Platform Magazine: Issue 12, Freshers Souvenir Edition

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Nottingham Trent Students’ Union’s Official Magazine

Issue 12: The Freshers’ Edition

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TRENT ARMY

FRESHERS

Your night out pictures inside!

In this issue:

TRAVEL

THEATRE

SPORTS

You could go to China for FREE

The play that asks the audience on stage

Why women’s rugby is breaking the glass ceiling

November 2015 Issue 12: The Freshers’ Edition Cover photo by Leon Jay Dominique (Model - Jessica Clark)

EDITOR’S

letter

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W

elcome new recruits, I salute you soldier! Congratulations Fresher’s you have all made it to become fully pledged Trent Army recruits, and to all my fellow returning students, well done for progressing up a rank towards that scary final year! This is our excellent first edition of the academic year, and as your new editor I’m proud to present you with some of the best student writers on campus, with features to keep you occupied when studying gets too much – all in our lovely little redesigned magazine, complete with sleek new logo! In this special edition, we take a look back at some of the highlights from Fresher’s Week, from your embarrassing nightclub photos, to the history of Trent Army and we’ll introduce you to one of the brave reps who battled on the frontline helping Fresher’s get from club to club in one piece! Don’t forget we always love to expand our team, and whether writing, designing or photography is your passion; there’s always room for you at the Platform family!

We’ll be back with you in November ready to go hard or go Ho-Ho-Home, in our festive Christmas edition; so keep your mince pies peeled for another great read!

Until then, Ryan Johns (N0515985@my.ntu.ac.uk)

PLATFORM EDITORIAL TEAM 2015-16 EDITOR Ryan Johns (N0515985@my.ntu.ac.uk) DEPUTY EDITOR James Bavin MARKETING MANAGER Stephen Whyte ASSISTANT EDITOR Sophie Jayne-Matthews NEWS & FEATURES Acting Editor Ryan Johns CULTURE Editor Emma Page LIFESTYLE Editor Aleesha Newton FASHION Editor Laura Smith SPORTS Acting Editor James Bavin Deputy Conor Clayton MUSIC Editor Matt Davies Deputy Jenny Lee PHOTOGRAPHY, ART & DESIGN Editor Callum Baigrie Deputy Melody Armstrong GRAPHIC DESIGN Head of Design Leon Jay Dominique Contributors Luke Kolbohm, Jessica Clark, Peter Richards, Ryan Johns, Lauren Coelho ENQUIRIES PlatformOnlineNotts@gmail.com

CON TENTS platform-online.net @platformonline

/platformmagazine

5 A Letter from the President

FEATURES

7 Q&A: Life of Fresher’s Crew 9 Your fresher’s pictures

FASHION & BEAUTY

14 Men’s autumn fashion essentials 16 Women’s autumn fashion must haves 18 What Freshers’ week Has Taught us about Fashion

CULTURE

20 Southpaw: Film review 21 Theatre: School for Scandal review 22 Legend: Film review

LIFESTYLE

24 Stay healthy as a uni Fresher 25 China Talks: Visit China for free!

MUSIC

27 Nottingham’s best venue guide 28 Interview: Hacktivist and Franklin Lane 30 Swim Deep: Album review

PHOTOGRAPHY, ART & DESIGN 32 A Photographer’s Paradise

SPORT

35 Women’s rugby: Barging through barriers 38 Celebrating 150 Years of Nottingham Forest

TECHNOLOGY

40 NTU’S new student app launches 41 Top free apps for uni life

A Letter from the

PRESIDENT

Welcome back Trent Army and hello new Fresher’s!

We have a lot of opportunities here at Trent for you to engage with alongside your studies. NTSU has over 70 different societies that you can get involved with in a variety of different interest areas, as well as opportunities to volunteer on local and national projects, find jobs and earn awards.

Your Student’s Union is here to support you, and we’ve had a busy summer making sure that all the preparations for the year ahead are in place.

Part of this was organising Fresher’s events for this year’s newbies – which as you will know, were a huge success with one of our biggest cohorts of 1st year students to date.

This summer we were proud to be awarded the NUS Higher Education Student Union of the Year, this is something we’ve been working towards for a number of years, and comes down to the hard work of the executive team and NTSU staff over a long period of time – so a huge congratulations to us all; your union is award-winning, so use all that it has to offer!

Of course, we couldn’t have done anything without the support of our stu-

dents. We are here for you, and over the next year we want to hear about what you want from us. To ensure our focus is always on you, we want to represent your ideas and find solutions to your problems in the best way we can.

We have a number of different campaigns and price saving initiatives like ‘Don’t Let Yet’ and ‘Slice the Price’ to get involved with, we hope they will help you to understand key student issues, like not renting to early and also saving money where possible.

It’s been a great start to the year, and we’ve got loads more coming up, so use your union – enjoy your first term at Trent, and make the most of every opportunity that comes your way!

Best wishes Jeremiah Anson NTSU President

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NEWS

Q&A:

LIFE OF FRESHER’S CREW How did you get your nickname?

I kind of panicked and choose ‘Leprechaun Luke’ because I’m Irish! In my interview when asked why I chose the name, I created this ridiculous story that because I was gay I lived at the end of a rainbow!

NAME: Luke Kolbohm COURSE: Interior Architecture and Design FRESHER CREW NAME: Leprechaun Luke CREW FOR: Network (Not in Halls, Local, Commuting, International, Post Graduate, International, Mature, Student Parents) DRINK OF CHOICE: Tequila FAVOURITE THING ABOUT NTU: Student’s Union (NUS Students Union of the year, if you didn’t know already!)

Why did you join the Fresher’s Crew?

I didn’t live in halls in first year and ended up going alone to freshers. It was the scariest thing I’ve ever done. If it weren’t for my reps last year I wouldn’t have had such an amazing freshers.

Lasting memories of fresher crewing?

I wanted to be the person this year that made The majority of the freshers I dealt with were sure nobody felt how I did! coming alone to events during the day, so it was my job to introduce them to other people who were Wackiest thing you saw on a night out? also alone. Most of them would then turn up again I don’t even know how to begin to answer together to events later on the week. So it was this. I’ve definitely seen some crazy sights, but I sweet knowing that I had a part in helping someone better keep this PG... Mankini’s must have been make new friends! on special offer because there was a huge group of Borats in the Ocean smoking area!

Would you do it again?

Even though the majority of the time I was Why is NTU better than UON? I’d rather absolutely exhausted, the experience was really be a poly than a... Actually never mind. All amazing. I met some of the most genuine and jokes aside I asked each of my housemates down to earth people. Everyone remembers their this question and they equally agreed that fresher’s week and I’m really glad that I played a part employability once leaving NTU is higher than in that for so many people. most other universities. NTU students know how to party hard, but study hard too!

James Bavin

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Check out some of our best Fresher’s Week photos and let us know if you can spot yourself in them!

Photos by Callum Baigrie

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FEATURES

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Photos by Callum Baigrie

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FEATURES

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FASHION & BEAUTY Autumn Winter trends // Fashion & Beauty must haves // Freshers’ Fashion advice

Original photo by Leon Jay Dominique

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GET READY FOR It’s the start of a new term and the start of a new season. Autumn/Winter 2015 has arrived and with that comes the opportunity for a wardrobe update. Arriving just in time for student loans and coinciding with various student discount nights, we have picked out some of the key trends for the upcoming season, for you girls & boys!

BY TEGAN MINZIE

THE SIXTIES-MOD REVIVAL

This summer was all about the seventies, and this winter it’s moved onto the sixties with a ‘mod revival’ invading both menswear and womenswear.

Tu (wo r tle ne m ck me answe n a No t on swear r/ ) ly

y ver ou wa will it ke sati rm c a n l i t y m bu t e p i dow be dr eans ts t e with n and ssed u hat it i t p alm wo or r ive ost ev r ks we e r isla l nd.c r ything l om .

Button down A-line skirt (womanswear) You might have brought one over the summer and it’s still essential this season.

Opt for a shorter length if you really want to embrace the sixties look. newlook.com

PLAYFUL TAILORING

When you think of tailoring, forget plain black suits or simple navy blazers. Choose maximalist over minimalist by selecting bold colours and loud patterns. This A/W, smart doesn’t have to be boring.

Blazers (menswear) If you are feeling brave look to the sixties for inspiration, think busy prints. For those of you who are a bit more reserved perhaps choose a muted colour palette. asos.com 14

FASHION & BEAUTY

R THIS SEASON! OUTERWEAR- FUR vs WOOL

As you know, winter in Britain is cold, so investing in a good winter coat is always necessary. This is the first thing people see so make sure it’s fabulous!

Wool Coat (menswear)

A wool coat will smarten up any casual outfit. Avoid black and opt for camel coloured to keep things interesting. topman.com

Fur Coat (womanswear)

To protect yourself from the bitter weather, invest in a fur coat. This season you can find a wide variety, ranging in different colours, lengths and styles.

Trousers (womanswear)

Pick an ankle skimming cigarette style trouser to smarten up your everyday look. You can either turn up the bottoms or leave them loose, both look great. zara.com 15

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FASHION & BEAUTY

fashion & BEAUTY MUST HAVES!

CONTOURING

% JYR ½PPIH JVIWLIV´W [IIO LEW WEHP] GSQI XS ER IRH ERH MX´W RS[ XMQI XS XLMRO EFSYX heading to lectures and seminars. Here’s a list of essential fashion and beauty products you will need to get you through the transition from fresher’s week to lecture theatre.

BY CHARLOTTE HANLEY I don’t mean the type you wear to the gym; think New Balance, Adidas Superstars and Converse. These are an essential for your walk to uni from your halls and getting you from lecture to seminar (especially if you’ve been wearing heels the previous night). Being comfortable whilst looking on trend is a winning combination for any uni student. SJ½GI GSQ

TRAINERS 16

This has been all the range recently thanks to Mrs Kim Kardashian-West. I’m not saying you have to do this every morning but it’ll make such a different on your nights out. either buy a contouring kit or buy a highlighter & chubby stick. Document your year at uni with selfies K K-W will be proud of! feelunique.com

CONCEALER Concealer is a life saver after a heavy night out or after pulling an all nighter in the library. It’s a great way to cover up those dreaded black eye bags and it will make you look more alive even if you don’t feel it. This is something you should definitely invest in! debenhams.com

JEANS

Comfy knitwear will be a wardrobe essential for the upcoming colder months. When you have to be up for a 9am lecture and the thought of putting together a cute outfit proves too much, a comfy piece of knitwear is the perfect go to piece. Stay on trend by going for a stripped polo neck or relax in a lace-up oversized jumper. asos.com

KNITWEAR

DRY SHAMPOO

Dry shampoo is a brilliant product for when you’re running late and you don’t have enough time to wash your hair. Spray a generous amount into your roots and brush it through to ensure clean shiny looking hair for the rest of the day.

Additionally, if your hair is looking a little flat spritz at the roots and use a back comb brush. boots.com Jeans are a must have wardrobe piece whatever style you prefer – 70’s flare, ripped, slim cut or skinny high waisted. They are great for putting on to wear to a lecture for a more laid back look or you can dress them up with a silk top and heels to go for some well deserved drinks after a long day of report writing. riverisland.com

What Freshers’ Week Has Taught Us About Fashion

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FASHION & BEAUTY

BY LAURA SMITH

It’s finished. The whirlwind week that is Fresher’s is over for 2015 and it’s been madness. The comedown of welcome week, gives us time to reflect on it; how much of your loan you’ve already spent, the “best friends” you’ve made (and will never see again), how much alcohol you consumed and the fashion and style lessons you’ve learnt.

Some Fresher’s& Refresher’s share what they’ve discovered in a week...

“No suede - I have ruined a skirt and bag in rock city already! Someone always spills something down you... vodka and suede don't mix well” - India “Just because you’re going out doesn’t mean your outfit has to be over the top! A cami top, jeans and heels work just as well sometimes” - Amy “As tempting as it is to spend your loan on a new Fresher’s wardrobe, don’t waste it. If you look in your wardrobe properly, you’ll find a great outfit” - Sharmina “You’re going out with hundreds of people who all dress very differently, so wear what you love instead of worrying what others are thinking.” - Lola “Get involved in the fancy dress nights like Trent Army or Ocean. When else will you get the chance to dress as an avatar in public?” - Scott “Don’t be a label snob. You realise Primark is a God send. After all, it’s not about how much you spend, it’s about how you style it” - Laura “You need to think about your footwear. Too shabby and they won’t let you into the club. But be aware that your best shoes are likely to get stained and sticky” - Adam 18 18

CULTURE School for Scandal at Nottingham’s Theatre Royal // New film reviews - Southpaw & Legend

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and McAdams is evident from the outset and they both produce an authentic relationship between their respective characters.

Just when it appears Hope has everything going for him, a tragic circumstance hits him unexpectedly as a result of a confrontation with another boxer, Miguel Escobar (Miguel Gomez).

Hope’s life spins out of control, abusing drugs and alcohol and eventually losing custody of his daughter.

Though it is Gyllenhaal’s sensational performance that really defines Southpaw, the film more importantly explores the question of what it is like as a human being to have everything you love stripped away from you.

What possibly stalls Southpaw from having further acclaim was the inclusion of some weak characters such as businessman, Jordan Mains (Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson), who was nothing short of one-dimensional, lacking genuine significance to the film as a whole.

One can only wonder how the film would have turned out if Eminem was cast as Billy Hope as originally planned.

It would have been interesting to see what direction the film would’ve taken.

Even with the film’s flaws, the emotional angle and development of the story ignites something special in Southpaw and is most certainly more than just your average boxing film.

Antoine Fuqua’s Southpaw is by no means a ground breaking reinvention of the boxing genre, but although delving into some familiar territory, Southpaw isn’t just another ordinary popcorn flick.

Following champion boxer, Billy Hope (Jake Gyllenhaal), the film is a journey of Hope’s seek for redemption against his own personal demons as well as inside the ring. The increasingly talented Gyllenhaal completely transforms for his role as the light-heavyweight champion of the world, and could not be further away from the slender physique he adopted in Nightcrawler (Dan Gilroy, 2014). The film establishes Hope’s lifestyle as a champion boxer, whilst balancing his life as a loving husband to Maureen, (Rachel McAdams) and their daughter, Leila (Oona Laurence).

After Billy sustains a serious injury to his eye, Maureen can no longer continue to see her husband battered and bruised, and tries to convince him to retire. The on-screen chemistry between Gyllenhaal

Liam Springate - Jones

Film Review: Southpaw 20

s

CULTURE world, Sheridan’s play is still incredibly relevant and this will be reflected in our show, through the performances, costume design and music.”

Being set in the 1800’s meant that the language and style of the play was hard to follow if you let your focus slip. But with amazing costumes, great quality acting and the added excitement of being behindthe-scenes of one of Nottingham’s most prestigious venues, ‘The School for Scandal’ was entertaining, and full of history and amusement.

The theatre provided a stunning backdrop for the storyline, especially when the final scenes lead the audience out onto the main stage overlooking the seats. Moving through the foyer, bar, green room, dressing rooms and stage of the theatre allowed the performance to keep a high paced energy, and meant that the actors could examine their new surroundings with interest and animation.

The actors of the Royal Company group did the show proud, and really bought the story to life. What better way to celebrate the theatre’s 150th birthday than by performing the first show ever to be shown there?

chool for candal

Nottingham’s Theatre Royal re-hosted the first show ever performed there to commemorate it’s 150th anniversary, featuring ‘bold’ and ‘sumptuous’ costumes created by students from Nottingham Trent University.

Performed by The Royal Company, theatre goers were treated to an exciting new adaptation of the show, featuring costumes from NTU students which combined both eighteenth century and modern references to highlight the contemporary aspect of the play.

“The School for Scandal” was written by Richard Brinsley Sheridan, and was performed as an ensemble piece by 21 local actors, in front of an audience of no more than 50 who followed them around the theatre as they performed.

The Theatre Royal’s Creative Learning Manager, David Longford, who is directing the production, hosted the evening in the role of the Theatre Royal’s first actor / manager, Walter Montgomery, who opened the Theatre Royal on 25th September 1865.

Mr Longford said: “I wanted this production to be both a celebration of Sheridan’s play and the Theatre Royal itself. In our gossip-fuelled, social media dominated

Emma Page

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Film Review: Legend

CULTURE

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A true story, two brothers who dominated the London crime scene, greatly feared and whose controversial fame nearly earned them a celebrity status in the 60s. But rather than the Kray brothers’ story, this was presented as Tom Hardy’s movie, because the London born actor’s unique dual interpretation of twin gangsters Ronnie and Reggie really is the pillar that holds Legend together.

The 38-year-old movie star made use of all his talent and charm to deliver an outstanding performance and portray both the Kray twins so effectively, that it is possible to forget that Ronnie and Reggie are being played by the same actor. Hardy’s performance is the highest note in a gangster biopic that often lacks thrill, whose plot is frequently toneless and only slowly develops, and whose humour, which at first seems witty and captivating, soon becomes redundant.

In this film, the voice of Frances Shea, Reggie Kray’s girlfriend, narrates the rise and fall of the two gangsters who were involved in a range of criminal activities in the sixties. Frances tells the dramatic story of the

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twins lives and of her own life from an intimate point of view, showing how the brothers tried to deal with Ronnie’s mental illnesses without success, and how her marriage with Reggie tragically ended with her suicide, when she realised her husband would never stop being a gangster.

The decision of director Brian Helgeland to stick to the real events of the Kray’s lives and to introduce only few fictional elements might be the reason why Legend features remarkable performances, but lacks that something special that has made other gangster films into milestones of the international cinema. Its original elements do not entirely compensate the lack of plot twists, suspense and excitement that were perhaps in the audience’s expectations.

This movie contains entertaining scenes, humorous and even moving ones, and displays Tom Hardy’s acting talent at its best.

However, it leaves you very indecisive on what to make of it, and with a vague sense of disappointment, Hardy’s performance lives up to all the expectations, everything else hardly does so.

Federico Cornetto

LIFESTYLE Top tips to staying healthy as a Fresher // NTU China scholarship

5 LIFESTYLE

S P I T TOP

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g n i y a t s to as a

A

healthy FRESHER

couple of weeks have passed and you are fully into the new university lifestyle. Living as a fresher may be easiest lifestyle there is but how healthy is it? On average university students put on a stone in their first year. Having experienced freshers ourselves we know how to make it through your first year without damaging your insides.

1. BUDGETING

The university has three gyms located Don’t spend all your money in the first week on all three campuses, which offer as this will lead to you being bored and very different activities and equipment to use or you can stick to running outside if hungry for the rest of the term. Learn to budget, writing a shopping list before you go you’re trying to save some pennies. It is to the supermarket will help you save money scientifically proven to help relieve stress and keep you alert, so get jogging to by not splashing out on unnecessary foods. keepyou awake during your 9am lectures.

2. SHARING MEALS

Cooking for one can be quite expensive, especially when you’re trying not to eat too many pro-cessed foods like pizza and kebabs.

Taking it in turns to host meals can be a good way of socialis-ing with other housemates but a clever way of getting some nutrients inside your body. The stand-ard Spaghetti Bolognese can contain a lot of calories but a few simple changes could lead to keep-ing your waist trim. Swapping your pasta for wholewheat pasta and substituting the mince for either extra lean mince or Quorn mince can turn the meal into a healthy favourite.

4.ALCOHOL INTAKE

3. MIRACLE ENDORPHINS

5. ENJOY BEING A FRESHER

The thought of even getting out of bed can be hard but thinking about exercising can make any fresher feel queasy. It may seem like the end of the world but getting active can benefit both your body and mind.

Living the student lifestyle can mean going out most nights of the week, especially during fresher’s where it is tradition to get drunk every night. However this is not going to be very healthy for your liver or your waistline.

Try to steady yourself during the night by ordering a few lime and soda wa-ters or an even better option would be water. Another good way of controlling your alcohol consumption could be by hosting a mocktail evening with friends.You don’t need to go out into town to enjoy yourself.

Finally don’t stress too much as this can lead to you becoming ill or gaining a few extra pounds through stress eating. Enjoy your first year and make sure you make the most of every opportunity which is thrown in your direction.

Aleesha Newton

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LIFESTYLE

CHINA TALKS NTU sent me to China, and you could go too!

I

Not only did the scholarship allow me to see a whole new way of living in the world, it also gave me an understanding of how free our media operates and how lucky I am to be writing this article without censorship. Something that in a communist country like China, would be practically impossible.

f you had told me this time last year that I would be spending my 20th birthday standing on top of the Great Wall of China, I would have laughed right in your face.

The idea of visiting China had never really crossed my mind, until I saw an email about a scholarship NTU was offering; and this Summer I was lucky enough to spend a month with nine students from Trent exploring and studying in Beijing.

With the nation becoming the fastest growing superpower in the world, and 955 million people speak Mandarin, it is estimated that in coming years it’s set to have an even bigger influence on the world’s economy, population and power in politics, which is why anyone and everyone should attempt to involve themselves with Chinese culture.

During the four weeks we studied in Mandarin classes with students from all parts of the world – sadly learning began at 8am, but luckily finished at midday, so we were able to have plenty of time to take in the sights, like exploring the huge Forbidden City or peaceful beauty of The Lama Temple. Living for a long period of time in a country like China really allows you to immerse yourself in the way a local would, and if I ever felt homesick, all the Western comforts were available on the doorstep as our campus was right in the middle of Beijing’s student quarter;

The scholarship is now open again for applications, and I strongly advise you apply – even if you don’t think you’re particularly interested in China, you will you will come back with a new attitude to culture and a broader mind! The deadline for applications for the Vice-Chancellor’s Mandarin Scholarship closes on Friday 27 November

Ryan Johns

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MUSIC

Ultimate Notts venue guide // Musical bros interview // Swim Deep ‘Mothers’ review

NOTTINGHAM VENUE GUIDE

ROCK CITY But the magic happens upstairs, in the venue’s tiny 250-capacity room overlooking Pelham Street. Here you’ll be able to catch the likes of Taylor Swift favourite Lauren Aquilina; US garage-punk three-piece Radkey; and poppunk favourites Gnarwolves before the end of the year.

Top Picks: Ady Suleiman, 15th Nov; The Wytches, 30th Nov; Kitty, Daisy & Lewis, 3rd Feb

Rock City is Nottingham’s most famous, and diverse, musical venue. Owned and operated by local promoters DHP, City hosts an array of different artists throughout the year, from chart-toppers Years and Years to metal giants HIM, via the indie pomp of The Maccabees. The venue, with its infamous sticky floor, also supports the brilliant Nottingham music scene by hosting hometown hero’s Sleaford Mods and Ferocious Dog. With alumni including The Smiths, Duran Duran, Public Enemy, Blur and Queens of the Stone Age, Rock City is the number one place to check out live music, whatever your tastes.

Top Picks: Everything Everything, 11th Nov; Public Service Broadcasting, 20th Nov; Happy Mondays, 26th Nov; Lower Than Atlantis,

CAPITAL FM ARENA All the best cities boast a huge arena, and Nottingham is no exception. Sometimes an ice-rink, other times a sweaty mosh pit, the Capital FM arena always attracts the big guns.

Over the past 12 months, Kasabian, Slipknot and Lionel Ritchie have all graced the 10,000 capacity room, with the next year poised to offer even more entertainment. The venue doesn’t just cater for music fans. It’s also the home of Nottingham’s resident ice hockey team, the Panthers, and magician Dynamo is due to put on a run of shows at the beginning of December.

Top Picks: Alt-J, 8th Dec;The Libertines 25th Jan; Ellie Goulding, 13th Mar

BODEGA Bodega – One of Nottingham’s smallest and most intimate venues, The Bodega will be your favourite gig haunt if you love checking out a new artist ahead of the crowd. Downstairs, the vibrant bar and beer garden make for a cracking pre-gig hangout..

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Matt Davies

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MUSIC

MUSIC IN THE BLOOD? SPEAKING WITH BROTHERS BEN (HACKTIVIST) AND TOM (FRANKLIN LAKE)

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latform catches up with lead vocalist Ben (25) from Hacktivist and Tom (22) from Franklin Lake one sunny afternoon in Milton Keynes. From rock band to boy band the Marvin brothers are the new up and coming siblings with very different sounds to offer. In this exclusive interview, we get them together on the rare occasion when they are not both off gigging around the world to talk about their relationships whilst taking on the music industry.

Thanks for coming together for this interview; what inspired you both to get into music and singing?

Ben: Other bands that I was listening to at the time. I’ve always listened to music since I was 11 or 12 years old, that’s when I really started getting into metal and rap. I just wanted to be on stage doing the same thing. That was it.

Tom: I’ve always enjoyed singing around the house and then when Ben started going to the recording studio I’d thought I would give it ago. I started recording my own stuff and loved it ever since.

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What do you think got you into two very different genres of music? (Ben’s band Hacktivist is a new sound of rock, rap and metal with Franklin Lake vying to be the next One Direction).

Tom: I never listened to metal until Ben started getting involved with it. It has actually started growing on me. I’ve always enjoyed R&B and pop a lot more than I have heavy metal.

Ben: I listen to all sorts of music but I think grime, hip hop and metal are my passions. I think, its all my mates that are in to the same type of music where as Tom’s friends are into his type of music. It’s association and lifestyles.

Ben your band Hacktivist is performing more DJ sets, is house music something you see yourself getting more involved with?

Ben: Yes, our main focus is always going to be the live shows but we are definitely going to be doing more DJ set’s, expanding, doing more different things. I think if you listen to

Hacktivist you have to be more open minded.

If you’re a fan I would say you tend to like a lot of different genres, like our DJ sets and the new music coming out anyway.

What do you guys like to do together when you’re both not touring?

Tom: (laughs) Yeah, we tend to play Fifa together, or ping pong in the garden (the family is round having a BBQ and ping pong tournament).

Now you both write your own music, how do you get thoughts to paper?

Ben: We write 95% of the music, and then me and J (Hurley – Hacktivist vocalist) will write the lyrics. Ideas from life experience, what’s going on in the world, a lot of different things.

So yeah, as a band we all write together and it all comes together.

Tom: We have a producer who writes the music for us, we all write (Franklin Lake) lyrics and have a massive team behind us.

What’s been your favorite performance to date?

Ben: My favorite was playing Reading main stage. We played a couple of festivals that big in other countries but not as big in our own country. A festival, which is so notorious in the UK, was definitely the best half an hour of my life. (Ben played to the biggest audience at Reading to ever arrive at midday).

The crowd was crazy; to see ten’s of thousands of people at midday when you expect them to be hung-over was the best gig for me.

Tom: Mine isn’t as exciting as that. Mine was probably one in Southend, Mansion nightclub.

The crowd where amazing a proper buzz.

But there is a lot more to come as we’re just starting out.

Do you support each other at gigs?

What’s it like to watch each other on stage?

Ben: I’ve seen Franklin Lake once, that’s only because I’ve been at other gigs. If I could have done I would have gone to them all.

Tom: I’ve probably seen Ben ten times. I flew over to Holland, been stage-side at Reading and caught them when touring with Enter Shikari.

Thanks very much guys!

Check Hacktivist and Franklin Lake on YouTube. Hacktivist play The Bodega in December.

Sophie-Jayne Matthews

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MUSIC

SWIM DEEP

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MOTHERS REVIEW

econd albums are notoriously difficult to nail. Whilst many bands make it past the difficult stage of development, in can often be a stuttering point as they search for a new creative direction or try to hone their sound - and we’ve even seen some flop completely after promising debuts.

Birmingham five-piece Swim Deep haven’t developed any symptoms of ‘second album syndrome’, however, on new record Mothers.

In fact, it is arguably an improvement on their delightful indie-pop debut, which propelled them up festival line-ups. Since they dropped Where The Heaven Are We over two years ago, the band have seemingly shifted from day-dreaming about Warpaint’s bassist to channeling their inner Flaming Lips whilst tripping out of their minds. Album opener, and lead single, One Great Song And I Could Change The World, lives up to its name.

Featuring infectious guitar grooves and psych breakdowns Aussie rockers Pond or Tame Impala would be proud of, it’s the exactly the kind of kick off a band requires on an album that features such a dramatic change in sound.

The slow-burning Heavenly Moment continues down the playful psychedelic route and showcases lead singer Austin Williams’ true vocals skills, with his dreamy falsetto echoing across the track. Williams dedicated the album

to “the creators of the universe”, and the space theme spreads across the album – from inter-galactic synth laden Imagination to the appropriately named Forever Spacemen. But the band have not completely forgone their indie-pop roots. To My Brother sounds like it wouldn’t be out of place on This Is England 90’s soundtrack, and Namaste brings back the huge pop hooks which worked so well during the best parts of the Brummie’s debut album. The real highlight, however, is saved until last with closer, and eight minute epic, Fueiho Boogie. Synths you’d expect to hear in a 70’s arcade game spiral into a acid house extravaganza, with Williams inviting everyone to his “house of fun” – its easily one of the weirdest, and hence most fun, songs released this year.

Mothers is out now on Chess Club Records.

RATING: Matt Davies 30

4/5

PHOTOGRAPHY ART & DESIGN Nottingham - The photographers playground

PHOTOGRAPHY, ART & DESIGN

NOTTINGHA

the photographers playgr Find a cool funky location and wait for the action to happen. Check out Hockley for a cute cafĂŠ oving to a new city and starting a scene, colorful wall or an ornate doorway. new course is a big thing! Whether If you want a vibrant skate park graffiti feel then you are studying photography or head to Maple street! Go early and not only will use it to forget the stress of upcoming you get there before the skateboarders you will deadlines Nottingham is the perfect place catch that all-important morning light. express your creativity. From Wollaston Park to the up and coming Snierton Are you after a dark and grungy look? Look no Market you can find the perfect backdrop further than the Broardmarsh under pass. There to your photographs. Location can make are definitely more glamorous places to shoot but or break your shoot, weather you are if you get there mid afternoon you will benefit Photographing a model or passers by, think from so many different lighting situations that you about your spot. wont know where to shoot first. Go with a friend, as this is quite a secluded location.

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AM

round

What you keep in your kit bag can make a huge difference to any aspiring photographer, it doesn’t matter if you are creating art or just letting off steam you need a good SLR or DSLR camera. Photography can start to get expensive but its well worth taking your game to the next level and upgrading your lens!

If you are shooting portraits why not check out the prime lens range? Whilst you do loose the zoom function it will make you interact with your subject in a completely different way. A wide angled zoom lens should be perfect for a street photographer looking to remain anonymous but still capturing the perfect shot.

Whether you have all of the latest kit or you are shooting on your camera phone Nottingham is a photographer’s playground, with every walk through the city you will find a new place to shoot or a interesting situation to capture. Just remember to pick up your camera and keep looking for the perfect shot.

Melody

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SPORT

Barging through barriers - Trent women’s rugby society // Notts Forest: 150 years in the making

platform-online.net

- - - -SPORT ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

bargingTHROUGH BARRIERS Platform chatted to Beth Robinson (left), President of the Trent Women’s Rugby society, to find out if the Rugby World Cup has helped the women’s game on campus.

For years it’s been perceived that rugby was a man’s sport and that if you wanted to get into the women’s game you have to be big and butch. However, since the recent success of the Women’s national Rugby Union team, who won the Women’s World Cup in 2014, there’s there been a bit of a revolution.

society, leaving Beth with potentially a lot of squad depth to play with.

“When I first started two years ago we had one team now we have a development team, which are in their own league now. At our first taster session 20 turned up then. Another five then turned up at Brackenhurst (which is the first time we’ve had anyone turn up at Brack) and 20 people are coming to our latest session (which, at the point of writing was October 5) so we’ve got over 40 girls which is enough for another development team.

According to the RFU (Rugby Football Union) there are now 18,000 women and girls who play rugby regularly in England. On top of that there are over 250 senior female rugby teams and university teams that are affiliated with the RFU.

“We had loads of girls coming up to us that have watched the World Cup and either knows the game or was inspired by it. We had about 100 girls sign up that have never played rugby before which is great to see.”

This year’s Freshers Fair saw just how far the women’s game has come over the last few years. Over 160 women signed up for the 36

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“It is hard, but it’s getting better. I think due to the Rugby World Cup and the Women’s Rugby World Cup last year people are more talkative about women in the sport.”

By the time of print our own Rugby World cup will be coming to a close and hopefully England’s disappointing campaign will be overshadowed by some great Rugby. But the memories that Beth has of England in the World Cup are rather fond and won’t be forgotten quickly.

“I nearly nea cried watching England. It was hard. I went to the England Wales match, I’m going to see Wales v Australia. The atmosphere is amazing, having so many people getting behind England (despite the fact they crashed out) and belting out the songs like Swing Low Sweet Chariot.

“At a rugby match everyone is so much more friendly in the stands as opposed to football, where a lot of it is driven by rivalry. I watched the Rugby with people from Wales and they were really good, obviously we shared some banter but it was a really nice atmosphere.”

As I get through my Desperado’s talk turns back to Trent and the biggest game of the season.

“I need to win varsity before I leave. Last year va we had about five players who were injured and were our first team forwards and I think having them in the pack would have helped a lot.”

For the last four years Women’s Rugby Union team at Trent have tasted defeat in the varsity and although last year’s result was a slight improvement (a 12-24 defeat) it’s something that impr Beth and the girls are itching to put right.

“This year we’ve recruited girls who have been playing since they were four years old so we can use their experience to our advantage.

I feel like our girls have a lot better friendship and teamwork. UoN have some great individual players but I feel like they rely on too much.” pl

Arguably one of the biggest success stories over the last few years is the way that televised sport has broken down several stereotypes of athletes. bro The Paralympic Games did a great job of showcasing the amazing sporting talent that disabled people possess and the Women’s Football World Cup, earlier in the year, showed that women can play football to a high standard.

However there is still a sour taste in the mouth of female rugby players “We’re trying to get rid of the stereotype that all women that play rugby are really butch and really rough. We are quite girly girly, we’re talkative and approachable and I think freshers really appreciate that.”

If you’re interested in joining the Trent Women’s Rugby training is held every Monday 6pm-8pm at Moderns Rugby Club, which is roughly in-between City site and Clifton.

“People are starting to see that it’s not just these butch girls who are playing, that anyone can get into it. it We will still go out for a social and people will be like ‘Oh, you’re all lesbians’ but it’s rarely true. A lot of the team are pretty girly girly.

For more information check out their Facebook and Twitter pages.

James Bavin @JamesCPFC

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platform-online.net

SPORT

A Look at Nottingham Forest:

150 Years in the Making

B

rian Clough once said: “If God had back in 1898, beating local rivals Derby County wanted us to play football in the clouds, 3-1; the same year the Reds moved to the place he’d have put grass up there”, this epito- they still call home today, the City Ground. mised Nottingham Forest’s approach to football since they were founded back in 1865.

Forest are responsible for introducing a number of footballing innovations in the Playing football the right way is some- late 1800s, which are still being used today. thing that Forest as a club have always tried They were the first team to wear to champion throughout their 150 year shin pads in 1874 and to provide history and was a major part of their Eu- the referee with a whistle (1878). ropean Cup successes in 1979 and 1980, which to this day is still seen as one of the They also bought Trevor Frangreatest football stories ever and the in- cis, the first £1 million player from fluence behind ‘I Believe in Miracles’, a Birmingham City back in 1979. film that hit the big screen in October.

Forest have always maintained a fierce riWhen a group of shinty players (a sport valry with Derby County. The two clubs are that greatly resembles hockey) opted to separated by less than 20 miles and have switch sports back in 1865, they proba- faced off in some epic clashes over the years bly wouldn’t have expected the heights including the 5-2 thrashing of Derby in 2010 their club would one day reach, as a foot- and last year’s 2-1 victory at Derby’s iPro ball team called Nottingham Forest. stadium, with youngster Ben Osborn netting the winner in injury time. Sandwiched Having been inspired by neighbours between was Steve McClaren’s promotion Notts County (who had turned pro- chasing Derby side dispatching Forest 5-0. fessional three years prior), the former shinty players got to work establishing If that last result didn’t give you a clue, the club’s official colour of garibaldi red, you can imagine that growing up supportwhich is still their kit shade to this day. ing Forest, especially since the turn of the millennium hasn’t been the easiest viewing.

The group even donated a set of football kits to Arsenal in 1886 to help them get underway.

‘The Reds’ or ‘Tricky Trees’ as they are also Nottingham Forest won their first FA Cup known are no longer toppling the giants of 38 38

European football and have to make do with playing the likes of Rotherham United and Brentford on a weekly basis.

We are in a transfer embargo where we are restricted to free transfers and loan signings (provided that the players are signed on contracts for less than £10k a week) because of how we have handled our finances and we have had a plethora of managers who have been given the axe prematurely or because they weren’t doing a good job.

The latest generation of Forest fans have watched their side suffer relegation to the third tier of English football and bare witness to three unsuccessful play-off campaigns in the last ten years which probably just about That might suggest that Forest sums up the club’s fall from just aren’t good enough but grace since the ‘Cloughie era’. there must be a far greater underlying problem. Simply put, You will not find too many the players the club have at their people that would disa- disposal nowadays are good gree that Forest are one of enough to get them promoted. the greatest underachiev- The likes of Henri Lansbury, ers of the last 20 or so years. Andy Reid and Britt Assombalonga are some of the best The Reds, along with the players outside the top division. likes of Leeds United and Sheffield Wednesday should Hopefully by the time their clearly not be languishing in 200th anniversary comes England’s second tier when around, or even their 175th the you consider that Forest are club might have a bit more to behind only 8 sides in England’s celebrate than the exploits of a most successful clubs rankings. genius in Brian Clough and his players in the late 70s - but what I’m always quick to jump to the is certain is that no one will ever defence of Forest when peo- repeat the success in Munich ple say they are not a big club, and Madrid in 1979 and 1980. clearly we are but that doesn’t give us a God-given right Matt Ball to be a premier league side.

At the moment, it pains me to say it but we’re more of a laughing stock than a club for smaller teams to envy.

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“If God had wanted us to play football in the clouds he’d have put clouds up there”

Photo by Jon Candy

NTU FINALLY RELEASES OFFICIAL NOW APP

platform-online.net

The long awaited release of the official NTU student app has come!

After continued demands from students, the university finally released an app last month.

The app, called ‘NTU Student’ allows access to timetables, campus maps and NOW resources, including module content and upcoming dropbox deadlines.

It was designed with students in mind, and a series of consultations throughout last year aimed to find out what students expected from a mobile app.

After testing the app for several weeks, Platform Magazine found that the system crashed only once in the ten tests we ran, and performance speeds were consistent throughout usage.

Since its release it has been downloaded by 5,000 students and received mixed reviews from across campus.

The app seems to be a cause of frustration for a few students, with some commenting on the lack of access to NTU emails (see our suggestion on

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the next page!), problems with timetabling and the in-built QR camera functions that operates the attendance scanner in the app.

One app user commented: “I’m disappointed with the timetable not showing up as it was the main reason I downloaded the app.”

Another, who attempted to use the inapp attendance scanner said: “My phone camera works properly, but when I try to scan it for attendance, it doesn’t open at all!”

In response the university assured students that all reported errors would be fixed and automatically updated.

Any issues should be reported to support@ntu.ac.uk Ryan Johns

TECHNOLOGY

Essential Student Apps:

A GUIDE TO THE BEST FREE APPS FOR UNI LIFE

After testing out the NTU Student app, we took to searching through the app stores to find out the best apps available for students. From searching the Apple Appstore and Google Play store we found plenty on offer, with apps to help with budgeting and cooking, to organising and studying – here are our top five. - Ryan Johns

1 BUDGETING

Weekly Budget / Money Lover (iOS/Google Play)

Weekly Budget, or Money Lover – which do exactly the same job – allow you to input a weekly spend limit and keep you on track with your finances. By entering all of your expenditures, like food shopping, coffee and bus fares, the app will work out how much money you have left to last you for the week – simple!

2 SHOPPING CheckoutSmart (iOS/Google Play)

CheckoutSmart allows you to get money back on your weekly shop. All you have to do is snap a picture of your receipt, and they’ll reward you for buying certain items. Sometimes it’s 20p, but other times it can be as much as £1.50 per item, which all adds up. Not only does it have offers from shops like Tesco and Aldi, but it also gives you money back from major high street brands like Boots and WHSmith.

3 CHAT/DRINKING Sobrr (iOS only)

Ever sent an embarrassing text or picture you probably shouldn’t have whilst drunk? Sobrr stops you from doing exactly that. Every update you post on the app will automatically be deleted after 24 hours. It also allows you to add friends, which delete after a day, unless you both chose to stay friends, and has a chat function that allows messages to be viewed only one, so you can enjoy yourself without the fear of explaining your embarrassing antics the next day!

4 ORGANISING OWA (iOS/Google Play)

Essential for keeping up with important course emails and timetable changes, the Outlook Web App (OWA), is not the best and smoothest of running apps, but it saves logging in and out of NOW to constantly check your emails. It notifies you, as do all email apps, but also allows you to set up calendar events and even sync your timetable.

5 STUDYING RefMe (iOS/Google Play)

Tired of writing out references by hand? Well, the RefMe app does it all for you. All you have to do is enter the name of the book you are using, and it will fill in details like who wrote it, what year it was written and who published it, and will order it in Harvard Reference style.

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k e e p

u p

w i t h

e v e r y t h i n g

t r e n t !

Platform is the official magazine for NTSU, keeping you up to date on everything that happens at Clifton, City or Brack.

From serious news to sports, lifestyle and fashion features, there’s bound to be something to tempt you. Pick up a copy of our Fresher’s Fresher edition on campus, or head on over to platform-online.net for all things Trent.

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platform-online.net

“I’m doing it for Gail and the chance to explore further.”

There are millions of motivations Commercial and Engineering Graduate and Year in Industry Schemes 2016 “As a graduate at E.ON, I’m helping to deliver innovative projects that make life that little bit simpler for around 5 million customers. Like Gail, who can now check her smart meter balance on her phone, no matter where her hiking trip has taken her. I get to explore too, with multiple rotations in different parts of the business.”

Talk to our graduates, and you’ll find there’s a huge range of things that motivate them, from the chance to work on a national TV advertising campaign, to harnessing the power of the sea. All of them love the multiple rotations, personal development plans, international opportunities and the chance to work on high-value projects with real impact from day one. And being given the start they need to become a future leader in one of the most forward-thinking energy companies in the world.

Find out more about our diverse range of schemes at eon-careers.com/graduates

Helping our customers. We’re on it.

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