SONARIssue 1

SONAR ISSUE 1EditorialHello and welcome to the first issue of the new and improved SONAR magazine! Consider this a post-summer, post-graduate special, featuring work from some of the most prominent talent from recent graduates - a perfect way to welcome back those going into the second and third years of their degrees and an open-armed encouragement to all you newcomers, just look at what we can boast as a uni!

We take a look at some of the hottest festivals from this summer, and kick off our ‘classic films you need to see’ section with an article on New Hollywood in honour of the late, great Dennis Hopper who passed away earlier this year. On the theme of the New Hollywood era, this month’s student showcase presents the work of recent illustration graduate Samuel Mills, with his series on film classic Bonnie and Clyde. All this plus interviews and reviews from the latest gigs, films, games and new music to feast your eyes and ears upon. So take some time out of partying hard/working hard and enjoy the first of this year’s SONAR mags.

Don’t forget to check out the new SONAR blog at: sonarmag.tumblr.com, where you can also view and download each issue of the mag in digital form in case you don’t manage to pick up a copy in time, and sign up to our forum to share your views with fellow Solent students.

Here’s to a bright year ahead!

Laura J. Smith, VP Communicationsemail: sucommunications@solent.ac.uk//twitter: @solentcomms//facebook: /solentvpcomms

Magazine and Blog Editor//Laura J. SMITH//Creative Director and Designer//Samuel DAVIES//

Contributors//Reese HOWARD, Tom PALMER, Craig THOMAS, Toni CAROLINE, Zoe WHITFIELD, Ola BILSKI, James WHATLEY, Robin PAILLER, Dave MERRITT, Kat ROMERO, Adam PARKER,Xavier FIDDES, Katie WEST, Dan BRETT, Victoria PURCELL//

//Published by Diguru//

CONTENTSMeet Your Union

A Welcome From NUS

Summer Festival Roundup

Tribeca Film Festival: A Summary

On the Prowl (September Fashion Shoot)

Talking About a Generation: Graduate Photographer Interview

Rebel Generation: The Birth of ‘New’ Hollywood

Student Showcase: Sam Mills

In Times of Terror: The Media & Terrorism

Pop Culture: An interview with Montage Populaire

Hear Yea, Hear Yea: An interview with Yeasayer

Reviews

SONAR’s September Playlist

Upcoming

Sports

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P 19

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P 35

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Meet Your Union

Hi, how are you? I’m Ayumi (say aye-you-me), your VP Student Support officer. I want to give you the support you need to make your uni life go by smoothly and amazingly! I mainly deal with students’ welfare and academic support so if you have any problems or worries, please come and see me before it gets any worse. I’ll never tell you not to drink, (because I love my cocktails!) but I will suggest you make sure you don’t drink too much so you can keep yourselves safe and sexy! If you just want to have a chat, you’re welcome to – I’ll make you a nice cup of tea.

I’ve had an amazing time getting involved in activities within SSU, so I guarantee you can have a bit of that too this year if you wish. Basically it’s all up to you – get involved and take part!

Since I’ve started working here this summer, I’ve done a lot of thinking, and I’ve tried to put together some projects which hopefully you’ll want to get involved in. However, I don’t know what you want from your SU until I can see you and have a chat, so please let me know if there’s anything you want to do over the coming year that myself or the other sabbs can help you with! I’m really looking forward to seeing you and making

things happen. I’m also starting this project called Language Swap. It’s a volunteering opportunity for anyone who wants to learn other languages. We have a lot of international students from all over the world; they can speak other languages, but maybe they want to learn REAL English while they’re here in the UK, so why don’t we just swap languages?! Let me know if you’re interested!

Love Ayumi x

email: susupport@solent.ac.ukphone: 02380 319553twitter : @solentsupportfacebook: /solentvpsupport

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Hi, I’m Stephanie Hobbs, your newly elected VP Student Development! I just want to say a quick thanks to all those who voted me in and I hope to do the best I can for all you students.

Hopefully you’ll have noticed some improvements and a little bit of refurbishment has been done to give a fresher feel to the SU – the new Society Board is up in the Wi-Fi Lounge for all the current active Societies to let the rest of the student body know what they’re doing and if you want to get involved it’s a great place to head for more information.

There’s also the new Environmental Wall next to the SU Shop. This is a chance for you to see what green projects we’re getting involved in here at the SU, our ongoing green practices, and how you can do your bit for the environment too.

I’m also trying to get this year’s R.A.G (that’s Raise and Give if you didn’t already know!) to be one of the best yet and really need your help! I already have some dates set for certain events but am open for you guys to come up with a society and work with me on future R.A.G. events. There’s going to be a R.A.G mag out very soon to let you know of all the information you need to get involved.

For all the Sports and Societies, we’re relaunching Wednesday nights in the SU Top Bar, under a new name, 4-Play! With an awesome new MEGA COCKTAIL on offer, and hosted by some of Radio Sonar’s finest DJs, make sure you come on down – it’ll also be Sexual Health Wednesdays so many useful freebies will be available!

I hope you like the sound of some of the stuff I’ve been working on and I’m aiming for a lot more over the coming year. We all want to hear from you guys so if you’d like to get involved in the SU, drop us a line!

email: sudevelopment@solent.ac.ukphone: 02380 319553twitter : @solentdevelopfacebook: /solentvpdevelopment

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Hi guys! It’s Dan here, your new SU President. It’s been a hectic summer here in the SU already and students haven’t even arrived back yet!

Just to give you an idea of what I do, I represent all of Solent’s amazing students by overseeing the Union’s activities, events and general involvement. I also work with NUS on matters that are affecting students nationally, like cuts in government funding to the education sector, and the hot topic of recent weeks, the proposed ‘graduate tax’. So far this year, we’ve managed to bring back the Walkabout Cup – the awesome Freshers’ sports day event, we’ve badgered the university into getting vital information out to Freshers’ on time and we’ve got the very first ever checklist for Freshers, available on the Portal and on SSU’s website: www.solentsu.co.uk. We’ve given our Freshers’ Ball a whole new format this year, and secured a fantastic headliner for SSU’s Graduation Ball on November 6th – Example, with support from Radio One’s Greg James, Beatamaxx and Solent’s very own homegrown DJ talent, Bonafide Vijalante. You can pick up a ticket online and if you want more details, just ask!

With spending cuts across the board this year, higher education will be facing its greatest financial challenges yet. Working with NUS, we’ll be campaigning to secure you the teaching and resources you

deserve. On the 10th November, your SU, along with 167 other SU’s, will be attending a national demo outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster. We’d love to see you there, coaches will be provided, so please contact one of us for more info!

Looking forward to the year ahead, it’s going to be an epic one!

email: supresident@solent.ac.ukphone: 02380 319553twitter : @solentpresidentfacebook: /solentpresident

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elcome! It’s a huge honour to be able to write to you as the new President of the National Union of Students. As the representative voice for students

across the UK, NUS has a proud history of standing up for the rights of students, and fighting to ensure you can gain access to a world-class education system. NUS has played a critical role defending your rights and winning campaigns to make student life better. In the last two years we have clawed back millions of pounds for students to fight for interest-free student overdrafts, won a national tenancy deposit scheme to make sure you get your money back, and conducted ground-breaking research into the student experience to ensure your academic and welfare issues are prioritised at Southampton Solent.  During the recent General Election we ran the most successful pledge campaign of any campaigning organisation in the UK. 1500 candidates and now over 150 MPs have already pledged to vote against higher tuition fees, including Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and nearly 100 Labour MPs. The year ahead promises to be both exciting and challenging.

Government cuts to the education budget, and the reporting of the long-awaited review into University Funding and Student Finance chaired by Lord Browne will take centre stage. NUS will be leading the fight to oppose any increase in tuition fees, whilst fighting for a fairer alternative. Students’ unions will play a crucial role in lobbying local MPs, and we will be working with SU’s to support them in their efforts.  We have also recently announced a National Demonstration in London on 10th November 2010 to show our opposition to funding cuts – and I very much hope that lots of Southampton Solent students will be able to attend!  But we won’t just be fighting on fees and funding. Accommodation, feedback, contact time, quality of teaching, environmental issues, supporting students’ unions, hidden course costs, liberation, global justice, volunteering, employability, academic representation... and so much more are all on the agenda as we are determined to help make your student life better.

Every student is automatically a member of their students’ union and also NUS, which means you are eligible to buy an NUS Extra card for just £10.99 which has a whole host of nationally negotiated discounts which students can access. You can also add on an ISIC Card for just £2, which works abroad in the rest of Europe.

In unity,

Aaron Porter NUS National President

www.nus.org.ukwww.twitter.com/nusuk

www.facebook.com/nationalunionofstudentswww.twitter.com/AaronPorter

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Summer Festival Round Up

After queuing for a good two hours in rain worthy of the Amazon and trudging through relentless muddy pools, I finally reached the campsite. Thank God I brought wellies and a raincoat. My Friday was spent at the NME stage, watching the likes of Yeasayer, who gave an excellent performance of their popular song O.N.E, and Mumford and Sons. Phoenix ended the evening spec-tacularly with a very visually excit-ing set that sent me traipsing back to my muddy tent feeling liberated. Saturday’s main stage featured bands including the likes of the Macca-bees, (always a pleasure to watch), Mystery Jets and The Libertines, reunited in time for the festival. A £5 bowl of nachos from a nearby stall went down a treat. I spent Sun-day flitting between the main stage and the NME stage. Band of Horses performed with enough passion and enthusiasm to bring tears to the eyes and We Are Scientists were amazing;

I danced my socks off to Nobody Move, Nobody Gets Hurt! Blink 182 ended the weekend and I hadn’t realised how much of a big deal see-ing them would be until they came on stage and the atmosphere sud-denly became electric. They played everything I wanted to hear and put on an outstanding show.

I’m sorry to say that as a festival Reading was unimpressive. The sound was awful at times, particular-ly for the main stage and the NME tent was far too small for its audi-ence. There is little to do apart from see bands and the people there are mainly younger teenagers who feel the need to cause trouble. Without wanting to sound like an old lady, the atmosphere as a whole was one of violence and immaturity, which ruined my festival experience.

Let’s all throw shit at each other and be 14 years old: Reading Festival 2010.

Words: Toni Caroline

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The second Sonisphere festival to be held at Knebworth after last year’s suc-cess took place on the 30th July – 1st August 2010. Sonisphere is Europe’s only touring festival, holding 11 shows in Bulgaria, Turkey, Romania, Poland, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Spain, Finland, Sweden and now England.

There was an air of anticipation, like the calm before a storm as festival goers had time to set up camp, grab a few beers from the Bohemia bar, keeping watch and counting down till the mu-sic finally kicked of at 5pm. With artists including the likes of Essex screamo band Never Never Means Maybe, Deaf Havana, Fei Commodo (fresh from a UK tour with InMe) right through to experimental acts like 65 Days of Static, this was one eclectic metal festival to be reckoned with. One of the most visually memorable acts were the red and black warriors Turisas, who took to the Saturn stage complete with armour, swords and a whole load of face paint,

providing an emotive showcase of powerful battle metal anthems. Mak-ing all metalheads dreams come true were Anthrax; one quarter of the ‘Big Four’ (consisting of Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax themselves). Southampton’s own Bury Tomorrow also took to the stage on Saturday to play to a packed out audience.

With other big acts like Good Charlotte, Motley Crue, Pendulum and Iron Maiden taking part over the weekend, and German rock gods Rammstein bringing with them nine articulated lorries carrying 200 tons of pyrotechnics and a promise to keep the crowds warm whatever the weather, the hype around the head-line acts was immense.

An all-round awesome experience, so keep an eye out for next year’s festival!

Sonisphere

Words: Victoria Purcell

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Sziget (literally ‘Island’ in Hungarian) is a festival for people that LIKE festivals. Originating in 1993 after the fall of the Soviet Union and the end of Communist reign in Hungary as a celebration of freedom, for seven days in the middle of August at the height of the Hungarian summer, Budai Island is given over to people from all over Europe to essentially do what they want with.

There are camp sites, but you’re not obliged to use them should you find a sweet spot under the trees or down by the banks of the river. There’s an ambient arena where you, like the pale English flower that you are, can cower from the oppressive heat and sip on a chai tea the morning after the night before. Mobile phone charging is free, the

showers (clean and cold) are too and if you’re near the main stage there are flushing toilets. Flushing toilets. At a festival. Oh, and last but not least, beer from one of the zillion bars dotted around is just under £2 a pint, and that’s expensive for Hungary. It’s all a bit much when you first arrive, being English and expecting to get ripped off for just about everything, it takes about a day for it all to sink in and let it wash over you. The line-up is nowhere near the likes of Reading or Glasto but if you’re a music fan you’ll constantly surprise yourself with bands you’d never of dreamed of seeing and dancing to like a lunatic. It goes till 5am every night in the Party arenas, so if you’re hardcore enough this really is a 7-day long party in the sun, and an amazing break from UK festivals.

Sziget FestivalBudapest, Hungary

Words: Tom Palmer

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Beach Break is a wee three years old and clearly, still finding its feet. The line up boasted an impressive array of acts, and the £90 price tag for the four-day event clearly appealed to a mass of students whose funds had been scuppered in the weeks following uni deadlines. Switching location yearly, Beach Break found its home this year in Pembrey Country Park in Wales. Seemingly a new location provides an exciting change and allows the festival to incorporate new aspects each year. That it does, but what it also means is a new location with unforeseen problems and no past experience to draw back on. It was a 6-hour coach ride and a further frustrating two hours before we entered the festival, pitching our tents in almost darkness. Headliners Vampire Weekend, Calvin Harris

and Chase and Status all performed energetic sets, exciting the audience with old familiars and yet to be released tracks. Ellie Goulding impressed on the second night, warming up the crowd who lapped up the chilled out set before rising to their feet for her final number, Starry Eyed. The perfect crowd-pleaser before Calvin Harris made his way on stage to finish the night. There were a number of gems including a bean bag-filled room showing Monty Python on a projector, a small warm hut that blasted James Brown and other soul classics and a vintage shop inside a double-decker bus. Concluding thoughts? Perhaps some festival goers would be happy to plod along with the disorganised nature of the festival, but I for one am slightly put off. Next year I’d like to attend a festival with a more established history and less suspicious grass.

Beach Break

Words: Kat Romero

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2010 TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL

APRIL 21 + MAY 2

ribeca Film Festival, set up in 2002 by Robert De Niro as a response to 9/11, aims to celebrate independent filmmaking and

has become one of the worlds most prominent film festivals. Over 250 of the year’s best indie films are screened, each aiming to win a prestigious and well respected Tribeca film award.

This year as an extra curricular part of the Solent Film degree, us film students were offered the chance to jet off to NYC for a week during the festival. If you’ve not been to New York before, you will feel the buzz immediately. Everything is bigger, to an overwhelming effect. The cars, the curbs, roads, bridges, buildings, everything. Venturing further and further into Manhattan, the lights get brighter, the skyscrapers just keep getting higher and higher, closer and closer, before soon, you can no longer see the sky. Flashing adverts of every colour, densely packed in, fighting to grab your attention. 

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Words: Reese Howard

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2010 TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL

Next morning, it’s festival time. After hitting Times Square and grabbing whatever tickets were still available (many get booked in advance online), we head over to a screening of the brilliantly gruesome slasher film Dream Home (2010), focusing around a middle class woman’s murderous desire to purchase the perfect apartment in an overpopulated Hong Kong. While the film itself was greatly motivational in terms of filmmaking, the best part of every screening was the subsequent Q&A sessions with the filmmakers themselves. Director Ho-Cheung Pang provided an insight into Dream Home’s inventive gore, the lack of individual prosperity and how the film reflects this alongside the fact he simply “wanted to kill people” onscreen!

On leave of our first film festival experience, we bumped into the eccentric director of Ticked Off Trannies with Knives (2010) and hung around for a chat, as he handed out posters.

Each day we did some sightseeing, (Empire State, Central Park) and exploring (Brooklyn, Tribeca, Broadway etc.) finding some fascinating places, such as the ‘secret burger joint’ hidden behind a hotel’s velvet curtain, as well as landing ourselves some audience seats over two mornings for the David Letterman talk show - guests included Robert Downey Jr., OK GO, Sir Michael Caine and Courtney Love.

Each of us on the trip saw around three or four brilliantly varied indie films at numerous cinemas over our six-day stay and attended many Q&A’s with inspirational directors, producers and casts, many of whom we greatly aspire to. Jacob Tierney, director of The Trotsky (2009), provided advice on how to make it in the industry, along with the many other film producers on hand.

The Tribeca cinemas each had a very individual character, coming to life once packed with movie lovers from all over the world. The diversity of the audience was repeatedly highlighted by the varying responses to the often challenging films, some laughed when others scoffed, some cried, some were offended and some felt enlightened. Everyone enjoyed themselves, united under one roof solely to sit back and indulge their love for film.

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On the Prowl

Photos by Xavier FiddesStyling: Katie West

Models: Katrina Graef Thomson & Rachel Basinger

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talking about a

generation

Caitlin Reeve is a people enthusiast. She has a fascination with people to the point where intrigue and curiosity become ‘obsession’. Yet there’s no hidden agenda here. She’s never exploitative when she makes a portrait of someone; she has never taken the Diane Arbus route. When she photographs, you can see the excitement in her eyes, in the fleeting moments they are away from the viewfinder. It’s soul-warming to see how she nestles her baby twin lens Yashica in her hands and how the use of film reins in her eagerness; in effect, giving ‘internal butterflies’. It should be made known of Caity’s passion for the forest, something engrained in her interests from childhood, due to the fact her family own a wood. As a result, her images show us an element of respect in her explorative nature of nature, whether it is in her study of the forest or of people. In this light, there is a love centered in her and in what she photographs. A love for what she sees, what she feels, what she meets, what she experiences. She’s not afraid to show it and share it.

www.caitlinreevephotograhy.comhttp://caitlin-reeve-photography.tumblr.com/

http://caityrblog.blogspot.com/

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Interview by Ola Bilski

What/Who inspired you to study photography?

I suppose both my parents, but I can’t remember how it happend, its a bit vague sorry. In a nutshell I used to do fashion, but realised I actually hated it and only enjoyed myself when I was photographing.

How has studying photography at your uni shaped you?

It’s a bit of a cliché but it really has been the best experience being at uni. Mostly due to the people that I’ve met; they made it what it was. Photographically, it’s given me confidence and opportunities. It’s made me realise that this is actually

something I want to do and have a career in.

Can you recall the first photo you took that made you go WOW!?

I suppose it was after photographing a portrait with a Mamiya 6x7, seeing the results from film for the first time and being satisfied with what I had photographed, not needing or wanting to do any editing to the image. That’s film for you. There is just something lovely about it.

How would you describe your work?

A mixture I suppose, I love portraits of people that I find interesting. I always spot people on the street whose faces I would

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love to photograph there and then, but it’s not always as easy as that - people probably get a bit terrified about someone being so enthusiastic about their face. I suppose if I had to sum up what I like doing most, its taking portraits of good faces, in woods, on film. I used to worry that I didn’t have ‘a thing’, but just recently I’ve learnt that having a concrete style isn’t for me. I photograph things that grab me, it’s like a pull/urge type feeling. It’s hard to explain.

Do tell, what was the last thing you worked on for your degree?

My final major project started as yet another unexplainable urge. I recently visited Iceland alone. I felt like I wanted/needed to go there, so I did. It began as a

test for myself, what I would be like when in solitude in an unknown place and traveling there for the first time. Photographing was the only thing I was sure about so it would be my only comfort.I left the project a lot to ‘chance’, I was unaware (and un-organised), I had no idea what I was going to be photographing or what my outcome was going to be. Whilst I was there, I learnt about solitude, myself, broken cameras, hospitality, landscape, and I met people who took me in without question. Being able to photograph them in their own personal space was one of the best moments from the trip.

Do you ever have photographer’s block and if yes how do you deal with it?

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This last year I have experienced photographers block at pretty much every opportunity that there could have been. I think the paralysis was due to the pressures of being in the final year of my degree; desperately trying to do well and stunting myself in the process. In the past I would have had various ideas lined up in my head and adapt them to my projects, this stopped happening unfortunately, and I knew that as soon as I finished the course those ideas would conveniently reappear! My best advice was from John Spinks (one of my lecturers): Stop it, calm down, forget the project temporarily and go and have a bloody drink.”

What has been the turning point in your life as a photographer so far?

Recently. Thinking about having to leave university even though it’s a terrifying and looming thing, but thinking about what could happen in the future is an exciting prospect. We’re all in the same boat together and it’s interesting to see what happens, it’s the twists and turns that make life interesting right?

What’s it like to be a photographer?

It has its ups and downs. It’s exciting, a bit exhausting. It makes my heart hurt, but in a good way.

Any advice for those who want to be a photographer? Or on photography?

Good luck. Try film…you’ll like it :)

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In the thirties, Independent-run theatres made up the vast majority of exhibition spaces in use within the United States. However, this accounted for roughly only thirty percent of the whole industry box-office takings per year. This was due to the five major motion picture companies (MGM, Fox, Warners, Paramount & RKO) screening their films exclusively in theatres they controlled and managed. This system of exhibition and general ‘control’ in the film industry is often referred to as vertical integration, within which the larger companies took control of all aspects of the industry, i.e. production, distribution and exhibition. A system of block booking was introduced, so that studios had no option but to show several films produced under the same studio, and with this came the ‘double-bill’ and its subsequent low-budget partner, the ‘B-movie’.

Due to low budgets and time constraints within the production of these films, quality studio sets were not always affordable, increasing the use of expressionist framing and simple location shooting. Here began a change; this was no longer a time when the simple cinematic value of films was of sole importance. Filmmakers aimed for a more ‘realist’ approach to filmmaking in a bid to respond to an audience tired of Classical Hollywood traditions and alienated within a post-war society. The influx of experimental European cinema proved there was stiff competition in the industry and “freed Hollywood to take a different direction”. These types of films became popular amongst American audiences and were therefore produced more frequently. However, as theorist Robert B. Ray notes, this popularity gave audiences the new kind of cinema they needed, disintegrating the traditions of a Classical

Words: Robin Pailler

Rebel Generation

The era of New Hollywood saw a benchmark in American cinema, which in turn influenced filmmaking on a global scale. But what is it about this movement in particular that caused such a lasting impact on filmmaking as a whole? Robin Pailler examines the B-movie and its methods of exploitation as the catalyst for this vital change in cinema.

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Hollywood era: “The American film industry’s postwar attempts to revitalise its product had ironic results. Hollywood initiated the unraveling of the very models it sought to preserve.”

This perhaps gives an insight into the direction Hollywood took nearly two decades later. This ‘new wave’ of post-war films was aimed towards the oppressed, often dealing with themes of crime, sex, violence and alienation. Arthur Penn’s 1967 release Bonnie & Clyde is often cited as the beginning of New Hollywood Cinema. Time and Newsweek both ran cover stories on the film highlighting “an American New Wave”. Such films dealt with the characters reinvention of themselves, albeit in a violent manner, allowing them to state their claim within the ‘new wave’ of American cinema. Studios began to opt for younger directors and producers for a fresh outlook on the new ‘face’ of Hollywood. Ray acknowledges this as a successful strategy, highlighting the critical acclaim of filmmakers such as Stanley Kubrick (2001: A Space Odyssey, 1968) and Sam Peckinpah (The Wild Bunch, 1969) both of whom were just beginning their careers. The release of Easy Rider (1969) - made for a mere $375,000 and claiming $19 million at the box office – assured producers “that inexpensive films could be made specifically for the youth market...and could become blockbusters overnight”. However, “by 1970 [this had] left 39 percent of Hollywood filmmakers unemployed”. Ray sees New Hollywood as a direct result of a young, modern, intellectual system of open minded directors: “They had taken film history, aesthetics and production as formal academic subjects, and they had learned the technical aspects of production, as well as budgeting and marketing, more thoroughly than any generation before them”.

Such stories of young lovers on the run, rebelling against the constraints of society in search of self-identity or higher status are apparent in films such as Badlands and Bonnie and Clyde. In fact, such themes are apparent in not only earlier New Hollywood but in La Nouvelle Vague and B-film noirs such as Gun Crazy (1950), proving it to be, ironically, a traditional form of cinema. Therefore, to regard the thematic qualities of New Hollywood as existing only as original ideas from a fresh generation of younger filmmakers, would be to ignore the influence of such decades before that produced countless B-movie productions; on similarly low budgets with shared aesthetics of location shooting and wide angle lenses to express character alienation. Recurring themes of questionable morality, rebellious characters and the search for identity through radical change also help cement the undeniable links between exploitation B-movies and the films of New Hollywood that were to follow nearly two decades later. As Adrian Danks explains, these films were “a paean to identity, lost motivations, of what it means to be in the world and the difficulty of making a mark”, echoing in many ways how new directors felt, searching to make their mark within Hollywood’s ‘new wave’ of cinema.

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Having recently graduated from Solent’s BA Illustration course, artist Samuel Mills is currently living and drawing in Belgium. Primarily using ink dip pens and screen printing techniques, much of his recent work focuses on the recreation and retelling of classic narratives, such as Dracula and Bonnie and Clyde (shown here). His first completed book, ‘Start Here, End Here’, a response to a 5-month trip to Liege in 2009, can be purchased through his blog and website where further samples of his work can be found.

KEEP THE CAR RUNNING

Illustration by Samuel Mills

http://samuelmil ls i l lustrat ion.blogspot.com/www.samuelmills.co.uk

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In Times of Terror

The role of the media is to spread information globally; through newspapers, radio broadcasts, television and the internet. Yet, while often an invaluable source of information for the uninformed, the media carries with it many negative connotations. In a climate such as today, where the threat of terrorism is rife, the publicity that occurs through media broadcasts often allows for unknown terrorist groups and organisations to advertise themselves to a global (and potentially impressionable) audience. James Whatley examines the effects of the media on popular culture and terrorism.

Margaret Thatcher once said, ‘the media provides terrorists with the oxygen of publicity’. This can be considered in two ways; do the media provide terrorists with oxygen, or do terrorists provide it to the media themselves?

“To win a war you don’t have to kill everybody on the enemy’s side, what you need is to break their will to fight and inspire your side never to surrender”(Channel 4, 2006). If this is considered in terms of the media, it can be a very powerful tool for terrorists. Most terrorist attacks are localised and only affect a few people. The goal of terrorism is to spread its message to more than those directly affected in an attack. The media plays an important role in achieving this by spreading the news of the attacks, through network TV, radio and newspapers, or even by directly transferring the messages of terrorist organisations through their own TV stations or by directly posting on the internet. ‘Old’ media like newspapers or radio worked well in spreading the terrorist’s message but it is the new media; the internet and television which are most prized by terrorists, as their technology allows thousands more to see their actions and more or less see the events in real time.

The attacks of September 11th on the World Trade Centre showed how quickly almost every news channel across the world tuned in to watch the second plane hit the towers, before proceeding to show their eventual collapse and disaster’s aftermath. Without the media, certainly a

Words: James Whatley

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much smaller number of people would have witnessed the attacks almost firsthand. In his 2006 book Inside Terrorism, Bruce Hoffman states his belief that “without the media’s coverage, the act’s impact is arguably wasted, remaining narrowly confined to the immediate victim(s) of the attack, rather than reaching the wider ‘target audience’ at whom the terrorists’ violence is actually aimed.”

Theorist Paletz suggests “the high attention paid to terrorism by the media determines a consequent priority in the public’s perception of issues”. This means that the more a media source pays attention to a specific problem, the more important the public perceives that issue to be.

Gaining attention is one of the most important factors for a terrorist group. Terrorists are constantly trying to be in the media as much as possible and the use of either large scale attacks (bombings/shootings) or long drawn out incidents (hijacking/hostage takings) allow them to stay at the forefront of the media’s gaze. They attempt to influence media so that they will influence the audience by spreading the word on the existence of the organisation. This means that the terrorists get attention, and people become aware of the existence, methods, and targets of the group itself. Terrorist groups are aware that the media are hungry for sensational stories and can easily take advantage of this. The hostage taking by Black September of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics attracted over 500 million viewers and by choosing a time and location where there would be an abundance of cameras and media organisations they guaranteed themselves to be in the spotlight, thereby gaining recognition and support. Terrorism theorist Bruce Hoffman suggests that in “spreading the terror and outrage to a much larger audience the terrorists gain the maximum potential leverage that they need to affect fundamental political change”. Often, it is the degree of coverage that is given to an individual event that affects how well the terrorist’s message is spread. The hijacking of the TWA flight 847 in 1985 by Lebanese Shi’a terrorists produced, in seven days, 500 news segments from America’s ABC, CBS and NBC news channels which accounted for two thirds of the daily evening news shows. This high percentage of coverage only increased the notoriety of the group, playing straight into their hands.

It is this constant battle between media and terrorism that has led to such criticisms of the media that suggest they do nothing more than add fuel to the fire. It remains ambiguous as to how this kind of an issue might be tackled effectively; as such news still needs to be broadcast in order for an awareness of current events. The extent to which terrorists are able to achieve their demands through media manipulation however, remains a very debatable subject.

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M0N P0P“In Reading if you weren’t a fan of punk or pretentious metal then you were knackered really,” says bassist George King from Montage Populaire, the latest credible offering from your very own home from home. “I only moved to Southampton 3 years ago and I noticed a big difference in the music scene compared to back home in Oxford and in Reading, where I went to college.” And you thought Craig David was all we had to offer? Silly.

Following in the footsteps of Band of Skulls (Twilight soundtrack anyone?) and Thomas Tantrum before them, the Southampton five piece were formed from the remnants of various bands and solo projects (Glad Rags, Mach-Schau and Saturday Night Avengers among them) and consist of King, Mark Bishop (guitar), Daniel Tiley

(drums), Will Sully (brass, keys and percussion) and Luke Donovan on lead vocals and guitar.

“I’d set up a MySpace and put some demos up, one up for Montage Populaire and one for another project called March on Moscow”, remembers Donovan. “George came and rehearsed for March on Moscow but it was a bit of a mess and for some reason we were attracting some very odd people to play with us.” The former welcomed much better reactions and within a week the initial line up was complete.

Fast forward a month and the band’s Sorrows Well Rehearsed demo had already charted at no. 67 in the thinking indie’s favourite rag, Artrocker’s Top 100 records of 2009. In January of this year they made their live debut supporting Brooklyn ladies

Montage Populaire interview

Words: Zoe Whitfield

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Vivian Girls, of which Donovan notes, “we were first on and the room was full which is pretty rare at The Joiners. I missed Vivian Girls’ set though; I lost the keys to our rehearsal room and spent most of the night crawling around people’s feet.” The show was a goodun and by May they had a slot at the esteemed Great Escape Festival in Brighton, while June saw them take up residency at RAK recording studios, the very same studios used by everyone from The Stone Roses to Miss Florence and her Machine.

Engrossed in the sounds of everything from The Beatles and Animal Collective to The Smiths and Of Montreal, Montage Populaire’s music could all too easily be ranked as ‘indie pop‘, but as Tiley suggests, “there are a lot of layers and depth to each song. We try to mix our older influences with our more contemporary ones to give us a sound that is catchy but substantial.”

And that they do, with most recent recording Attraction Repulsion a prime example of their labour.

A hit on the ole blogosphere and with numerous plays on NME radio thus far, if you haven’t put down this mag, rapidly turned on your laptop and typed www.myspace.com/montagepopulaire into your search bar yet, get on it. Follow that by memorising their upcoming live dates and making sure your face is there. As Donovon tells us, “there’s a good scene here at the moment,” enjoy it.

www.myspace.com/montagepopulaire

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Running across an empty dance floor quite obviously headed for the loos when the band you’re in town to interview is politely sound checking isn’t the most professional of starts, but occasionally it’s what mother nature determines and there’s nothing one can do. Blushes aside, when Yeasayer finish rehearsing in Portsmouth’s Wedgewood Rooms-one of two venue’s playing host to Carling Weekend ‘warm up’ shows-Anand Wilder calmly greets me and we venture outdoors to up the good man’s Vitamin D.

Formerly a sporter of locks that could rival Sky Ferreira’s, today the guitarist-cum-vocalist rocks a more identifiably ‘indie’ haircut and a most fetching pair of sci fi specs. We perch on a wall to conduct the interview while the house’s occupants sit smoking on their garden steps. His conversation is

saturated with ‘likes’ and ‘you knows’ and I know I’m in the company of a hip New York band member.

Some back history then for those unfamiliar with Yeasayer, “I was living in Baltimore, Chris was living in New York-Chris and I are old friends-so we played a show together, then we had the prospect of another show and I thought it would be nice to bring on a bassist. So I called up my friend Ira, he came over and it just clicked. Singing was really easy and we could go through things really quickly, he’s such a good musician-he’s played in so many different bands-and through that first year or two we kind of practiced whenever we had to play shows.” Brooklyn’s Yeasayer then, primarily comprise of Wilder, Chris Keating and Ira Wolf Tuton. Following these shows they were signed by the label We Are Free (run by their now manager Jason

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Foster) and put out their debut LP, All Hour Cymbals, in October 2007.

AHC was met by much critical acclaim, but nothing that could match the reception this year’s Odd Blood received, with everyone from NME to Pitchfork via The Guardian declaring it pretty damn impressive. While AHC has a definite Middle East influence Odd Blood turns the volume up and offers indie discos the land over something to get excited about, primarily in the form of Ambling Alp (which gets the biggest cheer and most moving limbs later that night).

Ira’s sister married Anand’s cousin and the two even went to university together, “he’s a little bit older, we didn’t really hang out that much in college, I would see him at weddings, stuff like that.” But what did Anand make of the whole uni shebang, family

aside? “I spent a lot of college learning about new music and finding out about music from people, but I didn’t do that much creating. Some people have a crazy drive to create, and they’re going to make music no matter what. It was really hard for me to find like minded people ‘cause I’m not really that good at playing any instruments or anything, it’s not like I could just show up, and be like, ‘check out my chops’. I’m not that good at singing, at playing guitar or anything like that. I just have a couple of ideas, you know.”

I beg to differ.

This is an extract from an interview with Yeasayer’s Anand Wilder. To read the rest go to www.sonarmag.tumblr.com/yeasayerinterview-issueone

Words: Zoe Whitfield

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Imag

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: Jas

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When Carlos Dengler, the mustachioed maestro behind the bold, booming bass that epitomises the post punk gloom of Interpol, declared he was leaving in May this year, fans went into mourning. Surely, nothing could make sense after the heart and icon of cool had departed. With their fourth album arriving, things looked bleak. Fortunately, Mr Dengler had partaken in the writing and recording process, timing his exit accordingly, marking it as his final farewell. Strangely self-titled, Interpol, tears through something that echoes the sparse discord they began with, continuing their journey through ominous doom via thudding bass and percussion, memorably emotional guitar and the starkly bitter voice of Paul Banks. The initial single, Lights, acts as a segue to the new record, echoing the best of

Interpol: Interpol

Words: Adam Parker

their early work with a mixture of icy fear and triumphant exultation. Elsewhere, everything appears tinged with a heightened tension in comparison to previous attempts. Tracks are constantly on the edge of something surprising, such as Try It On, where a piano holds the fort rather than the usual one-two punch of the bass and drums. Such experimentation ensures Interpol are maturing rather than stagnating, an all-too-common occurrence in the new millennium bands that took inspiration from one of alt rocks many scenes. Such a strong fourth record that truly creeps and crawls its way into your head, whilst wonderful, may be the start of the great goodbye with Dengler slinking off into the night, leaving Interpol with a great big, moustache-shaped hole.

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Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, although reaching for a wider audience still retains most of the aspects of the director’s previous flicks that made them work so well – the quirky camera moves (nodding firmly at Sam Raimi), the spot on comedy timing, superb casting and above all the element that fan boys like myself loved so much about his earliest work. This time taking on the comic-book film, Wright’s directorial style is complemented by some of the most stunning visuals and on-screen ticks of any film I’ve seen (I’d like to coin the term ‘eye-gasm’ to describe the feeling). This movie was fun in all the ways that Kick-Ass wasn’t.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

Words: Tom Palmer

I should perhaps say a little more, this being a review and all but as I emerged from the darkness of the cinema, happy and a little dazed, these words were the first to float through my mind, glowing, pixelated and making lovely little electronic noises. The word ‘epic’ has been thrown around a lot of late (four times in the tag-line alone) but Edgar Wright’s latest offering really does deserve the self-proclaimed mantel.

Wright’s career arch so far has, with the help of select members of the British comedy elite, managed to hone in on everything brilliant about pop-culture in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries and exploited these tropes to create films which are at once glittering homages but also exquisitely unique, usually poignant films in their own right.

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Image source: image.net

Image source: image.net

Zonad follows the amusing rise of perverse Liam Murphy, escaped alcoholic masquerading as an alien explorer. Taking advantage of small-time Irish town Ballymoran’s naivety (and its teenage girls), Zonad mooches off the kind locals through his status as a privileged extraterrestrial celebrity.  Trouble begins to brew however when it seems that Zonad is not the only visitor in the village.The humour in this perky comedy from the Carney Brothers is the sort that creeps up on you from behind when you’re not expecting it: gross out subjects and some hilarious slapstick, mixed with the awkward moments where the situation has gotten so darned ridiculous that you just have to exert a laugh, make Zonad very, very funny. Unashamedly ‘bad’, the film can’t help itself, but arguably takes crudity a little too far (becoming, at times

worryingly close to the Carry On saga). Nonetheless, Zonad is light heartedly fun, and surprises with its really rather respectable visual style, capturing Ballymoran’s essence through quirky mise-en-scene.

Newcomer Simon Delaney brings a pleasantly warm edge to Zonad’s character; his awkward acting style a sort of Irish reflection of Jon Heder’s Napoleon Dynamite.

Zonad will not be loved by all, you’ll either get it, or you just won’t, and some attentive viewers may find it slightly disturbing just how close the comedy comes to lightly poking fun at a serious matter, paedophilia. Overall, a very enjoyable first encounter with the Carney Brothers, many of Zonad’s gut-wrenchingly hilarious moments fixed vividly in the mind for a long while after.

ZONAD

Words: Reese Howard

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Image source: image.net

to hit stores nearly 3 months apart, the ‘Move’ on September 17th and ‘Kinect’ on November 10th. The prices are a particular hot topic, with ‘Move’ coming in at just under £50 for the full launch bundle, compared with ‘Kinect’, encroaching the £130 mark. It seems that with Sony getting on the market early and charging only a third of what Microsoft want for ‘Kinect’, they could see a greater success, especially when the Christmas holidays come around, it will become the most affordable option, particularly at a time when you can pick up the brand new Xbox 360 S 4gb model for just under £150.

So what’s the difference? ‘Move’ takes a standard approach, as well as borrowing a few ideas from Nintendo’s ‘Wii’, using a controller (dubbed the ‘wand’) with a colour-changing sphere on the end. Players use this in combination with the Playstation

The Christmas period always brings with it an influx of new gaming titles, peripherals and consoles. It is the busiest time for the industry as companies fight to get the illusive number-one spot on the gaming charts. This year promises to be as big as ever, with releases being strategically launched in the days and months leading up to December 25th.

The industries two biggest competitors, Sony & Microsoft, are set to do battle once again as they go head to head with their unbelievably similar, yet very different, console peripherals. The Playstation ‘Move’ & Microsoft ‘Kinect’ are set to ‘revolutionise’ our gaming experience, but is motion sensitive gaming really the way forward, and do you need either of these two peripherals in your life at all?

First off, release dates and prices. The two add-ons are actually set

39 Playstation

Move

vs

Microsoft

Kinect

Image: AP

‘Eye’ camera to track movements and take control of games in a new way. ‘Kinect’, on the other hand, does away with all of this and puts you as the controller. Early promo videos and E3 demonstrations saw lots of dodgeball activity and controller-free menu navigation using hand gestures and voice commands. Both peripherals promise to be appealing to both the casual gamer (an attempt to grab those minigame-playing Wii owners) as well as the hardcore players, the ‘Move’ promising to add a new dimension to serious genres such as the FPS and the ‘Kinect’ offering video chat and seamless navigation using simple vocal commands.

A major upset for those eagerly awaiting ‘Kinect’ came from Xbox Live EMEA marketing man Robin Burrowes, who told trade mag MCV that voice chat and voice command functionality will not be included at launch…

oops. On top of this, the earlier mentioned video chat software known as ‘Video Kinect’, will also not feature as part of the launch in November.

To know whether either peripheral is worth your time and money is going to be personal preference, and of course dependent on what console you own. A playtest before you buy is advisable, (preferably from that friend with the bigger student bursary than you!) Try not to get sucked into the excitement that the original ‘Eyetoy’ provided. Judging by first impressions though, it seems that the ‘Move’ could be the easiest way to get your ‘next generation’ fix, even if after a month it sits on the shelf gathering dust next to your ‘Band Hero’ microphone and Tony Hawks ‘RIDE’ skateboard... Words: Dave Merritt

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Image: Vince Bucci/AP

RPS Shows presents: Luke Leighfield, Make Out Kids, Lost on Campus and Bright As Vegas @ Hamptons, Southampton

Words: Dave Merritt

Hamptons, still currently undergoing a modern refit and with a new set of trainee bar staff, was filled to the brim with punters as the varied acts took to the famous window stage.

Lost on Campus’ Rob Lynch’s quality songwriting didn’t disappoint, with a couple of great crowd sing-alongs proving that live music really can’t be beaten; he even encouraged bartering at the merch

Dream Home

Words: Reese Howard

Shock satire horror gore flick from rising Hong Kong director Pang Ho-Cheung. Featuring highly original kill scenes, and great cinematography painting a complex cynical vision of Hong Kong, Dream Home will satisfy your cravings to kill a neighbour and show you how to do it, with style.

Head to the SONAR blog to read more: sonarmag.tumblr.com/film-reviews-dreamhome/

stand, an offer many gladly excepted. Bright as Vegas are a group of young people that clearly have a lot of promise, with their songs being very well crafted. Yet what tainted their performance were near ear-destructing sound levels – it doesn’t matter how good you are – turning the sound up to such volumes just casts a cloud over everything.Make Out Kids are a band with nearly as many name changes as members, but

their British pop-punk sound was as crisp as ever, with current new single Don’t Wanna Know going down a storm. Southampton’s own Luke Leighfield wrapped up proceedings with an almost ‘audience with’ performance. The crowd banter was hilarious and with a set list of classics as well as upcoming charity single New Season, Leighfield demonstrated why he’s always a delight to watch.

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Arcade Fire - Ready to Start

Big Boi - Shutterbugg (feat. Cutty)

Best Coast - Crazy for You

Pantha Du Prince - Welt Am Draht (Animal Collective Remix)

Caribou - Sun

Nosaj Thing - Aquarium

Interpol - Barricade

Yeasayer - Ambling Alp

Mumford and Sons - Little Lion Man

Crystal Castles - Doe Deer

The Dead Weather - Die By The Drop

Drums - Down By The Water

Wild Beasts - Two Dancers

S 0 N A R ' s September Playlist

Time to chase away those post-summer blues

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Mega Mondays Fancy Dress Party, 6pm@ Solent SU

Big Night In hosted by Sonar Film SocietyLT1, JM Building @ Solent Uni

FuturesThe Joiners, Southampton

Fresher’s Fair @ Solent SU10am-3pm

BIG NIGHT OUT with Solent SU’s Angels

Sports and Societies Fair @ Solent SU 10am-3pm

Mon 20 Sep

UPCOMING

Tue 21 Sep

Wed 22 Sep

Thurs 23 Sep

BIG NIGHT OUT with Solent SU’s Angels

Tue 21 Sep

Off Key Comedy @ Solent SUfrom 7pm

Fri 24 Sep

Sat 25 Sep

SKINT launch night @ Solent SU

Bury Tomorrow with Burn the Fleet + Drawings + Kerouac + The Valiant The Joiners, Southampton

Beach Party @ Solent SU5-9pm

Wed 22 Sep

Sun 26 Sep

Mon 27 Sep

Savvy City Tour with Solent SUfrom 11am

Quiz and a Curry @ Solent SU

Writers of Influence Southampton @ City Art Gallery

Calvin Harris (DJ set @Oceana. Free entry with your AAA pass!

Mega Mondays @ Solent SU

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Poker Night @ Solent SU

SU Olympic Party LAUNCH - 4play @ Solent SUfrom 6pm

Fresher’s Ball - Block PartyTickets Available online at solentsu.co.uk

Game On free games night @ Solent SUfrom 6pm

SKINT @ Solent SU

Tue 28 Sep

Wed 29 Sep

Thurs 30 Sep

Fri 1 Oct

Wed 6 Oct

Welcome to Your Neigh-bourhood BBQ with Solent SU @ Devonshire Road Church, Polygon

Wed 27 Oct

Thurs 28 Oct

The Dillenger Escape PlanThe Joiners, Southampton

The Eastpak Antidote TourSouthampton Guildhall

Fri 8 Oct

Sat 06 Nov

Sun 7 Nov

Solent Students’ Union Graduation Ballwith Example, Greg James, Beatamaxx, Bonafide Vijalante

FoalsSouthampton Guildhall

SEPT/0CT/N0V

Kids in Glass HousesSouthampton Guildhall

Wed 13 Nov

Tue 16 Nov

StornowayThe Joiners, Southampton

Ellie GouldingSouthampton Guildhall

Fri 12 Nov

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A lot of emphasis has been put on football transfers of late, with a number of clubs being sent into administration following lack of funds and missed payments to football creditors and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs. This sparked talk of reduced amounts of fees being paid within the window; however this wasn’t the case.Highly-rated midfielder Rafael Van Der Vaart, who represented Holland in the World Cup final, joined Tottenham Hotspur for a fee believed to be in the region of £8million. The Real Madrid star had been linked with moves to Germany and Italy earlier in the window, however favoured a move to the Premier League. Another player who performed above and beyond expectation at the World Cup was Ghana forward Asamoah Gyan, who joined AFC Sunderland for a club-record fee believed to be in the region of around £13million, rising on appearances and bonuses. It is thought that Gyan joined the side to bolster manager Steve Bruce’s striking options, after Kenwyne Jones joined Stoke earlier in the transfer period. After just two years at

Manchester City, Robinho has moved onto AC Milan, leaving City fans wondering just where the value for money came in the £32.5million deal.

Big name signings seemed to be the order of the day, as another moved to the Midlands, with former Chelsea and Barcelona striker Eidur Gudjohnsen signing a one-year loan deal with Stoke City, on a day which saw The Potters sign former-Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant, and Portsmouth’s much sought after captain, Marc Wilson. Wilson joined the club for a fee of around £3million. With Pompey still in administration and looking to raise as much money as they could do meet the requirements of their CVA, it’s no wonder that the likes of David Nugent, John Utaka, Aaron Mokoena and Michael Brown were also linked with moves away from the club at the 11th hour.

Liverpool themselves also moved in, signing Fulham left-back Paul Konchesky on a three-year deal. The Cottagers moved

D-DaySONAR’s Dan Brett takes a look at the closure of the transfer window, with high-profile moves in and out of the United Kingdom and some real mouth-watering names joining Britain’s elite clubs.

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swiftly after to bring in PSV Eindhoven’s Carlos Salcido to replace the departing England international. Fulham ‘keeper Mark Schwarzer was highly tipped to join Arsenal, however late bids for the stopper were refuted by the London club, looking to hold on to their man. Birmingham also proved to be busy on the last day, as they brought in Jean Beausejour from Club America, highly-rated defender Martin Jiranek for an undisclosed fee as well as pulling off one of the coups of the summer, bringing Barcelona’s Alexander Hleb to the club on loan for a year, in a move which stunned fans and pundits alike.

There was evidence however that some clubs did have to meet certain financial criteria this summer, with the likes of Wigan Athletic signing Franco Di Santo from Chelsea on loan, as well as Blackpool renewing the loan of Leicester City’s DJ Campbell, who were promoted to the Premier League via the play-offs.

The new 25-player rule could benefit those in the lower leagues, as the emergency loan window re-opens just a week after the transfer window closes, giving opportunity for Football League clubs to sign those players who were unlucky to not be named in the squad at their respective sides. Players thought to be available in said window are Manchester City’s young midfielder Michael Johnson, as well as Manchester United striker Gabriel Obertan.

One player has already made the most of this rule, as Wales international striker Craig Bellamy joined his home town club Cardiff City last week, becoming an instant hit with the Bluebirds supporters. This move shocked most in world football, but struck of a change of the times, as money seems to be coming second to the opportunity to play, the way the sport used to be, and is intended to be played.

That’s all for this month’s edition. Best of luck to your side going into the tough few months ahead.

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Image: David Duprey/AP