Issue 6

FRE

E

MANCHESTER’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER

WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

23rd OCTOBER 2017 / ISSUE 6

Staff to strike against job cuts • 171 staff members threatened with redundancy • 89.6 per cent of University College Union supportive of strike • General Secretary claims students joining strike is an “entirely personal” choice Cameron Broome News Editor Staff at the University of Manchester will go on strike on the 23rd and 24th of October to demonstrate the depth of anger towards senior management over proposed job cuts.

From 7:30am to 11:00am, University lecturers will be picketing buildings across campus, including outside the Alan Gilbert Learning Commons and the Samuel Alexander building.

After picketing, there will be refreshments and a rally in the Students’ Union from 11.00-12.30 and a speech from a senior UCU figure — likely to be the UCU General Secretary or UCU President.

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

The dispute between staff and senior management has been ongoing for over a year, with an email sent to thousands of staff on the 10th of October 2016 detailing a Board of Governors’ decision about job cuts.

At the time, the University suggested that it needed “to make cost savings.”

However, the University College and Union (UCU) has rejected the university’s claim that it needs to create “financial headroom,” instead arguing that the University “is in a strong financial position having recorded a £36m surplus last year (2015/16) and its financial statement for the same year revealed it is sitting on £1.5bn of reserves.”

Though the Students’ Union collectively support the strikes after the ‘Save Our Staff’ motion was passed at the most recent Senate, General Secretary of the Students’ Union, Alex Tayler said that “the decision to boycott the University on the day is an

entirely personal one.”

He added: “Whatever decision students make, they should be aware that the strike will not be an excuse for delayed assessment submission.

“Those students that wish to support the strike are welcome to stand on the picket line alongside UCU members and may consider not entering University buildings. They are still very welcome in the Union if they choose to do this.”

Alex Taylor also spoke about the university’s investments to relocate of North Campus buildings, saying it was in fact “cost saving.”

A University newsletter posted on the 13th October told UCU and University members that “whilst recognising the rights of individual members of staff to take industrial action, it is the University’s intention to endeavour to maintain normal operations during industrial action in order to safeguard the interests of our students and also of our staff and other stakeholders.”

A notice of deduction of pay followed. The newsletter said, “refusal or failure to cross a picket line is not an acceptable reason for absence from duty and all staff who fail to report for work will have their pay deducted on the above basis accordingly. “ One student told The Mancunion, “the post suggests that they want to maintain the best interests of students, but we’re all going to to be affected by redundancies which take effect in September 2018” The student went on to comment on the struggles the university may face after Brexit. She said “if anything we need more language graduates, more cultural awareness, more diplomacy.”

Save Our Staff MCR, the University student-run campaign against the cuts, told The Mancunion: “We call on students to show their support for the strike in whichever way they can.

“We invite them to join us at 8am on Monday

Universities not day World Mentalare Health businesses

P5P3

30 years Queer

outside the University of Manchester Students’ Union and from there to come to the picket lines with us in order to give staff our support. We would also like to encourage students to attend the rally organised by UCU on Monday at 11am in the Students’ Union. Also, if students wish to leave messages of support, there is a card on the campaigns officers desk where they can do so.”

Writing in The Mancunion last week, Matt Wynne echoed this sentiment and said that: “students will stand in solidarity on the picket lines with staff against the arrogance of the decisions made by The University of Manchester’s senior management.”

A ballot was held on the 4th of October amongst members of the UCU at the University and 86.7 per cent of the 1049 staff who cast a vote suggested that they were “prepared to take industrial action consisting of a strike.”

Though UCU regional officer, Martyn Moss, said that “striking is always a last resort and there is still the opportunity to avoid it” if the University was to “take compulsory redundancies off the table”, the strikes are set to go ahead.

Throughout the day, staff will be joined by friends and family, and food and drink will be provided to keep the strikers going.

A spokesperson for the University said: “the University is disappointed that members of the UCU are prepared to take strike action, particularly because we have been involved in an extensive consultation process.

“Whilst the University has initiated a compulsory redundancy processes for two positions, we are committed to mitigating the need for redundancy wherever possible, and have taken a number of steps, including sourcing redeployment opportunities, tight vacancy management control and offering a generous Voluntary Severance Scheme.”

P8

Photo: Giuseppe Moscato @ Flickr

Sexual assault in societies Amy Wei News Editor Since 2005, at least six women have alleged sexual assault claims against an ex-committee member of the Speleology society.

The current society president, Sahil Maharaj, told The Mancunion that “quite a few women went to Greater Manchester Police” concerning the allegations against Adam Sharples, who used to be the Webmaster for the society.

Due to the fact “people were saying they felt uncomfortable” around Adam after the allegations came to light, the committee banned him in a unanimous blind vote in 2016. However, he has reportedly continued to harass members.

One woman, who was also a member of the Speleology society, described her experience on a society field trip to The Mancunion. While they slept in adjacent sleeping bags, Adam allegedly woke the woman up three times by groping her inside her sleeping bag.

After the third incident, she swapped sleeping bags with her male cousin, who told The Mancunion that the alleged assaulter proceeded to grope him too, perhaps mistaking him for his cousin.

The woman reached out to the Cumbria Police concerning the alleged assaults. Cumbria Police informed her that not enough victims had come forward in Cumbria to establish a modus operandi (MO) to open a case.

Continued on page 2...

Universities are not businesses

P10

2

News

ISSUE 6 / 23rd OCTOBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK Photo: Incirlik Air Base

News 3

ISSUE 6 / 23rd OCTOBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Campaign launched to tackle hate crime on campus

The University of Manchester receives new funding to tackle hate crime and harassment on campus Hannah Vallance News reporter

Highlights

Are societies safe from sexual assault?

Film p18 Review: Loving Vincent

Theatre p25 An interview with Ian Hislop and Nick Newman

Multiple women’s allegations of sexual assault against a society figure raise questions about student safety Amy Wei Deputy News Editor

Continued from page 1...

“This definitely should not have been an issue for so long,” president Sahil acknowledged to The Mancunion.

He continued however that “when I joined the club three years ago, I quite admired him at the time.” The figure was an experienced hobbyist and previously led sessions for the society. Sahil went on to say that some allegations had already been made at the time, but these were commonly dismissed as “rumours.”

When Sahil was elected as president last year, he was made aware of more recent complaints, which prompted a committee investigation. Findings were presented at the committee meeting where the figure was voted out.

After the vote, the banned society member “did not take the decision well; he stated that he would remain in the club. He began showing up at our weekly socials, he began showing up at our weekends away.

“Naturally this made people uncomfortable. We had to take further steps.”

The ex-club figure was barred from the pub where the society held regular socials, but began to “show up and stand outside the pub, which is fairly anti-social behaviour. There were people that would just leave our socials in tears because of him.”

Adam also allegedly created fake accounts on Facebook to stalk the club on weekend trips.

Speaking to The Mancunion, Adam Sharples addressed allegations of sexual assault as “demonstrably false

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

Lifestyle p26 How to be a minimalist

Head News Editor: Cameron Broome Deputy News Editor: Rosa Simonet Deputy News Editor: Amy Wei E: news@mancunion.com Science & Technology Editor: Kieran O’Brien E: science@mancunion.com Features Head Editor: Catherine Bray Deputy Editor: Raine Beckford E: features@mancunion.com Head Opinion Editor: Sam Glover

statements... made as degrading and personal as possible.”

After multiple women contacted the Greater Manchester Police regarding the alleged assaults, they began receiving messages from him.

One of these women, who has a PhD in feminist philosophy, said that these messages were “cause for alarm — his general disregard for consent; victimblaming mentality.”

The female society member who tried to open a case with the Cumbria Police is keen to collaborate with accusers in Manchester to potentially open a case with the Greater Manchester Police.

She expressed concern that women who suddenly dropped out of the club over the years could have experienced similar incidences of assault but chose to quit their hobby rather than report them.

She further discussed the fear of being judged when reporting sexual assault, but told The Mancunion that she hopes the #MeToo social media campaign — which 12 million women have participated in in the past week — will encourage more victims to feel confident in reporting crimes.

The Students’ Union advises students to take advantage of available support systems. In a written statement to The Mancunion, they wrote: “the Student’s Union Activities Department has a team of staff who support every category of society, these coordinators are available to offer students support, advice and help with any issues that may arise.

“If you are currently feeling at risk, if you have been the victim or know someone who has, we encourage you to come and seek advice from the Student’s Union advice service.”

Deputy Opinion Editor: Jacklin Kwan E: opinion@mancunion.com @MancunionOp Head Film Editor: Eloise Wright Deputy Film Editor: Jamie McEvoy E: film@mancunion.com @MancunionFilm Fashion Head Editor: Talia Lee-Skudder Deputy Editors: Amy Nguyen and Sophie Alexandra-Walsh E: fashion@mancunion.com @MancunionFash Head Music Editor: Hannah Brierley Deputy Music Editor: Yasmin Duggal E: music@mancunion.com @MancunionMusic Books Editor: Ayesha Hussain E: books@mancunion.com

The Students’ Union also emphasised existing controls to ensure societies are safe environments for students.

“If a society wishes to hold an event, a risk assessment must be completed and the relevant society coordinator must be made aware of the nature of the event.”

However, it is unclear whether event risk assessments sufficiently consider sexual assault as a hazard. In the Student’s Union sample risk assessment form, the activity “Crowds/Audience safety” conduces the hazards “Crushing, Anti-social behaviour, Gate crashers” — and does not consider sexual crime.

Consent workshops were also made newly available for students at the University of Manchester this September, but these workshops were not compulsory and sign-up was required as numbers were capped.

When asked by The Mancunion about implementation of mandatory consent workshops, the Students’ Union responded: “This is a great idea. We would encourage any students interested in this type of workshop to speak to the Student Exec officers.”

Deej Malik-Johnson, Campaigns and Citizenship Officer, called every case of sexual assault “really troubling.” He clarified that while consent workshops started with a limited roll-out this year at the University, they are still figuring out how best to apply the workshops in the future.

As it stands, Oxford University is the only university in the UK to include compulsory consent workshops in their freshers’ program.

@MancunionBooks Games Editor: Jeremy Bijl E: games@mancunion.com Food & Drink Head Editor: Anokhi Shah Deputy Editor: Daisy Tolcher E: foodanddrink@mancunion.com Arts Editor: Cicely Ryder-Belson E: arts@mancunion.com

Head Sport Editor: Sam Cooper Deputy Sport Editor: Arthur Salisbury E: sports@mancunion.com @mancunion_sport Chief Subeditor: Jack Casey Subeditors: Joal Ansbro, Daniel O’Byrne, Ciara Gartshore, David Cheetham Letters & Complaints: complaints@ mancunion.com Legal: legal@mancunion.com

Theatre Editor: Sophie Graci E: theatre@mancunion.com Head Lifestyle Editor: Sophie Macpherson Deputy Lifestyle Editor: James Johnson E: lifestyle@mancunion.com @MancunionLife

Advertising: Paul Parkes E: paul.parkes@manchester.ac.uk Phone: 0161 275 2942 The Mancunion @themancunion

In a bid to tackle harassment and hate crime on campus, the Higher Education Funding Council for England have announced funding will be awarded to The University of Manchester and The University of Manchester Students’ Union.

The grant, which totals over £100,000, has been donated to fund a campaign to encourage students and staff to report incidents of abuse around the university.

This follows after a report published by the Universities UK Harassment Task Force in 2016 found more could be done on English university campuses to tackle issues of harassment, hate crime, and violence against women, and specified that universities “should develop a clear and accessible response procedure and central reporting system for dealing with incidents.”

The Speak Up and Stand Up campaign forms part of the HEFCE Catalyst Fund that has already provided £760,000 earlier this year to develop a ‘Diversity and Inclusion Student Ambassador Programme’, aiming to advance both the well-being of Manchester students and racial and social equality.

Commenting on the news, Patrick Johnson, Head of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion at The University of Manchester stated: “Sadly, these problematic behaviours

continue to exist on campuses and in society. We all have the right to live in an environment, free from the fear of harassment or abusive behaviour, and here at Manchester, we take that right very seriously.

“With an emphasis on empowering students as future leaders of our society, this campaign aims to increase knowledge and confidence to recognise, report and safely confront these issues.”

The campaign will also have a focus beyond the campus, in the belief that incidents are not just confined to university. The funding will target secondary schools and colleges to establish similar campaigns to promote awareness of hate crimes at all levels of education.

Riddi Viswanathan, Diversity Officer at The University of Manchester Students’ Union, welcomed the news, commenting: “At the Students Union we have a zero tolerance policy on hate crime and harassment and as an official reporting centre we encourage people to come forward. However, it is sad to see that many hate crimes still go unreported.

“I welcome this collaborative project with the University and see it as an opportunity to reach out to more people, on and off campus, encouraging them to speak up and stand up to hate crime and harassment. I am certain that we can build on the successful We Get it campaign and encourage people to step up and stand up and be the change.”

Photo: Mike Turner @ Flickr

Balfour ‘celebrations’ on campus enrage students and staff

The organisation of independent groups celebrating the centenary of the Balfour Declaration on the University campus has sparked outrage amongst some members of the university Hana Jafar Senior news reporter

Photo: Hana Jafar

Students at the University of Manchester have organised a protest against The University of Manchester allowing celebrations of the Balfour Declaration on campus, organised by pro-Israeli groups.

The Manchester Balfour 100 event set to commence on Tuesday the 31st of October at the University of Manchester’s Whitworth building. It is part of a number of events marking a century since former British foreign secretary Arthur James Balfour released a statement on the 2nd of .l;/p’November, announcing support for a “national home for the Jewish people” in Palestine, then under the Ottoman Empire with a Jewish population of 90,000.

According to a section titled ‘Manchester’ on the official Balfour 100 website, zionist groups were established in Didsbury by Jewish businessman Chaim Weizmann after the first world war, and it was in fact philosopher and former professor at The University of Manchester, Samuel Alexander, who arranged the meeting between Weizmann and Balfour. For supporters of the Zionist cause, this was imperative to the creation of Israel in 1948.

However, for Palestinians, this has led to loss of their land and illegal occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, with collateral damage including the expulsion of around 800,000 Palestinians and the destruction of approximately 400 villages over the last 50 years.

The University’s decision to allow celebrations to take place has stirred outrage from students, academics, and activist groups on campus including the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, the BME Campaign, Action Palestine and the ‘Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism!’

Campaign. These groups have organised an ‘Apartheid Off Campus’ protest outside the hall on the evening of the celebrations.

Over a hundred students have confirmed attendance to the facebook event, with students from Sheffield University’s Palestine Solidarity Campaign sending a coach of supporters to join in. A rumoured total of around 200 students are expected at the protest.

The University’s Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Campaign, which was recently endorsed by the Students’ Union, has also written an open letter to Vice Chancellor Nancy Rothwell, entreating her to consider revoking the right to hold the celebration at the University, and to cancel the event.

“Celebrating the Balfour declaration is a mockery of the suffering of the Palestinian people, and is greatly disrespectful for Palestinian students at the university who have, alongside their families, been forced to live their entire lives under the boot of the Israeli army.

“A large number of students have expressed fear for their safety with Israeli security personnel roaming our campus.

By allowing this event to take place and hosting the Israeli embassy, the university is failing to uphold its basic duty of care to staff and students.”

The letter was signed by activist groups and campus and other student societies, including the Arab Society, Islamic Society, Sri Lankan Society and Tamil Society.

Senior Professor of Sociology at the University, Nick Thoburn, said he was “dismayed” that the institution had allowed the event to take place on its campus, which he said commemorated the moment Britain, “with its imperial chauvinism and entitlement, knowingly gave the green

light to the ethnic cleansing of Palestine.”

“That this could be a cause for celebration, hosted in whatever way by a British University, when the consequences then and now have been so devastating ... is indicative of the contempt that Israel and its advocates hold both for Palestinians in the region and in exile,” he added.

The Mancunion contacted the University for a statement, and was informed by a University Spokesperson that: “The University allows some of its premises to be hired by third parties for external events, provided that the events in question comply with the University’s Code of Practice on Freedom of Speech.

“This (Balfour 100) event is one such commercial booking and it has no connection to, nor is it endorsed by, the University.”

According to a representative of The University of Manchester’s Jewish Society (JSoc), “This event is not a student event and is a Jewish communal event. We support the right of Jewish students to attend and the wider Balfour campaign is to celebrate the British support for Jewish selfdetermination.

“The student Balfour campaign aims to commemorate the role of the British government in backing the Jewish struggle for self-determination.”

These sentiments were also echoed by organisation North West Friends of Israel, who, when contacted by The Mancunion, stated that Zionism was one of many nationalist movements at the time, concluding that “It is absolutely natural for the Jewish Community of Manchester to celebrate the centenary of Balfour given the close affinity that community has with the Jewish State of Israel.”

In the past, pro-Palestine events held and organised by student groups have been disrupted and cancelled, with University administration imposing strict guidelines on speakers.

The University statement continued: “The University will not suppress freedom of thought and expression, consistent with the Statement on Academic Freedom. However, the University has a duty to ensure, wherever practical, that such thoughts and expressions do not go beyond the articulation of points of view and do not constitute incitement to riot, insurrection, racial hatred, religious hatred, sexual harassment or other activities ( beyond the right of peaceful protest) which are likely to cause a breach of the peace or public disorder or otherwise to be unlawful.

“The University will not unreasonably refuse to allow events to be organised and held. The expression of controversial views which do not breach the law will not constitute reasonable grounds for withholding permission for an event.”

4

News

ISSUE 6 / 23rd OCTOBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Green jobs suffer slow growth in Manchester

The Greater Manchester Combined Authority is determined to correct slow but steady job growth in green sectors Amy Wei Deputy News Editor A new report found that green industries are growing at just half the rate of the UK average.

Joblift, a meta search job seeking engine, found that jobs in renewable energy industries in the UK are increasing by 1% monthly, lagging behind the UK average job growth of 2%.

London has been home to almost a fifth of all green job vacancies since last September. Manchester, in contrast, only shared 3% of the green job market.

Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, admitted to The Mancunion that Manchester’s current renewable energy goals were not “ambitious enough.”

Burnham recently announced a Green Summit which aims to move up Labour’s 2050 carbon neutrality goal by up to 20 years.

During the summit, a panel of experts and Manchester stakeholders will determine strategies to make Manchester the first city in the UK to achieve carbon neutrality.

The Councillor for Stockport, Alex Ganotis, is leading the agenda alongside Burnham. Speaking to The Mancunion, Ganotis specified that green jobs were a particular subject of discussion for the Green Summit. “[Something] that we’re beginning thinking about in terms of this summit, is actually what are the green jobs of the future — because I imagine, that’s one of the key concerns of young people, especially in education.”

The Councillor expressed “concern” about Manchester generating enough “jobs to keep [students] there.” He emphasised the importance for the summit

“What do we think

the jobs of the future will be that are sustainable, and what skills will they require?” to answer the question: “What do we think the jobs of the future will be that are sustainable, [and] what skills will they require?”

Joblift’s analysis of the UK’s green sector revealed that solar energy is the fastest-growing green industry, with a whopping 22% increase in job vacancies monthly — 11 times the UK average.

Bioenergy, however, advertises the most positions in total, occupying 9% of all green job postings. Solar power accounts for 7% of open positions.

As well as slow total job growth in the sector, Joblift found that vacancies in renewable energy are harder to fill. Green sector vacancies remain active for an average of 18 days, 3 days longer than the UK average.

Photo: Pxhere

Biennial festival brings more money into local economy than ever before George Walker News reporter New research shows that without the National Living Wage, over a million under 25s are being paid up to £3.45 less than over 25s for the same job.

The study, conducted by the Young Women’s Trust, means that under 25s are missing out on up to £6,300 per year. This is detrimental to the economic security of people coming out of university, and has proven to be largely unpopular.

A survey of 1000 people done by CV-Library showed that around 85% of respondents believed the living wage should also apply to workers under the age of 25.

The University of Manchester Living Wage Campaign have stated that “all workers should be guaranteed the Real Living Wage.”

They continued: “This insures that it pays to be in work, and provides those on low pay with a decent quality of life. Not only is the current National Living Wage insufficient, but it unfairly discriminates against those under the age of 25 who face high living costs and are struggling to get ahead in life.”

Furthermore, the Young Women’s Trust chief ex-

ecutive commented that under 25s are “falling into debt, using foodbanks in greater numbers and their self-confidence is low. It’s no surprise when they are paid less for the same work.

“We all need a basic amount of money to get by, no matter how old we are. The bus to work costs the same, whether you’re 24 or 26. Gas and electricity costs the same, regardless of age. Rent doesn’t cost any less in your early 20s. Much more needs to be done to improve young people’s prospects and give them hope for the future.”

In the past, doubts have been raised about applying the Living Wage to under-25s, for example Conservative cabinet minister Matthew Hancock argued under 25s shouldn’t have the living wage because they are “not as productive” as older workers.

However, now given the rise in inflation levels after the Brexit vote, and continued economic certainty as the EU negotiating process seem to be going little to nowhere, real wages are at risk, and a living wage may well be needed to fall back on for under 25s who are already struggling.

New bus pass not possible until April 2018

Photo: Divy @ Wikimedia Commons

Cameron Broome Head News Editor

Image: Joblift

Campaign underway against Universal Credit scheme The Disabled Students’ Campaign and Disability Rights UK have teamed up to protect essential benefits for disabled students.

Hannah Murray News reporter

Lack of living wage makes young people poorer

News

ISSUE 6 / 23rd OCTOBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

As criticism mounts over the government’s Universal Credit scheme, the NUS has launched a campaign to protect the rights of disabled students affected.

The scheme is currently being rolled out over the country, changing the way in which welfare benefits are distributed. Under this new scheme the six working-age benefits, now labelled as ‘legacy benefits’, will be replaced by one monthly payment.

Legacy benefits, especially the Housing Benefit and Employment Support Allowance, provide a key source of support for many disabled students to be able study and crucially, manage the extra costs associated with disability. In 2014, a study by Scope UK found that disabled people pay on average £550 per month on such everyday living costs.

Under Universal Credit, these payments would be drastically changed.

For many disabled students in further and higher education, this poses a huge threat. Due to new regulations under this system, Disability Rights UK claims that “most disabled students are now effectively barred from Higher Education due to Universal Credit rules.”

This will only widen the disparity between disabled and non-disabled students with a degree level qualification, which currently stands at around 50 per cent.

The battle is being fought as a damning UN report accuses the UK government of breaching the Convention on the Rights of Disabled People with a “continuing retrogression” of rights. Disabled people are increasingly left open to “serious discrimination” in educational, employment and social opportunities.

The Universal Credit scheme has received much criticism, even from members of the Conservative party itself. Studies show that around 2.5 million low-income working households will be more than £1,000 a year worse off after moving to Universal Credit due to its lower rate of payment. In addition, a six week waiting time has left many claimants without money, fuelling food bank use, personal debt, rent arrears, eviction and mental distress.

On Wednesday, an advisory vote held in parliament to pause universal credit rollout received unanimous support, with 299 MPs voting for the motion. This is a symbolic victory for the disabled students’ campaign, which has been encouraging students and students’ unions to pressure MPs to vote and show their support for a pause in the rollout.

To strengthen support, Rachel O’Brien, Disabled Students’ Officer at the NUS, has called upon students’ unions to be aware of the struggle disabled students face and to campaign alongside their disabled students for their rights.

Riddi Viswanathan, Diversity Officer at the Student’s Union, said she supported “the NUS stance on Universal credit and support the article by the NUS Disabled Students’ officer Rachel O’Brien.

I believe that universal credit will significantly reduce the benefits received by our disabled students, especially as it is replacing the employment support allowance and housing benefit which are essential for disabled students. Also, there are significant concerns associated with Universal Credit like the six-week delay in receiving payments and also lower rate of payment compared to the previous five separate working age benefits it is replacing.

When asked if the Union’s and University’s support of disabled students was good enough, Riddi said “in comparison to other unions and the universities, we are doing a good job with respect to supporting our disabled students. However, I have seen some students with hidden disabilities who have significant concerns over receiving exam support.”

Riddi explained how she could not move forward with support for disabled students alone.

However, she looked “forward to actively working with the new elected disabled student officers and the disabled students’ societies on campus to understand their concerns and represent them to the university and union actively.”

An affordable bus pass that can be used by both First and Stagecoach cannot be created until at least April of 2018, it has emerged.

During his campaign to be General Secretary, Tayler said that one of his main priorities during his term of office would be to try and “create a [bus] pass accepted by First and Stagecoach.”

Alex met with Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s Head of Strategy and Policy Development, John Wrathmell, last week to discuss transport in and around Manchester, and the Students’ Union recently ran a transport survey to capture students’ thoughts on the issue.

Following the meeting, Tayler said: “it will not be possible to have a new bus pass by the end of the year.”

Explaining why this was the case, Alex said: “My understanding is that although the Bus Services Act was passed earlier this year, new powers are not fully granted to devolved government until April 2018.

“Before then, bus companies are effectively prohibited from collaborating on ticketing as it would breach competition laws that were put in place when bus services were privatised and deregulated.”

At present, a ‘System One’ pass which can be used on both bus services does exist but can only be bought monthly and costs around £600 a year— significantly higher than Stagecoach’s annual ‘Unirider’ bus pass at £235 and Stagecoach’s 7-day ‘Megarider’ ticket which costs £8.00 — meaning that it is not an affordable option for many students.

In light of the recently reported muggings, attacks and sexual as-

saults that have occurred in and around South Manchester, an affordable bus pass that could be used on both bus services could be hugely valuable to students.

Muggings have been reportedly most likely to take place between 1:30AM and 3:30AM and a pass of this kind would allow students to jump on any bus during a night out, as opposed to waiting around at a bus stop specifically for a ‘Magic Bus’ as lots of students do at present.

The benefit of the pass in this sense was something that Alex identified himself during a press briefing with The Mancunion.

The General Secretary said that “ further meetings are being planned to discuss this and other transport issues further”, adding that he was “optimistic that many positive changes to transport in Manchester are on the horizon.”

Another issue discussed at the meeting was cross-city travel, which has been argued to have become more difficult for students and increasingly requiring the purchase of tickets for multiple operators.

Alex also discussed how “the significant increase in the cost of most single tickets from £1 to £1.50 has proved problematic for most students and there has been no service improvement.”

He also raised the suggestion that “many students that voted for Andy Burnham feel that he is not living up to promises on improving the public transport, with several respondents claiming that transport was a major reason why they would not consider remaining in Manchester.”

Overall, the General Secretary described the meeting with GMCA as “really positive” and said that he wanted to “thank the local authorities for taking student concerns seriously.”

Fire breaks out at university halls

The 17-storey block of flats set on fire but there have been no reported injuries Cameron Broome Head News Editor On Monday the 16th of October, Unite Students Parkway Gate halls was set ablaze after the groundfloor storeroom went up in flames.

Police had initially suspected that the fire may have been started deliberately but following further investigation it is now being treated as an accident.

University of Manchester students began evacuating the halls on Chester Street, Manchester as flames began to engulf the building, with many students terrified and in their pyjamas.

A student who wishes to remain anonymous said there was a strong smell of smoke in the building: “as I got to the bottom of the building there was thick smoke. I got to the front door, the side of the storage area is next to it.

“You had to run out past it and turn left.”

Despite the smoke and visible flames, a resident tweeted that “no fire alarm went off either.”

Fire crews arrived at the scene just after 10.30pm on the Monday evening and checked that no-one was left in the building.

Students quickly evacuated the building and firefighters checked that no-one was left in the building.

A total of twenty five firefighters were at the scene for around three

hours and paramedics were on hand as a precaution.

Crews used an aerial platform, hose reels and two jets to bring the fire under control.

Thermal imaging scanners were used to check that there were no signs the fire had spread and paramedics assessed students to check if anybody was suffering from smoke inhalation.

No injuries have been reported.

A spokesman for Unite Students said: “At 10:30pm yesterday fire and rescue services were called to Parkway Gate Manchester to deal with a fire on the ground floor.

“Evacuation was already underway when fire crews arrived and the fire was extinguished swiftly. No one was hurt and the building is open as normal.

“The safety of our students and employees is of the utmost importance and we are currently investigating the cause of the fire with Manchester Fire and Rescue service.”

An investigation into the cause of the blaze is underway and Greater Manchester Police has appealed for witnesses or anyone with any information to contact the force by calling 111.

Photo: Adam Belles @Flickr

Mayor Andy Burnham awarded Doubleday Award

Mayor has been praised for demonstrating “great leadership for our community in the wake of the tragic events”

Photo: Photographic Leigh @ Wikimedia Commons

Cliona Lineham News reporter Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, has been confirmed as the 2017 awardee of the Doubleday award, in recognition for his work in the wake of the Manchester Arena bombing that took place just five months ago.

The attack of May 2017 resulted in the death of twenty-three people, including ten people under the age of twenty, and two-hundred and fifty wounded after a suicide bomber detonated their device in the Manchester Arena, towards the end of a concert by pop star Ariana Grande.

On the morning following the attack, Andy Burnham, who only became Mayor of Greater Manchester some weeks earlier, gave a statement depicting the attack as “an evil act”, and continued to praise the response of Manchester residents, ending his statement saying that “it will be [the] spirit of Manchester that will prevail and hold us together.”

The Doubleday Fund, which runs the award, was established by the Doubleday family after their son Edwin tragically died before his final examinations in 2000. The fund’s focus is on medical evaluation, and its support of the Doubleday Centre for Patient Experience permits further interaction between students and the public in the training of future doctors.

The award, running since 2002, is granted to any individual who is seen to have significantly contributed to society, and former winners have included Rabbi Julia Neuberger, former director of the Kings Fund, as well as former Chief Medical Officer Sir Kenneth Calman.

The award will be presented to the Mayor by John Doubleday before the Mayor gives his Doubleday lecture at the University of Manchester this month. In his lecture, Andy Burnham is anticipated to focus mainly on issues concerning extremism, alongside discussing ideas on political participation and the impact of possible increased devolution.

Reflecting on the Mayor’s contribution, Director of the Doubleday centre, Dr Robina Shah, commented on Mr Burnham’s receipt of the award, saying that: “Andy Burnham showed great leadership for our community in the wake of the tragic events.”

She added that his “support for the victims, the families, the emergency services, and local people who did so much to help those affected is praiseworthy, and we are delighted to be able to recognise his important contribution.”

5

6

Science

ISSUE 6 / 23rd OCTOBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Collision of two neutron stars observed for the first time It’s almost as ground-breaking as the first ever observation of gravitational waves, explains Lioui Benhamou Lioui Benhamou Science & Technology Contributor Last Monday scientists announced the first observation of two neutron stars colliding, as well as the observation of the gravitational waves it created. The event happened 130 millions light-year away in the galaxy NGC 4993.

A neutron star is what is left after the collapse of a normal star but which is still too light to become a black hole.

A neutron star is about the same size as London, and yet it is one of the densest of celestial bodies in the universe. If you could take a teaspoon of a neutron star and weigh it, it would weigh the same as 100,000 Eiffel Towers, or a billion tonnes.

They are so dense that it is probable the two stars collapsed into a black hole.

When two such neutron stars collided, on the 17th of August at 12:41 GMT, multiple observatories simultaneously detected gravitational waves from this event for 100 seconds. Then two seconds after, a flash, and after that, over a number of days, X ray, ultraviolet and infrared radation were detected from the place the event occurred.

A gravitational wave is a vibration of space-time caused by an event that involves dense objects such as neutron stars and black holes. Although they have been theorised by Albert Einstein, it was only in 2015 that we made our first observation of them by using the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) detector. The detector uses a system of two lasers that cross with a mirror and when a gravitational wave comes by, the laser helps us see it because their signal is disturbed.

The Nobel Price of physics 2017 was awarded to Rainer Weiss, Barry C. Barish and Kip S. Thorne, the three scientists who contributed to the LIGO detector. They are to whom we owe our ability to observe gravitational waves.

This is the fifth time that gravitational waves have been detected. But this is the first time the event that allowed us to detect those waves was originating from two neutron stars colliding. It was said to be “the most intensely observed astronomical event to date”. It is the first time that we were able to know where in the sky the event that created a lot of gravitational wave happened and turn the telescopes towards it.

A dozen papers were published today as a result of the discovery. It is described by Professor Matthew Bailes, the director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery, speaking at press conference on the

discovery, as having “hailed a new era in astronomy” and that “the avalanche of science is unparalleled in modern astrophysics”.

This observation is truly important for several reasons.

First, it confirms that the speed of gravitational waves is equivalent to that of light, which scientists had theorised but needed confirmation.

Secondly, this observation will help to develop new ways to measure the expansion of the universe. According to

Matthew Bailes, if astronomers are able to observe a lot of events like this, they will be able to describe the rate at which the universe is expanding.

Lastly, there’s confirmation that heavy metals such as gold and platinum, the origins of which for decades have eluded scientists, are forged when neutron stars such as the ones observed collide, as the immense pressures and forces push lighter elements together, forming heavier elements.

Jodrell Bank Observatory nominated for UK’s next candidate for UNESCO World Heritage status Site of iconic radiotelescope to join the ranks of Stonehenge and Taj Malal

Following the UK’s Mark II radiotelescope gaining Grade I listed status over the summer, the Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire — owned by the University of Manchester — has now been selected as the UK’s next candidate to join UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) as a World Heritage Site. Other UNESCO sites include the Taj Malal, Machu Pichu, and Stonehenge.

Having just celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Lovell Telescope, which is famous for detecting the radio signals from the world’s first artificial satellite in 1957, this nomination will add further world recognition of the groundbreaking work the University of Manchester has contributed to the history of astrophysics and cosmology.

Speaking in a press release for the University of Manchester, Professor Teresa Anderson, Director of Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre said: “We have been preparing the case for the World Heritage Site inscription for Jodrell Bank Observatory for some years now, so it’s absolutely fantastic to reach this milestone.

Photo: The National Archives UK @Flickr

The Lovell Telescope, in particular, has become an icon for science and engineering, and we look forward to showcasing the rich scientific heritage of this and the wider site on an international stage.”

The nomination for UNESCO World Heritage status will be submitted in January 2018 and, if accepted, will become the UK’s third UNESCO site for a scientific research facility — the other two, both in London,

being the Greenwich Observatory and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. As part of the celebrations for nominating Jodrell Bank in the World Heritage List, the site is working on a project to create a new gallery space to exhibit the achievements of radio astronomy carried out at Jodrell Bank over the last seven decades. This project is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund and will include other improvements of the visitor facilities.

Professor Tim O’Brien, Associate Director of the Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, said in another press release that “Jodrell Bank is the one remaining radio astronomy site worldwide which dates from the early days, so it is very important that we protect and celebrate the physical record of our involvement in the creation of a new science.”

The Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre is open to anyone with excellent admission discounts for students. As well as galleries educating on the cosmos and history of science carried out at Jodrell Bank, the grounds itself are free to walk around, allowing visitors close-up and breath-taking views of the famous Lovell Telescope.

7

Manchester science news this week...

The important and interesting stories from the rest of the city this week.

Robots take over Manchester To kick-start the launch of this year’s Manchester Science Festival, Jacob Rawling takes on a journey through the world of robots

Jacob Rawling Science and Technology Reporter A new blockbuster exhibit Robots is now open to the public at the Museum of Science and Industry (MoSI). The new exhibit headlines the ongoing Manchester Science Festival. It is just one of many robotic themed events that make up the 11-day long Manchester Science Festival, which kicked off on Thursday the 19th of October.

The Manchester Science Festival is a creative celebration of science that welcomes people to take part in over 100 unique events across our city. Antonio Benitez, the director of the festival, has poured a love of science and an emphasis on inclusivity into all of the events. Antonio wants to ignite a passion and curiosity for science in people of all ages and backgrounds, from preschool children to practising researchers.

Next week Antonio hopes to achieve this goal, and Manchester’s passion for science will come to life. Events like Tape and Dinosaurs in the Wild give Mancunians the chance to walk through the unknown. Tape, another new exhibit at the Tape,another new exhibit at the MoSI, is a gigantic spider’s web created by awardwinning artists Numen/For Use. EventCity’s Dinosaurs in the Wild workshop provides Photo: Darkostojanovic @ Pixabay the magical opportunity to learn about the world 67 million years ago. For the more robotically-inclined there are several robot themed events, and Robots is one of the most awe-inspiring.

Upon entering the exhibit patrons are

greeted at by an animatronic baby mounted to the wall. This striking feat of engineering waves patrons into the wonderful world of robots.

The animatronic baby immediately challenges the idea that all automatons are either terminator T-800 killing machines or sleek Apple devices that want our jobs and leads into an exploration of 500 years of automation history. Taking us from the 16thcentury Catholic clock automatons, through to the machines that powered the industrial revolution, all the way to the modern era.

Ben Russell, the curator of the Robots exhibit, assembled this extraordinary collection of robots over the course of six years. Mr Russell and his team have gone to extreme lengths to gather their exhibit.

From rescuing the fantastical Shadow Biped Walker — the first human-sized biped — from a collapsed roof, to contacting local talent to restore the robot to working order. Nothing would stop this passion project.

Mr Russell and his team are aiming to show that robots are not scary — an increasingly relevant challenge in today’s rapidly automating world. There is a strong emphasis on how humans understand themselves through our robotic creations. As we travel through the decades of innovations the machines become more human.

Robots’ shows a friendly and optimistic vision of the future. The last robot of the exhibit, the EU-funded iCub, drives this point home. iCub is the world’s most advanced learning robotic toddler which cheerfully picks up and plays with children’s toys with

Photo: Jacob Rawling @The Mancunion

increasing dexterity — a skill it figured out all by itself!

The final day of the Robots exhibit ends with an evening discussion called Robot World with Professor Barry Lennox. Professor Lennox researches ways to operate robots in the extreme conditions, from the hazardous environments of a nuclear power station during their decommission, to performing

critical research at the bottom of the sea. He will explore the impact of AI on jobs, and the pros and cons of the rise of the robots.

At just £8 for students, Robots is a fantastic way to spend a few hours. It truly is a labour of love. Robots show the potential and exciting ways automation will affect our lives and challenges our ideas of how robots will live amongst us.

Around the worldThethis week... important and interesting stories from the

Photo: Casey Reed - Penn State University @Wikimedia Commons

Kieran O’Brien Science and Technology Editor

Science

ISSUE 6 / 23rd OCTOBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

university this week.

Stories by Rosa Simonet and Kieran O’Brien

Rohingya Massacre – A month on Somalis respond to deadly Mogadishu attack Somalia A public demonstration of solidarity and strength signalled hope for the people of Mogadishu as thousands took to the streets in response to the recent terrorist attack that saw over 500 casualties.

Police presence in the city centre was strong, opening fire on protestors as they neared the site of the attack. Protests were especially strong as this attack marks the peak of sustained terror campaigns across Somalia.

A smaller demonstration took place in Dusamareb, a town in central Somalia, as residents called the war against militant groups to be more strongly pursued.

While no group has officially claimed responsibility for the attack, it is thought that Al-Shabaab, a group with heavy links to Al-Qaeda, are behind the bombings. Both vehicles used to carry out the attack, each containing 350kg of explosives, were traced to Bariire, an Al-Shabaab stronghold, as was one of the drivers of the vehicles.

It is thought the attack could stem from antiUS sentiment, and was a protest against a controversial US operation in Bariire in August which saw 10 civilians killed.

Myanmar Over a month after news of the atrocities being committed against the Rohingya people in Myanmar broke in the mainstream media, Amnesty International has released a report condemning the actions of Myanmar’s security forces as crimes against humanity.

The report contained deeply unsettling testimonies from 120 Rohingya people, with the village of Min Gyi worst affected, and has evidenced that at least scores of women were killed in five Myanmar villages.

Myanmar’s population of Rohingya people contains over 1.1 million Muslims, and their persecution has worsened immeasurably in the last year. Recent violence in the northern state of Rakhine saw 90,000 Rohingya Muslims flee to Bangladesh, and the persecution has since spread across the country, reminiscent of widespread anti-Islamic violence that the country saw in 2012 and 2013.

Fleeing seems to be the only option for Myanmar’s Rohingya population. Critics of the country’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi claim she has failed to adequately protect the Rohingya people, claims that seem valid given the state-backed nature of the violence.

8

Features

ISSUE 6 / 23rd OCTOBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Features

ISSUE 6 / 23rd OCTOBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

9

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

30 years queer:

Photo: Ali Hanbury

the Mancunian centre at the heart of LGBT+ resistance

Compared to the dim greying afternoon that Manchester’s spitting skies offers of outdoors, The Proud Trust centre is bright and inviting; turquoise painted walls wear multi-coloured posters and murals, tables and chairs are positioned all around the room in wait for the in-built cafe’s customers, a welcome sign next to the door at length in-

“Manchester was and still is at the forefront of a lot of LGBT+ campaigning and activism” vites anyone, of any orientation, gender, race or faith to come through the doors. You would never guess the rainbow themed interior from the outside, almost like a secret, you find yourself transported into this quirky, fun and safe space that is a second home for many that frequent it.

The Proud Trust is one of the only one’s of its kind. It was the first purpose built LGBT+ centre in Europe and due to being council owned The Proud Trust has managed to keep going, where similar centres have had to be closed down due to funding issues on private tenancies. The idea for the centre started in the seventies and our very own university (then Victoria University of Manchester) had a big hand in helping the centre at the grassroots of the project. “Lots of people who fought for LGBT+ equality had phone lines and campaigns from their own houses” Dr. Ali Hanbury, the centre manager informs me. “As things were progressing the university actually gave them some space on Waterloo Place, just opposite where the tin can building is now.” There they could conduct meetings, focus groups and organise protests and campaigns for their rights, which, at the time mainly focused on gay and lesbian issues. “As the project expanded they started looking for more space, they got another basement on Bloom Street on what is now the village. It wasn’t the village back then, it was mainly run down, old, industrial buildings, a few bars, but it was quite rough. There was street prostitution, raids on the bars that did exist, it was all very behind closed doors.”

The initial building of the centre itself came up against a host of issues, all stemming from openly allowed discrimination against LGBT+ people under the government of Thatcher. “The local council were keen to support the centre” Ali tells me, however it was private landlords they faced problems with. “The law back then didn’t protect LGBT+ people. It was perfectly fine for the landlord we approached to say that he wasn’t selling his building to gay people.” With private landlords being able to turn away tenants based on their sexual orientation, the centre fought to be built on council owned land, which they succeeded in. The building plans that took place in the mid to late eighties, however were then protested against by a local church.

Because these disagreements were based entirely on what the building would be used for, rather than the actual building itself, the plans

still went ahead, and the centre, being the first of its kind, opened up to the public in November 1988.

Around the same time, James Anderton, the chief of police in Manchester made some wildly homophobic comments about the HIV/ AIDS crisis. “He was being really abhorrent. Thatcher at the time saved him from losing his job and then introduced section 28 to say that no local authority could promote homosexuality.” Ali tells us.

In response to this public and powerful hatred, Manchester hosted the “Never Going Underground” march in 1988, the UK’s largest ever gathering for LGBT+ rights of the time. By the November of the same year the centre was open and they hosted a grand opening party to celebrate the success.

“Manchester was and still is at the forefront of a lot of LGBT campaigning and activism” Ali states. “We still have really strong and supportive links through the university. We’ve got about fifteen groups that meet here, alcoholic recovery groups, a BME project called Rainbow Noir, we also have an office for the lesbian immigration support group as well as an inter-faith group. We even had an LGBT+ disabled pride here over the pride season!” Clearly people from all different walks of life are engaged with what the centre has to offer. For many it’s a source of hope when they have no-one else to turn to. Kept away from the village itself, the centre runs little risk of publicly outing those who aren’t out yet and are perhaps struggling with the process.

“We’re quite unique for a LGBT+ charity” Ali admits. “We have a lot of women staff, BME, disabled and trans members of staff. That’s not always reflected in other LGBT+ organisations.” This range of diversity means that those who come to the centre seeking support are likely to find someone to talk to who has had similar experiences and offer some empathy. “We have dedicated projects such as lesbian and bisexual groups as well as young men and one-to-one trans workers as well as a trans youth group.” Being able to openly talk to young people about the way they are feeling and what understandings around sexual orientations as well as gender identities is something the centre aims to tackle. The centre just released a book aimed at primary school children called “Alien Nation” which discusses gender identity and has been received really well. “We have quite an extensive training program where we work with professionals who may be in contact with LGBT+ children such as teachers, we’ve even given talks at the university to nursing and medical students.”

Ali and I discussed whether the national curriculum is failing LGBT+ youth in schools by not representing them enough. “I think the issue is that a lot of schools would deny that they do have problems with homophobia, biphobia or transphobia.” Ali tells me. “However what we do know is that there is a massively heteronormative and cis-gendered script that schools inforce in their curriculum. By only including LGBT discussion in sexual health lessons it hyper-sexualises it, thats really problematic. If in english lessons we spoke about how Shakespeare had same sex relationships, that would be useful.

We have just been government funded to work with the education system to run a project called the rainbow flag award. We are working with around 270 schools to take a whole school approach to LGBT+ education. We look at cross-curriculum stuff, school uniform policies and major school policies.”

As Black History Month draws to a close, Raine Beckford chats to Keziah Doudy, founder of The Black Narrative, about media representation of black youth and why it needs changing

Raine Beckford Deputy Features Editor

With the 30 year anniversary of the first fully publicly funded ‘gay centre’ built in Europe’s opening soon approaching, Kizzy Bray talks to Dr. Ali Hanbury, the centre manager to discuss links with UoM, plans for the future and why places like The Proud Trust are just as important today as they were 30 years ago Kizzy Bray Head Features Editor

The Black Narrative: a new way of thinking

To celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of the centre’s opening next November, The Proud Trust are hosting a very exciting array of celebrations over the next 12 months, entitled ‘30 Years Queer’, kicking off on the 30th November this year. “It’s all about raising the profile of the centre and celebrating all our great work and the fact that we are still here!” Ali exclaims. “The centre has been under threat through its history and people campaigned to keep it open, so it’s important that we still get to be here.” The celebrations will include different fundraising events as the centre are hopeful to increase in their size.

People are taking part in half-marathons and round the world bike rides, there will be parties and nights out hosted by ‘Shit Lesbian Disco’, there, of course, will be Pride in the summer, a walking history tour of the city connected to the centre and even a street party on the actual 30th anniversary next year as well as an after party.

30 Years Queer celebrates everything that the centre has faced and stood up for, all the discrimination and pride its history entails, all the struggles its members have fought against and everything it still seeks to change now. With such a brilliant range of diversity and challenges it aims to tackle the centre is an extremely necessary part of the Mancunian cityscape and always has been. Manchester has been at the forefront of LGBT+ issues and rights in the UK for decades and to celebrate this and make sure this doesn’t change, we need to protect and support organisations like The Proud Trust.

Whether you wish to volunteer at the centre’s cafe, fund-raise for them or simply learn more about them, you can visit their website: https://www.theproudtrust.org, ring on 0161 2220766, follow their twitter @LGBTCentreMcr or send Ali an email at: ali.hanbury@theproudtrust.org.

Photo: Ali Hanbury (left, front row)

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

As Black History Month draws to a close, I find myself ruminating on the wider impact of the month and the media focus it has attained. This led me to Keziah Doudy - founder of The Black Narrative, a project she hopes will spark a change in the representation of young black people in the media.

Doudy, a 19 year old Geography student from North London, is enthusiastic and insightful. Of the project, she tells me “The Black Narrative is an online platform for young black people to document their lives, their own personal stories and their experiences. I started it with the aim of dismantling the negative stereotypes about young black people that are persistent in the media. But I also want to encourage people to challenge their perception of what they think blackness is. I wanted to make the point that the black community is not a monolith, there is a lot of diversity within our community and it should be celebrated”.

A relatively new endeavour, she tells me that the project was born of a frustration with Western media. She says “about 2 or so years ago, there were suddenly a lot of incidents of police brutality where black people were being shot and killed or injured by the police. But every time something like this happened, I noticed that there was an instant attempt by news groups to justify the violence against the victim by demonising them and bringing up negative aspects of their past. I don’t think there’s ever a justification for that kind of violence so it was quite frustrating for me to see mainstream media outlets working so hard to turn the victim into the bad guy. It was really a response to that”.

Whilst this problem is most prevalent in America, perhaps a symptom of their outdated gun laws and complicated judicial system, we agreed that things weren’t perfect in the UK either. Doudy says “I wanted to bring it closer to home and make it more relevant to the UK. There’s a lot of negativity when it comes to black youth and there are a lot of smear

campaigns against prominent black people who speak out about these kinds of things. In the UK media there’s a dominant perception of blackness that’s just gangs and violence and a certain way of speaking and a certain way of living. I just wanted to respond to that and to challenge those ideas”.

Ambitiously, she has big ideas for the project. She tells me “at the moment its very London and Manchester based because that’s where I’m based but I’d definitely like to expand it to other cities. Eventually, if I’m able to travel more, then I want to make it more international. I’m very interested in the stories of black people in non-English speaking countries because we always hear a lot about the Black American experience and the Black British experience but we don’t get much about the Black French experience or the Black Austrian experience. In a year’s time, I think I’d like to take it internationally and be documenting stories of people all over. In 5 years’ time, I’d like to come out with a book with all these stories and possibly set up a charity organisation through The Black Narrative. I’d like to give children in disadvantaged areas the chance to travel as well and see places like South Africa or Canada so they can have those experiences and see beyond where they immediately live. I feel the reason that there is so much intergenerational deprivation and poverty in some areas is because people can’t see beyond where they are. They don’t imagine themselves doing other things and being in other places. Traveling is so important because it exposes you to new and formative experiences”.

Already the project is making waves, going from strength to strength. We reflect on the journey so far and Keziah tells me about one of her more memorable interviews. “One of my favourite interviews was with a guy called Kome. He told me about how he would often get teased by other black people because of his interests. He was a classical musician, he played rugby, he did art and he felt that there needed to be more encouragement of black people pursuing things outside of the realm of what we consider to “black” things. Things

The new MASH mobile

Editor-in-Chief Kirstie O’Mahony talks to the women at MASH who make the streets a safe place for sex workers Kirstie O’Mahony Editor-in-Chief

The streets around Piccadilly station during the day are bustling with business people, football fans, and people dragging suitcases. Come nightfall however, you’re more likely to find people selling sex.

Manchester’s streets are cold pretty much all year round, and when your job entails you patrolling the pavement for hours on end, in can become insufferable. Many women in the industry live in poverty, and may not be able to afford to restock their condoms mid-shift, or to buy some food when they get hungry.

This is where Manchester Action on Street Health (MASH) comes in. Since 1991 they’ve been providing support to women in Manchester who work in the sex industry. At that time their services provided women with “condoms and clean injecting equipment together with advice and information and referrals into other services.” They “operated in the heart of the beat and late at night.”

This much is still true, but in 2010 they opened their drop-in centre on Fairfield Street, right in the middle of Manchester’s busiest area for sex work.

Helen Clayton, MASH’s Fundraising and Marketing Coordinator, told me that “it’s a fully holistic support service; women can come in and get support with whatever their needs are right there and then so be that housing, if they need help with an addiction or mental health issues, or if they need to talk to someone about debts, or they’re being coerced by somebody, or they just want to come in for a brew or something to eat and drink in a safe space.”

However, the area in which it resides is changing rapidly, in a way that Helen fears will push lots of the women away. “[The area around Fairfield Street] is becoming much more gentrified… the women are dispersing.”

Helen has told me in the past that new, more expensive flats and businesses in the area, and the redevelopment of the Mayfield depo, might intimidate the women and make them less likely to want to

work there.

Also, at the moment the businesses in the area around the drop-in are ones that usually shut at around five or six, but there are plans underway for lots more restaurants to open up, which will mean people will be in the area until much later at night, further discouraging the women MASH work with from doing business there.

Caroline Leavy, MASH’s Homelessness and Outreach worker, told me that other factors have contributed to women in Manchester doing sex work further afield. She explained that after the tent camps erupted in Mancehster and homelessness reached epic proportions in the city, many sex workers started to mingle with them and then start begging themselves. Given that there are more people in the city centre to give them change, this will have contributed to women moving farther and farther away from Fairfield Street.

This spurred the introduction of the MASH Mobile Drop-In. What used to be tea served out the back of a red van is now a new and comfortable camper van with an oven, electric stove, and a comfortable sofa seating area for women to relax in if they’re ever in need of a “safe space.”

I chatted to Helen and Caroline inside the van itself, which was brand new and had a gorgeous interior. It was extremely homely, made more so by the hot chocolate I was offered (and graciously accepted).

Whilst I was there, two women actually came by (Helen told me later that they were expecting a busy night). They were more than happy to meet with me and chat to me about the service, but preferred to remain unnamed. The second woman I met got a hot chocolate, some condoms, and a rape alarm. Caroline double-checked to see if the torch was working on it, and the woman thanked her, adding “you really need it when you’re in the bushes.”

I asked her what she thought of the new MASH Mobile (pronounced in my mind similarly to the BatMobile) and she gushed at how comfortable it was. She went on to say that other sex workers she knows describe it as “a god-send”, and that it’s nice to

Photo: Keziah Doudy

like rugby, which is seen as a predominantly white sport, and classical music shouldn’t be fields where only white people can excel. I thought it was very introspective of him because sometimes, as black people, when we talk about our issues and our problems it’s very easy to point the finger and say well ‘white people conditioned us to think like this’ but sometimes we need to be more responsible for ourselves. We need to take responsibility for uplifting other members of the black community, even those that are different from us”.

Whilst the project has so far been an individual labour of love, Doudy is excited at the prospect of involving more people. She says “I’d love that. If you want to share your own personal story you can email me at keziahdoudy@outlook.com or

follow the project on twitter at @TBlackNarrative.

There’s also an Instagram page but it’s just great to have people interacting with the website in general. I love to hear what people think or what they’ve learned. As well as sharing stories I’ve included a feature page so if people don’t necessarily want to talk about themselves they can talk about issues that they think are important or are affecting young black people today. I’ve just had a piece that a guy has written about what it is to be a young black man and how to deal with hypermasculinity and the battle of how to be vulnerable and how to express yourself emotionally and it was amazing so I welcome outside contributions”.

Find the project at theblacknarrative.co.uk

know there’s someone “floating about” that’s there for you when you need them.

It’s not just English women that MASH come into contact with though: “the other reason why we think [the MASH Mobile] will make a big difference is that we’ve seen a big increase in the proportion of Eastern European women [that are sex working in Manchester]. They’re much more difficult for us to reach because there’s a cultural and language barrier.”

In order to tackle that barrier they now have an interpreter who travels with them on the MASH Mobile. They rise in Eastern European women sex working in Manchester has been reported on extensively by the Manchester Evening News, who found that often they work in pop-up brothels all over the city.

The demographics within the sex industry are many, and it might not surprise you that students are one of them. In 2015 an Liverpool University student wrote in The Tab of her experience as a student sex worker, first of all working for an agency whose manager once took her to practice shooting his AK47 in the woods, to opening her own online escorting business. It’s a tempting industry for those students who struggle daily to afford to study.

The Student Sex Worker Project found that 5 per cent of students they surveyed had partaken in

some form of sex work. In 2016 the NUS conducted research that found that 67 per cent of student sex workers that responded went into the industry to cover living expenses (such as electricity bills and groceries) and 53 per cent did so in order to pay their rent.

I asked Helen what they can do to support Manchester-based students in the industry, and she pointed out that they don’t see many students on a day-to-day basis, either because “they don’t want to come to the area”, or because they simply don’t want to tell them that they’re a student.

She added that quite a lot of students would opt to do webcam or phone work rather than roam the streets at night, which would mean they’d be less likely to come to the drop-in for some of the usual services that other women may request. They wanted to make it abundantly clear however that their services stretch beyond street sex workers, and that if students need support “then we can go to them, and we don’t have to take this big van!”

Although, if you are a student sex worker, and you do want to ask MASH for support, I would highly recommend that you request they bring the van. It’s comfortable, safe, and most importantly, Caroline makes a mean hot chocolate. What more could you want?

Opinion

10

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

Have an opinion?

ISSUE 6 / 23rd OCTOBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Universities are not businesses

Nor are they “bastions of academic intergrity”. The way we think about universities is outdated, says editor Jacklin Kwan

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

Calling all opinionated people!

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

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

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

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

Email us at opinion@ mancunion. com

Photo: Flickr @ pinomoscato

On Monday and Tuesday, the 23rd and 24th of October, the staff and students of Manchester will demonstrate against the staff cuts proposed by the university administration back in May. The University of Manchester issued an official statement that over 800 members of staff were “at risk” and subject to dismissal, justifying such drastic cutbacks with the projected harms of Brexit and the planned decrease of student intake over the next few years. The sincerity of the concern, however, is placed into question when the university has also announced that it will be hiring more than 100 junior teaching staff made up of early-career academics (which of course, are cheaper).

Believing that the job cuts were badly timed would be an understatement to say the least. The university recently appointed G eorge Osborne as an honorary professor of economics, making it the politician’s sixth official occupation. It is a move sorely lacking in judgement or taste amidst the threatened livelihoods of the university’s most loyal and senior staff. A look at last year’s financial statement would also suggest that the University of

Manchester is in relatively good economic health, especially after a significant boost to its branding and international exposure with academic superstars like Andre G eim and Brian Cox. Even walking around the campus, students and staff witness the renovations and upgrades of facilities such as the Student Union to make them more photogenic for prospective applicants. From the increased intake of international students to the rise in student fees, it is difficult to comprehend the rationale behind a thinly-veiled profiteering scheme.

The job cuts are, sadly, not symptomatic of a particularly new problem. Across the Western world, complaints that universities are becoming more business-orientated are increasing. The trend creates a significant nostalgia for a time when universities were smaller, more intimate intellectual communities that acted as the gatekeepers of academic pursuit. In recent years, universities have changed significantly with characteristics that we would expect more from private service sectors rather than educational institutions. The desire for stable income streams have

meant that enourmous amounts of effort and capital is placed into the university’s branding, how prestigious its degrees are, and the customer satisfaction of its students.

Money is pumped into student amenities like shiny new dorms and emphasis is placed on international university rankings. Other defining characteristics of university ‘ business-models’ are exorbitantly high student fees that, in the US, many struggle to pay back in a single lifetime.

So why have universities gone under such extreme changes? It is safe to say that external pressures from institutional and cultural shifts in our attitudes towards tertiary education is a root cause.

In the past few decades, we have witnessed perhaps the greatest democratisation of higher education in history. More people from more diverse backgrounds are able to access what used to be a deeply nepotistic class structure. Secondly came the growth of a ‘knowledge economy’. With the advent of an information and technology age, a premium was placed on the kind of research universities were outputting– in the University of Manchester, research income generates approximately 28% of the school’s total earnings. But perhaps the most impactful change to the landscape of tertiary education is that it is no longer really a choice. The competitiveness of a global job market that has fewer spaces with a higher entry requirement means that individuals who wish to have any type of material security as a working adult must pursue a university degree. This is especially true in states which offer no alternatives such as apprenticeships.

All these external pressures have caused the leakage of free market logic into institutions that used to be relatively esoteric and obscure.

I would argue that we are seeing higher education in a crucial state of transition. Universities are having to work hard to create knowledge, improve accessibility, and respond to student needs (and to do so efficiently). They are expected to reach a creative balance between their academic mission and executive capacity; between financial viability and traditional values. This transition has meant profound growing pains– finan-

EU: Friend or foe?

cial administrations have changed within universities as well as their corporate hierarchies; there is general de-emphasis on the principle value of education. Symptoms have manifested in often frustrating and disheartening ways: an unnecessary focus on politicking and positioning in university league tables, higher entry requirements, and the unfair treatment of those deemed “redundant”.

All these moves are geared towards making universities, and by extension, their graduates more prestigious and therefore more employable in the long-term.

The shortcomings of this corporate business model make for easy targets, but it is also worth pointing out that the view of universities as “ bastions of academic integrity” is incredibly outdated.

The contribution of higher education to economic success is now vital, and since degrees have monetary value, they should (to some extent) be treated as economic goods. It has been shown that higher student fees, when coupled with government subsidies for working-class students, have increased the number of students able to afford a university education. And the need to satisfy customers has made universities more responsive to student concerns about their curriculum, equity, and quality of teaching– which all contributes to a more dynamic learning environment.

Here is the tension. The cruel and unfair staff cuts are ref lective of a model that is not working, but it is impossible and unadvisable to regress back into outdated modes of education. So we must ask ourselves what the most ideal and fair model actually looks like, and how we best transition to that. A great number of complexities must be taken into account: affordability, curriculum design, competitiveness between universities for the best and brightest students etc.

This author does not have the answers, it is a problem that demands the attention and regulation of peoples and states. But before we reach that equilibrium, we must stand in solidarity with the victims of a system that is not only amoral but also dysfunctional.

Photo: Flickr @ European Parliament

On Friday 13th October, the Chancellor Phillip Hammond declared the European Union “the enemy” in an interview with Sky News. Instantly being criticised online for his term of phrase, the day was an unlucky

one for him, I’m sure. This does however beg the question as to how the EU is seen following the Brexit vote last year in June, and whether they are a nasty playmate we are finally getting rid of, or a childhood

Men need an alternative to the toxic men’s rights movement The Men’s Rights Movement make some valid points, it’s just a shame that everyone involved in it thinks such horrible things about women, says editor Sam Glover W hy i s it t h at eve r y a dvo cat e o f s o ca l le d ‘ m e n’s r i g ht s ’ i s a p e rs o n w it h o d i o u s v i ews wh o s ays o d i o u s t h i n g s?

T h e i s s u e s b e i n g t a l ke d a b o ut do n’ t s e e m t o n at u ra l ly le n d t h e m s e lve s t o p e o p le w it h o d i o u s v i ews : re d u c i n g st i g m a a ro u n d m a le m e nt a l h e a lt h , h e l p i n g b oys wh o a re s t r u g g l i n g i n s c h o o l , h e l p i n g m e n wh o h ave s u f fe re d s e x u a l a b u s e, and so on.

B ut it m i g ht a s we l l b e o n e o f t h o s e g l i b a d a ge s l i ke G o dw i n’s L aw o r Po e ’s L aw, m ay b e s o m e t h i n g l i ke t h i s : eve r y m a n wh o p u r p o r t s t o b e i nt e re st e d i n t a ck l i n g t h e d i f f i c u lt i e s t h at m e n fa ce a s a re s u lt o f h ow s o c i e t y t h i n k s a b o ut ge n de r w i l l i n ev it a b ly t u r n o ut t o b e l i eve a n d s ay v i le t h i n g s a b o ut wo m e n .

It ’s o d d b e cau s e t h e reve rs e i s n’ t t r u e at a l l . Wo m e n wh o ca mp a i g n o n i mp rov i n g wo m e n’s r i g ht s a n d a l m o s t a lways t h o u g ht f u l a n d e mp at h e t i c. T h e t ro p e a b o ut ra d i ca l fe m i n i s t s h at i n g m e n h a s n eve r h a d b o r n e re l at i o n t o re a l it y.

It ’s s l i g ht ly de p re s s i n g t h o u g h b e cau s e a m ove m e nt t o t h i n k a b o ut t h e way t h at s o c i e t y t h i n k s a b o ut ge n de r a n d h ow it n egat ive ly a f fe c t s m e n co u l d b e a re a l ly h e l p f u l o n e. I n fa c t , a lo t o f t h e cl a i m s t h at ‘ Me n’s R i g ht s Ac t iv i st s ’ m a ke a re t r u e a n d i mp o r t a nt : t h e re i s a m e nt a l h e a lt h c r i s i s a m o n g m e n t h at i s l a rge ly a re s u lt o f t h e w ide s p re a d b e l i e f t h at m e n s h o u l d b e s t o i c a n d i n do m it a b le.

Wo rk i n g c l a s s b oys a re fa c i n g a n u p h i l l

friend that will be sorely missed.

Looking at the case of Manchester, there was a strong image portrayed of the latter case back in 2016 with 60.4% of the city voting to remain in the European Union.

This perhaps reflects the many ways in which the city has benefitted both directly and indirectly from the EU. From investing over £10 million in the Tram network to the Sharp project that bore E4’s ‘Fresh Meat’, EU projects bring a predicted £200 million to the local economy. Both the procrastination gold mine, the Manchester Museum, and the slightly further afield Museum of Science and Industry and the People’s Museum also enjoy significant donations from the EU. Even our very own university has received and continues to receive notable donations from the EU such as the European Regional Development Fund’s donation of £23 million to the National Graphene Institute. Heating council houses, building some of the city’s most impressive architecture, the EU has spread its aid far and wide across the Northern powerhouse.

Perhaps it was these direct investments

that lead the people of Manchester to vote differently to the rest of the Northwest.

With nearly 30,000 UK and EU students at the University of Manchester alone, the EU both surrounds this student city and creates the student city – that’s two links hard to do away with overnight. Having benefitted at such breath and depth from the EU, Mancunions have a duty to acknowledge that whilst we may be inevitably parting ways with our dear friends, we need to be respectful of a political institution that was truly unique in its scope and achievements.

A duty clearly not felt by the Chancellor when he took a somewhat offensive tone when talking about those “on the other side of the negotiating table”.

With any luck, our trusty fleet of lefty Manchester MPs will hold with them their mandate to value the relationship with the EU, and not join in with the deteriorating rhetoric of Cabinet members, calling the Government to account during this lifechanging process. Remember that you can take the Manchester out of the EU, but you can’t take the EU out of the Manchester.

b at t l e t o d o we l l i n s c h o o l , a n d t h at ’s p a r t i a l ly a s a re s u lt o f t h e way t h at t h e e d u c at i o n s ys t e m i s n’ t d e s i g n e d w it h t h e i r i nt e re s t s i n m i n d . Me n wh o a re s e x u a l ly a b u s e d d o f i n d it d i f f i c u lt t o s p e a k o u t , e s p e c i a l ly i f t h ey we re a b u s e d by a wo m a n .

B u t wh e n t h e s e m e s s a ge s a re d e l ive re d f ro m b e h i n d a n a n o ny m o u s T w it t e r h a n d le — t h at a l s o t we e t s a b o u t co n s p i ra c i e s t o p o i s o n t h e wate r s u p p ly w it h o e s t roge n a s p a r t o f a p lo t t o fe m i n i s e m e n — t h ey lo s e t h e fo rce t h at t h ey o u g ht t o h ave .

I f yo u s t u m b le o nt o a m e n’s r i g ht s fo r u m o n l i n e , yo u wo u l d b e fo rg ive n fo r co m i n g away w it h t h e i m p re s s i o n t h at t h e g re ate s t t h re at s t o t h e we l l- b e i n g o f m e n i n t h e 2 1 s t C e nt u r y a re gove r n m e nt i n it i at ive s t o e n d t h e ge n d e r p ay g ap.

A r t i c le s a re p o s t e d w it h t it le s l i ke ‘ t h e ge n d e r p ay g ap i s t h e m o s t o u t ra ge o u s l i e o f t h e m o d e r n e ra’ , a n d ‘ wh e n a cco u nt i n g fo r t h e c h o i ce s t h at m e n a n d wo m e n m a ke , wo m e n a c t u a l ly e a r n m o re t h a n m e n fo r t h e s a m e wo rk ’ .

T h e s e a r t i c le s a re f i l le d w it h b og u s a r it h m e t i c a n d s t at i s t i c a l le ge rd e m a i n t h at , i f yo u a re n’ t n e u ro t i c a n d v i g i l a nt a b o u t t h e m i s u s e o f s t at i s t i c s — a s m o s t o f u s a re n’ t — , yo u a re l i ke ly t o b e t a ke n i n by.

W h e t h e r o r n o t t h e c l a i m s m a d e by Me n’s R i g ht s Ac t iv i s t s a b o u t t h e ge n d e r p ay g ap a re t r u e ( t h ey a re n’ t ) , t h e i m p o r t a nt

Photo: Flickr @ Luciano Castillo

t a ke away f ro m t h e s e o n l i n e m e s s a ge b o a rd s i s t h at t h e p e o p le c l a i m i n g t o c a re a b o u t i m p rov i n g t h e we l l b e i n g o f m e n wh o a re s u f fe r i n g a c t u a l ly a re n’ t i nt e re s t e d i n t h at at a l l . W h at t h ey a re i nt e re s t e d i n i s b e at i n g d ow n fe m i n i s t s a n d wo rk i n g a g a i n s t t h e r i g ht s o f wo m e n , rat h e r t h a n p ro m o t i n g t h e i nt e re s t s o f men.

S o, I fe e l a s t h o u g h I h ave a d u t y to c a l l u p o n m e n wh o d o n’ t h ave o d i o u s v i ews o r d o o d i o u s t h i n g s t o d e n o u n ce t h e v i le ‘ Me n’s r i g ht s m ove m e nt ’ a n d s t a r t a d e ce nt a lt e r n at ive . T h e re a re p le nt y o f yo u n g m e n wh o t a ke t o o n l i n e m e s s a ge b o a rd s t o s ay h o r r i b le t h i n g s a b o u t t h e wo m e n t h ey k n ow — a s we l l a s wo m e n t h ey ’ve n eve r m e t .

W h e re d o e s t h i s a n ge r a l l co m e f ro m? I t h i n k it ’s m a i n ly a re s u lt o f a lo t o f yo u n g m e n wh o a re a n x i o u s a b o u t t h e i r f u t u re , wh o a re fe e l i n g t h at p ro t e c t i o n s a re b e i n g a f fo rd e d t o o t h e r g ro u p s — wo m e n , e t h n i c m i n o r it i e s , t ra n sge n d e r p e o p le , e t c. — t h at a re n’ t b e i n g a f fo rd e d t o t h e m .

Fo r t h e m o s t p a r t , t h e v i le t h i n g s t h at t h ey s ay a re n’ t a re s u lt o f h at re d , b u t o f fe a r a n d i n s e c u r it y. A n a lt e r n at ive

m ove m e nt t h at re a l ly fo c u s e d o n a d d re s s i n g t h e c au s e s o f t h at i n s e c u r it y wo u l d b e u s e f u l b o t h i n h e l p i n g a l i e n ate d yo u n g m e n w it h t h e i r p ro b le m s a n d re d u c i n g t h e ap p e a l o f e x t re m i s t a nt i wo m e n rh e t o r i c.

T h e re a re s o m e g ro u p s t h at a re a l re a dy d o i n g va l u a b le wo rk i n a d d re s s i n g t h e i s s u e s t h at m e n h ave w it h o u t b e i n g b u n d le d u p w it h a lo a d o f b i le . C A L M , t h e c a m p a i g n a g a i n s t l iv i n g m i s e ra b ly, h a s d o n e lo a d s o f e xce l le nt wo rk o n h e l p i n g m e n s u f fe r i n g f ro m m e nt a l i l l n e s s , a n d o f re d u c i n g t h e s t i g m a fo r m e n w it h m e nt a l h e a lt h p ro b le m s .

T h e re a re a l s o fe m i n i s t g ro u p s wh o t r y a n d e x p lo re h ow t h e p at r i a rc hy c a n b e d e t r i m e nt a l to m e n a s we l l a s wo m e n .

B u t I t h i n k t h at t h e re ’s s t i l l a l a c k o f a re a l m ove m e nt t h at i s r u n by m e n , fo r m e n , t o h e l p a d d re s s s o c i a l i s s u e s t h at a f fe c t m e n w it h o u t m a k i n g wo m e n t h e e n e my a n d re s o r t i n g t o l a z y c a r i c at u re s o f eve r y fe m i n i s t a s a p i m p le d , p i n k- h a i re d v i ra go.

M ay b e i f s u c h a m ove m e nt e x i s te d , t h e e x i s t i n g Me n’s R i g ht s Move m e nt wo u l d s h r ive l u p a n d p o o f o u t o f e x i s t e n ce l i ke it o u g ht t o, b u t I wo n’ t h o l d my b re at h .

Blade Runner 2049: a cautious tale Blade Runner 2049’s world is far from a dystopian fantasy.

Contributor Holly James

Contributor Mia Gair

The Chancellor of the Exchequer condemns the EU “the enemy” as Manchester thrives in its kindness.

Opinion 11

ISSUE 6 / 23rd OCTOBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Photo: Flickr @ Hal Ingberg

Margaret Atwood, best known for her book ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ (recently adapted into the critically acclaimed Channel 4 series), has often remarked that there is nothing in the aforementioned book that “had not already happened” at some point across the history of human civilisation. Rather than ‘science fiction’, she refers to her work as ‘speculative fiction’; the former grounded in fantasy, the latter grounded in real and distinct possibilities for the (alarmingly near) future. Upon watching Blade Runner 2049, this quote struck me as particularly resonant; where The Handmaid’s Tale represents a future fabricated on the fears of the tense political and social climate of the 1980’s, 2049 is a portrait of our current way of life taken to its logical conclusion.

Given its tone, one could almost take this to mean literally.

As in Atwood, there is nothing here that has not already happened (or is currently happening) to some degree. The Los Angeles of 2049 is characterised by its astounding levels of technological advancement; airborne cars and sentient holograms occupy streets whose only source of light appears to be the insipid neon glow of

signs and adverts. Names like Sony (the film’s producer), Peugeot and Coca-Cola light up billboards and buildings across the city in a nod to the Times’ Squares and Piccadilly Circuses of our times. However, it is clear that the sophisticated, hightech boulevards of LA come at a price; deserts, wastelands, dumping grounds and exhausted farmlands lie just beyond the city’s outskirts and become a testament to the cost of such an existence. This kind of consumption and development always has two sides, and in Blade Runner 2049 they exist side-by-side as a demonstration of the sacrifice that is made in the name of advancement. This is free market capitalism in overdrive and undoubtedly an image of contemporary neoliberalism taken to its logical conclusion.

One of the most characterising features of this portrait of 2049 is the erratic weather patterns; tropical storms and acid rain are common features across an America that is in some places utterly Saharan and in others dank and wet. Implied in these conditions is a society in which global warming has utterly reshaped the landscape of the USA. In some places, what appear to be the remnants of nuclear bombing

makes entire cities uninhabitable, while in others they are converted into waste disposal areas stretching for hundreds of miles. Much of the film’s power comes from its ability to show, not tell; the only explanation the audience receives is from a small paragraph of text at the beginning which tells us that there have been vast environmental issues.

In these portraits of landscapes fundamentally changed by our own irresponsible behaviour, Blade Runner 2049 provides an image that should be shocking to the nation that needs to hear it the most: America. Amidst Donald

“It is clear that the sophisticated, hightech boulevards of LA come at a price; deserts, wastelands, dumping grounds and exhausted farmlands lie just beyond the city’s outskirts... ”

Trump’s recent withdrawal from the Paris agreement and his notorious ignorance of the environment and especially climate issues, this is a picture that shouts ‘do something now, or else these will be the consequences’.

Indeed, we are already seeing the magnitude of the problem; recent hurricanes Harvey and Irma are only the latest natural disasters in a long line of extreme weather scientists believe to have been worsened by the effects of climate change. Issues such as deforestation, fracking, and the rapid depletion of fossil fuels have a permanent place in the headlines as environmental activists struggle against big businesses and international corporations to impose stricter regulations on consumption. A world in which refuse disposal spans entire cities and tropical storms hit every day suddenly does not seem as if it could be so far away.

Blade Runner 2049 is undoubtedly a film of outstanding visual beauty, but it would be a mistake to see this is as a portrait of a desirable future. The glowing lights act as a mirage whereby technological advancement masks the depletion of the earth and the impending doom of a future running out of options. Above all, it is a warning; if we continue at the rate we are going, we may indeed end up here sooner than we think.

12

Music

ISSUE 6 / 23rd OCTOBER2017 WWW.MANCHETSERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Top 5 Horrorchore Songs

Preview

Preview: Liam Fray The Courteener’s front man comes to Manchester’s Albert Hall this November Deputy Music Editor, Yasmin Duggal Liam Fray, frontman and songwriter of Courteeners – one of the country’s biggest and most loved home grown bands – has announced a series of intimate acoustic shows across the country in October and November. All dates have now sold out with further shows being added to the tour, and two dates planned for Manchester’s Al bert Hall.

At the gigs, Liam promises Courteeners’ classics as well as a deep dive into rarely heard songs from the band’s decade old back catalogue. Lesser known tracks from St Jude, Falcon and Anna can expect to be heard, as well as more recent songs from later albums, Concrete Love and Mapping the Rendezvous.

Having played Courteener’s biggest gig to date at Old Trafford Cricket Ground in May to

Matt Wynne Music Contributor

50,000 fans, Fray is now swapping the huge electric-fuelled arenas for acoustic, relaxed shows at small venues around the UK. Fray has previously toured on his own in 2013, in between the release of Anna and Concrete

Photo: University of Salford Press Office @ Flickr

Love, to huge success, and this tour is sure to receive similar praise.

With Courteener’s gigs usually rampant with chanting, lad-about-town, boozy crowds (a thrilling atmosphere for any indie fan), this tour will embrace a different ambience; with the tracks stripped back and a mellow atmosphere expected in the smaller venues, dedicated Courteener’s fans will be treated to an alternative experience, a different side to Manchester’s best loved noughties front man.

Never fear die-hard Courteeners fans - this solo break does not spell the end for the band, more a chance for Liam Fray to play fan favourites that they would not usually have the chance to play live, and treat avid fans to something different.

You can catch Liam Fray’s Solo Acoustic Tour at Manchester’s Albert Hall on Friday 3rd and Saturday 4th November.

Live Review: Aziz Ibrahim - Lahore to Longsight

Longsight born Aziz Ibrahim brings home an enticing life story of origin, identity and culture - brought together by the support of a live orchestra and an incredible collection of archived film footage of life in 1950’s Britain and India, writes Music Contributor, Matt Wynne Last Wednesday saw one of Manchester’s most respected musical artists Aziz Ibrahim take to the stage at HOME with an incredible show of his life and that of his life. The act was a live performance of his album Lahore to Longsight released in 2001.

Born and raised on the Anson Estate in Longsight - just a short way from the University campus -Aziz has had an illustrious career as the guitarist for the likes of Simply Red and Stone Roses before concentrating on a solo career that has concentrated on the creativity and collaboration of different genres and styles of world music. His performance on Wednesday seemed like this is what it has all been leading up to. On one side of Aziz on stage were the full ensemble of the Bridgewater Hall’s residence orchestra Manchester Camerata (considered

by The Times to be ‘probably Britain’s most adventurous orchestra’) and the other Kaviraj Singh on santoor and Dalbir Singh Rattan on tabla and vocals. This immediately set the scene and provided an inclination that the night was going to be a synthesis of Eastern and Western music and culture and it did not disappoint.

The set played out almost like a documentary as well as the puzzle of life, Aziz’s guitar instrumentals and lyrics told the story of partition, emigration and discovery. His family moved to England in the 1950’s after the partition of India and much of the performance centred around this facet of Aziz’s life. It made me try and understand the implications of this political act

for the people of the country and how it has reshaped the social fabric of both Britain and India and Pakistan especially with it being 70th anniversary. Aziz The wonderful collection of archived film (provided by the North West Film Hub) that was projected complemented the music, the footage being of life in post-war

Photo: Matt Wyne

India and Britain that was anthropological in nature.

Aziz’s music was poignant and warming at times, reflecting the turbulence of life and the importance of family and identity. He was joined on stage for the finale song by his two brothers who played guitar alongside him and one of his more catchy songs ‘Middle Road’.

Aziz told the audience how it is a message that his father taught him about ‘No extremes,

by Tobias Soar

emigration and discovery ” growing up with the distractions and temptations we have of excesses in drink and drugs and the lure of getting involved with the wrong crowd.

I am sure stand up comedy is the next step in his career as the performance was marked by hilarious anecdotes and tales between songs.

All in all, an incredulous performance, not what I was expecting at all. A wonderful tale of the journey of life and the result of what happens when two cultures come together. It can provide catharsis or it can pull a man apart.

It was a virtuoso performance and gutted it is a one off, but maybe it seems right. Bravo to the local organisations that made this happen and to Aziz for a great night, it was clear to see how much it meant to him and the several minute standing ovation afterwards spoke volumes for the performance as a whole. Heres to hoping the set was recorded and if so will be released in the future.

10/10

Shahman Mark

Mysterious and dark rapper, Shahmen, brings a hard-hitting production and his deep, earthy voice to the table in this track.

For those of you who love the Old Kanye, now is the perfect time to relive the days B.Y. (before Yeezus).

Famous for his work ethic (amongst other things), the Old Kanye was in the studio for several consecutive years, and in this spirit, Graduation was the third release under Roc-A-Fella Records. West experimented with slower tempos and synthesisers more on this record, as well as taking a more minimal approach with regards to track list length and timing.

Graduation, as an album, allowed West to look into himself more as an artist, fine tune his story-telling and let him reveal more about himself to his audience, reminiscent of ‘Last Call’ from The College Dropout.

West’s signature sampling took influence from gospel songs, as well as folk and rock influences such as Bob Dylan and U2.

The release date sparked concern between record labels as 50 Cent’s LP ‘Curtis’ was set to hit shelves the same day. Even though the competition was good for business, there was fierce debate as to who would

emerge prosperous — but of course Kanye came through, with sales reaching almost one million in the first week alone.

Songs that stay with you forever include ‘Good Life’ and ‘Flashing Lights’. Certified hits such as ‘Stronger’ launched Daft Punk right into the public eye. With featured artists including Lil Wayne and Coldplay’s Chris Martin, West was able to bring people of different genres and musical worlds together to create an album with a much wider demographic than the rappers that came before him.

Graduation’s success allowed Kanye to emerge victorious in the noughties by arguably sparking the end of gangster rap. He paved the way for musicians to come, such as Childish Gambino, Post Malone and the whole OVO family. West’s lyrics still remain relevant to the pop culture of his day and Graduation will always be an important album in Kanye’s musical progression.

$uicideboy$ South Side Suicide

Although the New Orleans duo doesn’t consider themselves horrorcore, their themes of suicide are dark enough to warrant that title.

Tyler the Creator Yonker

His most recent album Flower Boy presents a departure from his original style, however, “Yonkers” screams classic Tyler.

Gravediggaz 1-800-Suicide

Horrorcore creators Gravediggaz mix a laidback production with smooth prose on this song that sarcastically tells the listener to embrace their ignorance.

OkayButThisIsThe LastTime BONES

Photo: Album Artwork

Live Review: The Australian Pink Floyd

Celebrating Pink Floyd live since 1988 and selling over 4 million tickets across 35 countries, The Australian Pink Floyd have created a legacy in their own right.

Tribute bands are often mocked as a poor attempt to recreate the real-life magic of the world’s greatest, but the Aussies remain a spectacle of their own.

They so perfectly capture the essence, the politics, the colours, the immense instrumentals of such an influential band; it’s an honour to still be able to experience the awe.

An eclectic set list cohesively bound the show together, undulating between decades, styles, and albums, with the flow of an extremely well-oiled machine. They exquisitely encapsulated that imperative listening etiquette with Pink Floyd; their albums are a narrative, and the band successfully delivered, telling their own story, with a sentimental reference to Syd Barrett during ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’.

‘Breathe’ set the bar for an extravagant show, back up singers Lara Smiles, Emi-

ly Lynn, and Lorelei McBroom astonishing with their vocals on their solos, and front man Chris Barnes commanding attention with his hugely powerful presence as he stepped forward to the microphone and unleashed David Gilmour, with his own added flare. What was effective was there was no attempt to physically imitate the band, just a wholeness to the respect they paid Pink Floyd.

Rewind This week in music history

To read the rest of this article: please go www.mancunion.com

This horrorcore tune achieved meme status as the soundtrack to bottle-flip videos. Despite this, the track’s lyrics are dark, moody and quintessentially horrorcore.

24th October 1998 - Ian Brown was jailed after a flight to Manchester. Brown had threatened to chop the hands off an air hostes during an argument.

Contributor Callum Lunn thinks that this isn’t their last resort As the crowd were still reeling from a trip through the weird and brilliantly twisted minds of support act Ho99o9, a large sheet covered the stage as Papa Roach set up their own equipment.

When the time came, Papa Roach showed that they were keeping the edgy spirit of Nu-Metal alive by inviting the audience to raise their middle fingers and shout “Fuck Papa Roach” over and over, until the sheet dropped and the band launched into the titular track of their latest album, Crooked Teeth.

Papa Roach weren’t messing around: fifteen minutes in and we were already experiencing the fifth song of their 21song set, frontman Jacoby Shaddix drenched in sweat. Playing a selection of their older, angsty nu-metal, their slower, more emotive songs, and their newest, more electronic pop-influenced songs, the transitions could often be a little jarring, but the band kept them coming, providing songs for both new (nu?) and old fans alike.

As the show progressed, we were treated to an interesting rendition of

Blur’s ‘Song 2’ — with Californian frontman Jacoby doing a very convincing Damon Albarn impression. Following their performance of Forever, which they segued into a small cover of Linkin Park’s ‘In the End’, Shaddix gave a heartfelt tribute to Chester and urged the audience to “live for music”, before launching into their anti-war song American Dreams.

Playing a five-song encore, the band didn’t falter one bit. Starting with ‘None of the Above’, and finally getting to crowd-pleaser ‘Last Resort’, Papa Roach didn’t seem to show the tiredness or reluctance of many other bands to play their defining song, with Shaddix in the crowd for almost the entire performance.

Papa Roach pleasantly surprised me — their show was full of genuine energy from start to finish, and that only comes from people who truly love what they do.

25th October 1984 - Katy Perry was born

26th October 1965 - Queen Elizabeth II gave The Beatles MBE’s. Rumour has it that they all got super high before hand, to calm their nerves.

27th October 2013 - Velvet Underground frontman Lou Reed died at the age of 71

Photo: Wiki Commons

28th October 1997 - R.E.M. drummer Bill Berry announced that he was leaving the group after 17 years, becoming a farmer.

8/10

Where are you going this Halloween?

This time each year, the spooky in us comes out to play, and with it, an excuse to dress up and celebrate all things weirdly wonderful and slightly crazy. Whilst there’s always something fun to do in Manchester, Halloween brings a whole new array of special events to celebrate. Here’s a quick rundown of some of the spook-tacular things that are happening around the city: Tim Burton Special @ The Bread Shed (27th October) It can be confidently said that Tim Burton is the king of Halloween, so why not go down to The Bread Shed and pay homage to the pumpkin king himself. The night will be filled with all that is pop-punk playing the likes of My Chemical Romance, Bless The Fall, Blink 182, You Me At Six, Bring Me The Horizon, Don Broco, and Parkway Drive. Release your inner emo-teen and sing your heart out.

Stranger Things Special @ The Ruby Lounge (24th October) Based on the incredible 80s Netflix TV series, Stranger Things. Sound-tracked strictly by vinyl records featured in and inspired by the show.

On the night expect to hear all of the tracks from the show

by The Clash, Toto, Joy Division, Foreigner, Modern English, Corey Hart, The Bangles and Jefferson Airplane — plus the likes of The Smiths, The Cure, David Bowie, New Order, Talking Heads, A Flock Of Seagulls, Depeche Mode, Soft Cell, Blondie, The Undertones, The Human League, Iggy Pop, The Specials, The Jam and many more.

If dressing up like a Demogorgon or as Eleven, this is the

Why are ghosts bad at lying?

Because you can see straight through them!

23rd October 1993 - Meat Loaf had his first UK No.1 with ‘I’d Do Anything For Love’

Live Review: Papa Roach

Record Reappraisal: Graduation Tara Bharadia goes on a Kanye Reunion , as the looks back at Graduation which turns 10 this year.

Live Review Yasmin Duggal Deputy Music Edtior

A deeply psychedelic experience which did Pink Floyd justice and then some, writes Deputy Music Editor, Yasmin Duggal

stay in the middle’ and resonates with the fact how lessons such as these are important when

“The story of partition,

Music 13

ISSUE 6 / 23rd OCTOBER2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Hannah Brierley Music Edtior

place to go for all you fanatics.

ANTS Halloween Takeover @ Warehouse Project (28th October) Ants follow up previous classic WHP shindigs with a Halloween takeover. Berliner Paul Kalkbrennerheadlines – and who better to provide the drama and excitement of a Halloween show than a DJ who is renowned for his live show, where his emotive techno tracks and pulled apart then restructured into entirely new forms. He’s joined by Ants stalwarts Groove Armada, whose typically crowd-pleasing performance at last year’s Ants took the roof off. For more dancefloor thrills, Eli & Fur, Jesse Rose, Route 94, wAFF and a host of others explore the full spectrum of house, from jacking bass bombs to deep, melodic disco.

Bongo Bingo Halloween Special with Fatman Scoop @Albert Hall (31st October) A Halloween special with the bombastic hip-hop icon Fatman Scoop as the exclusive guest. It’s hard to capture the unique mix of everything that happens at Bongo’s Bingo – it’s partly a show, partly a rave, partly a dance-off, and of course an amazing night of bingo as its frantically beating heart.

It’s true that Bongo’s Bingo has to be seen to be believed — the show mixes the traditional elements of bingo with dance-offs, rave intervals, plenty of heckling, audience participation, countless hands-in-the-air anthems and of course the chance to win prizes too, from Henry Hoovers, boxes of Coco Pops and life-size cardboard cutouts, to actual cold hard reams of cash.

Definitely, something that you’ll never have experienced

29th October 1996 - The Stone Roses split up. Singer Ian Brown said ‘having spent the last ten years in the filthiest business in the universe, it’s a pleasure to announce the end of The Stone Roses.’ before.

Motherfunkers Fright Night @ Antwerp Mansion (31st October) If you’re looking for the most authentic Halloween, then really you need to head down to the only place in Manchester which could actually be a part of a horror film. Expect a psychedelic haunted house fused with the very best of funk, soul, disco and Motown tunes from the ‘ 70s to today... We’re talking live music, performers, installations, visuals, disco balls, balloons, bunting, and confetti cannons.

Casa Loco @Impossible Bar (28th October) The recently opened impossible bar are also joining in on the Halloween fun. The has a hidden gin palace that serves 63 types of gin and has a cryogenic freezer, meaning spirits can be frozen to make edible cocktails. They also have a molecular cocktail laboratory which will have an alcoholic mist condenser and a lickable Champagne bubble machine.

Impossible embraces all things weird and wonderful, and their Halloween event will follow suit, and will definitely be hard to forget… depending on how much of the champagne bubble machine you have.

This is a ticket only event, so make sure you buy them before they sell out!

So there you have it, guys and ghouls.

Games 14

ISSUE 6 / 23rd OCTOBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Review Album

Middle-Earth: Shadow of War

You shall not pass on the latest Middle-Earth experience

Chris Glover Reporter

8/10

Photo:BagoGames @Flickr

Photo:BagoGames@Flickr

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

FIND US ON FACEBOOK & INSTAGRAM :facebook.com/bikostreet

:@bikostreet

manchesterstudentsunion.com/bikostreet

Like 2014’s Shadow of Mordor before it, Shadow of War offers an open-world action RPG set within Tolkein’s universe, though one that stands proudly as a great title in its own right The bulk of the praise of Shadow of Mordor was always on its innovative Nemesis System, and Shadow of War builds upon that in a big way. In short, the Nemesis System is a game mechanic by which named members of Sauron’s Uruk army rise or fall in power throughout your playthrough, dependent on Talion’s actions.

Each ‘Nemesis’ is randomly generated and has their own personality, combat mechanics, weaknesses and fears. The result is a dynamic game-world that truly feels alive, offering incredibly memorable moments that are unique to every player.

The immense merit of the system made itself clear in the very first encounter I had with Orc captains: fresh out of the prologue mission, I wandered into an enemy camp to have no less than three captains engage me in combat simultaneously.

After barely managing to kill all three using some

Gollum-level slyness that I’d rather not talk about, I was finally felled by a javelin thrown by a lowly grunt Orc. Cue this lucky weasel proudly naming himself as ‘Snafu the Tark Slayer’, earning a promotion off the back of my embarrassing defeat and becoming somewhat of a rival of mine.

Throughout my playthrough, Snafu came back from the dead no less than five times. Each time, he’d come back pieced together with bits of metal, becoming ‘Snafu the Machine’ and constantly reminding me with increasingly manic dialogue that I was responsible for turning him into this monster.

This is just one example of how successful the Nemesis System is in generating genuinely compelling little narratives, often with character arcs that no other player will have experienced in quite the same way.

From Act II onwards, you begin to build your own Orc army. Effectively trying to out-Sauron Sauron, your task is to use this army to usurp his own from the six areas of the game, each with its own strong-

hold home to an Overlord and a hierarchy of captains.

This successfully weaves the brilliant Nemesis system into the main narrative and overarching goal of the game - though it does get repetitive eventually.

The Overlord of each stronghold can’t just be attacked and killed outright; you must first recruit some of the lower-level captains under his charge and infiltrate his higher ranks, leaving him wide open to a large-scale assault on his fortress.

This sounds like a lot of fun, and it is - the first few times. After that, things start to feel a little grindy, but it never quite becomes a chore until endgame, which I’ll address shortly.

In regards to the audio and visual experience, Shadow of War’s huge budget makes itself known with gorgeous and varied environments, whilst the musical score is compelling if somewhat generic.

Mordor is as huge as it beautiful - a fact you’ll find yourself resenting occasionally when you have to cross huge distances to start missions. Whilst Talion does mercifully learn abilities which make traversing the landscape much quicker, these are too often impeded by Talion’s most fearsome nemesis of all: ledges. These frequently halt your superhuman progression across the landscape as your character slowly prises himself off them, feeling more like a kitten stuck in a tree than a centuries old Gravewalker.

The combat, on the other hand, is always delightfully responsive and smooth. A multitude of combat skills ensure that Talion always feels as powerful and efficient as The Bright Lord should, whilst the hordes of Orcs that often rush you at once ensure that even on Normal difficulty, the combat never becomes so easy as not to be fun.

Regrettably, it would be impossible review this game and not address the Oliphaunt in the room: microtransactions. For months, WB Games have come under fire for their implementation of loot boxes in Shadow of War. The loot boxes contain armor and weapons, or Orc captains who can join your army to help defeat Sauron.

Whilst offering extra paid content in full-priced games is arguably questionable at best by itself,

Shadow of War further offends by insidiously integrating the loot box system into the core game, making frequent trips to the marketplace deliberately unavoidable.

For example, you acquire a currency called Miriam simply by killing enemies and completing missions, though there is very little to spend it on other than loot boxes. You inevitably end up with thousands upon thousands of Miriam, leaving you no choice but to visit the microtransaction marketplace.

At the marketplace, you soon realise that Miriam can only buy you the bottom-tier silver chest, and to buy gold and mithril chests you must use a premium Gold currency acquirable by paying real-world money.

It quickly becomes clear that the game has forgone the opportunity to implement a rewarding in-game economic system (a marketplace updated daily with cosmetics or legendary gear, for example). Instead, it really feels like every Miriam that Talion earns serves the sole purpose of manipulating you into opening your wallet to buy gold chests instead.

The worst part about all of this comes at the endgame of Shadow of War (the not-so-curiously named Shadow Wars) which sees a “bonus” ending of the game held hostage behind a mammoth grind so mind-numbing that players are driven to buy premium loot boxes just to speed it up.

Needless to say, the loot boxes are a disappointing smear on what is otherwise a very enjoyable game.

The gameplay is solid, the storyline is mostly enjoyable (though deviates from canon lore - Tolkeinites beware), and the varied mission structures ensure that, endgame aside, the Orc-slaying never becomes tiresome.

Though frankly, even if this were not the case, the Nemesis System ensures that Shadow of War is still worth playing. As it has yet to be successfully replicated by other titles, the Middle-Earth games remain completely unrivalled in their ability to use player-NPC interaction to create a gloriously dynamic gameplay experience..

Reviewed on Playstation 4

Review

The Evil Within 2 Jeremy Bijl Games Editor

Photo:TangoGameworks

Two horror titles have largely dominated the marketplace in the last decade or so: Resident Evil and The Last of Us. The influences of both are clear in The Evil Within 2, which attempts to provide the stealth and survival aspects of The Last of Us whilst retaining the cheesy horror that was at the core of the Resident Evil series.

In terms of world design, however, The Evil Within 2 is better than both. The game takes place inside STEM - a kind of hybrid between the animus and the matrix where the world exists as part of a collective consciousness supported by futuristic technology.

This premise allows Tango Gameworks to be truly innovative with the design of The Evil Within 2. The world is fascinating: a phantasmagorical island floating in a void of corrupted cyberspace, yet retaining the surface facade of an American suburbia. This means that the setting is eerily familiar in appearance, but also allows the developers to really exercise their creative license on the

game’s world.

Corridors reconfigure themselves when you turn your back on them, chasms open up in the ground, and the line between realism and representationalism is ever blurred in The Evil Within 2. In this way, the very fabric of the design of the game is itself part of the deception, which makes the very ground on which you walk part of the paranoia inducing atmosphere of the game.

In a climate dominated by sprawling open world games that exhaust much of their power and financing on background detail, The Evil Within 2 is a lesson in how to optimise man power without compromising artistic integrity.

The paranoia induced by the stellar world design is retained by the enemies you face. Reminiscent of The Last of Us, you can always hear the creatures lurking in STEM, and the sense that they can pop up anywhere is deeply unsettling.

This is added to by the survival-horror tradition of making playable protagonist Sebastian Castellanos relatively weak compared to the creatures

A promising survival-horror that fails to fulfil its potential

6.5/10

of STEM and perpetually low on supplies. This requires you to carefully manage resources and means that in combat, every bullet and decision matters.

However, this is contravened by some of the other mechanics in the game. The sneak mechanics are not as finessed as those in The Last of Us due to the slightly stiff feel of the controls; the cover system is horribly inconsistent, and sneaking itself is slow, clunky and one-note.

Sneak attacks are often ineffective, and the lack of effort put into them is demonstrated by the fact there is only one sneak animation and an issue that sees the motion of sneak-attacking getting you spotted, thereby stopping the attack.

You can also throw bottles, but this only distracts enemies in a very small radius, and for a very small amount of time.

The crossbow is arguably the most useful tool available to you, but the fact that it’s non-lethal (with the exception of the exploding bolt that attracts everything) makes it somewhat of a chocolate kettle.

This is compounded by the fact that, especially later on in the game, you are chiefed with having to guide Sebastian through some very narrow indoor levels packed with enemies. This is a particularly frustrating experience as it really feels like the game is forcing you into a scenario that its own mechanics make incredibly unappealing.

This dissonance at the game’s core is mirrored by the paradoxical progression system implemented by The Evil Within 2. As a survival-horror game, The Evil Within 2 often actively discourages combat, but bases the progression system on collected ‘green gel’ to improve your character - a resource most commonly garnered by killing enemies.

In this way, The Evil Within 2 seems slightly confused in regards to its own identity. Some missions and mechanics make confrontations unavoidable, but the nature of the premise and the way Se-

bastian’s strength is balanced against his enemies underlines a tension in the game’s vision that often make segments of the game jar with others.

The narrative is also somewhat divided. Overall, the plot is an acutely self-aware cliche, complete with hammy dialogue, and an overblown story that manages to be ridiculously far-fetched and generic at the same time.

This is a game broadly split into two parts. The first takes place largely in a small sandbox as you hunt the first (and most interesting) villain, and represents a very enjoyable eight or so hours that even encourages you to explore and do some side missions.

The second part of the game accelerates the story as you find out more about STEM, but seems hurried rather than fast-paced. A new villain crops up with no grounding whatsoever, and you are increasingly involved in very linear missions that culminate in generic boss fights. New and old characters are thrust into the narrative suddenly and without much explanation, and, whilst the story remains engaging enough to be playable, raising the stakes actually makes it much less intriguing.

In some ways, these deficits are probably intentional parts of what the game is aiming for: a nostalgic horror experience that harks back to the genre at its height. In the modern day, some of the things The Evil Within 2 tries to achieve fall very flat.

The Evil Within 2 is very much a game of two parts in both narrative structure and achievement. It begins with such promise, but ultimately fails to meet the high standards it initially sets for itself with it superlative world design and experimentations with ludonarrative horror as it devolves into a rather generic experience that lacks the finesse or strength of writing of The Last of Us and the charm and silliness of early Resident Evils.

Reviewed on Windows 10

16

Fashion & Beauty

ISSUE 6 / 23rd OCTOBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Halloween’s unlikely style icons Fashion and Beauty Editor Talia Lee-Skudder discusses the trials and tribulations of the Halloween period and its unexpected fashion icons It’s that time of year again. The leaves have started to fall, the nights are drawing in, and Halloween is looming just around the corner. In previous years, I have struggled to fully embrace the 31st of October, the memories still haunt me of lathering decade old makeup onto my face as a child and coming out in a rash.

Most people seem to give the night a very halfhearted attempt. Usually, fancy dress involves a very cute — albeit, revealing — outfit, with killer makeup which is less than scary.

And that’s just the lads. It’s tricky ground, you don’t want to appear as though ‘you are too cool to bother’, but you also don’t want to find yourself having a Cady Heron moment. Halloween is the most complicated event in the fashion social calendar.

Aside from manoeuvring the do’s and don’t’s of this festive period, Halloween does also provide us with some very unlikely style icons. As we move into the winter months, take inspiration from some of the most memorable Halloween characters and fancy dress favourites and incorporate their styles into your everyday winter wardrobe.

Morticia Addams Whilst her trademark long black hair has become a staple of every Halloween party, The Addam’s Family matriarch Morticia is a very improbable fashionista and knows exactly how to rock a fitted black dress and a red lip.

Although her complexion is on the paler side, her makeup and nails are always immaculate. If you can take any fashion advice from this fictional character, let it be to find what suits your body shape and stick with it.

Morticia wears the same black dress throughout the muchloved series, was this because of the small wardrobe budget or because she knew her fitted black fishtail dress was a flattering, failsafe signature look? I am fairly convinced it has to be the latter.

Take inspiration from her, know what suits your body and never be afraid to wear black lace.

SJP in Hocus Pocus When I was little, watching Hocus Pocus was a regular feature in the run-up to Halloween. I was always so desperate to dress up as Sarah Sanderson, who just also happens to be the very stylish Sarah Jessica Parker — I had good taste even as a fiveyear-old, but I didn’t understand that a child wearing a corset was just not appropriate.

Now, it is perfectly okay to incorporate a corset into an evening look, whether you wear it over a t-shirt or under a jacket, the corset is a great way to update your outfit. In their SS18 runway show, JW Anderson showcased their relaxed take on the classic style by creating less structured corsets that can be worn every day.

Chokers Chokers have been big on the scene for the past year or so now and their popularity does not seem to be wavering. A choker is Halloween chic at its finest and an easy addition to

Photo: 130969846@N07 @flickr

complete any outfit.

The origins of the choker trace back to the French Revolution in the 18th Century when women wore a red ribbon around their necks in homage to those who met their death at the guillotine. The red colour of the choker symbolised the blood of the dead. From its bloody background to the choker craze of the 1990s, the popular necklace trend is now enjoying a long revival.

Velvet Think Debbie Reynolds in Disney’s cult classic film Halloweentown. The fun-loving grandmother knew how to wear velvet in rich autumnal shades, whilst the style is outdated velvet certainly is not.

The sumptuous and lavish material has always been a staple in the autumn/winter wardrobes of the rich and famous. Velvet clothing is great for transitional clothing and taking you into those colder winter months — less witchlike, more chic. The perfect Halloween inspired fabric.

Michael Keaton in Beetlejuice The 1980s classic Beetlejuice provided us with Michael Keaton’s famous fitted striped suit, a statement look that would not look entirely out of place in our everyday wardrobes. The striped suit is not reserved solely for men but is a super stylish choice for all of the fashion-forward women out there.

Cara Delevingne and Olivia Palermo are fans of wearing a fitted tuxedo on the red carpet, and Beetlejuice’s vibrant vertical striped suit would not be out of place here. Vertical stripes are also a winner for elongating your legs, what’s not to love?

Alternatively, you could wear each item separately. Team a black and white striped blazer with your black skinnies or some striped trousers with a leather jacket and be more understated in your channelling of Halloween’s favourite film character, Beetlejuice.

Whilst Halloween only lasts one day, these pieces will become timeless additions to your autumn/winter wardrobe.

The PVC Renaissance t h e b e a u t i e s d u r i n g Pa r i s Fa s h i o n We e k i n a n e c l e c t i c co l le c t i o n o f PVC . T h i s S S 1 8 p rev i ew s aw j u m p s u it s , t a i l o re d t ro u s e rs , a n d s k i r t s , a l l co m p r i s e d o f t h e n o r m a l ly i n fa m o u s PVC , a d a p t e d i nt o a va r i e t y o f c h i c a n d s e x y s i l h o u ettes.

O n t h e h i g h s t re e t a n d at t h e m o re a f fo rd a b l e e n d o f t h e s p e c t r u m , p u rc h a s i n g a p l e t h o ra o f p at e nt i s m a d e e a s y w it h re t a i l e rs s u c h a s To p s h o p, M i s sg u i d e d a n d H & M i n co r p o rat i n g t h i s i nt o t h e i r c u r re nt Au t u m n a n d Wi nt e r co l l e ct i o n s . Fo r m e r M a d e i n C h e l s e a s t a r t u r n e d d e s i g n e r M i l l i e M a c k i nt o s h , h a s p l a ce d t h e PVC s t a m p o n h e r l at e s t ra n ge w it h t h e go rge o u s F y f i e l d t ro u s e r ava i l a b l e to p u rc h a s e o n A S O S. My re co m m e n d e d s t yl e t i p wo u l d b e t o p a i r t h e s e s h i ny n ew t h re a d s w it h a p a s t e l t o n e d f l u f f y k n it t o eve n o u t t h e ove ra l l t e m p t re s s l eve l o f yo u r o u t f it .

O f t e n h a rd t o d e fe n d o u t s i d e o f t h e H a l l owe e n s e a s o n , d e s i g n e rs a n d re t a i l e rs h ave p u s h e d PVC t o t h e fo re f ro nt o f t h e i r l e at h e r a ge n d a i n m a ny g u i s e s a n d c re at i o n s i n re ce nt m o nt h s . S o H a l l owe e n a n d s p o o k y s e a s o n re l at e d o r n o t , I d a re yo u .

Photo Credit: Balmain @ Instagram

Heidi Klum’s Halloween hell raiser Sophie Walsh, Deputy Fashion and Beauty Editor looks at supermodel Heidi Klum’s annual Halloween bash history, from New York to LA with the guest list including film stars, singers and the brightest of the fashion industry.

Whilst only the glitterati have invites to these hallowed halls, Klum always gives us a peak of her legendary costumes beforehand. Some personal favourites are the convincing old lady with wrinkles and varicose veins and animated cartoon character and thirties sex symbol Betty Boop.

Most recently however in 2016, she revealed her most outlandish costume yet. She opened her party with the unveiling of the slightly egotistical but ultimately tongue in cheek costume ‘The Sextuplets’. Arriving in a giant crater stamped ‘Made in GerPhoto Credit: Heidi Klum @ Instagram many’, she walked out with five clones wearing matching nude bodysuits and thigh-high boots.

The models underwent two hours of prosthetics each, wearWe all have some sort of plan for Hallowing six pieces and a wig, all done by Proseen, whether that’s a club night, bar crawl, thetic Renaissance’s Mike Marino, celebrity party or even a lazy night in watching Hocus makeup artist Mike Fontaine and a talented Pocus (or human centipede, whatever f loats team. Marino joked that the costume had your boat). Some will splash out on elabocost 10 million dollars and although we don’t rate costumes and makeup but the majority know the real cost, we can only imagine, afwill botch together some cat ears and drawn ter all it isn’t exactly a black bin bag with a on whiskers with eyeliner. head hole.

However, across the pond they do not If you are throwing a Halloween party this mess around. This year, Americans are set year take a leaf from Heidi’s books and go all to spend a record $9.1 billion on Halloween out. I don’t want to see a ‘fun hat’ or dodgy related goods. And the crème de la crème contact lens in sight, go for the full Malefiof this American dominated holiday? Heidi cent makeup look on that YouTube tutorial, Klum’s annual Halloween bash. hell if you have the money whack the prosCrowned the Queen of Halloween, the G erthetics out.And some parting words of adman-American supermodel and businessvice from the Queen herself ? ‘Great makeup woman Heidi Klum takes her parties to a and a major push-up bra work’. Knock yourwhole new level. No apple bobbing or pickself out boys. led onion monster munch to be found here.

I am eagerly awaiting this year’s costume.

For the past 17 years, she has thrown some

Halloween makeup on a student budget Jenny Knowles reveals her top bargain beauty buys for this Halloween season Up until recently, your Halloween make-up was probably stolen from your younger sibling’s dress-up box and smeared on in a desperate attempt to make a successfully scary, but not completely disastrous, Halloween makeup.

When I took a trip to my local Superdrug, I was pleasantly surprised by the vast number of new affordable products on the makeup stands.

Revolution, the cheap and animal-friendly make-up brand, have come out with a range of Halloween themed makeup.

Standing out immediately was their ‘Ghost sculpt’ pallet (£4), containing a duo of grey/ black powder to carve out cheekbones and accentuate hollows of the face and a white powder to give you that pale spooky look — no fake tan necessary for this holiday season. In addition, they have also introduced realistic fake blood and scar liquid latex for just £2 each if you’re going for a more realistically scary look.

MUA’s ‘undress your skin’ highlighters are a personal favourite of mine, at only £3 for a large pan that will last months. These can give a natural or intense glow depending on how much you build

of the most decadent Halloween parties in

up the product, making them very versatile for any radiant look.

This year, on MUA’s shelves are the new range of Halloween-themed highlight shades including ‘Black magic’, a dark glittery powder for a more Gothic highlight, or ‘Glistening amethyst’ and ‘Aqua shine’ if you’re going for something more mythical, such as space or mermaid themed. With Stephen King’s IT on the must-watch horror movie list of the year, the clown trend is more popular than ever.

All you need is some smeared eyeliner — the Rimmel ‘Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal Eye Liner’ is the perfect blacker than black pencil you need to create this creepy look — paired with some overdrawn red lipstick; the ‘Scarlett Moisturising Lipstick’ from New Look’s makeup range is bright red, joker-style, and at only £3.99 is a complete bargain. Use MUA’s red lipliner, pricing at only £1, which also includes a sharpening lid to ensure that you can draw a precise outline.

With just a few cheap products it’s never been easier to create so many spooky-chic makeup looks this Halloween. Head over to the Superdrug website where you can watch some Halloween-inspired makeup tutorials.

Photo Credit: Superdrug Photo Credit: 151878285@N06 @flickr

Costumes and cultural appropriation — where to draw the line Ginah Shergill considers the importance of cultural appropriation when selecting our Halloween outfits.

Deputy Fashion and Beauty Editor Amy Nguyen reviews the revival of the naughtiest of materials, PVC. L e t ’s t a l k PVC . P l a st i c Po ly v i nyl C h lo r ide .

T ra d it i o n a l ly a s s o c i ate d w it h got h , p u n k , a n d fe t i s h i s m , m a rke d a s t h e p e r fe c t go - to do m i n at r i x u n i fo r m , t h i s g lo s s y p ate nt m ate r i a l i s e x p e r i e n ci n g s o m ewh at o f a re n a i s s a n ce .

O u r favo u r ite m e a n g i rl C a dy He ro n o n ce s a id , “ i n g i rl wo rl d , H a l lowe e n i s t h e o n e d ay a ye a r wh e n a g i rl c a n d re s s u p l i ke a tot a l s l ut a n d n o ot h e r g i rl s ca n s ay a ny t h i n g e l s e a b o ut it . ” Fo r m a ny o f u s , a d h e r i n g to t h i s a dv i ce a n d g ra b b i n g yo u r n e a re s t p a i r o f PVC p a nt s m ay b e a o n ce -a-ye a r H a l lowe e n - C at-Wo m a n- m a n o e uv re .

Wit h i n t h e l a s t ye a r, t h e PVC t re n d h a s re ce ive d s u b s t a nt i a l cove ra ge a n d h a s re t u r n e d i n f u l l fo rce o n t h e r u nway, t h e h i g h st re e t , a n d h a s b e e n wo r n by t h e b i g ge st n a m e s i n t h e b u s i n e s s. T h i s h i g h s h i n e s l i ck m ate r i a l , u s u a l ly re s e r ve d fo r co st u m e s a n d d re s s u p, h a s b e e n g ive n a b i g n o d o f ap p rova l i n re ce nt m o nt h s f ro m de s i g n e rs a c ro s s t h e g lo b e .

Vi nyl Ra i n co at s h ave fe at u re d o n t h i s s e a s o n’s r u nways by Ve te m e nt s, Top s h op, B u r b e r r y, a n d Ad i d a s. T h e s h e e n o f t h e m ate r i a l a d d s n ot o n ly a wate r p ro o f f u n c t i o n b ut a s le e k f ut u r i st i c t a ke o n t h i s key w i nte r p i e ce. Va r i o u s leve l s o f t ra n s p a re nc y o f t h e m ate r i a l ca n a l s o b e s e e n to c re ate a n e xt ra d i m e n s i o n a n d a d d it i o n a l l aye r to a p rev i o u s ly s i m p l e e n s e m b le.

T h i s S e p te m b e r, O l iv i e r Ro u ste i n g , C re at ive D i re c to r o f F re n ch p owe rh o u s e B a l m a i n , a do r n e d

Fashion & Beauty 17

ISSUE 6 / 23rd OCTOBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Photo Credit: Millie Mackintosh@ Instagram

It’s time for trick or treat, pumpkins, and scary outfits. Halloween has crept up on us once more.

Many are prepared — coloured contacts, litres of fake red blood, and the spookiest of outfits ready and waiting — whilst some such as myself are clutching at straws for a sinister yet sensational costume for a night they most probably won’t remember.

Regardless of your wardrobe agenda, the prevalence of cultural appropriation can be deemed increasingly important during Halloween season. Cultural appropriation and the issues surrounding it seems to be ever increasing.

What do we define as cultural appropriation?

Although there are varying ways to view this, essentially it can be seen as when someone adopts a certain aspect from a culture that does not belong to their own, this can span clothing, hairstyles, or manners of speaking.

Its central focus lies in the power dynamic where the dominant culture seeks to extract elements from a minority culture without consent and from a group who may have been oppressed by that dominant section of society in the past.

For instance, minority groups in the past that constantly face issues of cultural appropriation, especially in the US, include African, Asian, Mexican and Native American people.

This being said, you have probably seen people dress up as Native Americans with a feather headdress, or wearing sombreros and fake moustaches as Halloween costumes- we are probably all a little guilty of teetering across these

very fine lines.

These ethnic and racial stereotypical type ‘costumes’ are popular and highly dubious. We only have to look at our favourite Jenner sisters Kendall and Kylie as an example to see the sensitive nature of cultural appropriation and how it can create an array of issues.

Both members of the Kardashian clan have been rigorously scrutinised for imitating Latin culture in their named clothing collections.

Kylie also faced backlash for sporting cornrows and braids which are prevalent in black American culture.

Katy Perry is also accustomed to much criticism after her appearance during performances where she dressed as a geisha in 2013 which mimicked Japanese culture.

Issues regarding this were recognised by University Students in Ohio who also paid this issue a significant amount of attention and started a campaign called ‘We’re a Culture, Not a Costume’ in 2011. This focused on preventing cultures being turned into stereotypical costumes.

One woman’s temporary costume may be an integral facet and identification of another’s cultures and treasured traditions so it is important to be mindful and sensitive to those around us when selecting our Halloween costumes.

Photo Credit: Kylie Jenner @ Instagram

Film

18

Review

Review

Review

The Party

Loving Vincent Photo: HomeMcr.org

Tobias Soar Film Contributor

Photo: Film Poster

Six years in the making, composed of over 65,000 hand painted frames by over a hundred artists, “Loving Vincent” is a one-of-a-kind, once-in-a-generation spectacle that pushes the boundaries of what we thought was possible in the art of cinema. Backed up by a moving soundtrack and an incredibly talented cast, the story of Van G ogh’s death is brought to light in this work of fiction.

Everyone’s talking about it, and rightly so: this film is jaw-droppingly gorgeous; it feels like you’re watching an infinite stream of Van G ogh’s paintings being brought to life because you quite literally are doing just that. When this film eventually releases on Blu-Ray, I’m going to stick it on a loop on my desktop PC; the visuals alone are worthy of belonging in a museum. Believe me when I say that at various moments during the film I wanted to step out of my seat at Cinema 5 of HOME Cinema to touch the screen and feel the brushstrokes under my fingertips in front of the full showing.

Technically speaking, the process behind making this film is a refinement of an age-old technique known as rotoscoping. The all-star cast composed of Saoirse Ronan, Jerome Flynn and Chris O’Dowd, to name a few, was filmed using a standard cinema-grade camera. Then the footage was used as reference and was painted over, by hand, by over a hundred artists, frame by frame, in Van

G ogh’s style, to achieve the desired effect presented in a 4 :3 aspect ratio, exactly like a landscape oriented painting.

The attention to detail achieved by these artists is simply mind-blowing. Light sources such as stars and candles f licker in the background while their ref lections on wine and beer glasses shimmer in a dream-like manner. A couple of scuff les occur in the story and their animation is just sublime, smooth and a pleasure to watch. The dreaminess of the film is enhanced by the clever “camerawork” – if you can even call a non-existent camera in an animation by that term – that isn’t constrained to the physical limitations of the real world, adapting to its environment and achieving angles that may be possible in our reality if we ever break through to using the fourth dimension as a cinematographic tool. To top it off, the transitions between scenes are ingenious, presenting the viewer with a melting, f lowing blend of colours and shapes, just as Van G ogh painted, in the place of traditional jump-cuts.

Van G ogh’s last days are a mystery, to say the least, however directors and writers Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman gathered as much real evidence as they could from multiple books and the artist’s letters to his brother Theo, to tell the story. If Agatha Christie were to write a story about Vincent’s death, this would be it. Eyewitness

Review

accounts of his last days are unreliable and incoherent with one another, adding to a great sense of mystery that shrouds the film. The plot isn’t anything we haven’t seen before but it’s presented so beautifully that it’s totally permissible. It’s pacing is laid back, I wouldn’t call it slow but it isn’t racing forward at a breakneck speed, either.

Although the voice acting is top notch, the fact that many characters are extremely British, despite having a plot that takes place in France, caught me off guard initially but then made sense as the performance continued.

Using faux French accents would be distasteful and even more unsettling than regional accents from Great Britain, therefore the decision is a wise one, in my eyes, at least.

Lovers of drama, murder-mysteries, art, Van G ogh or visual spectacles, I urge you to go and watch this film.

It’s, hands down, the most beautiful film I have ever laid my eyes upon. It’s hypnotising and will suck you into its dreamy canvas, despite having a good yet slightly cliché plot. G oing to watch this gorgeous, groundbreaking work of art is essential to anyone who likes to brag about “having been there” when this film was in cinemas. But, most of all, please remain in your seat, I doubt your fellow cinema-goers will appreciate your loving caresses of the silver screen.

4 /5

Review

The Snowman

Cotton Wool

Michael Fassbender stars in the big screen adaptation of Jo Nesbø’s bestseller

Nicholas Connor’s latest short film is his most evocative yet

Photo: HomeMcr.org

Esmee Samsworth Film Critic

Photo: Nick Connor

James Gill Film Critic self admitted that filming did not go entirely to plan, stating that when they reached the editing stages he “discovered that a lot was missing… like when you’re making a big jigsaw puzzle and a few pieces are missing so you don’t see the whole picture.”

It’s a shame, but not one that ultimately ruins the film. The Snowman is entertaining and visually spectacular. The filming took place principally in Oslo and Bergen, offering Alfredson and the Director of Photography Dion Beebe the chance to highlight the differences in Norway’s geography. Urban metropolises are starkly contrasted against icy countryside.

Michael Fassbender adds some weight and subtlety to Harry (if that’s possible given that there are a fair few shots of him yelling into nothingness, with only the mountains to hear him). Though Harry’s backstory is perhaps clichéd, Fassbender is nuanced in his approach to the character, making him likeable or at least understandable, whilst still playing a recognisably noir detective. Along with Fassbender, Rebecca Ferguson — who plays newbie police officer Katrine, stands out. Chloë Sevigny and Anne Reid both have small cameos and give very strong performances.

In fact, the acting by nearly all the cast leave little to be desired, the only exceptions being Val Kilmer and Toby Jones who give quite frankly bizarre performances as two hardnosed police officers in a flashback segment that is jarringly out of place with the rest of film. You get the impression that this is what Alfredson meant when he said that filming in Norway was rushed and incomplete.

2.5/5

The Meyerowitz Stories

A star studded cast whine and dine in a smouldering soirée hosted by Kristin Scott Thomas and Timothy Spall

A most beautiful tragedy is brought to life in the world’s first hand-painted feature-length film

It’s true that the world is becoming increasingly enamoured with Scandinavian style (the clean lines, effortless minimalism and gorgeous fusion of style and function are hard to resist, let’s be honest) but this is perhaps unsurprising when you consider the fact that Scandi-noir has long been one of the region’s top cultural exports. Just look at the Swedish-American 2011 film, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, directed by David Fincher, which is based on a novel of the same name by Steig Larsson, or Wallander, the UK TV series adaptation of Swedish writer Henning Mankell’s crime novels.

This genre is crime reinvented for the modern age — in a society that is increasingly appreciative of minimalism, Scandi-noir’s distinctive style and its penchant for cutting right to the heart of the matter ticks all the right boxes. You’d imagine then that The Snowman would be an instant success. The film is based on Jo Nesbø’s 2007 bestseller, directed

by Tomas Alfredson who has garnered praise for both Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011) and Swedish foreign language film Let The Right One In (2008). It stars Michael Fassbender as disillusioned, alcoholic police detective Harry Hole who must put together the links between ages old cold cases before the serial-killer known only as The Snowman strikes again.

It has all the elements of an entertaining, if not slightly predictable crime thriller, but something doesn’t quite hit the mark. The film feels pieced together and rushed, as though screenwriters Peter Straughan and Hossein Amini didn’t have Jo Nesbø’s novel on hand when they were putting the screenplay together. In defence of the film, Alfredson him-

Film 19

ISSUE 6 / 23rd October 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

ISSUE 6 / 23rd October 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Director Nicholas Connor belongs to the Loachian school of filmmaking, which uses the medium as a way to tackle social issues and provoke discussion. For Cotton Wool, that issue is the families of stroke victims, especially young children, who have no choice but to become full-time carers. This desperately needed to be feature length, exceeding the mere 38 minutes it runs for, but it demonstrates that with the right funding, Connor could rise up to take the place of the ageing Ken Loach.

Rachel — played by Leanne Best —, a single mother living in the North of England, works tirelessly to support her two children. There is little time for introductions however and just a few minutes in she suffers a devastating stroke. The only person by her side is son Sam who is far too young to understand the gravity of what he is seeing and thinks his mum is trying to scare him. Best is sublime in this sequence, painting a horrifically realistic portrait of the real-time effects of a stroke.

The road to recovery is very slow and Rachel finds it difficult to cope initially. Wheelchair-bound and forced to use a tablet to communicate, she is relying on Sam to take care of her. Best continues to excel here, the frustration at her own helplessness is painfully clear.

Her daughter Jennifer is resentful in having to take care of her mother, opting to go to a pub with her friends instead.

Sadly the short running time impacts this aspect of the film greatly. Had there been a handful more scenes fuelling the tension between mother and daughter both before and immediately after her stroke, Jennifer’s escape to the pub would have evoked far more emotion. A necessary escape from the stress of being the

Photo: MovieRipe @ Flickr

Jamie McEvoy Deputy Film Editor Renowned for 1992’s Orlando and the more recent Yes (2004), Sally Potter has thus far had an understated yet critically acclaimed career. Her two aforementioned features, as well as her 1997 movie The Tango Lesson, have both won and been nominated for various awards, from BAFTAS to accolades at the Berlin International Film Festival.

Her films have always been experimental and profound. Yes was a cinematic response to the 9/11 attacks, and her 2009 feature Rage, starring Jude Law, Judi Dench and Steve Buscemi, was a visually jarring, stripped down portrayal of the power of performance. Her latest project is surprisingly conformed for the director, yet it is by no means your run-of-the-mill comedy of manners.

The Party has a modest running time of 71 minutes, and its events take place in real time. Kristin Scott Thomas plays Janet — a politician who has recently been appointed the position of Shadow Health Minister for an unnamed party. She lives with her husband — the seemingly docile academic Bill (Timothy Spall) — in an upmarket London house, and the film follows an attempted celebration of her success, with the couple’s friends.

Seeds of the incoming chaos and rancour are planted early on — Janet is seen covertly speaking to an unknown lover on the phone, and Patricia Clarkson’s April incessantly blurts out passive aggressive remarks and insults. Emily Mortimer and Cherry Jones play a gay married couple, the former recently conceived with triplets, to the concern of her wife. Bruno Ganz plays April’s hippy husband, and Cillian Murphy rocks up as a suited and booted banker gone full on Wolf of Wall Street, with cocaine and gun in tow.

As seen in Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight (2015), it is impossible to have so many prestigious acting names in such a confined space without chaos erupting. Before the first splash of prosecco has been poured, Pandora’s box has been well and

truly opened. Both physical and verbal blows are exchanged, relationships are shattered, and dark secrets are unleashed bitterly by the guests.

The concept of The Party sounds very much like it belongs on stage, yet this would be a criminal injustice to the performances of its cast. The film is essentially a showcase for the superb acting abilities of its stars, every character given intimate close-ups as they speak. Yet the narrative and drama is just compelling enough to prevent the film from becoming a mere acting exhibition.

Nevertheless, it is the cast which is doubtlessly the pièce de résistance of the short but sweet film Potter has served up. Ganz, Murphy and Spall are superbly comical, and Scott Thomas is on form as per usual, yet it is Patricia Clarkson who ultimately steals the show. The acid-tongued, Iago-esque April often acts as the devil whispering in Janet’s ear, and the tension between Clarkson’s and Jones’ characters could be cut with a knife.

The film’s climax somewhat fails to match up to the spiralling and boiling tension of its preceding events, but it still draws titters from the audience.

Potter appears to have gone for an After-Eight mint rather than a three tiered, candle-lit birthday cake, to round off her cinematic shindig.

If the film had surpassed the 90 minute mark, certain characters may have outstayed their welcome on screen and the melodrama could potentially have become tedious. However, Potter has succeeded in creating a concise, entertaining dramatic comedy, which despite not quite adhering to her experimental style, is a pleasant amusebouche ahead of the tirade of awards season winter releases.

3/5

Review sudden head of the household rather than the petulance of a selfish young girl.

It is during this time that Rachel has another, smaller, stroke. Thankfully Sam, having been taught by a nurse a few days prior, knew exactly what to do. The awareness of Sam — played by seven-year-old Max Vento — at his young age is astonishing, calmly waiting the five minutes as he was told to before pressing the button for help.

When Jennifer comes home, she discovers that neglecting to care for her mother could have meant losing her entirely. This forces a change in mentality, and she tearfully apologises to her mother. The scenes of Jennifer coming home and of her apologising were fraught with emotion but again suffered in the rush to squeeze an 80-minute story into 40 minutes.

While Best was the standout performance in Cotton Wool, she was not alone in bringing Connor’s thought-provoking vision to life. Having previously worked on his last film Northern Lights, Gemma North and Katie Quinn once more delivered capable performances and Max Vento, at just 6 years old, perfectly encapsulated the innocence of a small child in the face of a traumatising situation.

With his next film, The Wall, already announced, Connor is hardly pausing for air before taking on his next challenge. Following the distinct climb in quality from Northern Lights, it feels only natural that The Wall would see his step up into feature-length filmmaking, a challenge I’m sure he would face with great vigour.

4/5

The Death of Stalin

Eloise Wright Head Film Editor Noah Baumbach’s latest picture, The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected), differentiates itself from most of the past year’s films, in the best way possible.

Each of the Meyerowitz kids are introduced by vignettes, giving us the feeling of an assemblage of short stories that are connected, especially with the bracketed “New and Selected”. It is the story of a dysfunctional Jewish family in New York, portrayed by a refreshingly talented cast including the likes of Dustin Hoffman, Ben Stiller, Emma Thompson and Elizabeth Marvel to name a few.

The script is full of quickfire Jewish New-Yorker wit reminiscent of Woody Allen classics such as Annie Hall or Crimes & Misdemeanours, as are the apartments we see, full of books and art.

The Stories emanate from the “only artist in the family”, Harold Meyerowitz, as he puts it himself. His three children, Danny, Jean and Matt, all have very different relationships with each other and especially their father.

Constantly working on his sculpture and aspiring for appropriate recognition led to the displacement of time and care that should have been spent on his kids. As a result, they all share a bizarre mixture of respect and hatred towards him — but equally have become extremely self-critical of themselves.

Danny — played Adam Sandler in an uncharacteristic role — is the eldest, and it’s by focussing on his sense of failure in the Meyerowitz clan that we begin. We’re introduced to him and his daughter as he tries to find a parking space in the East Village, a notoriously stressful experience. Through a lot of commotion and a song on the radio, the pair radiate a comfortable, sarcastically-fuelled relationship.

Upon arrival, we meet the others and get a taste of what’s to come. It is a relief to discover Dustin Hoffman’s performance is not embarrassing or forgettable like Meet the Fockers (2004).

Something that built Harold’s character in the film was his repeating of the same anecdote to each of his children, each time differently, each time searching for a specific reaction, and each time failing to get the reaction he wanted. He

“35 dollars for a salmon. You get the salmon to blow you for that price?” has expectations of how people should treat him and when those expectations are not met, Hoffman knows how to conjure up just the right amount of self-entitlement and passive-aggressiveness.

One of the best scenes of the movie occurs at the MoMA, where Harold’s friend L.J. has a new art collection on display. Arriving with Danny, apparently the only two in tuxedos, they are declined entry to the private showing as they are “not on the list” – Harold’s embarrassment starts here.

Thankfully L.J. happens to walk by, greats them with a warm embrace and begins introducing him to New York’s social elite. It is clear that Harold can’t help but wonder why his friend and equal has his art exposed in prestigious galleries, but his own art has only gained a small degree of success, most of it still in the garage at home. The night goes on, Harold keeps getting ignored or cut off, and soon he must leave.

The script is fluid in its reflection of authentic human behaviour. An example of this is the day Matt — brilliantly played by Ben Stiller — and his father, go to lunch. The dialogue goes back and forth without stopping for breath which the camera mirrors with a singular tracking shot.

Matt wants to sell his father’s house and art, his life’s work. Both get increasingly flustered and amidst all the distractions never actually order any food.

Elizabeth Marvel as Jean gives one of the most vibrant and unusual performances of the film, playing her awkward, deadpan but sensitive character to perfection. Her talent and role left me wanting a longer segment devoted to her, but the way it is is fitting to her part, as Jean is more of a wallflower, content with being on the sidelines.

The Meyerowitz Stories take you on a drawnout emotional ride that is quite tiring, and it works. Baumbach hits the perfect balance of comedy and tragedy, proving his directorial and screenwriting talents. This is a film about the family you are given and the long-lasting effects of the quality of the relationships one has within that family. It’s about your life’s work, and ultimately how much we let that define our self-worth.

4/5

Photo: HomeMcr.org

Lucas Hill-Paul Film Critic Armando Iannucci has been on top of political satire for years, casting a boisterous, glinting eye at some of the crudest and most ridiculous aspects of modern government. He now turns his offence to the twentieth century, namely Soviet Russia, yet his casting of deliberately accented British and American actors to occupy the lavish and oppressive USSR keeps reminding us – were they really that different?

Set in the final days of Stalin’s reign, and his subsequent passing, The Death of Stalin features a host of marvellous character actors as Stalin’s committee vying, with various success, to inherit the Commander in Chief’s power. Its main players are Steve Buscemi’s Kruschev, the snivelling, advantageous Secretary, and Simon Russel Beale’s Beria, the Chief of the Secret Police who has more in common with London’s most aggressive bouncer than a Russian police chief. Introduced in a secret boy’s club in which Stalin’s committee try their hardest to impress with war anecdotes that play like drunken tales and sexual jokes, this committee is hilariously anachronistic.

Though no direct parallels are drawn with modern politicians – at least not overtly – Iannucci’s intent to explore how the tendency for public

school boys to go mad with power when given an obscene amount of authority and persuasion over the public is superbly done and consistently funny. The guffawing and bumbling of Paul Whitehouse, Michael Palin and Paddy Considine make for quintessentially British humour in a laughably authentic Russian setting. Subtle facial expressions and a naturally conversational back and forth really highlight the comedic strength of the actors cast.

Considine’s role in the film’s cold opening, as Chairman Andreyev overseeing a symphony for which Stalin requires a last minute recording, is particularly dry. It calls to mind the groundwork laid by Monty Python’s Flying Circus, who got away with making fun of Hitler all the way back in 1970. The concept of dragging in the homeless to a rerecording conducted by an old man in a dressing gown and slippers is marvellously Python-esque.

Iannucci is obviously aware of this legacy with the casting of Palin, sweaty and cartoonish as Heimrich Himmler in Python and still endearing here as Vyacheslav Molotov, giving a surprisingly touching, though always witty performance that will make you seriously consider why he hasn’t featured in a good film for years.

What makes The Death of Stalin the year’s most unique comedy is the anachronistic use of its ac-

tors, though an embrace of anachronism rather than a flirtation may have been more in tune with the film’s tone. Intercuts of Soviet cars driving down quite obviously modern motorways are delightfully bizarre but few and far between, and feel disconnected when contrasted with the richly constructed sets that attempt all too earnestly to create the atmosphere of a costume drama.

Perhaps this is why the film’s comedy works so well; everything is competent except its characters. Gorgeous set dressing and vibrant, smoky camerawork occupied by buffoons posing as fascists works as brilliant absurdism for the most part, but had Iannucci been more wilfully ignorant of historical possibilities perhaps some more surreal humour would have poked through when the dialogue begins to fall flat.

Playing with a bigger budget, stripping back Iannucci to his In the Loop days, whose small budget confines US-UK relations during the Iraq war to offices and scruffy boardrooms, may have encouraged some more opportunities to be playful with its setting. Thankfully all the performances are so contemporarily on the mark – standouts included Jason Isaacs as General Zhukov, providing most of the film’s ridiculous violence, and Paul Whitehouse’s Anastas Mikoyan, whose every line, sadly sparse, is ferreted out with all the working-class annoyance of a tired plumber.

It’s difficult to think of a better way to make light of dark subject matter than having sardonic, dry comedians essentially play themselves in traditionally terrifying roles.

On the precipice of being banned in Russia, of course, The Death of Stalin stands triumphant as a testament to the truth that anything can, and should, be satirised. Though its central premise of anachronism doesn’t shake quite enough comedy onto the screen as it perhaps could, its intent is clear and hilarious from the first scene. Captions of each character and their role could be accused of being spoonfeeding for idiots, but, as one of those idiots, I can happily say that only a passing knowledge of Russian history (and British politics) is required to enjoy this film. The Death of Stalin is charming, rough and absurd, and absolutely the most deserving comedy of the year so far.

To hear more of Lucas’s thoughts, tune into Take Three on Fuse FM’s Mixcloud 4/5

Food & Drink

22

ISSUE 6/ 23rd October 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Jerk Ham, Egg, and Chips

Wahaca Manchester: where Mexican street food dreams are made

Contributor: Sam Pigott

Editor: Anokhi Shah

Greeted with a bustling atmosphere on a Saturday evening, we were quickly seated in the courtyard area of the corn exchange. I highly recommend requesting to be seated inside the restaurant which has a more dinner friendly, charming atmosphere. Unfortunately outside had food court-esque vibes, however it was quickly relieved by a cocktail.

I opted for a passion fruit margarita from the range of Mexican concoctions on offer. It was the perfect balance of sweet and sour. If I wasn’t feeling so fragile, a couple more would definitely have been on the cards.

The extensive food menu left me wanting to delve into everything, the selection is a vast range of tacos, quesadillas, tostadas, taqitos and empanadas, all of which sounded like a

Mexican dream. Wahaca suggest two or three street food plates per person. Here is a lowdown on their best street food dishes too avoid getting utterly bewildered by the menu and opting to try everything like we did:

“The sweet potato and feta taqito was a taste sensation..I wanted more”

for just £8!

Additionally, Wahaca have introduced a new student offer.

Students dining at Wahaca Manchester will be presented with a traditional Mexican Pirniola spinning top and invited to ‘spin and win’ to claim a free dish or a drink from tacos to margaritas.

Each side of the Pirinola will feature a different prize including: Wahaca’s signature Pork Pilbil tacos, Legendary Churros y Chocolate or a classic Margarita or ice cold Mexican beer.

I totally suggest taking a trip to Wahaca to embrace some tongue tingling magic, an innovative combination of flavours that should be married and fabulous offers!

Photo: Sam Pigott

1. Buttermilk chicken baja tacos — two soft mini tortillas topped with juicy buttermilk chicken, tangy salsa, a chilli mayo and coriander. This was by far my favourite ‘Mexican tapas’ plate, full of punchy zingy flavours that complimented the chicken beautifully 2. Sweet potato and Feta taquito — roast sweet potato, feta and caramelised onion wrapped in a crisp blue corn tortilla.

My friend said this was a “taste sensation” and she wanted more…

3. Mexican style chorizo and potato quesadillas — two pieces of oozing sumptuous gooey quesadillas. Chorizo, cheese and potato…How can you go wrong?

Wahaca Manchester have just launched a new lunchtime taco menu where you can get two plates of tacos and a side

Illustration: Liddy Leonard

Food & Drink 23

ISSUE 6 / 23rd OCTOBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Ingredients: 500g Smoked gammon 1 handful black peppercorns 1 red onion 2 fresh bay leaves 1 carrot roughly cubed Oven chips 1 or 2 eggs per person For the Jerk Marinade 2 cloves garlic 2 scotch bonnet chillies 1 red onion 1 tbsp honey ½ bunch fresh thyme 2 fresh bay leaves 1 tbsp each of ground allspice, nutmeg, ground cloves ½ tbsp. each of ground cinnamon, ground cumin, oregano and cayenne pepper 100ml spiced rum 50g fresh ginger ½ bunch spring onions Sunflower oil Salt and pepper 1 tin of pineapple rings

Method Place the gammon into a pan of cold water so it is entirely submerged. Add to this the red onion peeled and cut into wedges, the carrot, bay leaves and the peppercorns.

Bring to the boil, reduce to simmer and cook for 20 mins per 450g/½kg(lb) + 20 mins.

Once the gammon is cooked take it out of the pan and leave to cool. Once cooled remove any fat with a sharp knife and then score approximately 1cm into the skin in a diagonal pattern all along the surface.

To make the jerk paste simply add all the ingredients apart from the pineapple and oil into a food processor. Begin to blend and add a little oil until a paste is formed.

Spread this paste all over the gammon and leave for at least 1 hour, but ideally overnight.

Preheat the oven to 180C. Layer the pineapple rings along the bottom of a baking tray and then place the meat on top, with any excess paste scraped from it. Roast for 30 minutes.

Once the meat is cooked remove it from the oven and leave to rest covered in foil for the time it takes to cook the oven chips and fry the eggs and then serve!

Scary snot and sinew soup aka pumpkin soup with melting cheese Contributor: Millie Nettleton Wanting to get in the Halloween spirit? Try this easy recipe for a spooky Pumpkin soup. The non-carnivorous can skip out on the bacon.

Ingredients: A Pumpkin (judge size according to guests) A large onion (two if a big pumpkin) Chicken or vegetable stock Gruyère cheese Bacon lardons/ Pancetta (optional)

Photo: @Pixabay Silviarita

Photo: Anokhi Shah

‘Vivid’ Dreams and Developments Review: The Eagle Inn

Review: Scene Dining

Contributor Joe Taylor

Nestled in a hubbub of new development — the kind that Tim Darcy laments in his ode to the banality of modern day life —, The Eagle Inn feels incongruous with its surroundings. Yet it feels wrong to deem it so, for the Salford institution dates back to 1903, and its beautiful red brick facade, panelled windows, and cosy indoor space are precisely what this northern city is known for.

Inside, the small bar offers a limited selection of traditional, local ales, as well as a comprehensive selection of bar snacks.

The jukebox in the entrance has killer collection of albums, from The Clash to Nick Cave, all lovingly written out by hand.

From open ‘til close, the pub plays BBC Radio 6 Music, paying homage to its esteem as a small venue too — I was lucky to be there for Marc Riley’s show on which The Eagle is frequently mentioned, and by whom The Eagle is often frequented.

To the average student in Manchester, a trip to Salford may seem as daunting as a mounting an expedition to the Moon. But to the curious, to the probing, to the adventurous, a trip to Salford and its Eagle Inn is really just a short journey, with a big reward at the end of it.

Recommended song for the walk: Beautiful Blue Sky - Ought.

Recommended drink: Two Hoots Golden Ale — £3.50 — Brewed in Manchester.

Photo: Adam Bruderer

Scene is not your average Indian. The poppadoms upon arrival are the one and only similarity between your bog standard Indian restaurant. From here on in the focus is very much on sharing food — a sort of Indian tapas if you will. While there is a section of the menu devoted to your more standard curry and rice affair, the recommendations all lie on the previous page, the “sharing and street food” collection.

In a fashion similar to Wagamama, dishes will arrive as and when they’re cooked, and for £5-6 per dish from the street food collection one can try a wide range of dishes for a relatively low price. In order to get a real feel for the average quality of dish on offer from Scene, I decided to order one thing from each of the subsections of the street food menu, that is one from the chicken, lamb, fish, vegetarian, and finally the extras sections.

“The decor is modern and trendy, the prices are good and the location and service is warm and friendly” The ajwani king prawns were well cooked and flavoursome, with the flavour of the charcoal they are grilled over coming through well. The chicken 65, described as a streetfood classic in Chennai, was a touch disappointing, amounting to the equivalent of some overcooked and somewhat bland KFC. The lahsen mushrooms were also a little more bland than one would ideally like but still carried some good flavour. The aloo papri chaat was very good, and something that I have never come across before. The bombay aloo was brilliantly spiced and far from the bland affair that they can so often be.

The standout performer has to be the sultan puri roll, however. Described as a dish fit for sultans, this minced meat kofte served in a wrap alongside salad and a brilliant spicy chutney really was outstanding. The meat was soft and delicately spiced and the chutney went with it perfectly; perfectly being a word that I don’t like to throw around lightly!

I did also choose to get one of the curries from the other sec-

Contributor: Felix Sanders Contributor Sam Pigott

tion of the menu in order to be able to point people in the street food or curry direction.

The Scene handi gosht came highly recommended, but I am afraid that recommendation comes from Scene themselves, and won’t be echoed by myself. It isn’t that it was unpleasant, the sauce was rich and thick and the lamb clearly slow cooked and falling off the bone. If this had been any other normal indian restaurant this curry would come with my seal of approval, the issue is that following on from the fantastic streetfood, the curry didn’t quite live up to the same standards.

Overall, Scene scores highly in the list of Indian restaurants I have tried in Manchester, although the scoring system here is slightly different. The decor is modern and trendy, with a shisha bar taking up the first third of the restaurant. The prices are good for the location and the service was warm and friendly. If you are someone who doesn’t like sharing a curry, and prefer to order your bog standard bhuna and get on with things then this might not be the place for you, but if you enjoy a more convivial dining experience then Scene comes highly recommended.

Photo: Sam Pigott

Let’s talk about development. Developments in the food critic world, developments in the student union, and developments in east Manchester.

Marina O’Loughlin has stepped into the shoes of the late, great, AA Gill. Perhaps the most accomplished voice in food writing, AA Gill has left some sizeably large shoes to fill, but if there was ever anyone for the job it is O’Loughlin. The Guardian’s loss is The Sunday Time’s gargantuan gain.

Her first review for the Sunday Times came out on the 15th and was accompanied by a small list that contained five of her favourite restaurants, one of which was Manchester’s own Siam Smiles. The northern Thai restaurant and supermarket is indeed one of Manchester’s finest, and Thai food is what was on offer at Vivid Lounge, the subject of this week’s review, but more on that later.

So, the ground floor of the Student’s Union. Isn’t it great when a large amount of money is spent on making something distinctly worse? A source that wishes to remain anonymous has told The Mancunion that foot-traffic is down 50 per cent since the development took place.

This should come as no surprise as what was a perfectly fine cafe and an adjacent shop is now a vacuous hole of confusion and slowly served coffee. I mean, who the hell masterminded this operation? This indoor land of garden sheds pleases no one, student cafe satisfaction is at an all-time low, and the coffee drinkers of the world are on strike.

Anyway, moving on, next to Ancoats in east Manchester is a part of town called New Islington, but might also be called Ardwick, depending on when you moved there. I’d never heard of New Islington until I moved there, but it comes across as an example of a development gone right.

New Islington is one of the seven Millennium Communities Programme areas. Funding for the area was secured in 2002 and property developers Urban Splash have been at the forefront of developments. Some of the blocks of flats are nicer than others, but the renovated mills outlined by the canals are beautiful.

Sadly it doesn’t have the retail units of Ancoats. There’s a Costa and a Dominoes, but the one thing it does have is Vivid Lounge. Sounds like a shit club, but is actually cafe/restaurant bar amalgamation that serves it’s community wonderfully.

Mr Damp Sock himself joined me to try it out, sadly we went during a menu change period, thus a few items weren’t available. Damp Sock and I are trying to get our food podcast off the ground so we came back after eating and recorded ourselves talking about Vivid Lounge, here is part of that conversation transcribed: Felix: I think the first thing is, when you look at the menu, you expect Thai food, and you realise they do breakfast.

Damp Sock (aka Joe): Yeah I know, and not Thai breakfast either.

F: Do you know what Thai breakfast is?

J: Ummm...

F: Because you’ve been to that part of the world haven’t you?

J: I have been to that part of the world, but I just ate noodles for breakfast. I don’t know that if that’s just because I was trying to get into the culture, or maybe it was just... it was just me. I feel like they have a kind of continental breakfast, where the bread’s kind of a little bit sweet.

F: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

J: And they have like… not cheese, but… lots of fruit actually.

F: Hmmm.

J: ...and sweet bread.

F: Mmm hmm.

J: ...and strange butter.

F: Is that for westerners or is it something they eat?

J: Erm... I would say, no, I would say a lot of people eat like fruit.

F: Either way, Vivid is trying to do a very Anglican breakfast.

They have a big breakfast menu. Maybe it’s a financial thing.

They don’t get much lunch trade. Dinner is popular. It’s a bar.

But they need to do the breakfast thing.

J: The breakfast thing — it looked good. It’s strange having the breakfast menu next to a bunch of curries and Thai dishes.

F: It was a good menu.

RIP AA Gill.

RIP the Old Student’s Union.

149A Great Ancoats St, Manchester M4 6DH

Illustration: Bibim Bap

Method: 1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees celsius.

2. Slice your pumpkin into wedges and remove seeds, painting each side of the flesh with a bit of oil (tip: try sesame or nut oil for an added smokiness).

Cook in oven for 30-40 minutes or until the flesh is soft.

3. In the mean time : Fry onions in a frying pan with a little oil or butter till soft, keeping the heat relatively low so they dont brown.

4. Fry up your bacon lardons, feel free to preserve a bit of the oil to add to the soup later for extra flavour.

5. Dice up your gruyère, about 1cm cubed 6. When your pumpkin has roasted, scoop the flesh into a pan with your stock and onions, cover and leave on the hob for 20 minutes. The flesh should decompose somewhat; check occasionally to avoid sticking.

7. Blend the pumpkin mixture or push through a sieve into a bowl if you have the energy, then return to the pan to reheat. Add your bacon “sinew” and it’s juices if desired.

8. Serve the soup into bowls, before scattering the gruyère “snot blobs”, which with the heat of the soup should go stringy round the edges. Season with pepper and serve with some crusty bread.

Extra serving options: add a swirl of double or sour cream, or some nutmeg if you fancy getting a little festive. If you have some soup left over, let it cool before freezing.

Bone-appétit!

Thaikun, Spinningfields Contributor: Sam Pigott I never had a gap year, nor have I been to Thailand to find myself. I can still confidently say, however, that if you want to find great Thai food, Thaikun may not be the place for you. Located in the heart of Spinningfields, it has to be said that the décor does its best to transport you to Thailand.

You’ll find yourself sitting amongst tuk-tuks and mandalas, and much of the food comes in very authentic serving dishes. There are, however, many gimmicky touches that will not please those looking for a genuinely authentic experience. Some of the cocktails, for example, are served in the fishbowls one may expect to find on a beach in Koh Phangan.

The starters, it has to be said, were very good. The chicken satay was rich and had a much more fragrant flavour than many satay sauces. The tempura prawns were perfectly cooked, with a light and yet crispy batter. The prawn crackers were still warm and came with a delightfully tangy sweet chilli, and the spring rolls had a fantastic filling.

Unfortunately, this is where most of the compliments begin to run out.

“The prawn crackers were still warm.. Unfortunately this is where the compliments run out” The mains — in this case, a pork belly red curry and sukiyaki chicken — left an awful lot to be desired. I also feel it worth mentioning that it was not possible to order beer on draught, or to order an authentic Thai beer; perhaps not the end of the world but disappointing nonetheless.

The pork belly in the red curry was somehow dry and yet still very fatty, while the curry itself was bland at best. Completely lacking in the beautiful flavours that one would expect from a Thai red curry, it was weak and watery.

Gone were the fantastic flavours of ginger, garlic, chilli, and kaffir lime leaves, the richness of coconut milk and the beautiful soft meat that pork belly ought to be. The sukiyaki chicken was somewhat better, but one would still only go as far as to describe it as fine.

Overall, although the starters were very good, and the experience of dining in a busy city-centre restaurant was enjoyable, Thaikun is not the place for anyone looking for fantastic, or authentic Thai food.

Arts

24

Feature

Black History Month: Cultural Commemoration Florrie Badley reflects on the role and responsibility of artists, archives and curators

Looking beyond the façade: ‘Verso’

The Whitworth welcomes back Cornelia Parker, in an installation which looks behind the boundaries of artistic discourse

Bella Jewell Reviewer Renowned for exploding garden sheds, Earlier this month, Professor Alan Rice delivered if he were to curate it again. He did this to remind dissecting Turner paintings, and steamrolling a lecture in an intimate back-room of the Portico us the view created within an exhibition is never candlesticks: Cornelia Parker returns to the Library, entitled Exhibiting Slavery in a Post-Impecomplete. We should never accept its story as the Whitworth Art Gallery, challenging perceptions rial Context: Reflections on 2007 and Manchester’s definitive narrative. through the medium of the mundane.

Contributions. The 2007 context that Rice refers to One of the greatest issues that historians of black In her 2016 installation, Verso, which runs in his title, is the outburst of bicentennial commemAtlantic history face, is the lack of archival inforuntil the 5th of November 2017, Parker explores orations which acknowledged 200 years since the mation available. En-slavers did not photograph or the backs of hand sewn button cards, which abolition slavery in Britain. His talk was one in a document slavery — which was Rice’s secondary make up part of the Manchester Museum’s series of lectures built around the Portico’s exhibireason for placing a post-slavery photograph behind extensive collection. As an honorary Professor tion Bittersweet: Legacies of Slavery and Abolition in the Turner paintings. at the University of Manchester, Parker has Manchester.

Rice rung other alarm bells, such as the tendency utilised this role to gain access to objects which, You may not have seen Bittersweet. It was an to focus on the white parliamentary role when otherwise, would lie behind glass screens, elegant and sensitive exhibition which stitched commemorating abolition (for a lack of any other remaining static in their existence. artefacts, contemporary artworks and historic information) as opposed to the contribution of black In 2015, Cornelia Parker opened the Whitworth printed texts together, to tell a fragmentary story of Atlantic, black British or black African agencies. He Art Gallery with a major solo exhibition, Manchester’s black Atlantic history. But it was also warned also of a tendency to unify these voices containing both old work, such as the famous a noticeably small exhibition — and it was only on within themselves – there is not just one black Cold Dark Matter: An Exploded View (1991), display for a month.

Britain. and newly commissioned installations, such This was something that Rice drew attention We often rely on tropes when telling a historical as ‘War Room’; a powerful display made up of to in his lecture: in comparison to the exhibitions story, returning to the same tired or ‘acceptable’ Remembrance Day poppy cut outs. which had dominated galleries ten years previouscharacters. Rice highlighted Olaudah Equiano as one It was her opening firework show, however, ly, Bittersweet was a marginal contribution to the of these gentrified ‘familiar faces.’ This is particularly a ‘meteor shower’ named ‘Blakean Abstract’, narrative. His concern, that the topic of slavery had illuminating, since Equiano was the figure chosen by that highlighted the stretch of her influence been a fleeting art world trend which has since been Google to occupy the logo of its home-page just last into the archives of Manchester. Collaborating re-shelved to gather dust, was evident. week. with University of Manchester scientist and Manchester isn’t often a city associated directly Rice ensured us that that there are so many other Nobel Prize Winner Kostya Novoselov — whose with slavery, like the port cities such as Bristol or Livexciting and radial figures which we know nothing work on graphene with Andre Geim gained erpool. However, the pro and anti-abolition debates about, because they do not conform to the pre-orwere just as active, since its industry relied heavily dained story of slavery which has been written on the import and manufacture of cotton. for us. Robert Wedderburn, who wrote Rice, himself, had been a contributor to The Horrors of Slavery was one of the 2007 commemorations. He co-curathis examples. He said that he has ed the Whitworth’s own exhibit Trade forwarded this book to all of the and Empire: Remembering Slavery foremost critics of 18th and with Su Andi, Kevin Dalton-Johnson 19th Century literature that he and Dr Emma Poulter — his 2017 leccould contact — to no palpable ture reflected mainly on this event. response.

Not many of us will have seen Rice emphasised the importhis exhibition either, but its merits tance of creating new responses sound convincing, highlighting and narratives, and artists have Althea McNish hypocrisy and generating juxtaposibegun to do this exceptionally, inPhoto: the Whitworth tions. On one wall, two Turner paintings terpreting black and other histories were put on display. But they were hung on through their imaginations. Mary Evans top of an enlarged post-slavery photograph, of and Keith Piper (exhibited in Bittersweet), some ‘free’ African cotton-pickers, working under Althea McNish and Lubaina Himid are just a few Jim Crow laws. The label next to the paintings, then, examples of artists who have achieved this, whilst would make the reader aware that the Turners had overcoming the sometimes reductive or despairing been purchased by abolitionists, who had neverthenature of our collective imperial history. They have less made their riches in cotton. shown us how to remind without undermining, One difficulty Rice alluded to, in regards to such conveying messages of hope and progress without cultural commemorations, is the danger that hisstifling the suffering that underlays it.

Cornelia Parker, Verso, 2016. Copyright the artist toricising an atrocity suggests that it is overcome, or McNish’s ‘Golden Harvest’ from 1959 for instance is global recognition — Parker coordinated the consigned to history. It was crucial that curators kept evidently saturated with Caribbean influences, but abstraction of graphite from a piece held in this in mind: abolition did not mean total freedom, its vibrancy was initially inspired by a field that the the Whitworth collection by William Blake, to because did not deliver anybody from discriminaartist saw in Essex. It was then manufactured as a launch a meteor display of huge proportions, tion. Commemoration should not, and does not, Liberty Print. Whilst Lubaina Himid is Rice’s co-direc- channelling the omnipotence of Blake’s ‘The wipe the slate clean. tor at the Black Atlantic Research Institute in Preston. Ancient of Days’.

Around the time of the bicentennial there was a She is one of the four nominees to be selected for this Once again, Parker’s access to the Manchester surge in the visibility of organisations such as Fairyear’s Turner Prize.

Museum archives provides her with the subject trade, who aimed to raise awareness of what they Sometimes it is the gaps in our archives which say of her photographs, which form ‘Verso’. Lined called ‘modern-day slavery.’ The photograph behind significantly more than the things which are there. up with meticulous precision, one notes an the Turner paintings, were intended to amplify how Large or small, a single narrative can only leave intriguing juxtaposition between the loose slavery is often so easily masked. a chip in the surface of a much larger reality. To trajectory of thread, and the militaristic order of Interestingly, Rice spent the most-part of his lecture overcome the silences we have been left with, Rice the framing of the exhibit. discussing artefacts and artworks that he had left out encouraged his audience to keep searching. of the exhibition, or items that he would re-introduce Florrie Badley Reviewer

It is this insightful composition which adds to the power of Parker’s message. Beyond the outward facing and identical artifice of an object — in this case, mass produced buttons — is where one finds the honest disorganisation of creation, which Parker calls ‘found drawings’. Parker claims to be fascinated with the “logic, unconscious” process of their production, which represents “an imprint… something unique to the person” who created it. Indeed, when looking closely at the individual photographs, one may find images reflective of human faces, or familiar shapes.

Parker’s fascination with the backs of objects originates in her 1998 show, where Parker displayed the backs of Turner Canvases which, she noted, “looked like Rothko paintings”. The exploration of an object’s behind continued in 2016, when she exhibited her expansive handstitched ‘Magna Carta (An Embroidery)’ at the Whitworth Art Gallery. She displayed the piece, which had been hand crafted by 200 participants ranging from Prisoners to Baronesses, above a mirror, so to reveal the underbelly of this seemingly polished celebration of the Magna Carta’s 800th Anniversary. “Given that we spend a third of our life asleep,” Parker claims “it is fascinating to explore this unconscious” which makes up a significant aspect of the human experience.

However, this form of art is often the subject of vibrant debate, posing the question as to whether reclaiming found objects can truly represent art. Surely Parker’s thoughtful recomposition of these objects does lend them new, symbolic significance, which wasn’t immediately associated with the piece before her consideration and adaptation?

With the chance to speak to Parker herself, she commented that, despite the abstract appearance of the photographs, they are rather “an accurate representation of something that’s there,” that should be viewed “in the same way that one listens to a piece of music.” Her art is a route to “extending [one’s] visual vocabulary.”

According to the interim Director of the Whitworth, Dr Nick Merriman, the gallery “is again showing that it has the ambition to work with internationally regarded contemporary artists” by entering this debate through exhibiting Parker’s works.

While often criticised, some of the most renowned and respected artists utilised the everyday, found object to create their work.

Picasso, often considered the most significant artist of the 20th Century, made use of found objects such as newspapers and matchboxes, incorporating them into his revolutionary cubist collages. In this way, Cornelia Parker’s exhibition, ‘Verso’, continues a deeply entrenched artistic tradition, used by the greats of both the past and the present.

Cornelia Parker’s ‘Verso’ is on from 16 June 5 November 2017

Remembering Partition with New North South

The distinctively detailed work of Waqas Kahn is the next artist to appear in our ten-week feature on the New North South programme.

As each piece demands your attention in the quietest way possible, the work is at once understated yet commanding — ensuring you experience the trance-like state of Kahn’s work, rather than merely view it.

To read what we thought about of Manchester Art Gallery’s latest contribution of South Asian art to the North of England, visit our website: http://mancunion.com/arts-and-culture/

Photo: courtesy the artist and Manchester Art Gallery.

Photographer: Michael Pollard

Photo: Cicely Ryder-Belson

Photo: courtesy the artist and Manchester Art Gallery.

Photographer: Michael Pollard

Theatre 25

ISSUE 6 / 23rd OCTOBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

ISSUE 6 / 23rd OCTOBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Interview

Interview: Ian Hislop & Nick Newman Theatre Editor Sophie Graci talks to Ian Hislop and Nick Newman ahead of the opening of their play The Wipers Times at The Opera House.

Sophie Graci Theatre Editor Sophie Graci (SG): First of all, how’s it going? How was the West End run [of The Wipers Times]?

Nick Newman (NN): It exceeded our expectations. You know, you put this stuff out there and hope that people share your view that this is an interesting story. This time last year we were in a tiny little theatre outside Newbury called The Watermill, and it sold out there. You think ‘oh wow, two hundred people coming to it, that’s amazing’ and then a year later we’ve just done a week in Richmond which had eight hundred seats and that was sold out. So it’s really delighted us.

Ian Hislop (IH): It just keeps going. We thought ‘we’ve done the West End’ and the producer said ‘No, no, we’re going back out on tour, we’re going to do the big theatres.’

So we’ve been down to Cardiff and there’s Manchester and Newcastle and then Glasgow later on, so it’s quite ambitious, but it’s been fantastic so far.

SG: Why did you decide to adapt The Wipers Times for the stage? Has it brought something to it that it didn’t have on film?

NN: We’d actually started writing it as a play before we did it as a film. We had spent so long trying to convince TV companies that this was a story worth telling and getting nowhere, so we thought ‘let’s try it as a play!’ It’s quite a theatrical story: a lot of their jokes are about music hall and characters in music halls. We were about a third of the way through [writing it as a play] when out of the blue we got a call from BBC 2 saying ‘we’re interested in this.’ So we wrote a film, but we always felt it was unfinished business.

IH: Film is very cool essentially; you don’t get a lot back from it. With theatre it changes every night, it changes from town to town.

It’s the pleasure of seeing it live, you can go and sit in the back and watch the effect of what you’ve written, and then the effect of something you’ve changed, or you’ve seen it on another night and thought ‘that doesn’t work’ and put something better in.

SG: Or an actor tries something out.

IH: Absolutely, and it works, and you think ‘great!’

SG: How did you come across the story?

NN: Ian came across it. He was working on a documentary about something incredibly boring…

IH: Thank you, Nick!

NN: He came back and said ‘have you ever heard of this?’ He showed me a copy and neither of us had heard of it at all. If

you find something nobody’s heard of or forgotten you feel a bit excited that you’re onto something.

IH: It’s such a brilliant story I couldn’t believe no one else knew it. It’s so unlikely: they go into the ruins looking for salvage, there’s a fully working printer. The sergeant in their troop used to work on Fleet Street.

They were both engineers - they weren’t journalists, they hadn’t written before - and they thought, ‘oh we’ll set up a satirical trench paper.’ It’s quite a strange thing to decide to do, and they were brilliant at it.

We didn’t think ‘oh this is quite quaint’ or ‘this is amusing old-fashioned humour.’

This is rude, modern - I feel, in tone - and funny. I mean really funny, not pretend.

SG: Why do you think satire in particular appeals to people in politically trying times?

IH: I think firstly it’s a release mechanism.

It is a sort of great British tradition in that we do tend to say ‘well, one way of fighting this is to laugh at it’ and it has traditionally been for our democracy a very effective way of keeping people honest, by fear of ridicule.

NN: Last year we did a Private Eye cover before the election saying ‘Vote Trump’ and we had this great picture of Trump just pointing at his head looking completely bonkers and saying ‘it’s a no-brainer.’ Trump saw that and re-tweeted it and sa[id] ‘British media get behind me.’ It was so pleasing

that he just didn’t get the joke.

SG: You guys have known each other for a very long time, how do you keep a working relationship fresh and keep things bouncing off each other?

NN: I buy Ian flowers and chocolates… show him how much I love him.

IH: That really is fake news! (laughs) NN: The writing projects where we’ve got three months to write a script don’t happen very often, so when it does happen we’re very pleased to do it. We’ve got a film that we’ve got to write coming up and I think we’re both really looking forward to it because we know now where it’s going to go and we’re very behind it.

On a weekly basis, we have, say, three writing sessions together a fortnight for Private Eye. That’s always good fun, ‘cause they’re not very intense. We spend a few hours churning out ideas. One of the great things about having known each other for so long [is] there’s no embarrassment or awkwardness if one or the other doesn’t think the idea’s working. You just say ‘I don’t think that works’ and we move on to the next one.

IH: Writing with someone is great in terms of not only sort of bouncing stuff off [each other] but also being able to edit very quickly by saying ‘That’s not very funny Nick.’

NN: We’re sort of editing each other all the time. I think makes it a slightly quicker

process.

You sortPhoto: Virginia Saul o f feel if both of us like it now we think it’s probably ok and then if somebody else doesn’t like it they’re idiots obviously. (laughs) SG: Do you have any advice for student writers, cartoonists, and satirists?

NN: Do it, really! That’s the only thing you can do is do something and send it off and get rejected. Don’t be hurt by the rejection because the best cartoonists in the world probably get a one in ten hit rate.

IH: On the journalistic front, I would really recommend the postgrad courses. They are fantastic for making contacts, and they’re very good on placements. Apart from that, just send stuff in. All editors pretend they’re not desperate, but they are!

NN: There’s a very classic Private Eye cartoon, which was attributed to Peter Cook, which is of somebody saying ‘I’m writing a book’ and the other person saying ‘Neither am I’ and that is the truth about most people who say they’re writers.

IH: If you actually do it, there’s no substitute!

This is an abridged version of a longer interview which can be read at mancunion. com/theatre.

The Wipers Times plays at The Opera House from October 31st-November 4th.

Tickets can be purchased from atgtickets. com.

Review

Review: How To Win Against History Izzy Lewis Reviewer The E dinburgh Fe st iva l F ringe is… a n ex p erience. Wit h t hous a nds of shows to cho os e f rom a nd t he top rated plays s elling out , it ’s ea sy to come away hav ing s een a lot , but ult im ately m iss ing out on t he b e st t heat re. That ’s where HOME ’s O rbit Fe st iva l come s in — a cha nce to s ee t he very b e st of t he fe st in Ma nche ster. £ 5 st udent t icket s, a nyone?

S eiriol Dav ie s’ How to Win Against History ha s b een t he crit ics’ top pick of t he F ringe for t he p a st two yea rs : a t hree-m a n mus ica l ext ravaga nza , t he s how follows Henry Cy ril Paget , a rea l-life 19t h cent ury a risto crat who put his fa m ily to sha me, cros s-dre ss ing a nd blow ing his s izea ble inherit a nce t urning his fa m ily chap el into a t heat re a nd, in t he cha racter’s ow n words, “put t ing on plays w it h me in t hem ! ” The s how’s t it le illust rate s t he Paget

family’s attempts to eras e all records of Henr y’s life following his death aged 2 9, this lack of infor mation causing the plot of How to Win Against Histor y to be heavily fabr icated, as the cast readily admits.

L acking a clear, cohe sive stor y line, the show is more a cabaret showing snippets of the life of the 5th Marquis of Angle s ey than a full- blown biographical musical.

Nonethele ss, the sung- through dialogue and catchy numbers are exceptionally funny, with lyr ics about pr ivileged childhood such as ‘Eton, Eton / P ull up a peasant to put your feet on’ sticking in my head long after leaving the theatre.

T he three pers on cast s ee s Davie s playing the main character, Dylan Townley on piano and Matthew Blake multi- rolling and whilst all three are extremely talented, Blake’s comic timing, impre ssions and har monie s steal the show.

His por trayal of L ord B er ners had me rolling in my s eat laughing and his us e of

audience interaction s omehow had the their neutral position on this, assur ing initially reluctant crowd singing along in the audience in the opening number, both G er man and Welsh!

‘Mainstream E nter tainment’, that ’this Given the content matter of the show and won’t be a difficult show / [we] don’t intend the incredible, high camp s et covered to challenge you in any way’. in s equins, fair y lights, and Perhaps this in its elf is a radical beaded cur tains I was greeted act. Cross- dre ssing is just one by when walking into the par t of Henr y’s eccentr icity theatre, I think I s omehow and is there fore not s et apar t anticipated How to Win as s omething shocking, Against Histor y to focus on wor r ying or wrong. the cross- dre ssing aspect With clever wordplay, of the Marquis’ character one- liners and puns, it is in a more political way the s cr ipt of How to Win than it actually did.

Against Histor y which Davie s’ Henr y wears his ultimately s ets it apar t as Photo: Rah Petherbridge f loor length glitter y gown a br illiant per for mance. As Photography throughout, even when playing the young Henr y is reminded, him in childhood. As a re sult we “ histor y is wr itten by the winners” , never s ee Henr y’s transfor mation or but in telling the stor ie s of the forgotten get a glimps e into understanding why he people punished for de fying the nor ms, chos e to dre ss this way. ever yone leave s the theatre a champion.

T hen again, the cast are ver y aware of

26

Lifestyle

ISSUE 6 / 23rd OCTOBER 2017 WWW.MANCESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Budgeting basics Photo: Advice Service

Student advisor, Vicki Greenwood, lets us in on the easiest ways to keep hold of your money Vicki Greenwood Student Advisor Creating a budget plan and sticking to it can be harder than it sounds, however learning to manage your finances is a useful life skill to acquire.

At the Advice Service, we recognise that financial difficulties are becoming increasingly common. With the rise in living and accommodation costs, plus cuts to financial support for students, ensuring you manage your finances and create a budget plan is more important now than ever.

Here we have pulled together our top budgeting basics to help you manage your money on a budget: Boosting your income It is really important to understand exactly how much money you will have coming in, and when. This will enable you to build a picture of what your income is going to look like across the year, helping you to create a budget plan.

Funding Make sure you have explored all the funding options available to you. If you are unsure as to what your student finance entitlement is then please get in touch with the

Advice Service who can advise you on this.

There may also be other options you haven’t yet explored such as applying to charities or trusts for extra funding.

Socialising Part-time work Lots of students find that they need to work part-time in order to pay for their living expenses. However, please try and keep in mind how important it is to create a work/ life balance that is manageable.

The University of Manchester Careers Service has links and tips for finding a part-time job: http://www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/ findjobs/workwhilestudy/parttime/ Sell your clutter Most of us have items that we no longer use any more. Why not have a clear out and sell these on as a means to try and give your finances a quick boost? There is a marketplace on the University website which allows students to sell and buy items: http:// themarketplace.staffnet.manchester.ac.uk/ Managing your expenditure Make a list of all your essential out-goings e.g. rent, bills, and food per term/month.

Once you have done this take that number from your termly/monthly incomings to figure out how much you have left to spend on

How to become a minimalist Millions now consider themselves to be minimalists.

James Johnson talks through how it can help you to live a more deliberate life James Johnson Lifestyle Editor Picture this: less laundry, less cleaning, and a more meaningful life. Why not live a life as a minimalist, uncluttered by the thousand of material belongings we all hoard around from home to home, with little thought that they may carry no personal value?

Minimalism? You’re probably picturing the worlds most perfectly designed Scandinavian home, there might be a single chair in an empty room, the walls are likely white and there isn’t a pile of laundry in sight.

So what is minimalism? The truth is that each

the non-essentials. If it is looking like a tight squeeze then you may need to consider limiting your non-essential expenses.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

person may encounter and implement minimalism in a plethora of different ways. It will likely shape each of our experiences of life a little differently.

Born from the erupting popularity of Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, otherwise known as The Minimalists, we might consider minimalism as ‘a life lived simply’. Picture less a single chair in the corner of an empty room but more a life filled with people, experiences and things that add real value to your everyday.

If you’re a documentary aficionado, you’re likely to have stumbled across, if not have been entirely engrossed by Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things, a film about paring back our lives and living without the unnecessary material things we’re prescribed every time dare consider how the newest device or clothes might revolutionise our lives.

What might once have been a modest collection of essays by the pair has grown into some-

Your largest non-essential expenditure is going to be socialising — whether it’s a night out, cinema, or going for a meal or out to lunch. Going out and socialising with friends is a large part of university life.

To put it into perspective if you buy lunch 3x a week at a fiver a go, then in one academic year that will cost you around £600. It may be worthwhile making extra when you cook so that you can take it to university with you.

The Students’ Union have microwaves available for students to heat up their lunch on the go!

to get labels at a fraction of the price, plus vintage is a great look!

If you have an NUS extra card you can also get student discounts on loads of items so make sure you shop around to get the best deal.

Staying active Staying active need not cost you a pretty penny. A gym membership can be costly but there are plenty of exercise apps you can use if you want to exercise for free!

There are also lots of sporting facilities available for UoM students to take advantage of. This includes cut-price gym membership and exercise classes for as little as £2 per class!

Take a look at the following links to find out more:

Clothes Clothes are something we all need but it can be so easy to splurge on that extra top or pair of jeans you’ve had your eye on. Try to have staple pieces in your wardrobe that you can dress up or down. If you see something you like then try not to act on impulse, go away from the shop and have a think if you really need it or if you will wear it often.

There are loads of selling sites around and plenty of charity shops so why not look at buying some second-hand items. Some things are good as new and it is a great way

thing anything but minimal. People all over the world have discovered the revolutionary magic of filling your life, not with the useless possessions we’ve accumulated or held onto, but the meaningful, and the worthwhile.

Their intention to live a more curated life has amassed a following of over 20 million people.

Their documentary Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things, their books Everything That Remains: A Memoir by The Minimalists and Minimalism: Live A Meaningful Life as well as their chart-topping podcast The Minimalists Podcast are holy grails of advice and innovation for people purging their lives of unnecessary clutter.

“But most of us aren’t hoarders, right?! We just own a lot of stuff” says Joshua Fields Millburn in their revered TedX speech. Our kitchens, bedrooms and bathroom are chockfull of items for every conceivable ‘what-if’ situation; likely gathering dust and likely irritating to move and clean. So here’s a novel thought, ‘what-if’ we just got rid of it?

We’re often searching for new ways to add value to our lives, but this is all too often in the form of acquiring material possessions. Stripping our lives back to the meaningful things doesn’t mean throwing everything into the trash beside the clothes on your back. It’s not solely confined to things, but habits, relationships and otherwise.

It’s about applying the idea of intended living to more aspects of your life; your technology usage, your personal relations as well as your home décor. It’s more than white walls and no furniture.

Consider minimising your overflowing wardrobe to those items you just can’t be without

http://www.sport.manchester.ac.uk/facilities/ ht t p : //w w w. sp or t . m a nche ste r.ac.u k /f itness/activeman/ Further budgeting advice can also be found by using Blackbullion where you can access a number of budgeting modules online. To take a look at the modules and register just go to: www.blackbullion.com

“Love people, use things. The opposite never works” or consider whether you’ve enjoyed wearing them in the past 90 days. Perhaps consider on your next student loan fuelled shopping spree whether or not you’re adding any real value to your life or whether you’re just adding more junk.

Minimalism is less a prescription than it is a guiding interpretation. Whether you make the effort to spend less time mindlessly scrolling through social media and take a minute to take in your surroundings or whether you take the time to declutter that pile of junk that’s become a staple part of your bedroom, it’s the idea that removing junk makes the paths a little more travel-able.

Our lives are often too saturated with the idea that consumerism equals contentment. We’re driven to work for the promise of more and that ‘more’ often takes the form of a ‘thing’.

What if we were to pare back our lives to include the things worth including? The counter-narrative to consumerism is minimalism and it is here to help you live a little more deliberately.

A pertinent message The Minimalists often leave with their audiences; “Love people, use things. The opposite never works”.

Try: The Short Guide to Getting Rid of Your Crap / The Consumption Continuum, from Essential: Essays by The Minimalists

29

S

P

O

R

T

The Red Devils narrowly win in tough match at Benfica Marcus Rashford Rashford scored the only goal, a free kick from distance, to maintain United’s perfect Champions League start stepped it up, closing down attacks quickly and turning that defence into attack. They are yet to test the young keeper though, with their only on target shots going straight into his gloves.

Photo: In Mou We Trust @flickr

James Gill Sports Reporter Jose Mourinho will be feeling very confident about his side’s chances in Lisbon tonight. Benfica have failed to earn any points in their opening two games and have a miserable goal difference of -6. This is exactly the opposite of United’s start, who have won both their games and have a goal difference of +6.

Nemanja Matic and Victor Lindelof will both be returning to their former clubs, with Mourinho also returning to the team he first became a first-team coach with. Formerly the assistant to Jump Heynckes, he took over in the fourth week of the 2000/2001 season after Heynckes left the club under a mutual agreement.

Several injuries mean that the United line-up is a very predictable one — 4-4-1-1 —, with the only doubt being whether Rashford or Martial starts. De Gea is in-between the sticks with Valencia (c), Lindelof, Smalling, and Blind making the back four. Herrara, Matic, Mata, and Rashford play in the midfield, sitting behind Mkhitaryan and Lukaku.

Benfica get the game kicked off. They were the second club ever to lift this trophy after Real Madrid, and it is they who start the game better, getting the ball into the United box in the hopes that someone can connect to it but to no avail.

A yellow card comes in the fifth minute as Mkhitaryan gets an elbow to the head. The Benfica player had his eyes on Mkhitaryan rather than the ball so he can have no complaints about that.

The game settles down after the first ten minutes and it is

United who are on top and controlling possession as expected.

They are playing to the very limit of the Benfica backline with two of their attacks in quick succession being stopped from offside calls.

A fantastic chance for Benfica as Grimaldo takes on three United players stylishly before crossing it into the box. The resulting shot didn’t have any of that quality though and it goes high and wide.

That chance switches momentum in their favour and United struggle to hold possession, barely stringing two or three passes together before losing it again. The pace in which Benfica break away with is surprising the Red Devils who can’t handle it.

At the 30-minute mark, United finally wake up and turn on the gas with the ball not leaving the Benfica half for the past six minutes. Mata and Matic are looking very bright, the creative sparks in a team which before this really lacked forward thinking. The latter made a driving run through the defence and fired a shot straight at the keeper.

Valencia gets the second yellow card of the game for using his hand to block a player, making contact with his face rather than the body. The free kick is near the corner flag and gives Benfica the chance to get players into the box and test Mourinho’s set pieces training. It barely reaches the first man though, rather pathetically bouncing towards the mass of players.

As the first half comes to an end, neither side look more likely to win in a back and forth game. The main story though is a number of offsides from United attacks at 6, which is just a lack of concentration and needs to be addressed. Mourinho will not be amused, and the side that comes out in 15 minutes will undoubtedly be more focused.

From the whistle blow, it is already obvious that United have

The third yellow of the game came as Rashford breaks on his own and gets wildly dragged down by the Benfica defender in a desperate bid to stop the attack. Fouls aren’t limited to just the one side though as Lukaku does the exact same thing a moment later, not a card though.

This Benfica team is looking worlds apart from the one that lost 5-0 at Basel. That said, it may only take one breakthrough goal for United to cause them to capitulate. I think the substitutes will make the difference, especially the fresh legs of Martial and Lingard, against the tired legs of the defence.

After almost scoring directly from a corner, Rashford scores a free kick from a ridiculous distance, something extraordinary.

It would be a shame if that was the goal to defeat Benfica as their defence has been absolutely phenomenal up until that point, forcing United to settle for long shots.

A sad sight for fans as Rashford goes down and takes off his shin pads, it looks like he isn’t going to make any further contribution. Hopefully, it isn’t anything serious. Anthony Martial comes on in a like-for-like change, the first of the game for United so far.

The tempo is slowing down now as United are currently in the lead, looking content to hold possession and wind down the clock in the last 10 minutes. They have a ridiculous 72 per cent possession so far but that really doesn’t do justice to the great performances by Benfica this game.

Lingard comes on in the 82nd minute for Juan Mata, who played a fair amount longer than his usual stints in games.

Mourinho is opting to not make defensive substitutions showing that he isn’t packing it in just yet.

Benfica pushing hard for a late equaliser but haven’t managed to turn countless corners and final third possession into shots. As the board comes up for four minutes extra time it seems more likely that United get a second on the counter.

The third and final substitution comes as McTominay takes the place of Mkhitaryan. The Armenian has been lacklustre this game, quite uncharacteristic given his performances so far this season.

A red card in the 93rd minute as captain Luisao slides on McTominay to receive a second yellow. This will indeed mean that he misses the return fixture at Old Trafford, a major blow for a team that has won no points in their first three games.

Jesse Lingard gets a yellow card for time-wasting in the final event of the game It wasn’t a pretty performance, more reminiscent of the game against Liverpool than one of the 4-0 wins we’ve become accustomed to. Nevertheless United go top of the group with nine points out of a possible nine, their qualification to the next round all but confirmed.

Manchester University boat club starts the year with gold Photo: Rachel Clarke @flickr

Mia Gair Sports Reporter Saturday 14th October saw the Manchester University Boat Club take to the rocky waters of Salford to battle it out at the Agecroft Head Rowing competition. The competition saw boat clubs and Universities from around the Manchester area come together to battle it out at one of the first races of the season.

With the (kind of) home advantage, the teams started in the middle of Spinningfields and raced the 3.25km race down to the Lowery in Salford.

The first boat of the day was Senior Woman Ruth Haigh who powered through the wind in her single taking fourth place. Followed by Oliver Collinson and Sebastian Baylis in the double who won MUBC’s first gold of the day. The senior men narrowly missed out on the gold in both the coxed four and the quad races. Luckily however, the senior women’s coxed fours had better luck, with Rowena Bailey, Marianne Blight, Alice Peachey, Celine Vine and their cox Thomas O’Hanlon taking home gold. The second women’s coxed four and the senior women’s quad were also purple and proud, both coming a close second place.

Despite the tough conditions all of the boats made

a great start to the Head season and year ahead. Taking home a total of seven medals across the breath of the senior squad sets up MUBC for a successful year.

The club was even joined by one of its Alumni Mr Richardson who represented the alumni club Nemesis Boat Club in the single, showing us that MUBC rows on after graduation!

The club was joined by even more members of the alumni Boat Club on Sunday for the Nemesis training day. Whilst our competitors were resting, both the seniors and novices at MUBC we put through their paces by experienced rowers who all had MUBC in common.

Across two venues over ten crews were sent out in sculling boats, fours and eights to undergo a technical analysis from those who know it best. Novices were given the chance to cox down at our Boathouse in Sale, whilst the seniors enjoyed the sunny weather out on the open waters of Salford Quays.

Overall it was a great weekend that signalled the beginning of a Winter of hard work. Pushing our squads to train harder and smarter, and get the most out of rowing and what MUBC can offer, lets hope we can reap what we sow and add to our Silverware collection.

Sport

30

Sport 31

ISSUE 6 / 23rd OCTOBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

ISSUE 6 / 23rd OCTOBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

FC United crash out of the FA Cup

English sides excelling in Europe

Neither Salford nor FC United have made it to the first round proper

Is the Champions League draught in England finally going to end?

It ain’t half marathon, mum

Photo: Stuart Grout @flickr

Sam Cooper Sports Editor Photo: Matthew Wilkinson @flickr Photo: Ungry Young Man @flickr

James Gill Sports Reporter The 2017/18 Champions League has been incredible for English teams so far. At the halfway stage every team was either top or joint top with all of them looking likely to progress. The last English team to win the competition was Chelsea in 2011/12, but if there are five teams present in the last 16, it wouldn’t be scandalous to picture at least one reaching the final.

On Tuesday evening three English teams were in action, Liverpool, Tottenham, and Manchester City, with great success. Spurs were the only one to not receive all three points, but Pochettino would have bitten your arm to before kick-off to walk away from the Bernabeu with a draw.

In Group H Spurs sit joint top with Madrid on seven points, with the exact same goals scored and conceded. APOEL Nicosia, fresh from their stunning draw at home to Dortmund, and Dortmund share just a single point. At this stage, the Lilywhites are all but guaranteed progression to the knockout stages of the tournament.

Even if they lose all remaining games, Dortmund or APOEL would have to win two and score a boatload of goals, or win two and get points in their final game. It wouldn’t surprise me if they relax this competition to focus on the league, starting youngsters or second string players, until of course the last 16 begins.

Elsewhere in Group F, Manchester City are flying high with nine points out of a possible nine. Their game on Tuesday was touted

as the game of the midweek and it certainly entertained. City were utterly dominant in the first half scoring two and making Napoli look as Stoke did just days before, amateurish.

Late in the second half, Kyle Walker did as Kyle Walker does and dragged a player down in the box to give away a penalty.

Ederson proved his worth and made a stunning save and the momentum remained fully in City’s favour. In the second half, the momentum did swing towards Napoli, who have won eight out of eight Serie A games.

Guardiola’s team managed to cling on by the skin of their teeth winning 2-1 after conceding another penalty, this time put away

by Diawara. In the other game in the group, Shakhtar Donetsk defeated Feyenoord to go second on six points. Out of all the English teams, City look the most comfortable and it would take a truly tragic affair for them to miss out on the last sixteen.

The final game on Tuesday night was Liverpool, who reside in Group E. Their start was the weakest showing in Europe for England, drawing their first two games against Sevilla and Spartak Moscow. Klopp more than made up for that with a thumping 7-0 win away at Maribor, just one goal shy of their record European victory against Besiktas.

Spartak are exceeding all expectations in this group, sharing five points with Liverpool after an incredible 5-1 win at Sevilla, who sit third with four points. As it stands this is the tightest group in the competition, and Liverpool will have to fight hard to make it through, but I am confident that they will progress.

The second day of Champions play was a mixed bag with Chelsea and Manchester United both in action. Although Mourinho’s men were victorious it was the game at Stamford Bridge that was the spectacle of the night.

Starting off with Group A as United travelled to play Benfica at the Estadio da Luz. Having lost their first two games, the second 5-0, expectations were that United would bounce back from the shoddy performance against Liverpool and start scoring goals for fun once more, but that was far from the case.

Manager Rui Vitoria had them drilled and running to the letter. In defence they were immaculate and going forward they were incredibly dangerous, only lacking in that something special to create chances. Initially, the reds were taken aback and it took 30 minutes for them to calm down and start playing the game that they prepared.

Sadly the goal was the result of a bad mistake by 18-year-old keeper Mile Svilar.

Rashford fired a free kick into the box but it instead almost lobbed Svilar. As he tried to save it he crossed the line ever so slightly. The win takes United to the top of their group and it would take at least two defeats for them to drop out of the competition, a scenario that I wouldn’t bet on.

Finally in Group C Chelsea played Roma in a thrilling 3-3 draw. Chelsea were utterly dominated for great lengths of the game but were the first to score. David Luiz got his initial shot blocked but the follow up curled in from just outside the box.

Hazard got a second late in the first half before former Chelsea player Kolarov got

one back before the break. Roma continued their possession in the second half and were rewarded as Dzeko scored two great goals to put them 3-2 up. Not wanting to be the only English defeat of the third round of fixtures Eden Hazard scored another wonderful goal to level it up, and there it stayed.

Atlético Madrid surprisingly drew their game at Qarabag 0-0 which means it would also take utter capitulation by Chelsea to not progress, a feat I don’t see any chance of happening.

The record for most teams from a single country in the quarter-final stage of the Champions League is four, set by the Premier League in the 2007/8 season with Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United. Interestingly that was repeated the very next season by the same teams.

There is the chance, albeit unlikely, that all five teams progress, and then win their last 16 games to break the record. Though it is far more likely that two, or possibly four, English teams are drawn together. After failing to compete in Europe for so many years the stage is set for a change. The only question is, which English teams, if any, will be there when the curtain rises on the final.

Next Champions League fixtures: Manchester United - Benfica (October 31st) Roma - Chelsea (October 31st) Liverpool - Maribor (November 1st) Napoli - Manchester City (November 1st) Tottenham - Real Madrid (November 1st)

University of Manchester suffer second defeat

James Gill Sports Reporter

This weekend saw the fourth qualifying round of the FA Cup and fans of United — no not that one, the other one — will be disappointed to see their club knocked out. Had they won against AFC Telford they would have progressed to the first round proper for only the third time in their twelve year history.

The club’s history is quite the interesting one. Founded in 2005, it was born from the strife and frustration of Manchester United fans. While there were several issues causing the dissatisfaction, the Glazer takeover in 2005 was seen as a step too far, and fanzine Red Issue proposed a new club be formed.

The initial name FC United was rejected for being too generic and a vote from supporters decided upon FC United of Manchester. In the twelve short years they’ve been going they have surprisingly managed to reach the second round of the FA Cup, beating Rochdale. Their run ended there though as they came up against now

Premier League side Brighton.

Although the scoreline this weekend was 3-1, the game was anything but one-sided. Neither side managed to find the back of the net in a tense first half; both teams desperate to continue their cup run. Just before the hour mark, Marcus Dinanga scored for Telford, but their lead lasted a measly 15-minutes before United managed to claw one back.

The tempo picked up as both teams wanted that glorious last-minute winner, but a rash decision led to a Telford penalty in the 92nd minute. Rob Edwards walked up to the penalty spot with the weight of all 155,000 Telfordians on his shoulders.

He did not falter however and converted the spot kick to make it 2-1.

In an attempt to claw the game back, United were left exposed at the back and Telford’s Jordan Lussey secured their victory to make it 3-1. Far more comfortable a scoreline the game warranted.

The disappointment is especially bitter given the manner in which FC United progressed from the third qualifying round. Drawn against Stockport County, they found themselves 3-0

FA Cup magic can’t cover deeper problems Arhur Salisbury Spors Reporter

The problems with the FA Cup are more deep-rooted than can be addressed with the sticking plaster of nostalgia

Liverpool John Moores walk away with all three points

Sam Cooper Sports Editor Following the disappointment of their 4-0 away loss at Newcastle last week, University of Manchester’s Mens 1st team were looking to bounce back with their first home tie

Photo: Sam Cooper @ TheMancunion

of the season against Liverpool John Moores. The Armitage welcomed the players along with an overcast sky but there was no threat of actual rain.

The game started as an even contest, both teams struggling to get hold of the ball and many long balls were being played forward. The first effort of the game came from Manchester’s number 8 but he could only direct it over.

The majority of Manchester’s attacking threat was coming from the number 10 who was occupying the right flank.

His pace was allowing him to get in behind the Liverpool full back and a good cross was Number 5 was also proving an attacking outlet for Manchester. First his long range effort was deflected for a corner and moments later he dragged another attempt wide of the left post.

After a spell of Manchester domination, Liverpool finished the first half strongly. Creating chances through their number four and number seven but like Manchester, these chances were more half chances than clear goalscoring opportunities.

The half time whistle blew at 0-0 with both sides reasonably content with what they had seen.

The second half was a different affair entirely. Liverpool started with an urgency that both teams were lacking in the first period and grew into the game as it went on. The goalkeeper was forced to make a great instinctive save

after Liverpool’s number ten fired a shot goal bound. The close range effort came from near to the penalty spot and the keeper did exceptionally well to push it wide.

Manchester were finding it increasingly difficult to maintain possession as Liverpool picked up their pressing efforts. The away side were forcing Manchester into giving away the ball easily whether that was through misplaced passes on the ground or overly ambitious long ball attempts.

Liverpool’s pressure and second half performance was rewarded in the 70th minute as they got the game’s only goal. Their number eight turned in the penalty box and fired his effort low into the bottom right corner. The speed on the ball from such a close proximity meant the keeper had no chance of keeping it out. The away side took the lead and you have to say it was deserved for their second half performance.

With time running out, Liverpool marshalled the game well. Slowing down play and making it difficult for Manchester to gain any momentum in their quest for an equaliser. The travelling team saw out the final stages of the match to take three points back to Merseyside.

It was a disappointing defeat for Manchester as they find themselves bottom of the Northern 1A table, looking to bounce back on Wednesday with an away trip to Liverpool Hope.

down but showed great strength and resilience to come back and draw the game 3-3, forcing a replay.

Manager Karl Marginson wasn’t content with his team rising from the ashes of defeat like a phoenix just once and wanted to prove his team a force to be reckoned with. After getting two red cards in the first half, every fan in the stadium was expecting a thrashing, Marginson knew though that his team were now in their element.

Goalkeeper Lloyd Allinson put in an incredible shift singly handedly keeping them in the game. Against all odds United scored late on from Tom Greaves. It was by no means a good goal, but it was enough to take them to the next round of qualifying.

They may no longer be in the FA Cup but students can still see United play at their ground at Broadhurst Park in the National League North. Sadly they need all the support they can get hanging in 20th position, just inside the relegation zone one point from safety.

They play Nuneaton Town in a bottom of the table clash. Tickets are £6 with a valid student card, or £10 without, and while the quality isn’t quite Premier League, it is well worth a visit.

In the second iteration of the event, many elite runners competed in the hopes of breaking the previous record of 1:04:41 due to the course’s flat and fast nature. Pre-race, Glasweigan Luke Traynor was touted by many as a potential winner and the first time half marathon runner did not disappoint, completing the 13.1 mile route in 1:04:10.

The course, which starts outside Old Trafford football ground and ends at Old Trafford cricket ground, has a reputation of being one of the fastest half marathons in the UK due to its flat nature The fastest female was Rebecca Hilland of Team Bath who recorded a time of 1:15:40 and four athletes completed the wheelchair race with Adam Goldspink-Burgess recording the quickest time at 1:18:32.

Race day saw perfect weather conditions for the runners with no sign of rain but significant cloud coverage to block the sun from overheating the runners. There was also little to no wind meaning the runners could enjoy a stress free run.

The event was in support of Manchester Evening News’ #WeStandTogether campaign which sims to create a more peaceful Greater Manchester in the wake of the Arena bomb attack. Many athletes ran with yellow wristbands decorated with the hashtag #WeStandTogether.

Out of 7,656 runners, 7,568 finished the race and they were cheered on by the residents of the Trafford area.

Children lined the outside of the route asking for high fives from the runners or to hand out sweets to inneed competitors whose legs had begun to give way.

The finishers will now be setting their eyes on the full marathon in April.

Photo: Gerald England @geraldengland.co.uk

For the pundit class, the FA Cup first round draw is an opportunity to display some authenticity. Non-entities like Tim Lovejoy — who, in his autobiography, referred to a ‘League Three’ — can earn some cred by talking wistfully

about The Magic Of The Cup™ over clips over Hereford ’ 71 and Sutton ’89.

Four years ago Luton Town beat Norwich City 1-0 with a late strike, the first time a non-league side had won away at a top division side since 1986, and yet this clip is never shown. The problems with the FA Cup are more deep-rooted than can be addressed with the sticking plaster of nostalgia, and part of it is to do with the appropriation of The Magic into the establishment narrative. When Ronnie Radford’s goal won it for Hereford, that match was the last game shown.

Of course the FA Cup is still important to the non-leaguers, and of course, the financial aspect is a part of this. Heybridge Swifts currently play in the Isthmian Division One North — they sit one point outside the playoffs but have six games in hand. The reason for this is their long cup run — they beat five teams over seven games to reach the first round. Haverhill Rovers, Arlesey Town, Metropolitan Police, Frome Town and, sadly from my blinkered North London perspective, Haringey Borough.

Their run has already netted them upwards of £30,000 and a lucrative away trip to Exeter City — the gate money in the FA Cup being split down the middle. This is money that can build a new stand, lay down a new pitch, or just keep the club going.

But a great deal of the loyal following the competition still has in the lower echelons lies in the opportunity to travel.

It’s more a truism than a cliché to say that Saturdays are a

great day out interrupted by a football match. The chance to explore new places through regional bus services is exciting — what else could possibly take me to Dereham?

Thus, to make the first round, to finally escape the regionalisation of the qualifiers, is very exciting for clubs playing at the sixth level and below.

I know London and Suffolk very well from my time following the Isthmian League, and though Enfield Town fell in injury time of the last hurdle replay, I can still feel vicariously thrilled by the journeys of my non-league comrades — Maidenhead in Coventry, Bromley in Rochdale, Chelmsford in Gateshead.

The bigger sister of the interesting-away-tie is the bigname-home-tie, and Hyde United have caught one alright.

They’ve got one of the biggest clubs in the draw and also easily the evilest: MK Dons.

Distaste for the club, for many, crossed the line from runof-the-mill footballing grudge to deep-burning ideological hate, merely by its formation. The relocation of Wimbledon F.C. fifty-odd miles North, with a change of name, colour and badge and the resultant destruction of a community — or rather, attempted destruction, with the genuine fairytale of AFC Wimbledon — has soured their image for most.

Get yourself over there on the 4th of November. It’ll be spicy. It’s a game where a draw will feel almost as good as a win, and hopefully, Hyde will stick the boot in and flood the dressing room — make them feel uncomfortable. It doesn’t just make footballing sense, it is a moral imperative too.

S

P

O

R

23rd OCTOBER 2017 / ISSUE 6 FREE

T

Photo: Sam Cooper @The Mancunion

Superb start spares City’s blushes A commanding opening 25 minutes was curtailed as an in-form Napoli provided a tough test for Guardiola’s men Sam Cooper Sports Editor Manchester City started this game where they left off with the last. The confidence provided by their 7-2 hammering of Stoke at the weekend was evident from the first whistle. In contrast to previous European nights at the Etihad, City started brightly. Moving the ball with pace and purpose, they were quick to dismantle the fluid Napoli defence.

Raheem Sterling was the first name on the scoresheet having put his side ahead in the opening ten minutes.

Leroy Sane was directed by the pointed finger of David Silva as the German fed the ball into the path of the Spaniard.

Silva, nearing the byline, cut the ball back to a queue of City attackers. Jesus dummied, Walker scuffed, Sterling finished.

Next was the turn of the most in-form player in the Premier League as Kevin De Bruyne beat his man on the righthand side and slid the ball to the feet of Gabriel Jesus. The Brazilian took the chance with joyful glee as he netted his fifth goal in seven days.

2-0 and fans were sensing another mauling. It is a testament to how far City have come that this all seemed quite normal.

After the second goal, two men behind me began to chat of which chippy to visit on the way home. Pep Guardiola has installed an elite mentality into both his players and the fans.

City continued to probe with the next chance falling to De Bruyne. Sane found

an arriving Belgian on the edge of the penalty area and De Bruyne wrapped his foot around the ball. The curling effort hit the underside of the bar but the ball bounced down and then away from the goal.

Guardiola will be less pleased with the way his side struggled to cope against an athletic, possession-wise Napoli once the Italian side found their feet. Seemingly unfazed by the quick one-two of City’s opening goals, Maurizio Sarri’s progressed back into their usual game. A high press that looked to release Mertens, Callejón and Insigne.

The pressure worked and City’s back four began to make mistakes and conceding possession. Fabian Delph routinely drifted centrally from his left back spot and was guilty on more than one occasion in giving the ball away.

With half-time approaching, Napoli had their way back into the game. Kyle Walker rose alongside Raúl Albiol to meet a cross and foolishly wrapped his arms around him. Both tumbled to the ground and the referee showed no hesitation in pointing to the spot.

Dries Mertens, a man who has seven goals in seven Serie A appearances this season, stepped up to take the penalty but saw his attempt saved. Ederson dived to his right but found his legs long enough to deflect Mertens’ central effort.

In truth Napoli most likely deserved a goal but they continued to peg City back in the closing stages of the first half. Unlike the opening minutes of the first period, the second half started in a calmer manner. Napoli were still seeing plenty of the ball but City did well

to marshal them and keep them away from their penalty area.

City were drawing ever nearer that 90-minute mark and the chance to maintain their 100 per cent Champions League record this season but in the 72nd minute, the Italians were again given a chance back into the game.

A clumsy leg from Fernandinho collided with Faouzi Ghoulam and referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz again pointed to the spot. This time, there was no mistake. Amadou Diawara hit the ball low, hard and into the corner meaning that although Ederson dived the right way, his fingertips couldn’t reach the ball.

With now just one goal separating the two sides, City found themselves facing a nervy final 15 minutes. Looking to restore their lead, Gabriel Jesus, who had become increasingly isolated, managed to put the ball in the net but was judged to be offside when receiving De Bruyne’s pass.

Despite threatening, Napoli did not find the equaliser and the full-time whistle blew at 2-1 and with City maintaining a perfect start to the Champions League this season. Post-match, Guardiola continued the pre-match Napoli love-in. “One of the best teams I ever face in my career. No doubt about that, maybe the best.”

It was an important win that showed another side of City’s character. Not every game is going to be a 7-2 and the team needs to know how to maintain narrow leads if they want to progress far in this competition. City’s next Champions League will be the return leg in Naples on the 1st of November.

FA Cup Round up

P31

Photo: Gerald England @geraldengland.co.uk

English sides in Europe

P30

итрий Голубович Photo: Ungry Young Man @flickr

Uni boat club takes gold

Who’s your favourite football team?

Take our survey to find the university’s favourite club.

Visit: @MANCUNION_SPORT on Twitter or https://goo.gl/forms/EUQKjqEU74IsAeza2

P29

Photo: Rachel Clarke @flickr

Books

20

Feature

ISSUE 6/ 23rd OCTOBER 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Kamila Shamsie in conversation with Jeanette Winterson

Author Kamila Shamsie discusses the imortance of art in the face of political discord Alice Porter Books Reporter Ahead of becoming a senior lecturer in creative writing at the University of Manchester’s Centre For New Writing, Kamila Shamsie sat down with Jeanette Winterson on the 17th October, to discuss her latest novel Home Fire. Based on Sophocles’ Antigone, it questions the sacrifices we will make to protect the people we love,through the story of two families, whose fates are inextricably linked, in the midst of jihad and political unrest. It was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2017 and is the sixth novel of Shamsie’s, who was selected

by Granta as a Best Young British Novelist in 2013.

She grew up in Karachi and now lives in London and whilst in conversation with Winterson, she discusses her experiences in both cities in reference to writing and Home Fire itself, whilst highlighting the importance of art and culture in times of political discord.

“Art is not going to be the thing that brings down borders and barriers ... but art may be the thing that reminds us of humanity”

or whether art is possible to stand, as Winterson put nicely, ‘on the side lines of history?’ This led Shamsie to explain how this novel in particular offers a different and more realistic story to the accepted political rhetoric regarding race, immigration and different cultures in Western society. In reference to ISIS, she discussed how the novel highlights how the extremist group perhaps does not primarily appeal to the people it aims to, because of its violence, but because its primary recruitment method is tapping into the vulnerabilities of its target audience, offering a sense of belonging and a lack of racism.

The central question of Home Fire is, as Winterson highlighted, ‘what would you stop at to protect the people you love most?’ and the two authors explored this question throughout the evening. ‘I don’t know what I’d do’ was Winterson’s answer, saying that this is what really disturbed her about the novel. Shamsie focused less on her own stance and more on the issues surrounding the question, questioning whether it is fair to judge people who have been put in comprimising positions and stating that the real question is why people have been put in those positions in the first place. The answer to this question, she explained, lies on the first page of the novel, ‘The ones we love are the enemies of the state.’ (You will have to read the novel to understand the ambiguity of this sentence!) Questions of morality were also discussed and Shamsie came to the conclusion that essentially, morality is irrelevant in the face of love, because ‘who are you if you don’t make it an irrelevance?’

Shamsie, in discussing her dual citizenship as a citizen of Pakistan and Britain, explained her ability to feel comfortable in many different places that are important to her. She commented on the strangeness of the accepted custom of having ‘a monogamous relationship with the isle of home’, an observation which one audience member

Photo: The Mancunion Jeanette Winterson began by describing Home Fire as having a ‘contemporary relevance’ after Shamsie read an extract from the novel about one of the characters being rigorously questioned by airport security, alluding to the current political climate of Trump’s America. Shamsie's reply stated the inevitability of writing about politics and current affairs when it is ‘breathing down your neck’ ,although she did assure us that sometimes she is much more inclined to pick up her copy of Pride and Prejudice for the seventeenth time, a comment that was evidently relatable for much of the audience, as it was met with a sort of reassured chuckle.

The evening was full of insightful, colourful and articulate comments thanks to Shamsie’s complete and coherent explanations of her novel itself and the issues surrounding it. Whilst discussing metaphor and allegory in the novel generally, she said, ‘sometimes people are able to look most clearly if you give [things] to them indirectly’. This quote resonated with me as an English student who cannot help but consider the implications of not only the nuances within texts but also within the smaller things in life.

A question that was brought to the forefront of the evening was whether art, should stand,

called the stand out moment of the night. Shamsie has been met with acclaim in both Britain and Pakistan and, fittingly, her photo is now in the British Council Library in Karachi where she grew up reading.

The most interesting part of the evening for me was the discussion concerning the necessity, effectiveness and urgency of culture in times of political unrest, a topic that was returned to again and again. Shamsie summarised her viewpoint beautifully stating:‘art is not going to be the thing that brings down borders and barriers… but art may remind us of humanity.’

She puts emphasis on the importance of this ‘in times of darkness’ and I think that this is something that is relatable for many today.

Listening to the effortless, colourful conversation between two authors who were clearly both passionate and knowledgeable about the topics they discussed was a delight. Winterson’s humour combined with Shamsie’s extraordinary insight and integrity made for a discussion that flowed and intrigued the audience, so much so that I am ready to go and re-read every novel of Shamsie’s, as Winterson regularly encouraged us to do throughout the evening!

Review

Alan Hollinghurst on The Sparsholt Affair Booker Prize winner Alan Hollinghurst discusses his first novel in six years at the Manchester Literature Festival Bethany Jones Books Reporter The audience that eagerly awaited awardwinning author, Alan Hollinghurst’s appearance at the Central Library, was an eclectic one, ranging from young to, the more seasoned reader, and from what I could tell from what one would call eavesdropping, it was not just filled with University of Manchester students and staff. I think I can be forgiven for thinking it may have been as Hollinghurst’s works appear twice on our English Literature course!

Conversation pulsed amongst the audience, pausing only when a new guest arrived to see if it was our eagerly anticipated visitor. As time ticked by, the hubbub grew and one guest let out a particularly theatrical yawn; clearly Hollinghurst’s fans are not as patient for him in person as they have been for his books!. Six years have passed since his last novel and Hollinghurst was due to talk about his new novel The Sparsholt Affair.

“I suppose my protagonists are never as nice as I am” It is understandable why the event drew such a large crowd. Hollinghurst broke many taboos just as gay lit “came into its own” (Hollinghurst with The Guardian, 2017), and the novels release this year, and reception in this city where the 50th year partially lifting the Sexual Offences Act has been so widely celebrated, was fitting.

The Sparsholt Affair, spans from the dorms of 1940s Oxford colleges to the Grindr profiles of 2013 London, so expect some of the same licentiousness. However, whilst it still retains a “ravenously reported scandal,” according to Rachel Cooke — the host of the evening — it still feels “autumnal,” to her. It is “gentler and kinder,” than his more sex-drenched novels of the past.

Cooke begins to tear up as she recalls the end of the novel, her eyes brimming with hope for future generations.

Hollinghurst, when questioned on whether we could expect more jaw dropping erotic scenes in his new novel admitted there would be much less, physicality — suggesting “the old dance meets the new dance,” keen to not be too repetitive with the salacious descriptions which pushed boundaries in the late eighties.

Hollinghurst might be hanging up his erotic hat, but don’t fear loyal fans. When I asked him about a potential similarity between his new protagonist David Sparsholt, and the loveable provocateur, Will Beckwith, Hollinghurst admitted there were similar ‘core subjects’ we would be able to see, albeit from a different, slightly more matured perspective. He admitted, as he himself has aged, he found a greater interest in the “ironies of time” playing out over the intergenerational plot.

A few critics so far have said this new (albeit not entirely PG) path is simply Hollinghurst being too lazy, wanting to avoid going into details of the affair. During the evening he insisted that instead of focusing on the sordid moments after which the novel is titled, he wanted to pursue the mechanics of a scandal. In particular how scandals in an early generation can colour the experiences of the generations to come. Again, a wonderful plot throwback that fans of The Swimming Pool Library will anxiously anticipate, especially coming from this fresh, more mature perspective of the author.

The narrative voices in the text will also feel familiar to the Hollinghurst reader. We are first introduced to David Sparsholt through the

diary of a school friend, Freddie. Hollinghurst’s pithy narrative is warming and hilarious.

Just as we once learnt of life, love and lovers through Charles Nantwich in The Swimming Pool Library, Freddie entertains readers with painstakingly recorded accounts of his Oxford contemporaries. Freddie however is much less inclined to acknowledge his own admiration of the breathtaking David Sparsholt, whilst divulging the lust of his friends — much to their horror.

Hollinghurst delivered the passage in his wonderful and familiar plummy accent, sparking a common sense of nostalgia across the audience. No matter which novel holds your heart as a favourite, the gently mocking tone when narrating the lives of those more privileged seeps through Hollinghurst’s texts.

Hollinghurst’s novel has five sections to it, the first and the third have a certain sort of symmetry of darkness. Where we see David Sparsholt experiencing life in the Wartime blackout through the furtive glances of Freddie, Jonny Sparsholt goes through a bildungsroman sort of growth in the three day weeks of the 1974 blackouts. Both father and son are trying to navigate the tricky spheres of having admirers.

Hollinghurst deeply wanted to explore the reality of living before and after the Sexual Offences Act of 1967, and from what I heard of the novel on Wednesday night, there are few other narrators who could embark on such a perilous adventure.

The guests on the night were treated to a reading from each section, and I would be surprised if more than a handful of people walked out of the evening without a book in hand. If you have ever read a novel by

Photo: Larry D. Moore @ Wikimedia Commons

Hollinghurst, you will know of the ardent longing, the unknowability of memory, and the fleshy lust that adorns his literature.

You will also know the depth within and variety of the characters. I did always wonder if he saw himself most in the Will Beckwiths of the world or the more gentle characters which caught our attention for mere snapshots.

Luckily, a member of the audience asked the burning question: ‘Are any of your characters based on yourself?’ To which Hollinghurst admitted, that when you write such a full characterization of a person it is hard to not become irrevocably attached and invested in them. However, because he prefers to fill his protagonists with vices he was unable to pick only one instead, suggesting “I suppose my protagonists are never as nice as I am.” No, Alan, I don't suppose they are.