Jenni Ajderian

(originally published by  The Student )      There's a real air of nostalgia in Rhubaba's tiny warehouse-gallery in Leith. Corrugated iron doors and white-washed walls are made homely by the sheer amount of sound coming from the installations and the street outside. Art made from tin cans and magazine collage provides a hopeful, home-made feeling and something every visitor can recognise.      The launch last Saturday of Rhubaba's latest occupation by InterCity MainLine (ICML) was nearly rained off. Co-director Rachel Adams explained that “turn-out wasn't as good as we were hoping because of the weather. But it turned into more of a fun experiment this way” , and the Watercolour Challenge paintings made by members of the public will be put into ICML's next Edinburgh-based zine publication.      ICML's five artists, each originating from Bristol, like to explore, share ideas and experiences of different cities, then collaborate to form art like the zine an

(originally published by  The Student )      THE UNIVERSITY and College Union (UCU) elected a new Vice President and future President in a ballot held last week. History lecturer Simon Renton of University College London, currently a national negotiator for the Union, won with 61 per cent of the vote. Renton will take up his post as president in 2013, following the end of Alan Whitaker's presidency.      UCU represents over 120,000 academic staff across the UK, including lecturers, researchers and postgrads employed by Universities and adult education centres. In Scotland its focus is on equal pay and job security within Scottish institutions, and campaigns against tuition fees and 'casual contracts', which leave new employees vulnerable to being underpaid, overworked and treated as temporary members of staff.      Internal politics within the Union has seen a split between the Independent Broad Left, of which Renton is a member, and the Left, represented in this

(originally published by  The Student )      In the 4 years between Lupe Fiasco's previous album, The Cool and now, he's had a few difficulties. Despite winning armfuls of awards, Atlantic Records refused to let him release another record, and fans had to resort to a public rally and petitions to ensure this third album came into being.      So it's no surprise that LASERS sounds like a protest. Fiasco explained to the Metro last week that the idea was to “get people to activate”, and in songs like State Run Radio it's clear this activation won't hide behind rhetoric. This call-to-arms song is one of the highlights of the album, and a clear backlash at his record company and the ideals of censorship.      The record has taken on various forms since 2007's predecessor, from farewell album to a compilation of great American rap, but what has emerged is an incredibly outspoken, almost riotous 12-track where each song has been touched by a protester'

(originally published by The Student )      Following forewarned slashes to the Art Council's budget, there have been whispers backstage of huge funding cuts to some of the UK's best and brightest cultural organisations. Here in Edinburgh we can see it already in the closure of the Roxy ArtHouse and the dwindling hopes of the Forest Café, so could it be curtains for Edinburgh's Art scene?      Well, not exactly. Though Arts Council England (ACE) 's budget has been tempered to the tune of a 30% reduction, Scottish equivalent Creative Scotland has secured its tickets into the middle of next year. This means that the 115 smaller arts organisations propped up by the government body will be protected- at least up until the election in May.      This possible passing-on of the country's purse means the future of Creative Scotland is not guaranteed. But considering that even in England, where some council's arts funds have been cut completely, theatres and gal

(originally published by  The Student )      If there's one thing that last Tuesday's Big Red Variety Show can tell us, it's just how much talent can be called upon at the University of Edinburgh at a moment's notice. Organised like a kind of mini Comic Relief show, the Variety Show was the brainchild of Edinburgh Societies' Charity Appeal (ESCA) member Tabby Gould, who had a lot of entertainers to pick from.      “I looked through the societies' guide for entertainment groups” she told me “the Fresh Air guys were doing the commentary at the Meadows Marathon, and I thought they were funny” and the rest, it seems, is history. The name of Comic Relief goes a long way towards getting support for an event, from both performers and audience members alike, and the hope of the event being filmed to have a clip featured on Friday night's show meant that societies were eager to get involved.      Drumming Soc started off the night with a tight-knit set that

(originally published by  The Student ) With the feel of a kind of upbeat Livin' on a Prayer , Noah and the Whale's latest release is a classic girl-meets-boy-while-working-in-a-seedy-bar tale, injected with the happy-go-lucky spirit you'd expect from its title. But woah there, things aren't so simple. The chorus itself may take some practising to sing along to, as you'll have to spell out the words in time, Aretha Franklin's RESPECT- style. Once you've got that down, you can start air-guitaring along to the guitar and, yes, the violin solo. Layered backing vocals abruptly chime in on this odd multi-instrumental spelling bee then duck out again for a nice key-change and a bit more repetition. Like life, the song goes on, and will stay with you from those seedy bars back to your lectures and home again.

(originally published by  The Student )      In 2008 a fresh-faced Lykke Li Zachrisson told the Guardian why she no longer want to be a dancer- “I want to be on stage and travel the world and live passionately and have love affairs and get drunk.” Since debut Youth Novels , Lykke Li has toured the world, ticking boxes one and two, and with this album sings through the other three.      The new album Wounded Rhymes takes its name from a line in one of the last and most mellow songs on the album- Sadness is a Blessing . Here she uses melodies and lyrics reminiscent of a 60s girl-band, with lines like “Sadness is my boyfriend / Oh, Sadness, I'm your girl”. An otherwise decent song is weakened by Li's voice, which here sounds sickly-sweet rather than the more sinister melodies heard elsewhere.      First track Youth Knows No Pain opens with a darkly energetic style which introduces us to the heavy, tribal-sounding drums that dominate the album. But at times this backbeat