Review by Amy Pay Taschen, for the uninitiated, produce some of the most beautiful art books in existence. Always carefully compiled, dotted with facts and printed in rich coloured ink, their publications are a real treat to flick through. 100 Illustrators is one of the latest releases from Taschen, and, like its ancestors, its massive, shiny and bright pages of eye-candy will lure you in … Continue reading Book Review: TASCHEN 100 Illustrators
London┬áGrammarÔÇÖs UK tour has been eagerly anticipated.┬á Solus is illuminated by a thousand smartphones; Cardiff waits to watch it through a thousand cameras.┬á ThereÔÇÖs a buzz of conversation, which unfortunately fails to subside even after Hannah ReidÔÇÖs opening note. Although a complete sellout,┬áLondon┬áGrammarÔÇÖs live performance is not as gripping as expected. Reid is exceptional, and she sings beautifully, despite her obvious problems with the sound … Continue reading Live Review: London Grammar, Solus, 28.01.13
Since the release of their debut album ÔÇÿI Had The Blues But I Shook Them LooseÔÇÖ in 2008, Bombay Bicycle Club have been quietly working their way to the top of the British indie scene. With the release of ÔÇÿSo Long, See You TomorrowÔÇÖ, perhaps their most inventive and exciting album yet, they donÔÇÖt look set to stop any time soon. The commercial success of … Continue reading Album Review: Bombay Bicycle Club – ‘So Long, See You Tomorrow’
The Xbox One was marketed by Microsoft as being more than simply a gaming console with more emphasis being placed on it being an entertainment device. Now while this might have swayed some people in direction of its competitor the PS4; it is fair to say that Microsoft has delivered the next-gen experience with the entertainment features that it focused so much on. The first … Continue reading Review: Xbox One
Every year, CardiffÔÇÖs Malaysian Students Society puts on an extravaganza of a show, called Festival of Diversity. MalaysocÔÇÖs FOD director Xue Ying Tan tells us how this meaningful occasion comes to be. Cr: Shermin.T Photography Malaysia, Truly Asia – thatÔÇÖs what they said about this kaleidoscopic country. This is the land of paradise ÔÇô a heartwarming country with the perfect tropical climate and abundance of … Continue reading Festival of Diversity: How Culture Leads to Art
Bravely Default is the best final fantasy game in a long while. It says a great degree about Square EnixÔÇÖs flagship franchise that this is the line most game reviewers have opened with, but itÔÇÖs true; Bravely Default captures the spirit of Final Fantasy V and brings it into the modern era. But how does it hold up? A game that has much in common … Continue reading Review: Bravely Default
Warning! Spoilers follow John took centre stage in this week’s episode The Tomorrow People follows up last weekÔÇÖs promising episode with another entertaining hour. There were good stories here as we got JohnÔÇÖs origin story, but the dynamic presence of guest-star Jason Dohring only highlighted how lifeless the show can be. As for the overall plot of the series this was JohnÔÇÖs hour, showing how … Continue reading The Tomorrow People: “Kill or Be Killed” Review
It doesnÔÇÖt seem like the most natural fit at first sight. The idea of Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong releasing an album with Norah Jones may make listeners imagine a strange jazz/soul/pop-punk fusion album, but on ÔÇÿForeverlyÔÇÖ, the woman behind ÔÇ£my heart is drenched in wineÔÇØ and the man behind ÔÇ£do you have the time to listen to me whine?ÔÇØ are paying tribute to … Continue reading Review: Billie Joe and Norah – ‘Foreverly’
Despite the issues new consoles have on day one, the Playstation 4 (PS4) set-up seemed to go quite comfortably – 45 minutes from un-boxing it, the PS4 had done its required updates with no hassle and was ready to go. The interface is somewhat visually similar to the Playstation 3’s as both use a horizontal bar with an icon to represent a menu, although where … Continue reading Review: PlayStation 4
Warning! Spoilers follow Cara and Stephen discuss how to use their telepathy to help “humans” In this third episode of The Tomorrow People the show took some baby steps towards moving beyond its early routine of having Stephen find a problem, argue with John and Cara about whether heÔÇÖs allowed to help, and have the obligatory sneaking around Ultra sequence. We still got all of … Continue reading The Tomorrow People: “Girl, Interrupted” Review
For such a colourfully titled show, Canoe TheatreÔÇÖs Blue/Orange is set in a blandly sterile consultation room, illuminated by fluorescent lights. The audience is placed in the round ÔÇô except itÔÇÖs not round, but quadrilateral, perhaps reflecting the rigidly technocratic themes of the story. The technocracy in this case is the British healthcare system, and its inherent problems in trying to cater for a large … Continue reading Review: Blue/Orange, Sherman Cymru
Ed Watson sits down with James Page, the man behind hotly-tipped singer-songwriter Sivu. Your pseudonym ÔÇÿSivuÔÇÖ is a Finnish translation of your actual surname, Page. How did this come about? IÔÇÖve been┬áplaying┬áacoustic stuff under James Page since I was about 15. Then I moved to London and started writing the newer songs that you hear on my EPs. I think the first problem was that … Continue reading Interview: Sivu
Buffalo Bar is renowned for being one of CardiffÔÇÖs leading bars ÔÇô its cocktails and nights cannot be upstaged by another ÔÇô but when we Food and Drink editors were invited to try out their Sunday roast, we really didnÔÇÖt know what to expect. We were surprised to see the place so empty. IÔÇÖve never actually been there on a Sunday before, and it was … Continue reading Review: Buffalo Bar Roast Dinner
Warning! Spoilers follow Kurt, the latest teenager to “break out” ÔÇ£In Too DeepÔÇØ felt like it had returned to the days when television shows had to keep repeating the same exposition over and over again for viewers who hadnÔÇÖt seen every episode. Granted, they just got started and I understand that they wanted to make sure everyoneÔÇÖs on the same page, but this was basically … Continue reading The Tomorrow People: “In Too Deep” Review
Warning! Spoilers follow.┬á Season three of Boardwalk Empire ended with the destruction of NuckyÔÇÖs life as he knew it. The bomb in the club, Margaret (well Peggy) leaving him and his bootlegging operations taking a huge hit all because of Gyp Rosetti (Bobby Cannavale). Whilst season three saw Nucky (Golden Globe winner Steve Buscemi) almost meet his end, this season focused on him rebuilding what … Continue reading Boardwalk Empire: Season 4 Review
This article marks the beginning of a new feature for the Film & TV section and Quench as a whole; here is the first article in the ÔÇ£Episode ReviewÔÇØ feature. In the coming weeks and months Quench will be brining you episode by episode reviews of many popular shows (from The Tomorrow People, to Arrow, to Boardwalk Empire) and hopefully there will be many more … Continue reading The Tomorrow People: “Pilot” Review
After a successful three year stint on the LondonÔÇÖs West End and a transfer to Broadway, Priscilla Queen of the DesertÔÇÖs next stop on its UK tour began in Cardiff on Tuesday. Jordan Nicholls goes to see what the glittery hubbub is all about. Based on the 1994 Australian film, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, starring Terrence Stamp and Hugo Weaving, the … Continue reading Review: Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Wales Millennium Centre
The term ÔÇÿbanterÔÇÖ is pretty friendly. ┬áOr at least, it used to be. Once upon a time, it meant an amicable ÔÇÿrib-diggingÔÇÖ between two leisurely gentlemen about who had caught the biggest fish; it was the only way Jane AustenÔÇÖs girls could ever get kicks in their patriarchy-enforced plight to get hitched; it was a dance between words, not an offensive battle.┬á Banter was the … Continue reading The Battle of Banter
Urban Outfitters is known to be a hub of (over-priced) hipster apparel. Coined for being the heart of urban trends for all those cool kids with fixie bikes and five panel hats. Stereotypes aside, I actually really enjoy splashing out in my local Urban. Yes, I could pick up this bohemian dress in my nearest charity shop. But, much like the Apple brand, it is … Continue reading A new year, and a new controversy for Urban Outfitters
The Russian National Ballet and Russian State Ballet of Siberia returns to Cardiff for another spectacular repertoire of classics ÔÇô The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, and not to mention, the epitome of Romantic ballet with a longstanding history of some 135 years, Swan Lake. Performed to the fascinatingly engaging melodies of TchaikovskyÔÇÖs first ever ballet score, the melancholic adaptation of Swan Lake tells the tale of … Continue reading Review: Swan Lake, St DavidÔÇÖs Hall
