Literature

An Essential Black Lives Matter Reading List

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

Jasmine Snow
Film & TV, LGBT+

Queerantine: Here’s to Queer Cinema!

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!

Contributing Writer
Interview, Music

DMAÔÇÖS Interview: Tommy OÔÇÖDell on ÔÇÿThe GlowÔÇÖ and finding Creativity during COVID-19

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

Katie May Huxtable
Film & TV

Normal People and Turmoils of Heartbreak

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

Contributing Writer
Film & TV

Review: Never Have I Ever

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

Contributing Writer
Food

How to Find the Perfect Cup of Coffee

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

Jasmine Snow
Album Reviews, Music

Notes On An Unconditional Form – Review

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

Josh Ong
Film & TV

Unorthodox: The Journey of Self-Discovery

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

Contributing Writer
Film & TV, Interview

An Interview With a Dancer from Sex Education Season 2

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

Contributing Writer
Culture

Did ‘Call Me by Your Name’ need a sequel?

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?

Sofia Brizio
Food

Baking Our Lockdown Days Away

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

Lauren Stenning
Film & TV

What’s on Streaming: May

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

Contributing Writer
Film & TV, LGBT+

Love is Blind as a Microcosm for the Pitfalls of Millennial Dating

By Holly McElroy NetflixÔÇÖs new dating show Love is Blind presents itself as a social experiment, where single women and men date in booths where they cannot see each other, before deciding whether or not they want to get engaged. If they do decide to get married, so begins a whirlwind of a group honeymoon in Mexico, moving into apartments and meeting the family until … Continue reading Love is Blind as a Microcosm for the Pitfalls of Millennial Dating

Contributing Writer
Features

#NotMyMermaid – A step too far

Back in July 2019, Disney sent the world went into mass hysteria when it was announced that actress and singer of R&B duo Chloe x Halle, Halle Bailey would be playing Ariel in the live action remake of the 1989 classic, The Little Mermaid. The mere thought of an African American talented and very much capable artist portraying a pale-skinned, blue-eyed, and red-haired princess with … Continue reading #NotMyMermaid – A step too far

Cynthia Vera
Culture

Quarantine Culture: New Ways to Pass Time

By Megan Evans With the current situation being that we are stuck inside for the foreseeable future, it is hard to not worry about the things we should be doing and then the things that we want to do. The mountains of uni work seem really unappealing compared to bingeing the Netflix show you have been waiting to watch (or deciding the minute your eyes … Continue reading Quarantine Culture: New Ways to Pass Time

eduardokaras
Culture

BANFF Online Collection 4 | BANFF Mountain Film Festival Review

By Lauren Stenning There is something to be said about watching a collection of adventure films at a time when weÔÇÖre barely allowed to leave the house. Six films into BANFFÔÇÖs fourth online collection and I have to say, I was not prepared for the level of emotional investment I had subconsciously made, so get ready to be transfixed. What ties all eight films together … Continue reading BANFF Online Collection 4 | BANFF Mountain Film Festival Review

Lauren Stenning
Film & TV

Deep Dive: The Evolution of the Teen Drama Genre

By Ella Rowe-Hall Teen dramas. The occasionally cringe-inducing yet always loveable, dramatic slices of the lives we often wished we ourselves could have led during our own teenage years. Though it feels like they have been dominating Netflix since the dawn of time, the genre only truly took form during the early 1990ÔÇÖs. Whilst many teen drama fanatics could never overlook the staple that is … Continue reading Deep Dive: The Evolution of the Teen Drama Genre

Contributing Writer
Food

Lockdown Cravings

We’re all missing our favourite coffee shops and fancy restaurant meals right now. Here’s a homage to some of our favourite spots around Cardiff that we can’t wait to get back to! Pettigrew Tea Rooms┬á By Catarina Vicente Quarantine has been around for what feels like forever. Stores are closed, streets are (more or less) empty, and a feeling of dread and anxiety seems to … Continue reading Lockdown Cravings

katieduffin
Music

Aitch Interview: what Buss Down actually means, and the truth about his Chicken Shop Date

By Kate Waldock Aitch is the biggest name in the UK right now. With Strike A Pose, Taste [Make It Shake] and Buss Down, heÔÇÖs pretty hard to miss. I sat down with him ahead of his recent Cardiff gig to chat about his upcoming plans, the slang he uses, and of course, the infamous Chicken Shop Date. Aitch is chilled out and relaxed. I … Continue reading Aitch Interview: what Buss Down actually means, and the truth about his Chicken Shop Date

Kate Waldock