Christmas in Cardiff

By Billy Edwards After a rather muted Christmas last year, Cardiff is putting out all the stops for a sensationally-festive season across the city. Despite the cold, whether youÔÇÖll be leaving for home with presents packed in your case or spending the holidays here, youÔÇÖll find plenty of events to go to, activities to try, and foods to eat over December. This year CardiffÔÇÖs Winter … Continue reading Christmas in Cardiff

My Perfect Christmas Dinner

My housemate recently asked me what my last meal would be. I said a roast, but more specifically, Christmas dinner. It is honestly my favourite thing. However, a roast can be excellent, but it can also be awful ÔÇô there is a fine line between masterpieces and failures. This is my perfect Christmas dinner; with all the trimmings and extras you might not think to … Continue reading My Perfect Christmas Dinner

The Legacy of Virgil Abloh

The Legacy of Virgil Abloh

Words by Suraya Kazzuz What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the name, Louis Vuitton? Perhaps a brown leather handbag or suitcase, or maybe the ever-recognisable LV logo. Louis Vuitton is a two-hundred-year-old fashion house: an institution synonymous with tradition. To be the person that takes on the task to revolutionise such a long-standing brand must have the ability to … Continue reading The Legacy of Virgil Abloh

Festive Ice Creams ÔÇô The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

By Niamh Newman Although not usually a huge ice cream fan, the oxymoronic concept of a festive ice cream intrigues me. So, whilst doing my weekly shop in Lidl, I knew exactly what I had to do when I spotted their festive Mince Pie and Gingerbread flavours as part of their Deluxe Christmas range. Priced at a hefty ┬ú1.99 per tub, cheaper than the beloved Ben and … Continue reading Festive Ice Creams ÔÇô The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Collage of books The Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo and The Midnight Library by Matt Haig.

Books To Buy Your Loved Ones

The Midnight Library by Eve Davies An epitome of the proverb ÔÇÿthe grass isnÔÇÖt always greenerÔÇÖ, The Midnight Library is the thought-provoking story of Nora Seed who, fed up with feeling like a failure, decides to take her own life. Instead of death, Nora finds herself in limbo, in a library where each volume represents a version of her life that could have been. She … Continue reading Books To Buy Your Loved Ones

Will Micro-Trends Ruin The Fashion Industry?

Words by Dominic Bramley-Carr In the fast-paced social media-orientated society that we live in, the way in which we consume fashion has become fickler and more prone to change than ever before. This is perhaps unsurprising, given that much of our fashion inspiration comes from apps like TikTok and Instagram. These platforms are simply designed around the sharing of large amounts of short, easily digestible … Continue reading Will Micro-Trends Ruin The Fashion Industry?

An Interview with Pale Waves

Words and Interview by Rubie Barker ItÔÇÖs 6 pm in a slightly dingy and drizzly Cardiff for me as I log on to a zoom call with Pale WavesÔÇÖ Heather Baron-Gracie, who is in a far brighter and warmer LA. ÔÇ£The weather is great!ÔÇØ she tells me, ÔÇ£different to Northern England, so that is a massive appeal to me.ÔÇØ Having announced back in July on … Continue reading An Interview with Pale Waves

Collage of a skyline with the '1984' eye in the background.

What If: A Closer Look at Dystopian Speculative Fiction

By Bryony Wright Dystopian fiction is becoming more and more relevant. WeÔÇÖre living in an age of ÔÇÿdoom and gloomÔÇÖ: turn on the TV, and youÔÇÖll see apocalyptic scenes caused by global warming. Walk down the street, and Orwellian public surveillance systems watch your every move. ItÔÇÖs no wonder, then, that writers increasingly choose to take to dystopian fiction to voice their concerns about the … Continue reading What If: A Closer Look at Dystopian Speculative Fiction

Fashion in Film Series: Wes Anderson

It is no surprise, considering the extremely specific and accurately tailored nature of Wes Anderson’s films, that the stylistic decisions he makes are so widely discussed. From The Grand Budapest Hotel to Fantastic Mr Fox, the fashion choices in Wes AndersonÔÇÖs films act as a powerful tool through which audiences are pulled into the unique spaces that his characters occupy. He has even gotten involved … Continue reading Fashion in Film Series: Wes Anderson

The Return of Adele: 30 Review.

By Jasmine Jones. After a six-year hiatus from music and the public eye, Adele is finally back with her new, highly anticipated album 30, and it certainly delivered. Arguably AdeleÔÇÖs most powerful album to date, 30 is an ambitious and ferocious creation centred around ÔÇ£divorce, babe, divorceÔÇØ and the roller-coaster of emotions that came with ending her 8-year relationship to Simon Konecki. That being said, … Continue reading The Return of Adele: 30 Review.

Book Review: Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney

By Leah Hocking Although a rather bold departure from her previous two novels, ÔÇÿBeautiful World, Where Are YouÔÇÖ is still stamped with Sally RooneyÔÇÖs signature minimalist writing style and overarching theme – young adults struggling to make sense of the world. Her third novel features her largest cast of characters yet with four protagonists: Alice, a successful novelist; Felix, a warehouse worker; Eileen, a writer … Continue reading Book Review: Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney

Girli @ Clwb Ifor Bach- Live Review (8/11/21)

Words and Images by Francesca Ionescu Stepping through the door of Clwb Ifor Bach, the light suddenly disappears and is replaced by a dark pink hue and pink neon accents reminding you of who youÔÇÖre about to see. The crowd is young and chatty, itÔÇÖs full of pink hair, pink shirts, fishnets, and an amazing t-shirt that asks the age-old question: ÔÇÿWhy canÔÇÖt I be … Continue reading Girli @ Clwb Ifor Bach- Live Review (8/11/21)

Check Your Chest: An Introduction To CardiffÔÇÖs CoppaFeel! Society

CoppaFeel! is a breast cancer awareness charity founded in 2009 by twin sisters Kris and Maren Hallenga. Here at Cardiff, the UBT (Uni Boob Team) are ambassadors for CoppaFeel!, representing the charity on campus by fundraising and spreading the chest-checking message. CoppaFeel!ÔÇÖs co-founder Kris Hallenga was just 23 when she was diagnosed with stage four, incurable, breast cancer. Kris, like many others, was unaware that … Continue reading Check Your Chest: An Introduction To CardiffÔÇÖs CoppaFeel! Society

Review: No Time To Die

By Libbi Kettle ÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔÿà The highly anticipated 25th adaptation of Ian FlemingÔÇÖs James Bond series┬áwas finally released to our big screens on September 30th. More than a year after its initial release date (April 2020) due to the pandemic, we┬á are delivered the epic conclusion of Daniel CraigÔÇÖs successful run as 007. It has all the ingredients for a box office hit; a villain played … Continue reading Review: No Time To Die

Was This YearÔÇÖs Met Gala The Most Boring Ever?

Words By Monica Garcia As an opportunity to fund the newly founded Costume Institute, fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert established ÔÇÿThe Met GalaÔÇÖ in 1984 – this marked the opening for the Costume InstituteÔÇÖs annual exhibit. As the years went on, The Met Gala became one of the many annual benefits held for New YorkÔÇÖs charitable institutions, where attendees consisted mostly of New York elites (ÔÇÿhigh … Continue reading Was This YearÔÇÖs Met Gala The Most Boring Ever?

Being a Reader-Writer

By Niamh Newman As someone who studied English Literature through the entirety of secondary school, I find it difficult to write without regularly reading! In my mind, the two are very much intertwined, with many of the most prominent authors of our time taking inspiration from books they have read in order to enhance their own work.  Alex MichaelidesÔÇÖ psychological thriller The Silent Patient, my … Continue reading Being a Reader-Writer

Opinion: Is it ever too early for Christmas music?

December is looming. Tesco have brought out their festive meal deal options, the tree is up outside Cardiff Castle and every shop has begun to play those same old Christmas tunes. But when is the right time to start playing Christmas music? We asked some of our contributors one of the most controversial Christmas questions. Time to pick a side. By Phoebe Williams┬á An opinion … Continue reading Opinion: Is it ever too early for Christmas music?

A Cult of Trauma: is ÔÇÿtraumaÔÇÖ overused in the age of social media?

In the age of social media more and more resources have been made available online surrounding ÔÇÿtrauma.ÔÇÖ These educational tools can be incredibly enlightening, gen-z seem to have acquired an acute awareness of trauma in terms of what it is and how we respond to it. More than ever we are able to conceptualise that childhood trauma can even stem from events that are deceptively … Continue reading A Cult of Trauma: is ÔÇÿtraumaÔÇÖ overused in the age of social media?