Issue 13

Inside Culture: 15

The Japanese House Interview: 18

Manchester 2019 gaming preview: 19

Welcome To Marwen Review: 21

FRE

E

28th January 2019 / Issue 13

WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Uni fears Brexit impact Exclusive: How UoM is

preparing for a no-deal Brexit

Josh Sandiford Breaking News Reporter The University of Manchester could struggle to recruit staff in the event of a nodeal Brexit, and has spoken to police about the possibility of civil unrest.

A risk-assessment seen by The also highlights potential Mancunion problems with the movement of staff and students to and from the UK and says it’s “very likely” no-deal will hit fees from EU students. The ‘Extraordinary Risk Register’, obtained via a Freedom of Information request, sets out potential problems that the University might face if the UK crashes out of the EU without a deal on March 29th. The document appears to be the first of its kind and notes that contingency planning is now “necessary” in case there is no transition period after March 29th.

According to the register, the University now thinks it’s “very likely” that a lack of clarity on immigration rules and an adverse immigration landscape in the event of a nodeal Brexit will have a “deleterious” impact on recruitment. It warns current EU staff could be left in a so-called “legal limbo”.

Headlines this week

The risk assessment notes that civil unrest could have a “major” impact but only classifies its likelihood as “possible” as opposed to “likely” or “very likely”. The University is liasing with the Students’ Union (SU) and “other authorities” regarding potential civil unrest.

The document states the biggest risk to the University in likelihood and impact comes from additional costs and delays when importing goods due to new, complex regulations following no-deal. To reduce the risks related to the importing of goods, the institution will introduce new processes and attempt to avoid the immediate Brexit period when scheduling imports.

According to the risk assessment, the University now believes it’s “very likely” that a no-deal Brexit would lead to an impact on income from EU student fees, noting that “funding arrangements will change from [academic year] 2020/2021 onwards.”

The document obtained by The Mancunion is dated November 2018 and believed to have been drafted before the Prime Minister’s Withdrawal Agreement was finalised by the UK and the EU, and before this agreement was subsequently rejected in parliament in January by an historic margin. However,

upcoming Parliamentary votes seek to add on amendments to this Agreement which rule out the possibility of a no-deal Brexit.

The University told The Mancunion that the “entire sector” is awaiting technical guidance from the government regarding the Erasmus scheme and that the university wanted to ensure that any possible disruption is kept to the ‘’absolute minimum”.

Responding to the assessment, SU International Students Officer Riddi Viswanathan said: “The impact of a no-deal Brexit on EU international students and staff really concerns me. There is no clarity over what will happen to our Erasmus schemes, our research funding and through no-deal we are putting the future of 50,000 EU staff, 130,000 EU students and 15,000 UK students in Europe at stake.

“Brexit is not just an UK-EU issue, it is a global issue and this immigration uncertainty is raising concerns among the whole international student community. I believe it is extremely important for the University of Manchester to provide constant update and assurances regarding Brexit to international students and staff and I will be working with the University on the same.”

A University of Manchester spokesperson

SU Gen Sec: BDS can Bouncers arrested make Jewish over 100 times students feel unsafe since 2015 Page 3

Page 3

said: “For the past two years The University of Manchester has been working with the relevant government departments and higher education bodies planning for all potential eventualities and outcomes of Brexit, including a no-deal.

“Senior staff members from across the University are working closely with our own Compliance and Risk team internally, as well as our external sector partners, such as fellow Russell Group members and Universities UK, who continue to lobby government on behalf of the sector to guarantee assurances for international students.

“We understand that this is a time of uncertainty for our staff and students, especially those from the EU, but they can be sure the University is determined to support them as much as we can following the outcome of the Brexit negotiations.”

The emergence of this Risk Register comes shortly after Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor, signed an open letter to MPs warning that a disorderly exit from the European Union could lead to an “academic, cultural and scientific setback from which it would take decades to recover.” She also warned that vital research could be put at risk by a no-deal Brexit.

Survey discovers foreign students face greater suicide risk Page 5

Puzzle Page!

Page 14

2 News Inside Issue 13

Northern Rail announces month of planned strikes Shivani Kaura Deputy News Editor

Students overpaying hundreds for housing Investigations, page 7

ISSUE 13 / 28th January 2019 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

The RMT Union confirmed last weekend a new set of strikes which will mean that in addition to the p l a n n e d w a l k - o u t t h i s S a t u r d a y, t h e r e w i l l a l s o b e a c t i o n o n Fe b r u a r y 2 , Fe b r u a r y 9 a n d Fe b r u a r y 1 6 .

Northern Rail pass engers have now deemed themselves “fed up” after forty-five days of strike s over the past six months, combined with engineering works, after “the usual” announcement that timetables are being slashed by two-thirds, with only a few services being ran after 5PM this weekend.

The Mancunion reported last year that staff at Northern Rail were implementing walk-outs until 29th D e c e m b e r, a l t h o u g h t h e d i s p u t e continues over the role of guards on trains. Not much progress has been made since the ongoing standoff between the operators and the

union.

Since the strikes, over-crowding on Northern trains has become more of a problem, with Northern issuing a statement that suggests journey disruptions around Greater Manchester will ‘last until at least next May’.

Since October the number of trains lacking carriages has almost tripled, and with the bad weather on the way it can only expect to get worse. Raj Chandarana, a s t a k e h o l d e r m a n a g e r, h a d a l r e a d y blamed the planned works and “autumnal weather”, which leads to “wheel f lats”, last year at a public meeting in Manchester and promised only “incremental” change i n 2 0 19, wh ich s e e m s to a l re ady b e getting off to a wrong start.

David Brown, managing director for Northern, speaking to the Manchester Evening News, has said: “ There is no reason for RMT to continue their ‘needless’ strike

action.

“The Department for Transport and Transport for the North have guaranteed that all current conductors will continue to work in modernised on-board roles on all trains to provide customer service.

“This will include helping customers with a c c e s s i b i l i t y, p e r s o n a l s e c u r i t y, t i c k e t i n g a n d information.

“Customer groups and business g ro u p s h ave s u p p o r t e d N o r t h e r n’s call for RMT to take part in an i n d e p e n d e n t i n q u i r y o n N o r t h e r n’s plans. “ This inquiry would be held by AC A S w i t h a n i n d e p e n d e n t c h a i r and independent panel and would give all partie s the chance to have t h e i r s a y. ” A spokesman for Network Rail has said extra staff would be present at Piccadilly this weekend to help passengers.

Blow for Burnham as homeless shelter closes due to electrical issues Interview with ACORN Features, page 9

The shelter opened in November to kick off Burnham’s flagship ‘Bed Every Night’ scheme in Manchester Josh Sandiford Breaking News Reporter

Stress to Impress Opinion, page 11

Follow us on Contact us Editor-in-Chief: Ethan Davies editor@mancunion.com Deputy Editor: Amy Wei deputyeditor@mancunion.com Online Editor: Jeremy Bijl online@mancunion.com Design Editor: Kizzy Bray design@mancunion.com

Head News Editor: Sam Honey Deputy Editors: and Shivani Kaura news@mancunion.com

A homeless shelter in Manchester was forced to close on Christmas Eve as a result of electrical problems, despite only being open for 3 months.

According to the Manche ster Evening News, the shelter opened in November to kick off Andy B u r n h a m’s flagship ‘Bed Every Night’ scheme, with TV crews and newspapers invited along to s ee the newly refurbished building.

The ‘Bed Every Night’ initiative aims to ensure that there will be a bed available every night for every single person who sleeps rough in G r e a t e r M a n c h e s t e r. A c c o r d i n g t o t h e m ayo r ’s we b s i t e , ove r £ 2 3 0,0 0 0 has been donated towards the cause s o f a r.

T h e s h e l t e r, w h i c h o p e n e d i n Ardwick, was commissioned by Manchester council and run by hou s i ng orga n i s at ion R ive rs ide. It has now been confirmed that the shelter will close permanently as a result of the damaged electrics and it is unknown how much a fix might features@mancunion.com Opinion Editor: Sophie Marriott Deputy Editor: Cachella Smith opinion@mancunion.com

Science & Technology Editor: Jacklin Kwan science@mancunion.com

Societies Editor: Chloe Hatton societies@mancunion.com

Investigations Editor: Felix Hanif-Banks investigations@mancunion.com

Music Editor: Olivia White Deputy Editor: Jake Oliver music@mancunion.com

Features Editor: Liv Clarke

Film Editor: Tobias Soar

cost.

Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats have claimed that Manchester Council has spent enough money o n m a i n t a i n i n g P i c c a d i l ly G a rd e n’s water fountains to house every single person sleeping rough in M a n c h e s t e r. T h e y c l a i m t h a t £ 1 . 2 million will have been spent on P i c c a d i l ly ’s fo u n t a i n s i n t wo ye a r s , which could theoretically have housed every person sleeping rough f o r a n e n t i r e y e a r.

Mr Burnham has placed much emphasis on homelessness during his tenure as mayor of Greater M a n c h e s t e r a n d s i n c e N o v e m b e r, more than 700 people previously sleeping rough have reportedly been helped into accommodation as a result of the scheme.

The mayor said: “ The fact that more than 700 people have been assisted into A Bed Every Night accommodation in a little over two months shows both the scale of the humanitarian crisis we face but also the effectiveness of A Bed Every Night. ‘’Right through Christmas and t h e N e w Ye a r, a r o u n d 2 0 0 p e o p l e

Deputy Editor: Aisha Al-Janabi film@mancunion.com

Stewart food@mancunion.com

Fashion and Beauty Editor: Ella Searle fashion@mancunion.com

Arts Editor: Bella Jewell arts@mancunion.com

Books Editor: Gurnaik Johal books@mancunion.com Games Editor: Jeremy Bijl games@mancunion.com Food & Drink Editor: Catrin

Theatre Editor: Anuli Changa theatre@mancunion.com Lifestyle Editor: Sophia Ashby lifestyle@mancunion.com Sport Editor: James Gill Deputy Editor: Harry Deacon

were in accommodation every night but, as well as providing immediate support, A Bed Every Night is acting as a springboard for people to get into more secure and long-term supported accommodation. ‘’While there have been s ome unfore s een issue s with s ome citycentre accommodation, we are working closely with Manchester City Council to resolve these.

C r u c i a l l y, everyone who is supported in affected shelters has, and will always, be given alternative accommodation.’’

Manchester Liberal Democrat leader John Leech shot back, claiming: “The launch of this scheme was a pitch-perfect PR stunt; in the weeks leading up to Christmas, journalists and the media were chaperoned around the shelter in a heart-aching display of just how much homelessness has become a political football.

“Now that the media have moved on, the shelter is quietly closing its doors fewer than three months after opening.”

sports@mancunion.com

Hooper.

Chief Sub-editor: Alex Cresswell Sub-editors: Rona McCann, Mia Gair, Alex Ross, Georgia Hickey

Editorial Advisors: Nicole Wootton Cane, James Graham, Elizabeth Donevan.

Design Editors: Alex Singhal, Izzy Oldman, Josie Fowler, Liv Clarke, Anja Samy, Ellis Coopey.

Letters & Complaints: complaints@mancunion.com Legal: legal@mancunion.com

Head of Marketing: Chris Barter marketing@mancunion.com Marketing Team: Hattie Bunnell, Charlie Mathews, Phil

Advertising: Elizabeth Donevan elizabethdonevan@googlemail. com

News

ISSUE 13 / 28th January 2019 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

SU Gen Sec: BDS protests can make Jewish students a “target” Ethan Davies Editor-in-Chief Fatima Abid, G eneral S ecretary of the University of Manchester Students’ Union (SU), has said that the lack of “understanding and knowledge surrounding the distinct d i f fe re n c e b e t we e n I s ra e l ’s i l l e g a l s ettlements and the faith of Judaism” can lead to Jewish students becoming a “ t a rge t ” by a nt i -I s rae l prote ste rs.

A b i d ’s comments come in a clarifying statement, in which she st ate d t h at s h e “co mp le te ly s u p p o r t s the BDS campaign at the university”, following an interview with The Mancunion about her participation in the L e ss ons From Aus chwitz programme, where Abid said that “when there are protests which are anti-Israel, Jewish students get caught up in [it].”

Abid went on to say she wanted to include more Jewish students in “co nve rs at i o n s w it h i n i n t h e Un i o n” and to “see how we can help them more.”

The BDS motion was passed by a slender majority in a December 2016 Senate session, in which one antiBDS speaker said that “participation i n B D S w i l l m a k e m e p e r s o n a l l y, a n d o t h e r m e m b e r s o f J e w i s h S o c i e t y, feel unsafe.”

Another said at the time that “a lot of Jews on campus don’t feel comfortable saying ‘I am Jewish’.”

In a statement, The University of Manchester BDS movement says “ The BDS campaign at the University demands that the University divests its £millions of its own students’ tuition fees from companies which sustain I s ra e l ’s i l l e g a l o c c u p a t i o n , s u c h a s C a t e r p i l l a r, a c o m p a n y c o n d e m n e d by the UN and international human r ig ht s orga n i s at ion s for t he i r i l lega l demolitions of homes, schools, murder of activists, and involvement in the building of illegal settlements.

“In no way doe s campaigning for divestment and Palestinian human rights compromise the safety of a n y s t u d e n t . We a r e a g a i n s t a l l forms of oppression, and stress our commitment to ensure that it adheres to its own Socially R e s p o n s i b l e I n v e s t m e n t P o l i c y, i n which it state s it will not inve st in any companie s which are complicit in human rights violations.”

A University spokesperson said: “The University works closely with its inve stment managers to ensure our portfolio complies with the U n ive r s i t y ’s published Socially Re sponsible Inve stment (SRI) policy and considers E nvironmental, S ocial and Governance (ESG) issues as well as financial factors. “ The SRI policy we have developed allows the University to pursue an ethical inve stment approach, whilst minimising any potential negative

impact on its inve stment returns.”

A b i d ’s c o m m e n t s c o m e j u s t a f t e r Holocaust Memorial D a y, which encourages people “to remember the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust, the millions of people killed under Nazi Persecution and in subsequent genocides in Cambodia, R w a n d a , B o s n i a , a n d D a r f u r. ” Another SU figure who participated in the Lessons From Aus chwitz programme was E ducation Officer Meisl, who said that because of the trip, “student leaders are g o i n g t o m a k e f a r m o r e e f f o r t n o w. . . about marking [the Holocaust] and talk about about antisemitism on campus.” “ We l e a r n e d a l o t a b o u t w h e r e antisemitism comes from, and the tropes that get rolled out, and the importance of students challenging them.”

“If you see something that you feel is uncomfortable, or bad discourse about people of the Jewish faith or the Holocaust, then you can always come to us [for advice] and speak to the Speak Up, Stand Up campaign as well.”

If you experienced discrimination of any kind, the SU Advice S ervice is always available for free, confidential h e l p w i t h y o u r e x p e r i e n c e s . Yo u c a n contact them on 0161 275 2952 or on their website.

3

What is BDS? BDS stands for the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions Campaign, a Palestinian-led movement pressuring Israel to comply with International Law. In December 2016, the campaign was officially supported by UoM Students’ Union Senate.

Photo: UoM BDS Campaign

Manchester bouncers arrested on over 100 occasions since 2015

Bouncers have been arrested on suspicions of offences ranging from manslaughter to attempted rape, as the legacy of the Factory assualt persists

Sam Honey Head News Editor Bouncers and Door staff operating in Manchester city centre have been the subject of in excess of 100 arrests by police in the last three years, a Freedom of Information request has shown.

In the same period, 524 crimes have been attributed to the job title door staff or security guard.

There were a range of different offences listed, including a m a n s l a u g h t e r c h a r g e i n 2 0 1 6 - 1 7, t h a t saw four bouncers arrested in the Spinningfields area.

A number of the incidents were listed as assault charge s, although shockingly two cases in the Gay Village were categorised as as ‘sexual orientation hate crimes’.

Meanwhile, a Bouncer was detained after an assault described

as a ‘race hate crime’ at an unnamed Northern Quarter venue.

In a horrifying revelation, it was also uncovered that one individual had been arrested on suspicion of rape at a venue in the Bury area.

The FOI was submitted

by Manchester Evening News in the wake of the charge s brought against bouncers at the Factory 251 nightclub, following a violent incident at the Princess street venue i n D e c e m b e r.

The incident led to two teenagers being hospitalised, Factory parting ways with its third-party security p r o v i d e r, and the temporary suspension of its licence.

These developments have sparked wider debate over how to regulate door staff and security teams operating in establishments across the city centre.

The findings from the Manchester

Evening News inquest appear to suggest a theme of casual violence surrounding late-night venues.

The Security Industry Authority issued a press release following the e v e n t s o f D e c e m b e r 2 n d a t F a c t o r y, addressing wider concerns over security staff.

“The violent conduct in the Manchester incident was disgraceful and damaging to the good name and reputation of door supervisors and t h e s e c u r i t y i n d u s t r y. “ We c o n t i n u e t o w o r k c l o s e l y with Greater Manchester Police, the s e c u r i t y p r o v i d e r, a n d t h e v e n u e t o investigate the incident.

“Our investigators were out on the streets with Greater Manchester Police following the incident to ensure Manchester clubs were safe from unprofessional and criminal conduct.

“Our key aims are to raise

standards and protect the public.

Most weekends, our investigators accompany police officers visiting pubs and clubs.

“They engage with door staff to ensure that they are correctly licensed and operating p r o f e s s i o n a l l y. ” The council has already moved to introduce stricter measures at Factory 2 51, instilling requirements for door staff to wear high visibility uniforms and wear body cameras.

The FOI also highlighted a disturbing trend of violence towards bouncers and security staff, with ‘thousands’ of incidents reported in the last three years.

In light of this, the SIA was clear in stating the professionalism and reliability of large majoritie s of staff, saying that the “vast majority do a good job, even in challenging circumstances.”

4 News

ISSUE 13 / 28th January 2019 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Stonewall ranks UoM as the 20th best LGBT Employer MMU also ranked in the top 25 in a strong endorsement of Manchester’s LGBT credentials in Higher Education Sam Honey Head News Editor The University of Manchester has been ranked as Stonewall’s joint-twentieth best employer for LGBT inclusion, in the 2019 Stonewall 100.

Manchester Metropolitan University boasted a similarly impressive record, placing 22nd.

The University of Manchester is the highest ranked university in England. It is also the second highest in the UK, after Cardiff University, which placed 11th in the 2019 list.

The charity produces an annual list of employers that have strove to achieve “acceptance without exception”.

Over 92,000 UK employees responded to the survey, helping to create the Index.

Pinsent Masons, an international law firm, placed first this year, with other high ranking organisations including the Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service, MI5, and the Welsh national assembly.

Stonewall’s executive director, Darren Towers, praised LGBT inclusive employers, singling out Pinsent Masons for price.

“We know that people perform better when they can be themselves. They are more productive, creative and overall, morale is better.

“This is the kind of workforce employers should want and it happens when people are in a workplace where they feel supported and included.”

Photo: sasatro @Flickr

Universities also made a strong impression, with 15 institutions included on the list. ‘’To now see higher education institutions dominating the top 100 for the first time shows not just how far we’ve come, but also sends a really positive message for the future’’, said Towers.

Despite this, Stonewall’s ‘LGBT in Britain - University Report’, published last April found an interesting distinction between official university policy and casual discrimination.

Although two-thirds of LGBT students reported that their universities had equality policies that protected LGBT people on campus, around 42% disclosed that they had hidden their identity for fear of discrimination.

While work continues to counter casual prejudice against the LGBT community on campuses across the UK, management across universities can be praised for attacking discrimination with official policy lines.

A year ago this month, it was revealed that The University of Manchester had been named a top ten trans employer by Stonewall.

It is expected that there will be a range of events on campus during LGBT History Month in February. The grassroots initiative aims to celebrate the past of the LGBT movement, with an official festival.

Burnham calls for ‘clean air zones’ in Manchester to help eliminate dangerous gases

Plans have been revealed for green ‘clean air zones’ in Manchester, aiming to dramatically cut levels of pollution in the city.

Emily Broncz Deputy News Editor

Andy Burnham has announced plans to introduce a clean air zone (CAZ) in Manchester in order to help tackle the growing levels of d a n g e r o u s g a s e s i n t h e c i t y.

A government report from July 2017 has ordered many local a u t h o r i t i e s , i n c l u d i n g M a n c h e s t e r, to consider methods which would see levels of harmful gases, such as nitrous dioxide (NO2), fall into legal limits.

When speaking about the possible launch of these zones, Burnham was

keen to reassure local residents that it would not be a conge stion charge zone in disguise – and which was rejected at a referendum vote only ten years ago. “ F i r s t l y, t h i s i s n o t a c h a r g e t o us e the roads – a conge stion charge – but instead a penalty scheme for non-compliant vehicles. People with a compliant vehicle would have no f i n e t o p a y. ” Not all cars will be subject to paying this fee, with Manchester Evening News detailing that ‘Class D’ vehicles will be the main focus of the initiative. The ‘Class D’ category includes diesel cars, which have

been named as a particular target, as their emissions have been seen to be damaging to public health and a lot worse than originally expected, with tests failing to show the full extent of their potential damage.

Other vehicle s s et to face the charge include vans, lorries, buses, coaches, and taxis.

T h e Wo r l d H e a l t h O rg a n i s a t i o n has also published research detailing that groups including children, the e l d e r l y, t h o s e o n l o w e r i n c o m e s , a n d people with pre-existing lung and heart conditions are most at risk.

Manchester Evening News has also reported that the extent of the

problem is so severe that, in some p a r t s o f t h e c i t y, t h e h i g h l e v e l s o f pollution have stopped a primary school from being able to open its windows.

The government listed one of their main priorities as finding a technique which would allow levels of NO2 to be cut in the quickest possible time to achieve legal compliance. The report also stated that these restrictions could be lifted once legal compliance has been achieved and that no further risk of breaching these limits would be possible.

News

ISSUE 13 / 28th January 2019 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

5

Australian survey discovers foreign students face greater risk of suicide

The Coroners Court of Victoria have published a study which explains how international students’ hesitance to reach out is costing them their lives Emily Broncz Deputy News Editor An Australian study has shown that foreign students are more likely to commit suicide than their domestic classmate s, with the Australian state of Victoria s eeing as many as six international students taking their l i v e s e v e r y y e a r.

The study was published by the Coroners Court of Victoria after 24-year-old University of Mel bourne Chinese student Zhikai Liu took his

own life in 2016.

It was revealed that some family members were aware of the fact that Mr Liu had been experiencing suicidal thoughts, a result of depression allegedly stemming from difficulties with language and university studies.

Struggling to cope with their workload in addition to money management concerns were two main factors that appeared to affect oversees students more than those s t u d y i n g i n t h e i r h o m e c o u n t r y.

Furthermore, it was also stated that

Asian males who are under 25 and studying at university were said to be at the highest level of risk.

Dr Benjamin Ve n e s s , from Melbourne, stated that he felt as though greater awarene ss and understanding of ‘red f lags’ needed to be brought to the attention of the friends and families of international students as well as the students thems elve s. He als o stated that many international students were hesitant to reach out to existing mental health services over concerns that their familie s may be contacted in addition

to their own limited knowledge of the support that is available to them.

The Australian Department of E ducat ion a nd Tra i n i ng wa s u rge d to pursue methods which would help students from abroad who required access to mental health support facilities to receive the correct assistance.

In addition, the coroner also requested for education institutions to share more information about the deaths of international students with each other in order to gain a wider understanding of the issue.

Photo: University of Leeds

Growing number of young people choosing Manchester over London The Centre for Cities has uncovered young professionals avoiding the capital over increased costs Photo: Duncan Hall @ Flickr

Sam Honey Head News Editor Millennials are increasingly choosing to reject the allure of living in capital city London, and choosing t o m o v e t o M a n c h e s t e r, r e s e a r c h finds.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that the population increase for the Greater Manchester area received its biggest boost in the 21-30 age group, that saw a 51% rise.

There are 4 3,875 more young people in Manchester than there was in 2002, while the overall population h a s g row n by ne a rly 1 1 5,0 0 0.

Research outlines that a variety of reasons are drawing young

professionals into city centres, including access to leisure facilities, culture and transport.

Manchester boasts two worldfamous art galleries in the Whitworth a n d M a n c h e s t e r A r t G a l l e r y, a s w e l l a s t h e h i s t o r i c a l N o r t h e r n Q u a r t e r, a n d a number of nationally-acclaimed museums.

The city also has one of the most developed transport systems outside L ondon, with a five-year plan recently outlined, including the purchase of 27 new trams.

1 0, 2 0 0 p e ople le f t L ondon to m o v e t o G r e a t e r M a n c h e s t e r i n 2 0 1 7, while 8,870 moved in the opposite direction.

The Centre for Cities revealed that the rejuvenation of city centres

has been mainly due to students and young professionals choosing to base themselves in thriving urban areas.

Rebecca McDonald, analyst at Centre for Cities shed light on the f a c t o r s b e h i n d t h e t r e n d : “A r o u n d one in three city centre residents are age d 2 0 to 2 9, a nd t h i s prop or t ion r i s e s to a l most h a l f i n l a rge r c it ie s. “ Yo u n g p e o p l e a r e d r a w n t o c i t y centre living by a combination of access to jobs, leisure facilities and cultural pursuits.

“Unlike older generations, young city centre dwellers lack dependent family members so policing, access to s cho ol s, or l a rge r home s a re lowe r priorities.”

The notion of London being the major source of employment for

those attempting to establish their careers is slowly being challenged as the price of getting onto the housing ladder leaving many unable to afford such living costs.

“A r o u n d 30% of city centre residents we studied cited housing costs as one of their least favourite things about living in city centres”, said McDonald. “ To a d d r e s s t h i s , p o l i c y m a k e r s should look at ways of increasing the supply of housing in city centres and places with good connections to the centre.”

Despite this boom of young people i n M a n c h e s t e r, t w o g r o u p s h a v e s e e n a d e c l i n e i n t h e i r n u m b e r s i n t h e c i t y, t hos e age d b e twe e n 7 1 a nd 8 0, a nd 8 1 a nd 9 0.

6 News

ISSUE 13 / 28th January 2019 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Manchester ranks in top five UK cities for fly-tipping Shockingly, just half of the 38,099 incidents reported in the city last year were investigated Sam Honey Head News Editor M a n c h e s t e r ra n k s a s t h e U K ’s s econd worst city for f ly-tipping incidents, new research from a leading recycling company has found.

The study was published by The Future Recycling Group, an orga n i s at ion t h at h a s re cycle d over one million mattresses since 2012.

TFR revealed that, over the last five years, there had been i n exce s s of 9 1 ,0 0 0 re p or t s of f ly-tipping across Greater M a n c h e s t e r, p l a c i n g t h e c i t y second in the national rankings.

The capital, London was far ahead of any other metropolitan a re a , w it h 3 6 6,0 87 re p or te d cases in the same period.

I n S e p t e m b e r l a s t y e a r, i t w a s claimed by Manchester startup Dsposal that, on average,

there had been 144 incidents o f f l y - t i p p i n g o f d a y, c o s t i n g the council close to £5 million, a nd a f u r t he r £ 7 5 0,0 0 0 for nonrecyclable materials.

Elsewhere in the North, figures for Liverpool suggested that the equivalent of 15% of the population had committed the offence at some point in the last five years, while one in thirteen have f ly-tipped in L eice ster and Sheffield.

With the crisis fast becoming an epidemic, there have been widespread calls for the government to take action by enforcing stricter penalties and increasing inve stment into landfill alternatives.

TFR Managing Director Nick Oettinger was however unconvinced that harsher fine s would stem the crisis The G overnment has started to recognise the increasing

problem of f ly-tipping with a proposed introduction of new financial penalties for householders who fail to properly dispose of waste.

“While these new financial penaltie s will deter s ome f lytippers, the current waste ch a rge s s e t by lo ca l C ou nc i l s is partly responsible for the increas e in f ly-tipping. Many U K C ou nc i l s now ch a rge a fe e to collect bulky items such as sofas and mattresses from residents.

“A d d i t i o n a l l y, we have conducted recent research indicating that England will reach crisis point soon if there isn’t an immediate focus on the recycling of bulkier waste streams which are difficult to compress and take up a huge amount of landfill space. So this is a multi-faceted problem that requires a big solution.”

GPs prescribe more opioids in North West Study by UoM suggests Northern GPs more likely to prescribe opioids, in the latest indicator of regional socio-economic divides Shivani Kaura Deputy News Editor A study led by researchers at the University of Manchester and University of Nottingham has revealed that GPs prescribe more opioids for pain in poor Northern areas. The opioids are mainly prescribed for lower back pain and arthritis.

Published in the International J o u r n a l o f D r u g P o l i c y, t h e study features a critique of data drawn up in 2015 from the Office of National Statistics’ Index of Multiple Deprivation and a N H S D i g i t a l ’s d a t a b a s e o f a b o u t 7, 0 0 0 G P p r a c t i c e s a c r o s s t h e nation, unveils that GPs in NHS Blackpool and NHS St Helens prescribe opioids to the most number of patients.

The research team, led by Dr Li-Chia Chen, a Senior Lecturer a t M a n c h e s t e r, d i s c l o s e d t h a t three out of the highest five GP areas for opioid prescribing a r e b a s e d i n t h e N o r t h We s t of England. Figures were also pre s e nte d s how i ng a su rge i n the number of opioid overdosing i n t h e We s t o v e r t h e p a s t t w o

decades, although this does not relate to number of opioidbased deaths.

An increase of 1% in the number of patients suffering from depression is shown to correlate with an increase in the average us e of morphine by 43 mg per 1000 patients per d a y, a n d t h e 1 % i n c r e a s e i n t h e number of obese patients shows an inf lation in the average us e by 36 mg per 1000 patients per d a y.

Dr Lia-Cia Chen said: “Social prescribing such meditation and acupuncture may be helpful, but little is available on the NHS. “ We also feel it is essential to integrate pain management services with an interdisciplinary team approach.

“Pharmacists could als o play a vital role in pain management and, in our v i e w, are an underused resource.”

A study conducted in 2018

by The University of Newcastle, suggested that relatively small decreases in the rates of ill health and mortality could r e d u c e t h e g a p i n ( G VA ) p e r - h e a d between the North and the rest

of England by 10%, which came after the North were accused for their poor health correlating to t h e i r p o o r p r o d u c t i v i t y.

C o - a u t h o r o f t h e s t u d y, D r Te n g - C h o u Chen, from The U n i v e r s i t y o f M a n c h e s t e r, o n t h e other hand, suggested that the lack of government spending on the North was to blame. He added: “ This study shows that the socioeconomic status has a strong association with opioids prescribing for pain. “ We suppose an average manual w o r k e r, which is common in socially deprived areas, is more likely to have musculoskeletal problems, and therefore needs opioids.

“Smoking and depression are also more prevalent in poorer areas, but whatever the causes, i t ’s c l e a r t h a t p e o p l e l iv i n g i n more deprived areas are at a higher risk of overdose, and it is helpful for clinicians to be aware of this.”

Dr Chen is currently studying opioid prescribing i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y, a n d i s d u e t o publish his results later this y e a r.

What do you think of a possible no-deal Brexit?

Parliament is at deadlock, MPs are throwing amendments left, right, and centre, and we’re only 10 weeks away from Brexit.

Just how worried should we be?

“Students are being faced with the most extreme version of what they rejected.

UoM benefit from expert research, and the ongoing Brexit negotiations threaten to decrease this standard.”

Sam Wareham, Pysics and Philosophy Second Year.

“I have no idea about the effects it is going to have on the university, I think the issue is talked about too much.”

Ocean Bach, Physics First Year.

“It’s looking like a bit of a disaster. I’m unsure of the proportion of this university’s students that are from abroad, but obviously it’s going to have an effect on them, and people from Manchester going to study abroad. As a music student, I’m also concerned about no deal because Europe is cheap to tour.”

Chris Walton, Music Second Year.

“It’s scary to be an EU student in this situation. I don’t know if I will have to pay more, or possibly get kicked out. The uncertainty is difficult to deal with.’’

Jasmin Güven, Theoretical Physics Second Year.

“No Deal is the worst case scenario, but because I am from Bulgaria I think I have a different view of it. Leaving without a deal will have bad effects in the long-term, and the EU has

given someone like me the opportunity to study here.

Erasmus and Research are both under threat from Brexit.’’

Tvestan Dimitrov, Computer Science Final Year.

“I’m not sure if I want a no-deal Brexit ruled out, I don’t really have any idea what is going on.”

Elliott, Maths First Year.

ISSUE 13 / 28th January 2019 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Investigations 7

Students overpaying hundreds for housing as landlords inflate prices

The Mancunion investigates the state of Manchester student housing prices in the wake of shocking research revealing how much students are overpaying by nationwide.

Photo: Albert Bridge @ Geograph

Felix Hanif-Banks Investigations Editor New research from Mojo Mortgages has found that students in Manchester and a number of other UK cities are paying higher than market price for their housing, with prices being inflated by agencies who rent properties either exclusively or mostly to students.

A comparison of prices on popular house pricing websites such as Rightmove and Zoopla with prices quoted by student letting agencies for the same properties found wide disparities in pricing in a majority of major university cities, with Exeter, Norwich, and Newcastle the worst offenders.

Mojo Mortgages looked specifically at 30 different four-bed properties in each of the cities surveyed and found there to be a difference of at least £10 per person per month between the online Rightmove price and the quoted price from a student lettings agency.

Manchester found itself on the upper end of the spectrum, with an average £17 increase by student lettings agencies, which in the context of a four-bed house would amount to £816 over the course of the year. With a house of four being somewhat less than the usual size of most student houses, with many colossal ten-bed properties on offer around Fallowfield, the figure of £816 would be much less than what most students can realistically expect to be overpaying during a year of study.

Other nearby cities such as Leeds and Nottingham made an appearance just above Manchester on the list, with average rent increases of £49 and £27 per person per month respectively. Liverpool and Sheffield appear right at the bottom of the list, with students in these cities paying a few pounds under the quoted Rightmove prices. Rounding off the bottom of the list was Bristol, where student house prices sit at a remarkable £40 per person per month below online prices.

Mojo Mortgages also included data on the outright most expensive student areas based on average rent per person per month, with Manchester falling just outside the top ten with an average cost of £390.50. Lancaster was the most expensive city in the North West with an average cost of £406. Liverpool, Leeds, and Sheffield all appeared below Manchester.

The data released by Mojo Mortgages earlier this month should come as no real surprise for Manchester’s students, many of whom struggle with finding affordable housing that meets all of their needs. A second year student currently living in Fallowfield, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Mancunion: “We had to buy our own microwave and kettle, and they only just put a table in the kitchen.” This house costs £105 a week, including full summer rent and a substantial deposit.

Another second year Fallowfield student described house prices in the area as “generally too high”, highlighting the exploitation common with including bills in a property’s rent.

“Landlords are aware that students are not knowledgeable in how to organise bills and how much they should cost, so they often do them as an inclusive price which is more than they will actually spend on bills, so make profit.”

While it can be argued that the extra fees would cover the convenience of not having to manage bills between students, the attitude of maximum profits many landlords seem to have comes at the expense of financially-stretched students, many of whom already take a great financial risk in coming to university in the first place and have to get part-time jobs to support their studies.

Students are ill-equipped to tackle the full scale of housing issues presented to them so early in their university lives. As soon as two months into their first year, there exits immense pressure to not only find a fair, affordable house to live in but also a whole group of people to populate it with. This social pressure only adds to the panic of wanting

to secure the perfect house, and makes the barrage of new information, subtle fees, and lengthy contracts incredibly overwhelming for students who find themselves at the mercy of lettings agencies. With Mojo Mortgages’ research highlighting the exploitative raising of rent, the question of accountability must be raised.

There is definitely a sense of impermanence that helps support exploitative rent practices, as most students have just two years of rented housing in their time as a student, meaning there is little incentive for landlords to retain tenants due to high demand. Students find it easy to change their housing situation for something more favourable in their third year, but that doesn’t negate the thousands paid to a dishonest letting agency in the meantime.

Information is certainly out there in the form of Facebook groups denouncing certain landlords and universityapproved landlords from Manchester Student Homes, but these are all too easy to miss for freshers eager to live out their Fresh Meat-inspired student fantasies and have somewhere other than the green walls of Oak House to display their proud collection of event posters.

A University spokesperson said: “Manchester Student Homes runs a number of accreditation schemes for student landlords. To be part of our scheme, landlords and accommodation providers must commit to a high standard of property and tenant management, and we use feedback to ensure we only promote accredited landlords to our students.

“If problems do arise at any stage of the searching or letting process – from disrepair to deposit disputes – Manchester Student Homes can help students, and conduct open and transparent investigations when code complaints are made.

Students are advised to source their accommodation through our accredited providers.”

More information can be found on Students’ Union Advice Service website.

8 Science & Tech

ISSUE 13 / 28th January 2019 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

How has Spice become such a big problem? Science research.

Drug producers have ripped the most popular synthetic street drugs straight from the pages of scientific journals.

Jacklin Kwan Science & Tech Editor A synthetic drug problem is sweeping much of Europe and North America, making the war on drugs that much harder to fight. Synthetic opioids, synthetic cannabinoids, and synthetic cathinone are becoming increasingly popular as recreational drugs. The street drugs give a much more intense high for a fraction of the cost.

In 2018, Manchester was hit with an epidemic caused by the drug Spice. Affecting the city’s homeless populations as users were seen in public disorientated, confused, and violently vomiting.

The synthetic drug problem is a multifaceted problem that creates devastating consequences. The drugs are created in laboratories, and new ones pop up every month with slight bits of their chemical composition tweaked to exploit legal loopholes.

Because of their novelty and constantly changing chemistry, the drugs will not show up on most conventional drug tests (which is part of their appeal). Healthcare professionals and police forces are therefore challenged when attempting to identify users and administer proper treatment to those overdosing. The potency of synthetics is also so much greater than drugs derived from plants, such as cocaine or marijuana, that the danger of overdosing is substantially higher.

One of the first major synthetic drug outbreaks occurred in Germany 10 years ago. Back then, the strange drug causing people to act like zombies and crash their cars while high is all too familiar now: Spice. Since then, the use of synthetics has only proliferated following the globalisation of pharmaceutical production.

Over the past few decades, many US pharmaceutical companies have outsourced their drug production to factories in China. This has meant that many facilities now have the capacities to create a whole range of compounds, including recreational drugs. They can do this at a fraction of the cost as well. Unlike drugs derived from plants that need to be cultivated in specific conditions, chemists can just synthesise new highs for pennies, making the entire business incredibly lucrative.

Photo: Lance Cpl. Damany S. Coleman @ Wikimedia Commons

The source of their inspiration? Science journals.

For decades, scientists have researched the chemical composition of cannabinoids, opioids, and their possible medical uses. This means that there are hundreds of research papers detailing the composition of synthetics that are easily accessible

by the public. Because experiments need to be replicable, researchers also need to publish exactly how they made their synthetics as well.

Spice, with the formal name JWH-018, is one such example. It literally carries the initials of its creator: John William Huffman, a professor emeritus of organic chemistry at Clemson University Professor Huffman has spent much of his career studying the interactions of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) with receptors in the brain. Researching how the chemical interacts with our body to affect appetite, sleep, and pain could possibly result in the creation of new medicines (especially those that can alleviate the effects of chemotherapy).

JWH-018 is but one of hundreds of novel compounds that Huffman and his colleagues created and tested. By an unfortunate turn of events, valuable medical research has been hijacked to create a modern drug crisis.

Legislators, healthcare providers, and police forces have all been pushed to come up with new solutions to tackle the rise of synthetics. Recently, the Greater Manchester Police have collaborated with the MANchester Drug Analysis and Knowledge Exchange (MANDRAKE). MANDRAKE can analysis the chemicals in a drug sample under 60 minutes, and relay that information to emergency services to facilitates effective treatment. MANDRAKE has also trained law enforcement and prison staff to use drug analysis machinery to collect important data.

Though producers have exploited scientific transparency to create harmful street drugs, forensic scientists and chemists have stepped up to help combat the problem.

Radio bursts from deep space puzzle astronomers

Photo: The CHIME collaboration @ Wikimedia Commons

Astronomers have been left stumped by radio bursts found by a new Canadian radio telescope, which have only ever been observed once before Jacklin Kwan Contributor

What causes these FRBs remains a mystery

Early results from the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) have recorded bursts of radio waves from outside our Milky Way. This finding constitutes the second ever recording of these repeating ‘fast radio bursts’ (FRBs) in history. These intense bursts of low-frequency radiation have only been detected once before in 2015 at the Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico.

The repeating FRB from a single source was one of 13 bursts detected during CHIME’s pre-commissioning phase in July to August 2018. The CHIME telescope was only running at a fraction of its full sensitivity and field-of-view, but has already published two papers in Nature concerning its findings.

The CHIME observatory is located in the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia. Made up of four 100-metre semi-cylindrical antennas, CHIME is sensitive to radio waves emitted by the most abundant matter in space: neutral hydrogen. It will be able to map over 3% of the total observable volume of the Universe, more than many other current surveys.

Researchers from CHIME’s participating institutions found that

the majority of the 13 bursts were within the lowest frequencies in the telescopes range. This suggests that other FRBs are likely to be found below CHIME’s minimum of 400 MHz. What exactly causes these FRBs remains a mystery. The fact that the signals are repeating rules out one-off events like supernovae or mergers. With their data showing signs of “scattering,” scientists from the CHIME team have concluded that the FRB sources are likely to be intense astrophysical objects in unique locations in their galaxies.

An online list has compiled a list of theories that include collapsing neutron stars, interstellar collisions, and yes, alien spacecraft.

There is still a lack of observed data. FRB events show great diversity, revealing that there is still much to uncover before researchers can truly begin giving more conclusive statements about their characteristics, origin, and specific locations.

Many astronomers are excited at the possibility that FRBs can reveal valuable information about the environments that surround them and that they travel through. As the radio waves make their way to Earth, they may travel through clouds of gas, causing the different wavelengths that make up the radio burst to slow down by different amounts. By studying the spread of wavelengths that reach Earth, and their respective times of arrival, researchers can better understand how much material the radiation had to travel through on its journey.

Features 9

ISSUE 13 / 28th January 2019 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

The Creative Space: short film producer Lauren Evans

Liv Clarke interviews this month’s Creative Space winner, graduate Lauren Evans, who is a producer at Team Awesome Official, a short film production company. She talks about how she got into film making and balancing her degree alongside her passion Liv Clarke Features Editor Pursuing your passions at university might just pay off, and it definitely did for graduate Lauren Evans, who’s looking forward to the release of The Next Dimension on the 30th of January — a short film she’s been working on.

While I was in the midst of January exams, I took the time to speak with Lauren about her role at Team Awesome Productions and how she got involved with producing short films, something which is a world away from coursework deadlines and exam stress.

Lauren graduated in 2016, having studied German and Chinese here in Manchester. She now works in analytics and sales full time at Bloomberg. Yet throughout her degree she made time to work on film and acting projects after developing an interest at school. “I’ve been very interested in film since forever, and towards the end of 6th form I started making some short videos for YouTube

“try to take risks and practice your creative skills as much as possible”

for fun,” Lauren explains. “Since then, I’ve been trying to work on various different films and web-series to gradually improve my skills and experience and ensure that my project quality keeps getting better and better.”

She’s currently a producer for Team Awesome Official, a collaborative project between young people who want to make films, where she oversees entire projects from start to finish. “I handle the full film process, from idea generation, securing funding, managing pre-production, production, and post-production processes, as well as securing the correct people to come onboard for every project. It is a fairly mammoth task, but it is definitely worth it,” Lauren explains.

Despite the hard work involved, she certainly has a lot to show for it as she’s been involved in several successful short films including Elephant Juice and Girls On Tour. The films that Team Awesome Official create are incredibly professional and provide a platform for young people, from aspiring actors to wannabe writers, to get their work ‘out there’. The short films and web-series are released online for anyone to view, showcasing their work to a wide audience.

A lot of the films Lauren works on examine social topics which are often under-represented in the media: “Film and TV are a great way to explore some socially taboo topics, such as menstruation, the portrayal of women in media [and] mental health stigmas. I enjoy trying to make an impact with my work.”

Particularly in the age of social media, short online films are a way of communicating ideas

and getting messages across, which is something Lauren really enjoys in the process. “If any of my content can help even a few people all start to understand and empathise with these topics a little more than before, then I consider the project to be an overall success,” she smiles.

However, being a producer is no walk in the park and there are a lot of challenging aspects involved, particularly when getting the film projects off the ground. “Our biggest challenge to date was getting funding for our projects,” Lauren reveals.

“We prefer to go the traditional route of receiving funds from a company, rather than through crowdfunding.” Although this way of raising funds involves more effort, it is more rewarding for Lauren, “it definitely is a nice validation of your ideas.”

During her time at university, Lauren was involved with several creative projects, which all stemmed from her love of film and revolved around drama. “I had been involved in the German play since first year, firstly as an actor before taking up the role of producer in final year. I also founded and produced the Chinese play, as well as joined the newly formed Manchester Film Society to keep up with film practice,” she tells me. It was at the German play where I first met Lauren, and it was clear that she was passionate about her role as a producer. If this was not enough to be doing alongside her degree, she also acted at the Contact Theatre in second year; Lauren definitely made the most of every opportunity that came her way.

For Lauren, getting the balance between her degree and her passion was key to the success of both, although she warns against getting swamped

in too many projects. “Once you’ve found your balance, I guess just try to take risks and practice your creative skills as much as possible,” she remarks.

“If you have any possibility to integrate your creative interests into your degree as well, definitely take that opportunity. You’ll be surprised how well a lot of creative passions can work well alongside doing a degree.”

Lauren’s working on several projects right now, with The Next Dimension coming out soon.

The short film explores the relationship between mental health and social media, you can find out more on the Team Awesome Official’s Facebook page.

Photo: Lauren Evans

An Interview with ACORN Manchester Isabel Oldman sits down with Tom Crosher and Laura Dickinson from ACORN Manchester, a tenants union, to discuss private renting, activism and educating student tenants Isabel Oldman Design Editor In the UK alone, approximately 4.5 million households rent their homes privately, and for those that do, renting can come with its difficulties. That’s where ACORN come in. Based in Manchester as well as several other UK cities, ACORN are a tenants union dedicated to improving the conditions of privately rented properties and fighting for the rights of those who live in them.

Originally founded in Bristol, ACORN’s Manchester Branch was launched just one year ago and since then, the group have taken on disputes nationwide. In November the group occupied Natwest’s Market Street branch in protest of it’s ‘No-DSS’ policy which prevents landlords from renting properties to tenants in receipt of benefits. “We’ve done the same thing with Santander and TSB before and we’ve won both times for the same issue,” says Tom Crosher, ACORN’s del-

Photo: ACORN

egate for the Manchester region.

“Last year we won 32 cases, our biggest case was an entire tower block that had awful issues, the locks weren’t working, people could just open doors that should have been locked, we had a big crime problem within the tower block but once [the tenants] got in touch with us we did a dual action, we went and talked to the letting agents and picketed outside the repair company and both immediately said ‘yeah, we’ll sort this out’ and they’ve got repairs done.”

So what has lead to the deterioration of privately rented properties in the UK? Tom puts it down to the lack of government funding for councils. “But it’s not always going to be the council’s fault,” Tom explains, “they’ve had a lot of funding stripped off them, there’s things like landlord licencing that have just been brought in in Rusholme and areas of Moss Side where you have to sign up with the council to rent out properties, [but] there are a lot of places there that aren’t landlord licensed and the landlords get away with it because the council don’t have the resources to go and check this stuff out.”

Laura Dickinson, a student and coordinator for the upcoming Student Branch told me that: “I would also attribute it to the housing crisis in general and the issue of short term tenancies, so if you have a short term contract of 6 months or a year, your landlord knows they can put off repairs and not offer you that tenancy again.”

Laura goes on to explain that unpaid deposits, unfinished repairs, mouldy conditions are all things that ACORN can assist with and that when it comes to fighting for tenants, “strength is in numbers”. “What we find is that tenants don’t really have much power, they can keep pestering the letting agency to fix whatever’s wrong but a lot of the time these emails are just ignored. What we can do is publicly picket the

“Landlords really do take advantage of the fact that they know that students haven’t got much knowledge” Photo: ACORN

office, which is obviously bad for business and we can put pressure on them to fix it.”

She also points out that students are a particularly vulnerable group when it comes to private renting as they have little knowledge of their rights. “A lot of students are coming straight out of halls and maybe that’s their first time living away from home which doesn’t really prepare you for the private rented sector,” Laura explains. “Landlords really do take advantage of the fact that they know that students haven’t got much knowledge, a lot of students don’t know what a deposit is, I’ve spoken to some students who don’t even know what a tenancy agreement is.”

From experience going door-to-door and speaking with student renters, Laura says that many students are apprehensive about reporting issues like broken heating because they are unsure if they are important enough. “That’s health and safety” she says, “you can’t be in the

middle of winter with no heating, a lot of what we want to do as a student branch is in terms of education because at the moment landlords are really capitalising on the fact that students really don’t know their rights.”

ACORN advise first-time tenants to contact them if they have any questions about renting.

You can email ACORN if you want to double check a letting agent, and they’ll let you know if they recommend them. “Do other research and look at reviews and really properly research the agent you’re going with, when you go to a house viewing you should be asking questions, take a look at the general state of the property, make sure your deposit is in a deposit protection scheme, and even if you’re just asking the right questions it shows landlords you know what you’re talking about and you are less likely to get ripped off.”

To get involved with ACORN or to find out more, email them at Manchester@acorncommunities.org.uk

ISSUE 13 / 28th January 2019 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

10 Opinion

Steps and stares: Manchester’s inclusion gap Photo: Taber Andrew Bain @Flickr

Mia Edwards reflects on the lack of care provided for disabled students in Manchester, and examines the city-wide problem Mia Edwards Contributor Manchester’s status as a haven of equality is inscribed in its history. The suffragette movement and its ethnically diverse population make it one of the UK’s most accepting cities. It is what drew me to it.

Compared to the homogeneous city where I grew up, attending university here was an escape to experience somewhere very different.

However, since my arrival, I have questioned whether the Mancunian inclusive lifestyle is really as accessible as its reputation suggests. Having worked as a personal assistant for a girl with cerebral palsy since the age of 14, I am well acquainted with the challenges that she faces in being wheelchair-bound.

Steps and stares make the everyday a constant strain.

Trivial activities are for her so exhausting that some days even pushing her wheelchair is overwhelming. When she visited me in Manchester, I was shocked by the response of the city’s usually friendly residents.

Taxi drivers stared, then muttered excuses and drove away. Her wheelchair is car boot friendly and can easily be folded to fit in the back of a vehicle, but this reassurance was apparently insufficient.

Chain store coffee shops confessed that their disabled entrances did not function and turned us away. Restaurant staff spoke over her head to her mother to ask what food she wanted (she is articulate and, well, 14 years old). The staff of her large hotel promised that her room was wheelchair accessible, but her mum had to carry her to the toilet because they had forgotten that the bathroom too needed to fit her needs.

It is true that I felt sad, but mostly, I felt ashamed. This city which prides itself on inclusion had not embraced her as it does other minorities. The social equality movements embedded in our city life does not extend to people like her as it might do to the the LGBTQ+ community or to those from ethnic backgrounds. Disabilities are not high up on our equality agenda and I am forced to wonder, why not?

Undoubtedly, attitudes towards all minorities are still in the process of being altered, protested and negotiated. The disabled, however, are given very few opportunities for real integra-

tion. Even university accommodation does not have disabled access for many of its buildings. If she had visited me last year, she could not have entered my Woolton Hall accommodation due to the large step at its entrance, and certainly could not have ascended the three flights of stairs to reach my room.

Despite some buildings being wheelchair-accessible, were she a student she could not hope to enjoy a fraction of the freedom of her peers. The spontaneity of the able-bodied is gifted to us by the practicality of all of our surroundings, unquestioningly tailored to our basic needs. For some, the world lacks accessibility to the point that student life – partying, outings, being heard – remains a distant dream.

All fights for equality are valuable. But some voices are yet to even be assimilated enough to reach a point when they have a sufficient platform to be heard. I hope that Manchester continues to shine its acceptance across all those who live here in future. But more than that, I hope that those who are still overlooked are also given a stage.

The media must play fair on mental health Photo: Chitapra@Wikimedia Commons

Jasmine Taylor discusses how serious mental health disorders are still being demonised by the media and excluded from popular activist narratives.

Jasmine Taylor Contributor The past decade has seen an incredible transformation in how celebrities and the media address mental illness.

Now more than ever, people are empowered to openly discuss the ways in which their lives are affected. In fact, I struggle to plough through a single newspaper without reading an article on mental health, and rightly so, as it’s an epidemic that needs to be addressed.

However, since my own recent and long-awaited diagnosis of Borderline (Emotionally Unstable) Personality Disorder, I have noticed how differently certain disorders and illnesses are discussed in relation to others.

Many celebrities and articles speak openly about anxiety, depression, and the often more secretive universe of eating disorders. A fantastic effort to combat the isolating nature of suffering from such issues.

Similarly, schizophrenia, bi-polar, and personality disorders are among those with significantly less positive coverage and are encircled in problematic and frequently false generalisations. Why are sufferers of these significant mental illnesses

neglected, and even alienated, by support movements?

An exception to this rule is Saturday Night Live’s Pete Davidson. His candid discussion of his experience of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a breath of fresh air to people like me. Accustomed to seeing far more articles and books on how to ‘deal’ with people with BPD than articles intended to support sufferers, Davidson’s efforts to de-stigmatise such misunderstood issues like personality disorders remain a rarity.

However, the harassment to which Davidson is subject, reveals why other sufferers are hesitant. This is an issue he himself broached with a harrowing, now removed, Instagram post.

He said: “I’ve been getting online bullied and in public by people for nine months. I’ve spoken about BPD and being suicidal publicly only in the hopes that it will help bring awareness and help kids like myself who don’t want to be on this earth.”

Following the Golden Globes, rumours have circulated about the comedian dating Kate Beckinsale, and people have already started posting their opinions on social media platforms.

Unsurprisingly, the backlash oriented around his diagnosis, much as it did during his high-profile relationship with singer Ariana Grande. Kate has been applauded however for not

entertaining the criticism, responding to one comment, “Dear heavens, Kate. Not Pete Davidson” with the words “no that’s my mother. Easy mistake.”

Comedic elements aside, such examples demonstrate how intensely demonised BPD sufferers are, to the extent that many conceal and even fear their own diagnosis. The media often exploits the diagnosis, accusing sufferers of being sociopaths or dangerous which is simply not the case. Sufferers actually have higher than average capacity for empathy and are often sensitive, caring individuals.

This issue could be alleviated significantly through promotion of better understanding of BPD and less discussed disorders, much akin to the ways the stigma of other illnesses has been reduced.

It is crucial to enable people to access relevant therapy for their safety and recovery. After all, mental illnesses are prolific silent killers. Perhaps put best by writer Sam Dylan Finch: “Painting people with borderline with one uncomplicated, overgeneralized brushstroke? Treating them like a plague, as inherently immoral, as dangerous? That’s still ableist.”

Opinion 11

ISSUE 13 / 28th January 2019 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Time to shut down the government shutdown

Jay Darcy writes about the Government Shutdown in the USA over ‘The Wall’; an embarrassing example of the fallout of Trump’s outlandish policies Jay Darcy Contributor The current US government shutdown is now the longest of all time.

President Trump refuses to reopen the government until congressional Democrats agree to fund his notorious wall, leaving hundreds of thousands of Americans unpaid.

Whilst the Senate still belongs to the Republicans, the Democrats recently took control of the House of Representatives. This means that Trump will not be able to pass legislature quite as easily as he did during his first two years in office.

Both Democrats and Republicans feel very passionately about ‘The Wall’, perhaps none more than Laura Loomer. A far-right political activist, conspiracy theorist, and internet personality, at just 25 Loomer has already made quite the name for herself across the pond. A Jewish New Yorker, she is not your stereotypical right-wing activist and, fortunately, her abhorrent views are not shared by many.

Undoubtedly, however, she represents a growing demographic. The irony of a Jewish woman aligning herself with a movement that reeks of sexism and antisemitism is explained by her opportunism: à la Katie Hopkins, Loomer is openly outrageous and provocative just to stay relevant.

Earlier this month, Loomer jumped the fence at the home of top Democrat Nancy Pelosi, accompanied by

three undocumented immigrants. As speaker of the House of Representatives Pelosi is second in the presidential line of succession and she’s vehemently opposed to the border wall.

Loomer’s reasoning was supposedly to “prove” the need for a border wall, but, in delightfully embarrassing irony all she actually proved is that walls do not work!

She should count herself lucky that she was not dealt with more severely, given that many on the right argue for shooting ‘illegal’ immigrants who would scale Trump’s wall. The worst part is, however, that she tricked three undocumented immigrants into being a part of her publicity stunt, in hopes of having them arrested and deported.

Unfortunately for her, they were let go.

As Brexit tears our country apart, and Theresa May recently suffered an historic defeat in the Commons, perhaps we are in no position to scoff at the US’s current crisis.

But given both Brexit and the Wall on the Mexican border are tied up with issues of immigration and racism, I believe we can have opinions on the matter.

Regardless of whether the border Wall is feasible, and experts say it is not, the current shutdown is devastating. The politicians are lucky enough to be getting paid throughout the shutdown, but there are scores of more junior employees who are being forced to go without wages. The Americans that make up the government needs to get a move on and do the jobs they were elected and are paid to do.

Photo: Alex Proimos@Wikimedia Commons

Stress to impress Sophie Marriott argues that the high stress experience of University exams is the result of the pressure to succeed constantly levied on students Sophie Marriott Head Opinion Editor T h e e n d o f e x a m s fe e l s l i ke co m i n g u p fo r a i r a f t e r yo u r h e a d h a s b e e n fo rce d u n de r wate r.

L iv i n g i n a t i ny wo rl d co n s i st i n g o f t h e l i b ra r y, ca f fe i n e , l ap top s c re e n s, a n d d i s r u pte d s le e p i s a s u ffo cat i n g way to s p e n d we e k s o f yo u r l i fe . I t i s t i m e t o m ove o n f ro m t h i s p u n i s h i n g e d u cat i o n .

Fo r m e r C a b i n e t S e c re t a r y G u s O’ D o n n e l l h a s wa r n e d o f a n i mp e n d i n g m e nt a l h e a lt h c r i s i s b e ca u s e o f t h e e x a m i n at i o n c u lt u re i n B r it i s h e d u cat i o n . Wa l ki n g t h ro u g h t h e p a cke d a n i m a l-p e n t h at B l u e 3 h a s b e e n t h e p a st few we e k s , it i s h a rd to d i s a g re e w it h him T h e s u r v iva l i st te ch n iq u e s t h at st u de nt s o f a l l a ge s a d op t wh e n it co m e s to t h e i r e x a m p e r i o d s a re n o t s y m b o l s o f t h e i r re s i l i e n ce , o r a ca de m i c a ch i eve m e nt wh i ch t h e i r te a ch e rs m ay s u g ge st .

I f yo u wa nt to ge nu i n e ly te st fo r a j oy i n k n owl e d ge o r t h e i r a b i l it y to g rap p le w it h co n ce p t s, a h i g h- p re s s u re reg u rg it at i o n o f rev i s i o n n ote s i s h a rd ly re p re s e nt at ive. A l l t h i s ro ut i n e co n f i r m s i s t h e fe a r o f

Photo: comedy_nose @Flickr

fa i l u re at s c h o o l a n d u n ive rs it y.

T h e t o o t h p a s t e t u b e o f e d u c at i o n a n d e m p l oy m e nt d r ive s c h i l d re n i n B r it a i n , f ro m t h e a ge o f s eve n wh e n t h ey t a ke t h e i r SATs , t o fe a r b a d e x a m m a rk s at t h e r i s k o f t h e i r m e nt a l a n d p hys i c a l h e a l t h We a re gove r n e d by t h e log i c t h at d a m a g i n g o u r eye s i g ht , p o s t u re s , re l at i o n s h i p s , e at i n g a n d s l e e p i n g h a b it s i n t h e s h o r t t e r m , i s m u c h b e t t e r t h a n n o t h av i n g t h e q u a l i f i c at i o n s t o b e co m e a n e q u a l ly ove rwo rke d l aw ye r by t h e a ge o f 3 0. We a re a lways t a u g ht t o b e p ro d u c t ive b e fo re we eve n t h i n k a b o u t b e i n g h a p py.

S t a r i n g at a co m p u t e r s c re e n fo r h o u rs s h o u l d n ot b e a p re - re q u i s t e fo r h i g h e r e d u c at i o n . I t i s b e co m i n g i n c re a s i n g ly ev i d e nt t h at t h e l i g ht f ro m s c re e n s i s d a n ge ro u s ; p o t e nt i a l ly i n c re a s i n g t h e r i s k o f m a c u l a r d e ge n e rat i o n – a co n d it i o n wh i c h a f fe c t s eye s i g ht .

No b o dy i s s u re wh at t h e l o n g t e r m e f fe c t s o f t h i s w i l l b e b e c a u s e we a re t h e f i rs t ge n e rat i o n o f h ave t o s p e n d t h i s m u c h t i m e e x p o s e d t o it . No t t o m e nt i o n t h e d a m a ge t o o u r p o s t u re s t h at i s c a u s e d by s it t i n g h u n c h e d ove r p a ge s o f n o te s fo r d ays o n e n d . O r t h e fa c t t h at ‘ f raye d n e r ve s ’ f ro m e x a m s t re s s c a n ve r y

q u i ck ly b e co m e s o m e t h i n g mu ch m o re s e r i o u s .

We a re b e i n g e x p e r i m e nt e d o n , t au g ht t o t re at st re s s a n d p re s s u re a s a fa c t o f a d u lt l i fe. I f we ca n n o t h a n d le t h at , we ca n n o t h a n d le t h e wo rl d o f wo rk .

A s st u de nt s we h ave co m e t o u n ive rs it y fo r k n owle d ge a n d a c u lt u ra l e x p e r i e n ce , b ut i n do i n g s o we h ave s o l d o u r s o u l s. Eve nt u a l ly we w i l l a l s o h ave t o a cq u i e s ce a n d j o i n t h e wo rl d o f wo rk . T h e p at h s we ca r ve o ut fo r o u rs e lve s at u n ive rs it y a re re a l ly n o t hi n g m o re t h a n t h e p u rs u it o f t wo nu m b e rs s e p a rat e d by co lo n s. A m a rk wh i ch i s j u st s h o r t h a n d fo r t h e nu m b e rs p re ce de d by a p o u n d s i g n ; b e cau s e t h e nu mb e r o f z e ro s i s t h e o n ly t h i n g wh i ch re a l ly d r ive s t h i s k i n d o f le a r n i n g .

O f co u rs e I ’ m n o t s u g ge st i n g t h at a l l s t u de nt s a re c y n i ca l ly m o t ivat e d by m o n ey a n d a m b it i o n . We a re a l l d r ive n by p r ide i n o u r a ch i eve m e nt s a n d ge nu i n e i nt e re s t i n o u r s u b j e c t s . Howeve r, t h e st r u c t u re o f e du cat i o n i s t h e p ro d u c t o f t h e v i ew t h at it i s o n ly a b ox t o t i ck o n a C V. O t h e r w i s e , G o d fo r b id , yo u m i g ht e n d u p i n m a nu a l l a b o u r o r t h e s e r v i ce i n d u s t r y, o r n o t p u s h e d t o t h e b r i n k eve r y s i n g le we e k u nt i l re t i re m e nt .

12 Societies

ISSUE 13 / 28th January 2019 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

In conversation with: the Manchester Debating Union Chloe Hatton sits down with Jacklin Kwan, president of the Manchester Debating Union, to talk about her time in the society and what its members get up to Chloe Hatton Societies Editor

This week we sat down with Jacklin Kwan who, besides being The Mancunion’s Science Editor, is also the president of the Manchester Debating Union. It’s the main student society for debating, and is not just open to UoM students. Anyone from any of Manchester’s higher education institutions can give debating a go through the Union.

They debate absolutely everything, from feminism, to international relations, to ethics, to economics. There’s bound to be something for everyone, no matter what degree subject you study or what areas of interest you have.

“It’s a common misconception that only people who do subjects like humanities and law are good at debating, but it’s definitely not true. People who enjoy reading widely and who keep an open mind are the ones that tend to do the best, regardless of degree subject. Don’t be put off if you do a STEM subject — the last five presidents of the Debating Union have all been STEM students!”

Founded in 1996, the Union is now one of the most active debating societies in the country, with debating tournaments almost every weekend! These tournaments are part of the cross-country inter-varsity debating competitions, but if you don’t fancy tackling one of these immediately, there are a whole host of other activities that you can get involved in, whether it’s in a collaboration with another student society to host a public debate, going along to the training sessions, or heading to the Ford Maddox Brown for a post-session social. Be warned though, their socials often contain a special drink called ‘yakka’.

“It’s a potent brew of vodka, lemons, and sugar,” she laughs.

One of the highlights of the Debate Union’s event list is the Manchester Intervarsity. It’s the largest tournament in the North and the Midlands, and every year universi-

ties from all over Europe come to compete.

It’s certainly not something to be missed.

Every week there are two training sessions that you can get involved in. The first is the Novice session, for people from all backgrounds who are keen on debating.

These will cover the fundamentals of debating and arguing persuasively, as well as helping you with your public speaking, and are held every Tuesday from 5pm-7pm in University Place. The second is the Ad-

“In every session, we’ll always have a friendly practise debate where everyone can apply the skills we’ve taught them”

“When I first started debating in high school, I really struggled to articulate a lot of the opinions I had. I knew what I wanted to say, but couldn’t find the words. I remember how frustrating it was to be shut out of discussions just because I couldn’t speak loudly or confidently enough.

“Debate has not only made me more able to express the opinions and knowledge that I do have, but also made me more aware of my own ignorance. You cover so many topics in debating that you realise just how much you don’t know. I once had to give a speech about whether the African Union should create a free-trade zone! This really pushed me to read widely into other subjects.

“The ability to structure your thoughts coherently and convincingly is truly a life skill. It translates well in the workplace, but also in more personal aspects. I’ve

found that my ability to reflect upon my own emotions and come to calm, logical conclusions about why I feel a certain way has meant that I am empowered to form more meaningful connections with others as well as myself.

“And honestly, it’s good fun. We’re all nerds and we love talking about nerdy things. I’ve found myself naturally flowing into conversations about how to teach the history of colonialism in post-colonial states, or whether Facebook should take an active role in policing its content and user behaviours. No shame in being a nerd at the MDU!” For more information on the Manchester Debating Union, check out their Facebook. If you fancy giving debating a go, why not turn up to one of their training sessions?

vanced session, aimed at active debaters who want to compete. These sessions go much deeper into specific techniques and strategies of debating as a sport and take place on Mondays from 6pm-8pm in University Place.

“Just come along to a training session and introduce yourself! In every session, we’ll always have a friendly practise debate where everyone can apply the skills we’ve taught them. If you’re feeling more confident, why not ask a committee member about competing and representing Manchester as part of the debate team?”

So how has Jacklin found her debating journey so far?

Photo: Manchester Debating Union @ Facebook

Refresh yourself with a new society

Liv Clarke Features Editor

Photo: Markus Arnold

Liv Clarke recounts the different societies she’s tried throughout her degree, from scuba diving to ballroom dancing, and encourages you to get involved with something new

If you fe e l l i ke exams have dra ined you of al l mot ivat ion and t he t hought of t he s e me ste r ahe ad f i l l s you w it h dread, why not t ake u p s ome t hing new during re f re s he rs we e k? T he re a re lot s of s o cie t ie s to ge t i nvolve d i n — it would b e a s h ame not to ex p e r ie nce a few during you r deg re e, wh ich i s exact ly what I’ve done du r i ng t he p ast four yea rs.

It al l b egan as a bright-eyed f irstye ar brows i ng t he st al l s at my f irst ever f re s he rs fai r. T he cho ice of act iv it ie s was m i nd- blow i ng , and at t he end of t he we e k my t i ny b e d ro om in ha lls wa s f ull of f lye rs of eve r y t h i ng f rom Blogging S o c ie ty to E xt re me P icnicking S o ciety; I cou ld n’ t wait to ge t st uck in. S o, I to ok u p t he opp or t u n ity of a t a ster s e s sion w it h t he S c u b a D iv i ng S o ciety. There I was, f u l l of f re s he r ’s f lu , b o b bing a round i n t he aq u at ics ce nt re. I never q uite got t he gas leve l s r ig ht , which s ent me eit he r st raig ht to t he b ot tom of t he p o ol or f lo at i ng at t he su r face. S a fe to say, s cub a d iv i ng was n’ t for me, although t he t a ster s e s s ion was a f u n ex p erience a nd gave me a f u n ny stor y to te l l .

Fast for ward to s e cond yea r a nd it was t i me to t r y anot her new act iv ity.

T he st al l wh ich lu re d me in t hat yea r

wa s L at in a nd Ba llro om S o ciety (t he da zzling s eq uins, t he gla mour, t he t hought of meet ing my ow n Pat rick Swayze! ).

The t a ster s e ss ion went well, a nd b e fore I knew it , I wa s a f ully f ledged mem b er, at tending da nce cla ss e s every week. I lea rnt how to Wa lt z a nd Foxt rot a nd met s ome lovely p eople, one t ime even pract ising a rout ine in a n empty SU b a r. It wa s f un, dif ferent , a nd a great st re s s-relea s e when work a ll got to o much. I did los e intere st a s work b eca me ha rder during s eme ster two, but it wa s go o d while it la sted.

Af ter a yea r a bro ad, I ca me b ack to t he f re shers fa ir w it h a new found ent husia s m . This wa s it , t he f ina l yea r, la st cha nce s a lo on. It wa s t ime to get physica l. I s ought out S q ua sh S o ciety, s omet hing which had eluded me in prev ious yea rs. I went a long to t he s e ss ions each week a nd it wa sn’t ea sy — t hey like to work you ha rd. It felt go o d to b e play ing a sp ort rat her t hen b eing co op ed up in a gy m , a lt hough I did have to employ a ‘ This G irl C a n’ at t it ude when faced w it h a court dom inated by guys.

It ’s not a lways ea sy to drag yours elf away f rom a night at t he pub w it h your hous em ate s, but it do e s feel go o d to get out a nd do s omet hing dif ferent . Re f re sh yours elf t his s eme ster a nd t ry s omet hing new.

RUN FOR ELECTION

8 ROLES / 1 YEAR / ÂŁ19,500

Best case scenario, you run for election, win your place on the Exec Team and spend one year making campus a better place for your fellow students. Worst case scenario, you run for election, don’t win, but walk away with new skills, experiences and connections

manchesterstudentsunion.com/elections

Scan the QR code and register to receive the latest job alerts This week’s top employers are:

Mancunion Crossword #5 Solution Revealed Next Issue!

1

2

Last week’s solution

3 4 5

6 7 8 9

10

11

Down Across 3.

5.

6.

8.

10.

11.

Which 80s pop band recently featured in a documentary about their come back?

What’s replaced The Font in Fallowfield?

New Manchester United manager What have 16 social media stars, including Zoella, been told to make more clear on their profiles?

Which Bake Off winner has returned to his PhD study in nuclear science?

What was recently made illegal following Gina Martin’s campaign?

1.

2.

3.

4.

7.

9.

What’s the name of the new square by the Business School with Five Guys?

Which famously posh comedian is hosting the Brits this year?

Which Johnson made a cameo appearance in Eastenders ten years ago this month?

Which Mancunian act have be named as a headliner for Kraftwerk?

Who will face the Patriots in the Superbowl this year?

What’s only 10 weeks away? (From time of publication, 28/1/19)

Inside The Japanese Manchester Game Welcome To Marwen AOTW - Shoes on The Preview: 19 Review: 21 Danube: 25 Culture House: 18

The GinAissance: 27

CULTURE Photo: Bella Jewell

THE

16

ISSUE 13 / 28th January 2019 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Music

Jacob Collier

The multi-Grammy award winner, Jacob Collier, is set to continue his European tour with a highly-anticipated performance at Gorilla in Manchester The multi-Grammy award winner, jazz prodigy, Jacob Collier, is set to continue his worldwide tour with a highly-anticipated performance at Gorilla in Manchester.

The 24-year-old vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and arranger certainly had an exciting 2018, playing at the BBC Proms in July and climaxing with the release of the first volume of his album, Djesse, on December 7.

Part of a quartet of albums it is expected that a combined 40 tracks are to be released over the coming year within further installments, exploring reimagined covers and collaborations with other interesting artists.

In Volume One this sees the likes of Voces8, Laura Mvula, Hamid El Kasri, and Take 6 enter Collier’s complex musical world, fusing an abundance of styles progressively and re-harmonising to extremes.

Hailed as a musical genius, the London-born musician started his journey on YouTube, uploading impressive homemade content, soon catching the eye of the legendary Quincy Jones. Under Jones’ wing, Collier released his first album In My Room in 2016, but it was his remarkable dynamic adaptability and skill on a variety of instruments that has really defined him

Photo: Harald Krichel @ Wikimedia Commons

as an artist and performer, with strong individuality free from any superior control.

Treating harmony with a complex intimacy, Collier’s sound is both stimulating and absorbing, cleverly using a vocal harmonizer, live visuals and loop pedal in his one-man shows to create a truly unique affair.

His exceptional talents will be in full glory at Gorilla, Manchester, on the 20th February, pushing boundaries through an

otherworldly fusion of styles and artistic explosion. Collier will no doubt produce some breath-taking moments making for what will most certainly be a memorable experience, so this is an opportunity you will not want to miss!

Be sure to catch Jacob Collier at the following dates: (Feb 18thConcorde 2, Brighton), (Feb 19thTrinity, Bristol), (Feb 20th- Gorilla, Manchester), (Feb 22nd- EartH, London).

Ten Tonnes Issy Bolitho previews Ten Tonnes return to headline shows, bringing infectious indie-pop to Manchester’s The Deaf Institute.

Previews.

Upcoming singer-songwriter, Ten Tonnes (aka Ethan Barnett), prepares to take his scrappy, indie pop to the stage for four dates starting at the end of January. Hotly tipped as one to look out for in 2019, Barnett tours ahead of the release of his self-titled debut album.

2018 laid the foundations for a very promising year for the musician. Supporting the likes of Stereophonics, Rat Boy and his brother, George Ezra, the catchy indie artist found himself playing immense venues to crowds of 20,000 people. Barnett once described the experience as being like “a weird holiday”, and it seems the singer used this to his advantage, taking it as an opportunity to win over new fans and spread his infectious sound to a new audience.

This tour sees him return to more intimate gigs, including a sold-out show at iconic Manchester venue, The Deaf Institute.

No stranger to a more personal show, the musician established himself in the Hertford gigging circuit, playing open mic nights and local pubs.

The upcoming concert will be an

exciting chance to see exactly what Barnett has learned from his year of arena touring, and how this translates to his return to smaller, local stages.

His debut album, released

“His debut album... is full of the promise of fun, guitar laden pop” 5th March, is full of the promise of fun, guitar-laden pop.

Teaming up with former Kaiser Chief, Nick Hodgson, and Longpigs lead vocalist Crispin Hunt for the production of the album, it has all the makings of a wildly successful, feel-good record.

Although the Manchester gig is now sold out, keep an eye out for the name Ten Tonnes over the coming year. Take the opportunity to see him at his roots while you can, as it would be surprising if his success does anything but rapidly multiply throughout 2019. It won’t be a shock to find him playing bigger and bigger headline shows in the years to come.

Photo : The Mancunion

ISSUE 8 / 12th November 2018 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Assume Form Luke McGavin

9/10

Photo: Authorised Press Shot

Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats played Gorilla on Tuesday night as one of the last dates on a short UK tour. The Cambridge band formed in 2009 but have gone through many iterations, with the current line-up playing together since 2017. The Deadbeats seem to come and go, as only Uncle Acid (Kevin Starrs) has stayed since the beginning. Their sound has been noted by many to be characteristic of the hard rock of the early 1970s, this is a purposeful choice by the band who even specifically record with vintage equipment.

Opening for them was Blood Ceremony who gave a strong showing with a catchy, but nonetheless, very heavy sound. Their female lead singer was refreshing to see in a very male-dominated genre, and she created an energetic and at times frantic atmosphere with both synths and a flute. The latter was heavily reminiscent of Jethro Tull.

When Uncle Acid and his Deadbeats exploded onto the stage, from the get-go they had heads everywhere swinging back and forth. The bass pounded through your chest and the riffs cut into your brain.

Lead singer and guitarist Kevin would often solo so hard you could clearly see the proto-metal influence. Occasionally it felt like the wild shredding didn’t always aim to match the music, but it was very impressive nonetheless.

The whole show quite successfully created an atmosphere of impending doom, particularly with Starr’s high pitched, demonic vocals, and the almost non-stop intensity of it.

This is of no surprise given the quaking quartet had supported Sabbath back in 2013. The drummer, Justin Smith, was on impeccable form, really pinning the whole show together. He was reaching into that unending well of

Music

17

Album review: Assume Form by James Blake Contributor Luke McGavin reviews James Blake’s newest release, Assume Form, which possesses a greater range of experimentation and influences while nodding at the rap world

James Blake has always been an artist whose pool of artistic interests and influences is much larger than the niche circle of post-dubstep producers with whom he made a name for himself at the start of this decade.

Nowhere is this more evident than in his new release Assume Form, which contains more guest appearances than any of his other records (five in total) and shows Blake continually immersing himself in the rap world which he has dabbled in previously. This follows a string of collaborations on several more rap-oriented albums since his last LP The Colour in Anything, from two features on the TDE-spearheaded Black Panther soundtrack, working with Beyoncé on Lemonade, to appearing on Travis Scott’s latest mega-release Astroworld who returns the favour on this record.

As is to be expected these new artistic ventures entail a stylistic and sonic shift, although they are tastefully integrated into Blake’s sound making, the result a captivating and delightful listen.

Assume Form is undoubtedly the most instrumentally diverse album in his discography, taking the keyboards, samples, and vocals that Blake is renowned for and incorporating a variety of synths and string arrangements into an incredibly structurally complex set of tracks. They form a collection of emotionally potent love songs which each capture and convey a distinct sentiment through the rousing vocal performances and melodic compositions. The album’s opener is a prime example of this, a dreamy yet uplifting track where murmuring pianos inject a gentle vivacity to the tune, lulling the listener into a gradual attentiveness.

The sonic change is most evident in the following two tracks which feature Travis

musical energy for almost an hour and a half.

Especially interesting were his more unique rhythms and fills as opposed to a lot of the sounds coming out of the heavier genres.

Seeing as people will mosh to just about anything (looking at you Mac Demarco fans), I expected something wild from this crowd, however, there was surprisingly little physical action, just the classic headbang, leaving me somewhat dissatisfied. There were a number of times when I felt like the same riff could only be repeated for so long over and over before it became less exciting. It was at these points that the crowd also seemed to simmer down the most. The choice to play lots of similarly paced songs back to back with no chit chat in between meant they essentially started to blend into each other.

Arguably the whole genre lends itself to this feeling if you aren’t well versed in it already. Whilst the songs do get you hooked, they sometimes seem to follow quite a similar format. Meanwhile, the lead singers face was obscured by hair the entire concert but that’s also just typical of these hard rockers, right?

After their ‘final song’ they followed textbook encore procedure and left abruptly but sadly the crowd did not chant them back on, though they came back and did three more songs anyway. Their best moments were outings that began slowly and built up to a fiery, thunderous climax. They struck this tone with their final song and definitely left a good impression.

Even as a psych-rock fanatic, it was overall less captivating than I’d hoped.

However, their energy was undeniable, they’re clearly very talented, and the songs that did rock really blew the roof off.

Scott and Moses Sumney respectively, with Metro Boomin delivering his signature skittering hi-hats on both. ‘Mile High’ has the two vocalists trading verses over a nocturnal and hypnotic beat before they reach a dynamic harmonized finish, while ‘Tell Them’ starts with a sticky and immediately ear-grabbing keyboard line, developing into a brooding cut where Sumney’s eerie vocals flutter over percussion that you can’t help but bop your head to.

That is not to say that Blake’s style and songwriting have drastically changed, as the distinctive use of live and sampled vocals remains a key aspect of several songs such as ‘I Can’t Believe the Way We Flow’. The chopped soul vocal sample that weaves underneath his own voice provides a serene backdrop for this ode to a joyful coexistence with a significant other, marking one of the more blissful moments on the record. ‘Lullaby for My Insomniac’ closes the album with a soothing and minimal tune which also recalls the almost choral use of voice that has been present in Blake’s albums since his selftitled debut.

These songs not only display his knack for crafting songs which convey heaps of emotion with the deftest touch on ‘Are You in Love?’ or ‘I’ll Come Too’ for example, but also signals a new development in the career of one of electronic music most singular talents. Other artists are woven seamlessly into songs, introducing an added energy and vigour while Blake is still able to carry tracks on his own with engaging and lush songwriting, instrumentation and performances.

If you are in the middle of a minor exam depression, I would highly recommend taking a minute to try this rich and varied collection of stirring tunes to cleanse your spirit.

Live Review: Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats

Photo: Ashwin Tharoor @ The Mancunion

Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats

7/10

Uncle Acid rocked Gorilla with a rambunctious show but sometimes lacked distinctiveness, writes Ashwin Tharoor

18

ISSUE 13 / 28th January 2019 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Music

In Conversation with The Japanese House With four years’ experience and four critically-acclaimed EPs to her name, it seems about time Amber Bain released her debut album as The Japanese House

Photo: Justin Higuchi @ Wikimedia Commons

In an age of pop dominated by cinematic singles and concept albums, The Japanese House is bucking the trend and releasing music with no stage persona or agenda. Unapologetically honest, and freer for it, Amber Bain took time out to discuss her soon-tobe-released record Good at Falling.

‘Lilo’ was the first single to be released in advance of the debut album, back in September 2018. “I definitely don’t know what is going to be logistically a good song,” Bain said, and while this ballad was “probably the most simple song on the album”, it “summed up everything I was thinking and feeling at the time”, which is what the record is all about The accompanying video was just as personal, showing Amber with her ex-girlfriend singer-songwriter Marika Hackman. Most exes wouldn’t be so clearly in each other’s lives, but it is obvious they are still best friends. “It was such a personal track, it felt like the best thing [to have her in it].”

Good At Falling signals Bain’s transition from a girl hiding behind her metaphors, to a woman looking inward.

As an album, it offers lyrical directness, exposing Bain’s life and anxieties to the masses, through tracks about her romantic relationship, drinking habits, and state of mind.

Being so emotionally vulnerable takes confidence and guts, but Bain said she didn’t worry about opening up to the mic. “I was more worried about my personal relationships with the people

I talk about in the songs than about what the world thinks “I’ve learned to love being honest and open and accepting my flaws… it feels freeing. Everyone experiences heartbreaks, worrying about their relationship with alcohol and mental health issues – I’m not saying anything crazy, so it’s not a big deal.”

The Japanese House have cultivated a unique sound which defies comparison, and that’s how Bain likes it is. “I really just wanted to make something that sounded different.

Everyone seems to measure music off how alike something else it is. So I’ve tried not to have any reference points, that was a rule I made.

“But I mean obviously, you’re always influenced by what you listen to. When I play back older songs, I can hear bits that sound like Foals or Beach House – whatever I was into at the time. But now I’ve really stopped trying to sound like someone else.”

Talking to Bain, it is clear how much fun she had when it came to her album’s production, experimenting and trying new things out while recording the arrangements. “It was stressful though, it’s a lot of pressure putting an album together.”

“But I need that, otherwise I’d be chilling at home watching Gilmore Girls”. It was an intense period and “all I was thinking about for a while”, Bain said, but “aside from my family and friends and my dog, music is the thing that matters most in my life.”

When asked about her favourite

song of the album, Amber chose ‘Follow My Girl’ “because its the one that pleases the musician in me most” – but said that she goes through phases with them all – “it is so hard to pick…

‘Maybe You’re The Reason’ is the most musically upbeat, and I’m really proud of ‘Wild’ too.”

The record itself came together quite naturally, Bain said, and she found her best feedback came from Marika “sometimes a harsh critic, but she’s someone who I trust very much”, and another friend, Kate Gavin, of LA band MUNA “because she just gets it.”

After the album’s official release, The Japanese House will set out on tour, visiting Manchester in March, so we discussed what being on the road is like. “I got sober and that changed everything” Bain explained, “since then, the last two tours have been great... It makes the connection with the crowd so much more significant.

That people are paying to come and see you which just feels insane – it’s an amazing experience.”

As for now, Amber Bain is back in the studio, writing and recording new tracks. “I’m not really giving myself a break” she said, “because [making music] is all I want to do”.

And when it sounds this good, we can’t help but hope The Japanese House doesn’t stop anytime soon.

The Japanese House perform live at Academy 2, Manchester on Saturday 16th March. Tickets are on sale now. The debut album, ‘Good at Falling’, is due out 1st March 2019.

Listen to our Spotify Playlist Scan the code and follow ‘The Mancunion’ for more!

ISSUE 13 / 28th January 2019 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Games

19

Gaming in Manchester 2019: a preview What to expect from the games industry in Manchester this year, from indie games being developed in the city to Manchester Gamers Unite’s launch party Jeremy Bijl

2019 is well and truly upon us, and as Blue Monday subsides and the inevitably long, dark winter beckons, many of us can be forgiven for feeling apprehensive about what it may bring.

Fortunately, for those of us who want to experience the vibrancy of Manchester’s creativity without leaving the warmth of our homes for extended periods, the games industry is here to help.

First and foremost amongst those experiences is White Paper Games hotly anticipated game The Occupation. The game, which is set in a fictionalised version of 1980s Manchester called Turing, is a fixed-time journalistic thriller similar, at least in structure, to Groundhog Day, presenting you with a fixed wedge of space-time in which you are the lone variable who decides the outcome of unfolding events. The game was originally scheduled for release in 2018 but has now been given a release date of March the 5th.

There are also a number of other games set to release from Manchester’s budding indie scene.

Perhaps most intriguing amongst these is Broken Bear Games’ and No More Robot’s Family Man, a cheery sounding but decidedly morbid RPG that, according to the developers, “asks the question: When pushed to the limits of your own morality, how far would you go for the sake of your family?” It is scheduled for release in early 2019.

There are also a number of other indies on the way which are either being developed in Manchester or published by companies in Manchester or nearby. Amongst these are Doggo, which is being made in the faraway land of Warrington, Hyperbrawl Tournament, being made by Liverpool’s Milky Tea, and Tails of Iron, developed by Man-

chester’s own Odd Bug Studios, announced earlier this week.

Alongside games, a number of events are to be hosted in Manchester in 2019. The first major one on the bill is Manchester Gamers Unite’s launch

Photo: WhitePaperGames

party. MGU is a non-profit independent gaming and networking organisation, aiming to bring together the gaming community of Manchester and the North-West. Their launch party, which will be held on the 26th of March and is open to anyone with a ticket, will feature showcases from a number of developers including Ghost Town Games, the team responsible for Overcooked.

In May, we will also see the return of PlayExpo Manchester, which has been confirmed and scheduled to run on the 4th and 5th. PlayExpo has

ManchesterBased Odd Bug announce Tails of Iron Manchester’s Odd Bug Studios announce new title to kick off 2019 Jeremy Bijl

Odd Bug Studio, Manchester, have announced that they are working on their second game, titled Tails of Iron, and have released a trailer alongside the announcement.

The game is being made in partnership with the newly founded United Label Games, who will act as publishers. United Label, who are owned

by CI – the developers behind Lords of the Fallen and Sniper Ghost Warrior – also announced three other titles alongside Tails of Iron.

Tails of Iron will be Odd Bug’s second release, following The Lost Bear, a cinematic 2D PSVR platformer with a hand-painted art style.

The Lost Bear was generally well received, currently holding a metascore of 77 on Metacritic.

However, whilst Tails of Iron looks to share a similar art style with The Lost Bear, Odd Bug indicated in a Twitter reply that they currently had no plans to make the game for VR, instead focusing on a flat screen release.

United Label have described Tails of Iron as, “an Adventure RPG-lite game set in a charming and brutal world.” The trailer’s depiction of seemingly cute but violent animals set against a murky, industrial palette certainly suggests

a bewildering amount to offer video game fans, including (but not limited to) Modern Gaming, Indie, Retro, Arcade, Pinball, Minecraft, VR, LAN, Guests, Merchandise, Cosplay, Tournaments, Education, Communities, and Tabletop Gaming.

In April, the University of Manchester’s very own HackSoc Game Dev Society will be hosting their first game jam, which they hope they will be the first of many. A game jam, for those unfamiliar, is a kind of development battle royale in which a number of small game development teams compete in an intense 24+ hour period to make the best game from the ground up.

And for those who do want to go outside, Everyone Can, a Sale-based charity who help the disabled get access to video games, are doing a charity marathon to help raise money. The run will be on the 19th of May. Finally — for now — and perhaps most intriguingly, journalist Jack Yarwood is currently filming a documentary about games development in the North-West. Tri-Heart Interactive and Odd Bug Studios have been confirmed as being in the documentary, while other local developers will also be in the film. Jack has confirmed to The Mancunion that the film will be launching around the beginning of March, with filming set to conclude in mid-February.

This list, of course, is limited in its exhaustiveness. Many games and events will no doubt crop up as 2019 progresses, and the particularly empty looking latter half will no doubt be populated by the time winter subsides. The Mancunion will keep you updated on all such developments, as well as covering all of the above events, games, and much more.

this is very much the case.

On the premise, United wrote that, “Playing as Redgi the Rat, you are heir to the throne when your kingdom is raided by the Iron Frog.

Players face challenging, tactical and stunning combat encounters in order to rebuild the Rat Kingdom.”

No release date has yet been given.

Photo: The Mancunion

20

ISSUE 13 / 28th January 2019 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Film

Photo: Insomnia Cured Here @Flickr

Katy Taylor Contributor

Stan and Ollie

3.5/5

Where to watch:

All major cinemas

Jon S. Baird’s Stan and Ollie (2018) is a sweet reminder of the humanity behind humour, and the pleasure of those who make us laugh, and love ly, the ownership and legitimacy of both Coogan’s and Reilly’s portrayal of the duo defined the film’s magnetism.

I must address that there were times when Stan and Ollie had me not engaged entirely. I felt it was rather tedious at moments with its relatively slow-moving narrative.

However, regardless of feeling slightly underwhelmed by the film as a whole, its true effect upon me exposed itself after I left the seat.

On reflection, I was reminded of the reason why I adore film, and it had the quality of any piece I come to love: a sense of humanity, and an enlightening, whole-hearted portrayal of it. In this case, that was efinitely achieved, if not epitomised, as we in the modern day were provided with evidence of the story behind the artists and their contribution to the world. It is impossible not to understand the feeling of watching the magic like the mass audiences across many decades did and, like I at seven years old, will never forget. Stan and Ollie definitely communicated the immortality of Laurel and Hardy, not just due to their universally beloved contribution to comedy but for their pioneering of what a true partnership is. The harmonious performance, even in scenes of conflict, for Coogan and Reilly’s characters truly embodied this, made this re-telling of a great act and friendship raw and warming to the heart.

I came home and immediately felt compelled to re-watch The Music Box. It’s safe to say that, after watching Stan and Ollie, my smile from all those years ago felt a little wider.

She did treat us by thanking ‘ma bitches’, but the fact that Olivia Colman didn’t indulge in her own personal brand of royalty at the Golden Globes by screeching ‘look at me!’ in her acceptance speech for Best Performance by an Actress in a Musical/Comedy is, frankly, a travesty.

Never has a lovely and seemingly-ordinary Brit sparkled as brightly as Colman as the unstable, infirm, and petulant Queen Anne in Yorgos Lanthimos’ wickedly entertaining tragicomedy The Favourite.

Structured in chapters with titles such as ‘This Mud Stinks’ and ‘I Dreamt I Stabbed You in The Eye’, the plot triangulates between Anne and two women of court who compete for her affections: Sarah Churchill, the Duchess of Marlborough (Rachel Weisz), a long-time close friend/carer/lover, and Abigail (Emma Stone), a former noblewoman who has suffered the negative consequences of a gambling late father, joining the court in a search of restored aristocracy.

High stakes manipulation and power-plays ensue as relationships are poisoned, status usurped, cakes scoffed and library books used as missiles in the battle to dominate the English court – meanwhile politicians and dukes (including X-Men star Nicholas Hoult, Mark Gatiss, and Joe Alwyn) play at duck-racing.

I refuse to assign it the sole genre of comedy as per the committee of the Golden Globes: the film swings from violent humour to teasing cynicism, and then back

Favourite

When immersed in an industry of modern comedians and their anecdotes of millennial angst,it is sometimes easy to forget how simplistically beautiful comedy can be, and once was. Jon S. Baird’s Stan and Ollie is a sweet reminder of the humanity behind humour, and the pleasure of those who make us laugh and love.

Stan and Ollie depicts the lives of the world-renowned comedy duo, Laurel and Hardy. Delving beyond their on-screen and stage personas, we see two men living for laughter and, even if they don’t admit it, each other. The faultless performances of Steve Coogan (Laurel) and John C. Reilly (Hardy) tell us of their not-so-faultless dynamic behind their on-screen chemistry.

This film seeps with nostalgia, and reminded me of an early memory of the true silver screen, before cinematic comedy became reduced to monstrosities featuring Megan McCarthy and Adam Sandler. Aged seven, when our teacher showed us The Music Box, most sighed when they saw the black and white palette. I did too, until I was charmed by the powerful innocence of two men and their slapstick gags that soothed and entertained the masses in the same way it did I. And I can safely say that, even though the lens was less focused on the genius comedic writings of Stan Laurel himself and more on their relationship beyond the peak of their career, this charm that I remember so fondly still found itself through the modern screen — I believe that this was solely down to the dramatic power of the two leading actors. Although their physical resemblance aids great-

Colman transforms from sit-com staple to big screen royalty with The Favourite

Issy Rayner Contributor

aisha aljanabi Deputy

5/5

towards gleeful bawd, all underpinned by female defiance and sorrow.

Colman is a tour de force; her unpredictability lends itself to comedy that has you half-shrieking before the laughter can leave your throat. That same laughter may be reformed into a sob as her expression turns to heartbreaking, particularly when the scene involves a birthday of one of her “little ones”, 17 rabbits which represent her 17 lost children.

Her co-stars, Stone and Weisz, are both sensational.

Weisz ripples with restraint and determination, poised in her affectionate yet sinister manoeuvring of her pet Queen. Stone is charming, innocent, threatening, and relentless.

Her character also transcends clear categorisation: is she youthful, or is she deadly? Is she benevolent?

Is she (well, she definitely is) duplicitous?

There is no easily-spot weak link in the film. The visuals are delicious, thanks in no small part to Sandy Powell’s sumptuous costume design and Robbie Ryan’s quirky yet spectacular cinematography.

The score is jauntily jarring, and the script delightfully, shockingly witty.

With call-backs to the height of bawdy theatrical romps and an irrepressible skeleton of fierce womanhood, The Favourite is a straightout-of-the-gate contender for the most unique film of 2019, and a milestone in Olivia Colman’s inauguration as perhaps Britain’s most versatile actress.

Where to watch: All major cinemas

The

Photo: Ibsan73 @ Wikimedia Commons

ISSUE 13 / 28th January 2019 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Film

21

Aquaman Where to watch:

All major cinemas

Anish Gulati Contributor

4/5

The story lends itself it to the ardent DC fan, not the casual cinema-goer A treat for the senses, Aquaman has more than made up for the string of mediocre releases in the DC Universe in recent years.

From a director who has proven his mettle in sending chills down the spine of the audience with the movies such as Insidious and The Conjuring, James Wan has left a similar impact with Aquaman, the only difference being that this time the audience is left mesmerised and not petrified. He managed to strike a balance close to perfection between the elements of adventure, humour, and mystery.

I have been an ardent follower of the scifi genre. I have had some of the best CGI and VFX experiences of the generation and I believe that this film ranks amongst the best. The visuals of this film are so impressive that they can give you an immersive experience even if you are not watching it in an IMAX. The CGI seems to fiddle with the reality at times.

Welcome to Marwen Matthew Johnston Contributor

Photo:Eva Rinaldi @ Flickr

1/5

Cinematographer, Don Burgess, deserves a lot of credit for making the film what it is. To top it all off, the sound effects are amazing right till the end-credits music score by Skylar Grey.

Jason Momoa continues his portrayal of the superhero Aquaman (a.k.a. Arthur) and picks it up right where he left it off in the movie Justice League. Amber Heard plays the female lead, Mera, and gives a very convincing performance as a diplomatic yet innocent royalty. It was nice to see the kind of impact she had on the story throughout the film, unlike the other similar solo films titled as the character of the male protagonist. Patrick Wilson’s performance as the anti-hero King Orm, reminded me of Tom Hiddleston’s Loki but without the quick-wit. Nicole Kidman and Willem Defoe also justified their supporting roles persuasively.

James Wan does a brilliant job in executing

Welcome to Marwen, a drama starring Steve Carell as an animated action hero in high heels falls flat

Welcome to Marwen, the latest effort from Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future, Forrest Gump) stars Steve Carell as real-life assault victim Mark Hogancamp, who, after being violently attacked for admitting to a group of fragile male egos in a bar that he likes to wear high heels, builds a fictional village of dolls in his backyard as a coping mechanism for his PTSD. Just as Mark built his land of toys to escape the trauma of his assault, I wanted to enter my own imaginary land so I could escape the mess that is this film.

All negative criticism aside (which doesn’t leave much else to say), on the surface this is a touching story about the power of art and the role it can play in helping us to process emotions: ultimately it is Mark’s artistic talents that aid him in his recovery. Unfortunately, we are not left as inspired and moved as Zemeckis might have wanted. It’s the thought that counts, I guess.

Mark uses the animated world of Marwen primarily to explore his revenge fantasy on the men who assaulted him (they feature in doll form as Nazis). Together with a group of female dolls inspired by the women in his life, they spend their time battling the Nazis and living in fear of an evil witch (who serves as an obvious metaphor for Mark’s drug addiction). This can be viewed from two perspectives: (1) women and man in heels kick ass, (2) lonely man objectifies the women of his life as sexualised dolls. Unfortunately, due to weak writing and poor character development, the latter is the impression we are left with. Imagine an older, slightly creepier Andy from Toy Story.

It’s disappointing to see a talented cast of stars like Leslie Mann, Diane Kruger, Janelle Monàe, and Gwendoline Christie (who comes with an interesting Russian accent) have their talents wasted on mostly one-dimensional and conservative female narratives.

This could have been a progressive drama about an innocent man’s recovery from a hate crime

his plans with a film that was completely different from his existing folio while managing to retain his identity of a mystery worker.

Many people would admit that Aquaman is not the most impressive or powerful character of DC comics. Also, his story does not have too many avenues to explore. Despite this, Wan has managed to come up with something that might have exceeded the expectations of the DC followers with what he had at his disposal. That being said, the story of the film had its pitfalls and there were not so infrequent periods of disconnect. The harrowingly long run-time of 143 minutes added to the distress.

So, all things considered, the film, on the whole, is an enthralling sensory experience, but the story line would seem more appealing to the ardent fans of the genre rather than to someone who is just accompanying a friend to a sci-fi movie for the first time.

Where to watch: Showcase Cinemas Vue Cinemas and an important moment for non-stereotypical male identity in mainstream cinema but unfortunately, it provoked smirking, cringing, and wincing from the audience This is not at the fault of Steve Carell, who is as good as he could possibly be with the material that he’s been given. It is the lack of depth in explaining Mark’s backstory, his interest in women’s shoes, and the strange portrayal of his relationships with women that gives little meaning to the story and diminishes the fact that he is a victim of a very serious, hateful act. This man was beaten within an inch of his life for admitting that he likes to wear women’s shoes, had his memory erased, and now suffers from PTSD yet we find ourselves laughing at him?

So rarely do queer audience members see characters on screen that they identify with and it’s disheartening and disappointing that when we do, the character is made out to be… odd.

My absolute favourite moment was a line said by love-interest Roberta (played by Merritt Wever) as Mark reveals the new name of his village Marwencol, inspired by his crush on new neighbour Nicol (played by Leslie Mann): “oh now I get it, the Col is from Nicol”. The idea that the writers included a statement so painfully obvious suggests that they had little faith in the audience having any idea as to what was going on as they watched this movie and I can confirm that this is exactly how I felt.

This would have worked a lot better as a completely animated feature inspired by the world of Marwen which would have been a touching tribute to Mark’s creativity and imagination (I’m so here for an animated franchise based on a male action hero who fights bad guys whilst dressed in high heels) but instead the combination of live action and animation adds to an already ambitious plot and we are left asking who this movie is actually for.

NOW OPEN WEEKLY DEALS

TOP DEALS / HAPPY HOUR

MONDAY

Meat Free Mondays – All veggie food half price Pub Quiz – Early doors pub quiz. 6pm. £1.00pp. £50 bar tab for 1st place

WINE

Buy 2 large glasses of wine and get the rest of the bottle

COCKTAILS

TUESDAY

Two Pint Tuesday – 2-Pinter of any beer and save £1.00 off your order

2 for £10.00 or 2 for £12.00 from 12pm – 7pm

WEDNESDAY

Double up for £1.00

SPIRITS

It’s hump day so eat, drink, socialise and get rid of your mid-week blues at 532

THURSDAY

JAGERBOMB

3 for £10.00 @ all times

HAPPY HOUR FROM 5:32PM

Discounted Pints – Carlsberg for £2.00

Burgers for £5.32 * Glitter tail cocktails for £2.35

FRIDAY

Fizz Fridays – 20% off bottles of Prosecco Burger Share – Any 2 burgers for £10.00

SATURDAY / SUNDAY

* Burgers served until 6pm Book spaces for pre-drinks, brunches and social events Email bars.su@manchester.ac.uk to make a reservation

Free pool until 6pm 10% off craft beers

ALL PRICES AND OFFERS APPLICABLE TO NUS CARD HOLDERS ONLY @TheStudentFOMO

@TheStudentFOMO

@TheStudentFOMO

ISSUE 13 / 28th January 2019 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Books

Review.

Godsend by John Wray

John Wray’s Godsend works best on a big picture level, and because of that, doesn’t fall flat like most American fiction about the ‘War on Terror’, writes Gurnaik Johal John Wray travelled to Afghanistan to research a non-fiction novel about John Walker Lindh, an American who joined the Taliban and was captured by US troops months before 9/11. While in Afghanistan, Wray heard more and more about a “girl” who, like Lindh, left America to join the Taliban. Wray’s biography of Lindh turned into a novel about this “girl”, who he calls Aden Sawyer, a Californian Muslim revert, who on arrival in a Madrasa in Pakistan, takes on a new name, Suleyman Al-Na’ama.

Aden’s name isn’t the only thing that changes. When she arrives, she starts to wrap her breasts in a bandage under her shalwar kameez, deepens her voice and keeps her hair short. She passes as a boy throughout the novel much to the annoyance of her companion, Decker, who just wants sex. Decker, a Muslim American, travels with her for fun, excitement, adventure. Aden’s reasons for leaving her parents in California are more deep-rooted and harder to understand.

Wray is at his best when he writes the space between characters, between Aden and Decker, her teacher, Hayat, her commander, Ziar, and her father, who is a

secular Islamic scholar. You’ll notice that every relationship she has is with a man, we see next to nothing about her mother. While this makes sense as training camps are likely male-dominated areas, it can get a little tiring to see Aden passed from man after man as the plot winds on.

At first, I was a little wary of Godsend, unsure how an American could convincingly write about the Middle East. I needn’t have been worried. Perhaps because Wray started this novel as non-fiction, Godsend is clearly well-researched – though Wray doesn’t fall into the trap of bombarding readers with facts.

This is a novel about border crossing, a journey from America to Afghanistan, via Pakistan; a crossing between genders as Aden passes for a man and a crossing from righteousness to violence, from right to wrong, a border which, Wray shows, once crossed is easy to cross again.

To me, American fiction about the ‘War on Terror’ almost always falls flat. The white protagonist travelling East often sticks out as problematic, the male author embodying the female character often falls short of convincing.

Wray, however, shows that there is worth in traversing these borders, that as long as a writer has researched well and has empathy for their subject, they can write about whatever they want.

The novel is told in a relatively straightforward way, it’s a chronological journey, a coming-of-age story. Aden’s conversion can be seen on a surface level as teenage rebellion, but it also shows a person’s deep desire for meaning and purpose. She is a relatable character in extraordinary circumstances.

Godsend works best at the big picture level. Sentence for sentence, it’s nothing to shout about and, at times, the dialogue reads as a little stilted. It’s an ambitious book and for the most part Wray delivers on what he sets out to achieve. You can tell why Wray dropped his other book to write this one, the story of an American teenager disguising herself as a boy to join the Taliban is full of potential. I couldn’t help but wonder though, as I finished it, whether it would have been better as a biography of the mysterious “girl” than as a novel imagining her.

Spotlight: Science non-fiction

Science fiction can be difficult to access, but these picks will help you into a thoroughly enjoyable genre, writes Jacklin Kwan Non-fiction is a challenging genre to master, and the difficulties in writing science non-fiction are in a league of their own.

Communicating engaging science requires huge amounts of artistry and skill, especially seeing as most people are glad to never learn Maths and Science after their GCSEs. If done wrong, authors can alienate their readers. They may add to the false belief that science is a purely academic discipline, and not something for the average layman to understand or enjoy.

But if done correctly, authors can convey the rich tapestry of scientific knowledge and history. Just like art, and drama, science lends itself organically to narratives full of humanity and intrigue.

Here are a few authors that do their subjects justice.

The Shock of the Anthropocene by Christophe Bonneuil and Jean-Baptiste Fressoz.

Bonneuil and Fressoz explore one of humanity’s largest existential threats: climate change.

The Shock of the Anthropocene seeks to combat our depoliticised history of environmental destruction. They weave together the big

sociopolitical ideas that created our reckless attitudes towards our own planet: industrial capitalism, war, Western colonialism, and the arrogance borne by the scientific Enlightenment. This book is unique in how it rejects climate change as a problem isolated to researchers and lawmakers. Rather, it is a strong interdisciplinary examination of nature’s long history in our collective psyche.

The Ambidextrous Universe by Martin Gardner.

Our left hand is profoundly different from our right, and yet they are mirror reflections of one another. This asymmetry is one of nature’s most profound concepts, and it is the subject of this book. The Ambidextrous Universe will take you from everyday mirror images to pharmaceutical chemistry and supersymmetry in physics.

The author, Gardner, is best known for his ‘Mathematical Games’ section in Scientific American. His playful attitude towards challenging concepts in mathematics and science is sustained throughout his book. Gardner is careful when first introducing key concepts so as not to patronise the reader

in later chapters. He does what any science communicator strives for: to create a sense of awe at the elegant complexity of our universe, starting with something as simple as ‘left’ and ‘right’.

The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddartha Mukherjee.

Mukherjee examines cancer through the deft perspectives of a scientist, a historian, and a biographer. The Emperor of All Maladies sees the disease not only as a scientific problem, but also as a character who continues to shadow us. There are disturbing and exciting stories of different medical treatments, and how they have trickled down to benefit or destroy the lives of real people.

Mukherjee treats society’s fixation on combatting cancer as an epic conflict, and a somewhat misguided one. Though he comes from a position of optimism, there is a refreshing skepticism towards those searching for an easy and magical silver bullet. Slowly, the story of cancer develops to be not one of an external villain, but a story the antagonism of our own human bodies.

23

Celebrated poet Mary Oliver dies age 83

Photo: MaryOliver_Percy by SSJE @ Flickr

Gurnaik Johal pays tribute to the romatic poet

Mary Oliver, the celebrated writer of 15 collections of poetry, has died at the age of 83. One of the great modern writers of the Romantic tradition, Oliver was known for her tender and affecting portrayals of nature.

Oliver won the Pulitzer Prize and The National Book Award for her poetry but she lives on in popular poems like Wild Geese and The Whis-

tler, which perfectly address a wide range of themes, from love, happiness and death. In a time when dense and opaque poetry was popular, Oliver wrote with searing clarity.

In a time when male writers dominated, Oliver found success.

While many come to Oliver for her Nature writing, I liked her love poems most.

She had the ability to condense small everyday moments into profound ones, and will stay a key part of the American poetry canon, as well as the LGBTQ+ one.

Like the kind of crisp walk through the woods that Oliver liked, her work is refreshing, grounding. She wrote in the kind of way that could reset a reader, so that when they put down the book and got on with their day, things were a little clearer, a little easier to get on with.

The message throughout her work is to pay attention to the world around you, to the people near you.

For readers looking for a good place to start in Oliver’s body of work, I would recommend her New and Selected Poems. Much of her work can be found online as well.

24

ISSUE 13 / 28th January 2019 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Theatre

The Rocky Horror Show

Right from the get-go, The Rocky Horror Show was an absolute blast. The show opened with a young woman in a crazy blonde wig and silly pink dress; it was clear from the beginning that we were going to be treated to two hours of crazy ‘science fi ction’ campness.

Most people have seen the classic fi lm adaptation, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, starring Tim Curry and Susan Sarandon, which is hard to live up to. The Laverne Cox remake received negative reviews; some things are better left alone.

But this production was brilliant; I’m glad the stage version continues to tour.

Strictly Come Dancing professional Joanne Clifton and A1’s Ben Adams played the annoyingly sweet and naïve protagonists, Janet and Brad, a sexually inexperienced young couple who get lost on their way to meet an old tutor. Their chemistry was delicious. Clifton and Adams previously starred together in Flashdance, so I had no doubt they would make a convincing couple. They were both triple threats: superb singing, acting, and dancing.

Photo: David Freeman

Callum Evans played the titular character, Rocky, a reanimated corpse, à la Frankenstein, but physically perfect.

His voice, dance moves and acrobatics (and his body, of course) were all topnotch. Beverley Callard (from Coronation Street) was the narrator and her interactions with the audience were a highlight, as she responded to Rocky Horror-regulars’ classic shoutouts (many of them in full costume).

The star of the show, however, was Stephen Webb as the “sweet transvestite,” Dr.Frank-N-Furter.

He had brilliant campness, sex appeal, and confi dence.

Webb was nothing short of freakishly fabulous.

The set was fantastic, made up of an oversized metal fi lm reel running above the stage, which was a perfect nod to old cinema. The way the wonderfully cartoonish set pieces fl ipped and turned so rapidly, like in a 20th Century sci-fi horror, was both amusing and impressive.

The Time Warp was just the beginning of the entertainment and it had everyone on their feet showing off the infamous

choreography. A strange design choice, though, was locating the orchestra on a gantry above the stage rather than the orchestra pit, meaning we could hardly see them and we were only reminded of their presence during the curtain call.

I loved the sexual fl uidity championed in the show.

The characters are proud and unashamed of being “different”, (in this case from outer space).

The ending was out-of-this-world (literally), and too cheesy and funny to feel any sadness over the, well, sad ending. The audience member in front of us kept asking his friend questions.

The problem was not that he had no idea that you are supposed to have no idea what is going on. It’s The Rocky Horror Show: it’s camp, confusing, and crazy!

Review.

Hugely enjoyable and charged with a “camp, confusing, and crazy” story, Jay Darcy reviews the Rocky Horror Show at the Manchester Opera House

I left the show with so much joy. This was my fi rst time encountering the Sweet Transvestite from Transsexual, Transylvania, but, next time the show tours, I will certainly do the Time Warp again!

The Frou Frou Club Photo: Ivy Rose Studio

.weiveR

Patience Kanjira reviews the impressive The Frou Frou Club at 53two, featuring ‘mind-boggling’ performances and huge diversity in its acts I entered a world of stunning costumes and fl amboyant audience members when I went to see the amazing Burlesque talent in The Frou Frou Club. The night started off with the comedic styling of Cece Sinclair and her witty, cheeky cohost Drag queen Donna Trump.

Cece and Donna took no time to throw me into the deep with passionately sung live music with banging classics from Beyonce and jazz renditions from Britney spears. Their comedic timing kept me laughing and entertained and Cece made me feel proud to be losing my burlesque virginity.

The performers also did not disappoint. Lady Wildfl ower was true to her reputation, kicking off the night with a sultry and intricate dance that involved masterful dancing with huge feathers and left me thoroughly impressed. Her second performance was just as amazing as

she highlighted her skills in the art of manoeuvring nipple tassles, leaving the already excited crowd in a roar of awe.

Lolita Va Voom stood up to her namesake, entering the stage with the seduction and prowess of a confi dent lioness. She devoured us with her slow tease removing her leather costume. Snookie Mono left me breathless. As the only man in the group, arguably the pressure was on to stand up to the artistry of the beautiful woman before him. However, he delivered dangerous, erotic, and dazzling performances. Snookie used the sexy licks of the swords not only to arouse imagination but suspense as he we watched him swallow long swords.

Felicity Felicis was a stunning blonde bombshell that blew up the stage with her fi rst dark performance. Then she gave us the gift of her version of a naughty cowgirl that left

the crowd hollering for more. Kitty Velour may be small but there is nothing small about her talent. Her physical fl exibility was mind-boggling, so much so that my voice was left hoarse from screaming her praises. She shocked me again and again with her acrobatic skills, particular the ones she demonstrated on the pole Bonnie Boux’s progression within the show was thrilling, from being a grandma who could twerk and whine to fast paced music to a megastar who danced her heart out in the most passionate and heartfelt performance I’ve seen in a while.

The live band kept the crowd dancing and played amazingly, especially as we fi nished the night singing as one to ‘This Is Me’ from The Greatest Showman, which is no surprise as this was most assuredly one of the greatest shows I have ever seen!

ISSUE 13 / 28th January 2019 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

A R T E

Photo: Bella Jewell

Arts F A C T

Art on the Sly presents The Black Market

of

the week

25

Photo: Dennis Jarvis@flickr

In this instalment of Artefact of the Week, Bella Jewell examines a powerful but haunting memorial to the Holocaust in Budapest gender, or occupation, being Jewish was enough of a death sentence. What is striking is the individuality of each pair, rendering each shoe a tragedy in itself; Pauer has incorporated the history of the owner into their shoes, through the shape, where it is worn, and the imprint of the heel on the sole.

By the 20th Century, the Jewish community had grown to constitute 5% of Hungary’s total population and 23% of the population of the capital, Budapest. However, despite the long history of Jews living in Hungary, by the interwar period anti-Jewish policies were becoming more r epressive. It is estimated that by the end of world war two, 560,000 out of 825,000 Jews had been murdered as part of the Holocaust and actions perpetrated by the Hungarian government.

Antisemitism, however, has reappeared in Hungarian political discourse in recent years. This sentiment has manifested itself in the openly anti-Semitic, anti-Roma party Jobbik, which took 17 percent of the vote in the 2010 national elections. More recently Budapest has seen protests against a state-commissioned monument in Freedom Square.

The composition of the statue seems to imply that Hungary’s involvement in anti- Semitic and anti-Roma actions were orchestrated by Germany, reducing Hungary’s culpability in the Holocaust. The row over this monument highlights one of many attempts of the farright to re-write history to arouse national pride.

Shoes on the Danube bank is a quiet reminder of a violent and oppressive past.

These small, iron shoes humanise a gruesome statistic, drawing attention to the limitless cruelty of the Arrow Cross Party.

Photo: Art on the Sly

To kick off 2019, Art on the Sly are putting on an event which will flip the world of art collecting and selling on its head with The Black Market The student-led group, Art on the Sly, are back at work, aiming to start off 2019 with a bang at their next event, ‘The Black Market’. The group, which aims to make the realm of the arts more accessible, is now looking to change the nature of art collecting, making it a less exclusive occupation.

The event will take place on the 5th February at the Fairfield Social Club, and promises the opportunity to “view art, sell your own art, and get down and dance for our female-led DJ night.”

I discussed the up-and-coming event with one of the group’s founders, Eleanor Moselle, who summarised the typically egalitarian ethos behind the event: ‘The Black Market’ is “all about giving everyone the opportunity to sell, trade, and own art away from the exclusive and inaccessible world of art collecting.

“If you want to bring along your work – even if it’s only a single sketch/pair of earrings/Plasticine pencil pot – then we’ll love it!”

What is clear to see is that this event will provide a judgement-free space where anything goes; facilitating self-expression is at the core of Art on the Sly. The most intriguing aspect of the event is the way it subverts one’s expectations of a ‘market’ experience. Moselle describes how “work can be bought with money, your own art, or a favour of the artist’s choosing. Or if you want

Preview.

A few hundred metres away from the imposing Hungarian Parliament building, lingering on the edge of the vast Danube river, one comes across a small but powerful monument to the massacred Jews of Hungary.

On the concrete bank of the river, on the Pest side of the Hungarian Capital, lies a long trail of cast iron shoes.

Their apparent emptiness immediately lends a sinister tone to the simple sculpture; their presence implies a painful absence which is all too real. These iron shoes honour the Jews who were killed by the fascist Arrow Cross militia in Budapest during World War II. The monument was realised in April 2005 by Hungarian-Turkish film director, Can Togay, and sculptor Gyula Pauer. The sixty pairs of iron shoes creep cautiously towards the edge of the east side of the Danube, representing the horrific execution of Jews between December 1944 and January 1945. Members of the Arrow Cross Party police escorted up to 20,000 Jews from the Budapest ghetto and shot them into the river, for the current to take their bodies away. In the humiliating and dehumanising fashion that characterised the antisemitism of the period, victims were forced to step out of their shoes before being shot by the Arrow Cross brigade; yet another example of the sadistic resourcefulness of the European fascist regimes.

The shoes, which replicate those of the 1940s, are diverse in style, gender, and occupant. One can find the tiny buckle-up shoes of a child, the neat business brogues of a male professional, the pretty laced heels of a young woman… The diversity highlights the indiscriminate cruelty perpetuated by the fascist regime. No matter your age,

to just display your work, get it out there and not sell, that’s fine too. There aren’t many rules at The Black Market.”

In a world in which art collecting tends to be reserved to an elite few, Art on the Sly is seeking to shake up the system: “it’s about an alternative kind of buying experience; we’re dismantling the ‘seller/buyer’ dichotomy” says Moselle.

Moselle informs me, however, that this is not only a chance to purchase or exchange each other’s creations, Art on the Sly’s aim is “to make an environment where everyone feels entitled to an opinion on what they like, where they feel their taste is valid and that they can afford to buy a piece of art they love.” Once again, this group is creating a safe space in which ideas and creativity can flourish, in a society that is becoming increasingly more hostile to the arts.

If you’re looking for an artistic start to 2019, paired with a groovy night of all-female DJs, this is not an event to miss. The Art on the Sly team are bringing boldly subversive ideas to the student community, welcoming art-makers and/or appreciators with open arms. he Black Market will take place at the Fairfield Social Club on the 5th of February. In the meantime, check out Art on the Sly on Facebook for more details and updates.

26

ISSUE 13 / 28th January 2019 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Fashion & Beauty

A Roundup of London Fashion Week Men’s

The buzzwords flying around amidst the air of this year’s iteration of LFWM were diversity, creativity, representation, and reflection, writes Jack Sedgwick The buzzwords flying around amidst the air of this year’s London Fashion Week Men’s or ‘LFWM’ were diversity, creativity, representation, and reflection. London has long been seen as the place for frontier fashion, both in ethos and design. Samuel Ross’ pioneering label A-ColdWall* (commonly referred to as ‘ACW’) delivered his cult following with not only new pieces but a fresh perspective on the responsibility of fashion’s global spotlight to highlight current issues. Ross’ feelings on the world’s water crisis were evident within his show, where two troughs of water enclosed the runway. The brand seems to be going from strength to strength following their recent coveted collaboration with Nike’s iconic AF1 trainer, showing the exponential growth of the new label within a year.

Other brands put forward a message of sustainability, using recycled materials for the fabrics in their pieces, showing the sexy side of fighting climate change. Gender fluidity also seemed to be a trend a number of designers were looking to incorporate into their show, embracing the greater appreciation for men’s cosmetics and more liberal fashion.

In my opinion, there were three central houses that delivered the strongest collections

Calvin Resigns

Photo: Philafrenzy @Wikimedia_commons

in terms of their garments. Again I mention A.C.W, whose collection represents an evolution of previous years’. The clear rhombus that was a signature on their tops has developed into an iconic look for the collection as a whole, where negative space has been stylishly incorporated.

Some of the materials used could be described as tactical and stylistically versatile. The shape must stand out, because the colors are mostly limp and desaturated, representing the bleak dystopia that’s clear to see in the stark cold steel of the runway and the choice of musical backing.

Industry prodigy Kiko Kostadinov presented a largely monochrome collection, with the understated flair of those designers which he

Calvin Resigns

used as inspiration for his runway show. In one shot, a black patterned bomber jacket and a pinstriped overcoat caught my eye.

The third designer of note is Qasimi: a London based brand with a creative director from the United Arab Emirates. The ethos seems to be to highlight social issues, without outdating or taking away from the garments themselves. Streetwear supplements exaggerated workwear in this collection. LFWM refer to it as “relaxed sophistication” on their website.

Colour blocking, cuffed trousers of every kind, and oversized shirts comprise much of what’s on show, to great effect. Some of the brand’s most interesting outfits here play with slight but distinctive colour differences and bold silhouettes.

Calvin Resigns

Calvin

Raf Simons takes his Calvins off Despite being one of the most respected pioneers in Fashion, Raf Simons and his ambitious creative vision makes a shock departure from Calvin Klein, writes Rosie Thackeray Raf Simons, the esteemed Belgian fashion designer has recently exited his position as Creative Director at Calvin Klein. During his short stint at the American superhouse, he rebranded CK’s ready to wear collections under the name ‘Calvin Klein 205W39NYC’ in an attempt to rebrand and shift their target demographic to a more progressive and contemporary ideal.

Yet despite the seemingly positive changes, it appears Simons’ exit has been enforced amid looming concerns of the brand’s financial success. It appears Calvin Klein have been feeling short-changed following Simons’ extremely expensive appointment, costing the house an astronomical $18 million a year.

The announcement of Simons’ departure came the Friday before Christmas and sent shocks throughout the industry, with many industry insiders feeling disappointed; this follows a string of shows that were critically w e l l received a n d

revitalized the increasingly stagnant reputation of New York Fashion Week. Yet, it appears that it is Simons’ distinct aesthetic which has alienated Calvin Klein consumers. His brazen collections for Calvin Klein205W39NYC had been questioned for their commercial appeal, as the artistically elevated styles have led to a shocking $21 million dollar loss in yearon-year sales. In a press statement published by the New York Times, Calvin Klein Inc. have neatly summarised that the premature split – 8 months before the completion of Simons’ 3-year contract – has simply been a matter of requiring a ‘new brand direction’.

Raf Simons’ progression in the fashion industry over the past 20 years has been nothing short of extraordinary. He had gained notable critical traction from his early work at his own eponymous menswear brand for his distinctive urban aesthetic and exploration of European subculture. His appointment as Creative Director for Jil Sander proved to be a lucrative risk well taken; Simons, alongside the likes of Lee McQueen, managed to translate his experimental attitude into pioneering designs which captured the spirit of the new millennia. Nevertheless, the strain caused by such a sense of responsibility can be seen to push the designer to near breaking point in the 2014 film Dior & I, as he works to produce his first couture collection for Dior – a partnership that was equally as short-lived as Calvin Klein, lasting only 3 and a half years.

With Ralph Lauren suffering a decline in

sales, and European competitors Gucci thriving after a creative overhaul, Simons’ appointment at Calvin Klein felt serendipitous. Indeed, his tenure delivered a sartorial reflection of the current political angst felt across America, as he updated the brand’s now vintage Manhattanchic with a fusion of patriotic colours and bold Americana. The cultural relevance of his designs prompted an impressible FROW of celebrities and earned him 3 CFDA awards. Yet the disillusionment that Simons so brilliantly captured can be seen as the precursor to his own lack of an ability to connect with his desired consumer. His first campaign shot by long-time collaborator Willy Vanderperre can be seen as ironically foreshadowing: underwear models turned nonchalantly away from the camera as they observe various modern artworks.

Calvin Klein will no longer feature in the coming New York Fashion Week, whilst his role remains unfilled. treat yourself!

Food & Drink 27

ISSUE 13 / 28th January 2019 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

The Gin-aissance: the UK re-discovers its love for Gin

Victoria Evans writes about the UK’s gin-drinking culture and ‘Manchester Gin’ - a craft gin company based in Manchester.

To understand the history of gin in the UK, it’s

classic G & T. A versatile spirit, made from a

tanicals local to Manchester. It contains flavours

best to begin with ‘the gin craze’ - a phenomenon

wide range of botanicals and flavourings, it can be

such as the Northern favourites of dandelion and

in eighteenth century Great Britain. It was safer

styled to suit everyone tastes.

Burdock root, with concoctions of liquorice, ground

to drink gin than water, and with no imposed tax, it was cheaper to drink than beer. The rate of

London holds the title as the British gin capital, but Manchester isn’t far behind it!

almond, hand-foraged orange, and lemon. It is smooth yet sweet, perfect when served with a slice

gin-drinking soared. It spurred moral outrage at

Manchester is home to several contemporary dis-

of pink grapefruit and Mediterranean tonic water.

the widespread drunkenness and even earned it the

tillers. ‘Manchester Gin’ has a touching back-

name ‘the Mother’s ruin.’ The UK is experiencing

ground — it’s the product of a love story. The

The Raspberry edition is their twist on ‘pink

another ‘gin craze’ - but this time for all the

company’s founders, Seb and Jen, crossed paths in a

gin’, a nationwide favourite. Opt for the Rasp-

right reasons

bar in 2013 and fell in love over a G&T. As their

berry if you’re feeling fruity and mix with either

Dry January? Break it.

Gin sales in the UK have tripled in less than a

relationship bloomed, so did their business. From

lemonade or tonic. Add a pop of colour with rasp-

decade. The latest statistics show Britons spent

their dining room, they expanded to the Spirit of

berries and a sprig of mint. Pretty in pink with

£460m on the spirit in 2017, a three-fold increase

Manchester Distillery, where the gin is distilled

rose gold details, even the bottle screams sophis-

in sales from 2009. Furthermore, the UK is now home

in small batches of 500 bottles.

tication.

to 315 distilleries, more than double the number

The brand is a celebration of the Mancunian leg-

Luxurious, stylish and crafted to perfection,

acy. From the botanicals used to the expertly

Manchester Gin is an ever-expanding brand. Fea-

Why is gin so popular? The ‘gin-aissance’ that

handcrafted bottles featuring a hexagon pattern and

tured in bars and restaurants across Manchester,

we are living in has seen a renewed interest in the

the bee logo — love and passion for the spirit and

it’s quickly becoming a recognisable brand. It’s

spirit. Britons are increasingly splashing out

city go into every bottle distilled. The company’s

also stocked in M & S and Harvey Nicholls. As

on high-end alcohol. Gin-lovers focus on quality,

modern interpretation of Manchester’s traditional

2018’s most awarded gin, expect to see even big-

celebrate local produce and let’s not forget, the

bee symbol reflects their contemporary style.

ger things in 2019! The company will be opening a

five years ago

craft gin bars and emergence of Gin Copa glasses

Four core gins make up the collection; Signa-

new distillery in the heart of Manchester, where

add to the insta-worthiness and popularity of the

ture, Raspberry, Wild Spirit, and Overboard, as

you can see the distillers working as you pass the

spirit.

well as limited edition seasonal styles. Signa-

site. Plans for a school, restaurant, and high-end

ture, the original gin, takes inspiration from bo-

cocktail bar will also go ahead this year.

Gin-drinking is all about new creations on a

Bring & Mix: Moonshine Made to Order

Got the January blues? Why not head to Chorlton’s very own speakeasy, Bring & Mix, for the best cocktails in town — custom-made for you Junipers

which brushed my nose when I sipped it (we were told its aroma

better. All the staff at Bring & Mix were exceptionally warm

on the high street in Chorlton that serves large

By

day,

would augment the taste of the cocktail). I was wary at first, but

and helpful, as well as kickass cocktail-makers: we were

helpings

I have to say, it did make for a rich taste, and a somewhat more

always being attended to, and they seemed to really care

holistic tippling experience.

about getting our cocktails just right.

of

there’s

eggs,

a

small

brisket,

cafe

and

called

cakes.

By

night,

Junipers looks closed. It even has a sign on the door saying: ‘closed’.

Butbehindthe shutters,1920’s cocktail barBring&Mixisin swinging

business.

Modelled

after

Staff returned to our table after every drink to ask

We

us how we found it, to help them make their next brew even

always

a

gave

them

tarter

than

to get in (which will get emailed to you when you make a

fruit

purees,

reservation),

and

bitters,

(alcohol)

along

your for

own

‘moonshine’

the

bar’s

Christmas

the firmly

tram over,

from

the

those

City

Centre,

lighter

and

trouble,

usually

but

they

drink

my

my

companions

pieces,

and

—

the

cordials,

even

jelly

staff

herbs babies,

utilised

and to

spices, make

boyfriend caused extra fuss by preferring one of my

Whilst it may usually be a hassle to drag heavy on

of

I

bespoke scotch cocktails for our palates. Then, my

cocktail experts to mix up into custom cocktails.

bottles

bit

Famous Grouse on the rocks, so I craved something

prohibition-era speakeasy, you’ll need a secret password

bring

a

delivered:

citrusy mixes to his own berry medley. The bartender

with

serving us found this really interesting, and knelt

leaner

beside

us

thinking

for

a

minute

before

half-finishedbottlesshouldmakeyourtriptoBring & Mixeasier.

bringing over a bitter and home-made syrup to add to his

At Bring & Mix, you won’t have to queue to order cocktails,

cocktail. The result ended up being my boyfriend’s

peruse a puzzling menu, or even pay for your drinks.

favourite drink of the night.

Rather, once you get shown to your table in the

By

the

end

of

the

night

I

was

thoroughly

candle-lit and red velvet-clad venue, your waist-coated

inebriated, but luckily the tram back to the city centre

artender will introduce you to how the evening’s going to work:

was just a short walk down the road, and in no time I was

essentially,fortwohours,you’llgetservedaconstantstreamof

tucked in bed with some Reese’s Pieces, firmly back in the

cocktails to your table, made and adjusted to your taste.

21st century

Everycocktailisdifferentandexperimental,butthey’reall

Now I know where to go next time I fancy the best

gorgeous. When we went, they treated us first to an orange concoction in coupe glasses, topped with a sprig of rosemary

cocktails in town — made just for me.

Photo: The Mancunion

21/FEB/2019

MARCH, SIGN THE PETITION, WRITE TO THE COUNCIL!

MANCHESTERSTUDENTSUNION.COM/RECLAIMTHENIGHT

Lifestyle 29

ISSUE 13 / 28th January 2019 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

A guide to: choosing a student property and reporting issues

In the midst of student house hunting season, Sophia Ashby takes a look at the do’s and don’ts of choosing a property Sophia Ashby Lifestyle Editor Choosing a letting agent and property can be a complicated affair, especially for students. For many, this will be their first interaction with letting agents and landlords.

Unfortunately, complications with the legal side of renting or the property itself are common. Here are some tips on how to choose the best estate agent for you, and how to avoid and resolve issues.

Before you decide on a property, make sure the agent is registered with a redress scheme. This is a legal requirement and all legitimate agencies can be found online.

Noted below are some of the requirements of letting agencies. If an agency breeches these requirements, you have the right to make a formal complaint.

Deposits must be put in a Tenancy Deposit Scheme.

Estate agents should give appropriate notice to current tenants concerning viewings. Unless you have agreed other arrangements, expect a 24-hour notice period.

It is the responsibility of the estate agent to respond promptly to maintenance issues.

Agencies must give tenants up to 7 working days to read and comment on inventories.

Moving in and avoiding future issues: Document the property when you first move in, and when you move out. Your agent will provide you with an inventory when you arrive. Make sure you fill this in

thoroughly, but also take photos of any issues or damage.

Documenting issues straight away will help estate agents to resolve them more quickly. It also means that you have evidence that any damage was pre-existing to you living there. This could mean you avoid nasty charges at the end of the year.

Keep a record of contact you have with the agency.

Whether this is in person, by phone or email, make sure you note down the content and frequency of contact.

Again, this is vital information that could help you if the agency continues to be an issue.

Inform your landlord of any issues. Contact them directly, as often they have more power and can sort problems immediately. It may even be the case that the letting agent is withholding your complaints from the landlord and they are unaware of ongoing problems.

How to complain if problems persist: Take your complaint to your agent, who will have an internal procedure. Make sure your complaint is in writing, and explains clearly why you are unhappy with their service. They must respond within 15 days.

Take your complaint to the relevant redress scheme. The scheme can sanction the agency appropriately, but you will need to provide hard evidence. This is why documenting the property is important when you move in.

Remember, the Student Union’s Advice Service can provide further detail about your rights as a tenant. They can also help you make decisions about how to proceed with complaints and issues. Happy house hunting!

Photo:Albert Bridge@Geograph

Outing the past: LGBT History Month in Manchester

With LGBT History Month approaching, Jessica Blair takes a look at the upcoming events aiming to celebrate Manchester’s diverse community in a time of political adversity Jessica Blair Contributor This February marks the 15th year of celebrating LGBT History Month. The month is dedicated to acknowledging and celebrating the lives and contributions of members of the LGBT community. The month also works to “raise awareness and advance education on matters affecting the LGBT community”.

Education is key to ensuring the well-being and visibility of LGBT people within all aspects of society.

February will see the festival OUTing The Past held on 10th day of the month. The festival is at the heart of LGBT History Month and aims to educate and entertain, focusing on the important roles played by members of the LGBT community through-

out history. OUTing The Past also looks to widen the growing field of academic interest in readings of LGBT History.

The theme for this year’s LGBT History Month is ‘Peace, Reconciliation and Activism’. Such a theme feels increasingly pertinent in the current political climate. This year, Donald Trump’s administration revoked several laws and official guidance designed to protect the rights of, in particular, transgender people. Manchester has long been a city proud of its close ties with the LGBT community. However, recent funding cuts have meant the position of Trans Officer has been revoked by NUS. It has become clear that, while attitudes to LGBT people have undoubtedly come a long way in recent years, there is still an incredibly long way to go. Therefore, 2019’s LGBT History Month is looking to reinforce a sense of celebration for diverse communities. Festivities come with an acknowledgement of the need to

keep striving for equality locally and globally.

LGBT History Month will include the first performance of a new play ‘The Adhesion of Love’. The play focuses on the story of a man from Bolton meeting queer literary hero Walt Whitman.

OUTing The Past will also include a performance of the People’s History Museum’s writer-in-residence Stephen M Hornby’s production about Peter Tatchell called ‘First Rumours’.

It appears even more evident that this year is especially important in ensuring we speak up about LGBT rights and visibility within our city. Events such as LGBT History Month and OUTing the Past remind us that Manchester continues to be a city that strives to celebrate and promote inclusivity and visibility.

More information on LGBT History Month and OUTing The Past can be found at lgbthistorymonth.org.uk and www. outingthepast.org.uk.

Photo: basetree @Flickr

30 Sport

ISSUE 13 / 28th January 2019 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

New England Patriots to face Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII

Brady will be looking to win his sixth Super Bowl ring against the Rams James Gill Head Sport Editor The New E ngland Patriots de fe ate d t he Ka n sas City Ch ie fs 37-31 in ove rtime to re ach a th ird succe s s ive Su pe r B owl.

E l s ewhere the L os Ange le s Ra m s won in overti me 26-23 again st the New Orle a n s Sa i nts to reach their fou r th-eve r Su pe r B owl.

Thi s isn’ t the f irst time th at the s e two teams h ave met at the Su pe r B owl.

Back i n 2001, the two s ide s me t at Su pe r B owl XXXV I, although the L A Ra m s we re pl ayi ng in St. L ou is at the time. T he ga me ended 20-17 to the Patr iots, le d by s econd-year qu arterback Tom B rady who wa s named MV P, and wa s the first in the fra nchis e’s h istory.

That game marked the sta r t of the B ill B e l ichick and Tom B rady pa r tne rs h ip t hat has since s een 8 more Su pe r B owl appe a rance s and 4 more vic torie s. B oth B e l ichick and Brady a re con s ide re d a mongst the greate st coache s a nd qua rterbacks in N FL h istor y. T he ir Pat riots h ave a win n ing or tie d re cord

aga in st eve r y te am i n t he N F L .

B ack i n 2 019, t h i s was t he f i rst t i me in the Su p e r B owl e ra t h at b ot h t he A FC a nd NFC Ch ampion s h ip game s h ave gone to ove rt i me. In t he A FC Ch ampion s h ip the Patr iot s, who we re app e ar i ng i n t he i r e ig hth st raig ht Ch ampion s h ip game, we re dom in a nt i n t he f i rst two q u ar te rs, go i ng into h a lf t i me 14 - 0 u p.

C h ie fs q u ar te r b ack Pat r ick M ahome s th rew touchdow n p as s e s to Trav i s Ke lce a nd Da m ie n Wi l l i am s to t ake t he s core to 17-14 Pat r iot s go i ng i nto t he f i n al q u ar te r of the game. A n i nc re d i ble 3 8 p o i nt s we re s core d i n t he fou r t h q u ar te r w it h t he le ad mov i ng to t he Ch ie fs t he n b ack to the Patr iot s b e fore M ahome s m an age d to ge t w it h i n f ie ld go al range w it h ju st 32 s e cond s le f t to s e nd it to ove r t i me.

Sad ly it was n’ t to b e for t he Ch ie fs as the Patr iot s won w it h a touchdow n f rom the on ly p os s e s s ion of ove r t i me. A f te r the ga me, B rady s aid : “We k new it was going to b e toug h . Kan s as are ex plos ive a nd they h ave b e e n b e at i ng te am s he re a ll ye a r. It was awe s ome, wh at a game. ” E ls ewhe re i n t he N FC Ch ampion s h ip ga me, the L os A nge le s Ram s we re b e h i nd

for t he e nt i re ty of t he game, only pulling leve l w it h a f ie ld go al to force overt ime.

Ram s k icke r G reg Zue rlein kicked four f ie ld go al s t h roug hout t he ga me w it h t he l ast t he game w i n ne r.

T he game was not w it hout it s cont rove rsy t houg h as t he New O rlea ns S ai nt s we re de n ie d a n o bv ious p a ss i nte r fe re nce p e n alty t hat would have pre s e nte d a fant ast ic opp ort unity to s core a game -w i n n i ng touchdow n. The S ai nt s we re we l l i n s ide the Ra m s ha lf late i n t he fou r t h q u ar te r w ith t he s core t ied.

T he fo ot b al l was t h row n to receiver Tom my L e e L ew i s who wa s t a ken out by Ram s cor ne r b ack Nicke ll Ro b ey-C olem a n we l l b e fore t he b al l ar r ived. The re feree s s hou ld h ave cal le d for p a s s interference but no p e n alty was g ive n.

T he he ad co ach of t he Sa int s S ea n Pay ton s aid : “It ’s toug h to get over it . It was as o bv iou s a cal l (a s could b e) a nd how two g uys can lo ok at t hat a nd come u p and ar r ive w it h t he i r decision, I don’t k now. It h app e ne d t hough, s o we ca n’t dwe l l on it . We’ l l pro b ably never get over it . ” Wit h t he A FC and N FC C ha mpionship s

over, a ll eye s now t urn to Sup er B owl L III. It w ill b e hosted at t he Mercede s-B enz st adium in At la nt a a nd w ill b e t he t hird Sup er B owl hosted in t he city, t he two ot hers b eing XXV III in 1994 a nd XXXIV in 20 0 0, t he lat ter of which s aw t he Ra m s, t hen in St . L ouis, w in t heir f irst Sup er B owl.

The Pat riot s w ill b e play ing in t heir t hird cons ecut ive f ina l, b ecom ing only t he t hird f ra nchis e to achieve t he feat .

The ot her tea m s were a Buf fa lo Bills s ide t hat played in four cons ecut ive Sup er B owls f rom XXV to XXV III los ing a ll four a nd t he Mia m i D olphins in t hree cons ecut ive Sup er B owls f rom V I to V III, w inning tw ice.

This ga me a ls o s ee s record age dif ference s b etween b ot h t he co ache s a nd t he q ua rterb acks. Pat riot s co ach Bill B elichick is 33 yea rs older t ha n t he Ra m s’ S ea n McVay, a nd Brady is 17 yea rs older t ha n Ja red G of f.

Wit h Brady lo oking to w in his s ixt h ring, Sup er B owl L III is s et to b e a t hriller.

The ga me w ill t a ke place on Sunday, Februa ry 3rd w it h BBC coverage st a rt ing f rom 11: 30 pm .

Photo: Spc. Brandon C. Dyer @Wikimedia Commons

Search called off after Cardiff City signing Emiliano Sala’s plane disappearance “We were looking forward to providing Emiliano with the next step in his life and career” James Gill Head Sport Editor At 1 5 : 1 5 on 24 t h Ja nua ry 20 19, G ue r n s ey Pol ice an nounced t hat t hey h ad cal le d of f t he s e arch for m iss ing Card i f f City s ig n i ng E m ilia no Sa la a nd pi lot Dav id I b b ot s on af ter fa iling to f ind any s ig n of t he m .

H ar b ou r m aste r Capta in Dav id Ba rker s aid t h at t he ch ance of f inding t he p a ir al ive at t h i s p o i nt was “ext remely remote”.

“We rev iewe d al l t he inform at ion avai l able to u s, as we l l a s know ing what e me rge ncy e q u ipme nt wa s on b o a rd, a nd h ave t ake n t he d i f f ic u lt decis ion to end t he s e arch .”

He adde d : “I u nderst a nd E m ilia no S al a’s fam i ly are not content w it h t he de c i s ion to stop t he s ea rch a nd I f ully u nde rst and t h at . I’ m ab s olutely conf ident t h at we cou ld n’ t h ave done a ny more.

“D e spite b e st e f for t s of a ir a nd s ea rch as s e t s f rom t he Ch an nel Is la nds, UK, and F rance, we h ave b e en una ble to f ind any t race of t he ai rc raf t, t he pilot , or t he p as s e nge r. ” T he 2 8 -ye ar- old A rgent ine st riker Photo: Clément Bucco-Lechat @ Wikimedia Commons

b eca me C a rdif f C ity’s record s igning, j o ining f rom L igue 1 club Na nte s for a £15 m illion fee. He wa s enj oy ing a phenomena l s ea s on in t he F rench league s coring 12 go a ls, j ust one le ss t ha n Pa ris Sa int-G erm a in’s Ney m a r.

Af ter t he s igning wa s completed, he ret urned to Na nte s to s ay a f ina l go o d bye to his tea m m ate s, who he had played w it h for t hree-a nd-a-ha lf s ea s ons. It wa s on t his ret urn leg b ack to C a rdif f t hat t he pla ne dis app ea red f rom t he rada rs.

C a rdif f C ity ow ner Vincent Ta n gave a s hort st atement a b out t he event s, say ing: “We were lo oking forwa rd to prov iding E m ilia no w it h t he next step in his life a nd ca reer. Thos e who met E m ilia no de s crib ed a go o d-nat ured a nd hum ble young m a n who wa s eager to impre ss in t he P rem ier L eague. “ The re sp ons e f rom t he fo ot b a ll com munity ha s b een t ruly touching a nd we place on record our s incere t ha nks to t hos e who have s ent me ss age s of supp ort .

We a ls o t ha nk everyone involved w it h t he s ea rch a nd re s cue op erat ion, a nd cont inue to pray for E m ilia no, Dav id I b b ot s on a nd t heir fa m ilie s.”

ISSUE 13 / 28th January 2019 WWW.MANCUNION.COM

Sport 31 Photo: Dagur Brynjólfsson @ flickr

Cristiano Ronaldo guilty of tax evasion

The third richest athlete in the world has been found guilty of tax evasion, as multiple footballers find themselves in trouble with the law Harry Deacon Deputy Sport Editor Juventus’ world-class forward Cristiano Ronaldo has recently appeared in court facing tax e v a s i o n c h a rg e s . T h e s u p e r s t a r, and third riche st athlete in the w o r l d a c c o r d i n g t o Fo r b e s , h a d to accept a £16.6 million fine.

The court appearance has come amongst a rich vein of form for Ron a ldo, who h a s j u st s e c u re d h i s first piece of Italian silverware, lifting the Italian Super Cup and s coring the only goal in the 1-0

v i c t o r y o v e r s t r u g g l i n g AC M i l a n .

On the pitch, it seems Ronaldo is his usual s elf, firing on all c y l i n d e r s . H o w e v e r, t h e P o r t u g u e s e icon has been grabbing the backpage headline s for all the wrong reas ons as of late. This tax evasion cas e, amid a pre-existing rape allegation, is an added spotlight b e i n g p o i n t e d a w a y f r o m R o n a l d o ’s performances on the pitch and towards his more pers onal affairs.

Some of the biggest names in Spanish football are currently facing a number of tax evasion ca s e s. Xav i A lon s o cou ld face

up to 5 years jail time for suppos ed events when he was at Real Madrid. Other huge names including Lionel Messi, Neymar a nd M a rce lo h ave a l l a l s o b e e n caught up in the Spanish legal system in the not so distant past.

Wit h Ron a ldo t a k i ng a p ay c ut to earn just over £ 26 million a year after tax at his new club, it make s one wonder the nece ssity for u s i ng t he “ B e ck h a m l aw” at Re a l M ad r id to avo id t a xe s.

Inf lation in footballers price tags has seen an almost exponential ris e in the last few s eas ons, giving

an emphasis to the importance of t h e p l a y e r ’s w a g e s i n t r a n s f e r s .

A a r o n R a m s e y ’s m o v e t o j o i n Ronaldo at Juventus on a free transfer rais ed a few eyebrows t o s a y t h e l e a s t . H o w e v e r, t h e We l s h m a n , w h o i s u n d e rg o i n g a medical, has been able to s ecure a l a rg e r s a l a r y a t t h e T u r i n g i a n t s due to the lack of a transfer fee.

It is evident that there is no shortage of money in modern football, and clearly s ome of the g a m e ’s t o p p l a y e r s a r e h e s i t a n t t o part with their six-figure weekly salaries.

Judd Trump beats Ronnie O’Sullivan 10-4 to win his first Masters title at Alexandra Palace “I was getting sick of losing and watching other players winning all the titles on TV” James Gill Head Sport Editor

Photo: DerHexer @ wikimedia commons

Photo: Martin Rulsch @ wikimedia commons

Judd Trump pulled off a conv i nc i ng v ic tor y i n t he f i n a l of the Masters against Ronnie O’Sullivan.

The match was expected to be closely fought between two of the bigge st s no oke r pl aye rs howeve r Tr u mp pl aye d magnificently in the first s e ssion creating a lead that was too much for the s eventime champion O’Sullivan.

Trump had not won a Triple C r o w n ( Wo r l d C h a m p i o n s h i p s , U K Championship, and the Masters) event in eight years since the UK Championships in 2011, but h i s p e r for m a nce wou ld h ave you believe it was only a few months.

He took a commanding 4-0 lead in the first s e ssion, with O’Sullivan picking up just 45 points.

T he 4 3 -ye a r- old O’S u l l iva n managed to take the next frame but cou ld not ge t a ny more of a foothold in the session and it ended 7-1 to Trump. With the match a ‘ best of 19 frames’ format, O’Sullivan would need to achieve a 9-2 or better s coreline in the evening s e ssion to win.

W h i l st t h i s m ay s e e m a n insurmountable task, it has been s e e n i n a M a s t e r s f i n a l b e f o re . B a c k in 1991 the defending champion Stephen Hendry came up against Mike Hallett and was expected to seal a quick and simple

v i c t o r y. H e n d r y, t o t h e s u r p r i s e of everyone except perhaps H a l l e t , w e n t d o w n 7 - 0, t h e n 8 - 2 .

With this iteration of the tournament a ‘ best of 17 frames’ format, Hallet needed just one more frame to take his first Triple Crown title. Hendry proved to be far from beaten though and, in what has been called one of the greate st finals in snooker h i s t o r y, h e w o n 7 s t r a i g h t f r a m e s to successfully defend his Masters title. Hallett later said, “it took me about six months to get over it, I was totally crushed.”

S a d l y, f o r O ’ S u l l i v a n a n d t h e audience watching, there wa s n’ t a lege nd a r y come b ack like H e n d r y ’s .

Despite O’Sullivan getting two century performances getting three frames back, he ultimately lost to Trump 10-4. Trump wins £ 2 0 0, 0 0 0 f o r h i s v i c t o r y a n d r e c e i v e s t h e P a u l H u n t e r T r o p h y.

After the match, Trump said: “ I h ave wa ite d a long t i me for this. It has been s even or eight years since I last won a big one.

Yo u a r e a l w a y s s u r p r i s e d w h e n you h ave a le ad aga i n st Ron n ie at a ny p o i nt . He lo oke d s h a r p ton ig ht . I h ad to b e at my b e st to just get to 3-3 in the last session.”

“I was getting sick of losing and watching other pl aye rs w i n n i n g a l l t h e t i t l e s o n T V, ” s a i d Trump. “ The like s of Mark S el by con s i ste nt ly st ay i ng at world

number one, Mark Williams coming back to form and winning the Wo r l d Championship an obviously Ronnie O’Sullivan. “ This is easily the bigge st event I h a v e w o n n o w. I u s e d t o p l a y a l l out attack and it worked now and aga i n but t h i s we e k I d id not pl ay brilliantly apart from against O’Sullivan. I am very pleas ed with how I dug in and showed patience. “ I t h a s b e e n a l o n g t i m e s i n c e I wo n a massive event and it has taken a lot of hard work and sacrifice.

T he rewa rd s h ave p a id of f for t he prac t ice I h ave done ove r t he l a st four or five months. Hope fully it i s a m aj or t u r n i ng p o i nt i n my career now and I can kick on.”

With the next Triple Crown event c o m i n g i n A p r i l w i t h t h e Wo r l d Championships, the re sult of this f i n a l s e e m s to h ave ch a nge d a few p e o p l e ’s m i n d s a b o u t w h o c o u l d win. Six-time world champion S t e v e D a v i s s a i d : “ I t ’s p u t t h e c a t a m o n g t h e p i g e o n s f o r t h e Wo r l d Championship because all of a s u d d e n h e i s a c r e d i b l e w i n n e r.

He pl ays a mo de r n- d ay ga me. ” “ I t ’s n o - c o m p r o m i s e s n o o k e r.

He do e s n’ t shirk up his re sponsibilitie s on the table.

He ca n pl ay s a fe, he k nows how t o m i x i t u p , b u t h e ’s h a p p i e s t among the balls the same as O’Sullivan is. S ome of the modern pl aye rs com i ng t h roug h , t hey’ re changing the equation for what are the right and wrong shots.”

Photo: John Cooper @Flickr

The Kids Are Alright:

English youth’s options abroad Are you a bright, young, English footballer struggling to get a game in the Premier League?

Well, heading overseas might be your best chance at making it, says Harry Deacon Harry Deacon Deputy Sport Editor With Gareth Southgate’s men reaching the semi-finals in Russia over the summer, and drawing The Netherlands in the UEFA Nations League semi-finals, anticipation for the future of the English football could not be higher.

On top of this, it seems like the next set of English youngsters could propel the national side to even greater achievements, with latter stages of major tournaments being reached at all levels of the English set up.

However, the international feats of many of these players is not being replicated for their domestic clubs. With the explosion in foreign talent being brought into the Premier League it is clear to see that young English talent is being ignored.

One of the most notable and recent examples of this is that of Callum Hudson-Odoi. Odoi was part of the England under-17s squad that reached the final of the 2017 European Championship, scoring in the final as England lost on penalties to Spain.

With Odoi starring at the under-17s level and a with bright future ahead of him, it seems ludicrous for Chelsea to now be on the brink of buckling under the building pressure from Bayern Munich to sway him towards the Bundesliga.

Speaking in 2017, Dermot Drummy, an experienced academy leader at both Chelsea and Arsenal, said, “it comes from the owners. If Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich said to Antonio Conte, ‘push the youth players, don’t worry about results for a few seasons’, they would come through.

“But you won’t break the cycle until that happens”.

The drive for instant trophies and marketing success is showed by Chelsea’s decision to sign 20-year-old Christian Pulisic from Borussia Dortmund for a huge sum of £58 million, while Callum Hudson-Odoi remains sat on the bench.

Odoi could be following in the footsteps of an increasing

Sport Headlines:

number of young Englishmen that are diverting their immediate careers away from the Premier League and towards foreign shores, mostly in Germany.

The most notable of these is Jadon Sancho. Sancho won player of the tournament in the 2017 under-17s European Championship, as well as lifting the under-17s World Cup in the same year.

After losing confidence in his playing time at Manchester City the skilful winger forced an £8 million move to Borussia Dortmund. Sancho has grabbed the headlines ever-since, scoring 5 and assisting 6 in the Bundesliga alone this season.

Sancho and Hudson-Odoi are not the only young players being looked at by the Bundesliga and Europe’s other top Leagues. Arsenal’s Reiss Nelson is performing well at Hoffenheim while Manchester City’s Patrick Roberts is at Girona.

It seems foreign clubs have grown wise to the pool of unused and frustrated English youngsters and have turned their scouting attention towards the English youth setups.

Notable players under serious interest include West Ham’s Reece Oxford and Fulham’s Matt O’Riley, showing that the problem runs far deeper than just the ‘top 6’.

The situation is typified by the recent statement of a director of football at a Ligue 1 club: “we can’t believe some of the quality English clubs have and don’t use.” Proving that much of the continent has turned its attention to fresh English talent that is not being given first team football.

As mentioned, the last two years has seen the under-17s both win the 2017 World Cup and reach the final of the 2017 European Championship. These competitions saw Phil Foden shoot into the media headlight due to his performances.

Foden has been tipped for greatness, but only making 8 appearances, with many from the bench, so far in the 2018/19 Premier League season, may have a detrimental impact on his development and could see him fall behind the likes of Sancho who are staring more regularly.

A saviour, perhaps, is the influence of the Manchester United

Ronaldo fined for tax fraud

duo Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard. The pair, especially under Ole Gunnar Solskjær, have come alive and are proving that it is possible to reach the top level by staying in England.

However, one doesn’t even have to leave Manchester United’s youth setup to find another example of a young player using other European leagues on their path to the top. Paul Pogba used Serie A giants Juventus to continue developing his skills before returning to the Premier League and Manchester United for a record breaking £89 million.

With the England under-20s and under-19s also achieving major tournament success since 2017 it would be a tremendous misjudgement by Premier League clubs to continue allowing developing players to go abroad in order to gain first team experience at the right level.

Players such as Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Dominic Solanke were instrumental in the under-20s World Cup victory in South Korea. Solanke’s recent £17 million move to Bournemouth shows just how indispensable these players are to the Premier League.

On the one hand, the onus is on the managers of Premier League sides to avoid using their under-23s squad only in the Carabao Cup and Europa League dead-rubbers. It is also to stop from loaning potential talents to extremely low-quality outfits that stunts their growth as top end players.

On the other, it is the responsibility of the clubs’ board members and owners to give the managers opportunity to experiment with their young players in the Premier League, rather than simply favouring big money transfers and executive profitable decisions.

Although the Premier League may be dwindling in chances for these young English players, it is evident by the major tournament triumphs that their quality is still improving year by year.

As foreign scouts have begun to notice this, the English national side may have an increasingly strong pool of players, that just so happens to be playing its football on the continent.

Patriots face Rams in Superbowl LIII