Issue18

18TH MAR 2013/ ISSUE 18 FREE

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MANCHESTER’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER

Contoversy as candidates disqualified

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Mancester hires TV historian

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Meet the mysterious Korean church recruiting students in Manchester

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Grace wins the race - Skelton wins Gen Sec contest by landslide - 5 candidates disqualified Lisa Murgatroyd News Editor

The new Executive Team 2013/14 has been elected amid controversy as five candidates were disqualified.

Grace Skelton is the new General Secretary, beating her closest competitor by 1365 votes. While Liam Mayet, Clifford Fleming, Charlotte Cook, Omar Aljuhani, Rosie Dammers, Ellie Bradbury and Tabz O’Brien-Butcher were elected to the positions of Activities & Development, Campaigns & Citizenship, Community, Diversity, Education, Wellbeing and Women’s Officer, respectively.

The announcement of the winners was heavily delayed on election night, as five candidates were disqualified for “breach of the rule that requires candidates & teams respect the right to vote confidentially and freely” by the Returning Officer Jim Grace Skelton celebrates her election success with incumben t Wellbeing Officer Cat Gray. Photo: Ellen Conlon

Dickinson .

Khaldoon Khan (Community), Choudhry Haziq (Gen Sec), Shahneela Shehereen (Activities & Development), Kazi Tawseef (Wellbeing) and Ali Khalid (Diversity), were

Tabz O’Brien-Butcher, re-elected for a second term as Women’s Officer tweeted “Sooo excited about next years exec team @ManchesterSU – Some Young Greens, some Labour, & lots of feminists! Over the

all disqualified. For more on this story see page 3 Grace stated that her first priority in office would be to ensure that free wifi in halls is implemented in time for the new intake of students in September.

NUS Vice President (Education) Toni Pearce tweeted her support, “#ManchesterVotes POW! So delighted for Grace Skelton elected as Gen Sec! You are a complete hero, so happy for you (and you Manchester!)”

Skelton heads a team with a female majority, five out of the eight positions being won by female candidates.

moon!”

Asked if she’d do anything differently, Tabz said “I’ve built foundations, so I’m just going to do it better. I’ve already got the contacts there, I’ve already got the experience.”

The most contested position in the election was Education Officer, with Rosie Dammers coming out on top in a close call.

Last year saw Luke Newton elected with a margin of just three votes who tweeted “Amazing officer. All the candidates were good. Brilliant election results!”

Continued on Page 2

02 : NEWS

ISSUE 18 / 18th MARCH 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Highlights

¡ Viva! film festival coverage

Students campaigning during last week’s elections.

Photo: Shabab Tahsin

Film, page 15

Picture of the week

Interview: Hurts Music, page 18

A black coffee please, not an ‘Americano’ Food & Drink, page 22

Grace wins the race Continued from front page

Khalil Secker, current Campaigns & Citizenship Officer said, “I’m really pleased about all the people that got elected, but especially for two of the founding members of the Save Our NHS campaign, Liam and Charlotte.”

Liam Mayet, the successful Activities & Development Officer said that he wants to get started straight away.

“My ideas about Freshers’ Fair, I absolutely want to completely change it, have it much longer. Bring it back to how it was, and much better organised. It will be a better way to get more people involved in societies.”

“I knew it would be a really close race, I honestly didn’t think I was going to win.” said Charlotte Cook, newly elected Community Officer.

In an interview following the announcement she said that she would like to work on kosher and alcohol free zones in halls. “With the Hillel halls shutting down

it’s really important to Jewish students that they have that accommodation.” Hilel House is a private accommodation catering to Jewish students that sadly made the recent decision to close its doors next year.

Emotions overcame Ellie Bradbury speaking to The Mancunion and Fuse FM after it was announced that she is the new Wellbeing Officer. “I’m so happy as it’s a job I really wanted to do, and I think I can do well at it.”

Having chosen ‘OMG’ by Usher as a catchy campaign song, “Oh-mar-gosh!” was all that new Diversity Officer Omar Aljahuni could say upon taking to the stage.

He later said that the celebrations would have to be postponed until he had completed an assignment due the following morning.

Clifford ‘the big red dog’ Fleming won the race for Campaigns & Citizenship with 1177 votes, a margin of nearly 400 votes ahead of Taz(manian) Ranjha, two of the more memorable cam-

paign efforts this year.

Speaking to candidates ahead of the results, the majority commented on their relief that it was finally over and of the fun they’d had.

Gen Sec candidate James Johnson told The Mancunion that his campaign was a joke to begin with, but as the weeks progressed he took it more seriously. Similarly, Samuel Blackledge only decided to run for Education Officer after seeing the last minute social media blast by the Student Voice team announcing that two positions were uncontested. He soon embraced his gimmick fuelled campaign, “Bananas for Blackledge” by walking around campus in a full banana suit.

Broadcasting live from Club Academy in the Students’ Union, Fuse FM hosted the event taking song requests on Twitter, with people competing for the best pun. ““I will survive! Perfect election song!” tweeted one student.

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Theatre, page 25

Greater Manchester Police have ordered a drug dealer to repay nearly £200,000 after a 15 month investigation.

Imran Mohammed Afzal was originally arrested and sentenced to 18 months in prison after police saw him carrying out drug deals. During searches of his home in Bolton, police found £23,000 in cash and £14,000 worth of drugs.

Detective Chief Inspector Sarah Jackson, of Bolton CID, said: “Afzal must have felt he was above the law and no doubt enjoyed the trappings of his criminal lifestyle.

“Now he must reflect on the fact that he is not only serving some serious time in jail, but when he comes out will be left with few remnants of his criminality.”

A subsequent confiscation investigation, carried out un-

der the Proceeds of Crime Act, found that Afzal had been laundering money into accounts, some in his wife’s name, in order to disguise the proceeds of his dealings.

Police also identified a fourbedroom detached house registered under her name, and three vehicles, two of which were in her name. Officers were able to prove that the money paid for these good, as well as the money paid into the accounts, were the proceeds from Afzal’s illicit dealings.

As a result Afzal was sentenced to a further two years in prison for money laundering.

An order for repayment was made this for assets valuing £167,684.98, which includes two houses in Bolton, three cars, and the contents of three bank accounts, taking the total confiscated to over £191,000.

Police added that failure to comply with the order will add 30 months to Afzal’s sentence.

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Drug dealer ordered to pay £200,000

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ISSUE 18 / 18th MARCH 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

NEWS : 03

Election scandal as five candidates disqualified Activities, Community, Diversity, General Secretary and Wellbeing candidates kicked out of elections Richard Crook Editor-in-Chief

Elections were marred by controversy and infighting last Thursday as five candidates were disqualified for directly cheating or failing to prevent their campaigners cheating.

The revelation that Choudhury Haziq, Khaldoon Khan, Shahneela Shehreen, Kazi Tawseef, and Ali Khalid would be kicked out was made moments before the winners were announced at 11:10pm, though rumours began circulating soon after the polls closed at 6pm.

All cases centred on students being pressured to vote by candidates and their campaigners. A voter for Community Officer candidate Khaldoon Khan and General Secretary hopeful Choudhury Haziq asked to “take back” their vote, claiming they were an international student and had made clear they did not know what the elections were about.

The report on the Students’ Union website said Khaldoon “sat with her, looking at the screen and pointed to the relevant sections of voting saying ‘press there’ at each point.”

Choudhury Haziq then did “exactly the same thing to her”

later that day.

A further complaint regarding Activities and Development and Wellbeing candidates Shahneela Shehereen and Kazi Tawseef came from an election official who claimed a supporter had “forcibly intervened” to pressure people to vote for Shahneela.

They alleged that despite several warnings, a student was hassled at a polling station by a campaigner.

A student reported Ali Khalid for allegedly “telling him how to vote, and saying just before he got to the voting screen ‘I’m going to turn around because technically this is meant to be confidential’, directing him to put his number 1 next to the name with his back to the screen, for both candidates.

None of these formal complaints were made by students connected to any rival opponents.

The scandal follows an open letter, signed by 10 disillusioned candidates, complaining about the allowed usage of iPads.

In the case of Ali Khalid, his supporters reportedly used laptops and iPads unfairly. None of the disqualified students signed the letter, although comments on The Mancunion post complained not everyone was approached.

Further complaints were

A voting station in University Place. Photo: Cil Barnett-Neefs made on the comments page alleging an influence from “current/previous exec” in the disqualifications, though The Mancunion confirmed these multiple comments signed with different names were made from the same I.P. address.

All five of the candidates were backed the Pakistan Society (PakSoc). Following the results, they released a statement on Facebook.

“It was disappointing to see some of the candidates being disqualified.

“Therefore we appeal for a detailed investigation in the reasoning of the Students’ Union’s decision to make sure there was no discrimination against candidates whilst the decision was made.”

LGBT rep Joe White, who lost out in the Activities Officer race last year, praised the decision

by ManchesterSU on his Twitter account. “Damn right decision.

You cannot break rules end of.

Shame a similar strong decision wasn’t made last year.”

But some of the student body

were not so captivated by the drama. Manchester student and Liberty League member Eileen Spalding tweeted: “People seeking union exec positions pressuring voters & getting disqualified? I’m somehow not shocked or surprised.”

The Manchester Students’ Union website stated: “The rules make clear that ‘all candidates must respect that every student has the right to vote confidentially and freely’ and that “any complaints raised by students about being

unfairly pressured to vote for any particular candidate will be taken extremely seriously.”

They confirmed all preferences were passed over during the count.

Khalil Secker, Campaigns and Citizenship Officer, told The Mancunion: “I’m just grateful to the union officials that ran the elections for being so on the ball and managing to root out foul play so efficiently. It’s a massive relief to know that the future of the union is in safe hands with such a great incoming exec.”

Students’ Union Elections 2013 Results Activities & Development Officer Hissan Iqbal Liam Mayet - winner Lin Shitong (Leon) - 4th Nicolette Yim - 2nd Raj Singh - 3rd Shahneela Shehereen - disqualified Campaigns & Citizenship Officer Clifford Fleming - winner Isobella Stainsbury - withdrawn Jack Mellish - 4th Philippa Hughes - 3rd Taz Ranjha - 2nd Community Officer Alexander Maxia - 5th Charlotte Cook - winner Josh Rowan - 2nd Khaldoon Khan - disqualified Michael Williams - 6th Natalie Chard - 3rd Sophie Slater - 4th Diversity Officer Ali Khalid - disqualified Marijn Ceelen - 2nd Omar Aljuhani - winner Vipin Mony Suraja Thirumala - 3rd

Education Officer Abdullah Shaikh - 8th Bilal Kazim Butt - 2nd Chabula Chilombo - withdrawn Christina Taylor - withdrawn Edmund Bannister - 5th Megan Gurney -3rd Nicholas Miller - 7th Rosie Dammers - winner Samuel Blackledge - 6th Myonoway Angeline Toles - 4th General Secretary Choudhry Haziq - disqualified Colin Cedric Cortbus - 3rd Grace Skelton - winner James Johnson - 2nd Saad Wahid - withdrawn Wellbeing Officer Clare McCullagh - 3rd Fred Lowther Harris - withdrawn Ellie Bradbury - winner Jonny Rowe - 4th Kazi Tawseef - disqualified Lily Risby - 2nd Raiha Aftab - withdrawn Women’s Officer

Sravanti Peri - 5th Arooha Hijazi - 3rd Nanon Lingwood - 4th Susi Law - 2nd Tabz O’Brien-Butcher - winner=

ISSUE 18 / 18th MARCH 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

04 : News

National Union of Students calls to end ‘laddism’ on campus ‘That’s what she said’ report draws attenion to the ‘lad culture’ invading all aspects of university life Ellen Conlon News Editor

An NUS survey has revealed that 50% of participants indentified “prevailing sexism, ‘laddism’ and a culture of harassment” at their universities.

The report, titled ‘That’s what she said,’ includes research from the University of Sussex, looking into campus cultures and the experiences of women students.

It aims to show that “’lad culture’ affects every aspect of student life, which means that everyone in higher education has a role to play in responding to this.”

Although women now make up the majority of students in higher education, the report finds that challenges and disadvantages still remain for women students and that statistical data does not necessarily reflect their experiences.

While most participants felt that ‘lad culture’ had not directly affected their educational experiences, the university experience was described as ‘gendered’ by many, especially within classroom interaction.

“I’ve been silenced in a classroom environment by someone who is one of the lads if you like, because I didn’t agree with something he said,” commented one participant. “He essentially did a repeat of what David Cameron did, the whole ‘calm down dear’ thing.”

“Even the teacher who was

female didn’t challenge it.

She just looked at her papers, shuffled them, looked really awkward. I knew she had heard, everyone had heard.”

Another participant said: “In lots of tutorials I’ve had lots of banter. I do Politics and History and within that there tends to be a slight focus on feminist theory at some point. It’s always the time the lad comes out. It’s just like shit jokes and stuff like that.”

“For example, if you try to make an announcement in [a lecture], everyone will immediately start shouting stuff… Something along the lines of being a ‘shit feminist’ or something. That kind of ‘another one of those man haters’.”

Tabz O’Brien-Butcher, Manchester’s Women’s Officer said that this was not uncommon: “I’ve had quite a lot of students come up to me complaining about sexism in the classroom.” But she explained that the problem was that a lot of students do not want to make official complaints because they are scared.

“I think it’s more of a problem in terms of other students doing the banter and the sexism but then teachers don’t crack down on it and they just ignore it happening in the classroom,” she said.

The report also looked at the more expected areas of ‘lad culture,’ including sports clubs and their initiations which it explains creates a ‘pack’ mentality and is encouraged by the consumption of alcohol.

Manchester scientist calls Google ‘too optimistic’ Sean Doherty Reporter

A University of Manchester academic believes hopes of near-future moon-mining projects are too optimistic.

Google have offered a $20 million grand prize to the first privately-funded company to successfully send a robot to explore the surface of the moon and return a High Definition video by 2013, with the hope of increasing the possibility of mining for materials there.

But Dr Katherine Joy, a Moon expert from the University of Manchester’s School of

Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, argues that projects to mine the moon are still a long way off.

Talking to the news website Mancunian Matters she said: “I think that mining will probably happen on the Moon at some point in the next hundred years.”

Following the Red Bull Stratos Space Jump last October, and with 25 companies now hoping to win Google’s prize, there is a possibility that private companies may increasingly take on the job of space exploration.

Mining for valuable materials provides an obvious potential

Reclaim the Night, organised by Tabz, aimed to draw attention to the harrassment regularly suffered by women.

Photo: Luchia Houghton-Lloyd A participant in the report explained: “It was the rugby night initiation and they stood on either side of the pavement so you had to walk through them, they were creating like a bridge thing with their hands, and they started shouting really loudly, in the main street, ‘U.G.L.Y. –she’s ugly, she’s ugly’ and I was just stood there.”

“I was actually quite upset about it because it caught me off guard and I wasn’t expecting it. I wouldn’t say I get upset very much but I literally ran off… it ruined my night, I went home after that.”

While admitting that the ‘lad culture’ on campus is bad at Manchester, Tabz did not think that it was any worse than other campuses.

“Because the union is separate from the AU, a lot of the initiation

financial incentive for these companies, but Dr Joy hopes that once achieved, the difficult process of creating a mining operation on the Moon, will lead to educational as well as monetary gains.

She said: “I think it is in our nature to explore and seek answers to fundamental science questions about how we are here, and the past history of our own planet Earth.

“As it has a very old surface, the Moon holds the key to many of these science questions, and we should go back and explore more to make the most of this unique archive.

“As a lunar scientist, I can’t wait until we have people exploring the Moon again who will be able to help answer fundamental questions about how our Solar System has evolved through time.”

ceremonies that are very focused around banter and lad culture happens in the sports teams so maybe there’s a bit less [‘lad culture’] than universities who have the sports teams integrated into the union,” she said.

“But obviously I have heard of a lot of instances, especially around Welcome Week and freshers week that we need to crack down on.”

The link between ‘lad culture’ and sexual harassment and violence is highlighted by the report.

“I don’t know anyone, any of my female friends who haven’t had some kind of encounter that was harassment, whether it be verbal or physical since they’ve been at university,” said one participant.

The NUS have responded saying that the report results are “difficult to read” anf that it is

“important to acknowledge that this is happening.”

“The extent to which ‘lad culture’ shapes student’s experiences on nights out is particularly disturbing. It does not seem possible to go on a night out without encountering ‘lad culture’ and the sexism and misogyny associated with it.”

To combat this emergence of ‘lad culture,’ the NUS have called for a summit of stakeholders to work towards creating a commission to develop a national strategy to respond to the issue.

The commission will be chaired by the NUS and will feature representatives from student’s unions and institutions, students sports and societies organisations, the student entertainments, nightlife and alcohol industries, and equalities

and women’s organisations.

It will aim to “lay out a clear path to tackling ‘lad culture’ and creating a safer, more positive, more empowering culture on our campuses.”

Leading women have already shown their support for the research, including Diane Abbott, Laura Bates of the Everyday Sexism Project and Polly Williams, Senior Policy Advisor, Equality Challenge Unit.

“It is important that the government and universities listen to what students are saying, and challenge any normalisation of sexism on university campuses,” said Abbott. “This isn’t about being killjoys, but about building a society where people can learn and thrive free from shame, harassment and abuse.”

Classic university ‘had its day’ Jonathan Breen News Editor ‘An Avalanche is Coming,’ a report by Sir Michael Barber, Chief Education Advisor to multinational publishing and education company Pearson, claims “radical and urgent” changes are needed in higher education.

“The models of higher education that marched triumphantly across the globe in the second half of the 20th century are broken,”

the report says.

“The traditional multipurpose university with a combination of a range degrees and a modestly effective research programme has had its day.”

The report highlights a shift in the delivery of higher education, and points to online education providers as strong

championed by many top institutions in the United States, such as MIT, Harvard, and University of California Berkeley.

Although the University of Manchester has no free online courses, it runs paid-for distance learning programs through Manchester Business School.

competition for the traditional university.

It also advocates the embrace of Massive Open Online Courses, or MOOCs, currently

There are also plans to develop a number of MOOCs, according to the University.

At a question and answer session in Feb-

ruary, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell supported the idea that the University may have to change its traditional model.

“To me, more important than contact hours is access to advice and help when you need it,” she said. “With the increasing ability to have lectures online maybe we should be thinking more that contact time is less about somebody speaking to you but more about discussion.

“We should think of changing the classical model of education at university.”

ISSUE 18 / 18th MARCH 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

NEWS : 05

Halls of residence giant in administration

Thirteen companies from student accommodation group Opal have gone into administration. They own nine such properties in Manchester, including Wilmslow Park (pictured) on Oxford Road. Photo: Ed Rollason

- Owners of four University of Manchester halls - £880million is owed to lenders Jonathan Breen News Editor Thirteen companies in a large Manchester student accommodation group have gone into administration.

Opal Property Group, who own student residences in 16 cities around the country – including nine in Manchester – went into administration on March 12.

Ernst & Young have been appointed administrators of the companies, who collectively

own 20 properties.

The news came a day after Opal Property Group’s Ocon Construction entered administration.

In a statement, administrators said it would be “business as usual” for the properties concerned.

“We are keen to stress that it is business as usual for the portfolio. Tenants should be assured that any rents paid in advance will be honoured by the Administrators.

“The managing agents will

Manchester Mastermind falls short of final

Michael Williams News Editor

A PHD student at the University of Manchester had an impressive showing in the semi-finals of Mastermind last week.

Rachael Neiman, who is totally blind, answered questions on her specialist subject, the work of Victorian lesbian novelist Sarah Waters.

Her impressive knowledge paid off with a score of 20 points, meaning Rachael finished second.

Rachael was narrowly beat-

en to the top spot - her biggest competition, company director Andrew Frasier, scored just one more point than her.

He answered questions on 19th Century German statesman Otto van Bismarck.

Diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis at the age of two, and partially sighted throughout her childhood before becoming totally blind in her teenage years, Rachael also runs her own record label, Cherryade records.

Rachael, who studies English and American Studies, found herself in the semifinals after scoring 33 points

continue to operate the properties and residents should continue to enjoy the accommodation and facilities on offer.”

The group also own three residencies that the University of Manchester list on their website, which advertises accommodation to prospective students.

And of these, the firms in administration specifically own two, Opal Hall and Opal Gardens.

However, current student occupants will be unaffected, because their tenancy agreements are a contract with the University.

Opal currently provide around 30% of the University’s bed spaces through Weston Hall, Lambert & Fairfield Halls, Opal Hall, and Opal Gardens.

An investigation by The Mancunion published last week found that the cost of accommodation at many University of Manchester halls of residence has significantly risen year on year from 2009 until 2012, some seeing rent increases of more than 20%.

The same was the case for a number of Opal’s Universityassociated halls, such as Weston Hall, which has seen an 18% rent increase in the last four years and is up 4.6% from the

during her first appearance on the show, answering questions about John Peel’s Festive Fifty.

Rachael’s performance on the show reflected her laidback attitude towards the experience. Speaking to The Mancunion after her first appearance on the show, Rachael explained that “there’s nothing you can do once you’re in the chair.”

“Once you’re there you have to get on with it,” she continued.

After her narrow loss on the show, Rachael may now be able to concentrate on other things, although she does say she is “a bit addicted” to quizzing.

“I might try and get my thesis polished up, too”, she said.

Rachael Neiman. Photo: BBC

academic year 2011/12 compared to 2012/13.

Despite this, the group owe 14 lenders £880million and has been trying to refinance its debt for months.

The remaining 54 companies in the consortium, which own nearly 30 properties in total, have not been unaffected.

Although the impact on the University accommodation is so far uncertain, it comes after a series of halls closures at the beginning of the academic year.

In the Owens Park complex Little Court, Green Court and The Mall, collectively known as Little Court, are closed due to a reduced number of students gaining entry to the University this year.

“This year we have left Little Court in Fallowfield empty due to lower occupancy levels,” a University spokesman said.

“We believe [this is] largely due to more students living at home during the first year of the new fees regime.”

The closure of the three blocks, which were occupied last year, means there are approximately 300 fewer students in Owens Park this year.

Opal, started by entrepreneur Stuart Wall, is now one of the country’s largest student accommodation providers with 20,000 beds.

They also let properties to professionals at six locations Manchester, including Opal Court and Mayfair Court in Fallowfield.

Students with specific concerns regarding their accommodation have been advised to contact the University Accommodation Office on 0161 275 2888.

Smoker’s regret Taking up smoking ‘biggest regret’ for Mancunians Michael Williams News Editor Taking up smoking is the ‘biggest regret’ for Mancunians, a survey has revealed.

Over 2,000 adults were surveyed by E-Lites, and 86% of smokers wish they had never started.

Not quitting smoking also filled people with regret – refusing to stub out earlier in life is fourth on the list.

While lighting up was the biggest source of remorse, the survey also shows that Mancunians have, on average, seven regrets about their life.

People also beat themselves up over not saving more money, allowing themselves to get fat, and not getting better exam results, amongst others.

Losing your virginity to the wrong person was fourteenth on the list, and ‘being too sensible’ rounded off the list at 15.

“I don’t regret smoking because I love smoking!”, said Sam Blackledge, a third year Zoology student.

“Well, I hate everything about smoking except actually smoking.”

“With all the health aspects, you know it’s horrible, and you shouldn’t, but it’s really nice.”

“I quit about four times but I keep going back in times of stress – like an election campaign.”

Other students had mixed feelings.

“It’s my biggest regret,” said second year Philosophy student Adam, “but I wouldn’t make a different choice if I was in the same position.”

“It’s brought me a lot of things – I’ve got a lot of girls out in the smoking area. You can’t talk in the club, but you can talk in the smoking area!”

The survey comes on the heels of news that Manchester has the highest smoking-related death rate in England.

Data revealed by the London Health Observatory last month shows that between 2008 and 2010 there were 372 estimated smoking related deaths per 100,000 people in the city – higher than anywhere else in England.

11.03.2013 Free breakfast

2pm, Room -1 0 .3 9 , h rc a M Thursday 14th ts’ Union. Cycle into to 2, in the Studen ave a FREE breakfast University and h tudents’ Union. from the S kets Free high-vis jacilable.Be sure o be ava and maps will als u’ve cycled! o y t a th f o ro p e to bring som

t n e v e s s e n e r a w a y t e GMP cycle saf m, outside p -3 1 1 – h rc a M Thursday 14th behind University Place.

Jean McFarlane,void large vehicle blind Learn how to a nd HGV cab on site. Sit a spots with a bussee where the driver can in the HGV and can’t see! and

for information about other events please go to:

manchesterstudentsunion.com/getonyourbike

ISSUE 18 / 18th MARCH 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

NEWS : 07

Manchester hires TV historian Michael Wood

Michael Wood. Photo: University of Manchester

Renowned historian, Michael Wood, has made over a hundred documentaries and will teach at the University of Manchester from September Anthony Organ News Editor World famous BBC historian Michael Wood will be teaching at The University of Manchester from September.

Wood’s career has seen him present over a hundred documentaries in three decades, broadcast in over 150 countries.

He will become Professor of Public History at the University.

“I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “I’ve got lots of mates there so it’s not going to be a vast change. Manchester is a very dynamic university with

great people and this offer just seemed fantastic fun.”

Professor Keith Brown, VicePresident and Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, hailed Wood as “the UK’s leading public historian” and was “delighted to announce his appointment.”

“Because he is also widely respected as a serious scholar, we think our students will benefit greatly from his talents.”

Wood’s television documentaries span topics as varied as the Trojan War, Shakespeare and India. His 2010 series Story of England was described as “the most innovative history series

Iconic BBC site now car park Anthony Organ News Editor The Oxford Road site once occupied by the iconic BBC building is now an open air car park.

The New Broadcasting House (NBH) was demolished last year, ending 35 years of broadcasting at the site, and is currently offering car parking from £2.

Some Twitter users took to venting their frustration about this development over the social networking website.

Gareth Hughes tweeted: “What a surprise, the old BBC building on Oxford Road has now been turned in to a car park. What a wasted opportunity.”

Darren Murphy also sarcastically tweeted: “So, the former #manchester bbc site is now an open air car park…

Fantastic!”

The 300,000 square-foot building was occupied by the BBC since 1976 and demolition began in November 2011.

It was sold as the BBC made the move to Salford’s new MediaCityUK in Salford.

Programmes based at or

ever on TV” by The Independent.

“I think I’ve done films on about 25 of the courses on offer at the History department,” he claimed. “Given the fantastic range of history options at Manchester, I can offer interesting speculations and cross-cultural comparisons and big-picture stuff.”

With plans to write and present a new series exploring the history of China over the next two years, Wood is conscious of potential difficulties involved in dedicating the time required of a university professor.

He said: “My biggest concern was how I could fit this in. I didn’t want people to say that I never come to the University.

“I’m looking at doing a continuous blog when I’m working in China and even bringing work in progress back to be looked at by students.”

He also plans to make use of his 35 years of experience as a film-maker and incorporate film into his teaching. “I don’t mind doing formal teaching,” he said, “but I like the idea of using film to help students see history.

“I think that film can play a part in inspiring students, especially first-years, about the possibilities of history. There are many different ways of approaching it and film adds another layer and brings it to life.”

Wood was born in Manchester and grew up in Moss Side.

He graduated with a 2:1 from Oxford but three years into researching a PhD he left to become a journalist.

“I’d done three years of work on my thesis but I was nowhere near putting it together because I’d gone too wide,” he recalled.

“I still have the draft in my drawer.

“I thought I had to get a job and I’d done a bit of journalism at Oxford. My first job was as a journalist for ITV. I even interviewed Arthur Scargill on News at 10, can you believe that?”

He went to work on current affairs for BBC Manchester when a friend offered him the chance to produce a show for BBC Birmingham. Wood suggested a show about Anglo-Saxons but his boss persuaded him to make it for BBC Manchester instead.

He explained: “I had someone

in mind to present it, but they said I should do it instead to save money. The first film that went out got wonderful reviews.

I walked into the office and people were asking whether I’d read the papers.

“The Beeb asked if I could make some more and that’s how it happened. It’s serendipity to be honest.”

Wood voiced concerns over Education Secretary Michael Gove’s plans to reform the history curriculum in schools to teach British history in chronological order.

He said: “I’m not opposed to Michael Gove himself and I don’t want my appointment to be in some sense tied to that.

“My experience of having children and working with primary schools is that the systematic arc of narrative stuff is just not appropriate, particularly for under-11s, and not a way that children get a sense of the past.

“I would much rather liberate the teachers and let them use their passion for the subject.

But how you go about when you can only teach history two hours a week is the real problem.”

Wood’s youth was not spent solely in study. “A long time ago I played in a band with my mates in Manchester,” he recollected. “We had a reunion a couple of years ago and, who knows, we might even play together again!”

Asked whether Manchester Professor Brian Cox copied him in making the transition from musician to television academic, he laughed: “I bow to Brian Cox when it comes to being a muso.”

produced at the NBH included A Question of Sport, Dragons’ Den and Life on Mars.

But not everyone is upset by the demolition of the landmark. World-famous BBC historian Michael Wood, who worked in the building for years as a journalist, this week told The Mancunion that “it’s not a great loss architecturally”.

Manchester-based Realty Estates Ltd bought the site for an estimated £10 million in April 2011. At the time of writing it was unknown for how long the site would be a car park or what is planned for it in the future.

The Oxford Road site now offers car parking from £2. Photo: Anthony Organ

Graphene Institute receives huge funding boost Anthony Organ News Editor Graphene research in Manchester has received an extra £23 million funding boost towards building the world’s leading centre of research on the “wonder material”.

The funding comes from the European Regional Development Fund and will be used alongside £38 million from the UK Government to build the National Graphene Institute (NGI).

“Establishing the National Graphene Institute is crucial to the continued advancement of graphene research in Manchester and in the UK,” said Professor Colin Bailey, Vice-President and Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences.

He added: “To have such a significant award allows us to build this world-leading Institute and allows Manchester to continue its well-deserved reputation as the home of graphene.”

The NGI will boast state-ofthe-art facilities and research labs where University scientists will collaborate with colleagues from industry and other universities. The Institute will be the UK’s centre for graphene research, acting as a hub for other UK research institutions to work at.

Graphene is the world’s thinnest, strongest and most conductive material, and was discovered at the University

by Professors Andre Geim and Kostya Novoselov in 2004.

They were jointly awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics for their research, followed by knighthoods during the 2012 New Year Honours.

The material has many potential applications, including ultrafast internet, rollable epaper and even anticancer or antibiotic treatments.

Professor Novoselov said: “Graphene has the potential to revolutionise so many different areas of our lives, and it is fantastic that the Government and the European Commission have recognised that with their important investments.”

In January figures revealed that the UK is falling behind in the international race to claim patents. Chinese institutions have published over 2,200 patents and US institutions have published over 1,750, but when the figures were released the UK had only published 54.

08 : Feature

ISSUE 01 / 17th SEPTEMBER 2012 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Shower baptisms, Armageddon and the second coming of Christ Andrew Williams investigates the Korean church looking to recruit students in Manchester Andrew Williams Features Editor “Imagine this is earth,” says Samuel, using the lid of a Pringles tube to illustrate his point, “and here’s heaven. The most valuable thing you can imagine on earth is less valuable than the least valuable thing in heaven. God sees this planet as a speck of dust.”

At the age of 24, Samuel has left his home in London to live with members of a little-known church in Manchester. Pleasant, inquisitive and well-educated, he is far from the type of person you might imagine to join such an organisation, and yet he is utterly consumed by his new-found faith.

The somewhat cumbersomely-named World Mission Society Church of God has accumulated 1.7 million members worldwide in its fifty year history. Whilst some of the basic tenets of the church’s teachings are in common with the more established branches of Christianity, it only takes a fleeting discussion with one of their members to realise that there is plenty that sets it apart. A leader revered as the second coming of Christ, a rejection of worship on Sundays, and a fervent belief that we are living in the ‘end times.’

Founded in South Korea in 1964, its leader, Ahn Sahng-Hong, proclaimed himself to be the reincarnation of Christ during his lifetime, joining a less than illustrious list of Messianic claimants including Charles Manson and the former BBC Sport presenter David Icke.

Upon his death in 1985, his ‘spiritual wife’, Zahng Gil-Jah, assumed leadership of the church. To believers, they are God the Mother and God the Father; the female aspect of God being a vital component of their faith.

WMSCOG has gained quite a following in Manchester and the group have become increasingly prominent in recent times. After members of the group visited his house in Fallowfield, Religion and Political Life postgraduate student James Jackson brought the group to The Mancunion’s attention, telling us of reports that the church have been going door to door in student areas in an attempt to recruit new members.

“When they came to my house they said they were theology students giving a presentation. Having studied theology for three years, I said I wasn’t interested in what they had to say, but they were extremely insistent,” James explained.

“Once inside they opened straight up on the book of Revelation and started talking about Satan. It became clear that they were trying to convince me that the Roman Catholic Church was Satanic. At one point when I protested, I was accused of being in league with the Catholics and therefore, implicitly, Satan.”

He continued: “I was alarmed to find out that one of the members had only joined a month ago and was already living communally with them and acting as an evangelist.”

As suspected, James is not alone in having been visited by the group. Indeed, it appears that WMSCOG members

are actively targeting student areas in their attempt to recruit new members.

Reverend Dr Terry Biddington, the University of Manchester’s Chaplain to Higher Education, expressed concerns about the group’s tactics. “We are aware that this group goes ‘cold calling’ door to door and tries to pressurise students to attend meetings. Apparently one student dropped out of university having joined,” he told us.

Though we have been unable to confirm whether this is the case, we have spoken to several students who have encountered members of the church.

Jonnie Breen, a second year History student, was perhaps more polite than most when the church’s followers pitched up on his doorstep in early September.

Having lived in South Korea for much of his childhood, Jonnie was amenable to the Korean trio who came to his house.

“There were three of them, I think, and they basically asked if they could come in and show me a presentation,” he recalls.

“I got talking to them about Korea so we

They said, ‘we can save you by baptising you in your shower’ struck up a bit of a rapport, but before long they were pressing – fairly hard – for me to be, in their words, baptised by them. They weren’t intimidating, and I didn’t want to tell them to fuck off, but they kept coming back to this baptism.”

Jonnie was told in no uncertain terms that his prospects were bleak unless he accepted the church’s teachings. “They said, ‘unless everyone recognises what we recognise, and formally accept it, you’re going to go to hell; but we can save you by baptising you, we can do it in your shower.’ That’s the point when I remember starting to get freaked out.

They kept repeating themselves; ‘we can do it really easily in your shower, right here.’ They repeated it maybe three or four times and I said, look, I really don’t want to do that, but I’d be happy to come and see you at your church.”

A month later, Jonnie made good on his promise. “They picked me up from my house, and this time there were some local Mancunians who had joined the church. As we drove in I realised that I wasn’t just there to have some food with a bunch of Korean guys. They showed me a half hour long film they had made about their church all around the world.”

Though he didn’t feel physically intimidated, the rhetorical bombardment made him feel “uncomfortable.” It was the last time he spoke to anyone from the church, but not for the want of trying on their part.

“Perhaps stupidly, I gave them my phone number. They kept calling me – probably about four times a week for a month after I had visited the church. They’ve

The South Korean headquarters of the World Mission Society Church of God. Photo: Wikimedia Commons stopped calling now but it shows how incredibly persistent they are.”

Gemma Reed, who has just completed a Masters degree in History of Science, Technology and Medicine, is another student who was recently visited by members of the World Mission Society Church of God. No mentions of baptisms in shower here, but much of her experience tallies with those of James and Jonnie.

“They’ve actually been round a couple of times,” Gemma tells me. “A young Korean girl came to my door the first time around. She said that she was doing a theology presentation and she wanted to practice it on us. I was shown a video about all of the work that the church does in the community, and whilst we were watching it she told us the Bible predicted nuclear Armageddon, and that we could save ourselves by joining the church. It didn’t really make any sense.”

“I was just really aware of how vulnerable she was,” Gemma continues.

“What she was saying to me was obviously a script. It was basically a load of small shreds of evidence which were picked from here, there and everywhere and put together to form this kind of mosaic which fits their narrative. But they really believe it, and I respect them for that.”

Having not been visited by any members of the church myself, James and I arranged to meet with two members of the church to discuss their faith. The aforementioned former student, Samuel, is here with his friend Lot, a South Korean student who has moved to Manchester to spread the word of the church. Whilst Lot was born into the church, I am intrigued as to why Samuel elected to join of his own volition.

“I was interested in learning about the truth, because there are a lot of lies out there,” he tells us. On the evening that we meet, white smoke emerges from the chimney of the Vatican to signal the election of a new Pope. How do Samuel and Lot feel about Catholicism?

“Unknowingly, the Catholics worship a Sun God, because God never instituted Sunday as a day or worship,” Samuel explains. It’s a claim which would doubtless offend many Christians, and possibly some of the students whom the church are attempting to recruit. With that in mind, I ask how students tend to react them. “People are mostly quite nice, but sometimes they just say ‘go

away’. It depends,” Lot tells me.

Over the course of the next hour, the pair going into great detail in an attempt to explain to me why they are convinced that their leader, Ahn SahngHong, was the second coming of Christ.

Lot retrieves a heavily highlighted Bible from his bag, along with a huge tome embossed with the words ‘EVIDENCE BOOK’. I am shown numerous passages from the Bible which mention Christ’s second coming emerging ‘in the east’ or ‘from the farthest corner of the earth.

With the help of a map, a hastily drawn timeline and a host of nonsensical charts, he is attempting to convince me that the Bible prophesised that the reincarnated Christ would come from South Korea.

I am keen to delve deeper into their belief that we are living in the ‘end times’.

The World Mission Society Church of God is adamant that Armageddon will be visited upon the Earth in our lifetime – does the thought not consume them with fear? “No, it makes me happy,” Samuel tells me cheerily. “We don’t have to be scared, because if we receive

People who get involved in these groups tend to be people who’ve changed for the worse.” salvation we can go to heaven.”

Frankly, I am quite terrified at the thought of the imminent destruction of the earth, and no less concerned by the fact that Samuel and Lot believe it to be the case. However, my overwhelming feeling is one of sympathy towards people who, to my mind, harbour such a bleak outlook. James Jackson echoes my thoughts shortly after we leave the pair.

“I don’t think that the church is sinister,” he says, thinking aloud. “They seem to have a degree of freedom lacking in some other new religious movements. In a pluralistic society like ours everyone has a right to their beliefs, however intolerant or strange.”

James is, however, concerned by the church’s door-to-door attempts to recruit new members. “I worry about the reports of a student dropping out of university, and their posing as theology students to enter student houses.

Students are at a vulnerable time in their life and evangelistic groups can take advantage of that.”

Ian Haworth succumbed to such an organisation in the late ‘70s. Having been “brainwashed” by a woman who stopped him in the street to tell him about her organisation, he resigned from his job and gave the church $1,500 – all the money he had. Though he quickly left, it took him many years to recover from the experience. He now runs Cult Information Centre, an organisation which monitors the activity of mysterious religious and political movements.

Haworth is reluctant to use the ‘c word’ – cult, that is – but suggests that there are legitimate grounds for concern about the group. “We have had a couple of calls from people who are concerned about the World Mission Society Church of God. We have taken these calls seriously and it is a group about which we are concerned,” he told The Mancunion.

“People who become involved in groups such as this one tend to be people who have changed and, according to family and friends, changed for the worse. Personality changes are a very common phenomenon in the field, and certainly in the two cases we’ve dealt with that is the claim of the families.”

Haworth believes he has an explanation for the church’s focus on recruiting University of Manchester students as new members. “The easiest people to recruit are usually described as people with average to above average intelligence, well-educated people, people who come from an economically advantaged family background, and they’re usually people who are described as caring.”

“Whilst they can be of any age, the average person who is recruited has probably been in higher education in the past if they are not already in it. Students are easy targets, and because students are smart, they assume that it is people who are lacking in some way who get involved, and that it could never happen to them, because they think that strength of mind and intelligence are things that would perhaps safeguard them, and that’s a complete and utter myth.”

ISSUE 18 / 18h MARCH 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

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Politics & Comment

ISSUE 18/ 18th March 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

The post-study abroad comedown

My Political Hero...

Silvio Berlusconi In this day of dull beige politics and with the scourge of political correctness infecting all levels of society, we are fortunate to have, scattered amongst the rabble of weak willed and spineless politicians, those rare few paragons of leadership, whose brilliance shines forth to light the way in these dark and uncertain times. Silvio Berlusconi is one such man.

Following in the traditions of many of his nation’s great historical leaders, this modern day Caligula, this Bourgeois Borgia of the 21st Century, is an exemplar of all the virtues of a great leader.

He began his career in 1994, in response to the growing power of the far-left, due to their pandering to the undeserving poor. Storming onto the political arena he struck a blow for liberty, protecting the Italian people from the sinister and seditious Democratic Party of the Left, the, supposedly postCommunist, heirs of the Italian Communist Party which had historically supported the evil USSR.

Shaurna Cameron tells us why she enjoyed her study abroad in LA, and the disappointment she experienced on her return to Manchester

Last year I wrote an article for The Mancunion’s ‘All Abroad’ feature, discussing the beginning of my year at the University of California, Los Angeles. I was lucky enough to spend one year basking in the sunshine, taking a plethora of classes and socialising with an amazing group of people.

Then in June 2012, it all came to an end,

by September I was back in Manchester for my final year. While I enjoy life up North, returning to Manchester has been a bit of a come down. Yes I have missed the Northern honesty (everyone in LA was uncontrollably happy to meet me even though they knew nothing about me) but listening to my lecturers talk at me for two to three hours just does not have the same effect as it did in

their subjects. I enjoyed Professor Dale Tatum so much that I picked his class every quarter (of course they were all on different subjects).

Tatum was so unafraid to speak his mind that he caused one pupil to storm off during a heated debate, something you would never see at this university. This outspoken nature of American students is almost alien to their Mancunian contemporaries. I have been in more than one class where the pupils seem completely disengaged and the lecturer is struggling to even get an answer to a simple question, let alone stir emotion. I am not sure if it is the depressing weather, or if people just do not find the classes that interesting but I miss the boldness of that guy who just walked off when he felt that Tatum was not letting

but also I would never get to go to another of Corey’s lessons or see all of my classmates together again. Think of the last time you cried because the semester was over, and I do not mean tears of joy.

However, not everyone has such great memories of studying abroad. My friend Michael was ‘robbed at gunpoint while studying in the US’. Although this must have been traumatising, Michael told me that he was ‘moving to Chicago next year to start [his] PhD’. His experience highlights the importance of keeping safe while in another country and recognising that the American culture is very different from British norms and values. A lot of large American cities have areas that are a no-go for tourists, for example

LA. In the ‘City of Angels’ I was able to take classes on the history of African American music, black freedom narratives and one of my Professors, Reverend James Lawson, had worked with Martin Luther King Jr. during the Civil Rights Movement.

At the neighbouring University of California, San Diego Riccardo Monfardini took a public speaking class and Josh Malkinson found his digital photography class ‘refreshing’ as it was so different from his Psychology degree. I can definitely see where Josh is coming from, as the limited choice of classes I can pick for my American studies degree means that I am always left disappointed with one or two of my selections.

On top of that, my UCLA lecturers were always passionate and enthusiastic about

him make his point.

You are also able to build much closer bonds with your teachers. Now this all depends on whose class you take (so if you are heading to California this year and you end up hating your teachers please do not blame me).

However, I was lucky enough to be asked to join a class on Black Power ideology during my final quarter. Professor Mary Corey had hand-picked fifteen students from her Winter American History class based on our grades.

After our final session together she invited us all back to a party at her home in Beverley Hills and it was so amazing I actually cried when it was time to leave. Now while that may have been due to the five Coronas I had drunk that night, I was genuinely upset that not only would I be leaving for London in a few days

Skid Row in Los Angeles. But if Michael can get over what happened to him then his year abroad must have been worthwhile.

So just to clarify, I’m not bashing The University of Manchester or the city itself.

Some of you may even be questioning my patriotism. But I do recognise that Manchester definitely has its plus points: a great night life, charming people and a comforting familiarity.

Living and studying in Los Angeles, on the other hand, gave me the chance to discover exciting things every day. We do not have beaches a mile down the road, the Hollywood sign a hike away or a very attractive football and basketball team on campus. So if I was forced to choose it would be UCLA all the way, but Manchester, I still love you too.

He is a man of great vision and drive, who understands the value of forward planning, and had the foresight to absorb most of Italy’s media into his corporate empire before even considering entering the political arena. Naysayers criticised this move as causing a conflict of interest but, but I fail to see how having such an evidently competent businessman and strategist is anything but in the interests of the Italian nation.

Unlike many of his contemporaries in the pseudodemocracies of Europe and America who would content themselves with empowering some minor puppet to serve as their vassals, he had the wherewithal and the drive to take matters into his own hands, expressing the ‘if you want something done’ mentality that many in this day and age are sorely lacking.

He knows when to make tough decisions, such as his strategy of allying with the eccentric Northern League in order to keep Italian cities from being swamped by Africans, Arabs and Sicilians.

But despite his vision for grand strategy, he retains the common touch, manipulating the mob with the skill and delicacy of a true master, as can be seen when he presented the unwashed masses of Italy with a simple ultimatum: ‘vote for me or I’ll cancel your favourite soap operas’.

Lesser men allow their lives to be driven according to the whims and dictates of the proletarian masses, and the demands of lesser slave-morality. Not Berlusconi, however, who, instead of bowing to public opinion, actively shapes it himself through sheer force of will and his hard won media empire, for which he has fought tooth and nail to protect against malign leftist influences.

Whereas other politicians neurotically measure each syllable they utter, Berlesconi is more than ready to speak his mind, such as when he compared the German President to a concentration camp guard. That sort of honest takes courage.

His greatest claim to brilliance must be his ability to make politics interesting. In this day and age of apathy and disinterest, when so few people, especially students, are taking an interest in politics, he has been able to keep me interested. Whether it is his bold and courageous policies, his unorthodox style of government or his business savvy methods, few can deny that politics on the peninsular is far from dull since he joined the scene.

But, as the old saying goes, all good things must come to an end. In light of the global economic crisis he was forced out of office in favour of a bureaucratic autocracy, and was recently convicted by corrupt courts on jumped up conspiracy theories. Many amongst the ungrateful proletarian hordes cheer at this news, but in truth it is a dark day for civilisation to see yet another brilliant Caesar brought down by lesser men.

Alexander Silvermound

Comment

ISSUE 18/ 18th March 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

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In the aftermath of the Student Union executive elections...

YES People walking into Uni in the week preceding the election do so wearing blinkers. The chalking on the floor, the brightly coloured posters wallpapering the Union, the banners flapping menacingly in the wind wash over a student body totally disengaged and sick to the back teeth of elections and the oh-so-hilarious punnery of would-be student politicians.

A shiny iPad being shoved in people’s faces brings out the magpie in us all, and could well be just the thing t o break the cycle of disinterest from students. Most students aren’t so stupid as to be pressured into voting for just anyone who puts an iPad in front of them, but to have the elections presented as something than can be slick, modern, forward-thinking instead of as a shabby bed sheet banner could have a genuinely large effect on student interest.

For those thinking that I might be guilty of over simplifying this somewhat, there is surely a reason why so many departments at the University are investing in these technologies: when things are presented in a slicker way, they are more appealing. This is basic advertising psychology: present things in an appealing way and they will appeal to more people.

For a union that had a turnout of but 7,953 voters out of 40,000 students in the 2012 executive elections, making this figure grow has to be an absolute priority.

With candidates using iPads during their campaign you make every campaigner a walking polling station whose aim is to increase votes, allowing students to vote wherever they are at that time. With this, voter turnout would of course increase, which would make the results, whatever

Should candidates be allowed to campaign with iPads? they might be, carry far more of a mandate.

With a greater involvement of the student body comes a greater effect of the Union - more people engaged in the outcome of the elections means more people sufficiently engaged in the actions of the executive, and more people invested in them acting appropriately; this can surely only mean better outcomes for everybody.

My first thought when contemplating the question of iPads is quite frankly, how on earth could anybody support their use? A tool only the wealthiest campaigners can access, no way to know if they’re being used in an intimidatory way, and so many complaints and suspicions surrounding their use that we’ve all lost count.

Supporters of the tablets highlight the fact that they can be used as a mobile polling station, meaning any campaigner anywhere can encourage higher numbers of votes, so long as

NO they’ve found themselves a University of Manchester student.

Alternatively, of course, this means that any campaigner with a tablet becomes a one person intimidatory machine, who can pressure underinformed people into voting for them with promises of sweet baked goods.

Remember that it is permissible, under this years guidelines, for candidates and their supporters to give out food; not in exchange for votes of course but merely to ‘boost their campaign’. The fact is though that policies such as these are just impossible to police and can quite frequently result in actions that undermine the electoral process, as anyone who has been cornered by a cakewielding campaigner can attest.

To those who think that turnout should be the number one priority in these elections, and are willing to sacrifice a degree of fairness and free voting in order to achieve maximum

votes at costs, I say this: you have got your priorities entirely in the wrong order. Having more people voting would be great, but surely a more positive way to increase this would be to have more engaging advertising of the elections as a whole, or, god forbid, more engaging manifestos from the candidates. Shoving technology down people’s throats smacks of desperation somewhat, particularly when it is done to the detriment of free and fair elections.

Even if it were possible to ensure that tablets weren’t being used in a harmful way, the simple fact of the matter is that a policy that disadvantages people based on their wealth is surely absolutely not OK and entirely not within the spirit of a fair and free democracy, nor does it chime with the fluffy liberal values for which our SU is known and loved.

Disagree? Tweet us @mancuniondebate, or email us at comment.mancunion@gmail.com

Our attitude to piracy is all wrong Alex Goldhill explains why he believes current piracy laws need a fundamental change On the 28th of February, in a move similar to that taken against the Pirate, the High Court ordered six broadband suppliers including BskyB, BT and Virgin Media to block access to three major file sharing sites: Kickass Torrents, H33T and Fenopy.

This is just the latest of many heavyhanded actions taken in the war against internet piracy. Recent months have seen major crackdowns in the US and the UK, such as the aforementioned attack on the Pirate Bay, which was effective for all of a few days before operations were up and running again, as well as the regular and repeated flaunting of fair use laws by major businesses against online content users.

More recently was the legal campaign lead by the US Department of Justice against pioneer and digital rights activist Aaron Swartz, who committed suicide in January. His crime: downloading over 4 million articles off the JStor database for mass redistribution, for which he was facing a potential 35 year prison sentence and a million dollar fine, despite the fact that JStor refused to press charges against him.

What is particularly worrying about this recent turn of events is the ease and willingness with which the takedown was initiated. The process is becoming more streamlined. The continued resort

to increasingly draconian measures against copyright infringement is setting a dangerous precedent and threatens to undermine the neutrality of the internet and opens the way for standardising extreme violations of privacy.

I could go on for hours about the damage inflicted by excessive Intellectual Property laws, both copyright and patent, such as the WTO’s Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), that curtails access to live-saving drugs and redistributes wealth from the developing world to the developed world in the form of patent rents, or the infamous Micky Mouse Effect, whereby, due to major lobbying interests, the time limit on copyright is continuously pushed back till long after the creator is in their cold grave, or the insidious practice of Patent Trolling– think you get the idea.

Those calling for stronger IP laws and harsher punishment, such as the British Phonographic Association (BPI) and other such chief beneficiaries in the entertainment, software and pharmaceutical industries, often make the claim that these measures are needed to ensure that the talent of artist like Justin Beiber, One Direction or whatever schlocky corporate prolefeed they deem to be hip and happening with

the kids these days.

But then who can blame them? The recent advances in computer technology have made the production and distribution of media and information infinitely easier than ever before. Their old business model, based on scarcity and enforceable monopolies, is no longer applicable, and like any bourgeois faction in decline they resort to the coercive power of the state to enforce their position.

Yet despite this many artists and entertainers question the dogmatism of the Copyright Lobby, such as Neil Gaiman, Stephen Fry and countless independent artists who depend on the open access culture of the internet that is under attack. In the words of internet rapper and Copyleft activist Dan Bull “talent isn’t rare/it doesn’t need protection/any claim to the contrary is pure condescension”.

But the issues and intricacies of IP law also have a deep impact on students, on a more parochial level beyond generally screwing us all over. No, this isn’t about the love the student body has for pirated media. Instead I am talking about something far more fundamental: the diffusion and access to information.

In this day and age we the potential access to near limitless sources of information; the entirety of human

Aaron Swartz, who committed suicide after a length piracy dispute with the US government. Photo: Wikipedia Commons knowledge is at our disposal. Yet current copyright laws place considerable, arbitrary restrictions on what we can and cannot easily access. More than one online documentary that was on my reading list has been taken down.

Course convenors are forbidden from uploading more than one chapter from copyrighted books, even if those books are out of print. The library is often underequipped to provide enough copies of those books for all those on the courses, especially on the high demand courses. Often students have to purchase the books themselves, adding

an additional financial burden to the cost of university living.

“It’s time we ended this farce” said an anonymous source in the University Faculty. “It’s become far easier to access information now…it should be made available to students”.

Ordinarily, I would finish this sort of an article by calling for us to start questioning the system, but it seems selfevident to me that the current system is already broken. The time for asking if we should change the system has long passed; instead we should ask why has it not yet been changed?

12

Comment

ISSUE 18/ 18th March2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Beyond the Oxford Road corridor Maya Oppenheim tells us of the other less prosperous side of Manchester A world away from the purple hoodies of Oxford Road, increasing numbers of Mancunians are living in conditions of extreme poverty.

On Wednesday 20th February, the ‘Campaign to End Poverty’ published figures which revealed that Manchester Central has the highest levels of child poverty in the whole of the UK, with nearly half (47%) of children experiencing severe poverty.

This news follows the shocking findings published by ‘Greater Manchester Poverty Commission’ in January. The commission revealed that over one in five residents in Greater Manchester lives in conditions of ‘extreme poverty’. Bishop McCulloch, the chair of the report, classed ‘extreme poverty’ as an income of less than £12,000 a year.

In revealing that one in five Mancunians lives in the 10% most severely deprived areas in the country, the report exposed the stark reality of unemployment, low income and public sector neglect in Manchester. Furthermore, the commission warned that if economic conditions worsen and welfare services further diminish, then up to 1.6 million, half of Manchester’s population, will risk falling into poverty. With rising unemployment rates and dwindling public services, the gulf between South and North Manchester has never felt greater.

Nevertheless, as a student, it is easy to remain isolated from the deprivation which lies beyond the impermeable bubble of Oxford Road. In between the anxious wait for exam results and the dread of impending deadlines, it is inexcusably easy to become detached from the wider city in which we live. Surrounded by an abundance of academic, consumer and entertainment facilities, the majority of students limit themselves to the Oxford Road corridor and seldom venture beyond either Fallowfield or Piccadilly. For this reason, the extreme deprivation of the surrounding areas often

goes unnoticed. Whilst we impatiently reload our student portals in desperate anticipation for exam results, the choice between hunger, heating and transport is one faced by one fifth of Manchester residents.

While we fail to notice the daily privileges of our bus-pass or internet access - not to mention our monopoly-sized loans - many young people

One in five Mancunians are living in extreme poverty in Manchester have highly limited access to basic transport and technology facilities. If poverty is defined as a lack of choice - not being able to choose how you spend your time, where you live, what you buy, who you meet and where you go - then ‘studenthood’ is its very antithesis. Whilst the student life is characterised by a wealth of free time and a sociable lifestyle, for many Mancunians poverty permeates everyday life and the threat of being laid off, having benefits cut or houses repossessed remains a reality for many.

As the largest student city in Western Europe, it seems ironic that Manchester is also home to

the highest levels of child poverty and property repossession in the whole of the UK. In this highly polarised city, the student population remains a world apart from its surrounding areas of deprivation. Nevertheless, students inability to detect the poverty which surrounds them is neither the result of apathy or social exclusion, rather it is because students have no reason or desire to visit the parts of Manchester hit hardest by destitution. Real deprivation has no place in ‘student ghettos’. Furthermore, ‘studentification’ has led to minimal interaction between students and local communities. The inherently transient, cyclical nature of student life – many of us come for three years and then leave – has meant that students often have little commitment to the past or future of the city of Manchester, instead they remain involved in the perpetual present.

It is not enough to accept the disparity between our beloved Russell Group university and the wider city in which it is situated. The university and those within it must play a greater role in

shaping the fabric of adjacent neighbourhoods surrounding campus. Rather than turning a blind eye to Moss Side, which is half a mile to the east of John Rylands or Longsight which is half a mile to the west of University Place, the university must take responsibility for the wider community in which it is located. By delivering provision for the community and widening participation from under-represented groups, the university would be able to expand its role within the wider city.

Moreover, in expanding student placements in the community and increasing funding to groups like ‘Student Action’, who have a long legacy of a remarkable work in the community, Manchester would become increasingly integrated into the wider community. In congruence with the recommendations of the recent report, we must address the gross disparities in wealth and improve practical solutions for those living in poverty. As ‘Mancunians’, we hold a responsibility to the wider city in which we live.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Male Volunteers Required We are running a research study at the University of Manchester looking at how antidepressant drugs affect people’s emotions and motivation.

To volunteer you must be:



Male aged 18 - 45 (inclusive)



Fit and well, both physically and mentally



Able to spare between 2-4 hours on 9 different occasions – all study visits will occur between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday



Be a non-smoker or moderate smoker



Speak English fluently



Be willing to take a marketed and licensed antidepressant or dummy drug daily and to provide us with a daily saliva sample for 9 weeks

A fee will be paid for your time and inconvenience, and reasonable travel expenses will be reimbursed.

For more information or just to have a talk about the study, please email us your contact telephone number.

Email: volunteersmanchester@p1vital.com Tel: 0161 2757426, 07774 058417 or 07765 330102 REC Reference: 11/SC/0383; v4.0 29Nov2012

Societies

ISSUE 18/ 18th MARCH 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Bhangra Society

The Thai Society Kate Bullivant talks to the Thai Society about this year’s Samaggi Games, held for the first time in Manchester

The Thai Society compete in the Samaggi Games. Photo: Carissa Sirikitputtisak The Thai Society of Manchester enables students interested in Thai culture and traditions to get together and meet new people.

Each year they take part in the Samaggi Games, an annual Thai student sports tournament. This year it was held in Manchester for the first time, I spoke to Carissa Sirikitputtisak, the Chair of the society to find out how we got on.

‘This year 55 universities attended Samaggi and par-

ticipants competed in 18 events ranging from badminton, an eating contest, relay races to tug of war and three-legged races.

In these events the University of Manchester had great success taking home two medals at the game. PhD student Poonsuk ‘’Nook’’ Poosimma won gold in Women’s squash against the University of Southampton and Tanapat ‘’Kan’’ Wilaingam and Jirapas “Pao” Tantipiriyakij won the bronze medal.

This event is very important to the Thai Society of Manchester because the Samaggi Games is a hub for all Thai students from across the UK to connect. It is a great chance for other Thai societies from other universities to network with one another.

Carissa Sirikitputtisak explained how ‘it’s also an important cultural event where Thai students can get together and experience Thai food, language, cultural games and music.’ Overall the

event was a great success, with over 1,000 Thai athletes participating and another 1,200 Thai students came to cheer them on making this year’s event one of the largest Samaggi Games ever held.

The Thai Society of Manchester also organise a whole host of other events, which involve many trips around the UK. These include trips to Bath, Stonehenge, and a hiking trip to Snowdonia. There are also weekly events, for example a Thai-English language exchange every Sunday at KRO bar on oxford road, as well as many weekly sports events. Although this society is directed and aimed at the Thai community, it welcomes people who don’t have a Thai background but who just have a passion for the Thai culture.

For more information you can get in touch via facebook, the society’s website or send them an email.

Facebook: http://www.facebook. com/groups/TSM.UK/ Email: TSM.UK@groups.facebook.com

Slackline Society Have you seen this happening around campus? Rachel Heward speaks to MairiAnnabel Leggatt who tells us about the unusual sport of slacklining

The Slackline Society practising in the sun outside the union. Photo: Mairi-Annabel Leggatt I spoke to Mairi-Annabel Leggatt, a representative of the University of Manchester Slackline Society, who told me about this unusual sport which is, “in its simplest form, where you tie a rope between two trees and walk on it.” There are a number of ways that you can do slacklining as Mairi explained: “As you progress there are two main variants; tricklining & highlining.

Tricklining involves using the line as a trampoline - bouncing around in various forms - where-

Societies

Events

as high-lining involves more balance and a mind-over-matter type of attitude as it is undeniably counter-intuitive to step out onto a piece of rope suspended over a ravine.”

The Slackline society is fairly new to the University of Manchester as it was only established at the begining of this year by Dave Adler, a trickliner with an interest in highlining, and John Crewe, a highliner who also provides all of the gear and equipment. They have 161

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members on Facebook with ‘a motley crew’ of about 15-20 regular attendees.

Slacklining is a unique sport and I asked Mairi how she first got into it: “One very sunny day I met a friend in a local park and they had set up a slackline. After an afternoon of falling off I was eventually able to stand on my own and was hooked. I bought my own line soon after and the rest is history. Slacklining is anything but difficult. I was in Whitworth Park on Wednesday

afternoon and I helped a partially sighted woman stand on a slackline. If she has the courage and the trust to stand on a line without sight then all those with it should follow in her steps.”

Mairi encourages people to get involved and try the sport as it is “the perfect combination of exercise and mental agility. If you want to do it for the exercise, it is a fantastic workout for your triceps, biceps and core. If you’d like to do it for the concentration and focus that it enables, which, I assure you, is like nothing I have ever experienced, then please come and give it a go. We meet most Wednesday afternoons although as the weather has been incredibly cold, momentum has been lost somewhat. However, with the passing of St. David’s Day the beginning of spring has been signalled and there is nothing, not even a bit of inevitable Mancunian drizzle, that will stop us going forward.”

Visit www.facebook.com/groups/ uomslackline

Rachel Heward talks to Rajkumar Khera about dancing, culture, Pangaea and The Bhangra Showdown

The Bhangra Society performing a traditional folk dance. Photo: Rajkumar Khera I spoke to Rajkumar Khera from the Bhangra Society, who told us about the cultural influence in their style of music and dancing, how it is a great way to keep fit, and what it was like performing at Pangaea.

‘I had never heard about Bhangra before I came to university, it is a traditional folk dance/music which originates from the Punjab. It has different beats (played on the dhol) and within each style of beat there are specific dance moves you can do. For example, “dhamaal” is an upbeat type of dance and music, whereas “mirza” is about a Punjabi Romeo’s love woe and the dance moves represent his story.

But on the whole, there’s a combination of different segments of music and dance. The music is upbeat and the dance is highly energetic, it is a great workout!’

The society started in 2008 and is not a religious society, but more of a cultural one, Rajkumar explains, ‘The different songs that are sang are more about how proud of our culture us Punjabis are (we’re very patriotic!), about how beautiful the women are and about how we just like to have a good time. Sometimes, like in all cultures, the music and lyrics can be deep and reflective, talking about the issues the Punjab is currently facing and so on, however, on the whole, it is fairly upbeat’.

Rajkumar got involved with the Bhangra society by going along to a free dance class in freshers’ week in his first year, ‘Ever since then, I was recruited into the team and haven’t been able to stop. As a British Asian, I feel that this aspect of my culture is integral to my identity and I’m glad it’s a part of me. I was the chair last year, but this year I’ve taken a step back and have a more supportive role’.

The Bhangra society has had a variety of different events, including socials where they bring Indian food dishes to a member of the society’s house. Alongside this, they hold weekly dance classes every Thursday at 6pm, at MMUSU. The society also participates in live performances all over the UK, ‘we performed at the film premiere for a Bollywood film, performed with Atif Aslam on stage, have done a variety of music videos for some quite big Bhangra artists (PBN, Saini Surinder) and have performed at The Bhangra Showdown, an inter-varsity competition at the Hammersmith Apollo’.

The Bhangra Showdown (TBS) is a particularly large-scale event as it is an inter-varsity competition organised by Imperial College Punjabi Society. This year Aston and Birmingham City University, St George’s, Kings College, Imperial, Birmingham University, Brunel, Kingston and Manchester competed. It is a student run charity event which is held at the Hammersmith Apollo and is often a sell out, attracting a few thousand people from across the UK. The universities compete and battle it out to be the best Bhangra Team in the UK. Rajkumar says, ‘The prize? Glory and pride! We put on a much better and more solid performance compared to the last couple of years, however we did not place in the top three. The rehearsal process involved many long hours from the end of November through to the show day. Rehearsing for many long nights, all in the spirit of the competition and to do Manchester proud’.

The Bhangra Society have performed at numerous UMSU events as well - you may have caught them on the main stage at Pangaea Festival. ‘It was amazing as I’m sure you can imagine. It’s always really nice to see people that may not have ever danced to Bhangra before enjoying themselves in gigs like that’.

Other performances at UMSU include Reclaim the Night, Beerfest and the Cultural Showdown. In the past they have worked with the Dance Society, Hindu Soc, RAG and many more. ‘We really enjoy getting involved with other societies’.

If anyone is interested in booking Bhangra, or would like to join the society visit their Facebook by searching “Manchester Bhangra Society”.

Monday 18th March

Tuesday 19th March

Wednesday 20th March

Friday 22nd March

FUSE FM MARKETING

ZUMBA CLASS

DANCE FITNESS

HIP HIP - ‘BREATHE’

University of Manchester Student Union Foyer

Khaled Said Room/Council Chambers

Zoo, Grosvenor Street

Saki bar, WIlmslow Road

2pm -4pm

10pm - 1am

6 30Ppm - 7 30 pm

5pm-6pm

For more events, visit the socities page on the Mancunion website: www.mancunion.com

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Film

TOP

5

Moments of Terror 5. Nosferatu (1922)

Nosferatu emerges from his coffin on board a gothic ship. His eerie rising immediately shows his imposing figure and his ability to conquer death.

The cold, fixated eyes and piercing fangs reduce the sailor to a quivering wreck.

This is a moment which shows how haunting images alone can be.

4. Rosemary’s Baby (1968) Rosemary’s Baby touches upon themes of Satanism, rape and gender which culminate to deliver true terror. Rosemary confronts her infant’s sacrificed body in a satanic apartment. The camera restricts our view and leaves us horrified as Rosemary shrieks, ‘What have you done to his eyes, you maniacs!’

ISSUE 18/ 18th MARCH 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Review: ‘Oz the Great and Powerful’ Dylan Wiggan looks at whether this return to Oz is with the trip

The Wizard of Oz is a classic by any standard really. It’s the type of film most people have seen whether they like it or not, and everyone knows the story or at least a few of the songs.

It’s this familiarity that is prequel Oz the Great and Powerful’s biggest strength and weakness, in a mixed bag of a movie.

Oz tells the story of illusionist Oscar Diggs (or just Oz to his friends) who, via a tornado, finds himself in the wonderful world of Oz. This naming similarity is no coincidence as when he arrives he quickly is told that he is the fulfilment of a prophesy and will become King of Oz. This all gets more complicated though when he gets caught between feuding witch sisters Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams) – with Oz’s Lothario ways further stoking the flames. With help from his monkey servant Finley (Zach Braff ) Oz (the man) finds himself battling to save Oz (the place)

from wicked-witch destruction.

Oz The Great and Powerful is director Sam Raimi’s first big budget movie since the disappointing Spider-man 3. He brings his renowned visual chops and impressively updates the familiar ‘Oz’

It is the familiarity of the original that is Oz’s biggest strength and weakness.”

Dylan Wiggan Film Editor

The Mancunion was recently invited to a press conference with the stars and director of Oz, here’s the best of what Mila Kunis, James Franco, Zach Braff, Rachel Weisz, Michelle Williams and (director) Sam Raimi had to say.

Sam, were you intimidated to ‘return to oz’ after all this time since the classic original?

Sam: Yes I was. I was very frightened to approach the project, because there is so much love for the original Wizard of Oz picture obviously.

And people don’t want their warm feelings towards this great classic sullied. And that’s why I stayed away from the script at first, but later when it came time to find a writer for another project the script came across and I fell in love with it. It was a script with a lot of heart and I thought if I can bring this to the screen only a wicked old witch wouldn’t want this to be made.

James, what drew you to this project?

James: I just had to be sure that Sam had a sound approach to the movie and of course when I read the script I read that he had a very smart way to do it. That they would stay loyal to what us lovers of Oz expect. But now it’s 70 plus years later they are able to capture this world in much more spectacular and seamless way without having to rely on theatrical conventions with men in lion pyjamas, they could create these magical creatures in ways that are believable to the eye.

Mila, how did it feel to be the ‘ugly duckling’ for a change?

Mila: It was actually really great. It was incredibly freeing. It was the

Father Karras arrives in a subway station, a beggar mutters, ‘Father, could you help an old altar boy?’

Karras ignores the man but is eerily reminded later on. Karras meets the possessed Regan who croaks, ‘Can you help an old altar boy, Father?’ The line is simple yet haunting.

2. Don’t Look Now (1973) The drowning of a young daughter leaves its mark on the rest of the film. The horror lies in a father’s inability to save his daughter as he wades helplessly through icy water only to drag a lifeless body to the surface, his screams and visibly weakened body are truly horrifying.

After escaping the torture house, Sally flees and hitches a ride. As Leatherface wields his chainsaw in frustration the camera focuses on Sally’s demonic, blood stained face. Despite her escape, her wide eyes and shrieking suggest that she has merely escaped the horror’s location; the experience shall haunt her forever.

Calum Ousby

campy, over the top tone from the original that this film is emulating.

For anyone with even a passing interest in the original film there is a great novelty in finding out some of the back stories to the iconic characters. And for the most part the characters are treated respectfully and make great additions to a world that so many love.

Franco and Kunis’ occasional struggle to pull off their roles, along with the films difficult straddling of new and old, weigh down this film. But with Raimi’s visuals and the competent work of Williams and Braff this return to Oz works overall and won’t have you clicking your heels wishing to go home.

‘Oz The Great and Powerful’ cast and director Q + A

3. The Exorcist (1973)

1. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

setting with impressive visuals that were impossible back in 1939. Most noticeably, the flying monkeys get a new and vicious look that will no doubt scare younger viewers. By far the best sequence of the film, and the only effective utilisation of 3D, was the balloon sequence near the start of the film. Raimi’s action, horror and comedy chops all come to the fore here in a brilliant sequence that encapsulates the transition from the real world to Oz. Unfortunately some of the acting doesn’t quite live up to Raimi’s visuals. Franco in the title role seems miscast and fails to convince as the ‘showman’ he purports to be. Similarly Mila Kunis, particularly in the latter parts of the film, seems (particularly her voice) out of place making for some awkward monologues. Zach Braff though, is a regular scene stealer in his comic relief sidekick role. And Rachel Weisz and especially Michelle Williams are among the few that successfully pull off the

first time in my life where putting on the costume really did change the way that I viewed the character.

It really allowed me to explore my performance without having to worry what people thought.

Did any of you take any inspiration from the original film?

Zach: Its tricky for me to answer because I’m creating this new character. I guess if anything I saw the monkey as being the comic relief like how the Scarecrow, the Lion and Tin Man were -the physical comedy of it all. So there are a couple of subtle places where Sam and I found to put in some physical comedy that was an homage to those characters.

Michelle: Glinda in the original doesn’t go down the yellow brick road as she doesn’t need anything which makes her a little bit one dimensional and we wanted to bring out her more human qualities. So the original was an inspiration, will always be an inspiration but it wasn’t my jumping off point.

Rachel: Well my character you could only see her feet from under the houseZach: Did you take any inspiration from her feet? (all laugh) Rachel: (deadpan) Zach I did, I did Zach: I noticed, if anyone else didn’t, I noticed (more laughter) Mila: The truth is no, I didn’t, because

I’m Sorry But...

Meryl Streep isn’t that great anymore Dubbed by many as the ‘greatest actress of all time’, the career of Meryl Streep has been varied and critically successful. But personally, I just don’t see it. I would admit this with great hesitation, as many people will militantly support the validity of her career as I would support Sandra Bullock’s. I think it’s fair to say she has done nothing of worth in the last 10 years, merely a string of ‘comedies’ and impersonations.

Perhaps she peaked too early with an undeniably good film, Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) but her later works such as Doubt (2008) and Julie and Julia (2009) are more than disappointing for the ‘best actress of our time’. It can easily be said that her performance with Alec Baldwin in It’s

Complicated (2008) scarred me for life as it sexualised Alec Baldwin in a way that made me feel physically sick.

I would by no means say I hate Meryl Streep or that she’s a horrifically bad actress, because she isn’t. But these days, loving Meryl Streep is something of an expectation and a given of every film-lover. It feels as though she made a few good films in the ’80s and decided she can’t be bothered anymore so she’ll just do whatever while she waits for her lifetime achievement awards to start rolling in. There are plenty of female actors out there who are much more deserving of her title.

Andriana Hambi

I didn’t want to emulate or imitate, or do anything that would take away from the iconic character that was so great and wonderful and beautiful.

What I was given was the gift of a back story, so I could humanise her. When she became human is when it made sense to me. I would never dare to emulate something so iconic.

Mila, was it different playing a character that went on a journey from innocence to evil and will we see in the future you play a character that also leaves their innocence behind in Fifty Shades of Grey?

Mila: God this Fifty Shades of Grey thing is not gonna leave is it? No, you will not see me in Fifty Shades of Grey, sorry.

Zach: Does that mean I could audition? (all laugh) Mila: (deadpan) It’s all yours Zach.

You’d be fantastic in it. (more laughter) If you could cast a spell on any person what would it be?

Mila: Erm, I would cast a spell on Sam Raimi so he would cast me in all his movies. (all laugh) Zach: I would cast a spell on Mila to have her do Fifty Shades of Grey (more laughter) Dylan Wiggan Film Editor

ISSUE 18/ 18TH MARCH 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

: @mancunionfilm : /MancunionFilm

CORNERHOUSE

19th Spanish and Latin American Film Festival: Fri 8 – Sun 24 Mar 2013

The iViva! Film Festival arrives at The Cornerhouse The UK premiere of Eduard Cortés’ ‘iAtraco!’ gets proceedings off with a bang (literally)

Friday March 8th saw the iViva!

Spanish and Latin American Film festival return for its 19th year at Manchester’s Cornerhouse Cinema and they couldn’t have chosen a better film to kick things off with, hosting the UK premiere of Eduard Cortés’ film iAtraco! (2012) to a jampacked cinema. iAtraco! (or, Hold up!) documents the real-life robbery of the jewels of Argentina’s famous first lady Eva Perón. In an attempt to stop the wife of Spanish dictator Generalissimo Franco purchasing the jewels from a Madrid jeweller, protagonists Merello (Guillermo Francella) and Miguel (Nicolás

Cabré) are sent from Argentina to Spain on a mission to fake a robbery of the jeweller’s and retrieve the jewellery.

Whether you’re into foreign film or not, this one is definitely worth breaking the subtitle barrier for.

Francello and Cabré create a dynamic duo that entertain us throughout the film. Merello’s impatience and sternness is constantly tried and tested by Miguel’s puppy-dog keenness, and their incessant bickering and monumental bust-ups bring the crime-thriller to life with hilarious miscalculations, brilliant one-liners and impeccable comedic timing.

With iAtraco! , Cortés ingeniously combines comedy, crime-thriller and tragedy to create a 1950’s period piece that can best be described as an understated adventure. An unlikely combo are thrown together completely by chance yet their relationship ends up blossoming, and, despite a lot of friction along the way, the film ends with genuinely moving moments of camaraderie. iAtraco! is hilariously heart-warming, beautifully shot, with a stunning score to transport us back to the 1950’s. Forget that ‘foreign film’ tag – this is a master class in filmmaking.

So, don’t miss out!

Spirit yourself away from the drizzle and spontaneous snowstorms of Manchester to the sun-kissed landscapes of Spain and Latin America. Impress your friends with how cultural you are and in the process have a phenomenal evening out. Get yourself down to The Cornerhouse to experience firsthand what other Spanish and Latin American cinematic delights they’ve got to offer. iViva! Film Festival is running until 24th March.

Sophie James Film Editor

Review: ‘Las Buenas Hierbas’ Director: María Novaro • Starring: Úrsula Pruneda, Ofelia Medina In Las Buenas Hierbas, or The Good Herbs, this gentle yet intense Mexican film by Novaro, we follow the life of young bohemian single mother, Dalia, dealing her herbalist mother’s deterioration from Alzheimer’s.

Despite the grim sounding premise and the presentation of mental deterioration, which quite frankly terrified me about becoming old, the peacefulness of the surrounding story makes Las Buenas Hierbas far more enjoyable than it sounds.

With performances that are touching and understated, particularly Ophelia Medina and Úrsula Pruneda as mother and daughter, the entire female cast won best actress at the Rome Film Festival. The characters appear to meander in and out of the film, often with their relationships never fully articulated, creating the sense of a real life outside the framework of the movie, where their lives are continued off screen.

Subtle humour also punctuates the story, largely provided by Dalia’s young son, Cosmo, through his innocent childish antics such as his interactions with the plants that mean so much to the adults around him.

Despite the realism of the cinematography and direction, at times surreal elements add to

the complexity of the picture. In the opening scenes Dalia is seen running through the rain to a payphone into which she says ‘I didn’t think you’d answer, because you’re dead’. Similarly, a recurring motif of a young girl in a princess dress ties in to the narrative in the final stages of the film, however for the large part is an unexplained and intriguing piece of almost gothic imagery. This is made all the more unusual by the realism of the cinematography, making the film stand out from others that have explored these familiar themes.

A beautiful yet simple soundtrack

by Judith de León and Santiago Chávez with its gently strung guitar chords, adds a comforting background to a film that music often pervades, but is never fully

acknowledged. Dalia works at an alternative radio station and the supporting characters are often shown spontaneously creating music together, one on a guitar and the other joining in drumming on whatever implement she has around her. These scenes add to the sense that the audience is dipping into a way of life rather than simply a stand-alone drama.

Las Buenas Hierbas deals with tough themes with sympathy and understanding, never judging its characters. Therefore by shying away from melodrama the film becomes more affecting, and creates a longer lasting impression.

Lucy Gooder

Film

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Review: ‘Chocó’ Director: Jhonny Hendrix • Starring: Esteban Copete, Karent Hinestroza Chocó is a Columbian film, which follows several days in the life of Chocólatico (Karent Hinestroza) a mother who lives with her abusive husband Everlides (Esteban Copete), a ‘musician’ who spends the majority of his time gambling with his friends (in some of the most heated domino-based scenes I’ve ever seen), before coming home drunk and forcing himself upon Chocó whilst their children sleep in the next bed.

Overall, the film is very slow moving, though this is in no way a bad thing. Slow, sweeping shots of Chocó walking her children to school provide a nice scenic relief from the brutal and harrowing rape scenes which occur at the beginning and end of the film. What makes Chocó interesting though, is the way in which it deals with its primary subject matter, that of gender, and to a lesser extent, race politics. The film shows us the difficulties of being a black woman in this male-dominated society, but rather than explore these problems, they are simply set out before us. The film doesn’t

do much to actively sway us onto Chocó’s side, because it knows it doesn’t have to. This can be noted in a scene in which Chocó is beaten by her husband in front of a crowd of disinterested onlookers.

Instead of dwelling on this point, the film continues, almost as if nothing had happened, no attempt to put any kind of cultural filter on what has occurred is made, and consequently the audience is drawn further into the harsh reality of Chocó’s world.

That said, Chocó is by no means perfect. There are a few moments when the film cuts back and forth in its

narrative without giving any indication that it is doing so, which can be very confusing.

On more than one occasion, I found myself unsure as to whether we had witnessed a dream sequence, a flash back or neither, which would be fine if the film explained it at any point, but unfortunately it doesn’t. However, these are simply hallmarks of an independent, low-budget film, that could probably have done with a little more editing, and barely detracts from the overall impact.

Definitely worth a watch.

Leo Mates

Review: ‘De Jueves a Domingo’ Director: Dominga Sotomayor Castillo • Starring: Santi Ahumada, Emiliano Freifeld Dominga Sotomayor Castillo makes a directorial debut in this Chilean production, which translates into From Thursday to Sunday, one of the many films in this year’s iViva! Festival line-up.

The film follows a family on their road trip across Chile’s landscape, centering around the adolescent protagonist Lucia.

The journey allows her, and the audience, a peek into the cracks of her parents’ marriage that become more visible as this outing progresses. It becomes apparent that this may be the family’s last adventure together as a unit when it is hinted that the couple have decided to go their separate ways, a detail that is initially lost on the little girl.

The situation is not helped by the wife’s irritation at the husband picking up a pair of hitchhikers and the husband’s contempt towards an old acquaintance of his wife who seems slightly too close for comfort. Gradually, a playful and innocent Lucia diminishes into a wistful girl, as she uncovers more of the doomed adult world.

The film’s charm resides in the subtle string of moments depicting the realities of a road trip that we have all experienced at some point. Slumping around

in the back seat, playing games, pit stops and seedy motels are all pleasantly reminiscent and familiar. A languid pace accompanies this fruitless trip, and unless you are a patient viewer, you may not necessarily appreciate the lengthy and lethargic shots. Unfortunately, another drawback of the film is its lack of plot. The venture is solely driven by the characters and their emotions. Though it seems Sotomayor is making an earnest attempt at juxtaposing a child’s blissful ignorance to an adult’s despondent awareness of life, the film is rendered dull in anticipation of some drastic turn of events. Alas, it’s not a lull before the storm, it remains a lull throughout.

Credit must be given where it’s due, and it’s the unique disposition of Lucia decoding her parents marital dispute conveyed through bitter glances and muted arguments.

It becomes one of the film’s engaging elements. Another asset are the endearing performances, especially by the lead, a promising and talented Santi Ahumada. The radiant cinematography by Alvarez is a delight. Fortunately, the film does offer a blithe and mostly spontaneous soundtrack consisting of the car radio and sing-a-longs of Spanish classics by the cast that momentarily lift the plunging mood.

Parizad Mangi

Fashion

This week: The Tacky Issue Are you a Fashion Snob?

Gráinne Morrison discusses a moral dilemma

Tacky. The word alone is judgemental. In a world of elegant shapes and complimentary colour palettes, those who take it too far are all too often dismissed with pitying dismay by the supposedly more in-the-know dressers. How do I know this? Behind my smile I can be harsher than an overworked Anna Wintour, and that’s on a good day. Although a fan of all things fabulous, my resistance to flamboyant dressing is not so high as to allow me to overlook monstrosities such as Cher’s ensemble for the 1986 Oscars. The claws come out, believe me. Why, you may ask, do I feel this right to deign what others wear as ‘tacky’ or OTT, am I merely a fashion snob? I’ve always preferred the more tasteful approach to dressing, colours that work together and materials generally considered as normal.

Wearing a dress made of stuffed toys has never appealed to me (strange, I know). Whilst I’m quite confident in my attitude towards dressing, what if I’ve actually mistaken boring for good taste?

The mantra ‘less is more’ is readily accepted as one to adhere to where dressing is concerned, and while it generally wins in the fashion stakes this may be because it’s also the safest option. Much as I’d like to say otherwise, perhaps the more elegantly attired are in fact the more cowardly. Fashion is all about experimenting after all. Fashionistas like Alexa Chung and Olivia Palermo are always immaculately presented and thus a hit with the masses, yet there’s something to be said for the stars that create debate and split opinions with their outrageous outfits. So while I will never credit any sort of fashion taste towards the likes of Katie Price (and you can hold me to that), perhaps stars such as Nicki Minaj deserve some praise for their daring looks. Even if it almost physically pains me to say so. Don’t get me wrong, if you choose to wear an outfit consisting of neon green and pink tartan tights, with a blue and orange pleated skirt, a top made entirely of multi-coloured pompoms and what appears to be TWO hairstyles in one (yes Nicki, we’re looking at you), one is justified in being slightly aghast. And if not aghast, at least mentally scarred. Yet I’ve come to realise that, although I would never try anything like it myself, it may just be that my life would be lacking without the beautifully crazy wardrobes of GaGa, Minaj et al. I’ll continue to covet the tasteful choices of the fashion elite, whilst not-so-secretly revelling in the bold and brash ensembles of those braver than myself. I mean, I’m just looking.

Attack of the Tack

Tack is the marmite of the fashion world, yet is becoming ever more prevalent. Joanna Dryden discusses our love/hate relationship

Tacky, trashy, kitsch, gaudy: call it whatever you want but there is not one of us who doesn’t have some kind of opinion on it. We have an ambivalent relationship with this phenomenon and over the past decade it is without a doubt a trend which has become firmly cemented within the fashion world. Gone are the times when we were clucking at such figures as Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie’s trailer trash/car crash style during their ‘The Simple Life’ phase, instead the majority of us are now, most likely unknowingly, embracing and normalising trash.

With our fascination with bling abundant, shows like ‘Big Fat Gypsy Weddings’ reveal our hidden desire to embrace our inner trash-chic and we only need to look at trends over the past year to see how we no longer even regard many typically ‘trashy’ trends as such. Studded batty riders (you know, the ones where butt cheeks protrude), rainbow ombre hair, Jeffrey Campbell shoes, crazy phone cases/embellishment, and the revival of nail art- the list goes on. But what is it about tacky fashion that we just can’t get enough of? Take Jeffrey Campbell’s Litas for example.

highly-esteemed fashion editor and columnist Diana Vreeland once said, ‘never fear being vulgar, just boring’. Classy may be the safe, ’normal’ option, but trashy is fun, it’s classy’s naughty, tequila-shotting, blinged to the max, wild-child younger sister. We all have a bit of trash inside of us, so stop repressing it and embellish your life with diamanté and leopard print and lace those feet into a pair of Litas, because trash is here to stay and it’s the new normal.

5

Tacky Icons

‘Easy V doesn’t come for free, she’s a real lady’ Susie Coen tracks VB’s drastic fashion U-turn from WAG to fashion goddess It’s the modern day version of My Fair Lady: only rather than the cockney Eliza Dootlittle, we have Essex-born Victoria Beckham, and in place of Professor Henry Higgins, Marc Jacobs. Over nearly two decades, Victoria Beckham has made an unrivalled transformation from the PVC wearing ‘Posh Spice’ to the winner of Designer Brand of the Year at the 2011 British Fashion Awards. But how did this renovation happen? And are the sequin hot pants and the fingerless gloves really forgotten, or are the scars from her branding as number one WAG still there but just masterfully covered up?

her short bob and oversized sunglasses, and fashion designer was not entirely possible. Hideous errors such as this revealing chiffon number reinstated that her tackiness was not so easily shed. However, by passing the torch of queen WAG to Cheryl Cole, VB became more and more of a fashion icon with friends such Karl Lagerfeld, Marc Jacobs and Roberto Cavalli to guide her on her way.

After a U-turn in her style, Victoria became the heiress of sophistication, launching her very own Victoria Beckham label in New York in 2008. Cleverly choosing New York, Victoria was able to reinvent herself

In 1996 Victoria Adams exploded into the public eye under the nickname ‘Posh Spice’, one of the five members of the hugely successful Spice Girls. Each with their own persona (Baby, Ginger, Sporty and Scary), Posh was infamous for her sleek dark bob, pout and monochrome wardrobe. Amongst their endless tours, Posh found time to bag herself England’s number one bachelor, David Beckham. They soon married to become Britain’s number one power couple.

When the Spice Girls broke up in 2001, Victoria’s fashion went from bad to worse as she attempted a solo career. Shying away from the skimpiness and glitziness of her deceased Spice-self, she opted to perform her solo single… as a pirate? There is too much wrong with this look to list, the bandana, fake lip piercing, tattoos and so much leather a whole herd of cows must have suffered to create this monstrosity.

After accepting the death of her singing career, Victoria embraced her inner fashionista and designed a limited-edition fashion line VB Rocks in 2004. Although the designs were mostly jeans, her desire for creation had been sparked, and later VB styled her dear friend Katie Holmes for the 2006 issue of Harper’s Bazaar. Yet trying to juggle WAG, with

overseas from the UK tabloids, whose images of her in next to nothing and fake tan were hard to shed. Beckham’s sleek designs are elegant and beautifully made and have grown in both prominence and popularity, with names such as Eva Longoria and Beyonce choosing to wear her styles on the red carpet.

The now mother-of-four is undeniably chic. At the 2013 International Woolmark Prize awards the 38-year-old wore head-to-toe her own autumn/winter designs, looking classy and elegant but still sexy with a cinched in waist. Likewise, earlier this year at the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund event in LA Victoria wore a gorgeous white sheer shirt, A-line white skirt and nude peep-toe boots, all from her line.

Yet despite her new-found impeccable style, will Victoria Beckham’s tacky days ever be forgotten? Although the Spice Girls wisely sang: ‘If you want my future, forget my past’ I don’t think this is necessary for Victoria. I think her gloriously tacky roots give her a charming edge.

Having grown up with her and seen her blossom into a successful, stylish and happy woman, she is an inspiration to every ex-tack around.

Fashion

17

Beauty

Tacky-chic or tackyfreak?

Halee Wells discusses how to make our guilty pleasure makeup items really work

1) Kim Kardashian I can’t figure out whether we should admire Kim K for building a career on a sex tape or revile her. But whatever you think of the woman, she’s now up the duff with the Rap Prince of Tack himself’s baby, so you can rest assured she isn’t ever going anywhere, have I said ever? Ever.

2) Britney Spears Britney, Britney, Britney. It started with those pink pompoms back in the days of ‘Hit Me Baby One More Time’ and well…we all know the rest. An iconic wearer of the headset microphone, the bodysuit (two words: diamanté and red PVC ok, three, but seriously, google them) and hats, oh the hats.

CRAVING & SAVING

3) Samantha Jones (Sex and the City)

Craving: Vivienne Westwood Chancery Bag: £225

You may or may not have seen the 2nd Sex and the City Movie (I know, your heart’s saying yes, your street cred’s saying no) but there’s a scene where Samantha has sex with an oily Australian on a car bonnet in the Abu Dhabi desert. Which tells you everything you need to know.

4) Will.I.am I don’t get Will.I.am. Maybe it’s because he’s got that oddly square chunk missing from his barnet which makes me feel like I’m playing hair Tetris whenever I look at it, or because he carried the Ohweohweohweolympic torch in Devon (judging The Voice is a DISservice to the nation, Will, just ask her maj).

I don’t know. But what I do know is he’s pretty flipping tacky.

5) Lil’ Kim

These dramatic 5-inch platforms quickly became the ‘it shoe’ and it is exactly their theatre and outrageousness that we adore. To truly embrace fashion is to treat it like a game of dress up and this is what these trends allow us to do. Celebrities such as Rihanna aren’t labelled as tacky, instead they’re heralded the epitome of fashion and even given the opportunity to create their own fashion label.

The joy of fashion is that we can interpret it however we wish, whether this is the timeless chic of Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast At Tiffany’s or P’Trique’s gaudy drag queen flair. With stars like P’Trique and Nicki Minaj becoming regulars on the front row at fashion week shows, it is time to rethink our view on tack. These characters may look a bit outlandish, but they are kooky and having fun with fashion. As the late

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TOP

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Lil’ Kim has been living La Vie en Tack these past 25 years and lalalaloving it. Her feud with Nicki Minaj is probably less about supposed ‘swag’ theft and more about outtackying each other: my gold hoops are bigger than yours, my fake nails are longer than yours etc.

Aimée Grant-Cumberbatch

Tacky’s not an outfit, it’s a lifestyle. However, if you’re unable to fully dedicate yourself to the cause, this bag from Vivienne Westwood should just about cover it. The luscious mock crocodile effect in hospitalcurtain pink just screams ‘all-money-no-taste’, topped off by the perspex amber glitter orb on the front. But don’t be fooled, this bag is not just about ultimate tacky style. The heart-shape body is just the right size to fit absolutely nothing inside it, while the handles ensure not even Katie Price could fit it over her arm. What’s not to like?… The £225 price tag. This is definitely one to crave.

Saving: Paul’s Boutique Hetty bag: £40

However, if you’re still desperate for that garish edge to your outfit but are on more of a student budget, this bag from Paul’s Boutique should fit the bill. At just £40 it retains the all important ‘tack’ through the similar heartshape style. Although you’ll need to sacrifice Vivienne Westwood’s crocodile effect for the poor-man’s version of snake skin, the chunky gold chain strap will actually fit over your shoulder. Plus it brings an element of versatility, being grey on one side and green on the other.

Who would have thought something so stylish could be so cheap- in every sense of the word?

Charlie Dick

LOVING & LOATHING

Hands up if you have one of these items laying forgotten at the bottom of your makeup bag: bright colour eye shadows, a tangerine bronzer, various lip liners and some crusty false lashes. I know I have all of them, but I think it’s about time we put to use these items we just can’t let go of.

Bright blue blunder: Luckily this season is all about the colour pop.

So don’t fret, your childhood Miss Sporty shadows can come out to play this spring. Smudge the shadow across the lids and blend with a brush for a subtle flash of colour, or wet your brush and draw a line with the shadow under the lower lashes, very on trend for 2013. Add two coats of mascara and you are good to go.

Satsuma Shimmer: How many of you were going for bronzed goddess and created something a little more Sainsbury’s bag? We’ve all been there, but you really can make an orange bronze work. Instead of brushing the product onto your cheeks, try contouring instead. Pull a ridiculous looking fish face and you’re half way there. This expression will create hollows in your cheeks, so dabble some bronzer into those and blend upwards towards your ears. Then add highlighter onto the top of your cheekbones, again blending up to your ears. Stars like Kim Kardashian are famous for using this makeup trick, which will instantly give your face structured cheekbones and a subtle glow.

Loving: Bold Prints What I love about this spring is that we look at prints in a totally different way. Now that the warm weather is fast approaching (not that frosty Manchester gives us any clues at all), I am going to introduce you to the print trends. Outfits that consist of one amazing bold print or patchwork are currently huge and I adore them. Rather than mixing two prints, pair a couple of block colours with your print. Start experimenting now – I advise you to invest in a couple of bold print dresses under your warm winter coats along with a pair of tights.

Loathing: Metallic Shoes The metallic-finish look is making a vast appearance in all shops and in almost any item of clothing you can imagine. Now read carefully: choose wisely which item of shiny clothing you decide to welcome to your wardrobe family. Personally, I cannot begin to express my hatred for these shiny spacelooking high tops. I call them the ‘space hoppers’ as they are practical and probably very comfortable (you can ‘hop’ around campus all day) but come on guys, really? Go back a good few years and these would have been placed on your Barbie doll’s feet. Add some flashing lights and glitter and you’d have been begging your mum for these back in the day. Metallics are certainly not our worst enemies, but these tacky bad boys are a no no for me.

Melissa Hughhes

Tips for lips: I have recently rediscovered my love for lip liner. It will make your lipstick appear more pigmented and even stay on for longer.

If like me, you want to channel Angelina Jolie, then this makeup item is essential. Grab a lip liner of a similar colour to the lipstick you want to apply, and lightly trace around the outside of your lips. Once you are happy with the shape, trace a further line around this, following the natural shape of your lips. Your pout will instantly look fuller, then fill in your lips with a few swipes of lipstick and blend the colours with your finger.

So there you have it, leave your velour tracksuit at home girls, tacky just got classy!

18

Music

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Interview

Editor’s Column

Talk about, Pop Music Tom Ingham Music Editor Pop is one of the most productive nouns in music, but perhaps the most misunderstood. Would anyone describe themselves as a ‘pop’ fan? You’ve got rock, metal, jazz, dance, folk fans – but rarely would someone label themselves as an out and out pop fan. The term originated in the 1920s as an abbreviation of the word ‘popular’, reflecting what the mainstream was at the time, but pop as we know it (from the late 50s/early 60s onwards) isn’t necessarily befitting of this title.

Starting out as a single’s game, pop songs squeezed themselves onto 45s and were intended to provide three minutes of non-stop satisfaction. Dusty Springfield, Buddy Holly and Elvis all enjoyed success with the single, however nailing them down to a particular album isn’t easy. By 1968 album sales overtook singles as more bands began to experiment with the pop album. The Beach Boys Pet Sounds showed that an album could have more than 2 singles and a load of filler; this was a sophisticated record for the maturing market.

Those early records at the dawn of the sexual revolution provided as many life lessons as any novel could. Pop, albeit three minutes at the max, played the soundtrack to pivotal moments along the great journey of growing up, the effervescent excitement of She loves you could enthral the young romantic whilst Roy Orbison was there for those harder moments.

To say pop was mainstream and popular back in the ‘60s and

5 SONGS IN THE FIELD OF...

Tarantino Alex Fenton

early ‘70s isn’t completely true.

It was still something affiliated with rebellion; the sight of Ziggy Stardust was something a lot of parents found shocking.

But was Ziggy pop? To most he’s a symbol of the Glam Rock genre, but there’s no getting away from the pop values of a song like Changes. Carole Kay, a prolific ‘60s session bassist, talked about making a song ‘pop’, and any band could do this, regardless of genre.

Pop in the 21st century has lost a little of its excitement for me, and it’s nothing to do with the songs as Carly Rae Jepsen and Taylor Swift prove.

Unfortunately we’re victims of technology; the 24hour nature of music was something that just didn’t exist back when TOTP was the only music programme for teenagers.

Pop isn’t something to cherish anymore, the average nonmuso iTunes reads like one long compilation CD. Pop can be applied to those early rock n roll bands like The Beatles, to the Soul stars like The Ronettes and all the way to the New Romantics of the 1980s. It’s a matter of art, not enterprise – being popular has nothing to do with it.

Currently pop is being mixed up with dance music, the like of LMFAO just isn’t pop – yes it’s danceable, but that’s all it is. Despite being a somewhat unsavoury term for artists, the label is not as shallow as we make out. A three minute single can teach us about life and love, Phil Spector described them as a “little symphony for the kids” – this Party Rock Anthem is most certainly not.

Hurts Manchester’s own synthpop revivalists talk Nine Inch Nails, the Brits and the distinct lack of glamour at Sainbury’s in Fallowfield Joe Goggins Music Editor “This is the best album you’ll hear all year that was written and recorded on the curry mile.” Theo Hutchcraft is in buoyant mood; Hurts’ second record, Exile, finally saw the light of day this week, and he tells me that it’s already “in the top ten in 23 countries.” Not bad for a couple of guys who met outside 42s whilst their friends were engaged in a drunken brawl.

“We were pretty nervous about how it was going to be received, actually. We wanted to do something different on this album, so we felt like we were starting again in a lot of ways.” Hurts’ debut, Happiness, was one of 2010s biggest crossover successes, landing at number four in the album chart and spawning two singles that seldom seemed to be off the radio, ‘Better Than Love’ and ‘Wonderful Life’. “We kept the same producer, but we definitely wanted to push ourselves in a new direction.”

Whilst a move towards a different sound was key, the actual process of making the record, in keeping with the retention of Jonas Quant behind the production desk, was largely the same as with Happiness. “It seemed logical to write Exile in the same place we had before, which was actually just opposite Hardy’s Well. We knew we’d be comfortable there, and it seemed like it was the only place where we’d be able to get some perspective and focus properly after the whirlwind of promoting the first record.”

It was a decision, Theo claims, which paid clear dividends. “We were much more prolific this time, we got a lot more written,” he says.

“That meant we could experiment more; we had the time to try new things. We’re definitely better at what we do now than three years ago.”

It wasn’t until six or seven months into making the album that the change of scenery became crucial. “After a while, a bit of a

cloud descended. You know, when you’re wandering around Sainsbury’s in Fallowfield, it’s easy to forget anything glamorous ever happened to you,” he laughs. “We were definitely ready to get away from Manchester by the end, things were getting a little bit tough. We met up with Jonas in Gothenburg and finished the record there.”

The band have cited a wide range of influences their entire career, and Exile is no exception, although anyone who heard Happiness will be surprised to hear that Nine Inch Nails weighed particularly heavily on the new record; Hurts are hardly the world’s noisiest band, nor are guitars a major feature in their work thus far. “You know, that wasn’t exactly a direct musical influence; it was more in terms of the tone of the music Nine Inch Nails have made. We wanted to make a darker record, and I think they helped us figure out exactly how to progress in that direction.

Some of the songs did come out sounding quite industrial initially, but the more obvious influences are still there too – you can still hear Depeche Mode in there.”

Hurts’ striking visual style – sharp suits and slicked-back hair being de rigueur – makes them one of the more recognisable bands around today, and it’s an aesthetic that seems to permeate every aspect of the band; their music videos and live shows, the latter often complete with dancers, have proven similarly visceral. “It’s just another way of expressing ourselves, but we know full well how important it can be; it was our first video (for ‘Wonderful Life’) that got us signed.”

The band made one of their first appearances on the promotional circuit for Exile at the Brit Awards, albeit only from the sidelines. With this year’s ceremony coming in for more stick than usual, I was intrigued to hear the opinion of a band who have successfully crossed over to the mainstream in the past. “All the Brit Awards do is reflect what’s popular; if you don’t like what’s in the

charts, you probably shouldn’t be watching.

You can’t expect to turn it on and have it be like it used to be, with Blur and Oasis winning everything; those days might come back, but for now, why complain about it?”

The success of Happiness in the UK was eclipsed elsewhere in Europe, with Germany and parts of Eastern Europe receiving the record particularly rapturously. Have the band figured out why their music has proved more popular overseas than at home? “We’ve honestly no idea, although by this stage we see the UK as just another country. It’s nice to have different challenges in different places though; in some countries we’re virtually unknown, and in others we’re headlining festivals. We’ve got a good balance there, I think.”

Some of today’s more successful Manchester bands don’t seem quite as characteristically Mancunian as some of their predecessors; whether it was Morrissey’s northern humour in The Smiths or the obvious link between Joy Division’s industrial sound and the city’s history, the traditional ‘Manchester band’ usually had some musical feature that served as a geographic indicator of where they were from, but try finding anything on Everything Everything or Dutch Uncles’ records that plainly marks out that they hail from these parts. The influence of New Order on Hurts is unmistakeable, but do they feel like the tag really applies to them?

“I think it does, less in a musical fashion and more in the approach that we take to our band. We might not sound anything like Oasis, but we definitely admire their ambition, the scale on which they did things. We definitely wouldn’t want to distance ourselves from home,” he says. “Manchester’s one of the greatest places in the world. We spread that word wherever we go.”

Hurts play Academy 2 on April 1. Exile is out now via RCA Records

Little Green Bag – George Baker Selection

2. Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) – Nancy Sinatra

3. Rabbia e Tarentella – Ennio Morricone

4. Stuck in the Middle with You – Stealers Wheel

5. Chuck Berry – You Never Can Tell

The concept of being genuinely cool is hard to come by, but the opening credits of Reservoir Dogs, coupled with ‘Little Green Bag’ must surely come close.

A smooth bass line forms the foundation of a slick choice of song from Tarantino. Six men in suits never looked so suave.

Overdub the introduction of Kill Bill with Nancy Sinatra and you know Tarantino means business. Fine vocals, timely guitar and a subtle melancholy are well suited to the tale of vengeance. ‘Revenge is a dish best served cold’, reads the opening of Kill Bill – How fitting.

A reference to Tarantino’s musical taste could not be complete without paying homage to Ennio Morricone.

Tarantino frequently exploits Morricone’s talent as a composer and Inglorious Basterds is no different. Well experienced from his spaghetti westerns, Morricone creates a befitting track for the Basterds.

Imagine being tortured. Then imagine your ear being cut off with a razor. Then imagine your torturer sadistically dancing to the radio. An ugly torture scene should by no means detract from the quality of ‘Stuck in the Middle with You’, but now whenever I hear it I can’t help but think of the warehouse scene.

Chuck Berry undoubtedly put much of the swing into rock n roll and Pulp Fiction’s timeless scene between Thurman and Travolta revitalised the track.

With a rolling piano fuelling the classic, Travolta reminded the world he could still dance. ‘C’est La Vie’.

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Music

19

Live

Girls Aloud Rachel Bolland was at the Arena for the first of three reunion shows Ten years after they won Popstars: the Rivals, the five ladies of Girls Aloud are back after varying solo success. While Cheryl Cole became the people’s princess of 2011, Sarah Harding starred in a film with Denise van Outen and Danny Dyer that made £600 in its opening weekend. Swings and roundabouts.

To celebrate their anniversary the girls have released the obligatory greatest hits compilation accompanied by a 20-date arena tour.

Fittingly, support on the tour comes from Amelia Lily. Both acts had the fate of their careers decided by the British voting public and then helped on their way by the powerhouse that is Xenomania. Lily came third in the 2011 edition of the X Factor and has since achieved some success, with her debut single ‘You Bring Me Joy’ reaching number two in the charts.

Unfortunately, the stage at the Manchester Arena is not designed for an artist performing without the huge amount of staging that usually characterises arena shows. To her credit, Lily tried her best to bring some atmosphere to her set but she was fighting a losing battle. Standing in front of a black curtain that was shielding Girls Aloud’s stage set up from view, she belted her way through a selection of tracks from her upcoming debut album. At one

point she was joined by an acoustic guitarist, which might have worked well in a smaller venue but in the arena just failed to capture anyone’s attention.

She wisely chose to close her set with her big single which provided a small high point.

Contrastingly, Girls Aloud had the crowd in the palm of their hand from the minute the curtain dropped. Harnessed on to a giant sign bearing the name of their band suspended above the crowd they opened with their debut single ‘Sound of the Underground’, making it perfectly clear why they were still able to do an arena tour of this size ten years after they started.

The production values throughout the show were incredibly high with all the dancers and costume changes you’d expect. The first costume change turned the concert into something resembling a Victoria’s Secret fashion show with Nicola rising out of the floor sporting an enormous Indian headdress and Cheryl with angel wings while the others had similar gigantic feather contraptions strapped to their back for ‘The Show’. They shed the appendages for ‘Love Machine’ which served as a reminder of why they’ve dominated the British pop scene for an entire decade.

Behind all the showiness and the expense that

allowed them to put on such a production was just an entire night of really, really good pop songs.

They’ve already stated that this tour will be the end of Girls Aloud and they’ve managed to send it off in a spectacular style. For the encore they emerged from the floor in matching floor-length, red sequined gowns. In a symbolic move they sang ‘Stand by You’ while videos of their career highlights, including the moment they won a BRIT in 2009, played in the background. Some of them looked visibly moved by the whole experience, with Sarah apparently unable to sing.

It was hard not to take all this with a pinch of salt, however. Knowing what they’ve been doing, the

discrepancies in their success, it’s hard to believe that they’re all as friendly as they appeared during this show of unity. It begs the question; will this really be the end? With Cheryl’s star waning as Cher Lloyd overtakes her in popularity and the others not really making a great impression on the charts with their solo efforts, will they really be able to resist resurrecting Girls Aloud, especially when it’s clear that they still have such a loyal fan base? It’s hard to say, but if they stuck to the formula that they’ve been using for the last 10 years, as demonstrated tonight, then there’s no reason why not.

8/10

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Live

Egyptian Hip Hop Gorilla - 8th March 2013 We get in late, brimming with the sort of tarmac cider that tastes as though bottled directly from the River Medlock: rewind the clock five years and you can probably taste it.

You’d be forgiven, then, for perhaps starting to suppose that tonight might be a night of youthful abandon, though, that is, nonetheless, probably the most suitable vantage point from which to talk about Egyptian Hip Hop. Few bands have garnered the sort of attention that these lads lapped up with their new-rave-pop-schtick as 17 year-olds back in 2009, earning favourable comparisons with LOTP and Klaxons. Even fewer have come into any serious regard in their future trappings, but having disappeared from the face of urban Britain, the band resurfaced last year to release a very, very astute debut in Good Don’t Sleep, disregarding their former pop for, well, pop dwellings of a deeper, more mature nature.

The band still look gangling youths - draped in, presumably, Affleck’s finest - and the songs translate well from the album, but overall the sense of fun seems to have been lost. Unlike

the ace support Great Waves, who appear genuinely happy to play tonight, Egyptian Hip Hop play it far too cool. Or perhaps too moody. Either way, the snaking melody of ‘Strange Vale’ instead drags, whilst the arpeggio on entrance ‘Tobago’ lacks its usual mystery and playfulness.

There are many cries for yesteryear’s ‘Middle Name Period’, ‘Wild Human Child’, especially ‘Rad Pitt’, but though seemingly an ideal move, given

My Bloody Valentine 5/10 that the band fail to whip up the haze of the record and the crowd clearly want to dance, they are never aired. Credit to the rhythm section, however, who are, frankly, tight-as-fuck, playing in semiquavers local relations Dutch Uncles would be proud of, but overall, tonight Egyptian Hip Hop just don’t feel much fun.

Jonny McAreavey

Apollo - 10th March 2013 Seeing paramedics at a gig is an oft-worrying sight, respirators and other medical apparatus are not items you’d assume to find in a live setting, but at a My Bloody Valentine show the cataclysmic volume ensures it’s pretty much a given. From the moment the band launches into ‘I Only Said’, this is a total sensory overload. Swirling melodies make the heart swoon; columns of distortion raise everything before them and jackhammer drums lock the crowd into an incessant clockwork groove. For four unassuming people to make music both frightening and gorgeous, and deliver it without compromise is a delight to witness.

The band pulls from an arsenal spanning two decades, but their attack is so ferocious that the oldest material sits comfortably alongside the revered Loveless and choice cuts from new record m b v. Tracks like ‘Come in Alone’ and ‘Soon’ are the pillows above the bed of nails of ‘Thorn’ and ‘Only Shallow’.

The venue is almost levelled by ‘You Made Me Realise’; when the band launch into the

‘Holocaust Section’, it’s met with an almost knowing cheer from parts of the audience. If you think that name is tactless, it’s not without reason. A single chord builds into a cyclical, apocalyptic sheet of distortion, the volume steadily rising to almost unbearable but oddly captivating levels for a ten minute duration. It’s here the paramedics’ presence is truly noticeable, and a rush of people moving from the front proves MBV’s unfettered noise is not for the faint of heart.

9/10 The set isn’t wholly perfect. At times, Bilinda Butcher’s vocals sound like off-key caterwauling rather than sweetly serene lullabies, and it takes the band three attempts before they fully pull off ‘Feed Me with Your Kiss’.

That said, these complaints are nothing when compared to the set of monolithic, utterly invincible noise the crowd has just experienced.

Ol Urwin

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Music

ISSUE 18/ 18th MARCH 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Albums

NOW: Tyler, the Creator - Wolf Odd Future Records - April 2013 international touring and his own TV show.

Recently, the group’s status quo has shifted.

Okonma’s latest Kimmel performance was a deeper affair; he showcased his piano talent and eclectic taste on ‘Treehome’, alongside the more conventionally ripping ‘Domo23′. We’ve witnessed the rise of Grammy Award-winner Frank Ocean and the formerly-missing Earl Sweatshirt, whilst newfound competition has arisen in the likes of Pro Era, A$AP Mob and Raider Klan. After the blistering debut of Bastard and the lukewarm reception to Goblin, Wolf may be the last opportunity Okonma has to stay ahead of the pack.

Fin Murphy

Two years ago, relative unknowns Odd Future carried on a grand lineage dating back to The Who blowing up drums and Elvis gyrating – shocking people via television performance. Donned in balaclavas, Tyler Okonma (the Creator) and Gerard Long (Hodgy Beats) performed ‘Sandwitches’, a claustrophobic composition of stuttering drums and lurching synthesisers, its lyrics of sexual violence and paranoia delivered in Okonma’s deep, stern tones. It was an incendiary few minutes.

Okonma baited listeners, the press, fellow musicians – with a fresh blend of rapper braggadocio, frat boy flippancy and punk antagonism, his effectively managed image, coupled with impressive debut album Bastard, gave him major label deals,

Opening on the title track, it soon becomes apparent where the album is flawed. The instrumental is triumphant; buoyant piano-work, well contrasted with machine gun samples and lush backing vocals. Instead of the Frank Ocean croon it deserves, the listener is treated to Okonma’s usual ‘ism’ rhetoric. However, what was passion is now perfunctory. In Okonma’s desire to craft nice beats, he’s subdued the self-aware humour which lurked beneath his words. This track ends on a ‘therapist meeting’, the concept which has connected Okonma’s past albums. Whereas it was an innovation of ‘Bastard’, it became a crutch for his second. Thankfully, it’s reduced here. ‘Jamba’ is a cut which wouldn’t be out of place on Goblin, or indeed an N.E.R.D b-side; popping drums, sexy vocal samples and funk-driven bass. ‘Domo23′ is almost identical to the charmingly titled Goblin track ‘Bitch Suck Dick’; pounding drums, fast

From the vault: The Doors - L.A Woman Elektra - April 1971 George Bailey “Get loose!” orders Jim Morrison on the opening line to L.A Woman. Those two words sum up why The Doors’ sixth studio album is possibly their best ever work; the shackles are off and the sound is stripped down after the grandiose but ultimately disappointing Soft Parade.

It’s The Doors at their blues-rock best, and its mere existence is a miracle in itself.

Morrison’s bohemian lifestyle became an alcoholinduced spiral of self-destruction, culminating in an arrest for two counts of indecent exposure, two of public profanity, one of excessive public drunkenness and finally “simulation of oral copulation”. Very rock n’ roll. Recording sessions were a disaster, producer Paul Rothchild resigned and the band were left frustrated and bored. But then something changed. They ditched the recording studio in favour of their old rehearsal room and, much to Morrison’s delight, Jerry Scheff (of Elvis fame) was invited to the recording sessions to take on bass duties. The album suddenly sparked to life.

Krieger’s catchy guitar riff on ‘Lover Her Madly’ cemented it as the lead single, and Manzarek’s bright melodies on his Vox Continental ensured it became a Doors classic. ‘Riders on the Storm’ is a more atmospheric offering, conjuring a powerful vibe of loneliness with the sound of pouring rain and thunderstorms layered over a melancholic keyboard.

You can almost imagine Morrison singing ‘Cars Hiss

By My Window’ to his empty pint glass in some L.A dive; it sees the band at their most bluesy before the title track kicks in and the album becomes a different

beast entirely. ‘L.A Woman’ is as fast-paced a rocker the band have ever recorded, a sprawling eight minute masterpiece about the allure of late 60’s Los Angeles and its “cops in cars and topless bars”. Then there’s ‘The Wasp (Texas Radio and The Big Beat)’, an outlet for Morrison’s oft-lauded poetry. It started life as part of his famous poetic interludes during gigs, but appears here as a fully-fledged slick number with a pulsating beat from Densmore on drums.

“The future’s uncertain, the end is always near” sings Morrison on earlier track ‘Roadhouse Blues’. It’s a line that was never more appropriate than during the recording of this LP, as just two months after its release, Morrison was found dead in a Paris apartment. L.A Woman is a fitting end to the career of a true genius.

Books

ISSUE 18/ 18th MARCH 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

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Review

Diary of a reluctant ‘Burning Bright’: Blake at Kindle user the John Rylands Now that the e-book apocalyptists have quietened down a bit, Joelle Jefferis turns to the somewhat more measured possibility of peaceful co-existence between books and their e- counterparts

My favourite possession is my book collection; I love it. I love each book – the story within them and the cover that encases them. They are my pride and joy; so much so that for my 21st birthday my parents had a bookcase built that covers my entire bedroom wall. There’s enough space on those shelves that it may take even me a couple of years to fill it. However this Christmas, something changed: I was given a Kindle.

The first version of the Amazon Kindle was released in the US in 2007 and immediately sold out, a first sign of the international popularity all versions have enjoyed since. It is undoubtedly the leader in the e-reader market and is estimated to now be worth 10% of Amazon’s total $60 billion revenue. Along with the handsets Kindle apps are available for download to smart phones and tablets, meaning the majority of people in the UK can now easily enjoy books at the touch of a button. It seems most people weren’t as reluctant as me to dip their toe in the Kindle pool.

My reluctance is based on the enjoyment of a book’s material aesthetics: the weight of a hardback, the smell of a new book, the smell of an old book, a bright cover, a plain Penguin cover…the list could fill a book. How can a plastic case and electronic screen convey this fundamental part of the reading experience? Is a novel really just the story contained in the text?

Well I’ve discovered that, in some ways actually, yes, it is. I’ve downloaded and read a few books on my Kindle now and I’ve got to say, the stories happen to be just as good. Reading The Life of Pi on Kindle still left me in a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger, and the other mother in Coraline (Neil Gaiman) scared me into hiding under my duvet even without the familiar weight of a paperback in my hands. The power of the writing isn’t lost and there are definite advantages to the Kindle – both those books were on offer so cost me only £1.19 combined. Also, the paperback that used to be an ever present feature in my bag is now replaced by 20 books, in a format that weighs just 170g.

My conclusion, then – may my lecturers forgive me – is a bit weak: I like my Kindle but I also like books. Do I find my Kindle useful? Yes. Does it allow me to indulge my bookworm tendencies with increased ease? Yes. Will it replace books?

No. My new feature wall in my bedroom will continue to fill up with books. I love being able to see and hold them with ease.

And I continue to judge a book by its cover.

I think true fanatics will always return to books, but if you can’t decide which book to read on that long train journey maybe just take a Kindle and decide later.

Joelle Jefferis

Annie Muir finds manuscripts worth pressing up against the glass for, at the William Blake exhibition To get to the old John Rylands Library in Deansgate (built in 1889 if you were wondering), you have walk through the revolving glass doors of the new building, past the cheap postcards and overpriced café, up the stairs and into the sturdy, stone Gothic past.

Apart from the name, ‘Burning Bright’, the current William Blake exhibition in the library does not focus specifically on Blake’s poetry, but his collaborations and commissions from other writers to create engravings or watercolours for their books. He engraved prints for Mary Wollstonecraft’s book of short-stories in 1796, and designed and engraved a series of images in response to Virgil’s verse in 1821. The small, intricate, crosshatch of his engravings meant that I kept steaming up the glass boxes that the books were enclosed in because I wanted to look closer.

The exhibition carried on into the Spenser and Crawford rooms where there was one piece of Blake’s work in each and the rest of the exhibition was the rooms themselves: the brownest rooms I’ve ever seen, with shiny spines of books behind glass for wallpaper, and the lights a mix between Victorian street lamps and a bluebell.

The only pieces of Blake’s own poetry in the exhibition were two facsimiles of Blake’s own ‘illuminated manuscripts’,

published by William Muir in 1885.

Blake did not send his poetry to be published on William Caxton’s printing press in his lifetime, but stuck to a much earlier form of craftsmanship. His books were etched, printed and hand-coloured in water colours and stitched together to make up a volume. All the poems, lettering and design are the work of Blake (although sometimes his wife helped with water colours).

His Songs of Experience is open on the page of the poem ‘The Little Girl Found’, but I couldn’t quite read the poem inside its glass cage so I went and looked at a printed copy. I was struck by its plainness; what would Blake think of his poem being printed this way?

There is something so much more intimate about reading a poem that was written by the author’s own hand – not just scribbled on a piece of paper but painstakingly designed and intricately produced. All that so modern publishers could dismiss it as ‘too hard to read’ and throw his hard work away for black words on a white page, all the same size, all the same.

Postscript: On my way out of the John Rylands I was approached by a tiny old woman who told me she had been trying

Image from The Book of Job, William Blake, 1825

to find her way out for twenty minutes.

I led her out and she told me she liked the Blake exhibition but she only saw half of it because most of the books were displayed quite high up. This is my official complaint on behalf of her.

Annie Muir

Review

The Perks of Being a Wallflower – Review The film of Stephen Chobsky’s coming of age novel led Mariana back to the world of hormones and ’90s misfits, where she found a lot to relate to

The Perks of Being a Wallflower was given to me on my birthday, as both said present-giver and I were excited about the film adaptation with Emma Watson. The book was published in 1999 by MTV Books but became famous because of its movie adaptation that came out in 2012.

Stephen Chobsky, the author of the book, also wrote the screenplay for the eponymous film.

But after much anticipation, for me, the book started out a disappointment.

I’m not too fond of the epistolary

style in novels and this is the story’s format.

Charlie, the main character, starts writing letters to an anonymous friend just before starting high school, as a way to cope with all he’s going through.

C h a r l i e seemed like the kind of character I would never have a connection with.

He’s very complex – socially awkward, gets angry often but is incredibly sweet; he passes out when he starts thinking a lot about stuff, and you have no clue why he is like this. It seems a prerequisite that to care about what happens to character, you have to care about them. In Charlie’s case, I wasn’t that bothered at first.

But after getting past the first chunk of the book, I entered Charlie’s life as if it were my own. Charlie ‘sees’ things

that make so much sense when you think about them. When I finished the book, I had about fifty quotes that really meant something to me. Quotes that expressed just what I felt so many times that I couldn’t articulate.

Apart from Charlie, who’s a pretty extraordinary guy, most of the other characters are as quirky as him, but with far less (serious) issues. You’ll end up wishing they were your friends by the end of the book.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower helped me understand a lot about life and people in general, even if I’m long past the puberty phase. It’s classified as a young adult book, but university may well be the best time to read it.

Your teenage years are still relatively fresh in your mind and Charlie will help you figure out some of those situations you went through or maybe even those that may still be happening.

Mariana Cerqueira

22

Food & Drink

Incredible sausage rolls These sausage rolls are the most delicious, sweet and satsifying that I have ever savoured. I didn’t even feel guilty eating them after I visited the piglets in Tatton Park soon after making them; they were too irresistible.

And they’re perfect for a picnic, as soon as the weather improves!

Ingredients: 1 pack ready-made puff pastry 6 sausages, unpeeled from their intestinal jackets 100g chopped dried apricots 2 tbsps honey 1 tbsp dried sage A little milk for brushing Preheat oven to 200°C. Roll out pastry and divide lengthways. Mix the sausagemeat, apricots, honey and sage in a bowl. Split the meat mix between the two lines of pastry. Fold over the pastry and press very tightly shut. Divide into about 8 mini sausage rolls per patch of pastry, or cut them bigger if desired. Brush the pastry with a little milk or a beaten egg. Cook in the oven for 15 minutes, or until cooked through.

Photo: su-lin @Flickr

Cajun chicken gumbo

ISSUE 18/ 18TH MARCH 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

A black coffee please, not an ‘Americano’ Coffee has bean the grounds of many a heated and strong discussion - Ben Walker joins the debate

Ben Walker

Coffee is drunk with all too little care and attention. For the hungover first year, slightly less hungover second year or the overworked third year, coffee has just become something to perk oneself up with.

It should, however, be savoured. Coffee is a delicious yet very accessible luxury; it deserves to be treated with care.

Despite my obviously ominous verbal onslaught of bad coffee practice, I must insert a disclaimer: this is not a savage polemic or silly AA Gill drivel. I have a hug mug and can get a filter coffee from a University of Manchester outlet for 79p. I am a student, so price is of course a major issue – though it does pain me to line the pockets of Food on Campus because the coffee is gritty dirge.

For price and convenience I drink this.

For enjoyment and satisfaction I frequent other vendors and leave considerably chirpier. Christie’s Bistro upstairs in the Whitworth Quadranagle (cue the hate mail from postgraduates who keep this gem to themselves) is a haven of tranquility, neocolonialism reading groups and catchups between academics who have just

Whim Wham Café

got back from field work in Kathmandu.

The coffee served here is very nice: mild, slightly smokey and not at all gritty. The surroundings also make it premium venue, but the coffee stands out as cheap, tasty and all located nearly as conveniently as its Food on Campus competitors.

We all know Caffe Nero is the best high street chain coffee house. Italian beans are roasted hard so the caffeine is largely negated, and the taste is deeper and more complex than the lightly roasted, high caffeine Starbucks swill. Costa is to avoid at all costs.

The Anchor, situated in the old Whitworth Pub opposite the Edinburgh Bike CoOperative, serves nice coffee – again, cheaply, and it is independent, which is almost always good. However, if you are hungering for the finest coffee in Manchester, and to date the nicest espresso I have ever had, bee line for North Tea Power in the Northern Quarter. I am aware it’s too far to go on a Tuesday lunch unless you are fanatical, but do try and make a visit.

Couture (the Museum café) is somewhat a misnomer. It looks lovely, the food is good and is full of anoraked middleclass grandparents babysitting Hugo and Florence for the day, who chose to visit the enriching and educational museum. Maybe

Arch 64, Whitworth Street West M1 5WQ

This is my Dad’s recipe for an easy Cajun chicken Gumbo, adapted from BBC Good Food. The combination of spices and herbs is what really makes this one of my all-time favourites.

Ingredients: 4 cooked chicken thighs, meat stripped from the bone1 onion, chopped 1 celery stalk, chopped 2 carrots, chopped 1 green pepper, chopped 1 yellow pepper, chopped 300g okra, chopped (you can buy frozen okra, which is much cheaper) 3 tbsp plain flour 600ml chicken stock 2 bay leaves 1 tbsp each of cumin, paprika, chilli powder, basil

This self-titled epicurean eatery and gin saloon hits the spot. Photo: The Whim Wham Café Joanna Fox

1 tbsp parsley, plus extra for garnishing 2 spring onions, sliced Fry the onion, celery and carrot in oil. When softened, add the bay leaves. Mix in the flour and cook for about 30 seconds, stirring continuously so that there are no lumps. Pour in the chicken stock gradually, stirring all the time, before adding the cumin, paprika, chilli, basil and parsley. Add the stripped chicken meat, then leave to simmer for half an hour, stirring occasionally.Add the chopped peppers and okra. Check for seasoning, adding more chilli if it needs more of a kick. Leave to cook for 15-20 minutes. Serve with rice, and sprinkle with the spring onions, parsley.

Emily Clark & Jessica Hardiman Food & Drink Editors

From the outside alone, The Whim Wham Café has promise of becoming an important addition to any Manchester bucket list. Situated under the railway arches along Whitworth Street heading towards Deansgate, the café and gin saloon embodies British vintage-feel décor, lit by chintzy lamps and further illuminated by live music on Friday evenings. After opening last June, Whim Wham has developed a good word-of-mouth reputation amongst my foodie associates as being a great place to eat, drink and soak up some great atmosphere.

I first visited The Whim Wham Café for drinks, in need of some mid-week escapism. The gin cocktail list takes drinking to a new level with a mixture of new, old and innovative mixes, all with a real attention to flavour – not to mention extremely generous measures. I particularly

enjoyed the Black and Blue, a mixture of Hendrick’s Gin, blackberries and pink lemonade with a hint of mint. Other highlights include the Vimto Smile and the Gimlet, and all the drinks are presented in glasses that somehow seem perfectly suited to their relevant contents. Priced at £6-£8, don’t go expecting to get much change from £20 for a few drinks, but The Whim Wham Café far surpasses the sickly mixes that pass for cocktails in many places.

Having salivated over the desserts menu over drinks I quickly seized the initiative to return for food when my Dad rocked up a couple of weeks later to feed me.

The food menu is hearty British fare sourced as locally as possible and changing every three months to reflect the seasons. Expect to pay about £11.50- £13.50 for a main and not to leave feeling hungry. Smaller plates are available for lunch or if you don’t want a big meal, and the platters to share over drinks also look mightily tempting.

that’s why the coffee isn’t great, as the clientele are too busy retrieving stray Early Learning Centre toys and mittens.

To be clear, this is about black coffee. If you seek sugar, cinnamon, chocolate, cream and words with ‘ccino’ on the end (not the trousers) then I’m sure anywhere will satisfy these cravings. However, when in search of your daily coffee fix, do consider what you are drinking. Coffee deserves your due care and attention.

Photo: avlxyz @Flickr

“I visited the Whim Wham Cafe in need of some mid -week escapism” I ordered the special of Shredded Pork in GB sauce (a blend of Great British ingredients such as cider, ginger beer and Worcestershire sauce) served with roast potatoes, coleslaw and corn bread. The generous portion of meat was tender and the accompanying sauce was beautifully flavoured and deliciously rich. At £13.50, it was decent value as the accompaniments meant that side dishes were not necessary. However, since Father Dear was paying, I chose not to deprive myself of wholegrain mustard cabbage and minted peas at a respectable £2.50 each.

My dad tried the shin of Cheshire beef with baby onions, bacon and mushrooms, served with a horseradish dumpling and was similarly impressed.

For dessert we had the sublime sticky toffee pudding with salted caramel and peanut butter ice cream, as well as an indulgent bowl of marmalade on toast ice cream.

Following dessert, the friendly and effortlessly cool owner, Alix, offered to let us sample some upcoming spring cocktails. Visitors in the next few weeks will have the opportunity to try Gin Fashioned, an Old Fashioned style gin drink with a hint of marmalade liqueur or the Whamble, a raspberry bramble cocktail.

The only criticism that can be aimed at the Whim Wham Café is that, with each meal being prepared fresh, waiting times can mount – although sitting in the delightful surroundings and listening the occasional train rumbling overhead whilst enjoying a cocktail, I would hardly have noticed were the staff not so apologetic about the wait.

I am frequently asked by Erasmus friends where to go for good British food, to which I normally respond that a good pub Sunday roast is probably their best bet. No more. I will be taking every visitor I have between now and graduation to The Whim Wham Café for a great eating and drinking experience.

Food & Drink

ISSUE 18/ 18TH MARCH 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

23

Go one better: restaurants Marcus Kelly offers alternatives to the chains, helping you get more for your money This generation of students has become known as the ‘foodie generation’. The desire to eat out is ingrained in our minds and we’re surrounded by options to explore. Manchester has got plenty of chains - I’m talking Nando’s, Wagamamas, Café Rouge, Ask and Pizza Express - yet finding tastier eateries to replace these household names seems just a little bit too much effort and we’re put off by the generally incorrect assumption that they’re more expensive. Don’t get me wrong, these chains aren’t bad, but you can find better on a similar budget.

Avoid Nando’s. Nando’s is probably the biggest player in the game right now due to a growing love of chicken, whilst perhaps the horse-meat fiasco has seemingly reduced our passion for beef. But what has Nando’s got that other places don’t?

Vegetarians aside, the majority of its customers seem to tear into the half chicken and the two measly sides. The £10 for that meal can comfortably cover a meal in one of the upper-end restaurants in Manchester. For an alternative meal out, I’d suggest The Oast House in Spinningfields.

Despite being part of the illustrious group who own the likes of Australasia (a graduation dinner favourite) and The Alchemist, the prices are anything but extortionate. Your £10 half chicken doesn’t seem such good value when

This quaint cottage has a lot more character than Nando’s. Photo: The Oast House faced with their trademark (yeah, they actually TM’d the name) £9.95 Hanging Kebab, dripping in sweet chilli and ginger sauce whilst dangling over a plentiful portion of chips to lap up those overflowing juices. The al fresco grilling hut for cooking all their meat proves it’s worth more than that famous portuguese peri-peri palace.

Next up, Wagamama’s. I’m a sucker for Wagamama’s, the ambience, the waiters and the food are always great, but the prices stop me from residing there day in day out. With Manchester’s collection of generic asian buffets, Wagamama’s is a trustworthy place to dive into but £9.40 for a chicken katsu curry or £9.30 for their

miso chicken ramen does not compare to the increasingly popular sushi and noodle bar Umami (snuck in between the Aquatics centre and Footage), whose £5.95 2 course lunch menu has been attracting those in the know since it opened.

The menu’s constantly changing, one week you’ll be biting into prawn tempura followed by chicken katsu curry (no different to Wagamama’s) and the following week you’ll be savouring their gyoza before digging into some spicy pork and prawn noodles. Whilst the waiting staff may not be the most cooperative, the bustling vibe and good, cheap food, you’ll soon forget why your student loan was decreasing on Wagamama’s fruit juices before you’ve even ordered your food.

Another chain that has grown over recent years is Pizza Express. Teaming up with Orange Wednesday has done it no harm. Yet their £9 pizzas are easily surpassed when faced with those of Gusto’s in Didsbury. The vast leather booths, and dark lighting already make it more attractive than the Ikea-esque decor of Pizza Express; moreover, their pizzas are a level above. From pizzas such as the Peking (our favourite chinese pancakes made into a pizza) to a more classic Diavola, Gusto’s offers you a chance to escape the monotonous world of the Americans or the La Reines and really see what a £10 pizza should taste like.

Great British Menu Drinking Game Following the success of our Great British Bake Off Drinking Game, we introduce the Great British Menu Drinking Game - as this programme’s format is no less formulaic. Enjoy!

1 finger

2 fingers

3 fingers

Down it!

The chefs antagonise each other

If the chef fails to inject any humour into the dish

A chef is late to ‘the pass’

Every time ‘Comic Relief’ or ‘Red Nose Day’ is mentioned

The chef cooks something that resembles a red nose

A chef makes a mistake and the narrator implies they’re going to be late to ‘the pass’

The name of a dish includes a play on words

A dish is awarded a 10

A dish is awarded 4 or less When judging, instead of open criticism, the judge sceptically asks the chef a pointed question

A clip of a chef shouting a food order in his or her own restaurant

Every time a dish is based on a classic joke e.g. Why did the chicken cross the road?

Liquid nitrogen is used

The word ‘quirky’ is used to describe the food

Chef chat

What we really think about Hugh Eve Commander

After all, who calls their TV program after the restaurant they weren’t good enough to work in, saying that the experience helped to shape their career, unless they’re childishly point-scoring?

On the surface there’s not a lot to dislike about Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall. He’s affable and champions good stuff like local produce, ‘real food’ and an end to battery chickens. The fact that he was chucked out of the esteemed River Café Kitchen for ‘being messy’ and ‘lacking discipline’ made him endearing.

I had built up a picture of a homely farmer and found him to be an aristocrat. Educated at Eton, he’d skipped from Oxford to conservation work in Africa; to failed sous chef; to journalism; to TV cook. Talk about having his cake and eating it!

When, on a Thursday evening I watched him foraging in the undergrowth in an attempt to live ‘the good life’ in River Cottage I considered it a vaguely uncool but guilty pleasure. But as I grew wiser, I saw that what I took as boyish charm was really youthful petulance.

But that wasn’t all. Suddenly, he announced he would be doing ‘A whole summer without flesh’; was this the same man who notoriously flambéed and puréed a human placenta to serve as pâté on TV Dinners? How could I respect the words of someone who’d spent hours on our TV screens hunting for rabbits and

expounding the virtues of organic chicken and then honestly claim that going veggie was ‘no deprivation’ to his eating experience whatsoever?

Where once his Fish Fight and Chicken Out! campaigns seemed well-meaning, now they felt sanctimonious; the £240 a head to dine at River Cottage now seemed cynical. Instead of the nickname Hugh ‘Eatsitall’ that he earned in the early series of River Cottage by gamely cooking up roadkill, Hugh ‘Haveitall’ seems more appropriate. Whilst we’re hoodwinked, this man takes the biscuit.

Has Hugh lost his charm? Photo: wikipedia.org

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Arts & Culture SUPPER:

S u r v iv i n g

ISSUE 18/ 18TH MARCH 2012 WWW.MANCUNION.COM /TheMancunionArtsCulture @ArtsMancunion

Feature

No place like Soane

Harriet Hill-Payne searches out the unusual, the bizarre and the eclectic for your Easter cultural fix

Umberto Boccioni, ‘A strada entra nella casa,’ ©Wikimedia Commons

FUTURISM ‘We declare this a new beauty, the beauty of speed’ Marinetti The Futurist movement was founded by the poet Marinetti in Milan, 1909. It was more of an ideological than stylistic movement that denunciated the oppressive past and called for a new society in Italy. The Futurists glorified war, technology, anarchy and speed which was reflected in this quote from their original manifesto, ‘We declare a new beauty, the beauty of speed.

A roaring race-car that goes like a machine gun is more beautiful than the winged Victory of Samothrace’. Artistically their main aims were to represent universal dynamism in their paintings and sculptures and the simultaneity of an experience, to depict the relationship between their human subjects and their surroundings and to show the world as it was experienced, not necessarily as it was.

STYLE AND SUBJECT MATTER

The Futurists based their works on two main styles: neoImpressionism and Cubism.

They adapted these styles to fit their own subject matter.

Neo-Impressionism provided a means of analysing energy, created a sense of dynamism within their works and the vividness of unmixed colours added to the velocity of their paintings.

It was also the style of former anarchists and social and artistic reformers whom they admired.

Cubism allowed them to depict different viewpoints of the successive positions of figures at once which introduced time into space. Futurist canvases tended to appear abstracted, energetic and vehement with dynamic lines and the breakdown of light and bright colours.

Futurist sculpture was similarly dynamic and abstract in the aim to depict movement and the relationship of the subject to its surroundings.

THE KEY PLAYERS

Filippo Tommaso Marinetti – founder of the movement and the man wrote the Manifesto of Futurism on 20th February 1909 which was published on the front page of Paris newspaper Le Figaro.

PAINTINGS TO KNOW The Street Penetrates the House – Umberto Boccioni 1911 (Sprengel Museum) The Revolt – Luigi Russolo 1911 (Gemeentemuseum Den Haag) Unique Forms of Continuity in Space – Umberto Boccioni 1913 (Tate Modern)

Tucked away, on a quiet street near Holborn tube, is the Sir John Soane’s Museum.

Undergoing extensive renovations when I went, there was some sheeting around part of the building, but other than that, there was nothing to say this was anything other than one among a street of graceful townhouses. It was drizzling, and a warden outside gave us an umbrella while we waited the house, unsurprisingly, not designed to cope with huge numbers of visitors at one time.

Walking through the front door, you are transported, writing your name in the visitors book and leaving all belongings in a cloakroom, stepping into a house which has been, ‘as nearly as circumstances will admit,’ kept as it was when Soane died.

A quote from Wendy Mulford, though she was talking about an early twentieth century novelist, gives an epithet which could equally apply to Soane: a fascination with ‘the tang of

John Soane. Design for a Royal Palace, bird’s-eye view. 1821, © Wikipedia Commons

things tasted, smelt, handled, known in their quiddity and their essence.’ The house is a testament to a life of intelligent collecting, begun on Soane’s appointment as Professor of Architecture at the Royal Academy in 1806, when he wanted to have his books, casts

and paintings carefully curated to show his students. It’s an extraordinary, unexpected and inspiring collection, curated and maintained by an enthusiastic team, small tours of the collection are scheduled throughout the day but you can just arrive and wander around

by yourself. I joined one of the tours in the Hogarth room, which is tiny, shutters folding back to reveal more pictures, crammed floor to ceiling with his satirical prints, paintings and etchings of the eighteenth century urban metropolis, and found the guide concise,

passionate and not at all patronising.

Something different to investigate on an Easter afternoon, entering the Soane is a rare opportunity to experience such a wonderland of visual culture. Around the corner from both the National, and National Portrait Galleries, a short stumble down the road brings you to the Hunterian: London’s eerie-but-fascinating memorial to the world of surgical specimens. Home to the skeletons of the world’s tiniest and largest, the Hunterian is a treasure trove of pickled, and taxidermied wonders –– from puppy foetuses, to crocodile intestines.

Further away, Dennis Severs’ House at 18 Folgate Street in Spitalfields is a similarly eclectic experience and well worth a trip. So have a look on trainline.com, book yourself on a cheap return, and go and take advantage of what our capital has to offer.

Everyday Analusis

Mladen Dolar, ‘trill’ and LONG.LIVE.A$AP The Everyday Analysis Collective discuss psychoanalyst Mladen Dolar’s view of the voice, as ‘as a vehicle of meaning’ or as the object of ‘aesthetic admiration,’ in relation to A$AP Rocky and hip-hop Without doubt the biggest and most important hip-hop album of 2013 was released only two weeks into the year on January 15th. A$AP Rocky’s album LONG. LIVE.A$AP, featuring Kendrick Lamar and Drake, who Rocky is closely associated with, has already had a huge impact on US Hip Hop, and will go on to define the genre’s 2013. It will appeal to a huge audience, from rap to mainstream to dance (as the latest single featuring Skrillex will show).

Despite high-praise from the vast majority of the music world, including Pitchfork and NME, it has also drawn unsurprising criticisms from some sectors. A$AP’s album is full of a language that that is sexually, racially and culturally offensive, endorsing violence towards women, drug-taking and heinous crime, among other questionable things. These are criticisms that A$AP is used to; even Jonah Weiner of Slate, who ranked his debut 2011 mixtape Live.Love.A$AP in his top five, called Rocky ‘hip-hop’s abiding misogynist.’

Online reviews have gone a lot further, with contactmusic.com claiming the album is ‘ruined by a backdrop of violence and misogyny’ and

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various blogs attacking papers such as the New York Times for celebrating his misogyny. A look on Google will discover a string of complaints and even online petitions to boycott his music. As low-level as these criticisms might be, and despite approval of Rocky’s talent from the music world, the question seems a fair one; is there a place for a misogynist and violent rap music in 2013?

But A$AP Rocky’s album is supposed to be shocking, and shocking it certainly is. The real radicalism of the album though, is not in his willingness to use words and language that others shy away from, but somewhere completely different; it is in his use of the voice.

A$AP’s trademark noise, which cannot be transcribed in language, sounds something like a pig snorting. Anyone who has listened to even one song will know what we mean by this. We could try to transcribe it: ‘URGHH’ or ‘AHH’ or perhaps the closest possible ‘UUU’ (we’ll run with that). The noise crops up in every track, it simply wouldn’t be A$AP Rocky without it.

Kendrick Lamar even has his own go at it at the start of his rap in the

new single with Rocky, ‘Fucking Problems.’ The noise is deeply disconcerting and shocking, but also something we are intensely drawn to; it is both horrible and appealing, both repulsive and desirable. The noise contains the real brilliance of A$AP Rocky.

Psychoanalyst Mladen Dolar has written a fantastic book on the subject of ‘the voice.’

There he notices, in a way that is relevant to our discussion of music here, that the two conventional ways that the voice can be seen are ‘as a vehicle of meaning’ or as the object of ‘aesthetic admiration,’ i.e. what we consider to be a beautiful voice. In the course of the book Dolar asks us to think about a third way in which the voice functions, as something which is neither of these two, which instead has some power of its own to be uncanny and disconcerting, to dislodge our sense of both meaning and the beautiful.

So what of A$AP Rocky’s voice? It certainly cannot be described as ‘beautiful’; if I describe it as I did above as ‘like a snorting pig’ few people take issue, but if I start talking about A$AP Rocky’s ‘beautiful voice’

I will find few sympathisers.

Likewise, it seems dubious that it can be described as ‘a vehicle of meaning.’

As the tension surrounding the criticisms of Rocky’s misogyny indicate, the content is hardly the point, we listen to the music anyway, and critically acclaim it. Furthermore, what meaning are we to attach to our favourite trademark A$AP noise, ‘UUU’?

Clearly it fits neither category.

The first words that the world ever heard from A$AP Rocky, the first line of the first track on his debut mixtape, are: ‘UUU, god damn, how real is this […] how trill is this?’ This needs close-reading; we are offered the noise, on its own, and then we are asked to think about how real that noise is. The answer is; it is so real that we cannot handle it. The noise expresses a reality of the voice that we usually repress, it shows us that the voice is not our tool which we use to express ourselves but something beyond us, something which is just a material noise, something which is out there, against us as much as for us, out of the control of the speaker.

From the first line he raps Rocky’s fame was set in stone;

we are faced with something new, a voice that does not fit any existing model, and with the need to recognise that this teaches us something deeply real about voices. The voice is neither an object (of admiration) nor a form (the conveyor of meaning) but something that shows that there is no true distinction between those two things, both are material.

His second line introduces us to the word ‘trill,’ a hip hop term probably dating from around 2007, but which A$AP has made his own. Trill means both ‘true’ and ‘real’ and also ‘too real.’

The message from A$AP Rocky is that the voice is ‘too real’ – it shows us how it is no-one’s voice, no human’s voice, with no relationship to beauty, and no relationship to coherent meaning; it is a reality with nothing to organize it, nothing behind it. In 2013 with A$AP Rocky, the voice has taken over from meaning in the hip hop world.

Interview: The Life Drawing Model

EDA: Freud and The Gruffalo

Stepping on the toes of Ghosts

Bejewelled Lobsters

‘I understand the way in which the body is looked at. It’s seen as shape, something aesthetic to be drawn in a mathematical way’

EverydayAnalysis apply some Freudian analysis to Julia Donaldson’s much-loved children’s classic

Review of Berlin-based artist Rosa Barba’s most recent project, which explores the material properties and narrativity of film

The fantastical, the beautiful and the grotesque collide in Raqib Shaw’s most recent exhibition at the Manchester Art Gallery, but somehow miss the mark.

Theatre

ISSUE 18/ 18th MARCH 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

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Review

Best/Worst My Boy Jack - MIFTAs Andrew Georgeson reviews the MIFTAs performance of My Boy Jack

Ben Marshall gives us the best thing and worst thing he’s ever seen on stage

The Best Say it’s just a story! Well luckily Blood Brothers is, telling the highly emotional tale of un-identical twins who are separated at birth, and then unknowingly reunited later in life, with devastating consequences. Its perfect accompanying musical score features such classics as “Tell me it’s not true” and “Marilyn Monroe”, which along with the play’s richness of real life characters who the audience truly empathises with, were a great source of catharsis for me. The challenges of growing up in a rapidly changing world is ever-present, and since I saw this play just days before starting university last September, I was filled with an overwhelming epiphany of how my own life was changing. Sadly, gone are those care-free school days and long summers spent in the park when there were no worries in the world, “well, apart from deciding what clothes you’re gonna wear!”, and that’s exactly what we witness here – two lads going from chirpy children to troublesome teens full of freedom and fun, and into the big bad world of adulthood – poignant, heart wrenching and beautiful.

The Worst I’m a huge fan of the timeless “It’s behind you” routines and the larger-than-life dames that pantos showcase, and this production of Sleeping Beauty did have both of these. However, these were the only positive droplets in this sea of theatrical shame. The acting overall was tired, bemusing and dull, with the comedyclown character doing anything but make us laugh. At times, it was cringe worthy, due to the actor’s lack of melodramatic style. This is a character who is meant to delight the audience by handing out sweets and blowing up balloons etc, but the only balloons I noticed in the whole show were the leads. The screeching villain Carabosse wasn’t much better, sounding more like a broken Witney Houston record than a wicked queen and as well as this, the storyline was all over the place, with an overly repetitive Act I, a terribly unstructured Act II and an ending that must have been written by a three year old. And this isn’t just my cynical views – I overheard conversations of my fellow audience members expressing their disappointment after the show. If it wasn’t for the brilliantly played dame, I would have walked out of the theatre at the interval. Oh yes I would!

Stephanie Georgina Thorpe, Matt Holt and Joseph Aldous. photo: Joshua Val Martin As we approach the centurion anniversary of the First World War, the increase in war themed productions is startling. The renaissance can perhaps be cited as starting with Speilberg’s popularization of ‘Warhorse’, and ‘My Boy Jack’ was a welcome addition to the wartime productions.

It revolves around the story of Rudyard Kippling, wartime polemist and author of classics such as the Jungle Book, and his family’s very personal involvement in the First World War and the aftermath of their life following the death of their son in the war.

From the offset Rudyard was presented as the archetype British male and a proud member of the greatest empire that the world has ever seen. His character, brilliantly portrayed by Matt Holt, constantly kept

the audience amused, shocked and at time bewildered by his apparent ignorance and his seeming desperation for his son to fight.

Despite describing his son’s death as the proudest moment of the young man’s life, we learn that his pride and faith in the unity of war is perhaps fleeting, and instead of whole heartedly believing the words that he pens to send more young men to death, he simply uses them as a coping method.

The character of Jack himself was a clear crowd pleaser and perfectly cast in the person of Joseph Aldous. The character is suffocated under the pressure of his over zealous father.

He tells his sister that he is joining the army as an escapism, despite his severe short sightedness and the timid nature associated with his youth, a mere 16 years, he cannot

Review Conquest to the South Pole - MIFTAs

Originally set in a claustrophobic flat in Glasgow, Thea Paulett and Amy O’Toole close off the outside world with an intense representation of a room that could be placed in any city in England. Polly Stenham explores the chaotic decline of a dysfunctional middleclass family with all necessary ingredients for an explosive theatrical experience. Martha, neurotic, drunk and irreconcilably selfish, dominates the action of the play alongside her sensitive and dedicated son Henry who spends the latter years of his youth tending to his mother’s madness. To add to the mix, is a pinch of tear-away teenagedom in Mia and a notably absent Father who, away from the chaos of the hovel in which Martha and Henry live, enjoys the life of a rich stock broker in Japan. Archetypal- but no less interesting for it.

For Ellie McLaughlin’s full review go to: http://mancunion.com/category/theatre/

Hannah Lawrence

through his teeth. I have no idea how they did it but it was a brilliant moment, disgusting, granted, but brilliant nonetheless.

However, I think the play did, at times, struggle to overcome the challenges presented by the script. I think the evocation of the setting could have been much sharper.

Coming to it with little prior in-depth knowledge of the play I have to admit there

Review: That Face - MIFTAs

Photo: Joshua Val Martin

bear to live in this home.

The presentation of Jack’s final moments shows the stark reality of war. The chaotic sound of shells, whistles and machine guns that gets loud to the point that you can no longer hear the actors frantic shouts, comes to a devastating silence.

The silence, broken only by the Jack’s shrill whistle of attack, is a time for the characters to contemplate what for most was their last moment. The silence is a broken only by the whimpering of Jack’s brigade, before a short monologue by Jack, which he finally concedes despite all his bravery, ‘I’m scared.’

The soldiers go over the top, and the first act draws to an end.

The second act revolves around discovering Jack’s fate. At the beginning of the scene we discover that Jack is missing presumed wounded, yet a painstaking effort, we hear that Rudyard interviewed over 340 members of the Irish guard, who were Jack’s battalion on the off chance that he might be able to find someone who knew Jack or saw what happened to him.

The climax of the play sees the introduction of one of the men Jack led over the top, Guardsman Bowe, played by Joe Bradley. He survived the attack, yet is incredibly badly affected by shellshock. He movingly recants the attack to the audience, revealing Jack’s gruesome fate, and apologizes for not helping Jack more than he should have.

The confession acts as some form of closure for the family, and the final scene shows his daughters wedding. After her marriage, she is moving to France in order to start a new family. This time, however, Kippling appears to be far more reluctant to allow another one of his children to travel to France.

The UMDS stage a performance of economic austerity, expeditionary imaginations and impressive acting in ‘The Conquest to the South Pole’.

In many ways this is a play that reverberates with any contemporary viewer. With austerity measures still plaguing the budget and cuts to public services still hitting hard this play, which followed a group of unemployed men escaping the reality of their joblessness, couldn’t have been more relevant.

Whilst part of the production’s success lay in its relevance, the acting, for me, was the strongest element. Comedy is often hard to get right, especially when it requires nuanced and complex character portrayals to create any kind of empathy for the characters’ situation – something which was definitely important in The Conquest. There is also, with comedy, the danger of over acting, but that boundary was impressively navigated here by each of the actors. Henry Page managed to portray a facetious, domineering, leader of the pack

figure without drifting off into a hateful character and completely alienating us from the drama. Jake Jones, Stan Benes and Oliver Hamilton all worked well together as the other members of this motley crew, whose trials and tribulations we followed, offering humour and poignancy, in their imaginary conquest to the South Pole.

Natalia Schwartz’s La Braukmann provided an empowered female role within the drama, in contrast to Hannah Jackson’s Rosi, whose part gave us one of the most unsettling and poignant moments of the play, in the scene which depicted her troubled relationship with Rudi, played by Mathew Kerry. The scene’s unsettling atmosphere made for awkward viewing and culminated in Frankieboy, played

by Ross Carey, mauling Rudi’s leg. But this was no regular staging of a dog mauling a man’s leg (not that I think its something which is all that regularly staged!), Relieved of Frankieboy Rudi hobbled off, turning to face us Frankieboy opened his mouth to show blood dripping

“

expeditionary imaginations and impressive acting

were moments where I was slightly confused.

I felt, at points, it was hard to distinguish where the line between fiction and reality lay.

The script uses a plethora of analogies and humorous ditties and I felt the staging and the action could have been used more effectively to make their meaning a little clearer for the audience.

Nonetheless the play was compelling and humorous and the performance suggested that a lot of hard work had gone into its production. I felt that the actors worked well together on stage, they struck up a really good dynamic which was one of the most successful aspects of the performance. I would definitely like to see the same team tackle something else in the future.

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Lifestyle 60 seconds with... novelist Daryl Johnson

D. J. Johnson left work in the city to become a full time writer and has recently released his debut novel The Critical Path. Lifestyle interviewed the novelist.

ISSUE 18/ 18TH MARCH 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Single vs in a relationship

Faye Parr and Dana Fowles on the pros and cons to being single and in a relationship Faye on the benefits of being in a relationship:

What did you used to do in the city? Was it writing related?

Having been in a relationship for three and a half years, I love listening to the dating stories of others. The more awkward and embarrassing the better! Some of my particular favourites include hideous one night stand stories, or listening to a group of girls meticulously picking apart a text their friend has been sent by her potential Mr Darcy. However, it’s conversations like these which although I find tremendously amusing, I thank god I’m not part of!

Being in a relationship makes you comfortable in your own skin, there is no need to worry about the trivial issues which accompany being single and dating. Why has he not sent me kisses in his text? Will he think my boobs are too small? How many dates before he expects me to sleep with him? Once you have found somebody who appreciates you for who you are all of these problems which once seemed so important become irrelevant.

It’s very nice to have somebody to steal socks off, bring you breakfast in the morning, buy you chocolates and flowers on Valentine’s Day and keep you warm in bed at night. I’m also happy when I wake up and the person lying next to me is not a half drunk stranger, who’s now

It had nothing to do with writing whatsoever funnily enough!

It’s...

Do you have a full time job as well as being a writer?

I used to, I worked in the city but I haven’t been working for the last year because I got made redundant. When I originally wrote the book, it was during a period in which I wasn’t working.

Have you always written?

No, I fiddled around a bit here and there. I enjoyed writing at school, but didn’t really do much after leaving. I started writing again just before the millennium because I wasn’t very happy in my work and was trying to find some other outlet. So I just started writing, thoroughly enjoyed it and subsequently gave up work to have a go at it full time.

So, you had no literary training at all?

No. Did you go to university?

I didn’t go to university, no. I was supposed to go to Oxford where my brothers went and my dad had been, but I got involved in a band and, got a girlfriend and took my eye off the ball when it came to education. I decided that I didn’t want to go.

Your novel has been described as ‘dark and disturbing’, what made you write about such a taboo subject?

The type of art that I like, whether music, books or other forms, tends to be on the darker side of things - that’s what I find interesting. To be honest, I think it’s easier to write stuff which has got a darker side to it.

I wanted to put someone into a situation which would turn their life upside down, turn their politics, their philosophy, and the whole way they looked at the world. I started thinking about this and I found out that the number of people who are actually victims of rape is way higher than anybody thinks or knows. It’s very rarely reported because of the stigma and all sorts of things go with it.

Would you say the book is aimed at a certain group of people? Were you trying to get through to anybody in particular?

Erm, not really. I think a lot of people may read what reviewers say and think ‘I don’t want to read that, why would I want to read that?’ To me it’s not so much about rape, it’s about what happens to someone who is caught up in a traumatic event and how they deal with it.

Did you ever suffer from writer’s block?

No not really, the bit I find most difficult is the starting bit: starting at the beginning of the day or starting a new chapter, getting the engine moving.

Any future plans?

more Mickey Rourke than the Brad Pitt from the night before.

Dana on the benefits of being single: I moan about being single from time to time, but then I think about some of the couples I know who have moved in together. Arguing over who cooks and who washes the dishes?

No thanks. Enduring days of silent treatment because you came in drunk at 5am and disturbed your sleeping partner? Again, no thanks.

Blind Date Lewis, 1st year, Business Studies First impressions? She looked nice, very pretty and welldressed. She didn’t wear heels either which I liked, because I don’t like it when girls are too over-done. She’s a brunette though, and I usually go for blondes.

First impressions? He isn’t my usual type- a bit shorter than what I normally go for- but he has nice hair. I also like lads with glasses, which was a bonus.

Did the date get off to a flying start? Yeah, he was so friendly and really funny so he kept me laughing! [Laughs], we’re both from the same area of the country so it was nice to talk to someone who quite literally knew where I was coming from.

Best features? Nice smile with lovely teeth- she told me she’d had braces for years. She also had a natural tan, which was good because I can’t stand orangelooking girls who fake tan all the time.

Best Features? Nice eyes and a very dry, witty sense of humour, which I love.

Any awkward moments? He did tell a couple of jokes which I didn’t understand, so that prompted some pity laughs.

Any awkward moments? I think I told some risky jokes that she wasn’t really a fan of; thinking about it, they were probably a bit much for a girl to find funny.

Did you have many things in common? Yeah we did actually, we’re both from just outside of Birmingham so we talked for quite a while about that.

What was the weirdest thing she told you? I can’t remember anything weird to be honest; she seems like a pretty normal girl.

Did you have many things in common?

Yeah, loads actually! It turns out we actually grew up around twenty minutes away from one another, so we had a lot of shared memories about the places we’d been to as children. We also both like the gym so we talked a fair bit about that.

Lewis

What happened after you finished your meal? We stayed for a little bit, but she had work early in the morning so we left.

How did you say goodbye? I gave her a hug and said I’d add her on Facebook.

Lastly, clichéd question, but do you have any advice for students who are aspiring writers?

Would you look at her twice in a club? Erm I dunno- yeah maybe actually, because she has good taste in clothes and she’s got nice hair. Even though I don’t usually go for brunettes.

So no kiss? Nah.

Potential sex partner percentage? Erm, 60%? What did she say?

Any future plans? I’m definitely going to add her on Facebook and speak to her on there.

Beth Currall & Lauren Arthur

Lauren Arthur

Helen, 2nd year, French & Linguistics

Did the date get off to a flying start?

I think so, I made her laugh quite a bit which is always good. She was easy to chat to and we had a fair bit in common.

I’ve just started writing another book now, which I’m at the very early stages of. It’s going to be a bit less bleak, less dark, but it will still have elements of that to it. It’s going to be about lies and deceit.

Read lots, read widely. Try to understand the things you are interested in and why this might be, then write. lots. Keep trying and then look at your work with some distance or get someone else to read it and critique. The more you do, the more likely you are to find the style that you want to write in and find a voice of your own, one that’s not copied.

As my mum so often reminds me, your student years are there for you to ‘try before you buy’. There is plenty of time to settle down into domestic bliss with ‘the one,’ there should be no rush. If it feels natural and fun, then that’s a different matter, but if there are more cross words exchanged than laughs, it’s time to rethink.

The single status is one which should be made the most of. The frequently asked, ‘Have you got a boyfriend/girlfriend yet?’ question at family occasions should not make singletons feel inadequate. Firstly, it’s okay to be picky.

What is the point in desperately searching for a relationship with just anyone? Secondly, who says that we even want relationships anyway? It might seem like the grass is always greener on the other side, but in reality, is it? One day, when you’re tied down with a husband or wife, four kids, a dog and a Ford Mondeo estate, you will probably be glad that you had a few years to cut loose and do whatever the hell you wanted to.

So, while sometimes I think to myself that it would be nice to have someone to snuggle up to in bed and watch films with; I am reminded that it is also nice to be able to spread eagle and snore until my heart’s content, or to go out and come back at 5am with memory blanks and a dodgy-looking kebab.

&H elen

What was the weirdest thing he told you? He told me about his eventful weekend at a stag do in Leeds: some pretty weird things went on which I won’t repeat for fear of embarrassing him.

What happened after you finished your meal? We stayed for another drink, but I had to get up early for work so we said our goodbyes at Trof, as he lives in the City whereas I live in Fallowfield.

How did you say goodbye? A friendly hug [pauses and laughs]. What?! That was it!

So did you kiss? No, I’ve told you! A friendly hug.

Would you look twice at him in a club? Probably not, I was more attracted to his personality so initially there was no spark.

Potential sex partner percentage? [Laughs] 50%?

Any plans for the future? He said he would add me on Facebook so we could talk, so who knows? Maybe.

Thanks to Trof and all the staff at Trof Fallowfield. If you would like to get involved please send your name and course details to Beth Currall at bethcurrall@hotmail.com

Lifestyle

ISSUE 18/ 18TH MARCH 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

TV

Mind the gap

TV vs reality

How old is too old? Lauren shares her view

Gwen Ellis on how TV shows such as SATC and Gossip Girl impacting on our lives?

I often fantasise about waking up in a fabulous apartment, looking like I have just stepped out of a magazine advert. I’ll head to work in my Manolos, wind blowing in my hair. Obviously, I come crashing back down to earth when I step onto the 142 in my muddy Converses, faced with crowds of students who smell of stale beer and Lynx.

This fantasy is definitely the result of watching one too many episodes of Sex and the City and Gossip Girl. I often find myself trying to channel my inner-Samantha or my inner-Serena after one too many G&Ts, ending up in some ridiculous situations. The last time I channelled my inner-Samantha I ended up sipping vodka martinis with a twenty-something businessman in his hotel bar. Leaving the venue was more Secret Diary

27

of a Call Girl than SATC – I was red faced and wreaked of shame.

I later thought to myself, how did that happen? Had I just been myself or had I gained false confidence from the glitz and glamour of my favourite shows? Had these programmes completely infiltrated my head so much so that I end up morphing into one of the characters? The bottom line is that it is unrealistic of me to think that I can get away with Samantha behaviour, hence why I have so much love for Girls which has recently hit our TV screens.

I watched the whole series of Girls within two days. Both SATC and Gossip Girl seem airbrushed to the point of fantasy when you compare them to the brutal honesty of this newcomer, which sees a group of friends

navigate their twenties ‘one mistake at a time.’

Life is portrayed far more truthfully; issues such as losing the financial support of parents and having to take unpaid internships in order to try and succeed are addressed, as well as dating, sex and arguments amongst friends. This is perhaps helped by the fact that the comedy-drama is based on some of creator and star Lena Dunham’s personal experiences. I don’t feel the need to release my inner-anyone at the end of an episode; it’s okay not to have a fashion line at the age of 23 and it’s okay to mess up sometimes Girls’ frank honesty about sex, friendship and love is refreshing in a world where TV is glamorised to the max. Although there is fun to be had when channelling your innerSamantha, Manchester student life cannot be compared to those of the privileged in New York City and we shouldn’t be made to feel inadequate by fictional constructs.

Look back fondly on your juvenile years and you will remember the unspoken law concerning relationship age differences. Girls going out with older boys was an achievement. If they were fully grown men it was weird, but if they were doing their GCSEs as you sat your A Levels, you were in social suicide territory. The question is, just how much do these attitudes really change as we grow up?

How much is too much?

Take Caroline Flack and Harry Styles for example. Whilst not a fan of either, I did feel slightly sorry for Flack who was victim to incessant abuse during and after the split with the curlyhaired singer, 15 years her junior. Cougar/toyboy and gold digger/ sugar daddy relationships are frequently criticised, but they are surprisingly common even amongst us nobodies.

Obviously there are some drawbacks to the big age gap. You could be reminiscing about your hair in the 80s, whilst your partner awkwardly recounts the stories that their mum used to tell them.

The likelihood of you sharing a lot of common interests is possible but perhaps slim, as you will be at different stages in your lives and at times probably unable to relate to one another.

That aside, your happiness in a relationship is the most important thing. ‘Love knows no boundaries’ and all that jazz. Embrace the age gap and the things you learn from one another, though perhaps steer clear of someone your parents’ age. After all, ‘meet the parents’ is awkward enough as it is.

Travel and advice

Thailand: cultural paradise A guide to good oral sex Thomas Oriel on his experiences in South East Asia When students talk about their dream destinations, Thailand is always high on the list. So what is it that is so attractive about South-East Asia? I had the chance to find out for myself in the summer of 2011.

When I arrived at the Suvarnabhumi Airport, I realised just how far away from home I was.

There were people travelling in cars with no doors, eating ‘street’ food and elephants walking down major highways. After getting used to the initial cultural differences though, Thailand began to feel like a home from home.

It was impossible not to warm to the kindness and generosity displayed by the Thai people. Most people you pass in the street will say “Hello” and smile, which is more than can be said for the UK. This community feel teamed with the history, culture, food, nightlife, climate and scenery culminate together perfectly to create a cultural paradise.

The cosmopolitan capital, Bangkok is a must-see. The shopping opportunities are particularly good for all you spend thrifts out there. If traditional, eclectic markets happen to be your thing, why not try the nearby Khlong Lat Mayom floating market one weekend? The novelty

of its riverside location and wide variety of products from clothing and household accessories to boat-cooked cuisine makes it well worth a visit. If you fancy trying something a little more upmarket, there are plenty of multi-storey shopping malls to choose from, such as the legendary MBK, which is a beehive of activity with its eight floors and 2000 stores.

The nights you are more likely not to remember at The Full Moon Party in Koh Phangan are

not to be missed out on. Beginning at dusk when the moon makes its appearance over the beach of Haad Rin, there are 10-30,000 people at the party every month. The music is varied to suit a number of different tastes with dance, drum and bass, trance and more commercial styles on offer. So, if this trip is on your to-do list, then I certainly recommend doing it sooner rather than later.

Daniel Roo advises men on how to let go during oral Men, there are a few things we can do to be good receivers of oral sex. Firstly, maintain good hygiene and remember that we gentlemen are not exempt from grooming. Hair stuck in teeth is a no-no, so don’t presume that your partner wants a starter before getting stuck into the main course.

Secondly, have respect and be appreciative.

Don’t grab their head and thrust away if they don’t like it. After all, this is something that they are doing for you, so take their boundaries into consideration unless you want a black eye and an embarrassing story.

This may sound obvious, but it is important to masturbate a lot in order to find out how you like to be touched. You can then communicate this honestly and openly to your partner(s). It will help you both; neither of you will be able to enjoy oral sex fully unless you feel confident about pleasing one another.

Like any sex, good oral sex is all about communication. Don’t be afraid to tell your partner exactly what you like. An easy way in which to do this is through the sounds you make. If you sound as though you are enjoying yourself, your partner will feel more comfortable and relaxed. This will keep things fun, playful and experimental. They will be able to gauge which techniques work best on you - satisfaction all round.

When it comes to the issue of spit or swallow, remember that not everybody enjoys their partner ejaculating into their mouth. It can be an acquired taste. While it is important to express your desires, you should also think about what your partner does or doesn’t like, as there should be enjoyment from both the pleasure giver and the receiver. Listening is another vital part of that all-important communication.

Finally, and I cannot stress this enough, give yourself permission to let go. While this may sound simple, not being able to let go is my vice and the vice of many others.

After several years of being sexually active I can count on one hand the amount of times I’ve been able to orgasm from oral sex. Why? I worry about whether my partner is okay, whether they are bored, whether I’m big enough or hard enough.

So if you are suffering the same, give yourself permission to let go for five minutes. Again this will make the experience less daunting and tense for both of you.

If you follow these tips, oral sex may become less about performance and more about intimacy.

Just don’t forget to return the favour.

28

Games

ISSUE 18/ 18th March 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Preview - Bioshock: Infinite

Fans of the BioShock franchise thus far have been treated to some of the most inventive and chilling plot lines the gaming industry has had to offer. The first two games combined horror, fantasy and thriller with impressive results bringing a dark and deserted underwater world known as Rapture to life. All of this is turned on its head in the up and coming BioShock: Infinite as developers Irrational Games attempt to win over new fans. Infinite draws heavily upon American exceptionalism and the Red Scare whilst retaining the steampunk feel that made it such a visually pleasing experience last time around.

However this is where many of the similarities with previous BioShock games end. Director of design Bill Gardner has admittedly compared it to Rapture, Columbia is larger, richer and more detailed, but will this be enough to keep fans happy with the new direction?

The story in Infinite takes place before the events of the first two BioShock games. Cofounder of Irrational games Ken Levine even failed to rule out the possibility that BioShock Infinite takes places in a different universe to that of its predecessors entirely – giving us

an idea of the new direction the franchise is taking.

The player takes control of a former agent of the Pinkerton National Detective Agency called Booker DeWitt. Drawn to alcoholism and gambling as a result of events Booker witnesses at the Battle of Wounded Knee, he is hired by secretive individuals who task him with infiltrating the air city Columbia in order to rescue a women called Elizabeth. Once in Columbia, Booker soon realises Elizabeth is extremely powerful and central to a civil war that continues to rage in the sky-city. Two factions called the Founders and the Vox Populi both want Elizabeth, and DeWitt must protect her from an array of dangers including a Robotic Songbird (wait and see), in order to get her out alive. Not to make things any easier for Booker tears in the fabric of space-time threaten to destabilise the city.

So what can we expect from Infinite that will help it stand out from its predecessors and where will it replicate the tried and tested formula? The game is still a first-person shooter and retains the odd roll-playing element that will help bring to life the utopian world of Columbia. But Columbia itself is

full of people. Rapture on the other hand was pretty much deserted, so expect the experience of interacting with citizens and seeing the citizens react back to your in-game behaviour to change the dynamic of your experience.

To move around Columbia, Booker will mainly use grappling hooks and a series of connected railways known as the skyline, which join together the high rise buildings of Columbia. In terms of the more technical side of the game, only two weapons can be carried at any one time, and careful choice of weaponry will be key as the environment is set to be pretty interactive and bad choices of weaponry could weaken your effectiveness.

One of the most obvious omissions from Infinite will be the loss of tonics, plasmids and EVE, something which I will personally miss having spent hours collecting them in the previous games. In their place will be vigors, gear upgrades and salt. To gain more powers and abilities you have to collect vigors. They will grant you abilities such as telekinesis and electricity manipulation. There will be no Gene banks in Infinite, so once a vigor is used it is permanent and cannot be changed, so expect more emphasis on character customisation rather than level-to-level equipment grabs as it were. Salt replaces EVE as the power source for these abilities. Gear on the other hand will improve your strength or damage and can be collected throughout the game. There will also be four available slots for gear upgrades and various upgrade paths.

They will be key in defeating the various bad guys who will pursue you throughout the story, including the Handymen and the Motorized Patriots.

Three separate batches of downloadable content should be made available and all related to the storyline. Whilst alternative weapons, gear, costumes and vigors will come as extra content. Infinite is out on the 26th of March, and should be well worth the dosh!

No One Lives Forever is a first person shooter borrowing from the kitsch and camp 60s spy genre. You play as Cate Archer, a Scottish femme fatale who certainly has a touch of Bond about her. She’s an agent for UNITY a secret international organisation tasked with stopping terrorist organisations bent on taking over the world. In No One Lives Forever, Archer is tasked with stopping H.A.R.M, a terrorist organisation full of colourful characters.

Including mad German opera singers and kilt wearing Scots.

The game garnered much critical praise for its implementation of stealth sections and multiple ways of completing every level.

You can take the stealthy option and use a wide array of gadgets to distract enemies; alternatively you can run in guns blazing.

Bond has Q and Archer has Santa who provides her with a set of gadgets based around feminine beauty products. Her lipstick doubles as an explosive grenade, perfume bottles hold poison gas and sunglasses detect land mines.

No One Lives Forever keeps you guessing. You are protecting an ambassador in Marrakesh one minute, riding your Triumph motorcycle out of a volcano base another, and stealing an antidote from H.A.R.M’s space station the next.

Having a female protagonist allowed the game to stand out from other spy fiction. Despite being smart, good-looking, and resourceful, Archer must be better due to the social climate of the time. She gets more flack when things go wrong, and has to fight for the chance to prove herself to her superiors.

No One Lives Forever is a funny game, mining the seemingly ridiculous 60s spy fiction like The Avengers. However, the developers separate it from the likes of Austin Powers by putting storytelling first and letting the comedy come naturally.

Whether you’re looking for an FPS that doesn’t take itself too seriously, or stealth sections that aren’t mind-numbingly tedious, I can heartily recommend Monolith’s No One Lives Forever.

Jack Crutcher

Sam Dumitriu

News

Review

Mass Effect 3: The Citadel DLC EA Games • Out Now• 360/ PS3/ PC Is this the DLC you’ve been waiting for? If you wanted a serious addition to the plot that shines new light on the universe or a new ending, then sadly you’re going to be quite disappointed. Alternatively if you are, like me, someone who wants to get to spend more time with characters you’ve known and loved for the entire six year span of this series, then this is the ultimate swansong for the Mass Effect series.

The entire point of the DLC clearly is to give you the chance to reconnect with all of your previous squad mates in one final hurrah and, as per usual, Bioware’s execution of storytelling is brilliant. The main story arc is simple. It has a cheesy, yet welcomed twist and helps bring out the best jokes in the DLC. The DLC is separated into two main components: combat and conversation. It is clear that combat wasn’t the main focus this time around, but the new enemies have interesting

No One Lives Forever

Server chaos renders Sim City unplayable Jonathan Lee

Amazon temporalily pulls game from its store EA’s always-online Sim City has enraged fans of the series as server problems rendered the game unplayable. Fans took to the web to voice their rage, negative user reviews on Metacritic flooded in with the game averaging just 1.7 out of 10.

The server issues led to Amazon temporarily pulling the title from its store.

EA’s PR response to the disaster was rapid and while mostly helpful, the spin often beggared belief. Senior Producer Kip Katsarelis explained on EA’s forum that “What we saw was that

new tricks and the new combat simulator stands out of the many mini games littered around the new area. The real stars are the returning characters and their multi-layered interactions with you and more impressively, with each other. The unending references and jokes are shamelessly self-indulgent, but the execution is so perfect that fans will be playing through it multiple times to find all

the hilarious variations. The set pieces are exciting and meaningful, ranking amongst some of the most memorable moments in the entire series.

From the shooting, to the story, and most importantly all the fun you have with the characters, the emphasis on fan service means that fans will love almost everything this DLC has to offer.

players were having such a good time they didn’t want to leave the game, which kept our servers packed and made it difficult for new players to join”. EA have also attempted to win back angry fans by offering them a free EA game, which they can redeem on EA’s Origin store March 18 onwards.

Initial server issues are beginning to be resolved, with EA increasing servers by 120 per cent. This has led to the number of disrupted experiences falling by 80 per cent according to general manager Lucy Bradshaw.

However the fact that for some

the game remains unplayable raises questions about the decision to make the game always-online.

Sim City has traditionally been a single player experience, but EA’s new release scrapped that in exchange for online multiplayer. Cities now compete across regions with multiple users interacting in real time.

Still, making the game always online seems a drastic measure, considering that most of the features could function in solo play.

Always online is seen by many as a means of restricting piracy by requiring every user to be logged in. However being always online requires that the publisher is also always online. Recent history, including the disastrous launch of Diablo 3 suggests this is rarely the case. Publishers will have to decide whether or not the benefit of reduced piracy will outweigh the risk of a massive PR fail when the system inevitably crashes.

Sam Dumitriu

30 : SPORT

ISSUE 18/ 18th MARCH 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Exclusive interview: Conor McNamara The Mancunion interviews the BBC Sport commentator about his career so far and picks up a few top broadcasting tips Matthew Barber Sport Editor Conor McNamara is one of the most recognisable voices in UK sport, commentating for the BBC on a range of toplevel sports, including football, rugby and golf. He took time out of his busy Six Nations schedule to talk to the Mancunion Sport about his career and offer his tips for the next generation of broadcasters.

For McNamara, commentary was an aspiration from an early age.

‘I have memories of my Panini sticker books and doing a commentary in my head,’ he tells me. ‘Everyone wants to be a footballer, but you reach an age when you start to think realistically about how else you can I be involved.’ McNamara was under no illusions,

though, that commentary would be an easy route to get into. ‘When I was 16, I wasn’t thinking I definitely want to be a commentator - far from it,’ he says. ‘I loved the idea but it wasn’t the be all and end all.

Through university I always expected to do something else.’

It is clear that McNamara’s success stems not only from his love of sport, but also his passion for broadcasting. ‘I always had an interest in radio and as a teenager I was working weekends as a DJ on a local radio station. In between the songs I would always mention the sport! I didn’t think that stage that my path would follow through to become a commentator.’

Looking back, McNamara feels that it was a mixture of effort and fortune that helped him progress in the

Zidane at the 2006 World Cup: one of McNamara’s career highlights Photo: Wikimedia Commons

broadcasting industry. ‘It was a case of the right place at the right time,’ he says. ‘I heard that a new station was starting in Ireland. I made enquiries to find out who was in charge and did a lot of cold calling.

They called me and asked me to do a match – just a report at first - and through that I ended up doing commentary.’ For McNamara, this experience was vital in his progression as a commentator. ‘Just through that job I began to meet people and learn things. Lots of people get that initial chance but you have to take it and prove that you’re worth them wanting to bring you back again.’

McNamara’s biggest tip to prospective commentators, or journalists of any kind, is to follow his example of being persisting sending examples of work to broadcasting companies. He remembers how hearing nothing back from RTE (the biggest television broadcaster in the Republic of Ireland) did nothing to dampen his spirit. ‘The number one thing, what it all rests on, whether you’re submitting an article, or doing a recording, what you send out has to be brilliant,’ he says. ‘People assume that they’ve got a talent but you have to work at it and improve. If I listen to tapes that I did at the start, they were terrible compared to what I’d expect! My best advice is to do it again and again.’

McNamara is keen to stress that jobs like his don’t come easy. ‘I get the

impression that people are waiting for a big break - then they’ll just spring into action,’ he says. ‘If you’re a marathon runner you have to train and be ready for the big day – it’s the same principle. Start up a blog, be strict and give yourself deadlines. You have to say to yourself it doesn’t matter about dates or trips to the cinema, you’re being serious about the job and teaching yourself the discipline.’

McNamara thinks that it has never been easier to practice independently.’ From a radio point of view, go to any game regardless of level, it could be non-league or a university match,’ he explains.

‘No-one will hear you, so you can record yourself, listen to it back and think, ‘if I’d just turned on 5live, is this what I’d expect to hear? If not, find out why and keep practicing. It’s so easy with technology that anyone can go out and do it.’

I ask McNamara if, as an experienced commentator, he still feels nerves going into a match. ‘Of course,’ he replies.

‘Anything can happen and that becomes one of the thrills of the job. The day that you’re not nervous at all is the day that you’ll make mistakes.’ He cites his next game as an example.

‘Tomorrow I’m doing Ireland v France in the rugby, I’ve already seen them in the Six Nations but I still feel I need to prepare.

Yes, you do get nervous but that’s a good thing - just make sure it is in enough time that you can also get prepared.’

McNamara was the BBC commentator at the 2012 Ryder Cup

For a commentator who has worked at the Ryder Cup, the Rugby World Cup final and the Champions League final, choosing a single career highlight is always going to be difficult. ‘There’s a difference between what you enjoy personally and your career highlight – it could be a glamorous location that you would love to report from – but it might not be the biggest game.’ There is one fixture, though, that sticks out for McNamara. ‘The 2006 World Cup quarter final between France and Brazil. This was a massive occasion; it could have been Zinedine Zidane’s final game. But then, Zizou just turns it on in one of the best performances I’ve ever seen.

He was rolling back the years and pulling out all sorts of party tricks. I thought to myself, this is a historic moment, I’m commentating on something amazing.’

Despite these McNamara still feels the best is yet to come.

‘Clare Balding normally does the Ryder Cup, but this year she pulled out meaning that I got a late call up.’ For me, that shows that no matter where you are in the structure of things you are still waiting for your moment.’

Conor McNamara appears at masterclasses for ‘The Sport Business’ in Manchester. Find out more at www.thesportbusiness.co.uk

A week in the life of a student journalist Cal Millar reveals his diary working for The Mancunion, FuseFM and FuseTV Cal Millar

@fusefmnews.

editor John Charlton can stitch

more about sports you’d never

the audience. Keep your eyes

later and you get a much more

Tuesday:

it together. I plan my voice-

followed before - I think I even

peeled on FuseTV’s youtube

relaxed conversation which

If you’ve ever thought you

I am in Sheffield with Lizzy

over and commentary and

understand cricket now!

channel for that soon!

comes across well in the show.

could do a better job than

Demetriou, the new head of

send it off - can’t wait to see

Friday:

Saturday:

Hopefully there have been

Mark

Matt

sport for FuseTV, to film the

what the result is!

At last I have a day off, although

Perfect

Dawson or Simon Barnes, or

Lawrenson,

BUCS athletics tournament.

Thursday:

I stay in touch by reading

the 6 Nations fixtures in

article of areas of sports

simply fancy a head start in a

Your costs are covered on trips

At 6PM I have a meeting with

the sports pages on various

preparation

journalism for you to get

media career read on!

like this, which, considering I

the Mancunion sports editors,

websites. I’m also e-mailed to

show. Unfortunately, they’re

involved

Monday:

am no professional, is a pretty

which I’m invariably slightly

let me know that my article

rather dreary affairs, but I

plenty of opportunities to

The FuseFM news team has a

good gig to get; getting to do

late to having read out the

on the O2 touch rugby tour

write a few notes down during

develop, including being sent

6PM meeting, where I find out

something you really enjoy for

evening news for FuseFM.

has been uploaded to the

the games and organise the

to masterclasses (with much

what sport I will cover that

free is a real privilege!

Matt, Ciaran and Tom lay out

Mancunian website. FuseTV

content for my show.

of the cost taken on by the

week. As an avid rugby fan,

Wednesday:

the schedule for the week

sent me down with a HD

Sunday:

Jack Carmichael, Lizzie Rule

I’ve

footage

and dish out events for the

camera to film a documentary

Showtime!

we

you to take your armchair

and I present a RBS 6 Nations

from the BUCS tournament,

writers to cover. Most of

about it. This meant I had to

had a Welsh fan call in from

punditry and make something

discussion show in which

and now get the chance to

the student journalists have

edit the footage myself, linking

Cardiff to offer her thoughts

of it. Nobody asked for your

we give our analysis, match

review and present my work.

their own sport they prefer

interviews

England

on the matches which was

sporting

commentary and predictions.

My job involves plotting the

to cover (rugby union is my

Women’s International Vicky

pre-recorded - it takes the

actually, we are!

Listeners can get involved

timecodes for the clips in the

territory!), but this has been

Fleetwood and Sale Shark’s

pressure off the callers if they

with our debates by tweeting

order I want them so skilled

a great opportunity to learn

Rob Miller with the shots of

know we can edit mistakes out

received

the

with

-

a

day for

watching my

panel

enough

examples

in.

in

You’ll

this

have

newspaper!). So I encourage Last

week

opinion?

Well,

SPORT : 31

ISSUE 18/ 18th MARCH 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM/

Glory and disappointment on busy cup final day - Victories for women’s Netball and Football cap exceptional seasons - Disappointment for Volleyball and Table Tennis Ciaran Milner Sport Editor

Wednesday afternoon was a busy one for sport, with four of our women’s teams in cup finals.

The women’s football first team was in action, playing their cup final against York university. They capped off an unbelievable season in style, smashing the Yorkshire side 7-0 to secure the league and cup double.

“We’re feeling very elated... and hungover”, Simone Wan said of the mood of the club after what has been a phenomenal season. “There aren’t any words to describe how good [the season] was. It’s just been perfect.”

The club have steamrollered their way through the league and cup, suffering only one defeat in the process.

The success, Wan says, has been down to effort. “A lot of hard work and dedication has been put into the club. Every single club members has trained hard and played every game well. A lot of thanks to our coach as well, who has been great.”

On the cup run itself, Wan singled out the difficult away trip to Bangor in the semi final

as a performance to remember.

“It was difficult. We had to play away, and they had a crowd of spectators supporting them,” she said.

Yet UoM marched to victory with only one player on the bench. “There were only twelve of us, we had no subs.

No coach either. And we won it. It was brilliant.”

Wan was perhaps a little restrained in her praise of the performance in the final itself considering the 7-0 score line. “Even when we were five nil up, we never gave up and carried our playing our game.

Everyone gave it their all for the full ninety minutes. That was the difference between the two teams really”.

Being on the end of a 7-0 drubbing, you could be forgiven for expecting tempers to flare within the York ranks.

Wan was quick to single out their sportsmanship, however.

“Fair play to them. They came and shook hands at the end of the game, and said the better team won. They were really nice about it”.

It’s been a truly outstanding season for the Women’s football team. After being

asked to single out someone for individual praise, Wan refused – “No, I think everyone has give it their all.

There isn’t one player I could say. Everyone deserves it”.

The women’s netball fifth team have also had a brilliant debut season storming to the league and cup double, beating Durham 32-27 in the final.

Fifth team captain Hannah Huntington was quick to praise the team for the performance in the final.

“It was our best game of the season so far. Everyone was excited. It was amazing really.”

The newly-formed team were forced to start at the bottom of the netball pyramid, which has proved to be perhaps a little too easy for the girls in purple, as they have remained undefeated all season during their relentless march to the title.

“Some games weren’t that testing for us”, Huntington acknowledged, “but there were other teams that were in a similar position to us in the league too, so playing those teams was important.”

The women’s football team have had an incredible season, only losing one game.

Photo: Cil Barnett-Neefs However, she made clear that the challenge of stepping up a level remains an exciting prospect. “I can’t wait for next season. We’re looking forward to moving up and playing more competitive games... and maybe winning the cup again”.

Indeed, the cup final itself appeared the most closely-

fought contest of the season, with Manchester requiring a fourth-quarter turnaround to beat Durham by only five points. “It was neck and neck... we’d pull ahead, then they’d pull ahead. It was a really tight game. We just about beat them in the end though.”

Huntington was also quick

to heap praise on the new members of the team. “It’s definitely been an all-round team performance throughout the season”, she said, “but I’d definitely single out the freshers. Our team has had quite a lot, and they’ve all stepped up and played really, really well.”

Women’s Rugby look forward to first Trophy final UMWRFC make history by partaking in a BUCS final for the first Alex Underwood

The University of Manchester Women’s Rugby Club are looking forward to their first BUCS Trophy final later this month after a narrow victory over Sheffield Hallam in the semi-final last week. Despite a late fight-back from Sheffield, Manchester dug deep to secure a 24-19 win, which means they will participate in a BUCS final for the first time in their history.

In the earlier rounds, Manchester negotiated difficult ties against the University of York and Swansea University at the Armitage Centre. They then travelled all the way to Portsmouth to win their quarter final and the long journey of this season seems to have united the squad; team spirit and confidence are high heading into the game.

Hooker Amy Linnegan is optimistic that they can bring the trophy home: “We are nervous but excited and proud to have reached the final. We know it will be a

difficult game but we hope to win it.”

The players have been searching through their records and believe this will be their first cup final since the formation of the club.

The achievement is made even more notable by its distinctiveness among other Manchester teams this season; only the Men’s Hockey first team have also reached a Trophy final, and, despite plenty of success in the Northern Conference Cup, Manchester are yet to deliver a team into a Championship final. Women’s Rugby are therefore one of the few teams left flying the flag for Manchester.

Manchester’s opponents, the University of Bedfordshire, will have the shorter journey to London and will arguably be marginal favourites for the game; they lead Midlands Division 1A with 8 wins and 1 loss all season and have defeated the likes of Warwick, Cambridge and King’s College on the way to the final. They are

likely to provide a considerable test.

But Manchester’s women have saved some of their best form for the Trophy competition.

They currently lie fourth in the Northern Division but have upset dangerous teams on their way to the final and will be looking to repeat the feat.

And Manchester have another reason to be optimistic; scrumhalf Claire Shutler, who has played for the North of England Ladies team, is on good form ahead of the encounter.

The final takes place at Imperial Sports Ground in Teddington in London on the 24th March, just a few miles from Twickenham Stadium where the Championship trophy finals are scheduled for the same day.

Although the dream match at Twickenham may not yet be a reality for Manchester the team will be hoping that this first final could yet be a platform for a future trip to the national home of rugby.

The women’s rugby team will make history this month. Photo: Jonny Whiting

SPORT

18TH MAR 2013/ ISSUE 18 FREE : @Mancunion_Sport : /TheMancunion

MANCHESTER’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER

Exclusive Interview: Conor McNamara

P30

Mixed results for UoM on cup final day

Perfect finish for Manchester lacrosse

WWW.MANCUNION.COM

P31

BUCS

Lacrosse MEN’S NORTHERN 2A P

W

D

L

GD

Pts

Liverpool 1st

8

8

0

0

144

24

Bangor 1st

9

7

0

2

54

21

Lancaster 1st

10

6

0

4

54

18

Manchester 2nd

10

3

0

7

-79

9

Chester 1st

8

2

0

6

-67

6

Sheffield Hall. 2nd

9

1

0

8

-106

3

RESULTS: Wednesday 13th Mar Manchester 1st 1-0

Lancaster 1st

Wednesday 6th Mar Bangor 1st

8-7

Lancaster 1st

FIXTURES: Saturday 16th March Chester 1st

v

Liverpool 1st

BUCS rankings PTS

Manchester men’s team in action back in 2011 Photo: Nick Whiting

University of Manchester 2nd 10

Lancaster University 1st Andrew Georgeson Manchester 2nds ended their season with an emphatic 10-1 victory over Lancaster.

The home side out-passed Lancaster early on, and took an early lead through Knowling who finished well after the visitors lost a man to a penalty suspension.

Just moments later, ill-discipline again cost Lancaster dearly, as Manchester’s Blackshaw scored a long range effort after another sin-bin.

1

Manchester were in total control of the game even from this early stage, and Lancaster had very little to offer in response, only being able to muster one shot on target in the whole of the first quarter.

The hosts on the other hand finished off the first quarter as they had started, with Kowley on the scoresheet this time. A brilliant break from Southworth allowed Manchester to pour forward, and despite the fact that Lancaster had one more player on the pitch, their lax

marking allowed Southworth to find Kennedy, who played the ball to Kowley to finish.

The second quarter saw Lancaster come into the game much more, and even dominate during the early exchanges. A potential game changing moment came when they hit the Manchester crossbar after a thunderous long range shot.

However, ill discipline cost them dear again with the same player having to leave the pitch twice in as many minutes due to back-to-back penalties. This disruption allowed Manchester, who had been defending for most the quarter, to score again on the counter through Kennedy, making the score 4-0 at the end of the second quarter.

To paraphrase Bayern Munich coach Jupp

Heynckes, Manchester now sought to skin the bear that they had killed in the first half. However, despite total dominance at the beginning of the quarter, it took a total of eight shots before they finally made one count, as Knowling finished after being set up by captain Chard.

Knowling picked up his hat trick a few minutes later with a brilliant individual effort, firing past the helpless Lancaster goal tender to make the score 6-0 at the end of third quarter.

In the fourth quarter Manchester assumed total dominance, Knowling added to his ever-growing tally within three minutes after Norris squeezed through two oncoming defenders to play him in.

A minute later Blackshaw

completed an exact replica of this goal, finishing smartly after Southworth made the yards with a huge run.

Manchester then had a goal ruled out before Southworth made it nine.

In fairness to Lancaster, they kept going until the last moments and were rewarded for their efforts as they scored two minutes from time. The goal was truly emphasized as a consolation moments later as Knowling topped of a scintillating performance, making the score 10-1.

After the game Knowling said, ‘We would like to dedicate this win to Strawberry, we’ve had a great season and it wouldn’t have been possible without him.’

1

Loughborough University

3401

2

Durham University

2348

3

University of Birmingham

2296

4

University of Bath

2065.75

5

University of Exeter

1940

6

University of Nottingham

1916

7

Leeds Met Carnegie

1839

8

University of Manchester

1734.5

9

University of Edinburgh

1616

10

Nottingham Trent

1495.5

11

Newcastle University

1458.5

12

University of Bristol

1360.5

13

University of Leeds

1313

14

Northumbria University

1283.75

15

Cardiff Metropolitan

1263.5

16

Oxford University

1251.5

17

Cardiff University

1160

18

University of Sheffield

1133

19

University of Warwick

1081

20

Imperial College London

1043.5