April 2013

Aston Students' Union's Official Magazine

TheFESTIVAL ISSUE

Summer of SportYour guide to this summer's

best sporting events...

TOMS:Uncovered

AIESECWhy YOU should join

Aiesec Aston

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April 2013

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CONTENTSLetter from the Editor...Welcome to our eagerly awaitedFestival Issue! Jam-packed withBrummy,National and InternationalFestivals, you'll be sure to find afestival that suits you.On top of this, we've got someamazing competitions, new musicfor your listening pleasure, aninterview with professionalphotographer Karl Taylor and aguide to this year's fabulousSummer of Sport!With something to tickle everyone'sfacny, it's a wonder how we fit it allin! Here's to April's Issue, andhoping summer comes along soon!

Besma Whayeb@besmalucy

Contents 2The Team 4Students UnionTEDxAstonUniversity 5Your Executives 6FeaturesTOMS: Uncovered 7Abseil for Oxfam 8Karl Taylor Interview 9Aiesec Aston 11The Festival Guide 14BirminghamThe U.K.International

April 2013

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Innovation in the Sun 30Amsterdam Open Air 30Sports ReportSummer of Sport 27

EntertainmentAnnie Dressner 23Bird 24Nick Cave & TBS 25Darwin Deez 26Rae Morris 26Les Miserables 27CompetitionsBelow 30Latitude 30

@iAstonMagazine

The Team

4

Noémie NoelAiesec, #9

Rebecca WilsonTOMS: Uncovered, #7

Rushiv NayeeNick Cave & TBS, #23FEATU

RED

WRITE

RSEditor: Besma Whayeb

Features Editor: Reha Kansara

Sports Editor: Henry Walker

Music Editor: Rushiv Nayee

Film Editor: Noémie Noel

Assistant Editor: Alex Rymer

Head of Promotions: Jema Wyatt

Chief Photographer: Craig Shuker

This Month's Team:

Noémie Noel

Rebecca Wilson

Sara Sakharkar

Abigail Opoku

Sarah Breeze

Henry Walker

Craig Shuker

Besma Whayeb

Sandra Nimako-Boatey

Rushiv Nayee

AstonUniversity

6:00 pm - 8:30 pm29th of April 2013

Union Hall - Aston Student Union

The First University TEDx in Birmingham

DR MICHAEL SMETSAston Business School

TEDxAstonUniversity @TEDxAstonUni

CHRISTIAN MCLENINGSchool of Engineering

& Applied Sciences

Speakers

www.tedxastonuniversity.com

PROF JUDITH BAXTERSchool of Languages &

Social Sciences

Your Executives

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Michael WithersYOUR RAISE & GIVE (RAG) OFFICER

You can find out about your Union Executives on our website, www.astonunion.com

Hi! I’m Michael and I am the Raise and Give Officer (RAG). I am responsible forall the charitable fundraising on Campus - so if you are doing anything forcharity, let me know so we can help you!

With my RAG Committee, RAG run many fundraising events, we areresponsible for Armageddon and Apocalypse Bar Crawls, coordinating theChallenge trips on offer at Aston – Ranging from project work in Uganda, tocycling from London to Paris. We have also organised collections in citiesacross the UK this year, including Manchester and London.

Last year, Aston RAG raised an incredible £97,000 for some of the excellentcauses that we support, such as the Birmingham Children’s Hospital andCancer Research UK. This year we aim to raise even more than that, but to dothat, we need your help!

There are loads of ways that you can still get involved with Aston RAG, wehave our Relay for Life coming up on the 27th/28th April. Relay for Life is a hugefundraiser for Cancer Research UK – in which teams of participants will walkthe Aston Lake for 24 hours. If you don’t fancy joining a team, we also havesome stalls and other entertainments on the day, so make sure you comedown!

Another huge event that we have coming up is theAston University Summer Ball, held after exams inJune as a final event for everyone and it is sure to bea fantastic way to end the year! Keep an eye out forthe promotion for this!

If you would like to join the RAG Committee nextyear, the elections are fast approaching and moredetails will be released on the Aston RAG Facebookpage over the next week!

- Michael Withers

Feature

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TOMS: UncoveredOn the surface, all charity seems like a goodthing; you’re helping others and get a nicewarm fuzzy feeling too. Sowhat’s the problemwith TOMS? Why are its good intentions notdoing goodat all? I amcurrently on placementinUganda and living here has givenmea verydifferent perspective.

by Rebecca Wilson

TOMS’ ‘One for One’ policy seemed like a great idea - a child living in poverty gets abrand new pair of shoes at the same time you do. But when the scheme came to thesmall village of Bududa in eastern Uganda, it impacted the community in an extremelyunintentional way: several local shoe makers went out of business, having a knock aneffect on the whole village. This is now happening in villages all over the world - in 2011alone, TOMS donated 2,000,000 shoes. In turn local shoe industries are suffering andcommunities are largely impacted by what seems like such a small sector.

In addition to this, the company acknowledges that the shoes need to be consonantlyreplacedaschildrengrow, creatingadependency for thecontinuousshipmentof shoes.But instead, the communities best interests are being bypassed by the scheme; ratherthan backing and supporting local businesses that are sustainable and helping them togrow they are providing unbeatable competition.

While the company does say that its tries to be considerate of local business, evidencesuggests that this is not working. Their goodintentions are not good enough. Many evencriticise the company saying that the scheme isnothing but a marketing tool. And theseschemes are starting to be copycatted by otherbusinesses, putting even more communities atrisk.

Themoral of the tale is: next timeyouaim togiveto charity, question the actual benefit beingreceived. There are many wonderful causesand charities supporting these, but there are afew deceiving ploys out there.

Feature

8

Abseil for OxfamIN PHOTOS

Photos

byAbigailO

poku

andSaraSakharkar

Interview

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Karl TaylorWith a recent exhibition at The NEC, Karl Taylor's photography is aneducation in itself, as Chief Photographer Craig Shuker finds out...

It’s amazing what you can learn at a convention. Wheninvited to come along to Focus on Imaging at the NEC inBirmingham, I was sceptical as to what help this couldactually provide a photographer. However, with theimmediate bombardment of striking images and storybook photo albums, it was somewhere between theNikonTechnology stand and Karl Taylor’s motion captureseminar that I realised how relevant his knowledge is.

Karl Taylor hasbeenaprofessional photographer for over15 years and has travelled the globe on assignments forsome of the world's most successful companies. He leftschool at the age of just 16 with simply a talent for art anddesign. But it was when he found work at a retailphotography store selling camera equipment that his lifewould change forever…

Craig Shuker: Can you explain what it is actually liketo work as a photographer and why you decided to take up photography?Karl Taylor: It was after I left school, when I took a job in a camera shop, that I discovered SLRcameras. I started experimenting and playing with cameras and I realised that this is an incrediblemedium where I can create images in really fine detail; I had always been interested in really finedetail in painting. I becameaddicted to the photographic process, but it was onlywhen I shot someofmyvery first picturesof ahorse runningonabeachat veryhighshutter speedandhow I capturedall that detail, frozen in time.

CS: How did you manage to combine your passion for travelling and photography in theearly stages of your career? Where did it take you and where did you start?KT: In the early stages, I started by travelling and doing photography because I wanted to be aphotojournalist. I did that for a few years but there wasn’t a lot of money in photojournalism unlessyouworked full time for someone like National Geographic so after doing that I had an opportunityto get a job as an assistant in a commercial advertising studio and that’s where I started learningwhat I do now.

CS: Have you been influenced by any photographers, either famous or not?KT: Yes definitely, in my early days it was the guys at National Geographic; Steve McCurry, JodiCobb, Sam Abell. I loved all the National Geographic photographers’ work, I was heavilyinfluenced by them and then later in my more commercial career; Bob Carlos Clarke, Patrick

Interview

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Lichfield whose portrait work was great.

CS: Can you explain what the mostchallenging and exciting things aboutactually running your business are?KT:Well, running a business, whether it’sphotographyor not, is about knowing yournumbers, your facts and your figures.You’ve got to look at the very basics ofwhat’s coming in and what’s going out, soyou’ve got to keep your eye on the ball ontheaccounts.Wealsoput a lot ofwork intoour marketing and we promote ourselvesthrough Facebook, YouTube and othersocial media which plays a massive role in what we do as we have lots of followers online. But Iwould say actually understanding the business plan. You always have to be very careful to makesure that you don’t lose sight of those things otherwise, no matter how good you are, you’re goingto fail.

CS: Getting a bit more technical, what equipment do you enjoy using the most and why?KT: In the studio it’s the Hasselblad H4 because I need a high resolution camera for some of thelarge scale advertising images. When I’m on location I use a Canon 5D mark 3 at the moment, acouple of those, Manfred tripods and we use Elinchrom and Broncolor lighting. However, being agood photographer isn’t just about the equipment; it’s about knowing what makes a good pictureand the people skills.

CS:What has been your most enjoyable photo shoot? KT: That’s a tricky one, because thereare lots of different photo shoots that have been enjoyable. I really enjoyed doing the ‘paintseries’ (featured) last year because we spent a whole week blasting paint all over the studio, allover themodels, explodingpaint out of tins.Wewanted todosomething thatwouldbeeyecatchingand technical - you need very fast duration bursts of light to capture that, 10,000 per second.

CS:What advice would you give for budding photographers and entrepreneurs out there?KT:You’vegot to gowith your passion to behonest and you’vegot towork very hard.We’ve traineda lot of photographers and we’ve had a lot of pros come through who started off with our trainingand they’re shooting top end level ads now. But they were so committed and dedicated, buildingdevices and figuring out ways of solving a problem. They would not give up until they got the shottheywanted. It is that relentless level of passion toachieve the image,andnot compromise it.WhenI set out on a photography project I’ll visualise the image, what it needs to look like, whether it’sfor a client or formyself, and I won’t finish until I’ve got to that result. So you’ve got to see it through,andby that Imeansomeshotswedomight take fifteenhours to get it right. To succeed in this gamenow, because photography is a very difficultmarket to get in to and succeed in, you have to be verypassionate and very drivenand I think thatwithmanyaspects of business, especially in this currentclimate.

Societies

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Noémie Noel talks to Aisec Aston's present - and future - Presidents...Established in the 1980s, Aiesec is the world’s largest student-driven organisation. Itoffersyoungpeople theopportunity todevelop their abilitiesandbecomeglobal citizens.Being international, every country has its own Aisec committee and representativeswithin the cities but also within universities. Aiesec Aston has a team of over 30members and on 8th March Aiesec Aston ran its annual presidential.

During the threehours of elections, theatmospherewas relaxed; everyonewasat ease,joyful, and very pleased to see the candidates as well as other Aisec members fromother Birmingham universities. First, the candidates had to introduce themselves, dealwith their motivations and finally answer the questions the current committee hadprepared for them. With a lot of suspense and excitement the outcome was declared;Luke Isherwoodwill be next year’s President of Aiesec. I met withGabriella Bossman,the current President and Luke Isherwood to talk about the year they’ve hadwithin theorganisation.Noémie: Hi Gabriella! To begin this interview, could you define for us what Aiesec isabout?

Gabriabrella: For me, Aiesec is a platform through which you can inspire and developyoung people and help them to understand their potential, and as soon as they haveunderstood that they have the ability to go beyond their imaginings. From there, whenyou have a group of inspired, passionate and driven people, youwant to take themevenfurther and help even more people to develop their capabilities.N: So the main purpose is to help young people?

G: Yes, to put in a nutshell (laughs)

N: Luke just got elected! How do you feel about thecoming year with Luke as the Head of Aiesec?

G:Oh, I amsoexcitedabout the coming year!During theelections I was really numb, for a combination ofreasons: it has been a year since I was right here - it isjust gone by so quickly - and all the candidates wereabsolutely fantastic! I am a believer in collectivedecision-making and I believe that Luke is more than

Societies

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The New Executive Board of Aiesec Aston (L-R):Gavin Gnanakulendran as Head of Finance,EleanorClatworthy as TalentManagement,EmmaJay Percy the Head of Outgoing Exchange, DelilaKidanu the Head of Incoming Exchange and LukeIsherwood as President.

you are nothing. Always let themknowhowgrateful youare to themand recognise when they dosomething fantastic. Theimportant thing is to find out whatpeople enjoy and do what youenjoy to keep everyonemotivated.

N: What are your plans for thefollowing year as a student?

G: I’m going to travel to theMiddleEast; I would like to understandthe culture there and helppositively impact those that do nothave as many opportunities thatwe do.

PTO for Luke's Interview...

capable. I don’t want him to be as good as me, I want him to be ten times better and ifthere is anyone within our team I can trust in doing that, it’s Luke.

N: Howwould you sum up the year during which you have been running Aiesec Aston?

G: It’s had its ups and downs, even spirals! All and all it has been more than worth it. Icannot even imagine my life without this year, it really has been a life changingexperience and it moulded me into who I am now.

N: What is your best memory?

G: Oh no you cannot do that! (laughs) Okay, my best memory… well, one of my bestmemories was at the beginning of the year, we just finished the recruiting and we hadour first LC (Local Committee) meeting. We had all the new recruits and they all lookedso eager, excited and ready to begin and I remember thinking that this is the beginningof something great, something unknown but with so many passionate people ready tolearn, and they really drove the organisation forward.

N: What would be your best advice for Luke?

G: Love your team. The team are the people who drive everything andwithout the team

Interview

13

Noémie: Hi Luke! Congratulations!

Luke: Hello! Thank you very much!

N: Can you tell us more about what you got up to beforeAisec?

L: Well, before coming to Aston, I was heavily involvedwith musical drama, everything else was an extra,academics was an extra and it made quite a lot of peopleangry in my life (laughs) but I loved it. I used to playsaxophone; I did a lot of dressing up as a woman, thingslike that (laughs).

N: How did you hear about Aiesec?

L: I remember was in a Financial Accounting lecture; I was bored out of mymind, andI was about to leave when someone stood at the front and let everyone know aboutan “information session” going on in the evening. I think it might have been Gabriella,and she never really said what it was so I was intrigued. And here I am!

N: How did your first year in Aiesec go?

L: It has been a challenge, but I’ve gained somuch already. Aiesec has really pushedme and I have so many amazing people. Being President, I want to create moreopportunities for people to do that - I want to give something back.

N: What motivated you to run for President?

L: I wanted to make sure that more people get the opportunity to join in. I also thinkthe team has worked so hard and yet they’re still so positive, still so full of energy andthey have done so well. So why not take it all and do hundred times better, carry onthe legacy?

N: And finally, if you could describe Gabriella in one word, what would it be?

L: Amazing!

G: Oh! Thank you Luke!

For more information about the organisation or going abroad with them,have a look at their Facebook page: Go Global Aiesec

Festival Guide

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The[Festival[Guide!presents

featuring

and more!

Festival Guide

15

Birmingham>

Man Down Festival4th & 14th April 2013 | The Flapper | £5Man Down Festival is a celebration of some very talentedladies who work in the music industry. Featuring both aQ&A session on 4th April and a day of music (featuringboth males and females!) on 14th April, it’s a great way toget to know some of the best Brummies in the musicbusiness. www.mandownfestival.co.uk

Perhaps underrated, dear old Brum offers some of the best - andcheapest - festivals around. Make sure you don't miss out!

Swingamajig5th May 2013 | Digbeth | £11 / £16.50 / £22Calling all electro-swing, vintage sounds and gypsy madnesslovers! You may be few and far apart, but that’s no means tosay that there isn’t a festival for you. Swingamajig is settingsail this year for the first time, and they’re going to party likeit’s 1929! Headliners The Correspondants are a must-see(recommended by The Editor!). Tickets start at £11 –depending on how early you book – so make sure you getyours fast! www.swingamajig.co.uk

Flatpack Festival21st – 31st March | Across BirminghamIt’s a little late for this year’s festival, but it’s definitelyworth a mention. Celebrating film, performances,contraptions and surprises from across the world, and screening across Birmingham,Flatpack is an annual treat. Operating on a pick-and-mix basis, you can choose fromall of the events separately. Look out for it next year! www.flatpackfestival.org.uk

Festival Guide

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Moseley Folk Festival30th Aug – 1st Sep 2013 | Moseley Park | £37 - £89Moseley Folk is the place to be for any folk fan. Perhaps alittle unheard of compared to national festivals, it’s by nomeans a lesser competitor, with 2011’s line-up featuringacts such as Gruff Rhys, Junip, Stornoway, Villagers andWilly Mason! In its eighth year now, it’s sure to have it’sloyal fans so make sure you get your tickets quick!Starting from £37 for a day to £89 for the full weekend.

www.moseleyfolk.co.uk

Mostly Jazz Funk & Soul Festival5th – 7th July | Moseley Park | £37 - £89If jazz, funk or soul is your thing, and you’d rather return homefrom a great night out then camp in the mud, Mostly JF&SFestival is the place to be. Spanning over three days with actssuch as Chic feat. Nile Rodgers, Bonobo and Candi Staton(eek!) it’ll be a great way to celebrate the end of exams.

www.mostlyjazz.co.uk

Music edit

Book club

Preview

The PLACE to go

Festival Guide

17

The> U.K.Festival season isalmost here!Hereareourpicks toget your teeth (or should

we say wellies?) into this summer...

Isle of Wight Festival13th – 16th June | Newport | £75 - £185It’s the first huge music festival of the year, and with headline acts such as The StoneRoses, The Killers and Bon Jovi, they really are starting with a bang! On top of this,they’ve got Emeli Sandé, Ke$ha, Jake Bugg, Everything Everything, Bloc Party,PalomaFaith, TheMaccabees andmanymore fresh artists, alongside a stack of DJ’s,TheCabaretClubandeven their very ownbeach!Renowned for its glamorous camping– or glamping – in its boutique camping field, you’ll feel right at home with all yourcommodities. For those of youwho love roughing it however, there is the traditional tentsite too! www.isleofwightfestival.com

Blissfields Festival5th – 7th July | Winchester | £16 - £85Perhaps one of the friendliest festivals to be taking place this year, Blissfields is greatfor any festival virgin. With a spacious camping area, happy atmosphere and notforgettingacts suchasBastille andMystery Jetsalongsideup-and-comers fromall overthe country, it’ll be three days of great fun.

And with tickets starting at an incredible £16 (Thursday, day only) to a pocket-friendly£85 for the whole weekend, it's great value for money for any cash-strapped student!

www.blissfields.co.uk

Festival Guide

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Latitude Festival18th – 21st July | Suffolk | £84.50 - £190.50Taking place in the heart of British summertime, Latitude Festival is a regular treat forits 35,000 guests. With a stellar line-up including Bloc Party, Kraftwerk, Foals, TheMaccabees, Hot Chip, Cat Power, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Local Natives, ModestMouse, Alt-J, Beach House and many, many more, it’s one for music lovers of anygenre.

On top of this are its Comedy, Theatre &Dance, Artists, Film, SpokenWord, Literary andCabaret stages – it’s definitely worth planning out your day to a strict timetable if you don’twant to miss anything!

COMPETITION–And forone lucky iAMreader,we’vegot twoSaturday tickets toLatitudeFestival to give away! Head over to our exclusive competitions page (pg. 30) for how youcan enter. www.latitudefestival.com

Global Gathering26th – 27th July | Stratford Upon Avon | £115 - £190The two-day electronic festival is back! With over 14 stages jam-packed with actssuch as Example, Katy B, Annie Mac, Rita Ora, Plan B, Disclosure, Major Lookand so very many more, this is the ultimate festival for any fan of dance music.Radio 1 Xtra also have their very own stage!

Tickets start at £115 for the full weekend including camping and parking, or for thehardcore fans, VIP passes are available for an extra £75 including exclusives yet tobe revealed!

www.globalgathering.com

Festival Guide

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Green Man Festival15th – 18th August | Glanusk Park, Wales | £125 - £165Awarded Best Grass Roots Festival last year, Green Man is the festival to go to forcontemporary music and arts. Based in the grassy, sunny Glanusk Park, hiddenamongst the Welsh mountains and steeped in folklore, it really is the modern-dayhippy hangout.

With a line-up featuring Band of Horses, Kings of Convenience, Ben Howard,Midlake, Local Natives, The Horrors and many more, their summery sound is likeno other. This, coupled with their comedy, film and literature performances make itone of the best alternative festivals in the U.K. And with tickets starting at £125 forstudents for the whole four days, it’s pocket-friendly too!

www.greenman.net

Creamfields Festival23rd – 25th August | Cheshire | £70 - £250Creamfields is back and stronger than ever before! The huge electronic festivaldescends on Daresbury, Cheshire on the August Bank Holiday weekend tocelebrate its 15th Anniversary with three days of pure electronic music.

With headliners The Prodigy stealing the show with their only UK performance thissummer, it’s a wonder that their line-up also includes Avicci, Tiesto, David Guetta,Paul van Dyk, Annie Mac, Eric Prydz, Afrojack, Groove Armada, Zane Lowe,Pete Tong and Armand van Helden to name but a few.

Tickets start at £70 for a one-day basic deal, going up to £250 for three-days ofhospitality and camping.

www.creamfields.com

Festival Guide

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Mini>-Festivals>If camping isn't your thing, or you're not looking to splash out, here are a

few of the nation's best one-day festivals, from £15 and up...

End of the Road Festival30th August – 1st September | North Dorset | £130 - £175End of the Road Festival marks the end of the summer festival season, howeverthat’s not to say that their swansong is anything short of amazing. Savour thesummer at the intimate festival with its peacock-strewn former Victorian pleasuregarden offering an amazing music lineup plus art, atmosphere, workshops,comedy, cinema, a woodland library, games, a healing field and the finestfood and drinks.Perhaps saving the best line-up until last, their artists this year include Sigur Ros,Belle & Sebastian, Eels, David Byrne & St Vincent, Warpaint, FrightenedRabbit, Efterklang, Dawes, Daughter and many more.

Tickets start at a low £130 for the three-day festival, ramping up to £175 dependingon when your order your ticket (i.e. the sooner the better!)

www.endoftheroadfestival.com

Festival Guide

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International>

Innovation in the Sun Festival25th June – 2nd July |Lloret de Mar, Barcelona | £120 - £364Time to get out that factor 50 and jump on aplane to Barcelona! It’s Innovation in the Sun’s10 Year Anniversary, and with a line-up featuringAndy C, Loadstar, Wilkinson, Ray Rampage and many more, it’s the perfectgetaway for any drum and bass fan. On top of this, there’s:

- The World’s Only Drum & Bass Water-park Party- The Biggest Drum & Bass 'Headphone' Beach Party- Yacht Parties- Foam Parties- The Most Coveted MC Competition- Crazy Beach Football- Drum & Bass Beach Bar+ Over 100 Artists across 7 Days & Nights

Prices start from £120 for ultra-early-bird club-party only tickets or £170 for aweekend holiday package, rising to £364 for a weeklong holiday package so thatyou miss out on nothing!

COMPETITION – And for one lucky iAM reader, we’ve got two amazingInnovation in the Sun tickets to give away! Head over to our exclusivecompetitions page (pg. 30) for how you can enter.

www.innovationinthesun.com

Festival Guide

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Amsterdam Open Air Festival8th – 9th June | Gaasperpark, Amsterdam | €59.50 - €200After two amazing years, Amsterdam Open Air will once again launch the summer inGaasperpark, Amsterdam. With four large and three intimate stages, the festival is asmorgasbord for house, tech house, deep house, techno, disco, hip-hop and electrofans. Surrounded by green trees and rippling water, the weekend will feature actssuch as Tiga, Ellen Allien, Paco Osuna, Matthew Dear and DJ Sneak, along withbrands such as MTV, Carnivale and GirlsloveDJS.

Coupled with this is the new Rock ‘n’ Roll Dream Hotel by Models at Work, wherecampers can stay in tipis and indulge in many amenities not commonly found atcamping festivals. Perhaps at the pricier end of the scale, a tipi ticket including thefestival will set you back €200. For those of you with a more limited budget, asimple weekender ticket without camping is a mere €59.50 - around £50 in sterling.

COMPETITION – We’ve got two Amsterdam Open Air Festival tickets for one luckyiAM reader without so much cash to splash to win! Head over to our exclusivecompetitions page (pg. 30) for how you can enter. www.amsterdamopenair.nl

New Music

23

Annie DressnerSandra Nimako-Boatey gives up-and-coming

star Annie Dressner's EP, East Twenties, a listen...

Singer-songwriter Annie Dressner is a young New Yorker-turned-Londoner releasingher newEP ‘East Twenties’. Annie’s sound is amix of indie and folk – she has the poeticlyrics you’d expect to hear from an indie artist and she has the melodies of one too.

Her first track ‘Heartbreaker’ is my personal favourite. The song makes you want to benostalgic for a lover,which is a little bit frightening (!), but the song is that powerful. Anniesings about a past love and her memories surrounding that relationship, ‘This was howit was to be my love, back when you were my love.’ It’s refreshing to hear a love songthat isn’t bitter, just open and honest. Even when Annie sings ‘You heartbreaker, youtook my love and you tore me down’, you don’t hear anger – Annie’s voice is too gentlefor that – instead you hearwhatwould be truth, if truth had a sound. The folk instrumentsgive it that uplifting feel, so you don’t feel hopeless that relationship that didn’t work out.Being the first track on the EP, it’s a great introduction of what Annie is like as an artist.

In true indie/folk fashion, Annie’s tracks are filled with soft guitar melodies, violins andharmonicas. This is present throughout the whole EP, so it’s the poignant lyrics thatreally give each song its signature feel. Annie’s second track ‘I Can’t Forget’ takes usdown a sad road and the deep tones in themusic follow the longing and pain in the lyricsof the song. Its added depth to the EP really reveals a more personal side to Annie.

Out on 8th April, ‘East Twenties’ is a fantastic piece of work and if you happen to be inLondon be sure to grab tickets to Anne’s launch party to support her! It’s on the 9th ofApril at the Slaughtered Lamb. - Sandra Nimako-Boatey

New Music

24

BirdRushiv Nayee has a listen to Bird's Ophelia EP

Bird’s entrancing music seems to have been ripped straight out of a gothic novel. Thethree piece hail from Liverpool, where frontwomen Adéle Emmas and Siân Williamsallegedly bonded over their shared affinity for various artists, including Warpaint, aninfluencewhich resonates throughout theEP.Bird aremakingwaves.HavingappearedonRadio1, been toutedasoneof 2013’s ‘ones towatch’ aswell ashavingbeen featuredon the Guardian’s New Band Up North blog is sure to widen their fanbase and exposenew listeners to their haunting yet seductive sound.

The Ophelia EP creates an eerie atmosphere as it fills my darkly lit room in the earlyhours of the morning. The intertwining vocals of Adéle and Siân skirt along thefloorboards and conspire to create shadows behind me. I surrender, and am lefthypnotised by their voices by the time the Intro (Horses in the Waves) has drawn to aclose.

The title track iswhereBirdshowcase that theirmusical skills arenot limited toproducinghaunting vocals, as they lace a smooth guitar riff over an understated bassline. Theintroductionof drummerAlexisSamataaddsacohesiveelement,while theysinganodetoShakespeare’s tragically fragileOphelia. Both vocalists subsequently showexquisiteinterplay to harmonise and complement each other magnificently against the backdropof a sombre piano riff on Pious.

The EP reaches its conclusion with The Waltz, which cements the dark, ghostlyatmosphere.Theshadowsbehindmedisappearas thesong reaches its conclusion, butthe haunting atmosphere lingers long after the music has stopped. - Rushiv Nayee

Music

25

Nick Cave & The Bad SeedsMusic Editor, Rushiv Nayee, gets togrips with Nick Cave & TBS's newalbum, Push the Sky Away...The sheer longevity of NC&TBS is something to admire.Releasing their first album in 1984, they return this yearwith their brilliant fifteenth album, Push the Sky Away.

The Bad Seeds have undergone several line-up changessince their inception, with the departure of multi-instrumentalist Mick Harvey in 2009 leavingCave as the only remaining constant in theband’s 30-year history. Despite this, Cavestill came back with fresh ideas andoriginality that resulted in a mysterious,melodic offering where minimalismdominates.

With a stream of maturity flowingthrough Push the Sky Away, NC&TBShas developed a more laid back,contemplative approach.

Guitar use across the album is sparse - manyof the songs are driven by a persistent bassline- while keyboards are faultlessly utilised. Thisall indicates their quiet confidence; subtlety is key.

Highlights include ‘Jubilee Street’ and ‘HiggsBoson Blues’ which both run longer than sixminutes, although you’ll wish they were longeras they send you into a state of relaxedintrospection.

The album fades out with the hypnotic andreflective title track, where Cave strips away themajority of the instruments, has his vocals take thespotlight and lays bare his songwriting skills, leavingus looking forward to album number sixteen.

Music

26

Darwin DeezBesma Whayeb bops to DD's new album, but wishes it was live

Rae MorrisEditor Besma Whayeb's recommendation for the month

Darwin Deez is genreless. A mix ofpop, psychadelia, electro, indie andsome stalking too (see video for YouCan't Be My Girl), it's a happy,bopping-around kind of sound.However, I think that's justmy problemwith it. D. Deez's first album, seemingmore like a joke than a serious attemptat creatingmusic, corresponds so wellto their carefree style on stage - acrazy, dancing show, no less. Andwhile this second albumshows a slightmaturity under the limelight, I do thinkit would sound 100x better live.

Rae Morris has been fluttering underthe radar for a while now. With herbeautiful voice and talented pianoplaying, it's no wonder she's recentlysupported acts such as Lianne LaHavas and Tom Odell. Seeing herperform a little while ago at TheInstitute, her confidence while playingtoahuge, bustlingaudienceboth in thestalls and on the balcony withoutfaltering has clearly grown, and so tooher fame.She's definitely one to watch, listen toandenjoy... andalsoadmire, at only20years old.

Film

27

Les MiserablesSarah Breeze gives her take on the award-winning film

When I first heard Les Miserables was going to be made into a film, I was a bitsceptical. As awell-knownmusical, the success of such an iconic show seemeda lot to live up to. Then, when I heard the big names that were going to star in it,such as Anne Hathaway and Hugh Jackman, I thought that the focus would beon the cast of huge celebrities and the musical element of the story would bedismissed. But that just wasn’t the case.

The film really is refreshing to watch. The acting in it is phenomenal, along withthemake-upand thecostumes. It gave the filmamodern look,without neglectingtheclassical era inwhich the filmwasset. TheuseofBritishactors likeSamanthaBarks and Eddie Redmayne was really effective too. It makes you feel proudwhen you see true emerging British talent in such an iconic story.

I have to admit, the cast were perfectly chosen for the role that they played in thefilm, and I really respected the directors’ and actors’ decision to record the songslive. Therewas no pre-recorded soundtrack that was edited into the final film; foreach scene, the actor sang live so each takewas different, capturing perfectly theemotions in themoment. Theonly negative tothe film is its length – lasting over 2½ hours,I did find myself checking my watch a coupleof times. Also, the story can be fairlycomplicated to follow and understand – it’sdefinitely one to watch again.

iAM Competitions

28

Latitude Festival TicketsOne lucky reader will win a pair of Latitude Saturday tix!

Below's 8th Birthday

Amsterdam Open Air

Innovation in the Sun

Head on down to The Rainbow on us for Below's B-day!

One of you could be off to Barcelona with a mate!

Win tickets to the AOA Festival for two!

WIN! WIN! WIN!WIN! WIN!

On May 4th The Rainbow Birmingham will be hosting Below's 8th Birthday,featuring Sasha, DJ Sneak, Todd Terry, Kevin Saunderson Inner City Live,Mathew Styles. Derrick May and MR C. Event and many more. For your chancetowin, send an email entitled "Below"with your name, email address and studentnumber to editor@astonunion.com (Ends 26/04/2013)

With bands such as Bloc Party, Kraftwerk, Foals, The Maccabees, Hot Chip andYeah Yeah Yeahs, this is a festival not to be missed by any music fan! Hosted inthe lovely Henham Park, Suffolk on 18th-21st July, we've got 2 tickets to giveaway. For your chance to win, send an email entitled "Latitude" with your name,email addressandstudent number toeditor@astonunion.com (Ends31/05/13)

If you like drum and bass, this is the ultimate getaway for you and a mate! We'vegot two ticketsup for grabs -all youneed toget is the flights! (Seepage21 formoredetails on Innovation in the Sun). For your chance to win, send an email entitled"Innovation" with your name, email address and student number toeditor@astonunion.com (Ends 31/05/13)

If you like house, tech house, deep house, techno, disco, hip-hop and electro, THIS isyour festival! (See page 22 for more details on AmsterdamOpen Air Festival). Foryour chance to win, send an email entitled "Amsterdam" with your name, emailaddress and student number to editor@astonunion.com (Ends 31/05/13)

WIN! WIN! WIN!WIN! WIN!

Sports Report

29

A Sizzling Summer of Sport!With second semester drawing to a close and end of year examslooming ominously in the horizon, iAstonMagazine takes a look atthe feast of sporting events coming up this summer to get youthrough the long hard slog of revision season… by Henry Walker

MaySaturday 4th May (12:45 KO)Birmingham City v Blackburn Rovers- the final day ofthe league stage of English football’s 2nd tier league. Ourlocal side face off against Fried Chicken FC with thechance for the Blues to secure a play-off position. Win orlose, expect a carnival atmosphere throughout! Tickets:Prices TBC but will likely start at around £12 for students.

Sunday 12th May (3pm KO)Aston Villa v Chelsea- on the penultimate weekend of the PremierLeague, Villa host Abromovic’s Chelski. With this being a “big fourteam” AND the last home game of the season it’s a dead cert to sell-out so get your tickets fast. Potentially a very emotional day with Villabattling relegation and a possible good-bye from fan favourite StiliyanPetrovwho has leukaemia. #supportstanTickets: Student prices startat £25 but keep an eye out for cheaper tickets sometimes on sale in

Wednesday 22nd May (7.30pm KO)BirminghamBrummiesvWolverhampton-Speedway. I don’t knowthe rules (I’m not sure there are any) but how can anyone say no to dirtbikes haring round a muddy track without using their brakes?!Certainly beats being forced to go OrangeWednesdays by a flatmateto see a film you don’t want to see/have already seen! Tickets: £12 atthe turnstiles with student I.D (www.birminghambrummies.co)

Sports Report

30

July

Monday 24th June – Sunday 7th JulyWimbledon- Now Britain has a tennis player who can actually winsomething interest in the tournament has soared. Andy Murray iscoming of age and, with a grand slam now to his name, he has agreat chance to win this famous & historical competition. Come onTim! Tickets: They’re harder to get than a computer on the ground

floor of the Library! There is a tremendous atmosphere in the famous queue though andalso on the “cleverly” alliterated ‘Murray Mound’.

Friday 28th – Sunday 30th JuneThe British Grand Prix- the smell of petrol & burningrubber, the screech of squealing tires and the electricatmosphere of Silverstone- whether that’s your idea ofheaven or hell, there’s no ignoring the glamour F1 nowcarries (Sky have even given the sport its own channel!) It’s not a cheap, but it’s anexperience that must be had! Tickets: £65 is the bottom of an exponentially increasingprice structure (www.silverstone-grand-prix.com).

Wednesday 10th July – Sunday 25th AugustThe Ashes: England v Australia- Whether you’re an avid cricketfan or just like lazing in the sun drinking with your mates, this is THEsporting event this summer! Sadly Edgbaston isn’t one of thefeatured grounds for this series but Trent Bridge in Nottingham isonly a 1hr 15min train journey away. England has won the last twoseries and will be desperate to complete the hattrick.Tickets: Day 5 at Trent Bridge is as cheap as you’ll get £80(www.bigticketshop.co.uk).

JuneThursday 6th – Sunday 23rd June

The ICCChampions Trophy 2013 features the eight best one-dayinternational teams in the world, with matches held at The CardiffWalesStadium,EdgbastonandTheOval inLondon.Keepaspeciallook out for England v Australia on Saturday 8th June and the finalon Sunday 23rd June both just across the city at Edgbaston Cricket Ground. Warning:dangerously close to Uni of Birmingham Campus! Aston University hoody is a must!Tickets: Discounts for under-21s for the first time, priced from £10-£25

(www.icc-cricket.com)

27th-28th April 2013Aston University Lake, Birmingham

24hrs

Aston RAG’s annual 24 hour Relay For Life will take place on 27th April

at 12 noon sharp at the University Lake.

In aid of Cancer Research UK, we are calling for teams of between 8-12

members to walk/jog/run/crawl/sprint around the lake for 24 hours!

ANYONE CAN DO IT!!! GET YOUR SOCIETIES INVOLVED!!!

“Relay For Life 2013 - Aston University” @AstonRAG

Contact Ahmed Hassan:

hassana3@aston.ac.uk

07531 957502

relay.chair@For more information contact:

astonunion.com

24HR BBQ

ENTERTAINMENT CANDLE OF HOPE