Issue 4

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9th OCTOBER 2017 / ISSUE 4

University staff vote to strike against job cuts Students have told The Mancunion that the university is “totally disregarding the livelihoods of their employees” Cameron Broome Head News Editor Lecturers at the University of Manchester have voiced their outrage at 140 potential staff redundancies through a vote in favour industrial action later this month.

Members of University College and Union (UCU) held the vote on Wednesday the 4th of October. There was a turnout of 57.7 percent, and a total of 1049 votes were cast.

86.7 per cent of members who voted suggested they were “prepared to take industrial action consisting of a strike”, while 93.1 per cent were “prepared to take industrial action short of a strike.”

On the day of the vote, UCU members gathered in the Old Quadrangle off Oxford Road at 1.30pm to lobby the Board of Governors. Strike action has been planned for Monday the 23rd of October and Tuesday the 24th of October, and staff will then begin working to rule from Thursday the 25th of October.

UCU regional official, Martyn Moss, said: “Today’s decisive ballot result reflects the strength of feeling amongst our members who have been incensed at every aspect of these proposals to slash jobs.

“The University of Manchester has been plunged into crisis because

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of a management strategy that bypassed the professionals who work in the affected areas. These redundancy proposals lack a convincing rationale and staff are not confident that the process will be fairly and consistently implemented.

“Striking is always a last resort and there is still the opportunity to avoid it. The University of Manchester must take compulsory redundancies off the table.”

Emma Atkins, Students’ Union Education Officer, echoed these thoughts and added: “UCU delivered an incredibly successful ballot ....It sends a powerful message to the University’s leadership that staff are extremely angry with the job cuts and the way it has been handled. Additionally, the SU Senate passed a motion to support staff that are at risk of redundancy and UCU, demonstrating students also feel very strongly about job cuts. ”Save Our Staff MCR, the University-based campaign to stop the job cuts, told The Mancunion : “With this call for strike action, the University Hierarchy will need to think again before totally disregarding the livelihoods of their employees. As the student wing of this strike, we will stand in solidarity with our staff in protest until they are assured that no job cuts will take place in

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the name of blind greed and profit.” In response to the vote, a University of Manchester spokesperson said: “The University is naturally disappointed that members of the UCU have voted that they are prepared to take industrial action consisting of a strike and/or industrial action short of a strike, particularly because these staffing changes have been considered carefully through an extensive consultation process with all three of our recognised Trade Unions, including the UCU. This includes 16 collective consultation meetings that have taken place since May, plus two meetings facilitated by ACAS, which have resulted in a number of amendments to the proposals as a consequence of consultation.

“The University is committed to mitigating the need for redundancy, and in line with the Security of Employment Policy has taken a number of steps including sourcing redeployment opportunities for ‘at risk’ staff, tight vacancy management control and offering a generous Voluntary Severance Scheme.

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“Whilst we hope that staff will decide to continue to work normally, every effort will be made to ensure that there will be no significant disruption to operations at the University and particularly to our students should there be any industrial action. We also remain committed to continue our dialogue with the Trade Unions and staff on these plans as they are implemented.”

The proposed redundancies are in the University’s School of Arts, Languages and Cultures (35 posts), the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health (65 posts) and Alliance Manchester Business School (40 posts).

As previously reported in The Mancunion , an email was sent on Wednesday the 10th of October 2016 to thousands of University staff detailing a Board of Governors’ decision about job cuts.

In a statement given at the time, a University spokesman said: “We have detailed plans for significant growth in funds from a range of activities, but we will also need to make cost savings. On the 3rd of May the Board of Governors approved proposals from the senior staff of the University to commence consultation with the Trade Unions in relation to reductions of up to 171 posts.

“The University proposes to open a voluntary severance scheme for staff at risk, to avoid the need for compulsory redundancy if at all possible.”

However, in a recent survey of staff conducted by union members, 88 per cent of respondents suggested they did not believe they have been provided with a convincing rationale for the job losses.

The union also claim staff were not given

any opportunity to have any say on the proposals which were drawn up by senior managers, and suggest that 87 per cent of staff surveyed reported that management had not adequately responded to concerns raised through internal university structures.

The union has also rejected the university’s claim that it needs to create “financial headroom”, instead arguing that the University “is in a strong financial position having recorded a £36m surplus last year (2015/16) and its financial statement for the same year revealed it is sitting on £1.5bn of reserves. The 140 redundancies would be followed by the creation of 100 plus new early career academic appointments so the money saved would be comparatively small in relation to the university’s total budget.”

Take a lead in your halls

Calling all leaders, party planners, and entrepreneurs; nominate yourselves to be halls leaders Tristan Parsons Deputy Edior-in-Chief

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Student led charity projects that need your help

If you live in University managed Halls of Residence you can nominate yourself to be a part of your halls RA/JCR here.

Every University-run Halls of Residence has a Residents’ Association (RA) or Junior Common Room (JCR). All students who live in the hall are members of this group and the membership fee is included in their rent. These fees go into a fund which is used to run socials, trips, events, and sporting activities for all residents throughout the year.

Every year a new committee of students is elected to represent their fellow residents and put on a range of events, sports and services for students living in their hall.

A representative of University of Manchester’s Students’ Union told The Mancunion : “Last year was a great year for halls RA/JCR committees and we want to keep the momentum going and build on this success. We need enthusiastic, proactive and creative students to nominate themselves for this year’s elections.”

On their website, the Students’ Union

say “it’s a great chance to get stuck into Halls life and meet loads of new people while developing all kinds of organisational, event management and communication skills.”

Roles available include President, Secretary, Sports Coordination, and Events Coordinator. The deadline for nominating yourself for a role is the 8th of October, with voting commencing on the 9th.

The Students’ Union will support the committees in achieving their goals throughout the year.

Students attacked and mugged at knife point Reportedly threatened with a “crowbar” and at knife-point, Kizzy Bray talks to some of the victims of the attacks Kizzy Bray Features Editor

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Two men, reportedly armed with a knife and a crowbar, are targeting intoxicated students coming home from nights out in smaller groups and threatening them.

In the early morning of the 5th October two unknown attackers began a spree of muggings across Fallowfield. One student — who wished to remain anonymous — was walking home from Antwerp Mansion at 3:30am with a friend when the pair were attacked.

He was hit over the head with a crowbar and then received a surface knife wound after refusing to give over his phone and wallet, whilst his friend had his phone stolen. The victim told The Mancunion “I noticed there was two men in front of me, both around 25, one white, sort of skinny with what I think was a gingery beard and one of darker skin colour with a mask and a bit bigger build. One had a knife, one had a crowbar.”

After the refusal to give up his belongings and subsequently being violently attacked, the men ran off. “They ran to their car and drove off really fast. They swerved as if to hit my mate, but that was

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definitely a scare tactic”.

At around 3:45am, just after our first witnesses’ account, another student called Nickon was attacked along with his friend.

“They were very aggressive and punched both of us” Nickon told The Mancunion. “I managed to push one of them over and run away, but my friend was pinned to a car by the one with a knife. He gave them his things and saw an opportunity and managed to escape.”

Nickon’s description of the two attackers was almost identical to the first.

The anonymous witness contacted the police and was told to wait for patrol officers to take his statement. “It took them an hour or more for them to come. They apologised and said that we weren’t the first people that this had happened to tonight and that the other statements matched the same profiles.” He went on to say “I definitely don’t feel safe, especially as the guys who were doing it seemed a bit unstable and provocative. I think they were just trying to act big, but that would scare most people. This could really effect the community.”

Nickon felt the same way. “I’m more

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alert definitely, it does seem a bit more precarious to me now walking around, I think I’m always going to make sure I’m with a bigger group or start taking more taxis.”

With such a violent threat to the community of Fallowfield, we wondered how the police are choosing to deal with the danger. Previously, The Mancunion submitted a freedom of information asking how many officers patrol the Fallowfield area overnight, however the request was denied.

According to the first victim, the police told him that “they put more patrols in place last night after the rampage. They also said they went and actually checked the area we were attacked in because I told them the guy might have dropped the knife there.”

Whether the increase of patrol officers in Fallowfield becomes a permanent fixture or whether it was just for the night is still unknown. The perpetrators are still yet to be found, although detectives are following up potential leads from the stolen goods. If you have any information that may lead to their capture, please call 111.

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University political scene highly-rated Which? University 2017 Student Survey ranked Manchester University highly for its “varied union activities”, “political scene” and “diverse local nightlife” Cameron Broome Head News Editor The University of Manchester is one of the UK’s top-rated universities for its political scene, the Which? University 2017 Student Survey has suggested.

The findings are most timely given the Conservative Party held its annual conference in Manchester again this year, met with thousands of protesters.

Sunday the 1st of October was the first day of the conference and coincided with two large demonstrations: an event organised by the People’s Assembly against public sector cuts, and a ‘Stop Brexit’ march organised by Brexit sceptics, both reportedly attended by over 30,000 protesters.

Students’ Union Campaigns and Citizenship Officer, Deej Malik-Johnson, commented on the various demonstrations and told The Mancunion : “As a response to the Conservative Party conference in the city this week a number of campaigning groups are holding events from the People’s Assembly Against Austerity and Stop Brexit to the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Momentum and Stand Up To Racism, as Campaigns and Citizenship

Officer and as a Mancunian I find this a really exciting opportunity for people of all ends of the political spectrum to get engaged in a range of debates about the direction the country is going and to make their voices heard, this can only be a good thing for our democracy and for the people of Manchester.”

Alluding to the findings, he added: “As you may have seen over the weekend, the Which? University Student Survey found the University Of Manchester to be one of the leading universities in the country for student engagement in politics so as you would expect our students had a great presence at both marches.

“Various students and societies approached me and SU staff to help facilitate their actions, we hosted banner and placard making sessions, made advice packs, and coordinated meeting points. On the day hundreds of UoM students as societies and individuals marched, sang, chanted and gave speeches and I’m very proud of our presence.”

Deej also said that “many [students] expressed disappointment that both demos were happening at the same time as they would have liked to attend both.”

In the survey, a second-year Modern History student

praised Manchester’s “strong political history” and suggested there is “huge socialist scene in the city historically and this is visible today.”

While a second-year Physics student agreed that Manchester had a strong political scene, they suggested that the “University of Manchester is so large that there are political groups of every nature.”

In the Which? Student Survey 2017, the University of Manchester also ranked highly for its diverse nightlife, varied union activities and proximity to the city centre.

A first-year German Studies student described Manchester’s nightlife as “fantastic and not too expensive”, while a first-year clinical medical student said the University’s “variety of clubs and societies on offer is amazing.”

Some downsides suggested in the survey included “cleanliness and security of the town area”, “communication between different departments” which a second year Clinical Medicine student said “could be better... [which] would allow things to run a bit more smoothly” and a comment that the “quality of teaching varies hugely between individual tutors and lecturers.”

Photo: Rosa Simomet

World Mental Health Day 2017 comes to Manchester campus

After a successful event for World Mental Health Day 2016, Wellbeing Officer Saqib Mahmood wants to make 2017’s celebrations even better Lauren Goodfellow News Reporter Mental health is widely regarded as being one of the most pressing issues of modern day society, yet arguably there remains a shroud of stigma around anyone seeking help.

According to a 2016 YouGov survey, over one-quarter of students report having a mental health condition, suggestive of the enormity of the problem at hand.

Since 2013, on the 10th of October every year, the World Health Organisation has promoted World Mental Health Day internationally. The day aims to normalise mental health issues, start conversations and highlight the importance of acceptance amongst the global community.

After the success of last year’s events, current Wellbeing Officer Saqib Mahmood has organised a day of activities in celebration of World Mental Health Day 2017 (Tuesday the 1oth of October).

Speaking to The Mancunion, he said: “We plan to make this day more engaging, exciting and enjoyable than ever. This year looks promising on tackling the negative stigma surrounding mental health and gaining access to the services when one is in need of help.”

The day will begin with a free tea and coffee morning in the SU Council Chambers, allowing students to start the day relaxed and refreshed. From 11 am until 4 pm, there will be a Mental Health Fair held next to University Place.

The fair will include student societies, the NUS Vice President of Welfare and staff members from the University’s well-being services.

One of the student groups getting involved in the day is Open Mind Manchester, a student-led mental health society and the President of the society, Nomaan Zubair was quick to praise World Mental Health Day. Speaking to The Mancunion , he said: “I think WMHD is important as it brings

something that isn’t widely discussed [in] the mainstream. Days like WMHD help us to realise that it’s okay not to be okay sometimes and that the fight against mental health is everyone’s fight.”

The day will be rounded off with a ‘Liberate My Mind Panel’ which aims to bring to light the mental health issues of minority groups.

This includes LGBTQ+, BME, and faith groups, all who face marginalisation and increased stigmatisation when it comes to mental health.

If you wish to get involved and help out on World Mental Health Day, contact Saqib on saqib.mahmood@ manchester.ac.uk or Open Mind on : Photo: Tumisu @ Pixabay

hellomanchesteropenmindnetwork co.uk.

George Osborne makes a quiet first visit

Whilst other guest lecturers such as Brian Cox offer an open invite to their lectures, Osborne’s was a thing of secrecy until immediately afterwards Kirstie O’Mahony Editor-in-Chief Former Chancellor George Osborne made his inaugural guest economics lecture to postgraduate students the day before the Tory conference started, however no other students were invited and many seemed to be unaware of its occurrence.

A University of Manchester spokesperson told The Mancunion that it’s not university policy to advertise that his lecture contained discussion on “the difficulties of applied economic policy, in the context of a world economy that suffered from a significant financial crisis, in general but also from the perspective of the Chancellor of the Exchequer in particular. A lively Q&A session contributed to an event that the Manchester postgraduate students valued significantly.”

However, criticism has been directed at the university and the now editor of The London Evening Standard , as the lecture itself was closed to all other students other than postgraduate economic students. The spokesperson clarified that “The event was by invitation only” but that “all Economics postgraduate students were invited.” 60 tickets were released and the event reached capacity.

The University of Manchester released a video afterwards

of George Osborne talking about his experience, and how much he enjoyed his first visit to the university.

George Osborne told The Mancunion “It was great to get on the campus and talk with lots of students. I opened with my thoughts on how economic thinking comes to shape decisions in a modern democracy like ours - and then the students took the discussion to all sorts of issues, from the impact of Brexit to the rise of China. Some students agreed with my thoughts; others wanted to question them - that’s as it should be at a great university like Manchester.”

When asked why the lecture wasn’t open to all students, he responded: “This was a seminar with economics postgrads; next time it can be undergraduates or PhD students. I’m 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.”

The lecture took place at the Manchester Museum.

A member of staff who chose to remain anonymous expressed their distaste at the choice of venue: “[it’s] ridiculous as his policies actively cut funding to cultural and arts institutions... I wanted to say something about it because I was fuming how secretive it was, and fuming that he was taking advantage of the museum, that he had helped make sure there was no funding for.”She continued to describe it as ironic.

She also alleged that Mr Osborne was snuck in the back door with a security detail. The Mancunion has requested comment from the Manchester Museum.

Many Manchester students were frustrated at the lack of publicity surrounding his visit, such as David Cheetham who said he “knew nothing about this lecture” and he “would have been very keen to see it.” Amy Nguyen told The Mancunion that the closed nature of the event was “such a shame” as “having access to expertise whether you agree with his previous policies or not is so important for the future generation of leaders.”

Some were more critical however, such as Iqra Chowdury who said “I’d love to sit in on Prof [sic] Osborne’s lectures and ask him why he thinks he’s an expert on economics when his austerity policies have been criticised by a UN report, and damned public sector workers to a real-time pay cut.”

General Secretary of the Students’ Union Alex Tayler told The Mancunion: “As an officer of the SU I am disappointed by the lack of communication from the university about the inaugural lecture from our esteemed friend Gideon as I’m sure students would have benefitted greatly from knowing more about this learning opportunity, I could only wildly speculate about how this may have been overlooked.”

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Tuition fee reform announced at Manchester conference Despite rumours that tuition frees were set to be cut at the Conservative Party conference, Theresa May instead announced a freeze Nicole Wootton-Cane News Reporter Prime Minister Theresa May has announced several reforms to tuition fees at the Conservative Party conference held in Manchester this week including a freeze in fee increases at the current rate of £9,250 a year.

However, Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner MP said the new policy was “a desperate attempt by the Tories to kick the issue into the long grass.”

Students currently pay £9,250 a year towards their course fees, and most borrow this money through a loan from the Government.

May’s proposed changes would have this fee frozen at £9,250 a year, despite past intentions to raise fees by £250 to £9,500, in the academic year 2018-19.

Speaking at the Conservative Party conference, May announced that she also intends to raise fee repayment thresholds by £4,000, from the current benchmark of £21,000 per annum earnings to £25,000. Speaking on the Andrew Marr show, she stated that this would mean “£30 a month more money into graduates’ pockets.”

However, this change has been heavily criticised as it is likely to only ap-

ply to students and graduates who were able to take out the higher rate of student loans. This means that students who graduated earlier than Speaking on The Andrew Marr Show, she stated that this would mean “£30 a month more money into graduates’ pockets.”

However, this change has been heavily criticised as this is likely to only apply to students and graduates who were able to take out the higher rate of student loans.

This means that students who graduated earlier than 2012, when the higher rate of loans introduced under David Cameron, are likely to have higher repayment levels even if they are on the same income threshold as more recent graduates with higher debt.

Many also criticise the plan, seeing it as an attempt to attract younger voters.

The snap election earlier this year suggested many young voters siding with Labour, argued partly due to Jeremy Corbyn’s plans to scrap tuition fees altogether.

In an interview in The Sun on the 1st of October, May stated she had “listened to (young people’s) concerns and we [Conservatives] are going to act to offer a fairer deal to students and young people.”

Image: skeeze @ Pixabay

Sam Honey News reporter

Image: EU2017EE @ Flickr

Chancellor announces £400m investment in the ‘Northern Powerhouse’ Photo: Manchester Students’ Union

Language badges introduced to welcome international students

A Manchester resident has described the ordeal of being caught in the middle of Monday’s mass shooting in Las Vegas.

37-year old Steve Dunville, who lives in Fallowfield, was attending a friend’s wedding at the Four Seasons hotel when disaster struck at the nearby Route 91 open-air music festival on Las Vegas Boulevard.

The attacker opened fire from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel, indiscriminately killing members of the public below.

A raid of the gunman’s hotel room has resulted in the discovery of further firearms, police confirmed.

Current figures state that 59 have been confirmed as dead, with well over 500 believed to have been injured.

Speaking to The Manchester Evening News, Dunville detailed how the wedding party were frantically rushed to safety as terror broke out just metres away.

Guests were rushed to the stairwell of the establishment and were forced to remain there for around three hours while the shooting was ongoing.

“We went down to a fire exit, opened the doors and could see people running and screaming on the strip. We were told to get back into the hotel and we’ve been here ever since.

“They told us to keep quiet and locked us in the stairwell as the police were sweeping the hotel.”

Mr Dunville confirmed via Whatsapp that guests had been barred

from leaving their rooms for safety reasons.

Police announced at a press conference that the suspect, Paddock, was dead, affirming that he had turned the gun on himself as officers closed on him.

Officials are still largely unsure about the motives surrounding the attack.

With no evidence gathered from a sweep of his hotel room and house back in Mesquite, Nevada, Paddock’s brother described his brother as holding no political or religious affiliations that he “knew of”.

Paddock was known to Las Vegas police, but had only been listed for a routine traffic violation and had no history or association with violent crime.

Sheriff Joseph Lombardo of the Las Vegas police confirmed that Paddock had been in possession of a number of tools to aid his deadly mission, including a bump-stock to enable rapid fire from his semi-automatic weapon and a ‘hammer-like device’ used to smash his hotel windows.

Such items, coupled with the discovery of further weaponry at the 64-year old’s home, appears to suggest that the attack was premeditated and carefully planned.

Although the death toll is expected to rise, the present figure of 59 already makes the attack the deadliest shooting in American history and has reignited the fiercely-contested debate over gun regulation across the states.

A chance to give homeless people administered healthcare

Chancellor announces an extra £400m for the Northern Powerhouse to invigorate the Northern economy, infrastructure and transport links

A new scheme is being set up in Greater Manchester to tackle homelessness

Lul Arundell News Reporter

Shivami Kaura Senior News reporter

Students and staff have found the badges to be useful so far Tristan Parsons Deputy Editor-in-Chief

Manchester Students’ Union’s Diversity Officer, Riddi Viswanathan has introduced the “I Speak Other Languages Too” badge in an attempt to “make the University more welcoming for international students, especially for students facing language barriers.”

The badge is to be worn by staff and students ASK ME ambassadors who speak a language other than English. They have been available since the start of the 2017 autumn term.

“As well as addressing language barriers, these badges also to help students and staff break the ice,” Ms Viswanathan said. Feedback has been positive so far; one University staff member said: “I’m sure lots of international students will really appreciate this!”

She added: “I am super glad that students from different countries are feeling warm and welcomed already. Even home students are asking them if they could teach them their language and I couldn’t be happier to see these students gel so well.”

Image: Tony Grist @ Wikimedia Commons

On Monday at the Conservative Party conference, Chancellor Philip Hammond announced plans to further invest in the ‘Northern Powerhouse.’

Hammond explicitly promised an extra £400 million of funding directed towards improving transport within both the North and the Midlands.

The Northern Powerhouse has been a focal point of Conservative Party policy since the Chancellor’s predecessor George Osborne announced it in 2014. It was at the heart of the party’s main policy pledges at the conference, as some are critical that the government has become predominantly focused on the Brexit negotiations, neglecting Northern Interests.

Hammond’s speech was one of many at the

Manchester man caught up in Las Vegas horror shooting

party conference in Manchester attempting to modernise the Conservatives after the disappointing general election result and the general feeling of negativity surrounding the party regarding policy and leadership.

The Chancellor’s speech did not start off as he might have hoped as he appeared to make an unplanned gaffe referring to Manchester being in the North East.

The speech’s key focus was on transport and infrastructure, specifically focusing on rail networks and roads. The Chancellor promised £100 million for new road plans in the North.

This extra funding is projected to enable 33 new road networks across the North which includes 10 in the North East, ten in Yorkshire, and 13 in the North West.

The primary focus of the new investment is the high speed rail network with £300 million being pledged to be spent connecting HS2 rail networks with those outside the HS2 parameter such as the East Midlands and the North East as HS2 in its current form will only connect Manchester and Leeds and excludes many other areas covered in the ‘Northern Powerhouse’.

This reflects the government’s aim to create a ‘Northern Powerhouse Rail Network’ connecting the entirety of the North of England and the Midlands. The motives behind the ‘Northern Powerhouse’ could not have been clearer as the Chancellor stated that he wants to close the economic divide between the North and the South East, creating similar economic and transport structures to London.

The North remains unconvinced. Responding to Hammond’s £400 million pledge, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, stated that “electrification across the Pennines was promised in 2011 but today the Chancellor was silent on this.”

Tim Farron did not let Hammond’s Manchester gaffe go unremarked: “At the beginning of his speech Hammond made it clear that he thought Manchester is in the North East. Maybe the Conservatives also think Cumbria is in Sweden?

It would explain why they’ve stopped giving us any money.”

He added: “£400 million is a paltry amount... under the Conservatives the North is being left in the dark.”

Rough sleepers in Manchester will be given access to healthcare in general practices and accident and emergency centres, this week. Creator of the scheme, Dr Zahid Chauhan, aims for those without a home to have greater access to medical services.

Currently, homeless people are unable to join GP surgeries as they do not have a registered address. As a result, when faced with a medical issue, they are forced to attend accident and emergency. The lack of background information available at A&E — information usually tied to one’s address — makes it difficult for medical professionals to come up with a diagnosis.

Dr Chauhan, writing for GP Online, stated, “the programme calls on us all to make a cultural shift. It asks that we look at our policies and procedures to ensure that they are homeless-friendly. If practice staff need support and training, local GPs can provide that.”

With the ever-growing numbers of people attending A&E as opposed to booking appointments with their GPs, the stress on these services is reaching breaking point. The scheme is meant to reduce this pressure, not only by simply ensuring people are given treatment elsewhere, but more importantly by preventing problems before they become too serious to require emergency treatment.

Antibiotics for infections or wounds and surgeries for heart attacks — a condition which is growing exponentially within the homeless community — are amongst the most common medical issues that participating GPs will deal with.

Potentially, this scheme could allow those who sleep rough to enter into programs aimed at rehabilitation from alcohol or drug-related problems. antibiotics for infections or wounds and surgeries for heart attacks — a condition which is growing exponentially within the homeless community — and other medical issues.

This type of program has precedent and has an impressive track record of success. Urban Village Medical Practice, a participating surgery, has been operating a weekly drop-in and other programs specifically aimed at homeless people, for the last 15-years.

In addition, “All team members belong to the Faculty for Homeless and Inclusion Health, the first independent, multi-disciplinary body focused on the health care of homeless and other multiply excluded people.”

In 2012, the practice was approached to take part in a 6-month pilot scheme, aimed at uncovering the main reasons homeless people were using medical services. The study showed that proactive, pre-

ventative engagement with homeless people resulted in 81 of frequent users of medical services reducing their attendances.

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, speaking to The Manchester Evening News, reiterated the benefits of people attending appointments in GPs surgeries, rather than simply turning up at A&E. He also stressed the benefits of preventative medicine He also stressed the benefits of preventative medicine, saying: “It makes sense to give people that care when they need it rather than letting it become a much greater problem, that in the end might end up costing us all more.”

Homelessness has been on the rise recently, and Burnham made it clear he was well aware of the problem. He noted the emotional effect it had on him personally, “It is quite a sobering fact to realise that the average life expectancy for somebody rough sleeping or homeless is 47. I’m 47. So, that really hits home hard for me and it’s why I am so personally committed to this.”

Burnham has pledged to end homelessness in Manchester by the year 2020.

Survival kits are now being handed out to homeless people containing blankets, bottles of water and sleeping bags.

Participating clinics: Dam Head Medical Centre, Blackley, Royton Medical Centre, Oldham, Longsight Medical Centre, Lime Square Medical Centre, Fallowfield Medical Centre, Beacon Medical Centre, Medlock Medical Centre, Prestwich walk-in centre, The Dale Medical Practice, and Waters Meeting Health Centre.

Photo: w.d.worden @ Flickr

Transport workers strike across Manchester

Industrial action has caused rail and bus delays across the North West this week Jacob Rawling News reporter

Photo: remedy451 @Flickr

Workers from the First bus service and Northern Rail both went on strike this week in Manchester.

On Monday the 2nd of October, First bus drivers went on strike.

Drivers working at the Rusholme and Bolton depots could be seen waving placards that read: “We demand fair pay.” Unite has claimed that First reneged on long-standing agreements with the union.

43 routes were affected by the drivers’ strike, delaying students and commuters alike. First have released a statement saying: “We’re extremely disappointed that staff from two of our depots have decided to take strike action despite a good offer being put forward.”

On Tuesday the 3rd of October, rail workers of the trade union RMT also took industrial action. Members of RMT at Southern, Merseyrail, Greater Anglia and Northern Rail - Arriva Rail’s Northern franchise - were “out in force” picketing their employers. The industrial action is a result of the ongoing dispute over “safety concerns”.

The rail companies currently plan to scrap train conductors, also known as Guards, from their services. RMT see the removal of conductors from services as unsafe.

As part of a modernisation effort, Northern Rail are purchasing new rolling stock to achieve 50% driver-controlled trains by 2020.

Current trains require a conductor to operate the doors and assist with passenger safety, whereas the new trains would not.

Daren Ireland, regional organiser for RMT North West, explained to The Mancunion that the RMT has “the firm view that passengers deserve a level of safety. Employers wish to cut standards and cut safety to boost the profit of shareholders.”

Mr Ireland noted that a conductor was critical to passenger safety and evacuation on the 4th of August 2017 when a train caught fire at St Helens. No one was injured in this incident.

Negotiations between Northern Rail and RMT have stalled. The rail company have been “uncooperative” according to Mr Ireland.

In recent discussions, Northern Rail failed to send a director to discussions with the union — this was seen as an uncooperative gesture that resulted in the talks breaking down.

Paul Maynard, Under Secretary of State for the Department of Transport, accused RMT of “using passengers as pawns” in a political game. Mr Maynard insisted that “It’s not about safety either as the independent regulator has ruled that driver-controlled trains are safe.”

The dispute over train conductors has been resolved in several regions of the country already. Scottish rail company ScotRail were able to come to an agreement in which new trains would require a conductor. Transpennine Express also reached an agreement in which conductors will be retained on all trains.

Further rail strikes are planned on the 5th of October. Until a compromise can be achieved between the RMT and Northern rail, we can continue to expect delays.

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Science

ISSUE 4 / 9th OCTOBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

The important and interesting stories from the university this week.

Thomas the Tank Engine helps campaigners unite against transport cuts Friends of the Earth Manchester take to controversial methods to battle inequitable funding between the North and the nation’s capital Photo: Windslash @Flickr

Max Brimelow Contributor

Jack Barton Science & Technology Reporter Last week, the 2017 Nobel Prize winners were announced for the categories of Medicine or Physiology, Physics and Chemistry. The winners for each category shared the 9 million krona (£825, 000) awarded by the Nobel Foundation committee in Stockholm, Sweden, and their work highlights some of the most exciting ongoing international research.

Starting with the announcement on Monday last week, the Nobel Prize for medicine or physiological was awarded to Jeffrey Hall, Michael Rosbash, and Michael Young for their work on the genetic building blocks of circadian rhythms.

Also referred to as body clocks, circadian rhythms are crucial for life and the successful functioning of organisms.

For example, one such circadian rhythm most people will be familiar with is sleep.

The work of Hall, Rosbash, and Young identified the genes which govern these biological clocks. Prior to their work, it was observed in cells that the levels of a protein known as PER increased during the night and decreased during the day in a 24-hour cycle. Their collective work showed that the presence of certain genes coded for the regular increases and decreases of PER over the course of the 24-hour day and in turn the body’s natural clocks.

Cumulatively, this body of work has implications in medicine for illnesses such as schizophrenia, which have been shown to be linked to faulty circadian rhythms.

The Nobel Prize for physics was awarded to Rainer Weiss, Barry Barish, and Kip Thorne for the discovery of gravitational waves and the development of the detector, known as the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO), sensitive enough to detect them.

Their work validates a key hypothesis of Albert Einstein’s, devised over 100 years ago, arguing for the presence of gravitational waves based on his theory of general relativity.

The first detection of gravitational waves was in 2015, forming from two black holes over one billion lights year away from Earth which collided and distorted the fabric of space-time.

It is not the first time that gravitational waves have been associated with a Nobel Prize. In 1993, the Nobel Prize in physics was awarded to two US scientists for their observation of binary pulsars suggestive of the existence of gravitational waves.

The Nobel Prize for chemistry was awarded to Jacques Dubochet, Joachim Frank, and Richard Henderson for their roles in the development of cryo-electron microscopy. Their

culminating work led to the development of an imaging technique which allows for the exploration of structures at an incredibly high resolution.

Their work has enabled present-day researchers to image biomolecules at an atomic level and this has helped contribute to our understanding of organic structures such as the Zika virus.

Although the Nobel Prize committee focuses on individuals in science, it has been noted again that this is not representative of the scientific process in reality.

Professor Kip Thorne, speaking to the Guardian, said “The prize rightfully belongs to the hundreds of LIGO scientists and engineers who built and perfected our complex gravitationalwave interferometers, and the hundreds of… scientists who found the gravitational-wave signals in Ligo’s noisy data and extracted the waves’ information.”

This is a recurring criticism of the Nobel Prize. It has been argued that the award should instead focus on discoveries rather than individual scientists as a way forward.

Nonetheless, this year’s awards have identified some of the most exciting discoveries which are having a direct impact on our understanding of ourselves and the universe we inhabit.

Manchester and 60 years of the space age As we approach the 60th anniversary of humanity’s first foray into space, we look back on the exciting advancements that Manchester took part in Kieran O’Brien Science and Technology Editor The year 1957 was significant for a number of reasons — Dwight D. Eisenhower was sworn in for his second term as U.S. President, Ghana became the first country in colonial Africa to gain independence, the Suez Canal reopened in Egypt following the crisis of the previous year, and the modern world was about to enter a new age that few people had expected — the space age.

Wednesday the 4th of October marked the 60th anniversary of one of the most significant advances in science and technology. A small, 84 kg metal sphere — complete with four radio antennae powered by little more than a car battery — became the first man-made object to enter orbit around the Earth and thus became our planet’s first artificial satellite.

Sputnik 1, as the satellite was called, was launched by the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War. Although launched in secret behind the iron curtain, the satellite was quickly detected by western nations.

More significantly, the Lovell Telescope at the Jodrell Bank observatory in Cheshire — owned by the University of Manchester — became the first radio telescope in the west to detect Sputnik’s booster rocket and the radio pulses transmitted back to Earth.

Incidentally, this year also marks the 60th anniversary of the university’s Lovell Telescope, at the time the largest radio telescope in the world. What better claim to fame for our university than to be the first to detect the world’s first artificial satellite?

But given the paranoia of the Cold War, U.S.

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UoM academic news this week...

Nobel Prizes 2017: the most exciting discoveries in science

Jack Barton summarises the recent 2017 Nobel Prize awards held in Stockholm, in medicine, physics and chemistry announced last week

Academic

ISSUE 4 / 9th OCTOBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

intelligence agencies scrambled to decipher these mysterious radio signals. As it turned out, it was nothing more than meaningless transmissions, used only as a test to see if such satellite radio technology would work.

Few technological advancements have had such an impact on the future of science.

The launch of Sputnik triggered the space race, and over the course of the following years saw further achievements in space science: the first animal in space, Laika the dog, aboard Sputnik 2; the first human in space, Yuri Gagarin in 1961; and the first spacewalk by Alexey Leonov in 1965.

All of these milestones Photo: Wikimedia Commons were achieved by the Soviet Union, and it wasn’t until 1969 when As we see renewed interest in space the U.S. gained the science with the Curiosity Rover on Mars, upper hand in the space race by putting the the Voyager spacecraft becoming the first first human beings on our natural satellite, man-made object to leave our solar system, the Moon. the spectacular 20-year Cassini mission, And of course, without the launch of and ever-growing serious proposals to send Sputnik, we wouldn’t have commercial the first humans and colonisers to Mars, let satellites orbiting the Earth, and so for one us not forget Sputnik 1, without which none thing, Google Maps and other apps which use of these spectacular space missions would location technology simply wouldn’t exist.

On the morning of Monday the 2nd October, Manchester Friends of the Earth gathered supporters at the Central Library to urge politicians to contribute money towards the rail electrification project that Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has threatened could be put to the axe.

With the help of ‘Thomas the Tank Engine’ and a pre-pay meter sandwich board, Friends of the Earth supporters staged the stunt to raise awareness of the possible cuts as Conservative politicians gathered for the annual Tory Party Conference in Central Manchester.

The campaigners pressed Conservative MPs and conference delegates to push back against inequitable funding for the North and towards much-needed improvements. The planned changes had until recently included the electrification of several Northern train Photo: manchesterfoe @Flickr routes as well as the widening and addition of platforms at Manchester Piccadilly.

Friends of the Earth see these improvements as critical faster and better train services, improve air quality and to combatting issues of air pollution, climate change, and reduce climate emissions from transport.” overcrowding.

Transport is a key area for climate concern in Britain and “We wanted to use humour to engage delegates to the the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions.

Conservative Party conference and encourage them to tell Road transport alone is responsible for around 25 percent of government ministers they need to honour their pledges total UK emissions. However, the government is increasingly and rail commitments,” said Pete Abel, a volunteer with falling behind on its targets. the Manchester Friends of the Earth sustainable transport 18 months ago, Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom campaign, who was present at the demonstration. pledged a 100 percent reduction in emissions by 2050, but “Our stunt was only a small part of an on-going campaign that figure has since been reduced to 80 percent, leading by transport campaigners, local authorities, political, and some to accuse the government of doing too little to combat business leaders across the North to get proper investment climate change. in Cross Rail for the North and rail electrification to deliver Perhaps most importantly, the campaign speaks to the

larger problem of disproportionate government investment in London compared with the North of England. Statistics show that some parts of the North receive less than a tenth of the investment per person that Londoners do on transport.

Supporters were outraged when Chris Grayling expressed support for a ‘Cross Rail 2’ project in London at the cost of at least £31 billion, shortly after plans for its Northern equivalent were thrown into doubt.

With the help of Manchester Friends of the Earth, over 87,000 people have now signed a petition calling for Mr Grayling to pledge his backing for a Northern Powerhouse Rail Programme as well as at least £59 billion ‘catch-up cash’ over the coming decade to support transport initiatives in the North.

The petition also calls for Transport for the North to be empowered to the same level of autonomy enjoyed by Transport for London.

Some measure of success was achieved today as Chancellor Philip Hammond announced £300 million of funding is to be made available towards the Northern rail investment project.

“The Thomas the Tank Engine event received a lot of interest and publicity on social media but true success will be measured when Ministers’ actions match their warm words,” added Mr Abel. “The announcement of £300 million for rail investment is to be welcomed but is a drop in the ocean of the funding required to rebalance transport investment.”

It seems that for Manchester Friends of the Earth, and for the future of Northern rail travel, the battle is far from over.

More from UoM research...

New anti-inflammatory compound developed by Manchester researchers Jack Barton Science and Technology Reporter

have been possible.

In just 60 years since Sputnik’s launch, we have learned more about the solar system and deep space than we could ever have dreamed of. And yet there is still so much more to discover! Who knows what advances we will have achieved in another 60 years.

Perhaps the Mancunion will write a similar piece in 2077 — from a Martian campus?

Inflammation is a normal and healthy part of our immune systems and forms part of your body’s innate response to infection. Unfortunately, despite our bodies being adept at dealing with a range of challenges, they can make mistakes.

In the case of inflammation, this can lead to the destruction of healthy cells and lead to inflammatory illnesses such as Crohn’s disease and arthritis.

In the case of inflammation, this can lead to the destruction of healthy cells and lead to inflammatory illnesses such as Crohn’s disease and arthritis.

There is a broad range of illnesses which have been shown to have an immune component to them: Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, depression, atherosclerosis and diabetes, to name a few. However, there are currently few effective treatments available and most only manage the symptoms with varying levels of success.

This is where a group of researchers at the University of Manchester comes in. A team led by biologist Dr David Brough and chemist Dr Sally Freeman have recently developed a new molecule capable of reducing inflammation by targeting a component of the immune system known as the inflammasome.

The inflammasome is a complex structure which

coordinates inflammation by mobilising chemical footsoldiers known as cytokines.

There are many different types of inflammasomes but one commonly associated with disease, and targeted by the researchers in this study, is referred to as NLPR3. For example, this inflammasome NLPR3 has been associated with Alzheimer’s disease for which treatment mainly involves management of symptoms as they occur.

The ability to target, and switch off, the NLPR3 inflammasome would open up new treatment targets for Alzheimer’s disease and other chronic illnesses associated with faulty inflammation.

In an open-access article published in Cell Chemical Biology, the Manchester-based team created their new antiinflammatory molecule from a basic compound (2-APB) which targeted the inflammasome but also other important cell functions. This made it not particularly useful in treating disease as the other functions it targeted are vital to the healthy functioning of cells.

Therefore, the researchers slowly but steadily altered the structure of this compound, tested it, altered it some more, tested it, and over many iterations they finally produced a molecule which specifically targeted the inflammasome.

This final molecule (‘Novel Boron Compound 6’ or NBC6) was also found to inhibit inflammasome NLPR3 better than

the original non-specific compound (2-APB). The researchers tested NBC6 on mice and found promising results.

This research supports a previous article published in Nature Communications by the same group last year which showed that targeting the NLPR3 inflammasome could reduce Alzheimer’s symptoms in a mouse model of the disease.

The development of this new anti-inflammatory molecule, NBC6, opens-up another avenue for research into treatments for inflammation-mediated illnesses by targeting the NLPR3 inflammasome.

One of the researchers involved on the project, PhD student Mike Daniels has this to say about the research: “This is a really exciting study and it feels fantastic to finally get this out there. We are in desperate need for new treatments for diseases such as Alzheimer’s and, although NBC6 won’t be an effective drug, it’s certainly a step along the way.”

It is important to note that this is a starting point in the development of drugs from this molecule. There are many more hurdles which this molecule will have to advance through before we start seeing its use in humans who suffer from inflammatory illnesses.

Nonetheless, it is an exciting advancement and one of many steps to help rectify faults in the natural and protective process of inflammation.

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Features

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Features

ISSUE 4 / 9th OCTOBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

An uncertain future: student-led charity projects that need your help

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Harlem Spartans: An Exclusive

With a lack of volunteers, student-led projects at the University of Manchester helping adults with learning disabilities have an uncertain future. Kizzy Bray talks to three volunteers about what potential volunteers need to know and how to get involved Kizzy Bray Head Features Editor Something rewarding and worthwhile to get involved in whilst at university is charity work. Lots of people do it, it looks good on your CV and you could really be making a difference by simply giving up a bit of free time a week to helping others.

You could work at a soup kitchen, with refugees on their CV writing skills, or spend some nights with the Greater Manchester Nightline taking the calls of people in need. Whatever you decide to dedicate yourself to will not go unnoticed and unappreciated by those you are helping.

Student Action are the volunteering society at the University of Manchester. All their projects are student-led and run weekly, covering a wide variety of events that support people in the local community.

Molly, Serena and Phil are three of these wonderful students who take the time out of their day to organise, run and volunteer projects of which they are mostly keeping alive due to unfortunate understaffing from a lack of volunteers.

Molly is The Ladybarn Project’s team leader, Serena was the team leader last year and this year is one of very few volunteers who help out on a Tuesday of every week for The Ladybarn Project. The Ladybarn Project provides a fun and social place for adults with learning disabilities to take part in scheduled activities, as well as being provided with transport from their homes to the SU (where the project takes place) and back again.

There are lots of fun things to get involved with when it comes to the Ladybarn Project such as meals out, crazy golf and bowling as well as the end of year trip to the zoo, which is where Molly started her Ladybarn Project career.

Molly explained, “I first got involved when I volunteered with the Ladybarn Project at their end of year trip to the zoo. I’d previously worked at a two-week residency at a school for children with learning disabilities and knew I really wanted to get involved when I got to university.

“It’s hard to find out about volunteering things at the university, but once I found The Ladybarn Project online I knew that’s what I wanted to do.” Molly applied for the role of team leader and was successful in

her application for this academic year, just as you could be if you were interested in the role.

“I had worked in a home for people with learning disabilities before”, Serena adds. “I ended up volunteering in my first year and then being a team leader in my second.”

You don’t need to have experience prior to applying, either. “All new volunteers get training and taught in matters of safeguarding” Serena assures me. “Before you come to the club you will be given a small profile of all the members so that you know what to do and what not to do with that particular person.

“we need more people to take part otherwise the projects will suffer and so will the people” “It even has conversation starter ideas about their likes and dislikes in case you don’t know what to talk to the members of the club about!

What I think people need to remember is that people with learning disabilities are still people. You shouldn’t feel afraid or cautious to get involved. It’s really not something to overthink.”

Unfortunately, The Ladybarn Project, which has been running for seven years, has an uncertain future. Due to a lack of interest from students in volunteering, there are vacancies for team leaders in the week that haven’t been filled which means certain days may not be able to go ahead as usual, which could be potentially devastating for club members.

“It’s their event of the week” Phil, who runs the ‘People With People’ Monday project, explains. “They really look forward to it and many of them have been apart of it for years and years.”

“Us three will all be leaving the university and Manchester soon,” Serena tells me, “we need more people to take part otherwise the pro-

jects will suffer and so will the people” Molly adds. “It’s very, very important to them. It’s such a big part of their lives.”

When it comes to applying to be a volunteer, it’s very easy. “You just have to fill out a DBS check form that you can collect at the student activities in the SU. It’s really quick and easy to fill out, then it just gets sent off which may take a few weeks to process. After it comes back fine you’ll be ready to volunteer with us!” said Serena.

“You’ll never be alone” Phil assures. “We are always there for volunteers and you’ll get to know people straight away and understand the process easily. There’s no wrong thing really. It’s all common sense and part of the experience is learning the little things in what to do.”

Both The Ladybarn Project and People With People are a vital few hours to the adults who attend the clubs. Two hours a week spent volunteering on a Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday seems minuscule for a cause that really enriches the lives of those who need it the most.

Being a project leader means that you will have to give a bit more time to the project as organisation, as well as funding management, comes into play, but Molly assures me this is only an extra 3-4 hours on top of the actual club, plus you can go straight into being a team leader without experience.

The People With People project are still looking for a team leader on a Wednesday evening as well as like the other days being in desperate need of volunteers. “We’re looking for people who really want to commit to each week,” says Serena, “the members get used to a familiar face and it does affect them if someone only comes for a few weeks or is irregular. We need someone who is reliable and friendly.”

If you can’t make the weekly commitment needed, you could still contact the project volunteers to volunteer for their day outings as these events typically need more volunteers than usual.

If this sounds like you, or you would like to get involved in either The Ladybarn Project or People With People, - which I would encourage anyone to do so to keep this wonderful piece of goodness going at the university - you can contact the team through their email: sa_accessible@outlook.com, find the projects online at: www.find-volunteering.manchester.ac.uk or simply enquire at Student Activities on the first floor of the SU. Without you, the members of the projects may face uncertainty in whether or not their favourite weekly events will continue.

WRITE FOR US The Mancunion Features Contributors Team 2017/18 Email: features@mancunion.com Meeting time: Mondays 6pm

A Student Life

Founder of ‘Love For The Streets’

Ahead of their first ever live show, Raine Beckford chats to Harlem Spartans about their journey and the future of UK drill Raine Beckford Deputy Features Editor The UK music scene is amid a modern renaissance. The successes have come thick and fast and they show no sign of letting up. From Stormzy’s Gang Signs and Prayers becoming the first grime album to go number one to J Hus’s Mercury Prize nomination for Common Sense, it’s clear that the new wave of black British music is here to stay.

Nowhere is this more evident than with the rise of South London drill pioneers, Harlem Spartans. Ahead of their first ever live show, I chatted with them about their journey and their thoughts on the scene.

Childhood friends - MizorMac, Bis, Blanco, TG Millian, Zico, & Active, grew up together in Kennington, South East London. Immortalised in their song “Kennington Bop”, the group describes Kennington as “very active and fun”, especially around summer.

They reminisce on hosting barbecues and block parties to which “all the females come out and play”.

The Spartans are relatively new on the scene. Self-described hustlers, they had a hand in many different things before coming together. Music was always on their minds, however. Zico, MizorMac and Loski all started off as solo artists.

They describe themselves as being in the studio for fun but never really taking music seriously. Whereas, Bis and Blanco began as a duo but eventually gave this up to join the group.

As heavyweights in the scene, they take a minute to reflect on the current state of UK drill. They say, “it’s going well but everyone likes to copy each other and the same sound will soon get boring”. Despite this, their outlook

is positive. They tell me “We’re hoping drill doesn’t die out because we like the fact that UK drill is getting more recognition. But we think it needs a good break so it can begin to sound authentic again”.

Their own position within the scene is solid. They tell me “what makes Harlem different from any other rap group is that we all have our own unique personalities.

We don’t copy anybody else and we set trends when we feel like it”.

They accredit their personal style with producing their success. “The personalized lingo that we put in our music and our catchphrases like ‘are you going to back your bredrin’ are what keep people intrigued. People from different countries rate the content of our music even though they don’t understand what we’re saying. We also make music that’s relatable for a lot of youths across the UK”.

The group is already thinking ahead and aiming high. “In 5 years’ time, we’re hoping to go mainstream and try new sounds. We want to be collaborating with big artists, artists from around the world”. But for now, thinking of their first show they say “we’re excited for the Manchester show, and so is our DJ [DJ Sparta].

“We’re ready to see if people in Manchester will take to Harlem”. Cheekily, they add “we’re looking forward to seeing what the chocolate jawns are saying too. We’re excited because it’s outside of London. It’s a different environment”.

“ We all have our own

Photo: Molly Stedman

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unique personalities. We don’t copy anybody else and we set trends when we feel like it ”

Their first live show is Wednesday, October 11th at Mint Lounge. Find tickets online. The group can be found on Twitter: @SpartansHarlem @Mizormac @TG_Millian @ZicoBoogie @BisHarlem @BlancoHarlem

Photo: Harlem Spartens_______-____________

The Creative Space The Creative Space is a monthly profile showcasing the best of the University of Manchester’s original talent. Are you a singer, songwriter, filmmaker or designer? Do you have a poem, short story, play or illustration you’re dying to share?

Send it to us at: features@mancunion.com and we will feature the winner at the end of the month!

Photo: Jonah Ogbuneke (middle)

In the face of a growing homelessness epidemic, Raine Beckford chats to Jonah Ogbuneke, the third year chemical engineering student who wants to tackle it all Raine Beckford Deputy Features Editor Homelessness in Manchester is not a new phenomenon. Increasing numbers of people are finding themselves on the streets and with fewer options available to people in this position, I sat down with a man who is making this issue his own.

Jonah Ogbuneke is passionate about his

“

Unless these groups get the backing and support that they need from the general public it’s unlikely that they’ll really be able to achieve their full potential ” cause. A third-year chemical engineering student, he has made tackling homelessness is his primary concern. He tells me about Love For The Streets. A year long project with the goal of reducing homelessness, raising awareness and crowdsourcing funds for the various homeless charities across Manchester. He says “it’s a campaign that we’re running throughout the entire year. Our first event was the 30th of September and we’re finishing off on the 5th of May with a culture and music festival at Platt Fields park. Between now and then we’ve got a christmas party planned and during homelessness week (the 19th to the 25th of march) we’re holding a conference to raise awareness”.

His interest in the issue is relatively new and he speaks of the lack of promotion he feels surrounds the cause. He says “what we are is an events and marketing platform for various homeless charities across manchester. We want to engage with younger audiences to try and get their voices across.

This is because I’d noticed homelessness in Manchester before, it’s very difficult not to, but the only charity I knew of that was doing anything about it was Shelter”. He explains how fast the tide is turning though.

“The more i got involved with it, the more i realised there are a huge number of groups working tirelessly to try and tackle the issue. From Andy Burnham, who has made it one of his main targets, to all the different charities such as Barnabus, Mustard Tree, The Booth Centre, many that i don’t even know about”.

While optimistic about the future of the campaign he notes the issues that he, along with many other platforms, are facing.

“Unless these groups get the backing and support that they need from the general public it’s unlikely that they’ll really be able to achieve their full potential”. This issue, he

says, is multifaceted. “Of course it is a financial issue. Charities, especially grassroots charities, run on a shoestring budget and they’re struggling to survive right now. It’s only really the larger charities that are increasing and thats because they have the budget for marketing teams and fundraising teams whereas with grassroots charities, all the money they have goes directly into the work. There’s very little room for anything else. But numbers are an issue too.

In terms of manpower they’re stretched very thin”.

Upbeat and confident, he’s full of ideas on what can be done to tackle the problem. “As students, all our power is in volunteering. If everyone could volunteer even 2 hours a semester it would help a lot. Last year, University of Manchester students as a whole did 20,000 hours and that’s with 40,000 undergrads. That’s around 30 minutes per undergrad. Less than an episode of game of thrones. 2 hours a semester is 4 hours a year so thats 160,000 hours for everyone.

It’s 8 times as much as we’re doing now and that alone would make such a difference”.

He notes, however, what a big ask this can seem. He says “there’s only so much time someone can commit and it’s unpaid so I would never expect anyone to work as hard as I am on it”.

The project has gone from strength to strength and it’s clear he enjoys everything he can do with it. Describing it as a “full time” pursuit, Ogbuneke is clear on his outlook for the future. He says “I work on it constantly i’ve even been working on it this morning. Its hands down my priority and it’s a dry run for the social enterprise i want to do after university. I want to work in the third sector”. He is staunchly determined that the project remains student-led, even after his eventual departure.

He is most excited for the end of year festival he has planned. He tells me “by the end of this year we’ll have the festival itself and the money raised from tickets will go towards making it sustainable. At the moment, we’re relying a lot on crowdfunding and we want it to become a yearly thing”.

His plans for the festival are grand. They include food stalls, multiple stages and an art exhibition called “Manchester Through My Eyes” to which he hopes budding creatives will submit art for display. Videos, photography, music and paintings are all welcome.

He stresses the importance of student involvement and is particularly thankful to the volunteers the platform has already received.

The campaign aims to have a website launched by the end of the month.

For now, readers looking to get involved with the project can email loveforthestreets1@gmail.com for more information or search Love For The Streets on Facebook.

Opinion

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Get in touch Facebook: /mancunionop Twitter: @MancunionOP Email: opinion@mancunion.com

Have an opinion?

America vs. North Korea: who really misses out?

Two men and a lot of weapons of mass destruction Contributor Charlie McKinnell

Come to our meetings: Monday 5:15pm, first floor of the Students’ Union

Calling all opinionated people!

Do you have an opinion you want to share with the Manchester student community? The Mancunion is looking for regular contributors for its weekly paper edition and for its day-to-day updates on its website!

From thought-provoking insights into contemporary feminism to rants about movies, we want hear what you have to say.

Simply come to our weekly opinion section meetings on Monday in the Student Union, or message our two editors: Sam Glover and Jacklin Kwan about your interest in writing.

Great for your CV, and a platform for your ideas, we at the Mancunion will be waiting for your contributions!

Email us at opinion@ mancunion. com

Photo: Pixabay Photo: Kok Leng Yeo @ Wikimedia

The ongoing feud between North Korea and America is not necessarily a recent one. The Kim family has despised America for many years, however, the disagreement seems to have progressed recently from a rivalry between cultures to one between individuals.

President Trump’s inauguration in January of this year spelt trouble for most American and international stakeholders. His short rule has thus far been one filled with rhetoric and dogma, with careless remarks being thrown around without any significant consideration of their effects.

It is precisely this recklessness of the current president of the United States of America that has perhaps caused the tension with North Korea to escalate, and which now causes fears of a potential nuclear war.

One of the most obvious examples of President Trump’s reckless remarks landing him in hot water can be seen through his threats towards North Korea earlier this year in his

reaction to Kim Jong Un’s repeated nuclear missile tests, stating he would meet such actions with “fire and fury.”

It would be naïve to place the blame for the conflicts solely on either of the two men. However, it is clear to see that an increasingly dangerous tit-fortat game is beginning to be played by two near-omnipotent leaders. Kim Jong Un’s obsession with nuclear weapons may have deeper causality than him simply wishing to own weapons of mass destruction.

Kim Jong Un’s pathology is that the West has spent decades looking down on the way North Korea has operated, politically and socially. It may be, therefore, that Un’s obsession with gaining nuclear warheads is not simply to have and use the weapons but may instead symbolically indicate that North Korea is in no way subservient to America. President Trump does not in any way alleviate North Korea’s feelings of degradation by the West, and his public rhetoric

has done little more than throw gasoline on an already burning fire.

So, what does the conflict between these two country’s actually mean for the rest of us? This is an interesting question that can be assessed in numerous ways. Politically speaking, the conflict is something of a hot potato with foreign powers being reluctant to comment or side with one man or the other. This is potentially due to some key and substantial economic motivations.

Theresa May has appeared in press conferences with President Trump pledging her allegiance to America — not directly in relation to the conflict, though this is a logical inference to make. May’s decision to immediately side with Trump can possibly be explained through Brexit terms.

The uncertainty and trepidation of Brexit has required May to pick her allies in a wider international sense.

Economically speaking, Brexit could be significantly damaging for the UK, the main reason for this being that as a small island, the UK relies heavily on importing goods from countries that have comparative advantages in their production process.

It is for this reason that trading blocs such as the European Union are vital in successful free trade due to the lack of a tariff and the logistical benefits of trading with those that are geographically close. Therefore, the UK’s decision to leave the EU has forced May to begin making friends with other nations to try and create future favourable trade; a possible explanation for May’s display of tactical fondness.

Amongst all the conflict, however, there is one key nation who many argue are the deciders of the outcome of the fighting. China has become the fastest growing major economy in the world, with an unparalleled skill in manufacturing. China usually experiences an economic growth and a GDP growth in the double digits, proving China to be one of, if not the key, significant nation in the developing world.

However, despite all this economic success, China may also be the most unstable economy. Friedrich Von Hayek — famed classical liberal

In solidarity with university staff over job cuts

economist — would argue that China’s monstrous growth over the last few years has caused an overheat in their economy, an overheat that will eventually cause China’s economy to experience drastic demand-pull inflation and a catastrophic recession.

These economic concerns prove interesting when applied to China’s positioning in the conflicts between Trump and Un. America owes over 2 trillion dollars to China, a debt that continues to climb to this day. Therefore, should China’s economy fail, the government would look to cash in on the debts owed to them around the world.

Due to the lack of support for North Korea by any major international power, and the fact that all owe significant capital to China, it may be safe to conclude that should hostilities peak between America and North Korea, China may choose not to help Un as many fear, and instead either accept no role in the hostilities or side with America in order to not risk an embargo between the two great nations and result in America’s debt to China being wiped. China has in fact already stated that they will take no role in the potential hostilities.

However, many believe that China will not allow America to enforce political reform within an ally like North Korea, with political writers fearing that China may take issue with America’s insistence to “police the world”.

To conclude, tensions are high between North Korea and America, or, more specifically, between Un and Trump. It is also clear that countries are beginning to take sides in the event of a war, and hopefully, this article has helped illuminate the psyche of the most influential nation, China.

Only time will tell the outcome of the hostilities, whether this is nothing more than a political urination contest between two men who clearly have inferiority complexes, or whether the hostilities will escalate. In any event, we must look with haste towards silencing the two dictatorial figures in the interest of politics and economics globally.

Banquets binned while rough sleepers go hungry and food bank reliance soars To solve the UK hunger crisis, we need to start thinking about food waste, argues contributor Madeleine Coffey Manchester’s issue of homelessness remains impossible to ignore. According to recently conducted research, the numbers of rough sleepers in the city have quadrupled since 2015.

One in five people in the UK are living below the poverty line, and since opening its doors in 2013, the Manchester Central Food bank has given out 4014 three-day food parcels to families across the city.

These are problems we witness around us day in and day out. Although, what many of us remain oblivious to is the shocking scale of corporate food waste, which remains very much behind the swanky closed doors of many Manchester hotels, restaurants, and supermarkets.

The ‘food waste scandal’ has popped up from time to time in certain sections of the media but I wonder how much of it is really entering our collective consciousness. Perhaps it is something that has to be seen to be believed.

I became aware of the sheer magnitude of this waste first-hand while working a catering shift at one of Manchester’s most prestigious hotels. Even after the staff had tucked into the ‘leftovers’ there remained trays and trays of untouched food. My instructions were to simply to bin it all and be quick about it.

I asked if this could be packed up and handed out to those on the streets that I passed on my way into the hotel, but my supervisor simply muttered something about practicalities and the ticking clock.

My supervisor was not a bad person, and the organisation she works for, whilst not driven by a social mission, would very happily bask

in the good PR of a well-publicised foodrecycling scheme. So I wondered, what are the barriers to tackling the profligate waste of food that occurs every day in our cities?

As highlighted by Tristam Stuart, founder of ‘FeedBack’, an environmental organisation that campaigns to end food waste at every level of the food system, this is not about “rotten stuff” being thrown away.

I’m sure as students, we are all guilty of the crime of allowing the needless wilting of perfectly good salad leaves, and have discovered many a forgotten loaf in the bread bin. However, these minor misdemeanours pale into insignificance when compared with the sheer scale of daily corporate food waste.

This food is fit for human consumption and yet gets sloshed to the bottom of bins, fated either to join the UK’s 400 million tonnes of waste buried in landfills and shipped overseas per year, or to be scooped up by one of the many rough-sleepers taking their chances with potential illnesses in order to fill their bellies for the night.

It is estimated that around one-third of all food produced is wasted. This amounts

“It is estimated that around onethird of all food produced is wasted.

This amounts to approximately 1.3 billion tonnes of food waste per year, as stated in the UN Food & Agriculture Report in 2011.”

Matt Wynne Contributor

‘world-leading institution’ has had on those that really make this institution a success.

One of the first things I witnessed on campus at the start of my academic journey was redundancy-threatened IT staff from the University, represented by UNISON and UCU, assembling outside the Alan Gilbert commons to discuss the short-sighted actions of the senior management at this University, and here I am nearing the end of it witnessing a different set of staff with their backs against the wall as the University once more feathers its nest.

The decisions made will indeed throw 171 families into chaos and they will probably be forced to move out of this great city in search for work elsewhere.

Industrial action in the coming weeks will just be one part of a fight back against these proposed redundancies. Students will stand in solidarity on the picket lines with staff against the arrogance of the decisions made

by The University of Manchester’s senior management.

The dice has not even been rolled on Brexit yet, and the level of construction and cranes in the sky around campus as well as the record amount of international students enrolled say differently about the health of this University’s finances and therefore the necessity of these proposed redundancies.

to approximately 1.3 billion tonnes of food waste per year, as stated in the UN Food & Agriculture Report in 2011.

With 5.8 million people in the UK living in ‘deep poverty’, unable to afford everyday essentials like food, and the homeless currently fearing the worst winter crisis for 20 years, action must be taken to address such astronomical squander.

“We need to move away from our broken food system where food that is fit for human consumption is ultimately going to waste while thousands of people in the UK and globally go hungry,” says Ben Murphy, a spokesperson for FeedBack in an exclusive Mancunion interview.

Charities, such as FeedBack and ‘The Real Junk Food Project’ (TRJFP), are among those who have recognised the potential of food waste to provide aid to those in need, such as the homeless. These charities attempt to overcome the cosmetic standards of supermarkets placed on farmers, overcautious

sell-by dates of supermarkets and general poor planning of food shopping by consumers — both at household and corporate levels — through redistributing this waste and placing pressure on big corporate names.

From TRJFP’s food waste pop-up restaurants that provide meals “for anyone and everyone, with a focus on those in need on a pay-as-youfeel basis” to FeedBack’s ‘Gleaning Network’ that reallocates rejected fresh fruit and vegetables from farms to those struggling, efforts to change how we view our “waste” are clearly increasing.

However, more remains to be done. With the hospitality and food service sector accounting for the third largest producer of food waste in the UK (WRAP statistics, 2017) and the number of homeless people in need ever-growing, the concept of valuable, nutritious food needlessly being cast aside can no longer be a model that we simply live with.

Safety should come before low cab prices, Contributor Tilly Gambarotto

Photo: @UoMSalcStudents @Twitter

Academic staff on campus today voted overwhelmingly to take industrial action in reaction to the announcement made by the University to make 171 staff redundant in May this year.

The University announced the redundancies as students were busy revising for and taking exams at the end of the academic year, and today’s strike ballot is the first move by UCU since the end of the summer.

Standing in the quadrant off of Oxford Road, below the offices guarded by several Estates security staff in which the Board of Governors were meeting, alongside lecturers and professors from across schools on campus, the results of the ballot were announced by the UCU Committee and welcomed by those present.

The concerned members then utilised the PA system they had brought to amplify the result to blast and sing along to a rendition of Pink Floyd’s ‘Another Brick in the Wall’ with the lyrics altered in an effort to lampoon Vice-Chancellor Nancy Rothwell, and ridicule the priorities of a university that returned a surplus of over £59 million in 2015-16.

As the song was played a second time, a senior professor turned to me and explained how the collegiate ethos of the University has evaporated in recent years and how morale has been rock bottom in recent months – indicating at what cost the drive to be a

Photo: Foerster @ Wikimedia Commons

Stranger danger: Uber ban should make us reconsider our technology habits

Stand against cruel and unnecessary staff redundancies

Photo: Rept0n1x @ Wikimedia Commons

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Photo: Sandeepnewstyle @ Wikimedia Commons

Whilst some focus on the Black Cab v Uber rivalry, we should be thinking about the way apps have devaluated safety concerns in an age that prioritizes low prices, speed and ease at the tap of a finger.

It’s a familiar scene; the treacherous concoction of pre-drinks, a blurry dance floor with questionable breathing space and several shots of an unknown spirit later and the participating socialites of a night out are often left unable to operate with the basic coordination of a respectable human being. YOLO, right? Thankfully, our trusty app is always on hand to ensure a taxi driver is never more than a few taps away to provide you with a speedy, economical journey home. Not that you can remember your address right now.

With just under 2 million Uber users in London alone, it is unsurprising that Transport For London’s (TFL) recent decision not to

renew their operating license in the capital has caused somewhat of a stir. The popular reaction has ranged from annoyance at the impending inconvenience, to the spread of a petition, now with nearly 750,000 signatories, urging TFL to revoke the ban. The familiar conflict between Uber and black cab drivers has also resurfaced: “TFL has only banned Uber because they are cutting into their profits from black cabs,” I have heard suggested.

Of course, the sceptics might be right about TFL’s motives. To focus our grievances on this economic rivalry or the inconvenience of losing the use of an app that has become so habitual, however, is to completely miss the point.

TFL has stated Uber’s “lack of corporate responsibility... [which has] potential public safety and security implications” as the motivation behind their decision. The failure to focus on this

“A

smiley picture and a short bio goes a long way in throwing off any fears about the fact that those behind the profile remain complete strangers.” justification says a lot about the landslide in modern society’s expectations for safety, and to blindly campaign for Uber’s return distracts us from the very issues central to its downfall.

One need only register as an Uber driver online to see that TFL’s safety concerns are less than exaggerated. The process requires only basic personal details, a scan of the driver’s license and a DVLA check. An application, aided by Uber, can then be made to the local council for a private hire driver’s license. Admittedly, the need to consent to a criminal background check was a minor consolation. However, the lack of any kind of personal contact with the employer calls into question the selection process — or lack thereof.

The requirements for awarding a license to a black cab driver prove a much more comforting read: medical reports, character checks, 1-2-1 examinations and a knowledge test of London’s streets deemed one of the most difficult in the world are just a few of the hurdles faced by budding cabbies. Whilst it might seem excessive, the application process for black cab drivers actually reflects the seriousness of the job. Drivers, after all, are responsible for the safe transport of those who are in a vulnerable position, often lost, drunk, travelling from abroad, alone or at night.

The ease and low prices offered by the taxi

app have allowed safety concerns traditionally impressed upon us as early as childhood to slip our minds. ‘Stranger danger’ seems to lose all persuasiveness when the offer of a cheap ride presents itself. TFL’s decision has offered one of the first hindrances to a trend in the use of technology that has seen the question of personal safety almost entirely cast aside in favour of ease and low cost.

From the onset of an apparent Tinder obsession to the release of Schpock: The Boots Sale App, apps have progressively encouraged users to connect, meet, and make often personal exchanges with other users. A smiley picture and short bio go a long way in throwing off any fears about the fact that those behind the profile (or steering wheel) remain complete strangers. When considered this way, the drunken scene mentioned earlier becomes significantly more alarming.

After refusing to make the requested changes to their selection process for drivers in Texas, Uber has also been banned in Austin. Sydney is reportedly considering an investigation into the operation of the app since TFL’s ruling.

Since London is not the only city to express concern about the laxity of Uber’s employment process, perhaps the most productive use of the current climate would be to pressure Uber to improve its security measures to the extent that it would be allowed to continue operating as opposed to simply campaigning for its unmodified return. Sure, this might take longer, but the result would see safety risks reduced across all participating cities, and avoid a domino effect of Uber bans as other regulatory bodies jump on the TFL bandwagon. Worth a few walks home in the meantime, I would say.

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Top 5 Kendrick Features

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Rapping in Spanish as well as English Kendrick’s impeccable flow is really brought to attention on this track.

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own emotional capacity; the highs are like shots of heroin, and the lows are like the comedown. It cannot be compared, it cannot be replaced. It cannot be forgotten. In Rainbows encapsulates everything fantastic about music, and it sums up everything that make s Radiohead one of the greate st bands ever.

While this track has a lot of features Kendrick Lamar’s verse really makes the song great.

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Timele ss is a term often thrown around for al bums, and it could certainly be ap plied to many of Radiohead’s releas e s.

Whilst October marks the 17th anniversary of Kid A, it als o marks, in my eye s, a more significant mile stone: a decade since the truly timele ss In Rainbows... since the truly timele ss In Rainbows...

It’s an al bum of striking intimacy and intensity. It was striking on releas e, when the band asked you, the listener, to attribute monetary value to it. It remains just as striking to this day. Still a deeply atmospheric, shudderingly emotional ride that never lulls, remaining utterly captivating throughout.

The band has never felt s o direct. From the frenetic energy of ‘ 15 Step’ and ‘B odysnatchers’ through to the devastating loss of ‘All I Need’ and the howling re frains of ‘Videotape’, the al bum is crafted to abs olute perfection. Radiohead catapults you onto a deeply pers onal journey, bringing strands from every aspect of Radiohead’s career into

a gorgeous patchwork, rife with the band’s past and pois ed to leap into their future.

And by G od is that journey intens e. The thematic skill with which this al bum delineate s loss is staggering, always on the edge of an emotional outpour, always ready to break, but always held together in a delicate balance.

Their most subtle releas e, new details and textures reveal themselves with every repeat listen. The tracks are colourful explosions in the bleake st dark. Mark my words, In Rainbows is for the nighttime. Listen to it in a dark place pierced by streetlights and it is now a beautiful, ethereal experience.

I’m speaking hyperbolically, of cours e. But then I feel compelled to, becaus e In Rainbows elicits such a powerful emotional re spons e. S o let’s get down to brass tax. This al bum is Radiohead’s be st work. It’s their most gorgeous, most crafted; s o wholly encapsulating that you could live inside it for and never get bored.

The production is rich and intimate. Flirtations with progre ssive s ong structure s and nuanced theme s keep you gue ssing. It ebbs and f lows like a concerto, using strings just as skillfully. The melodies evoke fear of your

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Jay Plent Music Contributor

10 years on, contributor Jay Plent quantifies the beauty of Radiohead’s seminal seventh album

Flying Lotus’ jazz infused beats work in perfect harmony with Kendrick on this track.

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Record Reappraisal: Radiohead - Rainbows

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On a personal level, Petty’s death has left me devastated.

His 1989 solo album Full Moon Fever was the first album I ever listened to that made me realise that ‘old’ music (if you can call it that – ‘old’ in this context may simply mean pre-dating my birth) could be cool.

Contro

T

om Petty – Heartbreaker, Wil bury, s­­­olo musician, storyteller, and so much more – has died aged 66.

Having started his musical career with Mudcrutch, the band with which he also released his last album ‘2 ’ in 2016, he then formed Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers in 1976, alongside fellow Mudcrutch members Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench, and graced us with thirteen studio al bums as well as another three solo al bums along the way.

The Heartbreakers’ first, self-titled al bum initially gained little recognition other than the single ‘Breakdown’, but it was their second album, You’re Gonna G et it! that propelled them into stardom with singles like ‘Listen To Her Heart’ and ‘Baby’s a Rock ‘n’ Roller’.

Petty’s Americana twang, combined with simple rock & roll music and romanticised stories of rebellious individuals almost always existing somewhere in California struck a chord with listeners, and tracks like ‘The Waiting’, ‘Listen To Her Heart’, ‘Refugee’, ‘Mary Jane’s Last Dance’, and ‘Learning To Fly’ were immediate hits.

In the late 1980s, Petty recorded two albums as part of the Traveling Wilburys, a supergroup consisting of him-

Kendrick’s verse on this track is legendary, a call to arms to other rappers to reach his level and I don’t know if anyone has.

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Live Review Callum Pinder Music Contributor

Live Review: Lorde

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Alex Corns Music Contributor

self, Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne, G eorge Harrison and Roy Orbison, under the monikers Charlie T. Wilbury, Jr. and Muddy Wilbury.

Though they never toured, singles from these albums like ‘Handle With Care’ and ‘ Tweeter and the Monkey Man’ were regularly played live by Petty on tours from 2003-2008. Aside from his band success, Petty also released three solo albums, most notably the Jeff Lynne produced Full Moon Fever, which reached no. 8 in the U.K. charts.

Petty always remained loyal to The Heartbreakers, however, hardly ever changing the band’s lineup and consistently coming back to them to record new records. He recorded his final album with them in 2014 , entitled Hypnotic Eye. Amazingly, this album earned the group their first ever number one spot in the Billboard 200.

Petty was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. He had just concluded a celebratory tour of The Heartbreakers’ 40th anniversary before his untimely death on Monday night. Throughout his career, he sold over 80 million records worldwide.

by Ollie Clack

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Tom Petty (1950-2017)

Even a lyrically basic song like ‘The Apartment Song’ (“Oh yeah, I’m alright, I just feel a little lonely tonight / I’m okay, most of the time / I just feel a little lonely tonight”) left me entranced with its heartland, almost country-rock sound and paradoxically tongue-in-cheek but relatable words.

Tom Petty was a magnificent songwriter.

Lines such as “My sister got lucky, married a yuppie / Took him for all he was worth / Now she’s a swinger dating a singer / I can’t decide which is worse” from ‘Yer So Bad’ will never fail to make me smile, and unlike other artists whom I adore, Petty never seemed as if he could have a grumpy streak.

The utterly surreal music video for ‘Don’t Come Around Here No More’, in which Petty plays Alice In Wonderland’s Mad Hatter, is a perfect example of his sense of humour. His ability to tell stories in his music, in ‘Two Gunslingers’, for example, was just another string to his bow.

That isn’t to say, though, that his music was all the same upbeat rock that one might immediately associate with him.

Whilst his voice seemed to remain eternally youthful but wise, comfortably unchanging throughout his musical canon, he was able to express brooding sentiment about his own individuality with songs like ‘You Don’t Know How It Feels’ and portrayed his own vulnerability beautifully in ‘Alright For Now’. He just wasn’t an artist that anyone could say they deeply disliked the music or personality of. Even those that weren’t big fans couldn’t deny the quality of certain hits.

I know of no one who hated him or his music in the way that so many artists over the years have divided opinion. Rock critic Lester Bangs wrote in his obituary for Elvis Presley that “We will never again agree on anything as we agreed on Elvis.” Tom Petty may be an exception to this rule.

I will now always regret choosing not to fork out £75 to go and see a musical hero of mine play in London last summer, and will instead only ever be able to imagine what hearing him play songs that mean so much to me, live, might have been like.

His music is not only proper, spirit-lifting rock, it is comforting and honest too, and the meaning behind much of it – ‘I Won’t Back Down’ springs to mind – seems as important now as ever. The only consolation when an artist one holds so dear dies is that, thankfully, their music remains and can forever be discovered, like new, and enjoyed.

Farewell, Tom. I will, no doubt, keep crawling back to you.

Me

A farewell to Rock and Roll legend, Tom Petty, who died on Monday at the age of 66

With UK dates just announced for Kendrick Lamar’s Damn tour we look at times when Kendrick Lamar made other artists’ tracks better.

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Album

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While Kendrick features a lot on Dr Dre’s Compton this is one the highlights of the album

Lorde reigns at Melodrama Tour, writes contributor, Callum Pinder about her new tour and single Tuesday 26th September at O2 Apollo At 20 years old, Lorde has begun touring her second album. This is no minor feat; the success of her debut album Pure Heroin shot her to global stardom and has had her touring the world for the last 5 years. However, she found the time to write a follow-up and it didn’t suffer any ‘second album syndrome’. In fact, Melodrama takes inspiration fro=m all the ways her life has changed and uses it to craft something fantastic. Themes of small-town boredom are replaced by the grandeur of pop stardom.

The support act for the first gig of the Melodrama tour is Texan singer Khalid. Unfortunately, his simple style of R&B isn’t particularly exciting. Basic drum rhythms back up rather bland vocals whilst Khalid dances his way between poses. It’s not bad music but it’s certainly nothing new. Towards the end of his performance, things pick up.

Khalid seems to find his sweet spot with the penultimate track ‘Location’. It’s a slick and woozy slow jam that gets the crowd swaying.

After a short break, the onstage curtain drops and the set is revealed. An LED astronaut and an old cathode ray TV frame the stage. Lorde enters to open with ‘Magnets’ and the crowd erupts. Despite the main portion of her fanbase being roughly the same age as her, it is interesting to look around and spot a large number of 30 and 40 somethings singing along with equal fervour. However, as the show continues it becomes less surprising.

It’s a pop concert in the ‘good old-fashioned’ sense. Costume changes, set changes, and huge amounts of onstage energy turn this gig into a full-on spectacle. Despite being such a young artist, Lorde’s onstage confidence is staggering. She commands stage and crowd alike whilst reeling through her set with a seemingly endless reserve of energy.

There are some weak moments. When performing ‘World Alone’ it feels as if Lorde is somewhat less comfortable

with the vocals. Also, the following cover of Phil Collins’ ‘In The Air Tonight’ is certainly an interesting choice.

However, it is not a track that’s ideally suited to Lorde’s more energetic and driving style.

The real high points of the set come in the form of hits off of the new album. The fantastic piano ballad ‘Liability’ loses none of its tenderness performed in front of a crowd of 3,500 people. ‘Supercut’ and ‘Perfect Places’ allow Lorde to truly shine with subtle keyboards and shimmering synths respectively backing Lorde’s dazzling performance. The crowd becomes more fervent with every beat and the lyrics ‘let’s kiss and then take off our clothes’ cause a number of t-shirts to find their way onstage.

The show reaches a climax with the joyous ‘Green Light’.

However, peculiarly, Lorde chooses to perform an encore of ‘Loveless’. The slow second act to ‘Hard Feelings’ is a slightly underwhelming end to such an exciting concert.

However leaving the venue, the atmosphere remains electric. If anyone has a chance to see Lorde over the next year you will not be disappointed.

Rewind This week in music history

8/10

Time for another joke...

What is Forrest Gump’s password?

1Forrest1.

9th October 1974 - Quincey Jones accepts first gold record for album Body Heat.

10th October 1988 - U2 album Rattle and Hum is released.

11th October 1990 - Nirvana play their first show with Dave Grohl on the drums.

12th October 1995 - Tupac is released from prison on $1.4 million bail.

13th October 1963 - The Beatles performed on ITV’s ‘Sunday Night at the Palladium’ . It was their first major TV appearance.

Photo: Wikicommons

Interview: Liv Dawson Music Editor, Hannah Brierley, talks to rising star Liv Dawson about her new tour and single

14th October 1977 - Bing Crosby died from a heart attack at the age of 76.

Album Brierley Hannah Music Editor They say that it’s the quiet ones that you should watch out for, and this is certainly true in some respects for the reserved 19-year old. Yet however, when singing, she should be anything but quiet.

Despite her young age, she sounds f lawless beyond her years. Miss Dawson is also already associated with huge names in the music industry such as Marcus Mumford and Disclosure and with plenty of others desperately wanting to work with the singer — which has much to say about the talent she already possesses and the kind of future she has. I had a chat with Liv about her past and present, her phenomenal new release ‘Painkiller’ and about her upcoming tour.

I had a chat with Liv about her past and present, her phenomenal new release ‘Painkiller’ and about her upcoming tour.

Liv has been singing since she was about 7 years old and remembers that it was just something she always did. It wasn’t until she reached the age of 14 that she recognised that singing was something she wanted to actively pursue.

So, she started obsessively writing, singing, and putting her music out there. The singer laughs about how a lot of her songs were written about being in love, despite the fact she probably wasn’t ever in love at that age. She also used to write about her friends and made up scenarios that she knew other people were going through.

I quizzed Liv about her new release ‘Painkiller’ which was released on the 11th of August (same day as my birthday!) and a brief background to the song. The soulful singer explains that she wrote it after a night out whilst she was hungover.

“I’d had an argument with my friend and I just wanted to get it off my chest by writing it down in a song.” She goes on to say that despite the song having dark undertones by working with HONNE “who are incredibly lovely, and are very talented at what they do” as they managed to make

15th October 1998 - Puff Daddy played his first UK show.

As the Interview comes to an end, we have a quick-fire round to uncover just a little more about who Liv Dawson really is underneath it all.

If you were to win the lottery after this interview, what is the first thing you would do?

I would buy a really nice huge house, and go on an amazing holiday in the Caribbean… for like a week. Then I’d probably buy loads of dogs. Yeah, I’d buy all the dogs.

What’s your favourite 90’s song?

Oooh, I’m not sure. Maybe ‘The Boy is Mine’ by Brandy? Is that 90’s? I think it is, but yeah, I love that one.

Tell me something that not many people know about you.

I was actually in the choir for Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat in London, when I was really young. I don’t think many people know that!

Photo: Renegade

the song upbeat and happy, which was a nice contrast.

Liv Dawson is about to embark on a seven-day tour, starting on the 19th of October in The Chapel, Leeds.

Moving on through to Manchester and then three dates in her hometown of London.

If you wrote an autobiography, what would you call it?

Erm, I’d have to think about some funny pun or something that worked with ‘Liv’ in the name? Maybe ‘Liv and Let Die’ –Laughs- yeah I really like that actually now.

Finally, why should people come down to your shows?

Because it’s going to be really fun and exciting and I actually have a little surprise organised for each of the shows, so everyone needs to come!

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News News

Live Review: Mr Jukes

Sony CEO steps down

In a fiery display of funk and soul, Mr Jukes brought magic to Manchester Academy 2, writes contributor, Millie Nettleton.

Danny Jones Contributor After 27 years working alongside Sony, one of the most senior members in the company, Andrew House, made the decision to step down from his position as head of its Interactive Entertainment branch.

Though he may not be a household name per-say, the significance of House’s contribution to Sony’s prolific gaming division is undeniable: if you picked your poison early and aligned with the PlayStation 4 from the moment you saw it debuted in 2013, you most likely got sold into it in the precise way that Andrew House wanted you to.

In recent times press conferences can be argued to have drifted away from the clichéd ‘who won?’ narrative, with the light often being stolen

Millie Nettleton Music Contributor Sunday 24th September at Manchester Academy 2 There’s a rather blurry photo of myself, my best mate, and Jack Steadman at Leeds Fest 2014 about 161 weeks down my Instagram feed. We were waiting to watch Kelis, who was an hour late — probably still warming up her milkshake — when we spotted him climbing the tent’s central support pole.

When he was finally coaxed down, we chased him through the crowd, snapped a quick photo, thanked him profusely, and then ran away, out of the festival arena, so overwhelmed at our audacity we forgot to stick around for Kelis.

She was supposed to join me on Sunday the 24th, when Jack Steadman would grace the stage again, newly christened as Mr Jukes — but she had resits. What a bummer.

Expecting to miss her the duration of the concert, I was thrilled to return home at midnight, tired and sweaty. I had danced my little booty off, as had the rest of us gathered at Manchester Academy Two. It seemed, as an audience, we even surprised Mr Jukes and his entourage, all of whom were grinning like fools by the time the night was through.

Steadman even told us “No really, you are the best audience yet.”

The beauty of a gig like that is, the more they enjoyed themselves, the more we did.

After a little rooting around and finding out what had prompted this seeming rebirth of who was once Bombay Bicycle Club, I discovered à la his own article in the Guardian, that Steadman had travelled to America from Europe, only going east and not using air travel. It was on this global voyage that he wrote most of the music for his new Album, God First.

He talks about his discovery of Japanese ‘jazz kissas’, apparently cafés with collections of american Jazz which was too expensive to own privately. It was here he heard the ‘Grant Green’ track that inspire the song titled — you guessed it — ‘Grant Green’.

This song, the album’s most popular single, is emblematic of the Mr Jukes sound: an electronic backbone reminiscent of BBC, and a powerful brass section that has the ability to take hold of your body and make you shake what your mama gave ya.

The whole gig was a firecracker from alpha to omega, but I particularly enjoyed their performance of Lauryn Hill’s ‘Doo-wop That Thing’. Perhaps it was the element of surprise, but when one female vocalist not only sassed her way through the chorus, but rapped the lyrics flawlessly, I was left in a state of awe.

The talent on stage was truly incredible, each member having the opportunity to freestyle solo, followed by rapturous applause and whooping.

If I were made to pin point my favourite thing about the night, it was probably watching Steadman smile bashfully as we lapped up every lashing of funk and soul that was thrown at us.

I’ve always hypothesised when listening to him sing on BBC tracks that you can literally hear the smile in his voice. That night, my theory was tested and proven.

His smile was probably the physical manifestation of that amalgamation we all desire; he was doing the thing he loved so well that he was making an entire room love it too. That smile was the knowledge that, in Manchester Academy Two, his music had moved us all, to a literal extent. He hit it out the park.

Games 15

ISSUE 4/ 9th October 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

“” Photo: CammyKoopa@WikimediaCommons

Review

RUINER Chris Glover Reporter

Is this sadistic shooter worth all the frustration?

7/10

Photo: DevolverDigital

Photo: Millie Nettleton

9/10

Hannah Brierley Music Editor

Antwerp: the Mansion’s alternative offering to Pangaea Saturday 23rd September 2017 As if the students of Manchester needed another excuse to dress up in their finest 80’s and 90’s get up, Antwerp Mansion gave us one more, with their night ‘Rubix Cube’. The disco and funk alternative to battle Pangaea.

The whole night itself reminded me of a psychedelic Doctor Who episode. Like the Tardis, the venue, at first, looks inconspicuous and discreet.

For those who have never been, they probably begin to wonder if they’re in the right place at all. Which is one of the things I really like about Antwerp Mansion. This couldn’t, however, be more of the opposite when inside. Rubix Cube opened to be a whole new world which was inhabited with a muddle of creatures with glittery faces, psychedelic body dips and those who had raided their parents’ wardrobes as far as the eye could see.

The music was also a nice change. Most nights held at Antwerp normally fall into the house/techno/electronic genres, and whilst I love dancing to songs that have little to no words in them. I loved being able to sing my heart out to every word of old school classics such as the Eurhythmics, Michael Jackson and Phatts and Small.

This event knew exactly what people wanted and ran with it. The night

Live Review: Warehouse Project - Curated

by Floating Points Contributor, Alfie Habershon, reviews WHP’s latest installment

On Saturday, the former air raid shelter underneath Piccadilly station opened for its second weekend of action this calendar year. Crowds jostled along Store street to enter with urgency; excited by what was waiting inside, but also in fear of 10pm last entry cut off. The now 11 years old infamous Warehouse project proved to be its usual mixed bag of music so outstanding it can take your attention away from a fraught and overpacked experience.

Once inside, those able to retain their friends through swarmed passageways were treated to an eclectic selection of dance music on offer across three rooms. Sophie Wilson aka Willow met those upon arrival with a high energy set in room 1. The Manchester born DJ and producer identified vinyl collecting in the Northern Quarter, only 200 metres down the road, and long nights at now closed down Sankeys are key sources of inspiration. She delivered an onslaught of distinctly raw and stripped back broken beats. Although perhaps this would have been best appreciated at a deeper and darker time, later in the night.

Elsewhere, behind a large doorway of heavy soundproof flaps, Madlib delivered a more lyrical and rhythmic performance of old school hip hop, reggae and jazz to room 2. Dancers sang along and socialised with one another. The highly rated American producer proved a great antidote, for those perhaps not yet ready, to give way to the intense metronome of harsher electronic music.

Once settled in, Jon Hopkins’ performance between the towering brick walls of the main room caught the attention of many.

The former classical pianist showed no evidence of gentle symphonies with a raucous display. Head bopping bongos that broke into thunderous drums caused a ripple of fist pumps and roars through the audience. “Jon Hopkins did bits” one audience member declared, having reflected through the arduous winding queue to the smoking area. They were right. He did.

Floating Points followed at just the right time. Once Neuroscientist Sam Shepard deployed a sublime blend of music that blurred the distinction between genres. Tinkering between the realms of melodic techno, afrobeat and 90s house with scientific accuracy,

accompanied by a visual backdrop of revolving yellow striped lights and twinkling blue dots. This was a performance full of surprises. Most notably when his set ripped into screeching disco with 20 minutes to go. This tore grins across the faces of all, bringing genuine atmosphere to a stage that can feel disjointed at times.

As the night progressed, and as some left the venue, pockets of space opened. Dancer’s were able to stretch their limbs, relieved from a penguin like stance. This served as a reward for those who had stayed on into the final stages. Perhaps epitomised by Jeremy Underground’s closing selection of hip shifting house and groove classics to a small united crowd underneath the warm orange glow of room 2.

Some will rightly question this event as one which could deliver a far better visitor experience. As well as ordering their artists with more care, to achieve trajectory of mood that builds the audience up throughout the evening. Having said that the quality and variety of music on show was, as always, undeniably brilliant.

Photo: Pippa Rankin

was a booming success and was such fun from the start right until the last minute. There was honestly something for everyone and surprises around every corner as you ventured through the night. Bouncy castles, 4-foot Rubix cube, pole dancers and confetti cannons ensured that there were consistent surprises until the early hours.

Rubix Cube is returning to Antwerp Mansion on the 21st of October, where it aims to submerge attendees into an ‘electric dreams’ dystopian theme, still keeping the retro 80’s/90’s concept, as Halloween fast approaches Antwerp Mansion has also undergone some lovely little developments now these days too — they finally have doors in their bathrooms. (Hoorah!)

Album Review: Husky Loops - EP2 Husky Loops will take you on a journey which is not for the faint-hearted, says Music Editor, Hannah Brierley Husky Loops are a band set on breaking the rules, bending genre boundaries, and stepping boldly into the unknown. Their new EP strikes a perfect balance between the unhinged nature of their live shows and the meticulous detail that goes into every one of their studio recordings.

It’s messy but precise, fierce but mellow, open but intriguing. Far-out apocalyptic arrangements collide with oddball pop structures as the group continues to define and accomplish their incredible musical vision. Their new record ‘EP2’ will be available digitally and on 12” vinyl on the 6th of October.

The band are also set to tour with Placebo this month, as well as playing shows with Superfood & Tigerclub, which will then be followed by a full headline tour across the UK in November.

The release kicks off with ‘Girl that wants to Travel the World’. The repetitive but effective lyrics are both wistful and sombre. This beautifully contrasts with the jingly guitar tunes and wholesome bass lines. This first track lulls you into a false sense of security, the calm before the storm if you will.

From nostalgic to unnerving, the next track leaps into what feels like an audio horror movie. ‘Re-collect’ throws together a whirlwind of distortion, overlaid with echoing spoken words with shivering interjections entwined within. ‘Re-collect’ seems to just reverberate the whole way through, in a way that is twistingly satisfying. The track flows smoothly into the band’s latest single ‘Fading Out’.

This track is infectious from the very start. The throbbing melody in the song and sinister vocals are slightly resembling that of SLAVES. ‘Where ya going boy? What’s floating in the water’ The album concludes with ‘Secret Matilda’ which stays consistent with the creepy undertones but strong rhythms and cleverly moving sound — listen to it with headphones and see what I mean. Has a hypnotic enchantment.

Trying to summarise Husky Loops is both perplexing and an ambitious task. The 3-piece don’t fall easily into one clear-cut genre. This album will take you on an eerily enchanting journey, which isn’t for the fainthearted, but one I highly recommend that you take anyway.

8/10

As my character entered another grim hideout full of tooled-up cyberpunk maniacs, the words “DIE” are emblazoned across his LED-facemask.

And die I did. A lot.

RUINER is a brutally unforgiving top-down shooter developed by Reikon Games and published by Devolver Digital. You might remember Devolver Digital as the guys who used their stage time at E3 this year to satirise the gaming industry, poking fun at money-hungry developers by showing a gamer throw literal money at his computer screen.

This lovable reputation garnered by Devolver Digital — that they are comprised of honest people who really love games — is very much upheld by RUINER .

From the niche gaming slang used by your hacker guide (simply named ‘Her’) to the immense faith the game has that you’ll stick out its infuriating missions without much help, RUINER plays like a love letter to hardcore gamers of the genre.

The premise of the game is pretty simple - your brother has been kidnapped by an evil corporation, and you must rescue him with the help of Her. If you needed any confirmation that RUINER is all about gameplay over story, look no further than its very first mission which throws you right into the midst of enemies with no introduction other than a simple command: “KILL BOSS”.

RUINER’ s roughly 6-7 hour duration will see you follow a pretty similar pattern: travel down a corridor, enter a room, get locked in that room with waves of enemies, fight your way out.

While this did get rather repetitive, the huge arsenal of guns and melee weapons combined with various abilities with their own skill trees means there is plenty of variety between the many chaotic gunfights you’ll encounter.

Visually, the game is striking. RUINER ’s bleak dystopian world is drenched in neon red lighting, and everything from the bustling town which serves as the game’s hub to the factories and dens that make up the game’s combat areas look fantastic.

The art designers have done a tremendous job of capturing the classic cyberpunk aesthetic of Blade Runner and Judge Dredd whilst forging their own unique style with bold uses of colour and cartoony character models.

RUINER’s world is one in which technology has beaten nature into submission, and the music

choice reflects that. Every track is heavily electronic and often deliberately dissonant to the point of sounding more like noise than music.

The intended effect of keeping players constantly on edge whilst conveying the hopelessness of RUINER’ s world is certainly there, but there were times the jarring soundtracks actually detracted from my experience.

RUINER doesn’t just refuse to hold your hand, it snatches away from you and then laughs in your face. They’re pretty clear about their stance on difficulty; the official twitter for the game tweeted: “we received complaints that RUINER is too hard.

We know it. It was meant to be.”

I like a difficult game as much as the next guy, but too many times RUINER’s vague feedback mechanics meant I died without really understanding why. This reduced a large portion of my countless deaths to annoyances rather than the learning experiences they were no doubt intended to be.

That’s not to say that RUINER was never a rewarding experience. One of the game’s bosses in particular - Shadow - gave me a really hard time; killing me over and over whilst the game’s incessant teasing made me want to throw my controller at the wall.

“That was embarrassing to watch”, says Her after my character falls dead to the floor for the 20th time, whilst the subsequent loading screen passive-aggressively reminded me that I “can lower the difficulty at any time”.

Without the teasing, I probably would have lowered the difficulty. Instead, I gritted my teeth and redistributed my skill points (something you can do at any time) to try out some new tactics. After some more attempts I managed to kill Shadow, and my 28 deaths netted me a pitiful ‘E’ rating for that level.

This didn’t matter though — I felt like a king. RUINER had forced me out of my comfort zone and given me no choice but to get creative with new abilities and adapt to the challenge.

In short, RUINER offers an enjoyable but somewhat unremarkable twin-stick shooter experience.

Its fast-paced, punishing gameplay will be a hit with some, but its biggest strength lies in its immensely cool cyberpunk style.

Be warned, though: this is a game that very much knows its audience — fans of the genre who love a challenge — and will do little to ease outsiders into the experience.

by the newest gimmick that year or host of shenanigans coming out of Nintendo, for instance; for Sony however, conferences have been kept largely clean and simple – and who else can we accredit this to other than House?

House began his career with Sony Interactive Entertainment in 1990, acting as an instrumental part of the launch of the very first PlayStation and by 2011, the franchise was under his confident stewardship after being handed the reigns by Kazuo Hirai. In terms of the current generation, House spearheaded the launch of the PS4 and while the console remains the number one selling console, the success of his campaign is hard to contest.

House’s marketing model was one developed in-house and, at the end of the day, House was an active part of Sony’s marketing team when all there was to do was showcase the ‘AAA’ titles and let the tech do its work — there was no show and dance, the product spoke honestly and the results were impressive enough for it to need nothing to supplement them.

But where does his departure leave Sony now?

For a company originating in Japan that has such huge global influence (particularly in Europe), will the loss of an inherently Westernised market figurehead change the face of the next generation of PlayStation and Sony’s Interactive Entertainment division? And for better or worse?

Review

FIFA 18 Jeremy Bijl Games Editor

FIFA’ s reception is usually split broadly into two camps: those who think it’s ‘the same as last year’ because ‘it’s just football’, and those who staunchly defend its title as the premier footballing experience.

However, whilst I would normally speak on behalf of the latter, there is a definite sense that the changes and updates in this year’s iteration are incremental rather than innovative.

FIFA’ s gameplay remains largely the same, maintaining the added mechanics of previous versions whilst tweaking and refining some of the older issues. Crossing, in particular, has been given some much-needed attention and, whilst still far from perfect, is an improvement that sees target men finally emerge as viable attacking tools.

However, this is somewhat contravened by EA’s failure to balance some other areas of the title’s gameplay: the potency of the driven shot (and the keeper’s chronic inability to deal with them) allied with the ever-present overemphasis on pace and dribbling means that certain styles of playing remain firmly impractical, with the gameplay forcing a largely homogenous playing style on its players.

‘The Journey’ was arguably FIFA ’s boldest, most ambitious and most innovative feature of this generation.

Without the novelty of last season’s story, however, ‘The Journey’ struggles to impress as much this time around.

Although the star-studded cast EA has assembled impressively includes the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Thierry Henry, Rio Ferdinand and… Gyasi Zardes, the direction of the story seems very much driven by the cameos of these players than by a desire to explore Alex Hunter himself.

Indeed, FIFA ’s evident awe at its own cast is only exceeded by that of Hunter’s, whose gaping amazement at meeting his stars goes slightly beyond endearing and — at times — into nauseating.

The illusion of having any control breaks down very early in ‘The Journey’ as Hunter is shunted around clubs on EA’s whim. Whilst this operates in an interesting way to expose the relative powerlessness of young players in a market dominated by avaricious agents and inflated transfer fees, it does mean that the journey becomes a linear ride rather than a compelling player-orientated narrative.

Nevertheless, ‘The Journey’ presents a tightly written if slightly generic and predictable story, whilst Alex Hunter is a likeable, albeit uncharismatic, protagonist.

FIFA ’s career mode also returns largely unchanged, save for the way you negotiate player deals. This is now done by a cutscene, where you — the manager — negotiate with the player and his agent in person. This sounds like an interesting addition, but the execution slightly misses the mark.

Photo: EA sports

Is FIFA worth yet another purchase?

6.5/10 EA — for understandable and no doubt practical reasons — subtitles the cutscenes rather than using voice actors, but this, along with EA’s relatively primitive facial animations, makes the scene eerily mechanical and ultimately not that different from its previous system aside from the gurning delight on the face of the prospective parties.

Other than that, FIFA’s career mode is more or less what you’d expect. It doesn’t do much wrong, but it lacks a bit of personality. The menus are well presented and navigation is not as hectic as in PES, but the transfer market and scouting system are unwieldy.

Perhaps the biggest problem with FIFA’s offline game modes, though, is how dull it is to play the AI, who continue their footballing ideology of emulating Tony Pulis in each and every game. Whilst they are fallible, and the difficulty can be adjusted to the needs of pretty much any player, this makes the offline experience a lot more monotonous.

EA’s biggest draw is once again online game-mode ‘Ultimate Team’, which does well to expand on its options of ‘squad building challenges’, as well multiple other competitions and challenges.

Whilst the premise of ‘Ultimate Team’ (to build your ultimate team) is somewhat flawed by the chemistry system’s stifling effect on squad building, it remains oddly addictive and still holds the title of the ragiest game in the world - not necessarily a good thing, but a sign it is engaging, at least.

It would be a lot better, however, if EA could keep their mitts out of our wallets, or at least better obscure the fact that Ultimate Team is based solely around burrowing ever deeper into the consumer’s pocket. Every small mechanic and ever-diminishing resource is based around manipulating the player into buying “FIFA points” (a transparent intermediate currency that costs real money).

Is it optional? Yes, of course. But regardless, the whole system is constructed carefully around making you shell out a bit more, which detracts from the experience as a whole by replacing hard-earned rewards with easy shortcuts, all the while dangling the potential rewards of splashing out.

Overall, EA provides a solid but unspectacular instalment of FIFA , which provides just enough to justify its price tag without really innovating. The game remains a lot of fun to play with friends and online despite its flaws and has some interesting offline modes.

Is it £50 of progress? Probably not. Is it £50 of game? I think so. But when FIFA ’s only competition is its own obsolete predecessor and the increasingly niche PES , it can probably afford to rest on its laurels — for now.

16

Fashion & Beauty

ISSUE 4 / 9th OCTOBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Dolce & Gabbana: from controversy to cannoli Deputy Fashion and Beauty Editor Sophie Walsh investigates the controversial Dolce & Gabbana campaigns: sex, violence and spaghetti.

Dolce & Gabbana. The youthful Italian fashion house was founded in Milan in 1985 by designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana. Since then, the fashion house has become one of the biggest international corporations in luxury goods, drawing in an A-list celebrity clientele. Aside from clothes however, advertising campaigns have been most successful in drawing attention to the brand.

In the recent 2017/18 Dolce & Gabbana campaign, stiff poses in clinically white studios, frosty stares and jutted chins have disappeared. Instead, the label goes back to its Italian roots. It is shot in various locations across Italy by world reporter Franco Pagetti who usually covers international conflicts (a slight veer from his usual work then). Models laugh, eat, dance, hug and give off a suitable impression of careless Mediterranean merriment. The campaign goes beyond a glossy image, it is a sensory experience. You are

transported to an Italian market town where the sun is always shining, you can hear the music of street performers, smell the Sicilian lemons and taste the Spaghetti alla vesuviana. Rosy-cheeked models of various colours and sizes (and celebrity-status parents) interact with local restaurateurs, fishmongers, street vendors and passers-by. It’s clever, it’s enticing. It shouts, ‘you can wear these clothes and have an amazing time, don’t worry about a spaghetti splash on a €3000 all white outfit just enjoy’.

However, this is a far cry from the less than wholesome campaigns of yesteryear. I’m not just talking about an accidental nip slip. In 2007, a Dolce & Gabbana advertisement was banned in the UK by the Advertising Standards Authority following 166 complaints of knife and gun related violence. Supposedly influenced by the Napoleonic era, scenes included a meat knife held over the throat

of a semi-conscious woman and a man intertwined with a naked woman, directing a pistol at a guy sprawled on the floor with a bloody shot wound to the head. The advertisement was said to glamorise weapon related violence. Nevertheless, the ad continued to run in other countries, after all there was no more violence than you may find in a costume drama, and Dolce & Gabbana collections are known to be inspired by history.

It gets worse. Barely a month later the label was slammed once again, but this time world-wide in an ad said to closely resemble a gang rape. The image depicted a woman being pinned down by one shirtless man while three others watched. It was harder to talk themselves around this one and the ad was subsequently banned in both Italy and Spain.

The Advertising Self-Discipline Institute stated that it “offended the dignity of the woman” as the female figure is shown as “passive and

ion contributor, Ellie Fraser, four tips to style Gucci like Milan F/W Fashion Week’s street style stars From their vibrant floral prints, to cool logo tees or the low-top trainers with the iconic red and green Deciem, also known as The Abnormal quality product, I will be wishing a fond fareBeauty Company has taken ownership of an well to my staple Mac Studio Fix Foundation. stripes – Gucci is killing the street style game. Fashumbrella of different beauty brands. I was inPaired with the High Spreadability Fluid Primtrigued and super excited to try The Ordinary er (£5.50) which smooths any creases and ion contributor, Ellie Fraser, four tips to style Gucci as I’d seen it gain popularity online, coveted pores, you’re on to a winning combination. by beauty bloggers and influencers alike.

The Cold-pressed Rosehip Seed Oil (£9) is not like Milan F/W Fashion Week’s street style stars It first caught my eye when browsing on only versatile but has the most alluring scent.

ASOS, however much to my dismay, never appeared to be in stock. Rule 1: Never get in the way of a girl when she sets her sights on beauty products.

In my haste to get my hands on these products, I headed down to their retailing space which resides in Shoreditch within Spitalfields Market. Their collection boasts a vast range of foundations, serums, oils and exfoliators. The Ordinary’s tag line is “clinical formulations with integrity”; the brand do not test on animals, and are free of parabens, mineral oils, sulphates, and animal oils. Cruelty free and vegan beauty is a trend that many companies are looking to adopt so it’s great to see this from Deciem.

I purchased two foundations, a primer and one of their hero products, the Cold Pressed Rosehip Seed Oil. I was most impressed with their Coverage Foundation, it’s highly pigmented formula, dewy finish as well as the fact only a few drops are required for application won my vote.

The formula glides on smoothly and has real staying power, you can be sure this won’t budge even during the longest of days and heaviest of downpours known to our Manchester climate. At £5.90 for a 30ml bottle of

Fact: Rosehip See Oil is a powerhouse ingredient used in cosmetics as it contains vitamins, antioxidants and essential fatty acids.

Combined, they create magic for your skin and correct dark spots, increase hydration penetration and reduce scarring and fine lines.

The Ordinary also stock a range of natural cold pressed oils that offer similar advantages include their Moroccan Argan Oil and PlantDerived Squalane.

The branding imagery is strong and instantly recognisable, it’s clean and simple alluring to the sense of a luxury, high –end purchase but with a surprisingly low price point.

The Ordinary have won numerous awards including the CEW Beauty Award Winner 2017 and Grazia Beauty Awards 2016: Breakthrough Brand. The flourishing brand has also gained wide media coverage from the likes of The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Times, ELLE and Nylon, who have all featured the brand commenting on its affordability and quality.

Should you ever be in London, you can visit their store at: 5B The Market Building, Covent Garden, London, WC2E 8RF Deciem is also available to purchase on deciem.com and ASOS.

Recycling Rapture

Trend Renaissance

Debbie Harry, otherwise known as Blondie, dazzled all as she walked for an environmentally conscious VIN + OMI collection at London Fashion Week writes Sophie Walsh, Deputy Fashion and Beauty Editor

Fashion designers are constantly producing new styles to along our runways but in the midst of these looks, we see the circulation of some old classic looks, writes Jenny Knowles

helpless” compared to the men surrounding her, possibly representing “abuse or the idea of violence towards her.” Many have since argued that it is a misogynistic romanticising of rape culture.

It seems hard to believe then that today’s peppy, sun-soaked Dolce & Gabbana campaign can bear any relation to its dark portfolio. Perhaps after public outcry, they decided to go for something a little less scandaloso.

They seem to have gone down the typical route of using celebrity faces (or their children), including Jude Law’s son Rafferty Law and Pamela Anderson’s son Brandon Thomas Lee, to draw in attention. Is this then the new Dolce & Gabbana? Are we to expect lighthearted joviality? Or will the label return to twisted themes we all know very well it is capable of creating. Will it be a case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde? Only time will tell.

The not so Ordinary Gucci Street Style From their vibrant floral prints, to cool logo tees or the low-top trainers with the iconic red and green Guide stripes – Gucci is killing the street style game. Fash-

Florals Renaissance-inspired florals are a regular on the Gucci catwalk: take this look street style by dressing down a flowing floral Gucci midi dress with a pair of trusty white (well perhaps once white) trainers and sports socks. Or if you want to go bold then a pair of chunky black biker boots – think Kaia Gerber for Vogue’s October issue. Both give a cool-girl edge to an otherwise ultra-feminine glam look.

Bum-Bag Bum-bag, hip bag, fanny pack. Whatever you call it, this practical accessory is having its time on fashion’s hot list. An essential for WHP, or Fabric if you’re thinking London, take yours up a notch and style it out with a black velvet Gucci Marmont Matelasse Belt Bag. If you want to go retro, opt for the Gucci Supreme design – of course, worn slung across the body to give off that care-free vibe.

Slogan Tee I couldn’t write an article on Gucci street style without giving the ubiquitous slogan tee a mention. Probably the easiest trend to latch on to; the Gucci t-shirt looks great whether tucked into a pair of mom jeans or a floral midi skirt, layered over a pair of black vinyl trousers or with a miniskirt and over-the-knee boots. But, this look, like all other things Gucci, does come at a price: a white logo t-shirt will set you back a hefty £370. If you want to achieve this look without breaking the bank, then why not look to popular high street shops like River Island and Topshop who are churning out pretty convincing dupes. But, be sure to head over quick – there will be a lot of thrifty twenty-somethings also wanting to get on board with this trend for a fraction of the price.

Trainers or Sliders We first saw the athleisure trend drop in the early 2010s and it doesn’t seem like it’s going

anytime soon. The Gucci low-top trainers – the classic red and green stripes or the embroidered bee – look great whether teamed up with mum jeans and a baggy t-shirt or a pretty dress to make it look more casual. For the ultimate Gucci look, why not wear with Gucci’s sidestriped trousers and a boyfriend-fit blue shirt (unbuttoned halfway) – Victoria Beckham style.

If it gets chilly, throw on a long black cardigan for a sophisticated, but laid-back look. Hold on though, the athleisure style revolution doesn’t stop here. For the daring among us, Gucci’s sliders sure do make a statement. Think loose-fit camel-coloured cashmere jumper dress, ankle-length sports socks, and Gucci Blooms.

Fashion & Beauty 17

ISSUE 4 / 9th OCTOBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Photo: PeterTea @Flickr

Singer Debbie Harry catapulted to stardom in American pop-punk band Blondie, named after her iconic platinum blonde locks. Since the 1970s she has been a fashion icon for many, with her new wave style that involved double denim, studded leather and statement t-shirts. Her look even inspired artist Andy Warhol, who created four silk printed portraits of Harry, one of the most well-recognised bodies of his work.

Debbie Harry once famously declared that “Being hot never hurts!” and she clearly still lives by that today at the age of 72, stunning audiences at the VIN + OMI show during London Fashion Week. The singer opened the show in a leggy lime green, draped hem dress and metallic trainers. The fashion house is known for their creative designs, making the eccentric Bubbles costumes for Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie.

Their recent collection for Spring/Summer 2018 maintains this innovation and focuses attention on renewable fashion, using materials made from plastics removed from the sea. For example, they use rPET yarn which is made from recycled bottles. Furthermore, the catwalk was covered in plastic, with protest posters splattered on the walls which reinforced the purpose of the show. The designers hope it “will encourage more designers worldwide to explore their local textile options and turn discarded plastic into clothing”. They want to “highlight how innovative eco fabrics can be fun, high fashion and wearable”. The show was attended by a number of celebrity names who showed their support, including Boy George and Jasmine Guinness.

Harry is the ideal model for this collection.

Her high-profile reputation brings public attention to the cause but more importantly, she has also long been a supporter of Riverkeeper. The New York-based organization helped pass the Clean Water Act in 1972 and continues to protect the Hudson River from unwanted waste that could pollute the water and its inhabitants. About the show, she declared that “they believe, like I do, that we should STOP F*CKING THE PLANET!”.

Debbie Harry is currently set to tour the UK in October and November this year. She will wear designs by VIN + OMI on stage. Find her Pollinator tour dates at http://www.blondie. net/shows/.

In Manchester, current fashion trends are always at the forefront of attention and we can see this fashion nostalgia everywhere we look, especially in the fashion-conscious student community.

In the 1920s when wealth and power were of the utmost importance, fur was worn with pride and seen as a symbol of people’s status in society. As activists began to protest the use of fur on animal rights grounds such as PETA’s ‘I’d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur’ campaign in Japan in 1992, it was worn less frequently as a fashion statement for fear of public shaming.

However, the creation of faux-fur brought back this style to our wardrobes for cheaper prices and a clearer conscience. In this month’s Vogue, the likes of Céline, Michael Kors and Kurt Geiger pictured their models draped with opulent fur coats – fur has certainly not lost its lavish charm. Coloured fur has also risen in popularity over the past couple of years, with high street stores such as Topshop and Urban Outfitters selling a myriad of pink, purple, orange fur garments and accessories – you name it, it works with fur!

In the 1980s, fitness wear was at the height of fashion and in this era, new synthetic fabrics were developed and used to create new exciting garments using innovative materials such as Gore-tex, Sympatex, Nylon. The popular noughties brand Juicy Couture produced the iconic velour tracksuit which was a massive hit among a new wave of celebrities who were often spotted by the paparazzi going about their lives in bright pink plush glory; namely, Britney Spears who ordered a bespoke Juicy tracksuit for each member of her wedding party in 2004 to Kevin Federline. However, the hype consequently faded into obsolete by 2007, but now it is making a surprising comeback. Whilst active-wear as day-wear is pretty much a weekly if not a daily occurrence for the general public, what better time for the label to make a comeback? Vetements launched

Photo: fashionpills@Flickr

a cherry-red Juicy all in one at the catwalk shows in Paris which moved onto leading department stores such as Bloomingdales and Harrods stocking the new line of Juicy sets.

For as long as I can remember throughout my teenage years no girl would be seen dead in any other jeans than a high-waisted, super skinny-legged pair. Nevertheless, we now see an influx of flares filtering back through from the 70s and girls are even daring to wear the low-waisted hip bone-skimming jeans we thought Kate Moss could only ever pull off.

Here are just a few of the recycled trends that pay homage to our past fad fashions, you’d be surprised to see how much history you have currently in your wardrobe.

Versace on the runway In memory of Gianni Versace, the original supermodels took to the runway to close the Versace show.

The legacy of Versace is intertwined with that of the supermodel writes Fashion and Beauty Editor Talia Lee-Skudder Despite the original supers garnering fame from the mid-80s, it was during the 1990s that these elite band of models really burst onto the scene and became household names.

It was after that era-defining Vogue cover shot by Peter Lindberg that catapulted Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington and Tatjana Patitz into the limelight. It then led to George Michael casting the same five women in the music video for his smash hit song Freedom, and consequently the 90s truly became the decade for the supermodel.

After the success of George Michael’s music video, Gianni Versace enlisted Evangelista, Turlington, Crawford, and Campbell to close his 1991 show whilst lip-syncing to Freedom.

What set these women apart from the ordinary model was their personality and their multimedia appeal before the social media age; not only did they model the clothes, they also were the faces of big name brands. They were womanly, intelligent and spirited, and became hot property in the fashion industry.

Gianni Versace went on to be dubbed the ‘supermodel maker’ and was pivotal in transforming these 90s ‘glamazons’ into fully fledged supermodels, and in doing so inspired an army of successive models, such as Gigi, Bella, and Kendall, to also reach for those stratospheric heights in the years following.

In keeping with his figure-hugging and goddess-inspired dresses, Versace recruited the ideal women to best showcase his designs and in doing so cemented the term the supermodel into popular culture. So what better to way to commemorate the anniversary of his death than to reunite the biggest names

of the supermodel era for the show-stopping finale this Milan fashion week? Cue Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Carla Bruni, Helena Christensen and Claudia Schiffer.

Donatella Versace took over the role as designer after her brother’s death and has seen the brand through difficult times, near bankruptcy in 2004 being one, but she is now revelling in its success and the 20 year anniversary was the perfect time to show that the fashion house is at the top of its game and is still a force to reckoned with.

The latest collection saw the revival of some of Versace’s most famous and recognised prints, but with an updated style that ensures the relevance for the 2017customer base.

Nostalgia, therefore, reached fever pitch when five of the original supermodels took to the runway for the finale wearing restyled gold dresses from their heyday. Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Carla Bruni, Helena Christensen and Claudia Schiffer appeared goddess-like, taking the runway hand in hand, injecting the energy, fun, and personality that was reminiscent of the glory days of the 90s and leaving us wondering when the next reunion will be.

The finale was a fitting tribute to an icon but also a celebration of Donatella’s creative vision and her leadership in the years following her brother’s death.

The show paid homage to the genius of Gianni Versace but also emphasised how his legacy is interwoven with that of the supermodel, securing his place in history as a true creative genius and fashion legend.

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Review

Review

Review

Flatliners

On Body and Soul

Perhaps the characters in Flatliners shouldn’t have come back to life Lucas Hill-Paul Film Critic

Image: Maximilian Bühn @ Wikimedia Commons

A brutal yet alluring Hungarian meditation on dreams and romance from director Ildikó Enyedi Jamie McEvoy Deputy Film Editor

Hungarian director Ildikó Enyedi has broken all the rules of romance films with her latest project. Winning the Golden Bear in Berlin earlier this year, On Body and Soul follows the disjointed, awkward yet beautiful relationship between an abattoir manager, Endre — played by big screen debutant Morcsányi Géza — and new quality-control inspector Maria.

Endre is a reserved character, who lives a passive life with a disabled left arm. He appears to live a lonely life, livened up only by his tiresome and garrulous HR supervisor Jenö. However, afterglimpsing Maria stood outside his window, hiding in the shadows, his monotonic life is illuminated. The flirtation between the two characters starts off slow and dysfunctional, mostly due to the socially awkward nature of Alexandra Borbély’s Maria.

Yet, after the revelation that they both share the exact same dreams every night – Endre dreams he is a stag and Maria that she is a doe – their romance blossoms. In their connected night-fantasies they run together through a picturesque snowy forest, foraging for food, and sipping from icy streams.

Enyedi’s surreal and mesmerising feature is an exquisite blend of the banal and the abnormal.

The unusual backdrop of a slaughterhouse is somehow turned into an ethereal and living organism, captured marvellously by the cinematography of Máté Herbai. On Body and Soul is not of the same ilk of anti-meat films such as Netflix’s Okja or Simon Amstell’s Carnage, yet it without a doubt creates sympathy for the bovine subjects that are waiting to be slaughtered, through beautiful close-ups of cow eyes and muzzles.

At times. the film adopts an almost documentary-type feel to it, and the way in which the mundane working activities of the abat-

toir are transformed into poetic movements is reminiscent of Mercedes Álvarez’s Mercado de Futuros (2011). Despite the juxtaposition between the tangible slaughterhouse scenes and the soothing, divine dream sequences, there is just as much delicacy and tranquillity in both worlds.

On Body and Soul is an excellent feature which, with the introduction of the shared dreams concept, goes from understated realism to romantic fantasy. It has quite rightfully been selected as Hungary’s entry for the Best Foreign Language Films at the 2018 Academy Awards, and will hopefully make it onto the nominee shortlist. An unconventional love story, Enyedi’s beautiful picture will pluck at the heart strings as much as it does boggle the mind.

An unconventional love story, Enyedi’s beautiful picture will pluck at the heart strings as much as it does boggle the mind.

4/5

“On Body and Soul is an excellent feature which, with the introduction of the shared dreams concept, goes from understated realism to romantic fantasy. ”

Sony Pictures seem to genuinely believe that teenagers are the only demographic worth appealing to. Indeed, the only demographic going to the movies in their eyes, though this of course is completely ignorant. Flatliners is the latest in the line of limp, edgy, adolescent remakes from Sony that fail to understand that blockbusters can be something other than crude or sexy.

After devolving the commentary and smarts of science-fiction films like Total Recall and Robocop, turning Spider-Man into a young adult romance property and Ghostbusters into a Judd Apatow lad(ette) comedy, we now bear witness to the inexplicable decision to transform the 1990s film Flatliners into a party movie. Having more in common with Project X or Bad Neighbours than The Sixth Sense, the Flatliners remake parallels the existential high of stopping one’s heart to the rush of a party drug.

Kiersey Clemons muses, “if only we could bottle Flatlining” to sell to disillusioned millennials in need of a near-death experience, and I wonder if this film’s intention was as a cautionary tale to ward off drug use, or to inspire the circulation of an ecstasy pill called “Flatline”.

The original is by no means a great film.

Boasting an impressive cast, biblical imagery and generational strife, eventually Oliver Platt’s poetic waxing grows tiresome and the haunted proceedings all get a bit silly.

Its visions of the afterlife, however, are all magnetic to watch. The first begins with a slow zoom into the image of Keifer Sutherland — who appears in the remake looking sheepish and poorly bewigged — captured by a grainy video camera operated by one of the characters. The closed, black eye gives way to a hazy dream that could be heaven or could be a memory. Flatliners (2017) swaps this ambiguity for a hasty zoom out through CGI rendered floors and ceilings to a first-person glide through an unconvincing cityscape, before dropping the form of Ellen Page into an environment of light and electricity straight from an advertisement for a 2010 smartphone.

In an attempt to emulate the neglect and competition faced by the Generation X characters in Joel Schumacher’s film, screenwriter Ben Ripley imbues the new characters with millennial pressures to strive and succeed. The attempt at generational parallels is contradicted, however, by casting an unlikable group of rich kids and trust fundees, for whom it is difficult to feel sorry for when

Image: Vimeo

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Tawai

Goodbye Christopher Robin The greatest game of tennis ever played becomes another boring day at the office in this underachieving film

An at times touching depiction of the effects of deforestation is hampered by Parry’s poor direction

Image: Tawai

James Gill Film Critic compared to Kiefer Sutherland and Kevin Bacon’s long, dirty haircuts and raggedy coats that successfully highlight the grungy desperation of 90s entrepreneurship.

The fact that our male lead lives on a luxury yacht is especially irritating when the film elects to ignore the claustrophobic advantages this unconventional home would yield, instead delivering the same predictable scares as any number of haunted house films before it. A potential moment of real Silent Hill gruesomeness is ignored in favour of several ‘ghost over the shoulder’ moments, strange noises from the radio and an ineffective moment of shock gore. Under a director with a sense of space and location, a houseboat would seem a perfect opportunity to lend the film some character and intrigue, but Flatliners is more concerned with delivering a safe, digestible thriller.

A scene in which Kevin Bacon makes amends with the real woman behind his haunting is presented in the original as a touching moment of recompense, though the remake’s entitled ensemble take advantage of this redemption method as an easy fix. Solidifying the characters as wholly unlikeable, when asking for forgiveness, it is completely transparent that they are apologising for their own gain, not due to any sense of responsibility or guilt. Most importantly, once this method is discovered, any chance that the movie may eventually get scary is ruined, the characters breezing through their emotional turmoil with all the mirth of a young child apologising to their friend for stealing sweets. A totally inappropriate tone for a film attempting to explore weighty topics as abortion, cyber-bullying and false autopsy reports, the easy resolution of the final act is in direct odds with a script attempting to tackle the unfair disdain for the millennial generation.

Ellen Page tries her best to give the film a sincere performance, but the poorly-rendered action and horror set pieces, its contradiction of themes and the fact that any spiritual existentialism is replaced by infantile partying and romance surely solidifies this lazy exploitation of 90s nostalgia — Sony didn’t get the memo that we’re still in 80s mode — as one of the year’s biggest flops. Much like Kiefer Sutherland’s dreadful wig, Flatliners is too long, unconvincing and very embarrassing.

1/5

Eloise Wright Head Film Editor From the title onwards, Goodbye Christopher Robin is an adamantly bleak take on the creation of Christopher Robin and his friend Winnie-the-Pooh. It falls into the category of films that could have been memorable but didn’t quite make it. In terms of acting, structure and content, it constantly comes across as unrealistic and often quite twee.

Similar to this biopic is Chris Noonan’s equally quaint Miss Potter (2006) which explores the origins of the classic British children’s tales of Peter Rabbit, although Miss Potter had a slightly more upbeat tone and focused much more on the publishing of her stories and illustrations, as Beatrix Potter was not an established playwright and novelist like A.A. Milne was.

The film sets out to cover two main storylines, both deeply rooted emotional traumas that get unrealistically resolved – A.A. Milne’s suffering from PTSD, alongside the negligence of his son and the fame that was pushed upon Christopher Robin as a child.

“Isn’t it funny/How a bear likes honey/Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!/I wonder why he does.” from Winnie the Pooh’s first chapter does not ring as pleasant after watching a shell-shocked A.A. Milne (Domhnall Gleeson) react to the buzzing of bees on a walk with his son Christopher Robin (Will Tilston).

This particular narrative was dealt with somewhat clumsily, as Gleeson embodies a British WW1 soldier very convincingly, but quite soon in the story overcomes his PTSD by jumping on balloons which mimic the sound of bullets.

The parents are unequivocally self-absorbed, although it is his wife Daphne — a very glamorous and business orientated Margot Robbie — who is clearly made to be the most unlikeable of the two. She appears cold and unattached from her child, though this could be due the amount of mental and physical effort of keeping up an incredibly hard upper-lip English accent, and makes her entire role uncomfortably onedimensional.

A full sequence is dedicated to watching the pair from the viewpoint of Christopher Robin’s window, as his nanny Nou — Kelly MacDonald, who possessed by far the best acting skills in the film — wave them goodbye each night as they swan off to various social events. This feeds into the period and what was commonplace amongst wealthy parents in London during the 1920s. To bring up one’s infant child without a nanny was simply unheard of and would be an automatic signifier of financial struggles.

Initially, it is from constant triggers to his PTSD that drives Milne from dazzling Chelsea to rural Cotchford Farm, to which Daphne shows little enthusiasm, to say the least. Once they are all settled — including Nou, how else could they possibly handle

their lives — Milne experiences severe writer’s block.

Daphne shadily observes the Father and son bonding, which translates to wasted time in her eyes. “You’re a writer. Write!” she demands Milne, finally storming off back to London to look at the new wallpaper collection at Whiteley’s and announces she will only come back if he writes something. In other words, she throws a tantrum.

Nou leaves to tend to her sick mother, which puts Blue (A.A. Milne’s nickname) in the initially uncomfortable situation of being alone with Christopher Robin, or Billy Moon as he preferred to be called.

Idyllic days of walks in the infamous Hundred Acre Wood, games of cricket and the acting out of imaginary adventures go by, which of course include Billy’s marvellous collection of toys. Winnie the Bear (the Pooh came later as a sufficiently “inexplicable” name – one of the few interesting things we learn from the film), Tigger, Eyore and Piglet are all brought along by Billy. This is when the idea is born, and fellow WW1 veteran E.H. Shepard (The History Boys’ Stephen Campbell Moore) is called in to capture the moments that will illustrate the first poem – “Vespers”.

Sent off to Daphne, she gleefully comes back. When asked very calmly) about where she has been, she dismisses the question with an exasperated “What does it matter?

I’m here now” and her departure is forgotten.

The internationally adored bear became a franchise at the expense of Billy Moon’s childhood. Roped into publicity stunts, interviews, and photo sessions, little Billy grows to be very confused as to why people think he is Christopher Robin. Introduced to the manager of a toy shop that sells hundreds of replicas of Winnie-thePooh, he asks what a manager does.

“He makes all the decisions” which prompts him to ask his mother “Are you, my manager, then?” and ends up being one of the better-played scenes of the film.

His parents proceed to what is really yet another act of selfishness and send him off to boarding school.

Due to his “fame” and effeminate haircut, he is constantly tormented by the other schoolboys, and by the time he reaches adolescence, craves anonymity so much he wants to enlist even though he failed the medical test.

In a strange ending, where the fatherson hatred magically dissipates, I was left with slight disbelief, and could not escape the feeling that the film did not In a strange ending, where the fatherson hatred magically dissipates, I was left with slight disbelief, and could not escape the feeling that the film did not fulfil the potential its premise certainly had.

2/5

Former marine Bruce Parry has won several BAFTAs for his work on tribesman-centred BBC documentaries, such as Tribe and Amazon. After a six-year break he is back, this time on his own, to revisit the nomadic Penam tribe when news of their forced settling reached him. Various unnecessary detours, interference by Parry and a bumper runtime detract from an at times touching portrayal of the first-hand effects of deforestation.

Ten years ago, Parry first met the Penam people of Borneo in his tv show Tribe, where he went on hunting trips and slept in a makeshift village until it was time to move on. All that has changed now and the Malaysian government built ‘long houses’ for them to live in, on the edge of their ancestral homeland. In order to protect this land, the government asked for proof of their presence in the area, but as a nomadic people their presence is so unnoticeable that they could not do so, and thus their land became fair game for loggers. Heartbreaking though this situation is, Parry is not content to let the audience reach their own conclusions, and hijacks the narrative to champion his cause that modern society is suicidal and we must revert to the way man used to be before consumerism took hold.

No matter where his journey took him, from Indian gurus to a Scottish neuroscientist, Parry insists on getting between the camera and its focus, blocking our eyes from discerning our own truths. Where Tawai excelled most was in the scenes where he took a step back and just observed, allowing the tribesmen to go about their

lives. The transition they undergo such as planting fruit trees to ensure food for future generations is starkly different to their original beliefs, to live and feel the moment. Once again the message is distorted to suggest that relinquishing all possessions is the only way to be truly happy, an unnecessary extreme in the search for self-fulfilment.

This heavy-handed approach spoils the inherent profundity present in the documentary. As we follow the Penam people the luxuries of the western worlds seem to have seeped into their way of being, wearing traditional clothes, smoking cigarettes and even watching television. Particularly poignant were the watches they wore on their wrists. A people who knew when the fruit on the trees was ripe by the call of the birds who feasted upon it now relied on time for everyday life. Pure scenes like these, where the imagery inspired critical thought sadly composed a minority of the total length.

Tawai is undoubtedly stunning in its visuals, a clarity of picture usually only seen in the Planet Earth series. I’m sure that within the 600 hours of recorded footage there are the makings of another documentary, with sincerity and lightness of touch. Life is about appreciation, not possession, but taking that to such an extreme alienates almost all those who watch.

2/5

Review

Home Again Despite the forward thinking subject-matter, Hallie MeyersShyer fails to reach expectations with Home Again

Image: Ma_Co2013 @ Flickr

Esther Hamilton-Ivory Film Critic Home Again is the debut film from Hallie Meyers-Shyer, daughter of rom-com moguls Nancy Meyers and Charles Shyer. Meyers and Shyer are the brains behind classic, much loved rom-coms such as The Holiday, The Parent Trap and It’s Complicatedtonameafew.Theyhavecreatedfilmswhichare oftensillyandfrivolousbutnonethelessenjoyable.However, itseemsMeyers-ShyerhasfallenshortofthismarkwithHome Again.

Home Again follows the newly separated, forty-year-old Alice (Reese Witherspoon) on the aftermath of a raucous birthday night out. After a boozy celebration, she ends up with three,attractive,twenty-somethingbuddingfilmmakers(one of whom takes a particular shining towards her) living in her palatial poolside guest house while they work on their latest project.

“A screen which often praises and idolises men for having far younger, prettier girlfriends but which chastises women for doing the same.”

However, even Witherspoon, renowned for her roles in female-led rom coms (Legally blonde) struggled to give meaning to the insincere and often cringe-worthy writing. This is not to say a film like this requires a beautiful, poetic script. But what it does necessitate is well written lines which can act as the foundations on which the emotions of the characters, no matter how ridiculous and far-fetched they may be, can be

conveyed with some sense of meaning and legitimacy. Instead, at the emotional climax of the film, audience members could be heard to be sighing or laughing, revealing just how greatly the script failed to deliver and consequently just how unbelievable the story appeared. Obviously, by virtue of the nature of the genre of the film, a bit of fantasy and wish fulfilment can be forgiven but it needs to be backed by lines and characters that have integrity and meaning, of which Home Again just didn’t possess. However, this is not to say that the script didn’t deliver in other areas. There were a number of wittylinesperfectlydisplayingWitherspoon’scharacter’ssarcasticnature.Butultimatelythescriptwaslackingintheareas whichbestcreatethosemuchloved,familiarromcomswhich are so popular.

Yet, where the script was lacking, the subject matter certainly attempts to make up for it. One of the film’s main redeeming qualities is the relationship between Alice and her love interest,Harry(PicoAlexander).Alicehasjustturnedforty,Harryis twenty-six and although their age difference is briefly noted in the script, it is not made into be a fetish of Harry’s or the case that Alice is a ‘cougar’. Harry just happens to be younger than Alice and that’s all that Meyers-Shyer makes of it. It is refreshing to see such a relationship portrayed on the big, Hollywoodscreen;ascreenwhichoftenpraisesandidolisesmen forhavingfaryounger,prettiergirlfriendsbutwhichchastises women for doing the same.

Having said this, although the subject matter did make amends for the film slightly, it certainly was not enough to carry the heavy weight of the second-rate script. Unfortunately for Meyers-Shyer, the odd witty line and feminist subject matter could only take her so far, leaving her far behind the mark her parents’ legacy has left.

1/5

Books

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Review

The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy

Books Contributor, Hana Jafar reviews Arundhati Roy’s second bestseller, The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, which has been longlisted for the Man Booker Prize While reading The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, I was struck by how one of the characters described God’s creation of their type as an “experiment”. “He decided to create something, a living creature that is incapable of happiness. So he made us,” says Nimmo Gorakhpuri to protagonist Aftab, a young, intersex Muslim child struggling with their sexual identity in a rural village in Delhi. Nimmo is a hijra, the colloquial term used for India’s third gender communities of eunuchs, intersex and transsexual individuals. This hard-hitting quote is one of many of Arundhati Roy’s poignant aphorisms one finds throughout the novel. I found myself highlighting passages in the text – some because they were poetic, others because they articulated a truth about India and its politics in a way I had never fathomed, and others because they wove together ideas about identity and belonging – to a gender, religion, country and community, in ways that questioned and challenged the origins of exclusion, condemnation, and unnecessary suffering and bloodshed.

Aftab is eventually cast out from their family when they becomes a hijra, (renaming themself Anjum) and decides to join a cult of Hijra’s living in an abandoned house, which they term the Khwabgah, an Urdu term meaning ‘house of dreams’. The other Hijra’s seem to live in their own reality, one in which having to resort to begging, being objectified and mocked for who they are, has become their norm.

As a person of Indian heritage yet having little exposure to India itself, I was fascinated to be given insight into a whole world that is considered a taboo which is home to an often misunderstood and unfortunately mistreated population of people. I knew of the fear and distaste that Hijra’s often evoked, but like most passersby, I was guilty of averting my gaze and avoided contending with some of their loud and demanding presences. Roy’s descriptions of Anjum juxtapose the typically ‘male’ aspects of their character with their maternal desire to raise a child, creating an endearingly and sympathetically unique, complex individual living in a world that refused to acknowledge their hopes and dreams.

What was even more compelling was Roy’s ability to weave this

story into the stories of other characters including a rebellious architect named Tilo, and her landlord who is also a supervisor in the Indian intelligence service. The characters are all interlinked, with Tilo eventually moving into a funeral plot that Anjum has converted into their home – and a type of halfway house for those that society rejects. Tilo reminds me of a character in Roy’s first book, The God of Small Things. The character Ammu, who is a Syrian Christian that falls in love with a Hindu from a lower caste, is thrown into a fate of dysfunction and eventually a desolate end. Both women share the same curly hair and slim, angular frames. Both characters are quiet, reflective, angry and searching for their place in society and having to contend with rules, limits and boundaries. Roy aptly describes Tilo as living in “the country of her own skin.” She describes this as “A country that issued no visas and seemed to have no consulates.”Having seen a photograph of Roy, I felt that both characters had aspects that were loosely autobiographical to Roy herself, who has alluded to her books having an autobiographical aspect in the past. Unlike Ammu, however, Tilo’s story does not have an entirely tragic end.

Roy like myself have been keenly awaiting her second book. The wait, I feel, has been worth it for a novel that so enticingly and endearingly weaves a narrative about outsiderness and estrangement with the formation of a community, like the Khwabgah, and eventually Jannat Funeral Services, which Anjum explains “would only bury those whom the graveyards and imams of the Duniya rejected.”

“... What are the things regular people get upset about?... outside things that settle down eventually...The riot is inside us. Indo-Pak is inside us. It will never settle down. It can’t.”

Knowing nothing about The Ministry of Utmost Happiness before I had read it, I bought it the day it was available for sale purely because Roy had written it. Since the success of her first Novel, The God of Small Things, which won the Man Booker Prize in 1997, readers and fans of

Photo: The Mancunion

Review

The Golden House by Salman Rushdie Books Editor Ayesha Hussain reviews Salman Rushdie’s latest novel exploring identity, sexuality and the human condition

Much like Rushdie’s other novels, for example, Midnight’s Children (1981), themes of identity, displacement, movement and hybridity are explored in The Golden House. Unlike the fantastical narrative of Midnight’s Children, which countless literary critics have revered for its magical realism, Rushdie renders this novel a beacon of what he calls ‘operatic realism’. A book laced with pop culture and cinema references, at times exasperatingly painful and beautiful, The Golden House serves as a political commentary, a lens into the desert of diaspora, and an interesting look into the human condition.

The Golden’s endeavour is to ‘escape from the historical into the personal’ and the novel is centred around a man and his three sons, who are aiming to ‘move beyond memory and language and race, into the land of the self-made self, which is another way of saying, America.’ Nero Golden and his children relocate from an unknown place with unknown histories and entirely new falsified identities to the jungle gym of New York City.

“Say we are from nowhere or anywhere or somewhere, we are make believe people, frauds, reinventions, shapeshifters, which is to say, Americans.” pp.8

These characters are constantly grappling with their identities throughout the book and the novel almost becomes Riya Z’s Identity Museum. Traumatic memories, weakened motivation, feigned confidence and security are what give these characters a broken yet colourful quality.

Rushdie explores issues surrounding mental health, belonging,

and significantly and more relevantly, gender identity - which riles millennials and baffles their older generation - through his depiction of Nero’s three sons. The oldest son Petya is autistic, Apu is the artsy one, and the youngest, D., a man who is struggling with his gender identity is arguably the most complex character in the novel.

Nero comments, ‘From Dionysus, my tirmented one, learn about ambiguity and pain’. ‘ Rushdie bravely delves into the world of gender politics ‘spawning whole new vocabularies that tr(y) to grasp the new mutabilities.’ D. serves as the resistant view in the face of comments from his brother:

“I’m going to buy a ten-million dollar apartment next week,” he told Riya “Ask me how I’m going to afford it” Riya fell into the trap and asked. “Oh I’m now a transbillionaire,’ came the reply ‘I identify as rich and so consequently I am” - Apu In true Rushdie style, this novel has many, many multi-faceted, different referential layers - at times too many. On one level, Rushdie explores the dynamics of Greek and Roman mythology, and the politics of power; the names the Golden’s have chosen for themselves are not accidental. Nero Golden’s denial of his past and perpetual sense of self imposed grandeur propel his life and serve as a crutch to save him from a seemingly debilitating past. In another sense Rushdie reveals the backstory of the Golden’s against the A past tainted with death and destruction, left in Bombay (Mumbai) Possibly one of the most interesting aspects of The Golden House, is its narrative voice. Although we follow the story of the Golden’s, it is aspiring filmmaker Rene Unterlinden, a neighbour, who recounts and desperately wishes to be peripheral to, the lives of this family.

The idea of the novelist as the neighbour, blurs the boundaries between what is known and what is imagined and raises questions

of the reliability of its narrator. Rene becomes inextricably linked to the character’s lives; always observing, sometimes meddling and eventually . There is perhaps something to be said about the element of foreboding in the novel. The frequently superfluous descriptions, fragmented between script and prose, live speech and memories, almost extend the narrative to lengths it does not need to reach.

Rushdie is known for his stories within stories and vivid descriptions, however with the nature of this narrative, and its foreboding tone, it almost renders reading it exhausting.

The Golden House also puts the spotlight on the human condition.

It questions throughout: ‘Is it possible to be both good and evil? Can a man be good when he is a bad man?’ and it is Rene, and not the Golden’s that the reader becomes more suspicious of. Rene is forced to live with the consequences of what he is involving himself with, and what he is writing,an experience that Rushdie is perhaps not so unfamiliar with.

Photo: Luiz Munhoz@Flickr

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Daisy and Anokhi take trip down Biko street Daisy Tolcher and Anokhi Shah

Photo: University of Manxchester SU Photo: University of Manxchester SU

Photo: Anokhi Shah

For students new and old, the refurbishment of the Students’ Union is an exciting and anticipated project that is sure to transform its role in our everyday lives. The main feature of this refurbishment has been the creation of Biko Street, essentially a ‘road’ of caterers who serve food from the union throughout the day. Prior to its expansion, the SU had only one main food vendor. However, it now has four hubs where different cuisines and beverages are served. These hubs can be found in the ‘EAT’ section of the ground floor and they are sure to provide diversity to our lunch times.

Photo: University of Manxchester SU

BREW — Brew is the new name and home to the counter that used to sell paninis, jacket potatoes and Starbucks in the old SU. It now predominantly serves Starbucks beverages including coffee, tea, and hot chocolate.

BURRITO CANTINA — voted for by students, Burrito Cantina is here to bring the heat. Serving a wide range of burritos, it caters for both vegetarian and meat-loving students.

Review: Priced at £4.50 you certainly get your money’s worth.

We chose a pulled chicken burrito and it was definitely big enough to share, jam-packed with rice, salad, beans, guacamole and cheese. The perfect lunch if you are ravenous

Photo: University of Manxchester SU

GLOBAL KITCHEN — This exciting new enterprise aims to introduce students to a range of cuisines from around the world.

The cuisine on offer will rotate every semester which gives students the opportunity to discover something new.

Meal Deals: Soup and Panini £4.50 — add a canned soft drink for £5 ‘Taste of’ Special £4.50 ‘Taste of’ meal deal £5 Review: Paninis come in a huge selection of flavours including roast Mediterranean veg, tuna melt, spicy meatball, Jamaican jerk, lime and coriander, Greek feta, Spanish chorizo, BBQ chicken and bacon and brie which we had the privilege of tasting.

THE VEGGIE HUT — In order to cater towards a growing number of students who have decided to ditch the meat, the SU has introduced a hub that serves predominantly vegetarian dishes. From jacket potatoes to an extensive salad bar, those of you seeking a lighter meal will not be left disappointed.

Review: The salad bar did not live up to expectations and I would seriously opt for the Morrison’s £3 salad box instead. The choice of salad is slightly bland and the pasta options are lacking with just plain pasta to choose from. However, the smoothies we tried were fantastic and they are currently £1 off. We tried the detox smoothie which contained pineapple, apple, spinach, kale, ginger and lemon — super tasty and SO good for you! They also have ‘energy’ and ‘defence’ smoothies to suit all your smoothie needs. Smoothies are made fresh to order and supplied by Packd.

Impressively, Biko street has put into practice the ethos of the students’ union and much of the student community. They have pledged to only serve FairTrade hot beverages and to only use free range eggs in their produce. Furthermore, all the disposable cutlery and containers that are provided by the food hubs are 100% biodegradable. This is an impressive step towards reducing the university’s overall carbon footprint and demonstrates that the Students’ Union has taken on board our environmental concerns.

Manchester Food and Drink Festival 2017 Possibly unbeknown to most students, what with the common fear of travelling too far from Fallowfield, the Manchester Food and Drink Festival is taking place this weekend in Albert Square. Attracting Manchester’s finest stalls, it was an event not to be missed.

Completely free to enter, this festival is a must for anyone with a love of street food, live music or good old daytime drinking. The festival plays host to various street food vans, with themes from across the world. Over 15 different food stalls can supply you with anything from churros to chicken chaat, hoi-sin duck to halloumi fries and shawarma to shakes.

Fan-favourite stalls include the hip-hop chip shop (a national fish and chip shop winner) and Tampopo; a Bangkok style street food who is also celebrating 20 years of business. From paella to, Indian street food to hotdogs; Moroccan wraps, fresh curries, hip-hop chip shops, crepes, and churros. The sensational food aromatises the city. It is impossible to not find something that you will enjoy!

Live music from local acts plays all day, starting at 11am and running through to 11pm at the weekend. The music, located in a marquee selling £5 cocktails and local craft beers, becomes increasingly upbeat as festival-goers become increasingly intoxicated. The selection of craft beers is fantastic, and the prices seem fairly reasonable, starting at £3.50 and peaking at £4.50 for the stronger beers (up to 7 per cent!).

Photo: Ardfern @ Flickr

Contributors Savannah Gough and Samuel Pigott

incredibly difficult to walk past any of the food stalls whilst resisting trying a little something! Not all of the food is mind-blowing, but a vast quantity of it really is done to a very high quality, using local ingredients and cooked by people who love what they’re doing.

This can mean that the festival gets to be a little pricey, however while the festival may not be the cheapest thing you could do with your weekend, I can guarantee that it will be one of the most entertaining.

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ISSUE 4 / 9th OCTOBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Review: W. H. Lung supermarket and Tai Pan Contributor Joe Taylor Students tend to be creatures of habit, often trudging wellwalked paths for sake of ease and convenience. I will be the first to admit that I live by an ‘if it ain’t broke’ attitude, and thus, as the structure of university life takes hold, I find myself gradually consumed by certain day-to-day regimes. Last year I religiously locked my bike in the same space, ate cheese and pickle sandwiches every lunch in the cafeteria, and found myself almost always in the same seat, on the same floor in the library.

Mahatma Gandhi once said that “your actions become your habits, your habits become your values, your values become your destiny”, and so, perturbed by the prospect of my destiny being inadvertently influenced by my Ploughman’s lunch, I sought to break the groove that I had found myself stuck in.

Identifying the source of my convention as the place in which I shopped, namely Sainsbury’s, I set off with a companion for support, in the direction of W. H. Lung, a supermarket I had heard of from an up-and-coming Manchester krautrock band who share the same name — I wonder which came first... (deep cynicism).

Working on a wholesale and small-scale basis, the supermarket is split into two sections, one fairly normal-sized supermarket joined onto the side of a large warehouse containing giant versions of things you didn’t think had giant versions — imagine that. Inside the normal-sized section, with its more manageable normal-sized goods, were three long rows containing pan-Asian condiments, vegetables, tins, drinks and snacks, almost all of which I had never seen before, let alone heard of. Granted, I have never been to China or Japan, regions from which most of the shelves were filled, and so should not be so arrogant to assume that I may have felt grounded to a certain degree. Nonetheless, I was amazed at the selection of ingredients and frozen foods that were on sale, and in passing by ‘Chicken Paws’, ‘Chopped Pig Feet’ and ‘Queso Queso’ cheese ice-cream, I felt all remnants of my previous lunchtime regime dissolve, leaving only — as W. H. Lung themselves might say — inspiration!

Havi n g p e rused for a while, a n d r e solved to be more imaginative with lunch, my companion and I headed upstairs to Tai Pan, the Chinese restaurant above, to appease our strangely grumbling stomachs. One look at the menu established that the restaurant and supermarket both offered traditional Chinese ingredients and dishes. Dry-braised pig intestines, spicy hot poached mutton, lobster with cheese sauce, stir-fried prawn balls, steamed tripe... they really had it all, and it would be fair to say I was unsure how much of it my weak Western stomach could handle.

We started with deep-fried crispy seaweed sprinkled with sugar, giving it the typical “sweet and sour” taste that is so commonly associated with Cantonese cooking. It provided an interesting texture and tested our chopstick dexterity, newly learnt by my companion from the back of our chopstick packets. The vegetable spring rolls were tasty, although most things deep fried with a sweet, gloopy dipping sauce are tasty. Slightly encouraged by the curious, we ordered some ‘vegetarian squid’ skewers, which comprised of button mushrooms, tofu and aubergine, dressed in a tepid satay sauce. The ‘squid’ aspect was abstract at best, and they were bland in flavour.

My “carnist” companion had some cuttlefish cakes which had also been deep-fried, and came with a wonderfully sweet and spicy vinaigrette containing pickled chillies — once again, deep fried with a flavoursome dip; can’t really go wrong. Our mains were fairly nondescript: aubergine in a Szechwan sauce, and garlic prawns with fried onions and egg fried rice. The dishes had flavour, but as they were the only mains we ordered, our meals quickly became monotonous

Review: Kyotoya Walking down the back streets of Withington, I was hesitant about what this restaurant would have to offer. Upon stepping into the concealed restaurant I was immediately transported from the grey Manchester evening into a vibrant and beautifully decorated restaurant. Covered in dainty lanterns, fairy lights and rich aromas I was immersed in the magic of Japan.

in taste.

Looking around the room, we began to realise that we were the only table of two, and one of the only rectangular tables in the restaurant, with most of the tables taken up by four or more people sitting in a circle, all sharing plates from the middle of the table. At 7:30 pm, the rather large function room space felt like a celebration in an Ang Lee movie, with huge quantities of food being shared by large families and groups of friends. There were big soup bowls, trays of ‘chicken paws’ and heads, and lots of photographs being taken. It would be hard for me to criticise the restaurant’s food, as it took me one meal there to realise I should have gone with lots of people, ordered lots of things, and thus, had lots of variation. This, in turn, would have likely made the experience cheaper too, for ordering starters, mains and sides for two quickly became expensive.

I’m not sure I’d want to make a habit of going there — who needs

Photo: Joe Taylor

habits, eh? — for want of avoiding an aneurysm, but I shall definitely be returning to the restaurant and supermarket, this time with a shopping list for lunch, and a group of friends for dinner.

Anokhi Shah Food and Drink Editor

The sushi was extremely well presented on a wooden board with pickled ginger and wasabi and a flower to garnish. The mixed plate of sushi contained California rolls, salmon nigiri, octopus sushi and an egg sushi which I would not recommend. Perhaps the mixed plate of

ue for money, delicious food and a magical atmosphere. It is definitely worth discovering and supporting such a yummy local restaurant.

Photo: Savannah Gough

Another popular attraction is the Fever Tree gin bar which offers a range of gins (local and otherwise) and tonics with a quaint tepee and deck chairs for relaxed afternoon drinking. The gin tent offers local gins and a variety of flavoured mixers; the lemon thyme and rosemary with local Didsbury gin is a fantastic option! These are, however, somewhat steeper at £9 a double and £7 a single, an issue which provides the only slight stumbling block.

Previously, the UK’s largest food and drink festival has attracted the likes of Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsey. Saturday 30th September saw Deliciously Ella bring her cult cuisine to the rainy city.

After a free Q&A session and book signing, Ella prepared a lavish feast for those lucky enough to get their hands on tickets. The three-course banquet seated at eloquently decorated tables featured creamy corn chowder, an assortment of family plates such as roasted artichokes, edamame hummus, herby black rice and finally, a mango sponge cake for pudding.

If, as I would suggest, someone wants to make a day out of the festiv al, they might need to be prepared to spend a little more than an average student day out. The price for food varies somewhat from cart to cart, but a main tends to be in the £6-£8 bracket. This is not a bad price all things considered, however it very quickly becomes

Photo: Anokhi Shah Photo: Anokhi Shah

illustration: Liddy Leonard Photo: Savannah Gough

After 20 years of celebrating the best food and drink in Manchester; this year had our taste buds tingling with the assortment of vendors there was no opportunity to go hungry. The Food and Drink festival of 2017 brought the best food, drink, guests and musicians.

The festival culminates with a prestigious food and drink awards, despite the cele-brations or commierations; here’s to celebrating 20 more years of Manchester’s finest food and drink.

PS take an umbrella, this is Manchester after all!

Service was pretty slow. We probably waited around 20 minutes to order so perhaps if you’re short on time order a takeaway. The alcohol is very reasonably priced with an array of Japanese beers, but the selection of wine was more limited. We tried to order a bottle of white wine for nine pounds but unfortunately, they had run out.

The menu is extremely extensive. For a starter, we opted for a plate of mixed sushi priced at £8. The open plan kitchen allowed us to watch the chefs in action freshly preparing the sushi, which was super impressive and entertaining.

sushi was slightly too adventurous for us; the octopus sushi tasted like a rubber glove and left a lot to be desired.

For mains, after a lot of deliberation, I opted for a chicken ramen priced at six pounds, which completely cured my cold. The chicken ramen came in a huge bowl, full to the brim with lots of green vegetables, noodles, and chicken bathing in a delicious sweet broth. I am embarrassed to say I could not conquer the ramen! My friend has the chicken katsu curry and she was in heaven. She had been to Wagamamas the night before and paid a massive £12 for a katsu curry nowhere near as fresh and authentic.I am embarrassed to say I could not conquer the ramen! My friend had the chicken katsu curry and she was in heaven.

Kyotoya is the perfect spot for those on a student budget. Great val-

Photo: Anokhi Shah

Arts

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Theatre 25

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ISSUE 4 / 9th OCTOBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Orbit Festival Special: Interview

Feature

Remembering Partition with New North South

The Whitworth opens their main gallery up to RAQs Media Collective - self defined curators of cultural processes Holly Pollard As a central exhibit to our ten-week feature on the New North and South — a programme of South Asian art across Manchester — Raqs Media Collective: Twilight Language is the latest unveiled response to be found in the Whitworth.

As part of the programmes incentive to bring artists from South Asia into the Northern cultural hubs of England, the Raqs Media Collective present their first major UK exhibition despite being largely recognised in South Asia - previously taking on the role of Chief Curators at the 11th Shanghai Biennale.

Fascinated with ‘plenitude’ - the condition of being full or complete - and ‘temporality’ - the state of existing within or having some relationship with time - the collective confront the ambiguity of identity and the increasing anxiety of our modern world.

One could easily be mistaken that a room full of sterile, man-made objects would only isolate you further, but there is something strangely comforting and human within the futuristic set up of Raqs. latest exhibition -perhaps rooted in the ability to understand the self through the contemporary mediums we have grown so used to using.

Upon entering the exhibition you leave the welllit warmth of the Whitworth Hall and descend into the main exhibition space; whilst bypassing a sign stating ‘lost in the search of time’, you are literally plunged into ‘twilight’.

Lighting plays a big factor in the exhibition, allowing the main pieces such as the lighthouse semaphore, and various projections, to punctuate the space. The repetition of the searchlight every few moments allows one to disappear within the space of the room.

With a chance to speak to one of the collective — Jeebesh Bagchi — at the preview, he explained how the centrality of the lighthouse structure pulled all the rhythms of the gallery together - creating a cycle which unifies the disparate works. An emblem for an intervention in nature.

Accompanied by the high-pitched noises, created to mark the passage of time, the pace of the exhibition becomes very slow and meditative - almost like how it would feel if you were plunged to the bottom of the sea. You too disappear for a moment, in order to observe multiple manifestations and representations of the self.

Transcending social and geographical boundaries, Raqs’ series of clocks that arch across the walls of the main gallery mark the different time zones

across the world. Yet there are instances, such as four o’clock merely being replaced with “anxiety”, that instead assert a common self-awareness of all our own shared insecurities - and thus serves to at once construct, and deconstruct our perception of time.

For me, the most genuinely human of the works remains When the Scales Fall from your Eyes (2009). This piece is constructed from a hollow, water-like glass torso, which is being weighed down by measuring scales and tags that are constructed as the head. Due to the fragility of the torso, the pure density of the head of this form becomes more apparent - perhaps placing emphasis on the density of thought, conscious, and the mind.

It is clear to see throughout the exhibition, a repeated separation of the head, mind, and thoughts from the body continued in pieces such as Divers at Work (2017), Homo Speculos (2017) and Hearing and Understanding (2005).

In collaboration with ‘custodians of Manchester’s histories’, Raqs Media Collective have succeeded in producing conceptual and contemporary works which are rooted in eras geology, biology and industry - proving ‘time’ to be a fluid and elusive matter.

Raqs Media Collective are exhibiting Twilight Language at the Whitworth from the 30th of September 2017 to the 25th of February 2018.

In Conversation: Kevin Jerome Everson Kevin Jerome Everson, fresh from a mid-career retrospective at London’s TATE Modern, travelled up to HOME to screen a selection of his short films with producer Madeleine Molyneaux.

Viewers were treated to multiple UK premieres as well as a Q&A, hosted by HOME’s Artistic Director Sarah Perks.

Born in Ohio and based at the University of Virginia, Everson is an award-winning artist and filmmaker and is regarded as one of the most important and creative filmmakers currently working in the USA. Despite this though he remains humble, “I’m just from a small town, I just make things and I’m fascinated by people who want to see what I do.”

Art as an opportunity only caught his attention at college. There he studied photography, printmaking and sculptures, before that he was “just a big dumb jock”.

Since then his films have screened at festivals such as Sundance and Toronto International Film Festival and are praised for their unique style, combining scripted and documentary elements with an obvious formalistic approach.

The focus is almost entirely on the African-American experience within the working class whilst abstaining from any generic socio-political commentaries.

The 1996 Guggenheim Fellowship winner exhibits a strong sense of labour in his work, “I’m very privileged to be an artist, so I try to find artistry in the everyday lives of workers.” One film, in particular, Company Line (2009), centres around a group of city employees battling the snowy conditions to grit the streets.

“I make films for the subject matter not the viewer, so I’m conscious about how they look and what they say. I find the people who are the best at what they do, and capture them doing it.”

A large section of Company Line is riding along with a particular snowplough driver, watching him at work. There are deeper remarks about 20th century African-American migration to the northern US present here too, depicting a class seldom mentioned let alone seen on film.

The town shown, Mansfield, Ohio, is Everson’s home town and the film was used as part of a trilogy about the first three black neighbourhoods in America. In the early 1970’s the land they lived on was purchased and all the residents in that neighbourhood were scattered all around.

There are more unusual films in his catalogue too. For example Rough and Unequal is a 16mm project where he used a telescope to capture the moon and stars.

Commissioned specifically for an exhibition at the Franklin Museum of Art, it was designed to have an effect on the art space as a whole, changing the audiences perceptions of all the pieces on display throughout its runtime.

More recently his 2017 work Brown and Clear that was shown at TIFF divided audiences. It takes place in a bar and shows a man filling up empty bottles with alcohol for the whole seven minutes and 40 second runtime. Naturally this would immediately turn off a subset of viewers but the variety of techniques utilised make this an intriguing watch.

“I make films for the subject matter not the viewer” The story behind the film is similarly intriguing.

Everson was visiting a relative and came to the pub he ran. Instantly he was looking at his surroundings for potential subjects. He noted that “it was all of questionable legality”. After going back home he decided to drive the eight hours back to film the relative at work.

Medium to close shots are intentional to mask the location and identity to avoid any police trouble. There are numerous interpretations to the underlying meaning of Brown and Clear, one member of the audience suggested that it “was a comment on alcoholism”. Everson himself agreed with this adding: “Where I’m from you didn’t get all the fancy alcohol choices you guys have, it was either brown, like bourbon or brandy, or white, like vodka or moonshine.”

Working with a colleague at the University of Virginia, he also makes period films about the history of African-Americans. “When we show them in front of the school where there are people of European descent they get upset but they’re not in it. Whether it’s positive or negative they want to be at the centre of it.”

Although his art is focussed on the African American experience, it is unavoidable that it would be primarily shown to white audiences, whether that be at a film festival or a gallery.

The main objective though is to spark discussion about the social, political and economic condition present. “I never know what people will think when they watch my films but I just try to be consistent. If not then fuck it, i’ll just film more tomorrow.”

Raqs Media Collective Photo: theWhitworth

James Gill

Manchester Literature Festival is re-designed with a new political incentive Manchester on brochures, posters and billboards — immersed in the city they’re calling out to.

The imagery uses stark and sterile monochrome posters as a base, which are then vandalised with spray painted symbols in bright pinks and greens.

Yet this is not meant to be relayed as an act of vandalism, but instead an act of defiance. The defacing is political; taking form through the likes of crossed boxes, referencing the silenced electorate, or, in the Star of David, referencing divided religious identities. The use of graffiti is an emblem for action over words, a call for arms. Yet this is off set by the fact it’s advertising an event which is very much about the power of words.

This tension though is what makes the campaign so powerful. For here politics resonates throughout — whether it’s a mark, a word, a discussion or even a conversation. By bringing these topics to the forefront of our conscious, it’s liberating.

Capturing the sense of defiance and protest

Theatre Editor Sophie Graci chats to the company behind Edinburgh Fringe hit We Are Ian, now part of HOME’s Orbit Festival 2017.

A rare visit to the UK by the prolific filmmaker and professor

A Campaign for Change

Cicely Ryder-Belson Editor Manchester based design studio MARK, and the co-ordinators of Manchester Literature Festival (MLF), re-conceptualise the annual event around community, identity, and politics through their new design campaign. The anarchic graphics serve to express the duality that not only is “Manchester is a city of stories and storytellers” but a “city of activism, protest, pioneers and radicals.”

Though literature is often thought as a root for escapism, this year’s MLF is rooted in the issues which form the political landscape of today.

For 2017, MARK design studios — who have worked with the festival every year since they were founded — have asserted a narrative rather than a brand.

There’s an implicit sense of reactionary dialogue in the new 2017 campaign. Reflecting so aptly the programme’s events which cover, but are not limited to, questions of gender, race, sexuality, and politics. These images are interspersed throughout

Interview: In Bed With My Brother

which often permeates so strongly throughout Manchester, the line-up brings together high-profile guests to intimate spaces across the city.

Gender inequality is by discussed by leading human rights campaigner Shami Chakrabarti, while American writer Rebecca Solnit is in conversation with Jeanette Winterson to discuss silencing and rape culture. Furthermore, in accordance with the 50th anniversary of the gay rights movement, the MLF introduces activist Armistead Maupin to discuss his new work. As well as engaging with other grass root movements and demonstrations that shaped history such Refugee Tales: Volume II and Maxine Peake’s event Protest: Stories of Resistance.

These events all serve to reinforce the idea of community, many of which will be covered by The Mancunion in the following weeks. Manchester Literature Festival will be running from Friday 6th October to Sunday 22nd October.

Photo: MARK & MLF

Sophie Graci Theatre Editor In Bed With My Brother’s We Are Ian is hard to describe. Part dance party, part political theatre, all loving tribute to acid house, it’s an extraordinary night out that feels so utterly Mancunian. It’s surprising then that the run at HOME from 12th-14th October will be the show’s premiere in Manchester. “A lot of people assume that we are from Manchester,” Kat, one third of the company, tells me, “I think one of the things though is that we don’t speak, so Ian’s voice is the only [one] heard in the show. So even though the show’s about Ian, people automatically assume we’re Mancunian as well.”

In reality, the trio - Nora, Dora and Kat - met at Exeter University where they all studied Drama. “We were like, we don’t want to be actors but we want to carry on performing [after we graduate] and so we just decided to do it.” The first thing they created as a company was a show called Twinkletoes, which they performed in an Edwardian toilet in Bristol. Kat notes, “It wasn’t necessarily a show, it was more of an installation. It was a bit of a bouffon-y thing.”

The advice they have for other young creatives mainly boils down to: you can’t have fun until the admin’s done. “How we’ve got to do stuff is just from applying to loads of opportunities […] the most opportunity you’re gonna get is when you’re emerging.”

“We got the opportunity to go to Edinburgh in 2016 because we were awarded the Charlie Hartill Fund for Theatre from the Pleasance, which is a really great opportunity for young companies to just take up work to Edinburgh. If you’re really passionate and you want to make work, just find those opportunities and write shit hot applications.”

So how did We Are Ian come about?

darker themes in the tracks, and the changing mood of the show itself all through the specific music decisions made.

It’s important to note, first of all, that the eponymous Ian is Dora’s stepdad. “We started making this show because a couple of years ago we just wanted to make a show, and Ian asked us if we’d make a show about him.” Whilst they can’t recall much about the early devising process, it was Ian’s voice that drove the development initially.

“Ian’s voice is one that isn’t really that heard on stage, and so it was a really big thing for us when we started making t h e s h o w t h a t w e really wanted to have [his] voice as the only one heard on stage.”

Photo: Matt Austin

The show is entirely about and inspired by Ian, with not only his recorded voice making up the monologue we hear throughout the show, but also his music choices playing across the entire hour. ‘[The music] gives you a feeling of the time but also makes you think something about the time without us having to say something explicitly,’ says Nora. What is interesting about the music choices is that you can track the changing era, the introduction of

Gender in the We Are Ian feels like an afterthought: In Bed With My Brother are only a feminist theatre group in that they are three feminist women occupying a theatrical space. They say of Ian’s story: “We didn’t want this to be anything about gender, we didn’t see it as a statement that three women are telling his story because it’s more than that.”

In their minds, We Are Ian is a political show, although it didn’t come off that way to Ian and everyone involved in the acid house movement. Links between the movement and Thatcherite neoliberalism weren’t made until later. “[They] never thought of it as being a political action, [they] were just getting together and having a nice time and partying and dancing and that bought everyone together.”

“In a time now when everything is so politically-driven, everyone is so opinionated…there’s still a massive divide…we want people to be able to take away from it what they want. Some people are able to tune into the political things that we’re trying to say…and some people just really like partying, which is fine and great as well!”

Whether you want politics or partying, tickets for We Are Ian at HOME can be purchased at homemcr.org.

Orbit Festival Special: Review

Orbit Festival Special: Review

Review: Eurohouse

Review: Palmyra The destruction of an ancient city inspires the breakdown of a relationship in Palmyra, reviewed by Neha Kasaravalli.

The politics of the EU are explored through the relationship between two performers in Eurohouse, reviewed by Anna Merabishvili.

Neha Kasaravalli Reviewer It begins and ends in deafening silence. The audience are lit with bright luminescence, giving no one a chance to look away. We are the spectators. No one can ignore what is happening.

Ceramic dust flies through the air as boxes upon boxes of plates are smashed to the floor.

Nasi Voutsas and Bertrand Lesca bring their selfdiagnosed intensely toxic relationship to the forefront of the stage in Palmyra , leaving everyone watching with a million questions. The play aims to explore the political climate of destruction and retaliation in Syria, and does this through the relationship between the performers.

Lesca breaks a plate, so Voutsas has to too. It is an endless cycle of destruction.

The destruction seems immeasurable, uncivilised and brutal. Perhaps, as the title suggests, it is to be compared with the chaos that occurred in the ancient city of Palmyra itself. The Unesco world heritage site was smashed to the ground

by Islamic State fighters after a 10-month occupation.

Anna Merabishvili Reviewer You could argue that there was no real reference to the sacking of the ancient city. Was it simply two psychologically unstable men exploding with aggression?

Would we know what inspired the play if not for the title? Maybe not, but it is hard not to absorb the anger and the betrayal from the thunderous silences in between the moments of hysteria.

It’s the dynamic between the two leading men that really leaves a lasting impression, however; tender, but with moments of such intense hatred you wonder if it is just for show. Darkly manipulative, Lesca speaks with such conviction you cannot question what he is saying.

Voutsas is more hysterical, more manic, more neurotic.

Tortuously aggressive, we can only watch in stunned silence at the mind games they play with each other.

There are moments where you would be forgiven for being unsure what exactly is happening. The sharp cuts from barbarity to serene dancing create visions of

chaos; it is the extreme contrasts that inject comedy into the performance, as well as the skilfully written script.

The comedy acts as a mechanism to exaggerate the idea that perhaps the destruction is ridiculous.

Is it not simply wasteful, unnecessary and selfish to destroy things of beauty?

Perhaps that is a bit dramatic to say over a ceramic plate.

With powerful imagery and a potent dynamic, Palmyra forces the audience to confront the reality of a broken relationship. The broken plates with their permanent cracks display a symbolic truth that lingers in the air long after the play ends. If I had one word to describe it: strange. It was strange.

You are left with questions that are never truly answered.

Why did they so truly hate each other? Applying this dynamic to Syria can be thought-provoking, however.

I thoroughly enjoyed the performance but there were moments where I could sense everyone in the room was confused. I can’t have been the only one left pondering for a while after it ended.

When Eurohouse begins, there is a sense that this is going to be a piece about the audience.

French Bertrand Lesca and Greek Nasi Voutsas introduce themselves, encouraging the audience members to speak to the strangers next to us and to all hold hands with each other. This energy is felt straight away, and we feel like we are part of a community.

However, the performance is about a lot more than just us in the room. It is about coming together and being aware that a theatre is a place that unites people from all over the world, particularly within the European Union.

The portrayal of the relationship between Lesca and Voutsas is an intimate and touching representation of the EU, particularly of the rapport between France and Greece. The two men come on together, doing a dance with acrobatic elements several times throughout the piece, where they literally have to lean on each other for support. They hold hands while they sing a French song, and wear the same trainers.

However, soon we realise that Lesca is in charge, almost abusing Voutsas – he gives him sweets, but after Voutsas has eaten them, Lesca demands them back.

When he is unable to return them, Lesca takes away his water and drinks the whole bottle.

The politics of the weakened economy in Greece, the facts of which are later projected onto the screen, are also powerfully and interestingly depicted when Lesca takes Voutsas’ t-shirt and jeans, putting them on top of his own clothes and leaving Voutsas stripped down to his boxers.

When he demands that he takes off the boxers as well, Voutsas leaves the room, and the audience witness Lesca’s failed attempt of doing the acrobatic dance without him, obviously implying the importance of the role of Greece within the EU and the dependence of the EU countries on each other, as well as the idea of trust between them.

Overall, the raw, real feeling of the piece completely strips back theatrical illusion – leaving only the two men on stage. Lesca operates the lights as well as the music, being in charge of pretty much the whole production.

The result is that we are made to feel sympathy for both men, as the complicated relationship between the countries is effectively reduced and contained within the dynamic of the two of them on stage. What makes this even more striking is the feeling that we have established a relationship with them – through direct interaction and eye contact, showing us that the issue is relevant to every single one of us.

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Lifestyle

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Let’s talk about mental health As World Mental Health Day approaches us on the 10th of October, Megan Ritchie discusses the simple ways to manage your mental health

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Lifestyle

Chinese Moon Festival celebrations at the University of Manchester

Photo: Photo: Jack Sophia Greeney Macpherson

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Take a break the right way Few of us are strangers to a daytime siesta. James Johnson takes a look at the new way of taking a break; ‘coffee-napping’

Jack Greeney recounts his experiences at the Chinese Moon Festival Jack Greeney Lifestyle Contributorr Photo: Pixabay

Megan Ritchie Lifestyle Contributor

only help your mental health but it’ ll he lp you fe e l go o d phys ica l ly to o.

One in four adults are likely to dev e l o p a m e n t a l h e a l t h i s s u e t h i s y e a r.

This shocking statistic highlights the growing problem the population face s at recognising when things are getting that little bit too tough and opening up about it.

Wo r l d M e n t a l H e a l t h D a y — o r g a n i s e d b y t h e Wo r l d Fe d e r a t i o n f o r M e n tal Health — aims to educate, spread awa re ne s s a nd com b at t he st ig m a surrounding mental health issue s.

Everyone runs the risk of developing a me nt a l he a lt h i s sue at a ny t i me du ri n g t h e i r l i v e s s o i t ’s i m p o r t a n t t o r e c ognis e that this event is for everyone and not just thos e that are suffering from a mental health issue.

T h i s y e a r ’s t h e m e - s e t b y t h e Wo r l d Fe d e r a t i o n f o r M e n t a l H e a l t h - i s m e n tal health in the workplace. A staggering 260 million people suffer from anxiety whilst 300 million battle depre ssion and both of the s e mental health issue s can be caus ed by work and can affect our ability to work e ff e c t i v e l y.

Try to exercise a few times a week: The recommended amount of exercis e is two and a half hours per week and whilst a big group of us are hardl y M a n c h e s t e r ’s n e x t g r e a t a t h l e t e , i t ’s important we fit s ome exercis e into our busy student schedules somewhere. Just a brisk walk in the fre sh air can help us feel good and if you bring a l o n g s o m e f r i e n d s t o o i t ’s a g r e a t t i m e to catch u p ! S t ud ie s h ave s how n a brisk walk can reduce stre ss and anxiety by releasing endorphins. Did you know a brisk walk has the same e ffect as anti-depre ssants?

“I f t h e r e ’ s a ny t h i ng academically you’ re struggling to get to grips with, don’ t b e a f ra id or embarrassed to ask.”

St ay orga n i s e d at u n ive rs it y: O rg a n i s i n g t h a t p i l e o f n o t e s , b o o k s and folders will make you feel s o much better! Likewis e, keep to a routine in t he we e k s o you don’ t a l low you rs e l f to fa l l b e h i n d w it h wo rk . At t e n d a l l lecture s and s eminars where possible and s et yours elf a time each week that is dedicated to doing your readings.

Ke e p i n g n o t e s a n d f i l e s o rg a n i s e d a n d st i ck i n g t o t i m e t a rge t s a n d d e a d l i n e s w i l l e n s u re p o o r o rg a n i s at i o n d o e s n o t become a caus e for stre ss.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help: I f t h e r e ’s a n y t h i n g a c a d e m i c a l l y you’re struggling to get to grips with, don’ t b e a f ra id or e m b a r ra s s e d to a s k .

S t a f f w i l l h ave he a rd it a l l b e fore a nd t hey’ l l h ave b e e n t h roug h a s i m i l a r academic experience as you at university

so no question is too big or too small.

And as for personal or mental health issues, speaking to a friend or a family member who can offer s ome advice or r e a s s u r a n c e w i l l h e l p . R e m e m b e r, f a m ily and friends care about you and are there as a s ource of support. There are als o us e ful links provided below if you would pre fer to talk to s omeone els e or find help online.

“Wo r l d M e n t a l

He a lt h Day aims to combat the stigma surrounding mental health issues.”

Some useful links: If you would like s ome advice and information on well being visit: h t t p : // w w w. s t u d e n t s u p p o r t . m a n c h e s t e r. a c . u k / t a k i n g - c a r e / w e l l b e i n g / V i s i t t h e M i n d . o rg w e b s i t e f o r i n f o r m a t i o n a n d a d v i c e a t : h t t p s : // w w w. m i n d . o rg . u k / i n f o r m a t i o n - s u p p o r t /

H e r e a t t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f M a n c h e s t e r, t h e S t u d e n t U n i o n We l l b e i n g O f f i c e r alongside the Open Mind Network h ave put toge t he r s ome eve nt s ac ros s campus on the 10th October 2017 in order to get people talking about mental h e a l t h . Yo u c a n f i n d t h e m h e r e : 9am-11am: Morning coffee in the Student Union Council Chambers 11am-4pm: Mental University Place

Health

Fair

5 p m -7 p m : “ L i b e r a t e M y M i n d ” Panel talk that include s the like s of staff within the University of Manche ster and consultant psychiatrist Dr L ouis e Theodosiou in University Place 6 . 2 0 7.

Whether you want to expre ss an issue of your own and share your own experiences, air an opinion about the supp or t ava i l a ble for st ude nt s or s i mply s how s ome su pp or t for t he awa re ne s s of mental health issues then please do take part!

at

Visit the Student Minds website for i n f o r m a t i o n a n d a d v i c e a t : h t t p : // w w w. studentminds.org.uk/find-support. html

T h i s y e a r t h e a n n u a l C h i n e s e M o o n Fe s t i val was celebrated at the Manchester Museum, with taster events of Chinese culture also running across the week at the Univers i t y ’s C o n f u c i u s I n s t i t u t e .

The cultural festival, which has been celebrated since the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600 - 1046 BCE), marks the traditional end of harvest in China and across other regions of Asia. Celebrations are always held on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Lun a r c a l e n d a r, w h i c h t h i s y e a r c o r r e s p o n d ed to the 4th of October according to the G r e g o r i a n c a l e n d a r. T h i s i s s u p p o s e d t o b e the night of the fullest, brightest moon: although cloudy Manche ster skie s may have o b s c u r e d a p e r f e c t v i e w, t h e a b u n d a n c e o f incredibly popular (and delicious) moon cakes surely made up for lack of the real thing.

With the roundness of the moon symbolising reunion, the central theme of the festival is the gathering of Chinese people and this aim was certainly achieved. The mus e u m’s K a n a r i s t h e a t re p l aye d h o s t t o va r i -

nese traditional musical instruments, pap e r - c u t t i n g , t e a c e r e m o n y, a n d t r a d i t i o n a l f e s t i v a l s w e r e h e l d M o n d a y t o F r i d a y.

Full class e s in Chine s e calligraphy and other cultural classes are beginning shortl y, f u r t h e r d e t a i l s o f w h i c h c a n b e f o u n d o n the Manchester Confucius Institute website.

Photo: James Johnson

James Johnson Lifestyle Editor

Use the counselling service on campus by going to: h t t p s : // w w w. c o u n s e l l i n g s e r v i c e . m a n c h e s t e r. a c . u k /g e t - h e l p /a p p o i n t m e n t s / Contact the Student Union Advice Service on 0161 275 2952 cused, and m a n age d to bu i ld u p my C V i n t he meantime”

Fo r m a n y y o u n g a d u l t s h e r e i n M a n c h e s t e r, t h e u n i v e r s i t y i s b o t h t h e i r workplace and their home whilst study i n g i n t h e c i t y. S o , h e r e a r e s o m e t o p tips for taking care of your mental health whilst living as a student and studying here in Manche ster: Ensure you have a balanced diet: Fa st fo o d i s a n e a sy go - to for st ude nt s but sugary foods can make your blood sugars rise and fall rapidly and this has an impact on your mood. As well as a cutback on the sugary stuff, the right amount of protein is e ss ential; amino acids produce chemicals in the brain re sponsible for regulating thoughts and feelings. Eating cleaner will not

ous Chinese cultural workshops and exhib i t i o n s , i n c l u d i n g c a l l i g r a p h y, t h e f a m o u s C h i n e s e t e a c e r e m o n y, t r a d i t i o n a l c l o t h ing, and decorative string craft. The red and gold colours synonymous with China filled the room, and I looked particularly stylish wearing traditional Asian clothing.

Once many people had gathered there wa s a r u n - t h ro u g h o f t h e fe s t iva l ’s h i s t o rical background and legend, followed by wonderful performances of the Chinese ancient zither (guzheng) and traditional dance routines by the staff of the Confucius Institute. These members of staff also ran other sessions at the Confucius Institute all through the week which offered a taste of Chinese culture. The hands-on workshops included calligraphy class e s, Chinese painting, a deeper look into Chi-

Photo: Jack Greeney

We’ve all been there — tr ying to claw your way through another days study, craving the s eas ons ‘must have’ coffee, and equally, wanting to head home and take a nap. S o, why not combine the two?

One thing you’re likely to become accustomed to at University is the ability to take a nap, whatever time of day and for whatever per iod of time. Often you’ ll wake up and you’ve miss ed three bir thdays, the leave s have changed colour and you don’t know what time of day it is.

Taking a nap in amongst your busy s chedule is a sure fire way to keep your energy up and ensure you get the most out of your day; e specially when you’re juggling your studie s, a job, and whatever other commitments you may have.

What you may not know is that introducing coffee into your daily nap may help to leave you feeling more re fre shed when you wake up and tr y to tackle the re st of your day. A nap powered by s cience;

what could be more justifiable?

Many of us might claim that the first sip of coffee on a bleak Monday mor ning instantly make s us feel more awake, but caffeine take s at least twenty minute s to have any considerable e ffect on the body.

T here fore, taking your coffee be fore a fifteen to twenty- minute nap might just jolt you into getting that assignment wr itten a bit more e ffectively.

T he s eemingly contradictor y phenomenon was initially studied by s cientists at L oughborough University, finding that par ticipants who had par taken in a caffeine- fuelled nap proved more e ffective whilst in a dr iving simulation te st.

P roven to be more e ffective than simply dr inking a cup of coffee or taking a nap alone, coffee napping, although it may s ound like a major contradiction, might just be the recharge you need dur ing thos e deadline- filled weeks or exam per iods!

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xG and You: The newest stat sweeping football

Photo: kstuttard @Pixabay

The best thing since Diego Costa’s move away from the Premier League or a stat too far?

James Gill Sports Reporter For the past couple of seasons Premier League clubs have been using a new statistic called xG, or expected goals, to work out how many non-penalty goals they should have scored in any given game, determined by the number and quality of their chances.

This season it has worked its way into the media, and you may have noticed it whilst watching Match of the Day. But what exactly is xG? xG is the latest goal metric coming out of sports data company Opta and is a way to determine the quality of a chance.

They have analysed over 300,000 goals to calculate the probability of a shot going in from all areas of the pitch, and in different phases of play too.

It takes into account various factors, including which foot the shot is with for specific players, the proximity of defenders, assist type etc. The result is the Expected Goals Value, which is a number between zero and one which can tell you the percentage chance of that shot going in.

For example, imagine Lukaku’s second goal against CSKA Moscow on Wednesday. Martial crosses the ball in, and a mistake by the defender means Lukaku is two yards out with nothing but net in front of him. The xG for that shot would be very high, something in the region of 0.90-0.95, meaning that 90-95% of the time the shot would be converted.

It is surprising to see that some chances that would be deemed

as must-score opportunities have a much lower xG than you would think. For example, compare that goal to De Bruyne’s against Shakhtar on Tuesday.

The incoming defender means that his angle of the goal is very narrow, limited to the far right-hand side. Couple this with the shot being taken from outside the box and this shot would have an xG of approximately 0.10, meaning that the shot would only result in a goal in one of every 10 chances in that situation.

So what can this tell us?

The xG for a team can be added up over the course of the game and can be a signal of how many goals should have been scored given their chances. In the Chelsea v. Burnley game at the start of the season, the result was a 3-2 win for Burnley.

If we take a look at the xG for both teams we’ll see that Chelsea scored roughly what you would have expected with a 1.53 xG. Burnley, on the other hand, had an xG of 0.64 but scored three. This tells us that Burnley scored opportunities that were deemed unlikely.

We can also use xG to determine the performance of an attacking player over the course of a season. In the 2015/16 season Sergio Aguero had an xG of 14.80 but actually scored 20 goals.

This information indicates that Aguero scored 5 goals that would not typically be expected of the average player. What the everyday fan can take away from this is that he is an exceptional finisher, converting more difficult chances than someone

like Benteke.

What use does xG have?

The common football fan can use the xG of an overall match to determine who had the better run of play, or how interesting a game was.

If a game in a foreign league had a high xG rating for both teams, then it was certainly an entertaining match with lots of action for both sides. If it had a low rating for both sides e.g. United all last season, then you know the games were like watching paint dry.

No longer will Lineker and Shearer be arguing over whether Crystal Palace keep wasting clear goal-scoring opportunities, they can just look at the xG and see for themselves. Their xG for the season so far is 6.92, meaning that they ‘should’ have scored 7 goals.

Therefore, the problems they are having are more psychological at this stage, meaning goals will hopefully start coming soon.

Crystal Palace are a great example of xG perhaps not being the be all and end all in football stats. In reality, there is a difference between probability and actuality, so this should be taken with a pinch of salt.

It does, however, give a fresh angle on each game and allows fans more insight into their favourite team’s performance.

WRITE FOR US Facebook: Mancunion Sport 17/18 Contributors Email: sports@mancunion.com Meeting time: Tuesdays 5pm, 1st Floor Student’s Union

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Sport Lukaku: The real deal or a poor man’s Benteke?

James Gill gives his thoughts on the Belgian’s time at United so far and whether he can go on to match the acheivements of past United greats James Gill Sport Reporter

As far as transfers go, that of striker Romelu Lukaku was the highlight of the summer. Short and sweet though it may have been for Manchester United, it left a sour taste in the mouths of their rivals.

The red devils needed a striker, that was clear. With Swedish target man Zlatan Ibrahimovic seemingly ruled out forever, Marcus Rashford shifting to a wider role and Wayne Rooney dumped unceremoniously back at Everton, the spot lay open to potential suitors.

Jose Mourinho initially targeted Real Madrid’s Alvaro Morata to step into Zlatan’s boots. However after they held out on their ridiculous valuation, Mourinho swooped down and snatched Lukaku from the jaws of Chelsea. The blues were looking to re-sign him to replace their striker, Diego Costa, who was trying to force a move to Atlético Madrid.

This last moment switch may leave fans questioning United’s transfer policy as the pair are polar opposites in terms of play style. Lukaku is undoubtedly a Mourinho style player and was the preferred choice out of the pair.

He’s tall and can dominate the air, use his strength to hold up play and while he often chooses not to, he is very quick when he runs. Add that to a scoring record of 25 goals last season at Everton at the age of just 24 and you have the makings of a world-class striker.

The next question on the lips of fans is “would he make an impact immediately?” In the age where a manager can get sacked after only four games, players too need to hit the ground sprinting otherwise they’ll get labelled a flop and shipped elsewhere.

Theoretically, you would imagine him impressing, as the attacking pace United possess would work in his favour. The better quality overall would lead to more goal scoring opportunities and thus, more goals. As Jose Mourinho mentioned in an interview with The Times, United were clever to get their transfers done early. “I think Lukaku on August 31 would have been £150 million. Neymar changed everything.”

His first test came on August 8th, against Real Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup. Chances were limited against Los Blancos but that didn’t stop him tapping in a ball by Rashford in a 2-1 loss. It wasn’t enough to stop critics critiquing though and many were still sceptical about whether he was a good addition to the side.

And so came his Premier League debut, rival fans across the league were rubbing their mitts together hoping, praying for him not to score, so they could blast both club and player. After Chelsea’s loss to Burnley, blues supporters especially needed a release of Dopamine to help them stop the river of tears and get out of the fetal position.

Sadly, or happily, their weekend went from worse to catastrophic as he netted twice in a 4-0 win, becoming only the fourth United player to do so on their league debut.

“It’s a fluke,” they said. “He’s just a poor man’s Benteke,” they said. But he scored again in his second league game at Swansea, then Stoke too. Five goals in his first five appearances.

Skeptics had just one line of defence left — the UEFA Champions League.

Fail to perform on this, the biggest club stage in the world, and you can never be considered world class. Light up that stage, however, and have your name etched into history.

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Convincing win for University of Manchester Hockey in league opener The home side defeated the University of Liverpool 4-1 at the Armitage Centre thanks to goals from Rowan Poots, Alex Lord and James Bennett Sam Cooper Sport Editor

Photo: Дsoccer.ru @Wikimedia Commons

On the 12th of September, FC Basel came to the Theatre of Dreams. United undefeated in the league so far, only dropping points in a draw at Stoke, looked eager to throw down the gauntlet for the other English teams. It took 53 minutes for Lukaku to score, a goal which highlighted his immense physicality.

Not just that, but he proved he can create chances as well as scoring them.

The game ended 3-0 with Lukaku as the Man of the Match.

Four games and five goals later no one can deny his incredible start to the season. The 4-0 victory against Palace this weekend means that he has scored his seventh goal in his first seven Premier League games, equalling the club record set by Andy Cole.

Having already become the all-time top Premier League scorer for Everton with 68, he will be looking to break records at United too. Wayne Rooney’s record of 253 for the club may be a little way off so, for now, he might set his sights on the single league campaign goalscoring record, currently

held by Ronaldo with 31.

If he continues at the same rate he’ll score 38 in total. It may be a little early to draw conclusions from this but Ronaldo won the Ballon d’Or that season and after running some complex simulations with this data I have calculated that Lukaku>Ronaldo. In all seriousness though there may be a slight glimmer of truth there. Looking at the data for club goals before the age of 23 we see that Lukaku has 119 and Ronaldo has just 97.

Unlike other teams like the one Pep Guardiola recently dubbed “the Harry Kane team”, United’s dominance is due to fantastic performances throughout the team. Lukaku is but one piece of the puzzle. No one player stands head and shoulders above the others and the competition for places is fierce.

For the first time since Sir Alex Ferguson left at the end of the 2012-13 season, United look like serious title contenders both domestically and in Europe. Their next test comes after the international break at Liverpool.

Five talking points from the Malaysian GP The highs and lows from the last ever Malaysian GP in which Max Verstappen took victory

On a windy afternoon at the Armitage Centre, University of Manchester’s Hockey First Team began their 2017-18 season with a victory over local rivals University of Liverpool.

The contest started with the home side on the front foot and it was not long before they were in front. Reece Jecketts produced a good turn of pace down the left flank before crossing the ball to Rowan Poots who happily converted the chance into the net.

The away side seemed to struggle to get going and the opening stages consisted of them making many mistakes and releasing possession back to Manchester. The home side looked to capitalise on these mistakes with Poots looking very lively. First by working space into the box and then firing wide. A few minutes later he was firing another shot into the side netting but from a difficult angle.

The ten minute mark saw Liverpool’s first attempt on goal but it was a tame effort. Three minutes later, they had a penalty but also failed to convert that. A minute later again and they did manage to equalise. Again through a penalty, this time the shot was deflected on its way into the net.

After their equaliser, Liverpool were the team on top. Pushing Manchester back into their own half but it was actually the home side who were to score next. A dribble from Alex Lord allowed him time to finish tidily into the bottom corner and restore Manchester’s lead.

The goal changed the momentum back in Manchester’s favour as they regained control of the ball. Andrew Robinson saw his shot go wide and a good cross but was unable to find anyone on the end of it.

With half time approaching, Manchester managed to double their lead. James Bennett was found by Toryn Whitehead from the penalty and Bennett slotted the ball into the goal. The half time whistle blew with the score at 3-1.

The opening stages of the second period were a much more evenly balanced affair as it turned into a very stop-start game. With Manchester trying to protect their two goal lead, Liverpool began to pen them in their own half. A good blanket coverage made it hard for Manchester to both mark all the players and subsequently hard to counterattack.

The home side looked happy to weather the storm as the full time whistle drew nearer. Both teams were failing to convert penalty chances and the fifth goal of the game came from a good passing exchange.

After a neat one-two with his teammate, Poots proceeded to hit the ball hard to the keeper’s left and all but secure the win for the home side.

The game finished 4-1 and excelled Manchester to the top of the table.

West Indies in Lancashire, a home far from home Arthur Salisbury looks back at the West Indies cricketers who made a name for themselves in Manchester’s satellite towns Arthur Salisbury Sports Editor

Vettel and Stroll: post-race collision An ease for Hamilton’s worries, however, would be the possibility of a gearbox change five-place grid penalty for Vettel after a truly bizarre crash with Stroll occurring during the cool-down lap after the race had finished. The Ferrari was destroyed, left-rear wheel detaching and removing the rear wing.

Vettel accused Stroll of “not looking”; in truth, neither driver was solely responsible, both moving into one another. Vettel rode Pascal Wehrlein’s Sauber back to the pits.

Perez battles illness to compete

Max Verstappen in dominant victory Let’s start at the end: Max Verstappen finishing in first position to win the Malaysian GP. The Dutch youngster, the day after his 20th birthday, succeeded in both a dominant victory over Hamilton and generally making everyone feel ancient. The surprise result was a highly welcome one after a torrid season of reliability issues for the Red Bull man. From P3, Verstappen fended off Bottas then shocked pole-sitter Hamilton with a late inside lunge on lap four and never looked back.

Lucky Hamilton ahead but fearful

Photo Chuljae Lee @flickr

Hamilton may be 34 points ahead but will be concerned about Mercedes’ recent lack of pace. Singapore qualifying was a relative disaster for the usually dominant German team and, despite qualifying strongly in Malaysia, Hamilton admitted to a ‘pace deficit’ after the race; Verstappen overtook and comfortably extended his lead. So far, luck and talent have dragged him through but Vettel will have Hamilton worried. He started last but flew to fourth in an impressive Ferrari. “We have some work to do,” said Hamilton.

Photo: MyLocalPitch

Goodbye Malaysia After 19 years on the calendar, the Malaysian GP will be dropped from the 2018 season after a government funding withdrawal. The palm tree engulfed Sepang circuit has provided plenty of memories over the years, Räikkönen eating ice-cream under red flag surely the most treasured among them. Vettel will leave with good memories too, winning here more than any other. Max Verstappen, however, goes down as the final victor of the Malaysia GP.

Photo: Marc Taylor @ Wikimedia Commons

Photo: British Universitites and College Sport @ bucs.org,uk

Jack Greeney Sport Reporter

Sergio Perez drove through illness to finish a strong sixth, describing the race as “the most physically demanding” of his career. Struggling to breathe during Friday practice and feeling unwell all Saturday qualifying, Perez required intravenous drip to continue — with intense heat and humidity, the Malaysian GP is tough enough already! The Mexican dedicated the result to his country after its horrendous September earthquake.

Photo: Sam Cooper @ The Mancunion

Photo: The Sydney Mail @Wikimedia Commons

Every other Saturday, give or take, I get the train from Rectory Road up to Enfield Town to see a football team of the same name. Should I choose to get off a stop early at Bush Hill Park, I can walk up through a stretch of aspirational suburbia and past a cricket ground on my way to the match. In August and September, I sometimes stop off to peer over the fence and take in a few overs. Attendance is sparse, single figures, always including a man with a flask and a scorebook, whether from obligation or a sheer love of recording data it’s genuinely unclear.

It’s a humdrum scene, and it’s strange to imagine that not long ago, the best players in the world were playing in similar surroundings at this level.

League cricket has always been stronger in the north of the country, and probably the most famous and significant of these was, and is, the Lancashire League. The BBC’s ‘Race and Pace: The West Indians in East Lancashire’ followed the influx of West Indian cricketers into the league, beginning with Nelson CC, on the verge of bankruptcy, deciding to gamble on bringing a black man in as their professional player in interwar Britain. Learie Constantine signed in 1928 for £500 a season — making him most probably the best-paid sportsman in the country, according to his biographer Jeff Hill — and guided the side to seven titles in nine seasons, drawing 7,000 in one game against Todmorden, and later becoming Britain’s first black peer.

Proponents of cricket have generally put a lot of stock into the idea that the game is improving. Not as in getting better itself — Race and Pace makes a fairly strong case that it has, at least at league level, gotten far worse — but as in improving the people who play it and subsequently their environment. It’s a slightly exaggerated notion, which has interestingly ambiguous political implications. This is why you can read CLR James or John Major on cricket and know that neither is writing fraudulently. Race and Pace highlights cricket’s value as a social cohesive, positioning Constantine as an important figure in the integration of black immigrants into Britain, laying some of the groundwork in the pre-Windrush years.

Once Constantine had broken the duopoly of South African and Australian professionals in league cricket, many more followed. Wes Hall (Accrington), Charlie Griffith (Burnley) and most famously Sir Viv Richards (Rishton) are all dealt with here. It’s a story not just of England’s slow — and incomplete — acceptance of the West Indian people, but also of their struggle to acclimatise to life in cold, grey Lancashire. Wes Hall eventually became the best fish and chips eater in the North West, but you get the sense Viv Richards didn’t get much out of his mushy peas and pie experience.

Over the years, the list of West Indian cricketers playing in the Lancashire League is formidable. In the 50s and 60s, 12 of the 14 clubs had a West Indian professional. Sir Garfield Sobers (Radcliffe), Sir Clive Lloyd (Haslingden), Michael Holding (Rishton), Joel Garner (Littleborough), Weekes, Worrell, Walcott, Headley, Roberts, and more, all came to bat or bowl against postmen from Manchester’s satellite towns.

These days, both West Indian cricket and Lancashire League cricket are in steep decline. It’s obvious how beneficial Viv Richards arriving by helicopter to play for Rishton CC was to the league, but less explored in Race and Pace is the effect of the Lancashire League on the West Indies. Young men living in a foreign country, bearing the weight of being the professional — that is, the one expected to bring in crowds and win games. The experience toughened them up and made them into the greatest side in the world. League cricket has reverted to its traditional South African and Australian tendency, though not with anyone of note, and one can’t help but feel that cricket is a poorer place for it.

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Behind the scenes at City A look at the ever-growing media team behind the Premier League leaders.

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9th OCTOBER 2017 / ISSUE 4 FREE

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Photo: Sam Cooper @The Mancunion

University of Manchester Hockey

Sam Cooper Sports Editor The media team of Manchester City is located just a bridge away from the Etihad Stadium at the City Football Academy.

The Academy, or CFA, is part of the Etihad Campus and was opened in 2014. As well as housing the media team, the CFA also provides training facilities to all Manchester City squads.

Upon arriving at the complex, you are greeted by a scale model of the Etihad Campus which gives a bird’s eye view of the stadiums as well as the surrounding area. I was meeting with David Clayton who is the Senior News Reporter at the club and he showed me around the media offices.

The first thing that hits you when walking into the offices is the sheer size of the operation. There are two floors with desks of computers and each portion of the media is grouped together. On the left, the windows look out onto the training pitches while on the right you can see the pitch of the Academy Stadium.

A stadium opened in December 2014 which hosts home games for the development squads as well as the women’s team.

The office is laid out with the various different sections seated at their own cluster of desks. City TV, social media,

Photo: Manchester City

written word, international editions. Each department was grouped together but all within distance of each other in the idea of creating a cohesive team throughout.

David spoke of how the club operates and what it strives to be. “More and more of our stuff now is video. Clips, social media, YouTube is obviously huge.”

Chris Parkes-Nield who runs City’s social media described what it is like being the team behind the tweets. The club has 5 million Twitter followers, close to 27 million Facebook followers, 5.4 million Instagram followers, and is preparing to hit 1 million YouTube subscribers so it shows you the size of the task to keep on top of everything but also how they strive for more.

“These sound big numbers but compared to big European clubs, they’re still trailing behind. We’re growing fast — same way we’re growing on the pitch.”

Chris talked about how each platform is varied in what works well and to have a set plan for all would not be wise. “We’re totally fluid with how the platforms want to present themselves. If you have a rigid strategy at the start of the season and you don’t move from that, come the end of the season, the landscape’s changed. You’re going to be left behind. You have to be fluid and go with the flow.”

Football media is becoming incredibly social in the last few years and clubs like City now have a huge audience on a variety of platforms so there can be challenges in finding what works best on which platform. “Facebook’s generally moving into being a video platform. All the signs are there for that happening. We try to remain innovative, try to remain video first, engaging.”

City are one of the most innovative Premier League clubs when it comes to social media and Chris spoke of how they come up with fresh ideas. “You bounce off the audience. I’m a fan, I’ve been watching them since I was little boy so you inherently know where the line is. When we’re tweeting a gif of Alan Partridge to United last season, probably one of my finest moments! We know that there is a line. As far as keeping it fresh, you just have to keep abreast of the trends.”

The club also wants to encourage inter-

activity with the fans. “A guy yesterday tweeted us ‘can you tweet me a picture of Fabian Delph riding a dragon?’ In 15 minutes, we had it and put it back out. It just shows that we’re there and we’re in touch.

We try our best to remain in touch with fan culture.”

Unusual transfer announcements were the trend of summer 2017 and City with their “announce Gündoğan” video were one of the firsts “With Gündoğan, we’re kind of to blame for all that. I’m glad it’s calmed down but it was crazy month with all these signings — each signing announcement more wackier than the last one. It was a weird phase but you couldn’t say it wasn’t interesting. As a culture, it was something.”

The club has 13 international sites with their own Twitter accounts, which highlights the blanket coverage City is aiming to achieve. The arrival of Gabriel Jesus to the club saw an increased Brazilian audience. Content Manager Paul Handler said “Most of the players are international so many of our fans are international, numbers wise.

“In any given match, we might focus on Kevin De Bruyne if he scores. However, our Brazilians fans may be more interested in Ederson’s clean sheet. You slice and dice it for your market because a lot of them follow players as much as teams.”

After a view of the main office, it was a short trip to the press room. Anyone familiar with Pep Guardiola’s pre-match press conference will be familiar with the room he conducts them in. The press room, with its rowed seats creating a theatre like atmosphere, is just a short trip up the stairs from the media offices.

The room itself looks out onto the Academy Stadium pitch and this closeness was very much by design as explained by David “When it was designed, the idea was everything was together.”

The tour was a fascinating insight into how a club the size of Manchester City works on a global level and it became increasingly evident how the goal of being the best in all aspects is clear throughout the club. “Whichever area it is that we deal in, whether it’s Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, the idea is we become the best at what we do.”

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Photo: Sam Cooper @ The Mancunion

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