School of RockUnaware you may have a Rock star in your class? We interview Denuo and

name a few other musicians studying at the Atrium

Picture PerfectWe feature David Bertie

in this Month’s “featured student” and his highly impresive work

outside of the Atrium

Stud

ent

Life

Meeting the professionals

The Atrium hosted a careers seminar for students across South Wales to attend and meet a panel of success-ful professionals from different media fields. Co-organised by Skillset Screen Academy Wales and the Royal Televi-sion Society, the semi-nar panel was chaired by international award winning theatre direc-tor Ceri Sherlock. Also on the panel were S4C and Al Jazeera televi-sion producer Nia Ceidiog, web designer Aled Parry, director Phil John, and as-sistant editor at BBC for multimedia news Ceri Jackson. More than 50 students attended this event from different institutions across South Wales such as Coleg Glan Hafren, Newport University, Cardiff Uni-versity, and of course the Atrium itself. The panellists shared their ca-reer experiences with the students and spoke about the origins of their passions for their respective careers. Notable was Ceri Jackson’s account of how her love for jour-

nalism began while accompanying her father, also a journalist, to the press box at Sophia Gardens many years ago. She went on to illus-trate how students shouldn’t take one knock back to mean failure, when she accounted for her own master plans falling flat as she got turned down for a traineeship all those years ago. She told how she did unpaid work experiences on local London newspapers, then had a chance conversation with the editor – get-

ting her a place in the traineeship at Hendon and Finchley Times. From there she made a name for herself while working for Bella magazine before moving on to the Daily Mail, and finally BBC Wales. Following the panellists sharing their career experiences, all stu-dents were broken up into groups of 12 allowing the panellists to go around the room and chat with them on a more personal level. S4C’s Tim Hartley, also a Royal Television Society fellow, was one of the main organisers of this event and he feels the main purpose of it is to assist students get an idea of what it’s like to

attempt to gain that elusive first foothold in an industry before establishing themselves. He said: “The idea is to share experiences with those about to enter a similar line of work. Our panellists are from a wide sector of interest

so we can break downtraditional barriers between pres-entation and production, or public and private sector. “We can’t talk about the indus-try in terms of just the television or a single source. “There are different means, sources of funding and distribu-tion platforms. It can be a scary world out there for someone just starting off but very very exciting too.”

“It is important this way to try and involve young people in to an industry

that’s currently changing as new technologies converge”

S4C’s Tim Hartley

ByAbhijan Barua

Cardiff half marathon

fund raiserAmong the 9,000 peo-ple who took part in the Cardiff Half Marathon was 21-year-old Sion Joshua Glaze. A medical student from Cardiff, he raised £200 for Ac-tion Aid, a charity whose priority project is to help street children in India. The decision to support the char-ity came after Sion and his friends visited India last year: ‘‘We had lots of children approaching us for food and money,’’ he said. Sion, who had been training since July for his first race, says: ‘‘The money I’ve raised can pay for clothes, sports materials and even a month’s school fees for one child.’’

Atrium student

music debutAn Atrium student has made his music debut at the Swn festival. Thomas Mason, who studies mu-sic technology at the Cardiff based school of Creative and Cultural Industries, premiered his acoustic alter ego “Denuo” at the Welsh music festival alongside other up and coming acts. Swn promoter John Rostron named him one of the acts he was most looking forward to over the weekend. Over the weekend several of the U.K’s most up and coming bands are due to play in selected venue’s around Cardiff like danananakroyd, Tubelord and Cardiff’s own Los Campesino’s.

Students live up to college reputation

Students from the course at Bridgend Col-lege that gave the world Bullet for My Valentine and Funeral for a Friend have hosted a gig at Sapphire’s club in the town centre. The students performed an array of songs by artists such as Lady GaGa, Michael Jackson, Chuck Berry and Metallica as well as some original material. Among the fans was Cai Lough-ran, 18, from Cowbridge Road, Bridgend, who said: “The sound was very good, and there was a fantastic atmosphere. These kids know how to perform!”The gig was organised by course

leader, Paul Jones, as a way of “putting theory into prac-tice”. He teaches the students a wide range of skills, from

recording, performance and live sound to musical theatre, drama and musical history. The purpose, as Mr Jones said, is: “To show the students that it’s not all about the rock star lifestyle and [that] there are many different avenues to take in the creative industries”. William Morris, 16, from Bridgend is one of the students on the course. He said, “The night has been very successful. It has given me a lot of confidence and experience and I can’t wait to learn more”. His band The Vehement performed some of their original material at the gig to a fantastic response.

By Matthew Orefice

The Atrium event aimed to help the students

Picture perfect

In this months “Fea-tured student” we focus on photography student David Bertie from Cam-borne, Cornwall. The decision to feature David was purely baised on the fantastic work he has done in and out of class over the last two years studying at the Atrium. His work features popular surfing spots in Cornwall and Wales, as well as scenic shots that capture the hidden beauty that Cornwall offers.We spoke to David about his university life and the work that goes into his stunning photo’s.

Q: Firstly David, how did you become interested in photography?I don’t know really. It’s just something I tried to do one day. I began messing about with a camera with some friends and it went from there really. Got bigger and better kit and started making some money.Q: At a rough guess how much do you think all your equipment costs?Your not putting my address on this I hope. Oh god I don’t know

probably a bit more that a grand.Q: How much work and preparation goes into your photos? Not a lot of preparation really or a lot of work before actually taking the photo. Usually is a lot of editing and stuff. A lot of work goes into wedding photos actually.Q: How have you found the first few years of university?Ok really. Some of it’s good and

some of it is bad.Q: Why did you decide to come to the Atrium to study?I had friends that were living in Cardiff already and studied at the Atrium. When I eventually de-cided to go to university I decided to come to Cardiff.Q: Where has your work been featured? Mainly Hotels, brochures, news-papers and magazines at the mo-ment. Hopefully I will print some work onto canvas’s and sell them when I become more experienced.Q: What photographers do you inspire to be like?I don’t know really. If I see some-thing or an image I like it gives me inspiration to try and make it my own. I don’t think I inspire to be anyone else. Maybe the next David Bertie - Laughs-Q: I have noticed a lot of your photos are set in your home-town in Cornwall. What do you find so photogenic about

Cornwall?It’s just beautiful. It’s just a beautiful place to live basically the beaches, scenery, the wonder-ful people and not forgetting the great cider. The coastline and towns are incredible to work with.Q: Where can our reader’s see more of your work?You can see more of my work on facebook at David Bertie Photog-raphy. Or at David Bertie.co.ukQ: Where do you see yourself after you have finished your course?Face down in some dirty pool - Laughs - Nah hopefully working for money and seeing the world.Q: Do you have any advice do any amateur photographers reading? Just have fun. That what it’s all about mate just keep taking photos of the things you love and if you’re having fun then you’re doing a great job. Just keep at it until you are happy with the photo’s you are taking.Q: Thank your for your time David. We wish you the best for

This month’s “Feature Student” is photography student David Bertie about university life and what inspires him..

Interview

I don’t think I inspire to be

anyone else. Maybe the next David Bertie..

It may seem a while

yet until you leave the 24/7 party that is university. But

what happens next?Read through Liz’s blog about the

things she encoutered after graduated from the University of

Glamorgan with a degree in journalism. She has just spent three

months in Ghana getting experience of broadcasting and newspapers there.

Worried about

the future

?

I am writing this blog from a very different location from before - a different continent

in fact! I am currently sat in the studios of Vibe FM in Ghana, West Africa. It is ridiculously hot outside and as required I am dressed in a shirt and trousers (and flip flops) - luckily I am in an air-conditioned studio. I have just finished work for the day after reading the 1 o’clock news and recording the bulletins that will be used throughout the rest of the day. I’m just about to start some research for a travel piece that we are going to use on tomorrow’s show - which is called the Sunshine Café and airs between 10am and 1pm Monday through to Friday. Now if you have read my previ-ous blogs you will probably be sat thinking what is she talking about? I thought you were working in insurance?! Well let me fill you in…

Just before Christmas I had the chance to take part in a journalism work placement

abroad, in the country of my choice, with an organisation called Projects Abroad. I have always wanted to go to Africa, I’m not quite sure why, but I knew straight away that is where I would choose to go should I be accepted on this placement. And seeing as I’m in Ghana right now then obviously I was accepted! As I am more interested in broadcast journal-ism as opposed to print, Projects Abroad have arranged for me to work at Vibe FM, in the capital city of Ghana, Accra. It is Ghana’s most popular radio station - Bradt guidebook’s words, not mine! I’ve been here about nine days now and working at Vibe FM for about five days - I am already writ-ing and reading the international news! I’m enjoying the fast pace and I like getting truly stuck in, even if I am somewhat treading water at the deep end.

Journalism is very different out here - it wasn’t long ago that saying something that was not

liked by the government in power could get you in serious trouble! Thankfully it is a different situa-tion now - but not without a lot of people putting their lives at risk - a concept I can’t seem to quite grasp coming from a free press country. The difference is people out here care about politics - and football - luckily I’m quite inter-ested in politics - not football so much - and its good to be doing some ‘harder’ news. I have a very BBC voice apparently which I think is a good thing? But I need training - on delivery and stuff like that which I

am more than happy to accept. Journalists out here are not paid very well but they do it because they are extremely passionate about it - and their country. The elections have just taken place and a new government, the NDC, is in power. Vibe FM, as a station, have backed the NDC throughout their campaign - there is a definite bias within the media towards politi-cal parties - much the same as in Britain, however, the difference being that in the UK if the party you were backing lost, this would not mean the end of your station or newspaper - but that is exactly what it means out here if you are in sup-

port of the losing side so to speak. Vibe FM’s financial position will be significantly altered now that the leadership they support has come to power. The journalists here are very careful to not come across as more in support of a cer-tain party, however, they maintain their professional neutralism at all times - and in a country where politics makes up about 60-70% of the daily news - this can be a hard task!

I have been told that it is refreshing for them to see a young female journalist and a westerner taking an interest

in their country. However, as I replied, it is refreshing for me to be in a country where everyone is extremely interested in politics and what is going on within their

country - they are not concerned with the goings on of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, or Big Brother! The Ghanaian people are proud

to be a stable democratic African country and this is reflected in their journalism. It’s been a hard week in terms of adjusting to the food, climate and the customs but so far so good. This is such an exciting oppor-tunity, not only to expand on my journalism skills in the world of broadcast journalism but also to be experiencing it in a different coun-try altogether. I’m hoping to make an impact here in terms of how

the news is deliv-ered and struc-

tured at Vibe FM, as right now there is a lot that could be improved - and the team are aware of this. They are interested in my input so hopefully I can make a few changes here that will benefit the station. As a post-graduate, the word ‘experience’ has been directed at me too many times than I care to remember. If this placement is not the experience that future employ-ers are looking for on my CV - I give up!

I think that I’m about as adapted to the Ghanaian way of life as I possibly can be! It is my

fourth week here (it’s going so fast, maybe too fast?) and I am still enjoying every minute. Oh yes, the news still baffles me at times (politics is hard work) and there are

moments at work where I’m pretty sure I could be doing more than I actually am, but in the long run it is turning out to be very beneficial to

me in ways I didn’t really consider before. I underestimated the advantages of looking at journalism in another country, especially in this case, where the country in question happens to be one I’m very fond of! I’m hoping it will help towards becoming my ‘niche’ area as I’ve always wanted to concentrate on

foreign and international news, and have always felt quite passionate about Africa, for reasons I’m not too sure of. I was quite surprised after speaking to the locals and my colleagues that

although they listen to the BBC almost as much as their own local news stations, they are not al-ways happy with the way Africa is reported and portrayed by western countries. I think this has something to

do with the fact that Ghana is a generally peaceful and democratic country, as I’m sure I’ve mentioned previously, and the people are very proud of this. So when other African countries, Rwanda, Zim-babwe and Democratic Republic of Congo, hit the international head-lines time and time again because of war, violence, genocide and corruption, it can shed a bad light on Africa as a whole. I have made a promise to those who think this, light heartedly if nothing else, that if I was to become a correspondent for Africa I would do my best to avoid this.

This week I have covered a demonstration held in the capital city of Accra, it was

led by a commitee who organ-ised the protest due to the rather controversial situation in Ghana at

the moment, over the ex-president’s retirement package. To put it simply, the Ghanaian people, well, a large majority of them, feel the retire-

ment package is too much - it’s along the lines of three houses, six cars... and for a developing country, with a very apparent strug-

gling economy, I must admit I tend to agree. Covering that was really inter-esting and I found myself chucked in at the deep end - again. It did, however, give me the confidence to think, ah what the hell - I’ll get right in the thick of things! So I just barged in with some ques-tions! (Obviously there was a local journalist with me - I’m not that brave!) I’ve also been along to parlia-ment a few times, which feels quite important work, especially at the moment, as the new government, the NDC, is still in the process of ‘transition’ - i.e handing over from one government to another (see, look how much I’m learning!). I attended the press conferences for the ‘vetting’ of the new ministers this week too, and to me it seems a very strange concept. It’s as if they are being interviewed by parlia-ment, the press and the public in order to get the job, despite being nominated by the president!

I’ve had a few frustrating moments in work in the last week or so, mostly due to my

own need to be busy and deliver the best news and the best stories and sometimes in the environment I’m working in out here, that’s not always possible. There are times I’m sat there just watching the clock - this is not how I picture my career in journalism. For sure, there are better radio stations than the one I’m working at and when I hear some of their shows I think aargh, I want to be doing that! Vibe FM (the station I’m at) are starting a new breakfast show this week though, and I’ve been asked to join the news team with them instead of the afternoon ‘team’ (there really isn’t a team, it’s pretty much just me), so fingers crossed I’ll be get-ting stuck in a lot more... But of course, it’s not all work! There is plenty of free time and so, so much to do out here, as you would expect being in West Africa. It’s like a working holiday, although I’m not sure I’m meant to think that way! The lure of the beach, the pool, the bars.... often too much to resist!

Can’t quite believe I’m halfway through my time already! For want of a bet-

ter cliché - it has literally flown by and I really don’t want it to end! There’s still so much I want to do, things I want to write about, people I want to meet and interview! Where do I start!? Better start picking up the pace! Although, this particular career choice in Ghana can be a very, very frustrating field at times - the occasional lack of professionalism, news values, sensitivity, accu-racy.... need I go on? My lecturers at University would be turning in their (future) graves! Now, I’m not for a second saying that the media is not a valid one in Ghana, there are just certain things that are said and done which, in no uncertain terms, are just not done in journal-ism. Some days when I’m leafing through the morning’s newspa-pers, it’s really hard to take some of the stories seriously when the headlines are ‘MAN KILLS WIFE’ - pure and simple, no beating about the bush there.

Location, location, location...

Projects abroad

Journalistic differences

RefreshingAdapting

The deep end... again

All work and no play...

Six down... six to go...

I have been told that it is refreshing for them to see a young female journalist and a westerner taking an interest in their country. However, as I replied, it is

refreshing for me to be in a country where everyone is extremely interested in politics and what is going on within their

country - they are not concerned with the goings on of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, or Big Brother!

In the Summertime..Fast cars, high-kicking action and exotic locations: we’re just a little bit envious of one Glamorgan fresher’s Summertime experiences.

Late in August, somewhere in Port Talbot, a

dangerous young man with peroxide blonde hair is sitting in a red, sporty car, late at night, with the engine running. Outside, not too far away, his victim starts walking. He puts the car in gear; it starts creep-ing forwards… Behind the wheel sits Kai Stroud, a mere hand-ful of weeks after getting his provisional driving licence. Around him, cameras and crew, film-ing the motorised stalk-ing scene for the movie musical Summertime. Kai plays Tris, the villain of the piece. Earlier that day, he tells Glamlife: “Most of my scenes are at night. When Tris drives around in his car with his gang at night, there is a bit more to him that you don’t quite un-derstand. I’ve never met anyone like this guy be-fore. This guy is brutal.” This is quite a contrast to the friendly young man sitting on one of the sofas in the ATRiuM for the interview. After read-ing about his casting in WalesOnline.co.uk, the Glamlife team decided to contact Kai and find out what it’s like to star in a movie – and what the secrets of his success are. So, what is it like? “My first ever scene was getting beaten up. Pretty good way to start it off! (…) When you get a bad guy, you get all the action. The role I’ve been given

is obviously not as big as the lead part, but I get to tease people, have fun with one of the boys, I get to beat people up, I get beaten up, I get to drive fast, … a lot of physical stuff. I love it.” There are some small sacrifices involved though. His hair had to be coloured to fit with the character, landing the role of the villain means Kai did not get a chance to dance in the movie’s big, choreographed disco scene, and the role requires him to smoke cigarettes. “Yes, I have to smoke. I used to smoke; I don’t mind doing it again. I’m prepared to make sac-rifices to do a good job. I think every actor would do that as well.” Acting is a competitive career to choose – and Kai had to outdo 500 other actors to get the role of Tris. The audi-tion process had several stages, starting with open dance auditions. 40 pupils from Kai’s college (Coleg Gwent, Crosskeys cam-pus) attended one set of these auditions, after a tutor mentioned the Sum-mertime casting sessions. “They auditioned first with the dancers because there’s more people who want to do dancing. I went to the second re-call. There was an acting workshop. Maxine Evans (the director) told me she wanted me to audition for Tris. That’s where it began, really. Then I went for another one, and she rung me up and said ‘I

Summertime is a movie produced by South Wales based

Tornado Films, and will be premiering in several cities,

including the Cannes Film Festival next year. You can find

out more about the movie online. If you want to be kept up

to date and know when it premieres in Cardiff, become a

fan on Facebook.

want to offer you the part.’ It got a bit more challeng-ing at every step.” Before landing this role, Kai had already been gaining acting experi-ence. At the age of 12, his sister invited him to the school drama class, and he got the part of Ed-ward Lyons in his school’s production of Blood Brothers. “I should thank my sister, actu-ally! If it wasn’t for her inviting me to drama, I wouldn’t be here right now,” he says. In year ten in school, Kai tried his hand at a very tradi-tional British type of acting, although he is quite definite about that experience: “I’m done with pantos! …I played an ugly sister in Cinderella,” he smiles sheep-ishly, assur-ing Glamlife that this was a long, long time ago, “There’s a lot of laughter. It’s hard to keep a straight face, espe-cially when you make a mistake. They’re all sitting, wait-ing…” While he’s not too keen

on pantos or movie extra work, Kai keeps an eye out for all other acting oppor-tunities: “Anything that comes along in my way, if I like it, I try it out. I

hope things will come more often

now after this film. TV, thea-

tre, all kinds of areas, really. You never

know unless you try.”

The movie shoot for Sum-mertime finished on Sep-

tember 12th – shortly before Kai would start his student life as Drama, Theatre and Me-dia stu-dent in ATRi-uM. He

picked Glamorgan from a

number of universities that offered him a place. “The ATRiuM is just brilliant. I had my screen test here, in one of the studios. I think it’s going to be tough but exciting, inspiring. I’ve got Freshers’ Week first, but I’ll be away by then. I’ve got a karate cham-pionship in Mexico. I’ve been doing shotokan karate for ten years. I’m going to the World Championships in Cancun on September 21st.” As it turns out, Kai is the number one karate martial artist in Wales in his category, has a number of bronze and silver med-als at home, and has won the Welsh championships in June and a silver medal at European level.

OpportunitiesDuring the interview, Kai mentioned several

times that he keeps an eye on opportunities, and

is not afraid to try his luck and apply. This is

especially important in the creative industries,

but can be helpful regardless of which field you ultimately want to work in.If your lecturers mention something of inter-

est, it’s worth giving it a try. Also, check out

the Careers Service website and GO Wales for work experience opportunities.

Denuo

Q: Hi Tom. First what to you study at the Atrium and how are you finding it?I study Music techonology.It’s great. i’ve always been interested in audio engi-neering.Q: As we know, you’ve receantly played the Swn festival how was it?it was awesome. i had a lot of fun. it was my first time playing in the Toucan club and i really liked it there. And i was pleased to see the organiser, John Rostron, amongst the crowdQ: Did you catch any other bands over the week-end? yeah, i saw Strange News

From Another Star in the Model Inn. it was epic.Q: Cool. So how do you find being a student aswell as a gigging musician? It seems to work quite well, especially with the course i’m on. I can perform around the city & get stuck into the technical side of things in university.Q: With the things you are learning in school would you consider recording without a producer?Probably not. i’d love to record other people, but when i’m recording my own music... i like to have a sec-ond opinion. my producer and i seem to work really well togetherQ: “Tomorrow you’ll un-derstand” was a brilliant debut considering you

wrote most of the record alone. Were you pleased with the outcome?I’m incredibly over-critical of myself, so there are al-ways going to be little things i’d like to change. but, over-all i’m pretty pleased with it! (producer) russell hayes gave it a really nice sound.Q: When can we expect another record?I’m hoping to release an EP in early 2010. maybe februrary. hopefully spill-ers records will take a few copies tooQ: lastly have you enjoyed your time at the Atrium and your university expe-riance?yeah! it’s been a great expe-rience so far. it’s good to be surrounded by likeminded, creative people.

Thomas Mason’s acoustic indie rock alter ego earned him a place at this years Swn festival aswell as a record on itunes “Tomorrow you’ll understand.”

School of rock

The Atrium prides itself to hosting the brightest and most

creative students in Wales. Here we showcase the students

who not only write essays but write and perform music

around Cardiff.

Denuo is the crea-tion of Atrium student Thomas

Mason who between studying Music Technol-ogy and writing essays finds the time to play the venue’s of Cardiff on a regular basis. What sets Denuo apart from the countless other students who perform acoustically at an Open Mic night is the inspiration behind Denuo. Taking an influence from the North Wales coast as well as New England where he regularly spends time in Boston has helped him to create emotion driven

acoustic Indie rock with nods to-wards Jeff Buckley, Coldplay etc. He released “Tomorrow You’ll understand” on I tunes at the begin-ning of the year which was greeted with praise from the likes of John Rostron who promotes Cardiff’s

Swn festival. What is so remarkable about Denuo is the emotion that pours through his tracks which somehow makes you feel apart of the song; like it was your own experience. It’s songs like He was a poet and Eric banana that you expect from music veterans well versed in portraying real emotions through song without it sounding like corny teenage poetry. Expect big things from this young man.

Interview

Painting

Bus Stops

The first year of uni-versity usu-ally revolves around party-ing, drinking obscene amounts of alcohol and occasionally reading a book but for five Atrium students it was about forming a new band and rocking out. Painting Bus Stops consists of three Atrium Journalism students Richard Protheroe, Scott Bassett and Nathan Barrett clearly not content with writing the headlines and decided to make them instead. Along with Callum James and Josh Norton-Cox they have been known as Paint Bus Stops since December 2008. They are a perfect example of how the Atrium helps to nurture the creative side of the students at-tending the university and have re-

corded their first E.P using the Atrium’s recording facilities. They have even played the Atrium several times including the brand

new Student Union. These five young students put on a fun show playing around Cardiff and Swansea with their own brand of new school rock and roll taking examples from old greats like Cream and The Beatles as well as modern influences like Oasis and The Arctic Monkeys. You can usually catch these guys playing at Milkwood Jam in Swansea or the Atrium’s Student Union where they will be playing again on the 10th of December.

ByAdam Cheung

Nihilist

If you you prefer your music with a distinc-tive metal edge with fast paced music alongside screamed vocals then it may be in your best inter-est checking out Nihilist. Featuring Atrium student Ross Jones; Nihilist exceed the thou-sands of clone “metalcore” bands that have burst onto the scene over the last year or so. Whilst it’s more common nowdays for bands to be more concerned with their

haircuts and dress sense; Nihilist put effort into the areas that mat-ter. Creating a more distinctive european metal sound to their counterparts, the musicianship on display is absolutely phenominal from such a young band. Tracks like “In The Shadow Of Yester-day” mixes elemts of tech death metal with progressive music creating an Arch Enemy style

vibe to the track. The band have played shows in Wales supporting big name bands of the genre like Annotations Of An Autopsy. The band are currently without a lead singer and plan to audition a suitable replacment at the begin-ning of the new year so if you think you have what it takes to front a band visit the bands myspace for more information.

For fans of The Arctic Monkeys, The

Strokes, Oasis...Listen to them at

www.myspace.com/paint-ingbusstops

For fans of Annotations of an au-topsy, Arch Enemy, At

The Gates..Listen to them at

http://www.myspace.com/nihilistsw

For fans of Coldplay, Minus The Bear, Elliott Smith...

Listen to them at http://www.myspace.com/

denuo

Who better

than students

to tell you

where the best

parties are...

Where is there to go on a night out in Cardiff? There’s the obvious... Oceana, Walkabout, Tiger Tiger etc, but where is there if you want to rock it out? There’s just one answer... Metros. It’s one of Car-diff’s only specialised rock/metal clubs and with student friendly Wednesday night’s mixing cheap drinks (bottles often from 99p!!!) and hard fast rock, you can’t really ask for a better night out! It’s also conveniently located on Baker’s Row, near Howells. The basement club draws in the crowds with a mixture of music from heavy metal and punk to alternative and a touch of indie, be prepared to mosh throughout the night! Wednesday’s ‘Cheapskates’ student night offers ‘alternative mayhem’ and some ‘old skool cheese’, something you definitely don’t want to miss. To find out more about Met-

Do you enjoy a venue where the playlist consists of classic hip-hop, rap and modern day chart toppers? A club that goes beyond the sim-plicity of only one flavour of vodka shot and instead offers an extensive ranger from chocolate to bubblegum? And finally, do you believe the best nights out offer a place to chat with your friends as well as a large dance floor to show off your disco moves? If your answer was yes to these ques-tions then I believe Revolution is the place for you. ‘Revs’ sits near Cardiff castle and can cater for al-most everyone’s perfect night out. Downstairs features remixes of old school hip-hop to modern day hits with large seating areas available inside and outside the building; perfect for socialising. While upstairs hosts a massive dance floor with club remixes played

90’s, it grants those of us who want to return to our

childhood to dance the night away

to the likes of S Club, Baywatch and the song that blighted every primary school disco:

The Macaraena. Downstairs houses the chill out rooms which provide seating areas and bars to the sounds of relaxing, elevator-type music. Villa Tahiti even has sun loungers to chillax on!The most ‘interesting’ room shall we say is the Parisian Boudoir, and if you’ve been there, you’ll know why but if you’ve yet to experience the plush red crush velvet sofas and curtains and the walls adorned with pictures of naked ladies, you’re go-ing to be somewhat astonished. But no doubt in Fresher’s week it will be the one room where you will see the most revealing look of Cardiff city’s new students. It’s a boudoir after all...

Venture a little further past a bustle of cheap end pubs and nice restaurants and to your left you will find a converted town house right on the edge of this lane known as Buffalo bar. Walk inside and prepare for a fes-tival of the senses, gothic wallpaper, antique aviaries suspended from the ceiling, retro phones stuck to the walls. The three story building includes a lounge/bar/dining area on the ground floor, tables and chairs set out to comfort the clientele in style. Step outside and down to the ‘secret garden’ where people can mingle, eat, chat and smoke... The garden itself is again designed to invite, wallpaper tattooed on the walls, benches and tables all covered by comforting garden parasols. Move on up to the top floor nicknamed the ‘Beatbox

Barfly

If you’re new to the city of Cardiff and have a penchant for all things alternative then look no further than barfly. The venue holds a plethora of events from club nights to gigs with something to fit the music taste of almost everybody.If you are one of the lucky individu-als who can remember a far gone era where The Spice Girls topped the charts and aluminous clothes were socially acceptable and wish to re-live that beautiful time then barfly’s weekly 90’s disco “Hammertime” is the palace to be. It is as close as you can get to a children’s disco without being a teacher. The only discern-able difference is that instead of an endless mountain of hotdogs for 50p you are offered pretty much any bot-tle of alcohol for the bargain price of £1. What I will say is if you want a guaranteed spot inside then start cueing early because when it gets busy it adopts a “one in one out” policy which can leave you in the queue for a long, long time.Although recently renovated it is still smaller than your average venue so if you’re not a fan of close contact with complete strangers then Barfly definitely isn’t for you. Its close proximity often leads to gigs being much more special there than anywhere else. So if a night of sweaty, drunken debauchery is your bag then head on down to Barfly where you’re sure to be obliged.Highlight: When everybody in the club is chanting along to “Cotton Eyed Joe” like it’s 1995.Student budget friendly: Dependant on which night you go . Tuesdays offer bottles at £1 so if you’re after a cheap messy night out Tuesday is your best bet!Atmosphere: Brilliant most nights, the more people in attendance the better as emptier nights can seem a bit stale...

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The biggest and hottest (literally sometimes) night club in Cardiff is Oceana. It may not be your ‘typical’ student place, it’s not boho, it’s not really very cool, but you won’t fail to have a good time. Billed as ‘the world in one night’ because of its many themed rooms, it’s certainly a new experi-ence for those who have never ventured through its doors before.Oceana’s student nights take place on a Monday and Wednesday, of-fering reduced entry for NUS card holders and cheap drink prices, with bottles of VK around £1.80 and not much more for other drinks. The main room in the vast expanse that is known as Oceana is the Ice House, ironically named as it is the hottest place in Cardiff. Sean Kingston, Rhianna and Kayne West are the flavour of the night but don’t worry if R‘n’B isn’t your thing, Oceana caters for most. Just next door is the New York Disco and it’s exactly what it says on the tin. With a multi-coloured light-up dance floor and choons from the 80’s and

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ros and the drink offers, competitions and flyer sav-

ings add Metros Cardiff as a friend

on Facebook. The club is also look-ing for flyer distributers so it’s a great chance to

make you a few quid so take a look at the job section of their website www.metroscardiff.com /jobs plus when you register on their site you can give your name and e-mail to the doorman on Friday or Saturday and get a free drink!! But be quick, the offer only stands for one month after you sign up. All in all, Metros is a great place to go for an eventful and often crazy student night out that won’t break the bank! One word to describe this basement venue... Smashing! Sometimes quite liter-ally! But let’s get serious for a sec-ond, this alternative club will be the highlight of your many evenings out on the razz.

ByJade Kinsey

throughout the night fuelling the adrenaline of the clubber

within you.However it’s not a ‘revolution’ as the

name suggests. It is an ordinary club featuring the glamour that most clubs have and the same type of music

that music most Cardiff clubs play. However the edge ‘Revs’ has over the competition is the massive scale of different flavour vodkas avail-able. You won’t like all of them but you have to marvel at the variety available and challenge yourself to try each flavour throughout the term. If it’s a night socialising with new and old university friends you’re after or a classic night out dancing the academic blues away then Revs is the place to be. Also I suggest buying your friends chilli flavoured vodka and convince them it’s Strawberry and see their faces cringe.

ByAdam Cheung

ByRoss Jones

ByEmily Cole

Ballroom’ introducing you to another level of the

Buffalo brand. Another trendy bar area, this time

with retro televisions and old Marantz stacked on top of each other. Buffalo is

‘known’ to offer some of the best cocktails around town. From Long Island iced tea to a more sophisti-cated Martini cooler, this bar caters for the more demur style of drinker. But if that’s not tempting enough, many drink/food offers given every week really do reflect Buffalo’s drinker ethos. Manage 2 4 1 deals on the ‘favourite’ cocktails, £2 bot-tles of Stella, and a specialised ar-ray of spirits and organic beverages to satisfy a wide range of customer.

ByCheriton Lee

What’son!

Metros

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Revs

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Oceana

Buffalo

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