For the love of instruments

Words and Images by Octavia Graham Header Image by Elijah M Henderson The soft, or sometimes not-so-soft, lull of music accompanies each and every memory I hold close. Every essential encounter and every experience. From the CDÔÇÖs spinning around my stereo at night to the slight sound of lessons taking place downstairs. The gigs of parents and friends of parents or busking in the street. … Continue reading For the love of instruments

Celebrity Culture: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

By Catrin Lewis From pop stars to reality stars, the society that we live in today is saturated by celebrities. They sing some of our favourite songs, play our favourite sports and even write some of our cookbooks. ItÔÇÖs nearly impossible to navigate through our daily lives without crossing paths with a celebrity name or two. As a society, we have become engrossed in celebrity … Continue reading Celebrity Culture: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Why I Vote.

A note from the Features Editor: Rhianna Hurren-Myers “I’d rather be a rebel than a slave” – Emmeline Pankhurst Last year we paid homage to 100 years since women were first given the vote in parliamentary elections in the UK. A momentous occasion, and a well-deserved reminder of the incredible sacrifices made by the women involved in the suffragette or suffragist movement. There is just … Continue reading Why I Vote.

Transgender experiences are incredibly diverse and subjective, so why donÔÇÖt we acknowledge that?

By Violet Thompson When people find out that IÔÇÖm transgender, the first question IÔÇÖm usually always asked is, ÔÇ£so, are you going to do the surgery?ÔÇØ It doesnÔÇÖt matter if itÔÇÖs someone IÔÇÖve known for a long time, or a complete stranger ÔÇô IÔÇÖm usually always asked about my genitals. It doesnÔÇÖt matter if itÔÇÖs in a public space, which makes the whole affair quite … Continue reading Transgender experiences are incredibly diverse and subjective, so why donÔÇÖt we acknowledge that?

What is White Privilege?

Poppy Jennings White privilege is sending out your CV when applying for jobs and not having to worry about whether your name sounds foreign. ItÔÇÖs not being sent home on your first day of school because your dreadlocks, cornrows, braids, or afro are disrupting other kidsÔÇÖ learning. ItÔÇÖs being able to drive down the street in a nice car without people suspecting you stole it. … Continue reading What is White Privilege?

PB Performance: Cardiff’s new state-of-the-art performance gym

By Bethany Griffiths Last Sunday Quench was invited to the launch of CardiffÔÇÖs newest performance gym: PB Performance. Aside from tucking into all the wonderful food and drink that PB Performance had to offer, we also trialled some of the gymÔÇÖs new, state-of-the-art equipment and attended various workshops about the art of powerlifting and weightlifting. The equipment is not like your everyday gym setup, with … Continue reading PB Performance: Cardiff’s new state-of-the-art performance gym

Spooky Fun or Insensitive Branding?

By Bethany Griffiths Halloween has certainly changed a lot since I was a kid. It used to be a minor event that merely served to kick off the festive season ÔÇô a small party at your neighbourÔÇÖs decked out in ASDAÔÇÖs finest (and cheapest) Halloween costume. Since then Halloween has become gradually more and more commercialised with adults and kids celebrating alike. The Halloween fun … Continue reading Spooky Fun or Insensitive Branding?

The Dark Side of Reality TV?

By Bethany Griffiths I think itÔÇÖs safe to say that this summer could go down in history as being one of the most eventful the UK has ever seen (probably a slight overreaction, but): weÔÇÖve recorded some of the highest temperatures on record for June and July, and weÔÇÖve seen the madness unfold on our streets as England actually made it to the semi finals … Continue reading The Dark Side of Reality TV?

Sunflower Bean Twentytwo In Blue Album Review

Brooklyn trio Sunflower Bean first burst onto the scene in 2016 with their debut full-length record, Human Ceremony, which gave us an abundance of starry-eyed and jangly psych-pop gems, boasting a myriad of retro influences. Now they return with sophomore album Twentytwo in Blue, released March 23rd on Mom + Pop Records. Whilst each band member is still only twenty-two (hence the album title), their … Continue reading Sunflower Bean Twentytwo In Blue Album Review

Scandinavian singers putting a new spin on the pop music we know

Recently there seems to be a huge number of Scandinavian popstars bringing out some absolutely great music. They seem to have put their own spin on pop and we love it. We have had our eye on Sigrid for a while now and she has now go the title of ÔÇÿBBCÔÇÖs Sound of 2018 number oneÔÇÖ. Could they be taking over the music indursty? HereÔÇÖs … Continue reading Scandinavian singers putting a new spin on the pop music we know

New Year, New Las Iguanas – A Relaunch Review

Last week Las Iguanas, Mill Lane, re-launched their restaurant, with a new look and a tweaked menu, and here at Quench we went to check it out! We were greeted by a bustle of people, food, colour, and energetic girls clad in feathers, and a waitress who seated us. From the minute we sat down, we were well-looked after, with our cocktail order taken almost … Continue reading New Year, New Las Iguanas – A Relaunch Review

Low In High School- Morrissey Album Review

Morrissey has come a long way since his days with The Smiths. ‘This Charming Man’ has become a little, wellÔǪ cranky. As an artist who is known for having an (often controversial) opinion on anything and everything, itÔÇÖs not an entirely unexpected evolution. Morrissey has never been one to shy away from political comment, but it becomes harder to take seriously when he comments on … Continue reading Low In High School- Morrissey Album Review

LP- Interview and Review

ÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔÿå Laura Pergolizzi, LP for her fans, is one of the most unique and astonishing voices the panorama of American rock music has ever seen. Her break-through album Lost on You was a big success around the globe and particularly in Europe where it reached peaks of 100,000 copies sold in France. In an interview with Quench last Wednesday, we talked with Laura about her … Continue reading LP- Interview and Review

Are Fickle Friends about to break the mainstream?

The early signs are strong for Fickle Friends, a pop group from Brighton who are getting the kind of early buzz which could see them break the mainstream with the release of their debut album next year. Together since 2013, they started out in the music breeding ground of Brighton, responsible for the likes of Royal Blood, James Bay and Rizzle Kicks in recent years. … Continue reading Are Fickle Friends about to break the mainstream?

An Interview with JAWS before their Cardiff Gig

Quench magazine had the chance to catch up with Birmingham band JAWS ahead of their Cardiff show. JAWS released their second album ÔÇÿSimplicityÔÇÖ last year and are now touring the album around the UK. ┬áYour UK tour is coming up next month and Cardiff is very excited to have you here. Are you starting to get excited now?┬á Yes!! we just finished two days of┬árehearsals, … Continue reading An Interview with JAWS before their Cardiff Gig

Big Life Lessons from the Big Screen – Part II

┬áFerris Bueller told us that “Life moves pretty fast. If you donÔÇÖt stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it.”, Timon and Pumbaa said that the philosophy of Hakuna Matata was the way forward for stress-free days and Forrest Gump’s mum always said “Life was like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get”. Quench’s contributors write about their … Continue reading Big Life Lessons from the Big Screen – Part II