Author: Contributing Writer

Love

Aftercare is Just As Important

By Phoebe Bowers Ever just laid there? Feeling: ashamed, naked, sweaty – feeling surprisingly empty? In my experience, so much anticipation can arise before the event, awkward flirtations, maneuvers, talk, yet so little feels gained after? You question why you even bother to keep blindly sifting across the human catalogue of Tinder, Hinge, Grindr, Bumble, *insert whatever soulless app is appropriate to your life*, when … Continue reading Aftercare is Just As Important

Contributing Writer
New year, new TBR.
Literature

New Year, New TBR (list)

One of my many New YearÔÇÖs resolutions for 2022 is to read more and try to branch out of my literary fiction bubble.  When reading I like to stick with what I know, which tends to be fiction,but this year IÔÇÖd like to try more non-fiction books, in particular autobiographies by influential women in politics. Top of my list is ÔÇÿBecoming Michelle Obama,ÔÇÖ and ÔÇÿThe … Continue reading New Year, New TBR (list)

Contributing Writer
Music

A decade on: The songs that turn ten in 2022

Thinkin Bout You by Frank Ocean  Words by Suraya Rumbold-Kazzuz Considering his relative ostracization and avoidance of the spotlight, it feels all the more important to celebrate the ten-year anniversary of Frank OceanÔÇÖs album Channel Orange and perhaps the most well-known song from the album: Thinkin Bout You. The song has become one of OceanÔÇÖs most well-known and the album itself is now a staple … Continue reading A decade on: The songs that turn ten in 2022

Contributing Writer
Collage of the covers of The Wolf's Den and Rule of Wolves.
Literature

Looking back at the best 2021 releases

The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper The Wolf Den was Elodie HarperÔÇÖs debut novel, released in May 2021 ÔÇô and oh my,  what a debut. Set in Roman Pompeii, the story follows Amara navigating her new life as a brothel prostitute ÔÇô having been sold when her respectable Greek family ran out of money. The story is vivid and moving; it amplifies the lost voices … Continue reading Looking back at the best 2021 releases

Contributing Writer
Album Reviews, Music

Album Review: ‘Change the Show’ by Miles Kane

Words by Billy Edwards Images from Ian Cheek PR Lockdown is an opportunity too good to miss for rock stars. Miles Kane is one of the busiest: a member of the Last Shadow Puppets, formerly of The Rascals, and a frequent co-writer with Lana Del Rey, he has naturally borne a fourth-solo album out of his unexpected free time. Taking a step back to look … Continue reading Album Review: ‘Change the Show’ by Miles Kane

Contributing Writer
Interview, Music

A Conversation with Alt-J’s Thom Sonny Green.

Words by Rowan Davies.  I wanted to start by saying welcome back! How does it feel to be back with a brand-new album? It feels uh, yeah it feels good. At the moment weÔÇÖre still doing everything at home you know, and we havenÔÇÖt played yet so weÔÇÖre promoting everything mostly on Zoom. We did rehearsals about a month ago for the tour. IÔÇÖm pretty … Continue reading A Conversation with Alt-J’s Thom Sonny Green.

Contributing Writer
Prifysgol Caerdydd (trwy Wikimedia Commons)
Clebar

Cadw’r Gymraeg yn fyw tra yn y brifysgol

Ar hyn o bryd, mae Aled Biston ac Alexa Price wrthi’n astudio ym mhrifysgol Caerdydd. Mae Alexa’n astudio Llenyddiaeth Saesneg tra bod Aled yn astudio’r cwrs MA Newyddiaduraeth Newyddion trwy gyfrwng y Saesneg. Fodd bynnag, mae’r ddau yn siaradwyr Cymraeg rhugl ac eisiau parhau i ddefnyddio’r iaith tra yn y brifysgol. Dyma eu profiadau nhw o gadw eu Cymraeg yn fyw wrth astudio cyrsiau di-gymraeg. … Continue reading Cadw’r Gymraeg yn fyw tra yn y brifysgol

Contributing Writer
Literature

Movies That Were Better than the Books

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn Based on the 2012 best-selling thriller by Gillian Flynn, the film Gone Girl has arguably become a cult classic. The story follows Nick Dunne, a small-town bar owner who becomes a suspect in the disappearance of his picture-perfect wife, Amy. Aside from the perfect casting (what else better encapsulates Nick DunneÔÇÖs energy than Ben AffleckÔÇÖs awkward side smirk?), David FincherÔÇÖs … Continue reading Movies That Were Better than the Books

Contributing Writer
Fashion

Why Fashion Should Be Considered An Artform

Words by Pui Kuan Cheah Fashion is essentially wearable art. Just like how painters may use canvas and paint, fashion designers may use fabrics and the sewing machine. In some instances, fashion pieces are collages – combining materials and designs to form a cohesive piece. Looking to the runway, an illustrative example of this is a look from Tom FordÔÇÖs Fall 2015 Ready-To-Wear collection. There … Continue reading Why Fashion Should Be Considered An Artform

Contributing Writer
Live Reviews, Music

Sam Fender @ Motorpoint Arena- Live Review (25/11/21)

Words and Images by Rubie Barker For Sam Fender, his band and fans in the room, this concert had been a long time coming. He was initially meant to perform in Cardiff in March 2020 but like so many other artists had to reschedule this show several times. Tickets had been sold out for months and resale tickets disappeared within minutes. Since he last performed … Continue reading Sam Fender @ Motorpoint Arena- Live Review (25/11/21)

Contributing Writer
Features

Post-Christmas Blues

ItÔÇÖs a strange time of year, isnÔÇÖt it? It no longer seems acceptable to eat chocolate for breakfast, even though a couple of weeks ago it was perfectly okay. EveryoneÔÇÖs turning to healthy recipes and weight loss programmes that will no doubt be long forgotten come February. WeÔÇÖre hounded with media telling us to reinvent ourselves in the new year; last month we were encouraged … Continue reading Post-Christmas Blues

Contributing Writer
4 actors of the main cast in their costumes.
Live Reviews

Act One Panto Review

by Laura Hughes ItÔÇÖs Panto season (oh, yes it is!), and what better way to spend your evening than in the magical land of Oz?  The curtain went up on Act OneÔÇÖs production of The Yellow Brick Road in early December, set in the dazzlingly-appropriate downstairs area of the Pulse nightclub. Audience members are told upon arrival that this pantomime is aimed exclusively at adult … Continue reading Act One Panto Review

Contributing Writer
Film & TV

Review: You (Netflix)

By Niladri Singh The hit series You was adapted from the novel of the same name, written by Caroline Keepers and published in September 2014. The show, which initially aired on Lifetime, was passed on to Netflix and has performed wonderfully, keeping audiences engaged with the tale of a murderous protagonist, as he moves from one city to another, discovering (not so) new ways to … Continue reading Review: You (Netflix)

Contributing Writer
Image credit: Sian Hopkins
Love

Chalk and Cheese, Chronic Illness and University

Illustration Instagram: @moonlanging.illustrations By Daisy-Mai Pulford Being a young person with a chronic illness is a challenge, filled with a feeling of dysphoria and frustration towards your own body that in my experience starting University and entering student life only emphasizes. With a longstanding diagnosis of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and a brand-new diagnosis of Psoriatic Arthritis in my collection of autoimmune diseases, I started … Continue reading Chalk and Cheese, Chronic Illness and University

Contributing Writer
Fashion

TIKTOK STYLISTS: How Is Your Favourite TikToker Changing The Conversation In Fashion?

Words by Annabelle Ingram Since TikTok took over our lives during 2020, it has been a permanent reference for myself and my wardrobe choices. On the app, you can now find an abundance of fashion influencers, from those who make conscious choices to include sustainable or inclusive styling in their videos, to those who are inundated with fast fashion parcels. It can, therefore, be hard … Continue reading TIKTOK STYLISTS: How Is Your Favourite TikToker Changing The Conversation In Fashion?

Contributing Writer
Features

Gratitude Over Resolutions: Should We Change The Way We View New Year’s?

By Erykah Cameron As we start January it’s ‘new year, new me’ time, but maybe this year we should look at things a little differently and take a new approach to the old tradition of new yearÔÇÖs resolutions. There is so much pressure from social media, other people, and often ourselves to be perfect all of the time anyway, that the pressure to start each … Continue reading Gratitude Over Resolutions: Should We Change The Way We View New Year’s?

Contributing Writer
Live Reviews, Music

OMD @ Motorpoint Arena- Live Review (10/11/21)

Words and Images by Billy Edwards  Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark showed little nerves in their first show in Cardiff in twelve years, commanding an eager audience of devoted fans through a breathless flurry of pioneering eighties synth-pop.  The showÔÇÖs dramatic opening event matched the weather outside with a chillingly-steely video of clanging shipyards and metalworks to the tune of Architecture and Morality, the title … Continue reading OMD @ Motorpoint Arena- Live Review (10/11/21)

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