Olivia Marrins

Deputy Editor-in-Chief  at The Glasgow Guardian. English Literature MA at The University of Glasgow.

The Glasgow Guardian •

Are you over being whelmed?

Countless Turnitin deadlines to hit on the same day, union socials you promised you would ‘show face at’, investing in quality time with your flatmates – it is no wonder why everyone is facing extreme burnout so early on in the academic year. The feeling of being overwhelmed can be brought on by a variety of things, whether that be taking on too many responsibilities or something unexpected cropping up. It is easy to feel suffocated by the voice in your head telling you must do everything.

Whil
The Glasgow Guardian •

The forgotten women of Glasgow’s Art Nouveau

Margaret and Frances Macdonald’s artistic legacy has been overlooked by the art world for decades

Charles Rennie Mackintosh, James Herbert MacNair, Margaret Macdonald, and Francis Macdonald: the group known as the “Glasgow Four” was comprised of these four Glasgow School of Art graduates who met in the mid-1890s. Each became pioneering figures of the Art Nouveau movement at this time and into the 20th century. The establishment of their creative and innovative designs and graphics shaped what i
The Glasgow Guardian •

Glasgow: a musical history

A city with a culture deeply rooted in independent music tradition, Glasgow’s musical history reveals a place like no other.

Glasgow’s unique and compelling musical history is at one with the vibrancy of the city. This has always been a place so intimately involved with art and culture, and though its complexities and marvellousness can never be fully appreciated, I am sharing my small, personal connections to the artists and venues which are amongst Glasgow’s moments of great significance.

As
The Times •

Podcast of the week: Full Disclosure with James O’Brien

Alan Cumming says his role in Stanley Kubrik’s Eyes Wide Shut was a turning point in his film career – but it all started with Taggart and Take the High Road. “I loved the fame,” he says. “I loved opening fêtes and being pinned up against a Scout hut wall by old ladies.”

Cumming talks about his early career in Full Disclosure with James O’Brien, a podcast series the notoriously feisty LBC presenter has designed, he says, “to let me spend more time than is available on my radio show with fascina
The Times •

Table scraps: what to eat and drink in Scotland this week

It’s been a busy time for the chefs Sam Yorke and Tomás Gormley. Last month we brought news of Skua, their new opening in Stockbridge, and now Heron, the restaurant they opened two years ago in Leith, has scooped a Michelin star.

Aged 25 and 28 respectively, Yorke and Gormley are now the youngest Scottish chefs to win a Michelin star — and Leith now has the UK’s highest concentration of Michelin gongs outside London.

Commended by the judges for its “fresh, understated and uncluttered” cuisine
The Glasgow Guardian •

Queer Love and the External Gaze

Who is the top and who is the bottom? A long-running question and/or joke as old as time within the queer community and society at large. The heteronormative lens in front of queer representation appears in all aspects of culture. The relationship between language and one’s sexual experience has been controlled through self-identification for centuries. The ambiguity of this question is based on outdated assumptions and arbitrary labelling mechanisms.

Language holds the omnipotence to determine
The Glasgow Guardian •

Glasgow's social gig for young people

Young people make Glasgow. The significance of Glasgow’s history in the music scene is one of world-class recognition. There are no limitations to the richness of Glasgow’s cultural scope, whether that be an intimate gig at the back of a West End pub, or thousands of students screaming along to a chart favourite at the O2 Academy. The history of each concert hall or hidden theatre is lined with tales from those who used to frequent them, and is now an area waiting to be delved into by the younge
The Glasgow Guardian •

Independent Venue Week: Suede's intimate gig @ Stereo

The insatiable ones congregated in glory as a sea of forty-somethings filled the floor of Stereo last Friday night. To mark the 10-year celebration of BBC Radio 6’s Independent Venue Week, Steve Lamacq hosted events across the country, booking one of the UK’s biggest Britpop stars at the Glasgow music cafe/bar hybrid.

Scottish rising star Theo Bleak lined the room with her soft, woozy vocals as the support. Having released her EP Fragments last May, this hour was filled with relaxed instrumenta
The Glasgow Guardian •

Album review: Permanent Damage

With the release of his debut album Permanent Damage, Joesef has created a track list of heartbreak, sexual exploration and nostalgic longing, while emulating his soulful delicate vocals as a dream-like escape from harsh realities. Long-awaited after the release of his two EPs, the album has only escalated the bittersweet melancholic overtone of his sound, which ties his voice to being that of Glasgow’s finest.

Growing up in the East End of Glasgow, Joesef pays homage to the raw beauty of every
The Glasgow Guardian •

Why artists are finally hitting the pause button

The lifestyle of a music artist - turning up to interviews and sold-out shows on little to no sleep, and surviving on caffeine and microwavable meals - is often glamourised. But it is sure to reach a state of exhaustion and deliriousness.

After the announcement that Sam Fender will be playing St James Park in Newcastle next June, he has taken the decision to pull out of his forthcoming headline shows in the US. Due to burnout, Fender is taking this time away from the stage for recuperation and