Issue 17

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Strike action could affect summer exams

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First female director of The Whitworth

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Don’t ask for money back from the strikes

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MEET YOUR CANDIDATES Turn to pages 8-9

“Women, unite!

Reclaim the Night!”

MANCHESTER’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER

Photo: Kirstie O’Mahony

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26th FEBRUARY 2018 / ISSUE 17

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ISSUE 17 / 26th FEBRUARY 2018 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Universities warned strike action could affect summer exams

Highlights

Music p12 K-Pop: an immoral industry?

Nicole Wootton-Cane Senior Main Campusl Reporter University and College Union (UCU) strikes which are planned across the country could be extended to affect students’ summer exams and graduation ceremonies.

Sally Hunt, the UCU’s general secretary, has warned that strike action may be escalated if negotiations between the UCU and the employers’ representative Universities UK (UUK) do not reopen. The current industrial strikes are set to take place over the course of fourteen days across February and March. It is estimated that a total of 40,485 students at the University of Manchester will be affected by the strike action.

Speaking to The Mancunion, Hunt explained: “We deliberately announced these strike dates to give universities time to come back round the table with us and get this mess sorted out. They have refused to do so and want to impose their reforms on staff.

“Unsurprisingly staff are angry and significant disruption on campuses across the UK now looks inevitable.

“The key is how universities react to the action this week. We will be meeting on the 2nd of March to consider what wave two of the action may need to involve and nothing is off the table at this stage. We doubt any universities want a prolonged dispute that carries on towards exam season and would urge vice-chancellors to put pressure on Universities UK to get back round the table with us.”

The UCU is the main academic union in the UK, representing over 100,000 lecturers. Their

dispute with UUK centres around proposed changes to academics’ pensions, which the UCU claim could see a typical lecturer almost £10,000 a year worse off in retirement than under the current pensions scheme. Strike action was supported by an overwhelming majority of 88 per cent of members in a recent UCU ballot.

Whilst many students have expressed support for the strikes, there are also concerns over disruption to education. There has been strong support for petitions featured on Change. org and iPetitions calling for the University of Manchester to refund student fees, which have gained 5,100 and 679 signatures respectively.

Despite this pressure, last week the university refused to refund students as compensation for lost contact hours. A university spokesperson responded to the students’ refund requests by stating: “Since we charge a composite fee for our courses, we cannot reimburse for specific elements of missed teaching and assessment.”

In a letter to the university, third year English Literature student Lucy Kenningham conveyed her anger over the educational consequences of the strikes: “I’ll be examined on topics I have not been taught […] as well as the obvious upset of being deprived of the pleasure of attending some of my last seminars and lectures. I feel so let down by the university.”

Some students are finding themselves torn between sympathising with the academics and prioritising their education. First year English Literature student Amelia Mayall told The Mancunion: “Well I’m not totally against the strike action, I do understand and have empathy for the strikers. However, I have great concerns

about how this will affect our studies and exams, as we will miss a big chunk of our (need I say) expensive lectures and seminars. We have seen pension reforms that have affected the civil service and NHS staff also, so they are definitely not being singled out.”

Others have blamed the university entirely, such as first year Physics student, Olivia Murray, who said: “Whilst I support the strike, I think it’s important that the university recognises the disruption they will cause to us.

“We’re under a lot of pressure to teach ourselves the work we missed, and we may be assessed on work we have not covered in our summer exams. I don’t think the university can continue to pretend the strikes won’t have an impact on our learning.”

Manchester Central MP Lucy Powell refused to deliver the annual Harry Street lecture at the University of Manchester because it clashed with the first day of the strikes. In a statement, she said, “I don’t cross picket lines,” and called on UUK to get back round the table with the union.

UCU regional official Martyn Moss said: “Nobody wants to take strike action, but staff feel they have no choice. These hard-line proposals would slash staff pensions and are simply uncalled for.” However, a spokesperson for UUK argued that “The changes proposed will make the scheme secure, and sustainable, safeguarding the future of universities. University staff will still have a valuable pension scheme, with employer contributions of 18 per cent of salary, double the private sector average.”

The University of Manchester have been contacted for further comment.

Students ‘Reclaim the Night’

Photos: The Mancunion

Outraged Denmark Road students compensated with retail vouchers Cameron Broome Head News Editor

Books p20 Five tips for getting back into reading

Students are outraged after being offered £20 retail vouchers as compensation for disruption to their water supplies for a period lasting over 10 days.

Residents at Denmark Road Sanctuary Students accommodation first experienced water outages on Monday the 5th of February, leaving them with any water for cooking, cleaning, or washing, before being provided with bottled water and subsequently water from a tanker lorry.

Frustrated students were still experiencing problems by Friday the 16th of February, when water supplies were interrupted again without any prior warning.

Sam McMillan, Director of Sanctuary Students, initially said that “residents at the Denmark Road scheme will be receiving a compensation payment” but residents received an e-mail on Friday the 23rd of February stating that they would be receiving the compensation in the form of a £20 voucher which could be spent at various retailers.

The decision has sparked anger amongst students who have criticised Sanctuary Students for the method of compensation and for their general communications with

Contact us Editor-in-Chief: Kirstie O’Mahony editor@mancunion.com Deputy Editor: Tristan Parsons deputyed@mancunion.com

Food & Drink p22 A Manchester takeout highlight

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residents before, during and after the water outages.

Tess Angus, a Denmark Road resident, said: “I’m outraged. I don’t want to redeem a voucher for my ‘co-operation during this period of disruption’. We’re not children that behaved well and deserve a reward. We’re adult paying customers who are entitled to compensation for the loss of service and stress it caused.”

Matt Edwards,a Politics and Sociology resident who lives at Denmark Road, added: “I think it’s a joke to provide shopping vouchers in place of a refund. To give us a voucher for “co-operation” is laughable when we were kept in the dark by Sanctuary Students. This really just adds insult to injury.

“A £20 voucher costs them less than £20 to buy in bulk. £20 is less than a days rent, and they’re giving it to us as a thanks for cooperating. We didn’t have water for days, there was inadequate communication and their handing of it was dire. We deserve more than some £20 gift card.

“We are adults in a contract with them. We are paying a fee to them. They shouldn’t be treating us like children and rewarding us for good behaviour. It’s disrespectful, patronising and does nothing to redress any of our grievances.”

Adam Rogers, a first-year Pharmacy student

at Denmark Road, added: “If I’m being honest, a £20 voucher doesn’t really cut it. We were without water for a week.

“I wonder if we would get the same treatment if we weren’t students?”

Residents at Denmark Road, hosting University of Manchester students but is run and managed Sanctuary Students, pay £145 per week for a single en-suite room.

Initially, there was confusion over whether or not the problem lied with the accommodation management or the water provider but Sanctuary Students offered to provide students with compensation.

Sam McMillan, Director – Sanctuary Students, said: “To support residents during the disruption, we paid for a rolling programme of water tankers to refill the water system manually, provided pizzas for each student, issued bottled water and offered alternative washing facilities. We also ensured extra staff were available 24 hours a day and provided regular direct updates as the work took place.

“Having liaised with the University, and taken into account the level of support offered, as a thank you for their co-operation during the disruption we are giving each resident a £20 voucher in lieu of the shortterm loss of service.”

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Shivani Kaura Senior Students’ News Reporter Thousands of students took to the streets of Manchester on the 22nd February to march against sexual violence and street harassment against women.

The march follows a reported sudden increase in attacks in the student area, Fallowfield, since September 2017.

3500 women marched in 2016, however the numbers have declined since then with 2500 students marching in 2017 and approximately 1000-2000 marching this year.

Caithlin, a student at the University who lives in Rusholme, just off the Curry Mile, said: “I do not feel safe on the streets of Manchester.

I hate walking home on my own and have to carry a rape alarm every where I go.”

‘Reclaim the Night’, led by student and nonstudent representatives featured a Muslim, ‘pro-choice’, youth and families and a LGBT block, as well as the women-only section in which any woman could participate.

Sara Heddi, the Women’s Officer at the

Students’ Union, spoke to The Mancunion prior to the event about the blocs featured this year: “The Muslim women bloc is a fantastic addition to ‘Reclaim the Night’ and one that isn’t new. We had one last year that was well attended by multiple students! Its blocs like this that really embody of ‘Reclaim the Night’ and how intersectional it is.

“I am really happy to see other blocs this year as well such as the ‘Pro Choice Bloc’ and the Body Positive Bloc!”

Speaking to three-girls at the event, Faridat, Jessica and Lucy, about the different blocs, they said: “It’s nice to hear that women can identify to these different sections, although we should be able to walk together in solidarity without there being a divide. We’re united and we’re supposed to be together so we’ve chosen to stand in the women’s bloc.”

Speaking to the organiser of the Muslim Bloc this year, Hana Jafar said: “Reclaim the Night’ won’t make streets safer overnight, but it will remind women that they are not alone in their struggles, nor in their fight for a safer world for women and girls.

“I hate walking home on my own and have to carry a rape alarm every where I go”

“This is my favourite night of the year because women of every cultural, ethnic, and religious background rally together to take a stand, and there is nothing more powerful than hundreds of voices chanting, singing and making their voices heard. This is one night where women literally take over the streets of Manchester, and I find that incredibly liberating and empowering.

“I hope for a day when we no longer have to rally in the streets to demand what is rightfully ours - safer streets, safer campuses, and safer workplaces.”

The Pro-Choice Bloc released a statement on their Facebook page proclaiming that, “[They] believe that it is a woman’s right to access abortion that is free, safe, legal and without harassment and intimidation. Every year thousands of woman around the world die as a result of not being able to access safe, legal abortion.

“In the UK, women in Northern Ireland still do not have the right to access legal abortion, forcing them to travel to England. However we have also seen in recent years, inspiring struggles for greater access to abortion.

“It is important that women join us at ‘Reclaim the Night’ to say that in Manchester it’s our bodies, our lives and our right to decide!”

Speaking to The Mancunion, Freya, a retired sex-worker said: “I want rights, not rescue because I do not think the police does enough to protect sex-workers.

“The police are a lot of our clientele and tend

to just pull our drivers over and check their licenses and make fun of us.

“This results in women who have been abused in sex-work not being able to come forward, making any harm done their fault and I don’t think that’s right.

“I want to see sexwork legalised so we can pay tax and claim back what we deserve.

Protests like this help bring together awareness, but I also think that it’s nice to meet people who understand your situation and support you.

This event is just as much for me as it is for everybody else.”

When asked what she would say to those police officers who allegedly make fun of them on the streets, she simply replied, “remember who f*cks the law.”

The march, held in the student populated areas of Manchester, intended to make women feel safer on the streets on their own and to increase awareness that the issue is there. Those that attended claimed that women should not have to feel like they need a man present when walking late at night to feel safe and should be able to live in a community where they are not endangered to sexual harassment, violence and victim blaming.

The Students’ Union also sold T-shirts prior to and at the event to raise money for sexual and domestic violence organisations within the local community, which are still available to buy from the Students’ Union website.

GMP were contacted for comment.

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Students call for public event with George Osborne

The General Secretary of the Students’ Union joked that Jacob Rees-Mogg could be the bouncer and encouraged Theresa May to stop hiding in hotels

Cameron Broome Head News Editor Students at the University of Manchester are calling for George Osborne to lead an open, public and free event before the end of the academic year, including the Chairman of the Conservative Party’s Manchester student wing.

The former Chancellor was appointed as an Honorary Professor of Economics in June of 2017, with Vice-Chancellor Dame Nancy Rothwell suggesting that “students and staff will benefit from all of this experience.”

Osborne visited the University on the 29th of September 2017 to speak to postgraduate Economics students as part of an invite-only event, with just 60 tickets allocated on a first-comefirst serve basis.

Speaking to The Mancunion after his inaugural lecture, Mr Osborne said that he was going to be “coming a few times a term, so there’ll be lots of opportunity to meet different groups of students in different formats” but has yet to be involved in another event with Manchester students since.

Siôn Davies, Chairman of Manchester Conservative Future, the student Conservative society of the University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University, said, “George Osborne’s got a wealth of experience — as Chancellor of the Exchequer, as a local MP for Tatton, and as a driving force behind the Northern Powerhouse. His experience would benefit Manchester students massively.

“I’d be disappointed if I didn’t get to hear him do a public lecture before the end of the semester. I think he’d have a lot to say about the Northern Powerhouse; about how to promote growth and development in the region; and about how local and

national government works. I know I’d have a lot of questions!”

Alex Tayler, current General Secretary of the Students’ Union, added: “I think it would be really great if he came again and it would be an interesting event that I’m sure a lot of students would benefit from it.

“I do really think he should come. I’m not going to slate him for not coming but I really think he should probably come about once a year to do a public event. He’s got a lot of insight and I’m sure he would spark an interesting debate.”

Mr Osborne told The Mancunion that he is “planning several visits to Manchester and events open to students” but did not commit to leading another event with students before the end of the academic semester.

Several students were initially critical of Osborne’s appointment and questioned the University’s rationale for giving the now Editor of The London Evening Standard a role at the University.

Outgoing Students’ Union Education Officer, Emma Atkins, had previously described his appointment as a “joke”.

She said: “How can Manchester honour this man whose track record over ‘economics’ was abysmal? I bet Economics students at Manchester would have something to say about being associated with him…”

It has been suggested that Mr Osborne’s appointment may have been influenced by the amount of money that he gave to the University during his time as Chancellor.

Commenting on this, Alex Tayler, General Secretary of the Students’ Union, said: “I know that some people think that he was only given the job because he gave money to the University but I’m not sure if I really believe that.”

Despite the initial debate surrounding his appointment, lots

of students appear to have forgotten Mr Osborne’s involvement with the University entirely and have questioned if he has really made the impact that was first marketed by the University.

Conrad Gobrien, a second-year History and Economics student, said: “I had completely forgotten about the appointment. I haven’t seen or heard of any talks, debate or interactions that he’s done. To be honest, it seems like a PR stunt and just plain bull***t really.

“He hasn’t made any attempt to engage with the student population here (par that invite only thing which does not count). To sum up, it hasn’t benefited the students here whatsoever and his appointment seems like a PR stunt by the University hierarchy.”

A University spokesperson said: “we are in discussions about a number of events and engagements, but it is too soon to say when these will be or to give further details. He has already give a lecture to our postgraduate economics students earlier in the academic year.

“Not all events George Osborne will be involved in will be publicly advertised and some will be by invitation only to specific cohorts of students and staff, depending on the topic and purpose. Some events will remain private to students, as in the case of the lecture earlier this year, as we see it as one of the main purposes of his appointment for our students to learn from his vast experience as Chancellor.”

Commenting on a potential public event with George Osborne, Alex Tayler, Students’ Union General Secretary, said: “We should get Jacob Rees-Mogg to come as the bouncer.”

Tayler added: “It would be nice to get Theresa [May]. She did an event in town last week. If she could come publicly that would be nice, and not hide in a hotel.”

Students criticise May’s higher education proposals Sweeping review of higher education funding branded a “superficial, and politically motivated retaliation” by students

One protester said she was glad that prospective students touring the University got to see that students are politically aware and holding the University to account

Photo: UoM BDS campaign

Hana Jafar Senior News Reporter On Wednesday the 21st of February, students from three campaigning groups: People and Planet; Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS); and Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) rallied together to demand that the University of Manchester divest from fossil fuels companies, and companies allegedly complicit in Israeli war crimes.

The demonstrators stood under the Whitworth Arch, University of Manchester, with drums, flags, and banners. They held a large orange banner that read “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. DIVEST NOW!” Students chanted “Hey! Ho! Nancy Rothwell’s got to go!”

Numerous security guards were seen policing the Whitworth building, where a board of governors meeting was taking place, and monitoring the protesting students.

The protest attracted the attention of bypassers, including prospective students taking tours of the University. One protester remarked that she was glad that tours were ongoing during this time, as the protest reflected, “that students are politically aware, and holding the University to account”. She added that this made the protest more public, and “embarrasses the University”, who she claimed were trying to quieten student protestors.

This is not the first protest of its kind. Over the last few years, all three campaigning groups have made Freedom of Information requests, and, following unsatisfactory University responses, staged numerous divestment protests.

Molly Stedman, a campaigner and third-year

Sophie Boyd News Reporter

“To make science and maths degrees more expensive flies in the face of what our economy’s going to need in the future.”

Speaking to The Mancunion, second-year PPE student, Dan Ramsell commented that introducing variable fees “could be fair because we are paying for a service, and if that service is cheaper to provide, then universities are making a much larger profit than necessary.

“But, if this would mean a negative impact on social mobility or the cost of repaying student debt, I would not support the proposed cuts.”

Echoing these claims, second-year Chemistry student, Frances, also berated that “this will reduce the number of people who will apply to do the more expensive degrees due to fear of larger debt.”

Leah Marlow, a second-year History and Politics student, went further, branding the PM’s proposals as: “Trying to make notion [sic] of tuition fees more attractive in order to gain electoral support from young people and students. Perhaps also a

retaliation to Corbyn’s proposal to remove tuition fees, making Photo: Simone Fontana @ Flickr this a superficial, and politically motivated claim, rather than a sincere one.”

Seeking to reassure students, a University spokesperson stated to The Mancunion : “The University will engage with the recently announced review of Higher education funding, and will be studying its findings carefully. The University is committed to helping people gain access to higher education, which is why we have the highest number of students from areas of low participation in higher education and lower socioeconomic backgrounds in the Russell Group.

“About a third of our new UK undergraduates receive financial support through our means-tested Manchester Bursary.

Likewise, we are committed to providing the very best teaching and other support for our students, which is why Manchester is the most-targeted university in the UK for top graduate employers.”

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Protesters demand divestment

drama student, told The Mancunion that she thought that the University claiming they would “review” policies and look into investments was an evasive tactic. Stedman added that she thought management claiming they could not divest or needed the investments was an “excuse”, citing the fact that other universities, such as Sussex, have recently divested from fossil fuels.

Stedman also supports the BDS Campaign, which demands divestment from companies like Caterpillar, who they allege supply the armoured bulldozers Israeli military forces use to bulldoze Palestinian homes. “I know University is becoming more and more marketised, but can it have investments that don’t facilitate the killing of children, and weapons of mass destruction?” Stedman remarked.

In relation to the protest, the University stated: “The University announced significant changes to its Socially Responsible Investment Policy in May last year.

“This will see the University change its relationship with its Investment Managers allowing it to pursue an ethical investment approach, whilst also minimising any potential negative impact on investment returns. This includes a commitment to identifying and promoting low or zero-carbon investments.”

“In relation to the protests, as usual, the University recognises all students’ right to protest peacefully, providing that this does not unduly disrupt the conduct of the University’s normal business.”

Manchester Museum appoints first female Director

Hannah Vallance Senior National Political Reporter Following Theresa May’s acknowledgement that the education system is failing to “meet the needs of every child”, the government’s plans to launch a major review of higher education funding in the UK has been met with severe criticism

by Manchester students.

The review, announced in a speech in Derby on Monday afternoon, will reassess what May deemed as “one of the most expensive systems of university tuition in the world”, including a potential for the return of maintenance grants, and a comprehensive evaluation of the divide between vocational and academic studies.

Over the course of the review, tuition fees and interest rate hikes will be frozen.

This is amidst a consensus of growing concern that poorer students are “bearing the highest levels of debt” in the current system, with graduates racking a bill of up to £50,000 by the end of their degree. By the end of March 2017, total outstanding loans in England reached a total sum of £90 billion.

Controversially, the review will also press ahead with proposals to introduce variable fees for different courses. Currently, students studying a three-year course in England face an annual fee of £9,250. However, under new proposals, courses that run under the banner of social sciences and humanities may pay less than their fellow students studying STEM subjects, in-line with lower course costs, lower potential graduate earnings, and a lower economic value to the country.

However, critics have warned that the proposals do not go far enough to tackle inequality, with the NUS president, Shakira Martin, warning that “the prime minister is choosing to move the deck chairs around a ship she already acknowledges is sinking.”

This follows after May insisted that she remained committed to the notion that those students “who benefit directly from higher education should contribute directly towards the cost of it”, despite mounting pressure from the Labour opposition who have openly advocated for the scrapping of all tuition fees.

Furthering these critiques, Labour’s shadow education secretary, Angela Rayner, stated that: “Charging more for the courses that help graduates earn the most would put off students from the most disadvantaged backgrounds from getting those same qualifications.

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Esme Ward is due to take up her position as director of the Manchester Museum on Monday 9 of April, succeeding Nick Merriman.

Manchester Museum is the largest university museum in the UK with 4.5 million artefacts and surpassed the half a million visitor mark for the first time in 2017.

Esme said: “I am thrilled to be appointed the new Director of Manchester Museum. The vision to use its collections to promote understanding between cultures and a sustainable world could not be more timely or relevant.”

Esme is currently the Head of Learning and Engagement at Manchester Museum and the Whitworth. She joined the Whitworth in 1998 as the Education Officer and then became Head of Learning and Engagement in 2010.

Esme also worked alongside Maria Balshaw during the major transformation of the Whitworth and saw it win Art Fund Museum of the Year 2015.

The new Director also has completed a Clore Cultural Leadership Fellowship which included a placement with the Heritage Lottery Fund.

As well as working in the museum, Esme is the strategic culture lead for Age Friendly Manchester at Manchester City Council and teaches at the University.

She says that her career has focused on social purpose and prioritising inclusive initiatives and available to more people; from young children to people living with dementia.

This will continue through her new role, as Esme said: “I am hugely excited to lead the Museum at this critical time, build upon its excellent work to date

and realise its potential as the UK’s most inclusive, imaginative and caring museum.”

Some have argued that it seems fitting that a female has been promoted to this position considering 2018 is the 100 year anniversary of some women getting the right to vote in a UK general election for the first time.

Esme said: “Since the museum opened its doors in 1890, a host of talented, determined women have shaped and developed its work and collections (including Marie Stopes and Egyptologists Margaret Murray and Rosalie David).

“I am hugely proud to build upon their legacy. In 2018 of all years, and in Manchester of all places, it seems fitting that a female director has finally been appointed.

“The response to the announcement has been wonderful. In part, this acknowledges my commitment to inclusion and ambition that the museum reflects the communities it serves.

“But it is also a recognition of change (#glassceilingbroken) and a desire that more women play leading roles in shaping our culture and city.”

Professor James Thompson, the University of Manchester’s Vice President for Social Responsibility, said: “I am absolutely delighted that we have appointed the first woman director of Manchester Museum.

“Esme will bring vision and innovation to the Museum, continuing its excellent work with academics, students and its commitment to engagement with diverse local, national and international communities.

“The Museum is thriving with record visitor numbers, Esme is an ideal appointment for this exciting phase in the Museum’s development.”

Students lobby MPs on Fallowfield crime Lucinda Obank News Reporter Students have been urged to contact their local MPs in a bid to make Fallowfield’s streets safer.

Student anxiety about crime in Fallowfield prompted University of Manchester student Louis O’Halloran to email Manchester Gorton MP Afzal Khan.

After he was mugged outside his house and had an allegedly poor experience with the police, he then created a template email which he posted on Fallowfield Students Group on the 18th of February 2018, urging students to use it to contact their MPs to spur action.

O’Halloran stated: “Despite a petition to the Mayor of Manchester, these stories have not slowed down... My hope is that by contacting MP’s we can get something done.

“I’ve asked everyone I know to email, both relatives from around the country and for students to email their home and Fallowfield MPs. “The hope is that by contacting MPs directly Fallowfield will receive greater attention and take meaningful steps towards making the country’s largest student community safer.”

He is urging police to follow through properly on reported crimes, as well as stressing that more street lighting and security cameras should be installed to deter criminals in crime hotspots.

O’Halloran’s last demand was for the police to improve their relationship with students, by talking directly to them and teaching them tips on what to do if they find themselves in dangerous situations.

Chief Inspector Helen Caldbeck from Greater Manchester Police (GMP), told The Mancunion that GMP consider “Students [to be] a vital part of our community and we want them to feel safe where they live and study.

We will continue to work alongside key agencies to ensure this remains a priority for us.

She confirmed that they meet with the University regularly, as well as the local council and other public bodies to discuss strategies on how to improve safety in student areas.

She continued: “we have dedicated student safe patrols and have strong links with each of the universities and works throughout the academic year to look after them through early intervention and targeted patrols.

This is supported by security staff at the universities and Manchester City Council. We also give a talk to students at the beginning of every academic year, giving advice on the issues that we know are most affecting people.”

Rebecca Neary, a student at the University of Manchester, thinks contacting MPs is a good idea, however, feels the responsibility for keeping University of Manchester students safe falls on the university itself.

She told The Mancunion that she hopes that if enough students were to email, then this pressure would stimulate a response, and perhaps MPs and the university could cooperate.

Neary added that she believes resources should be spread, as they are unevenly distributed in Fallowfield, with most security concentrated in University halls, neglecting older students who live in private housing.

In response, a University spokesperson said, “the University takes student safety extremely seriously. By working closely with the local community, maintaining excellent relationships with the police and through our own security staff, we take a proactive role in crime reduction and prevention.

“We have a number of measures in place to ensure students can feel safe and report any problems, including the free student shuttle bus and We Get It campaign. However, our students’ safety is always paramount and we will continue to work with the Students’ Union and other relevant stakeholders to develop our provision in this area.”

In October 2017, Matt Harvison created a petition which demanded increased police presence and strategies to combat crime in Fallowfield.

It received nearly 10,000 signatures, demonstrating the attitudes and feelings of students towards crime taking place on their doorstep. This was to be presented to representatives from the local council and Greater Manchester Police.

A Night Owl Scheme was proposed

by Jack Houghton, the Students’ Union Communities Officer, which will involve student volunteers patrolling the streets, but, as The Mancunion previously reported, it received mixed responses from students.

Many felt that for it to be effective, more people would need to get involved, and some questioned whether the student volunteers themselves would receive appropriate safeguarding.

CI Caldbeck from Greater Manchester Police suggested visiting the student safety page of their website to find out more.

The Mancunion contacted MP Afzal Khan for comment and are hopeful of interviewing him in the near future about student safety concerns in his constituency.

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Science and Tech

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The new armour against hospital infections University of Manchester material scientists have found a way to durably combine antibacterial copper nanoparticles with wearable fabrics, which has the potential to limit the spread of infection in hospitals Fiona Batchelor Science and Technology Reporter Researchers from the School of Materials at the University of Manchester, alongside scientists from China, have created a ‘durable and washable’ composite material that has a stable copper nanoparticle coating. It has antimicrobial properties, and retains these properties even after being washed 30 times.

Their paper, published in the Journal of Nanomaterials, explains how the durability and stability needed for the copper-coating to be effective is achieved. Through a process called ‘polymer surface grafting’, strong chemical bonds between the metal and the fabric are created.The nanoparticles are evenly and firmly attached to the surface of the fabric using this technique, and the resulting material has a reinforced ‘concrete-like’ structure which is able to survive washing.

Prior to this new research, it has been difficult for scientists to find a way to employ the properties of copper by combining it with wearable material. The new technique, however, which uses a polymer ‘brush’, can bind the nanoparticles to both cotton and polymer fabrics. The copper nanoparticles, when bound to cotton and polyester fabrics, have demonstrated valuable antibacterial properties against microbes that cause huge problems in UK hospitals.

With an estimated spending of £2.3 billion on bacterial infection in the NHS, this potential new protection against

such microbes could help reduce the amount of money spent on tackling this issue in the long run. Although the precious metals silver and gold also show excellent antibacterial and antimicrobial properties, the use of copper nanoparticles cuts costs significantly.

Despite using copper rather than silver or gold, the process of making this new composite material is still highly expensive. However, lead author Dr Xuqing Liu, from the University of Manchester, is optimistic and says this is a problem further research will address: “These results are very positive and some companies are already showing interest in d e ve l o p i n g this technology.

We hope we can

Photo: Engin_Akyurt @ Pixabay

commercialise the advanced technology within a couple of years. We have now started to work on reducing cost and making the process even simpler.”

The composite material showed resistance to the bacteria Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). E. coli infections caused approximately 5,500 deaths of NHS patients in 2015. S. aureus bacteria, present as the deadly methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), the so-called ‘superbug’, is resistant to many widely used antibiotics, mainly affecting patients staying in hospitals.

Both E. coli and S. aureus are spread from patient to patient via a number of routes, being transferred to humans from clothing and other surfaces that carry the bacteria. Staff uniforms that incorporate the new composite material may prevent nurses and doctors spreading infection among hospital occupants.

Alice Charles, a 3rd year medical student at the University of Manchester, tells The Mancunian that incorporating the new technology into hospital environments is a step in the right direction: “Infections such as E. coli and MRSA carry high risks for patients and staff, and using materials that reduce this risk is a good step in outbreak management.

Although there’s PPE (personal protective equipment, such as gloves plastic aprons) in place, additional protection may be important.”

The new copper-coated material has great potential in dealing with a serious challenge faced within healthcare, and with further development we could soon see copper nanoparticles as an essential part of hospital staff uniforms.

Preview: Getting Girls into Campus greenhouses to Science event be uprooted A celebration of women in STEM for International Women’s This summer, the University of Manchester’s botanical research facilities are set to undergo major Day at the Museum of Science and Industry renovations London, member of the WISE Young Women’s Ellie McLaughlin Science and Technology Reporter It’s not news that science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) industries are still a man’s world - but how can the gender gap be closed and more women become the next leaders in STEM industries? On the 8th of March, International Women’s Day will be celebrated at Manchester’s Museum of Science and Industry by a conversational event discussing just that, accompanied by a panel of some of the most influential women in STEM today.

The event marks both International Women’s Day and British Science Week, and is a part of Wonder Woman 2018, the city-wide feminist festival commemorating the 100-year anniversary of the Representation of the People Act, which awarded some of the first women the right to vote.

Speakers include Dr Heather Williams, director of the grassroots organisation ScienceGrrl, Damon De Ionno, managing director of the innovative research agency Revealing Reality, and Dr Jessica Wade, final year PhD student at Imperial College

Board, and the Women in Engineering Council.

Guests to the event can expect debates on why a gender gap in STEM industries still exists and how we can begin to solve it and encourage a new generation of women as leaders in STEM. There will also be an opportunity to pick the speakers’ brains through an audience Q&A. Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE, child prodigy and CEO of social enterprise Stemettes, will also be sending a virtual message to the event with a question for the panel. At just 20 years of age, Dr Imafidon received a Master’s in Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of Oxford.

She is renowned for her work inspiring many women around the world.

Also included in the Wonder Woman events series is the third annual Women in Media conference, which is being held at the People’s History Museum on the 3rd and 4th March. Elsewhere, a talk from science journalist, broadcaster, and author Angela Saini will be happening on the 5th of March in University Place. Saini will discuss her latest book, Inferior, and what it means for women at the University of Manchester.

Photo: She Bangs the Drums by the Contact Young Company

Photo: Max Pixel

Meredith Sherock Science and Technology Reporter The university’s Botanical Experimental Grounds will soon be redeveloped, further establishing Manchester as a key institution for botanical studies. These state-of-theart greenhouse facilities will better allow researchers to study plant and soil responses to various climates and conditions.

Construction, which will be financed by the University of Manchester’s endowment funds, will begin in summer 2018 and will take approximately one year to complete.

The current facilities were erected in 1982, leaving renovation overdue for decades.

The new Grounds will ensure that the site meets modern standards, “matching the best in the world,” according to project lead Dr. Giles Johnson from the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences.

The new greenhouses will allow researchers to grow plants in a range of conditions and temperatures, from subarctic to tropical.

Additionally, scientists will be able to adjust the CO2 level of the growing facilities, which may predict plant responses to future climates. Drought and flooding effects will also be mimicked using precision watering systems. These controlled conditions should aid in understanding plants from the level of genes all the way up to their interactions as entire communities. “This will enable us to tackle research problems of food security and the impacts of climate change on natural ecosystems,” states Dr. Johnson.

Additionally, the site will house a new air quality research “supersite.” Here, researchers will collect high-quality data on the effects and origins of urban air pollution. Alongside University endowment funding, this branch will be funded by the Natural Environmental Research Council.

In total, the facilities will allow up to 30 scientists to work at a time, with each greenhouse providing 14 square metres of growth space. The new greenhouses will be located on the Fallowfield campus site, an area in which the university’s botanical history is rooted. This new site will exist on what was formally Sir Joseph Whitworth’s country estate, which was gifted to the University in 1887.

In 1909, the university’s first botanical gardens were developed in Fallowfield’s Ashburne Hall before moving to the current site in 1923. Within this history, Grounds researcher studied everything from the plants used in antidotes for World War I gas attacks to the disease-causing bacteria in Sudanese crops.

With this rich past in plant and soil research, this building upgrade will only continue the University’s botanical innovation.

Professor Martin Schroder, Vice President of the University of Manchester and Dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering, says: “This announcement is very much inkeeping with those traditions, and these latest developments will put the University at the forefront of botanical-based research in the sector.”

Science and Tech

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The Loneliness Experiment launched A University of Manchester psychologist leads an experiment which aims to explore what loneliness looks like in our world today Michael Bahrami-Hessari Science and Technology Reporter The BBC, in cooperation with the University of Manchester, New Castle University, and London’s Brunel University, is launching The Loneliness Experiment, an internet-based examination of how people view loneliness.

The experiment, funded by the Wellcome Trust, comprises of an online 40-minute questionnaire that will anonymously ask adults from around the UK their attitudes and opinions on social connections, isolation, and how technology affects loneliness. It will also require two tasks that will gauge respondent’s reaction to certain images. The results of this study will be presented in the fall during a Wellcome Foundation event and a BBC Radio 4 series called Anatomy of Loneliness.

According to Professor Manuela Barreto of the University of Exeter,

loneliness is quite common in all life stages. It is exacerbated during key periods in our lives like moving to a new city, divorce, and death of a loved one. Professor Barreto also explains that the feeling loneliness is not synonymous with being alone, which can be quite pleasant especially after being around lots of people. Rather, loneliness is “a subjective feeling that the quantity or the quality, more importantly, of our social relations, isn’t quite as what we wished them to be.”

For Professor Pamela Qualter of the University of Manchester, however, there is an upside to loneliness. It leads us to reassess our social connections and improve how we relate to other people. Professor Qualter, the lead psychologist on the project, believes that this emotion can be beneficial during transitional periods, but can also negatively impact wellbeing when prolonged.

Dr. Nicola Valtorta, a research associate at Newcastle University, confirms that people who report feelings of loneliness are more often prone to health difficulties. Most common were higher incidences of

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

strokes, cardiovascular disease, depression, and increased consumption of alcohol and cigarettes. Though Dr. Valtorta is also quick to point out that it is unclear whether loneliness is the cause of these occurrences, or whether the opposite is true.

Culture is also a significant factor in determining what drives loneliness.

Professor Barreto explains that in countries that value self-reliance, such as the UK, loneliness is affected by the satisfaction in relationships that an individual chooses; for example, friendships. In contrast, for countries like Italy, where interdependence is seen to be very important, loneliness is affected more by familial connections.

In 2015, the Wellcome Trust also conducted a similar examination of the nation’s resting habits with around 18,000 people participating. It is expected that thousands will also join the Loneliness Experiment, making it the largest survey of its kind.

You can take part in the Loneliness Project at www. thelonelinessexperiment.com.

Science and tech news around the world...

Jordan Ross reports on key science stories from around the globe this week

Skin-tech breakthrough: New medical device displays heart rate on your arm In a collaborative study published in Nature, Japanese scientists have created a novel electronic, wearable sensor. The thin skin-like device can comfortably attach to a patient’s own skin and detect vital medical information, such as heart activity in the form of a wave structure, also known as an echo-cardiogram or ECG. This medical data can be viewed live on the patient, sent to a smartphone or even saved in the virtual cloud. The nanomesh device can be worn for a week and is highly flexible, stretchy, and safe. This futuristic medical aid could revolutionise patient care and be crucial in managing the ageing population.

Cyclone Gita pummels parts of Oceania This week, Cyclone Gita, a category four tropical wind storm, has caused widespread disruption and damage to parts of the South Pacific. In severely affected Tonga, winds of up to 200 km/h, heavy rainfall and flooding have left two dead, 41 injured. The cyclone has also destroyed the island’s parliament building and damaged over 1000 homes, leaving many without electricity or water.

After being downgraded by meteorologists to a storm, Gita has caused extreme weather in New Zealand. Seven metre high waves have left 100 people stranded in the south island, resulting in closed roads, schools and dismantled buildings.

The clear up is underway with severe long-term consequences expected.

NASA’s Kepler collaboration discovers 95 new exoplanets which may harbour life In a paper from 14th February, an international team of researchers from mainly American and Danish institutions announced the discovery of 95 new planets outside our solar system. These exoplanets were found using observations from NASA’s Kepler (K2) mission.

Astronomers analysed the telescope’s data for sudden drops in light caused by the shadow cast as the exoplanet passes by its star. There were 275 candidates and 95 confirmed as real exoplanets. They vary from rocky and earthlike structures to gaseous Jupiter-like formations. This study observed the brightest star that has ever been orbited by a Kepler planet. These observations increase Kepler’s exoplanet discovery to a total of over 5100, many may even be capable of harbouring life.

Nigeria’s New Year crisis: Over 40 die as WHO responds to 2018 Lassa outbreak The World Health Organisation (WHO) has confirmed at least 43 people have died, and 450 have become infected, with Lassa fever in a recent breakout in Nigeria. The virus, endemic to West Africa and transmitted by multimammate mice or contact with infected bodily fluids, can occur without symptoms presenting. However, it is also known to cause bleeding from the nose, gums or eyes.

Experts have argued the outbreak is a result of Nigeria’s increased population density, ineffective hygiene practices and under-prepared healthcare system. The WHO is providing advice and equipment, and is sending medical experts to curb the outbreak throughout the region.

Micro-plastic substances present in ‘every three out of four’ North-West Atlantic Fish In an Irish study, marine biologists found that out of the deep-sea fish living at 200-1000 meters sampled, 73 per cent contained micro-plastic material in their gut. This figure is “one of the highest frequencies … globally,” according to researcher Alina Wieczorek.

The fish sampled were from distant seas and differing depths and included species such as Tuna fish. Their microplastic level was measured and care taken to exclude air plastic contamination. The plastic toxins not only harm the fish themselves, but also spread pollutants when fish travel or journey to the surface.

The news of this research adds to a current ongoing debate surrounding the growing issue of plastic pollution in oceans.

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Features

Exec Special

Sophie Graci #GraciGetsGirls

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“I will run monthly surgeries where femaleidentifying students can feed back on their experiences at the University of Manchester in safe environment”

The Women’s Officer role is currently held by Sara Heddi. This role takes prioirty of such events as Reclaim the Night, a protest walk through Fallowfield to the University Campus in aid of the protection and liberation of women being able to walk the streets safely. As the women’s officer the appointed exec will represent and campaign on behalf of all self-defining women students, work to advance gender equality and chair, and be accountable to, the Women’s Committee.

Sara Khan Because together, we Khan!

“inclusion, accessibility and advocacy”

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“Fight anti abortion bullying and organize awareness classes regarding birth control, abortion and child care” Sara Heddi Arundhathi Sumam Re-Elect Sara Support Arundhathi for a Happier Campus #1 Womens

Women’s Officer

Jocasta Davis

Lingyan Zhou

“Student safety, inclusion and transparency”

Olivia Meisl Education is Vital, Vote forMeisl

The current Education Officer is Emma Atkins. The elected Education Officer will direct the Union’s work on academic affairs (undergraduate and postgraduate), be the principal liaison with the University on academic matters, support and facilitate an effective system of course, school and faculty level representation and chair and be accountable to the Education Committee.

Ying Wang I am Here to Hear your voice

Faris Elbalawi Education is the most powerful weapon to change the world

“I will work with students to tackle the issue of homelessness” Rachel Green I’ll be there for you

“unify students and staff against proposed cuts to jobs and pensions”

“Continue to impose TEF and any attempts to increase tuition fees ” Adam Rogers Your vote, Your choice

The elected Campaigns, Community and Citizeship Officer will direct the Union’s work supporting student campaigns, direct the Union’s work on community matters, including student accommodation, crime and safety in teh community, oversee and ensure good relations between the Union and the Residents’ Associations and JCR’s. To encourage and facilitate student engagement in social, ethical, environmental and other external public affairs and be accountable and chair the Society and Citizenship Committee.

Huda Ammori

Shamima Khonat Community, Campaigns & Citizenship

Betsie LewisYour best bet’s Betsie

Community, Campaigns and Citizenship Officer

“Implement a lifelong learning environment that fosters each student’s unique learning style”

“Financial support, university engagement and accountability”

Paul Asiimwe The current General Secretary is Alex Tayler. The elected general Secretary will direct the Union’s democratic and representative work, be responsible for ensuring effective communications between the Union and students, chair the Trustee Board and act as the primary liaison between the University and the Students’ Union.

“More sustainable campus (I hope to revive the ZeroWaste Shop and start up a Community Fridge on campus to provide free and fresh groceries for students)”

Lizzy Haughton Get Busy, Vote Lizzy!

Bei Liu Vote for me, and our voice for welfare!

Matt Langford Back Matt for honest chat

General Secretary

The Activities and Development role is currently held by Kitty Bartlett. This role takes prioirty of such events as Pangaea Festival, the biggest student run festival in the UK. As the activities and development officer the appointed exec will direct the Union’s work supporting student activities, organise and support student events and chair and be accountable to the Activities Committee.

Chun Lai Rosa Simonet Root for Rosa

Activities and Development Officer

The Welfare Officer role, once known as the Wellbeing Officer is currently held by Saqib Mahmood.This role takes prioirty of such events as wellbeing week. As the welfare officer the appointed exec will direct the Union’s work relating to student wellbeing and development, work to build and strengthen good campus relations, represent the Union to relevant external bodies pertaining to student health and wellbeing and chair and be accountable to the Wellbeing Committee.

Education Officer

Molly Sted Got the brains for campaigns!

Exec Special

engagement and representation”

Philip Manktelow

Liberation and Access Officer

“increasing student voices at the university’s highest levels”

Danielle Reeder Your opinions and a fresh perspective

Fatima Abid “Improve student #FATIMAFORYOU experience, #FATIMAFORALL

Will Ranger Where there’s a Will there’s a way

The Liberation and Access position is new. The elected Liberation and Access officer will direct the Union’s work relating to equality, diversity and liberation, support and facilitate an effective and active series of liberation campaigns and other networks of under-represented students. They will also be the chair for and be accountable to the Diversity and Liberation Coordination Committee.

Features 9

Ryan Johnson

Welfare Officer Rida Irfan Chaudhary Be The Change Karla Lorena Lopezferro

Ziyang Gong

Yibing Lin

Pearly Laugrimshaw Improve University Life for International Students

Qanyu Miao Make life easier for international students!

Xiuming Li Join the warm family!

Awajimijana Otana

The elected International Officer will direct the Union’s work supporting international students, encourage and facilitate student engagement in multi-cultural events, activities and programmes which will enhance the international experience and to chair and be accountable to the International Students Committee.

Qixian Zhang

Edgar Pinagalan

International Officer

Opinion

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Opinion 11

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Don’t demand your money back!

Social media isn’t the cause of mental illness

Petitions for compensation add to the problem rather than resolve it

Jacklin Kwan Opinion Editor In a wave of growing frustration, university lecturers have taken to protesting the proposed changes to future USS pensions, another ripple in the tide of policies that have served to undermine job security in higher education.

The UUK have defended their decision to cut pensions with their newest valuations that put them at a £17.5bn deficit.

The issues behind the pension cuts are complex: some say that the projected pension deficits are emblematic of unsustainable schemes and have long since been building up, while some financial experts criticise that the deficit is a fiction spun out of excessively conservative predictions of the future. Either way, the changes are drastic– the salary threshold (the salary up to which defined benefits currently build) are proposed to crash from £55,000 to zero.

In the midst of huge financial insecurity that threatens the livelihood of university lecturers, one aspect of the situation is absolutely bewildering: online petitions for universities to compensate their students for lost contact time. In universities across the UK (Durham, Edinburgh, Manchester to name a few), student bodies have demanded that their institutions refund a set percentage of their tuition fees under the justification that the strikes pose significant disruptions to their education.

The petition for the University of Manchester to reimburse their students has gathered 6000 signatures, arguing that students are “consumers” and have paid for a quality education. Some of these sentiments are supposedly ironic: “Treat us like paying consumers and we’ll act like consumers.”

I’m sorry, but what are these people smoking?

First off, what makes people believe that universities will actually reimburse each

student with an almost arbitrarily decided amount of money, a demand with no principled claim behind it? By that same economic logic, students should also be reimbursed if classes are cancelled due to bad weather or if lecturers take ill for a week.

Obviously, the reason why people are

So it’s incredibly bizarre that the petitions almost never demand better treatment of staff or even mention pension insecurity. The motivations behind the strikes are merely mentioned as an afterthought, attached at the end of most petitions.

The petitions are almost always self-interested,

Photo: Change.org

upset now and not when their lecturer takes unexpected leave is because universities have grossly neglected the interests of their teachers and have forced them to strike (an action that has not only financial but also moral consequences).

primarily concerned with the fact that students are the ones being short-changed: that they pay tuition fees but face major inconveniences to their studies. They sideline the wrongs done to university lecturers, implying that it is the losses

The return of Mitt

Jacob Dunn

Romney is a welcome shift back towards moderate and respectful Republicanism

In the state of Utah, politics are usually quite boring. However, while the state will without doubt remain a Republican stronghold, what is different in this wave of upcoming 2018 midterm elections is the man likely to be Utah’s next Senator: the one and only, Mitt Romney.

Mitt Romney is famous for his failed attempt to win the presidency from Barack Obama in 2016. However after years out of the political spotlight, Mitt Romney is back. While many will not welcome to return of Romney, his thrust back into US politics is significant. He is an antiTrump Republican and, in a USA consumed by ‘Trumpism’, his return is important and will define Trump’s next two years in office before and if he seeks re-election.

Trump and Romney have a history and it isn’t pretty. During the 2016 presidential race, Romney condemned Trump and his use of offensive and racist language and even mocked him. Trump being Trump, he didn’t take to the mockery well and insulted Romney back during the course of his presidential campaign. Trump, much to Romney’s horror and displeasure, shockingly won the race for president. Trump then got his revenge and led many people to believe that Romney was to be his next Secretary of State, and however proceeded to drop him and gave Rex Tillerson the job instead. Therefore, it is fair to say there is beef between the two.

Romney’s return is without doubt important.

In the era of Trumpism, many Republicans follow Trump out of fear of losing their positions and facing backlash from Trump’s voter base.

However, Romney, in his first campaign video, openly attacked Trump’s rude, arrogant and abrupt way of doing politics. As more and more people see the Republicans moving

in the direction of right-wing nationalist populism, Romney, though still socially conservative, shows us that not Republicans can take a stand against the alt-right. While Trump has been in office for almost 2 years, it is fair to say despite the Republicans having control of the vast majority of the institutions in the federal government, Trump’s record in Congress isn’t too great. The only major bill he managed to pass were his huge reforms of the US tax system. These upcoming mid-terms are therefore important for Trump as he will try and get many of his own candidates elected to congress.

Pro-Trump candidates, such as Joe Arpaio, are looking to ride the wave of Trump’s antiestablishment and anti-immigrate message and with Trump’s backing it looks like they will make a big impact. Romney’s bid for a Senate seat shows us that not all is lost in the crazy land of Trump’s America. In a USA so divided between race, gender, and class, Romney, despite his political beliefs, is a man willing to compromise for the good of his nation unlike Trump, Paul Ryan, and Mitch McConnell who seem set on pushing and securing their own political agendas. This is best shown with the debate over gun control where the leadership of Congress seem unwilling to do anything to try and deal with the issue. It is true they may lose their seats or political influence, but it would be a decision worth taking for the good of American society.

If the Democrats somehow manage to take both the House and Senate in the 2018 midterms, it will be even more difficult for Trump to implement his policies. He will probably face more factual and politically correct criticism from his opposition and

of students are the most morally impactful.

Though I understand the resentment of having to pay high tuition fees for an education that many are unsure is worth it, it’s probably the wrong time to protest that when thousands risk to lose an estimated £10,000 a month in pension cuts.

Already, these grievances are being weaponised– striking teachers are villanised for putting their own interests above their students and are pressured to end industrial action. The demands of students run regrettably parallel to those of their lecturers, showing little to no solidarity or sympathy to their plight.

Some say that demanding compensation is simply a symbolic gesture meant to put pressure on the university to end the strikes and renegotiate pensions. This also make little sense; how does incurring a pseudo-monetary cost that is completely made up put more pressure on the university than just simply demanding they treat lecturers with fairness? Why do you need the Orwellian double-think of opposing the university’s brutal consumer model and then proceeding to protest like a consumer?

Paradoxically, the petitions also entrench the commodification of education. They attach a price tag to the strikes (which is apparently £300 per student in Manchester, and £1000 in Edinburgh and Durham). This disempowers the profoundly principled motivations that drive the strikes: that lecturers have devoted their lives to the betterment of the university and they deserve to have economic security in their old age. The pension cuts aren’t just a threat to livelihoods but a fundamental affront to their contributions and dignity as academics, and the latter of which is priceless.

Instead of signing a petition demanding your money back, write a letter to the university, demonstrate with your lecturers, and remain vocal about your opposition. Refuse to be paid off.

Opinion Contributor

The media seems to express increasing concern over the dangers of social media on mental health, but we’re focusing on the wrong thing

Photo: Pixabay @ Pexels

Aliya Ismangil Science & Technology Editor I recently came across a BBC article, its headline reading, “Is social media causing childhood depression?” Intriguing. I read the article and found myself surprised at the one-sided feel of it.

It was laden with statistics and expert opinions warning parents of the monster that is social media, inevitably ruining the next generation if we don’t do something about it now.

Only a small paragraph much further down in the article explained social media may also hold some benefits. Maybe it’s because I like my tech, maybe it’s because I grew up with social media — unlike, it seemed, the writers and researchers of the article — but I take issue with this stance.

Firstly, the obvious must always be said: correlation doesn’t equal causation. There is and has always been, a plethora of variables that lead someone to a diagnosis of clinical depression or anxiety. Though the article is very careful in its

Corbyn the ‘communist spy’ is another smear to add to the Tory collection

Photo: Gage Skidmore @ Wikimedia Commons

from within his own party. If the Republicans retain control of the Senate, and Romney is elected into it, it means Romney can deliver his message of compromise and respect, which is very important in today’s political climate.

While I may disagree with many Republicans on a wide range of issues, it is not a bad thing that Romney is returning to the front of politics within the USA as he has shown he is not afraid to stand up to the likes of Trump and call him out in the appropriate manner, which is the correct way to beat the likes of Trump.

Romney, while not being everyone’s favourite candidate or politician, looks set to return to forefront of US politics. With Utah, being a safe Republican seat and Romney having a huge support base there, it is unlikely that he will not win the seat in the 2018 mid-term elections. Romney in his first campaign video promised to show respect and decency when conducting politics, something Trump doesn’t seem capable of doing on any level. We should be grateful for Romney’s return as it shows us that not all is lost in Trump’s divided America.

reporting of scientific evidence, headlines like this breed unnecessary alarm.

I agree that social media can be a significant contributing factor to mental ill-health, but I think it’s an exacerbation of factors that have always been here rather than a novel effect. An intense version of peer pressure, comparison, challenges to self-esteem, and bullying.

An extensive review of social media and its relation to neuroscience outline that social behaviours online and offline are remarkably similar. We tell others about things, we connect, and converse with people, we offer our opinions, we compare ourselves with others.

The difference is in the environment that these social interactions happen.

A key one is the proximity and anonymity of social media compared to the offline world.

Online you can be anyone and no one; you can be thousands of miles away with a lovely barrier of pixels. And, taking it back to the classic psychology study by Milgram, both proximity and anonymity

are important factors in how much someone ‘harms’ another.

Increased anonymity and the further removed an individual is, the more readily they will administer higher voltage ‘electric shocks’.

Another key difference observed by researchers is the instant and fast nature of social media.

There’s less time to think and more reactivity.

These factors, and the popularity and prevalence of social media compound to make a potentially risky world of widespread harsh words and little thought. It is no surprise then that those who are already susceptible to such mental health difficulties have more chance of coming across such factors.

And for every piece of damning evidence, there is also a piece of evidence to say social media benefits people’s lives. A 2014 systematic review of 43 papers looking into social media use in adolescents revealed that the majority of studies found contradicting evidence or no effect. Though it is undeniable that there is evidence for harmful effects of social media, there are also studies that find benefits for social media use; these include things like increase self-esteem, perceived social support.

A study by researchers from Michigan State University shows that users feel better after supportive interactions online. Other research shows that the effect of social media on wellbeing in undergraduates depends on their motivations for using it.

It’s clear that there are many factors at play here.

As with many things in life, I think the crucial

Photo: David Hunt @ Wikimedia Commons

Will Phillips Opinion Contributor

It is a historical trend that whenever the Right has been on the back foot, it has responded in kind with misinformation, smears, and outright attacks on the Left.

In 1924, after the meteoric rise of the Labour movement, the Daily Mail, backed by the Conservatives, published a letter which suggested the Labour Party was in contact with the Bolsheviks and were planning to unleash a communist coup in Britain. This of course never materialised, and the ‘Zinoviev letter’ was revealed to be a complete fabrication on the part of Britain’s secret service and political and economic elites.

The 1945 General Election saw a Conservative politician lie and outrageously smear the Labour Party. Winston Churchill argued that Labour would need to “fall back on some kind of Gestapo” in order to implement its socialist manifesto.

British voters ignored these absurd and insensitive claims and were right to. They were vindicated when the Labour Party was able to introduce policies such as the National Health Service without the need for any Nazi-styled secret police.

In the 1992 election, with the Labour Party projected to defeat the Conservatives, The Sun published an outrageous headline. In the event of a Kinnock

government, the paper asked ‘will the last person to leave Britain please turn out the lights’. The Sun‘s suggestion that economic calamity would be assured under a Labour government ultimately proved to be fallacious, as after the Tories were re-elected Britain was ejected from the European Exchange Rate Mechanism on ‘Black Wednesday’.

Recently, the right-wing press has engaged in increasingly personal and vindictive attacks against the Left. In 2013, the Daily Mail wrote a headline stating that the Ed Miliband’s father, Ralph, was “The Man Who Hated Britain.” Making tenuous links between Ralph Miliband’s Marxist credentials and the leader of the Labour Party, the Daily Mail engaged in a vicious, personal, and desperate attack on a far from radical Labour leader.

Indeed, the patently absurd claims Ed Miliband was responsible for his father’s supposedly ‘Britain-hating’ views, seem at best misplaced.

At worst though, they were a vile slander against Ralph Miliband, a man who far from hating Britain, had fought for his nation during World War Two. In 2015, with Labour reaching near parity with the Tories in the polls, the onslaught against Miliband’s Labour continued. The claims of the Right were less personal, but remained equally as misleading,

thing to think about is how we use it. Everything in moderation. However, the discourse surrounding social media use in children and teenagers is completely off course here. It is not simply about limiting children to a set amount of hours of social media or phone use. It’s not about restriction.

Like it or not, social media is now a part of life.

There are around two billion people worldwide that regularly use social media. It is a crucial part of our lives, just as emails are now an essential element of working life, and just as buses and cars are to how we get about. It’s about learning how to use social media as another helpful tool.

Everything started as a new-fangled technology surrounded by scaremongering.

But we adapt, because adaptation is what humans do. So how do we adapt in this instance?

I think it’s something we should teach and openly discuss with children. Just as we’re taught manners in the offline world, how we’re taught email etiquette, how to know what bus to take, and how to drive. Humans are governed by rules, whether they be authoritative rules or social norms.

We have to create such norms about social media, so we’re on the same page. Social media is a skill to be learnt. Our focus needs to shift from avoidance to adaptation. Social media shouldn’t be seen as a problem that will go away when we put it in a cage, it’s a tool that can improve the way we live if only we can all figure out how to use it best reap its benefits.

The right-wing media in Britain is a parody of itself. Hysterical and abusive, it shamelessly misleads the British public. with the press arguing that Labour’s overspending in 2008 was to blame for Britain’s economic problems after the financial crash. The Daily Telegraph and Prime Minister David Cameron claimed that it was Labour who broke the economy, and that given the keys to Downing Street they would do it again. What the Conservatives of course forgot to mention was that the Tories backed Labour’s spending prior to the crash.

This brings us to the present.

In the last week, claims emerged suggesting Jeremy Corbyn had links with a communist spy from Czechoslovakia and had divulged British secrets.

The story was front page news across right-wing publications: The Sun, the Daily Mail, and the Daily Telegraph, with Tory MPs and ministers alike questioning Corbyn’s credentials and suitability to hold public office.

Despite initial speculation, Czechian defence authorities have since confirmed that the claims against Corbyn were indeed fabricated.

Such a revelation highlights that, yet again, misinformation has been perpetuated by the right-wing media in an attempt to undermine the Left.

Conservative politicians were quick to smear Corbyn. In a similar

vein to the Mail’s attack on Ralph Miliband, Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson questioned Corbyn’s loyalty to Britain: “Time and time again he has sided with those who want to destroy everything that is great about this country.”

With similar absurdity to the Zinoviev letter debacle in 1924, Conservative MP Ben Bradley also ran with the story, claiming the Labour leader had sold British secrets to “communist spies.”

The reasoning behind these claims are clear. In line with the historic responses of the Right in 1924, 1945, 1992, and 2015, the misinformation espoused by the Tories and the right-wing press has come at a time when the Left is on the ascendancy.

Since the 2017 election, Labour has not died down, and now the Right is running scared from a resurgent British Left. As it has historically done since the Zinoviev letter in 1924, the Tories are clinging to falsification as a means to maintaining power. As Labour becomes a greater threat, the vitriolic, false, and absurd attacks by the Conservatives and the media elites are intensifying.

The outright lies charged by the Right in 1945 were unsuccessful and Labour gained a landslide majority.

If the Tories aren’t cautious, they may suffer a similar fate.

12

Music

ISSUE 17 / 26th FEBRUARY 2018 WWW.MANCHETSERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Top 5 First Year Bangers:

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Week he e ou r te e n

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Kendric k

m ar - K i

Pi n

Hard to imagine a world without ‘HUMBLE’, but back in the day, King Kunta was (and still is) one of the most ferocious tracks under K.dot’s belt.

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Friday 16th February, Manchester Academy Don Broco are not a band to do anything by half measures and that’s certainly true for their performance at Manchester Academy on Friday the 16th February.

The group bounded onto the stage radiating everything that’s weird, wonderful, and most importantly fun — with a special mention to Si Delaneys’ pants, or lack thereof — but I found out much later that his incredibly short shorts allowed him to do some incredible dancing during the set.

Don Broco opened their set with tracks ‘Pretty’ and ‘Everybody’ from their new album Technology.

Despite there only being approximately 14 days between the album release and the Manchester performance, the dedication and admiration of Don Brocos’ fans was overwhelming. The fans give it their all and then some.

The was reception was reciprocated in the incredible energy given off by the band. Rob Damiani entirely submerged himself in the moment and kept the audience clinging on to his every word.

Every aspect of the night was mind-blowing.

As the night went on, they played a selection from their diverse discography of previous years. Hits such as ‘Automatic’ and early days track ‘Priorities’. The set list was carefully crafted and flawlessly flowing from track to track, each song brimming with such energetic power and executed in a lavishly cool manner by all members.

Don Broco even debuted the track ‘Great-

Music Editor, Hannah Brierley leaves grinning from ear to ear after the show from an intense, adrenaline-filled performance ness’ from their new album. Damiani shouted that he thinks Manchester is just so great, and it feels right to play the track for the first time in this great city. He also mentioned how amazing Popolinos was as well.

The stand out track of the night for me had to be ‘Thug Workout’. One of their first songs, it only existed in YouTube form back before they were famous. The track encompasses sarcasm, fun, and being ‘cheeky’.

Not only this, Don Broco are known for when they play this song to get the audience involved as much as physically possible. Encouraging a pit and getting them all to do pushups through the intro and then generally just lose their shit in the pit.

“You know the drill” shouts frontman Rob, “If someone falls up you pick them straight back up”.

As the night draws to a close, Don Broco finish their official set list with ‘Money Power Fame’, before being screamed to come back for their encore.

Just as the night couldn’t get any better, Don Broco played ‘Come out to LA’, another impeccable track filled with humour and repetitive, catchy rhythms. The performance concludes with ‘T-Shirt Song’, which is probably the ultimate finale song.

“They’re saying there’s one song left, no time for no regrets, I take my T-shirt off, swing it around my head”.

Light lyrics suddenly descend into booming head banging vibes, not only this it felt like the majority of the room, as told to do, took off their shirts and swung them around the room.

Whilst it sounds probably a little bit gross — which it was — the way it looked, or must have looked from the front was a beautiful chaotic madness.

I knew when I heard the album that the tour and their performance would be mental, and they certainly didn’t disappoint.

Don Broco are just pure fun to watch and to listen to. They clearly enjoy and have fun with what they do and their fans certainly connect and love to be a part of that. This was the first gig in a long time that I left grinning from ear to ear, and I certainly cannot wait to see what’s in the pipeline for the future.

10/10

Not really a first year banger, just a reminder we spend 9k a year on education, and did you even really work that hard?

Why were the strawberries all upset?

They were in a jam!

26th February 1983 - Michael Jackson’s Thriller went to No.1 on the US album chart. It went on to become the most successful album of all time with sales of over 50 million copies.

1st March 1979, Joy Division appeared at The Hope & Anchor, Islington, London. Admission was 75p.

Photo: Hannah Brierley @ The Mancunion

the Hardcore elements stripped away.

I’m not saying that this change is all bad. There is that the core

2nd March 1996, Oasis scored their second UK No.1 single when ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’ went to No.1 from the band’s album What’s The Story Morning Glory.

3rd March 1973, Slade’s ‘Cum On Feel The Noize’, entered the UK at No.1, making Slade the first act to achieve this since The Beatles.

4th March 1966, John Lennon’s statement that The Beatles were ‘more popular than Jesus Christ’ was published in The London Evening Standard.

Photo: Album Artwork

of old Pianos still there that pops up in surprising ways, but it’s so tucked away and hidden that it’s almost impossible to hear.

I wouldn’t by any means say it is a bad album. There is nothing truly awful about it and there are many good things to talk about.

The production is splendid and manages to capture what they’re going for, and the performances are undoubtedly great. But it does all start to blur into one and ends up feeling quite forgettable.

Live Review: Puma Blue Picture this. You’re sat on your friend’s sofa, beginning to sober up after the house party they’ve just thrown, and you can hear the faint retching noises of someone throwing up in the downstairs toilet. The couple that is supposedly on ‘a break’ are just muffled voices from the room next door, so you allow your consciousness to indulge in previously buried thoughts. You begin to romanticise past toxic relationships and poor decisions, you even try to pinpoint what experiences have led to the definition of your character…

Puma Blue provides the exact soundtrack you want to frame these kinds of moments. The moments that make your normally restless mind, pause and just reflect.

With London-based producer ‘Lucy Lu’ perfectly instilling a dreamy ambience into the intimate

This week in music history

28th February 1986 - George Michael announced that Wham! would officially split during the summer.

Wham! sold more than 25 million certified records worldwide from 1982 to 1986.

Pianos refine what they started in their previous album in Wait For Love but it still isn’t hitting the right notes, writes Music Contributor, Ciaran McLaughlin Pianos Become The Teeth are one of my favourite bands. Their first two albums, Old Pride and The Lack Long After, are some of the best of what Post-Hardcore has to offer. Then came Keep You. It was a far cry from previous work. The once frenzied band had become tame. Loud, sharp noise had been replaced with a steady calm.

So it comes as no surprise that their 4th album, Wait For Love, persists with the same approach. They stick to creating atmosphere through subtlety as opposed to aggression and have managed to refine their new sound somewhat. There were some inconsistencies in Keep You, so it’s good to see the band are finding their fit in the new approach.

Change is essential for any band to survive, though it must be done with care. It should be a natural evolution while new ideas are integrated into the mix. Care must be taken by a band to retain their core sound.

But this just feels like the stereotypical Emo/Hardcore-bandgone-Indie approach. Some reverb here and there. It’s so cliché at this point. Bands like Turnover, Title Fight, and Movements have all done it now with mixed results. Though when they released Keep You it — at least sonically — fit with the theme of the album about moving on and letting go. But now it feels like the cracks are starting to show.

It wouldn’t be as much of a big deal to me if they tried to distinguish themselves. It all feels so forgettable. There is a great irony in changing your sound to stand out, but ending up less unique thana before. There was a great template left behind with The Lack Long After for the band to develop themselves, but now it just feels like a wasted opportunity.

Bands like Touché Amoré showed us that you don’t have to lose that raw element to progress and evolve. Speaking of Touché, Wait For Love sounds like their previous album Stage Four, but with all

Rewind

27th February 2015 - Madonna said she suffered whiplash as a result of her “nightmare” accident at the 2015 Brit Awards.

Pianos Become The Teeth - Wait For Love

Monday 19th February, The Castle Hotel

loyd - Mo

y

10/10

en

Photo: Eva Rinaldi

walking up to him and embracing him. Seal was totally cool with this, taking people under his arm and then proceeding to dance with a young woman in front of us. She seemed to be at the concert with her partner but, unfortunately for him, no one can compete with Seal. It’s fair to call him “Mr. Seal your girl”.

I wasn’t aware of this being on my bucket list but it must have been because you can bet I’ll tell my grandchildren about the night I boogied with Seal.

Seal’s classics, his own songs, his charm, his swagger, his genuine affection towards the crowd and every factor of the show made for an undoubtedly memorable show and, ultimately, a perfect night out on Valentine’s Day.

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ne

Seal needs no introduction. He’s a national treasure and an undeniable legend of the 90’s and early 2000’s pop scene. Hits like ‘Kiss From A Rose’, ‘Crazy’, his cover of Steve Miller Band’s ‘Fly Like An Eagle’ and ‘Prayer For A Dying’, among many other songs, are instantly recognisable by everyone, everywhere.

At the end of 2017, the superstar from Paddington released Standards, an album that pays tribute to, as Seal called them, “some of the greatest songs ever written”.

Sinatra, Ellington, Armstrong, Chaplin, Gershwin... it’s safe to call them titans of the pre-contemporary musical scene, having set a precedent that few have surpassed. Along with this album, the ‘Standards Tour’ is stopping by the UK, Ireland, France and, lastly, Australia.

The O2 Apollo was set up with seating for the evening, making it feel extremely classy. Our first treat for the evening was Tabo, a soulful singer with a heart of gold; he made sure to greet people at the end of the night and we made a point to snap a picture and gave him a warm hug — what a charmer! A soft synth keyboard was the single accompaniment to his voice, and that was already a hell of an instrument in itself. Foot stomping, tongue clicks and dancing on the spot rounded off

his performance to the almost-full Apollo.

Seal’s arrival to the stage was welcomed with a round of applause before he jumped straight into a series of tracks from Standards. His style, charm and genuine charisma which shone through during and, mostly, in between songs made it a pleasure to watch.

Members of the audience kept screaming for Seal to sing his own songs instead of the classics and, quite surprisingly, he grabbed an acoustic guitar — which, interestingly, he played left-handed, as Paul McCartney does – and serenaded us with an acoustic rendition of ‘Kiss From a Rose’.

Earlier in the show he remarked “you’re all well behaved for a Seal show, this is very uncharacteristic of us”. Well, the naughtiness began as he took off his blazer, rolled up his shirt sleeves and hit us with ‘Crazy’. Now it was a Seal show.

I couldn’t help but notice and admire how he would walk the stage, right to edge, and make eye contact with audience members. This small gesture really makes a difference, it draws you in more than any crazy set piece or dance crew ever will.

Then, Seal took this immersion to the next level: he jumped off stage. He was quite literally less than 10 feet from where I was. Of course, the audience was delighted with a couple of people sheepishly

Catfish do what Catfish do best, before they repeated the same formula to death and lost people’s interest.

Kunta

Wednesday 14th February, O2 Apollo Manchester

Bottlem e h

ng

Live Review: Seal

Seal made Valentine’s Day unforgettable on his Standards Tour, writes Music Contributor, Tobias Soar

Th

Photo: Jake Oliver @ The Mancunion

impressive. When she stepped into the crowd to deliver a piercing shriek towards the end of ‘Giant Peach’, the crowd went absolutely wild.

But of course, the best moment of the night came when ‘Bros’ was played. In a rare turn of events, all signs of moshing vanished and instead something beautiful took place. Friends grabbed each other, couples embraced and all around were people beaming from ear to ear, singing along to Rowsell’s tale of friendship. It was a genuinely heartwarming moment, made even more special by the small venue and the sense of collectiveness that came with being there.

It’s rare that such massive bands return to smaller venues, and this made the night even more memorable. Both the band and the audience relished in the opportunity to cram in to a smaller setting. At some points the band were almost inaudible due to everyone in the crowd chanting the lyrics back at them. It was an absolute pleasure to see Wolf Alice again, and I’d try catch them before they inevitably go on to headline arenas.

Live Review: Don Broco

Album Review

This song hurts because it’s so true. No 20th birthday celebration is complete without howling Courteeners through vodka and tears.

- Kathle en

Following the release of their hugely successful sophomore album back in September last year, London rockers Wolf Alice made a triumphant return to the small stage of Gorilla last week in aid of War Child. Following in the footsteps of their fellow label counterparts The 1975 (who played an equally small venue last year), the band delivered a night full of energy and emotion all for a great cause. What’s not to love?

Opening with the dreamy ‘Heavenward’, Wolf Alice managed to lull the crowd in a trance-like state before packing a heavy punch with the riotous ‘Yuk Foo’. There was barely a moment to breathe between the two songs, and to see the audience dive in to a complete frenzy at the strum of a single chord is always a sight to behold.

Technical difficulties with one of the guitars caused the group to leave the stage but after ten minutes they were back and seemingly more energised than before. Steadily, the band churned

out hit after hit from both of their studio albums that took everyone on a rollercoaster of emotions, from melancholy to manic.

Their performance was heightened due to the fact they were all so electrifying. Theo Ellis on bass was almost animalistic at points, glaring into the crowd and enticing them to jostle about.

Frontwoman Ellie Rowsell herself was absolutely mesmerising and her vocal range beyond

- Not Nin rs

en For e

Tuesday 20th February, Gorilla

With its minimalist chorus and rich production, The Weeknd’s bonafide classic was an anthem for estranged first years.

e te

Wolf Alice team up with War Child UK and the BRITS to deliver a wild night full of ferocity that had the crowd howling for more, writes Music Contributor, Jake Oliver

d

- Can’t F l My Fac

Live Review: Wolf Alice

committed suicide on December 18th, 2017, aged 27.

SHINee was formed in 2008 by S.M. Entertainment (SM): the “Princes of K-pop” were renowned for brilliant live performances and award-winning dance routines.

SHINee were at the heart of fashion, Jonghyun in particular: not a spot on him anything but designer.

They brought skinny jeans to Korea. Musically, Jonghyun was also successful as a solo artist: ‘She Is’, 2016, topped Korean charts. In SHINee, though, he found most success: they were huge even before they broke Japan.

Hauntingly, Jonghyun seemed perfectly happy and relaxed performing concerts just days before his death. ‘Poet | Artist’, posthumously released, displays his wonderful range of vocal abilities across multiple genres. The anthemic pop song ‘Only One You Need’ is perhaps emblematic of his style, yet the final track, jazzy ballad ‘Before Our Spring’, now hangs in the memory most firmly of all. When he asks, will his winter leave, and a warmer, happier spring arrive?

SHINee’s dance routines were perfect. Of course, they were. Nothing less would have been tolerated. One line from the text he sent his sister shortly before his death stands out in particular. “Tell me I did well.”

Underneath the happy exterior of energetic K-pop tunes lies a draconian, corporate underworld. EXO, second in those social media charts, are put through brutal work schedules: members have been forced to perform through illness and dance while recovering from injury. Alongside singer-songwriter CL, EXO is set to perform at the 2018 Winter Olympics Closing Ceremony in Pyeongchang, South Korea, on February 25th. The entertainment companies who own them say they are “working extra hard” in preparation.

ee

Take a guess who the most tweeted-about celebrities were in 2017. Go on, guess. Taylor Swift? Nope. Justin Bieber? Incorrect. Beyoncé, Kim Kardashian, or Ariana Grande? All wrong.

The answer is Korean boyband BTS. Entering onto stage claiming the Billboard Social Award for just that feat, fans flexed their (typing) muscles, tweeting #BTSBBMAS more than 330 million times. Seoul-based SEVENTEEN came second.

2017 was no anomaly. Even after Justin Timberlake’s Superbowl performance, which 103m people watched, BTS reigned social media supreme. Now it’s EXO challenging for second, a year after coming online. Of course, K-pop is no stranger to viral success. Remember ‘Gangnam Style’? Of course you do. The video for Psy’s 18th single was the first YouTube video to break one billion views, now sitting happily at three billion after

topping 30 charts worldwide.

None of K-pop’s corporate backers could have predicted that the not-exactly-young and slightly-pastit Psy would be the one to break the genre into world stardom. Since this international recognition, however, these corporations have worked their stars even harder than before, capitalising on the success. K-pop had already been going 15 years before ‘Gangnam Style’ was universally known and constantly heard, only now it is an industry even more tightly controlled than before.

Corporate elites impose demanding lifestyles on performers, grooming musicians from young ages.

Stars are deprived of private lives and, hiding their problems, neglected treatment. Rising talents are put through intense competition and years of training.

Powerful management companies tie up young teens in contracts that last decades and control every aspect of their lives, from musical style to mobile phone use.

To maintain their wholesome image, no romantic relationships are allowed. Japanese star Minami Minegishi was forced to shave her head on video after a night with her boyfriend. Not even personal diets are outside the jurisdiction of these ruthless management agencies. In 2012, girl group Nine Muses revealed their ‘paper cup diet’ (all their meals had to fit inside a tiny paper cup).

Relentless pressure persists in South Korean society, all the way from unforgiving corporate cultures to the super-competitive education system. K-pop is no anomaly, unfortunately, nor is it an exception from the effects of these pressures. South Korea has the highest suicide rate in the industrialised world: Kim Jonghyun, lead singer of highly successful boyband SHINee,

by Music Contributor,Jay Plent

r ve

Photo: Sparking @ Wikimedia Commons

Here are a selection of the bangers you got down to in first year - reminisce before the end of your degree!

T

K-Pop in crisis? A controlling, corporate culture

Beneath a happy, energetic K-Pop exterior lies a draconian, corporate underworld, says Jack Greeney

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Feature

Music 13

ISSUE 17 / 26th FEBRUARY 2018 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

back room of the venue, it was clear that even before Jacob Allen/Puma Blue took to the stage, the audience of the 200-year-old Castle Hotel were in for an evening of transcendence. Lucy Lu firmly established his presence alongside his musical counterparts, particularly with his last 3 songs of the set which quickened the pace and really exhibited the instrumental talent of each musician.

South London singer and songwriter Jacob Allen produces a delicate persona, extracted from what I envision to be a lonely, bedroom-enclosed environment and brought to life through his stage name Puma Blue. By no means do I intend this as a criticism, in fact, the tightly enclosed feel that Puma Blue’s music possesses is exactly what makes it so genuine, raw and beautiful. There is nothing dishonest or fabricated infiltrating Puma Blue’s poetry. The exact same can be said about his live performances. His voice and ethereal guitar

Lyrically, Pianos shine as always. Vocalist Kyle Durfey stills paints vivid scenes with a poetic stroke as before. They do a great job of reflecting this new sound. Early Pianos work was way more upfront and honest, while here they help to paint a quiet mysticism.

Though I can’t help but miss those passionate hard vocals. It feels like a key element is missing and, while Kyle does a decent job, he isn’t anywhere as interesting as he was before.

The more time I give this album and the more I think about it, the more I start to develop an appreciation for it. But it’s a struggle.

Maybe I should be more open-minded and embrace the change. A lot of people did seem to love Keep You and if you are one of those people, then do listen to this album, as you’ll find lots to enjoy. I can only wish the best for Pianos in the future and hope they find success in their new sound, and I’ll always be grateful for those early works that captivated me so much.

5/10

The perfect soundtrack to your melancholy evenings, writes Music Contributor and Photographer, Olivia White playing laced with the aid of saxophone gestures undoubtedly raised the hairs on the back of his audience’s necks.

Puma Blue is better live than on record. I mean if you’ve ever listened to ‘Only Trying 2 Tell U’ or

‘(She’s) Just a Phase’, you’ll know how outrageous this claim may be, but I can assure you that it is the truth. Allen’s vocals infuse the air with a hypnotic and graceful texture complimenting his reflective and poetic lyricism. His use of dubbed synth beats, haunting bass tones and outstanding sax parts create a particular form of communication. Almost as if each part is intrinsically woven into the main lyrical narrative to support Puma Blue’s emotional journeys and to reinforce the sense of torture and longing presented so clearly throughout each track.

Next time it’s dark and raining, plug your headphones in and put ‘Only Trying 2 Tell U’ on full volume. You’re welcome.

9/10 Photo: Olivia White@ The Mancunion

Games 15

ISSUE 17 / 26th FEBRUARY 2018 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Feature Album

E3 2018: A look ahead

Our thoughts on this year’s upcoming E3 2018

Review

Kingdom Come: Deliverance

Plenty of potential but not enough polish from Warhorse’s debut game

Danny Jones Reporter

EXEC ELECTIONS VOTE to change the future of your Students’ Union

1-8 MARCH VOTE Opens: Thursday 1 March VOTE Closes: Thursday 8 March 5pm www.manchesterstudentsunion.com/execelections www.manchesterstudentsunion.com

The year is full of gaming conventions: Gamescom, GDC, PAX; but nothing compares to one — one glorious gaming extravaganza; the holy grail, if you will; the event we anxiously wait for all year round: E3.

As I’m sure you were all witness to, last year we were treated to some absolute gems. Some of the big hitters like Assassin’s Creed: Origins and Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus received glowing receptions and even titles such as Far Cry 5, A Way Out and Bioware’s new IP, Anthem, look set to reach similar heights.

Last year’s stars also took some really unexpected turns.

Whilst its fair to say that many of us were more than impressed by the look of Battlefront II, what we actually got was the gaming equivalent of the prequels: highly-anticipated but much maligned in reality, and arguably the same can be said about Shadow of War — but let’s not give microtransactions any more air-time shall we?

On the positive side: the likes of Monster Hunter World, which flew under the radar amongst the swarm of AAAs, is making a real case for game of the year; also, whilst it is hard to see any Super Mario game as anything but iconic, Odyssey’s success has been outstanding, selling just under 500 copies a minute in its first 3 days—making it the best-selling title on Nintendo Switch.

That being said, if we’re chalking up E3 2017 as a big one — whether that be good or bad overall — we’re surely going to need a new list of superlatives to describe how awesome this year’s conference is shaping up.

First things first, in case you haven’t read our ‘What to expect in 2018’, we here in the gaming section at The Mancunion have some personal favourites that we know many are dying to see.

So, why don’t we start with what I personally predicted to win “Best of Show” in June: Red Dead Redemption 2.

Believe it or not, it’s been nearly 8 years since we first grabbed the proverbial reins and took control of John Marston in Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption - even GTA V is already coming up on 5 years. Given that we’ve already had 2 trailers – one a teaser and the other more cinematic – it only seems fair that Rockstar gives us a more detailed playthrough to get us ready for October.

What I’m interested in is seeing how this instalment lines up narratively with the previous game, as it seems that this is, in fact, a prequel given that the name Dutch — a big character in RDR — was revealed in the second trailer, as well as seeing how the hugely fun multiplayer might have evolved.

Whilst I’m betting that more Red Dead footage is a dead cert, most people are driving themselves insane with the thought of what the other big boys in the gaming industry might surprise us with this E3, and whilst we’re talking of games you didn’t realise were so old, although Wolfenstein was a great game: in truth it wasn’t the release most Bethesda fans were waiting for.

Bethesda Softworks tend to stick to 7-year period between their high-profile releases, and given that the last cycle was Fallout 4 and Skyrim is as far back as 2011, it doesn’t seem too farfetched for us to finally revisit Tamriel. Disregarding remasters and the largely different game that was The Elder Scrolls Online, we haven’t yet seen a truly current-gen Elder Scrolls. Fingers crossed!

Now, no E3 is arguably complete without a customary Call of Duty game—I know what you’re thinking: “WWII has only just dropped!”. Point is, even if you’re like me and you’re not a big fan of COD, it epitomises the annual release policy alongside the likes of FIFA and Assassin’s Creed.

Even though many of us might prefer a Battlefield 5 — which isn’t entirely unfeasible —, it’s more likely that we’ll see the usual alternation with Treyarch and Black Ops 4 build on the relative resurgence of the franchise we saw at the end of 2017.

Some notable mentions for this year’s E3 too. There are many games that were teased at last year’s convention that have drip-fed little more information beyond the title; ones to watch are the likes of Beyond Good and Evil 2; an absolutely wacky looking game of massive scale, as well as Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding, which remains the ultimate enigma in gaming right now.

Moreover, the aforementioned Anthem, which got a resounding applause when it debuted last year, looks to be the next big open-world RPG with co-op à la The Division or Ghost Recon: Wildlands. Oh, and how could I forget? The Last Of Us Part II! I need that storytelling perfection in my life.

And finally, it’s always fun to look at your Christmas list, if you will, of rare Pokémon and veritable pipe dream games that you’ve been waiting for. I’m not going to be so unoriginal as to recycle the dead meme of “Waiting for Half-Life 3 like…”, but there are other series might just have lain dormant long enough to catch us off guard.

We’re thinking of games like Fable, Skate, Diablo; series that have more than a sufficient fan-base who will throw money at the very mention. Some selfish desires of my own would be something like a new Killzone or a console aimed Civilization title. I know I won’t be entirely indulged and neither will you, but E3 always gives you what you need even before you knew you needed it. Roll on June!

7/10

Jeremy Bijl Games Editor

From the beginning of its kickstarter, Kingdom Come: Deliverance promised one thing above all else: realism.

This commitment to subverting many of the tropes of other RPGs of the past couple of decades and to creating a historically accurate Bohemia can be seen visually, mechanically and narratively, all over the game.

Warhorse have crafted a truly beautiful representation of the Czech rural countryside: a sprawling pastoral countryscape filled with handcrafted villages, towns, and encampments. It not only looks great, but it feels authentic and real.

From the thickly wooded forests to the pastoral rural villages to the larger towns, Kingdom Come: Deliverance’s world was truly a joy to behold.

Even things which are usually run of the mill, like the map and time-dial, were lovingly realised; they were not only deeply aesthetically pleasing, but also influenced by the medieval imagery of contemporary Bohemia.

This was slightly let down by an evident lack of money and/or time to spend on really fleshing this world out with life. Whilst quest-givers and key characters were evidently well designed and written, the majority of NPCs in Bohemia were bland, generic and shared large chunks of dialogue. Given that every conversation you initiate requires a short loading screen, this could occasionally pull you out of the immersiveness of the world.

Adding to this, the dialogue is often clunky and contrived, especially that about the main plot.

One ‘activity’ — as the game called it — sticks out.

I went on a walk with an intended love interest, only for her to run off shouting, “last one there’s a slimy slug” before sprinting to the next cutscene.

Said cutscene was no less cringy.

The plot itself, however, is satisfyingly smallscale, which makes a refreshing change to the grandiose narrative preferred by many RPGs. In Kingdom Come, you play as Henry, a lowly

blacksmith’s son who gets caught up in the midst of a conflict arising from the 15th century Czech civil war.

The plot does a really good job in making you very much a pawn in the course of events: you are not the nation’s saviour or the unwitting leader of a revolution, but one man caught up in a conquest bigger than himself.

Don’t get me wrong: Warhorse still gives you enough to do. The main story, which moves along as something you are privy to, rather than a shaper of, still puts you in action-based roles which keeps the missions enjoyable.

The main benefit of this decentered, smallscale plot is that it allows you to be much freer in how you play Henry than other RPGs might have allowed. Although the game occasionally requires you to fight a boss or do something virtuous, you are, for the most part, free to be a deceitful, twofaced, self-serving coward when you see fit.

In one rather large skirmish, for example, I hid behind the vanguard of allied soldiers, only occasionally jabbing through the melee when my opponent’s backs were turned before retreating behind the safety of my human shields.

Elsewhere, I unashamedly used a bow in a one on one sword fight, reminiscent of the iconic Indiana Jones scene.

This was not because of any aversion to swordfighting — rather my inability to beat the boss in hand-to-hand combat. Indeed, swordplay is one of the game’s biggest strengths.

Unlike the hack and slash or button-based systems employed by most other video games which see you use a sword, Kingdom Come employs a five-pronged reticle which gives you the option of where to strike and from what position.

This combat system is enriched by an intuitive yet hard-to-master network of feints, dodges, blocks, combos and misdirections which make swordplay tense and complex, but also frenetic and deeply satisfying.

Unfortunately, like many other parts of the game, the finer details of combat lack a bit a polish. The automatic lock-on targeting system is a particularly irritating example of this, as is mounted combat, which is basic and often glitchy. Archery, too, needed some more time with play-testers. The absence of a reticle, allied with Henry’s inability to hold the bow anywhere near still or for any length of time, make it far harder than its worth.

Adding to the sense that Kingdom Come: Deliverance is a little bit undercooked is just how buggy it. From minor visual bugs to mid-range performance bugs to game breakers (or at least save-breakers), I encountered them all. I saw four NPCs occupying one physical space, horses caught eternally in mid-air, and combatants spinning in ceaseless circles.

Whilst it is easy to poke fun at these relatively unobtrusive visual bugs, the more serious ones were much more problematic. For example, I managed to irreversibly break Miller Peshek, a major quest-giver and buyer of stolen goods, by stealing from him in a mission in which he asked me to steal from him — he promptly had me arrested and is now stuck on the same dialogue line, the snake.

Elsewhere, I woke up in Talmberg to find a bandit from Pribyslavits shouting at me for trespassing… in Pribyslavits. He then initiated a fight, but the intervening loading screen was obviously as confused as me because the game promptly crashed, sending me back to my last save.

This was compounded by the games infuriating save system, which allows you a finite amount of saves based on how many ‘saviour schapps’ you have or else makes you rely on autosaves, which are few and far between. Given the relative difficulty of the game and its tendency to jump combat on you unexpectedly, death is a frequent feature of Kingdom Come: Deliverance, meaning that the save system often made me replay unusually large chunks of gameplay and consequently lose my momentum.

Jason Schreier recently published a book called Blood, Sweat and Pixels. In it, he talks about how kick-started games have to play by slightly different rules: once they run out of money, it’s out, and there is no publisher to run to. In other words, kick-started games eventually hit a hard release wall where they have to release the product or start burning into their own money, negating potential profit.

This can be seen very clearly in Kingdom Come.

I can’t fault its outstanding ambition, originality, art design or one-on-one swordplay, but its very clear where resources haven’t been available and where time has been short.

With the game selling well, I would expect many of the problems with the game to be retrospectively fixed, but until then, too much holds Deliverance back from delivering.

Review

Review: Shadow of the Colossus (PS4) The 2005 PlayStation 2 classic makes a glorious and immensely nostalgic return

9/10

Jamie McEvoy Deputy Films Editor

Upon release, the PlayStation 2’s Shadow of the Colossus rapidly became renowned for its extraordinary graphics, innovative style, and captivating narrative. It was years ahead of its time, and prompted an overwhelmingly positive reaction from both critics and gamers, many touting it as one of the best video games ever made.

13 years on, and the masterpiece from Team Ico (the developers responsible for cult hit Ico, to which Shadow of the Colossus is known as a spiritual sequel) is making headlines again, this time on the PlayStation 4.

Players control Wander – a young man who has travelled to a mysterious and forbidden land in order to revive Mono: a lifeless girl who he has brought with him. In order to achieve salvation for his companion, he must defeat various ‘Colossi’ – enormous, armoured goliaths which are a combination of beast, rock, and earth. Each creature has a different Achilles’ heel which the player must seek and focus their attack on – usually only accessible by climbing up the titan

as it strives to shake off its assailant. Upon defeat of these creatures, Wander loses consciousness, to wake at the temple where he has left Mono, before setting out to seek the next Colossus.

Don’t be mistaken – this is far from a hack and slash RPG. Each battle with the protagonist’s adversaries requires a tactical approach and patience. The monsters all have a different Achilles’ heel, which must be targeted in order to emerge triumphant. However, none of these victories evoke joy or pride from the player – as gargantuan and imposing as the enemies are, many are docile and are merely protecting their home from an intruder. It is hard to think of another title which plunges its audience into such a sense of discomfort and moral ambiguity through its gameplay.

When Sony announced this remake back in 2017, there was a mixed response. Did a game which still stood up to the test of time really need to be tweaked, especially seeing as a PS3remastering had already been made? Was there the risk of ruining an already perfect product?

Thankfully, this PS4 restoration by Bluepoint Games hardly changes a thing.

The original was beautiful enough with 2005-standard visuals, but after the addition of ultra-high definition art assets in the remake, it is now absolutely stunning. The first glimpse of one of Wander’s titanic foes is breath-taking, but equally is the wilderness players must traverse through. It is easy to accidentally spend hours

just exploring the desolate setting without any narrative progression, but this is by no means a fault. A ‘Photo Mode’ has been added to allow players to screenshot specific moments in their adventures, which is an excellent way to capture moments of beauty and awe which the game is rife with.

The only criticism of the original that could possibly be made, would be its over-ambition. At times, the PlayStation 2 appeared to struggle with rendering some of the environment’s features – water and fog in particular. However, in this current-gen revival, this is a problem of the past, with modern consoles being more than capable of coping with these features.

A nice touch by Bluepoint Games is the addition of post-completion awards, which allow those who have played through the entirety of the game to attempt various challenges to unlock items, as well as a ‘Mirrored World’ which allows for mirrored gameplay of the entirety of the game. These are small embellishments, yet add further longevity and replay value.

A work of art as much as a jaw-dropping game which transcends the limits of genre, it is wonderful to see Shadow of the Colossus redefined in high definition and with extra dimensions added. There is a whole world of pointless, cash-grabbing remasters and reboots out there, but with a game that is so gripping and melancholically beautiful, this certainly isn’t one of them.

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Fashion & Beauty

Are the British really more fashion-conscious than the French?

Can us Brits learn something from French fashion values? Writes Ellie Fraser Meet Paris, a city home to fashion’s in-crowd – designers and models alike. Parisians are world-renowned for their effortlessly chic and beautifully refined style.

So it may come as a surprise to hear that out of 26 EU countries, Britain that spends more on fashion than France – coming in at 8th in a recent survey carried out by Eurostat. France however, ranked 23rd. Whilst the average Briton spends £1000 a year on new clothes, the average French person tends to part with a lesser £600.

Although I do not believe this is in a bid to compete with our superiorly stylish French cousins, there are some lessons we can learn from their ‘less is more’ precept. French women tend to buy clothes of a finer quality, but less frequently. They look for luxury and transitional ‘investment’ pieces in order to

Talita Von Furstenberg unveiled as her Grandmother DVF’s new muse

Talita Von Furstenberg’s appointment marks a new age in millennial fashion for the brand, writes Fashion and Beauty Editor Talia Lee-Skudder

curate a simplified yet ‘très-chic’ wardrobe.

What is more, they turn their back on trends in favour of a distinctively individual look.

‘Fashion’s fade, style is eternal’ – Yves Saint Laurent The viral trend of the ‘capsule wardrobe’ among fashion’s blogging community is perhaps an attempt to emulate this refined yet elegant Parisian style. An idea popularised by Donna Karan (founder of DKNY) in the 1980s, it has been snapped-up

by Voguish millennials whom use instagram to share their collection with their thousands of followers. The concept however is simple: choose key interchangeable pieces made from high-quality fabrics.

Perhaps then, we should look to the French (think Brigitte Bardot in the 1960s) and their sustainable ‘buy better’ attitude to fashion.

Say au revoir to trends and hello to timeless, beautifully tailored and well-fitted slim jeans, cashmere sweaters, blazers and (of course) the LBD.

“Perhaps we should

Photo: Kristine@Flickr

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say au revoir to trends and hello to timeless, beautifully tailored items ”

Choose neutrals (black, navy, white, and nude) over colours to see you through the seasons and add a much-needed versatility to your newly-simplified wardrobe. When it comes to accessories: think minimal. Opt for one eye-catching yet elegant piece and don’t forget a daring red lip! French women are effortlessly sexy without showing too much cleavage or leg – so don’t shy away from a staple turtleneck. But, most importantly dress for yourself and feel good doing so. After all, fashion is about finding your signature look.

Rottingdean Bazaar

Forget New York, this quaint English hideyhole has come into the fashion forefront. By Deputy Fashion and Beauty Editor Sophie Walsh

Photo: projects.rottingdeanbazaar.com

This season showcases the first collection since Jonathan Saunders departed as creative director of Diane Von Furstenberg and Nathan Jenden once again took over the role, having previously occupied it from 2001 to 2010. Before revealing the new collection, DVF announced through her Instagram page that her 18-year-old granddaughter would be her new muse.

Talita is now modelling the Fall 2018 collection, wearing the classic DVF prints and an updated version of the brand’s iconic wrap dress. Talita’s role as her grandmother’s new muse revitalizes the brand and makes it more current for the younger generation, showing that a wrap dress is not just for the elder women out there but can also be a super cool style for the millennials.

The seventies style geometric print jumpsuits are an example of clothing that can traverse generations.

It can easily be worn dressed up with heels or worn casually and teamed with the hottest footwear of choice at the moment trainers.

By enlisting Talita as the face of the brand, the fashion house has successfully bridged the gap of two generations between working women and the

millennials. Jenden has said that Talita, like her grandmother, embodies the spirit of the brand, and describes them both as ‘inspirational women across generations.’

It was also revealed that he and Talita are in talks for creating a TVF by DVF capsule collection, which, if it comes to fruition, will no doubt prove to be a major hit with millennials, especially if Talita is fronting the campaign.

Talita is now based in Washington where she is studying international relations at Georgetown.

Speaking to Vogue, she said that whilst she is happy completing her studies, she definitely sees fashion in her future stating that design and styling really interest her. Her line TVF for DVF will able to be balanced alongside her University work.

When DVF made the announcement on her Instagram page she referred to Talita’s first experience in the fashion industry when she accompanied her grandmother and Jenden to the PITTI fair in Florence when she was just nine years old. With such a fabulous duo, it is inevitable that this new business venture will be a roaring success — it’s in their genes, after all.

Fashion season is back and New York kicked it all off for us with a series of trends to see us through summer and into autum, writes Maddie Rodbert

A summary of New York Fashion Week The theme of the season is throwbacks, and the trends that came out this fashion week were no exception, so here’s a quick rundown of the most popular trends that will be coming into (and back into) fashion for autumn/winter 2018.

Be prepared for a lot of bright eye popping colours and bold prints. A lot of designers

Rottingdean, a coastal village on the arse end of Brighton. Home to St Margaret’s Parish Church, a cricket club, the “best fish and chips ever” according to a Trip Advisor review in 2017, and acclaimed fashion designers for London Fashion Week. Hang on, what? Yep. This quaint English hidey-hole has come into the fashion forefront recently after the formation of the Rottingdean Bazaar, a non-brand brand of ironic fashion experiments. It was formed in 2015 by James Theseus Buck and Luke Brook, who live and work in a tiny studio flat in the village. It’s basically a big old piss-take of high fashion. Taking influence from day-to-day life, they turn gardening tools and cheese boards into (semi) wearable items.

Their Autumn/Winter 2018/19 collection show at London Fashion Week. Men’s was opened by a bird whistler and closed with a dartboard hat and cardboard cut-out accessory of Naomi Campbell.

The models of all ages, heights, shapes, and sizes walked out to a trance rendition of Greensleeves, emphasising both their Ye Olde Village roots and appreciation for the UK rave scene of neighbouring Brighton. It’s just very British, a tongue in cheek exploration of the weird and wonderful eccentricities of village life, from the nutty bird watcher to the ruddy-cheeked pub ‘local’. The audience reaction was mixed, from those with knowing smiles who chuckled at the relatable cultural references, to the few stonyfaced iPhone camera enthusiasts furiously recording every movement in baffled confusion.

So, how have these two normal lads who enjoy “cleaning, cooking, going to car-boot sales, and buying reed diffusers” reached so far? I think there was a well-needed space for a chuckle

in the fashion world, an industry often at the centre of controversy and critical issues, where melancholic models and monochromatic designers were well overdue a decent belly laugh.

All jokes aside, these two fashion graduates of Central Saint Martins have also created well considered and far from unprofessional pieces.

For example, the pressed flower sweatshirt was a sensation in Selfridges and the line has been a celebrity hit. Never losing the allimportant humour, all Brooks had to say of the notorious garden rake dress Rita Ora wore at the MTV Europe Music awards was that it simply reminded him “of summer fairs and parades.”

This amalgamation of irony, fun, and eccentricity has also caught the eye of major publications. In less than three years they have been featured in Dazed, Man About Town, and PYLOT magazine to name a few.

For those of you who read this article and fancy yourself adorned in spanners, you will be disappointed. With one expectant click to the Online Shop, you are greeted with a 404 Page Not Found message. The page you requested does not exist. Click here to continue shopping’ notification. Wi-Fi playing up? Laptop on the blink? Nope. Yet another sly giggle from the boys more likely. If you would like a slice of the action keep your eyes peeled for releases in major department stores. Or look to www.smiffys.com, B&Q, and Hobbycraft for decent dupes.

Bazaar in name and bizarre by nature, Rottingdean Bazaar might not be for everyone but by god, the village pub does a mean cauliflower cheese says Nicky from East Grinstead.

Design disasters lead Alexander McQueen: to H & M controversy eight years on

Photo: 134295115@N03@Flickr

Photo: parisinfourmouths @ Flickr

As a modern hub for culture, art and, of course, fashion, it is only fitting that such a historic season was launched in New York.

Alexander Wang announced he would no longer be showcasing his collections at fashion week, Marchesa cancelled their show in the wake of scandal and Jeremy Scott brought back Moon Boots. Momentous all round.

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followed in the footsteps of the spring/summer fashion week of September last year with bright, sunshine yellows and audacious pinks.

As the eighties gets its revival on the runway, magenta is the way forward with the shift from staple red to staple pink for autumn as a warm tone to add to your cold weather wardrobe.

Animal prints are a similar statement piece that dominated the New York runway.

Designers like Tom Ford and Carolina Herrera gave a makeover to the leopard print style most of us remember as something from our cringe worthy teen years and pair it with the bright, block colours that have been so popular. Speaking of 2008 throwbacks, when I watched the catwalk shows from last week I was instantly transported back to a time when the Gossip Girl characters were still at school and Blair Waldorf dominated high society fashion at Constance Billard.

In a throwback we probably should have predicted, coloured tights are back in.

From neons to pastels, brands this year are

indicating that you should throw out your boring black tights and invest in something that would make 2008 Upper East Side proud.

Nostalgic designs also made a comeback in the form of what Elle calls ‘your Working Girl reboot’. The two piece suit rose in favour at the fashion shows last year has had a few tweaks as designers move from trouser to skirt-suits á la Melanie Griffith and Sigourney Weaver.

Jason Wu and Calvin Klein keep it classic with dark greys and pinstripes, while Gabriela Hearst added a pastel pink twist to her suit designs.

If you take anything from any of the fashion weeks this season it’s to pull out all your own vintage as well as your parents and try to channel a look that reflects your inner eighties child with two pieces, bright colours and extravagant patterns. Autumn and winter this year are getting a bright colour reboot that Tess McGill and Blair Waldorf could not be prouder.

H & M continue to generate controversy through blunders in the design of their clothes, writes Deputy Fashion and Beauty Editor Amy Nguyen In a contemporary world focused on cultural appropriateness and racial sensitivity, one would probably not believe their very eyes to view the recent garment of controversy produced by high street retailer H & M. In January, a printed hooded top was advertised on their website modelled by a young black child. The word imprinted on the material read “coolest monkey in the jungle”. With historically racist connotations resulting from comparisons of Africans to apes, this was probably not the best creative angle to take on child merchandise.

How did this slip through the net of brand and art directors? Rightfully so, a severe social media backlash ensued, popularised by #BoycottH&M and denounced by R n B artist The Weeknd, stating he would no longer be collaborating with the company on future campaigns.

Following these events, the company issued a public apology and hired a ‘Diversity Director’ in order to avoid future mishaps.

How sincere this apology truly was fell under scrutiny, as merely a fortnight later another hiccup occurred — this time out of concerns over their sensitivity to religious beliefs. In this instance, an entire range of socks were recalled following a pattern closely resembling Allah meaning ‘God’ in Arabic. It was quickly identified, and another social media storm occurred.

They issued the below statement regarding the blunder: “At H&M we always aim to offer products that we believe our customers will appreciate, the print on this sock represents a Lego figurine, any other meaning is entirely coincidental and we apologise if

Rona McCann writes how McQueen’s legacy lives on through the creative direction of his successor Sarah Burton

Photo: www.hm.com

this motif has offended anyone.”

To add to the cohort of blunders, prior to this the store removed a hoodie bearing the words “Dogfight in Random Alley” from its stores after animal rights organisation Peta complained that it sent a “dangerous” message.

“shares of retail

giant H & M were down more than a third over the last year ” At the close of only last month it was reported that shares of retail giant H & M were down more than a third over the last year, falling by a substantial 5.8%. Whilst there’s no concrete evidence that this is correlated with the controversies the retail giant has been involved with, the corporation may need to rethink its design approval process and revamp its overall strategy to sustain any type of edge in what is an increasingly saturated market.

In February 2010 Alexander McQueen’s untimely death shook the world. Whilst many become legends after they die, McQueen had already become one of a sort in life, having injected brilliance into the realm of high fashion tailoring and patterns with his ingenious, maverick designs. Known for pushing the boundaries of elegance, prints, and structure in his work, it’s hard to see McQueen’s designs as anything other than art.

Of course, push the boundaries too far and you will not be shy of controversy (take collections dominated by fur garments and the ‘bumster’ trouser debuted in 1994, whose waistline was maybe just a little too low). The house of Alexander McQueen, however, truly has been a leader in its field, from being forever forwardly experimental with texture and cuts to hosting the first catwalk show to feature an amputee model.

Since 2010, Manchester-raised Sarah Burton has been creative director of the brand. She had worked closely with McQueen for the fourteen years leading up to his death, starting as an intern following the recommendation of a Central Saint Martins tutor who saw her potential and soon becoming a skilled collaborator of the designing force. It seemed only right that it was Burton who would step up for the top job. Suffering expected scrutiny initially, Burton quickly made her mark.

Whilst keeping to McQueen’s trademark themes of clean-cut tailoring and using a vast range of intricate textiles, in recent collections we can see flashes of Burton’s love of nature in the bold floral patterns featured and a sense of theatricality found in layered, ruffled organza dresses.

Alexander McQueen is a favourite among many notable figures. Kate Middleton, whose famous wedding dress was designed by Burton, is regularly seen attending regal events in the label’s gowns. Pop sensation Lady Gaga became known for donning the designer’s more out-there fits in her early years of fame and remains to loyal to the brand, even bidding a staggering £190,000 for three pairs of its rare ‘Armadillo’ 12” heels at a 2015 charity auction.

During his life, McQueen held a passion for supporting young creatives. Sarabande, the foundation created in his honour with the help of his estate, has to date spent over £10 million helping gifted, innovative students of fashion,

Photo: synaes@Flickr

fine art, and jewellery design maximise their potential. The institute, which subsidies living fees and provides accessible workspace in an otherwise inaccessible market of eye-wateringly expensive London studio space, encourages its artists to experiment and push boundaries, providing aid and inspiration from McQueen’s former peers and experts in each field.

Eight years on and the impact of McQueen still spreads further than just what we wear. He introduced the world to new ways of artistic thinking through genuine creativity and has given a voice to the expressive. It may be a while before we see a talent quite like him.

Film

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Review

The Shape of Water

Photo: Allociné.fr

Guillermo Del Toro strikes gold with a beautiful meditation on love, humanity and fantasy which has made quite the splash

Jamie McEvoy Deputy Film Editor A true master of the cinematic fable, Guillermo Del Toro’s career bloomed with Cronos in 1993 – a supernatural tale with a biting subtext on South America’s relationship with the United States, before he delved into the Spanish Civil War in The Devil’s Backbone (2001). Two years after subverting the superhero genre in 2004 with Hellboy, he returned to Francoist Spain to create Pan’s Labyrinth. It was this 2007 Academy Award winner which has since been regarded his masterpiece, and was presumed to never be bested by the Mexican auteur. Or so we thought.

It is Cold War United States. Elisa (Sally Hawkins), a mute cleaner employed at a Baltimore military research facility, lives contently yet quietly in a flat above a cinema. Her neighbour is a struggling artist who is a closeted homosexual and her only

other friend is Zelda (Octavia Spencer) – her vivacious African-American colleague whose entertaining rants fill the void left

by Elisa’s aural impediment. One day, whilst scrubbing the floors of a laboratory, the two women stumble across a mysterious, humanoid amphibian, held by the government for scientific purposes. Elisa rapidly develops a bond with the creature through sign language, but the malign intentions of Michael Shannon’s Colonel Strickland spell peril for the creature and the love blossoming between the pair. Aided by her neighbour and Zelda, Elisa hatches a plan to rescue the creature.

Upon first glance, it might seem like a Spielberg-esque action picture, but this could not be further from the truth. As are all of Del Toro’s greatest works, his latest project is a tale in which romance is the driving force, and it is its partnerships with horror and the fantastical which gives the director’s films such fervour and ingenuity.

The first encounter between Elisa and the creature echoes that between Ofelia and ‘El Fauno’ in Pan’s Labyrinth; both moments of fear but also beauty and awe (interestingly it is Doug Jones who plays both creatures, as well as Hellboy’s Abe Sapien – a character with an eerily striking resemblance to Jones’ latest amphibian).

The way which Del Toro transforms something so monstrous into a source of such endearment and tranquillity is astounding, but in The Shape of Water he builds on this, throwing romance into the mix. In live action it is infinitely difficult to attach love to an inhuman creation such as this amphibious creature – a problem 2017’s Beauty and the Beast faced – yet Del Toro pulls it off sublimely. Eyebrows may be raised at the idea of a woman and a scaly ‘fish-man’ being romantically involved, but not once did I find myself questioning the ethics of the relationship. Everything about the scenes which the two characters share is just mes-

merising and Del Toro, just as he has done in previous works, somehow makes the unbelievable and preposterous completely plausible.

It is easy to draw parallelisms between The Shape of Water and Beauty and the Beast – but there are arguably equal similarities with James Whale’s Frankenstein (1931) and even Alex Garland’s Ex Machina (2015). The appearance and tone of the film is littered with nods and homages to cinema – the creaky, claustrophobic flats which Elisa lives in almost resembles the apartment building from Delicatessen (1991) and there are constant references to old Hollywood musicals such as Royal Wedding (1951). However, despite all the allusion and pastiche, this gem from Del Toro undoubtedly stands on its own two feet.

Michael Shannon is chillingly brooding as always, offering the narrative its oppressive, cold-hearted antagonist. Just like in all good fairy tales, there has to be a villain, and Shannon fills these boots effortlessly.

His cruel desire to destroy something so beautiful in the creature and its relationship with Elisa harks back to the fascist Capitan Vidal in Pan’s Labyrinth, both characters embodying evil and greed.

At the heart of the film’s brilliance however, is Hawkins’ performance. It was a stroke of genius by Del Toro to cast the English actress as the lead – a decision which Hawkins has said she struggled to believe even during production. Despite receiving Best Supporting Actress nominations for her role in Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine (2013), she is by no means an A-list star, and had one been cast as Elisa, The Shape of Water would have been an entirely different film, robbing the character of its sympathetic and understated charm.

After Three Billboards Outside E bbing, Missouri, it appeared the Best Film Oscar would be a shoo-in for Martin McDonagh’s critically acclaimed drama. However, Guilermo Del Toro appears to have given the Academy real headache with this magical fairy tale which could very well blow its opposition out of the water.

5/5

Review

I, Tonya

Photo: Allocine.ffr

A fantastically heart-breaking inside look into a sporting scandal that rocked the world Photo: Allociné.fr

Sana Ditta Film Contributor Unlike many other sport biopics (Hollywood churns out a lot), I, Tonya does not tell the rags-to-riches story of Tonya Harding. It instead focuses on the downfall of the disgraced Olympian and the events leading up to what is referred to as “The Incident”.

The infamous Harding vs. Kerrigan attack is told in a mockumentary style and often breaks the fourth-wall to denounce wild stories that were reported by the media at the time.

During the weeks leading up to the 1994 Winter Olympics, rival Nancy Kerrigan is attacked and suffers from a leg injury resulting in her withdrawing from the Championships. Both Kerrigan and Harding manage to make the Olympic team.

What follows is a media frenzy and huge sporting controversy resulting in theories over whether Harding herself orchestrated or knew of the attack. This dark comedy depicts the life of Harding from her childhood through The Incident and into present-day.

Margot Robbie plays Harding — the figure-skater that the world loved to hate

— remarkably, and it’s clear to see why she was nominated for best actress. Portraying Harding from the teen years onwards, it is evident to see Robbie mature into the character and through the life-altering choices she makes.

During her childhood, Harding is forced to skate by her abusive mother LaVona (Allison Janney) who gives a stellar performance in a striking role. LaVona is vicious, unapologetic, and monstrous yet Janney infuses a layer of comedy into the film.

In her teens, Harding meets Jeff Gillooly (Sebastian Stan) who begins to physically abuse her too, the two eventually marry and embark in an on-again, off-again relationship.

Tonya’s self-appointed body guard Shawn Eckhardt also adds humour by the sheer ridiculousness of his grandiose statements (which are later seen to be lifted from real interviews). Despite all this, Tonya swiftly becomes one of the best figure-skaters in the United States and is the first U.S. female skater to perform the nearly-impossible triple-axel.

Director Craig Gillespie manages to effortlessly portray Harding’s childhood, teen, and Olympic years as well as her

in present-day confessional interviews.

Gillespie’s quick – almost hazardous – scenes manage to capture the teenage naivety, defensive skating, frustrating marriage, and conflicting life of Tonya Harding with ease. This is further amplified by Robbie’s exceptional acting as she grows with the strong and complex character. Choosing to address the audience directly during reenactments manages to convey the utter bizarreness of some of the alleged events of the time. However, choosing Robbie to play Harding at 15, is inept and slightly unbelievable. Likewise, so is the decision to stay silent on Kerrigan’s perspective who is barely seen.

The script manages to incorporate dark humour but also relay the fact that it is a tragic story with grave costs for many.

Scriptwriter Steven Rogers manages to depict the chaotic, eccentric, and overlyambitious athlete that is Tonya Harding.

Yet Rogers also manages to find the balance between humour and the violence Harding endured at the hands of her mother and husband. Harding acknowledges said abuse but continues that the ultimate abuser was all of us; the audience. Choosing to focus the narrative around several unreliable

narrators further highlights the heavy contradiction in the interviews and that we may never know the whole truth.

But it is the unexpected emotional elements that hit the hardest. Harding is ostracised by the judges for being unconventional and not a typical ice princess. She is shunned by many for her low-class and redneck lifestyle. However, the film also jokes about this perhaps highlighting the similarities between then and now. The film emotionally resonates with us all, Harding is an underdog who defies all odds and is a great skater but is often unfairly treated over things she cannot control. The dismissive nature of the judges, the harsh media backlash, and Harding reminiscing about her skating days is heart-breaking to watch.

It’s the morbid curiosity that sensationalised the events in 1994, but it’s the same downfall that we are all watching once more. One this is for sure, Tonya Harding was meant for greatness, but it was stolen from her in many ways.

4/5

Interview Photo: Allocine.ffr

In Conversation with Andrey Zvyagintsev Andrey talks about where his love of film began and his views on how it is to be an artist in Russia, and jokes about his upcoming comedy about Manchester United considered the film “Russophobic”, despite never having seen it. 48 per cent of people who called in said yes. The reaction in Russia was certainly unambiguous, but there were more positive appraisals and enthusiasm too.”

The Russian authorities, having previously supported Andrey’s work,

James Gill & Elizabeth Rushton Film Critic and Books Editor & Film Contributor

“There were several radical comments, even from notable figures in the political sphere, suggesting that certain artists ought to go out on to Red Square and ask for forgiveness from the entire Russian people.”

1500 miles from Moscow, director Andrey Zvyagintsev is held in a much higher regard. His latest work Loveless, about a divorcing couple whose son disappears, won the Jury Prize at Cannes, and his Q&A after our interview at HOME is completely sold out.

We meet in a stylish little bar adjacent to a cinema. Myself, joined by Elizabeth acting as translator, and Andrey, joined by his producer Alexander Rodnyanksy.

Andrey had a matter of fact appearance, wearing a plain grey t-shirt, blue jeans, and brown shoes.

Andrey is a calculated man. As he was asked each question he paused to ponder it for a few moments, formulating his answer.

When at last he gave his responses he spoke with such assurance that, although I couldn’t understand a single word, I was gripped.

Alexander, on the other hand, had his chair facing slightly away from us, as if he could not be less interested. He spent the entire interview fixated on his phone, seemingly unable to reply to the wave of notifications faster than they came.

I became doubtful of his participation in the conversation yet, sporadically, he would lift his eyes to look over to Andrey, or Elizabeth, or myself and contribute as if he was sat on the edge of his seat as I was, hanging onto every word. Alexander has mastered the skill of appearing oblivious and I was amazed.

Growing up in Novosibirsk, Russia, Andrey can pinpoint the exact film that sparked his love of cinema, Michelangelo Antonioni’s L’Avventura. He described seeing it as a turning point in his creative destiny, which changed his beliefs of what cinema, and its language, could be.

“I came out of the cinema and it was as if I couldn’t move – I was in the street with my friend, and he was chattering away,

saying, “come on, hurry up, let’s go!”, but all I could say was “Yuri, be quiet, just give me a minute…”. I’m convinced, but it’s just my opinion, that Tarkovsky [the revered and influential Soviet director] was heavily influenced by Antonioni. He never spoke about it, but I think it’s obvious from his films, because the 1960s were a time of renaissance for cinema, all over the world, and the event of the appearance of neorealism, in particular, Antonioni’s Italian brand of neorealism, was like an underground explosion. It had such an influence on everything.”

This started Andrey down a path he still travels today. His directorial project was a small project for TV of three twenty fiveminute short films. “In the year 2000, Dmitry Lesnevsky [an influential Russian

“In Russia, put simply filmmaking is very difficult” TV and film producer and entrepreneur] suggested I make a series. I decided that I would film each of the three screenplays that the producer had given me with different cameramen — I wanted to play with the style and try things out with different ensembles.”

“Then in March 2000, almost exactly 18 years ago, I met Mikhail Krichman [cinematographer]. It was a complete coincidence, a friend of mine introduced us, and we’ve worked together ever since.

I gave up on the idea of making three features with three different crews only thanks to the fact that I delegated the first of the three to Mikhail. After the forty days of filming, I knew I didn’t want to work with anyone else. I knew that I had found a creative partner.”

Their collaboration has spanned several feature-length films but none had an impact quite like their fourth film, Leviathan, about a Russian fisherman who tries to stop a corrupt mayor from seizing his ancestral home.

“On one radio station, the presenter put out the question of whether people

“No-one dictated to me what to do to make these films successful. I don’t carry out anyone else’s intentions.” radically shifted their position after seeing Leviathan. Vladimir Medinsky, Russian Minister of Culture, criticised the film for portraying Russians as a ‘swearing, vodkaswigging people’. He noted that not a single character was positive and suggested that Andrey’s work was motivated by ‘fame, red carpets, and statuettes’ rather than reality.

Medinsky went as far as to propose new guidelines to ban moves that ‘defile’ the national culture.

“I suppose things may well get worse.

Recently it has been getting more and more difficult to maintain artistic and creative property, an artistic view on life and art, to pose difficult questions and a complex view of reality to your audience. Inevitably curiosity and attraction to the work wins out, without a doubt, this tendency exists all over the world. But I think that’s how it will continue to be. Platforms like the festivals in Cannes, Venice, Berlin, which support this kind of film and provide an outlet and a springboard for it, are very important. In Russia, put simply it’s very difficult.”

Despite the polarised reaction to Leviathan, they weren’t worried about the reception for Loveless. “I knew that Loveless would be divisive in some way, but the thing I couldn’t have predicted was the degree to which it would radicalise people’s opinions.”

“A lot of people were expecting after they had seen Leviathan to queue up and watch another “Russophobic” film. Some people couldn’t shed their opinions towards Leviathan and so they came to see Loveless still saying, “ bah, this director has no love

for his characters, no love for people at all, no love for Russian people at all”.

“Of course, Leviathan paved the way to Loveless having such a broad audience.

And for many people, their interest in Loveless was dictated by their initial experience and views on Leviathan. You could call me a representative of Russian cinema, but I wouldn’t know what to do with that.”

“Taking on a title like that, I would be concerned that it might change my behavior. No-one dictated to me what to do to make these films successful. I don’t carry out anyone else’s intentions. I’m not a representative of Russian cinema – that’s the last thing I need to think about. If that was the case, then I’d have to fulfill some kind of imposed role – I’m not interested in that.”

Andrey recognises that his cinematic future may one day lay outside Russia, but that isn’t something he is against. “Today we were walking around the city, and I was thinking we should make a film about Manchester. Maybe a comedy with the Manchester United team! But seriously, if suddenly an idea came to me that was relevant, fresh, and had to be in some other language or in a different country, and felt relatable to me and a natural next step, there wouldn’t be any obstacles in my mind.”

“I’ve already had a little experience on a project in New York where I was the only one who could speak Russian. I had an assistant who acted as a translator for me so she managed the communication. During the scenes with dialogue I wondered whether I would be able to interact with the actors, whether their language would just go over my head, but ultimately, I realised that in principle it was possible. So I wouldn’t see any obstacles there. There’s only one obstacle, and that is to find good people.”

Our conversation ended by asking Andrey whether he was in the process of starting another film. “I have plans, but it’s difficult to talk about it, not just because there are few details at the moment but because I don’t definitely know what the next step will be. I’ve already taken enough of a break, we finished the film in May last year – I’m ready for the next film.”

“It was something of a forced break really, because the awards season started, then winter came around, and now the awards are going on until the Oscars on 4th March.

We’ve all just been thinking about that date, and now it’s not far off.” “It’s a good thing you’ve hung in there,” Alexander chipped in, “you’re a survivor.” With characteristic wry humour, Andrey laughed back, “No, we won’t survive, that’s for sure!”

Food & Drink

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Review: Lotus Vegetarian Kitchen

Northern Vegan Festival is BACK Recipe: Melting Meatball One-Pot Daisy Tolcher Editor

Vaidant Jain Contributer On the rainy evening of the 14th of February my friend, the meateater, and I, the vegetarian, hopped on the magic bus for a much anticipated meal at Lotus restaurant.

Although it took us 20 minutes or so to get there, the bus dropped us off right in front of the restaurant which was very handy. It opens at 5 pm and we reached there at 5.45 pm without any prior booking. The restaurant was already packed yet we still managed to get a table as the staff seemed reluctant to keep customers waiting.

The restaurant wasn’t extravagantly large yet the staff demonstrated a real enthusiasm for hosting their customers. The restaurant was obviously themed for Valentine’s Day and a pleasant ambience was created with heart shaped balloons tied to the chairs.

Once we were seated, the waitress came to ask for drinks and also handed us two roses, which was a really nice gesture.

After settling down, we sifted through the never-ending menu. As this restaurant is 100 per cent vegetarian and vegan, we expected a limited number of dishes on the menu but surprisingly it had quite a few choices.

These included soups, starters, mains, noodles, side dishes, rice dishes, noodle soup dishes, vegetables, and tofu dishes, drinks, and desserts. After much contemplation and discussion we finally ordered two starters of grilled veggie dumplings and sesame seed veggie prawn toast, three mains of sizzling veggie beef in black bean sauce, veggie chicken in Kung Po sauce, and veggie meat strips in peking sauce. Upon ordering our food the waitress also asked us whether we wanted our dishes to be vegan or vegetarian — yes there is a difference!

In less than ten minutes, the veggie chicken in Kung Po sauce and the sesame seed veggie prawn toast arrived. The veggie chicken in

Kung Po sauce was probably the best version of the dish I have ever had in Manchester.

My hard-to-impress meat-eater friend said that the texture of the chicken was good and the dish was a convincing replacement of the real deal. The Kung Po sauce was blended with peanuts and gave the vegetables and the chicken a juicy flavour. Next, with the right amount of crispness, the sesame seed veggie prawn toast satisfied my taste buds to a whole new level! It was not too oily which felt moderately healthy and really enhanced the flavour. All in all the portion sizes were generous and the food was delicious, I can not recommend enough!

Then came the ‘sizzling’ veggie beef in black bean sauce, which was nice and hot. It was a creative mix of cauliflower, carrots, mushrooms, veggie beef, and black bean sauce. We then tried the grilled veggie dumpling together with a ginger flavoured filling, unfortunately ruining the overall taste of the dumpling. The dip which accompanied the dumplings was disappointing and we had to request a different one instead.

Veggie meat strips in peking sauce was the last dish on our list. As it was marked spicy on the menu, we expected it to be fiery and blazing.

To our frustration we found it sweet and although it had a good texture and flavour, it was not a convincing substitute for meat.

To our surprise, we received a complimentary dessert at the end of our meal! We were served two heart-shaped black bean jellies and a sweet potato flower cake — so romantic! The tasty black bean jelly melted in the mouth. However the sweet potato cake had an usual taste.

Once we were done, we paid our bill by cash — no cards accepted.

I plan to go back to Lotus to try more of their tasty dishes. It is very reasonably priced so it’s apt for students and a must-try for people who don’t eat meat, who are trying to quit meat or even those who love eating meat!

Following the massive success of their 2017 event, The Northern Vegan Festival is BACK this year.

This year’s event will offer a range of vegan cuisine, inspirational talks, cookery classes and much much more.

The food on offer will include a varied selection of plant-based dishes from around the world, including Asian, Indian and Greek cuisine. There will even be an eclectic array of raw dishes, gourmet dishes and street food dishes to sample. Similar to last year, there will be plenty of free samples to try so you can have a taste of everything!

If vegan food is not your thing, the festival will also feature a great selection of stalls selling a wide variety of goods including vegan fashion, beauty and skincare products. As well as stalls to look around there will be live music, workshops and live cookery demonstrations to keep you entertained all day.

Photo: Vaidant Jain

Any self-respecting student knows that Curry Mile is awash not only with a huge collection of restaurants, but also a wide range of cuisines.

There are, of course, Indian restaurants, but there are also Afghani, Persian, Lebanese, and many more available — should one wish to be a touch more adventurous.

Most will have spotted Beirut (the restaurant, not the city) whilst trudging up and down Curry Mile on a 142. Yet, I would hazard a guess that few have entered. Jutting out towards the road, this Lebanese restaurant offers the standard Lebanese affair, charcoal-grilled meats, flatbreads, and hummus. It also offers more exotic options such as Molokeyah, a traditional Egyptian dish, or Mansaf, a traditional Jordanian dish.

Despite having very little idea what I was getting, I ordered one dish from the charcoal grill so as to compare the slightly more standard fare, and one speciality dish, Makloubah, a Palestinian rice dish with lamb. The shish tawook, marinated and then grilled chicken cubes, was fine. Only fine. The chicken was fairly tender and tasted okay, but almost entirely lacked any flavour imparted by the grill. The onions and peppers grilled alongside it had been cut up so small they virtually disintegrated, adding nothing to the dish. Add to this the fact that the dish, costing £10, came without any sort of side. You’re looking at a fairly expensive, yet fairly bland, main course in an area where, within a stones throw you could get the same plus a side and keep a few quick in pocket.

The speciality dish was somewhat more exciting, and would therefore be the section of the menu I would recommend ordering from if you do visit. The rice was soft and fluffy, and also excellently flavoured with spices and garlic. Mixed in to the rice where chunks

vegan-curious. The idea behind the festival is to educate and inform everyone about the vegan lifestyle and offer support to anybody who would like it.”

And for those of you who are considering getting involved in volunteering or are looking for a future career in charity work, Victoria says the festival is the perfect place for you.

Samuel Pigott Contributer

Ingredients: 1 Diced onion 250g each of pork and beef mince 125g fresh breadcrumbs 1 tsp fennel seeds, dried oregano, ground cumin, salt, pepper and paprika 2 tbsp each of chopped fresh parsley and coriander 4 cloves garlic finely diced 1 egg beaten 1 large glass red wine 2 onions sliced 3 fresh bay leaves 1 large bunch fresh thyme 2 tbsp tomato puree 1 tin chopped tomato Salt and pepper 250g grated mozzarella and cheddar

Photo: Jenny Liddle

Photo: Jenny Liddle

Festival Organiser Victoria Bryceson says: “With the vegan lifestyle really starting to go mainstream there’s a massive demand for vegan-friendly events.

The Northern Vegan Festival is set to be a fantastic day out whether you’re vegetarian, vegan or simply

Review: Beirut Samuel Pigott Contributer

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of onion, aubergine and potato, which also added to the flavour having been grilled prior to their addition. The lamb served with the main was well cooked, still slightly pink in the middle, but once again seemed to be lacking a touch on the flavour side. The hummus served alongside the two mains followed along on a similar path, lacking flavour, somewhat under-seasoned and generally bland. The breads were served cold, although they were soft and fluffy and would have been excellent had they been warm.

All in all, I must say I was slightly disappointed by Beirut. Lebanese food is a favourite of mine, however this was not an amazing offering, and not helped at all by the proximity of many restaurants offering food which is perhaps not only better, but also significantly cheaper.

Therefore, on the whole, I shall probably be frequenting one of Curry Mile’s cheaper establishments instead.

Photo: Flikr @ Alex Pepperhill

“There will be several animal welfare charity stalls raising awareness of their causes. For anybody who would like to get involved with volunteering this is an ideal place to talk to lots of different charities and gather information, and all the stall holders are happy to talk to people and answer any questions.”

The Northern Vegan Festival takes place on 7th April 2018 between 10:30 am and 5:00 pm at Manchester Central, Windmill Street, M2 3GX. Entry is £5 payable on the day on the door — 100 per cent of the ticket money goes to animal welfare charities as the festival is fully volunteer run — or £15 for advance fast track tickets to include a goody bag packed full of products, samples, discounts and offers.

Take away review: Pearl City Cantonese Kirstie O’Mahony Cheif Editor Picture it: you stumble out of Soup Kitch at 3am.

You amble over to Piccadilly Gardens, knowing you have to get a bus back, but your stomach is crying out to be fed. That cheesy pasta you had seven hours ago is now a long, distant memory.

But when you see the golden arches of McDonalds, you realise you just aren’t feeling it. You want something a bit different, something salty but actually good quality.

Enter Pearl City Cantonese. This gem (get it) sits in the heart of Chinatown and is open until 3:30am every...single...morning. Not only that, but you don’t need to take it away. You can feel fancy AF and have a sit down meal in the wee hours — although the food is actually cheaper if you take it home, so it depends how you’re feeling and how much you’ve just spent on your night out.

I live in the city centre though, and it’s on my walk home from Piccadilly, so I will unashamedly admit I have spent many a hazy early morning in the fine establishment.

I decided to take away this time, though, as the BRITs were on and I wanted the comfort of my own home.

To start with, I had char siu baus (pork buns), siu mai (prawn and pork dumplings), spare ribs in peking sauce and vegetarian deep fried won tons.

The baus were incredible. The bun itself was soft and fluffy and a little bit salty. It was perfectly cooked.

The filling inside was a little bit sweet, providing a good balance. It also wasn’t just tiny bits of meat either, you actually got whole chunks of tender pork inside.

Siu mai is my favourite type of dim sim. It’s a combination of pork and prawn filling in rice pastry, which is then steamed. They’re tasty wherever you go, or at leas they are to me, as the flavours are hard to get wrong. However, the siu mai at Pearl City are a cut above the rest, as instead of just minced prawn and minced pork smushed together, you get an entire prawn and proper pork meat, which gave it a great texture. It was divine.

The ribs and the wontons let the starters down though. The peking sauce on the ribs was far too vinegary and the meat was tough. They also cost £7.10 for the portion which, whilst large, just wasn’t worth the money. The filo pastry that made up the wontons was really crunchy and the vegetables were flavoursome, however it was literally dripping with oil, which when drunk you might be able to see past, but when only one can in in the comfort of your own home, it’s a bit off putting.

For mains, we tried the beef with green pepper and black bean sauce, fried king prawns with satay sauce, and fried king prawns again with ginger and spring onion. The meat and prawns were all amazing quality, the beef being incredibly tender and the prawns were absolutely huge. The sauces though were quite weak in comparison to other Chinese restaurants. It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing though, as quite often when sauces are too thick and gelatinous it actually detracts from the meal.

Overall, the food is a 6.5/10 when sober, but a solid 10/10 when drunk (a fact to which I can testify).

It’s the perfect end to any night on the town, and definitely worth a visit.

Photo: Samuel Pigott

Method 1. Preheat an oven to 180C. 2.

Begin by making the meatballs mixing the mince, onion, breadcrumbs, dried and fresh herbs and half the garlic together in a bowl. Slowly add the egg and mix until the ingredients have come together. Avoid mixing any further than this as it will result in a tough meatball at the end.

3. Once the mixture has come together, divide it out into balls and leave to chill in the fridge for at least one hour 4. Once chilled, roll the meatballs in seasoned flour and then introduce to an ovenproof pan preheated over a medium heat with a tbsp of oil in.

Brown the meatballs in the pan in batches, frying for approximately 5 minutes, making sure all sides are coloured.

5. Next, begin the sauce in which the meatballs will sit. Using the pan you have cooked the meatballs in, bring the heat up high and then add the red wine. Make sure that you use this wine to scrape off any little bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan. Boil the wine over this high heat until it has reduced in volume by approximately half and then take the heat right down.

6. Add the onions, garlic, bay leaves and thyme into this pan, along with a knob of butter if you wish, and cook them for at least ten minutes on a low heat, until the onion is beginning to turn translucent 7.

Now add the tomato puree and cook for approximately three minutes in order to reduce the bitterness. Add the chopped tomatoes to this pan and bring the heat back up again until the mixture is boiling. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and allow to cook until the mixture has again reduced by half. At this point, season to taste.

8.

Add the meatballs back into the pan and then top with the grated cheese before placing the whole thing in the oven for 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted, and the meatballs are cooked through. Make sure you check the meatballs are cooked through as cooking times will vary slightly depending on size and they must be cooked as you are using pork mince as well.

9. Serve with a simple salad and garlic bread, or with pasta for a fantastic evening meal.

Recipe: One-Pot Chicken and Lentils Daisy Tolcher Head Editor This one-pot dish is low in calories, easy to cook, and makes enough for four portions — that’s lunch and dinner sorted!

Ingredients: 200g red lentils (using red lentils will result in a soup-like texture. If your Tupperware leaks when containing liquids, use puy lentils so that this dish has more structure) 500g chicken (thighs are better in terms of taste but breast can also work) 1 grated carrot 2 garlic cloves 1 onion 1tbsp olive oil 2 cans of chopped tomatoes 1.2l of chicken stock (this adds a lot of salt to the dish, important to bear in mind when seasoning) 2tsp paprika 1tsp ground cumin 1 tsp all-purpose seasoning Method: Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion on a low heat until softened, add the garlic and cook for one more minute.

Add the chicken and cook until browned.

Stir in the carrot, lentils, tomatoes and spices. Add the stock so that it immerses the chicken.

Leave the pan uncovered, reduce the heat and cook for half an hour until the chicken is cooked through and the lentils are tender. If using puy lentils you may have to adjust the cooking time to a further five minutes or so.

Season and enjoy!

Photo: Kirstie O’Mahony

Photo: Flikr @Amy Ross

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Lifestyle

What to do if you are dissatisfied with your university home

Living in private accommodation, and unhappy with your living conditions? You aren’t alone! Here are some general tips on how you can better your situation

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Creativity and student life: through the eyes of an artist Angela Latchkey details the struggles she had as a creative within the student atmosphere and how it has helped her art today Angela Latchkey Lifestyle Contributor

Photo: Advice Service

Vicki Greenwood Student Advisor Below is some general guidance from the Advice Service on what to do when you find your living standards in private accommodation aren’t up to scratch!

Often issues such as mould appearing in a property only arise during the colder months. Living with a leaky roof/ mould/broken boiler can be really unpleasant, but what can you do about it?

Your landlord is legally responsible for keeping the following in repair: 1. The structure and exterior of your home, for example, the walls, roof, foundations, drains, guttering and external pipes, windows and external doors 2. Basins, sinks, baths, toilets and their pipework 3. Water and gas pipes, electrical wiring, water tanks, boilers, radiators, gas fires, fitted electric fires or fitted heaters.

Therefore, if for example, you have an issue with a leak or broken boiler which is causing mould then this is an issue your landlord should be resolving. The first thing to do is to inform the letting agency or the landlord responsible for the problem.

If you have already done so via text/email/telephone then it is advisable to write a formal letter of complaint regarding the issue. Within this letter you should include: 1. Information regarding the problem, e.g. where the mould is, how long it has been there for etc.

2. If you have tried to get the issue resolved previously but no action has been taken include details of when this was and how you contacted them.

3. Details of how the issue is affecting you, e.g. exacerbating

health conditions, making clothing damp etc.

4. Highlight clauses from your tenancy agreement which state that you should report repairs to show you are taking the agreement seriously. Further to this, you can then highlight any clauses regarding the landlord’s responsibility regarding repairs.

5. State what you would like as an outcome of the issue and request a response to your letter in writing as soon as possible.

6. Explain that you understand the law and make them aware that Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 confirms that it is the landlord’s responsibility to keep in repair the structure and exterior of a rented property and this includes the walls, roof, foundations, drains, guttering and external pipes, windows and external doors.

“ Sometimes issues such

as mould appearing in a property only arise during the colder months. ” 7. Finally, it is advisable to keep a copy of the letter and obtain proof of postage in case no response is received.

In some cases, it is possible to request compensation with regards to disrepair in a property, this would be most appropriate in cases where you have been unable to occupy the property due to the severity of the problem.

If this is something you would like to consider further then please contact the Advice Service directly for further guidance.

The Advice Service can also review any written letters of

complaint you may wish to send and offer you feedback on the content.

If you submit a formal complaint and no action is taken to resolve the matter then you may be able to take your complaint further via an indepeschemes.

The requirement can be enforced by local authorities who can impose a fine of up to £5,000 where an agent or property manager who should have joined a scheme has not done so.

The re-dress scheme allows tenants to complain to an official body about their letting agent and this can be investigated independently and impartially. The schemes are free to use and if your complaint is upheld the schemes may direct your letting agent to award compensation.

All estate/letting agents must be registered within a scheme in order to operate within residential property.

The three schemes available in the UK are: • • •

As a student of surrealist art, I thought I would be working with other ‘outsider artists’: forward thinkers, out-of-thebox minds. I thought we would be developing our abstract thoughts into a medium to show the world. I thought it would be a union of creative minds. I walked into art school excited to be surrounded by peers that thought differently.

I was enthused to finally meet my ‘tribe’ of fantastical thinkers and pursuers of philosophy and the arts.. I was thrilled to meet these fellow earth changers, these wild minds that would never fit the social norms.

I met a different reality. I found the study of art to be a lot less romantic and a lot more about deliberate effort in understanding the human form, perspective, lighting, and so much more.

My days and nights were filled with drawing and painting studies and lessons. I sharpened my art tools, measured my lines, compared placement, and drew over and over again.

My head swarmed with images of the figure drawings I was completing multiple times a day. I was seeing perspective everywhere I looked; light and shadows and value scales

Photo: Angela Latchkey

were my dreams at night. This left me no spare time to create the visions in my mind. My mind spun with the artworks I desperately wanted to get on canvas and out of my own head. I spent four years of school working constantly to keep up with the demands. Personal projects meant I would fall behind in my studies. So, every art idea I wanted to get out into the world was stored inside me. I was patiently waiting until I had the skills needed to create my ideas on canvas.

It’s been years since I was in school and I now have portfolio of surreal art but I still have countless more ideas that need to get on the canvas. I see it as a never-ending process of growing, learning, thinking, and creating and, as an artist, I find beauty in searching for a balance in this cycle.

My advice for blossoming artists or creatives who find the student atmosphere creatively stifling is to remember to dedicate a set amount of time to your craft every week.

Whether it is painting, music, drawing. In the pursuit of higher education, we often forget to nurture our creative side. Maintaining a balance between those two sides is important not only academically but also for your own mental well-being.

The Property Ombudsman Limited Ombudsman Services Property Re-dress Scheme

If you would like advice on any issues regarding housing or would like further guidance on submitting a complaint then please contact the Advice Service during our opening hours of Monday to Friday between 10 am and 4 pm.

You can do so either by dropping into the office (located on the ground floor of the Students’ Union building), via telephone on 0161 275 2952 or email advice.su@manchester. ac.uk ndent re-dress scheme.

Since October 2014, it has been a legal requirement for lettings agents and property managers in England to join 1 of 3 government approved re-dress schemes.

Photo: Alexas_Fotos @ Pixabay

Why you should switch to a weighted blanket As university work builds up, the possibility of anxiety and stress comes with it. Lucy Wyndham describes how something as simple as a weighted blanket can help your health

Lucy Wyndham Lifestyle Contributor

Tickets available from: www.womeninmediacon.co.uk Follow us onn Twitter: @WomenInMediaCon

Most students in Manchester are familiar with the feeling f dealing with anxiety at university, whether before a test, a date, or a big meeting. Worrying too much can cause much more damage than just premature wrinkles, and it’s important to cope with the issue in a healthy manner. If you let your anxiety get the best of you it can lead to a stress response, including symptoms such as high blood pressure, muscle tension, digestive disorders, and even short-term memory loss.

Some students turn to therapy and medication in order to combat anxiety, but this isn’t always a viable option. One of the most simple, safe, and effective ways to combat anxiety without the use of drugs is through ‘Deep Touch Pressure Therapy’, or DTP. Gentle weight is distributed over the body to help create a feeling of security and safety that can calm anxious patients. There are many ways to administer DTP, but by far one of the easiest ways to do so by yourself at home is by using a weighted blanket. Switching from a regular duvet to a weighted blanket provides a number of benefits to stressed-out university students by helping to ease anxiety. To top it off they also prove to be a very comfortable accomplice to have.

What are weighted blankets?

Photo: philipestrada @ Unsplash

Weighted blankets are a powerful therapy tool that’s gained popularity in recent years as a way to combat anxiety. They are essentially designed to mimic a full-body hug, providing both warmth and gentle pressure throughout the night. This stimulates deep pressure touch receptors, which help muscles to relax. You can find weighted blankets in a variety of sizes and thicknesses.

The benefits of weighted blankets They say that everybody needs eight hugs a day, and there’s some truth to this old advice.

Hugs can help to relax both the mind and body by stimulating the release of a hormone called oxytocin, otherwise known as the ‘love’ hormone.

This is the same chemical that mothers secrete when they meet their newborn baby, or that gives new lovers that honeymoon experience.

By mimicking a hug, weighted blankets encourage your body to produce oxytocin, helping to reduce blood pressure and relaxing your muscles. Heavy blankets also stimulate the production of serotonin, a hormone involved in pleasure and stress reduction, along with melatonin. By altering your melatonin levels, a weighted blanket can help you to sleep better, which can be a godsend for students suffering from insomnia as well.

Too many students suffer from anxiety without seeking help. While it might not be the answer to all of your problems, a weighted blanket can help you to relax and sleep better at night.

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United withstand Sevilla test in Champions League Jose Mourinho’s side get a key clean sheet away from home James Gill Sports Reporter

MEET & EAT Biko Street, located in your Students' Union, is a space for students to meet, eat and get involved in student life.

No English side in the Last 16 of the Champion’s League has lost in the first legs of their ties. Jose Mourinho will be hoping his side won’t let the Premier League down.

With Jones injured and Lingard one yellow away from suspension, Mourinho has a limited squad available to him. De Gea comes back into goal after Romero’s FA Cup Adventure. Valencia, Smalling, Lindelöf, and Young make up a strong back four. Yet again he chooses to bench Pogba opting instead for McTominay, Matic, and Herrera. Sánchez, Lukaku, and Mata lead the line.

Sevilla starts the game on the upper hand, linking up well in the opposition half.

Manager Vincenzo Montella has selected an attacking lineup hinting that they are here to get the advantage in this first leg. Montella has done a great job of revitalising this Sevilla side. They only have one defeat in their last nine games, against Eibar, and they have progressed to the final of the Copa Del Rey. The Sevillistas are cutting through this United midfield effortlessly with some sumptuously one-touch passing. This United back four have been equal to it every time but they will need to keep their focus to not get caught out by the explosiveness of these attacks.

A quarter of an hour in and Herrera gestures to the bench holding his hamstring. That’s a real shame for the former Athletic Bilbao man back on home soil. It looks like Pogba is going to play after all.

There is a high intensity to the game so far and it has led to a few fouls. The first yellow card of the game goes to former Stoke player Steven Nzonzi for a high challenge on

Sánchez.

The physicality is not limited to Sevilla and Lukaku gets a talking too for shunting a defender to the ground. As an act of revenge, the Sevilla squad conspire to just leave a foot in on the Belgian and he is fouled three times in as many minutes.

Valencia gets the ball on the left-hand side and, in a beautiful bit of skill, sends Correa all the way back to Argentina. Sadly the final third passing lets him down, a symptom of the first half so far for United.

There have been so many fouls so far this game I’ve lost count and with every one that goes against Sevilla, the crowd grows ever more hostile. If this continues and United win I would be worried for the United supporters leaving the ground.

Justice for Sevilla fans. Alexis Sánchez is the second player to go into the referee’s book for sprinting 40 yards just to pull Jesús Navas to the ground. You have to admire his defensive work rate if the end result was disappointing.

Sevilla can smell blood after a few defensive mistakes by Manchester United. They are throwing everyone forward to try and grab a goal before the first half ends. The dream almost becomes a reality if not for a world class save by de Gea from a free header five yards out.

Just before the game starts Jose Mourinho calls Correa over for a conversation. The 23-year-old was listening attentively to the United boss and I don’t think it would be too much of a leap to assume he will get announced as a signing in the summer, a great bit of business. Like the old Madrid saying goes: If you can’t beat them buy them.

Franco Vázquez runs into a stationary McTominay and dives to the floor searching for a foul. Fortunately for everyone Vázquez is as bad at fooling the referee as Messi is at

Photo: In Mou We Trust @ Flickr

fooling the Spanish tax authorities.

The standout player so far this game is Joaquín Correa. Every time he gets the ball he takes on a couple of players at least. The rest of his team hasn’t noticed that though and he barely gets a whiff of the ball.

Despite this Sevilla are doing everything they need to score except put the ball in the back of the net. It should be 2 or 3-0 but in the 20 something chances Sevilla have had, only that one save before halftime stands out.

The second United substitution comes as

Sánchez comes off for Rashford. Mourinho will be looking to rest his big players before the game against Chelsea on Sunday. Seconds later the third substitution takes place with Martial coming on for Mata.

As the full-time whistle blows Montella will be disappointed his side couldn’t get a goal in their home leg of this Last 16 tie. It was a textbook example of how to control a game away from home, a 23rd clean sheet of the season. The next game for Manchester United is against Chelsea on Sunday.

Upcoming Champions League fixtures: Tottenham v Juventus Man City v Basel Liverpool v Porto Man Utd v Sevilla

PSG v Real Madrid Roma v Shakhtar Donetsk Barcelona v Chelsea Beskitas v Bayern Munich

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Grigg ends City’s quadruple hopes Pep Guardiola’s team exit the FA Cup in the fifth round

Sam Cooper Sports Head Editor In a weekend bereft of upsets, it fell to the Monday night fixture where Wigan entertained Manchester City for one last chance at some FA Cup magic. As much as Pep Guardiola was at pains to deny it, his team were gunning for the quadruple.

Comfortably on top of the Premier League perch, they had one final already lined up and were progressing nicely in the Champions League when they arrived at the DW Stadium.

The fortunes of Wigan are rather different.

Since their triumph in the 2013 FA Cup final (against City), they have slipped down the footballing pyramid and occupy third in League One. Put simply, they had no chance in this game.

Guardiola named a relatively strong side with only Ederson and Kevin De Bruyne being the regular starters left on the bench.

With a hopeful rather than expectant crowd behind them, Wigan survived a Manchester City onslaught. Playing in a 4-3-2-1 formation, the most advanced Wigan midfielders would drop deep to form a 4-5-1 in defence with Will Grigg alone up top.

A City goal was coming and it was looking more a matter of if then when. İlkay Gündoğan, Fernandinho and Sergio Agüero all had good chances that were either missed or saved but then a small glimmer of hope appeared for the home side.

With the ball headed clear from a City cross, Fabian Delph galloped to make up the distance between him and Max Power.

The result was an out of control Delph’s foot being raised and studs making firm contact with Power’s shin. Referee Anthony Taylor

initially drew the yellow card from his pocket but upon hearing advice from the other officials in his earpiece, he swapped the cards and produced the red for Delph.

The decision caused a simmering tension on the sidelines to boil over as Guardiola and Paul Cook began gesticulating wildly in each other’s face. Guardiola later explained he was telling Cook to stay in his technical area and claimed nothing happened in the tunnel. Unbeknownst to him, the BBC had cameras in there and images were broadcast of both managers continuing the heated argument as they headed to the changing rooms.

Despite being a man down, City continued to be the dominant side. The introduction of De Bruyne added a few more degrees of pressure onto the Wigan back line as they hung on looking for that replay away at the Etihad.

Any Wigan fans dreaming of a visit to Manchester quickly had their hopes dashed but it was not because City found the net but rather because Will Grigg did. Kyle Walker seemed to switch off at the worst possible time as he let the ball roll under his foot and into the path of Grigg. The striker held off Walker and with an approaching Aymeric Laporte, he fired the shot off early. The ball beat Claudio Bravo and nestled into the bottom of the net sending the DW Stadium into an eruption of noise.

It was Grigg’s seventh FA Cup goal of the season in as many games and with 11 minutes left to play gave his side something to cling on to. City were powerless to overturn the scoreline and the whistle blew with the League One side progressing.

For City, the attention switches elsewhere but for Wigan, their FA Cup dream continues with a visit of Southampton.

Lukaku bags two as Mourinho takes the bus to Yorkshire ‘This game is a prime example of why VAR shouldn’t be used in competitive games’ - The Sun, probably

James Gill Sports Contributor

Photo: Carlos Yo @ Wikimedia Commons

FA Cup Sixth Round draw - all ties to be played 17th March 2018: Sheffield Wednesday or Swansea v Rochdale or Tottenham Manchester United v Brighton Leicester v Chelsea Wigan v Southampton

Manchester United will be favourites in this Fifth Round FA Cup clash against Huddersfield. This is the third time so far this season the two teams have met with each winning one.

Jose Mourinho puts out a strong squad with a few minor changes. Sergio Romero returns in goal alongside a back four of Young, Smalling, Lindelöf and Shaw. McTominay, Carrick (C) and Matic make up a midfield partnership we have not seen so far this season. Mata, Lukaku, and Sánchez lead the line.

The opening exchanges are frantic and scrappy with both teams sticking to their opposite numbers like a rash, neither wanting to be out of control.

Huddersfield has the first chance of the game but it was never going to trouble Romero and it gently rolls past the post.

Huddersfield get dispossessed in the midfield and Lukaku links up with Mata for a neat onetwo to put the Belgian on the edge of the box with just a defender and the keeper to beat. He uses his strength well to shrug off the defender before sending Mounie the wrong way.

That goal means that Lukaku has ten goals in his last ten FA Cup games. This is exactly the start United were looking for and they will try to slow the game down and show that defensive solidity out of possession that we know so well.

Credit to David Wagner’s side, they are really pushing to get back into the game immediately.

Although they haven’t created any concrete chances so far they showing that they won’t be beaten that easily.

His side wins a corner from a cross blocked by Ashley Young and van La Parra steps up to take it. Instead of placing the ball on the line though he places it a decent eight inches away. The referee doesn’t notice but thankfully the cameraman does, zooming in super close to make absolutely sure we noticed, thanks mate.

After the first quarter of an hour Huddersfield has had 74 per cent possession but in this scary new counter-attacking world that means nothing, I’ve been more dangerous in attack watching this game from the comfort of my own bed.

A painfully good chance for Huddersfield goes begging. A beautiful cross by Hadergjonaj is driven

low across goal and Ince can only just feel it glance off his boot. A few more inches in front and he would have buried that. They won’t get as many clear-cut chances like that so they really need to take them otherwise they will lose this game.

Whilst the game has been end-to-end with constant turnovers of possession neither side has done anything with it since Lukaku’s goal in the third minute. There have been physical challenges, sprints to get the ball for a quick throw-in but nothing has tested either keeper since and the fans are beginning to notice.

A couple of minutes before the end of the half, Young makes a driving run down the right-hand side, going past several players. He threads the ball through to Mata who bends his run perfectly, goes around the keeper and kisses the ball with his boot to make it two nil. United have had two shots on target and they have scored two goals, clinical.

As the celebration go on, however, Kevin Friend puts his finger to his ear. Either he’s trying to start a game of ‘Get Down Mr. President’ or he’s getting information from the video referee. The replay is shown and he’s clearly onside so it is probably just a formality to test the technology.

Time passes though and everyone is standing with their hands in their pockets wondering what’s going on. Slowly the coldness of the Saturday afternoon is setting in without a game to focus on.

The sound of shaking legs rings around the John Smith’s Stadium.

Finally, the referee announces it was not a goal.

To help prove the decision we are shown what can only be described as a screenshot of the game where someone used Microsoft Paint to draw a line.

Better even, it looks like they got a random fan from the crowd to get on a unicycle and pedal it from touchline to touchline with a yellow paintbrush and paint. Best even, it looks like the line a drunk driver would walk when the police pull them over for reckless driving. If incompetence was a line, it would be that.

With that farcical display, we head into halftime.

The game had a lot of energy but in the end, it was all wasted, like going to the gym but rendering the exercise useless by eating a takeaway for dinner.

Anyway, the game gets underway with no changes.

The home fans start chanting with great enthusiasm as they try and help their team get back into the game. Unfortunately, they are drowned out by the sound of the journalists in the press box

Photo: Neil Turner @flickr

furiously typing out articles about whether VAR is ready for use in the Premier League yet.

Manchester United have gone ten minutes without going into the opposition half but Huddersfield gets undone by the very same move as the first half.

This time Lukaku does the one-two with Sánchez instead of Mata. He has plenty to do still to grab his second goal but he finishes confidently. Despite all of Huddersfield’s possession, I don’t think they can feel hard done by.

What I find fascinating about the John Smith’s Stadium is how much the fans buy into these cardboard clappers. The constant beat underpins the action. Want more intense performances? Bang quicker, and vice versa. However, when the team gets on the edge of the box they stop clapping and I think the players get confused by that, they rely on the claps to know how to play. If the fans clapped as fast as they could I think their team would be four or five goals ahead right now.

Back to the ‘action’ and Huddersfield keep pushing but meet fierce resistance, an unstoppable force meets an immovable object and all that. The one defining stat of this game will be the number of blocks. There have been more blocks so far this game than in the mansion I built on Minecraft when I was 15.

Manchester Hockey 1sts 3-2 Sheffield Hallam 2nds Arthur Salisbury Sports Deputy Editor

The aim of the scheme is to get more 5-11 year olds taking part in sport Sam Cooper Sports Head Editor

Photo: Sam Cooper

The University of Manchester Hockey 1sts moved into the quarter-finals of the Hockey Trophy with a tense victory over Sheffield Hallam 2nds this week.

Manchester ran out in their traditional UKIP colours on a crisp Spring evening, and optimism wafted through the Armitage Centre, in equal parts a reflection of the lengthening evenings and of Manchester’s successful season.

The side currently holds first place in Northern A, eight points from second place, and mathematically assured to retain their title. Their defeat to Liverpool John Moores

in December has been the one foul stain on an otherwise undrawn and unbeaten season.

Their opponents, Sheffield Hallam 2nds, have been rather more downtrodden this season, punching above their weight perhaps in a league of 1sts. They sit beleaguered at the bottom, with interesting implications should their scrap for survival end with an encounter with their snooty first-team counterparts in March.

But one couldn’t justifiably accuse Sheffield of focusing on the league. The enduring blight of weakened teams appears yet to have filtered down to the British Universities and Colleges Sport league system. For the opening twenty, it was an even affair, Manchester dominating

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The first substitution for United comes as Anthony Martial comes on for Sánchez. Sánchez has played well in possession this game but the Chilean would much prefer to be driving his supercar down the autobahns of Europe than park the bus in a rainy Yorkshire car park.

Juan Mata than makes way for Jesse Lingard.

Regardless of how many goals there is in the last ten minutes of the game, it will be Mata’s face plastered on the back page of the tabloids due to the earlier VAR fiasco. Like Sánchez, his role has been to hold up the ball for as long as possible and maybe a handful of times to attack and so can’t really be judged for his performance.

Huddersfield, although utterly unable to break Manchester United down, have worked tirelessly to get back into the game. They deserve credit for their incredible work rate and United too for their rigid defending.

With three minutes extra time the only action I’m expecting to see is the third substitution from Mourinho. Lo and behold Bailly comes back for Lukaku to make his first appearance after his ankle surgery to play a few moments before the final whistle.

United are deserved winners in this Fifth Round clash, they will face Brighton in the Quarter Finals.

University of Manchester Hockey 1sts into Semis

Premier League to provide free kit and equipment to schools

The Premier League Primary Stars Kit and Equipment Scheme aims to use the appeal of the Premier League and profession football clubs to inspire girls and boys aged 5-11 to take part. The Premier League Primary Stars programme is a national curries schemer that is designed to help children learn, engage and be active.

The Premier League Primary Stars Kit and Equipment scheme offers primary schools the opportunity to apply for free resources which can be used for active classroom sessions and PE lessons. In partnership with Nike and delivered by the Football Foundation, the scheme will provide equipment such as floor spots and giant dice to encourage active participation.

Nick Perchard, Head of Community at the Premier League, said “the Premier League Primary Stars kit and equipment scheme gives us the opportunity to provide free resources to primary schools taking part in the programme. The kit and equipment includes footballs, floor spots and giant dice to help with active lessons. We are offering primary schools the opportunity to apply for free kit and equipment.

We hope this year’s process will be as successful as last year and that it will encourage teachers who have not yet signed up to the programme to get involved with Premier League Primary Stars.”

Schools can apply from Monday the 19th of February to Friday the 6th of April and successful applicants will receive their kit and equipment from September 2018. Applications can be made via the Premier League ‘Primary Stars’ webpage.

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down the right but Sheffield making headway through the middle. Manchester’s Ryan MacGowan opened the scoring midway through the half before Rowan Poots scored from a penalty corner.

Vocal and encroaching support in the second half caused a minor kerfuffle with the official, but you couldn’t expect the purple and yellow to be anything other than buoyant when James Bennett made it three after the break. Sheffield fought back to 3-2 late on, and in the dying minutes brought their ‘keeper out, who in hockey looks like the Michelin Man. Manchester will play the winner of Cardiff and Oxford on February 28 at the Armitage Centre. The days are getting warmer and it’s a short three-minute stroll from Squirrel’s.

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Photo: Frances Garnett

Success for University swimmers Manchester Swimmers shine at the BUCS Nationals

Amy Quach Sports Reporter The University of Manchester achieved an impressive 10th place finish in the final standings of the 2018 BUCS Long Course Swimming Championships, with 58 points – the best outcome since 2014 when Manchester placed 8th. A massive improvement on overall 28th in 2017, this result matches the success from the BUCS Short Course Championships last November.

Jamie Ingram put in a strong performance, qualifying for the Men’s 100m Butterfly final in 10th. A stand out swimmer from the Short Course Championships, the Sports Scholar substantially improved from the heats to finish 5th with a time of 55.57 and just 0.23 short of the bronze medal.

Competing in the gruelling long distance events, Bailey Hairsine showed no sign of slowing down. He placed 6th in the Men’s 1500m Freestyle (16:31.99), 8th in the Men’s 400m Freestyle (4:11.84) and 9th in the Men’s 400m Individual Medley (4:45.89). Ashley Hogg joined him in the 1500m Freestyle, where he touched in 9th (16:56.40) and also claimed all important points for the team.

The Men’s 50m Butterfly saw Jacob Lea proceed to the final. Qualifying 10th from the heats, Jacob stopped the clock in 25.21 and climbed two places to finish in 8th.

Both the Men’s and Women’s 4 x 100m Medley Relay teams performed well, together advancing into their respective “B” finals. The Men’s team of Jamie Ingram, Afonso Sequeira, Bailey Hairsine and Jacob Lea finished 16th in the heats and cemented this position in the final. The Women’s equivalent team, comprised of Pooja Gupta, Denise Gogu, Charlotte Manser and Frances Garnett, slipped through the heats in overall

20th. The first UoM Women’s relay to make a BUCS final since 2015, the team jumped three places in the last session of the Championships to finish 17th.

Para-Swimmers Grace Harvey and Rosie Bancroft also won crucial points across the Women’s multi-disability events. Following on from her SM7 European Record set at last Novembers BUCS Short Course Championships, Grace Harvey took gold in the multidisability 200m Individual Medley in a time of 3:17.82 and 617 points. She also won silver in the 400m Freestyle (5:43.75; 658 points) and placed 4th in the 100m Backstroke (1:33.94; 651 points).

With two silver medals from the BUCS Short Course Championships, Rosie Bancroft added bronze to her tally in the 50m Freestyle. She touched in a time of 32.28 against a competitive field, earning 609 points.

“I’m absolutely amazed with the performances of the team this weekend,” says Women’s Captain, Frances Garnett.

“Especially the girls’ medley relay team.

Everyone did fantastically well, both in the pool and cheering each other along on poolside.”

The Championships saw reigning champions Loughborough University triumph with a convincing win over second placed University of Edinburgh and third placed University of Stirling.

The University of Bath were just five points shy of a top three finish.

Over 6000 students from universities and colleges across the country converged on Sheffield to compete at the multi-sport BUCS Nationals weekend, with Swimming contested alongside Indoor Athletics, Badminton, Fencing, Karate, Climbing, Rifle Shooting and Judo.

Held at the Ponds Forge International Sports Centre, competition spanned an intense three days of racing in the Olympic sized pool from Friday the 16th

to Sunday the 18th of February.

The Championships is biggest event on the university swimming calendar and provided an opportunity for University of Manchester swimmers to compete against both Olympic and Paralympic Medallists, which this year featured the likes of Duncan Scott and Hannah Russell.

However, there is little rest for our swimmers, with the annual charity gala “Quest for the Crest” rapidly approaching on Saturday the 10th of March. Run by the University of Manchester Swimming Club, universities are invited to compete in a fun afternoon of races followed by a curry and night out in Manchester.

In recent years, the Brain Tumour Charity, Diabetes UK and Bloodwise have all benefited from this event and thousands of pounds have been raised for numerous organisations in the past.

The chosen charity for 2018 is Barnabus, a local charity committed to improving the lives of homeless people living on the streets of Manchester.

Creating support plans which are individual to each person, Barnabus provide both financial and tenancy support to the homeless. They also work alongside landlords to help people move off the streets and into permanent homes.

If you’d like to support UoM Swimming Club and donate to this worthy cause, you can do so at the following website: w w w. j u s t g i v i n g . c o m / f u n d r a i s i n g / manchester-swimming.

Elsewhere, The Christie Cup will return to Liverpool on Wednesday the 18th of April. Manchester will hope to take victory over the University of Leeds and the University of Liverpool across multiple sports in a fierce battle of the north. Also left on the university swimming calendar is the BUCS Team Championships, where Manchester will be aiming to end a successful year on a high.

Hockey 1sts into Semis

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Photo: Sam Cooper

Wigan shock City in the Cup

P30 Photo: Carlos Yo @ Wikimedia Commons

United hold off Sevilla

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Books

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Feature

Hunter S. Thompson — in memoriam “Where everybody’s guilty, the only crime is getting caught” James Gill Books Editor

F

ebruary 20th 2018 marks thirteen years since the death of inimitable journalist and author Hunter S. Thompson.

Thompson redefined journalism working with Rolling Stone magazine. His work would come to be described as gonzo, written as a first-person narrative without objectivity. It Photo: Wikimedia Commons

disregards the traditions and rules of media for an approach with much more personality and humour.

His most acclaimed work, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, began as a 250-word assignment for Sports Illustrated covering the Mint 400 motorcycle race. In preparation for the event, he took an astonishing amount of drugs with him, including, but far from limited to, two bags of grass, five sheets of high-powered blotter acid and a salt shaker half full of cocaine.

The resulting piece was 2,500 words and was less about the race and more of, as he puts it, “a savage journey into the heart of the American dream”.

Unsurprisingly it was rejected. He instead turned to Rolling Stone, whose editor Jann Wenner loved it, and so Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas was born.

It ran in two parts in November 1971, later published as a book and adapted into a cult film.

During his career Thompson penned many more extraordinary works, such as his book Hell’s Angels, but as he grew older and his health declined he became increasingly depressed. On February 20th, 2005 he took his own life, leaving a note titled ‘Football Season Is Over’: “No More Games. No More Bombs. No More Walking. No More Fun. No More Swimming. 67.

That is 17 years past 50. 17 more than I needed or wanted. Boring. I am always bitchy. No Fun — for anybody. 67. You are getting Greedy. Act your (old) age. Relax — This won’t hurt”

Photo: thierry ehrmann@flickr

Top Five

Five tips to help you get reading again Connor McCarthy Books Contributor For many of us, starting university signalled the end of our ‘reading for pleasure’ lives. We might offer excuses of being tired, lazy, or bored of staring at words on a white page.

Granted, in most cases being at university requires a hell of a lot of reading. But reading for pleasure is an entirely different activity, it induces emotion (not that your thesis on quantum physics doesn’t make you cry), it inspires creativity, it allows us to explore the impossible and relish in the everyday.

Recently I have started reading again every evening, and not only do I enjoy what I read, but I feel much better for reading it. Reading is a skill, and one you get better at with time. But reading for fun can be so important to your state of mind and can have massive influences on the development of your personality. We all know that starting and getting into a book can be the hardest thing, so I’ve compiled a top five tips list to help you get back into reading.

1. Audiobooks It may seem like cheating, but that’s okay, it’s still a book! If you can’t bring yourself to start reading a book after a long day at the library, audiobooks can provide relaxing downtime and a well-earned rest from looking at words all day.

Audiobooks are also incredibly handy; many sites allow you to download versions of the book so that you can take them anywhere, the gym, on the bus, the library...

They’re also increasingly available and cheap in price. But if you really don’t want to fork out, audible offers a 30-day free trial in which you

have one credit for any book. There are also shedloads of sites that offer free (legal) downloads of published and unpublished books covering all topics and genres, start off by having a browse in the Manchester libraries website.

2. Reread your favourite book Honestly, there’s nothing better than revisiting one of your much-loved books. Whether it’s a psychological thriller you adored in your late teens or the first Harry Potter book that you read with your mum, rereading a personal classic can

set you on the road to rekindling your love for literature.

romantic poet, grab a copy of Das Kapital or be enveloped by a graphic novel. The beauty of the written word is that it takes such infinite forms!

3. Branch out 4. Hit up the YA section!

Perhaps you tried reading a book from what used to be your favourite author but you didn’t enjoy it. That’s fine. It’s totally natural that our literary taste buds should change over time.

So grab something different, move out of your comfort zone. Chat with a friend or a stranger about what excites them. Head to the English literature section of the library and pick out a

Okay, maybe Marx was a bit much for ‘light reading’. Change of plan. Young adult fiction has given us some of the greatest writers of all time. From fantastical stories, like those from Tolkien and Philip Pullman, to classic ‘coming of age’ tales like The Catcher in the Rye or To Kill a Mockingbird, the YA genre has it all.

Often YA novels require significantly less active reading from the reader. Not that YA books can’t be challenging and reflect important strains in our society, but that they are often written in such an engrossing way that allows the reader to leap into new worlds and (for the most part) forget about the problems in ours. A useful tool if you find university pressures muddling your mind.

5. Go to your local Library Your local library is there for a reason...to be used! Government funding for libraries has seen a dramatic decline, with many councils off laying libraries to be run by local communities. Take advantage of them while they are still around and still free! There’s no rush to finish books as you can often renew outstanding items.

Manchester City Council offers an online service so if there’s a particular book you’re after, you can search and reserve it without stepping out the door. If you just fancy a browse the central library in town has a massive collection of all genres, you’d be surprised what you can find.

So there you have it, your top tips guide to rekindling that lost love of books.

FINAL YEARS! THE NSS COULD STILL BE USED TO RAISE FEES. #DONTFILLITIN Last year, final years refused to fill in the National Student Survey (NSS) because it was used to justify raising tuition fees.

This year, tuition fees have been frozen. However, if they are unfrozen again by 2020, any responses to the NSS this year will be used to raise fees again.

Just don’t participate - #DONTFILLITIN! Find out more: manchesterstudentsunion.com/nss

Arts

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Feature

NOW - A Dialogue on Female Chinese Contemporary Artists

The CFCCA open up a platform for seven emerging and innovative female artists working in China now.

Cicely Ryder-Belson Arts Editor Capturing a particular moment in creative culture, NOW: A Dialogue on Female Chinese Contemporary Artists, sees British institutes converge with Chinese female voices – culminating right here in the small gallery walls of the CFCCA. A collaborative work between five art organisations across Britain – CFCCA Manchester, HOME Manchester, Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, Nottingham Contemporary and Turner Contemporary Margate - the programme stages an intervention in wider political issues and the precarity of women’s position in society.

Not just confined to Chinatown, Chinese culture runs through the streets of Manchester, and quietly confident sits the CFCCA in the heart of the Northern Quarter. With its 32 year history of supporting and exploring emerging Chinese artists, it plays a crucial role in promoting diversity in arts on a public platform, and representing the presence of the young Chinese community within the city.

CFCCA opened the collaboration, showcasing seven emerging artists commenting on the themes of identity and perception - including new commissions exclusive to the programme.

This dedicated female space utilised everyday, mundane objects to create a jarring utopia of digital visuals and sensory animation.

You get the sense that this exhibit is marking a microcosm of wider contextual issues.

Opening on the eve of the Chinese New Year, Eastern dialogues coincided with a contextual moment in Northern England; as Manchester is currently celebrating 100th anniversary of the woman suffrage movement.

Zoe Dunbar, Director of CFCCA says: “We are really excited to be working with a network of fantastic artists and art venues to showcase the range of diverse and exciting new art work emerging from female artists working in China today.”

The work didn’t have to be about gender explicitly, its power was in opening a space for female expression - the artists exploring all aspects of their socio-political environment. I felt the exhibition wasn’t so much attempting to create a singular cohesive female narrative - but about creating multiple narratives, which were inherently hybrid and communal.

Photo: CFCCA

Photo: CFCCA

More pertinently, the exhibit reveals a disjunction in our perception of China. Though a country often considered at the forefront of modernity and development, it often eclipses gender equality in society and culture. Yet this exhibit deliberately positions itself amidst the creatives who will be forging the new generation of expression, for organised with the China Central Academy of Fine Arts, many of the artists were still students themselves.

On the evening of the preview, it was an intimate affair, with talks from the chairman of CFCCA Peter

Photo: CFCCA

Mearns and the curators of the show, including a representative from China Central Academy of Fina Arts who spoke of the oncoming sense of prosperity and spring which this new year marked. It was also humbling to have some of the artists there on the evening, who were able to see their work on an international platform.

The evening aptly captured the international dialogue which has been happening over the last three years to commission this show.

As you move through the galleries, you gage a sense of individual expressions merging and overlapping

to create new imagined worlds. Many of the works seemed to transcend comprehension, picking up from different mediums to create visual collages.

Much of work seemed to see the human body and artificial machinery come together and converse. The exhibition space itself sound tracked by the ticking of engines and devices.

The stark structural presence of Na Buqi’s installation – Floating Narratives - was the most commanding piece of the exhibition. Its almost ghostly composition demanded space in the room.

Constructed from a metal frame work, hanging lights and printed silk were draped over it, while interwoven plants and portable fans created a subtle sense of movement to the piece - becoming an artificial decomposition of domestic objects.

The bizarre nature of the work was what was so charming about the show. This is exemplified

by Hu Xiaoyuan’s video installation You come too early, you come too late - a perplexing video installation of a drone attached to a very real rooster, ascending into the depths of a mossy cave.

It’s moments like this, when you see a group art academics discussing the connotations of rooster attached to a drone, that you realise that art engages most effectively with political issues when its playful with it. Though the show is engaging in important discourses surrounding identity and gender, it’s foremost there to engage an audience, to make you wander, and to make you curious. Regardless to whether you can ascertain how a rooster and a drone functions as a commentary on alienation on social structures, you can’t deny it makes you think.

Within Manchester the show extends to HOME, the arts institute across town. Ever dedicated to promoting “new commissions by emerging and established artists of regional, national and international significance” HOME couldn’t not be included in this programme of bold contemporary work of storytelling Their contribution was a two-part moving image programme curated by Bren O’Callaghan, which closes in our assumptions of cultural difference with the East. A striking intervention into visual and performance art, they helped open the programme last week with a screening, but there’s still time to catch the next instalment of it on Monday 26th March.

Elsewhere in the UK, there will be art work by Ye Funa at the Nottingham Contemporary, Ma Qiusha and Shen Xin at Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art and an exhibition from Yin Xiuzhen and Duan Jianyu at the Turner Contempary.

The Terracotta Army has arrived at Liverpool 10 terracotta warriors and over 180 artefacts are on display at the World Museum, Liverpool, linking the UK and China both historically and culturally

Eleanor Forrest Arts Contributor In a symbolic fashion, the home of the oldest Chinese community in the UK welcomed the Terracotta Warriors to the World Museum, Liverpool in the month of the Chinese New Year.

After spending 2,000 years underground, these impressive pieces tell the story of China’s first Emperor, Qin Shi Huang, and the tumultuous climate of China’s political landscape that was the Warring States period.

Beginning the exhibition with a 3-minute introductory video that set the scene of both the country and when the warriors were discovered in 1974. Once inside, the space was bathed in reds and decorated with informative but colourful banners reminiscent of tapestries. Chinese instrumental music resonated as you viewed the artefacts, some of which that had never been on British soil.

Spanning 1,000 years of history, the exhibition was organised in a manner that made you feel as though you were following a timeline of events. The history covered began with the warring states, the rise and fall of the first Emperor as well as the rise of the Han and the dynasty’s legacy. In this backdrop were a vast range of artefacts on display, such as real weapons for

Photo: Gareth Jones

the terracotta soldier’s to use in the afterlife and an impressive number of bronze works, such as wine vessels and cooking pots.

The exhibition was comprehensive and demonstrated the middle kingdom’s impressive political, societal and economic evolution within this time period and the power the nation held.

The 10-figure collection on loan to Merseyside museums, including a life-sized horse and 1 of the 9 generals, demonstrate a new chapter between China and the UK. The exhibition serves to strengthen our two countries both historically and culturally as well as recognising the city of Liverpool’s importance.

The sheer skill involved in these proud and spectacular structures communicated the power of the first Emperor. This fact is emphasised when you take into account the number of these outstanding warriors. Each soldier possess individual facial features and some take different stances, it highlights how these statues were recognised as beings for the afterlife rather than merely objects.

The exhibition successfully communicated the environment that China found itself in 2,000 years ago, as well as the infallible power possessed by Emperor Qin Shi Huang.

His fixation with his rule and legacy led him to drastic actions, such as consuming mercury to increase his lifespan.

But by focussing on his legacy he perhaps created one of the greatest testaments to his rule that inadvertently pays homage to the environment which saw him rise as the very first ruler of a unified China. A country that may not have evolved from strength to strength without that crucial step.

Theatre 25

ISSUE 17 / 26th FEBRUARY 2018 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

ISSUE 17 / 26th FEBRUARY 2018 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Review

Brief Encounter

Michael McQuaid reviews Emma Rice and Kneehigh Theatre’s adaptation of the 1938 film Michael McQuaid Contributor Ever fallen in love with someone you shouldn’t have fallen in love with? Along with The Buzzcocks, this is the question Emma Rice posed in her musical adaptation of Brief Encounter . Set in 1938, it begins with the chance meeting between Alec and Laura.

These two middle-aged souls are desperate for excitement in their lives. Although both are married to other people, they find themselves developing a romantic relationship together. Their complex journey is juxtaposed by the apparent simplicity of the love shared by those around them.

The conflict between love and the reality of life was central to this production. How we as human beings must choose between what we ought to do, and what we want to do. Although an interesting concept, at its heart this is still a love story. This was where Brief Encounter failed to deliver.

to generate an organic romance with.

The standout performance of the night came from Jos Slovick as Johnnie. Flawless singing and a remarkable proficiency on several musical instruments were what kept the show engaging. The supporting cast, on the whole, gave strong performances. Beverly Rudd, in particular, provided a charming energy, despite some of her scenes being overplayed for comedic value.

“Clever use of tech blurred the lines between cinema and theatre ”

“The chemistry between the pair was...missing throughout ” The chemistry between the pair was, unfortunately, missing throughout. Their relationship was passionless and, as a result, hard to believe. The real fault seemed to lie with the script. Jim Sturgeon and Isabel Pollen performed diligently but weren’t provided with enough good material

Rather than distance this production from the original 1945 film written by Noël Coward, Emma Rice embraced the classic. Clever use of tech blurred the lines between cinema and theatre. There were some truly astounding instances where characters moved from onstage to onscreen. These were used to great effect in mimicking classic scenes from the film.

The only disappointment was that they were not used more. Confident and slick direction from Rice ensured the minute details were accounted for. This was evident in the seamless transitions between scenes, both onstage and onscreen.

Photo: Steve Tanner

The music was toe-tapping and succeeded in adding atmosphere to otherwise dull scenes. The choice to refrain from having a sickly sweet love song thrown in was a wise one. Each intimate song was tinged with a sadness, hinting at the futility of Alec and Laura’s love.

The pacing was an issue towards the finale, with the show fizzling out as the interest in the love affair of the central characters waned. The set was utilised effectively but not enough was done to discern different locations, as it still clearly resembled a train station. There were also occasions where there were so many characters onstage that it was confusing as to where the eye should focus.

Brief Encounter had a fascinating premise with some truly great elements. A lack of a convincing central partnership, however, means this can only be considered above-average viewing.

Reviews

The Newspaper Boy

HIVE at HOME Jessica Wiehler Contributor A drab, wet February Sunday couldn’t have asked for a better pick-me-up as the University’s drama society (UMDS) held their first HIVE event at HOME. For those who haven’t yet meandered through the Manchester mill conversions to discover HOME, it is a tall, warm, glass building just off First Street, and is Manchester’s newest cultural triple-whammy, containing cinemas, theatres, and exhibition spaces. For those of you who’ve been around Manchester prior to 2015, it’s Cornerhouse’s new residence.

HIVE was held on the second floor in a low-lit room by a quiet bar; minimal yet sophisticated in a no-nonsense way, the event space was full of interested and interesting performers, writers, and spectators.

“HIVE is a... successful student scratch night... nestled comfortably at HOME” The night contained eight performances, four on either side of an interval, modestly compèred

by Ollie Norton-Smith, whose intermittent advertising for the Drama Society was effectively both charming and necessary for the evening’s new venue. The space made for a more attentive audience and was deserved by the standard of work showcased.

All performances were capped at twelve minutes meaning there was a mixture of full and part extracts. The professional attitude conducted by all the performers, however, left me wanting to see each piece in its entirety.

Several of the performances were monologues brought in by themes at the precipice of our university lives: the common biography of the drama student status and its subverted prosperity, the ongoing struggles in communication in Alfie Clark’s Penetralia, sex in Ellie Klouda’s Oceans and Aeroplanes, body image in Evie Appleson’s Does My Brain Look Big in This? and recognition of

Aisha Al-Janabi Contributor identity in Sam Whitehouse’s Dress.

Comedian Emily Fitzpatrick, with her female lecturer aesthetic crucial to the routine, exposed us all to the world of SpongeBob Literotica – a place I only intend to revisit when she performs again.

Extracts from Krea by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola and A Place by Sassy Holmes opened the door to what could be on the horizon for future drama society productions, managing even in their small window of time to bring us into their fictional worlds.

Bitter by Georgia Carney and Stella Ryley exhibited the vulnerable inner world so many of us experience at university refreshingly without criticism or diagnosis.

Efficiently run and ending appropriately for my new third-year bedtime, the fourth HIVE was an extremely successful student scratch night and nestled in comfortably at HOME. If you missed it, there’s another one before the year’s out – keep your eyes peeled.

I never would have thought that someone saying, “I wank about you” would be so endearing but, in the context of this play, it was. The Newspaper Boy is a coming-of-age story set in 1992, written by Chris Hoyle.

The play focusses on Christian, a 15-year-old from Moston in Manchester, who is cast into a popular soap opera. We see Christian fall in love with Max, a 21-year-old who is his best friend’s step-brother, and the story falling into the tabloid press and the problems this brings.

The story is full of first times: clubbing, drinking, and of course sexual relationships. These scenes were uncomfortably realistic, making me cringe as I’m reminded of my own experiences.

When Christian, played by Daniel Maley, comes out as gay — albeit in a less-than-ideal way via the tabloid press — the focus is the reaction of the other characters. His best friend Mandy quickly becomes practical, suggesting she knows where to get gay porn from, if he would like it. Although his family eventually accept that he is gay, we see the fear of

Review: Grace Currie

telling others, especially in the moment when a neighbour throw bricks through their window.

This play makes you realise that a lot has changed in recent years. Only in 2001 did the age of consent for gay men get lowered to 16, the same as a heterosexual couple. In 1992, when the play is set, the age of consent for two males was 21. There is a wonderful speech in which Christian argues that, despite being only 15, he still has feelings and can be in love.

“a lovely balance between humour and tension” There is a tendency for us to be dismissive of relationships involving those younger then us, but this play draws attention to the importance of these relationships and the fact that they should be respected, something I think it important to remember when discussing relationships with teenagers.

The second act dragged slightly, focussing on the newspaper scandal revealing that Christian was in a sexual relationship with a man while being underage. It lost its way somewhat with scenes that were too long, but they were redeemed by Chris Hoyle’s use of humour to cut through. Of particular note was the Aunt who we never see but is always calling over the telephone. It felt as if there was an inside joke amongst the audience about this very present, but non-existent, character – a wonderful addition to the play. This act was more serious, moving away from the romance that had been built up to the reality of what it meant to be gay in the 90s and the impact of tabloids on families.

The set was cleverly designed, utilising the small stage for different spaces: moving between a family home, to a club created before us by a raving set team who felt just as much part of the show. To move between these, 90s television adverts were projected, which added a sense of nostalgia. I’m still humming the Milkyway jingle.

The play was a lovely balance between humour and tension, and concern for Christian and the impact the scandal. This is certainly a play to watch.