SERIAL CULTURE ISSUE SIX

Exploring the lives and art of young people in Halton

Serial FEB 2022

CULTURE

BOUNCE WEEKENDER / school stories / spotify 2021 team picks / CAN ART HELP? ISSUE1SIX

Seri Meet the team

2

i

TOM FAIRBROTHER

04

COVER ART

06

WANDERLUST

08

THE SCARLET WATCH

11

GLOW QUIZ

12

SCHOOL STORIES

15

BOUNCE WEEKENDER

20

MODERN LIFE IS GOODISH

22

SPOTIFY 2021 WRAPPED UP

24

CAN ART HELP?

26

TRUE CRIME

28

DAWN FM

30

CULTURE PIGEON

33

HALTON MAKEFEST

34

GET INVOLVED

Editorial Advisory Team Editorial Team Facilitator - Meg DeMar Designer - Greg Oldfield The Studio Project Manager - Louise Nulty

3

COVER ART

THOMAS JJ BARTON Meet Tom, 21 and from Widnes.

How long have you been taking photos?

I’ve been taking photos for six years more or less.

How did you get into it?

I started out with an old camera phone, I was just messing around taking photos at first. I would take pictures of nature locally; places like Spike Island, Pickering’s Pasture, the odd beach and that developed further into taking more.

What training do you have?

I’m a self taught photographer, I’ve watched several videos on YouTube and I’ve bought and read several books, but it’s mostly just been putting in the practice.

What equipment do you use?

I always used to use a pretty old camera phone, the make of it escaped me, but it had a giant camera on the back; that was until it got run over by a car! I moved on to disposable cameras after a while, taking holiday shots, pictures of my mum and even the odd goose! Then I moved on to an iPhone 5 and with that I focused on taking photos of sunsets. I have recently bought a giant telescopic lens that helps me with my anxiety. It means I can take photos of people on stage from the back of the room, so I don’t feel self conscious going right up to the front.

4

Where do you get your inspiration?

I like to take photos when I go on bike rides, they always give me inspiration. Warren Miller, a local photographer is the person who inspired me in the first place to start taking photos. I enjoy capturing the emotions of people’s faces when taking portraits.

An expression can tell half of someone's story.

What direction do you aim to go with your photography?

I'd honestly like to go freelance.

What have been your best photo moments?

I did a photography exhibition when I was 18 at The Studio which I enjoyed and some people even bought my photos! I won 1st place for one of my photos in an Artspace competition at The Studio, which was particularly memorable as Warren Miller was a judge.

Where can people find you on social media?

You can find me on Instagram @thomasjjbarton

5

6

The most visited immersive multi-sensory experience in the world

7

The Scarlet Watch

from Elkie Atherton

Laughing through the Winter: Top 8 TV Comedies to Lift Your Spirits This January.

TWO ONE

The last few years have been rough (to say the least) but in these �mes more than ever we have sought comfort in TV and Movies. TV shows have been a global comfort for years, and nothing has been more of a comfort to us than the comedies and sitcoms we have enjoyed. These are my personal top 10, but I think they would appeal to many people. In the Atherton household, we some�mes call these shows “pallet cleansers” to watch a�er a par�cularly stressful day or a trauma�c episode of Criminal Minds or something of the like. I hope you enjoy this list and take some �me out to detox to one of your favourite TV shows (these are simply sugges�ons).

8

The Good Place (2016-2020) Four recently deceased people navigate the a�erlife trying to find the true meaning of good and bad, what’s the truth and what’s a lie. A god-like being, an insensi�ve Arizonan, a philosopher, a socialite and a monk share the screen with demons, robots and the weird and wacky landscape of a beau�ful (both emo�onally and aesthe�cally) TV show. It’s the right number of seasons and the best balance of comedy and emo�onal drama. You can watch the 4 seasons on Ne�lix.

Schi�’s Creek (2015-2020) A wealthy family of four hit rock bo�om when they are le� penniless, their only asset le� being the town Johnny Rose bought his son, David, called the unfortunate name of Schi�’s Creek. The family is completed by Moira, a distant mother and former soap opera actress, and David’s sister and socialite, Alexis. The four ba�le all odds to become the family their money never allowed them to be.

The exquisitely funny and emo�onal series ends with a perfect ending to a beau�ful journey. The Canadian TV show in its 6 Season en�rety, as well as a behind the scenes documentary, can be found on Ne�lix.

THREE

Laughing through the Winter: Top 8 TV Comedies to Lift Your Spirits This January.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013-2021) In New York’s Ninety-Ninth precinct, a group of detec�ves embark on solving a range of crimes and hijinks and hilarity ensue. A new Captain tries to wrangle an immature detec�ve and his compe��ons with his co-workers, incompetent near re�rement partners and the chaos of the bullpen. The mixture of crime, comedy and heart-warming exchanges create constantly enjoyable storylines.

You can watch the first 7 seasons on Ne�lix and season 8 will come on Ne�lix this year.

FOUR

Parks and Recrea�on (2009 – 2015) Pawnee, Indiana’s Parks and Recrea�on department is the subject of a mockumentary, the star of which is Leslie, a driven and determined government worker. We follow her department and the rela�onships she forms as a prospering poli�cian. The cast is phenomenal and the improvised lines from everyone are hilarious. Though the first season is not the best the series picks up a�er the first 6 episodes. It’s a must-watch for fans of workplace comedies.

FIVE

The Office (US) (2005-2013) The American version of the classic Bri�sh comedy turns the show in a lighter direc�on. The wide cast and the brilliant script create a show that has great characters, cringe-able scenarios and bend over laughing lines.

An uncomfortably self-assured boss mismanages a branch of an American paper company. Their lack of focus and a failing business puts the comedy first and the work last.

This great comfort watch can be found on Ne�lix and Amazon Prime.

9

EIGHT SEVEN SIX

Rick and Morty (2013-) This Adult Swim animated sitcom follows Morty and his grandad, Rick, as they travel across the universe in intergalac�c adventures. The absurd crea�ons of the mad scien�st (Rick) and the messed-up worlds they visit make a black comedy. If you want something lighter maybe this show isn’t for you, but if you are a fan of dark comedy this show will leave you thinking of the silly puns and weird jokes for days to come. The ul�mate version of escapism. The first 4 seasons are on Ne�lix.

Modern Family (2009-2020) Three branches of a family struggle with the day-to-day troubles of manic kids, odd spouses and their ranging jobs in California. Another mockumentary, this show conveys the experiences of people from a range of ages and backgrounds o�en showing the hilarious situa�ons they land themselves in.

Checking in with these characters over an 11 Season span makes you feel very a�ached to the people you get to know so well. Modern Family can be watched on Disney+ and Amazon Prime.

Derry Girls (2018-) In Derry, Northern Ireland, Erin and her friends navigate high school and their personal lives as they a�end an all-girls’ Catholic school amidst na�onal conflict in the 90s. Erin, Orla, Claire, Michelle and “the wee English fella” (or James) are the perfect protagonists to a hilarious show about friendship, family and all things teenage. The instantly quotable show The first 2 seasons are on All 4.

I hope you enjoyed this list and take some �me out of your day to do something you enjoy.

Stay safe and watch some Ne�lix.

10

February is LGBT+ history month, an annual celebration that provides education and insight into the issues that the LGBT+ community faces.

The primary aim of LGBT+ History Month is to teach young people about the history of the gay rights movement and to promote an inclusive modern society.

To celebrate the Glow group had a quiz night.

Here is the flag round, how well can you identify these flags?

Answers below!

1

2

3

4

5

6

8

9

7

11

1. Bisexual 2. Pansexual 3. Transgender 4. Demisexual 5. Lesbian 6. Aromantic 7. Genderqueer 8. Ally 9. Nonbinary

BEN

LOUISE

After the Christmas break we returned to our regular sessions and for some reason we started sharing funny stories from school. The team decided the stories were too good not to share, accompanied with old photos, we thought it would give you a good insight into the team!

(Project Manager)

(Editorial Team)

At infants school it was ‘suggested’ that I had made a dirty mark on a pristine new word card. I felt sure that I had not. I must have been quite forceful in my innocence pleading as I was sent to the head teachers office.

This was a stressful escalation and an unknown environment so I had to use my insider information- that being that my mum used to get marmalade for the headteacher from the shop that she worked at.

There may have also been tears as I said something like ‘I didn’t make it dirty and I’m telling my mum not to get you any marmalade anymore!’

What would Paddington think of me!

At lunch everyday for the good part of a year, maybe more, my friendship group would have spuds and slices of ham thrown at us. We would take two courses of action…huddle behind a statue of the Virgin Mary or form a sort of Roman inspired defensive formation to block their armaments. After a year we mustered the courage to ask them to please stop throwing things at us. After all that time they did. The lesson I learnt - if you want someone to stop throwing things at you, show them that they won and that you’re sorry.

SCHOOL STORIES 12

MEG

LUKE (Editorial Team)

(Editorial Team Facilitator)

I was never exactly an academic in school. I still remember getting an F on a food tech exam. Most lessons I did alright in but one sticks out to me. That was science with Mr Carney. We got along very well.He was the funniest teacher I had ever met and had a great taste in music. Our school had to end early because of Covid. My sister caught it so I had to stay at home on the last day. On that day Mr Carney called me and requested I play one last song to send off the year.

The song I picked was ‘End of the Line by The Travelling Wilbury’s’. I’ll never know how it went down but I hope people were as emotional as I was, listening to it in my room. If by some chance you’re reading this Mr Carney, I hope you’re doing well. Brain Wilson once said “Child is the father of the man” and I cannot agree more. I miss school sometimes and I have a lot of good memories there. It made me who I am.

There’s one moment I will never forget from high school. It was A Level German and we had a really small class, there were only 4 of us!

It turns out there was a dodgy door handle in our classroom as our teacher Mrs Rowlands who we affectionately called ‘Rolo’ went to open the door to the room and we heard a THUNK. Rolo turned round and exclaimed ‘Ich habe ein Problem!’ door handle in her hand. Well that was it we were inexplicably locked in that room until Rolo managed to get someone on the phone to rescue us!

13

GREG

ELKIE (Editorial Team)

(Designer)

When I was in year 6, we came into school to find that all our chairs were gone.

This incident was blue chair gate.

Crouched on the floor and bent over tables, we had to write a persuasive letter to get the chairs back. I have hated persuasive writing since.

I was a Punk Rock Dinosaur.

The play 'Evolution Rag' was a big thing in my early years at the Joes, Joey's, St Josephs now Saints Peter & Paul. It must have been around 1978, Punk & New Wave still where it was at.

ELK I 1 E'S MO ST V REV IE IEW !

A year later I would sell my very collectable Hornby train set for £11 to the junkshop at the bottom of Peelhouse Lane. This was to fund the purchase of a pair of bondage trousers (black canvas jeans with zips and straps sewn all over them) from Xtremes In Liverpool. String vest, kilt, bondage trousers and German paratrooper boots. That was the outfit. That was 'The Look'.

Back to 1978 and the stage in the main hall is full of sweaty dinosaurs green face paint, ripped school shirts, sellotape wrapped around the ankles of school trousers. With backcombed hair thick & sticky with hairspray - grasping cardboard guitars - us lesser Dino's joyfully and raucously sang along in response to Star of the show the mighty T- Rex "He is a Tyrannosaurus Rex & nobody's better than him..."

14

Some years later my mate Splodge told me that he too had been a Punk Rock Dinosaur in St Chad's production of Evolution Rag over in Runcorn.

A great partnership weekend of all the cultural organisations of Halton, it was brilliant to see all the young people who were getting involved. I (Rachel Prime) was one of the organisations writing the funding bid. We then pitched our ideas to the Cultivate Youth Voice and they made the decisions.

It was interesting to write briefs for young people, a different experience completely in terms of reasons for pricing; but fundamentally not very different. It was a good challenge to appeal to young people, the skill level was the same. It was really fun!

15

The Bounce Weekender, kicked off at the Victoria Park Glasshouses.

We sent Elkie down to get creative…

The first activity of the Bounce weekend was held at the glasshouses in Victoria Park. It was a chance for young people to come along and take part in art and crafts activities that they may never have tried before. The newly refurbished glasshouses are a great, airy space in which to hold an event like this. One of the activities included using natural found materials and art supplies to make twig star decorations, this was led by Georgina Ridehalgh. Rachel Prime of Hazlehurst Studios led sessions on making paper flower headbands and on tie-dying fabrics. These activities got the kids to do something creative and relaxing. All participants got vouchers to Esposito’s which encouraged families to do something together for the rest of the day in the lead up to Christmas.

16

Ben went to Widnes Library to get involved with the digital art workshops Mako Create were running…

The Library event with Mako Create was great fun. I made a Pixel Art Tote Bag that has fared me very well for transporting goods while looking incredibly stylish and I even got to put the safety gloves on to use the heat press!

The team were all incredible and were very funny while at it.

Great fun had by all!

After her morning stint covering the action at the Glasshouses, Elkie headed over to The Studio Widnes for an Urban Music workshop…

The beatboxing workshop was a great way to get young people involved in music. It engaged its participants in music outside of school, still with an educational aspect.

17

We sent Luke to The Studio Widnes where he attended the aftershow party for the first day…

The evening started with live entertainment provided by singer guitarist Edward Jones playing acoustic covers of popular chart hits. He turned out to be a pretty good singer and fairly skilled with a guitar. After that came bingo, hosted by yours truly. I’m a man with bingo blood running through my veins and was overjoyed to yell famous catchphrases across the hall. The night finished with a reprise of the beatboxer/rapper James Lyons from earlier. I have a lot of respect for anyone with the patience to entertain young people let alone adults. I appreciate the talents of someone who can beatbox and play clarinet at the same time, then rap about Mr Bean without seeming cheesy.

18

On Sunday there was another day of events at Norton Priory ‘Night at The Museum’. The organisations and individuals who delivered the sessions there, spoke to us about the activities and fun that was had!

A Place For Us CIC theatre company were delighted to deliver a workshop based on Dickens’ classic tale – A Christmas Carol. A Place For Us’ adaptation of A Christmas Carol had been on a sell out tour of venues across the North West and the workshop was led by Kate Allerston (Director) and Caroline Heywood (actor). Participants had the opportunity to explore the motivations and emotions behind the characters as well as the subjects addressed in the play, which are still relevant to this day. The themes of Social injustice and redemption run throughout the play. The young participants had the opportunity to reflect on if they felt that society had moved on from those Dickensian times or if there were still parallels to be drawn. Having explored the characters, and how the participants might portray them, the young people staged some key scenes from the play in the atmospheric setting of Norton Priory’s Undercroft.

Night at The Museum focused on a different audience for Norton Priory Museum & Garden, and placed young people at its centre. The event had involvement of young people throughout, including welcoming people, assisting with the event, and the cutting of the celebration cake and the picking of winners.

The pottery was very popular, and worked well as a family event. A bespoke quest activity was created for the event, and they worked with young people to create tiles for inclusion in a future art installation, both were well received. The gifts handed out were popular, with one family commenting that the gonk was the only Christmas decoration they had.

19

BY LUKE HARDMAN

The longer you live, the more little things you notice change.

The mistake a lot of people make is only noticing the bad changes and thinking the world is going down the drain. In reality, it’s not that simple.

There are a lot of changes happening, so many that you can’t simply label life as a whole as bad or even good. And for me, no show expressed that idea clearer than Modern Life is Goodish.

For those who haven’t heard of it before, Modern Life is Goodish was a show that ran from 2013 to 2017 on the semiobscure TV channel Dave. In the show, comedian Dave Gorman would take a broad topic and

20

perform stand-up around it for 45 minutes using a projector.

He’s hardly the first comedian to use a projector and Microsoft PowerPoint during stand-up but he is easily the one who I’ve seen use it the best. It’s part of the very foundation holding up the show to the point where I could never picture the show without it. Similarly, the found poem segment has become an iconic part of the show I look forward to in every episode. It’s essentially just a compilation of strange comments Dave found under news articles, but Dave’s dramatic reading and the instrumentation of the Billroth Ensemble turns it into comedy gold every time.

Dave always seems to find a way to get the audience involved, more than any other comedian I’ve seen. From selling their likeness for stock photography to giving away free soy sauce fish: the audience is rarely spared from the stand-up. Neither are the general public as there are often segments where he sends out a reporter to ask strange questions in order for him to prove a point. As the show goes on, the audience begins to expect Dave’s practical jokes, leading to him stepping them up for a greater surprise. In general, this is a show that plays with your sense of expectation.

You think you know where a bit is going until suddenly, you don’t. It’ll either be a reoccurring joke, something from earlier that episode or something else entirely. I’ve watched this show start to finish several times and even I’m sometimes caught off guard by a joke.

What I really love about this show though is the feeling of what you could call “Sensible optimism” you get from watching it. The show can get you to laugh about the most frustrating and troubling parts of everyday life and through that, you can feel a little better.

The topics the show covers are often relatable, thus brewing a sense of solidarity and the irreverent heart of the show stops it from ever getting too nihilistic. It’s a critical show but it’s not particularly spiteful or vindictive and it never feels like it’s punching down. Every episode feels like a conclusive exploration of the ups and downs of one element of modern life with Dave remembering to always end an episode on a laugh. I think with time, this show will serve as a great time capsule of the time it was made in. A time that was not bad or good but instead goodish.

21

EDITORIAL TEAM TRACKS OF THE YEAR

20 21

2021- Well what a year! A year in which social living remained quite a tumultuous affair; in which I(Ben) had my first ever lockdown birthday (surprisingly better than previous years) and the future of live music was held aloft still in uncertainty, the one thing I am sure of is we used our spare time wisely.

We all listened to some great music new and old and we are here to tell you what we thought worth listening that we heard last year.

W R A P P E D UP Ben: My most listened song of 2022 was "Our Bipolar Friends"

by Johnny Foreigner - listening to it 147 times over the last few months of the year. It's just one of the greatest indie rock songs ever written.

My favourite album of 2022 itself was probably Shame's "Drunk Tank Pink", which I thought was a massive improvement on their first album with not a bad track on there. I also discovered Blur's "Modern Life is Rubbish", and have decided it is their finest work as a group - it's just so forward thinking it's actually insane!

22

Elkie: My top album of 2021 was folklore by Taylor Swift and my favourite song was Landslide by Fleetwood Mac. Folklore is my favourite album because its a great way to escape. The storytelling transports you but the lyrics are still relatable. Landslide is one of my all time favourite songs because of the lyrics and production. I have always been a fan of Fleetwood Mac and this is one of their songs that is very comforting and soothing.

Mia:My most listened to song on Spotify and my favourite song of last year was ‘For What It’s Worth’ by Buffalo Springfield (1966). I really love the calming tempo and smooth sounds of this tune mixed with a hint of psychedelia and messages of the anti-war/peace movement of late 1960s America. It’s a song that you are able to sit back and relax to but also the underlying message of peace within the lyrics really makes you think and makes me wish for a more peaceful, loving world.

Luke: My favourite song of 2021 was “The Princess and the Clock”

by Kero Kero Bonito. This song felt like the perfect stylistic point between their cutesy, uplifting debut and their noisy, existential second album. There’s a great sense of whimsy to the song but with a more mature theme.

My favourite album of 2021 was “OK Human” by Weezer. It was great to hear the band switch up their sound completely and embrace the orchestra while keeping their classic songwriting style.

My favourite album of last year would probably be Back To Black

by Amy Winehouse (2006).

I love Amy as a musical artist and admire how she always stayed true to herself and made music that she genuinely loved and would want to listen to herself.

2021 marked 10 years since Amy passed away and Back To Black was remastered and re-released on Spotify and as an LP. I listened to this album a lot in 2021 and some of my favourite songs on it are ‘You Know I’m No Good’, ‘Love Is A Losing Game’ and of course Amy’s most wellknown song ‘Rehab’.

23

CAN ART HELP

BRING THE CHANGE WE NEED IN 2022?

LARRISSA BURTON

In this article, I consider how the expression of art can influence and bring awareness to important issues facing the world as we move into the New Year. I talk about some ideas on how we can reduce our impact and have a more sustainable way of doing things.

Last year the UK hosted the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow. Bringing people together over a global emergency that affects us all. It focused on the climate crisis. This topic has been raised and challenged much more in recent years. I hope 2022 will bring about the change we desperately need to protect, not only ourselves and the planet but the vast array of animal and insect species that depend upon it.

Art evokes emotions and starts conversations therefore it can lead to action and bring about change.

There are many environmental artists out there, some are now commissioned by science bodies to relay the messages about climate change and global warming as their role is undeniably influential.

Some Artists experiment with waste products to give them a second life, such as Jo Hamilton who works with a mix of wool fibres made from plastic waste, a

24

green and nature-friendly way of producing artwork. It is always interesting to learn about other artists, what materials they use and why. This often helps inspire others to try out new ways of working with mediums.

I think art is so important in helping bring about change. Not only can it inspire us to use more sustainable materials and waste less but it also communicates important messages.

In climate protest boards and environmental posters, the drawings and photographs are so important in presen�ng and sharing the message. Some would argue more important than the words. Art is a powerful way of conveying a message to a diverse range of people and it can remind us about important issues and inspire us to take ac�on.

“Art evokes emotions and starts conversations…”

I have used old newspapers and magazines as backgrounds to some of my work, old fabric stretched over a frame is good to use in place of a canvas. You could also try experimen�ng with old plas�c cartons, old string and packaging by pu�ng them to good use in pieces of art. They could be used in crea�ng 3D sculptures or adding texture to pain�ngs - use glue to create layers. This up cycling and reusing technique is not only useful in art but in life, where old furniture could be re-upholstered or painted to give it a new life rather than throwing it away. Something popular in past genera�ons, where things would be given a new life or reused as something else within the household. Up cycling and reusing disregarded materials is not a new idea but it is something that needs

to become more accepted and rou�ne. It’s a much more sustainable way of living as you are reducing consump�on and as a result reducing what ends up in landfill. Not only is reusing more nature friendly but it is cheaper than buying new repeatedly so it’s a win- win.

The planet is worth figh�ng for.

With so many beau�ful animals and plants, all worth saving, all up against environmental challenges.

Some endangered animals are dependent on change for their future, �gers being one of them.

Since 2022 is The year of the Tiger and �gers are on the endangered species list, I have decided to create a piece of artwork for the �ger, hopefully evoking a message that is impac�ul on modern-day society.

25

As a fan of true crime, I feel like I must justify why I am so intrigued by shows, podcasts, books and other media that deal with murder, crime and horror. It isn’t a topic that everyone is exactly thrilled to talk about but with the levels of consumption that come with this type of media it must be asked: why do people like it? And, possibly more interestingly, why are women so attracted to these shows?

According to a study by Kelli Boling, 73% of the true crime podcast audience are women. So many women I know, from ages 14 to 46, love true crime and murder mystery, but why?

In a society where women are often victimised by a male attacker, true crime gives information on how to survive a dangerous encounter with a man. Lots of true crime centres on stories of serial killers, who are predominantly men, and the people they attack, predominantly women, so it is no surprise that studying true crime can give women a sense of comfort. Even though most women who watch these shows are aware that no one has control over what might happen to them, consuming this type of media creates a sense that you are in control.

26

Elkie Atherton

T R U E C RIME Why the morbid is so comfor�ng

Re-centring these stories on the victims rather than the perpetrators, we can celebrate the lives that these people had and not mythologise the culprits. Even changing our language from victim to survivor when talking about those who lived gives women back agency even after a heinous crime has been committed against them.

Ted Bundy has always been portrayed as a charming sociopath but more recently as the stories of his crimes were told by his family and survivors a new picture is painted of him as a deranged misogynist.

In My Favourite Murder, a true crime podcast I love, they take this a step further when in their minisodes they ask their fans to send in their “hometown murders” telling these stories from the perspective of people who were affected by these crimes not the perpetrators. Their moto “Stay Sexy and Don’t Get Murdered” gives women the courage to stand up for themselves and to put their safety over being polite. People have even written into the show to talk about how they have got out of possibly dangerous situations by thinking about this moto. This podcast highlights the failures of law enforcement and the justice system, inspiring outrage and a chance for listeners to make a difference even if it’s only in the way they talk about the crimes committed against women.

It even shifts the perspective of these shows away from the male investigators and onto the other people these crimes affected as well. These fresh perspectives are necessary in finding the truth and creating a society where people are believed, and justice is served.

The fact that people like me feel ashamed or deviant for liking these kinds of shows, trying to find the truth and shifting the perspective of these crimes, shows the toxic way society treats the media that women consume. Men can and will criticise women’s interests and hobbies constantly and true crime is not above that. But something radical is happening because not only is the content being consumed mostly by women, but it is also being increasingly made by women. This change can contribute to positive social change as we try dismantling the victim blaming rhetoric that has left so many crimes unreported and unsolved. The power we hold by telling stories of survival and the women who were hurt by the men we mythologise can be used to create a more accepting environment for all people.

Stay safe and watch some Netflix (and don’t get murdered).

27

DAWN FM AND THE CURRENT STATE OF CONCEPT ALBUMS

BY LUKE HARDMAN

Dawn FM, the latest album by the Weeknd, caught my a�en�on for a few reasons, but the biggest of which is that it’s a concept album.

Specifically, the album is about a radio sta�on located in limbo between life and death. That idea of an album themed around radio has been done a few �mes beforehand, most famously by the Who but The Weeknd goes to great extents to make the premise feel unique and engaging. There are fake jingles, a fake advert and he even gets the actor Jim Carrey to act as the radio host. It was an album I didn’t know I wanted and I’m glad I took the chance on. It made me realise how much I s�ll appreciate a good concept album. That’s not to say they’ve gone completely ex�nct.

There have been some major releases from the past decade that had concepts (To Pimp a Bu�erfly, IGOR, Plas�c Beach, etc) but it can feel some�mes like there aren’t as many coming out as there used to be.

To be completely fair, I can’t just blame changing tastes as the cause of their apparent decline. For a while, a lot of concept albums could be summed up as “1984 but not as well wri�en.” The government has banned BLANK (usually music) but a group of rebels are determined to bring BLANK back and overthrow the Saturday morning cartoon villain. That’s what you could expect for a while.

The rock opera has its charms, but it can get quite formulaic and o�en require the listener to pay close a�en�on to the lyrics to have a hope of keeping up with the story. Something had to change or concept albums in that form wouldn’t have survived past the mid-80s.

28

And something did change. They got simpler. These types of concept albums had always existed, but they weren’t as common before.

You’d see more albums just having thema�c links between songs rather than telling a cohesive story. Take XTC’s “Skylarking” or MF DOOM’s “MM… FOOD” for example. These albums both have a theme to them but without knowing it, you can enjoy the music completely undisturbed. I think Dawn FM sits somewhere between the two kinds.

There are interludes, intros and outros that add to the concept but the songs themselves don’t tell a story. You could take most tracks from this album and put them on a completely unrelated playlist without causing any confusion.

“Something had to change or concept albums in that form wouldn’t have survived past the mid-80s.”

This ar�cle may read like I’m reading the autopsy of an en�re subsec�on of albums but ul�mately, I don’t think they’re going anywhere. The rock opera is largely a thing of the past these days however I think we might be seeing a new age of concept albums. With hip-hop the dominant genre right now, the torch is being passed on to that genre. The huge cri�cal and commercial success of rap concept albums like To Pimp a Bu�erfly, and My Beau�ful Dark Twisted Fantasy is leading to rappers becoming much more experimental and ambi�ous with their storytelling.

And if albums like Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia and the previously men�oned Dawn FM by the Weeknd prove anything, it’s that the same applies to popstars too. You might see the occasional ar�cle declaring that concept albums are dead, but I have to disagree. They’re changing for certain, but I don’t think they’re going anywhere soon.

29

ANTS FROM UP THERE – A TRIUMPHANT BURST FORTH FOR BLACK COUNTRY, A TRAGEDY STRUCK ON NEW ROADS.

BY BEN COOPER

Truth be told, I’d lost my touch with music long ago.

It awakened, shrugged off dormancy, at the tender age of twelve. I sat, eager to watch what I thought just another family flick: Sing Street - an hour and a half of escape into an unfamiliar age; an hour that I’d not quite understand but nod along to, laugh at when cued. I couldn’t have anticipated the effect the film would have on me, spending the first half hour of the film in quiet perplexity - how to react to a band of Irish lads in new romantic garb, lipstick glossed and drowned in VHS, bewailing sultry melodies of riddling models, brown shoes, and beautiful seas?

The credits rolled. I bought the soundtrack minutes after.

It was when they played The Cure that really changed me - though, I’m not sure it’s a cure the band provided. From that point on I lost myself in melancholy music; from The Cure my long hair grew, at its longest reaching down to touch the Docs The Smiths had lent me, very kindly, as I went to town to trade in my acoustics for electrics – a Jazzmaster bought for My Bloody Valentine, later a telecaster none other than Jonny Greenwood pawned. For a good four years of my life, music was my radar, and the only one I really had. But then somewhere along the line, perhaps when that dreaded year 2020 reared its ugly head, the feeling started to fade, and though I still listened to and loved music devoutly - nothing felt as real as it did then, when I first stumbled on my ears.

30

The first time I heard Black Country, New Road’s sophomore album Ants From Up There , my attention was rapt, and by track 5 I had messaged everyone who hadn’t heard it yet to inform them of its grace. It sounds ridiculous, but I mean it - This album helped me stumble on the ears I’d thought long gone.

Because it’s all just incredible.

There’s too much here to say. I heard Concorde 17 minutes after its release and was totally taken aback by just how dissimilar it sounded from For The First Time , their Mercury Prize nominated debut, which I had enjoyed immensely, but not like this one – they sound a totally different band, a much fuller and more emotive iteration of the musically technical melting-pot’s abundancy of style. Completely and utterly cohesive, their melodic potential tapped and taken to unprecedented heights and hilltops, Isaac’s lyricism powerful and holistic, gently racing one forwards up the album’s ever mounting summit. I know it reads a bit like that Kid A review Pitchfork did, but genuinely – I have never felt this way about an album before now.

“I heard Concorde 17 minutes after its release …”

31

In fact, I haven’t felt gripped by long compositions in general for a long time, put off by a host of bloated indie albums of the late 2000s that had deterred me from quantity for the last few years - but each song on here is a riot, a release of resounding emotion in the lyrics and guitar. Bread Song is startlingly gorgeous, and Good Will Hunting packs swathes of “Billie Eilish Style” into its 5-minute run time; the Snowglobes refrain is by now already iconic, and Concorde’s guitar hook is an earworm I’ve had to write on A4 paper to shake off – but it’s the studio recreation and embellishment of the originally improvised Haldern that unfailingly moves me, the sparse simplicity of Isaac’s lyrics working perfectly beside the quiet beauty of the band’s arrangement. It was during this track that I stopped and texted Luke, actually – have you heard the new Black Country? It’s the best thing I’ve heard in so long…

It’s the feeling I first had when I saw Sing Street; the epiphany that music changes lives, mends hearts and sets joy dancing. I never thought I’d feel that quite again, and for that I must say thank you to the band. It means a lot.

Listen to this album – it is perfect.

32

33

GET INVOLVED! A word from the editor Meg DeMar

Serial Culture is a place for your stories and your art!

We can feature your sketches, painting, photography, graphic designs; whatever your art form is, we want to see it! Share with us your poems, short stories or articles.

Been to a GIG, PLAY, SHOW, EXHIBITION, EVENT? Send us your review.

Need some assistance?

We can interview you about your life experiences.

We can feature organisations that have supported you as a young person.

We can shine a spotlight on your charitable and community activities such as raising funds and collecting for food banks.

Whatever your Culture is we can give you a platform. serialculturezine@gmail.com

WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING WHAT MAGIC YOU CREATE.

34

Serial Culture Zine

Origin Story!

Serial Culture zine has been created to provide a pla�orm for the young people of Halton aged 11-25 to share their artwork, cultural ac�vity and lifestyle loves.

Through Halton Borough Council’s youth provision programme, young people responded to our survey and call out for contributors. A small team has developed the zine from scratch with a larger community of young contributors. The editorial team changes and grows as the zine reaches more people, we welcome those who want to stay for the whole project or just add an ar�cle every now and then or a one off.

If you want to add your cultural voice and artwork contact serialculturezine@gmail.com The views expressed are those of the contributors.

LOOSE has been crea�ng opportuni�es for the people of Halton to perform, record, share and develop crea�vely since 1997. In 2010 LOOSE opened The Studio in Lacey Street, Widnes. This community venue is home to a variety of funded community and youth focused art and culture based projects. It is also home to partner organisa�ons, community groups and college courses. To find out what we currently offer, or suggest a project or event yourself visit: www.thestudiowidnes.org.uk

35

COVERCOVER ART THOMAS ART ABBY JJ BARTON MOYLE

36