Ents

Considering Nick Hornby’s novels usually touch upon the themes of sport and music whilst revolving around aimless protagonists, it’s no surprise that I’ve always had a fascination with the author. Whether it’s been on ‘High Fidelity’ or ‘Fever Pitch’, he has always managed to find the right balance between comical and serious writing by touching on the big questions, such as what it mean to be a man.

As the clouds gradually make for summer and us English crack out our barbeques and swimsuits at any opportune moment, a very suitable soundtrack has come along. It takes the form of the much-anticipated debut album from The Drums. This American quartet who reside in Brooklyn, New York have been bubbling with hype for almost a year now but all of a sudden seem to be on the cusp of stardom. They are currently supporting Florence & the Machine on her UK tour and will surely fill up their own arenas in the years to come.

The climax in the student musical society’s calendar, an afore claimed “one night extravaganza”, took place in front of a packed Arts Lecture Theatre last Monday night. With a sold out crowd of friends and family, an eclectic line up of top musical triumphs, and a standard Bath delay of twenty minutes, auditorium anticipation accumulated. One has come to learn with Arts at Bath, not to set expectations too high, however Encore was of a new elite.

I feel sorry for The Futureheads. Their early success seemed to catch them off guard, as if they had to accept the hype and become the next replica, churning out indie hit after hit.

"I write this sitting in the kitchen sink" is how Dodie Smith (of 101 Dalmatians fame, but please don't judge her by the saccharine-soaked Disney film) begins her charming but rather bittersweet story of 17-year-old Cassandra Mortmain, a teenaged girl growing up in the 30s in a decidedly eccentric family, living in a freezing, dilapidated castle buried in the English countryside.

Lolita is in The Times Top 100 Books to Read Before you Die. That says it all for me - I don’t want to waste my time reading a trashy modern Mills & Boon on the beach, after all. This novel provides poetry even in the first paragraph; those first lines melt me completely. Not for some stupid romantic sentiment, but because of the beautiful alliteration, and the way it even reads like silk on the tip of your tongue. I find absolute love in that short first chapter, and this is why I recommend that you read it.

Laurie Lee's Cider With Rosie is one of those books I would have hated had it been on my compulsory reading list at school. I love it because I picked it up for just a pound in an Oxfam shop.
It tells the enchanting non-story of a boy caught in a limbo between childhood and adulthood, going through all the ups and downs of romance, rebellion and sibling rivalry.

The Ricky Gervais Show
Season 1 Episode 1
Friday 23rd April 2010
Channel 4



We all have a musician in our life who we seem to think is our slightly more artistic equivalent. You know what I mean. We listen to the songs and feel like the style and lyrics were written as a personal script to our life, finding parallels all over the shop. Whether it be Jay Z, Taylor Swift, Marilyn Manson, Bob Marley… there’s always one. Well this is how I feel about Mademoiselle Kate Nash.

The death of live music on campus?
Another blow was struck to the future of live music at the University with the cancellation of Tiffany Page's uLive gig last month. This latest failure of what calls itself 'the ultimate live music tour circuit around UK students' union venues' might well be its last.
For those of you asking yourself, what is uLive? Or what Tiffany Page gig? Well you might just be symptomatic of the problem, if critics of the event's promotion are to be believed.