallets instead of filling our bellies? Quench set out to investigate what Cardiff students think of cheaper alternative grub…
!
evin Sharp, Professor of Renaissance studies at Queen Mary University in London made the statement in a recent article for Times Higher Education Magazine that students today are living luxurious lifestyles way beyond their budgets. He claimed that rising student debt levels are not only a result of increasing tuition fees, but are accountable for students living “upper-middle-class lifestyles” on borrowed money. Prof. Sharp suggested that students are often shopping in Waitrose and Marks
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& Spencer"s, spending large amounts of money on food and drink, travelling around in taxis and going out for dinner. ! " # $ %&" &&' " &( ) * +&, %# - %# # . !&/ 0& Sharp1s exaggerated claims as “frankly extraordinary”, can we really deny that his accusations bear some truth? Okay, so we may not be popping open bottles of Cristal and chomping on Frois Gras, but are we really scrimping and saving as much as we should be? For most of us, when it comes to buying food, the bulk of the cost of a shopping load is spent on a few things we non-vege-
tarians regard as 2essentials1, such as chicken breasts, lean mince, and tinned tuna - all of which are pretty pricey, even if you do resort to Tesco Value1s water-pumped alternatives! So if we were to consider Professor Sharp1s criticisms of our spending habits, and hark back to the good old days when poor students only had government grants to live off...what sort of things would we buy to eat? We asked several Cardiff students to try out some old school, cheap reciepes you wouldn't usually find in student houses.
food
Creamy Mackerel and Potato Bake Mackerel is an oily fish, high in Omega 3. It has a more subtle flavour than tuna. This is a really quick and easy recipe, perfect for a cold winter!s day. Peel the potato and slice (roughly " a cm thick).
Pop it into a pan of boiling water and cook for 15 minutes on a mediumhigh heat. Meanwhile, dice the onion – fry with oil until browned. Add tomato (chopped) and mackerel (drained). Tip this into an oven proof dish. Season with salt and pepper. Drain the potato slices and layer on top of the fish. Pour over the cream and pop the dish under the grill for 15 minutes; until the potato is golden brown. Lauren Cowie
Liver and Caramelised Onion Ingredients: 300g Lambs Liver 60p 2 x Medium onions 30p 2 x Half-baked baguettes 60p 1 knob of butter 5p 1 tbsp flour 1p 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar 5p Salt and pepper to taste 1p Total: £1.02
Breaded Pigs Cheeks with Potato Wedges
C
ut up the pig cheeks into squares approximately an inch wide. Whisk the egg and add salt and pepper, dip the pork pieces in the egg mixture, then cover in breadcrumbs. Heat up the oil in a pan and deep fry the pieces for 5-8 minutes, then leave to drain on a piece of kitchen towel to soak up excess oil.
Baguettes
I
was dubious about turning what looked like a science dissection experiment into a tasty student-friendly dish but was pleasantly surprised by the end result. Plus, liver is one of the best sources of iron! Pop the baguettes into a preheated oven, tip the liver straight from the packet into a colander and rinse well with water. Remove, pat dry with kitchen roll and coat lightly in seasoned flour. By
Slice the potatoes into wedges, sprinkle salt, pepper, rosemary and thyme over them and drizzle vegetable oil over the top. Bake for around 40 minutes, flipping half way through. The pork cheeks were definitely nicer than expected – for the price they were definitely a bargain! The only problem with cooking cheap meat in this way is that it tends to be rather chewy. I definitely won!t shy away from cheaper cuts of meat in the future, but will probably cook them slightly differently - perhaps in a stew. Paul Stollery
Ingredients: 1 Can tinned Mackerel 30p 1 Big potato (250g approx) 10p 1 Medium red onion 10p 1 Medium vine tomato 10p 50ml Double cream 20p 2 tsp Vegetable oil 1p Salt and pepper to taste 1p Total: 82p!
now it should look more edible and less like an organ! Melt the butter in a hot pan and fry the liver on both sides for about 2 minutes. Do not overcook it otherwise it will go tough. Remove the liver and add finely chopped onions to the pan until browned and caramelised. Replace the liver and pour a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar in the pan. Simmer for a few minutes, remove the baguettes from the oven, and fill generously with the liver and onion. All in all, a pleasant surprise, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is slightly on the adventurous side. Chloe Rowley
Ingredients 1kg pigs Cheeks £2 6 x large potatoes 60p 20g breadcrumbs 20p 2tbsp vegetable oil 5p 1 Egg 25p 1tsp dried thyme and rosemary 2p Salt and pepper Total £ 3.12!
food@gairrhydd.com / 15
travel
The Russian standard
With so many opportunities to study abroad, Jack Jordan tells us about his time in Moscow, and how despite less than comfortable accomadation, freezing weather and unwelcoming bouncers, it soon felt like home.
R
ussia!s not an obvious choice for student travel. The weather is awful, everyone seems surly, drunk or both and they!ve got a damn silly alphabet. I have been six times now, though studying in Moscow at the end of 2006 as part of my second year degree course was undoubtedly a highlight. For three months I was based at Moscow University!s centre for International Education, an institute offering Russian language, literature, history and politics classes to students from all over the world. Our accommodation was in the Shabolovka hostel, a block of Soviet-era student flats run by a terrifying staff of women, which seems unchanged since Khrushchev was in the Kremlin. Two to a room, there was no noise tolerated after 11pm and if you stayed out past midnight, you weren!t allowed back in before six in the morning. But it was cheap. Going out was always pretty shambolic, with nightclub bouncers shamelessly implementing the "face-
control! policy of admission based on how rich, attractive or important you looked – it was a rare night when we were all let into the same club. But most bars stayed open until the early hours if they had customers, and as students we could always get cheap opera and ballet tickets on more respectable nights.
"It has an irrepressible air of mischief that's hard not to smile at" For the adventurous, you can save quite a bit on travelling to Russia by not taking direct flights in – budget flights to Riga and trains from there are the way to go. Visas need to be organised in advance, either direct with the embassy (www.rusemblon.org) or through an agency. As for travelling within the country, St Petersburg is pretty much obligatory – only an overnight train-journey
away from the capital, it!s a much more peaceful, cultural city. Kiev, the Ukrainian capital, is a slightly more distant option if you get yourself a multi-entry visa to Russia, and is cheaper than the larger Russian cities. If you!ve got time on your hands, though, the Trans-Siberian Railway trip to Vladivostok is one of the most fascinating journeys you can take. Living in Russia was a whirlwind of late nights, culture shocks, cheap booze and bureaucratic problems, with a few hours! worth of study thrown in where possible. Learning the language came more through arguing with policemen and taxidrivers than the usual academic routes, and was all the more fun because of it. In many ways it!s a tough place to live – the short, grey daylight hours of early winter got us all down at times – but at the same time it has an irrepressible air of mischief that!s hard not to smile at. Order, logic and customer service aren!t its biggest priorities, but would you really want them to be? You are in Russia after all.
travel@gairrhydd.com / 17
travel
Looking to travel but strapped for cash? Richard Greenan introduces you couch surfing - the phenomenon that's taking the travelling community by storm.
Q
uestion: What do you get when you cross 1.4 million wanderlustful twenty-somethings with a social networking phenomenon. Answer: Couchsurfing.com. It was inevitable really, and undoubtedly the best thing to come out of the online networking boom we!ve witnessed over the past half-decade. Couchsurfing is a !hospitality exchange network!. In other words, as a member you can arrange to stay pretty much anywhere in the world absolutely free of charge. Not only is this perfect for travelling on the cheap, it offers instant cultural immersion. Fancy hanging with Omar Mohammed (!Male, 23, social activist and youth worker, definitely Has Couch!!) in the Gaza Strip? Knock yourself out. Or maybe you would prefer a jaunt to the tiny Pacific island state of Nauru to kick it with Ebol Ohirozetn, a man who claims: !For diet, I'm particularly interested in trying a beer, I heard it is very tasty. I also like to eat eggs of the most varied types of birds.! This meeting and befriending of locals is couchsurfings major hook – your host is your personal guide, your translator, your new best friend. He or she may ask for something in return, a bar of chocolate, some beers, an authentic cooked meal of your country, or maybe just a hug and a promise that the favour will be returned. In an attempt to paint a fair picture of the couchsurfing experience I will give two personal accounts, one good and one not so good. Let!s start with the good. Having driven as quickly as possible through the orange dust and army checkpoints of Tijuana, my friend and I arrived in Ensenada where we
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had a r ranged to meet one Nancy Salgado, our couchsurfing host. After much confused peering at peeling signs and avoiding giant potholes we finally reached the place: A squat tiled bungalow on a dark street. Dogs were barking everywhere. We knocked on the door and were met by a short man with a moustache wearing a grey tshirt who looked at us quizzically. Suddenly a wave of recognition came across his face. "Nancy!" he exclaimed and ushered us inside, introducing himself in broken English as Luis. The air was cool inside and there was a leather sofa. We sat on the leather sofa. Luis sat across from us and a small orange Chihuahua with bulging eyes regarded us from the tiled floor. !This," said Luis, holding a hand out to the Chihuahua, !is my dog, Polly." We acknowledged and smiled. It didn!t seem Nancy was anywhere. After more awkwardness she finally arrived with her mum Carmen, and it transpired Luis was her dad. She admitted it was her first time hosting,
and that she didn!t think we would actually show up. We were given our own room, stuffed with burritos, and even had our clothes washed. Over the next few days, Luis chauffeured us around in his little white Suzuki 4x4, taken to sea caves, secluded beaches and a winery. After the wine tasting we found a baby bird that had fallen from the nest. Any preconception of Mexican machismo was turned on its head at the sight of Luis
travel
Gr
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au
:P
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"It is too unreliable for some, but an exciting gamble and cultural eye-opener for the rest"
cradling the tiny bird and feeding it flour and water with a toothpick. It died later. On to the bad. I arrive in Salt Lake City with my girlfriend. We set about locating the address of our next host, a
g u y called James that lives in an anarchist collective calling itself Boing! It!s baking hot. I sit under a tree to call James and get through to a girl claiming to live at Boing! Our conversation is very stilted. "Does a guy called James live with you?! I venture. "Uhh, sometimes.! After some cajoling we ascertain the whereabouts of this joint and set off. Man it was hot. As we arrive we see this is really an anarchist collective spot. Crust punks sit on the porch, the door hangs permanently open and people mill in and out. Inside is filled with detritus: Pieces of bike,
random furniture, a mountain of dishes in the sink. Anti capitalist slogans plaster the walls. The lounge has been cleared and the sofas – our likely beds – pushed to the sides of the room. We discover a punk band will be playing a gig there tonight, in between the sofas. I imagine trying to sleep as some guy executes wild guitar chops next to my head, whilst the rest of my body trampled underneath the sleeping bag by nihilistic freeform dancers. We drift away in the direction of the nearest hotel. That was quite an unusual example of how couchsurfing can go wrong. More typical gripes include breakdowns in communication between host and surfer that can lead to annoying standing around, or even a complete fall-through. The other end of the spectrum is equally unappealing - Stuart, my loveable host in San Francisco, estimated his previous surfer clung on like an annoying barnacle for a month in his tiny bedsit, staking out a little corner of it and parrying any enquiries as to her departure. Sadly, the system is sometimes abused like this. Some attempt to use it as a kind of dating site and increases in spam messages have raised concerns that the site may be slowly eating itself - becoming so awash with tripe and scammery it will grow too troublesome to use. But something tells me the couchsurfing community is too proud to let this happen. The reference and verification system is so polished that common sense is your most useful tool in conducting meet-ups. But it will always remain slightly niche; too unreliable for some, an exciting gamble and cultural eye-opener for the rest.
travel@gairrhydd.com / 19
travel IN F BRITA BEST O
. . .Pewsey Carnival The small village of Pewsey, out in the sticks of Wiltshire, is once a year home to an event which combines drinking and wheelbarrows in an iliterally ntoxicating manner. Mirande Atty tells us why the aching arms and hangover have never been so much fun.
I
can!t vouch for any of you, but a typical uni night out for me does not usually involve a combination of beer, fabulous costumes... and a wheelbarrow. Whilst the first two most definitely feature heavily in university life, the addition of a wheelbarrow seems slightly incongruous! " There is, however, one night every year in which a wheelbarrow is a vital part of an awesome night out. This night is a longstanding tradition in the small village of Pewsey, Wiltshire. The Wheelbeero Race (note the pun) is a highlight in Pewsey#s social calendar. It is part of the annual two weeks of Pewsey Carnival, which also includes a wine race and a massive procession. In most people#s eyes though, it just involves some great drunken nights out. To get down to specifics, the actual race involves a team of three members and a wheelbarrow. It costs a mere ten pounds to enter, which goes someway in paying for the copious amounts of alcohol consumed on the way round. One person must be sitting in the wheelbarrow at all times, whilst the other two
20 /travel@gairrhydd.com
push or pull. It is always a good idea to have someone very light on your team as pushing a chunky monkey in a wheelbarrow is pretty much a bitch after the first five minutes. This year I was in a team with my two best girl friends, and we somehow managed to convince the man in the team next to us to push our barrow whenever the stewards weren#t looking. Cheating but undoubtedly effective.
! " # ! ight a year in which a wheelbarrow is a vital part of a night out" The team must be in costume, the more outlandish the better. I#ve seen some fabulous costumes over the years, bananas in pyjamas, leprechaun suits (as favoured by my 6ft tall brother one particularly humour-
ous year), and even a team dressed as the members of Cool Runnings. They made their wheelbarrow into a bobsleigh and were definitely fast round the track. The race is about two miles long, with about ten pubs/ beer stands along the way. At each beer stand a member of your team must down a pint of beer as quickly as possible, preferably without passing out or throwing up, though it has been known to happen. The key is to push through the beer barrier, and just keep on running. The race wouldn#t be complete without the obligatory trip through the river and under the bridge, almost drowning the member of the team still in the barrow as water invariably floods it. Memory of exact events become slightly hazy by this time, all I can ever recall once crossing the finishing line is dancing the night away triumphantly in one of the pubs and feeling like death in the morning. However, there is no doubt in my mind that it is definitely worth doing. After all, how many people can claim to own medals celebrating their prowess in the thing students really should be good at...drinking?
interviews
He's got the time...
newton faulkner Photos: Oli Franklin
Quench sends Oli Franklin to catch up with the dreadlocked singer during his latest UK tour.
F
or most people, falling on ice, breaking your wrist and dislocating your entire right hand would be a pretty big deal. For a singer-songwriter like Newton Faulkner, it could have been career ending. But thanks to reconstructive surgery, the only physical evidence of the near-catastrophe is a hearty scar on his right arm, and in the name of his new, aptly-titled album: Rebuilt By Humans. So what do you do, as a guitarist, when your hand is incapacitated for over two months prior to recording a new album? Well, if you are Newton Faulkner then you learn to play the piano. With your feet. “It!s kind of like the bass pedals off an organ, just given different sounds,� says Newton with a smile. The resulting electronic-focused sound is at
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interviews times almost indistinguishable from Newton!s soft acoustic beginnings. “Well there was electronic stuff on the first album, it was just really subtle, and I didn!t really want to be that subtle again. One principle I put in really early is that if there is an electronic sound, I want it to be very electronic and very present. I don!t want subtle underpinnings, I wanted either completely crazy, proper electronic noises or completely acoustic with nothing.” Newton!s endearing honesty about his music is even more evident in his live performances – a video camera shows the crowd what his feet are doing, and the backing vocals are provided by three projected video-Newtons gathered around an old-school microphone. It!s a heart-warming touch that provides each gig with a unique atmosphere that reflects the positivity of the music and the person. It is evident in talking to him just how important this transparency is for Newton. “I think a lot of people try and create
injury, which finally allowed him a break after almost three years of near-constant touring to promote his critically acclaimed first album, Hand Built By Robots, which has seen him playing to crowds across the world from some unusual places; from underground caves, to a hot air balloon in flight, and everywhere in between. It!s a gruelling way of life, but one that provides him with boundless inspiration. “[I!m inspired by] just life, really. Especially travelling around, you see a lot of weird stuff; like being in a back street Tokyo parking lot at 4 in the morning, because you!ve just finished a gig and you!re just like "This is a weird place…”. "Travelling for my job, doing what I do, you see a lot of stuff that no one else gets to see, it is interesting. I mean I never get to do anything vaguely touristy; I!ve never been up the Eiffel tower. I just walk past it at 4 in the morning with a guitar like "It!s the fuckin…thing! Look at that!! Despite this globe trotting lifestyle, in person Newton couldn!t be further from the rock
'If This Is It' is about playing live, it!s got nothing to do with any kind of relationships.” Getting up on stage and performing, as all musicians know, is difficult at the best of times. So how hard must it be to then connect with the audience? “One of the problems I had in the beginning was writing stuff that was just way too specific, which meant that if anyone else was in exactly my situation they!d go "that is amazing, it!s like he!s talking to me!! – but that!s just one person. I think if you make it slightly more open to interpretation then a lot of people go "wow, it!s like he!s in my head! which is kind of, y!know, what I wanna do. I!m only in this for the communication. That!s my favourite bit. I love just standing there and going "this is this, and if you do this and you do this and I!ll do that,” he says, pointing at imaginary sections of the audience, “it!s going to sound awesome.” That!s the thing that comes across most about Newton Faulkner. Whether it!s on stage performing "Dream Catch Me!
'Other bands try and create this barrier. I like throwing that away' this barrier, this mystery, this intrigue, this strange character that!s on the stage making these noises and you don!t know how, whereas I just quite like throwing that away and going "look, this is what I!m doing!. I think with most people they don!t want you to know there is a huge backing track, and I want people to know that!s not what I!m doing.” Newton!s latest tour to promote the new album sees him back on the road after his
star image: he spent half the interview asking whether I wanted a cup of tea. As with most performers, though, it!s on stage where Newton comes into his own: just him and his guitar, trying to get his message across, and trying to make that message meaningful. “I try not to write anything that is just pointless. I try and avoid writing about relationshippy stuff unless there is an interesting angle on it - I mean
22/interviews@gairrhydd.com
or backstage, offering you a cup of tea, his cheery charm shines through. He just wants to connect with people. Perhaps that!s why he keeps making music, keeps relentlessly touring, and perhaps that!s the secret to his growing success. “I think it!s mostly the communication thing. It!s just me, and it!s just them, and just somehow, it seems to work.” Newton's new album, Rebuilt By Humans, is out now.
One girl shouted 'Can you put a ukulele in my bottom?'
Photo: Oli Franklin
interviews
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goinginterviews out
Photo: Robin Morgan
Afternoon Tea with
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interviews
Turner the Troubadour Tom Rouse met Frank Turner to discuss the evils of communism and why his mum's finally accepted his career choice.
I
f you could ask cult hero Frank Turner any one question, what type of mermaid he would prefer to sleep with would probably not be high up the list. But this is exactly the question that Interviews found themselves discussing with this modern day troubadour after all normal topics of conversation had been exhausted.
"My Mum's finally stopped telling me to give up and get a real job.” We met Frank Turner on the eve of his sold out gig in the Great Hall and so naturally the first topic of conversation revolved around this and how it felt to have sold out a string of venues of a similar size. He confessed to it being a nervewracking feeling when you first see the tour schedule and wonder how you're ever going to sell that many tickets, but on the flip side the fact that he managed it means: “my mums finally stopped telling me to give up and get a real job.” He feels however that selling out such gig venues does not mean he has sold out, his latest album Poetry of the Deed may have garnered him widespread mainstream attention but his shows are still filled with fans who sing every word back at him. He has not yet been hit by the curse of what he describes as “radio fans”, people who attend his gigs because they feel they ought to, despite having only heard one or
two songs on the radio. For those of you who!ve not heard of Frank Turner, it is for his political opinions that he receives the most praise and most criticism. We put it to him that his detractors often see him as a bit of a lefty or a socialist based as much of their own image of him as his actual work and viewpoints. We found him surprisingly inclined to agree; describing himself as being liberal if anything and in no way left-wing, despite popular perception. When the spectre of communism and being a protest singer arose he described himself as “generally not in favour of slavery war and genocide”, all qualities that lead to a view of socialism as 'deeply evil'. However Frank was keen to stress that he was not just a protest singer and wanted to be known more as a musician than an activist, hence his reluctance to be associated with any political movement. With Nick Griffin!s appearance on Question Time having aired just days before it seemed mad not to ask how he felt about the media furore surrounding the BBC!s decision. Perhaps unsurprisingly given his previous scorn for go– –vernment interference he was livid about Peter Hain!s anti-appearance stance, claiming that he!d like to punch Hain for his complete lack of consideration for the long-standing British tradition of free speech. Turning to slightly lighter matters we concluded the interview proper with Interviews favourite off-putting question, “If you could be any person or creature from mythology what would it be?” After a brief pause and clarifying that it could indeed include humans from mythology, his answer was one that
reflected his own life on the road, struggling to choose between either Odysseus or Aeneas, ultimately deciding on Aeneas whose “wanderings were more interesting.”
! " # $ % & ' & ally not in favour of slavery, war and genocide" At this point our time was almost up and so we rounded off with a brief discussion of other musicians he had worked with, with Gaslight Anthem being his most recent favourite. For anyone looking for a new favourite singer-songwriter, Frank tipped Andy Yorke describing his music as possessing a poise and elegance that is "utterly confusing". Which of course leads back to the introduction, when asked if there were any other questions, Robin lept in with his deep water fantasy leading to probably the first time in his career Frank Turner had ever had to consider deep sea relationships, eventually settling for the safe option and declining to choose either, asking if he would be alright just choosing a normal woman. This response seems to sum Frank Turner up perfectly, there's nothing pretentious or attention seeking about him, he's just a guy with a guitar singing about his life and his concerns.
interviews @gairrhydd.com /25
fashion
!!" #$ % &' ( % $ ! second-hand This week Natalie Ticehurst explores whether vintage is just a sexy word for old.
V
intage is the buzzword of the decade. Glamorized by Kate Moss, the Olsen twins and other style icons, you only have to type !vintage" into the search bar on e-bay and hit enter to be rewarded by an array of supposedly vintage items. Ask a friend where her studded boots are from and you won!t be told Office or Aldo, oh no, they"ll be vintage. Even specialist boutiques - notably the recently opened Looby Loo"s boutique in the High Street Arcade - are catering to this trend and merchandise their stores to allow vintage and brand new garments to rub shoulders on clothing rails. Despite our obvious obsession with vintage, we have to question what actually deserves the title. Are charity shop buys and hand me downs simply secondhand? Or can we rightly call them vintage? The word vintage connotes images of expensive, classic and ultimately old clothing. Items that maintain or increase in value, these are the garments
"We have to question what actually deserves the title 'vintage'." 26 /fashion@gairrhydd.com
"Style brownie points are not the only perk of buying second hand." that people refer to as investment pieces - the Chanel 2.55, silk Hermes scarves and other iconic items. Thanks to these connotations, it seems that second-hand clothing and accessories are instantly elevated in the style stakes when they are euphemistically entitled vintage. Style brownie points are not the only perk of buying second-hand. Older clothing tends to be better quality than mass produced garments. When it comes to sourcing vintage, it!s best to check the condition of your intended purchase check for snags, broken zips and stains. Also lean towards natural fabrics - leather bags, silk scarves and cotton clothes are all classic items made from materials that are easy to maintain. When buying vintage you don!t want to be duped, so it!s best to try things on and look closely at the labels, fabric quality and stitching before you buy. You don!t want to buy what appears to be a vintage Chanel bag from t!internet to later realise that quality-wise you!d have been better off with a trip to Primark.
fashion
www.oxfam.org.ukso you don!t
Oxfam now have a website ten haberhave to rifle through the moth-ea !re still you Plus . find t grea a dashery to get ! win! winso, rity… cha a helping
www.rokit.co.uk Rokit originated from a market stall in Camden and they now have four stores based in London. A personal favourite of mine, Rokit sell the most beautiful and unique clothes for a very reasonable price.
www.vintagevixen.com
Vintage vixen has been running since 1996 and has one of the biggest vintage collections on the website. Better yet, all sizes are given in detail so the pieces are much less likely to be returned…make sure to check out the amazing bag collection!
www.myvintage.co.uk
My Vintage has some of the mos t cutting edge vintage fashion around, with des igner vintage items from Chloé and Christian Dior . Although most of us definitely can!t afford des igner labels, the website still has some stunning pieces ranging from about £20-£50 .
www.thanksitsvintage.com
Cardiff student Jess Rochman recently unveiled her nifty thrifty vintage range. Her online collection boasts of cool, cheap vintage finds, all hand picked by the lady herself.
Words by Kirsty Dagnall, n Photos and clothes by Jess Rochma
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fashion
Sam and alex of Spoonlegs review
The
Oxjam Fashion
Festival "the idea of the event was to showcase the goods and increase the appeal of shopping at charity shops like oxfam."
28 /fashion@gairrhydd.com
T
he Oxjam music and fashion festival was a great way to spend some time rummaging through the stock of Oxfam in order to uncover those hidden gems that make secondhand shopping so exciting and rewarding! Although we already knew a lot of charity shop enthusiasts, we realised there were just as many people just waiting to be converted... so we thought we'd have a go. The idea behind the event was to showcase the goods and increase the appeal of shopping at charity shops like Oxfam by staging a "second-hand fashion" runway show (for both boys and girls). We managed to gather 9 eager (ahem...) male models and 12 willing ladies to who gave it their all over the course of three catwalk runs spread throughout the evening. The clothes were then sold at the makeshift Oxfam booth that we'd managed to set up at the back of the room, amongst other stalls featuring the craft and clothing of Cardiff's local fashionistas. The fashion mayhem was broken up by 3 live bands and 2 DJ sets which tied in the music element of the 'festival'. The turnout and enthusiasm on the night were a pleasant surprise. We ended up selling more than half the Oxfam goods that we'd brought along with us and raised over ÂŁ550, which just proves the appeal of second hand clothes. The remaining stock has been moved back to the Oxfam store on Albany Road, so there's still a chance to get your hands on the goods. And once you're on Albany Road you might as well indulge your "inner thrifty fiend" and devote a couple of hours to rifling through all of the other local charity shops! Trust us, you won't go away disappointed...
fashion
The
Oxfam is slightly more expensive than the other charity shops. However they have a really good selection of bags and some good winter jackets. Their clothing was slightly more fashionable than the other shops.
Scope Scope was one of the cheapest shops with a wide range of clothes. It is a good place to find fancy dress clothes. Albany Road isn’t the only place you can find charity shops: and although it takes a bit of exploring to find some of them it’s definitely worth it. Charity shop stock is not only unique but ever changing, so you never know what bargain you will find!
British Red Cross
They consistently, in my opinion, have the best and widest clothing selection. Everything is colour organised so it’s really easy to find things. It’s also really cheap- I bought my Denim Jacket there for £3.50 There is also a shop near the station, which is a little more expensive, but has good quality items.
Oxfam
British Heart Foundation
choices
Meanwhile, Emma Wilford gives the lowdown on Cardiff's charity emporiums.
It is great for jumpers, which are really reasonable and fashionable too! It also had some gem finds- I found a cream lace top there for only £3.75. They also had some denim shirts (much cheaper than the one in Topshop!)
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photos
nude. This week, Photos go
Words by Christina Mackie Photos by Liz Foggitt
30 /quenchphotos@gairrhydd.com
photos
N
ude photography can be a really daunting prospect, especially if you're new to photography in general. Artistic nude photography is less about overt sexuality and more about the human body as an object of beauty, which makes it a real challenge for your technical skills, knowing what settings to use, and how to set up your lighting. Lighting, especially with nude work, can make or break the shot. If you're fortunate enough to have a muscle-bound adonis for a model, strong lighting from the side throws the musculature into sharp relief, giving a great 'chiaroschuro' effect. Even if your model doesn't have the body of a God lighting from the side will highlight body contours and facial features. Try to avoid light-
ing from the front, as you lose the edges of features and your picture will look flat. Of course, if you only light from one side then you lose the detail on the other side of your model's body. To combat this, reflectors are your friend. You don't need professional spec reflectors in order to get the shot you want, just a sheet of white cardboard positioned out of shot to bounce the light back against your model's face and body. Direct light can often be too harsh and give a hard outline, and reflectors are a great way to soften the light and give a soft focus effect. Natural light can also give a great effect. You can achieve lots of different effects by playing around with the settings on your camera. I like to use a nice low f.stop to get a really shallow depth of field, and combine
that with a slightly longer shutter speed to give a shot a really soft, ethereal look. If you're keeping the shot in colour, use the lowest ISO setting you can to keep noise to a minimum, but if you're working in black and white then you can afford more noise in the shot. A quick fiddle with your white balance can also have rewarding results. Just simple tweaks on your auto settings can yield great results. Using a tripod (or a convenient bit of furniture) and using a delayed shutter release will keep your camera steady, which means you can adjust your lighting set up and direct your model a lot more easily, and let you play around with longer shutter speeds and different effects. I guess the things to remember are to communicate with your model and, of course, have fun!
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photos
Photographer of the Year 2009 'Dusk 'til Dawn'
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photos
Congratulations to Tom Armstrong, who's stunning mysterious sillhouettes helped him narrowly this issue's prize, under the title 'Dusk 'til Dawn.' The entries this month were the best yet, and thanks to all of you who entered. Let's see some more next issue. Next issue, in celebration of the beautiful photos on the previous spread, the theme is titled 'Bodies.' Don't worryyou don't have to be naked. Email your entries to the address below, and the deadline is the 27th November.
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books
David O'Doherty Irish comedian, author, actor and all round hilarious bloke talks to Emma Pocklington, from under a coat.
H
aving not been prewarned about my impending phone call David O'Doherty happened to be on a train when I rang, but very politely dived under his coat for the benefit of his fellow passengers. And so the interview began, 'I'm under a coat, ask me anything.' At what point did you decide comedy was for you, or did you stumble upon it along the way? Well I temped for a little while, and it!s a good way of figuring out what you want to do because basically everything is better than temping. Also, when I started liking comedy in the late 1990!s in Dublin it was an amazing time to be seeing comedy gigs because Ardal O!Hannon and Tommy Tiernan were doing weekly shows. And also going to comedy clubs is a good way of getting served alcohol when you!re under eighteen. So it was a combination of factors, and my brother was doing stand-up at the time. I had written children!s books and I was doing a lot of reading for kids, and then gradually from doing these readings I got an open spot.
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You!ve branched into film, radio, theatre and books, how is it that you came to be involved in so many diverse forms of comedy?
"Going to comedy clubs is a great way to get served when you're under 18." I think I!d get a bit sick of it if I just did stand-up just because I travel around a lot by myself, I!d probably go insane if I did it all the time so I try to do different things. Which form do you like the best? I definitely like the excitement
when you think of a new joke; when you!re going to sleep, and you record it on to your phone then in the morning when you listen to it and you go "ah, that!s still quite funny!. Then on the night when you say the joke, there's the moment before the audience laugh when they!re sort of deciding whether or not it!s funny, that's one of the best parts of comedy. And it doesn!t really matter if they!re kids or if it!s a play, or whatever, it!s seeing if other people will find it funny which is the moment for me. Do you enjoy the performance aspect of stand-up? Yeah, travelling around on your own can get lonely and boring, but then the gigs themselves are always fun. I mean I realise I!m not very well known, but then lots of nice people come to the gigs and afterwards you have a laugh. What inspired 100 Facts About Pandas? Like everyone else in the world I wanted to be David Attenborough for a long time but the problem there was I don!t know anything about animals and I!m kind of scared of them
books as well. So instead my friend Claudia and I decided we!d write a book of made-up facts without leaving our house. We used to call these things trumours, where you!d try and make up a rumour about a friend that was so boring no one would really question it, and it would just spread. I think mostly it came from that. Also you know from watching Blue Planet with the sound off and making up new commentaries. Do you prefer working alone or collaboratively? It!s certainly fun to work on your own, at the end of the show you can think "yeah I wrote that and it sounded great!. But it can get a bit boring, it!s an awful lot of just sitting in your T-shirt and socks wondering when you!re actually going to start working and trying not to look at You Tube and all the rest of it. The nice thing about working with someone else is they force you to turn You Tube off and put your underpants on. Do you have any favourite comedians that particularly inspired you? Zac Galifianakis, an American guy, Mitch Hedberg, who died a few years ago, the Flight of the Conchords guys - I was lucky enough to meet them in Edinburgh a few years ago. There are a lot of people I!ve been lucky enough to do gigs with in the past few years, so they!re all very inspirational. You!re on tour at the moment I think? Where are you now? Yeah, I!m in Belfast tonight, Manchester tomorrow, I!m doing a gig in Cardiff on Monday night. That should be my triumphant return; we went there on a school trip when we were nine, to play against a local rugby team. I don!t remem-
ber much, I remember going on a railway, I remember going to a fun fair that was incredibly dangerous, I remember getting beaten very very badly in rugby. So, it!ll definitely be a triumphant return. How!s the tour going at the moment?
! he nice thing about working with someone else is they force you to turn You Tube off and put your pants on" Well, it!s not like I!m Michael McIntyre, I don!t have a world manager or support bands or anything like that to hang out with, so it does get a bit lonely. But then it nice walking round exotic places like Cardiff and Swansea, and I do get to meet a lot of people. Why does cycling feature so much in your work? Well, Irish cyclists were kind of the only people to do anything international, we!d only ever been in the Eurovision Song Contest before that. I!ve always had a bike in my
bedroom, which is a little disturbing, but it!s definitely a childhood thing. What good reasons have you had for giving away the mountain bike at the Edinburgh festival? Yeh, I always give it to the person who can come up with the best reason. People come up on stage and give various reasons, you know, "my bike was stolen! and in 2007 one guy came up and just said, "I was adopted and I!ve never been loved in my life!. He got the bike. Basically it!s to find the most emotionally manipulative reason. I mean I!ve only paid about thirty-five quid for these bikes, so I don!t know ultimately how much love it was going to give him, but he definately earned it. What was it like working with your brother and Dylan Moran in "A Film With Me In!? It was really good, but it was hard. The trickiest thing was that Dylan and Mark wrote the script but when we went to shoot they sort of improvised a bit around it so, I play a man with a brain injury, and there were times when it was very hard not to laugh, which you!re not really meant to do when you have a brain injury. But then I didn!t really have many lines, so it was more like a six-week holiday. What have you got planed for the future? I!d like to write more panda books. I want to do one called 100 facts about sharks. We!re trying to make a television programme at the moment, with people whose work I!ve really enjoyed in the past. And I love the stand up, so I!ll keep doing shows, until something else comes along in my life.
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books
! " # $! " % &' ( )$ Thing... Eion Colfer
Pub: Michael Joseph
I
have fond childhood memories of my father pushing The Hitchhiker!s Guide To The Galaxy series of books onto me as soon as I was able to read. Looking back it was probably due to my mother!s disinterest in the sci-fi genre and my father!s actions were probably in the bid to gain a friend in the household with common ground. Regardless after reading the fivepart trilogy (don!t ask) I was aware that I had finished something very special. ! ! Adams"s death, many (myself included) mourned the loss of one of the wittiest modern English authors. It is with some trepidation then, that I approached Eoin Colfer"s take on the H2G2 universe with a sixth book.
A-Z of Festivals Rob da Bank
Pub: Pan Macmillan
R
ob da bank, is the owner of an influential record label, founder of the hugely successful Bestival festival on the Isle of Wight and phenomenal discoverer of talent on his weekly BBC Radio 1 show. By looking at his life, it is clear that Rob da Bank lives, sweats and breathes music so who else better to write a companion guide to festivals. From the very first page, Rob da bank"s A-Z of festivals is an entertaining, amusing and interesting glimpse into the weird and wonderful world of festivals as you are taken
36 /books@gairrhydd.com
The familiar characters are back, saved from their seemingly inevitable destruction that took place at the end of Mostly Harmless. I found it very hard to think of this as anything other than a deus ex machina. Then it's business as usual as our heroes return to bounding through space and enjoying its many vices. Despite my hesitation towards a new author, the chance to read the characters I grew up with in a new situation was an enjoyable experience. Colfer should be congratulated for his approach in this regard, his representation of Ford Prefect, Arthur Dent, Zaphod Beeblebrox et al are spot-on, and there are definitely times I forgot I wasn!t reading a Douglas Adams novel. One of the finest qualities I enjoyed of Adams" original books was his ability to go off on tangents and describe wildly outlandish aspects of deep space via the Hitchhiker"s Guide persona, whilst never taking the reader out of the moment. Colfer"s take on this dexterity is less successful, each guide entry being italicised, separate and quite obstructive to the flow of the novel. Adams" books had the sense about them that suggested that the plot was only very loosely there, vaguely
on a global tour from Hereford to Hove, from Devon to Detroit. The entertainment of the book never ceases as one minute Rob is revealing startling insights into some of the most disturbing and unbelievable festivals around like the apocalyptic Burning Man festival in Nevada. This is then followed by descriptions of loving, caring, any more laid-back
"He lives, sweats and breaths music" and you would be horizontal festivals like Homegame in Anstruther, Scotland. Thrown in amongst these entertaining accounts of festivals are Rob!s amusing stories, jokes and witty anecdotes that can"t help bring-
tying jokes together in what ultimately was an incredibly enjoyable way. This is not the case with And Another Thing‌ - there"s a beginning, a middle and an end of sorts, and this structural approach mars the style of the writing even further.
"It left a bitter taste in my mouth" Overall, it is probably the case that my own issues with this book come from my fanatic love of the original work of Douglas Adams, and are mostly psychological. Just the knowledge that the words I was reading were written by someone else left a bitter taste in my mouth. Imagine going to see your favourite band, then watching a cover act play the same songs, but not quite getting it right. And Another Thing‌ is an enjoyable read, of that there"s no doubt. But there!s definitely some substance that"s lacking, something that precludes it from legitimate Hitchhiker status. Sam Smith
ing a smile to your face such as his attempts to fool his way into the VIP area of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Fail. On a serious note though, Rob does accurately inform the reader as he shows the changing faces of festivals, details amazing events and actions in festival history as well as revealing more mind-boggling and fascinating facts that you can shake a textbook at. Also, even though the guide only took about two hours to read, I still think that it is worth every penny of the ÂŁ9.99 price tag and that you would not have to #rob da bank" (I am so sorry, I could not resist), to afford it. Rob da Bank!s A-Z of festivals is an unexpected gem, a fascinating, hilarious romp through the world"s festivals, a must-have for festival enthusiasts, potential festival goers or past festival-heads who want to reminisce about their experiences. Gareth Jones
arts
O
h God. Your eyes don!t deceive you. Our favourite most detested person on telly has just turned artist to help save the world. Paul O!Grady!s self-described "attempt at being Leonardo Da Vinci! takes the form of a penguin dressed in Granny!s favourite garments. Our advice is don!t make an effort to get all the way to Liverpool to see it… when art is like this, global warming isn!t the only crime.
£ 1. 435 million...
E
nough to feed the population of a small, impoverished country for a month? Or the amount spend on Wales! first ever Picasso this week? Might as well go and see Still Life with Poron in the National Museum Cardiff now the damage is done. It!s open for viewing now so get yourself down there and check out for yourself whether it was worth all the cash.
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un animal heads are back – but no it!s not River Island!s latest window display. Earlier this month Michael Keegan-Dolan!s new adaptation of Stravinsky!s ballet The Rite of Spring premiered at the London Coliseum. The performance transforms an 18 strong, all-man gang into a bunch of dogs to symbolise the animalistic base of humankind, and then don frocks. With more gritty symbolism than a Tennessee Williams play, this will certainly put River Island!s new mannequins to shame.
Arts update arts@gairrhydd.com/37
arts
seen
Colouring in your cultural map of Cardiff
Picture: Voice and Eleanor Jane Parsons
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December. This is the second event of its kind to hit the Riverfront, but the focus now is definitely more student centred. If you"re at all crafty, open a stall for a !what"s-there-to-lose?" price of ÂŁ1. Need to get that unique vintage gift? This will be the place. And for those brave enough to
break out their seasonal karaoke specials, grab a glass of mulled wine in one hand, the mic in t"other and get the party started. We"ve also heard rumours that everyone will be invited to a top secret after-party venue. For only a 12 minute train hop down to Newport, what"s standing in your way?
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with, the CAI certainly is encouraging people to participate. However, the feel is more chilled out than its description as !a space to explore creative vision" suggests. Ping-pong was roundly encouraged and I definitely enjoyed the community atmosphere, but not losing a tight game 21-19. Although maybe
initially lacking anything bordering on real artistic vision, the next night"s band 'The Apples' were a riotous success and I"m sure there will be plenty of pretentiousness in place soon enough. Lloyd Griffiths
Pictures:Cardiff Arts Institute
he lights have gone on in town and it!s officially time to start welcoming in the colder months. This will be easier than it sounds with the !Winter Sessions Open Mic Night and Boutique Market" hitting The Riverfront, Newport on the evening of Friday 4th
he Cardiff Arts Institute opened its doors on November 5th with quite a heavy load of hype. The latest bar from the people at Milgis, the vibe is a mix of Buffalo and a child's playroom (not a bad thing at all!). With colour in-yourself walls and free Lego to construct
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arts
Earthfall: Gig Theatre 28/10/09 dir: Jessica Cohen and Jim Ennis
The Sherman Theatre
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ig is by no means the traditional kind of show you expect to see in a theatre. One hour of wild, punchy and peachy dancing enhanced by superb live music is what you can count on. Add some acting and you!ve got a glimpse of what
Salomé Silent Film/Music Composer: Charlie Barber perfomed by: Nick Baron, James Hulme, Alun Hathaway and Dave Danford
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biblical story recorded in Mark 6:21-29, a play written and illustrated in the late nineteenth century, a film made in 1923 and four live musicians. Chaotic? You might think. But there!s something very appealing about this cultural clash. Salomé is not your typical Wilde play at all. Far from the elaborate social set ups of Lady Winder-
the charming Earthfall company can bring to you. This new production depicts the glamorous yet tragic world of Amy Winehouse and her likes. Poetry, love and rock song fuel the explosive energy of the dancers who jump, embrace and intertwine each other!s bodies sometimes even hanging from their ponytails. Always on the run, you keep wondering how these four rockets can be singer, dancer, musician and actor plus avoid the cable or other stage equipment we would inevitably fall over. But what is it all about? "Officially" it"s the story of a band and their turbulent relationships; bloody noses and drunken reconciliations
are witnessed as they struggle to make sense of their world. Don!t await a classical plot with beginning and end with specific characters exchanging lines with each other. I saw it as an artistic chaos from which everyone can make their own meaning, especially since the only words you get to hear are the lyrics of the several songs. Although self-defined as !tragicomic,! I found it refreshing and positive. It was enjoyable to be told for once that our modern world is not only made of gloomy apathy, but also of an innovative and colourful youth just like the six bold artists on stage that night. Camille Lavoix
mere!s Fan and The Importance of Being Earnest, this work takes us back to a primal scene of lust and greed. The film sees a search for knowledge of the most abstract concepts, with the most quotable line from the play being, "the mystery of Love is greater than the mystery of Death.! The production brings us back to a time where death was no barrier to desire. It is no coincidence that the figure of Salome has come to symbolise the dark power of female seduction, allowing us to explore the darker themes of human nature. This social instability is represented in Charles Bryant!s experimental film, one of the first !art house! productions ever made. Here is seductive, heady desire set before "civilisation!. The temporal disorientation works to firmly pull us out of our moment in time and expose us to these more natural, raw urges. It then seems only fitting that four
drum kits provide the sound to this previously silent movie experience. A drum rolls to heighten the mute anger of Herod, a lone cowbell escorts a precautious Salomé to the entrance to the prophet!s dungeon and a quick shake of a tambourine indicates a sleeve rapidly pushed up in a moment of determination. At first, the piece is disorientating. But then, little by little, the drumbeats force their way into the back of your mind so that – somewhat paradoxically – they only become noticeable when they stop. In such surprising silence, we see that drama exposed in all of its striking monochrome. Charlie Barber!s score is indeed mesmerising, taking you away from the familiar to a gripping, timeless piece. Amelia Forsbrook
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arts
"It's time for theatre to be
bold" What does a tank in the Brecon Beacon army barracks, a day out at the beach and a taxi ride around tiger bay have to do with Cardiff's art scene?
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on!t be fooled, this is not a cab ride with a cunningly devised detour to rip you off, nor is it an intensive fitness camp‌ and let me say with absolute certainty, this is no Punch and Judy show. The programme, set across what is promoted as a !theatre map of Wales", aims to incorporate every setting, voice and – I kid you not - climate in this small but diverse country. Yet for a grand theatre company, these guys seem to be incredibly short of a theatre. This is a remarkably mobile project, with the company being keen to be light on their feet and on overheads, keeping focused on their grand cultural tour of Wales. What they were not light on today, however, were buzzwords. The terms !engaged", !innovative" and !international" were thrown about, promising that this transformation of the theatre experience will revolutionise the arts in Wales. Dai Smith continued this sense of optimism with an Obama-style speech full of pledges and promising sound bites. Smith, the chair of the Arts Council of Wales, claimed that NTW will be a !forum for this new Wales" and a !catalyst" that is
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!rooted in Wales and about us". This is not just about moving forward; expect to see a bold address of the theatrical canon as the company go right back to the first ever western play: The Persians. This is a work that, according to Smith, !speaks so profoundly to where we find ourselves today." But far from becoming a sermon radiated across to the world, this was the opening of an interactive cultural forum; the company started off as they mean to go on with Skype calls from all over Wales. These ranged from long and wide, giving a new optimistic voice to Bridgend and providing us with a live update from the top of Snowdon. In case anyone at the launch needed further persuading, National Theatre confirmed they are keen not to be restricted by a building by pointing out the window at a
hula-hooping girl from No Fit State Circus, Wales" !great international company". In turn, these performers will be breaking the boundaries of theatre further as they move out of the big top and into the Torch Theatre as part of NTW. As Smith puts it, the National Theatre !may be 100 years late" but thank God we!ve finally got it. Amelia Forsbrook
arts
Natalie Stone catches up with the chair of National Theatre Wales, Phil George, amidst the launch party celebrations.
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ational Theatre Wales seems very eager to widen theatre audiences. What do you think about National Theatre London's efforts to make theatre more accessible, and are you heading in a similar direction? We!re trying to do it in a more evolved, web-based way. Though for example if we do a particular kind of show, and it!s one that you could shoot in a particular kind of way, then we could make it work. By not broadcasting everything then, are you saying you want to respect the boundaries of theatre? Exactly. You know broadcasting an event that!s based around a training space in the army centre in Wales, is not the same thing as broadcasting from a stage. Definitely. You mention the army camp where you!ll be showing The Persians, and you!ve also announced a productions on a beach as well as in Swansea library. With such unconventional spaces in mind though, do you think you might be scaring away a more traditional theatre audience? This is clearly a question on
people!s lips today. This is a bold programme but we think that it!s time for theatre to be bold. Too many people too often have a ho-hum theatre experience. We believe in the genius and the magic of classic theatre. We believe in text, we believe in rigor, we believe in really driving the quality of the work. We don!t believe in a bunch of theatrical gestures.
"We're a new kind of National Theatre" One of the reasons that Volcano wanted to work with National Theatre Wales is they felt they!d been pushed and with great conversation about the narrative. So you take their great physical theatre, you take the great use of location and you say how do we make this into an engaging story? So we!re applying those great qualities and demands of classic theatre into this experiment. To sum up I think that this way of working, number one gives us a chance of reaching new audiences, and number two, because of the way which we will do it, will reach traditional theatre levels. Are you telling me that a Daily Mail reader would go to the theatre to see classic Brecht, and doesn!t want to see the inside of an army camp? I think they do‌ Do you think then that "theatre audience! as a social term needs redefining?
I think it needs broadening. It doesn!t need to be redefined. None of this is meant to exclude anybody. We!ve got a challenging though innovative brief. We!re here to say how can theatre, taking its great qualities and genius, move on into the 21st century? There is a classic repertoire. But we!re not defined by that in any way. We!re a very new kind of National theatre. So when you mention wanting to reach "new audiences!, are you talking largely about younger people? Certainly young people who!d want to come in. A National theatre has to in one sense be like the BBC. It!s got to be able to join a wide audience; that!s its role. Its funded by the people, it!s for the people. But I think that we!ve got an over-segmented sense of what appeals. So imagine I go to Theatr Brycheiniog and say I want your audience to come to the Persians. They are going to have a chance to see a major British playwright (Kaite O' Reilly) adapt the first play in the western canon, and they!ll be able to see it, in a place you!ve heard about but never been in. You!re going to be bused there and your ticket includes the price of the bus. You!d be up for that wouldn!t you? And I think that 50, 60 year olds would be too. Absolutely. So is the idea behind the programme then to go to all the shows and fully experience "Wales!? There is a scheme that if you go to all of them you get all your tickets for free. That's exactly it. And obviously the majority of the English speakers are in the South, but we!re everywhere. It!s all over. So it really is a National Theatre. I mean, having a National Theatre in one place seems something of a contradiction? Yes, exactly. And you know you needed a city, needed the urban confidence, you needed a nation, to launch an institution like this, but we want to use this launch to put it back into the communities, because Wales in the end is really a community of communities.
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going out
MORE BASE PLEASE: the rise and rise of
dubstep With the heady bass lines ringing in our ears, Aengus Wilcox investigates where this uncontrollable beast came from and why it's here to stay.
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ver recent years the nation!s music scene has been invaded by a musical monster, seemingly coming out of no-where.
"Dubstep spread across the UK faster than swine flu" Dubstep has crawled from the dank depths of the London underground dance scene and into clubs, record shops and even the airwaves worldwide. With so many ravers now firmly following its heavy, chest rattling sounds everywhere, dubstep has spread
across the UK faster than swine flu. So where did this bass-driven monster come from and how did it get so popular, so damn quickly? Back in the early 2000s, dubstep was being made by just a small group of producers based in a couple of music scenes across the UK, Whilst Sheffield and Leicester deserve mention, the grimey, concrete covered suburbs of south-west London are thought to be the true home of the genre. Unknown to a lot of people, early dubstep tracks were formed on low budget computer software such as fruity loops and even Sony!s own playstation music making game Music 2000. The result was the very first signs of dubstep, dark, wonky versions of 2-step garage tracks which were popular amongst the UK charts at the time. Although producers had been
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experimenting with early "proto! dubstep sounds for years before it was ever even heard in underground clubs across London, the dubstep story really begins in a small South London record shop by the name of Big Apple Records. Big Apple provided an epicentre for dubstep producers across London to come and share their work. With a recording studio up-stairs, the first ever dubstep releases were made into now rare and collectable 12� vinyl releases. It was also the place where big dubstepartists of the future such as Skream, Benga and N-type would spend afternoons meant to be studying at school, filing through Drum "n! Bass records and hanging out with Hatcha, a man synonymous with the rise of the genre. Rumour has it, that it was Hatcha himself that first gave the
going out
genre it!s name, trying to give the dubby, 2-step garage drumbeat music a name.
"Ravers followed its heavy, chest rattling sounds everywhere" As dubstep started to gain physical releases and interest in the new sound grew, it was decided that this new and exciting genre needed a home, this saw the birth of the now infamous DMZ club nights at Brixton Academy in London. Organised by arguably some of the most prominent and influential figures of the dubstep scene, Digital Mystikz. It wasn!t long before news of the bass laden, smoke filled DMZ nights travelled across London and to other parts of Britain. Interest amongst old skool jungle heads and dark garage ravers ignited, people were coming from all over to the only place they could go and see their new favourite music being played on a big sound system, it seemed that after years of only being heard by a handful of London producers and loyal dub-heads, dubstep was breaking out.
Despite its formation at the turn of the century, dubstep did not really become popular or well known until 2006, partly as a result of the efforts of Radio 1 DJ and dubstep champion, Mary-Anne Hobbs. As well as promoting the music on her show, Hobbs played live sets at venues up and down the country and is responsible for introducing the genre to many electronica fans outside of the underground London scene. With the release of her dubstep compilation album "Warrior Dubz!, alongside the selftitled, debut release "Skream!! from youthful producer Oliver Jones, dubstep began to be heard at high profile clubs and moved rapidly into the overground scene.
"Dubstep has wobbled its way into the nation's hearts" Much like the manner in which drum and bass propelled into mainstream popularity before, 2009 saw the dubstep sound effortlessly transferring into other musical genres. At the start of the year, UK electronic duo La Roux saw their single "In for The Kill"
remixed by Skream to huge critical acclaim. The tune demolished traditional boundaries between over and underground music, enjoying endless play time on all manner of radio shows. Meanwhile Benga and Coki's single "Night" remained in the top five of Pete Tong!s Radio One dance Chart having been released in late 2007. The work of duo Caspa and Rusko, who together pioneered a new lighter and dance floorfriendly approach, furthered the mainstream appeal of dubstep. They moved away from the darker sounds of the earlier dubstep producers enabling the music to be widely enjoyed by dance music lovers and far more playable in more commercial clubs. It was dubstep for those who didn!t necessarily like dubstep, but gave the scene the energy and excitement it needed to become the fastest growing genre in popularity and commercial success in the UK dance music history. So what for the future of dubstep, you ask? With countless record labels, events, DJs and producers, not to mention international appeal and official recognition as a genre, it seems that dubstep has the musical world at its feet. So, crack open a can of red stripe, spark up a fatty and get your bass-face on, it looks like dubstep has wobbled its way into the nation!s hearts.
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going out
Recommended
; ^ ] eZf ˚-
The Crystal Daze
The Correspondents
Saturday 28th November
Friday 27th November
Saturday 28th November
The Great Hall
Clwb Ifor Bach
Cardiff Arts Institute
fter the messy success of Halloween, the Cardiff Luminous Underground Disco returns to The Welsh Club. Once more, no expense will be spared in the mission to put every attendee into a trance of psychedelic proportions via tribal beats and hallucinogenic décor. This time round the theme is #The Crystal Daze;" imagine that crazy 90s TV show but with a lot more UV paint. The top floor of Clwb will be transformed into the futuristic zone, a giant crystal dome hanging atop the crowd. When tired of stomping and thrashing on the dance floor, head to the Aztec café for a cup of chai or homemade cake, or kick back and relax in the underwaterthemed, interactive chill-out zone. Its just about the closest you"ll come to that festival atmosphere in these dark Winter months.
ere at Going Out we're very excited about the potential of new venue Cardiff Arts Institute and for good reason. The 28th sees the arrival of festival favourites and utter nutters, The Correspondents. The atmospher is bound to be electric as DJ and producer Mr. Chuckles will be spinning their homemade mixture of swing, hip hop and drum and bass. On the mic will be Mr. Bruce, lyrically steering through a mad mix of 1930s big band sounds with furious and funky drum beats. The dress code for the evening requires moustaches and hats, top hats and tails, silk pyjamas and faux furs. Something different, something new, something fun, the perfect opportunity to check out Cardiff's most exciting new venue. Jack Doran
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atch out ravers, a war is upon us. This year has seen the likes of Shout Out Loud, Aperture and Bedlam furiously competing to bring the most epic line-up to the Students! Union and the fight may have reached its crescendo. ! opping the weighty bill, and all the way from Sao Paulo, is the mighty, mighty DJ Marky. More D"n"B madness will come courtesy of Friction, Sub Focus and Shy FX whilst the dubsteppers amongst us will be happy to see the presence of the fantastic Benga. Possibly the most exciting addition to Bedlam"s spectacle is hip-hop crew Foreign Beggars. The producers, MCs and beat boxers hold such versatility that their work is constantly fresh, breaching any notion of genreimposed boundaries.
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music
music live:thespecials
local:review a shot of jazz, 12th november
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t was a Thursday night and the majority of the students in Cardiff were either bumpin 'n' grindin' in Oceana or raving their tits off in CYNT, but somewhere among the sweaty debauchery were a blessed few who instead turned their back on the norm and indulged in an evening of jazz, hot drinks and a whole load of sitting down. City Road's late-night cafĂŠ/bar, A Shot in the Dark, have set up what is hoped to be a regular jazz evening but with last Thursday's launch being the only mid-week slot and events normally taking place every second Saturday. The premiere night saw an acoustic set from local funk troupe King Louis' Collective who've made quite an impression on Cardiff's student music scene over the past 12 months, and this is hardly surprising after hearing their cool, stripped down grooves coupled with frontwoman Chloe Clarke's awesome vocals. The band's support came from an equally impressive trio called Little Fish who's chilled jazz would fit perfectly into any piece of film noir, with Melanie Goldsmith's beautifully soft vocals polishing the sound perfectly. An undoubted success - keep an eye out for more jazz-filled happenings.
feature:woodstock
albums:biffyclyro
newsinbrief opening of the north star
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here's been a huge surge of activity recently when it comes to venues in Cardiff; the new and spectacular Cardiff Arts Instiute, the reopened Coal Exchange, even St. David's Hall turning to live music - it's all looking very promising for the months ahead. We've got more places to see live music than ever, and it seems that the expansion doesn't stop here. Talybonters will be pleased to hear that they no longer need to brave the wet and dangerous journey into town in search of live music - The North Star has come to the rescue. Situated just along from the Tesco on North Road, you may have noticed it previously as the rather ominous looking The Maindy. Once a converted Victorian pub and now having undergone a boutique conversion, The North Star boasts a large heated courtyard, drinks lounge, live music stage and an Italian open kitchen serving food daily from 12pm, which includes all day breakfasts on weekends and roast dinners on Sundays. There is ample opportunity to catch some live music too, with local bands playing on a number of days throughout the week and an open mic night every Wednesday. Make sure to check it out.
quench loves local
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o with the abundancy and quality of music venues in Cardiff looking better than ever before, it's natural to expect that the number of acts choosing to stop off in Cardiff is going to increase. So here's a round-up of the highlights coming at you in the coming weeks. With flurries of bookings come unfortunate clashes. The first of these rather upsetting sceneriosees local post-rockers Right Hand, Left Hand playing Buffalo Bar on Monday 23rd (after their closing set stole the show at Swn this year), which shares the same date as Funeral For A Friend's reopening of the Coal Exchange over in the Bay. Not a night for the indecisive. The Corrospondents will be masterfully blending swing/hip hop/ drum & bass at the newly opened CAI on Saturday 28th, while at the other end of the musical spectrum The Antlers will be performing one of the most cathartic albums since For Emma, Forever Ago, at Clwb Ifor Bach on Thursday 1st - our favourite booking of the year for Cardiff. So whatever work you've got on heading into Christmas, make sure to give yourself some time out and check out the local bookings - we all need a break sometimes...
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music-feature
a bluffer's guide to...
Y stock 1969 On its 40th Anniversary, Richard Thomas looks at the infamous Woodstock '69...
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nother decade of history is almost notched up and there is a tendency to nostalgically remember anniversaries. Fiftysomethings with moth-eaten tie-dyeds lurking in their wardrobes may cast an affectionate glance backwards to events at a dairy farm close to New York in the summer of 1969. Woodstock was the final liberating act of the peace-loving sixties, and middle class American parents wondered where their kids were going with camping equipment in mid August. Nobody knew it, but they were pitching tents in cultural history. Without the wheel there would be no Formula One; medieval catapults inspired the missile launcher and Glastonbury, V and numerous other worldwide festivals are the economically developed offspring of Woodstock, where many of the world's great acts met together to play in front of an audience conservatively estimated to be at least as big as the
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population of Cardiff. The nostalgic view is that today!s equivalents with corporate hospitality can never replicate the pure simplicity of 1969. One of the young organisers, Artie Kornfield, took a swipe at commercial greed when he said that the festival was unique “because you can't repeat a miraculous work of art. Woodstock was anti-business and -capitalist.” Barefaced commercialism was never on the agenda then?
"Corporate hospitality can never replicate that pure simplicity." Kornfield and colleague Michael Lang answered an advert placed by young entrepreneurs John Roberts and Robert Rosenman which was the catalyst. “Young men with
unlimited capital,” it said, “looking for interesting, legitimate investment opportunities and business propositions”. It doesn!t get much more explicit than that. For the four visionaries it was to be the goose that laid the golden egg. It quickly became an omelette though; thousands of tickets had been sold when anarchists breached the inadequate and unfinished security arrangements, and big business morphed into the biggest freebie of all time. Eccentric concert MC, Wavy Gravy, indiscreetly spilled the beans when he said that “Woodstock was created for wallets, but they didn't get the fence up in time and the universe snuck in and did a little dance." Naked dancing, in the mud. There were side issues. An initial medical infrastructure that would have been inadequate at a Brownie camp was boosted by medics working for free. There was huge availability of chemicals of all types, but surprisingly only one drug-related death, and another due to a tractor
feature-music
The anti-establishment audience ironically owed much to army helicopters who avoided traffic chaos and delivered the acts. An officially quoted figure of 150 policemen on duty within a 20 mile radius would be about right for a lower league football match on a wet November night in Grimsby. Strait-laced parents looked on with horror - just as they thought he sixties had crawled painfully by, here was something else unfathomable to perpetuate the nonsense into the seventies. Musically though, it was utopia. It was the second ever outing for Crosby, Stills and Nash, and names like Joe Cocker and Johnny and Edgar Winter established themselves into the lofty positions and have hardly slipped since. Bohemian abandon was safe in the custodial hands of the Grateful Dead and the charismatic Grace Slick from Jefferson Airplane. So dreamy was her effect on other artists that allegedly English drummer Keef Hartley sneaked into
her hotel room with the comparatively chaste ambition of smelling her bed sheets. Santana drummer Michael Shrieve!s 11 minute drum solo on the middle day was a widely acknowledged highlight, as was The Who!s 25 number set, starting at 4am and gate crashed by an LSD crazed activist called Abbie Hoffman. Glastonbury 2010 tickets will be £185. A lineup equivalent to Woodstock these days would surely be within the means of only the most successful of hedge-fund managers.
"It was utopia. Woodstock remains mythical."" For some on the bill this was to be one of their last hurrahs; within 14 months of that blissful August, Janis Joplin, “Blind Owl” Wilson of Canned Heat and top of the bill
headliner Jimi Hendrix would all succumb to rock and roll excess. Woodstock remains mythical. Local bookshop owner Ellen Shapiro reflected on the lasting legacy when she said that “While some of the original settlers probably wish they'd never been part of it, most of us are proud of living somewhere so historic. Every weekend, people come into the store and want to talk about Woodstock”. Fiction is maybe more romantic than fact. The world was more fun when you believed in Father Christmas, so let!s continue to pretend that this was about hippies and not accountants. As Wavy Gravy pithily observed, "The whole world was watching us, and we had a chance to show how it could be if we ran things." The Woodstock generation are the people actually doing the running these days, but surely not one of them would forget the weekend they spent loving peacefully in the New York mud.
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music-features
interview with...
WINTERSLEEP
Lucinda Day catches a brief moment with the Canadian Juno Award-winners...
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elcome To The Night Sky is your most hyped record to date. How do you think your music has progressed since your debut? We've just been learning and taking things from our experiences the whole way. We are working on our 4th record right now and we are all confident that it is better than the last, it's always something to strive for - to be better than before. You worked with Tony Doogan (Belle & Sebastian, Mogwai, Super Furry Animals) to produce this album; how did that come about? We had sent him some stuff we were working on and he liked the material. He came to Nova Scotia for about 3 weeks and we tracked a song a day, wringing them out as we went along. We had accumulated a lot of the material on Night Sky while touring our second record so there were a few solid songs already in a lot of our set lists and then we essentially wrote the other half in the studio, I suppose. We mixed the record in Glasgow which was a real treat. A lot of these songs came about while touring, like I mentioned. We had not devoted all of our time to touring until after our second record came out. I think we took a lot of
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inspiration from that. You supported Paul McCartney in your native city this year - tell us about it! It was the biggest show I've ever seen put on in the city, to be involved with that was kinda weird and also amazing. The way it came about was very natural though - funny to think you could have a mutual friend asked for suggestions on openers. To think Paul McCartney checked us out on Myspace is pretty hilarious. Right after our set we flew to Dublin for the Oxegen festival, so we didn't get to see his set. All of our families enjoyed it immensely. My mother had never been able to afford to see The Beatles when she was younger so it was very special night. He was very nice and was cracking jokes with our bass player Mike. Something to the effect of "us bass players have to stick together", to which Mike responded "yes we do Paul McCartney!" You seem to have been working non stop this year and there's been a lot of hype in Europe what with your festival shows, radio appearances, and now a UK / European tour with Editors and The Maccabees. What's been your highlight so far? On this tour Ireland was really
great. Dublin is starting to feel cozy. Manchester is like that for us too, we have some solid friends. That is a good feeling. We were really excited to do a Maida Vale session for the BBC. Lots of history in that building. That was cool. Everything has really been a highlight, we've been very fortunate to be able to play over here so much this year. Have you got any favourite European destinations? Well, we all really enjoy Hamburg. Scandinavia is pretty magical. We always make it fun. We are really excited to go to Spain, Portugal, Czech Republic, Poland, all places we have never played before. That is the best feeling, playing your music somewhere you would likely never get to see otherwise. What did you think of the famous Mirror Tent at the Haldern Pop Festival? Amazing! That was a serious highlight of the summer. Such a cool festival. That stage apparently travels around to loads of festivals throughout the summer. Sounded amazing, great sight lines, and with that many mirrors you always have a good time, right? Welcome To The Night Sky is out now.
music-albums
Biffy Clyro Biffy Clyro
Only Revolutions
14th Floor
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Mountain Goats The Life of the World to Come
4AD
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ohn Darnielle is a bit of a wonder, really. On this, the seventeenth (!) Mountain Goats album, he returns to an earlier sound and introduces something...different. Each track title is a bible book and quote – the idea being that each of these songs relates to (if not actually about) that quote from the Bible. It doesn!t actually seem to be a Christian album though – there are some songs that are about praise, but there are some that are simply angry at God. Are the titles a bit of a gimmick? Maybe, but to focus on that would be missing the point. By suggesting that these quotes are reference points, it allows us as listeners to find them and add a new layer of meaning to these songs. Take Genesis 3:23 – this could be a song about
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Darnielle breaking and entering into a place he used to live, or it could be about the expulsion from the Garden of Eden. Either way, it!s lovely. As is the whole album. Whether looking at murderers, criminals, lovers or just somewhat crazy people (never has a Biblical quote sounded more manic than on Psalms 40:2), Darnielle tends to stick to a focus on creating a sparse musical ambience that allows us to focus on the lyrics and create an overwhelming closeness. Matthew 25:21 is the perfect example of this – just guitar and his voice, singing about the death of his mother in law. It!s horribly personal – there!s just a feeling of being a little too close – but it!s frank and touching and...well, there are no words. This is such a massively wonderful album and if this really is the life of the world to come, I for one cannot wait to savour every intimate, disturbing, and wholly breathtaking moment of it. Darnielle, with this his seventeenth album, must be one of the most active and inspired personas in music. Dave Sadd
8.
iffy Clyro!s previous album, Puzzle was the band's most commercially successful release, and was met with the unfortunate mix of critical acclaim and resentment from diehard fans. Some dismissed it as "selling out! whilst others argued that the material was just the next step in the evolution of Biffy!s sound. Only Revolutions then, the fifth studio album from the Scottish threepiece, has a fair old task on its hands. Puzzle was noted/hated for its melodic sound and straightforward song structures and there is a fair amount of similarity in the songs on this album. There are few songs here, if any, that couldn!t be released as a single and go on to storm charts. That Golden Rule was one selected to act as a forerunner to the album, and its easy to see why. It's big, brash and immediately takes no prisoners with it's heavy riffage and colossal string section finish, echoing Living is a Problem... The perfect way to open a live set. Mountains also crops up on the album, a track previously meant to be a non-album single. It!s a fair assumption that if you had your ears open at all last year you would have heard the track, or at least the sound of a thousand raucous voices singing along to it. It!s a huge tune and its inclusion on the album is sure to guarantee a great deal of sales. It would be all to easy for this review to turn into me just waxing lyrical about how great every track is (personal favourite being the Josh Homme-featuring Bubbles), so I!ll dial it back. Fans of Biffy!s more eclectic sounds will hopefully find solace in aspects of the album such as the oddball synth sound on Born On a Horse and the big rock-out finish to Cloud of Stink. All things considered, this is an utterly fantastic record, and certainly one of the best things I!ve heard in recent months, if not this year. And what's more, it sticks out as some of the band!s strongest work to date. Mon the Biff. Sam Smith
9.
albums-music
Weezer Raditude
DCG/Interscope
6.
Weezer
I
t!s fair to say that Weezer have had a chequered history over their 17 year career. From cult classics The Blue Album and Pinkerton to Beverly Hills and questionable Village Peoplefashioned album covers, their credibility may have dropped somewhat but their geeky allure remains. An album entitled Raditude with a jumping dog on the cover can be no better illustration of this. Still, one should never judge a book by its cover and behind this leaping labrador is a masterclass in the art of the pop song courtesy of Rivers Cuomo. The bespectacled frontman has spent years meticulously analysing what makes a good tune and it shows, although this time he!s had help from Britney Spears! and Mariah Carey!s songwriters. While the idea of external songwriters initially seems to take away from what made Weezer so likable, it!s also a breath of fresh air for what sounds like a rejuvenated band. Every track is full of life, whether it!s upbeat Beatles pop or rough-edged rock sing-alongs. The production is polished but not overly so, ensuring potentially plastic songs don!t end up that way. That!s not to say the album is without its flaws however. Can!t Stop Partying, while eloquently written as far as club tunes go, is so authentically ghetto that Cuomo loses his sense of irony and appears genuinely unable to stop attending social functions with his "homies!, particularly when new buddy Lil Wayne pops up in the middle 8. Nevertheless, no matter how much outside influence the album has had, the lyrics are still unmistakably Cuomo: awkward, touching but mostly downright embarrassing, especially I!m Your Daddy and Girl Got Hot (no further explanation necessary). But this is precisely the reason why Raditude demands a listen; it!s fresh but still retains that quintessential Weezer charm. Michael Brown
Cold Cave Love Comes Close
Matador Records
I
t takes a few spins of Love Comes Close for it to settle neatly into the psyche, but once it does, the record is a dark synthesised treat from start to finish. The debut album from US quartet Cold Cave is the first foray into solo writing from hardcore legend Wesley Eisold (formerly of Some Girls, American Nightmare and Give up the Ghost). Love Comes Close eases the listener in with its atmospheric opener Cebe and Me. The rest of the album is full of infectious melodies, dark synths and all tracks are framed with haunting static drones. Particularly noticeable is the brilliant pairing of Eisolds! Ian Curtislike deadpan singing and Caralee McElroy!s spoken words that roll lazily off her tongue. From the first listen, the New
Order comparisons that have been made in the States are obvious. The album is also melodically reminiscent of early Human League and the steady bass lines and drum beats are similar to Joy Divisions. However, Love Comes Close often seems monotonous. The dark tones that are dusted over the album can often cause the listener to switch off; Cold Cave's debut is an album that needs to be carefully listened to, to be enjoyed. However when close attention is paid, it is incredibly rewarding to the listener. This is not an album to be played in the background, but an album to be lovingly explored. The record is a dark, magnificent set of dazzlingly beautiful pop songs with a shadowed heart. Particularly fantastic tracks are the first two singles Life Magazine and The Laurels Of Erotomania. Honourable mention must also go to the danceable album closer I.C.D.K. In this instance love doesn!t just come close; it hits the nail on the head. Nick Pritchard
6.
music@gairrhydd.com / 51
music-live
The Specials CIA
1st November 2009
C
oventry ska-pop legends The Specials delivered an energetic and raucous performance on Sunday night at Cardiff!s International Arena. After dawdling sluggishly onstage in his notorious couldn!t- careless fashion, Terry Hall and his sharply dressed band opened with Do The Dog, before powering through a string of classics, including Gangsters, Nite Club and Rat Race. With the current music scene rife with thought-to-be deceased pop bands making overly commercialised comebacks, The Specials reunion could be seen as one final ride on the back of previous successes. However, this was certainly not the case. With lyrics to songs such as Too Much Too Young, Stereotype, and a song sarcastically dedicated to Nick Griffin, the Ska heroes sounded as exciting and relevant today as they did during the days of Thatcherite Britain. Judging by the age of many of the evening!s audience members, it is clear that The Specials have certainly not lost their loyal fan base, and now they are also joined by a fleet of eager younger followers, keen to keep up with the ska veterans in the audience. The party atmosphere was incredible, as the floor bounced with ageing, overweight rude boys dancing the iconic running-on-the-spot ska skank - it's like The Specials never went away, and their fans are clearly more than grateful for their return. One of the more apt songs of the evening was Ghost Town, written in part about wide-spread unemployment in the eighties. With a similar state of affairs today given the recession, Ghost Town received a huge amount of appreciation before Terry Hall requested that everyone sing along to their final track You!re Wondering Now. Even with the absence of founder Jerry Dammers, The Specials, as sharp and tight as ever, produced an unforgettable live set with everything a fan would want to hear. Katie Matson
52 /music@gairrhydd.com
The Specials
Brakes Clwb Ifor Bach
8th November 2009
W
ith recent touring slots supporting the likes of The Killers, Editors and Belle & Sebastian, it!s fair to say that Brakes have a lot going for them, a point further emphasised by the rapturous reception they receive from the faithful that pack out Clwb. First up though are Quench Live alumni Decimals, who produce an impressive if regrettably brief opening set. Closely following in their wake is two-piece outfit Gindrinker, who manage to churn out a memorable set despite (or maybe because of) the frontman!s state of utter intoxication. Highlights of their set include a lengthy between-song interval whilst said singer uncorked one of his many alcoholic beverages, and hilariously imploring the audience to buy their single as they have "500 of the fuckers to get rid of!. Musically they aren!t bad too; picture The Streets, except with a
decent singer, a wonderfully avantgarde instrumental, and subject matter with actual relevance. Which brings me onto Brakes. Maybe it!s because the support was so good, but despite their fans nearly bringing the house down, it!s difficult to feel anything other than slightly underwhelmed.
"It's difficult not to feel slightly underwhelmed" Why this is exactly, is hard to tell. The band themselves are nice enough and seem genuinely happy to be there. Much of the material from recent album Touchdown gets an airing, as do crowd-pleasers Porcupine Or Pineapple and Beatific Visions. Whilst their fans predictably lap it up, it!s hard to shake the feeling that this all sounds a bit samey. There are plenty of bands around playing the same kind of indie rock that Brakes offer - and doing it better at that. Steve Wright
live-music Photo: Sam Smith A Place to Bury Strangers
PTBS/Japandroids Barfly
8th November 2009
A
s it turns out, Japandroids are quite the fans of Cardiff. Tonight - the first Welsh date of the noise-pop duo!s young career - sees frontman Brian King sporting a Future Of The Left shirt, as well concluding the set with a raucous cover of To Hell With Good Intentions from Mclusky!s back catalogue, exclaiming the Welsh cult-legends to be their "favourite band of all time!. Well that!s one way to win over the locals. droids: with nothing more than a guitar, drum kit and a stack of amps they!ve managed to produce an undeniably successful and critically praised debut album, and a meaty live reputation to match. The Canadians make no exception to that renown tonight, and tear through a vigorous recital of their album Post Nothing, and do a fine job of laying the foundations of ear-ringing before
A Place To Bury Strangers take to the stage for their sonic onslaught. Recognised as the "loudest band in Brooklyn!, and for very good reason, A Place To Bury Strangers shake the foundations with their signature sound of ominous, noisedrenched shoegaze complete with ear-shattering feedback and nail-gun percussion.
"They're called the loudest band in Brooklyn, and for good reason." The complexity of their effects and sound textures demonstrate a true mastery of their equipment , and it!s sometimes baffling to think that the sounds bursting out of Barfly!s agonised PA are still being generated by a guitar and a bass. It!s easy to get distracted by the sheer volume of the performance, and remember there are actually three figures on stage – obscured almost totally by thick smoke and minimal lighting - playing
through some pop songs. Taking songs from their selftitled debut and the recent Exploding Head, the set culminates in a tortured, free for all version of first album closer Ocean, but not before the silhouette of Oliver Ackermann – vocalist and guitarist – steps forward from the billowing smoke and deep blue backlights to survey his audience, sending a collective chill through most of its members. There can!t ever have been a more intense stare than the one coming from this man, and it!s with a mixture of relief and utter dread that he returns to being a silhouette at the back of the stage; relief, because no one!s turning to stone any more, and dread because god knows what kind of noise he makes for a finale. Sure enough, it!s a near-deafening one, and twenty minutes and a dismantled guitar later, the noise subsides and it!s with sheer exhaustion that the audience head towards the doors. A Place To Bury Strangers put on shows that are not easily forgotten, and tonight is no exception – and that!s not just the worrying partial deafness. Phil Guy
@gairrhydd.com / 53
music-singles
Lily Allen
singles round-up
The Flaming Lips Watching The Planets Warner Bros
8.
Marina & The Diamonds
Lily Allen
Mowgli's Road 679/Warner
Who'd Have Known Regal
6.
Wayne Coyne and co. shed their skins as lovable pop eccentrics with Embryonic - an uncomprimisingly double album returning the Oklahomians to their weirdo pysch-roots. This is the climactic closer to that collection: driving, apocalyptic percussion and Coyne's preacher-like chantings make for a highlight, and a great single that's galaxies apart from the days of Yoshimi. PG
This offering from the rather lovely Marina kicks off with a footstomping beat and her signature weird-yetenjoyable vocals. When the chorus kicks in it's impossible to not find yourself nodding your head along in appreciation. With an utterly mental middle eight, this track will keep you coming back for more, even if you don't know why. SS
Four Tet
Alice In Chains
Love Cry Domino
9.
Despite not having an album release since 2005, Mr Kieran Hebden has been a busy man - DJ Kicks mixes and a collaboration with dubstep mastermind Burial, to name examples. Love Cry is an anticipatory single for 2010 album There Is Love In You, and more than enough to whet the appetite, with steadily building layers and a truly hypnotic groove. PG
54/ music@gairrhydd.com
Your Decision Virgin/EMI
7.
With its combination of acoustic guitars and melancholy vocals, the latest single from seminal grunge legends Alice In Chains channels the sound and songwriting from earlier albums such as Jar of Flies. The track is a fine example of the band!s ability to contrast their heavier material with a refined, softer sound, whilst losing none of its bitter introspection. SS
5.
You could be forgiven for confusing this with Take That!s Shine, as the song shares more than a little resemblance. It carries Lily!s trademark melodies and simple lyrics, but does little to inspire the listener and verges on boring. It may be catchy enough to stick in your head but probably won!t have you reaching for the "repeat! button. SG
Ellie Goulding Under the Sheets
4.
Polydor Supporting Little Boots on her upcoming UK tour, it!s unsurprising to see the similarities in this debut single. The influence of Bjรถrk is overly apparent, whilst that of electro-popladies such as La Roux and Lady Gaga more so, in overproduction alone. With every 20 seconds of play, ten new layers are seemingly added, leading to a hectic, confused climax. But it!ll be remixed to death, so all!s well. RM
nyo’, the latest studio Ghibli animation has been trailer-ed in the last few weeks. While the actually film will undoubtedly be a heart-warming and
film
film
beautifully animated Classic Upcoming Releases (That’s just a general Ghibli 24th Novemberrule!) Disney seem intent on Filmsoc @ Milgi, City Rd. Cinema Mexicano, Volver marketing the film as a cartoon The Day After Tomor28th - K-hole @ The Atrium, Adam St. Southland Tales. row. While Miyasaki’s films areThis empathetic and warm, the Weektrailer promises ‘the world The Informant A Serious will never Man be the same’ as S!suke and27th Ponyo seemingly November Paranormal Activity battle the elements through Twilight: New Moon their friendship. Bunny and the BullMore annoyingly, the voiceover man pronounces Ghibli Jib-li, like
We Like...
Ridley Scott to direct a film about Monopoly-WTF?And Sony make a Risk board game-film? Huh? If Men In Black II was a bit of a stretch, then Men In Black III might just push you over the edge. We're excited, but only if there's a big Willie involved. An Education: Subtle, classy, emotionally engaging, probably the best British film this year. AND Carey Mulligan is Fiiiit. Moon is released on DVD. YAY for Existential Sci-fi!
..We'd Rather Not Keep writing stories about annoying sequels.Scooby Doo, Rambo, Alien and Scream, just erm...Scooby Don't. Find Guardian blogs about how An Education is a conformist sermon, later thinking maybe the slightly weak ending justifies this view.The truth hurts! Think about bad Christmas films. Let us know your favourites: film@gairrhydd.com
!"#$%&" !"#$%
I'll admit something to you here. I've allowed Quench Film to take over my viewing habits. My hack instincts position me as slithering snake, poring over trailers with a desperate need to conjure pretentious judgements. It was with this that I turned to the trailer for Twilight: New Moon. It has all the necessary elements I should be able to rip the piss out of: Kristen Stewart's performance with lip-warble set to 10 at all times, a baddie that looks like he's wandered off the set of Pirates of the Caribbean. And yet, I found myself enticed and interested in the film. The trailer plays on the potential of the film rather than spelling out the plot in vamp-fights and hyperbole, and I actually want to see it. Lesson one, be more open. ...It'll still turn out to be shit. LG
film@gairrhydd.com/55
a moronic British tourist asking for Fajeetaas.