Le Nurb March 2015 by lenurb

NEWS ALI MILANI ELECTED UNION PRESIDENT

B RU N E L U N I V E R S I T Y ’ S S T U D E N T N E W S PA P E R

FEATURES LUPCANTE: THE BAND WITH ALL THE INSTRUMENTS

CULTURE

BRUNEL DANCE CLUB THE BEST OF BRITISH

PHOTO CREDIT: ADAM WHITE

“IT WAS ONLY ON LOAN” BRUNEL’S DEFIANT WORDS TO ST. MARY’S AFTER RECLAIMING THE TROPHY AT THE WEST LONDON VARSITY 2015 29

Mehdi Punjwani In the 2015 chapter of one of the most hotly contested sporting competitions of West London, it was Brunel University who came out victorious, beating St Mary’s, or the Simmies, thirteen point five to eleven point five.

PHOTO CREDIT: LIAM MARTIN

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First up was men’s cricket, played in the Sports Hall, and Brunel would bat first, putting ninety-nine runs on the board for St Mary’s to chase. St Mary’s put thirty-one runs up in the first four overs of their response, needing sixtynine from the remaining six to win; things were looking tight for Brunel.

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SPORT MOH HASSAN - THE MAN WHO SCORED.

WELCOME TO ISSUE 7: MARCH 2015

This Month... 04

YOUR NEWS JOHN MCDONNELL TELLS BRUNEL STUDENTS: I SUPPORT BDS

UNION NEWS ALI MILANI ELECTED UNION PRESIDENT

FEATURES LUPACANTE: THE BAND WITH ALL THE INSTRUMENTS

IN DEPTH HUMANS OF BRUNEL

INTERVIEW WITH GEORGE HOLROYD

SPORT THE BEST OF VARSITY 2015

Contributors Le Nurb would like to thank the following people for contributing an article to this month’s issue.

News

Culture

Romany Stott Shakoofeh Shah Kirsty Capes Lara Waterfield Elisabeth Mahase Victoria Sanusi Aisha Hamidi Arthe Kandeepan Jean Meehan Lauren Shiel Mehdi Punjwani

Amita Joshi Jasmin Nahar Jasmine Brathwaite Alexander Tyson Alyx Leeming Panny Antoniou Ellie Wiltshire Ellis Davies Shakoofeh Shah Katie Williams Parveen Bhambra Kirsty Capes Victoria Sanusi David Bennett

George Bowden Erica Wilson Luke Vogel Victoria Sanusi April Clayton Eddie Leggatt Becky Collins

The Team

Simply put, if you’re a current Brunel student, you can write for Le Nurb. There are a few things to bear in mind:

Editor

YOUR ARTICLE

Deputy Editors

- Your article should be saved as a Word document (.doc or .docx). - Its filename should contain your name, student number, and a suggested headline. - We don’t accept PDF, Works (.wps), OpenOffice (.odt), Pages (.pages) or other formats. - Publisher files (.pub) are particularly horrific, beastly things. Please don’t send any, ever. - It may sound obvious, but please run a spellcheck before you submit your article!

YOUR IMAGES

CULTURE

Features

Submissions

Sport

Adam White Ben Usher Lucas Sisqueira Johanna Puustinen Johnny Girling Kirsty Capes Marc Horrex Mehdi Punjwani Shelly Spooner Sophie Bredbere

Writer of the Month Adam White

- If you like, you can suggest specific images for your article, or take your own photograph and include it with your submission. They’ll need to be separate .jpg or .png files. - Don’t embed your images into the article document - this compresses them too much for use on the page. - Any image filenames and image credits (who the photographer is) should be listed at the end of your article. - Images you submit must not be copyrighted by another individual or organisation. - Please don’t just nick pictures off Google Image Search (we can’t use them 99% of the time!) please use Flickr Creative Commons instead.

YOUR CONTACTS

Enquiries, advertising & complaints: Kirsty - media.chair@brunel.ac.uk Design queries and feedback: Jo - dt11jeg@my.brunel.ac.uk News articles: Shakoofeh - en12sss@my.brunel.ac.uk In-depth articles on a given topic: Emma - en11ejj@my.brunel.ac.uk Reviews and culture articles: Victoria - victoriasanusi@ymail.com Everything sport-related Panny - 1204476@my,brunel.ac.uk

Deadlines

The deadline for the January ssue is

Friday 17th April 2015

Kirsty Capes Ryan O’Donovan and Kat Clementine

Chief Designer

Jo Emma Gregory-Brough

Online Editor Eddie Leggatt

Deputy Online Editor Oliver Ronaldson

NEWS

Section Editor Shakoofeh Shah

Chief Sub-Editor Arthe Kandeepan

Sub-Editor

Elisabeth Mahase

Online Editor Molly Lempriere

FEATURES

Section Editor Emma Jeremy

Chief Sub-Editor Aidan Milan

Sub Editor Erica Wilson

Online Editor Teresa Francis

CULTURE

Section Editor Victoria Sanusi

Chief Sub-Editor Hon Jiun Wong

Sub-Editor

Jasmine Brathwaite

Online Editor Jasmin Nahar

SPORT

Section Editor Panny Antoniou

please email submissions to lenurb.brunel@gmail.com

Chief Sub-Editor

Advertising

Online Editor

Ellie Woolcott

Mehdi Punjwani

Le Nurb is distributed eight times a year, across campus, to a network of 15,000 students.

DESIGNERS

We offer great rates to advertisers, plus discounts for on-campus clubs, societies and organisations.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Find out more at bru-media.co.uk/ lenurb

ILLUSTRATION

To book an advertising slot for March, call Bonnie Crate on 01895 267215.

ONLINE

Kirsty Capes Elisabeth Mahase

Chris Rathore Ben Lunato-Doyen Rowan Frewin

Stefan Knap Ellis Davies Sophie Bredbere

All articles and pictures © their respective authors unless otherwise indicated. Views expressed are those of the writers and do not reflect the official position of UBS or Brunel University. All comments and complaints about content in Le Nurb should be addressed to the Editor in the first instance: media.chair@brunel.ac.uk. Complaints will only be entertained where it can be proven that an article or graphic is: factually inaccurate; breaches the Press Complaints Commission’s Editors’ Code of Practice; breaches the National Union of Journalists’ Code of Conduct; breaks the law; or encourages readers to break the law. No complaint that fails to satisfy at least one of these criteria will be upheld. Published by: Union of Brunel Students, Kingston Lane, Uxbridge, UB8 3PH. Printed by: Harmsworth Printing Derby, Northcliffe House, Meadow Road, Derby, DE1 2BH.

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NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

Editor’s Letter Kirsty Capes

Dear reader, Thank you for picking up this rare printed copy of Le Nurb. We’ve had a fantastic month with many amazing events happening all around Brunel. Today (Friday 27th March) is the final day of a week of celebration of Brunel’s cultural diversity. This week students have enjoyed events and workshops showcasing the rich culture and variety of nationalities here at Brunel. It’s been great to see so many people getting involved in the festivities and sharing in the cultural exchange. This month we’ve also seen the Union Spring Elections take place. Congratulations to Ali, Aaron, Michael, Yousef and Marcus upon being elected as next year’s sabbatical officers and all the other newly elected chairs. Commiserations to all the fantastic candidates who all did a great job campaigning and, with a 500 voter turnout increase, really helped engage more students than ever in Brunel politics.

The biggest victory this month goes to our sports teams who fought a close battle with St Mary’s to win back the West London Varsity trophy and return it home to Brunel. The sports on the day were fantastic to watch and the most special moments were the shows of sportsmanship from Brunel teams on the day. Particularly moving was the two Ultimate Frisbee sides sitting down post-match to critique their opponents’ games and congratulate each other on their gameplay. Elsewhere, it was great to see the Brunel Cheerleaders cheering on the simmies and encouraging them by clapping and cheering when they messed up their routine a little bit.

for nominations and the Media Association Committee are looking for new members: Video Brunel Executive Director, Secretary, Union Liaison, Web Officer, Treasurer, and, perhaps most pertinently, the new Le Nurb Editor in Chief for the next academic year. If you think you’re up to the role drop me an email at media. chair@brunel.ac.uk and I’ll be happy to answer any questions you have. Shout out to Alex Vincett who promised me she will read the editor’s letter this month. Hi Alex! Stay classy, Brunel. xox

Don’t forget we still have at least one more issue to print this year and even though there are exams and deadlines looming we hope you can make some time to submit your stories and articles, which are all very valuable to us. On another note the standing committee elections are now open

PHOTO CREDIT: KIRSTY CAPES

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Brunel their first points towards the Varsity Trophy.

St Mary’s, however, kept the score ticking and were eventually victorious in the opening match of West London Varsity 2015. Men’s First Brunel Cricket Captain Ben Evans: “We had a slow start, in the end we were unlucky to lose.”

On the Tennis Courts, Brunel were similarly successful, with captain Charlie Clarke watching on from the sidelines as the home team claimed four men’s singles victories, with Jamie Doran in particular impressing with a 6-0, 6-0 win over his St Mary’s counterpart.

Over in the Netball Hall, the Badminton had also started. Brunel Men were victorious in the singles and doubles competition, whilst the Women drew the doubles and won their singles competition, giving

In the 1500m competition, St Mary’s enjoyed success with their athletes finishing first, second and sixth, with Brunel runners taking the third, fourth and sixth places. Brunel Football Men’s Third team were defeated by St Mary’s,

three goals to one, bringing the overall score of West London Varsity so far to 4.5-2.5 in the Simmie’s favour. However, Brunel Volleyball were helping to claw the score back, beating St Mary’s 3-0 to bring Brunel’s trophy count to 3.5, and following the overall draw in Men’s Athletics, the victories in the Doubles Tennis and the draw in the Futsal Seconds, the overall trophy count was now 5.5-5.5. A Brunellian thrashing in the Ultimate Frisbee gave the home team a 14-3 win, as well as a similarly dominant display in the first team Futsal giving Brunel an 11-3 victory. Women’s

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Basketball made a successful start, ahead 9-6, though the Women’s Rugby Union fell 32-5, and the Women’s Football lost 8-1 to the away outfit. St. Mary’s were also victorious in the Men’s Hockey, winning 3-2 after three St Mary’s players were sin binned, bringing the overall score 8.5-7.5 to St Mary’s. A Brunel win in the weightlifting levelled the scores at 8.5-8.5, and eventual victory at the Women’s Basketball, 58-27, put Brunel in the lead for the trophy. A St Mary’s victory in the Men’s Football Seconds brought the scores level again, but a netball win, 67-12,

for Brunel kept them ahead in the count, 10.5-9.5. In the thrilling conclusion to the day’s events, a tense Men’s Basketball win of 80-68, a victory in the Rugby Union and a last minute winner from Mohammed Hassan in the Men’s Football Firsts, making the score 4-3, secured West London Varsity 2015 for Brunel University, with an overall score of 13.5-11.5.

04 NEWS

NEWS

PHOTO CREDIT: TELEGRAPH

BRUNEL ALUMNI MP JOHN MCDONNELL TELLS STUDENTS: I SUPPORT BDS Victoria Sanusi Brunel alumni MP John McDonnell tells students at Brunel that he is in favour of the (BDS) Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement which passed in Brunel on 30 October 2014. MP John McDonnell for Hayes & Harlington paid the university a visit for Q&A session on the 17th February. When asked about the Israeli– Palestinian conflict, he said: “I am absolutely desperate for a peaceful

solution with regards to Palestine. Full stop. Absolutely desperate.” The event was organised by Voting Count’s founder Rachel Farrington in conjunction with the Voter Registration Working Group, and Brunel Labour. Farrington, also a Politics student at Brunel said that: “We organised it as part of a series of Q&A’s with politicians at Brunel that we hope to continue this year. It follows the great success of the John Randall MP Q&A which he held in November.”

She expressed that ‘this is a platform to get to know local politicians, meet them and scrutinise their opinions.’ Farrington kicked off the session with the first question: “How do you think the political landscape and the labour party would look today if you won the leadership election 2007?” McDonnell answered with a few short words: “We would be in government.” He then continued to say that: “We would address issues people are suffering from at the moment: chronic housing crisis, food banks amassing throughout our communities and

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people working long hours on zero hour contract.” The 63 year old has been in parliament for 18 years. He attended Brunel University for a Bachelor of Science in Government and Politics and told students that that when graduated, he wanted to be the manager of retail company, The Co Op. When asked about potential neighbouring MP, Boris Johnson, McDonnell said: “I don’t know the guy. When he was in parliament, anytime I had dealings with Boris was when I was on a committee, and he turned

up and made a speech and realised he was on the wrong committee and left.” Farrington who founded the not-forprofit organisation, Voting Counts in her last year of sixth form said: “The discussion was insightful but remained light enough to engage students. We’re lucky enough to have such a politician willing to talk to us who doesn’t just toe the party line, someone who has radical views and isn’t afraid to express them something that is often lacking in politics.”

NEWS

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06 NEWS

PARLIAMENTARY HUSTINGS GOES AHEAD DESPITE BORIS SNUB Kirsty Capes A Union-organised Parliamentary hustings event went ahead as planned last week despite Conservative candidate Boris Johnson not showing up. The current Mayor of London and Parliamentary candidate for the Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency was replaced with just an empty chair and a name card, demonstrating that he had been invited but had chosen not to attend the event. The hustings was attended by around 85 students and members of the local community, and was organised by the Union’s Voter Registration Working Group. Other Parliamentary candidates Chris Summers (Labour), Graham Lee (Green), Jack Duffin (UKIP) and Mike Cox (Liberal Democrats) attended and answered a range of questions from Twitter and the audience. Topics included immigration, crime and women in politics, as well as HS2 and the Heathrow third runway

expansion project - both key issues for the local community.

PHOTO CREDIT: HILLINGDONISHERE

Le Nurb understands that Boris Johnson was originally invited to the hustings several months ago by the Union, and was even offered to pick the date with the understanding that he would have the busiest schedule of the five main party candidates. Johnson’s office did not respond the Union’s repeated communications, and after a date was assigned later on, Johnson’s team declined to attend last minute, citing another Mayoral event in Haringey that evening as the reason. The other candidates heavily criticised Johnson for his nonattendance during the question time. Johnson has been spotted on Brunel’s campus several times since announcing his candidacy for the Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency, but has failed to communicate directly with the Students’ Union. Despite this, he has posed for pictures outside the Union reception and met with top University executives in a closed meet and greet. Also in the audience on the night was the Uxbridge and South Ruislip candidate for TUSC (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition), Gary Harbord.

CHRIS SUMMERS: TUITION FEES SHOULD BE REDUCED Victoria Sanusi

PHOTO CREDIT: LABOUR

Chris Summers says Labour’s decision to reduce the tuition fee will encourage more people from lowincome families to go to university.

Current Brunel undergraduate students gave their reaction to Mr Summers’ pledge. Grace Adeniji, an International Politics student, said: “Although it’s great that they’re reducing costs, I feel it’s too late. I’ve paid £9,000 for three years. (Plus maintenance) and I definitely do not feel it’s justified.”

The Labour Candidate for Uxbridge and South Ruislip adds that the decreasing the tuition fee also added: “An ageing population will She will lighten the “I genuinely feel make the NHS and social that it should burden on those who will be care more and more expen- be brought back graduating from to £3000 per sive in future.” university in the annum, or to be coming years. frank be free like The legislation Germany.” made by the coalition government, back in 2011, saw University tuition Jasmine Brathwaite, a Journalism fees triple in size for students. This student said: “Universities have hiked would be slashed if Labour wins up their tuition fees to 9k even though the General Election on 7th May, quality of education didn’t reflect that said Summers but not back to pre- cost. Some university course will not coalition levels. be worth 6k yet that is what all will charge.” The 47 year old told Le Nurb that dropping the tuition fee back to Nivine Arafa, a Journalism student £3,000 “may be very difficult said: “It doesn’t make a difference considering the size of the national who is elected because they always deficit and the growth in various other promise things and never implement ‘bills’ the nation has to pay.” them.” He added: “An ageing population will make the NHS and social care more and more expensive in future.”

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NEWS

PHOTO CREDIT: IAN BURT

PHOTO CREDIT: HILLINGDON GREEN PARTY

GREENS AND TORIES DRAWING BATTLE LINES AHEAD OF ELECTION Shakoofeh Shah

students at Brunel. Some of their achievements include:

Representatives of the Conservative party have spoken exclusively to Le Nurb about their local role in this year’s general election.

Funding a person to provide community development based at Brunel, to support student life in Hillingdon

Boris Johnson is fighting against the 4 other candidates running from Labour, UKIP, Liberal Democrats and The Green Party which could change the dynamics of this year’s elections greatly. Speaking to the Conservative Party about their policies regarding the young people of Hillingdon, this is what they had to say:

Ensuring better management of student housing around the university and in Uxbridge through planning and licensing

YOUNG PEOPLE AND CONSERVATIVE POLICY – LOCAL AND NATIONAL? The Conservatives within Hillingdon Council have been working hard for the young people in Uxbridge and South Ruislip, and particularly the

Working jointly with Brunel on the Hillingdon Festival of Education and Literary Festival Ensuring that town centre policing extends to cover the university areas so that students are safe at night Working closely with the university on economic development so that students have access to local job opportunities The Conservative Party have been reforming the higher education sector to make it accessible to all,

by removing number caps to ensure as many people as possible will get the opportunity to get a degree. They have also recently committed to introducing postgraduate student loans so that students are not disadvantaged financially if they wish to continue their study beyond their undergraduate degree. They added: “Rent costs are understandably a concern for students. The only way to have affordable rent is to build more homes – with housebuilding now at its highest level since 2007 thanks to our longterm economic plan. Our Rent to Buy scheme also makes it easier for you to get on the ladder once you’ve finished your studies and are out in the workplace.” In comparison with the policies of the Conservative party, Graham Lee will stand as the Hillingdon Green Party candidate in this year’s election, having been a member since 1999.

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His policies include capital climate change and ‘say NO to HS2,’- I spoke to Ben Martin from the Union’s Green Party society about the role of the party in the 2015 general elections along with some of The Green Party goals in the 2015 elections. Ben stated that “We have been really pushing for the increase in living wage and this is a really big policy of ours. Graham is an environmentalist first and foremost and we believe that increasing the living wage will change a lot for the area. There is a lot you can do with it.” When speaking to Ben about the parties plan to focus on improving student living and working hours, he also highlighted their desire for further student engagement in politics. He said “We want to get a great presence of Brunel students protesting about these issues, since the Green Party are the only ones doing it.” A large part of these plans, both for work and protesting, involve further

engagement with students, as Ben put it “We want to speak to students who are working and implement a zero hour’s contract for students who have to balance working life and university life. There isn’t really a student movement here and we are the ones who really do it in terms of our society at Brunel. It is about speaking to students on campus and asking them what they want!” “We want to be as active on campus, as it will show how serious Greens are even if we are not in power – we can still do a lot!.” The Green Party society on campus is part of ‘London Young Greens and Green Universities.’ They aim to canvass and leaflet for other parts of London (and potentially Brighton and Bristol) as well as our own Brunel itself.

08 NEWS

PLACEMENT AND CAREERS CENTRE LAUNCHES WEBSITE workplace and how the placement benefited them. Helen Slingby notes, ‘Stories play a huge role in our lives The Placement and Careers Centre is - whether that’s watching movies, launching iworkat, an online platform reading novels or analysing the latest for Brunel students to reflect upon entrants into the Big Brother house. their experience of obtaining and It makes us think about our own experience. So looking at iworkat is completing a work placement! a great way to engage with others’ Have you finished a placement? stories, learn about their career and Send an email to: careers@brunel. placement journeys, the ups and ac.uk with the email subject ‘iworkat’ downs of how they got there and to express your interest in appearing any advice they may have had along on the website and we’ll send you a the way’. I am a postgraduate student (one of the people few questions to answer! This is “On the site we also have who live in the library in a state the perfect way to iworkglobal featuring of caffeine-fuelled boost your profile online. As said international students and c o n s c i o u s n e s s) and I can tell you by experienced placements completed that the need careers consultant for post-study at Brunel, abroad” employment Helen Slingsby, becomes ever ‘Recruiters will frequently Google to find out more more present as your university career about who has sent in their CV approaches an end, so gaining advice or application form so having an from others who have experience online presence is very important, really is invaluable. and one that is separate from your Facebook account. Facebook is for On the site we also have iworkglobal private stuff, LinkedIn and other featuring international students and platforms like iworkat are excellent placements completed abroad and to show case your skills, experience, ihireat which is information given interests and other attributes’. That’s straight from the employer detailing right, it is not just an urban myth that what they look for in a candidate and when you apply for a job employers the specifics about the company, research you, so it can only help you which will help you decide whether if one of the first things they find you would like to work for them. is that you undertook a placement, The site is still in the early stages had a positive experience and are and we are currently building up our a generally proactive go-getter – I database, but we hope as we do this would also recommend deleting all that employers will use the website those inappropriate Facebook photos, as a mode of finding and contacting suitable students regarding work just to be on the safe side! opportunities, another way in which As a part of my job at the Placement appearing on iworkat could improve and Careers Centre, I have been your chances of employment. working on the website and uploading To take a look, go to: http://iworkat. all of the profiles which even if not in brunel.ac.uk/ your subject field, all provide a useful insight into the application process, how to stand out from others in the

Romany Stott

SPIKED RANKING GOES ON THE ROAD Elisabeth Mahase Spiked magazine’s Free Speech University Rankings, which brought the scandal of campus censorship to the attention of the public, is now going on the road to celebrate the campaign’s 1st anniversary. Debates are to be held in Oxford, Bristol, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Manchester and several other locations. Published on 2nd February, the rankings of Universities and their student unions showed that 80% of our universities censor student speech - this bans a myriad of topics, from unruly sports teams to certain songs - and enforced policies like no platform and BDS.

DO YOU CARE?: YOUNG BRUNEL VOLUNTEERS CAMPAIGN TO RAISE AWARENESS FOR YOUNG CARERS leads to a significant number of repercussions. For example:

Aisha Hamidi

1 in 12 young carers is caring for more than 15 hours per week.

Brunel volunteering group, Team v, is Around 1 in 20 miss school because of campaigning to raise awareness for their caring responsibilities. child carers in the UK and to promote support services for their local area; Young carers are 1.5 times more likely working with Hillingdon Young Carer’s than their peers to have a special educational need to help young carers to find “1 in 12 young carers is or a disability. support if they caring for more than 15 Young carers need it. have significantly hours per week.” lower educational The team, which is attainment at part of a national network of young volunteers run GCSE level. by youth charity vInspired, held an Young carers are more likely than activity workshop in Oak Farm Library the national average to be not in to inform their local community on education, employment or training the impact that caring at such a young (NEET) between the ages of 16 and 19. age has on young carers’ lives and to promote the local support services as Team v Brunel held their workshop pop-up event on the 27th February to where they can find help. 2015 between 1-5pm. Members of According to the latest census, the public were invited to take part in there are currently 166,363 young activities, learn more about the issue carers in England, however many through our photo exhibition and remain hidden from official sight. information stall They can miss out on a huge range of opportunities that so many About Team v other children and young people take for granted, from educational opportunities, to spending time with Team v is a team of highly motivated friends and having time and space to volunteers (aged 18-25) using their do their homework. creative brilliance and natural people skills to make real change happen in Many young carers and their families communities across England. don’t receive any support which

PHOTO CREDIT: AISHA HAMIDI

Times and the Tab have all covered the story, allowing the readership to spread throughout the UK. Le Nurb’s article, published in the last issue, covered Brunel’s ranking in which it was labelled ‘Hostile Environment for Free Speech.’ The story highlighted the union’s zero tolerance policy and the university’s restrictions on ‘distributing offensive posters, photos, jokes or e-mails.’ For more information about the debates visit: www.spiked-online. com/dwcc To read the full university rankings, go to: www.spiked-online.com/fsur

The Guardian, THE, BBC, Independent, Huffington Post, Telegraph, The

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Team v is a leadership development programme powered by vInspired, designed to activate a network of young people leading social action campaigns across England. vInspired gives team leaders an inspiring package of training, tools and tactics to recruit their own teams of volunteers in order to lead the campaigns.

About vInspired vInspired is a vibrant, innovative charity that focuses on helping young people help themselves and others through volunteering and social action. It provides under 25s with volunteering and social action opportunities to improve their life skills and employability. vInspired does things differently – it makes volunteering fun and rewarding. It wants to help young people express their creativity and develop their innovative ideas with the simple belief that volunteering and social action helps young people to value their communities and feel that they belong. It believes that by actively engaging young people at all levels of its work, it is more likely to reach and inspire other young people to take action for social good.

NEWS

RENTING RATES FOR STUDENTS LIVING IN LONDON SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN OTHER MAJOR CITIES Arthe Kandeepan

On average London based students are being charged 32.4% less premium than non-students; sharing similar figures to areas such as Reading, with reduced rates of 39.2%, Oxford at 32.6% and Brighton at 30.9%.

A study carried out by StuRents has found dizzying premium rates are being charged for students Findings reveal that savings are higher in the south of UK renting in some of Britain’s major “Despite being a notoriously and particularly in cities. Brunel expensive city to be renting more expensive In London students renting in, Brunel students renting cities. the average rent in the London area however are in London are being charged charge per person per week has one of several proportionate rates.” been indicated at cities charging £299.40 whilst the at significantly reduced rates according to the study student rate is £202.40. However, involving 25,572 student houses up north in places such as Durham, the average tenant rate is £71.42 with across the UK. students being charged considerably Despite being a notoriously expensive more at £94.17. city to be renting Walker, in, Brunel students “More expensive cities are Tom of renting in London having to adjust rent rates Co-Founder StuRents.com are being charged to accommodate students had this to say proportionate who are having to face about the findings: rates. The study conducted by rising tuition fees and extra “Analysis of StuRents found expenses.” StuRents’ rental that students data has unveiled renting in Loughborough were the worst hit a new side to regional variances with premium rates reaching 36.1% in the student housing market, more in comparison to non-students- indicating that the crown for the closely followed by Durham (31.84%) most expensive city on a student rental basis is by no means clear-cut. and Lincoln (27.61%).

PHOTO CREDIT: LENA VASILJEVA

The most fascinating outcome of StuRents’ in-house research is that the story of the most expensive student towns, as defined by which towns have the highest average per-personper-week rent, is incomplete. In towns and cities where the mainstream rental market suffers from upwards pressure as a result of a burgeoning demand from young professionals and out-of-reach house prices, the student rental sector seems to trade at a discount to the market average. Conversely, the general consensus in the northern half of England seems to be that students represent a more premium demographic, and rental prices are adjusted upwards to accommodate this.” More expensive cities are having to adjust rent rates to accommodate students who are having to face rising tuition fees and extra expenses. Despite London having the highest rent rates, Brunel students renting in and around London are benefiting from higher discounts than most.

PHOTOGRAPHY COMP MOUSETRAP THEATRE PROJECTS TO SHOWCASE MODERN BRINGING THE MAGIC OF THE DAY DIVERSITY THEATRE TO YOUNG PEOPLE Jean Meehan The Equality and Diversity Team are running a photography competition for staff and students to find the best photograph to reflect the world’s modern day diversity.

The picture can be one you have just taken, or one you took years ago, whatever you like, just upload your picture. Please note the picture should be in jpeg format and be a minimum of 5 MG. There is a maximum of three entries per person.

The closing date for Your picture can be “The picture can be one the competition is in colour or black and white, feature you have just taken, or one Friday 24th April and the winners people, animals, you took years ago.“ will be announced a city, a landmark week commencing or anything else Monday 11th in the world that inspires you from Brighton to May. We look forward to seeing your Bangalore and beyond. A pair of Beats pictures. If you have any queries, by Dr Dre headphones are on offer as please contact Jean Meehan at jean. the grand prize, with a range of other meehan@brunel.ac.uk. prizes on offer as well.

Play That Goes Wrong, Urinetown, Singin’ in the Rain, Wicked, Memphis, A Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, Charlie and the Theatre tickets are renowned for Chocolate Factory, A Chorus Line being expensive but WestEnd4£10 and many more, including Jamie is an affordable way to see and Lloyds productions at the Trafalgar experience live theatre without Studios with A listed stars such as James McAvoy, John Simm and Martin spending to much money. Freeman. Mousetrap Theatre Projects is a There is always a wide variety of charity that aims to bring the magical theatre genres on offer from the popular Musicals experience “Shows that have previ- and Plays, to of theatre to young people ously been available to Ballet, Opera and hakespeare, by providing members include The Play Soffering a chance reasonably prices tickets. It has many That Goes Wrong, Urine- to experience new different schemes town, Singin’ in the Rain, theatrical styles. to achieve this, perk, one of which is Wicked, Memphis and The Another We s tEn d 4 £ 1 0. Curious Incident of the as well as the amazingly valued This offers £10 Dog in the Night Time” tickets are the post tickets to anyone show Question aged 19 to 23 for many outstanding theatre productions and Answer sessions run after each in central London, with a minimum of show by Mousetrap volunteers, with cast and production crew. 1 show a month provided.

Lara Waterfield

Shows that have previously been available to members include The

PHOTO CREDIT:PAUL REYNOLDS PLEASE RECYCLE

Every year WestEnd4£10 and TheatreLive4£5 host an award

ceremony, giving awards for outstanding theatre voted by members of the club. This small scale Olivier Award Ceremony gives a chance to say thank you to all productions that have supported and provided Mousetrap with cheap tickets throughout the year. It is a fun event and tickets are only £3. This year it is taking place on Sunday 22nd March from 3:00 to 5:00 at the Charing Cross Theatre. Other ways to get involved include becoming a Mousetrap Representative or a member of its Youth Forum, WestEnd4£10 is completely FREE to join via the Mousetrap Theatre Projects website (www.mousetrap.org.uk) and tickets can be purchased online or by phone. Tickets are available on a first come first served basis. WestEnd4£10 is a fantastic way for students to sample some of London’s best shows in the West End, so don’t miss the opportunity to get involved.

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Your stude nt disc o unt ca rd

NEWS

MA STUDENT’S PLAY TO GO ON TOUR

MUSIC ENTREPRENEUR REACHES FINAL STAGES OF ALUMNI AWARDS Lauren Shiel MA alumna from Brunel has been named a finalist for the Education UK Alumni Awards. They have been selected from 400 nominees out of 70 universities across the country. Elizabeth Cawein is one of three finalists in the USA Entrepreneurial Award category; for innovative new business opportunities with strong growth prospects. The other two finalists are American students from Oxford and Cambridge Universities. Run by the British Council, the alumni awards exist to celebrate the international student presence from China, India and the USA in Britain. Completing her MA in Contemporary Music at Brunel in 2008, Elizabeth returned to Memphis, Tennessee, USA, and founded Signal Flow PR in 2011 after discovering her passion for music publicity while working for the Memphis Music Foundation. Her BA in Journalism supplied her with the writing skills, while her MA gave her the knowledge needed to develop a Music PR business. Elizabeth’s business aims to support and generate publicity for grassroots music talent to get their music heard by fans and industry professionals. She also aspires to provide an affordable PR, marketing and digital media service. Around half of her clients are independent musicians and half are businesses including non-profit music and venues. She truly gives back to the community by nurturing fledgling musicians at the outset of their careers.

PHOTO CREDIT: LAUREN SHIEL

Lauren Shiel An MA student at Brunel has been hugely successful in securing funding and a UK tour for her first play with her production company. Michelle Inniss, due to complete her MA in Creative Writing: The Novel at the end of this academic year, is producing ‘She Called Me Mother’ alongside her co-founders of Pitch Lake Productions, Cathy Tyson and Cara Nolan. Overjoyed that her work is coming to life, Michelle said: “This is the first play I have ever written so it was amazing to discover that others love it as much as I do.” Cathy Tyson is a BAFTA and Golden Globe nominated actress with over three decades of experience in film, television and theatre. She will perform as the lead character with Cara directing and overseeing production.

Cathy is also associated with Brunel, having graduated in 2012 with a BA in English and Drama, but that is not where she and Michelle first met each other. They first became friends in secondary school in Liverpool, and have kept in touch since. The protagonist of the story, Evangeline, is an elderly homeless lady from Trinidad. The play is written from her perspective, in a poetic Trinidadian vernacular, and partly inspired by a real homeless lady that Michelle came across in her travels in London. “I wondered, where were her family, what happened to her loved ones? This play explores how she ended up in that situation. I can’t imagine what it’s like to not have a home, somewhere safe to live. Everyone has a right to a home.” Cathy commented: “When she sent the script to me I fell in love with the language immediately. My father is from Trinidad so I was already familiar with the speech. You don’t often see elderly black women on the stage,

and it’s such a wonderful opportunity to bring an overshadowed character to life.” Cara added: “Michelle has this amazing gift of poetry. As I was reading the play, the language inspired a roller deck of images in my mind. I just knew we had to bring it to the stage.”

Elizabeth commented: “This is fantastic news and such a surprise for me. My initial decision to study in the UK was because I could not study for a Masters in music in the USA, as although I’d been a musician most of my life, I had no degrees or qualifications in music.”

Black Theatre Live received over 50 applicants for the funding overall, and this is the first new play that they have supported in this way. The consortium is backed by Arts Council England, which is “committed to increasing the amount of black and ethnic minority theatre on the touring circuit”. The play is hoped to be shown in eight theatres late this year. Black Theatre Live is a partnership of Tara Arts, Derby Theatre, Queens Hall (Hexham), the Lighthouse (Poole), Theatre Royal Bury St. Edmunds, Theatre Royal Margate, Stratford Circus (London) & Key Theatre (Peterborough).

PHOTO CREDIT: LAUREN SHIEL

“In the UK and at Brunel though, I was able to prove I was qualified to undertake the course. Studying in the UK made the pursuit of a dream possible. Years later another dream came true and I launched my own business, something I never would’ve done if not for my time at Brunel.” “It was twofold: I’d moved thousands of miles away from home and my course at Brunel was immensely challenging: highly independent and self-guided, it required both tremendous discipline and creativity. I was accustomed to spending the bulk of my time in a classroom, and was surprised to come into an educational environment where some of my classes met only fortnightly. In the intervening time, it was up to me to read, synthesize, analyse, and learn - that experience is nothing if not entrepreneurial.” Vicky Phillips, Alumni Officer for Brunel and the individual that nominated Elizabeth stated: “We have watched the growth of Elizabeth’s business with interest – she has done brilliantly well in such a short time. She has also taught Music Marketing to young people at the Stax Music Academy and served as an Adjunct Professor at the Visible Music College, sharing her experiences and expertise gained from her studies and work.” “She has now grown her company, hiring staff and giving invaluable work experience to an intern every semester. To date she has given experience to around 10 interns, who have gone on to work within public relations or the music industry, or are pursuing further study in the field. We believe she personifies the entrepreneur and fully deserves this award.” The winners of the Education UK Alumni Awards were announced on 21st March. Find out more about all of the finalists through the British Council website.

12 UNION NEWS ALI MILANI PRESIDENT 2015 - 2016

YOUR SABBS 2015-2016

MICHAEL DARLOW VP STUDENT ACTIVITIES 2015 - 2016

YOUSEF ABUHAJAR VP COLLEGE OF BUSINESS, ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES 2015 - 2016

MARCUS STEIN VP COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING, DESIGN AND PHYSICAL SCIENCES 2015 - 2016

AARON LOWMAN VP COLLEGE OF HEALTH AND LIFE SCIENCES 2015 - 2016

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UNION NEWS NICK HUMBERSTONE ENTERTAINMENTS CHAIR

MEET YOUR STUDENT LEADERSHIP TEAM 2015 - 2016

RADYA HUSSEIN INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS CHAIR

After a tense period of campaigning and voting, Brunel students have chosen their Student Leadership Team for the academic year 2015 - 2016. Ali Milani was elected President after a tense head to head battle with VPSA Hannah Jones, The new structure, which was voted for by referendum late last year, welcomes four more sabbatical officers: VPSA (Michael Darlow) and the three VPs for colleges: CBASS, CHLS and CEDPS. Marcus Stein will be taking up a second year in office, already the Union’s VPAR, and will next year be taking up the mantle for VP CEDPS. BECKY COLLINS MEDIA ASSOCIATION CHAIR

Unopposed elected Chairs, who will work on a part time voluntary basis, were Ti Ojuyah (Sports Federation), Radya Hussein (International Students), Nick Humberstone (Entertainments), Becky Collins (Media Association), EmilyJade Nelson (Equality and Diversity), Yohanna Sallberg (Student Assembly) and Mehvish Maghribi (Environmental Strategy).

YASMIN SIMSEK RAG CHAIR

During the elections students also voted in three student trustees - Brian Rutendo Munyawarara, Mohamed Abdou and Mohammed Omar Ahmed; and voted ‘Yes’ to the Union remaining a part of the NUS. Turnout recorded 2580 individual voters, an increase of over 500 compared to last year. Closely fought battles were the three-way race for RAG Chair between Joe Hogan, Zara Canfield and Yasmin Simsek who was eventually elected. The hard work begins for the new Officers and Chairs in June when they begin the handover process with the incumbant elected student leadership team. BEN MARTIN SOCIETIES GUILD CHAIR

TI OTI OJUYAH SPORTS FEDERATION CHAIR

EMILY-JADE NELSON EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY CHAIR

YOHANNA SALLBERG STUDENT ASSEMBLY CHAIR

ASHLEE MOYO VOLUNTEERING CHAIR

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MEHVISH MAGHRIBI ENVIRONMENTAL CHAIR

14 UNION NEWS

PHOTO CREDIT: GET WEST LONDON

UXBRIDGE CYCLE DAYS PROMOTING HEALTHY LIVING Mehvish Maghribi The Union has this year started working in partnership with Transport for London (TFL) to run the Ride around Uxbridge Cycle Days to promote a healthy sustainable lifestyle. The event, hosted by London by

Bike team, supports first time riders and advises the experienced cyclists around selected cycle routes in Uxbridge to showcase the areas you can explore by cycle. There are four scheduled rides this year. The first was held on the 24 February 2015 and students enjoyed themselves a lot that day and learning the ins and outs to safely cycling around London. The students were joined that day by your very own

Union President, Martin Zaranikya and Volunteers Chair, Sonia Bhangu, who encouraged and motivated the students on the day through while enjoying the experience themselves! Another one was held at the end of March and there will be two more opportunities in May on the 9 and 19, 2015, make sure you sign up at bikebrunel.eventbrite.com I am also proud to announce we are working on another environment

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initiative but with WestTran who are working with London by Cycle campaign to host a special cycle workshop and ride at our campus as well on the 23 March and 20 May 2015. Make sure to come out and see them for free refreshments and to have a go on a bike! It will be an event on campus only at the quad next to the Union building. It is all in my aim to encourage the students at Brunel

to adopt a sustainable lifestyle as it can be fun and easy! Plus it is good for you as cycling is a great form of exercise and a chance to travel great distances around our lovely town of Uxbridge.

UNION NEWS

BRUNEL COMEDY SOCIETY IN OPEN MIC NIGHT SUCCESS Shakoofeh Shah

most respected start up competitions for new talents and Brunel University have been registered to take part in this widely celebrated event.

Brunel Comedy Society held its Open Mic night on 12th March in a bid “The total money raised was £150 and the event to raise money for Comedy Relief. entertained a large audi-

ence.” The total money raised was £150 and the event entertained a large audience. Brunel #MakeBrunelFunnier trended on Comedy Society opened the floor twitter after a full live tweeting to anyone to perform comical acts coverage by Ellie Wiltshire (student at and found more new comedians. Brunel) and was thanked personally Along with the performances, the by the committee members of the two winners that are to go on and society for her hard work. perform at the London Chortle Heat on the 24th March were also crowned Brunel Comedy Society is now set to perform at the Brunel Society champions at the event. and Media Awards that take place on The winners were Andreas Paspatis Saturday 28th March. ‘The Gentleman and Sai Kiran Maremanda who will be and Friends’ is nominated for best will perform again on the 24th March broadcast and Show of the year. 7pm in the Brunel Academy for the Chortle Student Comedy Awards. The Chortle Awards are one of the

A NIGHT OUT BE A BRUNEL BUDDY WITH THE LIGHTS OUT Luuk Reinders

Mehvish Maghribi On Friday 6th March UBS volunteers, with help from the Health, Safety & Environment team, led a ‘Blackout’ audit consisting of student volunteers from BEST (Brunel Environment, Sustainability & Travel Group) along with staff volunteers and members of the Environment Sub Committee. The project monitored and highlighted how much electricity is wasted over an average weekend. During a similar audit conducted at the end of May 2014, a survey of four University buildings showed that we are wasting up to £85,000 per year by leaving unnecessary items plugged in when not in use. The Blackout event was a joint project with the Colleges and Departments and enabled students to enter six key University campus buildings going from floor to floor switching off unnecessary lights, unplugging chargers and turning off computers. It was a successful night for all involved and the students had a fun time learning how to conduct

an environmental audit, meet key university staff who are involved in university operations and enjoy a meal afterwards for their efforts. It was great to see so many students involved on a Friday evening to run this campaign and there are plans in place to conduct the Black out on a regular basis with more prizes and competitions involved to engage with more students on campus. One student said, “it was surprisingly fun and not difficult at all.” The energy use over the weekend will be compared to a typical weekend before the audit. A summary of the results from this audit will be publicised on IntraBrunel. The details will be forwarded again to the Managers of the audited buildings to raise awareness and encourage better environmental behaviour if results are similar to last year There are plans in place to hold a similar style audit to support the Student Switch Off campaign in halls, but more details will be released soon. It will involve a competition and collaboration with the Residences team to encourage students as well to pursue a sustainable lifestyle.

Transition into University life definitely has its challenges! That’s why the Brunel Buddy Scheme was established, encouraging current students to utilise their experience to support new students during the first few weeks at Brunel.

And now we’re searching for students to make a difference by becoming a Brunel Buddy, by being a friendly contact before they arrive, helping new students settle in and signposting them to all the support services at Brunel. Applications open on the 13th April and choose how many students you want to be matched with; attend a Buddy training in May; be in contact via e-mail a month before your new student arrives and meet them (at least) once a week during the first four weeks of term. We will guide and support you through the program, provide you with free coffee vouchers for your meet ups, give you a Brunel Buddies hoodie and recognise your volunteering through the Brunel Volunteers Award and on your H.E.A.R. For more information visit the Brunel Volunteers Shop or apply online at www.buddies.brunel.ac.uk

PHOTO CREDIT: BRUNEL VOLUNTEERS

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16 FEATURES

FEATURES

PHOTO CREDIT: MATT GORELLI

LUPACANTE: THE BAND WITH ALL THE INSTRUMENTS Luke Vogel Lupacante have been together for almost three years in their current form. Or four, if we’re including the time before the flute and vocals arrived. Now all the band members are in their final year at University, ‘real life’ is fast approaching and there’s even rumour of their first ever EP, so I caught up with them one wet and windy February evening and had a chat with them about, well, everything. “Lupacante’s first ever name,” 22-year-old Sports Science student

and Lupacante drummer Joel Shopland tells me enthusiastically, “was in fact The Five-Tone Brogue.” Exactly why they chose ‘The FiveTone Brogues’ was never really made clear during our chat, but the story of how they eventually came to be Lupacante sums up the spontaneity of the band. Marco Gorelli, lead guitarist, mathematics student, and all-round crazy guy explained that the name Lupacante actually means lobster in Italian. Lupacante was first used as a username on SoundCloud for a demo track he sent to bassist Jay Singh, who responded with “Oh that sounds like a rocking band name!”

Joel concluded that the name was adopted at the very last minute before a gig on Brunel’s Quad, saying that “the guy who was announcing us at the back thought we were still The Five-Tone Brogues, and he didn’t really know how to pronounce that as it was, and then Jay, last minute, turned around and declared ‘No, we’re now called Lupacante!’” Getting the make-up of the band right was something they put a huge amount of importance on. Despite being very different people, “If we weren’t in a band, we wouldn’t be friends!” Georgia laughs, for the most part, all six of them slotted in quite

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nicely. Jono, resident saxophonist, tells me that the moment Jay decided to become the band’s full time bassist was perhaps their biggest turning point as a band. Jay admits they trialled other bass players who were technically so much better than him, but says “I think me and Joel in particular were very musically in sync and were able to set a really strong foundation for the band,”. It echoed Joel’s statement that “Jay worked simply because he was with the band from the beginning; he knew what worked and what didn’t.” I asked them how they prepare for a gig, and the answer was almost

immediate: “We come up with our playlist last second,” vocalist Christine blurts out. “Very often a couple of people just say ‘Do that one!’ and then we go on stage and we’re like ‘Oh! We’re doing that song now! Okay!’”. Surely that leaves a huge amount of room for things to go wrong, I ask? “If something does go wrong,” Georgia Cooke, the band’s flautist and youngest member, chimes in, “we just laugh at the fact that it has gone wrong, carry on, and then rip the piss out of each other until the next gig.”. “I forget the words all the time,” Christine admits, to chimes of laughter from the rest of the band, adding that she likes to invent words

FEATURES whenever she forgets the real ones. There are occasions where things going wrong aren’t the band’s fault, however. “Do you remember when that guy jumped on stage at Portobello Market and we had to kick him off?” Georgia asks. Acklam Village Market, which is off of Portobello Market, appears to be the band’s spiritual home, with some of their best gigs taking place there and inspiring some of their strangest stories – “like that one time where my brother got on stage,” Jay reminisces, “and Christine forgot his name” Our conversation eventually reaches the topic of how music is taught in the education system and one of the things that strike me about the energy of the band is that not only are they passionate about what they do, they’re people who have all gone through the education system and tried to make it work for them. “I think they should make music as important as subjects like Maths and English,” says Jono, “I spent loads of time learning classically, and with an instrument like the sax, I kind of felt like I was missing out a bit.” Georgia, a final year music student herself, says that music education needs to encourage playing as a group. “And not just formally playing with other people,” she adds. “Playing in brass bands and orchestras, or just having a jam.”

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That’s not to say that the band don’t discourage solo performance. With lots of their material being heavily improvised, there’s a required understanding of the way in which music works at a fundamental and theoretical level, something which the band feel the education system at the moment doesn’t cater for. “I didn’t come from a classical background,” Jay tells me. “I think I would have liked to know a little bit more about how it works, rather than picking up an instrument with just four strings, strumming it and hoping for the best.” Jay feels that academia in music has become too strict and formulaic, adding that it is subject to creative ideas “There’s no right or wrong answer, like there is in subjects like maths. There are so many ways music can be expressed, so why should you have to learn it in just one way?” It’s clear that the band is not short of ambition either. They’ve just spent a few days in a recording studio and look set to be releasing an EP before the band comes to a natural end when they go their separate ways at the end of this academic year. I asked them whether there was anything that could still keep the band together, and all of them enthusiastically told me that if they were approached by the right people and asked to go on tour or sign a record deal, they would do so in a

heartbeat. But they’re all realists, and they understand that if such an offer were to be made, they’d be asked to change things about them or their music to make them commercially viable. “We do this for fun,” Jay says, with Georgia adding that they’d reject any change they’re asked to make if it affected their chemistry, musicality or the enjoyment of what they do. Sadly, though, the band have yet to receive a record deal of any description, so it does look like the end is nigh. “We’ll do a reunion gig!” Jay reassures me, but thankfully they’re giving their all right up until the very end. Despite the demands of their various university courses, they have several more gigs lined up in and around Uxbridge, as well as in Central London. It will be a shame to see such a unique and interesting group of musicians disband, but with the experience of the past three years under their belts, they say they would encourage more individuals to get together with any combination of instruments and make it work, even if it is just for fun.

18 FEATURES

SPOTLIGHT: UXBRIDGE CRAFTS MARKET

PHOTO CREDIT: APRIL CLAYTON

April Clayton It was a normal busy Wednesday for the traders of Uxbridge Crafts Market when I walked into The Pavilions shopping centre to try to seek out the man who puts this whole event together; Leon Coleman. Being a busy man, I waited for him to come down to the market so we could have a chat, and he was as nice and friendly as everyone had told me. Leon started the Uxbridge Crafts Market back in 1988, 27 years ago. The longevity of the market really shows how much hard work, time and effort Leon has put into the event to make it what it is today; a popular, well-loved creative and interesting market fixture.

PHOTO CREDIT: HEAVY

RANCIC VERSUS COLEMAN: BATTLE OF THE LOCS Victoria Sanusi “Why is your hair like that?” “Can I touch your hair?” “Do you wash your hair?” These are a few of the most frequent questions I was asked when I wore braids or my natural hair as a teenager. So it was disheartening to hear Giuliana Rancic’s commentary on Fashion Police in regards to Disney star Zendaya Coleman’s faux dreadlocks at the Oscars; “I feel like she smells like patchouli oil.” said Rancic. I thought the comments I used to hear were rude and ignorant, but it seems the teenage girls from Essex I know are not the only ones who are oblivious and insensitive when it comes to black women and their hairstyles. What grinds my gears the most is that Rancic’s comments didn’t stop there. One of the crew members yelled “and weed” and she added

that to her commentary. It was embarrassing how it seemed this 40 year old woman couldn’t think for herself, going along with the jibes of others for the sake of a few laughs. I’ve always hated the concept of Fashion Police. A T.V. show based on slagging off people’s clothing for a few giggles isn’t really needed, especially in a society where everyone is so diverse. Assuming someone’s hair smells of marijuana because they’re black is highly ignorant and racist. When the youngest of the Kardashian clan wore faux dreadlocks, Cosmopolitan UK tweeted: “Kylie Jenner just got DREADLOCKS. What do you make of this edgy new ‘do?” Why is it ‘edgy’ when a white woman wears this hairstyle yet when a black woman wears it on the red carpet she is seen as a pothead? As for Cosmopolitan saying “edgy new do” I really do hope they meant ‘new’ as in the first time Kylie had worn her hair this way, and not new in the sense that she had started a new

trend. If that’s the case, the comment becomes even more ignorant and, honestly, inadequate, coming from such a prominent lifestyle magazine. Coleman, however, responded in a mature and intelligent manner, listing successful people who have dreadlocks and their occupation: Ledisi, 9 time Grammy nominated singer/songwriter/actress and Vincent Brown, Professor of African and African American studies at Harvard University, and holder of a MA and PHD from Yale University. This rebuttal showed Rancic’s comments to be deeply ignorant. Although Rancic has apologised, it’s disappointing to see humans throw such judgmental opinions, based solely on someone’s hair. Hopefully this incident, and Coleman’s brilliant response, will go some way towards changing this.

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The crafts market isn’t just your usual market stall. The multiple stalls cater to a wide variety of products, such as home-made jewelry, refurbished homeware, knitwear, fabrics, curtains and blinds. It also includes a charity stall called Dimensions and one from West London Community College who present their homemade jams and chutney, so as you can tell you can get a lot of what you don’t expect, which is what makes this market different and exciting. “I really enjoy what I do and it’s a way of making a living at the same time” He tells me how he’s always been interested in working with small businesses. “I wanted to go beyond small markets that are outside and in town halls, I wanted mine to be bigger and better”. The market has a constant flow of business every week because of Leon’s dedication, as he tells me “I spend a lot of time organising the market, I would say a good 2-3 days a week. I have to speak to potential new traders and answer all their enquiries. And then there’s making sure things run smoothly on the day. I regularly get potential new traders looking to pitch their business for the market because having a stall in a shopping centre is the best advert for your business”. Leon, 65, has previously been involved with art groups at schools and other companies with craft activities, even being known as the ‘king of the craft markets’ because at one point he ran three markets at the same time. He has always been involved in weekend craft fayres, saying “The best market that I ran before this one was the unit I had for about a year at Gatwick airport, but I was looking for something more

regular and the Pavilions had just been modernised so it was perfect”. Although Leon is trying to slow down on the amount of work he’s involved in, he can’t help but get involved with other projects “I am currently involved in reminiscence work, a therapy for older people with early signs of dementia”. He also does theatre work and helps writes scripts, “It’s long been an interest of mine; it’s nice to be creating something”. As the market has been going for so long, Leon talks me through his idea to update in terms of marketing “The market offers a personal service because of how in touch the traders are with their customers”. Leon wants to match this personal service with personal marketing techniques. He admits “I’m not great with e-marketing, I think people receive an email and they soon forget about it. I would like to post letters to small businesses in the area and just let them know that the market is here, basically highlighting the services we offer” Leon tells me how he would like to see more people shopping at independent businesses, “I think independent shops and restaurants are great, they are much more interesting - branded shops all look the same. It’s up to the trader to create the right type of environment and atmosphere where people will feel comfortable’’ He believes that with independent shopping comes good, old fashioned service. “I love to get a personal service which is why I will go back to the same place if it offers me this. You may pay a bit more but at the end of the day it’s more fun and it’s different”. However, Leon is keen to stress how you can’t force people into preferring an independent business. “It has to be their choice, it’s all about persuading the customer”. I asked if running such a busy and successful market takes a toll on him, and he says “At times, you do get fed up but you have to keep going, we all have to make a living”. Leon said that if he wasn’t running a crafts market he would be running his own sandwich shop. “There’s so much money in it, the amount of people that queue up every day for an average made sandwich is unbelievable” It’s not such a crazy idea! You can visit the Uxbridge Crafts Market every Wednesday in The Pavilion Shopping Centre between 9am and 5pm.

WHEN ART MEETS ART

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20 HUMANS OF BRUNEL “I’m a master’s student from Minnesota, United States.” “Honestly I just wanted to challenge myself in a new way. I’ve done a lot of travelling but that doesn’t really equate to living and being here. Being in my 20’s I think everyone has this opportunity for growth and you either chose if you want to be surrounded by the same old thing you’ve grown up with and remain ordinary or you go out and be surrounded by representatives from around the world. “Push at those boundaries. “

HUMANS OF BRUNEL

PHOTOGRAPHY CHRIS RATHORE | ELISABETH MAHASE “This is not my fashion sense, I’m just on my way to dance.”

“My favourite film is ‘This is England’ because I love the director. and it made me cry.”

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HUMANS OF BRUNEL “It’s really different here. I love the diversity.”

“I’m doing film.” “What is your favourite film?” “Apocalypse Now”

“I’ve vicariously been to Thailand through her Facebook”

“Dam! I’m going to be famous”

22 FEATURES

ALI MILANI: STOPPING THE CONVEYOR BELT OF PRESIDENTS George Bowden It was a potent mix of optimism and the need for change that saw Ali Milani win the election to become president of Brunel’s student union this month. His campaign was honest – at times brutally so – and played on students’ concerns of where Brunel is heading and whether the university is working for them. An accomplished campaigner, Ali is no stranger to controversy, having led the movement for boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israel as a result of the state’s occupation of the West Bank. But now, as he prepares to lead Brunel’s student union beyond a single issue and into the university’s 50th anniversary year, Ali speaks exclusively to Le Nurb about his reaction to being elected, and how he plans to unite students behind his plan for change. During his election campaign Ali Milani spoke of his desire to end “the conveyor belt of presidents” and speaking with him after his victory it’s clear that, for now, the conveyor has stopped. “We’ve done that,” Ali says, when I recall the metaphor, “It’s a new era as far as our student union

whether it would need to be fulltime, like at Sheffield, for example.” The final team includes 16 positions, two of whom ran in a slate which “And by that, I mean students endorsed Ali’s opponent: yet despite have elected in me an “They want stronger representation the potential for tension, Ali believes activist, not an administrator.” to tackle problems they’re the divergence of opinion will only facing in halls, with the costs on During the campaign, Ali certainly our campus, and other issues.” And he’s not wrong, votes cast make the union stronger. “I think this in the election totalled 2,580, is great,” he says, “this is about being a didn’t hold back his criticism of our current set of sabbatical officers, His campaign was not especially or 19% of those eligible, the team and best representing students. describing Vice-President of innovative, yet its focus on highest at Brunel for many years. “There’s 16 of us with different views; this eclectic group is the best thing Community Welfare Leon Evans as one simple message couldn’t for the union, high “tragic”, President Martin Zaranyika: have been more disciplined. Despite ultimately turnout, a lot “Yet despite maintaining and “not up to my standards”, and his opponent in the election, Vice His election videos were viewed over was said during what he describes as a for the students.” Having stood campaign President of Student Activities 5,000 times on Facebook. He sent the Hannah Jones: emails to over about diversity – “clean campaign”, the topic on a manifesto “An accomplished cam- 600 “the embodiment students just two women of division and discrimina- described by some as ‘fiction’, and by of the status quo”. paigner, Ali is no stranger asking them to stood for the tion never strayed far.” others even less sabbatical officer vote. And the to controversy, ” favourably, Ali says while But the criticism phrase “making positions, his ideas, while resonated with Brunel work for 10 men did the students who us” was plastered same. And no women were ambitious, are achievable. “We have were fed up with a plague of issues across campus. elected to the full-time positions. high ambitions of where we want to go. “I think it’s a problem,” Ali says. affecting them on campus, and helped make Ali the first union Yet despite maintaining what he “I ran because I thought I was the “Brunel absolutely has the ability best person for the to compete with the very best candidate in nine years to defeat a describes as a current officer. “To win against an “clean campaign”, “There’s 16 of us with dif- job but one of the universities in London and across the incumbent is unheard of – not just the topic of ferent views; this eclectic reasons I proposed country,” he says, “but for us to have a women’s officer the best chance of succeeding we at Brunel, but across the country,” he division and so that need students to be behind their union says, “I didn’t think it was impossible d i s c r i m i n a t i o n group is the best thing for was but I didn’t think I would win.” never strayed far. the union, and ultimately women can self- and to bring their union behind them. organise and fight “And as president especially, no Misinformation for the students.” for issues they face matter which way students voted, or Ali’s campaign hit the ground running, was sent around on our campus. whose campaign team they were on, and seized the agenda – turning the campus in an I will serve everyone on our campus.” elections into a kind of referendum attempt to brand on how students felt about the certain candidates as divisive and imply “This position would be voluntary university and their experience. they were keen to discriminate against (like a Chair position) to begin “My main message throughout the others in their effort to get elected. with, but we would need to look at goes. It’s a shift away from the conventional presidents we’ve had.

week was change,” Ali says, “and I think the students have sent a really clear message to the union.

“Things were said that weren’t true,” Ali says, “and we can see from democratic votes at the UGM in November, and from the number of votes cast in this election, that more students than ever are engaged in politics at our union.”

FEATURES

David Bennett

With the general election fast approaching, and what appears to be a large chunk of the eligible public feeling disenfranchised by, discombobulated with or just plain old disinterested in the two major centralised parties, scrutiny of the alternatives is in full effect.

politics of the centre, and these instances, if regular, may be the defining factor for an undecided voter. For example, Caroline Lucas – former leader of the Greens, and their first elected MP – was arrested in 2013 at an anti-fracking protest in west Sussex for linking arms with four other defendants outside of a Cuadrilla exploration site. More recently, the current Green Party leader, Natalie Bennett, suffered an embarrassing “mind blank” on Nick Ferrari’s LBC radio show, failing to answer simple question about Green policy.

To the left of centre resides the Green Party: once predominantly concerned with planting trees, the Greens And then there is have expanded UKIP. Perhaps the into a party for “To the left of centre most apologetic social justice and in the equality. To the resides the Green Party: party history of politics, right, we find the once predominantly UKIP are a media United Kingdom I n d e p e n d e n c e concerned with planting dream. Not a week Party (or UKIP for trees, the Greens have seems to pass without some short): this party has its foundations expanded into a party for local councillor, or in being the social justice and equality.” crazed supporter, or even the o u t s p o k e n leader himself anti-European member of the European Parliament, saying something deemed – by the now, at a national level, concentrating party themselves - as worthy of their agenda on ‘Britishness’ and an apology. The instances are too numerous to mention them all here, immigration. but the tip of the massive iceberg So what, if anything, do these non- of stupidity is as follows: blaming centrist parties have to offer the Britain’s floods on gay marriage, voting public of Britain? Do either mistaking Westminster Cathedral – have what it takes to run an entire the country’s most important church nation? And how do they fare against – for a mosque, “bongo bongo land”, each other? Using the official policy blaming traffic jams on immigrants; websites of both parties, we shall to the latest idiocy of Nigel Farage peruse these matters in search of stating immigrant children should be deprived of education until they have enlightenment. been in Britain for five years – which Neither of these outside runners would mean any eleven year old have been without their fair share would miss the entirety of secondary of controversy in recent times, school. which is perhaps not too much of a surprise when considering they both However, this article is not about the hold relatively definitive positions, stupidity and/or misfortune of the opposed to the malleable, whatever- two parties in question, but about it-takes-to-please-everyone type their policies. It is best to judge a party

GREENS VS UKIP: HOW THE OUTSIDERS FARE on their policies; it is irresponsible to focus on the stupidity of the people who run, or are involved with, any given party, because a party is not a person… derrr. So, there isn’t usually a more pressing matter around general election time, than that of the economy. An interesting aspect of the Greens’ policy on economics is their favourable approach to economic stability instead of the perpetual growth stating in popular discourse. On the Greens’ official policy website, the mantra seems to be aiming towards everyone having enough, and that a successful economy should be managed in accordance to the environment surrounding society. How they plan to implement this is yet to be seen, but they put forth the notion that “to conserve natural planetary resources and to maintain the integrity of natural life-sustaining cycles” is the way forward. Perhaps unsurprisingly, UKIP do not toe the same line, or even a remotely similar line, instead viewing Britain’s position within the EU as the most significant factor in the realm of the economy. They suggest leaving the EU and the European Free Trade Area (Britain’s largest trade market), and instead negotiating with Europe and the rest of the world on an independent basis. Another exceedingly hot potato in the build-up to the election is the National Health Service. Perhaps one of the few hastily dwindling number of things which goes someway to justifying the word ‘Great’ in Britain’s

title, the NHS represents the battle particularly irresponsible when taken between an egalitarian mind-set in the context of the overall climate towards medical care and the ever- picture; this policy is essentially the spreading monetisation of all things proposal to take Britain back to the sacred. Despite Farage being quoted day of the industrial revolution – the in 2012 as saying “I think we are going period in which man-made climate to have to move change was to an insurance “And then there is UKIP. initiated. UKIP also based system of Perhaps the most apolo- whole-heartedly healthcare”, UKIP’s support fracking. ‘official’ policy getic party in the history website suggests As you might of politics, ” quite the opposite, imagine, the stating “UKIP will Greens are in ensure the NHS is free at the point of diametric opposition, laying out a long delivery …” it is not my place to draw list of targets and strategies to tackle conclusion from such contradictory the very real issue of man-made stances between the party’s ‘official’ climate change: “We should aim line, and their own leader. The Greens steadily to reduce all UK greenhouse take a more utopian stance (as they gas emitions to 10% by of their 1990 do with most of their other policies), levels by 2030.” Needless to say, even stating any healthy health service though the Greens have widened must be part of healthier society in their scope to cover the spectrum of order to function at full potential. issues facing national governance, Their aims include securing “a healthy their ultimate focus is firmly on urban and rural environment, healthy environmental issues. work, healthy food and agriculture, healthy education, a healthy transport Though it is impossible to analyse system and healthy local economic all policies of both parties within developments” – I am not sure what a the confines of this article’s word lot of that means, but it sounds really limit, these are the tips of very large nice. icebergs. If you are thinking about voting outside of the norm; outside Perhaps the most significant issue of the two dominant parties, both the facing the entire planet, let alone the Green Party and UKIP have readily tiny island of Britain, is the climate. available literature for you perusal, “UKIP will repeal the Climate Change and it is advisable to look at it all Act 2008” so says UKIP’s website, before making any rash decisions. continuing, “We will scrap the Large Combustion Plant Directive and encourage the redevelopment of British power stations.” This is

PHOTO: EXPRESS

24 FEATURES

PHOTO: KIRSTY CAPES

LE NURB GOES ON TOUR Erica Wilson Last month, a group of editors from Le Nurb hit the road for the Student Publication Association (SPA) SouthEast England conference held at Hertfordshire University. It was a great day meeting and networking with student editors from other university publications and listening to an interesting range of guest speakers, from how to secure a career in journalism, producing and marketing viral content and the fascinating but unknown world of data journalism.

long, arduous, harrowing journey all the way up the M25 to Hertfordshire. Apart from the five or so stalls before we even left campus and the stop at a petrol station in which I almost fainted with excitement at the Slush Puppy machine, we made it in one piece, thanks to Editor-In-Chief Kirsty’s driving and putting up with our shenanigans (as it turns out, we over-compensated for our tiredness with extra energy).

Upon arrival we were greeted with coffee, tea and an array of pastries - a godsend for sleepy, hungry students at 9am. We were also the most represented publication there! SPA are a relatively new organisation Most universities had sent one or two people which aims to bring student “Unfortunately, there isn’t (understandably p u b l i c a t i o n s a guaranteed formula to for people coming from Essex and together to share make your content go Portsmouth) training, advice even and feedback viral, but there are things but Trident Media, and recognise that can help, such as Hertfordshire the successes of student journalists when you publish articles” University’s media outlet, had less and editors. They people than us, host regular events both nationally and on a smaller scale and they were hosting it! As well as and is run by a committee of current our media overlord Kirsty, we had university students and graduates. Eddie and Ollie, our Online Manager They also have Regional Officers, like and Deputy Online Manager, Becky Jem Collins for the South-East who who is the Radio Brunel Online organised and hosted the conference Content Manager, regular Le Nurb at Hertfordshire University. contributor and next year’s Media Chair and finally myself, Aidan Let’s rewind to the morning of and Teresa from Features (Bonus Saturday 21st of February. It’s 8am appearance from Charlotte, a friend and a group of tired, weary eyed and who is a Hertfordshire student and not yet functioning Le Nurb Nerds are contributor for their publication climbing into a minibus ready for our - she doesn’t even go here).

The first speaker was Julie Palmer, head editor for The Hertfordshire Mercury. She provided an interesting insight into local versus national press and talked about her own experience with smaller, local publications. She noted that local papers are more trusted than national ones because they gain the trust of the residents of the community that they are also a part of and “It’s about making those connections and being human”. In regards to the future of the press, she said “This is not the end of newspapers, don’t ever think this is the end, it isn’t and it’s an interesting time to get involved in media.” Our next speaker was Brenda Wong from StudentBeans.com who gave a talk about online publications, specifically how to attract and engage an online readership and go viral.

of articles, students and young people want to read stuff which is 1) fun 2) identity-reinforcing (eg. 17 things that all journalism students know to be true) 3) useful 4) inspirational and 5) timely. Duarte Romero-Varela of Total Communication spoke to us next about data journalism - something many don’t know by name but read all the time! “Data is behind some of the biggest stories of our time” said Duarte, “Get the data, analyse it, find a pattern and then write about it”. Data journalism is a very unique niche but there is a growing demand for it, as many publications are launching their own data journo sections, such as The Guardian (http://www.theguardian. com/data) and you can make very interesting, or funny, findings. It doesn’t have to be serious all the time It can be seriously funny! One example showed someone writing into an agony aunt concerned about the size of their penis, to which the agony aunt responded with data and studies into average penis lengths to reassure him he was completely normal. It really can be applied to absolutely anything!

Unfortunately, there isn’t a guaranteed formula to make your content go viral, but there are things that can help, such as when you publish articles (don’t post anything before 12pm - students won’t read it), good headlines “SPA are a relatively new The final speaker the day (puns = win) and organisation which aims of was freelance the mediums through which you to bring student publica- broadcaster and broadcast your tions together to share journalist Laura Garcia to talk to content - the more the better! Another training, advice and feed- us about life as a freelancer, it’s ups little interesting back” and downs and tip: people react how to get into better to oddnumber lists. Brenda had no idea why, the profession. The main points she but they’ve done the market research. made were about how much time Finally, When it comes to the content and dedication it takes to get into the

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industry - mixed with a little bit of luck - as well as networking with as many people as you can and offering yourself for unpaid internships to anyone who will listen. She laid out the realities of the industry, admitting “it’s exploitative but you have no choice” if you want to get your foot in the door, and hard work will pay off. “It’s really about going that extra mile, and if you play enough cards, something will work out - its statistics!” SPA is hosting their third national conference (an event fabulously dubbed #SPANC15) in April and it includes the SPA Student Journalism Awards - Which Le Nurb has been shortlisted for in three categories: Best Use of Digital Media, Best Design (Newspaper) and Best Publication. The event runs from Friday 10th to Sunday 12th of April at the University of Southampton and there are options to attend the full weekend or just specific days. We’re sending a team down to (hopefully) collect some awards so keep your eyes peeled for news on that! Check out their website for more information, including details of upcoming events, how to become a member, news stories, their awards shortlist, how to join their committee and much more! http://www.spajournalism.co.uk/ Also follow them on Twitter @ spajournalism or their Facebook h t t p s : // w w w . f a c e b o o k . c o m / studentpublicationassociation

FEATURES

COMEDY SOC COLLAB MAKES DRAMA FUNNY Becky Collins On March 3rd 2015, Brunel Drama Society reached a momentous milestone: it became funny. We held our first collaboration workshop with the Comedy Society right here at Brunel, but that’s not so important. I joke, I joke, because ever since March the 3rd, I’ve become hilarious. This was notably the first Drama Society workshop guest-led by another society, and my God was it beautiful. With students Andreas Paspatis, Yannick Vogel, and Jonny Knight at the comedy helm, Drama Society members were able to, in some cases, try out stand-up for the first time without feeling selfconscious in front of a ‘professional’ (soz, guys. There’s a compliment in there somewhere). With this beneficial element (see, I’m portraying your amateur status as a good thing) members comfortably did something entirely new – and everyone was amazing! The workshop consisted of two main

exercises: introductions, and lengthy talking of a subject. Now introductions wouldn’t have been a main exercise, however ‘telling a fact about yourself’ turned steadily into ‘tell us a fullblown stand up story’. And thus I learnt how one member of Drama nearly died down a well. The second part of the workshop was where members really had a chance to try stand-up properly. Of numerous subjects chosen by each comedian in turn, the audience would pick their favourite - or what sounded most interesting – and the comedian would have to talk about that subject for five minutes. Obviously some subjects went better than others (my ‘disappointing pets’ subject simply turned into listing the circumstances in which my childhood pets died), but I can say with absolute certainty that everyone smashed it. It was definitely a memorable guest-led workshop! After many rounds of applause and laughter stitches, the comedy society invited us to get involved with their ‘Comic Relief – Open Mic Night’ on March 12th.

Lovely in itself, three Drama Society members then jumped at the chance and participated in the night, while several other members sat in the audience. Needless to say they did very, very well; Sunny Maremanda, Secretary of Drama Society was voted as the favourite from the audience and entered into a stand-up national competition – the prize being a spot at Edinburgh Fringe! So once again, many thanks to the Comedy Society for giving Drama Society a workshop and the opportunities that followed. We should do it again sometime! If any other society wants to get involved with collaborations, Drama Society is absolutely interested! And even if Drama’s not your thing, as shocking as that is, I still urge you to organise a collaboration with another society. Any society. It’s pretty damn awesome.

8 WAYS TO GET LUCKY THIS SPRING Eddie Leggatt

It’s a well-known fact that students have a lot of sex. It pretty much defines the stereotype – we live on tax payer’s money, do no work, doss around for three years drinking, clubbing and, ceaselessly, sexing each other up. Then get a piece of paper with “It’s A Real Degree, Honest!” written on it and are thrust into the world. Sure, that’s the stereotype, but what if you’re not fulfilling it? We at Le Nurb have all been there – so desperate for human contact that we’ve done the length of the Piccadilly line in rush hour, just to be near a builder’s armpit. So that you never have to undergo the indignities suffered by our editorial team, we’ve put together a sure-fire list of ways to get you that little special bit of something-something.

Build a Nest. It’s a tried and tested method, and has guaranteed the enthusiastic copulation in every creature from seagulls to dodos. Gather up some sticks, craft a cubby hole and watch the potential partners fight over you. For extra points, incorporate some shiny things. Broken CD’s or diamonds, totally up to you.

Pheromones!

Buy some new pants.

The sense of smell is…well, I don’t know where it stands on a list of sexysenses, but don’t ignore it! If you don’t naturally put out a “Come Ravage Me” scent, we’ve found that raiding a sports team’s locker room laundry basket can guarantee you a truly animalistic odour. Yummy!

Even if this doesn’t work, it has been scientifically proven by men in lab coats that it’s impossible to have a bad day when you’re wearing new underwear. Some of the most successful people in the world – Bill Gates, Richard Branson, Queen Elizabeth II – never wear the same pants twice.

Claim a Territory.

Learn a lot of puns.

Everyone’s been kept up at some point by fighting tomcats, usually outside your bedroom window before your 5am shift starts. Take a leaf out of their book, and prowl your halls kitchen, defending it to the death from any and all invaders. Peeing on things is optional, but actively encouraged. Security will understand.

Develop your brooding potential. As every angsty teenage artist knows, pain is sexy. Deep, emotional, eyeliner wearing turmoil is the fittest thing out there. Combine it with some poetry and you’ll have to fight off the prospective partners with a large stick. Want some evidence? Join Poetry society, the only society on campus who have been thrown out of Artuad for spontaneously creating an unintentional bacchanalian orgy.

It’s simple biology: you can’t become a Dad without getting laid at least once – Ipso Sexo, Dad jokes are the ultimate pulling technique. Ladies, unleash the inner Dad.

Hold a guitar. You don’t even need to play it. Just hold it and wait patiently.

Just go write your Disso. Give up trying, and go to the library to do some work. You’re almost certain to find someone on the third floor, as desperate for momentary escape from the impending doom of deadlines as you are. The librarians do it all the time, just stay quiet!

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PHOTO: BELGIANCHOCOLATE

26 CULTURE

CULTURE

PHOTO CREDIT: THE YOUNG PROFESSIONALS FACEBOOK

ONLINE: THE YOUNG PROFESSIONALS Kirsty Capes

Every university student dreads that period of unemployment that comes just after graduation. A group of Brunel alumnus have brought to life those struggles, trials and tribulations in a new YouTube series ‘The Young Professionals’, a mockumentary that follows the lives of a group of – would you believe it – young professionalscome-housemates fresh out of University and finding their way in the big bad world. Show producer, Celia Linnett and creator/writer, Natalie Walmsley came along to the final Arts@Artaud of the year to showcase the premiere

episode of the show and to talk about the project to current Brunel students.

Channel 4 – but the production and editing makes the finished product look slick and, well, professional as it is.

It’s clear that a huge amount of love and passion has gone into the creation In real life, Natalie and Celia come across as charming of ‘The Young and witty, and Professionals’, with “It’s clear that a huge these sentiments everything from the production amount of love and pas- are reflected in the writing of the and editing to sion has gone into the show. The tone the opening creation of ‘The Young flutters between credits music the the comedic and brainchild of a very Professionals’.” the sentimental. small number of The style follows Brunel graduates. that of a traditional It seems that the hard work is starting to pay off, though, talking-head mockumentary, but as with the first episode garnering over one of the characters Ryan says, the a thousand hits on YouTube, and the stars of the show have to act – but also team popping up here there and be themselves. An unscripted script, everywhere to do publicity for the per se. show. The goal for them is to get TYP made professionally by the BBC or The opening episode, which is

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available to watch on YouTube or at theyoungprofessionals.co.uk, follows the gang’s search for new housemates. They encounter a series of bizarre and eccentric applicants before settling on Portia and Matt, thus catalysing the arc of the story and, most likely, the rest of the season. The interesting format of hidden camera stroke documentary stroke comedy sketch show works well for YouTube viewing, where everything must be presented in bitesized segments in order for it to be successful. The best moment of the opening episode sees Natalie brushing her teeth and the rest of her housemates poking their heads round the door for a conversation like a modern parody of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. The heartwarming dynamic between the characters is charming

and genuine; it’s clear that these people are good friends in real life, and that they care immensely about this project – no acting required. ‘The Young Professionals’ first season of six episodes will be released over the course of the year. The first episode is currently available to watch online, and the second is due to be released on 1st April.

CULTURE

TV: HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER

TV: BETTER CALL SAUL Katie Williams

Shakoofeh Shah It’s something that we all have been talking about, with the captivating storyline, the new US hit series ‘How To Get Away With Murder,’ speaks for itself really. Fierce and feisty, Defence Lawyer , Annalise Keating is introduced to us to be a strong and independent, yet sharp and intimidating character to the students she teaches in her law class. The plot becomes even more interesting when 6 students are chosen to work alongside her and shadow each case she tackles and always wins. But what we see here is an unfolding tale of them picking up skills that they soon have to apply to the volcano that is about to erupt. I can’t stop watching this and it really is my guilty pleasure when procrastinating from doing my dissertation. The cleverly arranged character roles and mischievous secrets play a big role that leads up to the killing of Mrs Keating’s husband who was romantically involved with his pregnant student. Lila’s death becomes everyone’s paranoia, until they have something bigger to focus on! The plot thickens when one of Keating’s most prized students Wes Gibbens, played by Alfred Enoch, has an encounter with Annalise the day of her husband’s murder. This is where the audience learn, how they will get away with murder.

Many die hard Breaking Bad fans will have been eagerly awaiting the start of spinoff prequel Better Call Saul, and so far it has not disappointed its viewers. The opening to the pilot was typical Vince Gilligan: quirky and tense from the very start. Bob Odenkirk gives a raw brilliance and desperation in his central role as Jimmy McGill in his pre-Saul days, a hapless lawyer with a seedy past who is dragged down a dark path, in which we find ourselves rooting for him as his character develops. Odenkirk’s acting is next to none, he fills so many dimensions of his antihero character, sometimes just with a single sad look in his eye. He manages to bring us into a close relationship with Jimmy whilst being able to layer darkness and humour in one go, and from the start you really

believe that his character could be real, a broke man trying to find his way in life any way he can. Gilligan and Peter Gould manage to balance the right amount of comedy, obscurity and eccentricity in a show which manages to escape the massive shadow of Breaking Bad whilst still keeping those similar touches which made it so successful. The subtle references back to its predecessor make it equally exciting, such as the return of Mike and Tuco in their days previous to their encounters with Walt and Jesse. Each episode ends with questions left unanswered, and the pace of this new drama never drops. Whether you’ve watched all five seasons of Breaking Bad from start to finish, or have never seen one episode, Better Call Saul is a standalone drama which revokes the reputation that prequels often have. It is an absolute must see.

It definitely is an enticing piece of a brilliantly executed thriller along with steamy passion and crime, yet ticks all the boxes of a horror that will make you jump off your seats; well it did to me. I couldn’t recommend it anymore than I am trying to, and after the success of the first season, I can’t wait to see what will happen next! PHOTO CREDIT: EW

TV: UNBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT Parveen Bhambra We have been entertained by her comedic writing in Saturday Night Live, coupled with her acting in 30 Rock as the head writer of a fictional sketch show ‘The Girlie Show’, later changed to ‘TGS with Tracy Jordan.’ Most recently, we loved her consecutive 3-year run as one half of the hilarious Golden Globe hosting partnership; with Parks and Recreation star Amy Poehler. Since then she has made us cry from laughter from her acting abilities, but now she has returned to her role behind the camera, behind the story. Tina Fey brings us an entertaining new sitcom of a young woman starting afresh, finding new friends and a new job in the Big Apple. Ok, it seems like we have heard of that before, yes pretty much every sitcom has that set up, with slight modifications. These slight differences become their hooks, such as How I Met Your Mother with its own mystery; the titular secret. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt follows this rule of thumb with its very unique hook line – she is a mole woman! After being kept underground by a crazy reverend under the pretence of an impending apocalypse since she was 15, Kimmy has missed out on a typical American teenage life, and now at the brink of turning 30 she has pretty much missed out on everything. Starring Ellie Kemper as Kimmy Schmidt, she embarks on a journey of rebuilding her life, where her idea of New York is far from reality. Prancing around with her bright yellow sweater, her cute backpack and new colourful trainers, Kimmy finds a place to live, and a job. But her pretty sweet set up on her first day in the big city is all snatched from her within seconds. This is where a imaginary banner should have read, in bright lights, ‘Welcome to New York City Kimmy, it sucks!’ This 13-episode opening season follows her finding her feet in a new place of VERY different, and

to her, very strange, ways. The first season continues to push her down with city folks’ 21st century (rapidly evolving to levels of insanity) way of living,; fake drinking water, naming your child Xanthippe and basically living, breathing, eating, drinking and any other possible method of inhaling, plastic surgery treatments. But, despite being mind-numbingly weird in its characterisation and comedic content, Fey has basically created a coming-of-age show with a young lady trying to find friendship, love and a new beginning, but of course she cannot completely forget the task of destroying her mole woman status, the usual stuff. Aside from the main premise of the show, the other components that make it the big success it should be lack in comparison. The small battles Kimmy embarks upon in each episode are ‘been there, done that, got the t-shirt’ kind of situations – her friend’s gay but pretending to be straight boyfriend, the fake ‘I’m rich’ gig and finding herself stuck in a love triangle – as well as the typical characters of an overly feminine gay man and the self-absorbed Manhattanite. Despite seeing all this before, it is still funny, well, because it’s happening to a ditzy, cute 15 year old girl in the body of a woman pushing 30. The art of mismatch always seems to make our bodies hurt from laughing too much, much like Adam Sandler in Billy Madison, a pop cultural reference Kimmy herself makes as she studies to get her GED. To round up, this new sitcom has all the elements of a successful funny sitcom, but is it really that much different and unique from what we have seen before? Let’s hope it gets renewed for a second season because I would quite like to what happens to Kimmy and her friends after the last episode. Overall, it’s not that bad, at least worthy of 3 stars out of 5.

FILM: FIFTY SHADES OF GREY Jasmine Brathwaite

Possibly the most anticipated film of modern times, I expected 50 Shades of Grey to at least be somewhat gripping. But it was miserably disappointing. It was box office gold in its opening weekend, raking in over £13.55m in the UK. But were people swarming to the cinema in their thousands because they were so taken in by the intricate love story they had read in the books? No. It was for the sex – and that is exactly

what the film lacked. Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan were good picks for college graduate, Anastasia Steele and billionaire, Christian Grey, admittedly acting their roles well. The chemistry between the two was very believable. From their first meeting in Grey House, Johnson flirts boldly with Dornan and he looks ready to take her over his knee there and then. But the viewer is teased for at least 40 minutes, going through mundane dialogue, awkward stares and creepy behaviour before we see our first love scene. This brings about the main problem

with the film – the book. Christian Grey appears to force himself on a student who is not only inexperienced, but isolated from her family. His gestures of expensive gifts being delivered to her house and constant hounding about her the dom-sub contract make for uncomfortable viewing. You are also left wondering what she could possibly find attractive about this man other than his sizeable pockets. With the alleged disputes that were going on between author, E.L. James and filmmaker, Sam Taylor-Johnson on set it seems clear that meeting in the middle did not fare well for the movie adaption.

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Although Dornan works well, Grey is a monotone character, cold and quite frankly, a creep. Surprise visits to see Steele across the country when she has set that time away for her mother is strangely swept under the rug. This is particularly concerning when the billionaire confirms they had only known each other for ‘a few weeks’. Now onto the sex. For a franchise that labels itself as ‘erotica’ it hardly scratched the surface. More emphasis and time should have been taken on these scenes, if only to distract from the poor storyline. They were hastily done, chopped and screwed, which leaves the viewer a tad disappointed.

The Red Room and all of its treasures were barely even touched upon, let alone explored. From what is supposed to be an exciting BDSMfilled movie is in fact a very poor plot, with a few bits of flogging dropped in. All in all, this film did have a couple of laugh-out-loud moments, and would be enjoyed by anyone who did love the book. However, aside from its well-gathered name, it will certainly not be gaining any Oscars and could not stand up as a credible box-office busting flick. Simply put: boring.

CULTURE

THEATRE: 501 THINGS I DO IN MY BEDROOM Alyx Leeming

501 Things I do in My Bedroom is a new play written and performed by the incredibly talented Nicola Wren, that has since been picked up and is soon to be produced by one of Brunel’s very own, Fiona Porritt. The one-woman comedy performed in Camden’s Etcetera Theatre was the perfect mix of side-splitting hilarity, touching emotion and relatability so much so that I wondered if Wren had actually come into my halls and watched me in my bedroom for the last three years at university dancing to Beyoncé, crying about boys and making some pretty embarrassing makeup faux pas. The show is about a young woman, living in our 21st century hypertechnological and social media obsessed society. The 1 hour show is set entirely in her bedroom with her clothes, makeup, laptop and a whole heap of Starburst sweets to keep her company. Wren’s character uses unconventionally drama technique, breaking the fourth wall to explain to the audience relevant parts of her life that have got her to the point she is at now, intermixed with humorous characterisation of some of these moments or people (most memorably, Dolly bloomin’ Parton!) It is told non-chronologically and leaves many gaps in the audience’s knowledge throughout, meaning that we are teased into eager anticipation for the rest of the story. She tells tales of her family and career, however, mainly focusing on her relationship with love interest, Robbie. She does this in a way that perfectly captures

our generation’s paradoxical nature of dating; the ability to be completely and utterly obsessed with another, whilst at the same time seeming to be distant and entirely uninterested. I’ll be honest, I was sceptical to go and see a one woman show. Images of Chandler in ‘Friends’ watching “WHY DON’T YOU LIKE ME? Chapter 1: My First Period” worried me, however, when the show was over I was left thinking that can’t have been an hour! I want more! Wren manages to create women, relatable for all; what I would refer to as modern, younger, more intelligent version of Bridget Jones. The character is a hybrid of the likeable, funny and beautiful protagonist of a rom-com with the maturity, intelligence and, yes, even the vices that actual real women have. To accompany this, Wren’s sparkling delivery of the character keeps you engaged until the very last line. I laughed so hard throughout the show that the moments of poignant honestly were even more heartbreaking. After delivering, it’s sold out run at the Etcetera Theatre, ‘501 Things I Do in My Bedroom’ was on the lookout for a dynamic, young producer and they stumbled upon none other than Brunel’s Third Year Theatre student, Fiona Porritt. At Brunel, Fiona produces the Brunel Musical Theatre Society, but in the summer she will be part of the team taking ‘501 Things I Do in My Bedroom’ to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. They aim to take the show on a UK Tour (Winter ‘15/Spring ’16) including a London show. ‘501 things I do in my bedroom’ will the performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2015 at Just The Tonic at The Caves, every day at 1pm.

THEATRE: TELESCOPE Amita Joshi

Overturned cabinets laid strewn in the cavernous grey arts space and a heavy mist trailed along the floor. Sirens shrilled out and a patient was rushed in on a stretcher from behind us, his family running behind it, screaming for him to be saved. But as the thundering drums reached a climax and the lights flashed, the audience already knew where this was going. He was dead. Surprising beginning for a play deemed as a comedy by playwright Elchin Efendiyev, yet as it unraveled, there was a curious balance between comedy and thought provoking selfreflection. Elchin is one of Azerbaijan’s most prominent literary figures whose works have been translated into more than 20 languages. As Deputy Prime Minister of Azerbaijan, his plays often tackle human dilemmas and Telescope is no exception. The theatre production is part of a series of arts performances that make up

Buta Festival, the first celebration of Azerbaijani arts in London. Building cultural bridges is the aim of the festival: to bring the independent country’s vibrant theatre to cities like London. From the moment the play began, it was unique in its construction of setting. We were sat on the stage, sometimes seating shoulder to shoulder with the actors as they told the story of Man, who had died and was stuck in a halfway house between heaven and hell. Waking at the Way station, he finds himself meeting his previous partner, Woman, who began explaining life after death. Administered by angel bureaucrats, the station is full of millions of souls who are waiting to be tested. In the meantime, he decided he would look down a telescope that shows him what people on Earth are doing. But what he saw shocked him; each person he watched revealed to him his true character when he was alive. With each glance down the telescope, performers stood on different platforms woven in between the audience members and gave us a glimpse of life after Man’s death.

The comedy element was there as promised and with the play happening around us, we were truly immersed in the entertaining scenarios. Yet there was also a philosophical exploration of life after death – what legacy would we leave in the world? Do we really do things to help others and love others as unconditionally as the angels suggested we should? The absorbing delivery from Chris Simmons, Tanya Franks, angels, medical staff and family members mixed with the set design made for an intriguing play which left you laughing. But beneath the well-constructed scenery was a message of perspective. If all of humanity reflected on their actions as they are carried out, maybe the pain of looking down the telescope wouldn’t be so tender. As the play came to an end, it was with an upbeat, inspired motion that the audience left the Testbed1 arts space. It was my first experience of Azerbaijani arts but definitely not the last. Telescope by Elchin Efendiyev is showing at Testbed1 Battersea Feb 25-Mar 7.

BOOK: ELIZABETH IS MISSING overwhelming empathy towards Disappointingly, the ending doesn’t Maud and the frustration that must do the rest of this beautifully crafted Jasmin Nahar come with her memory problems. novel justice. After pulling the reader However it does becoming frustrating along for the duration of the book, for the reader, as Maud’s second- the resolution seems to be tied up all Maud is an elderly woman who guessing and confusion delays us in too quickly. One mystery has a fairly unremarkable appears to be suffering from finding out the Alzheimer’s. She can’t shake the answers to the “The chapters switch be- answer and the other has one that feeling that something isn’t right; many questions tween the two mysteries: is too vague and she’s certain her friend Elizabeth this story creates. is missing, but nobody seems to Maud in the present and raises even more This chapters take her concerns seriously. What The Maud as a young girl. “ questions. book warrants a between follows is Maud’s pursuit to find switch second reading, out just what has happened to her. the two mysteries: However as we follow Maud while Maud in the present and Maud as a or at least a fervent flip through the she looks for her friend, a separate, young girl. In the present day, Maud pages again to search for the clues mystery runs parallel, triggered by is largely isolated and housebound and references you realise you missed Maud finding an old compact mirror with the exception of her daughter, the first time round. These flaws are a in the dirt; what happened to Maud’s granddaughter and carer. When minor gripe, as ‘Elizabeth is Missing’ older sister Sukey, who disappeared she does go out, it seems to end provides a brilliant journey through without a trace around 70 years unfortunately with one particularly the perspective of an elderly woman h e a r t - b r e a k i n g who has clearly had to keep things ago, never to be “Elizabeth Is Missing’ is moment: Maud bottled up for a long time. All in all, seen again? And why was Sukey’s a bold move from author walking into a it makes for an absolutely staggering charity shop debut of a book that manages to be mirror found in someone’s garden, Emma Healey, especially only to be told both remarkably poignant and near all these years considering it’s a debut she no longer impossible to put down. works there and later? novel. ” evidently hasn’t for a while. The past ‘Elizabeth Is is set in a postMissing’ is a bold move from author Emma Healey, war period, focusing on the build especially considering it’s a debut up to, and aftermath, of Sukey’s novel. Maud’s dementia, as she disappearance. The latter mystery, forgets where she is, struggles to find possibly because it’s written so the right words and misplaces names vividly in comparison to the muddled and faces, is reflected in the narration nature of the present-day narration, Healey pulls it off with panache and is certainly the most enthralling; the it’s thoroughly convincing. Healey’s suspects and explanations for Sukey’s writing makes the reader feel an disappearance leave you speculating until the last few pages.

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CULTURE

PHOTO CREDIT: BRUNEL DANCE FACEBOOK

BEST OF BRITISH: BRUNEL DANCE Alexander Tyson

Brunel Dance Club performed their last show called: Best of British, the performance opened at the Howell for three nights running. The show kicked off with a fantastic tap dance to English-born Mark Ronson’s Uptown Funk. Music and dance styles clashed with a typical British eccentricity including belly dancing to the Rolling Stones and pole dancing to the theme tunes from Emmerdale and Countdown. The biggest cheers of the night were reserved for Brunel Men’s Football who performed a risqué striptease which ended with them onstage dressed in naught but their jockstraps. There were a few minor choreography wobbles but overall it didn’t detract from the sense of overall enjoyment

and the Brunel Dance Club should be proud with what they’ve achieved. I managed to catch up with two members, Tara, an MA Creative Writing student and Katijah, studying BA Games Design, before their final performance.

Just what is dance? Tara: Dancing is a sequence of movements that are showing emotions and every dance has its own story. Katijah: Dance is a fun way to keep fit and get to know yourself better. It’s an art form which facilitates expression and enables you to push your boundaries.

Had you done much dancing before joining Dance? K: Before this year I had strictly

avoided dancing. I felt awkward and embarrassed and just hated the thought of dancing myself! Brunel Dance Society is a club that welcomes anyone interested in learning dance! It gives students an opportunity to gain confidence, develop dancing skills, socialise and, if they like, work towards shows and competitions. In general it’s just great fun! T: I’ve been in and out of dancing for years. I started dance at the age of seven, jazz was my first style. I have such a passion for dancing and performing on stage and I love working with other talented dancers in different styles. I love all the Brunel dancers - there is so much talent here and I have enjoyed being a part of this performance.

Have rehearsals for the show been hard? T: I found they have been fun, and rehearsals have been a challenge, but

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I always stand behind dancers who are better than me to improve! K: Not even a little. We didn’t feel pressured or rushed. It was challenging at times but mostly just a whole lot of fun!

It’s your final show tonight – have a lot of the early nerves gone? K: Not exactly. I would say I feel a lot better about performing now which is a shame because it’s all over now! I feel more confident but it’s still scary because there seems to be a bigger audience every night plus there are different people to embarrass myself in front of! T: No, not for me! I’m still scared because it’s the last night so there’s more pressure and you can never be too good at dancing!

What would you say to people still unsure about whether to take up dancing here at Brunel? K: At least try it! It would be unlikely there isn’t one type of dance you won’t absolutely love and end up taking more seriously than your dissertation! If I knew about the variety and how fun dancing could be I would have joined in first year. T: Just try it! Let yourself go and have fun - it’s also the quickest way to lose weight!

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MUSIC: INTERPOL MUSIC: DRAKE guitar for the song. It didn’t take long for the band to get back into the swing of the song, which was probably one of the nights main highlights. Paul February the 17th was a fantastic Banks sounded great on lead vocals, night for New York indie giants better than when I had seen him solo Interpol as they wrapped up a series at Koko in 2013. The band closed their of gigs in London, concluding with a set with perhaps their most popular show for the NME Awards. Support song 2004’s ‘Slow Hands’. The crowd came from Slaves, a punk duo from wanted them back, and so the band Kent whose noisy punk sounds returned for two encores packed with seemed to baffle Interpol fans at The crowd pleasers, a highlight being the five minute PDA with its epic sounding Forum in Kentish Town. extended outro. I was surprised to hear the concert When Interpol with the took to the stage “ For a band who have nev- end mellow ‘Untitled’ they were met with er had a huge hit single, from ‘Antics’ and enthusiasm from their audience. For even in Indie’s peak in the not another crowd favourite in the a band who have never had a huge mid 2000’s, their fans let form of ‘C’Mere’. hit single, even in you know that these guys Overall, this was a great gig, Interpol Indie’s peak in the mid 2000’s, their could become modern day gave the fans what they wanted fans let you know indie legends. ” to hear, a mix of that these guys old and their very could become modern day indie legends. Opening refreshing sounding new songs, all with a fan favourite, ‘Say Hello to the of which have seemed to capture Angels’ from 2004’s ‘Antics’ album the magic of their first two albums. the band continued to power through The band are approaching their singles from their latest album ‘El 20th anniversary as a group in 2017, but they sounded as if they’d been Pintor’. performing live together for much During ‘Evil’ the band had some longer on this triumphant night. technical problems when guitarist Daniel Kessler was handed the wrong

Ellie Wiltshire

MUSIC: GEORGE HOLROYD Ellis Davies

In a music industry flooded with singer/songwriters, it can be seemingly difficult to make a mark on this section of the market. However, for those with the talent and a unique quality, it is still possible to break through the masses and stand above the crowd. George Holroyd is one such person. Hailing from rural Suffolk, George Holroyd began playing music at a young age, picking up a guitar around 10 and running with it from there. A student at Nottingham University, it is there that George began to grow and become someone to take note of. George was kind enough to answer a few of my questions recently on his EP, influences and plans for the future. When asked about his route into performing, George gave a fair amount of credit to the Nottingham music scene as it ‘has so many opportunities for new artists to play.’ With a positive reaction at open mic nights around the city, George pushed on with his performances, and began to write original material around two to three years ago. The debut EP, entitled ‘Peru’, was released on the 30th January. To George’s surprise, ‘Peru’ reached number 12 on the iTunes singer/ songwriter chart, lining up alongside the likes of Ben Howard, Damien Rice

and Ed Sheeran. I asked George how he felt about the initial success of the EP, to which he replied ‘It’s gone down well, the iTunes charting was unanticipated but very welcome! The support I’ve got for it from friends and family has been fantastic’. With hopes of regional radio play beginning to come true with ‘Go’ being played on BBC Radio Nottingham, further success looks imminent! When it comes down to the nitty gritty of songwriting, George doesn’t have a physical “I do these things before I sit down and write”’ approach to it and instead employs a more spontaneous method of waiting for something to jump out. ‘I tend to focus more on places and states of mind than people when writing, perhaps because I find them easier to write about, I think they can sometimes evoke a bit more of an emotion too.’ With this writing style, ‘Peru’ is ‘more of a collection of songs I’ve written over the past couple years rather than a conceived piece of work’ making it somewhat of a ‘mixed bag’. Sam Winfield, who George credits for his ‘studio wizardry’, produced ‘Peru’ very well and has helped the EP sound clear and well-balanced, no doubt laso a result of George’s performance. The title track ‘Peru’ opens the EP, delivering a mellow guitar line that acts as a vehicle for George’s fantastically toneful voice. ‘Peru’ at first seems to

Panny Antoniou So Drake did a Beyonce. That is, he released a surprise collection of songs – although he claims that they are not an album – but a mixtape. A mixtape in hip-hop is generally regarded as a short collection of free songs released for self-promotion by the artist. At almost seventy minutes long, however, IYRTITL blurred the lines between albums and mixtapes, creating its own category. So what did this new mixtape-album have to offer? Would it be more of the same Drake presented in his 2013 release ‘Nothing Was the Same’ which established him as one of the best new rappers in the game? Or would it be more similar to ‘Take Care’ released in 2011 which was focussed far more on Drake’s singing than his rapping? With a fourth studio album in production, the mixtape seems like an unnecessary addition to Drake’s discography. Many felt that IYRTITL would detract from his efforts on the widely-anticipated album, ‘Views From The 6’ which has not even got a release date yet. Many argued that this was, in fact, Birdman – the CEO of YMCMB, Drake’s label – was conspicuously absent in the list of people thanked for the album. Others

have commented that the release was all part of a ruse to run down his contract with the label due to the royalty disputes which the label are having with many Young Money artists over payment such as Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj. This was, however, a very well thought out mixtape. Drake was lyrically very good and addressed a wide variety of topics in the mixtape. This is due to him having far more breathing room in a mixtape which is not for commercial sale rather than an album which allowed him to express his opinions and views. From speaking about his disputes with his label in ‘Star67’ where he raps “Brand new Beretta, can’t wait to let it go/Walk up in my label like, ‘Where the check, though?’” to ‘Energy’ where his main problem seems to be paying his two mortgages! Overall the album has a brooding feel with dark undertones. Producer Noah “40” Shebib – a long-time friend and collaborator of Drake was instrumental in many of the pieces; helping dictate the feel of the album, giving it a distinctive sound and making use of a wide variety of techniques to enhance the instrumentals. Drake has also gained a reputation for being very emotional in his music; especially in comparison to most

be about getting away from the built up rabble of the city, to escape to the countryside. On this track, George felt that his countryside upbringing makes it easier for him to write about the familiar scene, although ‘Peru’ is not solely focused on a longing for open spaces. ‘Peru was the first song I ever really wrote and it reflected my state of mind at the time, but was more a reluctance to return back to coursework deadlines and looming exams if I’m honest!’ George commented ‘I love being in the city and feeling like you’re at the centre of everything, it is nice to get away and back to the coast/ country too though’. However you interpret ‘Peru’, George has captured a feeling and longing that we all feel on occasion: a desire to just run away from it all. So what does the future hold for George Holroyd? With a few new songs in the pipeline, and an eye out for more gig opportunities outside Nottingham, he says: ‘Look out for the follow up EP soon.’ A fantastic debut EP from a unique performer and intelligent writer, ‘Peru’ is a welcome thorn in the side of the singer/songwriter genre, sticking out from the mass with its full and rich sound. ‘Peru’ is available for download on at iTunes, Amazon, and for streaming on Spotify. Also check out George Holroyd’s SoundCloud, and ‘Peru’ below.

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PHOTO CREDIT: IMPACT

rappers who do not express how they feel about love etc. as much as he does. However, there was little of this in IYRTITL a notable exception being ‘You & the 6’ which is an earnest conversation with his mother where he thanks her for raising him and pleads with her to forgive his father. In addition, the mixtape also contains a number of barbs which are aimed at other rappers. Most notably his line aimed at Tyga where he tells him to act his age rather than his “girl’s age” in reference to the seventeen year old Kylie Jenner. In addition, he also directs some of his lines towards his friend-cum-rival Kendrick Lamar “They gon’ say your name on them airwaves/ They gonn hit you after like it’s only rap”. Overall, it is a good offering, confident and composed as you’d expect from Drake and, although it did not hit the lofty heights of ‘Nothing Was The Same’, it is nonetheless a decent showing by the Canadian rapper. Noah “40” Shebib’s production was also some of his best, exemplifying why he is one of the most sought after producers in rap at the moment. His distinctive sound permeates the whole album and the brooding, melancholy beats take it to the next dimension.

COFFEE BREAK

LE CROSSWORD ACROSS 1. Varsity Cup. “It was ___!” (4, 2, 4) 7. Gets thrown around and does wicked flips and stuff. (11) 9. Half the people in uni try and cram in here every year after Varsity. (6)

DOWN 2. The Florence without a machine. Healed soldiers. (11) 3. St Mary’s is to Brunel what Harvard is to ___? (4)

11. Narrow street, often creepy. (4)

4. Slang saying for when someone succeeds, particularly in imitating something. (6)

13. Kanye West has a MASSIVE one of these. (3)

5. Nightclub, someone got stabbed in the Kingston one.

14. Strong cider, tastes like licking a farm. (7)

6. More piratey ‘your’.

15. Lucky. St Mary’s winning last year was a ___. (5) 16. Contrary to what Russell Brand says, you should always ___. (4)

8. There was supposed to be one in March. What actually happened: half nine in the morning just looked a little more miserable than usual. 10. You’re reading the latest one! 12. A really posh cheer/well done.

LE HOROSCOPES Capricorn: There may be plenty of fish in the sea, but you’re stuck in the pond. Alone. Aquarius: Since you ignored our last horoscope, Venus suggests that you stock up on sardines and build a nuclear bunker. Pisces: Buy some earplugs - your flatmate is going to be banging like a privy door in a high wind. Don’t complain though, he’s kinda hench

Aries: Any amount of essay writing is possible, with a quiet library, an IV drip of coffee and a thousand willing slaves. Taurus: Give up, order a pizza and commit yourself to six hours of food coma. You won’t regret it, much. Gemini: at 11:57 pm, due to Saturn’s influence on lunar activity, you will sneeze in Tower C and be chased across the carpark by rapid

Eddie Leggatt

engineering students. Zombieland Rule 1: Cardio. Cancer: Somedays you’re the dog, somedays you’re the hydrant. However, any day you could flip out and become Megadecatron Chainsaw hyperlink Obsidian, Destroyer of worlds. Always remember this, child. Leo: Sorry love, but the Roman gods have consulted with the Egyptians and decided that your spirit animal is

a stale Ritz cracker. Virgo: Avoid the karaoke; Brunel Musical Theatre and Brunel Film Orchestra and Choir are in the middle of a three day sing-off. blood has been spilled. Libra: It doesn’t matter how quickly they get you to lecture, micro scooters will never be cool.

graduate job, we are reliably informed that the university has purchased a sorting hat, which will assign you a £32k a year career. Sagittarius: It’s the end of the second term and you’re close to your flatmates, but please stop clipping your toenails on the kitchen counter.

Scorpio: don’t worry about finding a

MUSIC: TORI KELLY MUSIC: GHOSTPOET Victoria Sanusi Remarkably talented, amazing hair and obsessed with pizza, Tori Kelly is definitely one to watch this year. The 23 year old spent last year touring America with Britain’s very own Sam Smith and Ed Sheeran - who she’s working with towards her third highly anticipated album. Her latest single “Nobody Love” released on 8 February showcases an upbeat, pop and retro infused sound, with a smudge of Jessie J’s ambiance in contrast to her softly sung songs on her last project, ‘Foreword’. The California born guitarist teamed up with popular pop producer Max Martin for this debut and the song has had a lot of comparisons to Ariana Grande’s 2014 summer hit “Problem”; no wonder since it was also produced by

the pop magician/musician, Martin. Kelly shares that “Nobody Love” is about “saying to someone that we have something that’s not going anywhere and it’s nice not to have to go running around looking for that love.” The music video set in a New York City diner, where Tori starts off by singing in acapella, with her friends dancing on tables - High School Musical style. Following in the footsteps of singers who found fame through YouTube, will Kelly survive and make it to the top in the same footsteps as internet star Justin Bieber? Or will she be forgotten like Justin Timberlake’s R&B prodigy Esmée Denters. In a niche lane of her own, I hope Tori does not follow suit of artists who lose their original style which made them popular initially by diving into the pop genre to score easy number 1’s.

Despite having varying levels of success in the charts over the last five years or so, it still feels like Ghostpoet is very much growing into his own skin. With the rise of spoken word artists like George the Poet and Kate Tempest, especially on the London scene, it seems like Ghostpoet is at the forefront of a new movement; a shift in the socio political conscience of the proletariat in a time of political restlessness and uncertainty. These social anxieties are more and more often being expressed through the medium of poetry and spoken word. Ghostpoet does it beautifully.

and lazy, often distorted. The choice of tone with the music is a cold and cutting way to demonstrate Ghostpoet’s themes of being young, poor and lonely in an urban landscape of the 21st century. The musical accompaniments interestingly hark back to a 90s Seattle grunge scene, at times reminiscent of an early 2000s Incubus and at others emulating the melancholic overtones of Elliott Smith and some of Nirvana’s later work, not surprising since Paul Smith is billed as a collaborator on this album. The rough, gravelly quality of Ghostpoet’s own voice, which so often draws out vowels in unexpected patterns, making his elocutions almost drawllike, is perfect for overall tone and quality of the work.

It’s important to point out that ‘Shedding Skin’ is not just a poetry album. Ghostpoet juxtaposes raw lyrics against haunting guitars, slow

A word that has been used repeatedly by critics to describe this album is ‘haunting’. While this is true, one of the stand out tracks for me is

Kirsty Capes

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certainly ‘Be Right Back, Moving House’, which builds tension but never quite reaches breaking point and unexpectedly hearkens to the current emo revival happening in the states. The Britishness of the thing only serves to emphasise the Americanised composition of the sounds. ‘Sorry My Love, It’s You Not Me’ is another track which embodies the entire essence of the work, showcasing Ghostpoet’s ability to mix gritty realism with ethereal and otherworldly conceptualism. While it’s certainly not a concept album, ‘Shedding Skin’ serves to remind us all of the ugly nature of existence, through the eyes of both a musician and a poet.

32 SPORT PHOTO CREDIT: XUAN ZHOU

SPORT MIXED FORTUNES FOR BRUNEL FENCING Ben Usher Term 2 has seen mixed fortunes for Brunel Fencing; whilst the club has leapt from strength to strength, its competitive endeavours have failed to match up to the heroics of last year. In recent months the men’s and women’s teams have continued to plough away in the BUCS leagues, with women’s 1st undergoing a marked improvement upon term one with the addition of several new members providing fresh impetus and belief, as well as several wins. Men’s 2nd, in their first year of existence, have also competed admirably, holding off the league stragglers to clinch a respectable

seventh place out of nine teams. The men’s 1st on the other hand have had an end-of-season to forget, losing three key matches to extinguish all pre-season hopes of the league title and relinquish their hold on the South East Conference Cup. Not the happiest bunch of fencers. The BUCS individuals also saw mixed success for Brunel Fencing. With the reigning BUCS sabre champion, Soji Aiyenuro, away fencing for Great Britain at a World Cup (suppose we can’t hold too much of a grudge), it was damage limitation in terms of gaining BUCS points. In the event, not much success was seen during the Championships with the best results courtesy of Nuno Esteves’s number 1 ranking after poules (followed by a

shock last 32 defeat) in men’s sabre, and a last 16 by Constance Goulletquer in women’s sabre. However, despite the disappointing results the weekend remained a triumph with a number of new members and novices able to experience the BUCS weekend together, gaining valuable competition experience and posting some impressive scores along the way. Brunel Fencing however is about more than just competition. This term has seen the club continue to improve on its ability to deliver value for money to its members through increasing membership numbers, expanded training and coaching opportunities, the opening of the club shop (finally!), and the launch of

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the Spring Competition. As socials come thick and fast, the club is also providing other avenues to engage with our members through internal competitions, encouragement to get involved with University activities, and the launching of a new community partnership involving Hillingdon Musketeers Fencing Club. This new initiative has seen an expanded Friday training session where Brunel and Hillingdon train and fence together, utilising extra space and greater competition, shared equipment and coaches to help develop our personal fencing, whilst also promoting fencing as a sport in the wider community. Though early days the joint venture is already showing a degree of success, with Brunel and Hillingdon fencers coming together to fence off in foil

in our (friendly) Spring Competition, with one of own, Kane Wang, taking the title. As a club we’re very optimistic of continuing this partnership into the future, using it to help develop the sport in the local area whilst reinforcing our already strong foundation within the University sports scene. All in all, whilst we might be maintaining our tag as the perpetual BUCS runner up with unintentional, unfortunate, and unwanted success, as a club Brunel Fencing continues to perform and deliver on the highest stage.

SPORT

BIG DOGS FINISH THE SEASON IN STYLE Jonny Girling Closely contested Varsity matches down the years against a strong team in St. Mary’s certainly shows that Brunel University has pedigree in Rugby League. With two players representing the South East regional side for the first time this year, along with two returning, there was a strong showing in the squad from Brunel. Malikhi Lloyd-Jones and Ibrahim Kabia once again represented Brunel, whilst Howard Smith and George Geddes put in a strong showing for the region who managed one draw and one defeat before beating their SouthWest rivals to clinch fifth place.

A dogged showing in the opening match of the competition saw the South East region tough out a draw, finishing 6-6 against the North East, who would eventually finish just one place above them after losing in the 3rd/4th playoff. The Pool groupings had seen the region drawn against holders Yorkshire, and the South East region were always underdogs and eventually succumbed 20-0, knocking them out of the group stage. The squad recovered strongly to ease to a relatively comfortable 16-8 victory against arguably their local rivals, the region of the South West. The strong showing from members of the ‘Brunel Big Dogs’ was an

appreciation of the fine effort this season which saw the squad ease to the league title following six wins from seven games. The results matched their haul from last year as the title was eventually won by Yorkshire in the competition held in Nottingham, as the regional squads had just over a week to train with new teammates and learn new moves whilst adjusting to different styles of play. The regional competition provides a springboard for players to put forward their case for selection in the England Universities Squad, and hopefully Brunel can continue to provide a decent number of players in the squad in future years.

BADMINTON MARCHING ON Marc Horrex The Badminton Club at Brunel, and throughout uni-land, is always considered to be a quiet club who concentrate on their sport, they’re not fussed about hosting fancydress nights in various nightclubs or gaining ‘legendary’ status on tour, just focussing on winning matches and leagues. And this is what they have achieved again this year.

CREDIT:LIAM MARTIN

UEL SURVIVE LATE BRUNEL SURGE Mehdi Punjwani Women’s Basketball Brunel 46 - 60 UEL Brunel Women’s Basketball team were unlucky to finish on the wrong end of a 60-46 result as they visited the University of East London. Brunel, placed last in the BUCS league, came under pressure early on, and despite an immediate response to UEL’s opening basket, conceded a further 9 points in the following four minutes. As the game continued, Brunel’s defence solidified, and though the team made impressive steals the shooters were unable to take advantage. The first quarter ended 13-3 to UEL. The second quarter began promisingly for the Brunel Women, who brought the score to 15-9, with UEL having to call a time-out to regroup. However,

this proved to be a good decision, as the balance of the game seemed to be consequentially restored. There was an exchange of steals half way through the second, and some confusion in the visitor’s defence, UEL were able to head into the half time break with a 29-14 lead.

When I became Chairman of the Club my aims were to get at least two teams promoted. This was a very conservative aim as our Men’s 1st team, through a very strong intake of players at the start of the year and returning students from placements, were going to walk league 2A, and our Men’s 2nd team had just been relegated so were, in my eyes, favourites to go back up. The ladies team also benefitted from a strong intake of players at the start of the year so consolidation in a very tough league was achievable once more. The introduction of a mixed team in the LUSL leagues meant that three promotions were accomplishable.

The University of East London made a good start to the third quarter, scoring two layups early on, and as the score reached its biggest gap of the match at 37-20, Brunel began to fight back. Within five minutes, the visitors had scored 18 points to the home team’s two, bringing their score to within one point of the opposition. The third quarter ended with a three-pointer for UEL, though Brunel kept within touching distance, only two points behind with nine minutes left. However, thirteen points in a row from UEL meant Brunel were unable to recover, resulting in an unfortunate defeat.

CREDIT: JOSH CONNOLLY

PLEASE RECYCLE

As I sit here writing this piece contemplating over the outcomes of the season, I can’t help but be proud of all players from all teams who played incredibly throughout the season. Overall, the team achieved the set goal of getting two teams promoted this season. The Men’s 1st did walk their league, losing just once to Reading 1sts on their way to winning the title, before losing a dead rubber against Imperial just the other day. Our Mixed team were unbeaten in their league winning most matches 9-0 or 8-1. There was the occasional close shave, only just beating Royal Holloway 5-4 in an epic match but it was mostly a walk in the park. The Ladies team avoided relegation and the Men’s 2nd team finished midtable. The biggest test for our players would be the BUCS Individual Championships at Sheffield in February, and so it proved to be. A Brunel student, Nathan D’Cruz, won the Individual Championships four years ago and inspired by his victory we travelled up north to Sheffield. The best moment in our three days of matches was our top mixed doubles pair of Lee Ackerman (Ranked top

20 in England) and Katrine Kranker reached the 5th round beating a Sheffield Hallam pair on their own patch in front of their supporters. An incredible victory. Also, our top Men’s doubles pair (Lee again with player/ coach Andy Robinson) reaching the Quarter-Finals before losing to the 2nd seeds was another highlight of a very tough weekend of games. It’s safe to say the draw could have been a lot kinder to all of us! I could go on and on about various victories throughout the year, and talk about every player and of how much I am proud of them but your interest in badminton has probably faded somewhat by now. But we have one more match this year… Varsity! Badminton has never let Brunel down. You can guarantee at least 1.5 points from us every year. We’re on first on the 18th March 9am Netball Hall (apparently); we’ll turn up and get Brunel off to a winning start probably even before the rest of the teams have eaten their cornflakes for breakfast.

#TEAMBRUNEL

PHOTOGRAPHY: LIAM MARTIN, JOSH CONNOLLY, ADAM WHITE, KIRSTY CAPES PLEASE RECYCLE

VARSITY 2015 PLEASE RECYCLE

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‘VARSITY BRUTALITY’ FOR WOMEN’S HOCKEY Shelly Spooner

not to be rewarded with a goal.

The women’s hockey varsity team were pumped and raring for what we knew would be a brutal match, after St. Mary’s reluctantly agreed to play after their cup game in the morning.

Simmies were shortly after awarded a short corner, but with a defence as strong as ours, that ball was not going in…yet. As a result of Hannah Jones and Becka O’Connor’s persistence, Brunel were then awarded with 3 consecutive short corners, but still no goal, which was not to be the case for much longer, unfortunately, not in Brunel’s favour.

After losing the toss, the odds did not seem to be in our favour. It was a positive start from Brunel with Shelly Spooner hitting at least 3 Simmies and getting a green card, Aimee Abbott and Nicole Sinclair making some breakthrough runs into their D, but

Their captain went on the run and got one into goal, Simmies 1 Brunel 0. At half time, the talk was very positive and Brunel knew we could get this back, but the game was just not going in our favour. After getting momentum back after the half time break,

Women’s Hockey Brunel 0 - 2 St Mary’s

the umpire decided that all spectators had to leave the venue as he believed they were being a nuisance, making play stop for at least 10 minutes. As a result of losing this momentum, Simmies scored another goal not long after, resulting in a 2-0 loss to Brunel. It was not our day but the whole team enjoyed what would seem to be an unenjoyable game. As many of the team were leaving, it was good to have that final time where we could all wear our Brunel shirts with pride. Stats: 2 hits to the head, 4 people taking a flying tumble and many foot injuries…Varsity brutality.

PHOTO CREDIT:KIRSTY CAPES

PHOTO CREDIT:JOHANNA PUUSTINEN

STRUGGLING BRUNEL JIU JITSU REGAINS CONFIDENCE AT NATIONAL TOURNAMENT Johanna Puustinen Brunel Jiu Jitsu Club brought back gold from February’s Randori Nationals for the first time in several years. Randori Nationals, held in Northampton on the last weekend of February, brought together over 500 jitsukas from 75 clubs across the country. Overall, Brunel University placed 20th at the tournament with just seven participants.

White belt Madeleine Difford joined the club late in the year, but fought her way to bronze in women’s lightweights. Likewise, yellow belt Miljana Stankovic won bronze in her lightweight category. Men’s yellow belt middleweights competitor Kieran Waite brought Brunel silver. Gold medalist Matt Crouch was eventually crowned yellow belt men’s heavyweight champion, and managed to smile through the aches and

pains. “The competition was very tough and I’m just relieved it’s over. Winning definitely made my weekend,” he said. Club treasurer Benjamin Drabble was meant to fight in the brown and black belt open tournament, but could not participate due to an ankle injury. White belt Hishaam Bin Masood dislocated his shoulder during his bronze medal fight.

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Despite various bumps and bruises, the team was proud to break the news to their club, which has been constantly struggling with lacking training facilities and busy instructors in the last few years.

one of The Jiu Jitsu Foundation’s most senior instructors, Steve Donaghy. Together with the committee and enthusiastic new members, sensei Donaghy seems to have accomplished his goal of turning the club around.

“We’ve only just re-established ourselves as a proper club after a couple of tough years, and it feels amazing to have such success,” Drabble said.

“The club was absolutely fantastic, and the only way is up. We’re looking forward to Atemi Nationals in November and are hoping to do even better next year,” he said.

The club was adopted this year by

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PHOTO CREDIT: ADAM WHITE

SNOW CLUB GET COMPETITIVE AT INDOOR CHAMPS Adam White In the early hours of Wednesday 25 February 2015, a team of 8 Brunel Snow Club members congregated upon a minibus behind the Hamilton Building and set off on a roughly one hour journey, albeit hindered by traffic, up the road to Milton Keynes, the final destination, the indoor snow slope at SNO!Zone, XScape! The reason; they were to compete for Brunel Snow Club, The Union of Brunel Students and Brunel, for the first time in 3 years, at the British Indoor Snowsports Championships 2015…the southern heats in particular. The day started early with the club captain attending a 08:30 info meeting, simultaneously collecting the teams numbered bibs and ski passes for the day. Following this a much needed team breakfast was had in preparation for the day’s proceedings.

First up in the competition itself was the racing, slalom and duel slalom events. Here; Jack Cole, Brendan Cogen, AJ Smith and Ed Morris were to compete in the individual ski slalom event. Slalom, which can be completed on both ski’s or board, is an event where you traverse down a slope

whilst going through a series of gates or around markers which are designated by poles in the slope. It is one of the typical alpine events seen at the FIS World Championships or Winter Olympics. There got kitted out in their Brunel Snow Club gear and numbered bibs and headed out onto the slope. Despite it being the first attempt at competitive slalom for each of them, they all put on a good effort and show and whilst they were not successful in qualifying for the finals, the good thing, the important thing, is that they didn’t come last! Due to the programme for the day, there was then a long wait for the much anticipated freestyle competition. To maintain their competitive spirit and “edge” the team decided to compete in another sport in the mean time…bowling! This was followed by a nutritious meal of chicken fried in eleven different herbs and spices. The time flew by and the freestyle competition approached. Harry White and Charlotte Colman were set to compete in the Men’s and Women’s Freestyle Skiing events respectively, whilst Adam White would be competing in the Men’s Freestyle Snowboarding event. The layout of the course was such that there were 4 features or obstacles. The first in-

volved both a rail and a corrugated tube in the snow, the second was a big kicker, the third; a choice of two rails, and the fourth; a sideways grind rail. It is up to the competitors to choose which features they hit and scoring, unlike in slalom which is done based on your time, here is done by a score being given for the feature attempted, its success, and whether you did it with good posture, flair and of course big air dude!!!! #niceairbruh Having not competed in a freestyle event before this was the first time for all three of the Brunel team competing. Regardless, they all gave each feature a go during the practice period despite the numerous falls and faceplants. In the competition itself, all three attempted all features during both of their 2 attempts. Unfortunately, due to the competitive experience and skill of their opponents, the three were also unable to qualify for the finals! Ultimately, the day proved to be a brilliant learning experience with it being the first experience of competitive snowsports for the entire team. They may not have qualified for the finals, but they went, the represented, and they came back in one piece! They are all looking forward to next year, when, now with a little experience, they can

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hopefully improve on this years result. The final words on this competitive experience should go to thanking the Brunel Snow Club Captain, Matt Townley, for organizing the teams entry and participation in the event, and for being designated driver.

As always, you can keep up to date with everything the club is doing via our social media feeds: Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrunelSnowClubOfficial Join our Facebook group:

As always; that is not it! There are a few things to mention still!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/ brunelsnowclubofficial

Secondly; our next social is going to be an 80’s themed social. Yes that’s right! One of the best decades! We will be heading to the lovely location known as liquid! Watch our media feeds for more details on that.

And follow us on twitter: @BrunelSnowClub

Finally; keep Tuesday 19th May free on your diaries! For that day will bring you the original and best Brunel Annual End of Year Boat Party 2015, hosted by, as per usual, Brunel Snow Club! It is going to be an awesome night of boozing and cruising along the Thames, before joining up with the engineering and design boat party goers as we hit one of London’s main nightlife hotspots! Tickets are £15. Watch out for more details on our media feeds. In the words of Mr Chow, your words the next day will be; “We had a sick night!”.

Brunel Snow Club Secretary,

Snowy Love; Adam White

UBS Bar Staff Supervisor Aerospace Engineering Student

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THE VARSITY 2015 ROUND UP DOUBLE VICTORY FOR FUTSAL Lucas Siqueira Futsal 2nds Brunel 5 - 5 St Mary’s Futsal 1sts Brunel 11 - 3 St Mary’s Varsity 2015 was very successful for Brunel Futsal, the men’s 2nd team began the day by showcasing their talent and passion for the sport. The atmosphere in the court was electric which took our players by

surprise; however this only motivated the team to perform to their best in front of the home crowd. St Mary’s came prepared and fought hard but it wasn’t enough to trouble the form and class of Brunel. The home supporters were kept on the edge of their seats as St Mary’s were ahead in the closing moments of the game nevertheless, one perfect movement from the team gave our very own Awuse Gift space and the rest was history! Final Score 5-5! It was then time for Brunel 1st team to have their go in the spotlight. Having recently eliminated Loughborough

out of the BUCS Championship Cup in the semi-finals, the home supporters were in for a treat. Excellent team performance from Brunel and the score line reflects it! Final score 11-3 to Brunel, this clearly shows the hard work and determination that occurs in training. The crowd went wild as the likes of Captain Pouria Barvand, Sharpshooter Furmaan Khan and Omar Yassin the Magician ripped St Mary’s apart with their Brilliance! Brunel Futsal would like to give a huge thank you to all the supporters and players who attended. Varsity is Ours, Now Bring on the Championship Cup!

CREDIT: LIAM MARTIN

MEN’S BASKETBALL DELIVERS AFTER SHAKY FIRST HALF Kirsty Capes Men’s Basketball Brunel 80 - 68 St Mary’s A strong start for Brunel meant the Sports Hall spectators were feeling confident going into one of the last fixtures of the day at Varsity. The trophy win was not certain as Brunel and St. Mary’s Men’s Basketball teams took to the court, which allowed for an electric atmosphere as Brunel supporters came out in force for one of the most anticipated Varsity fixtures of the day. Brunel Men’s Basketball first team have celebrated a number of successes this year after finishing 8th overall in the country – a stark contrast to their

devastating loss to St Mary’s at Varsity last year, which was a real blow to the whole team. The first quarter tipped off to a strong start from Brunel as they managed to stay ahead for the majority of the quarter. Brunel kept possession for the most part and the pace of play allowed for many opportunities which Brunel did not hesitate to utilise. St Mary’s attempted to pull ahead towards the end of the quarter but Nick Crust silenced them with a three pointer which sent the crowd into uproar. The basket put the team in good spirits but they were unable to hold off St Mary’s, who finally drew level with them for 22-22 at the end of the first quarter. The strong start became shaky by the end of the first quarter and in the second things only got worse for

Brunel. An optimistic Brunel support grew more and more subdued as the second quarter saw basket after basket from the Simmies, pulling ahead into a strong lead as that one ginger Simmie landed what seemed like endless baskets after being awarded a number of free-throws. The four St Mary’s supporters in the crowd were gloating as the away team pulled ahead to end the first half 37-47 to St Mary’s. Brunel support was getting more and more nervous and the tension on the court was clear; Brunel players argued amongst themselves and questioning the ref awarded a number of penalties to the away team, only serving to heighten the nerves amongst the Brunel side. Meanwhile news was coming in of bad luck for Brunel in the Netball and Football, making a win at Basketball even more essential and piling more pressure on the team.

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The second half opened with Brunel stepping up their defense and denying St Mary’s opportunities left right and centre. Then came the baskets – more three pointers from Brunel’s Michael Darlow and Sam Dunscombe, and a truly spectacular display from Benji Lawmann who intercepted the ball from a St Mary’s attack, and took it – unopposed - all the way back down to the Brunel end, landing a theatrical dunk which sent the crowd into a frenzy. The change in tactic saw St Mary’s defense disintegrate under the pressure and more freethrows allowed Prince Lartey of Brunel to sink a few more points for the home team. As Brunel pulled ahead the crowd was sent into a frenzy and the match finished with Brunel taking home the win with a jaw-dropping comeback after an underwhelming

first half, and a final score of 80 – 68 to Brunel. Michael Darlow (1st Team Captain) told Le Nurb: “I can’t really put into words how I am feeling right now, am incredibly relieved and absolutely delighted that we won, I really thought we were all going to experience the same depressing scenes like last year! I am proud of every single player that stepped onto the court, we really showed we could play basketball at a high level no matter what circumstance we were in. “To pull the lead back and then win has to be one of my greatest memories at Brunel. The experience wouldn’t have been the same without the tremendous support from the crowd, thank you so much to everyone who came down! Varsity has delivered yet again!”

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BEGINNER’S LUCK NOT NEEDED FOR BRUNEL ULTIMATE FRISBEE Adam White Brunel Ultimate Brunel 14 - 3 St Mary’s West London Varsity 2015 saw Brunel Ultimate Frisbee compete for their first time at Varsity. With the match getting underway at 2pm at the site 5 pitches. Brunel pressed their opponents early on to take the lead which only grew and grew, the score at the half way point being 7 – 1 to Brunel. The scoring continued from the Brunel pack and despite two more points scored by St. Marys, the match was won with an impressive lead of 14 points to 3.

CREDIT: ADAM WHITE

RUGBY UNION SHOW THE SIMMIES HOW IT’S DONE Adam White Men’s Rugby Union Brunel 22 - 15 St Mary’s On West London Varsity Wednesday one of the most hotly anticipated fixtures, the Men’s Rugby Union, kicked off at 5pm at the brand new Cemetery Pitches on Kingston Lane. The opening 10 minutes saw Brunel kicking off to the stronger start, forcing their opponents to make errors. Tom Dunn capitalised with two successful penalty kicks and the score shot to 6-0 to Brunel. St. Mary’s started to get their act together however, and within 10 minutes were awarded a penalty just inside Brunel’s half, pushing the score up to 6-3 Brunel. St. Mary’s continued to surge against our defense scoring the first of two trys within minutes of the penalty. With a successful conversion by their scrum half the score went to Brunel 6 St. Mary’s 10. Brunel did not let this set back worry them however; with the team working together to press hard at the St. Mary’s defense, rewarded at the 20 minute mark with a wonderful forwards try, John Elvin claiming the points. A successful conversion by Dunn took the score to 13 – 10 to Brunel, Brunel reclaiming the lead. A penalty on the edge of half time allowed Dunn to once again put points on the board, taking Brunel into a half time lead of 16 – 10. St. Mary’s started the second half quickly forcing an error to be made by Brunel, but they were unable to make use of this with their scrum half

Brunel put together this impressive win with six different scorers getting their names on the board; Samuel Persaud getting a point, Andy Gilyead and Andrew Lenton getting two a piece, Alex Baker and In-sun Tribe

getting a further one point a piece, the what seems to have been the star scorer of the match; Ryan Harris scoring seven of Brunels 14 points mostly from some massive hucks from Samuel Persaud who showed his usual incredible display of throwing the disc. Despite the massive lead, one of the Brunel team, taking a breather on the side line, was quoted as saying; whilst Brunel were stacking up in defense, that “the match is much closer than the score suggests”. After the match the usual post match circle up occurred, where the two teams sit in a circle together, sitting in an alternating pattern so every Brunelian is sat next to two Simmies, and vice versa for the Simmies to Brunel, and a reflection is had by both teams on how the match went and how their opponents did. The Brunel team, celebrating their first ever Varsity - and a win at that cracked open the bottles of champers

and lit up some Brunel blue flares. In all the excitement; we caught up with the club chairman, Josh Mason, who had this to say; “I thought it was amazing, its so great to have our first Varsity!...the win, we put a lot of work into extra outdoor training sessions…I trained hard….I led from the front…. and the only reason I didn’t win man of the match is because Alex Baker took an incredible catch for his point!” Further to the success of West London Varsity 2015, Brunel Ultimate also attended a developers tournament the following Saturday, which is aimed at players who haven’t had more than two years experience of the sport. The mixed team, represented by; Ryan Harris, Aaron McGuire, Michael Roberson, In-sun Tribe, and Rianne Goh Shin Yi were undefeated throughout the day and won the final 10 – 5, bringing home more silverware for Brunel.

CREDIT: ADAM WHITE

missing the awarded penalty. 10 minutes later however, St. Mary’s, continuing to pressure Brunel’s defense, scored their second try of the match. The St. Mary’s kicker was unable to convert his kick at goal so scoring stayed at 16 – 15 to Brunel. Brunel responded straight away forcing an error within the St. Mary’s half, with Dunn converting to take the lead to 19 – 15 to Brunel. Another penalty was awarded 10 minutes later but this would be Dunn’s one miss of the game. Brunel continued to show an excellent amount of attacking rigor, pressing St. Mary’s both in attack and defense. At one point a Brunel Winger charged at the Simmie who had caught the ball in his own try area, bundling him over his own dead ball line like a sack of potatoes, the winger having displayed a rapid gear change that would rival the infamous YouTube sensation, Gary the Goat. The final 10 minutes of the match saw the referee award Brunel another penalty, which with Dunn’s fine right boot, took the scoring to 22-15 in favour of Brunel. The game continued for the final 5 to 10 minutes with the same intensity until the ref blew the whistle, indicating Brunel had won the match, with a final score of 22-15. There was a pitch invasion by the adoring Brunel crowd, who then swiftly moved over to the Football pitch to witness the wonder goal that won varsity.

MEN’S FOOTBALL THIRDS MORE CRACKERS THAN BISCUITS Sophie Bredbere

Men’s Football 3rds Brunel 1 - 3 St Mary’s On a cold, misty and windy morning on the isolated field of Site 5 at 11am, Men’s Third Football kicked off. It was a rather slow game to begin with, characterised by mainly St. Mary’s students cheering on their men’s third and a few Brunel students. However, twenty minutes in, St. Mary’s number 14 scored “a biscuit of a goal” (as said by Oli Carson) –

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first blood was drawn and the away students got even more vocal. Near the end of half time, there was a nosebleed on St. Mary’s side and another goal to them put them at 2-0. The wind had been against Brunel during the first half, but there was positivity for the second half as the wind would be on their side for the latter half of the game. The second half of the game was an improvement – there was more defense from Brunel’s side. Ten minutes into the second half, Brunel scored, making the score 2-1 to St. Mary’s. A free kick for Brunel nearly gave them another point to make it even but

unfortunately St. Mary’s scored one final goal. In the end it was 3-1 to St. Mary’s for the Men’s Third Football, which gave way to a lot of celebrating on their side.

THIS MONTH... VARSITY

B RU N E L U N I V E R S I T Y ’ S S T U D E N T N E W S PA P E R

MIRACEL MOH SAVES THE DAY AT VARSITY

PICTURES AND FIXTURES

JIU JITSU

NATIONAL TOURNAMENT BOOSTS TEAM’S CONFIDENCE

SNOW CLUB

FIRST EVER COMPETITIVE GAMES FOR SNOW CLUB

Kirsty Capes The West London Varsity drew to an epic conclusion last week when the contest for the trophy came down to the last match of the day – the Men’s Football Firsts on the Athletics track. Brunel were one point ahead overall which meant Men’s Football needed to win or draw their match in order to win the trophy back after a devastating loss away on St Mary’s campus last year. A loss would mean a draw overall and, as last year’s winners, St Mary’s would retain the trophy. St Mary’s led the way as the match opened, scoring first with Brunel quickly equalising. The match continued much in this way with

Brunel equalising every time St Mary’s other matches playing at the same drew ahead. In the final five minutes time as the football – Netball had lost of the game the score was 3 – 3 and Basketball had won – Moh did not immediately and tension was building amongst ” The goal was even more register that he the crowd as it special for Moh as it was had just scored the that secured looked like St his last ever match with goal Varsity for Brunel. Mary’s were about Brunel AFC before he to score again. He tells Le Nurb: graduates in July.” “Honestly it In the final nailactually didn’t biting moments register at first until of the match final year Computer Science student the pitch invasion and I just thought Mohammed Hassan secured the lead ‘what a good way to leave Brunel’“ with a spectacular goal that sent the crowd into uproar, inciting a pitch Moh, 21, has been playing football invasion as Hassan secured without with Brunel for two years and his goal doubt the win for the match and the has been immortalised on the internet by videos taken from spectators on Varsity title. the day. Congratulations have poured Unaware of the outcomes of the from across campus to Moh on social media, and many have labelled him a

‘legend’ and a ‘hero’. This year’s Varsity – and Moh’s last minute goal – are sure to go down in history as some of the most tense sporting moments at Brunel in living memory. Moh adds; “The atmosphere was just crazy, everyone celebrating and happy through the next day.”

BASKETBALL

MORE BAD LUCK VERSUS UEL, BUT TWO WINS AT VARSITY

The goal was even more special for Moh as it was his last ever match with Brunel AFC before he graduates in July; “Everyone’s been happy for me since it’s my last game for Brunel and scored probably the most important goal playing for Brunel. Just wanna thank the team for that moment really, without them it couldn’t have happened and I hope next year Brunel put the Simmies in their place yet again.”