Vol 2 Issue 3 by Live East Magazine

LONDONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S FINEST YOUTH RUN MAGAZINE now available CITY-WIDE

FREE Summer 2011 Vol 2, Issue 3

Special

10th Birthday Issue!

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w k you out y v hea knoc an will

RoxXx

road on liens

smash summer with k The Block Attac

Contents features Cover Story: UK rapper RoxXxan is hitting everyone with her underground flavour, BMX skills and backpacks.

Summer love: Live gives you the ultimate festival lowdown

regulars 04 Ed’s Letter / Big Ask 05 Key Playaz / Big Ups 07 News & Views 08 Live Loves & Loathes 09 For & Against 10 Dummies Guide to DIY Careers 12 Olympics! 14 We Love… 16 London Gems 43 Fashion 48 Cooking With… Lady Chann 53 Culture Club 56 Sound Advice 60 Fully Booked 62 Game On 64 Postcard From… Pakistan 66 Live Asks... Wretch 32 Stop and Search: Young Londoners speak out, plus know your rights

Lily Loveless: Skins star on her new film, Sket

Aliens: The cast of sci-fi film Attack The Block tell Live all about filming this massive alien smash

Happy Birthday To Us: Meet some media players who started out at Live, and marvel at old issues of the mag

Star Flex: Learn about the jobs you can do in the music industry

CONTENTS To read more entertaining stories visit

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ed’s letter My parents threw me a huge party to celebrate my tenth birthday. Throughout the day, guests would hear me chirping at every opportunity “I’ve reached double digits!” I wanted the whole world to know that I had reached my childhood ambition; to become near enough to being a teenager, because that’s when I believed your dreams came alive and your life began.

Now 20 and editor of Live Magazine, I can say my teen years were a great stepping-stone in helping to achieve my goals – with Live Magazine at the heart of it all. For these reasons I’m very proud to welcome you all to Live’s 10th anniversary issue!

big ask Name: Shaun Age: 20 Area: Croydon What has been your best birthday? “My best birthday has to be my 13th. I got everything I wanted: money, a bike and my first ever phone; a Nokia 3410.”

Name: Hallie Age: 19 Area: Mitcham What has been your best birthday? “Turning 19 was my best by far. My dad surprised me and my friends with tickets to see Rhianna in concert. He set the standard!”

REGULARS REGULARS

Throughout the years Live has come on in leaps and bounds; steadily growing from a magazine produced by young people in south London, to a flourishing media empire across the whole of London, and even the world, as we’re now also operating in South Africa. We celebrate the achievements of our talented contributors on page 20. We’ve also got pieces on Wretch 32 and Attack The Block, as well as the more hard-hitting Stop and Search. Plus, we’re bringing you the best London has to offer in culture and the arts. Check out our fabulous festival guide which includes celebrity advice on how to survive one.

Our economy may be down, but young enterprise is on the rise and this issue’s Dummies Guide gives advice on going it alone. Once you’re clued up, turn to page 34 to read examples of how to manage your money. I would like to give a big thank you to the Live team, Livity and to you readers, but most importantly to all of the young people who have contributed to Live Magazine from 2001 to 2011 and beyond. Without their hard work, passion and dedication Live would not be what it is today. Raise your mags in the air as we look forward to the next ten years. Happy birthday Live!

It’s a special time at the Live HQ, we are celebrating Live’s 10th birthday! So we were wondering, what has been your best birthday?

Name: Nicole Age: 19 Area: Croydon What has been your best birthday? “My friends call me a grandma, but I don’t really celebrate birthdays because getting older comes to mind when I think of them.”

Name: Yasmin Age: 15 Area: Lewisham What has been your best birthday? “For my 15th, my friends blindfolded me and took me to the best Turkish restaurant. It was a lovely surprise.”

Name: Harry Age: 21 Area: Muswell Hill What has been your best birthday? “I landed my first acting role in the West End on my 20th birthday. That was the best present ever, plus I got loads of free champagne.”

KEY PLAYAZ Andre Zoom

19-year-old Andre has already published his first book and is currently working on another. With a talent for graphic design, his creativity has seen its way onto Live’s pages, as well as contributing hard-hitting content. Whatever he puts his mind to he will achieve. Make sure you look out for him in the near future. He’s going to be big!

BIG UPS Editor Celeste Houlker, 20 Online Editor Daniel Onyia, 22 Senior Designer Tom Salter, 22

Jack Ayers, 18 Music Editors Sandra Nanyanzi, 16 Emma Hitchens, 21 Tasha Demetrou, 20

Designers Andre Anderson, 18 Miles Williams, 18 Vanessa Felix, 20 Joe Stratton, 19 Ricky Diaghe, 24

Photography Team Chantelle ClarkeMedford, 18 James Rotimi, 17 Kezia Boafa, 18 La’Rae Etchi, 18 Maia Nicholls, 17 Miles Williams, 18

Deputy Editor Jacqueline Eyewe, 17

YouTube Editor James Rotimi, 17

Asst Online Editor Patrick Opoosun, 22

Ad Sales Bejjy Mulenga, 15 James Rotimi, 17

Fashion Editor Jermaine Robinson, 16 Film Editors Hajra Islam, 15

Leanne Joseph

Leanne has quickly become a core part of Live’s team. Before Live she was co-hosting a radio show, her vibrant and bubbly personality brings a smile to our faces. With the ability to complete a wicked feature at a super pace, Leanne has been a real asset to the mag, writing about music piracy and interviewing the cast of Attack The Block.

Contributors Nadine Anderson, 19; Lilufa Uddin, 17; Deschanel Prempeh, 12; Shineze HenryWallace, 16; Larissa Savi, 15, Marsden Kanu, 14; Blessing Obeng-Mensah, 14, Danny Byrne, 13; Taysha Ferguson 14; Iram Sarwar, 19; Samson Pharaoh, 18; Simon Breeza, 19; Kiran Kaur, 19; Omar Bolili, 18; Will Nicholls, 12; Melissa Blackwood, 15; Seana Thomas, 16; Mimi Nicholls, 18; Daniel Oniya, 22; Lubeto Kalwa, 18; Jessica Abis, 20; James Rotimi, 17; Taylan Rifat, 16; Jermaine Ricardo Robinson, 17; Pai Takavarasha, 21; La’rae Etchi, 18; Pete Apps, 20; Danielle McGrath, 17; Shadun Layne, 15, Danny Byrne, 13; Doyin Adewale, 16; Rochelle Lennon, 18; Fiona Sowole, 18; Whitney Ashbourne, 16; Tristan Fynn-Aidenenu, 16; Emma Hitchens 21, Omatete Bolili, 18; Sarah Ssedandeke, 16; Ida Ssedandeke 15, Alison Gneba, 16; Elisa Bee, 18; Jamie Clifton, 21; Stephanie Owusu, 18; Santrece Stewart,15; Mary Ashekun, 15; Theo Jackson, 16; Elliot Murray 19, Fayyadh Shamsuddin, 20; Ruweyda Dool, 20; Rukia Begum, 21; Albert Harvey, 20; Daniel Amoakoh; Jada Simone; Funmi Laniuh; A J Parrie 17; Patrica Roberts 22; Oliver Kludjeson 22; Daniel Sonmer; Julie Douard, 19; Katharina Lurz, 19; Jeanette Buehren, 20; Melissa Caton, 16; Sarah Boateng, 16, Rianna Bent, 16; Jas Waldorf, 16; Ronjermone King, 13; Victoria Ohurugu, 18; Margaret Gusah, 16; Fiona Obadiaru, 15; Steffany Nyame, 15; Neelam Shah, 17

Robbie Wojciechowski

17-year-old Robbie has made a big impact with his contribution to Live. With a particular interest in music, his creativity and honesty never fail to produce a thought-provoking feature or review. He is a burst of energy, a great laugh and will soon be filling a number of publications with his content. Watch this space.

Senior Editorial Mentors Emma Warren Rahul Verma Production Editor Kay Daylami Ad Sales Manager/ Mentor Andrea Gamson Design Mentor Mark Calderbank Live Mentors Callum McGeoch, Zena Alkayat; Steve Yates; Camelia Muldermans; Jason Page; Ben Ferguson; Zainab Jamaa; Hayley Joyes; Naomi Brown Photography Mentors Heiko Prigge; Pru Waldorf; Becky Maynes Special Thanks Martin Gardner; Tom’s Trust, Lambeth Council; SB.TV; Rocket; Rachel White PR; The Guardian; Dazed & Confused; The Petchey Academy; NESTA; Haddon PR, Aisha Siddiq; Vishal Dodiya; Peacocks Gym Cover photography Miles Williams, 18

Live Magazine, Unit 11, Piano House, 9 Brighton Terrace, Brixton, London, SW9 8DJ Tel: 0207 326 5979

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news DV8

16-18, and looking for a career in music, events or digital media? DV8 Training have courses in video, multimedia, music business, events and music production. Fusion TV is a course that will give you the chance to extend your digital media skills, and create an online channel in the format of SB.TV. DV8 are now recruiting for September. Check dv8training.co.uk (LU)

Tell tales

Nando’s Hot Heroes

Nando’s and Live have joined forces to bring ten readers a once in a lifetime chance to have lunch with your fave local heroes, and first in line is P Money and BGT’s Flawless! How do you win? It’s simple. You just have to do something good in your community or for another person, document what you’re doing, and tell us about it. Maybe help your Nan and her friends with their shopping, start a litter crew in the park or you could raise money for your local youth centre? Send us a video (max three mins), some photographs or a piece of writing about your good deed and it could be you asking Flawless to pass the peri-peri sauce. Lunch with P Money is Wednesday 1st June (entries by May 28th) and with Flawless Monday 25th July (entries by July 18th). Email heroes@livemagazine. State P Money or Flawless in the subject line. Go to livemagazine.co.uk for more announcements. (SHW)

Are you a photographer, blogger, sculptor or poet? BT is looking for creatives who want to meet the people involved in the Olympics, whether they’re athletes or celebrities or officials, and to tell their amazing stories in the most colourful way possible. Chosen storytellers will have their stories, tweets, film clips and blogs published online during the year countdown to the games. “If you’re inspired by the Olympics,” says Seb Coe, “we want to hear from you.” bt.com/london2012. (DP)

Gold, standard

The London Youth Games sees sporting talent from around the country compete. Athletes that have gone on to amazing success include Mo Farah, Rio Ferdinard and Christine Ohuruogu. The two-day event takes place on the 30th May and 1st July at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre where the best finalists from the qualifiers will compete for to a chance to stand on that first, second and third podium. For more info check londonyouthgames.org (LJ)

French Burkha ban comes into force

Words Name Surname Age

Words Name Surname Age Words Shineze Henry Wallave 16

Words Name Surname Age Words Deschanell Prempeh 12

Words Lilufa Uddin 17

Words Name Surname Age

Words Leanne Joseph 15

France’s ban on face veils came in to force last month. This means that all garments that cover the face are banned and women wearing the niqab or burkha can now be fined £132 or forced to take lessons in French citizenship. France is the first country in Europe to publicly ban a form of dress some Muslim women regard as a religious duty. Sixty people protested on the first day of the ban and two people were arrested. These sisters aren’t harming anyone, so what’s the problem? (LU)

Battlefront is Back

C4’s Battlefont kicks off again in July and they’re auditioning for people to take part. The programme shows 14-21 year olds campaigning about issues. Last years campaigners included Alex Rose who launched STOP Gun and Knife Crime with support from Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Rachel Phillips’s Size Zero campaign was backed by supermodel Erin O’Connor. What will happen this time? battlefront.co.uk

British Red Cross

Do you know someone who deserves a Humanitarian Citizen Award? The Red Cross have launched ‘Do You Know A Young Hero?’ an award celebrating young people who are making a difference to the lives of others. There are four categories that are open: first aid, volunteering, community action and fundraising. The closing date is July 8th 2011. Go to redcross.org.uk/theaward. (SHW)

HAVE YOUR SAY AND JOIN For more news stories THE DEBATE AT LIVE visit EAST

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2 7

FAMILY

OVES L LIVE

SKATEBOADING ing is a

Skateboard c sport. eti fun, energ hurt, et g n a c You eans but that m hen w w o n k you ing you’re gett u o y If r. e bett ou’re don’t fall, y r e s lo c g in gett lf a h to that pipe. (DB)

THE SUN

There’s nothing lik e walking out of your house in the morning and it’s actually light, or and being scared going home th you think is walki at the person ng behind you is actually in fact yo (hey, it happens!) ur shadow Su here. Enjoy it! (LS) mmer is

For>>>

The rise of cheap high speed internet access means that music and films are available to us online, free of charge, 24/7.

As you sit in your room studying, you can’t help reminiscing on simpler times in Primary School where ‘revising’ was looking at five letters for ten minutes, then going into school and aceing that spelling test. Where has time gone? (LS) SPITTING u go someone’s Everywhere yo WORMS on the floor. It always spitting nce I was Creepy things that slime O ! ck si makes me BOREDOM around the place, they come some guy just d an ng ki al w think you just Don’t you just hate those days where under the dirt and slowly dig in front of me starts walking ‘woo, my life is so uneventful!’ Sometimes you their way up, they are like the ht where I’m and just spits rig alk. Why? (B) can just be sitting at home and just wonder why very mini w t ou ab you haven’t got anything exciting to do which just version of sends you on a downward spiral of doing nothing. snakes but This dreaded harmless. emotion is exactly Beware. the thing that turns (MK) you from being a happy ball of energy into a pile of dull. (LS)

Words Blessing ObengMensah 16

Words Taysha Ferguson 14

Words Danny Byrne 13

Words Marsden Kanu 14

Words Larissa Savi 15

REGULARS

You’ve done your GCSEs, completed your A Levels, gone through university and now work 30 hours a week. But with all this preparation and hard work, you deserve to get… nothing. Is this fair? It’s obviously not. But for artists around the world who spend years working on their vocals, learning dance routines and writing song lyrics, this is now their reality. It’s all down to the decline in music sales and increase in illegal downloads which is now so common in our society. Why should artists work so hard on writing, working with producers, performing at gigs, making music videos and travelling around the world promoting their album or single just for you to download their years of effort for free? Now artists are advised to work twice as long on starting clothing lines, selling perfumes and spending hours promoting endorsement deals just to gain

many young people you know have that kind of money to spend on music? If the industry were prepared to lower their prices, they would see a rise in the rate of sales so people wouldn’t have to illegally download to protest against extortionate prices. Online means a no returns policy, so you’re taking a risk of buying a song that you might not even like! iTunes have responded by offering a 30 second sample of the track but this just isn’t enough. People say illegally downloading is thieving but it’s actually not an accurate

representation of the word theft. The dictionary definition is ‘the act of taking something that is not yours’ but by downloading you are not taking anything that belongs to someone else (especially if you’re file sharing). If the content was made available people wouldn’t download illegally! And finally, most of the money made from music sales doesn’t go to the artist but to the ‘middle men’ of record companies, managers, publishers etc. The best way to promote an artist is to give music away. (IS)

<<<Against

the money that they would have got from making their music. Is this right?

Not only does it affect the artists themselves but it also affects the industry as a whole. Take for example, the Number 1 chart spot. This used to be a monumental moment in an artist’s life and in the British music industry. People around the country would tune into Top of the Pops every week to see which artist rose above the rest but with the billions of pounds lost through illegal music downloads this massive achievement has become almost irrelevant. Did you know that over seven million people in Britain download music illegally? That means the money that would have gone to those artists has been taken away. It makes you think: is it really worth it?

It’s not just the principal of downloading illegally; the fact that it is actually ILLEGAL is enough to send shivers of guilt down your spine. Hundreds of years ago, thieves were held up in front of the whole town and had mouldy fruit threwn at them for the crime that they had committed. Maybe we should do that to people who download illegally? The famous quote ‘Don’t do the crime if you’re not prepared to do the time’ has never been more significant. After all, you are breaking the law. So next time you Limewire Jay-Z’s latest album, think of the time, love and passion that he’s put into that album and then think of the way you’re repaying him. (LJ)

OPINION Design and illustration Ricky Diaghe 24

REVISING

The average song on iTunes costs 99p, which means that kitting out the average 8gb iPod, which holds roughly 3,000 songs, would cost just under £3,000 - how

Words Iram Sarwar 19

Some people say that illegal downloading is wrong, that it’s robbing musicians of their hard-earned cash, but I think the advantages of ‘illegal’ downloads outweigh the cons. Firstly, the most obvious reason illegal downloading is so favorable among young people is that it’s free.

Words Leanne Joseph 15

ES h at

PC CRIDITS Daz Smith, Worldizen, Mastermag, Lima Andresha, Brain Teutson, Phil Campbell, Teejay, Dear Allex, Photon

LIVE

Design Vanessa Felix 20

Let’s face it, most people have downloaded music illegally at some point. But is it right? Iram Sarwar and Leanne Joseph fight over the right click.

DAYS OUT

There’s nothing better than taking or a walk in the park going to the coast for the day, and enjoying some sunshine. This is definitely FRESH STARTS time to get If they last, anyway. Everyo ne knows the feeling out there, eat of aching for sometiing new d soak up and you don’t need some ice cream an new year’s resoultions to cha F) (T n! su nge your ways. some Don’t whine about life: cha nge it. But make sure that you persevere, otherw ise there is no point. (LS)

FREELOAD?

Not everyo n Lucky peo e has family. ple have g ot loving and suppo rt them. The ive people around y are one b ig team and they a ll together. M have a future a the what y ke the most of ou’ve got! (MK)

COMMENT ON STORIES!

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dummies guide to...

diy careers

there. People of Life’s tough out are faced with our generation nt and huge stude unemployment g un yo , er ev e than debt. Now, mor n ow r ei nting th people are inve a look at the s ke jobs. Live ta growing trend.

It might be a bad time to be a young person looking for a job, with nearly a million youths out of employment. But this might just mean it’s an excellent time to create something yourself. There are now recognisable big names out there in business, with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and Live cover star and SB.TV mastermind Jamal Edwards leading the way. It’s also been helped by the growing trend to see business in the media, with programmes such as The Apprentice, Junior Apprentice and Dragon’s Den, providing the essential expertise needed to get started. Even people who are already successful as pop artists or sports stars start their own businesses! So how do you go about starting your own business? First things first: you’re going to need to come up with an idea. This is the chance to get creative. It can literally be anything you want it to be. Many entrepreneurs start their businesses from their hobbies or a particular skill (SB. TV was born from Jamal’s passion for UK MCs and filming foxes outside his bedroom window). Bottom line, it’s really important to choose something that you actually care about. It’s going to be your career, something you are going to be doing day in, day out and hopefully for years to come, so it has to be something you enjoy, whether it’s selling handmade cards or setting up a farm in your yard. Once you have a business idea in place, it’s essential to sort out all the paperwork, like checking if you need any licenses, preparing a business plan and securing some kind of finance.

Trying to start a business as a young person is a challenge, but it can be done. Sian Anderson, 20, has started a PR and consultancy service for music artists and brands to ensure they have the relevant press in the relevant places and making sure their music is heard by the right people. One of her first clients was artist P Money, and she has now picked up a number of other clients including Island Records, DJ Swerve, Random Impulse, Selah, Sincere, Marger, Margs, and Little Dee. She’s totally invented her own job and who knows where it will lead? Another success story is Paul Hodge, who took part in a project Google ran to help young businesses get started. Now he’s running a brand consultancy and has already worked with clients including Google, O2, Virgin Media and Spotify. Starting his business from his own savings, Paul proves that all you need is a good idea and a structured business plan to get anything going. So what are Paul and Sian’s top tips? Networking is essential. If you don’t get to know people in your industry and tell people about what you’re doing how will anyone hear about your business? You need to be seen. Talking to experienced entrepreneurs, or a mentor, can be really useful as they may have faced similar problems and can offer guidance or even help hook you up with useful contacts. With the growing number of young entrepreneurs, networking is crucial in order to stand out and it’s great for helpful experience. If you associate youself with

people who are already successful, you will look more successful yourself! But how do you do it? You can independently approach businesses, you can go to events and you can use social media and the viral world to open up a whole new set of doors. Just take a look at how many people are able to make connections through uploading videos on YouTube! You could also build networks by working for free – whether volunteering for an afternoon a week, interning or doing work experience. Instead of thinking of it as giving away your free time, think of it as investing in your future. Like everything, there are good sides and bad sides to starting your own business. On the downside, many businesses tend to fail in their first year (although having run a business, even one that failed, is a good look on your cv). It’s financially risky, and being a young entrepreneur makes it all the more difficult to secure funding. It is a lot of hard work and responsibility and most entrepreneurs take their work with them wherever they go, working approximately 70 hours weeks, with a limited social life.

The Suc

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The Hook

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On the plus side, if the business really takes off, you could end up with a massive salary paying much more than the average job; you’re your own boss so you get to work your own hours and growing a company can be loads of fun. Plus, you get a real sense of personal freedom and achievement.

Words Name Surname Age

Design Tom Salter 21

Words Iram Sarwar 20

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So tell us, how did your sporting career begin?

It all began on a beach when I was five or six. I couldn’t ride a bike with my brothers and sisters and so I would run along aside them. When I got older I joined an athletics club, entered a few races and didn’t do very well. It was frustrating because they didn’t have meets for disabled athletes so I contacted UK Athletics and found out about meets at Crystal Palace. I ran a good enough time to get in, and then had to run a better time to get into the GB team. It was a really big step up for me.

How did your family react to your sporting ability?

It’ll be the third time London has hosted the event, but the first time the capital has hosted the Paralympic games, which runs parallel to the Olympics. It starts two weeks after the main Olympics finishes, and it sees the strongest, fastest and most talented disabled athletes compete on an international stage for glory. One of our brightest hopes for team GB is 21-year-old runner Paul Blake from Dorset. Blake has cerebral palsy, which affects both his arms and legs, and he participates in a range of track events including the 1500m. Paul has just started to compete internationally and recently won 400m Gold at the Paralympic Athletics World Championships.

LDN 2012 Running Tings Everyone knows that the Olympics happens over two amazing weeks in London in summer 2012. But it’s not over then, even when the races are over and the medals have been put away. After the Olympics comes the 2012 Paralympics. Live’s Samson meets 21-year-old athlete Paul Blake.

What’s your relationship like with your disability?

At first it was hard to deal with because I would never get picked for the first team in sports, purely because of my disability. But now I just deal with it because it is with me for life. It’s a part of my life.

“Ultimately I want to win gold so that’s

what I’m going for”

I listen to dubstep, and I like to listen to hip hop as well. I like Foreign Beggars.

Many Olympic hopefuls have already talked about what it means to have the chance to win a medal on home turf. What does it mean to you to be a part of it all? There is so much pressure but I thrive off that. I want to do well but on the other hand there is the pressure to do well.

Who inspires you to keep going when you don’t get the times you want?

Michael Jordan. Arsenal. Whenever I have a bad session I always watch DVDs of Haile Gebrselassie [Ethiopian long distance legend]. He is amazing.

What are you favourite events?

My favourite event is the 800m. At the moment I’m really concentrating on the 400m and I really enjoy the 1500m as well.

Outside of sport can you give us an outline of the challenges you face with your disability? That’s a good question. I haven’t really thought about that. Just the daily stuff: standing up, taking a bath. Sometimes if I go and get something I trip over something else, which is actually funny.

What would you tell the disabled people who are looking at you and what you have achieved and who want to get into sport?

Parents of disabled people don’t let the children get out of their chairs enough. So I would ask them to let their children get out of their wheelchairs for a bit and just let them see how it feels. I would ask them to let What has being able to perform done for your their children be a little more active.

confidence levels?

At the start I didn’t really have any confidence, I didn’t have that much race experience against able-bodied and disabled athletes so I didn’t know what to expect. But once I started racing a bit more and entered the top three it did me a world of good – the more races I did, the more confident I became.

How are you preparing for 2012. Does training intensify?

It depends; if I want to get lower times then I have to increase my speed at running which is what I am doing at the moment. I’ve also got to eat and drink certain foods; a lot of fish, a lot of fruits in the morning, bread, and eggs.

What are the sacrifices you make to be a Paralympian?

I miss nights out with friends, holidays. However I am quite lucky because I am going on holiday tomorrow so I can’t complain. Training five days a week really does take its toll.

Are medals important to you? Or is it the taking part that counts?

No, I want to see three golds. I’m not going to settle for silver and bronze. It would be amazing to get a medal but ultimately I want to win a gold so that’s what I am going for.

What does your training involve?

On Mondays and Wednesdays we concentrate on speed. On Tuesdays I am in the gym and on Thursdays and Fridays we work on endurance: we do reps, have a break and then start again. It’s quite intense.

REGULARS REGULARS

More paralympians online! Design Tom Salter 22

Words Samson Pharoah 23

REGULARS REGULARS

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pic credit: Maja Moritz & Frauke John

With the last patch of turf laid down inside the East London Olympic stadium, it’s safe to say the countdown is well underway for the 2012 games. Despite the disputes over the cost of hosting the event, the headache over which football team will own the site after the games, and the confusion over our one-eyed Olympic mascots Wenlock and Manderville, the tickets are on sale and everything is ready to go for July 27 2012.

They were really supportive, and I am really lucky because I come from a sporting family. My mum was a ballet dancer, my dad played cricket and my uncle played at Wimbledon.

What do you listen to when you’re training?

we love... summer brights Live’s newest regular page will help start the summer with a burst of colour!

A) Cap by Jon Burgerman for New Era, £30 Wear a bit of top British illustrator Jon’s art on your noodle with these New Era caps at flagships stores and selected boutiques. B) Pink T by Money Clothing, £45 Doesn’t matter if the bling bragging slogan is true or not, this will definitely get you attention! C) Yellow shorts by Adidas, £21 Wear sunshine on your bottom. We love short shorts.

D) High top trainers By Hummel, £45 Scorpion Shoes Warning! You will make eyes pop when wearing these sneakers! E) Flamingo necklace by Nylon Sky, £12 Rokit Be fly as a bird with this Flamingo pendant, which comes in a handmade gift box. F) Wellies by Havaianas, £45 Office We love colourful Wellingtons. They make rainy days seem not so bad. Festival essential! For more info: Office: www.office.co.uk Money Clothing: www.moneyclothing.com New Era: www.neweracap.co.uk Rokit: www.rokit.co.uk Scorpion Shoes: www.scorpionshoes.co.uk Adidas: www.adidas.co.uk D

GIRL IN THE ‘HOOD BEHIND THE SCENES WITH LILY LOVELESS, WHO STARS IN A GRITTY GIRL GANG FILM, SET IN INNER CITY LONDON. WELCOME TO SKET. Sket is a new urban thriller exploring the culture of girl gangs in London. It tells the story of 15-year-old Kayla who moves from Newcastle to London and is sucked into an all female gang. Among the girls she meets is Hannah, played by rising star and ex Skins actress Lily Loveless. Live headed down to the Sket set and spoke to Lily about her character, her career and her own personal experiences of life on London’s streets.

I used to talk like that when I was in school. I grew up in Hackney and Finsbury Park, so I know people like that. I know where these people have come from and it’s not an alien world because I grew up around it. For work I had to talk nicely as you just won’t get work if you’re walking in with a swagger and like ‘Yeah, I want this job innit!’ But it was interesting getting back into that frame of mind and just becoming the old Lily again.

Tell us about the character you’re playing?

What was the atmosphere like on the set?

I’m playing Hannah who is best friends with one of the girls Danielle. She uses the gang as a family unit because she doesn’t really have anyone else. She’s very awkward, very uncomfortable in her own skin and feels really ugly. She can’t really express herself so has all this built up frustration which makes her quite angry and violent.

What made you choose a film like Sket?

I’d never read a script that was so centred on women. Men tend to get the best roles written for them, and that’s what drew me to it at ﬁrst, and that’s what drew me to the role of Hannah. Everyone has that side to them, where you wish you could just unleash, smash a car up and get all of the anger out. E

How did you find getting into London slang?

Are there were any similarities between you and your character?

Not really. We all had to create a back story to our characters ‘cos we need to know what their motives are and why they become the way that they are. She’s really unhappy she’s so insecure about new people coming into her group that she doesn’t want to lose the people in her group, as they’re the only people that she’s got. I don’t relate to that, but I know people that do so I didn’t base her on myself but on people that I’ve met before.

It was good most of the time, but because we were shooting a feature in just four weeks it was a bit rushed, usually you have a lot longer so it was a bit stressful at times but for the most part it was a nice atmosphere. All the girls are really lovely and all the crew were really nice most of the time apart from when they shouted at us, but we just shouted back so it was ﬁne!

How do you think the movie is going to do?

I hope it does well because Nirpal, who wrote and directed it, literally put his whole heart and soul into it and it’s his first feature film, he’s such a nice guy and such a good director. He really cares about the characters and knows everything about them. It was a lot of hard work, really tiring and emotionally exhausting to film and we’re all absolutely knackered. I hope people don’t just look at it as another one of those films because it tells a story.

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LDN GEMS

Find a space to do the things you love.

This new Live feature selects the best secret spots in town. it! It’s your city: make the most of I have often come across badly cooked pizza: too doughy or too crispy; not enough cheese or too much cheese; or they simply taste cheap! Thankfully, I have found the cure to my negative opinion of English pizza. Franco Manca in Brixton offers handmade pizzas on a slow-rising sourdough crust, finished with various seasonal toppings. Good pizza is often pretty expensive, but Franco Manca offer all of this for just under £7. What’s more, after you have finished your meal you can take a trip around many of Brixton’s new bars and pop in at the Ritzy cinema. Result! (MN)

Daylight Music @ The Union Chapel, Islington

Daylight Music at the Union Chapel has remained a secret of mine for many months, and to reveal it to you all comes as something of a delight. On Saturday mornings from 12 til 2, it’s the perfect place to experience the quiet, easy life that many dream of. With a fine array of acts performing for audiences every weekend it makes you question the need to live such a chaotic life. For a simple moment of pure relaxation and thought, it’s the perfect way to start a weekend. (RW)

Gunnersbury Park, West London

Oxford St has such a vibrant and warm feel to it. If I had to take a visitor to London, I would definitely choose Oxford Street: there’s an excellent variety of shops, and there’s always a live event or exhibitions in shops like Selfridges, TopShop and Virgin Megastore. There’s always stars appearing at Oxford Street’s HMV... it’s mad! There are beautiful attractions nearby such as St Christopher’s Place and Hyde Park.

Hyde Park, Central London

Hyde Park is THE best-known park in the capital with so much to see and do. This summer it’s holding the Wireless festival, a Kings of Leon concert and the UK’s Race for Life – and that’s only a tiny taster! In the build-up to the UEFA Champions League Final, football fans can check out the UEFA Champions Festival, where you can meet legendary former players and take part in football skills clinics. If you’re looking for cheaper stuff, the Hyde Park lido is open, so you can go swimming in the outdoor pool. Alternatively, if you consider yourself to be more of an intellectual, take a walk up to the top of the park to check out Speakers Corner, which is famously known for its debates and public speaking. Take a trip to Hyde Park to enjoy the scenery and sunshine or just to hang out with your friends! (NA)

Gunnersbury Park is one of the most untouched but entertaining parks in London. The huge space spans Hounslow, Ealing and Brentford and is perfect for those sunny days to relax, eat and take in the view. The park is well-known for its funfairs and also the UK’s biggest Asian Culture Festival, London Mela. Each year BBC Asian Network takes the park by storm with food, dance and music, showcasing talent and culture within the Asian community. Every year the festival draws over 50,000 people from around the country we spend the day in the dancing, eating and taking in the sun. This year it happens on Sunday 4th September. Put it in your diary! (LJ)

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Visit www.somewhereto.com to find spaces in London you can use, or talk to us about what you’re looking for.

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Oxford St, Central London

Pic Credits: Vivian Jayant; gail548

Franco Manca, Brixton Market

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somewhereto_ is a nationwide project to help you find spaces to do the things you love.

inside job

LONDON CALLING

Everyone wants to be on the radio! We caught up with 1Xtra DJ Nick Bright to find out how he did it. Do you think luck played a role in you getting this job? I was spotted on the MistaJam show. I just used to read out his texts, and from there I was asked to do a pilot for the station. Luck definitely played a role but being a fan of the station helped more.

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Do you have any mentors and what have you learnt from them? MistaJam and Trevor Nelson always offer a Do you have a weird fan followers? lot of good advice and are always on hand No weird fan followers, yet just a few for a drink and quick chat when I need it. interesting people on Twitter. Who’s the laziest DJ in the station? You mention your brother as a big I wouldn’t say there are any lazy DJs but Robbo Ranx is the most laid back. He is Mr influence, where is he now and what does he think of your achievement? Cool and Collected. Yes, my brother is a UK rapper known as Tenchoo. He recently won a battle league called Don’t Flop. He’s very supportive of my new role at 1Xtra.

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Be ready to work hard and be prepared to work for free.

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FEATURES

Are you a raver or a home maker? A home maker. People wouldn’t believe it as I used to be a DJ on the Malia scene seven days a week night but after non-stop partying I’m now concentrating on other things. What are the three tips you can give to people who want to get a job at 1Xtra? Perseverance, be ready to work hard, have a can-do attitude and be prepared to work for free.

What are the three tips you can give to people who want get their music on 1Xtra? The music must be relevant and of a decent quality to what 1Xtra listeners are used to hearing, don’t nag DJs and most of all, be different. Who’s your favourite UK artist and genre of music? Dancehall and funky house are very big in the rave scene right now, and I love music with energy. Are you going be doing any events we should know about in the near future? Just go to my 1Xtra profile, otherwise just Google me, Nick Bright 1Xtra. Where do you see yourself in a couple of years? A higher profile show five days a week instead of two, and to make the big jump to Radio1.

Check out Nick Bright Saturday and Sunday 7 – 10am on 1Xtra.

boris Johnson is recruiting 8,000 volunteer ambassadors to help the hundreds of thousands of tourists and sports fans who will descend on our capital city for next summer’s Olympic and paralympic Games. kIrAN, 19

Why do you want to be Ambassador? London is a fantastic place to live in, particularly for young people like me due to the huge amount of opportunities available. The Olympics is simply going to highlight just how amazing the city is. As an Ambassador, the Olympics will only encourage the pride I have at coming from London and my passion to share this great city with others in some shape or form. Where would you take a first time visitor? Call me bias as I have grown up in this part of London but it is East London that I think best represents the city. A quick trip on the 25 bus takes you from the fashionable, Brick Lane, through to areas such as Whitechapel and Green Street which are a great representation of multicultural London. These are areas we should really appreciate as they have such a great history to them. London is… diverse, full of opportunities and celebrates difference. There’s always a range of activities available in London, you can’t go wrong! Having been a resident of London all my life, I can most definitely understand and appreciate why some refer to it as the greatest city in the world!

DANIeL, 22

Why do you want to be a London Ambassador? I feel it’s a great way to get involved with something positive in London, especially during such a pinnacle time as the Olympic Games. Not only that, but it will force me to broaden my knowledge of London – because if not, I’d be a pretty useless ambassador! Where would you take a first time visitor? This may be very tourist-like, but it’ll have to be London’s Southbank because there’s so much to do. You could start off on the London Eye, then walk across the beautiful (but not so clean) Thames with the beautiful Parliament and Big Ben backdrop. Then you could chill out and see a play at the National Theatre or watch a classic 35mm epic at the BFI (British Film Institute) or just relax and talk in their wonderful café area... they have good sofas! London is... vibrant energetic and dynamic, to say the least. There’s always something to do, regardless if you have a lot of money or not. In all the corners of London I promise you’ll get a taste of every country in the world. Especially in my house, where you’ll get a taste of Nigeria!

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What would you be doing if you were still in Portsmouth? If I was still in Portsmouth I’d probably be working in a DIY store, or on a ferry somewhere in the English Channel, or designing kitchens. I am very multi-skilled.

radio If I wasn’t doing na I’d be working o re in ferry somewhe nnel the English Cha

Words Celeste Houlker 20

What’s been the best thing about working at 1Xtra? Working with DJs I’ve looked up to, like Trevor Nelson. Not to mention breaking the world record for the longest ever DJ relay alongside Vernon Kay, and meeting my favourite artist of all time Dizzee Rascal.

Meet twO Of LIve’s MAGAzINe’s LONDON AMbAssADOrs whO hAve vOLuNteereD theIr tIMe tO heLp huNDreDs AND thOusANDs Of vIsItOrs ArrIvING IN LONDON Next suMMer fOr the 2012 OLyMpIC AND pArALyMpIC GAMes, tO MAke the MOst Of Our CApItAL CIty.

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Sian Anderson

Rinse FM presenter, freelance journalist and PR How did you arrive at Live? I started at Live when I was 15 because I wanted to be a journalist. After I’d interviewed K Sounds, Ruff Sqwad, Nu Brand Flexxx and Mims, I realised there was much more to it than just interviewing celebs – like transcribing, structure, being reliable and hitting deadlines. I started as a contributor then became books editor, then assistant editor, then I was editor for three issues.

Live started back in 2001 and since then we’ve released 40 issues of the magazine into the world covering everything from the BNP to Giggs to the Prime Minister. Thousands of young people have written for the magazine and some of them have gone on to big tings. So we thought we’d profile just a few of the many rising stars who started out at Live.

Andre McLeod

Freelance travel, music and lifestyle journalist How did you arrive at Live? I came to Live on work experience. I started out as a general writer but became News Editor pretty quickly. Highlights? Hanging out at the old building. Meeting loads of talented and creative people. Meeting Kano and generally learning about the job from pros like Fiddy and Warren. Also remember getting a free Nando’s steak sandwich. Lowlights? Getting too old to stick around. What did you do next? I’ve worked for loads of men’s magazines: Esquire, Loaded, Maxim, Empire and Manzine. I go to events, gigs, fashion shows, festivals and afterparties around the world for work and I’ve been to Brazil, Barcelona, LA, Guatemala, Portugal, Turin, Montreal and Monaco. Most recently I went to New York to review a Harley Davidson bike and Las Vegas and Thailand to review luxury villas. An amazing experience, especially for a boy from Streatham Hill. Got some advice for us? This is a very small world, network as much as you can. From the age of 14 I did around 20 work placements. I got my first press trip to Brazil through a PR I met at a random party. Be bold and unique. What’s the most memorable piece you read in Live? One is something I wrote about the dangers of Facebook, which became a column piece for Loaded and led to me going to LA for Maxim and being taught how to drive by the LAPD. Also I wrote and directed a photo story about binge drinking. I’m still waiting for my BAFTA nomination for best adapted screenplay.

Highlights? Being given the freedom to make things happen, like a five-a-side football tournament between UK Grime and UK Rock. I was really proud that Live gave me the facilities to make it happen and trusted me enough to actually let me do it.

Jody McIntyre

Journalist, Political Activist When did you come to Live, and why? I started on work experience in 2005. I was 15, interested in journalism and hip hop. I wrote music reviews and wrote a feature about the history of reggae. Highlights? The amazing people you get to meet. Lowlights? None whatsoever. What did you do next? After working at Live, I was offered a job at Ctrl.Alt.Shift where I wrote articles about Palestine. I created my own blog and then got a regular blog at The Independent. I’m currently working on a documentary with Channel 4 and I’m writing a book about Palestine that’s coming out next spring.

Lowlights? Deadlines. Most of the contributors were older than me and I felt a bit funny chasing them up and being stern but I loved the authority that being an editor gave me, so I learnt how to deal with everyone, and learnt who was reliable – and how to engage the not-so-reliable people. What did you do next? I carried on freelancing and started doing PR for artists including P Money and DJ Swerve. I worked for Ctrl. Alt.Shift, became a consultant for various companies and record labels and I host my own show on Rinse FM. Got some advice for us? Network, be productive, learn from others, be on time. What’s the most memorable piece you read in Live? My Tinchy Stryder interview. It was a cover story that went completely wrong, so a week before going to print, I rang a friend of Tinchy’s, Fuda Guy, who arranged for me to meet Tinchy. I ended up in Tinchy’s car at 11pm at night interviewing him on my mobile phone. It was a really bizarre, cool interview which made a great cover. Even though I wrote it, I still laugh when I read it back.

Got some advice for us? There’s no point in getting into journalism unless you’re passionate. Do something that’ll change the world. What’s the most memorable piece you read in Live? Political articles featured in the magazine.

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TOP VIDEOS TO CHECK

Lowlights? I didn’t want to leave.

Sweardown Humza is on madness! The video that captured my soul the most was Diary Of A Bad Man 4 where he tells the dentist to help with his diarrhoea LOL! My guy has several videos that will have you on the floor laughing. From his ‘unique Eid’ to the troubled young man with the mentality of a seven year old, growing up in the hood, learning meaningful lessons along the way.

What did you do next? I went to Uni to study economics and business finance, got a column in Ask Men magazine and I’m now a freelance journalist. Got some advice for us? Keep going and get much experience as possible and work hard.

Keenan Cahill

Keenan Cahill is a 16-yearold boy from Chicago. He is a YouTube phenomenon - his cover of Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream has 37million views. His miming to top-notch songs, brings famous artists such as 50 Cent and David Guetta to his house and mime with him. Cahill has a disorder called MaroteauxLamy syndrome, which causes him to be unusually short, but this does not stop Cahill from rockin it out!

HOW’S THE FUTURE LOOKING?

What’s the most memorable piece you read in Live? A piece about how Muslims were perceived after September 11th and a piece about Brixton train station where police officers were targeting youths with stop and search.

Comedian, writer, and actor Jason Lewis produces this fantastic parody of grime artist Bashy’s 2007 single Black Boys, by highlighting Tim Westwood as positive black role model, and poking fun at people including Dizzee, Kano, Bizzle, and Mega Man. This parody will have you in stitches, it’s an absolute mustsee.

Diary Of A Badman videos are attracting millions of viewers on YouTube every second. My guy might just be the next best comedian who performs at the Apollo Theatre.

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What do you think of when you hear the word festival? For me, it’s music, mates and freedom. My favourite festival memory is the late night walks - coming across something you would’ve never thought existed and then falling in love with an artist that blows you away. Festivals are a chance to open your mind to new horizons and live out a different kind of life. The collision of art and culture in one package creates a world of great music, good vibes and loving company.

What? LAMBETH COUNTRY SHOW, 16-17 July 2011 Where? Brockwell Park, London How much? Free In a nutshell: The 27-year-old urban festival is an inner-city homage to the best of the countryside, so expect workshops, displays, competitions and live performances. There’s something for everyone. Must-see acts: Line-up still to be announced but you know the food will be good.

The circuit is now worth an estimated £1.1 billion and Britain’s appetite for musical weekends grows year on year. As fans flock to England’s best green spaces, and inner-city parks, the choice of which festival to visit is becoming increasingly difficult. Check out Live’s comprehensive festival guide and open your eyes to this summer’s fantastic festivals.

What? FIRST DAYS OF FREEDOM, 15-17 July 2011 Where? Port Lympne, Kent How much? Early bird ticket £55, Standard ticket £75 In a nutshell: The first ever festival aimed at school and college leavers will include a UV rave, foam parties and big name acts. Must-see acts: Tinchy Stryder, Skream and Benga, Tempa T

What? GET LOADED IN THE PARK, 12 June 2011 Where? Clapham Common, London How much? Saver ticket £35, Standard ticket £37.50 In a nutshell: The former August weekender is now kicking off the start of summer, bringing a mix of dance, rock, pop to SW4. Must-see acts: Razorlight, Noisettes, The Cribs

What? UNDERAGE, 5 August 2011 Where? Victoria Park, London How much? Standard ticket £31.50 In a nutshell: Underage Festival is the world’s first credible U18s music festival and the first stop for any young teen music fan. Must-see acts: Bombay Bicycle Club, Devlin, Janelle Monae.

What? BESTIVAL, 8-11 September 2011 Where? Robin Hill Park, Isle of Wight. How much? Adult weekend ticket £170 (£160 student), Child weekend ticket £85 In a nutshell: Award-winning Bestival is run by Radio1 DJ Rob Da Bank. It has crazy good acts and alternative activities including a fancy dress parade. Must-see acts: The Cure, PJ Harvey, Public Enemy.

What? READING FESTIVAL, 26-28 August 2011 Where? Richfield Avenue, Reading How much? Day pass £82.50, four-day pass £192.50 In a nutshell: Britain’s oldest music festival started out as a jazz festival, now definitely on the indie and rock side of the world. Must-see acts: Pulp, The Streets, Muse

What? WIRELESS FESTIVAL, 1-3 July 2011 Where? Hyde Park, London How much? Day pass £55, two-day pass £101, three-day pass £142 In a nutshell: Wireless, now in its seventh year, is the premier multi-day festival in the heart of London. Multiple stages showcase the biggest and best dance, pop and rock acts mixed with the hippest newcomers. Must see acts: Pulp, Aphex Twin, Wretch 32

What? LOVEBOX, 15-17 July 2011 Where? Victoria Park, London How much? Friday £28.50, Sat/Sun £48.50, Fri/Sat £65.00, Sat/Sun £87.50, Three-day pass £99 In a nutshell: East London’s most authentic and captivating music festival with a genre-spanning line-up, ideal for the busy London socialite. Must-see acts: Flying Lotus (Live), Snoop Dogg, Scissor Sisters

What? LEWISHAM PEOPLE’S DAY, 9 July 2011 Where? Mountsfield Park, Catford How much? Free In a nutshell: Lewisham’s largest and longest running family festival features music, circus, magic, art, sport and spoken word on eight themed stages. Must-see acts: The Neville Staple Band, The 286, Krakatoa

FEATURES Words Tom Salter 22

FEATURES

Words Robbie Wojciechowski 16

There are over 400 festivals each summer. How do you work out which one to go to? Live’s Robbie W is on hand with his special guide to the summer’s best festivals.

What? BEN AND JERRY’S SUMMER SUNDAE, 23-24 July 2011 Where? Clapham Common, London How much? Standard ticket £17.50, children under five go free In a nutshell: A bag of people will be out enjoying the sun, fairground attractions, live music and as much Ben and Jerry’s Fairtrade ice-cream as you can eat! Must-see acts: A surprise line-up. Previous Sundae stages have been graced by Scouting For Girls and Florence And The Machine.

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THE PROMOTER: Rob Da Bank, Bestival

Not everyone has been to a

Best festival moment? festival, so we decided to ask Probably my first: Glastonbury. It’s easily my favourite a few experts for their top tips. festival (apart from Bestival). It’s sort of embarrassing Don’t forget the baby wipes… to say now, but I used to jump the fence before they put the super-fence up, and I just remember me and my girlfriend commando crawling across the wet, dewy grass one morning and then jumping over the fence and getting immersed in this amazing place. Top festival tip? Pace yourself, don’t go all in on the early days. Go and enjoy stuff off the beaten track. Your festival essential? Take a good supply of bin bags, they’re good for all sorts of things, tidying up, sitting on, making crazy outfits, and they’re lightweight and portable.

THE ARTIST: P Money

Best festival moment? The best part is being on the stage and performing to a massive crowd of people who are all going sick for your music. Glastonbury was crazy because I didn’t expect everyone to know my music and they did. Outlook Festival in Croatia was mental as well. To be in another country, and to know that people have travelled that far for a line up of people that I’m on just shows me that I’m doing something right and makes me want to work harder. The best thing altogether is holding the mic out and hearing the crowd say my lyrics back to me. Top festival tip? Stay with your friends. I’ve seen some blind stuff at festivals: people going missing, people losing their friends and just getting drunk alone, people going off with strangers. I get that everyone is there to have fun and rave, but safety first! Your festival essential? To be honest I’ve never had to camp in a festival so I’ve never been without anything. I don’t have a complicated rider. As long as I’ve got a Red Bull or a bottle of water and a good sound engineer then I’m happy. If I was to camp I don’t think I’d be able to sleep. I can’t live without my bed on a normal day so I doubt you’d find me at a festival on a floor [laughs].

Live has some fabulous festival tickets up for grabs… feeling lucky? To win a pair of tickets for Ben and Jerry’s Summer Sundae weekend, just answer the question below and pick the day you’d like to go.

THE WORKER: Rebecca Strickson, Works at Shangri-La, Glastonbury

Best festival moment? Having Thom Yorke DJ in the crashed plane where we were hostessing, in The Unfair Ground, Glastonbury 2010. There were about 25 of us, Thom and Nigel Godrich played some dirty jungle followed by the Beatles. Contender for nicest man in pop? Yes.

1) Which Ben and Jerry’s ice-cream was named after The Grateful Dead’s guitarist? To win one of ten pairs of tickets for The First Days Of Freedom tell us…

Top festival tip? Don’t bother trying to plan to see bands too much. Just have a wander, you’ll probably find something unexpectedly good, and not feel bad you missed something, and never share your tent with ANYONE!

2) Who is The First Days Of Freedom Festival aimed at? Email your answer to: competitions@live-magazine.co.uk. Closing date 10 July 2011

Your festival essential? Wet wipes! Always wet wipes. It’s a shower in a packet.

Words Name Surname Age

FEATURES

To become a successful music artist you need lots of luck, patience, a thick skin, deep pockets, oh and at least a bit of natural talent. But away from the spotlight there are music careers that are just as rewarding and exciting, often better paid and nearly always longer-lasting than the artists’, that anyone with the determination can go and get.

Social Media Manager

What do they do? Run Facebook pages, Twitter, YouTube and other social network accounts to help build an active community of fans and followers. Where? Freelance, or for a label or management company Best part? Getting paid to hang out on Facebook all day! Worst part? It’s less 9-5, more round-theclock, including weekends. Useful skills? Sociable, tech smart, funny, good spelling and grammar. Need any qualifications? No. But a big social network fan base of your own would prove you have what it takes. Good money? No. But can be done alongside other jobs and can lead to a career in this growing industry. People skilled in this area will be able to make a lot of money in the future.

Music Lawyer

What do they do? Represent artists or companies, negotiate contracts, draft agreements, and get the required result for clients. Where? Either freelance, at a label, or at one of the big entertainment law firms. Best part? People will always need lawyers! Worst part? Lots of very long boring documents to read and write. Useful skills? Attention to detail, ability to look good in a suit. Need any qualifications? Oh yes. A good law degree, then a LPC (legal practice qualification) which takes another year or two. Good money? For sure. Starts around £20k during training, rises quickly every year that to £100k and beyond.

icould.com explains brilliant careers you may not have thought of through the video stories of people who do them. This summer, in partnership with BlackBerry, icould are shining the spotlight on some of the great music careers connected to big stars like Jessie J and Tinie Tempah and telling how you could do what they do too. Here are just a few of the careers in every star’s orbit... www.icould.com/blackberry

A&R

What do they do? Everything from gigs through to doing deals with labels, publishers, brands, promoters and media. Where? Self-employed or for a company. Best part? Power, excitement, travel, money. Worst part? High stress, never off duty, dealing with big egos. Useful skills? Opportunism, networking, negotiation and organisation. Need any qualifications? It’s all about being trusted. That’s why many stars are managed by family or old friends. Good money? Managers often support acts financially before they get their break, but after, they can take 20% of everything the artists earn. Which can be a lot.

Island Girl

Four years ago Monique Wallace was music editor of this magazine you are holding in your hands. Today she is a Regional and Online Publicist at the legendary Island Records, part of the global Universal Music Group, home to artists including Jessie J and Amy Winehouse.

What does a publicist do? My job is to try and make sure as many people as possible know about our artists and records. To do this I have to get to know lots of journalists, editors and bloggers and send them information and stories about our artists and encourage them to write about them. At the moment I’m working on Nicki Minaj, Devlin, Encore and Angel’s online PR. And for regional PR I do artists from PJ Harvey to Tinchy Stryder.

What do they do? Their job is to find new talent and then guide their musical output by advising on studios, producers, song selection or remixes. Where? Usually start as freelance scouts then work for labels or publishing companies. Best part? Listening to demos all day, going to gigs every night, working closely with artists. Worst part? See above! Useful skills? Music obsession. Being able to say no. Need any qualifications? Proven musical knowledge and taste helps. Many start as journalists or DJs. Good money? Junior scouts get paid little or nothing but top A&Rs can earn six figure sums.

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What skills do you need? You need to be calm under pressure and be very organised. You need to be clued up on newspapers, magazines, blogs, and journalists. I’m a bit of a blog geek. I read them every day, just to keep updated with what’s going on.

Hair and make-up artist

What do they do? Make the stars look gorgeous for photoshoots, videos, concerts and TV shows. Where? Most are freelance but some very big stars have hair and make-up people on their payroll. Best part? Very sociable, creative, lots of travel and networking. Worst part? Lots of waiting around, early starts, unpredictable income. Useful skills? Lots of chat, resourceful, persuasive, confident, stylish. Need any qualifications? Not essential but there are good courses. Most start by assisting established pros. Good money? Like most creative careers you have to work for very little for the first few years, but pay can rise up to 3K per day for the top hair stylists.

How did you become a PR? I got involved with Live just before I started my Journalism and English degree. After I graduated I did loads of work experience. I just kept applying to major labels and music PRs asking for a job. I got my job three years after graduating. It was a very proud day. What’s the secret to doing your job well? It really helps to be efficient, and that’s true at all stages of your career. If you’re asked to do something, do it and do it well. Also persistence; publicists are always chasing journalists for features. Be polite, ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ are good nice words! Keep updated music-wise and make sure you’re across new music. What is the most exciting aspect of your work? It’s always a good feeling when I’m given a new campaign to work on. It’s also really exciting when you work with artists you admire. I don’t usually get star struck, but I was when I met Erykah Badu, I can’t lie! Who has been the biggest influence in your life? My biggest influence has to be my Mum. She’s a strong woman who taught me never to give up.

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Imagine a film set in inner-city London, filled with teenagers in tracksuits and hoodies, using terms like blud, safe fam and nah, cuz. It’s got to be another Adulthood or Bullet Boy, giving us the same old gritty insight into poverty, gangs and hoods. Well Attack The Block is different. Joe Cornish’s directorial debut is a sci-fi epic that sees a group of sharp-fanged, flesh-eating aliens causing havoc on a south London estate. Be warned: this is not just another hood film. Attack the Block begins with Moses, played by 19-year-old John Boyega, and his group of boys as they rob a young lady. What happens next seems like something out of the X-Files: a meteor crash-lands into a car next to them, and a monstrous alien jumps out ready to devour the gang. But Moses pulls out a knife hidden in his sock and stabs the creature, which then leads to the whole gang chasing it down and killing it. But it doesn’t end there: a group of these not-so-friendly extraterrestrial beings land, with a mission to rip the gang to shreds in what ends up being a cat and mouse chase with the estate residents, including local drug dealer Ron, played by Nick Frost. The film is an excellent take on a classic sci-fi genre, switching things up by setting an alien invasion in south London and adding in plenty of laughs. The action scenes are truly exhilarating and could take on some of the most famous epic films as our group of unlikely heroes replace machine guns and explosives with fireworks and baseball bats. The one-liners are on point too: a line from the trailer “this is too much madness for one text” has already been changed by online fans into “too much madness for one tweet/status/ BB”.

Alien Attack!

Attack The Block is one of the biggest films of the year, featuring south London estates and alien invaders. Live’s Daniel Oniya went to meet the cast and crew.

which took an ironic look at pop culture through various sketches. At the press screening Live attended, Cornish explained that the film was inspired by his love for alien and monster films from the likes of Critters and Gremlins to 1979 gang film The Warriors. An unusual inspiration for the film came from a mugging that Cornish experienced in south London, although he didn’t expand further on the incident. Apart from Nick Frost, all the lead actors were first-timers and Cornish felt it was essential to use young people from inner city London to make it as authentic as possible (they even did a casting down here at Live, and one of our contributors, Haneen Hammou, got a part, playing a girl called Bubbles). Live met up with the young actors in the swanky Soho Hotel, in a room which was decorated with wonderfully chic furniture that could make the most humble person feel like royalty, and where fresh white towels dazzled the bathroom. It is the type of hotel room you wish was your permanent apartment, but staying there would leave more than a dent in your wallet - an English breakfast costs a whopping £20!

“If AMERICANS don’t understand the lingo, tough! For too long we’ve had ‘wassup homies’, and ‘holla at cha boys’. It’s about time they learnt how we talk in London.”

With such a massive film it is easy to forget that the cast are still very young. It was a Attack the Block manages to avoid delving bit of a surprise that they walked in with into the stereotypes of black youth culture excitement and enthusiasm and even films, despite having a predominantly black nervousness. It was like meeting up with a cast. Take the scene when the gang have bunch of friends at college, as they came just escaped aliens, where Moses comes in their jeans, hoodies Nike creps and to the conclusion that the government is body warmers. Long-haired (well longer responsible. “First they give us guns, then than the rest) 17 year-old Alex Esmail, who drugs… black boys aren’t killing each plays Pest, had the chance to audition other fast enough, so they sent these when casting directors recruited people things”. It’s a comment that could’ve so from his college drama class. The north easily gone down another route but the London resident is definitely as humorous director defuses the intensity with a burst and charismatic as his character, who is of laughter from Moses’ friends. the funny guy of the group. “We’re similar in some ways, but in others [we’re] not,” he The film comes from the mind of director says of his character. “I don’t smoke weed Joe Cornish, best known for Channel 4’s and I don’t go rolling around trying to rob comedy series The Adam and Joe Show people and fight aliens”.

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“An alien invasion In the hood? are you trying to take the mick? Aliens never land in London! They aim towards London, THEN they go to America.” South-east London resident Simon Howard, who slightly resembles Timo Cruz from Coach Carter, plays Biggz. He was also recruited in his drama lesson at college. Performing in a sci-fi is a dream come true for him. “The aliens are [like] nothing you’ve seen before. You’ll need to go home and lock your door” he says. Growing up in south London, he reckoned it was a blessing to have the film shot in his area. “‘We filmed all over but it was best filming in south. It just made it even easier to get into character.” The eldest of the group, 19 year old John Boyega, was looking sharp with a grey cardigan over a shirt. He was initially baffled by the film’s concept. “I didn’t understand the concept. An alien invasion in the hood? I thought ‘are you trying to take the mick?’ Aliens never land in London. They aim towards London but they just go to America”. To get into character Boyega watched Season Four of the hit US drama The Wire, which looks at kids in the drug trade and follows them at school. This definitely worked, as he successfully pulled off the silent-thug look in his character Moses.

Much of the film’s ravingly positive reviews have stemmed from the USA, where the film premiered at the South by South West festival. With lines like “drop dead awesome” and “nonstop asskick-tastic” appearing in reviews it is no surprise that the film is getting a US distribution this year. Despite the minor concerns that an American audience may get lost in the amount of London slang, it is more than likely to be a hit, because at the end of the day it’s a modern epic. To be honest, if US audiences don’t understand the lingo, tough! For far too long we’ve had the “wassup homies”, and “holla at cha boys”, it’s about time they learnt how we talk in London. All in all, Attack the Block is refreshing, entertaining and well overdue. It exemplifies UK filmmaking at its best, and throughout you can’t help but think it’s about time a film like this was made. It’s also a reminder for wannabe (and even established) directors to be more creative as it tells you just because a film is set in the hood, it doesn’t have to be a hood film. Get me fam? Go to the Live Magazine website or YouTube channel to watch our video interview with the cast and the official trailer.

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Jessica’s Story

BILLS, BILLS, BILLS, Three of London’s finest upcoming moguls make it rain with just a tenner.

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In the last issue we announced the launch of Mind Your Money (MYM), our financial literacy campaign which aims to make young people more financially aware. MYM is supported by O2 Think Big, which gives young people the chance to better their communities by giving them £300 to start up their own social project. Now, I’m not that great when it comes to managing my own money, but I believe it’s important that young people understand the different ways of making money, managing it and of course having fun with it! To help me kick our campaign off, O2 Think Big invited me to one of their training days. This is where myself and other Think Big participants had the opportunity to discuss our projects with mentors who offer advice on how to improve our ideas. I had to wait five weeks for my training day, but now O2 have changed the process, so that you can start working on your project quicker and be better supported earlier on. I enjoyed getting to know the other young people who I was training with and their Think Big Projects which are all going to make great differences in their communities. It has been a long time coming, but I’m proud to present the first part of our campaign. We sent three entrepreneurial young minds out with £10 in their pockets, and a mission to make some profit out of it. Now £10 is not a lot of money but, hey, a challenge is not supposed to be easy right?

$ £

With a starting investment of £10 and only one week to invest it, I set about thinking of an idea that would bring quick returns. I immediately looked for opportunities in the large commuter market and decided that it would be easy to trade outside of Bow Road station. With a large disused space outside it and no cafés nearby, it seemed a perfect opportunity to set up a mobile coffee stand. However, having spoken to station staff and various mobile coffee companies, this option proved to be neither financially nor practically viable. With that idea out the window, I did some research into what was available at other tube stations in the capital and found flower stalls were extremely profitable as well. So on Sunday, I cycled to the famous Columbia Road flower market. I went at the end of the day when all the best deals were to be had. With my £10, I managed to haggle 20 bunches of flowers! I spent the next day arranging them into 30 bouquets which I sold outside Bow Road station for three days at £5 each until the last few which I sold at “two for a fiver”. I made £150. My involvement in Queen Mary Entrepreneur society and experience of setting up my first company, 100% Natural Foods Ltd, has taught me that market opportunity is the most important thing when looking to launch a product, service or venture. Having participated in this campaign it has made me even more motivated to encourage people to use their initiative. There’s such a big opportunity for young people to do great things when they know how, and a lot of profit to be made!

James’ Story

Lubeto’s Story “As I grew older I struggled with getting recognised as a DJ and getting people to hear my music and DJ mixes. This lead me to work as a freelance music PR and running my own PR company, Pressplay Music PR, to gain more exposure. Being given £10 to make profit from was a challenge and I’m a competitive dude, so it was something I was looking forward to. I used the £10 to pay a graphic designer to design a new e-flyer to advertise my radio show called Crash The Server. I used the e-flyer across all my social networks and emails to raise awareness. I guess you are wondering how I will make a profit? The advertisement gave me more exposure through Facebook, mail outs and newsletters, which then lead to more people becoming interested in the music PR I do. This has helped me gain two successful clients who I now do PR for. To make more profit, I’ll have to gain at least four clients on a monthly basis with a fixed rate of £90. I will deal with their press releases, publication exposure and also continuous promotion to a market of music listeners. Mind Your Money has helped me understand how to limit my overheads such as bills, graphic designers and also online newsletter websites. As a result, I found this very beneficial as it gave me a greater insight to making my PR label more successful in the near future.

I struggled with this task, not because I wasn’t motivated, but because I struggled to come up with an idea. I thought of all the conventional ideas, like selling sweets, but I didn’t think that was fulfilling enough and it didn’t feel like me. I believe that I am a creative person, but I definitely lost my mojo on this one trying to figure out what to do. I also consider myself an entrepreneur; I neither see the glass as half full or half empty, but as an opportunity to sell more glasses or drink! One of my favorite entrepreneurs to study and watch is Michael Jordan. The reason I say this is because I played basketball and when training you’re taught skills that you can take into the boardroom for example: hard work and determination. He is an advocate for sport men becoming great businessmen and owns a sports clothing brand and American basketball team Charlotte Bobcats. However, I also believe entrepreneurs have a great ability to give and I guess that’s the view I took in this challenge. Instead of spending my money, I decided to give it to a good cause called Sweat For Japan. It’s a cause to help all those who were affected by the tsunami in Japan, launched by marketing agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH). I thought this task was amazing, as it has really made me think about how I should use my money and how I can help more people with the little money I have. As Tesco say: ‘Every Little Helps’. With our remaining £270 we will be setting up a website where the Mind Your Money team will be uploading fun reads about money management. Learn to keep it in your pocket guys!

If you have been inspired to start your own O2 Think Big Project visit www.o2thinkbig.co.uk to create your profile. Once you have completed the simple application, you will be notified if you have been successful by the Think Big team and given support to help turn your project into a reality. To keep up-to-date with our campaign please visit our Think Big profile: O2thinkbig.co.uk/projects

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X-Factor RoxXxan is a triple-talented BMXer, boxer and rapper. Live writer Jacqui caught up with her to find out how she made the leap from working 9-5 on a Birmingham make-up counter to knocking out all comers. Pow!

Hoxton Square, an overly sunny spring day. RoxXxan has picked a spot on the grass, is stretching out and catching some rays. The 21 year old rapper, rocking a retro, cool kid look is swaggered up in green vans and a matching top and jeans; topped off with her trademark curly afro and a pair of crazy, printed Ray Bans. It’s a strong look. But first, the music: RoxXxan has a flow to match no other, with a crazy fast pace and tendency to spit bars about her hometown and her experiences. Her track Heavyweight appeared on the Shank soundtrack, she’s been signed to Polydor Records, who are expecting Tinie Tempah-style success for her by the end of the year, and she was chosen by Mike ‘The Streets’ Skinner to appear in The Guardian as his tip for the future of UK music. She’s a lyricist who always tells a story, something that is reflected in her influences: her favourite rappers are Wiz Khalifa and LA rapper Mipsy Hustle. With a feature on last year’s Game Over: The Female Takeover she held her own with her 32 bars, sporting her signature backpack and letting the game know she had well and truly arrived.

“Guys! Not all girls are going to wear dresses and talk about being in love.” RoxXxan’s life has become a whirlwind from what it used to be, with a lot of early mornings and long days. But she is grateful for this stage in her career. “Right now I’m making music and having fun, before that point where it becomes more about selling records.” She’s been helped along the way by some fellow artists, including south London rapper P Money. “He took me on DJ Cameo’s set in November and let me jump on and hold my own for a good few bars, and that got people buzzing.” This landmark moment, along with slots on BBC Radio 1Xtra has led on to a mountain of upcoming projects; she’s touring with Devlin, she’s got a mix tape release in June and collaborations with Professor Green and Benny Banks to name a few. There’s also the release of her newest single Smoke, a gritty track which touches on the topic of smoking weed. It’s controversial, but RoxXxan would prefer to be truthful and real. “I don’t want to be out there trying to preach. Mums may not like it but for me it’s what people do. I’m not saying everyone should go out and smoke, I’m just saying it happens.” RoxXxan aka Triple X aka Roxanne Conway grew up on Five Ways estate in Birmingham with her mother, who raised her on her own. Despite the ongoing crime in her area, and being an only child, RoxXxan was never alone. Her friends became her family and the things she experienced with them helped her mature

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from childhood to adulthood. It was, she says, “the best upbringing ever”. “We had this play scheme where we’d go to Alton Towers for a pound,” she says, lifting her sunglasses onto her head. “It was when So Solid and Pay As You Go were big and we were all listening to Birmingham’s one pirate station. Our play scheme took us to (reggae singer) Pato Banton’s studio where all wrote an eight bar and a hook, then they gave us the track and we learnt each other’s verses. It grew from there, and then we’d make dens and write together. It was my first taste of music.” It was once she got to secondary school the reality of being a teenager kicked in. Being at an inner-city girls school, RoxXxan experienced the jealousy and drama that you would expect in that kind of environment. However being a cool and popular kid, she was able to avoid most of

“When I was a kid I wanted to be a pilot.”

come down to London to for an interview.” She landed a job with one of the world’s leading record labels, EMI, which provided her with invaluable knowledge of both sides of the music industry. “The Music4Good scheme and working at the label taught me everything I know. When I started working they just signed Tinie Tempah, so it was nice being involved because they wanted to hear what I had to say. It helped me get me to where I am today.” Coming from Birmingham, it was much harder for RoxXxan to break onto the scene. “London was exciting for me, but it was difficult to get collabos, to even get beats from producers.” So RoxXxan and her team decided to do the open mic circuit around London and raise her profile in front of the crowd. It worked. So much so, that she finds it hard to get back to Brum. “Making time to travel home is the hardest thing,” not surprising, really, considering she’s mashing up the UK music scene with her fiery bars. “If I can make music for the rest of my life and not go back to a 9-5 I’m happy. I don’t need everyone to know my name; I just want them to respect what I do.”

Despite being branded as a female rapper RoxXxan doesn’t let that perceived the commotion and focused on her main disadvantage hinder her career. “I’m passions, sports and music. She played representing girls: be you, be proud of rugby, track and boxing (she was a county- what you do, and don’t feel like you have level athlete) although music was always to be a product. Feel free to speak and say there too. “I always won races and sports what you have to say. To my male fans, I days, I’d always get medals and stuff. say ‘listen to girls, give them a chance.’ I’ve always done music but I’ve always Not all girls are going to wear dresses and done sport too. When I was really young I talk about being in love. I’ve experienced a wanted to be a pilot.” lot and I’ve got a lot to say.” However RoxXxan had a long list of 9-5 jobs she had done before she decided to fully pursue her music career. She worked for make-up company Aveda in Selfridges, she then moved onto others such as YSL, Benefit and Chanel, until finally landing a job at Boots, which she loved although “the long hours were a killer”. It was three years ago that she decided to jump off the make-up counter. After running down Birmingham-based, arts company Punch, she heard about a project called Music4Good, which was offering paid apprenticeships in the music industry. Little was she to know that it was run by Livity, who also run Live Magazine, and that when she jumped on a train, she was also about to jump into Live’s world.

RoxXxan’s hustle is going to take her successfully into the next stages of her career and future Backpack Gang empire – which we should all get a taste of soon when she drops her very own customised backpack fashion label. But first she’s going to take it one day at a time and become established as a hardworking artist in the industry. “I just want to build my own lane and my own sound. I don’t want people to hear me and say ‘Oh she’s like M.I.A or Ms Dynamite’, I want people to look and say that’s RoxXxan. That’s Triple X.”

“I want people to look and say that’s RoxXxan, that’s Triple X.”

Check out the video interview with RoxXxan at live-magazine.co.uk or go to myspace.com/roxxxan

“I was on my lunch in Boots, using the company phone, hoping no one would catch me, then I phoned in sick so I could

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live challenge

good days work This issue’s challenge saw Taylan Rifat spread the love by spontaneously surprising strangers doing nice things for them.

“The looks you get from passing strangers when you’re chasing a crisp wrapper down the street can put you off, but if no-one did it there wouldn’t be a clean street in London” Today’s society sees young people as selfish and anti-social and believes they care more about Call Of Duty than the people around them. My challenge was going to allow me to go out and change people’s opinion of young people one by one by doing good deeds for them. This could be anything from helping an old person across the road to packing someone’s shopping in the supermarket. As it had to be ‘random’ my planning was limited but I came up with a few ideas that could be done, anytime and anywhere. Before I knew it I was performing acts of kindness without even realising. To begin I started to think about things that people have done for me that made my life easier. I remembered that on the day the challenge was given to me, a man let me get on the tube before him. This may not seem like something big but it meant I wasn’t going to have to fight to squeeze on right at the very end. So I decided that next time I was on a tube I would give up my seat to someone who needed it. Ideas like this kept coming to me but I had to choose the two I could do at anytime so to start I chose giving up my seat on the tube.

For my second idea I felt that picking up litter would not only help the environment but if other adults saw me, as a young person, doing it they might feel they also should. Picking up litter was so simple and easy but it’s something I have never done before. Fair enough the looks you get from passing strangers can put you off when you’re chasing a crisp wrapper down the street but if no one did it there wouldn’t be a clear street in the whole of London. After you start clearing up after people you don’t even know, you find yourself getting really annoyed with people who drop litter. One man was eating a cereal bar whilst he was walking out of Woolwich Arsenal railway station and instead of holding the wrapper for 30 seconds longer until he found a bin, he threw it in a bush. Even I, a born-again do-gooder, wouldn’t rummage in a bush for litter so now the cereal bar wrapper in that bush could go on to disrupt the eco-system and have serious effects on the environment. Even if someone does take it out, if they don’t recycle it properly than it will just end up on a landfill and add to another worldwide issue.

After these acts I felt that I couldn’t be happy unless I took things to the next level. So I decided to go and volunteer at Foxfield Primary School in Plumstead, helping out with five and six year olds. As soon as I walked out of the meeting with the head teacher I knew that that the image of snotty, screaming children getting paint on my clothes and sticking things in my hair couldn’t become reality, could it? Of course that image was the complete opposite of what I found in the classroom. What I actually saw was bright wall displays and smiling children - it almost seemed too nice! I started off by reading with a group and this really made me understand that when you help a person that young finish a book just by looking over their shoulder and seeing where they get stuck, it means they have achieved something big, even if it only seems small to me. Next came one of my favorite subjects at school, drama. Goldilocks And The Three Bears was their story and they had to re-enact it in groups to the rest of the class. To get warmed up they played some games, which I joined in with, and even though I felt embarrassed, playing them was fun. Who’d have thought I would have been standing in a circle singing songs and shaking my arms and legs like a mad man – definitely not me!

complete the work correctly. I was working one-to-one with a boy who wasn’t as fast as the rest of his group but by the end of the session he had achieved as much as everyone else. By the smile he had on his face when he saw what he had done I knew he was happy and so was I! I see now that if I did a small gesture of kindness on a daily or even weekly basis I would make other people and myself feel better. I can’t pick up every piece of litter or always give up my seat but if everyone did a little something then the world would be a better place. At the start I really didn’t feel like I could make a difference to peoples lives and I was worried that my acts would go unnoticed. Now I’m at the end I realise that you do nice things for yourself as much as you do for other people. Once you know that you have done something to make someone else feel good or helped them out you can finish your day knowing that you made a difference.

After the break they had a maths lesson. This is where La’Rae, our photographer, and myself properly did something to help the kids out. All we did was guide them through their work but it meant them learning something new and that felt great! It was really good to see that because we worked with a group, these four children managed to understand the questions and

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Giving up my seat on the tube wasn’t as easy because, due to other people’s selfishness, I barely ever get a seat. The two times I did get a seat I only sat in it until the train got to the busiest station (London Bridge) and without saying anything I would just stand up. The person that then sat in my old seat didn’t know I gave it up for them - but I did - and especially when one old lady with shopping bags got my seat, it made me feel good inside because she needed to take the weight of her feet.

One night I got on a bus from outside Woolwich Arsenal station to go home and I was joined by what looked like 500 people. I automatically looked at how many seats there were and there was three free seats, and at least 30 people trying to get on the bus. Before I could move down inside the bus, one seat had already gone so I took it upon myself to sit in one of the two remaining empty seats and wait until someone who really needed it got on. With the amount of people piling on, there had to be someone and there was: an elderly man who looked liked he would fall if the bus turned a corner, got on and I gave him the seat I had been saving. He thanked me and I knew that he really did mean it.

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beyond.. and beyond inity and infinity To inf To ’t don’t fly II don eboy fly aceboy spac I’m sp I’m … you… about you w about know kno Cassie wears gold and silver watch Casio, £22; crocodile ring Bitching And Junkfood, £60; crop top Boy London, £30 and cycle shorts Boy London, £37.

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Daniel wears silver watch Casio, £22; necklace Bitching And Junkfood, £40; Buzz Light Year jumper Happy Shack, £35; Levis straight jeans Rockit, £15; snapback hat Boy London, £25 and creepers from Underground Creepers, £85.

Cassie wears gold and silver watch Casio, £22; black dress charity shop, £5; Disney print skirt Happy Shack, £15 and purple and black creepers Underground Creepers, £85.

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Daniel wears silver watch Casio, £22; lilac tracksuit from One Of A Kind £360 and Dr Martens boots, £70.

Cassie wears gold and silver wattch Casio, £22; Chanel Paris t-shirt from One Of A Kind, £250; Levis denim shorts Rockit, £24; sleeveless biker jacket Rockit, £60 and Ashish zebra wedges Rockit, £180.

Daniel wears silver watch Casio, £22; t-shirt from charity shop, £5; Levis skinny jeans from Rockit, £30 and Converses All Stars from Converses, £39.99.

Creative director: Jermaine Ricardo Robinson Project Manager: Daniel Amoakoh Production Manager: Funmi Laniuh Stylists: Jada Simone Stylist assistant: A J Parrie Photographer: Patrica Roberts Photographer’s assistant: Oliver Kludjeson Models: Cassandra Green, Daniel Sonmer

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Cooking With Lady Chann

The saviour of UK dancehall Lady Chann, joined the Live team to chat and cook up a tasty Caribbean feast of brown stew chicken and rice and peas. As I stand next to her in Veranda, a slick, friendly, new restaurant in Brixton, I am amazed by her knowledge of seasoning and perfect spices. This Lady knows how to cook, something she often shares with her Twitter followers under the title ‘nyam wid Chann’.

don’t. They don’t have to like you. They don’t have to watch you. But other people will, won’t they? So you need to be YOU.

Despite the messy table she is like a young masterchef and a genuine all-rounder, who’s a great cook and even better MC. Her musical roots are in reggae and she began in the dancehall group Suncycle with Dolamite and Lante, Gappy Ranx and Infra Red Man. She has also worked with UK garage producer Sticky, coming up with the smash hit Sticky Situation, which made the entire industry take notice.

“I remember trying to lick my mum’s wallpaper and being like ‘nah, this don’t taste like sweets!”

From chatting to her as she cooked, her bubbly style and presence means its obvious that she truly belongs on stage. Prepare to be enlightened (and to learn some serious cooking skills). So, what are you cooking for us today? Brown stew chicken and rice and peas. I usually cook it for Sunday dinner. I know it’s summer and everything but do you cook your own Christmas dinner? I usually go to my mum’s. She’ll do the chicken and turkey and mixed veg, Yorkshire pudding, rice and peas, macaroni cheese and some lamb. She mixes English stuff with West Indian. You know, parsnips. What influences your music? Predominantly dancehall, but dancehall with electro. A bit of everything, a bit of funky and bashment, but yeah I’m from the dancehall street.

Have you watched Anavahood? Yeah, I like it! It’s nuts. Adam Deacon actually bought this project alive. They filmed it where my mum’s actually from, so I can identify with it. Big up to Adam Deacon still!

What do you think of girls that are dressing provocatively in music videos just to get fame? If you’re good-looking, you’re good-looking. If you ain’t, you ain’t. Messing up your health to fit a certain image is a no. If you’re pretty, and people want to use for things because you’re pretty, then cool! There’s people that are intelligent and can be used for other jobs. Everybody’s here for a purpose. Don’t degrade yourself, don’t become ill, or anorexic or silly things. Be confident with how you are. I wouldn’t starve myself. What was your favourite childhood film? I like things like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (laughs) and Charlie And The Chocolate Factory. I remember like trying to lick my mum’s wallpaper and being like ‘nah, this don’t taste like no sweets!’ I do like Disney and Pixar. Like I went to watch Toy Story 3. They have to do a Toy Story 4, when Andy has kids. What inspires you to write your lyrics? I just listen to a beat, see what vibes, and emotions it makes me feel, then write something that just goes with the flow. Or I write about stuff that’s happened to me. I write a lot on self-experience. What do you think of X-Factor? Well, if that’s your method to the music industry, and you got talent, why not show it? Sometimes, I think the rightful winners don’t win it.

Being a dancehall artist are you scared to show people your real self? Nah, I just be. People assume I’m gonna be scary because they listen to my music and it’s quite aggressive and really high energy. Any new music? I’m a bubbly person. Just be yourself wherever you go. I’m releasing a new single called Informer and another track called Equilibrium. You need balance in life, it’s good and bad, not What was it like working with Lemar for the Sticky Situation one over the other. That should be coming out in June. I’ll keep video? you updated with my Twitter and Facebook. I was so happy. Basically I was like, ‘look I got a video, come www.myspace.com/ladychann twitter.com/ladychann down and just show your face’ and he was like ‘cool’. He came www.facebook.com/ladychann on the second day and basically we filmed it backwards, like the rehearsals were filmed after the gig. So yeah he was cool, he’s extremely funny, he’s bubbly and he’s an all-round nice guy.

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What advice would you give to be people that are scared to be different with their music? I used to think being different was bad. In the UK everyone looks to grime, because they can understand them better. With me, I’m that Jamaican girl from that Jamaican group, and you think you might get left out of a lot of things. Now, I think being different works a lot better. If people like it, they like it, if they don’t, they

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stop and Search: Know Your Rights Stop and search is an ongoing issue. Pete Apps speaks to some young Londoners and asks why the experience is always so negative.

It seems they don’t always pick you out based on how you’re dressed. Alfie was on his way to a job interview when a police patrol car pulled up next to him, and two officers jumped out and shoved him up against the wall.

“You understand why the police need to search people, but the problem is their manner,” he says, “it’s condescending, judgemental. You can see why people react in certain ways after a while. The frustration builds up.”

“I was only 16 at the time, but I had a suit on. I looked smart. I didn’t have a clue what was going on, but they were shouting at me like I was a criminal. Apparently they thought I’d made some kind of rude gesture, stuck my finger up at them, when I was scratching my head.”

Those I speak to tell me that the police spoke to them as if they were criminals, after they’d been stopped. The language used is confrontational and accusatory. They take a superior tone and sometimes make sarcastic remarks during and after the search.

Although they admitted there had been no crime committed in the area, and no reason to suspect him of anything, they kept him there for ten minutes and made a show of searching him, joking about the quality of his suit and searching for his name in their database of offenders.

Jerome, another young man who has a long experience of being searched by the police, tells me about a time where he was stopped outside a school. He was accused of carrying drugs and forced to open his mouth so they could look inside.

He was late for his interview. But that isn’t what annoys him most when he looks back on the experience. “Mainly, it’s the embarrassment,” he says, “if you get pulled up on a busy high street, everyone looks at you and thinks you’re a criminal. They‘re all walking past thinking you’re a drug dealer.” Stop and search is a complex problem. To many, the assumption is if you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear. What’s wrong with co-operating with a ten-minute search, if it means the police are more likely to apprehend terrorists, drug dealers and criminals carrying knives and guns? But these statements ignore the reality. It was the frustration with persistent, indiscriminate stop and searches that sparked the Brixton Riot in 1981. The inquiry into the death of Stephen Lawrence, in 1999, reported that frequent stop and searches create deep mistrust of the police in ethnic minority communities. While this may seem like ancient history to some readers, figures released last year show that people from ethnic minority communities are six times as likely to be searched than white people. This is actually a higher ratio than at the time of Stephen Lawrence’s murder. So what impact does stop and search have today? Joseph, a 25-year-old graduate, who used to be stopped frequently near his home in Canning Town, tells me he recognises why stop and search powers are necessary.

To go through that in public is unpleasant enough. But if the officer carrying out the search talks down to you and insults you, it can become unbearable.

“I was brought up in a Christian home, I did piano lessons, I never thought I looked like a criminal. But being stopped so much makes me doubt myself.” Constantly being the one who is picked out of a crowd for a search can also make you start asking questions about yourself. “There’s only so many times a search can be random,” Joseph says, “after that you realise that, for some reason, the police must think you look like a criminal. And then you’ve got to start asking why.” These are young people who have been stopped coming back from nights in their university library, to and from work or on the way to job interviews. They aren’t criminals, but being constantly picked out can make them look at themselves in a different light.

“I was brought up in a Christian home,” Joseph goes on, “I always did a lot of extra-curricular stuff when I was at school, sport, piano lessons, that sort of thing. I’ve never thought I would look like a criminal to people. But being pulled up so much makes me doubt myself. You start asking, is it something about me?” Perhaps worse than this is the way other people look at you. Searches often take place in public places, and close to the home or workplace of the person stopped. “People walking past don’t know the reason you’re being stopped, but you can tell a lot of them assume you’re guilty,” Joseph says, “it can be really embarrassing when you see buses go past and everyone is looking. You can start to feel stigmatised.” The police are not always sensitive to this. Alfie tells me that he was stopped outside work one the morning. He asked the officer if they could simply step round the corner, so he wouldn’t be seen by people coming in and out of the building. The officer refused. Then there is the question of ethnicity. While none of the people I speak to see stop and search as uniquely used against ethnic minorities – in fact, one of the interviewees is white – there is certainly a question of equality. Joseph is more blunt. “Black and Asian people feel stigmatised, because we are stopped more frequently. People would probably be more likely to accept it if it was fairer.”

Out of these interviews, it is clear that by showing some concern for the needs of the person they are stopping, the police could make the process a lot easier. While no-one will ever enjoy being searched, things could be done to make it less degrading and embarrassing. The police should remember that the person they’re stopping probably hasn’t done anything wrong. Simple respect and courtesy go a long way. The Equality and Human Rights Commission published a report last year criticising the police for exercising stop and search powers based on ‘stereotypical assumptions’. They found black people were six times more likely to be stopped by the police than white, while Asian people were twice as likely. The reasons put forwarded to justify this difference were found to be insufficient. “I’m a bit older now, a bit more savvy,” Alfie sums up, “I know my rights a lot more. I don’t think I’d let it happen like that again.”

Stop and Search: know your rights Most people stopped on the street are searched under section 1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) or the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. The police need to have reasonable suspicion that you have committed an offence or that you have drugs, weapons or prohibited items.

If you are stopped by the police, one of the most important things is to know your rights. It is this aspect which, as all You should be told the act you’re being my interviewees stress, transforms the experience from one where you feel bullied, searched under, what they’re looking for and why they suspect you. to an exchange between equals.

You should also be told the officer’s name and police station. Make a note of the symbols and digits on their lapel. Always ask for a written record of the search. It means you have proof of what was or wasn’t found. The police have no power to take your name and details under any search authority, though refusing will often prolong the search. You can be randomly searched under section 44 of the Terrorism Act. This is in force on railways, the underground and central London all the time, and can be brought into force in other areas. If anything was said or done in the search that you feel was abusive or unfair, make a note of what happened and what was said. Sign it, date it and keep it safe. Read more metpolice.uk/stopandsearch youth-rights-uk.org

IIllustration Oushka Duncan

Design Tom Salter 21

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REVIEWS

PREVIEWS

The Midnight Beast @ KOKO

Streetfest @ Hearn St Car Park, Shoreditch 29 May

The comedic band, most famous for their YouTube parody of Ke$ha’s ‘Tik Tok’, hit Camden Town for their second gig in London. Dubsteppers Joe Setz and HypeMan Sage warmed up the crowd, until the hooded trio stepped out of the smoke and on to the stage. The atmosphere went from lukewarm to sweltering with opener ‘Lez Be Friends’. But they saved the best till last: ‘Tik Tok’ was played to an audience of screaming fans, accompanied by all the pushing and shoving you’d expect from a 14+ gig. Definitely a must-see! (DM)

Children’s Hour @ Comedy Theatre

The curtains pull back on a bunch of American schoolgirls, hustling their geeky outcast classmate. The story begins when two students eavesdrop on a conversation and uncover a secret. Pupil Mary Tilford travels home and tells her grandmother, what she has overheard: that Karen (Keira Knightley) and Dobie (Elizabeth Moss) are having a lesbian affair… the plot thickens. Children’s Hour is a heart-warming and engaging drama, prepare to be taken on a journey. (PT)

BSUPREME @ Southbank Centre

It’s a chance to discover new passions or indulge ones you already have. All you need is an open mind. And maybe a little sense of adventure.

The City of London Corporation is the founder and principal funder of the Barbican Centre

Back in 2006, the quiet town of Ipswich was shattered by the discovery of bodies of five young women. Music and lyricist Adam Cork uses the speech patterns of the people of Ipswich to create a brilliant musical play that will challenge you – but in an amazing way. Heavyweight stuff. From £12 (get the National Theatre Entry Pass for concessions) nationaltheatre. org.uk (DM)

Circa @ The Barbican 19 and 24 July

If you like dance, art or just like to watch exciting performances, then you are going to love Australian show Circa, circus with a twist! The 85-minute show lets you interpret the passion and emotion from the performers, whilst they tumble across the stage as if they are superhuman! Be amazed! From £16 barbican.org.uk (NA)

New South African electro hits London in a township street party style. See DJs and dancers (these guys are fast: the music goes up to 180bpms) including the clown-masked Tshetsha Boys. Live’s just set up a new edition in Cape Town, South Africa, so expect to hear more of these styles in future issues! (SL)

Been there, seen it, done it

Culture Club

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Think of it as an invitation, from us to you so that you can explore the most exciting and diverse range of arts entertainment you’re ever likely to find in one place.

London Road @ The National Theatre Until June 18

Shangaan Electro @ Richmix 19 and 24 July

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FreeB is a membership scheme for 16–25 year olds that’s pretty hard to pass up. For a start, it doesn’t cost you anything. Yup, zilch!

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Mind-blowing artist Joan Miro is the man of the moment at the Tate Modern. The exhibition shows a series of paintings, by the Barcelona-born surrealist, documenting events of the time. During the Spanish Civil War, he created the Barcelona Series: sketches of the crazy characters he encountered in this period, each one tells a story, if you look long enough. A must-see exhibition for all ages, although it’s a bit expensive. (DB)

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Miro @ Tate Modern

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The dancers, from all across Europe, turned their energy into super-fast moves, with cheers and screams from the excited audience. Highlights of the evening were street dance crews Unity and Project G, but the best-dressed award has to go to extra-terrestial Myself, an optical illusion in black. Catch ‘em next time! bsupreme.co.uk (DA)

Streetfest’s live art fest returns to London’s East bringing live graf, music, films, fashion and sport in London’s coolest carpark. Hosted by Nextmen, events include Secret Wars, where two teams compete to create, armed with black paint and a white canvas; bicycle stunts by Lovenskate on a 32ft ramp, plus spoken word and street dance battles from b.supreme b-girls. DJs Nasty, Motive, bPm and many more are gonna be blazin’ the roof with dubstep, electro and grime, so come along, the more the merrier! £10 streetfest.net (SL)

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THE TRUTH...

Oval House Theatre are running a project, funded by The Co-operative Foundation, called Truth About Youth. Live went to meet EastEnders actor Arinze Kene to find out more. Oval House Theatre has been on the frontline of theatre for years, with famous names like James Bond (well, Pierce Brosnan) starting out there. Now they’re all about great plays, killer workshops and Truth About Youth, where young south Londoners challenge the negative ideas people have about youth. Three of their apprentices joined Live to ask Arinze Kene (yep, Connor from EastEnders) to find out how the theatre helped him get started, and why Truth About Youth really matters.

How did you get into acting? I’ve been acting for about five years. I loved acting when I was in secondary school, but I never took it seriously because I went to one of those schools where, if you liked acting you were, umm, a fool! When I finished college I was supposed to go to uni to study physiotherapy but I decided to take a gap year and give myself a chance at this acting thing. Basically, I’m still on my gap year, five years later.

What made you choose Oval House? We chose each other. The Artistic Director came to see the reading of one of my plays at the Young Vic, they liked the reading and they basically said: “If you want to use Oval, let’s do it!” We managed to get people like me in, people who didn’t know these plays existed. When I write, I try to re-engage young people with theatre so that they can see themselves on the stage.

How about the writing side of things? It never crossed my mind that I could write. I started writing when I was 19. I remember when I was acting, I would always want to know about any plays that I might like. I’d go up to people and say “is there anything about with this?” And they’d be like “nah nah nah.” My sister was like “why don’t you write these stories that you want to see?” Then I just started.

What inspired you to write Little Baby Jesus, which is on now at Oval House? I went on a pilgrimage when I was in secondary school. I was with two of my friends and we were talking the whole time because we were right at the back of the group, my geography teacher was got so annoyed with us. We went looking over a cliff for a bit and when we went to look back at the class, nobody was there. It was strange how we got lost, but then we still managed to get the purpose of the pilgrimage. It was a very important time in my life, for moulding me and I wanted to write about it.

What’s On… at Oval House All ticket info at www.ovalhouse.com

The Bus

Come Write With Arinze Kene

Summer’s Live!

15th July, 7.30pm, £5 Oval House Theatre Truth About Youth at Oval House Theatre present Summer’s Live, a celebration of young talent. It’s an exciting open air event that combines music, dance and improv, hosted by dynamic comedy duo JCX and Slick. Tunes come from DJ Excalibah and you can expect live music. Previous guests include Ed Sheeran, Katy B’s band The Illersapians and Conrad The Scoundral.

20th - 23rd July Windrush Square, Brixton Set in the heart of Brixton, housed behind the red metal walls of a double decker bus, this new piece written by the Oval House Theatre’s Young Writers’ Company explores the relationship between choice, maturity and the restrictions imposed on us because of our age. When are we old enough to make informed life choices. Or are we ever?

“The only time I saw people like me on TV was to do with crime. If there were more positive stories out there, you could throw them in the mix, too.”

Who are some of your favourite playwrights? Richard Wright. He’s got this book called Native Sun, if you haven’t read it, I really, really encourage you to read it! Langston Hughes because it’s simple, easy and … just poetry. Alice Walker, just because she’s dope.

Why do you think it’s important to have a project such as Truth About Youth? The only time I saw people like me on TV was to do with crime. I like to think that I’m not very impressionable, but I was definitely conditioned by what I read and saw. I‘d see a young person in the street and think, “OK, so he either got stabbed or he stabbed someone”. It’s easy to connect a situation with an article that you’ve read in the paper. If there were more positive stories out there, you could throw them in the mix too and we might be less fixed on pairing young people with negative stereotypes.

28th May, 1-5pm, £5 Alongside the premiere of his new play, Little Baby Jesus, award-winning writer Arinze Kene will be holding a playwriting masterclass to young and aspiring writers (under 21). Among other things, Arinze will be sharing his thoughts on character and capturing dialogue. There will be a matinee performance of Little Baby Jesus Sunday 5th June at 3pm. Under 21s qualify for £7 tickets. Come meet TAY Apprentices, see a great show and find out more about Truth About Youth. Places limited so must book in advance. www.ovalhouse.com

What are some of the positives and negatives you’ve experienced as an actor? Positives as an actor, hmmm. I’m finding it hard to find the positives! It’s all creative and it’s down to how hard you work. It’s helped me because I like to work hard. On the negative side, a lot of castings I get are characters who are young, urban, ignorant black dudes and it becomes annoying, know what I mean? So yeah, we’re just trying to change that up.

In assocation with

FEATURES REGULARS Photography La’rae Etchi 19

llustration Laura Taylor 23

Design Tom Salter 22

Words Tristan FynnAidenenu 16

Words Whitney Ashbourne 16

Words Fiona Solewole 18

Words Rochelle Lennon 18

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FOUR TO WATCH

ALBUMS

Durrty Goodz

DELS

The self-proclaimed ‘saviour of grime’ is back and more wise, focused, and determined than ever. Official first single Oi Wot You Lookin At highlights his distinct flow and songs such as Badda Than Ninja show off his witty way with words. Armed with heavy basslines, infectious lyrics and beats provided by Scratcha DVA, Goodz offers something for all listeners, including dubstep track Wot’s My Name. The hideously creative Battle Hype, in which the rapper imitates some of the biggest UK stars, shows that Goodz is incomparable. (GC)

‘If you wanna hear knife, gun, crime, feel free to change the channel ‘cos I ain’t your guy’, says DELS, as he sucks you into a world of 1990s computer games, electro rap, and appearances from Joe Goddard of Hot Chip. Ipswich-born Kieran Dickins (DELS) uses clever lyrics and catchy beats to capture listeners, however his voice leaves something to be desired. Between the striking beat of title song GOB and the haunting chorus of DLR, this album proves hit singles Shapeshift and Trumpalump are the first of many. (GC)

Inapeace (Inapeace)

Gob (Big Dada)

CocknBullkid

Yacht

Adulthood was recorded in London, Paris and Stockholm and was put together in Howe’s Dalston home studio, surrounded by vintage synths, and in the cosy confines of Snap Studios in north London. We get a real feel of Blay’s life from her edgy pop songs. This album has the ability to reach and entertain a wide audience, with its uplifting tracks. Check it. (LU)

Yacht, originally from LA, are a futuristic disco dance band. Second album ShangriLa has computer-like sounds that give it that robotic feel and makes the songs seem like they’ve been generated on Garageband. The range of synths and bass lines vary in every song, making it sound like it might have been made 20 years ago. Laptop-pop is no more. (WN)

Shangri-La (DFA)

Adulthood (Moshi Moshi/Island Records)

Delilah

Morning Parade

Loick Essien

Breton

Delilah, 19, is an up and coming north London artist who has worked with the likes of Chase & Status. Her new single ‘Breathe’ is a jazzy, soulful, inner city love song. This singer and songwriter, real name Paloma Stoecker, has many inspirations for her music. “It could be raining or I could be listening to people’s stories and I think I should write about that.” Delilah has a massive range of influences, but one act she name-checked was the hip hop duo Outkast. “ They are amazing! I just love them.” She comes from a very musical background: her mum worked at the MOBOs and her stepfather DJed at famous 1990s nightclub Ministry of Sound. At a young age she knew she wanted to be a singer and is often compared to the award-winning Adele, “We sing about completely different things, but both have something to offer in the music industry.” This down to earth star is one to look out for later this year. (SS, AS, AG)

Essex band Morning Parade started playing together in 2007 with a distinct idea of what they wanted to sound like. “We always wanted an electronic edge, blending the euphoria and rhythmic elements of dance music, but still keeping the anthemic rock element,” says lead vocalist Sparrow. Having harnessed their sound with debut track Marble Attic and radio friendly rock track A&E, the band are already generating mass appeal, having just completed their first ever headline tour. “We write songs that everyone can identify with, the kind of universal experiences that bind us all together.” Their name was inspired by their surroundings: “Whether it’s people on the way to work or returning bleary-eyed from forest raves, you’re always in this morning parade.” Complete with infectious pop-synth hooks, fist-pumping adrenalin and a tour with The Wombats, this indie-rock dynamic will have legions of adoring fans caught up in the Morning Parade pretty soon. (EH)

SINGLES

Redlight

Donaeo

Singer Ny has been around a while, releasing the Split Endz albums on True Tiger, but Be With You, ft Giggs is her first solo release. The message in Ny’s song is easy to relate to: she sings about wanting to be with someone who’s out of reach. The beat sounds quite electro and it’s incredibly addictive. It will have you hooked and rocking your head within… seconds. (PT)

Wiley returns to a label and it’s absolutely brilliant. The Wiley Kat’s single Numbers In Action shows him in his best light as an on-point MC who always does things his way. There are three remixes including ones from Sticky and Toddska which is a mad one. If you’re a fan of grime, this is a single you should definitely buy, it might just be the inspiration for your next mixtape! (LU)

Red Light is a producer from Bristol but living in south London producing dubstep. It’s loud, expressive with a very strong crazy bass. Source 16 is basically the best of everything; it’s dark and trashy with loads of instruments thrown in all at once. There’s no-one singing in it, it’s just generally instrumental. This is music for bubbly, energetic people that love to dance. (ST)

Donaeo’s Check My Swagger is the first single to be taken from his upcoming album Indigo and it could lead to the re-birth of funky house: the high tempo and the energy in this track make it perfect for the raving scene. You know it’s Donae’o but it certainly holds its own against tracks like Falling or Devil In A Blue Dress. (ZMP)

Numbers In Action (Big Dada)

Source 16 (Digital Soundboy)

Check My Swagger (My-ish)

R&B soul sensation Loick Essien is a big new talent. The singer, dancer, model and former child actor has collaborated with Chipmunk, Bashy, Labrinth, and more recently, the N-Dubz boys on single Stuttering. Right now, he’s in the studio working on his debut album, Identity. “The album’s the first piece of me that I’m putting out to the world on disc. I’m excited to present it to the world!” Teaming up with legendary producers Stargate, The Underdogs and RocNation writer James Fontalroy, the youngster is preparing for the big time. “There’s a lot of expectation, but you’ve just got to take each day as it comes and stay focused.” With his well-groomed collection of infectious R&B tunes and alluring swag to boot, this charismatic charmer will have the British music scene completely love drunk in 2011. (EH)

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Words Emma Hitchens 21

Words Alison Gneba 16

Words Zane Mikkel Palmer 19

Words Seana Thomas 16

Words Pai Takavarasha 21

Words Will Nicholls 12

Words Danny Byrne 13

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Words Aida Ssedandeke 15

Wiley

Be With You (Dream Juice Music)

Words Sarah Ssedandeke 16

Breton are an experimental four-piece on the come up. Fusing together elements of dubstep, indie, electro, drum ‘n’ bass and hip-hop, they are undoubtedly one of the most diverse bands to grace the scene. “Our music is about capturing the moment and portraying how we feel collectively,” says band member Roman. Well known for their creative work in video editing and working with trip-hop sensation Tricky, Breton’s music is not one to be boxed in. Most of their songs are laced with vocals backed with the distorted sound of drums and synths, like on singles RDI and The Well. Having changed record labels from Hemlock to Fat Cat Recordings the band’s intentions for the future is to record an album, in addition to putting together an “insane” gig for all their fans in London. (OB)

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cinema

Current Releases

The Hangover 2 Dir: Todd Phillips

Transformers: Dark of The Moon

Everywhere and Nowhere paints a picture of the struggles of growing up in Britain with strict Asian parents. The story follows Londoner Ash Khan, played by upcoming star James Floyd, who rebels against the constraints set upon him by his father. Ash is a talented DJ who stays true to his two cultural contexts and manages to fuse them. He is encouraged to go after his dreams by bad boy with a good heart Zaf (Adam Deacon). One to watch! (PT)

This is the sequel and second round, where Phil, Stu, Alan and Doug rock up in Bangkok for Stu’s stag. Following mad antics in Vegas, Stu has settled on Bangkok for a prewedding celebration in the peace and quiet. Naturally, things don’t go to plan. The fabulous four get stuck in Bangkok, minus Stu’s fiancé’s brother and chaos ensues. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but what happens in Bangkok can’t even be imagined. This film is sure to cause laughs, and trouble. (EB)

Transformers is going be this summer’s blockbuster, released on the 1st of July. The Autobots learn of a Cybertronian spacecraft hidden on the moon and are on a quest to uncover its secrets, which could turn the tide in the Transformers’ final battle. Optimus leads the Autobots in action, taking on the evil Deceptions with the exciting addition of a new villain … lots to look forward to (LU)

Everywhere and Nowhere Dir: Mehaj Huda (Kidulthood)

“Powerful, compelling stuff that pulls no punches.” Mark BillinghaM

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Scan the code to watch the trailer Get the mobile app at http://gettag.mobi www.walker.co.uk B

Words Taylan Rifat Words 15 Pai Takavarasha 21

• Never dispute a thing his mum says

RefugeeYouth presents Refuge in Films Festival 2011 produced by young people from all over the world. It’s a three-day film fest with interactive workshops and discussions exploring the issues of displacement, refuge and migration. Londoners from over 25 countries have come together to make, curate, lead discussions and host creative workshops. Key feature films from Austria, Colombia and Germany will be accompanied by a programme of thematic films at the BFI Studio. Be there! refugeinfilms.org (SH-W) Supported by BFI Future Film bfi.org.uk/futurefilm

Words Elisa Bee Words 18 Elisa Bee 18

• Don’t let him see you drunk

“Remy’s a girl after my own heart – although in all my years as a WAG I never met anyone quite like her!”

Some Like it Hot Dir: Billy Wilder

Seek Refuge in film

T’s & C’s at walker.co.uk/pride

he’s a footballer

Words Lilufa Uddin Words 17 Taylan Rifat 15

• AT FIRST pretend you don’t know

watch

After ten years of witchcraft and wizardry the world is preparing itself for the eight final Harry Potter film ever! If part 1 was anything to go, part 2 is going to be a rollercoaster ride of thrills, shocks and scares! Everyone who has read the books will know that there are still so many questions and with just one more movie we wonder how they’ll fit in all the answers! Watch this space! (TR)

Welcome to the hilarious diary

THE WAG CHARTER

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 Dir: Dir: David Yates

now!

LiVE Classic!

This classic 1920s film weaves humour into an action-packed plot. Two musicians get caught up in the middle of a mob shooting where they overhear a conversation that forces them to leave Chicago. Fleeing for the lives, they disguise themselves as members of an all-female jazz band. They board the train as Josephine (Tony Curtis) and Daphne (Jack Lemmon) and befriend the beautiful but naive Sugar Kane (Marilyn Monroe). It’s the perfect setting for a drama to unfold. A stand out scene, which captures the essence of the iconic Miss Monroe, is her performance in the hotel bar. Josephine is captivated when he overhears her singing ‘I’m Through With Love,’ and can’t help but steal a passionate kiss goodbye, revealing his true to the audience. The action-packed chase will leave your heart pounding and gasping for air. A true classic of all, it is a definite must-see. (PT)

Words Pai TakaWords varasha Shineze 21 HenryWallace 16

Ever woken up in someone else’s body?

Words Shineze HenryWords Wallace Lilufa 16 Uddin 17

Joining the in-crowd is tough. Leaving is a killer.

Words Name Surname Age

From wags to riches.

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Love books? Go to spinebreakers.co.uk

JUST READ IT!! GOOD STUFF WORTH A READ I’ll PASS MEH...

premier league

LiVE Classic!

John Niven The Second Coming (William Heinemann)

Khaled Hosseini (Bloomsbury)

In John Niven’s re-imagining of heaven, God kicks back with a

blunt and a beer. ‘Second Coming’ begins with God’s return from a fishing trip, but his week in heaven is 400 years in earth time, so instead of seeing the Da Vincis and Michelangelos, God meets with war, injustice and poverty. Change is needed, so God brings Jesus back as a rock musician with the message ‘be nice’ to spread to the world. One problem: people won’t listen to a hippy claiming to be the son of God! (JC)

A story of friendship, guilt and finding your identity, in 1970s Afghanistan. Friends Amir and Hassan, sons of a wealthy merchant, and his housekeeper, are always getting up to mischief, but one night (the night of the annual kite running tournament), something happens that changes their lives forever and Amir must move away. Years later Amir is asked to return to Afghanistan by a friend of his father’s and he wonders if he should go back to uncover the past. A must-read that will have you in tears! (LS)

What inspired you to write Pride and Premiership? I heard that two thirds of girls going to careers advice meetings in schools wanted to be WAGs, and that shocked me. It actually made sense because of at all the messages sent via the press: being a WAG is just a modern-day fairytale ending where you can buy what you want, shop all you want and not have to struggle in life. And really who wants to struggle in life? Nobody.

Why do you think so many girls want to be a WAG? Girls think it’s a way out of a rut. When Jane Austin wrote Pride and Prejudice 200 years ago, they had to get a man with money because it was the only way for them to be able to survive. Now we have the chance to make our own money so I thought at least give the character the option to make her own money then at least I can present it to girls and say, ‘What do you think she should do?’

Who is the target audience? Definitely young adults. I’ve got teenagers in my family, like my brother, sister and teenage cousins, so I aimed it at young adults but I wanted my girlfriends to like it too.

How would you react if you had a daughter and she wanted to be a WAG? I would tell her I wouldn’t try and make my career out of a man because it means you’re dependent on him and suppose he breaks his leg and can’t play football anymore? I would always tell her have something of your own.

“Peter Andre was famous for going out with Jordan but they didn’t call him a HAB” Starcrossed Josephine Angelini (Macmillan Books)

Michelle Gayle Pride & Premiership (Walker)

Flip Martyn Bedford (Walker)

Starcrossed is not your typical boy meets girl novel. An ancient curse means Helen and Lucas can’t be together, but when both families come together to fight for justice and true love anything is possible. The debut novel inspired by Greek mythology is an impressive start. It’s a gripping read with enough twists and turns to make anyone dizzy. A bit frustrating, but ultimately a truly rewarding read. (SO)

When you see the word ‘WAG’ people think of models with Chanel bags and Gucci heels, but behind that façade there are just people who happen to be with footballers. The book follows Remy, a 17year-old girl with a WAG-shaped dream. It become reality when she meets Robbie Wilkins, of the Netherfield Park Rangers team, but a harsh reality is just around the corner. See page 61 for an interview with the author, also the ex-wife of former Leicester City footballer Mark Bright! (EB)

Flip tells the story of Alex Grey, who by some freak accident, wakes up in Phillip Garamond’s body. Philip, unlike Alex, is a sport enthusiast and an amazing cricketer, so Alex has to live Philip’s sporty life. He’s doing a pretty good job, until he meets Chris, who has also woken up in someone else’s body. What will Chris teach Alex? And will Alex ever return to his old body? Flip is a funny, creative and amazing read, though pay attention as the switching can get quite complicated. (DB)

Are there similarities between you and the main character, Remy? In some instances, I think she’s quite an honest person even though she knows it can get her into trouble. I do get into trouble because I’m too honest. Also the way she is with her mum is how I was with my mum. The book is funny. Are you a funny person? I can’t tell a joke but I’m quite funny. I’m quite opinionated and I’ve just got little funny ways about me so I know even at serious moments I try and find a bit of humour so I thought it’s nice to write something where people can laugh at it and recognise having been there.

Did you consider yourself a WAG because you were married to a footballer? I didn’t really see myself as a WAG as I’d always work and had always done my acting and singing, I was independent. What’s the worst thing about the WAG lifestyle? The expectation of you to be an assistant, or that your career isn’t as important as his career and you have to nurture him. It’s cool because it’s your man, and you wanna look after him, but it’s different if you want to look after him rather than if you’re expected to.

Illustration Laura Taylor 23

Words Mary Akeshun 15

Words Santrece Stewart 15

Design Andre Anderson 18

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Words Pai Takvarasha 121

Words Larissa Savi 15

Words Danny Byrne 13

Words Elisa Bee 18

Words Jamie Clifton 21

I know you’ve done various workshops with young women. Are you passionate about young girls making something good of themselves? I am actually. I know where I came from, there were no expectations of me because of my area, but I my parents always said, ‘It doesn’t matter where you’re living, it’s about where you’re going to live.’ People try and focus on the negatives so I always want girls to focus on the positives.

Is the term ‘WAG’ sexist? Did anyone ever consider calling men HABs (Husbands and Boyfriends)? That’s a very good point. It is very sexist, it’s exactly what you’re saying because really, Peter Andre became famous again because he got with Jordan, but they didn’t look at him and call him a HAB. It’s a very good idea! I didn’t think of that.

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When you were growing up what did you want to be? When I was really young I wanted to be a teacher and then after that I wanted to be a singer.

katy b

GET DIRRRTY

What experience do you want players to get when they play the game? We want players to feel the intensity of driving the world’s best off road vehicles through the most challenging environments. Adding weather and time of day changes into the mix, offers a whole new set of challenges for the player to adjust to. Car control is really important in the game. DiRT 3 is all about racing and having fun and we feel that we have got the balance just right. What other games have you made? From a design point of view I have worked on DiRT, SEGA Rally and DiRT 2 before working on DiRT 3. Do you enjoy making games? How did you get into it? I love making games. I finished university and got a job as a Quality Assurance technician at Codemasters three months later. I worked on TOCA Race Driver 2, Colin McRae 2005 and an assortment of other projects before getting my break as a Game Designer.

Where do you find the inspiration make your unique sound? Just living in London and all the sounds I’ve been exposed to, from pirate radio to jazz to pop to soul.

Classic Game

Street Fighter

How do you balance your social life and your job? At the moment it is about 90% job and 10% social life because we are pushing hard to get the game ready for submission. When we aren’t crunching I’d say it is more like 60% job 40% social life. What’s the best game ever made? Colin McRae Rally 1 and Colin McRae Rally 2 are what got me into the Games industry so they still hold a special place in my heart.

Who doesn’t know about the classic Street Fighter? It’s the oldest but still most amazing beat ‘em up. Our favourite part of Street Fighter is all the amazing rivalries, like Ken and Ryu, Bianca and the skinny dude with long arms (aka Dhalsim). But even though Street Fighter came out 24 years ago, people can still have a good fun, bang-out on it. The game has sold a massive 29 million units. And they haven’t changed the format of the power moves, such as Ryu’s incredibly powerful Haduken (now a band). Definitely worth digging in your attic to find this old-skool treasure. Retro is the way forward. (DB, WN)

Are you much of a gamer? I play as many games as I can. I love racing games but I’ll play games from any genre.

YouTube. Search the titles to watch ‘em.

Words Name Surname Age

Do haters affect you, or do you use them to work harder and prove them wrong?

Chuku wears brown and green check shirt Edwin, £140; beige waddle trousers Ben Shermen, £65; Eastpack bag £60, dark green and maroon sneakers Pointer £79 Chuck wears Ice cream Vans t-shirt Pinspired, £25.00; navy shorts Penfield, £60; yellow fisherman jacket Percival, £280; Puma grey and orange hightops, £54.99 Xulin wears black lepolicious t-shirt Pinspired, £55.00; mustard trousers Whilas and Gun, £120; Puma trainers, £65

Dubstep is making it the mainstream char do you think we shou out for? P Money is making an and it’s going to have dubstep influence, I ca for that.

Do you have any rom interests? Ha!!!

What was it like working with the kings of dubstep Skream and Benga? Can we look forward to any future collaborations? They are such talented, hilarious characters. I feel really lucky to have worked with such sick producers. No collaborations in the pipeline at the moment, but I’ll keep you posted.

Could I have your ph number… or BBM? Hahahaha!!!

OK. What would you be remembered for d Bringing the undergro overground.

myspace.com/katy

Who are your favorite UK artists? The list doesn’t end! But I love Amy Winehouse, Jamie Woon, P. Money and Wiley.

KipKay creates easy to follow How To… videos. Internet video viewers and homehandymen have been amazed by his instructional videos to create gadgets and devices that are all made from household objects.

Like us! We’re on Facebook. Search ‘Live Magazine’

Floyd Mayweather Jr Master of Defense

The reason why Floyd Mayweather Jr has an unbeat record is simple: he doesn’t get hit. If this display of boxing brilliance that demonstrates ‘Money’ Mayweather’s suprem footwork and slick counterpunching doesn’t make you pick up the gloves, nothing wi

Cristiano Ronaldo’s skills in HD

When leading 2-1 with a minute before full time you keep possession. WRONG! Watch Cristiano Ronaldo’s dazzling dribble deep in the Arsenal’s half tormenting the full back with flicks and faints. What a great way to run down the clock and inspire some samba magic.

It’S YOUR MAG – GEt INvOLvED. WHY IS IT SO POPUlAR? LIvE@LIvE-MGAZINE..cO.Uk Words Name Surname Age

Words Name Surname Age

650,000 subscribers and 100 million views KipKay is the most popular nerd in the world.

www.live-magazine.co.uk

What advice would you give to young people aspiring to get into music? Believe in yourself, only do what makes you happy and work as hard as possible.

You don’t swear or ta anything crude in yo I’m not complaining, is that? I’m all up for a bit of o geousness but I guess not me. If I started act Lil’ Kim, my friends wo bit confused.

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cONtAct US ON 020 7326 5979 Kip Kedersha akaDROp KipKay isIN a nerd who 10AM tUESDAY OR fROM shows you how to make cool wacky tO thURSDAY. UNIt 11 pIANO stuff like a condom shotgun, lighter laser burners and solar death rays. KipKay 9 bRIGhtON tERRAcE, has attainedhOUSE, internet celebrity status with his DIY gadget-creating videos and SW9 8DJ his tinkeringbRIXtON with electronics. With over

DiRT3 is out on May 26 on PS3, Xbox360 and PC.

How busy is 2011 looking for you? I’m touring with Tinie Tempah in February. Then I’ll tour solo in spring. ‘On a Mission’ comes out in April so I’ll be pretty busy. After that comes the summer festivals, which I’m really psyched about!

If you’ve ever been in a band and what were they called? I’m curious because I once saw you perform with a band in Brixton. I was in a with a soulful, jazzy vibe band called Bassics, who were like my brothers. Being surrounded by the talent you find at the BRIT school made forming bands really easy. Also The Illersapiens who are a sick hip hop band from Brixton.

WANt tO SEE YOUR WORk DO YOU thINk thERE ARE IN thE pAGES Of LIvE ISSUES WE ShOULD It’s spring and time to get back into sport. Albert Harvey got his pulse racing with MAGAZINE? bE cOvERING? the top five sporting clips to be found on

WHAT IS IT?

What would you say to someone who wanted to get into your job? Be passionate, play games, enjoy life, make sure you are a good communicator and don’t take no for an answer.

Words Name Surname Age

OURTUBE

WE NEED WRItERS, phOtOGRAphERS, ILLUStRAtORS AND GRAphIc DESIGNERS AGED bEtWEEN 14 AND 22 tO JOIN OUR tEAM IN OUR bRIXtON OffIcE.

Where do you see yourself in five years do you still think you will be making games? I think so yes. There is so much I want to do in off road racing games and I have so many ideas that I want to try out in future titles.

What was your Plan B? Maybe acting, it’s so much fun.

I met up with my friend and he was wearing a t-shirt with the logo ‘hater’ on. He said he was a hater with an opinion. He has a point. People will always make negative comments, so I’ve just got to make sure that what I do makes me happy.

YOUR MAGAZINE NEEDS YOU

last issue we covered the marvels of SB.TV. This time round it’s rising YouTube star KipKay…

What else do you do apart from games? I love cars so going to motorsports events and tuning my Ford Fiesta are hobbies. I also play golf and enjoy watching Football and Motorsport.

Words Theo Jackson Words 16 Name Surname Age

Words Danny Byrne Words 13 Name Surname Age

Words Wiil Words Nicholls Name 13 Surname Age

Are you surprised by your chart success? When I was writing ‘On A Mission’ and ‘Lights On’, I didn’t expect them to hit the charts and I’m still in shock. I’ve had amazing opportunities, like getting to support John Legend and The Roots. They’re my favorite band, so that was like a dream.

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Do you think that BRIT school had a major role in your career? Definitely. I got to go to school with people I could really identify with. There was a constant exchange of ideas, so it was an amazing inspiration source.

When did you realise that music was the path for you? I started playing the piano at six and always had a funny relationship with it: I hated practicing but loved playing. When I found out I could sing it allowed me to express myself much more, so I started listening to Alicia Keys and ripping her chord sequences then making up my own lyrics to them. From there, it just clicked.

Design Tom Salter 22

How is this game different to the other games in the series? We have built on all the aspects of the DiRT Series so far. We have taken that professional Motorsport feel from DiRT1 and added some of the more irreverent aspects of DiRT2. I’m confident that we have found a really strong balance between the two for DiRT 3. Adding Gymkhana into this mix has given a new dimension to the series and I think it is a bold statement that will give players something new to experience.

How did you feel when you first heard your songs on the radio? I remember dancing around my kitchen the first time I heard my song on air. It was on a pirate station called Freeze FM. My friend called me and told me I was on air, so I quickly turned on the radio to tape it.

Words Melissa Caton 16

Paul Coleman is the mastermind (aka Senior Games Designer) behind all conquering rally car racing game DiRT 3. Paul tells LIVE’s Theo Jackson about the next level attention to detail that went into DiRT 3, and turning his hobbies into his profession

Our new regular feature puts your burning questions to our favourite people. keep your eyes on the website and get your questions ready!

“If I started ac like Lil’ kim, my friends would a bit confused

Words Celeste Houlker 19

game On

2 player

Words Daniel Oniya 22

1 player

enter coins

Words Sarah Boateng 16

enter coins

Creative Director: Jermaine Ricardo Robinson

Roger Federer:Stylists: Jada Simone Kalan Bailey Beautiful Points Taylor Anne

Watch this amazing compilatio Photographer: of Roger Federer’s best shots Blou Georgiou of all time. If thereModels: is a clip tha could justify how Vannesa greatFerdinand the ma Oluebube Ubadike Xulin Liu is, this is it. Chuck Achike Chuku Modu

Runners: Michelle Sammet Julie Douard

Usain Bolt breaks the 100m in 9.69

This is one of the most

Project Manager: Celeste Houlker

POSTCARD FROM

PAKISTAN When four young Brits visited Pakistan as part of the Offscreen exchange programme, they met a women’s rights activist, painted customized trucks, and found a 2,500 year old university. DAY 1: PIMP MY TRUCK A truck depot is like a garage where all the trucks are held and be given a full makeover, artists take on the role of painting each truck - they’re commissioned by truck owners and work fast. It’s a very skilled career and themes use vibrant colours, motifs, capturing the essence of Pakistan. We were lucky enough to be one of those artists for the day, and I wanted to capture the essence of Pakistan. One of the things I’d learned on my journey was that Islamabad is a young city. Before there were buildings, cars, shops and homes, there was a forest, full of trees. I wanted to reflect that in my design.

DAY 3: MAKING A DIFFERENCE We visited a school set up for children to deter them from succumbing to child labour. With no funding, the school is run with money from a few of the teachers. The school is run during the afternoons, so children can continue their morning work, yet be educated in the evening in english and maths. The school was inspirational - I always thought to make a change within society, it needs to affect the masses. But seeing the school showed me 30 students’ lives have been dramatically changed, and for me that is reason enough for something to be attempted. The day showed me I could make a difference. (Elliot)

I found the day to be inspirational - truck art is a form of art that should be seen and recognised for its skills and designs. It’s a way of expressing yourself; art is culture and way of life. I want to see truck painting in the history of art along with William Morris. (Rukia) DAY 2: BACK TO THE OLD SCHOOL We visited Taxila a place of great historic significance, it’s a living memory of ancient civilizations that once settled here, and is home to arguably the world’s first ever place of higher education, the Jaulian Remains, a 2,500 year old university. The ancient university is up on the hills, with amazing views of the surrounding valleys. It was clear why Buddhist Monks chose to build this place of education here; it’s a place of peace, meditation and reflection. The remains show this part of Asia was far ahead of its time in higher education than any of its European rivals, who were still living in the Dark Ages. For mankind to progress into the future, we must look to the past for answers. (Fayyadh)

Design Tom Salter 22

Words Rukia Begum 21

Words Ruweyda Dool 20

Words Fayyadh Shamsuddin 20

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Words Elliot Murray 19

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DAY 4: FIGHTING FOR WOMEN’S RIGHTS Samar Minallah is a human rights activist and filmmaker, and she showed us her short films on Pakistani women. One clip really shocked me - the aftermath of a woman who was part of a marriage proposal scandal. It’s a true story of a lady whose face is distorted as acid was poured over her face, because she refused to marry a man. Samar is an inspiring leader. Her strength, honesty and leadership for women shines through, she is a woman who is not afraid to take risks, and is making a movement within society. (Ruweyda)

Live Asks… Wretch 32

Blog, View, Comment, Debate, Share, Tweet, Attend, Act, Create

Live Asks is our regular feature where readers get to ask the questions. This month: Traktor star Wretch 32.

When you were younger did you ever think you would get this far in the music industry? Taysha-Chanel, 14 To be honest when I was younger I didn’t really think I would do music. I couldn’t really see myself getting to the age of 25. I wanted to be in the entertainment industry because I thought I was quite a funny kid and I saw myself as a comedian. Are you a rebel, because you seem to be one in Traktor and Unorthodox? Sandra, 16 I wouldn’t say I’m a rebel. I would say I’m more of a wretch, I’m really just living up to my name, you know, but I guess you could say that being a wretch is being a rebel. What does the 32 in Wretch mean? Danielle, 17 They are the two second numbers in the number line and I really like them. Have you had any challenges in your career so far? Danielle, 17 Yeah, of course. The whole career has been a challenge: sometimes you have to prove your worth. Like getting a job in a restaurant. When you go to that kitchen you have to prove to the chef that you’re worth it. You have to go through challenges in life and overcome them. That’s what shows the champion in someone. What inspired you to become an artist? Rosheen, 17 Probably my dad, he was a DJ. He’s always been attached to music and I was attached to anything he would do. I still didn’t think that I would be a music artist. I just thought I would be a regular kid. If you could collaborate with anyone dead or alive who would it be? Zanisha, 16 I would have to say Bob Marley. I think the kind of music he gave us was amazing. We don’t have that anymore, but I think he still lives on through his son.

Why do you have a tattoo on your face? Mohammed, 15 I got it done when my son was born. I was so proud to be a father I just wanted to get Chinese writing saying “I’m a father”. Tell us a secret about what’s in your music collection. Kadra, 17 I have all types of music. There’s Laura Jones, The Script, Katy B and I really like Mike Posner. I just listen to great musicians, I don’t really think about the genre of the music. Why did you throw away that Louis Vuitton scarf on Grime Daily. Did you go back and get it? Albert, 20 Ha ha, no I didn’t actually. What I was trying to say was that expensive things don’t really mean much if you make your

“When you get a job in a kitchen you have to prove to the chef that you’re worth it. You have to go through challenges in life and overcome them.” own things. What’s your favourite colour? Kelly, 24 Red, because of it’s brightness. It’s a colour that I’ve liked for a long time.

Definitely. They’ve almost worked like television channels but just on the internet. It’s really worked because not everyone can get on TV but the internet has really helped people get into the music industry. Which up-and-coming artists do you rate? Izzy, 15 I rate a lot of people such as a girl called K-Young, Caliver and I really like G-Fresh. What do you do apart from MCing? Any hobbies? Shannon,16 Yeah, I try to play [football] as much as I can. I’m both-footed because when I was younger I broke my right toe, so I had to learn how to play with my other leg. I didn’t even go to the doctor, I just let it go. It’s like being able to write with both hands. If you could go back in time and do something differently, what would you do? Oscar, 15 I’m not a fan of regrets. I just learn from everything. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be me.

Has there ever been a time that you wish you could turn back the clock and start Did you ever have an alternative career your life over again? Holly, 23 if you didn’t make it as a MC? Carly, 17 No, because no-one should ever feel like I didn’t. The other career would have been that, even if you’re at your lowest of lows. more of a lifestyle, but I’m happy everything Switching off and starting again is mad! You is working out for me. I’m very grateful. should always learn from your mistakes. Have platforms like SB.TV, Linkuptv and Grime Daily been instrumental for UK music – and for you? Albert Harvey, 20

Web: wretch32.com

Design Celeste Houlker 20

Words Danielle McGrath 17

Words Taysha Ferguson 14

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Words Albert Harvey 20

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