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Exclusive: landlord blacklist group closes
Students were able to use the group to give landlords a one to five star rating and contained a ‘landlord blacklist’ with a list of those who received bad reviews Cameron Broome Head News Editor A newly created Facebook group where students could review landlords has closed due to a legal threat, The Mancunion can reveal. Popular Facebook group “Fallowfield Students Group” launched a new group, “Fallowfield Student Accomodation”, where members could find rooms and housemates and review landlords. Members could give landlords a one to five star rating and page also contained a “landlord blacklist”, stating that “landlords that receive regular 1* reviews or complaints will be placed on the blacklist below to make other students aware.” Following a legal threat from a landlord against students who posted negative reviews in the group, creator of the group Matthew Freestone said that he is closing the group. Speaking exclusively to The Mancunion, Matthew Freestone said: “After much consideration, I have decided to delete the Fallowfield Student Accomodation (FSA) community. It was a popular idea created with Fallowfield Students best interest in mind. Recently a landlord has threatened myself and other members with legal action and it was proving to be a lot of hassle. I am worried about running a group that could potentially get my members into trouble so it will close today. “I thought that since it is a private community, students would be able to get their honest opinion and help others. Yet, it seems that without the landlords having their right to reply to all claims made about them, they view it as slanderous and hold me partly responsible. I
still think somebody could create a great platform for landlord reviews and hope somebody does in near future. It would just require a lot of research into the legality of it all before something similar was to be launched. “Landlords would have to be members of the community and be given their ‘right to reply’ for the group to be fair. But some landlords will threaten legal action against students based on just posting a negative review, whether they are part of the community or not. I don’t want to give poor landlords a platform to advertise their properties. Nor am I keen to run a group that facilitates constant arguments between landlords and past tenants so I unfortunately have to close it.” An independent legal advisor, Adam Linsday, told The Mancunion: “If the group/post is private there is less chance of the defamation being discovered. But there are numerous ways it could still be discovered. The landlord could create a fake profile to get access, be tipped off, etc. And if it was, the fact it was private would not effect the judgement of whether it was defamatory in the slightest. “There are numerous different levels of privacy settings. But this would only come into play as a mitigation against punishment. The complainant would still be being defamed, just to a more limited audience.” Third-year University of Manchester Biology student, Ben Whittle, previously told The Mancunion “it would be good to get the landlords in the group so that they can respond to any negative feedback.” Matthew Freestone suggested he “liked” Ben’s idea but said at the
University criticised for World Mental Health day links to AstraZeneca
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time: “the only problem is that if we allow landlords into the group, it will just turn into a huge advertising platform for their properties. Although that may be helpful in some ways, I want it to be primarily used by students.” Since then, creator of the group, Matthew Freestone, has decided to close the group. Commenting on the initial creation of scheme, Students’ Union Communities Officer, Jack Houghton, said: “What’s really important is that if there is a scheme already running similar to that, we can contribute and shape that current scheme with your ideas and make it really better.” Manchester Student Homes, run by the University of Manchester in conjunction with other institutions, have their own landlord accreditation scheme and the University of Manchester Students’ Union have a “rate my landlord” scheme. A University of Manchester spokesperson said: “The University recommends that all students use a landlord accredited by Manchester Student Homes who have a facility for reporting any issues.” Fallowfield Students Group has over 23,000 members and is widely used by students to buy and sell tickets, report on lost and found items and ask general questions about life in and around South Manchester. A recent investigation by The Mancunion suggested that students were also increasingly relying on the Fallowfield Students Group to find out anecdotal information about crime and student safety in and around South Manchester, with one student describing the “constant flow of horror stories on Fallowfield Students Group.”
Student gun attack victim speaks out
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Revealed: almost 500 animals killed a day at Manchester University
Photo: Open Clip-Art Vectors @Pixabay
11 PM booze ban proposed for the Ancoats area Emefa Setranah Senior South Manchester Reporter A plan to ban the sale of alcohol in licensed venues in Ancoats after 11 pm has been proposed. There will be an allowance of half an hour drinking up time afterwards. Recent renewal in the Ancoats area of Manchester has seen small businesses and increased accommodation turn it into an urban hotspot for young professionals. This year, the Times newspaper ranked the area number two on its list of 20 coolest places to live in Britain. The transformation of Ancoats has however been a cause for concern. Issues of
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anti-social behaviour and excessive noise due to the arrival of bars, restaurants and breweries are being tackled by Manchester Council. This alcohol limitation strategy is aimed at dealing with the issues a bourgeoning nighttime economy is having in the area. There is a copy of the policy committee report on the Manchester.gov website. In the report, it states that the councils aim for Ancoats is: “to guide the positive regeneration of the area comprehensively and to deliver an attractive and successful residential-led neighbourhood.”
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A positive perspective on animal testing
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Highlights
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Continued from page 1: animal deaths for scientific research
The University admits to approving the use of 174,120 animals in 2016 in research, but continues to withhold some sensitive information Amy Wei Deputy News Editor
Food and Drink p22 What to eat in Levenshulme Market
The University of Manchester has been found to kill more animals for scientific research than nearly all other universities in the country. Manchester’s biology department has been obliged to publish data on the number of animals they used for research in 2016 in accordance with Concordat on Openness on Animal Research in the UK. 174,120 animals were experimented on throughout the year, averaging to almost 500 animals a day. All animals are killed either during experimentation or after research is completed, unless they are rescued by test animal sanctuaries. The majority of tested animals were rodents. Other animals, such as sheep, fish, birds, and amphibians, were also experimented on in 2016. Reports on current experiments have also been published. In one experiment, University researchers are creating severe burns and open wounds in 300 pigs’ backs to test “novel dressings,” to see if they reduce “abnormal pigmentation” in scars more than conventional dressings and treatment. All pigs will be killed after their wounds heal. Another current study will take the lives of 2700 rats. Pregnant rats will be injected with agents which make them sick, have parasites inserted into their digestive systems, and be subjected to stressful situations, to investigate how brain disorders will develop in them. Afterwards, all rats will be killed. The University of Manchester are also inducing heart failure in 800 sheep. Last year, anti-vivisection organisation Cruelty Free International submitted a Freedom of Information request for information on animal testing at the University of Manchester. The University did not respond. The University just released their 2016 figures as part of the Concordat on Openness on Animal Research in the UK. The Concordat is a commitment to be more open about the use of animals in research in the UK. However, the University of Manchester is still withholding information on animal experimentation approved prior to 2014. Under the online database of 2014-2016 reports, the University website reads: “Find out about our research involving animals in previous years on our data archive page.” There is only one file on the data archive page: an infographic on animal research in 2016.
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Lifestyle p27 A candid account of what it’s like to have anxiety at university
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ISSUE 9 / 20th NOVEMBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK
Wellbeing Week at the University of Manchester Bouncy castles, free massages, and a visit from Manchester Dogs’ Home are all on the agenda for the University of Manchester’s Wellbeing Week Nicole Wootton-Cane Senior Main Campus Reporter
Image: The University of Manchester
When asked by The Mancunion why information on research involving animals has not been made publicly available online, a University of Manchester spokesperson stated: “The University of Manchester is committed to openness in how it conducts its research involving animals. “When we launched our award-winning website in 2016, we were one of the first Universities to produce an infographic of our most up-to-date figures, which we are committed to doing each January when they become available.” The University website declares that “animal welfare is a priority at The University of Manchester.” It explains: “We employ a full-time named animal care and welfare officer (NACWO).” What it doesn’t explain is that NACWO is just a secondary title for the Deputy Director of Biological Services. When the position of Deputy Director was advertised in Summer 2017, it listed requirements that the successful applicant be an “effective communicator” and have “a high level of planning and organisational skills.” At the very end of the job listing, it acknowledged that applicants should also have a “good working knowledge” of the Animals Scientific Procedures Act the University must adhere to. “You will fully deputise the Director,” the job description read. “You will also be a Named Animal Care and Welfare Officer.” 116 UK organisations are now signatories of the Concordat on Openness. The ten universities which conduct the most animal testing in the UK have all released their animal experimentation figures. The University of Manchester places fourth in the top ten. The University of Oxford conducted the most animal experiments out of all the universities, with 217,765 procedures, followed by University College London and the University of Edinburgh. In total, 1.4 million animals were killed in 2016 by the top ten universities. They account for a third of all animal research in UK universities. Last year, Cruelty Free International discovered some details about animal experiments taking place at universities in the UK. Some universities deprived monkeys of food and water, blasted noise at monkeys trapped in boxes, injected acid in rats’ brains to cause brain damage, and punctured pregnant sheep’s ovaries. Two-thirds of Concordat on Openness signatories now publish some data about animal testing online. Wendy Jarrett, Chief Executive of Understanding Animal Research, which developed the Concordat on Openness, said: “The Concordat has fostered a culture of openness at research institutions up and down the country. “Institutions now provide an unprecedented level of information about how and why they conduct medical, veterinary and scientific research using animals.”
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From the 20th to the 24th of November, the University of Manchester will hold its annual Wellbeing Week. During this week, a series of events are held across campus aimed at helping students and staff cope with stress and maintain their well-being, both mental and physical. All events are free to attend, and address the university’s six areas of well-being: connect, take notice, learn and discover, be healthy, be active, and give. The week kicks off with on Monday with sunrise yoga, followed by a packed schedule of other activities, such as ‘Calm your brain and have a croissant’, ‘Bungee run bouncy castle’ and ‘softball’. Several of these events are repeated throughout the week, giving students ample opportunity to sample what they wish. Highlights of the week include free massages, a quidditch taster session and a highly anticipated visit from Manchester Dog’s Home. Event coordinator Katrina M Grier told The Mancunion “Looking after our well-being helps us to support ourselves in everyday life. This year, wellbeing week has been designed to raise awareness of the six ways to well-being and to get people thinking about looking after themselves. There are a range of activities and all events are free, so come along and enjoy!” Student well-being has become a major issue over the last few years. In a survey conducted by YouGov,
27 percent of students reported having a type of mental health problem, with 77 percent highlighting depression and 74 percent discussing anxiety. The number of students dropping out of university citing their mental health as the reason has also risen. Data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency shows these numbers were up 210 percent in 201415, from 380 in 2009-10 to 1,180 in 2014-15. Events during well-being week are tailored to help assist and encourage students to manage these problems in productive and creative ways, such as mindfulness, exercise and crafts. The university are also holding a Staff Wellbeing Benefits Fair during the week. The fair is designed to demonstrate a number of the well-being benefits available to University of Manchester staff members. The university’s staff well-being lead, Sarah March, highlights the importance of well-being amongst those employed by the university on a dedicated well-being page on their website, stating “We want our colleagues not only work productively but also to enjoy working here and to lead happy, healthy lives.” For more information on well-being week including timetables and event information, please visit http:// www. st ude nt supp or t . manche ste r.ac.uk/t aking- care / wellbeing/wellbeing-week/, or search ‘Wellbeing Week’ on Facebook.
Over 35,000 students did not vote in NUS delegate elections NUS delegates will represent the University of Manchester’s SU, the UK’s largest Students’ Union, at the upcoming NUS conferences Cameron Broome Head News Editor Over 35,000 students at the University of Manchester did not vote in the recently held National Union of Students (NUS) delegate elections. 1,617 votes were cast during the NUS delegate elections, equating to a total turnout of around 4.3 per cent of the 37,000 students at the University eligible to vote, which took place simultaneously alongside the Students’ Union (SU) part-time officer elections. NUS delegates will represent the University of Manchester Students’ Union, the UK’s largest Students’ Union, at the 2017-2018 NUS conferences, setting the NUS’ agenda for the coming year, debating policies, and voting for the NUS’ national president, vice-presidents, and officers. Felix-Hanif Banks, a first-year University of Manchester History student who did note vote in the elections, said: “I think the NUS generally focus on using their union as a political platform not necessarily linked to student issues, and then the union loses sight of making positive change for actual students in the country.” “People aren’t aware of the Union because because they don’t see any tangible benefits to it. It doesn’t do anything for them they feel is necessary or present in their day-to-day student lives, so they’re less likely to interact with it.” Second-year Mechanical Engineering student, Max Salatta-Barnett, told The Mancunion that “the NUS will always have issue engaging students because we’re only here for 3 years, so anything you want to happen wouldn’t get implemented until we’ve left.” Explaining why he didn’t vote, Max said: “I heard very little about it. Being in North Campus, I haven’t even seen a poster, yet alone got details about it. The only place I’d be able to get info about it would be online.” University of Manchester student Toby
Zambardino told The Mancunion that “having such a small fraction of students responding to these votes shows that students are still fairly unengaged in SU politics on the whole.” Despite this, Toby Zambardino said: “If the student body are passionate enough about issues, I’d like to think I have reasonable faith that delegates will respond and properly represent them.” The third-year Politics and Philosophy student said he did not vote in the elections because he thought that “the vote wasn’t publicised as an urgent or even important issue to students.” Echoing this idea, Victoria Gosling, a first-year Politics and International Relations student who also did not vote in the elections, said that she “didn’t know anything about it or that we even had an NUS delegate.” Emma Atkins, Students’ Union Education Officer, said the NUS delegate elections had “a really good turnout”, commenting that “more people ran for NUS delegate positions than last year, which I think shows that as a SU we have political students who want to get involved in national issues, which is great.” Emma added: “I think it is a rare student who is engaged with NUS politics, but I think that’s totally OK. I don’t think students need to know every single thing about the NUS, they just need to know that the SU and the NUS will be there for them if they need them (i.e. they get the NUS card for discounts, use the SU advice service). I think there is a misconception that if students aren’t hyper engaged with everything then it’s a bad thing. As long as they know they are being supported behind the scenes, that’s the most important thing.” Described by the General Secretary of the Students’ Union, Alex Tayler, as “very successful”, the elections took place alongside the Students’ Union ‘All Student Vote’ on the composition of the SU Executive Officer team for the academic year 2018/2018, which had a turn out of 1.3 per cent.
Image: Katrina M. Grier
All Student Vote lacked face-to-face engagement Described by the General Secretary as a chance “to reform and represent our students as best we can”, less than 500 students voted in the ‘All Student Vote’ Cameron Broome Head News Editor The low turnout in the recent ‘All Student Vote’ was due to lack of “face-to-face engagement”, the General Secretary of the Students’ Union has suggested. Less than 450 students voted in the ‘preferendum’ to choose new Executive Officer positions for the 2018/19 academic year. Four options were offered in the vote: keep the same positions as they are at present, introduce a postgraduate officer, introduce an international officer, or introduce both. Voting took place alongside the Students’ Union parttime officer and NUS-delegate elections. Alex Tayler, General Secretary of the Students’ Union, told The Mancunion: “The real issue was there wasn’t enough face-to-face engagement. We did have a stall every day of the election period but what we’re doing now is trying to engage with lots of different societies, different student groups, in a much more productive way. “And the question will be framed around what do you want from the Union rather than what should the office positions be because people care about what the Union delivers but they don’t care as much, I don’t think, about how we’re run.” Alex added: “I think the comms around [the vote] was actually quite good”, citing the fact that “everyone got an email, so everyone that checks their e-mails would have known about it”, adding that “there was stuff on social media.” George Flesher, a second-year American Studies student who didn’t vote in the ‘All Student Vote’, spoke to The Mancunion and challenged this idea: “Amongst the high amount of emails we already receive in our university
inboxes, it’s quite easy to mistake or overlook e-mails from the Students’ Union. This is especially true at times of the year such as this when everyone is looking out for e-mails from tutors about essays.” Lawrence Rosenberg, a third-year History and Politics student successfully elected as an NUS delegate for 2017/2018, previously told The Mancunion that he also didn’t vote in the referendum. Lawrence said: “I didn’t even know there was an election, it wasn’t publicised nor even when I voted for NUS did I find the easy system to understand” and added that the options presented to students in the All Student Vote “just weren’t clear at all.” Alex Tayler said that the Executive Officer team had decided to run the votes all in one go in the hope that students “wouldn’t get election fatigue.” He said: “What basically happened was the NUS elections and the PTO elections took priority... the voting for the ‘All Student Vote’ was at the very bottom of a page of about 20 or 30 other positions, a lot of people probably got bored, realistically.” Another referendum cannot be triggered by the Executive Officer team without the consent of Senate or a petition from 400 students to hold another vote. Alex suggested another referendum was “unlikely.” The Executive Officer team have said that they “will be taking the result into account.” Alex said: “Essentially, we’re going to try and put a paper together based on [a] collection of data from the student groups, workshops, and the referendum result, and put something together to present a final thing to Senate to approve on.”
Photo: Vita Student @Flickr
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ISSUE 9 / 20th NOVEMBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK
11 PM booze ban proposed for the Ancoats area
The early curfew for licensed venues is an attempt to make the area more resident friendly
Photo: Emefa Setranah @ The Mancunion
Manchester University criticised for links with AstraZeneca Many ex-employees of Astazeneca now sit on the University’s Board of Governors Hannah Vallance National Political Reporter Students’ Union Education Officer, Emma Atkins, has criticised the revelation of apparent links between AstraZeneca and the University. The influence of the pharmaceutical giant over the directive of the University’s Board of Governors has been revealed following recommendations from the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education to reduce the number of members on the Board. Lay members of the board, Isabelle Perrett and John Stageman are both ex-employees of AstraZeneca, with colleague Dapo Ajayi also assuming a day job as Chief Procurement Officer at the same corporation. President and Vice-Chancellor Dame Nancy Rothwell herself was a non-executive director for nine years at AstraZeneca. Will Spinks, Rothwell’s advisor & registrar, also worked for the corporation before assuming his role at the university, and their team receives legal advice from general counsel Chris Petty, who also spent 32 years at the pharmaceutical giant before transitioning to work under Spinks. Commenting on their influence, Emma Atkins, Students’ Union Education Officer, stated: “This poses a lot of questions for management: how can we be sure that they are making objective decisions, and that the board of governors are making decisions best for the
university and its students, not decisions that will make their friends, Nancy and Will, happy?” “I would like written assurances from the management about how they are declaring their interests, and how they are making sure they make objective decisions. I would also question who made the appointments of Isabelle and John to the Board of Governors. “Whilst it is not a crime to work in the same business as some people, and then proceed to work in a university with them, given the way the university has acted and responded around various issues, it’s imperative they are transparenat about commercial links.” A spokesperson for the University commented: “AstraZeneca is a significant local employer, specialising in life sciences and biomedicine. It is entirely to be expected that a number of scientists, senior managers and board members have links to both organisations.” In 2015, AstraZeneca invested £11.5 million to support clinical bioinformatics research conducted within the Centre for Cancer Biomarker Sciences at the Manchester Cancer Research Centre. Stated explicitly on the University of Manchester News page, it was deemed that “this collaboration builds on existing extensive and close scientific collaborations between AstraZeneca and The University of Manchester.”
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Emefa Setranah Senior South Manchester Reporter
...Continued from page 1 If the 11 pm ban is activated it will affect local drinking establishments the most. In an interview with The Mancunion, Mark West, manager of popular sports bar Second City, said: “I think it will affect my business negatively, especially on weekends.” When asked how the 11 pm ban may affect future businesses, Mark expanded, “I think we’ll end up with empty units eventually. People won’t be able to afford the area. With the licenses cut shorter I don’t think people will be able to sustain a business.” Also voicing her concern was Megan Bews, manager of famed Ancoats pizzeria Rudy’s. The 11 pm ban does not directly affect the restaurant because it closes at 10 pm. However, Megan was still worried about the indirect effect it would have on customers. She told The Mancunion, “we won’t be taking as much money as we could on the weekends because no one will want to come down this end if everywhere is closing that early.” She added, “Its an area that’s really up and coming and voted one of the trendiest places. I think everything closing at 11 o’clock is not living up to the reputation it wants to have.”
The booze ban is intended to be beneficial to the area’s residents. But Megan stated that she had been sent the link to a petition started up by locals to try and stop the ban. Many residents have also been voicing their opinions online. One stated: “Licenses should be decided on a case by case basis, this blanket ban will stif le so many places from even attempting to start-up in the area.” A different comment agreed to the ban for weekdays but stated: “I really don’t see the point on the weekend.” Voicing an alternative opinion to Mark and Megan was Seven Brothers brewery co-founder, Keith McAvoy. In his interview with The Mancunion, Keith said, “ 11 pm isn’t that unreasonable to be fair.” He continued, “It won’t affect my business greatly. We close at 11 pm every evening anyway. This is a residential area, not an overspill from the Northern Quarter. Residents in Ancoats shouldn’t have to worry whether nightclubs will be popping up next to their homes.” The council is planning a 12 week consultation period which will end on Monday 29th January 2018. After this, it will be decided whether the 11 pm ban will go ahead or not.
University team forges new development in India Photo: abhinv @Flickr
Elizabeth Rushton Junior Main Campus Reporter A university delegation has recently returned from a trip to India which sought to open up research and funding opportunities with some of the country’s biggest companies, as well as to assist in the foundation of a new medical school. The group, comprised of academics representing a range of departments from medicine to environmental sciences, travelled to the state of West Bengal in the east of the country, where plans are underway to build a new school and training facilities for doctors. The head of the delegation, Professor Stephen Flint, described the purpose of meetings with officials and staff at the forthcoming medical facilities as “helping them to fast-track the complex challenge of setting up a medical school from scratch”. Academics including Professor Douglas Corfield of Manchester’s Division of Medical Education helped familiarise the staff with medical training techniques such as problem-based learning. Professor Flint, Manchester’s Associate Vice President for Internationalisation, identified the shortage of hospitals in West Bengal as the driving factor behind the need for new medical training facilities. West Bengal’s population far surpasses that of the UK with over 90 million people resident there. The new hospital is to be situated at Kharagpur, an industrial city three hours’ drive from West Bengal’s capital, Kolkata. Links with the region were established through the Tata Medical Centre where another Manchester researcher, Professor Vaskar Saha, works six months out of the year at the Tata Translational Cancer Research Centre. According to Professor Flint, the trip could create more links with Manchester and opportunities for students in the future. “We have signed an agreement with the Indian Institute of Technol-
ogy Kharagpur (IIT KGP) to collaborate across a range of research areas, and we hope this will lead initially to jointly supervised PhD students who spend time in both institutions.” he explained. He added that this could eventually enable students to travel to Kharagpur as a study abroad destination. Established in 1951, IIT KGP is the oldest such institution in India, and its headquarters are based on the site of a former detention camp for Indian freedom fighters, dating back to the British colonial era. During the trip, plans were confirmed for the development of a world-class programme in health informatics run jointly with Manchester, a commitment to which had already been made with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the two institutions during a visit from Manchester representatives this June. Professor Siddhartha Mukhopadhyay, IIT KGP’s Dean of Alumni Affairs and International Relations spoke of the collaboration’s great potential to develop research programmes with global impact and create world-class training schemes, as well as joint research projects in areas including Smart Textiles, Earth-Environment-Water-Sciences, Advanced Materials and Biomedical Informatics. During the trip, the delegation also met with representatives from some of the region’s most significant academic and research institutions, such as the Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Indian Statistical Institute, and the Universities of Jadavpur and Kolkata, to discuss new possibilities in research and funding. Spanning fields of engineering and biomedical sciences, conversations were held with such giant companies as Graphite India and Tata Steel, the owners of the UK’s largest steelworks and employers of almost 8,000 here, concerning material science research. “Tata Steel have recently opened a biomaterials division, and we presented the cutting edge research on biomedical ‘smart’ materials being undertaken in the School of Materials,” Professor Flint explained, adding that this could open up the possibility of receiving research funding from Tata.
Trade an old coat for a free pint
The Town Hall Tavern is giving away free pints to customers who bring old coats and sleeping bags to the pub
Pierre-Leo Rouat News contribuor To help an ever-growing population of homeless people, a pub in the city centre took initiative. The “Town Hall Tavern” will organise a great charity meal on Christmas Day. The objective would be to host 60 homeless between 3 pm and 7 pm and to let them choose dishes from the menu while enjoying live music. The best part is that everyone can participate. In addition to the food and music, the pub is collecting coats and sleeping bags from everyone that would like to share something. Anyone giving something to accommodate the Mancunian homeless population will get a free pint for his/her collaboration. This charitable operation has already been conducted in Manchester in the past. A pub, the “Old Nags Head”, already opened the doors to help the homeless during the Christmas period last year. The pub’s landlord Sean Brett stated that the event was particularly successful and that more than 300 people came to the pub to share a bit of their richness with the poorest. The general manager of the Town Hall Tavern Sam Foster and his staff explained how they were shocked by the rise of the homeless population in Manchester. Mr. Foster added that he was amazed last year when he noticed all the homeless population on the street during Christmas day. Inspiring initiatives are also taking place elsewhere. In Edinburgh, a social entrepreneur, Zakia Moulaoui launched a project called “Invisible Edinburgh.” People affected by homelessness are being trained in history and in public speaking, to become guides of the city of Edinburgh, allowing this stranded population to get a formation and a foot back in the working world.
A community project in Everton made more than 200 people sleep for a night in a park to raise awareness and funds for the homeless population of Liverpool. Homelessness figures released by Shelter last week revealed 307,000 people are now homeless in the UK. To support the Tavern’s effort and grab a beer, you can go (with at least an extra coat I suggest) to the Town Hall Cavern in Tib Lane, off Cross Street. On Sunday, November 26th, the Town Hall Tavern will also host a fundraising event for its appeal, which will include live music, a raffle and stand up bingo, from 1 pm to 9 pm.
Photo: PDPhoto.org @Wikimedia Commons
Enactus to host social hackathon Manchester Entrepreneurs have collaborated with Enactus to host a oneday social ahackathon event
Image: Enactus
Shivani Kaura Students’ Union Reporter Enactus, the University’s Computer Science Society, will have 11 hours (9am-8pm) to plan, design, and create models of eight social ideas which will help work towards the United Nations sustainable goals. The objective of the event is to “spread awareness on the importance of student involvement in social responsibility” as stated by the President of the Committee, Kenji Chai. The aim is to bring together new social enterprise ideas by young entrepreneurs in Manchester and allow Enactus to “gain traction as an environment for students to improve business skills,” leading them to expand their own networks. The workshop will take place on Saturday the 25th of November in the Bright Building, with Professor Jonatan Pinkse hosting an ideation seminar. Each group attending the session will be asked to prepare research briefs on challenging demographics that the population of Manchester faces, such as: homelessness, elderly in Rusholme, students facing crime in Fallowfield, and marginalised low-income women in Moss Side. Following this, charity representatives will discuss their role in the community and will work with the entrepreneurs, giving feedback, and discussing how they’ll be able to collaborate with them in the future. Finally, each group would have to present their ideas with a short Q&A to follow. The panel of judges will be made up of three Enactus representatives, several business advisers and a university specialist in social enterprise who will discuss whether the entrepreneurs have fit the criterion they are seeking. The grand prize will include the opportunity to showcase the project idea under Enactus and will receive a fast-track in Accelerate M-E, the nation’s first student-run startup accelerator, with the winner receiving £1,500 towards investment, mentoring, and office space. Events like this hosted by Enactus will allow businessmen and women in Manchester the opportunity to grow socially and economically, as well as giving them a chance to tackle the current issues Manchester face.
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Almost 500 animals killed a day by University of Manchester research The University admits to approving the use of 174,120 animals in 2016 in research, but continues to withhold some sensitive information Amy Wei News Editor The University of Manchester has been found to kill more animals for scientific research than nearly all other universities in the country. Manchester’s biology department has been obliged to publish data on the number of animals they used for research in 2016 in accordance with Concordat on Openness on Animal Research in the UK. 174,120 animals were experimented on throughout the year, averaging to almost 500 animals a day. All animals are killed either
during experimentation or after research is completed, unless they are rescued by test animal sanctuaries. The majority of tested animals were rodents. Other animals, such as sheep, fish, birds, and amphibians, were also experimented on in 2016. Reports on current experiments have also been published. In one experiment, University researchers are creating severe burns and open wounds in 300 pigs’ backs to test “novel dressings,” to see if they reduce “abnormal pigmentation” in scars more than conventional dressings and treatment. All pigs will be killed after their wounds heal. Another current study will take the lives of 2700 rats. Pregnant rats will be injected with agents which make them sick, have parasites inserted into their digestive systems, and be subjected to stressful situations, to investigate how brain disorders will develop in them. Afterwards, all rats will be killed. The University of Manchester are also inducing heart failure in 800 sheep. Last year, anti-vivisection organisation Cruelty Free International submitted a Freedom of Information request for information on animal testing at the University of Manchester. The University did not respond. The University just released their 2016 figures as part of the Concordat on Openness on Animal Research in the UK. The Concordat is a commitment to be more open about the use of animals in research in the UK. However, the University of Manchester is still withholding information on animal experimentation approved prior to 2014. Under the online database of 2014-2016 reports, the University website reads: “Find out about our research involving animals in previous years on our data archive page.” There is only one file on the data archive page: an infographic on animal research in 2016. When asked by The Mancunion why information on research involving animals has not been made publicly available online, a University of Manchester spokesperson stated: “The University of Manchester is committed to openness in how it conducts its research involving animals. “When we launched our award-winning website in 2016, we were one of the first Universities to produce an infographic of our most up-to-date figures, which we are committed to doing each January when they become available.” The University website declares that “animal welfare is a priority at The University of Manchester.” It explains: “We employ a full-time named animal care and welfare officer (NACWO).” What it doesn’t explain is that NACWO is just a secondary title for the Deputy Director of Biological Services. When the position of Deputy Director was advertised in Summer 2017, it listed requirements that the successful applicant be an “effective communicator” and have “a high level of planning and organisational skills.” At the very end of the job listing, it acknowledged that applicants
should also have a “good working knowledge” of the Animals Scientific Procedures Act the University must adhere to. “You will fully deputise the Director,” the job description read. “You will also be a Named Animal Care and Welfare Officer.” 116 UK organisations are now signatories of the Concordat on Openness. The ten universities which conduct the most animal testing in the UK have all released their animal experimentation figures. The University of Manchester places fourth in the top ten. The University of Oxford conducted the most animal experiments out of all the universities, with 217,765 procedures, followed by University College London and the University of Edinburgh. In total, 1.4 million animals were killed in 2016 by the top ten universities. They account for a third of all animal research in UK universities. Last year, Cruelty Free International discovered some details about animal experiments taking place at universities in the UK. Some universities deprived monkeys of food and water, blasted noise at monkeys trapped in boxes, injected acid in rats’ brains to cause brain damage, and punctured pregnant sheep’s ovaries. Two-thirds of Concordat on Openness signatories now publish some data about animal testing online. Wendy Jarrett, Chief Executive of Understanding Animal Research, which developed the Concordat on Openness, said: “The Concordat has fostered a culture of openness at research institutions up and down the country. “Institutions now provide an unprecedented level of information about how and why they conduct medical, veterinary and scientific research using animals.”
Manchester academic wins award for climate Dr Joanne Jordan was recognised for her work exploring effects of change film climate change in Bangladeshi slums Elizabeth Rushton Reporter A Manchester academic and honorary research fellow has been commended with a prestigious award for a film concerning her research on climate change in Bangladesh. Dr. Joanne Jordan, a lecturer in Climate Change and Development, received the International Development Award at the Arts & Humanities Research Council’s annual Research in Film Awards for her 20-minute documentary film. “The Lived Experience of Climate Change: A Story of One Piece of Land in Dhaka”, tells the story of a research project she conducted in the Bangladeshi capital. Over a period of several months, she conducted interviews with over 600 residents of the city’s slums on the everyday issues they faced relating to climate change and their methods of dealing with these issues. Some of the most pressing concerns facing these communities included flooding, drainage congestion and heat stress – a condition arising from overheating, which has been frequently observed throughout South Asian counties in recent years. The estimated 40 per cent of Dhaka’s population of almost 15 million who are slum residents are at increased risk of being affected by these factors, due to cheap slum housing being situated in low-lying areas close to large bodies of water. The film, directed by Ehsan Kabir of the Bangladeshi media company Green Ink, also shows the development of a traditional Bangladeshi performance to share the findings of Dr. Jordan’s research with her interviewees and the wider community in Dhaka. Together with the Department of Theatre and Performance
Studies at the University of Dhaka, Dr. Jordan also coordinated the creation of a Pot Gan. This was described by a representative of the department as “one of the earliest forms of storytelling which has been performed for generations in Bangladesh.” In this case, it was used to dramatise the environmental issues raised by the interviewees, as well as the social issues which arose in their community as a result. The film sees the Pot Gan performed in the slums and at a reception at the British Council, with the aim of making the findings of the research accessible to a broader range of audiences across Dhaka’s social spectrum. Versions of the film exist with English and Bengali subtitles, which have collectively been viewed more than 100,000 times online. The prize winners at the Research in Film Awards each received a trophy and a grant of £2,000 towards future film projects at a ceremony, which took place on the 9th of November at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). All films, across a range of genres including drama and animation, were less than 30 minutes long and the winning candidates were chosen by a panel of judges including arts and film academics. Jan Dalley, the panel chair and Arts Editor at the Financial Times, remarked on this year’s “wonderfully varied” selection of winning films. She praised their ability to “demonstrate the real impact of this art form and how carefully crafted work can take us on a journey of discovery and amazement in under 30 minutes”. Another panelist, Professor Tom Inns of Glasgow School of Art, described Dr. Jordan’s film as “excellent”, adding that it “shone out from all the other films as a dynamic piece of practice-based
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research”. He particularly emphasised the thoroughness and clarity the film offers into Dr. Jordan’s work: “The film captures the entirety of the research process – unlike other films that only showed the output or the discourse that the research stimulated, Joanne’s film really got under the bonnet of the actual research itself.” Dr. Jordan said on the shortlisting of the film in September that this demonstrated “crucial support and recognition of the important role of film and performance theatre in challenging audiences to actively engage with the personal experiences of slum dwellers affected by climate change in Dhaka”. She also emphasised her hope that the film would “raise some of the voices and stories from the communities living on the frontline of climate change. We must hear their stories.” Photo: ahrcfilmaward
Seven-day hospital policy does not diminish weekend mortality rates
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Man Met is the greenest university in UK
The policy which requires up to £1.4 billion of NHS funding has been found to be ineffectual in decreasing weekend mortality rates, a new study has revealed Image: David Dixon @ geograph.com
Patricia Caras Reporter A recent study published in the Emergency Medicine Journal has suggested that the costly reforms implemented by the Department of Health, in an effort to combat elevated weekend death rates, have proved unsuccessful. The reforms were applied in the form of four clinical standards for the NHS weekend performance, after it has been determined that patients admitted to hospital on weekends experience higher mortality rates than those admitted during the week. The NHS measures its performance against four clinical standards during the weekend: time to first consultant review, access to diagnostics, access to consultantdirect interventions, and on-going consultant review. These have been described by the Department of Heath as “reforms that will save lives.” However, the Emergency Medicine Journal’s study fails to ascertain any correlation between their implementation and the consistently elevated weekend death rates. Dr Rachel Meacock from The
University of Manchester centre for Health Economics has stated that the NHS has rushed to fix a perceived problem that it does not fully understand. She pointed towards the lack of evidence suggesting an existent link between mortality rates and lack of extra service provisions for the weekend. Indeed, previous research indicated that the higher mortality rates on the weekends are mainly due to the patients admitted at the time being sicker. The findings have raised concerns over the fiscal management of the NHS. The failed policy is believed to have caused up to £1.4 billion to be miss-allocated during a time of uncertainty in regards to government funding. Professor Matt Sutton from The University of Manchester centre for Health Economics believes that reforms involving the imposition of blanket standards on doctors at certain times will limit the ability to prioritise certain patients, whom according to professional judgement may be in more direct need compared to others. Ultimately he believes this has the potential to result in more harm for other patients.
People & Planet University League sees Manchester Metropolitan University ranked first in sustainability practices Aliya Ismangil Science and Technology Editor
Now in its tenth year, the league table ranks scored 154 universities, awarding them a First class degree, 2:1, 2:2, Third, or Fail. These scores were based on criteria like environmental policy, performances in carbon reduction, recycling and more. Results were released on Tuesday the 14th of November, and it’s part of a bigger campaign by People & Planet, a student-led network which aims to “end world poverty, defend human rights, and protect the environment”. Hannah Smith, co-director of research and campaigns at People & Planet, says “The league table was a eureka moment; universities love rankings, and finally we would produce one led by students! By 2010 it was clear that this was going to be a gamechanger.” Manchester Metropolitan University came out on top with a score of 77.6 per cent — a university which sees green practices like electric car hire scheme, desktop recycling bins, and water re-use on campus. Education for sustainable development is also being introduced into all of the university’s courses. “We had clear aims: to make transparent the sustainable development of publicly funded
universities,” Smith adds, “to create competition in the sector that would drive environmental and ethical performance, and to empower students and prospective students with the understanding of whether and how an institution was taking responsibility.” Newer universities dominate the ‘First class’ category, Russell groups, in comparison, trail behind. The University of Oxford rank 54th, whilst the University of Cambridge holds 58th position. The University of Manchester come in at 71 overall, with a total score of 39.1%, despite being the first university in the world to be named a ‘Carbon Literate Organisation’. Last year, the university launched the ‘10,000 Actions’ campaign following the success of first-year students’ participation in ‘Ethical Grand Challenge’, encouraging staff to act more sustainably. There is a substantial improvement across all universities since the first league table ten years ago. 85 universities now recycle more than half their waste, compared to only five in 2007. “The number of universities employing environment staff doubled and in 2013 we celebrated a milestone — 100 per cent of all universities had finally set policy on their environmental impacts.” Smith says, “Our table has consistently and unashamedly held universities to account over the last decade”.
Around the world this week... Felix Hanif-Banks reports on one key story:
‘A done deal’ – Mugabe’s fate is sealed as Zimbabweans wait in hope A n overnight coup in Zimbabwe has left citizens in a state of confusion surrounding their country’s government, as President Robert Mugabe has been deposed. Mugabe has been reported to be “safe” by South African President Jacob Zuma, but the future of the country’s leadership remains uncertain. It is so far clear that a transitional government will take charge, includes opposition leaders as well as key military figures. Morgan Tsvangiri, the leader of the Movement for Democratic Change party, returned to the country on Wednesday following cancer treatment abroad to conduct talks with the military. There are reports from sources close to Tsvangiri that talks were concluded quickly and are already “a done deal”, but it remains to be seen how all relevant parties will act going forward. I n
response to Wednesday’s events, independent MP Temba Mliswa described it as a “timely intervention by the military” and “constitutional”, a claim supported by a Zimbabwean legislator. The coup seems to be widely supported, as tensions grew in Zimbabwe over the increasing influence of First Lady Grace Mugabe, who Mliswa said caused instability after “usurping powers from the president”, while the Secretary-General of Zimbabwe’s War Veterans Association, Victor Matemadanda also called for the removal of President Mugabe. Solving instability appears to be the chief aim of the military forces currently. Zimbabwe’s Chief of Staff Logistics, Major General SB Moyo announced via the state-run Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation they are “only targeting criminals around [Mugabe] who are committing crimes that are causing social and economic suffering in the country in order to bring them to justice.” Moyo goes on to state that “as soon as we have accomplished our mission, we expect that the situation will return to normalcy.” Clearly, no promises are being made at this point by Moyo or any other prominent figures, but the popularity of this seemingly radical action is a positive sign. Moyo also touched on in his
statement t h e obstructions to the judiciary and legislature of Zimbabwe under Mugabe, describing their freedom as “paramount.” Following a rousing statement that invokes support from all areas of Zimbabwean society, it seems possible that moving forward Moyo, Tsvangiri, or whoever ends up leading the transitional government can help the country progress in a productive manner, with minimal bloodshed in the process. Whatever the exact outcome of this coup, it has inspired hope amongst people all across Zimbabwe, from intelligence officers to veterans and especially the country’s youth, as many youth groups have met the news of change with applause, as they see a brighter future ahead for their nation.
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Photo: everythingscatter @Flickr
Following a recent surge in crime in Fallowfield which has led to subsequent statements from the Greater Manchester Police as well as UoM’s student union, Max Brimelow talks to a victim threatened at gun point in the area about the horrific ordeal Greater Manchester Police have this week launched an amnesty, allowing anyone in possession of a firearm to hand it into the authorities anonymously and without consequence, in a drive to make the city’s streets safer. It is part of the wider ‘Give Up The Gun’ initiative taking place nationwide. Chief Superintendent Mary Doyle, in charge of the crime and forensic services division, urged the public that guns on the street are something to be concerned with. She pointed out that far from affecting just those most closely linked to gang crime and feuds, innocent members of the public have also been caught in the crossfire in recent years. Doyle told Manchester Evening News: “It’s worrying because we know the damage firearms cause and it’s not always the person who’s targeted who gets shot. We’ve had incidents whereby innocent children have been caught in the crossfire. I think it would be naive to say don’t worry.” The scheme was backed by Halton McCollin Sr., whose son was gunned down at a Stretford takeaway in 2008 in a case of mistaken identity. His killer remains unidentified. In 2015, Jayne Hickey and her seven year-old son Christian were shot dead on the porch of their Eccles home in an incident related to gang warfare. The amnesty comes just 18 months after the last, in which 221 guns were handed into GMP. Whilst Doyle admitted that she didn’t realistically expect the most serious criminals to hand in their firearms, she asserted that any measure to take guns off the streets was in the greater public interest. The announcement follows the release of Home Office statistics in October suggesting that crime in Greater Manchester in the year July 2016 – June 2017 rose by 31 percent. In particular, violence against a person rose 46 percent, sexual offences climbed 31 percent, burglary increased by 14 per-
cent and robbery was up 53 percent on the year before. In recent weeks there has been particular concern for student safety in the notoriously under-policed Fallowfield area. A petition entitled ‘Greater Manchester Police and Andy Burnham: help us to make Fallowfield safe for students!’ was signed by 9,638 people, signalling that years of frustration at the city’s neglect for student wellbeing may be coming to a point. In lieu of police action, the Students’ Union recently announced plans for its ‘Night Owl’ scheme, whereby student volunteers, trained in self-defence, will patrol the streets in student residential areas and chaperone the most vulnerable. However, the proposal came under criticism from those sceptical of volunteers’ ability to protect against severe violent crime – a criticism thrown into stark relief by Chief Supt Doyle’s announcement.
“ I sat in Shell for half an hour shell-shocked on the phone to the police. I have had PTSD and still have nightmares from time to time” Students’ Union Communities Officer, Jack Houghton, previously spoke to the Mancunion in defence of the Night Owl scheme, saying it “has worked really well at other Universities” and that it is “not supposed to be reactive and therefore will avoid putting [volunteers] in direct danger.” Sadly, gun crime is an all-too real danger in Fallowfield. One student, who wishes to remain anonymous, exclusively
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Manchester Sleep Out with Lib Dem councillor John Leech
Student gun-attack victim speaks out on Manchester Police gun amnesty
Max Brimelow Contributor
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told the Mancunion about an incident that occurred in his second year: “I was walking through Fallowfield at about 11 o’clock at night on a Sunday. As I got to the intersection of Amherst, Brook and Clifton someone cycled past me, dropped their bike and pulled a gun on me about three inches from my face and shouted what I could only understand as, ‘phone and money’.” “He was dressed in black with a hood up. It wasn’t underneath a lamppost and the lighting wasn’t great, I can no longer remember what he looks like or many details at all. My only reaction was to shout, kinda throw a punch, and run to Shell as fast as I could. I sat in Shell for half an hour shellshocked on the phone to the police. I have had PTSD and still have nightmares from time to time.” “There was no way of knowing if the gun was loaded or even real, but the fear factor was there. And that’s the most traumatising part, how you are utterly helpless in that situation. Luckily I wasn’t harmed: A slight ego bruise and months of insomnia, yes, but if I had I may look back on it differently.” The student in question was not optimistic about the Police’s ability to prevent such attacks: “Realistically, as far as prevention, there isn’t a lot that can be done in my opinion. Unless you have a member of the police on every street every night from ten to four in the morning , nothing will change.” He postulated: “Patrols are another option, but they aren’t a sure-fire way of preventing or reducing crime. Security cameras are an option, but they are expensive.” Ultimately, he said, the crux of the issue is cost, and the GMP just does not have the funds. Speaking on the gun amnesty, he commented: “I agree with it, and I have said multiple times that this should be an option open to not just guns. It won’t solve the problem as people will be able to get more guns, but it’s a start.”
This years Manchester Sleep Out raised £90,000 for the homeless. Jacob Rawling talks to Lib Dem councillor John Leech about his participation in the annual event that seeks to raise money and awareness for the city’s ever growing vulnerable population
Jacob Rawling Contributor Over £90,000 was raised on Friday the 10th of November in an organised Sleep Out to help combat the homeless crisis in Manchester. The annual event was organised by the Booth Centre. Attendees of the Manchester Sleep Out were sponsored to sleep rough on the grass of Manchester Cathedral. The aim was to show the challenges and hardships that homeless people face every night, as well as to raise funds to support vulnerable people across Manchester. Over 400 people attended — nearly double the attendance of last year’s event. Students attended in large numbers both years. Last year the Booth Centre, based in Manchester’s Green Quarter, raised £60,000 at the same event. The continuing goal of the Booth Centre is to bring positive changes to the lives of people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. Originally set up in 1995, the charity has over 20 years of experience helping Manchester’s homeless community. They are supported by Comic Relief and have been award large grants from Manchester County Council. One of the 400 rough sleeping volunteers on Friday was Liberal Democrats Councillor John Leech. The former MP for Manchester Withington spoke to the Mancunion about his experience on the night. Mr Leech and his fellow volunteers arrived in the early evening feeling positive and enthused. The night started with a series of speeches in Manchester Cathedral. The CEO of the Booth Centre, Amanda Croome, discussed the charitable works and aims of the organisation. Several homeless people supported by the Booth Centre
discussed their personal experiences of life on the streets. They explained the reality of homeless life in Manchester. A reality that was about to become a lot more tangible, if only for a night, for the assembled volunteers. Before attempting to sleep on the Manchester Cathedral grounds, the rough sleeping volunteers were serenaded by Streetwise Opera performers, comprised of people with experience of homelessness from across Manchester. The positive start to the night was washed away by a classic Mancunian downpour. Mr Leech recounted the mistake of forgetting his umbrella, a necessity for staying dry for rough sleepers. Volunteers were on hand to provide a ‘life-saver’ in the form of a small umbrella, allowing Mr Leech to stay relatively dry. Sadly, as many citizens of Manchester are aware, an umbrella is not enough to keep out the rain. Mr Leech found it ‘impossible to get any sleep whatsoever’ because of how wet, miserable and cold the weather was. He went on to say that ‘tomorrow night I will be back under a roof and in my bed - that, however, is not the reality for anyone else sleeping on the streets of our city tonight.’ A sentiment likely shared by everyone at the Manchester Sleep Out. The Streetwise Opera performers that started the night is just one example of the support work that the Booth Centre provides for Manchester’s vulnerable people. Providing structure and a creative outlet for vulnerable people is a method of managing their mental health and social needs. Arts programmes have been found to be very effective in increasing the long-term well-being of at-risk people. Last year the Booth Centre committed over £200k
Photo: Paul Crudgington
of funds to Arts programmes for vulnerable people. Local Authorities also provide support for vulnerable people. However, who is classified as a vulnerable person is a topic of controversy. Mr Leech told the Mancunion the struggle of an elderly man who was at risk of becoming homeless. The gentleman was living off of savings after returning from living abroad for several years. Whilst waiting for the first payments of his state pension the man’s savings were exhausted. The local man had no money to support his housing costs and was on the verge of becoming homeless. The man asked for help from the Local Authorities, who responded that they ‘did not have to provide him accommodation.’ The man did not meet the eligibility criteria for support as a vulnerable
person – despite the impending homelessness. Therefore, the Local Authorities could only offer advice. Mr Leech provided the man with a place to stay and calls for the Local Authorities to ‘change their policies in terms of vulnerability’ in order to provide a stronger safety net for local citizens. Although Local Authorities cannot provide early intervention in all cases, such as this pensioner, it is a priority for Manchester City Council (MCC). Early action for at-risk people is a top priority of MCC’s Homelessness Strategy. They are also working on evidence-based approaches for early interventions. Funding has also been awarded by the council to local charities partners, such as the Booth Centre.
Photo: the LGBT Foundation
The Manchester Marrow Charity Ball
Manchester Marrow is a UoM based branch of stem cell donation charity Anthony Nolan. Volunteer Joseph Brammer talks us through the Manchester Marrow Ball this Christmas, an event aimed to raise money for the worthy cause Joesph Brammer Contributor Every day, Anthony Nolan matches incredible individuals willing to donate their stem cells to patients with blood cancers and blood disorders who desperately need lifesaving transplants. Manchester Marrow is an off Branch of Anthony Nolan, based on campus it seeks to raise funds and awareness of the charity. As such, myself (Joseph Brammer), and Indy Burgess, and members of Marrow are organising a charity ball for students in support of Anthony Nolan. This cause is close to my own heart. After donating myself this March, I have come to realise how easy stem cell donation is and how many lives it can save. The process is painless, it’s really no different to giving blood, except a little longer. Additionally, being on the register is a really rewarding experience, you have the opportunity to literally save someone’s life. For those students living in the Fallowfield area, there are currently 1136 registered stem cell donors in Gorton, Manchester, which is fantastic – these potential lifesavers give patients a second chance when all other treatment options have failed. However, with one in eight people across the UK failing to find a match, there’s clearly more that needs to be done to get donors to come forward.
LGBT Confidence Conference with Claudia Carvell Following the LGBT Confidence Conference held by the LGBT Foundation, Ellie Tivey talks to women’s officer Claudia Carvel about making the intrinsically political and social LGBT experience that bit safer, brighter and more powerful
This is where the Manchester Marrow ball comes in. It gives the opportunity for students to sign up to the register, raise money for Anthony Nolan, all whilst having a great time in the process. The ball is open to anyone, and if there are any societies out there looking for a Christmas event, they are welcome to come along. Tickets are priced at £25, however this can be reduced if you use the Circle app. With your ticket you will receive a two course meal, a bottle of wine per table, the Prosecco tower (a free glass of Prosecco for each person), discounted drinks and DJ entertainment all evening long.
“This ball...gives the opportunity for students to sign up to the register, raise money for Anthony Nolan, all whilst having a great time in the process.” The ball will be celebrating the Christmas season in style with a Great Gatsby theme! There will be tables of seven to ten. You
Ellie Tivey Contributor
Photo: The Manchester Marrow Ball
will need to message Joseph Brammer or Indy Burgess on Facebook the names of your group for a table. Additionally, please let us know if you have any dietary requirements! We also hope to have some exciting guest speakers that will be confirmed soon. If you’re hoping to save £5 on your ticket, the Circle app may be for you. If you’ve not used the app before, downloading it through our event link, and then using it to buy your ticket will provide you with £5 free — making your ticket only £20. More importantly, for every person who does this, the Anthony Nolan charity will re-
ceive £5! Circle aims to enable students to transfer cash from their mobile, instantly and securely. Friend owes you money from that last grocery shop? Always buying the rounds and never being paid back? Hassle over paying back your housemate for bills? Worry no more - Circle removes the stress from any money situation with friends. If you would like to attend the ball, or for more details of the occasion and Anthony Nolan, simply search UoM: Charity Christmas Ball on Facebook.
Situated in the centre of Manchester’s Gay Village is 5 Richmond Street. Inside lies the bustling hub of the local charity, The LGBT Foundation (LGBT-F). Sitting in the waiting room, it was impossible to not notice the sense of inclusion, kindness, and passion surrounding LGBT people and issues. This week, I spoke with the LGBT-F Women’s Officer, Claudia Carvell. Having recently held The Confidence Conference, whilst spearheading the Women’s Department’s reformation within the charity, I was keen to ask what Claudia had to say about the work that the charity had done for women in Manchester. As Carvell stipulated, the LGBT-F is a “local charity with a national reach”. It’s core services focus on a range of health and well-being issues, with separate departments focusing explicitly on issues facing trans, bisexual, gay, and lesbian people, to name but a few. Having been working at the charity during its name change from The Lesbian and Gay Foundation (LGF), to the LGBT Foundation, I wanted to ask Carvell what effects this has had on the charity’s reach and work. “It’s made a massive difference to the visibility and representation of trans people across our organisation,” she said, “It’s not that we didn’t support these people before, it’s that this was our first visible step towards increased inclusion.” Such inclusion was evident also from her recent event, The Confidence Conference. The website of which explicitly expressed how all women were welcome to attend, such as:
“Women of colour, older women, disabled and neurodivergent women, trans women and non-binary people.” I asked her how important it was that these women were specifically named. “The Women’s programme here had its funding stopped in November last year,” she replied. They needed to assess what had been missing from their events and work and rectify it in order to regain support. After research, Carvell found that three demographics were under-represented at the previous women’s events: trans women, older women and women of colour. “One of the tricks that a lot of people miss is it’s not enough to say LGBT, you see LGBT and your mind will always go to the most privileged, visible groups within that. If you say explicitly, this service is inclusive of trans women, bi women, women of colour, they will start to see themselves in that space.” The event itself was a launch for what Carvell called “The Confidence Movement of 2017/2018”. Its focus was encouraging lesbian, bi, and trans women to “access social networks that were already there and form new ones”. Beginning with a fair featuring local groups and clubs who are open and welcoming to LGBT women, the event went on to feature talks from comedian Kerry Hall and drag queen Lydia ‘Dick Slick’. The event culminated in workshops on how to make friends, aimed at more neurodivergent, socially anxious people, and how to set up social groups. All of which in aid of encouraging women to “get out there and be your best self”. “Confidence doesn’t sound like an urgent issue,” Carvell said, “but it’s something that everybody deals with, and it can impact lesbian,
trans, and bisexual women in ways that it don’t affect others.” In previous campaigns, the LGBT-F has headed straight for more ‘urgent’ issues such as mental and sexual health etc. “Now those resources exist,” she informs me, “we can focus on the confidence issue that encompasses them all.” An example she referenced was the act of coming out to friends and family. “That’s something that can impact your access to healthcare and social networks,” the Women’s branch of the LGBT-F is focusing on confidence to ensure this process is as easy as possible for each woman undertaking it. This work is visible in their LGBT-F YouTube vlog series. Named: ‘Coming Out Where We Want, When We Want’, it provides “an empowering platform for lesbian and bi women to talk about their experiences and be heard.” Just as her Confidence Conference focused on including all of the wide range of peoples you can find within the category of LGBT women, the series aims to display how coming out is different for everyone, making women feel more comfortable in their own narrative and highlighting that they are not alone. The future of the Confidence Movement looks bright. Featuring radio takeovers on local stations over the next few months, a monthly skills workshop provided for LGBT women, and their thriving meetup.com account which has already helped hundreds of LGBT women gain friends and confidence in social situations. Check out their website at lgbt.foundation, email them at: women@lgbtfoundation.com and, as Carvell emphasized, if you want to get involved then get in touch and volunteer!
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Do you know what goes on in the Stopford Building?
Photo: Reddit
Animal rights is often a divisive issue where people benefit from treading carefully and thoughtfully. However, it is difficult to avoid being reactionary when one reads about the animal testing that happens no more than a block or two away from the student union building. The sheer scale is shocking — multiple studies that require the lives of hundreds or even thousands of lab animals over the course of a few years all happening simultaneously, resulting in an average animal mortality rate of 500 per day. The severity of suffering is several leagues above what many of us are exposed to — the infliction of burns, the inducement of heart failure, parasites that induce side-effects of fevers, inflammation, and open sores. I want to be clear. I believe that the UK has some of the most comprehensive and well-enforced
Photo: Pit Yacker via Wikimedia Commons
regulations on animal testing, at least within university research communities. All University of Manchester researchers operate under strict frameworks that require the number of animals used and the pain they undergo to be minimised as much as possible after they justify why they cannot replace animals with in-vitro methods. Researchers are also required to take examinations that test their understanding of animal welfare law and philosophical ethics beforehand. In the lab, their research is continuously monitored by a licensed supervisor and an on-site vet. But herein lies the problem: I did not know about any of these regulations, and I do not believe many of us know about them either. When talking to people from varied backgrounds, I found myself becoming increasingly agitated for reasons I did not quite understand.
Is it okay that many of us don’t comprehend the costs of animal testing?
Though I came from a position of complete ignorance about the type of research that went on, I was distressed when individuals seemed to be even remotely apathetic to the issue — even if their intellectual understanding of Manchester’s animal testing far outweighed mine. My reaction was only exacerbated for people who were unaware but also emotionally indifferent to it. It was only later that I realised that my response betrayed a bizarre moral burden I implicitly placed on people. Independent of their principle beliefs about the ethics of animal testing, they needed to be emotionally invested in the issue in some sort of way. In other words, I wanted people to feel bad about animal testing even if I, like many people, believe that animal testing plays an often underplayed and significant role in scientific research. And so originates the core question of this article. Does there exist a moral obligation to acknowledge the costs of animal testing, which we benefit from every day, in a way that is non-trivial? Many of us would rather not engage with the thought of animal suffering. It is not only viscerally unpleasant, but it’s incredibly difficult to reconcile with the moral frameworks that we live our lives with on a day-to-day basis. For the vast majority of us, it is convenient to ignore the very real costs for our everyday comforts, ranging from effective antibiotics to delicious food that came directly from the mass slaughter of animals. Any engagement we have with the subject tends to be glancing, a spare thought once every couple of months, a brief vegan phase etc. The disaffection of normal people concerning animal welfare is also intensified by the polarisation of animal rights activism that isn’t necessari-
Opinion Editor Jacklin Kwan ly reflective of majority opinion. Mainstream media often paints animal rights activism with an extremist brush though most of activism is probably moderate (e.g. writing to your MP, volunteering at a dog shelter). But the views that are often the most visible vocalise some uncomfortable opinions. Inflicting any sort of harm on animals for whatever reason has the same moral gravitas as torture or murder. Due to this, a lot of public discourse and normative values about animal welfare has been stunted by moral absolutism, allowing a lot of us to get away with treating the subject with frivolity. This is the moral objection of this article. Society does not take animal suffering very seriously even if it directly contributes to the quality of life we are able to achieve. Even if you believe that animals have lower moral statuses than people, the fact that we use them as a means to achieve an end necessitates that we invest ourselves in the subject to some extent. The fact there hasn’t been an expectation that we do so has had real consequences. One of them is that many of us aren’t unaware about the testing that goes on in the Stopford Building, and whether or not the experimentation is even conducted remotely ethically (it is). There are pragmatic benefits to forcing ourselves to care even if it is difficult. It’s much more likely that we inform ourselves of the protections we give to animals — and the ones we don’t. It’s much more likely we make moral decisions based upon that knowledge like changing our consumer choices so that they more accurately reflect what we authentically believe to be right. Perhaps this week’s issue on the Stopford Building can be a start.
Excusing Louis C.K’s actions is a symptom of rape culture’s prevalence in society Fans of Louis CK who excuse his behaviour are a horrible reminder that rape culture is still commonplace, argues Leah Marlow In the light of revelations regarding sexual abuse accusations against Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey, Louis C.K has issued a 500-word statement to verify allegations placed against him by five women, acknowledging his abuse of power and inappropriate behaviour. Many fans were looking forward to the upcoming film released by C.K, “I Love You, Daddy”. One criticism of Louis C.K. parodied the fawning reviews of the film by writing, ‘the comedian spoke up for the marginalised group; male millionaire film stars who like to commit sexual abuse’. However, as with the Weinstein case, this is no new story; rumours of Louis C. K’s inappropriate behaviour towards women have been circulating for years, being so prevalent that it would have difficult to avoid them. This gives rise to questions about how and why Louis C.K was able to get away with this behaviour for so long: the answer lies in rape culture. Louis C.K had immense popularity as a comedian and artist, with many fans admiring and relating to him. The fact that long-standing rumours of sexual abuse never led to any serious scrutiny of the comedian is a problem. These claims did not diminish his strong fan base, nor did they prevent FX Network from streaming his show, ’Louie’, and no comedic event organisers boycotted his stand up. It was not until C.K came forward himself that his management and associate companies cut ties. This shows an unwillingness to accept or acknowledge cases of sexual abuse until the abuser admits fault. In the meantime, it is easier to pretend that the
rumours were indeed just rumours, than it is to acknowledge a favourite comedian or celebrity might be guilty of sexual offence and abuse. For some fans, this can be hard to accept - there have been arguments that his actions were ‘not really abuse’, but just an example of harmless New York banter. This argument makes no sense. If abusing your status of power and cornering a woman forcing her to watch you masturbate isn’t a form of sexual abuse, what is? This defence of CK’s actions is another depressing example of rape culture. Dismissing or allowing for any tolerance of sexual abuse is wrong, particularly when the abuser is able to wield power over the victim. Harvey Weinstein is much easier to depict as a sexual predator, given the overwhelming number of victims who have come forward with allegations of abuse and rape. This seems harder to acknowledge for C.K fans. Some have responded the allegations, expressing relief that CK hasn’t been accused of rape, downplaying the emotional trauma his victims have experienced. Other fans have excused CK’s behaviour on the grounds that it is not as disgraceful as Weinstein or Spacey’s behaviour, speculating that CK was ‘lonely and desperate’, as if this makes his behaviour rational or acceptable. There have been attempts to redeem CK on the grounds he acknowledged ‘the stories were true’ in his statement release, making his actions better than that of Weinstein or Spacey. However, it is apparent CK himself fails to understand the seriousness of what he did; according
Photo: Zff2012 @ Wikimedia Commons
to one of his accusers, he apologized for asking to masturbate in front of her, saying that he “used to misread people back then” – this implies CK believed his behaviour to be an ill-fated proposition, rather than an act of abuse. We need to accept that the roles played by comedians like Louis C.K in his standup are an extension of their true selves, and that the reason that people find them funny is that they reflect something real about the person playing the role. Their jokes caricature their genuine views about society and culture. The art and the artist are not separate entities, and this is why it is difficult for fans to disown him. To tackle cultural misogyny though, which allows for the glossing over of abuse towards women,
Photo: Flowizm via Wikimedia Commons
it is essential to call out sexual misconduct in the first instance and ensure those who are responsible face the consequences. It’s normal to express disappointment or sadness about Louis C.K – people who enjoy his stand-up will inevitably be upset by his behaviour. It would be odd if people who had previously loved C.K.’s comedy claimed that they weren’t disappointed by the allegations. But it is important to understand that what Louis C.K did constitutes sexual abuse, and that he must be condemned for his behaviour. Celebrities or comedians who have been exposed as sexual abusers must be held accountable for their actions and choices - to excuse them is a privilege they do not deserve.
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ISSUE 9 / 20th NOVEMBER2017 WWW.MANCHETSERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK
Top 5 Best Sax Solos
Live Review
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ment and which keeps with the theme of the 11th studio album released earlier this year “Pollinator”. The band surprisingly opened with one of their biggest hits “One Way or Another” which provoked a huge response from the crowd — something they didn’t always garner as they performed newer material. It was clear to see how comfortable the band was with material both old and new, but also with each other, effortlessly breezing through the set list on top form. At times, perhaps too comfortable with the classics, Harry only performed the bare minimum of effort expected. She did however show an impressive vocal ability throughout, highlighting her incredible talent. The rest of the band complemented one another as each member had their own moment to shine, demonstrating the band’s cohesion as a unit. Despite the band having multiple change-ups throughout their history they were extremely strong and it seemed as if they had been all together since their inception.
Interview: The Rills Music Editors Hannah Brierley and Yasmin Duggal sat down with upcoming Lincoln lads The Rills to talk rough starts, shit jobs and Arctic Monkeys In a cluttered green room at the back of indie bar Jimmy’s NQ, The Rills squeezed into a tiny sofa, spirits sky-high from their electric show which had dazzled with punk swagger, an undertone of politics and an indie camaraderie... Great show guys — we loved it. Can you tell us a bit about how the band got together? Mitch: Well me and Charlie went to secondary school together and he was a drummer at the time and we started a band. Callum was stupid enough to be a guitarist and we said come and play bass for us temporarily, and here we are a few weeks down the line. Then we finished that band and sort of started again when we met Mason, ‘cause he’s a fucking mint drummer. Mason: I’m pretty good. Yeah I met Charlie and Callum at uni in Clapham, and I think it was like the second day, I heard they had a bit of an accent and I thought ‘wow, I’ve never spoken to anyone from Lincoln before!’ So I went over, chatted them up for a bit, and it turned out they needed a drummer. We had our first practice and it was a match made in heaven. Mitch: We’ve had some bad times in the past. We moved to Sheffield before we moved to London, me Charlie and Callum, and stupidly thought it would be really easy, but we worked really horrible jobs. I used to work in the Marks and Spencer fridges at half five in the morning, and Charlie would do the night shift. So we had a few hours in the day where we could get stuff done, but everyone hated each other. Charlie: Just ended up smoking too many wacky cigarettes. So if you were working so much how did you find the time to rehearse? Charlie: We actually found a great space in Sheffield called the Yellow Arch. Arctic Monkeys used to play there. They’d bring beers to your room if you asked nicely. It was alright for practising, we just needed a drummer. We had a few but they were all just jokers. Mitch: Sheffield actually really changed the way we wrote songs. Before it was a bit of an after-school club, we were finding our feet with gigs and we were a bit rubbish. Mason: I feel grateful that I avoided these days. I just came in and it’s all been smart. So you’ve done Manchester, where’s next on the list? Charlie: We’ve got Liverpool lined up. Possibly one in Sheffield. We’re just going to focus on videos and getting songs done. Mitch: We’ve got a couple of songs recorded that are ready to go out.
One of the main highlights was the band covering The Beastie Boys’ ‘(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right’ which caught the audience off guard and raised the atmosphere after they had perhaps lost it somewhat with newer material. At times, the 70’s rock attitude did start to wear thin and obviously the performance didn’t have the same impact it would have garnered back in their hey-day. Although, this exact type of punk rock is what made them so successful. With Harry’s attire they had taken a more modern approach with issues that are clearly very important to them. By the time they finished the main set with ‘Heart of Glass’, the crowd was without a doubt wanting more and left on an extreme high. The band returned for the encore in which Debbie gave thanks to the crowd for their continued support and as they finished with ‘Dreaming’ it was evident that Blondie are as popular as ever and showed no signs of going away anytime soon.
7/10
We recently found a VHS from about 1932... Callum: So we’ve started to just record everything we ever do with that. There’s some right rubbish stuff. Mitch: Last weekend we played the Nambuka for This Feeling. What do you guys want to be remembered for? Mitch: My good looks. Boyish charm. Charlie: The songs obviously. Mason: Being the maddest drummer to come out of this century. You have a kind of early Arctic Monkeys/Libertines sound, so who would you say are your key influences? Mitch: Oh this is a really, really tough one. Give us your top 3. Mitch: I’d definitely say The Beatles, without a doubt. Libertines is definitely one. We sort of found each other through Arctic Monkeys but we’ve made a conscious effort with our music to try and avoid the cliche things they do. A lot of bands who come about nowadays are doing pretty similar things to what they did at the start. Callum: Yeah they stick on an accent and play fast on stage. Mitch: Yeah but we kind of do that. Mason: We were talking earlier in the pub and Mitch was saying usually in music the drums and bass go hand in hand, but we’ve found in
This week in music history If this cold weather is getting a bit too cold for you, go stand in a corner...they’re about 90 degrees. 20th November2005 - Robbie Williams smashed a Guinness World Record by selling more than 1.6 million tickets for his 2006 World Tour in one day.
21st November 2003 - An acoustic guitar which George Harrison learned to play on fetched £276,000 at auction. His father originally bought it for £3.50. 22nd November 1991 - Alice Cooper came to the rescue of two fans;, whose home was about to be re-possessed. Mr Cooper signed autographs to help raise money for the couple.
23rd November - 1991 - Michael Jackson had his fourth UK No.1 single with ‘Black or White’ which featured Slash on guitar.
24th November - 1991 - Freddie Mercury died of complications from aids at his home in London’s Holland park aged 45, just one day after he publicly admitted he was HIV positive. 25th November 2010 - A restaurant were pranked to make 178 pizzas claiming they were for singer Bob Dylan and his crew. Someone with a fake pass for a placed the huge order worth more than $3,900 but no -one
came to pick them up. 26th November 1958 - Johnny Cash made his debut on the US country chart when ‘Cry! Cry! Cry!’ made it to number 14
Photo: Hannah Brierley
our music the drums tend to follow the guitar lead or the vocals, so you get these weird little blemishes. Charlie: We just try and approach indie music differently. We had similar influences but we’ve brought Mason in and it’s like a new dimension to it. Mitch: For the third key influence, it’s not just bands, it’s modern England. The state of Lincoln is like Manchester — there are a lot of homeless people and it’s very dominated by spice. Not that we’re trying really hard to be political, it’s just that things are so obviously there, right in front of you. So what’s on the cards for next year? What’s the first single? Charlie: Depends whether it comes out in December or not. We’ve got two lined up and we’re off to record next month. Mitch: But the title is ‘Us and Them’, if that’s what you were fishing for. That’s probably the one we’ll bring out.
Mason: It’ll make you smile in a time of need. If you could describe your sound visually how would it look? Mitch: Like a clown. Mason: With a tear slowly rolling down. Like the album art of London Calling by The Clash. Mitch: That’s actually an ironic joke of an Elvis album, so probably Elvis — that’s what it looks like. Mason: Sexy and sort of fat towards the end. Finally, what’s with the ‘De Niro’ tattoo on your arm Mitch? Mitch: Oh we’ve all got silly tattoos. Mine’s De Niro. Charlie: Mine’s Elmo, ‘cause everyone called me Elmo when I was younger. Callum: I’ve got one on both arms. ‘Ringo Starr’. I lost a bet on the football when Lincoln had Burnley in the FA Cup. Mason: Now they’ve just got to think of one for me. We can’t wait to see. Thanks for your time lads, and great show tonight. Look out for future gigs and upcoming singles from The Rills.
Album Review: Sam Smith - The Thrill Of It All 83
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Bryan Ferry’s take on this 12-bar-blues classic from 1962, also recorded with its alternate lyrics by Canned Heat (as ‘Let’s Work Together’) features bouncy saxophone throughout, and a toe-tapping solo.
Blondie have had a hugely successful career which has spanned over 40 years and shows no signs of slowly down, a fact fully evident when they performed at the packed Apollo with an audience ranging from young to old. There was a clear sense of the excitement before the band took to the stage which erupted when they came on. They were fronted of course by the iconic Debbie Harry, who arrived on stage sporting a jacket reading “Stop fucking the planet” and a honey bee mask intended as an environmental state-
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Joan of Arc and is a perfect example of the sort of meta-songwriting that gained The Smiths such a cult following. What makes The Queen is Dead so brilliant and so enduring is that it’s as darkly humorous as it is bittersweet; the hyperbolic nature of Morrissey’s lyrics are in line with our own occasional thoughts of grandioseness, making us feel a little less alone, and the excellence of the album’s instrumentals haven’t aged a bit and still serve as musical inspiration for some of the greatest bands of our generation. It’s an emotional titan of an album and if you have not already had the pleasure of listening to it, I implore you to do so as soon as possible.
Better known for the Australian national anthem ‘Down Under’, Men at Work get inside the mind of a paranoid shut-in in this 80’s pop classic.
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the satirical ‘Frankly, Mr. Shankly’, a sharp jab at the music industry, as well as the frankly bizarre yet endearing ‘Vicar in a Tutu’. Yet, nestled comfortably between the more outlandish tracks of the album lie The Queen Is Dead’s more tender songs. The Smiths were never afraid to delve deep in to the pitfalls and agonies of romance. Here they deliver some of their most poignant material. Tracks such as ‘I Know It’s Over’ and fan favourite of the forlorn teenager ‘There is a Light That Never Goes Out’, both detail the emotional passion that songwriters today can only dream of achieving. There exists a strange comfort to be found within Morrissey’s harrowing lyricisms. “To die by your side, is such a heavenly way to die” is macabre as it is moving, the melodramatic nature of his words capturing the very essence of unrequited love in all of its desperation. Elsewhere, on the equally as heartfelt ‘I Know It’s Over’, are themes of isolation and loneliness with lines such as “If you’re so funny, then why are you on your own tonight?” The instrumentals for these melancholic songs complement the sombre vocals absolutely flawlessly, and it’s almost impossible not to be moved by the swelling crescendo of agony and heartbreak that these songs so effortlessly convey. Meanwhile, Marr gets to work at presenting some of his most sophisticated performances on the album, with the furious ‘Bigmouth Strikes Again’. It’s yet another fast-paced attack on the media, in which the frontman Morrissey likens himself to martyr
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Jake Oliver re-examines why The Queen Is Dead is still the prized jewel in The Smith’s crown
This twice gold-certified mega-hit from Scottish songwriter Gerry Rafferty started what is known as the “Baker Street Phenomenon” — after the song’s explosive rise to popularity, there was a massive surge in saxophone sales.
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next year is not to be missed. With a catalogue full of global hits, fans can expect recent singles ‘Wall of Glass’ and ‘For What It’s Worth’ as well as the Oasis classics such as ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Star’ and ‘Wonderwall’ to provide huge sing-along moments that will add to Manchester’s already iconic history. With a full supporting, exciting line-up still to be announced, the special one-day event will take place on Saturday 18th August 2018, which has hosted landmark nights of music including the record-breaking One Love Manchester. This is guaranteed to be the stand out rock show of the summer. So come on, roll with it, but DON’T take your time. Make sure you’ve set your alarm for 9 am Friday, 24th of November, But make sure you set it a bit early if you need a little time to wake up...wake up. (Sorry I’ll stop.)
Record Reappraisal: The Smiths - The Queen is Dead There are very few albums that are capable of standing the test of time and are able to leave a lasting legacy, but The Smiths’ third outing, The Queen Is Dead, refuses to be one of them. Released in 1986 during a whirlwind time in the band’s history, the album was met with high praise from fans and critics alike. Now just over thirty years later, The Queen Is Dead has been rereleased and remastered – but does it still pack the same punch? In a word, yes. Drummer Mike Joyce propels us in to the titular opener, quickly accompanied by guitarist Johnny Marr’s jaunty riff and bassist Andy Rourke’s funky rhythmic beat. It’s an entirely hypnotic invitation to the album. The musical production throughout really sees the band performing at their peak, delivering sharp, punk-infused vibes at its most bombastic, and solemn slow-jams at its most vulnerable; a multitude of styles that seems to echo the turbulence in Britain during the mid-eighties as a shifting political and ideological landscape. Morrissey’s disdain for the establishment and the royal family within the lyrics are aloof, yes, but that is what makes it so thoroughly entertaining. As a band that lead the charge against convention, The Queen Is Dead subverts the monarchy and the mainstream, pulling them from their lofty heights in to a more corrupt (and potentially more accurate) portrayal of society — a rather refreshing perspective that is just as relevant today in our post-Brexit, politically twisted world as it was back in 1986. This witty and ever-cynical tone is one that remerges again in
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For those of you who are still waiting for that Oasis reunion, you might still be waiting a while. But in the meantime why don’t you see 50 per cent of the iconic manc twosome (arguably the better half, but I’ll let you decide). It has just been announced that rock n’ roll icon and our kid, Liam Gallagher is coming back home to play a huge special performance at Emirates Lancashire Cricket Club in Manchester. As we already know all too well he is one of the most recognised figures in British music, his show will be an attitude-filled performance (and hopefully a few potato peelers too) fuelled with tracks from his acclaimed debut solo No.1 album As You Were. Tickets for this unmissable show will go on sale on 9am Friday 24th November. Coming from the suburbs of Manchester and now releasing one of the biggest albums of 2017, Liam Gallagher very own homecoming
Ask anyone to name “the saxophone song” and this is what they will say. The song has gone on to be covered by countless artists, and served as inspiration and material for the YouTube classic Sexy Sax Man.
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Liam Gallagher impression, zipping up his jacket and holding his hands behind his back as he sang the first few lines of Undone before a shortened cover of I Took a Pill in Ibiza that provided a calming segue into Island in the Sun. The four-piece rounded out the gig with a feast of energy as they played Hashpipe, Beverley Hills (during which the frontman donned the now customary sombrero) and Say It Ain’t So. After such an animated show, it’s no surprise the crowd quickly called on the group for an encore and they did not disappoint. Coming back out with a powerful performance of Buddy Holly which had even those in the seats up and moving, Weezer sent the Manchester public home more than happy and, thanks to some canons, covered in confetti. Fans will be pleased to hear that, despite their age, Weezer still know how to put on a proper rock show and, as they announced on Wednesday evening, they are now planning to make the UK a regular fixture in their yearly tour dates.
Liam Gallagher Announces Home-Coming Show!
Saturday 11th November, O2 Apollo
afferty
Weezer still know how to put on a good rock show, says contributor, Chris Drew
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Touring with an unreleased album always carries an element of risk for a group, especially when their previous material is so well-loved. Weezer’s visit to Manchester was a clear demonstration of how it can be done well. Rivers and co have a back-catalogue of hit-laden albums from which to draw, and the hardest decision must be which tracks to leave out of a gig. This is no more evident than when you consider two of their early songs at the Apollo (The World Has Turned and Left Me Here & In The Garage) hadn’t been played live since 2015. Perhaps unsurprisingly, tracks from the group’s debut The Blue Album featured most heavily throughout the set alongside a handful from most of their other releases. It would have been nice to hear a few more tracks from The Red Album but nobody can deny they packed a lot into their set. It wasn’t until the midpoint of the gig when they played songs from their new release Pacific Daydream but the assembled fans’ energy didn’t abate, a real seal of approval for their new material, as they sang back the lyrics to Thank God for Girls and Happy Hour. Shortly afterward, Rivers Cuomo impressed the crowd with his humorous
Smiths, and Oasis as some of his inspirations. They dedicate ‘Be Still’ to the victims of the Arena bomb attack; it is a spine tingling and poignant moment as the arena fills with phone lights. The Killers hail from Las Vegas and this is certainly reflected in the glitz of their show. The visuals are stunning, ranging from neon cowboys during ‘The Man’ to theatrical slow-mo running sequences taken from the music video of ‘Run for Cover’. There is plenty of confetti, sequinned backing singers and even a
h is
Rewind
Live Review: Blondie
Joe Hissey reviews the magical comeback of shimmering 70’s punk
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Live: Weezer
Photo: Rob Loud
costume change: Flowers dons a gloriously tacky gold suit and aviator sunglasses towards the end of the set. The band also brings out old crowd favourites such as ‘Smile Like You Mean It’, ‘Human’ and stampeding hit ‘Somebody Told Me’, which has the crowd fist pumping along. Songs from their second album Sam’s Town also get a good airing and the crowd is thrilled by Flowers announcing the re-addition of hard hitting tune ‘This River is Wild’ to the set list, a decision they made after playing the album in full in Las Vegas on its 10th anniversary last year. They inevitably finish the set with classic indie club banger ‘Mr Brightside’ (my life ambition to see it live has been fulfilled). Predictably, the audience sings every word effortlessly. It has aged well, and will continue to in the future, just as I am sure that Brandon Flowers and The Killers will continue to go from strength to strength: I can’t wait for album six to arrive.
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Monday 13th November, Manchester Arena The Killers’ long awaited return to Manchester has come and the Arena is rammed full of eager fans of all ages for the first of their two tour dates here. The set starts with the rumbling bass of ‘Wonderful Wonderful’, the title track of their newest album. Storm clouds gather on the big screens as Brandon Flowers joins the band on stage, immediately having the full attention and total command of the crowd as he croons the lyrics– “I will give thee great cause to rejoice.” This is followed by another new song ‘The Man’, a groovy and swaggering number with arrogant lyrics that bring out Flowers’ charisma and charm. He is a remarkable frontman, radiating energy throughout the fast paced two hour set and singing in a way that makes the audience feel like he is addressing them personally. Despite this, his humility shines through as he thanks the crowd and tells them that “true nobility is being superior to your former self.” The band pays tribute to Manchester, their ‘musical home’ as Flowers cites New Order, Joy Division, The
Live Review
The Killers bring some Las Vagas glitz to Manchester Arena, by Music Contributor, Callum Lunn writes Alice Berkeley
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Live Review: The Killers
Music 13
ISSUE 9 / 20th NOVEMBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK
The only entry on this list from this millennium and the lead single from their sixth album, M83’s ‘Midnight City’ combines a great retro feel with a catchy — if screechy — hook, and ties it all together with some subtle sax.
Photo: Album Artwork
Although full of modest production and slow pace, Sam Smith’s sophomore album The Thrill of It All still manages to deliver the soulful vocals and powerful delivery that fans fell in love with after the release of his first effort In the Lonely Hour. Perhaps what is most notable upon the album’s release is its lack of tracks with potential radio airplay. Of course, the lead single ‘Too Good at Goodbyes’ had notable success after topping the UK chart back in September, yet in comparison to the colossal hit ‘Stay with Me’, the single hasn’t seen half as much global impact. But for Smith, this doesn’t seem to be such a concern with The Thrill of It All. For the most part, the album offers a more mature, cohesive sound for the Grammy-winning singer that puts less focus on the single but more on the project as a whole.
Having said this, there are moments where Smith narrowly escapes the repetitive and almost tedious traps that are so easy to fall into with his musical style. With tracks such as ‘Nothing Left For You’, Smith almost slips into the same melody that we saw in his 007 track ‘Writings On The Wall’ which, although still good, becomes a little tiresome. Nevertheless, the saving grace of this album lies within tracks such as the promotional single ‘Pray’. With the unlikely influence of hip-hop producer Timbaland, the pair managed to create the gospel-inspired track which is a definite highlight of the album, as we see the singer expressing his belief in religion or lack thereof. A common theme throughout The Thrill of It All sees Smith tackle his faith with his sexuality, and ‘Him’ is an unambiguous example of this. With the title itself a nod
A less commercial approach to his sophomore album, but does it pay off? Charlie Maudsley reviews to spiritual hymns, it only seems fitting that the song incorporates a mounting gospel choir as (perhaps controversially, bearing in mind the religious undertones of the song) the singer confesses his love for another man. Generally speaking, Sam Smith has created a well-rounded, cohesive album with The Thrill of It All. Admittedly, a handful of songs are in danger of being a little too similar, but his undeniably powerful voice and soulful delivery give Smith a well-earned pass.
7/10
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Music
Interview: Lewis Capaldi Lewis Capaldi chats to Deputy Music Edtior, Yasmin Duggal about his rocket to success, an upcoming tour, and doing things at his pace With his first UK headline tour completely sold out and a second well on the way, Scottish newcomer Lewis Capaldi is certainly impressive for a new artist, especially one who has only put two tracks online to date. ‘Bruises’ and ‘Lost On You’ have amassed a staggering 35 million streams globally, with both tracks demonstrating a mature understanding of classic song writing, whilst Lewis’s captivating vocal keeps things distinctly contemporary. Not bad for a 21 year old who only left college and wrote ‘Bruises’ a year ago.
Photo: Press Shot (APB)
Could you give a quick introduction to yourself? My name is Lewis Capaldi, I’m a 21 year old singer from Glasgow. I played my first gig here a few weeks ago, and that was after the release of my first single ‘Bruises’. So has this year been mad for you? Aye, it’s been hectic to say the least. We put the single out not knowing what to expect, thinking it might just get a few plays and stuff. Then I woke up the next morning and it was top of New Music Friday in the US. Ever since then it’s been non-stop and my feet haven’t touched the ground. The last six months have been so fucking fast-paced. August was my first headline show, and literally yesterday I came back off a tour with Rag’n’Bone Man in massive European venues. It’s been such quick exposure. I’ve been gigging for eight years and it feels like all that was a practice run for this. How was supporting Rag’n’Bone Man? How was he? It was class. He’s lovely. I supported him once before in Hamburg back in May, and that was the fucking worst gig of my life. He’s one of the nicest guys I’ve met, but I took my own equipment over and it was a fucking disaster. None of the guitars stayed in tune, I was having issues with the amp and I had to do the last song a-cappella. So that tour has just finished? Yeah I got back home yesterday. I’ve not been home since before Halloween. I’m off to Hong Kong in a few days.
Your headline tour starts soon... Yeah I think it’s the 27th, but it’s going to be pretty hectic from Hong Kong to Milan to Reading to support Jake Bugg and then straight to my own tour. The response to the tour’s been unbelievable. After I got over the initial shock, I wondered if anyone would actually come and see me, so to have sold out this tour is amazing. So who are your biggest musical influences? Paulo Nutini has always been a big one for me, just because he’s from Scotland. I heard Joe Cocker sing a Beatles song and I knew I wanted to sound like him and then I discovered Paulo. Beyond that, my mum and dad got me into Queen, Fleetwood Mac, Elvis from a really young age, and I’m a massive Bob Dylan fan. Lately I’ve been listening a lot to Sia. I totally missed out on her, and I’ve recently got her album. She’s fucking class. I was a proper indie rock kid, but I never listened to proper pop music until I was 18 ‘cause I thought I was too cool. Then I realised I wasn’t cool at all. The EP is available and your tour is nearly here, so what’s next for you? I write songs every single day. I’m working on the next single now for January, and something else for March. I’ve got no plans for an album yet. I still think it’s in the distance a bit. It’s still really early for me, so I’m just writing and recording, so just more of the same. I want every song to be better than the last, and just keep up this momentum and see where it takes me. So are you taking some time off for Christmas? After the UK tour I’m in Holland, and I get back on 22nd December, and then New Year I fly to America for a tour with Milky Chance. Sounds like you’ll be busy! Thanks for chatting to us today. No problem, thanks for taking the time to interview me.
You can catch Lewis Capaldi at Sound Control on 7th December.
Jake Oliver - Music Contributor
RIP - Lil’ Peep.
Rising star of emo rap dies of suspected overdose at just 21 years of age.
Rising star Lil Peep tragically dies at the age of 21 American lo-fi emo rapper Gustav Åhr - better known by his moniker as Lil Peep - passed away last this week on the 15th of November after a suspected overdose whilst completing his tour of the States. This comes just months after the release of his debut album Come Over When You’re Sober, Pt.1, and a plentitude of singles, mixtapes, and collaborations with other artists such as Lil Tracy and contemporary collective GOTHBOICLIQUE. For some of you reading this, you may never have heard of Lil Peep, or have only recently come to know him through these very unfortunate circumstances. Even I myself had only really started listening to his music just weeks before his death, but the fact that I am so deeply saddened by his passing truly speaks volumes about his work. As someone who never really strays too far from the indie rock genre, it was an absolute pleasure to be swept up by Peep’s raw and heartfelt sound. Originating from Long Island, New York, Peep came from a dysfunctional setting. At 18 he moved to Los Angeles and began his venture in to his career. Musically, Peep is a blend of 00s emo with modern day trap beats, with lyrics oozing with millennial tragedy, centered around failing, toxic relationships, mental health and substance abuse. The release of his 2015 mixtape Lil Peep, Part One saw an immediate following develop, and Peep continued to release his genre blending music via Soundcloud. A long time sufferer of depression and anxiety, Peep relied on music as an outlet, channelling his hurt in to his work. The sincerity of Peep’s lyrics are where he really triumphed. He grappled controversial and uncomfortable topics such as drug use and mental health with such easy mastery, that he elicits empathy without even breaking a sweat. Rather than glorifying these negative aspects of himself, Peep managed to humanise them, and presented them in such a digestible way that listeners are able sympathise and relate with his character on an entirely personal level.
Photo: Wiki Commons
that that voice has now been silenced. Peep provided people with a unorthodox beacon of hope. Although his history has been short, the impact he has had is already immeasurable. His death garnered condolences from some of music’s biggest names at the moment — Post Malone, Marshmello, and Diplo — with tracks with a few of these artists in the pipeline, now lost forever. He was destined for superstardom, a position that has been so cruelly pulled out from under his feet. Behind the tatted face and slightly askew aesthetic, Peep was a genuinely gentle and sensitive individual. His position on women’s rights and their treatment within society and the industry, as well as his advocation for LGBTQ rights — he came out as bisexual himself on Twitter — never took a backseat and would always strive to be as inclusive and as open as possible. The music video for his 2017 single Girls demonstrated this, with the inclusion of trans women and women of colour, which was met with high praise from his adoring fan base. The death of Lil Peep means that the world has lost one of its most promising talents of recent times, and the gap he leaves behind is one that won’t be filled with ease. What we can learn from his death is to be vigilant, to look out for our friends and loved ones for signs of unhappiness. In the last few years alone, we have lost so many of our beloved idols due to mental health and the stigma that surrounds being open about our emotions — Robin Williams, Chester Bennington, just to name a few. We must be unified and transparent with others but also ourselves; don’t suffer in silence. What more can I say? I am truly devastated.
It’s so immensely comforting to have artists like Peep who are able to illustrate and vocalise some of our more reserved emotions — it’s largely what attracted the legions of fans to him, and why it is equally so tragic
Rest easy, P
Review: Wolf Alice
Music Contributor, and Photographer, Olivia White says, Wolf Alice return to the stage with a stunning, evocative and undeniably fearless performance.
North-London quartet Wolf Alice returned to the Manchester O2 Apollo with their electric second album Visions of a Life. With support from Birmingham-born Superfood who perfectly prepped the audience with a bold, and yet funky performance playing songs from both their debut Don’t Say That and their second album, also released this year, named Bambino. Also supporting were rock ‘n’ rollers Sunflower Bean who I was greatly impressed by, as I captured influences of Thin Lizzy incorporated within their riffs, plummeting me back into my childhood wannabe 70s phase. From the moment the indie-rock heroes strolled on stage, the crowd erupted with elation as fans that had been waiting well over a year, now finally blessed with the ethereal presence of Ellie Rowsell once again. The air was instantly infused with a peculiar charged, nostalgic warmth and a certain reassurance that the next few hours would be just the mystical distraction you’ve been craving all year. Wolf Alice effortlessly combine the two polarities of delicate harmonies with heavy, rupturing riffs exhibited in ‘St Purple and Green’ and ‘Heavenward’. In fact, despite also being a pretty dominating aspect of ‘My Love is Cool’, ‘Visions of a Life’ takes these defining aspects of their sound to a whole new level. The distortion and spiritual elements within ‘Visions of A Life’ were flawlessly executed as the musical efforts of Theo, Joff and Joel were incredibly tight and cohesive,
painting a canvas for Rowsell to exhibit her compelling vocals. A vintage backdrop of a forest drenched in reds, purples, blues and greens accompanied with glimmering and shimmering white lights proves Wolf Alice certainly did not fall short in any aspect — this aesthetic greatly complimented the artwork of the album. A slow, spinning blanket of the hazy light cast over their performance of the 4th track named ‘Don’t Delete the Kisses’ which, to be cliché, wholeheartedly stole the show with personal lyrics resonating what I consider to be incredibly emotive, particularly for the youthful fans as they tackle adolescence. Given the boundless energy emanated by all four members, you wouldn’t believe they performed a setlist lasting just short of two hours. Consisting not only of new songs but also much-loved classics such as ‘Your Loves Whore’, ‘Lisbon’ and of course, finishing with ‘Giant Peach’. ‘Giant Peach’ was an almost spiritually cleansing experience, invigorating you with self-assurance and vast carelessness. Nothing else mattered when Ellie clambered into the first row of the crowd before screaming and clutching at her fans. From synchronised, the whole body flinches to Ellie’s high-pitched shrieks, every movement, and every sound was performed with conviction and confidence.
For heaven’s sake grab yourself a ticket and/or a copy of ‘Visions of a Life’!
10/10
Photo: Olivia White
Games 14
ISSUE 9 / 20th NOVEMBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK
ISSUE 9 / 20th NOVEMBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK
Opinion Album
Review
EA deserves no praise for lowering microtransaction costs
Nioh
Another Dark Souls clone, or something more?
Chris Glover Chief Games Correspondent
David Uncle Contributer
EA have cut the in-game cost of playable heroes by 75 per cent in Star Wars: Battlefront II. The change comes amidst widespread outrage from fans after realising that in order to obtain the more popular characters like Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader players would face a 40-hour grind — if, that is, they don’t open their wallets to speed things up. People were understandably angered by this anti-consumer implementation of microtransactions, designed for the specific purpose of wearing down players’ willpower with unreasonable in-game costs. Attempting to quell the rage of players in the first few hours of the information surfacing, EA’s community team took to Reddit, arguing in a comment on one thread that the obscene grind is intended to fill players “with a sense of pride and accomplishment for unlocking different heroes”. Pride and accomplishment. That’s their story, and they’re sticking to it. Here’s the thing though — allowing players to simply buy a reward other players have worked for completely devalues that reward. How can a player show off content they earned as a badge of ‘pride and accomplishment’ if there are other players in the lobby who simply dropped £50 on microtransactions for the same result? No, a sense of pride and accomplishment is what you get when you hear that this comment from EA quickly became the most downvoted in Reddit history, with a score of -678,000 at the time of writing. For context, the second most downvoted comment of all time only has -28,000 — and is a specific request asking for downvotes. This record-breaking customer dissatisfaction is of course what triggered the 75 per cent reduction in Hero prices, with Executive Developer of DICE John Wasilcyzk detailing the decision in a blog post labelled ‘Change will be a Constant in Star Wars: Battlefront II’. They’re not lying about this part, at least. Change certainly has been important to Battlefront II — but this is not necessarily a good thing for the consumer. The ‘change’ EA favours is the superficial kind that allows them to dodge controversies to keep their insulting free-to-play microtransaction model in a full-priced game. The kind of change implemented as damage-limitation to carefully manage headlines, steering them from “EA Exploits Players” to “EA Fixes Hero Costs”. We saw this exact same superficial backtracking when players of the beta complained of the pay-to-win loot box mechanics which allowed players to buy game-changing bonuses like extra health or faster cooldowns to give them a tangible advantage over non-paying opponents. In response to the backlash, EA simply made some minor changes like removing the higher-tier bonuses from loot boxes and presented this as a pro-consumer fix. For those doubtful that Battlefront II’s multiplayer is still one built around microtransactions, Star Cards offering player bonuses are still acquired through loot boxes. Meanwhile, blogger ‘STWOR Strategies’ calculated it would take 4,528 hours of gameplay or $2100 dollars of loot boxes to unlock everything. Players are even forced to wait until the next day to earn credits from arcade mode, undoubtedly to force them back into the multiplayer combat specifically designed to encourage loot box purchases. EA has mastered the art of creating something initially so sleazy, so diabolically anti-consumer, that the dialled-back version — though still terrible in its own right — becomes palatable by comparison. So the reduction of hero costs is not the meaningful fix EA would have you believe, but rather a plaster over a gaping wound. Hopefully, the ongoing negativity surrounding the game is evidence of a breaking point for consumer tolerance of predatory microtransactions in videogames. If Battlefront II was EA seeing how far they could push it — they have their answer.
I cut down samurai after samurai, ninja after ninja. My uchigatana is a whirl of death as I spin around, dismembering my unfortunate foes. And then a huge demon walks out of a doorway and kills me with one swing of his axe. This is the more-or-less the Nioh experience at its finest. Nioh is an action-RPG produced by Team Ninja, known for the Xbox classic Ninja Gaiden. You take control of William, an Irishman who finds himself in 1600 Japan to stop the exploitation of a mystical resource called Amrita by Queen Elizabeth I to gain an upper hand in the Anglo-Spanish war. He then becomes a samurai-ninja because… Well, he’s in Japan. Don’t worry if this has left you bewildered; I was and still am fairly perplexed by the story. The story of Nioh isn’t the most coherent and lacks the strong storytelling of the Dark Souls franchise. Indeed, Dark Souls comparisons are all too frequent these days, yet Nioh is quite obviously inspired by FromSoftware’s notoriously hardcore RPG series, so it is fair to say Nioh is a mix between Dark Souls and Ninja Gaiden, which is by no means a bad thing. If
7/10 anything, this game is actually tougher than Dark Souls in some respects. In Nioh, combat, especially against bosses, demands rapid reflexes and patience. In Dark Souls it is possible to tank damage with a shield, and even without you can withstand a handful of hits, whereas in Nioh even the most basic enemies can end your life with two or three hits. While difficult, this results in the combat system being incredibly satisfying when you’re doing well. In fact, Nioh’s combat is what sets it aside from other games. It has a stance system, where you can choose to have fast and weak, medium and balanced or heavy and powerful attacks, and interpreting your enemy’s movements and changing stance appropriately is what makes the combat tick. Furthermore, while similar games have stamina, Nioh has ‘ki’. It acts almost identically to stamina, with the notable exception that if you press a button at the right time following a combo, you instantly regain the spent ki, allowing you to keep attacking. It’s similar to the quick reload feature from the Gears of War franchise. Supplementing the combat system itself
Review
Abi
A stylish mobile game that suffers from a lack of content.
Sarah Johnson Contributer
6/10
Lilith Games, the same individuals behind other mobile games Shooty Skies and Art of Conquest, have recently had the honour of holding the front page title on the App store as Game of the Day for their latest release: Abi. Following the story of Abi and DD, two robots built for different purposes, their adventure towards Metropolis in a post-apocalyptic setting takes them across familiar and yet divergent landscapes, solving puzzles to reach from A to B and learning about the backstories of other robots along the way. Now, in terms of mobile gaming, people have different needs as to what kind of games they are interested in: whether they would like a freemium-type adventure where you dedicate hours and money to level up and connect with an online community, or a simple, repetitive game that they can play in-between lectures. Either way, little attention has been paid to indie games which are narrative driven or stem outside of the freemium structure. It is true that indie games are given a larger platform with game awards such as The Game Awards and BAFTA Game Awards, but in terms of having
Review
Football Manager 2018
a larger community of players, there is a contrast. Taking this into consideration, Abi may just be the game you’re looking for. You start the game as a WALL-E type robot, Abi, falling into an abandoned warehouse and told to explore this new area. Soon joined by DD, you are then taught how to switch characters in terms of function, how to move around your location by tapping on either the left or right-hand side of the screen, and how to interact with objects by tapping on the gear logo that hangs above each object. The way the controls work was already proven to be problematic, especially when playing on phones rather than tablets with a larger screen. Before you learn to use the functions further, immediately you come across your first robot, and it is there that you learn of your quest: to find DD’s friend, a little white bird. From there, you leave through the barred doors and venture outside into the wasteland. From just my first impression of this world, it is apparent that the sound design functions perfectly for this type of game, and accompanies the landscape so beautifully
8.5/10
that you already feel for these characters and their situation. You come across robots that feel the need to stay where they are rather than venture forward, because they feel abandoned or they have nowhere else to go. Despite the repetitiveness of talking to these robots, or solving these puzzles, the locations are sure enough to keep up your interests. There are diners and warehouses, empty homes filled with letters and stories, laboratories with hidden secrets, caves under the Earth piled high with junk-metal and revengeful creatures. Which is why I have just one question: why wasn’t this game longer? The world is so immersive, that by the time you want to explore more, you have reached the end. This game can easily be completed within an hour, and for £2.99 (IOS), this is what truly sets the game back. There is so much material to work with and, if the game is successful enough, maybe a longer sequel will be developed. Either way, if such a game were to be in development, it would get my full support.
Football Manager shakes off last year’s malaise with a strong addition to the series
Jeremy Bijl Games Editor
Football Manager 2018 released last week with all its usual accompanying social-media hype: videos of men leaving their wives on the altar to play, memes of partners complaining bitterly about its inception, and images of managers suited up in their bedrooms ready for an F.A. cup final. But does Football Manager live up to its reputation of a socially sanctioned time-sink this year? Having already sunk a good amount of time into successfully steering the mighty Association A.F.C. Fylde away from relegation and unsuccessfully trying to do better than Ronald Koeman at Everton, I can safely say that ‘FM’ is still as addictive as ever. At its core, the game is largely unchanged, and Sports Interactive seem to have followed the same “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” line of other annual sports releases. That’s not to say that there aren’t changes, additions, and tweaks, but those hoping for a complete overhaul will be largely disappointed. The match engine, for example, remains its old, idiosyncratic self. Though some of the bizarre behaviours of old have gone, many still remain. Whilst much of this, in my mind, is down to animation rather than programming, it is still irksome to see passbacks, for example, represented in a way which looks unlike anything you’d see in real football. However, there are some improvements to the experience of the match itself. In particular, SI have nailed the proportion of goals scored in certain
is the wide variety of Japanese weaponry to choose from. Katanas, dual-katanas, axes, kusarigama, bows, flintlock rifles, and even more. Some weapons, like the katanas, are easy to pick up and use straight away, whereas the kusarigama, for example, takes a lot of practice to use effectively, which makes for a fulfilling challenge. The PC port of Nioh is a bit sloppy: It almost entirely lacks a mouse and keyboard control set, making using a controller mandatory. Fortunately, I prefer to use a controller for games like this. Moreover, the graphics settings can be hit-or-miss, and I had to set the game to 1080p multiple times before it changed to my desired resolution. In summary, Nioh makes you feel like a ninja warrior god when you succeed, before humbling you and making you want to cry with frustration when you fail. It is sincerely one of the most brutal games I have ever played, but I keep going back to it to try and try again. Its story is mostly forgettable, but its combat is truly excellent, very fun, and does indeed set it aside from Dark Souls.
8/10 ways. Free-kicks are now sufficiently rare so as to be special rather than routine, whilst shots from outside the box have returned after last year’s hiatus. Crossing has also been balanced more appropriately, whilst corners fly in at a rate I’d consider only marginally above normal.
Photo:SportsInteractive
Granted, this may be down to my inability to set up a good defence at corners, but this brings me onto my next point of which set-pieces are perhaps the most notable example - old issues left unaddressed. Set pieces have long needed an overhaul, but remain exactly the same as last year, and the year before. When the set-piece editor was added however many years ago, I assumed it would be the first step of a gradual improvement, but, several years later, it still remains neglected and unwieldy to the point of encouraging the players to ignore it. This, sadly, can be said for a number of facets of
Football Manager - press conferences being a particularly infuriating example. Football Manager’s ingame media have been bombarding me with largely the same questions since 2012, and it’s now getting so incredibly tedious to the point that I click through on autopilot, or storm out just to save time. Training is another example of this, remaining woefully basic. When setting up training, all you can do is assign a week of training to one, broad category (e.g. attacking, tactics etc.), and that’s as far as it goes. Arguably, even the shell of a management mode in FIFA incorporates more detail into training than this. There are a number of positive changes, however. A new ‘dynamics’ tab has been added to the main panel of options, which provides insight into the personal relationships between groups of players, a thorough breakdown of player happiness, and a hierarchy of club influencers. Whilst the integration of this is still relatively basic, it is still an important innovation which adds something further to consider when building your squad over a number of years. In line with this, the importance of partnerships on the pitch is also emphasised this year. Building effective partnerships is a crucial part of Football Manager 2018, particularly in the centre of the pitch, and really builds the sense that you are in charge of a team rather than twenty-three or so individuals The single biggest change, however, is a subtle one.
As opposed to previous years where a tactic could last months or even years before opposition teams wised up to it, tactics in Football Manager 2018 last sometimes only a few weeks before being sussed out which keeps you constantly on your toes and does not allow you to slide into tactical complacency. This also forces you to engage with the other management tools that have sometimes seemed less important, and constantly pushes you to innovate with gameplans as well as promoting more thorough engagement with opposition tactics, forcing you to be reactionary and methodical. Allied with an improved - though still imperfect - presentation of opposition reports, this makes the tactical side of management deeper and richer than ever. All in all, it’s the same old story with Football Manager 2018. Much is left unchanged but functional, there are some worthy new innovations, but a number of features remain stale, out-dated and obsolete. Unlike last year’s edition, however, I would argue that, this year, the tweaks and updates nullify the weaknesses of the game. Whilst I still think that the annual full-price release model of sports games is quickly becoming a means for allowing companies to cash in on minimum effort, this is an axe to grind with the likes of FIFA, Madden and NFL rather than this year’s solid improvement in the Football Manager series.
16
Fashion & Beauty
ISSUE 9 / 20th NOVEMBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK
The dark side of being an angel With the upcoming Victoria’s Secret show being labelled the ‘most diverse’ yet, Fashion and Beauty Editor Talia Lee-Skudder questions whether the brand truly is representative
Photo:victoriassecret @Instagram
Now that November is in full swing, many wait in anticipation for one of the biggest events of the fashion calendar, the Victoria’s Secret fashion show. This year, the show, hosted in Shanghai, is scheduled for the 20th of November and will be broadcast on the 28th of November. Since the list of models was released in September, the show has been hailed as more ‘diverse than ever.’ Last year, the show hosted in Paris only featured four Asian models out of 50, that’s just eight per cent representation, yet for Victoria’s Secret this was still record-breaking when
compared to their previous figures. In total there were only 30 per cent of models from diverse backgrounds that walked in the show. By these figures, the brand has certainly made inroads into creating a more diverse show with this year’s lineup featuring 50 per cent of models from a racially diverse background. The show has still certainly got a long way to go to be fully representative, but at least in this instance we can see progression. This year will see VS veterans return to
the runway, such as Alessandra Ambrosio, Adriana Lima, Karlie Kloss plus insta models Gigi and Bella Hadid. The show also welcomes newcomers, including Grace Bol, Estelle Chen and Alecia Morais to name a few. As always the show is set to be a massive hit, especially because of the positive press it is currently receiving thanks to its tagline: ‘the most diverse show yet.’ Yet VS are no strangers to controversy, especially when it comes to appropriating different cultures. 2012 was a particularly controversial year for the brand with their show receiving a huge backlash for sending Karlie Kloss down the runway in Native American inspired lingerie, complete with a sacred headdress. The reaction from the general public led to Kloss being cut from the airing of the show on television. In the same year, the brand was forced to pull their collection entitled ‘Sexy Little Geisha.’ Model Candice Swanepoel fronted the campaign wearing a mesh teddy with an ‘exotic’ floral print, complete with chopsticks in her hair, a fan and a removable obi belt. Rightly so the brand received outraged reactions that they had essentially reduced Eastern culture to the stereotype of exotic sexuality, so too with the appropriation of Native American culture, by incorporating the sacred headdress into a sexy lingerie outfit. But hey, this year Victoria’s Secret is more racially diverse than ever, so maybe this can all be forgotten? Whilst it may be commendable that VS finally ‘got the memo’ that its 2017 and devised a racially diverse runway show accordingly, the same cannot be said for the representation of women who do not fit into the narrow bracket of a size eight and under. Once again there is set to be a complete disregard for models that are ‘plussized’ with all the models having the same slim, gym-honed physique. The VS models are stunning, there is no question about it, and they clearly spend hours working out to attain their enviable figures. They deserve to showcase their bodies with pride but then so do models who are larger than size eight as
well. The VS models are dubbed ‘angels’, they are considered to be the elite of all the models. These are the women we should aspire to be because they are the absolute ideal of feminine beauty, according to VS casting agents anyway. The term ‘angels’ is problematic in itself, suggesting exclusivity and giving them a higher status than all the other regular models in the industry. The message that the show sends out is largely negative, it dictates what the brand’s idea of female beauty is and is far from representative of how the majority of women look. Their message of what constitutes beauty rings loud and clear, if you ever want to be an ‘angel’ you must be super slim (size eight and under), tall and of course exceptionally beautiful. However, the reason why VS have thus far neglected to represent plus-sized women in their shows is partly due to the fact that the largest size in their bra range is a DDD. The limited sizes mean that many girls with larger breasts can’t find a bra that fits. With the lack of a plus-sized range it is no surprise that models such as Ashely Graham and Robyn Lawley have not yet been granted their angel wings, VS just don’t cater for these women. It’s disappointing that a huge brand such as Victoria’s Secret has completely rejected having a more inclusive line of lingerie and has failed to use their status and influence as a worldwide corporation to spread the message that all women of different shapes and sizes are beautiful. So whilst this year might be their most diverse ever, Victoria’s Secret still has a long way to go if they truly want to be representative and use their platform on the world stage to encourage body positivity and empower all women. Perhaps in the coming years the brand will finally acknowledge beauty in all its forms and create a range that is tailored for all women, but for now, we probably shouldn’t hold our breath.
ASOS try before you buy
Fashion & Beauty 17
ISSUE 9/ 20th NOVEMBER2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK
Fashion Player of the Week: Hailey Baldwin Deputy Fashion and Beauty Editor Amy Nguyen examines rising star Hailey Baldwin’s career thus far Occupation: Model Age: 20 Nationality: American and Brazillian Walked for: Moschino, Dolce & Gabana, Ellie Saab, Julien Macdonald, Tommy Hilfiger, Philip Plein, Missoni, Bottega Venetta Campaigns for: Ralph Lauren, Adidas, Guess, Prabal Gurung As the daughter of American actor Steven Baldwin, Hailey is certainly largely famous thanks to her surname. In recent years, it is not her family’s prestigious acting heritage that has caught the eyes of the fashion world, instead her talent on and off the camera has turned heads. You may also recognise Hailey from her brief fling with pop prince Justin Bieber back in 2015 (he was punching). Her undeniable beauty and perfected millennial style has landed her campaigns with the likes of Adidas, Guess and Topshop. Often spotted hanging on the arms of BFF’s Kendall, GiGi and Bella, Hailey has definitely gained some insider top tips and tricks from the industry’s finest on how to strike a pose and glide down the runway.
In addition to front covers for leading publications such as Marie Claire, Elle and Harper’s Bazaar, those infinite legs paired with her mesmerising eyes and lips have gained her much attention from the likes of Maxim, who in May of this year dubbed her ‘the most beautiful women in the world.’ Looks are one thing, but Hailey’s devotion to her faith is another, she frequently preaches kindness and posts inspiring and relevant chapters from the Bible to her 10.8 million followers. In a recent interview with InStyle UK, she shared her effortless staple style which can be reduced to well fitted jeans, a perfect white tee and a leather Jacket. When speaking to Vogue she also confessed to her obsession with leather jackets, wouldn’t we just like to have a peek at her collection… Her work both behind the lens and on the runway gives me no reason to doubt that she will soon be donning her first pair of ‘angel wings’ and joining the Victoria Secret clan. My prediction is that the future is bright for Baldwin.
or hidden interest; once you have decided which items you want to return, you have 30 days from the date that your order was dispatched to go onto Klarna pay later, which is the payment services website through which ASOS is processing their payments. To pay you must be over 18 years of age, have a UK mobile number, email address and home address. Finally, to return the items that you don’t want as normal using one of ASOS’s free return options including Hermes Collection from your home so you never even have to leave the house. As quoted in Cosmopolitan magazine, Nicola Thompson, Global Trading Director at ASOS said: “We are constantly looking for new ways to improve the ASOS experience for our 15.4 million customers around the world.” “We know people love the option of paying later only for the things they keep and are excited to introduce this to customers shopping on our app in the UK.” This new scheme has truly revolutionised the beauty of online shopping forever and we’re very excited! After all, isn’t it all about doing as much as possible without having to leave the comforts of our own beds?
Photo: dsquared2@Instagram
November is the official anti-bullying month and alongside many in the public eye promoting awareness for bullying and cyberbullying alike, the fashion company DSquared2 has partnered with the charity ‘Be Nice, Be Cool’ to launch their own fashion line in support of the cause. In an interview with GQ, Dean and Dan Caten (founders of the fashion line) admitted that the charity was very close to their heart as they had been bullied for a lot of their school life and wanted to make a
contribution through their work. The brothers claimed that the bullies particularly focused on their position as immigrant kids as well as their interest in fashion over football. With this line, they seek to teach kids that it is cool to be kind. In a Vogue feature, they go on to say that they hope the line can teach people to approach everyone with a different kind of attitude and they hope to have a continuous working relationship with the charity. Many high profile, Italian celebrities turned out to support the brand at their launch during Milan fashion week on September 20th, all wearing various items that can be seen on the brand website. The designers describe the collection as a ‘capsule wardrobe’ that includes denim jackets, hoodies, t-shirts and accessories that all come in various bright shades with the slogan emblazoned on all of them, to purvey an “attitude of strength, confidence and positivity”. The collection is available to men, women, and children through various retailers and online, with part of the profit being donated to the charity. The clothes are cool, bright and colourful to support the positive message of the organisation and due to the nature of a capsule wardrobe, all work well together. The brand announced that the line will be open to the public in late November, with the promises of lots of sweatshirts for those colder winter days.
From Da Vinci to Van Gogh, in the modern age, ghosts of art’s past have been resurrected in fashion to the expense of creativity’s contemporary characters. By Deputy Fashion and Beauty Editor Sophie Walsh
Photo: louisvuitton @Instagram
Photo:asos@Instagram
DSquared2 has partnered up with anti-bullying charity ‘Be Nice, Be Cool’. Maddie Rodbert reveals what you can expect from the collaboration
Art x Fashion
ASOS have just announced their revolutionary new way to shop. Their try before you buy feature is the perfect way for students to shop without getting into debt. By Jenny Knowles Online shopping is truly a gift to us all. However, if you’re like me and never know whether something is going to fit you unless you’ve been able to try it on in a few sizes, it’s not always ideal. As a financially unstable student, forking out a larger sum of cash from your bank account so that you can order 2, 3 sizes “just to be sure” is inconvenient especially when that money is missing until your returns are processed. Similarly, if you have an event to go to and you need to try on a few different styles but have to narrow down your options because you cannot afford the lump sum in the short term. Sometimes it might even turn out to be a better option to actually drag yourself out of bed and go to an actual store. Imagine that, actually having to interact with people whilst shopping! However, hope is not lost. Our trusty ASOS online fashion store has come up with a new scheme to help us fashion lovers avoid disasters like these. Available on their free app, the ‘Try before you buy’ scheme allows you to order items to your home but only pay for the ones you keep, at no extra cost. ‘It’s not possible!’ you might say but it’s true, and here’s how it works: You order any item that takes your fancy from the ASOS site as all products are included in this new revelation; the items are then delivered to you and you can have a massive try on of all your options and take your time deciding on which you want to keep. Meanwhile, you haven’t been charged any fees
DSquared2’s ‘Be Nice, Be Cool’ range
Art and fashion. The two words go together like Leonardo DiCaprio and Victoria secret models. The collaboration between art and fashion is nothing new. For example, in 1965, Yves Saint Laurent revealed his iconic Fall Mondrian Collection. This was inspired by the works of Dutch abstract artist Piet Mondrian, founder of the AvantGarde De Stijl, Neoplasticism movement. Mondrian idealised the strict geometry of horizontals and verticals, as well as a primary colour palette, to reflect the
invisible order of the world. Laurent designed six A-line cocktail dresses directly referencing this abstract formula. Despite Mondrian creating this particular body of his work circa 1914 to 1940, Laurent’s Mondrian inspired dresses seemed more relevant than ever in the context of the swinging 60’s. An age where advances in science, technology, and society made possibilities of modernity seem limitless. There was a sudden yearning to reject the ‘make do and mend’ culture of the war years, where design had taken a back seat in favour of utility. Instead, cutting edge designers began to favour a new minimal approach, based on the same design philosophy as artists such as Piet Mondrian. If such dresses had been created while Mondrian had been living in the backdrop of war, they would not have been received by the mainstream in the same celebrated way. Most recent fashion x art collaborations favour historical works, rather than those by contemporary artists. For example, despite the fact that American Pop artist Jeff Koons collaborated with Louis Vuitton in April 2017, then again in October for his new two-part collection, whose work did we see on the bags? The old Masters. In the aptly named ‘Masters’ collection, we see the art of Da Vinci, Titian, Fragonard, Van Gogh, Rubens, Boucher, Gaugin, Manet, Monet, Poussin, and Turner. Yeah, it’s great and all. I would even go so far as to say that it’s my favourite design collaboration of 2017. Who doesn’t love a classic? But where is Koons’ Balloon Dog? Or his Seated Ballerina? Or infamous Michael Jackson and Bubbles? All works of world renown and modern cultural significance. Vuitton has in the past collaborated with numerous contemporary artists, examples include the graffiti inspired collection with New Yorker Stephen Sprouse in 2001 and the 2012 collaboration with 83-year-old Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, featuring her dotty artwork. Each collection has encapsulated an artist’s signature style. Vuitton is not alone in artistic collaborations either, with various catwalk shows incorporating the works of contemporary artists over the decades. However, despite a
small nod to Koons’ inflatable rabbit in the shape of a leather tag and a feeble wink to his Gazing Ball series that included plaster reproductions of famous ancient sculptures, the prints are not original and certainly not his own. Likewise, Dr. Martens, in a collaboration with Tate Britain, have slapped the work of English 18th century Romantic painter and poet William Blake on to the iconic boot as well as other items. Blake was a man influenced by spiritualism and the supernatural; the 1826 work ‘Satan Smiting Job with Sore Boils’, has been chosen to best exemplify this. In a statement by the company, they said that the “misunderstood visionary William Blake embodies the spirit of a Dr. Martens wearer — rebellious, free-thinking, and creative”. A man that by the sounds of it, perhaps belongs in 2017, rather than Georgian England. Why then, following a general trend over the last few decades for designers to collaborate with contemporary artists, do they now pine for historical painting? Perhaps, like Vuitton and his love of Mondrian in 2017, artworks from previous times relate more to us than ever before. Like in the 1960’s, we have seen another great shift in society entering an era of post-modernity. The excitement of modernity has worn thin and instead many of us have become disillusioned. We desire the simplicity of bygone eras, this time however not so much in design but in society itself. Of course, I’m not talking about outdated views of race and class, but instead a fundamental shift in for example, human interaction that has been somewhat marred by technological advancements. In recent years, we have looked at the past with rose tinted spectacles, pining for a time without the stress of answering 200 emails or the dangers of online dating. We can see this reflected in entertainment, for example the nations romance with costume dramas and historical novels. Therefore, it is more than reasonable to suggest that fashion’s current obsession with art’s historical classics represents a shift in Western society, therefore effecting what we want to see and be seen with.
Film
18
Review
Review
Netflix Original
Film 19
ISSUE 9/ 20th November 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK
ISSUE 9/ 20th November 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK
Stranger Things 2
Kaleidoscope
Lucas Hill-Paul journeys into the Upside Down as the longawaited Stranger Things 2 arrives on Netflix
Toby Jones is directed by his brother in a claustrophobic, psychological thriller which impresses despite a precarious plot
Only The Brave The story of the most deadly event for US firefighters since the events of 9/11
Lucas Hill-Paul Film Critic Netflix delivered a surprise hit last year in the form of Stranger Things, a colourfully nostalgic miniseries that riffed on the works of Stevens Spielberg and King. Though criticisms of the show being derivative and pandering were well-found, creators and directors the Duffer Brothers managed to spin a tightly plotted arc with distinct enough iconography and charming characters to differentiate it satisfyingly from the material that proceeded it. Fans were thrilled by the familiar yet effective Demogorgon, shaken by the untimely death of Barb and utterly won over by the core group of four kids, affable and authentic enough to rank alongside King’s childhood ensembles in The Body (Stand By Me) and It. Most importantly, we were introduced to one of television’s most promising new stars with Millie Molly Brown’s Eleven. Expectations were inexorably high following the announcement of a second season, which seemed to promise a shedding of its more overt 80s-inspired plot devices and visual riffs, in favour of a further look back on the works of HP Lovecraft. A cosmic entity has set up camp in a parallel dimension seemingly directly underneath the Earth’s crust and has begun haunting Will with visions and possessions. An eldritch, arachnid horror looms over the red sky of the Upside Down, and the kids run around
“Its dependence to deliver on the promises of its first series eventually feel very belaboured.” Though this premise is tantalising, especially given the dismally low number of media adaptations of Lovecraft’s work, it’s disappointing that after just a couple of episodes it’s clear that the narrative of Stranger Things 2 is largely a tribute to Gremlins, Aliens and The Goonies. A forgivable sin had the characters not been rendered incompetent and the plot needlessly complex in order to contrive the references into making a semblance of sense. Action-packed, witty and as emotionally sound as before, it’s just a shame that the world created by the Duffer Brothers is still treated as second rate when compared to material that we’ve seen before. The fiery, Carrie-esque experiment Eleven is left frustratingly passive for a number of episodes, until a late-season chapter The Lost Sister demonstrates an attempt of originality that falls completely flat, and doesn’t bode well for the inevitable day when the well of 80s references dries up. Unconvincingly gritty, garish and ostentatious, this episode introduces a number of characters who would look more comfortable in a video game or lower-tier comic book whom you’ll pray never to see again.
Photo:Allocine
It’s discouraging that the first narrative thread outside of the main action and characters appears to be establishing a poor riff on the X-Men franchise, in place of what was a brilliant opportunity to contradict the series’ naysayers and prove this universe has something original up its sleeve. Saving the day are David Harbour’s Jim Hopper, the gruff and level-headed Chief of Police who undergoes the most compelling conflict in this season, and Joe Keery’s Steve Harrington, a natural fit in his new extended role as paternal role model and saviour of the younger kids, a vessel for much of the series’ humour and, unfortunately, unneeded romantic drama. New characters Max and Billy are intriguing enough, though the former remains a blank slate to justify exposition and teenage romance, the latter a surprisingly effective satire of the psychotic Stephen King bully until the last episode. Sean Astin’s bumbling Bob is similarly unimportant, harmless and lovable if he hadn’t provided some of the season’s most egregious moments of character incompetence. Until the last episode of series one left threads loose and questions unanswered, fans speculated whether Stranger Things was intended as an anthology series, its title rooted in the generic and the pulpy, referential nature of the style and narrative seeming perfect for a show that would deliver a different tale every year, like a more literate and likable American Horror Story. Indeed, it’s a shame this isn’t the case. Though the characters are still just as lovable, the writing consistently witty and the pace
“Until the last episode of series one left threads loose and questions unanswered,” never dragging, its dependence to deliver on the promises of its first series eventually feel very belaboured. Anyone expecting a departure from its 80s pandering will be sorely disappointed, as Stranger Things 2 presents its references without meaning or intention to represent a moment in American filmmaking with a heartfelt awareness that shows like this couldn’t exist without Spielberg, Donner, Zemeckis et al. laying the foundations. Instead, despite a stunning cast and production value, this season has the makings of an obligatory sidestep towards what will hopefully be higher prospects.
3/5
Photo:HomeMcr
Jamie McEvoy Deputy Film Editor Golden-Globe and BAFTA nominee Toby Jones has become a household name for many since his breakthrough performance as Truman Capote in 2006’s Infamous. He has enjoyed an illustrious career thus far, with roles in the first two Captain America and Hunger Games films and Tinker Tailor Solder Spy (2011), as well as taking over from Arthur Lowe as Captain Mainwaring in the 2016 Dad’s Army remake.
“The design and location of the film’s scenes mirror a kaleidoscope – from the apartment wallpaper, to the swirling drums of the laundrette.” A lesser known name is that of his brother: Rupert. The more obscure Jones brother has had a sparse directorial career, with sketch show Beehive and a 2007 Jennifer Saunders sit-com constituting the bulk of his back-catalogue, but with Kaleidoscope he has made the audacious transition to the big screen. His brother is on hand to spearhead this cinematic debut. Toby Jones plays Carl, a timid, meek and socially reclusive middle aged man who lives alone in a gloomy, confined London flat. After a call from his mother (Anne Reid) declaring she is coming to visit, Carl’s monotonic life is plunged into disarray, anxiety and paranoia. As the toxic and disturbing relationship with his mother becomes apparent, a macabre end to a blind date also takes its toll on Jones’ protagonist, and questions start to arise as to what is reality and what is delusion? There are a multitude of parallelisms which can be drawn between Kaleidoscope and other cinematic works. It almost feels like a sibling to Gareth Tunley’s The Ghoul (2017), and there is evident influence from Polanski (namely Repulsion and The Tenant). The relationship between Carl and his venomous mother very much alludes to that of Norman Bates and his mother in Hitchock’s Pyscho (1960), yet fortunately Rupert Jones gives the film just enough unique flavour to avoid his project descending into pure pastiche. Toby Jones, much like in the fantas-
tic BBC series Detectorists, plays the perfect ‘nobody’ – an unassertive character whose every step and movement oozes a crisis in confidence. It is his performance which ultimately is the film’s tour de force, yet Aileen – Carl’s mother – is a close second. Excellently portrayed by Anne Reid, Aileen acts as a poisonous thorn in her son’s side, with a mysterious and sinister past-relationship between the two characters casting an omnipresent shadow over the scenes which the pair share. The cinematography from Philipp Blaubach is also to be applauded. The recurring, slowly spiralling shots of the Escher-esque stairwell leading to Carl’s flat are mesmerizing, and lengthy zoom-ins give seemingly innocent objects a new sense of danger and omen. The design and location of the film’s scenes have evidently all been construed to mirror the effect of the titular kaleidoscope – from the apartment wallpaper which resembles a Magic Eye, to the swirling drums of the laundrette which our protagonist visits. It is these factors which fundamentally make Kaleidoscope a triumph. However, the plot and ending unfortunately fail to match the movie’s visual and dramatic vehemence. The narrative is initially compelling, yet as the film progresses it is Toby Jones’ performance which keeps the audience enthralled and desiring to find a solution to the character’s predicament.
“Its narrative suffers from over-ambition and anti-climax.” The twist ending – a bizarre combination of Fight Club (1999) and Psycho’s resolutions – is somewhat telegraphed towards the latter stages of the film, and despite the audacity, it disappointingly feels hollow. The suspense, claustrophobia and turmoil which appears ready to implode, instead goes out with a whimper, and come the credits certain plot-holes already begin to become apparent. Carried by its cast and visuals, Kaleidoscope does just enough to be deemed a successful arrival by Rupert Jones onto the cinematic scene, yet akin to Tunley’s The Ghoul its narrative suffers from over-ambition and anti-climax.
3/5
Photo:Allocine
James Gill Film Critic The Yarnell Hill Fire was the deadliest incident for US firefighters since the September 11 attacks. 19 brave men of the Granite Mountain Hotshots lost their lives protecting the homes and lives of a countless more. Joseph Kosinski, whose previous works include the innovate yet ill-received Oblivion, takes on this devastating story and the result is devastating in equal measure. Out of the 20 firefighters from the City of Prescott, Arizona who went to tackle the wildfire, only one returned. That man, Brendan McDonough, is played by Miles Teller. The only wildfire he tackles initially is the one destroying his life. He gets kicked out of his mother’s house after a slew of bad decisions; his addiction to heroin, his arrest for theft and his discovery of an ex-girlfriend’s pregnancy. Now at rock bottom, he decides to follow the straight and narrow to support and provide for his child. The quest for
employment takes him to the headquarters of the Prescott Fire Department when he hears of two open slots on their team. McDonough’s reputation as a burnout preceded him and the firefighters almost laugh him out until the boss (Josh Brolin), known affectionately as Supe, decides to give him a chance. Although lacking the strength or stamina to keep up with the pack he eventually completes the test and gets a space in the crew. Teller’s portrayal of an addict is remarkable, showing that there is still much we haven’t seen from him. As this arc develops we follow another simultaneously. Supe’s wife Amanda (Jennifer Connelly) wakes up to find her husband packing up his gear, the call to arms sounded, and asks to resolve their previous night’s fight before he goes. During the conversation she mentions that she has a love for lost causes. This embodies her whole story, from the broken dishwasher, to her occupation of caring for horses that would otherwise be put down, to her longing
to start a family with a husband who does not share her ambition. The theme of this lack of family and loneliness in Amanda’s life is especially evocative when juxtaposed with the brotherhood that the firefighters have. As they battle blazes the necessity of tight bonds is what keeps them alive and if just one man fails out on the line, he risks the lives of them all. Kosinski puts this love front and centre without it becoming overly macho. The banter and practical jokes never feel exaggerated and, excluding their chiseled physique, they are relatable. One of these crew members, the principal prankster, becomes McDonough’s best friend and roommate. Taylor Kitsch who plays Chris MacKenzie does a marvellous job and frankly it’s the first role in which the character he plays is even memorable. The pseudo-homosexual relationships between the two roommates, especially when they have McDonough’s baby for the night, don’t feel out of place, rather a natural extension of their bonds. This is the latest entry into what seems to be the latest craze sweeping Hollywood. To choose a tragedy, namely one that happens in America or to Americans, and recreate it using a lot of CGI and special effects. The market for war films seems to have diminished slightly in the past few years but producers have been quick to replace them with these. Only the Brave is a fantastic example of a tragedy film done right and regardless of slight pacing issues and an at times flat dialogue there is an underlying message that is deeply affecting, especially in the final scenes.
“Only the Brave is a fantastic example of a tragedy film done right” They are playing a dangerous game however by choosing tragedies that have occurred closer and closer to the present day. The real Yarnell Hill Fire took place in 2013 meaning it only took four more for the film to reach the cinema. Similarly the Boston Bombings happened four years ago and now has two blockbuster films about it. While this undoubtedly has something to say beyond theatrics I strongly believe making films based on events still tender in our hearts and minds is exploitative and I hope focus shifts to scripts that place those tragedies into a fictional world.
4/5
Review
Paddington 2 Everyone’s favourite duffle-coated-bear returns for the second time on the big screen, alongside a star-studded cast Lucas Hill-Paul Film Critic There’s a moment of “mild peril” in Paddington 2 that sweeps the franchise firmly into its PG rating with a sense of earned sincerity and genuine danger that has become rare in the type of family friendly adventure fare we usually see on the big screen come Christmas time. As with the first absolutely charming entry into the franchise, British icon Paddington Bear finds himself in danger during the last minutes of the third act, and the effect is devastating. In a packed cinema, several soft cries of children could be heard, accompanied by the gentle soothing of parents and guardians, fully aware of the narrative tropes, assuring their children that everything was going to be alright. A swell of intense worry and relief was felt throughout the audience, the type of feeling usually reserved for the most well-crafted of action or thriller films, yet director Paul King achieves this with a CGI bear. Leaving the multiplex misty eyed and smiling, I could only think of how many kids Paddington 2 will teach to love cinema. Featuring a Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins and Hugh Grant giving his best comedic performance in years, this instalment sees Paddington finding the perfect birthday present for his Retirement Home for Bears bound Aunt Lucy, only to have it rudely stolen by washed up actor Phoenix
Buchanan (Grant). Though Nicole Kidman’s villainous turn in the first film derived surprising humour from her pairing with soon to be ex-Doctor Peter Capaldi, the casting of Hugh Grant is a stroke of genius that transforms Paddington 2 into a near perfect tribute to British cinema.
“There’s a danger in family films, pressured to appeal to both adults and children... but writers King and Simon Farnaby have perfected this art.” Less a direct comment on Grant’s role as Richard Curtis’ muse, Buchanan is a perfect meta-commentary on middle-class luvvies who became awfully good at one particular thing, only to have their fame and success teetering when their age caught up with them and their eye for good roles became a little less sharp. With riffs on Split and A Series of Unfortunate Events, Buchanan is an ingenious twist on the master of disguise villain convention, an actor who has become deranged with the multiple personalities of his former roles. The master plan is suitably ludicrous
Photo: Allocine
enough to see Paddington engage in numerous scenes of slapstick humour, masterfully crafted considering the limitations a CG construction creates, and dry wit that the voice of Paddington, Ben Whishaw, is perfect for. There’s a danger in family films, pressured to appeal to both adults and children, for the more mature jokes to consist largely of innuendo, double entendre and thinly veiled visual sex jokes, but writers King and Simon Farnaby (who reprises his role from the first film in maybe the funniest scene) are aware that the likes of Aardman have perfected this art. Instead of crude attempts to shock the parents into snorting, Paddington 2 is packed to bursting with social commentary, physical gags, politics, mid-life crises, punctuation and grammar, surrealism and subversion. The best moments happen during the film’s second act, after Paddington has been framed and mistakenly sent to a prison that, thanks to Paddington’s presence, quickly turns from the prison in The Grand Budapest Hotel to, well, The Grand
Budapest Hotel itself. Borrowing Wes Anderson’s symmetry, trolley shots and colour palette, the referencing may be overt, but the story beats and humour are fresh and consistently succeed in squeezing out multiple laughs each take. A couple of moments of lazy green screen work and stiff action prevent the final set piece from polishing the movie into kinetic perfection, but the pay-off is resound and the writing retains its charm and consistent laughs all the way to the final moments. Though Star Wars will have final say in December, Paddington 2 is surely the perfect Christmas movie to see this year, certain to melt the frosty residue of Justice League, lift the spirits from the dour atmosphere of Murder on the Orient Express and provide the enthusiastic chuckles that Daddy’s Home 2 and A Bad Mom’s Christmas certainly won’t.
4.5/5
Food & Drink
22
ISSUE 9/ 20th November2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK
Review: The Levenshulme Food Market Editor: Daisy Tolcher Levenshulme Market initially started off as a community run weekend enterprise, but due to its overwhelming success it has now expanded and also operates on a Tuesday at the University of Manchester. The dishes change weekly as vendors rotate, and you can be sure to sample a wide variety of different cuisines every time you visit. The market features an eclectic mix of flavours from Middle Eastern, Mexican, Eastern European and Belgian stalls, plus many, many more. As a regular market customer, I finally decided to review a range of the food to give readers an insight into what’s on offer. Stay tuned for next week’s article for further food for thought on more market meal magic.
Photo: Daisy Tolcher
Viva La Toastie Viva La Toastie serve sarnies that taste as good as they look! Drenched in butter and oozing a secret “3 cheese blend”, these may not be suitable for those watching their weight but nonetheless they are an absolute joy to eat. I opted for the chicken and pesto toastie which I cannot recommend enough.
Photo: Daisy Tolcher
“Browsing the menu certainly takes less time than finding the restaurant” Browsing the menu certainly takes less time than finding the restaurant, given that there is just one option under the “chicken” heading, two under “beef”, three under “lamb” and two more under “vegetarian”. This means there is a grand total of eight dishes with names such as Kitfo, Yetsom Beyaynetu, and Doro Wot. Hence why earlier I suggest the restaurant to someone more at home out of their culinary comfort zone — this is no lemon and herb Nandos. To get a good feel for the overall quality I ordered one each of the meat dishes. The Kitfo, a minced beef dish served, as with all the dishes at Habesha, with a traditional flatbread called Injera; rich and spicy, and flavoured well with cardamom. A sort of African curry, that worked very well with the flatbread. However, the meal would have been enhanced with the introduction of rice to add a little more texture to the dish, as was probably the case for all of the dishes.
Contributor: Sam Pigott
The Yebeg Wot — slow cooked lamb to you and me — was also very well spiced with an excellent kick coming from the traditional hot sauce, or berbere. It was obvious the lamb was indeed slow cooked as it almost fell apart in the process of trying to scoop it up with the Injera. The chicken dish was perhaps the worst of the three, but that is not to say it was terrible. It slightly lacked the same depth of flavour and the same punch, perhaps being designed to cater for the slightly less adventurous. All in all I would wholeheartedly recommend Habesha to anyone who likes to experiment with food. You will have the opportunity to try a very different cuisine in a unique location, all washed down with a traditional Ethiopian lager for just £2.50 a bottle. Alternatively, if you prefer to stick to what you know then perhaps steer clear.
Nasi Lemak I took my vegan friend along to the market and she tried Nasi Lemak’s vegan jackfruit curry. The smells emanating from this Malaysian street food stall were incredible and the menu consisted of a wide range of both vegetarian and vegan dishes. The dish itself was spicy, fragrant, and very filling! Photo: Daisy Tolcher
Recipe: CroqueMadame Contributor: Sam Pigott Ingredients: Two slices of crusty bread Two slices of good quality ham Two slices of gruyere, or similar cheese Two large eggs 25g butter 1tbsp plain flour 125ml milk 1tsp wholegrain mustard Salt and pepper Teaspoon fresh chopped chives
What better brunch could there possibly be? Toast, ham, melted cheese and a white Sauce; Sunday morning perfection
Method:
Photo: Sam Pigott
1. Preheat grill to a high heat. Begin by making a béchamel sauce. First melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat until it begins to foam and turns a slight brown. Add the flour and stir until mixed, then continue to stir and cook the flour for approximately three minutes. 2. Gradually add the milk, adding just a little at a time and making sure it is fully incorporated to ensure no lumps form. Once all the milk is added simmer for a further five minutes until a fairly thick texture is reached. When the wooden spoon is taken out you should be able to run a finger across the middle of the spoon and the sauce should not run back into this line, it should remain clear. 3. At this stage finish the sauce of by seasoning to taste and adding the mustard and just the egg yolk from one of the two eggs. 4. Lightly toast the bread and butter as you would for toast. Layer the ham and cheese onto the bread before topping with the béchamel sauce. Place the slices of bread back under the grill under the béchamel begins to bubble and brown, and the cheese has melted. 5. Fry the remaining egg in a separate pan and add to the slices of toast once they are grilled. Top with seasoning and the chopped chives.
Photo: Sam Pigott
Review: Abode’s Sunday Roast
Contributor: Alex Ross
Method: 1.Preheat an oven to 180˚C. 2. Line an ovenproof dish with enough foil to line the dish and fold back over and seal in the hot air when cooking the salmon. This will prevent the fish from drying out. 3.Brush a tiny amount of sesame oil — it has a strong flavour — on the bottom, to prevent the salmon from sticking to the foil. 4. Place the salmon fillets in the dish. 5. Whisk a generous dollop of honey with an equal amount of soy sauce, the garlic and ginger, and pour most over the salmon. 6. Sprinkle finely chopped spring onions, as well as (optionally) a few fennel seeds and/or chilli flakes over the top. 7. Fold the foil over the top and seal. 8. Put in the preheated oven and cook for 15/20 minutes. 9. Serve with the rest of the honey/soy/ginger mix with broccoli and rice.
Photo: Maggie Hoffman @ Flickr
Review: Zouk Teabar and Grill Contributor: Sam Pigott Zouk is a restaurant following the trend of bench seating, dim lighting and modern décor. The menu follows a somewhat more modern theme as well, although it remains very much in line with what one would expect from an Indian restaurant trying to set itself apart from others and yet failing entirely to do so. The standard collection of meals are available, with just a sprinkling of unique curries and the option of an Indian shawarma or an entire leg of lamb setting it apart slightly. It must be said that potentially the overwhelming point that stuck in the mind after dining at Zouk was
“I may go as far as to say that the curries on offer at Zouk could well be the best I have had in Manchester, however the service received may well be the worst.” the poor service received, possibly due to a small number of staff serving a very large restaurant. I ordered poppadoms which sadly never arrived, and starters which arrived cold. The flavour of both starters, chicken imlee and tava lamb, was very good, but their temperature was a real shame. The plum and tamarind chutney accompanying the chicken imlee was a particular highlight at this stage though, and it being cool didn’t detract from it flavour. Fortunately the main courses, a lamb “railway” curry and a chicken saag, were fantastic. The chicken saag was brilliant, with the delicious
Contributor: Millie Nettleton Sunday roast to me means the ultimate comfort. Done right, it takes me back to Sundays at my gran’s, with my entire family around the table, competing with my uncle to see who can eat the most Yorkshire puddings — it was me, every time. The metropolitan roast dinner is a little different. Its classy, high-quality, and instagrammable. Rather than the all you can eat pregnancy pants you take to your nan’s, you probably dress up a bit for the city roast. I tried, but I had a raging hangover, so, bedecked in my “nice jumper”, I headed to
2 salmon fillets 2 spring onions, finely sliced 1 inch of fresh ginger root, finely chopped 1 garlic clove, finely chopped Soy sauce Runny honey Fennel seeds/chilli flakes (optional) Sesame oil
Photo: Daisy Tolcher
Low hanging bulbs setIt isn’t often that one comes across an Ethiopian restaurant. In fact, according to Habesha they are the only one in Manchester. I nearly had as hard a time finding this restaurant as I did picturing what might be on their menu — I didn’t really know any Ethiopian food! Tucked away behind Canal Street and accessible only via a spiral staircase in the corner of a kebab shop, Habesha offers a rare opportunity to glimpse authentic Ethiopian food. The restaurant may be more suited to the more adventurous among us.
Recipe: Salmon with soy sauce, ginger and fennel Ingredients:
The Ottö-Men Serving Middle Eastern and Mediterranean inspired dishes at reasonable prices, you can see why this stall is a hit with both students and staff. The stall allows shoppers to choose from a number of ingredients to personalise your box. Having tried their Middle Eastern box before, I opted for the falafel wrap. Like the box, you can choose what you would like in your wrap — including harrissa dressing, tahini dressing, pickles, and hummus — all of which looked visually stunning as well as delicious. The wrap itself was huge and tasted amazing!
Review: Habesha
Food & Drink 23
ISSUE 9/ 20th November 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK
“The best part, though, was the meat... I had the lamb, it was cut so thin, almost carpaccio style, but still deliciously tender. My only qualms were with the Yorkshire pudding and the cauli-cheese.” Abode, not sure if my queasy tummy was ready for what was about to be put in front of me. Originally, my boyfriend and I were booked on for the all you can drink prosecco meal deal, for £25 you can get as sloshed as you like. Needless to say, I wasn’t in the mood for that; nor the blaring music, so we asked to
sit in the downstairs dining room. This was empty at 3 in the afternoon — perhaps a little late for the lunch rush. It’s not quite the most romantic of atmospheres when it’s just you, your date, and the guy awkwardly cleaning glasses. Nevertheless, the staff were very accommodating and attentive, particularly aforementioned awkward guy who chatted to us when grabbing our plates at the end of the meal. I’d never previously bought into the hair of the dog myth, but since there was a nice looking cocktail bar behind me, I ordered a Bloody Mary, spicy, and was very impressed with the results. The cocktail seemed perfectly balanced, and within about ten minutes of drinking it, my queasiness subsided and I realised just how famished I actually was. And thank goodness, because they brought out our roasts, accompanied with a giant Yorkshire, and various little pots; braised red cabbage, truffle cauliflower cheese, green beans, carrot, swede purée, roasted potatoes. The best part, though, was the meat; a choice of lamb or beef, or mushroom pie for the veggies. I had the lamb, it was cut so thin, almost carpaccio style, but still deliciously tender. My only qualms were with the Yorkshire pudding and the cauli-cheese. While big bubbly Yorkshires have a great aesthetic, the top sections are dry, lacking in flavour and have a texture I can only imagine would be like ash. In my opinion, a proper Yorkshire is quite dense, the kind of thing you can mop up gravy with. As for the cauli-cheese, the truffle was a nice touch, but it was essentially cauliflower sat in milk with some melted cheese on top, not cauliflower in a cheese sauce. That bit was the only real disappointment though. We finished with a yummy crème brûlée, with a surface that gave an impressive crack with the teaspoon. I would evaluate it as such; a quality meal, particularly great meat, for a very reasonable price of £9.99. But it’ll never beat your nan’s, and I’m pretty certain there are better roasts in the city somewhere — that I’m determined to find.
6/10
Photo: Pelican @Flickr
flavour of fresh fenugreek coming through alongside a slight spice. The railway curry, slowcooked lamb shanks in a rich tomato sauce, fell from the bone just using the back of a spoon, and the sauce carried an excellent level of spice expertly blended with yoghurt. Both curries complimented one another perfectly, particularly with the addition of a couple of bottles of cobra and a very good peshwari naan. I may go as far as to say that the curries on offer at Zouk could well be the best I have had in Manchester, however the service received may well be the worst. The staff were cold and blunt, bordering on rude, which left a slightly sour taste in the mouth; a real shame given that the main course left such a fantastic one! As a result of this, recommending Zouk is a funny one. One can expect a remarkably good curry, but do not expect it to be served with a smile.
Photo: Sean McEntee @Flickr
Photo: Millie Nettleton
Arts
24
Feature
ArtBox: The Student Run Collective’s Silent Charity Auction
We talk to one of the curators of Art Box Sophie Billington about her upcoming project in aid of Manchester Mind charity Cicely Ryder-Belson Arts Editor
Photo: ArtBox
We had the chance to talk to Funraising’s Sophie Billington about setting up student platforms, utilising creative processes, and their first upcoming art auction - ArtBox:
So, first of all, can you explain ArtBox to us? ArtBox is a silent charity art auction that is being run by Funraising which will hopefully raise some money for Manchester Mind! We’ve also got an after party called PostBox which happening down the road at Indigo, and we’ve got DJs and jazz band(s) involved - so it’s a bit of music too! Postbox has 3 DJs and they’re all are experienced in the experimental, and know how to sway your emotions in a positive direction.
Who have you got involved? Is it important that this is student-led? In terms of artists, we’ve got a whole range of people involved, art students, professionals and hobbyists so that’s quite exciting. But in terms of who’s running it, that’s Funraising which is basically our student collective which aims to promote chilled out, interesting and creative charitable activity. We’ve just started so this is all new territory for us! The fact that it’s student-run provides a platform; a lot of young people and students have a lot of care for real issues, and this gives them a creative out let for those who don’t know how to pursue it. To be honest we don’t really know what we’re doing, the project is evolving as it comes, but at least we’re giving it a go - I think that’s what I think is important about being a student - and maybe even life in general - taking all the opportunities that you can.
events and conduct interviews - like this one - with people who are involved in anything charitable or even anyone with interesting things to say about important issues as well as our own opinion pieces. But we want to make sure we’re a bit different ya know, Funraising is well, meant to be fun, so our content isn’t confined to any style, all our content is meant to be like you’re communicating with a mate. We also really want to make this a creative project, so like I’m always on the lookout for artists, poets, musicians, DJs, anyone to see if we can collaborate and do some wonderful things to raise awareness about important stuff. Any interpretation of ‘important stuff’ stands by the way, that’s something I don’t want to confine to my own standards. I have a bunch of ideas in the back of my head about collaboration - it’s all about getting everyone together to do something special. We’re hoping to make a ‘creative space’ section on the Funraising website for any contributors’ poems, music, art etc. Toby Watts, has written a couple of poems about homelessness already - there are all sorts you can do with that kind of powerful medium.
New North South: Neha Choksi Manchester Art Gallery delves deep through the medium of South Asian film with Neha Choksi Pascale Chalmers-Arnold Arts Contributor To continue with our feature on the New North South exhibition series, we turn to Neha Choksi who has created an immersive seven-screen film installation specifically for the Manchester Art Gallery. Exploring the influence of community, it addresses the idea that to be yourself, you always need others. In our modern world, so much information, knowledge and experience is shared through video - which positions film as an interesting medium to explore artistic concept. It would be easy to presume that because of our constant over-exposure to it, a viewer would be able to decipher meaning and intention in filmed content simply - yet with artistic film, this is often not the case. Understand the background, meaning and intention behind it, and a piece will really open up. Faith In Friction (2017) sees Choksi explore Jain Ashram, a place of spiritual retreat, which is currently being expanded and modernised. It’s a place where people can go to escape the hubbub of normal life, just north of Mumbai in India. The architecture of this landscape became a recurring image explored across the five projections and two monitors showing the film in the gallery. The unfinished buildings appear powerfully raw, jagged, and unnatural through the camera lens.
Vast quantities of scaffolding, devoid of human presence, were elevated beyond the mundane and seemed almost symbolic of the human condition to want more than you have, and to be continually on a quest to expand and conquer. The installation itself is a psychologically engaging investigation of what it means to be an individual, and how we can be varied depending on the different groups of people we surround ourselves with, and how they shape our personalities. A collaboration with other artists, Choksi’s piece features other notable work, including Rachelle Rojany’s Swing For Friends (2017) which was shown at the Frieze Art Fair in London. As an act of trust in the vision of others, Choksi filmed 34 hours worth of footage, but then gave the tape to seven different editors who each made a different film using the same initial content, therein forming a community of sorts out of her solo experience. Faith In Friction sees Choksi triumphantly construct an intellectually stimulating installation which transcends cultural borders. Sitting in that dark room, with seven screens, seven varying views of the same world – alone or accompanied – you are offered a way out of the isolation. A retreat from our sphere of influence, this piece is a must see for Mancunians. Neha Choksi’s film installation exhibition is on at the Manchester Art Gallery from Saturday 30th September 2017 to Sunday 25th February 2018.
And why your chosen charity - Manchester Mind? We settled on Mind after a big discussion - we just thought that mental health is a prominent issue within the student community and in general 21st Century life. Also, Manchester Mind has revealed that they don’t have enough funding to provide counselling, which came as a big shock! Sophie stressed that if you wanted to get involved, it’s the more the merrier, so get in touch through their Funraising website and Facebook page, and make sure to show support at the ArtBox event on the 14th December at Solomons 5:30pm - 10:00pm, and then head to Indigo for the after party, PostBox, which will then be running from 10:00pm - 2:00am! To help the fund their event they’ve also set up a Crowdfunding page, which is welcoming donations to cover the costs of the event.
Photo: Pascale Chalmers-Arnold
Review: Airport ‘87
Central Library’s select but charming collection of photographs captures the vibrant atmosphere of Manchester Airport thirty years ago Skye Demar Arts Contributor Shirley Baker’s Airport ‘87 collection at Manchester Central Library encompasses the vibrant atmosphere of Manchester Airport 30 years ago. Salford-born photographer Shirley Baker eloquently captured the hustle and bustle of holiday-makers and business people, using a 35mm camera with both black & white, and colour film. This small but charming collection of photographs were discovered in the library archives, a true hidden gem from Baker’s career. At first glance, these photographs show an environment much alike to the modern day airport; families sat waiting with a huge pile of suitcases, shops stacked full of Superkings, and excited tourists wearing their sunhats before they even get on the plane. Looking closely, these photographs show how times have changed since 1987. People of all ages are sat playing cards to pass the time —
an increasingly rare sight in the modern day. Newspaper headlines, the wonderfully big hairstyles, and the vintage arcade machines show us the lively spirit of 80s culture before people embarked upon their journeys to different parts of the world. The hustle-and-bustle of Manchester airport, alike to the modern day, signifies the city of Manchester’s importance as a cosmopolitan place of connectivity. The aesthetic style, and perhaps most significantly, the introduction of new technology, has changed the image of the airport. Yet these photographs capture a sense of excitement through the waiting passengers, whilst also being representative of how much Manchester - and society as a whole - has changed within the past thirty years. These works succeed in capturing a fleeting moment, that comes to represent decades of difference. This exhibition is at the Central Library from the 5th October 2017 to the 6th of January 2018.
Where do you see Funraising progressing? Funraising, as I mentioned earlier is a collective aiming to promote charitable activity, but it’s pretty sprawling. It’s primarily a journalistic platform at funraising.org. uk where we publicise interesting charity
Theatre 25
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ISSUE 9 / 20th NOVEMBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK
Promenade #2 by Jenny Steel Available at the ArtBox auction Photo: Skye Demar
Feature
Brand new women’s theatre society taking back the stage Saira Baksh Contributor
Ready to take back the stage, the Women’s Theatre Society (WTS) is aimed at women of all religions and ethnicities. The group aims to be a safe and accessible space for drama enthusiasts of every level. Committee members want to encourage diversity and inclusion in the world of theatre. Hana Jafar, the founder of WTS talks to The Mancunion about how the society came to be. She said: “I started the women's theatre society this year because I saw a need and wanted to fill it. As aMuslim woman who wears the hijab, I used to feel like there weren't spaces I felt were safe, accessible and inclusive enough for me to engage in something as intimate as acting. I haven't done much drama, but I know how important it can be in letting women find their voices.” Whilst Margherita Concina, treasurer for WTS, is quick to highlight the inclusive nature of the society saying that it's for, “every theatre-loving woman, from any religious or cultural background, to have a comfortable space to express and challenge herself. For example, the wide-spread existence of female actors is a genereally accepted phenomenon now, but female directors are much rarer. We would like to inspire women to develop a new passion, be it in performance, writing, directing, tech, lighting, costume designing… In short, all things theatre.” The overwhelming response this rising society has gained since they started is presented through their diverse and varied membership, and over 100 sign ups just during freshers' week! So far, the society have held a meet and greet, and a few workshops surrounding issues such as confidence building, and theatrical writing. These are usually handled by Eleanor Maxwell, Co-Chair and head of performance at the WTS, who has a theatrical background herself. She says that “theatre has always been an inclusive space for me, and it makes sense for this inclusion to be extended to everyone.” Elena Brearley, first year Drama student and member of WTS, tells us about why she joined: “I liked that the society seemed both socially and culturally conscious and had the intention of bringing about some positive social change. Everyone in the group is respectful of each other’s opinions and it’s
a diverse group of people which allows for some thought provoking conversations and discussions. It’s relaxed and has a bigger focus on building confidence and learning new skills, whether you’re a beginner or have a lot of experience with theatre.” Edda Vallen, active member of WTS told us she thought “it was really attractive to have a women's only theatre society because generally I found other societies to be quite male-dominated and I want to use my creative skills on my own terms. There's also real opportunities to get involved; I'll be running our next workshop (on the 20th of November) and hopefully performing in the winter showcase!" The winter showcase, according to Eleanor, will be a platform and voice for women. Working with their members, they will create a variety-filled showcase full of monologues, short dramas, and poetry. All the profits of the showcase are going straight to a charity, called Independent Choices, which Eleanor tells us is “a helpline which helps women escape abusive domestic environments. The volunteers have a well-rounded knowledge of issues that might keep people trapped in a toxic situation, like the language barrier or immigration bureaucracy. They are based in Manchester but are active across the UK.”
The University of Manchester Women’s Theatre Society is open to all self-defining women, to explore their skills and gain confidence. Whether they want to act, to take up take up technical roles, or even just to watch.
Photo: UoM Women’s Theatre Society
The Bruntwood Prize Ceremony 2017 Jade Fox attends the Bruntwood Prize Ceremony 2017 at the Royal Exchange Theatre Jade Fox Contributor
The winner of this year’s overall prize is Heartworm by Timothy X Atack. The extract from his piece was wonderfully weird and in its 1,898 plays, 100 dedicated readers, 8 judges, 6 short introduction, he claimed that it gets more winners. so as the play goes on. Our short exposure to The Bruntwood Prize has been inspiring the the characters established that the work has a creation of new theatre since 2005. It invites strong grasp on humour and that Tim is skilled anyone — and everyone — to have a good go at in revealing a character’s opinion without writing a play. People are able to submit anonrevealing a character’s opinion. ymously — a wonderful consideration for He said to me after winning that ‘[he] wrote this both the first time and practised writer — and to be like a dream’ and that he had considered are considered for a part of the £40,000 prize it being too out there for the Bruntwood prize. fund — and, more importantly, the opportunity Nevertheless, he has entered the competition for it to become a live theatre production. five times: proving that creativity and tenacUsually, upon entering the Exchange’s ity are a winning combination. Be sure not to "spaceship" (in other words, a futuristic in the miss Heartworm when it appears onstage. It round theatre), one expects transportation to is to be produced by the Royal Court and the anywhere on the planet for an hour or two in Royal Exchange in the near future. the company of compelling and comThe atmosphere after the ceremony plex characters. The Bruntwood was that of imagination. The Prize ceremony was no room became saturated different. with conversation as The organisers ensoon as we entered sured that this theait. Amongst the tre remains what it excitement, I had always has been, the chance to a playground. speak with panel The extracts member Russell performed T Davies. He from the eight explained that shortlisthe was very ed plays quick to take performed up Bruntwere phewood on their nomenal. The offer when they content ranged asked for him from a man to be involved. leaving for life on Upon mention Mars, to a restauof the difference rant teeming with between theatre and international relations. television — a somewhat It is due to the quality of calculated medium — RusPhoto: @ The Other Richard the acting company and the sell remarked that “in theatre, scripts themselves that the stage anything can happen”. could so quickly become tense, hilarious, Many people know that to create theatre is thought-provoking, and, most of all, thrilling to to create magic. And if anything supports and watch. inspires these hidden magicians, it’s Bruntwood.
Preview
UMDS Autumn Season 2017 Sophie Graci Editor The University of Manchester Drama Society began its 2017/18 with the first of its four seasons of plays. The Autumn Season - rebranded from the Autumn Showcase - aims to get as many of the society’s members involved as early in the year as possible. The year opened with Holes by Fresh Meat writer Tom Basden. The performance took place in the John Thaw Studio Theatre, Martin Harris Centre, and a review will be featuring in next week’s edition. Theatregoers have a wide variety of plays to look forward to, as well as some new talent. The other published play in the season is the Freshers Play, which this year is Pomona by Manchester alumnus Alistair McDowell. The Freshers Play solely features first year talent, giving the team the chance to establish themselves within the society. By taking on the challenge of a play that was performed to great acclaim at the Royal Exchange in 2015, new students are being given the opportunity to show off their talent and their ingenuity. The play will be performed from 4th-6th December at the King’s Arms Theatre in Salford. UMDS is proud to stage plays that challenge expectations and deal with difficult issues. Two very different plays about mental health are being put on this season - Returning by Jade Fox, and Action Man
by Lizzie Morris. The society is working in association with veterans charities in order to support these important plays. Returning will be performed at 3 Minute Theatre in Afflekcs Palace from 22nd-24th November, and Action Man at the International Anthony Burgess Foundation from 12th-14th December. Following on from a successful double bill in last year’s MIFTA season, the society will also be putting on two shorter plays for the price of one. Hitler’s Dad by Ollie Norton-Smith and Therese and Isabelle by Wanda Pendrie are two very contrasting pieces: the latter an exploration of female friendship and obsession, the former a dark comedy. The double bill will be taking place at 3 Minute Theatre from 29th November to 1st December. The double bill gives society members a chance to stage their shorter pieces, something UMDS is keen to promote this year with the introduction of its scratch nights: HIVE. HIVE gives members a safe, supportive encironment to stage their writing, comedy, poetry, or anything else that can be performed on a (small) stage. The first event was sold out, and the next HIVE night will be on 21st November in Solomons in Withington. Submissions for the society’s next season, the MIFTAs, are now open. Search ‘University of Manchester Drama Society’ on Facebook for more information.
Photo: University of Manchester Drama Society
26
Lifestyle
ISSUE 9 / 20th NOVEMBER 2017 WWW.MANCESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK
5 advent calendars to get you into the
Top tips for taking care of your well-being
Image: Advice Service Image: walltor.com
Count down to Christmas with these boozy calendars without breaking the bank
Vicki Greenwood Student Advisor Looking after your well-being is crucial. It will help you function better, enhance physical health, improve academic and work performance, and improve overall quality of life. Here are the Advice Service’s Top Ten Tips to looking after your well-being:
Sophia Macpherson Lifestyle Editor Although advent calendars typically start on the 1st of December, there’s no harm getting one early and ordering yours now. By the time it comes in the post, December will be right around the corner! A swig of a drink every now or then — or every night — will help warm you up on a cold night as the frost creeps in. Also, what better way to prepare you for the inevitably large amount of Christmas drinking that will ensue on the 24th? Get your bodies trained for the main event with the aid of these Christmas advent calendars. Handpicked to pleasure your taste-buds, as well as not break the bank too much. Here is a list of the best advents calendars out this year: Craft beer advent calendar — available at Iceland — £39.99 This is a dream purchase for all those beer-lovers out there! Not only does this calendar serve quality, but also quantity. The selection is more than generous, with each beer being completely unique to itself. The calendar also comes with a fancy glass! wine
advent
calendar
Travel Story: Sarajevo’s tin can
With ‘Wellbeing Week’ here, student advisor, Vicki Greenwood, offers some simple steps to feeling good
Holiday Spirits
Laithwaites’ £69.99
Lifestyle 27
ISSUE 9 / 20th NOVEMBER 2017 WWW.MANCESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK
—
Connect with the people around you If you are living in non-catered halls or a house share, why not suggest you take it in turns to cook for each other once a week. This will give you a chance not only to bond with your flatmates but will mean you are eating a home cooked meal most days. Join a society This is a great way to meet new friends and explore something new. To find out what societies are available and how to get involved take a look at the Students’ Union Societies page at manchesterstudentsunion.com/societies. Set yourself a challenge Doing a degree is probably challenging enough! However it is always exciting to set yourself small challenges involving something you enjoy. It could be something large or small. Either way, accomplishing something new will boost your confidence. Try out mindfulness
Living, working, and studying in a busy Another worthwhile purchase, this calendar city can become quite overwhelming. contains everything from French Sauvignon Meditation is proven to reduce stress and to fine Prosecco. Also expect to find yourself a red beauty amongst one of those days. Very’s gin advent calendar — £49.99 Go crazy for this gin calendar, as I will! Well and truly a bargain price. Pre-order now as this little number will definitely be swooped up soon by those eager gin-lovers. Nothing beats a classic G&T. 12 Days of Christmas spirit advent calendar — available from Debenhams — £40 This calendar contains twelve pockets with miniatures of liqueurs, whiskeys, gins, vodkas, and even Baileys! Might seem a bit too much just for a single person so it’s perfect as a house gift or even for family members. Christmas wine and prosecco advent calendar — available at Iceland and online at Amazon — £39.99 Two of our favourite things. How could you resist? This calendar contains everything from rosé, to reds, whites, and even mulled wine. All at a very friendly price that won’t damage your bank account.
anxiety. You don’t need any skills to do it and it is completely free. Free mindfulness workshops are available to attend via the University Counselling Service. Find out more at counsellingservice.manchester. ac.uk/events/workshops. Know your limits We can all be guilty of burning the candle at both ends from time to time, but knowing your limits can help prevent burn out. Whether you have been partying too much lately or staying up all night to try and finish an essay, in the end not looking after your body will take its toll. Keep an eye out for any warning signs that you may be over doing it.
some fresh air is a fab way to take some time out for yourself and regroup your thoughts. Be Active Not everyone likes the thought of exercising but you don’t have to slog it out at the gym to be active. Whether it is dancing, walking, swimming, or yoga, regularly exercising will make you feel great. Exercise is proven to boost your mood and well-being. Why not try one of the many classes available through Active Manchester at the University. Classes can work out as cheap as £2 per class. sport.manchester. ac.uk/fitness/activeman/ Eat Smart
Talk to someone Whether that is a friend, flatmate, family member, GP, counsellor, or an adviser at the Advice Service. There is no shame in seeking help. Between trying to academically succeed, financial pressures, trying to socialise, and meet new friends, being at University can be a tough place to be. You may be feeling low in mood or may be concerned that you are experiencing symptoms of anxiety or depression. If you are concerned for a friend or would like to chat to someone yourself then please book an appointment at the Advice Service or email us at advice.su@manchester.ac.uk Get Outside Go for a walk or sit outside and watch the world go by. Try and take in the world around you and see things you may not have noticed before. Get in touch with nature by noticing the leaves on the trees starting to fall and change colour in the autumn or spotting the new buds of flowers starting to bloom in the spring. Getting
Try to eat a balanced diet. Eating healthily doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the foods you like. Just try to eat them in moderation instead. If you don’t like cooking try to cook meals in batches and freeze them. If you like to eat on the go you can always bring in a pre-prepared meal from home and heat it up in one of the microwaves available to use in the Students’ Union. Take time out for you Do something you enjoy. This could be anything! Look round a museum, listen to some music, watch your favourite film, or read a book. Life can be pretty hectic so it is really important to not forget about ourselves so try and spend some time doing something just for you. And if all of this isn’t enough, you can access the Universities Wellbeing Week sessions from the 20th to the 24th of November! Find all the information you need here: studentsupport.manchester.ac.uk/ taking-care/wellbeing/wellbeing-week/
WRITE FOR US Email: lifestyle@mancunion.com
Meeting time: Tuesdays 6.15pm
Meeting place: MMG Room, Basement of Students’ Union
Image: Aisha Al-Janabi
Aisha Al-Janabi reveals why Bosnia is a country worth visiting Aisha Al-Janabi Lifestyle Contributor In my first year, I suffered some severe anxiety and it distressed me greatly. Today I don’t suffer even half as much, and have found methods and coping mechanisms which have improved my quality of life greatly. The first thing to remember when suffering anxiety, is that it is merely your bodies reaction to stress and fear — nothing more. Trivialising the problem helps immensely, as the more you think of your anxiety as an issue, the more anxious and panicky you will inevitably become! The second thing to remember, is that whilst you are suffering, these feelings are temporary, and will pass! Whilst anxiety can be scary, and make you feel like life will never be the same again, I promise that things won’t always feel this horrible! What many people don’t seem to understand is that anxiety can be extremely physical, and does not necessarily mean the person is worried about anything in particular; it’s more of a constant sense of unease which will not go away. This means that sufferers of anxiety, who do not know what it is, will panic and overreact to the physical symptoms. This is the last thing your body and mind needs. Therefore, as previously mentioned, recognising that you are simply anxious, and that your elevated heartbeat and tight gut does not mean that you are having a stroke, is of paramount importance! Hence I would recommend avoiding WebMD or googling your symptoms if you do feel anxious, as this can only cause you to consider the
physical problems you’re experiencing in your body! It’s important to shift the focus from your feelings towards your surroundings. When someone becomes too introspective, they begin to exacerbate their own symptoms enormously, which only panics the person more! Now the most general piece of advice is to stay active and busy, as distraction causes temporary relief from anxiety, you forget about your breathing and heartbeat when doing something that you enjoy, or that stimulates you. The best activity in principle would be running. As you run, it is almost impossible to focus on anything apart from your breathing and movement. It is also a healthy activity, so an endorphin boost to boot! However, if you’re not the running sort, any form of sport is good. Other good activities include: video games, board games, going for a walk, yoga, and listening to music. Keeping yourself busy will decrease your anxiety. For me, the key cognitive step to quelling my anxious thoughts, was recognising activities and things which caused me irrational anxiety, and trying to rationalise this myself. Once you rationalise the fact that nothing is going wrong inside your body, and that stepping out of the house puts you at no more risk than staying cooped up in does, your general anxiety will assuredly decrease. Also, for me, I found gaining control of my breathing helped immensely. I would often find myself short of breath, or constantly having to manually breathe due to my anxiety, so finding certain breathing exercises to do when focusing on nothing but my own horrible feelings was greatly helpful. Taking a moment out of your day to
simply breathe and focus on your breathing can really calm you down, and slows your mind down when having scary or irrational thought processes. Of course, I do also recommend going to the doctors and speaking to them about your anxiety, as reassurance from a professional does count for a lot when trying to reassure yourself that everything is okay. Just taking time to discuss your feelings and mental health is greatly beneficial, as sadly, keeping your feelings bottled up does simply leave them to fester and evolve into greater issues. I cannot stress the importance of simply discussing your feelings and worries with others, as suffering in silence and alone can be extremely overwhelming and awful. Even just a chat with your housemates or course mates about how you feel can be helpful. To all males reading, please do not feel afraid so speak about how you feel, it does not make you any less of a man to seek help, and if anything it shows a real strength of character to admit that you do need some assistance. I say this as males are often far more likely to bottle up their emotions and feelings, and hence have a far higher suicide rate than females. To summarise my advice: remain logical and calm, remember that it is temporary and WILL get better, stay busy and motivated and get your feelings out! Finally, remember that you do not suffer alone, a great many young people suffer with anxiety, and it’s invisible, so SPEAK UP! I sincerely hope whoever reads this takes some comfort in these words.
Dealing with anxiety at university Joe Whitfield speaks bravely about how he manages his anxiety and why it’s important that everyone expresses their feelings Joe Whitfield Lifestyle Contributor In my first year, I suffered some severe anxiety and it distressed me greatly. Today I don’t suffer even half as much, and have found methods and coping mechanisms which have improved my quality of life greatly. The first thing to remember when suffering anxiety, is that it is merely your bodies reaction to stress and fear — nothing more. Trivialising the problem helps immensely, as the more you think of your anxiety as an issue, the more anxious and panicky you will inevitably become! The second thing to remember, is that whilst you are suffering, these feelings are temporary, and will pass! Whilst anxiety can be scary, and make you feel like life will never be the same again, I promise that things won’t always feel this horrible! What many people don’t seem to understand is that anxiety can be extremely physical, and does not necessarily mean the person is worried about anything in particular; it’s more of a constant sense of unease which will not go away. This means that sufferers of anxiety, who do not know what it is, will panic and overreact to the physical symptoms. This is the last thing your body and mind needs. Therefore, as previously mentioned, recognising that you are simply anxious, and that your elevated heartbeat and tight gut does not mean that you are having a stroke, is of paramount importance! Hence I would recommend avoiding WebMD or googling your symptoms if you do feel anxious, as this can only cause you to consider the physi-
cal problems you’re experiencing in your body! It’s important to shift the focus from your feelings towards your surroundings. When someone becomes too introspective, they begin to exacerbate their own symptoms enormously, which only panics the person more! Now the most general piece of advice is to stay active and busy, as distraction causes temporary relief from anxiety, you forget about your breathing and heartbeat when doing something that you enjoy, or that stimulates you. The best activity in principle would be running. As you run, it is almost impossible to focus on anything apart from your breathing and movement. It is also a healthy activity, so an endorphin boost to boot! However, if you’re not the running sort, any form of sport is good. Other good activities include: video games, board games, going for a walk, yoga, and listening to music. Keeping yourself busy will decrease your anxiety. For me, the key cognitive step to quelling my anxious thoughts, was recognising activities and things which caused me irrational anxiety, and trying to rationalise this myself. Once you rationalise the fact that nothing is going wrong inside your body, and that stepping out of the house puts you at no more risk than staying cooped up in does, your general anxiety will assuredly decrease. Also, for me, I found gaining control of my breathing helped immensely. I would often find myself short of breath, or constantly having to manually breathe due to my anxiety, so finding certain breathing exercises to do when focusing on nothing but my own horrible feelings was greatly helpful. Taking a moment out of your day to
simply breathe and focus on your breathing can really calm you down, and slows your mind down when having scary or irrational thought processes. Of course, I do also recommend going to the doctors and speaking to them about your anxiety, as reassurance from a professional does count for a lot when trying to reassure yourself that everything is okay. Just taking time to discuss your feelings and mental health is greatly beneficial, as sadly, keeping your feelings bottled up does simply leave them to fester and evolve into greater issues. I cannot stress the importance of simply discussing your feelings and worries with others, as suffering in silence and alone can be extremely overwhelming and awful. Even just a chat with your housemates or course mates about how you feel can be helpful. To all males reading, please do not feel afraid so speak about how you feel, it does not make you any less of a man to seek help, and if anything it shows a real strength of character to admit that you do need some assistance. I say this as males are often far more likely to bottle up their emotions and feelings, and hence have a far higher suicide rate than females. To summarise my advice: remain logical and calm, remember that it is temporary and WILL get better, stay busy and motivated and get your feelings out! Finally, remember that you do not suffer alone, a great many young people suffer with anxiety, and it’s invisible, so SPEAK UP! I sincerely hope whoever reads this takes some comfort in these words.
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Alan Shearer’s BBC documentary puts spotlight on dementia The documentary, which aired on Sunday the 12th, focused on the link between heading and dementia
Photo: Marc Benton @flickr
Sam Cooper Sports Editor
Dementia used to be a taboo topic in football. Whether it was an unwillingness to acknowledge that a key aspect of the beautiful game was actively harming its players or a general misbelief over the relative lack of research, the FA was slow to react to the reports. Alan Shearer, a man famous for heading balls into the backs of nets, set about investigating this increasingly important topic for the BBC in a documentary called ‘Alan Shearer: Dementia, Football and Me’. In it, Shearer describes the lives of former pros after they retire and in particular that of Jeff Astle and Nobby Stiles. Astle was a player for West From that died in 2002 at the age of 59. The significance of Astle’s postmortem was the corner ruled that his death was caused by the repeated heading of footballs, the first time a medical professional had made such a link. The
Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) commissioned an inquest but it was stopped before any major conclusions were found. After the documentary aired, the PFA said that children under the age of 11 should be banned from heading the ball, a common practice in the United States, until further research was conducted. The hesitancy in which the PFA and FA has had in terms of funding research has met little progress has been made since Astle’s death. Cognitive neuroscientist Dr Magdalena Ietswaart commented after the documentary that, “we do not yet know whether there is a definitive link between football and dementia. This can only be discovered by carrying out research in this area. Scientific developments open up a new approach that is achievable but requires a robust funding drive.” Throughout the documentary, Shearer appeared to grow increasingly frustrated at the lack of movement from the FA, UEFA and FIFA. The scientists he spoke to all made it clear that they lacked the funding needed to conduct proper research and so the link between dementia and heading remains hypothetical.
One of the most emotional scenes in the documentary was when Shearer spoke to John Stiles, son of Nobby. Nobby Stiles was part of the 1966 England World Cup winning squad and video of him dancing with the trophy across the Wembley pitch remain with many. Nobby developed dementia in later life and now lives in a home. “I’m utterly convinced that heading the ball in training is responsible but that’s only my opinion” his son said. Nobby’s struggle is seen by some as a great failure of football. The fact that a member of successful England and Manchester United teams was left behind. He was forced to sell his winners medals so he could “leave something for my family,” but the real frustration appears to be at the lack of research done to prevent, or better understand, future cases like Nobby. The families of Stiles and Astle have made it clear, more research needs to be done into this. The misconception that because the balls are lighter now there is a less of a risk is wrong because they travel at greater speeds. While the FA, Premier League, UEFA and FIFA continue to revel in record profits, surely now is the time to put some of it towards saving players’ lives.
Is this the beginning of the end for Ferrari in F1? Or is this just a small part of a larger issue?
Photo: Julien REBOULET @flickr
James Gill Sports Reporter Since Formula One began in 1950, Ferrari has been the only team to compete every single year. The incredible passion, perhaps more aptly described as an obsession, Enzo Ferrari had for motor racing is the driving force behind that. The only reason ‘il Commendatore’ began manufacturing road cars was to fund his aspirations on the track, and even then he did it with such reluctance. 67 years on and the Scuderia are the most successful team in history, winning 15 driver’s championships and 16 constructor’s championships, no other team comes close. After his death in 1988 it all changed. No longer is Ferrari a powerhouse of the track with a side arm of producing supercars. The F1 team is now nothing more than elaborate brand advertising, and unless something changes, they may walk away from the scene altogether. Sergio Marchionne, the Ferrari President is well aware of how pivotal his team is to the economic viability of the sport. “Unless we find a set of circumstances the results of which are beneficial to the maintenance of the brand, and the marketplace, and to the strengthening of the unique position for Ferrari, Ferrari will not play.” These remarks came after a recent announcement about the direction the F1 will take the car engines from the 2021
season. The aim is to reduce cost and improve noise but ultimately to level out the playing field. Ferrari’s issues obviously don’t stem solely from this; it has been brewing for a long, long time. The change in the engines is the catalyst. They believe that their brand and relevance outweighs that of F1 as a whole, and whether or not you believe that to be true their threat is very real, and very dangerous. The new owners of F1, Liberty Media, announced that they will reduce the amount of annual prize money Ferrari receives. Currently there is a guaranteed annual prize of $100 million before a single race has even begun. This doesn’t include the money for each race and for their position in the overall standings. Libery’s chief executive Greg Maffei said “If you’re Ferrari, you have enormous sponsorship revenue that goes directly to you. That’s going to be impacted more positively by great races. So thinking about balancing the team payments, so they’re a little more balanced and creates more fairness, has to be weighted, in Ferrari’s mind, I would expect, by the fact that creating a great platform helps out sponsorship revenue, too, so there’s a give-and-take.” It could be argued that if the Scuderia break away, Formula One may fall into obscurity. The multi-billion dollar industry that Bernie Ecclestone has worked so tirelessly since the 1970’s to create could become just another average branch of motorsport. This isn’t the first time Ferrari, or even Marchionne has raised their displeasure but there is
a difference this time, and Ecclestone knows it. A strategic meeting was called on 7th November with each team, the FIA and the Formula One Group all present. “They [Ferrari] don’t want budget caps and all that”, Ecclestone told The Independent, “they want to spend what they can afford to spend and I’ve always said the same thing. If people can’t spend they have to go.” “If there are then only three or four teams something would have to be done but until that actually happens nobody is going to do anything.” Ecclestone hints at a larger issue than simply Ferrari alone. Don’t have budget caps and see the smaller teams drop out, have one and see the bigger teams get frustrated and perhaps leave. They are walking a tightrope, and everything is in a fine balance. Lean to far one way and the everything could come crashing down. Marchionne suggested that leaving F1 would be a great idea financially, saying it would be “totally beneficial to the profit”, adding “the board would be celebrating here until the cows come home.” This says a lot about how Ferrari feel about their motor racing past, that it should stay just that. Enzo Ferrari once said that “the most important victory is the one that is yet to arrive.” The greatest race that has ever taken place in F1 is going on right now, off the track, and if, when the dust settles, Ferrari has walked away, the fire of his passion, Ecclestone’s passion, and that of millions of fans will be extinguished.
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Track Cycling World Cup pedals into Manchester The World of Track Cycling descends on Manchester, as Team GB go home with a five medal haul
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ISSUE 9 / 20th NOVEMBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK
ISSUE 9 / 20th NOVEMBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK
Rugby League World Cup – Group Stage Round-up Three weeks in and the group stages are over, but which nations will be returning in the knock-out stages? Jamie McEvoy Sports reporter
Photo: Marc @flickr
Will Hodgeman Sports Reporter From the 10th to the 12th November, Manchester welcomed a plethora of cycling talent. From Olympic and World Champions, to an emerging group of young talent, hundreds of cyclists descended on the city’s UK National Cycling Centre. For one weekend Manchester played host to not only its usual resident of British Cycling but to guests from around the globe, as the second round of the UCI Track Cycling World Cup got underway on Friday afternoon. The velodrome proved the perfect venue for the event, balancing a level of extravagance you may expect for such an event with the informality guaranteed in such a closely packed arena. The relaxed atmosphere allowed spectators to observe from within touching distance of the riders, as they banked up the steep corners of the track. Meanwhile warmups and equipment preparation became unavoidable and intriguing viewing. By the end of each day’s session a sense of familiarity, impossible in most major sporting events, formed between spectator and rider. Admittedly it takes some getting used to the infamously intricate and imaginative race types. The ‘Madison’, ‘Keirin’, ‘Omnium’ and ‘Scratch’ all mean little to the average audience member. Those of us unfamiliar with the sport, save for during those two weeks of passionate support and expertise that roll around every Olympic year, were forced to desperately flick through our programmes and skim read through the rules as the countdown for the next race ticked down. However once rules were at least partially understood, it made for an electric weekend of racing. The event, the second of four this season, featured a number of British riders, including several Olympic athletes and medal winners, mixed in with much young talent. However, the big names weren’t always the talking point. A notable oddity of the tournament is
the acceptance of non-national teams, often sponsored or supported by their country’s cycling body but competing as a separate squad. Used by Team GB to field academy riders, Team Breeze and Team 100% Me are an example, with the national team using the opportunity to include more riders. Team 100% Me’s Callum Skinner, silver medallist in the individual sprint at Rio, picked up a Bronze medal in the 1km time trial, coming agonisingly close to the one-minute barrier at 1:00.868. It was a barrier that Australian star Michael Glaetzer managed to break, a record at sea level, coming in at 59.970s, a promising result in preparation for the Commonwealth games next year on his home turf. Of the non-national teams developing in the world of track cycling, most notable is Team KGF. Comprised of a quartet of amateur riders, who live, eat, and train together in Derby, while funding everything largely out of their own pockets, Team KGF are making an increasingly big name for themselves in the sport. Having won the team pursuit at the National Championships in January, followed by a seventh place finish in the opening World Cup event in Poland, they came to Manchester with hopes high. A close heat, employing some unorthodox tactics, put them through to the Bronze medal race. Then, spurred on by an enthusiastic crowd, they went head to head with France, unfortunately being pipped to the post in the final 500m to take fourth. For a team with their limited resources and numbers, employing tactics to utilise their strengths to their maximum, it was an impressive effort, and they will go forward even more inspired to succeed. The standout star of the event was Katie Archibald. The Olympic Gold Medal winner in the Team Pursuit impressed in both individual and team events in Manchester. Friday night saw her go head to head with American star Jennifer Valente in the Omnium, cycling’s multi-race event, in which Archibald is the current World Champion. The elimination race, one of cycling’s most entertaining, saw the two
battle it out until only they remained, with Archibald summoning a final sprint finish to knock out Valente, putting them 2nd and 1st respectively. Finally, with little separating the two, they headed into the points race, a 20km race with points awarded every ten laps for contesting sprints. Anyone’s game. Archibald took charge quickly, doing her best to stay ahead of Valente and reduce the 6 point margin between them. With ten laps to go, and double points on this last sprint, Valente still led by a single point. Archibald kept Valente behind her as she sped round the track, the roar of the crowd following. It was not until the final lap that Valente moved into another gear, as she slowly worked her way past Archibald, taking pole position over the finish line and claiming Gold. A bitter-sweet result for Archibald, but no doubt inspiring. She went on to help GB to Gold in both the Madison, alongside teammate Elinor Barker, and the Team Pursuit. With the Madison now an Olympic event, Archibald will face an interesting dilemma as to what to pursue for Tokyo. With their win in the Team Pursuit the women finished the event on a high, joining the men’s team and giving Team GB a total of three Gold medals, and five overall. Germany topped the event’s table, with sprinter Kristina Vogel taking home three Golds, in the Sprint, Keirin, and Team Sprint. Elsewhere Wales’ Jonathan Mould took silver in the 15km Scratch Race. It was a successful event not only for British riders but for the sport in general. Team GB’s stars will go on to the next World Cup in Milton, Canada with expectations high. As, we can hope, will Team KGF. Already shaking things up in British Cycling, there seems no signs they’re going to stop, and with several notable retirements and temporary absences within the GB squad, they’re certainly getting themselves noticed by coaches, looking to fill those gaps before Tokyo in 2020. Meanwhile Manchester will look forward to the National Track Championships in January.
Manchester Swimmer Breaks European Record University of Manchester swimmers shine at the BUCS Short Course Championships
With the group stages of the 2017 Rugby League World Cup concluded, it is time to look back on the key results and faceoffs, and ahead to the unforgiving quarter finals, where the tournament’s strongest competitors will face off, the semi-finals in sight. The first round of fixtures saw a brilliant opening to the competition. In Group A England had a tough opening fixture against co-hosts The Kangaroos, which resulted in an 18-4 defeat, whereas fellow home nation Ireland got off to a more promising start against Italy, winning 36-12. Tonga, Fiji and Papua New Guinea all blew their opposition out of the water with two of their victims being Scotland and Wales. Scotland’s troubles worsened when skipper Danny Brough was sent home along with Sam Brooks and Johnny Walker, after the trio were refused passage onto a flight for being drunk and disorderly. In the second round of group games, England registered their first points of the tournament with a 29-10 victory over Lebanon, but Australia remained two points clear at the top of the table after annihilating France. Scotland’s hopes of qualifying for the last eight were crushed after being thrashed by co-hosts New Zealand 74-6, and Wales and the Irish faced similar fates after losing respectively to Fiji and Papua New Guinea. The top of Group B could not have been any tighter, with both New Zealand and dark horses Tonga level on points after two victories each. However, in the final round of matches within the group, Tonga pulled off a fabulous win against their co-host rivals, meaning they topped the Group B. Due to a flurry of bans and squad changes there was a multitude of scepticism surrounding New Zealand’s tournament campaign leading up to the competition, and failure to top the group has reignited this doubt. Elsewhere at the weekend, England beat France comfortably to seal second place in Group A behind the Aussies, meaning the French were eliminated and Lebanon claimed a shock place in the quarter finals. Groups C and D unsurprisingly saw Papua New Guinea and Fiji finish on 100% records.
Photo: Carl Smith @Wikimedia Commons
Come the last eight, there is no such thing as an easy fixture, but Tonga will definitely be relieved to have avoided Fiji, who the Kiwis will face instead on Saturday afternoon. In the morning, the Group B victors will play the considerably weaker Lebanon. This favourable match-up gives Tonga an excelent opportunity to make their first ever World Cup semi-final. Favourites Australia will host Samoa on Friday, and Group A runners up England will meet Papua New Guinea in Melbourne on Sunday. Comfortable triumphs in their latter two games of the group stages will have boosted the morale of the English side considerably, as well as the return of the injured forward Sam Burgess, but Papua New Guinea will be looking to keep up their perfect record and book a place in the semi-finals on their own turf.
Photo: Frances Garnett @University of Manchester Swimming Club
and 1,500m Freestyle distance events placing 7th (3:57.60), 8th (4:27.57) and 6th (15:37.31) respectively. Bailey Hairsine also put in a strong performance, closely following Hogg to finish 10th in the 1,500m Freestyle in a time of 16:17.31 and 11th in the 400m Individual Medley stopping the clock at 4:36.43. Jamie Ingram – a third Sports Scholar — qualified 9th for the Men’s 100m Butterfly final, improving on his time in the final to finish 6th in 54.46. Ingram also qualified alongside Jacob Lea for the 50m Butterfly “B” final, racing to 1st and 4th place finishes in times of 24.44 and 25.12 respectively. Elsewhere, the Men’s 4 x 50m Freestyle Relay qualified for the “B” final. The quartet of Ingram, Hogg, Afonso Sequiera and Lea clocked a time of 1:34.78, improving on their time in the heats to place 5th. “I’m very proud of the whole team,” says Girls Captain Frances Garnett. “With four para-medals, swimmers continuously making the finals and placing in the top 10, it’s been a fantastic weekend for University of Manchester swimming.” The team can now look forward to the BUCS Team competition and the BUCS Long Course Championships, which is part of the multi-sport BUCS Nationals weekend taking place in February next year.
Group A: 1. Australia 2. England 3. Lebanon 4. France Group B: 1. Tonga 2. New Zealand 3. Samoa 4. Scotland Group C: 1. Papua New Guinea 2. Ireland 3. Wales Group D: 1. Fiji 2. Italy 3. United States
England’s opening Autumn International a “grindathon” Let’s hope it doesn’t feel like watching England play football on Saturday
James Gill Sports Reporter On Saturday England played the first of three Autumn Internationals against Argentina at Twickenham. The end result was a 21-8 victory for the Red and Whites but the performance told a far different story. Head Coach Eddie Jones called the game a “grindathon”, adding that they were “off the pace a bit”. This was the first game in eight months so there was understandably going to be a little bit of sluggishness but perhaps the entire 80 minutes is a little much. Around the hour mark flanker Sam Undersell conceded a penalty to which Jones slammed his notebook down in frustration. The performance was much more akin to that of their footballing counterparts and uncharacteristic of a side that has won 20 out of 21 test matches with Jones at the helm. The match began in England’s favour. George Ford missed a first minute penalty with the kick rebound off
the crossbar but thankfully was given a second opportunity six minutes later to make it 3-0. The lead lasted only three minutes before Emiliano Boffelli levelled the game up. Another bit of Argentine indiscipline led to the third penalty in the opening quarter of an hour and Ford converted a second time to put England back in the lead 6-3. In the 22nd minute Mike Brown bravely leaps to catch a high kick but a challenge from Joaquin Tuculet leaves him in a heap on the floor. As Brown receives treatment the referee reviews the footage and deems it worthy of a yellow card. In my opinion Tuculet has his eyes on the ball the whole time and so a sin bin seems a little harsh. Brown is forced off the pitch from the injuries he sustained in the collision and is replaced by Semesa Rokoduguni. A minute later the extra man helped England score the first try of the game with Nathan Hughes touching down following a wonderful pass from George Ford. Unfortunately he missed the conversion hitting the post. The remaining 17 minutes of the first half passed by with almost no incident except a fifth England penalty which Ford converted putting the score at 14-3 at the break.
Amy Quach Sports Reporter The BUCS Short Course Swimming Championships is the first major event of the university swimming calendar. From the 10th to the 12th of November, over 1,700 students representing universities from across the country congregated at Ponds Forge International Sports Centre in Sheffield. With both Olympic and Paralympic athletes competing, it promised to be an exciting weekend of competition. The team from Manchester made a significant improvement on last year’s 24th place result, finishing 10th out of 92 universities in the overall points standings. A stand out performer on the Manchester team was para-swimmer Grace Harvey, who smashed the Women’s SM7 200m Individual Medley European Record in a time of 3:09.71 — with 759 British Disability points — to take silver. A University of Manchester Sports Scholar, Harvey also scooped bronze with 710 points in the multi-disability 100m Freestyle behind teammate Rosie Bancroft — 744 points — who took the silver medal in a time of 1:05.64. Bancroft brought home her second silver of the weekend in the 50m Freestyle, scoring 758 points with a time of 31.00. Sports Scholar Ashley Hogg had a successful meet, competing in the Men’s 400m Freestyle, 400m Individual Medley
Final Group Standings
The second half somehow found a way to be less enjoyable than the first. England struggled heavily and couldn’t seem to find their groove, Argentina on the other hand were unwilling to take advantage of that, hardly troubling them. It took 26 minutes before substitute Rokoduguni scored a try to award the first points of the half. It was referred to the TMO as the try in the corner wasn’t clear enough for the referee. Sure enough after some deliberation it was awarded and Ford converted, extending England’s lead to 21-3. With two minutes to go it seemed Jones’ team was going to shut out Argentina and they wouldn’t score a try but they finally managed it on the 30th phase. In a fashion true to the spirit of the game the conversion was missed and all the fans went home miserable. The statistics tell the same miserable story too with Argentina controlling a whopping 62 per cent possession and England forced to make twice the amount of tackles. The lack of desire to win or play any sort of cohesive rugby cost Argentina with them only scoring a singular try despite having a grip on the game. Try scorer Semesa Rokoduguni’s day was especially important. Not only was this just his third cap after a debut three years ago but he served in Afghanistan as a British Army Lance Corporal. Following the game’s conclusion he said “It’s one of those emotional days but it’s an honour to represent the army as a whole.”
Saturday 25th November Italy v South Africa (14:00) Scotland v Australia (14:30) England v Samoa (15:00) Wales v New Zealand (17:15) Ireland v Argentina (17:30) France v Japan (19:45) Photo: Ungry Young Man @flickr
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RLWC Round-Up
The University of Manchester Women fell to their fourth league defeat in four after a 2-3 against the University of Central Lancashire Sam Cooper Sports Editor Fresh from an 8-0 cup win last week, UoM were hoping to bring some of their cup form into the league where they have a had a difficult time. The side had lost their opening three league games and found themselves rooted to the bottom of the Northern 2A table. The home side started the better and looked to go ahead in the early stages. A half volley wide from Katie Newton was a sign of their opening dominance. Any momentum they had came to a swift halt though as the number 10 of Central Lancashire picked up a painful injury. A trapping of the ball between two feet saw the number 10 come off worst and she fell to the ground, audibly hurt from the coming together. A lengthy stoppage ensued as the first aid team were called over. With the injured player now off the pitch, Lancashire were forced to play with ten men for a period as their substitute ran through her warm up. It was during this period that Manchester looked dominant. Seeing plenty of the ball, they looked to press home their woman advantage. With 13 minutes on the clock, Manchester did make the most of their extra player as they got the opening goal of the game. Good play from Olivia Abbott allowed her to pick out Elise Skeldong in the box. Skeldong controlled the ball and calmly placed it low into the right of the net and beyond the keeper’s reach. After the goal, Lancashire returned to having 11 players as their number 14 replaced the injured number 10. Back on
level terms personnel wise, the game shifted to a more even contest. In contrast from the opening game of the season where she played in defence, club captain Megan Clarkson was this time operating in a midfield role and her advanced position up the field allowed her one of the best chances of the first half. A cross found an open Clarkson in the box but she could only head the ball onto the crossbar in a let off for Lancashire. After the attempt, Clarkson was involved in a smiler incident that saw the Lancashire 10 leave the field. Two players going for the ball seemingly jarred Clarkson’s foot but she played on. Just after the half hour mark, the visitors had their equalisers. In what was an even game up to that point, UoM were the ones creating the better chances but the away side was more clinical. Their number 11 collected the ball and placed into the net to tie proceedings at 1-1. Two minutes later and it was again the number 11 causing danger for Manchester. A pass through the middle of the defence, a particular weak point for the home side, found the number 11 who proceeded to slot the ball past the keeper in a near carbon copy of her first goal. The quick fire one-two seemed to deflate UoM and they went in at half time 2-1 down. The opening stages of the second period brought more disappointment for UoM as Clarkson picked up another injury. This time however she was forced to leave the field and Manchester brought a substitute on. Despite the loss, UoM started in a similar vain to the first half and looked to
find an equaliser. Grace Cunliffe saw her shot saved and Katie Newton’s shot went narrowly wide from outside of the box. With the goal advantage, Lancashire were seemingly happy to sit back and hit on the counter. This was driving dangerous for UoM and in particular the pace of the visitors’ number 11 who was looking for her hat-trick. Lancashire’s coach looked to solidify their lead by dropping their tall number 9 into midfield and having their number 2 chase any loose balls up top. Manchester continued to push for an equaliser and in the 69th minute they got it. Abbott was given time in the box to finesse a ball into the left inside netting of the goal. It was a great finish that set UoM up to go on for a winner. Both teams now were pressing for a winner with Lancashire’s number 9 and 14 seeing their attempts go just wide while Manchester struggled to get in to the opponent’s box. With less than ten minutes to go, Manchester suffered a horrendous piece of luck. A low drilled cross from Lancashire was cleared by the UoM defender only to hit the post, rebound back onto the defender and then it to the net. This is the second time this season UoM have been on the wrong end of an unfortunate own goal and the goal visibly deflated the side. Unable to create any real clear cut chance in the dying embers of the game, UoM lost the game 2-3. Their fourth league defeat in four. On the balance of play, a draw would have been a fair result and UoM will be hoping their luck changes in the near future.
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Photo: Carl Smith @ Wikimedia Commons
Track Cycling World Cup
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Dementia in football
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Review
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DC Comics editor fired Jeffrey Eugenides ‘Fresh following sexual assualt Complaint’ allegations Jeffrey Eugenides releases a new collection of short stories
DC Comics fire editor Eddie Berganza years after he was accussed of sexual assualting female colleagues Tia Armstrong Deputy Books editor Group editor Eddie Berganza has been fired from DC Comics due to multiple sexual assault allegations, despite the publishing company being informed about his harmful conduct years before. A recent BuzzFeed News article detailed the experiences of multiple DC Comics employees who claimed to have been sexually assaulted by Berganza. Liz Gehrlein Marsham stated that she had been working at the publishing company for less than a month when the editor “cornered her, stuck his tongue in her mouth and attempted to grope her.” While Joan Hilty claims that after 5 years at DC, Berganza grabbed her and made continuous attempts to kiss her. Occurrences like this were apparently an “open secret” amongst DC Comics employees but nothing was being done to put a stop to them. Remaining silent about sexual assault taking place in the office had become the norm, meaning that women had to weigh up the benefits of speaking up with the possible consequence of endangering their careers. The comic book industry is already a very difficult one to navigate, as it is incredibly small with Marvel and DC Comics at the forefront. Women find the industry especially hard to succeed in as men occupy the majority of senior positions. Some critics believe that comic books in general are harmful to women, because of the objectification and sexualisation of female characters. From She-Hulk to Harley Quinn, female heroes and villains alike have traditionally been drawn with large busts, impossibly tiny waists, and hardly any clothing.
“ We are committed to eradicating harassment ” Just last year, DC’s animated film The Killing Joke, exploring one of Batman’s most iconic stories by Alan Moore, sparked outrage. In the film, Batman and his sidekick Batgirl had a sexual encounter which did nothing to serve the plot and disappointed many fans of the beloved characters. Even with the culture of silence at DC Comics and the wider culture of male dominance within the comic book world, five people including Marsham, Hilty, and editor at the time Janelle Asselin, found the courage to band together and report Berganza to HR in 2010. Berganza was however promoted to executive editor later on in the year giving him more power and influence within the company, and HR failed to follow up on the allegations made. According to BuzzFeed News none of the women who reported Berganza still work for DC Comics or any other mainstream comics publishers today. While Berganza has been able to flourish and work on titles like Wonder Woman, Superman, and Batman which feature characters that have helped shape popular culture. This year’s Wonder Woman film was a massive hit which had women everywhere pouring into cinemas, excited to see a supposed feminist icon on the big screen. DC Comics and Warner Brothers Entertainment have been praised for allowing
a female superhero to star in one of their films, something their rivals Marvel are yet to do. With it now being known that DC Comics failed to support their real-life female
Gurnaik Johal Books Reporter Fresh Complaint, Pulitzer prizewinning author, Jeffrey Eugenides’ first collection of short stories, is made up of work spanning his thirty-year career. It is filled with flawed characters in difficult personal and financial positions but there is nothing flawed about Eugenides’ writing. He is a solid story-teller; there’s not a bad sentence in the book, let alone a bad story. Eugenides manages to write about surreal situations in a realist style and it makes for very funny reading. Each story is pushed just far enough from reality that reading the book is to be shown life from a new perspective, but not so far away as to become gimmicky and contrived.
“Eugenides delivers moments of compassion in small measured jabs”
Photo: jooleeah_stahkey employees, the film feels like less of triumph After allegations against Berganza were swept under the carpet in 2010, he was later demoted to group editor in 2012 as a result of once again forcibly kissing an anonymous woman who was trying to break into the comic book industry. DC comics finally fired Berganza in the wake of BuzzFeed’s shocking article, and made the following statement to The Hollywood Reporter : “We are committed to eradicating harassment and ensuring that all employees, as well as our freelance community, are aware of our policies, are comfortable reporting any concerns and feel supported by our Company.” The most worrying thing about this is the lack of action on DC Comic’s part. Their statement reads as a very insincere one, and they seemed to be more concerned with their public image than their employees well-being. I am an enthusiastic reader of DC Comics’ material and they are home to some of my favourite fictional characters, but it is massively disappointing to hear about the neglect that has taken place behind the scenes. Many parallels can be drawn between the situation at DC Comics and what has been unfolding recently in Hollywood, with endless allegations arising against film producers and executives such as Harvey Weinstein, as well as actors like Kevin Spacey. Powerful men have been sheltered and enabled, while their victims are either completely overlooked or silenced. It is quickly becoming clear that the kind of sexual misconduct carried out by these men is not restricted to the entertainment industry alone. The Bookseller carried out a survey on sexual harassment within the book industry. There were nearly four hundred respondents and it was found that 54 percent of women and 34 percent of men had experienced sexual abuse. There is undeniably a wider societal issue when it comes sexual harassment and it can no longer be ignored.
Here, I’m thinking of Baster, which opens with the line: “The recipe came in the mail: Mix semen of three men. Stir vigorously.” It is undoubtedly a funny story but it subtly reveals a much sadder, emotional core as it progresses. This is typical of the book. Eugenides delivers moments of compassion in small measured jabs. Despite his previous long novels, the economy of the short story seems to suit his writing style. Highlights for me are Early Music, Capricious Gardens and the title story, all of which feel like they could not have possibly been shorter and would not need to be any longer. It’s impossible not to sympathise with the characters in the book, and this is an achievement as a lot of them do pretty awful things. For example, the hilarious way in which the protagonist in Find the Bad Guy is portrayed makes it easy to look past his very clear character flaws; reading it I found myself feeling bad for a man breaching a restraining order and stalking his ex-wife and children. Fresh Complaint is a testament to how Eugenides is a master of empathy, these stories are written with heart as well as wit. For people who have read some of
Eugenides’ other work, some of the characters in this collection will be familiar. There is a Middlesex spin-off in The Oracular Vulva and Mitchell from The Marriage Plot makes an appearance in Air Mail. It’s clear while reading that this is not a book that was sat down and written in one go but compiled over years (each story ends with the date in which it was written). Interestingly, the stories aren’t placed in the order in which they were written, and the reader finds themselves flicking from 2017 to 1988 to 1996. There are, however, no jarring shifts in style or tone, which proves that Eugenides has been a consistently good writer over the course of his career, but also that he hasn’t changed that much either. One criticism of the book is that there isn’t an incredible amount of range and that perhaps the lack of giant shifts between stories shows a lack of improvement. I would argue, however, that Eugenides’ style is less stagnant than at a point where improvement would be hard. The book is a great example of well-crafted writing; every word earns its place, each sentence is laced with meaning. Eugenides achieves what a good short story can do better than any other form.
“Eugenides is a master of empathy” Through examining small cross-sections of characters’ lives, he creates a bigger picture surrounding them and directs the reader to think about the world around them. Alongside his sprawling novels, I believe the stories in Fresh Complaint show that Eugenides is one of America’s best writers and this new book is a great bite-size introduction to his work.
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