Tuesday 1st July 2025
Blog Page 2023

Review: Blood Wedding

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Isit and watch intently as the ensemble stand before me, taking turns at random to count to twenty, eyes closed, faces showing expressions of complete concentration. A seemingly simple feat, anyone who has ever attempted theatrical ensemble work will be familiar with the difficulty of this exercise, which involves counting from one to twenty, where no two members may say the same number simultaneously.

The intangible bond of the group that was made apparent in their warm-up carried solemnly through the entire play. The actors were not performing as individual characters, but working together as an ensemble. Not for one second was the faith of a character lost, a line forgotten, or a silence unintentional. Brittany Ashworth and Ellen Jones’s jointly directed rendition of Frederico Garcia Lorca’s Blood Wedding, introduces most characters not by name, but rather by familiar relation. As such, the play centres around the arranged marriage between the Groom (Tom Garton) and Bride (Chloë Wicks), who still harbours feelings for a past lover, Leonardo (Alex Khosla). Set in the early 1930s, this lyrical drama tells a tale of raw human grief, family honour, and rebellion against the overpowering restraints of a rural Andalusian existence.

Though a tragedy, the cast have successfully incorporated subtle moments of physical comedy which provide a welcome break from the solemn atmosphere of the rest of the play. Additionally, the intensity and drama of the acting is broken up with elements of choreographed dancing and singing. The songs are accompanied at different times by two guitarists, a cello and a violinist set to original music written by Genevieve Dawson. The lullaby sung in Spanish in harmony by the Bride and Mother-in-Law (Olivia Charton-Jones) in the second scene of Act One, which foreshadows much of the tragedy ahead, effectively incorporates the beauty of the original Spanish verse.

This production of Blood Wedding, or Bodas de Sangre , has stayed true to its Spanish roots. Despite the risk of losing its meaning in translation by singing the lullaby in Spanish, the emotions, regardless of language, are well-captured and preserve the original spirit adding authenticity to the play.
To describe any production in one word is a great challenge. Confused Production’s Blood Wedding is the exception to this rule. Passion.

five stars

Blood Wedding is at the OFS from Tuesday – Saturday, 7.30pm

Review: ‘Love’ by Angels and Airwaves

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Angels and Airwaves aren’t what you might call a ‘normal’ rock band. There’s no charming back-story of all the members meeting at school and instantly becoming friends for life. Instead, they’re more of a second-generation group, formed from an odd mixture of bits of other bands: the drummer is from The Offspring, the bassist originally played for 30 Seconds To Mars, and their lead singer is Blink-182 front man, Tom DeLonge. A little surprisingly, the end result of this medley is actually rather good.

Released as a free digital download, their latest album Love was described by DeLonge as the ‘biggest release’ of his life. Although perhaps not the masterpiece he promised, it certainly appears to illustrate a growing maturity, both in his music and attitude to life. The flickering, darting introduction to ‘Soul Survivor’, the dreamy ‘Et Ducit Mundum Per Luce’, the frantic crescendos in ‘Hallucinations’ – they are all indicative of a band that are beginning to free themselves from the limitations of typical American pop-punk.

Every now and then they slip back into their comfort zone, and a couple of the songs aren’t quite as ambitious as one would like them to be (Epic Holiday in particular is dangerously reminiscent of Green Day), while their fondness for guitar effects occasionally threatens to drown us in a vague, over-distorted mess.

Nevertheless, the large majority of tracks seem well polished and flow smoothly into each other, although there is perhaps a slightly repetitive feel, with the album repeatedly trying to drag the listener into swelling crescendos, which becomes tiresome. If one looks past these minor faults, however, it is possible to enjoy Love.

It doesn’t quite live up to the hype: it’s not world changing and it’s certainly no ‘blend of Radiohead and U2′, but we can forgive DeLonge his over-zealous ambitions. Apart from his comparison of Love to Pink Floyd’s The Wall, that is. Too far, Tom, too far.

Sound of the Underground

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Cast your mind back a few of years and you may remember the hype surrounding indie four-piece The Sunshine Underground. Their debut album Raise The Alarm received great critical acclaim and the band hotly tipped to become the next big thing. However a long period of inactivity resulted in the band almost disappearing into the ether. Having now released their sophomore album, Nobody’s Coming To Save You, I caught up with front man Craig Wellington and guitarist Stuart Jones to discuss their background and return to the music scene.

From early on in the interview it’s apparent that the band have worked restlessly from the start to achieve success and to build up a strong fan-base. Things began to get serious for the band when they relocated from Shrewsbury to Leeds. Jones explains the importance of the decision; ‘We moved up there with the band in mind – if we had an evening off from work we’d spend it rehearsing.’ The fresh and versatile music scene and plentiful venues gave the group a platform to unleash their energetic live performances. After the release of Raise The Alarm the band embarked on a large tour, and soon sweaty local gigs turned into festival appearances, most notably at Glastonbury. The guys thrive off their live shows and Jones speaks passionately about them, ‘It’s nice when it’s a challenge to share the bill; not everyone’s there to see you play’.

Wellington describes The Sunshine Underground as ‘a guitar band, with dance music influences’. The band’s combination of quirky offbeat rhythms and funk driven guitars resulted in them being branded as being part of the ‘new-rave’ movement alongside acts like Klaxons and Hadouken in 2007. Although the exposure was appreciated, it was not a pigeonholing the band wanted to embrace. ‘It was invented by NME, but everyone knew it was a quick label that would be extinct in six months.’

The band’s reluctance to jump on this media-constructed bandwagon was a large factor in why the group’s second album has taken so long to see the light of day. Wellington explains how they wanted to create a very different record to their first; ‘We had to try and make our own sound.’ Despite taking a long time to get their act together, Wellington is much happier with how the album came together the second time around. ‘It felt much more like making a record this time; we had more time to think about the mood we wanted’. By working with Kasabian producer Barny the band have been able to hold much more creative control over their sound in the studio. Being signed to independent label City Rockers has allowed the band time to mature since their first effort (a relative luxury compared with the pressure often imposed by major record labels).

Over the course of their break the band wrote almost thirty new songs. With regard to the final track selection Jones jokes: ‘after extensively touring the first record you think to yourself, “do I really want to be playing this song live?”‘ The result is a follow up album packed with infectious vocal hooks and soaring guitar riffs – as Wellington puts it, ‘we always like big choruses!’ I was interested in what the band thought about the changes in the music industry since they first started. ‘We’ve come to the conclusion that our album is going to get ripped illegally – everyone’s does – but in a way we don’t mind that now. Obviously it would be ace if everyone pays for it, but if someone does steal our album and likes it, hopefully they’ll pay to come to a gig, or even buy the CD’. Jones has a refreshingly positive attitude to the bleaker side of the

music industry: ‘Spotify is brilliant to be honest, the more people that hear [our record] the better’.

The band hope to be returning to the festival circuit this summer and Jones jokes that the only way they’ll manage to headline Glastonbury is by befriending and marrying festival co-organiser Emily Eavis. I’m tempted to say that The Sunshine Underground could one day headline, but judging by the inaccuracy of past predictions, I’ll just settle for a third record sometime before 2014 instead.

Here’s What You’ve Missed: 6th Week

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This week audiences give their views on ‘Imperium’, the Oxford Imps’ latest show at the BT, and ‘Platform’, the Oxford University Dance Society’s latest offering at the Keble O’Reilly.

The Cherwell Fashion Guide to… Playground Style

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Our fashion editors show you how to look amazing in sequined tops and skinny jeans… on a swing set.

Beer before wine, a scientifically-sound rhyme?

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It’s a widely-accepted mantra which can be found in some form or other in most Western cultures. In England I learnt it as ‘Beer before wine is fine, wine before beer—oh dear!’ Anywhere groups of people gather together to partake in that age-old pastime of drinking too much this little ditty is often passed around as solid advice.

Similar proverbs can be found in Germany („Bier auf Wein, das laß sein!”), Hungary, Sweden…even the West Country has its own scrumpy-based version: ‘Beer on cider makes a good rider!’ The only exception to the rule appears to be the American saying, ‘Beer before liquor, never been sicker!’ which forgoes wine altogether in favour of straight-up spirits and even then gets the order the wrong way around compared to everyone else.

But, given the universal popularity of the proverb, is there actually any scientific evidence to back up the notion that the sequence of drinks over the course of a night out is key to one’s intoxication and subsequent hangover?

The short answer to that is ‘no’. As far as me and my search engine can tell there have been no decisive studies carried out in a laboratory setting to put the saying to the test. That hasn’t stopped numerous bloggers from making their own ad-hoc ‘reckoning’ on the subject.

‘The reasoning behind the proverb is that it’s easier on your body to absorb weaker alcoholic drinks, like beer, later on in the evening’ explained one defender of the American version on a Q&A page.

Well, not necessarily; it’s true that the concentration of alcohol does appear to have an effect on the rate of its absorption. One study that took place back in the golden ages of prohibition found that low alcohol concentrations (2.75%) were absorbed at a slower rate than higher concentrations (27.5%). A later set of experiments testing out a wider range of concentrations however argued for a ‘curvilinear’ relationship. Here, scientists found that alcohol drunk at concentrations more closely resembling those of wine (15%) or neat spirits (45%) were absorbed more slowly than a mid-range concentration of 30%. Indeed one of the most recent studies, conducted at the University of Manchester, found that drinking straight vodka actually led to slower rates of alcohol absorption and lower peak blood alcohol levels than drinking the same quantity of vodka but in a diluted form.

Now before you all go off downing shots of Smirnoff tomorrow with the misguided notion that it will make you less drunk, please keep in mind that these sorts of experiments can often be somewhat removed from the real-world situation. Those scientists up at Manchester had their poor test subjects drinking vodka either neat or mixed with nought but tap water, at nine in the morning after a night of fasting. No doubt there are some serious differences between that situation and your average night down the pub, and some could prove to be mitigating factors; not least of which how much alcohol you choose to drink, and at what rate you choose to drink it.

Bubbles are another often touted explanation for the saying. It’s commonly thought that the carbon dioxide found in lager or other types of fizz helps to boost the effects of alcohol. Many people talk of the bubbles in champagne ‘going straight to their heads‘, actually they go straight to their guts. The gas in a carbonated drink is believed to speed up the movement of your stomach contents into the small intestine where alcohol is known to be absorbed more readily. So maybe if you drink a fizzy alcoholic beverage like champagne, or as the rhyme would have it beer, on top of a stomach-full of wine, the resultant surge of alcohol into the small intestine would leave you knocked for six.

Surprisingly, there have only been a couple of studies looking into whether bubbles give alcohol a helping hand. One scientist, Fran Ridout, in an experiment originally reported in New Scientist, invited some of the volunteers in her department to a ‘drinks party’ before plying them with glasses of champagne. Half the guests were given normal fizzy champagne and half were given champagne that had previously been attacked with a whisk, rendering it ‘fizzless’. After each person had drunk two glasses Ridout then measured their blood alcohol levels and put them through a number of psychometric tests. I must say if I were one of these ‘guests’ I would be starting to think this a queer sort of party by this stage. Nevertheless, those people who had been drinking the fizzy champagne showed a faster rise in their blood alcohol levels compared to those who had drunk flat champagne. They were also slower at noticing objects in their peripheral vision, although this was the only one out of nine measures of mental faculty in which the two groups showed any real difference. It should also be noted that the flat champers group did eventually catch up, and had built up comparable blood alcohol levels to their fizzy counterparts after thirty minutes. Thus, while bubbles may help speed the way to intoxication, it’s a place we all get to in the end, whether we opt for alcohol fizzy or flat.

So when it comes to determining the order of our tipples it looks like science has little to offer us in the way of advice. But it may still be able to tell us what type of drink to choose. A study published last month in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research appears to have confirmed another widely-held belief, that the colour of your alcohol is linked to your suffering the next day. Scientists at Brown University found that giving volunteers dark coloured drinks such as bourbon led to more severe hangovers than clear alternatives like vodka. The finger of guilt in this effect is pointed at congeners, small amounts of toxins and other by-products in alcohol that build up during the fermentation process. Congeners occur in greater numbers in darker alcoholic drinks. Bourbon, for example, contains 37 times more congeners than vodka, and are believed to enhance the painful qualities of a hangover. But again these findings may need to be taken with a pinch of salt and a slice of lemon. The severity of hangovers was assessed on a series of self-rating scales filled out by the participants. While those who had drank bourbon reported worse hangover the next day, this was not reflected in any alcohol-related sleep disturbances or in their performance on psychometric tests. Despite attempts by the scientists to mask the identity of the alcohol being consumed, volunteers could easily tell when they were downing bourbon and coke rather than vodka; thus it’s debatable how much the expectations of the participants led them to report worse hangovers in connection with the darker alcohol.

Arguably the best way to avoid a pounding hangover first thing on a weekday morning is to avoid drinking at all the night before, but you don’t need me or a disgruntled tutor to tell you that. Steering clear of drinks steeped in hangover-inducing congeners might be one option next time you’re down the college bar, or you could take a leaf out of the Victorian gentleman’s book and invest in a ‘swizzle stick’ to help get rid of those pesky bubbles in one’s drink.

Perhaps one day scientists will focus their efforts on determining whether chasing Chardonnay with Carling really is a recipe for disaster, or if Budweiser before Bordeaux is the way to go. Until that time I’m afraid it’s down to your own level judgement. Please enjoy science responsibly!

St John’s told: "Grow Up"

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John’s students have been warned over their rowdy behaviour after it emerged that college staff complained about incidents at a recent Guest Dinner.

In an email to the JCR from the domestic secretaries, Mary Renton and Sophie Graham, it was revealed that wine had been stolen from the college kitchen during the dinner, and that those present had engaged in the throwing of decorations and food.

The

email stated, “College wine was stolen from the Garden Quad kitchen- this is very upsetting behaviour, especially considering we provided ample alcohol. As a result we have had to cover the costs.”

The email continued, “Food was being ‘splattered’ around which made a mess for the buttery staff to clean up. We have nothing to say on this matter apart from GROW UP.”

Renton confirmed that wine had been stolen, but explained, “The wine that was stolen was not a considerable amount (a few bottles) but it is the principle of the act that has lead to the current situation. We have liaised with college and come up with strategies to ensure this doesn’t happen again.”

As a result of the theft, the drinks reception following the next Guest Dinner, which is usually open to friends of the diners, will be exclusively for those with tickets.

Renton added, “The general reports from the night were that it was a huge success so these complaints refer to a small minority.

“We have alerted the JCR to these events and warned that should this occur again there will be disciplinary action. All parties involved feel the situation will be resolved and we are all hoping that the next Guest Dinner (Friday 6th week) will run smoothly. At St John’s Guest Dinners are renowned for being great fun and we hope to continue this tradition.”

Martha Mackenzie, John’s JCR President praised the hard work of the domestic secretaries, pointing out that the dinners are very popular events within the college.

She added, “The recent reports of bad behaviour concern a very small minority. The fact that a stern talking to was the only sanction necessary proves that, as a whole, John’s students are trusted to behave well. Tomorrow’s guest dinner is still going ahead and having seen the decorations it is likely to be as fantastic as ever!”

Second year John’s student Charlotte Roberts did not think the night was ruined by the events which took place, “The incidents have been blown a little bit out of proportion…College reacted badly, as it was unfair on the staff, but I imagine it was how it is at most other colleges.” She added, “I thought it was a fantastic evening.”

The evening took place on the 5th of February, and cost diners £30. The theme was ‘Arabian Nights’, and guests were entertained by belly dancers from the Oxford Dance Society.

John’s Guest Dinners are bi-termly events organised by the domestic secretaries, with staff and food provided by the college.

Trinity fish murdered

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Last weekend, detergent was poured into the fishpond in Trinity College’s Fellows’ garden, killing all but one of the fish.

The pond will need to be drained and cleaned as a result.

In an email to the college, Nick Barber, the Dean of Trinity, stated that he was “saddened” by the “cruel act of vandalism.”

He told JCR members that after a “swift and effective investigation by the Dean of Balliol, a group of students from that college has owned up to the act.”

Alastair Travis, Balliol JCR President, commented, “A few individuals from Balliol, meaning no serious harm, planned a prank to put some washing up liquid in a fountain in Trinity. They found their access to the fountain blocked – instead finding the pond (which, in the darkness, they were not aware as being a fish-pond). After the damage was reported to the dean, they quickly owned up to the incident and the associated financial and decanal punishments.

The Dean of Trinity warned students at the college that “Trinity will not tolerate any ‘reprisals’ against Balliol. Any action of this type will lead to significant fines – well beyond the ordinary punishments I have levelled for bad behaviour in the past.”

Students at Trinity have expressed distress at the attack.

Damien Conyngham-Hynes commented, “I’m disgusted and outraged. It frankly sickens me. Trinity have moved with the times and moved on from our rivalry. Bailliol palpably have not.”

“There’s the banter of college rivalry – and then there’s taking it too far. They’re so far past the line, they can’t even see the line!” stated another Trinity student, Fay Lomas.

Brasenose college repeatedly trashed

Three intruders broke into a staircase at Brasenose college’s Frewin Court Annexe in the early hours of Sunday morning, and started attacking each other with fire extinguishers.

Two Brasenose students, Tom Wales and Matthew Bittlestone were forced to take cover in a nearby kitchen.

Bittlestone then confronted the intruders, forcing them off the Brasenose premises.
The break-in took place at around 3am on Sunday morning. The three intruders entered Frewin Court by walking in through the swipe-gate behind Laura West-Wilson.

The three entered the staircase where Wales and Bittlestone were sitting. Cherwell understands that the intruders were all in the mid to late twenties, and all with shaved heads.

West-Wilson said, “The guys followed me in. They said they were there for Abbie’s party. But there was no party and no one called Abbie.”

Wales explained the confusion that ensued. “Laura entered the staircase with these three boys,” he said. “We thought they were with her, and she thought they were friends of ours.”

The three intruders proceeded to remove fire extinguishers from the staircase and “mindlessly” attack one another.

Bittlestone said, “I heard a commotion outside so went to investigate. There were three guys, and two had got hold of fire extinguishers which they were spraying everywhere. When I first heard the noise, I assumed it was students from College. But close up, I saw that I did not recognise any of them – then it became more serious…I said to one of the men, ‘What are you doing here?’ and grabbed the fire extinguisher from him.”
Following Bittlestone’s intervention, the strangers left, and stole a fire extinguisher on their way out.

JCR President Paul Gladwell said, “I was surprised that someone had managed to intrude, but relieved that no harm had been done to individuals. Security measures at Frewin and throughout Brasenose are perfectly adequate, but they must be upheld by individuals.”

The Dean of the college, Dr Giles Wiggs, told Cherwell,  “Brasenose is a secure College and provides a safe living and working environment for students. Incidents of this type are extremely rare…If intruders are seen to gain entry then they should be reported at once to College authorities.”

In a separate incident, two first-year Brasenose students have been deaned following several drunken incidents in the college last Saturday morning.

The two involved allegedly trashed another student’s room, set off the fire alarm at approximately 4am, and threw a bottle of vodka at the night porter who came to investigate.

Speaking to Cherwell, one of the accused students said that the story had been grossly exaggerated. He claimed that the bottle of vodka was not thrown at the night porter; instead, it was flung away in panic when the student realised that the pair had been caught.He said it did not land close to its alleged target.

He also denied that the pair trashed a fellow student’s room. The room’s occupant was described as a “good friend” of the drunken pair, and the “trashing” amounted to little more than throwing the duvet off the bed.

Finally, although accepting that the fire alarm was set off, he claimed that it wasn’t intentional.

Dr Wiggs, commented, “I can confirm that an incident that took place in Brasenose on Saturday morning has been investigated and two students have been dealt with in accordance with College disciplinary procedures. I am not able to confirm the details of the case.”

One of the students involved said that although the level of punishment had not yet been decided by the college, he expected it to be “fairly severe”.

University press officer dies in an accident

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University Press Officer Katie Haines died on Thursday 18th February after suffering what is thought to be carbon monoxide poisoning.

She was discovered by her husband Richard as he returned to their home in Wokingham, Berkshire after work. She was 31 years old.

Both Richard Haines and paramedics attempted to resuscitate Katie, who was found lying unconscious in the bathtub of the couple’s home. Police and fire services were also called to the house in Barkham Road, Wokingham.

Katie had been working at the Press Officer since April 2008 and had regular contact with several Cherwell reporters. She had previously worked as a journalist, and had contributed to such papers as The Sunday Times, Daily Express and The Sun.

Ruth Collier, Head of the University’s Press & Information Office, said “Katie was a wonderful person and a very talented colleague. I and my press office colleagues loved working with her, as did everyone around the University she came into contact with. Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with Katie’s husband, parents and siblings.”
“She was always really helpful and reliable,” said Marta Szczerba, Cherwell editor.

Richard and his parents Gordon and Jackie, who were staying at the house, were also treated after inhaling the gas, along with six neighbours from two other homes. The couple’s cat was found dead in the hallway, and allegedly alerted Richard to the problem initially.

The Sun reported that Katie is “believed to have inhaled deadly carbon monoxide leaking from a faulty boiler after she turned it on to heat her bath water.”
Before training as a journalist at Lambeth College, in London, she had obtained a degree in English and French from Manchester University.

She married Richard Haines, 30, in December 2009 and had only recently returned from their honeymoon in South America. Her Facebook profile picture shows her and her husband in front of the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas, and according to the NHS “even breathing in a small amount can cause loss of consciousness and death.”

Katie’s father, Gordon Samuel, who is co-owner of a renowned Mayfair art gallery the Osborne Samuel gallery, released a statement on her death along with his wife Avril, Katie’s husband and her siblings Adam and Lydia.

The family said “we have been told by the doctors

that she appears to have died as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning, possibly from a boiler, but do not wish to speculate on this until we have the result of further medical tests.”

They also said that “Katie was the perfect daughter who was as bright as she was beautiful. My wife and I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect little girl. She never gave us a second of worry in her short life.” They said her career as a press officer was “a job she loved and was very proud to do.”

The Watford Observer, where Katie worked as a trainee journalist between 2002 and 2004, said she was “fondly remembered by staff as a sports lover and keen runner.”