29TH APRIL 2013/ ISSUE 20 FREE
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MANCHESTER’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER
Halls committees put uni repuutation at risk
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P8
Manchester set for University Challenge final
Radical group organising workshops on campus
Student dies in hiking tragedy Ellen Conlon News Editor
during term time, was taking part in the
An exchange student fell to his death on Mount Snowdon, during a trip organised by the Hiking Club.
peaks,” involves a race to reach the top of
Jared Maillet, 21, arrived in Manchester
Jared fell and he was found by walkers
in January for a semester, on exchange
on a ridge near a route known as Parsons
from Arizona State University, where he
Nose. His body was airlifted by a Sea King
was studying Sustainability and Urban
search and rescue helicopter from RAF
Planning.
Valle in Anglesea, but he could not be
Welsh 3000s challenge. The challenge, also known as “the 14
The University of Manchester Hiking
all the 15 mountains over 3000ft in Wales within 24 hours, without using any form of transport.
saved.
Club, which runs day or weekend trips
May ! r offe
10% off your rent at our Manchester accommodation! www.mansionstudent.co.uk
0800 652 7844
enquiries@mansionstudent.co.uk
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02 : NEWS
ISSUE 20 / 29th APRIL 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Highlights
Interview with tabloid hack, Fleet Street Fox
The Christie Cup Championship last week, nicknamed ‘The Battle of North’, saw sports teams from Leeds, Liverpool, and Manchester clash.
Features, page 9
Picture of the week
Big summer preview special Film, page 14
Interview: Frank Turner Music, page 18
Student dies in hiking tragedy Continued from front page
The Welsh 3000s website describes the challenge as “extremely tough” and “only suitable for the very fit and experienced mountain walkers.” “It is very rocky, and both uphill and downhill sections are demanding. Navigation can also be problematic without previous knowledge of this area of Snowdonia,” it warns. “Additionally, one mountain, Crib Goch, is very exposed – several people have died on it.” This is not the only fatal accident that the Hiking Club has experienced. In the mid 90s the club treasurer was scrambling and a handhold came away, causing him to fall. He is commemorated by the club every year at the An-
nual General Meeting, where the incoming treasurer must drink a pint of Porter ale from the Treasurer’s Tankard before they are elected. Jessamine Hopkins, Chair of the Hiking Club said: “Jared had a really enthusiastic personality and made a great impression on the club as he was one of the fittest hikers we know. He was really fun to be around and we all enjoyed his company.” Reassuring friends on Jared’s Facebook, Christie Maillet said: “I hope we can all live like he did – I mean that. I hope we can be fearless and outgoing and openminded and kind and goodhearted people.” Arizona State University has helped to return the body to the United States for a family funeral. “Jared and I had actually discussed, not too long ago, that both of us wanted to be
“turned into trees” when we passed away. By that I mean, there are biodegradable urns that contain tree seeds, which you can plant, and eventually grow into a tree. Jared was completely into this idea,” said Christie. “Jared did not want to be buried in a coffin, he wanted to be a tree, and a tree he will be.” The University has issued a statement about the accident: “Jared was taking part in an event organized by the University of Manchester Hiking Club. His family has been informed of his death, which Police are not treating as suspicious and the matter has been referred to HM Coroner for North West Wales. “The Coroner has opened an inquest and it is expected that the more precise circumstances will emerge as a result of that process.”
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Wilmslow Road’s ‘Curry Mile’ has been revealed as ‘Manchester’s most anti-social street’. These statistics show that on a stretch of road only 800 metres long, there was around one incident of anti-social behaviour recorded every day. The Curry Mile’s figures are a large contributing factor to the police neighbourhood area of Longsight – the area covering Rusholme - being ranked second in crime league tables across the whole of Greater Manchester. Student hub Fallowfield is not far behind in the rankings. The area, which also covers Withington, Levenshume and Platt Fields, saw 2,716 incidents reported in 2012. The city centre topped the list, with more than 3,606 incidents of anti-social behaviour reported across the ten month period. The statistics, supplied by UKCrimeStats and compiled by the Manchester Evening News, show that there is almost one incident every two hours in the
city centre. Particular hotspots named were Piccadilly gardens, with 251 incidents, and The Printworks at Withy Grove, with 140. Students expressed shock at the results of the survey. “I’m surprised at these results,” said Sarah Cook, a third year Speech and Language therapy student. “I’ve never experienced any anti-social behaviour myself on the curry mile.” Keeley Cutts, also a third year Speech and Language therapy student, echoed these sentiments. “I wouldn’t feel particularly worried walking there late at night as it’s always fairly busy. “I would be more concerned walking alone in a more isolated area.” Cassandra Riddell, a second year Psychology student, said, “I don’t feel intimidated walking down the Curry Mile because it’s always so busy, and brightly lit.” “You’d think that Fallowfield would be higher up the list, [as] you always hear of burglaries around student houses there.”
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ISSUE 20 / 29th APRIL 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
NEWS : 03
Exclusive: Radical Islamic group oranising workshops at UK universities Facebook group linked to Hizb ut Tahrir organised events at Manchester and Nottingham Trent Richard Crook Editor-in-Chief
Supporters of the radical Islamic group Hizb ut Tahrir are organising events through societies in universities across the country using a centralised, student-led organisation. The anti-democratic Facebook group ‘Women Against Oppression, Liberation Through Islam’ (WAO) sets up and promotes Hizb ut Tahrir speakers and debates at universities to spread their message. Hizb Ut-Tahrir advocates for the formation of a Pan-Islamic state governed by Sharia Law, which would include the public mutilation of thieves and harsh punishments for homosexuals. The group posted last November that as part of their “nationwide campaign”, they would run workshops in several universities on the topic: “Why are so many women converting to Islam?” The workshops promote the Caliphate, an Islamic state governed by Sharia law, and warn against the oppressive effect of liberal democracy on women. Societies at Manchester, Middlesex, Westminster, Nottingham Trent, and Central Lancashire all hosted Women Against Oppression workshops this year. The workshops take place either through the unions’ central Islamic society or, in the cases of Manchester and Westminster, through other, smaller Islamic-based societies.
The events are then promoted with photos and videos on the ‘Women Against Oppression, Liberation Through Islam’ Facebook page. The page describes itself as a “created to help University students to maintain an Islamic identity on campus.” Along with promoting their workshops, WAO quotes notable Hizb ut Tahrir spokeswomen and post videos of Islamic preachers arguing that thieves’ should have their hands cut off. The talks in universities focus on how Western democracy oppresses women, and that only through Islam can they be liberated. In some cases, the speakers are converts to Islam. Former Catholic magistrate Julie Breen has spoken at Manchester,and Nottingham Trent to discuss the failure of democracy, and ‘likes’ a Facebook page that condones martyrdom and jihads. And, in an interview posted by Hizb ut Tahrir YouTube Channel TheRevivalProduction in 2011, Ms Breen said she makes “no apology for capital punishment in an Islamic society.” In February, the University of Manchester Students’ Union society Global Aspirations of Women held a WAO workshop with Julie Breen. They were forced to shut down after The Mancunion exposed a speaker for condoning the execution of homosexuals in their ideal state. Gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell said of the incident, “The
Eureka! competition to improve library experience
Ellen Conlon News Editor
Eight Manchester students will face a panel of judges this week, to present their ideas to enhance the library experience at Manchester. The Eureka! Innovation competition asked students across the university to put forward innovative new concepts or designs to improve the customer experience at the University of Manchester Library. After hundreds of responses, eight finalists have been chosen.
One of the finalists Ilan Bajarlia runs his own start up company which provides personalised software via a new digital platform. Others include Jade Brodie, who currently assists in a Keele University project focused on the re-branding of pharmaceutical supplements and Max Parker, President of Manchester University’s AIESEC, a global organisation that transforms students and recent graduates into leaders by running an international exchange programme. The pitches will be delivered in a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style on the 2nd May and will be hosted by Gadget Show presenter Ortis
Flyers advertised on WAO Facebook page
name of the organising body is similar to the names of front organisations created by Hizb utTahrir, which opposes democracy and human rights. “It appears to be borderline incitement to violence and murder. “This kind of Islamist propaganda on campuses is radicalising some Muslim students. Legitimising homophobic hatred is one of the first steps on the road to more serious extremism.” The Telegraph previously reported that Westminster University’s Hizb Ut Tahrir linked Global Ideas Society had shut down in
Deley. “We’ve had so many great ideas and we’ve been absolutely delighted by the quality, range, and diversity of entries,” said competition organiser Nick Campbell. “Shortlisting has been tough but it’s now up to the judges to decide which one’s the winner!” “As a leading university we’re always seeking improvements. Thankfully, we have some of the world’s leading students with great ideas too,” he added. The competition winner will receive vouchers worth £1000 and the library has committed money to scope or implement the winning idea. Judges of the competition include General Secretary Nick Pringle, Paul Sykes, owner of Paul’s Pies and Steve O’Hare, Manchester Director of Equistone.
2011, but they appear to be back up and running. In response to the 2011 report, the University of Westminster said: “If our students have concerns that the actions of fellow students step beyond acceptable behaviour or statutory regulations, then we have appropriate mechanisms in place to deal with these concerns.” Women Against Oppression, Liberation Through Islam is run by a combination of female students and graduates. Their names are given as Nissa, Mabz, Haya, Shariah Aisha, Umm Mus’ab and Bint Abdullah.
The WAO admins refused to answer whether they supported Hizb Ut Tahrir, what their views on Manchester’s Global Aspirations scandal were, or what kind of relationship they had with Student Union societies, but did release a statement saying: “[We are] a Facebook page set up by young Muslim women who are convinced that despite the rhetoric, only the Islamic way of life can guarantee women across the globe are valued, secure and able to participate actively in public life. “We aim to engage in discussion about current issues affecting
American success for MBS graduates Jonathan Breen News Editor An energy sweet company founded by Manchester graduates has won a prestigious business competition in the United States. Kaffeination Ltd swept the board at the Rice University Business Plan Competition, the largest competition of its kind in the world, taking took two first prizes and a third prize in different rounds. The group of four graduates, three from the Manchester
Business School, were the only retail-product business among the finalists, with many contestants being from science or technology backgrounds. “It’s thanks to the MBS enterprise team and their support with producing our business plan for the Venture Further competition that we have been able to achieve what we have,” Co-founder David Reetz said. Kaffeination have also won Venture 2012, a business plan competition put on by the University, and made it to the European final of The Indus
women locally and abroad, giving the Islamic perspective on these issues with the objective of highlighting how Islam and its values as laid out by the Creator can lead to the liberation of women.” The National Union of Students (NUS) currently bans Hibz ut Tahrir representatives as part of their no-platform policy, but that only applies to NUS events. Following failed attempts by Tony Blair, David Cameron pledged in the 2010 Conservative manifesto to ban Hizb ut Tahrir.
Entrepreneurs International Business Plan Competition. The company’s flagship product is their energised gummy sweets, Ups SolidEnergy, which they devised during a long revision session, searching for an alternative to caffeine drinks. “We were kind of bored by coffee,” said CEO Matthias Schmid. “We had a bag of sweets next to us and one guy said it would be perfect if these sweets could give us energy. “And from then it was like a step-by-step thing. We had the idea, we developed a prototype, and found a supplier.” The foursome won $2,750 in prize money from their triumph in Texas, also managing to meet a number of potential investors. Their success has received press coverage from Fortune Magazine and the CNN website.
ISSUE 20 / 29th APRIL 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
04 : News
Men’s Officer idea shot down at Union Assembly - Round-up of the last assemblies this year - Motion passed for 20 issues, 32 pages for The Mancunion Lisa Murgatroyd News Editor
The final round of student Assemblies for this academic year took place last week. Divided in to three categories, University, Union and Community, they offer the opportunity for students to submit ideas to change Union policy and to mandate the Executive Officers to work on issues. The idea which caused the most stir was the suggestion of an elected Men’s Officer, put to the Union Assembly last Wednesday. The student who submitted the idea, Matt Fenton, provided documents that quoted the Chief Executive of UCAS labelling men as the ‘new disadvantaged group’. Following the events on Twitter, the University’s Director of Social Responsibility Julian Skyrme tweeted about the University’s curent level of students from disadvantaged areas, known as widening participation (WP) and low participation neighbourhoods (LPN). He said, “We have more WP LPN students at UoM (400) than Oxford/Cambridge/Imperial/ Kings/LSE/UCL combined (390)”.
The idea for a Men’s Officer was shot down, with 14 votes against it. The majority of ideas from the Union Assembly are to go to an all-student vote at the next referendum, including the idea that the Editor of The Mancunion should be a nonexec, non-trustee position, but paid and elected. A second idea to guarantee the circulation of the student newspaper passed, meaning that there are now measures to ensure that The Mancunion will have 20 editions of 32 pages printed each academic year. Following the controversy over voting coercion in the recent Students’ Union Elections, a student submitted the idea to amend election regulations and the by-law as necessary to ban candidates or their campaigners from approaching students with mobile voting devices, such as iPads. The idea passed, to the relief of those in attendance. “The ban makes the entire process more democratic, and encourages candidates to actually speak to people and attempt to convince them with words, rather than seeking the easy way out,” Marijn Ceelen, who ran for Diversity Officer this
Manchester go for glory in University Challenge final Andrew Williams Features Editor
The University of Manchester have the opportunity to retain their University Challenge title in the final of the popular TV quiz this evening. Having smashed Bangor University in last week’s semi-final, Manchester will take on University College, London in a rematch of one of their three quarter-final matches, which Manchester lost by 230 points to 150. Team members David Brice, Adam Barr, Richard Gilbert and Debbie Brown will face
Jeremy Paxman – and some of the toughest quiz questions on television – as they seek to defend Manchester’s title. “Let’s just say, it’s pretty exciting!” team captain Richard Gilbert told The Mancunion ahead of tonight’s contest. “Hopefully, our run will do some good towards maintaining the uni’s reputation – some prospective students see University Challenge as something of a gauge, so maybe we’ve inspired some applications!” The road to the final has been anything but smooth, with an unlikely comeback required to pip Lincoln
The last round of student assemblies, last week, saw the proposal of an elected Men’s Officer fail and the motion for a paid editor for The Mancunion go to referendum . Photo: Cil Barnett-Neefs
year, said. “I wish there would have been a ban already in place – it would have made all the difference for some candidates!” Other ideas which will go to the all-student vote include, ‘Reduction in waste during Election Campaigning, by banning fly-posting by
College, Oxford by just five points in their first round match. Nonetheless, a win would see Manchester become only the second university to win back-to-back championships in the show’s 51-year history, and would see the 39,000-strong institution draw level with Magdalen College, Oxford at the top of the all-time leaderboard, with four University Challenge victories. The Mancunion will be joining the team at The Ducie Arms pub and liveblogging the final from 7pm at www.mancunion. com. We’ll be bringing you minute-by-minute coverage and exclusive reaction from the quizzing quartet, as well as the views of some past winners. The final will be shown on BBC Two tonight at 8pm.
candidates and implementing alternative means of engaging with Students.’ ‘Dedicating a work space to Fuse TV.’ ‘Give recognition to students who work for free within the SU by creating a point system and a reward card scheme.’
In the University Assembly on April 23, all the ideas submitted passed except for “The library and Learning Commons should have a nap room”. The notion of a nap room has been a recurring sentiment from students who also suggested the Students’ Union should include similar
plans in the refurbishment of their Oxford Road building. An idea was passed at the University Assembly to provide a bike rental scheme linked to the student e-payment system.
John Rylands named Great British landmark Jonathan Breen News Editor
The historic John Rylands Library in Deansgate has made it onto a list of Great British landmarks. A panel of experts selected the University of Manchester-owned gothic library from over 800 submissions, as one of the top 101 things to do before you go abroad. Visit England, the
country’s tourist board, published the list of UK attractions on St George’s Day as part of English Tourism Week. “It is particularly special for us that The John Rylands Library has been named, by the public, as ‘one of the 101 things to do before you go abroad’,” said University Librarian and Director of John Rylands Library Jan Wilkinson. Built in the 1890s, The
John Rylands Library is renowned for both its architectural design and its rare collections, which include ancient clay tablets dating from 2500 B.C, and the oldest piece of the New Testament. There are also extensive archive collections and visual resources documenting cultural, literary, historical and religious traditions from around the world. “Library staff work
exceptionally hard to care for the Library’s fantastic collections, and to bring them, and their stunning home, to life through our exhibitions and events,” said Wilkinson. “We take immense pride in ensuring that the splendour and beauty of the Library is still enjoyed by visitors from across the world today, and are absolutely delighted to see these efforts acknowledged in this way.” The Deansgate library was one of only two Manchester landmarks to make the list, the other being the recently opened National Football Museum.
ISSUE 20/ 29TH APRIL 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
NEWS : 05
Missing money and ineffective halls committees put Uni reputation at risk Richard Crook Editor-in-Chief Halls committees are financially mismanaged and pose a threat to the University’s reputation, a damning internal report has revealed. The claims follow an audit taken this year into two Residents’ Associations (RAs), one of which is believed to be Owens Park. Dr. Tim Westlake, Director of Student Experience at the University of Manchester, delivered a presentation to current RAs admitting that University auditors (UNIAC) report had exposed “significant gaps” in the accounts. As a result, proposals have been made that would mean a greater involvement of the Students’ Union. The report also indicates that elected student representatives are left out of key decisions, there are no real ways for residents to offer feedback, and that major purchasing decisions are not transparent. Residents’ Associations and Junior Common Room’s ( JCRs) receive a yearly budget from student rent ranging between £20,000-£45,000 to put on events for students in halls. But when The Mancunion requested to see the audit under the Freedom of Information Act last February, the University alerted General Secretary Nick Pringle, who asked the newspaper to withdraw their request. When Mr Pringle was rebuffed, the Vice Chancellor took the unusual step of personally stepping in to prevent the release. A letter sent to the The Mancunion by Dame Nancy in March read: “The University staff involved will need time and space in which to analyse the contents of the report and to decide on an appropriate course of action. “The premature release of the report, before proper management consideration and checks for accuracy, could prejudice any future action or investigation the University wishes to take.” “It is my opinion therefore that release of the draft report would be likely to prohibit the free and frank exchange of views for the purposes of deliberation.” The request for the draft report entitled ‘Review of Residents’ Associations and Junior Common Rooms January 2013’ was officially rejected using two clauses in the Freedom of Information Act, oneof which
required Dame Nancy’s involvement. Alan Carter, Records Manager at the University of Manchester, said releasing the damaging audit to the public would be in fact against the public interest. “The University believes that the auditing process itself is designed to protect the public interest by ensuring that the administration of publically funded institutions is conducted efficiently. “Any release of data which undermined this process would by definition be against the public interest.” He added: “The report contains a large amount of detailed information about the administration of RAs and JCRs which describe the actions and practices of many clearly identifiable individuals. “This information, existing as it does in an early draft form, has not been checked for accuracy or discussed with the individuals concerned.” This year The Mancunion has run articles questioning how RAs are managed and elected, as well as exposing the worryingly close relationship between promoters, committee members and bar managers. In response, University has always insisted: “RAs are democratic bodies run by students for students.” But this report undermines those statements, as it claims the governance arrangements are “ineffective” and that elected students were not actually “sufficiently involved” in major decisions. Earlier in the year, a student told The Mancunion they knew members from a previous Oak House Residents’ Association who had used their budget to buy clothes for themselves. A former Whitworth Park RA member labeled the finances a “clusterfuck”, while a former Owens Park treasurer said he was given no real training and was restricted from seeing the full accounts. The report will mean RAs/
JCRs are likely going to be working much closer with the Students’ Union next year. Nick Pringle said “Following a University review which showed some real areas of concern the Students’ Union has been working with residents associations, JCRs and the university to develop a new system for next year. “Whilst we’re still consulting on this, the current proposal includes vastly increased training for students on RA committees, far greater support with finances, greater value for money through collective procurement, dedicated staff resource from the Students’ Union and support from the Students’ Union in many other areas. “The majority of students currently on RAs have welcomed these proposals as offering an enormous improvement and I agree that this is a great step forward for students in halls.” One of the few RAs unhappy with the reforms contacted The Mancunion to raise concerns. “It is my duty as a member of the JCR to secure the best possible deal for students. The JCR becoming an arm of the students union is not going to secure that.” But Jamie Proctor, a former Dalton-Ellis JCR member who had his plan to address these concerns rejected, welcomed the news. “I’m pleased to hear university staff have finally accepted there are major problems. “I still have concerns, as when I raised similar issues last year I was ignored. “I hope more senior members of university management keep an eye on it in the future and I’m delighted to hear the Students’ Union could have more involvement.” The Mancunion can confirm it will be exhausting the appeals process in our request to see a completed audit.
“Significant gaps” have been revealed in the Resident’s Association accounts of a university hall suspected to be Owens Park. Photo: N Bodjo
Incorporating The Manchester Teaching Awards
Invitation You are cordially invited to attend the Students’ Union Awards and Manchester Teaching Awards ceremony on Friday 3 May. The Students’ Union Awards celebrate the achievements of our students and honour those who have contributed significantly to volunteering, fundraising, course representation and societies.
The Manchester Teaching Awards recognise the outstanding contributions made by teaching staff to enhance the academic lives of students at the University of Manchester.
Friday 3rd May, 7pm, Academy 1 The University of Manchester Students’ Union Steve Biko Building, Oxford Road, M13 9PR Dress code: Semi-formal. Light refreshments will be available
Book your FREE tickets by the 30th April
Please visit manchesterstudentsunion.com/unionawards
ISSUE 120/ 29TH APRIL 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
NEWS : 07
Tattoos and tashin’ off: RAG #Lost2013 their location. ‘We’re in… Newcastle! No buses until 6.00am, looks like we’ve got some waiting to do…’ tweeted TeamWheresWally, while Georgie and Charlie of team Lost2013_ took a less practical approach: ‘Have to get back via York. First plan: ‘tash on with a Geordie ’#Ready.’ Only nine minutes later this was followed with the tweet: ‘Challenge completed!’ Both teams made their way from Newcastle to York, TeamWheresWally tweeting a photo of Lisa stopping off to get a RAG tattoo on the way and team Lost2013 managing a free tour of York Minister, all before 10.30 am
Team Where’s Wally celebrate fininishing first with a drink, but they missed out on winning by just 5 points.
RAG’s #Lost2013 event saw teams hichhike their way back to Manchester from an unknown location, completing challenges along the way Ellen Conlon News Editor Tattoos, tashin’ off and tough challenges all featured in RAGs #Lost2013 challenge last weekend. The reverse jailbreak hike for charity saw teams driven in a blacked out coach to a mystery location in the UK in the middle of the night.
The 12 teams then had to figure out where they were and race back to Manchester without spending a penny, trying to beat the other teams and complete tasks along the way to score more points. Challenges included swapping an item of clothing with a stranger, building a sandcastle and visiting seven different pubs. Two of the teams took to twitter to track their journey and
search for support. Jonathan Phan and Lisa Williams of @ TeamWheresWally?! prepared themselves the night before by ensuring that they had their essentials with them – Where’s Wally costumes and cereal bars, while Georgie Calle of team Blue Belles @Lost2013_ tweeted ‘literally have my whole life in my back right now.’ Dropped off just before 3 am. the two teams quickly realised
Lisa Williams, Team Where’s Wally, stops off for a RAG Tattoo in York
Trying to complete as many challenges as possible in York, Georgie and Charlie tweeted: ‘Big update: just got locked up, found a ghost, donated in a
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By the evening they were back in Manchester to welcome home the teams whose journeys had taken slightly longer. At 9.50 pm team ‘I want it Weldon, I’m wild(er)’ made it back, having managed to score four free pints along the way. At 11 pm the RAG team were waiting for only two more teams to return from the adventure, with only an hour of the challenge left. Each team took part in the challenge in an attempt to raise money for MAG, the Mines Advisory Group, an impartial humanitarian organisation that clears the remnants of conflict for the benefit of communities worldwide TeamWheresWally are still collecting donations but have currently raised £30, while winners team Lost2013 are currently on a total of £520.25, including an anonymous donation of £250.
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charity pot, crossed dressed and found a ‘celebrity’!!’ At 12.29 team @Lost2013_ tweeted: ‘Thank you SO much to the conductor on this train. We’re now on our way back to MANCHESTER!!’ But they were not quick enough, as @TeamWheresWally made it home by 11.20 am, just over eight hours after they found themselves in the mystery location, scoring themselves a bonus 100 points. Team member Jonathan Phan tweeted: ‘Over and out! First team that made it back to Manchester! Amazing experience, loving my new RAG tattoo..’ Team @Lost2013_ burst through the barriers at Manchester Piccadilly at 1.50 pm, arriving in fourth position. But once all the teams’ challenges had been taken into account and awarded points for, the Blue Belles of team @Lost2013_ pipped @ TeamWheresWally to the post, scoring 750 to their 745, and winning RAG #Lost2013. The Manchester RAG team followed the teams’ tweets from a base in Newcastle, hosting a live map of the teams’ progress and giving them new challenges on the way. ‘One team has hitched a ride back to Manchester in an Audi 2.5 TDI convertible! Livin’ the dream! #LOST 2013 #YOLO’ they tweeted at 10.49 am.
Graduates from any subject, any university welcome More exhibitors than any other UK graduate jobs fair DIFFERENT EXHIBITORS EACH DAY – ATTEND BOTH DAYS
Hundreds of graduate jobs for 2013 and some postgraduate course places Over 160 exhibitors, local and national, from a wide variety of sectors Free entry, free careers advice and free fair guide Free coach to the fair from Piccadilly train station
Register at: www.manchester.ac.uk/graduatefair
08 : Feature
ISSUE 20 / 29th APRIL 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
University Challenge: Manchester ready to smash UCL in final
Ahead of tonight’s University Challenge final, we meet the allconquering Manchester team and the man behind their continued success Andrew Williams Features Editor I have a bone to pick with the latest University of Manchester team to reach the final of what must surely be the toughest quiz show on television. Three members of the quartet – Adam Barr, David Brice and Richard Gilbert – are regulars at my local pub quiz, held at the delightful Fuel café bar in Withington. As if the trio alone could not trounce the competition week after week, the additional presence of a Mastermind semi-finalist and former University Challenge team member, Rachael Nieman, ensures that the team clear up on a frighteningly consistent basis. The result: just two wins in two years for my assembled ragbag of mere mortals, despite our valiant efforts. But when I meet my nemeses – minus the fourth team member, postgraduate student Debbie Brown – over coffee ahead of Monday night’s University Challenge final, it is their overwhelming enthusiasm for quizzing, rather than a clinical determination to win at all costs, that shines through. “We don’t really go along to pub quizzes to win. We go because we like quizzing,” Adam tells me matter-offactly. Indeed, David Brice traces his fascination with University Challenge back to his childhood. “I remember how excited I used to get when I was young and I would get a single question right, if I’d been doing the Tudors or something in school,” he recalls. I point out that, frankly, the vast majority of the student population still feel like that when they watch the show – as they do in their droves. The stuffy, Bamber Gascoigne-fronted programme of the ‘70s and ‘80s has given way to a glossy half hour of quiz kitsch, with the inimitable Jeremy Paxman given star billing. Excellent though they have been, the University of Manchester’s current team is no exception given the institution’s stunning recent history in the competition. Tonight’s final will be the fifth to feature Manchester in eight years, with the team seeking to defend last year’s title. This year’s foursome narrowly beat Lincoln College, Oxford in the first round before overcoming a second Oxford college, Magdalen, in round two. They then saw off Imperial College, London in the first of their quarter-final matches before suffering a setback to lose to University College, London. The team eventually made it through to the semi-finals with a comprehensive victory over St George’s College, London before waltzing into the
final by beating Bangor University. But it could so easily have been so different. The road to the final has been anything but smooth, with an unlikely comeback required to pip Lincoln College, Oxford by just five points in their first round match. Indeed, the Manchester team spent the first ten minutes of their debut appearance clawing their way back
This team virtually picked itself. As soon as I chose the team I thought they could go all the way.” to zero points. “We planned the whole thing,” Richard says, tongue firmly in cheek, before David clarifies: “It didn’t just look like we would lose, it looked like we might get the lowest ever score!” Manchester’s ongoing success has generated significant media coverage over the past week, with some suggesting that the team’s ‘training’ requires North Korean-style discipline. Not so, says team captain Richard Gilbert. “These stories about us ‘training’ have kind of got the wrong end of the stick. Basically, we all like quizzes. Stephen knows we like quizzes, so he says ‘do you want to come round on a Wednesday night to have a bit of a quiz?’ Yes please, because we like quizzes! That’ll be cool – let’s do that then go to the pub. It’s not like, three hardcore sessions a week of training.” Perhaps understandably, then, the team
Left to right: David Brice, Adam Barr, Jeremy Paxman, Richard Gilbert and Debbie Brown
are keen to refute the suggestion that they take the competition too seriously. “For us it was more of a social thing,” David explains. “There were teams there with huge textbooks and things – one team with a huge textbook which said ‘KANT’, and over lunch they were just there trying to speed learn Kant’s complete life works.” Nonetheless, the team meets once a week to practice, fingers on buzzers, in the style of the show. Their success has been masterminded by University of
Journalist David Aaronovitch recalled his time as a University Challenge team member Manchester librarian Stephen Pearson, a one-time University Challenge contestant himself who has been dubbed ‘the Alex Ferguson of the quiz world’. Since taking his team to the semi-finals as captain in 1997, Pearson has assumed responsibility for coaching Manchester’s budding quiz starlets. Over the years he professionalised the application process and compiled almost 10,000 questions in an effort to prepare each team as far as possible. “The team I’ve got for the current series virtually picked itself. As soon as I chose the team I thought they could go all the way,”
Pearson tells The Mancunion. The practice sessions, ridiculed by some, are vital to ensuring that teams feel comfortable once the show reaches its televised stage. “I think nerves can be a factor,” he explains. “I used to only run these practice sessions once before the team appeared on television, but now I think it’s important to give them as much experience on the buzzers, in the format, as possible.” His expert tutelage is obviously paying off; I mention the height of the Eiffel Tower to this year’s team, as an example of a fact that couldn’t possibly be recalled without going via the medium of Google. “321 metres,” David shoots back. “And also it increases in the summer, because of the heat,” Richard adds, not to be outdone. “Stephen helps us out of the goodness of his heart,” David tells me. “The Oxbridge teams have their own inter-college quizzes, so that’s their training. We just meet up and practice by answering a few questions.” The Oxbridge question is one which has been raised time and time again in University Challenge circles. A 1975 protest against the presence of several Oxbridge teams in the competition – as opposed to the single slot allocated to every other institution – produced perhaps the most infamous moment in the show’s history, when the University of Manchester quartet began the programme by answering each question with the name of a revolutionary leader; ‘MARX!’ ‘LENIN!’ ‘TROTSKY!’ David Aaronovitch, today a distinguished columnist at The Times, was a part of that now-legendary team. “We were a combination of very arrogant and very innocent,” he notes wryly. “The funny thing is that what we did now seems eccentric, whereas this form of hypercompetitiveness that dominates the show now seems relatively normal. It’s a real reflection of how attitudes have changed.” To some extent, Aaronovitch regrets that
a shift has taken place, expressing unease at the training that the Manchester team have received from University Challenge guru Stephen Pearson. “My emotional reaction to it is that it’s a bit like the Sultan of Qatar taking over Manchester City. It reminds me of when the Oxford and Cambridge boat race became semi-professionalised, and they almost bring over these American students on scholarships in order to row.” He continues: “It’s a development of the competitive spirit, though I wonder whether it’s a step too far. But if people like it and enjoy it and it makes Manchester feel good, then I’m not going to condemn it. I still sit there myself and shout out the answers.” One thing is for certain: there is no chance of the current crop repeating Aaronovitch’s feat during Monday night’s final. For one, the show is pre-recorded – astonishingly, over twelve months ago – whilst the Manchester team is unsympathetic to the sentiments of that 1975 protest. “If Oxford and Cambridge could only enter one team each, they would be unbeatable,” Adam Barr suggests. Biased though we are, it has once again been a tremendous achievement – not to mention a testament to the dedication of one remarkable man – for Manchester to reach the University Challenge final. It will be the ultimate monument to Manchester’s devastating consistency if Brice, Barr, Gilbert and Brown are able to return the trophy to its rightful place in the University of Manchester library for a second consecutive year. University Challenge is on BBC Two tonight at 8pm. For comprehensive coverage check out The Mancunion’s live blog at www. mancunion.com
ISSUE 20 / 29TH APRIL 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Feature : 09
‘We don’t like phone hackers either’ The Fleet Street Fox, aka Susie Boniface, opens up about life as a tabloid journalist Andrew Willams Features Editor
Here’s an early contender for understatement of the year: journalists aren’t exactly flavour of the month right now. Though Fleet Street has rarely been held at the heart of public affection, its reputation has taken a battering in the wake of the phone hacking scandal; its stock falling to the point where tabloid hacks roughly occupy a space below traffic wardens, on a par with politicians, and hovering dangerously above ‘70s television presenters at the wrong end of the professional popularity scale. Phone hacking – and the resultant Leveson Inquiry, more of which later – has undoubtedly cast a long shadow over the industry, but journalism in 2013 is also suffering from an epistemic crisis. Newspaper circulation has plummeted since the turn of the century, as readers are increasingly content with consuming their news, views, gossip and analysis free of charge, online. Meanwhile, traditional media outlets have seen budgets slashed and staff cut, sending an already competitive industry into overdrive. Today, the scoops matter more than ever. Oh, to be a fly on the wall in a frenetic tabloid newsroom. Step forward Fleet Street Fox, the (until recently) anonymous blogger lifting the lid on her beloved industry. What began three years ago as, in her words, “a way to tell the truth about my trade”, became one of the internet’s must-read blogs, an unprecedented insight into the world of a hack who has covered everything from the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami to some of the most scandalous kiss-and-tells in recent memory. ‘Foxy’, as she prefers to be known, has gained a 56,000-strong army of Twitter followers and secured a book deal in the process. Foxy has recently stepped out from behind her vulpine guise in order to promote The Diaries of a Fleet Street Fox, revealing herself as the Sunday Mirror’s Susie Boniface. The book charts a traumatic period for Foxy, cataloguing the trials and tribulations of an acrimonious divorce whilst shining a light on the soap opera of life as a tabloid hack. Tellingly, it is dedicated to ‘the feral beasts of Fleet Street’ – the subtext being that whilst you don’t have to be a hard-nosed, thick-skinned, ruthless bastard to succeed on Fleet Street, it certainly helps. “Journalism is a balance between two parts of your brain,” Foxy tells me, obligatory glass of wine in hand. “One is the normal human being that says, I want to go home and see my Mum, I want to have my life and all the rest of it. And the other half of the brain is the journalist.” Like any successful journalist, it
is Foxy’s dogged determination to uncover a story that sets her apart from those who are merely happy to read them. “I’ve been a newspaper reporter for 18 years. I’ve been shot at, I’ve had people coming at me with lumps of wood with nails in the end, I’ve been abused, I’ve been threatened… I spent my third wedding anniversary in a car outside a politician’s house, covered in snot, trying to gather the evidence for his affair,” she recalls. The enduring popularity of tabloid kiss-and-tells is a testament to the British public’s addiction to schadenfreude – who doesn’t enjoying knocking a celebrities of their lofty perch? – and Foxy admits that she has written her share. Indeed, she recalls the most harrowing moment of her career as, “standing in a hotel corridor listening to a celebrity achieve orgasm. I didn’t feel remotely proud of that, I felt quite appalled at myself. I didn’t think it was a bad thing to do, because the celebrity in question was lying about so much stuff, and earning money from lying, and fooling the public by lying. I would quite happily argue that it’s a reasonable story to do, but it was an unpleasant story to do.” Given the brazen attitude of certain public figures towards sex scandals, Foxy presumably revels in bringing people down? “If they deserve it, it’s a fucking lovely feeling,” she says unequivocally. It is an understandable sentiment, and perhaps unsurprising given that her own divorce was brought about by her husband’s affair, but I suggest that it must be unpleasant for the wife of a philandering footballer to have her personal agony sensationally splashed across the front pages. “My opinion has changed over time,” she explains. “I would originally have said that my sympathy would always be with the cheated party, but writing the book and the passage of time has taught me that I had my own things that I did not necessarily do for the best in my marriage. It doesn’t encourage an affair, it doesn’t make it okay, but when a marriage breaks down the affair is the least of the issues. It’s the pile of bricks that breaks the camel’s back, but up until that point there’s a million straws on it.” Unfortunately for a bloodthirsty British public, the biggest scandals are often the ones which never see the light of day. Every inch the gossipy tabloid hack, Foxy regales me with a series of outrageous stories which didn’t make it to print. “You end up with more stories than you could ever possibly publish, but it’s a normal part of being a journalist,” she says. “Even if a story is true you’ll more than likely be sued into oblivion by a rich man, because that’s the way defamation laws work in this country. They’re from the 12th Century, designed to protect the Lords and not the peasants.”
Photo Caption: Blah blah blah
Whether or not they would admit it, this is the brand of journalism which Hacked Off, the high-profile lobby group who have been campaigning for more stringent media regulation, has been determined to keep in check. Headed by Hugh Grant, Hacked Off played an instrumental role in talks between the major political parties following Leveson, a fact which has infuriated many in the media. “I would love to know the last time a lobby group got to sit in a room while someone decided on a law. The people in Hacked Off are not journalists; Hugh Grant doesn’t have a mandate and none of the parties have a mandate for press regulation. None of them have asked ordinary journalists what they think. Hacked Off haven’t come to ordinary journalists and said, what would you like us to do? They’ve consulted their own arseholes… and that’s why you get a dog turd of a law that doesn’t mean anything.” She continues: “If they came and asked ordinary journalists they wouldn’t hear us say, oh great, let’s all phone hack to death. They’d say, you know what, we don’t like phone hackers either, we don’t like people who destroy our trade and ruin our reputations, but we would like a regulator that can give £1 million fines and could direct the placement of corrections.” Leveson has been a particular bone of contention within journalism. According to Foxy, the conveyor belt of celebrities who pitched up to attack the
press from all angles reduced the inquiry to “a blood-letting. It was a shooing. It was just, let’s fucking lay in. It was only interested in looking at the worst culture, ethics and practice of the press. It was our turn and, as much as it was deserved, there were people giving evidence who were not questioned very thoroughly on their evidence. Some of the evidence was so old it should have been given in Latin.” The demise of the News of the World was not enough for Hacked Off, who have continued to campaign for tighter press regulation in the wake of Leveson. On a personal level, Foxy was “very sad” about the demise of “the best paper I never worked for”. “The News of the World shut down because [News International] realised that things were going to hurt them. The loss of advertising was going to hurt the BskyB share price and the News International share price – that’s why it shut down.” Nonetheless, News International continues to court controversy. The Sun was recently castigated for a controversial front page reporting the death of South African model Reeva Steenkamp, whilst the No More Page 3 campaign is increasingly gaining traction. Foxy is non-plussed. “I don’t give a toss [about Page 3]. I think the wonderful thing about feminism, which people like Harriet
Harman have forgotten, is that feminism gives women a choice, and if they want to go on Page 3, you can argue with them about their choice in life and you can encourage them to be rocket scientists, but if they choose to do it, they can. That’s the whole point.” With several court cases relating to phone hacking on the horizon, it appears that there are more dark days ahead for News International, and for journalism in general. Will they serve to once again sully the good name of journalism? “Well, people who are fairly innocent will get done. Guaranteed. I think the generals will probably get away with things they shouldn’t get away with, and I think the foot soldiers will get done for stuff they shouldn’t get done for. Because that’s the way the world works,” Foxy laments. One can only hope that a proud, important and often brilliant industry will live to fight another day. The Diaries of a Fleet Street Fox is out now in paperback.
ISSUE 20/ 29th April 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Summer and the City It’s nearly here. Marie Clare Yates and Miles Zilesnick have the lowdown on all the trends to watch out for this Summer
Seaside: Whether or not you want to be by the seaside, it may be hard to escape this summer. Again. Nautical fashion has sailed back in, and although I suspected a pirate flag to be hanging this time, there’s something slightly fishier in this look. Expect a lot of mustard tones, as a fisherman element has been reeled in to join the stripes and anchors. If you don’t want to re-buy an entire style again, check out ASOS and Topman for some cheap styles to top-up your wardrobe.
Colour it in: Forget subtlety this summer; it’s time to stand out with big, bold, bright colours. Confidence is key to pull off these pieces, but when done right, you’ll be the life and soul of any room. Be careful though: keep it simple to one item, whether it’s your shirt, shorts or shoes, you don’t want to be looking like a set of traffic lights. If you’re not too sure about going all-out then start small with some socks before branching upwards. Need a colour guide? Stay safe with primary colours and then develop from here, but whatever you wear, wear it with pride.
Line Your Wardrobe: Straight lines, curved lines, Check Mate: Two things should spring to mind this summer – simple and structure. Cast your eyes kaleidoscope colours: lines are a sure way to brightover the catwalks of Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Michael en up your summer repertoire. Etro experimented Kors and Marni, and you will find an array of bold with long straight lines for a slimming effect, Oscar de la Renta showcased sophisticated zigzag evengeometric shapes and organised organza plaids. ing gowns, while Peter Pilotto took a tribal turn. Patterns may be simple this season but you can really channel your creativity. Mix and match pat- Dior played with the cutest pink and black satin terns for a statement piece or keep it simple with a pleated A-line dresses, whereas Jonathan Saunders monochromic blazer. If this trend is too sharp for experimented with futuristic shine. If however, you then try teaming your jeans with a chequered lines are too intimidating, then turn your attention bag, shoes or scarf. But remember – jewellery is to to the power of accessories. Moschino’s candy bag be kept to a minimum to optimise the psychedelic or Etro’s sequinned clutch will allow you to keep on trend at a more understated level. effect.
Fashion
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Beauty
Summer Beauty Essentials Halee Wells discusses the musthave beauty products for this
St Tropez Gradual Tan Everyday Moisturiser in Medium Dark Okay, so I admittedly use this all year round…but I would be Red or Dead: I’ve highlighted bright colours absolutely nowhere without it in the summer months! It is the already, but one trend to keep an eye on, or a best fake tan I have ever used and it even smells lovely. I apply leg, is the red trouser. You will have seen them around, and will notice it more now, but this style it every night before bed across my shoulders, neck and arms for a subtle and believable-looking tan. Then in the summer has started to spread quickly already. Hugo Boss when you need to bare all, you can spread the application to featured a lot of red in their last menswear show wherever you want for an even, streak-free tan. There is also in Berlin, and it’s trickled through the masses to a smaller bottle for the face, which provides a nourishing, the high street now. Suits, chinos and denim are cropping up everywhere using red to its full, and moisturised glow far from oompa loompa. St Tropez gets me compliments all year round and it is my absolute beauty fave. loud, advantage. And don’t worry; although they do stand out they can be easily paired with a vast £12.00 from feelunique.com NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturiser range of things, just stick to paler colours. If you’re like me and your wintery skin is a thing of nightmares, then do not fret, clear skin is coming! Although too much sun can be bad for you, a little bit of Vitamin D for your face can work wonders on those pesky blemishes. If this is the case, then it’s time for your heavy wintery foundation to go into hibernation. The only thing that should be melting in these coming months is your 99p cone, not your face. Switch to a tinted moisturiser for a stay-put summer glow. NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturiser (£28) still has a generous coverage, so don’t worry if you don’t have a flawless complexion, you will soon.
Marc Jacobs Dot If there was a smell of summer, this would have to be it. I first sprayed this last year and I have loved it ever since. With red Orient Returns: Designers cannot stop being inspired by the wonders of the Orient. Summer 2013, berries, succulent dragonfruit, and sweet honeysuckle, this gorgeous floral scent is energising and fresh, infused with however, promises something slightly different. notes of coconut water and orange blossom. And with that Japan is the main source of ingenuity this season, gorgeous bottle, it is definitely a dressing table must have. designers such as Emilio Pucci and Altuzarra practised traditional Japanese techniques through Moroccan Oil embroidery and knotting. Marni and Stella Mccart- This hair product has been hyped up by beauty gurus for a ney were amongst the designers who opted for the very long time, and after plenty of peer pressure from my hairdresser, I finally got myself a bottle. And boy was it worth more subdued effect. Their designs were influthe fuss! This miraculous product is smoothed onto the ends enced by a kimono silhouette, yet they remained hair wet or dry, for silky luscious protected locks. It makes simple and without embellishment. There is no need to invest in a cheongsam dress this season; a your hair look instantly healthy, hiding split ends and improvkimono jacket or embroidered blouse will suffice. ing the condition of your hair in the long run. TOP TIP: Make sure you use the pump provided to avoid messy spillage, and your bottle will last forever. You can thank me later!
Check out the entire feature online at www.mancunion.com
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Comment
ISSUE 20/ 29th April 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Is being black at the University an issue? Shaurna Cameron tells us of being very much in the minority on campus As a black woman I can safely say that I have never experienced overt racism. I have never been called the ‘n’ word, no one has told me that I cannot participate because of my race and the police have not racially profiled me. Some may then ask why I have chosen to write this article when racism does not play a significant role in my life. There may even be those who believe that racial prejudice does not exist in 2013, especially in a culturally diverse city like Manchester. I would like to start by saying that those of you in the latter group are wrong. Racism still occurs, only now bigots carefully code their prejudice in order to avoid prosecution. To those of you in the first group I am writing this article because during my time at the university my race has been important. For example, in the majority of my classes I am the only black student in the room. This is intensified by the fact that my curriculum mostly consists of lessons on African American history. As this is also part of my personal history, you can imagine how uncomfortable I am at times. I am sure that this thought would not cross the minds of non-minority students, but it is important to remember that experiences are subjective. Therefore, discussing the use of the ‘n’ word in rap music or representations of black people in “Gone with the Wind” in class can and has been difficult for me. At this point in the article I am assuming that you have either decided that I am overly sensitive or believe that I am justified in my opinion. If you are still undecided take a look around your classroom or at the students walking down Oxford Road. Take your colour blind glasses off for a moment and attempt to pick out the minority students. How many did you spot? One? Maybe two or three? If you saw an equal number of people from different races I would be very shocked. The fact is that Manchester University has very few black students and of those who
do fit this description even fewer were born in the United Kingdom. I will not bore you with my personal opinion on why this disparity exists. However, I will say that wider social issues in this country mean that university is only an option for those whose parents can afford to support them. Despite student loans covering the costs of tuition and some living expenses, rent can be
Django: whilst it might have been historically accurate, the use of the ‘n’ word, in the mostly white cinema, ruined the viewing somewhat astronomically high. For my accommodation this year I was billed £4,200 for a single room in a seven bedroom flat. I am fortunate enough that my dad takes care of this, but for a lot of people who look like me they do not have this option. And before someone says, “well there are white people who cannot afford to go to university either”, take another look around your classroom. Recently, I was discussing the issue of being black in Manchester with a male acquaintance. The first thing that struck me as I recalled our
discussion was that we had both commented on our lack of contact with other black British people in Manchester. Everyone who I call my friend in this city is either white or Asian. On the other hand, the majority of my social group back home in London are of Black Caribbean or African descent. The guy I was talking to was probably the first black Mancunian I had engaged in a lengthy conversation! Similarly, he told me that he had rarely dated black women as there were so few to choose from. Our discussion then turned to the film we had just been to watch, “Django Unchained”. Although we had both enjoyed the movie there was a mutual feeling of awkwardness as we sat in the mostly white AMC cinema. As we discussed this we decided that although it may have been historically accurate,
the repetition of the ‘n’ word had slightly ruined the viewing experience. Also, the fact that some people even laughed during the Mandingo fighting scene did not help matters. However, it would not be fair for us to label those people as racists because we did not agree with their sense of humour and that is the same way I feel about the university. Just because there are not a lot of black students does not mean that there is some sort of hidden agenda. However, the issue does need to be addressed. In closing, I am not looking for sympathy, nor am I criticising white people. Considering that 88.9% of England’s population is white I can understand why there are so few black students. I do hope, however, that I have given you some food for thought.
Graduation ceremony at the University. Photo credit: The University of Manchester
Anxiety and wellbeing at University With deadlines upon us and exam season soon to follow, James Jackson considers the stresses We all have a boring uncle who relentlessly asks what we’re going to do with our degrees, and talks about how few contact hours students receive. However, despite popular perception being that student life consists of drinking Jagerbombs and watching Jeremy Kyle in your pyjamas, or alternatively distributing Socialist Worker newspapers and growing a beard, research shows that students are more likely than the general population to experience mental health problems and visit counsellors. Coming to university can be a difficult time for young people, who have often never left home before, and get thrust into a setting that simultaneously demands they have insane amounts of fun, while also juggling serious academic commitment, finding their future spouse and engaging in CV-improving extracurricular activities. This is a pretty impossible task and there are a lot of negative side-effects of the high expectations placed upon us, most obviously, stress. The Association for University and College Counselling estimates that up to 10% of students will have contact with a counsellor in a single year, and this isn’t even to count people who look for emotional help in a more informal setting. Many students, myself included, leave most of their assignments to the last minute. While this is great for keeping you up to date with Game of Thrones, it certainly adds pressure in the final week before the essay/literary report/ presentation is due. Sleepless nights and panic quickly become the new normal, and this takes its toll on your mind and body. University related stress is not all to be blamed on disorganized students, however. Most courses require you to
A student hard at work in the Library. How do you cope with stress at this busy time of year? Photo: University of Manchester do a dissertation or final year project, worth up to a third of your final year mark, and you would have to have an inexhaustible supply of coffee, a personal assistant and an IQ of 200 not to worry about that. Studying for a degree at University is a big commitment, and (unfortunately) not the doss it’s often made out to be, particularly in the final year. You need to manage your time efficiently, as well as doing rigorous research and
sticking to arcane academic conventions, such as always remembering to use the passive voice. Unfortunately, this is made all the more difficult if you suffer from mental health issues, as one in four people do. Stress itself can seriously contribute to mental health issues, especially anxiety. Though anxiety is the subject of a number of high-minded Danish existentialist philosophy texts, it is also something
very real for a large number of students. Anxiety, on a physiological level, is what happens when the body responds to a dangerous situation with a release of adrenalin, commonly known as the “fight-or-flight” response. This was great when we had to worry about escaping predators or fighting fellow cave-dwellers, but causes a lot of problems for modern students, where the biggest conflict we’re likely to encounter is whether to footnote before or after we’ve completed our essays. Whether our stress comes from escaping rampaging dinosaurs, or completing that 6,000 word monster on Kierkegaard, the body issues the same response: adrenalin. Anxiety comes about when your body is ready to fight or run away, but there are no velociraptors in sight; the adrenalin causes weird responses like panic attacks, and your essay on Fear and Trembling can result in fear and trembling in JRUL. If you are suffering from uni-related stress or mental health problems, you don’t have to suffer alone. The University has counselling services where you can go to talk about your problems, and, if necessary, get a note for mitigating circumstances. In my experience, the University is very understanding about the stress that life can bring. While working on my MA, I had some pretty bad stress-related anxiety, and being able to get my coursework deadlines extended really helped my peace of mind. If I had one suggestion on how the University could improve the system, I would say that they should tell you if your mitigating circumstances is likely to be accepted. Being told that the committee meeting happens after your hand in date is pretty nerve-wracking and doesn’t leave you with a lot of options.
Societies
ISSUE 20/ 29th APRIL 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Photo Of The Year
We’ve searched through our archives and collected society submissions of the best moments caught on camera this year. Here is a photo from the Skydiving Society taken earlier this year by Duncan Haynes. Check out the Mancunion website for more photos
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Best of Societies 2012-13 Rachel Heward talks to societies about their achievements, aims and ambitions This year societies at the University of Manchester have been busy with various events, socials, charities, expeditions, shows, conferences and much more. To celebrate the huge range of achievements I spoke to several societies to find out what they’ve been up to all year, what they’re proud of and what their plans and ambitions are for next year. Joanna Fox, Expeditions Officer from The Duke of Edinburgh Award Society said they had the biggest year for memberships and have been the most active since she’s been at university. ‘Our biggest undertaking has been preparing for the Gold Practice Expedition’. This involves working as a team to plan, organise and navigate your way along a 3 or 4 day expedition route. The Equestrian Club have faced some challenges on their way to competing at a national level. President, Claire Henderson mentioned the sheer time commitment involved in volunteering for the club. Yet she said how it was all worth it as it ‘made my time at university 100 times better - I have made my best friends in the club. The real highlight came when we qualified unexpectedly for Nationals, we screamed like teenage girls at a Justin Beiber concert!’ Similarly, Manchester Sexpression achieved a lot this year as they are now working with three local schools in Manchester and have taught sixteen classes to educate young people in sex and relationship issues, empowering them to make informed choices. Around twenty-five members of the group have been trained to do RU Clear sexual health testing and they now run a sexual health testing service in the Students’ Union every Monday. Members also took part in the Unity Project Fashion show along with six other charities. Other great charity work has been done by Manchester RAG who raised thousands of pounds for both local and national charities. Beerfest in November alone raised approximately £6000. RAG week included highlights of Take Me Out, Speed Dating and Battle of the Bands along with other events raising around £2000. RAG have also organised shark dives, sky dives, pub quizzes and street collections to keep the good work up all year long.
Editors’ Picks Kate Bullivant talks about her three favourite societies and highlights of the year Manchester University boasts a huge number of societies ranging from the slightly obscure, such as the Interesting Board Game to the more famous RAG and SKUM. This year has been anything but boring or disappointing with events being organised from Reclaim the Night to a naked calendar competition. As this is the last issue of the year it seems a perfect opportunity to remember the highlights, and how much has been achieved. One of these highlights would have to be when The Harmony Gospel Choir was invited to sing on the X Factor. Members supported Jermaine Douglas in the finals and met the stars backstage after the show. However the Harmony Gospel Choir has not let the fame go to their heads, they definitely don’t take themselves too seriously and anyone is welcome to join. The Harmony Gospel Choir is a free student run choir which has been running for over ten
Societies
Events
years. Apart from mixing with the celebrities they have also organised many concerts within Manchester University. Their annual Christmas concert was one of these and exceeded expectations as always, with high energy performances and fantastic songs. By the end everyone was off their chairs and dancing at the front of the stage. If you are looking to join a society, and singing is your thing then I would recommend you check out the Harmony Gospel Choir.
from the Chair, to instructors, to members, all work so hard. The instructors who lead the classes are highly qualified and create a fun, relaxed atmosphere so you don’t realise how much you are learning from one session. It’s well organised with classes for different abilities and regular competitions meaning members always have something to work towards. Lastly, the whole society is so friendly and welcoming and at the risk of speaking on their behalf seemed to be such a close knit team.
women attempt to rebuild their lives and give them hope for the future. Women for Women International is not just important because of the worthwhile cause it supports, but also because it supports other societies within the Manchester community. They were present at Reclaim the Night and have held multiple fundraisers. One of these being a screening of The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo by Lisa F. Jackson, an influential film about rape being used as a weapon of war in the Congo. This society is always looking for new members, so have a look at their Facebook page for more information.
The christmas pantomime was also a huge help for RAG as Jo Mortimer explains, ‘an incredibly enthusiastic, committed cast from all degree disciplines came together to put on Aladdin in December’ which raised around £1500, selling out on the final night. ‘The best thing about Panto Soc is the social elements. We all grow incredibly close and this can be seen in the show. Next year we want to put on another show which is as ridiculous, risque and hilarious and raise even more money. We also want to put on a smaller summer show to keep the involvement going all year long.’ Another charity society that has had a successful year is UNICEF On Campus Manchester. Treasurer Shawkeen Siddiquey told me about the Enough Food for Everyone Concert at Ram & Shackle on 28th February. ‘It showcased a wide variety of music starting from beatboxing to psychadelic rock to house music, all from local talent or society members. It raised £300 in donations, and gathered a large number of signatures. The project UNICEF Climbs Mt. Snowdon, in collaboration with the Hiking Society on 17th March 2013 also saw 10 of our athletic (and highly non-athletic!) members fundraise and then reach the top of Mt Snowdon in Wales’. Fahim Sachedina, President of Manchester Entrepeneurs told us about ‘working with an ambitious and focused team of twelve, on over thirty-five events including holding one of the most successful entrepreneurship conferences in the Northwest. Speakers included Ex Dragons Den star Julie Meyer.’ The society’s ambitions for next year are to put on an even bigger conference and to help more students set up a business.
If singing is not up your street then The Dance Society offers a diverse range of dance including Ballet, Tap, Modern, Street, Salsa, Contemporary and Dance Fitness. This society has been involved in two of the Mancunion’s Society Swaps, firstly with the KnitSoc and then later with the SHE Choir. It was on the second swap I had the chance to attend one of their Tap sessions. The Dance Society is worth a mention because everyone
As well as the sports, music and recreational societies there are also a whole host linked to certain charities. These societies are to thank for raising unbelievable amounts of money for such important causes. One which only started this year is Women for Women International. This charity supports women in eight war torn countries, by pairing them with women from America and the UK who then help these
Monday 29th April
Tuesday 30th April
Wednesday 1st May
Wednesday 1st May
Thursday2nd May
SRHS (Student Run Self Help)
ROLE PLAYING SOCIETY- Weekly Meeting
CIRCUS SKILLS
JUDO TRAINIING
INTER/BEGINNERS TAP
Burlington Society
Armitage Conference Room
Jabez Clegg
Council Chambers, Barnes Wallis Building
2pm-4pm
7pm-8 30pm
6pm-6 45pm
UMSU Room 4 6 30pm- 8 30pm
6pm -7pm
Only three societies are mentioned here, but these are the three which have stood out for me over the year. For more societies of the same standard visit the Manchester University Societies website: manchesterstudentsunion.com/groups
If any of these exciting events and huge achievements sound like something you wish you were part of, do not hesitate to join or participate in as many societies and events as possible next year. Not only do you get the satisfaction of being part of something great, but it is also good for meeting new people, adding something extra to your CV, making a difference and trying something new and challenging during your time at university.
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Reasons not to trust robots 5. The Matrix (1999) The slaves become the masters. But even slaves get to live in reality. It’s difficult to get any more subjugated than having your mind trapped in an imaginary dream world while machines harvest your body’s internal energy.
4. Terminater (1984) It’s not Arnie’s unbeatable strength or endurance that worries me; it’s his ability to adapt and learn, especially with regards to our language. The moment robots gain the ability to tell us to fuck off we might as well just give up.
3. The Stepford Wives (1975) First they try and use us for power, then they try and change our future and now they impersonate our loved ones! A chillingly told story of how perfection and artificiality are one and the same.
2. Blade Runner (1982) “I’ve seen things that you wouldn’t believe”. So says Rutgar Hauer’s Ray Batty as he, perhaps, finally gains pity for humanity, the same humanity that kept his lifespan to a four year maximum to avoid unwanted rebellion. And thus marks the moment where robots, artificial though they may be, gained more compassion than their fleshy creators. We should all be ashamed of ourselves.
1. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) HAL doesn’t rebel against us; he sticks to his brief and carries out his mission at all costs. The only thing more terrifying than a robot rising up in defiance of humanity is a robot that sees humanity as a hurdle to jump over.
Andrew Home
ISSUE 20/ 29th APRIL 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Big summer preview special As this is the last Mancunion before summer, we thought we’d give you a big preview of everything movie related you can look forward to after the hell of exams, essays and revision are a distant memory. From arthouse films at Cannes to mega-budget blockbusters we have you covered. First up is a checklist of pretty much every blockbuster you’ll probably be blowing your money on from now until September.
JULY
APRIL/MAY
Iron Man 3 (25th April)
Now You See Me (3rd July)
Tony Stark kicks off the summer as he squares off against Ben Kingsley’s The Mandarin.
See next page for a closer look.
Pacific Rim (12th July)
Star Trek Into Darkness (May 9th)
Guillermo Del Toro pits monsters vs robots in this epic blockbuster.
The further adventures of the rebooted Enterprise and its crew.
Monsters University (12th July)
The Great Gatsby (16th May) See next page for a closer look.
Pixar returns to one of its most beloved franchises.
This increasingly OTT action franchise crashes back into theatres this summer.
The final chapter in the Simon Pegg and Edgar Wrights ‘Cornetto Trilogy’.
The final instalment of the trilogy raises the stakesfo the wolf pack.
Hugh Jackman is back in his most famous role as the metal-clawed mutant.
Fast & Furious 6 (17th May 2013)
The World’s End (19th July)
The Hangover Part 3 (24th May)
The Wolverine (26th July)
JUNE
AUGUST 300: Rise of an Empire (2nd August)
After Earth (7th June) Will Smith stars as a father trapped on an Avatar-esque world with his son.
This 300 sequel looks to bring more highly stylised, and slo-mo violence and abs.
See next page for a closer look.
Johnny Depp stars in this adaption of the classic American TV series. Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa (7th August) Steve Coogan’s classic creation finally gets his own big screen adventure.
The Lone Ranger (9th August)
Man of Steel (14th June)
World War Z (21st June) Brad Pitt stars in this literary adaption of undead destruction on a global scale.
This Is The End (28th June)
Seth Rogans and James Franco star in this apocalypse comedy.
Kick-Ass 2 (14th August)
Despicable Me 2 (28th June)
Kick-Ass returns for more bloody fights and swearing children.
Lovable super villain-turned-hero, Gru returns.
R.I.P.D (30th August)
Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges star as undead
Review: ‘Evil Dead’ Director: Fede Alvarez • Starring: Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez
Fede Alvarez’s remake of Sam Raimi’s 1979 horror classic The Evil Dead was always going to be tricky. How do you make a fresh horror film for new audiences, while staying true to the original and not alienating loyal fans? The effort to please fans of the original has been formidable. Unlike other remakes, Evil Dead was made in close contact with original’s director Sam Raimi and star Bruce Campbell. Five twenty-somethings go to the infamous cabin in the woods in order to help their friend, Mia ( Jane Levy), go cold turkey. Unable to heed the warning in the trailer, they open the cellar door to find dozens of dead cats hanging from the ceiling. Amongst the cats, they stumble upon Necronomicon Ex Mortis, The Book of the Dead, now wrapped in barbed-wire and covered in warnings for the reader not to read it. Naturally, they read the magic words, and a demonic force attacks the cabin, possessing Mia in the process. What follows is the standard Evil Dead fare of blood, guts and dismembered limbs. Unconstrained by a shoestring
I’m sorry but...
budget, Evil Dead is able to pull off some impressive special effects. My particular favourite was a throwback to Evil Dead 2 with the role of the chainsaw being taken by an electric carver. If you’re a gore-hound, then you’ll find little to be disappointed in with Evil Dead. Evil Dead tries to keep fans of the original on side by littering the film with references all the way to the credits and beyond (I recommend waiting around after the credits to catch them all). Most amusingly, the filmmaker managed to find an even uglier necklace than in the original. Regrettably, probably the most problematic scene in the original in which a woman is raped by a tree is recreated. While efforts to tone it down were made, namely that the force enters through the belly button rather than elsewhere, still it suggests an immaturity on the part of Alvarez. Alvaraz makes a smart decision in not recasting the role of Ash, who Bruce Campbell with his over the top style made iconic. No one could live up to the role, and his absence is therefore welcome.
Sadly, without Ash the group lack charisma. David (Shiloh Fernandez), the natural leader is bland and with the exception of the nerdy Eric (Lou Taylor Pucci) it’s hard to care about any of the group. Lacking from the remake is the slapstick humour that made the original stand out from other horror comedies. Sam Raimi, a self-confessed fan, used many sequences from The Three Stooges in the original. The remake has a more serious and nasty tone, there are jokes but they’re few and far between. Sadly, the lack of humour has not been compensated for with increased scares. There are jumps and gore, but nothing approaching the scares of the original. It’s nastier but it isn’t scarier. Evil Dead is a passable remake with enough nods to the original and gore to keep fans of the original satisfied, but it doesn’t come anywhere near close to the original in terms of scares. Sam Dumitriu
Apocalyptic movies are getting boring! It must have been at least a year since we had a highprofile end of humanity/end of the world movie to enjoy. But ‘thankfully’ now we have four on their way! Oblivion, World War Z, Elysium and the comedy This is The End are all set to hit cinema screens this year and despite all of these movies looking and sounding pretty good, I can’t help but get the feeling we’ve seen all this before. Normally a director can throw a few zombies, a Tom Cruise or a Brad Pitt and even a Morgan Freeman into a film and people will come to watch it in their millions. However movie lovers continue to act a bit like zombies themselves by watching and hence creating a market for these flicks.
Undoubtedly, if there has been one genre of film that has been grossly over-exposed in the past 20 years it has to be those that play out a society-destroying disaster scenario. In the space this article has it would be impossible to list the amount of films that play to this theme, but blockbusters like War of the Worlds, 2012, The Day After Tomorrow, Dawn of the Dead and Falling Skies are perhaps some of the more conformist examples. Even the British film industry has got involved with Danny Boyle’s largely successful 28 days and 28 weeks Later. Jack Crutchert’s not that some of these films aren’t good,
ISSUE 20/ 29th APRIL 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
: @mancunionfilm : /MancunionFilm
Film
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SUMMER 2013 PREVIEW SPECIAL
Gatsby? What Gatsby? Cannes prepares to spend the summer under the red, white and blue
Put everything on hold and forget every other film you’ve seen this year because Baz is back and he’s planning one hell of a party! From the fiery pasa doble of Strictly Ballroom, via a pair of star cross’d lovers in Romeo and Juliet, to Ewan McGregor’s immortal cry of “Myyyyyyy gift is my song!” in the incomparable Moulin Rouge! – Baz Luhrmann’s Red Curtain Trilogy transformed the standard cinematic experience into a cinematic spectacle, assaulting the senses and plunging us into worlds of excess, exuberance, truth, beauty, freedom and – above all things – love. The trilogy unleashed an intoxicating energy that had audiences everywhere having to restrain themselves from leaping up and dancing, singing, or spontaneously breaking into Shakespeare! Luhrmann is most definitely the party planner of the film industry. So when it was announced that his next film was F.Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the scene was well and truly set for this year’s great expectation, but which Luhrmann will turn up? Will it be another masterpiece like Moulin Rouge!? Or will it be another flop like his most recent venture Australia? Well, we’re still waiting in suspense for it to finally hit the screens and open Cannes film festival on May 15th. But watch the trailer and see for yourself – this isn’t a flop! This is Luhrmann back on form and back where he belongs as the Jay Gatsby of the cinema world. One key indicator that this film is going to be “Spectacular! Spectacular!” is its cast, with the Luhrmann-Leo duo reunited as DiCaprio takes the helm
and tackles what is arguably one of the most seminal characters in American literature: Jay Gatsby. Suited up, hair slicked back and with that should-beaward-winning crooked smile, DiCaprio certainly looks the part. And after his recent run of incredible performances, this could just turn out to be the role he was born to play, catapulting DiCaprio into award-winning territory – it’s certainly been a long time coming. As well as Leo, audiences should be pleased to see Tobey Maguire back on our screens. Anyone who has seen The Cider House Rules knows that this guy can pack a performance with enough intensity to leave your spider-senses tingling. With a role like Nick Carraway – Gatsby’s loyal guest, neighbour and friend – to sink his teeth into, it looks like we’ll see Maguire at his very best. Then there’s Daisy Buchanan, brought to life by Brit, Carey Mulligan. Dressed in full flapper gear this girl looks good to go, fresh-faced and fresh out of the
1920s, no doubt ready to produce yet another immaculate performance. But what about the other key element of the Luhrmann formula… the music! Well fret not, because the soundtrack has definitely been taken care of, featuring artists as A-list as the cast – Lana Del Rey, The xx, Jay Z, Florence and the Machine, and some chick called Beyoncé. Not exactly the standard soundtrack to the 1920’s, but then, Luhrmann strives for anything but the expected! With only a few weeks to go, the release of The Great Gatsby is looming like a green light on the horizon – will it live up to the hype?! If anyone can do it, Baz can, and after Moulin Rouge!’s stunning success at Cannes back in 2001, it looks like he’s set to do it all over again. “Can’t repeat the past? Why of course you can!” Sophie James Film Editor
Man of Steel
Director: Shane Meadows • Starring: Ian Brown, Alan Wren, John Squire June 2013 is a red letter date set in the diaries of all Stone Roses fans. Almost a year on from their much anticipated reformation the band are set to be the subject of Shane Meadows’ latest big screen project, Made of Stone. Despite missing the infamous 1990 Spike Island gig Shane Meadows has been offered a chance to recapture his youth by documenting one of the most anticipated comebacks in music history. Having shelved a major personal project, in addition to receiving unrestricted access to the band since the early stages of their resurrection, Meadows will bring audiences a fanatic’s insight into the Stone Roses; one filled with poignancy, nostalgia and ecstasy. Meadows has stated that Made of Stone will capture the tension and excitement of the four piece coming back together without
attempting to expose any member; after all, this is Shane Meadows, not Michael Moore! The promise of interviews with fans, unreleased rehearsal footage along with professional film of various concerts leading up until the shows in Manchester’s Heaton Park is bound to entice fans who have spent hours trawling YouTube for snippets of rehearsal footage. For any fan that was caught up in the buzz of the resurrection, Made of Stone promises to allow them to relive the excitement once more from the comfort of their cinema seat. Shane Meadows is an auteur director known for his biting realism and use of music within cinema, having directed films such as Dead Man’s Shoes and This Is England; two films which attempt to bring aspects of British life to the screen whilst incorporating music from Aphex Twin to Toots and the
Maytals. Meadows’ honesty, directorial eye and passion for The Stone Roses are bound to produce a film which stands out as being both musically stunning and cinematically breath-taking. Made of Stone will premier in Manchester at a venue which is yet to be announced; the premier will feature a Q&A session with both Shane Meadows, Ian Brown, John Squire, Mani and Reni so keep your eyes peeled for the mystery venue! For those who do not get a ticket, the premier is to be screened at many cinemas across the UK with both the Cornerhouse and the Didsbury Cineworld partaking on May 30th. Made of Stone, surely a must for any Stone Roses fan; you would be foolish to miss it! Calum Ousby
Now You See Me
Director: Zack Snyder • Starring: Henry Cavill, Russell Crowe, Amy Adams
With the triumph of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy still fresh in the memory, DC Comics are looking to repeat that success by rebooting their other flagship hero: Superman. There have been several liveactions Superman films in the past, only two of which are really any good, with the most recent outing being the disappointing Superman Returns in 2006. So it would appear that Clark Kent’s filmography has plagued him more than a curry made of Kryptonite, but that could all be about to change this Summer when Man of Steel is released. A Batman Begins-style reboot, the film will tell the origin story of Superman,
The Stone Roses: Made Of Stone
who was sent to Earth as a baby from his home planet of Krypton. We will presumably then follow our hero through his awkward adolescence as he learns to control his superpowers (and there are a lot of them!), ending with him as the finished article, cape and all. Man of Steel boasts an impressive ensemble cast, with young British actor Henry Cavill donning the red and blue in the lead role. Cavill won’t be short of any father-figures either, with veteran actors Russell Crowe, Kevin Costner and Laurence Fishburne all on board. Amy Adams plays love-interest Lois Lane, with Boardwalk Empire’s Michael Shannon starring as the villainous General Zod,
a role previous played by Terrence Stamp in Superman II. Cynical movie-goers out there will tell you that a starstudded cast is nothing new to the Superman franchise, and cannot guarantee the film’s quality. This may well be true, but Man of Steel has an ace up its sleeve: the team behind the camera. Not only does the film have a more-than-capable director in Zack Snyder (Watchmen, 300), but also the story and script were penned by David S. Goyer, screenwriter of the Dark Knight Trilogy. Still not convinced? Well DC and Warner Bros. real secret weapon is the man himself, Christopher Nolan, who produced Man of Steel and acted in a ‘godfather’ role to guide it to the same standard as his Batman saga. Could this finally be the film worthy of Superman’s awesome powers? DC will hope so, because with Batman now out of the picture and Marvel’s Avengers monopolising the superhero scene, they could certainly use a homerun when Man of Steel steps up to the plate. Jackson Ball
Director: Louis Leterrier • Starring: Morgan Freeman, Jesse Eisenberg Whether you believe in magic or think it’s just one big bamboozle, Now You See Me (2013) will most definitely have you hooked from the outset, twisting your mind as you attempt to make sense of the sheer brilliance The Four Horsemen display on stage. With the abundance of blockbusters hitting the screens this summer, I predict this illusion fuelled thriller will be a massive hit and be enjoyed by everyone from your casual movie-goer, to the greatest film enthusiast. Premiering on the 21st June, make sure to mark the date and revel in the magic – you would be foolish to miss out. Now You See Me tells the story of ‘The Four Horsemen’ – a magicsuper-group who astonish audiences with their hightech magic shows – pulling off a series of bank heists during their performances only to reward the crowd with the money. By exposing a white-collar criminal and funnelling all of his
millions into the audience talents with Oscar-winning members’ bank accounts, legendary figures. The fresh the FBI attempt to launch faces of Jesse Esienberg (The an investigation against the Social Network, Zombieland) group of epic illusionists and Isla Fisher (The Wedding When moving inform your bank andpartnered other before they stun house, the world Crashers) with organisations to re-direct Mark Ruffalo (The your mail to ensure Avengers, Shutter that yourwork information Island) flawlessly doesn’t into thehitters with getbig wrong hands. Your bank Morgan Freeman (The statements a Shawshankprovide Redemption, snapshot Dollar of your recent Million Baby), transactions and bank Woody Harrelson (The details – Games, a usefulKingpin) sheet Hunger of paper for you, and(The a and Michael Caine potential incomeTrilogy, source Dark Knight for else.toAny Thesomeone Italian Job) make printed information that this movie even more you no longer require impressive. should be shredded By enrapturing a similar to protect your privacy. withbefore their binning spectacular final and style ofview thatinto of trick.Your As Social the film reaches its Networking profilemood provides an insider’s the use recent hit settings Inception climax, willlife. succeed? yourwho personal Ensure that you the privacy Will provided the FBI be to exploit toable protect yourself by(Christopher filtering exactlyNolan, who can2010), see Now YouendSee The the Four Horsemen, oryou will information that provide. At the of theMe day, is youan absolute must-watch for theyare be creating magically outwitted. a page which is reflective of your character. Dothe summer. Beyond its fresh In the words of Michael Atlas and innovative narrative ( Jesse Eisenberg) “the first that will have you gripped rule of magic – always be the and wanting to look that smartest man in the room”. even bit closer, Leterrier’s In directing this highly cast presents a force to be charged and unique reckoned with. Add a bit of spectacle, Louis Leterrier magic to your summer and (The Transporter 1 & 2, The make sure to check this out! Incredible Hulk) assembles Sam Parr an all-star cast combining exciting up-and-coming
Fashion
ISSUE 20/ 29th April 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
This week: The Summer Issue Aloha from the library Is that a ray of sunshine I can see peeking through the window or have I finally gone completely and utterly delirious from library life? Welcome to summer in Manchester: a mixture of weather more confusing than Nicki Minaj’s various personalities and the dreaded exam period. Manchester in the summer is a beautiful city overflowing with beautiful people. So why does summer in Manchester always instil an overwhelming sense of fear within me? It’s because of that dirty word: exams. This year it’s even worse though, it’s the F-Bomb. No not that one, you potty mouthed swines, it’s Finals time. The only way to cope with the imminent two month stint in the library is by turning it into my very own Club Tropicana. Because if I can’t get to a postcard-perfect beach in the Maldives, or at least Platt Fields Park on a sunny afternoon, well I’m bringing it to Johnny R. It’s easy to bring some Aloha to the library. Look no further than high street favourite Topshop for bright printed pieces such as this Leaf Print Jumpsuit
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(£60).There is still etiquette to bringing a bit of Club Tropicana to the library though. First of all, don’t make John Rylands the backdrop for your very own ‘Spring Breakers’, bikinis are not library-appropriate. Please try and avoid flip flops, especially when there’s such a fabulous range of sandals on the high street this season, but either way, get those feet pedicured and clean please. The one rule you should never break 1) Ryan Gosling and Eva though: sunglasses in the library. Only Mendes Karl Lagerfeld can pull off sunglasses indoors and I’ve definitely never seen The phrase ‘a match made him hanging around the library café. in heaven’ was never more All you need is a splash of colour, a appropriate than in the case palm tree print and you’ll instantly be- of these two love birds. With lieve you’re in Rio instead of John Ry- even men claiming they’re lands. Or John Rio-lands at the least. A #GayForGosling, Ryan is strawberry daiquiri, the sea breeze and definitely on the top of some golden sand wouldn’t go amiss ei- everyone’s wish list this year. ther, but I’m not quite sure how those But we can’t even console library security chaps would feel about ourselves by hating his that. girlfriend because Eva is just unbelievably sexy and always Joanna Dryden dresses to perfection.
Summer of Love: Hot Couples
Summer sans skin
2) Jason Statham and Rosie HuntingtonWhiteley Three years on and rougharound-the-edges, bad-boy, Jason Statham and legsgo-on-forever model Rosie Huntington-Whitely are still smoking hot. Walking around LA with his belle, Jason kept it simple with chinos and a black t-shirt while Rosie reminded everyone just how stunning she is in a ’80s-feel outfit of a high waisted suede skirt and tan boots.
Gráinne Morrison on the alternative summer wardrobe
3) Diane Kruger and Joshua Jackson
It’s a fact of summer. The sun comes out, the clothes come off. I mean, I see the logic -the less you’re wearing, the less you’re sweating. And unless you’re baring the flesh in an unflattering or offensive manner, I say go for it. If not only to regain some of that Vitamin D you have so cruelly been denied all year round. It wasn’t until, when on my travels last summer in Morocco, that I’d ever really considered a summer without skin. As an Islamic country, Moroccan dress is definitely conservative, even more so at the time I was there, which was during Ramadan. Out of respect for the traditional customs of the country, we had to dress respectfully with no skin on show when out in public. Of course I find it hard to accept a culture in which women are told to cover up but, unlike Samantha in the second Sex and
the City movie (the sensitive and insightful delight that it was…), I decided I’d rather not disregard the dress code in favour of my usual penchant for all things tiny. This did, however, mean packing a suitcase void of my beloved strappy dresses, denim shorts and crochet crop tops. Not to mention, I’m the ultimate fan of all things backless. So just how can one dress for summer without baring an inch of skin? More importantly, how does one do so without sacrificing style and without sweating like you’ve just finished a vigorous Bikram yoga session? A feat in itself at any time of the year, but when the average temperatures were over 40° C on a daily basis I thought I’d never get it right. Some lightweight maxi skirts, linen shirts and peg trousers later it seemed I’d actually
started to fall for the conservative look. Need convincing? See Olivia Palermo rocking the maxi. Enough said. If anything, it was fun to have to think outside the box. The perks? Dressing differently and challenging yourself really does force you to re-evaluate what does and does not suit you. You have to consider what shapes and cuts of clothes will flatter you, not drown you. The only major downside was, of course, the lack of tan I achieved. That was just plain unfair. This summer I’m feeling a mixture of my Moroccan wardrobe and my Manchester one, I’m definitely an advocate of the Maxi skirt, which I was not before. But if my ASOS Saved List is anything to rely on, it seems my skin may just be making a comeback.
There’s just something about celebrity couples at Coachella that makes me want to spend the remainders of my overdraft on a one-way ticket to Palm Springs and hunt down a tanned American model to canoodle with in front of the Stone Roses. Diane Kruger and boyfriend Joshua Jackson looked so in love and stylish in spite of being dressed completely in H&M. Does this make my dream more realistic?
4) Leighton Meester and Adam Brody
The two best characters from two of the best series ever are together. With Blair Waldorf’s impeccable Upper East Side designer-laden wardrobe and Seth Cohen’s geekchic, I am praying that this new relationship blossoms throughout the summer. Hopefully we will see plenty of romantic holidays to envy and hopefully one day the cutest kids in the world.
A Fashionable Farewell
5) Olivia Palermo and Johannes Huebl
Loyal readers, Twitter followers, Facebook likers, contributors, and streetstyle catwalkers, Just a note from us editors to say thank you. Heading up such an amazing team has been an incredible experience, so thank you for making this academic year so unforgettable. All of our writers, interviewers and photographers are absolute stars, and the Mancunion team has been rock solid. Over the course of the year, we have truly learnt what stress is, the value of patience, how to work as a team, and what a really great piece of journalism looks like. Best of luck to next year’s team. We hope you have as colourful an experience as we did! Coming to a fashion and beauty magazine near you… World domination is next.
This couple always make sure they are dressed in head-to-toe designer goodness, The City star and her model boyfriend Johannes Huebl looked immaculate in New York last week with Olivia bringing out her olive complexion in a peach coat and open-toed boots while Johannes kept it clean and sharp in grey, blue and black.
Jake, Jess and Elizabeth
Goodbye from the editors Jake Pummintr, Elizabeth Harper and Jessica Cusack
Susie Coen
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Music
ISSUE 20/ 29TH APRIL 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Interview
Editor’s Column
Reflecting on Record Store Day Joe Goggins Music Editor Another year, another wildly successful Record Store Day. Vinyl sales were up 36% on last year worldwide, and what began in relatively lowkey fashion back in 2008 has fast become something of an alternative institution. I dropped by the Northern Quarter late last Saturday, and it was quickly apparent that Record Store Day has become more of an experience than a shopping trip; with the weather as close to tropical as it gets this time of year in Manchester, Oldham Street’s bars were packed with people carrying Piccadilly Records’ distinctive black bags, and Common offering Record Store Day-themed burgers (at a 10% discount if you’d bought any music beforehand). DJs played throughout the day at each of the stores involved, and Soup Kitchen played host to a slew of live sets; you could even pick up free cups of Tim Burgess’ own brand of coffee. The atmosphere was pleasant, sure, and in principle, Record Store Day is a fantastic idea; in an ever-more-digital age, it does seem a little remiss to criticise any event intended to promote physical formats and support independent stores. Yet it’s hard to shake the sense that certain labels, and perhaps even certain artists, might have hijacked what Record Store Day stands for, in a manner that comes across as more than a little cynical. As I recall, the original premise for the records made available on the day would be that they comprised new or unreleased material; perhaps a one-off single on a 7”, or a selection of
5 SONGS IN THE FIELD OF... Guilty Pleasures Joe Goggins Music Editor
remixes on a 12” - something of that ilk. I’m not completely opposed to reissues by any means - one of my favourite records, Frightened Rabbit’s The Midnight Organ Fight, was made available on vinyl for this year’s Record Store Day after being out of print for some time; making records available to fans who would otherwise have to pay extortionate amounts on eBay for an original copy is perfectly alright by me. What is difficult to stomach, though, are the records that serve no real purpose in that regard. One of this year’s best examples is Elephant by The White Stripes. The vinyl version of this record was already available relatively cheaply, both in stores and online; the Record Store Day reissue came on coloured vinyl, sure, but that was it. It wasn’t remastered, and there was no additional material, yet it retailed at £25; there’s really no other way to view that other than as a completely cynical ripoff. It ‘s an especially sore one to take when you consider that Jack White’s own Third Man Records have a commitment to making all manner of weird, wonderful and interesting vinyl; I’m sure it was the label’s decision to reissue Elephant, not his. And therein lies the problem with Record Store Day; for every new, original release this year, there were several unnecessary, overpriced regurgitations (Linkin Park’s Hybrid Theory for £35, anyone?) Not to mention, too, that a host of bands used it as an excuse to plug their new record or single at an inflated price, on account of it being a ‘Record Store Day release’. Record Store Day’s success is a wonderful thing, but the rip-off
1. Slipknot - Surfacing Just fucking YES. You know what I’m talking about here. Six minutes of sheer rage, with Corey ‘The Great Big Mouth’ Taylor spewing characteristic bile over guitars that screech with siren-esque urgency. If I ever pluck up the courage to attend one of their gigs, expect me to crack many heads when they drop this.
Frank Turner The folk troubadour talks Thatcher, breakups and major labels Ol Urwin
“I’ve had people ask me if I’m gonna play ‘Thatcher Fucked the Kids’ and I can’t think of anything more crass.” The singer/ songwriter is referring to an old song he penned at the beginning of his solo career in 2005. This interview just so happens to coincide with the former Prime Minister’s funeral, but you won’t catch Turner drunkenly singing ‘Tramp the Dirt Down’ in the streets: “I’m not a fan of Thatcher or her politics and I’m not saying we should gloss over anything she did…but the only people I can think of that celebrate people’s funerals like that are the Westboro Baptist Church, but at the same, I believe very, very, very strongly in free speech, so if that’s what people wanna do they have to the right to do that and I wouldn’t stop them from doing it.” People seemed to have cooled towards Turner ever since it was ‘revealed’ his politics might not jive with the way people wished. “There are lots of people who hate my guts because I don’t want to be that protest singer person, to which I can only go ‘sorry, it’s just not what I wanna do with my life’.” To this end, the singer has long stopped playing his ode to Thatcher: “A lot of people started coming to my shows who were just there because I’d essentially repeated their own opinions back to them in one song and that’s the only thing they gave a fuck about and I found that very, very frustrating.” Though Turner might’ve toned down his own politics in song, he’s nothing if not populist: “What I’d ideally like is for someone, somewhere to take it and claim it as their own, start playing it yourself, play it at your own gigs, claim you wrote it or whatever, add another verse, whatever.” Community spirit is certainly a large part of Turner’s music. After shows in America, Europe, China and Vietnam, which he
describes succinctly as ‘mad’, Turner and his band, The Sleeping Souls, are back in the UK for the first time since January, and they’ve brought along a little commemoration of sorts; a flag that Turner hopes will be passed from show to show. “I’m just gonna sound like a total hippie throughout this interview” he says, “but I just like the idea that it might just get a whole bunch of people who don’t know each other hanging out and talking and making friends and whatever.” Where does he hope the flag will land? “That, I’m not entirely sure,” he says with a grin, “some of the drives are pretty long on the European run, we’ll see how people do.” The spirit of togetherness conjured up by his music is such that wedding bells are soon to be heard in the unlikeliest of places; it serves as evidence of how far afield Turner has managed to make an emotional impact. “I’ve got a thing in June, basically there’s two people who met at one of my shows, who’re getting married in Pittsburgh and a law in the state of Pennsylvania states you don’t have to get married in a church. They’re coming down to the gig venue and they’re getting married with me as the witness, which I think is pretty hilarious.” His new album, Tape Deck Heart, marks his fifth full-length release in seven years; it’s a testament to the work ethic that he’s clearly retained from his days playing in punk bands. Turner says that though there is no set theme on Tape Deck Heart, it’s “kind of a break up record”. I write chronologically and autobiographically, so themes emerge, though not every song’s about it. “Some of my favourite records are break up records; Counting Crows, Heartbreaker by Ryan Adams, The Midnight Organ Fight by Frightened Rabbit – I love a good break up record, crack out the gin, lock the door and cry at your kitchen table on your own.” After coining many a song about loss, it’s a
sentiment surely a lot of his fans share. Elsewhere, talk turns to the resurgence of bands reuniting. Surely fans are clamouring for a reunion of Turner’s former band Million Dead? “Yeah, people have asked, I’ll take it as a compliment. I’m proud of everything we ever did with that band – I’m fiercely fucking proud of it actually,” but he’s quick to shoot down the idea of him singing those songs again: “it doesn’t really interest me.” In terms of other bands reuniting, Turner’s all for it. “If anybody started to try and lecture me on what I was allowed to do with my music, I would tell them to get fucked,” he states with fiery insistence, “I don’t think that anyone has the right to tell Black Flag or whoever that they’re not allowed to get back together again – bollocks, they’re allowed to do whatever they want ‘cause it’s their band, and their music, and they’re the ones that put the hours in.” Back to his own political decisions, surely the signing to major label Interscope rankled a few dyed in the wool punk rockers? “A couple of people have been kind of annoyed about it and at the end of the day, it’s their right to have their opinion, so cool.” Though Turner might now keep company with ‘the suits’ he’s quick to dispel rumours of (yawn) selling out: “It doesn’t have any impact on my song writing, my organisation – I’m still involved with ticket prices and merch prices, my email address is on my fucking website. All of that stuff remains the same. I do want more people to hear my music and I want to make something of myself in the world but the character to me remains fundamentally the same.”
Tape Deck Heart is available now via Xtra Mile Recordings
2. Starsailor - In the Crossfire
3. Norah Jones - Carnival Town
4. Günther - Ding Dong Song
5. Gary Glitter - Leader of the Gang (I Am)
One of the least-fashionable bands in recorded history dropped off the radar after Phil Spector selfishly ruined the recording sessions for their second album, Silence Is Easy, by murdering somebody. Pretty much nobody heard their third record, On the Outside, but its opener, whilst hardly original, is an absolute stormer.
Big Norah Jones fan, me. Wonderful voice. It was upsetting when she turned up in the mind-numbingly shit Ted as the butt of a cheap sexual gag. Her newest record is a genuinely interesting, Danger Mouseproduced slice of indie pop, but I dig her older, more formulaic stuff too.
Surely the most erotic piece of music of all time, it’s hard to believe that self-described ‘former sexy nightclub owner’ Günther dropped this international smash ten years ago. Timelessly provocative, this is a musical microcosm of Günther’s mantra - ‘champagne, glamour, sex, respect.’
Who could have guessed that ‘the man who put the bang in gang’ would turn out to be a dangerous sexual predator? Pretty much anybody, really. This track is an absolute riot, though - good clean family fun. COME ON COME ON! COME ON COME ON!
Music
ISSUE 20/ 29th APRIL 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
The Mancunion Festival Guide OUTLOOK / DIMENSIONS 29th Aug- 2nd Sept / 5th - 9th Sept Located in the stunning surroundings of Fort Punta Christo, Croatia, Outlook returns this year to celebrate its sixth birthday. With a line up including some of the best in house, techno, reggae, garage and grime, every taste is pretty much catered for. There’s also a major hip hop contingent this time round – including The Pharcyde, Pharoah Monch, Talib Kweli and Jay Electronica. Dimensions starts three days later on the same site, and is shaping up to just as good as, if not better than its older brother. Looking to capitalise on last year’s inaugural success, the line-up boasts some of the most innovative producers doing the rounds right now. In addition to the techno stylings of Ben
Klock, Karenn and Efdemin, the lighter end of 4/4 music is represented by Floating Points, Move D, Mr Scruff and John Heckle. But I’d say the most exciting prospect is the Detroit tour de force, comprised of Moodymann, Model 500, Theo Parrish, Omar-S and Rick Wilhite. Silly good. Tickets are £135 each / £245 for both - check out the websites for more info. Planet Festival is also offering deals on coach travel + accommodation – www.planetfestival.co.uk – so make sure you have a good look at what’s available. Jack Burns
LIVE FROM JODRELL BANK 6th July / 7th July / 30th August Promoters at Jodrell Bank are keen to dispel the idea that science is best left for soul-destroying lessons in a dusty classroom; following up acclaimed events featuring Elbow and The Flaming Lips, this year sees dance icons New Order, the Australian Pink Floyd, and Icelandic post-rock trio Sigur Rós. Previous events wowed audiences with spectacular light-shows, the iconic Lovell telescope functioning as a 76-meter projection screen. It’s a unique spectacle, in perfect harmony with the ethereal music of Sigur Rós. The eccentric Nordic group will air new, darker material from their new album (out in June). New Order will be without bassist Peter Hook after their cataclysmic fallout, but are joined by fellow Mancunian luminary Johnny Marr, who’ll offer Smiths classics alongside new solo effort The Mes-
senger. The Australian Pink Floyd Show may seem an odd choice, but the term “tribute band” is a huge disservice here. Having played huge venues like the MEN, it’s unfair to lump them with the kind that half-fill Academy 3. The timeless Dark Side of the Moon will be performed in full to celebrate its 40th anniversary, a fitting tribute beneath a radio telescope that’s explored the depths of outer space. There’ll be a host of creative science experiments on offer in the daytime, but it’s really all about the music. This summer at Jodrell Bank, the real stars will be gracing the stage, not the night sky. George Bailey
OPEN’ER
3rd - 6th July Boasting a stellar lineup, whose headliners (Arctic Monkeys, Blur, Kings of Leon, QOTSA) probably best those of any other festival happening this year, Open’er has become a major player on the international festival circuit in recent years. This is due in no small part to the price of attending. 4-day tickets are available with 7-day camping and a free pass to see Rihanna the day after the festival’s culmination, should you so wish. The price of the trip often tallies at significantly less than the total of attending a large UK festival which is fantastic when you consider that you also get a complete cultural experience, many beautiful beaches and three cosmopolitan cities to explore nearby. Flights to
Poland and accommodation are also dirt cheap. Of the 120 artists confirmed, Crystal Fighters, Editors, Alt-J and the excellent Tame Impala will certainly absorb audiences in the hot Baltic sun. Finally, when you can describe acts with the magnitude of Nick Cave, Animal Collective and Kendrick Lamar as being part of the alternative section of the bill this year’s Open’er looks to be a fantastic experience all-round. Tickets are £110, that includes camping for the week - see website for more details. Jonny McAreavey
EASTERN ELECTRICS 2nd - 4th August
Extending its duration to three days and two nights, EE 2013 will see over 100 of the finest global electronic artists hitting Hertfordshire this August. The festival will take place at the iconic Knebworth Park, a venue steeped in tradition and which has played host to the likes of Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Metallica, Oasis and, of course, Robbie. It will be very interesting to see how the event fairs in its new home. Day 1 kicks off on the Friday with Ben UFO, Blawan, Bicep, Maurice Fulton and DJ Sneak getting the ball rolling. The no-nonsense beat-stream continues on Day 2 with Magda, Heidi, Ame, Roman Flugel
and Surgeon. Then to close on Sunday, the legendary Masters At Work, Kerri Chandler, Chez Damier, as well as P-Bar giants Tama Sumo and Prosumer. There’s also a host of young guns on display over the three days - the likes of Kyle Hall, Pan Pot and Subb-an will certainly wet more than a few whistles. Weekend tickets with camping are £115 standard, day tickets will set you back about £40. There are plenty of offers for groups and ‘boutique’ camping see the website for more info. Tom Crowe
DOWNLOAD 14th - 16th June
10 years ago, Download was born. Iron Maiden were the Saturday headliners back in 2003 and they make their return again as the Saturday headliners this year. Joining the British metallers are infamous German industrialists Rammstein and Iowa’s own 18-legged hate machine, Slipknot. All three headliners are known for their energetic, pull no punches performances. Slipknot regularly throw themselves off their 30ft high drum-sets, Rammstein play with staple pyrotechnics and metal angel wings, whereas Iron Maiden will no doubt utilise Eddie as a mascot for their music. Welsh metalcore outfit, Bullet for my Valentine are once again at Download having slowly moved up
the order year on year, this time as second headliners of the main stage. Other acts include emo rock outfit Thirty Seconds to Mars and Californian rockers Queens of the Stone Age. Some of the up and coming acts to catch include: Heavens Basement, Motionless in White, Rise To Remain, Blitz Kids and The Ghost Inside. The Download line-up has everything. From the classic heavy metal style of Motorhead to the speed-metal of Dragonforce, the pinnacle of British metalcore, Asking Alexandria and Architects, to the nu-metal icons Limp Bizkit. James Birtles
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GOTTWOOD
20th - 23rd June One of the hottest tickets of last summer, Gottwood is perhaps best described as a technobased teddy-bear’s picnic. Nestled away in the Anglesey woods, this year’s vibrant roster of artists includes Extrawelt, Luke Vibert, Ben UFO, Detroit Swindle and Tom Demac – plus a plethora of quality producers and established regional promoters. Manchester collective Drop The Mustard play host to up and comers Urulu and Ejeca, London house heads Tief welcome Bicep and KRL, whereas Leeds night Louche bring in German supremo Move D for a 4hr set. Hip-hop tinted live act The Scribes and deep-rooted reggae crew General Roots also contribute to an extremely eclectic billing. What sets Gottwood apart from other UK dance
festivals is that it is genuinely dedicated to supporting up and coming DJs. The promoters strive to provide a platform for lesser known artists, giving them the opportunity to push themselves further into the public eye. It’s also set in the woods, which is pretty rad. The theme this year is ‘The Wild Things’, so expect to see plenty of larger-than-life art installations, animalistic murals and graffitied trees. Tickets are £95 for the weekend w/camping – great value. See the website for more details and necessary directions. Daniel Jones
DOT TO DOT 24th May Perhaps one of the worst things about booking a festival ticket is the utter, utter dread that our notoriously schizophrenic British weather just won’t cooperate. There’s always a risk that after spending £200 on a ticket and then the same again in transport, supplies and copious booze, you’ll end up spending a weekend soaked to the skin and covered in mud. And that’s the joy of a multi-venue city festival. The heavens can open all they like but you’ll be standing inside a nice warm venue and at the end of the night, you can go home to a shower and a warm bed. The first night of three with the crew rolling in to Nottingham and Birmingham the same weekend., the Manchester leg is taking place in a number of
venues surrounding Oxford Road train station: Ritz, Sound Control, Joshua Brooks, Deaf Institute & Zoo. The festival has always prided itself on exhibiting some of the freshest new bands around; at the top of the bill are the always wonderful Dry the River and critics’ darling Tom Odell but further down there’s some of the best new talent currently winning over the music blogs. Be sure to catch the likes of Wolf Alice, new indie-pop wonders, Thumpers, MØ – who’s being touted as the Danish Grimes, Chloë Howl and Story Books before they rise out of their relative obscurity. Rachel Bolland
WILDERNESS 19th - 21st July There’s not many festivals that combine panel debates, nature retreats and wood-fired hot tubs with an enormous wealth of talent from the worlds of circus, music and theatre. However, Wilderness Festival does just that. It is the brainchild of the people behind the success of both the Secret Garden Party and Lovebox music festivals. As Wilderness enters its third year in the picturesque parkland of Cornbury Estate, Oxfordshire, the festival will certainly aim to maintain and further solidify its reputation awarded to it by the readers of the Live UK magazine as the the UK’s best festival with a capacity under 15,000 in 2012. Australian duo Empire of the Sun headline in what
is an exclusive UK festival performance, and their first UK date in just over three years. A perfect headline act in the care-free, relaxed environment that the festival offers. Other acts performing include Noah and the Whale, Rodriguez, Ghostpoet, King Krule and Martha Wainwright, alongside the BBC Sound of 2012 winner Michael Kiwanuka and the 2013 Brits Critics Choice award winner Tom Odell. Tickets are £139 for the weekend w/camping - see website for more details. Adam Selby
LATITUDE 19th - 21st July While Kraftwerk and Carol Ann Duffy might be two names which rarely come together in the same sentence, the forefathers of electronic music share a billing with the poet laureate and GCSE English staple at 2013’s Latitude Festival, in a line-up which, at first glance, might make for slightly bemusing reading – Modest Mouse, Germaine Greer, Duane Eddy and Tim Key all feature among a wealth of others, in what is surely one of the more wide-ranging mix of artists assembled this summer. However, as organiser Melvin Benn has stated, Latitude is “much more than a music festival.” Headlining alongside Kraftwerk are festival stalwarts Bloc Party and Foals, although with over 500 live acts booked for the four day festival – including
break-through acts Laura Mvula and Rhye – it would be hard not to find something to enjoy. The appeal of Latitude’s eclectic (sorry) range of live performance is matched by the allure of its setting, in the idyllic grounds of Suffolk’s Henham Hall, over which rogue flocks of luminously dyed sheep roam at will – as far as British festivals are concerned, locations don’t come much better in this. Founded in 2006, and with a current capacity of 35,000, Latitude is already becoming a major highlight of the UK’s festival circuit. Hugo Nicholson
HIDEOUT 3rd - 5th July With a backdrop that combines the Mediterranean climate, mountainous scenery and crystal waters, it is plain to see why Hideout Festival has become one of Europes leading dance getaways. Whether it’s boat partying with Joy O or being poolside for Bashmore, Hideout has all bases covered, catering for both the commercial and obscure clubbers alike. Whilst Chase & Status and Jamie Jones top the bill, the essential party names of ever present duo Oneman and Jackmaster are guaranteed to keep summer vibes flowing. That said, house music remains at the fore with men like George Fitzgerald and Dusky standing in good stead to keep the beats playing well past sunset. If this was not enough, the influential figures of Scuba and Skream sit along-
side the relatively young pair, Bondax, to offer one of the most balanced lineups Croatia’s coast will host this summer. Located on a small beach upon the island of Pag, Hideout offer the customary boat party opportunity, with labels such as Numbers, Hessle Audio and Hot Creations all commandeering ships. 2012 deserves special mention DJ Jackmaster finishing his sunset performance by playing ‘Teardrops’ by Womack and Womack. This resulted in the audience getting rather emotional, especially when ‘Gypsy Woman’ by Crystal Waters was played upon Jacks encore. Sam Bartram
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Music
ISSUE 20/29th APRIL 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Album
Now: Hooded Fang - Gravez Full Time Hobby - Out May 27th
Daniel Jones Music Editor The distinction between endearing rugged charm and simple sonic scruffiness is a fine line that every garage band must tread. Hooded Fang showed that they had that line sussed last year on sophomore effort Tosta Mista, a 23-minute joyride showcasing the Canadian 4-piece’s light-hearted take on love, life and gypsy gnomes. But where that album soared with weird aplomb, Gravez (as the title suggests) is a slightly more serious affair. Not entirely serious, don’t get me wrong - you have to take the ‘Z’ into account. Not counting the intro, lead-single ‘Graves’ kicks off the record with a tasty slice of lo-fi grunge, complete with biting lyrics – ‘all these faces and they’re all the same, why are you looking at me?’ - and a healthy dollop of ‘ba-ba-ba’s. ‘Ode To Suburbia’ and ‘Sailor
Bull’ share a cleaner soundscape, akin to The Black Lips and Ty Segall at their psych-rock best or The Monks in their mid-60s heyday. On ‘Bye Bye Land’, wailing guitars combine with gruesome imagery to create an interesting vibe that sits somewhere between beachy, fuzzy and dark. But by the time you hit ‘Wasteland’, the tightest track on offer, it’s clear that Dan Lee (vox/producer), April (bass), Lane (lead/occasional trumpet) and D.Alex (drums) have more than gelled during their time on the road. “We’ve toured a lot, so we definitely feel comfortable playing together,” reveals April, “We’ve been to the moon and back. There were really amazing times and really rough times... like any journey to the moon. We ate crocodile balls, slept on floors and couches, watched TV and movies, and looked out the window in between. All of this steady instability must have influenced the album.” Crocodile balls aside, Hooded Fang’s taste for the alternative extends far beyond their main band duty. Treating this project as their day job, they also find time to run their own imprint (Daps Records), contribute to a handful of side projects and even help out at April’s playschool, teaching kids how to play all manner of instruments. Lucky brats. Even though the group haven’t really taken off in the UK, their relentless penchant for work has already been recognised back in Canada. Their debut LP, the imaginatively titled Album was nominated for the Polaris Prize back in 2011 – the equivalent to the Mercury Prize on that side of the pond. I really wouldn’t be surprised if they got another nod for the next awards. Better get those suits cleaned guys, just in case. Can’t be rocking up covered in reptile testicles.
From the vault: The Shins Chutes Too Narrow
On their debut record, Oh, Inverted World, The Shins offered plenty of promise; by taking a diverse range of influences, from The Beach Boys to Sunny Day Real Estate, and still managing to produce a cohesive collection of pop songs, lead singer and principle songwriter James Mercer demonstrated a mastery of his ability to match addictive melodies with delightfully smart lyricism. The release of their second full-length effort, Chutes Too Narrow, delivered on this potential critically and commercially, with unanimously positive reviews, sales of almost 400,000 and, perhaps more dubiously, Natalie Portman’s now infamous proclamation that the band would ‘change your life’ in Garden State. Most strikingly, though, Chutes fulfilled the creative potential present throughout Inverted, raising Mercer from the level of talented singer-songwriter to musical auteur. 2003 was by no means a fallow year for indie rock breakthroughs – Death Cab for Cutie, The Decemberists and Broken Social Scene all made their respective marks with well-received releases – but it was The Shins who produced the undeniable standout, with the scratchy, bedroomrecorded sound of their debut giving way to high fidelity; cleaner vocals, sharper guitars and a punchier rhythm section. That’s not to say that the band’s variety of influences was narrowed as a consequence; opener ‘Kissing the Lipless’ evokes the spirit of Pixies, the gentle, acoustic opening engulfed by racing drums and impassioned vocals; this flirtation with the quiet-loud dynamic would be revisited on their experimental 2007 follow-
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Thursday 9th May - £13.50 up, Wincing the Night Away. Perhaps the most remarkable feature of the new, cleaner production is quite how dramatically it unshackles Mercer’s voice; fans of the first album would surely not have had him down as the vocal chameleon he is on Chutes, shifting shape to fit in with each song’s tone; downbeat and melancholy on wistful closer ‘Those to Come’, quietly restrained on the Nick Drake-tinged ‘Pink Bullets’, and downright bratty on politically-charged stomper ‘So Says I’. One attribute of Mercer’s that was never in doubt, however, was his delightful way with words; The Shins, like Belle and Sebastian and The Magnetic Fields, are a band who could provide plenty of joy simply presenting their lyrics as poetry. Societal ruminations – “Our lust for life had gone away with the rent we hated” – and deft historical observations – “just a glimpse of an ankle and I / react like it’s 1805’ – are present and correct, but it’s on more familiar, lovelorn ground that they really excel; ‘Gone for Good’, a Wilco-esque country rock effort, spins a gorgeously eloquent tale of the trappings – quite literally – of monogamy. Records like Chutes Too Narrow make you wonder about that old cliché pertaining to the second album; granted, there isn’t any shortage of sophomore efforts that have failed to live up to what came before, but perhaps if more follow-ups were crafted in the same vein as this one, with an onus on expanding on its predecessor rather than narrow-minded insistence on ‘topping’ it, we could enjoy watching a few more bands bloom like The Shins have.
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Books
ISSUE 20/ 29th APRIL 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Feature
Summer reading Will you throw in the books once exams are over, or begin a year’s worth of reading?
Image: Glenn Simmons
In my experience there are two types of summer holiday readers. The first are those who like to kick back, relax by the pool and indulge in the opportunity to read some good old-fashioned, mind-numbing pulp fiction. The second consider all that free ‘relaxation’ time the perfect opportunity to wrestle down something big and challenging, a brain workout. Where the first inevitably read ‘batch’ books – whatever’s kicking around at the time, so last summer it was 50 Shades of Grey that lined rows of receding deck chairs, and the one before One Day that made the rounds; the second group read personal Everests, something they’ve been both putting off and looking forward. The first group inevitably have more fun (they’re probably also the kind of people who consider tanning a sport), the second instead motivated by a good Protestant work ethic, a Romantic desire to cultivate the mind. The first rip through pages with glee; the second sigh and re-read the same sentence, before setting down the book and squinting into the distance for a bit. I used to belong to the former category, but now, with only minor bitterness, I would probably have to pin my stripes to the latter. I think it was one too many Marian Keyes books (titles like Nadia’s Big Mistake, and Mary-Jane Pulls It Off (I think these were actual titles)) that tipped me over the edge, and I just can’t read those books any more; so I belong to the latter category out of necessity, and in the full pretension of ‘worthy’ (maybe not that worthy) books and poolside dictionary stashes.
The Working Class Movement Library Annie Muir finds some stirring stuff in Salford’s Working Class Movement Library Ten minutes out of Piccadilly gardens on the number 50 bus is the Working Class Movement Library. A sturdy brick building, you can tell from the outside that what’s inside is going to be interesting. Inside, there is a huge yellow banner hung above the front desk saying in thick, green cut-out letters “ANTI-APARTHEID MOVEMENT”, an armchair covered in a map of Manchester, and a grand staircase leading to the 40 rooms full of books upstairs. The collection records over 200 years of campaigning by men and women for social and political progress. On the walls there is information about the extraordinary couple Ruth and Eddie Frow, who founded the library. They met at a Communist party summer camp in 1953 and discovered that they had in common a love for collecting books about labour history, so they compared each other’s collections, got married, and started the library in their own house. They spent summer holidays roaming the country in their caravan, searching for books to put in their library, until it got too big for their house and they moved it to its current location opposite Salford
Top of the current list is a recent addition, but it’s shot straight to the top of the charts: Threats, by Amelia Gray. I’ve just read AM/PM by Gray, a confidently slim volume of short, short stories (micro short), structured more like a novella – snapshots of its character’s lives in the mornings and evenings. AM was at first slightly underwhelming, but slowly, imperceptibly, I was absolutely knocked out by it – which itself is pretty unusual. Usually I know if I like a song in the first few seconds, and it’s the same with a book, but I’m always pleased to be surprised. So all in all, I’m very much looking forward to reading Gray’s first novel, which has been accumulating praise ever since it came out last year. It’ll probably be somewhere between brain-numbing and migraineinducing, so a nice start to a summer of reading. There are others high up there on the list: George Saunders’ Tenth of December (which I’ve been waiting to read since January), Christine Schutt’s Prosperous Friends, and then something a bit more classically ‘challenging’. I haven’t completely decided what yet, maybe some Dostoevsky or Vargas Llosa, or maybe Calvino’s If on a winter’s night a traveller. Something to mark the time until I’m sitting at a desk again, looking up at grey skies, and making lists. Phoebe Chambre
University in 1987. From the main exhibition you can get a sense of the vast kinds of items that can be found in the collection. There are not only books but posters, prints, leaflets, and even the boots of a child labourer. There are items relating to Manchester history such as a drawing of the Peterloo Massacre which occurred at a peaceful protest in St Peters square in 1819, and a huge amount of Irish material such as letters from Irish Republican prisoners in Long Kesh and Armagh in the 1970s and 80s which were written on cigarette papers and smuggled out of prison. There is also a ceramics room featuring a plate which warns, “MURDOCH IS BAD NEWS”. What makes the collection so interesting and exciting is that the items are all so active, they are not just quietly complaining about the world but actively organizing meetings and protests, writing letters of complaints and songs of unity and freedom. In the reading room there are huge windows and two armchairs next to a packed book shelf, as well as large, wooden serious study-tables for looking at precious material. On my visit the tables
Photo: Annie Muir
were covered with items that members of the general public had been exploring lately, stacked up in piles with their names on top. These piles, as well as the friendly and busy atmosphere of the library and the multitude of flyers advertising current events, illustrate that this is not just a historic library gathering dust, it is a place to remind us that the working class movement is very much ongoing, and that there are people who still believe in the importance of not just observing the world, but changing it. - Annie Muir
Feature
Why Anthony Trollope is a Better Version of Charles Dickens Elizabeth Mitchell argues that one of the most prolific writers of all time deserves the same reputation as his overexposed contemporary, Dickens
And right now, I am very excited for summer holiday-ing to begin, and I can finally stop going to the library and reading all the things I have to read, and start reading all the things I want to read. I’ve been making lists.
Threats, by Amelia Gray (Farrar Straus Giroux,
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Dickens (left) vs. Trolllope (right)
On the surface, there appear to be many similarities between Anthony Trollope and Charles Dickens: they were both born in the mid-1810s; both had a troubled childhood, marred by their fathers’ sudden decent into debt, and both became respected chroniclers of life in the Victorian era. But one big difference: whilst Dickens’ works remain household names – regardless of whether you’ve read them, Trollope seems to be becoming increasingly less well known. This seems particularly odd when you consider that Trollope’s output consisted of 47 novels, dozens of short stories, several pieces of non-fiction, two plays and his own autobiography. So why is this important writer not better known? Not as respected as Dickens? Well, one reason is for his damning examination of the Irish situation. Trollope worked in Ireland for the Post Office between 1841-51, and his early novels depict Catholic/Protestant tensions
and harshly examine the way England responded to the Great Famine. Perhaps it is not surprising that these initial novels did not give Trollope immediate success; the English public clearly did not want to be reminded of their appalling behaviour towards their fellow countrymen when reading fictional books. Yet the brilliance of Trollope’s writing was recognised by his peers: Thackeray, George Eliot and Wilkie Collins all admired his work and count him as an inspiration. Due to Trollope’s early lack of popularity, money became an issue for him in a way that Dickens never felt. Whereas Dickens could afford to be paid on an instalment basis by magazines and newspapers, Trollope found himself having to accept lump sums in advance from editors. Given that newspapers were more accessible to the average member of the public, Trollope’s audience was defined as the ‘novel reading’ classes, a much smaller market than the available to Dickens. However, this did have its literary advantages; Trollope could truly develop a character throughout a book, making them far more believable than Dickens’, who would change their outcomes on public demand. Trollope’s work can seem like the broadsheet press, compared to Dickens’ tabloid. Trollope’s own economic hardship further lent him a uniquely realist portrayal of money. To quote W.H. Auden, “Of all novelists in any country, Trollope best understands the role of money. Compared with him, even Balzac
is too romantic”. In 1868, Trollope was persuaded to stand as a Liberal candidate for Beverley, deemed the most corrupt constituency in the country. He came last, following votes being bought by the two Conservative candidates, and spent £400 on his election campaign. This experience gave him great insight into the Victorian political world, accurately translated into his work in books such as The Palliser Chronicles and his 1875 masterpiece The Way We Live Now. All of Trollope’s works had a deep satirical depth, with detailed examinations of society and its flaws. However, unlike Dickens, Trollope never seems to be preaching from on high, thereby endearing himself and his characters to the reader. In more recent years, Dickens has been promoted to modern day readers through countless television adaptations, films and even a stage musical. Trollope has not been ignored in this respect , though. The 1982 BBC adaptation The Barchester Chronicles featured a stellar cast, with a young Alan Rickman stealing the limelight as slimy Obadiah Slope. The Way We Live Now was given the Andrew Davis treatment in 2001, to great critical acclaim and several Baftas. Maybe all that is needed is a West End production of Trollope’s autobiography, featuring several songs about his championing the pillar box, and the world will finally acknowledge the true genius of Anthony Trollope’s literary work.
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Food & Drink
Smoked mackerel with rhubarb and ginger Jessica Hardiman Food and Drink Editor
As an oily fish, mackerel is great brain food, meaning it’s your best friend when the barrage of essays and exams begins. The rhubarb cuts through the richness of the smoked mackerel to create a delicious yet light dish, perfect for a speedily nutritious fix after those long hours at the library. Don’t be alarmed if your rhubarb isn’t the vibrant dark pink you’ve come to love: it’s simply a case of the paler the stalk, the earlier the crop. The darker, more crimson rhubarb will taste a lot less sweet and more acidic, so adjust the sugar measurements accordingly. This is one of the quickest meals I know, where little effort and few ingredients go a long way. It’s always tempting to resort to the comfort and ease of the microwave ready meal, but they really won’t do much for you in the long run, and it won’t be long before you find yourself tucking into a whole packet of bourbon biscuits. Instead, try and get a few dishes up your sleeve that are quick and easy, and most importantly, fuel your brain as much as your belly. (Serves 2) Ingredients: 2 smoked mackerel fillets (double the quantity if you’re especially ravenous, or if the portions are especially measly) 200g rhubarb ½ inch piece of ginger 2 tbsp sugar Method: Chop the rhubarb into inch-long chunks and throw into the pan with the sugar and water. Grate in the ginger and simmer for ten minutes, or until the rhubarb has broken down. Meanwhile, warm the mackerel fillets in the oven or the microwave. Taste the sauce for sweetness; if the rhubarb is still too tart, add more sugar. Spoon the sauce over the mackerel and serve with salad.
ISSUE 20/ 29H APRIL 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Celebratory sipping As the academic year draws to a close, Ben Walker advises on that essential post-exam tipple Start as you mean to go on. This was my mantra for this year’s boozy adventures, and indeed 2013 so far had been nothing short of a great boon. So far, I’ve revisited old friends and charted new territory, and have a whole host of things to tell you about — from mid-week champers, weekend Gerwürtz, and the finest Old Fashioned this side of Mad Men. Let’s open with an absolute cracker with the wine bar, Bakerie. Almost too cool for its own good, the vast floor-to-ceiling, wall-towall cellar hosts central Manchester’s most extensive and intriguing vino selection. It is a shop in which you buy your wine, pay a small cork charge then take a pew in this new breed of Northern Quarter joint, which admittedly crosses the yuppie line. But for all the criticisms of pretension, fad and hipsterness of the NQ, if they do what they do well, enjoy it. However, what will have me going back is the cocktails. Cocktails are great. Sophisticated, delicious, complex, and offer a little of that suaveness reminiscent of messers Draper and Sterling. A top cocktail does positively affect the way you feel about yourself — the cut glass tumbler delicately resting in your hand, a seemingly aloof sip, but then a deep pause of reflection as the flavours explore every last one of your taste buds. Embrace it. The Knob Creek Old Fashioned from Bakerie is literally a game changer. Never have I enjoyed that blend of bourbon, orange, sugar and bitters more. The secret was in the opportunity to choose your bourbon instead of being lumped with an inferior house blend. Bakerie offers a choice of premium whiskey, and Knob Creek is as smooth and creamy as I don’t know what. It is also cheaper than the less good Alchemist smoked version of this Appalachian classic. A large part of this year has been very cold and very windy, and indeed a long way from summer. I thought trying to discover the wonders of Champagne would be a suitable remedy for such blues, and indeed it was. In fact, being a student,
popping a cork on a Tuesday evening is a most bizarre, exhilarating and ridiculous notion: I strongly recommend it. I punted for a non-bank breaking introduction into France’s finest fizzy export. In fact, it scores significantly higher than Moët & Chandon for me. Sainsbury’s Blanc de Noir Champagne at £20 did the business: oh boy it did the business. The excitement of twisting the bottle and releasing the cork, the pop, the fizz. The golden nectar was full of nutty and toasty notes with a really creamy texture. Much revelry was had sipping this aperitif, though it would have soared with some seafood canapés. How long have I been decidedly lost in a world of mid-priced pinot grigio, orvieto, sauvignon blanc? Too long. Yes, all these grapes can be delicious; in truth I love orvieto and a Marlborough Sav Blanc is the most standard of bottles. However, everything changed when I discovered the Château St Michelle Dry Riesling and Gewürztraminer (available at Carringtons, West Didsbury). These wines are as good
as white can get because they are simply exciting. When bottled, the yeast is still active and thus the wine takes on a slight spritz character, which is a taste bud sensation. A warm, slightly spicy and toasty comfort is delivered in buckets and the aromatic qualities are unrivalled. The £7 Sainsburys Gewürz is a nice introduction to this new ‘go to’ white. If you are hungering for a pint, however, pack up at the library at 5pm and head straight to the Salutation behind the RNCM. It is the best pub in the University vicinity; it actually lives up to the often misused claim as “purveyor of fine ale and beer”, and is delightfully charming. With either ales on pump or imported bottles, the selection is seductive. This year so far has been marvellous, it really has. As exams and coursework deadlines approach please take time to celebrate with some quality over quantity, something wonderful, something absolutely smashing.
Head to ‘the best pub in the University vicinity’, The Salutation, for that much needed pint. Photo: sgwarnog2010 @Flickr
Revision relief Ashley Scantlebury suggests a tasty change of scenery for your revision blues Ashley Scantlebury
Exams are fast approaching and we don’t want to feel guilty for going wild, having fun and being completely oblivious to the fact that we should be revising. This being said, everyone needs an escape from the monotonous task of studying, so why not check out these three great spots to escape revision and still function perfectly throughout the rest of the day?
A mid-afternoon treat with a scoop or two at
Freddo’s
Fresco
With the weather picking up, my final weekday spot is Fresco Freddo’s Gelataria, Manchester’s answer to delicious Italian ice cream in the city. From rich, flavoursome scoops of coffee, nut or chocolate ice cream to sweet or zesty fruit sorbets, this place is an absolute treat. You can chose to have your ice cream in a cone, on its own or even alongside crêpes or waffles. Cakes and coffee are also on the menu, but with such perfectly smooth ice cream, why eat anything else?
An afternoon trip to Teacup If you fancy a quick bite or a bit of lunch, Teacup is the perfect place. Affordable, tasty and rich, Teacup serves up some of the most delicious tea and cake that Manchester’s Northern Quarter has to offer. If you’re more than peckish grab a sandwich or pasty with salad and relax in the warm rustic surroundings. You could even read over some notes or test yourself with revision cards as you eat if you’re feeling particularly studious. An evening feast at Rozafa
Adapted from Delia Smith’s ‘Mackerel with Rhubarb Sauce’ in Frugal Food.
Rozafa is a wonderful Greek Restaurant. You can choose to sit upstairs in intimate candlelight or enjoy live music and dancing downstairs; this spot is the perfect place to eat whilst having a bit of fun. They serve up big plates of food and even bigger helpings of good service and music. From hot or cold mezze to delicious kebabs and fried seafood, there’s no way you could be unsatisfied.
Chase away the revision blues with a colourful slice of cake at Teacup. Photo: Frideswide O’Neill
Food & Drink
ISSUE 20/ 29TH APRIL 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
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Our pick of graduation restaurants
We’ve compiled a list of restaurants where we’d love to take our parents. Of course, you can take them even if you’re not graduating! This renowned restaurant on Deansgate, although a notable WAG and Corrie star hotspot, serves up some really elegant and opulent modern Australian food: a gem guaranteed to impress the parents on graduation day. This Asian infusion restaurant is the epitome of smart sophistication, which is nicely juxtaposed with the informal waiting staff and unexpected laidback atmosphere. To best sample the food, opt for ‘local style’ and choose a number of small plates to share as a table in a interactive tapas style. A few to try out include the fresh flavoured tuna tartare, the rather theatrical BBQ lamb cutlets and the extensive selection of exquisite sushi, particularly the smoked eel. Every dish is beautiful and you are sure to try something different. If you’re drinking, I recommend a cocktail or two, a lot of which are wittily named Asian twisted classics, as well as the understated and simple Manhattan and Old Fashioned options. Although it may cost a pretty penny, this place definitely isn’t your average Wagamama and will undoubtably be a memorable experience, perfect for celebration.
Red Chilli is that perfectly situated Chinese restaurant on Oxford Road. I know my Dad is not to be made to wait when hungry, so I’ll be rushing the family off here at lunchtime to relieve them of exam ceremony bordeom. Red Chilli serves big portions and offers a three course lunch menu for only £9 a head. The lunch menu has a good selection of rice and noodle dishes, which you pair with one of eleven sauces. The starters include soup or dim sum. If you’re savvy, you could get two meals out in one day by heading here for lunch and somewhere a bit more upmarket for dinner. But if you’re heading here in the evening, check out the a la carte menu which includes some pretty crazy dishes, like ‘crystal pig’s ear layers’ or ‘sliced ox heart, ox tongue, ox tripe in chilli sauce with crushed peanuts’, as well as jellyfish and other peculiarities. But all the normal Chinese dishes are served besides, and I think I’ll be sticking with my favourites of pork belly and fried eel.
If you’re in the mood for a quality steak, Grill on the Alley will not let you down. The cuts include ribeye, rump, sirloin, fillet, T-bone, as well as the coveted Wagyu (£55) and Chateaubriand. How could you say no? There are burgers, seafood, salad and fajita options if not; a pretty wide selection of cuisines. Grill on the Alley markets luxury ingredients in an unintimidating way - there are inclusions of foie gras and carpaccio of beef sitting alongside lobster mac ‘n’ cheese. Grill on the Alley prides itself on British craft beers and ales and offers several reasonable three course set menus, starting off at £20. There is also an extensive cocktail list, including a section just for martinis and nightcaps. Grill on the Alley has received consistently high reviews and is known for its slickness. If you want a feeling of relaxed extravagance, this is the place to go.
Emily Clark
Emily Clark
The Albert Square Chop House is lodged in the Memorial Hall, a beautiful Victorian building that exudes regal splendour before you’ve even entered the establishment. It is steeped in Mancunian history, making it a fittingly spectacular end to your university days. The classic British menu is one that takes hearty food and dribbles over it a little finesse – not too much, but enough to make your meal celebratory. Expect nothing too innovative or flashy here, but instead traditional dishes done well. Think pork belly, but served in neat little squares, nestled amongst scallops and smearings of watercress puree; waiters in white shirts and waistcoats carrying towards you a plate of roast hogget. There is also a separate grilled chops and steaks menu to please even the most carnivorous of fathers. The Albert Square Chop House is perfect for those who want the triumphant festivities of a graduation meal, but with the approachability and comfort of somewhere much more relaxed.
Alex Williams
Jess Hardiman Food & Drink Editor
As of March 2013, this exciting restaurant is run by Simon Rogan; it’s a guaranteed winner. The French is part of The Midland Hotel, a beautiful building which will show your family that Manchester can do elegance. There are three menus on offer: a three course, six course and ten course. The dishes are all very much in Rogan’s style, a modern British cuisine with focus on a few well matched ingredients, for example, ‘fresh crab and caramelised cabbage, horseradish, chicken skin with crow garlic’. I haven’t eaten here yet but. knowing how popular this restaurant is, I would definitely book as soon as possible.
Room will provide a bit of theatrics to your graduation meal: it’s the perfect place to pop open some fizz, clink glasses, and bask smugly in the sensation of your own astounding intelligence. With giant red pendant lights casting a moody glow over dark wooden fixtures, the atmosphere is one of a slick, relaxed elegance – but the sheer size of the place means that you won’t feel oppressed or overwhelmed as you tuck into your turbot poached in red wine. The food is good and decently priced, but most importantly are the striking floorto-ceiling windows that will allow you to look out fondly to the city that you have called home for the past few years.
Emily Clark
Perhaps the most decadent of our suggestions: Australasia. But hard work deserves reward! Photo: Australasia
Unleash the BBQ Fast approaching are those few precious days when the weather bursts into golden haze and revision is impossible. Better go and buy a disposable BBQ. Here are a few recipes that will make procrastinating worthwhile, better yet, finish your exams and celebrate with food.
Grilled sweetcorn with nutmeg butter Serves 4 4 corn on the cob 100g butter 1 tsp ground nutmeg Salt and pepper Mash the butter, nutmeg and seasoning and spread equal amounts on each cob. Wrap in foil then grill, BBQ or bake at 180°C for 30-35 minutes.
Apple and walnut coleslaw Serves 4 100 g walnuts 200 g white cabbage, finely shredded 1 large carrot, grated 50 g sultanas 2 tbsp mayonnaise 150 g plain low-fat yogurt 2 apples, chopped finely 3 tbsp chopped parsley Bake the walnuts on a roasting tray for 5-10 minutes at 190°C. Mix together the cabbage, carrot, sultanas, apple and walnuts in a large bowl. Stir the mayonnaise and yogurt together and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir this dressing into the cabbage mixture and toss to coat all the ingredients. Top with the parsley.
Jess Hardiman
A few barbeque recipes designed to counteract the grilling exam period Caramelised pineapple Serves 4 Recipe adapted from BBC Food 1 pineapple, cut lengthways 4 tbsp soft brown sugar 4 tbsps of rum Cinnamon, to dust Slice the pineapple into eight pieces lengthways. Wrap them in pieces of foil big enough to cover two pieces, sprinkling over the brown sugar and rum before roasting at 225°C or BBQ for 10-15 minutes. Once cooked, dust with cinnamon.
it is totally sealed. Sprinkle a little pepper over each burger and place in the fridge until ready to cook. Cook the burgers on a BBQ, in a pan or under the grill for 4 minutes each side for rare, 6 minutes for medium and 8-9 minutes for well done. Toast the burger buns on the cut-side. Load the buns with the burger, top with the bacon, tomatoes, lettuce and sliced onion. Emily Clark Food & Drink Editor
Cheddar burger fondants Serves 4 Recipe adapted from BBC Food website 450g/1lb minced beef 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 tbsp mustard 110g/4oz strong cheddar, grated 1 tbsp chopped fresh chives 1 tbsp coarsely ground black pepper 4 slices of crispy cooked streaky bacon 1 baby gem lettuce 2 tomatoes, sliced 1 small red onion, sliced into rings 4 burger buns Mix the beef with the garlic and mustard. Mix the cheese with the chives and set aside. Divide the beef into four and form into burger shapes. Make a deep indentation into each of the burgers and place a spoonful of cheese into the indentation. Shape the beef around the cheese until
If your exams went a bit Pete Tong, grab your BBQ tongs and head to the park. Photo: scion_cho@Flickr.
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Arts & Culture
What’s on
SELLING MANCHESTER
ISSUE 20/ 29TH APRIL 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM /TheMancunionArtsCulture @ArtsMancunion
Exhibition
Creation / Destruction
Immi Marsh visits the Holden Gallery for an exhibition highlighting that ‘beauty can indeed be found in destruction, and vice versa
© David Bailey (Sound from the Other City)
‘Associating design with something bigger; the artists, the audience, the festival ethos’ MMU’s School of Art is taking over the Bench Self Made Gallery as one of the external studios taking part in the Unit X Festival, which sees MMU students plan the ‘ultimate festival of Manchester’. Their project is presented alongside work from established designers, to explore the evolution of poster, flyer and digital art. Offerings from the design team behind Warehouse Project, Now Wave and Electric Elephant will show alongside work from Dave Sedgwick (BCN:MCR) and David Bailey (Sounds from the Other City). If you’re interested in marketing or design, this is one not to be missed.
On first entering the ‘Creation and Destruction’ exhibition, I have to say I struggled to understand the connection between the two processes in some of the pieces of artwork on display. However, upon second reflection, I felt this highlights exactly the point that the art is trying to make. Creation and destruction are deemed to be worlds apart, ‘polar opposites’ and ‘elemental forces which are permanently in conflict.’ The exhibition, however, takes the development of creation and the dilapidation of destruction and turns them on their head. Consequently, Anya Gallaccio, Mark Smith and Rut Blees Luxemburg manage to merge the two processes in their artwork, by blurring the distinctions between the two to form a unique third space. Anya Gallacio- a Scottish artist- allows the powerful procedure of decomposition through her use of organic matter, to produce a new, generally unpredictable, yet unique form of art. Essentially she creates something strangely beautiful from the initially negative process which is seen in destruction. In her piece
‘Preserve “beauty”’, she had sandwiched red Gerbera flowers between two panels of glass, and over time, they had wilted and fallen in and around each other. A web of silky mould had grown around the delicate heads of the flowers, and the preservation of their beauty had indeed created something even more visually stimulating to the eye. However, her candle installation was probably by far the most thought-provoking. A mound of candles dripped and melted into one another, forming a mountainous bed of wax, whilst three of them remain lit, demonstrating the life-taking destruction that fire can cause, but also the purifying, energy that light brings. Mark Smith featured a silent four-minute motion clip ‘North Circular’ from a projector in a darkened room. The camera slowly zooms in towards a derelict office complex, where three boys appear to be innocently playing inside. However, as you get closer they are in fact contributing to the ruins by shattering the glass that remains. Finally one boy sets into motion a spinning-top, and we watch as it gradually
Exhibition
loses momentum and spirals out of control, before the clip abruptly finishes. Perhaps metaphorically Smith is trying to convey that over time things must always come to an end, yet the seemingly decrepit building in fact transforms into an innovative and inviting playground of creation. Finally, the simplicity of German photographer Rut Blees Luxemburg’s work allows the influence of erosion and fragmentation to do the talking for her. It demonstrates how the inescapable force of nature can create new and exciting forms, especially seen in her photo of the meteor. It is evidently a product of natural creation, but has the potential to cause vast and devastating damage to man. Destruction can actually cause forces of creation to spring up out of what you may have thought was long destroyed, and creation may in fact be the cause of destruction. Therefore the artwork manages to ‘establish a thread between the two forces’ and ingeniously demonstrates that beauty can indeed be found in destruction and vice versa. Rut Blees Luxemburg, ‘O’, 2010 (copyright: Holden Gallery)
Immi Marsh
@EDAnalysis
Everyday Analysis
Venture Arts: Articulate Perfume and Dreams Annabel Herrick previews the latest project from Venture Arts at the Lowry, which seeks to give a ‘Voice through Art’
‘Throughout our whole sleeping state we know just as certainly that we are dreaming as we know that we are sleeping’
Venture Arts are proud to announce their fourth major art exhibition ‘Articulate’ in the Lowry to celebrate the talents of their brilliant team of over 100 people with learning disabilities. Despite being a small charity, no other arts-based organisation has succeeded in showcasing art produced by people with learning disabilities in such expansive and professional shows. Venture Arts organise arts and crafts workshops which provide a fun and lively space where people can build confidence, experiment with their creativity and discover skills they never knew they had. Thanks to a hard-working management team and a group of dedicated volunteers, Venture Arts runs twenty interactive two-hour workshops per week. Still going strong since 1985, the charity provides an outlet for people with learning disabilities to express themselves through art when they may feel unable to do so in other ways. Following this idea is the new project ‘Articulate’ which highlights the importance of personal expression and explores different forms of
Much television advertising shows us images of commodities in ways calculated to make them desirable. Some products, like cosmetics, cannot be shown directly and have to be represented through their effects. For this reason we have shampoo adverts which show hair becoming shiny and skincare adverts which show the effect healthy skin has on the opposite sex (and it is always, so far, the opposite sex). All these adverts are forms of wish-fulfillment. This tells us that we are in the world of dreams, since Freud has shown us that, in all cases, ‘a dream is the fulfilment of a wish’. It is a world Walter Benjamin associates with the growth of commodity fetishism in modern life, a phenomenon of which advertising is an organic outgrowth. One product is so ephemeral, though, that neither it nor its effects can be adequately represented. This product is perfume. Perfume is nothing but a scent, a trace, and therefore utterly resistant to visual presentation. Even shampoo and spot-cream can be illustrated through the material effect they produce on the body, but the only thing perfume alters is our smell, or aura. How then, is perfume to be advertised? The answer is through the language of dreams themselves. If all advertising is a
communication interpreted in creative ways. Many people who work with Venture Arts are non-verbal, have hearing impairments or find it difficult to express themselves through speech; ‘Articulate’ gives these people a Voice Through Art. After discussing ideas of ways to approach this project as a team, textiles and especially sewing seemed to be a strong point; part of the project included handstitched letters and envelopes to be sent to a friend or a favourite celebrity. To look at more modern forms of communication, such as the telephone or the television, the group experimented with various types of art techniques. This included drilling metal and stitching electrical wire or drawing favourite TV programmes on clay frames that were blasted in the kiln. Not only has this project provided a way to focus on personal talents as individuals, but it has given certain people the chance to pass on the skills they have learnt through the centre. The group created a ‘How To Hand-Stitch’ handbook to explain the process to each other in an accessible way, and some
members of the group even got to visit young people in schools to try their hand at a bit of teaching. Venture Arts strives to help these people with learning disabilities develop their artistic skills but also grow in confidence; they leave the workshops having learnt new skills yet also come away with a feeling of self-worth and purpose. Venture Arts sees the person, not the disability, and endeavours to uncover their hidden talents and exhibit their impressive work to a wide audience in order to accredit their abilities as artists. Manager Amanda Sutton believes that after the inspiring performance of the athletes in the Paralympic Games of July this year it is a perfect time for society to recognise and celebrate the previously unseen talents of people with learning disabilities. She states “it is groundbreaking and marvellous that people who have learning disabilities get the opportunity to showcase their work and gain a well-deserved profile in the arts”.
The exhibition is running in the Lowry in Salford from the 12th of April until the 6th of June 2013.
kind of dream, perfume adverts takes that logic and extends it so that there is no product at all at their centre. All that remains is image and sensation. Adverts like those for Chanel No. 5 with Audrey Tautou or Dolce and Gabbana with Keira Knightley offer up a confusion of identity, space and meaning which matches what we encounter in dreams. Such adverts often show people in bed, as in the case of Audrey Tautou, who appears to fall asleep in the Chanel advert. While any bed is sexual, here the bed gestures more specifically towards a dream of sexuality. Watching this advert, we are invited to ask: is the man real, or is he a figment of her (or our) imagination? This is a question that might equally be asked of perfume, which is already almost nothing. If all dreams and all adverts are circulations of desire and fulfilments of wishes, we might be tempted to say that the fulfillment offered here is sexual. Yet this is not the case, at least not in the way it first appears. Keira Knightley only tempts her man with a dab of perfume to the neck before she walks away, leaving him behind. Audrey Tautou may end the advert being kissed by the man she has been searching for, but there is no sense that this is any more real
than the rest of the dream-like sequence: the man is no more solid now than when he appears as an image on her camera a little earlier. Instead, to understand the wish that is being fulfilled we have to return to Freud, who proposes several forms which might be taken by wish-fulfillment in dream, one of which is the ‘wish to sleep’. This is a powerful force in all dreams, but especially sexual ones: ‘The operation of the wish to continue sleeping is most easily to be seen in arousal dreams, which modify external stimuli in such a way as to make them compatible with a continuance of sleep’. It is this that we see in the perfume advert; the wish being fulfilled is not that desire is satisfied, but that it is extended so we can continue to sleep. This makes the perfume advert the purest of all adverts, since it reveals something fundamental about the way all advertising works. Advertising constantly works against something Freud pointed out over a hundred years ago: ‘throughout our whole sleeping state we know just as certainly that we are dreaming as we know that we are sleeping’. All advertising is at once the revelation and the repression of this fact, but nowhere does either operate more powerfully than in the perfume advert.
Theatre
ISSUE 20/ 29th MAY 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
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What’s On Making Contact MAY-JUNE
Andrew Georgeson reports on the Contact theatre’s collaborative architecture project Mancunian building into an iconic venue for Mancunians.’ The other students involved in the project were Nick Elsdon, Raphae Memon, Matt Iliffe, Konrad Koltun and Christia Angelidou. In order to reach their goals, the six 2nd year students from Manchester’s school of Architecture, who became involved in the project through tutor Emily Crompton, are looking to change every aspect of the theatre, from the positioning of the stairs and the internal colour scheme for the audiences, to the size of the dressing rooms for the artists. Should the bid to the Arts Council be successful, work will begin between February and June 2015.
For our last issue of the year we’ve compiled our picks of what to see in local theatre for the next few months
This week Abigail’s Party Most people probably know Mike Leigh for his films, but his trip to the Lowry this week is as a theatre director, for Abigail’s Party, a satire on 1970’s suburbia. The production, dubbed ‘Brilliant, vintage Leigh’ by The Observer, centres on Beverley Moss who invites her neighbours over for drinks. Satirising a newly emerging social class in 1970’s Britain this classic production is worth seeing for its insight into Britain’s social history. Runs 29th April – 4th May at The Lowry. Tickets £19.
This month
A Doll’s House Ibsen’s classic comes to the Royal Exchange stage in May under a new adaptation by Bryony Lavery. A play which caused huge controversy when it was first premiered back in 1879, it still remains relevant as its continued popularity on the modern stage has proved. Running during the lead up to exams this play, which deals with the longing for freedom, will no doubt strike a cord, even if only with those longing for the freedom away from John Rylands and the pressure of exams!
A view of the Contact theatre from Oxford Road photo: Haversack Nearly every student will see the building each day of his or her university life. However, how many of us actually realize what the building is for, its history and the important services that it offers? The building I am referring to is the Contact Theatre, located just off Oxford Road, behind the Academy. ‘It’s peculiar’ mused 2nd year architecture student James Taylor-Foster, ‘in the sense that it is iconic, but so few are aware of it’s purpose.’ The theatre, whose recent events include hosting a series of productions for the celebration of LGBQT month, is about to undergo an ambitious 10-year rejuvenation
process in order to achieve it’s long term goals of inspiring the next generation of creative leaders, artists and audiences as well as becoming more environmentally sustainable and integrating more renewable energy sources. It is a noble and vital pursuit in the times of such austerity within the arts community, and it has been a project that the University of Manchester, as well as Manchester Council and architects Urbed have all got on board with. When asked of the importance of the work James responded ‘it is vital. It has the basic foundations for a world-class theater, and a few alterations could turn it from an iconic
Review: Sarfraz Manzoor Tom Ingham takes a trip to The Lowry to review Sarfraz Manzoor’s ‘The Boss Rules’
Runs 1st May – 1 June at The Royal Exchange. Tickets £10.
Brontë Polly Teale’s play first staged in 2005 looks at the life and work of the Brontë sisters and their characters as they come back to haunt them. Directed by Gabriel Gawin and part of The Capitol’s Summer Season, this is a production worth catching. Runs 15th – 18th May at The Capitol. Tickets £5.
Sarfraz Manzoor. photo: The Lowry
Next month A Bright Room Called Day Another of the pieces in The Capitol’s Summer Season this play by Tony Krushner, famous for his Pulitzer Prize winning drama ‘Angels in America’, set in 1930’s Berlin focuses on a group of struggling artists and political activists caught up in the fall of the Weimar Republic and the assent to power of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis. Praised by the Chicago Tribune as ‘thought-provoking’ its not to be missed. Runs 5th – 8th June at The Capitol Theatre. Tickets £5.
The Contact theatre’s logo photo: datalove
Obsessions often come with negative connotations; some deem them unhealthy or in fact detrimental to every day life. Personally, I would say that over the last few years I have developed a slight obsession with the working class hero Bruce Springsteen, but my perceived obsession has been downgraded to ‘interest’ after being trumped by broadcaster and journalist, Sarfraz Manzoor. Describing the show as a comedy seems slightly unjust as
this is far more than a ‘set’, this is basically a man’s life story – warts and all. Although Sarfraz dismisses the notion of being a comedian early on, there is no doubt that his whit and grand tales of fanaticism are humorous within themselves and bring his story to life. A second generation immigrant from Pakistan, Manzoor grew up in Luton – a place that its own residents voted ‘Britain’s worst town’. Despite being anything but a promise land, Luton provided
him with a reason to dream and it was only when he met young Springsteen aficionado Amolak that this dream began. Initially dismissing Amolak and The Boss, his first exposure to the symphony that is Born to Run changed everything. A huge part of Bruce’s appeal was the escapism he offered Sarfraz, epitomised most famously in Thunder Road “It’s a town full of losers, and we’re pulling out of here to win”. Springsteen’s songs provided more than just inspiration; they provided layouts and plans on how to do it. Being a well respected broadcaster and journalist it’s bewildering to hear the turn Manzoor’s life took as a teenager. His first encounter with The Boss was in 1988 on the Tunnel of Love Express tour, and although his strict parents allowed him to go they couldn’t have envisaged the effect it would have on him. Sarfraz describes how his devotion was born out of necessity, as if he were almost in need of the man’s direct wisdom, and only after Bruce himself pointed out “what are you doing in Pittsburgh?” did he realise quite how consumed he had become. As I say comedy doesn’t cover all aspects of this show, Manzoor’s
moving account of meeting and marrying his white wife Bridget, against strong apposition from his family brought a tear to the eye of many, even him, confessing “it’s still hard, no matter how many times you do it”. But joy was found when he revealed his family did attend the wedding, after yet another intervention from Springsteen. Manzoor’s account of love is enthralling, and although Springsteen wrote many beautiful ballads he also presented somewhat of a challenge – to love someone“with all the madness in my soul”was something that intimidated the young Sarfraz. The show is a rollercoaster of emotions as we trace Manzoor’s very footsteps from child, to troubled teenager, obsessed globe trotter and now the happy family man and successful journalist. For Boss fans it’s a treat to meet someone with such passion, but liking Bruce is not a pre-requisite for this show, in fact Bruce is just a catalyst for the developments in Sarfraz’s enchanting story. The experience is an altogether inspiring one and has the power within itself to change the outlook we take on life, something I’m sure The Boss would approve of.
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Lifestyle 60 seconds with... Kebab King’s Paz
Lauren Arthur speaks to the kebab king himself
Whether you’ve had a good or bad night out in Manchester, from the time you leave the club, hobble up the Magic Bus stairs and sit on, what feels like, the longest journey down the curry mile ever, usually there’s one thing on your mind and that is food. Whilst you can visit its usually less busy neighbour Pizza Champion or even choose Ichiban’s £3 chicken chow mein, none of the other fast-food establishments offer the entertainment and liveliness of Kebab King’s Paz.
When was Kebab King opened? We opened it over 20 years ago. We’ve seen other places come and go but we’ve been here the longest.
Drunk students are annoying at the best of times - are there some nights when you hate your job? Not really, you get used to their behaviour. I love my job, it’s usually very entertaining.
What are the ups and downs then? The hours I work can be tiring sometimes but I’m so used to it now it’s not too bad. I love that we have regular customers that come in are loyal to Kebab King!
What do you find are the most popular foods? For boys I’d say kebabs. A lot of girls tend to choose cheesy chips; gravy and chips is very popular too.
You’ve sort of become a local celebrity page - do you consider yourself a BNOC? (Laughs and asks what BNOC means) Most people recognise me; the tv screen showing photos of customers is very popular and the Facebook page was a hit so yeah I suppose I am sort of!
Any nights that you remember particularly well? Not too long ago a girl came in, chucked me a camera, then her and a load of girls got up on the table and started doing a Harlem Shake. Other people joined in and it’s now on YouTube!
ISSUE 20/ 29TH APRIL 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Cosmopolitan Careers Masterclass Editor Dana Fowles relays the invaluable advice from a panel of media industry experts The Lifestyle team recently attended the first Manchester Cosmopolitan Careers Master Class, held here at our very own university. The evening, hosted on Wednesday 17th April by Louise Court (Editor of Cosmopolitan magazine), consisted of free wine (score), a goody bag full of girly freebies, including lipstick and fake tan and of course, the invaluable advice of the all-female panel of media industry professionals. Sharing their expertise along with Louise were Rachel Hardy (Communications Manager at Lime Pictures), Rachel BurkeDavies (Capital FM’s breakfast host), Sarah Hall (Senior Publicist at Sony Music), Lizzi Hosking (Entertainment director at Cosmo) and Pat McNulty (Digital Editor of Cosmopolitan online). Giving an insight into the world of journalism and PR, the women agreed that their roles are probably ‘the most fun you can have doing a serious job.’ They each went on to share their tricks of the trade, with Pat McNulty recommending a strong online presence as one of the most important ways to break into the media industry today. Regular blogging and Tweeting were advised ( justification for my Twitter addiction which I was pleased to hear). Much to the delight of myself, Beth and Lauren, she also stressed how great student publications are (go Mancunion)! While the value of work experience is constantly drummed into students, we are not always told how to make the most
It’s...
Yeah! As long as there are students living in Fallowfield, we’ll still be here serving them!
spelling were stressed, with Louise advising that each application should be tailored to fit the language of the company you are looking to gain experience with. Last but not least, it was agreed that CVs should be concise, with bullet points being bigged up. Overall the £30 ticket was well worth it. Everyone left feeling inspired and getting the chance to speak to members of the panel at the end was an added bonus. To make it in the media industry you need to be prepared to work for free, get rejected and to push yourself and be brave. Now to put these words of wisdom into action.
Blind Date Fairytale ending
It’s the final issue and it’s been an eventful year of blind dates. We’ve seen the good, the bad and the downright ugly, as our brave volunteers allow themselves to be paired up by Lifestyle in a bid to find their match made in heaven. We’ve picked the most memorable moments from this year’s dates for you readers to look back on and enjoy.
Lucy and Patrik with ‘a hug outside New Zealand Wines’. Classy. Funniest rating James gave date Amber a sex partner percentage rating of 69%...you can work it out for yourselves.
Best effort
Most popular goodbye
‘I don’t usually go for chicks but, considering I’d already come this far, I was more than happy to give it a go.’ A brave move from Connor, who reconsidered his sexuality for the night. Best comparison
Can you see the business being here for another 20 years?
of our time with potential employers. Fortunately, this was not left uncovered by the masterclass team. Capital FM’s Rachel spoke about climbing the career ladder, saying, ‘You need to go that extra mile and make yourself available, or someone else will!’ Lizzi Hosking agreed, highlighting the value of being a ‘yes person’ in a ‘good way.’ According to Lizzi, being able to make tea for free with a smile on your face is a great start as an intern. She also added that it is important to ask if there are any extra jobs that need doing at the end of the day; this shows that you are prepared to put in the time and effort required to succeed in such a competitive industry. Sarah Hall seconded this, making it clear that while she is keen to help dedicated interns into the industry, she is also keen to make sure that those who show no such promise are blacklisted forever. She said, ‘This guy interned for me once and he just used to put his feet up on the desk and ring his mates, asking them if they wanted to come to free gigs because he had tickets. I made sure that he didn’t make it in the industry. He’s an estate agent now.’ Point made. For anyone who wasn’t CV savvy, the evening was particularly useful. Lizzi recommended sending hard copies as well as emails, as they stand out more. Sarah suggested doing something a little weird and wacky, saying that she once presented her credentials as a press release, detailing ‘why Sarah Hall should be employed.’ As expected, the importance of language and
Morag described her blind date as like ‘gin- not easy at first but the taste grows on you’.
A friendly hug- boring! In fact, not a single couple even kissed on the lips. Most popular couple Debbie and Jonathan, with a massive 91 recommendations on Facebook.
Blind D ate 20
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Match made in Heaven Helen and Lewis, who kept in contact after their date. Just call us Cupid!
Worst comparison Been snapped with Paz? Find out on his Facebook page: www. facebook.com/paz.k.king.
Tom compared date Sarah to a McDonald’s cheeseburger because she seemed ‘cheap, juicy and meaty’- let’s hope she saw the flip side (no pun intended) to that back-handed compliment.
Date from Hell Courtney, who thought he’d ‘hit the back of the net’, when in fact Barbara was less than impressed by him turning up to the date with wet hair. That’s a lesson for us all.
Most keen ‘We both got a cheeseburger which I thought was cute because we obviously had so much in common’- Barbara, perhaps that seems like you’re looking into things a bit too much?
Beth Currall Thanks to Trof Fallowfield and all the staff there. Keep your eyes peeled for the return of Blind Date in September.
Want to write for the Lifestyle section in the next academic year?
We are looking for new faces to join our team for 2013/14. If interested, contact Beth Currall at bethcurrall@hotmail.com, or Lauren Arthur at lauren.n.arthur@gmail.com.
Lifestyle
ISSUE 20/ 29TH APRIL 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Advice
Confrontation: yay or nay? Should you speak your mind or keep your mouth zipped? Beth: I love a good argument. I will argue with anyone, be it friends, family members or boys. If I’m fired up I could rant at a brick wall. I do honestly believe that confrontation is healthy. Those who are not afraid to speak their mind and push their points are often the most respected and successful people in society after all, the late, great Maggie Thatcher didn’t become Britain’s only female PM because of her timid personality, did she? For me, an argument is a good way to clear the air and build relationships with people. There is nothing more awkward than treading on egg shells around people because you are afraid to tell the truth and hurt each other’s feelings. It doesn’t have to be a complete slanging match; if you can both sit and down and put your issues out there, everything will become so much easier. Remember that your friends, family and co-workers aren’t psychic: if you have a problem, you shouldn’t be afraid to voice it. Arguing also helps you to get what you want. When I’m in a club and a creepy lad starts to dance with me, I will tell him where to go. This makes me far happier than the ‘nice’ girl next to me, who feels obliged to let him grind on her less-than-enthusiastic body. Yes, there have been times where I’ve been called a bitch, but if arguing provides me with an outcome I’m
satisfied with, why shouldn’t I continue to do it?
Lauren: Confrontation and I do not get on. I will go to great lengths to avoid an argument with someone. Basically, I’m a self-confessed coward. In secondary school I once threw a muffin at a girl whilst sticking up for a friend. We stood staring for a second, both equally shocked by my outlandish and out of character behaviour before I turned, legged it and vowed never to act so boldly (or waste a blueberry muffin in such a manner) again. Usually I will walk away from a situation; I don’t see the point of making people upset for what is often a petty and insignificant reason. It’s not that I don’t see the point in arguing, quite the contrary. I am of the opinion that people should stand up for what they believe
in and I do, it’s just that my tactics are slightly different. I try and keep my angry thoughts inside so that when I do tackle the root of the problem, I can get them across more collectedly. I will argue to stand my ground if I really have to, I just don’t like it whatsoever. Too many people provoke others because they enjoy the thrill of an argument, causing unnecessary aggro and stress as well as sometimes deeper, long term tensions. Yes, life’s too short to be walked all over but it’s also too short to have to keep up with who you’re on talking terms with and who you’re not. So no, I will never be the girl who screams and shouts to get her own way, but that doesn’t mean I’m a doormat either.
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The sexual taboo Why is it okay for guys to be promiscuous, but not for girls? Feminism has taken a backstep. There, I said it. We appear to have abandoned the Spice Girls ‘girl power’ of the 90s and regressed back to the 50s; we are now waging the sexual war of the sluts and the players. The word ‘slut’ was invented by men to insult women, while the word ‘player’ was also invented by men to glorify their success in the sexual sphere. Now is it just me, or do we have some sort of double standard emerging here? I can practically hear ‘LADS’ reciting that ridiculous ‘lock and key’ theory as I write this. All I have to say is, what really makes you and me different? You have one different chromosome; biology decided to make you male, me female. Yet it is still acceptable for men to be players but if a female behaves in the exact same way, she’s a ‘slut’. I have one thing and one thing only to say to man-whores: you are not husband or boyfriend material. No girl wants a man who’s had countless women in his bed. Take heed, I know a guy who picked up scabies from sleeping with lucky number 89. Also take heed of the fact that a short and dress and high heels is not an invitation into someone’s knickers, nor is it an admission of promiscuity. That ‘slut’ may have slept with one person or even none for all you know. We live in a tragic era of slut shaming, but we are fighting back and will continue to do so, with such events as SlutWalking and Boobquake (ladies, Google immediately). So to the gentlemen who can’t seem to keep it in their trousers, stop judging the ladies who lead the same lifestyle as you. It’s a little hypocritical, don’t you agree? After all, this is 2013. Molly Allen
TV
Made in Chelsea, yah? Like, literally, what is it that makes this show so popular? Last week, Made in Chelsea became the most Tweeted trend of the week after its fifth season premiere episode. So why had I, along with thousands of others, tuned in to watch these overprivileged, over-tanned, over-indulgent idiots prance around on my screen? The answer? There is a complete open-mouthed fascination about watching MiC: incredulity, slightly tinged with jealousy. It’s like being transported into a weirdly wonderful/wonderfully weird parallel universe, where all the inhabitants have fabulously shiny locks and skin the colour of varnished mahogany, and have totally mastered the art of the awkward pause. These inhabitants also seem to be incapable of saying a sentence without the words ‘like’ or ‘literally.’ Like, literally, every sentence. If you’re not the heir to a ridiculous amount of money or have a totally pompous name such as Proudlock (Proudc*ck is more befitting if you ask me) then you are not welcome in Chelsea. Like, literally, Rosie with the wide eyes will stare you out of London. MiC has an undeniable entertainment factor; I couldn’t take my eyes away from the screen when Louise and Spencer were
arguing in the middle of the restaurant and Millie’s slap was just inspirational. Despite this, it’s hard to believe that these people are actually real. Some of the ‘storylines’ are more dramatic than a soap, making it easy to forget that these characters aren’t supposed to be fictional. When they stop filming, they don’t burst out of their designer outfits and head to the local pub for a pint with the lads (sorry, gentlemen) – what you see is what you get. Obviously, shows like these have to be taken with a pinch of salt, but nonetheless, it seems hard for me to think about Mark Francis existing in the real world, beyond the
WE ASK: Final years What has been your favourite thing about Manchester and what’s next?
borders of London SW3 (oh, and Cannes of course). Perhaps it is the melodrama, combined with the fact that these people are real, which makes this and many other similar programmes (like The Only Way Is Essex and Geordie Shore) such a success. Either way, it certainly certainly makes me feel a bit better about myself. I may not be a Wotsit coloured, Laboutin wearing glamour puss who can jet off to ‘Verbz’ at a moment’s notice, but at least I’m not making a complete arse out of myself on national television.
My favourite thing about my time at UoM has to be meeting my best mate. I’m either going to stay and do an MA or get an internship. Callum, Politics and Sociology I’ll have to think about my top memory once my dissertation is over! I’m hoping to go into Television Production next year, so I’ll probably be doing some running. Sophie (Co-editor of The Mancunion), History and Spanish
Gwen Ellis My favourite thing about my time at Manchester has probably been the summer periods after exams when you’re still here and can relax and enjoy the city. My plans are to try and stay up here and get a job. Miles, Classics I like how friendly the people are up north. I plan to intern at publications until I get a job in London! My goal is women’s magazine journalism.
My best memory has to be just after the Easter holidays in second year. We had a week of constant BBQs on our grimy patio in absolutely fantastic weather and I look back very fondly on the antics which occurred over those seven days! In terms of the future, I’ve got a couple of business ideas which I’m going to try when I leave, but they probably won’t go anywhere so I’m going to try to break into finance or do an MA. All after having a good summer of travelling and music festivals – money permitting. Oliver, Economics
Zara, English Literature and Spanish
It’s hard to see the positives amid dissertation stress right now, but my favourite things about Manchester are the friends I have made here and independent living. In September I will either be at UCL or Kings College London doing an MA in Contemporary Literature - a decision I am seriously questioning due to aforementioned undergraduate stress! Jessica (Beauty editor at The Mancunion), English Literature
Dana Fowles (editor)
Games Preview - Star Trek
ISSUE 20/ 29th April 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
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Will Star Trek boldly go where no film tie-in has gone before?
With very few exceptions (Spiderman 2) film tie-in games are rubbish. Often re-skinned or shoddy imitations of AAA titles, rushed to coincide with big budget films releases in order to ride the hype train all the way to the bank. With this in mind, when I first heard they were making a game to coincide with the new Star Trek my curiosity wasn’t peaked. I enjoyed J.J Abrams’ reboot of the series, but as I am not a Trekkie, I had little interest in playing a game based on the films. I assumed it would be another rushed affair, similar to the plethora of terrible tie-in games already available. However it appears that I may have jumped the gun on this one. Brian Miller, Vice-President of games at Paramount Picture, the game’s publishers, blames the poor quality of most film tieins on their short development period (usually 1 year), “That’s not enough time to do it right.” Hoping to solve this problem, development on ‘Star Trek: The Video Game’ began 3 years ago. This gave Digital Extremes the opportunity to build the game from scratch and give it the extra polish rarely seen with tie-ins.
Details on the story are scarce (kept secret to build anticipation no doubt) but we do know that it’s set between the first film and the upcoming sequel, and features classic and much loved Trek villains the Gorn. Re-imagined for the reboot, the Gorn have a reptilian look not dis-similar to the Lizard in the latest ‘Spiderman’ reboot. The Gorn “seed mayhem and destruction as they destroy populations and deplete planets of their resources”, and should make for tough adversaries throughout the campaign. Built from the ground-up as a co-op experience, it appears to be in a similar vain to Army of Two and Gears of War, with Spock and Kirk assuming the roles of the protagonists. Gameplay will be split between exploration, co-op platforming and cover-based shooting, the third-person shooter staple we’ve all come to know and love/loathe. The developers have been keen to stress that the game contains two ‘vastly different gameplay styles’; Kirk is impulsive and headstrong, preferring to shoot first and question whatever survives, meaning his play style is similar to the
running-and-gunning of the Gears of War series. Spock on the other hand is more thoughtful and measured in his actions, reflected in a more stealth-focussed skills set, which includes Star Trek staples ‘Mind Meld’ (the ability to enter another characters mind) and the ‘Vulcan Nerve Pinch’. Furthering this difference in play style, the game’s upgrade system encourages players to stay in character; Kirk’s upgrades are focussed on improving accuracy and damage, whereas Spock’s focus on his Vulcan abilities, improving his speed and stealth abilities. Of course, its still possible to play a gung-hoe Spock, or a more strategic Kirk, but its clear the developers are aiming for the characters to embody their on-screen personas. Aesthetically the game is very appealing; character models closely resemble their real-life counterparts and environments are detailed and life-like. The game also has the trademark ‘Lens Flare’ present in much of the reboot, which adds a shiny, modern look to surroundings. Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto reprise their roles as Kirk and Spock. Present too are Simon Pegg as Scotty and Zoe Saldana as Uhura. It’s this level of polish and detail that Digital Extremes hopes will make Star Trek standout from the movie tie-in crowd. Until recently no one has been allowed to play the game, which caused alarm among the gaming public. However early reviews have begun to appear, and the overall opinion is positive, with many claiming the game is a blast when played with friends. Star Trek may be the first film tie-in game in years worth your money.
Review
Blizzard Entertainment’s reputation before the release of Warcraft III was impressive; critics and gamers alike loved their games, Starcraft, Blizzard’s previous games, had become South Korea’s national sport, and everyone eagerly awaited their next release, a continuation of their much-loved Warcraft series. The pressure was on for Blizzard to deliver. Warcraft III was Blizzard’s first foray into fully 3D graphics, and for its time it looked gorgeous; units were incredibly detailed, landscapes reacted and felt alive, and vivid colours made enemies jump off the screen. The Warcraft series was know for its extra level of polish and III was no exception; each unit had its own responses when selected, which changed with persistent clicking (“Stop clicking me!”), the standard of voice acting was very high and races were well balanced. Warcraft III made a few big additions to the existing formula; two new races, the Night Elves and the Undead, joined the Orcs and Humans to bring the roster up to four, and powerful new Hero units were added for each race. Heroes gained levels, becoming stronger and acquiring new abilities which could turn the tide of battle, adding an additional level of strategy to gameplay. Along with a single player, Warcraft III delivered an excellent multiplayer experience including matchmaking and tournaments for hardcore gamers. Players were also given tools to make their own levels and game types, resulting in many popular sub-genres being created, most notably Tower Defence and DotA. Warcraft III is the game that started my love affair with the strategy genre; the gameplay is quick- paced and exciting, it has a brilliant sense of humour, and the multiplayer provides countless hours of diverse gameplay. With an equally brilliant sequel, and available cheaper than a Venice Special, it’s well worth a purchase.
Josh Girling
Preview
Dishonored: The Knife of Dunwall Bethesda Softworks • 360/ PS3/ PC Fans of Dishonored may have be wary of purchasing DLC after the first add-on offered nothing new in the way of story. But those who purchase The Knife of Dunwall will be rewarded for their faith. The Knife of Dunwall follows Daud, the assassin who killed the Empress in the opening sequence of Dishonored. He seeks redemption for his actions, entering an investigation into a mysterious woman called Delilah in a thoroughly confusing plot, which fails to make you care for Daud’s fate as you did with Corvo’s. Not even Mr Blonde himself Michael Madsen’s voice work could engage me with the plot. This was a shame, as the story in Dishonored is strong and made the assassinations matter. While the Knife of Dunwall is weak in terms of plot, it more than makes up for it by providing three missions of top notch gameplay. If you are a fan of Dishonored’s open-ended levels, which allow you to finish the game without killing a single enemy, then you’ll
Josh Girling
Warcraft 3
love the Knife of Dunwall. The opening Slaughterhouse level has all the hallmarks of a great Dishonored level. It has dozens of rooftops walkways, places to hide, and enemies to target. Once you enter the Slaughterhouse you are presented with a truly interesting environment with pools of whale blood and terrifying butcher enemies attacking you with deadly rotating blades. Playing through the Knife of Dunwall, you begin to notice that enemies aren’t so easy to pick off.
Sam Dumitriu
It’s not that they are stronger, just that there are more of them and they’re closer together making stealth a greater challenge. Unless you are setting out to finish the game without killing anyone, you will most likely end up in combat with multiple enemies relying on your trusty pistol and chokedust grenades to get you out alive. The Knife of Dunwall is worth buying for one reason alone, it gives every Dishonored fan what they wanted after finishing Dishonored, more Dishonored.
Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon Ubisoft • 360/ PS3/ PC When I first saw the teaser for Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon on April 1st, I thought Ubisoft were showing me nothing more than an elaborate April Fool’s joke. Fast forward to today, and now I’m cautiously anticipating its release on May 1st. Set in an 80s sci-fi interpretation of 2007, you play as Sergeant Rex “Power” Colt, a Mark IV Cyber Commando voiced by Michael Biehn, who you may remember as Kyle Reese from The Terminator. You might be asking what does
Sam Dumitriu this have to do with Far Cry 3? While released as a separate title, Blood Dragon uses the Far Cry 3 engine. Watching the walkthrough video, you’ll see that Far Cry 3’s outposts have now become futuristic garrisons. Everything is over the top. In Far Cry 3, you might shoot a cage to release a tiger for a bit of extra support. In Blood Dragon you can unleash a giant dragon that can fire lasers that wipe out everything in sight. Far Cry 3 had a great selection of weapons; Blood Dragon has
quadruple barrelled shotguns that set enemies on fire on impact. The dialogue is raucous, with Rex arguing with his AI, using cheesy one-liners and a lot of profanity. A recurring image from the walkthrough was Rex’s robotic hand giving enemies the finger after throwing grenades. The soundtrack also plays off the cheesy 80s theme, with synth heavy music from Power Glove Every little aspect of Far Cry 3 has been tweaked. Instead of throwing a rock, you throw a D20 die. Instead of using a camera to tag enemies, you use Colt’s Cyber-eye. The knife throw takedown has been replaced with a new throwing star takedown. The over-the-top dialogue, the wacky takes on Far Cry 3’s mechanics and the sheer awesomeness of battling laserbeam firing dragons means Blood Dragon is set to be the ultimate spin-off.
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Tickets can only be purchased by University of Manchester students, via the Students' Union website. Before you buy a ticket, you'll need to have registered first. If you bought Pangaea tickets last time or you're a member of a society you're already registered. You can buy a maximum of two tickets for Pangaea. When you come to Pangaea, you'll need to bring valid student ID with you, and your guest will also need to arrive at the same time as you. The name on the ticket must match the ID of the person who purchased the ticket. Your guest does not need to bring student ID, but they must be over 18 and have a form of valid ID with them, especially if they are lucky enough to look under 21. Refunds & Exchanges As with January's Pangaea, refunds will only be given in mitigating circumstances. If you've bought a ticket for Pangaea and can no longer attend, you'll have until the 29th May to let us know. If we can resell your ticket, you'll be given a refund. If we can't resell your ticket, no refund will be given.
30 : SPORT
ISSUE 20/ 29th APRIL 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM
Gallery and scorecard
Photos courtesy of Jayne Golden
Sport
Badminton (W) Badminton (M1) Badminton (M2) Basketball (M) Basketball (W) Canoe Polo (M) Canoe Polo (W) Fencing (M) Fencing (W) Football (M1) Football (M2) Football (W1) Football (W2) Hockey (M1) Hockey (M2) Hockey (W1) Hockey (W2) Lacrosse (M1) Lacrosse (W2) Netball (W1) Netball (W2) Rugby League (M) Rugby Union (M1) Rugby Union (M2) Squash (M1) Squash (M2) Squash (W) Table Tennis (M) Table Tennis (W) Tennis (M) Tennis (W)
Manchester Leeds vs Liverpool vs Liverpool 8-0 3-5 5-3 28-16 21-30 0-8 0-3 81-62 78-56 1-0 2-2 0-0 2-0 3-1 3-3 10-0 7-0 2-6 16-0 43-28 24-25 20-24 12-7 13-17 2-0 2-0 2-0 4-1 3-0 2-1 3-0
8-0 4-4 5-3 49-48 25-36 1-7 0-5 35-81 73-61 0-1 5-0 1-0 2-0 3-2 2-3 7-0 7-0 4-8 20-1 41-22 37-16 8-26 17-5 55-24 5-0 2-3 5-1 0-3 2-1 2-1 3-0
Manchester vs Leeds
Sport
Manchester Leeds Manchester vs Liverpool vs Liverpool vs Leeds
1-7 5-2 TBA 43-36 39-19 0-7 0-3 81-22 81-48 6-3 1-4 4-0 0-3 4-3 4-3 1-1 6-1 12-4 11-6 29-18 24-19 34-6 10-7 52-5 5-0 5-0 1-4 3-0 3-0 2-1 3-0
Ultimate Frisbee (M) Ultimate Frisbee (W) Water Polo (M) Water Polo (F)
13-3 N/A 5-2 14-1
13-3 N/A 8-4 7-1
11-5 6-1 5-1 3-1
Sport
1st Place
2nd Place
3rd Place
Climbing Cue Sports Skiing Riding Swimming (M) Swimming (F) Ten Pin Bowling
Leeds Manchester Manchester Liverpool Manchester Manchester Liverpool
Manchester Leeds Leeds Manchester Leeds Leeds Manchester
Livepool Liverpool Liverpool Leeds Liverpool Liverpool Leeds (withdraw)
SPORTS PLAYED ON APRIL 17TH Sport 1st Place 2nd Place Cricket Golf Volleyball (M) Volleyball (W) Rugby Union (W) Handball Trampoline Sailing Cross Country (M) Cross Country (W) Rowing (W) Athletics
3rd Place
Leeds Manchester Liverpool Leeds Manchester Liverpool Manchester= Leeds= Liverpool Liverpool Leeds Manchester Manchester Liverpool Leeds Manchester Liverpool Leeds Liverpool Manchester Leeds CANCELLED Leeds Liverpool Manchester Leeds Liverpool Manchester Manchester Liverpool Leeds Liverpool Manchester Leeds
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ISSUE 20/ 29th APRIL 2013 WWW.MANCUNION.COM/
Christie Cup Special Osho’s tactical revolution inspires UoM James Eatwell Manchester men’s football teams came away with distinctly contrasting results against their Christie cup counterparts. The first team recorded a solid 1-0 victory in their opening match against Liverpool. Our boys took the lead early on through Julian Hornby and dominated a match somewhat lacking in tactical discipline. Perhaps because of this, captain Anthony ‘Pep’ Osho decided to initiate major changes. A revolutionary 2-7-1 / 3-6-1, reminiscent of 1970s’ Dutch total football, was decided upon; a system described by Osho as ‘narrow as f**k!’ Osho also experimented with his players’ positions, most notably between the sticks. Goalkeeper Heltrop played as an auxiliary striker, with André Kelly, despite complaining of cold hands, being drafted in to replace him. Osho’s decisions initially proved vindicated, as Manchester stormed into a 3-0 lead. Leeds’ goalkeeper declared it ‘over’ as a contest at half time. However, the second half proved highly exciting. Kelly gifted Leeds a goal after charging off his line. Manchester restored their three goal lead through a Callum Rothwell overhead kick: the type of goal described in the trade as a ‘worldy’! Avoidable errors from Manchester then saw Leeds steal two goals, before Manchester were awarded a penalty. Goalkeeper Kelly charged forward to take it, but it was the fouled Guy Ansah-Palmer who took responsibility. He skied the penalty well over the bar, but his team scored twice more to emerge 6-3 victors. The seconds, meanwhile, took a rather more relaxed approach, although their war paint-
Jessica Benson
Callum Botham crosses during Manchester 6-3 defeat of Leeds Photo: Cil Barnett-Neefs adorned faces no doubt intimidated their opponents. Having been in the pub since ten they made a slow start to their opener, falling two behind against Liverpool. Having finally warmed/sobered-up their energetic style began to win through, and they finally equalised through a well worked team goal, celebrated in style as the goal scorer stripped naked, as you do... The game finished 2-2, a fair result. Looking to improve fortunes against Leeds, one player was benched for being too sober – yet another example of Manchester’s tactical genius. However, the boys fell to a 4-1 defeat,
Easy win for rugby union Andrew Georgeson Manchester men’s rugby union didn’t require any Dutch courage to overcome two strong opponents in Leeds and Liverpool. Whilst several other teams appeared a more than a little worse for wear, the rugby boys demonstrated their teetotal brilliance to crush their Christie opponents. The first of the 50-minute games saw UoM take on Liverpool. Liverpool scored against the run of play, but Manchester finally got the try that their efforts warranted before half time. With the Leeds full-back fumbling the ball after a massive hit from Williams, Paddy crossed the line to it 7-7. A Joe Patrick try on 31 minutes made it 12-7 to Manchester, with Barrett and Scott stopping Liverpool at the death to win. Leeds horrific green/maroon strip left much to be desired, and the standard of the final game was understandably lower. The pick of Manchester’s two tries involved a brilliant line-out that allowed Williams to touch down in the corner. Leeds did not give up and scored perhaps the try of the day. The Leeds fullback send a grubber kick through the Manchester line and he crossed to make the final score 12-7.
Photo: Shabab Tahsin
Halcyon days over for frisbee team
with the referee and crowd clearly bemused by their drunkenness. Indeed, it was not always clear that the team were entirely aware that they were on a football pitch, and the moment your fullback takes a drinks’ break in the shape of a gin you have to worry. There was also confusion when it was decided that they should shift to a 2-6-3 formation. All in all it was a great day for the beautiful game, with all the matches played in good spirit and fairly. There was much quality on offer, but more importantly it was a lot of fun.
Swan song for netball teams Helen Gavin The Armitage was filled with energy and nerves with the purple banners of the Christie Cup reminding everyone of the importance of the day’s events. The first game, Manchester 2nds v Liverpool 2nds was exceptionally close throughout. A controversial, dramatic ending saw the umpire blow for full time but allow a goal to be scored after the whistle, meaning Liverpool took the game by 25 goals to 24. This didn’t take away from the performance of the seconds with Medic April Diviney receiving player of the match in her final game for the club. The following game saw Manchester’s first team, with Krista Enziano and Jodi May as shooters, take an easy win again Liverpool firsts. Manchester looked like they had something to prove after a disappointing season that saw them saved from relegation in their final game. Set plays and passing through the court made Liverpool look unorganised and weak and with Captain Sarah Hopkins setting a shining example in defence the team cruised to a 43-28 win. Katie Coates was rewarded for her hard work with player of the match. After their unfortunate defeat to Liverpool, Manchester 2nds came out stronger and had to endure another close encounter against Leeds 2nd who, after beating Liverpool by double score, seemed a hard team to beat. Defenders Faye and April gave a resilient performance with an energised Milly MacManus in centre court lead with passion. Player of the match went to Rosie Culkin Smith whose shooting combined with quick thinking and movement made her stand out in her last performance. The 1st then had to win against their bogey team Leeds, having lost to them twice in the league, to retain the Christie Cup title. They did this in style. Freshers Abbie, Paris and Sophia gave hope for a successful forthcoming season whilst club captain Lauren Palmer stood strong against her pushy opponent. Their victory saw Krista Enziano take player of the match with an almost infallible shooting performance showing just why she’s Northern Thunders’ number 1. Those who played their final matches for the university had performances they should all be proud of and their honourable exits were made even sweeter by retaining the title of netball Christie Champions.
UoM Halcyon Ultimate Frisbee team enjoyed a successful day at the Christie Championships. The Christie Championship followed hot on the heels of an enormous high for the team: just two days after the Open team placed 4th at Nationals we were back on the pitch to face two of our favourite teams. Liverpool were unfortunately unable to field a women’s team due to insufficient numbers. Leeds, however, boasted a team renowned for chasing down seemingly impossible throws and never giving up on a run. It was a hard-fought match in extremely windy conditions, with UoM women eventually running out convincing 7-1 winners. The open (mixed) team were strong favourites and defeated both sides by margins over 6 points. Liverpool suffered with some unfortunate drops and the boys beat them as easily as usual. Leeds presented a little more of a challenge, but were not good enough to stop a team that plays such high level nationally. The Christie Championships represent the end of an era for the Halcyon team as we prepare to lose several key players, including some of our Great Britain representatives next year. But thankfully both teams were able to finish on a high – and then headed straight out to celebrate Purple Style!
Victory right on cue for Manc Thomas Turner
Manchester secured another emphatic victory with a win in Cue Sports at Rileys in Chorlton-Cum-Hardy, defending their title in only the second Christie competition. The event was split equally between 8-ball and 9-ball (American) pool, and the hosts led from the off after some early victories at 9-ball, with the team losing only once in the discipline all day. From then on the result never looked in doubt as the home side asserted their dominance in both disciplines. Liverpool’s poor showing lifted the victory threshold as the points were won predominantly by Manchester and Leeds, and it was the former who took the lion’s share to secure a resounding 70-35-21 victory. Of the 21 players at the event (7 per team), remarkably it was the Manchester team who made up the entirety of the top seven in the individual rankings. With no player winning less than 9 points from a possible 12 the race for Most Valued Player was close, and was eventually won by club chair Mike Dixon who did not lose a single point all day. The event also provided solid practice for the club’s final competition of the year, the English University’s 9-Ball Championships in Nottingham.
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29TH APR 2013/ ISSUE 20 FREE
MANCHESTER’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER
Christie special: Full results and pictures
P30
Christie special: Match reports
Andrew Cowan, the Head of the Athletic Union, triumphly holds the Christie trophy aloft as Manchester secured their ninth title in ten years. Photo: Courtesy of Manchester Athletic Union
CHRISTIE CHAMPIONS Manchester smash Leeds and Liverpool to win Christie again
WWW.MANCUNION.COM
P31 Ciarán Milner and Matthew Barber Sport Editors Hosts Manchester amassed an impressive 187.5 points as they brushed aside local rivals Leeds and Liverpool to win the 127th Christie Championships. Leeds followed with 153 points, while perennial underachievers Liverpool remained true to their historic Christie form as they finished bottom with 137.5 points. Consisting of thirty-two sports, the Christie is the second oldest inter-university competition in the country after the Oxford-Cambridge rivalries. The action commenced at midday, with sports taking place at a range of venues across the city. The contest was billed ‘the Battle of the North’ but it was clear by the end of a long day of sport that there was only ever going to be one winner. Manchester have dominated the contest recently, losing only once in the last decade to Leeds in 2011. After an impressive showing against Liverpool in the opening round of games, the stage was set for Manchester to retain the title. They carried this momentum successfully through to the last round of games against secondfavourites Leeds, ultimately securing their ninth title in ten years in comfortable fashion. The competition remained good natured throughout, though some certainly got more into the spirit of things than others. In a display of Christie tribalism that was equally foolhardy as it was impressive, one Liverpool hockey player fully refused treatment from Manchester medical staff for a broken ankle. Much to the bemusement of the emergency services, he instead wished
to remain loyal to the city he was representing and waited for somebody to take him to Liverpool for treatment. Stefan Xavier from the men’s football team was equally intense in his partisan analysis of the wins over Leeds and Liverpool. “We don’t smile,” he said. “When we play, we play. We’re like 300. We don’t mess around. We’re at home, this is our house. They don’t come to our house and mess around. We teach them how it goes.” Some didn’t take things so seriously. Liverpool’s female hockey team seemed utterly baffled by their 7-0 defeat to Manchester earlier in the day. “Was that really the score?” said one confused player. “Wow. Well, at least we only lost the first half 2-0.” The men’s football seconds were similarly enjoying themselves. “Everyone’s been allowed to try out new positions”, the Vice-captain said. “We’ve gone for a 3-4-3. Our left midfielder is in goal, and our goalkeeper is up front. He’s doing alright, his link up play is decent… he’s a bit like Olivier Giroud.” He also seemed confused by Leeds’ tactical response to his revolutionary system. “I think they’ve gone for a 2-6-3… Wait, does that add up?” Others seemed to be enjoying the day, despite being perplexed by the purpose of events. “Let those hockey people do their thing”, said one local. “We think it’s great that everyone’s doing this for charity and that.” Away from the Christie Championships, it was a fine day for Manchester women’s rugby union team, who demolished opponents Bedford 50-0 to win the BUCS trophy final. This was an absolutely astonishing and unique performance from a team who have been excellent all season.