Wednesday, May 7, 2025
Blog Page 549

Female and BME students celebrated in new portrait collections

Sam Jones
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Female and BME students celebrated in new portrait collections

Across several Oxford colleges, portrait exhibitions centred on the achievements of female and ethnic minority alumni and academics have been held this month.

Portraits of exceptional alumni, staff and Fellows, are displayed in the dining halls of many colleges.

The exhibitions expand on 2017’s Diversifying Portraiture initiative, which aimed to broaden representation of different marginal- ised groups around the University.

Honourees include Professor Dapo Akande,the first black professor to receive a portrait at St Peter’s College. Professor Akande, speaking to the University News Service, said “‘I began teaching at St Peter’s College in 2004. I found it, and Oxford, to be a very supportive and welcoming academic environment.”

“It is my hope that this will be everyone’s experience of Oxford.”

“I also hope that the diversity of portraits now to be seen across Oxford will help to ensure that everyone with potential, particularly prospective students, will be able to visualise themselves being here, and being at home here.”

Others honoured include Renee Kapuku and Dr Anne Marie Imafidon, both featuring in an exhibition of 27 inspirational people at Keble College.

A graduate of University College, Alexandra Wilson’s portrait was latest to be unveiled in the UNIV Gallery.

The exhibition features over 50 portraits of UNIV alumni aged 35 and under. Wilson’s portrait was added in conjunction with celebrations of 40 years of women at the college.

Now a barrister specialising in family law, Wilson studied PPE and graduated in 2016. She said: “I couldn’t be prouder to have my picture hanging on the wall of the oldest college at Oxford University.

“Today we celebrated 40 years of women at Oxford, next year we’ll have our first female master at Univ and the first black master atOxford. We’re making history!”

The Oxford African and Caribbean Society have expressed support for the exhibitions, saying: “We are of course very happy with the steps colleges are taking to increase BAME and female representation in the university’s portraiture.

“There is a vast and largely uncovered history of exceptional BAME and female students that have attended this great institution and although there is still work to be done, this is certainly a step in the right direction.

“If our access initiatives have taught us anything, it’s that representation really matters, so exhibitions like these are very positive.”

The Oxford Feminist Society concurred, saying: “It’s long overdue that the university is finally recognising that people of colour, and women of colour, have been an integral part of Oxford’s history and have been for a while.

“We think the celebration of the achieve- ments of women of colour is great for access too and it lets other people of colour know that they do have a space in this environment.”

J. R. R. Tolkien’s former home on sale for over £4 million

Irene Zhang
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J. R. R. Tolkien’s former home on sale for over £4 million

The former home of author J. R. R. Tolkien is on sale for more than £4m in North Oxford. 20 Northmoor Road is a detached home with a “larger than average garden” and “almost 4000 ft. of accommodation”.

Last changing hands in 2004, it was sold for a third of the current asking price of £4,575,000.

Located in a sought-after part of the city near Wolfson and St. Hugh’s Colleges, the property was built in 1924, and according to its real estate agency Breckon & Breckon remains “largely unaltered”.

Awarded Grade II listed status for its association with the writer in 2004, any significant exterior or interior alterations to the structure now require external consent.

While the house is not open to the public, there is a blue plaque to memorialise Tolkien’s residence.

No. 20 is one of many former homes of J. R. R. Tolkien around Oxford, including 1 Pusey Street.

Tolkien and his wife and children lived next door at 22 Northmoor Road since 1926, but moved to the more spacious No. 20 in 1929, remaining there until 1947.

Graduating from Exeter College in 1915, Tolkien served in the First World War and taught at the University of Leeds before returning to Oxford.

Teaching undergraduates at Lady Margaret Hall and St Hugh’s, as well as working on the Oxford English Dictionary, he served the women’s colleges’ need for married male tutors.

Tolkien took up the position of Rawlin and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College in 1925, becoming a familiar figure in North Oxford, often seen riding down Banbury Road wearing his cap and gown.

It was while living at 20 Northmoor Road that the majority of Lord of the Rings was written, with Tolkien resuming work on The Hobbit in 1937.

Lord of the Rings was completed and revised while Tolkien was teaching full-time at Oxford, moving to Merton to become its Professor of English Language and Literature in 1945.

As an Oxford tutor, Tolkien taught lin- guistics and literature and was also active in Oxford’s social circles.

Famously, he frequented the Eagle and Child pub to attend the Inklings, an informal literary group whose members included C. S. Lewis and Tolkien’s son Christopher.

In retirement Tolkien left Oxford for Bournemouth, but upon his wife Edith’s death in 1971 he returned, living in Merton accommodation for the rest of his life.

The University awarded Tolkien an honorary Doctorate of Letter in 1972, and busts of him are currently housed in Exeter College and the English Faculty Library.

Meanwhile, Trinity College held leases of 20 Northmoor Road until the 1970s, when it was acquired by the Maclagans.

Michael Maclagan, fellow in medieval history of Trinity College, knew Tolkien through university circles, and his children enjoyed finding connections between the house’s details and Bilbo Baggins’ adventures.

The Maclagan home was sold in 2004; this year is the first time it has appeared on the market since the last sale.

Breckon & Breckon, the real estate agency, says that 20 Northmoor Road “will forever remain an important part of Oxford’s history”.

Keble Ball faces access concerns over accommodation cost

Jeevan Ravindran
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Keble Ball faces access concerns over accommodation cost

Keble College faced accusations of inaccessibility this week following an announcement that students would not be provided with onsite accommodation during the college’s Commemoration Ball in 2020, leading to the postponement of accommodation release and a reconsidering of the decision.

Students filed an emergency motion which was discussed at the college JCR meeting on Sunday (October 20), saying that the decision not to provide onsite accommodation raised a number of welfare and access concerns, such as drunk students struggling to make their way home and students being unable to come due to the financial burden of paying for accommodation outside college.

Numerous elements of the ball organisation were criticised, including the decision to sell alumni tickets first and the price of accommodation being provided at other sites.

“You were supposed to represent us and you didn’t represent us,” said third-year Keble student Hannah Al-Qaryooti at Sunday’s meeting. “Students can’t just drop £50 on accommodation.”

JCR President Annie Johnson said that a meeting had been held

on Monday (October 21) with the chair of the Ball Committee and the Alumni and Development Of- fice, and that the decision not to provide accommodation was now being reconsidered.

The Keble Ball Committee said it had worked very hard to try to secure rooms in college and had pushed back against college administration for several weeks, following their insistence that rooms would not be provided. This is said to be due to a “security risk,” a claim which the motion called “dubious at best” due to the lack of justification provided. “There’s more of a security risk because more important people are coming to the ball, i.e. not stu- dents, and they care more about alumni than they do about us,” said Al-Qaryooti.

This was echoed in the mo- tion itself, which claimed that it “feels as if the focus has not only been adjusted to incorporate the wider Keble Family, but has actually been re-adjusted, lying mainly with alumni and affiliates, with students’ worries and needs being put on hold.” Many students highlighted that working alumni are able to pay for accommodation and tickets, but lower-income students will not be able to pay the combined price of the ball ticket, transport to Oxford and accommo- dation costs as a result of the ticket

price increase and the decision to hold the ball outside of term time, in 9th week.

However, both committee members who attended the meeting, one of whom was the executive Sam Edwards, voted in favour of the motion, which they said they had “nothing against.” Accommodation release has now been postponed by 10 days, with tickets to be released on the same day. Alumni tickets were released more than two weeks ahead, and a number of more expensive rooms ranging from £75 and upwards were also made available to them on the Keble Ball website, along with discount codes.

Al-Qaryooti’s calls for an emer- gency panel meeting in which the college working party would have to answer the students’ concerns was widely supported, espe- cially following the revelation that graduate students at the offsite H.B. Allen Centre would be granted accommodation during the ball. “If they actually have to look at us in the face and justify it, they’ll real- ise that their security concerns are nothing compared to the concerns of the undergraduates,” said Al- Qaryooti.

Rooms have been secured at various other sites for both student and alumni guests, including 160 rooms reserved at Oxford Brookes University. However, the cheapest room price available is £40, with most being £50 – whilst Keble accommodation averages out to around £20-21 per night, excluding vacation residence.

“I don’t want to book tickets if I’m not guaranteed accommodation,” said one fourth-year student who did not wish to be named. One concern which arose during the meeting was that the available accommodation at Oxford Brookes would suffice for just 160 students, whereas around 700-800 students would need rooms. However, the committee responded to this by saying more rooms could be booked once the reserved rooms had been paid for.

It also emerged that fewer tickets have been reserved for students than in previous years, with a reserve of 1000 tickets for students and their guests. This is 400 fewer than the usual amount, as more tickets have been allocated for alumni. The committee stated that the usual number of Keble students and their guests who pur- chase tickets is between 700 and 800, and thus in theory the normal uptake is guaranteed a ticket.

Students also called for greater transparency in the ball organisation process, saying that the ball committee had the opportunity to ask students for their opinion but did not take it, and that there should be a factsheet compiled so that students are aware of proceedings.

Keble College did not respond to a request for comment.

Citizens Assembly urges action on climate change

Max Spokes
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Citizens Assembly urges action on climate change

Last weekend saw the second meeting of the Oxford Citizens Assembly on Climate Change at the Said Business School.

The Citizens Assembly, a group of 50 Oxford residents chosen through a stratified random process, discussed the statement: “The UK Government has legislation to reach ‘net zero’ carbon by 2050. Should Oxford be more proactive and seek to achieve ’net zero’ sooner than 2050 and what trade-offs are we prepared to make?”

The term ‘net zero’ refers to the idea that any greenhouse gas emissions are balanced by schemes to offset an equivalent amount of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.

72 per cent of the participants agreed that Oxford should indeed strive to achieve net zero sooner than the national government target of 2050.

While the first weekend, which took place at the end of September, consisted of the participants hearing evidence from experts on various aspects of the climate crisis and the concept of net zero, the second weekend saw the 50 residents considering each subject area and deliberating specific questions around particular trade-offs.

The three themes that the Citizens Assembly was asked to consider were: how Oxford could use less energy, how the city could produce more renewable energy, and lastly, how the environmental quality of the area could be improved on the journey to net zero.

Richard Pantlin, Convenor of the Oxford Citizens Assembly Network and member of the Council’s advi- sory group on the Assembly, told Cherwell that it is now “critical” that the recommendations which resulted from the Assembly are, “seen to be acted upon.”

Pantlin said: “The most important thing to come out of the whole process was to see the Citizens Assembly really working as it should in practice.

“There is scope under the leadership of the City Council to run another event in a years’ time,” in which other institutions such as Oxford University might be involved.

The Assembly comes after a report found that, at 8% of all CO2 emissions, the University of Oxford is the single biggest contributor to the city’s carbon footprint.

On Sunday, the second decision-making day of the weekend, one of the participants read out her letter written in the future as if Oxford had become net zero.

She described Oxford as being a, “small piece of paradise; what we gained far outweighs what we gave up and in the process, we rediscovered what really makes us happy.”

The Assembly’s composition was based on a stratified random approach, and the demographic of the 50 participants included a 50-50 ratio of men to women, whilst 26% of those involved were from a BME background.

Meanwhile, the youngest age allowed by the Assembly was 16, rather than 18, the age at which young people can vote in local and national elections.

Leader of Oxford City Council, Councillor Susan Brown told Cherwell: “Ipsos MORI will be producing a report on the Assembly which will outline what we can do as the City Council, and how we can all work together as a whole to tackle climate change.”

However, Brown commented that the Council was not planning on having anymore similar citizens assemblies, adding that the Citizens Assembly on Climate Change was a “one-off.”

The Council Leader outlined her and the Council’s plans to talk with the University of Oxford, “specifically, on reducing carbon emissions.”

Brown said: “Although the meeting of the Assembly has now finished,we will be working hard over the next couple of weeks and months on what the next steps will be.”

A separate Climate Assembly took place this week in an effort to discuss how Oxford University can take urgent climate action.

The community-wide discussion was hosted by the Oxford SU and a variety of University societies, including the Oxford Climate Justice Campaign and the Oxford Young Greens.

Open to all members of the community, the discussion focused on “how Oxford can leverage its operations, its intellectual resources, and finances and alumni network to meet the challenge of climate change.”

The event also saw the announcement of a Climate Action Plan for Oxford’s Colleges, with research-based, long-term targets for how Oxford can step up action.

Review: City and Colour – ‘A Pill for Loneliness’

Guy Brabbins
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Review: City and Colour – ‘A Pill for Loneliness’

Dallas Green, the man behind City and Colour, can quite fairly be called an old hand now, having been cracking out albums for 15 years under this moniker – a name so ferociously ‘indie-folk’ that one would be surprised to learn that it is actually just a play on his real name; Dallas is a city and Green is a colour, for those of you playing along at home. From this decade and a half, the following becomes clear; Dallas Green is a sad man who loves folk music and can pen a decent hook. For the long-standing fans of City and Colour, there is no need to fear; this formula is as strong as ever. Others of us, though, may need a little more persuading. 

City and Colour is unashamedly parent to countless gloomy anthems. Such material can be nigh-on irresistible, if done tastefully, but neglect to do so, can leave quite the sour taste in one’s mouth. Lyrically, ‘A Pill for Loneliness’ falls somewhere between these extremes. Hope is ever-present, although at times buried beneath layers of anguished guitar, since, as the title suggests, the focus is more on curing, rather than wallowing in, feelings of loneliness. But one can’t talk about chemotherapy without talking about cancer, and so we must prepare ourselves for at least a bit of bitterness. This dynamic is evident from the very first song, ‘Living in Lightning,’ in which Green cathartically rejoices “I’m still breathing in my youth” – a cry of proud resilience – but later bemoans “can’t you see I’m sorry that I wasn’t better at being who you wanted me to be?” A simple apology isn’t sufficient; he is intent on portraying his partner as controlling, while he ploughs the ‘noble course’ of trying his best to change himself to please another. Perhaps I’m being too harsh, but there are lyrical moments such as this that give you pause. This is, though, but a minor blip on a thoughtful and refreshingly genuine collection of songs and I would in no way wish to condemn one for speaking with transparency and sincerity.

Musically, the album is strong, if a little dated. Of the writing process, Green said, “I wrote a lot of dark songs and wrapped them in the most beautiful sounds we could find.” Perhaps “most beautiful sounds we could find in the indie singer-songwriter handbook 101,” would have been a better description, but it cannot be denied that, with a mellow warmth hugging these songs tightly, the album is one of immense sonic beauty. Green has a strong and versatile voice; his smooth, soft tones so ably convey the dolorous heartache of his lyrics. Perhaps even more impressive for an album so leisurely paced is that his melodies are sticky and will surely ignite mass singalongs during the accompanying tour. The album has a full and glossy texture; distant caresses of synth temper the melancholic lyrics, making the pill for loneliness all the more easy to swallow. 

‘Astronaut’ is a definite highlight. I’d never have expected to hear such a direct or rousing rallying-cry for the art of going with the flow; the song is resplendent with throbbing baselines, sticky melodies and gritty guitars. This ode to nomadism, however, does eventually proceed to evolve into a spacey, abstract jam, mimetic of its message, unbound to the rigid confinement of rhythm, and given to the wind of noisy ambience. ‘Mountain of Madness’ is a more understated high-point. Here, slow, ponderous drums drag out the weary, miserable vocals. Green’s voice is the focus, but a groovy baseline and a powerful guitar solo – exciting, but still in keeping with the track’s deliberate pacing – keep it from becoming tedious. 

To conclude, because of the rather limited musical palette, the record is not quite good enough to warrant its 53-minute runtime, especially since many of the songs do crawl at a glacial pace. Overall though, it is, at the very least, pleasant, and I can easily see myself revisiting some of these tracks in the future. 

3/5

Review: Amber Run

Sophie Littlewood
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Review: Amber Run

Amber Run, the indie rock band from Nottingham, are on their first ever world tour. After their Oxford gig, which happened on 18thOctober, they’re heading across the pond with their newest album, Philophobia. The band still feels just as innovative and grounded as they were in 2015, but word is spreading about their beautiful-yet-almost-mainstream music. It’s an alluring combination that Oxford seems to have picked up on.

Opening with the album’s exhilarating combination “Leader Countdown” / “Neon Circus”, it was easy to sense the crowd’s hunger after a more sultry support act. But rather than just rattle through Philophobia, they instead performed a set that encompassed a lot of their musical history: as lead singer Joe Keogh repeated, “we’ve got three albums… we’ve got a lot to get through.” Philophobia is closer to Amber Run’s lyrical debut album 5am than the rhythmic For A Moment, I was Lost, allowing the band to weave new songs with old. Back in the limelight after two years, it seemed like Amber Run were keener to reward long-time fans than to sell their newest album.

The supporting act was Stereo Honey, best known for their indie hit “What Makes a Man”. Vocalist Pete Restrick has a disarmingly luxurious falsetto, easing us into an eclectic-yet-directed mix of drum-heavy acoustic indie. Indeed, for the entry into “sad boy territory” (Keogh’s words, not mine), the band invited Restrick back for a mic-sharing rendition of “Affection”, straight off of Philophobia. The duet was a perfect example of the dichotomy of Amber Run’s style, at once both touchingly intimate and freshly energetic. Amber Run is undeniably sexy; Keogh wears his heart plainly on his sleeve as he sings. Although there were frustrating balance issues from the sound deck, the grittier reverb only further enhanced the sense that the high-octane band were barely contained by the four walls of the O2.

Spirituality, love and loss were all covered in the exhaustive set. Older anthems such as “Just My Soul Responding” were interwoven with the richer, vulnerable songs of Philophobia – “The Darkness Has a Voice”, “What Could Be As Lonely As Love” and “Carousel”. Perhaps the most memorable moment was the emotional “Amen”, a stand-alone single with Amber Run’s usual smoke-and-drums stripped away to expose the raw beauty of Keogh’s voice as he sings their most painful song. This poignancy continued with “Haze” and “Dark Bloom”, demonstrating the breadth of the set and Amber Run’s emotional generosity. As the band climbed back up in energy, the audience matched the energy of renditions of die-hard favourites such as “Noah” and “Spark”. Despite a few heckles, Amber Run had correctly judged the crowd as a more-than-casual group of listeners. 

Even their final anthem, “No Answers”, wasn’t quite enough for the crowd, and Amber Run returned to the stage one last time for a generous three-song encore, finishing with their biggest hit, “I Found”. No-one could be left disappointed.

Oxford stands against transphobia

Cherwell News
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Oxford stands against transphobia

A demonstration in support of trans rights will be held today in response to a meeting of self-described feminist group Woman’s Place UK (WPUK). WPUK was established in 2017 to oppose the trans rights enshrined in changes to the Gender Recognition Act, and has been widely condemned as transphobic.

Trans Action Oxford, who are organising the demo, decided not to directly protest the WPUK event, but instead hope the demonstration will show solidarity with the trans community. They said that rather than “play[ing] into their narrative of false victimhood, we are looking to re-centre trans voices, and to discuss trans issues alongside cis allies in a respectful and tolerant manner.”

A Woman’s Place UK was set up to campaign around proposed changes to the Gender Recognition Act and now describes itself as a group “united by our beliefs that women’s hard-won rights must be defended.”

However, they have been widely criticised for comments made by many of their speakers about trans rights. Trans Action Oxford said: “‘A Woman’s Place’ was set up to oppose changes to the Gender Recognition Act which would improve trans people’s lives, and has since maintained a focus on undermining trans rights.”

They added that previous speakers “have affirmed their desire to ‘drive [trans people] out of public spaces’, and characterised trans women as ‘horrible, hateful, misogynistic bastards’, ‘parasites’, and ‘rapists’. They have also described the high suicide rates amongst trans people – almost half of trans people have attempted suicide – as a ‘myth’.”

However, WPUK disputes this representation. In a statement released on their website, they said: “Our primary aim is to ensure women’s voices are heard and their rights upheld. We are not campaigning against rights for transgender people. Not only is this not our primary aim; it is not an aim of our campaign at all.”

They added: “Woman’s Place UK was set up to ensure women’s voices were heard in a consultation to change a law that would be likely to have a material impact on their existing rights. The government made it clear that it wanted to hear from the widest number of people in the consultation, in particular women.”

Furthermore, Woman’s Place UK said of the quotes listed in the Trans Action Oxford statement that “no speaker has said this at any of our meetings”, except for the description ‘horrible, hateful, misogynistic bastards’, of which they said: “This is a reference Anne Ruzylo made in her speech at our Cambridge meeting to specific trans activists (not all of them trans) in her local Labour Party who had bullied her out of her Constituency Labour Party (CLP). “

Trans Action Oxford released a statement about the demo and WPUK which has been signed by over 120 groups and individuals, including the Oxford LGBTQ+ society, numerous college LGBTQ+ reps and the SU Women’s Campaign. Several college JCRs have also voted to support the statement and the demo, including St Hilda’s and Lady Margaret Hall.

The statement notes that the actions of WPUK members “make our lives harder, more precarious, and more dangerous.”

Some students are particularly concerned about the participation of Selina Todd, a Tutorial Fellow in History at St Hilda’s College, in the WPUK panel. Todd has previously faced criticism for her views on trans rights, but has defended her views on the basis of academic freedom.

Todd has published her views on her website, where she states she believes that “being a woman rests both on certain biological facts and on the experience of living in the world as a woman, from birth, an experience that is shaped by particular kinds of oppressions.”

One student at the college, who wished to remain anonymous, emphasised their concern about how this could impact students. They said: “St Hilda’s college and the History faculty should reassess their position in continuing to hire Professor Todd.

“How can a transgender student feel comfortable with the knowledge that their college believes that academic free speech is more important than their existence? Professor Todd has continually made this argument about freedom of academic speech which is not valid.”

A member of Trans Action Oxford also criticised Todd’s role, telling Cherwell: “I think it’s clear that there’s no place in Oxford for bigotry like Selina Todd’s. Her rhetoric is obviously harmful to the lives of trans people across the country, but it’s also worth stressing the impact on any trans students she might teach.

“Studying at Oxford is hard enough without your tutors denying your right to exist, and it’s vital to students’ welfare that they don’t have to face this kind of hatred.”

They added: “We’re hoping for a respectful but communal atmosphere to recognise the importance of solidarity and the need for future work.”

Todd denied claims that she was transphobic, telling Cherwell: “The claims that I am transphobic or ‘deny’ anyone’s existence are groundless and defamatory. I am very proud to be speaking at the meeting called by A Woman’s Place UK. Woman’s Place UK is not transphobic.

“Given that sex harassment affects many female students and staff in UK higher education, and the sex pay gap within higher education is higher than the national average, I consider sex discrimination a pressing issue. The speech will be recorded and available for all to listen to on the Woman’s Place website.

“I never suggest that students should agree with my views on this or any other matter. I encourage debate and fully endorse the University’s position that ‘free speech is the lifeblood of a university.”

The member of Trans Action Oxford who spoke to Cherwell emphasised the support the demo has received from around the city: “I think one thing I wanted to note in general is just how amazing a lot of the support we’ve got from around the university and the city has been.

“It’s been really inspirational to see almost 400 people already responding to our Facebook event, and to get the signatures of so many students, fellows, residents, and organisations. We’ve already got signatures from several common rooms, campaigns, and societies and expect to get still more. The show of solidarity is amazing and really shows there’s no place in Oxford for transphobia.

“The University needs to make sure it improves welfare support for trans people and makes the process of transition easier. It’s simply unacceptable that, according to the Trans Report 2018, almost every trans person at the University has experienced issues with their mental health.”

The Trans Report also found that nearly 2/3 of students had experienced transphobia or discrimination in the University.

Woman’s Place UK described Trans Action Oxford’s open letter as “full of false claims about our campaign which we believe to be defamatory.”

“We are therefore extremely disappointed to see signatories to this letter who cannot have done any research into what we stand for. We are sorry they have been so misled. We have not pushed trans voices to the edges. In fact, we have had trans speakers on our panels, and many other trans people have attended our meetings and spoken from the floor.

“We are pleased that Trans Action Oxford accept our right to hold public meetings free from intimidation and harassment and are holding their protest elsewhere. Sadly, this has not been our general experience.”

A spokesperson for the University said: “‘Oxford University prioritises protecting academic freedom and robust expression of opinion and debate, while not tolerating any form of unlawful discrimination, harassment or victimisation.

“We equally aim to create an inclusive trans-friendly culture, workplace and learning environment, free from discrimination, harassment or victimisation, where trans staff and students are treated with dignity and respect.”

A spokesperson for St Hilda’s college said: “St Hilda’s College cannot comment on individual college members. St Hilda’s College takes seriously the duty to protect and promote freedom of expression within the law. St Hilda’s is totally committed to the welfare and support of all its academics, staff and students. We aim to create an inclusive culture, workplace and learning environment, free from discrimination, harassment or victimisation, where all people are treated with dignity and respect. We aim to make all members of the College feel welcome, safe, valued and supported so that they can achieve their potential and contribute as a member of the St Hilda’s community.”

This article has been updated from the version which appeared in print to include the response of A Woman’s Place UK.

Interview: Grant Nicholas (FEEDER)

Simone Fraser
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Interview: Grant Nicholas (FEEDER)

Talking to Grant Nicholas is like talking to a nice bloke you met at the pub who really likes music. With three platinum records and a host of international hits under his belt, you could forgive him for not having both feet planted firmly on the earth. Yet the singer-songwriter is clearly just someone who’s really passionate about what he does, and it shows.

We go straight into talking about Feeder’s newest album, Tallulah. Released on 9th August this year, the band are soon to embark on a tour celebrating it – including a stop at Oxford’s O2 Academy on 4th November. Grant sees the album as a combination of Feeder’s whole discography:

“We’re just doing what we do, I’ve listened to the album a lot and I’ve really worked hard to keep it organic and not too overly produced, we just want the chemistry and the sound of the band, the shows, what we are and my voice … it came in a very natural way”

Yet although it’s a “classic Feeder record”, there are individual elements that make Tallulah unique. Grant describes the first few songs as coming out of a summer of playing countless festivals, with others swinging back to examine the journey the band has been on since they formed back in 1994. Yet coherence is important to the singer-songwriter:

“as I realised it was going to be an album I started to sort of get more of a concept. I do on albums actually quite a lot, I try to have some songs that are connected in some way, for example on this record ‘Youth’ and ‘Shapes and Sounds’ is very much the same journey and the same story and each one opens Side A and Side B on the vinyl… I know in this world people don’t really care so much about the albums in their entirety, it’s more about putting something on the web or streaming, but it just means a lot more to me as an artist”

That’s not to say that it’s all the same though. Although Feeder have remained with a fairly similar sound and energy throughout their careers, they still aim to have variation within each different album, and showcase the different styles and sounds they create.

“The second half of the album is a bit more anthemic, there’s a song, Kyoto, which shows the more rock side of what we do as well, and I wanted it to have songs like that: I wanted the album to be interesting and sort of evolve in the second half. Because the first half is very bouncy and classic Feeder indie rock… I mean that’s kind of what we are as a band though and we like to have that freedom, we don’t just want to be a one-dimensional indie guitar rock band with just the same tempo and the same speed. But yeah I think the concept was positive, we feel like we’re in a good place at the moment, we’ve got nothing to prove, obviously when things do well for us it’s great, we just want to make music we feel is good”

Yet the journey that the band has been on has been more than a personal one. Over 25 years in the music industry has meant Feeder have seen trends come and go, and streaming revolutionise the way that artists are discovered and popularised. Originally from South Wales, the band had to move to London to even get a chance at a record deal and a larger fan base. Indeed, although Grant doesn’t consider himself part of a particularly Welsh music scene, he laments the “complete waste” of some artists in Wales, consigned to pub bands by the lack of opportunity. Yet has the music industry changed enough since his youth that this problem is now void?

“It’s very difficult because there are so many great bands out at the moment, it’s almost like you’re more aware of bands now because everyone can get their stuff up on streaming and up online, but before you had to scavenge, you had to either have a record deal or actually make a record. It’s a whole different new thing now. So although it’s really encouraging for bands, it’s also more competitive than it was, so it’s kind of swings and roundabouts. It’s great, but sometimes there’s an overwhelming amount of choice. But saying that there’s lots of really, really great new bands around. Lots of very encouraging stuff really”.

One of these great bands is the indie four-piece Novacub, which he says a current favourite. However, his music taste stretches across Britain on America. The Feeder frontman cites inspirations from British punk rocks and The Beatles to Boston and classic Americana like Neil Young, ultimately describing Feeder as having an “almost mid-Atlantic sound”. Yet the singer isn’t a big fan of undue comparisons – particularly being pushed into the same category as Stereophonics and U2.

“I don’t see the comparison between Stereophonics, we’re a completely different band to them. I see the fact that we both come from Wales, and we’ve had some songs that kind of crossover, the radio-friendly songs, but we’re much more of an indie-rock band. The Stereophonics are a different kind of band to us: we’re toured with them … we go way heavier that Stereophonics. We‘re just a different band.

“I don’t think we sound like U2 but I grew up listening to a lot of U2’s music, and maybe the way I sing is in that kind of melodic style – but we’re a very different band musically… people know Feeder… I don’t think there’s much chance that people would come to a Feeder gig and think it’s U2, we’re a different dynamic to that”

That’s not to say that Grant isn’t a fan of these bands, he notes that “they’re all great at what they do”, but wants to emphasise the heavier, indie rock aspect of Feeder’s sound. He personally sees Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, and Foo Fighters as the band’s contemporaries, although he acknowledges that he enjoys it when smaller bands are compared to Feeder in reviews. At the end of the day, however, “we’re not one thing in particular, but that’s what makes us Feeder”.

Although Feeder haven’t done anything hideously scandalous, having such a long career can lead to regrets along the way. One of Grant’s pet peeves is being seen as ‘the band that did Buck Rodgers’. Although he acknowledges that the indie classic played a big part in drawing in fans, and still sees plenty of radio play (and the occasional television advert), he doesn’t like being constrained by a song that wasn’t even intended to be for Feeder.

“I wrote the songs for a different band, sort of demo lyrics, and it became it became this massive hit for us when it was never meant to be a Feeder song. It was quite a different sound for us at the time, but it’s become an indie anthem now and everyone knows it. As a writer it’s not my favourite song, because the lyrics were never really written as a finished song, it was just a song for a band and if they liked it they were going to rewrite it. But when the label heard the demo they said you can’t put this away. It was out of control before I could stop it!”

“It annoys me the fact that some people think that that’s the only song… when I think we have much bigger tunes as well. There were actually much bigger songs on radio as well, but people just don’t realise that. Y’know, songs like Just the Right Feeling and Forget about Tomorrow, High… I don’t mind the song, it ticks a certain box, just as a writer I’ve got some songs that mean more to me and I think are better songs… I think every band has a few songs that aren’t necessarily their favourites – they’re often their biggest hits – but if we hadn’t had those hits then I may not be taking to you now. It’s all part of our evolution as a band, and every band has a pop song, and we’ve had a couple of pop songs along the way that have helped us to get to the next record and I’d say Buck Rodgers and Just a Day are probably good examples of that”.

Yet although these hits have endured, the music industry has revolutionised around the band. Grant has mixed feelings on the change from a system based on physical sales to streaming.

“It’s good in some ways for us. We didn’t get involved with Spotify until quite late, well a few years back, because the head of our old label, Echo, was very anti-streaming… but I think we’re at a point now in this industry where radio is sort of important, but I would say streaming’s even bigger now. My kids don’t really listen to the radio, they just stream stuff. It’s a huge way of discovering artists both old and new… we’re a really good band to do streaming because we can put stuff on there all the time and that’s really a good reason why we’re getting some new people coming to our shows, and possibly some younger people as well. … it’s a slightly different world now”.

“I mean CDs, how long have they been going now? They could be completely deleted soon, I’m not sure how long that format’s going to last, which is a shame. But obviously vinyls are doing quite well, we nearly sold out of all our vinyl, I think that’s become quite a flexible thing now. It’s weird because we’ve been talking about Buck Rodgers and that song sounds a bit out of date now, a bit retro, because it’s got a CD player in it, and most cars haven’t even got a CD player any more. It’s a whole different world. Obviously I would rather people be buying the physical side of things but if they’re discovering us or downloading us or whatever it’s fine, it’s just the way of the world. No use fighting it, you just have to embrace it”.

Yet despite its music having roots in areas across the globe, the band has fond memories of Oxford. Their gig at Oxford O2 on 4th November promises to have the characteristic energy and vibrancy of every Feeder gig, but in a more intimate setting than some of the dates on the tour. In fact it’s one of the smallest capacities, and Grant describes it as “really vibey” – and remembers fondly the mosh pits of their stop a couple of years ago. When it comes to the music itself, the band aims to play a combination of older hits (including maybe the oft mentioned Buck Rodgers) as well as a decent chunk of their newest album. Overall, it’s definitely one to look forward to – and I’ll certainly be there.

Rebellion and Art

Sofía Sanabria de Felipe
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Rebellion and Art

“And men in their millions float and flow
And seethe with a million hopes as leaven;
And they win their Will, or they miss their Will.”

Sodomy Alcohol. Sexual intercourse. Laughter. All that features in any representation of a “Bacchae”, the other-worldly celebrations of life present in Euripides’ tragedy. Amidst the rowdiness, between wine drinking and erotic dancing, a demonstration against the repressiveness of the Theban state may be perceived. While an artistic piece of classical theatre, the political message is blatantly portrayed through the characters’ interactions. In the classical world, narratives and issues unraveled on stage were designed to spark up an emotional response in the audience. While exact knowledge of people’s reaction to this particular play may be hard to acquire, it nonetheless acts as evidence for the understanding that through its portrayal on stage, the issues of the outside world were resolved. If there were ever a need to subvert the social, political and historical order, resorting to the performative arts seems to be a most fruitful alternative.

Described as “an unbroken chain from the crudest mythological pantomime of primitive man down to the severest problem-play of the stern Scandinavian” by Brander Matthews, the principles of drama outlined by Aristotle in his Poetics ensured that the mythos or plot resolved itself along with the series of passions that would have otherwise been repressed in all other aspects of the Athenian social life. As such, in a world dominated by reason, having an outlet for one’s passions, for those feelings that defy logical explanations yet wish to convey a rather important message, the stage as a microcosm for the world permitted its subversion.  Imbedded in representations of myths that sang the mishaps of mortal-divine interactions, were discussions of issues that threatened the lives of their audiences, namely those of conquest, tyranny and betrayal. The ability to identify oneself with the emotional component of these lyrical compositions permitted the development of empathy for the characters on stage, as well as a place and a time where passions found themselves as protagonists.  In a sense, these performances provided them with a place to process their emotional responses to similar situations and warn those who hadn’t about these passion-based threats.

Drama, as with any literary form, responds to its historical context. This performative art, however, is able to transcend the social context, something which becomes apparent at even elementary levels of literature studies. It seems to respond to intricate aspects of the human condition, bodies of feeling which, despite being classified under different terms, despite belonging to different historical eras, are triggered by the same situations, feelings and emotions. As such, playwrights remain relevant, their works treated as revolutionary far beyond their time of first publication. Harnessing this universal power is a determinative fact in the success or failure of any political movement or revolt. The reason for this stems from the understanding that there is more to human existence than causal relations between events and people. Drama is successful, these playwrights are still well known despite shifts in socio-political contexts, due to their ability to display and spark human emotion. Removing the stage and analysing real life events reveals something quite similar.

Emma Watson’s speech at the UN, designed as part of the launching of the HeShe movement, had a definite impact on people listening to it. For months it was used by teachers all over the world to explain both feminism and the art of rhetoric to students. The success of her speech lay in an extraordinary ability to harness emotion, passions and general sentiment, within the coherent structures of logical, linguistic persuasion. As an actress, her delivery moved viewers as subtle changes of tones, stressing of words and timely pauses, filled the room. In other words, by making her politics a performance, she was successful in conveying to viewers and people listening in from all over the world, that particular Will of hers, the same one the Bacchae so often referred to as intricate in human action.

It is this point about the revolutionary ethos of the performative arts which brings into question the potentiality of them as capable of sparking up revolt. Identifying a causal relationship between rebellion and art, while rather tempting, potentially neglects the complexity of a relationship which spans across centuries. Though Picasso’s Guernica undoubtedly responded to the pain and suffering of the Spanish Civil War, it’d be too much of a leap to suggest it was this particular work which led to a development in Republican support from abroad. Though the decision to paint their faces white appealed to the idea of statues, and presumably art, as a powerful revolutionary move, the logistics of carrying it out, as well as the political motivation behind Extinction Rebellion, cannot be explained merely as a consequence of the artistic ethos. It seems, rather, that though a constitutive element of their development, and potentially of their success, art with regards to revolution is not a causal principle, nor a consequence of it. Relations between the two are focused on the possibilities harnessing of emotions, and consequent display of them in a “logical” manner has on an audience. By this, what one wishes to stress is that it is not so much that art is prior to rebellion, or vice versa, but rather that they both share the same goal: appeal to a wide audience so as to convey an important and powerful message.

Picture a circle of people holding hands, dancing around. Nothing particularly remarkable about that, right? Now imagine half of them as skeletons. That’s probably slightly more out of the ordinary. The scene described here is none other than a danse macabre, a late medieval depiction of death as something universal, the end of life being presented as something no one can escape from. Looking at the current political situation (Brexit haunting every broadcast channel across the world, the climate crisis becoming more apparent as we speak) it seems those on the streets, carrying European flags and the threat of Holocene extinction on their banners, are engaging in a 21st century danse macabre of their own. The performative aspect of these events, the artistic component of revolutions, should be considered as an intricate aspect of their development and potentially success. It is, after all, art’s ability to transcend the political, social and historical context of the revolution that appeals to a larger universality, appealing to the emotional aspect crucial in raising awareness of the cause. It is the focus on the “passions”, on that which finds itself at the core of human relations, that establishes a relationship between artistic and political sentiments in times where logical explanations lack the power of persuasion. Attempting to resolve the conundrum of what came first art or revolution defeats the purpose of what might be found at the core of the relationship, which is often hard to define, and perhaps may only ever be resolved on stage. 

Lenin’s on sale again

Louis Rabinowitz
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Lenin’s on sale again

On the face of it, our modern cultural landscape is absolutely filled with ‘revolutionary’ things. Some of our most popular franchises have been founded on revolution – what else is the appeal of Star Wars if not seeing a bunch of plucky and loveable rebels topple an evil regime and bring peace and prosperity to a galaxy far, far away? We love the idea of effecting change, of putting our own mark on the world. But take a peek under the hood, and the truth is a little less empowering, and far more complicated.

‘Revolutionary’ stories like Star Wars take place in a world of moral simplicity, in which the bad guys are unspeakably evil, the good guys are embodiments of honour, and where there’s always an exposed exhaust port on the Death Star which, if shot in just the right place, leads to the entire evil regime going up in smoke. It’s no surprise that there have been three Death Stars in the Star Wars franchise to date; it’s the perfect symbol of achievable defeat.

Then there’s the matter of where these ‘revolutionary’ stories originate from. Star Wars, of course, is now under the ownership of Disney, itself the Death Star of the 2019 entertainment world, but any revolutionary story with the reach and influence to get its message out is likely to be backed by one mega-corporation or another. That’s not to say that subversive themes are impossible under this capitalistic scheme; The Last Jedi took plenty of fire from certain corners of the Internet in large part because it actively challenged and questioned the simple assumptions which had lain at the core of the franchise since the 1970s. Ultimately, though, any big Hollywood production with revolutionary aspirations is going to have to settle for a compromise that’s amenable to the floors upon floors of corporate lawyers concerned about merchandising, or appeal to foreign markets, or fidelity to the overall brand. This doesn’t just apply to blockbusters, either; when Disney acquired 20th Century Fox, they took Fox Searchlight, the studio responsible for producing several indie-styled awards contenders a year, under their wing, and will be exercising tighter oversight over Searchlight’s output now the merger is complete.

This kind of climate means that, when films or television with apparently genuine revolutionary aims do make their way down the pike, they exist in a strange, paradoxical state. For instance, the show Mr. Robot launched in 2015 to critical raptures and audience buzz thanks to its scathingly anti-capitalist sensibilities, unfurling a story in which an underdog hacker took on a corporation knowingly nicknamed Evil Corp in a bid to unveil the insidious influence of “the 1% of the 1%” within society. The slogan for season one’s extensive marketing campaign was “f*** society” – that might be fodder for a legion of ‘we live in a society’ memes in 2019 – but back in the comparatively backwater days of the Obama administration, such unrestrained anger was genuinely striking. Mr. Robot has fallen in the ratings significantly since that lightning-in-a-bottle first season, but it’s been able to make its way to its now-airing fourth and final season thanks to a network that’s been consistently supportive of its creator’s idiosyncratic vision.

Mr. Robot is a genuinely great show, but it’s hard to ignore the ironies inherent in its success and longevity. It airs on the basic cable USA network, which is owned by NBCUniversal, a mass media conglomerate with a massive portfolio which includes the film studio Universal Pictures and the NBC network. In turn, NBCUniversal is owned by Comcast Corporation, one of the biggest media companies in the world with a yearly revenue of nearly $100 billion. Comcast is not a beloved company in its home country, the US, synonymous as it is with notoriously poor cable services and an apathetic/hostile customer service, but its monopolies over cable and TV means that its customer base of tens of millions is safe forever. In short, Comcast is the kind of company that Mr. Robot’s hero, Elliot Alderson, would spend his life trying to expose and take down. But in the real world, Elliot’s revolutionary activities are marketing fodder for Comcast, and are routinely showcased at NBCUniversal’s annual ‘upfront’ presentations to advertisers. It’s an equation that’s difficult to square, and which adds a deeply bitter note to the revolutionary thrills of Mr. Robot.

The more revolutionary the story, the stranger the explanation for its existence within today’s entertainment industry. Boots Riley’s debut feature Sorry to Bother You, produced under the comparatively small-scale Annapurna Pictures, had some trouble making its way to the UK. It’s not hard to see why. For one, it’s a film with very American sensibilities, in its brash soundtrack and garish colours, and grounded very specifically within its Californian setting. Perhaps more importantly, though, Sorry to Bother You is the epitome of a difficult-to-market film. It starts with the quirky conceit of a black call centre worker adopting a cheery ‘white voice’ to achieve more success in telesales and accelerates from there into a lunatic corporate satire which makes Black Mirror look pitifully tame by comparison.

While many blockbuster films, especially those of Disney, include some greedy businessmen in dark suits as foil for their lovable heroes, presenting the problem as a few bad apples within a generally acceptable system, Sorry to Bother You presents a capitalist system which has completely rotted from the bottom down. Rather than pulling back from a wide-ranging critique as it goes on, it becomes angrier and more determined in its tone until it presents its solution; armed revolution. The viewer is left with the impression that capitalism is broken and must be burned down by almost any means available. In short, it’s a film that can be accurately described, without judgement, as Marxist in its intent. When Sorry to Bother You was finally picked up for UK release months down the line, it was the UK branch of Universal Pictures who stepped in to give the film a wide release and a mainstream marketing campaign.

It’s difficult to say. As frustrating as it can be for viewers wary of the influence of mass media, so little of the content we consume, even the most rebellious and anarchic of it, comes from a truly independent and small source, and even companies that are independent are routinely tied up in corporate relationships with larger entities, like the deal that indie outlet A24 struck with Apple a couple of years ago.

There’s a kind of vicious cycle at work here, where the greater success of a revolutionary piece of art, the easier it becomes for big companies to monetise and hone into a readily marketable brand, even when the product begins in a genuinely independent place. Either the work of art is made prohibitively expensive to enjoy, as with many recent ‘revolutionary’ art exhibitions, or the message is watered down to the point where there’s nothing much revolutionary about it at all. Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale was an incendiary piece of dystopian fiction back in the 1980s, but its recently released sequel was met with midnight release parties in enormous bookstores and Q&A sessions streamed nationwide to cinemas. None of that prevents Atwood’s book from courting controversy, but it certainly makes that struggle a lot more difficult.

Searching for culture that’s both popular and genuinely revolutionary is a lengthy and frustrating endeavour, ultimately. But the more that films like Sorry to Bother You and shows like Mr. Robot are produced, the harder it becomes to avoid the paradox of revolutionary content backed by companies who would very much like it if the system remained just about the same, and the likelier change one day might come.

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