V. O'Hagan

In Review: Molchat Doma - 'Discoteque'

It’s October 2020. A plague is raging, hate crimes are on the rise, and the most radio-played disco-themed tune is by Sophie Ellis-Bexter. At least one of these situations can be instantly improved: enter Belarusian new-wave/synth-pop/post-punk/cold-wave/Russian doomers Molchat Doma, with their new track ‘Discoteque’ from upcoming album Monument. The band went viral in early May due to TikTokers using their music as a dour soundtrack to their fast-action wardrobe changes, and if none of that ma
Giglist •

In Review: Sun June - 'Karen O'

God bless Karen O, the spectral Tinkerbell who can tickle your heartstrings and make you feel as though you’ve ingested a face-full of drugs, often within the scope of a single album. If you’re not concentrating, the new single by Austin five-piece Sun June sounds suspiciously like the actual Karen O is singing about herself under a pseudonym - that’s how perfectly they replicate her wistful, introspective, twinkly sound. The track is taken from upcoming sophomore album Somewhere, and the band
Medium •

Lithium: the Strange Death of Priadel

Priadel is being discontinued in the U.K. What does this mean for bipolar patients? My pharmacist leaned in conspiratorially when I last picked up my prescription, his glasses perched on the edge of his sweaty nose. “So there’s something I need to tell you about your lithium...” He told me that the U.K wasn’t making any more of it. My heart jumped inside my chest and I could feel the beginnings of an anxiety attack. Like millions of others in the U.K, I rely on lithium to tether me to Earth,
Buzz Magazine •

SOUTH WALES' MENTAL HEALTH | FEATURE •

South Wales has been the focus of lurid mental health headlines over the past few years, from the tragic string of suicides in Bridgend to the Daily Mail’s assertion that Blaenau Gwent is “hooked on happy pills”. Just last month Pontypridd MP Owen Smith denounced our mental health system as “terrible” after his brother waited on a hospital trolley in A&E for over a week, instead of receiving specialist mental health treatment. In the UK, one in four of us will experience a mental health problem
Buzz Magazine •

TROUBLE AT A TAVERN: WALES' RELATIONSHIP WITH ALCOHOL | FEATURE •

In the fourteenth century, Welsh poet Dafydd ap Gwilym wrote a poem called Trafferth Mewn Tafarn, or Trouble At A Tavern. The protagonist drinks wine, tries to seduce a comely lass, stumbles over bar stools, and narrowly avoids an altercation with three Englishmen before slinking off to bed alone, asking God to forgive him. Alcohol leading to lust, violence, foolishness and shame are pretty familiar themes, even in 2016. Many people who are alcoholics are going to Detox of South Fl, to get help.
Medium •

The Game : Prostitution in South Wales

Throughout human history the act of selling one’s body has been a reliable way to earn a living, it’s the world’s oldest profession after all. The word ‘prostitute’ often conjures up wildly different images in people’s minds — maybe a high class courtesan like Satine from Moulin Rouge, a feisty young go-getter like Billie Piper’s character in ‘Secret Diary of a Call Girl’ or a ‘tart with a heart’ like Mary Jane Kelly. But for many Welsh locals the word ‘prostitute’ does not bring to mind fictio
Buzz Magazine •

Celebrating Welsh Legends | Feature

Victoria O’Hagan looks ahead to 2017, the Year of Legends, and rounds up her top pick of legendary locations in Wales. 2016 may well go down in history as the year where Western politics went a little bit bonkers and Bowie left for his home planet, but 2017 is set to become a legendary year for Wales. The Year of Legends 2017 is a campaign set up by the Welsh Government Tourist Board to raise the profile of Wales’ tourism. All Celts love a good story, and Welsh history is studded with tales of
Buzz Magazine •

Gambling In Wales: A Hidden Problem | Feature

In most betting shops you will see three windows marked ‘Bet Here’ and only one window with the legend ‘Pay Out’. Jeffrey Bernard Gambling isn’t exactly a recent phenomenon although certain advances like Bitcoin Casinos At EasyMobileCasino are. The origin of gambling goes back 2000 years ago, back to the Chinese playing keno, an early form of lottery. The widespread popularity of the game allegedly helped to pay for the Great Wall of China, get more info on that here if you are so inclined. Che
Buzz Magazine •

Roids: All The Rage | Feature

A Look at Steroid Abuse in South Wales My friend Clara is the living embodiment of modern-day female perfection. Tall and willowy, she wears a size zero and eats like a racehorse. Last year she introduced me to her new boyfriend Greg who stood 6’6 in his bare feet and had shoulders like giant over-ripe watermelons. His body was incredible, and I mean that in the traditional sense of the word – it was preposterous, implausible, absurd. I still remember the laboured way he manoeuvred himself into
Buzz Magazine •

A Tale of Two Parties | Politics Feature

Labour is the most successful political party in modern Welsh politics, winning the largest share of the vote at every General Election since 1922. However, after Wales voted for Brexit, it was expected that the Conservatives would make great gains during this year’s snap election. Contrary to predictions, Labour achieved a stellar result – they took back Gower, Cardiff North and Vale of Clwyd from the Tories, and fought off battles for Bridgend and Wrexham, winning 28 seats, three more than in
Medium •

POISONED PICK’N’MIX

Well, it used to be called dysphoric mania. Now it goes by the catch-all term ‘bipolar mixed episode’ or ‘mixed state’, the mental health equivalent of an electrified corpse in hot-pink lipstick. It’s depression on fire. It’s medieval manic funeral-weeping. It’s a brain being pulled in two catastrophically different directions from the moment you wake up until you finally manage to get a few hours’ sleep. It started, as bad experiences often do, with a Disney live action re-make. I went to se
Medium •

Rainbow Bridge

Perhaps it was a freak accident or a long illness — it doesn’t really matter now. They’re gone; they’re at peace. But what are we left with? Guilt, loneliness, sadness. Perhaps even a sense of our own mortality. A pet is a member of the family, often the heart-beat of the home. My cat Bert was the one I came home to after long, grey days, the one who woke me up, the one I wished goodnight. He was my best friend, and I spoiled him like a child. I won’t presume to tell you how to mourn your own
Medium •

Saddle Thrombus: Losing a Cat to Underlying Heart Disease

We had a routine, Bert and I. At bedtime, he’d race me up the stairs and snuggle in for an eight hour stretch, sometimes nudging his way under the covers for a bit of the old nap’n’scratch. In the morning he’d wake me up with his big old moon face and snub nose, mewing hoarsely like a chainsmoker, ready for breakfast. Last Thursday he didn’t come to bed with me. I figured he was out enjoying some late summer larks with his other feline friends (notably a slender Tortoiseshell named Girlie, who
Medium •

The Bipolar Business Card

I order business cards on light grey linen in the middle of the night, a feverish sweat on my brow, bashing the ‘process order’ button without caring that the forty words advertising my ‘business’ are all misspelled or casually capitalised in places where capital letters have no right to be. “I’ve ordered a shit-ton of business cards.” I say to my room-mate, as he does the washing up wearing tart-red washing up gloves. “I’m going to be an Instagram poet.” “Right. And why would you need busine
Buzz Magazine •

MADE IN ROATH | ARTS PREVIEW •

They’ve been bringing art to Roath’s doorstep for eight years, and they’re back with their dazzling week-long October festival. Conceived in 2009 by a small collection of Roath based artists, Made in Roath provides a platform for local, national and international artwork, promoting art and culture on a ‘hyper local’ basis. Roath is often considered the bohemian heart of Cardiff, and this festival aims to entice all members of the community by ticking every creative box. In fact, this festival is
Football Talk | Premier League News •

Would Liverpool fans prefer Champions League or Premier League glory?

Liverpool’s current season is going very well indeed – they’ve played superbly well over the last eighteen months – to the point where they could be on-course for a Premier League and Champion’s League double this season. Their last match in the Champion’s League against Bayern Munich resulted in a disappointing 0-0 draw and they were held to the same scoreline by Man Utd on Sunday afternoon. However, Liverpool are still sitting one point clear of Man City at the top of the table and Reds’ fans
The Aspiring Gentleman •

What should you wear for a day at the races?

Cheltenham Festival is nearly upon us. Originating in 1860, thousands of spectators will flock to watch the best British and Irish horses compete for the four-million-pound prize. But the Cheltenham Festival is as much about sartorial elegance as it is about horse racing. Many view the event as a special occasional that captures the public imagination, using it as an excuse to dust off their best outfits and dress to impress. Each day of the event has its own flavour, with many choosing to dress
The Irish Post •

A day-by-day guide to Cheltenham: Everything you need to know ahead of Cheltenham Festival 2019

Brought to you by The Social Family. The 2019 Cheltenham Festival is fast approaching, promising exciting horse racing and top-notch entertainment. Taking place from March 12th to March 15th this year, Cheltenham is an annual meeting in the National Hunt racing calendar where many of the best British and Irish horses come together to compete. The festival – which often coincides with St Patrick's Day – is one of the major highlights on the horse racing calendar and can propel both horses and

Who Will Be NBA MVP?

We’re no longer in the early stage of the NBA season. With only six weeks left, the list of MVP candidates has narrowed to a small selection of serious contenders. The award is decided by a panel of eleven members of the media, who cast votes after the conclusion of the Finals, and the person with the highest number of votes will win the MVP award. In order to win the award, scoring the most points is not enough – according to Fran Blinebury at NBA.com, it’s also about 'being able to affect a g
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