Rachel Perry-Watts, Author at The Orbital

Absolute Harmony Spring Concert: A Bright and Breezy Treat

12Apr

By Rachel Perry-WattsNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Music, Theatre & Performance

Absolute Harmony Spring Concert: A Bright and Breezy Treat

On the 11th of March, RHUL’s resident acapella choir, Absolute Harmony, treated us to their Spring Concert in the Boilerhouse lecture theatre. For those not familiar with the choir, their website explains that they ‘sing a wide array of original arrangements, ranging from pop hits to film soundtracks, all sung in at least four (usually five or more!) part harmony’. This range was certainly displayed in their concert; from ‘Raise Your Glass’ by P!nk, to ‘Jolene’ by Dolly Parton, there really was something for everyone. The evening was in support of two different charities, Dementia UK and The Children’s Trust, both of which were of special significance to the choir. A collection was made after a member of the choir gave a short introduction; it was really inspiring to see how passionate AbH...

Founding Fathers: Hamilton and the American Identity

As many will be aware, and many will not, the hit musical ‘Hamilton’ recently released tickets to its West End show, opening at the Victoria Palace Theatre in November this year. According to the Telegraph, over 100,00 people registered to be notified of the general sale of these tickets. I was lucky enough to get one through the pre-release sales, however as time goes on tickets will undoubtedly become like gold dust. But what is it that has made this show such a global phenomenon? The musical was written by the multi-talented playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda and tells of the life of the lesser known founding father, Alexander Hamilton, predominantly through the medium of rap and show tunes. To many, this might sound like an absolute nightmare, but to others, like myself, it gives a fresh...

Panic and Me

Your heart is pounding. Your hands are trembling. Your head is spinning. Everything is louder, brighter and faster than it seemed a few moments ago. These are just some of the symptoms that can occur during a panic attack, yet they can come in all shapes and sizes, and no two panics are the same. For many people, including students, panic can become a part of daily life, however that does not make it any less terrifying. As many will be aware, panic attacks are caused by the ‘fight or flight’ response. Put simply, this is when the brain perceives there to be a threat to survival, and subsequently releases hormones into the bloodstream, one of which is adrenaline. As a result, breathing becomes much more frequent, and the symptoms described above emerge. This was a very be...