Issue 18

FRE

E

MANCHESTER’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER

WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

5th MARCH 2018 / ISSUE 18

The weather on campus has been snow joke!

Turn to page 3

Photo: Harry Davison

Refund students for lost teaching, says Universities Minister

Despite this, the University of Manchester has said that it cannot compensate students Cameron Broome Head News Editor Students should receive compensation for lost teaching as a result of the ongoing strikes by university staff due to pension disputes.

That’s the view of Universities Minister, Sam Gyimah, who told universities at the launch of the new higher education regulator that this was the “age of the student” and that students deserved better value for money.

Tens of thousands of students nationwide have signed petitions demanding refunds for loss of teaching after the University College and Union backed a strike, which started on the 22nd of February and could last several weeks.

Mr Gyimah said: “students should not lose a day of the education they are paying for and I expect young people to get compensation for the lost study time, as some universities like Kings College London have already started looking in to.

“Universities should also look to provide a d d i t i o n a l lectures where they are missed due to strike action, which

New Universities Minister, Sam Gyimah Photo: Policy Exchange @ Flickr

is so important at this time in the academic year.”

Melis Royer, a University of Manchester student who started a petition signed by almost 7,000 people addressed to the University of Manchester demanding compensation, said: “I don’t think it’s fair that we are treated like consumers in every other way except when it comes down to us using our consumer voices.

Universities and more specifically government can’t have it both way.

“You can’t make students pay an extortionate amount of money, treat them like consumers, treat staff poorly and run universities like a service and not expect a backlash. I think what we’re seeing around the UK from students like myself is a positive step. This is the age of the students.”

The University of Manchester ViceChancellor, Nancy Rothwell, released a video updating students on how the ongoing industrial action might affect students and what the University was doing to minimise disruption.

Hana Jafar, another University of Manchester student who authored an open letter to the University signed by several hundreds students also demanding compensation for lost teaching, commented: “senior management needs to know that it is not enough to release a video with a statement expressing that they share our concerns. We want to see tangible action, and we want transparency in this process.

“Turning a deaf ear to lecturers’ concerns is hostile, and s t u d e n t s will not

Pay of those striking may be cut

P5

stand by and watch this injustice.

Mitigating the damage is not limited to making sure students get the material and hours they have paid for. An institution with staff resorting to strikes is doing something very wrong and has let it get out of hand.”

A University spokesperson said: “since the University charges a composite fee for our courses we cannot reimburse individual students for specific elements of missed teaching and assessment.

“A ‘composite fee’ covers more than just the face-to face-tuition a student receives and includes: registration, examination fees, access to IT, use of the library and student support services such advice and guidance services, and the careers service).”

On Monday the 5th of March, University College and Union and Universities UK (UUK) will begin further talks, which will be mediated by the conciliation service Acas.

Strike action will commence on Monday the 5th of March for four days and will then conclude with a fiveday walkout from Monday the 12th of March to Friday the 16th of March.

UCU general secretary Sally Hunt said: “we are pleased the employers have agreed to more talks. We have listened not just to our members, but also to the many university leaders who have contributed ideas.

“At the core of our proposals is for universities to accept a small amount of increased risk, but only at a level a majority have recently said they are comfortable with. Doing this would enable us to provide a decent, guaranteed pension at a more modest cost with smaller contribution increases.” continued on page 2...

Voting has opened!

P5

City Council defends Antwerp closure Manchester City Council Planning Department have issued a closure notice Shivani Kaura & Tristan Parsons Students; Union Reporter & Deputy Editor-in-Chief Antwerp Mansion will be forced to close permanently in one month, after its what its bosses described as an “eightmonth planning wrangle with [Manchester City] Council.”

Speaking to The Mancunion , councillor Angeliki Stogia, Manchester City Council’s Executive Member for Environment and Skills, said, “any suggestion that this decision is about anything other than the fact that Antwerp Mansion were not operating appropriately is completely wrong.”

Mrs Stogia’s comments come after the club, club-goers, and DJs criticised the Council for “plan[ning] to destroy all nightlife that is not in the city centre,” as Antwerp Mansion stated in a press release.

She continued: “we are a city that welcomes students, supports student nightlife and knows how to enjoy itself.

What we don’t welcome is businesses such as Antwerp Mansion which consistently fail to engage with us over a long period to address legitimate concerns expressed by residents, the police and others.

The building has been operating as a club for seven

years, despite only having a license (from the 1920s) to run as a private members’ club.

The club’s manager, Ben Hourahine, speaking to the Manchester Evening News , said “the council put us on an enforcement notice for its use as a nightclub which has been used for seven or eight years now.”

“We had no warning of this and no one from the Council made any attempt to speak to us.”

Alex Sansbury, local DJ and student at the University of Manchester, started an online petition backed by Antwerp Mansion on change. org. He said: “the closure of Antwerp is not because it is unsafe, it is not because they have had noise complaints, it is not due to thieves or drugs. The petition currently had over 15,000 signatures.

He claims that the closure of Antwerp “is because the council...want to destroy the student nightlife in this area irreparably... so students will have to go to the centre of town for a night out...which saves them [Manchester City Council] money.

“Our student community is being lied to by the Council and the Police; they are stifling creative spaces for all the wrong reasons. continued on page 2...

Talking safety with the MP for Gorton

P9

2

News

ISSUE 18 / 5th MARCH 2018 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Universities threaten to cut pay of striking staff UCU have warned that threatening big pay reductions could prolong strike action Cameron Broome Head News Editor

International Women’s Day: Highlights

Science and Tech p6 Women of STEM, past and present

Universities are threatening to withhold the pay of staff who have taken industrial action following ongoing pension disputes between University and College Union (UCU) and Universities UK. That’s the claim of UCU, who say that some universities have told staff that they will withhold their entire pay for undertaking ‘Action Short of a Strike’ (ASOS) and have warned that “overly punitive measures would annoy members and do nothing to help progress talks” which begin on Monday the 5th of March.

On Thursday the 1st of March, University staff at 61 institutions returned to work to undertake ASOS, which consists of working to contract, not covering for absent colleagues, not rescheduling lectures or classes cancelled due to strike action and not undertaking any voluntary activities.

UCU claim that if University of Sheffield staff have not rescheduled missed lectures within two days, it will deduct 25 percent of their salary and after five days it will withhold 100 percent of salary.

The University of Sheffield denied that this was their position but said that “the University reserves the right to make proportionate deductions for partial performance where this is in breach of a contract”.

UCU also claim that the University of St

Continued from page 2...

Stiking lectures’ pay

Music p12 The Mancunion’s inspirational artists

The University of Manchester said that “the University fully understands the concerns of students and staff and is pleased that UCU and UUK will shortly be meeting for further talks.”

Russell Group universities that were established before 1992 currently pay into what is known as a ‘defined benefit scheme’ pension that is managed by the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS), although decisions made about it are made by Universities UK (UUK).

USS take a percentage out of employees’ pay, which is then matched or more by the employer. This is invested in a pension fund which they can then withdraw at the point of retirement.

UUK announced in November 2017 that they now want to change this to a ‘defined contribution scheme’ (that will still be managed by USS) in order to counteract the apparent pension deficit.

This would mean that employee and employer contributions will be invested in the stock market, with the aim of growing it over the years before retirement. Each employee in the scheme then receives a share of the pot when they leave the employer.

This can pose a substantial risk on the employee, as it is not guaranteed that these investments will be fruitful. Their resulting pension may in fact be less than their initial contribution.

Members of the UCU at 61 Universities voted to take strike action on Monday the 22nd of January after talks with Universities

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

Arts p24 Painting Light and Hope at Wonderwoman festival

Andrews has said it will deduct 100 percent of salary for any form of action short of a strike, and also that the University of Kent will withhold 50 percent of pay for ASOS, but reserves the right to withhold 100 percent and any work staff then undertake would be voluntary.

A spokesperson for the University of St Andrews said: “no pay is being deducted from staff who are carrying out all their normal contractual duties and any suggestion to the contrary is utterly false.”

We contacted the University of Kent for comment. They sent us a link to their policy page, where UCU attained their information, and said, “we regularly review our position and will communicate any changes as and when relevant.”

UCU general secretary Sally Hunt said: “Universities that wish to exploit the law and punish their staff as much as possible are storing up problems for the future and risk prolonging the dispute.

“Action short of a strike highlights just how much universities rely on the goodwill of their staff who go the extra mile. Universities will need that goodwill when this dispute is all over, so it seems foolish to find ways now to maximise the punishment of their staff.

“It is encouraging that some universities recognise we are at a crucial stage in this dispute and are adopting a more conciliatory tone. We would urge institutions like Kent, Sheffield and St Andrews to do the same or risk being seen as the pariahs of the sector.”

News Editor: Cameron Broome Deputy Editors: Rosa Simonet and Amy Wei E: news@mancunion.com Science & Technology Editor: Aliyah Ismangil E: science@mancunion.com Features Editor: Catherine Bray Deputy Editor: Raine Beckford E: features@mancunion.com Opinion Editor: Jacklin Kwan E: opinion@mancunion.com

UK (UUK) over the future of staff pensions ended without an agreement, amidst fear that new pension proposals would result in an average lecturer losing £200,000 in retirement.

Antwerp Closure “The student body must come together...to spread the truth about what is happening to our local nightlife.”

Manchester City Council said, “Manchester is rightly renowned for its nightlife and we welcome venues in neighbourhoods across the city but there has to be a balance so they work with the community, not against it. It is important that anyone opening a venue contacts the Council to get planning advice before they open.”

Antwerp Mansion issued a statement saying they had “no warning” that the club only had a license to operate as a primate members club and that “no one from the Council made any attempt to speak to us.

“During the appeal process both sides submitted evidence for and against the venue to continue as a nightclub. At this point MCC’s planning department started used every department available to them to gather evidence to support what we considered to be their very weak case.

“Despite no noise complaints in over two years, suddenly one was made and used in evidence against us. Licensing officers were regularly sent sometimes four or five nights a week on evidence gathering trips to inspect the building. Antwerp Mansion received

A University of Manchester spokesperson said: “a deduction of pay will be made for all employees who take any strike action. The University is entitled to withhold pay for staff who take strike action and it has been decided to deduct pay at 1/365th of annual salary for each day of strike action taken.

“The University will not benefit from strike pay deducted from staff and will use it to the benefit of students.

“Provided that the ASOS carried out by individuals does not impact upon the “proper discharge of their duties” then this should not result in partial performance of duties and no deductions of pay will be made. However, this is without prejudice to the University’s right to withhold full pay in the future for partial performance, should it be determined that there is an impact upon the proper discharge of duties.

“Should that be the case, then it has been decided to deduct 20 per cent of pay at 1/365th of salary. The University reserves the right to review the basis for making any deductions in respect of ASOS which may include refusing to accept partial performance and making deductions from salary of up to 100 per cent and will write to all staff to confirm the basis for any future calculations should these be changed.”

Strikes are scheduled to commence on Monday the 5th of March for four days, concluding with a five-day walkout from Monday the 12th of March to the Friday 16th of March.

letters from City Council licensing stating that we were in breach of multiple licensing conditions to our complete disbelief.”

Manchester City Council said, “our decision to take enforcement action against Antwerp Mansion has been scrutinised and upheld by an independent planning inspector appointed by the Government, who rejected Antwerp Mansion’s appeal.”

The club also claimed that, “the local authorities also want Antwerp Mansion removed from existence as it has been labelled a crime hotspot.” They alleged that the crime statistics are “meaningless” because the the majority of crime around the club involves phones being lost and registered as stolen for insurance purposes, but the Police do not record phones being returned.

Highlighting increasing concerns about crime in Fallowfield and surrounding areas, Antwerp Mansion asserted that “Antwerp Mansion is not a crime hotspot and we will not be blamed for students being attacked. It is the responsibility of the local authorities to look after its citizens at night.”

The Council said the club’s closure will be “good news for local residents who have put up with significant noise, violence and other anti-social behaviour brought to their neighbourhood because of Antwerp Mansion.”

A protest has been organised for the 16th of March in St. Peter’s square. The description of the event reads: “Antwerp Mansion has been a home to so many of us. I care deeply about the music scene in Manchester and the amazing venues that give it a place to live and thrive.”

@MancunionOp Film Editor: Eloise Wright Deputy Editor: Jamie McEvoy E: film@mancunion.com @MancunionFilm Fashion and Beauty Editor: Talia Lee-Skudder Deputy Editors: Amy Nguyen and Sophie Alexandra-Walsh E: fashion@mancunion.com @MancunionFash

News 3

ISSUE 18 / 5th MARCH 2018 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Disadvantaged students three times more likely to live at home New report shows that just one in ten students attend a university over 150 miles from home Sam Honey Reporter Disadvantaged students are three times more likely to be in the 23 per cent of University students who are estimated to live at home compared to their wealthier peers, according to a new report.

The Sutton Trust has investigated mobility for students across the UK, providing insight into the reality for thousands of students across the country who commute to university campuses.

While the concept of student living in halls is considered to be a quintessential aspect of university life to some, the reality of the Trust’s findings provide a considerablydifferent picture, finding that over a fifth (23 per cent) of students aged 21 or under live at home, with that figure 12 per cent higher for those in Scotland.

Predictably, economic concerns appear to be the primary motivation behind the decision to live at home while studying, with over half of UK students enrolled at universities less than 55 miles from their homes.

This appears to confirm the worrying possibility of a “postcode lottery” with regards to access to Higher Education, with young people restricted in their choices of institution based on their home address.

Students in the South of England were found to be much more likely to move considerable distance than fellow students in Northern areas, with the North East of England identified as the peak region for students living at home.

Findings revealed that students from recognisably-disadvantaged backgrounds were three times as likely to be forced into

Photo: The Mancunion

Food & Drink Editor: Anokhi Shah Deputy Editor: Daisy Tolcher E: foodanddrink@mancunion.com Arts Editor: Cicely Ryder-Belson E: arts@mancunion.com

at home than their White counterparts.

Sutton Trust Chairman Peter Lampl was insistent upon the effect of increased tuition fees on a such a phenomenon, noting that the tendency of disadvantaged students to live at home, “has become more pronounced since the introduction of tuition fees of £9,000 per year in 2012”, meaning that “for students living at home access to the most selective universities is limited”.

Lampl led the list of recommendations offered by the report, by suggesting that selective institutions should reserve a select number of places for students from local low and moderate-income backgrounds — although some have questioned how this will aid the mobility of disadvantaged students to travel to institutions nationwide.

The Trust also suggested the revision of university timetables to accommodate students travelling to lectures from home, and further argued for increased awareness of the restrictions on certain students to study away from home, due to cultural reasons.

Furthermore, the Review of Post-18 Education has been advised to consider the possibility of reforming the current student finance model, with the possibility of reintroducing previously-popular policies, such as means-tested fees and maintenance grants.

Storm Emma disrupts University teaching Cameron Broome Head News Editor Teaching at the University of Manchester was disrupted as the ‘the Beast from the East’ and ‘Storm Emma’ battered Manchester as it swept across the UK. Train, bus and Metrolink services in and around Greater Manchester were heavily affected by the heavy snow showers, strong winds and icy conditions, meaning some teaching staff were forced to cancel seminars and lectures due to being unable to commute to the University.

It is unknown exactly how many lecturers and classes were cancelled, as decisions ultimately lay with individual teaching staff and departments, but courses such as Architecture, Nursing and Theological Studies were affected.

Robyn Carty, a second-year University of Manchester Children’s Nursing student who had

University classes on Thursday the 1st of March and Friday the 2nd of March, said: “Cancelling classes was a good decision because it meant that attendance won’t be affected. This is important on our course because it’s government funded so you’re expected to have 100 per cent attendance.

“Cancelling classes in advance meant people didn’t have the pressure of feeling like they have to come in when it might not be safe or they might get stranded. It was especially beneficial for people that live further away from University like me, or students who have to worry about childcare if their kids’ schools have closed”.

Jack Dickie, a first-year University of Manchester Architecture student who also had teaching cancelled, suggested that students who commuted from home weren’t given enough notice about the cancellations.

Jack said: “I wasn’t too bothered if classes were

@mancunion_sport Games Editor: Jeremy Bijl E: games@mancunion.com

commuting to university, with a difference relating to educational backgrounds was also noted, with state school students found to be increasingly likely to attend a university within close proximity to home.

The report highlighted a link between student mobility and ethnic factors, with British Pakistani and Bangladeshi students reported to be over six times as likely to live

Photo: Nicole Wootton-Cane

cancelled or not. The email was sent at 7:16am and the lecture was at 9am.

“Plenty of time for students living away yet those that commute, we left enough time due to the weather and found out when we were on our way.”

According to recently published research by the Sutton Trust, 23 per cent of UK University students commute from home.

Military personnel were drafted in to rescue stranded lorries and cars on the M62 motorway,

trains were cancelled from Manchester Oxford Road and Manchester Piccadilly, and bus services were cancelled due to the wintry conditions.

On Friday the 2nd of March, weather forecasts indicated that ‘Storm Emma’ could bring up to 50cm of additional snow to parts of the UK and a red weather warning for snow was in force for south-west England and south Wales until the early hours of the day.

The University of Manchester was contacted for comment.

Chief Subeditor: Jack Casey Subeditors: Joal Ansbro, Daniel O’Byrne, Ciara Gartshore, David Cheetham, Murphy Mortier, Isaac Kay-Lavelle Letters & Complaints: complaints@ mancunion.com Legal: legal@mancunion.com

Theatre Editor: Sophie Graci E: theatre@mancunion.com

Music Editor: Hannah Brierley Deputy Editor: Yasmin Duggal E: music@mancunion.com @MancunionMusic

Lifestyle Editor: Sophie Macpherson Deputy Editor: James Johnson E: lifestyle@mancunion.com @MancunionLife

Books Editor: Tia Armstrong E: books@mancunion.com @MancunionBooks

Sport Editor: Sam Cooper Deputy Editor: Arthur Salisbury E: sports@mancunion.com

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

Photo: Harry Davison

4

News

ISSUE 18 / 5th MARCH 2018 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Universities to be challenged over spiralling salaries

Photo: Geoff Dexter @ Flickr

Hannah Vallance Head National Political Reporter Universities will be forced to be more transparent under new proposals to establish an Office for Students (OfS) in April.

The office, which is set to replace the Higher Education Funding Council for England, will see the widely enjoyed autonomy that has governed the relationship between universities and ministers for decades coming under increasing scrutiny, in a bid to tackle spiralling salaries and an unprecedented rise of graduates leaving university with first-class

degrees.

This follows after a Channel 4 Dispatches investigation revealed the extravagant expense accounts of some British university vicechancellors, in which the heads of academic institutions were found to be enjoying a lavish lifestyle full of 5-star luxuries such as finedining and first-class air travel.

In total, it was revealed that vice-chancellors racked up an extensive bill of £8 million in expenses over a two-year period.

200 Freedom of Information requests were sent by the Dispatches team to universities in regards to their expenses claims. One

university, the University of Surrey, even paid £1,600 for ‘Oscar,’ the Vice-Chancellor’s dog, to be relocated from Australia.

Whilst the University of Manchester failed to respond to the initial investigation, when contacted for comment, a university spokesperson told The Mancunion that: “In the Channel 4 programme it was noted that our university did not respond to a Freedom of Information request for expense details.

We have investigated this in detail, and have found that the information was provided by the President’s Office but due to a procedural error elsewhere in the university, the information was not provided to the journalist involved.

“The information requested has now been provided to the journalist and reveals that the expense claims and credit card payments for costs while on university business for the President amounted to £ 3,899.61 for the period 1 August 2015 to 31 July 2017.”

Controversially, the Dispatches investigation has added fuel to a growing consensus of anger around the excessive pay brackets of some British university chiefs, with Sally Hunt, leader of the University and College Union stating that “if you’re a leader, you have to be open and clear about what’s going on, and hiding in a toilet, going out for a cup of tea while your mate decides your salary — sorry, that doesn’t make sense to me.”

The investigation comes at a time when 61 universities are undergoing extensive strike action as a result of proposals that could see the average lecturer lose a total sum of £200,000 from their pension pay packet.

Last week, Theresa May branded the UK university system one of “the most expensive systems of university tuition in the world.”

Under the proposed OfS, all university governing boards will be expected to appoint students in order to challenge the PM’s accusation that the “levels of fees charged do not relate to the cost or quality of the course.”

Once the OfS is established, one of the key regulator’s assignments will be tackling the spiralling salaries of vice-chancellors. As of present, more than 60 university chiefs earn upwards of £300,000 a year.

However, under proposed measures, universities will be forced to declare the number of staff on salaries exceeding the annual sum of £100,000. For those raking in over £150,000 a year, full details will have to be provided in order to paint a ratio of the vicechancellor’s pay to the average salary at the university.

If the university fails to accord with these measures, fines or de-registration will ensue.

The OfS will also aim to gain a greater insight into academic matters, such as the increasing number of students leaving university with first-class degrees. Last year, more than a quarter of students graduated with first-class honours.

However, with extended powers, the OfS will be able to investigate those universities who see a continuous rise in those who ascertain first-class honours degrees without good justification.

Talking to the BBC, Sir Michael Barber, chairman of the OfS stated that: “We do have powers and we won’t flinch from using them if we need to, but we’d much rather if universities ran this regulator themselves rather than [us] having to intervene. But nobody should be under any illusions; if we need to, we will.”

Students fight for Living Wage at University of Manchester

A student campaign group has set its sights on persuading the University of Manchester to become accredited by the Living Wage Foundation, thereby guaranteeing the Living Wage for its employees

Tilly Gambarotto Reporter After successfully campaigning to encourage the University of Manchester Students’ Union to become an accredited Living Wage Employer, students are now putting pressure on the university to follow suit. Accreditation by the Living Wage Foundation (LWF) would guarantee the Living Wage for all those directly or indirectly employed by the university, including subcontracted hospitality and cleaning staff.

Not to be confused with the ‘national minimum wage’ which has been set at £7.50 as a minimum legal requirement since April 2017, calculations to establish the Living Wage take into account accommodation, travel, healthy food, and small miscellaneous expenses. It is a voluntary minimum payment by participating employers, currently set at £8.75 outside of London and £10.20 inside the capital. The wage is designed to allow recipients a “basic but acceptable standard of living”, according to the LWF website.

The student campaign group have set up a Facebook page and penned an open letter to the university: “Research from [The University of Manchester] repeatedly praises the Living Wage’s benefits both in social and economic terms. It cannot be right that the university explicitly claims to support the local community whilst also refusing to ensure all workers are paid enough to live on.” Over 40 lecturers and academic staff have signed the letter in support of the campaign.

The students have teamed up with Greater Manchester Citizens, a community pressure group

News

ISSUE 18 / 5th MARCH 2018 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

University performs highly in world subject rankings

Cameron Broome Head News Editor The University of Manchester has been placed in the global top 100 for each of the five broad subject areas measured in the independent 2018 QS World University Rankings by Subject.

These subjects measured were Arts and Humanities, Engineering and Technology, Life Sciences and Medicine, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences and Management.

Measured alongside 1,129 universities around the world, the University of Manchester was in the UK top ten for each of these and was also ranked in the top 100 for 37 individual subjects.

A University spokesperson said: “We are pleased that the University has again been placed highly in all five subject groups in this ranking and that we have also had some significant successes in individual subject areas. This

independent ranking and others like it demonstrate that in teaching and research Manchester is one of the world’s elite institutions.”

The University ranked 4th in the UK and 53rd in the world for Engineering and Technology, 10th in the UK and 40th in the World for Arts and Humanities, 8th in the UK and 35rd in the world for Life Sciences and Medicine, 5th in the UK and 40th in the world for Natural Sciences and 7th in the UK and 39th in the world for Social Sciences and Management.

To compile the results, the QS team analysed over 22 million papers, producing close to 200 million citations.

1,130 institutions have been ranked across 48 subjects in five subject areas, creating 14,000 published entries.

The Subject rankings complement the QS World University rankings which were published last year and ranked the University of Manchester 34th in the world.

Exec Elections open for 2018/19

Students have until 5PM on the 8th of March to vote for their preferred candidates Nicole Wootton-Cane Senior Main Campus Reporter From Thursday the 1st of March at 12pm, students will be able to vote in the Students’ Union Executive Officer elections.

Ballots will remain open until Thursday the 8th of March at 5pm.

The roles up for election are: General Secretary; Education Officer; Campaigns, Community, and Citizenship Officer; Liberation and Access Officer; Welfare Officer; Women’s Officer; International Student Officer; and Activities and Development Officer.

A few changes have been made from previous elections,

including the scrapping of the Diversity officer in favour of the International Student and Liberation and Access officers. Also, the roles of Community and Campaign officers have been merged.

Every day between the 1st and 8th of March, the Students’ Union will be giving away a prize to a random student who has voted in the Exec Elections including a £60 Deliveroo voucher, a limo ride to a lecture and bus pass worth £150.

Students can vote at ballot boxes around campus or online via the Students’ Union website.

To find out more about each of the candidates and read their manifesto, students can visit the Students’ Union website.

Photo: Manchester Students’ Union

and local branch of Citizens UK which launched the ‘National Living Wage Campaign’ in 2001 and coordinates the LWF. Since then the organization has successfully brought over 150,000 people out of working poverty.

Citizens UK’s website claims that 93 per cent of accredited business have benefitted from paying the Living Wage, and have reported a range of improvements including “lower staff turnover, higher team morale and higher productivity”.

Over 20 other universities including Oxford and Cardiff, esteemed employers such as KPMG, ITV, Burberry and Oxfam, as well as nearly 4,000 other businesses who “believe their staff deserve a fair day’s pay for a hard day’s work” are accredited by the LWF.

“Across the UK one in five working people earns less than the Living Wage; there is still an awful lot to do” the website warns.

When asked to comment, a University of Manchester spokesman said: “Salaries for University staff have consistently met with the Living Wage Foundation’s (LWF) levels in previous years - we do not feel there is a need to become accredited, as we review our pay rates and raise them in line with the LWF rate.”

Chair of the Living Wage campaign at the university Will Ranger, however, says that accreditation is still necessary: “The purpose of accreditation is to ensure that the people on the lowest pay have their incomes rise with inflation so that they continue to be paid enough to live on.”

“It stems from the simple principle”, he argues, “that if you work a full-time job, it is insanity that you should still be unable to live on your income.

Manchester University claims to be a ‘socially responsible’ institution but doesn’t guarantee its staff enough to live on”.

Will has found that students, not unfamiliar with the experience of being paid poor wages for tough work, have been sympathetic to the cause and encourages others to join the campaign on Facebook to get involved.

The campaign raises its intensity in the wake of a tumultuous month for the University of Manchester as lecturers embark on a wave of strikes in their dispute with Universities UK (UUK) over changes to their pension scheme.

5

Photo: UoM Students’ Union

Photo: Mike Peel @ Commons Wikimedia

Workshop launched to widen participation in medicine A one-day workshop to encourage students from disadvantaged backgrounds to consider a career in the medical field Elena Magni News Reporter “Your Pathway to Becoming a Doctor,” a workshop aimed at widening participation in medicine, will be held in Manchester on the 24th of March.

Students in years 10 to 12, a period when young people often start to think about their future, are the workshop’s main target audience, as a career in medicine often has to be planned early in order to meet the requirements for a successful application to university.

The promoter of this initiative is Majid Ahmed, who graduated from Manchester Medical School in 2014, and is now a Researcher and PhD candidate.

“We want to give each young student the possibility to consider a career in medicine, no matter their background. Financial difficulties should not prevent passionate students from studying medicine. We want to drive social mobility and support talent,” explains Majid. His words echo the motto of the project “nobody left behind.”

The one-day workshop is an intense and engaging experience, with activities ranging from seminars to interactive sessions. Participants will have the chance to talk with doctors and students, getting advice and feedback.

The event will take place at the Manchester Royal Infirmary from 9.30am to 6.00pm.

Students will be in the classes that could be the location of their future medicine lectures, having a preview of the routine of a medical student.

Whilst being principally targeted at youngsters from Manchester, the workshop is open to anyone interested, coherent with the idea that everybody should be granted the same chances.

The registration fee is £25-30.

Majid says: “We are aware that requesting a payment could be contradictory since participants are likely to have financial issues. Still, the expenses are high, £3000 in total.

“We have crowdfunding activities going on at the moment. If anyone could donate only one pound our goal will be easily reached.

“I myself donated £500, money that I gained as the winner of a scientific project.”

Majid said that with the objective of widening participation, InTouch Communities, the non-profit organisation behind the project, is offering 50 bursaries.

Applications are now open and the deadline is the 9th of March.

6

Science and Tech

ISSUE 18 / 5th MARCH 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Manchester’s women in STEM: Past and present For International Women’s Day, Fiona Batchelor profiles inspirational Manchester female scientists, from past and present Thursday 8th March marks International Women’s Day, a day that has been celebrated across the world from the first years of women’s suffrage in the 1900s. It commemorates the progress that has been made in the movement for women’s rights and is a reminder that gender equality is yet to be achieved in many aspects of society, and in many countries around the globe.

In the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and maths), are notorious for

being a male-dominated world, and there is still much room for improvement in the UK. In this country, women make up only 4 2 per cent of science professionals and just 24 per cent of all those employed in STEM industries.

The University of Manchester has fostered many successful female scientific researchers in its history. Here are just a few of those inspirational scientists, past and present.

Kathleen Mary Drew-Baker, Botany

Dame Kathleen Ollerenshaw, Mathematics

Drew-Baker’s scientific work is probably better known in Japan, where she is known as the ‘Mother of the Sea’.

Named so for her research on Porphyra laciniata (nori), the edible seaweed used in sushi and in much Japanese cuisine.

Her discoveries led to a greater understanding of how to cultivate the seaweed when traditional methods were failing, and she is thus hailed as the saviour who prevented the nation’s nori industry from collapse. In 2013, Uto, Japan, hosted it’s 50th annual Drew festival in her honour.

She was born in 1901 in Leigh, Lancashire, but spent most of her academic life in Manchester. She completed her undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in botany at the University of Manchester. Upon her graduation in 1922, she became a research fellow of psychology, the study of algae. Drew-Baker eventually founded

Ollerenshaw became partially deaf due to illness at a young age and did not receive her first hearing aid until the age of 37. Despite this, she was very successful academically in school and continued to pursued maths professionally. She was known for reiterating that “mathematics is the one school subject not dependent on hearing”.

Born in Withington in 1912, Ollerenshaw was dedicated to the city of Manchester, serving as councillor for Rusholme for 26 years, and as Lord Mayor of Manchester from 1975-1976.

As well as being politically active, Ollenrenshaw was an esteemed mathematician, publishing more than 26 mathematical papers during her research career. Including perhaps her most famous work: ‘Most-Perfect Pandiagonal Magic Squares’. Magic squares are grids in which all of the rows, columns, and diagonals add up to

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

the British Phycological Society and was its first elected president.

She worked in the botany department at Manchester until her death in 1957, during which time she published prolifically, mainly on the subject of red algae, as well as on Japan’s beloved nori.

Photo: University of Manchester

the same number.

A lecturer at the University of Manchester after WWII, she was a founding fellow and president of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications, and integral to the formation of the Royal Northern College of Music.

She died in August 2014 at the age of 101. In her name, Manchester now has a distinguished research fellowship, an annual public lecture, and a room in the Alan Turing building.

ISSUE 18 / 5th MARCH 2017 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Science and Tech

£4.7m collaborative Zika vaccine project launches The University of Manchester launches a collaborative project to find viable vaccines against Zika virus to protect pregnant mothers and their unborn children Fiona batchelor Science and Technology Reporter A new initiative to create a viable vaccine against the Zika virus has been launched, with a fund of £4.7 million provided by the UK Department of Health and Social Care. The project is a collaborative effort led by the University of Liverpool, alongside the University of Manchester and Public Health England.

The project’s goal is to develop two new vaccines in the next three years, taking them through to clinical trials in human volunteers. They will use a ‘twin track’ approach, where both antibodies and killer T-cells will be activated. The hope is this will create a vaccine that has effective, long-lasting immunity to Zika.

Another key aim of the project is to develop a product that will be suitable for use in pregnant women, as this group are amongst the most at-risk of the effects of Zika virus.

Zika virus is a mosquito-bourne tropical disease, and although symptoms are usually mild in adults, Zika virus can cause severe foetal birth defects in the children of infected mothers. This includes microcephaly and Guillain-Barré syndrome, with other possible neurological consequences still under investigation.

Despite the severe effects on foetuses, there is no approved vaccine or treatment currently available for Zika virus. Control of the disease largely relies on protection against mosquito bites, and the use of contraceptives to prevent sexual transmission.

Professor Neil French, of The University of Liverpool, reiterates the danger the disease still poses: “Although the current Zika outbreak has slowed, there remains a significant risk of foetal abnormality when pregnant mothers become infected, and the changing climate raises the possibility of major epidemics occurring in previously unaffected parts of the world. A ready to use vaccine would dramatically reduce the threat that we face from Zika.”

The candidate vaccines for the new project are based on a derivative of a pre-existing smallpox vaccine. They have already demonstrated beneficial effects when used in combination and are likely to be adaptable for use against other diseases in the future.

Dr Tom Blanchard, one of the project’s lead researchers from The University of Manchester, spoke of the importance of achieving a viable Zika vaccine: “Making an effective, affordable and safe vaccine for Zika is a priority. I’m delighted to have brought about this collaboration of the Universities of Manchester and Liverpool, The Royal Liverpool Hospital and Porton Down to maximise the chances of success” The new vaccine project, and its significant funding, will provide great hope for the people and areas who still fear the effects of Zika in their community. However, the virus has so far evaded any previous attempts at developing a successful vaccine, which could cast doubts over the ambitious three-year goal.

Photo: Jaytaix @ Pixabay

7

Over 200 million NHS ‘medication errors’ per year says report

Photo: Public Domain Pictures

A collaborative study between the Universities of Manchester, York, and Sheffield, funded by the Department of Health, explores the impacts of medication errors on the NHS and patient health Jordan Ross Science and Technology Reporter The collaborative report, presented last week at the World Patient Safety Science and Technology Summit, focused on how common medication errors are and how they may affect patients’ health and increase the financial burden on the NHS. It used economic modelling to estimate that approximately 237 million medication errors occur in England each year, with around 66 million of these leading to harm. These may contribute to between 1,700-22,000 deaths from avoidable adverse drug reactions and cost the NHS £95 million per year.

A medication error is a “preventable event that may lead to inappropriate medication use, increase costs and cause minor or severe harm including death.” These errors may arise when prescribing, dispensing, administering or monitoring drugs.

Professor Mark Sculpher, University of York, said: “Although these error rates may look high, there is no evidence suggesting they differ markedly from those in other highincome countries.

“Almost three in four errors would never harm patients and some may be picked up before they reach the patients, but more research is needed to understand just how many that is.”

While the study recognises that most errors do not lead to any harm, it also concedes little is known about how the remaining 27 per

cent leads to injury or illness in patients and increases costs.

Fiona Campbell, a researcher on the report from the University of Sheffield, explains, “Measuring harm to patients from medication errors is difficult for several reasons, one being that harm can sometimes occur when medicines are used correctly, but now that we have more understanding of the number of errors that occur we have an opportunity to do more to improve NHS systems.”

As one of the possible consequence of medication errors is adverse drug reactions, this research further looked into their effect on the NHS. It drew upon 36 studies on the matter, ranging from primary healthcare settings, such as a GP practice, to secondary settings, like emergency care.

The data reveals that most harmful errors take place in primary settings and that the cost of such medication errors depends on the level of complication. Costs of such errors can go from £60 per error for a basic problem to up to £6 million for a major complication.

University of Manchester researcher on the report, Professor Rachel Elliott, argues: “The NHS is a world-leader in this area of research, and this is why we have a good idea about error rates. There is still a lot to do in finding cost-effective ways to prevent medication errors.

What this report is showing us is that we need better linking of information across the NHS to help find more ways of preventing medication errors.”

Science and tech news around the world...

Sophie Boyd reports on key contributions to science from around the globe

Professor Carole Goble, Computer Science

Professor Kathryn Else, Immunology

Professor Goble was born in Maidstone, Kent, and completed her undergraduate degree in Computing and Information Systems in 1982 at the University of Manchester, where she has been a researcher since 1985.

Goble’s research interests lie largely in e-Science, and she is a leader of the UK’s e-Science programme, helping scientists and citizens with large-scale information processing and management. In 2008, she was the only woman to have ever been awarded the Microsoft Jim Gray Award for outstanding contribution to e-Science. Goble was made a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2010, and a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2014 by Her Majesty the Queen.

Goble tells The Mancunian, “I wanted to do Computer Science since I was 13 years old and I programmed mainframe computers at school, in 1977 (!). I came to Manchester to do my undergraduate degree in Computer Science in 1979, it hadn’t occurred to me it was a “gendered” subject. It still hasn’t.

Professor Else’s research largely surrounds the immune response to gutdwelling worms. After getting a BSc in Zoology from Nottingham, she pursued her interest in immunology against these parasites. She joined the University of Manchester in 1989 as a postdoc, becoming Professor of Immunology in 2009.

Parasites are highly common worldwide and are a huge cost to society, both in healthcare and in productivity of the workforce. Else has published extensively in this field and has received funding from important bodies such as the Medical Research Council and Wellcome Trust, of whom she is also a senior research fellow.

She spoke exclusively to The Mancunion with some top tips for women at the start of their scientific careers: “Resilience matters. If you don’t succeed [the] first time around, be that a grant application or a promotion case, get feedback and try again.

Don’t spread yourself so thinly that you are not spending enough time on the

Photo: Professor Carole Goble

“I am surprised that after all these years I am still a relative rarity - a senior female computing academic. I guess I am tenacious and just decided to do what I wanted to do. Importantly I had a partner and mentors who really supported me.”

When asked what advice she would give to aspiring women computer scientists, Goble adds: “The best advice I had? Just being smart is not enough - you have to work, read, listen and surround yourself with smart people. Computing is often a team game.

Be prepared, be forward, and assume you know as much (or more) than other folks. Get a mentor. Be brave enough to say yes in the first part of your career, even when scared, and brave enough to say no when the time comes.”

Arctic seed vault set to reach one million mark The stronghold of the world’s most precious seeds, held in Svalbard, Norway, is set to have a delivery of 70,000 seeds on the 10th anniversary of the Global Seed Vault next week.

The vault has varieties of important food crops that are regarded as essential for safeguarding the world’s food supplies amid fears of drought and climate change. The store acts as a back-up for other seed banks around the world.

The upcoming delivery contains unique varieties of rice, wheat and maize. It has been estimated that there will eventually be 2.2 million unique varieties of crops deposited in this Arctic vault.

Researchers develop online game to educate public against fake news Photo: Professor Kathryn Else

things that matter to you — research into the things you really care about; things that when you work on them you lose track of time. Do at least one thing that you want to do every day and block that time for yourself in your diary, e.g. time to read that really interesting paper or just time to think.

Remember family comes first and if you focus on the important things, you can have a good work-life balance.

Academic life brings a certain amount of flexibility so if it fits, start your day early and finish work early –and don’t feel guilty about leaving work before others.”

Researchers from Cambridge have developed an online game, ‘Bad News,’ where players have to compete to become the “disinformation and fake news tycoon.”

This has been created to educate the public about fake news and to allow people to spot unreliable claims. The aim of the game is to maximise Twitter followers by using fake news whilst attempting to retain credibility.

At each stage, players are asked if they are happy with their actions or if they feel shame. Data from the game will be gathered over the next six months to understand how well players spot the tactics used.

King penguins face trouble due to climate change A team of French scientists have found that fragmented populations of king penguins in the Southern Oceans are likely to become increasingly unstable.

The fragmentation in their population was caused by movement away from usual nesting sites due to a lack of food. As the climate warms further, foraging sites will eventually be too far away for the penguins to feed their chicks.

King penguins can forage up to 700 km before exposing their chicks to starvation. It has been estimated that almost 70 per cent, around 1.1 million pairs, of king penguins will have to relocate before the end of the century as a result of climate change. If they can’t relocate, their numbers will reduce drastically.

8

Features

ISSUE 18 / 5th MARCH 2018 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Features 9

ISSUE 18 /5th MARCH 2018 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Photo: Hannah Brierley Photo: Albert Bridge @ Geograph

Reclaim the Night:

as told by those who marched Liv Clarke retells her own experience of, and interviews a fellow marcher and previous organiser for, the annual march for women’s rights

Liv Clarke Contributor There isn’t a lot that can stop the constant stream of traffic down the Curry Mile, but it always disappears for Reclaim the Night, which took place this year on February 22nd. The annual event is an opportunity to fight back against sexual assault on the streets of Manchester, and every year other aspects concerning Women’s Rights get thrown into the mix too, reflecting that this is not a localised issue but a worldwide problem.

Last year, President Trump’s attitude towards women was reflected on a lot of placards and this year the focus was on the #metoo and Time’s Up campaigns. Just over a month ago, a Time’s Up rally was held in London, a year after the initial Women’s March.

This is why an event like Reclaim the Night is so important as it tackles the issue at a grassroots level. It’s a chance to take back the streets where we no longer want to feel unsafe and afraid.

With Reclaim the Night, ordinary students come together and make their voices heard. Placards are made with old cereal boxes and cardboard packaging; one side will have ‘Girls just want fundamental rights’ painted on it, the other will be covered in the remnants of Amazon prime tape and an address of a resident of Owen’s Park.

“It’s a chance to take back the

“Reclaim the Night is an

streets where we no longer want to feel unsafe and afraid” Often it can feel like there is a lot of distance between these largescale movements about gender equality and the average person. The fact that today more and more people are talking about discrimination against women, sexual assault, and rape culture is positive; these discussions can lead to actions which get results.

When an actress talks up about the problems she’s had to encounter because of her gender it keeps the subject in the media and increases awareness; people should not and cannot ignore these issues any longer.

But it is difficult to associate yourself with someone who lives a very different life; how are these wealthy, famous actresses who don their Times Up badges going to help change the lives of students in a gritty city in the north of England?

to anti-abortion protests in Fallowfield.

People attend the event for different reasons, some have been victims of discrimination and assault — as the #metoo movement illustrated, this is a scarily common occurrence even today. Others are there purely because they don’t feel safe walking home at night alone.

For Rosa Gane, a final year student who’s attended the event each year and has helped to organise it in previous years, “Reclaim the Night is an empowering event which helps you feel part of a community of people who will support you if or when anything terrible happens”.

Anybody who’s taken part in the march will know the sense of comradeship you get from walking out from Owen’s Park and chanting in unison. “I think the march helps to attract the attention of Greater Manchester Police,” says Rosa, “and the University to get on their radar about what matters to students in the area.”

empowering event which helps you feel part of a community ” Photo: Hannah Brierley These small details are a reminder that every person who takes part in Reclaim the Night is just an everyday student, who in fact makes up a significant proportion of the population of Manchester.

The event also celebrates different voices all united with the common goal of making the streets safe. The march isn’t just a line of “women”; there are blocks dedicated to Muslims, the LGBTQ community, and this year a ‘Pro-choice’ block was added as a response

Indeed, Reclaim the Night is a very public way of highlighting the problem of sexual assault; a crowd of people marching for what they believe is something you can’t easily ignore.

For me, Reclaim the Night is an inspiring event because the passion people have for the cause is evident everywhere. The march is against something very negative, but the event itself is incredibly positive.

Students come together at the banner making sessions, volunteers decorate the Students’ Union for the after party and there’s always confused laughter when the chants get mixed up.

It’s been 100 years since some women in the UK gained the right to vote, but women are still uniting and reclaiming the night.

The Creative Space The Creative Space is a monthly profile showcasing the best of the University of Manchester’s original talent.

Are you a singer, songwriter, filmmaker or designer?

Do you have a poem, short story, play or illustration you’re dying to share?

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

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

Tenants fighting back: an interview with ACORN

Community organisation ACORN Manchester will “do all they can... to help those having issues with landlords/letting agents” Cliona Linehan Contributor Many of Manchester’s estimated 99,000 students are concerned about the increasing common stories of landlords forcing people to live in inadequate conditions and letting agents refusing to communicate with tenants.

“ACORN is standing up to private landlords on behalf of tenants, fighting housing poverty and exploitation” The ACORN union is standing up to private landlords on behalf of tenants, fighting housing poverty and the exploitation of tenants.

“ACORN is a tenants union, by members for members” said Rachel Twaites, a member defence coordinator of ACORN Manchester. “We focus on community organising, opposed to something like Shelter

which offers legal advice.”

Although the group aims to help tenants from all sections of society, Rachel highlighted that university students are particularly vulnerable to evasive landlords. “Something we’ve been finding with a number of people we’ve been in contact with is that many don’t know their rights which is a big problem for them...University tenants don’t realise that landlords have a duty to provide a standard, you don’t have to pay for it.”

In October, ACORN Manchester helped a group of students in Withington who were having problems regarding the legal standard of a rented property. With a broken central heating system, this house of eight had reached the point that they “could see [their] breath in bedrooms.” Jack Sutcliffe told us how ACORN helped the group “draft an official letter from them [ACORN] outlining our 13 demands.

“ACORN works by quickly escalating its course of action and the next step after the letter was to visit their [the letting agent’s] offices.

However, in our case one of the directors of the letting agencey responded the next morning asking if we could meet.”

ACORN helped this group of students achieve all 13 of their demands, which alongside fixing the central heating issue included replacing expired flooring, a halt to “unfair late fees”, and the provision of contact details for their landlord.

Twaites mentioned a few key things to be aware of when searching for accommodation. “Always look to make sure you have got all your paperwork. There are certain amounts of paperwork that have to be

given to you with your contract. When signing your contract, they should give you a package with a few different pieces of paperwork.”

Rushed viewings also presented as a key area to be cautious with.

Twaites suggested to “give yourself plenty of time and space, and be very clear on how much this is going to cost.”

As well as their advice and services for students, Twaites discussed ACORN’s Universal Credit Campaign: “a number of our other branches across the UK have started doing it and have successfully got councils to agree to not evict any tenants on Universal Credit.”

Whilst many students use social media to raise awareness about dodgy landlords, students can get involved with the ACORN tenants union, as it is a community based organisation. “If you just sign up to our Facebook, if you are not willing to start actively organising, but would like to support us. We always advertise things like doorknocking, stalls in towns to talk about what [ACORN] is doing. If you actively want to help we have got all sorts of positions like communications, or even more active roles like member defence which would be more case work.”

ACORN is “a community based organisation, not an advice service” that offers help to tenants fighting against private landlords. Ultimately, as described by Sutcliffe, “what is clear is that ACORN will do all they can with the resources they have to help those having issues with landlords/letting agents.”

If you are looking for additional housing advice, head to the Students’ Union ‘Advice Service’ webpage.

Safety in Fallowfield: an interview with Afzal Khan

Lucinda Obank talks to Afzal Khan, MP for Manchester Gorton, about crime in Fallowfield, and how we can make students safer Lucinda Obank Contributor Following the recent spike in crimes over Fallowfield, students are now demanding change. Many see no improvement in safety as the regularly updated Fallowfield Students Group is still flooded with stories of muggings, attacks, break-ins, verbal abuse, and stalkings.

“He cites 8 years of austerity policies, which have seen police departments cut in numbers, as the reason for high levels of crime”

Earlier this month, Louis O’Halloran urged students to contact both local MP Afzal Khan and their MPs from home. He created a template for other students to use with the intention to illustrate the widespread prevalence of crime that still exists. Hopefully, the increased pressure on MPs, as a result, will start to trigger action that is much overdue.

Personally, I was interested in what Afzal Khan had to say himself as MP for Manchester Gorton constituency. I arranged a telephone interview to speak with him directly.

Firstly, I asked his opinion on whether he thought Louis’ approach was a good one. Khan congratulated Louis on taking initiative to contact MPs as their job is to serve the communities in which they

lead. He later commented that many students have got in touch, give is welcome, [however, the] safety of Night Owls is a concern.” whether this is a direct result of Louis or because of When asked what students can do themselves to help he their own experiences is uncertain, but “there is advised that keeping in groups and staying alert is key. clearly a problem”.

Remaining vigilant at all times on the streets as the Khan said he welcomed any support theft of mobile phones by thieves on bicycles on offer to help improve safety has increased. in Fallowfield but claims that I then asked what he is doing to help ultimately there needs to be as our MP because students have felt sufficient resources available unsafe for a long time. He emphasised for the professionals. the importance of working He attributes 8 years collaboratively with students, the of austerity policies university, police, and the council which have seen police to be most effective. Khan seemed departments cut in keen to point out that, “students numbers the reason are our future.” He plans to meet for high levels of crime: students themselves and talk to “This has increased the them about their issues. Apart pressure on the police from this, he didn’t mention any and strained resources.” other steps or plans for the future I then asked his opinion which was disappointing. of the Night Owl Scheme I finished the conversation by which emerged out of the informing him of some of the ideas petition last October. Khan students have suggested themselves. commented the petition was This included improving street lighting, “impressive” in terms of volume improving student-police relationships and demonstrated the needs of — as many feel neglected when crimes are students in Fallowfield. just logged on to a system with no follow-up —, However, although the Night Owl and increasing police presence on our streets.

Scheme is yet to launch Khan expressed Khan agreed with all of these contributions, but only mixed opinions of it. “Any support people can Photo: Afzal Khan time will tell if any of these will be implemented.

Opinion

10

ISSUE 18 / 5th MARCH 2018 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Why was there no official LGBT+ bloc at Reclaim The Night?

Because the Student’s Union forgot about us

Photo: Ella Milburn

It was my third ‘Reclaim the Night.’ It was supposed to be the crowning jewel in my university life, so that when I graduated in about six months, I jumped into the world of work happily knowing that I had spent three cold Thursday evenings yelling about street harassment and sexual assault, whilst smiling very widely (with all teeth!) at men on the Curry Mile who stared as we marched.

I jest — it was not the ‘crowning jewel’ in my university life, but it was definitely one of the highlights and it would be my last one at the University of Manchester. I came expecting to

join the LGBTQ+ block... and there was nothing. No banner, no designated area for us to stand.

Now, I know this may sound entitled, but that was how it had always gone in previous years. People were corralled toward their designated areas and your banner was there waiting for you and for (un) lucky minions to hold up as you marched.

But this year, it felt more of a mess, and there were fewer people too. Everyone milled about aimlessly, and there seemed to be fewer stewards and fewer people too. There were only three blocks, a confused steward told us, Women’s, Family, and

Mixed.

There was no block for us, even though the leaflet produced by the Student’s Union for LGBTQ+ History Month told us otherwise. And Reclaim the Night is a Students’ Union event — the right hand does not know was the left hand is doing, clearly.

In 2017, there was a designated block for Women, Family and Youths, LGBTQ+, Muslim, and Mixed groups. There is most definitely the demand for it, and if advertised correctly, it could really have increased this year’s meagre turn-out.

But in the end, there was no block for us. The stewards were confused, and suggested we march at the back of the Mixed block, that is, at the back of the parade. Some of us did end up marching towards the back whilst others of us tried to form our own ‘block’ in-between the Family block (what happened to the ‘and Youth’ bit?) and the Mixed block.

It did not work out well: with no wide banners and little organisation or strictness from the stewards, the Mixed block overtook the renegade LGBTQ+ block (all seven people or so) and by the end of the march, they, and the tiny Family block, were subsumed into the Mixed block.

Where were our Reclaim the Night banners? If they were lost, could not more be made? They were sturdy things, reused each year. If we — members of the LGBTQ+ block — had known that were to be none, we could have used the LGBTQ+ Society’s personal hand-painted banner, but due to miscommunication, that banner ended up towards the back of the mixed group.

So what’s going on? Disorganisation and lack of care, at a guess. Attendance at Reclaim the Night has fallen year on year, despite the Students’ Union trying to argue otherwise. ‘Alternative facts,’ anyone?

Anecdotally, I can say that I only knew about

Anon

Reclaim the Night because of two things: a) I know it happens at the end of February and b) the Students’ Union’s charming pamphlet about LGBTQ+ History Month told me when it was happening (a truth) and that there would be an LGBTQ+ block (a lie). There seemed to be a lack of a Facebook campaign, and the advertising inside the physical Students’ Union seems to be focused on selling T-shirts.

So who do I, an anonymous angry columnist, blame? Why, the people I elected of course. The Executive Committee of the Students’ Union and the part-time LGBQ and Trans Officers... I shall be thinking very carefully about how I vote this election season.

One of the reasons we elect those people is to represent our interests. One of my sole interests is to not be forgotten about, to be represented.

I could imagine the part-time Trans Officers quite easily advocating for having a Trans block, or the part-time BME Officers advocating for a BME block.

If in 2017, there was a Family and Youth Block, a Muslim Block, and an LGBTQ+ block, surely there would be the need?

I imagine all one has to do is ask, after all, there is a clear precedent. And all one needs is a banner, a megaphone, and a place to stand in the parade.

They could then advertise this to the groups they represent, bring more people onboard with the aims and the community that surround Reclaim the Night!

What is Reclaim the Night about if not to bring more people into the discussion around sexual harassment and assault, to make one feel not alone, and to encourage a further dialogue? And especially with already marginalised groups (LGBQ, Trans, BME), does this discussion not become even more important, that community oh so valuable?

So why forget about us?

False intimacy in social media adverts

Aisha Al-Janabi Opinion Contributor influencers, whose lifestyle and job description is to influence our own, can have a greater impact on what we purchase. A false intimacy is created when we engage with influencers online; we have unparalleled access to their daily routines from running mundane errands to going to bed.

Amongst the stream of their daily goings-on are elegant flat-lays of product placements and recommendations, which I admit I have been influenced by.

‘Natural Cycles’ has been cropping up across my various social media accounts. It is an app which can be used as a natural form of contraception — although I am hesitant to call it a contraceptive.

Through measuring a woman’s temperature daily, an algorithm is used to calculate fertile and non-fertile days, hence when it is safe to have unprotected sex without risk of pregnancy.

According to the designers, our body temperature increases by around 0.45 ͦC when ovulating, which would create a ‘red day’: a day to use protection.

However, a study in 2000 by the National Institute of Environmental Health found that women are always potentially fertile at any point in their menstrual cycle, contradicting the claims the app depends upon.

Launched in 2014, the app is now certified in Europe but is not regulated by the British Medicines and Healthcare Product Regulatory Agency, a fact not mentioned by sponsored ads. Unlike medical forms of contraception, the app has not had to undergo years of rigorous clinical trials to prove its accuracy and efficacy.

Several social media influencers, especially those advocating ‘healthy lifestyles’, are participating in paid sponsorships with the company, including Carly Rowena and Shona

Shifting sands: the future of EU-Africa relations

Photo : Wikimedia Commons

European Affairs society hosts engaging talk inviting students to think about EU’s role with Africa and other former colonised areas’ development and trade on the eve of Brexit Francesca McClimont Opinion Contributor

Are social media influencers exploiting the authenticity of their platform for profit?

Online lifestyle gurus, or influencers, can reach a large and varied audience instantaneously, which has naturally meant they are approached by brands for advertisements. The adverts or content created is often seen by more people than television adverts or billboards. As a result, perhaps there should be stricter regulations in place.

In this new age of advertisements, the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) have had to create and update advertising laws; influencers now need to be explicit if their content is an ad, but there are some products I feel should not be advertised in this way regardless.

Kim Kardashian West has 108 million Instagram followers, nearly twice the UK population, meaning she possesses a great deal of advertising power and value. At the beginning of this year, Kim recommended using detox teas from the ‘Flat Tummy Tea Company’, a company which Kim says are “all about getting women back on track” after their indulgences during Christmas.

Besides the social issue of suggesting that women specifically should want to lose weight, it is the promotion of a medically harmful product that concerns me. While Kim is daring to bare all in her underwear, she is not bearing the health risks that come with detox teas as explicitly.

It may be 100 per cent natural, but these natural products do have effects on our bodies. This detox tea contains senna, which is made from the leaves and fruit of the senna plant and is used as a laxative to treat constipation – not so glamorous. The longterm use of this can stop bowels from functioning properly; it is risks such as these that are not mentioned in the small print of Instagram posts, and which will have damaging effects.

While Kim can reach the masses, I feel

Photo: magicatwork @ Flickr

Vertue. While damning their experience of the oral contraceptive pill, which was first produced in 1960 and revolutionised women’s sexual freedom, they emphasise their new found liberation from using this app.

These influencers are not doing follow-up posts, just one-off blog posts holding their new pink thermometer, which raises the question: are they using ‘Natural Cycles’ as a long-term form of contraception, or is it just until they receive their paycheck To use this app, you need an incredibly regulated lifestyle. There is an endless list as to what may affect the reliability of the app: hangovers, stress, travelling, and a regular period — something I am not blessed with — for proper use.

Some sources mention that getting a couple of hours more, or less, sleep can cause the app to fail, which is not what I would consider liberating.

Opinion 11

ISSUE 18 / 5th MARCH 2018 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

These ‘terms of use’ are not being emphasised within the adverts created by online influencers.

When promoting Natural Cycles, a discussion is not being had about different contraceptive methods available and the benefits, or problems, they each have that need to be considered when deciding which to use.

Influencers can use their platforms to talk about topics such as sex and contraception, which provide a more comfortable and realistic discussion to the awkward and humorous sex-ed classes that I’m sure we all enjoyed during school.

These should be impartial or at least have the aim to educate, not advertise and profit from, because these could have lasting damning effects.

I will always love the Kardashians and other influencers, but some products and topics should not become adverts.

The European Affairs society hosted a fascinating talk on Wednesday the 21st of February about the future of EU-African relations.

With the advent of Brexit in the coming years, informing ourselves on the future of Europe’s trade agreements with the rest of the world becomes increasingly important. Young people engaging with this is especially vital as we are the next generation to control how Brexit forges its path in the fields of domestic and international relations.

The first half of the talk was held by Dr Sophia Price, head of Politics and International Relations at Leeds Beckett University. She gave the audience a brief history of the EU’s relations with African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries over the course of the twentieth century up until the present day.

As Dr Price detailed a century’s worth of EU-ACP relations it became clear that aid provision to poorer countries has come hand in hand with new conventions that have been signed in order to open up the world market to developing countries. How trade liberalisation

by EU-ACP trade partnerships bolstered many of these countries’ economies was also addressed.

Aid also played a key role in this development: with every revision of the Lomé Convention came an increase in aid to ACP countries from the equivalent of three billion Euros in 1975 to 8.5 billion in 1986.

What would be the impact on aid provision with Brexit, she asked? Britain has always

been at the forefront of aid legislation and is the third largest contributor to the EU-ACP aid, she concluded her part of the talk with a worry for developing countries: that many doubt that this gap in aid provision created by Brexit will be filled by remaining EU states.

This speculation to me seems to be particularly accurate, considering that many of these EU nations such as Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Greece are still in financial crisis. Unless the UK decides to contribute to aid independently, which I somehow doubt. It’s also worth considering that the question of aid is very fragile in a post-colonial era — particularly if the UK is standing alone after Brexit.

Its actions may be more closely scrutinised

internationally, especially since many still feel resentment towards former colonial powers, such as the British Empire. International confidence in aid has also been shaken in the light of recent scandals, such as the recent revelation that aid workers paid prostitutes in Haiti in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake.

This threat, in turn, has provided ammunition to factions in the UK government and the tabloid press that have always been opposed to aid. It seems likely that Brexit may not only isolate Britain with regard to European and global trade markets but also its humanitarian influence.

The second speaker of the talk was Dr Peg Murray-Evans, from the University of York, who

Calling for opinion section contributors

Photo: Flickr

is currently writing a book about the formation of trade partnerships between the EU and ACP countries and the agency these poorer countries have within these negotiations.

Detailing that popular opinion is that Britain will create an almost identical partnership with ACP countries as the EU has now, their access to Britain’s market will, therefore, be very similar.

There will, however, be less flexibility for their exports to access the UK. She also emphasized the importance of the EU not being protectionist, and how crucial it is that the EU and Britain do not become more protectionist as a result of Brexit. It was hard not to agree with her on this, but isn’t it worth asking ourselves whether Brexit will really open up Britain to the wider world or, as it seems to me, be a protectionist act in itself?

The talk was concluded with a question and answer session where the audience brought up several interesting topics. One of the most definite answers from the speakers was that prices of ACP imports into the UK would not increase, but many of the other responses came as mere speculations.

In this instance, it was poignant how uncertain the future is as even specialists in their field struggle to answer questions regarding what lies ahead.

Dr Price pointed out that the renegotiation of the Cotonou Agreement in 2020 coincides with Brexit. This will mean that Europe will have to completely rethink its relationship with Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific. It strikes me that we live in a world where globalisation has led to every continent depending on another.

Future negotiations will determine how these relationships will develop and who will thrive as a result of these connections.

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 editor 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

12

Music

ISSUE 18 / 5TH MARCH 2018 WWW.MANCHETSERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Feature

Reviews

Kate Tempest (Ethan Davies - Deputy Station Manager Fuse FM) I wasn’t really a fan of political songs until I listened to Kate Tempest. Anyone can attack a system, but she intwines the evils of modern-day UK government with the lives of everyday characters she creates which genuinely astounds me. Her finest work is a tale of seven people, all living in the same area.

Their paths all meet on the same night a huge storm comes to amaze them. It’s hip-hop, but it’s also philosophy. Kate Tempest inspires not because she came from a disadvantaged background to become a prodigious poetry talent. She inspires because she opens eyes to musical possibilities.

Photo: Flickr:@ villunderlondon

Record Reappraisal - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill 20 years ago, the first female to ever top the rap charts, Lauryn Hill, released the ever-strong statement of a generation: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.

It hasn’t been 4 months since I started listening to Julien Baker but I struggle to think of an artist that has managed to connect with me on a personal and emotional level as her in recent memory.

Julien’s ability to lay herself bare and expose herself is probably my favourite thing about her.

That upfront honestly intertwined with simple, yet effective melodies will captive you to the very core.

It creates a sense of intimacy that is rarely found in artists nowadays. It’s partly the reason why Sprained Ankle has pretty much been on repeat ever since I first heard it. There is just no other artist like her.

Ellie Roswell & The Big Moon (Winona Newman - Contributor) Wolf Alice’s lead singer and songwriter Ellie Rowsell, Photo: Flickr:@ Sachyn Mital continues to be the goddess of indie-rock. The band is actively engaging young people in politics whilst creating masterpieces like their latest album ‘Visions of a Life’. Ellie lacks pretence; she’s relatable and talented and an inspiration for young women.

The Big Moon are a joyous relief from a largely male-dominated indie-rock scene. Nominated for a mercury prize in 2017 for their 2016 album ‘Love in the Fourth Dimension’ they’re down-to-earth and having the time of their lives. This festival season, go and have a dance.

Fast forward four years and we have Hold On To Your Heart. A stunning, 80’s infused hit machine, yet equally heartfelt as There Is Only You. Not only have they released this record into what is generally a far better period for rock music than 2014, but it feels like a defining moment in their career. It is their strongest, most experimental, yet rewarding album that they have put their name to and based on this and their live show, they are hitting their deserved upward trajectory.

The Xcerts took the stage in a somewhat sombre manner. Opening with Hold On To Your Heart’s slow first track ‘The Dark’. It seemed a bold move considering how little time has passed since release. This certainly conveyed confidence in their new material. It is a beautiful album opener, but the band seemed a bit off the boil at first, although ‘Daydream’ picked up the pace of the show.

Frontman Murray MacLeod then graphically told the audience how ill he had been and that the gig nearly had to be cancelled. This did show at first, but as it went on Murray became much more comfortable and the songs sounded all the better for it.

If opening with ‘The Dark’ was gutsy, The Xcerts went on to completely one-up themselves by playing every song from the new album. Most bands who are four albums deep into their careers would not dream of this. Especially with it being out for just over a month. But on this showing, it paid off with how exceptional the songs all sounded, and how much the crowd backed the decision.

Murray expressed his gratitude to the crowd saying he was “glad you’re all digging it” after he told of how they played in front of twelve people at a festival only a year before. He spoke of their goal to pack out the Deaf Institute since they supported The Get Up Kids in the

Avril Lavigne (Kirstie O’Mahony - Editor-in-Chief) Other than my mum, there is no other woman who had a greater impact on my formative years than Avril Lavigne. She influenced my style (fingerless black and white striped elbow length gloves anyone?), and my attitude, as she taught me to put two fingers up at the world when it seems like it’s against you. She also taught me that it’s fine to care about boys, to love them, and to worry about them, but when they don’t treat you right you drop them like a tonne of bricks. I can think of no greater musical role model.

This legendary album turns 20 this year but is still timeless, recalls Contributor, Tara Bharadia

Wednesday 21st February, Manchester Academy After his badly-received appearance at Pangaea Festival back in September 2017, the difference between Wednesday’s performance and that was stark.

Instead of spitting out four songs with minimal energy and multiple breaks, his performance at the Academy seemed to remind the Photo: Album Artwork people of Manchester of his true talent.

However, it must be said that upon arrival, the energy in the room was strange. The in-house DJ was playing a contorted remix of Spice Girls hits and S Club 7 and the room was less than receptive of it.

The mix of people also added to the originality of the night. Most were indeed young people that came for the mosh pits and the drink throwing, and yet a large percentage were the over 40s who came in couples

or groups to see the man that had exposed the UK to the originality of grime music.

It can be said that this extended period of terribly remixed songs and the strange dynamic between the generations created a collective sense of disappointment within the crowd before Wiley had even come on. His supporting act, a young female rapper from South London was a happy break from the pop songs of before, and yet she seemed to only do 60 second segments of each song and her energy only did so much to elevate her otherwise generic performance.

Nonetheless, the appearance of Wiley seemed to makeup for all that had come before, and whilst he walked on to the backdrop of Lynyrd Skynyrd, which in itself made the crowd erupt in boos as well as cheers, he immediately went into ‘Been A While’ from his new album Godfather II which stimulated the crowd into a sudden frenzy.

From then on the crowd became a constant mosh-pit with security running in and out literally every three minutes. The speakers created a heavy bass that vibrated your whole body and this, coupled with Wiley’s Gucci backpack, set the scene for a naughty night. His chart bangers like ‘Wearing My Rolex’ and ‘Heatwave’ created a near immovable crowd, with 18 year olds and 38 year olds alike pushing and shoving

8/10

against one another to show their excitement at Wiley’s voice.

The ‘special guests’ Wiley introduced lived up to their ‘special’ title, and local MC Kay Rico’s performance of his new song ‘Blitzed’, with its heavy bass and young-Wiley-esque feel, further energised the crowd and set Wiley up nicely for the next part of his set. As he’s known as an artist who pushes the careers of other grime performers, such as Dizzee Rascal, Tinchy Stryder and Chip, Wiley’s introduction of Kay Rico and Cody was well received from the crowd, and their individual grime styles placed Wiley back in the position of the ‘Godfather of Grime’.

That same night saw Stormzy dominate the Brit Awards in a passionate performance that will go down in music history. Whilst Wiley was not Stormzy’s mentor, his push of young grime artists, and his own music history that helped create and sustain the grime industry, exposes Wiley as the true ‘king of grime.’ His performance last Wednesday did nothing to question this, and instead reinforced and cemented this image. The range of generations that came to see him, and the reception that each individual person gave him showcases the sheer talent that this mentor and founder has.

7/10

Top 5 - Female POP Anthems e Your

t - Just a

a Ch

sing Pav

d an

e - O ne

s t T i me

It would be just rude not to put this in . Who run the world? GIRLS.

b ou

La

is Ra

ents em

n T he W u R

l G ir

Hill allowed and inspired many more artists of a similar thread to share the limelight, with acts including Outkast, Nicki Minaj and Nas. The record is one that will continue to influence music and pop culture for a long time and if you haven’t yet, you should definitely give it a listen.

venue and was justifiably chuffed to bits to have done exactly that.

For him, it is as much a personal triumph as any having come through such a low period in his life to create this remarkable piece of art.

The dominance of new songs in the set did not take away from their older material. ‘I Don’t Care’ and ‘Shaking in the Water’s’ colossal hooks ensured a familiar start to the set before they dived back into ‘First Kiss Feeling’, ‘Crisis in the Slow Lane’ and ‘Aberdeen 1987’ nodded back The Xcerts’ youth and music that resonates more with teenage angst than the demons Murray had to face later on.

‘Aberdeen 1987’ especially held its own in the set list, and hearing the whole room sing along to its chorus showed that The Xcerts’ core fanbase had stuck by them, along with those they have gained recently. Give them some more time however, and it would not be foolish to suggest that ‘Cry’ will gather a similar unity in their audiences.

Songs like ‘Slackerpop’ show off the band’s stellar back catalogue, but the dominance of the new record in the set list simply shows just how irrefutably brilliant it is. Despite lacking Will Gardener of Black Peaks on saxophone, ‘Drive Me Wild’ sounded stadium-sized in this small venue with its Springsteen-tinged, wondrous nature.

A crowd member shouts, “Murray. You drive ME wild,” during a pause, summing up better than anyone could how I felt by the end of the night. In fairness to him, it was impossible to not be infatuated with his on-stage presence. This tour displays encouraging signs for The Xcerts, and I truly hope they continue to be shown more of this overdue appreciation as more people hear the record. They deserve your love.

The Godfather of Grime took to the Academy on the night of the Brits to deliver a fast-paced performance that saw him reinstate his position as king.- Contributor Megan Matthews

ss

With regards to a track that has stood the test of time, ‘Doo-Wop (That Thing)’ is instantly recognisable after being popular with advertisements, samples and covers. The track was the first rap song to debut at number 1 and its subsequent music video won four MTV VMAs. The lyrics are fast, careful and have a lot of weight behind them. They are delivered by Hill in a sporadic way that is still pleasing to the ear, catchy and unrefined with emotions. The song calls out a lot of gender inequalities and tries to put them right, putting both men and women in the male-dominated ‘player’ role, only looking for ‘that thing’.

Monday the 26th of February, Manchester Deaf Institute It is hard to believe that the shows on The Xcerts headline tour are their biggest to date. The 300 capacity Deaf Institute may seem a modest size for a band that has been kicking around for a while, but packing out this venue indicates to me that the Scottish trio is finally getting their long deserved dues.

When I saw the band in 2013 as main support to Lower Than Atlantis in London, their raw and energetic performance made me wonder why I hadn’t seen their name around more. Until this year, that has pretty much remained constant, which is a great shame. 2014’s There Is Only You is a criminally overlooked record. A beautiful ode to loss and grief, that manages to remain life-affirming, it was an album that deserved to see the band recognised for the achievement.

G la

Aside from her many accolades after release, the reason this album did so well was the truth it was recorded with. After the dissolution of the Fugees in 1997, Hill began dating Rohan Marley and became pregnant. These two life events, as well as her close relationship religion, provided heavy inspiration for a lot of the material on this album. However, the album, as a whole, is an ode to inner strength, womankind and freedom. Hill went from co-writing for Aretha and Houston to writing for herself for her own reasons. The vocals on the album are honest, earthy and mature like a well-aged cigar. Hill’s narrative throughout the record is a ballsy yet easy-onthe-ears for a new-found independence.

Photo: Jack Saddler

Live: Wiley

9/10

The Xcerts drive the Deaf Institute wild, says Contributor, Jack Saddler

Julien Baker (Ciaran McLaughlin - Contributor)

ld (Girls or

Released in August of 1998, Lauryn Hill’s first and only solo album graced our lives. After making it to number one within the first few days of release, selling almost half a million copies in the first week and breaking the record for sales by a female artist, Hill announced her worldwide tour in 1999, for which tickets sold out within hours. The album won five Grammys in one night including being the first hiphop record to ever win the Grammy Award for Album of the Year and Hill also gained the Brit Photo: Album Artwork Award for Best International Female Solo Artist. As well as these physical praises, the legacy of the record is one that sparks nostalgia yet still continues to inspire a new generation.

the verses, against the moody, rumbling roars of thunder during the choruses.

‘SPRORGNSM’ switches us back to the famil-

on loop it would almost feel like its narrating the day, finishing the album with a yawn and talking about going to sleep, then to go back to the first line of the first song of ‘It’s All Good’.

“Good Morning Orono, you are awake, the weather today is dark”.

This album is clever and calculated the whole way through, designed to take you on a journey with them, and transport you audibly through the use of their soundscapes and smart layering of not just instruments, but recordings of the things they see and hear on a daily basis. They use their undeniable talent to mash all these different elements, resulting in a beautiful, chaotic mind fuck.

But it creates an absolute gem of an album.

There is honestly nothing like Superorganism at all right now. They are exciting and somewhat confusing and chaotic, but you can’t help but love it.

A r i a n a Gr

There are so many women I could reel off as being inspirational, but for me and probably a few million others Lady Gaga has probably got to be number one. She broke every kind of boundary possible and changed the way people perceived female musicians. Lady Gaga challenged, on so many levels what was the ‘norm’ and what was deemed ‘perfection’ for women. She encouraged people to feel normal in their own skin. Her bravery to stand up against the grain and her off the wall persona launched her to be a household name. Lady Gaga has used her platform to make noise and raise awareness to such a long list of charities you’d probably lose count.

“Being a lady today means being a fighter. It means being a survivor. It means letting yourself be vulnerable and acknowledging your shame or that you’re sad or you’re angry. It takes great strength to do that.”

She brought a wave of fun and creativeness to a pop-music world that was becoming ever so slightly monotonous and encouraged people just to be who they are, I am forever indebted.

Put your paws up monsters.

Photo: Album Artwork

Live: The XCERTS

-

Lady Gaga (Hannah Brierley - Music Editor)

Australian singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett is pretty damn cool. Of the car albums I never updated since sixth form, her 2015 album Sometimes I Sit and Think, Sometimes I Just Sit is the classic that shines through the bunch. Courtney inspires me because she offers good road advice.

As well as letting us know that big business “is overtaking, without indicating”, her meditative method of ‘sometimes sitting, sometimes sitting and thinking’ has been essential for navigating the contrasts of empty dual carriageways and overwhelming small towns that characterised my teenage driving experiences in Devon: sometimes I think (about ocean pollution, pasties, or Sydney’s suburbs) but sometimes i just sit and try not to crash. Life is just like driving a car — and Courtney would tell you that’s a terrible metaphor, plug that dirty guitar in, and sing a song about swimming lessons.

P !nk

Ever since young Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O’Connor burst on to the music scene during her mid-teens, people have been in awe at her incredibly mature, raw, and experimental sound.

With her first EP coming out way back in 2013 at the tender age of just 16, Lorde has consistently demonstrated that age does not equate to talent. Very few artists out there are able to capture so effortlessly the highs and lows of adolescence and early adulthood in such powerful ways. Now two studio albums deep all before her 21st birthday, Lorde shows no signs of slowing down on her way to world domination.

Courtney Barnett (Tristan Parsons -Deputy Head Editor)

yonce e B

Lorde (Jake Oliver - Contributor)

A]

Becca Macintyre and Marmozets have kicked the door back open for the British underground rock scene. Their Photo: Wiki Commons debut The Weird and Wonderful Marmozets (2014) reignited what was virtually dead in the ground, buried by saturation, and made it possible for bands like these to stand up and be counted again. Knowing What You Know Now (2018) features the best vocal performance on an album released this year and she has reaffirmed her status as the most important figure in Brit-rock.

)

Rebecca Macintyre - Marmozets (Jack Saddler - Contributor)

The daughter of Haitian parents who fled the country to escape the dictatorship of François Duvalier, Régine Chassagne has not had the stereotypical route into rock music. She is a founding member of Grammy award-winning band Arcade Fire having been invited to join by future husband Win Butler and in an industry, as well as a genre, dominated by men, Chassagne has been a breath of fresh air.

She is insanely musically talented. Any given Arcade Fire show she can be seen playing instruments ranging from the accordion to the hurdy-gurdy to the drums to the keyboard and even the xylophone. She has spoken about how she sometimes hears music so clearly that it might as well be real and very clearly has such a passion for it.

Haiti continues to play a big part in her life and after the earthquake in 2010, Arcade Fire helped to raise $1 million in the relief fund. The band continue to donate $1 of every ticket sold to Haitian charities and Chassagne is a driving factor behind that.

To see someone who has been closely related to modern-day atrocities such as the Duvalier dictatorship but continues to pursue music is inspiring and you can do worse things today than listen to Sprawl II. An Arcade Fire song from The Suburbs sung by Chassagne that remains one of their best tracks to date.

-

Régine Chassagne - Arcade Fire (Sam Cooper - Sports Editor)

The queen of bohemian rock, Stevie Nicks is, and always has been, her own women. Draped in layers of originality and lace, she is an inspiration to any girl with guitar bands plastering the walls of her bedroom, gazing out of the window onto a hazy horizon. Killer vocals and a dreamy aesthetic coupled with a prowess for story-telling and a middle finger to the patriarchy, Nicks is is the rockstar we all dream of being. Doing it for girls since 1967.

iar bubbly dystopian surroundings, followed by ‘Nai’s March’ which is probably the most unusual on the album. The combination of video game sounds, water trickling and an audience cheering halfway through the song before breaking down to absolute chaos... (there’s even a frog ribbit in there a few times).

I’ve got to say ‘The Prawn Song’ is a stand-out track. The lyrics which at the beginning feel like nonsense, over the course of the song begin to make sense and almost relatable, as the band explain how they’re happy just to relax and chill... like a prawn.

“Have you ever seen a prawn cause a world war? Have you ever kissed a prawn and got a cold sore, Have you ever seen a prawn kick off?”

The album begins to wind down with ‘Relax’, flowing nicely into their final track ‘Night Time’.

The concluding track becomes hypnotic and lulling and a very clean way to finish the album. My favourite part, if you were to listen to this album

-

Stevie Nicks - (Yasmin Duggal - Deputy Music Editor)

Superorganism is about to drop one of the most highly anticipated albums of 2018, self titled album Superorganism.

The album features previously released singles such as, ‘It’s All Good’, ‘Everybody Wants To Be Famous’, ‘Something for your M.I.N.D’ and ‘Nobody Cares’. These all clearly display the groups vibrant, psychedelic elements to their music, as well demonstrating the obvious innovative musical talent that Superorganism possesses. Cleverly layering different sound recordings, instruments make the tracks fun to listen to over and over again, each time hearing something different, and finding those ‘ easter eggs’ that you missed before.

‘Reflections on Screen’ takes a more relaxed and melancholy tone. In contrast to previously released work from Superorganism, this track shows off Oronos flawless and floaty vocal talent. It works nicely with the gentleness of the lyrics, vocals and sounds of birds chirping during

SUPERORGANISM realse their debut self titled album, and it’s everything we wanted and more, says Music Editor, Hannah Brierley

Adele

With International Women’s Day taking place on the 8th March, we ask The Mancunion’s writers and editors about their female musical icons

Album: Superorganism

No D

International Women’s Day: ten Musical Inspirations

Photo: Wiki Commons

Music 13

ISSUE 18 / 5th MARCH 2018 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

P!nk again being an absolute star, reminding us that life is short and just to have fun.

No Doubt brought us this empowering track on how belittling people can be towards women.

Adele is probably the biggest female muscian,. She hasn’t let it go to her head and is such a great role model.

Beautiful, smart, funny and so compassionate. Nothing but love for Ariana who shows us how its done.

14

Music

ISSUE 18 / 5th March 2018 WWW.MANCHETSERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Deputy Music Editor, Yasmin Duggal

Opinion Album

Feature: NME celebrates diversity at 2018 awards show Modern award shows are regularly criticised for their mundane, run-of-the-mill series of events, culminating in American performances at a British event, and the rehearsed shell-shock of bookies’ favourites as they stride up to claim their third prize of the night.

Alongside the recent abuse hurled at UK festivals for their lack of female representation, the music industry is facing hard times for its apparent disregard for divergence from the mainstream.

NME Editor-in-Chief Mike Williams opened the NME Awards on Valentine’s Day with a speech that highlighted such issues. He recognised that NME had previously been a cultural institution guilty of these discriminations, but was proud of the fact that in the last year the magazine had made wider representation their focus. And what a night of celebration it turned out to be.

Stefflon Don set the bar with a fierce performance alongside grime colleague Skepta, tearing up the O2 Academy Brixton with an attitude which actively saluted her race, gender, and cultural background. This seemed to be the running theme of the evening; perhaps the way to tackle underrepresentation is to build your own path to success.

HAIM, Lorde and Charlie XCX also held the torch for female empowerment, whilst Icon Award win-

ner Shirley Manson put the industry to shame with her speech demanding change for women.

Addressing what she described as a “phenomenal imbalance” of gender in the cultural industry, the Garbage legend highlighted that in the music business where individuals are judged on performance independent of gender, the lack of equal representation seems ludicrous. Alluding to the recent allegations across media platforms in the cultural sector, Manson used her acceptance speech to challenge women to stand up and “really call out” discrimination in the industry.

Her message was perhaps so poignant because it spotlighted equal representation not as a kind of idealistic, horizon-bound end-point, but rather common sense lacking from the patriarchal exclusivity of cultural decision-making.

It was not only women celebrated for their femininity at this year’s awards, however. Grime was honoured with some of the most prestigious prizes: Boy Better Know were the recipients of the Innovation Award, whilst Steflon Don won Best New Artist and J Hus took home Best Album for 2017’s Common Sense.

Ironically, it seemed exactly like common sense for such artists to be celebrated. Grime’s impact on the music scene from an underground street genre to global phenomenon has, for many, put Britain’s

Reviews

Album: Rejjie Snow - Dear Annie Rejjie Snow, originally from Dublin, Ireland and now residing in Brooklyn, has certainly been armed with a strong musical identity, with his diverse background reflected in his sound.

The bitter, dark, lyrical tone, delivered in the characteristic deep voice evident on his early work, is still clear on Dear Annie, but his cynicism has been added to by regular self-deprecation and an awkward and often relatable sexuality.

After showing early promise on his 2013 mixtape Rejovich, Rejjie Snow has produced a strong debut LP, often striking a fine balance between sadness and an almost psychedelic playfulness.

Dear Annie is an exploration of love. The hourlong project meanders through the ups and downs of a well-explored subject matter and when Snow approaches with a soft touch, his message and sound combine beautifully. At times Dear Annie is frighteningly relatable.

Snow finds this delicacy early on in the album, with ‘23’ (feat. Caroline Smith) setting the tone for the entire LP. In this duet, sung alongside the likely semi-fictional character of Annie, both characters

berate each other for a lack of affection.

It gives off a melancholic and love-drunk aura, colouring the album a deep blue; the loss of their love is inevitable and both characters are grasping at an idea which neither will achieve.

Yet, silliness is perforated throughout the track listing, with references to Paris, cheesy French lyrics and tasteless insults towards Annie cracking this album’s superficially serious façade.

This lightness reflects the often illogical and reckless nature of love. ‘Mon Amour’ and ‘Désolé’ are tracks in which Rejjie’s balance of poignancy and humour hit their mark. The French motif used in these tracks is personally very close to the bone.

Worst Track The punky and almost ignorant silliness of ‘LMFAO’ misses the mark and sticks out as an anomaly in the listing. A sickly sweet hook and beat, founded in slap bass and a bratty delivery by Rejjie, nonchalantly describing a love for sex and Fifa, lacks the balance that he finds elsewhere on the LP. Favourite Track ‘Bye Polar’ is by far the most accomplished track

Live: King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizzard

Thursday 22nd February, Manchester Academy Melbourne made, seven-piece psychedelic, acid and experimental rock band King Gizz summoned every mystical creature and black magic practitioner you could think of at their sold-out Manchester Academy gig last Thursday. Upon first listening to King Gizz, I was instantly plummeted into a world of mysticism, dark corners and psychedelia - something I have not felt so intensely since my days of obsessing over the Grandfathers of such rock including Black Sabbath and Rainbow.

Frontman Stu Mackenzie undoubtedly embodies the role of the Wizard. A feverish wizard who is leading his 6 other musical virtuosos through the bizarre and mysterious lands of King Gizzards. Stu’s stage presence was second to none with his tendency to throw and bend his upper half completely over during his face-melting guitar solos.

His impulsive movements across the stage are coupled with his abili-

Rewind

political music efforts back on top.

It was certainly a proud night to be British, and a proud night to celebrate disabilities, so Best Male Solo Artist Loyle Carner put it, as “superpowers”.

Having struggled with ADHD himself, recently opening up about his hardship to the NME Lifehacks event back in November, Carner has since set up a cooking school for children with similar struggles, emphasising with his speech that music was something which helped him channel that energy.

It was apparent that each artist in that room, win- 5th March 2006 - Corinne Bailey Rae went ners or otherwise, had diversity and equality on to No.1 on the UK album chart with her their mind, and who could blame them? Not only debut album Corinne Bailey Rae. was it refreshing to see cultural issues be presented on a national stage rather than brushed under the carpet, it was inspiring to realise that each advocate of equal representation who stood on that 6th March 1998 - Oasis singer Liam Gallagher appeared handcuffed in a Brisbane court on stage was unafraid to voice their opinion.

Music may have been criticised for losing its po- charges of head butting a fan during a gig in litical bite in the last decade, but now more than Australia. Gallagher was released on bail. ever we need those with a platform to use it effectively for the cause. The 2018 NME Awards show was exemplar in its organic showcase of diverse 7th March 1966 - Tina Turner recorded her talent, and long may it live on.

It may not have had a Jarvis Cocker moment, vocal on the Phil Spector produced ‘River or even an Adele cock-up, but at least it had some Deep Mountain High’. It went on to make bad-ass females.

No.3 in the UK but only No.88 in the US chart.

This week in music history

Contributor , Fabio Pozzi reviews the ‘significant’ release on the album, traversing along a versatile beat.

Beginning with a beat reminiscent of Tyler the Creator’s ‘Answer,’ a hypnotic guitar loop layered with soft keys and subtle bells transforms seamlessly into a stripped back bass line and Rejjie’s driving lyrical cadence, quickly giving way to upbeat keys and self-deprecation, which by this point in the album has become Rejjie’s calling card.

Growing up as “the only black kid on Dublin’s Northside,” Snow treads an unusual path into hip-hop, yet diversity is still the great strength of the genre. It is rare that an album hits you as Dear Annie has hit me. The more you listen the more you relate and discover.

This is not a perfect album but Rejjie Snow has found a niche for his emotional and dark lyricism and debuted with confidence and power.

9/10

8th March 1979 - Born on this day: Tom Chaplin, singer-songwriter with UK group Keane who had the 2004 UK No.1 album Hopes And Fears.

9th March 1991 - ‘Should I Stay Or Should I Go’ gave The Clash their only UK No.1 single after the track was used for a Levi’s TV advertisement.

10th March 1988 - Younger brother of The Bee Gees, Andy Gibb, died in hospital from myocarditis following a long battle with a cocaine addiction.

11th March 1968 - The Otis Redding single ‘(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay’ went gold in the US, three months after the singer was killed in a plane crash.

And God Said ‘Let there be seven Australian musical virtuosos’, and there was King Gizzard - Contibutor, Olivia White

ty to play over 3 instruments, all of which were exhibited to the fervent crowd during their 2-hour set.

However, Stu is certainly not alone in his talents. Each of the 7 members are clearly multi-instrumentalist gurus who play a pivotal role in defining King Gizzard’s sound, unsurprising given their admirable ability to have written five albums in 2017 alone.

However, what really struck me with awe was the tight timing and slickness of Michael Cavanagh and Eric Moore on drums. The decision to position both drummers facing each other was incredible as it not only highlighted that they were effortlessly mirroring each other but also added far more intensity to their presence, creating a powerhouse of noise at the centre which resonated outwards.

King Gizz put on a 2-set show that transported its 2,600-capacity crowd to a different land with the highlights being ‘Crumbling Castle’, ‘Open Water’, ‘Lord of Lightening’ and ‘Gamma Knife’. The musical

range of King Gizzard is outstanding and was displayed throughout the array of songs they played from each album, influences clearly deriving from progressive and garage rock to folk and even hints of a middle Eastern origin, all while paying homage to the lyrical thematic style of Ronnie James Dio embellished with riffs to the complexity of Tony Iommi.

There is nothing superficial about King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. Their entire image as 7 eccentric male Aussies with a burning passion for music comes as a package. You get the trippy vision tapes, you get the perfectly executed performance and you get to lose all your possessions in the mosh pits. A sign of a good gig, am I right?

10/10

Feature: Fish out of Water

Live: Fatboy Slim

Photo: Jack Kirwin

23rd February 2018, Albert Hall Manchester.

I wouldn’t normally go to a DJ set gig, I am much more of a see my band at 9pm, be done for 11pm and be in bed with a kebab by midnight kind of girl. However, There was no way that I would pass up such an opportunity to go see the infamous Norman Cook a.k.a Fatboy Slim.

It must be said, though, The original funk soul brother himself didn’t start till 2am, yet it was mandatory that you arrived at The Albert Hall

Epic Games live up to their name with latest Fornite update But it raises concerns about sustainability

Chris Glover Chief Games Correspondent On February 21st, Epic Games rolled out a rather significant update for the immensely popular Fortnite.

As well as some welcome quality-of-life changes such as allowing players to build through trees and other objects, the update kicked off Season 3 of Battle Royale, which brings new cosmetic items for players to unlock.

The update proves beyond all doubt that Epic Games are more than capable of keeping the Fortnite phenomenon alive with updates and support, prioritising player engagement without succumbing to the slippery slope of aggressive monetisation.

The first thing likely noticed by players was the performance upgrades. The game now runs in 60 fps and the moment-to-moment game play is noticeably smoother and more responsive as a result. Epic Games also removed the depth of field effect which used to blur distant objects, meaning the island now appears visually striking with its drastically improved sharpness and clarity.

Photo: Epic Games

The update added a coat of paint to a wildly successful game, but it’s the other additions that have made me enjoy playing more than ever.

I am talking, for example, about the Battle Pass players can purchase for around £10 that gives them access to a great deal more cosmetic items as they level up through Season 3. Epic Games could have charged exorbitant rates for access to cosmetic content and fell back on Fortnite’s free-to-play status as justification — just look at World of Tanks which last year charged $80 for what many players labelled as a game-breaking, pay-to-win item.

Instead, players must simply pay a small one-off fee and they are able to unlock plenty of available content by levelling up — a nice system which allows paid content whilst preserving the rewarding feeling of progression. The Battle Pass even gives the player plenty of in-game currency, V-bucks, which can be saved up to purchase next season’s Battle Pass without spending more real money.

Put simply, Fortnite’s monetisation model is jaw-droppingly reasonable when compared with the the majority of other popular titles from the last couple of years.

Another great feature of the Battle Pass is the challenges it offers — each week, seven challenges are issued to players which offer rewards upon completion. Some are very unique and enjoyable, such as finding a treasure map in one part of the island and having to figure out its location and hunt it down in subsequent matches.

Interestingly, the more important challenges are actually those that at first seem very average and run-of-the mill. One asks players to get a certain number of kills in one area of the map or open a certain number of chests in another. These challenges actually drastically change the metagame week-by-week, putting an end to the predictable flow of action in the same popular spots by forcing players to land in other locations to complete challenges.

My only concern for the future of Fortnite is in the weaponry and game modes that are added to Fortnite Battle Royale seemingly, ironically enough, once a fortnight.

New weapons are fun, such as the crossbow released for Valentines Day and the hand cannon that came with the Season 3 update, but the overwhelming frequency of new items is devaluing their impact.

The newest update hadn’t even been out a whole 24 hours before Epic Games announced a jetpack would soon be added to the game, as if the developers are terrified that the current Fortnite mass hysteria will slip through their fingers if players aren’t distracted with shiny new toys every couple of hours.

The game modes are less of a concern, as the ‘Floor is Lava’ one that has been announced sounds like an innovative idea and a great time. However, the game mode added with the latest update simply takes chance out of the loot chests to make every single weapon the highest quality tier.

The game mode, titled ‘Solid Gold’ carries the same appeal of Christmas occurring every single day which, despite the sentiment expressed by the the popular song, would become boring and repetitive very, very quickly.

Again, I think the most recent update is incredible and Epic Games are doing a stand-up job of tweaking and maintaining Fortnite Battle Royale. My only advice —

Fatboy Slim returns for a special performance at the Albert Hall, which blows Music Editor, Hannah Brierley, out of this world by 10pm, 11pm at a push. Whilst this isn’t normally a problem with the help of a dance enhancer (you know what I mean), it was a struggle to stay on your feet for too long. There’s only so much two-stepping, butt brushing and apologising a girl can take during the supporting acts.

When the glorious time did arrive, and Fatboy Slim arrived onto the stage, the crowd erupted with applause and screams. His energetic set began slowly and calmy, with the Hannah Grace cover of ‘Praise You’.

It’s very apparent to see why Fatboy Slim has had such a fruitful and successful DJ career. Whilst I will be the first to admit that my experience in seeing DJ sets is not so much, you could tell that the audience was so involved and clinging to the experience he was bringing.

He began to play ‘Eat, Sleep, Rave Repeat’ and as time went on he would merge other tracks, some of his own and some not into his lengthy two-hour set. It was weird for myself, that give at the gigs I normally go to there are breaks between songs and some words said and normally a monologue in the middle, I thought that I’d get bored without that — but that wasn’t the case. Mr Cook at every moment had some trick or some gimmick to keep people entertained and not to let

them drop the enthusiasm at all.

Fatboy Slim played his own infamous tracks such as ‘Star 69’ and ‘Right here, Right now’ and also used modern tracks such as ‘Uptown Funk’ and CamelPhats’ ‘Cola’. Mixed into the set were other bangers such as tracks from The White Stripes and The Basement Jaxx, to really get your nostalgia flowing.

The venue really leant itself and added to the experience too. The Albert Hall with its two-tier system was overwhelming, especially when you could oversee the whole lower floor, you almost became a spectator to the whole event.

Overall, the performance put on by Fatboy Slim was incredible, despite the initial waiting and never-ending two-stepping. Waiting for Fatboy Slim was totally worth it, his enthusiasm and dedication to put on an ingenious performance prove how skilful and experienced Norman Cook has always been. I don’t think anyone left that night feeling disappointed.

9/10

Games 15

ISSUE 18 / 5th MARCH 2018 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Photo: Epic Games

to the hugely successful developers who almost certainly don’t need it — is to everso-slightly cool it with the influx of new items.

My concerns will perhaps prove to be unfounded when developers take action on plans to remove older weapons from the game to prevent the loot pool from growing too large. Until then, the impending addition of the jetpack will be a telling test of Epic Games’ ability to maintain such a high volume of game-changing additions without unbalancing and over-saturating the metagame.

Feature

Why you should visit the Bury Arcade Club Sarah Johnson Contributor

Photo: Bury Arcade Club

Walking up a flight of stairs, hidden within an Industrial building in Bury, you don’t know what to expect. Everything sounds quiet, and you wonder where you’re supposed to go. Then, when you walk through the doors to the first floor of the Arcade Club, everything hits you all at once.

From people playing on VR, to Mario Kart on large projectors, classic arcade machines, to unique Japanese arcade products, Bury Arcade Club is truly a place that has everything you could think of — as a gamer, you feel lost in this wonderland.

This is Andy Palmer’s Arcade Club — which opened in October 2015 — with its 250+ collection that started more than twenty years ago in Haslingden. It is Europe’s largest freeplay video & pinball arcade, and a place that every gamer should know about.

“The best thing about Arcade Club is the fact that we’re doing something everyone said that we couldn’t do,” said Andy, sitting down with us to chat about the club, “We get everyone coming in, from very young to very old, all the way up to 80 and 90”.

For a day’s pass, adults pay £15 to enter the club and have access to its two floors: classical gaming and modern gaming. Starting from the top, that’s what you expect to see. Classic arcade machines aligned next to one another, from Star Wars and Pac Man to Joust and Gauntlet, as people of all

ages crowd along the rows playing on the machines, captivated by these games, and because it’s a free-play arcade, your choices are unlimited.

You can play whatever game you want. Browsing through the collection, I became more interested in how Andy’s collection started, and what was his first game, which was met with laughter: “Everyone asks me that! [Our first game] was a Star Wars vector game, and an original Taito Space Invaders, which is a Japanese machine. We started in one of our computer shops with around 30 machines, and from there it just took off.”

What did surprise me, however, was the first floor full of modern games which opened in March 2017. The owner has definitely thought about catering to every gamer’s needs with this floor’s features. With PC setups and VR experience, large-scale projectors and eSports live stream setups, this floor gives gamers the chance to use consoles they may not have had the chance to before.

Whilst the classical gaming floor is the more photogenic of the two and what first-time visitors come for, the first floor makes sure your experience at the Arcade Club is truly spectacular. Even though Andy has included under ten VRs in the Arcade Club, he plans to bring in more, so much so that he plans to open a third floor to the public.

“There will be between ten and twenty VR setups on the new eSports floor, as well as possibly sixty PCs. We will back what everybody wants.” With this new eSports floor, the modern gaming floor will then be converted into a floor entirely dedicated to Japanese games that he imports.

These ambitions may seem impossible, to even have sixty PC setups, however, the Arcade Club family has this amazing mindset and drive to include all possible aspects of gaming for everyone to enjoy, and everyone should be aware of these achievements.

“I’ve been collecting for around twenty years. We’re on the ball with it, we’re changing and making the Arcade Club the greatest place on Earth.”

Andy and his family have created a very successful arcade within Manchester, bringing people from around the world to play at the Arcade Club, and whilst you’re a student at the University of Manchester, this is definitely a place you need to visit.

Review

Metal Gear Survive

Does Konami’s bizarre twist on a much-loved series pay off?

David Uncle Contributor As a fan of the Metal Gear series, survivalhorror is the last place I expected Konami to take the series.

The story goes that immediately after the end of Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes - in which XOF destroy the first Mother Base - a wormhole opens and sucks you into a parallel world called Dite, a boring and uninspiring wasteland populated by zombies called Wanderers that have strange crystals forming where their heads should be. You’re saved and advised by Laurence Fishburne, oddly enough, who helps you survive. Metal Gear is no stranger to the paranormal, so the story didn’t feel too out of place, though was certainly less engaging than any other game in the series, and lacked the Kojima magic.

My biggest gripe with this game is the ludicrous AI. Picture the scene: I flee from an abandoned facility having retrieved valuable supplies, when a horde of grotesque Wanderers notice and chase me. They’re hot on my heels, and I’m equipped with nothing but a crude spear. ‘What will I do, there’s too many to take on at once!’, I thought. And then I remember. I turn around, construct a thin wire fence between me and them, and poke them through the fence in the face until they die.

One clever chap realised he could simply walk around the fence to get to my tasty flesh, but his friends didn’t quite get the memo. Perhaps I’m being too harsh; they are zombies with crystals instead of brains, after all. But even so, this seems silly.

Otherwise, the combat is decent overall.

The shooting mechanics are the same as in Metal Gear Solid V, so are tight, but ammo is rarer, and it’s tougher to headshot a shambling Wanderer than a soldier. The melee combat is clunky though. Close quarters weaponry such as crafted spears and machetes are invaluable tools due to their low crafting requirements and decent damage but fighting with them is awkward and repetitive.

Poking faces through fences is, as far as I can see, the safest and most effective way to fight these guys up close, which gets dreadfully boring.

Let’s talk about stealth. Stealth is a

4/10 fundamental aspect of the series and does play a part in Metal Gear Survive. In some places, there are very large hordes of Wanderers that are nigh on impossible to fight alone (unless you have a fence, of course), in which case it is recommended you sneak around. Except, Konami made the baffling decision to make crawling consume stamina, so you can only move while prone for a short amount of time. In fact, slowly crawling along the ground uses more stamina than running! This makes stealth disproportionately difficult.

It’s important to remember this game is a survival game - apparently. Konami themselves stress this is a survival game like any other, meaning you must manage your hunger and thirst. The issue is I can’t think of any game where you become thirsty and hungry so quickly. It felt like I spent a lot more time searching for food and water than in other survival games, despite being in relatively less demanding circumstances.

I did, however, enjoy the material scavenging aspect of the game. I enjoy picking up and hoarding anything and everything I found and managing my stockpile of garbage. These materials could be used in crafting, repairing or upgrading your weapons, gadgets and base fortifications. The base building is also surprisingly deep, and watching it grow larger and more impenetrable is rewarding.

It’s not as comprehensive as other survival games with base building; ARK: Survival Evolved and Subnautica have freeform base building, whereas in this you’re locked into grids within a large square, which means you have less freedom. It’s by no means a great base building system, but it’s more than I expected from this game, and gave something to work towards. If you like resource grinding like me, you’ll enjoy this aspect of the game, but if not, it’ll likely be tedious for you.

It wouldn’t be 2018 if there weren’t microtransactions, and Metal Gear Survive takes them to a new level. If you want to have multiple save slots, you must purchase 1150 ‘SV Coins’ for £7.99. I honestly couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw this – It’s awful that Konami feel they can charge the consumer

for a service as simple as having multiple saved games - nearly every game ever has offered for free.

On the bright side, there are a couple things that I enjoyed. It runs on the FOX Engine, which is smooth as butter and looks good too.

The addition of co-op is a touch I dearly wish they had implemented in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, so it’s nice that this game has it. The problem is I have no friends who own or are willing to buy this game (I don’t blame them).

Regardless, I think this game is probably a good laugh in co-op, and a great deal more fun than it was alone. I also found that getting spotted by a horde of Wanderers was genuinely scary and would give me a hit of adrenaline. The areas covered by ‘the Dust’ – a poisonous cloud covering parts of the map – had a suspenseful, creepy atmosphere, as well as some of the more desirable weapon and gadget schematics. Limited visibility in these regions mean it’s easy to accidentally stumble into a stray Wanderer or even worse, a horde, and these were thrilling moments.

It’s just a shame that all it takes to defeat these creatures is a fence. Areas in the Dust are the only places that feel like a survival game should.

Metal Gear Survive is ultimately the result of some questionable design choices culminating in a very confused game, which is emphasised by all the internal references idolising Hideo Kojima and slating Konami.

This internal conflict comes across loud and clear: it tries to be a survival-horror without sacrificing the classic ‘tactical espionage action’ of the franchise but doesn’t quite pull it off. It has its moments of genuine fear and anticipation, as well as a co-op mode which probably makes the game better, but the repetitive and clumsy melee combat, a strange stamina system and possibly the most outrageous microtransaction model to date make this game hard to recommend.

In the end, playing this game made me want to do two things: go back to MGSV: TPP, and play better survival games such as Subnautica or The Long Dark.

16

Fashion & Beauty

ISSUE 18/ 5TH MARCH 2018 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Interview: Tiko Afrika

Kenyan backpack brand founder Gitahi Mwangi and co-founder Jaime Troncoso talk about the brand’s origin, African products being sold worldwide, and backpack culture.

By Tobias Soar As I walk into Chirstie’s Bistro, Jaime — Spanish second-year Economics and Politics student at the University of Manchester — waves at me from across the room. He introduces me to Gitahi — also a second year at UoM but of Kenyan origin and studying International Management. Both lads were cheery and confident. Before starting our interview, Gitahi ordered a mocha — his go-to, always, he jests — and Jaime took a slice of cake. We sat down on some leather sofas in a corner of the cafe and started our conversation.

How did you two meet?

Jaime: It’s funny, he [Gitahi], lives in a private accomodation, across the road from where I lived at Hulme Hall. I have a lot of friends there so I used to pop over there a lot. Gitahi...he’s a cool boy.

When did you guys decide to start Tiko?

Gitahi: We decided to start two years ago. It was with a friend of mine from high school, in Kenya. We finished school and say “we need to do something”, we sat down and decided to make bags out of Africa. We realised, especially coming from Kenya, that a lot of the commodities in the market are coming from Europe. There’s not really products inspired by African culture and materials. So we set out to look for people who could do the actual work.

What was the biggest challenge you came across when starting Tiko or even bringing it over to the UK with Jaime?

Jaime: I think the biggest challenge is, because the bags are unique but alternative, creating a

Photo: The Mancunion

trend in the European market so they see they cool-ness of the bag.

Gitahi: It’s building the brand name.

Particularly credibility. To start the production process and put all the factors together, that wasn’t difficult. I can say that was probably the simplest part of the whole thing. [...] Whereas now, the difficult part is actually getting to consumers and convincing people that “look, this is cool. It’s a brand you can trust.”

Jaime: Of course, it’s easy for us to sell bags from our online shop but we’d like to sell to actual shops. They could buy from us, say, 30 or 40 bags a months and this actually gives you a stable production but this is very difficult because either shops don’t know the brand or they don’t think customers are going to like it.

So you have to convince them through people wearing the bags on social media to show that the trend exists.

As you were saying about generating demand, backpacks seem to be coming back in style but, as you can see, the minimalist trend seems to be what people are going for. What are your thoughts on backpack culture?

Gitahi: For example, in Kenya, that’s what’s keeping the business afloat because there’s a tendency for people to accept colour into their garments, whereas in Europe, or the west in general, people’s’ perception of colour in their garments is very conservative. The most interesting part is being able to get people to see “yo, that’s actually cool, man! I can actually put this on and I don’t look like a hippie.”

“ People are not fixed on tradition any more, people aren’t fixed on others’ perception on them.

Therefore, people are open to new ideas.”

Talking about our generation, nowadays, companies are pushing durable garments that technically last for life. On your website you mention durability as a selling point.

Are you pushing to make “bags for life”?

Gitahi: For life would be pushing it because you also have to take into consideration wearand-tear. For example, this bag [pointing to his orange backpack], I’ve used it for over two years. It’s one of the first we produced and I wanted to see how it wears, how long it lasts. We use 3 layers of denim and I’ve come to see that it’s not heavy but it’s strong. You want something that lasts for at least two years – or longer. I can ascertain that we’ve

Fashion players of the week: Gigi & Bella Hadid After storming fashion week, the power sister duo are this week’s fashion players writes Jennifer Knowles Gigi and Bella Hadid, the dual cover girls of the March issue of British Vogue, have been labelled the “most famous sister act in the world”.

Gigi rose to fame on the fashion circuit in 2013 when she was signed to the global modelling agency IMG models, Bella followed suit and joined the agency the following year. IMG models now represents all three Hadid siblings, including Gigi and Bella’s younger brother Anwar.

The sisters made their first fashion week debut in February 2014 in New York, and since then their fame has sky-rocketed and they are two of the most sought after faces in the modelling and fashion industry. Though the sisters have distinctive looks, labels quickly began to cash in on the popularity and the unrivalled beauty of the two sisters when they appear in campaigns together.

In the often cut-throat modelling

industry, the sisters bring a tender familiarity to their photo shoots and their deep sisterly bond is obvious in both their interviews and photographs. This is emphasised in Vogue’s up close and personal encounter with the pair.

The unstoppable duo has featured in various campaigns together including Balmain’s Fall 2015 ad campaign alongside more power sister couples such as Kendall and Kylie Jenner.

Harpers Bazaar reported that the creative director Olivier Rousteing hoped to celebrate the “unique and unconditional love of siblings” in this project. The sisters have also co-starred in both the Fendi and Moschino 2017 campaigns to name a couple. Gigi and Bella also opened together for the final Tommy Hilfiger - Gigi collaboration “TommyxGigi” show in Milan this month.

The sisters have also walked together as Angels in the Victoria

Secret 2016 show for Bella’s debut. Gigi previously walked for the company in 2015.

Both Bella and Gigi have become supermodel sensations in a matter of a few short years and also have a strong social media following, however, the sisters have expressed the wish to remain genuine and real on their online profiles among the Insta-famous turmoil. For example, Bella posted a shot of her Vogue cover on her Instagram page thanking the Vogue team for “having my beautiful sissy and I share the March cover showing how similar we really are”. The sisters’ gratitude is refreshing in an industry that is so obsessed with fame.

Vogue states that Gigi and Bella have “reached the level of fame where there is no longer a need for a surname” and I couldn’t have put it better myself.

Brand-less Beauty

Photo: The Mancunion

On the subject of colours, streetwear is becoming a much bigger trend, as you’ve probably noticed, and some brands – especially Nike, Adidas, Palace and Supreme – are bringing back the loud colours from the 90s. People are starting to like flashy sneakers and flashy jackets. What’s your thought on this trend of colours slowly being brought back into the market?

Gitahi: I think this is the representation of our generation. People are not fixed on tradition any more, people aren’t fixed on others’ perception on them. Therefore, people are open to new ideas. We need to take advantage of that.

Jaime: I think that people also very attracted by the “hipster” style. What makes Herschel so attractive, or the Danish brand Fjällräven? It’s that they’re completely different. Fjällräven has a kind of square shape for their backpacks and the Nordic colours they have brought into life. Or Herschel has brought this old American style of backpacks and people actually buy them because they want to be alternative. Our backpacks look happy and alive. We want to show people that you can be alternative by wearing our stuff.

Fashion & Beauty 17

ISSUE 18/ 5TH MARCH 2018 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

made something that gives you service to a point where you’re satisfied with it. [...] We don’t make more than 10 bags of any particular fabric, therefore, if you’ve used your bag for a year you can come back and find new fabrics and different designs. The uniqueness in the fabric makes it look like a totally new bag.

Jaime: We don’t want to be like Herschel or Eastpak where you can always find your bag. [...] When you buy your grey Eastpak bag, you know that 2,000 people at your university probably have the same bag. Our “10 bag per template” formula makes it so not only are you wearing Tiko Afrika but you’re also unique.

Maddie Rodbert looks to brand-less beauty alternatives to your bathroom shelf staples

What’s the story behind the designs?

Gitahi: I’ve not only fixed myself to finding fabrics from Kenya, I’ve also got fabrics from Ghana, Tanzania… A lot of these fabrics came from stuff that women wore and used to make dresses. We need to be colourful people and I want to translate that into our dress. I have lived in Africa all my life and in my travels to Europe and America I have come to understand that people’s perception of Africa is dull. It’s not doom and gloom in Africa. We can make products that you can buy.

What’s next for Tiko? Are you going to venture into fanny packs or shoulder bags?

Gitahi: For me the future is heavily dependent on being able to prove to people that we can be trusted. The transition into other products is an organic evolution but in the near future we are sticking to our current plan. We simply need to get our name out there.

Jaime: We’re looking to expand on social media, especially influencers. Also, as I said earlier, getting shops to sell our products is crucial because they can feel and see the product and understand the change. In Spain, for example, this would be a perfect summer bag.

Before we parted ways we had a short photoshoot around the Old Quadrant of the university. Seeing the determianation in their eyes but, above all, the confidence in the way they spoke about their brand, I knew that Tiko Afrika has a bright future ahead of it as a trustworthy, original brand.

Find Tiko Africa on their website tikoafrika.com, Instagram @tikoafrika and Facebook.

Photo: www.brandless.com

Photo: Roger Mac @wikimediacommons

The world of beauty and the culture surrounding it has been subjected to a huge shift in the last few years. As many brands look to online influencers as a marketing strategy in place of print and TV ads, brand requirements and collections of products have had to change.

In a pre-influencer world, brands relied on the consumers need to buy into a fantasy world through beautiful models, perfect lives and the illusion of wealth.

Through portraying a certain sort of persona in their ads, they could create a correlation between the product and ‘result’ in order to ensure sales.

However, within the global online community, that sort of marketing is rapidly becoming irrelevent. With the rise of online communication, the population has become jaded and suspicious now as their worldview is not restricted to what they are fed by the mainstream media and in turn, it’s become difficult to sell products based on pretty packaging and a beautiful, smiling woman holding it in a photo because there are people honestly reviewing the same product online.

Word of mouth has always been the best tool for strategic growth and with many huge brands jumping on the online influencer bandwagon, many are starting to realise that if the product is good, people will talk about it regardless of packaging and celebrity endorsement.

In light of these consumer shifts, brands like The Ordinary have endeavoured to “skip the bullshit” and produce simple products that do what they say on the label. In an interview with ‘Fashionista’, according to The Ordinary’s CEO, Nicola Kilner, word of mouth recommendation is what encouraged them to focus on transparency, naming their products after the ingredients in them as well as charging production-line prices.

Kilner adds that cheap is not synonymous with bad quality whilst high prices do not guarantee satisfaction. Without the markups, she likens her products to those in the healthcare industry; if you know the own brand painkillers work, why would you spend a fortune on others?

The company Brandless takes a similar approach to its products.

The ‘beauty’ section of the website

sells everyday necessities like shampoo, soap and moisturiser without the ‘brand tax’, ensuring everything comes to only $3 apiece. Tina Sharkey, the cofounder of the site, told Business Insider, “the false narrative of modern consumption that brands have created and products have created, was actually dying a fast and painful death.”

By removing that element from their products, Sharkey and her colleague, Ido Leffler, fill the space left behind with a comprehensive list of the ingredients in the product, also appearing to take on the truthful and no-bullshit approach. Even though many people are choosing not to purchase into a false lifestyle that the big namesprovide, the fact still remains that the seek an aspirational lifestyle beyond their means.

Despite the fact that the products have no branding themselves, the marketing of them through social media personalities and celebrities perpetuate the concept. Perhaps in a distance future we may outgrow our desire for branded beauty products all together so long as they serve their purpose!

Gender-neutral clothing Rona McCann discusses how shops can do more to improve the style and selection of gender neutral clothing In recent years we have seen a rise in awareness and understanding of gender as a spectrum. More and more non-binary celebrities are in influential positions and social media has allowed others to share their experiences. However, walk into most high street clothing stores and you’ll find it unclear where this significant number of the world’s population should shop.

Many high street brands have attempted to launch unisex lines. H&M’s ‘Uni’ range hosts a limited amount of denim designed for all. In a similar vein, Levi’s sells unisex jeans under its ‘Line 8’ label.

It may be past its heyday of success in the UK, but American Apparel was one of the first major brands to model itself on genderneutrality. Despite this positive step in the

right direction, as with many attempts of its kind, its unisex collection seems to just contain attire you would find in the men’s section.

This highlights a key problem with genderneutral lines on the market currently. They tend to only contain basic hoodies, t-shirts and joggers, which have long been socially acceptable for everyone to wear anyway. It perpetuates the idea that to be non-binary is to be bland and to be non-binary is to aim to be confirmative. But this shouldn’t be the case. To mark real change we should also be seeing items expressing femininity as well.

It’s not just people who identify with neither male nor female who are negatively affected.

Whilst it is acceptable, even celebrated, for women to dress in a masculine manner, for

men to wear traditionally female clothes, say dresses or skirts, is for them to be put at risk of ridicule. The existing divide between men’s and women’s sections in stores further promotes the idea that men should not dress beyond a narrow scope of clothing types when in fact there seems no reason for there to be this forced limit. An expansive genderneutral range in stores alongside the men’s and women’s sections shows customers, and society as a whole, that everyone is free to wear whatever they desire. We can go further than just clothing. Make-up companies could consider hiring more than just female models for their campaigns and perfumers could easily release more uni-sex fragrances.

So how would these gender-neutral ranges work? Whilst accepting fluidity of gender it

cannot be ignored that body shapes often still conform to those of assigned sexes, and clothing still needs to fit these. The solution is simple: clothing size ranges should be expanded so that shoppers are able to select both size as well as body shape for each item, like how when buying jeans waist size and leg length can be chosen separately. This option is already being used by Brighton-based stockist GenderFree World. The company was set up to cater for non-binary people who were struggling with the issue of correct fit, but it seems unjust that they have to be dealing with this issue in the first place. High street stores should be offering this all-accommodating approach too.

Film

18

ISSUE 18 / 5th March 2018 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Film 19

ISSUE 18/ 5thMarch 2018 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Review

Awards Season

Animated Shorts Oscar Nominees

Ladybird

Eloise Wright and James Gill assess the nominations for the Best Animated Short Oscar Eloise Wright & James Gill Head Film Editor & Books Editor

Negative Space

Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird is an authentic tale full of the frustration that goes hand in hand with coming of age Esther Hamilton-Ivory Film Contributor Lady Bird has been the film at the forefront of award show discussion with it being nominated for multiple Oscars, not least including best original screenplay and best director for the film’s creator Greta Gerwig. It is an impressive feat for Gerwig as only five women have ever been nominated for the best director category in the entire 90 years of the Academy Awards history and it is one which is seemingly deserved.

The film is a beautiful coming of age tale which opens with a scene all too familiar amongst teenagers world over in which seventeen year-old Christine (Saoirse Ronan), who insists on being called Lady Bird, is desperately trying portray to her mother (Laurie Metcalf) her despair with their small Californian town of Sacramento and her intense desire to pursue a better life in a city far away where ‘culture

is, like New York…or at least Connecticut’. It is this universality of these shared experiences of young people no matter where they are from which is so appealing and which the audience can connect to.

“The film is a beautiful coming of age tale” As the film progresses, Christine becomes more and more frustrated with those around her, specifically adults, who do not share in her enthusiasm for wanting to better herself in moving away to a reputable university in an east-coast city. As such, Christine and her

Photo: Allocine.fr

mother have a very strained relationship. But as Christine becomes more and more frustrated it becomes clear that it is not that her mother does not want to see her daughter succeed, rather it is that she is a realist, as many other of the lower-middle class parents of families in Sacramento had to be in a post 9/11 America.

Perhaps a little envious of Christine’s naivety in thinking that everything will work out for the best, her mother takes on the role of being cruel-to-be-kind with the hope that the sooner Christine figures out that things often don’t fall in to place as hoped in life, the easier her journey will be.

Lady Bird is not all heavy, hard-learned life lessons; however, it is also a film which is tremendously funny and jovial. Ronan and her co-stars, Beanie Feldstein who plays her onscreen best friend, Timothée Chalamet who plays the seemingly dark and mysterious but ultimately shallow and vacuous object of

Christine’s teenage affection and Lucas Hedges who plays her confused, musical-theatre boyfriend from the rich part of town, all create characters such that when watching them interact, one is transported to the intense yet playful world of teenage-hood.

Despite its brilliant beginning, however, as the film progresses, it seems to lose its way as the tone becomes confused which ultimately results in the conclusion of the film feeling awkward and unsubstantiated. However, this is not to say that Lady Bird is not worth a watch, far from it in fact. It is a beautiful coming of age tale, indeed, but it is also a film more generally about people simply trying their best to navigate through life and the humility or lack of in which they do it.

4/5

Review James Gill Film Critic & Books Editor Director Lynne Ramsay proves there is still life in the revenge thriller yet with her latest project You Were Never Really Here. Based on the novella

by Jonathan Ames, the plot follows Joe (Joaquin Phoenix), a former Marine and FBI agent who is tortured by the violence he has witnessed. When he returns from duty he becomes a contract killer who focusses on breaking down paedophile rings and rescuing the young girls who are helplessly trapped within them.

In preparation for the role Phoenix puts of a staggering amount of weight in both fat and muscle and when combined with the mass of facial hair he is almost unrecognisable. Joe has very few lines of dialogue in the film and he instead conveys emotion through body language, facial expression and an intent to his movement that is terrifying. The nature of this role suits Phoenix, who has mastered the skill of evoking so much by doing very little.

Even in the lighter scenes where he is singing a song with his elderly mother, his massive frame and haunting expression keeps me unsettled, always expecting something to be waiting around the corner. In the dark lurks disturbing flashbacks to Joe’s past. Unlike traditional flashbacks that only serve to throw exposition at the audience, the ones here are sliced into fragments and are spattered chaotically to reflect on the character whose memory they depict. We see a hammerwielding father who beat his wife and son, and the monstrosities he witnessed in the Middle East.

When he picks up a new contract, it turns out that the man ordering the hit is a Senator whose daughter Nina was kidnapped to be a part of a Manhattan-based brothel. “They say that you’re brutal,” the Senator says, after a brooding-filled pause Joe replies “I can be”. The ring that Joe begins to shatter turns out to have far bigger political ties than just the Senator who’s daughter has been taken. It’s sad that such a twisted and evil story can mirror similar events in real life as high profile arrests and accusations of paedophilic activities are not a rarity, even with politicians.

The fantastic editing work done by Ramsay and Joe Bini lays at the core of the film’s success.

It keeps the plot ticking over whilst also weaving

the nightmarish flashbacks. The effect is almost hallucinatory and exacerbates the metaphorical punch packed. Johnny Greenwood, who composed a sumptuous score for Paul Thomas Anderson’ Phantom Thread, steps in again here but he produces a something very different.

Similar to Hans Zimmer’s work for Blade Runner 2049, Greenwood builds a brutalist soundscape that feeds into this hallucinatory feeling. Nothing in this world feels real. Even a simple photograph becomes a horrific reminder of a mass murder.

At a touch under 90 minutes in length, You Were Never Really Here does not overstay its welcome.

In fact, you could argue it is too short. There’s so much left unexplored in the character of Joe that the film could double in size and still not drag, a testament to the powerful performance

by Phoenix and the deeply visceral viewing experience that Ramsay creates. If you saw Joaquin Phoenix bounding down a corridor wielding a hammer you would truly wish you were never here.

You Were Never Really Here

If you saw Joaquin Phoenix bounding down a corridor wielding a hammer you would truly wish you were never here Of course, I can’t express my never ending love for the film without addressing the cliffhanger ending with the bus carrying the loot and the crew hanging off a cliff. Only recently, in 2009, Michael Caine disclosed that the reason for the ending was, quite simply, because the censors wouldn’t allow a film to show criminals getting away with

In a moment of reflection, the protagonist of “Negative Space” recounts the way he bonded with his late father whilst growing up, through the art of packing.

Adapted from Ron Koertge’s poem of the same name (2014), film students Max Porter and Ru Kuwahata carefully created a masterpiece worthy of the sorrow and nostalgia that the story carries. The narrator takes us through the steps of perfectly packing his father taught him, each item laying itself out, folding itself up and making its own way into the suitcase, as if animated by a life of their own.

Remembering, the narrator revisits his memories of these times he felt close to his father, together and apart,

Lou Disney-Pixar have a long history of showing a short animated films immediately before one of their major releases and Lou is no different.

It was released in June 2017 alongside Cars 3 and follows the guardian of a children’s playground.

Lou, who gets his name from a ‘Lost and Found’ box with the missing letters L, O, and U, is an anthropomorphised collection of random toys and clothing children have forgotten on the playground. When the bell rings and the kids go back inside, he collects everything left behind to return later. One playtime

a crime. So, as the bus hangs precariously over a valley in the Alps, it hits me: the solution to the fiasco was staring right at us all along. Bear with me, I’ve got a great idea...

now forever in the past. The short concentrates on just using Koertge’s short poem for narration, the rest of its message coming through the beauty and attention to detail it possesses. His father now gone, all that is truly left of him is this inherited special knack for making good use of any nooks and crannies, or negative space. Can you blame him for only being able to wish there was not so much wasted space in his father’s coffin?

“Negative Space” is not only a technical marvel, but also a strikingly moving story of lost parents, the characteristics we pick up on as children that make them our parents.

The loss of a parent is one almost too painful to bear, yet it is through our memories of them, the traits we inherit from them (good or bad) that allow us to keep hold of something from them.

Lou spots a bully taking away the toys from others. With each stolen toy he gets angrier and angrier until he decides to give the bully a taste of his own medicine.

As is the case with all Pixar films, the level of quality and polish is second to none, a neat lesson for children about bullying without being overt.

That said, in comparison to shorts that have won the Best Animated Short category in the past for Pixar, such as Geri’s Game or For The Birds, Lou is a tier below. While enjoyable, it lacks that same innovation, that something special that separates the good from the great.

Photo: Allocine.fr

Revolting Rhymes Roald Dahl’s “Revolting Rhymes” is here brought to life in a two-part animated film co-directed by Jan Lachauer, Jakob Schuh, and BinHan To with breath-taking detail and care that gives the entire viewing experience magic. It takes some of our internationally canonical fairy-tales, such as Snow White or Jack and the Beanstalk, and provides a number of delightfully unexpected twists and turns to the original plots.

The first episode of the two opens one rainy evening in a small café, where a middle-aged woman settles in the window booth with her cup of hot tea. A lone, tall wolf dressed in a trench coat and hat follows in tow,

Garden Party

4/5

Garden Party is a sumptuously animated, if strange short by a group of French students as their graduation project. It follows a group of frogs as they explore a mansion and it’s surroundings.

The film opens to a small frog leaping into an unkempt pool and immediately we notice the incredibly photorealistic CGI. The attention to detail is exquisite

Dear Basketball On November 29th, 2015 Kobe Bryant wrote a letter for the Player’s Tribune, a media platform for professional sportsmen. It detailed his love for basketball, a love which brought him five NBA Championships and 18 NBA All-Star appearances.

Narrating the film himself, Bryant talks about his upbringing, his determination and his challenges.

About how his work ethic made him Photo: Homemcr.orgq

Photo: Allocine.fr

asking the woman if he may join her as he waits “for an old friend”. We are as suspicious as the sweet lady, who, perhaps to her own detriment, is too polite and frightened to refuse.

The Wolf notices her book of fairytales on the table and, opening it, voices his dislike of Little Red Riding Hood, and pointing out the book’s error in Snow-White’s hair colour.

Hence begins a small exchange which gives the premise to the wonderful story-telling we are about to behold.

In this version, the lives of Snow White and Little Red Riding Hood intertwine so imperceptibly that one wonders how this is not how the story originally goes. Other fairy tales are merged together throughout the two episodes, and much like a Russian doll, a story seems to naturally come out of another.

With each episode being 28 minutes

long, only the first episode was able to be nominated for Best Animated Short, which rules out the second from being taken into consideration.

As much of a delight as the first part is, the pure brilliance of the animation comes through when watching both parts as there is a continuity within this special universe where one is not quite sure what is make believe or not.

“Revolting Rhymes” ends with the unexpected, and was an incredibly emotional experience. Its beauty and eloquence were truly astonishing, communicating some truths that may have escaped its predecessors, bringing a perfect balance to the old and the new. Therefore, I am afraid that part one was not intended to be a stand-alone episode, and may suffer from that when it comes to selecting a victor amongst the 5 nominees for the Best Animated Short Oscar.

with even the little ripples of the water shown. As we become introduced to more frogs we are given clues as to why the mansion is abandoned; food left to rot, bullet holes in the security camera’s and doors — there has evidently been a shootout.

Nevertheless the frogs roam around without a care, gorging on the food and generally exploring. One frog jumps onto a control board, buttons that switch on lights, pool jets and music.

With the pool lit up an army of frogs go

over, in all shapes and sizes. Suddenly and concluding the short, we see a body size to the surface, animated in gorey detail.

The short is a magnificent display of the possibilities of modern animation yet the peculiar story they chose takes away from that slightly. That final shocking moment seems unnecessary and could have perhaps been presented in a manner more in line with the rest of the short.

become the legendary player we admire today. Accompanying these powerful words is an awe-inspiring animation painstakingly drawn frame by frame with pencil and then filmed in sequence. Glen Keane, a 2013 Disney Legend, directs the short and is joined by fellow cinema great John Williams who composes a subtle yet powerful score.

The short ends with Bryant saying how, although his heart and mind could play until the day he dies, his body cannot take any more, and this

season will be his last. In his final game, against the Utah Jazz, he scored a season-high 60 points. A special end to a special career.

Perhaps the only disappointing aspect of this film is its length, only 5 minutes 21 seconds. Three greats of their respective fields came together to make something beautiful, with such purity and heartfelt sincerity that when the credits appeared I wished for more.

Books

20

ISSUE 18 / 5th March 2018 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Review

Feature

Review: Klimowski Dolly Parton donates Poster Book 100 millionth book to children Residents of Tennessee can even buy official Dolly “He leads the field by a very long furlong, out on his own, making his own weather. He is Klimowski, unafraid.” – Harold Pinter (Nobel Prize-winning Playright)

Parton license plates James Gill Books Editor

Photo: @SelfMadeHero

Country superstar Dolly Parton went to Washington on Tuesday 27th February to hand-deliver her 100 millionth book donation for children to the Library of Congress through her foundation, the Imagination Library.

“When I was growing up in the hills of East Tennessee, I knew my dreams would come true. I know there are children in your community with their own dreams. They dream of becoming a doctor or an inventor or a minister. Who knows, maybe there is a little girl whose dream is to be a writer and singer.

The seeds of these dreams are often found in books and the seeds you help plant in your community can grow across the world.”

Launched in 1995, the core aim of the project is to give free books to children from birth until the age of five in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. As of writing this, there are 1,212,915 children registered who receive to no cost to their family an age-appropriate book every month. Audio and Braille books are both included too to ensure that no child gets left out.

James Gill Books Editor Andrzej Klimowski is an artist and designer who, during the 1970’s, created some of the period’s most iconic poster designs. Among his extensive catalog of posters made are those for films such as Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather Part II, Alfred Hitchcock’s Family Plot, and Roman Polanski’s Chinatown.

Having studied at the Warsaw Academy of Fine Art, Klimowski developed an international reputation as a poster and book jacket designer while also experimenting with other forms of media such as film. His work is heavily and clearly influenced by folk art, Surrealism and the work of Henryk Tomaszewski, his mentor at the Warsaw Academy, but he has also developed his own personal style which keeps his works from being simply imitation. Using techniques such as photomontage and linocuts, he has been able to produce works that stand the test of time.

When creating the film posters, Klimowski was often given just a synopsis or script to work with instead of a viewing of the film and so they offer different interpretations of the narrative than what the director himself gives. This beautifully embellished book contains over one hundred of his poster designs from 1975 to 2017 along with a detailed introduction written by academic David Crowley about his life and work. Each piece printed is a complex work of art that enthusiasts of both art and film will find a lot of value in.

Klimowski is currently Emeritus Professor of Illustration at the Royal College of Art in addition to his work as a graphic designer and illustrator. If you are interested in getting a more hands-on look at his artistic process he will be at the Institute of Contemporary Art in London on 24th March for a poster making workshop as part of Playback Festival 2018.

Tickets are £1 each and can be purchased on the ICA website.

“Before he passed away, my Daddy told me the Imagination Library was probably the most important thing I had ever done. I can’t tell you how much that meant to me because I created the Imagination Library as a tribute to my Daddy. He was the smartest man I have ever known but I know in my heart his inability to read probably kept him from fulfilling all of his dreams.

Inspiring kids to love to read became my mission.

In the beginning, my hope was simply to inspire the children in my home county but here we are today with a worldwide program that gives a book a month to well over 1 million children. Of course, I have not done this alone. The real heroes of our story are the thousands of local organisations who have embraced my dream and made it their own. They raise millions of dollars each year and wake up every day with a passion to make sure their kids have every opportunity to succeed.

It’s been quite a journey but we have so much more left to do. I would love for your community to join our family so please take the time to explore our website.

Let’s share this dream that all children should grow up in a home full of books. The first step is always the hardest, but you’ll never know unless you try.”

Photo: @ Wikimedia Commons

The second collaboration between the awardwinning graphic artist and the music icon James Gill Books Editor

Photo: @SelfMadeHero

VOTE to change the future of your Students’ Union

1-8 MARCH

Review

Review: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds: A Poster Book

EXEC ELECTIONS

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds: An Art book is the second collaboration between the band and the award-winning graphic novelist Reinhard Kleist. Their first, Nick Cave: Mercy on Me, is an unconventional biography, his journey to become the novelist, poet, and actor he is today through expressive portraits rather than extended prose. Nick Cave himself called it “a complex, chilling and completely bizarre journey into Cave World”.

This second entry delves into the band’s live performances, writing and recording. Each turn of the page brings more visual delights in a kaleidoscopic fashion, with the spectrum of colours evoking memories and emotions of his songs and concerts.

The range of artistic style causes the book to be

enchanting from the first page to the last from brush pen sketches to full-colour portraits, to reimaginings of the band’s songs in comic book fashion. The last of those is perhaps what sets this book apart from other art books with the songs “Deanna”. “The Good Son” and “Stagger Lee” depicted, all set in a gorgeous imaginative world.

This LP-sized art book is a beautifully designed and produced portrait of Nick Cave’s wide-ranging career that would appeal to those with interests in graphic novels, music and Nick Cave specifically. The graphic designer behind the book, Reinhard Kleist has also created other books similar to this including artists such as Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash. Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds go on tour later this year and will be performing in London on Sunday 3rd June.

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

Food & Drink

22

ISSUE 18 / 5th MARCH 2018 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Review: Sunday Roast at Store Street Exchange Daisy Tolcher Head Editor As someone who loves nothing more than tucking into a Sunday roast, the news that Store Street Exchange were launching a new Sunday lunch menu grabbed my attention. For any main at £12.95 and two courses for £15.95, the pricing was within my student budget which further spurred me to make the trip to Piccadilly to try it out for myself.

Situated in the decadent Hilton hotel, just a stones throw away from Piccadilly station, Store Street Exchange is a must go for its modern yet relaxed atmosphere. Once inside, diners can watch juicy chicken slowly cooking in a rotisserie oven and can see other dishes being cooked in an open kitchen. We chose to sit by a window, on big plush sofa-style chairs that made the dining experience incredibly comfortable. We were served by the very attentive Jacob, who made a real effort to ensure our needs were met.

Photo: Daisy Tolcher

Photo: Daisy Tolcher

Just next to the restaurant is the Store Street Craft Bar, which serves an array of locally brewed craft beer as well as an assortment of other beverages. Jacob asked us if we would like to try some of these drinks and presented us with a sample of three craft beers, explaining the differences between them and demonstrating an evident understanding of the produce on offer. We opted for Jacobs recommendation of a locally brewed craft beer and it was delicious!

To start with we were presented with some freshly baked bread and a selection of Italian olives. Then we opted for the two course option of a main and dessert for £15.95. I decided on the rotisserie half-chicken and my companion went for the Chefs Roast of the Day which was Pork. When our food arrived we were initially concerned that the portions looked small and were lacking in any greens, with the plate predominantly consisting of meat and plenty of juicy gravy. However, our worries were quickly over turned as our server returned with plates of honey glazed carrots, huge Yorkshire puds and garlic steamed greens. The idea was that diners shared these plates and distributed them amongst themselves which I feel added a nice communal touch to the dining experience.

Despite prior misconceptions that the portions were small, I

found that they were very generous indeed. We certainly got our moneys worth and finished the meal feeling very satisfied. I would recommend both the pork and the chicken however I did feel that the chicken was slightly better in terms of taste, and it was nice to see it being cooked in the rotisserie oven prior to being served.

For dessert, I opted for the Lemon and Mascarpone Cheesecake whereas my companion went for a melt in the middle chocolate pud.

Both were presented very nicely and my friend felt that the pudding was one of the best he had ever had! For £15.95 the two course option is differently worth it and I am planning on returning to try some of their starters.

Overall, the service was exquisite and we felt that every need was taken of. In terms of the food, I will definitely be returning as the roast was one of the best I have had in Manchester. Store Street Exchange is definitely a must-go for foodies and roast lovers alike as the decor, the service and the food makes it a dining experience that is not one to forget.

Photo: Daisy Tolcher

Spring Fiesta: The all-day festival with a difference

Recipe: Vegan Mushroom Wellington Alina Mclellan Contributer

Ingredients: 4 large Portobello mushrooms 3 large onions (peeled and chopped) 3 tbsp. olive oil 300g baby spinach 4 sprigs of thyme 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard 1 pack Just Roll puff pastry (suitable for vegans!)

Vegan egg wash: 1 tbsp. almond milk 1 tsp oil ½ tsp maple syrup Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.

2. Heat up half of the olive oil in a large frying pan and add the onions. Fry them on a low heat for 15-20 minutes, until they are golden brown.

3. In the meantime, wilt the spinach in another pan and set aside once it is done. This should only take 10 minutes or so.

4. Once the onions are done, set them aside.

5. Return the pan to the heat and put your mushrooms in with the remaining oil. Cook them for 5 minutes on each side. Once they are done, remove them from the pan and pat them dry.

6. Put a sheet of baking paper on the baking tray and then roll out the puff pastry sheet on it. Put half the onions in a line down one side of the pastry, making sure you still leave an extra 2cm around the edge. Then add half of the baby spinach on top of the onions. Spread the mustard over the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper before placing them on top

of the spinach. Finally, put the thyme and the remaining spinach and onions on top.

7. Carefully fold over the pastry to cover the filling and seal the edges of the pastry by pressing them together.

8. Whisk the ingredients of the vegan egg wash (or the egg) together then lightly coat the top of the pastry with it.

9. Put the pastry in the oven for 30-35 minutes, until golden, flaky and delicious. Cut open and enjoy!!

Recipe: Lamb Methi Samuel Piggot Contributer A delicous yet simple dish to make.

Ingredients 1 large onion, sliced 1 green chilli finely diced 2cm piece of fresh ginger finely diced or grated 10 tomatoes 4 cardamom pods crushed 2 cinnamon sticks 4 bay leaves 2 curry leaves 500g cubes of lamb shoulder 1 tsp each of chilli powder, garam masala, ground cumin, ground coriander and turmeric 1 tbsp runny honey 2 tsp tomato puree 1 whole bag fresh spinach sliced 30g butter 5 tbsp ground fenugreek Salt and pepper 50ml single cream Method 1.

Begin by preheating an oven to 120C. This might sound low, but the lamb needs to be cooked long and slow to ensure it is soft.

2.

To an ovenproof dish, in which the oil has been preheated over a medium heat on the hob, add the onion, chilli, ginger, cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks, and the bay and curry leaves. Fry these over a medium heat until the onion begins to turn translucent.

Photo: Alina Mclellan

Review: The Cheese Hamlet, Didsbury

Daisy Tolcher Head Editor

Taymour Afdhal Contributer

On the 10th March, environmental charity Feedback, pay-asyou-feel cafe Real Junk Food Manchester, and a host of other local organisations are coming together to present a feast to fight food waste.

The aim of the event is to demonstrate how we can re-imagine and reuse food waste in a number of delicious and interesting ways.

Throughout the day, mancunians are invited to nourish themselves and the planet by joining a celebration of diverse local food and community organisations to make a free lunch from surplus fresh ingredients. Other activities include a family friendly “alternative market” in Sadler’s Yard, kids activities such as “make a Mother’s Day gift”, a host of workshops for all ages and film screenings.

The fun won’t stop there with the festival going on into the evening.

From 6pm the party with a purpose heats up and attendees will come together to co-create a free feast from fresh, top quality produce that would otherwise go to waste. The feast will be accompanied with disco, funk and soul beats from local DJ’s and there will be a bar stocked with waste-busting craft beers from Runaway Brewery and Toast Ale.

If you want to spend your student loan on the right kind of cheese, The Cheese Hamlet is the place to go.

Located on Wilmslow Road past Withington and towards East Didsbury, it sports a white and dark colour palette and the compact shop can be easy to miss.

However, its distinctive interior is hard to forget and at times hard to take in. The Cheese Hamlet utilises all possible space which can often make it feel jam packed with customers.

However, with a shop as eclectic as this, the more stock the better.

“Every cheese has its own idiosyncratic characteristcs gifted to it through its creation”

“The purpose of this free event is to demonstrate that we need to rethink our current food system ” The purpose of this free event is to demonstrate to that we need to rethink our current food system. According to the event organisers, “globally, around one-third of all food produced is never eaten.

Meanwhile one third of the UK’s poorest families are skipping meals because they cannot afford to put food on the table”.

The Spring Fiesta will therefore be a unique and important event, celebrating the many alternative solutions to food waste to help educate us on ways to nourish our planet rather than deplete it.

The Spring Fiesta is a FREE event and will be taking place at PLANET NOMA and Sadler’s Yard on 10th March between 11am-1pm.

To register for a ticket follow this link Register online at: https:// w w w.eventbrite.co.u k/e /fe e d back-pre s e nts-spr ing-fie st atickets-43169791007

Food & Drink 23

ISSUE 18 / 5th MARCH 2018 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Photo: Spring Fiesta

Its selection of artisanal cheese is geographically varied consisting of British, French, and others from mainland Europe.

They, of course, have the staples you would expect such as an array of Stiltons, Cheddars, and Manchegos. But they also sell many other less well known, yet just as delicious Picos, Perl Las, and Perl Wen to name a few. Their assortment weighs heavier on the blue and hard cheeses. There are also a huge variety of soft and semi soft cheeses, with the shop containing a huge stock of Stinking Bishops, Bries, Camemberts to name a few.

For my personal taste I find that the goat cheeses lack variety and also lack strength in terms of taste.

Those who visit cheese-mongers regularly may find that their stock isn’t quite as niche as

some others. However, this doesn’t detract from the overall quality of their cheeses.

Despite the quality, the stock can be hard to distinguish because the cheeses are placed on shelves behind the counter which can be hard to read. There have also been some instances where I haven’t been offered a taste of the cheese before purchasing and have had to ask — always taste if you’re unsure. Despite this, the staff are still friendly and knowledgeable about their stock. Additionally, the shop also sells a variety of unique meats, condiments, wine, and crackers, all perfect for pairing.

Every cheese has its own definable, idiosyncratic characteristics gifted to it through its creation and maturation. So if you’re fed up with Sainsbury’s basics or you just want to feel a little sophisticated in the last term of university, make the trip. You won’t be disappointed.

Photo: Paul Wilkinson @ Flikr

Photo: Samuel Piggot

Photo: Samuel Piggot

3. Now add the tomatoes, roughly chopped, and leave to cook for approximately 15 minutes, or until the tomatoes have begun to break down.

4.

Increase the heat to high and add half the butter. Once the butter is foaming add the lamb and seal on all sides. This will take approximately 5 minutes but ensure the temperature is high the entire time.

5.

Once the meat is coloured reduce the heat back down to a medium heat and add the ground spices, honey, tomato puree, and the spinach, and cook for a further 5 minutes.

6.

Add half the ground fenugreek and then add approximately 500ml of water, or enough to cover the meat completely. Cover the pan with a lid, or use foil if this isn’t possible, and increase the heat until the mixture is boiling.

Once boiling place the dish in the oven and cook for 3 hours, checking that the mixture does not dry out and adding water should this happen.

7.

After 3 hours the meat should be tender, and the curry is ready to finish off on the hob.

Take the pan back out of the oven and place on a medium heat on the hob. Add the remaining fenugreek along with the remaining butter and the cream. Season with salt and pepper and then simply cook the curry until the desired consistency has been reached. It will be very wet when it goes in the oven but simply simmer away on the hob if this is still the case when it comes out.

8. Serve with rice.

Arts

24

Feature

Renewed female After Twilight: representation: A Youth take over of the Whitworth ‘Painting Light and Hope’

Putting young South Asian talent on the agenda, the Whitworth Young Contemporaries launched an evening full to the brim with conceptual art and emerging musicians to bring diversity back into galleries Bella Jewell Arts Contributor On the 22nd of February, the Whitworth opened its doors for an evening of art, music, film and workshops organised

by Whitworth Young Contemporaries (WYC) in collaboration with Raqs Media Collective and Band on the Wall.

The event presented an artistic response to the current Raqs Media Collective Twilight Language exhibition at the Whitworth, which makes up part of Manchester’s New North South programme.

According to the Whitworth’s Youth Engagement Coordinator, Sally Thelwell, the event “came out of a project to engage more young people from the South Asian community”, an aim which is particularly relevant given the gallery’s position amidst Rusholme, Moss Side and Hulme areas of Manchester which are renowned for their richly diverse populations.

Thelwell admitted that the Whitworth often “struggles to get young people from these communities to come to our events or to visit the gallery” therefore changing this reality was central to the stimulating evening of empowering drama, music, workshops and installations. To spark this change, Thelwell recounted how the WYC “employed two young artists [as curators]: Lubna Ali and Matilda Glen” who the Whitworth supported “to deliver outreach workshops in the community with local youth groups Youth on Solid Ground in Whalley Range and Hideaway in Moss Side.”

Young people were put firmly in the centre of the evening with the opening performance of Meerut by members of the WYC group. They read a script created by the young Manchester activist group, the Red Megaphones, in 1932. The performance called for public attention to the cruelty perpetuated by British Colonialism in the case of the Meerut Conspiracy Case whereby trade unionists were arrested for organising an Indian railway strike.

The members of the cast claimed that the play continues to be relevant eight decades on, as “human struggle has not ended.” Cast member, Ruby Sherwood Martin, claimed that “the exploitation that continues to occur in sweatshops as a result of capitalism’s dominance” is a modern issue highlighted by the performance.

The group performed the piece standing on the steps leading to the Mezzanine gallery space to replicate how the Red Megaphones performed standing on steps in public spaces to render the message accessible to all, so “working class people could hear the message”’ being portrayed.

The theme of youth empowerment continued in the breath-taking performances of young talents from KYSO of the Hideaway group, who put together a series of acts ranging from singing, to dancing, to beatboxing. In an interview with the group, young dancer Asal Roostaei informed me that “everyone has a talent and KYSO helps you find it”. The founder of KYSO, Kemoy Walker told me how he established the group “in 2012 in response to the Government cuts in Manchester which left nothing for young people.”

Through providing a support network for nearly 100 young people in Moss Side, the group “represents a diversion away from negativity” and an opportunity for self-expression to young people who often “get told they’re not worth anything.”

The young musical talent continued with performances from Manchester-based poet-rapper Haleemah X, who announced to the audience with a heavily ironic undertone: “I listen to people’s stories and make them my own, as my life is kind of dry!” Her songs bring to light the often taboo subjects of abusive relationships and their impact, body shaming and the issue of weird ex partners, which resulted in an unusual yet powerful combination of pathos and empowerment. Fellow up-and-coming Manchester musician, Sangy, followed Haleemah’s performance with a selection of his “underground rap” which presents an intimate insight into his coping mechanisms in life.

Thelwell described how whilst “music is always really important, it is also really important to [the WYC] to have a wide spectrum of arts, and of course not forget about the exhibition that is the basis of the event”, in this way in the background to the musical performances there were opportunities to interact in light writing and mask-making workshops.

The evening also included the interactive installation If the world is a fair place then… curated by Lubna Ali and Matilda Glen, which gave visitors the opportunity to leave a message in a time capsule to be opened in ten years’ time, and a film-montage of artwork from the WYC outreach programme with youth clubs Hideaway and Youth on Solid Ground.

“ After Twilight put a spotlight on the young South Asian talent that often does not receive the recognition it deserves.”

Overall the WYC event, After Twilight put a spotlight on the young South Asian talent that often does not receive the recognition it deserves. Both young and old, new and regular visitors came together in the Whitworth for a night of activism and celebration of diversity presented through the lens of art, music and performance.

The Whitworth Young Contemporaries’ next event shall be ‘Lament’: a film produced

by Thirty Pound Gentleman in response to Steve McQueen’s Ashes. 15th March 7-9pm.

For more info about WYC find them on Instagram: @WhitworthYC Make sure to check out Haleemah X and Sangy who can be found on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook.

Nearly a century since Annie Swynnerton was first exhibited at the Manchester Art Gallery, they pay homage to her legacy as part of the Wonder Woman Festival running across Manchesterback into galleries Cicely Ryder-Belson Arts Editor

of beauty at a time where women’s strength and power were only just being recognised.

The curating of Rebecca Milner and Katie A pioneer in women’s rights and the JT Herrington heralds her female networks Suffragette movement, founder of the and community through identifying some of Manchester Society of Women Painters, and her “female fellow artists, sitters and patrons” the first female Associate Member of the hoping it “sheds light on the significant role of Royal Academy — you’d expect to know her networks between women, which enabled them name, but most will not. Annie Swynnerton. to travel, become independent artists and make Manchester Art Gallery presents Painting a living in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.”

Light and Hope, the first retrospective of the She marked a shift in being a female artist, Victorian painter for nearly a century. Born moving away from the confines of studio in Hulme, the exhibition puts her Manchester work and instead being a woman whose roots at the very opening of the show. This work is inherently bound up with outside introduces the cyclical significance of the light and foreign landscapes — especially exhibit, as she had a major exhibition right those of Italy, where she later moved. She here at the Manchester Art Gallery in 1923. both physically and conceptually pushed Her achievements are impressive, yet there’s the boundaries of female expression. somewhat of a bitter note to her accolade of Working to her own agenda with nude being the first female Associate Member of portraiture, she had a consistent approach the Royal Academy in 1922 (despite to painting real women’s bodies being founded in 1768), as this outside of romanticised and recognition came late in often male work of the her career.

Associate Academy. Yet these were membership (ARA) often transformed was conventionally when the real met and succeeded by the fantastical, as becoming a full her subjects would Royal Academician be immersed in (RA), but as ethereal backdrops.

Swynnerton was L a nd s cap e s 78 when she and portraiture received the ARA, might not seem she was already so revolutionary, above the age limit yet she invigorates of 75 for election them with vitality. to full RA status.

Her paintings are This is a prime sensory, in which you example of how can gauge the reality women have often been of female experience brushed to the periphery in differing environments of history in their late Photo: Manchester — a palette of synesthesia.

Art Gallery recognition. For increasingly There is a sense of presence the historical narratives which in the work, whether it’s within back institutions such as the Royal her subject, who seems to be intently Academy are being exposed as a selective and looking back at Swynnerton, or whether exclusively male, often silencing the female it’s within her landscapes, in which you voices which were present. Exhibitions like can almost feel the heat of Italian sunsets. this are an important act of reclamation, This is most evident in her Italian rewriting, and retrieving lost narratives. landscapes, the colours almost shifting and She is often eclipsed by the more shimmering in a Monet-esque use of colour. canonical artist Laura Knight, who was the Her sculptural application of paint, which second woman to be made Associate of draws on Impressionist awareness of light and the Royal Academy, and the first woman colour, and the confidence in her technique to be made a full Royal Academician. translates into these immersive snapshots.

In her autobiography, she demonstrated Her ability to capture a fleeting moment the gravity of Swynnerton’s work: “We informs her portraiture too, as “the impact women who have the good fortune to be of Italy comes through in the vibrant colours born later than Mrs Swynnerton profit by and gestural paint of her portrayals of her accomplishments. Any woman reaching women that are a highlight of this exhibition.” the heights in the fine arts had been almost For me, this retrospective demonstrates the unknown until Mrs Swynnerton came importance of being able to contextualise and broke down the barriers of prejudice.” our current political and cultural moments.

Yet age is something which was never a For as part of the Wonder Woman Festival barrier for Swynnerton, quite the contrary, 2018, marking the 100-year anniversary it was something she harnessed. For she of the Representation of the People Act, began to change the face of how women this exhibition gives a sense of scope were portrayed. Transcending beyond the to feminism — even on a local level. idealised female subject, Swynnerton instead Yet we can also look forward to the demonstrated the breadths of femininity. future women forging out culture and Age commanded the portraits, rather than institutions, as this exhibit precedes the first being erased from them. Subjects varied from retrospective of Sonia Boyce at Manchester the young, eager girls in Margaret and Chrystian Art Gallery opening in late March. As the Guthrie (1907) — in which the tension of getting first black Royal Academist, she creates children to sit for a portrait is captured aptly — a contemporary parallel to Swynnerton, to the older women in such portraits as Dame and a real sense of hope that institutions Millicent Garret Fawcett (1930) or The Southing are starting to recognise female influence. of the Sun (1911) whose wrinkles are embraced The exhibit is at the Manchester Art Gallery with scratched impasto. She challenged from 23rd February 2018 – 6th January 2018. modes of representation and conventions

Theatre 25

ISSUE 18 / 5th MARCH 2018 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

ISSUE 18 / 5th March 2018 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Interview

Amelia Bullmore: “In my day you could put on anything on a Monday night, anything” Elise Gallagher interviews the Manchester alumnus ahead of her role in Annie Baker’s Circle Mirror Transformation at HOME Elise Gallagher Contributor

Photos: HOMEMCR

Chelsea-born actress Amelia Bullmore has enjoyed a fantastic career to date. First starting out as a Coronation Street regular in 1990, Bullmore went on to star in a stellar run of dramas such as State of Play, Ashes to Ashes, Sherlock, Happy Valley, Twenty Twelve, and ITV’s exceptional police drama Scott & Bailey.

Along the way, she mastered the art of comic acting as well as scriptwriting. Something lesser known was that she was also a student here, at our very own University of Manchester.

Bullmore is back in Manchester to take on the role of Marty, the lead in Annie Baker’s award-winning play Circle Mirror Transformation . We met at HOME to discuss her latest role.

Circle Mirror Transformation is set in the fictional town of Shirley, Vermont where we follow the journey of five strangers as they meet in their local community centre for a creative drama class for adults.

Marty, Bullmore’s character, is responsible for the drama class. “She’s very active in this community centre where the play is set, in this fictional Vermont town of Shirley. So we think it’s a pretty small community and Vermont is quite an alternative [place] — people go for the lifestyle, to grow vegetables and a lot of people are in alternative medicine.

“Marty’s not from Vermont, she’s gone there for this way of life that she wants to live. She’s very positive, and she’s really into the class, and really wants everyone to be open to it and to connect to it.”

The Manchester premiere of Annie Baker’s show is directed by award-winning director Bijan Sheibani who was previously artistic director of ATC from 2010 to 2011, and associate director at the National Theatre from 2010 to 2015.

There is certainly some buzz surrounding the show. Upon its debut, Circle Mirror Transformation was declared one of the top 10 plays of 2009 by various publications such as the New York Times, Time Out and The New Yorker. Baker also won the Obie Award for Best New Play in 2010 for her “quiet masterpiece.”

But what makes the play so special? Bullmore believes it lies in the writing’s subtleties. “I think it has a very rare sensitivity. And that sensitivity applies to all of its ingredients, the comedy is very fine, the insight into doubt and loneliness is very sharp. She’s [Baker] incredibly skilled with what she holds back. And it’s an amazingly rich script to work on.”

Bullmore believes it has an almost musical quality. “There are lots of ums and ahs and pauses and silences.” Marty holds quite a prescriptive view about these, and how long they should last.

“She says in the prologue, ‘you’ll want to pick up the pace — you’ll get to a point in rehearsal where you think what this play needs right now is pick up the pace — don’t.’ She said, ‘if you go fast it’s a satire, but these people are no fools — please honour the pauses.’”

Bullmore agrees. “I think it’s deceptively great. On the page, you don’t realise quite how deft the writing is. And then when you do it, when you put it on its feet and push all the way through, you realise it has a sort of undertone of the great body of stuff and mess that’s under the surface.

And I think that sets the great plays apart.”

It is timely for a play set in a community centre to open in Manchester. Just last month campaigners were left devastated when it was announced that their plans to transform Ancoats Dispensary into a community hub were thwarted. Bullmore believes community centres such as the one depicted in the play are of vital importance. “People want to do it, people want to watch it but particularly, people want to do it.

“And especially if you don’t have many other sort of outlets, there’s nothing like it. I know that in education the finding is that if you give school kids drama, they become better at everything. Not just the arts, but everything. You know, if drama is on the curriculum, people get better at maths, people get better at science, because there’s just something about what you learn about confidence, selfexpression, listening, collaborating, daring. It just enables everything.”

Our conversation turns towards her time at university. She speaks nostalgically of her favourite memories from her studies, a wide smile on her face. It’s clear that Manchester left many wonderful memories.

“Monday was always a big night because you’d go to the Stephen Joseph studio and watch whatever was put on. In my day you could put on anything on a Monday night, anything. One guy went onto to study at Lecoq ; he constructed a haystack and he lay on top of the haystack with a bit of straw between his teeth in dappled light.

“Another week, somebody might do a full-length production, somebody might try out something they’d written, somebody might do a monologue, and then afterwards you’d all go to the Ducie pub in the fringes of Hulme. The Ducie was the drama pub and it was an absolute institution. You’d go to Stephen Joseph, go to the Ducie, discuss so-called constructively about everything you’d seen, drink, flirt, go home.”

It was Manchester where she met award-winning playwright and screenwriter Helen Edmundson, “who was in the year above me, [and] set up a touring women’s

theatre company called Red Stockings. Our first show was her dissertation, which was on women’s theatre.

“She had done all this work on what were the common factors of women’s theatre, particularly adject props — setting up something quickly, maybe in a street corner, comedy masks, song — to be very immediate and impactful.

“And to demonstrate that she wrote this show, and she got three of us to do it with her… This was part of her dissertation, so it was a big, big deal — and we’d been rehearsing in the drama department every evening — we finally did this show and it went down a storm.” Edmundson landed a first.

“Everybody said, keep that, that show — that show needs to have another life.

“And in fact we then became this company and with Helen at the helm, we toured and co-wrote and performed all around the North West, we got our equity cards, we got funding, we got enterprise allowance, we did women’s weeks all over the place, we did arts centres, we did that for four years. It led to so many things.”

And for any aspiring actors, what’s the worst mistake you can make? “You’ve just got to do whatever it takes to not tighten up, and by tighten up I mean don’t get in a tight state about everything you want to happen.

“Don’t tighten up when you’re going into work — however daunting it is, just try to fight tightening up. Because it just won’t help you and you have to be as loose as you can so you can listen and be there and keep it alive. Don’t think it’s just you, it never is.”

She recounts how much the industry has changed since she left Manchester. “I think it’s so tough now and I think, obviously you need to earn some money, so get your hands on a job where you like the people — even if it’s a café where there are people who are also aspiring — you might meet people there. Just make your own work.

Make your own work and keep in touch with all your friends who were aiming for the same thing — if that’s reading plays, or writing plays, or workshopping things, or improvising, or going to Edinburgh if you can get that together — anything that keeps you busy and involved with it, and not horribly at the mercy of everyone else.”

Amelia doesn’t hesitate in stating that her latest work won’t be for everyone. “If you want bombs and bloodshed you will be really disappointed. But if you want to watch five people who don’t know you’re watching,” then this is for you.

You can see Circle Mirror Transformation at HOME from Friday the 2nd March to Saturday 17th March.

26

Lifestyle

Lifestyle

ISSUE 18 / 5th MARCH 2018 WWW.MANCESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

ISSUE 18 / 5th MARCH 2018 WWW.MANCHESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Another ‘unconventional’ gap year

Photo: Illustrade @Pixabay

27

To the sober student

Alex Hope recounts his memorable experience as an anti-poaching ranger for rhinos and the challenges he faced whilst living in South AfricaAlex Hope Lifestyle Contributor Please don’t equate ‘unconventional’ with hipster or eco-justice warrior. Although the latter might apply here.

Years ago, when I had an actual job, I stumbled across a miniseries called ‘Wildlife War Zone’ courtesy of Al-Jazeera. If you have the time, I thoroughly recommend you look it up - it certainly changed my life and perhaps, you could argue it led me here to study at Manchester. It follows AntiPoaching Rangers working for a security company called ‘Pro-track’, who protect rhinos in South Africa. At the time, I had a very comfortable life in London but I was getting itchy feet and was looking for a career change. After watching the series about anti-poaching and rhino protection, it planted a seed in my head that went from ‘that’s a stupid idea’ to ‘all right, let’s start saving money and draft a resignation letter’ in about 12 months.

I hope that after reading this article, a seed will also have been planted in

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

your head and continue to grow into an experience that you will never forget. You will see more wildlife during your first week of patrolling than you will ever have seen in your life. You will have a deeper understanding of the interaction between humans and nature that simply cannot be learnt from a classroom, let alone going on a safari. Even as a foreigner, you will be a useful part of the team, just like any South African, and not just a bystander.

To describe the experience in a few words it would be: humbling, fascinating, boring and hard. The training is a brief 35 days and is para-military in nature; ‘Pro-track’ is a security company after all. But if you’ve had any military training, beyond the assault

course, shooting practice, and drills, the ethos is very different. Anti-poaching and front-line soldiering have their similarities, but there are many more differences. For a start, tracking takes up 4 hours of most days. You’re expected to identify different types of snares (which blend in very well with grey bark of the bush) as well as differences and ages of black or white rhino tracks (Spoor). You’re expected to make your own fire and cook your own meals, and you sleep outside all the time. All this is topped off with a 27km (17 Mile) run with a dummy rifle and webbing. It may seem a little daunting, but if you’re reasonably fit

“ It’s

about as unique an experience as any a cherised memory that as a part of a team... you’ll have helped to protect e n d a n g e r e d rhinos. ” and motivated, you’ll pass.

Because you’re not on a contract, you’ll have the freedom of operating on different game reserves. Day patrol is the most interesting and arduous. Most likely it’s just you (the scout) and a team leader, in a picket in the middle of the bush surrounded by thorns to keep the animals out. You might see other people during a 23-day patrol or you might not. A typical day starts at 5:30 when you might choose to have a cold breakfast. Patrol for about 8-10 hours in temperatures of up to 50 degrees centigrade always observing for spoor, elephants (they’re quieter than you think), rhinos and vultures in the sky indicating a fresh carcass. In the process, you get eaten by flies and lose a lot of weight. Try not to step on a black mamba that looks really similar to a long stick. You’ll get charged by an elephant at least once but don’t worry it happens to most of the rangers (once the sergeants got charged by a giraffe of all animals). If you’re really lucky you’ll arrest some poachers. If you’re unlucky you’ll have to help out with a necropsy on

Aneesa Piracha describes how she navigates her social life as a sober student at university

a 10-day old poached rhino carcass. Most importantly you’ll be doing the exact same job as any other anti-poaching ranger, the only differences are that you are not legally allowed to carry a weapon and that you’re not getting paid. And yes, it really is all worth it.

I’m not trying to scare you, but through the training you will be able to mitigate the risks and develop a heightened sense of awareness or ‘ bush sense’. Be aware that ‘Pro-track’ is a for-profit security company and that you will be operating on private game reserves, which in itself is a contentious issue.

You’ll leave South Africa with a complex understanding of why rhinos are so endangered, and you’ll acquire skills that you’ll never forget, ones that will make you stand out to future employers. It’s about as unique an experience as any – a cherished memory that as a part of team, working with the police, vets and other rangers – you’ll have helped to protect endangered rhinos.

For more information protrackapu.co.za

visit:

Aneesa Piracha Lifestyle Contributor On moving to Manchester, it became clear very quickly that drinking was at the core of student life, as it is in many other places.

Most socials and university events, during freshers week and beyond, are centred around the pub. From bar crawls to nights out, drinking has become a cornerstone of university culture.

I came to university never having had a drink, unlike the majority of British teenagers, and had no intention of changing that. Coming from a religious background, drinking wasn’t the norm in my house, although it was, of course, perfectly normal for everyone else.

The amount of alcohol consumption at university reaches an entirely different level. The freedoms and lack of restrictions at university mean students are free to

drink and go out with no boundaries, so it is entirely natural for that to be exactly what everyone does.

For those who don’t drink, this can lead to experiencing a sort of reverse culture shock.

Somehow the culture you have grown up in feels alien and you are seemingly caught between two norms. Although it is perfectly possible to go out and join a pub crawl without drinking, it makes it a whole lot easier if you do. Don’t get me wrong, going out is fun, and it is easy for some to have fun without drinking.

However, for those who simply do not want to go to a club, a pub, or meet for drinks, or don’t find it fun at all, there is surprisingly little scope to socialise. There are of course cafes, restaurants, cinemas, and other opportunities for entertainment, but drinking is by far the most done thing.

When being sober puts a strain on your social life, a pressure to drink can build,

Photo: Stefan Cosma @Unsplash

and force students to conform to the general lifestyle of those around them.

You can find yourself straddling between two sets of ideals and cultures, which are both inherently your own, but apparent antitheses of each other.

When struggling to navigate a sober social life, remember that there are many other students dealing with the same pressures and struggles. It is perfectly possible to enjoy yourself without alcohol and to find others who share similar interests. Although it can be difficult to embark on a night out without the added pressure to drink, finding a good network of supportive and outgoing friends can make the process a whole lot easier.

There is a huge range of clubs and societies whose primary interest is not drinking, and surrounding yourself with like-minded people, who may also like a night out, is your first step to creating your own social university life.

www.

If you have any more questions, feel free to email me at alexander.hope-2@postgrad. manchester.ac.uk

‘Tinder’ for flatmates

Photo: Alex Hope

‘Campusboard’ launches a new flat-share feature that helps university students find flatmates and spare rooms with just a few clicks Ed Bonsey Lifestyle Contributor ‘Campusboard’ is a community that allows university students to trade pre-loved items with each other in-person — often saving large amounts on textbooks, and earning cash on unwanted items.

They have recently launched a new feature to help students find flatmates, spare rooms, and accommodation close to university. In order to sign up, you must have a verified university email address — as long as you have one of those, then it’s completely free to use.

Photo: Government ZA @Flickr

So why flat-shares?

“Student rent is growing by as much as 10% year-on-year, and housing shortages are a real worry. One of our goals is to make student housing more accessible by allowing students to make more efficient use of existing housing.

But looking for people to share a house with or to fill a spare room can be a daunting task - especially in a new town or at a new university.

With our flat-share community we provide a simple way for students to advertise their spare rooms or share ‘room wanted’ profiles in one place” explains Ana Ciobanu, the Head of Business Development for Campusboard.

She adds, “Campusboard’s new flat-share feature also fits perfectly within our existing community; where we help students connect directly with each other in a safe and reliable manner.”

If a student has a spare room available, they can quickly create a listing for free, describing everything their available room has to offer.

If students are looking for a house share, they can quickly create a profile to give pro-

spective flatmates a great idea of who they are — as well as the chance to describe their impressive dish-washing skills! You can see the necessary info about a potential flatmate and then decide who is the best connection

Photo: Ed Bonsey

for you.

As CEO and founder, Seva Baskin explains, “It cuts out a great deal of hassle, and students can find flatmates and house shares that actually suit them. All of the rooms available on Campusboard are posted by verified university students. So students can be sure they are connecting with real people.”

Who are Campusboard?

Campusboard was initially started at the University of Exeter by a group of friends who grew tired of overpriced textbooks and the lack of an easy way to trade unused items with other students. Since launching they have helped students across the UK trade thousands of items and save over £75k on textbooks alone. They felt it was the perfect time to offer their active community something new.

Campusboard has already received some great feedback on the new flat-share feature.

Seva explains, “One student was ecstatic after she managed to find a flatmate in just 25 minutes. It turned out to be a friend who she had no idea was looking for a place. It feels great to receive such positive feedback and we can’t wait for more students to be able to use it.”

Campusboard.co.uk is now ready to fully launch their flat-share community on all UK campuses.

WRITE FOR US Email: lifestyle@mancunion.com Meeting time: Tuesdays 6.15pm Meeting place: MMG Room, Basement of Students’ Union

Photo: Nishant Vyas @Pexels

29

S

P

O

R

T

United win a vital clash with Chelsea thanks to their Lin-guardian angel Lukaku getting a goal AND an assist against a top-six side? Nah mate you’re having me on

FINAL YEARS! THE NSS COULD STILL BE USED TO RAISE FEES. #DONTFILLITIN Last year, final years refused to fill in the National Student Survey (NSS) because it was used to justify raising tuition fees.

This year, tuition fees have been frozen. However, if they are unfrozen again by 2020, any responses to the NSS this year will be used to raise fees again.

Just don’t participate - #DONTFILLITIN! Find out more: manchesterstudentsunion.com/nss

Photo: wallpaperscraft.com

Arthur Salisbury Deputy Sports Editor Chelsea are the visitors to the Theatre of Dreams in perhaps the most important game of the season for both teams. If Manchester United lose they’ll fall to third place in the table and into the middle of the pack. If Chelsea lose they’ll fall out of the top four altogether.

Knowing this Jose Mourinho puts out a very strong if defensive team lining up in the 4-3-3 formation. De Gea starts in between the sticks with Valencia, Smalling, Lindelöf and Young helping to guard the goal.

United’s break-out player of the season so far McTominay joins Matic and Pogba in a threeman midfield. Sanchez, Lukaku, and Martial lead the line.

It looks like McTominay’s role today will be simply to mark Hazard and try to keep the Belgian quiet. If the youngster can manage this it could be extremely beneficial for United. All of Chelsea’s moves have tended to flow through Hazard and their losses have come when he has failed to create.

Morata comes very close to opening the scoring in the opening exchanges of the game. Marco Alonso crosses the ball into the box just out of the reach of Smalling but perfectly weight for Morata.

His effort ricochets back off the crossbar and the danger is neutralised. He may regret smashing his shot so hard come the end of the game.

In the opening quarter of an hour, Chelsea have had 61% of the possession. This hardly unexpected though and United have defended well only conceding the one chance. Smalling and Young so far have made some great blocks and challenges, continuing where they left off against Sevilla.

After a sustained period of United pressure that Chelsea defends well, it was surprising to see Anthony Martial not attempting any dribbles in the several opportunities he had to do so. He looks downtrodden and lacking in confidence.

United keep on applying pressure and very nearly get a goal to show for it. The ball is driven in low and Sánchez gets onto the end of it around seven yards out. Instead of taking it first time he choosing to take a touch and by that point, the window had closed, poor decision making there from the number seven.

Pogba is having a blinder of a game so far and Kante is having a big problem in dealing with him in the midfield area. As United break, Pogba is cynically taken down and Kante receives the first yellow card of the game.

Eight players get forward for the free-kick but it is quickly broken down and Chelsea break.

A massive defensive positioning blunder puts Willian through and the Brazilian beats de Gea at his near post. McTominay stops tracking Willian but it is Smalling who should be in a position to stop the pass. De Gea too will feel angered that he conceded at his near post.A series of errors there by a side that had dominated the ball beforehand.

Chelsea has won all 15 games so far in the league when they score first so United will have to produce something excellent in what remains of this game to break that record.

Manchester United needed to reply quickly and they have done so. Lukaku does well to muscle Christiansen off the ball on the edge of the area and after a series of passes, he gets the ball back five yards out from Chelsea’s goal. He stabs the ball home to make it 22 goals this season and 1-1 here at Old Trafford.

At halftime the result is a fair one, both teams have squandered a couple of good chances each. Chelsea seems to be caught out with the

physicality of the game with the United players tackling with some force, Willian is walking a little bit gingerly after a shunt from Matic early on.

The second half begins and it’s a cagey affair.

Both teams are trying to commit players forward quickly and both are finding it difficult to complete key passes.

A draw would not be the worst result for Manchester United as they would keep their second-placed position. Chelsea, on the other hand, need to win to stay in the top four.

United seem to lack energy in the second half and Mourinho has chosen to take Martial off in favour of Lingard. The Frenchman walks off incredibly slowly which angers the home fans.

Lingard’s arrival on the pitch initiates a pick up in the tempo. His presence invigorates his teammates and they immediately go on the attack. It culminates in a Lukaku acrobatic shot that goes just over, similar to the goal Rooney scored against Manchester City.

Valencia becomes the first United player to go into the referee’s book, getting a yellow card for a bad foul on Hazard. It is in line with the way they have been playing today, with a level of physicality that is just on the cusp of a foul almost every time.

If there is a winner in this game it looks almost certain to be in favour of Manchester United.

Chelsea are unable to deal with the extra gear United have found. Conte’s reaction is to bring Hazard off and replace him with Pedro.

Lukaku gets the ball on the right-hand side and bends an inch-perfect cross over Christiansen and onto the head of Jesse Lingard. Lingard’s goal is his 13th, yes 13th, of the season and means that United have scored ten goals from substitutes this season, the most in the league.

Chelsea need a goal from somewhere and Conte is bringing on Giroud for Moses to try and

get one. This may be the first time Morata and Giroud have played together this season. It will be interesting to see their play style in the closing ten minutes.

In reaction to this cha, ge Mourinho brings on Bailly for Sánchez. Bailly brings on a handwritten notes and passes it to Matic, presumably with the tactics for the rest of the game. Willian chases Matic in an humorous attempt to read the note.

Fabregas also comes on for Drinkwater The Manchester United of the last quarter of this game is the swashbuckling style that the fans want to see. McTominay and Matic are winning the midfield battle allowing Pogba to move freely around the pitch and the high press allows United to win the ball back quickly to attack. Matic tries a little too physically to win the ball back and gets a yellow card.

A series of delicate one touch passes gives Morata a good shooting which he buries thanks to the post, sadly for him the flag is up though.

The replay shows that he was just onside, if only we had VAR…Morata then gets a yellow card for hacking down Smalling, it’s not his day.

His opposing number, Romelu Lukaku, gets the ball with four blue shirts in from of him and no company. That doesn’t stop him though and he runs straight through them all showing a turn of pace that I don’t think anybody knew he had.

The four minutes extra time become five but it isn’t enough for Conte’s side to get an equaliser and the game ends 2-1. In the end it was a deserving win for Manchester United.

The midfield three of Pogba, Matic and McTominay deserve praise for their outstanding partnership in this must win game. McTominay especially who also played fantastically against Sevilla the week before, he is certainly proving himself as a serious contender for the midfield places now.

WRITE FOR US Mancunion Sport 17/18 Contributors Group Email: sports@mancunion.com Meeting time: Tuesdays 4:30pm, Students’ Union

30

Sport

ISSUE 18 / 5th MARCH 2018 WWW.MANCESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Man City Women come back to keep title dreams alive Nick Cushing’s women earned a vital point at the Academy Stadium

Pep Guardiola, a yellow ribbon, and a can of worms

The Manchester City manager has been fined by the FA for breaching “kit and advertising regulations” but the issue raises a much larger problem.

Sam Cooper Head Sports Editor Nick Cushing’s women earned a vital point at the Academy Stadium.

Given just one point separates the blue of Manchester and the blue of South West London at the pinnacle of the Women’s Super League table, this meeting at the Academy Stadium was always going to have a massive impact on where the title would end up come the conclusion of the season.

City came into the match in good form having won four of the last six but their previous outing saw them slip to a 2-0 defeat away at Birmingham City. Chelsea, meanwhile, were also enjoying a good run having won four of the previous five and still unbeaten in the league this season.

All of this led to a title showdown between the two real challengers for the crown. City, having won the league last season, needed to lay a marker down and prevent Chelsea from extending their lead at the top while the London side were looking to grasp one hand on the title.

Within six minutes, the league leaders landed the first punch. Millie Bright rifled a shot from close range into the top left corner leaving Ellie Roebuck with no chance of stopping it.

The goal came as City struggled to effectively clear a Chelsea corner and Bright was in the right place at the right time to put her side ahead.

City were struggling to get any real hold on the game and the next goal was looking likely to go to the visitors. Abbie McManus and Esme Morgan both prevented chances but in the 24th minute, the game had its second goal.

Crystal Dunn, in what was her last appearance for Chelsea before moving to North Carolina Courage, rolled the ball back into the path of Ji So-Yun who made no mistake and placed the ball into the bottom corner. It doubled the advantage of the visitors and gave Nick Cushing and his players a long way back if they were going to salvage anything.

The half time whistle blew on a cold Manchester Saturday morning with the blue of London firmly in control.

Chelsea continued the second half in much the same manner as they had throughout the first. They pressed forward, not allowing City time on the ball and looked to increase their lead even further. Ramona Bachmann had a chance saved by Roebuck while So-Yun looked to double her personal tally of the game.

However, with 49 minutes on the clock, the door opened on a possible City comeback. A pinpoint cross from Demi Stokes arrived squarely on the head of Nikita Parris who sent it goalbound. It set the score at 2-1 and with over half an hour left to play, there was definitely time for more.

Chelsea also had chances to score more goals but were not

Sport 31

ISSUE 18 / 5th MARCH 2018 WWW.MANCESTERMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK

Photo: Ailura @wikimedia commons

playing with the same clinical edge that they had in the first half. Parris then missed a glorious opportunity to equalise having shot wide when it seemed harder to miss.

As the clock creeped towards the final minute, City got their equaliser. Substitute Georgia Stanway scored the goal of the game with a powerful edge-of-the-area shot that rose into the postage stamp of the goal. Unstoppable regardless of where the keeper stood and it sealed the unlikely comeback.

Stanway said after the game “It feels like we’ve won the game, although it was only a draw. [The comeback] shows what we’re capable of and that the bench is just as important as the starting team. Nick can put anyone on and they’ll do a job. We showed we have the character to come back from 2-0 down.

We’ve got the endeavour and we’ll work hard to get to where we want to be.”

The game finished at 1-1 and with honours even but given the circumstances of the match, it is no surprise it felt more like a win to the City players. The result means City stay one point behind Chelsea going into the international break. City players have now departed to be with their national teams and will return to club action on the 14th of March in a Continental Cup tie against Arsenal.

Photo: Assemblea.cat @flickr Photo: fawsl.com

Return of Stokes

From 1960 to 1990, at least 60% of the England team had been educated at a state school. In 2013, this figure had dropped to a third.

Photo: NAPARAZZI @flickr

Arthur Salisbury Deputy Sports Editor Ben Stokes, the England all-rounder suspended from the Ashes for decking some bloke outside a club in Bristol, has returned to cricket this week in the one-day series against New Zealand. While I welcome this - heck, he shouldn’t have even been suspended in the first place - I am uneasy about the hype that surrounds him. While I can’t deny he’s a wonderful and watchable cricketer, the unconditional enthusiasm for the man is a symptom of a sport in crisis.

Cricket in 2018 does not mean as much as it meant at the turn of the millennium. The last team that mattered was Strauss’s Ashes winners in 2010/11, but the last team that really mattered was Vaughan’s in 2005. The reasons for this erosion of importance include (but are

not limited to) the decline of the West Indies, the bastardisation of the game in the form of Twenty20, two-match Test series with no narrative, the devaluing of all but four Test playing nations and a steep decline in youth participation only partly offset by immigration from South Asia. White working-class involvement in cricket is at crisis point. Between 1938 and 2006, Test cricket was the preserve of either the BBC or Channel 4. Since then, Sky Sports (and more recently BT Sport) have kept the game behind a paywall, preventing people from falling in love. In 2014, the England and Wales Cricket Board’s own research showed that, among 7-15 year olds, only 2% ranked cricket as their favourite sport. None of the England side in 2018 has ever played Test cricket on free-to-view television. It is in this context that Ben Stokes must be understood.

Ben Stokes has defied the odds to get where he is, but it will be even harder for working-class kids growing up now to make something for

themselves from cricket. The only reliable route nowadays is a private scholarship, but this is hardly an efficient system - and what of the friends the recipient leaves behind? Councils and schools have been under a lot of budgetary pressure, and it is easier to cut cricket than it is to cut football. It doesn’t take a genius to work out what the effect of this is. From 1960 to 1990, at least 60% of the England team had been educated at a state school. In 2013, this figure had dropped to a third.

Cricket is being turned into an aristocratic sport; probably, that’s what they want.

But you don’t need me to tell you this, because you know it. Ben Stokes is the flickering embers of the post-war social-democratic dream, of social mobility and class pride. And while we should of course celebrate him, we should not let him distract us from the crisis that makes cricketers like him few and scattered. The most recent Ashes series was a chilling vision of our future - posh, boring, inept.

Sam Cooper Head Sports Editor As the dust settled on City’s Carabao Cup win, one question in Pep Guardiola’s postmatch press conference caught the attention.

The press conference in itself was quite extraordinary. After the customary thanking the owners, fans, players etc., Guardiola used the occasion to talk Catalan politics: “Before I am a manager, I am a human being. I think England knows very well what that means.

You did the Brexit. You let the people make an opinion. You allowed Scotland to make a referendum about if they want to stay or not and the people voted. That is what they are asking (for in Catalonia). Then they are in prevention jail right now.”

This particular statement opens up a can of worms that delves into Guardiola’s past.

He makes no secret that he is an advocate of a Catalan referendum and that he favours independence. Making it very clear he believes in the right to vote.

The FA fine was handed to him after a

continual refusal not to wear a yellow ribbon in support of the Catalan politicians who have been imprisoned after the referendum late last year. The FA is against any symbol that could be seen as political and have in the passed handed out similar fines for political gestures. Guardiola wearing the ribbon is indeed political.

So far everything all seems reasonable for a proud Catalan to peacefully protest via the medium of a yellow ribbon but the criticism into the subject comes from digging into the past of Guardiola’s current employers.

Guardiola opened his press conference by thanking Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the owner of Manchester City, who is also a member of the ruling family of Abu Dhabi.

Abu Dhabi is the capital of the United Arab Emirates and the UAE has come under regular fire from the likes of Amnesty International for their less than adequate protection of human rights. Amnesty International states: “the authorities continued to arbitrarily restrict freedoms of expression and association, using criminal defamation and

anti-terrorism laws to detain, prosecute, convict and imprison government critics and a prominent human rights defender.

“Scores of people, including prisoners of conscience, who were sentenced following unfair trials remained in prison. Authorities held detainees in conditions that could amount to torture and failed to investigate allegations of torture made in previous years.

Women continued to face discrimination in law and in practice. Migrant workers remained vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. Courts continued to hand down death sentences; there was one execution.”

This questionable background of City’s owners has left many with a bitter taste in their mouth when reading Guardiola’s Catalan comments. The question in the press conference that was of most interest was not about the game nor about Catalonia but instead about how Guardiola can reconcile his views on Catalan democratic freedom and similar rights issues in the UAE. “Every country decides the way they want to live for themselves. If he decides to live in that (country) it is what it is. I am in a country

with democracy installed since years ago and try to protect that situation.”

It is a meek response and not one answered with the passion delivered when fielding questions about Catalonia. Guardiola himself also has links with Qatar having been an ambassador for their World Cup bid ten years ago. Since then, revelations have come out about deplorable working conditions for the stadium builders and the large number of deaths due to being forced to work in extreme heat. But, Guardiola has not come out and condemned these acts.

As is the case in football, the City fans have rallied to their manager’s side. Fans were given yellow ribbons on their way into Wembley in an act of solidarity with their manager. It takes a strong football fan to take a step back and criticise their own manager for past indiscretions, especially when that manager is a successful one.

It is of course no means Guardiola’s job to be football’s moral compass but when you preach about freedom and democratic rights in one country, you can be sure your dealings in another will be brought to the table.

WRITE FOR US Mancunion Sport 17/18 Contributors Group Email: sports@mancunion.com Meeting time: Tuesdays 4:30pm, Students’ Union

S

P

O

R

5th MARCH 2018 / ISSUE 18 / FREE

T

Photo: Jbmg40 @wikimedia commons

City triumph at Wembley

Pep Guardiola earns his first trophy as City boss after easing past a limp Arsenal Joey Pine Sports Contributor 65 minutes on the clock. Danilo plays a beautiful slide-rule through pass to David Silva who duly latches onto it and arrows a left-footed strike across Ospina and into the bottom right-hand corner.

Cue the exits.

Arsenal had simply seen enough. Outthought and outfought by the relentless City juggernaut, once again showing they can swat teams aside even when stuck in third gear (second at a stretch).

Better teams have been played off the park by City this season (see the comprehensive routs of lauded teams such as Liverpool and Tottenham) but few have surrendered so meekly and in a game of such magnitude too. With each passing game, the calls for Wenger to do the ‘honourable’ act and resign grow louder and louder.

It could have been a totally different story too had Pierre-EmerickAubameyang (the club’s shiny new £57 million recruit) not somehow contrived to fluff his lines from barely three yards out after a pinpoint ball across from the otherwise anonymous Mesut Ozil after just eight minutes. That he was offside should not take away from the striker’s glaring miss, or Claudio Bravo’s reflexes when diving the other way, for that matter.

That vital save early on seemed to galvanise the oft-maligned and nervy Chilean who had an even bigger gamechanging influence on 18 minutes with an accurate punt up-field. Sensing an opportunity, Sergio Agüero ran onto it, outmuscling the weak challenge of Mustafi before bearing down on the onrushing David Ospina and expertly guiding it in to the far corner with the deftest of chips.

First blood City.

Up until that point Arsenal had, in

fairness, looked alive in what was a tight and tense affair but as is so often the case, they were let down by the shoddy and incompetent nature of their defending. “Pathetic” was the adjective Gary Neville used in commentary after Mustafi’s mishap and although it was hard to disagree with him on that score, the phrase “predictably pathetic” could easily have been inserted here instead.

The second goal was the clearest indication of where the difference lied between the sides. Whilst at one end, Mustafi got beat by a bouncing ball, at the same end, Vincent Kompany , up for a corner, showed the instincts of a possessed predator in diverting Ilkay Gundogan’s drilled ball across the box, into the net.

Cue the celebrations.

Having (temporarily at least) broken free from the shackles of his body, Kompany celebrated with the passion and vigour rarely seen in the so called ‘modern game’. The city fans appreciated how much it meant to Kompany and serenaded their ecstatic skipped with the chant “Heres to you Vincent Kompany, City loves you more than you will know.”

Oh how Arsenal wished they had their own leader to cherish. The closest any Arsenal player got to leadership status was Jack Wilshere, another player whose career has been blighted by more than his fair share of injuries. Wilshere with his usual wholeheartedness and desire tried his best here, not in the slightest bit assisted by any of his spineless teammates however, what will cause great alarm to England manager Gareth Southgate when he begins to plan his 25-man squad for this year’s World Cup, was how much Wilshere struggled to come to terms with City’s gilded central midfield trio of Fernandinho, David Silva and the masterful Kevin De Bruyne. That he increasingly resorted to diving in an attempt to level the playing field

demonstrated his inferiority.

Back to the action. If City had been sauntering along quite nicely in third gear in the first half, they at least showed Arsenal some respect by moving up into second as soon as Craig Pawson blew his whistle to signal the start of the second half. Within three minutes of the start, Kompany came close to doubling City’s lead and effectively wrapping up the ‘contest’ once and for all with a deflected low drive that whistled just a foot past Ospina’s post.

It wasn’t all good news for City however with the loss of their grossly underrated, effervescent central midfield lynchpin Fernandinho to a muscle strain a few minutes later. Guardiola will pray to be able to welcome him back before City’s next engagement of any real importance in the shape of (with all due respect to Basel), a more than probable Champions league quarter final date at the beginning of April.

After David Silva had inserted his stamp on the contest with his beautifully taken goal on 65 minutes, City had further chances to add gloss to a completely unflattering scoreline (testament to how truly abject Arsenal were), however 3-0 it would remain and by the time Pawson put an end to Arsenal’s misery after 90 minutes, the only red still present in the Arsenal end was the empty seats.

After being at the centre of a mob in the on-field celebrations, Kompany hoisted the first trophy of the Pep Guardiola era in the air and the City fans duly applauded their captain and leader and his supporting cast of impressive teammates.

And there it was. Lift off for Pep Guardiola and his coaching staff.

With the Premier League already wrapped up, Guardiola and City will be confident of navigating themselves to a maiden Champions League final in Kiev.

Cue the treble?

Guardiola’s yellow ribbon

P31 Photo: Assemblea.cat @ flickr

Stoke’s return

P30 Photo: NAPARAZZI @flickr

United 2-1 Chelsea

Listen to our podcast!

The Mancunion Sport Podcast Listen at: https://www.mixcloud.com/FuseFM/

P29

Photo: wallpaperscraft.com