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“Here Comes Your” Alt-Rock

Jimmy Brewer
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“Here Comes Your” Alt-Rock

Jimmy Brewer looks back at five bands who defined the sound of alt-rock. Listen to the accompanying Spotify mix @cherwellmusic.

Alternative Rock, or Alt-Rock for short, emerged from the late 70s’ independent music scene and its DIY punk ethos. It is characterised by experimentation with texture, timbre, and structure, especially drawing on the raw, distorted punk rock sounds and new wave’s energetic appeal. The genre saw its commercial peak in the 90s, spearheaded by Nirvana and Jane’s Addiction. Here are five artists who advanced alt-rock’s sound before its 90s boom. 

The Velvet Underground

Despite not fitting in chronologically with the emergence of alternative rock as a movement, stylistically, a lot began with The Velvet Underground. Holed away in Andy Warhol’s New York creative hub, ‘The Factory’, in the late 60s, the band released some of the most exciting rock music ever. Take their distorted, lewd and all-around-nasty second LP, White Light/White Heat: comprising just six songs, this is The Velvets at their harshest and noisiest. Or, listen to the latter half of “I Heard Her Call My Name”, with its pounding drums and ear-splitting guitar tone: it is at once unhinged and brilliant. This album distinctively laid the foundations for Alt-Rock’s louder and more extreme sounds.

The Fall

We jump forward over a decade to Manchester’s more left-field, post-punk flavour. Essentially a revolving cast centred around frontman/mastermind Mark E. Smith, the band were known for their repetitive, enraged and cryptic cuts. Try “Spoilt Victorian Child” from their 1985 album This Nation’s Saving Grace: exhilarating and exhausting, a jangly, infectious guitar lead counterbalances Mark E. Smith’s typically outré lyricism.

The band were favourites of legendary disc-jockey John Peel, featuring often on his radio programme. Whilst still firmly within the realm of cult popularity, The Fall made a distinctive mark on alternative music – in particular on Sonic Youth, who recorded three Fall covers for a John Peel session. 

Pixies

Formed in 1986 in Boston, one thing Pixies do incredibly well is to work pop-caliber hooks into their noisy, chaotic sound. This stands out in songs like “Debaser” and “Here Comes My Man”, both from 1989’s Doolittle. They perfected this formula so convincingly that they essentially wrote the rulebook for much of the 90s Alt-Rock craze.  Listen to “Tame” from Doolittle; the quiet-verse explosive-chorus structure prefigures Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit”. In fact, Kurt Cobain admitted that he was “basically trying to rip off the Pixies”. Artist after artist cites Pixies as a major influence; they “changed [the] life” of Radiohead’s Thom Yorke; for David Bowie, they were “just about the most compelling music of the 80s”.

Sonic Youth

Bowie’s “just about” is significant; there was another equally compelling group, these New York alternative rock titans. Formed in 1981, Sonic Youth initially dabbled in the scuzzy, nihilistic world of No Wave, before really hitting their stride with their third LP release EVOL  (1986). “Tom Violence” wails with tortured guitars, whilst in “Shadow of a Doubt” carefully plucked harmonics tiptoe around hushed vocals before the second half of the song roars to life. Restrained songwriting makes each track feel like it has got somewhere to go, reeling you in before hitting you with an impactful wall of noise. The band continued to put out music of quality until their disbandment in 2013, so have a discography really worth exploring.

Hüsker Dü

As guitarist Bob Mould said, “Hüsker Dü wears many wigs.” They began as a breakneck hardcore punk act (heard in their 1983 debut, Everything Falls Apart), but had incorporated significant melodic aspects into their sound by the time they released 1984’s Zen Arcade. To a somewhat bleak coming-of-age narrative are set crackling guitars and muscular, percussion; lo-fi production gives the songs a gritty edge, yet moments of melody still shine through, such as the pulsating bassline and anthemic harmonies of “Something I Learned Today”. Ending memorably, the album gives its final track to the 14-minute, multi-phased “Reoccurring Dreams”. Whilst always remaining just south of true mainstream success, never compromised their at times strange, but always exciting, sound.  

Image credit: Verve Records via Wikimedia & Creative Commons.

Oxford vaccine offers “minimal protection” against South African variant but prevents serious illness

Anneka Pink
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Oxford vaccine offers “minimal protection” against South African variant but prevents serious illness

In a study led by researchers from the South African University of Witwatersrand and the University of Oxford, the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine has been found to have “minimal protection” against mild to moderate cases of the South African Covid-19 variant.

 The vaccine’s efficacy against moderate-severe infection, hospitalisation or death could not be determined due to the study’s young demographic, with the average age of the some 2,000 participants being 31. The results were published by Oxford this week prior to the study’s scientific peer-review. 

As a result of the news South Africa have halted the rollout of the Oxford vaccine. The country were delivered 1m doses at the end of January – the first vaccines they had received, and had hoped to begin their immunisation programme shortly afterward.

However, Professor Shabir Madhi, who spearheaded the study, was optimistic about the Oxford vaccine’s ability to prevent severe cases of the South African variant. He noted that a similar vaccine, produced by Johnson & Johnson, reduced severe infection by 89%. Professor Madhi is Director of the Vaccines & Infectious Diseases Analytics research unit at Witwatersrand.

The Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine was announced by the University in December to have an efficacy of 90% against the original coronavirus variant after a full then half dose. Subsequently, research by the Oxford AstraZeneca team concluded that it remained effective against the Kent variant, the dominant variant in the UK.

Sarah Gilbert, Professor of Vaccinology at Oxford, has said that new variants are being tackled by vaccine modifications, commenting that “efforts are underway to develop a new generation of vaccines that will allow protection to be redirected to emerging variants as booster jabs, if it turns out it is necessary to do so.” As of February 8th, there were 147 cases of the South African variant in the UK. The UK imposed a travel ban on South Africa in December, adding 9 other southern African countries to it this week.

Oxford vaccine provides sustained protection during 3-month interval until second dose

Yihang Fang
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Oxford vaccine provides sustained protection during 3-month interval until second dose

The Oxford coronavirus vaccine is more effective at longer prime-boost intervals, with a single dose having an efficacy rate of 76% from 22- up to 90-days post vaccination, researchers at the University of Oxford have found.

Additionally, the Oxford vaccine may be effective in reducing transmission of coronavirus. Based on swabs obtained from volunteers in the UK, there was a 67% reduction in positive tests among those who had been vaccinated.

Professor Andrew Pollard, Chief Investigator of the Oxford Vaccine Trial, and co-author, said in a press release: “These new data provide an important verification of the interim data that was used by more than 25 regulators including the MHRA and EMA to grant the vaccine emergency use authorisation.

“It also supports the policy recommendation made by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) for a 12-week prime-boost interval, as they look for the optimal approach to roll out, and reassures us that people are protected from 22 days after a single dose of the vaccine.”

Based on these findings, the dosing interval, rather than the dosing level, has a greater impact on vaccine efficacy. Previous research on other vaccines such as influenza, Ebola, and malaria have also shown increased efficacy with longer prime-boost intervals.

At the same time, Oxford University is leading the first trial to investigate dosing with alternative vaccines for the initial ‘prime’ vaccination to the follow-up ‘booster’ vaccination. The study is conducted by the National Immunisation Schedule Evaluation Consortium (NISEC), and is backed by £7 million of government funding from the Vaccines Taskforce. 

Matthew Snape, Associate Professor in Paediatrics and Vaccinology at the University of Oxford, and Chief Investigator on the trial said in a press release, “If we do show that these vaccines can be used interchangeably in the same schedule this will greatly increase the flexibility of vaccine delivery, and could provide clues as to how to increase the breadth of protection against new virus strains.

“This is a tremendously exciting study that will provide information vital to the roll out of vaccines in the UK and globally. We call on those aged 50 years and above who have not yet received a COVID-19 vaccine to visit the website to find out more about the study and see if there is a study site near them,” Professor Snape added.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has recently announced that it backs the use of the Oxford vaccine, even with the presence of new variants of Covid-19. While some countries have advised against the use of the Oxford vaccine for over-65s, the WHO believes that the vaccine is suitable for this age group.

As of 9 February, over 13 million people in the UK have received their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine, while more than half a million have gotten their second dose, according to data from the government.

Oxford vaccine effective against Kent variant

Charlie Hancock
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Oxford vaccine effective against Kent variant

Preliminary data from researchers at the University of Oxford indicates the ChAdOx1-nCov19 vaccine still effective at causing immunity against the Kent variant.

The B.1.1.7 variant was identified in Kent in late 2019. Mutations in the parts of the virus’ genetic code which determine the structure of the spike protein mean the variant is up to 70% more transmissible than previously circulating variants. This allowed it to become the dominant variant circulating in the United Kingdom. Cases of the variant in the United States are doubling every 10 days.

The vaccine, developed with AstraZeneca, uses an inert adenovirus to introduce a strand of genetic material from the SARS-CoV-2 virus to cause human cells to produce viral spike proteins. Complementary antibodies are produced by the immune system in response to spike proteins. These antibodies remain in the body where they can fight off future infections.

If the structure of the spike protein changes too much compared to previous variants, antibodies produced from vaccination or prior infection will not provide immunity or will be less effective. Mutations in the spike protein of the Kent variant help it attach more tightly onto human cells and replicate more easily, but also slightly alter its shape.

In a pre-print published in The Lancet, which is yet to undergo peer-review, the researchers found that the Oxford vaccine had a similar effectiveness against the Kent variant than previous variants. It was also shown to decrease the viral load in people who have been vaccinated, meaning they are less likely to infect others.

Sarah Gilbert, Chief Investigator on the Oxford vaccine trial, said “Coronaviruses are less prone to mutation than influenza viruses, but we have always expected that as the pandemic continues, new variants will begin to become dominant amongst the viruses that are circulating and that eventually a new version of the vaccine, with an updated spike protein, would be required to maintain vaccine efficacy at the highest level possible.

“We are working with AstraZeneca to optimise the pipeline required for a strain change should one become necessary. This is the same issue that is faced by all of the vaccine developers, and we will continue to monitor the emergence of new variants that arise in readiness for a future strain change.”

Image: Steven Cornfield via unsplash.com

Leaders in Oxford give support for 2040 net zero carbon emissions pledge

Yihang Fang
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Leaders in Oxford give support for 2040 net zero carbon emissions pledge


On 4 February, the leaders of Oxford’s major businesses and organisations expressed their collective support for the aspiration of achieving net zero carbon emissions as a city by 2040, during a virtual Zero Carbon Oxford Summit.

The Summit brought together leaders from both City and County Councils, both universities, both hospital trusts, major businesses, transport providers, schools and further education colleges, anchored institutions, and other organisations that are strategically important to achieving a net zero city by 2040. The Zero Carbon Oxford Charter was signed by 21 leaders from these various organisations.

The closing of the Summit was also marked by the creation of a new Zero Carbon Oxford Partnership for the city. Under this partnership, a collaborative approach to reducing emissions will be taken, and partners will be able to share best practices and learn from each other. The partnership will also develop funding bids and attract financial support for net zero projects, lobby the UK Government for powers, policy, and funding, and engage customers, citizens and communities in shared climate action.

In a press release from the Oxford City Council, Councillor Tom Hayes, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Green Transport and Zero Carbon Oxford said, “It is more important than ever that citizens, organisations, and governments at all levels show leadership to tackle the climate emergency head on. Our joint ambition to become a net zero city by 2040—ten years earlier than the target set by the Government—is a strong sign of the pace and ambition required. 

“It also marks another case of the Council honouring the recommendations of our Citizens’ Assembly on Climate Change. With so many people facing unemployment as a result of the COVID-19 economic crisis, the race to 2040 is an opportunity we can’t refuse – to unlock significant sustainable investment in Oxford that benefits our communities with new jobs and skills,” he added.

Dr David Prout, Pro-Vice Chancellor (Planning at Resources) at the University of Oxford said in the same press release, “Oxford University is fully committed to reducing its impact on the environment. We are in the last stages of consultation on a new University Environmental Sustainability Strategy which proposes a target of net zero carbon and net biodiversity gain by 2035. The University is delighted to be working with others in our community to reduce emissions across Oxford as a whole to net zero by 2040.”

Oxford University’s Environmental Sustainability Strategy aims to achieve net zero carbon and biodiversity net gain by 2035. The strategy focuses on nine priority areas, which include increasing research and engagement in environmental sustainability, reducing carbon emissions related to energy consumption in University buildings to a minimal level, and identifying and reducing the environmental impacts of the University’s consumption and supply chain.

The University also aims to reduce aviation emissions from University staff and student travel and offset the balance of emissions, limit transport emissions by reducing the need to travel, encouraging walking, cycling and the use of public transport and managing the demand to travel by car, and ensure that the University, as an investor, is part of the solution to climate change and biodiversity loss.

Professor Katherine J. Willis CBE, Chair of the Conference of Colleges Sustainability working group and Principal of St Edmund Hall added, “The Conference of Colleges are delighted to be part of the ZCO Partnership and welcome the focus on reducing carbon emissions in Oxford. We look forward to contributing to these conversations and plans for reaching net zero ahead of 2050.”

Image credit: John Fielding, Flickr. CC BY 2.0.

Monetary effect of ‘naming and shaming’ campaigns on multinational companies revealed by a study

Matilda Gettins
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Monetary effect of ‘naming and shaming’ campaigns on multinational companies revealed by a study

CW: Violence.

A study conducted in part by Oxford economics professor Nathaniel Lane has analysed alternative frameworks of accountability for multinational companies, rooted in civil society. These include ‘naming and shaming’ campaigns by human rights organisations as well as media coverage associating an event and a company. The case study used looks at the effect of reporting the assassination of environmental activists in association with mining companies in terms of the change in the stock price of the company.

“[Suits] against multinationals for human rights abuses are exceedingly rare”. Of the 354 assassination events recorded over the last 20 years by the study, the majority took place in the Philippines, Peru, and Colombia. The majority of companies associated are headquartered in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

To address this lack of accountability, “[civil] society groups’ main strategy is to name the mining companies linked with the event.” They then spread this information using “the global news media to make the general public and the financial markets aware of the human rights abuses.”

The study found that “assassinations events lead to negative abnormal returns for firms associated with violence.” In the 10 days following a reported assasination event, the study calculated a media loss in market capitalization of over 100 USD. The effect was larger on the 5th to 10th days, attributed to the time needed for “market participants … [to] gather additional information” and estimate the monetary “[price]” of a tarnished reputation and legal damages. The recorded effects were also larger on days with “low media pressure”, in which there were fewer other large “newsworthy events”.

The study acknowledges that the reactions are more strategically then morally motivated, writing that, in the past, hedge funds have “not shied away from investing in companies associated with regimes responsible for severe human right violations”. The study hopes to use its results as a foundation for further research on the role of “civil society in governing transnational corporate activities at the global periphery.”

New Oxford study claims mortality rates rise for gamblers

Jill Cushen
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New Oxford study claims mortality rates rise for gamblers

A study published by Oxford’s Department of Social Policy and Intervention reveals that high levels of gambling are associated with a 37% increase in mortality.

The report led by Dr Naomi Muggleton used banking transactions to examine the impact of gambling on health, lifestyle and financial issues and found mortality rates to be about one-third higher for the heaviest gamblers. Among women aged 44-years, spending 30% of annual expenditure on gambling increased the chance of death from 50 to 69 in 10,000. The report does not provide information on the direct cause of mortality.

24 million individuals in the UK collectively lost £14.5 billion through gambling in 2019. Following more than 100,000 people, the report found that the mean average spending in 2018 was £1345 while the median was £125, showing that some gamblers spent “very large sums” on the habit. Among the heaviest gamblers, 58% of their income was lost to gambling platforms, lottery agencies or bookmakers. A 10% increase in the amount spent on gambling correlates to an increase in the likelihood of missing a mortgage payment by 97.5%.

The study also measured the long term outcomes associated with gambling which include disability and unemployment. As well as causing financial distress, gambling can have negative impacts on lifestyle and health, increasing spending on fast food, alcohol and tobacco. 

According to the report, gambling levels can move from “social” to high in months. The study examined the link between gambling, social isolation and wakefulness and found that high spending gamblers were more likely to spend more money online at night and travel less.

The availability of mobile and online betting has resulted in higher levels of gambling in recent years. The report states that advertising has caused an increase in sports betting and uses the example that one in six adverts during ITV’s programming for the 2018 FIFA World Cup promoted gambling. Health researchers have described the domination of sport by gambling associations as the ‘gamblification of sport’. 

Dr Naomi Muggleton told Cherwell some of the issues of the term “responsible gambling”: “The term ‘responsible gambling’ is potentially problematic, as it shifts the onus on the consumer to use common sense, rather than on operators and regulators to protect those who gamble. It also suggests that the harms associated with gambling affect just a small proportion of ‘disordered gamblers’. Our evidence shows something different. We see that all levels of gambling are associated with harm, albeit comparatively smaller levels with the lowest levels of gambling.”

In a press release from Oxford University, Dr Mugglestone elaborated that “it’s unclear whether gambling causes negative outcomes, or whether already vulnerable people are disproportionately targeted by bookmakers, for example through advertising and locating betting shops in impoverished neighbourhoods”.

She also added that “the striking finding is the extent to which even low levels of gambling are associated with harm. For many years, there has been a focus on outcomes among the most extreme gamblers. Our work shows that financial distress, social ills, and poorer health are more prevalent among low level gamblers”.

The study calls for policy leaders to do more to detect and protect high spending gamblers with greater regulations.

Speaking to Cherwell, Dr Naomi Muggleton outlined the different policies that could be implemented by policymakers which could improve the situation: “Public health strategies, such as tightening advertising regulations, may reduce harm. More targeted approaches, such as allowing people to switch on current account spending caps or blockers, would also help those who believe they are vulnerable to gambling-related harm.”

However, Dr Muggleton cautioned that “we can only know whether these approaches will work through further research and large-scale randomised trials.”

Image Credit: taxrebate.org.uk/CC BY 2.0

Oxford SU President-Elect criticised for Holocaust pun and ‘racist’ Instagram post

Abigail Howe
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Oxford SU President-Elect criticised for Holocaust pun and ‘racist’ Instagram post

CW: antisemitism, racism, transphobia.

Rashmi Samant, the current Oxford University Student Union President-Elect, has faced controversy after a social media post which punned on the Holocaust was discovered. This follows previous controversy regarding Samant captioning an image of herself in Malaysia with “Ching Chang”, comparing Cecil Rhodes to Hitler in a Student Union presidential debate hosted by the Oxford Blue, and separating “women” and “transwomen” in an Instagram caption.

In one Instagram post from 5 June 2017 seen by Cherwell, Samant posed in the Berlin Holocaust Memorial, which is dedicated to the Jewish victims of the Second World War. The image is captioned: “The memorial *CASTS* a *HOLLOW* dream of the past atrocities and deeds. Reflecting on it gives us the power to live with the past vouching for a bettecr future. #holocaustMemorial #uniqueArchitecture” (emphasis included in original caption), punning on the Holocaust. According to the official website of Berlin, this memorial – known to most as the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe – includes “2711 rectangular blocks of concrete laid out in grid formation, recalling tombstones” and the space provides “an ideal setting for quiet contemplation”.

One student, Ethan, chose to message Samant to explain his concerns with this post. In messages seen by Cherwell, Samant responded: “I completely condemn the Holocaust in that caption and am not being insensitive. It is upto [sic] the interpreter. I am by the end of the day [sic] a non-native English student. I wouldn’t even dare to be insensitive about something like that”. When told that her actions were perceived as insensitive, Samant replied: “I don’t agree with you there. I’m sorry I cannot change your opinion. I hope you have a good day and a happy Lunar new year”. Ethan told Cherwell: “The main problem I have with her responses is that she focused her election slate around inclusion and acceptance, but when she was called out for ignorance, she has made no effort to recognise her mistakes… Nobody at Oxford wants to be told how to be more accepting and inclusive by a person who won’t make the effort to do that herself”.

Samant told Cherwell: “I would first like to begin with an apology for the insensitivity this language shows. I have since had personal experiences, conversations, and learning opportunities that have allowed me to see how this language is not appropriate, and I fully accept my error in not appropriately researching topics before posting about them. In the almost five years since this post, I have changed as a person, scholar, and activist; I am sure many other people have experienced drastic change in themselves and their personal lives in a five-year period. I reaffirm my commitment outlined in my campaign manifesto to continually learning, changing, and bettering myself to serve in this position as well as possible.”

This information comes after Samant has already faced controversy for celebrating “women, transwomen and men” while campaigning in one Instagram post, and captioned another of her in Malaysia with “Ching Chang”. Samant apologised for the former caption and attempted to explain the latter,  writing that a South East Asian friend “took a dig at my insistence on being vegetarian with that caption. Apparently in Mandarin the phrase literally translates to “eat that plant”… that was the “joke” apparently and the group played on my need to have the perfect rhyming captions to sell it to me. I should have known better”. However, Mandarin speakers on social media have contested this, claiming that “ching” cannot be written in pinyin (the romanisation system for Mandarin) and that this translation is in fact a reverse Google Translation of the phrase rather than one which would be used by a native speaker.

Jackie, a Chinese student, told Cherwell: “To know that she shows no remorse for the use of a phrase which has been used to make fun of Chinese people for our whole lives and… shows no accountability for what she says is awful – and when called out on it, she instead deleted her account rather than apologising. For the Chinese community in Oxford to have an SU president that is so set on refusing to listen to the students she represents and refusing to apologise for her racism is really disappointing, especially as institutional racism was an issue she highlighted in her manifesto”. Samant did not elaborate on these incidents in discussion with Cherwell. 

In a statement to Cherwell, the Oxford University Chinese Society said: “We condemn any act of racism in any form at any time. Racism is completely inconsistent with the values of the Oxford University Chinese Society. We urge Rashmi to stop making excuses and formally apologise for her insensitivity. She should face the consequences of her actions, and we will not accept a SU president who discriminates against any group of people”

In an event for the Oxford Blue, streamed on 8 February 2021 and uploaded onto YouTube the next day, Rashmi Samant commented on Oriel’s statue of Cecil Rhodes: “If an organisation would come up to you and give you a heap of money to set up a scholarship and say ‘I want to name this the Hitler fund or the Hitler scholarship’, would you do it?” When pressed on her choice to compare Cecil Rhodes by an audience member, she urged those watching to “give the will of Cecil Rhodes a read… because it’s a wonderful piece of literature that everybody should read”. She continued: “nobody erected him [Hitler] statues or wrote wonderful things about him or established anything about him, that’s why we still remember him for what he did, but by doing things like that we stopped remembering people for what they did and we start developing this psychology that maybe what they did was not so bad”. 

Isaac, a Jewish student at Queen’s, told Cherwell: “I think that equating Rhodes with Hitler is deeply disrespectful to the six million Jews and five million non-Jews who were systematically murdered under the Nazi regime (not to mention the many other millions that died as a result of the Second World War).”

Responding to these events, the President and Vice-President of the Oxford University Jewish Society told Cherwell they were “extremely concerned by SU President-Elect Rashmi Samant’s past social media posts, which she has alarmingly failed to apologise for. Her caption of a photo at the Berlin Holocaust Memorial exhibited severe insensitivity and ignorance, as did her ill-thought-out parallel between Cecil Rhodes and Adolf Hitler. Furthermore, we stand in full solidarity with the trans community and East and South East Asians, who have been hurt and distressed by other offensive comments made by Samant.”

Samant did not respond to these allegations but stated:  “I am confident that the support for my campaign and platform, as shown by the largest voter turnout in SU history, reflects excitement for the points listed in my manifesto, and with productive conversations about inclusivity and diversity these plans have the ability to create real change. “

When asked why she deleted her Instagram – the platform on which her previous apology was made – Samant stated: “I would also like to make clear that these conversations are important, but only have the possibility to create real change if they are had in productive settings. Social media, while a great tool for socially organizing and connecting, is not the ideal place to have these conversations as they are often oriented around hateful language and personal attacks that do not lead to actual change at our university. My choice to temporarily deactivate certain accounts is one I made to focus on family issues that I put on hold in the midst of this campaign. I am always open to hearing comments or ideas on how to address pertinent issues in our community from University students via my email, but I will not engage with personal attacks made in private messages from anonymous accounts. I am still a student studying for my course, as well as a human being facing pressures and issues like my peers.”

In her manifesto, Samant pledged to “Reform Oxford”, highlighting the “racial injustices for members of the Black, Asian, & Minority Ethnic (BAME) community)” and claiming that she is “empathetic towards the struggles faced by marginalised groups”. She planned to “lobby the University” to “remove all statues proven to be imperialist”, along with decolonising the syllabi, and tackling “institutional homophobia and transphobia, first through conducting a university-wide consultation with the LGTBQ+ community”.  She also claimed she would lobby to increase funding for mental health and to lobby the Conference of Colleges to divest their entire financial portfolio from fossil fuels as soon as possible. She was elected at the first stage of voting with 1996 votes or a 53% vote share.

The Oxford University Student Union, OUCS, Jsoc and the Oxford SU LGBTQ+ Campaign have been approached for comment.

Valentine’s Cocktails

Olivia Railton
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Valentine’s Cocktails

Ever since I spent an offbeat summer bartending in Kos back in 2018, I’ve fancied myself something of an amateur mixologist. Granted, every third drink I poured back then was a shot of tequila, but for better or worse, I was hooked. I’ve continued to seek out exciting new bars, ingredients and increasingly bizarre flavour combinations (pickle brine vodka anyone?), even completing an ‘Essentials of Bartending’ qualification from the European Bartending School during quarantine! 

With the season of love (or loathing) already upon us, here are some of my more accessible, go-to cocktail creations with a Valentine’s Day twist. Perfect for enjoying with your pals, lover(s), or on your own!  

All of the recipes are vegan by default and can be made non-alcoholic or less alcoholic (though equally delicious) by omitting some or all of the alcoholic ingredients indicated by an asterisk (*).

Bloody Valentine

The Light One: Cold – Refreshing – Light – Gin – Blood Orange – Rosemary

Refreshing and light with a pretty pink hue – what’s not to love about the Bloody Valentine? Its deceptively sweet appearance masks a wonderfully complex cocktail and it’s a dream as an aperitif. 

Ingredients:

  • 50ml dry gin*
  • 2 dashes Angostura bitters*
  • 150-300ml blood orange soda (adjust depending on desired ratio of soda to soda water)
  • 0-150ml soda water (adjust depending on desired ratio of soda to soda water)
  • Dried/fresh rosemary
  • Ice
  • Optional: dried blood orange wheels

Instructions:

  1. Add your favourite dry gin, blood orange soda, Angostura and rosemary (three sprigs fresh or a healthy amount dry) to an ice-filled cocktail shaker, shaking vigorously for a minute.
  2. Setting the shaker to the side, fill a tall glass or gin balloon with ice as desired and add two sprigs of fresh rosemary and a dried blood orange wheel.
  3. Strain the contents of the shaker into the glass and top off with soda water in order to achieve your desired ratio of blood orange soda to soda water (I would recommend a 2:1 ratio).
  4. Stir and enjoy!

Palentine’s Day

The Strong One: Cold – Strong – Multi-Spirit – Fruity – Pitcher/Bowl

The first draft of this group cocktail was created on the steps of a London supermarket by pals, for pals with the help of Sophia Oleksiyenko and Sinead Tebutt.

A lot has happened since then; I’ve made quite a few changes to what was initially dubbed Bootleg Sangria. Alas, in a sweaty tent I briefly called home, set up in a dear friend’s distinctly Torontonian backyard, the perfected Palentine’s Day was born. 

Ingredients:

  • 1 bottle Pimms*
  • 375ml vodka* (adjust depending on preferred strength, however any more vodka will seriously alter the cocktail’s taste)
  • 1 bottle rose*
  • 1L ginger ale 
  • 1L cranberry juice/soda
  • Ice 
  • Optional: cranberries

Instructions:

  1. Fill a large bowl or pitcher with a good amount of ice, add all the ingredients.
  2. Stir.
  3. Garnish with cranberries and serve long in tall glasses.

Oh

The Indulgent One: Cold – Rich – Sweet – Chocolate – Orange – Creamy – Whisky 

Oh is an absolute treat. This delicious dessert cocktail is both super comforting and surprisingly sophisticated, which makes it a fantastic choice for impressing a Valentine’s (Zoom) date or just treating yourself. 

Ingredients:

  • 25ml whisky or bourbon*
  • 37.5ml (1.5 shots) Grand Marnier*
  • Plant milk of choice
  • Hot chocolate powder or semi-sweet chocolate chips 
  • Orange zest
  • Orange peel
  • Large ice cube (or whisky stone)
  • Optional: cocoa powder

Instructions:

  1. Fill a shaker with ice and set aside.
  2. Pour plant milk of choice into a pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally to prevent film-formation. I would recommend oat, quinoa, coconut, or pea milk as they tend to boil the best without separating.
  3. When bubbles start forming at the surface, add semi-sweet chocolate chips or hot chocolate powder to taste. The goal here is a light-medium hot chocolate. The chocolate flavour should be very prominent, but the mixture should not be sickly sweet. 
  4. Whilst waiting for the milk to boil, remove the ice from the shaker and add the whisky or bourbon, Grand Marnier, and a healthy amount of orange zest, shaking vigorously for 30 seconds. 
  5. When the milk boils, the froth will rise rapidly. Quickly remove the pan from heat and add the milk to the shaker, shaking vigorously for 30 seconds.
  6. Place a large ice cube or whisky stone in a short whisky glass of your choice (I would recommend a Glencairn or tumbler) and strain the contents of the shaker into the glass.
  7. Sear the peel of an orange and run it along the rim of the glass liberally, and repeatedly. Be careful not to char or burn the orange peel. 
  8. Garnish with cocoa powder and enjoy!

Pour Deux

The Spicy One: Cold – Spicy – Sweet – Rum – Ginger

With a little bit of sugar and a little bit of spice, this fiery two-person cocktail is sure to turn up the heat. Pour Deux is a sweeter, hotter twist on the classic Dark ‘n’ Stormy, but don’t worry – if you aren’t a big spice person, you can easily omit the chili or black pepper and/or change the ratio of ginger beer to soda water for your ideal tipple.

Ingredients:

  • 50ml dark rum*
  • 75ml amaretto*
  • 275-350ml ginger beer (adjust depending on desired ratio of ginger beer to soda water)
  • 25-100ml soda water (adjust depending on desired ratio of ginger beer to soda water)
  • 2 teaspoons brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoon maple syrup
  • ⅓ teaspoon dried red chili flakes
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • Lime wedge
  • Ice

Instructions:

  1. Add rum, amaretto, brown sugar, maple syrup, chili flakes, and black pepper to a shaker and set aside.
  2. Fill two large mason jars or glasses with ice, and add your desired amount of ginger beer/soda water (I would recommend a 3:1 ratio, but for those that prefer a lighter drink, 2:1 and even 1:1 are certainly possible). 
  3. Fill the shaker with ice, and shake vigorously until cold. 
  4. Strain contents of the shaker into the two glasses equally, stir, garnish with a lime wedge and enjoy!

The Morning After

The Early Morning/Late-Late Night One: Warm – Strong – Sweet – Coffee – Vodka – Creamy 

Some mornings, particularly when nights turn into mornings, are just plain hard. Enter my flatmates’ favourite: The Morning After. A warm twist on the classic espresso martini, this cocktail is a coffee lover’s dream. 

Ingredients:

  • 75ml Tia Maria
  • 25ml vodka* (adjust depending on preferred strength)
  • Double espresso (or really as much coffee as you’d like)
  • Plant milk of choice
  • 2 teaspoons brown sugar 
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon 
  • Coarse sea salt 
  • Optional: hot chocolate powder or semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions:

  1. Pour plant milk of choice into a pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally to prevent film-formation. 
  2. When bubbles start forming at the surface, add the brown sugar, cinnamon, and a pinch of coarse sea salt. If you’d like, you can also add chocolate chips or hot chocolate powder to taste. 
  3. Whilst waiting for the milk to boil, prepare your espresso in your preferred manner (instant coffee is fine).
  4. Pour your Tia Maria, Vodka, and espresso into a large mug. 
  5. (If you have a milk frother and want to be extra fancy, you should froth the milk at this point as well).
  6. When the milk boils, the froth will rise rapidly. Quickly remove the pan from heat, pour the hot milk and froth into your mug, and enjoy!

Amazing artwork by Alessia Daniel.

Centre stage: Jiao Zi

Johannes Moehrle
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Centre stage: Jiao Zi

Chinese New Year celebrations reunite the whole family, and as is often the case when Chinese families get together, food takes centre stage. Most likely, there would be a bunch of little dishes, including fried rice, meatballs, a few vegetable and tofu dishes, a soup … but that’s not what we’re here for. Everyone is waiting for just one thing, the Jiao Zi, that is, the dumplings. On top of being the tastiest thing you’ve ever eaten, they are also a symbol of good fortune and prosperity. Before you devour them, let me tell you how you get there, since making these dumplings is at least as important as eating them and in most families it’s an enterprise that involves everybody.

You may perhaps remember the dumpling scene in the movie Crazy Rich Asians which shows the importance of making dumplings together as a family in Chinese culture. For those who haven’t seen it, they’re all sitting around the table and are diligently making one dumpling after the other while talking about the importance of family traditions. Well, in non-crazy-rich Chinese families, dumpling making is just as important. I can hardly imagine a Chinese New Year without spending time in the kitchen making dumplings. The point is that making dumplings requires all hands on deck, since the filling and the dough need to be made; the dough needs to be rolled out into thin little round slices; and finally, the filling needs to be folded inside the dough. And so every year under the severe stare of my mother, I try to shape my dumplings into cute little pockets. Whatever the outcome, mom will look utterly unimpressed. The grandma in Crazy Rich Asians does too, when she sees her daughter’s “ugly” dumplings. Yes, like many other things in a Chinese family kitchen, the dumpling making is only fully mastered by the grandmother, then the mother. Because yes, getting dumplings right is not simply a matter of skill, it requires mastery. To achieve the perfect dumpling, you need fingers that have done it thousands of times, you need to know exactly how much filling goes in, and how thick the dough should be. If any of these parameters are slightly off, you have failed.

Beyond the importance of making and eating the dumplings however, there is a 1800 year-long history going some way to explain their importance today. Initially invented as a frost-bite remedy during the Han dynasty by the legendary doctor Zhang Zhongjing, a pioneer of traditional Chinese medicine, they were a bit like the pills we take nowadays. Zhongjing would gather the ingredients needed for curing frostbite and would wrap them in a thin dough, boiling them so they could be delivered to patients. Since then the dish has evolved, bearing different names as dynasties passed, before settling on Jiaozi in the Qing dynasty. With time, dumplings turned into a nationwide culinary hype and even travelled beyond the Chinese borders. The Japanese Gyoza for example is derived from the Chinese Jiaozi, brought to Japan by Japanese soldiers after the Second World War. 

With their long history, dumplings also carry heavy symbolism, being a symbol for good fortune and prosperity for the year to come. It is also no coincidence that the dumplings are crescent shaped, since we are after all celebrating the new lunar year. In Chinese culture the moon is an important symbol of abundance and brightness – by eating a dumpling, you are eating harmony and prosperity! You may want a bit of this during the coming year of the ox so here is a brief recipe for beginner’s dumpling. Of course, the filling can be changed and ingredients can be added or omitted according to taste. I personally wouldn’t recommend the shrimp and would put more garlic but others would frown at me for doing so. Ultimately, it’s up to you, but a word to the wise, do not attempt to make dumplings on your own, it will be too much work. So, assemble your family for an afternoon or gather a bunch of motivated and hard-working friends and go for it!

The process of making dumplings is by no means simple – gather family and friends to help (The author at work!)

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