GUM Autumn - Winter 2010

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gum is back.

*music / art / fashion / features / politics

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C r e d i t s Editor (Contents) Rena Niamh Smith Editor (Design and Layout) Jessie Rodger Art Editor Jessie Rodger Music Editor (Print) Yasmin Ali Music & Events Editor (Online) Dave Hunter Politics Editors James Foley and Judy Barrett Fashion Editor Rena Niamh Smith Design Dude Phil Betts Writers Judy Barrett, Sean Bell, Amy Bromley, David Childs, Megan Donald, James Foley, Mairi Hamilton, Laura Horsley, Adam Leel, David Leaman, CP, Georgia Pink, Toireasa McKay, Colin Reilly, Abbey Shaw Photographers: Sean Anderson, Ina Anderssen, Phil Betts, Hester Gartrell, Henar Gomez, Laura Horsley, Karin Lundegård, Nick Milligan, Ashleigh Park, Georgia Pink, Adam Sorice, Daniel Stern Illustration Yasmin Ali, Ina Anderssen, Joseph Bucklow, Jessie Rodger Fashion Assistants: Catherine Fenton, Malcolm Mafara, Dearbhla McKeating, Rachel Miller, Helen Tweedie Special Thanks Sarah Graham @ La La Land, Lynne Anderson @ Tatty Bon, Mr Ben’s, The City, LGDG, Natasha Rekha Harjani, Laura Liggins, Lorna Mangan, Anna Murray, Shaun Murphy and Linda Zeilina Website Sean Anderson © GUM 2010. Glasgow University Magazine, John MacIntyre Building, University Avenue, Glasgow, G12 8QQ Cover Image: Excess Image2 by Laura Liggins, turn to page 16 to see our interview and more of her work.

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E D I T O R ' S t d i g s w j k

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GUM is back, to take no prisoners.

After a long summer break and team re-spank and reshuffle, Scotland’s oldest student magazine is ready to take on the new academic year with a mash-up informative, entertaining media. With each new editorship comes a different direction for the magazine; what’s dear to us is all things visually and intellectually stimulating.

As well as our handsome print version, check out our website for reviews of what’s hip-hop-happening around the city and college, striking photography, blogs to follow and fabulous photoshoots.

It seems that the average campus inmate is equally fired up to see some revolutionary media out there and we were simply bombarded with suggestions from below; what you see here is a snapshot of all that diversity and imagination.

If you too want to make yourself a part of all that’s creative, stop watching America’s Next Top Model, get involved and live out your artistic fantasies.

GUM: You are what you read.

-The Editors

CONTRIBUTORS

Natasha Rekha Harjani Layout Assistant Favourite Word: Effervescent

Sean Anderson Photo Editor Favourite Word: Discombobulated

Malcolm Mafara Artistic Director/Model Favourite Word: lol

Photography: Image 1 - Natasha R Harjani, Image 2 - Sean Anderson, Image 3 - Dearbhla Mckeating

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Current development is underway for the opening of the new Glasgow Museum of Transport, now simply titled: The Riverside Museum. Designed by possibly the world’s greatest female architect Zaha Hadid, the museum is scheduled to open in early 2011; visit now to see the spectacular ongoing construction.

Glasgow Riverside Museum, Glasgow.

SWG3 may have dipped its toes into the Glasgow scene for a few years now but its originality is making it stand out from the crowd in 2010, and its not afraid to take the plunge. Display your clothing creativity while showing off your dancing moves in raw and original underground confinement, and keep your eyes open for some incredible art exhibitions throughout the year from the art world’s next generation. SWG3, 100 Eastvale Place, Glasgow

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Yet unknown are the plans for the design and construction of the new studio space to replace the Newberry Tower at The Glasgow School of Art. Steven Holl Architects in collaboration with JM Architects have unveiled their designs, which are sure to create talk excitement in Glasgow and beyond.

Take a swatch at the initial designs at www.stevenholl.com.

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Artistic duo Kozyndan originally gained recognition with their rabbitinfested take on Hokusai’s The Great Wave of Kanagawa. Since then they have been continuing to expand their artistic ability through printed matter, apparel and homeware. Follow their story on www.kozyndan.com and bag yourself an artistic memo.

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Text: Sean Bell and Rena Niamh Smith

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Local jewellery label Oui! Designs makes cute and kitsch pieces to set your sparkles apart from the rest, utilizing feathers, bullets and cubes to name a few. Designer Anna specializes in personality pieces; her Little Girl necklaces allow the wearer to dress her pendant in an outfit du jour, while Storybook lockets keep up to 12 treasured photographs to carry with you always. Oui! Designs are available at www.ouidesigns.com.

Only one month young, Flat 0/1 is ready to make you feel right at home on a night out. Grab some cheap drinks here on a Saturday night before joining long queues and paying through the nose not to grab any. Hospitably designed with 70’s furnishings and all your childhood memories, Flat 0/1 can keep you cosy until 3am most nights.

Flat 0/1, 162 Bath Street, Glasgow

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When the weather is getting you down this winter, take a trip to Edinburgh to feast your eyes on Another

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World: Dali, Magritte, Miro and the Surrealists. The comprehensive

collection of Surrealist work from the pioneering greats will be on display to celebrate The National Gallery of Modern Art’s 50th Anniversary within the Dean Gallery. Another World is running until 9th Jan 2010 at Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, 75 Belford Road, Edinburgh.

Nowhere in Scotland’s Second City offers a better place to unleash your inner daemons than Club Noir.

Featuring a burlesque show, live music and DJs, it’s not for the fainthearted. Dressing to impress is practically entry requirement. Book now for their glittering, tartan-kissed Hogmanay party replete with piper.

Club Noir Hogmanay Party on Friday 31st Dec 2010, 9pm at Classic Grand, 18 Jamaica St, Glasgow, tickets £20 available from www.ticketweb.co.uk.

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EVENTS

Each month, GUM heads out to the best of Glasgow’s events and brings them straight to your bedroom through http://gumagazine.wordpress.com/ Check it out for up-to-minute reviews, blogs, streetstyle and much more extra footage.

Photography: Sean Anderson @ Subcity Says Stay Fresh Party September 2010

Who will you end up spending the night with?

in association with

Get £10 tix if you’re under 26.

Any Seat. Any Performance.

The Marriage of Figaro Theatre Royal Glasgow 29 • 31 Oct | 30 Nov | 2 • 4 Dec scottishopera.org.uk Registered in Scotland Number SCO37531 Scottish Charity Number SCO19787

WANT TO WIN TICKETS? Email under26@scottishopera.org.uk

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SECRET glasgow

Glasgow means ‘dear green place’ in Gaelic and is full of amazing parks and gardens. Here are a few of Yasmin Ali’s favourites: 1.Victoria Park – one of Glasgow’s most beautiful parks, featuring a water fountain and famous for its bedding plants and blooms. It was host to the highly successful Indian Summer Festival.

2. Hill St Gardens, Cowcaddens near Glasgow School of Art are a zen oasis in the middle of town. Small, but perfectly formed, it’s a quiet space for contemplation in the city centre.

3.Rottenrow Gardens at University of Strathclyde, was the former site of Glasgow’s maternity hospital. Designed as a temporary garden space by Dutch Landscape architects GROSS.MAX, the site is landscaped on one of the steepest central hills.

4. Hidden Gardens at Tramway are a minimalist gem, nestled at the back of this modern theatre venue. There is a friendly café serving hot and cold drinks and light meals throughout the day.

5.Bellahouston Park is home to Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s House for an Art Lover and an indoor ski centre, as well as the recent Papal visit there is something for everyone at this park near Ibrox.

6.Glasgow Green is one of the city’s largest expanses of open green space, it is a good venue for a game of friendly football, or frisbee.

Close to the Clyde and with its own rowing and running clubs. WEST Brewery and pub is a must for its own beers and ales, as is a visit to People’s Palace and its glasshouse conservatory.

7.Glasgow Botanical Gardens are on the University’s doorstep and definitely worth a visit. Memorable in all seasons, especially autumn when the leaves turn to shades of gold.

Indoor gardens include Kibble Palace.

8.Not forgetting our own Kelvingrove which stretches from University Gardens through the Hunterian Complex and through the West End over to pubs and eateries of the Finnieston end of Argyle St. There is a great little park café house over at the Royal Terrace entrance.

9. Pollok Park [PICTURED] is one of the largest parks on the Southside, and the grounds of Pollok House [ALSO PICTURED]. The area is also home to the renowned Burrell Collection, one of the city’s largest museum collections bequeathed by a private collector.

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If you have a garden and a library you have everything you need CICERO

Photography: Daniel Stern of Les Garcons de Glasgow street style blog Styling: Rena Niamh Smith Model: Demitra Tsivos Clothing: We Love to Boogie, Byres Road, Glasgow

7 Glaswegians are well-read and never let anyone tell you otherwise, with a distinctive history dating back to the Enlightenment. Here’s a run-down of the city’s best libraries and independent bookshops from Amy Bromley.

1.Voltaire & Rousseau is next to teahouse Tchai Ovna on westend alley Otago Lane. That is, provided the council don’t approve plans to turn it into another sterile mixed-use development – Join the ‘Save Our Lane’ campaign on Facebook. If you are looking for a specific title and a lot of space in which to search for it; if you are compulsively tidy or allergic to cats, stay away from V&R. If you just love books, especially when they are tatty and falling to bits from having been on a lifetime of journeys, then you might begin to understand what is endearing about a place like this. You can explore for yourself at your leisure. Once you’ve got your literary pickings you can pop next door to enjoy them with a cuppa.

2.Caledonia Books on Great Western Road is everything a bookshop should be. Find it at the Kelvinbridge end, next to Costa Coffee. It seems cafés and bookshops go hand-in-hand. In Caledonia’s antiquarian section there are beautiful sets of folios, including the works of Oscar Wilde and Charles Dickens.

There is a slightly musty smell and quiet stillness.

It makes you feel a kind of reverence for the immense knowledge that permeates the pages around you.

3.Oxfam Bookshop on Byres Road is a fantastic place to pick up bargain books for a good cause. Plus, the student locale means you may be lucky and find last year’s textbooks for a steal. The shop is bright and cheery, even on the greyest Glasgow day. Everything is organised on labelled shelves in alphabetical order and according to interest. They often have a lot of academic titles so if you’re looking for coursebooks at a decent price you might be lucky here. You are also doing your good deed for the day since all profits go to the charity.

4.Thistle Bookshop, 55 Otago Street, is arguably the best second-hand bookshop in the West End, especially if you’re interested in the Arts. The shop is inconspicuously situated behind flats backing onto the River Kelvin. The fact that it is so hidden and unimposing is part of its appeal: the entrance could be mistaken for someone’s backdoor. You almost feel like you shouldn’t be there, like you are uncovering some secret that is supposed to stay concealed. As soon as you enter the shop, though, this feeling disappears. The owners are so friendly and helpful that you instantly feel welcome, like you are part of that secret community you felt outside of a moment ago. They pride themselves on the fact that their shop is extremely well-organised, and if you are looking for something in particular, the staff can almost always tell you immediately if they have it and where it is.

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So you know you Can't Dance?

Straighten out your two left feet with Adam Leel’s guide to throwing some moves and ultimately, getting a girl.

If you’re a good dancer then you’re good at sex, or so they say, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that professional dancers get the pick of the bunch. It’s common sense that on the heavy metal night at the QM, you leave your pirouettes at home; if you were to break out in salsa thrusts, as in “look at Raoul touching Raoul” atop the Hive podium, then expect to be thrown off. Gentlemen, here’s your 4-step foolproof guide to pulling some seductive shapes.

First, eye contact. We all have the bizarre sixth sense where we catch someone staring at us in our peripheral vision, so even if the girl isn’t standing opposite you, she’ll probably notice you staring into the side of her head. In fact, 30% of men meet a woman after staring at them for 10 minutes. Actually, I just made that last bit up, but next time you’re walking behind someone in the street, stare at the back of her head and see if she turns around to look at you. If they don’t after a couple minutes, please don’t follow her home.

Second, stick to what you know. It has been proven that girls and guys with similar tastes in music are also more compatible personality-wise. This means if you go to the club with your preferred music, there’s more chance of finding the girl of your dreams, your future wife or indeed a one-night stand if that’s what you’re into.

In other words, we all understand the phrase “there’s plenty of fish in the sea”, but the skill is to pick the right pond because some of us aren’t into salmon, some of us are into whales. Thirdly, make sure you follow accepted dance etiquette. When hip-hop comes on, guys bring out their imaginary steering wheels and start groping their groins like they’re madly checking for lumps. At heavy metal gigs, everyone looks like they’re trying to get a wasp out of their hair in some mad head banging frenzy. For country music, look like you have to hold up you trousers with your thumbs and flick your heels up every now and again like you’re checking your shoes for dog poo.

While it’s a good idea to follow the routine dances such as those above, you can always make up your own, and the hitch-a-ride-style miming theme offers a bounty of opportunity for creative thinking. Why not try the ten step making-a-pizza, starting with rolling the dough, sprinkling on an array of toppings, putting it in the oven and eventually munching it and swigging invisible cola.

The girl is usually so impressed that she’ll go back to yours for the real thing, or possibly more.

Fourthly, pay attention to her body language. You can’t just throw her in a wheelbarrow once you’ve followed the above rules. Certain things to look out for are smiling, returned eye contact or throwing herself at you in a fit of wild passion in the middle of the dance floor. And while these four stages won’t guarantee you a girl, in a club where just about all the guys are doing the same jig, they’ll certainly boost your chances.

Photography: Hester Gartrell

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Postcards from Paris From her year abroad in Paris, Georgia Pink brings us an insider’s snapshot of the French capital. This issue it’s the Latin Quarter that’s caught her eye.

Thanks to its 20 arrondissements, Paris could never be described adequately from a single perspective. Paris has been divided into these different urban districts since the 18th century and to know it well means to know its quartiers and see them in relation to and in contrast with one another. These arrondissements spiral outwards beginning with the 1st situated on the central, right bank of the city and finishing with the 20th, right at the east side of the city. Each quartier naturally has its own distinct identity and atmosphere; some hugely tourist dominated, others hiding lesser known features.

It is these patches of colour that construct Paris and provide the fabric for limitless curiosity and adventure amongst its inhabitants and visitors.

Having only just arrived, my first photograph was taken in the Jardin des Plantes in the Quartier Latin where I live, in the 5th Arrondissement. Paris contains many of these beautiful, well-kept and neatly organised green spaces; they invoke a striking contrast to the highly charged bustle of the metro and the pushing and shoving of the busy boulevards. There is even a festival dedicated to them happening here at the moment.

These gardens are places of reflection and calm where Parisians go to enjoy nature, relax and of course to eat lunch. Originally created as a medicinal herb garden, the Jardin des Plantes was transformed into a place for public access to exotic botanical species in the 17th and 18th centuries by a group of renowned botanists.

For this reason most of the roads in the district are named after botanists (Rue Linné and Jussieu Metro station). The beautiful glass greenhouses and unusual plant species make it a worthy destination for any visitor, botany enthusiast or not. The grandiose Jardin du Luxembourg, found nearby in the 6th is also worth a peek.

The Latin Quarter itself forms an integral part of Paris’s tapestry as a historically rich area and vibrant hub of student life. Its name derives from its academic past as a centre of intellect and study, Latin being the main language spoken amongst intellectuals during the Middle Ages. Brimming with buzzing bistros, markets and lively squares whilst maintaining a strong sense of a villagelike community, this area is a true Parisian gem.

Photography: Georgia Pink Illustration: Jessie Rodger

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WAR ON THE WEAK James Foley confronts the widening social divides in a new era of Tory cuts.

As Britain braces itself for one of the most intense rounds of austerity measures in history, attention has turned to the coalition charged with imposing the cuts.

Only a thoroughly deferential culture could produce our governing Cabinet, in which 18 out of 23 are millionaires and many hold aristocratic titles, including David Cameron and Gideon “George” Osborne.

Cameron, whose personal fortune is estimated at £20-30 million, is a descendent of the bastard child of King George IV. In heraldic terms, this makes him fifth cousin twice removed to the Queen.

It is rumoured that Buckingham Palace put in a good word for Cameron to speed his ascension through the ranks of the Tory Party.

His family home contains hand-me-downs from the Royal Palace.

Like Osborne and London Mayor Boris Johnson, Cameron went to Oxford and was a member of the ultra-elite Bullingdon Club. This secret society, which is open only to the very wealthy, has become notorious for riotous bashes in which unsuspecting restaurant owners have their facilities trashed by champagne-swilling posh gangs.

The baffled and angry owners are always paid off in cash, often to the tune of tens of thousands of pounds. The Bullingdon Club sends a clear message that money talks, and even the most extreme rudeness can be cured with a fat wad of cash.

The millionaires’ Coalition is symptomatic of intensified class divisions in British society. After thirteen years of Labour government, the very wealthy have seen their incomes skyrocket, paving the way for a government which fully embodies their brutality, their arrogance, and their privilege.

Britain has some of the highest rates of inequality in Europe, and the lowest rate of social mobility.

Not only are we an unequal society, opportunities are preserved within the social elite.

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Photography: Nick Milligan

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The poor here are very poor, and they stay poor.

It is a sign of how bad things are that the businessmen and bankers feel they can trust this government. Often, they have used people of ostensibly common origins, like Margaret Thatcher, to fight the most vicious class wars.

Thatcher used to complain that the upper classes were “too soft” to really hit the incomes of the poor.

There is no suggestion that this wealthy and aristocratic Cabinet will have any qualms about hitting the incomes of the most vulnerable. The bottom ten percent of society will suffer 13 times more than the top ten percent as a result of the cuts, according to figures from the TUC. The Fawcett Society has demonstrated that women, particularly vulnerable single mothers, will suffer the brunt of benefit cuts.

Upper-class people now feel no need to hide their social origins or their sense of class interest. We hear a lot about “reverse snobbery”, which refers to the affectation of working class origins and customs designed to exclude and dismiss “posh” people. The effect is to portray the aristocracy and the very wealthy as a victimised minority, whose traditions have been trampled by modern culture.

Thus, the bumbling, ignorant, and amateurish Boris Johnson is portrayed as a populist, purely on the strength of his “genuine” views. To the unenlightened, his genuine views might appear to be the ordinary views of a bigot, but the postmodern reaction against snobbery says differently.

Deference today seems to be more entrenched than ever, giving the lie to any notion of “progressiveness” or “equality of opportunity”. Deference has weathered the storm of political correctness and emerged with a leathery, battered, but seemingly impenetrable skin.

QUOTE UNQUOTE Judy Barrett Chooses her favourite political quips each issue “One of the penalties of refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors” - Plato

“History will absolve me” - Fidel Castro

“Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person. “ Mother Teresa There cannot be true democracy unless women’s voices are heard.

There cannot be true democracy unless women are given the opportunity to take responsibility for their own lives “ Hilary Clinton

To even mention the privileges of the Cabinet seems like an anachronism. Supposedly, the debates about “class” have already happened. We have reached the conclusion that class should be no barrier to social advancement.

Ergo, if the very wealthy advance in our political system, only a cave dweller would protest.

“George Bush doesn’t care about black people!!” - Kanye West

I was once rightly criticised for constructing a “gender blind” study. My research was distorted by failing to acknowledge the effect of social divisions between men and women.

“I am extraordinarily patient provided I get my own way in the end” - Margaret Thatcher

We cannot afford to be “class blind”. The very wealthy have an agenda for the economic crisis, and they are not afraid to use an aristocratic government to achieve it. If we are class blind, they will rob us blind.

“War is not women’s history.”

- Virginia Woolf

“Freedom is the right to tell people what they do not want to hear” - George Orwell “What is conservatism? Is it not the adherence to the old and tried against the new and untried?”

- Abraham Lincoln

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AN UNCOMFORTABLE SILENCE Photography: Ashleigh Park

James Foley tries to reconcile his experience and knowledge of Gaza with the rosy picture painted by a Palestinian visitor to the University of Glasgow.

Education is a means of reproducing a social order for the young. But for Palestinians, there is no such thing as social order. Having faced 62 years of Israeli occupation, they have never possessed a nation state of their own.

The struggle for education rights in Palestine is thus inherently political. Under occupation, constantly menaced by warfare, the right to education is inseparable from political emancipation.

These are not only my views. They are the views of every Palestinian I have spoken to: doctors, teachers, peasants, refugees, activists, and even bureaucrats. Palestinians vividly remember the dark years of the Gulf War, when the Israeli military closed all schools and universities in the Occupied Territories, and schoolteachers organised illegal classes in their living rooms. Their practical experience as a people shows that education is precarious until Israel relinquishes its military grip on their land.

Yet even in Palestine, there is a thin layer of corporate bureaucracy that denies the importance of political struggle.

I recently had the pleasure of attending a soirĂŠe at Glasgow University hosted by the Refugee, Asylum and Migration Network in honour of Professor Nazmi Al-Masri from the Islamic University of Gaza.

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politics 13 While superficially a worthy project, I was dumbstruck by Every city in Palestine has its own unique tragedies. In the rosy picture he painted of the prospects for education Jenin, refugees remember Operation Defensive Shield in 2002, when their camp was levelled by Israeli armoured and development in Gaza. bulldozers. One elderly man told me that the Israelis had On 28/9 December 2008 Professor Nazmi’s university knowingly crushed his house with his disabled son inside it. was struck six times by Israeli bombs, which reduced The only corpse to bury was a crushed wheelchair. large parts of it to a smoking crater. This detail, which presumably has a large bearing on teaching, was not In the village of Bi’ilin I met farmers who had lost 90 percent of their agricultural land when Israel built a wall through it. mentioned.

In East Jerusalem, the 28 foot high wall cut directly through Instead, we were told that Palestine has three elements to a children’s playground. In every region, Israel’s attempt its school system. That Britain, the nation that colonised to starve the Hamas government of funds had forced Palestine and handed it over to the Israelis, was a great government workers (most of the population) to go three friend of the Palestinians. And that Gaza was open for months without pay, creating severe shortages. business.

Of course, I didn’t see the half of it. Israel denied us entry I suspect many people in the room were as confused as to Gaza; in fact, they didn’t even need to. It was literally I was. Privately, I was told that the Professor was here to impossible to get there. We met a United Nations employee discuss academic matters, not politics, and reminded that who spent every day and night getting drunk in our hostel Palestinians must fear for their safe return to Gaza if they in East Jerusalem. He explained philosophically that he had been deployed to Gaza, but even United Nations are known to speak on political matters. aid workers were barred by military decree. Since Israel To me, this amounts to normalising the bombardment controlled land, sea, and air access, he advised us to tunnel and strangulation of Gaza. Bringing Palestinian speakers if we wanted to see Gaza. to the West to relive their experiences of education under occupation is a very worthy cause; bringing a businessman The Palestinian nation could have easily been crushed. Its over to extol the prospects of Gaza’s economy, however independent education system has provided a framework, well intentioned, can only delude us about the cruel however weak, for the promise of national liberation.

Supporters of emancipation in the West surely can’t realities of Palestinian life. afford to ignore this equation. Speaking up for Palestinian Having travelled the West Bank, I am aware that there is education means speaking up against the illegal blockade no such thing as normality for the Palestinians. In 2007, of Gaza, against the carve-up of the West Bank, and I visited one of the last Arab families to remain in the against the complicity of our government and our weapons historic Kasbah of Hebron. Thousands of their Palestinian contractors. brothers and sisters, shopkeepers, peasants, and ordinary workers, had been forcefully evacuated from the district Eighteen months ago, students at Glasgow University known as Hebron 2, a concrete fortress surrounding the joined thousands of others around Britain by occupying their campus against Israel’s bombardment of Gaza. The result old city centre, to make way for Israeli religious settlers. was a promise by our university to provide scholarships for The settlers were motivated by religious fanaticism. Palestinian students and fundraising opportunities for the Hebron 2 houses the Tomb of the Patriarchs, the resting Disasters Emergency Committee’s Gaza appeal. place of Abraham and Sarah and thus a place of special significance to all three Western religions. The outlying These promises have remained largely unfulfilled. We must suburbs, known as Hebron 1, are an ordinary medium-sized see this as a terrible indictment of our University management Arab market town. Hebron 2 houses 400 Jewish settlers, and their alleged humanitarian commitments.

2,000 Israeli snipers, and a few surviving Arab families During the soirée for Professor Nazmi, one of the organisers who repel nightly attacks by soldiers and settlers. was overheard expressing his delight that having an unusual The head of the family explained that the Israelis would guest had allowed him to meet normally inaccessible senior not tolerate Arabs near their holy places. They roamed members of university staff. around in gangs, attacking his family with stones and baseball bats, and attempting to break down his steel The truth is that none of university management even door. A child psychologist, who translated from Arabic to attended the event. Largely, the event was packed with activists for Palestinian rights, who looked mildly baffled English, said that the children were too traumatised to attend school. After every attack, the eldest son would by the corporate luncheon reception in the refurbished St Andrews Building. beat his head against the concrete ground until it bled.

Their situation was obviously severe, but not, it turned out, atypical. The psychologist explained that 90% of children in Hebron suffer from psychological issues or educational impairment. He took me on a tour of his office at Save the Children, showing me children’s drawings that featured tanks, guns, and helicopters with alarming regularity.

Our university still has significant links with corporations like BAE Systems, who design weapons systems which kill Palestinian children. Anyone possessed of a humanitarian impulse should speak out against this complicity, rather than boost the prospects for big business in the shattered remains of the Gaza Strip.

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n e w t o r i e s ? s a m e s c u m

David Childs sees madness in the methods of the SWP campaign.

Whilst re-familiarising myself with the University’s surroundings following the summer’s reprise, I found amidst the Fraser Building, the GUU and QMU rather unflattering posters and graffiti against the current government and their proposed heavy spending cuts. Excuse my language for a moment, but the general theme was “Fuck Off Tory Scum”.

Now, before I continue, let me stress that I oppose said cuts. In my opinion, these cuts are extremely premature due to the fragile nature of the economy, the threat of a doubledip recession and other equally frightening jargon. However, venting anger in this way, with spray paint, swear words and megaphones is thoughtless.

In pragmatic terms, the bill to clean up the graffiti will have to be met by the educational institutions they are trying to protect. It’s like trying to raise awareness about STDs by writing “I Have Chlamydia” on someone. Your point has been made, but you’re not the one who has to go round with that on your shirt, are you? Loud megaphones, push more people away from their views than pull them in, and portrays an image, not of “freedom of speech”, but of “my voice is louder than yours”.

In The Guardian, Charlie Brooker wrote of how the Left is generally not as good as the Right at creativity, and with this point he is right; whilst the Left has had to deal with such phrases as “Deficit Deniers” or supporting an apparent “Job’s Tax” (the proposed National Insurance contribution increase) we on the Left’s line hasn’t really strayed too far away from “Nazis!” or “Fascists!”, or in this case, “Scum!”.

A change in approach is needed. Although Charles Saatchi, the man behind the famous “Labour Isn’t Working” election poster, recently said in The Times that only negative campaigning is truly successful, that doesn’t make it right. Ethically, how can you claim moral high ground when you are attacking a faction of society the way these posters do, in this case those of upper class and prestigious educational backgrounds?

The Government’s proposals may be wrong, but by bringing it down to a class war is simply not the way forward. If roles were reversed, how would we like it if “Fuck Off Poor Twats” was brandished around in an equally carefree manner? I suspect it would not go down too well at all.

Photography: Henar Gomez Graphics:Yasmin Ali

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CECIL THE SHEEP

Each Issue Joseph Bucklow brings us an anecdote from the life of Cecil, the sheep that will never quite fit in.

Part the First - Cecil Best.

Tea time - Cecil knew from an early age that he could never feel quite at home, despite indeed, being at home.

The one place universally recommended as a haven of relaxation only caused poor Cecil anguish and gloom. The scheduled communal eating habits of his nearest and dearest puzzled and irritated him; Father’s face pulsating like an enraged blister, his limp Mother mewing like a forgotten cat and not to mention Grandfather’s immortal dialogue. Cecil never took dessert, exchanging it for a solitary cigarette by the garden shed.

Illustration and Text: Joseph Bucklow

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A L L

A B O U T

L a u r a GUM headed down to the Glasgow School of Art Degree show at the beginning of summer to check out GSA’s finest. The work of Laura Liggins, graduating in Visual Communication, really caught our eye. Laura works mostly with found images to create quirky and engaging pieces. Check out her work below and find out what inspires Laura in our interview overleaf. >>> Text & Interview: Jessie Rodger

1. Minus Image2 : Laura Liggins (to the left 2. Excess Image3 : Laura Liggins (to the right)

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Background Image: Laura Liggins

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My Sweet, Darling Yukimi Kamei k “You are not a cash cow, you are a very sweet boy, but I need a cash cow.”

-Yukimi Kamei, my roommate’s mother, after I read her a poem and asked her to marry me. k Frankly, when it comes to cash cows, I am not even a goat at a shitty petting zoo somewhere in Iowa.

It’s the truth, but, can I tell you of the nature of honey, or of the ability of light to in the early morning silhouette and make fresh again the ancient shape of a woman’s body? Can I speak to you briefly on the topic of amber?

Can I funnel into your ear not just the story of the sap coating the mosquitoes, but the feel of the thick syrup gently pausing the mechanism of life, preserving the moment of two bugs caught in coitus, dangling in each other’s tiny arms and from each other’s thin, spindly bodies like two sparrows making love in mid-air? I know I cannot purchase for you the delicious shoes you crave, or even the heat required to not freeze our asses off in the winter.

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This mattress on the floor in a studio apartment in a neighborhood in which there are just as many drugs being sold as there are potentially deadly Chinese dishes being served at suspect Chinese restaurants is not enough comfort for your sweet, delicate bones, but, my darling Yukimi, can I not charm you for a day? Can I not, when the heat is turned off, when the electricity is a ghost we only feel in our touch, when the water in the shower is ice and the refrigerator directly reflects the amount of money I will make from this poem (two stalks of rotten asparagus and a questionable bean burrito), can I curl my arms around you?

Can I clutch you like we are victims cocooned in the ash of a volcano’s demolition? Can I promise our love will lace our shadows into a wall? Can I speak to you of God and of the very beginning?

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Poem: Daniel Leamen Illustration: Ina Andersson

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Can I show you the tiny moths, which alight in your fingers and which slowly, gently eat away at my skin until I am clean and holy and transformed? In that moment of sheer chill and shivering, that moment of anger and despair, that moment in which you crave just a slice of pizza or a few quarters with which to do laundry or something other than cigarettes to heat your lungs, in that moment, my little Japanese turtle of the snow, please let me embroider your aching shoulders with the workings of an entire dessert of sand dunes shifting their shape, let me give you the pearls of the heavens, let me

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dangle upon your sore neck the small rain pelting the Earth and the sound of water as it hits the old, thirsting dirt of a plateau high in an ancient land, a land whose magic can only be invoked by a poet.

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ODE TO

IRN-BRU

Photography: Phil Betts

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When it comes to channeling inner toughness in outer hardware, this punk collection of natch handmade gems do it right and are all a fiver at most, innit? Can’t get more anti-high-street statement than that. GUM present two more reasons why not to accessorise at Topshop.

To see the full accessories shoot, visit gumagazine.wordpress.com

Lazy Oaf Mock Fashion Buttons 3-pack (£3, La La Land) Large Gun Necklace (£5, Tatty Bon) Stag Necklace (£4, Tatty Bon) Candy Skull Necklace (£5, Tatty Bon) Handmade Love-heart Necklace (£5, Tatty Bon) Tatty Bon, 61 Parnie Street, Glasgow La La Land, Unit 1, De Courcy’s Arcade, Cresswell Lane, Glasgow

Photography: Adam Sorice Words and Styling: Rena Niamh Smith

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The

Long

And

Short

of It

When Megan Donald changed her look, she never expected to open a Pandora’s box of cultural and social stereotypes.

When it comes to women and their hair, the opportunities are endless. The recent surge in supershort hair amongst women intrigued me but when I decided to chop my hair from long and nondescript to short and edgy, in my naivety I never thought I would adapt my lifestyle. I immediately noticed myself wearing more makeup, being self-deprecating and having less confident; in short, compensating for what I felt was a lack of femininity as a result of my short hair.

A selfish paranoia set in whereby in daily life I felt constantly judged when I was in public. To be entirely honest, I thought they were thinking, “there goes that lesbian”. Why did I feel like this? Here arises the inexplicable and tangly connection between hair and sexuality, where short hair equals man, long hair equals woman.

I asked people their opinion on the hair/sex question and found a pattern in the response. Those questioned would be unlikely to cut their hair short, but thought that some people suit it because they have the confidence to pull it off. This summed up perfectly why people may equate short hair with being gay; short hair suggests bravery and self-assurance to be different, characteristics traditionally thought of as being at the masculine end of the spectrum. Add to this a lack of understanding of female homosexuality where being lesbian is considered being less female than being straight and you can see how it all ties together.

However succinct an explanation it may sound, it isn’t that black and white. There were times when my hairstyle was celebrated, when I felt at ease and these stereotypes didn’t apply. Amongst open-minded, stylish types, my hair signified kind of feminine freedom and most importantly an awareness of fashion.

Fashion is often about transcending sexuality to become something beyond old-fashioned gender roles. This is something highlighted by a recent article in Grazia which hailed the new female fashion idol.

Meet the ‘Dyke-con’ – a woman who delights in every lesbo-chic stereotype going; the leather, the band t shirts, the pale skin and, inevitably, the short hair.

Initially, this set my liberal alarm bells ringing. That’s a little bit prejudiced these days, isn’t it?!

On reading further, I realised that the women they quoted as being ‘dyke-cons’, Kristen Stewart and Carey Mulligan, aren’t actually gay, but choose to embrace the aesthetic to play off the stereotypes; this is about being subversive and having something to ironically titter about.

In fashion, then, short hair is wholly accepted. In daily life, armed with this knowledge, my feelings about my image depended on where I found myself. In the

middle of the Death Disco crowd, I fitted in fine; whilst out measuring trees for a Geography lab, I would have been described as just a bit ‘alternative’, that fantastic catch-all phrase that describes anything Pixie Lott would not do/ wear/think.

Although there are huge numbers of women who have short hair and are considered completely feminine, it is clear that the underlying ideals we have about what looks feminine or masculine are ingrained in our collective conscious. To say that short hair and being lesbian are not linked would be misleading; there are some gay women who deliberately put forward a masculine look.

Perhaps they feel that it is about the underlying masculine personality, not just the aesthetic.

Those women who do carry off short hair well, do it with a certain awareness of the gender minefield and then deliberately ignore it. The dyke-con is a forward-thinking woman who manages to overcome the difficulties that are faced by women. Consider the character of Lol from the television series This is England ’86. Despite her cropped hair and androgynous outfits, her sexuality is never questioned and her character is extremely sensitive and thoughtful. Sexually abused throughout life, she violently confronts her attacker in the final scenes. Lol’s style choices allow her to harness a feeling of power and eventually escape her gender role and overcome the associated cycle of abuse.

The eternal themes of ambiguity and subversion within fashion therefore need to be absorbed into mainstream culture not only for the sake of a more open and understanding society but also to help each gender to be seen on an equal level. Only then can the contentious and tiresome issue of sexuality and appearance be left alone.

Photography: Karin Lundegård

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Sewing Box Customising doesn’t have to be about dodgy tie-dye jobs, cutting up that oh so expensive favourite top, or creating a Liz Hurley inspired safety pin dress circa 1994.

Instead go for simple and easy alterations such as this camel pencil skirt made from a pair of trousers originally bought from Shelter for only 3.25. Laura Horsley explains.

Step 1: Cut all the way along the inside seam.

Step 2: Cut up the front seam, stopping at the zip. Turn the trousers over and cut up the back seam, stopping at the waistband.

Step 3: Cut the excess material off leaving the length an inch or two longer then desired.

Step 4: Pin the front seams together so that it takes the shape of your pencil skirt. Do the same for the back.

Step 5: Tack these together roughly with some thread.

Step 6: Now sew the seams together preferably on a sewing machine. You can hire these at places like Make It Glasgow in the Merchant City. Otherwise painstakingly hand sew the seams together yourself.

Step 7: Turn up the bottom to the length you want it and sew ensuring it is the same length all the way round.

Step 8: Wear!

Photography: Laura Horsley

Tips on how to wear

* For daytime occasions wear it with tights, brogues, a simple black top and a casual khaki jacket. * To glam up, wear with stilettos and a camel coat. * Grab a man’s belt from a charity shop, pierce a hole into it so that it fits and tie the excess leather into a casual knot/bow. * Wear with a plain black top made more sophisticated by sewing some black lace onto the sleeves or neckline.

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THE FALL TREND REPORT As fashion takes a long look backward this season, Glasgow’s wealth of vintage boutiques offers rich pickings to mock up the key catwalk looks. See the full shoot and behind-the-scenes images at gumagazine.wordpress.com

Burberry/ Topshop Unique Sheepskin Aviator Jacket (£35, Mr Ben’s), Crushed Velvet Hippy-luxe Maxidress (£16.50, The Jazz Emporium), Black Flat Lace Up Boots (£64.99, River Island) tights, stylists own.

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Miu Miu/ John Rochas French Mustard Sixties Dress (£22, The Jazz Emporium), Sheepskin Hat (£25, Circa Vintage), Mock Croc Bag (£24, Circa Vintage) and nude shoes, stylists’ own.

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Chloé/Michael Kors Camel Coat (£45, Circa Vintage), Mock Croc Clutch (£18, Circa Vintage), Brown Court Shoes (£19.99, Zara), belt, stylists’ own.

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Ralph Lauren and Burberry Menswear Catherine wears Parka Coat (£28, The City), Cream Arran Knit (£20, Circa Vintage), Tweed Skirt (£25, Circa Vintage), Aussie Low Lace Up Ankle Boots (£65, Topshop) gloves and socks, stylist’s own.

Malcolm wears Coat (£40, The City), Trousers (£28, The City), demin shirt and boots, stylist’s own.

Credits Photography: Nick Milligan and Helen Tweedie Hair and Makeup: Aileen Wallace Styling: Rena Niamh Smith, Sean Bell, Catherine Fenton, Rachel Miller, and Helen Tweedie Models: Catherine Fenton, Malcolm Mafara, Lorna Mangan, Helen Tweedie and Linda Zeilina Art Direction: Malcolm Mafera and Rena Niamh Smith Shot on location @ GU TV Studio, Learning and Teaching Centre, Southpark House; special thanks to Nigel Hutchins for technical support and generous hospitality.

Circa Vintage, 37 Ruthven Lane, Glasgow The City, 41 King St, Glasgow The Jazz Emporium, www.thejazzemporium. etsy.com Mr Ben’s, Studio 6, 101 King Street, Glasgow

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THE BEAUTY PAGE This season’s makeup was fresh and flawless, so invest in a good cover up that will give an even coverage and keep you glowing all day long. Bare essentials covered, you’ll need little else to get the key look right. Mairi Hamilton reviews the cream of the crop.

Estée Lauder Double Wear Light Makeup, £25 for 30ml Once applied, this gives little coverage and fails to hide blemishes, but evens skin tone. It has a light and delicate feeling and giving the feel of a makeup free face, and even looks and smells like that too. Aside from a slightly drying effect that may clog pores, I’d recommend this for summer usage or to someone who prefers little coverage or fragrance-free products.

RATING c c

Yves Saint Laurent Perfect Touch Radiance Brush Foundation, £31 for 40ml.

This comes with the added bonus of a brush for smoother application. It possesses a very pleasant, floral smell yet when it comes to its actual function, it’s a letdown; it feels heavy on the skin and is difficult to blend, despite its smooth texture.

RATING ccc

Clinique Superfit Makeup, £20 for 30ml A makeup with thick coverage, this nevertheless provides an effective matte and flawless finish and feels light. It is long lasting, but can become oily so I would recommend using with a powder. I also loved the fresh, zesty smell.

RATING c c c c

Lancôme Teint Miracle Makeup, £25 for 30ml With SPF protection and oil-free formula, this is a clear winner.

It applied easily and gave a lovely, smooth coverage, and hides blemishes completely. The silky texture feels weightless, although it smells bizarrely like washing up liquid and has a tingling sensation when applied and removed – how odd.

RATING c c c c

rest.

Our parents are forever complaining that “they don’t make things like they used to”, and music is no exception. It’s often argued that our generation simply regurgitates music, as it does fashion, from the last few decades, so here’s a few pop face-offs from across the ages.

The Clash Vs. Green Day The Clash and Green Day both embody the same raw punk energy: the same aggression, the same passion. Both bands express strong political views through their music. Green Day appear to voice their opinions in a more mature manner through their music, most famously via 2004 album American Idiot.

Although it is evident that Green Day elevated punk’s political uses, The Clash and their contemporaries paved their way. Point one to our parents’ record collection.

Kate Bush Vs. Florence and the Machine Kate Bush and Florence Welch represent very much the same woman from different decades of eccentric, quirky yet mainstream.

Both rejuvenated the male-dominated music scene of their times. Kate injected life and colour into a dull scene when our parents were growing tired of wailing men who overused their synthesisers. Florence came along with her Machine when we were getting sick of indie boys with guitars. Impossible to see a clear winner between these two, both with big hair and massive stage presence, so it’s going to have to be a point each.

NAUGHTIES VS NOUGHTIES

How do our parents’ record collections compare to our iPod play lists?

Abbey Shaw determinedly finally puts this time-old argument to

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Madonna Vs. Lady Gaga Clearly attention-seeking, Lady Gaga’s tracks play like a broken record of a one-track mind. It goes to show that using sex as a selling point, you can manipulate the press into obsessing over your every move. Madonna, on the other hand, was controversial, but lacked any of the irony and humour that Lady uses in her music, videos and persona. It is undeniable that Madonna has had one of the most successful music careers of all time. For sheer absurdity, this point goes to Lady Gaga.

Joy Division Vs. The Horrors Like The Clash, Joy Division were pioneers in music. They were post-punk long before punk was even close to dead. True, The Horrors produce good standard of music which offers relief from generic guitar bands, but their sound seems to embrace other bands’ sounds from the last few decades. Joy Division stands out as a seminal influence, so one point to our generation.

Blondie Vs. Yeah Yeah Yeahs Both Blondie and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs have females as frontrunners so charismatic, it’s easy to forget that they are not solo artists.

Blondie mastered the art of creating nearperfect pop songs time and again. Even YYY’s edgy Karen O can’t top Debbie Harry, a credible rock star as well as a fashion icon.

Gentlemen and ladies prefer blondes; the point goes to Blondie.

Seventies Back Catalogue Noughties Playlists It seems that our parent’s generation of musicians rate higher than the musicians of today. We should all get out there, support our bands and prove that we can be better musically than their generation ever was.

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LEMonFEST 2010 THE BIRTH OF A FESTIVAL Ina Andersson experiences the first ever Lemonfest and explores the reality of creating and organising your own festival with one of its founders.

“Look there, on the field! Can that be it?” I hear myself say as the train slowly moves towards our destination: a sleepy coastal town in south-west England called Newton Abbot. What I have just spotted out the window is Lemonfest, a first time music festival organised by three young hopefuls from this very town. “Could you see if there were any people there?” my friend asks as we step off the train onto the platform. Let’s find out, shall we?

On our walk through the town colourful posters on walls and lampposts let us know that today is the day.

Mid-September could seem a little late in the year for this type of event, but that is not necessarily to its disadvantage. Lemonfest promotes itself as the last festival of the summer: the last bit of summer-fun to be had before the long, cold Autumn that awaits.

Fortunately, the Weather gods seem to be on our side today. When we get to Newton Abbot race-course, the site chosen to host this debut, the sun shines through the clouds.

On the racecourse we find a surprisingly diverse crowd.

There are mainly teenagers and twentysomethings, but also many families with young children. Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves, watching live acts or having a go at the different activities around. The festival’s main stage is set for re-united nineties band Reef to play top billing at the end of the day. Other acts on the main stage are Tiffany Page with her debut album release in the same week, indie band The Paddingtons and Ben Howard, who recently toured with Jason Mraz. On the slightly smaller “Locally

NAUGHTIES VS NOUGHTIES

31 31

local bands are playing and to there is HowGrown” do our stage, parents’ record collections compare also a dance tent with a DJ playing day and night. In our Ipod play lists? addition to the two bars and several food vendors, Abbey Shaw puts this timethere is adeterminedly bouncy slide,finally a mechanic bull and even old vintage argument to rest. shopping.

was lucky enough to have athat chat withdon’t Matt, one OurI parents are forever complaining “they of the bright minds behind all of this, to ask what make things like they used to”, and music is no expearls of wisdom he might have to share with other ception. It’s often argued that our generation simply people wanting to do something similar. The idea of regurgitates music, it does from lastthan a Lemonfest, Mattastells me, fashion, is actually nothe older few year. decades, so here’s a few pop face-offs from across In November last year a friend of his had a vague the ages… idea, the planning started and in January Matt himself joined in fully. “I think we do need a year to plan the one Thenext Clash Vs.though, Green so Daywe have already started looking for headliners!” Matt tells us. Matt and his two friends are the only organisers, although he mentions that Thethey Clashdid andget Green Day bothtoembody same raw some help create the a website and also punksupport energy:from the same aggression, the same volunteers on the day. Mattpassion. confides “For Bothnext bands political yearexpress we will strong try to hire peopleviews to dothrough some more of workGreen for us,Day so we canto enjoy own festival with theirthe music. appear voiceour their opinions little mature less stress!” in aamore manner through their music, most

famously via 2004 album American Idiot. Although Naturally for an event like this, money matters. it is Lemonfest evident that 2010 Greendid Daynot elevated political have punk’s an official sponsor, uses,instead The Clash and their contemporaries paved their they made a deal with a local businessman way.who Point one to our parents’ provided drinks.

Forrecord food collection. vendors they turned to local companies as well. “It is always hard to get a

sponsor theFlorence first year around.

When you have been Kate Bush Vs. and the Machine

in the industry for some time and made a name for yourself, then the sponsors start coming”, Matt Kateconfesses.

Bush and The Florence represent very much main Welch revenue is, of course, ticket sales. the The sameaim woman from different – eccentric, for Lemonfest was decades to sell 1,500 tickets, which quirky yetend mainstream.

Both rejuvenated the malein the they did manage.

Around 1,200 tickets were sold beforehand and walk-up sales on dominated music scene ofthree their hundred times. Kate injected life the andday. colour into a dull scene when our parents

were growing tired of wailing men who overused their The organisers decided to get a lot of local bands to synthesisers.

Florence came along stage: with her play on their “Locally Grown” “It Machine is important to when we were indie guitars.mainly know yourgetting crowd sick andof we did boys aim with Lemonfest Impossible to seeWe a clear winner thesesotwo, to the locals. are all from between around here we made the massive best use of local press, bothsure withto bigmake hair and stage presence, so radio it’s and word-of-mouth”. going to have to be a point each.

There are also legal matters to think of before you go

Madonna Vs. Lady Gaga about organising your own festival. There is licensing

and getting permission to use the area. There are

Clearly attention-seeking, Gaga’s tracks play These sound restrictions andLady environmental issues. arerecord very important to remember like things a broken of a one-track mind. It and goesmight to not bethat theusing first sex youas think about either.

But don’t want show a selling point , you canyou manipend up having troubles with your local police. To ulatetothe press into obsessing over your every move. anyone who wants to get into events managing Matt Madonna, the other hand, controversial, but says toon expect hours and was hours of hard work. lacked any of the irony and humour that Lady uses in her When music, I videos and persona.

It isbest undeniable thataspects enquire what was the and worst there is anhad easy answer; onmusic the Sunday, Madonna has one of the“Litter-picking most successful definitely worst!” best? “Just to have careers of all time.

For And sheerthe absurdity, this point goesdone it – look out for Lemonfest 2011!” to Lady Gaga.

Photography: Ina Andersson

Joy Division Vs. The Horrors Like The Clash, Joy Division were pioneers in music.

They were post-punk long before punk was even close to dead. True, The Horrors produce good standard of music which offers relief from generic guitar bands, but their sound seems to embrace other bands’ sounds from the last few decades. Joy Division stands out as a seminal influence, so one point to them.

Blondie Vs’ Yeah Yeah Yeahs Both Blondie and Yeah Yeah Yeahs have females as frontrunners so charismatic, it’s easy to forget that they are not solo artists. Blondie mastered the art of creating near-perfect pop songs time and again. Even YYY’s edgy Karen O can’t top Debbie Harry, a credible rock star as well as a fashion icon. Gentlemen and ladies prefer Blondes – the point goes to Blondie.

Seventies Back Catalogue – 4 Playlists – 2

Noughties

It seems that our parent’s generation of musicians rate higher than the musicians of today. We should all get out there, support our bands and prove that we can be better musically than their generation ever was.

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ScARLET _SHIFT Scarlet Shift are Lewis Murphy and AndyBlack. GUM’s Colin Reilly caught up with them the duo after their first headline gig at the ABC to talk the gig, their awaited second EP, being in the band, and, er, confectionery.

Colin Reilly So, First first ever headline gig. How do you guys think it went?

Lewis Yeah, dead good.

Andy It was good as a launch pad for our new material and it’s been our biggest crowd so far.

CR How many were there?

Lewis Dunno, but let’s just pretend and say we sold out.

Andy Not in a bad way though.

Lewis [LAUGHS] Yeah, we’re like The [Rolling] ‘Stones now.

CR You mentioned your new material. This is the follow-up to 2009’s Red Rag To A a Bull. How’s it going?

Andy We haven’t recorded anything yet, but we’ll be starting in November.

Lewis Hopefully it’ll be out for Christmas. We’ve just been recording demos in my bedroom.

Andy [LAUGHS] Yeah, put that in, it makes us sound quite underground.

CR Compared with the sound of your debut release, what’s your sound like in thehow does the new EP compare?

Lewis We think we’ve found our sound.

Andy That’s quite pretentious. The new songs are more in the same vein, less jumpy-abouty than our first EP. Mellow with heavy bits in the right place.

Lewis More colourful.

Andy Nah, that’s gay. There’s a more mature sound to this one and the recording quality itself is much better.

CR How does only having two members affect things?

Andy It’s easier in some aspects, like writing cause there isn’t a whole load of other people to deal with. It makes us try to make everything sound bigger, so all the songs have a nice big sound.

Lewis When it comes to playing live it’s much harder.

Especially when pedals cock up, ‘cause there’s lots of pedal.

CR So what’s the actual set up for the live gigs?

Andy Lewis is on drums, keys and vocals and I’m on guitar and vocals. We have a loop as well.

CR Is it not tricky, Lewis, playing two instruments and singing at the same time?

Lewis Sometimes it’s tricky but most of the time you don’t even think about it.

Andy Yeah, ‘cause it’s only ever been us two in the band, so that’s what we’ve always done.

Lewis I forget the lyrics sometimes though.

CR What sort of influences do you both have?

Andy Quite different. Lewis is into Handel and Bach and all that.

Lewis Classically trained – oooh! [LAUGHS] Andy I like Twilight Sad, Frightened Rabbit.

Lewis Yeah, who else?

Andy Also Band of Horses.

Lewis Nah, I’ve gone off them.

Andy How about Black Keys ‘cause there’s only two of them. Not The White Stripes though, ‘cause that’s too obvious.

Lewis Yeah.

Andy Simon and Garfunkel.

Lewis [IN AGREEMENT] Cool harmonies.

CR Importantly, what’s What is your favourite colour of Smartie®?

Andy Red. Lewis Red. Don’t like the blue.

CR And iIf you could get a new colour of Smartie®, what would it be?

Andy Tartan.

Lewis Glittery.

Andy That’d be really chewy though.

CR Any more gigs lined up?

Lewis When the EP is recorded we’re going to do a big launch show for that, hopefully in November or December.

Andy It’ll be our biggest yet.

CR Any last words?

Andy I’d like to be one of those bands like Glasvegas that are just miserable all the time.

Photography: Scarlet Shift Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/ScarletShift/382025805455

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Making Tracks: Contributors' Mixtape 1. ‘Cecila’ / Simon and Garfunkel Mary, 2nd Year, English Lit., Language & French: “Cecilia has tortured me with its excruciatingly catchy rhythm and buoyant chorus since my early childhood. I chose Cecilia, as patron Saint of Music, for my communion name – perhaps a little crazy but it’s definitely dedicated!”

5. ‘Plug-in Baby’ / MUSE

4. ‘Trains’ / Porcupine Tree

Mira, 1st Year, English Lit.: “I chose this song because it seems like every time something amazing happens it’s playing somewhere around me. and because I heard it twice live in Wembley this year since then I can’t get it out of my head”.

Anthony, 1st Year Music: “Porcupine Tree’s most popular song, and deservingly so. It’s simply a fantastic feat of songwriting and production – the album made Progrock accessible without compromising musical integrity.”

6. ‘My Girls’ / Animal Collective

7.‘The Blues Are Still Blue’ / Belle and Sebastian

Sophie, 4th Year, English Lit. & French: “Seeing the group perform it on their European tour in France last year was a

Jane, 1st Year, English Lit. & History: “Listening to any track from the same album guarantees a smile. That is the simple reason for my love of this track.”

visual and aural treat”.

GUM loves you so much, we made you a mix tape!

Here our contributors select their favourite tracks, compiled by GUM’s Music Editor Yasmin Ali.

9. ‘Song for a Lover of Long Ago’ / Justin Vernon Dave Online Editor – Music & Events: “Only one hundred of these were pressed, by self-release by the artist in Wisconsin, America”.

2. ‘Swallow Tattoo’ / The Long Blondes Lauren, 2nd Year, English Lit. & Language, Film & TV Studies: “This track has always been one of my preferred jump-up-and-downaround-your-bedroom tunes, with its infectious melody always managing to stick around in your head for a considerable amount of time afterwards. Plus, any song that unashamedly includes the lyric ‘I want to jump your bones’ gets my vote!”

3. ‘FUNK (Bloody Beetroots remix) / Etienne de Crecy Adam, 4th Year, Law LLB: “I discovered this track while on exchange in the bass-driven music of the Dutch Rave scene. The mix has a fresh sound that’s yet to be discovered in the UK but perfect to listen to at the height of a good night out.”

8. ‘At The Indie Disco’ / The Divine Comedy Colin, 1st Year, English Lit.: “This song should be the soundtrack for every night out anyone ever has!”.

Follow the GUM Spotify playlist at http://tinyurl.com/2d799ub

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Dave Hunter delves into some musical ! ! ! marvels from Glasgow’s music heritage.

h g f u i

Recent experience has led me to believe that the city’s music heritage is definitely an avenue that has been fascinating Glaswegian music critics for several years now. However, with limited hard factual evidence detailing Glasgow’s vibrancy my hands were somewhat tied. Even rummaging through the depths of Glasgow’s Mitchell library couldn’t loosen the rope. Setting about a 12,000 word thesis in this instance was therefore a task in itself. On the flipside though, it was all the more relished by a lurking personal passion in the study of music. Besides, what better city to start than the one in which you live?

Rather conveniently, it’s one where you can witness a barrage of musical performances on any given night and on any given stage. In fact, Glasgow’s recent UNESCO award making it an official city of music in 2008 argues that around 127 different acts perform every single week adding an additional £74.6 million to the economy. Enough with the facts and figures you say? Well, the more perceptive among you all may by now have realised that this vast quantity was not always the case…

In fact, it was only really after the Glasgow byelaws on opening hours and sales of alcohol were relaxed from 1976 when more venues were able to make money from encouraging live bands and acts. It allowed the 1980’s and more specifically The Apollo to showcase some of live music’s finest including The Rolling Stones, Johnny Cash and David Bowie.

Punk only had a fleeting visit during this era but its ethos of DIY has forever stuck with Glaswegians and Glasgow’s industrial and underground community.

One rather large elephant that has always been in any room around Glasgow’s venues happens to be the issue of never having a ma jor record label. On the one side, money more generally filters south towards the larger promoters and labels, inevitably allowing bands to reap the greater financial benefits but on the other side it is what keeps Glasgow the way It is- underground and independent. Not having a ma jor record label created the room for more cult independent labels to trail an unlikely blaze for themselves.

It All Started With A Postcard This was certainly the case for Postcard records founded by Glasgow Uni’s own science student Alan Horne in 1979 to promote then current local band Orange Juice.

If the Apollo venue helped to attract global status to Glasgow then its seminal band Orange Juice and Alan Horne helped to attract home-grown talent to a global audience for the first time.Under the umbrella of New Wave, Orange Juice captured the sound of young Scotland .Truth be told, Franz Ferdinand would not have been the outfit they are without the influence of Orange Juice. For a label to have such a lasting impact after only officially existing until 1982 is astonishing. It provided the impetus bands required for fresh ideas at a time where pop/indie music was in a serious state of stagnation. This New Wave sound with its melodic guitar based music also paved the way for a great number of Glasgow bands including The Pastels, Del Amitri, Altered Images and The Bluebells in the 1980’s.

Like Postcard before it, Chemical Underground shares its similarities by catering for change and continuing to shape Glasgow’s independent music scene.

On a theoretical note, the impressive nature of Glasgow’s more successful bands may well be cyclical as the evidence would suggest, with a further clutch of popular acts in the 90’s but its most famous sons secret to success is arguably not to get bogged down by the scene specifically in Glasgow. Just look at Franz Ferdinand and more recently Frightened Rabbit: forever attached to Glasgow’s scene, both relented when it came to endless gigs around the city and have equally benefited from ma jor record labels. The postcard label epitomised Glasgow’s ethic of independence beautifully but ultimately suffocated under the weight of larger forces.

If you have been reading this with due care and fervour the chances are you appreciate good Glasgow music.

It always makes for a refreshing change to todays chart music which is often saturated with catchy ! choruses, three-chord Wish you were here? tricks and grown men going off on rap tangents. So grab a local listings guide to select a gigand pick your weapon of choice.

Images: Postcard Records of Scotland official label cover copyright Postcard Records Offical Cover of Orange Juice 1982 Album copyright Orange Juice

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V.I.P AT UNI Scandinavian socialite and it-girl CP resists the typical student experience and lives college life the glam way.

SUNDAY

WEDNESDAY

I just had to get away from dreary Scotland (and alcohol-fuelled freshers) - just stepped off the plane from Marrakech! Arabian Nights galore, might I say! It was in many respects basic holiday, really: had a personal tour of the King’s hotel complex that hasn’t been officially opened to the public yet, lounged at the pool club where the SATC girls filmed parts of the second movie, sipped cocktails at Jamie Oliver’s favourite rooftop hangout in Morocco, dined at SJP’s hotel and tasted macaroons at an access-only-by-private-minibus 2*Michelin restaurant. Oh yeah, and of course topping up our tans at our hotel’s rooftop pool. Your average student getaway? Well, it was way better than witnessing pubescent liver dissipate at the Hive, that’s for sure.

At baggage claim I spot a seriously style-savvy Russian woman posing with her oligarch husband and she was wearing the same Acne peeptoe booties as I have! Her husband was lustily checking me out; did someone say uncomfortable?! Never mind the millionaire – I’m getting hot under the collar about his wife’s YSL ponyskin leopard-print bag, have to remind myself to put that on Santa’s list...until then my Lanvin equivalent will have to do.

If I don’t need to go… I pause for thought, but needless to say, I’m not going. To university, that is. I had some library books due back today, but if I don’t have classes to go to (it’s raining ligers and elephants and I ain’t gettin’ my Louboutins soaked!) so I’d rather just pick up the fine than drag my hot self in.

Commuting all the way to Glasgow is such a hassle, and let’s face it, Edinburgh is the one voted the most desirable to live in the UK, so why move? Next time I’m in, though, I think I’ll take Lindsay on the train with me; how that jailbird managed to nab the cover of Vanity Fair perplexes me on a reoccurring basis, but it makes for great reading!

TUESDAY As I arrive at my part-time job as a stylist in an exclusive Edinburgh boutique, my boss welcomes me in a shower of compliments over my Camilla and Marc leopard print scarf and wants to know all the goss from the ‘Kech.

While I’m filling her in, Chloé, my colleague, feels my Jil Sander oversized cashmere sweater and gushes, “how soft is this?!” That’s 100% cashmere for you, dahling! But already I’m dreading the fact that I have to go in to uni tomorrow where no one will appreciate my cashmeres, furs and shearlings in the same way that my boss and Chloé do...probably will get a nasty glance from a budding PETA activist on University Avenue at most; great.

FRIDAY Damn it! Nearly got my lambskin Céline bag soiled by some fugly Classics student on the staircase of the QMU! Ever since I got that booty call at 6AM this morning from a music producer I knew aaaaages ago (needless to say, the boyfriend was not pleased) I knew it would be one of those days.

I wish the cafeteria on Level 3 of the Library (far more enjoyable than the chaos that is the HUB) would at least consider stocking Ladurée macarons for days like these! But that would be too much to ask. Trecking to Kember & Jones on Byres Road is the best I can manage. To top it all off, I bet the train back to Edinburgh gets delayed, so that I miss my IPL appointment. My bikini line’s permanently hair free future relies on this day going smoothly (no pun intended... well, maybe a little). After all, I have to look fabulous from top to toe for my Saint-Tropez getaway this weekend! It really is hard work trying to fit my lectures in between my fabulous holidays….

Yours truly, C.P.

Collage/Photography: By the author

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You are what you read. *glasgow university magazine / autumn - winter 2010 / free