Music

Live Review: The Dillinger Escape Plan, Great Hall 2, 1.11.12

Upgraded from the Solus to the cavernous Great Hall, the feverishness that surrounds tonightÔÇÖs rare Dillinger Escape Plan UK appearance is palpable. Openers Maybeshewill channel this energy into a gargantuan feast of perfectionist post-rock. Peppered with spoken word samples and strobe lighting, the awed silence that pervades the room somehow speaks volumes. Three Trapped TigersÔÇÖ electronic noise-rock occupies a far different end of the instrumental … Continue reading Live Review: The Dillinger Escape Plan, Great Hall 2, 1.11.12

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Music

Album Review: Los Campesinos!

You know those albums where every song is absolutely top notch? Those albums that you just canÔÇÖt stop listening to? Yeah? Well, this is one of them. ÔÇÿNo BluesÔÇÖ is the newest release from CardiffÔÇÖs very own sextet and itÔÇÖs a mighty good one, to say the least. DonÔÇÖt let the optimistic title get you too in the mood for the latest bubblegum pop though; … Continue reading Album Review: Los Campesinos!

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Music

S┼Án Festival – Sunday

Aled Rheon – The Hayes┬á Aled Rheon represents what S┼Án Fest is all about. Performing his carefully written songs in both Welsh and English, the musician broadly appeals to all while standing up for his heritage. Peaceful and soothing melodies filled The Hayes during his performance on the circular stage. Reminiscent of Dallas GreenÔÇÖs side-project, City and Colour; the artist demonstrated how minimal production can, … Continue reading S┼Án Festival – Sunday

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Music

S┼Án Festival – Saturday

Rhodri Brooks Rhodri BrooksÔÇÖ electric guitar remained muted and mellow as the inevitable rain hit The Hayes at the start of his set. However, the unassuming singer soon turned things around. The minute that ÔÇÿYour Head Was Full Of TroubleÔÇÖ and its finger-picking melodies floated to the crowd gathered beneath the trees, a smile flitted across the performerÔÇÖs face. Toe-tapping and head nodding, the audience … Continue reading S┼Án Festival – Saturday

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Music

S┼Án Festival – Friday

Samoans┬á ThereÔÇÖs a sense of trepidation floating around Four Bars as the clock strikes 11. CardiffÔÇÖs prodigal sons Samoans have returned from an almost yearlong absence, bringing with them arguably the South Wales sceneÔÇÖs most anticipated debut album. As they shuffle onto the stage with all the nerves of someone introducing their new spouse to a gaggle of drunk mates, it soon becomes clear that … Continue reading S┼Án Festival – Friday

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Video Games

Review: Lego Marvel Superheroes

Traveller’s Tales have already tackled big film franchises such as Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean and Harry Potter, but the Lego series has struggled to replicate the same ingenuity since the realise of 2005’s Lego Star Wars. Marvel offers a huge universe of characters and decades’ worth of intricately woven story lines in which Lego Marvel Super Heroes can draw from in order to … Continue reading Review: Lego Marvel Superheroes

Charlie22 Comments
Culture

Land Art: Making the Environment Relevant Again?

If I really wanted to upset the Daily Mail, I would probably call up Tracey Emin and ask her if she would be willing to collaborate with Greenpeace. “Green” seemed to be the big buzz-word of the pre-recession zeitgeist, but in a time of austerity, the environment sadly seems to have taken something of a back seat, retreating once more into the composting bins of … Continue reading Land Art: Making the Environment Relevant Again?

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Fashion, uncategorized

Student-Friendly Beauty – Eyeliner

Smoky, super sleek or smudged; eyeliners have an ability to reshape the eye, making them appear larger and more animated.┬áKirsty Fardell has investigated three of the best eyeliners in the student market. L’Oreal Superliner Gel Intenza in Pure Black – ┬ú9.99 in Superdrug This gel eye liner comes in a small glass pot with the perfect eyeliner brush. Gel liners are great for creating the … Continue reading Student-Friendly Beauty – Eyeliner

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Music

Interview: John Rostron

Tom Connick┬ágot the lowdown on S┼Án from the Father of the festival, John Rostron.┬á For the uninitiated, can you explain what S┼Án Festival is and why they should take note? S┼Án is a 4-day multi-venue new music festival which takes place in Cardiff this year from Thursday 17th to Sunday 20th Oct. You buy either a day or a 4-day wristband, then go and see … Continue reading Interview: John Rostron

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LGBT+

Waterloo Road

Jack Oakley talks about the trans* character in Waterloo Road and where the BBC went horribly wrong with it I am going to admit to one of my guilty pleasures, and please try not to judge! I watch Waterloo Road. This school-based drama has been on the BBC since 2006, has won numerous awards and enjoys a viewership of approximately 5 million. Over the years, … Continue reading Waterloo Road

Charlie1,073 Comments
LGBT+

In The Media: Orange Is The New Black

This TV series has made headlines with the number of boundaries it has pushed in the TV world. QuenchÔÇÖs LGBT+ Editor Suryatapa Mukherjee discusses how it represents LGBT+ people I watched the entire first season of Orange is the New Black in a couple of days. And I have to say, IÔÇÖm impressed. It does a very good job of representing women, women of colour, … Continue reading In The Media: Orange Is The New Black

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Culture

Physical Theatre: More Than Dancey Acting?

The stage: traditionally a foundation for acting, singing or dancing. Then, physical theatre came along and integrated the disciplines, the primary idea being that performers tell a story through physical means. What is it? Where does it come from? How is it put together? This month, Sophie Barnes unravels these questions As physical theatreÔÇÖs popularity grows, so does its following. This is owed to the … Continue reading Physical Theatre: More Than Dancey Acting?

Charlie3 Comments
Food

Review: Face 11, Cathays Terrace

Amy Pay reviews Face 11, the latest bar and eatery to open in the heart of Cathays ┬áUp until a few months ago, the corner between Hirwain Street and Cathays Terrace was occupied by Mango, a tapas and licensed shisha bar. MangoÔÇÖs windows were plastered with posters detailing their offers and stickers from awards they won some years ago. Although it apparently ticked the culinary … Continue reading Review: Face 11, Cathays Terrace

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Culture

This Charming Man

This month saw the publication of Autobiography, the long-awaited memoir of Morrissey ÔÇô bequiffed singer, lyricist and iconoclast famed for fronting the 1980ÔÇÖs alt-rock band The Smiths. Owen Spalding tells us his views on the Penguin Classic Usually reserved for such literary luminaries as Plato, Hardy and Nabokov, Autobiography was published, at MorrisseyÔÇÖs request, by PenguinÔÇÖs venerable Classics imprint. The news that the memoir would … Continue reading This Charming Man

Charlie11 Comments
Culture

Women of Fiction

Bridget Jones: diary-writer, mother, Twitter user… we love her just the way she is; a character who embodies the woman of our time, supposedly. Anne Porter explores what makes her, and many other notable female literary figures, such an exceptional personality Helen FieldingÔÇÖs character first emerged in a newspaper column in the 1990s, with the witty columnÔÇÖs popularity leading to the characterÔÇÖs life stories expanding … Continue reading Women of Fiction

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