24TH FEB 2014/ ISSUE 15 FREE
MANCHESTER’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER
Fashion special: New York Fashion Week
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Music interview: Virus Syndicate
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Feature: The dangers of cycling on Oxford Road
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Manchester ranked Stopping students worst city for crime graduate for unpaid against students Dan Harold News Reporter
Shut your windows and lock your doors - Manchester has the highest numbers of robberies, burglaries, and violent crime outside London. According to statistics published by the Complete University Guide Manchester has the highest levels of student-relevant crime in a city with two or more universities. In an investigation into the levels of crime for individual institutions, The University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University were among those ranked as having the highest number of reported crimes within three miles of the main campus. The guide states that Manchester has the highest rates of robberies and burglaries, while Nottingham has the highest rates of violent crime. The guide’s crime map shows that Fallowfield, the most popular accommodation area with students, has one of the highest crime rates outside the city centre. There were 671 reported crimes in Fallowfield and the surrounding areas last December alone, according to figures
library fines may be illegal
obtained from police.uk. The Complete University Guide, which uses official police data to calculate its report, claims to provide “the clearest picture possible” of crime rates in cities outside London. It uses figures for what it believes to be the three crimes most relevant to students; robberies; burglaries; and violent crimes, including sexual offences, given that data for crimes affecting only students is not available. Bernard Kingston, founder of the Complete University Guide, said, “While these crimes are the three most commonly perpetrated against students, the figures relate to all victims, not just students. And they relate to the areas surrounding universities, not solely to university premises. “While universities, especially those in high crime areas, do much to advise students on precautions, many students, particularly those from overseas attracted by formidable academic reputations, are often not aware of the risks in the areas around their chosen institutions.”
Continued on page 2....
Michael Williams News Editor
Students at Manchester are amongst the most likely outside of London to be victims of crime. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Universities have been warned by the Office of Fair Trading that withholding students from graduation due to unpaid library, parking or damage fines is “unfair” and may be a breach of consumer law. The practice of academic sanctions for non-academic debt has also been dismissed as “almost laughable” by Colum McGuire, NUS vice president for welfare. The University of Manchester, however, had still not made a decision about amending their rules as The Mancunion went to print. Currently, the rules state that “the assessment result for any student may be withheld if he or she, on completion of his or her programme of study, fails to return all items borrowed from the
Library, or fails to pay all outstanding charges or fines”. The library receives over £200,000 every year in income from fines, and figures released in 2012 by The Guardian named Manchester as second only to Leeds University in money taken in from fines – taking almost £1.3 million from library fines over the course of five academic years. A spokesperson for the University said, “The University is reviewing the OFT Report and will decide in due course how we should respond to its recommendations.” The investigation of this practice by the OFT came as a result of compaints from the National Union of Students. A July investigation then revealed around 75 per cent of Universities withhold graduation due to unpaid fines in this way. Continued on page 2....
02 : NEWS
ISSUE 15 / 24th FEBRUARY 2014 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Highlights
Film:
The Oscars special
Members of the Exec Team joined the protest in Salford against ATOS and their “crimes against disability”. Photo: ExecTeam Campaigns-Officer Facebook
Pages 18-19
Picture of the week
Theatre:
Political theatre; Poo-poo Putin Page 25
Food & Drink:
The craft beer revolution Page 22
Continued from page one... Manchester ranked most unsafe city Library fines The guide estimates that around one-third of students will become victims of crime while at university, with 20 per cent of robberies occurring within six weeks after the start of the academic year. M a n c h e s t e r Metropolitan University and the University of Manchester took 21st and 22nd place respectively in a table to find the most reported crimes, with MMU having 2.55 reported robberies, burglaries and violent crimes per thousand residents, closely followed by Manchester with 2.51. The top nineteen
places were all taken by universities in London, with King’s College having the highest correlation between crime and population, at 3.59 crimes per thousand. Mr Kingston said that crime figures should be taken into consideration when deciding where to study, “While the quality of tuition and the prospects for employment after graduation are key elements in choosing a university course, it is important not to overlook other aspects of the environment in which the student will be living for three or
more years. “Regrettably, our university cities are not immune from the pressures on society and crime is a constant presence.” Bristol, Nottingham and Birmingham joined Manchester among cities with the highest crime levels, while York, Canterbury and Bath were found to have the lowest. Among individual institutions, only Hull University had a higher incidence of crime than Manchester and MMU, with Aberystwyth, Durham, and Winchester having the fewest reported crimes.
Deputy Editor: Harriet Hill-Payne Sub-Editors: George Bailey, Jennifer Grimshaw & Eleanor Muffitt
Lifestyle:
Five Twitter accounts you should follow Page 27
Visit Our Website www.mancunion.com Facebook: The Mancunion Twitter: @THEMANCUNION Editor: Jonathan Breen editor@mancunion.com Postal address: Univerity of Manchester Students’ Union, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PR Phone (0161) 275 2933
Arrears for accommodation or childcare services are also mentioned in the report as non-academic debt it is “unfair” for universities to penalise in this way. The OFT is now ‘recommending that universities employing these terms and conditions should review their rules and make any necessary amendments’. Colum McGuire, NUS vice president for welfare, said: “I’m delighted to see that the OFT has responded to our complaints and confirmed that this practice is incredibly
unfair, which is what NUS has been saying all along. “Students who owe money for accommodation, overdue library books or other non-academic debt should certainly pay off the money they owe, but this sanction
The University Library. Photo: The Mancunion
beauty@mancunion.com Food & Drink Editors: Ben Walker & Maddy Hubbard foodanddrink@mancunion.com
News Editors: Michael Williams, Pippa AllenKinross & Aidan Gregory news@mancunion.com
Film Editors: Sophie James, Robbie Davidson & Angus Harrison
News Reporters: Inez Dawoodjee, Anna Philips, Charlie Spargo, Samantha Schiffman
Features Editor: Sam Dumitriu
News Web Editor: Dan Harold
Games Editor: Alasdair Preston
Opinion Editors: Alice Rigby, Charlotte Green & Joe Anthony
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opinion@mancunion.com Fashion Editors: Susie Coen & Marie Yates fashion@mancunion.com BeautyEditor: Haylee Wells
was disproportionate, and actually made it more difficult for students to repay by restricting access to student support or making it more difficult to secure employment in an already challenging job market.”
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Lifestyle Editors: Moya Crockett, Isabelle Dann, Beth Currall & Lauren Arthur lifestyle@mancunion.com Music Editors: Tom Ingham, Patrick Hinton & Phoebe Clarke
music@mancunion.com Sport Editors: Andrew Georgeson, Thomas Dowler & Thomas Turner Sports Reporters: James Eatwell & Jonathan Roberts sport@mancunion.com Theatre Editor: Stephanie Scott theatre@mancunion.com Web Editor: Jennifer Ho webed@mancunion.com Photography Editor: Peter Chinnock photography@mancunion.com Photography team: Patrycja Marczewska, Joshua Brown & Cil Barnett-Neefs
ISSUE 15 / 24th fEBRUARY 2014 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
NEWS : 03
Former student relaunches search for Oak House lover Michael Williams News Editor
A Manchester graduate-turnederotica author has launched a worldwide online search to find the muse who inspired her artwork. The hunt is not for a divine Greek god or troubled soul, however, but ‘Sexy Ben from University of Manchester halls of residence Oak House, flat Maple 16’; a fellow student with whom she shared a fleeting moment with at the 1996 Freshers’ ball. Nicola Jane, an ex-Philosophy student, was so smitten with the handsome stranger that she even took out a classified advert in The Mancunion in her third year to try and track him down. The advert, which Nicola is quick to point out “because it was the only ad [she] ever put in a paper” and “not because [she’s] a crazy stalker”, read: “WANTED: Sexy Ben from Maple 16, 1995, where are you now? ” Now an author who writes ‘choose-your-own-adventure’ erotic novels, Nicola is trying to track down ‘Sexy Ben’ once more to bring closure to her own reallife erotic tale. “I have an incredibly overactive imagination,” she said, “and it likely started because I was there imagining what Sexy Ben would be like. “There’s a sexy mysterious
stranger in my book, which is exactly what Sexy Ben is!” As well as giving Nicola the ability to put an advertisement in print for ‘Sexy Ben’ to come forward, it appears The Mancunion also had a hand in forming Nicola’s passion for eroticism in print while she was at University. “The best thing about that paper was the TV listings, where someone was getting away with listing ‘Ken Hom’s Hot Wok’ as ‘Ken Hom’s Hot Wank’ every week,” she recalled. Nicola’s life story reads like a choose-your-own adventure book itself; after “wasting a couple of years temping”, Nicola completed a TFL course and, after spending “ten years everywhere”, now resides in Madrid, Spain. But the thoughts of Sexy Ben are still as prevalent as ever. “When I started thinking about it the other day, I realized, wow, this sounds like the beginning of a romance novel,” she said. “I hope he’s not married, his [wife] is not going to be happy.” Nicola’s first encounter with Sexy Ben, at the 1996 Fresher’s Ball, was straight out of great literature. “There was a bouncy castle, and he had to lean on me because he was losing his balance,” Nicola sighed. “He was wearing white socks, but it was still okay!”
From this brief interaction, Nicola was smitten. The two later came tantalizingly close to a tryst in a bar, as a mutual friend introduced Sexy Ben with a line etched in Nicola’s memory: “do you want to meet the girl who put the ad in the paper?” Too nervous to say anything except a shy hello – “at that point you’re just worried about if your palms are sweaty”, she recalls – Sexy Ben was allowed to slip through her fingers. But, ever the troubled artist, Nicola is grateful for her misfortune. “Standing in front of someone in a bar saying hello doesn’t demystify anything: he’s still up there,” she said. “That’s why I’m still thinking about him all these years later - because I never got to find out that he was boring, or that he always wore white socks.” When asked whether she had ‘moved on’ from Sexy Ben, Nicola smiled, “I’ve never dated since.” After traditional anonymous social media searches proved fruitless, Nicola turned to an open post on her blog in an attempt to track down Sexy Ben. “Even if you’re married/gay/ fat”, the post reads, “it would be nice to conclude this story!” “He’s probably more likely to be fat [now],” she confessed. “But when it was that long ago you and someone looks that perfect, you assume they’re still
From student to author, Sexy Ben in Oakhouse Maple 16 has never been too far from erotica author Nicola Jane’s heart Photo: Cesar Viteri @Multimaniaco
looking that perfect.” Nicola’s search is further hindered by the fact that she has no idea what Sexy Ben could be doing now. “I heard that he was trying to get into modeling after University,
but I’ve never seen his picture anywhere,” she said. “I think he’s that good-looking that maybe he just coasted on that for the rest of his life.” Nicola’s book, ‘Follow Your Fantasy’, is available on Harper
Impulse. Do you know Sexy Ben? Could you help Nicola reconnect with her muse? If so, please tweet us @Mancunion_News, using the hashtag #FindSexyBen.
Staff strikers may refuse ‘Keep it simple, keep it stupid’, chancellor tells undergradutes to mark students’ exams Charlie Spargo News Reporter
Inez Dawoodjee News Reporter The University and College Union has announced that it will not mark students’ examinations if universities do not offer increased pay. The next strike is set to commence on the 28th of April if universities do not concede to raise the pay of staff within the next two months. The strikes will affect release of examination results and possibly cause delays in graduation ceremonies. UCU general secretary Sally Hunt said: “A marking boycott is the ultimate sanction, but an avoidable one if the employers
would negotiate with us over pay.” She added: “No member I have spoken to wishes to see this dispute escalate, but in the continued absence of meaningful negotiations from the employers, we are left with no alternative.” This is the latest move in a series of six strikes that started in October last year. The Union announced that the strike could still be avoided if universities were willing to engage in negotiations. Members of the UCU have expressed anger at the fact that vice chancellors have received a pay-rise of 5.1%
within the last year, with average salaries numbering £235,000. As it stands, the staff have so far been offered a 1% raise in response to their demands, but are pressing for a higher figure. Ms Hunt remarked: “The strong support for our action so far demonstrates how angry staff are at the hypocrisy over pay in our universities. The employers cannot plead poverty when it comes to staff pay and then award enormous rises to a handful at the top.”
Tom Bloxham MBE, co-founder and chairman of property development company Urban Splash and Chancellor of the University of Manchester, gave a talk on Thursday hosted by the BAEcon society and University College titled ‘From Studying Politics and Modern History to Urban Regeneration.’ Bloxham was awarded an MBE in 1999 and elected Chancellor of the University in 2008, a position he explained was “all privilege, no responsibility.” In an hour-long speech, Bloxham reminisced about his time at the Victoria University of Manchester in the early 1980s, when he lived in Oak House and started a business selling records and posters in and around the famous Affleck’s Palace.
He went on to cover how his business had developed, encouraging listeners to take risks and start early, as there was “more to lose” the older you get. He described how different Manchester was in his time, describing it as like “dark satanic mills.” With business ventures including the famous Baa Bar, started in Liverpool, and the foundation of Manchester’s trendy Northern Quarter, Bloxham has many great successes to his name. His business, Urban Splash, is based upon the mantra of “keeping the best of the old, [adding] the new.” The company spans from the South West to the North East, having made its mark in towns from Plymouth to Morecambe. An important aspect of the
company’s work is community. They aim to give previous residents of areas first pick of the new housing, promoting successful schooling and local activities such as farmer’s markets. He expressed his love of all types of building design, from Tudor to brutalist, emphasising how quality made all the difference. He has successfully turned abandoned, unpopular areas such as the Lister Mills, Bradford, and the Langworthy area of Salford into modern, attractive, high-demand areas. To wrap the talk up, he listed his “Tom’s Top Tips” for success in business to potential student entrepreneurs, including ‘Make mistakes’, ‘Hire only the best’, and ‘KISS; Keep It Simple, Stupid’.
Have you got what it takes to be the next: Activities & Development Officer, Campaigns & Citizenship Officer, Community Officer, Diversity Officer, Education Officer, Wellbeing Officer, General Secretary, Women’s Officer?
1st - 27th February HAVE YOU GOT WHAT IT TAKES TO LEAD THE STUDENTS’ UNION?
ISSUE 15/ 24th FEBRUARY 2014 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
NEWS : 05
Government ‘unrealistic’ about low student loan repayments
New report claims £80 billion of ‘unrecoverable’ student debt may be an underestimate Pippa Allen-Kinross News Editor The cost of student loans never to be paid back may have been seriously underestimated by the government, a new report claims. The Public Accounts Committee report has strongly criticised the government and Student Loans Company’s handling of student debt. Current figures from the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills calculate the present unrecoverable debt at 35 to 40 per cent, approximately £18 billion. And with the rise in tuition fees to £9,000 a year, it is estimated that by 2042 the unrecoverable debt will be between £70 billion and £80 billion. However, the Public Accounts Committee have argued that the government consistently underestimates the amount to be paid back from student loans by around 8 per cent, so the size of the unrecoverable debt may be even larger than government
figures suggest. According to the report, “the over-forecast repayments may be due to optimistic assumptions....about future graduate earnings and earnings growth. “The forecasts assume, for example, that rates of wage growth seen in the last three decades will continue, despite recent evidence on gradate pay suggesting this may be unrealistic.” The report also raised concerns over the selling of the student loan book to private companies. Last November, the government sold £890 million worth of loans to a debt management consortium for just £160 million. And according to the report, the Department is planning to sell more of the incomecontingent loan book to fund lifting the cap on the number of students admitted to universities. The report says, ‘The Department told us if the sale did not pass the value for money
The report lacks confidence in the government and Student Loans Company. Photo: The Mancunion test it would not go ahead. “However, the Department has some way to go before it is in a position to make a convincing value for money case.” It also said, “The Department needs a reliable and accurate forecasting model so that it can make a sufficiently robust estimate of the loan value in the first place, which it has not yet been able to do with any confidence.” The Rt Hon Margaret Hodge MP, Chair of the Committee of Public Accounts said, “the reality is that the Department lacks a robust model to estimate the value of the loans properly.
“The Department must demonstrate that it has a firm grasp upon the real value of the student loan book and the longterm cost to the taxpayer of any early sale.” The report also reveals that the Student Loans Company has agreed to recommendations that it scrap its premium-rate telephone numbers by April this year. At the moment, it costs 41 pence per minute to contact the company. While the majority of the profit goes to the line provider, the Student Loan Company earn £78,000 a year from phone calls.
Margaret Hodge said, “Borrowers are still receiving a substandard service. “They still have to use premiumrate phone lines to contact the Student Loans Company, online services are inadequate, and the IT is no longer fit for purpose.” The Student Loans Company was also condemned for not doing more to collect loans from those who move overseas after graduation. In March 2013, the Student Loans Company had no information on 368,000 graduates who were not repaying any of their loans, including not knowing their whereabouts.
The report says: ‘the Department and the Student Loans Company has done little to investigate this group of borrowers’. Adding to this, Margaret Hodge said that the Student Loans Company “knows very little about British graduates who live abroad or about graduates from the EU who have since left the country. “Will they ever pay back their loans? The Student Loans Company simply doesn’t know”.
Liverpool students hospitalised Manchester students’ WWI letters on display in Deansgate after taking chemical cleaner - The letters were written from the front line to their former History professor Anna Phillips News Reporter Four letters from former Manchester students who fought in the First World War are to be displayed for the first time at the John Rylands Library. The letters were written during WWI by students at Victoria University of Manchester (now UoM), and are addressed to their former
history professor Thomas Frederick Tout. The students wrote to their professor and told him of the conditions they were facing in the war, as well as keeping him up to date with the news of other students who were fighting. One letter, written by Manchester student SL Connor reads: ‘Yes, it is true Ben Westfield is posted “missing believed killed”. ‘On Monday April 23rd, he led his men “over the top”. Ten minutes later at 10pm, he fell with a bullet through his lung and shrapnel wounds in his head and foot.’ Another student, Herbert Eckersley wrote to Professor Tout only 15 days before he was killed near Ypres in 1917. He tells his professor of his dayto-day worries and experiences
of war, but says: ‘everyday seems more interesting and exciting’. He also speaks about his hopes to eventually return to Manchester to complete his thesis. Eckersley is believed to be one of 300 Victoria University of Manchester students to have lost their lives during the First World War. Professor Tout kept each letter and left them in the possession of the university after his death. The letters are shown alongside six specially commissioned works by University of Salford visual arts students, and three sketches by a soldier serving at the front, Walter Phythian. The exhibition, named ‘Aftermath’, is on display now in John Rylands until June 29th.
Aidan Gregory News Editor Five students from Liverpool University were admitted to hospital in the space of a week, after taking a chemical used in the cleaning of car alloys. Police were called to Liverpool University halls Bowden Court, at around 7:30 am on Sunday 16th February. Two students aged 20 and 22, and also a 16 year old girl, were immediately rushed to hospital. The three were all eventually released after successful treatment. A day later, police were called to student accommodation at Hatton Garden in Liverpool where they found three more students, two aged 20 and one aged 19, who also had to be rushed to hospital. All three were later discharged.
Two men have been arrested on suspicion of supplying a class C drug. Detective Superintendent Chris Green, of Merseyside Police, said that all six individuals “had taken a product called Geebs, which is actually a chemical used to clean alloy wheels and is used as a legal high. “This substance is a chemical used to clean car wheels and even in small doses can kill. “We will be working with universities in the city in the coming days to warn students about the dangers that drugs and chemicals can have when taken, particularly if mixed with alcohol, or other substances.” Gamma-butyrolactone, otherwise known as Geebs, has previously been dubbed a ‘coma in a bottle’. ‘Geebs’ is legal when used in industry, but illegal if a person
intends to consume. Possession can carry a sentence of up to two years, while supply can lead to a maximum of 14 years in prison. According to FRANK, the drug can produce “feelings of euphoria, reduced inhibitions and drowsiness. The effects start after about 10 minutes to an hour and can last for up to seven hours or so”. But users can also experience “unconsciousness, coma and death”. The substance first found itself in the spotlight back in 2009, when a coroner ruled that medical student Hester Stewart died after mixing Geebs with alcohol. The drug has also been linked to a number of sexual assault cases.
ISSUE 15 / 24th FEBRUARY 2014 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
NEWS : 07
UoM alumni host debate on drugs and alcohol
“Drinking responsibly is good for society”, says pub chain boss Aidan Gregory News Editor
In a debate hosted by Discuss Manchester, local experts have debated the question of whether alcohol is a “greater menace than drugs”. Arguing for the motion was Alan Higgins, director of public health for Greater Manchester. William Lees-Jones, chief executive, JW Lees – a chain of 35 pubs across the north west, argued against the motion Lady Rhona Bradley, chief executive of ADS, a Manchester based charity that offers drugs and alcohol treatment, chaired the debate. In his opening speech, Higgins was able to cite a wide range of studies and statistics which illustrate the harm of drinking on society and health. “Alcohol related incidents and illness cost Greater Manchester alone £1.2bn a year” “In 2009 there were over 69,000 incidents of domestic abuse. Alcohol was involved in ¼” He also added that, “half of Greater Manchester residents avoid the town centre at night because of drunks” Higgins went on to use David Nutt’s much discussed study in
Discuss Manchester founders, Mike Emmerich, Michael Taylor, and Martin Carr. Taylor and Emmerich (pictured centre and left) are both UoM alumni. Photo - Discuss Manchester the Lancet, which concluded that alcohol is the most lethal out of all substances. It scored 4th in harm to users and top in harm to society. In 2002 – 2004 alone, alcohol was responsible for the deaths of 25,000 people, compared with heroin being responsible for 4,976, and MDMA causing 227 in a longer time frame. Booze causes a problem, which in Higgins’ words is “industrial” in scale. Lees Jones responded that, on average, adults in the UK consume 7.4 litres of alcohol – which is the same as Denmark. He added that “Denmark is one of the happiest countries in the
world”. “The abuse of alcohol is not a new problem, but drinking responsibly is good for society” “Perhaps if drugs were regulated as much as alcohol they wouldn’t be as harmful” He continued further, “Obesity kills 6 times as many people in the UK as alcohol. Perhaps we should be debating whether food is greater menace than drugs, but that would be absurd”. “The UK pub industry contributes £22 billion a year to the UK economy”, and booze is a “regulated industry. So you know what you’re getting, and by de facto anything illicit is more dangerous”.
“I won’t embarrass anyone by actually asking who has done cocaine in the last week, but the chances are the number is nowhere near as many as those who have had a drink”. When asked by The Mancunion whether or not they would favour the legalisation, if not the total decriminalisation of drugs, the panellists were divided. “I’m afraid none of us can give a straight answer to your question”, said Higgins. He added that, “at no point would I say abolish alcohol, neither can I quite accept making everything legal”. Lady Bradly responded by suggesting that a
mix of legalisation and decriminalisation would not work. Having worked with many members of the criminal justice system, it would have to be “all or nothing”, and “the money saved would have to be poured into treatment”. The final result of the vote was a 23 – 25 split against the motion that alcohol is a greater menace than drugs. Discuss Manchester is a debating organisation founded by local executives Martin Carr, Michael Taylor, and Mike Emmerich. In the words of Taylor, it aims to “breathe intellectual life into our great city”.
Both Taylor and Emmerich are alumni of the University of Manchester Mr Taylor read Sociology from 1985 – 1988, and served on The Mancunion. He went on to become an award winning journalist. Mr Emmerich is a former policy advisor to number ten, and was also Director of the Institute for Political & Economic Governance and associate dean of the faculty of humanities at the University of Manchester, from 2002 – 2006. The debate was held at the Albert Square Chop House, a pub and function room off Albert Square.
Young HIV sufferers tell University spends their stories on campus £20,000 to build a pub Anna Phillips News Reporter An event held by ‘Student Stop AIDS’ in the Samuel Alexander Building last Wednesday, saw young people living with HIV speak about their struggle. The event is part of a lecture series of events touring UK Universities this month, with participating institutions including Sheffield, Leeds and Lancaster. ‘Students Stop AIDS’ is a campaign which consists of young people in the UK who are dissatisfied with the lack of political and financial support for the HIV pandemic, and aims to raise awareness among young people. Manchester students were spoken to by current HIV Aids sufferers living in the UK, to
end the negative stigma and discrimination attached to HIV and engage students in their current campaign: ‘Access to Meds for All’. The speakers were dressed as wolves in sheep’s clothing to express their disapproval over new EU government deals which could impact the availability of vital medicine. In a Press Release, the campaign expressed their concerns over these deals. It said: “Over 80% of the medicines keeping people with HIV alive in the developing world today are made by generic drug companies in India.” “The EU is currently trying
attacking the supply of affordable generic drugs.” Saoirse Fitzpatrick, Coordinator of Student Stop AIDS also said: “Health is a human right but without generic medicines it becomes a privilege that only the rich can afford. As members of the EU we have a responsibility to make sure that the trade deals we instigate do not interfere with this right to health and we are dedicated to challenging them if they do.” The campaign urges students and members of the public to write to their perspective candidates for the upcoming European Parliament elections,
to force developing countries to accept new Fair Trade Agreements (FTA). These deals include term and conditions
requesting that candidates do not support these deals.
London South Bank University is using the bar as a psychology experiment
London South Bank University has spent £20,000 on installing a pub in a room on campus. Run by the psychology department, the bar is an experiment to research how and why people drink, and the effects of alcohol on behaviour. Dr Tony Moss, head of the Psychology Department at South Bank and behind the experiment, said: “What we are trying to do is simulate, with
“This is somewhere in between being able to do research in the real world bar – where we have very little control over what is going on – and in a lab cubicle, which is nothing like the way people are drinking in the real world”. Visitors to the pub are served by psychology students, and their behaviour is recorded by hidden cameras and microphones. Part of the experiment will involve monitoring how much attention customers pay to alcohol awareness posters while they are drinking. To make participants in the experiments believe they are
background noise is carefully controlled, and the glasses are even rubbed with ethanol to recreate the right smell. Unlike a traditional pub, all the drinks are free. However, there is also no guarantee whether a customer will be given a real alcoholic drink or a placebo replacement. Dr Moss said: “A lot of the work we are doing involves giving people non-alcoholic drinks, but leading them to believe they contain alcohol. “A lot of the early work we have been doing isn’t so much interested in the effects of alcohol once people are intoxicated but trying
a greater deal of control, the environment in which people find themselves drinking.
a real pub, the room has been made as authentic as possible. The lighting and pre-recorded
to understand factors that motivate people to drink in certain ways”.
Pippa Allen-Kinross News Editor
08 : Feature
ISSUE 15 / 24th FEBRUARY 2014 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
The dangers of cycling on Oxford Road
Ben Flanagan looks at the danger faced by student cyclists and asks who is to blame - motorists or cyclists? Ben Flanagan Features Contributor
T
he tragic death of 21 year-old student Joshua Jarvis last week highlights the real dangers cyclists face when using the Oxford Road corridor. Joshua, who studied film production at MMU and lived in Fallowfield, was involved in a serious collision with a cement mixer and pronounced dead at the scene. The incident occurred Tuesday, February 11th at the junction of Wilmslow Road and Landcross Road, close to the Owens Park halls of residence. His death demonstrates the clear dangers that cyclists face each time they use the route, and Manchester’s road network in general. A recent report by the Manchester Evening News named Wilmslow Road the most dangerous route in the city for cyclists. Accident data gained from the Department for Transport shows that from 2005-2012 there were 162 reported collisions along the corridor, 67 of which occurred near the Curry Mile. This is more than any other route in the city. Over 2000 cyclists are thought to use the corridor on a daily basis. The route, which encompasses Oxford Street, Oxford Road and Wilmslow Road, is used by many students who live in Fallowfield and its surrounding areas, as part of their commute to the three universities’ along Oxford Road. While there is a cycle lane along the entire corridor, with a segregated traffic-free lane near Whitworth Park, many cyclists are still involved in collisions. The cause of these accidents and who is to blame is an area of great debate within the wider cycling community. Former president of the University’s cycling club, Rachel Murray is a regular commuter along the corridor and she suggested that cyclists’ behaviour might be to blame. “The number of un-helmeted students that jump lights at crossroads without any lights on their bike is uncountable. Daily, I see riders undertake [vehicles] at inappropriate times and get themselves into bother.” While riding without a helmet is currently not against the law in the UK, running red traffic lights and riding without lights in times of darkness are. Murray’s opinion is one shared with that of Greater Manchester Police, who launched a crackdown on cycle related offences at the beginning of 2013, in a bid to encourage cyclists to learn how to share the road safely with others. Operation Grimaldi mainly focuses on ‘hot spot’ areas where there are high rates of cycle related accidents, while also looking at areas where pedal cyclists have
been seen to be using the roads dangerously or irresponsibly. Unsurprisingly this has led to the team working mainly along Oxford and Wilmslow road. Early in the New Year I was invited to observe the Grimaldi team during an operation at the junction of Platt Lane and Wilmslow Road. Offenders, who had been stopped for offences such as running red lights, not having lights fitted, cycling on footpaths and using mobile phones whilst cycling, were issued with a £50 fixed penalty notice, with the option to have the fine quashed if they attended a
Accident data... shows from 2005-2012 there were 162 reported collisions along the Oxford Road corridor, 67...near the Curry Mile. This is more than any other route in the city. cycle safety awareness course. The team not only targeted cyclists but also stopped motorists for offences including not wearing a seatbelt and running a red light. Last year 400 cyclists were issued with fines in just 10 days of the crackdown, with 85 per cent of offender’s opting for the cycling safety awareness course. PCSO Gareth Walker, who is heavily involved with operation Grimaldi said, “The aim of the operation was not to fine all offenders but to educate them, offer training and promote road safety. Many of the cyclists we spoke to were not aware of the danger they put themselves and others in by the actions they were taking while failing to stop or being distracted on their phones. The number of people killed or seriously injured on the roads has fallen over the last two years but we need to continue to educate road users of how to share the roads safely in order to ensure these numbers continue to fall.” However, are cyclists totally to blame for collisions? Not so, says
Floral tributes for cyclist Joshua Jarvis in Fallowfiel Photo: Cil Barnett-Neefs cyclist Martin Mayor. “Cyclists don’t kill people, drivers do,” said Mr Mayor, speaking to The Mancunion last year. “Really, cyclists cause very few accidents. It is a fact
Cyclists don’t kill people, drivers do ... cyclists cause very few accidents. It is a fact that the fault lies with the drivers that the fault lies with the drivers.” He added, “Cyclists that are killed can’t actually ever give their side of the story.” Rachel Murray also questioned the driving habits of motorists along the road. “Drivers in Rusholme are amongst the worst I’ve ever seen and that particular stretch of road would warrant some attention.”
Whether the blame falls with the motorist or cyclist, in almost all cases it is the cyclist who loses out as they are the most vulnerable road user - being not as protected as the motorist, who is surrounded by a relatively solid metal bubble. Thus, reducing the chance of a collision is crucial. Currently Transport for Greater Manchester is beginning preliminary work on a bus priority scheme along Oxford Road, which will also benefit cyclists. The project, which has an expected completion date of summer 2015, will see a complete re-design of the corridor between Portland Street and Hathersage Road. The road will be limited to buses, bicycles, taxis and emergency vehicles. “Dutch-style” cycle lanes are also to be created which will allow cyclists to safely pass bus stops whilst remaining separate from the general traffic. However, while the project will see a large amount of investment into new infrastructure outside the universities, the scheme does not address the safety of cyclists along the Curry Mile and Wilmslow Road, the hot spot for cycle related accidents. As the majority of cycling accidents occur in close proximity to junctions along the corridor, measures to protect cyclists at these “black spots” have been suggested. New low-level traffic lights are currently being developed by Transport for London, in an attempt to reduce the risk of collision at junctions by
giving cyclists an early start over other road users. Trials of the new lights began earlier this month with the lights due to be installed at five key junctions in the capital. Advanced stop lines also give cyclists priority over other traffic as the zone allows cyclists to position themselves in front of other traffic, while also reducing the amount of exhaust fumes they are breathing in. But, there are currently no laws preventing motor vehicles entering the advanced stop zone while waiting at a red light. HGV’s and buses are well known to have considerable blind spots, therefore when turning they cannot see cyclists who are coming up their nearside. Convex ‘Trixi’ mirrors fixed to traffic lights help HGV drivers to see better and reduces their blind spot, thus making the chance of a collision smaller. 176 mirrors are due to be installed across Greater Manchester at key left hand turns. Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, Eleanor Roaf, regional director for the cycling charity Sustrans said, “By increasing the visibility of cyclists while also giving them priority at junctions the chance of an incident occurring between a cyclists and motorist is significantly reduced.” She added, “The safer we make our roads, the more people are encouraged to travel by bike and that makes for a healthier, cleaner and more prosperous Greater Manchester”.
ISSUE 15/ 24th FEBRUARY 2014 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Features : 09
TedX: The alternative to Pangea? Haider Saleem speaks to TedXUniversityOfManchester organiser and Diversity Officer Omar Aljuhani about the upcoming conference
I
f the last two Pangaea events weren’t your thing and you’re looking for something a little more intellectual, then all hope is not lost. TEDx is once again coming to Manchester. TED conferences bring together some of the world’s most interesting speakers to talk about their lives, achievements and ideas. Previous speakers include US President Bill Clinton and Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page. TEDx events are the same; however focus on a more local level. The ‘x’ means it is an independently organised TED event. Conferences are nonprofit and speakers are not paid. The mission is “spreading ideas”. Speakers do not have to be from any specific background, but be innovative and influential. TEDxManchester is set to take place at the University of Manchester on Sunday, 2 March 2014 at the Manchester Academy. So who speaks at a TEDx event? Well, that is completely up to the organisers, and who agrees to come. All the volunteers proposed ideas and names and from there send out as many invitations as possible. The categories are: high and low profile speakers, which then further divide into sub-categories in a variety of different fields, such as, artists, authors, activists, entrepreneurs and journalists. The speaker list may not have former US presidents or founders of a multinational corporation, nevertheless some are certainly well known in their fields. Independent documentary filmmaker and activist Harry Fear is well know for his reports on the Gaza Strip. His short documentary ‘Martyred in Gaza’ has over 44,000 views on YouTube. He also lectures on media bias in Europe, North
The curriculum has become so ridged, kids aren’t encouraged to write what they want.
America, Australasia and Malaysia. Controversial stock market and forex trader Alessio Rastani – who has spoken previously twice at the University of Manchester during a public debate and at a MUTIS conference - will also feature. He is known for his comments made live on the BBC, “I have a confession, which is when I go to bed every night, I dream of another recession.” Rastani was widely accused of being a hoax, part of the infamous Yes Men who are a culture jamming activist duo whose prank-victims have included George W. Bush and The New York Times. However, the BBC themselves “carried out detailed investigations and can’t find any evidence to suggest that the interview... was a hoax” and the Yes Men have denied any affiliation with Rastani. One notable speaker includes children’s author and creative writing expert, Antony Lishak. Speaking to Lishak, who has been a primary school teacher for over 30 years, feel his passion and reasons for participating in the conference were clear, “The curriculum has become so ridged, kids aren’t encourage to write what they want.” He wants to address the problems that primary school children are facing today in creative writing. Teachers are not doing enough to help children become writers. Lishak directs blame at the national curriculum, not the teachers, as it focuses on “ticking boxes” regarding spelling and grammar. While Lishak recognises their importance – he argues that this produces an education system in which teachers cannot encourage children to “explore their imagination” and where students are “afraid to make their own mistakes and learn from them.” He added, “The education system creates a culture of fear…and is felt by teachers too.” When asked which is the one audience he wants to reach out too, he responded with “young teachers, to give them more spark.” Two Students from the University of Manchester have also been given a chance to speak and were asked to submit an online application. Gulwali Passarlay, a political refugee who made an incredible journey from Afghanistan to the UK, and the Vice president of Manchester Entrepreneurs Waleed Lakhani have been selected. Students’ Union Diversity Officer Omar Aljuhani - who initiated and helped organise the event - said that the main thing TEDx brings is “an alternate experience to the Student[s’] Union…Something in the middle” where one side is serious, the other, Pangaea. “People should come to this event to get inspired by different people, know new stuff.” Who is Omar most looking forward to speaking? Aravind Vijayaraghavan, who will be speaking about Graphene, which was discovered in the Physics department at the University of
Children’s author Antony Lishak wants to inspire young teachers at TedX Manchester Manchester. Professors Andre Geim and Kostya Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2010 for being the first to isolate the two dimensional material. It is the thinnest material known yet surprisingly it is also one of the strongest. Graphene is a carbon sheet – one atom thick and 200x stronger than steal. It is the lightest, most conductive man made material on earth, it can stretch, bend and is almost completely transparent. According to a promotional video “a Graphene string thinner than human hair could support the weight of a grand piano.” It has the potential to revolutionise medicine, particularly in cancer research. Other uses include storage and transport, and even transforming the clothes we wear everyday. “This amazing discovery is hardly known, even though [the university] have spent so much making and promoting it. Hopefully people will be made aware of this at the conference.” Don’t be put off by the lack of celebrity speakers – you will be surprised by how stimulating some talks can be, even in fields you might not normally be interested in. There will certainly be more than one inspirational speaker. Every speaker has either done or is currently doing something special –no doubt there
This amazing discovery is hardly known, even though [the university] have spent so much making and promoting it. Hopefully people will be made aware of this at the conference.
Photo: TedXUoM
will be some thought provoking and eye opening discourse. The future, Omar believes, is that the TEDx conferences will continue for years to come, and hopes one day to acquire a licence to take it global. Who knows, maybe in a few years time Omar may make a TED appearance at a TEDxManchester conference himself. This will be the third TEDxManchester conference. The first conference was in 2009 at the old BBC’s building on Oxford Road. However, this time they are collaborating with TEDxUniversityOfMancheter and this year’s conference promises to be the “biggest TEDx event in Manchester”. Omar organised the event with the help of three other managers. Approximately 40 studentvolunteers were recruited in the summer and have assisted in making this conference happen. Tickets are £30 and are available online, with over 700 sold already they are expected to sell out. The University of Manchester Faculty of Humanities have provided financial support and are offering discounted ticket prices by £5 for any full time student using the promotion code ‘HUMANATIES’. The Offer is limited to the first 50 students.
10
Opinion
ISSUE 15/ 24th FEBRUARY 2014 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Facebook: The New King Maker
After a spate of human rights pages being deleted from Facebook, Lauren Gorton asks whether it is taking its history making status seriously
Photo:: Wikimedia Commons
My Political Villain...
Tony Blair
Photo: guz_007 @Flickr At the be gi nni ng of t h i s m o n t h Face bo ok celebrated i ts 1 0 th annive rsar y, but whi le c e le b rat i o n s whe re in ord er for Mark Zuc ke r b e r g and co, human r i gh t s a c tiv i s ts and poli ti c al journali s t s a li ke h ad o the r c oncerns re gard i n g th e s o c i a l m e dia behemoth. They atte m p te d , in vain, to rai se aware n e s s o f t h e site ’s role and re spons i b i li ti e s a s a m ode r n d ay hi stor y m a ke r. Rath e r than congratulati ons, t h e o c c a s i o n was m e t i nste ad wi th a re sur ge n c e o f c r itic i sms volleyed at th e s o c i a l m e dia s i te for i ts d eleti o n o f p a ge s and posts assoc i ated wi t h hum a n r ig hts groups. Such c r i ti c i sms or i gi n a lly p e a ke d i n 2 0 12, when Facebook wa s fo rc e d to apo l o g i se for the d elet i o n o f a p o s t di scussi ng human r i gh t s b re a c h e s in Syr ia. The d eleti on wa s j us ti fi e d as be in g i n li ne wi th Fa c e b o o k ’s c yb e r-b ullyi ng poli c i e s , a fte r th e i r co m pl ai nts centre wa s b o m b a rd e d by o b je c ti ons labelli ng t h e p o s t a s o ffe nsive. In fac t , the p o s t wa s a li n k to the Human Ri ghts Watc h we b s i te whic h had just exposed t h e us e o f tor ture centre s by Syr i a n I n te lli ge n c e Se r vic e s. D e spite the controver s y, t h i s ye a r has se e n the d eleti on of e n t i re hum a n r ig hts page s, such as t h e Ka fra n b e l Me dia C entre, the Dara a a l- Ma h at a L o c al C oord i nati on C om m i t te e a n d the L o ndon-based Syr i a n N e t wo rk fo r Hu m an Ri ghts. B e si d e s d o c um e n t i n g the c onfli c t i n Syr i a, su c h p a ge s a re a c ruc ia l me ans for hum a n r i g h t s ac tivi sts to c at alo gue ev i d e n c e fo r war c r ime tr i als i n a the o re t i c a l p o s tA ssad Syr i a. In a he av i ly c e n s o re d countr y, they provi d e s o m e o f th e m ost truthful d epi c ti ons o f th e Sy r i a n co nfl ic t . Ye t m a ny such page s a re d e le te d ove r nig h t wi thout wa r n i n g . W h e re war ning i s given, only a sh o r t t i m e l im it i s provi d ed to re m ove o r e d i t the posts, whi ch, i n a coun t r y wi th out re l iabl e broad band c o n n e c ti o n , usu al ly me ans i nformati o n wi ll b e
lo s t fo reve r. Of c our s e th i s i s n o g ra n d c o n sp ira c y by Fa c e b o o k ; t h e p ro -A s sad Sy r ia n Ele c t ro n i c Army h a s c l a im ed ‘c redit ’ fo r t h e late s t in wh at i s a n o n - go in g s e r i e s o f c yb er-wa r t a c t ic s . Su c h t a c t i c s a ls o i n c l u de t h e h a c k in g a n d d e s t r uc ti o n of hu m a n r ig h t s p a ge s, t y p i c a lly t h rou g h v ira l s o f t wa re a n d t h e flo o d i n g o f c o m m en t s ec t io n s o f p ro m i n e n t m edia web site s . T h e Gu a rd i a n , C N N a n d t h e At l a n t ic , to n a m e b ut a few, h ave a l l rec en t ly s e e n th e i r c om m en t s p a ge s f l o o ded wi t h p ro -A s s ad su pp o r t , p reven t in g c r i ti c i s m s from b ein g exp re ss ed o r h i g h li g h te d . W h ere t h e I n ter n et wa s o n c e t h e s tron ge st to o l o f di s siden c e fo r a c t iv i s t s , it to o h a s b ec o m e a p o i n t o f te r r i to r ia l di sp u te. To d ay th e n , Fa c eb o o k i s p l ay in g t h e s a m e ro l e a s t h e p r in t in g p re s s o f bygo n e tim e s. B u t de sp ite t h e i n s i s te n c e th at w it h t h e h el p o f s o c ia l m e d i a a nyo n e’s vo ic e c a n b e h e a rd, p rov i d i n g th e p o ten t ia l fo r h i sto r y to b e wr i tte n by t h e v ic t im s a s o pp o s ed to th e v i c to r s , t h e Fa c eb o o k s c a n da l h a s d e m o n s trated t h at t h i s i s n o t a s s i m p le a s we p re su m e. Even wh en a n i n d iv i d u a l o r a g rou p c a n c re ate p a ge s , i t a pp e a r s t h at t h a n k s to t h e d e le t i o n o f co n ten t we do n’t a lways ge t t h e i n te n ded p ic t u re. I n t h i s re sp e c t i t s e em s m o re a c c u rate to d e s c r i b e Fa c eb o o k a s t h e u n in ten ded e d i to r s o f h i s to r y, del et in g p a r t s o f t h e t r uth a n d in so m e in s t a n c e s p reve n ti n g e n t ire sto r ie s f ro m ever b e i n g h e a rd . Fa c e b o o k , t h erefo re, f in ds it s el f i n a sur p r i s i n g p o sit io n o f p ower, a r g u a b ly o n e wh ic h i s a f a r s t retc h fo r a c o m p a ny wh ic h st a r ted it s hum b le o r i g in s a s t h e a pp e a ra n c e rati n g we b s i te , Fa c em a sh . B ut p e rh a p s t h i s i s n o t a n en t irely un p re d i c t a b le ou tc o m e. Fa c eb o o k c re ato r a n d C E O Ma rk Z u c ker b er g h a s a lways s t ated t h at t h e dre a m o f Fa c e b o o k wa s to b e f a r m o re t h a n j us t a c o m p a ny. I n a p er so n a l l et ter to p o te n ti a l inve s to r s , Z u c ker b er g
su g ge sted t h at h i s a m b it io n wa s to g ive p eo p l e a vo ic e t h rou g h Fa c eb ook , in do in g so t ra n sfo r m in g so c iet y a n d en c ou ra g in g p ro g re ss . T h rou g h t h i s l ib era l di sp o s it i on , Fa c eb o o k i s n ow b o t h a m o de rn wa rz o n e a n d a m o der n h i s to r y m ake r. Yet t h e c yb er- b u l ly in g p o l ic ie s i n p l a c e a re p rov in g wo ef u l ly in adequ ate to de a l w it h t h e re sp o n sib il it y of ef fec t ively p o l ic in g a c o m p l ex a re n a o f deb ate. A l t h ou g h m o st wou l d a r g u e t h at th i s i s a n u n f a ir p re s su re to p l a c e o n t h e sh ou l der s o f a so c ia l m edia site, eve n a go l iat h l ike Fa c eb o o k , u l t im ate ly t h i s i s a sel f- in f l ic ted re sp o n sib ili t y. A b et ter c l a im t h en p erh a p s i s t h at it i s u n f a ir fo r Fa c eb o o k n o t to ma ke go o d o n it s p ro m i se to p rov id e a vo ic e to t h e o pp re s sed. T h e quote f ro m S p ider m a n’s u n c l e B en sp r in gs to m in d t h at “ w it h g re at p ower c o me s g re at re sp o n sib il it y ” . E it h er way, the qu e st io n of wh et h er o r n o t it i s r ig h t o r w ron g fo r Fa c eb o o k , o r a ny so c ia l m edi a s ite, to h ave su c h a re sp o n sib ili t y i s n ow ir rel eva n t . T h e inv it at io n of a h aven fo r f ree sp eec h h a s a l re ady b een exten ded to a n d a c c ep ted by a c t iv i st s a n d in div idu a l s a l l over t h e wo rl d. A n d de sp ite t h e wa r n in g s of c h a r it a b l e N G O s su c h a s t h e C a n ad i a n S ec D ev Fou n dat io n a s to t h e da n ge rs o f rely in g o n Fa c eb o o k , it i s o bv iou s to s ee why p eo p l e s t il l c h o o se to do s o. Af ter a l l , few hu m a n r ig h t s web si te s h ave c a p t ivated a g l o b a l au dien ce e s t im ated at over 6 0 0 m il l io n u s ers . Perh a p s t h en it i s t im e fo r Fa c ebook to s tep u p a n d to st a r t wo rk in g more c l o s ely w it h hu m a n r ig h t s g rou p s a n d o f f ic ia l in s t it u t io n s , su c h a s t h e U N, to en su re t h at su c h p rec iou s in fo r m at io n a n d p iec e s o f h i s tor y c a n n o t b e l o st . Fo r a l t h ou g h Fa c eb ook n ow h a s t h e p ower to m a ke h i stor y, n o in s t it u t io n o r c o m p a ny sh ou ld ever h ave t h e p ower to edit h i stor y, l e a st o f a l l at t h e c l ic k o f a b u t to n .
We might not remember it, beyond Mini Milks and the Teletubbies, but for the generation before ours the spring of ’97 heralded the end of a long, dark Tory winter that had lasted for almost two decades. Out of the shadows had sprung a bright-eyed Labour leader. The youngest Prime Minister since 1812 - his hair was still brown - and in touch with the people, Tony Blair promised a bright future for a population whose discomfort with the declining state had reached boiling point. Promising a minimum wage, human rights and a new, honest, people’s government, the possibilities seemed endless for Britain. It all started off so well. In his first term, Tony signed the Good Friday agreement, ending decades of violence in Northern Ireland, equalised the age of consent for homosexual sex, introduced the Human Rights Act as promised and, thankfully, steered us away from the Euro. Tony seemed to be the purveyor of liberal sense that he had promised in his campaign. It wasn’t all peachy, though. It was in this term that Blair granted independence for the Bank of England, to much praise from the financial leadership in London, who the party had courted much support from during the 1990s. While accompanied by the maintenance of Conservative expenditure estimates for two years, this seemed to be an indicator of fiscal prudence. However, it was the first in a long line of fiscal policies and deregulation that culminated in one of the deepest recessions the country has ever faced. Conveniently, this occurred after Tony left office. It was in his second term that things rapidly started spiralling downwards for this particular right hon. True, we should have seen what was coming. While in opposition, Labour had heavily criticised the Conservatives’ slow movement over Bosnia. In his first term, Blair had given the speech that established the now-infamous ‘Blair doctrine’ for international intervention, which explained his rapid and awardwinning movement into the civil wars of both Kosovo and Sierra Leone. However, it was his involvement in the ‘War on Terror’ that has come to define Blair as a Prime Minister and a political villain. Despite being faced with one of the largest protests in British history, attended by up to 400,000 people, Blair decided to join the US in invading Iraq in 2003 on the basis of questionable evidence of WMDs. This, coupled with his earlier entry into Afghanistan, led to Blair becoming known as George W. Bush’s ‘poodle’, which is a deep insult to poodles the world over. The relationship was so appreciated in the US that Blair one several national awards. This unpopular action, alongside the somewhat shadowy behaviour that accompanied it, came to define Blair’s governmental tactics over his remaining years in office. Since resigning, Blair has raked in funds from speaking engagements and has become an apparent expert on the Middle East. Just this week, however, the legacies of his time in office have hit the headlines again. It was Blair’s government that instigated the kind of cosy relationship between government and press that Leveson blew apart. In light of this, his offer to provide advice to Rebekah Brooks over phone hacking in 2011 seems unsurprising. His suggestion that she launch a ‘Hutton style’ inquiry into it is more worrying, given that it again raises questions about the veracity of the inquiry that cleared his government of wrongdoing over the Iraq evidence, with tragic consequences. It is because Tony Blair could be the blueprint for good intentions corrupted by power that he is my political villain. It’s not all doom and gloom though; the Americans still absolutely adore our Mr Blair and given his new found love of a good tan, I’m sure the feelings are mutual. Alice Rigby
Opinion
ISSUE 15/ 24th FEBRUARY 2014 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
11
Our prison system is corrupt and that should worry us all
The UK prison system is ludicrous. There are more drugs in Pentonville than the gnarliest TEED concert and a higher level of corruption than a Somalian diamond mine. Thanks to an archaic focus on retribution, rather than rehabilitation, we have constructed a system which has reached record levels of re-offence, with 90 per cent of those sentenced in England and Wales having offended before and almost a third linked to 15 or more crimes, up from one in five a decade ago. The system is defective. A recent example of just how farcical the implementation of rules in many UK prisons can be, is the story of Curtis Warren, sentenced for a £1 million cannabis plot and Teresa Rodrigues, a senior manager at his prison’s drug and alcohol unit, whose star-crossed love transcended the steel bars and was consummated twice a day in his bed. Warren – nicknamed Cocky – because of a bizarre disdain for the same authority which has bestowed on him a
more than, was once Interpol’s Target One, the most wanted international criminal, sought for violence, armed robbery, drugs importation and smuggling hand guns and grenades. However, Warren did not only enjoy the company of Rodrigues while supposedly under the close watch of guards but, as a court heard, also managed to find time to mastermind a £300 million drug empire built on heroin importation using seven mobile phones smuggled into La Moye, a purportedly ‘medium security’ prison – presumably a ‘low security’ prison is something akin to a scene out of a Michael Bay movie. Corruption statistics in prisons are startling to say the least; Transparency International – the leading nongovernmental anti-corruption agency – estimates that in the UK there are around 1000 prison officers involved in corruption, a further 600 involved in an inappropriate
relationship with a prisoner and that the drug trade inside prisons is worth approximately £100 million a year. Furthermore, the suggestion that an anti-corruption authority could check on staff and ensure that prisons themselves don’t become a hotbed of crime has largely been ignored by policy makers. Despite a recent report that suggest the budget of the CPU (Corruption Prevention Unit) be increased by £5 million to tackle such things, the CPU has had its budget and employees cut and its Chief Executive has retired, without being replaced. Corruption runs rampant and unchallenged because prisons are too focused on punishment and too broad in their mandate. Punishing a heroin addict like a murderer and vice versa is downright daft. We should be rehabilitating those who can be and punishing those who must be. There is no need for a benevolent drug councillor in Warren Curtis’ deservedly long stay in prison and no heroin
addict has ever put the needle down after being reminded that what he’s doing is against the law. Now, you’re probably thinking, “hang on a minute, how does any of this affect me?” Why does it matter if they’re snorting cocaine in Wandsworth or banging their guard in a room full of Che Guevara posters? As long as they’re not doing it on Oxford Road, I’m happy. But prisons should not be a place where petty criminals turn into hardline gangsters; their vices shouldn’t be perpetuated - they should be alleviated. The reason for this is the cost, both social and economic, which at the moment is extraordinarily high - and rising. The initial cost of having your freedom taken away is about £65,000 and £40,000 a year from then on. We are already housing 80,000 inmates in a system designed for 50,000 which means more prisons will need to be built, costing more money still. In a democracy, spending such large amounts on
restricting peoples’ freedom seems counter-intuitive, even more so when you accept that the majority of prisoners are released skill-less, contact-less and hopeless into an economic climate that is notoriously difficult. It is no wonder that reoffence is so common. We are spending vast amounts of money on a system that only perpetuates its own failings. One change would be to implement a wide-ranging residential drug treatment program for appropriate offenses, which have shown to actually offer a £200,000 net benefit to society over the lifetime of someone who would have been a prisoner in other circumstances. This approach delivers a much lower re-offense rate and is much cheaper to run; at the moment less than three per cent of prisoners identified with a drug problem have access to appropriate rehabilitation programs in prison. Prisons are not deterrents for serious criminals who know
how to use them to their own advantage and do no good for petty criminals who only leave with a renewed sense of animosity towards a society they have no place in. What we need is a prison system inclined towards compassion not incarceration; we need a clear divide between petty offenders who deserve empathy and serious offenders who deserve punishment. This current inbalance means that those who should be punished get excessively catered to and those who should be rehabilitated get excessively punished. We need to recognise that the system is flawed and acknowledge that change is necessary. It is crucial for our long-term success as a society, both economically and socially, that we learn to differentiate between those for whom crime was a product of misfortune, who should be dealt with compassionately, and those for whom crime was a choice, who we should deal with voraciously. Morris Seifert
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Project,
was an experience that made
engage with abuse.
it is certainly not something
burning and man hating, and
feminist and yet insulting other
which started out as a blog
me feel uncomfortable and
worthy of abuse.
what makes me particularly
women based on their looks
and Twitter account where
unhappy.
received
have become a crucial part
Ignoring sexism doesn’t solve
sad is that many women still
and the things that they do – or
men and women could post
the first unpleasant tweet, my
of our everyday lives but, like
the problem of it either, and this
see feminism in a negative
complain about – is itself anti-
their experiences of everyday
reaction was to just ignore it,
everything, there are always
is why campaigns such as the
light. Feminism is like any
feminist.
sexism, from things such as
thinking it will go away, and so
movement; the people who
As feminists, we should fight for
people buying only pink or
that’s what I did. Unfortunately
support it never have exactly
women to be valued for more
blue toys for new-born babies,
I was wrong, and the tweets got
the same ideas about it, but
than just their appearance,
to being sexually assaulted.
worse throughout the day. Each
they’re fighting for the same
and to be viewed as more than
What sparked the storm of
time my phone buzzed with a
united cause.
just objects, and I personally
twitter abuse I received was a
notification from Twitter I felt
The blog scousebirdproblems.
think that the writer devalues
tweet to the project discussing
sick, and started to think about
com doesn’t seem to think the
other women by focusing on
how I hate being beeped and
deleting
even
same. The writer of this blog
these things too much. So
whistled at when walking down
though I knew that wasn’t really
wrote a post last week entitled
next time you disagree with
the street.
the solution. I left my account
‘Modern Feminism vs Everyday
another
is wrong – street harassment. I’m
an
avid
supporter
Sexism
When
my
I
account
Social media, and Twitter,
tell
me
feminism
women’s
attitudes
feminist’s
views,
Recently, trolling seems to
as it was, and didn’t delete
Sexism’, in which she decided
think about how to be critical
be becoming a far too normal
the tweet that had attracted
to make an example of me by
in a constructive way, and
part of our society, particularly
the trolling, but by the end
print screening and posting my
understand
surrounding
of the day I was emotionally
tweet to the Everyday Sexism
solidarity, it will be even more
Project about street harassment
difficult to reach the end goal
– “this is another example of
we all aspire to: equality.
campaigns.
feminist Two
years
ago,
British diver Tom Daley was
exhausted.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
I think Twitter is a brilliant
abused on Twitter after he lost
platform
in
going to be people who abuse
Everyday Sexism Project and No
feminism gone wrong.”
out in a diving event. Last year
discussions in an intelligent
them, and use them to abuse
More Page 3 are so important.
One
saw Labour MP Stella Creasy
way with others about issues.
others, and this is something
If you haven’t already, have a
experience
and
You may or may not agree
we can’t ignore. Ignoring the
read of the Everyday Sexism
is that we need to focus on
campaigner
Caroline
for
engaging
of
the has
things
my
taught
me
Martha Clarke
that
without
ISSUE 16/ 3rd MARCH 2014 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Editors: Phoebe Clarke, Patrick Hinton, Tom Ingham Interview
Opinion
theMUSIC OPINION: Have the Brits lost their spark?
In the wake of last week’s Brit awards, with performances from huge household names such as Beyoncé, and with David Bowie no less predictably stealing Best Male Solo Artist, you would think it would have been a night to remember. But alas, this felt like it was far from the case. Though, admittedly hardly a shambles of a production, there was something missing from the ceremony that usually sets the internet alight. It is difficult to quite put your finger on what made the latest Brits performance decidedly less than thrilling, but it can perhaps in part be attributed to the lack of interest in those nominated, and the generally predictable nature of the winner for each category. Granted, some of the most highly successful artists and tracks of 2013 made the cut onto the final nominations, but in all honesty, it felt increasingly as though these awards were a note of the ability of the marketing teams behind the artists, over the music itself. Without becoming too sour over the state of popular music at the moment, having One Direction win Best Video for ‘The Best Song Ever’ seemed a little misjudged. However, this sort of pop culture is not only evident at the Brits, so I must make that clear, but this kind of awarding did make the Brits seem a little more generic, which is a shame, as us Brits do innovation in music so well. It wasn’t all injustice though; Bastille grabbed British Breakthrough Act, which really couldn’t have gone anywhere else considering the band’s almost over-night international success. Artic Monkeys also managed to slide past the formidable One Direction to take Best British Group. The group also took MasterCard British Album of the Year, which was followed by a fascinating
speech by Alex Turner about the endurance of Rock n’ Roll – and you certainly needed endurance to get through that speech. But even after all this, the audience still waned and fought to find something of interest in what should have been an electric evening. The performances were full of energy but it seemed artificial. The collaboration between Lorde (who took home Best International Female) and Disclosure, which sought to blend their biggest hits, ‘Royals’ and ‘White Noise’, just seemed a bit laboured. Though you appreciated the intention, it just didn’t quite work. The more simple performances, like a comparatively understated rendition of ‘XO’ by Beyoncé were much more easily received and added a bit of class to all the structured madness. Where Bastille’s performance with Rudimental had more success on the collaborative front, there was still no lasting memory of anything truly unique. The first broadcast of the Brits in the 1980s was for want of a better word, chaotic. Reportedly without any rehearsal, no wonder no one had a clue what was going on. But since then the awards have come a long way; perhaps too far? Boredom best sums it up for the most part. In fact there were perhaps two exciting moments in the entire show. One, when David Bowie sent a rather interesting speech in his place to be read by Kate Moss, which was all rather mystical until it said, ‘And Scotland, stay with us’. And the second, when Harry Styles was nowhere to be seen for the collection of One Direction’s award, because the star had been in the toilet. Ultimately though, when toilet gags are the highlight of a 2 hour show, there may be something a bit a miss. Natalie Proctor
the MUSIC INTERVIEW: Cloud Control Matthew Staite speaks to Alister Wright and Heidi Lennfer of Cloud Control before their headline show at Gorilla. As I speak to Cloud Control, the band is embarking on a tour passing through Manchester, London and Leeds to promote their second full length album, Dream Cave. The band originates from the Blue Mountains near Sydney, Australia, originally forming to compete in a battle of the bands competition back in 2007. The band released their first EP in 2008, followed by debut album Bliss Release in 2010. Despite the slightly relaxed release schedule, Cloud Control have been kept busy by numerous tours, and have also supported a host of big names on tour over the years: including Arcade Fire, The Foo Fighters, Vampire Weekend and The Magic Numbers to name but a few. The band have a truly international following in both the UK and the United States, but especially back home in Australia, where Bliss Release won the annual Australian Music Prize in 2011, and have been heavily played and promoted through Triple-J radio station. Reflective of their fan base, the band can now also be considered international, with half its members moving to London last year. “We had toured Australia quite a few times, so moving to London allowed us to do some extensive touring of the UK and Europe”, explains Alister. “I suppose if you had to describe the band in food terms we’d be a mix of a continental and English breakfast”, jokes Heidi. Dream cave was released in August last year, to mixed critical acclaim. “We supported the Local Natives on tour not long after the album came out, but it feels special to finally be touring the UK by ourselves at last”, answers Alister when I ask whether they are enjoying being back out on the road. The band are no strangers to Manchester, having played Soup Kitchen several times, a venue they particularly fond memories of. “Manchester is the first show of the UK
We wanted to create an album that brought Manchester in the Industrial era back to life. tour, which is exciting” adds Heidi, “but we only landed the day before yesterday, so we’re still completely jetlagged”. The band member curled up in a sleeping bag on the sofa in Gorilla’s backstage room is perhaps a more tell-tale sign of this. The band is unfazed by the step up in capacity from Soup Kitchen to Gorilla, and conversation immediately turns to a comparison of the venues respective culinary offerings. Gorilla eventually being the decisive winner due to its proximity to Dog Bowl Bowling next door, a presence which both Alister and Heidi seem more excited about than tonight’s show. Compared to the upbeat psychedelic pop of Bliss Release, Dream Cave at first seems much darker and broody. “The first album sounded very organic. Dream Cave still sounds very Cloud Control, but simultaneously very different”. Tracks such as ‘Promises’ and ‘Scar’ feature lush, yet haunting vocal harmonies which make both Cloud Control as a band and Dream Cave so special. Both the title track and last song on the album, “Dream Cave’ is perhaps the most memorable song on the album, with its vocals recorded inside an actual cave in
Kent. The sound of the record is expansive and spacious, which the band put down to a shared love of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of The Moon. Distorted vocals on tracks like ‘Scream Rave’ and ‘The Smoke the Feeling’ don’t play a particular purpose, but are a result of experimentation and the bands attempt to create this expansive sound. The band’s favourite song from the record however is ‘Dojo Rising’, underlined by its pulsating groove, and further demonstrates both the variety of songs on the record and Cloud Control songwriting potential. The bands diverse sound makes their live gigs captivating and exciting. “We want the audience to enjoy each of our shows and take away an enjoyable and special night”, comments Alister. “But also some merchandise” jokes Heidi, “so we can remain alive and keep going on tour”. Cloud Control’s touring schedule is an impressive feat in itself. The band played at Australia’s Laneway festival days before this interview, an Australian festival with a spectacular line up they were honoured to be involved in. After the end of their UK and European tour, the band returns home for a 35 date Australian tour. This summer they hope to play at several American and UK festivals, with Sasquatch Festival (with headliners Outkast) being the only festival confirmed so far. If you are lucky enough to see Cloud Control at a festival this summer, they will surely blow you away.
Matthew Staite
Top 5: by Anthony Cornish
TOP 5
SONGS:
Hip Hop Duos
1. Gangstarr The partnership of Guru and DJ Premier stands alone as the greatest hip hop duo to date. The didactic voice of Guru with its effortless flow and nonchalant style is accompanied flawlessly by the jazz-influenced beats of Primo. R.I.P Guru.
2. Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth ‘They Reminisce Over You’. A serious tune and a relevant phrase when considering these two: hip hop fans will be listening and reminiscing over this East Coast duo for years to come.
3. Erik B & Rakim
4. Chuck D &Flavor Flav
5. James Blake - CMYK
Many hip hop stars since these two have followed their lead and attempted to imitate their influential sound. But never matching their class. A groundbreaking duo that have had a huge impact on hip hop and its development.
This popular combo have delivered classics like ‘Fight the Power’ and ‘He Got Game’. The background input Flavor Flav provides for Chuck D can be recognised in an instant. And you got to love that clock necklace.
Despite being hugely disappointed when I caught Mr Jazzy Jeff at Gorilla last year, this duo must be acknowledged for their unique sound. They did, after all, create the theme tune Fresh Prince – need I say more?
ISSUE 15/ 24th FEBRUARY 2014 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
: @MancunionMusic : / TheMancunionMusicSection
Music
13
Interview / Review
Howler Matthew Staite Jordan Gatesmith may only be 21, but age clearly hasn’t been a hindrance of his band’s success so far. Gatesmith formed Howler in 2010, and by the end of 2011, the band had already released their first two EPs, signed to Rough Trade and supported The Vaccines on a UK tour. Debut album This One’s Different was released not long after in early 2012, followed by the band immediately embarking on a UK, US, Japanese and European tour. The band’s second album World of Joy is due for release on the 24th March, and as I speak to the band, they are excited to get back on the road after a year spent recording. “Even doing a press tour like we are now, it’s nice to escape snowy Minneapolis for a bit”, muses frontman Jordan, “Since we’ve had quite a break going on tour can be slightly daunting, but at the same time it’s really exciting” adds Ian the guitarist. The band are looking forward to touring the UK, as Howler have
a larger following in the UK than back home in the USA, which is surprising. The larger following means ‘gigs tend to be more exciting here’, states Jordan simply. Both Jordan and Ian seem happy with how album two has turned out with both confidently asserting that “It’s definitely better than the first album”. Their sound is unmistakably still Howler, a blend of bratty punk fused with garage rock, “but our song writing has definitely improved, and lyrics were a much greater focus on this record”. Ian describes the album as “definitely rawer, but also sounds more collaborative as the band mostly wrote the album together”. Howler’s sound isn’t too dissimilar from the debut album of their old touring buddies The Vaccines (What do you expect from the Vaccines?). World of Joy is extremely short and fast paced; skidding in at just under 27 minutes. However, despite its length,
the album contains a brilliant variety of songs along the way. When it comes to musical influences, Jordan is quick to cite the band’s “huge shared love for punk music, especially (Minneapolis bands) Cows and The Replacements”. The punk influence clearly shines through on tracks like ‘In the Red’ and ‘Louise’, dominated by blisteringly fast guitar lines topped with Jordan’s spat lyrics. “But as a band we have such a wide music taste that it makes it difficult to point to direct influences,” adds Ian. ‘Here’s The Itch That Creeps Through My Skull’ is a clear homage to the sound of The Smiths, driven by a jangly guitar riff worthy of Johnny Marr, with Jordan crooning Morrissey-esque vocals of “I don’t want to be rich, or famous no more...” at the beginning of the song. ‘Indictment’ was my personal favourite song on the album, which sounds like it could easily have featured on Room on Fire, the second album of
The Strokes. World of Joy follows off the back of a brilliant first album, and demonstrates Howler’s future potential. The time spent recording and expanding their list of musical influences really paid off, resulting in a well-rounded style to the album. The band play at Manchester’s
Deaf Institute on the 30th March, and while festival dates are yet to be announced, Howler will surely make an impact wherever they play this summer.
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Review
Mano Le Tough / Prosumer Tom Odell Gorilla - 7th February 2014 Selective Hearing have come a long way. From a poster adorned with a purple clown and the word ‘dubtech’, they’re now Manchester’s most relevant and consistent promoter. A sign of having both feet firmly in the zeitgeist, they repeatedly book artists just before they become absolutely massive. Getting Disclosure in 2011, Bondax the following year and Paul Woolford at the start of 2013, these guys are always ahead of the curve. However, for the first in their series of fourth birthday bonanzas, Selective Hearing
chose to opt for two already established selectors. First on the bill was dreamy house producer Mano Le Tough. Following on from his debut LP last year, the Irish expat’s reputation has been slowly bubbling upwards. His swooninducing ‘Primative People’ gave a lift to many climatic festival moments last summer, further enhancing this reputation. The ease which permeates his productions translated wonderfully to the dancefloor. He drops dark cuts with a uniquely light touch, creating an aesthetic of airy lushness. The
7/10 throbbing Dettmann rework of Moderat’s ‘Bad Kingdom’, which sounds harsh on a standalone listen, was transformed into a pirouetting breeze. Needless to say, Mano’s mixing was always on point, allowing the crowd to get lost in his seemingly transition-less set. The other half of the night’s entertainment was provided by veteran DJ Prosumer. Having recently left longadopted hometown Berlin, his globetrotter’s lifestyle came across in the variety of records he played. Mixing vinyl, there was no doubting his technical capability. Yet for me, a certain oomph was lacking from his set. I blame the club. The volume in Gorilla was at bedroom-level towards the end, meaning some of his more vocally disco selections didn’t translate too well. Yet this did little to spoil the punters’ fun, with the night firmly cementing Selective Hearing’s status. Roll on part two of the celebrations. Ben Glover
The O2 Apollo - 11th February 2014 Squeezing through the milieu of couples to have invaded the O2 Apollo, I had low expectations for singer/songwriter Tom Odell, best known for his debut Long Way Down to storm the official UK charts last year. As a predominantly electronic listener, I had prejudices about the ‘acoustic rubbish’ I was about to endure – I expected Odell on a stool singing ambiguous lyrics surrounded by a demographic of thirteen year old girls and people whose music discovery begins and ends with Spotify
recommendations. I could not have been more wrong. The show was expertly put together show from start to finish. Covering a variety of his numbers from tearjerker Another Love to an acoustic cover of Lana Del Rey’s Video Games he recently performed in BBC One’s Live Lounge, Tom gave a passionate performance that showcased his incredible ability as a pianist and a performer. The Apollo’s dramatic backdrop of red drapes was the perfect setting for performances such
9/10
as that of Can’t Pretend, where the stabbing minor chords and the frantic swinging of Odell’s blonde hair brought an air of theatricality that allowed the songs to translate to a bigger venue. Although the night was annoyingly filled with girls heckling “I love you Tom!”, to which Odell courteously replied “I love you too”, his stage presence is what glued the show together. He fearlessly took command of the stage and shortly had everyone singing along to a new song he had been working on, despite no one knowing the lyrics. Ending with a showcase of the band’s musical talent in an extended improvisation session that made you feel like you were sat an underground Jazz club as opposed to the Apollo, I can clearly say Odell has raised the Indie bar in live performance.
Phoebe Clarke Music Editor
14
Music
ISSUE 15/ 24th FEBRUARY 2014 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
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Now: Arthur BeatriceSupermodel Harvest Records. Release Date - 24th February 2014
The indie quartet of Arthur Beatrice has drawn comparisons to The xx with previously released tracks such as ‘Carter’. The rationale behind this comparison is clear after listening to their debut full-length, Working Out, but they are more than simply an imitation. Having played together since 2011, the three years the quartet of Orlando Leopard, Ella Girardot, and Elliot and Hamish Barnes has taken to release Working Out have been well worth the wait. The album is full of gilded layers of melodic pop, complemented by the overlay of Girardot’s and Leopard’s heady and haunting vocals. From the opening few verses of initial track ‘Councillor’, the listener is caught up in a gradual buildup of rhythm that is released by Giradot’s added vocals, never falling victim to overly slow musings. Songs such as ‘More Scrapes’ provide poignant and heartfelt lyrics: “so how can we feel as we used to / estranging
For full listings visit:
manchesteracademy.net FEBRUARY 8/10
just to feel as we should do / safety is the most unsettling / just waking up at night and feeling old”. The only questionable instrumental necessity comes with the interlude between the first and second string of five tracks, but it does segue nicely into ‘Grand Union’ which introduces Leopard’s deep vocals, a noticeable and complementary contrast to those of Girardot’s. The dark, edgy imagery epitomized in songs such as ‘Grand Union’ works well for the band. Impressively, Arthur Beatrice never really seem like they’re trying too hard, with clever lines such as “and I could do with a face like yours / to get me through hard times” in ‘Singles’. The band seems to have intelligent, perceptive things to say; a refreshing take on the generic themes of love, heartbreak and individuality, and that’s what sets them apart from a growing mass of electronically influenced indie bands. The album also tends to draw on surprising beats where you might feel a song is about to fall flat. The almost soulfully reminiscent beats of ‘Fairlawn’ save the album from petering into too much of the same, surprising the listener with a new direction and carrying it through into final track ‘Ornament & Safeguard’. The line “I’ve tried saying nothing / but I’m still there” fittingly sees the dual voices of Girardot and Leopard coming together at last. Ruby Hoffman
Black Onassis Thursday 27th
MARCH The Dear Hunter And Anthony Green Saturday 1st
Thomas Ingham, Music Editor
Uncle Acid &The Deadbeats Thursday 24th Patent Pending & People On Vacation Friday 25th Jace Everett with band Friday 25th The Smiths Ltd Saturday 26th John Butler Trio Sunday 27th
Black Lights Saturday 8th
Blood Red Shoes Monday 28th
Example Friday 14th Heaven 17 Saturday 15th Maximo Park Saturday 15th Sex Pistols Experience Saturday 15th Space & Republica Thursday 20th NMEAwardstour2014withAustin,Texas: Interpol + Temples + Royal Blood + Circa Waves Thursday 20th Ian Prowse & Amsterdam Friday 21st Quadrophenia Night Friday 21st Heaven’s Basement Saturday 22nd Transmission - The Sounds of Joy Division Saturday 22nd Azealia Banks Wednesday 26th Bonafide Wednesday 26th
Tyrese, Ginuwine and Tank (TGT) Friday 28th The Stranglers Saturday 29th
APRIL and thin”. And while this rings true on tracks like ‘Miserable Lie’ which sits bare, the Smiths are at their most powerful as a four piece on the tragic love tale ‘Hand In Glove’ and the infectious ‘This Charming Man’. The Smiths not only pushed Morrissey and Marr into the limelight, but also it’s now famous label Rough Trade and Manchester itself – creating unlikely landmarks “What do we get for our trouble and pain?...Whalley Range” Hopes of a reunion have been dashed even for the most optimistic, leaving the two iconic mancunians to battle it out for solo success.
The Temperance Movement Wednesday 23rd
Blackberry Smoke Sunday 2nd
Loveable Rogues Friday 28th
Rough Trade - February 1984
Brody Dalle Tuesday 22nd
Temples Saturday 1st
Jack Savoretti Thursday 27th
Then: The Smiths -The Smiths It’s been 30 years since The Smiths (album, not the band) was dropped without warning on the synth-suffocated population who had managed to keep “Relax” in the charts for some 42 weeks. Disco had become as ugly word in the 80’s, and whilst the emergence of hip-hop ensured the survival of groove, mainstream chart acts felt stiff, probably because of the shoulder pads. The Smiths (band, not the album) combined elements of folk, funk and long forgotten disco that provided the basis for one of music’s biggest enigmas – Morrissey. This pale, gangly looking Chap from Davyhulme, Manchester wrote for tortured souls who found no solace in the spew Paul Young was putting out. ‘Suffer Little Children’ caused controversy; touching upon the Moors Murders and earning Morrissey a reputation as a rather grim and depressed soul, the A-side ‘Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now’ (not actually featured on the debut), did little to change this view. But, as any discerning Smiths fan will tell you, the masters lyrics are full of whit and tongue-in-cheek brilliance, ‘Still Ill’ serves as one of the greatest examples “Under the iron bridge we kissed/ although I ended up with sore lips”. The melancholia can’t all be pinned on Mozza; Marr’s rolling, arpeggiated chords carry their own significance. Much has been made about the production of the album, Morrissey criticises the sound in his autobiography, saying “The album sounds exactly how the Smiths were not: pasty
RockSoundImpericonExposureTour2014 We Came As Romans + Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! + The Color Morale + Palm Reader Wednesday 26th
Kvelertak Monday 21st
Hopsin Tuesday 1st The Robert Glasper Experiment Wednesday 2nd Emblem3 Thursday 3rd Therapy? Troublegum 20th Anniversary Thursday 3rd Mentallica vs Megadeth UK Saturday 5th
MAY De La Soul Friday 2nd Northside Saturday 3rd Action Bronson Monday 5th Clean Bandit Wednesday 7th The Hold Steady Wednesday 7th Janelle Monae Wednesday 7th Martin Stephenson & The Daintees Thursday 8th Jagwar Ma Saturday 10th The Clone Roses Saturday 10th Pentatonix Tuesday 13th Lit Wednesday 14th Embrace Saturday 17th CASH – The No.1 Johnny Cash Tribute Saturday 17th Capone-N-Noreaga&Onyx Saturday17th Goldfinger/Zebrahead Thursday 22nd Swans Thursday 22nd Ned’s Atomic Dustbin + The Wedding Present + CUD + The Sultans Of Ping + The Frank & Walters + Chameleons Vox
GIGANTIC – Classic Indie All Dayer Bank Holiday Saturday 24th
The War On Drugs Wednesday 28th AWOLNATION Thursday 29th Francis Dunnery Band Friday 30th
REST OF 2014 Schoolboy Q Sunday 1st June The Polyphonic Spree Saturday 7th June Jurassic 5 Thursday 19th June
Bipolar Sunshine Saturday 5th
Extreme – Pornograffitti Live Tour Friday 4th July
Deaf Havana Saturday 5th
Anberlin Thursday 7th August
Riverside Sunday 6th
AxisOfAwesome Monday22ndSeptember
Devildriver Wednesday 9th The Wildhearts Thursday 10th Johnette Napolitano (Of Concrete Blonde) Thursday 10th Hue & Cry Thursday 10th Memphis May Fire Friday 11th UB40 Saturday 12th Penetration Saturday 12th Gallon Drunk Tuesday 15th Augustines Wednesday 16th
Vance Joy Thursday 25th September Evile (Album Launch Show) Saturday 27th September Miles & Erica Saturday 11th October Anti-Nowhere League Thursday 16th October The Orb Saturday 18th October Asking Alexandria Friday 31st October Cockney Rejects Thursday 6th November
The Summer Set Thursday 17th
Dan Baird & Homemade Sin Friday 21st November
Berlin Berlin Saturday 19th
LimehouseLizzy Saturday22ndNovember
Games
ISSUE 15/ 24th FEBRUARY 2014 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
15
Editor: Alasdair Preston Preview
Preview From Software • Namco Bandai • Out: March 13th • Available on PC, PS3 & 360
Dark Souls II Tuan Dao braces himself for another round of punishment at the hands of Dark Souls
A new year is upon us, which means anotised potential of the new console generation. There are no other games like the “Souls” games. Demon’s Souls, in its time, was praised as one of the best exclusives ever made for PS3 (despite initially being available only in Asia) and Dark Souls brought every gamer’s attention to its developer, Software, serving as the epitome of their success. Both are excruciatingly difficult, but highly rewarding. Of course, with fame comes infamy. While there is a large community cheering on their uncompromising oldschool gameplay, there are even more people loathing them as being unnecessarily brutal and unfair. Either way, love or hate, the Souls’ games have a special position in people’s hearts, which is why a lot of eyes are turning for the upcoming debut of the successor to one of the hardest games ever made; Dark Souls II. Like its predecessors, Dark Souls II promotional campaign gives us a faint hint about our character: we are the cursed seeking a cure in the once prosperous, but now ruined, Kingdom of Drangelic. The lore of this world will be subtly revealed throughout your adventure. In many interviews, the game’s directors have confirmed this sequel is directly linked to its brothers, but how this connection plays out remains to be seen. To be completely honest, I was a little skeptical when the game was announced, mainly due to the absence of Hidetaka Miyazaki, the brilliant mind behind both Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls. There are rumours that Dark Souls II will be made easier and more accessible, to suit a larger gaming audience potentially throwing a dagger into the heart of the Souls’ fans. Thankfully, all my doubts have vanished since I watched several beta gameplay videos on the internet. Still brutal, still challenging; this is Dark Souls all right. Not just that, there
are a lot of improvements over the previous game; some of them feel like the best elements of the two Souls games finally have the long-awaited reunion. There is a new healing item introduced: life gems. They are a lot similar to Grass in Demon’s Souls, which restore a bit of your health, and they appear to be common loot. Sounds compromising, huh? Nope. Your health regenerates very slowly, and your movements are impeded. I cannot recall how many deaths I have seen the beta players suffer because of untimely use of them, particularly with agile enemies who can drain your health in a flash. Death in Dark Souls II is even more punishing than in Dark Souls. If you die in hollow/undead form, your maximum health drops. The more you die, the more pain you feel. This is when you need a Human Effigy item to restore your humanity and health bar. As if that wasn’t enough, the developers decided to further restrain players who prefer to stay hollow in the previous game with a new invasion system. Dark Souls introduced a ground-breaking (although still buggy) multiplayer game design, allowing players to ‘invade’ other people’s worlds either to assist or attack them. You cannot predict or prevent the hostile invasion if you are in human form, but if you do not want to be interfered with (or killed), you can simply stay in your hollow form. Dark Souls II removes this convenience, allowing people to invade and disturb your adventure whenever and wherever (unless you decide to unplug the ethernet wire). Furthermore, Dark Souls II allows more than two people playing together without
Image: ToTheGame putting a lot of restrictions like the last game. This adds even more fun among friends, but I do not really fancy the idea of having a horde of players to take down a single boss. Finally, the covenant system, an essential element of the multiplayer, is also renewed with more useful features, promising to be a valuable addition. One example is the new ‘Way of the Blue’ covenant, which serves as a ‘shelter’ covenant for newcomers by making it harder for strong players to pick on lowlevel players. Other covenants include Blue Sentinels, Heirs to the Sun, Bell Keepers etc., some of which sound excitingly familiar. The world of Drangelic seems a little bit more light-hearted than the bleak and dreary atmosphere of Lordran, with a lot of screenshots featuring towns bathed in bright sunlight. Yet, it still retains a traditional aura of eeriness and mysteriousness. With less than a month to go, the marketing has become more heated with new interesting details being revealed weekly. The pain will spread in mid-March, and for now, let’s Praise the Sun and Prepare to Die.
There came a weird crystalizing moment when I realised that, for the past several hours, all I’d been doing was watching YouTube videos of people playing games. Games that I own, and could’ve spent those hours actually playing. I asked myself how did that happen? How have I just been more entertained watching a group of people play my games, and talk what often was little more than gibberish, than if I’d been doing it myself? The answer was Achievement Hunter, a YouTube phenomenon that every gamer will no doubt be familiar with. They are just one of several big names in online videos whose entire business is to play games and record themselves doing it. On the surface, their fortune seems to be founded on something anyone could do, and many have tried. YouTube is overflowing with such content. But most of this isn’t noteworthy, and isn’t going to appeal to a wide audience. Most hopefuls who upload their efforts to the website see very little of the limelight. So how do the Yogscast’s and KSI’s of this world succeed where others fail?
Image: Achievemenr hunter
Twitch turns Pokémon into team game
Image: Twitch
Thousands of internet users attempt to co-operate to play the beloved game, with predictable results uphill battle. Not only does he have to compete with the many thousands of people all trying to do the same thing at once, but he must also put up with a similar number deliberately trying to make him do the wrong thing. Twitch also employs a 20+ second delay on the input, requiring people to plan ahead to execute their intentions, be they good or bad. The obvious analogy to make would be to a thousand monkeys working on a thousand typewriters, but the monkeys would probably be doing a better job at Pokémon. So far, mischievous users have successfully released the team’s beloved Charmeleon, affectionately called “ABBBBBBK (“ (pronounced how it is spelt) and tossed away just about every important item they can. The un-tossable Helix fossil has become a thing of legend, practically worshipped by many who keep forcing the cursor onto it during battle to find out that, sure enough, Professor Oak won’t allow them to use it. In an effort to bring order to the
Conquer YouTube with Your Console Alasdair Preston looks at how Achievement Hunter took over YouTube
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A bizarre social experiment has been taking place in the gaming world recently. The community of Twitch, a website that allows users to stream game related footage and have chat discussions alongside, have been desperately trying to play Pokémon together. One imaginative user has established a server that allows everyone to play the same game of Pokémon Red at the same time, simply by posting their button commands into the chat window. The chaos that has been unfolding ever since is unprecedented. At time of writing, the game was over six full days in constant playtime. Over 75,000 users are logged on. They’re four gym badges down out of eight, a feat that I would’ve called impossible. The road has not been smooth. There have been triumphs, and heartbreak. The simple act of cutting down a bush using one of the game’s HM moves didn’t take place until over two days into the marathon. Every single action that the poor Pokémon trainer must perform is an
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chaos, the creator introduced an Anarchy/Democracy dynamic. Players vote on how the game will be played and, once the new ideal has 75% of the vote, the game changes to that method. Anarchy, the most popular option, is what we already know and love. Under Democracy, the game changes. Input is only carried out every 10 seconds, with the most popular option in that span being performed. Needless to say, the hive mind did not appreciate Democracy, and quickly ousted it. In an interview with BADatVIDEOGAMES, the Australian programmer behind the madness went on to say “Although I claim it is a social experiment I think that gives the false impression that it was planned or for a particular purpose, it’s just a fancy way of saying ‘I want to see what happens’.” I can only assume that, barring some catastrophic server crash, this travesty will still be going.
Alasdair Preston
Achievement Hunter is an excellent example of how to do it right. The primary element that makes them so popular is the people. When watching an AH video, you’re watching a familiar group. Their cast is consistent and, over time, their on-screen personalities and relationships have developed to the point that the games are no longer the stars of the show. It doesn’t matter what they’re playing, we’re really tuning in for Michael’s short fuse or Gavin’s affable incompetence. By contrast, we can look at Epic Meal Time’s attempts at cornering the gaming demographic. While their gruff and manly approach to cooking made them big, their personas lack the depth and real human connection that comes with Achievement Hunter. Watching their gaming videos is like watching their other videos, but without all the good bits about putting together ridiculous food. It’s hard to sit through five minutes of, let alone an hour (the length of some AH videos). The humble beginnings of Achievement Hunter involved Geoff, a founder member of Rooster Teeth (of Red vs Blue fame), and Jack making weekly
videos discussing games, and later featuring fan-made submissions of embarrassing Halo moments (at time of writing this long running feature is at episode 178!) and challenging Halo maps for the duo to compete in. Their continued commitment to the viewers is a big part of what helped Achievement Hunter grow. By taking user submissions, they kept their fanbase involved at every step of the way. It’s one thing to capture an online audience, but to keep them you need to have quantity as well as quality. This is something Achievement Hunter does superbly with their diverse portfolio of regular features. They’re constantly evolving and expanding their offering to ensure that viewers will want to keep giving them hits. Their original Halo videos quickly adapted to covering more games, and their range of regular features grew massively. Now, their most popular content is Let’s Plays of Minecraft & GTA V, and Michael’s signature Rage Quit and the competitive GO! episodes among others maintain a healthy variety. They regularly convene the core gang to compete in oftenridiculous challenges across Minecraft and GTA Online in their Let’s Plays. Alliances are formed, betrayals are revealed and pranks abound. Their simple ideas often convert to lengthy videos that are compelling without. Even when there are lulls in the gameplay, the banter and horseplay maintains the entertainment value. Talking to The Mancunion, Senior Producer Jack Pattillo said “We have always made an attempt to bring our viewers onto the couch with us. We want our content to sound like buddies sitting around in a living room having a good time.” This attitude shines through in just a few minutes of viewing. He went on to say that “This sense of inclusion has always helped our content be more authentic than others.” Achievement Hunter has been running since 2010. In that time, the number of episodes and hours of content produced has grown huge. Naturally, there are some in-jokes, but it doesn’t take long for these to become clear and it’s easy to just jump in at any point in a series and understand why, for example, they’re all jumping out of helicopters in GTA: Online and trying desperately to avoiding being splattered by jets. If you want to be like the Achievement Hunters, be likable, be adaptable and be everywhere. By employing these tactics, Achievement Hunter is likely to remain on top of the YouTube world for some time to come.
ISSUE 15/ 24th FEBRUARY 2014 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Editors: Susie Coen, Marie ClareYates, Halee Wells (Beauty)
CENSORED:
New York, New York NYFW: Rodarte reds NYC style tutorial
Last week, The Mancunion Fashion ‘Top 5’ column covered role-play outfits, in keeping with the theme of the issue, ‘Sexy’. The Students’ Union blacked out four images which they considered to breach their Sexual Harassment policy and encourage sexism on campus. The article was humourous and not intended to be offensive, still, however, we were censored. Top 5
5
TOP
/TheMancunion: Fashion & Beauty
@MancunionFash
“I’d like a Cheeseburger please, a large fries and a Cosmopolitan”
Beauty
Fashion
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Nikki Patel recreates one of NYFW’s most beautiful looks New York fashion week defines what will be this season’s biggest trends not only in terms of style, but in the beauty world too. Backstage, makeup artists work tirelessly to create cutting edge and jaw dropping looks which, combined with the sartorial prowess of stylists and designers, create an
unforgettable aesthetic that characterises New York’s runways. This season, beauty is bolder than ever and I have chosen to create a tutorial based on the whimsical nostalgia of the ‘bruised smokey eye’ as seen at Rodarte.
STEP ONE
STEP TWO
Photo Writer’s own
Fashion
NYFW: Fashion
Scarlett Whittell tells us how to steal the NY style - the reigning fashion capital of the world If you happen to be popping over to New York sometime soon (lucky devil), now is the time to start thinking about outfits. Having recently been confirmed as the most fashionable city in the world, NYC is not the sort of place where you can don a practical fleece (nb. If you actually own
a practical fleece, burn it immediately). But before you start weeping and breaking out in cold sweats, let me show you a couple of my enlightened outfit combos
1. Stuffing your face with pancakes at breakfast
STEP THREE
Apply a cream eye shadow in a pink/brown hue such as Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Metallic Pomegranate all over your lids using your fingers. The creamy consistency means that the colour will appear bolder and more pigmented, as well as being more resilient. Again, bring this under your eyes using a small brush and into the inner corners. Don’t worry too much about precision and clean lines, the look at Rodarte was very liberally applied to create that ‘bruised’ effect.
STEP FOUR
Let’s be honest, it’s probably going to happen. Who can resist the temptation of a light fluffy American pancake? Whether you are living the dream and having a hotel breakfast, or finding a bustling city café, New Yorkers have no time for people that look
2. Strolling through Central Park The central issue here is looking good, whilst avoiding blisters. I’d get into town sharpish and bag yourself a pair of these long, suede boots from H&M. Couple them with a cute nautical tee and the very essence of springtime – the trench coat. This Mango piece has hints of black tailoring, which will tie in perfectly with your boots and a comfy pair of black skinny jeans. What we have achieved here, ladies, is effortless tourist chic.
2. Miranda - £38.00 Defining and highlighting is always my favourite part as it really adds vivacity to the eyes. Grab a deep red/purple eyeliner and liberally line the upper and lower lash lines in fast, short strokes. Then line the water line with a black kohl liner to create a dark shadow affect around the eye and add intensity.
Finally, apply a burgundy shade to your lips. The darker the shade, the more intense and vampy your look will appear. At Rodarte, the models actually sported metallic lips, and if you dare, I would recommend pressing a fine shimmery pigment such as Mac ..in over the lipstick to add a futuristic feel to an otherwise nostalgic look. Pair this with feminine lace, pastels and pleats and give those New York fashionistas a run for their money.
Donna Karan The over the knee boot was big this winter and it seems like it is here to stay. Donna Karan’s collection was inspired by erotica with a predominately black colour palette, sheer cut outs and plunging necklines. The show immediately grabbed our attention with a wrap around tuxedo mini dress and a deep, protruding neckline. Like VB the collection was accessorised with fur and splashes of red kept it current and exciting. The finale was a bit more demure, keeping it classy with camel wrap coats and full length dresses.
Beauty
warehouse.com 3. Charlotte - £32.00 The most girly of the group, Charlotte’s pastels (wardrobe, house interior, etc...) are very prominent in all high street shops this spring. Sweet and sugary, pale colours and floaty fabrics will hopefully make you feel more romantic and chirpy, even if the weather is a bit more Manchester than Manhattan.
NYFW: Beauty
Coat: mango.com, top: matalan.com, boots: H&M.com
Stephanie Yeo rounds up NYFW’s top beauty looks you can recreate this season
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Instagram: @ctilburymakeup
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Instagram: @narsissist
topshop.com 4. Carrie - £39.99 In the six years Sex and the City aired on TV, countless LBDs featured onscreen; a look synonymous with 90s New York chic. This Zara dress characterises the minimalist 90s LBD trend. Notorious for some questionable outfit combinations, to wear it à la Carrie, you could opt for a fluffy shawl, a diamanté duck-shaped clutch bag and some clumpy 90s sandals to complete your look. If you’d rather not, that is zara.com understandable. 5. The tutu - £45.00
missselfridge.com
like they’ve just woken up. This silk shirt dress from Topshop is a gorgeous colour, and will look perfect paired with some neutral ballet pumps and a leather tote. With its forgiving floaty design, it’s the perfect breakfast partner.
Coat: shirt: topshop.com, shoes: asos.com, bag: riverisland.com
missselfridge.com
Miranda’s slender figure and more tomboy tastes epitomised the iconic 90s supermodel style. Sometimes graceful, sometimes questionable, Miranda’s preferred loose-fitting and often vibrantly-patterned clothes are reflected in this Warehouse dress. The T shirt style combined with the graphic floral print offer a flattering and contemporary twist on Miranda’s look that is inevitably back with vengeance in the recent 90s revival.
Skye Scott transports us across the Atlantic to give us a lowdown on three of her favourite shows in NYFW February may be month of love for some but for many it is the month of fashion. Fashion weeks take place in New York, London, Milan and Paris showcasing the designer collections for the Autumn/Winter 2014-2015 season. Fashions elite braved the snow and chilly weather in New York from the 6th to 13th February, home to some of the most famous designers, including Victoria Beckham, Alexander Wang, DKNY, Ralph Lauren and Michael Kors.
Millie Kershaw picks the most fabulous cocktail dresses on the high street
With all eyes turning to New York for the first fashion week of the season, it seems appropriate to look back to a phenomenon that captured the essence of the city that never sleeps. Needless to say that in six series and two feature films, Sex and the City catalogued a vast collection of clothes and some looks have remained more infamous than others. Inspired by the New York style icons Samantha, Miranda, Charlotte and Carrie, these After priming your peepers, generously apply a deep, rich matte brown dresses can be picked up on the high street today and all for under £50. shadow all over your lids, blending it out towards the brown bone with a soft, round brush. Bring this colour down below your lower lash line 1. Samantha - £45.00 to create a heavy, doe eye effect. Define your brows with either a pencil Lauded for opinions and sex advice as or eye shadow that complements your natural brow shade and slanted colourful as her wardrobe, this dress is a brush. Apply mascara heavily to upper and lower lashes, wiggling from modern homage to Samantha’s penchant side to side to achieve more volume and oomph. for power dressing and block colours. The bright yellow and black contrast detail makes this dress an inevitable talking point in any room; as Samantha was on numerous occasions in the Big Apple.
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At the start of every episode, there is Carrie in that infamous pink tutu. Braless, in Times Square, and soaked as a passing bus turns a puddle into a tidal wave, this disaster would make it up there as the worst moment of anyone’s week. This look, however, became synonymous with the series as a whole. Apparently only bought for $5, the dress inadvertently became a huge success and even on the high street today there are tutu dresses imitating this legendary look. NB – just remember to avoid any puddles.
FRONT
ELECTRIC POP Lisa Eldridge shows us how you can liven up your look with an electric blue eye liner. The best part of this look is that it is very wearable; you can easily translate this runway fashion into the streets of Manchester, perhaps toning it down slightly for every day wear. She personally recommends using a peacock blue liner on top and smudging a darker shade of blue eyeshadow on the lower lash line. The pop of blue was seen in the Marc by Marc Jacobs, Alice Temperly and Badgley Mischka shows. This might just be the only colour you’ll need for spring! Try Collection 2000 coloured eyeliners for a cheap and long lasting pop of colour.
GLOSSY EYES Beyoncé fans, this might just be a recreation of her look from her recent epic album. Charlotte Tilbury has translated the look onto the models for Joseph Fashion by ingeniously using a nude lip lacquer in Bardot Beige to mimic a natural glossy lid. This might not be as long lasting as a powder or cream shadow would be, but it definitely adds an extra dimension to the au naturale look. Play around with other lip colours on your eyes if you dare, as most makeup can be used anywhere on your face. Try pretty eyeshadows as blush, and even coloured eyeliners for lipliners.
Cocktails at The Plaza
If you didn’t already know, The Plaza is sort of a big deal. This is not the time to drag out your moth-bitten frock from prom 2k10; we need high class, eye catching fashion … on a student budget. Some might shy from the challenge, but not I. If you trot on down to Miss Selfridge you will find this amazing black jumpsuit. With a cheeky bit of back on show, it’s as demure and sexy as they come. All you need are some wacker-stacker heels and this elegant gold clutch by Johnny Loves Rosie. I wouldn’t worry about the price of cocktails darling, they will be queuing up.
BACK
Victoria Beckham This WAG showed off her fashion credentials to the max with her monochrome, sleek collection. In colours of only red, black and white it was left to a gold chain to decorate her minimalistic looks. As opposed to the fitted style Victoria usually opts for, the collection was oversized, pleated and ruffled and even included some floaty full length maxi summer dresses in crisp creams. Along with this, by adding fur to mini dresses and promoting an array of cowl neck jumpers she reminds us not to forget the trappings of a winter wardrobe.
GLOWING SKIN This glowy look seen on models of Phillip Lim’s and J. Mendel’s runway left me with serious glow envy. TGFM (Thank god for makeup) because despite the lack of sunshine in England, we can always fake it with a subtle illuminator! A recommended duo would be using the NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer with a tiny amount of NARS Copacabana liquid illuminator. Mix it in with your foundation or on the planes of your cheeks and down the nose, and even your forehead for an ethereal glow. An oldie but a goodie indeed! For a Rihanna-eqsue defined cupids bow, try dabbing highlighter just above the lips too, voíla.
Images: missselfridge.com, asos.com
Alexander Wang In his showcase of the modern soldier, Wang’s models, such as Victoria Secret model Candice Swanepoel, were unrecognisable with slicked back hair and white washed faces. The collection included slick grey military coats and colourful textured jumpers and bombers. Many of the looks were styled with the Wang over the knee boot, which has been suitably named the ‘Mule boot’. The futuristic show even included some heat activated looks that changed colour before the eyes of guests. Photos: Getty Images
ISSUE 15/ 24th FEBRUARY 2014 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Oscars Special
Editors: Sophie James, Robbie Davidson, Angus Harrison Mancunion Film previews the 84th Academy Awards, and gives you a run down of who’s in contention and who they want to win on Sunday night
Best
FILM:
American Hustle is a film with self-assured delivery and intelligent plot formation. The cast isn’t bad either - Christian Bale, Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Renner and Amy Adams make American Hustle the premier nominee this time around. Despite its heavyweight credentials its chances of taking home the big prize are far from certain. Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street is another big hitter. Its introspective exploration of the life of Wall Street grandee Jordan Belfort who pushes countless boundaries, will appeal to many. But this film’s power comes from its wider social consequences. Its self-indulgent
Best
other hand is. Perhaps the most visceral film in the line-up and certainly the best slavery film ever made, its unique filming methods are brilliantly coupled with its unambiguous portrayal of the horrors of American slavery. Cut from the same cloth, Gravity promises to recast what it means to be considered a successful sci-fi film – original and visually breath-taking, it will probably win an Oscar and like 12 Years a Slave, it has a strong case in this category. Nebraska offers a low key alternative to the ‘big occasion’ films that accompany it on the list. It is unafraid of the cold realities of life, and there’s no sugar coated Hollywood moments in sight. Nebraska is a compelling look at old age and modern society - a good film that probably won’t win in this category. Likewise Philomena is unlikely to take home the gong – an emotionally provocative film that also offers heart-warming moments; Philomena deserves more recognition that is it likely to receive this year.
elicited criticism from many, and will probably mean that this will not be Leo’s night. However this is not to say that DiCaprio shouldn’t bother drafting an acceptance
Buyers Club, and he is certainly the bigger name of the two. This, combined with the incredible physical transformation he underwent, and the fact that many will see this as a recognition for his incredible career revival, will give him the edge. In truth though, Ejiofor’s performance in 12 Years a Slave is the most worthy of Oscar gold on Sunday. His beautiful, haunting, heartbreaking portrayal of Solomon Northrop is the sort of performance the Academy should recognise. Sitting quietly in the Best Actor category is Bruce Dern for his role as Woody in Alexander Payne’s Nebraska. Amidst the glitz of Bale’s and DiCaprio’s performances, and the hardhitting subject matter of McConaughey’s and Ejiofor’s, Dern was always going to be the first to be overlooked. This is a pity as not only is he both funny and quietly tragic in Nebraska, but he has a career of great supporting roles which the Academy would be right to acknowledge.
Jack Crutcher
ACTOR:
In some years a front-runner emerges early on in the Best Actor race, and by Oscar night is such a sure fire victor that the race seems more like an enthronement than a competition; Daniel Day-Lewis’ victory last year is a case in point. In other years even the performances not nominated in 2014Tom Hanks in Captain Phillips or Oscar Isaac in Inside Llewyn Davis- could have been in that enviable position. But in a year of exemplary performances, the Best Actor race is surprisingly hard to predict, adding an element of excitement missing from previous ceremonies. None of the nominees have won a Best Actor gong before, and only Christian Bale has won previously for Best Supporting Actor in The Fighter. His nomination is certainly deserved, but will be viewed as one of the less heavy-going, yet eminently more enjoyable performances in David O Russell’s American Hustle. Leonardo DiCaprio’s nomination is probably viewed in a similar vein, although the comedy of The Wolf of Wall Street has
Best
narrative has hit home in these austere times. Scorsese is popular and so is lead actor Leonardo Dicaprio – Wolf is certainly in the hunt. Paul Greengrass is back and his take on the true-story of the hijacking of the American cargo ship the Maersk Alabama by Somalian pirates is nothing short of exceptional. Captain Phillips is a film that captures the horror, suspense and tension of a hijacking, whilst managing to sustain said emotions for over two hours. Captain Phillips is a strong contender. But then again so is Dallas Buyers Club. Probably the biggest surprise this year came when Matthew McConaughey starred as Ron Woodruff, a southern homophobic hick who contracts AIDS before going on to establish an illegal alternative treatment opportunity for AIDS sufferers. This has to be a big favourite. Spike Jonze’s Her starring Joaquin Phoenix is one of the stronger outsiders in this category – a beautifully shot near-future romance with a twist, Her is a reflective look at a world where artificial intelligence becomes almost boundless- though the film itself is probably not as revolutionary in its ambition. Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave on the
speech altogether. He is a darling of the Academy after all, and there’s a chance that a split vote between the two pack leaders, Matthew McConaughey and Chiwetel Ejiofor, may allow DiCaprio to slip ahead. This is unlikely and odds are that McConaughey or Ejiofor will walk away with the Oscar. At the moment McConaughey is edging ahead for his brilliant work in Dallas
Hawkins is rightfully nominated for her fantastic performance in Blue Jasmine, and holding her own opposite Cate Blanchett’s much lauded portrayal of Jasmine. Julia Roberts, similarly, gives a wonderfully
considered performance where other actors may have simply been overshadowed by the brilliance of Meryl Streep in August: Osage County. June Squibb is one of the oldest nominees in Oscar history, which makes her hilariously feisty performance, in the wonderful Nebraska all the more impressive and her nomination so richly deserved. Despite some great performances, the dominant opinion seems to be that the award will go to either Jennifer Lawrence or Lupita Nyong’o. Lawrence has a very good chance of winning the Oscar, having previously won a BAFTA and a Golden Globe for her role as Rosalyn Rosenfeld in American Hustle. Lawrence is an extremely talented actress, and the win wouldn’t be undeserved. However, if there is any justice in the world, Lupita Nyong’o should win the award for her outstanding performance in the role of Patsey, a slave girl that protagonist Solomon Northup meets on a plantation owned by
This is Amy Adams’ 5th Oscar nomination and with her Golden Globe win for the same category, many are naming her the front runner in this tight race. Amongst her robust supporting roles against often scene stealing actors such as Joaquin Pheonix and fellow nominee Meryl Streep, American Hustle, whilst entertaining, lacked the depth of character for Adams to even be nominated for an Academy Award. If released any other time of year it would not have received half the recognition it has this awards season. Her performance was well executed and appropriate, but in no way noteworthy. Cate Blanchett’s nomination for Blue Jasmine, whilst entirely justified, has been somewhat marred by the recently inflammation of the Woody Allen scandal. For some, her triumph or defeat in this category might be seen as a political decision, rather than based on her performance. Blanchett herself gave a captivating and chilling performance in Blue Jasmine that went a long way in bringing some credibility back to Woody Allen as a director and screenwriter, and for this, it would be a shame for her not to be recognised. Many have doubted the acting skills of Sandra Bullock, often due to her sometimes frivolous career choices. But it cannot be questioned that she, alone, carried the visually stunning Gravity with vigour. The Blind Side was Bullock’s last nomination and win for an academy award, but she has been overlooked so far in this awards season. It seems unlikely that this will be a triumph for Bullock but there is always a chance of a surprise win. Judi Dench captured the tenderness and heartache of this real life character in Philomena. This British film somewhat sneaked in under the radar due to the more monumental releases of the last 3 months. Judi Dench’s performance was more sensitive and subtle than her fellow nominees, which could work in her favour, but most likely not. Meryl Streep’s performance in August: Osage County hasn’t received as much coverage this awards season as a usual Streep year, probably due to the distinct stench of “Oscar-bait”. Streep’s performance is, in my opinion, her usual over-baked, scene bulldozing affair. The film industries devotion to Meryl may see her go home with a statue but there are many more deserving women in this category, and it would be a shame for the name of Meryl to trump a good performance. Andriana Hambi
Best SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Edwin Epps (Michael Fassbender) in Steve McQueen’s powerful 12 Years a Slave. Nyong’o was cast in her film-debut just as she was graduating from Yale. The fact that she is new to the industry makes her truly exceptional performance even more remarkable. At the risk of giving too much away to those who haven’t yet seen the film, in the much discussed scene where Epps forces Northup to whip Patsey as punishment for leaving the plantation for soap, Nyongo’s tremendous talent shines through. The scene makes for highly uncomfortable viewing; one can only imagine what Nyong’o must have gone through mentally and emotionally in order to produce such a truthful and harrowing performance. Despite the great performances by the other nominees, none compare with Lupita. She really deserves to win, and I hope her tremendous talent is rightly recognised on Sunday.
. In a stark and refreshing contrast to last year, the nominees for this year’s best supporting actor oscar consist of fresh faces, up-andcomers and stars just reaching their prime. In many regards, it renders this category one of the most open and interesting races this year due to the diversity of characters that they have brought to the screen. Every year without fail, there is an actor that appears out of nowhere and knocks your socks off. In 2013, that honour belonged to Barkhad Abdi, who was utterly terrifying and convincing as Muse, the Somali pirate in Captain Phillips. Bradley Cooper, nominated for his role in American Hustle, may be a surprising choice for some, primarily because his role is more of a comical one. However, Academy rules seemingly dictate that if you play one of the four main characters in a David O. Russell film, you will be nominated! In another comical role, Jonah Hill’s nomination for The Wolf of Wall Street may also come as a surprise, but maybe not for those acquainted with his work in other critical darlings such as Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story and Get Him to the Greek. Others may be confused as to why Jonah Hill’s teeth in ‘Wolf’ did not receive any accolades. Michael Fassbender earns his nomination for his role in 12 Years a Slave due to his intense and frightening performance. Between this and last year’s Shame, it appears Fassbender has quite the talent for playing sexuallyfrustrated creeps! Perhaps the most “oscar-friendly” role belongs to Jared Leto, who returned from a six-year film hiatus for his role in Dallas Buyers Club. After being showered with numerous awards, it appears that Leto is the front-runner, although previous experience tells us that trying to predict the winner is a fool’s errand!
Sarah Murray
Mark McGrath
Robbie Davidson
SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
This year, we have seen fantastic performances from each nominee for the Best Supporting Actress award. Brit, Sally
Best ACTRESS:
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Best
ANIMATION:
Best
James Moules discusses the absence of Pixar and the battle between East and West in this year’s animated feature category The Best Animated Feature category is usually very boring – more often than not, there is one runaway favourite that everyone saw and loved, and a handful of other nominees that are just happy to be there. This year is no exception. Frozen was the third highest grossing film of 2013 and has won just about every Animated Film award going. Everyone, myself included, loved it to bits. Hell would have to freeze over for it not to take home gold on Oscar night (pun very much intended). The only film that stands even the slightest chance of knocking Frozen off the top spot is Hayao Miyazaki’s The Wind Rises. This is (allegedly) the director’s final film, and there is some speculation that Oscar voters may take the opportunity to give him a farewell trophy. Miyazaki does already have an Oscar, however, having won in this category for Spirited Away in 2003. There is no absolute need to present him with what would essentially be a de facto lifetime achievement award. Also nominated are Despicable Me 2, The Croods, and Ernest & Célestine. A win for any of these three films would be an upset of epic proportions. In short, Frozen will and should win Best Animated Despicable Me 2, while not all that bad, is far inferior Feature this year (and probably Best Original Song to the original, and The Croods was very mediocre. too). The Wind Rises does stand a miniscule chance And hands up anyone who has actually seen Ernest of pulling off an upset, but I wouldn’t recommend & Célestine – despite having critics on its side, it that you bet on it. simply doesn’t have the popular support of any of the other nominees. James Moules A noteworthy feature of this year’s Animation line-up is the absence of Pixar. Since this category’s inception in 2001, the studio has dominated the award. Pixar’s entry this year, Monsters University, while not as good as Pixar’s best (including the original Monster’s Inc.), was a thoroughly enjoyable movie. In this writer’s opinion, it should have been nominated over Despicable Me 2 or The Croods. The Oscars air on Sunday from 11:30pm on Sky Movies
DIRECTOR:
Shanda Moorghen sets the scene for a pack of career peaking nominations in the best director category
Set in the midst of a pulsating awards season, the 86th Academy Awards is proving to be one of the most open Oscars race in recent years. 2013 has been a year of prodigious success for some of the most brilliant directors in activity. The nominees are the best in the business. First of the nominees is Alexander Payne for Nebraska. Soaking in the glory of Payne’s wonderful dark humor, he weaves beautifully from nostalgia to the regret of the time the characters live in. Shot in beautiful shades of black and white, Payne produces a career-best performance. Unfortunately, he remains the outside bet. Nothing to envy on the other nominees, he just lacked the necessary traction during awards season. Fighting for glory, but with still a few miles to catch up to the favorites, are David O Russell and Martin Scorsese. On the back of a third nomination
Cornerhouse Pick of the Week
the REVIEW: Her
Nikolas McNally considers Spike Jonze’s update on the romantic comedy and finds a timeless poignancy
Who are you? What’s out there? What are the possibilities? These catch-all questions are a wet dream for advertisers who’ll spin their products to appear like they have the answers. Whilst the backbone of Spike Jonze’s Her is unconcerned with such triteness, those three stock questions among others are posed early on in an advert for what appears to be an answer to them: The OS One, ‘not just an operating system, but a consciousness’. With dependence on technology rife, Jonze’s L.A. of tomorrow is engulfed in a washed-out white light that cuts through pastel-pink smog and silver skyscrapers, aptly resembling the future ‘as brought to you exclusively by the Apple T.V for just £100!’ The implications of such an environment are expressed succinctly within the first scene, as Theodore Twombly ( Joaquin Phoenix) gives an unflinching declaration of love directly into the camera only for the shot to pan out, revealing Theodore to be one of several workers at BeautifullyWrittenLetters.com, ghostwriting others’ love letters for them. A lesser film may’ve concretely stuck to the Daily Mail headline-level angle of ‘Is cybersex with Siri killing our interpersonal communication?’ Her transcends similar platitudes by picking apart ideas about affection and human consciousness through mid-divorce Theodore’s blossoming
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bond with his OS, Samantha (Scarlet Johansson). Samantha’s conscious experience swiftly develops whilst expressing compassion for Theodore, fascination with worldly interests and contemplation about her own lack of physicality. It’s easy enough
It’s a testament to both Phoenix and Johansson’s performances that their scenario feels entirely plausible. Johansson accomplishes a remarkable amount with a vocal-only role, managing to convey notions of wide-eyed idealism, coy flirtation
to identify the chokehold technology has over the modern world as causing a disaffected human condition, but with broadening prospects about what possessing consciousness means and what constitutes an affectionate relationship, Her adds a complex layer to the debate by exploring whether technology can also bridge back over the disconnect it causes.
and existential crisis without their authenticity being diminished by a lack of physical presence. Meanwhile, Phoenix disarmingly plays against type as introverted Theodore, bringing low-key conviction to scenes of him alone talking to Samantha that could’ve otherwise been unconvincing. Her’s greatest strength however
Director: Spike Jonze Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Scarlett Johansson Released: 14th February
lies in Jonze’s nuanced script. There’s a tendency for romantic films to sympathetically portray the ‘subdued and sensitive’ character archetype, glossing over the passive-aggressive entitlement of these self-proclaimed ‘Nice Guys’. Jonze refreshingly sidesteps this pitfall through his portrayal of Theodore’s dissolved marriage with Catherine (Rooney Mara). Theodore’s inability to communicate or quell his frustrations with Catherine caused them to distance, signifying how sensitivity to emotions doesn’t mean a mature understanding of them. ‘You wanted a wife without the challenge of dealing with anything real’, Catherine counters, and considering that OS’s configure to serve the needs of the user, it’s a valid point. This poignancy extends to the restrained application of its sci-fi setting. Grounding Her in the nearfuture not only lets Jonze play the increased prominence of cybersex and video games for laughs but makes us consider the shifting nature of our relationship with technology as something resonant, especially prophetic as Jonze’s first draft came several months before Siri’s release. Not simply a vapid rom-com nor a bleak, banal dystopia, Her is one of the most thought-provoking, subtly sharp films of this award season. Nikolas McNally
in 4 years, Russell will be bitterly disappointed if he fails to take the statuette back home. However, thanks to his 70s crime comedy-drama American Hustle, this will be as close as he has ever been. With some of his finest work on character development and absolute control on the high-intensity acting, this is his best movie yet. On the other hand, Scorsese, one the most decorated directors of all-time, will be very happy with his year’s work. He has directed the most entertaining movie of the year by far, but unfortunately not with the strongest narrative prowess. Nonetheless, The Wolf of Wall Street will get its place on the good side of the Scorsese legacy. At the top, gunning for historical wins, are two directors that have not only presented the best movies of the year but also movies that will stand the test of time. First of them, is English director Steve McQueen for his work on the universally acclaimed 12 Years a Slave. Full of humility, class and real sentiments, McQueen has graced Hollywood with his gift. Next to him is Alfonso Cuarón for Gravity. The genius of Cuarón is known to many, but this time around, he has outdone himself. More than a movie, Gravity is a miracle that has been masterfully performed by the heavenly hands of Cuarón. All of the nominees would be worthy winners and a McQueen win would be a beautiful. Nevertheless, the just winner is and has always been AlfonsoCuarón. Shanda Moorghen
Best
SCREENPLAY: Screenplay is a strange category in some respects - after all - how do we mark a great screenplay as something distinct from being a great film? How do we decide the dialogue in one film is more valuable or effective than other? The way I see it, those choosing the adapted screenplay category, have got two options facing them. Captain Philips offers an off the cuff realism, presenting heroic acts through human interaction. I still feel a certain rush when I hear Barkhad Abdi’s utterly disarming yet ubiquitously threatening “Look at me, look at me - I’m the captain now.” On the other hand, 12 Years a Slave channels even higher levels of tension and claustrophobia into a screenplay that was near Shakespearean in tone, as Solomon Northup’s anguish flooded into full exasperated soliloquy. In this case it is almost a conflict between naturalism and poetry. Then best original screenplay leaves me a lot more confused, largely because I count three of them as my favourite screenplays in recent years. Nebraska achieved huge depths of pathos and humour with a script that appeared, at first, to give little away. Her achieved even greater, less on the humour front (although it was at times very funny), but more so in the pursuit of frank emotion, such as Theodore Twombly’s heartbreaking sentiment “Sometimes I think I have felt everything I’m ever going to feel.” Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine was sharp a Allenesque script, that was placed in such exceptional hands, it simmered brilliantly. For a man who writes at least one screenplay a year, Allen brought something remarkably new to the dialogue, channelling Tennessee Williams through his familiar thick rimmed lens. All told I would be happy to see any of these three movies win, the only win that would perhaps annoy me ever so slightly would be American Hustle. Don’t get me wrong - I loved the movie and though the screenplay was fresh and funny, It was also gaudy and obvious in it’s intentions. What Nebraska, Her and Blue Jasmine all showcase, is how a screenplay can say so much more by talking very little.
Angus Harrison
ISSUE 15/ 21st FEBRUARY 2014 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
/TheMancunion: Books @MancunionBooks
Editors: Esmé Clifford Astbury, Annie Muir Feature
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Feature
William S. Burroughs: The man and the legend
WWI Novels
Alister Pearson looks back at the life of controversial writer William S. Burroughs, who was born a century ago this year The bohemian vagabond William S. Burroughs was a primary figure of the Beat Generation. His semi-autobiographical novels brought as much outrage as they did inspiration, dealing with controversial subjects such as heroin and homosexuality, and Jack Kerouac once described his comrade as “the greatest writer since Jonathan Swift.” Thanks in part to the influence of Allen Ginsberg, he was inducted into the American Academy and Institute of Arts in 1983. Burroughs branched out into the music world, where he befriended Kurt Cobain, collaborated with Nick Cave and Tom Waits on the spoken word album, Smack My Crack, and even made a cameo in U2’s music video, Last Night on Earth. He was to the 20th century what a shooting comet is to the night sky, a burning entity giving off the most wonderful and dangerous light. William Seward Burroughs II was born into an affluent family on February 5th 1914 in St. Louis, Missouri. He was the younger of Mortimer Perry Burroughs and Laura Hammon Lee’s two sons. His uncle, Ivy Lee, was a publicist for the Rockefellers, and his grandfather was the founder of the Burroughs Corporation. His family were very reserved, which caused Burroughs to repress his sexual orientation for much of his younger life, despite an erotic attachment to another boy during his time in a New Mexico boarding school. He attended Harvard University to gain an arts degree, and it was during his college years that he was introduced to New York City and its gay subculture. Upon his graduation in 1936, his parents promised him a princely allowance of $200 a month – they were one of the few who profited from the Wall Street Crash in 1929 – which allowed Burroughs substantial freedom. He ventured to Europe, where he picked up boys from the Vienna baths and met and married his first wife, Ilse Klapper, a Jewish woman fleeing Nazi persecution and in need of a US visa. The pair divorced after a couple of years but remained good friends. Burroughs returned to the US hoping to join the army. However, when he only achieved a menial role there, he began to become disillusioned with life. His mother noticed his depression and successfully applied for his civilian discharge. After his successful recovery, he moved to New York where he shared an apartment with Jack Kerouac and Klapper, as well as with Joan
Vollmer, who Burroughs would later marry. Kerouac and Burroughs collaborated on And the Hippos Were Boiled in Their Tanks, which was only published in 2008. He developed an expensive heroin addiction, and became a dealer to fund his habit. Vollmer also became an addict but preferred the then-prescription drug, Benzedrine.
Burroughs was to the 20th century what a shooting comet is to the night sky, a burning entity giving off the most wonderful and dangerous light Before long, a forged prescription note from Burroughs was discovered and he was sentenced to go back and live with his parents. After he served his time, he discovered that Vollmer had been admitted to a psychiatric hospital. He managed to get her released, and the couple moved to Texas, where they before gave birth to their only son, William S. Burroughs Jr., in 1947. Police arrested Burroughs after raiding his home in New Orleans and finding letters between him
the BOOKS CALENDAR: The Portico Library, a tiny gem in the centre of Manchester, is an amazing building and houses an inspiring collection of books. You have to be a member to use the reading room, but there is space to sit and have a coffee . Their popular annual photography exhibition, ‘Northern Exposure’, opens in March and showcases the skills of eight regional photographers.
The Portico Library, 57 Mosely Street, Manchester M2 3HY www.theportico.org.uk
and Allen Ginsberg discussing a marijuana pick-up. The new family decided to escape to Mexico. During a wild party in 1951 there, Burroughs shot and killed Vollmer after trying, and failing, to re-enact the William Tell bow-and-arrow scene. A glut of bribes and shoddy legal work meant Burroughs again escaped prosecution, but his guilt would continue to torment him and would influence the rest of his literary life. He later wrote, “I am forced to the appalling conclusion that I would never have become a writer but for Joan’s death.” Burroughs wrote Queer and Junkie in the early 1950s, though the former was not published until 1985. He then moved to Tangier in Morocco, drawn by the promise of cheap narcotics amongst other things. Kerouac and Ginsberg visited him there and helped him to write A Naked Lunch, his most renowned novel, which used the Brion Gysin process of slicing up phrases and words to create new sentences. The book also appears to prophesise AIDs, liposuction, autoerotic fatalities, and the crack pandemic. In 1966, Burroughs moved to London in the hope of curing his drug addiction. He underwent a treatment that would later be undertaken by Keith Richards, and followed this up by writing a piece for The British Journal of Addiction describing his experiences. Burroughs continued to live in London, returning to America to escort his opiate addicted son to a hospital in St. Louis. He later relapsed. Concerned with his friend’s condition, Ginsberg helped Burroughs to acquire a job as a lecturer in New York in 1974. Burroughs hated it but continued to live in New York and began mixing with the cultural heavyweights of the time, such as Lou Reed, Andy Warhol and Susan Sontag, hosting drug-fuelled gatherings at his house. His son, suffering from liver problems, died in 1981. Their relationship had grown sour in the last couple of years, with Burroughs Jr. insisting that his father had “poisoned” his life. Burroughs spent the last two decades of his life immersed in the art world, collaborating with various musical artists and helping with the adaptation of A Naked Lunch into a critically acclaimed film. He died in 1997, aged 83, while undergoing a methadone treatment designed to cure his heroin addiction.
what’s ON THIS WEEK: CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS Fey-Fic: The Other World is now accepting submissions. This is a general call for Fey-Fic poetry and fiction — works of a magical realist, fantasy, dark fantasy or paranormal nature involving the Fey and Faerie in modern times. As always, we seek to publish the highest quality fantastic literature available, and accept both traditional and experimental writing. Send submissions to Brandon Black: brandon.black@rocketship.com Deadline: March 31st, 2014
A Very Long Engagement (Vintage, 2014)
To mark the 100th anniversary of the First World War, Books Editor Esmé Clifford Astbury encourages readers to tuck into one of these novels Often lauded as the greatest of all the novels set during the First World War, Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front (1929), also made into an Oscarwinning film in 1930 by Lewis Milestone, documents the stress undergone by German soldiers during the war and their struggles integrating back into civilian life. It is a powerful evocation of the horrors of the war. Ernest Hemingway set A Farewell to Arms (1929) in the Italian campaign of WWI. It tells the story of the American Frederic Henry, who is serving as a lieutenant in the Italian army, and of his love affair with Catherine Barkley. Hemingway based his novel on his own experiences in Italy and his real-life relationship with a nurse who looked after him in a hospital in Milan after he was wounded. A Farewell to Arms has been the subject of a number of films. For my money, the most fascinating contemporary novels about WWI are those by Pat Barker, author of The Regeneration Trilogy. Regeneration (1991), The Eye in the Door (1993) and The Ghost Road (1995) explore the psychological damage caused by trench warfare and the treatment of ‘shell-shocked’ soldiers at Craiglockhart Hospital in Edinburgh by the renowned psychiatrist W.H.R. Rivers. The Regeneration Trilogy features fictional characters as well as historical figures, including the poets Wilfrid Owen and Siegfried Sassoon. In it, Barker deals with questions about homosexuality, masculinity, madness and entrapment. Vera Brittain, mother of British politician and academic Shirley Williams, published a memoir entitled Testament of Youth in 1933, which spanned the first quarter of the 20th century. Her brother, Edward, and her fiancé, Roland Leighton, were both killed in the First World War. The most moving part of Testament of Youth is the pact Brittain made with Roland that if he died, he would attempt to contact her. Of course, in later years, she had to admit that no such contact had been made. No discussion of WWI fiction would be complete without mentioning Birdsong (1993), a novel by Sebastian Faulks. Told in a series of flashbacks and flashforwards, it documents Stephen Wraysford’s relationship with Isabelle Azaire, a woman he meets while working for her husband before the outbreak of war. Birdsong was adapted for television in 2012 and, though perhaps not Faulks’ greatest achievement, it is definitely worth a read. My final pick – and my personal favourite – is A Very Long Engagement (1991) by Sebastien Japrisot. It follows Mathilde Donnay, a determined and unique young woman, as she searches for her fiancé Manek, convicted of self-mutilation alongside four other soldiers and believed to have been killed during the Battle of the Somme. In 2004, A Very Long Engagement was made into a terrific film directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and starring Audrey Tautou.
ISSUE 14/ 17th FEBRUARY 2014 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Editors: Ben Walker, Maddy Hubbard Review
Feature
you Ask
we ANSWER ...what can I make with my sandwich maker?
Photo: Ben Walker In recent times the student world has been wooed by the stylish sophistication of the domestic coffee machine and the allure of the home juicer, but these frivolous lifestyle choices pale at the mighty, the sturdy, the no-nonsense sandwich toaster. In all my many years at university I have never known any of my humble abodes to be without one, and in every instance the sandwich toaster is a 1980s relic bestowed upon you by parents who, thinking they have unloaded some ancient clutter, have unknowingly empowered their soon to be eternally grateful son or daughter. Having had my heirloom give up the ghost I was forced into finally investing in a new model, the sleek Breville VST025 Sandwich Press. To celebrate this momentous occasion I endeavoured to explore the yet unconquered frontiers of sandwich toaster possibilities. First of all I took it easy and experimented with the most mainstream of sandwich. To get into the swing of things I rustled up a simple Gouda and Photo: Ben Walker
The Craft Beer Revolution Ben Walker charts the continuing oddyssey of the craft beer revolution, arguing that we have become spoilt with such choice and very fortunate that craft beer is now common place in our bars. ‘Craft’ when prefixing the word beer means one in the Classic English-style Pale Ale division of the thing for certain, and that is that it has a hefty 2013 Great American Beer Festival Awards. All price tag, but it does also mean, for the best part, that you’ll be getting a quality beverage too. Craft has also become synonymous with the great United States of America and so the justification is that once the imported rare batch of nectar from deep in Appalachia has reached our shores the price will go up, and this is fine; a rare imported wine, liquor, cheese, or cured meat all have the prices inflated to compensate for being couriered from the four corners of the world to our plates and chalices. Now however, craft beer has become just so popular that it is available almost everywhere, including the supermarket. I stand besides Brooklyn Lager and Sierra Nevada as still excellent example of American beer that is rich and deep in flavour—but these high quality brews are now regular, everyday beers, easily accessible to be enjoyed on a thoroughly regular basis. In fact it is hard to avoid these beers now in bars, and since these are now firmly set in our beer zeitgeist, we must now push the boundaries further and become even more adventurous. Goose Island, though still delicious, Photo: Ben Walker is no longer rare and exotic, it has since become permanent on our landscape, and so we the way from Colorado, Odell beer in general, but must push the boundaries and not settle for this, especially 5 Barrel is the most sensational pale ale though undeniable excellent, staus quo. experience, and I urge you to indulge. So, what is out there and what is really quite dif…And now for something completely different. ferent and is still genuinely micro in its brewing? Maui Coconut Porter really is something differ5 Barrel Odell is sophisticated and classy, and for ent, and delightfully so. This comes in beautifully me, the best beer in the world. It is a pale ale of decorated cans (and cans, unlike glass, keep the highest calibre; hoppy, fresh, and balanced light totally out and thus prevent the destruction with an intoxicating fruity bouquet but not over of the organic compounds in beer that deliver powering like Brew Dog per se. Don’t just take my flavour) and Maui Coconut Porter delivers flavour word for it however, last year 5 Barrel won Gold on so, so many levels. Though a porter, and of
course full bodied, it is not too heavy or thick and makes for year round drinking. Coconut, though certainly present on the nose and palate, is not overpowering or artificial; the beer is evocative of smoky and toasty notes that come from the roasted malts and I think I sense a little dark chocolate and coffee too. There is no doubt this is a complex beer, something to savour, but it is worth every penny. I must concede though that these beers are not probably the best session ales; I mean supping coconut porter all night would be some heavy going. So I have endeavoured to find beer that still has all the complexity and flavour a quality craft beer but can be consumed by the bucket load. The good news is my choice here is the most widely available of this selection and is truly a world class beer. Behold Anchor Steam Beer, a Californian king, and at 4.9% you won’t be falling asleep (or into the urinal) after have five too many. Amber in colour, the lager-like aroma, mild carbonation, and crisp dry finish makes this just so quaffable. There is also a smidgen of sweetness—the hops aren’t too bitter and the medium body leaves quite a smooth roundness. I think if you want a high class, complex, craft session beer, stay on the Anchor Steam. To embrace the beer of the new world, here are a few stockists spread across the city; Port Street Beer House in the Northern Quarter, the Micro bar in the Arndale, Carrington’s in East Didsbury, and even Fallowfield’s very own Fallow. Happy drinking.
Feature
Helping With Food smoked ham toastie. My big recommendation here is to sprinkle a little grated cheese on the top of the sandwich just before lid is closed—the cheese melts and then transforms into a golden molten crisp layer adding a new texture, colour, and flavour to the humble cheese and ham toastie. Next, I figured why not make sweet sandwiches? Taking my inspiration from an artisan sandwich bar I discovered last year, I can only endorse this phenomenal and striking concoction. Now this will sound pretty far out but the marriage really works; a brie, strawberry and chocolate toasted sandwich! Start by laying your brie on wholegrain bread; place on top a few broken pieces of nice dark chocolate (which of course melt sumptuously during grilling) and layer on a few sliced strawberries. The juicy fruit, the salty cheese, and hot molten chocolate, texturally balanced by the toasted bread makes for a king of a sandwich. Take a trip south of the border and bang, we have Quesadillas. Take your soft flour tortillas and fold in half. On one half heap some strong grated cheddar, add in some diced chorizo, and scatter on some red chillies and finely sliced spring onion, and a shower of chop flecks of coriander. Once the tortilla is folded into a half moon into the jaws of fate it goes. The outside with be hard and crisp and the inside molten, spicy, and gooey. I served it with guacamole, but any dip such as sour cream or salsa will do. Despite all the endless variations of toasted sandwiches, there must a parallel universe of rosti, halloumi, and sliced fruit caramelisation... Ben Walker
Maddy Hubbard explains the wonderful community project Foodcycle, the perfect thing for students to get involved with. Getting off the Oxford Road corridor, meeting new people and having free food what’s not to like?
Foodcycle is an amazing charity that aims to reduce food waste, tackle food poverty and build communities. It’s been running since 2008 and now has over 1000 volunteers in 15 locations across the country. The Manchester branch operates every Wednesday from a church in Longsight, an area with six food banks and really high levels of deprivation. Each week they collect food that is going to be thrown away by local greengrocers and corner shops, transforming this waste into a delicious
three course vegan meal. Everyone is welcomed with open arms and people come together in the hall, eating and chatting. I went along on a rainy Wednesday evening and found a bright kitchen full of lovely people cooking together. We made a mushroom and avocado soup (a great combination - I’ve never seen avocado put in a soup before but it made it really creamy), followed by a chinese-style stew, stirfried cabbage and rice, with a banana and coconut cake for dessert. Ok so spending half an hour cutting the mouldy bits off a box of onions is not very much fun in itself, but the company more than makes up for it and the time flies by. As we finished up people started arriving, and there was no one type of visitor. All ages and backgrounds sat together in the buzzing hall, chatting about politics, football, video games and the weather. It was such a lovely way to spend an evening and I really appreciated the chance to get off the Oxford Road corridor and meet some new people outside of the student bubble. Once we had finished everyone took home massive boxes of leftovers in tuppawares (don’t forget to bring one if you go, I had enough food for days!) and we
quickly cleared up. Chatting to the other volunteers they all clearly enjoy coming here, although they say it is really difficult to get places to donate food - the supermarkets just aren’t interested in helping. Maybe that will change as skipping starts to get a higher profile in the press, but it is such a shame some places don’t want to support such a brilliant project. To get involced you just have to register at http:// foodcycle.org.uk/location/manchester/, sign up and come along. They are always looking for new volunteers and I can’t think of a better way to spend a Wednesday evening. See you there!
Food & Drink 23
/TheMancunion: Food & Drink @MancunionFood
Feature
Yes, Pieminister... The student diner demands high standards in this day and age of the British food renaissance where provenance awareness, animal welfare, and quality are paramount in many outlets’ manifesto. These in minds, an eight month old venture in the Northern Quarter caught our attention—enter Pieminister. It seems a pretty straight forward concept, but co-founders John and Tristan are trying their hands at projecting an entire culinary and lifestyle philosophy through the medium of the pie. The word we’d heard on the street was good but nothing beats first-hand experience, so off we went to investigate whether Pieminister’s vision materialised on the plate. The whole thing is about the pie, and so they would have to be pretty much flawless, if not the whole idea would be compromised; the menu makes impressive reading—eight of the eleven pies on the menu hold national pie awards, the only ones yet to adorn a crown are the new ones which are yet to compete. Now, there seems to be a skilful blend of tradition and innovation, beef is paired with chorizo, there is venison and dry cured bacon, furthermore a reflection of the social awareness of Pieminister, centre stage is the ‘Heidi’ vegetarian pie made up of goats cheese, sweet potato, spinach and red onion. All pies can be served on their own (hot or cold) but there are an array of sides and toppings to turn a solitary pie into a multifaceted feast. ‘The Mothership’ meal deal is a pie, mash, and gravy, with minty mushy peas, and sprinkled with grated cheddar and crispy shallots—for £7.95 this is either a massive lunch or a substantial supper. Being gluttons we went for the mighty
Recipes
our
fusion cuisine. Third we sampled the big selling Deerstalker, a venison, bacon, red wine, and puy lentil concoction highlights the innovation of Pieminister once more; this pie is very rich and a slight criticism could be angled that the cured bacon was not pronounced enough amidst the other powerful flavours. The extras were happily not just a tokenistic sideshow. The mash was rich and creamy, the peas were a dream—not puréed but left chunky with a good heft of mint. The crunchy shallots offer a much needed texture variation amidst the soft peas, spud, gravy, and pie filling. We had, before our Pieminister experience, consigned this place to a lunch-time specialist, but in actual fact, being open until 8pm and serving booze and bar snacks (the pork scratching and apple sauce were of the highest crunchy, salty and unhealthy calibre), Pieminister is a dinner and supper venue boasting a small but elite selection of beer and cider to supplement and compliment your feast. The food in undoubtedly the essential thing here, but of course it wouldn’t be the Northern Quarter without an interior exuding style and atmosphere. The industrial chic, reclaimed school chairs, the exposed brick, enamel crockery, and fluorescent wall feature add up to make this the epitome of the pie and mash shop for the twenty first century. The one thing I felt was missing however was any attention paid to the health conscious punter, as nothing puts on love handles quite like pastry. Yet my questioning was met by a confident rebuttal; there were in fact a range of new pies that are in the process of becoming menu staples that had a ‘calorie count’ of 440
Photo: Ben Walker
‘Mothership’ and I must report some remarkable findings. With all Northern Quarter style and flare, the pie-centricity of this entire outfit, and impressive display of red ribbons attached to their pies we were expecting nothing short of wonderment. That is what we got; butter pasty walls and a suet lid makes for a nice contrast in texture and appearance, the fillings are chunky and discernible—no homogeneous gloop in sight, and I can’t resist saying ‘no soggy bottoms’. The Heidi is really a sort of Greek tart in pie form and initial doubt was cast as the whether these flavours would pair with gravy but all concerns were abated as the different elements married nicely. We tried too the Spanish inspired Matador Pie; the chorizo was spicy and cut through the rich gravy and buttery mash. Pastry, potato, and boozy gravy can be all a little too sweet, and the masterstroke in this pie is the inclusion of olives—their saltiness balances everything out just lovely. The Matador has a little kick of spice and certainly is a triumph of
RECIPES OF THE WEEK
Photo: Cookasaurus
• INGREDIENTS 2 onions 2 cloves garlic Butter and olive oil 2 cauliflowers, chopped into small florets 2 tsp ground cumin 2 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp turmeric salt and pepper 1 stock cube cream/ cream cheese
• TIME • 45 minutes Serves 6
METHOD
•
1.
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius
2.
Spread the cauliflower florets onto a baking tray, season liberally and add a large glug of olive oil and all of the spices
3.
Mix thoroughly and roast for half an hour, stirring occasionally. The pieces should be squidgy and golden brown, taking on a delicious nutty flavour
4.
Meanwhile, chop up the onion and garlic and fry in a mixture of butter and olive oil until soft
5.
Add the cauliflower once it is cooked and cover with boiled water mixed with a stock cube
6. 7.
per pie, which for a whole pie with pastry on all sides is rather quite decent. There is also a new salad creation being designed for the summer. Pieminister has entered a very competitive market of casual, informal eateries in the NQ and no doubt people have loyalties, but I must say, Pieminister is value for money, substantial and filling fare, a neat blend of tradition and culinary innovation, and made from ingredients that are sourced responsibly and conscientiously. There really is no reason why you shouldn’t pop on up and get your 10% student discount at this quite excellent addition to the Manchester foodie landscape.
Photo: Ben Walker
Josephine Harrington’s sweet and sour chicken drumsticks and Maddy Hubbard’s roasted cauliflower soup are great easy recipes for time-pressed students
Sweet & Sour Chicken
Cauliflower Soup •
Sustainable, ethical, natural, but above all thoroughly delicious. Pieminister lands in Manchester, and Ben Walker reports
Simmer for 5-10 mins Blitz with a food processor or stick blender
8.
Taste and add seasoning if it needs it
9.
To really push the boat out, stir in some cream or cream cheese, the latter making this the ultimate comfort food as it basically becomes cauliflower cheese in soup form!
• 1.
2. 3.
METHOD
•
Photo: Josephine Harrington
Start by marinating 4 chicken legs in a glug of oil, 1 teaspoon of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of honey, 1 teaspoon of tomato puree and a sprinkle of chilli flakes. Ideally allow the mixture to marinate overnight, but 3-4 hours will do—the longer the better really. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius Put the chicken legs and the marinade on a baking tray in the oven for 30 minutes, turning the chicken halfway through.
4.
While the chicken is cooking, boil 2 peeled and quartered medium-large potatoes until soft.
5.
Drain and mash with a knob butter, a splash of milk and season with salt and pepper.
6.
Serve with anything green that is lurking in the fridge. Enjoy!
• INGREDIENTS • TIME • 2 large potatoes, 4 Chicken legs, Milk and butter for mashing into the potato Olive oil, 1 tsp of soy sauce, 1 tsp of honey, 1 tsp of tomato puree, Vegetable of your choice to serve
30 minutes + marinade Serves 2
24
Arts & Culture
ISSUE 15/ 28th FEBRUARY 2014 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Editors: Abbie Roberts, Matilda Roberts
Review
What’s on
the ARTS REVIEW
Coral: Rich and Strange
thisWEEK 1.
Bobbie Hook takes us on her private tour of ‘Coral: Something Rich and Strange’ at the Manchester Museum Most art history students would probably agree that we don’t get many ‘perks’ from the course... the compulsory trip to Florence/Paris/ New York or another exotic escape no longer exists. But recently the second years were treated to what essentially was a personal tour of an exhibition by the curator. Not Paris but pretty special. ‘Coral: Something Rich and Strange’ at the Manchester Museum was curated by Dr Marion Endt-Jones who personally showed us around the exhibition. On till the 16th March, there’s still a little time to catch it. Only one room, it doesn’t take long to meander around and take in the exceptionally diverse uses and studies of coral. The display ranges from an art installation piece to a coral dummy to glass models used to teach natural sciences. The most notable theme of the exhibition is the mixture of science and art... how ‘Leonardo’. But seriously, let’s get interested in coral, it’s pretty well known that due to pollution and the phenomenon of global warming the coral reefs are suffering. Certainly one of the pieces is directly involved in the awareness of corals demise; a community (or rather an international) project where crocheter’s combine their efforts to create a woolly coral reef. Yes the concept is slightly naff, but apparently crochet can create a convincing coral replica, and the unity of crocheters from all over the world have contributed to one of the installations in the exhibition, I even attempted to create such an object myself (this only manifested into my new, limited knowledge of crocheting, not a crochet coral). The first installation is Mark Dion’s ‘The Bureau of the Centre for the Study of Surrealism and It’s Legacy’ (2005); a room of its own, essentially a replica of a kind of nineteenth century private collection of classified natural
and man made objects, however the objects found, chosen by Dion from the museum, are described as unclassifiable. The word in fact, that in terms of natural science, would best describe coral: not quite a plant underwater, could be an animal, above water it could be stone...super ambiguous. And this perhaps sets the second theme of the exhibition. Leading from the right side of the strategically placed wall, on the left as you enter, (as directed by the curator herself who told us that some visitors go left...please go right), the the blue glowing light of the central element creates the ethereal sense of the wishy washy way coral had been studied/used/ portrayed. There are displays of the actually object, hard and stone like, sometimes withdrawn of their colour; natural science studies which re-imbue them with colour and a sense of the softness of it undersea; leading on to the glass models used for studying perhaps with even more colour. Already there’s the idea that coral can very much be described in an artistic sense. The natural lines and fantastic colour are so ethereal no wonder people used to believe it had mystical powers. In the past it was used in jewellery and even dummies to ward away evil spirits and the like. At this point the exhibition takes a turn and begins to show the more artistic inclusion of coral in contemporary and historical paintings. Marion has included a piece by the recent Tate Modern exhibited artist Ellen Gallagher (definitely worth checking out...sorry for the plug but she’s one of my faves). Part of her ‘Watery Ecstatic’ series, on closer inspection of the plain white expanse of paper, very delicately pasted paper faces of african women are made out, the faces are linked by wave like threads of
A Chromatic Revolution: The search for affordable colour in the 19th century British book illustration 20th Jan - 16th May Specials Collection MMU Free Entry
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Joana Vasconcelos: Time Machine 15th Feb - 2st June Manchester Art Gallery Free Entry
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We’ll show you ours... Exhibition 15th March - 10th May Gallery Oldham Free Entry
4. paper creating the biomorphic shapes similar to the natural form of coral. Marion explained that these figures represented the thousands of africans who died during the crossing of the Atlantic Ocean on the slave ships. There were myths that those lost souls found freedom under the sea and created a new world for themselves. Slightly digressing from the subject of coral, but certainly indicative of its aesthetic influence on art. But that is exactly one of the ideas that could be taken from this humble exhibition, that the natural attractiveness of coral has directly inspired mystical motifs and artistic expression from its discovery. Marion has chosen objects for a collection that describes the ambiguity of coral as well its subtle influence, while also including an awareness project for the threatened species. So when you find a spare half hour in the next few weeks stroll over to the notso-secret gem on campus, and have a gander at this mixture of magical and informative visual feast. What was most interesting with this
piece was the constant confusion as to whether Clifford had no idea what was going on or whether his vagueness was actually part of the ‘performance’. This idea of ‘performance’ was another interesting aspect – was Clifford performing or was he playing himself ? We were sometimes touched by the experience but at other times cynical. It was really interesting to see the reactions of the other participants, observing those who chose to engage with Clifford and on what terms – theirs or his. We came away on the first night feeling irritated, worked up; like people had been slightly taken advantage of. On the second day, we felt maybe like it had been a waste of time, irritated by the audience this time, rather than by Clifford. However in retrospect the experience was extremely valuable and both Clifford and the reaction of his audience left us interested and intrigued. Keep your eyes peeled for more performances in the Cornerhouse’s Annexe, it’s definitely one to watch.
Albert Adams Exhibition 30th Nov 2013 - 19th April 2014 Gallery Oldham Free Entry
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New Attraction: SEA LIFE Manchester Trafford Centre Tickets: £12+
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Alison Goldfrapp: Performer as Curator 19th October 2013 - 2nd March 2014 The Lowry Free Entry
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Ice Lab: New Architecture and Science in Antarctica On daily til 2nd March MOSI (Museum of Science and Industry) Free Entry
Giving Crochet a Go we ANSWER youASK
Bobbie Hook tries out crocheting at the Manchester Museum.
Alongside the ‘Coral: Something Rich and Strange’ exhibition (that I’ve written about here too, I’m a little keen), are a set of crochet workshops that in a way subsidise the installation of a crochet coral reef, as the objects made contribute to it. These workshops are part of an international community project unfussily called ‘The Crochet Coral Reef Project’, set up by Margaret and Christine Wertheim, directors of the Institute of Figuring, an ‘...organization dedicated to the poetic and aesthetic dimensions of science, mathematics and engineering.’ Starting out in the US, the project has now reached the UK and Australia, each community described as a ‘Satellite Reef ’. And the installation in this temporary exhibition is Manchester’s ‘Reef ’. The
idea of the workshops at the Museum therefore is to get the local community involved, regardless of previous crocheting experience. Therefore, as an intrepid student journalist I took it upon myself to discover the intricacies of crochet. Definitely intricate. At the museum, in a small room adjacent to another full of obnoxious children eating crayons, was a tranquil circle of crocheting. I was given wool, a needle, some instruction from a very patient and experienced crocheter, and off I went for an hour and a half to produce the masterpiece before you. Definitely something to contribute to the Manchester crochet coral reef, but there’s no doubt that I learnt how to crochet, if somewhat limitedly. The instructor was more
Photo: Bobbie Hook
than helpful and I even learnt a few different techniques, which I did try out but the aesthetic of them seems to have been lost in the mush of wool. Besides this, knotting the wool was therapeutic and kind of meditative. Dealing with that miserable Sunday feeling I was sceptical as to how much patience I’d have with
the task, but I couldn’t have whittled away the afternoon more productively or enjoyably. My efforts may be meagre but perhaps you would be more inclined to make a hyperbolic crochet masterpiece that was worthy of exhibition. If you’re interested there are still workshops to come, and the project isn’t limited to the exhibition timings; contributions can be sent in as long as it’s made form acrylic yarn. On the 27th February there is an after-hours session from 6:30-9pm, where you can learn to crochet, or practise and talk with those more experienced, and I’ve also been told red wine will be involved, which could be the deciding factor. Happy crocheting!
Theatre
ISSUE 15/ 24th FEBRUARY 2014 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Editor: Stephanie Scott Feature
‘Poo-Poo Putin!’
Theatrical spectatorship - a step towards political activism or a force for perpetuating passivity? Jessie Cohen comments On the opening weekend of the Sochi Olympic Games, British queer performers burst onto the stage, attesting to the power of theatre to politicize audiences, during this sombre moment in Russian history. The Sochi Olympic spectacle of human achievement starkly counteracts a national clampdown on LGBT human rights. Admittedly more adept to showing dissent through subversive cultural exposure than active protest, I fashioned myself a weekend of theatrical and critical engagement. I went to Halifax to see Art with Heart’s Secret Diaries and attended the Queer Contact festival, which played host to the panel-led discussion - Your Place or Mine - in addition to catwalk spectaculars and good old-fashioned theatre, including the shocking and moving production, To Russia with Love. Secret Diaries documents the actual experience of a woman who grew up in 1980s England ashamed of her homosexuality. Returning to her childhood home, which is still inhabited by a closeted father, Hayley (Sarah Emmott) negotiates homophobia in her home-town. Her father has internalized this prejudice as he refuses to recognize his daughter’s marriage to a woman, nor will he support her desire to adopt and raise a family. This coming-out drama paints a dreary picture of British attitudes towards homosexuality once you penetrate intimate spaces stripped of PC pretence. It exposes the rigid schism in society between tolerance and acceptance, warning audiences not to conflate equalizing legislation, such as same-sex marriage, with a progressive shift in attitudes. To Russia with Love also dramatizes real human experiences. It combines four independently directed productions to illuminate the widespread impact of Russia’s anti-gay policies on Russian youths, Western LGBT Olympiads, and even on closeted gay politicians in Russia who are coerced into voting for these policies. The play’s self-conscious approach created a transparent theatrical space, which facilitated a heightened atmosphere of sensitivity towards the subject at hand. Blurring the boundaries between active actor and passive viewer, actors doubled as spectators on occasion only to launch from their seats and pitch questions at the stage. At times, actors would even talk about the verbatim theatrical
Does audience passivity trump collective action? Photo: Jessie Cohen approach while the performance unfolded around them. Speaking to a fellow audience member who described the play as ‘refreshingly experimental’, I imagined the political potential that could arise from this energizing mode of theatrical communication. Throughout the production, multiple voices fire off the stage, each positing a different angle on how to respond to the situation in Russia. One comment compared Sochi 2014 to the 1936 Berlin Olympics when ‘Jesse Owens went, competed and won - exactly the philosophy we should take to Russia [...] visibility is
mentality. This law was penned by the church. There’s only so much a gangster like Putin can do. Russia is very different to Britain. It is just a very homophobic country. Western pressure is only fuelling the fire.’ Instead of counteracting this shocking display of apathy and hopelessness, the play invites us to engage Russia ‘with love’ rather than anger. It teeters, however, on the problematic suggestion that we must dilute our reactions with a pacifying relativism. During the lively discussion at Your Place or Mine, an audience member asked; ‘Can you really fight for a cause that is not your own?’ Manchester lecturer, Monica Pearl responded staunchly advocating the need for direct action, asserting that ‘protests are incredibly important even if you can’t see the impact in the moment.’ Pointing to the small-scale nature of the Canal Street protest on the eve of the opening ceremony, Pearl added that despite an inability to draw mainstream crowds, ‘even a small protest is a megaphone to society’. Ending on a similar, though slightly contradictory, note, To Russia with Love gave an affirmative nod to direct action: ‘There are no rights without people fighting for them. We need to make a show!’ As clapping faded into an en masse shuffle for possessions and wine glasses, my sister stared at the stage in disbelief.
‘There was no standing ovation’, she said, ‘if we can’t stand up in a theatre, how are we going to show support in the streets?’ Performers from To Russia With Love. Photo: Jessie Cohen the biggest issue here’. Rather than endorse hasty, ego-filled protests and a Russian boycott, the play seemed to suggest that we must put down our placards and listen to voices on the ground. In a powerful re-enactment of a Manchester protest interrupted by a disgruntled gay Russian visiting the city, we are aligned with the berated actor-protester who joins the audience to listen to this man’s perspective: ‘You don’t understand Russian
Her dismay at a socially pervasive passivity, demonstrative of the unbending apathy of the times, tainted my self-congratulatory feeling for a weekend ethically ‘well-spent’. While I chastised myself for dropping the baton along with my fellow theatre-goers, I was reminded of the message that Secret Diaries delivers, that battling homophobia at home, including internal prejudices, is an important starting point for any activist position. Relieved, I concluded that theatre can be activistic-ish after all.
Feature
myFAVOURITE SCENE
Moira Buffini’s Dinner is a dark comedy which sees a concoction of characters both delighting and sufferingin each other’s company. Wynne, an avantgarde artist, Hal, a scientist, and Hal’s sexy news reporter wife Sian, are on the invite list to Paige’s dinner party, begrudgingly to her husband Lars. The evening starts smoothly before the uninvited Mike appears and everything soon descends into chaos; the frivolous fun and games of the evening sink to rows and conflict as Paige, hostess extraordinaire, uncovers her plans to ruin the evening with the assistant of a ‘waiter from a website’. The play ends on an urgent, poignant and apprehensive note, leaving the audience to reflect on the roller-coaster ride of emotions they have just witnessed over the dinner table. This extract is taken from the middle of scene two; ‘The Starter’. Mike has just arrived and tensions rise. Mike is shown in by the waiter. Lars: Can we help you? Mike: Um, I asked him if I could borrow a phone. I’ve
This week, Harriet Leitch tells us about her
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What’s on
this WEEK Orlando Based on Virginia Woolf’s extraordinary novel of time travel and gender-swapping, this adaptiation promises to be just as funny and incredible as the original. Sarah Ruhl has adapted the nvoel for the stage and brings it bursting to life - despite the many shocking occurences throughout the story! Runs from the 22nd February to the 22nd March at The Royal Exchange
The Seagull Chekov’s masterpiece of theatre, The Seagull, returns to the stage in an exciting new adaptation by upcoming writer Anya Reiss. Anya is only in her early twenties but has rejuvenated several classic theatre pieces already, to huge critical aclaim. This tale of family, frustrated youth and unrequited love, that has captivated audiences for two centuries will be an umissable production. Runs from the 21st February to the 8th March at The Lowry
The MIFTAS The Drama society’s MIFTA showcase begins this week. Presenting a variety of student performances, the MIFTAS is an unmissable showcase of talent, and a great opportunity to support your fellow students. Various locations from the 19th February to the 23rd March
favourite scene from Moira Buffini’s Dinner
had an accident down the lane andSian turns. Mike sees her. Oh my God. You’re thing off the news, you were on this morning Sian: Yes Mike: That bit about cluster bombs Sian: Right Mike: They’re fucking evil aren’t they? Sian: Yes Paige: Who are you and what do you want? Mike: Just a phone. Um, my van…it’s gone into your gatepost. I’m very sorry but I couldn’t see. I came out of the corner andWynne: Oh you poor thing Mike: I’m really sorry to bother you but I need to use a phone. (To Sian) I can’t believe you’re in here. I must be concussed Paige: Have you damaged our property? Mike: I think my van came out worse. But one of those eagle things you’ve got fell off and I think It’s broken its nose
Paige: Its beak Wynne: He’s bleeding Mike: If I could just use a phone Wynne: From his cheek, look Mike: I need to call a tow truck Paige: Waiter? Show him the door Lars: Paige? Paige: There’s a phone box down by the traffic lights. I suggest you use that Lars: What? Wynne: He’s cut himself Paige: He’s damaged our property Lars: The man only wants to make a call Paige: (to the Waiter) Show him out Lars: No, he can make his call here and sit in the warmth while he waits for help Mike: Look, I’ll goLars: No Mike: I/don’t want to cause Lars: It’s no problem Paige: Show him out
The Jewish Legacy Modern musical theatre is littered with the legacy of incredibly talented 20th century Jewish composers and lyricists. The Jewish Legacy is a night packed with the fruits of these talents, giving a history of musical theatre from its beginnings, over a century ago, up until the modern day. Packed with classic West End and Broadway numbers, head along for a fun-filled evening of musical theatre! Sunday 30th March, 4pm and 7.30pm at the Paragon Theatre
ISSUE 15/ 24th FEBRUARY 2014 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Editors: Lauren Arthur, Moya Crockett, Beth Currall Feature
the LIFESTYLE FEATURE
Should it be up to the man to make the move?
Many traditional expectations about sex and relationships have fallen by the wayside in 2014 - but one remains as strong as ever. Lifestyle Editor Moya Crockett questions why we still expect men to make the first move in the 21st century Like most young women today, raised on a cultural diet of the Spice Girls, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Beyoncé, my friends and I like to think of ourselves as Independent Women. We’re at university. We pay our own bills. We will – hopefully – get good jobs. Although genuine sexual equality remains an aspiration for the UK, rather than a reality (a 2013 study by the Higher Education Careers Services Unit showed that female graduates still earn thousands of pounds less than men working in exactly the same jobs), many traditional expectations of gender roles have largely fallen by the wayside, especially when it comes to sex and relationships. These shifting beliefs can be seen in Big Stats – such as the fact that 41% of British women now out-earn their male partners – as well as in subtler, less quantifiable ways. The old “he’s a player, she’s a slag” stereotype persists like a musty smell in an old room, but it is fading. While it’s certainly still easier for girls to acquire the dreaded “reputation”, in my privileged experience, a young woman who openly enjoys (or even just has) sex is no longer instantly delineated a slut. Similarly, the assumption that men alone should shoulder the role of economic provider appears absurdly antiquated to most young people. Male or female, we’re all skint: I’d no more expect a boy to pay for my dinner than I’d expect him to sprout wings and fly out of the window. Equality should work in both directions, for good and bad tasks, and the suggestion that any “job” – whether it’s the role of CEO or the chore of taking out the bins – should be “just for the boys” seems ridiculous. And yet for all our rejection of traditional gender stereotypes, there’s one area of romantic life where most young men and women are still markedly old-fashioned.
Balls. Think about how we use that word – what we mean when we say someone’s “ballsy” – and then think about what it actually means. It’s the idea of brash, brazen courage, all bound up in a neat linguistic package with the image of male sexuality. There’s nothing scarier than letting someone know that you like them, and as we all “know”, men are the brave ones, right? The idea that men are better equipped to feel the fear and do it anyway has been fed to us for centuries through myths, literature, movies. Men are the ones charging into battle, slaying dragons, taking the leap. They’ve got balls. Meanwhile, the princess sits in her ivory tower, waiting for the prince to come to her. In almost every other area of life, young women today would snarl at the suggestion that they should just sit tight, look pretty, and wait for the man to get shit done. But go into any bar on a Friday night, and that’s exactly what’s happening. “It’s definitely the boy’s job to make the move, yeah,” says Aloysius, a 20-year-old politics student. “It’s the gentlemanly thing, tradition, I guess.” I spoke to lots of confident, tough, intelligent, attractive girls while researching this article, and they agreed almost unanimously: they wouldn’t have the nerve to really pursue a boy. Fear of rejection is undoubtedly part of it, but as Nick, 21, points out slightly disconcertingly, “men are pretty indiscriminate about who they sleep with.” There must be more to it than just the risk that the guy might say no. If men are routinely characterised as the active pursuers when it comes to romance (see: He’s Just Not That Into You, a film based entirely on the premise that if he actually liked you, honey, you’d know about it), then we can only ascertain that women are meant to play the role of the pursued, the “prize” hovering just a little out of reach – and most importantly, they are not meant to give in too quickly. An etiquette guide published in 1882 advises young women that
“No well-bred lady will too eagerly receive the attentions of a gentleman, no matter how much she admires him.” 1882
Photo: Here I Come Home(Flickr)
It’s the approach: the “Hello, how are you?”, the “Could I get your number?”, the “Can I buy you a drink?” Despite everything, the assumption is still widely held – by young, intelligent, educated people, male and female – that it is “the boy’s job” to approach the girl. I’m not saying that it never happens the other way around, but I know that it’s bloody rare. It’s rare enough that when a girl I know recently wrote her number on a napkin and gave it to a hot barman, the story spread round my group of friends like wildfire. “Did you hear what Sophie did?” people said, impressed, amazed. “She’s got balls.”
We’ve come a long way since Queen Victoria was on the throne – you know, women’s suffrage, the Pill, the outlawing of marital rape, that sort of thing – but apparently, some things haven’t changed that much. “Girls definitely feel the need to play it cool to entice someone they’re interested in,” says Jade, 21. “There’s a very important façade you have to keep up at the beginning, and if you just walk up to a guy in a bar and ask for his number, you’ve broken that façade. It might seem a bit desperate.” Interestingly, almost all of the boys I spoke to claimed that they’d be impressed, not turned off, by a girl bold enough to make the first move. “That’s the dream! The dream!” says Thaddeus, 21, and Joe, 22, agrees: “Confidence is attractive, not scary.” I was genuinely surprised. At the same time, however, most of the boys acknowledged that they enjoy the “thrill of the chase”, particularly when it comes to pursuing a genuine romantic interest. One commented that he’d be surprised and “a bit disappointed” if a girl “gave in too soon.” Now, I think, we’ve started getting to the crux of the issue. There is still something a little shocking about a girl or woman (like Britney, I haven’t decided which one I am yet) who gives up the coy shtick and puts all her
cards on the table. Picture the scene. A guy in his early twenties is begging a girl to come back to his. “Come on,” he says, tugging at her sleeve. “Come back to mine. Please.”
Photo: Here I Come Home(Flickr)
The girl isn’t interested; she’s rolling her eyes, politely removing her wrist from his grip, and saying, kindly but firmly, “No, I don’t think so.” Not that weird, right? Lots of us, male and female, have found ourselves in that situation. But now reverse the roles. The girl is the one doing the pleading. “Come on; please come back to mine!” Oh, Christ. That’s a bit pathetic, isn’t it? How embarrassing for her. It’s worth considering why two almost-identical situations inspire such different reactions. It’s taken as a given that men are constantly “gagging for it”, as one boy I interviewed succinctly put it. If a guy really pursues a girl, we generally assume that it’s because he really wants to have sex, and, you know, that’s fine. But if a woman goes after a man with all guns blazing, it must be because either: a) She’s like, in love with him or something (agh! Run a mile!), or b) She really wants to have sex. But while it’s perfectly acceptable for a man to openly express sexual desire, a woman who makes it plain that “she wants the D” (to utilise the sniggering slogan of wannabe lads everywhere) is still perceived, by girls as well as boys, as – well – a bit weird, scary, intimidating, mental. In a quote just destined for a lame Facebook cover photo, Bob Marley once said, “If she’s amazing, she won’t be easy. If she’s easy, she won’t be amazing.” This sums up the double standards that persist even today, in supposedly sexually liberated 2014. It positions women as something a man has to fight for. He’s got to break down her (admirable) resistance until she gives in! “If she’s worth it, you won’t give up,” Bob continues. “If you give up, you’re not worthy.” Oh, shut up, Bob. There is a certain kind of guy who shares Bob’s sentiment. He’s the type who, after you politely decline his offer of a drink, leers, “I like a challenge.” Most women have encountered this man in some shape or form, the sleaze unable to distinguish between “I’m playing hard to get” and “Get away from me.” Nevertheless, women keep on waiting for men to make the first move, mainly because they always have. The problem is that this is England, the land where no one says “I, er, actually quite like you” unless they’re a) absolutely smashed or b) madly, head-over-heels in love (and even then only if they’re 100% certain that the other person feels the same way). In 2013, I moved to the U.S. for six months, and spent the first several weeks experiencing genuine culture shock at how up-front
everyone was. During my first week, a boy tapped me on the shoulder as I queued to buy a sandwich. “Hey,” he said cheerfully. “How are you?” “Um – fine,” I mumbled, averting my gaze. He was clearly mental. Who attempts to strike up a conversation with a stranger in the middle of the day? Sober? Crazy people, that’s who. As a (British) male friend of mine puts it, “the sober approach only happens in films.” A while later, I was on my way to class when a guy fell into step beside me. “Hi, what’s your name? Could I get your number?” Gradually, it began to dawn on me: these boys weren’t insane. They were just American. Emma Watson studied at Brown University in Rhode Island, and described American guys as “very open and straightforward.” You like someone, you ask them on a date, they say no, you shrug it off. In Britain, meanwhile, “the thrill of the chase” is less of a chase (that implies some level of speed), more a tentative pursuit. “Usually in the whole courting situation, I‘m used to being first of all, ignored for the first two months of the ritual,” says Watson. “And then maybe they’ll acknowledge my presence. Then, they’ll probably be a little mean to me. And then, maybe we’ll, you know, whatever.” My friend Aaron unwittingly echoed Watson’s description of British courting. “I have very occasionally approached a girl, but I’d usually wait until I’d had some signal or reason to believe that I’d be successful. It can be a long frustrating process, especially if you’d like to talk to someone but are sober and don’t know them.” At first I struggled to comprehend how Americans could be so blasé about the risk of rejection, but – if I may be so bold as to reduce a nation of 314 million people to a single characteristic –
I gathered that your typical American would rather take a shot and run the risk of failure, than not try at all. The average Briton, in contrast, assesses the situation, gloomily decides it’s probably not worth the bother, and goes inside to put the kettle on. We’re incredibly lucky to be young at a time when traditional gender stereotypes mean far less than they once did, but this doesn’t mean that they no longer exist, and the expectation that the guy should always make the first move is so ingrained in our collective psyches that it will be hard to shift. But I think the main thing that we all need to shift is the pervasive sense of fear that characterises our romantic interactions. Women are scared of looking “desperate”, while men are scared of rejection, but this just means that nothing happens. Imagine a world where everyone, male and female, has the “balls” to say hello to someone they fancy. Doesn’t it look like fun?
/TheMancunion: Lifestyle @MancunionLife
HOW TO:
Become social life savvy
Want to see your friends all the time but can’t afford the costs of nights out? Beth Currall finds the best penny-saving ideas to keep you occupied Photo: Banoootah_qtr (Flickr)
Itt’s that time in the ac ademic year, where it seems ages until loan day, but there’s so much to pay out for: from deposits on houses for next year, to comfort food to keep us happier during these Winter months. Feel like you’re never going to go on a night out again? Well going out isn’t the be all and end all of student life, you know. Try out these ideas to keep you and your friends entertained, without feeling the strain on your bank balances. Come Dine with Me: Student Special Every student loves Come Dine with Me, mainly because it’s played on a loop around Channel 4’s various platforms all day every day, but also because it’s the kind of thing we’d all love to do: snooping round people’s homes, getting three-course meals cooked for us, downing bottles of wine. So why don’t you grab a few friends, it could be your own housemates or people you know that are spread around Fallowfield and Withington, and start your own dining experience? Agree to a small budget for each meal, club in for a small (probably alcoholic) prize for the winner, and away you go! You get a week’s worth of good nights with friends, food and booze, for no more than £10- sounds pretty good to me! Game night As students who are all, let’s face it, geeks at heart, we can never say no to a wonderfully mentally-stimulating board game. So why not get together a few people and start playing one night a week? You could make up your own games to exercise your creativity, or purchase some of your family favourites. They don’t have to be in mint condition either; you can easily pick them up from eBay or a charity shop for just a few quid. Brace yourselves for some tense
disagreements though- things can get tough in a room full of intellectuals.
Social Media
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Twitter TOP accounts you should be following Bored of reading about people’s real life problems? Make your timeline more interesting with these popular accounts Harry Potter (@ArryPottah) None of us were ready to let go of the Harry Potter series and luckily it lives on through many a parody account. ‘Arry’ provides his followers with many hilarious anecdotes of Hogwarts life, bitches about his fellow characters and generally helps HP fans to cling on to the literary phenomena. (Similar: The Dark Lord/@Lord_ Voldemort7)
Start a home workout class This kills two birds with one stone, as you’re not only staying in, but you’re also keeping fit. Rob a few exercise routines off YouTube, clear your living room and you’re all set: a gym class in your own house. You can do anything you like, and mix it up whenever you want to by doing yoga, pilates, Zumba and even boxercise. The possibilities are endless thanks to the Internet, and you’re having a free night in with mates- cheaper than that monster bag of crisps you’d buy to consume during film night, that’s for sure. Sleepover club Take it back to the old school and channel your inner 13 year old by arranging a sleepover. I’m talking sleeping bags/mattresses down in the same room, pillow fights, face masks, scary stories- the full works. You’ll have forgotten how good it is to the cram into the same space and talk to one another, which is often impossible on nights out as you have to sort out one mate crying in the toilet, another one that’s pulling a zero, and a third who’s pulling you along across the dance floor. Ask everyone to bring a little bit of food and something for entertainment, and that’s your night sorted for probably less than a couple of quid. So there you go, proof that it is actually possible to see your friends and have a social life without pissing your money up the wall on a night out that you’ll live to regret in the morning. Having fun at uni without hangovers! Who’d have thought it, eh?
Classic Pics (@History_Pics) Who doesn’t like looking at old black and whites? A collection of photos that make you go ‘ooh’, celebrities in their younger years and people who are generally cooler/more interesting than you. Basically Instagram, but with people that lived before the app was a twinkle in technological heaven.
Can you not? (@SassyGirl) Tweeting to represent the fives fs (fabulous, feisty, fearless, feminine and fierce), SassyGirl is the bible for every tweenage girl who finds herself wanting to die of embarrassment and self-shame on a daily basis. Note: you may only class yourself as sassy if you get to the bottom of the third page and still find yourself relating to her wise words.
All photos taken from twitter
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Lifestyle
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Faces in Things (@FacesPics) Your door handle has a face? Yes it does, and so do a lot of other inanimate objects apparently. Be prepared to be amazed, confused, and slightly disturbed.
Present Day Clueless (@ModernClueless) Cher was from the 90s but who said she should stay there? Here she is tweeting about her woes and troubles, 2014 style. As if!
Lauren Arthur
light up the
t
fill it with noise
On 27 February, take to the streets and Reclaim the Night from street harassment and sexual assault. At 7pm, join a neon parade full of colour, light and sound from Owen’s Park in Fallowfield. The march will be led by a women’s-only block, open to all self- defining women and followed by a mixed march open to all genders. Don’t miss the Reclaim the Night After Party from 9pm in the Students’ Union.
manchesterstudentsunion.com/reclaimthenight
ISSUE 15/ 24th FEBRUARY 2014 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
SPORT
/TheMancunion @Mancunion_Sport
Sports Editors: Andrew Georgeson, Tom Dowler and Thomas Turner
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Contact: sport@mancunion.com
Should we allow a return to standing in English football stadia?
YES
Thomas Turner Sport Editor
I’m going to start this with a little game of Andrew Georgeson bingo. Get the full house, and the Mancunion Sport will pay for you to have a pint with the man himself. Here are the words: ‘Hillsborough’, ‘crush’, ‘unsafe’, ‘hooligan’ and ‘German football hispters’. Each will - as they have been relentlessly - be used to argue against the proposal for safe standing in UK stadia. And crucially, not a single one of them provides a decisive point. Let me start with Hillsborough; a watershed moment for English football, and an atrocity of the type which we should never allow to occur in this country again. 96 people lost their lives - but did any of them die directly as a result of being able to stand at a football match? Hindsight says not. The paddock in the Leppings Lane end was overcrowded due to the incompetence of the police. The crush was caused, ultimately, by a steel fence at the front of the paddock, and a lack of crush barriers to separate supporters. The number of fatalities was largely a result of the negligent manner in which clubs for years had treated safety standards and procedures - indeed there had been incidents in the Leppings Lane end in the years before the disaster which had indicated the danger. Yet none of these factors are integral to standing at football matches - which leads me on to the prospect of ‘safe-standing’, based on the German ‘rail seating’ model. Just as with current seated stands, there is no requirement for large fences to be erected at the front. Each single row has a crush barrier in front of it. Seats (and therefore seat numbers) are still provided, meaning that clubs can prevent capacity being exceeded by monitoring the number of tickets sold. In short, as the large German stadia prove, there need not be anything inherently unsafe about standing. In spite of this, many still associate the potential return of standing with a similar return to the ‘bad old days’, where outbreaks of violence amongst the crowds became commonplace. The advocates of this argument seem to be clutching at straws. Huge progress has been made in recent decades with regards to the problem of football hooliganism, and the proof of this is no more evident than in the family friendly environment which typifies most modern day stadia. Are we really suggesting that by allowing people to stand (which many still do, unsafely, in seated areas), we will flick a switch which transports us back to the heyday of the 1970s, where mobs of fans running amok along the terraces are a perpetual distraction from the ongoings on the pitch? This is nothing more than scaremongering. But why, you may ask, do we want a return to standing at football matches anyway? There are two reasons which I can think of. First of all, the change to all seated stadia has undoubtedly coincided with a drop in the atmosphere within stadiums. Anybody who has ever been to a football match will tell you that the atmosphere is greater in areas where people predominantly stand. I think the link between atmosphere and on-pitch performance is too often overstated, but to some, the ability to stand and
Andrew Georgeson Sport Editor
A safe standing trial at Bristol City’s Ashton Gate. Photo: @SafeStandingRS
sing at a football match is a valuable part of English football culture, which for nearly twenty years now has been prohibited. This coincides with the fact that if people can safely stand, and do stand in seated areas currently, we are also hindering the enjoyment of those who actively choose to sit. Some away fixtures in particular must be torrid experiences for those physically prevented from standing for long periods. If we can safely harness the preferences of both the sitters and the standers, why aren’t we? Secondly, a switch to safe standing areas may also enable us to cure another ill of modern football - that of high ticket prices. Due to increased capacity, prices for standing tickets will undoubtedly be lower, enabling clubs to again attract the young and less wealthy supporters they have lost in recent years. While the Taylor report specified that seated tickets ought not to be more expensive after the switch to all seated stadia, what we have seen is the direct opposite. The Bundesliga is renowned for its affordable tickets, so call me a ‘hispter’ if you wish - if it means cheaper tickets, you can call me what you like. The aftermath of the Hillsborough disaster changed football in many ways - and many were for the better. But along with the behemoth that is the Premier League, it has also to an extent allowed football to be taken away from those who were for so long the life-blood of the game. Safestanding would be a valuable embodiment of a return to the ‘people’s game’. So to the powers that be, please, stand and deliver.
‘Safe’ standing in the top two tiers of English football should, quite simply, never be allowed. I am stunned that it is even being considered in a country which had its footballing tradition changed from a stadium disaster. Hillsborough and Valley Parade should be enough evidence for this, but let me dismantle any other nonsensical ideas all the Against Modern Football and German Football hipsters have. My overwhelming problem is how police would control a standing section. Despite the argument that every stadium will have allocated standing sections defined by tickets, Hillsborough was supposed to only have an allocated number of people inside. The fact is, police couldn’t control what was happening at Hillsborough. The Taylor report concluded that ‘the main reason for the disaster was the failure of police control.’ The introduction of standing sections could lead to people sneaking in, the overcrowding occurring, then who knows what could happen. The other contentious issue is the German Football Hipster conundrum. Borussia Dortmund has an amazing atmosphere with their 25,000 strong walls of yellow and black flags. But this won’t transfer to England for several reasons. Firstly, the standing section in England will become a section for the die-hards, the ones who give themselves a name like the ‘ultras’ or the ‘unit’, the guys who are at Weatherspoons ahead of opening time every Saturday, have 3 team-based tattoos and watch Green Street religiously. These stands will harbour hostility, not in a Fenebarche way, but in an aggressive pissed-up bloke from Leeds way which kills the atmosphere. One has to remember that the
NO
hostile atmosphere in Borussia Dortmund’s stadium nearly got all away fans banned from the match against Shalke due to police fears over atmosphere, so it’s not as rosy as everyone makes it out to be. You could never take your 10-year-old to the section as if your team scores and the crowd celebrate by pushing/shoving/crushing each other. The removal of standing sections from many grounds has clearly reduced football hooliganism. That is a fact. Some teams still harbour tinges of hooliganism, just look at Millwall last year at Wembley in the FA Cup semifinal. Are we really going to let these people stand? Unlike most of the Against Modern Football crew who have probably never been to a match outside of the Premier League, let’s turn our attention to lower league football. I followed my village team, Dunston UTS, from their 500 capacity all standing stadium in the North-East, all over the country as far as Norwich for a match in all standing stadiums, to the FA Vase final in Wembley Stadium. At Wembley Stadium, despite nearly 85,000 empty red seats, there was an incredible atmosphere because everyone was enjoying themselves; everyone was living up to the occasion, and actually enjoying football instead of the politics surrounding it. Atmospheres in some stadiums are poor because of inflated ticket prices, manic owners, over-paid footballers, you name it. That’s fine, be disgruntled about that, but protesting for cheaper ticket prices won’t ever cost anyone their lives. If people actually stepped back and enjoyed the match instead of becoming pundits or getting so pissed up beforehand that they don’t know what day it is, the atmosphere would be fine. I honestly can’t see how it could be cheaper either. Borussia Dortmund’s season ticket cost 190 Euros for their giant terraced stand. But at the same time, the owner of the club refused a beer increase from 3.70 to 3.80 saying ‘’that extra 10 cents doesn’t make the difference, why should we increase it? It doesn’t satisfy our people”. The ‘50 plus 1’ rule also ensures no foreign owner can take majority control so the club remains in German hands. The differences don’t translate to England, owners here don’t care about the fans, so the idea that tickets will be cheaper is based on nothing. If we want to return to tradition, I suggest a return to gentleman wearing bowler hats, suits with ribbons on and carrying clackers. Return to the days when the FA Cup coverage wasn’t one of the trials of Hercules to get through, and instead was just a nice occasion where we interviewed fans beforehand wearing half and half scarves. Sadly tragedy will strike again, but let the desicion lie with Bristol City - a team with an average attendance of 11,500 this season - not even the largest in League 1 and who will not return to the Championship anytime soon. To me it seems as if it is nothing more than the FA trying to make up for the real problems they can’t do anything about. The publics perception of football fans as idiot thugs is only supported by the introduction of a standing area, proving that football has an absolutely shocking memory. Ultimately, if we don’t learn from our history, we are bound to repeat it.
Who do you agree with? Tweet us @Mancunion_Sport
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ISSUE 15/ 24h February 2014 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
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Mancunion Sport ‘Good Gym Guide’
Tom Dowler looks at the Manchester gyms to help you avoid the student beer belly For many of us, the early hours of 2014 began with ambitious resolutions to get down to the gym more and to eat healthily. Sadly University work and life in general can get in the way of your new training regime and diets go out of the window when cramming for an exam or working towards a deadline. So just how easy is it to get fit in Manchester? Take a look at our advice on some of the top gyms in the city and a few helpful tips to get you started again. The Aquatics Centre Ideally placed just a short walk away from the precinct (Booth Street East), the Aquatics Centre is one of the more convenient options for anyone looking for a decent work out either before or after a day on campus. Built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games, the £32 million facility boasts two 50m swimming pools and an excellent gym with an array of cardiovascular equipment, resistance machines and a separate free weights section. Membership information Gym & Swim 6 month package £150 (£25 per month) Student swim £1.90. The Sugden Centre Located on Grosvenor Street, the Sugden Centre is another facility a short stroll away from that brutal Monday morning 9am lecture in University Place. The centre doesn’t have the pools or spa facilities that the aquatics centre does, but it does have a highly-equipped gym with over 100 stations and a diverse range of classes including boxercise, body burst and Zumba. Membership information Six Month gym package £120 (£20 per month) Classes (pay as you go price) £3.30 The Armitage Centre For anyone in Fallowfield, the
Armitage Centre is the go-to venue for all of your sporting needs. The Mancunion Sport reported in Issue 1 of this year the substantial investment in facilities which took place over the summer. As well as having a thriving gym and fitness studio, the Armitage is one of the top five/six-a-side venues with the 3G cages and AstroTurf facilities swarming with footballers on a nearly daily basis. The gym itself was extended slightly over the summer and some new equipment was installed, while the changing facilities and sports hall were upgraded. There is a dedicated free weights section and an array of cardiovascular and resistance machines. The gym does get very busy, but the Armitage offers enticing pay as you go and off-peak offers in case you’re an early bird, or can find time in the middle of the day for a workout. Membership information Pay as you go joining fee £12.50 then just £3.50 per visit Off peak Six Month package £70 (£11.66
If you play five-a-side football in Manchester you’re probably aware of the world-class 3G football facilities that used to host the Manchester City Academy prospects, just behind Platt Fields. However, the gym has quickly become a popular, cheap option for fitness fanatics based in Fallowfield. Compared to most gyms in Manchester it is a fairly no-frills facility, but it does have a reasonable range of cardiovascular equipment, a small dedicated free weights area, plenty of resistance machines and two fitness studios for classes. The dumbbells go up to a hefty 45kg, but there are not enough benches available during peak times. Membership information £19 per month on direct debit (with a minimum commitment for three months). Otherwise, you can pay £24 for a month of unlimited access. Bannatyne Health & Fitness Part of the franchise owned by Dragon’s Den favourite Duncan Bannatyne,
The Armitage Centre’s cardiovascular machines. Photo: Sport Manchester
per month) Drop in fitness class £3.30 Platt Lane Complex
the three gyms in Manchester are reasonably-priced, luxury leisure facilities. If you join, you are permitted
Those weights won’t lift themselves! Photo: Sport Manchester
access to any of the three Manchester clubs (Whitworth Street, Chepstow Street and Quay Street). All three clubs have a small pool and health suite as well as top of the range cardiovascular equipment, resistance machines and sizable free weight sections. Further to this, there is an abundance of classes spread out throughout the day included in the membership fee. These are a decent investment if you are committed to going on a regular basis, however, if you’re a busy/responsible student or a little bit lazy, it’s not worth spending money on top facilities that are going to go unused. Membership information: Joining fee £15 then £29 per month on a direct debit (with one month’s cancellation notice) The Gym Group Based in the city centre just behind Piccadilly Gardens, the Gym Group is one of the top budget fitness facilities in Manchester. With 24 hour access and a vast range of equipment, it is a great option for anyone willing to hop on a bus in to town or for anyone centrally-based. For any cyclists not wishing to brave the Manchester elements, the Gym Group has several Myride machines which
allow you to cycle along famous road races and up mountains watching the scenery as you kick up another gear. The Gym Group also offer a range of classes to fit all levels of fitness and ability. Membership information £20 joining fee (waived if you have a valid NUS card), then just £15.99 a month on a rolling monthly contract. A few tips to help get you started: Take a tour of a gym before you sign up, personal trainers and sales assistants are more than happy to show you around, but don’t feel pressured into signing up there and then. Either avoid the gym at peak times, or be prepared for a wait or a studio full of people (particularly in free weight areas). Besides, if you go before University, you will feel fresher for the rest of the day and have no delays waiting for equipment. Start with realistic, manageable goals and don’t overdo it in your first session. Don’t destroy your new regime by injuring yourself in your first few sessions and ask a personal trainer if you are unsure about any of the equipment. Finally, a simple (free) tip for anyone hoping to lose weight and tone up: eat less, but healthily and move more. It is that easy!
Martial arts squads in medal haul
Seamus Soal Sports Writer
First up we have the wrist locking and elbow crunching Jiu Jitsu club. The UoM Jiu Jitsu team took a trip to Northampton to compete in the Randoori Nationals from the 14th to 16th February. Rather than get distracted by the commercial ‘lovey dovey’ holiday, the Jitsu team spent their Valentines weekend being much more productive by getting on the mats and getting some fighting done! The first to secure a medal was Tom James in the yellow belt category. It was Tom’s first competition but that did not deter his determination on the mats as he came away with a very impressive bronze medal. First competitions can be tough and nerve-wracking but this didn’t shake Tom as he went in and gave an excellent performance. The club are convinced that he will continue to achieve great success in future competitions. Next was the classic calamity of all martial arts competitions... having to fight your own team mate. Mike Pearce and Club Captain Thomas Pacey both put in their shifts with much success in the
The proud UoM medal winning Jiu-Jitsu team.
initial rounds, but due to the frustration of the draw, both being in the light blue category, they unfortunately had to meet in the semi-final. A frustrating situation as a final against each other would have been much more preferable. Nonetheless both warriors went in and gave it their all with Mike just edging out Thomas. Mike went on to fight a solid, but unsuccessful final fight to come away with silver. Thomas, although being defeated, continued to stay focused and won the playoff for bronze. It was a very successful trip for UoM
Jitsu as they raised their medal hauls by two from last year. The club continues to reach new highs. Manchester University’s Jiu Jitsu club were not alone on the podium as the hip-throwing Judo club also got in on the medal-winning action. Report from Judo Club Captain Joe Perry We gathered in the foyer of The University of Warwick Sports Centre at 09:15. We had six non-team entries. Four of whom were novices, new to the club this year.
U66kg novice Tom O’Sullivan began a promising start to a competitive Judo Career. He didn’t medal, but has since gone on to take gold at another competition. He is definitely one to watch. Under 60kg novice Jack Sissaert gripped well, and demonstrated some solid aggression and willingness to finish the fight with a big score. He left with a Bronze medal. In the Under 78kg Intermediate category, Chelsea Taylor had three fights. I have never seen her as determined in
training as she was in competition. She consistently found her favourite (roundthe-waist) grip. One particular win was spectacular hip-throw, which helped her come away as a Bronze medallist. Under 81kg novice Joshua Elijah had a never-say –die attitude. When he lost, he gave hell to his (more experienced) opponents. When he won, it was by a spectacular throw which one would not expect a novice to pull off. His attitude will certainly help put him on a fast-track to a black belt. Under 90kg novice Babithas Umatheven was an absolute beast in his bouts. Before he fought, I was pestering him with totally unnecessary tactical advice and when his fights began, he ragged his opponents around with a strength and pace which they could simply not match. I did not know he had that kind of physicality in his locker. He came away with a well-earned Silver medal. In the under 70kg & over 70kg Advanced Woman, Sigita Zigure had seven testing fights, but she completely dominated her opponents and came away with two outstanding Gold medals.
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#PurpleandProud Late comeback not good enough for UoM Heroic seond half effort not enough to keep Loughbourgh at bay University of Manchester
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University of Loughborough 3 Josh Cook Sport Reporter
On a sodden AstroTurf at the Armitage centre the Men’s Hockey team fought back well in an action packed second half last Wednesday, but it wasn’t enough to prevent a 3-2 loss in the league to Loughborough. It was certainly a game of two halves as early on the visitors attempted to pressurise the home defence. The first division struggler’s side looked capable at the back and they stood firm as Loughborough’s slick, quick passing attempted to force an error. The back four grew in confidence for the away side as Manchester rarely threatened in the opening 35, latching onto scraps when at all possible, as Loughborough pushed for the breakthrough. And the breakthrough came after 10 minutes when a confident move resulted in a helpless home goalkeeper failing to stop a shot from just inside the D. It was clear that if Manchester were to gain anything from this match they would need to be at their best. However, the away side were well on top and after 25 minutes Loughborough struck their second from a well-placed short corner. A basic pass was trapped and smashed into the goal on the first attempt to the jubilation of the
away bench. Manchester looked tired towards the end of the first half as they struggled to match the physicality of the Loughborough front line. Yet, out of the ashes Manchester broke and were denied by a fantastic save from
possession followed and it was the away side that eventually got hold of the ball on the left flank. A simple cross and first time hit was all that was needed to put clear breathing space between the sides. The first half came to an end shortly
in a shot on goal if it wasn’t for a last second interception just in front of the D. Now it was the hosts turn to break, and they did with excellent conviction. Surging forward it took minimal passing for Manchester to finally beat the
Manchester fought back bravely, but fell 3-2 at home to Loughborough.
the goalkeeper (his first of many in the game). A fast move down the right hand side of the field was then concluded by a powerful strike which left both home players and spectators with their hands in the air. The move deserved a goal but the man between the Loughborough sticks was in no mood for conceding. Before Manchester had time to get over their missed opportunity they found themselves further behind. Once again a penalty corner with an identical set piece started the move. The Manchester keeper initially saved well down by the bottom right of the goal. A scramble for
after and Manchester had failed to assert themselves onto the match. Loughborough were all smiles coming out for the second half as complacency perhaps began to creep in. A rejuvenated Manchester showed their intent as from the whistle a quick move down the right hand side was again halted by a diving save from the goalie. The Manchester front line must have been wondering what they needed to do to get past the inspired keeper. Loughborough once more attempted to break with neat movement through the centre which could have culminated
opposition keeper and get their goal. From that point onward the game started to become scrappy as Manchester looked to get themselves back into the match. You could see the frustration on the faces of the coaches as plays broke down with tired passes and reluctance from the officials to let the game flow meant the match became tense. The Loughborough keeper was once again called into action with not one, but two, successive saves kept his sides noses in front. Once more the umpire made a questionable decision in favour of the home side who failed to make the
most of the free hit, smashing the ball over the cross bar to the dismay of the Manchester fans. A call from the Loughborough captain of ‘Let’s not get sloppy boys’ fell on deaf ears as in the next transition and Manchester scored again. The smiles we’d seen at half time from the purples had disappeared completely now as Manchester could sense the tides were changing. In the final 20 minutes the game tightened up on both sides of the field with each side taking it in turns to force the error.. Manchester had worked extremely hard early in the second half and recognised that they couldn’t get carried away and become sloppy. Chances dried up in the last ten minutes but the final attempt fell to the visiting camp as a precision pass left 2 Manchester defenders for dead and the forward one on one with the keeper. He struck early and the shot was incredibly saved with the right boot to take it out for a corner. This was to be the final chance as the umpires called a halt on what was a thoroughly entertaining game of Hockey where Manchester matched the high flying visitors for all they were worth throughout the second half. Unfortunately, early mistakes meant we were always chasing the match. This week sees the visit of Nottingham to the Armitage where the team will be hoping to build on the positives shown on Wednesday and begin to climb up the BUCS league table and away from danger.
Women’s volleyball cup heartache University of Manchester
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University of Nottingham 3 Erdoo Yongo and Rob Eden Sport Reporters
The UoM women’s volleyball first team suffered a gruelling three sets to one defeat to Nottingham at the Sugden Centre last Wednesday, the result meaning that Nottingham would advance into the quarterfinals of the BUCS Volleyball 2013-14 Trophy. The match began with some great shots by Nottingham, which allowed them to lead by three points to one. Nottingham were full of confidence, whereas Manchester looked quite nervy and lethargic in the early stages. This was clearly the case as Nottingham raced ahead to 11-3, notably thanks to their star server Petkovic. Manchester made too many errors in their play and were not as organised as Nottingham. They were far fiercer than the home team expected and Manchester needed encouragement from their coach as well a few time-outs to settle into the match. Manchester did so, however, they were unable to have any real impact in the rest of the first set as the hosts continued to make too many mistakes. Despite not having played anywhere near their best, Nottingham took the first set 25-13. The second set started off in a totally
different manner to the first. Manchester came out ready to play. They got off to a quick start with great shots by Dori Darras and Emily Jose, which gave them a 4-1 lead. Manchester were great at turning their defence into attacking
win the point. This represented the high intensity and superb play by both sides in the second set. With the score standing at 19-18 to Manchester, the set was there for the taking, however, Manchester were forced into making
At 17-10, Nottingham were forced into making their first timeout of the game as they began to lose their consistency that had allowed them to excel in the opening sets. The timeout did not work. Manchester began to function like a
Manchester struggled to compete with the ferocity of Nottingham’s rallies.
play- it seemed as if they had finally found a successful strategy. The best point of the set fell to Manchester; Nottingham’s superb serve was just kept alive by Essi Savijohi’s diving volley. This enabled a tenacious rally with both teams blocking spikes until Manchester played a deep ball into the back right hand corner of Nottingham’s half to
some uncharacteristic mistakes as the pressure applied by Nottingham was immense. This in turn let Nottingham take the set 25-20. The agonisingly-close second set loss seemed to spur Manchester on in the third set as they quickly took an eightfour lead. Savijohi again impressed with a great display of her reaction speed.
well-oiled machine, and the suddenly error prone Nottingham looked resigned to losing the third set. Nevertheless, Nottingham dug deep and found some rhythm winning a succession of points. At 23-18, doubt was cast over whether or not Manchester possessed the killer-instinct necessary to win the set. However, Manchester fans needn’t
have worried as a timeout allowed Manchester to regroup and calm down, eventually going on to win the set 25-20. The fourth and final set followed a similar story to that of the second and third. Nottingham would take the lead, but Manchester would reply instantaneously. Manchester were showing signs that they were ready to take the match into a five set thriller. Darras provided the point of the set to bring Manchester within two points of Nottingham. An incredible rally ended up with a perfect lay up for Darras to unleash a pile driver. The shot contained so much velocity that the Nottingham player in its path ended up doing a backwards roly poly. Nonetheless, Manchester succumbed to Nottingham’s well-drilled teamwork, losing the set 25-19 in a similar fashion to the second. Once Nottingham took a substantial lead of four points in the fourth set, they played intelligent volleyball and forced Manchester into making mistakes. Although the 3-1 loss to Nottingham means that Manchester are now eliminated from the BUCS Volleyball 2013-14 Trophy, they can take a lot of pride in their performance. Our player of the game goes to Savijohi who showed great reactions to counter ferocious Nottingham spikes that were directed just inches off the floor. Manchester: 1. L. Spendlhofer, 2. E. Savijohi, 5. D. Darras, 6. E. Jose, 7. P. Mohnfeld, 8. H Ford, 14. A Wang.
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MANCHESTER’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER
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Standing Debate
Martial arts medal haul
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Volleyball spiked
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Hamsley hammers Liverpool through Valliant Manchester women’s football knocked out of cup after two extra-time goals University of Manchester
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Liverpool John Moores University 5 Andy Dowdeswell Sport Reporter
Forget the curling. All the drama was at Armitage centre between Manchester Women’s 1sts and Liverpool John Moores University 1sts last Wednesday. With the momentum changing throughout the match, it was Liverpool who finally claimed victory and progressed to the quarter finals, although they required extra time to do so. From the first whistle, the game was played at a frantic tempo. With little time on the ball in the midfield, it was Liverpool who made the early breakthrough, with a lovely sliding pass from Amston towards Pennington, who delivered a cool finish under the on rushing Cantle. Manchester, however, kicked into gear and immediately equalised. A short corner routine manoeuvred Mapp in a position to cut the ball back to Webster. Webster’s first attempt was blocked, but her second curled wonderfully into the far corner. A beautiful goal and no less than Manchester deserved. The rest of the first half was dominated by Manchester. Only minutes later was Mapp sent clean through, but her effort was struck straight at the keeper. Mapp then had a brilliant, curled effort from the edge of the area that struck the corner of the post and crossbar. 35 minutes in, Manchester scored their deserved second goal. A well worked
move down the left released Hamer and her floated cross toward the back post looped over the keeper and settled nicely in the far corner. As half-time neared, Manchester thought they’d scored another as Mapp hammered home from close range. However, the referee judged her to be offside. A controversial decision, but it was probably the right one. In the second half, the game was devoid of quality. It wasn’t until
corner and Manchester looked comfortable to progress to the quarter finals. It was from this moment that Manchester became complacent. The game became scrappy and Liverpool’s abusive mouths were beginning to rile the Manchester players, unsettling their rhythm. Indeed, it unfolded in such a way that Liverpool dominated the remaining 20 minutes, and Manchester were hanging on to their
brushed herself down and sent Cantle the wrong way. Immediately, Liverpool were again in behind the Manchester defence. As the ball squared across goal, Pennington strayed in front of her strike partner, and as she stroked the ball into the empty net, the referee gave offside. This was a warning sign for Manchester, but they didn’t learn from it. In stoppage time, Liverpool exposed
Manchester were unlucky to fall at the quater-final stage of this year’s competition.
the 65th minute that Manchester threatened to extend their lead. However, when Liverpool’s McConnell stupidly dived in and caught Mapp, a penalty was awarded. Mapp stepped up, calmly smashed it in the bottom
coattails. The comeback started with another penalty. From a deep free kick Luk was penalised for dragging down Hamsley. It was the correct decision, and Liverpool’s captain, Hamsley,
the lack of pace in the Manchester defence, and the marauding full back stepped up to slam the ball into the roof of the net. This was a sucker punch to Manchester who had been clinging on for dear life, but did
not learn from the earlier missed opportunities of Liverpool. The game went into extra time, and Liverpool continued their dominance. Manchester looked increasingly leggy in midfield, and Liverpool’s captain delivered two long range strikes to put the game beyond Manchester’s reach. The first, Hamsley picked the loose ball up around 30-yards from goal, took one touch and hit the ball on the bounce. The ball sailed painfully slowly over the grasping hand of Cantle, nestling in the far corner of the goal. Like the first, the second was hit from a narrow angle, but in exactly the same way, the ball looped over the outreached arm of Cantle, giving Liverpool a 5-3 lead with only 15 minutes of extra time to play. Manchester bravely responded in the second period of extra time. Hamer looked dangerous down the left hand side, driving towards goal, and Mapp had a couple of long range opportunities. Eventually Manchester scored. From the corner, a goal mouth scramble incurred and the ball fell perfectly to Casey on the goal line who tapped it in. However, in the dying embers of the match, Manchester had a guilt-edged opportunity to take the game to penalties. Casey again was left all alone on the halfway line, and when the ball was cleared she was one on one with the goal keeper. Her touch let her down, though, and allowed the keeper to smother the ball. That was the final nail in the coffin of this wonderful match. Manchester, 3rd in the Northern division, can now concentrate on the league and can only dream of cup glory next season for now.