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Review: Laura Marling – A Creature I Don’t Know

Matt Walsh
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Review: Laura Marling – A Creature I Don’t Know

When Laura Marling released I Speak Because I Can in March last year, she had the nation’s music press climbing over each other to lavish her with ever-more stratospherically high praise. At last, one of the starlets of the British ‘nu-folk’ scene had made something both complex and enduring; truer and more nuanced than the Mumfords’ bloated banjo-rock, yet less aggravating than Billy Bragg soundalike Frank Turner. On I Speak, Marling demonstrated how she had matured into a writer capable of creating some of the most poignant, emotive, and mysterious songs of a generation.

While A Creature I Don’t Know marginally fails to match those dizzying heights, it is a more than a commendable continuation – if not a great evolution – of its predecessor. Many of the tracks on here would be at home on I Speak: in particular, ‘Don’t Ask Me Why’ gradually works a pretty opening riff up into a subtle, strings-infused number not dissimilar to the softness of ‘Blackberry Stone’, while on lead single ‘Sophia’, Marling’s voice hits the sweet spot between the flighty, ethereal quality of Joanna Newsom and the huskiness of Blue-era Joni Mitchell. Nevertheless, several of the arrangements on A Creature see Marling at her most adventurous to date: opening gambit ‘The Muse’ dissolves into deliciously jazzy piano licks, while the jaw-dropping ‘Salinas’ cheekily catches one unawares with a crunchy mid-track guitar line. There are times, such as on ‘I Was Just A Card’, when a lack of gutsiness gives the song’s texture a somewhat naff, mum-rock feel, but by and large, each song hits its mark.

Lyrically, Marling plumbs depths yet darker and more difficult than on her last full-length. Her stoic sense of humour and her masterful manipulation of allegory, which blossomed on last year’s LP, has now ripened fully into (whisper it quietly) an almost Dylan-esque writing style. Never has this been heard better than on ‘The Beast’, a sprawling, roiling colossus of a song which conjures the blackest, most animalistic spectre of mankind and infuses it with macabre images of nooses, violence, and female submission. As on I Speak, many of the tracks deal with the burdens of womanhood and her turbulent (and often unfulfilling) relationships with men: ‘He screams in the night/I scream in the day/We weep in the evening/And lie naked and pray’ sings she on ‘Night After Night’, seemingly an unfaithful wife’s lament to a marriage now bereft of love.

Laura Marling may only be twenty-one, but she already possesses a body of work to which an established mainstay of the indie-folk realm would well aspire. A Creature I Don’t Know is another dazzling addition to her portfolio; while many tracks revolve around the sombre, brooding folk music she clearly adores, the blither, fuller instrumentation on much of this new material could represent an interesting point of departure for her future work.

Cows, Combines, and Country Bumpkins

Becky Nye
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Cows, Combines, and Country Bumpkins

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An old farmer with his Massey-Ferguson. 

 

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Splitting logs. 

 

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Straw bailer. 

 

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Tagging a newborn bull calf. 

 

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Cow and calf. 

 

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Herding cows across the marshes. 

 

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Rounding them up. 

 

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Farmer. 

 

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Blocking the road. 

 

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Show jumping. 

 

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Galloping through the surf. 

 

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Rearing yearling. 

 

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Ramshackle farmyard. 

 

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Yar valley. 

9/11- Ten years on

Oliver Park
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9/11- Ten years on

Few events have had the impact of the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11th 2001. At a stroke, the sense of American invulnerability that had been in place since the end of the Cold War was wiped away. Americans and the rest of the ‘Western’ world had to face up to the fact that their own methods of transport, the arteries connecting the globalised world, could be used against them. Ten years on from those attacks makes a convenient point to assess how the European powers and America have dealt with this threat.

An obvious but easily overlooked point is that the fallout from September 11th has spawned measures that have an impact on us all. Airport security was given a radical overhaul (necessary given the failures of September 11th). The previous emphasis on ease of transit was replaced with a desire to minimise risk, however time consuming. In the UK, public spaces have become more closely policed, while unattended bags, once assumed to be innocent things destined for the lost property depot, can bring places to a standstill. Given the number of thwarted terror attacks in Europe and America since 2001, it seems that these measures have had significant success in stopping additional terrorist attacks. At the same time however, Western cities have become more paranoid, increasingly closely policed places. Age old rights such as not being detained for longer than a set period without trial have also been sacrificed (notably in the case Guantanamo Bay). Combating terrorism within European and North American states has come at a price.

Domestic politics in the West has also been moulded considerably by the events of 9/11. In America, for centuries self-styled ‘land of free’, the PATRIOT Act was passed in October 2001, which gave the central government unprecedented power to intrude into individuals’ correspondence and records. Other governments have passed similar measures, infringing upon their citizens’ liberties in an effort to combat terrorism. An increase in Islamophobia, can also be in large part attributed to the attacks of September 11th 2001. Rhetoric aimed at inspiring support for ‘the war on terror’ was sadly in some cases conflated with hostility to Islam in general. Groups such as the English Defence League in the UK have been able to form and find support due to the negative connotations attached to Islam in the minds of some after 9/11. Likewise the Tea Party movement, rooted in Conservative Christian ideology and at times openly hostile to Islam, has become a significant political force in America. In some respects therefore the terrorists behind 9/11 have acheived one of their key aims; an end to tolerant multiculturalism and its replacement with polarised radicalism. European and American governments have been forced to compromise some of their citizens’ most fundamental rights, while multiculturalism has come under considerable strain in some areas. It is perhaps a measure of the West’s resilience that the urge to pass even more oppressive legislation has been resisted and that in many multicultural areas people have united together in the name of moderation.

The shift to an interventionist foreign policy by the NATO powers, recognising that unless they were proactive the threat from Al-Qaeda would only grow, was also heralded by the events of September 11th. Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq arguably defined the decade after 9/11 and led to regimes hostile to the US and NATO being removed and the capacity of terrorist groups to operate being significantly reduced. This success has however been tempered by the propaganda boost given to Islamic militants who have been able to portray America in particular as a ‘crusader’ state and whip up resentment over civilian deaths at the hands of the occupying forces. Obama’s efforts to reach out to the Middle East and the seemingly successful intervention in support of the Libyan uprising may in time help to change the negative views of the West that the ‘wars on terror’ helped to create. The US and European powers may well have successfully mitigated the threat terror poses to them since 9/11 but at the cost of their diplomatic relations and standing in the Middle-East in particular.

Ten years on, the fallout from September 11th has produced no clear winners. Al-Qaeda has been harassed and severely damaged operationally; indeed fewer US citizens died from terror attacks in the decade after 9/11 than they did in the decade before. The death of Osama Bin Laden earlier this year, will have given many renewed hope that the threat of Islamic militants can be crushed once and for all. The still inconclusive situation in Afghanistan however shows the scale of the struggle that is still to come. It might be decades until the ‘war on terror’ is definitively won. The terror attacks of 9/11, abhorrent and devastating, were designed to instil the maximum level of fear in western populations. The security culture the attacks led to, measures such as the PATRIOT Act, which it has been argued infringed too greatly on citizens’ rights and liberties and the rise in Islamophobia can be seen as manifestations of that fear. The last ten years for the West have been a delicate battle between taking measures necessary to stop terrorism and not overreacting and inflaming opinion either internationally or at home. It remains to be seen if they have struck the right balance.

Guardian recognises Oxford journalists

Anthony Collins
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Guardian recognises Oxford journalists

Oxford publications and writers have been nominated in several categories at the 2011 Guardian Student Media Awards, as the panel drew up their shortlist this week.

Cherwell itself is one of five contenders for Publication of the Year, and will go up against publications from Kingston, York and London universities. It has a history of success at the awards, having been nominated in the same category last year, and having won the award for Website of the Year in 2008.

The Oxonian Globalist, the website of Oxford’s international affairs magazine, is nominated for Website of the Year in the 2011 awards, going up against publications from Birmingham, Warwick, Southampton and Liverpool.

Individual Oxford journalists have also been recognised in the list of nominees. Lizzie Porter, who is editor of The Oxford Student for Michaelmas 2011, has been nominated for Reporter of the Year. Porter has already won the Anjool Malde Memorial Trust award for excellence in student journalism this year.

If she wins the category, it will mark the second year running that an Oxford student is named Reporter of the Year, as Camilla Turner, former editor of Cherwell, won the accolade last year.

In addition, Alex Dymoke, former joint editor of Isis, is in the running for Feature Writer of the Year, while Mehreen Khan (a History and Politics student at Trinity who writes a sports blog) and Helen Robb, a writer for Cherwell, are both contenders for Columnist of the Year.

The final winners in each category will be announced at a ceremony on 23 November.

Hello Stephen: Introducing leggy blonde, Steve Merchant, 36.

Steffan Blayney
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Hello Stephen: Introducing leggy blonde, Steve Merchant, 36.

You’ve just started your first stand-up tour, ‘Hello Ladies’. Is this something that’s been in the works a long time, or just a hare-brained scheme to meet women? What can we expect from the show?

I did stand-up after I left university and I was a finalist in some comedy competitions. I was good enough to get paid and I used to gig regularly, but somewhere along the line I lost interest. Once The Office took off, it just seemed easier not do it. I didn’t get enough of a kick from performing to warrant driving up and down the motorway to gigs, eating Ginsters in service stations at midnight. I used to look at Ricky doing stand-up and think, ‘Why’s he bothering? It’s so much effort.’ Then I just woke up one day and I had the itch again. I felt I’d never really nailed stand-up. So I started doing five or ten minute slots here and there and I’ve been pottering around the circuit for a few years now. This tour is the result of that itch. The show is about my failed search for a wife and how I thought fame would be the answer to everything and it isn’t. My life has always revolved around my search for a mate and the show explores every aspect of that, from teenage hopeless ness to the time I got thrown out of a wedding. It’s very confessional.

It’s been a while then since you’ve been on stage by yourself in front of an audience, and the first time since the huge success of The Office, Extras, The Ricky Gervais Show and your other work. How different is it playing to a room full of people who, for want of a better phrase, know who you are?

It’s tricky because different audiences know me as different things; as an actor or from the podcastsor from chat-show appearances – and each of those is different from the stand-up ‘me’. If you go and see, say, Jack Dee, you know that he’s going to be grumpy and dead-pan – but audiences don’t know what to expect from my stand-up show. But basically, as long as you expect something honest and very physical and surprisingly sweaty you’ll be pleased.

You’re a week in so far, with the tour ending in New York just before Christmas. How is ‘The Road’ –and the accompanying rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle that we can only imagine – treating you?

Backstage at a theatre is the least sexy place in the world. The dressing rooms are about as glamorousas a boys changing room after a school rugby match in the rain. If the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle is a cup oftea and a sandwich from M&S, then yes, call me Keith Richards.

This is your first major solo creative project since working with Ricky. Is it more difficult writing alone, or do you appreciate the peace and quiet?

Writing on my own isn’t a problem, it’s just that writing a stand-up act at all is hard work. I don’t find I can just sit down and write stand-up. It has to evolve over time on stage. Or an idea will occur to me on the way to a gig and I’ll try it out, then refine it each time I go back on stage. The audience is my writing partner in a way, because they tell me what’s working or what’s unclear or what’s simply not funny. Awriting partner that doesn’t get paid, obviously. Make that clear.

Have your podcast colleagues seen the show yet? Have you had much support or feedback from Ricky? And how about from Karl [Pilkington, former producer and butt of the jokes in both the Ricky Gervais podcast and An Idiot Abroad]?


Ricky will probably wait for a free DVD so he can watch it as home in his pajamas. I run ideas past him sometimes but mainly I learn what I need to know from the audience. They either laugh or they don’t.That’s all that you can go on in the end. I don’t think Karl even knows the stand-up show is happening.He’s too busy filming the new series of An Idiot Abroad [Sky1 HD, 23rd September]. This time we’ve made him compile a bucket list – things to before you die. Karl chose things like whale watching and swimming with dolphins. Obviously Ricky and I have meddled as usual, so he doesn’t realize he’ll actually be swimming with sharks.

As well as Hello Ladies and the return of An Idiot Abroad, there is also a new project with Ricky Gervais and Warwick Davis, Life’s Too Short [BBC 2, this autumn]. Ricky has described the latter as ‘the life of a showbiz dwarf’ – can you add any more?

In real life Warwick Davis is an actor – he was in Return of the Jedi, Harry Potter – and he’s happily married and a nice guy. In Life’s Too Short Warwick is playing a fictionalised version of himself. He’s hustling for work and contending with a divorce, a failing career, a giant tax bill and being only 3’6′. Warwick is exceptional in it: great at comedy and drama, tremendous at physical comedy as well. He throws himself about with such abandon. I think people will be amazed at how good he is. Also in the show he often bothers Ricky and I for work because he knows us having appeared in Extras. And like in Extras, big stars pop up on occasion.


The BBC have confirmed an impressive list of guests, including Johnny Depp, Sting and Helena Bonham-Carter, as well as returns for surprise Extras highlights, Keith Chegwin and Les Dennis. Has it got to the stage now that you and Ricky can pick up the phone to work with almost anyone? Haveyou had any rejections from people you’ve been desperate to get involved – or are you standing at the doors like bouncers turning away a queue of disappointed A-listers?

I wouldn’t say they were queuing up but lots of stars have made it known they’d be up for doing something with us. Or sometimes we meet them on our travels and try and persuade them on the spot. I think they enjoy doing it because it’s a great release for them to take the piss out of their public image and defy audience expectations. And they always have fun. Actors love to act and we give them loads of time and freedom to do that. There’s no sitting around in trailers for hours while we get the lighting just right. They come in and we start shooting. It’s a playdate for them.

Have you ever had a guest-star, for Extras or Life’s Too Short, who just didn’t get the joke?

No, because we never spring anything on them. Everyone who agrees to be in our shows knows what they’re getting into. They talk with us beforehand and we explain the idea. It’s not a stitch up. What is more likely is that they will add something during the filming. Johnny Depp improvised some brilliant stuff in the new show. And Les Dennis threw in some extra lines that were hilarious. For instance he was supposed to be making love to a woman in the dark at the end of Extras and he shouted his old Family Fortunes catchphrase: ‘If it’s up there, I’ll give you the money myself…’ Inspired.

 
So we can now add ‘stand-up’ to Stephen Merchant, writer, director, actor, producer, DJ andbroadcaster. Have I missed anything, and what’s next?

If this tour goes well then I’ll be getting married to a gorgeous wife on some tropical beach on Christmas Day. Of course what’s more likely is I’ll be sat at home in pants watching The Great Escape.


Finally, I’ve noticed that articles and interviews you’re involved in tend to carry less than complimentary tag-lines, along the lines of ‘Ricky Gervais’ lanky co-writer’. This can’t help with the ladies, so I was wondering if you could suggest anything more appropriate for this one?

Leggy blonde Steve Merchant, 36.

Stephen brings ‘Hello Ladies’ to the Oxford New Theatre on the 29th and 30th of September. Tickets are available from Livenation.co.uk.The second series of An Idiot Abroad begins on Sky1 HD on the 23rd September. Life’s Too Short will transmit this autumn on BBC 2.

Let Europe Shake – Part Two

Aleks Klosok
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Let Europe Shake – Part Two

With a genuine chance of success in this competition, how seriously will Tottenham Hotspur be treating their European adventure? Can Stoke City adapt to the style and pace of European football and could they be this year’s surprise package? What chance, if any, do Fulham have of repeating their incredible UEFA Europa League heroics of two seasons ago? And will the rigours of Npower Championship football and with it a promotion push prove to be too much for Birmingham City?

 

UEFA Europa League: Group A 

• PAOK Salonika; FC Rubin Kazan; Shamrock Rovers; TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

 

PAOK Salonika

The two time Greek Champions may be a regular fixture in this competition but they’ve only made it out of the Group Stages on the one occasion. Kostas Chalkias provides much needed experience in goal whilst upfront Greek international Dimitrios Salpigidis will hope to maintain his good form in the competition. 

One To Watch: Dimitrios Salpigidis

 

FC Rubin Kazan

Under manager Kurban Berdyev the Russian outfit have become formidable opponents. They have UEFA Champions League experience and a wealth of talent in the squad. They are excellent going forward with attacking minded players such as Alan Kazaev and Gökdeniz Karadeniz feeding balls through to the experienced Paraguayan striker Nelson Valdez. 

One To Watch: Nelson Valdez

 

Shamrock Rovers

Irish football’s most successful club are already one of the big stories of this competition. Michael O’Neill’s semi-professional team caused a huge upset by beating FK Partizan in the Final Qualifying Round. Transfer Window Deadline Day signing Rohan Ricketts will be looking to inflict a giant killing against former club Tottenham Hotspur. 

One To Watch: Gary Twigg

 

Tottenham Hotspur

Despite a proud history in this competition, Spurs focus has, in recent years, switched to chasing a place in the UEFA Champions League. The omission of Rafael van der Vaart from the 25-man squad is a surprise but it’ll give exciting youngsters Jake Livermore, Andros Townsend and Danny Rose a chance to impress. 

One To Watch: Jake Livermore

 

UEFA Europa League: Group E

• BeÅŸiktaÅŸ; FC Dynamo Kyiv; Maccabi Tel Aviv FC; STOKE CITY

 

BeÅŸiktaÅŸ

One of the big clubs in Turkish football alongside the likes of Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe, Kara Kartallar are dangerous opponents. Head coach Carlos Carvalhal hasn’t lost in eight European home games and the Portuguese contingent at the club including midfielder Ricardo Quaresma and striker Hugo Almeida will cause problems for most defences. 

One To Watch: Ricardo Quaresma

 

FC Dynamo Kyiv

A club with a proud European football tradition, Kyiv know what this competition is about. Coach Yuri Semin guided the club to the UEFA Cup semi-finals in 2009. There is an excellent mix of youth and experience throughout the team with striker Andriy Shevchenko impressing since his return to the Ukraine.

One To Watch: Andriy Yarmolenko

 

Maccabi Tel Aviv FC

The Israeli club make their debut in the Group Stages having defeated Greek giants Panathinaikos in the Final Qualifying Round. Bloomfield Stadium is an intimidating place to travel to with the home fans generating a terrific atmosphere. Also keep an eye out for the versatile Croatia U-21 defender Roberto Punčec. 

One To Watch: Roberto Colautti

 

Stoke City 

37 years after their last European adventure, The Potters return to the competition following their runners-up finish in last season’s FA Cup Final. Tony Pulis’s men have already demonstrated themselves to be resolute in defence this season with centre-back Matthew Upson outstanding, and a threat upfront with Kenwyne Jones and Peter Crouch. 

One To Watch: Matthew Etherington

 

UEFA Europa League: Group H

• BIRMINGHAM CITY; Sporting Clube de Braga; Club Brugge; NK Maribor

 

Birmingham City

Chris Hughton’s outfit may be playing Npower Championship football however their victory in last season’s Carling Cup Final and against Nacional in the Final Qualifying Round means more European football at St Andrews. Liam Ridgewell is vital in defence whilst New Zealand striker Chris Wood will hope to continue his excellent form. 

One To Watch: Chris Wood

 

Sporting Clube de Braga

Last season’s finalists and runners-up to winners FC Porto, Os Arsenalistas are once again genuine challengers for the title however they will have to do so without coach Domingos Paciência – now manager of Sporting Clube de Lisboa. Custódio is very solid in the defensive midfield role whilst Alan is a threat upfront.

One To Watch: Custódio

 

Club Brugge 

The only Belgian club to have played in the final of the now UEFA Champions League, Blauw-Zwart currently sit in mid-table in the Belgian Pro League. Former Stoke City and West Bromwich Albion defender and Captain Carl Hoefkens is steady at the back whilst Jonathan Blondel will be familiar to Spurs fans.

One To Watch: Carl Hoefkens

 

NK Maribor

Conquerors of Rangers in the Final Qualifying Round, Vijolice are the first Slovenian team to appear in the Group Stages. They have competed in the UEFA Champions League however made little impact in the competition. Captain Marcos Tavares and Macedonian midfielder Agim Ibraimi will be key to the team’s success. 

One To Watch: Marcos Tavares

 

UEFA Europa League: Group K

• FC Twente; FULHAM; Odense BK: WisÅ‚a Kraków

 

FC Twente

Known in this part of the world for their appointment of ex-England manager Steve McClaren, the Dutch side have, in recent years, become a recognised force in the Eredivisie – winning the title in 2010 under McClaren. Goalkeeper Nikolay Mihaylov is suspect in goal however Austrian striker Marc Janko is a genuine threat.

One To Watch: Marc Janko

 

Fulham 

The Cottagers had a memorable run in this competition, reaching the final in 2009. Marin Jol’s side have started this season poorly, with blame being put on the decision to split the successful central defensive partnership of Aaron Hughes and Brede Hangeland. Moussa Dembélé and Damien Duff will provide the main attacking threats.

One To Watch: Moussa Dembélé

 

Odense BK

De Stribede are in constant competition in the Danish Superliga with FC Copenhagen, Brøndby and FC Midtjylland. The club famously reached the Quarter-Final stage in 1995 overcoming Real Madrid in the Play-Offs but have not reached the later stages of the competition since. Keep an eye out for their exciting young attacker Baskhim Kadrii.

One To Watch: Bashkim Kadrii

 

WisÅ‚a Kraków 

Having lost only one of their last ten European home games, the current Ekstraklasa champions are in good form going into the competition. The team has a strong spine with Kew Jaliens solidity in defence; ex-Polish internationals Radosław Sobolewski and Łukasz Garguła marshaling the midfield and Ivica Iliev leading the front line.

One To Watch: Patryk Małecki

Twitter: @aleksklosok

Review: CANT – Dreams Come True

Natasha Frost
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Review: CANT – Dreams Come True

Chris Taylor is playing with fire. A pity, then, that his debut release – out on Terrible/Warp Records – is so utterly lukewarm. I won’t start this review with a fussy pun about how CANT actually CAN, nor say this is not a Terrible Record. The digs have already been set up, and it is very tempting to be very scathing. That is not to say that this is a terrible record – terrible is a strong word, and this is not a very strong album in any sense – but certainly not one for the books. Actually, I was ready for this to be seriously great. A collaborative work between Taylor, Grizzly Bear’s baby-faced bassist (CANT are his initials), and syntheur extraordinaire George Lewis Jr. of ‘Twin Shadow’ fame, the press release enthusiastically informs me that the album was ‘mostly written and recorded in a week and a half in a bedroom’. With that knowledge borne in mind, and the rather naff title ‘Dreams Come True’ (unfortunately also the name of an equally underwhelming album from A Flock of Seagulls), it is simply too easy to be mean.

This is the kind of album that I feel I should probably like. It’s a little bit experimental (like Deerhunter, but worse) but not actually scarily innovative or unlistenable, comes from two artists who I like, has a silly name and involves a lot of synths. This will doubtless earn it a host of enthusiastic fanboys who will assure me that you just have to listen to it a little bit more, give it a chance to open up, that it is complex and interesting and wonderful and clever. I don’t necessarily think their faith in the dynamic duo is misplaced, just that this album fails to showcase the ‘good stuff’, favouring cluttered, avant-prog slow jams that blend into an admittedly dreamlike, forgettable blur. It’s not the worst thing I’ve ever heard, but the phrase ‘must try harder’ does spring to mind. Fittingly, though, ‘She Found A Way Out’ does manage to bob to the surface – and suggests that, given just a little more time, CANT may yet deliver. 

From Europe with Love: Part Three

Joe Nicholson
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From Europe with Love: Part Three

So many friends have told me how much of an impression Florence has made on them, so it was with anticipation and a slight worry of being underwhelmed that I set off into the city. Being with friends who know a place already is a double-edged sword: it’s such a relief to have a guide who knows how to navigate the narrow streets (keeping a sense of direction proved desperately difficult at times!) and who know what is really worth a look. At the same time, however, you miss out on the thrill of discovering it all by yourself, falling upon things by chance. It is a relief to have a companion who knows where is a good bet for food: so many of the places open in the most densely visited areas serve low quality food at overpriced rates, and having somebody tell you where to find the needle in the haystack is really necessary for those on the student budget! A good option was the markets that open daily from the early morning. One of the highlights of the trip so far has been the fresh fruit- locally grown nectarines are dirt cheap and delicious, something lacking in the rocky little things you’d find in Tesco on St Giles! Walking around Florence in the daytime is impressive, and after spending a year in chilly Britain basking in the Italian sun is nothing short of luxurious (even if gelato becomes a basic human need after ten minutes).

There’s something so exciting about the city: the slight shabbiness of the streets and the ramshackle way in which piazzas open up to you, revealing priceless displays such as the Loggia, an open air display of sculptures based on Graeco-Roman mythological heroes. There is, moreover, a feeling of attachment to Florence that many friends have described to me: this sense of privilege that you gain just being there is signified by the brass boar fountain near the Mercato Nuovo, one of the main market squares, whose snout you’re supposed to rub to be sure of returning to the city (however awkward that sounds!). We walked south of the river, too, to find the awe inspiring view from the Piazza del Michaelangelo: the whole vista of the city opens up in front of you, from the top of the Duomo to the uneven terracotta-tiled roofs, row on row. We’ve managed, mostly by chance, to land a brilliant view of all of the cities that we’ve visited: definitely advisable for getting a sense of the whole area! Florence at night is equally enjoyable, mainly for the buzz of the nightlife: although, admittedly, it still seems full of tourists. We found out that the Ponte Vecchio, the world famous bridge that appears to be a street until you reach the middle, opens up to a lovely view of the river at night: there’s nothing like seeing the unique Florentine buildings shimmer in the still water by moonlight (quasi-poetic waxing lyrical is completely necessary here!)

After two nights in Florence, we moved on to Venice. We found our apartment eventually, riding the Vaporetta for half an hour through the lagoon- pretty as this vehicle sounds, it is, in reality, a horrific chugging craft that could induce seasickness at first sight. A friend described it eloquently as ‘a tin can riding on the waves of hell’. Nevertheless, it offers a unique view of the Venetian buildings: travelling through the lagoon feels totally surreal after a three-hour train journey! Our accommodation was in the Giardini area: suburban, yet on the canals and a mere fifteen-minute walk from San Marco, the main square. We were lucky to have the chance to escape the tourist/backpacker trail for a few days, and also had the opportunity to experience the living and working Venice. The beauty of the streets which are interspersed with the waterways is enhanced by the realisation that it is a real city, in which real people go about their day to day business. These smaller canals that we stumbled upon felt, to me, like the best sights on the whole lagoon. Despite the splendour of San Marco and buildings such as the Ducal Palace, being surrounded by tourists like ourselves became exhausting, and the experience of finding surprisingly elegant side-streets is rewarding: a definite product of the cliched ‘straying from the beaten track’ attitude towards travelling!

We did, nevertheless, experience some of the main attractions of Venice. The Doges Palace is open to the public as part of a ticket which is valid for all of the museums on San Marco, and aside from being an astoundingly opulent palace facing directly onto the lagoon offers much insight into Venetian history. This is something that I was never going to get away from, seeing as I am travelling with three history students, but it still aided us to have a sense of the background to the place. Some of the central areas of the city were, however, too involved in tourism, part of the reason why we felt that little bit uncomfortable. The Bridge of Sighs, for example (the famous bridge between the Ducal palace and the city prisons, where prisoners walked to their execution), was scaffolded and plastered with an abhorrent L’Oreal advertisement: appalling!

Leaving Venice meant leaving Italy: ending a leg of the trip in a country with which I had fallen even more in love! After a debacle in organising trains to Croatia in a horrendously priced internet cafe, we opted for a coach to Pula, where we had booked another apartment for the supposed ‘rest stop’ in the middle of our travels. It was with a heavy heart that we said goodbye to pasta, cheap table wine and Venice, which seemed surreal to the last, and boarded a packed coach filled with teenagers going to a music festival on the Croatian coach, making our sleepy stay in the Pula apartment seem tame at best! It was, however, necessary- when we finally arrived to what was, in fact, a small house after a day’s driving in blistering heat, we all collapsed in a daze: twelve days of moving through different cities really drains you! Croatia seemed like a fiscal land of dreams after the expense of France, Spain and Italy, and we found some absolute bargains (that is, if our bewildered calculations of the Kuna/Sterling exchange rate were anything like accurate!). We were recommended a cafe/bar by our extremely welcoming landlady, the ‘Porat’ bar, in which we discovered beer for the equivalent of one pound forty for 0.5l and cevapcici, an amazing dish of small fried kebabs- a delicacy that will be missed! Pula, however, is a strange town: a mix of Italianesque Mediterranean buildings and roman ruins, such as an amphitheatre, and a tangible sense of being a post-communist country. Nevertheless, it boasts some scenic beaches, with warm water for once- a surprise for the Brit who remembers the icy currents of the English Channel: the rocks underfoot are like sandpaper, granted, but the bays near our apartment were the perfect places to head in the evening.

The rest stop over, we moved on to Vienna: another complicated journey (it became apparent that trains in Croatia are non-existent). Our escape plan took the shape of yet another coach, to Zagreb this time, where we waited three hours for a connection to Vienna. Enough time, then, to encounter several lecherous men eying up my companions in the station corridor- not the best atmosphere! Our last meal in Croatia was another dish of cevapcici, feeding our addiction in the station restaurant, which had to be bolted down following an agonising wait, leaving the train ready to depart before we were even on the platform. We made it, thankfully- speeding further into central Europe and having our passports and tickets checked around eight times each, looking forward to what Austria had to offer.

The Cherwell Guide to Oxford Cinema

Huw Fullerton
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The Cherwell Guide to Oxford Cinema

So you’re a film buff, new to Oxford with a desire to waste money on cinema tickets when you should be working? Well, that’s great! Here’s what Oxford has to offer.

The Odeon

Pretty much what you’d expect – it’s expensive here (£7.30 for a student ticket) but it has all the major releases so for most of your blockbuster fixes you’ll have to swallow your pride and bow to the corporate world of multi-screen cinemas. Still, seeing as it is Oxford, the cinemas are actually quite small and cute, located in the city centre. It’s also worth noting that there are two locations for the odeon, on George Street (which just has one IMAX screen) and Magdalen Street. This can be confusing if you book a film and turn up at the wrong cinema – they’re a little way apart, so if you haven’t left plenty of time it can lead to a mad dash to the other branch. Check your booking before you leave. Twice. 

Vue Cinemas

This multiplex (called the ‘Ozone) is a little further out, but it’s only a 30-40 minute bus ride and it’s much bigger than the Odeon, meaning a greater range of releases. Still, you’re not making a money saving here (student tickets are £7.65), and at the end of the day you could just get your mainstream experience with the Odeon.

Cineworld Cinemas

Again, pretty much what you’d expect from a big multiplex, but this one’s further out still (although only by a few minutes). This cinema does have the advantage of being slightly cheaper than the Odeon or Vue (at £6.20 for a student) so if you can get a cheap bus ride this could be the place for the cash-conscious cinephile.

The Phoenix Picture House

This is a great little place in North Oxford just up Walton Street, which may be a little out of the way for those living in the centre of town. However, for arts cinema you can’t really do much better than this – it’s full of character, shows loads of classic films and sells beer! The price is pretty good too at £6 for a student ticket (with a booking charge online). The one glaring issue with The Phoenix is that it has a very limited range of films, falling very much on the arty side of new releases. Depending on your tastes this can be more of a problem, but generally for the big films you have to go elsewhere (with some exceptions – I saw Black Swan here, and One Day is currently showing). Still, a lovely venue, highly recommended and constantly running since 1913!

The Ultimate Picture Palace

Located on Cowley road (pretty convenient if you live out there at some point, but otherwise it’s a bit of a trek for most students), this one-screen cinema is the oldest existing picturehouse in Oxford at one hundred years old (although it spent some of this time closed). The place is rich in history and character, but with no digital projector and only one screen the releases are even more limited than at the Phoenix (although mainstream films are often played here after they’ve closed elsewhere, which can be useful). Ticket prices tend to vary a bit here too, so it’s worth checking up yourself. All in all, perhaps a place more for the extreme film buff than the casual moviegoer, but still a great venue.

Magdalen Film Society

Magdalen College is lucky enough to be privileged with a cinema screen as well as all those deer, and they’ve done something quite special with it. A few times a week they screen back-to-back films based along a particular theme, for £3 entry including free wine and juice. There’s loads of films every week, so if you want to go for something a bit more long-term it’s £10 for a term, £30 for a year or £45 for life. You can find the listings online or on a flyer that’s all over the place, and although obviously the screenings are very limited it’s a good mix of popular stuff, classics and arthouse, and a great way to educate yourself a bit in cinema. It’s uniquely Oxford, and very worth getting involved in.

 

To be honest you’ll probably spend most of your time in Oxford consuming films from DVDs or online, but you really can’t beat the cinema experience and there are some great examples in Oxford that you should definitely check out while you’re studying here. Maybe once the fresher’s week parties have died down though, eh?

NB: Many of these ticket prices are taken from online websites, and as such the prices on the door may be slightly cheaper.

University Challenge contestant targeted in hate campaign

Phoebus Cotsapas
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University Challenge contestant targeted in hate campaign

A former Balliol student who appeared on last year’s edition of University Challenge has been made the target of a string of sexist online attacks.

Marine Debray, who studied English and French, is amongst several women to have been subjected to misogynistic abuse on the internet following their appearance on the show, notably Gail Trimble, who famously captained the Corpus Christi team in 2009.

The hate campaign launched against Debray includes a blog in which photos of male genitalia are pasted onto pictures of her. There have also been scores of posts on internet fora labelling her a “dumb blonde.”

“People [have been] saying that I wasn’t smart enough to be on the programme, and then there were quite a lot of comments about my appearance, in a sexualized way,” Debray said.

Debray joins other female University Challenge contestants who have spoken out against sexist responses to their performances. Jenny Harris, who was on the Emmanuel College, Cambridge team that won the show last year, was mocked for her “brilliant mind, fuelled by a pair of breasts.”

“An aspect of [this prejudice] is the idea that women shouldn’t be showing off how clever they are, where this is more OK for boys,” said Harris. 

ITV, which produces the show on behalf of the BBC, reportedly offers contestants support and advice in dealing with online abuse, despite the studio insisting that hate campaigns are “unusual.”

Such online attacks, however, are only a manifestation of the more widespread prejudice against women in our society, insists Yuan Yang, OUSU’s vice president and women’s officer.

“Cyber-hate campaigns are just one point on the spectrum of sexual harassment that over 68% of female students experience while at university. Nobody should be treated like this. Seen in this light, online harassment is not a laugh, but a serious indicator of a lack of respect for women on the part of some members of society,” Yang told the Cherwell.

According to Yang, OUSU is currently pursuing a long-term plan to rid the University and the city of sexual harassment both online and on the streets. Yet she insists there is more to be done.

“Although we are successfully working with the University to redress sexual harassment complaints procedures, this is not an issue for the University alone. To beat sexist bullying and sexual violence, we all have a part to play – we all have ownership of a culture that must change,’ she said.

Though initially concerned about the scale of the online abuse, Debray maintains that she has not let it affect her.

“What I tried to do was put that aside and try to move on with the positive comments.”

Speaking on behalf of Debray’s college, Balliol JCR President Stephen Dempsey said, “Balliol JCR is disappointed to see any abuse directed at its members, past or present and our full support goes to Marine. Nevertheless, we are extremely proud of the intelligence and character she showed both on  the show and in responding to these sensitive issues and of the fantastic example she has set to women throughout higher education and beyond.”

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