by Nicole Rees-Williams. Dust off your mocking-jay pins and practise your whistling, because Suzanne Collins is back with a brand-new prequel to the Hunger Games trilogy, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. If, like me, you were thrilled to learn of a new chapter in the Hunger Games story you probably had a few expectations about what this book was going to be. Will this … Continue reading Review: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
By Georgia Glenn Hamilton is a musical depicting the life and death of Alexander Hamilton: one of the founding fathers of the United States of America. Following his birth to his legacy after death, we are given insight into an immigrant who helped birth America. The first act highlights HamiltonÔÇÖs naivety and his expressed emotions. We meet Eliza, his wife, along with Angelica, his perhaps … Continue reading Hamilton: An Eye Opener For Racial Prejudice
By Cynthia Vera There used to be a time when I used to believe that America was best country in the world. I believed it was the Land of the Free. I guess as a young immigrant from a British-colonised African country, I had no other choice than to believe otherwise. I am from a ÔÇ£developingÔÇØ country after all, so how can I not idealise and romanticise a country … Continue reading Stop Killing Us
Words by Alex PayneArtwork courtesy of The Concert Promoters Association As of this week, over 1500 British artists have publicly declared their support for the #LetTheMusicPlay campaign. Launched by UK Music, the umbrella organisation thatÔÇÖs responsible for representing the national music industry in parliament and media, the campaign calls for increased aid from the Government in response to Coronavirus, which has seen all venues closed … Continue reading #LetTheMusicPlay: Over 1500 Artists Call for Increased Government Support
Words by Ona Ojo, Ella Rowe Hall, Thomas Benny, Finegas Stocking and Megan Evans (in order of appearance) Illustration by Shafia Motaleb @artsyfifi Sorry to Bother You (2018) dir. Boots Riley RileyÔÇÖs directorial debut is an absurdist dark comedy set in an alternate modern-day Oakland. Despite an unpromising start in a telemarketing office, young, black and anxious Cassius ÔÇÿCashÔÇÖ Green quickly rises through the company … Continue reading Films Made by BAME Directors
Words by Sofia Brizio Anna Alfieri is a young Italian actress and filmmaker who spent the entirety of her career in London. Every creative in the world will tell you itÔÇÖs tough to make it in the real world, even more so in London. But itÔÇÖs not often that you hear their stories of victory or defeat, whatever they might be. The typical mediatised story … Continue reading Struggles of a Female Creator in the Film Industry
Illustration by Jasmine Snow @jasminesnowartContributions by: Ella Clucas, Kate Waldock, Ellie Hutchins, Ella Lloyd, Annabelle Ingram and Rhian Lock (in order of appearance) Kindred (1979) by Octavia Butler If youÔÇÖre looking for a book that will enthral you in its narrative whilst at the same time educating you on the history of racial politics, Kindred is it. In this poignant science fiction novel Butler brings … Continue reading Books Written by BAME Authors
Introduction by Jasmine SnowContributions by Ona Ojo, Ella Saoirse Clucas, Manon Jones, Kate Waldock, Ella Rowe-Hall (in order of appearance)Illustration by Shafia Motaleb @artsyfifi It is understandable to feel sad, angry and perhaps even defeated by the news at the moment. However, alongside the numerous petitions to sign, organisations to donate to and protests to attend there is another invaluable way in which we can … Continue reading An Essential Black Lives Matter Reading List
Here at Quench Film & TV, one of our favourite topics to discuss is The Importance of Queer Cinema, because we all get bored of watching the same heteronormative narratives on our screens. Now that we’re stuck indoors, why not celebrate some of our favourite Queer films and shows? Quarantine? More like Quarantine! Portrait of a Lady on Fire By Phoebe Bowers If you want … Continue reading Queerantine: Here’s to Queer Cinema!
By Katie May Huxtable Quench Magazine last caught up with Australian trio DMAÔÇÖs back in 2017, as a part of our 164th print issue. They had then released their first studio album, Hills End, and seemed to be gaining momentum amongst UK audiences. Now, Tommy OÔÇÖDell, Johnny Took and Matt Mason are about to release their third studio album to a large UK following. This … Continue reading DMAÔÇÖS Interview: Tommy OÔÇÖDell on ÔÇÿThe GlowÔÇÖ and finding Creativity during COVID-19
By Megan Evans The TV adaption of Sally Rooney’s bestselling novel Normal People has enfolded so much turmoil and heartbreak in front of us during this coronavirus outbreak. It is a complicated love story set in Northern Ireland, between two school students who have mutual fascinations and a friendship bond like no other despite their differing personality traits. A synopsis of the storyline is fairly … Continue reading Normal People and Turmoils of Heartbreak
By Pui Kuan Cheah Netflix has been on a roll lately, delivering plenty of content to audiences stuck indoors. Enter teen rom-com Never Have I Ever, from the minds of Lang Fisher and Mindy Kaling. Loosely based on KalingÔÇÖs childhood, this series is full of laughs but will also tug at your heartstrings. Never Have I Ever follows feisty Indian-American teenager Devi Vishwakumar (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) … Continue reading Review: Never Have I Ever
by Jasmine Snow Before working as a part-time barista, I had no idea what the difference between a ÔÇÿlatteÔÇÖ, ÔÇÿcappacinoÔÇÖ or ÔÇÿamericanoÔÇÖ was, let alone a ÔÇÿflat whiteÔÇÖ or ÔÇÿmacchiatoÔÇÖ. After a few years, it became readily apparent to me that IÔÇÖm not the only one. With the average price of a medium latte at Costa Coffee amounting to ┬ú2.45 ÔÇô over half my hourly … Continue reading How to Find the Perfect Cup of Coffee
I have a troubled relationship with The 1975. When I first encountered their work, I was somewhat dumbfounded on how anyone could enjoy it. It was unlike anything IÔÇÖd ever heard before and was profoundly weird. In the following years, I grew to love their music, having seen them live on a few occasions. This, however, has always been matched by a somewhat distaste for … Continue reading Notes On An Unconditional Form – Review
By Anna Heledd As someone who ravishes in learning about cultures so distant from my own, I was very eager to watch NetflixÔÇÖs Unorthodox upon its release. Adapted from a Deborah FeldmanÔÇÖs 2012 memoir, ÔÇÿUnorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic RootsÔÇÖ, the show follows the devastating yet empowering tale of 19 year old Esty Shapiro (Shira Haas); a Hasidic Jewish woman on the journey … Continue reading Unorthodox: The Journey of Self-Discovery
By Lindsay Smith Last time Laura Dazon spoke to us about the ways you can secure a golden ticket through the back door and become an extra! This time, we speak to 20 year old Kiera Robinson, a dancer at Rubicon Dance theatre, on her experiences of performing in the NetflixÔÇÖs Sex Education chaotic Romeo & Juliet play in the season finale of season 2. … Continue reading An Interview With a Dancer from Sex Education Season 2
By Sofia Brizio I remember the exact day I started reading Call Me By Your Name, the bestselling novel by Andr├® Aciman. 5th of February 2018. I had borrowed it from a friend after she had been constantly messaging me about how amazing the book was. That day we were having coffee in Cardiff city centre after an afternoon of lectures. We were both tired … Continue reading Did ‘Call Me by Your Name’ need a sequel?
It seemed rather fitting, in what will be my last online article as Food and Drink Editor, to return to the staple food activity of baking, a pastime which for many has been resurrected during this pandemic. Perhaps itÔÇÖs the fond memories of baking with grandparents, or the messy flour fights in friendsÔÇÖ kitchens, maybe even the needlessly ambitious food tech bakes in school, but … Continue reading Baking Our Lockdown Days Away
Here’s a small list of our favourite shows that you can stream this month! Enjoy. Hollywood By Alisha Keane You are stuck inside, lacking hope, and feeling as though the world outside is scary and dark. Correct? Hollywood on Netflix is the show for you. Set in post-WW2 1940s Golden Age Hollywood, Ryan MurphyÔÇÖs second original series for Netflix (first was The Politician) re-tells the … Continue reading What’s on Streaming: May
By Natascha Ng Over the last few weeks, we have all had far too much time on our hands and, for many of us, this has probably been quite daunting. There is lots of societal pressure to be using this time to better ourselves, get fitter and learn new skills. However, if you are struggling to find this motivation it turns out this could, in … Continue reading How Can Boredom Foster Creativity?
