Toby White looks back at his experience of seeing The Kooks live The Kooks have recently completed a highly successful, record-breaking UK tour, further establishing their reputation as one of Britain’s most consistent indie acts. Originating in Brighton during the early 2000s, the band quickly made a significant impact with their debut album, Inside In/Inside Out, which became an embodiment of the mid-2000s indie scene. Their signature sound is marked by memorable melodies and a unique blend of rock, [...]

Cleo Brann and Sally-Ann Marshall celebrate recent developments in the world of animation Image: Megan Crombie It’s clear by now that the Spiderman franchise has been wildly successful across many forms of media: from the original comics to live action movies and especially the animation scene in the form of the Spiderverse Trilogy. Following the story of Miles Morales, it has inspired countless new projects from several animation studios. It’s a well-known fact that the Oscar winning movie ‘Spiderman: [...]

Maisie Pattison reviews the videogame Life is Strange A brightly coloured butterfly flies in through a bathroom window, landing on a nearby bucket – an unskippable photo opportunity, but also a demonstration of this game’s key theme: the butterfly effect. Implemented throughout the game is the rewinding time mechanic, allowing the player to instantly undo their previous actions and make new choices whenever they see fit. Initially, this allows for the player to forget consequences, and freely make decisions [...]

Scarlet Shaw takes a stroll through the Big Apple I thought New York City would be huge pizzas, yellow cabs, cheesecake and insanely high buildings. It was this but also so much more. It was surreal standing in the middle of film sets I had seen so many times on the small screen. My mum started to think she was Carrie Bradshaw my dad loved the architecture of the brownstone houses and my brother just wanted to fill his [...]

Ciara Purton discusses the modernisation of ‘Grandma Hobbies’ If you were asked to describe knitting, what would you think of? If your answer was something along the lines of ‘an old lady/grandma hobby’ then you know knitting for its former glory as the best friend of the retirement home. While stereotypically, knitting is done by older women with little else to do but make clothes, and blankets, and scarves, it has found a new identity in the modern generation, [...]

Toby White dives into the growing world of TikTok sport commentary For years, conversations around sports have been dominated by TV and radio studios, and further back newspaper columns. Ex-players and pundits set the agenda. Fans’ views could only travel by word of mouth. Now it’s flipped. These days, especially in football, fans themselves are building huge audiences just by grabbing a phone and hitting 'record.' Some of these creators rack up hundreds of thousands of followers. They’re not [...]

Maisie Pattison Examines Diversity Gaps in English Literature In a time of ever-evolving technology, it's unsurprising that the media we consume can begin to form the basis of who we are (and will become) as people – especially so for young people. The texts studied in schools & colleges serve as a form of media consumption and are a significant part of education, therefore it's vital to ensure a well-rounded variety of literature is shared with teens today. In [...]

Lucy Samuel uncovers the origins of Valentine’s Day As February approaches, images of roses, chocolates and teddy bears flood the media, signalling the arrival of Valentine’s Day. But where did this holiday originate? To uncover the roots of this modern celebration, we must turn to ancient Rome. Dating back to the sixth century BC, the Lupercalia was a pagan festival held annually around the 15th of February. With its unconventional (and sometimes bloody) rituals, the Lupercalia shares surprising connections [...]

Lily Haffenden delves into some of the most entertaining novels from Japan and South Korea East Asian Literature has been climbing up the ranks of the book world recently, leaving awe in its wake. Some may argue Western literature cannot keep up! With some novels being made into major TV productions or films, you cannot deny their rising popularity. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular books on the market right now. No Longer Human by [...]