Music – The Orbital

open this wall – How do you interpret this debut album?

12Mar

By Keira McternanNo Comments

Culture, Music

open this wall – How do you interpret this debut album?

Keira McTernan - Associate Agony Aunt The first thing which catches a glance at berlioz is the art on the album cover. It can be noted that berlioz takes visual inspiration from the French artist Matisse where his Instagram is captioned “if Matisse made house music”, that alone could sum up the work and genre of berlioz. The brightly coloured sporadic yet thoughtful placed lines provide a sense of foreshadowing of the music. The vast use of instrumental, synth, and spoken word leaves many people unsure of what genre this is, is it jazz or house? I believe the conclusion is both, a mix of this and a dash of that. Berlioz has been one of my go-to artists for an array of everyday tasks; traveling, studying, shopping, and even while I write this article, in summary; any and every task....

22Feb

By Lucy GriffithsNo Comments

Culture, Music

Let’s talk about Slowdive’s ‘Souvlaki’

By Lucy Griffiths-- Deputy Illustrator I first listened to Slowdive when I was 15 years old, after coming across the music video to ‘Shine’ on YouTube. Other than being completely obsessed with the band Ride, I hadn’t previously heard of any other shoegaze bands. I was transfixed by Slowdive’s sound from that moment on, with Rachel Goswell’s ethereal vocals and the mesmerising vastness of everlasting guitar effects; this catapulted me into a sound world that guided me through the turbulence of growing up. Souvlaki was Slowdive’s second studio album released by Creation Records in 1993. For a bit of context, the front duo Rachel Goswell and Neil Halstead had recently broken up, having been together since the formation of the band, and knowing each other since childhood. The bre...

Media Cycles, Microtrends, and the Rise and Fall of Chappell Roan

5Feb

By Isobel CarnochanNo Comments

Culture, Music

Media Cycles, Microtrends, and the Rise and Fall of Chappell Roan

TW: Death, manslaughter For the past six months, Chappell Roan has been the name on everybody’s lips. Despite attempting to make it as a singer for the larger part of a decade, in the April of this year she was catapulted to new heights of fame when her song ‘Good Luck, Babe!’ went viral online, granting her A-List celebrity status practically overnight. Roan’s songs became a staple in every summer playlist, and I personally struggled (without complaint) to escape a daily viewing of at least one Instagram story that consisted of her music playing in the backdrop. In simpler words: Chappell Roan was pop culture’s newest princess. But, like every media-adored woman who came before her, her reign didn’t last long. In an Instagram post published on 24th August 2024, Roan publicl...

11Mar

By Amber BrooksNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Music

Punk’s Not Dead

‘It's weird, on TV I see American high school bullies as the outcast punk kid, but every punk I've met has been the opposite of that. Violence is important, but we pick our battles wisely.’ Punk. It’s a movement that comes all the way from the throbbing heart of underground venues, where music becomes more than aesthetic expression. A culture that uses left-wing lyrics as scripture, and from there political presence as progressive change. Punk dwells loudly on the urban streets of anti-fascist, anti-establishment, and anti-consumerist action – the core values in which its anarchy is borne. It’s been fifty years since Punk became a fundamental part of the alternative scene, and still it resonates within contemporary society. Growing from its neo-liberal roots, Punk has now become a...

26Feb

By Kianna BestNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Music

GGP Hour Has Arrived!

In a time where everyone has an opinion, and no topic is left ignored, unique content can be hard to find within what is constantly being pushed out into the world. With podcasts popping up here and there full of controversial takes and passion filled rants, the range of voices seem to gain their stamp of individuality from that sole aspect. Cancel-culture continues to run rampant, views and opinions are carefully dissected before being put out into the world, and it has become evident that many would rather follow the trend of thinking and appeal to the masses. Unique voices are far and few between. Will Insanity radio’s newest talk show bring about any change? GGP Hour hosted by second year student Kayla Mae Garcia Fernandes is a laid back hour filled with debates s...

Everything You Need to Know About the 64th GRAMMY Awards

29Jan

By Eva Townsend BiltonNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Music

Everything You Need to Know About the 64th GRAMMY Awards

It’s awards season again! Those whose Spotify Wrapped lists were graced with the likes of Billie Eilish, Doja Cat, Lil Nas X, and Olivia Rodrigo may already know a bit about the nominees for the 64th GRAMMY Awards. But if that’s not you, never fear: here is everything you need to know (more or less) about this year’s Grammys. The Grammys is the most prestigious music award ceremony in the world, recognising brilliance every year across almost all genres of music (seriously – there are eighty-six categories). The four main categories are record of the year, album of the year, song of the year, and best new artist. These groups are typically dominated by pop music, and this year is no different, with Taylor Swift nabbing a second consecutive album of the year nomination (she won last yea...

How to Capture Stunning Cityscapes at Night

14Nov

By Sam BennettNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Music, Visual Arts

How to Capture Stunning Cityscapes at Night

There's something mesmerizing about cities at night. When the sun is replaced with a stream of fluorescent lights and neon signs, it’s completely different to anything you’ll see during the day. Capturing this on camera may seem hard, but shooting nightscapes can be very simple, and something that every budding photographer should try. Most smartphone cameras now have a long exposure mode, so you don’t even need a professional-level camera to get those Instagrammable photos after sunset. Equipment Most tutorials will tell you to buy both an expensive tripod and high-quality ND filters, but neither of these items are necessary. A tripod – which can be bought second hand for as little as £10 – is advisable for keeping the camera still, but you could always stabilize the camera by rest...

Back to Live, Back to Reality: Bloodstock Review

16Oct

By Amber BrooksNo Comments

Features, Music

Back to Live, Back to Reality: Bloodstock Review

It took a long time to get to Bloodstock festival. There was a four hour train from Egham, but that was nothing compared to the two years I had been waiting for live music to return. The journey was long and arduous; there was so much at stake for the performance industry who had suffered greatly at the callous hands of the pandemic. Yet there was no greater joy than standing in a field in the Midlands for the UK's largest metal festival. Festivals were the glorious beginning of bringing live music back. The government introduced pilot events to test the spread of the virus, with festivals such as Latitude, Download Pilot (A downsized version of the Donnington giant) and Tramlines. Fortunately, there were only 28 positive cases of COVID-19 amongst the 58,000 people who attended these t...

From Wiz Khalifa to The Wellerman: An Interview with Nathan Evans

28Feb

By Jordan ThorneNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Music

From Wiz Khalifa to The Wellerman: An Interview with Nathan Evans

We spoke to Nathan Evans - the viral TikTok star, whose sea shanties have sent waves crashing throughout the global charts. At the time of writing (26th February 2021), Wellerman sits third in the official charts, its fourth successive week in the Top 10, peaking at number 1 in both Germany and the Netherlands and second in land-locked Switzerland. Where did the idea of sea shanties come from? Have you always been into them or were they suggested to you? It was actually suggested on TikTok. Someone left a comment underneath one of my videos saying “There’s a song called Leave Her Johnny, it’s a sea shanty and I think you would be really good at it if you want to try it”. So I went away, listened to it, sang it, and the comments underneath were just amazing and it was like “Can you d...

28Feb

By Jordan ThorneNo Comments

Culture & Literature, Music

The Art of the Playlist

I adore playlisting. My music platform of choice is Spotify, and although I was gravely disappointed to find out my premium student membership had expired (there’s a four year limit), I still happily pay for premium- it’s somewhat of an essential now. I used to almost exclusively listen to albums from my favourite artists, buying them in charity shops or using an iTunes gift voucher, only discovering new music through friends’ recommendations or by browsing the charts, but then came music streaming services. Suddenly I could listen to anything I wanted, but how on earth would I choose? How could I listen to everything and decide what I liked? And most importantly, how would I organise my music? The simple and beautiful answer is the art of the playlist. A mode of curation completely...