Quench - Issue 164 - October 2017

ISSUE 164 | OCTOBER 2017

Quench’s Famous Five (Places to Visit)

Xbox One

What we know so far...

Meet the new team!

Interview with

Wolf Alice

+ Bestival Pullout

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PAY EVERY STUDENTS’ TUITION FEES? A BIT AMBITIOUS MAYBE...

STAND AGAINST RISES IN TUITION FEES? THAT SEEMS REASONABLE...

STUDENT SENATE

Got a great idea to improve your Union? visit cardiffstudents.com/studentsenate

INTRODUCTIONS

Cover photograph by: Rachel Jefferies, at 200 Degrees

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A letter from your new editor

9 - Oct - 2017

So, it’s a new year. Our new and shiny abundance of pens are prepping to do what they do best. No, not writing.

Disappearing. Our notebooks are preparing themselves to be filled with lecture notes for the first 10 pages, and then abandoned for actual lecture hand-outs. And well, I don’t think our umbrellas will ever be ready for Cardiff ’s colder seasons if I’m quite honest. Here I am, sat here prepping for work that hasn’t even started, thinking about the lack of sleep, money and willpower third year is going to bless me with. Am I ready for third year? I like to pretend I am; however, I might have to get back to you on that in issue 168. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, and let’s talk about this right here. Issue 164.

We’re incorporating some fresh ideas into Quench this year. Take for example, Quench’s new logo branding with thanks to our Head of Design, Lucy Aprahamian, a new food & drink showcase, and our Technology section and Agony Aunt’s debut. And believe me when I say there’s more to come. Finally, I can’t leave this editorial note without mentioning how brilliant Cardiff Student Media’s team heads are doing. Liam Ketcher, Editor of Gair Rhydd; Charlie Edmunds and Emma McGuigan, Station Managers of Xpress Radio and Liz Mills, Station Manager of CUTV - I wish you all the best of luck, and I am looking forward to smashing this year of Cardiff Student Media with you all.

Welcome to my first ever issue of Quench, being Editorin-Chief. It still feels surreal to say those words, and I know I have my work cut out for me following the immeasurable standards of last year’s editor, George Caulton and the rest of the Quench team. After a mile’s length of to-do lists, about a gazillion gallons of coffee (you think I’m exaggerating… I’m really not), and a sickening amount of microwave dinners and Co-op meal deals, I am incredibly proud to present to Quench’s first issue of this academic year. Countless hours have been put into this issue by everyone on the Quench team, and there will be countless more – there’s no doubt about it.

So, welcome to Quench! Whether this is the first ever copy you’ve picked up, or you’ve been a regular reader, I hope you enjoy!

Rach x

Special thanks to: Liam Ketcher and Molly Jackson for your support and help through absolutely everything, to Molly Wyatt for always blessing me with the “coffee?” question when I need it most, to Lucy Aprahamian for being Quench’s saviour by designing 50+ incredible pages this issue, and finally to my Bristol friends for always supporting and hyping up what I do.

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MEET THE TEAM Get to know the faces behind Quench Twitter: @QuenchMag Instagram: @quenchmagcardiff

Editor-in-Chief: Rachel Jefferies Just your regular basic coffee-head who spends all her time sipping soya lattes, reading thrillers and raving about how good macarons are. I am a firm believer in that everything happens for a reason, so maybe that’s why Ed Westwick is still single. Bristol is my hometown, however Cardiff will always hold a special place in my heart, which makes me sad to say I’m in my third and final year (of studying English Language). I have been a part of the Quench team since 2015, and I’m thrilled to be Quench’s 2017/18 Editor-in-Chief!

Deputy Editor: Molly Wyatt After spending a year as Quench’s columnist, I am Sunny D-Lighted to be back as Quench’s newly appointed Deputy Editor! A third year JOMEC student, with an appetite for sarcasm, I am super egg-cited to bring my endless supply of puns to the team. I’m still a pineapple fanatic, still theatre obsessed and I am still bloody hilarious. Who knows what the year will bring, but I predict a Wyatt.

Head of Design: Lucy Aprahamian

photograph by:Tahura Nyamowa

Writer and artist with an unhealthy love for Howard Roark, I’m here to bring a bit of colour and madness to Quench this year. I’m a second-year Journalism student, and you can usually spot me running down the corridors of Bute with suspicious red paint all over my hands. Originally from Bulgaria, I have Armenian roots but keep a special spot for Wales in my heart. I promise to refrain from bombarding you with Malevich-like aesthetics (or at least try).

Head of Illustration: Lisa Doran Self-proclaimed VK enthusiast. Watch me use my common sense about as much as I use comic sans or catch me drowning my sorrows of third year with a bottle of red.

5 INTRODUCTIONS

Q3 Editor & Deputy Editor Sarah Thompson & Josie von Jascheroff

Travel Editor Molly Geddes

Music Editors Erin Brown, Charlie Minett & Rowan Lees

Hi, I’m Sarah, a creative stuck in a science course, and I try to fill up as much of my time as I can with music, art, dance, and drama! (Perhaps that's why I'm struggling with my degree...)

I'm Josie, who, at heart, truly wants to be a writer.

Ironically, I cannot think of two solid sentences to write myself. Not even wine could help me!

I spend 10% of my life travelling and the other 90% wishing I still was. @quench_travel

Often spotted at Clwb with a cider in hand, Charlie, Erin, and Rowan are here to Quench your musical thirst. @quench.music

Food & Drink Editors Nadine Pinnock and Lottie Clark Features Editors Esther Morris & Becca Moody The Features section is run by Esther Morris and Becca Moody, a procrastinating musician with an affinity for Mexican food and a Brummie with a passion for comedy, Buenos and Claude Monet. t @quenchfeatures i @QuenchFeatures

Stating the plain darn obvious, your Food & Drink girls are huge foodies and are coffee’s biggest fan. Lottie loves to read, write and kickbox, and Nadine is is an avid blogger, napper and hunter for Cardiff ’s meat-free eats.

Fashion & Beauty Editors Bethan Lawrence & Bryony Stephens Culture Editor Andrea Gaini Hello, I am an Italian who grew up in Florence and moved to Cardiff for university. I am extremely excited to be editor of the culture section of Quench and I hope to help spread my love for any types of art and have a fantastic Quench-year with you all! @QuenchCulture

Bethan and Bryony are your very own clothes nut. We like to spend our time talking too much, socialising and rewarding ourselves by rinsing our bank accounts online shopping. @quenchfashion

Film & TV Editor Molly Jackson

Columnist Gemma Gibson Somehow making it to journalism year three, (probably through buckets of green tea), your neighbourhood drama queen has arrived to express her views on anything and everything.

Hey friends!! My name is Molly and I spend my time counting down the days until it's acceptable to watch Christmas films and I also think about rewatching The US Office about 8 times a day. xoxo Quench's Film/TV Girl. @QuenchFilmTV

Technology Editor Rebecca Cornish I'm just your friendly neighbourhood nerd: 50% sass, 50% sarcasm all seasoned liberally with salt. @Quench_Tech

Agony Aunt Rachel Nurse I'm a second year English Literature student who loves coffee, going to the gym and dogs. I am thrilled to be Quench's first ever Agony Aunt!

Copy Editors Hannah Stait, Courtney Bridge, Holly Weeks and Kate Eagleton The proof (reading) is in the pudding! Hannah is a bookworm with a major tattoo obsession, Courtney is an adventure seeker, Holly is an avid tea-drinker, and Kate is a nap enthusiast and make-up addict. Welcome to your Copy Editor team!

Page designers: Izzy Boulton, George Caulton, Lisa Doran, Ellen Ferguson, Rachel Jefferies, Charlie Knights

Contributors: Izzy Boulton, Ashley Boyle, Samuel Capper, Molly Cheek, Bethan Clark, Erin Cluskey, Abbi Covill, Bethany Griffiths, Sarah Harris, Dan Heard, Paul Hilleard, Christopher Jones, Eva Kwatek, Bethan Linnane, Emma McGuigan, Becky Morris, Cristina O'Brien, Saoirse O'Connor, Kerry Pawther, Megan Potterton, Claudia Rutherford, Hannah Sedgewick, Hannah Stait, Hannah West, Marielle Wilkinson

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Cardiff University’s award-winning lifestyle magazine

column | features | culture | food & drink | travel | music | fashion & beauty | film & tv | technology | agony aunt

Enjoy writing, editing or designing?

Contribute to Quench to see your work published!

Join our Facebook groups ‘Quench Contributors 17/18’ & ‘Quench Design Team 17/18’ or email us at editor@quenchmag.co.uk

@QuenchMag @QuenchMagCardiff www.cardiffstudentmedia/quench/

7 CONTENTS

Column

CONTENTS

8 Stereotypes

14 16 18 19

Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls Quench’s Famous Five (Places to Visit) Welsh Myths Adolygiad Twrw: Yr Eira / Y Cledrau / Yr Oria

28 Travel Bargains That Won’t Break the Bank 29 Autumn Travel Hotspots 31 Is Travel the Key To Happiness?

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Bestival 33 Pullout Cover 35 Bestival 38 Barn on the Farm 39 Festival Food 40 The Weird and Wonderful of Festivals 41 Festival Fashion

DMAs Interview Alternative Freshers Interview with Wolf Alice Interview Declan McKenna + Album Review Album Reviews

47

Fashion & Beauty

52 53 55 57 Labelling Fashion Gender Fluidity in Fashion and Beauty The Real Leaders of the Millenials Fashion Photoshoot

Technology 66 Xbox One X - What we know so far 67 VR The Champions: The Incredible Uses of Virtual Reality 69 The Curious World of Crowdfunding

Agony Aunt

Questions & Advice 70 New Year, Fresh University Advice 71

Film & TV

Film Reviews 60 Big Life Lessons from the Big Screen 62 Coupling or Uncoupling with Reality TV? 64

44 45 48 50 51

Music

The Complete Guide to all the Drinks You will Experience at University 20 Top 10 Cardiff Eats 21 Student Chefs - Flukes or Fails? 23 Food on Film 24 Food Photoshoot 25

Food & Drink

Travel

Culture

How I Grew Out of First Year 9 Hitting The Funny Bone in Cardiff 10 Dealing With a Break Up 12

Features

14

8

53 60

70

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A bucket-full of

Gemma

COLUMNIST GEMMA GIBSON TALKS ABOUT BREAKING THROUGH STEREOTYPES. So it’s my favourite time of year again - the beginning of the new academic year. Welcome, welcome, welcome to all the shiny new freshers! And of course, welcome back to all the second years, third years, and beyond. Unfortunately, I am on the verge of a break-down, knowing I have just entered my final year. Say goodbye to seven-day benders testing out every club in Cardiff, fancy dress at least twice a week, and taking advantage of ASSL’s miraculous 24-hour opening so an essay can be tackled overnight, and say hello to never seeing my house mates again, visiting the library every day, and a hell of a lot of green tea to stumble through this dissertation dog poop. I should probably start acting like an adult too you know - learning how to cook and stuff, (Mum seems to think I can’t live on Super Noodles and ‘Microwave Meal Wednesday’ forever, but I beg to differ). But anyway, let’s not get ahead of ourselves here.

Gemma Gibson is Quench's columnist this year. Third year Journalism student, she is here to discuss (or rant about) anything and everything on her mind.

Find her on Twitter @ GemmaaGibson or on her blog https://gemmagibson95.blogspot. co.uk Illustration by: Lisa Doran

It has become natural to begin a new year with these goals and expectations for yourself, the ‘New Year, New Me’ syndrome (even though my weight loss and need to be less bitchy resolutions barely last five minutes), but for some reason people have started to use this time of year to completely change themselves into something they are not. Warp themselves into some mindless robot in attempt to fit in. Transform into some drug-a-holic maniac to impress the guys from their halls.

Humans are stupid, and we let our desperate desire to fit in and match stereotypes take over our lives. I know I did it too. In my first year I stopped eating crisp sandwiches in fear of looking weird in front of potential friends (terrible I know), I stopped painting my nails in wacky shades of yellow, blue and purple, I stopped walking around belting out musical bangers, I even shaved my legs all of the time in case someone suddenly felt an urge to stop and stare at my beautiful bare calves. And for what?

I’ve gone back to doing those things now anyway, well, apart from the shaving legs thing - that’s a special treat once a semester.

With two years of university now under my belt, my advice to everyone is start the year successfully by being yourself. People will love you for your quirks and what makes you different, so do not shut that down to try and make friends. It’s okay to have goals and aspirations for the upcoming months, but there is no need to commit to acting like someone you’re not.

Frankly, it is inevitable you will slip up and be ‘yourself ’ again when you’re drunk anyway - my first night of Freshers was spent knocking glasses of vodka flying during a heated game of Ring Of Fire, while shouting along to the Frozen soundtrack and munching on several packets of ready salted crisps.

We conform to these social ideas of ‘fitting in’ our entire lives, without even realising. So university is the time and place to abolish these invisible rules and guidelines. We are supposed to know what we want to do with our lives by 18, and the idea of ‘male work’ and ‘female work’ have become all too engrained into our culture. If I wanted to work in a warehouse for example,

the respective people would probably laugh their socks off and turn me away. From sport teams to the stress of finding a buddy to sit with in lectures and seminars, we are constantly tweaking and changing ourselves to suit what others like, undoubtedly falling into a category we do not usually align with as a result.

And with this, there’s this whole stereotyping malarkey - you can try and try and try and try to be this new you, but there will always be some dumbo at the end of the rainbow pushing you back into a box, suggesting how you should act. Hey, even when you’re not trying to fit in you’ll get stereotyped, so in my eyes you may as well just embrace yourself, love every minute of it, and let others say as they please. Throughout school I was called an emo for listening to Blink 182 and All Time Low at every opportunity, then I was called a chav for where I lived, I was called a boffin for excelling in a couple of subjects, to then apparently be ‘preppy’ for experimenting and getting rid of my fringe (Biggest mistake of MY LIFE may I add). I was even classed ‘popular’ for a little while because I had enough friends to host a house party for my sixteenth birthday. And now at uni I’m the local alcoholic, which is only 55 per cent true. No matter what you say or do people are going to comment and judge, that’s life.

So, now is the time to bitch slap life in the face and be yourself.

We are all too different to try and fall into a certain group or stereotype, so why is it so important to fit in? Nobody fits the perfect mould so don’t bother trying, if people stereotype or expect something from you, prove them wrong and do it your way! What we need to do is love what makes us different and break some boundaries - now THAT is what university is really for. Last year, I started kickboxing as well as taking up Spanish lessons, and this year I am FINALLY plucking up the courage to have a go at pole dancing (lol), so get out there and do what you want and people will admire you for it. Like every mother says at least once during the childhood years, if people have a problem with you, they are jealous I tell you, JEALOUS. As cliché and horrifically ‘gap year’ it sounds, university is where we find ourselves, and you can’t do that very well if you’re committed to being someone you’re not. Being different does not mean compulsory isolation, it just means you have the best stories to boast and an even better personality, because it’s unique.

So in the famous word of Ru Paul “If you don’t love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else?” Get out there and do you. Fight the norm, fight the need to fit in, fight the stereotypes.

In fact, learning to cook is considered a norm for my age, so maybe I’ll fight the system and continue devouring my body weight in Super Noodles and microwave meals until I’m too fat to walk. Sounds good to me.

- Gemma

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WORDS BY: BECCA MOODY DESIGN BY: LISA DORAN

Going to university is a massive deal for most young people. It’s an upheaval of everything we know. We dedicate at least the next three years of our lives to a subject that we might not necessarily have studied before, or certainly not at this level of detail.

In the summer of 2016, just before I started university, I was anxious. After overburdening myself with work during my last year of sixth form in some strange attempt at avoiding problems in my personal life, exams were suddenly over and the noise hushed. I started my first job, which gave me something positive to pour my energy into, but that long stretching summer still gave time for my worries to fester.

I was excited to begin studying Philosophy in Cardiff, but I was nervous and under-confident in my own abilities. I was unknowingly preparing myself for a rocky year.

Let’s face it, we all accepted our university offers without having a crystal clear idea as to what life at university would entail.

How are we to know exactly what will happen if it hasn’t happened yet? I’d heard my sisters complain of money worries and essay deadlines, but I’d also seen photographs on Facebook of older friends enjoying their boozed up Freshers’ Weeks over the years. The notion of university life was hazy, like an underdeveloped Polaroid; one I couldn’t quite place myself in the photograph.

There were certain things that I thought Cardiff University would be like. I expected moving to a new place to be daunting, and I expected Talybont to be loud. And both these things proved themselves to be true. But I had also feared that I would have days and days of boredom, culminating in a decline in my mental health caused by overthinking. And this certainly wasn’t the case. A university degree is a huge occupier of your time, even in first year when the workload might not be so intense. The first year of a course involves getting to grips with how the course is structured, which readings you can get away with not doing, and which lecturers record their lectures and put them online (meaning you don’t even need to get out of bed).

Plus, there’s such a vibrant social side to student life, whether that’s joining a sports team, going to socials with your course mates, or just eating your evening meal with your flatmates.

I expected to miss home, but I didn’t, really. I didn’t even miss the food most days because I discovered I’m not too bad a cook myself.

Well, I cook a mean fajita, let’s just say.

I did, however, relish coming home to a fully-functioning washing machine. My phone signal and Taly South never seemed to get on, and as a result my Circuit Laundry app was redundant unless I walked to Taly North – and who can be bothered to do that?

I knew university would change me as a person.

I knew I had so much room to grow. I had so many hang-ups to get over and so much of independent life to embrace. But what I hadn’t anticipated during my first year at university was that I might grow so much that I overtake where I thought I was supposed to be. Because the truth is, many aspects of first year at university bored me during the latter half of the year. My little university room was a wonderful safe haven but I got tired of it as soon as we started looking for houses. I felt clumsy in it, like I was renting a room in a dolls’ house.

My first year at Cardiff was a fantastic and important experience, but I am ready for something bigger and better now. Yes, I have my reservations about beginning another year at university. The workload will be more substantial, and it’s not easy leaving my boyfriend at home in Birmingham for weeks at a time, but I still know that this is the right thing for me. And when university is the right choice for you, it is a wonderful thing. That is how I grew out of first year, and I expect many other students do the same. So embrace growing out of your life, and find joy in doing so.

FEATURES

How I grew out of first year...

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Hitting the Funny WORDS BY: BECCA MOODY

I have been a comedy fan all my life, from watching Shooting Stars in my Tweenies

I wasn’t even alive when Spitting Image was on television, but I’m familiar with its most

pyjamas to conducting my first interview at the age of sixteen. You’d think all that

famous caricatures. From Margaret Thatcher to John Major, no politician escaped a

experience would make me pretty funny, wouldn’t you? Comedy by osmosis. But I

grilling from the show’s extensive list of satirical writers, which included the likes of

think it safer to presume that I’m not. It wouldn’t be cool for me to say I like making

Richard Curtis, Ian Hislop and Stewart Lee. But yes, I’m a fraud. It doesn’t really count

people laugh, would it?

as watching a topical satire if I watched it in 2012, does it? The thing is, Spitting Image

When trying to hide the reason that I love comedy is because I love making people

proved that comedy can re-engage us in a conversation, and I think that is a truly

laugh, I like to focus on the nerdier side. I like being the one at the dinner table during

remarkable thing for a television programme to do, so I can’t have people forgetting it.

a Sunday roast to tell you how important a piece of comedy writing is, even if it didn’t

Not only does having a laugh at our prime minister show us we’re not just pawns in this

make me throw my head back and cackle like George Dawes’ 'Baked Potato' song did

large-scale political game, it can also help those who are disengaged with politics and

all those years ago.

current affairs find an easier way of accessing such discourse.

I drag my boyfriend along to countless comedy shows and before we get there he always

But when the reality gets too bleak to bear, it’s not unusual to feel that satirical comedy

wants to know the same few things: what this person’s comedy is like; what it is that I

hits a little too close to home, as prophecy rather than lunacy. Even I have been a

like about them; and if he will like them. And it’s fair to say that he’s exasperated when I

little quiet eating my roast potatoes lately. Even I am getting tired. In this day and age

tell him that Spencer Jones is a really likeable performer or that Paul Foot is artistically

sometimes satire can just feel a little too grim. Yes, it’s important, but so is eating five

interesting. Because all my boyfriend really wants to know is if these people are funny.

portions of fruit and veg every day, and sometimes that gets a bit depressing too. Often

But I, being a comedy nerd of the highest proportions, can’t just leave it at that. I need

what I crave isn’t a nice healthy salad, it’s a comforting chocolate fudge cake drenched

him to appreciate how each comedian’s body of work fits within the broader landscape

in salted caramel sauce. Sometimes I crave a more light-hearted type of comedy. And

of stand-up comedy in Britain. I need him to revel in how brilliant it all is and to agree

that’s where stand up has it’s time to shine.

with me. I need him to sit next to me in that audience and laugh, or not laugh, and still

Seeing a comedian perform live has a unique energy to it. Rather than those with

tell me afterwards that he understands exactly why I’m so excited by it all.

similar views coming together over social media in response to something they saw on

Most people in my life already know that comedy is important and so don’t really

BBC iPlayer, with live comedy everyone physically gets together in one room. You hear

need to hear me drone on for ages while they’re trying to eat their Yorkshire puddings.

each other’s laughter and have the opportunity to interact with every unique performer.

They already know that comedy promotes freethinking and free speech. They know

Nobody has their heads down in any honey roasted parsnips here. This comedy is in

that without the ability to poke fun at the powerful then we, the general public, are

your face. And it’s this kind of entertainment that feels like true escapism to me.

rendered rather powerless ourselves. My dinner table counterparts aren’t stupid; my

So, for those of us who enjoy seeing a bit of live comedy from time to time, what is there

parents remember Spitting Image. ‘Stop acting like we’re dumb Becca. Go utilise that

for us in Cardiff? Well, it may please you to hear, there’s an eclectic mix of venues that

free speech and tweet about all this instead. You’re spoiling the ambience,’ my family

hold tour shows and club nights in our city, with countless chances to catch big

think to themselves as they pass round the gravy boat.

television names and also smaller circuit names throughout the year. So here I go at proving to you that Cardiff ’s comedy scene is a great one.

Bone in Cardiff DESIGN BY: LISA DORAN

In this last academic year alone, Cardiff has welcomed some of British comedy’s biggest names to its various stages, with the likes of Ricky Gervais and Russell Howard performing at Motorpoint Arena. And on a smaller level, absurdist Canadian comedian Tony Law recorded his latest DVD A Law Undo His-elf What Welcome at Chapter Arts, a fantastic arts centre and cinema with a café, bar and art gallery. Alice Lowe (Hot Fuzz, Sightseers) also visited Chapter last year, holding a preview screening of her directing debut Prevenge followed by a Q&A. Parts of the film were even shot on the streets of the city centre during Halloween of 2015. There’s a strange sort of pride that comes with seeing your new city on the big screen.

A venue with a similar feel to Chapter Arts, although on a bigger scale, is St David’s Hall, right in the centre of the city. I had the pleasure of seeing both Richard Herring and Chris Ramsey (with support from Carl Hutchinson) at St David’s last year on behalf of Quench. The concert hall seats 2000 people and though I was sat on one of the highest tiers at Chris Ramsey’s absolutely packed gig, the view and acoustics were still spot on.

If you’d prefer to see a range of different performers in one evening, Cardiff Glee on the Bay is a great place to start. Club nights such as Foodie Fridays, Stand-Up Saturdays and The Gathering events at Glee are a fantastic way to soak up the true atmosphere of a comedy gig, with all its unpredictability and rawness. Plus, the cinnamon, cocoa and caramel popcorn at Glee is an experience all in itself – definitely worth the bus ride.

Venues such as Clwb Ifor Bach and Buffalo, known by most students as nightclubs/ music venues, also sometimes host live comedy shows.

And it looks as though there will be an abundance of interesting and diverse comedy in Cardiff throughout this upcoming academic year. To name but a few, Nick Helm, John Cooper Clarke and Britain’s Got Talent’s Daliso Chaponda will be performing at Cardiff Glee, and Motorpoint will host Micky Flanagan, Greg Davies and Bill Bailey’s latest shows.

If you’d prefer to see a range of different performers in one evening, Cardiff Glee on the Bay is a great place to start. Club nights such as Foodie Fridays, Stand-Up Saturdays and The Gathering events at Glee are a fantastic way to soak up the true atmosphere of a comedy gig, with all its unpredictability and rawness. Plus, the cinnamon, cocoa and

This all looks promising, but don’t just take my word for it, because we’ve established that I’m biased and not cool. With so many fantastic comedy talents hailing from in and around Cardiff, it would be foolish not to hear their side of the story. Sian Harries, writer of Man Down (starring Greg Davies, Rik Mayall and Roisin Conaty) for one thinks Cardiff is ‘ace for comedy’. Sian studied Journalism, Film and Broadcasting at Cardiff University from 1999 to 2003, before living in the city for a further ten years with fellow comedy writer Elis James, who you may know from the Elis James and John Robins Show on Radio X, or perhaps his brilliant prison sitcom Crims, which aired on BBC Three in 2015. ‘Me and Elis were there before it all kicked off and now it’s really booming… the best thing about the Cardiff comedy scene is how supportive it is.

Everyone knows one another and there’s a real sense of camaraderie,’ Sian tells Quench.

And this feeling of goodwill is not only held between comedy creators, it’s felt by audiences too. Some venues make efforts to provide student pricing for certain events, and with money being a massive drawback for most students, this is a great help.

Throughout my time in Cardiff this past year I’ve noticed that many comedians seem to genuinely love this city and its people. So many performers seem willing to hang around and meet their audiences after the show, instead of rushing off to their cars or tour buses or hotels.

Having been born and raised in the vibrant cultural melting pot that is Birmingham, Cardiff has always felt like a lovely but sometimes quiet place to me. Although Cardiff is smaller than Birmingham, however, it is still a capital city and has its own recognisable energy (we all know what the city centre is like when there’s an important rugby game on). When Cardiff is busy, it’s really busy. And I feel Cardiff ’s comedy scene follows a similar pattern: once you know about it, it’s everywhere you look. So get your head out of your roast dinner and go and soak up some entertainment.

CULTURE

11

12

Dealing with a

BREAK UP

Heartbreak: a universal topic on which hundreds of millions of songs are written, and an experience which unites pretty much every person in the world.

WORDS BY: ESTHER MORRIS DESIGN BY: IZZY BOULTON Irrefutably, we all go through heartbreak in some form or other at some point in our lives. Unless you live your life treading on emotional eggshells, it’s pretty impossible to never form attachments to anything, and sooner or later, this results in loss. (Wow, what a cheerful thought!) But despite the inevitability of such pain, it is an essential and necessary part of life in order to learn lessons and make memories, good and bad.

However, all this seems somewhat irrelevant when you’re going through the motions of dealing with a breakup.

It’s horrible, and although it’s important to remember that it always gets better, it can be difficult to do so when it hurts so much in the moment. One of the fascinating things about breakups is that each one is invariably unique, happening between different people and for different reasons, and yet the feelings involved are often incredibly similar. Chances are, you’ll feel a sense of loss; perhaps a feeling of guilt; you might battle with whether or not it was the right decision; you could feel the desperate urge to get back in touch with them. These sorts of feelings are to be expected, but what can we actually do to help ourselves through these times?

Perhaps one of the most important steps to take in order to minimise your own suffering is to get rid of as many signs of them from your everyday life as you can. This doesn’t necessarily mean throwing out all of their clothes and presents, but just putting these things out of your immediate reach while you heal. When I went through my first breakup, the first thing I did when I got home was to go through my room, clearing every card, gift and memory that reminded me of that person into the attic, where I’d never see them unless I made the conscious decision to do so (which fortunately, I had enough self-control not to do!) If you don’t trust yourself, perhaps gather their things and hand them over to a friend. It’s tempting to go through their old Valentine’s cards, sobbing over their goofy handwriting and the fact they drew lovehearts around your name, but this will just set you back.

One day you’ll be able to look at those things and genuinely smile, but it’s probably not going to be anytime soon.

In the same thread, you need to unfollow them from all social media - trust me. Even if you feel it’s petty and that they’ll be offended, it is so important. If this is the case, maybe send them a brief message letting them know what you’re doing and why, so that they understand it’s not coming from a bitter or cruel place. If you decide to do this, consider asking them not to respond. After all, kindling a conversation is certainly not the goal – just clearing the air. This ‘cold turkey’ technique might feel a bit drastic, but you can’t underestimate how helpful it is to not have to see their name flash up on your news feed until you’re ready. Imagine sitting on the bus, scrolling through Facebook and seeing that they’ve been tagged in a photo with some girl you don’t know - half of you frantically wonders who she is while the other half desperately tries to pretend you haven’t seen it. And then you’re crying in public. You don’t need that.

An essential part of the healing process is the acceptance that it’s over. This is what I think many people struggle with the most. It’s completely true that it’s impossible to know what will happen in the future, and thus the possibility of getting back together with that person is never truly gone - but for the time being, you have to convince yourself that it is. Spending your life waiting for someone to come back into it is no way to live. You broke up for a reason, and regardless of whether or not you think it was right, accept that it did happen and you are where you are. If you hang on to the relationship and wait for things to change, you’ll never allow yourself to properly acknowledge the fact that it’s ended and therefore will never go through the healing process, which is vital in learning lessons about yourself, your ex-partner and the relationship you shared. What happens if you don’t get back together? You’ve just tortured yourself with false hope for longer than was necessary and will have to go through the heartbreak all over again. That’s a pretty unappealing prospect.

13 FEATURES

Try not to get carried away with idealising the relationship you had and the person you’ve lost. The brain is a funny thing, and when we’re going through a breakup it likes to select all the good memories of that person to think about and tends to ignore the bad ones. The likelihood is that you don’t actually want the relationship you had back – you want the relationship you think you could or should have had with that person. But it’s not fair to not acknowledge the relationship you actually shared, and which came to an end. If you feel yourself getting carried away with mourning your soulmate, your perfect partner, the only one you’ll ever love - maybe sit down and make a list of things you didn’t like very much about them. Or things you’re angry with them about. Reasons your relationship didn’t work. Times you felt they mistreated you. This isn’t in order to make yourself angry instead of sad, but to remember the full picture of your relationship. It’s so easy to forget that there were problems and to wonder whether you’ve lost something perfect, but reminding yourself of the issues within the relationship is very helpful in acknowledging that it wasn’t perfect, and that breaking up might perhaps have been the right decision after all. Of course, this doesn’t take away from the good memories or the things you truly loved about that person, but remember: if the relationship you had was so perfect, you would never have broken up.

‘Denial is the first mistake to make. The sooner you accept this relationship is over, the sooner you can be happy and move on with your life.

It’s called a break up because it’s broken.’

‘At the end of it all, you are the main character

– Livvie Annan

in your own movie. Do what makes you happy, and the rest will script itself. Then you can watch back and smile rather than sigh.’

‘Don’t believe the bullshit “we can still be friends”. If you weren’t friends before, you sure as hell aren’t going to be friends after.”

– Sarah Bulmer

– Rachel Jefferies ‘ ‘As harsh as it sounds, if he wanted to make things work, he would have. You deserve to be loved as much as you love and that will happen for you someday.’

‘An ex is an ex for a reason. It’s hard not to look back but you have to move forward with your life and accept the changes.’

– @cardiffbites on Twitter

– Hanan FD

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WORDS BY: ANDREA GAINI DESIGN BY: LUCY APRAHAMIAN When thinking back to my childhood, one of the first things that comes to my mind is the bed-time stories that my mum used to tell me before settling down. They often talked about dragons, kings, queens, magic and a world where everything had a happy ending. Nowadays, the role that bed time stories had in the growth of a child has changed because parents now pay much more attention to the way they bring up their children.

Goodnight stories have been the subject of many studies which focus on how they influence the child’s life and have been turned into essential elements to the formation and education of a child.

Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo are two Italian writers and co-founders of Timbuktu Labs in San Francisco, who decided to write a book made of great bed-time stories which also help the children expand their knowledge whilst reading it. Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls tells the stories of one hundred great women that have left an important print on history, with the goal of inspiring and enlightening the lives of these young girls and boys.

In 2015, Elena and Francesca decided to start a Kickstarter campaign online to find the money to buy an IBS code in which they would use to publish their first version of the book. Within a very short time from the beginning of the campaign, they gained 455 thousand dollars from donations, while they only needed forty thousand to buy the IBS code, becoming the most crowdfunded book ever and one of the most funded projects on Kickstarter.

After the great success of the crowdfunding campaign, when the book came out it was another huge success.

Sales went extremely well for two main reasons: the idea of combining education and recreation into a bed time story book, as could be noticed from the donations, was very much appreciated by the parents and grandparents of kids of all ages. Furthermore, the book was originally published in English, which made it highly accessible around the world, before being translated.

The book doesn’t follow a story line, but every two pages there is a story of a famous woman such as Frida Kahlo, Jane Austen, Serena Williams etc. Each story is a

summary in one page of the life of the person and what they did to be remembered. The women’s stories covered in the book range from famous scientists to journalists and musicians to encourage the kids to do what they like with constancy and passion.

Each story of the book is accompanied by a picture of the woman described in the story.

These pictures were drawn by young female artists that Elena and Francesca found when travelling the world and decided to bring onto their project. This, apart from adding great colourfulness to the book, represented a great opportunity for these young artists to have their work seen and appreciated.

From cover to cover, the strong feminist philosophy is noticable. The book teaches kids to change the current sexist world we live in, to one where women are not discriminated against or refused opportunities on the basis of gender.

Both Elena and Francesca have said in recent interviews that there have been times during their lives when they have been victims of sexism and they wished to do something to change this. Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls represents a way to influence families, parents, and kids to break the preconceptions that prevent us from living our lives fully.

The world of babies is one of the most standardised. Female and male children do different things, dress up differently and play with gender-stereotyped toys. Pink for girls, blue for boys is what society tends to echo.

However reading this book, you realise how life is not so standardised, and people often end up doing very different things from what their social context or family would push them to do. With Good Nights Stories for Rebel Girls, Elena and Francesca aimed to bring a new atmosphere and help grow a new generation which is not so rooted in prejudice and more on the sentiments and dreams of people.

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Our Bed Time Stories Growing up with three younger brothers my bedtime stories were always slightly more skewed towards battles and monsters than fairies and princesses. But one story my mother used to read nearly every night has stuck with me to the point I can still remember the opening line: ‘Edward Teach, otherwise known as Blackbeard’. Each night my brother would insist that regardless of what other stories were read to us, he could not sleep without one of our parents reading a two-page biography of the famous pirate captain. Every retelling would start with he and I chanting the first line back to whichever parent was reading to us and each night would end with the myth that Blackbeard’s body swam twice around the ship of the soldiers that took its head.

The book is lost to time but I can still remember a few facts about Blackbeard even over a decade later. Blackbeard used to put gunpowder in his beard and set alight before battle to appear like he’d arrived from the gates of hell itself. The book had an illustration of him, cutlass on his hip pistol in his hand, beard sizzling away merrily. Another story I remember is when Blackbeard was negotiating with the captain of a ship he had captured, he took a liking to a beautiful ruby ring on the man’s finger. When the man refused to give up the ring, Blackbeard calmly took a knife and cut off the man’s finger, with the ring still attached. Even now I still get nostalgic seeing Blackbeard on television and in film, and regardless of what terrible deeds he did I can’t help but feel that he was at least slightly misunderstood. Anyway, yo ho ho and a bottle of rum me hearties.

- Saoirse O’Connor

Once upon a time in a distant land, there was a castle, and in this castle lived four Princes. Their names were Samesky, Spikesky, Zechesky, and Belesky. They protected their father’s kingdom from any danger that threatened it.

It began when the cows and sheep belonging to the farmers started disappearing in the night. At first, the farmers suspected wolves were the cause, but one night they heard a most fearsome and terrible roar coming from the skies above them and they knew that a monster had come to the kingdom. They asked the King to protect the kingdom and the four knights set out to search for the beast. One day, as the four knights were out riding, Spikesky heard the terrible roar again.

A mighty red dragon swooped overhead, breathing fire at the knights who quickly rode their horses out-of-the-way. The dragon landed in front of them, roaring and sending fire across the field. The knights quickly drew their swords and shields and advanced on the dragon, and while the dragon slashed at Belesky, Zechesky and Spikesky with its giant claws, Samesky crept behind the dragon and climbed up the dragon’s wing while it was distracted. It soon realised he was there and tried to shake him off. Samesky slipped but managed to grab the side of the dragon’s wing, meaning he was now hanging in front of the beast’s chest.

With his spare hand Samesky drove his sword into the dragon’s heart and with a final terrible cry the beast collapsed, defeated.

The Princes were tired but glad they had beaten the dragon. As they walked away Zechesky noticed something in the middle of the field. They went to investigate and found three large eggs, surrounded by dead sheep and cows. Suddenly, the eggs began cracking, and out of one a tiny head popped out, a baby dragon’s head…

- Samuel Capper

My child hood bedtime stories were a little different to those you’d hear in Western Societies. Being raised in Pakistan I’d never heard of princesses like Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Rapunzel. Instead we had stories of Jinns and Angels, usually, all based on tales from the religion of Islam. A personal favorite of mine was the tale of a young girl who against her parent’s knowledge would always swallow her chewing gum. I know as a child, I wasn’t the only one who was told chewing gum was bad for you and that if you’d swallow it you’d probably end up with a stomachache. Looking back at it now, I think our elders probably told us this mainly because it was more of a choking hazard than anything else. So anyway the little girl swallowed her chewing gum every day for years.

One day she ended up in loads of pain and was rushed to hospital. The doctors decided they needed to perform surgery to treat the girl and after opening her stomach, they found a huge snake. Stupid, right? All the gum she’d swallowed had somehow magically turned in to a huge reptile. My grandma would tell me this story every other night and after she would roll me up in her blanket like a burrito and I’d try to escape. Looking back at this story, I think if I were to ever tell a child this story today they’d probably laugh back in my face. Despite that, I’ll still probably tell the story to my future kids and pray they don’t end up with a snake in their stomach.

- Sarah Harris

As a child, I have always been in love with animals so my grandma used to tell me bed time stories about animals and their interaction with humans. There was this story that talked about a young boy who loved to go into the forest to look for berries to make jam with. Once he ran into the forest and brought a bottle filled with milk to drink during in his walk. While he was looking for berries the boy saw a few little foxes under a huge leaf, protecting them from the sun. He noticed that the foxes had been starving for a couple of days, considering their skinniness, so he decided to share some of his milk with them. After feeding the baby foxes, the boy decided to keep walking around the forest to find some more berries, but he immediately found out that the foxes were happily following him around. The child thought that it would have been fun to take the foxes home with him and treat them as his new pets, but his mom couldn’t know about them otherwise she would not have let him keep them. So, he took the four baby foxes and put them in the backpack he had, left the zip a little open so that some air could flow in for the foxes to breath. Once home, he hid the foxes in his bedroom and kept feeding them milk for the next few days. After a couple of days, the mother of the little foxes showed up at his house. She was so angry that she broke into the house from a window that had been left open and found the boy with the foxes. When she was about to jump and attack him she saw that he was feeding them and that her babies had gotten a lot better since he started taking care of them. Mother fox decided to take back her babies, but every day she ran by the house of the boy to say hello and to get some food the boy would leave on the front doorstep for them. My grandma has always taught us the importance of getting to know someone or something before judging it.

In the world we live today, we often tend to judge things from their appearance without considering what’s behind their look. This bed time story has helped me grow up bearing in mind that things may not be as they look and it’s necessary that you explore something completely before being able to give your opinion.

- Andrea Gaini

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Quench’s Famous Five

This is the perfect place to visit for a night-owl: Cardiff Millennium Centre is rated the Number 1 Visitor Attraction in Wales and is in Cardiff Bay – a perfect place for a night out!

If you’re a sci-fi fan, you can visit the Torchwood Tower right outside the front doors of the theatre.

The Cardiff Tourist Information Centre is situated in the centre and offers free maps of Cardiff, tickets for other Cardiff attractions and the Cardiff Visitor Card, which offers exclusive discounts for an extensive range of attractions in Cardiff!

The centre has a range of bars, restaurants, and coffee shops ideal for pre-performance snacks and interval drinks. The Millennium centre is always the host of the Welsh National Opera which will put on in October ‘Eugene Onegin’, ‘From the house of the Dead’ and ‘Die Fledermaus’. There will also be great musicals such as ‘Beautiful: The Carole King Musical’ and one that people are already getting tickets for, the always popular ‘Wicked’ will be on next year from 31st October to 24th November 2018!

- Becky Morris

The Cardiff Bay Trail, with 6.2 miles of the 870 miles of Welsh Coast Path is an excellent start for a doer like you!

Walking on the trail you have the opportunity to learn more about Cardiff ’s history, culture, and architecture while enjoying a nice walk on the coast. Starting at the Mermaid Quay complex, there are several attractions such as the Norwegian Church where Roald Dahl was Christened, the Senedd and Wales’ Millennium Centre.

The coastal path is perfect and a favourite of mine when the sun is just about to set. The route is also popular with avid cyclists. Those without a bike can rent one at the nearby Pedal Power station found by the Dr. Who Experience, giving everyone the chance to take a ride around the Bay. - Ashley Boyle

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If you’re in need of a break from the madness of Freshers Week, be sure to take a stroll to Roath Park. Situated just a short walk from Cathays and one of Cardiff ’s largest parks, this is a must-see attraction for your explorer soul. The thirty-acre man-made lake in the centre of the park is the perfect location to fish, hire a rowing boat or simply get the perfect Instagram picture! If you’re feeling adventurous, why not rent a pedalo for a couple of hours? Or simply take a short walk around the park and get up close and personal with the wide variety of wildlife that can be found here. The natural beauty of Roath Park contributes to its relaxing atmosphere and makes it the perfect place to escape from the busy nature of student life.

- Megan Potterton

Proudly rising above the city centre, Cardiff Castle is one of the most eye-catching and iconic features of this urban landscape - definitely the first place to visit for a visualiser who enjoys beautiful views and taking cool pictures. Comprising of two key structures, the Norman keep and the gothic buildings of the castle lodgings, a visit here offers the perfect introduction to this awesome city. If you can face the climb to the top of the keep you won’t be let down by the spectacular views, with sights stretching all the way to the valleys. Keep an eye out for the Animal Wall running alongside the castle too, featuring lots of quirky statues. Residents of the city, including us students, are also able to buy a castle key card for £5 giving you unlimited access to the castle for three years! So snap one of these up and you’ve bagged yourself the perfect chilling spot for when the sun is out.

- Bethan Clark

You are an aesthete; therefore, you must love art and history! If you want to find out more about your new home here in Wales then take a short walk down from the main campus to the Cardiff National Museum.

The beautiful early 20th century white stone building, situated just past Cardiff university main building and right next to Cardiff City Hall, was opened by King George V in 1927 and holds thousands of Welsh national treasures. The architecture of the building both inside and out is quite spectacular, and the museum café serves traditional Welsh foods so if you are new to Wales this would be a great place to start your exploring. The museum is open Tuesday- Sunday 9am5pm and the admission is free although there is always a special exhibition which is at an additional cost (£5 for concessions)- the current special exhibition running until 5th November is Dinosaur Babies.

- Eva Kwatek

CULTURE

(Places to Visit)

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Unravelling the Myth

A Guide to Welsh Legends WORDS BY: ERIN CLUSKEY DESIGN: GEORGE CAULTON Whilst it may be pushed aside at times or ignored in favour of larger countries, there is no denying that Wales is an important nation, and home to thousands of magical tales: the story of the devil’s bridge in Ceredigion, the heartbreaking tale of Branwen and her marriage to an Irish king, and of course, the birth of Sam Warburton. Sweeping historic epics peppered with heroic Arthurian knights, set in locations you can actually visit, make up only part of this land’s history. Here’s hoping your freshers’ nights out will be half as legendary as these Welsh myths.

Surprisingly, there may be another way to lose your money rather than undertake a degree. Frequently referred to as the Welsh Robin Hood, the legendary Twm Sion Cati, otherwise known as Tom Jones (no not that one) roamed west Wales robbing from the rich, but forgetting that very important caveat to give to the poor. However, Twm earned the respect of the Welsh people due to his considerate burglaries – rather than injuring or killing the wealthy targets, he would merely fire an arrow which would result in pinning the victim to the saddle, leaving them unharmed but also unable to fight back. It is said that in a cave on the slopes of Dinas is where Twm would

T W M

SION

CATI

of Camarthen, his

Hill near Llandovery hide from the Sheriff arch enemy. Today,

that site is a nature reserve, preserved by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. It seems that Twm decided it was time for a change as well, as in later life he rebuked his evil ways and married an heiress, eventually becoming a well-loved and admired Justice of the Peace.

Of course, these are only three myths that barely begin to give you a glimpse into Wales’ past. The country’s cultural history is vastly influenced by its roots in

DINAS EMYRAS

Near Beddgelert, in Snowdonia, is Dinas Emrys. Legend has it that Celtic king Vortigern chose the spot for the location of his castle, and ordered his men to start building. Every day they would build a tower, yet, upon returning to the hillock in the morning, the men would find the tower in a ruined heap on the ground.

Vortigern was advised to seek help from a young boy named Merlin, who would, of course, later go on to become the magical advisor of King Arthur. Merlin told Vortigern that the reason the fort could not stand was due to a hidden pool beneath the hill where two dragons slept. Vortigern’s men drained the lake and found two dragons, one red and one white. The dragons awoke and began to fight.

The white dragon (representing the Saxons) flew away, but the red (representing the Welsh) won. Vortigern’s castle was named after Dinas Emrys, and the red dragon has been celebrated ever since, taking pride of place on the Welsh flag.

Head to St. Mary Street to catch the flag billowing in all its glory before stepping into an arcade to do some shopping or heading to the pub for a pint. You can even try and meet Dylan the dragon himself on a Cardiff University open day.

ladyofthe lake

Celtic mythology, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that Wales is afraid of the future, as Cardiff University students soon discover for themselves.

Llyn y Fan Fach, a remote lake in the Brecon Beacons, is the setting for the story of how a young man named Gwyn won, but ultimately lost the love of his life. When a beautiful young woman magically emerged from the depths of the lake, Gwyn immediately fell in love and begged the woman to marry him. She agreed, but warned him that if he struck her three times, she would leave and never return.

Many years passed and the couple lived happily with their three sons. Yet Gwyn grew complacent and thoughtless, and after playfully striking her for the third time, his wife left – she walked into the lake, and was never seen again. As the story goes, sometimes the woman would reappear to teach her sons the powers of healing, and some ancient remedies have survived and can be found in the Red Book of Hergest. The book is often considered to be the source of the tales of the Mabinogion, a collection of Welsh myths which has been widely influential due to it featuring several iconic literary figures.

19 CULTURE

Clebar Adolygiad Twrw: Yr Eira / Y Cledrau / Yr Oria YSGRIFENNWYD GAN: ALED HUW RUSSELL. DYLUNIWYD GAN: LUCY APRAHAMIAN LLUN GAN: NADINE BALLANTYNE Yn dilyn haf hir o weithio, mynd i gigs a sesho, mae’r teimlad o fod nôl lawr yn y ddinas fawr i wneud union yr un peth, er ar ochr arall y wlad, yn un croesawgar.

Gyda Clwb Ifor Bach yn cynnal pedwar gig Twrw dros yr un faint o wythnosau, does dim diffyg cerddoriaeth i fwydo Cymry llwglyd Caerdydd. Nos Wener oedd tro Yr Oria, Y Cledrau ac Yr Eira i’n swyno. Yr Oria oedd gyntaf, band weddol newydd o Flaenau Ffestiniog yn cynnwys Gerwyn Murray, basydd un o fandiau mwyaf y sîn, Sŵnami. Fel rhywun sy’n anghyfarwydd gyda’u gwaith, clywais adleisiau o Yr Eira yn ogystal â Calfari yn eu cerddoriaeth. Yn sicr, bydd rhaid i mi wrando arnynt ymhellach i ddatblygu barn cadarn arnynt a gobeithiaf y byddan nhw’n cynnig rhywbeth gwahanol i’r sîn.

Y Cledrau, o’r Bala, oedd yr ail fand ymlaen. Gan ystyried pa mor fuan yn y noson oedd eu set, roedd yna dorf trawiadol wedi ymgynnull i’w gweld. Maen nhw wedi bod yn byrlymu o dan yr arwyneb am rhai blynyddoedd nawr, ac mae yna agwedd hynod adfywiol ac adloniannol am y band. Braf oedd cael clywed un o fy ffefrynnau, ‘Ail-Ailadrodd’, yn ogystal â chaneuon newydd o’u albym sydd i ddod, Peiriant Ateb. Gyda’r band yn cynnwys dau fyfyriwr o Brifysgol Caerdydd, Alun ac Ifan, dwi’n edrych ymlaen yn fawr i Ifan ddod a’i glust am gerddoriaeth a’i ddawn am falu awyr i’n sioe ar Xpress Radio flwyddyn yma.

Uchafbwynt personol (yn ogystal â gweld Alun yn gwisgo trwsus PJ tartan ar y llwyfan) oedd clywed ‘Cam Wrth Ddiflas Gam’, un o’r caneuon gorau ar 5, albwm cydweithredol I KA CHING. Yn cau’r noson oedd y pedwarawd o Fangor, Yr Eira. Ar ôl camu allan o gysgodion y sîn i ddod yn un o’i fandiau mwyaf, mae Yr Eira wedi cael blwyddyn anferthol.

Yn dilyn fy nghyfweliad gyda’r band prin wyth mis yn ôl yng Nghlwb Ifor Bach, maent wedi rhyddhau eu albwm cyntaf, Toddi, yn ogystal â haf prysur o chwarae Gig y Pafiliwn, Maes B a Llwyfan y Maes. Os dwi’n cofio’n gywir - agorwyd gyda

‘Dros Y Bont’ neu ‘Gadael Am Yr Haf ’ (sori, dwi’n beio’r Red Stripe). Teimlais fy haf yn cael ei gladdu gan ganeuon megis ‘Rings Around Your Eyes’ a ‘Ffiniau Anweledig’ o’u halbwm newydd, trac sain fy haf i. Diddorol hefyd oedd gweld y basydd Trystan yn cyfnewid ei gitar fas hefo Ifan ar gyfer ‘Gweld Y Gwir’, fy honiad i ydy mai cân Trystan ydy hi, ac un dda ydy hi hefyd. Gyda dim ond ychydig o anogaeth gan y dorf, ehangodd prif leisydd Yr Eira, Lewys Wyn eu set gyda datganiad byrfyfyr o ‘Elin’, clasur o’u dyddiau cynnar sy’n sicr o yrru’r dorf yn wyllt. Caewyd y noson gyda ‘Suddo’, gan osod y bar i’r tair noson arall sydd i’w dilyn dros y mis nesaf yn Clwb.

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The Complete Guide to All Drinks You Will Experience at University The good, the bad, the ugly.

WORDS BY: CHARLOTTE CLARK ILLUSTRATION BY: ELLEN FERGUSON

1 The Jägerbomb

Every fresher’s go-to: you’ve heard of it, you think it’s the coolest drink you can order for you and your new housemates, and it even sounds fun. It is a very social drink, if you’re willing to fork out for a round, as it will unite you all into a new level of friendship when you share your ugly facial distortions with each other as you chuck it down the hatch.

2 The Dirty Pint

You will find this bad boy either in the middle of your Ring of Fire circle, or in the hand of a second or third year at one of your first social events as they hand it to you. This is the age old ‘punishment’ drink and is given to either freshers (because you’re new) or to the rookies who think they’ll get away with turning up to their socials late. Either way, this is not going to be nice. You will struggle not to be sick as the Guinness, cider, vodka and god-knows-what-else hits the back of your throat at once. Good luck, my friend.

3 Strongbow Dark Fruits

The sports event classic. Away games, Varsity and rugby days in Cardiff will bring herds of people to their local off-licence, buying Dark Fruits by the bucket load. It is the ultimate daytime beverage. It is tasty and easy to drink, practically packed away in a can that won’t spill as you throw your hands up at the opposing supporters and shout “who are ya?” and, most importantly, doesn’t get you too drunk and so is good to drink over a long period of time.

4 VKs

8 Glam’s Fishbowls

Need I say anymore? Cardiff Student’s Union was born to sell these iconic and fluorescent goodies (and are actually proven to be the best at it), so make sure you grab as many as your hands will allow each Wednesday.

These are social and you think they’re great value for money (but who even knows). The fluorescent colours and long straws are all part of the fun, but the hygiene of this sort of drink is definitely questionable!

5 Vodka

You’re going to think you’re fine, you’re going to pour another drink, and before you know it, it will all hit you at once and you will black out.

9 Tea/Coffee

Another social shot for you to buy with your friends at the bar! Tequila Slammers are especially fun.

Yes! I did say there was some good in here too. Tea and coffee will see you through your time at uni. That hot drink will fix anything, whether it’s a hangover, sleepdeprivation or just the fact that you need something to help you get through an essay. Making a cuppa provides the ultimate five-minute procrastination time you want to have from your work, and it also will make you a few new friends if you offer one to people in the room. Not to mention, it is the perfect excuse to crack open the biscuits, because a cuppa that wasn’t used for dunking almost seems like a waste.

10 Fruit Juice

11 Water

6 Sambuca/Tequila

7 Lambrini

You’re going to think this is a good idea. But trust me, it isn’t. The huge size of the bottle, that tempting £2.99 label, the fact that maybe some lemonade may help the taste? NO. STOP. It isn’t worth that horrific taste that just cannot be ignored with cheap wine. Lemonade won’t help, and if it does then you’ve watered it down too much and your pre-drinks will suck. The fizzy tummy you’ll feel on your hangover morning and the banging wine-headache you’ll be cowering away from all day will also tell you that you were stupid to drink the whole thing. But you’ll do it anyway. Sadly, this is a mistake that you are going to have to make at some point in order to learn from it. My thoughts are with you.

This is the only taste you will desire when you wake up after a night of drinking. The sweetness of the sugar and the sharpness of the fruit will quench that dry and desperate mouth when you wake up at 7 am.

When you’re not drinking all of the alcohol previously mentioned, this is all you’ll be able to afford.

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The Fresher’s guide to the best bites WORDS BY: CHARLOTTE CLARK & NADINE PINNOCK DESIGN BY: LUCY APRAHAMIAN

With Fresher’s week just behind us, we would like to introduce (or re-introduce for the oldies of Cardiff University) 10 top places you have to visit in your time living in this beautiful city. We are going to feature some drinking places, some breakfast places, some dinner locations and even give a large shout-out to the growing community of vegan and vegetarian restaurants in Cardiff! In no particular order, as they are all our favourites, here are ten places you have to hit up ASAP.

Key

top drinking location

top food location

top vegetarian/vegan location 3

1

The ultimate cocktail bar. This Caribbean restaurant doubles as a swish and fun cocktail bar and top-quality drinking location.

The loud and lively Caribbean music creates a unique drinking atmosphere compared to most Welsh pubs. The menu is extensive and of course, they offer a variety of happy hours so you can always grab a bargain! Located in town, it’s the perfect starting point for a fun night. @turtlebaycardiff

2 If you’re a veggie or vegan fresher, or just looking to try something new at university, Anna-Loka is the place to start. Defying the myth that vegan cafes serve only salad, you can expect to find burgers as big as your head, and their triple-cooked chips are also legendary.

If you are on the more health-conscious side, their wholesome dishes are aplenty, and if you just fancy a coffee and a sweet treat then their hefty slices of vegan cake are mouth-watering. This is an affordable restaurant to sit and enjoy a filling meal surrounded by some of Cardiff ’s friendliest service staff, with a calm and quirky vibe to shrug off the thought of those first few assignments. If you’re hungry for the vegan experience but don’t quite fancy a walk into Roath, they’re even on Deliveroo! @anna_loka_cardiff

A taste of the Big Apple right here in Cardiff: New York Deli will have your belly stuffed with incredible stacked sandwiches and bagels. With an ever-changing specials board with the most aweinspiring lunches and options for avid carnivores and vegans alike, it’s pretty much impossible to be disappointed at New York Deli. If you’re a hummus lover, their homemade hummus bagel will curb your craving, and if you fancy some comfort food away from home, a messy hoagie will go down spectacularly. New York Deli is located in the beautiful Cardiff arcades, and all dishes are at an unbelievable price for the mountain of food they serve. @newyorkdelicardiff

4

A take-away like you’ve never experienced before, Falafel Wales delivers incredibly authentic Lebanese dishes to everyone’s preference. If you like spice or prefer a mild dish, here is a late night or hungover-day takeaway that won’t leave you feeling groggy, but refreshed, satisfied and wishing for more! Their falafels are crispy and wholesome – try stuffing them in their dreamy Lebanese flatbreads with any of their plentiful sides bursting with flavour. Another for the hummus fans: their homemade hummus puts shop-bought to shame, and some students have been known to order extra just to keep in the fridge for breakfast. @falafelwales

FOOD & DRINK

Top 10 Cardiff Eats

22

5 It is still the beginning of the year and we are unwilling to give up the party mood created by freshers: for first years they need not worry, and for second and third years we still have a couple weeks before we need to remember how stressed we ought to be. So of course, in a list of ten places you should visit this year, we had to include some drinking establishments. The Vulcan: Purple and perfectly priced. This corner pub is located right in the middle of Cathays and serves as a local favourite to hundreds of Cardiff students.

This is the perfect place to go on a society night, a Saturday night or even a quick quiet one on a Sunday afternoon. With a cheap accompanying food menu, this pub can do no wrong. Check it out. @thevulcancdf

8

The Woodville is a cheap and cheerful pub to visit, and it is right on your walk home from uni (or to, if you’re a legend)! Based in central Studentville, you will find it packed on most nights filled with some social or other, creating a fun and lively vibe. It was recently renovated just last year and is looking swell - you can definitely use it for the backdrop of the picture you’re about to Instagram of you and your BFF. The drinks are cheap and it has a menu full of bargain meals and snacks to accompany your beverages. See you there! @thewoodvillecardiff

6

Located on Woodville Road, this quaint cafe is on the doorstep of most second and third years and just a hop, skip and jump away from Park Place university buildings for any keen freshers (it’s worth it!). The Early Bird puts on a delicious brunch menu that appeals to the sweet-toothed hungover student as well as the savoury-loving brunchers. The savoury menu features freshly-made sourdough, avocado, pesto, poached eggs and bacon among other delicious ingredients, whilst the sugary option features French toast and heaps of chocolate. However, if brunch is off the menu, this cafe is still the place to hit up: with its very own homemade donut bites the Early Bird has made itself quite the big name among Cardiff ’s students. They offer a Donut Bites Cup in basically any flavour you could dream of. The best part is how fairly priced this cafe is. It is a great option for you and a few friends to have a catch-up in, due to its cosy environment and home comfort food. @theearlybird_uk

7 Now I know this one might sound generic, but so far the restaurants on this list have been quirky and new places for you to explore.

The Cosy Club is a sure choice for absolutely everybody: there is a variety of burgers, fish, grilled meat, curries, delicious vegetarian options and pies, and ALL of it is delicious. The sexy chilled out lighting and the accompanying music makes for a fun atmosphere for either a date, a catch up or even a meal before a night out (the music keeps you pumped). The menu has something for everyone and I am yet to hear a bad word said about the quality of food and service. This is such a great place for a big group of people on a social because it has a such a diverse pleasing menu and such a lively atmosphere to accompany it. You can skip the food altogether and just head straight to the bar, have a drink on their stylish and comfy sofas and just relax in the environment too. Being in the centre of town makes it a great place to spend some time on an easy weekend. @cosyclubcardiff

9

Close to home on the same road as our Student’s Union, 29 Park Place offers a hub for freshers to meet, greet and try out some delicious food and drink! With reasonably priced pints and a huge selection of cocktails to start sinking into your student loan with, here’s where you might meet your closest friends to come – or at least have a delicious bite to eat while trying. You can sit down for a brunch, lunch or dinner to warm up your palette for Cardiff ’s food scene with their locally-sourced, delicious dishes. You can try a classic burger or something more adventurous – whatever you’d like, it’s on the menu! @29parkplace

10

If you’re a coffee enthusiast, 200 Degrees is the place to get your hit.

Recently opening in early 2017, they offer strong, fresh coffee and an atmosphere that makes everyone feel at home. When those dreaded first essays come rolling in, take your laptop, pick up a loyalty card and get your caffeine fix until you can study no more. If you fancy some food on the side of your coffee, they have an ever-changing menu of meat-heavy and vegan friendly lunches, and a constantly stocked shelf of sweet treats. A small business with only a few shops open in the UK, 200 Degrees really care about every cup of coffee they serve, and you can tell. And for all fellow Instagram-addicts, their menu board is often adorned with hilarious jokes, and the latte art is unbeatable! @200degs

23

What happens when we get creative in the kitchen?

Cardiff students spill the beans...

ILLUSTRATION BY: ELLEN FERGUSON & LUCY APRAHAMIAN After two years at university, I seem to have developed some strange, yet wonderful, eating habits and my taste buds can handle just about anything edible after a full day of lectures and seminars. My favourite has to be porridge with Cheese String. I know it sounds weird, but don’t hate it till you’ve tried it. Honestly, the combination of the cardboard-like porridge and the plasticky cheese is sublime, I’ll definitely be serving that if I start my own 5 star Michelin restaurant. My boyfriend is even weirder and has his oats in cold water, but then again he also eats paper through half the day so maybe we’re perfect together. My housemates and I go out very rarely but we do throw a sweet house party. Now, most people just grab a decent deal from Dominos or a bargain bucket from the gourmet Chicken Cottage. But my housemates, well they like to burn stuff you see. So one night, at one of our infamous Nicolas Cage themed house parties, my friend Josh got a little peckish and searched through the fridge only to find some bacon. I wouldn’t call my housemates arsonists exactly but that’s basically what they were. So voilà, a spoon over a candle with about a centimetre of a bacon strip apparently makes a nice bit of crispy bacon (also don’t set laundry detergent on fire).

So you could stick to your standard kebab from T&A but we both know you’re going to go home tonight, light a candle and cook some bacon over it - trust me, it’s worth it.

- Sarah Harris

We all have that friend who cannot admit to be severely below average at cooking, but everyone else knows they are, and steers well clear of all their concoctions. Well, back in good ol' Taly South my (completely sober) best friend was warming something up in a pan. I curiously asked what she was making... “oh it’s just a tin of Heinz posh baked beans.” I had never heard of posh baked beans before, but reluctantly believed her. This was until she poured the entire contents of the pan onto a plate with two pieces of toast on. The ‘posh baked beans’ turned out to be soup. She had just poured soup onto her plate by mistake. She accepted this error and continued to use a knife and fork to cut through the bread to tuck in to, using a spoon to clean up the rest.

- Charlotte Minnet

In my first year of uni, I had a life-saver of a housemate that would agree to cook the flat bacon after a night out.

This was a tradition he accidentally fell into after trying to seem like a nice guy in freshers, and after that week he could no longer be bothered but we forced him to anyway. I also had another housemate who worked at Krispy Kreme, and who got to bring home around 2436 donuts every Wednesday night that were no longer fit to sell. You can see where this is heading, right? As the year developed, our post-YOLO meals got weirder and weirder. We would sit down at 4am with a plate of bacon, ketchup and a cream-filled, chocolate-covered, sparkle-sprinkled donut, and think it was the meal of dreams. It then developed to bacon, cheese on toast, raw broccoli, ketchup and another all-singing, all-dancing donut. Honestly, all on one plate. Don’t knock peanut butter and ketchup until you’ve tried it. It is hard to say whether that Thursday morning sick feeling was due to the excessive VKs we drank or the amalgamation of whipped cream, cheese and chocolate. Either way, our drunk food rocked.

- Charlotte Clark

FOOD & DRINK

Student Chefs Fails or Flukes?

24

Food on Film WORDS BY: HANNAH STAIT DESIGN BY: LUCY APRAHAMIAN

In a world where movies are the best way to gain insight to the impossible, it is only right that we also get an insight into the utmost mouth-drooling foods that the big screen has to offer - let us run you through a few of them!

Ratatouille from, well, If this movie didn’t make you yearn for dishes made by a rodent (nothing else in life will) then you can’t be a foodie at heart! The treats in this animation are made with love and passion, making us almost able to smell the French cuisine through our screens. It’s the simple foods in life that take us back to our childhood, and like the critic in this movie - we would definitely ask for more!

‘s Pancakes & Chocolate Cake Watching Matilda as an adult makes me mad. How a child can make better pancakes in five minutes than I can in three hours as an adult makes me more frustrated than Ms. Trunchbull at Disneyland. But I have to say those fluffy pancakes along with that amazing soundtrack makes me just as hungry as it does nostalgic. Every 90s kid yearned for soft syrupy pancakes in the morning rather than the bog standard Weetabix every UK kid woke up to… my teeth probably thank me for that now though!

Matilda really was a whirlwind for the senses, the most infamous moment being Bruce’s combat with a chocolate cake that had the circumference of a coffee table - now wouldn’t that be a challenge for a group of students on a Friday night?

Meatballs in the

Moonlight from The beautiful moment that led to thousands of children (and adults) over decades waiting for someone to share a piece of spaghetti with. Two sets of puppy-love-filled eyes meeting over spaghetti and meatballs whilst being serenaded by an Italian chef... I know that would woo me! There’s something so sweet about this scene that we almost forget it’s not real; the idea of rich, spiced meatballs in tomato sauce over soft steamy pasta is enough to make anyone howl with joy. Okay, enough with the dog puns. If this scene doesn’t make you warm and fuzzy inside then maybe some good old spaghetti and meatballs is all you need to do just that!

‘s Three Course Gum Turning into an inflated purple ball, amongst many of the risks inside the Wonka factory, might not be enough to keep you away from the treats that it holds. All of the food inside Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is iconic: from everlasting gobstoppers to Wonka bars to the river of chocolate. (And that’s just scratching the surface of the world of Wonka!) My favourite is the three-course meal in a gum. Tomato soup, roast beef and mashed potatoes and blueberry pie all wrapped up into a piece of gum... it’s no wonder Violet couldn’t resist - that’s one taste bud journey I don’t think anyone could pass up!

& the Burger&Shake showdown!

This movie allowed me to really fall in love with the idea of ‘authentic’ food. The idea of true-to-itself flavourful homemade dishes that allow you to taste the passion inside can awaken the foodie in everyone. This movie proves that food can unite people and spark something so real that all of us watching begin to crave it. That and those Cuban sandwiches! This movie takes on a foodie trip like no other and will definitely leave you hungry for a little adventure!

If Grease showed me anything, it’s that some friends - and burgers and milkshakes - go together like rama-lama-lama ka-dinga-da-dinga-dong. If movies make us crave anything, it’s the togetherness and friendship that the big screen portrays. A big part of that is the ‘hangout’ - a place with good food and where jokes and friendships are made and people can have a good time... and an occasional milkshake can be thrown. This movie is iconic for the 50s poodle skirts and drama. But for me, it’s the group of friends in a diner making memories that is so desirable... plus sharing a shake with Danny Zuko wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world!

25 FOOD & DRINK

COUNTER PASTRIES, 200 DEGREES PHOTOGRAPH BY: RACHEL JEFFERIES

26

RIGHT: VEGGIE BURGER, THE FLORA PHOTOGRAPH BY: NADINE PINNOCK

BELOW: MENDOAN BURGER (VEGAN), ANNA LOKA PHOTOGRAPH BY: LUCY APRAHAMIAN

27

FOOD & DRINK

28

Travel Bargains That Won't Break The Bank We often ponder over people’s travel photographs and think, how can they afford this? We see people enjoying cocktails on an exotic beach or staying in hidden jungle huts, and think that we could only dream of such a life. This however is not the case. Here at Quench we have hand picked the best travel bargains out there, to prove that travel really can be affordable. With the growing anticipation of that long awaited student loan, why not head somewhere exotic?

WORDS BY: MOLLY GEDDES | DESIGN BY: LISA DORAN

Budget Accommodation

For just 389 pounds you can take a 4 day Amazon Rainforest adventure in South

The stunning Indonesian island of Bali, is currently a hot spot for tourists. Think

America, and that’s WITHOUT student discount. A once in a lifetime trip introducing

stunning beaches, colossal mountains, green jungles as well as bustling nightlife and a

travellers to the Amazon’s communities and wildlife. If you fancy something a little

chilled out backpacker vibe. Bali truly is a must-visit location. Although Bali is already

closer to home Real Gap provide numerous trips here in Europe. You can join an 8 day

rather popular, we are here to give you even more incentive to book a flight to Denpasar

Croatian sailing trip or even a 28 day Grand European tour. It’s safe to say they offer

and GO! Captain Goose Hostel is located in the heart of Kuta, just minutes from the

trips to suit everyone's desires, price range and time schedule. Make sure you check

beach and provides all the necessities for your stay. Even more appealing however, is

them out at www.realgap.co.uk and get your student discounted trip.

the price tag at less than 10 pounds a night. Equipped with a pool, mini bar, and a free

Dirt Cheap Flights

pancake station, Captain Goose Hostel is completely cost efficient. Whether travelling

When looking for cheap European flights there is one company which I’m sure stands

alone or in groups, you can book a variety of different sized dorms and both mixed or

out in everyone's minds. Ryanair is an absolute haven for small airline fees. If you head

same-sex. You can find Captain Goose Hostel on hostelworld.com, and we seriously

to the Ryanair website at www.ryanair.com/gb/en/ they will usually have an advert for

suggest you check it out.

some sort of sale at the top. Choose your airport and you are shown a range of flights

Student Deals

to many destinations for less than an hours pay. If you are flexible with your dates and

If you’re keen to travel and fancy joining a group trip or even a volunteering project

departure airports, you can sometimes fly as far as Milan, Italy for as little as 1 pound;

then you’re in luck. The travel company Real Gap offer student discount when

that’s less than half the price of a VK at Cardiff University Student’s Union. Fly to

purchasing their trips. Students receive a 3% student discount when booking any

France. Germany, Spain, Romania, Bulgaria or Croatia (to name a few) for totally

of the Real Gap trips; and you have plenty to choose from.

With trips ranging across continents, the real difficulty is choosing which adventure to embark on.

reasonable prices. Hold back on buying one nice item of clothing and with that money you could head abroad. I know where I’d rather be spending my money.

29

It’s that time of year where the summer blues are with us all in full force, but the travel doesn’t have to stop there. Here are the perfect destinations for you to visit on an autumn trip, and it’s not too late to book one!

DESIGN BY: LISA DORAN

Barcelona, Spain Just a few hours-flight away, Barcelona offers both a cityscape and chill-on-the-beach vibes to overcome your summer blues. With an average daytime temperature of 21 degrees, this Catalan city is perfect for walking around and seeing what it has to offer. The city itself is an open museum, with Antonio Gaudi’s masterpieces on display around Barcelona, including his magnum opus: La Sagrada Familia, which is still in the process of being built, and it will take your breath away.

The city is located right next to the coastline, which allows for wonderful walks on the beach, with many bars and restaurants located in the bay area. Spanish tapas are available all year round, and I especially It’s that time of year where the summer blues are with us all in full force, but the travel doesn’t have to stop there. Here are the perfect destinations for you to visit on an autumn trip, and it’s not too late to book one!

I recommend you get the croquetas, yum! And don’t be shy to be ‘that tourist in Spain’ and order yourself a jug of sangria.

Want the best view of the city? Ask the locals where to find ‘the bunker’ at the district of El Carmel, which gives you a great 360 view of the entire city. Disfruta!

Words and photograph by Marielle Wilkinson

TRAVEL

Autumn Travel Hot Spots

30

Philadelphia, USA Although it’s not exactly a stones-throw away, Philadelphia is a stunning destination for an autumn city break. The perfect time to visit is when the leaves turn from green to fiery reds and oranges and the low autumn sun shines on the gorgeous architecture of the city. In Philadelphia you can go from walking past multi-coloured town houses with intricate wooden panelling, to seeing the world’s first skyscraper towering over the city. Despite it being autumn the weather remains warm allowing you to walk around the city and enjoy the sights of the Halloween decorations that adorn houses, shops and cafés or even visit the Philadelphia Magic Gardens which allow you to walk through the world of artist Isaiah Zagar and revel in his intricate mosaics. The autumn season also means you can overdose on the various Pumpkin Spice food and drink that American consumerism offers you – yes, that does mean Pumpkin Spiced Lattés! The city offers so much to see from impressive street art to historical monuments; for a jam-packed weekend away and various photo opportunities, you can see a lot when visiting Philadelphia.

Words by Izzy Boulton and Photograph by Steff Boulton

Cyprus In the east of the Mediterranean, Cyprus is an ideal location to visit in the autumn. It still maintains high temperatures making it perfect for following the sun, and a hot spot for us beach babies. EasyJet flights from Bristol to Paphos make it an easy trip from Cardiff.

Paphos itself is a bustling city with hotels suited to every price range, good nightlife and some beautiful beaches. If you are a party animal, the iconic resort of Ayia Napa has a strip that could rival more traditional party destinations with cheap alcohol aplenty. If you are looking for a quiet and restful break then there are plenty of smaller towns dotted along the coast with quieter beaches and affordable villas. While in Cyprus you could partake in some water sports or visit one of the island’s 3 fantastic waterparks. If you fancy some culture, you could visit the many old Greek Orthodox churches on the island famed for their beauty, or the ‘ghost’ town of Famagusta.

The traditional food is great too; Halloumi yes please! To try lots of small dishes you can partake in a customary meze.

Words and photohgraph by Abbi Covill

31 TRAVEL

Is Travel the Key to Happiness?

WORDS BY: MOLLY GEDDES DESIGN BY: LUCY APRAHAMIAN Many have attempted to answer the age old question, what makes us happy? Some may say money, some companionship and some might even tell you that a glass of wine a day will keep you feeling on top of the world. For me, travel is the key to happiness. The night before a holiday I’ll lie awake in bed too excited to sleep like a child on Christmas Eve. Travelling encompasses many of the factors that we relate to happiness, so could travel be the ultimate answer to happiness?

Happiness is an area that has received a great deal of research. Numerous studies have given explanations for what actually makes us happy. Within this research, there are a number of factors that return in a range of studies. These factors also happen to be associated with travel.

Sociability strikes as a key factor for helping to make us happy. For many, happiness comes during social situations, with friends or family or even complete strangers. This sociability is also gained through travel.

Take for example using our social skills by interacting with a range of different people whilst on our travels.

Whether you’re staying in a hostel dorm and sharing your shampoo with new roommates, or dancing on a beach in the early hours with your life-long best friends; travelling is completely social. If you’re holidaying with friends, it’s likely your friendship will reach whole new levels. Rubbing suncream into your mate's back? Not every friend can say they've had the pleasure of doing that. Or had to lend you their underwear because you forgot to pack spares because you’ve been wearing the same pair for 3 days. Travelling provides us with unique social experiences, and for many people, this is a huge contribution to their happiness.

As well as sociability, travel provides us with free time.

Freedom in how we spend our time is a major creator of happiness; this is why we all look forward to the weekend. When you’ve been restricted to lectures 9-5 for a whole term, the idea of being on holiday without a care in the world is DELICIOUS! Being woken up by your alarm isn’t quite so tedious when you’re spending the day lounging by a swimming pool rather than cramped in a lecture hall. The freedom to choose what you want to do, and when you want to do it whilst travelling is a huge part of the appeal, and also part of the happiness. If you’ve picked up this magazine on your way to a lecture,

or work and you are currently reading this article, you will know EXACTLY what I mean.

Happiness, can also be gained by seeing others happy; as they say, happiness is contagious. Whilst travelling, you also have the opportunity to give something back.

Whether you are actively volunteering or even just contributing to local businesses, you are, in some form, providing happiness for others, which should definitely make you happy. This type of happiness fulfilment is increasing in the form of volunteer travel. Numerous travel companies now offer volunteer placements in countries all across the globe. With this combination of travel and also spreading happiness to those less fortunate, I would highly recommend this type of trip for a serious happiness boost. In seeking this happiness, you won’t break the bank either, placements with the company Plan My Gap Year start from as little as £150.

If, like us, that has you throwing about your debit card screaming ‘take my money’ then you can check them out at www.planmygapyear.co.uk.

Travelling encompasses so many things that we consider to make us happy, but it almost seems too good to be true.

Most of us will have, at least once, scrolled through Instagram, seen someone’s travel snaps and been filled with raging envy - admit it. When clicking onto someone’s profile and just seeing the colour blue from all their mouth-watering snaps of the beach, what’s your first thought? Wow, what a life they must live! Well, that’s after the bitterness, jealousy and complete wanderlust.

When we see someone who is very well travelled on social media, we may associate it with a happy life. We have to question, however whether happy travels are motivated by gaining those precious likes and followers; is it all a front? Admittedly, if a monkey spontaneously jumps on me during a safari I would be overjoyed at the experience, but if someone hasn’t got a cute candid picture of it I’ll probably be slightly disappointed.

Whether intentionally or not, we’ve grown up in a social media society where it’s absolutely normal to subtly brag about everything we do. Chances are if you are out for an extremely posh meal for your 21st birthday, you WILL take a picture of your meal, and you WILL tag this extremely posh restaurant. It’s part of our millennial culture, social media partially influences our whole lives.

Is travelling just another material item that we can use to showcase our happiness to our social media followers?

Not only is social media a form of communication, it can now even be used as a career. We see a huge amount of current celebrities who have found their fame

through social media. A range of public figures sore to fame through their YouTube or other social media accounts, take Zoella the fashion and beauty blogger who now has her own range of products, or KSI a British YouTube personality whose career stemmed from him posting gaming videos online. This new found route to fame is also apparent with travel bloggers. If like us, you follow the likes of @jayalvarrez, @taylorcutfilms or @onemileatatime on Instagram you will notice that they never seem to be in one place for long. Social media allows the lucky few to travel as a full time job.

Ben Schlappig, the user behind @onemileatatime states in his Instagram bio that he flies OVER 400,000 miles each year; *drools in envy*. However, in this case we must ask, are they travelling because it makes them truly happy, or because it is like a job to them and a means to an end. As an audience, we look on and think surely no one could ever get bored of a job like that; it makes our part-time bar job in the same pub, pulling the same pints and serving the same customers, look like the most tedious thing ever. Imagine turning up to work and instead of arriving in a boring office, you’re at the foot of a mountain that you’re about to climb and share with your social media followers. To most of us it would be a dream come true.

If we consider some of the careers most valued in our society, we will see that a lot of their roles are to bring about happiness. A doctor, for example, aims to bring people back to full health, and therefore create happiness.

A police officer aims to keep peace, which can also be related to happiness. Even sales assistants are expected to ensure customers have an enjoyable experience in their relative establishments. Why can’t full time travel bloggers and social media users be seen as the same? A career aimed at providing happiness for others, not just themselves.

If travel really is the key to happiness, then we should share it with the world. Like Jay Alvarrez and Ben Schlappig, we should travel as much as we can and share this joy with others. Encourage every person you meet to travel, and you might just be responsible for brightening someone’s life.

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48

The weather may have been disastrous but that didn’t tarnish the peace and love vibe at Bestival. Wellies on, umbrellas at the ready, Bestival had the church doors open for loved up couples to take a muddy leap and say, ‘I do.’

Just by chance, whilst watching The XX headline the Castle stage, we at Quench started chatting to a couple – from Cardiff! Meeting at Bestival six years ago, the Cardiff based couple, decided that they would tie the knot in the place where they fell in love. HOW CUTE?! Being from Cardiff, they were of course incredibly friendly and ever so kindly invited us along to their wedding at Bestival the following day. And boy were we in for a treat….

But this wasn’t any old wedding, this was an inflatable church, hip-hop officiant, dance-off party of a wedding.

Toby the groom arrived at midday, suited and (wellington) booted. The sun was momentarily shining and the inflatable church was just as pumped up as he was. Gathering inside, along with a bunch of groomsmen resembling a super camp 70’s boy band, music was blasting and it all felt very surreal. Members of the public came streaming in, as the incredible cool dreadlocked, gold toothed officiant interrogated Toby.

Change of song and in comes Demi, the bride, dancing down the aisle, shaking her bum. Not your stand wedding aisle walk, but hey, when at Bestival…

The ‘ceremony’ was hilarious all the while bloody adorable. With a huge dance off between the brides side of the church and the grooms side of the church, it felt more like a night out in Retros than a wedding. Saying their personalised vows to each other and having a big old smooch, the couple sure made up for the grim weather outside. The ‘vicar’ led the ceremony, with vowels, speeches, smooching, laughter, certificate, dance off ’s ...and whatever else he could convince the congregation to do.

Following the wedding party outside for photos, with 80’s hip hop music playing, people outside were staring with serious FOMO, wishing they had been part of this wedding/party/dance off/shelter from the rain/ show.

Later, we spoke to the most loved up, high on life, friendly couples. The lesbian couple, featured in the photo, who were involved with the Inflatable Church set up, whilst hugging us and dancing told us about the popularity of this unorthodox wedding ceremony. Showing us the ‘wardrobe’ (gazebo) of wedding dresses was a child’s dream dressing up box. Each day, these two women changed their brides’ dresses, but of course ensuring that they were drowning themselves in glitter and streamers! Chatting to the high-spirited couple, they explain the process; the ‘show’ incorporates a huge range of wedding dress up, make-up artists, professional photographers and a DJ. Not just that but the Inflatable Church is the Guinness World Records first inflatable church!

It’s not just the Cardiff couple Toby and Demi that have gotten married here. The Inflatable Church earned its reputation when it famously was responsible for Kelly Osbourne’s ‘wedding’ at Electric Picnic. It has also seen Jake Sheers of the Scissor Sisters get married, Warwick Davies, and rumour has it, Ray Winstone recently got hitched at the Inflatable Church! The fantastic thing about this type of wedding is that they will marry anybody; no matter what your religion, sexuality, age, you can ‘marry’ the love of your life!

During the day it may seem a starry-eyed lovers paradise but by night. the church transforms into a ‘Wedding Disco.’ Not to mention that Cardiff ’s very own ‘BUMP & GRIND’ ran this fantastic club night experience throughout Bestival, WORDS BY: MOLLY WYATT

WORDS BY: MOLLY WYATT

Tent life not for you? Setting up an Argos tent in torrential rain not tickling your fancy? Well, here at Quench, we said goodbye to sleeping on rocky grounds and said hello to cosying up in the cutest of cabins.

From bell tents, to yurts, from caravans to tipis, luxury camping is becoming evermore popular. However, we thought we’d try something a bit more alternative, or quirky, a bit more… waterproof?

We settled in these adorable pod pads; think beach hut meets shed, meets dog kennel, meets childhood dream den. Warm and cosy, comfortable and powered by solar panels (so we can still charge our phones!) these pod pads were an absolute life saver in the crazy weather. What more, the team at podpads provided us with a beauty parlour(!) to sort our windswept hair out, and endless supplies of tea and biscuits. 10/10 would recommend to a friend. I have been converted to a camping snob.

FOOD FOOD FOOD. You did not disappoint at Bestival. Copious amounts of delicious food was devoured, with a wide variety of option; vegan delights, sushi galore, burgers, the lot. Here are a few of festival favourites that we sampled, because let’s be realistic, nobody can be bothered to even attempt to cook on a campsite…

Rain aside, looking the festival part is paramount at Bestival, particularly as it was the theme this year was ‘Year of Colour.’

Glitter and bright garments were all around. ‘Dust and Dance,’ a cosmetic glitter company, were left their trail at Bestival, with both girls and boys decorated from head to toe in the dazzling glitter products that they create. ‘Dust and Dance’ even had their own Bestival range of glitters that brightened up the dreariest of weather conditions.

WORDS BY: ERIN BROWN Yonaka Opening the festival for the new kids on the ‘Invaders of the Future’ stage and closing it on the Sunday in the Jaegerhaus, Yonaka made quite the impression. We made Yonaka our last band of the weekend and what a way to finish it off! Putting on quite the set, the Brighton quartet infected Bestival with fierce vocals and fiery riffs, making them a stand out act of the weekend.

Combined with a classic heavy rock sound, a pop sass and a dash of hip hop; this band are unforgettable. Putting on an enticing set, filled with ferocious head banging and impressionable dance moves from lead Theresa Jarvis, they’ll eat you up from start to finish and spit you right out. From the Bestival punters

A Tribe Called Quest What a privilege and at the same time, a heartbreak to witness hip hop legends A Tribe Called Quest’s last ever gig! Due to the passing away of prominent member Phife Dawg, the group have decided to call it a day and thankfully for us, chose Bestival as their last ever gig.

Playing the group’s classics such as ‘Can I Kick It?’ and ‘We the People...’ as well as throwing out some tracks from their phenomenal 2016 album We Got it from Here…Thank You 4 Your Service. These legends truly threw the best goodbye party ever. Filled with unbeatable bars and undeniable beats ATCQ embraced their last show by putting on an energetic and unflawed performance. However, despite this, it was incredibly heart-breaking as they played out through the speakers, Phife’s part, completely acapella across the grounds of Bestival. It was an eerie moment, the type that strikes up the

PHOTOGRAPH: PIXABAY

Let’s Eat Grandma

The XX Oh Romy, Oliver and Jamie. Where do I begin?

A breath-taking performance; dreamy, atmospheric and intense. Filling out all the way to the back; an inspiring turn

Made up of two teenage, lifelong friends with an impeccable name created from a hilarious punctuation error; Let’s Eat Grandma gave Bestival an impressionable performance. Watching this duo is not just a gig, it’s an entire performance made up of great vocals, infectious beats and a creepy doll demeanour. Their music gives off a spooky, eerie vibe combined with pop vibes, organs, old school rapping, whispering and not to forget a recorder!

Freaking the crowd out by scarily skipping around the stage, playing pat-a-cake and hiding behind their never-ending locks whilst also playing some pretty good

Dizzee Rascal If you’re as uncool as me, Mr Rascal was probably your first experience of grime.

Back in the day when we had slide up phones it was almost mandatory to have a Dizzee Rascal tune bluetooth’ed to you from a mate. Now, we are living in the age of grime, these experts slate Dizzee for being a fake, an imposter…but in my eyes he’s a leader! Sending us on a path to bringing grime music into the mainstream.

Easing us into a love for Stormzy’s ‘Mr Skeng’ with a soft grime pop tune such as ‘Dance Wiv Me’ with a light rap and a catchy chorus, we can’t deny the fact that it is very much so, a big tune.

Dizzee’s performance at Bestival only emphasised that majority of his songs are

FED UP OF FESTIVALS IN THE FIELDS? HOW ABOUT A FESTIVAL IN A BARN. ON A FARM. INTERESTED? CHARLOTTE MINETT TELLS US MORE...

Barn on the Farm is one of England’s best kept festival secrets and that’s what makes is so special. Set deep in the heart of the Gloucester countryside, the small festival has a lot going for it. Barn on the Farm alumni include the wondrous Ed Sheeran, Bastille and Ben Howard. This year, continuing with the big names, James Vincent McMorrow and Tom Odell filled these big boots. The festival is a four day long affair. The first couple of days are known as the intimate days.

Acts such as Saint Raymond, The Amazons and Gabrille Aplin played stripped back acoustic sets to small crowds. There is only a limited number of tickets for these days. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the first two days, but arrived on the Saturday, even then the word intimate was being thrown around all over the place. With only three stages, intimate it was indeed. The most special stage had to be the Wooden Barn. The audience looked up about 7foot to see the stage, lit up with fairy lights and stylish filament bulbs. The barn only had the capacity of a few hundred, but for each act the crowd spilled out of the barn with the stage still visible as it was so high. The likes of Benjamin Francis Leftwich, Liv Dawson, Dagny (one to watch) and The Japanese House graced this special stage. Outside of the Wooden Barn was a courtyard with an ale bar, a bar with Pimms on tap (I know, it was great) and a wood-fired pizza oven. So if you wanted to chill with a reasonably priced drink and a reasonably priced pizza whilst listening to great live music, this was the place to be.

it does not disappoint, even though Mike did not showcase his mandolin and banjo skills, his guitar talents are incredible. The band look like they’re having the best time on stage especially Saul, continuously jumping around. He actually stole a hat from someone in the crowd. Clean Cut Kid are not ones to miss.

James Vincent McMorrow was a great addition to the line-up, as a headliner. This is because he sums up everything amazing about Barn on the Farm. People wanted to chill out and simply appreciate the music. However it was Tom Odell, the Sunday headliner, who completely stole the entire festival. He bought so much passion for every song he played. He climbed on his piano numerous times and his light show was incredible. I didn’t know what to expect from Tom Odell but I certainly was not expecting that performance. Every song her performed could have been the last song he played, in the way that each song had a dramatic ending big enough to end the entire festival. But he kept performing and performing until he ended with Another Love. He exclaimed that he was very excited to play the headline set and you could tell. What a showman. A great end to the best festival. Until next year Barn on the Farm.

The thing that stood out to me about this festival was how chilled everyone was. From what I could see, there was no problems with drugs, or overly drunk people. Because of this, the security were relax and friendly and just wanted everyone to safely have a great time. This made such a difference to the general feel of the festival. The stages were not the only intimate thing about the festival. It was great to see the bands wondering around enjoying the music just as much as we were. Sundara Karma, Black Honey, Clean Cut Kid and Amber Run were just a few of the bands I saw wondering around, and as I could see, they were more than happy to have a chat with their fans.

The main stage was fantastic. It was an open tent area with a hill overlooking so if you didn’t want to get involved with the crowd but still have a great view of the stage, it was perfect (I liked it on the hill because there was a bar van again selling Pimms and lemonade on tap again). The main stage showcased the headliners as well as Sundara Karma, Amber Run, Nina Nesbit and many, many more. In an interview with Ewan and Callum from Bad Sounds after they had played, they said that they were pleasantly surprised by the turn out to their 11.30am set on the main stage. However I wasn’t surprised, as I knew their music can draw people in, hungover or not, from afar. Another stand out band on this stage was Clean Cut Kid. We caught up with the busy band just before their set. They had just come from community festival in Finsbury park where Saul ran on stage saying “Hyde Park”. I have to say this one went far more smoothly for him. Evelyn said that she was looking forward to playing the track Evelyn, named after her of course, as it has been getting the best response… I wonder why!? Saul was saying how mike is a multitalented man playing the banjo, mandolin and guitar with Evelyn adding “at the same time”. When he said this I could not wait to see these talents. And

FER IES ILLU STR ATI ON BY: RAC HEL JEF

The other two stages were as special but held a bigger crowd. The Outdoor Stage was the perfect place to sit and have some delicious festival food watching the likes of The Big Moon, Black Honey, Lany and George Ezra’s younger brother, Ten Tonnes. The stage was situated next to a field of ostriches. Yes, you heard me, ostriches indeed. The Big Moon’s leading lady, Juliette, exclaimed that this was their first time playing to these creatures.

I’m sure this was true for all of the other acts playing this stage. In an exclusive interview The Big Moon said they were excited about playing here. Jules explained that she preferred playing smaller festivals like this and she was surprised about how clean Barn on the Farm was. Even though they had never heard of Barn on the Farm before, I’m sure they will be returning, especially due to the ostriches.

WORDS BY: NADINE PINNOCK As summer slowly fizzles out, the Great British public frantically posts the last few of their festival snaps on social media, clinging on to the hazy memories and trying not to think about how long it’ll be until next time. Instagram’s colourful pages of tents and glitter-donned faces depicts the highlights of what festival-goers of 2017 spent their time getting up to. But here in Fox & Feather how festival food fares for her. ‘Glastonbury is definitely the best when it comes to food selection at a

PARKLIFE, Manchester Kicking off our eatery investigation up north, Parklife showcased the archetypal festival food offerings. We spoke to Amy, who told us that classic British burger vans, Mexican stalls and Chinese cuisine meant Parklife had a huge range of options for people to choose from. The edible headliner of Amy’s experience was Chicken & Noodles in Black Bean Sauce – ‘it was the least stodgy food around, and was piping hot, which was nice on a cold, wet day’. Was it worth the price?

Apparently not, with the ‘low quality’ veg in a ‘watered down’ sauce costing £7, Amy felt that visitors were being exploited as they had no alternative. Drinks were also pricey,

‘I had a big bacon craving that day, a bacon and cheese crepe was needed’. Vegetarian options were aplenty, such as crispy Italian pizza with a plethora of toppings – and there were even vegan options. For the more carnivorous, sandwiches were made to order with wide selections of meat to be barbecued in front of your eyes. Although Noah and George agreed the food was more of a convenience than a highlight, Benicassim seemed to offer a lot in the way of food – you just had to be willing to pay for it.

LATITUDE, Suffolk While Benicassim kicked off in Spain, Indies everywhere headed to Latitude festival. Blogger Take It Up Wear It Out

as a bottle of cider cost £5 – not even a pint! We know festival grub isn’t renowned for being fantastic value for money, but great quality isn’t much to ask for.

FIB BENICASSIM, Spain Outside of the dreary UK, we travel to the sunny coast of Spain to take a peek into what Benicassim’s visitors thought of their options. A four-day extravaganza, Benicassim was promising for music fans and foodies alike. Quench asked festival-goers George and Noah if the food was as impressive as the line-up. Crepes, pizza, sandwiches and hot dogs were just a snippet of what you could pick up. Noah told us ‘the crepes were great, but way too much money’, while George reminisced:

remembered fondly that ‘the food was pretty good - there was a stall called “Oatopia” in our campsite that did great healthy breakfast treats, with a range of gluten free and vegan options’. A London native, she didn’t mind the Suffolk festival prices, ‘comparable to a London takeaway… maybe a bit more expensive than “Pret”’. Our bellies rumbled as we heard about the veggie options: “Anna Mae’s” mac & cheese, Greek veggie meze platters (halloumi included) and delicious and flavoursome vegan paella. The headliner? ‘The homemade crumpets! On the way back from dancing, we’d stop off for a fresh mint tea and a crumpet with butter and marmite, a perfect night-time snack’. Latitude’s line-up was grand, but the food? Outstanding.

GLASTONBURY, Somerset Finishing up with festival royalty, we asked Leigh, Festicket’s social media wizard and the blogger behind

ILLUSTRATIONS BY: RACHEL JEFFERIES

Festivals are a great thing... music, camping and buckets of cider. A place for everyone to come together, throw our worries away and get drunk to some great tunes.

However, we often get so distracted by the music, we forget all about the dark and whacky vortexes we find ourselves stumbling into when at a festival - and if you don’t know what I mean, then you haven’t been doing it right. Whether it be the creatures you meet or the rituals you participate in, festivals take you to places you could never even imagine. Here’s a collection of Quench’s top weird and whacky festival moments.

“I was walking down the main street in Boomtown smoking a cigarette when I got stopped by the police: “What are you smoking?” they yelled, of course I just said “a fag” which then they responded to me shouting “A FAG? NOT A SPLIFF?! You’re coming downtown!”. They cuffed me up and took me to

“This is a pleasant festival experience, sort of, but it really brings out the weird side of festivals!

A few years ago at Secret Garden Party, we were simply eating the classic pringles in our tent and some were left in the tube. We went out for a boogie and returned to the tent to find the pringles gone and a small plastic,

“We were at Bestival at the mainstage, quite close to the front when my mate urgently made us build a large, human, defensive fort around him.

Confused, but willing we all joined in. He pulled down his kegs and took a

“I was at Tramlines with my friends this year to see my absolute favourites, The Libertines.

They were playing on the Friday but the anticipation caused me to get extra sloshed and stumble my way into the festival. I was pulled aside at the entry by a security guard who was concerned by the state I was in. In my drunken haze I decided to prove my sobriety by stroking their face???

I was promptly stripped of my wristband and kicked out of the

“It was Reading 2016, in desperate need of seeing Nothing But Thieves (and in desperate need of going for a poo), I had to make the sorry decision of missing my favourite band or absolutely obliterating my pants.

In good manner, I of course chose the latter! I soldiered on to the NME stage, wearing my shit pants like a badge of honour! I found the nearest portaloo, chucked my

“After a long night of festivalling, I woke up in the middle of the night to someone peeing on my tent and the next morning one of my mates woke up to find someone had pooed in their welly. At the same festival, we watched people try to break in over the big metal fences. We watched

“I was at Boomtown and we wondered into a place called the opera house where we found a huge man dressed as the pope cutting shapes. Then, about 5 minutes into it I’m in a limbo competition with him using beer cans duct taped together as the line.

What made it better was that everyone around us

“My friend and I saw a lorry parked up at this festival with the back end bouncing up and down, we jumped in as it started to move, whilst a full on rave was going on inside.

It finally stopped and we were

“Leeds 2014, a man and his girlfriend had been pissing in a bucket to avoid the long walk to the portaloos. After a few hours pass he comes up to us and offers round a tenner to anyone who drinks it, obviously we all

“Some guy called Andy was camping next to us at Leeds last year, he didn’t watch a single band but sat and drank cans all day everyday and pissed and threw up on every piece of clothing he had.

On the last day he started to experiment with drugs being passed around and ended up shitting himself in

“In search of an adventure, a pal and I decided to go on a pilgrimage to Bergen, Norway for Bergenfest to see Liam Gallagher perform. Finding our way around the tricky Norwegian underage drinking laws, we started on the beers in our apartment and headed out to the festival.

Bergen is already a pretty surreal place. It can stay light until midnight, the biggest nightclub is a seafood restaurant by day, and at the park there’s no playground just a tightrope half a metre from the ground.

So we’ve set off in a bit of a daze, already buzzing to get to the site when none other than the man himself, ‘R Kid’, Liam Gallagher, steps out of a hotel door just metres away from us.

We both freeze, managing only to give him a thumbs up. After he sees us standing dead still and gawping at him he walks over

CULTURE

The Charlatans

Deaf Havana Machine Head

Happy Mondays 17/11/17, £29.50 ADV

October/Hydref Neck Deep 12/10/17, £19.50 ADV

Newton Faulkner 20/11/17, £22 ADV

Public Service Broadcasting 13/10/17, £24 ADV

Deaf Havana 24/11/17, £16.50 ADV

Nick Mulvey 14/10/17, £17.50 ADV

The Divine Comedy 25/11/17, £30 ADV

Sleaford Mods 27/10/17, £18.50 ADV

December/Rhagfyr

KURUPT FM 27/10/17, £16 ADV

LP 01/12/17, £16.50 ADV

November/Tachwedd

Hoodie Allen 03/12/17, £16.50 ADV

Cardiff Cabaret Club 03/11/17, £15 ADV

The Charlatans 08/12/17, £28.50 ADV

Father John Misty 04/11/17, £22.50 ADV

Kerrang! Tour 2017 12/12/17, £17.50 ADV

The Cadillac Three 12/11/17, £18.50 ADV

Welcome to Manchester via Cardiff 16/12/17, £15 ADV

@CARDIFFUNION

CARDIFFBOXOFFICE

CARDIFFBOXOFFICE.COM

February/Chwefror The Damned 09/02/18, £26 ADV Bars and Melody 15/02/18, £25 ADV £70 VIP

March/Mawrth Skid Row 15/03/18, £25 ADV Andrew W.K. 16/03/18, £20 ADV

May/Mai The Rend Collective 10/05/18, £18 ADV Machine Head 14/05/18, £27.50 ADV

All tickets subject to booking fee Codir ffi archebu ar bob tocyn

42

DMAs Interview

INTERVIEW BY: MOLLY WYATT IMAGE AS SEEN ON THE BAND’S INSTAGRAM PAGE

· So… how much do you hate doing these interviews?

I don’t actually do them, Johnny or Mason usually do them. So I’m actually pretty new to this, I rarely do them. · This was your last show of your UK tour. Where’s been your favourite place?

Newcastle, or Sheffield was pretty good. Good music scene there. · Let’s get this out of the way. On a scale of 1-10, how much do you hate being compared to Oasis?

I don’t mind it to be honest, it bugs the other guys more. · Because you’re more into that sort of music than the others aren’t you?

Yeah I’m massively into English music whereas the others are more into Springsteen, Dylan, and Mason likes his 90’s American guitar sorta bands. · Which bands are you influenced by?

I’m a massive fan of the Stone Roses. I really like My Bloody Valentine, Ride, yeah heaps of stuff. · Are there any Australian bands that you’re a fan of?

Yeah this band called Royal Headache who are also from Sydney, particularly into them at the moment. They’re good. Oh and of course The Knife. Big fan. But Royal Headache, you should listen to them. · How did the DMA’s form?

I was in a band with Johnny which was like a psych-rock band, I was playing the drums and Johnny on bass. We were in this band for about three years, and then started writing other music on the side. We knew Mason from around Sydney, he played in a few other bands, and we just sort of began to make it a thing. · It must have been strange going from playing drums to being the bands’ frontman?!

I mean, it’s fine now but when I first did it, it was pretty weird. Especially as we hadn’t done any live shows. We were signed and had recorded our first album before actually performing them in front of anyone. · Wasn’t your first show under a pseudonym?

Yeah! I can’t remember what they called us but we were under some stupid name at our first gig in Bondi... I do miss playing the drums sometimes though. · Did you not play the drums in any of your recordings?

I did, in a few songs like Blown Away, but our drummer is a lot better than me so we just use him, ha. · Hill’s End. Absolutely loved it, I’ve been absolutely binging it. Tell us a bit about the making of the album… It was recorded at someone’s house, wasn’t it?

Yep. Was recorded at Buckland Lane, much of the songs were written there too. · And do you write your songs together, individually?

Or?

Every song’s a bit different. Some songs we won’t have anything to do with and Johnny will just have perfected a song for us to do, or other tune’s we just all collaborate.

Depends. Step Up the Morphine was just Johnny. Too Soon was a collobaration. Actually, a fair few of our tracks tend to be, like, three different songs put together.

To be honest, I prefer the songs I don’t have much to do with and just perform them. · You had a lot of unused songs that didn’t make it on to the album. Do you think you’ll go back to them?

For sure, some of them will go on our next album, but we’ve got a bunch of new ones too. · What can we expect from your next album?

We want some similarities but we want to add some differences to it. Make it a bit more, groovy maybe? A little bit more beat based. Not like crazy heavy beats but just a little bit of a more rhythmic sound. · Do you guys write on the road? Because I swear you are always touring!

Yeah quite a few on our next album were written whilst on the road but we definitely write better when we’re home in Sydney. · What’s it like touring with each other then? You all seem very chill. Is it like that all the time…?

It’s cool. Nah yeah, it’s pretty good. When one of us is in a real bad mood, we know, and so we just keep our space. But most of the time it’s sweet. · What do you do when you have free time? (Not touring!)

Ha I dunno. Not much. I suppose we try to write and record tunes. We’ve actually got a new recording studio above a pub, our friend who owns the pub built us this studio, so we spend a lot of time up there. · Pretty handy having a pub downstairs…

Haha yeah it definitely is. · What’s your fanbase like in Australia?

Oh we’re much bigger over there, but that’s just cause we started there you know? But it’s definitely getting better over here. · Yeah there’s definitely an appetite for some new Britpop over here.

Just good guitar music I suppose. · Is the term Britpop getting a bit overused now?

Nah, I don’t mind it actually. I just think we’re a bit more than that. · And that’s evident in your album Hill’s End, theres definitely a variety of more acoustic songs with the BritPop-esque sounding ones.

Yeah there’s definitely a bit more soul in Hill’s End. · What’s on your rider?

Just beers. And a bottle of Jamesons. Soft drinks, chewing gum. Pack of ciggies I think? Don’t care which ones, I’m trying to smoke but will smoke whatever.

· What are your favourite types of gigs? *Takes a big bite out of his sandwich* I love performing in theatres. Brixton Academy is a wicked venue. And then festivals have their own sort of vibe about them which I love. Fuji Rock Festival in Japan was good, they treat you really nice there. · Do you mingle with any other bands when you’re at festivals?

We were hanging out with Slaves the other day, they’re cool guys. · So you’re heading to Cardiff this November, supporting The Kooks. Have you supported any bands before?

Yeah we supported Courteeners which was pretty crazy.

And that was when we first came to England. They’re really cool guys, mad crowds. · Apart from this interview of course, what’s been the highlight of your career?

Finishing an album. Obviously I want to make more but finishing your first one is pretty special. Also performing at Enmore Theatre in Australia because I grew up going to see shows at that theatre, wanting to perform there. · Reckon you’ll be partying after the gig?

Of course. · We heard on the grapevine you got in a bit of trouble the other night…

We’re just normal dudes man that just want to have a good time.

FIRE ROUND · OASIS OR BLUR: Got to be Oasis. · TEA OR COFFEE: Coffee. · Good, correct answer. England or Australia: Australia… got to be, sorry. · Drink of choice?

A Toohey’s New. · A what what?!

Toohey’s New, it’s a nice beer from Sydney. It’s pretty shit, just like red stripe or something. OH NO. GUINNESS. Guinness would be my drink of choice easily. Much prefer drinking it over here too, it’s so much better.

43 CULTURE

Alternative Freshers Surprisingly freshers, you haven’t just crawled out the womb, you’ve had your first shot many hangovers ago and as crazy as it sounds, I’m sure you’ve been to enough terrible hometown nightclubs to last a lifetime. However, Johnny the shit club promoter refuses to acknowledge this and instead will herd you from tacky nightclub to tacky nightclub. The drinks are watered down and overpriced, the music is repetitive; Despacito in every room, whilst you’re paying double to go and see some shit Geordie Shore reject dance about in a vest…

But fear not freshers, we are here to save you! This is our guide to the beautiful city of Cardiff and everything it has to offer you that might slip under those promoter radars.

WORDS BY: ROWAN LEES & ERIN BROWN DESIGN BY: LUCY APRAHAMIAN

We start this guide at one of the oldest streets in Cardiff, built to link the Castle to the Quay, Womanby Street. Now the street links the gig goers to their favourite bands and artists with a series of fine establishments including Clwb Ifor Bach (means ‘Little Ivor Club’). Known to the non-Welsh contingent as ‘Welsh Club’ the venue boasts an impressive line-up over the autumn months.

Clwb... the place that will steal your heart (and your wallet). If you’re wise, you’ll forget your degree and spend every Saturday night with a Red Stripe in hand dancing the night away at the legendary club night ‘Dirty Pop’ where you’ll find three floors. Starting at the bottom with a classic feel good room full of classic tunes from Kanye to Toto, DJ’s Ian Cottrell & Esyllt Williams provide the greatest Disco in town. Here you’ll get cheese but it's cheese with a taste. If you take a wonder to the second floor you’ll find Mr Potter’s Proper Disco; a night of funk, soul and jump jive. Taking you back in time to some of the most classic songs of all time! Don’t forget to bring your dancing shoes to this one! Then on top of it all, the classic indie disco. Big sing along tunes from the likes of Arctic Monkeys, The Strokes, The Smiths and so much more. Run by legendary DJs such as GRL TLK, Vinyl Vendettas and Andrew Rhys Lewis.

Mr Scruff will be returning to Cardiff on the 12th of October to present his ‘all new, vinyl powered, portable steam engine parp-atron rave machine’, a spectacle not to be missed.

Check the clwb.net website to scour for anything up your street (pun very much intended) that we might have neglected to mention.

44

SWN festival is one of the best weekends of the Cardiff Calendar. A place to celebrate under the radar music artists of all genres, grassroots music venues and talented promoters. However, this year, they are spreading it over the entirety of a month. Catch bands such as Peace, Clean Cut Kid and The Amazons plus so much more!

We warn you, you wont want to miss Discovery Day, which will be full of new music so underground that the line-up is yet to be confirmed. We repeat, do not miss!

The hosts, Undertone, also have some amazing garage, grime and dance nights throughout the year, so stay posted through their Facebook page.

Another stellar venue tucked away by the Motorpoint Arena is Gwdihw (goo-di-hoo) which offers by far the coolest nights out in town. Specialising in old style Hip Hop, Soul and Jazz, a night here is guaranteed to get you your fix of funk. They are yet to announce their fixtures for the Freshers period but give ‘em a quick google once you find this guide, and see if anything tickles your pickle.

If you fancy acting a lil’ sophisticated after you’ve finished your work for the day head down Park Place for coffee (or cocktails) at the Pomegranate. They regularly host live jazz nights and are located in close proximity to your university buildings!

CLASSICAL If classical music is more to your tastes then you probably already know what a great choice you’ve made in coming to Cardiff. There is, of course, the St. Davids Hall which hosts an impressive array of concerts throughout the year. Recommended browsing for the concerto enthusiast also includes The Royal College of Music and Drama. Placed by Bute Park, the college turns into public venue by night and offers a host of events.

FOLK GIGS On the folkier side of things we have a smattering of great concerts in Cardiff, including legendary guitarist Martin Simpson recently. By November’s end, Billy Bragg and Father John Misty will have graced the Tramshed and the university’s own Student’s Union venue respectively!

@ Clwb are assisting us in our attempts to guide freshers to the good stuff with a fair on the 8th of October! Once you’re nice and settled into uni and the fresher’s flu is starting to wear off (only joking, it never will), why not make the excursion to Clwb on the Friday and walk round the stalls to see what else Cardiff has to offer you during your University experience!

The Full Moon is also the place for a good night. Free entry and a lot of ‘green shit’ combined with reggae, ska and many more make the perfect concoction for a top night out.

So there you have it, this has been your alternative freshers guide! Now we all know there’s no shame in a visit to the SU, but if you ever find yourself wondering if there’s more to Cardiff nightlife than good deals on VK and a smoke machine, you know where to go!

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VOLUNTEERCUSU

Get involved in your local community, Gain & develop new skills and experiences, and make friends along the way!

Cardiff Volunteering Gwirfoddoli Caerdydd

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WORDS BY: CHARLOTTE MINETT IMAGE CREDIT: REX FEATURES/REX

Interview with Wolf Alice

We caught up with Joel from Wolf Alice and had a sneaky preview of the band’s second record.

Wolf Alice are making a gigantic comeback with a second record, a tour of their favourite venues (including a date in Pontypridd) around the UK followed by a European tour, with Alexander Palace as their huge headline gig. Before all this excitement kicks off for the already well established band, I caught up with drummer, Joel, to chat about all this fun stuff yet to come.

“The small tour is starting mid-August and we have really good memories of those kind of shows. For the bigger shows there is an element of pure fear but pure excitement too. I’ve been to Alexander Palace a few times but only to see other bands when they were playing and it’s just such a cool place, just one huge room.”

I asked him whether they have played any of the new record “We’ve just come back from America. We played four or five tracks off the new album which was a sort of first test to see how people would react to the new music. Teenage girls had already nailed all the lyrics to ‘Yuk Foo’ swearing hitting each other and doing crazy shit and some girls had already got full dance routines down to ‘Don’t Delete The Kisses’. We played a few new tracks that haven’t been released yet and it was interesting to see the reaction. We played ‘Formidable Cool’ and we tried playing ‘Heavenward’ a few times as well as ‘Beautifully Unconventional’. We also played by far our longest and, for me, most technical track, ‘Visions of A Life’. In the first section people were completely losing their shit not knowing there was another six minutes to play. I don’t want to sound arrogant but when people go crazy for our music I get so happy. The American shows put me back into my touring head, getting me ready to eat hummus every day for a month, and waking up in new places every day”.

The new record seems to have a different vibe from the first. “It’s because we had more time to think about this album. I wouldn’t say the sound has changed, we have just beefed up, improved and pushed what we like from the first record. I would say we were braver with decisions and suggesting things we may not have the

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first time. We worked with Justin Medal Johnson (the producer behind M83, Paramore, Beck and so many more). He is a freaky genius. I love his mentality and skill towards music, it was wicked. We were so happy to be able to work with him.” The album was recorded in a studio in LA, next to the studio where The Foo Fighters were recording… That’s when you know you’ve made it.

“There was more pressure with the first album but now every extreme of Wolf Alice has been explored. And I feel really calm about the release. I’m excited to play it and for people to hear it. We are so proud of it, so it would be hard to ever be disappointed with it”.

Listening to the album, it does indeed sound exactly like all extremes of the band have been explored.

‘Heavenward’ is the album opener which seems to be a very laid-back track similar to ‘Don’t Delete the Kisses’, a track that is out prior to the album’s release. ‘Don’t Delete the Kisses’ has the most romantic lyrics that we have ever heard from leading lady Ellie Roswell. This is highly juxtaposed with ‘Yuk Foo’ the heaviest, rockiest track on the album written for people to listen to whenever they’re angry and I’m telling you, it does the job. For me, the new track ‘Beautifully Unconventional’ stood out for me and sits on the scale between the rockiness of ‘Yuk Foo’ and the chilled out vibes of ‘Don’t Delete the Kisses’.

This track is written about a friend of the band’s. Friends are a common theme for Wolf Alice, echoing from the first album ‘Bros’ into the second with this track, this is a unique trait which we love about this band. Another similarity from the first album is the anger from ‘You’re a Germ’ and ‘Giant Peach’ seems to have been translated into the second record into ‘Yuk Foo’ but this track seems to be more turned up. It is clear what Joel says about beefing up and pushing what they like about the first album for the second.

In addition to the other album tracks an element of groove has been introduced in the second record in the bassline of ‘Formidable Cool’ but is bought back to true Wolf Alice style with Ellie’s vocals packed with pure edge and attitude this can be compared to ‘Fluffy’ from the first album, a groovy riff followed by Ellie yelling at the top of her voice and screaming “sixteen, so sweet”.

‘Visions of A Life’ seems to be tied up perfectly with the eight minute long title track ‘Visions of A Life’. As Joel said in our exclusive interview, this one track explores all of the extremes of Ellie’s voice, from the angelic sound,

Foo’. Each section is different, and as Joel suggested, it will be an absolute whirlwind to see being played live.

The release of ‘Visions of A Life’ compared to the first record really shows how far they have come and evolved in the years they have been making sweet music together.

‘Visions of A Life’ is released on September 28th. Before then, you can catch Wolf Alice on tour on the following dates: OCTOBER Fri 27 PARIS La Maroquinerie Sat 28 BRUSSELS Botanique / Orangerie Mon 30 BERLIN Festsaal Kreuzberg NOVEMBER Wed 01 HAMBURG Mojo Thu 02 KOLN Luxor Fri 03 AMSTERDAM Melkweg Wed 08 BRISTOL O2 Academy Thu 09 MANCHESTER O2 Apollo Sat 11 GLASGOW Barrowland Mon 13 NEWCASTLE O2 Academy Wed 15 NOTTINGHAM Rock City Thu 16 BIRMINGHAM O2 Academy Fri 17 NORWICH UEA Sat 18 LEEDS O2 Academy Mon 20 BRIGHTON Dome Tue 21 SOUTHAMPTON O2 Guildhall Fri 24 LONDON Alexandra Palace Mon 27 BELFAST Ulster Hall Tue 28 DUBLIN Olympia …I hope you have all practiced your dance routines.

image credit: Debbie Hickey/Getty Images

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Interview: Declan McKenna 18 years old: prodigy of the summer WORDS BY: ERIN BROWN DESIGN BY: CHARLIE KNIGHTS PHOTOGRAPHY FROM ARTIST'S INSTAGRAM

Declan McKenna has taken the summer by storm. Conquering festival after festival whilst also releasing a killer debut album and an autumn tour that was forced to expand, not to forget he’s only 18! Catching him on his pre-festival tour, we caught up with Declan at his Thekla show in Bristol. It was astonishing to see someone so young and so new to the scene completely take over the stage and the crowd which was made up of all ages. He portrayed such confidence yet such modesty as he reeled off tune after tune; some crowd pleasers and some crowd testers. Watching his set highlighted that he’s the kind of musician that you can’t take your eyes off as he carries such a presence and such a talent, which is made even more enticing when you realise that these hits have been written by a teenage boy, some at the innocent age of 15.

His debut What Do You Think About The Car?, produced by musical legend James Ford (Arctic Monkeys, Foals, Florence and the Machine), was released in July with popular McKenna tracks such as Brazil and Isombard. The album is a strong debut; catchy hooks and interesting themes as well as a fruity indie sound making the album a good introduction to Mr McKenna, which is crazy considering some of the songs were written when he was still in school: “Some of the songs I wrote was when I was 15 and 16”. However, Declan refuses to stop there. “There’s a lot of progression on the album; the last few songs to go on the album are my favourite and they’re the most recent. A lot more different ideas came in at the end”. But where does someone who's not actually spent too long on the planet get musical inspiration from to make such a successful debut album? Why, ABBA, of course! “ABBA are like my favourite band. No one doesn’t like ABBA. I listened to Visitors and I swear to God… I came out of my body”. So his debut What Do You Think About The Car? is influenced by what Declan has described as a “classic pop vibe”, with inspiration from greats like Bowie and Dancing Queens ABBA. One thing so intriguing about Declan’s music is that he explores important topics rather than singing about the stereotypical, such as going out or falling in love. “One of the main things I try to voice as an artist is that there are people in our society who aren’t treated like everyone else, which I guess needs to be acknowledged. Art is a good way to acknowledge and point out problems in our society. It’s where a lot of movements have stemmed from”. For instance, Declan talks about his track Paracetamol, which focuses on Leelah Alcorn, a transgender teen who committed suicide. “It’s a very horrible story about the pressure from her parents to get transgender conversion therapy. I didn’t know stuff like that was going on at the time and I already had the melody and bass for that song, so it became an outlet of being upset about something”. Declan uses his music as an outlet of emotion: “I don’t sit down and think today, I’m going to write a political song. I’m not opposed to writing a break up song if I break up with someone. You just write as it comes. It’s an emotional response to anything”.

With festival season accomplished, an album completed and a big tour ahead, Declan is definitely one to look out for.

Watch this space…

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CONCRETE AND GOLD

BY FOO FIGHTERS Music legends Foo Fighters have a simple philosophy about them: make great rock music, and have fun doing it. Their ninth studio album, Concrete and Gold, is a solid display of this philosophy.

Their last album, Sonic Highways, was overly conceptual, highly divisive, and too focused on individual tracks. Concrete and Gold, on the other hand, delivers a far tighter album experience by not overthinking its concepts or unnecessarily complicating the production.

The album’s most notable feature is how it wears its inspirations on its sleeve. It’s a bit Queen, a bit Beatles, a bit Led Zeppelin, a bit Pink Floyd… but still quintessentially Foo Fighters.

Opening with ethereal T-Shirt and seamlessly transitioning to metal-inspired lead single Run, Foo Fighters appear to be promising something spectacular with this album.

However, they never quite get there. Despite intriguing experimentation with collaborators (including Paul McCartney drumming on Sunday Rain and wonderful backing vocals from the likes of Alison Mosshart and Justin Timberlake), the album unfortunately comes across as a bit too tame and formulaic.

That having been said, “formulaic” for Foo Fighters is far from boring. Concrete and Gold is the band returning to a simpler, more fun, and more effective way of making music.

And whilst the album is nothing special, it’s genuinely enjoyable nonetheless.

Ryan Jones Matthews

ALL WE KNOW OF HEAVEN, ALL WE NEED OF HELL

BY PVRIS Take a trip to PVRIS. The Massachusetts trio have a fascinating ability to hybridise genres, proved by their 2014 debut album White Noise, a novel and indisputably stellar musical experience. PRVIS left a mark in the music scene back then and it would have been easy for them to fall victim to the sophomore slump, yet All We Know Of Heaven, All We Need Of Hell has only grown in ambition and expanded in maturity and darkness.

PVRIS have gone all-out with this record; it wants to be heard and felt. As Lyndsey Gunnulfsen concluded in her album note on Instagram, “all that matters is that you are feeling”, and this album certainly ignites that. The candescent opening vocals of Heaven evolve throughout, and begin to claw outwards with brooding and cloying vigour. Yet, the inciting unpredictability of the trio find the album morphing from beginning to end, as vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Lynn explores a mature and weighty breadth previously unheard of. That is not to say that the tracks are not relieved of the broody and intimate pressure of rock though, as the synth-pop bop of What’s Wrong is an illuminating humdinger.

This record is an invitation to resonate with, and become attached to, each virtuoso note. Adding even more depth to PVRIS’ arsenal, these tracks translate effortlessly into a charged live performance.

Their message is clear: you can grow in the face of tribulations, and All We Know Of Heaven, All We Need Of Hell is the consolation. The first note opens a Pandora’s Box of issues that are soon toyed and argued with through the medium of music. A sense of resolution is achieved. The trio have accomplished something quite special here and have made a stellar contribution to the music scene that they seem to be pioneers of.

In a nutshell: ripe, personal and brilliant.

Hannah West

LOVE WHAT SURVIVES

BY MOUNT KIMBIE Mount Kimbie have elegantly made their return to the musical fold this year, releasing singles with friends and collaborators James Blake and King Krule. The new album gives us more of the same ambient brilliance that we’ve heard from the duo before with an added few shots of adrenaline in tracks like ‘Delta’, and ‘Blue Train Lines’ - a personal favourite.

Known for their relatively unusual approach to production, often using field recordings and quite abstract instruments as the main components of songs, Mount Kimbie use these sounds as their equipment as they build each tune up from the ground, layering noise upon noise, assembling the song to an often euphoric final state, before whisking you away to the next track.

Although some songs can miss the mark on the first listening, the complexity and emotion shines through more and more with every spin. The innovative production pair manage to bring out the best in their collaborators while keeping each song to their own unique style. ‘Love What Survives’ makes a hat-trick of remarkable albums for Mount Kimbie, who have carefully crafted their sound and now present it to the world.

Catch Mount Kimbie on a UK tour this autumn.

Rowan Lees

BAMBINO

BY SUPERFOOD ‘It’s taken us a while to get here but we’ve finally arrived’ – the words on a recent Instagram post by Dom and Ryan of Superfood. And what an arrival it is! Bambino is the grown-up sibling of their noisy debut Don’t Say That. The album gets off to a strong start with Where’s the Bass Amp - a punchy, energetic burst of a track. I Can’t See and Natural Supersoul follow in this vein – Superfood’s youthful, playful vibe clearly isn’t going anywhere. There’s darker undertones to the album, though.The first single Unstoppable’s fast-paced drum beat makes for a masterfully tense track, capturing a thread of post-adolescent anxieties that weaves itself through the tracks. The same can be said for the synth-laden Double Dutch and the moody, howling guitars of Shadow; something about them seems older and more thoughtful. Bambino is a stylish, effortless transition to a new and promising phase for Superfood. Catch them at Thekla in Bristol on October 4 th and see it for yourselves. ‘Love to you if you’re here from the beginning or have just turned up’ continues Dom and Ryan’s Instagram post – and I’m glad I turned up.

Molly Cheek

MUSIC

Album Reviews

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Labelling Fashion aesthetic noun noun: aesthetic; plural noun: aesthetics; noun: esthetic; plural noun: esthetics 1. a set of principles underlying the work of a particular artist or artistic movement. “the Cubist aesthetic” In the modern age of Snapchat, Instagram and Tumblr, the word aesthetic has become an integral part of our generation, with fashion being the most effective way of expressing one’s aesthetic. Whether it be grunge, street, preppy, a myriad of other styles, or even a specific clothing label like Nike or Gucci, many people see it fit to choose one and stick to it; solidifying their look. Maybe a specific dress and the labels attached to it represent them best, maybe it’s just their favourite style, or maybe it fits best practically with their lifestyle.

But there are many people out there (including myself) whose fashion choices span over a number of styles.

Some people like to explore different genres of clothes when they become bored with dressing a certain way, others don’t subscribe to one style in general and instead showcase picks from all ends of the spectrum. I know personally that my outfit for the day depends largely on two things, what my plans are and how I’m feeling – feeling like a bad ass? Distressed skinny jeans. Feeling soft and ethereal? My frilly skater dress.

Our clothes are something we have the freedom to get creative with and the vast array of options and brands now out there, often offering their own aesthetic, mean that we don’t have to be pushed into one box or stereotype. Just like the world around us, fashion has changed to become fluid and more open to new ideas and influences.

Now, despite the fun to be had from exploring the world of fashion, the struggle can be too real for those of us who like to get a little creative with our couture…

For starters, clothes shopping will almost ALWAYS bankrupt you. You’ll walk into a shop and a pair of cute sandals will catch your eye, but then in your peripheral vision appears a pair of combat boots that are totally calling your name. You spend an age trying to decide between them, but know that whichever you buy will

still leave you feeling unfulfilled and reminiscent of the other pair – so you skip merrily up to the till with both in hand, knowing full well that your bank account is not going to be happy when you get home. This tends to happen several times during one trip, your right brain and left brain constantly arguing over need versus lust (with your right brain usually arising triumphant).

It is the end of an exhausting day, your arms are aching from the growing number of bags added to them, your feet are tender from all the walking and you cannot bear the thought of having to change in and out of your clothes anymore for the foreseeable future. You take your new purchases home and begin to add them to your already huge wardrobe, planning the outfits that you can incorporate them into. Days, weeks and months pass and you realise that you have not worn them anywhere near enough to prove the money that you sacrificed.

Even though you still absolutely l o v e them, your wardrobe is just so big that you haven’t cycled around to them yet. You sigh, knowing full well that something needs to change.

The last step in this vicious cycle is the clear out. You realise that your wardrobe is full of barely worn articles that are most likely going to stay that way, so you start inspecting each garment meticulously, trying to find a good enough reason to get rid of them (other than not ever wearing it, because you definitely will one day…)

A whole day is lost to cleaning and your room is no less cluttered by the end, yet you still go out and treat yourself to new clothes to make up for that 4-year-old pair of trainers that you begrudgingly threw away.

But in the end, style is personal. The significance that you give to your clothes is personal. Whether you express your mood through what you wear or choose to allow the labels attached to the clothes to speak for you, exploring different aesthetics can be a fun and eye opening way of changing things up, especially if you’ve been stuck in a style rut. So why not give something new a go, just try not to end up like the rest of us, buried in a pile of clothes with all of the tags still attached.

WORDS BY: BETHAN LINNANE DESIGN BY: LUCY APRAHAMIAN

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WORDS BY: BETHAN LAWRENCE DESIGN BY: LUCY APRAHAMIAN “It’s not about gender ... it’s about, like, shapes,” Gigi Hadid proclaims in a recent Vogue article in which herself and boyfriend Zayn Malik are described as “part of a new generation embracing gender fluidity.” Unsurprisingly, when the couple insists that swapping t-shirts with your significant other is integral to gender fluidity, many people were outraged. Gender fluid is a gender identity which sees a person be able to, at any time, identify as male, female, or any other non-binary identity, or also identifying as multigender, non-binary and/ or transgender. With this in mind, as stated by transgender writer Jacob Tobia in an article for Cosmopolitan, Vogue appropriates “the identities and struggles and activism and brilliance of gender-nonconforming and nonbinary people in order to spice up [its] fall cover of two cisgender celebrities”. Of course, it is a major indication of progression within the realm of gender becoming a wellrecognised site of self-expression and individuality, but in appropriating the long battle for acceptance within our society in an article centred on two people who have never even suggested that they are gender -nonconforming, Vogue is not in fact as transgressive and revolutionary as initially hoped.

Indeed, gender fluidity is an emerging discussion in society. Donald Trump’s mandate that female staff should “dress like women” solidified the problem of gender politics in that men and women have to choose from one fixed gender, with no other freedom to express their identity. Of course, fashion has never been the initiator of this conversation and it would be ignorant to ignore the work of those who are challenging gender constructs everyday, in their own lives, including Grace Dunham, Danielle Cooper and Tyler Ford. However, for years designers have injected into their shows and collections, fluidity which questions why gender has to be a suffocating concept, calling to attention the ability to explore identity beyond traditional binaries and specifically celebrating self-expression.

Raf Simons, for example, played with the transparent shirt, dressing both male and female models in the item. With both genders bearing their nipples through the same shirt, Simons was able to employ fluidity into his design, whilst exhibiting the contemporary argument as to why it is socially acceptable for men to reveal their chest, but not women. This statement helped prove

ace e: Gr imag

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Gender Fluidity in Fashion & Beauty

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the absurd binaries attached to each gender and the suffocation of such concepts.

In a similar way, Jaden Smith wore women’s clothing in a recent Louis Vuitton campaign, and Jean Paul Gaultier was heralded for being one of the first designers to put a man in a skirt in his show. Furthermore, this year at the MAN fashion show, Art School, a collective centred on non-binary fashion, dressed male models in extravagant womenswear. Items ranged from tartan gowns to sheer shift dresses, with one of the most notable outfits, designed by Rottingdean Bazaar, being a dress built from jeans and worn by drag artist Harrie Bradshaw.

What made the show most memorable, however, was the encouragement of the models to be creative whilst they walked, which, combined with the elaborate designs, celebrated the importance of individuality, creativity and nonconformity.

However, it is crucial to recognise that this gender fluidity is not reduced to a mere aesthetic. The activism that transgender and gender-nonconforming people have been advocating for years cannot be misplaced and given to designers; unsurprisingly it is not the fashion houses and Vogue at the forefront of a revolution and the experiences lived by gender non-conforming people.

Not only has fashion started to celebrate gender non-conformity, but the beauty world has also turned stereotypes on their heads. A new herd of male beauty bloggers on YouTube and Instagram have been garnering attention. What was once considered exclusively for drag has now become a makeup movement for men, everyday. Stars including Patrick Simondac and Jake Jamie, who both boast an impressive following, champion inclusivity, with Jamie launching a campaign called #makeupisgenderless with the aim to completely de-gender makeup.

The awareness of such a movement is gathering steam, with bloggers including Lewys Ball and Manny James Charles becoming the faces of major beauty campaigns - Rimmel and CoverGirl respectively. With this wider recognition of men experimenting with makeup in the same way that women can, gender non-conformity is becoming increasingly normalised. Quoted in an article with The Guardian, Ball states that “The world we live in now is much more accepting of individuality, people are now encouraged to be whoever they want to be, and that’s really positive.” Indeed, millennials are far more accepting of gender fluid identities as opposed to older generations. A survey by J. Walter Thompson Intelligence finds that 56% of Generation Z know someone who uses gender neutral pronouns. Clearly, this generation isn’t bound to gender binaries, actively seeking and celebrating gender fluidity.

The increased recognition of gender non-conformity in the fashion and beauty world is integral to a more accepting society, and whilst fashion houses certainly aren’t the leaders of this gender fluid and trans movement, they have certainly aided in widening the message and normalising non-conforming identities.

And although it’s wonderful that Gigi Hadid feels great wearing her boyfriend’s t-shirts, it is also important to remember who the real heroes of the gender fluid movement are - they are not part of a passing aesthetic, but rather are the future of fashion and beauty itself.

ima ge: P atric k

Sim ond ac

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The Real Leaders of the Millenials BRYONY STEPHENS DESIGN BY: LUCY APRAHAMIAN

With the age of technology ripe, beauty and fashion bloggers are an increasing breed and it becomes hard to access any sort of social media without their pearly whites inviting you to check out the latest trends.

Beauty and fashion has arguably become one of the most dominant categories in terms of blogs and YouTube channels.

It is now amazingly easy for individuals to express their personal fashion styles and inform others of their choices and purchases, it just takes patience and dedication. Those blessed with fashion choices that appeal to the masses can be lucky enough to gather a following; thousands of people who are inspired by these blogger tend to frequently return to update themselves on the blogger's wardrobe. It started off simply as bloggers displaying their latest hauls from their favourite brands, but with the rise of the blogging industry, could it be argued that they are in fact trendsetters themselves?

A predominant event in any fashion calendar is London Fashion Week and it comes as no surprise that they too are noticing the massive impact that beauty and fashion bloggers have on the public. Referring to the term ‘digital influencers’ to describe the elite bloggers, London Fashion Week offers the chance for those worthy to participate in the event. It is not an easy task to become part of the well-established fashion event, the requirements to become involved in London Fashion Week are strikingly high, with a minimum of 35,000 followers on Instagram and a similar level on other social media platforms. Those who can become the best at their craft have a whole world of opportunities become open to them to further their career. If they are already attracting attention from thousands of people, the influence they have will only increase by being involved in respectable fashion events. Evidently, brands and corporations have clocked that bloggers have the ability to attract a large audience. Some even have the capability of being viewed with more influence than a ‘traditional celebrity’ and create even a new definition for the term ‘celebrity’ itself. The term should be used sparingly as the level of fame bloggers possess can easily be argued. However, there is no escaping that a high-status blogger has a loyal fan base and that is a fact that would be foolish to ignore.

Being an elite member of the blogging community sees major companies gravitate towards the chance of a subtler way

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to advertise. A viewer is not being shown the item from the company itself but neither from someone that obviously screams celebrity endorsement.

That is the perfect thing about bloggers; they have the ability to remain in the category of ‘normal people’- someone relatable, someone that could be you. Normally they have built up their following organically, through viewer’s choice to watch them. This is where the power of bloggers comes in to play. Simply wearing an outfit or mentioning a brand can cause a catalysis of purchases for a company. The extremely well-known Alexis Ren is a prime example of how companies harnessing this influence. The model and social media guru has ten million followers on Instagram. Her photographs that allow users access to her ‘dream’

rather than a brand who lack the relatable and personal appeal.

Think of fashion and beauty blogging and most of us can quickly churn a couple of names out from day-to-day interaction with the online world, such as the likes of Zoe Sugg (Zoella) and Tanya Burr, who are veterans in the YouTube and blog world. Both have perfected the art of gaining influence and admiration from a huge number of followers. Tanya Burr is an excelling example of how online life can convert into real-life fashion opportunities. With 3.2 million followers on Instagram and a similar amount on YouTube, she has earned the allure that draws major events and brands to both her and her husband Jim

are regulars to exclusive fashion and beauty events such as the Glamour Awards and GQ events in which high-end fashion brands supply them with beautiful outfits and jewellery. They become walking advertisements with the brands then being entitled to a tag on the Instagram post. It’s a trade which is beneficial to both parties involved.

Traditional advertising is not over (just yet), but companies are becoming increasingly aware that people are drawn more to those they can connect to. It feels softer and less intrusive having branding shown by the familiar face of your favourite YouTuber rather than a big corporation and users are reacting positively to this. The digital world has become dominant and

lifestyle has seen her following accumulate and parallel to this, her brand endorsements followed.

Her Instagram account is littered with branding, some hidden through the tags on pictures and some not. HERA London (a clothing company) used her in a campaign and the pictures echo the power of social media influencers. The company itself used an image of Alexis in their clothing on its own Instagram feed. This image gathered 3,409 likes (24.7.17). This may seem like a good response, but Alexis posted the same image on her personal account. This created a response of 500,510 likes (24.7.17) belittling the company’s own attempt at social media advertising. This impressive reaction enforces how users respond with energy to the blogger they so much admire

key to success nowadays.

Bloggers are successes in their own right, with a self-made empire of loyal followers. They own the right to promote clothes they like or are paid to appear to like. Once upon a time, it was the large brands who had enough power with their own advertising but now it seems that with the rise of the blogging industry, the new power comes in the form of those armed with a camera, a computer and passion for the fashion industry.

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Left: Leather skirt: River Island, £28 Sweater: Zara, £20 Tights: Primark, £3 Creepers: Essex Glam Shoes, £20 Necklace: H&M, £8 Long Coat: New Look, £60 Blue Shirt: Burton, £25 Cigarette Trousers: Burton, £25 Black Dress Shoes: Clarks, £55

Right: Grey t-shirt: mentore, £30 Jeans: Key-Jey, £65 Shoes: Dr. Martens, £120 Jacket: Carhartt, £189 Dress: Zara, £10 Shoes: Zara, £16 (on sale)

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Jeans: Zara £8 Shirt: Primark, £10 model: Rimantė Ella Bivainytė

White t-shirt: Mentore, £30 Trousers: Sta co, £59 Shoes: Dr. Martens, £120 model: Andrea Gaini location: 29 Park Place

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Yellow coat: Zara, £70 Denim shirt: H&M, £25 Jeans: Forever21, £24 Ankle boots: Tally Weijl, €25 model: Yana Milcheva

Blazer: Burton, £75 Roll Neck Jumper: Burton, £20 Skinny Black Trousers: Primark, £11 Black Brogue Boots: Clarks, £110 model: Max Modell

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Film Reviews Once again, Sofia Coppola’s meticulous attention to emotional detail is showcased in her latest Southern Gothic drama, The Beguiled. Ravenous eyes, alluring expressions and magnetised bodies are the leading forces that drive the narrative, when the residents of an all-girls boarding school lust and dispute after injured soldier, John McBurney. As with The Virgin Suicides, the complexity of Coppola’s characters are confined to their home, and the protagonists have their tensions disguised in drab whites and delicate dresses. True to her typically ‘feminine’ approach, Coppola lends a voice to the women of Thomas Cullinan’s 1966 novel, communicating the psycho-social dynamics of what it means to be female and devoid of a chance to be sexually expressive.

It is an event blitzed in dusty pastels, entirely attune to the classic colour palette that has become synonymous with Coppola’s creative direction. Yet, at times, The Beguiled is stained with fleshy sepia tones, capturing the sensual repression felt by her female leads. In one scene, the soldier in question greets the narrative with crimsons and virile greens, signifying the erotic and riotous effect he is to have on the sexually fraught protagonists. As events unfold and get bloody, it soon becomes clear that Coppola’s colour choices are visual codes to punctuate her characters emotional journeys.

Whilst keeping many of the features akin to her authentic directive style, Coppola explores a genre unlike her previous projects. The Beguiled is devoid of Marie Antoinette’s pop anachronisms, and its audiences are truly witness to a period film. The dewy mornings of The Virgin Suicides are replaced with an enigmatic mist, complimentary of cinematographer Philippe Le Lourd. When questioned about her creative choice in handling a Civil War-set narrative during an interview with Sophie Monks Kaufman, Coppola expresses her attraction to the neglected women evocative of the wartime era. ‘It’s more over the top than I’m usually interested in... The manners and costumes all appealed to me. [I thought about] what it must have been like for women during wartime… they were left behind. It’s like a dusty world of women who are cut off. They’ve had to wash their clothes so many times that everything has kind of faded.’

Evidently, it is Coppola’s intention to document the inner life of women who belonged to a period where men ruled the historical narrative. And, with an elusive emotional energy at its core, featuring immaculately designed female characters, it is difficult to overlook Coppola’s inventive depiction of these characters of the South.

- Claudia Rutherford

The Beguiled

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27 years after IT premiered on television, It returns…

Okay, this is gunna get real confusing real fast, so let’s clarify now: the film title is 'IT' and the monster is It – understand? Excellent, let’s begin.

IT

Muschietti’s take on the iconic King novel follows a group of seven friends who try to uncover the mystery of the disappearing children in Derry, discovering the monstrous Pennywise and attempting to defeat him. I’ll say it now, I LOVE this movie. It’s almost perfect. In fact, the only thing that ruined my enjoyment of the film were the annoying kids next to me, who would NOT. SHUT. UP. I mean seriously, have a little consideration.

Anyways, Skarsgård is terrifying as Pennywise; his jerky body movements, eerie voice and laugh were creepily perfect. While maybe not as iconic as Curry in the role, Skarsgård’s take on the clown is a perfect match for the tone of this movie.

The actors playing the kids were all brilliant, especially Lieberher (Bill) and Lillis (Beverley). Wolfhard’s (Richie) line delivery was flawless, helped by the fact that his were some of the best lines in the film.

The film stays surprisingly loyal to the book, changing some details but keeping it mostly accurate. There were also lots of little nods and mentions to the book I was very happy to see included, something book-readers would enjoy but film-goers might overlook.

Another surprise for me was how grotesque this film is - that’s to say, this film pulls ZERO punches. Eruption of blood? Sure, why not? Pennywise’s dreadful unzipping mouth with multiple rows of fangs (reminiscent of the Demogoran)? Hell yeah! Little Georgie being eaten in the street? Wow okay maybe that’s too far, it’s something the original film didn’t commit to… probably because Georgie is like, five… Jesus Christ, poor Georgie.

I was very impressed with how much the film was able to incorporate without feeling too overbearing on exposition, considering there were seven kids, each with their own history, their parents, Pennywise as well as numerous other characters I have to give sincere credit to the writers.

Highly enjoyable movie, and I cannot recommend it enough. With a tease to a second instalment maybe we’ll see It again…and maybe we’ll float too.

- Samuel Capper

Dunkirk Atomic Blonde incorporates all of the elements of your typical Bond-esque spy movie, yet fails to deliver.

Set in Berlin in 1989, the film follows spy Lorraine Broughton (Charlize Theron) as she hunts down a hidden list of spies. Instructed by her superiors, she seeks the assistance of ‘feral’ agent James Percival (James McAvoy).

The latest in the Christopher Nolan canon is a gritty, endlessly tense war epic focusing on the evacuation of 400,000 British soldiers from the beaches of Dunkirk.

Never letting up on the suspense, Nolan (with the help of a deliriously taut soundtrack from Hans Zimmer) somehow manages to keep the audience on edge for the full two hours. Unapologetically gritty, Nolan avoids the typical war-film trope of overdoing the valour of war. The soldiers here aren’t mowing down hundreds of Germans. In fact, the enemy forces are barely seen, save for one brief shot. This, along with the constant arrival of German planes and abruptly intervening enemy torpedoes, creates an unnerving sense of constant threat. The film’s only real weakness is its aimlessness.

The overarching plot of getting all the men home safe doesn’t allow for a strong backbone of a plot. Regardless, Nolan’s latest is thrilling epic and to be remembered.

- Christopher Jones

Everything, Everything

The first half of the film is promising, laying the foundations for what could have been a gripping and fast-paced plot, yet this falls flat. Towards the end it seemed like the film-makers wanted to throw as many plot-twists as possible into the space of 1 hour and 55 minutes. It soon got to the point where it became slightly unclear as to who was on what side, and what the whole point was anyway. What is more, for all her sultriness, the Atomic Blonde herself, Lorraine, lacks depth. It seemed like film-makers were more interested in capturing her in a skimpy bra every five minutes rather than focusing on her actual character.

So much for a supposedly strong, female character!

- Bethany Griffiths

Meghie’s 2017 film Everything, Everything offers audiences a twist on the typical teenage love story. Filled with awkward pauses and anxious glances, the film is the embodiment of a teenager's first encounter with love; however due to lead character Maddi’s chronic illness the narrative becomes centred around her discovery of the world around her as well as her own emotions, drawing away from the stereotypical tale of young romance.

The juxtaposition between wide-eyed, innocent Maddi (Amandla Stenberg), and edgy New Yorker Olly (Nick Robinson) allows audiences to watch the couple’s relationship grow, their different family circumstances and pasts bringing them together and making their unconventional love even more heartwarming. The director has used creative on-screen visuals throughout to represent the bubble that Maddi feels she is stuck in due to her illness, such as the presence of an unnamed astronaut who follows her on her journey of exploration. This introduces a deeper and more creative element to the narrative, drawing it further away from conventional romantic films.

Despite its predictable and somewhat underwhelming ending in which the two young lovers fall happily in love, Everything, Everything introduces a new perspective on young relationships, and is a welcomed development within the romantic genre.

- Kerry Pether

Atomic Blonde

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Big Life Life Lessons Lessons Ferris Bueller told us that “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it.”, Timon and Pumbaa said that the philosophy of Hakuna Matata was the way forward for stress-free days and Forrest Gump’s mum always said “Life was like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get”. Quench’s contributors write about their life changing and inspiring moments, originating from the big screen.

There is a current belief that young girls have a limited amount of role models growing up, a sentiment I wholeheartedly agree with. However, in my youth, I was lucky enough to experience a small outbreak of strong female characters in film and television for whatever reason. From names like Kim Possible to Sabrina Spellman to Lizzie McGuire, I certainly had enough ladies to look to for inspiration on how to lead my life.

None, however, were as influential to me as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde, a film that truly changed my life. Reese Witherspoon’s portrayal of a true feminist icon has certainly shaped who I am today. When dealing with heartbreak, I embody Elle’s determination in working out and studying hard. In facing adversity, I certainly embrace Elle’s ferocity and compassion in dealing with those more narrow-minded than myself. I would also be a liar if I said that I didn’t perform the odd ‘Bend and Snap’ when I’m feeling particularly gorgeous. But mostly, Legally Blonde changed my life by showing me that I can do anything; a belief I carry with me even today as I tackle my university degree in a time when feminism is a more pressing issue than ever. There’s nothing more inspiring to me on a difficult day than imagining my own ending credit scene like Elle’s in Legally Blonde, listing off my own achievements in hopes that it inspires another young girl out there to be her best self. To me, Legally Blonde is a beacon of hope that any girl with ambition and a knowledge about perms can do anything she sets her mind to.

- Emma McGuigan

Sam Mendes’ 1999 dramatic masterpiece, American Beauty, follows midlife crisis after realising he’s been ‘sedated’ in his middle-class American suburbia life for many years. Thanks to the amazing cinematography and excellent screenplay, the film taught me to appreciate the beauty in ‘the little things’ of this world. As the character Ricky sees and is touched by his video recording of a plastic bag dancing in the air, follows to say: ‘‘There’s an entire life behind things… and sometimes there’s so much beauty in the world – I feel I can’t take it’’. Because of this, the film changed my outlook on both the world and life itself, to enjoy the moment and appreciate what is in front of you – after all, you have an entire life ahead of you. This is something that Lester figures out in the end when after many recent ups and downs he stares at a photo of himself, his wife and his daughter and realises that he truly values what he has – a family. I would definitely recommend you watch this modern classic, as besides showing ‘real beauty’, it shows the demise of the American Dream in the most exquisite way. And also because Frank Underwood is in it.

- Marielle Wilkinson

Catharsis is often defined in relation to the arts, as the outpouring of emotion that the audience experience at the summit of the piece. However, rarely is that emotion summed up as quickly as the title. Pride.

Pride records the moment where a small group of gays and lesbians support the striking Welsh miners in the 1980s (imaginatively naming their campaign ‘Gays and Lesbians Support the Miners’). While I am sure others would draw parallels between Welsh pride and gay pride, to me the true meaning of the film is respect.

The culture clash in the film is between the flamboyant and colourful gays against the stoic and well, Welsh miners. But gradually, a mutual respect of what is essentially two different ways of living emerges, a respect without judgement or expectation. I guess the film left me feeling that for all the violence, all the hatred expressed to all walks of life, for their ethnicity, their sexuality, their religion, their mental health...we all face a choice. We can either accept violence and hatred as natural, by becoming what our enemies want us to be.

Or we can be ourselves with pride.

- Saoirse O’Connor

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from the Big Screen

“We’re the by-products of a lifestyle obsession” – Fight Club A somewhat depressing and pessimistic outlook on modern life granted, but one that is very persuasively argued by Tyler Durden in Fight Club. It draws attention to our materialistic and selfish desires in modern society, and how our lives lack any real substance, leading us to purchase identities from brands who care nothing for us, rather than creating one for ourselves. Tyler asserts that society offers us nothing, and that we seek refuge in material possessions and commodities to fill the emptiness and lack of meaning with our lives, yet the Narrator pursuing the “Ikea nesting instinct” within Fight Club remains empty and numb, showing that such desires will not ‘complete’ us as they cannot fill the ‘hole’ within ourselves. As “the middle men of history” with nothing to fight for we find ourselves starved for meaning and seek refuge in materialistic desires which don’t provide sufficient consolation. This message resonated with me greatly, and I see it clearly reflected in the real world; society has made us unrecognisable as people and so we fixate on TV shows and designer brands to distract us from our meaningless, empty lives.

It’s thought-provoking nature, fantastic cast and great style makes Fight Clubone of the best films ever made, so I’d highly recommend a watch.

- Samuel Capper

Firstly, I’ve got to make it clear, that in terms of its plot, There Will Be Blood doesn’t inspire me. The story of a cruel, drunk, violent oil magnate and his chaotic life at the turn of the Twentieth Century is not one you watch and hope to emulate. Instead, what I find inspiring about Paul Thomas Anderson’s masterpiece is the man behind the oil magnate, Daniel Day-Lewis.

I believe that Day-Lewis, who recently announced his retirement from acting, is the greatest living actor still (just about) working today. I don’t make this claim off the back of his unprecedented three Academy Awards for Best Actor, the second of which he won for this 2007 epic, though this in its own right would be enough to place him alongside Bogart and Brando. Nor is it his unmatched commitment to the roles, from going to the extreme by remaining in character for the duration of filming, on and off set.

It's the fact he is able to star in a film where the exterior is primarily a barren wasteland, and he is able to fill this space with his performance alone. Daniel Plainview is an abominable man, motivated by an unhealthily-driven greed and fuelled by hatred. Yet you can’t look away for even a second of screen time. That is acting. That is Daniel Day-Lewis. That is why I’m inspired.

- Dan Heard

“However dark the night, however dim our hopes, the light will always follow darkness.”

Unbroken, the 2014 movie directed by Angelina Jolie and starring Jack O’Connell that features the battle of one man’s strength against the upmost hardship. Based on the book Unbroken: A World War II story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption and following the story of USA Olympian Louis ‘Louie’ Zamperini we see a man go through the trials of the Japanese war camps. This movie will show you the true power of the human nature of survival and make you wish to embody the strength of all those who suffered for the sake of human kind - to me, inspiring isn’t even a strong enough word. O’Connell showed himself in a new light as it is impossible to watch him in this movie without feeling an immense sense of pride for how well he portrayed the range of emotions needed for a war-central film.

If you need to feel inspired, or want to watch a film that will have you glued from start to finish, look no further.

If anything, this movie showed me that we can overcome anything and become stronger from it.

- Hannah Stait

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Coupling

We are still Keeping Up With The Kardashians since its first release ten years ago, we are still watching the Geordie Shore antics after fourteen series and Love Island

is no longer the secret guilty pleasure it once was. Reality TV is, therefore, a big part of our television viewing patterns whether you like it or not. So, we ask Quench contributors: has reality TV got The X Factor?

POSITIVE Reality TV, as an increasingly popular genre on our screens, has frequently been slandered in the media and online for its lack of authenticity. Programmes such as Big Brother, Made in Chelsea and The X Factor are, however, gradually taking over conversations within friendship groups and across social media platforms. So what is it that encouraged millions of viewers to tune into Love Island each evening and unleash thousands of positive comments online boosting the popularity of these programmes?

Reality TV gives audiences a personal and interesting insight into situations and lifestyles that they may have never experienced. From the esteemed cocktail parties in Chelsea to the glamorous photo shoots that a potential America’s Next Top Model may face, reality TV immerses viewers into these new worlds along with these characters as if they were our friends.

Reality TV opens endless and important conversations and discussions. It exposes people to interesting and diverse cultures and ways of life that can ultimately motivate and debunk entrenched stereotypes. Master Chef may encourage budding chefs, whilst Britain’s Got Talent could inspire young talent to strive for success.

Everything from RuPaul’s Drag Race to Toddlers and Tiaras allows people to discuss positive and problematic issues portrayed, in accordance with society today.

Overall, reality television’s purpose is to entertain.

Audiences can’t get enough of dramatic scenes and ‘sob stories’. There are unexpected twists, cliff-hangers and comical moments, which makes viewers eager for more. It is important to understand how too much reality TV can negatively impact a person’s outlook, but the important conversations it opens reinforces our attachment to the programme. What’s wrong with indulging in some reality tv every so often if it allows us to escape our busy lives for an hour?

- Cristina O’Brien

Television shows such as Love Island, Big Brother and The Only Way Is Essex provide viewers with a spectacle of drama different to any other programme, and these programmes are popular for that exact reason. The idea that these people are in fact not fictional characters captivates viewers through the concept of escapism, where one compares their own life to what they see on-screen. It is through exposure to challenges that the contender’s or character's emotions are tried and tested in situations of high intensity which reveal the extremes of human nature.

It is inherently fascinating to observe how others act and react in unusual situations and with that, it comes to no surprise that many intelligent people find themselves gripped by shows such as Love Island and Big Brother, as they teach us something about human nature, encourage comparison and analysis of oneself and who they interact with.

This is the age of social media, where a person no longer has to be an ‘elite’ or ‘celebrity’ to be on national television and reach the masses. Not only does reality television give platforms for what we consider ‘ordinary people’ to showcase themselves, but social media allows us to discuss reality TV amongst large groups, allowing formulation for widespread communities to form.

Reality television is harmless. If we believe in freedom of speech then we have to accept reality TV as an expression of popular and democratic taste. No-one is forced to be a contestant on reality television, nor is anyone compelled to watch it.

- Lisa Doran

65 FILM & TV

or Uncoupling with Reality TV? NEGATIVE Is there anything truly real about reality television?

TOWIE, Made in Chelsea, Geordie Shore, Ex on the Beach – time and time again stories and proof emerge that these programmes are fake and scripted. The producers of these shows set up parties, arguments and get-togethers for the entertainment of the viewers to gawp and laugh at.

As for programmes such as The Voice, The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent, it has, again, been proved that these are fixed by producers. So many of the contestants for these shows tend to come from showbiz backgrounds or have already had a chance in the talent industry. For example, the ‘joke act’ of Britain’s beloved X Factor (i.e. the famous Untalented Singer That Makes It Further In The Competition Than a Competitor With a Hint Of Difference) returns EVERY year. Without fail. The question is thus flagged up about the fixation of the show - who would vote for this tomfoolery?

With the target audience for reality TV shows, including Geordie Shore and Ex on the Beach, being primarily young adults, it’s worrying about the influence these shows have on these viewers. The programmes base their plots and storylines around arguments and catfights, advertising episodes as ‘the most explosive fight yet!’.

Chloe Ferry from Geordie Shore was shown viciously ripping out another girl’s hair extensions as revenge for kissing a boy! Many members of the teenage audience look up to the likes of these characters, viewing them as role models. Is it morally right to be promoting physical fights and arguments as a correct way to behave?

- Hannah Sedgewick

I’m not immune to shitty telly. I happen to be a proud fan of professional wrestling (judge me as you like). But the saturation of “reality” television which the world seems to have become obsessed with is pathetic. The sheer amount of these shows following stock stereotype characters from screaming housewives to crazy fishermen, from homophobic duck hunters to pissed up Geordies. The viewing public seem to be caught in an epidemic of pointless “reality” television, which ironically is the furthest thing from reality. Just like professional wrestling, we all know “reality” television is scripted, framed and designed in a certain way. So why do so many of us sit through this babbling, nonsensical drivel, religiously week in week out? The only acceptable answer: to teach us how NOT to behave!

With vacuous, piss poor entertainment dominating people’s screens is there any wonder that we live in a world of disinformation, fake news, and have a “reality” TV star as president of the free world? The general public seem to prefer watching some poor sap being followed around all day by a camera crew than registering to vote.

And, yes, it is enjoyable seeing people at their worst, laughing as they squabble, fight, and shag (sometimes incorporating all three at the same time). But if you really want a scripted version of reality, go watch a Ken Loach film, where through one screening of one film you’ll gain more of an understanding of reality than you would through watching all the other “reality” bullshit put together.

- Paul Hilleard

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X: What We Know So Far Hype has been building up around Microsoft’s mysterious Project Scorpio for some time and at Xbox’s E3 conference, it was finally unveiled.

WORDS BY: REBECCA CORNISH DESIGN BY: LUCY APRAHAMIAN The Xbox One X, also known by the convenient abbreviation Xbox, has been marketed as “the world’s most powerful console”. This statement was offered during the conference without much in the way of comparisons between the Xbox and its predecessor, the Xbox One S, and yet was given the hefty price tag of £450 also making it the most expensive console on the market, seeing as PlayStation just dropped the price of the PS4 Pro in response. Whilst the price tag can be a be a bit of a turn off, don’t write off the possibility of a love affair with the Xbox just yet.

Comparing the Xbox to its PlayStation counterpart, the PlayStation 4 Pro, there are a few benefits to sinking the extra money on the Xbox depending on what you’re looking for in a console.

The most notable upgrade includes the RAM; sporting 12GB of GDDR5 RAM compared to the PlayStation 4 Pro’s 8GB which is likely to give performance a bit of a kick. Both consoles have a 1TB hard-drive which, it could still be argued, is too small considering the typical size of console games. My standard PS4 has a harddrive half that size, and can only store around four AAA games at any one time before I run out of space. Each time I buy a new game, my games fight for my affection.

Say I want to install Persona 5 and I have no space left on my PS4. Do I delete Heavy Rain despite the fact I haven’t finished the playthrough, possibly losing my save? Do I force myself to finish Heavy Rain before I even install Persona 5? Whilst a 1TB hard drive will alleviate some of the stress, it’s certainly not as simple to upgrade the hard drive size or add an SSD as it is with a PC. This is an issue that I am more than happy to overlook if the game selection on Xbox takes my fancy. So far, there has been little in the way of Xbox exclusive games, especially when compared to PlayStation with Uncharted, exclusive content for Destiny 2. The games that were showcased were said to be optimised for use with the Xbox One X, but not exclusive which begs the question: why should I even bother upgrading my standard PS4?

As I said, it depends on what you’re looking to get out of a console. Whilst I’d rather take my PC hard-drive over the Xbox’s, and I can’t find the effort or money to upgrade my PS4, you are paying for what you get. There’s a huge jump in tech between the Xbox One S and the Xbox One X. The Xbox looks to surpass the PS4 Pro and the Xbox One S by a considerable margin when considering all of the tech working together, and this due in no small part to the upgrades to RAM. The Xbox currently has the highest potential for smooth 60fps gaming in 4k resolutions, as well as potential for smooth VR experiences, despite Microsoft not having its own console VR headset.

Whilst it would be a sensible short-term investment to stick to the PS4 Pro, the hardware is becoming quickly outdated and, with console games, it can be hard to find that balance between graphical fidelity and smooth frames. As more graphically intensive games release and 4k TVs gain some traction in the market, it may be worth saving the money and potentially saving yourself money in the long run.

The Xbox One X launches on the 7 November, 2017 for £450 at all major retailers.

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WORDS BY: REBECCA CORNISH DESIGN BY: LUCY APRAHAMIAN

Virtual Reality as we know it has only been around for the last five years or so, but the technology on which it builds has been developing since the 1950s. The first head mounted display, the Sword of Damocles, was created in 1968, but was so large it had to be suspended from the ceiling and only displayed wireframe model rooms. Now, we have a number of headsets trickling onto the market: the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, PlayStation VR, and others that are currently in development by companies such as Microsoft such as the HoloLens and the Mixed Reality Headset. That isn’t to say that these are widely available yet, however.

Whilst the Rift, Vive, and PS VR are available to the public, they’re often accompanied by rather unappealing price tags. The Vive, the most expensive VR headset on the market, retails at £749 and requires a PC with a fair amount of power to be able to run programs. They also certainly aren’t the easiest things to set up; I have two holes drilled into the walls in my computer room that attest to that.

There remains a lot of untapped potential for Virtual Reality, however. Outside of public use, there are opportunities for commercial and educational uses too.

Gaming Arguably the most popular use of VR despite the cost is still the numerous unique experiences that can be crafted for a consumer to enjoy. HTC sold 420,000 copies of the Vive in 2016, even though the technology is still developing. Most of the games available on Steam for the Rift and Vive are experiences at the moment, but that does lend itself nicely to the horror genre due to the added immersion increasing the impact of audio and visual cues. If you were to take a shot every time I say ‘immersive’ or ‘visualise’ in this, you’d probably die. To anyone who’s never experienced Virtual Reality before, it could just sound like I’m repeating myself over and over again, but hear me out: when I bought the HTC Vive, I wasn’t sold on the concept at all. I bought it as a birthday present for my partner, and thought it would be a laugh (a very, very expensive laugh). When I first put on the headset and booted up The Lab, Valves VR experience, I was amazed. It all felt so real. I twitched every time something whizzed past my head, I would sit on the floor and draw in a 3D space with Google’s Tilt Brush with my jaw wide open. Despite the limited number of games rather than experiences available at the moment, and the lack of effort to keep adjusting the headset as my head is almost too small for it to fit properly leading to it being more or less abandoned for the last few months, I don’t regret my purchase. Sure, my room is nowhere near big enough to use it properly and I trip over the wires and punch the wall every thirty seconds, but that’s okay. The tech has to start somewhere, and it’s a pretty decent starting point for public use.

Science&Medicine One of the biggest parts about Virtual Reality is the visual aspect of the technology. It opens up new opportunities for demonstrating abstract concepts by visualising them in a way that cannot normally be done. This is especially true in the field of science and medicine. Scientists can visualise the human body, the structure of a cell (not to scale of course), and cross-sections of planets and stars in order to visualise research and theories. Stanford University has been using a surgery simulator since 2002 that allows surgeons to train without any risk to patients; using CT scans from patients to create a 3D model for surgeons to work with. However, its uses do not end with visualisation. Virtual Reality headsets are being used for exposure therapy to treat phobias such as claustrophobia.

In some controlled settings, simulations of warfare are being used to help veterans recover from PTSD in order to help doctors identify behaviours in patients that could be destructive when they relive memories from their time at war. Tools for coping with anxiety are also being developed to help with meditation and breathing exercises such as DEEP for Oculus Rift, which promotes breathing techniques from yoga using audio and visual cues.

TECHNOLOGY

VR The Champions: The Incredible Uses of Virtual Reality

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Architecture One of the biggest challenges in design and architecture is convincing a client that a concept is feasible and will look good when completed. Whilst a 2D representation can help with measurements, Virtual Reality has the capacity to sell an idea better than a 2D drawing or a 3D mock-up ever could. VR can put a designer or stakeholder in an immersive and interactive environment; allowing them to turn lights on and off, open doors and windows, see the verticality of a project as well as the floorspace.

This can provide architects with valuable feedback which can be used to alter the design quickly before it has been built, making it more cost efficient as well.

Now that companies such as Samsung are creating mobile headsets, that technology is becoming a lot more accessible for potential stakeholders.

Military It should come as no surprise that the potential for VR to simulate certain scenarios has been utilised by the military. The potential to integrate VR with other stimuli such as movements that mimic those of an aircraft to train pilots to fly under fire, and medics to perform procedures under pressure. It is especially important for the conditions to be emulated as accurately as possible for soldiers to be trained effectively, otherwise the skills that obtain cannot be translated into real-life warfare.

Engineering Much like with science and medicine, VR allows engineers to visualise projects in a safe environment, relying on the hardware’s potential to emulate the fine details, which includes the need for high refresh rates, good graphics, and realistic sound and movement.

VR also plays a part in the design and testing of prototype Land Rovers. In the future, they also plan on using it to show customers 360 views of cars before they are even available in the showroom in 1,500 stores in 20 languages.

Where Do We Go Now? The next logical step for developers is likely to make VR headsets a little more user-friendly; no more tripping over the five cables sticking out the back of my head.

People have tried making VR backpacks so that instead of the cable trailing from your head to the other side of the room, you can instead carry a computer on your back.

I think not.

From there, I’m hoping we step into augmented reality. Imagine PokemonGo, but being able to see the Pokemon through a headset and not on your phone.

The Google Glass was hoping to step in that direction but the glasses made you look like a huge nerd, and Google withdrew the idea back in 2015. They have announced they’re working on a new version of the product, although this focuses on industrial applications rather than public use which means no AR Pokemon for me. Damn.

69 TECHNOLOGY

The Curious World of Crowdfunding Crowdfunding WORDS BY: REBECCA CORNISH DESIGN BY: LUCY APRAHAMIAN Kickstarter and IndieGoGo have enabled products to be pitched to and funded by the people who matter: you. There is no surer way to explore the market for your business or item than by allowing the consumer to give their money to see a project some to life. It seems like a perfect business model… except it’s not. Kickstarter has seen its fair share of successes, but also some monumental fails and a number of projects that are just a bit strange.

The TheGood Good An example of crowdfunding done right is SUPERHOT, the unique first-person shooter from SUPERHOT Team.

Surpassing its original goal of $100,000, SUPERHOT went on to earn $250,798 at the end of the campaign; enough for them to develop and enhance their game with an engaging and unique premise. The SUPERHOT team communicated efficiently with backers, and posted 11 progress updates in the 30 months of development.

Games aren’t built in a day, and without demonstrating that a game is still being made it can be easy for these projects to fade into obscurity.

The unique feature that separated SUPERHOT from the start is the core gameplay mechanic: time only moves when you do. This is the basis of the SUPERHOT game available on Windows, PlayStation, Xbox, and Linux now and also now has a standalone VR experience that makes you feel like the protagonist of an action movie.

The The Bad Bad Not every campaign is a success, and not every successful campaign delivers. One of the most funded products in Kickstarter history, the Coolest Cooler, serves as a cautionary tale: investing in products is risky. Asking for the modest amount of $50,000, they surpassed that tenfold and then some. By the end of their campaign, they had raised over $13.2 million to develop their project.

Unsurprisingly, the Coolest Cooler is a cooler which includes a Bluetooth speaker, USB charging port, rechargeable battery-powered blender, and lots of integrated storage as well as many other things. Even the colours available were voted for by backers: Coolest Orange, Margarita, and Blue Moon. Blue Moon about sums up the campaign, actually. The product’s creator, Ryan Grepper, only posts updates once in a blue moon, and most backers are still waiting for their Coolest Cooler to arrive 6 years later. Those that did receive their cooler are reporting it broken after using it only 5 times. The creator is no longer responding to queries according to comments on the Kickstarter page which are still being left to this day when the estimated delivery time for the product was back in 2014. I for one would expect more from a cooler that retails for $200; $285 if it’s been shipped internationally excluding duty and customs charges.

The Downright

Weird Weird Sometimes a concept is just so bizarre you’re convinced it’s a scam. It may well be, who knows?

Another project that surpassed its goal by an overwhelming amount is Gravity, a “weighted blanket for sleep, stress and anxiety”. With a projected delivery time of around October, people are unsure about whether the product is legitimate as requests for refunds are being largely ignored.

The concept surrounding Gravity is that it’s “engineered” to be around 10% of your body weight to simulate the feeling of being held or hugged which, in theory, increases the amount of serotonin and melatonin being produced by your body; alleviating stress. The concept is not a new one, and weighted blankets have been produced for people with Autism for a while now, but John Fiorentino argues that they are not accessible enough for the around 14% of the American population that suffer from prolonged anxiety. The campaign’s video never explains the importance of increased melatonin and serotonin, and the video comes across like a load of science that’s meant to impress crammed into a twominute-long video. It doesn’t explain why I can’t just buy a blanket of a similar weight for maybe £50 rather than spend $169 excluding duty and customs on this luxury blanket. Even then, this price is the early bird offer! When Gravity hits the shelves, it will retail for $279, which works out at around £215 depending on the exchange rate, also excluding custom fees as it’s shipped from the US. Ouch. So much for it being more accessible then!

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Agony Aunt Rachel, Quench's very own Agony Aunt, is here to answer any pressing questions you might have.

Quench would like to welcome Rachel Nurse as our first-ever Agony Aunt! She is in second year, doing an English Literature degree, and is here to answer all of your questions about uni life.

Do you have something on your mind? Are you struggling with university or with your finances? Quench's Agony Aunt is here to help!

To submit your questions, please get in touch via the link: https://t.co/bf5lOrvn2i or email Rachel at: agonyaunt@quenchmag. co.uk Illustration by: Lisa Doran

I’m only in university three

I’m really struggling with a

days a week, should I get a

long-distance relationship

job?

since moving to university

Getting a job is entirely dependent on an individuals’ priorities. You should have received your maintenance loan by now which, so long as you manage and budget your spending money wisely, can see you through your academic year. However, if you feel like you really need extra money, then perhaps a job is for you. You need to weigh up your priorities; will you still have time for university work? Do you have any other commitments?

Having money can be rewarding and allow you to feel more at ease financially. Also, if you find that you can keep on top of your university work and still have plenty of spare time then a part-time job could be ideal for preventing you from procrastinating on Buzzfeed in your pyjamas all day! There is also the option of the Job Shop at the Cardiff Student Union; the Job Shop is a free employment service available for Cardiff University students to find casual work. The great thing about the Job Shop, something that could be of benefit to somebody who doesn’t want a permanent job, is that much of the work offered can be just a day’s work! All you need to do is sign up online and then go to the Job Shop with your passport. At the end of the day, you need to ensure that getting a job isn’t compensating you physically and mentally – university is the meant to be the best years of your life!

away from my partner. Any advice?

There’s no denying that being away from a loved one is difficult, particularly when you’re somewhere new.

Facetime and Skype are a God send when it comes to staying in contact. Try and speak over the phone a few times a week, but don’t text or message them constantly, as this will make you miss them more, plus they may not always reply which will only make you worry! The key thing is to keep yourself busy. Get involved with societies, join the gym, get stuck in with university work and really make the most of all that both the university and Cardiff has to offer. Not only will this distract you from missing your partner but it will make you excited to show your partner the city when they come to visit!

And you know what they say… Distance makes the heart grow fonder.

Is a degree enough anymore?

Was anything ever enough? Each to their own. It entirely depends on what you want to spend your life doing. Some careers require at least a degree, whilst some may just require experience. However, there is no denying the fact that a degree can build you as a person, academically, skilfully and worldly.

71 AGONY AUNT

New Year, Fresh University Advice WORDS BY: RACHEL NURSE DESIGN BY: LUCY APRAHAMIAN

Settling Into University The hardest part of university to begin with can be loneliness and feeling homesick. The first thing to ease the transition is by decorating your ‘palace’ of a bedroom… Okay, so student accommodation might not be the most homely of settings but the little touches can make a huge difference. Stick photos on your wall, hang up fairy lights, buy a lava lamp, whatever it is that can make you feel homely and comfortable in your own room. Being yourself amongst your peers and sharing those worries that are niggling away at you can be a huge relief. Whether it’s sharing this with flat mates, course companions or a friend you made on a night out, make sure you feel comfortable in talking to them; they are probably sharing some of the same worries as you too! Do not worry what other people think of you - other than your lecturers: always be polite to lecturers whatever the situation.

Lecturers are the ones you are trying to impress during your time at university.

In addition, 50 Park Place and 51A Park Place offer student support services. You can sign up to do the Cardiff Award, visit the Careers Advisors and talk to members of the work experience team, global opportunities and so many more. The services are free and are great ways to find out about opportunities and to get involved within the university community and the workplace. Simply send the department an email or go to the reception and ask to book a meeting.

Finding your feet in Cardiff It is very important to get to know Cardiff and Car-

diff University as soon as possible. You will feel more confident and safe when you know about the surrounding regions and what this amazing city has to offer. You are more likely to be home sick if you stay in your flat and avoid going out. Make the most of your time here!

The best place to start is to look around the university to familiarise yourself with the buildings, student accommodation and libraries. I would recommend starting with the buildings you are likely to be studying in and then familiarising yourself with a few others. Then look around town and Cathays to know the local area.

Cardiff has a lot of amazing tourist attractions. My personal favourite is Cardiff Castle, not many capital cities have a castle right in the centre of them! The history and architecture is fascinating. You must go inside before you finish your degree. I used to call Cardiff Castle ‘the Welsh Disneyland’ (well I still do) due to its picturesque Cinderella castle vibe.

St Fagans is another well-known attraction in Cardiff. The National Museum of History is an open-air museum, with beautiful gardens and rekindles the life, culture and construction of Welsh people. The cola cubes taste remarkable, even if you go there just for the cola cubes you're doing alright!

Getting Stuck in There is no doubt that joining societies is the best way to make new friends. With over 200 societies, there is a great deal to choose from. Whether it’s joining a society of a hobby you have done since childhood, or whether it’s stepping out of your comfort zone and joining something entirely new, you’re guaranteed to meet a bunch of new people all with the same enthusiasm and eagerness to make friends! Getting involved with extracurricular activities that are offered by the Student Union such as the Languages for All programme, the Cardiff Award and involving yourself with the Volunteers Programme are all fantastic ways to not only meet new people and learn new skills but also look fantastic on your CV. Plus they are all free! Check out the the Give it a Go web page about volunteering opportunities and trips that they offer students, and maybe ask your course mates or flat mates if they are interesting in joining you! Throughout the year, they do brilliant trips at great prices for students and are definitely unmissable.

Managing Money You may have wasted away your student loan during Freshers week, we are all guilty of doing so! So, a top tip is to not sign up to absolutely every society in your vision. Actually think about it. Will you realistically have enough time and commitment to go to all or most of the activities? Probably not! To paint the picture: I signed up to eight societies when I started and I am only actively involved with two.

Make sure first, you have food before you go out! This is a must. Whether you are going to a lecture, food shopping or town. You will be too tempted to get a pumpkinspiced latte after a lecture or a cheeky fries on your way home at 3am. Eat at home; it will be so much cheaper.

Moreover, when you’re going to do a food shop, write a list beforehand of what you actually need, rather than walking around Lidl throwing anything and everything into your basket.

Take money out of your bank account rather than always using contactless payment, you will be less likely to spend money then. When you can physically see the money rather than just numbers on a screen, you will be less likely to overspend.

Socialising Be friendly with flat mates - you will have to live with them for at least a year after all! Also make effort and converse with people doing the same subject as you - you will be with them for a least three years.

However, don’t feel pressure on having to become best buds with your flatmates, you’re going to meet so many people at university, make sure you’re hanging out with the people that you feel comfortable around and people that you enjoy being spending time with.

Don't be afraid to invite others out with you; if you’re popping to Tesco, ask a flatmate if they want to come with you and have a chinwag about that crazy night out the night before. (They might have needed to go anyway!) Finally, nights out! Some say that Wednesday at the SU is the best night, whilst some will argue that Saturday is… either way, even if you’re a nondrinker, nights out in your first year are undoubtedly the best nights of your university life.