Redbrick Issue 1466 Vol 80

Redbrick Issue 1466, Vol. 80

22nd January 2016

How to make it in the music industry With Annie Mac, Charlie Sloth, Jo Wiley and more

LIVE IN BIRMINGHAM Redbrick Investigates: Part-time Jobs What do students do for work?

How much are they working?

43% Percentage of students who miss lectures because of work shifts

Reactions Reports What we learned

Sci & Tech sort the best from the rest at CES16 tech show

Phil Jones and Natalie Hatton remember David Bowie

Harry Tennison picks his alternative shadow cabinet

Abi Farrell checks out local indie band Native State

Features Page 13

Features Page 12

Comment Page 12

Music Page 23

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Friday 22nd January 2016

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Online this week at redbrick.me...

FOOD

SCI & TECH

TELEVISION

LIFE & STYLE

'Very Lazy' Products The perfect chicken noodle soup recipe using this delicious student-friendly range

Star Wars a reality?

Kara Watson investigates whether droids and lightsabers could become a reality

Lucky Man: A preview Roshni Patel looks ahead to Sky's latest superhero drama

January Blues Charlotte Simpson gives us advice on how to get over the January Blues

PhotoSoc's Photo of the Fortnight is this wintery shot of Birmingham's canals by night, taken by local celebrity photographer (and architect of our new library!) Tim Cornbill.

You can follow PhotoSoc on Instagram at @photosocuob, and you can find more of Tim's at @ timcornbill.

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10 MPs vote to scrap student maintenance grants Megan Stanley News reporter

On Thursday a small, selected number of MP’s voted to scrap the maintenance grants that support poorer students at university.

In the summer George Osborne, the Chancellor, announced plans to abolish student maintenance grants. The proposals were met with hostility from the public, with 10,000 student holding protests in London against higher tuition fees in November last year.

Despite this, a legislation committee, made up of 18 MP’s, voted to officially remove the grants this week. Some politicians have called this ‘undemocratic’ and ‘frightening’ since there was no debate or vote in the House of Commons.

Liberal Democrat leader, Tim Farron, has criticised this decision stating, ‘“This is a

very frightening prospect for young people and their parents.’ He added, ‘Plans to cut maintenance grants are wrong and we will fight these plans tooth and nail.’

The President of the National Union of Students, Megan Dunn, said, ‘The Government has continually denied the scrapping of maintenance grants would negatively affect students, particularly those from poorer backgrounds.

This is just not true. Students are already facing rising amounts of debt when they graduate, so piling even bigger debts on the shoulders of the poorest students is extremely unfair.’

Most student have reacted negatively to the decision.

Lizzy Dugmore, a Geography and German student said this settlement is ‘underhand’ and ‘undemocratic’. Harriet, a first year undergraduate told Redbrick that the decision illustrated that MP’s ‘have no

idea about the real world 'I thought they were supposed to be encouraging poorer students into university.’ Another UoB student added, it's bad for students since the debt ‘is going to look bad’ and put future students off from applying to university.

'Everyone should have to pay back the money they are given' Students have also acknowledged how the grant has helped those go to university. Mave Major stated it ‘hasn't personally affected me but I know a friend who probably wouldn't have gone to university without it’.

However, some students have agreed with the move.

One student told Redbrick that

‘the grant system was wrong, everyone should have to pay back the money they are given’.

Others have questioned the reality of the move: ‘it’ll only make a difference if people pay off their whole loans, we aren’t going to pay it back.’

Under the current system, students who come from households with an income of £25,000 or less are entitled to receive the full grant which is £3,387. This amount reduces as household income increases.

Students who come from households that earn more than £42,620 are not entitled to any form of maintenance grant from the government. The grant is currently given to more than half a million English students.

The new proposals, which will affect students entering higher education in September 2016, will see students being forced to take increased maintenance loans, which will be paid back under the same terms of current student loans.

03

Selly Oak MP Steve McCabe's Statement on the Grants Issue The decision to axe maintenance grants for the poorest students has, inevitably, provoked strong reactions amongst students and politicians. Steve McCabe, MP for Selly Oak and local MP for a majority of UoB students, gave a statement to Redbrick: 'Back in 2012 the Tory’s assured us that we shouldn't worry about the trebling of tuition fees because they were increasing maintenance grants and introducing a national scholarship programme to help and protect students from the poorest backgrounds. Now they've abolished both and tried to sneak it through.

They hid this right through the election period and they have no mandate for this change which amounts to yet another betrayal of our young people.'

Labour's opposition day debate to annul axing of maintenance grants voted down

Images are reproduced with the permission of Parliament

Anna Griffiths News Editor

On Tuesday the 19th January the Labour Party tabled an opposition day debate to discuss the axing of student maintenance grants. The motion was widely supported by the National Union of Students and regular students alike, who blocked Westminster Bridge in protest against the cuts. However, the motion was voted down with 306 votes against. 292 MPs voted for the motion.

The protests, which caused disruption from 1:20pm to 2:56pm were organised by the NCAFC, the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts, who were bitterly disappointed with the outcome of the debate, with one member stating that the cuts were a ‘direct attack on the working class’.

The NUS also expressed dis-

appointment, calling the result an ‘outrage’. They also thanked all of the political parties that voted to overturn the government policy, including Labour, the Green Party, the Liberal Democrats, the SNP, Plaid Cymru and surprisingly two conservative MPs, Jason McCartney and Dr Julian Lewis who defied the government whip and voted with Labour, who unified in opposition to the Tories.

The cuts are 'a direct attack on the working class' Labour MP Wes Streeting, who was present in the original committee decision to scrap the grants, tweeted: ‘Grants for poorest students abolished. Doesn't feel any better being beaten on student

finance on the inside than it did on the outside.’

The NUS stated that it was appalling that the ‘Government refused to release their original equality impact assessment’. This document would have explored the full impact of scrapping grants upon the poorest and most marginalised students.

The original small committee of only 18 MPs that scrapped maintenance grants took only 90 minutes to come to a deciding vote of ten ayes and eight noes. A large amount of the opposition to scrapping maintenance grants comes from the lack of debate and ‘consideration’ given to the motion.

The NCAFC described it as an ‘assault on democracy’.

NUS president Megan Dunn spoke after the result of the vote had been announced, issuing a simple statement on the vote: 'The fight continues'.

Student Reactions to Grant Axe Rachel Kahn: 'There's a drive to get kids off the streets and into education ensuring they have the best chance in life. The cuts seem completely twisted, going against everyting they're trying to do. It will mean the most vulnerable people in our society will not even be able to think about attending Univeristy due to the high costs, lowering inclaination to stay in school and get a good education. These cuts need to matched across the country with Universities making further awards and scholorships available to those with families on low incomes so everyone has an equal ability to progress to higher education.'

Ian Rogers: 'The removal of student grants came this week as Penguin and some finance companies dropped the degree requirement in their recruitment process. These two factors are both deterrents. Let's face it, would you rather rack up more than £50,000 in debt from a degree that might put you on a similar footing to your pre-university peers, or forge a career and get paid doing it?'

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Friday 22nd January 2016

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Gun Crime Wave Hits Birmingham Gregory Robinson News reporter

Birmingham is currently in the grip of a gun crime wave that a Birmingham police chief has stated is the worst he has ever seen.

Dave Thompson, who takes over as Chief Constable next week, told the West Midlands Police and Crime Board yesterday that shootings are happening with 'concerning regularity', and he had not seen as many shootings in the five years he’s been with the force.

The current Deputy Chief Constable also vowed to take on the gun crime, declaring that he was confident that those responsible for the rise in recent shootings would be brought to justice with support from local communities.

Mr Thompson said gun crime had 'come back' and he is growing

increasingly concerned about the availability of weapons and ammunition on Birmingham’s streets. He also acknowledged that the Christmas period had seen 'quite a rise' in violent crime, and there had been a rise in various other crimes, like burglary, in the last two months.

The sudden wave of gun crime in Birmingham is shocking, but Mr Thompson remained confident that he, along with his team of officers, will be able to bring those responsible to justice by reassuring Birmingham residents that lots of work is currently going on behind the scenes to combat gun crime. Mr Thompson explained 'The general sense is that most of the gun crime we have seen is largely involving urban street gangs and it often centres around drugs or personal conflicts. However, innocent members of the public have a

Birmingham Schools Evacuated in Bomb Scare Nicole Jeary News reporter

Four schools in the Birmingham area were evacuated following various bomb scare calls warning of a potential threat.

The schools that were affected are Holly Lodge, Bristnall Hall, Oldbury Academy in Sandwell and Leasowes School in Halesowen, causing the evacuation of thousands of students in the Black Country region.

The schools have since been cleared by security checks, and are expected to open again today. It is unclear whether these calls were part of a co-ordinated hoax, and an investigation by West Midlands Police is on-going and in its early stages to identify those behind the calls.

Some parents have criticised the handling of the incident.

Speaking to the Birmingham Mail, Alan Brockhouse, a parent, said he was 'beyond angry' about the management of the situation. However, Leasowes High School head

teacher Neil Shaw commended the Police and staff for their efficiency during the scare. He said, 'we acted quickly to inform police immediately and evacuated the school within a few minutes'. He was 'grateful to staff and emergency services for the way they dealt with this difficult situation.

Similar bomb hoaxes at schools in Bristol are not believed to have any correlation to these events.

This is following increased fears following terrorist attacks in Europe. The U.K threat level remains at ‘severe’, suggesting the likelihood of an imminent threat.

In November, West Midlands Police urged the public to remain vigilant. In a public statement, the Police stated that 'we want people to be alert, not alarmed' and that such vigilance 'gives us the first insight into a possible attack.' The West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit is the U.K’s largest counterterrorism unit outside London.

The unit has noted a marked increase in police investigations following increased national concern following Paris.

right not to be threatened by gun crime.

'The most corrosive element about gun crime is the view from the public that people are not being caught. But there has been some really good work going on and I have a huge amount of confidence that we stand a strong chance of bringing people to justice for these recent firearm incidents.

'There is also a lot of work going on about the availability of firearms and ammunition. The availability and type of guns are not sophisticated and we have seen a rise in the use of antique firearms.'

Action against the rise of gun crime in Birmingham could not come any sooner. A street in Birmingham was closed off on Tuesday 12th January 2016 as a result of a shooting incident which caused damage to two houses and

a car. The incident occurred in Finch Road, Lozells. Four shots were fired. Police officers were called to the area at around 11.15pm following a call from a member of the public. There were no reports of injuries although forensic scene investigators are continuing to examine the two damaged properties and car.

Detective Inspector Richard Marsh, from Force CID said: 'The investigation is at an early stage but we are satisfied there is not a threat to the wider public and enquiries into the matter are ongoing.

'Be assured that the police are doing everything we can to trace these offenders. If anyone has any information that could assist the investigation then please call me or one of the team on 101.'

Assistant Chief Constable Carl Foulkes revealed that 23 firearms had been recovered in the past

three months. There were six shootings reported in a single onemonth period just before the festive season with two men killed and nine others hurt.

BBC West Midlands released a video regarding the problems of gun crime in Birmingham. West Midlands Police has promised more armed officers due to the threat of terrorism and the recent upsurge in gun crime.

David Thompson, speaking on BBC’s West Midlands Radio Breakfast program pledged to recruit more specialist firearms teams. He said 'I intend to have specialist firearms officers, and the reason I say that is if you spend most of your career not carrying a firearm and suddenly the most highest threat situation has to carry it, then that creates some risks.'

Gatecrasher Set to Reopen as Pryzm After Controversial Closure Gregory Robinson News reporter

Birmingham’s biggest nightclub, Gatecrasher, could reopen under new management months after its controversial closure due to having its licence revoked.

The closure was enforced following several violent incidents which occurred at the nightclub, which was popular amongst UoB students.

The UK’s largest clubs and bar operator, The Deltic Group, has shown interest in acquiring the Gatecrasher premises, which is located on Broad Street. Jo Mathers, a representative from the Deltic Group, stated, ‘We are in discussions about the former Gatecrasher club. But a deal is yet to be finalised.’

Gatecrasher was a Broad Street hotspot, and welcomed up to 2,400 partygoers each night. The venue was closed down indefinitely last November following a knife incident inside the club’s premises.

Staff members allegedly used make-shift weapons against a group of customers. A victim of the brawl was stabbed in the leg.

The November suspension was not the first. A previous suspension occurred after a customer was attacked by a bouncer in last August. The police warned the venue would face permanent closure if there were any more violent incidents. The club successfully appealed the 14-day closure and eventually reopened on August 27.

The new and improved Gatecrasher is stated to open in March under a new name and new management. Under the Deltic Group, it would join the popular Pryzm chain of nightclubs which includes big venues in Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Leeds and Kingston-upon-Thames. The Deltic Group plans to completely refurbish the Broad Street venue, assuring customers they will offer ‘an amazing combination of opule-

nce, atmosphere and excitement with world-class entertainment and premium service to provide the ultimate modern day clubbing experience.'

Student Amelia Donaldson and former Gatecrasher customer said, ‘Gatecrasher was my favourite club on Broad Street. I went there with my friends all the time. I had no idea it was so dangerous when I was there but I hope, if it does actually reopen, the new bosses will ensure it’s safe and maintains that same fun atmosphere with good music and cheap drinks.'

Passenger Gets Onto Birmingham Flight Without Documentation Nicole Jeary News reporter

Jenny Hughes News reporter

An investigation is underway after a passenger without documentation made it onto a flight.

Birmingham International Airport is currently investigating how Haider Ali made it onto a Monarch flight to Alicante on Sunday, despite not

holding the correct documentation. Ali, 28 went through all security and X-Ray procedures but was later removed from the flight upon discovery that he did not possess documents needed to fly. The man was removed from the flight then detained by police and was sentenced to a day’s detention by Birmingham Magistrates

court. Ali admitted to two offences under the Aviation and Security Act and one count of fraud.

Passengers waited for three hours before being moved to another plane to complete their journey to Alicante.

Passengers reported seeing a man being escorted from the plane around 20 minutes before departure. One passenger, Lynne Boyle from Birmingham, was on the same flight. Speaking to

BBC News, Boyle commented ‘It was scary to think that he had been on the plane. Who knows what he could have been.' Passengers were removed from the plane so that the airport could conduct a full search, fearful that Ali had placed something onboard.

We spoke to UoB students asking for their take on the incident at Birmingham International. One student stated: ‘It’s concerning when we have an expectation of public safety and security from UK airports such as Birmingham, and government alike.

Hopefully this will provoke a review of security procedures at the airport.’

Whilst another expressed concern over public fear levels: ‘Given the current climate of paranoia regarding terrorism, such security lapses will only add to these fears.'

A spokesperson from the Airport gave the statement ‘A full investigation is taking place. Birmingham Airport takes the safety and security of its passengers extremely seriously.’ This story comes only weeks after Birmingham International celebrated their most successful year to date in 2015. 2015 saw the airport handle 10.2 million passengers for the first time, breaking the 10 million barrier.

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Friday 22nd January 2016

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Birmingham marks Genocide Memorial Day for the first time James Moore News reporter

On January 16th 2016 Genocide Memorial Day was commemorated in Birmingham for the very first time. The third Sunday in January is set aside by the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) to remember genocides of the modern era and has been recognised since 2010.

Speakers for the event were: Dr Sibtain Panjwani, former Secretary General of KSIMC (Khoja Shia Ithna-Asheri Muslim Community of Birmingham); Dr Enver Tohti, formerly a cancer surgeon in Xinjiang China who revealed information on China’s nuclear tests causing abnormally high numbers of cancer patients in 1996; and Dr Tadatoshi Akiba, former Mayor of the City of Hiroshima, Japan.

The purpose of Genocide Memorial Day is to remember genocides of the past and to expose genocides ongoing, and to try to prevent any from happening in future. As well as physical genocide they also recognise cultural genocide. This year’s event was centred on weapons of mass destruction.

First to speak was Dr Sibtain

Panjwani. He spoke on the philosophical, denouncing any act of killing as against human dignity.

Dr Panjwani described genocide as a singly human construct that is accepted as part of our existence and a result of the ‘insecurity of humanity’. He lamented the continued use of weapons of mass destruction and spoke about how, in many parts of the world, killing is a matter of the norm, but is ‘hushed’ and not spoken of.

The next to speak was Dr Enver Tohti. Tohti spoke of his life in the city of Hami in Xinjiang province, an autonomous territory in Northwestern China. The area was chosen by Soviet specialists in Nuclear weapons in the late 50s. Chinese nuclear tests were also in the province of Xinjiang, but the Chinese carried out tests much closer to populated areas; only 143km from the city of Turpan, because it was easier to transport water to that site.

Tohti’s work as a cancer surgeon allowed him access to the records of cancer patients, which showed that the number of sufferers was 30% above the national average. According to figures from Jun Takada, a scientist in Sapporo, Hokkaido prefecture, Japan, there could be as many as 190,000 deaths from nuclear testing in Xinjiang province.

The last speaker was Dr Tadatoshi Akiba. Dr Akiba, as well as the Mayor of Hiroshima has worked with the Mayors for Peace organisation. Mayors for Peace is a recognised NGO and is comprised of cities around the world that express support for a program of nuclear disarmament.

Birmingham became a member in 2006, while Dr Akiba was its president.

Genocide Memorial Day exposes genocides ongoing In his speech Dr Akiba opened by telling his audience of the Hibakusha, the survivors of the nuclear attacks on Japan. He was grateful that the bombing of Hiroshima was recognised by the IHRC as a genocide, and condemned all use of weapons of genocide such as nuclear arms.

He denounced North Korea’s attempts to develop these weapons and also the UK’s continued possession of the Trident system of thermonuclear warheads.

Dr Akiba spoke to Redbrick on whether he believed Japan

Update: Chamberlain Block Remains a Building Site James Moore News reporter

Three months after the University’s newest accommodation was supposed to be completed, Chamberlain remains a building site. James Moore reports.

Students have been left without a laundrette on site, denied communal areas they have paid for and have been disrupted by construction noise.

Pathways are still being constructed around the site and decoration continues on the interior. The accommodation block, which consists of four buildings (three low-rise and one tower), was meant to have been finished by the start of the academic year in September. When students found that their new home was incomplete at the start of the year, a new end date was set at

the end of the first term, but yet again was not met. Another date at the start of the second term was then promised.

A Redbrick reporter spoke to a worker on site on the 5th January, in which they said, ‘it’ll be done on Friday [8th] 99.99%'.

One week after that deadline on the 15th work was still being done. That same man when questioned on the 15th replied, ‘you’ll have to speak to my superiors’.

One male student, living on floor four of the tower told Redbrick that the noise from construction is affecting students work, ‘We’re trying to revise and all we can hear are the workers outside. We’ve paid a lot of money to be here and the fact that it still hasn’t finished by the time we’ve moved in is personally very unacceptable.’

Another student stated, ‘It’s very annoying when we get woken up at nine in the morning to building work’.

However according to one of the residents, ‘the worst of it has gone now, the worst part was the drilling.’

Many of the residents are frustrated at the fact that the date of completion continues to be pushed forward. A female student said, ‘I think the worst bit is that they said it would be done, and then it wasn’t, and then it was ‘oh it’ll be done by January’, and it’s still not’. A male student adds, ‘now they’re saying it might be another two months’.

However, some Chamberlain residents understand that although it is not an ideal situation, ‘there’s not a lot that can be done’.

Another resident believes that they ‘should be compensated for it.’ According to one male student, their ‘RA is trying to get a refund’ for the disturbance the building work has caused for these first years. This student felt that they deserved a refund,

owed reparations to China for acts rated every night under the Menin carried out as part of the invasion Gate, a monument inscribed with of China in the Second Sino- the names of those who fell withJapanese war. In this war, use of out a known grave. This nightly chemical weapons was authorised ceremony has gone on since 1928,

by Emperor Showa; the city of only stopping under German Nanking was destroyed, occupation during the 300,000 men were Second World War. massacred and Dr Akiba then 20,000 women referred to the annuwere raped. In a al ceremony at Japanese biologHiroshima on ical research August 6th, and camp, up to how a memorial more cancer 250,000 men so infrequent was patients than the and women died not enough. He as a result of said it was impornational average experiments tant to not forget including live vivitragedies, and even if section; subjection we do remember we to syphilis, gangrene, often lose the most vivid bubonic plague and frostmemories. bite; live grenade testing and testHe then brought up the examing on foetuses conceived through ple of China, where tragedies are rape. Dr Akiba said that Japan did not remembered. The deaths from owe China reparations, but that nuclear testing uncovered by Dr China would not ask for them, Tohti are not even known, and instead preferring to keep their China represses any link to mas‘moral superiority’. sacres such as the Tiananmen ‘People rarely suffer alone’ Square protests in 1989, while the said Dr Akiba before summaris- famous ‘Tank Man’ is known ing the motto of the Hibakusha: across the world.

‘Never again’.

The event drew to a close The next question was on how ahead of schedule, which allowed different nations remember trage- for more questions. Once quesdy. Dr Akiba referred to the city tions were over a list of genocides of Ypres, where those who died and casualties was read out, and a fighting at Ypres are commemo- minutes silence was observed.

30%

especially since Chamberlain was not his first choice.

One female student talks to Redbrick of the machinery around the Chamberlain site, ‘I don’t like walking past all the building work, and the big machines’. When questioned why, she stated, ‘it can be quite dangerous I think.’

The building work is causing issues that potentially would not be considered. A female student spoke of the frustration at trying to get packages, ‘The delivery company didn’t realise they could get into the building’.

When asked if anyone had given a date for completion, she

responded, ‘No [laughs], I don’t think I trust a date'.

Some students were optimistic, one male student said 'We’ve been sent a message saying there’s new contractors in now, and they seem to be planning to get it done in the next two weeks’.

Progress is being made.

Most students said that at least the noise was proof that it was nearing completion. A female resident said, ‘it’s not so bad. you can understand, you can see they’re working hard.’ The general consensus from Chamberlain residents was that ‘it is what it is’.

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07

Redbrick Investigates: Student Jobs How many people do you know who juggle a part-time job with their university studies? We surveyed UoB students to find out how much students are working.

Ian Rogers News reporter @IanR94

Sabrina Dougall News reporter @Sabrina_Dougall

poorest students each year, will affect over half a million.

62% of students who took the Redbrick survey said they had a term-time job during their university lives. Of those who had a job, 25% said they couldn’t get by without a job. A further 52% of students

'I fear this is the start of a slippery slope where education will be determined by a student's financial circumstances'

Redbrick surveyed students at the University of Birmingham regarding part-time work.

A shocking 43% of students missed lectures because of tiredness from a shift or because they were working a shift. Out of the students who had missed lectures, 67% only ever missed a lecture once; 24% missed a lecture each month; 9% missed a lecture weekly. Some question the sustainability of working a job and studying full-time, including local MP Steve McCabe.

Commenting on the results of worked because they wanted to top the Redbrick questionnaire, McCabe up their student finance to make life MP for Birmingham-Selly Oak said easier; 10% were saving; another ‘I fear this is the start of a slippery 10% were continuing a job from slope where education and award home and 5% were working for will be determined by the financial experience. circumstances of the student or According to NUS research, their parents.’ more than half of parents believe He said the hardships experi- scrapping grants will undermine the enced by students ‘will lead to a government objective of increasing reduction in the number of high university access for poorer stuquality, highly skilled British students. dents emerging from our Redbrick also surveyed H.E.’ the types of jobs students ‘We will end up at UoB were working. with a system of More than a quarter elite universities were employed by for an elite the University, group of peoeither as an ambasple.’ sador or through Percentage of ‘This is the Guild of students who only going to Students. Retail get worse foljobs made up miss lectures lowing the another quarter of because of work Government’s jobs worked, meanshifts cuts to maintewhile an eighth of stunance grants for the dents worked in caterpoorest students which ing. The remaining types they sneaked through last of jobs were various and week in a Legislation Committee.’ included receptionists, tutors, cleanRedbrick's survey shows evi- ers, IT workers and even sex work. dence students are already sacrific6 in every 10 students worked ing educational benefit in order to morning and afternoon shifts - givsurvive the costs of university life. ing a likely clash with the university The government's decision to scrap timetable. the maitenance grants, which previ66% of students at UoB worked ously provided up to £3,387 for the less than ten hours per week; 25%

43%

worked between 11 and 15 hours per week; and 9% worked more than 16 hours each week. The Guild of Students recommends working no more than 12 hours per week. Therefore 34% of students who worked alongside their studies were doing more hours than advised..

Concentrating on studies was the main reason given by almost half the students who had not worked a part-time job. A further quarter of the non-working students said they had been actively looking for a job, but had failed to secure one. 1 in 10 had financial support from friends or family and another tenth used savings earned outside of term-time.

Only 9% of students who didn’t have a job said Student Finance covered their bills and living costs so they did not require part-time work.

Two thirds of those surveyed at UoB thought students should not be required to work jobs to sustain their finances.

One student commenting on this said ‘my loan does not cover my living costs. The government assumes my parents will pay for me to get by, but this is not always possible.’

This feeling was reflected by a 2nd year engineering student who said; ‘They call it full-time study for a reason. It is not something to take lightly if you really want to perform’.

However some participants disagreed with this ideology and said students should have to work jobs to support their studies.

One third year from the school of Arts and Law told Redbrick ‘I feel many students take money for granted. Working part-time makes you a better, well-rounded person’.

An overwhelming 85% of people who said students should have a job to sustain their studies cited good work/life experience as the reason to work. 9% agreed that students should have to ‘earn their place in society’.

The Redbrick survey had 125 participants.

Why do you have a job?

52% Top up student finance 10% Saving for the future 3%

Experience

10% Continuing a job from home 25% Need a job to get by

In your opinion, do you think students should have to work part-time to sustain their studies?

64% said no 36% said yes

Why don't you have a job?

What did students have to say about part-time jobs?

"My loan does not cover my living costs. The government assumes my parents will pay for me to get by, but that's not always possible"

"I feel many students take money for granted. Working part-time makes you a better, well-rounded person."

43% To concentrate on studies 9%

Student loan covers costs

11% My family supports me

"If students can juggle both well, then why not? Any experience is good"

"We're expected to do 100 hours of work per module, have extracurricular interests, eat healthily and sleep well, and on top of that we have to earn money in jobs where they expect you to work long hours... it's simply not possible"

"We should not have to get a job to pay for bills and living expenses. Everybody has the right to an education"

"Students should have to work hard to earn their place in society"

"They call it 'full-time study' for a reason. It's not something that should be taken lightly"

13% Home job savings cover costs 21% I can't find a job 3%

I'm too busy

08

NEWS

Friday 22nd January

@redbricknews

US Democrat Presidential Candidates: Clinton vs Sanders Shivani Bansal News reporter

On Sunday 17th January in Charleston, USA, after nearly four hours of heated debate between Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton and Martin O’Malley (the candidates vying for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination), some key points can be taken away.

Bernie Sanders, who once famously said he would never purposely negatively attack another candidate, seemed to be feeling the heat of the oncoming primaries and caucuses and attacked Clinton on a variety of issues. His main attack was based on the notion that Clinton was accepting money from financial institutions that caused the 2008 global financial crisis. Sanders stated ‘you've

received over $600,000 in speaking fees from Goldman Sachs in one year, which highlights the importance of economic debate in the forthcoming presidential election’. He pointed out the fact that he had never received any personal speaking fees from Goldman Sachs, shedding Clinton in a bad light.

This attack brings into question Clinton’s loyalty to Wall Street reform and remodelling the political system to encourage equality. Sanders, building on his argument, stated that none of Goldman Sachs’ executives had been prosecuted or paid for the consequences of the catastrophic economic crash in 2008. The other issues surrounding what caused the initial crisis were ignored. Sanders decided to focus on bashing the bankers and using Clinton’s relations with them as leverage for attacking her.

Clinton did not go down without a fight. In response to the issue of health-

Birmingham MP supports petition to ban Donald Trump Nicole Jeary News reporter

Birmingham MP supports petition to ban Donald Trump from the UK, Nicole Jeary reports.

A petition calling for Republican presidential candidate Trump to be banned from entering the UK has received support from Birmingham MP Jack Dromey, the MP for Erdington.

The petition gained momentum following inflammatory remarks made by Donald Trump in December, calling for ‘all Muslims to be banned from entering the US’. The petition received over half a million signatures.

Petitions that reach over 100,000 signatures, and thus deemed of particular public importance, are debated in the Commons. MPs discussed the debate regarding the proposed ban from the UK yesterday, condemning Trump’s remarks and branding him a ‘wazzock’, however, the ban ultimately wasn’t pursued.

Mr Dromey was among those who vocalised their criticisms of the Republican Presidential hopeful. During the debate, he warned about the ‘serious’ impact Trump’s

divisive remarks could have on encouraging radicalisation in the UK. He stated, ‘I don’t think Donald Trump should be allowed within 1,000 miles of our shores because he would embolden the EDL on the one hand and fuel the flames of terrorism on the other hand’. However, some MPs countered this argument, stating that the pursuit of the ban would only draw further attention to his controversial campaign.

A poll conducted by the Birmingham Mail revealed that 2/3 of Birmingham residents would support the banning of Trump. Birmingham has a large Muslim population of 14.5%, above the national and regional average, and such contentious remarks provoked widespread anger. Birmingham received particular attention in the US media earlier this year, when a Fox News presenter sensationally claimed that the UK’s second city was a ‘totally Muslim city where nonMuslims don’t go in’. The Presenter later issued an apology for the unfounded remarks.

Trump continues to hold a decisive 10-point lead in national polls for the New Hampshire primary, and remains a frontrunner in the Republican presidential race for 2017.

care, Sanders had, only two hours previous to the debate, introduced a new Medicare-for-all stance which in basic terms increases tax for everyone to fund state-wide healthcare. He used historic legends such as Harry Truman and Franklin Roosevelt as ammunition, stating that they ‘believed that health care should be available to all of our people’. Clinton fought back referring to the infamous rejection of the Affordable Care Act by Congress and the legacy and accomplishment of President Obama. She believes starting all over again would undo all the efforts Obama had put into the act.

Furthermore, Clinton’s strategy continued to revolve around endorsing Obama. Despite some opinion polls in the United States, namely the Rasmussen Reports which stated on Monday 18th January 2016 that 50% of the US population disapprove of Obama as president, Obama still remains popular among Democratic voters. Particularly amongst minority voters, Obama remains a favourite, and Clinton skilfully built on his accomplishments by promising to uphold the foundation he has laid. Clinton fought back against Sanders’ critique on her

weakest topic, Wall Street reform, by highlighting how Sanders tried to recruit a primary contender to Obama back in 2011. By exhibiting the differences between Sanders and Obama, Clinton tried to persuade previous Obama voters to vote for her; a move that could be vital in winning the primaries and caucuses in states with larger percentages of ethnic minority voters.

She used the location, Charleston, as a background for her argument on gun control. By referencing Sanders’ previous affiliation with the National Rifle Association, an interest group centred on promoting the use of guns and advocating the 2nd Amendment in the US Constitution, she used the emotional impact of gun crime as leverage. Clinton highlighted Sanders advocating guns by referencing the Charleston shootings that took place on the 17th June 2015, where nine churchgoers

were killed in a gun shooting only a block away from where the debate was held. She stated that Sanders ‘voted against the Brady bill five times’.

The Brady bill refers to the five-day waiting period for the purchase of a handgun where a background check of every individual wishing to buy a gun from a licensed dealer which was brought into legislation by Hillary’s husband, Bill Clinton. Sanders did not retaliate or object to Clinton’s digs and instead waited for the topic to change.

O’Malley did not contribute anything of importance to the debate. Sanders is set to win the Iowa caucus in two weeks’ time, and the New Hampshire primary the week after. Clinton is set to scoop up more states with ethnic minorities as she jumps on Obama’s bandwagon, through encouraging voters that she is the safest choice for them.

PhD Student hosting feminist poetry event for Refugee Action Grace Duncan News reporter

First Year PhD student Milly Morris will be hosting a feminist spoken word poetry evening at the Ort Cafe in Moseley on 19th February. Tickets will be £3 each on the door to go towards Refugee Action, the charity she is running her fourth marathon for in April 2016. This is the second time she has run a marathon for Refugee Action, running her first two marathons for the charity Mind.

The feminist spoken word peotry evening will be the second of its kind, following the triumphant success of the first.

What were your motivations for doing the poetry evening?

I have done one before and it was really successful as a lot of people went to it. It is a good way of raising money because as this is my fourth marathon I feel like I can’t keep asking people for money. Justgiving can only take you so far and you have to be active and I thought it would be a creative way of getting donations. The refugee crisis is important and I am interested in feminism as well so it is an interesting way of connecting the two.

How much do you hope to raise?

The tickets are £3 each so it would be great to raise £200 but overall I would love to raise over £500 for the charity.

Why feminist poetry?

My PhD is in feminine queer theory so feminism is a passion of mine and I ran a feminist magazine, ‘Read my Lips’. Feminism is really important especially now with a lot of gender inequality and this is a good way to talk about those kind of things and express anger at those types of issues but in a creative way. It is also interesting to hear a lot of different perspectives on it as there is a broad range of women and men tackling a variety of different subjects like masculinity and sexuality.

Why Refugee Action?

The refugee crisis is an important issue because it is based around compassion and you see a lot of things in the media at the moment which are very anti-refugee and lacking in empathy. The whole purpose of the evening is just to say that feminism sees all people as equal and that is how we should be treating refugees as they are just humans looking for safety to escape the horrors of war, etc. It is more a discussion about equality and so links in to feminism in that

way.

What do you think of the work Britain is doing for refugees?

The discourse around refugees, such as David Cameron referring to them as ‘swarms’, is like referring to them as subhuman.

I think that the idea that they are coming here to claim benefits is just ridiculous. We need to look at it as they are just people like us and now our involvement in Syria will probably just make it worse. By referring to them as a swarm you are instantly dehumanising them so this charity, which is an independent charity, is crucial in helping refugees live normal lives. The charity helps people to resettle when they are here which is why raising money for them is so crucial.

Any other details about the event?

The event will have a very laid back atmosphere and it is supposed to be an inclusive night.

It is also supposed to counter the typical ideas about feminism, it is not man-hating, it is about equality and disrupting gender norms and that is what the majority of the poetry is about. There will be around 10 poets which should make it a very interesting night.

COMMENT

Friday 22nd January

@redbrickcomment

09

Campus Survey: Cultural Mourning

Maintenance Grants Debate

Hannah Coles and Daniella Bassett investigate UoB student responses to the deaths of David Bowie and Alan Rickman.

As per the budget, from September 2016, student maintenance grants will be scrapped for any new students starting University this year. This will impact thousands of students as they will instead turn to further loans in order to financially support themselves. These pupils will thus leave university education with up to £53,000 worth of debt. After the extortionate increase of tuition fees that took the cost of university education from £3,000 to £9,000 per year in 2012, it is shocking to see that the Tories are making further cuts in this sector.

A debate took place within the Houses of Commons from 11.30am yesterday morning, with the opposition proposing to annul the decision to eliminate state grants for students from the most disadvantaged backgrounds.

Having just been pushed through the House of Commons, this is a very relevant issue in politics at the moment. The Labour party and other political groups have criticised the democratic nature of this decision, saying that the cuts have been implemented without any sufficient debate in the House of Commons.

The Minister for Universities and Science, Joseph Johnson, opened proceedings, in what seemed a reasonably empty Commons for such a pressing issue.

Johnson, arguing for the abolition of student maintenance grants, focussed predominantly on the income differences that the average university graduate earns when compared with those who do not receive any form of tertiary education. Arguing that the Government is indeed committed to social mobility, Johnson stated that there are more students in higher education than ever before, and that people from disadvantaged backgrounds are 46% more likely to go university than in 2010.

Hannah Coles Commentator

Most of us will know by now that David Bowie and Alan Rickman passed away last week, both at the too-soon age of 69 and both from cancer. The media erupted with tributes to these great men and their contribution to the arts, with

Anyone finding out breaking news from a newspaper is deemed severely behind the curve Bowie’s many faces turning every newsstand into a collage of mourning. But, at some point during the media fallout, most people in the UK received this information way before it made front page news.

The dissemination of information is so intuitive nowadays that it’s easy to take no notice of how we actually gain certain items of knowledge; you don’t seek the news because it comes to you.

Digital media is such a massive influence in our lives that news breaks via Twitter and Facebook, a news platform or word of mouth.

Anyone finding out breaking news from a newspaper is deemed severely behind the curve, with a 24 hour digital existence that

allows the public to post and share instantly.

There is also plenty of room to mourn, with there being no limit to the internet’s content. This has led to a deluge of posts about Bowie and Rickman, making it impossible to scan your newsfeed without coming across something relevant.

It could even be said that people aren’t truly grieving but are just jumping on the bandwagon, noting the general response and posting something to garner attention for themselves or just mindlessly follow the masses.

With this in mind, we went out and asked 100 students about their response to these deaths in three questions: 1. Did you know about the death of David Bowie/Alan Rickman? 2. How did you find out about the death of David Bowie/ Alan Rickman? 3. Did you post or share anything on social media in response?

From asking these questions, we aimed to get a better idea of just how students find out about big news and also how far their responses went. 55% of the students we asked found out about this news via ‘social media’ which isn’t surprising considering it’s often the first thing we look at in the morning – a depressing thought in itself. Following this with 21% votes each were ‘Word of Mouth’ and ‘News Platforms’ which seem to be logical runners up after the initial social media tidal wave. It’s also interesting that this news was deemed so worthy of conversation, suggesting not only that it has

Edward Henley & Sophie Braybrook Commentators

had some real impact on society but also that it’s actually worth talking about. Why don’t we talk about the ongoing crisis and starvation in Biafra?

We came across a few people who outright told us that they didn’t care about famous people in general. One particularly interesting result of this research included candidates expressing embarrassment that they didn’t know anything about David Bowie (which is OK considering he peaked in the 1970’s). It’s almost as if the media’s impassioned response has left some feeling ignorant or culturally inept.

Furthermore, the students we asked seemed to care more about the death of Alan Rickman (A.K.A Snape) which was mostly attributed to the fact that Harry Potter will be forever bound to the imaginations of our generation.

People aren’t truly grieving but are just jumping on the bandwagon Overall, it is clear that the nature of the digital age shapes the way society reacts to death en masse and that, despite common misconceptions about young people’s tendencies to post their lives online, the majority of the sample UoB population evaded this stereotype.

Cuts are part of a wider policy of "social cleansing"

Next Week: We ask you which course is really the hardest

Amid fears from the Labour party that the threat of debt will destroy people’s ambitions from poor and underprivileged backgrounds to attend university, Johnson referred to such arguments as part of ‘the myth of student finance’. Here Johnson explains how student loans differ from bank loans, as graduates only start to repay their fees and maintenance loans when they are earning over £21,000 a year. The decision to remove financial help in the form of grants comes in a series of cuts that the Tories have made to the financial budget, with

Johnson arguing that this will help to save £2.5 Billion per year from the deficit.

Yet the cuts have evidently caused a stir on the other side of the house, with the MP for Norwich South – Clive Lewis – arguing that the cuts are part of a wider policy of ‘social cleansing’ that the government are implementing to keep the poorest out of university.

Once he got over the fact that he was only allowed a mere four minutes to talk, Rt. Hon David Lammy agreed with Lewis. Lammy added a statistic on the matter, claiming

"Politics is about priorities", and the government has made the decision not to prioritise the education of the poor. that despite the fact that the numbers in higher education are increasing, there has also been a 50% increase in students that are living at home, rather than in student accommodation. This has resulted in students being discouraged to go to the most teaching university that they are able to, with their grade achievements, and settling for modern, local universities. Lammy concluded that the decision to make the cuts in the education sector ‘is a mistake he will regret’.

Yet the overriding aspect of what this debate is all about was very eloquently put by Dr Roberta BlackmanWoods, who stated that ‘politics is about priorities’, and that the government has in this case made the decision not to prioritise the education of the poor. The university grants are only unaffordable for George Osbourne because they are not a priority for him, they are not intrinsically unsustainable.

These cuts are just the latest attack on those who come from a disadvantaged background by the Conservative government.

After the vast increase in student fees in 2012 under Cameron’s last government, we can only hope that there will not be any further cuts or tuition fee rises that shall increasingly infringe on the ability of the most disadvantaged people in our society to obtain a quality tertiary education.

What do you think about the cuts to maintenance grants?

Tweet us your opinions @redbrickcomment

10

COMMENT

Friday 22nd January

@redbrickcomment

Has Trump Distracted the World from the Heart of the U.S. Election?

Raphael BarnettWard Commentator @ bibliog_RAPH_y

The saying goes “any publicity is good publicity”. When I look back on the Trump campaign, three things pop into my head: “We're gonna build a wall”, “Mexico are gonna pay for it” and “a temporary ban on Muslims”. Oh, and a very sleazy comment about his daughter Ivanka Trump “If Ivanka weren't my daughter, perhaps I'd be dating her”. Trump and his bombastic approach has distracted many from some of the less extreme but still relevant issues: education, economy, social welfare.

'When I look back on the Trump campaign, three things pop into my head: 'We're gonna' build a wall', 'Mexico are gonna' pay for it' and 'a temporary ban on Muslims'' Is Trump being outrageous in order to detract from the main issues? This is a tactic many British Politicians have used in order to throw off their opposition. One example being David Cameron during the debate on whether to bomb Syria in December 2015. During the gruelling debate he was asked 12 times to apologise to Corbyn and every anti-bombing supporter for Trump's campaign slogan is 'Make America Great Again'. Here he is speaking at a rally.

calling them “terrorist sympathis- the spotlight until voting comers” prior to the debate. The next mences. Quite astonishingly his day an ITV video of him ignoring recent comments worked to prothe plea to apologies (12 times!) mote his campaign and gain him went viral. The true core of the support. Trump has also been filldebate was overshadowed, the ing arenas up and down the counmedia focused mainly on the apol- try with wooing Americans, promogy antics, and opposition ising short term, different wasted time trying to get policies.

Many Cameron to apologise.

Americans have supTrump, throughout ported this and forhis campaign, has gotten that the given simple Presidency job is strong answers; a slow process.

Americans are Similar to Bush, aware of his this patriotic bull Favourable beliefs. He does in a china shop is response to Trump this by keeping worryingly crass in latest election his answers short in his policies and but punchy, “look has gone so far poll. at China”, “America right from the norm has lost its power”, “I of American finances will make America great and foreign policy that again”. the consequences may be Let us not forget Trump’s past. devastating. This sales pitch elecHe is a businessman and rarely tion campaign is long, wideover-complicates things, giving spread and, on occasions, tedious. straight answers: Muslims: tem- Say what you will about Trump, porary ban, Guns: allow the right, but he is certainly livening up the Immigrants: build a wall, ISIS: US elections. carpet-bomb. The public have Another aspect is the distracenjoyed a change from the blub- tion of the other GOP candidates, bering, boring, bullsh*t, heard who are all asked questions on consistently from the other candi- Trump and his lead. This not only dates. Simply put, he keeps you heightens Trump’s media on the edge of your seat and coverage, but also entices you into his campaign restricts other candieven if you are not a fan. He leads dates’ crucial airthe latest polls with 33% of the time which they vote (13% more than his current could be using closest rival Ted Cruz). to discuss their When the dust settles, maybe own policies.

Cruz, Carson, Bush and others This occurred will make more of the headlines, in the 6th however with Trump’s recent R e p u b l i c a n comments to “temporarily ban debate (14th Muslims” from the U.S, it seems January 2016), he has a plan to keep himself in when Cruz was asked a question about Trump and the claim that he was Canadian and thus not eligible for presidency. An interesting tactic by Trump to throw Cruz off track, and if you

33%

Trump is a patriotic bull in a china shop

think it is not worth the time then remind yourself that currently 20% of Americans believe Obama was born outside the U.S, and

'Say what you will about Trump, but he's certainly livening up the US elections' 29% argue he is a Muslim. Cruz was angry about his nationality being brought to the debate; he knew it would play to Trump’s strengths (of being a witty, charismatic arguer) and responded saying “I'm glad we're focusing on the important topics of the evening”. As long as Trump is in the headlines it will help him, regardless of what is being said. If no candidate proves their own worth, Trump might even win the GOP. What is to be done, then? If Trump is elected, the Republican candidate opposition voters must test him to his limits, and this is where the difficulty will occur for him. Many political editors agree a Trump vs. Clinton election will only end one way: a Clinton landslide. Trump will not be able to hide behind the other incomp e t e n t Republican candidates, and will have to compete with Clinton’s political expertise. Putting her policies aside, Clinton has been in the politics game for decades, and will not fall for Trumps attention-seeking headlines. When the core of the election is discussed,

Clinton 47.9% Source

Huffpost Pollster

Trump will have to appeal to predemocratic voters to gain a majority. What can the anti-Trump group do in the meantime? Well, us Brits always love to make a polite protest. 500,000+ people have signed a petition to block Trump from entering the UK, perhaps proof of the difference in politics between the two countries. We are more ‘Question Time’, whereas America is perhaps more ‘The O'Reily Factor’.

Americans enjoy controversy, as can be clearly seen in this election.

Trump has widely ignored many administrative long term issues, most notably economy, social welfare and education.

Trump’s wealth should in no way prove his economic ability, as he is a businessman, not a financier, and there is almost no mention of the U.S. education system or social welfare on the policy section of his website. His policies, whilst appealing to individual issues, completely miss the bigger picture, and he has not fully devised a long term concrete strat-

We are more 'Question Time', whereas America is perhaps more 'The O'Reily Factor' egy, something that is vital in the successful governing of a nation.

In a drastic time of terrifying foreign affairs and economic struggles, is it really the right time to vote a boisterous, eccentric, no limit buffoonery billionaire into power if the aim is to achieve international unity and a secure economy? I’d vote no.

vs.

Trump 44.6%

COMMENT

Friday 22nd January

@redbrickcomment

11

An Alternative Shadow Cabinet Harry Tennison maps out what his ideal Labour Shadow Cabinet would be if he could pick and choose the leading lights.

Harry Tennison Commentator @Harry_Tennison

Whilst I believe Jeremy Corbyn preaches the strongest message of fighting injustice, promoting peace and a gentler politics, I cannot say I like the Labour leader. I find him hypocritical in his bid to reign in a party which he rebelled against throughout his 32 years as an MP. I also believe he lacks the clear-headedness to win back the central voters who would enable Labour to actually compete with the Tories. At the last election, a number of people I spoke to said they wanted to vote Labour, but couldn’t trust Ed Miliband, and I remain to see how the sentiment has changed with Jeremy Corbyn. As such, I have attempted to compile the kind of leading lights within a shadow cabinet which I believe Labour should not only have, but needs, in order to win in 2020.

Leader of the Opposition: Dan Jarvis The former soldier, turned politician, has been a member of the Labour party since he was 18.

He sits perfectly in the centre of Old and New Labour, leaning left on issues such as taxation however possessing a pragmatic and logical approach to issues such as the economy and foreign intervention. Having declined to stand in 2015, Jarvis is said to want to lead the party, and could stand a good chance. He is a popular parliamentarian, and remains unaligned to any particular faction of the party, whilst there is no way that the Tories can say he would not want the best for this country Chancellor: Angela Eagle Having deputised for Corbyn already at Prime Minister’s Questions, the oldest of

the Eagle twins shows she can take on political heavyweights and win. Her business know-how and experience is second to none, and she has already relished greater parliamentary responsibility. Furthermore, she will provide a trustworthy face to voters that their money is safe under a Labour government, something Ed Balls and John McDonnell have, and will, never be able to do.

Home Secretary: Chris Leslie Previously holding the shadow chancellor posts in the aftermath of the 2015 election, Chris Leslie will hold no punches in this role. He is a logical thinker with plenty of parliamentary experience. His economic know-how means he will be able to create a department with big schemes and sure fire ways of costing them, something that even Theresa May

has struggled with. His strong moral backbone and passion for seeing a credible Labour party succeed mean he will provide a powerful voice for domestic affairs.

Foreign Secretary: Hilary Benn I fully support Hilary in his current position as Foreign secretary. He has been a powerful speaker over military intervention in Syria and, whilst I don’t support his appeal, I can commend his handling of the affairs. He has also shown he has broad appeal and respect from all members of the Parliamentary Labour Party, meaning he can provide support for Jarvis in ensuring Labour presents a united vision, something that Corbyn has never been able to quite capture.

We can also expect other big names to return to the shadow cabinet. Chuka Umunna would

be a welcome face back in the Business Secretary role, whilst either Yvette Cooper could provide a compassionate, logical and experienced mind to the Education brief. Ed Miliband could return to the Energy job he held for his unsuccessful stint as leader, and Liz Kendall deserves to find herself perhaps in the Defence brief, supporting Benn. Finally, the Labour party must increase the importance of roles such as mental health minister, and culture, media and sport secretary, potentially seeing Jess Yardley and Tristan Hunt take up these positions.

This, hypothetical, shadow cabinet would, I believe, ensure that Labour became a party for all of Britain, being able to help the most vulnerable whilst possessing the economic credibility to see a growth-based economy thrive.

Do you agree? Let us know: @redbrickcomment

Lightning Doesn't Strike Twice Comment Editor, Daniella Bassett, explores why Apple's plans to scrap the 3.5mm headphone jack are pointless and problematic.

Daniella Bassett Comment Editor @treepaperbook

Stereo Headphones: aiding unsociability since 1943. Everyone has a pair, be they standard, cheap little earbuds, or gigantaur overear studio bins. No matter which ones you have, I can almost guarantee that they’ll have the standard 3.5mm universal headphone jack (i.e. that rounded pointy bit that you shove into the headphone port of your electronic devices); the same one that has been around since forever. However, if recent rumours about Apple’s latest iphone antics are true, then every single one of us hoping to get the upgrade will have completely useless headphones.

Apple, known for their drastic innovation pursuits, have done it again. Word has it that their next generation of iphone is going to scrap the traditional, beloved, 3.5mm headphone jack in exchange for a lightning port and a more fancy, ridiculously oversized convex screen.

I have been chastised in the past for being a slave to Apple, and I won’t deny it; all of my electronic devices are Apple. You name it, I use it. Apple Mac, iPhone, iPad. I love their products. However, ever since the introduction of Apple Music last year, I’ve been falling out of love with them. After trialing the wannabe-Spotify software for the obligatory month, and having my library wiped a grand total of

three times, I angrily deleted my account and returned to my belov-

Every single one of us hoping to get the upgrade will have completely useless headphones ed Spotify. I never plan to return to any form of Apple music streaming service. I’ve also had problems with Cloud storage, have resorted to using Google Docs for almost everything, and

stopped using Safari completely.

The only love of Apple that seems to remain within me is for the user interface and the compatibility with Adobe Creative Suite and other artistic softwares. I still love my Macbook, but then again, it still has a universal headphone jack.

It seems that Apple, instead of pioneering innovation, are now merely resorting to imitations and money making schemes. If Apple goes ahead with the rumoured plans to scrap the use of the 3.5mm headphone jack, everyone who wants higher quality headphones than are provided with Apple products will have to buy replacements. These replacements will most likely come from Apple

themselves or Apple-owned Beats, although it is Phillips that have been the first to release a set of lightning headphones compatible with the potential new changes.

Apple are now merely resorting to immitations and moneymaking schemes Apple will have a captive audience for selling their lightning headphones if the changes go ahead, and their profits will

certainly soar through the roof.

They are abandoning an industry standard that has been around since 1878, and inconveniencing millions of their customers, not for the sake of innovation, but for the sake of profit.

Many will argue that the new lightning headphone port will allow for higher quality streaming, but this is a feature that is already available for many existing audio products with the standard 3.5mm jack. Furthermore, if changes go ahead, you won’t be able to listen to music through headphones whilst charging your phone, because the lightning port that is usually used to charge up will be occupied with the headphones.

It seems overwhelmingly clear that Apple are running before they can walk both with their Apple Music services and their plans to scrap the headphone jack. Why get rid of a universal standard for the sake of a few inches off the phone’s width and a few more on the screen size? The only explanation, it seems to me, is: ‘because they can’.

Apple consumers are some of the most loyal in the world, and this change will be minor to many people. I, however, already own a decent pair of Sennheiser headphones and absolutely refuse to make the switch and render them useless. Many will just use the headphones provided with the phone, or fork out for a new pair, but, if Apple make the switch, I'm out.

12

FEATURES

Friday 22nd January

www.redbrick.me

DAVID BOWIE 1947 - 2016 As the world says goodbye to one of music's best-loved and most influential artists, Phil Jones reflects on Bowie's final album Blackstar, and Natalie Hatton expains what made him so special

Phil Jones

track on its own, backed by haunting She Was A Whore’ Bowie uses Jacobean particularly unhappy if he never sees England again. The guitars and slowly pounding drums. drama as his muse as he rasps about track fades into the most heart wrenching song on the There is an eerie feel to the track, probeing punched ‘like a dude’ over jazzy album: the ending wonderment of ‘I Can’t Give Everything vided by the saxophone accompaniment guitar lines and thundering drums. The Away’. Even in his final moments Bowie could not tell I was pretty excited which just stays the right side of ‘Ghost track with the most bite however is the whole story, and the mystery surrounding him when Blackstar was Town’-era Specials. Bowie sings ‘By ‘Girl Loves Me’ where Bowie questions remains. announced, but no more so the time I got to New York I was living ‘where the fuck did Monday go?’ over On Blackstar David Bowie has reminded us that he than any other Bowie album. like a king’ and it gives us hope that his a plodding but infectious rhythm. The still has a thing or two to teach all the younglings while We’d already had the grand final years were happy ones. vocal delivery seems to draw from the saying goodbye to an industry he helped to create. But comeback album in the form 2013’s The Next Day was a great hip-hop tradition and so we are able to Bowie did not necessarily want us to dwell upon this of The Next Day and although album, but not a particularly challenging hear the influence that Kendrick record. When he sings on the title track ‘Spirit rose a the lead single was the most one, acting more as palate cleanser for Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly supposmetre, and stepped aside| Somebody else took his interesting thing we’d heard Bowie’s next reinvention. edly had over the place’, he could have been asking us to allow himfrom Bowie in a while, there was For his final trick Bowie album’s recording self to pass on. But how can we forget such a legno particular reason to be more has chosen industrial jazz sessions. Bowie end, such a wonderful icon, when he continued to excited than normally. I went and crooner for his disguise, sounds genuinely remind us of his brilliance up until the day he bought the album on the release coming across like a latepowerful and died. day but didn’t get a chance to listen period Scott Walker from threatening as he David Bowie’s career has often been sepato it till the Sunday. I very much a faraway planet. This is raps ‘Who the fuck’s rated into a series of trilogies. We have the enjoyed what I heard, but looking presented very well on gonna mess with me?’

Berlin trilogy as the obvious starting point. back on it there will never be a way I the title track. The first Nobody could stand We have the Ziggy trilogy of the title album can listen to the album in that style half of the track is one toe to toe with Bowie Aladdin Sane and Diamond Dogs (or do we anymore. The experience is unbelievthe most unnerving on his day, and his day include Pin Ups?). We have the Major Tom ably different now.I woke up on the pieces of music was everyday. trilogy of ‘Space Oddity’, ‘Ashes to Ashes’ Monday, checked my phone, and was Bowie ever created.

The Duke assumes and ‘Hallo Spaceboy’. We have a series of told by the internet that David Bowie It’s industrial rock. the mindset of a murderer ideas that become fully realised as they had died. The songs, the album, the It’s jazz. It’s differwithin ‘Sue (Or in a are stretched and experimented with over whole world has been a different place ent. It’s alien. It’s Season of Crime)’, a previdifferent years and different albums. since. downright scary. ously released track which However, Blackstar stands apart as a When I first began to write the review However, just has been beefed up for the series of ideas that will never be of this album David Bowie was still alive, when you think record. The menace behind explored, never revisited; a moment in the same being true about the first time I you can’t take anymore, the track Bowie’s voice and the cacophonic time to capture the end of the greatest. listened to the record. We had no indication changes in tone to a much more positive backing of the song push it along at an Blackstar is not just some museum that he was even ill, let alone on death’s door, colour and Bowie’s voice rises from the intense pace that winds the clock back piece, it is not a eulogy or a reading and so the news came out of nowhere. And yet, ashes to provide a powerful finale. As on Bowie’s years and places him in the at a funeral. It is a top class record listening back to the album we can see he Bowie sings ‘something happened on fast-moving centre of Station to Station from an artist who was always top planted clues everywhere, most notably in secthe day he died’ we once again quesvia the experimentation of Low. class. It deserves to be listened to ond single ‘Lazarus’. ‘Look at me, I’m in heaven’ tion whether this is an autobiographical ‘Dollar Days’ opens with a backing and appreciated as the first masBowie sings in the opening of the track, which nod to the oblivion; this may not have line that sounds eerily similar to the terpiece of 2016, not just the last features a video in which his body rises from the been the intention at all but it is so hard ‘planet earth is blue’ section of Space masterpiece of Bowie. From the earth in an apparent death. Upon first release this to hear the track as anything but autoOddity, but at a more melancholic pace. last album by arguably the greatseemed to just be another artistic endeavour from biographical in the current context.

Although Bowie sings ‘it’s nothing to est of all time, we should have Bowie, but now we can see this as an attempt to turn To dismiss this album as merely a me’ again, another nod to future demise expected no less. From the first the very act of death into a work of art. But can we parting statement would be to do it a is offered where Bowie remarks ‘i’m major album of 2016, we detach ourselves from this knowledge and see the disservice, and there is much fight left dying to’. Bowie comes across as concould not have asked for song as simply another record? It is a really wonderful in many of the tracks. On ‘’Tis A Pity tent in the track however, not sounding more.

Music Editor @philrdjones

To dismiss this album as merely a parting statement would be to do it a disservice, as there is much fight left in many of the tracks.

Natalie Hatton Music critic @nataliehatton

David Bowie is a national icon like no one else, so universally loved that when news of his death broke, it felt like the morning had stopped.

Listening to Lauren Laverne’s show on BBC 6 Music that Monday morning, the most moving part was not the songs or the celebrities’ tributes, but the stories of regular people, who wrote in to share how David Bowie and his music had affected them. That, for me, was where the real beauty lay – ordinary people changed by an extraordinary man.

The Bowie discography is so enormous, that it was, and is, a

treasure trove to sift through to find my favourites, and it yields discovery after discovery; even now, when I’m sure I’ve listened to it top to bottom dozens of times, I hear the pain in his voice in ‘Five Years’, the sass in ‘Fame’, and the sheer, soaring power of ‘Heroes’, which still moves me, and stays with me long after the song is over.

One of my favourite songs (because how can you choose one?), ‘Wild is the Wind’, the closing track on Station to Station, was not written by Bowie but it permeates Bowie-ness, which makes it – dare I say – better than Nina Simone’s original. I find everything that I love about Bowie in it – the eerie, otherworldly vocals, that gentle hypnosis of the melody, and an innate tenderness at the centre: ‘with

your kiss my life begins, you’re spring to me, all things to me’. He takes a lyrically beautiful song and steeps it in a ghostly, supernatural mist, turning it from a love song into a love song from another world.

And yet, he can go to all other ends of the spectrum – to unbridled, primary-coloured joy on ‘Modern Love’, to classically conceptual on ‘Space Oddity’, to unapologetically encouraging on ‘Rebel Rebel’. There is no defining David Bowie. He is simply unclassifiable. He’s done everything, been everyone, that he is universally appealing; those who don’t like him (do these people exist?) are either lying or haven’t looked hard enough - there’s a Bowie for everyone.

After the recent death of someone I love very much, so much became unambiguously clear to me, and I find myself going through much of the same process with David Bowie. It sounds ridiculous as I never met him, and wasn’t alive during his greatest years, but it remains wholly obvious to me that a certain clarity comes after death. Blackstar, his parting gift, takes on a different nuance, a new meaning after his death. Of course he was saying goodbye, of course. In ‘Lazarus’ he sings, ‘This way or no way, you know I’ll be free, just like that bluebird, now ain’t that just like me?’ It is so characteristically Bowie, that even in death, he’s doing it on his own terms.

FEATURES

Friday 22nd January

www.redbrick.me

CES 2016

The Wrap Up

13

The Consumer Electronic Show is famous for predicting the coming year's technology trends. Here, Redbrick's Sci & Tech team round up of what will sink and what will swim in 2016.

Oombrella

Lexus Hoverboard

The Portable Food Lab

Olfactory Alarm Clock

You received the Swegway for Christmas, it’s awesome, and now Lexus has unveiled a hoverboard.

Are we going to be flying around campus like Marty McFly in the near future? Watching the promotional video makes you think you can fly round a skate park and even across water. But the whole area is actually staged. The hoverboard requires a magnetic track to run on, which has been built into the skate park.

The board also requires constant cooling by liquid nitrogen. This means only 10-15 minutes of play time before it needs to be refilled which apparently can take another 15 minutes. So you can’t just pick one up and go, because you’re restricted by fuel and a certain set track. It also took the pro skater in the video several months to become good enough for filming.

Unsurprisingly you won’t be able to buy one – just a Lexus marketing stunt getting us way too excited.

Around 1 in 100 people have celiac disease, and occurs when gluten is difficult to digest. Others have a slight sensitivity to gluten, and even more people choose to go gluten-free as a lifestyle choice.

SensorLabs have created a portable way to test food for gluten, by creating a capsule with a ‘mini chemistry lab’ within that can find traces of gluten. The CEO’s have described it as ‘life-changing’ to many, as it makes dining out stress free for those who suffer with the disease.

However, celliacs generally know what they can eat, and would not necessarily need the device.

Nowadays restaurants have many gluten free options, so by being priced at $249, and with the disposable capsules costing $3.99 each, the Nima is expensive.

Perhaps, this product would be more suitable for restaurants themselves, so they can accurately test food before giving it to their customers.

CES 2016 saw the introduction of an olfactory alarm clock called ‘Sensorwake’ that is set to change the way we wake up forever. The idea of Sensorwake is that at the time you set, the clock releases scents such as espresso, and these will cause arousal from sleep. Supposedly the clock will wake you from sleep within two minutes, with an emergency alarm going off during the third minute.

The clock comes in at $109 with the scent capsules coming in at $10 each.

Studies have shown that our olfactory system is inactive during sleep, posing an obvious problem for this gadget. I can see this alarm clock working if we are in a stage of light sleep, known as REM (rapid eye movements), although doubt it would work during deeper phases of sleep, known as NREM where the body is more relaxed and systems such as the olfactory system will not be functional.

How many times have you thought “I really wish my umbrella was smarter”? None? Really?

Regardless, a French company called Wezzoo have created an umbrella that is just that.

Oombrella is capable of connecting to a smartphone app which sends weather alerts, warning users that it’s due to rain, and that they should take Oombrella with them before they leave the house. For the more forgetful, Oombrella will send a message using a GPS tracker if it’s left behind.

While many of us will relate to the experience of getting caught in an unexpected downpour, a “connected umbrella” seems a little unnecessary. Here at Redbrick, we’re sceptical about whether Oombrella can really be useful enough to justify what is bound to be a hefty price tag and unnecessary purchase for the everyday consumer, who hates the British weather.

Ingenuity: 4/5 Desirability: 5/5 Necessity: 1/5 Overall: 1/5

Ingenuity: 4/5 Desirability: 3/5 Necessity: 1/5 Overall: 3/5

Ingenuity: 3/5 Desirability: 4/5 Necessity: 2/5 Overall: 3/5

Ingenuity: 3/5 Desirability: 2/5 Necessity: 2/5 Overall: 2/5

EHang184

My UV Patch

Smart Sneakers

AMPware Case

The world’s first manned drone is unveiled! The £200,000 drone, which is controlled by an app, is powered for a 23 minute flight after 2 hours of charging.

The drone can carry 100kg of weight, translating to one person with luggage to a height of 300-500 metres at top speeds of 63 mph.

Developers hope to get the drone to 3,500 metres with safety features to ensure an emergency landing if one of the 4 rotor blades malfunctions.

Passengers can set “take-off” and “landing” positions on the app. As the passenger is not driving the drone, it has been claimed that no license will be required for travel.

Drones can fly in open spaces in the UK, but it is unlikely that a manned, uncontrollable drone will be legal to use in public now thatt "hoverboards" are illegal on UK streets.

This thin patch is capable of measuring the amount of UV rays your skin is exposed to. The patch is a sticker which can be placed directly on to the skin. It can be worn on any part of the body that is exposed to UV light, your hands, arms and even your face if you so desire. The patch can stay on your skin for up to five days, measuring UV levels. It’s a pretty girly design, so not that appealing to the male market. There are plans to launch the sticker in 16 countries this summer including the UK, and great news, the stickers will be free! The sticker is made up of blue photosensitive dye, which changes colour over exposure time. To discover the amount of UV rays you have been exposed to, you can upload a photo of the sticker to the L’Oréal app.

Under Armour are launching their new way of recording running and fitness data through your running shoes. Released in 2016 it will cost around $150 and claims to be an accurate way of recording how far you run and how many steps you have taken. Its location in your shoe will reduce the number of false recordings. After 450 miles you’ll need to buy a new pair of shoes and the data recorder will tell you when it’s time to do so. It’s not the only pair of smart sneakers coming on the market with rivalry from Xiaomi and Nike. Amateur runners are likely to see the appeal, however for simply keeping up with personal fitness, buying a standard pair of trainers and downloading one of the many free fitness tracking apps such as Nike+ may be more appealing.

Don’t you hate it when your phone dies and you have no way of charging it? Your battery’s dead, your spare battery and your power bank too. What’s a student to do but sulk and wait till they get to the nearest socket? Well, this year AMPware is coming to your rescue, with a nifty hand crank built into your iPhone case, which can help you regain battery wherever you may be. This useful tool requires only 5 minutes of winding, to give you up to 20 minutes of talk time and almost an hour of battery. Originally born from a crowdfunded campaign and inspired by the power outages that followed Hurricaine Katrina, this case hopes to help you stay connected no matter the situation.

Avalaible from Indiegogo, the company hopes to ship by March this year.

Ingenuity: 5/5 Desirability: 2/5 Necessity: 1/5 Overall: 3/5

Ingenuity: 4/5 Desirability: 3/5 Necessity: 1/5 Overall: 3/5

Ingenuity: 4/5 Desirability: 3/5 Necessity: 2/5 Overall: 3/5

Ingenuity: 5/5 Desirability: 5/5 Necessity: 5/5 Overall: 5/5

14

FEATURES

Friday 22nd January

www.redbrick.me

In December, BBC Music landed in Birmingham for a festival of live music and industry workshops, culminating in the annual BBC Music awards at the Genting Arena.

LIVE IN BIRMINGHAM

We sent our finest Music and Careers writers along with top talent from our friends at Burn FM and New Street Records - to bring you the hottest tips on building a career in the music industry

The Art of Songwriting Sam Jackson

New Street Records @Sam_D_Jackson

Being a songwriter can be a difficult experience. It’s so diverse, so personal and introspective whilst at the same time exposing and revealing. No one songwriter is the same.

So when Redbrick asked me to go along to this workshop held by the BBC specifically on songwriting, I was interested to see what was going to be said/talked about. It’s a difficult thing to tackle.

Where do you start?

Process? Components of a song? Quality control? Everyone has different opinions. The panel consisted of BBC Radio 6 DJ and host Matt

Everett; 6 Music’s Tom Robinson and Terry Hall of The Specials and Fun Boy Three. It also included contributions via prerecorded video from Guy Garvey, Huey Morgan and Jarvis Cocker. Whilst it was interesting to hear what was said there wasn’t a huge amount said that was revolutionary. However it was very encouraging to hear from professionals that they struggle with the same things, the same issues when it comes to songwriting.

That sense of solidarity was the most encouraging part of the workshop.

One of the most important ideas that came up again and again throughout the workshop was own your own process.

From The Beatles to Leonard Cohen to Bob Dylan the process

of writing a song is different and individual. “Trust it (your process), believe, own and protect it” is what Robinson told us, however you write, if it ain’t broke don’t fix is the mentality to go for. This came with a pretty amusing anecdote from Hall about accidentally reading a song idea from Cohen to one of his friends which was honestly terrible- goes to show no one gets it right every time.

The next really key point was that the route to quality is quantity. Don’t be afraid of the crap you might come out with when you start to write “9 times out of 10 it’s rubbish, but write for that one time it’s great”. So through your process there needs to be the space for something to grow that will resonate with people. This was very encouraging for me, being told that all songwriters struggle with the fact that we can come out with some seriously crap stuff sometimes, but you have to keep going. I think about some of my first songs and I

A Career in Radio Niall Flynn Burn FM @radioflynn

Observing her addressing a room full of aspiring broadcasters, it’s easy to see why Annie Mac has gone onto conquer radio. She’s warm, friendly – and genuinely, really quite funny. However, what is perhaps most striking is her unadulterated passion for radio. It’s over ten years since her first broadcast live on Radio 1, yet her enthusiasm is still abundantly clear – each piece of advice is delivered with excited nostalgia, each anecdote complete with a hearty grin. Along with Radio 1 and 1Xtra’s Head of Programmes, Rhys Hughes, the two recounted their pathways into the industry, from would-be disc jockeys to radio royalty.

Referred to by Hughes, at least twice, as ‘the biggest female DJ in the world’ , Mac has had quite the journey. Born in Dublin, but discovering herself in Belfast, the heir to Zane Lowe’s 7pm throne is a disciple of 90s rave culture. Starting in

student radio, a platform both individuals stress the importance of, Mac eventually managed to bag herself a job as a production assistant. Evidently, she had her eyes set on a different prize.

Producing, grand though it was, wasn’t where she wanted to be

Most striking is her passion for radio - each piece of advice is delivered with excited nostalgia, each anecdote complete with a hearty grin – though, she continued to work behind the scenes for two years.

It is this notion, of ‘Presenter or Producer’, that the two hammer home. Hughes in particular is very adamant regarding this

with Matt Everitt and Tom Robinson cringe. It’s like listening to the first single of your favourite artist, then compare it to their most recent- 9/10 the later songs are better.

Whenever someone asks me about songwriting, thats what I say is so key, just keep writing. It was nice to have some professional advice to back that up with!

Guy Garvey gave probably the most vital piece of advice when he said “The most important thing is to start”. Take that first step with that first idea.

You may move on to something else that has come about as part of that process, but you have to begin somewhere.

Finally the main point that I left the workshop with was what Robinson said about halfway

through the workshop which was “Write the songs you want to hear on the radio”. As songwriter’s a performers we’re all trying to play the relevance game, win those fans, the radio airtime etc.

It’s really tough not to lose your own musical identity b e c a u s e you’re chasing what is currently popular. But writing the songs that you want to hear, there’s bound to be someone else who agrees with you... it’s a start.

Sam Jackson is signed to New Street Records, the university's first student-run record label.

Check them out at @ newstreetrecs.

with Annie Mac and Rhys Hughes

advice – the same advice he gave Mac, about 15 years ago.

‘You have to decide whether you want to be one or the other’ he states, arguing that failing to do so will limit you. Hughes, a self-proclaimed ‘overweight, middle-aged ex-punk’, is sharp with his guidance – but just like Mac, you can still sense the thirst he has for producing great radio. As a student of punk culture, he firmly believes in the ‘Do It Yourself’ ideology – ‘anyone can be a presenter, now’ he claims, attributing such opportunity to platforms like YouTube and Mixcloud.

So, how do you do it? Well, according to the two of them, it isn’t easy. If it’s presenting that you’re dreaming of, pilots and demos are key. Recordings, no longer than 4 minutes, of pseudo-broadcasts, are an incredibly useful tool to possess. Student radio, too, is unparalleled in its importance – a learning process, and first-hand experience, that is able to set potential presenters apart. BBC Local stations are a fantastic way to get your foot in the door, as is commercial radio.

With the creative depths of the

internet at one’s disposal, the opportunities to put yourself out there are limitless. Thanks to the aforementioned potential of YouTube, the boundaries between professional presentation and personal blogging have been blurred.

In regards to production, again, BBC Local is an ideal gatew a y .

Learning the craft is extremely important, with both college and media experience providing a huge boost.

‘Do your air-miles’ both Mac and Hughes inform the audience, emphasising the essentiality of practice and understanding.

Professional though they are, it’s impossible not to observe how much Annie Mac and Rhys Hughes love what they do. One can sense that it’s

this wide-eyed enthusiasm that has helped them get to where they are – and this excitement filters into the audience the more they speak. As everyone leaves, this excitement doesn’t waver. If anything, it’s even more potent.

Watching two broadcasting giants reminisce and advise really is a stirring proce s s .

Though their paths w e r e extremely different, Mac and Hughes both did their air-miles, and they both did it themselves.

That, is what really transpired.

Niall Flynn is Station Manager for our much cooler neighbours Burn FM. Tweet them at @ Burn_FM or listen live at burnfm.com

FEATURES

Friday 22nd January

www.redbrick.me

Women in Music

15

with Sara Cox

In a talk hosted by BBC Radio 2’s Sara Cox, Kirstie Sutherland and Molly Garfoot found out how to make it as a female in the music industry.

Kirstie Sutherland Music Editor @whatkirstiedid

Molly Garfoot Careers Editor @mollytuesday

On Saturday 5th December, BBC hosted a talk discussing careers for women within the music industry, as part of the BBC Music: Live in Birmingham festival, which involved a variety of live gigs and music workshops.

This particular talk was led by Sara Cox, long-time broadcaster and current presenter of ‘Sounds of the 80s’ on BBC Radio 2.

Joining her was Annie Christensen, A&R at Island Records, Margherita Visconti, artist manager at UROK, and Ruth Barnes, radio presenter and advocate for women in music. They spoke at length about overcoming the struggles of working in a traditionally male-dominated industry and about the increasing influence women have on labels, artists and radio content.

Industry sexism The question about whether sexism still prevails in the music industry can be answered by a comment made by Jimmy Iovine,

head of Apple’s streaming service: “I’ve always known that women find it very difficult at times—some women—to find music,” he said. “And this helps makes it easier with playlists curated by real people”, which is essentially implying that women

It's a great industry to work in, but we need more girls! are inept at at making their own playlists. He continued to explain that “I just thought of a problem, you know, girls sitting around talking about boys, right, or complaining about boys when they’re heartbroken or whatever. They need music for that, right?”

This view of a hysterical girl, too busy thinking about boys to download music, is ridiculous and insulting. Ruth Barnes called this type of behaviour “depressing” and expressed her concern that people in positions of power within the industry think of women as homogenized blocks to be marketed at or told what to do, saying, “it’s ludicrous! Because of course we all have different tastes.”

Annie Christensen thought Iovine’s ‘”skewed, archaic” comment expressed a view that is slowly but surely being phased

out and the panel seemed to agree that his comments were not representative of modern attitudes in music. They went on to discuss the promising nature of women’s networks in the industry, saying that they have seen a shift in producers, promoters and booking agents so that the positions of support for female artists enable them to make decisions which are true to themselves. Annie explained that being the only female doing A&R at Island Records gives her a unique stance, especially, she added, “if it’s a female artist and they are surrounded by male execs talking to them about what they should do and how they should be. That’s not how I operate and I think it’s quite refreshing for a lot of artists.” Ruth also praised the changes going underway in the traditionally male-dominated realm of music journalism, as the increasing numbers of women writing about music allows them to “change the narrative” and “shine a spotlight on female artists coming through”.

When Sara Cox posed the question, “do women need to be tougher in the music industry?”

Margherita Visconti replied that the key is to be patient, as it can take longer getting an opinion through to someone. Ruth swiftly conceded that “It’s generational.

Anyone who’s of the same generation of us, they’re on board, it’s good! Its just these sprinkling of

people who are still in charge...”, begging the question of how do we go about changing attitudes from the top down? Is it a matter of waiting until the positions of power are replaced or is there anything we can do to ensure equality at every level?

Getting noticed Sara began discussions on how to get into the music industry with the time-old idiom “the squeaky wheel gets the oil”, emphasizing that those who make the most ‘noise’, in terms of making contacts and asking for work, get noticed. Ruth followed this up by advising aspiring interns to “be loud – be that really persistent twat! They will ignore you but remember that the people at the BBC have to get back to you, so keep asking for that coffee and that advice.” She warned against women allowing their male colleagues to take the reigns, saying that “whilst there’s a lot of banter” within the workplace and the default position for women may be to stand back, “actually you need to speak out.”

Biggest buzz The best bit about working in the music industry, according to Margherita, is seeing the artist

How to Make Money in Music

grow; being there at the early stage and celebrating the achievements as they come, knowing that you’ve worked really hard for it.

Annie also extolled the rewarding nature of seeing something from very early and going through the process: “starting with seeing them at a tiny venue and then playing to hundreds and thousands of people – that’s a really exciting part of what I do.”

According to Ruth, the best thing is doing something independently: “I always tell young people, just start your own thing, which is what I did with The Other Woman (a platform for female artists) because I was so sick of what I was hearing on mainstream radio playlists, I was just bored of the same kind of voice so I wanted to change things up.”

Parting Advice When asked for their parting advice, each panel member gave a different insight into making it within the industry.

Sara says: “Be proactive and get yourself out there, and hone your craft” For Annie, you need to “always have a sense of humour.” Margherita says “Don’t be passive", and Ruth's advice is the most direct: “Skill up - know your craft... Just know your shit.”

with Charlie Sloth

Music editor Alex Ekong saw a diverse panel headed up by Radio 1 DJ Charlie Sloth share their keys to success in the music industry. Read the full length article at www.redbrick.me!

Consistency is key

Have more than one skillset

Good managers aren't always qualified

One of several Youtube channels dedicated to showcasing urban talent in the UK, P110 Media managed to monetise their online success with pre-video advertising and merchandise. The key to getting there? The boys noted that having a consistent online presence was crucial. ‘You have to have a corporate identity, everything across our platforms looks the same. If you’re posting something every day, people are seeing you every day and once you’ve found your lane, grasp until your hands fall off.’

Charlie and Preditah took time out here to emphasise the importance of ‘hav[ing] your fingers in as many pies as possible’. In a world where social media can change the face of the market in a matter of seconds, being a DJ, artist or producer alone simply isn’t going to cut you out from the crowd.

Pred, himself a DJ/producer of many talents, tried a number of things before becoming a producer and admits ‘the more things you can do, the more things you can weigh and see which is your lane.’

While skill sets are important, Sandy from Disturbing London, the management label once home to Jessie J and owner Tinie Tempah, gave hope to those in the audience that weren’t quite there yet. Though qualifications do help, she noted that all the promising new acts coming up now – Section Boyz, Bonkaz, J Hus, Stormzy etc.

– don’t have conventionally trained managers. ‘You don’t have to have a degree in being a manager. It’s more about who you know and being willing to learn.’

Join PRS Music

Use the music to push other things

Your network determines your net worth

This is not as much of a shameless plug as this looks like, as Dan from PRS actually says he spends a lot of his time trying to convince people to not join - ‘It costs £50 to join and we would hate for people to not make their £50 back’. But he assures the audience that as long as you’re positive that it’s financially viable for you, joining PRS is a great move. Through them, the copyright holders in their 15 million song database receive a set fee every time that song is played on radio or used on television and artists receive an automatic payment .

From the very beginning of his career, SafOne has used his music to diversify and market himself, never ‘only thinking of being an MC’. Regardless of how you feel about it, it’s become tougher and tougher for musicians to make money solely from music anymore and the key advice was to use it as an advert for everything else around your brand. ‘It different for everyone’, he continues, ‘some people play loads of live shows [or] let off loads of mixtapes, for me it was merchandise’.

Probably the most obvious but important key to success in the music industry, having friends in useful places, particularly as a manager, can work wonders for a career.

‘Relationships are so important,’ says Sandy. ‘Relationships result in having brand deals, getting people to play your record on the radio to a certain extent’. This led Charlie to sum up so succinctly above. ‘As I’ve gone through my career it’s become apparent to me that your network determines the outcome of your career.’

16

CAREERS

Friday 22nd January

@redbrickcareers

Last week, Redbrick's second annual Big Media Event took place, with industry experts sharing their insights into the future of journalism.

Shannon Carey Deputy Editor @shannaniganx

A year after the success of the first ever BIG Media Event, Redbrick held their second careers talk - but this time, there was a focus on the digital world, and the impact this has had on modern media.

Attendees were lucky enough to hear from two speakers well-involved with the digital journalism industry themselves: Mike Woods, Head of Digital for the Wolverhampton Express and Star, and Ashley Kirk, data journalist for The Telegraph.

Each spoke of their own rise to their current career positions.

Mike Woods became the first Head of Digital at Express and Star, a paper that holds the title of Britain’s best-selling regional evening paper, showing the revolution to digital that many papers have undertaken in recent years. Ashley was the former Digital Editor at our very own Redbrick paper from 2013 to 2014, before recently securing a

role as Data Journalist for The Telegraph after a successful postgraduate course in London.

The event was full of advice from our speakers, focusing on the ins and outs of digital journalism in general, from site statistics to the impact social media and smart technology has had

"I'm always more interested in someone's blogs or social media presence" on the way we consume news.

Perhaps even more important was the tips our speakers gained from their own personal journeys into the industry, providing attending students with an insight on how to break into their careers.

As Ashley Kirk stated, “What got me a job wasn’t my 1st or 2:1 or whatever, it was what I did at student media”. He added that it is important to use

@AndThenAlexSaid Today's #RedbrickPresents media event was a bag of fun and useful info.

Thanks all involved! @redbrickpaper

the platform of student media to experiment, “even if it doesn’t work”, showing that a focus on extracurricular activities can be as important, if not more so, than academic achievements.

This sentiment was reiterated

by Mike Woods, who stated: "I'm always more interested in someone's blog or social media presence than their qualifications".

The stress on digital journalism is more than just social media posts and websites however: throughout the event, there was emphasis on multimedia platforms, moving away from just writing news to new ways of finding opinion and conveying information, from making videos to creating innovative infographics. "Do some videos, interview people in the street," advised Mike Woods, showing that journalism is no longer about just typing up stories, but instead has moved to find new, interactive methods of appealing to audiences, in ways which students can easily replicate. A further piece of advice was to focus your initial work on a particular area: whether that's

tweeting about news in your hometown, or starting a blog about one of your particular interests, from a favourite football club to a love of fashion.

While these may seem relatively small to start off, both speakers agreed that this was a sure-fire way to pick up new followers and collect interest, all while getting your name out there as a reliable and interesting journalist, leading to a following of people who will read something solely because your name is on it.

Despite the spotlight on the digital world, the event still showed there was a real place for traditional paper journalism. While digital is growing, it seems paper is still the place for in-depth, reliable analysis in the industry, showing that even if your skills are more traditional, there is still a place for you in journalism – though a try of the digital side is always worth a go!

Did you attend the BIG Media Event? Let us know your thoughts by tweeting us @redbrickcareers

@SEKesterton Hearing @MikeWoods_Star and @Ashley_J_Kirk speak about their work in digital journalism at #RedbrickPresents today was very inspiring!

Top Three Takeaways Utilize social media It may seem a pretty obvious piece of advice, but using social media to boost and share your content is key to journalism in today's increasingly digital world. However, there is no point in having an account that is left unused and it is easy for something to become out of date in a digital landscape where news feeds are being relentlessly updated.

Keeping in touch with your readers via Twitter feeds and making sure you grab your handle on the latest social media platform will ensure you maintain your brand and retain a wide audience as your views build up.

As it turns out, a master's degree isn't necessarily the key to a job in journalism - writing and posting on a blog can definitely boost your job prospects too. Being able to go into a job interview with a social media follower-base already established will no doubt impress.

Data is growing!

Information and specific data is consumed in print and online more than ever these days, with data journalism meaning you're reporting on anything and everything: numbers, social data, trends, polls, etc. The important thing for a data journalist is to work out exactly how to break down this information and present it to their readers, with our speaker Ashley emphasizing that, "You can't convey a message with just words.

Visualisation of data is key." Scraping for information that isn't always available and presenting it in a clear, accessible way to your audience is doing your job in an efficient yet smart way.

Effective infographics can really hook readers into a story. For updates on data journalism check out Ashley's blog at www.ashleykirk.com.

"What got me a job wasn't my 1st or 2:1 or whatever, it was what I did at student media" Ashley Kirk Data Journalist for The Telegraph and former Digital Editor of Redbrick

Kirstie Sutherland Matt Moody @whatkirstiedid @mattmoody17

The future is bright If you were writing a bullshitter’s guide to journalism, you’d be hard-pressed for a better quote to sound like you know what you’re talking about than “print is dead”.

Commentators have been lamenting (or anticipating) the great online migration for years now, but is it really true? Our guests weren’t so sure.

While physical newspapers can no longer compete with the internet when it comes to breaking stories, newspapers still make a lot of money and plenty of people read them Mike in particular vouched for local newspapers as the most trusted sources of news in their area.

The future, according to Ashley, is quality longform content - in-depth reports and analysis to supplement stories broken online or on social media. Encouraging words for journalists in a world where anyone can break news on Twitter.

CAREERS

Friday 22nd January

@redbrickcareers

17

Breaking Into Journalism

Shannon Carey rounds up the top tips on getting into the media industry for any budding journalists and writers out there.

Get involved with student media.

Whether it's writing, editing, photography or video-taking you are interested in, employers look for experience - particularly when you have used your own initiative to find it. Students get a lot of spare time between studying, and universities allow the platform to become involved in real-life, respected student publications - so invest that time spent on Netflix in getting involved with a student paper instead and increase your future prospects. For more information on writing for Redbrick, feel free to email us at join@redbrick.me or go along to a meeting - the times for each section are online: www.redbrick.me/contact.

Create a personal brand.

Use social media to show off your work, and write about a specific topic to make sure readers can find your articles, until they begin to read your work purely because you’ve written it – this will stay with you throughout your career.

Embrace the digital world.

Speaker Mike Wood predicted that digital teams at newspaper will continue to grow in oncoming years, so get ahead of the curve and add multimedia journalism to your repertoire of skills. Start a blog, make a video, design a feature or create an infographic: all of these show digital skills that employers search for in prospective candidates.

Make sure you can fill the growing appetite for digital journalism and secure yourself a place in the modern world with your own USP.

Consider a postgraduate course.

Many universities now offer Masters in areas such as digital and data journalism, as well as journalism in general. Even if these aren't NCTJ accredited, they can still teach you a lot about the industry and the skills needed - so take the time to research your options and decide whether an MA might be right for you and your chosen career path.

Get experience.

Take the chance to experiment.

It might be tiring and it might be unpaid - but work experience has benefits that you can't put a price on. Getting even a week's placement at a recognised media institution, whether it's your local paper or The Guardian can give you a chance to make new contacts that might be useful in your future career, as well as giving you an insight into how the industry works, and something vital to add to your CV.

In the real-life world of careers and media institutions, it can be hard to get the opportunity to test out your latest ideas or play around with old formats. So take risks at a student level, even if it might not necessarily work out: this is the opportune time to stretch your ability and make your mark. And, who knows - you might just create something truly successful that you can show off to your future employers.

We're Hiring!

Join Redbrick Careers Would you like to help put the Careers section together for Redbrick?

Whether you have an interest in the more traditional routes and grad-schemes, or are curious about emerging roles in unusual industries, come and talk to us about contributing to Redbrick's newly established section. The role really is what you make it!

Writing and editorial positions available. If you're interested, send an email to careers@redbrickonline.co.uk with an idea you'd like to see in the section and we will be in touch to arrange a meeting.

Advice & Guidance

Advice & Guidance

BECOME A STUDENT MENTOR...

BECOME A STUDENT MENTOR... …not your average student job.

…not your average student job.

Student Mentor Recruitment for 2014/15 is opening soon.

Student Mentor Recruitment for 2016/17 is now open. with We’re looking for approachable, self-motivated students We’re looking for approachable, self-motivated students with Scheme. great great communication skills to join the Student Mentor communication skills to join the Student Mentor Scheme.

“We support students living in “Supporting students living in University University accommodation” accommodation through 1-2-1 support and events throughout the year.”

“We help students into University life through “Student Mentorssettle provide an invaluable Weand act as a first port of call for the the year” 1-2-1service. support activities throughout students who need help.”

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th Recruitment January 2014.

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FILM

Friday 22nd January 2016

@redbrickfilm

A Tribute: Alan Rickman Redbrick film critic Helena Nicholson remembers the iconic roles of the legendary actor

19

Film News Roshni Patel Writer @roshofalltrades

Michael Bay goes back on his word again to announce he’ll be directing his last Transformers film, due for release in 2017, ten years after he got the franchise ball rolling. With films scheduled until at least 2025, the franchise will go on without him regardless.

After six years, the Chronicles of Narnia are set to begin again with producer Mark Gordon planning to rewrite the franchise with all new characters. Featuring none of the original Pevensie family and an all new Eustice Scrubb, Gordon is hoping that Academy Award-nominated writer David Magee’s scripts will save Narnia.

The death of Alan Rickman last week came as a shock to many, including many of his friends in the acting community.

Perhaps more of a shock, though, was the deep love so many people had for this actor so gifted at playing the villain.

Alan Rickman shot to international fame in 1988 in his first ever movie role: Die Hard. The film was a remarkable victory in many respects. It remains an action masterpiece that has spawned countless, less successful imitations (including its own sequels). But amongst its greatest attributes was the magnetism and skill of its villain, Hans Gruber. As Gruber, Rickman embodied a fine balance between menacing, charismatic, eerie and intensely watchable. All delivered in an awful German accent.

In the end, the accent didn’t matter: his performance, as with all his performances, was all about his voice.

It became over the course of his career one of the most instantly recognisable and beloved voices of British - and world film. It was a voice that carried threat, reassurance, pathos, conviction, uncertainty, passion and coldness. It conveyed charm and sweetness in 1991’s Truly, Madly, Deeply, for which he received his first Bafta nomination. A story about a woman whose husband returns from the dead, Rickman portrayed the heartache of grief with great sweetness and poignancy.

In the same year, he won the Best Supporting Actor Bafta for his role as the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. The role cemented his unparalleled skill in portraying the villain. But Rickman also carried the lightness of the film. His Sheriff of

Nottingham was black-clad and bullying, but also had the comical, playful air of camp that ran throughout the entire film.

Rickman also gained critical acclaim for his turn as Rasputin in the television film Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny, for which he earned a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award. The complexity of Rickman’s eerie characterisation demonstrated the gift for character that he had, and his ability to show his audience the inner workings of his mind with the lightest word or gesture.

In 1995, Rickman again showed his versatility in Ang Lee’s Sense and Sensibility as Colonel Brandon; a laconic, reserved but gentle and sweet man who adores Kate Winslet’s Marianne far better than the charmingly false Willoughby.

Colonel Brandon was one of the few roles that allowed Rickman to be the brave, conscientious and kind hero.

In Richard Curtis’ Christmas favourite Love Actually, he played the adulterous husband of Emma Thompson’s character.

Many remember the tear-jerking moment Thompson discovers her husband’s infidelity and silently sobs to Joni Mitchell’s ‘Both Sides Now’, but behind Thompson’s performance Rickman again portrayed an unsympathetic character with the complexity of a real person, embodying his uncertainty, temptation, selfishness and regrets.

In Tim Burton’s 2007 adaptation of Sweeney Todd, Rickman captured the sickening greed and disturbing obsessions of Judge Turpin, whilst showing his singing talent which was uncaptured by film since his role in Truly, Madly, Deeply.

'Rickman was famed for playing the villain, but behind this there was a great wealth of ability...'

For most University students, however, the role that will forever define Alan Rickman came in 2001, with the beginning of the Harry Potter franchise.

Rickman’s portrayal of Severus Snape - the plotting, menacing, twisted yet ultimate unsung hero of the story – captured the character of thousands of children’s imaginations. His sweeping black robes, greasy black hair and looming stature visually embodied J.K. Rowling’s character, but his eerily hushed tones and pointed glares created a fan favourite. In the final film of the franchise, Rickman once again revealed the pathos and depth he could portray, as the goodness lurking behind Snape’s sinister characterisation was finally revealed.

Like Snape, Rickman was famed for playing the villain, but behind this there was a great wealth of ability which shone through over the course of his very successful career. The outpouring of affection following his death proves this. As his Love Actually co-star Emma Thompson said this week, ‘he was a rare and unique human being and we shall not see his like again’.

Did not start acting till the age of 28 Voted #83 in Empire's 100 Sexiest Film Stars in Film History (2007) Two time Laurence Olivier and Tony Award nominee Directed two feature films: The Winter Guest (1997) and A Little Chaos (2014) Turned down the role of Alec Treveylan in Golden Eye (1995)

Following the release of Amazon’s first film, Chi Raq, was the announcement of their next, Patterson,from the director Jim Jarmusch (Only Lovers Left Alive, Coffee and Cigarettes). Starring Adam Driver (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) among others, it’s hoped that this film will help to differentiate Amazon’s catalogue from Netflix’s.

It’s a wrap on the set of Assassin’s Creed this week, as Fassbender and the production team tweet after the last cut was yelled. As the film now goes into post production, with a trailer expected around March this year, the December release date continues to slowly creep closer as anticipation grows.

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TELEVISION

Friday 22nd January 2016

@redbricktv

Has Derren Brown Pushed it Too Far? With Derren Brown’s latest stunt making waves, Tamsin Hackett considers the ethics of his conduct as a psychologist.

Tamsin Hackett TV Critic @TamsinAilishh

As Derren Brown’s new show Pushed to the Edge aired on Tuesday the 12th January, debates commenced about whether the show was entertaining, ethically wrong, or both.

The concept of Brown’s new experiment was whether or not he could subliminally convince someone to push a stranger off the roof within just one evening.

Brown said he intended to discover whether the human weakness of compliancy could persuade any reasonable person to push another to their death.

'Brown's new experiment was whether or not he could subliminally convince someone to push a stranger off the roof' Brown’s experiment focused on one participant, Chris Kingston, a 29 year old business owner.

Chris was invited to a charity night, which was entirely a façade with only actors in attendance.

Subliminal messages recorded by celebrities such as James Corden,

David Tennant and Steven Fry telling him to ‘push’ and ‘do whatever it takes’, were played at the event. These messages and an actor helped convince Chris to hide Bernie, who he thinks is a dead, in a crate. Chris is then caught up in a complex web of lies and cases of mistaken identity, all of which he goes along with because someone tells him to.

Finally, it is revealed that Bernie was not dead, but to hide all that he has done and save the charity Chris is told he must push Bernie off the roof. This is somewhat of an anti-climax, as Chris walks away and does not push Bernie off the roof.

It then came to light, however, that this exact same scenario had been played out with three other participants, all of whom eventually pushed Bernie off the roof in the final climactic scene. Whilst this revelation undoubtedly had the audience on the edge of their seats, there’s something to be said about Brown’s ethics in this experiment. Ethics in psychological experiments such as this would outline the responsibility to protect participants from harm.

This show was obviously entertaining and interesting, but what about the effects that this experiment would have on those people who realised they were capable of pushing someone off a roof, and had been talked into doing it so easily? In an official psychological research experiment, this would hardly be considered protecting the participant, as the

experiment may result in psychological harm.

'Derren Brown's participants do not appear to give informed consent' What’s more is that participants in psychological experiments have to give informed consent and should not be deceived.

This means that they have to agree to what they are doing and have to understand exactly what they’re agreeing to. If informed consent cannot be gained, then the experiment must consist of something that could happen to the participant in everyday life.

Derren Brown’s participants do not appear to give informed consent, and it’s not arguable that this scenario, or others such as his zombie apocalypse, could happen everyday.

So whilst we are on the edge of our seats and find these shows essentially entertaining, and Derren Brown’s message of pushing back against societal compliance could be seen as moral, there’s a lot to be said about Brown’s ethical conduct as a psychologist, especially when we know that he wouldn’t get away with such experiments if he wasn’t on TV.

Tweet us your opinions at @redbricktv

Big Brother: Unfortunate Entertainment James Tyson TV Critic @jamestyson06

Big Brother stooped to an alltime low this series, turning the death of the nation’s much loved David Bowie into a farce. After the news went public, Big Brother broke the news to his ex-wife privately in the diary room, filming her reaction.

The first ethical question to arise is should Big Brother have screened such a personal moment on national television?

Although Big Brother informing Angie of the passing was not broadcast, her reaction was, with her tears being used as a trailer for the following episode. Hoards of fans took to twitter to express their outrage, stating that entertainment should not be made out of others misery.

Yet after already crossing what many believe to be a line too far, the situation went from uncomfortable to plain idiotic.

Angie told Tiffany Pollard, who is an American reality television personality and actress, the news of David’s death.

However, she took this to mean fellow housemate David Gest had died, not making the link.

Tiffany may have even been let off if David had been ill that day.

It was, however, her reaction after the news that placed her in the wrong.

After realising her mistake, instead of attempting to console the grieving Angie, she made the whole situation about her, accusing Angie of deliberately deceiving her -“f***ing old b*tch.” She was so erratic with her reactions, the housemates said they felt so threatened by her that she had to quit. (Of course, she didn’t).

So, was Big Brother right to screen the attack on a woman grieving over her ex-husband for our entertainment? Is it even entertaining? Unfortunately the answer is yes, it did make great television. Maybe this says more about us as an audience than the individual TV show, but that is an argument for someone much more qualified in psychology.

It divided opinion across the country, and as a viewer I am ashamed to say I enjoyed the television and I am glad it was broadcasted, despite potentially detracting from the seriousness of David’s death. To ease my conscience I’m hoping David would be laughing at the situation.

In other news, Christopher Maloney is still doing it all for his Nan.

TELEVISION

Friday 22nd January 2016

@redbricktv

21

Review: Making a Murderer Lara Billington TV Critic @lara_billington

If you’ve not heard about Making a Murderer yet, whether it be from your mum, dad, friend, auntie, grandad and second cousin, or from the commotion it has stirred over social media, then you honestly must be living under a rock.

Mild spoilers ahead.

The new Netflix Original is a true crime drama following Steven Avery, a resident of Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, who was imprisoned for 18 years for the rape of a woman – a crime that was proven seemingly conclusively with DNA evidence, yet one he did not commit. The first two episodes cover his false imprisonment in 1985 and Avery’s attempt to sue members of the Manitowoc police

department for intentionally ignoring evidence that could indicate his innocence. By the end of the second episode, I was sceptical about how they were going to drag the story out for eight more. However a turn of events occurs when in 2005, he is arrested again for the alleged murder of Wisconsin resident Teresa Halbach. The following eight episodes cover his trial and follow Avery, his family, and his defence team as they find themselves in a familiar situation to twenty years prior, fighting to prove Avery's innocence.

The series is rich in detail as each hour long episode covers every aspect of the case, and the argument that Avery is being framed by Manitowoc Officials who have a vendetta against him after his lawsuit. Directors Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos lead

Review: Jericho

you to believe Avery is innocent, shedding light onto just how misconduct, deliberate or not, in police work can victimize a person, and ruin lives.

What I loved about this series is that they let us into everything.

From cameras in the Avery household, to testimonials in court, details of evidence, the following of Avery’s lawyers in the office, at home, in the courtroom, and phone calls from Avery himself. It seems that every aspect we’d want to know about, we were allowed to. It’s no lie that we all love being nosey (especially when a crime is involved), and this series allows you to truly dive into the case and be nosey to your heart’s content. Moreover, what makes this show stand out from the rest is that it’s true – these allegations of such a heinous

Zoe Screti

TV Critic @zoescretimusic

After Downton Abbey’s ending, ITV left us all with a period-drama shaped TV viewing hole that called out for something to fill it. Their first offering, Jericho certainly isn’t falling short of the mark.

Set in the Yorkshire Dales in the 1870s and shrouded in deep mystery and drama, the show has been likened to an American Western, with the characters hoping to make their fortune building a new railway viaduct rather than mining gold.

With a plot jam-packed full of romance, scheming, fights, explosions, death, drama and mystery, every new episode keeps the viewer hooked and full of anticipation for the next.

The story begins with Jessica Raine’s character, the recently widowed Annie Quaintain, whose husband has left her and her children destitute after racking up enormous debts in his lifetime. After they are turned out of their house and their friends refuse to take them in because of the associated shame it

crime towards a man who is painted to be innocent actually happened, and, having spent eighteen years behind bars as an innocent man before, it makes the idea of it happening again very real and very frightening.

It would be wrong not to mention the silver lining in Avery’s very large, dark cloud: his lawyers Jerry Buting and Dean Strang – one quick-talking yet calm and collected, the other softer, more emotional but just as determined.

They are the perfect duo and display their passion towards the justice system and their determination to find the truth, an intent which the prosecution team seem to lack at times in their unwavering need to convict Avery.

As a whole I felt the series gave an insightful look into the workings of the justice system, and how

unforgivable and at times, seemingly unjust, it appears to be. At surface level, Steven Avery seems like the stereotypical culprit. With an unpopular family and a bad track record, he fits the bill. But the series allows him a chance for the world to hear what he has to say: his outlandish Wisconsin accent, and the fact he lives in a run-down trailer in the middle of a salvage yard seem irrelevant in determining who the man truly is by the end of the series.

As a fictional tale this would have been a gripping story, but with the addition of the real life aspect, it becomes more than entertainment. The series will thrill you, infuriate you, and upset you, so prepare for a serious binge-watch because once you’ve begun, you need to know how Steven Avery’s story ended.

would bring, the family travel to the titular shantytown Jericho. This makeshift community reluctantly becomes their new residence where the family hope to make enough money to return to their old home.

Here, Annie enters into a willthey, won’t-they relationship with the chivalric Johnny Jackson, played

by Hans Matheson, whose previous casting includes the lead role in Doctor Zhivago. Johnny is also establishing his home in the valley, working on the viaduct and becoming Annie’s first lodger. His polite demeanour leads his fellow navvies to nickname him “Your Highness”.

The drama of the show was quick to kick in as a sabotage attack leads to the building site being blown up by gun powder, although mystery surrounds the circumstances under which the attack takes place. Mark Addy, who plays the detective in charge of solving the mystery seems keen to get to the bottom of the misdemeanour but for more than one character, all is not as it seems, Ralph Coates, the AfricanAmerican who is promoted as a result of the explosion, played by Clarke Peters, seems to be always

looking over his shoulder, as though a monster from his past is lurking in the shadows, waiting for its moment to pounce. This, together with the fact that he seems to be linked in some way to the explosion leaves the viewer distinctly wary.

Jericho seems to remove all innocence from the world as the rustic, rural community toil to make a meagre living. Not even Annie’s young son, George, is saved from Jericho’s darkening effect as his childhood innocence is snatched away when he kills a man, albeit in self-defence.

The show boasts a range of well-known actors and actresses as well as some emerging new talent, all of whom act exquisitely, capturing the intensity of the show perfectly. This is undoubtedly aided by the incomparable writing which has the power to completely captivate.

Intense, dramatic and passionate, this series has made its mark and looks set to have a promising future.

Jericho airs on ITV at 9pm, every Thursday. Catch the last two episodes on the ITV Hub.

22

MUSIC

Friday 22nd January 2016

@redbrickmusic

Album Review: Hinds - Leave Me Alone Hannah Coles Music Critic @HannahMColes

Hinds have received some glowing reviews for their latest album Leave Me Alone, yet listening to the whole album may leave some listeners questioning just why Hinds have managed to forge themselves such an immediate ‘exciting emerging act’ status.

First impressions of this album, after the first two tracks, are massively positive owing to a grungy, soft-rock sound like a sample of a spanish sunset. From then on it

seems as though all the tracks merge into one with only a single mid-album break from the relentless unsteady clashing vocals and lazy instrumentals. Considering the existence of similar sounding, and considerably more inspiring, acts like Courtney Barnett and Girlpool, the unintelligible lyrics and mostly uninventive melodies of Hinds often fall short of that standout status.

As mentioned, the start of the album is really very cool, and introduces the two singers (and guitarists) - Carlotta Cosials and Ana Perrote, who share moments of brilliance but also moments of

awkwardness throughout the album. To kick off, ‘Garden’ makes use of mellow electric guitar riffs and spangling tambourine percussion to gorgeously euphonious effect, lifted by the entrance of a tinny hi-hat. A lazy bass riff tumbles over into the next track ‘Fat Calmed Kiddos’, that delivers a playful, meandering verse that is reminiscent of sleepy high summers. Then a tempo change occurs which ruins the melancholic mood.

The track temporarily comes undone and then reverts back to the steady verse, which leaves the listener restless in anticipation of the next disturbance to what prom-

ised to be a perfectly good song.

This tempo change continues to occur throughout the album and disrupts in a similarly annoying way.

The third track ‘Warts’ brings back a sense of neatness and ease with a softly catchy looping verse riff. The chorus brings two of the girls singing together not in harmony but in unison. There is something about the flatness of the vocals and the lo-fi production which makes some strung out words hard to swallow and unbelievably whiney; disbelief coming from why they create this disturbance over something so breezy and cool.

The listener is then given a brief break from these momentary crescendos of flatness with ‘Solar Gap’ which features two dreamy electric guitars with a rhythm and melody that undulate and criss-cross to create an americana lullaby. It’s soul soothing and offers respite from the yowling vocals that keep upsetting the desirable 70’s soft rock vibe.

This is chased by ‘Chili Town’ and the ‘San Diego’ which both follow the same pattern of distorted guitars and raw vocals, with the latter being a more upbeat tribute with vibrant, twangy riffs and playful ‘tararararara’ breaking up what is fundamentally a track about being ditched by someone more concerned with taking drugs: 'you're getting blinded taking drugs/ we didn't even say "goodbye'. This is just one of a few references to drugs on the album and seems to reflect the influence of bands such as The Strokes and Mac DeMarco on their sound and artistic direction.

'Good in small hits, but in its entirety this album feels like an overdose' Overall, this album features moments of pure sunshinethrough-curtains hazy happiness that is conveyed authentically in the vocals of Carlotta and Ana. However it is hard to listen to the whole album in one session purely because of the clashing vocals and lack of variety. They have a strong garage-pop, lo-fi brand that is good in small hits, but in its entirety this album feels like an overdose.

Single Review: Selena Gomez - Hands To Myself Hannah Strong Music Critic

Selena Gomez is back storming the charts with her third single from her latest album Revival – and it’s so seductive. The track, similar to her previous release ‘Good for You’, shows off Selena’s mature side while keeping in tune with her more expected innocent, naïve personality.

‘Hands To Myself’ begins with the soft vocals that Selena has come to embody through her music career. The almost whisper, accompanied by a repetitive drum beat, continues throughout the song with lyrics such as ‘can’t keep my hands to myself / no matter how hard I’m trying to’. A flirtatious, cheeky tone is created and is something that Selena is clearly not afraid of showing. (I mean look at the music video –

it's amazing and shows a new ravishing side to Selena who is dancing around in just her bra and tiny shorts). The track then uses Selena’s solo vocals in order to contrast the introduction of an up-beat dance instrumental in which Selena’s more powerful vocals are present.

'It perfectly captures this sophisticated, empowering song with class and elegance' Seductive lyrics come on, give me what it’s like to be epitomise the sexy

such as 'so a taste / of next to you' feeling that

Selena tries to capture, eventually culminating in perhaps the most important lyric of the entire song: 'can’t keep my hands to myself / I mean I could but why would I want to'. It perfectly captures this sophisticated, empowering song with a class and elegance.

In essence, Gomez doesn’t disappoint with her latest single. Whether you’re a fan of her or not, this track will instantly uplift your mood and you won’t be able to keep your hands from hitting the repeat button. Its safe to say that 'Hands To Myself' finally takes Selena from being just another Disney star to being a respected pop musician. If this single is anything like her previous efforts, get ready to be hearing it on the radio and music channels for a very long time.

MUSIC

Friday 22nd January 2016

@redbrickmusic

Single Review: EKKAH - Small Talk Giulia Bardelli Music Critic @Giulia_Bardelli

Dynamic disco duo EKKAH have set the bar high for themselves this year with their latest release ‘Small Talk’. 2014 was the year we were introduced to EKKAH after the release of their debut EP Last Chance To Dance but 2016 looks to be the year that EKKAH genuinely make a name for themselves.

event. EKKAH are known for their perfect harmonies and very much showcase this throughout ‘Small Talk’. The soft and rather soulful harmonies between the disco duo add an unexpected twist to the pop song, keeping things exciting.

Whilst guitar loops are very much taking over the songwriting

scene, EKKAH prove that sticking to a keyboard in order to create loops can be just as masterful and delightful. EKKAH’s very sharp yet soft vocals throughout the track effortlessly accompany the keyboard and make for a dreamy musical track.

If there’s one word that could

'Small Talk' encompasses and masterfully revives all the greatest elements of a classic 80's pop hit

be used to describe ‘Small Talk’ it’s groovy – excuse the old school language. EKKAH have found a niche by bringing 80’s and 90’s pop back. It’s one more track that needs to be added to your Spotify ‘Shower’ playlist. ‘Small Talk’ is a catchy dance hit – what more could you ask for?

Only use quote marks in pull quotes for direct quotes

Rebekah Pennington and Rebecca Wilson, both from Birmingham, recently showcased their single ‘Small Talk’, a glorious track which encompasses and masterfully revives all the greatest elements of a classic 80’s pop hit.

The sharp clapping that introduces this track instantly constructs an optimistic beat before the main

Redbrick Meets: Enter Shikari Alex Ekong

Music Editor @AndThenAlexSaid

'The thing I love about The Wonder Years is they’ve earned the word 'punk' being in their genre description. With a lot of pop-punk, there’s no sentiment, there’s no statement and they’re not saying anything. The punk aspect of things can evaporate quite quickly without meaning or social commentary'. It’s a typically grey, unremarkable Wednesday afternoon outside but I’m sat at my desk talking to one of my musical heroes about one of my favourite bands who, incidentally, are supporting the former’s band on their huge arena trek in just a few short months.

Playing to upwards of 10,000 people on a headline tour is virgin ground for St. Albans’ Enter Shikari, but for the intrepid electro-punks who have built a name off conquering new musical territory with every release, be it on stage or in the studio, it’s a challenge they welcome. The truth is, they’ve been on a massive upwards swing since the release of AIM Award-winning opus The Mindsweep back in January, though frontman Rou is wary of one aspect of the newfound success. 'Award ceremonies are the worst part of the job', he admits. 'Everybody expects you to be this mouthy frontman and that’s not me at all.'

But as I sift back through the conversation and frenetic mental images of the 8 Shikari shows I’ve been to, I find this statement a little tough to believe. At your typical Enter Shikari con-

cert, Reynolds plays the roles of mouth, lungs, multi-instrumentalist and architect of chaos. The Rou from my memories is a commanding presence, ready to shoot from the hip about anything from the gradual privatisation of the NHS to the melting of the polar ice caps. The Rou on the other end of the line is, seemingly, reserved. But don’t be fooled – he’s a quote machine.

'The thing that’s frustrating us now is the amount of places where music is being monetised', He says, a familiar anger creeping increasingly into his v o i c e .

'Everywhere you look the music is used to sell things and it’s taken away the fact that music should be used for enjoyment or emotional support. There’s a huge intrinsic value to music and I’m just afraid that that’s being lost amongst the various natures of capitalism'. And there’s no band that understand this better than Shikari. An indie band in the truest sense of the word, everything they’ve done as a band – music, merch, live shows, packaging, videos etc. – has been produced in-house through their own label and, despite their success, they have no intention of changing that. 'We weren’t these sort of stringent, hardcore, DIY

ethics, fuck-the-major-labels guys', Rou admits. 'For us it was more of a logical thing. Like 'Hold on, we’ve done literally everything ourselves so far. And now we were just gonna sort of give that over for this lump sum of money.' We never felt comfortable with that'.

To that effect, although the band has been playing to bigger and bigger crowds at home and around the world, they have strived to keep their underground spirit alive.

M o s t recentl y , they’ve done this by dropping T h e Mindsweep: Hospitalised – Shikari’s first fullyfledged remix a l b u m .

Speaking of the project, Rou admitted it had been ‘a pipe dream’. 'We thought it would be great to do a full remix album but something with a bit more structure to it'.

That structure was duly provided by the roster of London-based drum and bass label Hospital Records, with each member of the roster contributing a remixed track from the original Mindsweep to form. Reynolds praised the collaboration as natural and easy: 'A lot of their producers, especially the younger ones are big fans of the band so there was real two-way mutual respect sort of thing which made it feel really honest'.

Though Hospitalised is yet

more new ground from the band, Shikari fans are certainly no strangers to remixes and constant electronic experimentation within their hardcore punk genre. When I asked Rou if parallels existed between hardcore and drum and bass, he pointed out that ‘there’s a tension and then release. You’re living for those moments where the dopamine is racing through your body and then it’s released. Those moments of escalation [are] something really beautiful that both genres encapsulate'.

One can expect plenty of dopamine surges come their February UK tour, which culminates with a date at London’s famous Alexandra Palace.

Their biggest headline show to date, Shikari are certainly approaching it brazenly, with huge lighting rigs and quadrophonic sound all but confirmed – an approach which they’ve always had. 'Our problem tends to be that we’re a bit like kids in a sweet shop with our production and we often just completely blow our budget on various gizmos,' he jokes. 'It all stems from our first show where we sold out the Astoria for the first time back in the day and we were told ‘Okay, you’ve got this amount of money, what do you want to spend and what do you want to keep for profit?’ and we basically just blew it all on lasers.

We haven’t really grown out of that'. Needless to say, it’s going to be a spectacle, something Rou himself has promised: 'When we’re given a massive room like the Ally Pally, we’re gonna fill it with everything we can'.

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Local Artist Spotlight:

Native State Abi Farrell Music Critic @alfarrell94

When Native State formed in late 2014, comprised of members Seb Hornby (vocals, guitar), Ben Pinkus (lead guitar), George Chapman (bass) and Jared McGivern (drums), they quickly lit up the Birmingham music scene with their own brand of funk-charged indie-rock.

Fast forward a little more than a year and they’ve racked up an impressive arsenal of live appearances to date. By their third week of existence, the band had already competed in the first round of the national iSessions competition, gaining a place in the final in Manchester. Since then, 2015 saw them perform on ValeFest’s main stage, at the Isle of Wight Festival and if that wasn’t impressive enough - as a headline act at Birmingham’s 02 Academy.

So how did they do it?

Well, each of these achievements to date are testament to the sheer quality of the band’s original music - the most impressive thing about Native State is that their tracks don’t sound as if they could have been created by any other artist. You only need to listen to their recent debut EP Personal Circus once to gauge that the group have the innate ability to write and produce indie-rock belters that are all at once laden with funk, alternative and heavy influences. The outstanding opening track ‘Mr Nice’ boasts an attention-grabbing signature riff and a soulful vocal that you won’t be able to shake off for days.

For fans of artists ranging from Maroon 5 and John Mayer to Don Broco and Royal Blood Fans of artists ranging all the way from early Maroon 5 and John Mayer to Don Broco and Royal Blood are likely to find a new favourite band in Native State. My prediction is that Personal Circus is going to make 2016 one exciting year for them and, by extension, everybody who chooses to follow their music.

Check out Redbrick's full review of Native State's Personal Circus at redbrick.me/music

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LIFE & STYLE

Friday 22nd January

@redbricklife

Adult Colouring Books Here are the perks and benefits of this fashionable, creative trend and why you need an adult colouring book in your life.

Imogen Lancaster Life&Style writer

For most of us, using and enjoying colouring books is a distant memory of our childhood which consisted of garish, multi-coloured scribbles on a page. But believe it or not, adult colouring books is one of the latest comeback trends of 2016. This oldschool and classic concept has really taken off and here’s why everyone loves them:

themed adult colouring books!

Not only is colouring an entertaining pastime which can keep you busy for hours, but recent psychological studies have shown that grabbing the pencils can also help relaxation, combat stress and improve concentration. Art therapy is something that is sure to take your mind off exams, deadlines and general worries in life, so for those of you who love to doodle, this is the perfect outlet for stress.

6/10

This new colouring phenomenon has even feaMoving beyond tured on Channel thesimplistic 4’s program adults admit to designs aimed at ‘What Britain the younger generabought 2015’, being more tion; adult colouring where they stressed books feature elaboshowed a Johanna nowadays. rate and captivating Basford colouring patterns and the most book which came out amazing black and white as one of Amazon’s ink illustrations. The variety bestselling books of the of books that have exploded onto year. A wealth of online vloggers, the market in recent months means bloggers and celebrities on social that you can find countless themes media have also showed their pasto bring to life, such as florals, sion for this fashionable craze. henna patterns, animals, nature, nautical themes and many more.

So if you want a creative, new For those with a particular love of hobby, a stress reliever or simply literature, you can even buy Harry love the visuals of these books, Potter and Alice in Wonderland give it a go! Now that colouring

books have well and truly established themselves on the market in all good bookshops - we would recommend having a browse in Waterstone's, WHSmith's or Ryman's - there are countless different ones to choose from. For those of you who are considering picking up your gel pens and pencills and having a go, here are our top three adult colouring book recommendations for you to get busy with...

Johanna Basford collection: Secret Garden Lost Ocean Enchanted Forest Millie Marotta collection: Animal Kingdon Tropical Wonderland Wild Savannah Christina Rose collection: Colouring therapy Art therapy Creative colouring Dream catcher Go dig out your old pencil case and unleash your creativity!

Do you have opinions on this article? Let us know: @redbrickpaper

Top Five: Influential People of 2015 As 2016 is well and truly upon us, Life&Style writer Zoe Screti looks back on the last year and sees which people inspired us the most.

Emma Watson

Malala Yousafzai

Eddie Redmayne

After pioneering her ‘He for She’ campaign with decorum and eloquance as well as highlighting this feminist cause as a male and female issue, Emma Watson can certainly be seen as one of the most influential speakers of 2015. Her campaign not only shows that feminism is still very much a necessary issue, but also showed that it is a concern for men as women in today’s society - and indeed led to an increase in the number of men willing to admit they were feminists. Aside from her public speeches, Watson is also one of the most chic dressers of the time, inspiring many with her subtle yet feminine ensembles, making her an influential fashion icon and campainger.

The release of a film about this young girl’s life: ‘He Named Me Malala’ served to epitomise the continuing influence of the incredible Malala Yousafzai. After being shot by the Taliban in 2012 for promoting the education of girls, Malala moved to Birmingham and now calls herself a self-confessed Brummie. Her continuing campaigning and support of Taliban victims won her the Nobel Peace Prize. She is not only incredibly inspirational, but Yousafzai has remained grounded, completing her studies at Edgbaston High School and lives the life of an ordinary teenage girl.

No one could have anticipated just how incredible Eddie Redmayne’s portrayal of Stephen Hawking would be when he took on this role in ‘The Theory of Everything’.

Catapulting him into the spotlight, Redmayne is now seen as one of the brightest acting talents of our era. His humble demeanour, evidenced in his heart-warming and adorable Oscar winners’ reaction makes him very endearing.

His role in 2015 film, ‘The Danish Girl’ is yet another stunning performance and one which has great significance in furthering awareness of the transgender community. His endless talent promises more great roles to come in 2016.

Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna Charpentier and Doudna may not be household names as of yet, but their pioneering work could have significant consequences for us all. The pair realised that bacteria have the ability to protect themselves against viruses and by working out how, their lab experiments have succeeded in using the technique to remove HIV, correct sickle-cell anaemia and alter cancer cells so that they are more susceptible to chemotherapy. Whilst this is a discovery in its preliminary stages, theoretically, scientists could use this method to alter any human gene, ultimately changing the face of science.

Aung San Suu Kyi Leading the National League for Democracy to victory in 2015 in the first openly contested election in 25 years in Myanmar, Burma, Aung San Suu Kyi has had a vast influence on politics. Her success came just five days after she was released from a fifteen year house arrest which had been imposed upon her because of her efforts to bring democracy to the militaryruled Myanmar. In the face of severe oppression, Aung San Suu Kyi has become a symbol of peaceful resistance, securing her as one of 2015’s most influential people.

LIFE & STYLE

Friday 22nd January

@redbrickfilm

Courtney Love x Nasty Gal Katelyn Ryder takes a look at the latest 2016 collaboration all set to take our high street stores by storm.

There seems to be an upsurge in collaborations between big labels and celebrities.

High street stores are eager to attract new customers and boost sales, and with all these inspired pieces at affordable prices, we’re not complaining! Courtney Love's new exclusive partnership with Nasty Gal has brought about a 90’s grunge- inspired collection that looks as if it has been taken straight out of the singer-song-writer’s wardrobe. The collection is entirely on point, following the craze over 90’s enthused styles, but with a modern twist. The detail is all in the silhouette with ragged asymmetrical cuts and loose fitting slips to accentuate a ‘barely there’ figure.

The nostalgic collection is a true ode to Courtney and her days in Hole, with lacy slip dresses and baby doll styles inspired by her onstage looks. There is a clear influence from Courtney over the collection as we can see the similarities between the pieces from her rockstar days. For example, the pink baby doll dress which is similar to that worn by Courtney at Reading Festival in 1994, and the tiara similar to some

of the styles she used to wear. There are also newly added pieces designed by Courtney such as the lace bodysuit, which she says she’s been wanting to make for a decade!

Her collaboration is risqué and edgy with luxe, transparent fabrics and mounds of lace, as Courtney explains during an interview with Nasty Gal: ‘the starting point was lingerie meets real world’. The rebellious collection features 30 pieces including dresses, shoes, tutus, jewellery, body suits, crop tops, lace undergarments and a sheer floaty kimono. Modelled by a Courtney Love lookalike, the pieces are topped off with boho locks and ripped fishnets to give an added edge to the hardly innocent baby doll dresses and tutus. The collection stays true to its inspiration, with Courtney’s visible influence over the designs clearly appealing to her wider audience as its key pieces are selling out quickly. So if you’re in the market for some risqué 90’s grungeinspired pieces this is definitely a collection to look into, but quickly before it’s all gone!

4 Clothing Items You Shouldn't Be Without in 2016

Delfina Rainoldi guides us through this year's best investment pieces.

Breaking News: This year will be the year of fashion. Okay, we tend to promise that every year is the year of fashion, but nonetheless 2016 is all set to totally outdo previous trends and catwalk collections. With trends ranging from minimalism to gaudy prints, each taking inspiration from previous decades, it’s great to look around and see that we have truly reached a good place in the fashion world. As a result, we have amassed the most stylish and must-have items worth investing in this year...

An oversized coat

As it’s still winter and most of us are in a constant battle against the cold in our student houses, a great statement piece worth investing in this year is the oversized winter coat. Whether you like the look of a vintage oversized bomber jacket from your local charity shop, or a nicely tailored oversized maxi coat from Massimo Dutti, our favourite shops for finding your perfect coat include All Saints, Massimo Dutti, Diesel (preferably the men’s section), and Zara.

A great pair of boots

Investing in a pair of boots for winter is a must. One good pair of boots can sometimes last you up to five winters, so go and invest in a pair today if you haven’t already.

We at Life&Style love Chelsea boots, but if you’re not much of a fan there are always other options like thigh-highs or under the knee boots. Head to Jones, Zara, Acne or All Saints to track down your next pair.

A leather jacket

We would always recommend splashing out on a statement leather jacket for when the weather starts to warm up. Handy for both winter and summer, leather can be dressed up and down, and it always gives the outfit you’re wearing a nice edgy look that isn’t too much. For those who are vegan and don’t wish to buy leather there are good places to get faux leather jackets too! All Saints, Acne, Diesel, ASOS and BDG all have excellent collections for you to check out.

A mini bag

Lastly we have to turn to the mini bag.

Although mini bags made a comeback last year, this trend will live on well into the new year. We would recommend getting a Rebecca Minkoff mini bag as they’re light, small (but not too small that you can’t fit a phone, money and accessories in it) and have loads of different colours and styles to choose from.

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FIERCE Aviator Sunnies Just because we're in the middle of a harsh, cold winter doesn't mean you can't bring out your sunglasses.

Mirrored-lens aviators are so on trend right now. Major celebs such as Kendall Jenner love this look, so why can't we give them a go too? Whether they're an accessory on your head or on your eyes, the sun still shines in the winter and with the glare from the icy ground, it's a must to carry some aviators in your bag.

Kanye West Kanye's been teasing fans by releasing a load of incredible new material on Soundcloud in anticipation of his new album 'Swish', set to be released on February 11th. Who says your new year's resolution of hitting the gym more can't be done in style? Grab your Yeezy's and get ready for some brand new bangers to get you motivated while you work out!

Independent Birmingham Card Ready to bag some bargains this year? Check out the new Independent Birmingham Card. Membership is just £15 (or two for £20) and entitles you to a whole year of dicounts and deals at over 75 of the best independent cafes, bars, restaurants and shops in Birmingham. Enjoy discounts at some of the most popular Brummie places, from Nosh and Quaff, to The Plough and The Jekyll and Hyde without breaking the bank!

Laddish Culture Lad culture is a serious issue and has recently been raised at an NUS summit. Whilst it is still prominent nowadays, especially at uni, it's about time it was addressed. Not only do cliques put pressure on people to act a certain way but they isolate and intimidate others. Friendly competition between friends is great but no one likes a show-off! Things can easily get out of hand- watch The Riot Club if you don't believe me!

New Year, New Me Have you really stuck to your new year's resolutions of going to the gym, spending more time in the library and less time at Snobs or Stuesdays? The whole concept of 'New Year, New Me' puts too much pressure on someone to be a completely different person.

Instead, think positively rather than changing everything about yourself, Take things one step at a time. You'll end up achieving more!

Ayshea Baker and Guilia Bardelli Life&Style Editors

FINISHED

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TRAVEL

Friday 22nd January

@redbricktravel

Travel: Berlin

Ally Head discusses a capital that is still finding itself after years of rich historical significance.

Ally Head Travel Editor @allyhead

In mid-December last year, I visited the German capital of Berlin for 4 days. Why Berlin, you ask?

Primarily, to feast my way around the infamous Christmas Markets, and drown myself in Gluhwein, but also as Berlin has been tipped by both Lonely Planet and the BBC as one of the most up-andcoming travel destinations for 2016. From everything I saw, Berlin is fabulous and simply drowning in culture, antiquity and tales to be told. With every turn you take, you'll find a different museum, gallery or memorial so rich in history and heritage that you can't help but soak it all in whilst you're there. One thing that Berlin is truly independent and exquisite for is the historical story it can't help but tell after years of war, uproar and protest. This uniquity is truly fascinating, ensuring that you leave with a feeling that you've enriched your knowledge and widened your thoughts.

Take the most glaringly obvious example of the Berlin Wall.

Everyone has heard about the stories of the Wall and many have seen videos of the infamous night where it came down back in 1989.

However, the absurdity of the division and the relevance of the situation today never truly rang home for me until I visited.

Only a mere 26 years ago, both my grandparents and parents have lived through such a revolution. I couldn't help but feel that as a result of such recent events, although Berlin is it's own capital now more than ever, the impact of the Cold War is still fresh. The sheer mass of cranes cluttering the skyline stand as a strong reminder of this, hurriedly building to catch up on years lost.

'Graffiti decorates the streets in a mesmerizing fashion' Compare the capital to the likes of Paris, London or New York and it feels as if the capital is in its mere infancy, still taking baby steps to being a big European contender.

With every negative comes a positive and I truly believe Berlin's lack of freedom for so long only enhances its allure as one of the most fascinating art capitals in the world. Art, expressionism and abstract thought explodes out of every street corner, into every cafe and down every walkway.

Graffiti decorates the streets in a mesmerizing fashion with many of the murals truly being works of art. It's worthwhile doing a bit of research into the famous street artists of the Wall era including the likes of Noir, with his trademark simplistic style and for the

avid Art fans out there, the East Side Gallery and the Deutsche Bank KunstHalle are not to be missed. The East Side Gallery is a 1.3km untouched stretch of the original Berlin Wall that is turned into a beautiful art gallery with pieces from over 100 artists.

Standing as the largest open air gallery in the world featuring famous murals from Dmitri Vrubels Berzhnev and Honecker "My God, Help Me To Survive This Deadly Love", to Birgit K's "Test The Best", I was blown away by the level of detail and intricacy of so many of them.

It stands as a solid 90's reminder of freedom and solidarity in a time where not much hope was to be found. The KunstHalle is currently holding a Jackson Pollock exhibition entitled "Energy Made Visible", featuring his absolutely breathtaking "Mural" and earlier works from the likes of Warhol.

Entry is free on a Monday meaning it is truly not to be missed.

Equally fabulous is the Monkey Bar that is situated at the top of the 25 Hours Bikini Hotel Berlin.

Decorated lavishly by hanging jam jars, industrial fairy lights and botanical plants, the tasteful cocktail bar transports you to the Amazonian Jungle.

With Moroccan shisha cushions littering the floor and hundreds of candles shimmering in glass beakers, it is no wonder that the hip hang out was voted Best Hotel Bar in the European Hospitality Awards 2015. Try a "French Cup"

or "Moscow Mule", both absolutely delightful short drinks and enjoy it whilst taking in an unparalleled view of the city.

We found a small independent restaurant right next to our hotel, "Sucre et Sel". It was tiny, with rooms to serve about 30 people at the most but the ambient atmosphere and warm welcome from the staff made the visit unforgettable. With a delightful range of charcuterie and cheese boards to snack on for starters, moresome fish and meat main courses and traditional Steins served on tap, it was a undiscovered delight. You can drink far more of these than you usually would, as the high quality German beer really does leave you feeling less groggy the next day thanks to the lack of preservatives.

'The Cathedral is architecturally breathtaking, absolutely beautiful and a sight not to be forgotten.'

Lastly, the Berliner Dom and Holocaust Memorial museum are must-sees. The Cathedral is architecturally breathtaking, absolutely beautiful and a sight not to be

forgotten. Although we did unintentionally end up in an hour long Bach organ recital, it was a good laugh and an enriching experience. The golden lined ceilings of the domes and the intricately carved gargoyles made it even more memorable and the experience more authentic. The Holocaust Memorial museum is absolutely heartbreaking, but so beautifully done. In memory of the millions of Jewish lives innocently taken during Hitlers reign in WWII, architect Peter Eisenmann designed over 2,700 large grey slabs, that stands as abstract reminders of lives lost.

The museum underneath stands as a shocking memento of how many families were torn apart by cowardly, unjustified evil. The one fact that will stay with me forever stood in the last exhibit of the museum. There is a projector which relays 50 or so different names, and recites a little about the individuals life and date of death. Just as I was wondering why the names repeated, I noticed a sign on the wall. It would take over 6 and a half years to read all the names of the lives lost with a little snippet about their lives.

Berlin, undoubtedly, is a city that had experience lost an unfathomable amount of times throughout the 20th century. This makes it a punching reminder of the value of uncompromising freedom while it enables history to truly come alive as a pungent reminder of times gone by. It is well worth a visit for history and art fans alike.

A postcard from... Vienna Maja Karpowicz Travel Writer

Vienna is the most blissful European capital that I have ever visited. It’s the home of the first traditional coffee houses where they serve the richest coffee as well as hot chocolate with rum alongside pastries and cakes, which are the most beautiful edible pieces of art. Café Central opened in 1876 and is one of the oldest coffee houses in Vienna.

Located in the heart of the city, only a few streets away from the medieval St Stephen’s Cathedral, the cafe was the central hub for many intellectual circles in the late 19th century. With gilded designs on the webbed ceiling and glowing lamp lights among

the marble columns, it really feels like time has stopped just for you to enjoy your drink and the traditional ‘Sachertorte’ chocolate cake which must be tried at least once.

'Vienna is the most blissful European capital that I have ever visited.'

Abundant with vibrant green parks, offering an oasis from the busy city life, Vienna also has its own permanent amusement park, The Prater which guarantees a fun addition to a relaxed stroll in the park. Among all of its exciting rides is the famous Prater Ferris

Wheel. From red wooden cabins you can view the stunning city as visitors have done since 1897.

A truly unique experience that you won’t find elsewhere is a visit to the Spanish Riding School.

The school has a 450 year history of training white Lipizzaner stallions in classical dressage. So if you can afford it then try to attend a world renowned performance in the exquisite white washed hall with chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.

However, if your budget is your student loan like me, at least attend a morning training session which is only ten euros for students. Vienna offers the rarity of culture and leisure all in one so I’d highly recommend it as you won’t be disappointed.

'Vienna offers the rarity of culture and leisure all in one so I’d highly recommend it as you won’t be disappointed.'

TRAVEL

Friday 22nd January

@redbricktravel

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Travel: Finland, Finland, Finland!

Hope Brotherton shares reasons why you need to visit Finland on your next holiday Hope Brotherton Travel Writer

Finland is one of Europe’s best kept secrets and thats a fact.

Winter Holidaymakers have a tendency to flock to the Alps, New York or the Southern hemisphere for a winter break, but Finland has all the allure and charm of the above destinations combined.

'Finland is one of Europe’s best kept secrets.'

Notoriously famous for: Lapland (home of Father Christmas), Saunas, Arctic berries and The Moomins. That’s right folks, one of Finland’s claim to fame is the popular children’s cartoon character that dominated many TV screens in the 90’s, but there is much more to Finland than just that. Being bordered by three other countries (Norway, Sweden and Russia), a deep political history only adds to Finland’s cultural melting pot making it a truly unique destination by any stretch.

Many budding travellers are under the impression that Lapland is actually a country but in fact it is Finland’s northernmost region situated in the Arctic Circle. In the summer, 24 hours of daylight reign supreme, but in the winter the sun doesn’t rise at all. Instead, the sky is full of colours as purple and pink hues occupy the horizon, just before darkness descends.

Despite this, life carries on, with one of the most popular ways to get around being cross country skiing. The sport itself requires plenty of physical effort to ski across flat surfaces and it can prove to be highly embarrassing when five year olds whizz past a group of amateur twenty something’s (but let’s keep that between you and me). There are many ski paths and routes to follow in this

region with quaint little coffee shops dotted along the way. If you find yourself in one, be sure to try a classic Finnish drink, Minttukaakao, which literally means mint chocolate in English.

It’ll make it a winter warmer if there ever was one (be warned it’s a combination of hot chocolate and mint vodka). Fire pits are also found along the way with many locals roasting sausages and marshmallows before donning their skis once more and moving on. The likely story is that they are heading home to heat up the sauna and sit back and relax. Most homes in Finland’s northern regions have built in saunas. The large majority start at about 70 degrees and just keeps going up, Saunas give an instant fresh feeling whilst sweating out all of the toxins. So after a long hard day skiing, could you possibly think of a better way to relax?

By this point in the afternoon, the Northern Lights are high in the sky. Remember that the best time to go and see the Northern Lights is in January and February and so seeing them is not a 100% guaranteed in any package deal! But, it’s a wonderful site to behold and is on everyone’s bucket lists. The golden green swirls will dominate the skyline. The Arctic Circle is a wondrous place to take in the Earth’s most famous natural phenomenon. Ice Hotels are a classic and chic way to take in the night’s

'The Arctic Circle is a wondrous place to take in the Earth’s most famous natural phenomenon.' sky. Can’t afford the extortionate prices that Ice hotels offer? Then don’t worry, as for a small fee of just 12 euros, you gain access the hotel as a visitor to take a look at the ice carvings inside a large

majority of the bed rooms and other guest areas.

If you're not one for the beyond freezing temperatures that envelops the Arctic Circle in the winter, then head south to Finland’s capital, Helsinki. Helsinki sits on the gulf’s peninsula with some of the city’s top sights like: the national museum, Suomenlinna fortress, Helsinki’s cathedrals and other churches.

During the winter months, some of Helsinki’s top attractions either

'The fortress is a great amalgamation of both Swedish and Russian history. ' aren’t open to tourists or are undergoing renovations. However, it still makes for an exceptional and different city break nonetheless. Arguably, Helsinki’s top attraction is Finland’s only sea fortress, Suomenlinna. The fortress is just off the coast of Helsinki, and sits amongst some of Finland’s 300 islands. Ferries head to the sea fortress regularly (roughly every twenty minutes).

The fortress is a great amalgamation of both Swedish and Russian history. Finland’s history is rife with wars and historical disputes being fought over by both Sweden and Russia. The fortress has four museums and each of which explains a different aspect about the fortress’s history, and in turn Helsinki’s history. It’s not just the museums that are impressive on the island, but the reach of the quaint Scandinavia culture.

Colourful wooden houses are dotted about which are homes to some of the islands 800 inhabitants. Feel free to have a wonder as guided tours in a mixture of languages encourage tourists to roam around and stop for a coffee in the traditional tea shop (be warned filter coffee is everywhere).

Another museum which may be

of interest to the history buffs out there is the National Museum.

The area surrounding the national museum is full of cultural landmarks, with Helsinki’s famous Evangelical Lutheran Cathedral possibly being the most famous of these. The cathedral stands impressively over the Helsinki skyline. Entry is free and it is a great place to warm up your fingers and toes. The cathedral itself is very minimalistic in comparison to other cathedrals across Europe. But, it’s a reminder of the Art Nouveau architecture that

'In the Lapland, the delicacy is reindeer meat ' Finland is famous for.

After all the sightseeing, be sure to stop for a bite to eat and sample some of the classic Finnish cuisine. In the Lapland, the delicacy is reindeer meat, which can be bought at the supermarkets and

meat counters and it leaves a rather salty taste on the tongue. If you do fancy braving the supermarkets, be sure to take google translate with you as Finnish is very different to English. Luckily, the large majority of restaurant menus has an English translation.

Seafood is another Finnish delicacy, with a few varieties of fish on every menu. Salmon soup is considered a Finnish must and different restaurants add its own twist so no matter how many times you have it, you’ll always want more. Even the traditional Finnish markets found in the Helsinki’s docklands will tempt you into buying freshly fried fish complete with a garlic mayonnaise sauce to boot. If savoury is not your thing, any pastry with an arctic berry in it is worth a try, the most notorious berry being the blueberry.

So if you’re thinking of booking a last minute winter break for reading week and beyond, why not consider Finland the next time skyscanner appears in your browser.

Top 3: European Weekend Getaways Delfina Rainoldi Travel Writer

1. Budapest

Budapest has become a very popular destination for young adults because of the variety of activities to do around the city. During the day, you can go sightseeing around the Buda Castle, the Parliament or even to the thermal Baths of Széhenyi but as soon as it’s the evening, you also have loads of options for a good night out. The ruin bars of Budapest are amazing to go and chill with friends (and to make new friends). For a clubbing alternative, Instant Club is great if you’re planning to have a wild night out.

2. Prague

3. Krakow

Prague has a lot to offer when it comes to exploring and going out to bars. However, it is not so ideal if you want to go clubbing. Nonetheless, if you love a more cultural weekend getaway then Prague will be great for you. Prague has many amazing tourist points to visit such as the Medieval Astronomical Clock in the Town Square or the beautiful Prague Castle. The food and beer is also very good in Prague, so make sure you don't miss out on that.

Although Krakow isn’t a very common destination for weekend getaways, it is definitely one that should be. It has a great mix between the cultural and the nightlife. There are many cultural options in Krakow such as Auschwitz (it’s a bus journey away and very educational), the Wieliczka Salt Mine tour as well as the amazing Wawel Castle. The city itself is truly beautiful and a great alternative to more popular city getaways but make sure to wrap up warm in the winter!

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SCI & TECH

Friday 22nd January 2016

@redbricktech

First Flower to Bloom in Space!

Rachel Taylor Sci & Tech Editor @RachelBioSci

NASA Astronaut Scott Kelly has revealed the first plant to bloom in space! The orange zinnia plant bloomed in the microgravity conditions aboard the International Space Station on the 16th of January. Several pictures of the plant have since been tweeted from Kelly’s official twitter account.

The Vegetable Production System (Veggie) is a deployable plant growth unit capable of producing basic crops such as the Red Romaine Lettuce which was harvested in August last year. Veggie’s main function is to support the crew’s food sources with saladstyle foods and a recreation tool for the crew, so they can get away from their normal duties.

Zinnia’s light and nutrients come from Veggie whilst the temperature and CO2 come from the

free air flow. The problem with growing plants in space is the zero gravity environment. Plants have hormones that determine how the roots and shoots grow in response to gravity. Veggie is designed to test the effects of the space environment on plants, and whether any crops could be grown to sustain human life. Additionally, there is hope that research conducted on the ISS can help improve crop maintenance and production on Earth.

Zinnia was chosen for its sensitivity to the environment to help better understand space stress.

Growing plants is also equally challenging as it has an up to 80 day growth duration, meaning that it has to be constantly monitored.

The ISS experiment is a great way to monitor plants and is a preliminary trial before a possible Mars mission, which would require much larger numbers of crops for a big crew to colonise the planet.

Rachel Taylor Sci & Tech Editor @RachelBioSci

In Space There Is No A&E Amy Thompson Sci & Tech Editor @Amy_F_Thompson

Gravity makes everything much more difficult!

What would happen if you needed a doctor in space?

But, if something more serious was to happen during a space mission or on the international space station, what would happen?

So far the worst medical event to occur in space was during the Apollo 7 mission in the 1960s, when one astronaut got a cold while in space, there was no escape for the other two astronauts on board that were also sealed inside the spacecraft, they quickly caught the cold.

With all the astronauts on the mission now infected with the virus, most of their time was spent sneezing, which I assume is probably not as simple as on Earth with zero gravity making pretty much everything that little bit more difficult, therefore most of the experiments that were meant to be carried during the mission were not due to the crew being too ill.

Well, all of the astronauts undergo some basic medical training before going into space.

For example British astronaut Tim Peake will have learned how to stitch up a wound, extract a person’s tooth and give an injection.

These are all skills that may come in handy when dealing with common illnesses including motion sickness and dental traumas.

But, there are other astronauts who can be called upon in emergency situations for example Kjell Lindgren, from Taiwan, who is one of a few astronauts that is trained in aerospace and emergency medicine and has a doctorate in medicine.

As more people are being sent to the international space station, more

people are receiving this advanced training so that people are able to deal with medical emergencies. In addition there is communication link from the international space station to earth, which enables a doctor on earth to relay information to the astronauts, so help is available if the worst was to happen.

So, what are the differences between medicine on Earth and in space?

Currently scientists have found through studying the human body before and after time spent in space, there are a number of significant things that change within our bodies. As there is no gravity in space to push down organs, everything tends to move further up the body towards the head, this could make any possible surgery particularly difficult as the typical location a doctor might expect to find an organ may be different.

Another problem with everything moving upwards within the

body when in space is the damage this can have on an astronaut’s eyes.

The optic nerve is found at the back of the eyeball and connects our eye to our brain. As there is no gravity to push fluids within our brains to the bottom of our head, then this fluid can build up around the optic nerves. The pressure of this fluid over time can damage the nerves causing eye sight to degrade.

Many astronauts have found that over time after returning to earth there eye sight never goes back to being as good as it was before they went to space, this obviously causes concern for future longer missions

Astronauts are recieving advanced medical training to Mars or beyond with the possibility of astronauts going partially if not fully blind over time.

Top 5: Space Stories For 2016 Amy Thompson Sci & Tech Editor @Amy_F_Thompson

1 Mars, during its orbit of the sun, The year of the Red Planet

will move directly opposite the sun when viewed from Earth and therefore Mars will look the largest it ever has from Earth surface. This makes 2016 the best time to launch as many missions to Mars as possible so that we can learn more about the Red planet.

One of the most exciting missions is the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, which was launched this April and will land on Mars in October, taking only 7 months, the shortest time for any spacecraft to reach Mars! The Trace Gas Orbiter will performing tests on the gas found in the atmosphere of the planet, enabling scientists to discover more about the planet.

Return to Earth 2Two astronauts that have been based on the international space station for more than a year will return to Earth this March. One of the astronauts returning is Scott Kelly, he has an identical twin brother Mark, who stayed on Earth.

Scientists for the first time will be able to make a direct comparison between Scott and Mark, to truly see the effects zero gravity has on the human body over a prolonged time period.

Exploration of Jupiter 3NASA’s Juno spacecraft will enter into Jupiter’s orbit this July.

The craft will be collecting data such as wind speeds; this can be used by enabling scientists to help identify how the planet was formed.

In addition the spacecraft has a camera, Junocam, which will be

What does space travel, experients and life mean to me, a UoB student?

transmitting images back to Earth, so expect to see images like those we saw last August of Pluto that were sent from the New Horizons spacecraft.

Rosetta says goodbye 4September will see the Rosetta probe end its mission. It was the first ever spacecraft to send a probe, Philae, that landed on a moving comet. Unfortunately Philae did not anchor to the surface of the comet initially and bounced around into a dark area of the planet, where the signals it was transmitting could not reach Earth. Luckily, a few months later as the comet moved these signals could be intercepted again and the lost data was received. The Rosetta spacecraft is still orbiting the comet now and it has been programmed to collide with the comet this September. The slow collision course that has been set will allow

close up photos of the comet’s surface to be taken by Rosetta and sent back to Earth for analysis.

Fly me to the moon 5The Dream Chaser spacecraft will be launched this November by Sierra Nevada. The Dream Chaser which can carry a maximum of seven people, and can enter the Earth’s lower atmosphere is capable of launching vertically but can land horizontally like a normal aeroplane therefore can be landed on any runway. NASA has given contracts to Sierra Nevada and two other companies, in the hope of using their rockets to deliver supplies to the international space centre. Depending on the success of the Dream Chaser it is anticipated that more advanced rockets will be developed to enable tourists to travel to the moon in the near future!

As an undergraduate in science I was extremely excited to see Tim Peake set off to the ISS representing the UK officially for the first time!

I have been watching everything intently from the rocket launch up until the spacewalk last week. It’s easy to follow all the work going on in the ISS, with a few downloadable apps, one has a live feed of the “floating laboratory” and another that tells you exactly where the station is over Earth. You can even set alarms for when the space station is directly above you so that you can see it. I even follow all the crew on Facebook and Instagram. It’s safe to say, I was getting carried away!

I couldn’t help myself it’s all so interesting! Major Tim Peake is from West Sussex, the same county as me. I later found out that he was a scout as a child, and I am a trained West Sussex Cub Scout leader. I clung on to these small similarities between mine and Tim Peake’s life in hope that I have something in common with a now famous astronaut.

The deeper my obsession went into the ISS goings on and the more videos I watched on space travel, the more I convinced myself that I could do something like that one day... until the spacewalk that is!

This was one of the most gripping moments of Tim Peake’s space career for me, as Chris Hadfield put it, this was the “second most dangerous thing for an astronaut to do, after the rocket launch”. Up until now I was kidding myself! The awesomeness of the space walk with the two Tims (Peake and Kopra) out in the darkness by themselves for hours on end shook me back into reality. There was no way I could possibly do that! The bravery and stress management involved in such a difficult task soon came to light in the ‘Stargazing Live’ special on BBC2. Experts informed the audience of all the perils the astronauts face.

This was especially highlighted when Tim Kopra’s spacesuit started to dangerously fill with water, presumably from the coolant system inside. The danger of the water mixing with the breathing air meant they had to cut the spacewalk short, along with my care-free attitude of life in space! When clearer images started to come out of the two Tims in space alone, the fear of being truly alone settled in.

I truly believe that anyone brave enough to go into space should be applauded for their bravery and dedication to science research!

SCI & TECH

Friday 22nd January 2016

@redbricktech

Redbrick Meets: Alice Roberts Q: You seem to have had a brilliantly colourful career so far.

However, a lot of young science students (including myself) get very concerned about career paths, as there is big pressure to know exactly what you want to do nowadays. When you were at university, did you know the career path you wanted to undertake?

A: I went to university knowing that I wanted to study medicine. I’d been interested in human biology for as long as I can remember, but also wanted a job where I’d be working with people. As an undergraduate, I loved anatomy, and ended up doing an intercalated degree in this subject.

I was naturally drawn towards a career in surgery, but I took an unexpected side-step into academia after my house jobs, when I took up a six-month post as an anatomy demonstrator at Bristol University.

I loved teaching and took the opportunity to stay on as a lecturer but still thought I’d eventually go back to clinical work after a year or two. But then I got very interested in old bones, and started a PhD, so I ended up as an academic rather than a practicing doctor. I think it’s important to follow your passions, but also to throw yourself into whatever you’re doing in the here and now, and to be open to opportunities that arise along the way, even if they’re a little unexpected. A good education gives you the ability to be flexible.

Q: What advice would you give to any students thinking of going into science communications?

A: I would say to them: if you’re passionate about science and communicating, then one of the best ways you could fulfill this aim is to become a science teacher. We need more, really good, enthusiastic teachers who have studied science at university and perhaps even done postgraduate research as well. In schools, you have the power to get the next generation excited about science. People like me can pop in to give a talk, but the person that is best placed to inspire kids about science is their teacher.

Q: I’m sure you've been asked this a ton of times, but what has been the most exciting part of your career so far?

A: I’ve loved the opportunity to travel with the filming I’ve done with the BBC. I’ve had some incredible, privileged experiences - spending time with indigenous communities in Namibia, Tanzania and Siberia as well as picking the brains of some of the world’s foremost experts in human evolution and evolutionary biology. Those experiences have been both personally and academically enriching. I also like travelling to relatively challenging environments - camping out in the bush in Africa, or staying in tents at minus 40 in the Arctic.

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Ellen Daugherty Sci & Tech Writer

Q: Do you think there is more that can be done to encourage women to be more confident in their scientific roles?

A: I think it’s too easy to place the blame for gender inequality with women, but on the other hand, mentoring can help. I’ve also been amazingly lucky in my career to have had some excellent female mentors and role models.

Q: Is it ever a difficulty to get the public interested in science? In what ways do you try to inspire people about science?

A: It’s certainly easier for some areas of research compared with others. Anything with an obvious human element - like medicine, social sciences, history - has a ready-made advantage. There can be more of a barrier to engagement with physical sciences, but it’s often about finding an interesting hook.

Q: How did you get into a science communications career? Your radio, TV and journalism career, are all very impressive and I’m sure it’s a big aspiration for many to be as successful as you in that field. Or was it thrown upon you due to your success in different fields?

A: I was interested in public engagement (even though we didn’t call it that, back then) as soon as I started my academic career. I was interested in visiting schools, to talk about my subject and help to raise aspirations and stimulate interest in biology, and in anatomy in particular. I fell into the television work rather by accident, after being asked to prepare some reports on archaeological human remains for the Channel 4 archaeology series, Time Team.

They then asked me to be an expert contributor on their digs - as a human bones expert and an extra pair of hands in the trenches! I enjoyed that work and it fed back into my own research.

Somehow that led to other opportunities with the BBC, where I’ve had the huge privilege of working on a number of solo landmark series as well as programmes like Horizon. I started writing about the science I was filming and that led into writing books and articles of my own.

One thing that’s really struck me is that all of this work is very synergistic. The television projects sometimes give me ideas for research, or allow me to strike up collaborations with other researchers. The writing helps me marshal my own ideas and feeds into designing lectures. Working in television has, I think, made me a much better lecturer - I think much more about telling a good story and I really hate bullet points! And my research throws up ideas for television projects or books.

Q: What is it about human evolution that has motivated you for so many years?

A: The evolutionary approach always went hand in hand with the study of biology and medicine for me. As a teenager, I voraciously read anything by Richard Dawkins, Stephen Jay Gould and Steve Jones (and still do!). As the great evolutionary biologist Dobzhansky wrote, “Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution.”

Q: Do you think humans are still evolving anatomically? Or has western medicine and cultural advances caught up with the effects of natural selection?

A: Medicine, and everything that goes with it in our privileged lives in a developed country, is a pretty effective buffer against the effects of natural selection. We have drastically reduced childhood mortality and so natural selection has much less material to work with. We can respond to changes in the environment rapidly through cultural adaptations rather than physical ones. But of course biological evolution happens by other means too - including sexual selection and genetic drift.

But even having buffered ourselves against natural selection, with our very effective extended phenotype (read Dawkins!), we haven’t removed ourselves or ended our own evolution. And in countries where people are not so fortunate, natural selection, in the guise of the grim reaper, is very much at work.

Q: Due to the Equal Pay Day a few weeks ago, there’s been a lot of talk about the gender pay gap. This gender inequality is also prominent in science, and there’s been a recent focus on women in science. Big companies, such as Microsoft, have started up campaigns to encourage young girls into a scientific career through advertising. As a woman of particular importance in science, have you ever experienced any troubles or set backs in your career?

A: There’s not much of an issue around attracting women into biology, at university or as a career. But there’s a huge issue in the physical sciences, which seem to be viewed as “masculine” and - astoundingly - “not creative”. That’s a problem we need to tackle in schools. But even in biology there’s a problem later on in careers, when there’s a “leaky pipeline” effect that we need to tackle. I don’t think the problem is exclusive to careers in science. I think that having a family is essentially incompatible with many career paths. We need to shake up the world of work - we’ve still got careers which are essentially designed for men with stay-at-home wives. Make it easier for men to take paternity leave. Make jobs more flexible - our modern technology already gives us the tools to do this, but lots of companies seem to be worried about people working flexibly. Make childcare cheaper and easier to access. Other countries have instituted measures like this and it’s made a difference. I think the gender pay gap is a shocking anachronism.

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FOOD

Friday 22nd January

@redbrickfood

Christmas 2015: Winners and Losers Jennifer Cook Food Writer @jennifer3cook

A Christmas wish came true for at least one CEO this festive period as figures released last week place Sainsbury’s in the category of best performer over the Christmas period.

Whilst the supermarket suf-

fered from a 0.4% drop in likefor-like sales over the festive period, they were the only top grocery retailer to register a growth in sales over the 12 weeks to 6th December with figures rising by 1.2%. This positive turn was also reflected in the retailer’s fluctuating market share, with Sainsbury’s overtaking Asda to claim the number two spot as the nation’s

second largest retailer. Although this is undoubtedly a positive sign for the retailer, such movement in the ranks has become

Sainsbury's was just about the best performer over the Christmas period somewhat of a Christmas trend with Sainsbury’s historically struggling to retain this second place position year-round.

Sainsbury’s market share has either matched or surpassed that of Asda’s during the festive period over the last two years, only to fall again in subsequent months.

This may be set to change as Asda enters the new year reeling from one of its toughest Christmases to-date which saw sales plummet by 3.5%. The retailer has fallen victim to the increasingly popular (and increasingly present) discount retailers Aldi and Lidl, with one in eight consumers buying their main Christmas shop from a German discounter.

Jonathan Neale, joint manMorrisons Asda Sainsbury's Tesco

aging director of buying at Aldi, formance during the third quarhighlighted the store’s ‘high ter- which saw sales fall by quality products’ and ‘everyday 1.5%- will mean that they need low prices’ as the main attrac- to continue gaining ground in tion for shoppers. In response to order to restore confidence this, major supermarkets low- among shareholders. ered the prices of several key Sainsbury’s is also widely items in order to compete with considered to have won the batthe heavily discounted items tle for ‘Best Christmas Advert’ available in Aldi and Lidl and as among the supermarkets, with a result, the price of groceries its adaption of the much-loved across the board dropped by children’s book ‘Mog’ proving 1.8% from last year. more popular than the previous Despite this, Aldi’s sales fig- year’s high-concept World War ures reflect their growing popu- One themed advert. Ths year larity among consumers, saw Sainsbury’s beaten with over 1m turkeys only by seasoned and 250,000 bottles Christmas advert of their critically pioneers John acclaimed Veuve Lewis, with their Monsigny cham‘Man on the pagne sold durMoon’ caming the run-up paign.

The percentage by to Christmas The New which the price of the latter now Year has howaccounting for ever brought groceries dropped one in every positive signs for at Lidl twelve bottles of the supermarket champagne bought with the company’s in the UK. share price rising Lidl was the fastest 6% last week, followgrowing retailer of the ing an upgraded stock recseason and following the expan- ommendation by Barclays. sion of their Deluxe product Morrison’s also fared better than line sales rose by 18.5%. Whilst forecasters predicted, with likeTesco comfortably retained their for-like sales growing by 0.2% number one spot as the nation’s marking the first time a rise in largest retailer, their market sales has been reported for over share suffered a significant drop a year. This news comes after from last year’s 29.1% to 28.3% the company sensationally this year. There was some posi- dropped off the FTSE 100 list of tive news, as the company reg- the UK’s largest companies last istered a better than expected month. sales performance with like-forlike sales up 1.3% over Do you have opinions on Christmas. Whilst the Christmas this article? period brought some festive Let us know: cheer for Tesco, their poor per- @redbrickpaper

1.8%

January Restaurant Deals

A round up of the best restaurant deals in Birmingham this January, with a little help from Dine Birmingham...

The Plough is offering 2 for 1 Brunches with the January Survival Kit voucher.

Sophie Neal Food Editor @sophie_etc_

The January blues are well under way, and what better way to fix them than with food?

Simply head to www.dinebirmingham.co.uk and sign up to their January Survival Kit. 24 amazing discounts for some of the best restaurants in Brum will then be delivered to your inbox to see you through until the end of the month. So if you’ve already given up on your New Year’s resolutions, then it's probably time to treat yourself...

Chung Ying Central Get 10% off your bill, MondayThursday at one of the best cantonese places to dine in town.

They also have some pretty amazing cocktails too.

Island Bar Say goodbye to dry January with 2 for 1 on coktails on their tuck

shop menu, all while shutting out the winter weather in cosy Caribbean surroundings.

Jekyll & Hyde Grab yourself a pie-fect meal with 2 for 1 on their pies and wash it down with one of their quirky cocktails.

Le Truc January just got a whole lot classier with 50% off the à la carte menu. Très bon.

The Plough One of the best pubs in Birmingham is offering 2 for 1 on brunches throughout the month.

If these deals have tickled your taste-buds, head to Dine Birmingham to claim your voucher. These deals will only be valid if you show it before paying the bill!

Do you have a favourite brunch spot? Tweet us! @redbrickpaper

This Fortnight's Foodie Highlights Digbeth Dining Club Street Closure 29th January Drink & Draw Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery 29th January, 18:30 Moseley & Kings Heath Beer Fest Kings Heath Cricket Club 5th-6th February Campus Farmers' Market Chamberlain Square, University of Birmingham 27th January. 10:00

FOOD

Friday 22nd January

@redbrickfood

31

Restaurants Launching This Year in Birmingham Check out the coolest culinary destinations weeks before your friends with Redbrick's handy guide to the new year in food Hannah Bell Food Writer @hannahhh_bell

The past few years have seen Birmingham really make a name for itself on the foodie scene. We have four Michelin starred resturants, and Adam’s was ranked 4th best restaurant in the world and number one in the UK. Looking at the huge range of restaurants set to open in 2016, we’ve selected the top picks for those of you who are looking for something new when it comes to eating and drinking in the city.

The Alchemist & Gusto As soon as work on The Grand Hotel on Colmore Row is completed this year, Birmingham will see the opening of brand new bar The Alchemist and Italian restaurant Gusto behind the hotel’s doors.

The Alchemist, which belongs to the same group as The Botanist on Temple Street, will serve delicious cocktails created by teams of mixologists, if their successful bar of the same

name in Manchester is anything to go by.

Italian restaurant Gusto, which has 12 locations in the North and Scotland, is set to serve a wide variety of pizza, pasta, meat and seafood dishes, accompanied by an extensive wine list!

Harborne Kitchen Leading on from the success of their pop-up restaurant, the creators behind The Butchers Social have decided to embark on a permanent venture with the new Harborne Kitchen.

Outside the main hustle and bustle of the city centre, the restaurant’s chefs, Jamie Desogus and Mike Bullard, have gained a reputation for producing a constantly evolving menu including a range of local beers. The flavours of their chicken wings proved to be extremely exciting for customers, ranging from Szechuan and lavender to lemon meringue and cider.

Harborne Kitchen is set to open in September, focusing on innovative British dishes that we can't wait to try!

Peel & Stone Bakery After opening in 2014 on the

edge of the Jewellery Quarter, Peel and Stone bakery serves artisan bread and baked goods, as well as supplying products to other shops and restaurants across the city.

The Soul Food Project, who also own The Church Inn, are planning to open another of their ‘community bakeries’ in Harborne, housing it at the corner of High Street and Albert Road.

Described as a ‘community bakery’, the company’s forthcoming outing is still in the early planning stages, with no date set for opening.

Park Regis Hotel By the end of March, the worn look of Five Ways shopping centre will be transformed into the Park Regis, a brand new upscale deluxe hotel offering 253 well-appointed guest rooms and boasting a modern and contemporary ambience for all guests to enjoy.

On the 16th floor guests will find a cocktail bar and Pan Asian fusion restaurant with stunning views across the city, considered to be the most significant of its kind since The Cube opened in 2010.

It will also house a business lounge with executive check-in facilities, spa and gym, making it a great choice for diners searching for some-

thing modern and fresh.

Peaky's The latest addition to Digbeth’s Lower Trinity Street will be Peaky’s, ‘a new concept of bar’ that places so much emphasis on drink, it even suggests you bring your own food.

Opening around Easter time, the owners say every cocktail, spirit mixer and bottled beer will be the same price, with the space including large communal tables and intimate booths that can be booked out for free, at any time.

They are aiming to be an urban pub at the centre of the community, coming alive at night-time with a real sociable vibe.

When it opens at Easter though, don't expect something straight from Peaky Blinders, as while the décor will include a homage or two, it is set to give off a far more modern impression.

Viva Brazil Looks like The Cube’s Rodizio Rico has competition! Joining the string of fab eateries along Bennett’s Hill, restaurant chain Viva Brazil is planning to invest £1.2 million into opening a new Birmingham-based branch of their restaurant.

After being launched in Liverpool in 2010 and adding restaurants in Glasgow and Cardiff, their new addition to Birmingham’s restaurant scene is set to be the chain’s largest, seating 200 customers across two floors and creating forty jobs. The company says it operates an authentic-style Brazilian steak house, offering a dining experience dating back hundreds of years to the tastes of the cowboys of southern Brazil.

The waiters will move from table to table, hand carving a selection of slowcooked meats from large skewers right onto your plate, alongside a salad bar and hot Brazilian dishes, fruit, cold meat and sauces.

Don't forget to try the traditional Brazilian cocktail called Caipirinha, which is made using locally sourced cachaça rum, freshly squeezed limes and sugar.

Do you have opinions on this article?

Let us know: @redbrickpaper.

32

GAMING

Friday 22nd January 2016

@redbrickgames

The State of the Stealth Genre Redbrick Gaming take a look at an ever-evolving genre...

James Marvin

me and didn’t unlock but nevertheless I know these things happened.

Gaming Editor But enough bragging. My point is @JamesSMarvin that all of these things occurred because of my love of tension that comes with With the release of the Hitman a wanting to complete a stealth game reboot getting ever closer and with it flawlessly but the stealth genre is ever being one of my most anticipated evolving and has changed drastically games of 2016 it got me thinking about since its conception. The basic mechanthe state of my favourite genre of ics have changed and the style of play games: stealth and had me wondering that used to be accepted by its framehow much it had changed over the past work is nowadays unrecognisable and decade or so. a lot of stealth enthusiasts have not My first experience of a stealth taken kindly to these game was with the PlayStation classic changes and my quesand the start of one of gaming’s most tion really is why? The beloved sagas, Metal Gear Solid. I was main thing I am referonly two years old when the game ini- ring to is when stealth tially released but played it years later games become ‘streamas when I was about seven or eight we lined’ or are made more still had the original PlayStation knock- ‘casual’ which are both ing about and it was here where I dis- terms that essentially covered my favourite genre. Clearly at mean bollocks all and this age not only was I hopelessly are just marketing buzdreadful at Metal Gear Solid as I had zwords or some childish criticism. little to no patience and I could barely When a developer says they’ve ‘streamunderstand the story, the latter being a lined’ the experience they’ve made it trait that stuck with the series, it was a easier and simpler to use which is game that cast its hooks into me through hardly something you can complain one simple way. Tension. The tension about unless you want to return to the that comes with a stealth game is days where in Metal Gear Solid you unmatched in every other genre. The required a third arm to accurately fired way that one false move or a simple a gun or when Sam Fisher used to mistake can mean the differhave the turning circle of a ence between winning and bendy bus. losing. And I lost a lot but The main reason a lot of the atrocious amount of people dislike these changtimes I had to hit the es is because the simpler retry button did nothing controls and more but fuel my desire to ‘streamlined’ gameplay execute an infiltration tends to lean the stealth Number of Copies flawlessly and it’s game more into the action of MGSV sold in because of this desire archetype. Splinter Cell: the first 5 days that I have achieved some Conviction would be a of greatest accomplishperfect example of this. ments in video games. These Whilst a stealth game at include completing heart you can spend two secDishonored without being seen onds marking every enemy in a (as in no detection markers appeared room, burst through the door and clock throughout my whole playful) and every enemy in the room with one butcompleting Splinter Cell: Blacklist ton press which is definitely more akin undetected on the hardest difficulty to a Call of Duty breach and enter and appearing in the top one-hundred scene than classic Splinter Cell. But in the world on the leaderboards for that’s my main problem with this critimost of the levels. Unfortunately I can cism. Yes, you CAN do it that way but prove neither of these as undoubtedly you don’t HAVE to if you’d prefer not someone has definitely beaten my score to. Just because a stealth game offers as I haven’t played Blacklist since I you various ways to play or they’ve did that as it was a soul destroying made it easier to control doesn’t make experience and the achievement for it any more or less of a ‘hardcore’ completing the ‘Ghost’ requirement on experience for you and a game like every level in Dishonored glitched for Metal Gear Solid V is the perfect exam-

ple of this. They refined the controls and they simplified the core of the gameplay which yes meant you could play it more like a third person shooter but equally you can play it just like previous entries in the series. It’s all about player’s choice and can add to the overall experience of the game itself. Yes whilst I am a self-proclaimed lover of that classic stealth game framework I still occasionally put on the most ridiculous song on my MP3 in Metal Gear Solid V (Usually a bit of Kids In America) and proceeded to storm a military base from a helicopter with a minigun. Why? Because it was fun. If the stealth genre changing its framework slightly so it allows these multiple forms of play means it makes the game more fun then how at all is that a bad thing?

How at all can you criticise a positive evolution? Unless you’re one of those grumpy, miserable sods whose life work is just injecting cynicism into everything.

On top of all this, these games altering themselves slightly to keep up with more modern expectations overall doesn’t really change anything about them at their core. Yes old Splinter Cell is very different to new Splinter Cell and the same for Metal Gear Solid and the same for the classic that is Thief (although we don’t talk about the Thief reboot as it was just shit but not for the reasons I’ve mentioned). As I claimed before what makes a stealth game great is how it can create tension through gameplay rather than narrative in a way that no other genre really can.

If anything this evolution in the stealth genre only adds to the tension and makes them better. In old stealth games like Splinter Cell, Metal Gear Solid 1, 2 and 3, the original Thief series and the Hitman series (excluding Absolution, which was still a great game but getting spotted was basically a free invitation to a shooting gallery) getting spotted meant immediate failure, there was no real escape you just ran about in a circle for a bit before inevitably getting gunned down or you managed to find a place to hide for half an hour whilst you calmed yourself down. In new stealth games there is an extra added layer of failure but not in the traditional sense of the word. Whilst playing Metal Gear Solid V on numerous occasions my elaborate plan to infiltrate a base would cock up because I am not perfect but instead of dying and repeating or waiting for the level to reset I instead had to think on the spot about how I can rectify this mistake and complete my objective whilst maintaining at least an A rank, a B at a stretch maybe. This is by far the most tense part of the game, will I die and have to have the shame of using a restart on my stats screen or will I pull it off and be able to just improve upon my run in the future? This approach is certainly much more entertaining than hiding in a locker for ten minutes looking at inappropriate posters that are stuck to the inside of the door.

Basically my point is embrace the change and evolution of one of gaming’s best genres. Don’t be a cynical sod and enjoy the new caveats of gameplay and entertainment these changes to the genre can bring. Or don’t and be a miserable bastard.

"It was a game that cast its hooks into me through one simple way.

Tension."

3,000,000

GAMING

Friday 22nd January 2016

@redbrickgames

33

Review: Fuego!

Roshni Patel Writer @Roshofalltrades

Under a scorching sun somewhere in the Wild Wests of Mexico, armed bandits cock their pistols in anticipation. But this isn’t any western you’ve ever seen and those are no ordinary bandits. This is Fuego! and those are animal banditos who armed to the teeth and deadly. Their mission, get the gold.

Shoot the bank, get the gold, shoot

Review: Diabolical Olivia Boyce Writer @Liv_Boyce

Diabolical opens with a scene that could be taken from any big budget spy movie. Customers walk through a beautifully designed bank and past a striking stained glass window, with not a care in the world. All is peaceful, until suddenly said window explodes. The guards look up, startled, to find the perpetrator, and their eyes meet the one responsible for the crime you. Yes, that’s right – you! And that’s not all, as the player quickly discovers that they are in fact a feared supervillain, rushing in to rob a bank and further terrorise the population.

Just as you begin to feel a sense of accomplishment at the success of your scheme, you are whisked back six months ago to a time when you aren’t a villain at all, but a rich yet bored adult who desires change and excitement. When a break in provides the opportunity for you to become a villain, the stage is set for a supervillain story of your making. The Bruce Wayne/ Batman vibes are strong, only this time around, being as evil as possible is on the agenda.It is at this point I must stress that the game is marketed as an ‘interactive novel’, for that, invariably, is what it is. There are no levels as such, nor are there any visual representations of what is occur-

another and steal theirs. In this fast paced Mexican standoff, the only objective is to be the team with the biggest haul when the dust settles and all the bullets have been spent, and with friendly fire enabled, don’t be surprised if you lose a few of your own along the way to the victory.

In this unique turn based game, you’ve got a short time to place your bandits in place to hit as many banks or opponents before the round begins, in this quick paced where the whole round lasts for no more than a minute or so.

ring in the plot. Instead, the story is told entirely through words, a sort of choose-yourown-adventure novel, but in a digital format. The emphasis here is very much on choice and consequence, a concept made popular in recent years by Telltale Games, whose games have reinvented player choice within storytelling to widespread acclaim, although Diabolical is more likely to draw nostalgic comparisons to classic textbased games such as Zork.

Almost immediately the concept of choosing your own path comes into play, with the player able to choose the traits of their protagonist, thus shaping the dialogue immediately afterwards. The game itself is told fluently and entertainingly, with a surprising array of serious moral questions raised amongst the often humourous narrator’s description of events. The cast of supporting characters is diverse, well-scripted, and above all, absolutely bonkers. From the murderous Doctor Arachnus, to the ‘formerly married news team’ reporting on your ever more outrageous actions, each feels worthy of mention.

References such as ‘evilharmony’, a dating website for supervillains, jokes about the tendency for villains to build a secret volcano lair, and even mentions of the giddiness caused by a Steam summer sale, poke fun at the subject matter and format in an engaging way.

The game comes in at a little over 130,000 words, and as a result the choices on offer are varied, and often hilarious if not also a little ridiculous, as in the moment when I was actually allowed to respond to a question with the phrase ‘I’m so happy I

This game is fast and easy to set up, and is immensely fun to watch, as bandits take out bandits, in this hilariously animated game.

At its core, Fuego! is a puzzle game with strategic gameplay, where the rules are simple and the best ways to win are anything but.

Turn by turn place your bandits and rotate their guns to take aim at the bank or your opponents. Then simply wait for the sun to set and let the bullets fly. The rules are firing are that the bandits with the fewest pistols fire first, until everyone has fired and all that’s left is

blood, tombstones and a winner with more gold than they can carry. If you’re internet connection’s better than the guild; you can try playing against others in multiplayer mode or for fast spontaneous offline fun; you can always play against the AI, or if all the standoffs have left you out of breath; why not hone your skills in one of the 60 levels in puzzle mode, where the timer takes a break and the objectives can change from level to level.

Developed by radiostatic and their small development team led by developers Michael Kwan and Edward Corlew, this game is as Pocket Gamer describes, “stylish as hell”. With its bold artistic style, literary quotes and well animated standoff scenes where the sun sets, ominously growing everyone’s shadows as Mariachi music plays in time with the gory animations of bandits and banks being shot for profit.

Currently there are only two things missing from Fuego!, both of which are on the developers list of next steps. The first is a local multiplayer option, as the online multiplayer option often struggles to find an opponent at times, this would allow players to take turns placing their bandits through the same device, using the same turn based system which would be used in multiplayer mode. Whilst this is a fairly sim-

ple upgrade, there’s always opportunity to add more to make this feature unique to the online multiplayer mode and it will be interesting to see how the developers implement this f eature.

could poo’. On my first playthrough, by only ten minutes in, I had somehow managed to make my character a supernatural and rather theatrical costumed figure who owned a mansion in the countryside, complete with base-

few playthroughs, I was somewhat surprised by how little difference some of the choices seem to make. Often several choices have the same outcome, with the game dictating that you reconsidered or were unable to go through with your more outlandish choices. I did manage to get two completely different endings, so there is to an extent some weight to what you choose, but just how much is unclear.

Of course, one of the more divisive aspects of the game is also its main gameplay mechanic, if we might refer to it as such – reading. This game is certainly not for any player who usually skips dialogue in favour of an all guns blazing, never mind the plot approach, nor is it for any player who expects to need a controller

and a good graphics card to play. It is, quite simply, a game requiring very little input, but providing lots of content in return. It is the sort of game you can play in a spare few minutes, even if you make only one choice, or read only a few lines of dialogue, rather than a title you could put several hours at a time into.

In a genre like the visual novel, now populated with beautifully illustrated and often voiced games, Diabolical may at first feel like a step back, focussing almost solely on a text only, quite guided approach to the story. However, anyone with the patience to read and a willing imagination can find quite the enjoyable , if a little short, adventure within.

This time round, being as evil as possible is definitely on the agenda ment lair and swimming pool.

Other choices exist throughout the game, including choosing what calling card, if any, you leave at the scene of your crimes.

However, having completed a

Fuego! has all the makings of an Angry Birds rival The other thing that’s missing and feels apparently needed when playing the steam game, is a mobile game. Fuego! has all the makings of an Angry Birds rival, with the same fast fun strategy game that takes no time to play and is perfect for any time killing situation. This again is a top priority for the developers who only released the steam game last November and have made plans to release the game on Android and iOS later this year..

Overall this is a great game to play and is highly recommended if you’re after something unique and different from the other puzzle games you’ve downloaded in the past. If fast paced puzzle games on PCs aren’t your thing, then perhaps waiting for the mobile game would be your best bet especially as the developers hope to add the local multiplayer feature to the game before they ship the mobile game.

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CULTURE

Friday 22nd January 2016

@redbrickculture

Theatre Review: Into the Woods Hannah Brierley Culture Critic

A refreshing alternative from your traditional festive theatre that is guaranteed to give you the giggles and the shivers all at once!

This unusual Stephen Sondheim musical is perhaps not the most renowned, although you may have become aware of it through the recent film adaptation featuring the likes of Meryl Streep.

It includes an abundance of fairytale favourites such as Cinderella, Red Riding Hood and a pair of charming princes and follows their stories through a rather sinister wood, as character’s paths cross and take unexpected turns.

A refreshing alternative from your traditional festive theatre...

This musical attempts to bypass the fantastical expectations of these characters and instead present them as flesh and blood; as real people who make real mistakes and who’s wishes aren’t perhaps always well thought

through. Director Matthew Xia’s decision to set the production in the modern day adds to this realism and also to the humour, as the ugly sisters channel TOWIE glamour, tottering around in large heels and neon costumes.

Almost every character in fact had its chance to make the audience laugh, so that the sometimes serious and adult messages being communicated received a humorous delivery to prevent the audience feeling as though they were being preached at. This was lost slightly in the more sinister second half however I personally thought this worked, allowing the second act to create more impact through the series of tragedies that occurred.

The cast is faultless and includes many talented theatre actors such as Gillian Bevan and Maxine Peake. The energy in the ensemble pieces was incredible, with flawless vocals that enabled Sondheim’s amazing score to flourish. There was a particularly outstanding vocal performance from Isabelle Peters, a student of the Royal Northern College of music who played Rapunzel. Her operatic soprano delivery from a tower amongst the audience was just beautiful. Having said this however, her character was the most one dimensional and I felt

her mental breakdown was lost amongst the great number of interwoven stories. Stand out numbers included Any Moment/ Moments in the Woods, Last Midnight and my personal favourite Agony, which was performed brilliantly by the two princes and received hearty laughter from the audience.

Tiramani’s set was simplistic but effective, she took advantage of the fact the theatre was in the round by placing Christmas trees around the outside, which once combined with the green lighting made the audience feel enclosed in the forest that is so integral to the plot.

I admit I may be slightly bias, considering the Royal Exchange is my all-time favourite theatre (it really is a must see if you’re ever visiting Manchester!) however, my expectations are extremely high as a result. I am yet to see a less than wonderful performance there and I’m glad to be able to say that after seeing Into The Woods, that statement still very much stands. If you can make your way to Manchester before the show ends then please do, you won’t be disappointed!

Do you have opinions on this article?

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The Girl Who Broke the Rules Holly Reaney Culture Critic

The award-winning Marnie Riches returns with ‘The Girl Who Broke the Rules’, the sequel to her debut crime novel ‘The Girl Who Wouldn't Die’, which was praised by Redbrick in June 2015. Riches has created a sequel that functions exceptionally well as a standalone novel and as a comprehensive introduction to the series.

A thrilling yet gruesome novel, it's a continuingly captivating read from start to finish.

‘The Girl Who Broke The Rules’ is advertised as being for fans of Jo Nesbo and Stieg Larsson. This novel is my first instance of euro-noir crime fiction. Occupying a place in the dark underworld of criminal activity, prostitution, decaying morals and murder, Riches’ novel is inescapably dark and gruesome with graphic images of murdered bodies from the outset, which continues throughout.

It was refreshing to have a female protagonist to front the

story, given that it is typically a male dominated genre.

Georgina McKenzie was a tough and independent protagonist, more than able to hold her own faced with psychopaths and murders; capturing a raw and identifiable individual.

The use of dual locations also aids in the rapid development of the plot, which can lead to confusion, yet it also enables Riches to vividly describe both scenes creating a comprehensive and detailed image of the world she’s created.

For a novel of many pages it was a page turner, with the fast-paced plot pulling you through a wide selection of twists and turns. I personally found it haunting and uncomfortably gruesome. However, the novel was well written and eloquent, if you are a fan of crime thrillers and were gripped by the works of Nesbo and Larsson then this novel is worth investigating, especially when researching the rave reviews from those who are fans of crime and thriller fiction. Furthermore, the publication of ‘The Girl Who Walked In Shadows’ in March 2016, promises to solve the monumental cliff-hanger with which Riches concluded this novel.

A thrilling yet gruesome novel, which is a continuingly captivating read.

Check out Culture online for an interview with the author.

We're hiring!

If you have a passion for theatre, art, reading or anything else culture-related, you could be the latest Redbrick Culture editor.

If you're interested in this position, please send an email to culture@redbrick.me for more information.

CULTURE

Friday 22nd January 2016

@redbrickculture

35

Review: Bramall Comedy Night Culture reviews how a night with Joe Lycett and Joel Dommett on campus went down - with mixed results.

Freya George Culture Critic

This was the first Comedy Night at the Bramall Music Building I attended. As a non-music student, I seldom visit this lovely concert hall we have right here on campus. It’s always such a treat to watch something in it because it’s such a stunning venue. Anyway, back to the actual show itself. The acts included Joe Lycett who is described by TimeOut as ‘one of the strongest emerging comedy talents we've seen in a long time’. I have to say he delivered so it is clear that TimeOut were not simply exaggerating. The other was Joel Dommett and the compere was Adam Rowe.

The show opened with the typical audience mockery and was expertly performed by Rowe in

his wonderful scouse accent. I always revel at the sheer speed at which very basic and seemingly insignificant facts about people can suddenly be transformed into comedy. One instance included Rowe asking one audience member, who was American, why he left Florida for Birmingham – it was great. I also admired him when he asked another what her job was and after she replied with ‘nurse’ – he did not laugh or comment but simply clapped. It was an unexpected but quietly beautiful moment.

However, his constant need to ask people if they were in a relationship did grow a bit tiresome – is that really so important? Questions to do with work or where people came from were understandable but the constant need to ask ‘are you single?’ or whether two people

sat together were ‘shagging’ became rather overused and flat after a while. It was neither relevant nor funny – except, I suppose, to act as an opener to his main joke that amounted to nothing more than his crude anecdote about how he broke up with his girlfriend (this also involved a fingering demonstration). However, overall, I cannot deny that I did find his compering amusing and it seems the remainder of the audience felt the same way.

Although Lycett was considered the ‘headliner’ I actually found Dommett the more humorous of the two. He was brilliant and did not seem as nervous as Lycett. Dommett’s presence of stage was engaging, fun and surprising – especially after his sudden exposure of this huge tattoo of the late great actor, Gregory Peck, on his forearm

(in memory of the film his grandparents had watched on their first date). It was such a shock but exhibited his perfect comic timing. Similarly, his joke about his barber, Spanish John, sounded equally ridiculous but proved equally as hilarious. The addition of music and a kind of beat boxing also added a nice variety to his performance.

Although Lycett was the 'headliner' I actually found Dommett the more humourous' Lycett is still worthy of commendation though. His set was also, on the whole, enjoyable

and his closing joke about the tricking of a post office worker (with a face he described as looking like someone had ‘punched a quiche’) about the spelling of the word ‘neighbour’ which had been spelt ‘neigbour’ on his passport form was so clever. I must admit I was laughing very hard, at this point.

Secondly, his use of physicality and body contortion was an entertaining aspect too. But I think his rather crude joke about the treatment of homosexuals in the Middle East that, although I am not a homosexual myself, I still found rather offensive and left a slightly bad taste.

Overall, I wholly recommend Bramall comedy nights. They are fun, different and cheap.

Over 2 hours of comedy for £5 is so worth it. I can’t wait to watch more comedy in the future.

Jools Holland and his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra at Symphony Hall Ruth Horsburgh Culture Critic

It seems that you can’t have a festive celebration without Jools Holland. Holland is one of the country's leading jazz and blues pianists, and it is a joy to watch him caress the piano keys. He is a wonderful combination of an energetic entertainer and an extremely talented musician. This uplifting and thoroughly entertaining show was then always going to be a festive treat. Holland performed well-loved songs from across his career as well as songs from his new album, 'Jools and Ruby', which is a collaboration of personal favourites and includes 4 new recordings. The sell-out audience was treated to an array of special guests including: Mabel Ray, Louise Marshall, KT Tunstall and Ruby Turner.

The Rhythem and Blues orchestra was overflowing with musical passion and skill.

The Rhythm and Blues orchestra was overflowing with musical passion and skill. Holland ensured that all of his band were introduced to and appreciated by the audience. Each song allowed for different members of the orchestra to show off their skills, whilst maintaining a magnificent sound as a group. When given the opportunity, all orchestra members gave incredible solos, highlighting the

unbelievable talent that was on stage. The instrumental solo of the night had to be the relentless and masterful drumming skills of Gilson Lavis.

Normally, concerts and its performers can take a while to warm up and engage the audience, but from the first note, played by the quirky opening act of Galia Arad, the audience was intrigued and captivated. Great solo vocal performances by Mabel Ray and Louise Marshall kept the momentum and feel-good factor of the night going. KT Tunstall was the next solo performance, and she delivered a fantastic boogie-woogie version of her hit ‘Suddenly I See’.

By this point, the concert had the atmosphere of a party, with everyone tapping their toes and clapping along. With the Hall buzzing and the concert in full flow, Ruby Turner took to the stage. Holland and Turner have been friends and fellow performers for over 20 years, and this partnership is an undisputable success. The emotional conviction and power of Turner is extraordinary. She makes you feel the raw passion that she not only feels for the lyrics in the song but for music itself. Her voice appears to have countless gears which she goes through with complete ease. Her contagious enthusiasm and powerful vocals led the whole of the hall to stand and dance, chanting and singing along, conducted by Holland and some orchestral members.

It is refreshing to see and hear performers enjoying themselves.

This concert and its performers radiate a love for music which is infectious. Therefore, if you are a fellow music lover, this performance is not to be missed!

36

Sport

Friday 22nd January

@redbricksport

How This Girl Can and BBC BodyPositive are Changing Women's Sport Sports writer Nancy Frostick takes a closer look at the campaigns at the forefront of the changes happening in women's sport Nancy Frostick Sports reporter @nancyfrostick

It has been one year since Sport England launched their ‘This Girl Can’ campaign to encourage more women to exercise on a regular basis. The main aim of the campaign was to close the gap on the two million fewer women than men who regularly play across a range of sports including dance-based exercise. This month, the BBC have also launched their BodyPositive campaign to encourage men and women to embrace their body image and feel happier in their own skin in 2016.

This Girl Can ‘This Girl Can’ has set the bar in terms of having a comprehensive and successful campaign that has reached far and wide thanks to the strong social media presence of #thisgirlcan. After the first TV

advert in January last year, the hash-tag was trending at number two on twitter and has been mentioned on social media on every day of the year since it was launched.

The advert has been viewed a total of 37 million times on Facebook and YouTube, and after an independent survey it was found that 2.8 million women and girls were aware of the campaign and had done exercise as a result. 148,000 more women were active for at least 30 minutes a week, every week up to September 2015 compared to up to March 2015. The lasting effect of the project has been stressed by Sport England as they continue to make sport attractive to women with the next phase of the project ‘Go Where Women Are’.

Research by Women In Sport revealed that women have six core factors that matter to them when taking part in sport: looking good, feeling good, nurturing friends and family, developing skills, having fun and achieving goals.

When asked, 13 million women

said they would like to take part in more physical activity but felt intimidated by other people in the gym and had a fear of being judged whilst doing exercise. The posters for the ‘This Girl Can’ campaign addressed these emotional barriers by showing women doing sport

When asked, 13 million women said they would like to take part in more physical activity feared being judged by other people in the gym. with positive slogans such as “Hot and Not Bothered”. New pilot schemes like ‘I Will if You Will’ have made full use of the existing

social media presence to encourage women to pledge to do exercise every week for ten weeks and keep participation levels rising.

BBC BodyPositive The BBC campaign has pulled in a range of people from celebrities to DJs to women interviewed on the street all to share what they believe is body confidence in a new promo video. The campaign is looking for people to share their real life stories to show that body confidence issues can be overcome. A community emphasis on sharing issues that you might not have told anyone before will be used to inspire others to love themselves more in 2016. The site already features the stories of Nicole who has cystic fibrosis and uses sport to feel body confident, and Naomi who is a plus size model and healthy body image activist. The online community will also focus on health, fitness and lifestyle tips to help people to feel empowered and positive about their bodies

If ‘This Girl Can’ continues to grow at its current rate and if BodyPositive can match its success with the message of body confidence, women’s sport will only get stronger. The growing number of women adding #thisgirlcan to team photos and gym selfies has generated a friendlier environment online that is a positive way of inspiring others and making them believe they can have fun when doing sport. The figures from the first year of ‘This Girl Can’ have shown that women are keen to participate in sport, and that the Sport England targets certainly are attainable in the near future. Looking forward, the campaigns have made the informed choice to focus on the issues of image and continue to use social media – the largest disparity between men and women exercising was among the 16-25 age group.

By engaging with this demographic heading into 2016, a new generation of female sporting stars will be in the making and will shape the future of British sport..

Top 5: Premier League Goalkeepers

Sports writer, Harry Wilkinson, chooses his top 5 Premier League goalkeepers of this season.

5) Jack Butland

4) Joe Hart

3) David De Gea

2)Hugo Lloris

1) Thibaut Courtois

England's future number one.

At twenty-two years old I believe Jack Butland is right on track to become one of the world's best. In his breakthrough Premier League season, with Asmir Begovic moving to Chelsea, Butland has been nothing short of incredible for Stoke. With their new and improved style of play under Mark Hughes, Butland has been a pivotal part in an impressive season for The Potters. Butland has kept eight clean sheets so far, often being the only crux in the opposition's plan to score; singlehandedly gaining points for Stoke.

But aside from the world-class saves and numerous clean sheets, Butland has something else that I think sets him apart from most good goalkeepers: he takes control of every situation he can, and is uncommonly reliable in doing so; extremely impressive considering his lack of experience. In many ways, he is actually quite similar to number one on this list.

After breaking into the Manchester City first team in the 2010-11 season, Hart has been a revelation for the blue side of Manchestersecuring his place as England's number one along the way - and deservedly so.

With a record number of golden glove awards (four), Hart must be recognised as one of the Premier League's top goalkeepers.

He is a crucial part of a very good team, not just through his match day performances, but also through his character away from the pitch.

Hart has seemed to have developed his own style. We have all seen how he spreads himself during a one-on-one - flying out with limbs spread at ungodly angles; stopping the ball with whatever body part can get in the way. It's not only his goalkeeping style but his passion and leadership on the pitch that make him a vital player for Man City and England.

Very close call this one. It seems very harsh to put De Gea at number three, but I think that is more of a reflection of how good the top two are. Since signing from Atlectico Madrid in 2011 for £17.8 million, De Gea's Manchester United career has been quite fascinating.

Considering the struggle De Gea went through during the beginning of his Premier League career makes his current reputation even more admirable. Last year, De Gea was United's clear player of the season, producing countless performances without which United would never have got into the champions league.

It is De Gea's incredible ability in the one-on-one situation that makes him so special.

There is also no doubting that De Gea is a world-class goalkeeper - perhaps one of the world's best.

The Frenchman just about clinches second over De Gea, but as I said previously, it's very close. There are some great similarities between De Gea and Lloris.

They are both experts in one-on-ones; they both produce spectacular, acrobatic saves; and both distribute with their feet naturally.

His ability in handling crosses; he is not only competent, but excels in such situations despite being the smallest 'keeper in this list (6ft2"). What I love about Lloris is that he will put his name on all types of crosses that most would not expect him to claim. If you talk to any defender, they will tell you how they dream about a 'keeper who takes responsibility by consistently coming for balls delivered in all areas of the box; completely relieving the pressure. Will his contribution finally get Spurs the top four finish they've been craving?

Courtois is simply class: world-class, galaxy-class, universe-class - however you want to label him. Yes, he will produce blinding, match-winning, world-class saves, but it is not simply this that makes him qualify for number one on this list.

There is literally no aspect of goalkeeping that this guy is not an expert in. He is the complete package. If each of the 'keepers on this list were mixed together in to some sort of hybrid, the result would be something similar to Thibaut Courtois.

His confidence between the sticks is tangible, and seems to rub off on his entire team. Chelsea's comfortable journey to last year's title had a young Belgian at its base yes, but it wasn't Eden Hazard.

Whilst the young winger was the sweet-tasting fruit, Courtois was the unbreakable trunk holding the whole year together.

Sport

Friday 22nd January

@redbricknews

37

The Zidane Effect and Transfer Bans in Madrid Sports writer, Dan Steeden, reflects on the appointment of Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid and the transfer bans placed upon both Madrid clubs.

Daniel Steeden Sports reporter @DannySteeden

Perhaps you’ve seen Zinedine Zidane’s magnificent glowing bald head in the dugout at the Bernabeu or perhaps you’ve been distracted by the dazzling football but the former Real Madrid legend is now managing the Galacticos and he kicked off his managerial tenure in style with a 5-0 victory over Deportivo La Coruna.

With Zidane shirts now outselling all other shirts in the Real Madrid store and the Real Madrid players back at their irresistible best, we take a look at what Zidane has changed and the biggest problem that he is already facing – a transfer ban. So what has gone right so far?

1. Authority One of the factors that contributed to Rafa Benitez’s demise was the fact that the players didn’t respect his authority, as he never played at the highest level. How could Rafa tell Cristiano Ronaldo how to take free kicks in training and expect his opinion to be taken seriously? Thus he received the joke nickname ‘number 10’ from the players.

What Zidane brings is real world-class experience as a number 10 and a natural authority that will be taken seriously.

Even the stars of Real Madrid look up to Zidane as a legend of the game and Karim Benzema especially admired the senior Frenchman as his idol.

2. A Big First Result 5-0 at home to Deportivo La Coruna on the face of it seems like the sort of result that Real Madrid would churn out easily but Deportivo have been no slouches this season and achieved a draw away at Madrid’s huge rivals Barcelona in December. Despite decent opposition, Zidane’s Galacticos managed their biggest win under a new Real Madrid manager in 57 years.

3. Personnel Benitez upset fans and board members alike with his personnel choices and Zidane must have been well aware of this as he decided to bring back both Isco and James Rodriguez to feature from the start and the bench respectively. Isco certainly had his mojo back and was getting forward whenever

possible with ball skills reminiscent of Zidane himself. The fans certainly seemed excited to have the duo back and the atmosphere was far from the toxic scenes in recent weeks.

Zidane also brought back Dani Carvajal in the right back position and the decision paid off, as the Spaniard provided the cross for Bale’s first goal and put in the sort of solid all round performance that has often been lacking from Danilo this season.

Big names like Ronaldo, Bale and Griezmann will probably remain at Real and Atletico, as the clubs know they could not immediately buy a replacement.

Gareth Bale was the star of the show in Zidane’s first match and while there’s no denying the Welshman’s disappointment at Benitez’s sacking, Zidane seems keen on maximising Bale’s talent output. The signs are positive and after Bale’s remarkable hat-trick from all sorts of positions, it seems likely that the interchangeable nature of the front three will suit Bale enough to keep him happy regardless of where he starts. Bale is the future of Real Madrid and his development under Zidane will be very interesting indeed.

4. Enjoyment This is what Real Madrid’s official Twitter account tweeted after Zidane had been announced as manager; “I want the fans to enjoy themselves every time we play at the Bernabéu” – much to the frustration of Manchester United fans I’m sure. He certainly did not disappoint on this front and expansive, pacey attacking football was on display for the full 90 minutes at the Bernabéu in arguably the first fully comprehensive Real Madrid performance of the season. The belief and enjoyment was back for the players and it showed.

Time will tell how long this approach pays off.

The Transfer Bans: Despite the buzz Zidane’s appointment

that has

brought to the Bernabéu, it’s hard to make a big impression as a manager in modern football without being able to wheel and deal in the transfer windows. Real Madrid and their Spanish capital rivals Atletico have both been handed transfer bans by FIFA. This means they cannot register players for the next two transfer windows, which makes Zidane’s situation a lot more challenging.

The technicalities of the ban are fairly difficult to understand but essentially the two sides were punished for signing foreign players under the age of 18 without properly registering them – the same thing that Barcelona were punished for in April 2014.

What this means is that the two clubs cannot sign players this summer or next January as the ban does not begin until after this current January window. Both clubs have appealed the ban and will hope to emulate Barcelona’s success in dragging out the appeal process long enough to keep the summer window available to build their teams for the next year or so.

The ban has obvious impacts for the clubs and certainly makes Zidane’s life that bit trickier as he had big visions of bringing the likes of Juventus superstar Paul Pogba to the Bernabeu, which now likely won’t be happening until next summer. It also comes at a difficult time for Real who are a club in transition and are used to big name signings, whereas now they will have to look to their youth players – the likes of 17-year-old Norwegian Martin Odegaard.

Atletico Madrid will perhaps deal better with the situation as they currently possess six or seven players under the age of 24 who are regular starters including Jose Maria Gimenez who will become one of the best centre backs in the world in the future under the guidance of defensive partner Diego Godin (who I think is arguably the most underrated defender in world football).

However the ban also has a big impact on world football in general given the spending power of Real and Atletico being silenced. David De Gea and Eden Hazard, both linked with moves to Real, are now unlikely to go as Manchester United and Chelsea respectively will not sell in this transfer window.

It also means that the big names like Ronaldo, Bale and Griezmann will probably remain at Real and Atletico as the clubs know that if they were to sell them, they could

not immediately buy a replacement.

In Conclusion, Zidane has certainly kick-started Real Madrid’s season again and with time will likely get the players back at their best and setting his sights on La Liga and Champions League silverware. The only worry I have is that his aggressive attacking play may result in being torn apart defensively by the likes of Bayern Munich in the Champions League, though it remains to be seen whether he has the tactical awareness to

combat this.

With no transfers available to him for just over a year, Zidane will have to promote from within but perhaps this is exactly what the club need and they may well find a gem or two lurking in their academy rather than chasing marquee signings from across the globe.

What do you think?

Tweet us at @redbricksport.

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Sport

Friday 22nd January

@redbricksport

Why We Should Be Paying More Attention to the MLS Nancy Frostick Sports reporter @nancyfrostick

In recent years, American interest in ‘soccer’ has grown immensely, driven by national team successes and the ever-growing MLS franchise. Whilst women’s football has been popular for years in the USA, and is going from strength to strength following their World Cup win in Canada this summer, the men’s domestic league has largely been background noise in the wider picture of world football. Only with David Beckham’s arrival at LA Galaxy did football fans outside of the US sit up and take notice of the MLS, but there are a growing number of reasons we should be paying attention.

Big names are improving quality Ever since Beckham’s move to Galaxy in 2007, a steady trickle of established players have made the move to the MLS. Whilst many have been in their early thirties and coming to the end of their careers,

it is clear that their professionalism and experience has been valuable to the growth of the domestic league. In the last few seasons alone former Ballon D’Or winner Kaka, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, David Villa, Didier Drogba, and Andrea Pirlo have joined MLS franchises. However, players in their prime are increasingly looking to the MLS, such as Simon Dawkins who moved from Derby to San Jose Earthquakes, and Liam Ridgewell who joined Portland Timbers from West Brom in 2014 and was named in the 2014 MLS all-star team of the season.

There is no shortage of homegrown talent either, with Clint Dempsey recently returning to the MLS and DeAndre Yedlin making a positive impression at the World Cup and securing a move to Tottenham from Seattle Sounders.

The complicated franchising rules of the MLS involves a salary cap per team, with a select few ‘Designated Players’ who are able to earn more than the rest. These players are generally the bigger names from abroad, but the rule has created a more balanced league that prevents a two or three horse

race for the cup and league title.

League structure The set up of the MLS has allowed the growth of a balanced league that attracts surprisingly big crowds. The spring to autumn format prevents clashes with the NHL (ice hockey), NBA (basketball) and NFL (American Football) seasons that run autumn to spring, and avoids the need for a winter break.

Although international players often have to miss mid-season games in World Cup and Gold Cup years, it is no worse than the interruption the African Cup of Nations causes for the Premier League.

Running the league on a spring to autumn format means that on average MLS attendances have been higher than those in the NHL and NBA. A slightly baffling concept to most football purists is the fixed membership of the MLS, meaning no promotion or relegation and the post-season play-offs for the MLS cup. Whilst this element of the MLS does take the spice out of the final few weeks of the season, it does make things a little more bal-

In Defence of the Ballon D'or Daniel Steeden Sports reporter @DannySteeden

There are those who, rightly or wrongly, question whether FIFA, gluttonous overlords of the sport world, should possess the power to annually summon the footballing world to Zurich. The power to haul shrivelling legends of the game in front of the frothing frenzy of television cameras and microphones, like previous Hunger Games victors, all to witness a salutation to the inevitable – a Messi-Ronaldo one-two in the Ballon D’Or voting.

Lionel Messi was awarded the Ballon D’Or, the most prestigious of golden balls, for the fifth time earlier this month and, true to form, arch-nemesis of the diminutive Argentinian, Cristiano Ronaldo, fumed in the runner up spot once again.

The Ballon d’Or is no trivial declaration, no passing comment on the success of the winner. They are, as anointed by FIFA, the world’s best player as proved by their exceptional on-pitch deeds during the preceding year. So why has it become so inconsequential to so many people?

I knew Lionel Messi would win just like I knew James Bond would beat the bad guy or Harry Potter would defeat Voldemort but I watched those anyway and I was interested in the Ballon D’Or for the same reason – the journey.

It is testament perhaps to the gen-

ius of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo that people are bored of them winning, but when Messi and his international teammates lost out to Germany in the 2014 World Cup final it looked to many that the Argentinian’s career would stutter - yet it did nothing of the sort.

It is merit alone that allows the duo to dominate award ceremonies. 48 club goals for Messi and five trophies for his club Barcelona and 54 goals in 52 Real Madrid

It's testament to the genius of Messi and Ronaldo that people are bored of them winning appearances for Ronaldo in 2015 are remarkable statistics. It baffles me why people are bored of such talent. We will never in our lifetimes see another player as good as Messi or Ronaldo and we are blessed to be witnessing one of the best player rivalries in the sport’s history.

That is not to say that the Ballon D’Or is perfect, far from it in fact. What it needs, to avoid further decline into insignificance, is to change with the times. It is here that I turn to the wise and albeit controversial words of Bayern Munich captain Philipp Lahm. Lahm believes that the

award only recognises the “most visible” players and has become an award “for the world’s best striker.” He may well be onto something here as forward players or goal scorers do dominate the rosters of previous winners.

Fabio Cannavaro is the only name that sticks out in modern times as breaking away from this tradition.

Lahm suggests “four single awards for best goalkeeper, best defender, best midfielder and best striker” which would bring far more balance to the ceremony.

While the Team of the Year (also revealed at the ceremony) acknowledges players of all positions, it would certainly not hurt to recognise individual talent in all areas of the pitch.

The other issue with the award that needs addressing is timing. It is puzzling why the award (and African Player of the Year for that matter) works off the calendar year when football operates around a season. The award would be far more suited to celebrate the player of the season when their heroics are still in memory and the season has come to a close. If FIFA are to bring the Ballon D’Or out of the darkness it currently finds itself in then these issues need to be addressed. It should no longer be excess manifested in dodgy tuxedos (I’m looking at you, Paul Pogba) and fluorescent lighting, but a celebration of everything good about football, on and off the pitch, when a season’s curtain is about to fall.

anced with ten different MLS cup winners and eight different Supporters Cup winners since the league was founded in 1993.

New franchises Another feature of the MLS that European leagues could take notes from is the franchise structure. The league and its investors controls and allocates funds for each team, meaning that although these investors have considerable influence, nobody actually has outright ownership of a club. This prevents owner-dictators seen all too often in England, but does create the interesting dilemma of investors holding stakes in more than one club in the same league.

The aim is for the MLS to grow to twenty-two teams by 2017, following the addition of New York City FC and Orland City SC this season and the proposed addition of Atlanta United FC, Minnesota United FC and Los Angeles FC in the next few seasons. There is also the prospect of David Beckham’s Miami Beckham United in the near future if he gets clearance to build a stadium. The new franchises will

introduce some new challenges in a league where there are not new teams promoted every season, and will add a bit of fire to the league by throwing up more local or same-city rivalries.

Emerging rivalries The MLS already boasts some impressive rivalries to match any of those in Europe, and they are becoming all the more common with new teams springing up across the country. Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders have the most volatile relationship in the MLS and on derby days have enormous tifos as impressive as those seen so often at Borussia Dortmund. They also have fun traditions such as chain sawing off part of the end of a log for goal scorers, which makes goal celebrations that bit quirkier than your standard knee slide. After the MLS season, regional rivals often compete for MLS rivalry cups, like the Portland vs. Seattle vs. Vancouver cup, which would work brilliantly as a Premier League pre-season competition to get those old rivalries firing.

SPORT

Friday 22nd January

@redbricksport

Sport editors Nicola Kenton and Rosie Twells share their predictions for the new year.

39

From the Editor's Desk: Redbrick Sport on 2016

Nicola

Rosie

Lord Coe to sort out the IAAF. When Lord Coe was elected President of the IAAF, the organisation was going through some tumultuous times and trying to avoid many allegations. Whether Coe knew the extent of the doping scandal and cover-up remains to be seen.

However, I hope that the man behind London 2012 can steer the sport he loves so much back in the right direction.

Undoubtedly there will still be tough times ahead, but I just hope that the systems being put in place work and that cheating athletes are caught and reprimanded for their betrayal of athletics fans everywhere.

Sporting wish for 2016?

Athletics can move on from the doping scandal that tarnished the reputations of many involved with the sport.

Participants across a range of disciplines will hope that the Olympics and Paralympics in Rio will form part of the ‘healing’ process, enabling all to start afresh and regain trust in the International Association of Athletics Federation. There will be much focus and attention on senior members of the committee, especially Lord Coe, over the coming months and it is imperative that athletics gets back on track in the build up to one of the biggest sporting competitions in the world.

Rising star of the year?

It has to be Ellie Downie – fresh from winning BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year 2015, this talented artistic gymnast will be aiming to replicate, and improve, on much of the success from last year.

With bronze medals at the European Championships and in the Women’s Team competitions at the World Championships, all eyes will be on Ellie in 2016 as she competes to become the golden girl of British gymnastics.

Upcoming sporting event?

European Championships held in France this summer.

All the training sessions, match analysis, toil of qualification and tactical preparation has come down to this.

Having been expanded to include 24 teams, including Wales and Northern Ireland, who are competing in the tournament for the first time.

Despite Scotland being the only team from the British Isles not to qualify for the finals, supporters of the home nations will be hoping that this might be the year for their team to lift the trophy.

The British Swimming Team – I tried to choose one star from this team but couldn’t, so I decided to nominate the whole team to follow in 2016. After a disastrous London 2012, there has been a restructuring in British Swimming, but progression has since followed. The Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014 were the turning point – even though the athletes competed for their own countries - as ever since GB have won multiple medals at every major competition. Key people: Jazz Carlin, James Guy and Adam Peaty.

The Rio de Janeiro Olympic and Paralympic Games. It had to be. The Olympic and Paralympic Games, for me, are the event I enjoy watching the most. It is the epitome, the pinnacle of the majority of sporting disciplines and sports that would not normally receive coverage are suddenly in the limelight. The values and togetherness of the games is what makes them so great. It also gives the chance for the next generation to be inspired and encourage more people to get involved in sport. I hope that the games go off without a hitch and that sport is still the main focus, without any scandals either in the sporting or political sphere.

The Redbrick Crossword In celebration of Leonardo Dicaprio's sixth Oscar nomination, this crossword is dedicated to him in all his glory and wonder. Here's hoping this is Leo's year.

Successful completion of this week's crossword could win you a mini Oscar statue of your very own (or, more likely, a £5 Joes voucher).

Across 2. ____Dawson aka the unlucky recipient of the “We both could have fit!” award.

3. ‘Blood ____’, a film exposing the shocking exploitation of diamond miners in Sierra Leone.

7. The____: title of the latest film which Leo has been nominated for which also stars a very beardy Tom Hardy.

10. Leo received his first Oscar nom age 19 for the film ‘What’s Eating ___ Grape’.

12. The young, and deadly male lead in Baz Luhrmann’s epic tale, set in 90’s Miami.

13. Where was Leo born?

Down 1. Which Matt faces off against Leo in the hit film ‘The Departed’?

4. A film about a series of naps.

5. The first name of a wealthy young man with a dark secret to hide (behind a Jay-Z soundtrack no less).

6. Which web-slinging Maguire has been friends with Leo for over 20 years?

8. The number of films the dream duo of Kate Winslet and Leo have starred in together.

9. The number of times Leo has been nominated for an Oscar and not won (prior to 2016).

11. Which animal featured in the title for the 2013 box-office smash set in NYC?

Lucie Turner Crossword Editor

§§§§§§§§§1§§§§ §§§§§§§§2```§§ §§§§§§§§§`§§§§ §§§§§34`````§§ ~§§§§§`§§`§§§§ §§§§§§`§§§5§§§ §§§6§7``````8§ §5§`§§`§§§`~`§ 0``````§§§§§`§ §`§`§§`§§9§§§§ §`§§§=````§§§§ §§§§§§`§§q`§§§ §§§§§§§§§`§§§§

Redbrick Issue 1466, Vol. 80

Friday 22nd January 2016

New Sports Centre Name Revealed Nancy Frostick looks at the campaigns changing women's sport

Page 36 Dan Steeden discusses the worth of the Ballon D'or award

Page 38 Rosie Twells and Nicola Kenton share their sporting tips for 2016

Rosie Twells Sport Editor

Page 39 For more, follow us on twitter:

@redbricksport

The University of Birmingham has kick-started the New Year by announcing the new name for the sports centre. It will be: 360 sport and fitness, and the title has been selected for its short, memorable and inclusive connotations. Health, wellbeing and fitness form part of our daily lifestyle choices. As part of the sports centre, new additions to the campus building will include Birmingham’s first 50 metre swimming pool, a fully equipped gym with over 200 stations, 11 metre high climbing wall, a High Performance Centre and over 100 group exercise classes per week.

UB Sport will take control of the new sports centre around the middle

of this year; the official opening will occur once all the equipment has been delivered and fitted, whilst the staff familiarise themselves with the new building. Members will be able to use the sport and fitness centre in summer 2016. Meanwhile, students

UB Sport will take control of the new sports centre around the middle of the year who will be joining or returning to the university in September will be able to make full use of the facilities in autumn 2016.

There has been some confusion among students concerning a competition run by UB Sport to name the centre, with one student

commenting "it's ridiculous that they asked people to vote for the name on a poll, then did a complete 360 - if you'll pardon the pun". UB Sport have clarified that the 'Name of the Game' competition was run to name the gym inside the new centre. This competition has now closed and a winner will be announced soon.

Student opinion on the announcement has been mixed. Final year historian Matt Moody said "as a name it's pretty generic and meaningless... they may as well have just called it 'University of Birmingham Sports Centre'". Third year Computer Systems student Roshni Patel said "'The 360' has a nice ring to it I suppose - at least it's easy to remember!"

Updates will continue to be provided via UB Sport’s email, Facebook and Twitter accounts.