Kilimanjaro Live presents Daughter, HMV Institute 21/4/13

I’m taken across the empty hall by the team manager, where the vibes are certainly very chilled as one of the supporting acts, Annie Eve, is having a little sound-check with the small tech team. Outside the committed fans eagerly queue up in drizzly Digbeth, soon to swamp the floors of ‘the Library’.

Through to a room backstage I’m introduced to Daughter strumming and tuning their various guitars with Breaking Bad on pause. It has certainly been a very fun and busy few weeks for the London-based trio, who have just come back from a sell-out tour around Europe. Fast-forward twenty minutes of an enjoyable interview with Daughter, I shyly ask if I could take a photo of them outside on my relatively new Nikon D60, only to discover that the battery has run out. The iTouch saves the night, however.

Still a little swept away by what could only be described as their ephemeral auras, I totter off to the side of the stage and check out the first act, Annie Eve. The Library has certainly packed up since I first came in, with many a folk fanatic swaying along to the harmonious sounds reverberating around the room. I sink in to the main crowd to join a couple of companions when the other supporting act, Bear’s Den, come on stage. In a very good way, they are all like a very cool Mumford and Sons, except that all of them have beards and weren’t expecting such a voluminous and supportive audience, who were also probably as equally surprised too.

Guitar strumming and folky sounds have had the crowd consistently on their toes, building up to the climatic headline act, Daughter. After consuming a cider, I belt in to my friend’s ear affirming that this is the best thing to do on a Sunday night, wishing through hindsight that we should have done more things like this at university. Then we nauseatingly gaze ahead realising for the millionth time that we graduate very soon. We decide to let the music do the talking and lean against the bar, remaining totally passive to the mesmerising presence of the trio on stage, who are all completely absorbed by the sounds they’re creating. Daughter’s tone is somewhat melancholic but it sounds so uplifting to listen to as the lyrics are laden with so much honesty. Almost like an upbeat version of the xx, Elena’s voice glides alongside Igor’s prolonged, echoing guitar sounds whilst Remi keeps the entire performance tight with the drums. There is an extra guitarist on the left of the stage towards the back, mysteriously appearing through the wavering breezes of the smoke machine, keeping the music in balance with subtle noises creeping out of the keyboard.

The entire performance feels like you are at a festival at night, with the odd lively fan jumping up and down fanatically whilst the rest of us are joyfully swaying along to the songs off their new album, ‘If You Leave’. The band’s interactions with the audience makes it feel like we all know each other, with Elena admitting how conscious she feels for not ironing the blouse she’s wearing, the crowd responds in woops and cheers. The performance ends on two of their older songs ‘Youth’ and ‘Home’ from their 2011 EP ‘the Wild Youth’.

As the night draws to a close, everyone is in a mellow, cheerful mood, feeling very warmed by the humble and modest nature of Daughter. Everyone shuffles upstairs, with a single row of young teenagers still standing waiting earnestly for an encore, which never happened. Feeling like an exclusive press person, I knew that Daughter had to zoom off to London that evening to get their visas sorted for America in the morning. The perks of BURN FM!

Daughter chilling at the Institute

By Fina Charleson

Burn FM Sport can confirm that, contrary to trending news this morning, Yohan Blake will not be studying at the University of Birmingham from September.

Disclaimer: any information quoted in our april fool does not represent the views of the University of Birmingham, UB Sport, UB Sport Athletics & Cross-Country Club, Yohan Blake, his coach or his manager.

“Some students were so excited they had even started to help Blake unpack”

]]> http://www.burnfm.com/station-news/2013/04/01/world-champion-set-to-join-the-university-of-birmingham/feed/ 0 http://www.burnfm.com/station-news/2013/03/15/agm-2013/ http://www.burnfm.com/station-news/2013/03/15/agm-2013/#comments Fri, 15 Mar 2013 14:18:20 +0000 onlineeditor http://www.burnfm.com/?p=3114 Burn has a massive event on the horizon. On the first Wednesday back after the Easter break we will be having our Annual General Meeting (AGM) and electing a new committee to run all the way till Easter 2014. Please consider running as committee is a great way to have plenty of fun, learn new things and contribute to making BurnFM great! And if you don’t think committee is for you then come along anyway because its important to have your say, plus we will be getting drunk at Snobs afterwards! If you have any questions concerning anything to do with the AGM please do not hesitate to contact Jenny at assistantmanager@burnfm.com.

Also make sure you attend our Facebook event! It contains all the details for each position as well as the process for applying.

From all of us here at Burn FM, a massive congratulations to everyone who won a position in the Guild next year!

BUCS Championships 2013
Gatorade Nationals, Sheffield
Saturday 23rd – Sunday 24th February

Click below to follow Burn FM Sport’s live coverage of the 2013 Gatorade Nationals from Sheffield:

Joshua Steele, more commonly known as Flux Pavilion, returns with his newest EP Blow the Roof marking his first EP release in near enough three years. Despite the lasting popularity of tracks such as ‘Bass Cannon’ and ‘I Can’t Stop’ in the three years since his last EP, Lines in Wax, it remains questionable as to how much Flux Pavilion has developed and progressed as an artist. The tracks on the EP all contain elements of Flux Pavilion’s typical style, providing a sense of familiarity to long-time fans merely looking for more bold and brash beats and bass-lines. Certain tracks seem to offer a sense of evolution in his style, whereas others are relentlessly stubborn and insistent in sticking to tradition.

Opening with ‘OneTwoThree (Make Your Body Wanna)’ it’s easy to be allured by a sense of a slightly new Flux Pavilion, containing Public Enemy samples and a clearly more complex structure in the track compared to his previous works. It ultimately falls short by lacking the necessary bite to carry through the promising build-up prior to the breakdown. ‘The Scientist’ manages to play its cards more successfully, however, featuring vocals (impressively provided by Flux Pavilion himself) that effectively compliment the well balanced, more deliberate and slower paced track. None of the elements of the track try to outplay others; and everything sits happily in a well-produced equilibrium.

Both ‘OneTwoThree’ and ‘The Scientist’ sound distinctively like Flux Pavilion tracks, as a result of the synths and bass-lines now synonymous with the artist. Dependent on how you perceived his earlier tracks, it’s entirely personal opinion on whether this a good or bad thing, but it definitely helps to signify an unwillingness to experiment in new realms of electronic music, unlike many of his peers recently.

The titular track, as well as the EP’s lead single, ‘Blow the Roof’, is the perfect demonstration of the aforementioned insistently stubborn nature present on the EP. Well-produced but fairly soulless and beyond simplistic, the track comes across as an attempt to recreate what was achieved with ‘Bass Cannon’; an incredibly recognisable track that acts as a cheap thrill rather than providing anything actually impressive. Unlike ‘Bass Cannon’ though, ‘Blow the Roof’ is nowhere near as instantly recognisable or ear-piercing and lacks initial charm or a sense of playful fun. Even the name serves to highlight the generic nature of the track.

The lack of experimentation re-appears with ‘I Still Can’t Stop’, a remix of his earlier hit ‘I Can’t Stop’. Aside from the word ‘still’ in the title, there’s really not much to differentiate it from the previous entry aside from a barely reimagined structure. Feeling more like a live-set tool or that it should have been released as part of a remix EP with the original track’s release 3 years ago, it simply just takes up space on the EP; that simply could have been given to content that was actually new, or good, for that matter.

‘Double Edge’, a collaborative piece with Sway and P Money, also successfully delivers elements of a progressed style with a catchy hook, alongside an incredibly danceable beat. The overlaid rap vocals work with the track at first, but become too abrasive further into the track. For the most part though, ‘Double Edge’ is still one of the EP’s strongest tracks.

‘I Feel It’ is easily the EP’s defining moment though, providing a more upbeat sound with new and more intricate elements. Shuffled beats, arpeggiating synths, a catchy lyrical hook and a half tempo break all work in unison to provide a simply great track. ‘I Feel It’ also notably strikes a near perfect balance between the usually aggressive and relentless style of Flux Pavilion at the refrain, beside sections of a more elegant and reflective nature.

One of the more interesting tracks comes in the form of ‘Do Or Die’, a collaborative piece with Childish Gambino. Camp, Gambino’s first major release from late 2011, was an admittedly excellent and brilliantly executed Rap/Hip-Hop LP, so it comes as some surprise that Gambino’s vocals are actually the worst part of the track. The lyrics feels uninspired, an odd instance for Gambino, and the chorus is delivered in a way that ensures it feels dissonant and out of place with the rest of the track. The actual Flux Pavilion contribution is a mostly impressive effort, feeling more stylistically like ‘I Feel It’ or ‘Double Edge’.

The EP comes to a close with the track ‘Starlight’, which, whilst coming across as somewhat generic or more accessible than anything else on the EP, never comes across as simplistic. The track has effective pacing, similarly to ‘I Feel It’, but lacks the same spark the track work so well.

Blow the Roof is a very difficult EP to define and rate. By no means is it a bad release, but it could easily be considered somewhat unimaginative. At times, it shows a level of ambition and promise unseen in any of Flux Pavilion’s previous releases, but it’s relentlessly stubborn nature in particular tracks are damaging to the overall quality. It’s not necessarily that an abandonment of Flux Pavilion’s previous style is the required medicine for this ailment; his previous style has proven popular enough, evidently enough to pierce mainstream radio. It’s more simply that the failure to evolve completely, the semi-progressive nature on the EP, ultimately leaves you wanting more of Flux Pavilion’s new style. There’s a clear potential for greatness within Blow the Roof, but it’s a potential never fully recognised.

By Stefan Pace

Blow the Roof is available on iTunes now for £4.99

Burn FM Show Application Spring 2013
Burn FM News Application Spring 2013

Additionally, if you are interested in joining the Sports Team, please email sport@burnfm.com to arrange a meeting.

Station Manager
The station manager is responsible for the overall representation of the society and therefore must ensure committee members are satisfying the roles of their positions, DJs are abiding by the broadcast guidelines and that the quality of production is of a standard. Moreover, he/she is responsible for instigating new initiatives, dealing with both society members and guild staff, in order to further the quality of the station.

Deputy Station Manager
Deputy Station Manager needs to cover all things Guild that link with BurnFM. They need to maintain a good relationship for BurnFM with other media and student groups and Guild staff. They need to support the other members of the committee and facilitate the day to day running of the station. They need to work closely with the station and assistant station manager as well as heads of department. Liase, facilitate and do other managerial things.

Assistant Station Manager
The position involves a lot of the tasks to help out with the Station Manager and Deputy Manager, including administration such as supervision timetabling. Organising our presence at Vale Fest and broadcasting from there is a big part of the summer term’s ‘To Do list’. Further responsibilities include: being in charge of Burn FM-wide events/fundraisers (whether they feature our DJs, or society talent, or incorporate other people, groups, bands, etc); coordinating everyone who is helping out, sorting out venues, filling out some Guild forms, and other event-type jobs.

Treasurer
The Treasurer is responsible for all of Burn FM’s finances including accounts, grants and donations. They approve (or disapprove) all outgoing funds and have the task of applying for annual or rolling grants. It is also part of their role to ensure that membership fees are collected.

Head of Mainstream
Head of Mainstream for Burn FM consists of being in charge of applications for Mainstream shows, and from those applications, choosing which ones are of an acceptable standard to be offered a show (i.e. attention to detail, originality, good ideas for features.) Once applications at the beginning of term have finished, the role becomes one of support and quality control, being the first port of call for presenters or shows who are experiencing difficulties or need advice as well as making sure that all of your shows are remaining committed to Burn FM and offering them advice on how to improve their shows if necessary.
Head of Specialist
Paralleling to Head of Mainstream, Head of Specialist consists of being in charge of applications for Specialist shows, and from those applications, choosing which ones are of an acceptable standard to be offered a show (i.e. attention to detail, originality, good ideas for features.) Once applications at the beginning of term have finished, the role becomes one of support and quality control, being the first port of call for presenters or shows who are experiencing difficulties or need advice as well as making sure that all of your shows are remaining committed to Burn FM and offering them advice on how to improve their shows if necessary.

Head of Music
Head of music is concerned with running and organising the weekly music meeting where music playlists are constructed for use on SAM and mainstream shows (also specialist if they so wish). Attempts to lure bands into the studio for interviews and sessions with varying levels of success. Helps with procuring gig tickets and interviews with bands visiting local venues (again with varying success rates). Joins the deputy on the weekly music show to run through the newest singles and releases.

Deputy Head of Music
Liaising with press labels for tickets, sorting logistics of review and interview opportunities. In addition maintaining a rapport with press. Managing input on the blog, receiving reviews and editing them before their final post. Weekly meeting on Wednesday and Music Team show every Monday evening. (Bringing sweets, if you are extra nice).

Head of Sports
1) Oversee and co-ordinate the Burn FM Sport term’s University Sports Coverage, organising the reporters each week and being responsible for all published material and audio content as editor in chief.
2) Work with Redbrick Sport and Guild TV to collectively produce the best combined coverage possible for BUCS sport at Birmingham.
3) Continue our good relationship with UB Sport and the Sports Teams
4) Organise the Burn FM Sport stall for both annual Sports Fairs and work to recruit new members wherever possible
5) Look through show applications each team
6) Misc. jobs and general committee responsibilities
7) Manage our busy social media outlets

Deputy Head of Sport

Deputy Head of Sport role includes advising the Head (or debating with the Head) about any queries that have popped up in the week. Should the Head be absent for whatever reason it is the responsibility of the Deputy to make sure all sports reports/shows still run as planned. Constant communication is key, support of each other is a must, and a desire to make things even better is important!

Head of Marketing
As Head of Marketing you will be entering the exciting world of Burn FM’s brand awareness. Responsibilities in this position include: raising general knowledge of Burn FM on campus at UoB; securing funding for the station to provide new equipment and to spend on advertising; and increasing the listenership of shows played on Burn FM. Head of Marketing is an important and central role on the Burn FM committee. Once securing this position, one may wish to create a sub-committee/team for the marketing of the radio station.

Head of Tech
As Head of Tech, you will be responsible for the running of the computer and audio equipment. This involves maintaining existing and implementing new equipment and software. You will also be required to devise ways of recording in and out of the studio, remote broadcasting, etc. There is the beginnings of a tech team that may wish to coach and develop, and subsequently utilise them in any tech pursuits.

Head of News
The head of news is responsible for the news team. He/ she works closely with the deputy to organise the applications and recruit new members, organise scheduling and campus coverage, and ensure broadcasts are of a professional quality. They are also largely responsible for coordinating the Burn FM coverage of the Guild Elections in the Spring term.

Deputy Head of News
The deputy head of news should be there to help the Head of News make sure that everything goes smoothly with Newsblast and that the news team members get the most out of Burn FM. Help facilitate the running of the daily Newsblast broadcasts with the Head of News. Organize and edit online content including written articles and the posting of podcasts. Help mentor and train the news team members, ensuring they know how to write and produce scripts and podcasts. In second term the deputy head of news will have a big role in organizing the coverage of the Guild Elections.

Head of Arts & Culture
Contact Alex Whitely for information about this position.

Head & Deputy Head of Production
Production is responsible for the sound of the station. They should be working with Shows to help them get the most out of the studio equipment, as well as developing other ideas for shows. They should also be working with department heads in the development of jingles/beds etc., and any other needs such as Outside broadcasts, recording and producing of artists from other societies or from further afield, working in conjunction with the Head of Tech.

Social Secretary
As Social Secretary you will be required to sort out social occasions, such as bar crawls, meals and nights out. You will have to fill out risk assessments and get into contact with people such as bar owners/managers etc. You will be the key person to get everyone involved with events for BurnFM.

Online Editor
The main responsibility of being the online editor is to keep the Burn FM website up-to-date. This involves tasks such as putting up news about the station, keeping the schedule page current and installing extensions. It would be helpful if the person applying for this role had experience with HTML, PHP or WordPress.

Head of Design
As head of design you will be in charge of creating all the visual promotional material for the station and any events that it may be a part of. This should include posters, t-shirts, flyers, and due to recent plans to redevelop the website, webpage designs. It is beneficial for you to have some familiarity with using design software such as Adobe Photoshop or InDesign to help you create material of a good quality for promotions. You will be expected to be able to finish designs for a deadline when making posters and flyers for events etc. and to collaborate with others who are running the projects.
Head of Scheduling
Head of scheduling/programming: Organising the schedule for show times and committee supervision, and making sure everyone is aware of it; organising cover for and chasing up absent shows.

All committee members will need to help supervise shows (just a few hours a week) and train new presenters. There will be a weekly committee meeting too.

The purpose of the demonstration was to campaign against these measures:

• The Government have secretly decreased the level of repayment for tuition fees. Instead of the £21,000, the Government may insist on a repayment at £15,000, £10,000 or even £5,000
• The Government has restricted the amount of non ABB students entering Russell Group Universities by 8% every year therefore these Universities including the University of Birmingham have become more inclusive and exclusive
• Cuts in education proposed by the Government would result in courses having less contact hours, larger size classes, restriction in module choice or even being removed from the curriculum
• The increase of University tuition fees to £9,000 means a reduction of applicants from students with unprivileged backgrounds

The demonstration was the first national student protest in two years since the increase of tuition fees. A reported 10,000 students took the streets with the objective of placing students back on the political agenda. Although the demonstration was mostly peaceful there were several clashes between groups and the Police. However, a majority of people participating in the demonstration acted in a peaceful manner and completed the demonstration route at Kennington Park. During the demonstration, the NUS realised a survey that suggested voters had not forgiven Lib Dem MPs over the raising of tuition fees. Even though, Deputy Prime Ministet Nick Clegg recently issued a public apology for supporting the rise in tuition fees.

The conflict in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Palestinians has dominated international news again this week, as both sides continued to engage in long range bombardments of each other’s cities and towns. Although the fighting has gradually decreased, tensions in the region remain quite high with the international community monitoring the situation. The initial cause of the conflict was the assassination of Hamas commander Ahmed Jibari by an Israeli drone strike which occurred on the 16^th November. Since that incident, both Israel and Hamas (the major political party in Gaza) started to exchange rocket attacks. The worst atrocity came in Tel Aviv when a bomb exploded on a Bus, killing 28 people. However on Tuesday 20^th November, Egyptian President Mohammed Mursi declared that both sides had agreed to a cease fire, which both sides complied too on Thursday 22th November. No disturbances have since been reported.

The conflict between Israel and Gaza has also affected the campus this week. A student demonstration occurred outside the main library on Tuesday 20^th November between the Freedom of Palestine movement and a group of students promoting Israel’s position. The demonstration which lasted for an hour attracted interest from students throughout the campus despite the torrential rain. Both demonstrations pasted without incident with both sides chanting songs in support of their position. Speaking to Redbrick Sadiq Damani, a first year Economics student stated that a couple of demonstrators from both sides used dialogue as opposed to chants to put forward their views. As a result, it was obvious that differences would be present’. Police and campus security were called to the demonstration but only for a precautionary measure.

In national news, the Anglican Church rejected an historic piece of legislation this week on whether to permit women to become bishops. The issue has been widely debated in Anglican Church since women were approved to become priests in the 1980’s. Despite popular support from the current Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams as well as the incoming Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the bill failed to achieve an overall 2/3’s majority in the general synod. The decision left supporters of the bill stricken with emotion; some were even filmed crying after the result was confirmed in the assembly hall. After the result, the pending Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby told BBC NEWS ‘it is a very grim day, most of all for women priests and supporters’. Even though the bill has been voted down, supporters of the bill have pressured the House of Bishops to reconvene negotiations on the topic next summer. The condemnation of the result means the issue of Women Bishops is expected to re-emerge at the next Anglican Church meeting.

Another important international story which emerged this week was the convergence of European Leaders in Brussels for the start of EU budget negotiations. The purpose of the summit is to create and implement an EU budget for the next 7 years. However concerns have emerged on whether the 27 member states will agree on budget proposal by the end of the summit. A majority of the member states including the UK and Germany have stated their intention for the EU budget to contain cuts in line with national budgets. Whilst other member states such as Belgium have stated that the EU budget should have an increase in spending to assist the Eurozone recovery. Whatever the decision, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called for a summit early next year to conclude negotiations.

Finally in national news, the BBC has appointed a new Director General. Tony Hall has replaced George Entwistle who resigned after the fake Newsnight allegations. Speaking at a news conference at the BBC’s headquarters in central London, Lord Hall said: ‘The reason I’m standing before you today is because I care passionately about the BBC, about what it can do, its programme makers and the impact we have in all sorts of different ways’. The appointment of Tony Hall comes after two public incidences that have damaged the corporation’s public image.

Thomas Paton