Second-year Maths student, Stephen Nand-Lal, is taking part in two inline skating marathons this summer.

He is competing in these races in order to raise money for the British Heart Foundation, as well as the Breast Cancer Campaign.

This is a relatively rare sport in Britain, in which competitors race on inline skates, which are large wheeled skates, similar to rollerblades.

Nand-Lal will be competing in two marathons: firstly, the Great Scottish Skate, which is in Edinburgh on 29th July and secondly the Berlin Inline Skating marathon on 29th September). The Berlin skate is estimated to have around 8000 participants.

Nand-Lal is currently the only student from Warwick competing in these races. However, he commented that “I did hear about it through my links from the Ice Hockey club”.

Nand-Lal, who is Treasurer of Ice Hockey at Warwick, is a keen ice skater and said “ice skating itself helps inline skating”.

Warwick Student Stash, a company run by a Warwick student, has agreed to provide Nand-Lal with clothing to advertise his inline skating events. Warwick Student Stash has also provided him with a section of their website to advertise the events. Shirts to advertise the skating events are also for sale on the Warwick Student Stash website.

Nand-Lal hopes to raise £400 in total, with the amount split equally between the charities. He has currently raised around £138.50, although he is hoping to increase this by improving awareness.

The Virgin Money Giving page for the events can be found at: uk.virginmoneygiving.com/StephenNand-Lal

» Flickr/ sciondiver

Quick question: when was the last time you listened to an album in its entirety?

That’s not a question where I would expect for one answer to clearly dominate over another. It’s genuinely difficult to predict: some people might have played one just a few hours ago; for others, it could be a matter of weeks, maybe even months since they last sat through an LP. I just hope that nobody would answer with “it’s been a few years…”

To be honest, it’s no big issue. With downloading, streaming, file-sharing and playlist-compiling now so integrated into the average music aficionado’s lifestyle, it should be no surprise that we have less and less time to listen to entire albums with all the endlessly exciting new music just waiting to be discovered. Most listeners nowadays will merely sample music: giving one song a quick listen and then decide if this artist is worth their time (and maybe even their money). But with the music industry becoming increasingly competitive as millions of wannabes flounder for attention and recognition, it takes a lot to really inspire a listener into going out on a limb and downloading / buying an entire album. Then, of course, there is the process of listening to it in full.

Even simply being at university poses a problem, or it does for me at least. Back in the homeland, on an average day I’ll normally be able to listen to two or three albums. At university, it’s another matter. For one thing, all I have with me here at Warwick are digital copies of my music collection, and frankly, listening to an entire album through my laptop’s tinny speakers isn’t nearly as satisfying as turning up the stereo system back at home. But even beyond the off-putting nature of deficient sound quality, finding time is nigh-on impossible with the hectic schedule of deadlines, revision and gatherings in the pub.

In fact, the only times that I can regularly listen to music are when I’m either out for a run, or walking to a lecture. In the case of the former, listening to an album all the way through while trying to keep up a steady pace is possible, but not exactly easy. As with most people, it’s normally a case of pick-and-mix to keep the most rhythmic tracks in circulation. There are a couple of albums which will work in that scenario, but you’re not always in the mood for their particular flavour when struggling up Gibbet Hill.

As for making my way from A to B on campus, I’ll normally just pop on the headphones for a quick few songs to capture the mood as I take the most direct route. And even with most of my classes situated in Millburn House (essentially a stone’s throw from Westwood), that still means the longest route I will regularly take when on campus takes me about fifteen minutes to make, which is naturally nowhere near enough for a proper album playback. Instead, I could always go for an EP, but nine times out of ten, I’ll just cherry-pick a few individual songs and then it’ll be time to unplug the iPod and unpack the lecture notebook.

It’s a shame, really, because even though there’s nothing at all wrong with having favourite individual songs, I always feel like I really should be devoting time to listening to them in the context of the album. This may be a little pretentious, and I realise that they are three disparate mediums, but personally, I always approach albums, films and novels in the same way. Each one is a comprehensive whole, split into a number of chapters. Granted, these parts can be set in different scenes, or carry different messages, and some are complete non-sequiturs, but ultimately, they’re all part of a larger product.

Seldom does one read a novel and think that an entire chapter could quite easily have been left out entirely without hampering the rest of the plot, or the overall effect of the book. With films it’s a little harder to judge, but you’d like to imagine that after the editing process, anything throwaway has been left on the cutting room floor. Consider a film in a similar way: obviously, when watching a film, you’re going to have some favourite moments, and you can re-watch those moments in isolation afterwards if you want to. But more often than not, it won’t have the same effect it first had once it has been separated from the sequence it was placed into. I suppose this is truer with films than albums, given the emphasis on narrative structure and any use of cinematic tension-and-release, but still, I find skipping a song is like skipping a scene from a film, even if nothing overly substantial takes place. I just feel like I’m missing something from the whole experience as it was packaged.

My friend Josh sums it up perfectly. One of our favourite past-times is spending an evening in the Dirty Duck, discussing our favourite music releases over a pint or two. A few months ago, I admitted that I’d neglected listening to Radiohead’s indispensable OK Computer for a good few months, and he enthused: “it’s just a magic album. The way it just fits together is perfect: Airbag into Paranoid Android…”

And this really got me thinking about the importance of sequencing. It may sound like pretentious babble, but that urban legend is true: songs really can complement each other. A well-sequenced album can take multiple songs – which are individually brilliant in their own right – and transform them into a powerful, single unit (as corny as that sounds). There are countless examples of songs which sound inseparable. Wild Beasts’ Bed Of Nails just sounds so much more impressive straight off the back of Lion’s Share. Spiritualized’s Cop Shoot Cop… can only really do the damage if it’s blasted at the end of the seventy-minute odyssey that is the spectacular Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space. And once you’ve started playing Intro by The xx, you can’t pull yourself away until after the final, glassy moments of Stars. And albums don’t need to have a cohesive thread or concept for this to work: sometimes the songs are dissimilar (in subject or in sound) but just flow brilliantly, keeping the pace and mood perfectly controlled.

Admittedly, some of my favourite albums are just collections of pop songs bundled together, and I can happily dip in and out of those at any given time. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with a well-performed cluster of self-contained three-minute pop bursts. But the albums that really stick out for me are ones which I have to set aside time for: ones which I’ll have to sit with from beginning to end for forty minutes or an hour in order to maximise the effect. And in a sense, now that I have less time to spend on the pleasure of music discovery, university has made me appreciate the idea of an album as an experience even more.

But over to you guys: what are your thoughts? Do you agree or disagree? What albums do you think work best when played in full? Let me know.

It felt a little strange to see the main room of Kasbah, normally reserved for high-heels and magazine-scratched aftershave suddenly taken over by heavy boots and green Mohicans. Indeed my own image of Alkaline Trio as a fairly light pop-punk outfit was challenged somewhat by the mix of barely legal Emos and old time punks that gathered for Tuesday night’s performance in the early leg of their UK tour. Currently coming off the back of their eighth album, the Trio - with an uncanny ability to change style and yet remain artistically consistent - could not fail to appreciate the dedicated mass of fans that had assembled at their feet.

First to the stage were California new wave outfit The Dear and Departed. Though initially struggling to overcome my own prejudices towards five-pieces, the group gave a lively, if occasionally self-indulgent performance of up-beat tunes. The catchy Matter of Time gave the group perhaps its greatest moments with lead-singer Dan Smith carrying the soaring chorus right through the club. Next up came Dave Hause, a veteran singer-songwriter taking a break from fronting the Philadelphia punk outfit The Loved Ones to give Alkaline Trio the necessary mid-set calm before the storm. Hause proved to have all the power to captivate an audience as the modern legends that would follow him. Taking the stage with the standard chequered shirt and three-day beard image, Hause resembled something of a transatlantic Frank Turner without some of the old Etonian’s pretensions. Switching between electric and acoustic guitars, Hause delivered a collection of sincere, powerful and lyrically impressive tunes to an audience who were themselves surprised with the solitary figure’s ability to captivate.

For those who remember Alkaline Trio’s breakthrough album From Here to Infirmary and the three youthful faces that stared out from its cover, there may have been a hint of sadness as the trio appeared on stage quite clearly showing their age. Not that the bald heads and hardened stares did anything to derail the audience; jumping into the lively We’ve Had Enough, beers flew high and baggy-jeaned crowd surfers scrambled forward into the un-amused arms of the club’s bouncers. The equally lively Time to Waste demonstrated the real skill of the Trio, so often criticised for technical simplicity. Doubtless much of the crowd was drawn to the brilliant work of drummer Derek Grant who made it clear he was no mere stickman, throwing in some creative and unexpected fills on songs which occasionally lacked enthusiasm. The lyrically inventive Armageddon proved most popular with a crowd whose sheer dedication to the modern punk legends gave the occasion much of its electricity. Unfortunately the trio suffered the hated indignity of the microphone; particularly affecting bassist Daniel Andriano whose decent tenor vocal couldn’t be projected clearly across the hall.

Though the group have certainly lost none of their skill or enthusiasm, something about the night’s performance felt unfinished. Then again, this might just have been my own nostalgic urge to hear Stupid Kid performed live. Without doubt Alkaline Trio have earned their reputation as the spirited punk chameleons they are, and the lively performances of their guests certainly helped give the occasion its drive. Though at times the quality of songs varied, the evening turned out to be an exciting indulgence in the simplicity and energy that make punk what it is – and I struggle to name another band of the genre playing nowadays with the same understanding.

The last Union Council of the year took place last Monday 14th May. The meeting, which lasted for three hours, included the Chair and Deputy Chair elections as well as heated discussions on Council proposals, many of which were passed.

The Council elections resulted in third year Law and Sociology student Erin Davies gaining the position of Chair of Council, the first female to secure the position. First- year PPE student Oliver Rice obtained the position of Deputy Chair of Council.

SU Democracy Officer Chris Luck commented on the Student Union’s website: “One of the closest elections I have seen in 4 years! With two exceptionally strong candidates I know I’m not alone in saying I struggled to cast my vote”. He also spoke of his confidence in the two winners.

Speaking to the Boar, Davies commented: “I’m absolutely ecstatic! I think it’s brilliant that next year we have 3 female sabbs and the first ever female chair of council, it’s nice to see more girls getting involved in student politics and being recognised as valuable members to the team.

“I’m really looking forward to working with Cosmo to fulfill the democracy review promise to make council simple, accessible and relevant - if I have my way there’ll be a lot more impartial orange around next year!!”

The ‘Democracy Review Phase Two’ resulted in several changes. The Union Council will now be renamed the Student Council, and Sports, Societies, Campaigns and Postgraduates will all have dedicated seats in the Council.

The ‘Democracy Review Phase Three’ included an examination of every Union policy and, wherever possible, qualifying the policies with additional content or job descriptions. The proposed Student Trustees were ratified and the Contract Workers’ Rights was amended and passed.

The full changes proposed in the review, though not fully discussed at council, included ensuring that more than two people are required to propose a suggestion, in order to guarantee relevance to the majority of the student body.

Other additions were intended at making the democratic process easier and more accessible for students. Whilst all of the proposals could not be discussed at the Council, both Phase Two and Three were passed unanimously.

A proposal to support the National Union of Students’ (NUS) National Demonstration by sending a delegate to attend the demonstration in the autumn of next year was also passed.

Furthermore a proposal on ‘The Future of Bath Place’ was met with approval. The Council resolved to mandate the Sabbatical Officers to lobby the University to reconsider Bath Place as a site for the Leamington Learning Space, “given the extensive existing student involvement and association with Bath Place and the potential for more valuable community engagement in the future”.

In addition they resolved to increase awareness about the location’s current circumstances.

The policy on ‘Financially Supporting and Advising Pregnant Students’ provoked disagreement amongst the Council’s attendees. Both Development Officer George Whitworth and Societies Officer Matt Rodgers spoke out against the pregnancy policy.

Rodgers and Whitworth disagreed with the policy entailing part of the hardship fund, which is to help poorer students, to be ring-fenced for female students who need to balance the demands of a family and a degree.

Rodgers and Whitworth argued the case on the grounds that the hardship was rarely used, and that ring fencing a small amount would risk reducing the amount available to those who need it in other circumstances.

During the debate Welfare Officer Izzy John, who expressed her support for it, commented on the fact that the two people to speak out against the motion were men.

At the end of the debate Rodgers responded that he felt his opinion was valid regardless of his sex, given that the issue was finance related. He also deplored what he described as the use of sexist stereotypes to stifle the debate.

Further controversy surrounded the debate when one councillor put forward and amendment to ‘Believes 2’ of the motion, (number 645), which states that the Union supports the right of women to have an abortion.

Third year PPE student Binita Mehta also made a speech on the issue, and the vote that followed resulted in failure for the proposed amendment.

SU President Leo Boe also put forward emergency business on nightclub Amara’s recent procurement of a sexual entertainment licence. Boe stated that he didn’t want female students at Warwick, who may socialise or live near the club, to be stigmatised by the “disgusting people coming out of that building”.

Speaking against the motion Mehta commented that the issue was one of “personal choice”, and was irritated by one councillor’s comparison of their activities to sex trafficking, arguing that the two could not be compared. Boe responded that nothing justified the objectification of women’s bodies.

The ‘Opposition to Sexual Entertainment Venues’ (SEVs) resolution was passed. The resolutions stated that: the Welfare Officer was to “put pressure on the District Council to have a zero tolerance approach to SEVs by joining the campaign”.

In addition it was resolved that the SU President and Women’s Campaigns Officer would publicise the campaign to students living in Leamington.

The meeting ended with Boe acknowledging that criticisms had been leveled at the incoming Exec team for their political positions. However Boe commented that he felt it was important for the incoming team to accept that they should keep their political views separate from their professional responsibilities.

He noted that the outgoing Sabbatical officers had never looked at anything through a “party political lens”.