Quench - November - Issue 165

ISSUE 165 | NOVEMBER 2017

Destinations to Visit this NYE

Dreams – why do we have them?

Quench Features investigate

Interview with

Blondie

Cardiff’s Most Instagrammable Eateries

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3 INTRODUCTIONS

a letter from the editor Autumn is about to leaf us (cringe-worthy pun intended – start as you mean to go on I guess), and winter is just around the corner. Believe it or not, I used to absolutely despise winter. Yes, the Rachel who started listening to Christmas songs November 1st, the Rachel who appreciates cold, crisp mornings, and the Rachel whose bloodstream is about 30% blood, 70% gingerbread latte.

So where was it all going so wrong for me? Well let’s start with the mornings.

You know exactly what I’m on about. Waking up for school already feeling like I had only gotten 3 hours’ sleep, and drawing open the curtains only to realise it still looks like midnight at 7am. Nope, not today. Having the same argument with my mum every God. Damn. Morning. (Okay, I did secretly appreciate having my coat during my lunch breaks, I’ll admit). Sorry mum. And then there’s the dreaded days Jack Frost made an appearance, and walking between buildings released my inner Bambi on ice. Trying to act casual and maintain a conversation whilst internally obsessing over the horror that any next step could end you up on your arse. In fact, the only plus side (minus, Christmas of course) I granted winter, that I didn’t have to put my water bottle in the fridge.

Having it in my bag whilst walking to school had the same effect. If that doesn’t scream lazy then I don’t know what else will.

Fast forward to present day, I am much more appreciative of the colder months.

Ignoring the fact that Cardiff has a tendency to rain 24/7, I haven’t let it rain on my autumn/winter parade. Autumn and winter are by far my favourite seasons.

Auburn leaves beneath your feet (watch out for the soggy ones behind the SU… hello Bambi on LEAVES), seasonal winter warmers at Hoffi Coffi that I think about all year round, and waking up on those icy mornings where the condensation drips down your window. Not to forget the festive build up to Christmas at Cardiff – fairy lights around St Davids’, Cardiff ’s very own Winter Wonderland, and the hopeful yet unrealistic anticipation for snow… right up until you want to go home, as if Cardiff traffic isn’t bad enough. Perhaps we tend to appreciate the smaller things in life when we mature. Such as wearing a coat.

(Bloody love them, I have 5 of them now)!

The reality of winter at uni is wearing half a dozen layers whilst counting down the minutes until the heating turns on, walking back from the library at 4am in the bitter coldness, and realising there is only so much soup one can consume for a winter warmer lunch. But winter is about so much more. And Quench are going to show you exactly that. In issue 165, we have quite a few winter/ Christmas related articles to get you in the holly jolly spirit. There’s no doubt that having the pleasure to attend Cardiff ’s Winter Wonderland revved us up for feeling seasonal.

I know it’s only November, but I’m already in the Christmas spirit, and if you’re not already, then read this editorial letter in 2 weeks time. So whether you go for a mulled wine, cinnamon latte, or you’re still rocking the Tesco vodka, cheers! I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and a very happy new year.

With love, I am thrilled to announce that Quench won Student Publication Association Regional’s ‘Best Publication 2017’ award! This is an incredible achievement, and I would like to say a huge congratulations and special thanks to Quench’s 2016-17 Editor-in-Chief, George Caulton and both 2016-17 and 2017-18 editorial, design team, and Quench’s contributors. There is no doubt this could have happened without the incredible writing, illustrating and designing skills of everyone who contributed between 1st September 2016-9th October 2017. Also, congratulations to Molly Wyatt, who won ‘Best Journalist 2017’, you’re acing it and should be so pleased!

Special thanks to: My incredible parents who are my absolute rock in life, and support me through absolutely everything I do. To my deputy editor Molly Wyatt, I’m so proud of everything you’re achieving, and to Kira Caldwell, you’re blimmin’ amazing and I would go insane without your a-class advice.

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MEET THE TEAM Quench’s editors reveal their favourite Christmas present they’ve ever received...

Editor-in-Chief:

We’d like to welcome the

Rachel Jefferies

newest addition to our

When I received a karaoke machine… though it broke a year after and I’m not too sure why??

team, our fantastic Deputy Designer Katie Huxtable.

This issue wouldn’t have been possible without her!

Deputy Editor:

Here’s a bit about Katie:

Molly Wyatt

I’m Katie, I’m eighteen and I’m from North Devon. I’m currently a first year journalism student, secretly doing the course in the hope that it’ll get me far enough into the industry that I can star on Strictly Come Dancing and find my very own Patrick Swayze. I’m an absolute Christmas fanatic, so much so that I had a Christmas party for my birthday in APRIL but, in saying that, I think I’m even more excited to be Quench’s Deputy Designer than I am for Christmas Day and that’s saying something!

A golden ticket to Disneyland Florida was easily the best ever Christmas present I have ever received. Would definitely appreciate it just as much now aged 22, as I did aged 8. Hint hint to the boyfriend...

Head of Design: Lucy Aprahamian There is nothing better than the gift of having two Christmases each year - my multicultural background means I get to celebrate on the 25th of December and the 6th of January!

Deputy Designer: Katie Huxtable Tickets to Boardmasters festival in Newquay with all my friends last summer. Shame I drank to much to remember any of it...

Head of Illustration: Lisa Doran A keyboard... which also came with headphones so they didn’t have to listen to me.

Contributors: Isabel Wright, Elizabeth Beckett.

Saoirse O’Connor, Ana Beatriz Ferreira, Tatum Stafford, Charlotte Warmington, Betsy Kharas, Alice Townsend, Sarah Harris, Charlotte Clark, Katie Duffin, Lucy Smith, Lauren Daly, Chloe Hodgetts, William Moyse, Caterina Dassiè, Elliott Batte, Megan Tomos, Ellie Ball, Maisie Williams, Hannah Ryan, Ellie Harradine, Rachael Hutchings, Jessica Heap, Abbie Rands, Maddy Steele, Bryony Stephens, Yana Milcheva, Christopher Jones, Harry Seymour. Meriel Dhanowa, Anthony Stonestreet, Lydia Ractliffe, Alys Jones, Isobel Roach, Tatum Stafford, John Jones, Hannah Sedgewick, Gareth Axenderrie, Samuel Capper, Phoebe Todd, Ilona Cabral, Sandra Berger, George Caulton, Ashley Boyle, Hannah Woodward.

Page designers: Ashley Boyle, Niamh Blackett, Rebecca Cornish, Jocelyne Green, Steph Rowe, Katya Minster.

Cover photograph by: Rachel Jefferies

5 INTRODUCTIONS

Columnist Gemma Gibson

Culture Editor Andrea Gaini

Travel Editor Molly Geddes

As a kid I used to absolutely LOVE raisins... my sister got me a bag full of them, I was so excited about it that I finished it all in one day and was sick all night… no regrets, it was well worth it! t @QuenchCulture

The best gift I receive every year is money to spend on travelling the world and getting a damn good tan. t @quench_travel i @quench_travel

Agony Aunt Rachel Nurse A Barbie Nutcracker Doll (I was six)! When I went back to school in January, all the girls were jealous and I thought I was ‘super cool’.

Features Editors Esther Morris & Becca Moody Esther - The best Christmas present I ever received was a violin, which I played approximately three times before giving up on my dream to be a professional - says it all.

Becca - being born a week before Jesus himself - it’s so great getting half the presents.

When I took ‘treat yourself ’ too far and bought myself a car, a record player and Rihanna tickets - happy Christmas to me!

t @QuenchAgonyAunt

Technology Editor Rebecca Cornish My parents liked to make sure I knew my place in the family from a young age... when I was 10 they got me a load of tea towels and washing up liquid. Thanks, dad. @Quench_Tech

t @quenchfeatures i @QuenchFeatures Food & Drink Editors Nadine Pinnock and Lottie Clark

Fashion & Beauty Editors Bethan Lawrence & Bryony Stephens Bethan - Funds for a Magaluf holiday - not the classiest but definitely the best.

Bryony - Old school Nintendo ds lite, complete with nintendogs that consumed my 9 year old life.

Film & TV Editor Molly Jackson

i @quenchfashion

Probably my stripy rainbow tights. Paired with my dotted rainbow GAP dress, I looked like a child clown - what more could a girl ask for?

Nadine - When I was younger and dad put sprouts in my stocking to try and be funny. Joke’s on him, I love sprouts.

Lottie - When my brother turned around and told mum he had gotten me a puppy and that she’d have to deal with it... she loves that dog more than she loves me now. t @quenchfood i @Quench_Food

@QuenchFilmTV

Copy Editors Hannah Stait, Courtney Bridge, Holly Weeks and Kate Eagleton

Q3 Editor & Deputy Editor Sarah Thompson & Josie von Jascheroff Music Editors Erin Brown, Charlie Minett & Rowan Lees Rowan - A pair of speakers, a gift my parents have regretted ever since. Charlie - My favourite Christmas present was a bean bag I got when I was 9. It burst on Christmas Day and the beans filled the lounge RIP. Erin - “My favourite present for Christmas was an a knock off fender. I can play one song on it... The Simpsons”. t @quenchmusic i @quench.music

Sarah - One year everybody thought it’d be great to get me socks; I gained about 20 pairs! This girl does love a sock or two.

Josie - A limited edition of leather converse I wanted for ages. I only wish I hadn’t stepped, slipped and covered them in dogs poo 10 minutes after getting them. Safe to say it did not wash out...

Holly - Tickets to see Taylor Swift on tour. I cried, a lot!

Courtney - So, they say a dog isn’t just for Christmas and they’re right, a fluffy companion has to be my favourite present. Kate - A new watch, because I’m always late!

Hannah - A new TV programmed with Netflix so I could really procrastinate!

t @Q3_Online

Twitter: @QuenchMag Instagram: @quenchmagcardiff

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Contents Being a Successful Singleton Why It’s Okay Not to Know What You Want to Do After Uni What the Hell Did I Just Dream?

Enough On My Plate Celebrating LGBTQ Community in Music Theatre Interviewing Kerry Ellis The Wonderful World of Street Art in Cardiff An Interview with Michael Mears MWGSI - Clebar Food Wastage: Let’s Bin It Cardiff ’s Most Instagrammable Eateries Have Yourself a Very Veggie Christmas Food Photoshoot Erasmus - Stories Told by Students Quench’s New Year’s Eve Destinations Top Tips for a Stress-Free Holiday Interview with Clem Burke from Blondie The Synonymous Relationship between Charity and Music How To Make the Perfect Christmas No.1 Interview: Tom Grennan Quench’s Spotify Playlists plus Ones to Watch in 2018 Interview with Dom of Mount Kimbie Sustainability in Fashion The Dark Side of Fashion and Beauty Fashion Beyond the Music The University Make-up Dupe Guide

Sitcoms’ Side Chicks Film Reviews Apple Conference: A Summary Death By 1000 Dupes: The Loot Crate Debate A Christmas Buying Guide: Technology Edition Questions & Advice

achel J efferie

Remake, Reboot, Restyle

s

Walking Into a Winter Wonderland (photoshoot)

photog raphy by : R

8 9 10 12 14 16 17 18 19 20 22 24 25 29 30 32 34 36 38 39 40 41 42 44 45 46 47 51 53 55 57 59 61 62

8 COLUMN

A bucket-full of

Gemma

COLUMNIST GEMMA GIBSON TALKS ABOUT BEING A SUCCESSFUL SINGLETON...

About fifteen years ago when I was playing with my Barbies and listening to Steps, I had this vision: by my 21st birthday I would have some amazing job, an amazing house where I could throw amazing parties, all surrounded by my amazing friends. Most importantly I would have found ‘The One’… preferably the same way Troy found Gabriella in High School Musical.

So let’s review: career? I’m on my way plodding through my degree - check. Luxury house? Our humble abode in Cathays that we share with slugs is enough for me - check. As for finding The One? I’m sorry little Gemma, but this old lady has had her fair share of relationships for now, and so she’s going to give the single life a whirl.

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

No matter how it feels at this age, being single is not the end of the world. There, I said it. Yes, you read it correctly. After five years of on and off dates, bickering, finding the one, and undoubtedly realising they’re not The One, I’ve decided to take a step out of all of that and just enjoy being by myself for a little while and, honestly, it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

I know what you’re thinking – oh here we go, another man-hating witch ranting about love just because she had that one dodgy relationship. But hear me out. There are so many people out there so dependent on love, they just cannot get through a day without relentlessly begging for some attention. That’s just not a good way to be. From running out of people to swipe on Tinder to genuine wedding planning, why is everyone so obsessed with being in a relationship now? Call me old-fashioned, but I do not see why there is such an expectation to get with someone on a night out. Why inhale shots and dance with your mates, when you can be making out in darkness with a complete stranger? We are just a weird species who have forgotten how to have fun on our own. I mean, people are so scared of living alone now they force engagement seconds after a first date.

I’m not anti-male or whatever, I’ve just learned that I don’t need to chase after love to be happy and that is something a lot of people seem to forget. The first person that can bring you happiness is yourself. Anyway it’s the time of year where break ups are as likely as Toy Story being on telly on Christmas Eve, so now it’s time to hold back the tears and let your inner Beyoncé reign. You don’t need no man. (Or woman. Or animal. Whatever floats your boat.)

Everyone seems to be panicking if they’re not in a relationship past twenty, but why?! So what if some of your housemates have been in relationships since primary school? You have your whole life ahead of you for that drama. Now is the time to do everything you want to do and live life to the full before that zimmerframe life starts calling. It’s only been a few months since my boyfriend and I split up, and already I feel a change in me. I am investing more time in my friends and my writing, I am getting involved with new projects and trips around the university, I am (kind of) keeping up with all my uni work, and I just feel charged with a whole new energy. Hopefully not just from all the VKs I’ve been

drinking. And as mentioned in my first column – hint, hint, have a read – I have began pole dancing classes (I have the florescent purple bruises to prove it), and that is something I would never have dreamed of doing back in relationship land.

In fear of sounding like that woman from Eat, Pray, Love, I travelled to Indonesia not long after my most recent break up and frankly it was the best summer holiday I’ve ever had. I didn’t need to worry about contacting anyone for a start. (Well… apart from Mum who would convince herself I was kidnapped/ drowned/dead if she hadn’t heard from me every other day).

Because I wasn’t pining over anyone back home, or constantly calculating time differences for Facetime opportunities, I actually really enjoyed myself. I made new friends, went on countless adventures, and when you’re sprawled across the sand of an empty beach watching the sunset, with an 80p Magnum and Bintang in hand, you tend to realise that the world is still pretty damn perfect with or without a partner. I never thought that not having anyone to miss would make me so happy.

And let’s face it, the arguments attached to relationships are pretty terrible, and usually just psychotic. One moment you’ll be sat on the sofa, tangled in each other’s arms feeding the other pizza, the next you’ll be fighting over who really should have won Bake Off. I mean it was obviously meant to be Liam, but some people will try and suggest otherwise. You just never know what the next issue is going to be. Partners hold you back, talk you out of things, make you spend money on takeaways and travel, always have to be your plus one, need I go on?

And then there’s the C-word…CHRISTMAS. Yeah I don’t have that special someone to hold me up during ice skating anymore, but also I don’t have to spend HUNDREDS on somebody this year! And seeing as my birthday is the 23rd of December I am actually doing men a favour by not being their girlfriend across Christmas, you are welcome. In return, I have more money to spend on as many scented candles as my heart desires. AND I don’t need to worry about spending a fortune on anyone’s family either. Honestly it’s like the relationship expands to about five people over December! There is always the dire challenge of trying to suss out what on Earth to buy the mum. A bath bomb?

A candle? A box of Quality Street? To this day I don’t think I have ever given a successful present to the partner’s parents.

Once I gave the Mum a scarf and she gave it to the dog to lie on.

So all I’m trying to say is, if you’re single just embrace it and flourish in it like the beautiful flower you are. It won’t last forever so just be and do yourself for as long as possible, and see what you can achieve without some irritating anchor of a human holding you down. 10/10 would recommend. Your Prince Charming will come eventually (hopefully not immediately after you’ve read this and decided to be a singleton), so stop waiting for that guy or girl to like your Insta post when YOU KNOW you are looking fine, and just like the damn thing yourself.

Gemma

9 FEATURES

WORDS BY: ESTHER MORRIS DESIGN BY: KATIE HUXTABLE

Ever since I was young, I’ve always wanted to do everything. Be everything.

I fancied myself a bit of a Renaissance woman, if you will. My first ‘dream job’ – you know, the thing you’d immediately go to whenever someone asked what you wanted to be when you grew up – was a marine biologist, due to my love of swimming; I remember being on holiday as a child and being nicknamed “the little mermaid” by the other hotel guests because I’d never leave the water. As I got older, I began to realise my total lack of interest in science stood in the way of my dream to work amongst sea creatures, and after about eight seconds of deliberation I began to tell people my dream job was to be an artist. And then a vet. And then a musician, and then an actress, and then an author.

This highly unreliable way of thinking has continued all my life, and continues even now as I find myself at the grand old age of twenty.

In short: I don’t know what I want to do with my life. This characteristic of mine first became an issue as I was reaching the end of my A Levels, and the inevitable question of “what next?” arose. My school teachers began to talk of UCAS forms and career prospects, and I began to feel a sense of panic that, at the tender age of seventeen, it was finally time for me to start making decisions about my life. My choice of undergraduate course exemplifies my commitment anxiety in itself; I chose to study English Literature and Music, a Joint Honours course, largely due to the fact that I didn’t want to choose between two passions of mine. I felt that by doing so, I’d be putting whatever interest I hadn’t chosen to study to rest, and I wasn’t at all prepared to do that; and anyway, I was sure that the impending three years of study would be plenty of time for me to decide what I wanted to do at the end of it. But, alas, here I am, in my final year of my degree, feeling just as lost as I did three years ago.

So, if you find yourself in a similar position, first of all know that you are not alone. It might seem like all your mates and their hamsters have got a plan for their lives post-graduation, but I promise that this isn’t the case; and anyway, having something lined up after university by no means guarantees that that’s what you’ll be doing long-term. In fact, according to the New College of the Humanities (1), nineteen out of twenty graduates switch jobs within three years, so don’t feel any pressure to jump into a graduate job straight away. No matter what, you’ll have your degree behind you, and that sets you up with a skillset that many employers will be looking for in an employee. As someone who has been in education since I was four years old – that’s sixteen years! – the idea of finally leaving the educational system is both scary and exciting to me. I didn’t have a gap year, so perhaps this is the time for me to think about options such as travelling and volunteering.

The point is, this is (and should feel like) a time of excitement. The prospect of entering the adult world and leaving the educational bubble is of course going to be daunting, and the seemingly overwhelming pressure to have some sort of plan can be incredibly intimidating. But why not welcome a fuzzy future with open arms? Rushing into a half-hearted decision can’t possibly be any smarter than taking the time to really consider what you want out of life; and after all, que sera, sera.

(1.) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/universityeducation/10934323/ Most-graduates-have-switched-careers-by-age-of-24.html

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What the Hell Did I Just Dream?

WORDS BY: BECCA MOODY DESIGN BY: LISA DORAN Back when I was around eight years old, I dreamt that my dad turned into a multi-coloured mutant and chased me, followed by a troop of armed soldiers, around a derelict shopping centre. He ordered his men to capture me, and I ran, tripped, and swam my way through various obstacles to moderate safety. When I woke up, I was shaken. Why did Dad hate me? What had I done wrong?

Since then I have found dreams fascinating. I love them (well except for those dreams I had after watching The Visit on Netflix earlier this year), because it’s interesting to try and work out what my dreams mean. Sometimes, you wake up and you just know. I dreamt about that scary Grandma because I’d watched the film an hour before bed, in the dark, and the main protagonist had the same name as me. Ever heard an old demonic woman growl your name? It didn’t leave me feeling the best I’ve ever felt.

But what about those whacky dreams that don’t seem to have any personal meaning or basis in reality at all?

What exactly do these abstract visions mean?

One of the world’s most influential neurologists, Sigmund Freud, believed that human consciousness could be separated into three parts: the id, the ego, and the super ego. Where the id is the culmination of our basic animal instincts, the ego is the rational being; ‘like a man on horseback, who has to hold in check the superior strength of the horse’*. And then we have the super ego, the part with the moral conscience and understanding of the unique ‘ideal self ’ that we each aspire to be.

Although we may scoff at aspects of his work now (remember that time he said all young girls experience ‘penis envy’ because they were unfortunate enough to be lacking male genitalia?), Freud’s approach to dream analysis still remains reasonably relevant to discussion.

Also referred to as the Father of Psychoanalysis, Freud believed that dreaming showed us the workings of the unconscious mind, in other words, the id. When we dream, our most primal desires are allowed to take centre stage, unregulated by our rational egos. When the ego lets its guard down, the id can show us what it is we truly want.

In my dream where Zombie Dad was trying to kill me, what wish was my unconscious mind conveying? Was it attention that eight-year-old me needed? Conflict? Or some form of stricter parenting? These interpretations don’t really fit with the memory of my upbringing. They certainly feel like too much of a stretch – how can any desires be manifested in such a grotesque nightmare? It just doesn’t correlate that a dream that left me shaken and disturbed could possibly be interpreted as wishfulfilment.

But I’m cynical and always have been. So perhaps I’m not investing myself enough in Freud’s approach. But when we take this method of dream analysis at face value, it’s incredibly easy for anyone to pick flaws. According to

Freud, our dreams, though perhaps opaque to us, always reflect our innermost basic, animalistic cravings, which are unmonitored by our egos. We don’t always dream about what we want or desire. How would Freud explain how our brains are capable of imagining dreams that are explicitly about something we find repulsive or unnerving? We often dream about what scares us, and sometimes our dreams don’t seem to have any emotional meaning or grounding in reality whatsoever. I don’t have a desire to be chased by that terrifying old lady from The Visit up the stairs in the dark, and yet she still feels like she has the right to haunt me.

The average person these days doesn’t seem likely to buy into Freud’s claim that dreams are symbolic. Quench asked 100 people (mostly of a general university age; 18-22) to fill out a survey about their dreaming habits, which revealed that 13% of participants believed dreams were symbolism, whereas alternatively, a dominant 80% believed that dreams were the result of the brain working through emotions. We had some pretty interesting examples of specific dreams too: one person dreamt they were killed by an Egyptian pyramid, another that they lived in a bagel; one where Spider-Man visited the end of their bed and poisoned their Jaffa Cakes, and another where their nephew turned into a piece of toast.

I thought my dreams were strange – these examples made me feel pretty boring if I’m honest!

In this 21st century world, people are becoming less inclined to look at the likes of astrology and religion in an attempt to interpret their unusual dreams. Out of the 100 responses we received, only 17% believed that their dreams were either ‘probably’ or ‘definitely’ caused by the supernatural, and the majority (53%) stated that they ‘probably’ or ‘definitely’ are not.

We consulted Cardiff University’s own Professor of Neuroscience Penny Lewis to see how her answers compared to our apparent consensus that dreams are not supernatural or symbolic.

“The received wisdom on this is that dreams are caused by the brain trying to make sense of random activity in the cortex caused by PGO waves”, Penny tells Quench.

(PGO stands for Ponto-Geniculo-Occipital waves, which are electrophysiological signals in the brain).

“PGO waves are characteristic of REM sleep. Also, areas of the cortex that impose top down inhibition (making us think sensibly) are inhibited in REM, which could allow crazier dreams to occur... However, I agree that this is probably an oversimplification. Emotional or salient experiences will tend to be replayed in sleep, and it is likely that this contributes to dream content”.

This fits with the view that common dreams such as teeth falling out, being chased, or getting lost (and perhaps even Zombie Dads?!) are caused by feelings of anxiety, worry or stress. Some of the most common dreams of those we surveyed related to stress and/or anxiety (the terms ‘stress’, ‘anxiety’, and ‘worry’ came up in 23% of entries we received), whether that was portrayed as

being chased by someone riding a bull, being an animal trapped in a zoo, or getting randomly attacked in the street. It certainly does appear that the emotion each dream leaves us with is what is intrinsically important.

Perhaps the emotion is the truth (because humans are emotional beings after all), and the imagery is just our brains filing away all the bustling activity of our daily lives.

The influence that stress, as well as other strong emotions such as guilt and grief, has on our dreams can often lead to dreams reoccurring over periods of time.

From those that shared their experiences with us, it was clear that the majority of recurring dreams had negative or uncomfortable feelings attached to them. From losing vision and movement, to being locked in a car that is rolling backwards, or even repeatedly dreaming of seeing a loved one being eaten by a whale(!) - these recurring dreams were reported to cause distress more often than causing any positive emotions. Perhaps they are a result of emotional hang-ups, or issues we haven’t quite addressed.

But, of course, it’s not just negative emotions in our conscious or unconscious mind that can cause us to have crazy dreams. An array of other possible reasons for obscure dreams were suggested by our participants.

7% of participants pinpointed being especially tired as the cause of most of their dreams; 8% have more dreams if they eat right before bed, and another 8% mentioned alcohol and narcotics as having an effect (quelle surprise!). We asked Professor Penny Lewis about the effect of alcohol too: “Alcohol consumption definitely does lead to disrupted sleep”. And this might be another cause of our dreams, as 7% reported disturbed sleep as a factor that increases the amount they dream.

So, it seems that dreams can be caused by a wide variety of factors: some environmental, some emotional. Our survey told us that 80% of participants believe they dream every day or a few times a week, and while perhaps the imagery of each dream is unique to the dreamer, it has become quite obvious to me that a lot of us interpret our visions in a similar way. Maybe it really is quite straight-forward: we feel anxious, guilty or scared while we sleep because we feel anxious, guilty or scared in our waking life too. That said, I guess I’ll never quite work out why Zombie Dad was chasing me, and what exactly it was that I was so afraid of and confused about in my eight-year-old waking life. Dreams are certainly a mystery, but nowhere near as much of a mystery as they used to be. At least we now know that getting smashed every Wednesday is probably a major factor in our strange dreams. *See Freud, (1923) to read the full text.

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FEATURE

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Enough On My Plate CONTENT WARNING: This article may cause potential harm to those with an eating disorder. However, I would like to insist that this is coming from a place of solidarity; the purpose of this piece is to not only shed light on eating disorders but to offer hope and valuable guidance for those struggling.

Beat is the UK's leading eating disorder charity.

You can ring their helpline on 0808 801 0677 or, alternatively, their youthline on 0808 801 0711.

You can find out more information on their website at https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/.

Student Minds in Cardiff is a student led support group which helps raise awareness of all mental health disorders. These support groups are run between 6.15 and 7.15 on a Thursday evening in room 4H at the Student Union. For more information, visit https://www. cardiffstudents.com/activities/studentled/srsh/.

13 FEATURES

WORDS BY: MOLLY WYAT T DESIGN BY: NIAMH BLACKE T T & K ATIE HUX TABLE

I would like for you to imagine attending a family dinner wearing headphones, listening to screaming babies for the entire duration of the meal. Now pop on some beer goggles too, to make everything you see distorted. You keep finding hairs in your food, but you must be polite and keep conversing with your great auntie about her latest cross-stitch. It would be unbearable, wouldn’t it?

This is the only way I can even remotely depict what it can be like for somebody with an eating disorder. Your surroundings are fuzzy, your brain is whirling, and your food is magnified. Conversation is buzzing around you like a swarm of flies, you but all you can hear is the little demon in your head feeding you lie after lie, worry after fear.

You don’t want to make a fuss or bring attention to yourself; you don’t want to ruin everybody’s Christmas day, but you also just want to go and have a cry under your duvet.

Loosen up your belt, stock up the cupboards, and eat yourself silly; Christmas is the time for eating yourself into a food coma. Calories don’t count at Christmas; Christmas cake, chocolate coins, chocolate baubles, chocolate brussels(!), mince pies, Christmas pudding, cheese and crackers, pigs in blankets, and stuffing. All the balls of stuffing. The countdown to the feast of the year begins with the daily chocolate from your advent calendar and the mulled wine from carol concerts with your family – food is everywhere.

Food is the focal point of everything, every day, everywhere for somebody with an eating disorder – so you can imagine how busy our heads are whirling around Christmas time. Or maybe you can’t.

I remember when I was younger, being sat around the dining table with my family after our Christmas lunch, seeing how many Ferrero Rochers we could devour in a minute – (not easy, by the way!). I remember waking up on Christmas morning and having chocolate coins for breakfast. I remember, aged twelve, drinking Baileys and pretending to be drunk. All these things, with no care in the world, no guilt, no second thought about what I had just consumed. For somebody with an eating disorder, it’s not just the second thoughts that follow Christmas dinner. There are the weeks’ worth of thoughts that lead up to Christmas. The intricate planning, the obsessive supermarket searches, the reworkings of different meals in your head, the ‘what-ifs,’ the list goes on… much longer than any Christmas wish list.

Now, it must be said that everybody is different, and many of those with eating disorders will struggle or cope with Christmas in different ways. Moreover, those with an eating disorder will be at different stages of their recovery. But that is not to differ from the fact that Christmas is incredibly overwhelming.

The eating disorder that has wedged its way in to ruin Christmas for the past five years is Anorexia Nervosa, and so my experiences stem from this – but others will

experience Christmas from eating disorders such as Bulimia, Orthorexia, and Binge-Eating. All as mindcrippling as one another, but all illnesses that can be recovered from.

The thing with anorexia is that it’s not all about food.

Food isn’t the actual issue – it’s just what is used to deal with a much deeper issue. So surprisingly, it’s not just about the food at Christmas time. For a solid three or four years in a row, I cried after we had all opened our presents. I had specifically asked for nothing. But of course, my family wouldn’t not buy me anything, so indeed I received many presents… (woe is me!). I can’t pinpoint why exactly I cried afterwards; it was a culmination of guilt, shame, greed, a whole bunch of nasty emotions making feel unworthy. The Christmas Do at work, Christmas parties with university friends, buffets, coffee and cake catch-ups - all social events pivoting around food. Unfortunately, the nature of anorexia can turn you even more into a hermit come Christmas, hibernating for the season to avoid such daunting events. But let me tell you this: Nobody is going to force feed you to eat. Nobody is going to think you are greedy for eating. That is a promise. If you’re going with somebody you feel comfortable with, and can trust, can be the hand hold you may need to begin with. I assure you though, however shit the DJ may be, you are capable and worthy of enjoying yourself, without letting the party food ruining your night. It may be hard at first, but it sure as heck gets easier the more you throw yourself out of your comfort zone.

Speaking with many others who have, or have had, an eating disorder reiterate the guilt and shame that casts a shadow over them at Christmas. Receiving gifts from friends and family can be particularly difficult – what did you do to deserve these presents? And just like that, a wave of thoughts and emotions floods over you, telling you why you don’t deserve it, why you don’t deserve anything else, that you are bad, selfish, greedy.

Now what I have learnt from my five years of being shat on by the eating disorder, is that this all one big FAT lie. Lies, lies, lies. You DO deserve these presents just as much as everybody else – if not more! After all, you are have chosen to kick that eating disorder's arse!

Nearly everybody I spoke to for this article who had experienced Christmas in recovery from an eating disorder, made the point of how much an impact other people can have on you at Christmas. “Stop being dramatic -” “Have a few more roast potatoes, it’s Christmas-” “You’re looking really well!” “Wow you ate ALL of your dinner!” “You’re looking so much better-” “Stop making such a fuss.” ARGH. IT’S SO STRESSFUL! Which is why so many people, particularly those far into their recovery reiterated the importance of communication when it comes to coping at Christmas.

It’s not easy, and perhaps that’s what makes recovery all the harder. But I cannot emphasise how beneficial it will

be for you at Christmas time. Speaking to those close to you, that you will be with around Christmas time cannot only be helpful for the future but also a huge weight off of your shoulders. For me, I always struggled with timings at eating at certain times of the day. For the first couple of years I would just panic around Christmas constantly trying to calculate how I am going to plan my eating times throughout the day, completely preoccupied, Christmas wasn’t Christmas. I then began to speak to my mum, at a time when I was in a rational and positive mindset, about my anxieties and just to have some sort of idea about what ‘the plan’ was for Christmas day.

Early on in my recovery, I found it helpful to plan in advance (not too excessively), and to get involved with the preparing of the food alongside my mum. Sticking to my meal plan (that had been sorted out with a dietician) was very important because it ensured I was eating what I needed to and not overwhelming myself. However, I am now tasting freedom and can be more flexible with my eating patterns.

When it comes to the actual the eating of the meal, I cannot emphasise the importance of eating what you can manage. Brains infested with eating disorder perceptions will over complicate the entire food element of Christmas, and for me, it has kept me up at night with anxiety ridden thought. Anorexia will trick you into wanting to restrict; bulimia will trick you into bingeing and purging. This will be a triumph for you to ignore; eating what you want and can manage is vital. The only person judging what you eat is the liar in your head.

People will genuinely be too merry or too excited for pigs in blankets to care whether you enjoyed the taste of the stuffing with cranberry sauce. And if somebody does make comment on this, so what? Sit back and enjoy your surroundings. However raucous your family may be, however itchy your jumper may be, the meal is just a slither of Christmas, it’s just a miniscule dot of your life.

Don’t feel shame in eating. Don’t feel shame in punching anorexia in the eye and having an extra roast potato, or four. Don’t feel shame in speaking out to those you trust.

They love and care for you, and being open with them will help both yourself and them. They want you to enjoy it as much as possible because YOU DESERVE IT. Food is fuel and food is there to be enjoyed. And however much it may feel like it in the lead up, food is not the be all, end all of Christmas. (We all know it’s the four-hour game of Monopoly that is what defines Christmas!)

Now this is a message to us all. Ignore the fucking Weight Watchers adverts, Slimming World offers, and Channel 4 Weight Loss television programmes that get launched at us come New Year. The media has fed us all the indulgent recipes of boozy desserts and creamy beverages, and now they’re ready to take more of your money and attention by making you feel guilty at what you have just done.

Well ignore that. We have taste buds for a reason.

14 DESIGN BY: K ATIE HUX TABLE

celebrating Celebrating

LA

CAGE

FOLLES

His battle cry literally is a refusal to be anything other than himself, ‘I am what I am’, he says. Albin is a rallying point for being yourself; he tells other people to take him as he is or leave him alone, and by refusing to change, he ultimately changes the mind of bigots. The other fantastic thing about Albin is the acceptance that he is shown in his daily life; the only thing his friends and neighbours care about is how fabulous he looks all the time. In a time filled with uncertainty and hatred, there is something joyful in seeing an established LGBTQ+ couple with such love as between Albin and George’s. While their communication may not be the best, they work together to what is best for the child they raised together, and it is ultimately that love that teaches Jean-Michel that his family may not be normal, but it’s his, and it’s worth celebrating. Albin stands for fighting to be yourself, and fighting for the people you love. And being fabulous for all of it.

“Life’s not worth a damn ‘til you can say ‘hey world, I am what I am’” (Albin, La Cage Aux Folles) SAOIRSE O’CONNOR

TICK, ADAM AND BERNADETTE R

QUEEN

I

While films in the nineties were doing slightly better at LGBTQ+ representation than the eighties, Tick, Adam and Bernadette (played by Hugo Weaving, Guy Pearce and Terrance Stamp) were almost unique in their portrayal: neither villains or blandly flawless, they are the centre of the film. Witty, charming and fabulous, each has their own unique and fully-realised personality, rather than feeling like stock LGBTQ+ characters written to be the butt of a joke. Trans representation even now can feel poorly executed, but for a movie written the nineties, the character of Bernadette feels like a revelation. Funny, witty and never shown in anything but a sympathetic light, Bernadette’s portrayal would become an excellent informer for later portrayals of trans women in media, although nowadays would hopefully be played by a trans actress.

Funny, clever and affecting, the performers of Priscilla deserve their place in the pantheon of important LGBTQ+ characters. And of course, the flip-flop dress is amazing.

Music Theatre: AUX

Albin - loving father, partner and drama queen, style icon and more widely known as the fabulous Zaza. Star, performer and the beating heart of La Cage aux Folles, with a biting wit and a sensual stage presence, it is no wonder that Albin prefers to tuck himself away into his fabulous alter ego. But what makes Albin the amazing icon he is, isn’t Zaza. It’s his refusal to be anything other than himself, even when asked to disguise himself, his personality shines through.

P

LGBTQ C

S OF

C

I

THE

L

L

A

DESERT

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, a road trip flick about two drag queens and one transwoman’s trip across Australia, wasn’t expected to do well. An indie film with a small budget and limited release, it has nonetheless cemented its place as a classic comedy, thanks in no small part to the charm and brilliance of its main trio.

“Now listen here, you mullet. Why don’t you just light your tampon and blow your box apart? Because it’s the only bang you’re ever gonna get, sweetheart!”

(Bernadette, Priscilla Queen of the Desert) CHARLOTTE WARMINGTON

KINKY

BOOTS

Inspired by true events, Kinky Boots depicts the story of an unlikely friendship that is formed between Charlie Price, an aspiring businessman, and drag queen and cabaret dancer, Lola. Charlie (played originally by Stark Sands) dreams of a successful life in the ‘big city’, but after losing his father, he is forced to abandon his dream in order to salvage his family’s rapidly deteriorating shoe-making business, Price & Sons. Initially, Charlie struggles to get his workers on his side, and, feeling downtrodden and demoralized, he heads to London to seek the advice of a friend. Enter: Lola. After attempting to save a supposed damsel in distress from two drunken men, Charlie is knocked out and wakes up in a nightclub, whereupon it comes to light that the woman whom he attempted to ‘save’ is, in fact, Lola (originally played

by Billy Porter). Thus, an unlikely friendship is born.

Inspired by her high-heeled shoes, which are unreliable and overpriced, Charlie invites Lola to the shoe factory with the intention of manufacturing women’s boots that can be worn comfortably and affordably by men. Lola is initially met with a standoffish response from some

of the workers but eventually, wins them over with her understanding and compassionate nature. After confiding in Charlie about her past and explaining how her father shunned her due to her passion for drag, the two characters realise they have much more in common than it initially appeared. Thus, due to Lola’s influence, Price and Sons steps away from its patriarchal position as the ‘father’s business’ and instead becomes part of a new movement – one towards equality and acceptance, portrayed explicitly by the new logo for the company: a red, high-heeled boot. Lola serves as a means for celebrating those who are different - by challenging the austere concept of gender as fixed and subsequently stealing the hearts of the audience with her outlandish, yet sensitive temperament.

“I have to warn you, Charlie from Northampton, I have a terrible habit of doing exactly the opposite of what people want of me” (Lola, Kinky Boots).

BETSY KHARA

MARVIN FALSETTOS William Finn’s ‘Falsettos’ shares an insight into the average, all-American Jewish family living in New York City at the end of the 1970s. Or at least, it shares the unravelling of this seemingly secure family, which is thrown into disrepair when it’s patriarch Marvin falls in love with another man, Whizzer. With the AIDS epidemic sweeping the nation and whirring in the background of this newfound romantic relationship, these two men find themselves fighting familiar, societal and even medical odds to share their lives together. The character of Marvin seeks not only to flourish in his new relationship with Whizzer but to mend the damaged familiar ties with his wife Trina and adolescent son Jason, which have occurred because of his new sexual desires. The persistence and compassion demonstrated

by Marvin in doing so serve to encourage the wider LGBTQ+ community to empower themselves by settling for nothing less than the epitome of their own personal happiness. Marvin’s persistence and resilience within his new relationship and when in communication with his former family truly embodies the power and strength of a man comfortable with who he is and who he loves and, as a result, privileges the benefits of education about LGBTQ+ culture to those questioning or defying his personal preferences and cultural belief system. It is for these reasons that this show holds such significance upon the world’s stage today, as its plot (and the positioning of protagonist Marvin) quintessentially presents the morals of an accepting and forgiving human being who must share his story and inner feelings to encourage cultural understanding, respect and empathy.

15 FILM & TV

community in music theatre (Celie, The Colour Purple)

“What would I do If I had not loved you? How would I know what love is? God only knows, too soon I’ll remember your faults. Meanwhile, though, it’s tears and schmaltz” (Marvin, Falsettos).

his lifestyle is ‘too extreme’ and executes him, but not before he can squeeze in an emotional song. To this day, Frank-n-Furter’s strange charm fascinates audiences, and he will continue to be remembered as one of the cinema’s most intriguing characters.

ANA BEATRIZ FERREIRA

FRANK-N-FURTER

TATUM STAFFORD

THE PICTURE

ROCKY

HORROR SHOW

“Give yourself over to absolute pleasure. Swim the warm waters of sins of the flesh - erotic nightmares beyond any measure, and sensual daydreams to treasure forever. Can’t you just see it? Don’t dream it, be it” (Frank, The Rocky Horror Picture Show) ISABEL WRIGHT

Since i n

THE

COLOUR

PURPLE

its release 1975, The

Aged fourteen at the beginning of the musical, Celie is pregnant with her father’s child. She lives with him and her sister, Nettie, and has been sexually abused countless times, which had resulted in pregnancy once before. After going into labour while attending a church service, she later sees her second child being taken away by her father, presumably to be killed like the first one might also have been.

Four years later, she marries Mister, and is again trapped in a life of misery, full of beatings and forced hard work. But Celie’s life changes when Shug Avery, a jazz singer and her husband’s long-time lover, arrives in town. Celie nurses Shug back to health when she first arrives, and as their relationship starts developing, Celie, who had been emotionally numb throughout her whole life, begins to understand notions of emotional warmth and self-worth. With Shug, she experiences love and sexual pleasure for the first time.

Later on, inspired by the self-confidence instilled by her lover, Celie decides to leave Mister. He tries to beat her out of it, but she doesn’t let him, cursing him instead.

She moves to Shug’s Memphis home and discovers a talent for making trousers. Eventually, Shug tells her she has fallen in love with a younger man, but Celie is not crushed by this - she rather feels, for the first time, a profound love for herself. She ends up being a successful businesswoman, selling her designs, and is reunited at the end with her sister Nettie and her two children, who had been alive all along.

The musical opened on Broadway in 2005 and earned over $103 million by the time it closed. Celie was first played by LaChanze, who won a Tony Award in 2006 for “Best Actress in a Musical”.

“Nettie and my kids be comin’ home soon, and when they get here we gonna’ set around and whip your ass”

R

E

N

T

Angel Dumott Schunard is considered the most controversial character in Rent. Described as a street drummer by day and drag queen by night, Angel uses both she/he pronouns and throughout the musical is seen in and out of drag. Received with positive reviews, Angel was praised for having a positive outlook on life, even with her encounter with AIDS.

Rocky Horror Picture Show has enthralled and captivated fans, but one figure has drawn their interest more than any other: the figure of the enigmatic Doctor Frank-n-Furter. Portrayed by Tim Curry in both the original stage and film version, Frank-n-Furter is an arguably mad scientist, whose primary goal is the create a perfect man for his sexual plaything. Frank, however, is not only looking to seduce his creation; he also charms his unfortunate guests, Brad and Janet, into exploring their sexualities. Frank’s appeal to this young couple is obvious: he combines both the masculine and feminine in his role as a ‘sweet transvestite’, and his drawling voice has the quality of dripping honey.

Despite his appealing appearance, however, Frank-nFurter is also a sinister figure: he deep-freezes, then kills Eddie, an ex-lover whose brain he used to create Rocky; then cooks and serves the corpse of Eddie to his guests. However, in the end, it’s not only Frank’s “slight” homicidal tendencies which get him into trouble but his hedonistic attitude. His servant, Riff Raff declares that

Even though Angel is seen as a supporting character, she is a fan favourite and she helps to link the other characters of bohemian Alphabet City. Angel, who is aptly named, brings joy and love wherever she goes and to whoever she meets. Angel embodies the power of the LBGTQ+ community, not letting her AIDS stand in her way, through vivacious musical numbers such as ‘Today 4 You’ and ‘I’ll Cover You.’ First played by Wilson Jermaine Heredia on Broadway, West End and in the 2005 film, he won a Tony award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical; the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical and nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical.

Wilson was the only original cast member to win a Tony.

Heredia, a heterosexual, has been the face of an iconic homosexual/transgender character. However, as the LGBTQ+ community grew stronger, homosexual actors took on the iconic role. Most recent to star as Angel on the 20th Anniversary UK Tour was Layton Williams who played Stephen in Bad Education, an openly gay and drag queen character.

“I’m more of man than you’ll ever be. I’m more of a women than you’ll ever get.”

ELIZABETH BECKETT

16

Interviewing

Kerry Ellis

WORDS BY: SAR AH HARRIS DESIGN BY: LUCY APR AHAMIAN Kerry Ellis’ work, both solo and in the theatre, is impressively extensive, spanning nearly two decades and including work in the West End, Broadway and several studio albums. She’s now coming up to twenty years in the industry, a landmark she’ll be celebrating with a solo anniversary tour which contains eleven dates around the UK. She’s also got rehearsals for a new show, Heaven on Earth which will be coming to Cardiff* on the 15th of January 2018. She’s clearly an extremely busy woman.

Nevertheless, Quench was lucky enough to catch up with her between rehearsals to discuss her illustrious career and the exciting things she has planned.

When asked how she began her career Kerry said that she’s “always been involved with the theatre and music, taking dance classes as a child, and later studying musical theatre at Laine Theatre Arts”. However, her role in Cameron Mackintosh’s My Fair Lady at the National Theatre in 1999 can be pinpointed as the start of her award-winning involvement in the West End. Kerry stressed how “this role influenced my future career, particularly as the production was massively publicised and there was so much press surrounding it which increased my visibility in the notoriously competitive industry and was also an extremely exciting introduction to London’s buzzing theatre scene”. Since then she’s been part of many famous and successful West End productions, including Oliver, Cats and Les Misérables.

However, Kerry does not only work in theatre but has also released solo work which in her words “are among the work I am most proud of ”. She had the opportunity to audition of The Voice in 2012 which she told us was “an entirely new show at the time and was totally different to the plethora of work I had been doing before, so I decided to take the opportunity”.

The audition was sadly unsuccessful however she says “I still received excellent feedback from the judges and was widely praised on social media, further showcasing my diversity. I definitely hope that my future will hold more opportunities to work as a solo artist”.

One production we were particularly keen to ask her about was Wicked, which brought her to Broadway.

“Broadway was an incredible opportunity and experience,” one which she clearly excelled at as she collected two awards for her role as Elphaba, “however, whilst I don’t like to rule anything out completely, moving to perform on Broadway permanently was never my intention as I still feel I belong in Britain, despite it being an exciting six months. I love being a part of the theatre scene in London and really appreciate the history and community of it”.

Another reason she gave me was her desire to be around family, something which clearly holds great importance in the mother of two’s life. “I miss my children so much which is probably the hardest part of my career, although being able to bring them with me to the theatre is definitely the highlight of my career, along with performing at the Albert hall and singing with orchestras”.

Finally, we asked Kerry what she thinks the future holds for her as she goes into her third decade in the industry and she responded: “Well, I definitely hope to do more of the same, varying from theatre to solo projects: for me variety is key. I’m particularly excited about the production I’m currently rehearsing for, Adam and Eve, which is something very new and unexplored and has some particularly exciting magical elements”.

With such an impressive repertoire and ability to juggle a variety of work while raising a family, it is easy to see why she is often recognised as the First Lady of West End musicals. What’s amazing is that this is only * Since the interview with Kerry Ellis, her tour of Heaven on Earth has been cancelled and so will unfortunately not be coming to Cardiff.

17

WORDS BY: SARAH HARRIS

DESIGN BY: LUCY APR AHAMIAN PHOTOGRAPHY BY: ANDREA GAINI One of the first things I noticed about Cardiff, upon moving to the city two years ago, was the booming street art scene. From the Panda painting on Richmond Road to the vibrant, geometric design on the side of Buffalo, it was encouraging to see a town that took pride in its creative individuals rather than complaining about how the youths of today were ‘vandalising’ public areas.

Cardiff, like many other cities has used street art to bring its community together with projects such as ‘Made in Roath’ and ‘Empty Walls’ aimed specifically at bringing together people from different subcultures through their love of art. In 2017 Cardiff was home to the ‘Roxe Jam’ hip-hop festival which continued for a further 4 years in Grangetown. The festival was organised as a memory to a local graffiti writer, Roxe, who sadly lost his life in a car accident. The main highlight of the event was a 140-meter-long wall, leading from Cardiff to Penarth, which was covered in street art. The ‘Empty Walls’ project, initiated by art enthusiasts Sam Worthington and Helen Bur, played a large role in making Cardiff the street art landmark it is considered to be today. The project, held in 2014, was used in aim “to bring colour, culture and vibrancy to the city of Cardiff by creating an outdoor gallery of public murals inspired by the theme of Welsh and British folk.” Over 20 street artists collaborated in hopes of transforming empty and plain buildings contemporary and aesthetically pleasing. The festival is the reason behind some of the most iconic works of street art in Cardiff, including several pieces by the well-known ‘Phlegm.’ Having done street art all over the UK and even places in Europe, Phlegm is the artist behind the Welsh Dragon painting which can be found on City Road.

Phlegm isn’t the only artist who has several works of art located on numerous streets in Cardiff. Bryce Davis who goes by the name of ‘Peaceful Progress’ is the man behind some of Cardiff ’s most inspiring street art. Davis, an avid fan of street art strongly felt that the once dubbed ‘crime’ could be used as a way to bring communities closer together and cities safer and happier. Peaceful Progress was even commissioned by the Cardiff Council to use his art in order to spruce up various parts of the city.

He recently took to Pontacca where his love for some of the worlds’ sporting heroes such as Gareth Bale and Muhammad Ali, is seen through his art.

Further up in Cardiff Bay you can find the work of local artist, Kyle Legall, who uses a rose flower as a symbol to show he ‘rose against the system.’ Legall has cleverly named this the title of his performance piece which features rats as the main characters. The performance follows the story of a young rat that overtime uses her talent to discover her personality and find her voice.

in Cardiff

Kyle has dotted the symbol of the rose over Cardiff Bay to advertise his event. Are artists such as Phlegm and Peaceful Progress our answer to a more cultural city?

With graffiti tourism playing a large role in to the uprising of cities such as Brighton and Bristol, could Cardiff be next on the list? The Anti Social Behaviour Act defines graffiti as “painting, writing, soiling, marking or other defacing by whatever means.” But with artists such as Banksy having played such a pivotal role in the street art movement, not only in the UK but across the world, maybe street art is the answer to a more unified society.

An announcement was made earlier this year that the graffiti wall by Cardiff ’s Millennium Walkway will soon be turned in to an advertising space. A notice on the wall stating, ‘‘Cardiff Council hereby gives notice of its intention to utilise the River Walk solely for promotional purposes for future events with immediate effect’,’ sparked outrage from locals and art lovers. Although it was agreed that the Millennium Walkway would only be used as a legal street art wall for a short period of time, it soon became a landmark for both street artists but also tourists of the city. This movement by the Council leads to the wider problem of gentrification. Although Cardiff is oozing with talented street artists, it’s a shame that the council is still doing very little to support street art. If you’re yet to explore Cardiff, make sure you look around for some of the best street art pieces such as ‘The Chess Game’ by Colour Doomed on Northcote Lane or Jurassic Cardiff by Wendy Bridges and Stuart Reeve on Crwys Road Bridge.

CULTURE

The Wonderful World of

18

An Interview with

Michael Mears

A few weeks ago, we had the chance to review one of his shows at the Sherman Theatre: This Evil Thing. A play that celebrates the lives of those Conscientious Objectors that fought against the First World War. His show left us completely amazed by the incredible work produced by this great artist. From the excitement we decided to interview Mr. Michael Mears and hear from him what it was like writing and playing this show. Here is what he told us: WORDS BY: ANDREA GAINI DESIGN BY: ASHLEY BOYLE A - First things first, let’s talk a little bit about you: how and when did you start acting and when did you start writing?

M – So when I started acting there wasn’t a history in my family, but throughout elementary school and middle school I had the opportunity to take part in 7/8 plays and so I started liking it. Then, when I started school in North London (I am from London, by the way) drama was in the curriculum and by the end of A-level I was almost certain I wanted to be an actor in my life. Even though most of my teachers told me to go to University and then try a career in theatre, I decided to go to the Drama Centre London and study drama to become an actor. After I graduated, I started working in the Midlands with some small productions and then I took part on some TV shows, however, I didn’t start writing until my mid-thirties when I first wrote a solo play. “This Evil Thing” is my latest production and my third solo play.

A – “This Evil Thing” is a very complex and articulated play: what is it that inspired you to write it?

M – Well, with the hundred-year commemoration of the end of World War One coming up, I wanted to give something to the world of art that could celebrate this event, but I didn’t want it to be something predictable and over-heard. Even though I was, and still am, a pacifist – when I was little I wrote on my pencil case ‘War is illogical’ – I had never really heard that much about Conscientious Objectors and about the anti-war movement so my curiosity got me into it. Then when I really started researching into it, I discovered very interesting things: I found a small library inside the Quakers’ Friends House in London where there were lots of books and notebooks that Conscientious Objectors had written during their period in prison.

“I always compare my rehearsal process to the one of an orchestra: each instrument needs to learn their part first before being put together, just as my characters need to be built singularly before practicing the show as a whole” A – How long did it take to you to write the play?

M – It’s really hard to quantify it because I started having ideas around 2012 and later started doing all the research and writing it. But at first the play was meant to be for a large cast of people, however once I had finished it no theatre would put it on stage. In 2015, a theatre proposed me to produce it, but asked me to turn it into a 4-actor play and so I did. Nevertheless, it didn’t feel right… So, I proposed them to turn it into a one-man show and that felt a lot better especially because even though in a one-man play you lose a lot of small differences between characters, you gain a closer relation with the audiences which I thought was important to such a play. When it was about to be produced the theatre had some economic problems and said they couldn’t produce it anymore. Therefore, I decided to take it to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and take on myself to produce it and take a financial risk…

A – How did you manage to interpret the lives of these war objectors without getting to interview them?

M – Well, yeah, all the Conscientious Objectors of World War One have now passed away. Nonetheless, I tried to have a dialogue with them through their books, notes and poems. Furthermore, in the Library at the Quakers’ Friends House I even found some registrations of some anti-war activists which helped me understand better the reasons that moved these people to protest against war.

A – When you were in Cardiff you did a really interesting dialogue with the audience after the show. Is that something you do in every stop of the tour?

M – Yes, I started doing after-show talks after my experience in Edinburgh. When I was in Scotland we never had time to have an after-show because most of the times you have to free the location right after the show and you don’t really have a time to get feedback from the audience. So when I started taking the show on tour I added a little talk at the end so that I can understand what people think of it and explain some things about the process of writing the play.

A - One of the things that really impressed me from your performance was the quick switches from one character to another. What’s the rehearsal process like? Because it’s basically just you playing, does it take a lot of practice to switch so quickly from one character to another?

M – Absolutely, it takes a lot of practice. When we started the rehearsals, we would take all the characters singularly and build some clear characteristics that we wanted to emphasise so that the audience could understand the different characters. Then we started putting some of them together and have short conversation to make sure that the changes were clear enough before using the real lines of the play. I love classical music and I always compare my rehearsal process to the one of an orchestra: each instrument needs to learn their part first before being put together, just as my characters need to be built singularly before practicing the show as a whole.

A – I have noticed on your blog that you are a long-distance walker: is that something that inspires your next works and enriches your characters?

M – Yes, I love walking. I did the Camino de Santiago in 2003 walking from Saint Jean Pied De Port to Santiago de Compostela and it took 8 weeks. It’s something that definitely inspires me and enriches my work, but it’s also something I do for charity and to reflect on my life. I am considering doing a walk on the French boarder for the Hundred Anniversary of World War One as a walk of peace.

This Evil Thing is still in tour around Wales and England, Mr. Mears’ next stops will be: Fri 24th November 2017 – Aberystwyth Arts Centre Studio Thurs 30th November 2017 – Huddersfield Quaker Meeting House Fri 1st December 2017 – Sheffield; Christ Church, Pitsmoor, Pitsmoor Road, S3 9AQ Sat 2nd December 2017 – Wandsworth Quaker Meeting House, London Tues 5th and Weds 6th December 2017 – ADC Corpus Christi Playroom, Cambridge

Image Source: Sherman Theatre

19 CULTURE

Clebar MWGSI YSGRIFENNWYD GAN: LLEU BLEDDYN DYLUNIWYD GAN: LUCY APRAHAMIAN LLUN GAN: NADINE BALLANT YNE

Drama yn seiliedig ar flog Megan Davies yw MWGSI, merch 18 oed o Bwllheli a gafodd ddiagnosis o ganser Hodgkins’s Lymphoma math 3B yn Haf 2015. Gyda phwysau arholiadau y tu ôl iddi, roedd hi fel mwyafrif o bobl ifanc yn edrych ymlaen at yr haf o’i blaen. Gwyliau yng Ngwlad Groeg, coctels rhâd a chwmni ffrindiau. Be well? Ond cyn dim, cafodd byd Megan ei droi ben ei waered pan gafodd ei galw fewn i gael ei chanlyniadau profion pelydr-x a arweiniodd at ei diagnosis.

i’r dramodwyr fod wedi ceisio adlewyrchu’r union ddigwyddiadau air am air ar lwyfan.

Cynigia hyn felly ryddid nid yn unig i’r dramodwyr ond i’r gynulleidfa hefyd i feddwl tu hwnt i hyn, i brofiadau personol, ond hefyd gwneud beth wneir y blog yn wreiddiol sef sbarduno’r sgwrs am gancr yn enwedig i’r gynulleidfa ifanc gyda hiwmor tywyll y sgript yn rhan annatod o berthynas glos y merched ifanc yma a’i ffordd nhw o ymdopi â’u sefyllfa annisgwyl.

Wrth i Megan rannu ei phrofiadau daeth ei blog yn boblogaidd gyda phobl ar draws y wlad a thu hwnt a dyma arweiniodd at lwyfannu’r cynhyrchiad hwn. Cafodd ei addasu a’i ysgrifennu ar gyfer y llwyfan gan Manon Steffan Ros a’i gynhyrchu gan Iola Ynyr ynghyd ag ymgyrch farchnata pen i gamp Fran Wen, roedd y ddrama â disgwyliadau uchel iawn. Wedi misoedd o waith paratoi mae’r ddrama bellach ar daith o amgylch Cymru ac ar ôl i’r ddau gynhyrchiad diweddar yn Theatr y Chapter Caerdydd werthu allan yn llwyr, mae’n amlwg fod y stori yn dal i ennyn diddordeb.

Wrth i ni eu dilyn nhw drwy’r ddrama gwelwn y straen a ddaw ar eu perthynas. Gwelir gwir unigrwydd Mari ar sawl achlysur gan gynnwys pan ai’r merched i Wlad Groeg, ond eto rydym yn tristau fwy wrth ei chlywed yn bostio am ei ‘henwogrwydd’ gan fod pawb am dynnu llun gyda hi. Mae’n annifyr i’r gynulleidfa i’w wylio, ond yn rhan mor arferol o fywydau heddiw ac yn rhywbeth gall bobl ifanc uniaethu ag ef ac mae gallu Manon Steffan Ros i drosglwyddo hyn i’r llwyfan yn dangos ei dawn arbennig fel dramodydd.

Egyr y ddrama gyda’r tair merch ifanc i’w gweld yng nghysgodion y llwyfan gyda sŵn hisian eu hanadlu dwfn yn atseinio dros y theatr. Gellid teimlo syfrdanwch y gynulleidfa wrth i’r sŵn cyfarwydd ei anesmwytho nhw o’r eiliad gyntaf.

Mae Mari y prif gymeriad yn cael ei phortreadu gan Mirain Fflur. Dyma bortread gonest a dirdynnol, gyda Catrin Mara sy’n chwarae rhan ei ffrind yn cynnig hiwmor ymhlith difrifwch y ddrama. Rhaid cydnabod i gymeriad Ceri Elen sy’n chwarae Haf achosi peth benbleth i mi yn wreiddiol, a hynny fel rhywun oedd yn gyfarwydd â’r blog gwreiddiol.

Cymeriad sy’n cynrychioli’r isymwybod yw Haf, mae’n gymeriad pwerus gyda’i thuedd o ganmol a herio Mari yn ein galluogi i weld y gwrthdaro mewnol, ac efallai hyd yn oed o’r cancr oddi fewn ei chymeriad.

Ond dyna sy’n bwysig nodi. Ysbrydoliaeth yw’r blog gwreiddiol, a pheth peryg fyddai

Er mai set syml a ddefnyddir yn y ddrama, roedd y defnydd o gefnlen amrywiol a chyfraniad cerddorol arbennig Rhodri Williams ac Ifan Siôn Davies yn ychwanegu at brofiad a llif y ddrama. Mae’r gefnlen yn cynnig golwg tu hwnt i’r wyneb o emosiynau mewnol Mari wrth i ni ddilyn ei thaith i wellhad. Ar adegau roedd hi’n boenus i’w wylio wrth i’n llygaid neidio o’r cymeriad i’r daflen ac yn ôl.

Gyda’r cyfuniad yma llwyddwyd i lunio drama onest oedd yn addas a pherthnasol ar gyfer bobl o bob oed. Bydd cyfnodau tywyll yn ein hwynebu ni gyd ar hyd ein bywydau, ond mae MWGSI yn profi pwysigrwydd cariad, teulu a ffrindiau. Does dim yn adlewyrchu hyn fwy na gonestrwydd tros lais ei Mam a oedd yn cyfleu ei phoen a’i hedmygedd o’i merch.

‘Fedrwn ni ddim dweud bod Mari ni wedi ennill pan bod eraill wedi colli er brwydro’r un mor galed.’

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DESIGN BY: K ATIE HUX TABLE

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Food Wastage:

WORDS BY: CHARLOT TE CLARK

Food Wastage:

let’s bin it.

Image Credit: Arne Hendriks via Flickr

Here at Quench, we take great pride in our Food and Drink section. We love to provide our readers with the best eateries and drinking establishments in Cardiff, as well as offer some tongue-in-cheek, light-hearted reads.

But we also care deeply about the more serious side of the food industry: its impact on the environment. Are we producing too much food waste in Cardiff and the rest of the UK? How can we do more to take care of the world we live in? Quench Food and Drink investigate into why food wastage is leaving a bad taste in our mouths.

We’ll start with the bad news. In 2015, The Guardian reported that the EU was wasting 89 tonnes of food each year. This shocking figure might be explained by the fact the Gov.uk website says that the EU’s Waste Framework Directive makes all member states ‘encourage’ reduction of waste and ‘encourage’ recycling. This passive

terminology says it all. We need laws and consequences for those lazy and ignorant enough to be harming the environment. Luckily, this sort of zero tolerance ruling has recently been adopted by Cardiff. Our city has brought a strict which can penalise you for mistreating the different refuse bags and wrongly putting food in the general waste. As of 2013, Cardiff could charge £100 for you putting food into general waste bags and, upon a failure to pay, can take you to court and force you to pay up to £1000. Therefore, the incentive to recycle correctly is one that is too tempting to refuse.

Cardiff ’s bin system is only one city’s worth of successful change across Wales. The great news is that Wales has reduced its household food waste by 12% between 2009 and 2015. This means us Cardiffians are doing our part relatively well, and in a recent statement (August 2017), Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs Lesley Griffiths has announced plans to halve food waste in Wales by 2025. Additionally, in the current food

wastage rankings, Wales has 9% less waste per year than the rest of the UK.[1] So there are the positives! Now is the time to implement Ms Griffiths’ ambitious goals and to make those percentages even better – despite her offering no suggestion as to how. After all, it is only our own laziness that is preventing Cardiff from being a zero-waste city right now.

Sadly, Cardiff ’s waste programme and persuasive fining incentives do not exist UK-wide. In Cardiff, we have three separate bins: recycling bags, general waste bags and a food caddie for food wastage. Results from a recent Survey Quench carried out shows that around 50% of people who carried out the survey do not have separate food bins. [2] This means unless they compost their own food waste (which less than 1% do), they are forced into combining their general waste with their food waste.

This means that areas across the UK miss out entirely on

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21

the benefits of properly disposing of food waste, such as the renewable energy plant recently opened in Cardiff.

The new energy plant opened in March 2017 and has since helped Cardiff ’s main water company, Dwr Cymru, prosper. This was revolutionary for our food waste: all our castaway sprouts and spuds now produce some of the required energy for Welsh Water. The Anaerobic Digestion facility allows energy to be created out of our unwanted food – a renewable and sustainable energy source. And for those who watched Hugh’s War on Waste, you’ll know that Hugh Fearnely-Whittingstall argues that it is a nicer idea that unused food gets used on human digestion than an energy plant’s consumption[3] - but it is undeniable that renewable energy for Cardiff is better than not being used at all.

Now, despite our support for the new AD energy plant, we agree with Hugh that we should have human beings digesting our food way before we light-heartedly throw it in the food waste. Again, if you did watch the documentary, you’ll know that it was basically the Black Fish of food waste revelations. He showed up our biggest supermarkets as big food wasters: he revealed their over-loaded wheelie bins full of edible food and he revealed the awful cosmetic standards of their fresh foods, which sees tonnes of food wasted before it even leaves the farm. The hidden secrets he unveiled were shocking and upsetting to see. However, some good has come out of this incredibly bad press for the big-named stores. Since the documentary, which aired in 2015, many supermarkets and fast food restaurants such as KFC have started to donate unused food to food banks and charity.

us the ins and outs of their waste. Casey told us ‘‘the food that we don’t recycle is food that is no longer fit for human consumption according to the Food Health and Safety Law 2006.’’ The SU recycles all food waste into food waste bags similar to the ones we have in our homes (just bigger). The SU’s waste is then taken to one of Biffa’s three AD units across the UK that provide energy for the National Grid. Casey also told us some great news, that as of the week commencing 23 November 2017, the SU began to donate their unused packaged food going out of date on Wednesdays and Fridays to charity. They have sandwiches and biscuits that go out of date that can be picked up and distributed in the evening, of the same day, to homeless and vulnerable people. At the minute, fresh ingredients going out of date such as lettuces, bread and other non-dangerous ingredients (ie. excluding chicken, prawns and rice), currently go in the bin at the SU. This is due to their fears of being held responsible if the foods caused illness for those it could otherwise be distributed to if it went to charity. Upon discussion, Quench proposed that the SU draw up some sort of legal document that signs away responsibility from the SU when they donate fresh ingredients like those mentioned. Excitingly, Casey confirmed that this is something they are now going to be looking into!

“AS OF THE WEEK COMMENCING 23 NOVEMBER 2017, THE SU BEGAN TO DONATE THEIR UNUSED PACKAGED FOOD GOING OUT OF DATE ON WEDNESDAYS AND FRIDAYS TO CHARITY”

Quench was interested to see just what charities do donate, and so we got into correspondence with the FareShare Cymru, who provided us with the following information. Fareshare is a national charity that delivers food to food banks and provides people struggling to eat with perfectly edible food that big businesses throw out. Their website reports that 8.4 million people in the UK struggle to afford to eat each year[4]. The charity picks up wasted in-date, surplus food from companies such as Asda. The very next day Fareshare Foodcloud member charities can receive localised text notifications from Fareshare distributors, to go pick up the food for their food banks. Fareshare Cymru provides this service to local Cardiff foodbanks and community groups and has successfully generated around 1.1 million meals each year. Quench would now love to take this opportunity to thank and congratulate the huge companies that donate their waste to Fareshare, some of these hundreds of businesses include Kelloggs, Asda, Tesco, Co-op and Innocent (the remaining websites can be seen here[5]).

Quench was also intrigued to see what other leading establishments in Cardiff do with their food waste.

We thought a great place to ask is the place which all our student readers could identify with: The Students’ Union. Quench spoke to Casey Gubb, Assistant Head of Venues for Cardiff Students’ Union. Casey is responsible for the food and drinks aspect of the union, and she told

Despite this exciting evidence of change in Wales, there is still a long way to go.

We need you, our readers, to ensure that you recycle your food waste properly, and we need funded programmes to be able to get our businesses’ unused food to hungry mouths. According to the Welsh government’s website, Cardiff is not currently a part of Wales’ Rural Development Programme. This programme has seen a funded food wastage prevention programme in Pembrokeshire prevent 28 tonnes of CO2 emissions, 11 tonnes of food waste each year and £30,000 cost for local government and business since 2014.

These figures are hugely impressive and it seems a great shame that the government isn’t funding this sort of programme in a city as large as Cardiff – the environmental and financial benefits would be incredible! It is change like this that would see Cardiff ’s food waste diminish and help our environmental, financial and social climates.

So buy according to what you need (not in excess!); doggy-bag up your leftovers at restaurants; freeze what may go out of date soon; make banana bread! Do what it takes to make sure you do your bit. And for goodness sake – recycle your food into the right bin! Talk about this campaign to stop food wastage and be a part of the food recycling programme spreading UK-wide.

Take pride in the fact that Wales is one of the leading countries to reduce their food waste and set an example for the rest!

[1] http://gov.wales/newsroom/environmentandcountryside/2017/170816plans-to-halve-wales-food-waste-announced-by-lesley-griffiths/?lang=en [2] 42 people participated.

[3] BBC production: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06nzl76 [4] http://fareshare.org.uk/what-we-do/hunger-food-waste/ [5] http://fareshare.org.uk/giving-food/who-we-work-with/

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FOOD & DRINK

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22

Cardiff’s Most Instagrammable Eateries Design by: Lucy Aprahamian

words and photography by: Martha Hughes @marthaaafrances When you think of vegan food, what comes to mind? Probably bright green juices in jam jars accompanied by a dainty quinoa salad dressed with edible flowers. Well, you’re not totally wrong. Anna-Loka on Albany Road certainly offers these healthy options typical of those found all over any vegan’s Instagram. While this is all well and good, it does feed into the stereotype that all omnivores love to tease vegans with: that we only eat rabbit food.

Well, some other very Instagrammable offerings from Anna-Loka will make even the most avid meat-eater take a second look. With delicious twists on British pub classics such as (To)Fish and Chips to the hearty Rodeo burger stacked with onion rings, cheese and sauce, they do not disappoint. There’s also a daily selection of cakes including one monstrous chocolate cake resembling that downed by Bruce Bogtrotter in Matilda. The food always looks (and tastes) delicious so it’s perfect for all foodie Instagrammers. Good news for the busy/lazy/hungover student: they are now on Deliveroo, so you can Instagram those weekend takeaways too!

words and photography by: Chloe Hodgetts @chloehodgetts_ If you’re a lover of an independent and artisan styled café, want to explore somewhere off the beaten track, whilst allowing your followers to enjoy an aesthetically pleasing post, milk&sugar is the place to go. Located within Cardiff City centre, and only a few minutes away from Cathays, the café offers a variety of breakfasts, toasties, salads and fresh hand-made cakes. As a regular customer, the café’s simplistic, warm and cosy setting consists of slouchy sofas ideal for catch-ups with a group of friends inbetween lectures. Whether you’re a vegan, vegetarian or meat eater there is something ideal for you on the menu. One of my personal favourites is the tomato, avocado and pesto salad – you can add optional toppings of halloumi or chicken if you desire. Not only is the food affordable for all student budgets, the food is served fresh and sourced from local suppliers. A well-rounded, outgoing and casual café fitted for all you Instagram enthusiasts out there.

words and photography by: Katie Duffin @katieduffin_ This one is definitely for all of the meat-lovers! Opened earlier this year by brothers Tom and Owen Morgan, Asador 44 has quickly become known for its unique Spanish cuisine and Instagram-worthy dishes. With the aim to bring authentic Spanish cooking to Wales, the menu boasts a variety of the finest meat, seafood and vegetables from Spain, cooked to perfection over their wood-fired parrilla grill. And if you’re looking for the perfect Insta, their sharing-steaks are a must - served rare and sliced, these steaks are wonderfully huge and packed full of smoky flavour. Asador 44 is also a haven for cheese and wine lovers. With a wine list of 140 wines sourced from all over Spain, and a selection of over 30 rare, artisan cheeses, you can’t go wrong! Although a little pricey, you definitely get what you pay for and more - so next time Mum and Dad are visiting, head down to Asador 44 for a deliciously refined experience you won’t find anywhere else in Cardiff.

23 FOOD & DRINK

words and photography by: Katie Duffin @katieduffin_ As a leader of Cardiff ’s coffee-culture, Coffee Barker has to be included in the city’s most Instagrammable places to eat. With its smooth jazz music and quirky decor derived from the coffee shops of Paris and New York, Coffee Barker is the ultimate place to relax with friends over unbeatable food and even better coffee. If you’re looking for huge breakfasts and Insta-worthy lunches, this is the place to be - the menu boasts a selection of deliciously crammed sandwiches, mouth-watering cakes, full fry-ups, perfect pancake stacks and more! Located in Cardiff ’s Castle Arcade, Coffee Barker is a must-visit for all coffee lovers looking for the perfect Instagram snap. Not into coffee? Head over to their sibling Tea House in High Street Arcade - And why not order something off their cocktail and gin list while you’re there, too? You’ll be sure to roll in the likes.

words and photography by: Lucy Smith @lucysmith.05 In prime location across from the Talybont halls complex and the first-year haunt of sorts, this coffee house is certainly one to watch for the keen Instagrammer. From the vintage-esque bunting through to the mismatched furniture, Hogwurst’s snug, antique décor brings a taste of Brick Lane to the heart of Cardiff. Their ‘gourmet’ hotdogs and fries – like the password to their (free!) Wi-Fi – are ‘frankly ze best’ and, with a reasonable 10% student discount, their pricing is tough to beat. As far as drinks are concerned, Hogwurst’s numerous flavours of milkshake are somewhat of a must; whether it be white chocolate or salted caramel, their retro milk bottles will have you snapping up photos in a heartbeat. Definitely worth a visit!

words and photography by: Lauren Daly @laurendaly182 These guys know how to make some damn fine coffee; without a doubt some of the best in Cardiff! They make artisan coffee and don’t have a whiff of the generic Starbucks about them. In fact, their coffee is so good they even have a Barista school above their café for those who want to master the true art of coffee making. Watching the baristas make the coffee is so professional - like watching a science experiment unfold before your eyes as they filter the coffee, swirl the milk to create some serious latte art and even use Nitrosoxide to create their iced lattes. You can certainly see the hipster aesthetic they’re trying to achieve with the neon fireplace, vintage light bulbs hanging precariously from the ceiling and those big Grandma chairs that just swallow you up into oblivion. Surely nothing screams Instagrammable more than this!

words and photography by: Lauren Daly @laurendaly182 Every hungover student’s dream! The choice of doorstop sandwiches will certainly help to soak up the alcohol from last night with its slices of bread as thick as the English Dictionary. There’s the ‘Halloumi, Mushroom and Garlic Aioli’ sandwich, the ‘Posh Fish Finger’ sandwich, the ‘Bacon, Brie and Cranberry’ sandwich – it’s safe to say there’s more than just your bog-standard Boots meal deal. But for those of you with a sweet tooth, look no further than their humongous milkshakes which come in a crazy assortment of flavours, ranging from Toffee Nut to Cookie Crumble, all topped with sauce and whipped cream – irresistible! It seems incredible then that this all comes at such an affordable price for students and has such a student-friendly atmosphere. To top it all off the entire place is decked in fairy lights, has a cute cactus collection and a variety of stag-heads on the walls. For all you foodies out there who love a quirky yet chilled out vibe, you’re in for a treat.

words and photography by: Nadine Pinnock @justdeenie / @quenchfood A new addition to the Cardiff high street, Corner Coffee is a well-lit, well-furnished little heaven for those who need a peaceful break from the bustling city centre. Offering a wide range of tea, coffee and our favourite festive drinks, Corner Coffee’s aesthetic is clean, modern and minimalist. Bring a magazine and some specs for a prop, and your #flatlay will be dreamy. Of course, you could leave the phone at home and simply enjoy the ambience of the independent coffee house with a good book or conversation – but where’s the fun in that?

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CK NO N PIN AMIA REEN E N H G I A N A D Y A P R E LY N E : Y C B C : LU Y: J O RDS WO IGN BY ION B D E S S T R AT I L LU

Being meat-free is easy. At any time of the year, grabbing a pack of Linda McCartney sausages and searching Tesco for soya mince is a smooth-sailing part of our routine.

Then Christmas comes along, and those of us new to veggie or vegan life can become stumped when dinner prep revolves around a turkey, pigs in blankets and even the potatoes are soaked in goose fat. How do we navigate the season while sticking to our student budget and not compromising on delicious, comforting winter food? Easy!

Christmas dinner, as magnificent as it is, is not the only big food event over the holiday period. Advent calendars, mulled wine, Christmas markets and cheese boards can all include animal products (that may be vegetarian, but not vegan).

How do you avoid it all? Be prepared! Nobody deserves to miss out on the advent calendar tradition – so find a dairy-free one in November. Check out Aldi for their fab selection of vegan wine, and don’t go to a Christmas market with an empty belly unless you know they’ve got veggie sausages or vegan crepes. As long as you think carefully about these things in advance, you won’t miss a thing.

In the weeks coming up to the big day, take some time to try out online recipes, or even create your own, because the process of trial and error is a necessary one. It’s such a shame when you spend hours trying to perfect the pigs in blankets substitute on Christmas day to realise you’re a terrible chef and resign yourself to a plate full of potatoes and cranberry sauce. Refine your skills in advance, see what actually tastes good, and by the time you’re home you can help out your family and amaze them with how delicious your meat-free meals are.

If you’re new to a meat-free lifestyle, or maybe you’re not even thinking about cutting down but you want to make sure your vegan sibling has the best time, education will be your saviour. November is World Vegan Month, so by the time Christmas rolls around the internet will be inundated with recipes, food reviews, gift guides and more – all aimed at making veggie life an easy transition. Check out YouTube, the blogosphere and even vegan Facebook groups (brace yourself for the latter) for advice and tutorials. Make your veggie Christmas a fun time to try new things, and update old traditions with a conscientious style.

If you’re that uncreative in the kitchen, pay someone else to be. Although much pricier than the homemade alternative, you can buy turkey and chicken substitutes – the good ones – from health food stores such as Beanfreaks or Simply V. Tofurkey seemed to top last year’s shopping lists with a vegan stuffed turkey substitute that you can even carve. However, if you’re alone in your veggie ventures, forking out £20 by yourself may sting, letting your family try it will introduce the idea for more meatless food at the Christmas table and could lead to next year being a little more veg-friendly.

25 FOOD & DRINK

Baked wit Baked wit Baked love… with love… love…

Above: Beetroot and Chocolate Cake Right: Sourdough Toast with Jam Photography by: Nadine Pinnock

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27 FOOD & DRINK

Left: Riverside Sourdough Pastries, Embassy Cafe Below: White Bean Sourdough Toast, Embassy Cafe photography by: Nadine Pinnock

28 The Charlatans

The Wombats Don Broco

November/Tachwedd Happy Mondays - SOLD OUT/ WEDI GWERTHU ALLAN Newton Faulkner 20/11/17, £22 ADV

The Charlatans 08/12/17, £28.50 ADV

Saxon 23/02/18, £28.50 ADV

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

The Divine Comedy 25/11/17, £30 ADV

January/Ionawr

December/Rhagfyr LP 01/12/17 - SOLD OUT/ WEDI GWERTHU ALLAN Mastodon 02/12/17 - SOLD OUT/ WEDI GWERTHU ALLAN

@CARDIFFUNION

Bars and Melody 15/02/18 - SOLD OUT/ WEDI GWERTHU ALLAN

Cirque du Soul 11/12/17, £14 ADV

Deaf Havana 24/11/17, £16.50 ADV

Hoodie Allen 03/12/17, £16.50 ADV

Shed Seven 07/12/17 - SOLD OUT/ WEDI GWERTHU ALLAN

Steve Aoki 28/01/18, £20 ADV

February/Chwefror The Damned 09/02/18, £26 ADV

Don Broco 10/02/18, £20 ADV

CARDIFFBOXOFFICE

CARDIFFBOXOFFICE.COM

March/Mawrth Waterparks 08/03/18, £15 ADV Skid Row 15/03/18, £25 ADV

April/Ebrill Andrew W.K. 13/04/18, £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

29

TRAVEL

Erasmus -

Stories Told by Students

Making the decision to study abroad can be extremely daunting. Erasmus catapults you from your comfort zone, forcing you to face challenges completely unique from your existing university experience. Hear first-hand from the students who have taken the huge leap and studied abroad as they talk finding accommodation, becoming involved in a new culture and making new friends. If you’re on the fence about whether to study abroad, this should send you straight to Sky Scanner in search of the first flights out of here.

Mel

Over the summer I completed a one month stay in Paris, during which I studied French at the Accord Ecole des Langues. Thanks to the help of funding from Global Opportunities, which without, would not have been possible.

Staying with a French native through Airbnb allowed me to practice my French in and out of the classroom which was an invaluable opportunity and turned out to be far cheaper than the recommended accommodation from the school.

One of the first obstacles I came across was navigating my way through Paris on the metros which involved regularly having to ask for directions in French, where my comprehension and speaking in French was tested on a daily basis. As it turned out, my northern English accent proved difficult to understand so that had to be changed within the first few days.

My set of classmates changed weekly, all of whom came from all over the world, with diverse backgrounds. As a class we would regularly discuss our own heritage and culture and being one of the only British students I was often quizzed about Brexit by both teachers and classmates. In fact, one day we were all given a piece of French translation which was a seven page article on the global implications of Brexit, which as one could imagine was somewhat uncomfortable for me.

In general, I was impressed with how safe Paris was as a city, as a lone female traveller I was concerned how I would fare especially with regards to using public transport at night. With every city there are rough areas and Paris is no different, however from my personal experience the locals were lovely and happy to help if needed (especially If I spoke to them in French). Nevertheless, one thing that Paris is not, is cheap, in particular with regards to food and drink, where in most restaurants it was on average €8 a pint. Although on the rare occasion I didn’t cook for myself the food was unreal, despite the price!

I feel like this experience has been extremely beneficial in my French progress and inspired me to continue learning about the culture of the country. I’d really recommend this kind of opportunity to anyone looking to learn a foreign language alongside their degree or just thinking of a way to spice up their next summer.

- Mel Lynch

ILLUSTRATION BY: JOCELYNE GREEN

Elliot

Deciding to leave the country and go 3500 miles away isn’t an easy decision to make, but as someone who didn’t move city to go to university, the challenge of actually moving somewhere completely alien to myself seemed like the right thing to do.

I’d wanted to go to Canada for a long time (they have Trudeau instead of Trump) and ended up at Carleton University in Ottawa.

I didn’t find out until a few weeks before I left that it gets to -40 degrees, so you should probably prep more than I did.

For some reason I decided to lodge with a random Canadian guy I met on Facebook (who knows wtf I was thinking) he invited me to stay before uni started, but I ended up having the best and most memorable experience of my life, and made a load of friends from literally all over the world.

I know that I have friends from Ottawa, Toronto, and Montreal that I’ll visit again (hopefully next year), and with all the other

international students you’ll meet, you could couch surf

your way across the world.

Going abroad to study is such an invaluable experience; without moving to another country entirely, it’s the closest you’ll get to experiencing another way of life. Without sounding like a typical ‘gap yah’ dude, it really forces you to grow up and see the world through a different lens; and the work is at a similar level to here in Cardiff, so you don’t need to worry about completely failing either.

To anyone considering going abroad - whether you’ve moved away from home before or not - definitely bite the bullet and go for it so you can become as inspired as me.

- Elliott Batte

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Quench’s New Years Eve Destinations DESIGN BY: LISA DORAN

As we begin collecting Christmas decorations and wrapping presents in the countdown to the Christmas holidays, it’s easy to overlook New Year’s Eve. We spend all of our time debating how many types of potatoes are acceptable to serve with our Christmas dinner, and not enough time planning where to welcome in the new year. Here at Quench, we’ve shortlisted our favourite destinations to kiss goodbye to 2017.

Thailand In Thailand’s Koh Phangan, New Year’s Eve is celebrated with the widely acclaimed Full Moon Party– an all-night beach party to celebrate the magic of the moon. With fire-eaters, alcohol buckets, neon bodypainting, and renowned DJ sets playing against the backdrop of vibrant fireworks, this lively festival is a world-famous bucket list destination.

For a more family-friendly option, Chiang Mai ushers in the new year with a traditional candle-lit lantern ceremony that involves releasing life-sized paper lanterns into the night sky across the entire city after n i g h t ’s

writing down one’s wishes onto the lanterns. Beyond this, there’s a variety of local food vendors to get your Thai food fix from and a worth of live performances to enjoy.

Another popular New Year’s Eve destination in Thailand is at one of the many rooftops of Bangkok. With a bird’s eye view of Bangkok’s skyline, you can count down to the breath-taking view of the city’s top attractions – Chao Phraya River and Lumphini Park – along with a spectacular fireworks display.

The New Year’s Eve experience in Thailand is a unique eye-opening experience for everyone – immersing one in its local culture and the bustling nocturnal landscape.

- Esther Loi

31

Avoid the cliché South American destinations and head to the Peruvian Andean city of Cuzco for New Years! Once the great Incan capital, it is now an enormous city with a mixture of pre-Conquistadors’ stone walls, Spanish colonial townhouses and modern buildings – a true multicultural gem in the middle of South America.

The perfect place to stay in Cuzco as a young traveller is Loki Hostel. Every night is a party and NYE is the craziest, with many fun games planned for everyone in the hostel. At midnight, the best thing to do is to go to the main square where both locals and tourists go crazy in celebrating the new year. An insane number of fireworks go off all over the city, beer glasses clink, everyone hugs and cheers – simply, the best!

Don’t stay in the hostel the next day, you’re going to want to shake off that hangover and altitude sickness. The best thing to do is catch a taxi (5 Peruvian soles = £1!) to the nearest tourist spot and have some coca-leaf tea. Try heading to Sacsayhuaman, which has a banging 360 view of the entire city. After this, go to the Central Market, where you’ll find the perfect hangover remedy: chicken soup and delicious, freshly squeezed juice.

- Marielle Wilkinson

Northumberland, England Every 365 days, deep in rural Northumberland, hundreds of punters descend on Allenheads to see the Tar Bar’l. Passed on through generations, 45 local lads are given the responsibility of adorning their weirdest fancy dress, holding a flaming barrel above their heads, and doing a procession around the village before dumping their barrels onto the bonfire for midnight. Rather spookily, as the last barrel is thrown onto the fire the crowd shouts “be damned to he who throws last!”

They’re always generous with the accelerant thrown onto the fire and so you’re likely to get a few sparks and embers in your mulled wine. Safety concerns aside however, this is a lovely and warming experience (literally) plus it’s perfect for a nice and gentile family New Year’s night if your bairns are too young to be out partying. Finally, is there really a better way to see in the New Year than just having a massive fuck off fire? Didn’t think so.

- Rowan Lees

Sydney, Australia Sydney is a bucket-list essential for any young person travelling the world; lively nightlife, beautiful beaches, friendly locals, iconic monuments and of course the year-round sun are all attractive offerings. Sydney is one of those versatile cities that has something for everyone and this is certainly no exception on New Year’s Eve. If anything, this is the time of year when the city is livelier than ever. NYE 2014 is one of my most memorable and enjoyable experiences of my life thanks to this city.

So, what is there to do to celebrate? The fireworks over the Sydney Harbor Bridge and Opera House is a classic event, as well as a spectacular sight. I loved this event because the fireworks can be viewed from many spots around the city for free and this means that anyone and everyone can join in and enjoy the view. But, if you’re like me and you love a big blowout, there are plenty of party boats offering delicious food, endless cocktails and the best view in the city from the water. Once the fireworks are over, the city continues to celebrate with 100s of bars and clubs open through the night as well as plenty of beach parties that keep going to sunrise. The best part is when you wake up in the morning (or afternoon) you can spend the first day of the new year surfing in the sun and relaxing on the sandy beaches –amazing!

- Martha Hughes

Antigua There’s so much history, culture, and art in Antigua that it seems to leak from in between the stones that make up its cobbled streets. That’s why on New Year’s Eve people pour from around the world and onto its main street, La Calle del Arco - named after the beautiful yellow arch that it’s home to. After dark it becomes iridescently lit, and the magic begins.

There’s street performers everywhere. Women in stilts and sequined dresses dancing, men in the traditional Torito costume — a wooden frame, shaped like a bull, lined with fireworks that go off when they begin dancing.

The countdown starts at 10 seconds to midnight and people are screaming numbers in different languages. They’ve been dancing, singing and drinking all evening but the excitement hasn’t dulled, and the fireworks that go off once the clock strikes 12 only heighten the feeling. Sparks of all different colours have taken over the sky. They won’t stop until the early hours of the morning and will be visible from wherever people choose to take their party to afterwards, but with the whole city becoming an open dance floor it’s not likely they’ll go inside until well after the sun has come up.

- Nicole Garcia

TRAVEL

Cuzco, Peru

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Top Tips For A Stress-Free Holiday WORDS BY: MOLLY GEDDES DESIGN BY: LISA DORAN

The life of university students, is not what many would consider to be a cautious one. We roll out of bed ten minutes before our lecture starts, we live our lives deep into our overdrafts, and we rarely wait for the green man before crossing the road at the Hoffi Coffi crossings.

There is however, one occasion in particular where being cautious might just save us a whole lot of hassle. If you’ve ever wondered why your parents seem to turn worry mode up to 99% when you’re on holiday, it’s probably because they are more than aware of the many things that could go wrong. We look forward to our holidays, trips and travels all year long, and we deserve to enjoy them; but staying safe and organised abroad is VITAL for a smooth and seamless vacation. I’m sure you all know to check your passport is in date, make sure you have the correct currency for your destination and pack a high factor sun cream; but with so much to plan and organise, it’s easy for things to slip your mind.

33 CULTURE

Before you leave It may seem like the only planning that needs doing is to browse through pictures of your holiday destination online and make a list of the prettiest places that you MUST visit, but pre departure planning goes further than this. No, it’s never going to be the most exciting part of a trip, but neither is having to come home early because you’ve forgotten one of these vital steps.

1) VISAS VISAS VISAS: No one wants their trip to meet a catastrophic end before it’s even begun. Arriving at a foreign checkpoint without the correct visa or entrance requirements and being turned away and forced home is incredibly annoying and a huge waste of money. Before you travel anywhere, make sure you look up the country’s visa requirements online with plenty of time to apply for any documents.

2) Notify your bank: It may look suspicious to your bank if your card is being used on a tiny island in the middle of Indonesia and they might try to block your payments. To avoid being stranded on an island with no way to pay for your outstanding hostel bill, (like I was!) take ten minutes to visit your bank and notify them about your trip.

3) Book some travel insurance: Sure, it may not be the most exhilarating part of holiday planning, but it is an essential. This is the part my mum always nags me about, and thank goodness she does. Travel insurance means that if you are hit with a nasty batch of food poisoning, a local bug or you are bitten by a wild monkey, you don’t have to worry about the cost of medical care as you can claim for it back. DO NOT go away without it!

4) Speak to your phone provider: We all hear horror stories about phone charges abroad. Waiting for Wi-Fi is a painful task when you’ve just taken an amazing beach shot

and can’t wait to Instagram it, but turning on your 3G can also mean having to sell your house and all your earthly possessions just to cover your monthly phone bill. Make sure you speak to your phone provider in advance. Some companies allow you to purchase packages that allow you to use your phone freely whilst staying abroad. Don’t get caught out, and make sure you know exactly what you’re spending.

5) Vaccines: Make sure you visit your doctor and have had all appropriate vaccines for the destination you are visiting. Being ill is never enjoyable, but when you’re miles from home and you’re sharing a bathroom with 12 strangers, you’ll wish you’d had those injections.

Staying Safe Abroad

You made it to the airport in time, you successfully passed through immigration, fingers crossed you’ve not forgotten to pack everything, and despite the soaring taxi charge you’ve arrived at your hotel. You can relax, begin exploring or even head straight to the bar. Make sure you follow these simple steps, as well as the obvious, don’t walk anywhere alone at night, don’t take rides from strangers and don’t head straight to Maccies for your first meal.

6) Pay attention to local customs: A new country, may also mean new rules. Make sure you listen to advice from locals, travel reps or brochures. Imagine you catch a bus 2 hours to a religious monument, only to be refused entry because you are not appropriately dressed; easily avoidable.

7) Avoid being conned: Unfortunately, wherever you travel, there are those who make a living out of conning tourists out of their money. If someone offers you a simple

game as a way of tripling your money, you’re about to be royally conned. It may seem like a brilliant opportunity to expand your VK fund, but these guys are experts. Similarly, shop around for the best prices, many people will try their best to over-charge you - as if we aren’t being ripped off enough paying up to nine grand a year for our lecturers to read from a PowerPoint.

8) Be aware of foreign alcohol measures: I’m sure we are all guilty of taking full advantage of cheap alcohol whilst abroad, it would be rude not too. One thing we neglect

however, is that the double vodka you get on the Magaluf strip is a lot stronger than the one you pay £6 for in Pryzm. At a full moon party in Thailand, I fell victim to the famous buckets of alcohol. Body paint in full check, thousands of Thai Baht lining my pockets I was eager with excitement for the night of my life; 2 buckets later I was on all fours trying to bury my spew in the sand.

9) Hide your valuables: This may seem obvious, but I can ensure we all know someone who has been pick pocketed or robbed abroad. Avoid wearing your best jewellery out, keep your bag zipped up and your valuables out of sight.

10) Avoid breaking the law: Queen Gemma Collins may have likened herself to Bridget Jones after falling through the stage at the Teen Awards, but don’t follow in her

footsteps and find yourself stuck in jail abroad for doing something crazy. However, in some countries you don’t have to rob a bank to find yourself facing some serious jail time.

In Thailand, you can earn yourself a sentence longer than that of a murderer for speaking badly of the monarchy. Anything uttered that is considered insulting to the King and the monarchy is considered a terrible crime, so watch what you say.

11) Camo clothing might have made a huge comeback, but if you’re heading to the Caribbean, it’s best you leave it out of your suitcase. On islands such as Barbados, Grenada and Jamaica wearing camouflaged clothing is against the law due to people impersonating military personnel.

12) Amsterdam, famous for the two C’s, Cannabis and Canals. However, if you take a pee in said canals, you will find yourself faced with a hefty charge, unless you are pregnant.

If you want to avoid selling your house to pay for your phone bill, spewing on Thai beaches or spending your holiday in a jail cell, pay attention to these 12 simple, yet important steps and stay safe abroad.

Interviewing

34 WORDS BY: ROWAN LEES

Clem Burke Blondie from

“we would confuse a lot of people, confuse a lot of people”

I think we still

DESIGN BY: KATIE HUXTABLE

C

lem Burke is truly a man of the world. With Blondie alone, his touring history includes 768,669 miles travelled including an astounding one hundred (recorded) dates in his home of New York City. This figure doesn’t even account for his ‘hired gun’ roles drumming for people like Annie Lennox and Iggy Pop, so I think it’s safe to say he’s passed the million mile mark. He has a drumming foundation in his name at Chichester University, a new album to tour with this year and a lot to say about our habits with modern technology. It was always going to be a daunting task to talk with someone like Clem who has such a rich history but his sheer passion for drumming, and music in general, shone through in our chat. You get the sense that, even after 40 something years on the music scene, he still has a lot to say and do, and a lot of ways of doing it.

I ring Clem at his hotel room and when he picks up he seems positively zen. “I’m well, I’m well. I’m in LA and just came from the gym. We’ve been on the road for a while in Europe so it’s nice to be back”. I introduce myself as calling from Cardiff University’s magazine and he excitedly tells me that Cardiff was

35 MUSIC

one of the first places he visited in the UK back in the 70s, before Blondie took off. He seems to have some warm memories attached to the ‘Diff, staying round the St. David’s wetlands with an ex girlfriend over one Christmas holiday. “Well, are you excited to be returning this November then?” “Yeah it’s been a while since we played there and we’re really looking forward to letting people know about the album we just made.”

pollinator

................................................................

Blondie’s new album Pollinator charted at #4 in the UK and features a whole host of impressive collaborations with Charli XCX, Sia, Johnny Marr, and Nick Valensi of The Strokes to name a few. The album is a riotous return to form, full of energy and new ideas. I ask Clem how things went in the production of this long time coming album, “the two albums prior to Pollinator were done in a very different way, kind of computer generated, not so many chances to get people in the same room at the same time, but the Pollinator album we wanted to change that so we all convened in New York City at a studio called the Magic Shop, where Bowie did his last two albums!” Although the band ‘knew those folks’, the process wasn’t so collaborative, artists apparently ‘contributed’ songs more than anything else. “We have a history of reinterpreting other people’s songs, some of our biggest hits were by other people. ‘Hanging on the Telephone’, ‘Denis, Denis’ and ‘Tide is High’ were all cover songs, but we kinda managed to make them sound like Blondie songs. So I think we took that idea a little further on Pollinator”. The band definitely found their feet again doing it the old fashioned way and there seemed to be a note of relief in Clem’s voice about the results that came from this approach. “We were all in the neighbourhood and at the studio at the same times which really helped the chemistry between the band come across”.

Clem, Debbie Harry, and Chris Stein, the core members of Blondie, have been making albums for a long while.

Their self titled debut came out in 1976. To put that into context their seminal album two years later, Parallel Lines, was the first album my dad ever bought, and he’s canny old. Coming up in the underground scene of New York, playing clubs like CBGB’s and building confidence and support. “To go out and play live and make your mistakes in public is very important”. I wondered how the band had found ways to keep up their innovation in music as local scenes can sometimes become a breeding ground for stale imitation. “Well, you know the roots of Blondie go back to the New York Dolls and our contemporaries like The Ramones and Patti Smith, and you never really knew what to expect from them back in the day, especially with Bowie, every album was different.

You didn’t really know where he was gonna go with it”.

Bouncing off these innovations in music, they were able to grow and grow in new directions, even scoring the first US No.1 for a rap song. “We would confuse a lot of people; I think we still confuse a lot of people”.

Through the interview I often felt like Clem was carrying a fair amount of nostalgia for these ‘good old days’, especially when regaling his method of avoiding the exorbitant hotel room phone charges (I wish he told me this before I rang him!). “Back in the day to call home was an endeavour. I mean there was this thing I used to do in the UK where I would call a telephone box collect, write a letter to whoever it was I was calling saying ‘Be in the phone booth this time’ then dial the number and say ‘I’m reversing the charges’. Obviously the person in the phone booth then picks up and says ‘Yes I accept the charges’, of course the charges could never go to a phone booth. But I mean things like that don’t work anymore, Big Brother is here, every movement you make is being watched.”

Although he no longer knows how to cheat his way to a free phone call, Clem knows how things work in music, so I asked him to give some advice to any of our readers who might be hoping one day to emulate Blondie and build a forty year career in music.

1.

“Make your mistakes in public”, getting feedback from any audience is very important, “50 people, 5 people, 50,000 people, just get out there and play in front of people.

2. “You might get exposed too early”. Blondie and so many other bands made their way by playing clubs and pubs around their local scene, lay the groundwork for your music like this and you won’t fall flat once you land that viral hit.

3. “It all starts with one person, if you have one person that likes what you do you’re gonna have 10 people that like what you do, it’s just gonna build”.

When I ask about the changes in regards to how the band tour, Clem isn’t longing for the era of ‘rock’n’roll’, instead a clearer focus on his own health. “Just to walk down the street you have to be in pretty good shape so to be playing the drums and touring around the world you definitely need that.” This leads us on to the ‘Clem Burke Drumming Project’, a scientific study of drumming currently based at Chichester University where he has received an honorary doctorate. The project is research into the physiological and psychological effects of drumming. “It’s about the mind and the body, making those two things come together and what it takes to continue to be able to be fit enough to be a performer”.

Through this institution he and the researching team provide groundbreaking research in the field of drumming, and surely that is just the absolute peak of a drummers career, isn’t it? He’s writing the book on it!

Clearly from Clem’s scientific work at Chichester he’s no technophobe but he did have some very sage advice on the dangers of modern technology for us. “I keep up with technology, yeah, everyone does, that’s the world, but I really recommend just going outside with no cellphone and no money. No credit cards, and just seeing what happens. It’s enlightening, you know. And if you really wanna get into to it don’t wear any shoes either (laughs)”.

Perhaps not yet walking Central Park without shoes, Clem does however come across as someone very much at peace with himself. He understands his and the bands own importance, taking care when recalling his and other histories, all the while his passion for drumming has never withered and he strives to keep pursuing it.

“I’d rather be out playing in a club somewhere than sitting on the couch watching television”. This drive to always be working has granted him a platform to do as he wishes. A member of five bands for the pure love of it, running a research school on the physiological effects of drumming, and heading out on an arena tour to perform his 11th studio album with Blondie, I think Clem and the rest of Blondie too, are exactly where they want to be. “If I wanna work with someone it’s because I like what they do, and I never really want to lose that”.

advice for younger bands To go out and play live and make your mistakes in public is very important Everything you do will be recorded these days... the potential for people to see your music is infinite but at the same time you might get exposed too early.

The The synonymous The The synonymous The relationship synonymous synonymous relationship synonymous The between relationship relationship between and relationship synonymous charity between between charity and between relationship charity and charity and music. music. charity and between music. music. music. charity and 36

WORDS BY: ELLIE BALL DESIGN BY: KATIE HUXTABLE

Music has always been an integral part of my life.

Whether it has given me a chance to escape from the world for a while or letting me forget my anxieties that life presents on a regular basis, I, like many other around the world could not live without music. Its impact on millions cannot be understated and this is why it is an instrumental platform for artists to address societal issues and catastrophic events. In this sense, music is inconceivably important in engaging the masses and raising awareness of unaddressed matters. Given the recent natural and humanitarian disasters that have dominated the mass media in the preceding months, the relationship between charity and music has distinctly come to fore. Around the world, like millions of others, I watched in horror as a multitude of category five hurricanes swept through the West Indies throughout September wreaking havoc across the Caribbean islands and southern Florida. As a result of Harvey, Irma and Jose, tiny islands such as Barbuda were left uninhabitable as people’s livelihoods were crushed within mere hours and just from these three hurricanes 224 lives have been claimed. Like the majority of the public, musicians and artists alike were left despaired at the recent natural disasters that have occurred and so were inspired to act in charitable ways to help those affected. This is a notable pattern that can be traced way back through the history of music where a natural or humanitarian disaster occurs, followed by the launch of a charitable campaign to rally support for the victims.

Most iconic of this is the charity group Band Aid, which was founded in 1984 by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure in response to the famine that was occurring in Ethiopia at the time. The media’s failure to bring the humanitarian crisis to the mainstream for months resulted in the shielding of public knowledge which therefore hindered aid efforts. During the Christmas of 1984, the famous festive tune ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas’ was released, raising £8 million within 12 months of its release, far exceeding Geldof ’s hope of achieving £70,000. The song remains highly interconnected with Christmas even today and is a song which to me personally, reinforces the values of this beautiful time of year greatly, where I feel increasingly grateful and fortunate to experience the unity and happiness of family where many others do not. The following summer, ‘Live Aid’ was broadcast to an estimated global audience of 1.9 billion, with the benefit concert creating the format that many concerts alike would adhere to in years to come. Notable recent examples of this include the ‘One Love Manchester’

music. concert which was held in June 2017 in memory of the 22 victims of the terrorist attack that occurred during an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester arena, and another being the very recent Tidal X benefit held in Brooklyn on the 17th October whose proceeds are being donated to the relief for victims of Hurricane Harvey and Maria, as well as those affected by the devastating earthquake in Mexico.

Even recently, in October, the annual charity music festival ‘Oxjam’ was held right here in Cardiff in a bid to raise money for Oxfam, whose aim is to combat mass poverty around the globe. In speaking with Lee Wright, Manager for Oxjam in Cardiff this year, I learned that the festival was not as successful as initially hoped.

Wright put this down to “only having half a team” as they did not have a “fundraising coordinator, volunteer coordinator or marketing coordinator”. On top of this they had to hire “almost all of the equipment and pay six sound engineers” therefore, the profitability of the festival was hindered which subsequently affected the total amount of money raised. Wright did go on to say that the turn out for the festival was better than the previous year which was just one of the positives to be taken away from this benefit event. When asked what he thought the positive impacts of the festival were, he answered that events like these are mutually beneficial for both the charity, musicians and music venues as in doing a concert, venues “get people through their doors” plus giving “bands and artists a platform” in which to spread their music. This is especially important for up and coming artists in their local areas where even at the festival there were two bands that played their very first gigs at Oxjam Cardiff. Contrary to this, Wright noted that he would like to see “a change with the event” as he believes Oxjam would greatly benefit from having closer ties with local businesses in Cardiff which could help sponsor the event, thus helping to publicize it and takeaway the pressures placed on their volunteers.

On a final note, Wright added that “music is effective because it brings people together and with a multivenue event like Oxjam, you can provide lots of different genres” which further reinforces the huge impact music has on people’s lives all over the world and serves to underline the effectiveness of the relationship between charity and music. Next time Oxjam is in town, I for one will definitely not miss it.

It is strikingly clear that there is a very strong correlation

between the music industry and charity. Recently, more and more artists are becoming increasingly philanthropic in their actions and it almost seems as if philanthropy is an integral aspect of modern day musicians in addition to being culturally and politically minded. It goes without saying that music is a hugely influential platform where musicians can reach out to millions of people and create global awareness for issues affecting current day society. Therefore, celebrity influence is central in creating a huge support base and raising significant funds. The more mainstream the celebrity, the larger the media coverage and therefore the greater the amounts of money raised will be. This is why benefit concerts are incredibly effective as an abundance of celebrities in one given place makes for great news, and as a result, awareness of the issue at hand can be spread widely and effectively.

Feeding on from the idea of artists as emerging philanthropists through their charitable actions, it is commonly found that these celebrities now become the founders of their very own charities. This illustrates a direct and striking correlation between music and charity itself as artists seek to establish their own foundations and therefore their music, brand and charity become synonymous with each other. Take Beyoncé for instance, who founded her own charity initiative BeyGood in 2014 whilst touring the world on her ‘Mrs Carter World Tour’, in a bid to tackle homelessness and sickness in children and the unemployed. I was lucky enough to attend this tour twice in London’s O2 arena and watched the various promotional charity films that were played before the start of the concert. As a way of encouraging people to donate, a campaign was set up where if you donated to BeyGood before the start of the concert, then you were in with a chance of being upgraded to the BeyPit and therefore could be closer to Beyoncé during her show (aka every fans dream) and this is why this marketing campaign was so hugely effective. Since then, the charity has expanded further to empower women and girls around the world by partnering with the ‘Global Citizen’ and ‘Chime For Change’ organisations in which Beyoncé personally performed at their benefit concerts which were held to raise money for girls education around the world in order to pave the way to helping them re-build their lives. Again, this links to the significance of these musical events in generating widespread awareness.

More recently still, following the tragic flooding that ensued on Beyoncé’s hometown of Houston as a result of Hurricane Harvey in August this year, BeyGood teamed

37 MUSIC

up with Bread of Life, Greater Houston Community Foundation, and Texas Southern University in order to continue their relief efforts in “helping to rebuild the city by rebuilding lives”. To further generate awareness of the campaign, in early September, the Queen B herself, accompanied by mother Tina Knowles and daughter Blue Ivy, visited her hometown to deliver a heartfelt speech within her local parish in which recalls she “sang [her] first song in this church”. She later went on to hand out food, diapers and many hugs to the victims of the natural disaster and spent hours speaking to the local people of Houston, letting them know they are certainly not alone in this time of adversity.

Beyoncé as a philanthropist underlines the synonymous relationship music and charity have with each other whereby the platform is instrumental in reaching out to a global audience. Music is a product in which anyone, from any background can engage with and therefore charity singles largely constitute the significance music has in charity. Continuing with the work of Beyoncé, with her latest feature on the remix track for ‘Mi Gente’

by J Balvin and Willy William, she announced that all proceeds from the song will be donated to hurricane relief charities in Mexico, Puerto Rico, and other Caribbean islands. This is another proved, historically successful way in which money can be raised for charity in times of desperate need with other examples of charity singles including the re-make of ‘Everybody Hurts’ for Helping Haiti, the ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ cover for victims of the catastrophic Grenfell Tower tragedy and of course the iconic ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas’ which is remade every ten years with a whole new host of global superstars.

bob geldof

Ultimately, the interconnecting relationship that charity has with the music industry goes back nearly half a century and its significance cannot be understated. In our current political and social climate, music is more important than ever in creating unity and togetherness in times of great need and disaster. I have no doubts that the industry of music will continue in its quest to conquer social, political and natural calamities in all sectors of society for years to come through music’s magical powers to heal in times of hurt, no matter who you are or where you have come from. So it is for this reason that the power of song will incessantly continue to raise awareness of the problems that matter the most.

beyoncé images by Alfred Weidinger via Wikimedia Commons beyonce_intro_full via Flickr

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How To Make the

Perfect

Christmas No.11 WORDS BY: ROWAN LEES DESIGN BY: LUCY APRAHAMIAN

Since the conception of the top 12 charts in 1952 by Percy Dickens, we have been gifted with the best yearly music contest known to humanity: the battle for Christmas number one, obviously. Through the 1960’s we saw the Beatles dominate yuletide charts, 1984 saw the charity single make its first appearance with Band Aid’s ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas’. More recently we’ve witnessed the 21st century X-Factor rise and fall in the seasonal chart race. It’s quite clearly the highest accolade in music so we’re here to help you find the formula for the ultimate Christmas number one!

The Xmas Factor In this modern era, even after the ‘Killing in the Name of ’ revolution of 2009, X-factor reigns supreme and the Cowell-powered machine has taken seven of the last eleven years’ top spots. If you won X-Factor in the noughties your Christmas number one was basically on a plate (sorry Mr. McElderry) and even now there’s still a good chance you’ll nick it. There’s definitely something to be said for going down to your local auditions, crying in Cheryl Cole’s living room then signing your soul away to Syco records to sing power ballads until your vocal chords fail.

Charity The real sweethearts of Britain’s festive competition, charity singles always do well. In fact, the highest ever selling festive single is ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas’ by Band Aid. Maybe we’re more charitable over the winter season or maybe it’s those all star band line ups getting us giddy. However, it’s unlikely you’ve got the contacts to put your own celeb band together, so maybe go join a choir Greenwich NHS and go get that number one spot. Oh, and make some money for a worthy cause too, yeah.

Does it need toChristmas be about at all?

Last year the nation let itself down and ‘Rockabye’ stole its way to the top spot, begging the question, does our formula need to include Christmas at all? A similar situation arose back in 1994 when East17 beat Mariah Carey to number one with ‘Stay Another Day’. The song has bugger all relevance to Christmas but for a snowy looking music video and somehow it topped ‘All I Want For Christmas is You’?!! Bah humbug. We don’t condone this approach of Christmascoating your nondescript single, but it’s very much an option should you be struggling to incorporate sleigh bells in your latest banger.

The Protest More than anything else, ‘Killing in the Name Of ’ showed us that we all secretly care about the charts, if we didn’t no-one would mind that the X-factor were taking number ones year after year. The Facebook led rebellion was hailed by Rage guitarist as ‘a wonderful dose of anarchy’. I’d like to say I helped the effort but my dad would only let me buy the censored version, very rock ‘n’ roll.

There we have it, that’s your guide to making the ultimate Christmas hit! Your choices are; win the X-factor, join a choir, or inspire a revolution against the mainstream on social media. It’s really that easy. Do let us know how you get on.

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Tom Grennan WORDS BY: ERIN BROWN DESIGN BY: LUCY APRAHAMIAN

Tom Grennan is the most tasteful person in the charts right now; bringing a dash of soul combined with an element of pop, shaking up the mundanities of the rubbish that can often linger in the UK top 40, he brings something to the list worth listening to. With huge hits already such as ‘Something in the Water’, ‘Royal Highness’ and even a collaboration with Chase and Status on ‘When It All Goes Wrong’ Grennan has stormed his way onto the music scene out of nowhere.

Visiting Cardiff for the first time, Grennan, munching on his crisps and hummus, a bit reserved but oozing a cheeky, laddish charm, he tells us how his Globe gig is his first visit to Cardiff. I warned that it comparison to other city gigs, I often find Cardiff crowds can often be a little reserved. “Don’t worry I got this,” he says with such confidence and he was not wrong! Putting on an unforgettable show with soulful and rustic vocals mixed with masses of enthusiasm, Grennan captured the Cardiff crowd from start to finish, stealing the attention of the diverse audience, with his biggest fans being a group of big burley lads, singing along lyric by lyric at the front.

Throughout the gig, Tom echoes the need for the crowd to buy the new album Lightning Matches which will be released on the 10th of March 2018, to then be followed by a huge UK tour. “You’re gonna buy the album yeah? Don’t do that Spotify shit” he exclaims, which is followed by a roaring cheer of what seemed to come from a dedicated set of fans. But what will his debut entail? “Epicness, choirs, gospel, brass, orchestras...BIGNESS.” This tasty concoction of everything sets up for a much-anticipated release for an album that has been worked on by a variety of talented people: “There were a few producers, one of them was Fraser T Smith who works with Stormzy, Kano and a guy called Joel Potts…oh yeah and Adele”.

So, with such a commendable production team, it was intriguing to see how the writing of the album came together. “I write all of them, in the studio writing with other people, bouncing ideas off each other, I just go in and see what happens,” suggesting that this style of writing is what makes the best kind of music. “One brain, two brains, three brains are better than one.”

However, one thing that really projects Grennan are those bellowing, soulful vocals with a rustic edge; but how did he discover he can sing like that? “I was at a party pissed and sang The Kooks ‘Seaside’ I like that song.” Yet, of course, it’s a rather gutsy task, to belt out a sound like that at a party in front of your mates!

“I’ve always had that confidence”. It’s amazing what a few gins can do… “After that party I started writing music,” and Tom Grennan as we know him was born. Which is a relief for music lovers as he could have gone down the footballer route “I was just better at music than football, I played for a few teams but nothing big.” However, recently appearing on Soccer AM to promote his new single, he’s managed to slightly cling on to his other love also! “Being a footballer is every kids dream…” Amused as I confessed my childhood dream was the very ambitious dream of being a Soccerette* as he laughs “Big dreams man big dreams”.

With Grennan sharing the same manager as Charlie XCX, he featured in her globally popular ‘Boys’ video along with other great male artists such as Stormzy, Mark Ronson and Carl Barât. Despite describing the video as “sick” Tom seemed slightly disappointed. “I only met the guy from Bring Me to the Horizon” which out of such a good line up, is slightly upsetting especially because I can only imagine the beautiful collaborations that could have arose if he met the likes of Stormzy or Mark Ronson. Tom described the possibility of a collaboration with Mark Ronson “like my dream,” surely his mate Charlie can pull some strings?

So as 2017 draws to an end quicker and quicker, it is evident from his Cardiff gig Tom Grennan will be a massive one to watch for in 2018 as he has already rounded a large and loyal fan base without an album even released yet “We’re building, we’re building” he says as we talk about how big he has become in such a short space of time. But with such a hectic year, there must have been a stand-alone highlight?! “They’re all pretty big highlights, this whole thing is a highlight”. But forcing him to pick, his ultimate highlight was “finishing my album”. Roll on March… *A Soccerette is a very half naked girl, who struts on the catwalk of Soccer AM in a football top and very short shorts.

MUSIC

INTERVIEW:

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Quench’s Spotify Playlists + By quenchmusic 24 SONGS

1. REX ORANGE COUNTY (JOE WORGAN) - From featuring on Tyler the Creator’s new album to performing with Skepta at the Mercury Prize awards, it seems almost inevitable that 2017 is Rex Orange County’s year.

2. KEHLANI (MAISIE WILLIAMS) - This Native American singer/songwriter brings beautiful soul melodies and catchy RnB hits. Her latest single ‘Honey’ is a gorgeous anthem about being a queer woman. Look out for this one following the steps of Rihanna.

3. BLOXX (ABBIE RANDS) - a 4-ground roots, female fronted indie rock quartet with a sleek live performance, plus extra points for LGBT+ representation.

4.

EASTRONS (MOLLY CHEEK) - Punchy vocals with a twist of punk, Estrons are one of Cardiff ’s finest exports.

5. KHALID (ELLIE HARRADINE) - Khalid’s music, influenced by artists such as Lorde and Frank Ocean documents the trials and tribulations of teenage angst, love, and heartbreak infused with emotional nostalgia.

6. RAT BOY (RACHEAL HUTCHINGS) - An Essex-born amalgamation of arrogance and streetwise adroitness, Jordan Cardy (better known as RATBOY) brings a distinctive blend of hip-hop and indie, twinned with pertaining lyrics.

7.

LANY (HANNAH RYAN) - Looking for a little dreamy, sumptuous indie pop to fill the days? Look no further than LANY, a band that can simultaneously evoke the hazy feelings of summer and break your heart into tiny pieces in the space of a single song.

8. THE PITCHFORKS (JESSICA HEAP) - Although The Pitchforks may be 17-18 and unable to play in most venues due to this, that doesn’t stop them from selling out venues and growing a dedicated fan base of all ages Similar to the Arctic Monkeys but with a lot more energy.

9. PEACE (CHARLOTTE MINETT) - The boys from Birmingham are back to bring a blend of indie pop and groove to spice up your life.

10. BAD SOUNDS (CHARLOTTE MINETT) - You can expect a hip-hop influenced pop sound infused with the occasional brass instrument from these Hot Headed Chippenham brothers.

11. SIGRID (CHARLOTTE MINETT) - You wouldn’t want to argue with this Norwegian 20 year old, Sigrid brings the ultimate amount of sass with her indie pop bangers.

12. DECLAN MCKENNA (CHARLOTTE MINETT) - A young lad from Hertfordshire who intertwines his thoughts about topics such as transgender kids, football and even politics with catchy indie tunes and impressive guitar riffs.

13. TEN TONNES (CHARLOTTE MINETT) - George Ezra’s younger brother carries on the family’s musical success with this deep voice and indie rock tunes.

14. PALE WAVES (CHARLOTTE MINETT) - With a gothic aesthetic juxtaposed with the band’s name, Pale Waves are certainly ones to watch, with support from Matty Healy and Sundara Karma there are bigger things to come for this young band.

15. WOLF ALICE (CHARLOTTE MINETT) - Quench’s favouites are back with a bang with the release of the second record for the band, ‘all extremes of the band have been explored’ as they told us in an exclusive interview.

16. FICKLE FRIENDS (CHARLOTTE MINETT) - Fickle Friends are getting poppier and poppier with every song they release, and this is something we are not complaining about.

17. SUNDARA KARMA (CHARLOTTE MINETT) - Good old Reading Rockers Sundara Karma will never get old with their heavenly vocals and guitar riddled tracks.

18. CLEAN CUT KID (CHARLOTTE MINETT) - Liverpool’s finest 4 piece bring dreamy harmonies and upbeat, thoroughly danceable songs which you will be singing for days.

19. BLAENAVON (CHARLOTTE MINETT) - This three piece bring every single possible sort of ‘indie’ song together, their backlog is a perfect mix of rock, pop, and stripped back bits and bobs.

20. YONAKA (ERIN BROWN) - Fronted by fiery Theresa Jarvis, Yonaka bring a vigorous sound with their heavy riffs, head banging beats and an element of hip hop which is perfectly channelled through their energetic and explosive live sets.

Ones to Watch in 2018 1. LA Salami Soothing guitar progressions overlaid by existentially driven poetry delivered with the most calming caramel voice.

2. Vibbar Fronted by multimedia man Poet, Vibbar have big things cooking for 2018 after a slew of impressive singles and already gained features from Big Narstie and JME. 3. Sam Wise / House of Pharaohs Sam Wise and HoP have been making enough waves to power a water park this year with Sam Wise’s ‘Lizzie’ racking up youtube views and the groups single ‘RWM (run with me)’ getting a very rare co-sign from Frank Ocean’s Blonded Radio.

4. Milo After carefully studying his hip hop ancestry of MF DOOM, Busdriver, and Open Mike Eagle, the Milwaukee born rapper has plied his trade over the last few years with a series of impressive albums plus mixtapes under lo-fi alias Scallops Hotel. With his own label ‘Ruby Yacht’ and a record shop in the making, Milo has unfinished business for the years to come.

5. Looms Part of the understated UK lo-fi hip hop scene, looms flows over muffled pianos with elegance and is one of the many talents to keep an eye on for the future.

6. Kevin Abstract Head of gallivanting boyband BROCKHAMPTON, Kevin’s ambition is set to take him to the upper echelons of the music industry and beyond. Plus his last solo album ‘Amercian Boyfriend’ is a beautiful project that could take off into popularity any minute.

7. Kojey Radical Kojey Radical continued to push musical boundaries this year with sophomore album ‘After Winter’ and his forceful delivery is beginning to command the attention it deserves, next year he is sure to maintain his starward trajectory.

8. Little Simz She’s already a star of the UK rap scene but Simbi Ajikawo looks to have her sights higher and further afield with a recent appearance on the BET cypher and a recent album featuring big names such as Chronixx. Syd, and Ghetts.

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WORDS BY: ROWAN LEES DESIGN BY: LUCY APRAHAMIAN

Mount Kimbie grew out of the embers of a once promising dubstep scene, releasing their early EP Maybes to a great response from publications and punters alike.

As they shook off the post-dubstep label plastered onto them, possibilities for musical experimentation became boundless and they have been evolving ever since. I got a chance to chat to half of the duo, Dominic Maker, post album and pre UK tour. We went over the new album, their collaboration process and keeping it in the family, plus how Dom gets the beating of his musical other half, Kai Ocampos on FIFA.

Love What Survives, also the name for the tour, is an album of ambient brilliance punctuated by shots of adrenaline in the form of searing synth noises and the vocal tones of artists such as James Blake and Andrea Balency. These vocal appearances weren’t always there on earlier records however, what changed? “It was definitely natural, we were probably not into the idea of having loads of features on the album back then”. Long time friends and collaborators James Blake and Micachu both came back to work on the album and helped this process along “If anything it was more of a co-writing situation as opposed to just a feature”, “Me and Kai love seeing interpretations, the way Mica or James interpreted things was very different to how we imagined it would all come together” “We’d basically go in there and play them everything we had in 30/40 second loops and everyone was actually pretty surprised with the direction we’d gone in! James was actually quite into the idea of doing something over one of the faster tracks like Delta”.

It sounds more than anything like Dom and Kai were in a really great position making this record, strolling into their own studio, working up 30 second long ideas then showing a few to their mates to see what happens.

Dom remarked that “everyone pushed themselves out of their comfort zone a little bit” and another returning big name on the record that proves that is King Krule, who always brings a spark on his features and strays from the usual brooding and reverberated guitar based music of his solo stuff.

You get the sense that Mount Kimbie are most comfortable when they keep things close like this, the same was true for their visual art. Working primarily with Frank Lebon, “A young guy, just full of pretty, out there and amazing ideas”, they produced a flurry

of incredible videos this year like ‘Marilyn’, ‘Blue Train Lines’, and ‘Delta’. Keeping it in the family, Frank’s brother Tyrone, (director of Frank Ocean’s Nikes video!) and father Mark were also involved in making videos for the band. Interestingly, Mount Kimbie didn’t have any input into how the videos came along, “It was always a pleasure to sit down and watch his, sort of, version of events”. The videos lend themselves beautifully to the ‘momentum’ of the record as Dom put it. People often place Mount Kimbie’s music at the scene of an afterparty so I asked if he agreed with this and where he would place his own music “I usually listen when I’m travelling around” plus “I’m living over in Los Angeles right now, obviously London is still very close to me but everything feels a bit different to how it used to...so I listened to the whole thing on the train through London and it seemed really fitting for that surrounding”. Music for your travels then, and I’ve always found this to be true, listening to their old records as you stare out a window gives you that ‘soundtrack to your life’ feeling.

Ready to set off across England on tour with 8 years of released music in the locker, I asked what was to be expected on tour. “It’s very much live and we’re reinterpreting some of the older stuff, obviously new songs as well so we’re really excited to play it out” Dom’s tone of voice belies the excitement he speaks of but there’s definitely a lot to be excited about, “We’ve got new members, a drummer called Mark Pell of Micachu and the Shapes and Andrea Balency singing and playing piano so we’re very excited about that” any new equipment to go with those band members? “ umm, I’ve got a new new pedal, for my output. So it’s all change there (laughs)”. Aside from musical equipment the boys have made sure the bus is coming fitted with a games console for FIFA, “always Spurs” says Dom, “That your team yeah?” “Yeah, either them or Stoke, great for those crunching tackles, breaking up Kai’s delicate play”.

Mount Kimbie will have finished their UK tour dates by the time this is out but if you like the sound of ‘em then there’s plenty of time to take in all 3 albums before the next tour comes around!

MUSIC

Interview: Dom of Mount Kimbie

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Sustainabil Sustainability in Fashion in Fashion WORDS BY: MADDY STEELE

DESIGN BY: KATIE HUXTABLE In a world polluted with waste and being poisoned by chemicals, our planet and its resources are threatened.

Second only to oil, the backlash of the fashion industry is one of the most damaging commercial industries across the globe. 17-20% of industrial water pollution comes from the treatment of textiles and roughly 8,000 synthetic chemicals are used in the production of textiles - much of this being released into freshwater sources.

Cotton production alone is responsible for the use of 10% of agricultural chemicals and 25% of insecticides.

On top of this, it uses over 5,000 gallons of water to make a single t-shirt and pair of jeans.

However, in recent years, sartorial giants such as Adidas, Nike, Zara and Mango have launched sustainable collections, with Nike, H&M and Levi also beginning the transition into a circular economy - rather than throwing old garments away, these brands are encouraging the recycling of materials to create new products. ASOS, H&M and Nike have also committed to using 100% Sustainable Cotton by 2025, meaning there is a brighter future ahead for reducing the environmental damage of the fashion industry.

Many celebrities are also adopting the sustainable lifestyle, for example Gwyneth Paltrow features sustainable fashion and beauty brands on her e-commerce website Goop. Whilst Ben Affleck, the founder of Eastern Congo Initiative raises awareness of threatened natural resources. The Beauty and the Beast and Harry Potter star Emma Watson has taken her role as a pioneer in fashion one step further with her new Instagram account ‘The Press Tour’ which allows fans to follow her chronicle of eco-friendly outfits as she attends a myriad of events and parties. Leonardo Dicaprio, Jessica Alba and Alicia Silverstone are more celebrities using their social platform to reduce environmental threats - just to name a few!

Nike’s approach to sustainability is: ‘in a world of finite resources, we use less to give you so much more’, part of their eco collection is the Flyknit which is created through the upcycling of limited resources into precision-engineered materials for trainers. The engineering of Flyknit prevents millions of pounds of

waste from reaching landfill as instead, it is generated into lightweight, strong and highly adaptable materials for footwear. Nike also regenerate existing products into new, premium materials through their Nike Grind scheme which is used in 71% of their footwear and apparel products, whilst also featuring in some of their premium products.

Stella McCartney approaches fashion with a different attitude to sustainability “I design clothes that are meant to last, I believe in creating pieces that are not going to get burnt, that are not going to landfills and that are not going to damage the environment. For every piece in every collection, I am always asking what have we done to make this garment more sustainable and what else can we do. It is a constant effort to improve…”. Her company is conscious of its responsibility for the impacts that the resources they use cause and also of the manufacturing methods they use; in 2012, 34.5 metric tons of waste (from Stella McCartney manufacturers) was diverted from landfill and reused or recycled. Recently, the brand also promoted sustainable fashion by shooting the latest campaign on a landfill site. Stella McCartney says “Our man-made, constructed environments are disconnected and unaware of other life and the planet, which is why there is waste.” Her efforts to encourage the use of environmentally friendly methods doesn’t stop there, Stella McCartney offices and studios are powered by wind energy or renewable energy whilst the brand strives to use as much organic cotton as possible in their quest to become as ecologically friendly as possible.

New York Fashion Week 2017 also saw movement towards a more sustainable industry, monumentally notable was Vivienne Westwood’s show which continued her activism to highlight and decry climate change. Vivienne Westwood centred her SS18 collection around her pack of playing cards, with each symbol representing a different theme: ‘Love, Free World and IOU’ (Hearts), ‘Greed, Rot$ Propoaganda’ (Diamonds) ‘War’ (Clubs) and ‘Giants like Shell and Mosanto who rape the Earth’ (Spades). The idea behind the collection was that with all four themes connected, “we can win the fight for the free world, first step: switch to Green Energy Supplier”(Vivienne Westwood). Her environmentally friendly agenda featured fishnets stuffed with recyclable waste which acted as a reminder of our individual responsibility to help the world be more sustainable.

Yet there is one brand in particular that has gone all

image credit - http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/view-image.php?image=170257&picture=&jazyk=ES

the way to protect the planet with the production of sustainable fashion without compromising on aesthetics.

Rhetorik is a carbon-footprint-conscious brand that was founded by ex-Cardiff University students. The brand produces organic clothing that is sustainable from its production in an ethically accredited wind powered factory all the way down to its biodegradable packaging. Their minimal waste policy means they don’t cut corners when it comes to being as sustainable as possible. Moreover, Rhetorik are completely transparent with their production process; their website (https:// rhetorik.teemill.co.uk) allows customers to see where the material comes from and the production process.

No secrets, just sustainably sourced and produced clothes! Rhetorik is inspired by underground music and festival culture, their must-have collection features basic tees and hoodies with eye-catching illustrative designs.

This eco-conscious brand is certainly doing their bit to reduce the increasingly urgent environmental problems, and they’re not stopping there. Rhetorik have their minds set on furthering their mark on sustainable fashion; they plan to make colourful festival clothes using recycled materials in the near future.

This independent clothing brand encourages consumers to be true to themselves and to view the world with the motto: ‘Live true”, their consumerism is ethical to those in the production process whilst also looking at the bigger picture and helping protect the planet from destructive production processes that are unfortunately common in the fashion industry. They offer standout products with geometric illustrative logos that are ethical and kind to the planet. So why not support a Cardiff-grown brand and ask yourself and those around you: what will you do to help save our planet?

Ultimately, the environmental argument can’t be ignored any longer, the fashion industry has to take responsibility for its destructive effect. Despite the efforts made with the release of sustainable brands and collections, drastic climate change remains a frightening prospect. This issue needs urgent addressing. We need critical change to a sustainable mind-set not only throughout all brands and companies, but within society and Rhetorik are one of the brands kick starting this push to a completely

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As demonstrated above, small brands and sartorial giants alike are making significant efforts to reduce their damage on the environment and intake of limited natural resources. By doing so they lead a pivotal movement towards a more sustainable future for the fashion industry where the production lines for fashion are environmentally friendly through and through. By paving a less damaging future for the fashion industry, we help to preserve the planet for its future inhabitants. Let’s reduce water pollution, let’s reduce the use of limited resources, let’s reduce the commercial intake of chemicals, let’s be sustainable.

Innovation is essential if we are to catalyse the revolution to create a mindset where only the sustainable is done. The fashion industries policies, practices, processes and products need to be revised. If not, the planet will remain with an ever increasing threat.

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It is essential that we as consumers become aware of the damaging effects of the production of our favourite clothing items and accessories, as the greed of western culture is the fuel that drains our natural resources. In order to reduce the environmental impact of the fashion industry, consumers need to put pressure on suppliers to publicly disclose their negative footprint on the environment; by making brands transparent, they will be more conscious of where and how their products are made.

FASHION AND BEAUTY

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sustainable industry. However, the eco-friendly pioneers can only do so much, it is down to us consumers to make the conscious decision to buy products from ethically acclaimed backgrounds and support the brands that are trying to save our planet, one collection at a time.

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The Dark Side of Fashion and Beauty

WORDS BY: BETHAN LAWRENCE DESIGN BY: STEPH ROWE

For hours I’ve sat hopelessly gazing at pictures of blonde models, with the perfect tan, hair and body, spread across a beautiful beach with an even more beautiful boyfriend. But alas, is this the truth? Are we simply conditioned to believe that people actually live the perfect Instagram life?

Our Instagram feeds are dominated with carefully curated images of perfection that catalyse our insecurities. For years I have been obsessed with looking like my favourite Instagram stars who appear to have the ideal life and flawless body without breaking a sweat. No matter how many times I go to the gym, or dye my hair, or practice my makeup, I will never look like these women.

But why should I feel insecure and invalidated just because my body is built differently to another woman’s? We all do it. We all hold ourselves to unrealistic standards.

Body image is an issue that dominates our culture, and it is not just social media that perpetuates a toxic mentality.

The fashion and beauty industry are guilty of catalysing a fetishisation of the female form, with the female body being exhibited as the ultimate commodity. Brands rely on body insecurities to sell products - if you scroll through Instagram and see a seemingly flawless bikini model telling you that her perfection is due to a specific product, we’re conditioned to concede. But you aren’t simply buying the product, you’re buying into a culture which capitalises off your anxieties, perpetuating a destructive cycle of self-loathing. We are inherently receptive to the messages demonstrating our bodies, which are the centrality and essence of our livelihoods, as flawed, and thus we fall further victim to the assault of beauty and fashion campaigns which are entirely dependent on furthering body insecurities for financial gain. In turn, women are permanently engaged in the struggle with culturally-induced body anxiety, which is exacerbated by relentless advertising via billboards, television, film and campaigns.

This capitalisation of insecurities curates a spiraling toxic mindset that is incredibly dangerous. Feeling fat or feeling ugly is now a parallel to feeling powerless, within ourselves and in larger society. Regulating body size is now an obsession, with quick fixes such as skinny teas being brandished across every form of social media with a seemingly perfect girl alongside. This representation of unrealistic beauty standards as the norm is becoming an epidemic, with 1.6 million people in the UK affected by an eating disorder. The conditioning that we should fit a certain ideal is proving such an issue that major brands are finally starting to turn their heads. Getty Images, for example, has announced that it is banning all photoshopped images of models and in May, a French law was passed requiring models to present a doctor’s note proving a healthy body mass index, with any agency breaching the law facing a fine of up to €75,000 or imprisonment of up to six months, as an attempt to help reduce the fetishisation of unhealthy body ideals.

However, ultimately, we remain suffocated by marketing that essentially bullies us into buying products, and no matter what slimming tea, dresses, or perfumes we buy, we are left chasing an unattainable ideal. With trends constantly shifting, as consumers we are left suspended in a liminal space, waiting for someone to confirm what we have to be insecure about next. Gone are the days of the waif Kate Moss-esque models where we no longer subscribe to ‘heroin chic’ yet according to Julie Burchill in The Mail On Sunday, this branch away from the ultra-thin supermodel is not necessarily a “liberating step forwards towards women being accepted for what they are, but yet another variation on the same old song; men trading in older models - literally - for this year’s model.” Indeed, Burchill is correct when she suggests that in our society no woman seems to have the right to feel confident for a long period. For example, with the recent magnification of the Kardashian brand we are now told that being curvy is okay but this comes with conditions - you can have boobs and a bum but only if everything else is tight and tucked in; it’s the same superficial ideals just manifested in an alternative way. And with the beauty and fashion body trends changing regularly, it will always remain a woman’s task to conform to them.

Everyone has insecurities about the way they look; you think you can subscribe to cultural ideals, change the way you look and the rest of your life will change. It doesn’t happen and it is simply time for everyone to finally decide that enough is enough.

The Tumblr-style ‘thigh gap’ was my first encounter with the dark side of the fashion industry. A ‘niche’ look made mainstream and glamorised. The definition of ‘attractive’ was shifted, and difference pushed aside.

The ‘thigh gap’ presented an image often far removed from the average girl, a look that was even anatomically impossible for some. As a result, it left with it insecurities that lasted far longer than the fad, and the fashion industry proved itself to be an exclusive arena.

- Lucy Wilkinson I believe that some of my insecurities towards my body can be linked to the recent proliferation of fashion advertising on social media. Celebrities often use social media to promote idealistic body goals through repetitive touched-up photography. Although I am fully aware of this - being a millennial and social media OBSESSED - it doesn’t stop me from my daily stalk on their profiles, fuelling my never-ending body envy… Consequently, when fashion brands partner up with these celebrities, I’m regularly exposed to a false representation of a product and begin to form a distorted perception of how it should look on my body. So, when the changing room mirror reflects a contrasting image back at me, it normally leads to a lack of self-confidence and a lot of tears!

- Danni Diston

Fashion advertisements are charming: the models’ poses, the captivating gazes, the harmonious shape the clothes take, the atmosphere. All of this creates a form of art which has always intrigued me and has helped me develop the fascination I now have towards fashion. However, these statuesque women have impacted on my daily life in two different ways. We think that models need to be gorgeous, but uniqueness is what makes a model stand out. Hence, I have learnt to appreciate different types of beauty, but their beauty has impacted on my self-esteem on a visceral level.

- Vittoria Zerbini

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music. That is obvious. It becomes an emblem of their personality and how they wish to express themselves.

Except, what if music has no longer become the focal way a musician portrays their branding? What if there’s a secondary method?

Fashion is rapidly becoming the key to a good brand image for musicians. A musician without their identifiable garments becomes a musician without a backing track. There’s no support. The power of clothes is created by the connection it brings both the musician and the fan. A fan’s loyalty often manifests itself into the desire to mirror and as they are unable to replicate their favourites voices, it seems only logical that their style is next.

Even if it’s on the designer end of the spectrum, we could theoretically purchase pretty much anything our favourite musician wears.

We see musicians use their fashion tastes to enhance their brand image all the time, in all styles of fashion.

Kanye’s music may have been the origin of his fame empire, but right now his brand Yeezy is casting a shadow over all that. Kanye is fast becoming one of the ultimate street wear icons, so much so that a pair of Yeezy Boost 350’s can retail upwards of £1200. His casual street style aesthetic appeals to the masses but is limited enough (and expensive enough) that only a minority can fight for an item in the latest drop. The fashion of those such as Kanye, A$AP Rocky, Frank Ocean (to name a few) is crucial for them to link to their fans. The stereotypical people who listen to their music genre have a strong identity with their fashion choices and these three musicians are all prominent icons in the street style culture. Empowering the female side, Rihanna has joined up with Puma to create the Fenty brand. Fenty covers fashion and makeup and has been a blowup success from the day of its release. Fenty Beauty, the makeup aspect of the brand, has deservedly created waves in the industry with the primary focus of inclusivity. The latest release of foundations consists of forty shades to acknowledge and cater to every skin tone. This was a fantastic marketing strategy by Rihanna. Not only has she helped certain skin tones feel recognised, her name (and brand) has become amplified through this. Through involving herself in the fashion and beauty industry, Rihanna’s name is now echoed in both music and fashion, enlarging her fan base and increasing awareness of who she is. A move every high rising star desires.

Musicians and bands certainly do not need to go to the extent of creating a fashion or beauty line to use fashion strategically. Just the style of attire they pick is enough. Through certain outfit choices, it becomes easy to associate a musician with a certain genre of music without hearing a note of their songs. The 1975, for example, are styled predominantly in black. Black skinny jeans, black leather jackets, black boots. Their grungy, dare I say ‘edgy’ style, incorporates their music and they become at one with their tunes. Those who are fans of the music tend to dress similarly to them and so the music, the band and the fans become connected through fashion.

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Discussing the combination of fashion and musicians will ultimately lead to Lady Gaga. Who until recently has been famously known for her bold choices in outfits. Dressing in meat and immense platform shoes created a buzz around her that everyone was aware of. The hype lead to an increased awareness of Lady Gaga, who became anticipated at award ceremonies and public appearances. In turn, Lady Gaga managed to create an image to be desired and her fashion become just as, maybe even sometimes more, desired than her music.

Her dress sense became just as much part of her image as her songs and it developed into an important aspect of her brand, creating a notable and iconic figure.

It’s not just clothing that helps an artist express themselves. Makeup can play a key role in a musician or bands aesthetics, giving them unique looks or the chance for fans to mimic their favourite stars. Bands such as KISS, with their recognisable white and black contrasting makeup generated a look that made them famous. Having an outlandish makeup look isn’t the only way to draw attention through cosmetics. Simple but effective looks can go a long way and become a powerful identifier to an artist. Adele brings the winged eyeliner look to perfection in the cover of both her albums 21 and 25. A winged eyeliner look is now completely tied to Adele’s image and her album covers are easily identified through this. So much so that an Adele inspired makeup tutorial will ALWAYS consist of a flick of eyeliner, it’s part of who Adele is to the public.

To embody a genre of music nowadays is to also make sure it reflects through your outfit. The first glimpse of an artist needs to give a general sense of the music that they perform. It is important they get it right and with the help of professional stylists, capturing a whole lifestyle through fashion is easy. Music is a lifestyle to some, and there is a blurred boundary between someone’s music taste and the way they dress and express themselves. Music is a powerful tool, but fashion lends both the artist and the listener a way to express the music in a single glance.

We need the outfits they wear, just as much as the musician does.

WORDS BY: BRYONY STEPHENS DESIGN BY: NIAMH BLACKETT

FASHION & BEAUTY

The soul of a musician is

46

Being addicted to makeup and having to stick to a budget while in university is not exactly fun. Often, I’ve found myself walking past makeup stores with closed eyes and clenched fists, knowing that if I lay one foot through the doors, another £100 will most likely disappear from my account. Fortunately, over the years I’ve found a couple of drugstore gems that are a great substitute for your favourite high-end products and that won’t make you choose between a week of groceries or a new mascara. So, without further ado, here they are:

WORDS BY: YANA MILCHEVA DESIGN BY: LUCY APRAHAMIAN

Nars Blush Bronzer Duo-Hot Sand/Laguna (£30) VS Sleek Face Contour Kit (£7)

Benefit High Beam Complexion Enhancer (£21.50)

If you’re not willing to spend £30 on a blush and bronzer duo, you won’t go wrong with this Sleek contour kit. This cheaper alternative is not only very similar in design, but also just as pigmented and easy to blend. The highlight gives you exactly the right amount of shimmer and is great for both day looks and nights out.

VS

W7 Night Glow Illuminator (£5.95) While I do love Benefit product, I am not particularly excited about spending a crazy amount every month for not that much product, which is why I’m happy to have stumbled upon W7’s dupe for their famous and much loved highlighter. Even though the W7 one is a bit runny and not as pigmented as Benefit’s original, it still does a good job in giving your skin a healthy, noticeable glow and it’s great for daily use.

LANCÔME HYPNÔSE Drama Mascara (£24.50) VS

Kylie Lip Kit ($29)

Essence I Love Extreme (£2.90)

Both of the mascaras, with their super-sized, curved brushes, are meant to make your lashes more voluminous and dramatic. Even though it might seem like a suspiciously cheap dupe, the Essence mascara is actually a really good find. It’s been tried and tested many times, from the gym to the night clubs. It’ll make your lashes significantly thicker and longer even with one coat and it doesn’t smudge throughout the day.

VS

Revolution Retro Luxe Kit (£6) We’ve all considered purchasing a KylieLip Kit at some point. However, if you still haven’t made this important step into upgrading your makeup collection, Revolution offer a good and significantly more affordable alternative.

Their matte lip kits are really pigmented, do not dry your lips and, while they might not last full 24 hours, the colour pay-off and pigmentation are still very good and the lip liner is soft and easy to apply.

Benefit 3D BROWtones eyebrow enhancer (£20)

VS

Maybelline Brow Drama Sculpting Mascara (£6) Your brow game can finally be on point without breaking the bank. I love the brow gel by Maybelline for making my brows a bit darker and creating that thick, unruly look. A little bit of the product goes a long way, but you might need a bit of practice getting used to the oddlyshaped brush.

47 FASHION & BEAUTY

Jumper dress - Primark, £13 Tights - New Look, £3 Black Fauz Fur Coat Topshop, £3 Red Bag - M&S , £27.50 Black Suede Boots Ted Baker, £140

Walking in a Walking in a Walking in a winter winter winter wonderland. wonderland. wonderland.

48

49 FASHION & BEAUTY

Menswear Shirt - hobos £20 Jumper - m&S Vintage mens coat - Rokit london £25 Jeans - H&M £25 shoes - doc marten £100

WOMENSWEAR GOLD CHOKER - vintage top and trouser co-ord - boohoo £15 coat - Prettylittlething £60

50

Coat - British heart foundation charity shop £12 jumper - oxfam charity shop £3 Bag - Primark £12 Ring - Primark, (pack of 6) £1 Earrings - Primark £2

Photograph taken at Cardiff’s Winter Wonderland by Rachel Jefferies and Molly Wyatt Models in order of appearance: Rachel Jefferies, Molly wyatt & Jack lupton

51

remake, reboot, There is no doubt about it that Hollywood loves a good remake. There are constant whispers of remakes or reboots in production and we all seem to have a Marmite love/hate relationship with the idea. Is it what the public demands?

Is it a phase that we’re going through? Or is it the industry’s reliable way of making money and guaranteeing viewership?

Let’s look at the blockbuster phenomenon of Superhero movies. By 2007, we had three Spider-Man films, starring Tobey Maguire. Five years later, we had the first reboot, The Amazing Spider-Man. Now earlier this year, another reboot was released, Spider-Man Homecoming. With the recent reboot, its reasoning was created to bring the character into the Avengers franchise, creating the character younger to be able to use in more films. This can also be said for the 2015 Fantastic Four film. While fans have been thrilled with the new adaptations, like with Spiderman Homecoming and his comedic input to the Avengers films, they have also been very disappointed.

The 2015 remake of Fantastic Four was not well received at the box office or the fans.

MCU is sprouting out a superhero movie every year. Although they are a mixture of reboots and sequels and a new origin movie here and there, this slow intertwining of film is creating multimillion franchises that also appease the fans.

Globally, Disney might be the worst culprit of them all…yet the most genius. What better way to make money and entertain an audience of all ages, than to remake the beloved childhood cartoon films into live action productions? Magic coming to life before our very eyes! Beauty and the Beast is currently the top-grossing film of 2017 with the live-action remake of The Jungle Book was ranked fourth top-grossing film of last year. Although, what with Finding Dory taking the number two spot on the list, it poses the idea that sequels are equally popular. I’m sure this will be verified with the upcoming release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi later this year.

Interestingly, the current top-grossing films of 2017 worldwide were a mixture of remakes and sequels including the second instalment of Guardians of the Galaxy and the third instalment of Despicable Me. The only original film was the widely successful Dunkirk.

DESIGN BY: K ATIE HUX TABLE

Every year, the Oscars celebrate a number of films that are standalone films, yet none of them were featured in the top grossing films list. This also seems to be the only time we are subjected to new and original plotlines. Even with the new Netflix Originals, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the content will be original. Death Note has been remade a number of times in Japanese and anime culture. Netflix even has the TV series available on the streaming service.

In past years, remakes were not seen as commonly on TV, however, TV producers are branching off existing shows and forming new storylines, and this came about the birth of the spin-off show. Young Sheldon, the spin-off show originating from The Big Bang Theory can be seen as an example of this. Other successful examples include Cardiff ’s very own Torchwood (originating from Doctor Who) and Better Call Saul (from the one and only Breaking Bad).

Producers are focusing on producing entertainment that is going to have a guaranteed viewership, and one way to ensure this, is by transforming film into Television and vice versa. The Flash was rebooted as a TV series in 2014, now another Flash has made small appearances in Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad and soon to be starring in the upcoming Justice League and recently announcing Flashpoint. Is this a little confusing? Possibly. Especially now the Human Torch is Captain America and Clark Gregg went from film to TV. And don’t get me started about the whole Joker/Suicide Squad bonanza. It’s enough to make your head spin!

With so many different films and programmes being remade, it’s difficult to find a clear pattern in what content is used or left. Even Freaky Friday is getting a restyle for the third time, and I for sure am eagerly awaiting the rumoured High School Musical TV reboot. We live in an age inundated with remakes, reboots and restyles.

Who knows how long it will go? But as long as money is being made and the fans and audiences are enjoying themselves, we could be seeing the same content over and over and over again.

“by 2007, we had three SPIDER-MAN films, starring TOBEY MAGUIRE. five years later, we had the first reboot, THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN. now earlier this year, another reboot was released, SPIDER-MAN HOMECOMING.”

BY ELIZABETH BECKETT

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nicholas_Hammond_Amazing_Spider-Man_1977.JPG

When thinking about remakes I can’t help but think of the recent Planet Of the Apes trilogy. Starting with 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes, 2014’s Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and concluding with War for the Planet of the Apes in 2017, this trilogy shows how remakes should be handled. It is better to expand than retread.

What makes this recent trilogy truly remarkable to me is how, unlike many remakes, these films enrich the source material by referencing elements of the original work but also having their own self-contained, isolated and independent stories.

This balance not only adds depth to the world we’re shown but also allows writers to create original characters. I believe this makes for richer films than recent remakes and “soft-reboots”, which chose not to deviate too far from the source material and opted to retell the original story, giving an uneasy sense of déjavu. The recent Ghostbusters reboot, for example, makes several changes but follows the original beat for beat.

There is also a growing trend of remakes for modern audiences who prefer faster-paced films, like the 1999 version of The Haunting, which butchers what made the original great.

BY ANTHONY STONESTREET

52

remake, reboot,

Remakes are inherently hard to like. They either seem nothing like the original loved or hew so close to the source that the final product is simply a worthless retread. In the rare case when a remake justifies its existence, the old is blended with the new. In John Carpenter’s seminal 1982 sci-fi horror classic The Thing, the claustrophobia of Howard Hawk’s 1951 original – The Thing from Another World – is meshed with a paranoiac uncertainty. Rob Bottin’s gory visual effects add gleefully disgusting memorability to the central monster. The film, sadly overlooked upon its release thanks to the mammoth box-office success E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, is a masterclass of suspense, wound tight by a taut intensity that builds brilliantly because of the incredible pacing. Needless to say, it surpasses the original by a country mile. The same can’t be said for Gus van Sant’s 1998 remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. Remaking one of the greatest films of all time is no easy feat, but van Sant – usually a strong director – makes the blandest creative choice imaginable and simply recreates, shot-for-shot, the entire film. The only conceivable difference is that the film is in colour, but this only serves to strip it of the original’s bleak darkness.

Since the remake seems to be the latest trend in Hollywood, many people have already capitalised on it and, like with anything famous, are trying to draw attention to its negative aspects. Practically every trailer for the reboot of a popular franchise is infested with tons of comments claiming the remake will get it ‘wrong’ and that filmmakers should spend their time creating something new.

I am partly guilty of this; I personally didn’t understand why Disney has started churning out live action copies of its classic animated masterpieces. But when I watched Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast I found them to be very well done films that kept the spirit of the fairy tales I loved, which was impressive, since the originals were already so good.

However, that means that a bad film could be rebooted and made even better. The filmmaker has the chance to take a concept with potential that hadn’t been fully explored before and expand it further. The key is to keep the heart and soul of the original story, and remakes that flop, fail to do so. It’s not about copying something 100%, it’s a second chance to tell a story while giving people a new experience.

BY CHRISTOPHER JONES Modern film remakes are growing more and more common by the year, as studio executives discovered a way of getting people to pay money for something they’ve already seen. Like the watered down, practically frame-by-frame remake of Sam Peckinpah’s Straw Dogs (1971). Sadly, it was Rod Lurie’s remake in 2011 that lacked the intensity and tension of the first film. Instead, it was not only difficult to watch but a box office bomb, recording a $15 million loss. So maybe remakes aren’t a great money spinner after all.

BY MERIEL DHANOWA

image from vimeo

An exception, however, to its credit, is Brian De Palma’s Scarface (1983). The 1932 original followed a gangster in the prohibition era which was enforced at the time of filming, yet the 1983 remake follows the rise in drug smuggling and more specifically the cocaine industry in the 1980s. Al Pacino’s portrayal of Cuban gangster, Tony Montana incarnated one of Hollywood’s most notorious and iconic gangsters. Just shy of three hours in length, De Palma makes up for the original’s lack of colour and capitalises on the technology available, to produce a film full of emotion and colour that really captured the period in which it was set.

BY HARRY SEYMOUR

“When I watched Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast I found them to be very well done films that kept the spirit of the fairy tales I loved.”

53

Do you ever just watch a sitcom and think wow, that character needs more screentime? Or goodness, this gem needs their own show? Well, we asked Quench contributors the same thing, and this is our definitive list of those sitcom underdogs...

Gunther from Friends

Which character, outside the core six, starred in the most episodes of Friends?

Most will guess one of the J’s – Jack, Judy or Janice - but the correct answer is actually the one and only, Gunther.

James Michael Tyler featured in around 150 episodes.

That’s over half of the 258 episodes of Friends; more than Jack, Judy, Janice, Richard, Carol, Estelle, Emily, Mike, AND Charlie put together!

Gunther was a reliable character and, much like the coffee house, became a source of comfort (Let’s skip over the part where he told Rachel that Ross had slept with Chloe, even though THEY WERE ON A BREAK).

Gunther was in Central Perk serving coffee through all the break-ups, rediscovered family members, babies, weddings and career changes.

In fact, Gunther had a career change himself, from barista to manager, when Crane and Kauffman knocked off Central Perk’s original manager, ‘Terry the Jerk’, after only two episodes!

For an actor who was never supposed to have a name, let alone a speaking part, 150 episodes aren’t too bad going!

How can we not L-O-V-E love him? This man bleached his hair purely for our (and Phoebe’s) happiness for ten whole years! Next time you watch a Friends episode, look out for Gunther and his fantastic shirt/tie combinations.

He and his ties will brighten your day.

- Lydia Ractliffe

Elena

from One Day at a Time One Day at a Time hit Netflix last January, and whilst

securing a second season for 2018, it failed to become a beloved sitcom to watch over tea. It’s a (terribly underrated) remake of a 1970s sitcom, placing a Cuban-American family at the centre of your average sitcom struggles. The most underrated character in this programme is Elena, the family’s fifteen-year-old feminist daughter. She’s funny, smart and socially conscious. The latter half of the series deals with her coming out arch which is heartfelt and lovely – she’s spared the ridicule which usually comes with being LGBT+ in a sitcom.

The lovable thing about Elena is that she’s genuine, funny and relatable. She’s what Modern Family’s Alex should have been because her intelligence doesn’t make her unapproachable. Not every girl with glasses is an anti-social outcast. Kids should have more characters like Elena to look up to, as opposed to being told that if you’re clever, you’re weird. Elena’s story is touching and funny, and her activism doesn’t make her a social justice caricature. Underdogs like Elena are out there, fighting the corner for more representation like this, so let’s try to make her overrated.

- Alys Jones

Jared

from Silicon Valley

In a show about tech geeks, you’d think the standard of coolness would be fairly low. Yet even in Silicon Valley, where protagonist Richard Hendricks and his band of nerdy computer whizzes try (against all odds) to make it big, Jared Dunn always seems to be the weird, lanky outsider. Jared isn’t even his real name: just the one given to him by a self-absorbed and domineering boss, who, like the rest of the cast, seem to walk all over him. Despite being sidelined, Jared has still given us some of the best quips across all four seasons of the 2014 sitcom. When he first shows up on Richard’s doorstep apologising awkwardly for frightening him with his “somewhat ghost-like features”, Jared immediately singles himself out as a hilariously lovable (and painfully self-aware) weirdo.

So even if we don’t give him as much attention as the founding members of the Pied Piper company, Jared remains a vital part of the show. Besides, as he himself says, he wouldn’t mind being sidelined one bit: “I mean, we’re all cool here, but we know each other. So obviously, when Dinesh calls me retarded Frankenstein, or he describes me as AIDS lady, or Gilfoyle refers to me as effeminate K.D.Lang, I know this is a joke among friends.”

- Isobel Roach

FILM & TV

Sitcoms’ Side Chicks

54

Jerry

Gerard

from Parks and Recreation

from Peep Show

Jerry (or Garry, Larry, Terry, Barry...) Gergich from NBC’s Parks and Recreation is one of the most underrated underdogs of sitcom television. Portrayed by Jim O’Heir in the series, Jerry is depicted a bumbling and clumsy city council worker, but is so much more to devoted fans of the series and casual viewers alike. Although all characters in this show provide comic relief, Jerry’s comedic moments are almost always derived from his kind-hearted nature, which makes for heartfelt (but also hilarious) moments in the series. Perhaps my personal favourite Jerry moment is in Season 3’s “Jerry’s Painting”, when he paints a portrait of Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) of what he deems a “strong and powerful” representation of her. It turns out to be a bare-chested centaur, must to Leslie’s dismay. Another comedic and heartwarming moment for Jerry’s character is in the Season 4 finale, in which he reveals that he had forgotten to vote for Leslie in the city council election. Luckily, Leslie wins the election anyhow, but the sheer terror on Jerry’s face that he may have caused her defeat in the race is enough to make anybody care for this sweet character. Although he is often the target of jokes in the show (with his coworkers constantly changing his name and imitating his errors), Jerry truly is one of sitcom’s most underrated characters and will always have a place in our hearts for his humility, kindness and hilarious mistakes (that are always solved in the end).

- Tatum Stafford

As far as sitcom characters go, you’d be hard-pressed to find one less visually impressive than Gerrard Matthew.

His tube-clad nose, alarming medical history and seemingly juvenile obsession with action figures make him one of the physically and socially weakest characters in the show. Nevertheless, this loser plays an invaluable role. By Peep Show’s fourth series, audiences had begun to sympathise with Mark Corrigan, and look past his questionable moral compass. A character was needed to show just how much of a weak man Mark really is. Enter Gerrard. Working at JLB, Gerrard’s physical weakness is immediately seized upon by Mark (“that’s not very business-like”) who then unsuccessfully tries to use him as a scapegoat (“my Elephant man!”) in his failure to formulate Project Zeus. Here, even in his eagerness to be accepted, Gerrard still morally defeats Mark. The pair’s battle continues as both characters attempt to woo Dobby. Although initially in a better position than Gerrard, Mark’s jealousy continues to get the better of him as his desperate attempts to undermine his rival inevitably end in self-defeat. Although Gerrard’s immune system ultimately defeats him as he dies of the flu - that is SO Gerrard – he gets the last laugh, as Dobby soon leaves Mark after seeing him for who he really is.

Mark is left despondent as he begins to reflect on how Gerrard is “shitting on him from heaven, like a dead jealous pigeon”.

- John Jones

Doris

from Gavin and Stacey An underrated character of a sitcom is undeniably Doris from Gavin and Stacey. On the surface, you would see her as your average sweet little elderly neighbour to Gwen and Stacey but really is one of the darkest horses of the sitcom. Not afraid to speak her mind, she often comes out with sexual innuendos and inappropriate comments, often directed at Gavin, frequently hinting (not so subtly) at her lust for Gav. The whole ‘salad’ situation is gold, not making a salad due to Nessa’s debts and then referring to her as ‘fatty’, not the term your friendly elderly neighbour would use for sure.

Even sticking her fingers to Bryn, exclaiming “fuck your salad” is also not something you would expect a lady called Doris to do. Another example is her relationship with young man, Scott, who is scene coming out of her house in one episode, and she describes him as ‘‘good as gold’’. So really, Doris is not the innocent old lady we’d expect her to be, rather the exact opposite.

- Hannah Sedgewick

55 FILM & TV

Image Source: IMDb

Film Reviews Kingsman: The Golden Circle Kingsman: The Golden Circle is, in one word, disappointing.

The villain, Rosie, was a 2-dimensional character. She had no substance, no motive and nothing to do. Rosie was a cardboard cut-out character who could have not been in the film at all and would have made basically no difference. The Statesman similarly suffered, which is a great shame because there was such great potential here as many of the American counterparts were well cast – I only wish they were less underdeveloped.

Colin Firth, as much as I love him, is completely unnecessary. Not only could his parts of the film been undertaken by Mark Strong’s Merlin (which I feel would have been much better story-wise) but his resurrection undermines the courageous decision to kill him off in the original film. Speaking of Merlin, his death scene was handled superbly, but from a story perspective, I feel that they shouldn’t have killed him off at all, at least not yet given the close bond developing between him and Eggsy.

The return of Charlie and what the writers did with his character was one of the film’s few redeeming features. They brought him back in a way that made sense (unlike Firth’s ‘magic jelly’) and developed a strong character out of him. Good job.

The film had great potential, but vastly underdeveloped.

- Samuel Capper DESIGN BY: ASHLEY BOYLE

Blade Runner 2049 The long-awaited follow up to the film that set the sci-fi bar high, Blade Runner 2049 manages to fulfil grand expectations. Delivering a reflective and prescriptive dystopia, the film takes the themes of the original and introduces today’s biggest questions on being human, playing god and how we should be navigating artificial intelligence.

Blade Runner 2049, as expected, is visually stunning, bringing the aesthetics of the first film into the 21st century with bleak portrayals of the decaying planet and the dirty bustle of the city. The score is incredible – Zimmer and Wallfisch leave you feeling miserable, hopeful and shaken to the core.

Ryan Gosling’s portrayal of Blade Runner ‘K’ is perfect – an average Joe silently grappling with his own existential crisis while outwardly keeping his cool. Unfortunately, Jared Leto’s performance as the creepy CEO of the Tyrell corporation seemed comic-book-esque and unbelievable. We all await Harrison Ford’s appearance in the film, and he doesn’t disappoint as an aged, weary Deckard reminding us of the human emotion of being a replicant.

From beginning to end, Blade Runner 2049 expands on the world hinted at in the first Blade Runner, and throws together a concoction of themes that you may find yourself contemplating long after. Humanity, ownership, systematic patriarchy. It’s not only everything you expect from the follow up to Ridley Scott’s modern classic – it’s so much more.

- Nadine Pinnock

Image Source: ScienceFiction.

56 Goodbye Christopher Robin is the bittersweet biopic of A. A. Milne’s relationship with his son Christopher that inspired the creation of the much-loved classic character, Winnie the Pooh.

If you saw the trailer, believing that the film would be a syrupy saccharine ball of charm and not worth any substance, you’ll be happy to know that is not the case. Almost immediately the audience is thrown into a horrific experience of World War one alongside Milne (Domhnall Gleeson) as he hears deafening gunshots and sees rotting corpses of soldiers. This is the key to sympathising with Milne when he returns from France with clear PTSD and can’t understand how everyone else, including his wife (Margot Robbie), is expecting life to go back to normal. It is only when circumstances leave him alone with Christopher (Will Tilston), does Milne truly get to know his son and take joy in creating a world with Christopher’s favourite toy as the star. This is where the sentimentality is at its finest.

However, the film deviates from the famous author biopic formula in that the story doesn’t stop after the book is published.

You witness the world getting swept up in the craze and the effect it has on Christopher. It doesn’t shy away from the negative consequences of fame as the boy has to deal with intrusive reporters and fans, as well as his parents neglecting him once again.

Whilst the film is soaked in the style of the early 1900s, the issue it raises of putting a young child in the public eye is still relevant today.

It might be disheartening to see the sadder elements of the story, but if you’re interested to know how the bear that shaped many childhoods came to be, Goodbye Christopher Robin is definitely worth a watch.

- Meriel Dhanowa Image Source: IMDb

The Snowman The film follows a serial killer in Norway, leaving a creepy looking snowman at every crime scene whilst being hunted by the country’s best detective, who is riddled with alcoholism and sleep deprivation. The Snowman features a stellar cast of Michael Fassbender, Charlotte Gainsbourg, J.K. Simmons, Chloë Sevigny and Val Kilmer. It’s directed by Tomas Alfredson and written by Paul Straughan (both Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy). On paper, it’s incredible. So, what’s not to love? Well, the fact that it falls flat on its face.

The initial storytelling is compelling. Rural Norway, a dead mother, a child left angry and orphaned. Jump twenty years into the future, and we have a spate of murders of women of a similar age to the age of the mother. It doesn’t take a genius to connect the two.

Fassbender leads the investigation and hunt for the killer, but his performance feels stuck in second gear. Sure, he plays the troubled cop well, but there’s no terror, despair or desperation in his eyes.

The plot is clumsy throughout. From the second murder, too many characters are thrown into the mix. Rather than adding to the mystery, it simply feels like bad story-telling, as if the film began filming before a conclusion had even been written.

J.K. Simmons’ appearance raises hopes that the film is about to take off, but again, his character lacks any form of depth, leaving his inclusion mystifying. Likewise, Kilmer adds very little, and anybody expecting big things from an impressive cast will be left disappointed.

Some shoddy plot holes toward a predictable climax suck any remaining momentum out of the film, and the viewer really is left wondering what could have been had it delivered. It could have been a chilling thriller, instead, The Snowman was more of a lukewarm bore.

- Gareth Axenderrie

Loving Vincent

Image Source: IMDb

Film is an art in its own right, yet Loving Vincent combines the raw texture of over 65,000 frames of oil paintings with the fluidity and emotional connection of cinema to create something tranquil, exquisite and truly breath-taking. First shot in real life and then projected onto canvas and painted by over 100 artists over seven years, Hugh Welchman and Dorota Kobeila’s film is truly a labour of love and respect.

Beginning one year after the death of Vincent Van Gogh, we follow Armande Roulin (Douglas Booth) attempting to deliver a letter to Vincent’s brother Theo, only to find him also recently deceased. Like the paintings, on screen, the plot is constantly morphing, uncovering the last months of his life before becoming a hunt for the truth about how Van Gogh really died. This is performed by an impeccable cast portraying a number of Van Gogh’s real sitters (including Saoirse Ronan, Chris O’Dowd and Eleanor Tomlinson) bringing a stark realisation to the tragic tale before your eyes.

This may sound like an unusual plea but stay for the credits; whilst ‘Starry Night’ evocatively plays you watch the frames of the actors alongside Van Gogh’s original portraits with quotes regarding their history, poignantly emphasising his ferocious talent, early death and waste of genius (he never went to art school yet produced over 900 paintings, selling only one). Hyper sensual, the swirling landscapes and extraordinary colour are something that I have never witnessed in film, every brush stroke pulsating on screen beautifully evoking the depth and texture of Van Gogh’s work, although this did leave me with a slight sense of motion sickness.

Despite not having a fast-paced plot or a dynamic script, with the latter occasionally feeling overly expositional, the film still manages to captivate and entrance with a serene score and enchanting performances from all involved. It is this blend between biopic and fantasy which brings a new perspective to Van Gogh’s already vibrant work and makes Loving Vincent a work of art.

- Phoebe Todd

FILM & TV

Image Source: Glamour

Goodbye Christopher Robin

57

Apple Conference: A Summary

FROM THE BRAND NEW, SHINY IPHONE X TO IOS, SANDRA BERGER DISCUSSES WHAT APPLE HAS IN STORE FOR US. WORDS BY: SANDRA BERGER DESIGN BY: LUCY APRAHAMIAN

Some of us love it, some of us hate it; I think it is amazing to see how big an impact the Apple conference has every year. Whichever side you’re on, almost everyone is curious what a new generation of Apple products will bring us.

The Apple conference this year took place in the newly opened Steve Jobs Theater, and current Apple CEO Tim Cook made sure to take some time to remind everyone about Steve, his life, and his vision of the company.

Notably, he reminded us that Steve wanted to use technology and design to make life simple and pretty.

From the technical point of view, this year Apple offered us next generation of the Apple Watch, two new iPhones as well as an idea of the general direction future iOS updates.

For Apple Watches, future updates will focus on activity tracker applications. We can now pick from a bigger range of training apps designed specific activities such as swimming and high intensity training. The existing heart rate monitoring now also sends a notification when you seem to not be exercising, but your heart rate goes up. The new series 3 watches are around the same size as series 2, but it now operates with faster processor.

Apple have also taken the step of making the new Apple Watches cellular as well, meaning you can now send text messages and call contacts from your Apple Watch. In keep the watch the same size despite these upgrades, the screen also operates as an antenna keeping the design compact. As always, they prepared new wrist straps, designed to meet the customer needs from every age and demographic; introducing a wide range of casual, sports and formal leather bands. The Apple Watch has been a big success, and is the highest rated watch in the world, overtaking even Rolex with 97% customer satisfaction rate. It is quite expensive, with series 3 watched with only GPS functionality starting at £329, and ones with GPS and cellular functionality starting at £399, so the company decided to start selling series 1 watches at lower price of £249.

Apple TV is now going to work in 4k resolution, which means twice the number of pixels available in HD and will be available for the price of £179 for 32GB storage, or £199 for 64GB. All movies that have already been purchased will automatically be upgraded to 4k without having to repurchase them, and the collaboration with Netflix and Amazon prime will result with those platforms offering 4k resolution as well. During the conference thatgamecompany, known for releasing visually satisfying and relaxing games such as Journey, also showed their new social adventure game called Sky, which will be supported by Apple TV and can be played using Apple TV Siri remote.

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8

Aesthetically, the iPhone 8 looks similar to the iPhone 7, however, it now has a glass finish on both the back and the front. Theoretically, the glass finish should make the phone really durable, with splash and dust resistance, although there is now also the risk of shattering the back of the phone as well as the front. There are also a number of hardware improvements that have been made: the speakers have been improved meaning they are now louder and the bass is deeper, furthermore the new A11 bionic chip is 70% faster than previously, allowing for faster performance. The Augmented Reality (AR) feature opens some new application possibilities, such as real-time sky mapping live and playing mobile games. To demonstrate this, Directive Games prepared a competitive multiplayer game called ‘The Machines’, designed specifically with AR technology in mind. It looks like it’s influenced by real-time strategy games, due to the ability to view the battlefield from any angle and the appearence of automated unit movements. However, there are also elements of third person shooters in there too. Apple liaised with many companies to attempt to create better wireless chargers and to make them widely available in hotels, restaurants, and other public places and so both the iPhone 8 and the iPhone X will support the wireless charging functionality. As such, they revealed they were working on a wireless charging station called AirPower and it will allow to charge your iPhone, Apple Watch and headphones at the same time, totally wireless.

Prices start at £699 for the iPhone 8 and £799 for the 8 Plus.

X

iPhone X (‘ten’) was released to celebrate ten years of the iPhone. The design dangerously reminds me of the new Samsung Galaxy with its edge-to-edge screen but instead looks simple and elegant. As there is no master button, the phone can be unlocked by a simple swipe up motion from the bottom, as well as the finger print security being replaced with face ID. This process was achieved using an infrared camera and a dot projector around the face camera. The dot projector projects invisible dots and an infrared scan is made and the IR picture is then compared to the one saved initially as our face ID, allowing the phone to unlock. This thus prevents unlocking the phone by mistake, as it will only unlock as you look directly at it. This innovation is a million times safer than the finger print security system, as long as you don’t have an evil twin. To ensure that the system is safe, Apple asked some Hollywood professional mask makers to create a few perfect masks and the system passed the security check.

The face ID evolves with you, so changing your hair color or growing a beard would not prevent your phone from unlocking. Face ID also works with Apple Pay and it is acceptable method for identity check in banking apps.

In addition, the front camera also helps with better face tracking with Snapchat filters and allowed Apple to develop the Animoji, which is a personalized emoji made by recreating your facial expression. The iPhone X is also equipped with two 12MP cameras and A11 bionic chip much like the iPhone 8. Its battery is projected to last around two hours longer than the iPhone 7’s and the portrait mode is also available for selfies, now due to the face ID features.

When I thought about Apple couple years ago, I thought about pretty but expensive products. Now, when I write this article on MacBook using the notes I made on my iPhone 7, I still have in mind that those products are expensive. However, they make my life easier. Apple technologies are simple for the user and also really reliable. Switching from Motorola to iPhone was a big step for me, required quite a lot of money and trust in the brand. But paying with my finger prints? Producing really good quality pictures? I think overall it was worth it because I enjoy the comfort Apple gave me. Don’t get me wrong, it is only my opinion and I believe there are a lot of new smartphones out there, probably with similar technologies, but Apple gained my trust. When I bought my iPhone, my father thought I was crazy. This was an equivalent of his monthly salary, but he has since changed his phone twice since then and I am still happy with my choice. Yes, Apple sometimes annoys me when they remove a standard headphone jack for example, but I can see the logic in their steps, the progress and the technology being up to date or even beyond society needs.

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death by 1000 dupes: death by 1000 dupes: death by 1000 dupes:

The Loot Crate The Loot CrateCrate The Loot Debate Debate Debate WORDS BY: REBECCA CORNISH DESIGN BY: KATIE HUXTABLE

First it was pre-order bonuses, then season passes, and now it’s loot boxes. The ever-evolving games industry has always had something that would bleed our wallets dry but, whilst tiresome, it rarely bothers us.

Microtransactions, loot boxes in particular, have been making headlines the last couple of months as developers and publishers have increasingly been using them in their games as a quick cash grab. You might know them as crates, loot crates, card packs, or engrams; they’re all the same thing just repackaged by different developers.

But these loot boxes are in no way new, so why is it only now we are thinking “Hang on, is this gambling?”, and it might have been said before but it has inevitably been drowned out by the chorus of gamers wanting their epic loot (me included).

I spent quite some time trying to think of an adequate comparison to gambling in casinos, scratch cards, or the lottery, but nothing quite fit the unique model of the loot box well enough that I was satisfied.

Unlike other forms of gambling, there are loot boxes that always give you that illusion of achievement (Overwatch, I’m looking at you). In Overwatch’s loot boxes, you always get something whether that be a spray, a skin, emote, victory pose or highlight intro. If you don’t get one of those, or it’s a duplicate you’ll get currency in return, and you can even earn loot boxes by levelling up.

Fair, right? Well… not exactly. The day after I pitched this article, I spent £30 on Overwatch loot boxes because of the Halloween event like the dirty hypocrite I am. I managed to get three Halloween legendries, two normal legendries, a couple of emotes, and enough dupes and pintless sprays to bury myself in and forget it ever happened. I managed to get about 2000 currency out of it too, meaning I can almost buy myself that one other legendary I wanted, have no currency left, and then do the same when the Christmas event rolls around.

But man, is it addictive. I don’t usually spend as much as I did this time, but I always spend something when seasonal events come around. The content is exclusive to these events, so people like me go dishing out way too much money to try and get it in the two or three week period in which you can. Especially if you don’t Illustration by Katya Minster

have a lot of time to level up and earn loot boxes in your own time. I worked out overall I’d spent something like £300 on loot boxes since Overwatch came out a little over a year ago. I play Overwatch all the time so up until now I haven’t minded doing it and I like supporting Blizzard, but I’ve noticed it’s become a huge problem. Almost an addiction.

The Oxford Dictionary defines gambling as “play[ing] a game of chance” and that’s exactly what these loot boxes are. Well, maybe you’ll get that legendary you’ve been trying to get since the game launched 18 months ago, but that’s just down to chance. Labour MP Daniel Zeichner has called for an enquiry into the effects loot boxes have on vulnerable adults and children who play these games. As it stands, loot boxes are not classed legally as gambling and so don’t affect the rating of games. Whilst you have to have a valid payment method to buy them, I’ve had my own debit card since I was 15 or 16.

It’s not even necessarily that loot boxes exist that bothers some, it’s the benefits that they bring and the questionable practises that it encourages in game developers. It’s bold enough for a dev to sell me a loot box after I’ve spent £40 on their game already, but it’s something else for these loot boxes to contain things that would give

The Loot The Loot Crate Debate Debate death by 1000 dupes:

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me an advantage in the game. Glixel reported that Activision got a patent back in 2015 which would mean matchmaking could operate in the favour of someone who has gear from microtransactions. In short, matchmaking could be manipulated so that people who own powerful gear received from loot crates could be matched with people who do not have that gear, making loot crates essential to play the game. Activision released a statement saying that it was experimental and has not been implemented into any games, although they never specified that it would never be implemented in the future. Recent releases for Activision include Destiny 2 (rated Teen) which has also implemented loot boxes in the form of engrams, and also Call of Duty: WW2 which, again, has loot boxes. Whilst they assure they include only cosmetic items, that never stopped me from sinking £300 into Overwatch, and these games are retailing for £50 and £54.99 respectively, making these microtransactions a kick in the teeth.

Are there times when loot boxes are okay? Are there other ways in which developers can bleed us dry of money that aren’t quite as problematic or morally questionable? Valve uses loot boxes to support their free-to-play model, and their currency has bred an entire economy based around trading hats (cosmetic items) and weapons in exchange for keys which are then used to either open crates, sold for real money, or can be used to buy more hats. Some people make it a business; investing money, hopefully getting money out.

It’s a gamble, but a gamble that Valve supports. But the

chance of getting an unusual hat (the only thing of value that could come from a crate) is around 1%, and, even then, those unusuals aren’t all pretty or worth a lot of money. As of the time I’m writing this, there are unusual hats that people are legitimately selling for over £800.

Does this make crates any less of a gamble? No. It’s an inevitability that F2P games introduce microtransactions to support their development, but at this moment in time it’s not easy to think of possibilities for a FPS that doesn’t put other players at a distinct disadvantage. But that does not change the fact that loot crates are a form of gambling.

It’s time to take a step back and look at these practises and decide whether or not we really are okay with this after being charged upwards of £50 for the base game, and then another £30 for a season pass. If we decide that we are, then there needs to be regulations in place. Gambling in video games is overlooked by the government and the media and this needs to change. As there is support for those who gamble in casinos, there should be support for those who gamble in video games.

I cringed as I typed this, and that is the issue. Video games are not taken seriously as an art form or a hobby.

There needs to be a shift in focus by lawmakers from video game violence to the other habits that gaming and game developers may be encouraging. You may disagree with me, and that’s okay. Feel free to tweet me and we can get a debate going. Maybe we could even come up with a solution in the process!

- @MahouShoujoBee

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DESIGN BY: REBECCA CORNISH It’s November, which means we can finally acknowledge the fact it’s almost Christmas! With last minute shopping and Boxing Day and New Year sales on the horizon, we wanted figure out your tech recommendations for this holiday season.

Kindle Oasis Say goodbye to those damp books, those waterproof cases

and those pesky electrical faults. The new Kindle Oasis has IPX8 waterproofing on its exterior, and it really is better than ever.

Whether you want to read in the bath, the swimming pool or even in the rain - you name it - Amazon’s latest Kindle can withstand being submerged into two meters of water for up to 60 minutes.

Different to last year’s six-inch kindle, the new Oasis is now a significant seven inches, meaning page numbers will be cut down considerably, giving you the extra bonus of having over 30% more words per page. If you ever got bored of the same fonts with the previous designs, the latest kindle allows you to choose from a variety of styles, whilst it also proudly boasts a setting which can interchange the black words and white background on the reading settings.

Whilst the Kindle is dissimilar to last year’s in several ways, the ambient light sensors that automatically adapt, dependent on your surroundings, are still intact, alongside a very similar model and design.

The price of the Kindle Oasis is around £40.00 cheaper than last year’s. Possessing three different storage sizes, the 8GB system is approximately £230.00, the 32GB system is £260.00 and if you really want it, £320 can get you 32GB as well as cellular connectivity.

- George Caulton

GoPro Best Adventure Cam: GoPro HERO Session £153.99 Generation Z (yes that’s us), are a generation of graduates flocking into the real world in search to either “find themselves” or try to start “adulting”. With 95% of Generation Z having a digital footprint, technology is almost a necessity for our generation.

It has been estimated that over 66% of graduates go travelling after completing their degree, and let’s be honest what is travelling without a ‘ Go Pro?’ Just 2.6 ounces, this is designed for basic shooting, yet delivers robust features: its waterproof up to 33 feet, and can shoot 1440p video at 30 fps, 1080p at 60 fps and 720p at 100 fps. The still image camera features an impressive sensor (8 megapixels) for its size, and the 10fps burst photo mode and time-lapse functionality. The perfect travel partner!

- Hannah Woodward

CeX Buying second hand goods may seem like an unconventional way to Christmas shop, but

it’s something that I feel will become more prevalent in the next few years. CeX is one of the frontrunners in the preowned tech and games market, giving you access to some of the best gear without the eyewatering price tag.

Whilst not all the kit is brand new, it’s all in good condition. I recently spent a few pounds on the Buzz quiz game for the PlayStation 3, which has proved to be a hit in my 2nd year house, causing just as many tantrums and controversial team ups as your standard Monopoly game. Before this, I used my PlayStation for Netflix, but now it’s more sociable.

Whether it’s a piece of tech or a few games, CeX could provide main presents, stocking fillers or Secret Santa gifts (miles better than a pair of socks). Our flat all took part in Secret Santa last year, and admittedly, it was quite hard to find something that was both inexpensive and worthwhile, but I will definitely consider a trip to CeX this year. For those who don’t mind an older spec, you can pay just pence for games such as Fifa or Grand Theft Auto, and because these games are so cheap, it’s much easier for you to bundle gifts and spend less, giving you a better deal compared to other shops.

- Ashley Boyle

Images from top to bottom: bfishadow via Flickr OpenClipart-Vectors, StockSnap, InspiredImages via Pixabay

TECHNOLOGY

Christmas Buying Guide: Tech Edition

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

I’m dreading Christmas. My family have planned loads of things to do but I have so much work to do and I know by not going it’s going to cause arguments. What do I say to my family?

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.

I think that firstly, you need to say to YOURSELF that this is a Christmas BREAK. You have time off from university for a reason. Make the most of it, as you will both need and deserve this time off - university is very tiring! Perhaps make a little timetable for those days that you do set aside for doing work and show this to your parents; remember that you are an adult and can make your own decisions. Utilise the time you have while you’re still in Cardiff. Structured days work most efficiently for getting work done, and you WILL get it done. But it cannot be emphasised enough that the weeks you have away are a time for some TLC. Make the most of the time with your family, they may seem disappointed that you can’t do everything with them, but just having you home will make their Christmas extra special.

Do you have something on your mind? Are you struggling with university or with your finances?

Quench's Agony Aunt is here to help!

My family life is really difficult at the moment and it’s making it hard for me to focus on my work. Is there anything I can do?

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

Whilst it may seem at university, that your degree is everything, this is absolutely not the case. Your mental health is paramount and should be your priority. Meet with your personal tutor about this and see what support can be offered. It is often that people feel like they’re wasting their time or being an inconvenience by talking about they’re struggles, but the university care about you and want to do all they can to help. If your family problems are really getting you down, your school may suggest applying for extenuating circumstances to relieve some of the pressures of deadlines. Finally, self-care.

Make time for yourself. University can be incredibly overwhelming, and with problems at home your bound to feel exhausted. Each day have some ‘me time;’ whether it’s putting on a face mask, having a bubble bath, or watching your favourite film, looking after yourself must not be pushed to one side and it will be that little nurturing boost that you

Illustration by: Lisa Doran

Twenties seem to be the only time in one’s life when it’s socially acceptable to experiment with personal life, be wild, free and collect mad memories. While I absolutely love my boyfriend, I sometimes wonder if I’m missing out on adventures. Is it wasteful to be in a serious relationship before 25?

The two most important parts of your question I feel are that you feel like you might be missing out and that you might be wasting your time being in a serious relationship. Your partner is worth it if they make you feel happy, secure and fulfilled within the relationship. They can share the life experiences with you that you wish to pursue. If your partner is in it for the long run, they should support you on you pursuing the adventures and memories you want to make. There is no age limit on having fun or when you should be in a serious relationship, and while it may feel like you’re not getting any younger, don’t forget – the world isn’t going anywhere. You are your own person, there are no restrictions to what you can and can’t do, as long as you’re not hurting anyone in the process. Your twenties are certainly a time to have fun and learn who you are.

However, there is a difference between missing out on things you want to do and missing out on what other people are doing. FOMO can suck, but you need to ask yourself what it is your missing out on.

Make a list of things you want to do; share your ideas with your partner – they may want to join you! And if not, that’s fine! You are an independent person and should do what makes you happy. And if you are happy then that will no doubt make the person who loves you, just as happy.

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This is going to sound tough but you need to take a hard look at this relationship. Is it really worth being with somebody who stops you from enjoying yourself? Perhaps by sitting down with him in a relaxed, familiar environment, and asking your boyfriend what it is that gets him riled when you go on a night out. It may be trust issues or anxieties from previous relationships, and you may need to just assure him of your intentions to simply go and have fun. However, in the grand scheme of things if somebody is making you frequently miserable, is it worth being with them? There may be positives in your relationship and you may feel like you couldn’t be without him, but you need to be selfish here. No girl, no woman, no man, deserves to be controlled by their partner. You are individual and should go out there and do what you love. He should like it or lump it.

I am not a big drinker and all my flat mates are. I feel like it excludes me from socialising. How can I go about this?

You can still have a great night out and not drink, true friends are the friends who appreciate you for who you are, not how much you drink. A great way of going out on a night out with drinkers and being a non-drinker is going pre-drinks or going out to the pub. You don’t need alcohol to have fun! There are other ways of socialising that don’t involve going ‘out out;’ going out for a coffee or a fancy meal with flat mates also works nicely. Going for walks in Bute Park, going to the cinema or going to society events can be a way of avoiding drinking all together. If you feel comfortable too, you can discuss how you’re feeling with your flat mates. As you’re living with them it’s better to be open about situations like this rather than bottling them up to yourself. They’ll understand. Some of your flat mates might not like drinking, some might not have the money to spend on drinking and perhaps they might even feel the same way and feel pressured into drinking.

My flat mates are doing Secret Santa and have set a budget of £20.

I’m really struggling with money which I told them and they said I don’t have to spend that much, but I don’t want to seem like I am being tight?

AGONY AUNT

Whenever I go on a night out without my boyfriend, he always ends up causing an argument with me. It’s making me go out less because I hate arguing with him. What do I do?

Firstly, the price of something is not reflective of the thoughtfulness behind a present. In fact some of the best and most treasured gifts can be the handmade sort; from baked goods, to picture frames, a mixed tape or a photo collage - these things that have had effort put behind them can be super special and will definitely be appreciated! Poundland, Home Bargains and charity shops can be an absolute Godsend when it comes to finding funny and cheap gifts!

At the end of the day, your friends aren’t going to like you any more or any less on what you buy them.

Illustration by: Rachel Jefferies

Caiff eich

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YNNI

mae’n d da gwybod

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FOOD WASTE

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