Quench
Prisoner Cell Block H
The inclusion of this on the list may appear facetious or self-consciously, postmodernly ironic, but this cult series did plough new and significant turf in the portrayal of lesbians.
Set in an Aussie women’s prison, it had an almost exclusively female cast that counted characters christened ‘Vinegar Tits’ and ‘The Freak’ amongst its number and dealt with the subject of lesbianism in a truly radical way: realistically.
It didn’t pander to stereotype, public prejudice, or straight male fantasy à la The L Word. It was what it was. And this was in the late 1970s. A televisual milestone, for those of you too young to remember it first time round (or even the repeats), think Prison Break with Pat Butcher in the Wentworth Miller role.
This Week
Latest Edition
Student Stereotypes
Which one are you?
The Fall
It’s 10.20pm at the Point and for 15 minutes a video screen mounted behind the stage has been showing repeated slow motion videos of James Brown, moulded into Pavarotti, blended into Sadaam Hussain – or that’s what it looks like to me.
Men are from Mars...
Andy Tweddle studies the state of monogamy and wonders if such a thing is possible in Cardiff’s gay scene
Travel broadens its horizons
When the word ‘travel’ is mentioned, one would usually presume that a life changing, self-finding trip to the likes of Thailand or India is being referred to. However, as a brief glance in any decent dictionary will tell you, this is not necessarily the c
Re-living the dream
Affable Idiot John Davies gets back to grips with old-school gaming
Arcade Fire - Intervention
As a fan of Arcade Fire, I really want to plug this single. But Intervention is not very good, sounding more like a hymn than their angry selves. There are better tracks on the album Neon Bible, so buy that instead. Or see them live.
Maroon 5 - Makes Me Wonder
Upbeat and commercial, so unlikely to be popular with students. But thedistinctive sound of Levine’s voice makes a welcome comeback; he is, after all, the best thing since sliced bread.
Arctic Monkeys - Favourite worst nightmare
Talkin’ bout the big monkey man
Light Years To Nothing - Soft Hearted Scientists
Jangly, mesmerising future folk guitar that undulates from the Cardiff-based pseudo-scientists specialising in lyrical one-liners. Complemented with soft touches of synthesiser that really does transport you into other galactic realms. Not necessarily the most memorable of twee-pop nuggets but certainly an intriguing listen with its optimistic layered vocals cooing.