Victoria Ruck

Freelance writer based in Durham/Chesterfield/Sheffield 

The Indiependent •

Track Review: Birdman // Moby Dickless

The three-person Manchester band Moby Dickless have once again added another feather to the cap (pardon the pun) that is their already rich musical repertoire with their first single of the year. If you haven’t previously taken flight with these storytellers and song makers, then indulge yourself with ‘Birdman,’ an experimental track that tells a tale of obsession through a man who houses fifty birds to the point where it kills him.

The track opens with rolling drums, creating a captivating, hy
The Indiependent •

An Ode to The Leadmill- How Sheffield Could Lose One of its Most Loved Venues

If you catch a train to Sheffield and walk two minutes up the road to The Leadmill, you’ll find an extensive temple to the age-old music culture that has echoed throughout its walls. The Leadmill Archives, currently showing on a weekly basis, are a heartfelt tribute to the rich history of one of the nation’s most loved venues, showing old signed gig set lists, posters and merchandise.

This prolific past dates back to 1980, when the Leadmill first opened as a Community Centre in the former flour
The Indiependent •

Travelling To: Seville, Spain

At the end of 2022, I was lucky enough to live in beautiful Seville for the first part of my year abroad, where I got to experience the best of quintessential Spanish culture.

A historical, yet bustling city, Seville is sure to have something for everyone, whether you’re into vibrant nightlife or the cultural side of things.

I stayed in an apartment in the Nervión district which was a fifteen-minute Metro ride from the city centre, which let me see both the tourist and the local (or a slightly
Palatinate •

Album Review: ‘The Car’

Four years after the release of Tranquility Base & Hotel Casino, Arctic Monkeys are back with the release of their latest album. Nostalgic and sentimental, The Car is a vulnerable love letter to the fans, waving goodbye to their old styles with a James Bond-esque mystique accompanied by hints of The Last Shadow Puppets. This album is certainly one which looks ahead into Arctic Monkeys’ new artistic direction, as a more refined, soft rock collection of songs, yet features a key theme of insecurit
The Indiependent •

‘Dogtooth’ Is A Harrowing Commentary on Intense Familial Roles: Review

Although released in 2009, Yorgos Lanthimos’ Dogtooth has found its way back as a talking point of film lovers everywhere after its recent arrival as a feature on MUBI. A Greek thriller centred on an overly controlling family who have ostracised their adult children from the world, this film will leave you feeling unnerved, but in the best way possible.

Dogtooth instantly establishes a disturbing atmosphere with its opening, which offers no context as to the situation of the characters, merely
Now Then •

Opus Kink - 'Til The Stream Runs Dry

Opus Kink’s new EP 'Til The Stream Runs Dry launches with a lush instrumental lift-off, ‘Into The Stream,’ building tension for the true sonic adventure that we are about to experience. It then bursts into ‘I Love You, Baby’, which opens with upbeat and rocky guitar rhythms, leading into growling IDLES-esque vocals with swooning jazz moments. The meandering brass and rich chaos establish an untamed feel, which is maintained throughout the EP.

‘Dog Stay Down’ hosts a cacophony of hushed vocals b
Aila •

The Impostor Syndrome Survival Guide — Aila

Going to university can often be an idealised experience. You get to live independently, away from the familiarity of home, make new friends, and adapt to a whole new lifestyle. I've always pictured a smooth cruise through academia and a fun (occasionally boozy) experience; however, it wasn't until I began to settle into university that insecurities about myself and my background bubbled up to the surface thanks to Impostor Syndrome. Which is described by trusty Google as 'the persistent inabili
THƏ DEFINITE ARTICLE •

An Impromptu Weekend in Granada

If there was one thing that I expected from summer 2021, it definitely wasn’t a spontaneous £20 trip to southern Spain to see my best friend Raúl. Although I felt like a main character in a coming-of-age film, solo-travelling with one backpack during times of a pandemic whilst lacking common sense felt like an Olympic Sport. Nevertheless, the two-year turbulence of Coronavirus was well worth the flight turbulence to be hit with the gust of hot air as I stepped off the plane onto Spanish land bef