Redbrick - Issue 1481

Redbrick Issue 1481, Vol. 81

Friday 17th March 2017

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Redbrick

The Official University of Birmingham Student Newspaper, est. 1936

Student Letting Investigation Special

Jamie Crawford

Alys Haswell gives the top 3 free attractions in Singapore

Amelia Hiller discusses the latest album from Circa Waves

Travel Page 21

Music Page 22

Holly Reaney reviews 'Snow in Midsummer' at the RSC

Culture Page 24

Nick Burton argues 2017 is already a great year for gaming

Gaming Page 33

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REDBRICK

Friday 17th March 2017

redbrick.me

Some of our female editorial team celebrating International Women's Day 2017 last week...

Letter from the committee...

Here we are, the final issue of the second semester and the penultimate issue for the 2016/2017 Redbrick Committee and I. It is this time last year that I stood up at the AGM to run for the first Print and Features Editor position and was elated when I had won the vote!

Last week, we held the AGM for the 2017/2018 committee and I am happy to announce that my successor will be Joe Ryan, currently a Film Editor. I’ve witnessed Joe spend countless hours in the office even if he’s not creating Film’s pages or being pestered by Will Baxter to join him at the pub; he observes the way the paper works and shows an interest in my role. I have no doubt that he will take this paper to a new level of greatness alongside the rest of the 2017/2018 committee.

This role has not come without its stresses or worries, but they have all been worth it in the long run when the final product arrives on a Friday afternoon and I hear how pleased all the editors and writers are with each edition.

I don’t always admit it, but I will miss the enthusiasm and air of delirium that hangs around the office late on a Tuesday night when page deadlines are looming and the final print is pressing ever closer.

The best part about this role is certainly having the editorial leadership over the design of the front

cover and this issue has been an exciting one to design. This cover is a new development for Redbrick and I have had the pleasure of working with Jamie Crawford, an extremely talented graphic designer in his spare time from studying Medicine! This issue has been a huge task for the News Team as they have launched a large investigation into student letting agencies.

Jamie took this brief and my very vague vision of what I anticipated the cover to be and created such a beautiful image for the front page and graphics for the investigation.

If you’re interested in seeing more of his work then check out his Facebook page – Idiosinkratic.

Aside from the usual print schedule at Redbrick, we’ve been working hard to collate and send in nominations to both the Guild Awards and the SPA Awards. This gives Redbrick the chance to be recognised for the outstanding work all members of this society produce, fingers crossed that we do win one or maybe a few! Not to worry if we do miss out though as preparations are underway for Redbrick’s own awards, to be held on the 5th June with more information to follow. I know a few sections are already openly vying to win the award for best section.

Not only are we preparing for awards season, but a few members including myself are also prepar-

ing to run the Birmingham 10k at the end of April in aid of Birmingham’s Children Hospital. I am excited to be a part of this but also slightly dreading the distance with my right now, very minimal training. I’m sure with the motivation of my friends, family and fellow runners that I’ll be able to make it to the finish.

I am drawing to the end of my final editorial and it is with a heavy heart that I bid Redbrick goodbye.

I wouldn’t change this journey for the world and I want to take this opportunity to thank my fellow committee for the support, laughter and sometimes tears that we have had in this experience together.

From the dungeons, we salute you,

Gabriella Marcucci, Print and Features Editor

Follow us on Instagram @redbrickpaper Want to be featured? Submit us your photos at: digital@redbrickonline.co.uk and/or tag us in your photos by using #redbrickinstagram

Online this week at redbrick.me...

COMMENT

CULTURE

MUSIC

SPORT

Academia and The Left: Inherently Linked?

Review: ‘Virago’ at the mac

Album Review: Stormzy – Gang Signs & Prayer

NFL Offseason Guide

Redbrick Editorial Team Editor Anna Griffiths editor@redbrickonline.co.uk

Deputy Editors Harry Turner Imogen Lancaster deputy@redbrickonline.co.uk

Print & Features Editor Gabriella Marcucci print@redbrickonline.co.uk

Digital Editor Conrad Duncan digital@redbrickonline.co.uk

Lead Developer Andreea Gheorghe

News Editors Erin Santillo Grace Duncan Gregory Robinson Joseph Timan

Music Editors Giulia Bardelli Greg Woodin Holly Carter Phil Jones

news@redbrickonline.co.uk

music@redbrickonline.co.uk

Comment Editor Aamina Siddiqi Joe Goodsall Harry Tennison

Film Editors Alex McDonald George Griffths Joe Ryan

comment@redbrickonline.co.uk

Culture Editors Imogen Tink Olivia Boyce Sophie Taylor culture@redbrickonline.co.uk

marketing@redbrickonline.co.uk

Social Secretary Hannah Coles social@redbrickonline.co.uk

Travel Editors Carys Bedford Delfina Rainoldi Sophie Braybrook travel@redbrickonline.co.uk

developer@redbrickonline.co.uk

Marketing Secretary William Baxter

film@redbrickonline.co.uk

Life&Style Editors Kamila Geremek Nia Roberts Sophie Kesterton Zoe Screti lifestyle@redbrickonline.co.uk

Television Editors James Tyson Lara Billington Tamsin Hackett tv@redbrickonline.co.uk

Sci&Tech Editors Ellen Daugherty James Pettit Kara Watson tech@redbrickonline.co.uk

Food Editors Lauren Kelly Phoebe Radford Tasha Smart Tamar Smith food@redbrickonline.co.uk

Sport Editors Dan Steeden Harry Wilkinson Nancy Frostick Nicola Kenton sport@redbrickonline.co.uk

Gaming Editors James Lentschner James Marvin Nick Burton Roshni Patel gaming@redbrickonline.co.uk

Careers Editor Lael Hardtman Mira Lodhia careers@redbrickonline.co.uk

Redbrick Guild of Students Edgbaston Park Road Birmingham B15 2TT 0121 251 2462

editor@redbrickonline.co.uk

Editorial Assistants Redbrick is printed through www.mortonAlvia Zaidi sprint.com Emily Roberts 01507 523 456 Hannah Ledlie Jessica Rowley To advertise in Redbrick, get in touch with Kseniya Shrimpton marketing@redbrickonline.co.uk or visit Lizzie Alker www.redbrick.me/advertise-with-redbrick Morgana Chess for more details, and to see our rate card.

Natasha Afxentiou Peggy Jones Designed and typeset by Redbrick Phillippa Baker Copyright (C) Redbrick 2015 Spandad Manwatkar The views expressed in Redbrick do not necessarily reflect those of the editors, the Guild or the publishers. If you find an error of fact in our pages, please write to the editor.

Our policy is to correct mistakes promptly in print and to apologise where appropriate. We reserve the right to edit any article, letter or email submitted for publication.

Clarifications & Corrections: the article in Issue 1473 'A Postcard From... The Auvergne' was incorrectly listed as written by Rebecca Cutler. It was written by Felicity Hemming.

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Fascist Graffiti Reappears In The Guild Of Students' Toilets Joseph Timan News Editor @josephtiman

Redbrick has learnt that several instances of fascist graffiti have recently been discovered in the Guild of Students’ toilets.

In the most recent incident, that took place at around 5:30pm on Thursday 9th March, a committee member of Disabled & Mental Health Association (DAMSA) found fascist graffiti in the female toilets nearest to Beorma Bar. In the graffiti, ‘NO BLACKS, NO CRIPS, NO FAGS’ was written beneath a National Action logo, with ‘PURE WHITES ONLY’ written on one side of the logo, whilst a swastika appeared on the other side of it.

National Action is a British neo-Nazi youth organisation that

is considered by the British government to be a terrorist group, which means that it is a criminal offence to support or be a member of it.

"We stand [...] fundamentally in opposition the rhetoric of the graffiti and against all forms of hate and discrimination" Guild President Ellie Keiller told Redbrick that the Officer Team are ‘horrified’ by the inci-

dent. ‘We stand, with students, fundamentally in opposition the rhetoric of the graffiti and against all forms of hate and discrimination’, she said. ‘We are doing everything we can and have reported all incidents to both the police and campus security as soon as we have been alerted to them’.

Keiller also urged affected students to make use of the Guild and University services available. ‘If anyone has been affected by any of the incidents,’ she said, ‘please do not hesitate to use our Guild Advice or Student Mentor services or visit University Student Support Services in the Aston Webb Student Hub’.

In a public statement on Monday 13th March, the Guild Full Time Officer Team said: ‘We would like to reassure students that we are doing all we can in

response to these incidents, including immediately reporting all cases to both police and campus security and working with them to identify those involved. Further to this, we urge anyone with any information regarding these incidents to come forward’.

In statement released on Saturday 11th March, DAMSA strongly condemned this behaviour and encouraged those affected to access the support available at the University. The statement said: ‘[DAMSA] extends our solidarity to other groups who have been affected by this latest wave of fascist graffiti’, and that they would be reaching out to the other groups affected to coordinate a response.

The statement also expressed concern over the rise of global fascism and the increase of fascist rhetoric used by political candidates, including those in the recent

Guild elections. The group has called on the Guild to publicly condemn these incidents, but said, ‘there must also be a long term plan to deal with the repeated fascist actions on campus, as simply reacting after the event is not enough’.

The Guild’s Anti Racism & Anti Fascism Officer, Rachel Fisch, told Redbrick, ‘At the University of Birmingham, every student regardless of race, gender, ability, religion or sexuality has the right to walk around their campus free from fear of persecution.

‘The recent incidents that have taken place are unacceptable and unjustifiable, and your officer team are working hard to resolve the issue and bring justice'.

UoB Chancellor Expresses Brexit Concerns For Higher Education Zoe Olukoga News Reporter

The Chancellor of the University of Birmingham, Lord Karan Bilimoria of Chelsea has warned that Britain stands to lose out, when it comes to attracting international students, in the wake of the Brexit vote.

The economic benefits as well as the ‘soft power’ aspects, including creating cross-border networks and future influence, would be lost

by UK universities and most likely gained by the likes of Australia and Canada, the Chancellor has claimed.

The number of students in the UK from countries such as India has declined significantly. This reflects what the Chancellor suggested as the perception of these students as an immigration problem rather than a lucrative economic asset. He attributed this to the wider ‘anti-immigrant’ backlash that has surfaced in the wake of the Brexit vote. As well as disputes over student visas, this issue has hit a lot closer to home for the Chancellor who revealed that he has also suffered xenophobic abuse in the wake of the vote.

Lord Bilimoria is the latest of a number of university leaders who have cautioned MPs on the diffi-

culties that Brexit poses for attracting academic staff, students and international partnerships for funding with EU countries. Recent figures have shown that almost 20% of academic staff in British universities are from EU countries, something that may be lost once Brexit begins to come into actuality.

The University Chancellor has further expressed concerns that an isolationist position and reduction in international partnerships could have a negative impact on ‘the UK’s higher education system and cutting edge research’.

Recent figures, published annually by the Office for National

Statistics, have highlighted that the number of overseas students at UK universities has fallen by over 40,000.

"Almost 20% of academic staff in British universities are from EU countries" Former Prime Minister David Cameron had privately agreed for overseas students to be excluded

from net migration estimates, which the Conservative government promised to reduce to ‘the tens of thousands instead of hundreds of thousands’. However, the current Prime Minister May has shown no such commitment.

Despite this, the government has vowed to continue to celebrate the ‘important contribution’ made

by EU and international students, staff and researchers to higher education in Britain.

It remains to be seen what the full effect of Brexit will have on the international student population but it is undoubtedly going to become apparent in the coming months.

West Midlands Police Force In FGM Social Media Controversy Megan Stanley News Reporter

After an episode of Call The Midwife aired on Sunday 26th February depicting a victim of female genital mutilation (FGM), West Midlands Police’s (WMP’s) official Twitter shared a link providing more information.

However, when a member of the public tweeted asking about this, WMP’s Twitter responded claiming: ‘Education and safeguarding vulnerable girls is the focus. Prosecuting / jailing parents unlikely to benefit child.’

The tweet has since been deleted after causing controversy. UKIP MP Suzanne Evans criticised the

force, alongside Bill Etheridge, a West Midlands MEP and Dudley councillor.

Etheridge said: ‘Effectively this is one of the worst crimes in our society and one of the least detected.

‘The police need to look at how they deal with female genital mutilation to make sure that those who commit this cruel and brutal crime are properly dealt with, regardless of their belief systems.

That means jail, not education’.

Figures have recently been released by the charity Plan International UK, stating that between April 2015 and March 2016 there were 8,656 incidences in which FGM was assessed in doctors surgeries or hospitals

within the UK. This is said to be public rightly expect West one case every 61 minutes.

Midlands Police to arrest and prosTanya Barron, chief execuecute those committing this tive of the charity said: most serious of crimes.

‘These figures are once ‘I have made a huge again a reminder of investment in West the global prevaMidlands Police's lence of FGM. An Public Protection estimated 200 Unit with a focus million women on intervention, and girls worldprevention and wide are affectprotection. Major Women ed.’ strides have been In response to taken to ensure Affected By the outrage regardidentifying and ing the tweets, responding to hidFGM West Midlands den crimes is a policPolice and Crime ing staple, with safeCommissioner David guarding part of everyone's Jamieson said, ‘FGM is child day-to-day business. abuse and both myself and the ‘I understand people's con-

c.200

million

cerns following a number of tweets from West Midlands Police's Twitter accounts this weekend and the general frustration at the lack of prosecutions nationwide.

The tweets in question did not convey just how dedicated West Midlands Police is to tackling FGM nor official policy and I will be raising the matter with the Chief Constable.’

The WMP Twitter later tweeted: ‘To be clear we will arrest and bring prosecutions against those committing FGM.’ There have currently been no successful prosecutions within the UK regarding FGM.

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Friday 17th March 2017

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Guild Officer Election Results

Daniel Hickey

John Wimperis News Reporter

Welfare Officer: Henny 'Mother Hen' Green Part-Time Officer Positions:

Daniel Hickey News Reporter

The results of the 2017/18 Guild Election were announced in an event in the Guild’s Debating Hall on the evening of Saturday 4th March. There were 49 candidates in total running for eight full-time positions and nine part-time positions this campaign, and a recordbreaking 8,507 voters this year.

Candidates had been campaigning for a week since voting opened on the 23rd February.

"Keiler beat 'Krispy Kreme' Burnett, who ran for the same role in the previous year, with 3,842 votes to 3,112."

Full-Time Officer Positions: President: 'Ellie Bean' Keiller Sports Officer: Helena 'Baywatch Bailey' Housing & Community Officer: Kris 'Aladdin' Ali Activities & Development Officer (ADO): Shannon 'Farm 'N' Fresh' Farmer Representation & Resources Officer (RRO): Jess 'Jessywood' Levy Postgraduate Students Officer: Rose Bennett Education Officer: Adam 'Go for Gold' Goldstone

Women’s Officer: Holly Campbell Community Action Officer: Cameron Beavan-King Ethnic Minority Students’ Officer: Sheimona Jahan Satellite Sites Officer: Max Seitler International Students’ Officer: Mirabel Chu Anti-Racism; Anti-Fascism Officer: Shimon Kelly LGBTQ Students’ Officer: Lucinda Bleichroeder Baker Disabled Students’ Officer: Belle Linford Ethical & Environmental Officer: Nat Crawley NUS Delegates: Alex Binnie, Jess Levy, Vanisha Solanki, Hannah Sherrard, Ross Strong, Adam Goldstone, Xenios Matjilla, Adam Elmi The Guild’s media groups interviewed the successful candidates after the results were announced. Redbrick spoke to each of the winning full-time officer candidates and got comments immediately following the conclusion of the results ceremony.

Redbrick asked 'Ellie Bean' Keiller, re-elected for a second term as Guild President, what she felt would be different to her first term: ‘Knowing what to do now, I can have so much more impact in the first few months.

I wrote my manifesto knowing that everything on it was 100% achievable.’

Keiller beat 'Kris-py Kreme' Burnett, who ran for the same role in the previous year, with 3,842 votes to 3,112. Speaking to Guild TV, Keiller said of her re-election: ‘I’m so grateful that 3,000 people thought I could do this again.’

"I can have so much more impact in the first few months. I wrote my manifesto knowing that everything on it was 100% achievable" ‘Whilst I think that I’m making an impact,' she added, 'hearing that I’m making an impact is so great.'

Coming in third place in the race for Guild President, was Xenios 'X Marks The Spot' Matjilla, who was awarded the 'Alternative Facts Award' at the beginning of the event when the current and former Guild Officers awarded fun awards.

A d a m Goldstone, elected Education Officer for 2017/18, gave some thoughts on how he will approach the role next year. ‘I'd rather over-deliver than under-deliver on my manifesto.

I think it’s all achievable.'

When asked how he felt about the result he said: 'I am quite

8,507

Voters this year

relieved and excited. Excited to get stuff done.’ Speaking on the results of the other votes, Goldstone said: ‘I think all the winning candidates duly deserve it.’

Shannon Farmer, the successful candidate for ADO, expressed her disbelief at the result.

‘I'm so shocked, amazed! I can’t believe it. This is just such a big moment.’

Adam 'Elmo' Elmi, who lost out in the race for ADO, was however awarded the 'Best Smile Award' for his efforts in campaigning, whilst the successful candidate, Farmer, received a commendation.

Farmer's sentiments were shared by Henny 'Mother Hen' Green, the newly elected Welfare Officer, who said, ‘I wasn’t expecting to get it. I’m really excited!’

Helena 'Baywatch Bailey' told Redbrick: ‘I gave it my all so I was confident that whatever happened would be the best result.

I’m over the moon that I actually got it.’

‘I’m really looking forward to getting the sports day up and running, and a lot of people have said they’re excited to see that.'

Jess 'Jessywood' Levy, who was the only candidate for RRO, received a standing ovation for her victory. Speaking about her victory, she said she was 'amazed'.

'I thought I was going to get so many more R.O.N votes,' Levy said. 'This week’s been so much fun,' she added, highlighting the dance party outside the library as a favourite moment.

Earlier on in the evening, Levy was applauded for her efforts in

campaigning despite running uncontested. She was presented the award for 'Most Intent on Beating RON' by former RRO, Daisy Lindar.

Kris 'Aladdin' Ali said that all candidates had put in ‘hard efforts’ in their campaign.

‘There have been so many highs and lows during the campaign week and there were times I was thinking 'what’s the point of me being here?''

Two of Ali's competitors were praised for their efforts in the campaigning, with 'Outer Space' Grace, whilst Thomas Thornhill received a commendation.

'Honestly, it’s a great achievement. I didn’t think I’d have nerves until my name came up on-screen'

49

Candidates in total

"The new officer team will take up their roles for the academic year 2017-18" The new Officer team will take up their roles for the academic year 2017-18, while the current sitting Officer team will continue in their roles until the conclusion of their terms at the end of the 2016-17 academic year.

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University Free Speech Restriction Tobias Sales News Reporter

A university is facing criticism for restricting free speech by proposing alternative terminology for students and academics to utilise, in a drive to become more inclusive of minority students.

Cardiff Metropolitan University has been branded ‘insulting to students and academics’ after it released a list of over thirty terms it deems inappropriate. The Code of Practice on Using Inclusive Language was collated and released ‘in order to promote an atmosphere in which all students and staff feel valued’, and also aims to promote ‘fairness and equality through raising awareness about the effects of potentially discriminating language’.

The document states:

‘Language is constantly evolving and “acceptable terminology” can change’.

"Some of the unacceptable terms include 'man-made', 'the disabled' and 'homosexual'" According to the authors, some of the unacceptable terms include ‘mankind’, ‘sportsmanship’, and ‘man-made’, as well as ‘the disabled’ and ‘homosexual’, which it believes is ‘laden with values of a previous time’. A full list of the thirty-four terms deemed unacceptable can be found online.

The scheme, though, has been

met with criticism from freespeech advocates who believe that the policy will constrain freedom of expression. An anonymous lecturer from the University of Kent spoke to The Telegraph, stating, ‘these words have evolved over a long period of time, and don’t have sexist connotations’.

Worries were further heightened as this policy is introduced at a time when nine out of ten universities in the UK were found to be constrictive of free speech, according to research for Spiked magazine conducted by the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust. This study found that Cardiff Metropolitan University, alongside the University of Birmingham, is included in a list of ‘severely’ restrictive institutions, which includes almost 65% of all higher education providers.

The plans have also been criticised by Dr Williams, author of

Academic Freedom in an Age of Conformity, who spoke to BBC Wales soon after the plans were unveiled, stating that universities ‘should trust academics to be able to communicate with each other without being permanently offended’.

"Language is constantly evolving and 'acceptable terminology' can change" She continued by labelling the policy as ‘very insulting’ and ‘very authoritarian’. Speaking of the banned words, she added, ‘if you look at their origins, they are not really based on an exclusion-

ary idea, [...] the words have come to encompass more than just men.

They are more general’.

The President of the National Union of Students, Malia Bouattia, who has herself been criticised of utilising ‘outright racism’, has previously defended the monitoring of speech, however, stating that similar policies ‘create an environment where students and staff are free from harassment and fear.

‘This is about creating communities that all can participate in without the risk of violence or abuse.’

Should they experience the policy being breached, students of Cardiff Metropolitan University are advised to refer to the Bullying and Harassment Policy, whilst academics and staff are to consult the Disciplinary procedure.

UoB Makes LGBTQ 'Guide of Best Practice' Emily Mae Darby News Reporter

University of Birmingham (UoB) researchers have published the results of a pioneering study into improving inclusivity of the LGBTQ community in higher education. The results come after releasing an extensive survey filled out by LGBTQ and straight cisgender students and staff on campus.

The survey focused on their experiences, both positive and negative, and analysed the level of comfort they felt in different areas of the University community including halls, lectures and sports clubs.

The results mirrored national data, revealing a host of common difficulties combined with evidence of successful strategies introduced by the University in order to help tackle key issues and improve the LGBTQ student expe-

rience.

The research culminates in a document that is being referred to as a ‘guide of best practice’ that highlights ways to tackle key LGBTQ issues efficiently, ways to raise awareness of the difficulties and what can be done to ‘transform’ the culture on campus.

Dr. Nicola Gale, senior lecturer at UoB said: ‘We have had a huge amount of interest in the best practice guide nationally and internationally, and are hoping that with its publication more universities will be inspired to consider systematically how they can make their learning spaces more inclusive.’

‘The guide will go out to academic and professional staff in universities, student union/guilds, further education and any other adult education environments’.

The University is welcoming national interest from UK universities, and researchers are keen to help create a more inclu-

sive learning environment for members of the LGBTQ community.

Recently, UoB held the first international conference on LGBTQ inclusivity in higher education.

Referring to how researchers set up a system to assess progress in LGBTQ policy, Dr. Gale added:‘The Ward-Gale model is an evidence-based reflective tool that can be used by individuals, teaching programmes or whole universities to understand where they are now, and whether there is scope to adapt their practice to be more inclusive.’

‘We hope that all universities could ultimately develop awareness in all three domains - language, role models and curriculum content - about LGBTQ inclusion issues. For some subjects or areas, there may be scope for more transformative content as well’.

Members of the LGBTQ community at UoB told Redbrick what they thought of the proposals.

Harry Holmes, a second year Biochemistry student responded, ‘I didn't realise there were any major issues at our university in particular, I've never experienced any negative attitudes due to my sexuality and I feel like there's plenty of support for those who need it. But that said, I can imagine other universities could be quite inhospitable and if this helps change that then I'm all for it.’

Matt Walters, a second year Computer Science student told us that the ‘new model looks like a really good step for further LGBTQ inclusivity, providing offers of higher education a means to gauge their levels of support for the LGBTQ community and improve. Although LGBTQ students are a lot more accepted now, there is still a lot that needs to be done – educating and providing resources for communities at university level is a great step forwards.

‘I believe that the University of Birmingham currently offers a

wide range of great support for LGBTQ students, however it is important to note that not all LGBTQ communities around the country are the same. Other offerors of Higher Education must be willing to diversify the model to suit the needs of their communities and not just follow it’s suggested practises blindly.’

A second year English Literature student added: ‘The University LGBTQ mentoring scheme is very important. Seeing successful LGBTQ people from such a diverse set of professions and backgrounds is so reassuring, and their advice and support can be invaluable.

'Every academic I have had in my degree thus far has been considerate of all in their classes, and keen to engage in a dialogue about things like equality. It's one of the most rewarding things about my university life so far.’

'Buy For Uni' Student Mortgage Launched Astrid Skjold News Reporter

The Loughborough Building Society has launched a new 'Buy for Uni' mortgage aimed at university students who wish to own, rather than rent, property.

"Students' representatives are urging students to be cautious" The Building Society becomes the second lender of this niche loan, as it joins Bath Building Society in offering stu-

dents to become landlords.

With graduates struggling to build up a deposit large enough to buy a property, the scheme provides university students in England and Wales with the opportunity to own a home before student debt has accumulated.

'Buy for Uni' effectively turns students into landlords, as they can rent out spare rooms. The aim is that the money earned on rent will cover more than the commitments on the loan.

Interest rates on the loans range between 4.54% and 4.74%, depending on the security and terms of the loans, which is higher that usual for first-time buyers.

Chief executive of Loughborough Building Society, Gary Brebner, says that the rent earned on spare rooms should also

cover a potential rise in interest rates, or that the guarantor will step in if the student is unable to meet these commitments.

"'Buy for Uni' effectively turns students into landlord, as they can rent spare rooms" The scheme offers loans up to £300,000, and finances up to 100% of the property. Close relatives parents, stepparents or grandparents - have to provide security if the loan is for more than 80% of

the value of the property. This requires the student's close relatives to have a substantial amount in cash or in equity on their own home.

The Bath Building Society has had a similar scheme going for nine years, with a loan-to-value ratio of 75%. Chief Executive of the Bath Building Society, Dick Jenkins, says that the default rates on these loans are much lower than on typical mortgages. They have not encountered problem cases.

The security required from close relatives in both schemes implies that the loans are targeted at students from wealthier families, with sufficient value in either cash or equity in the family home.

Students' representatives are urging students to be cautious

about the loans, making sure they are aware of the hidden costs and terms involved.

"Students should be careful of offers that seem 'too good to be true'" Vice President for welfare at the National Union of Students says: ‘Students should be careful of offers that seem ‘too good to be true’. Buying a house will usually involve significant hidden costs for deposits, agents, and surveyors, even if the monthly payments seem to compare well with rented properties’.

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Redbrick News Investigates: Student Lettings In Selly Oak Redbrick News' Joseph Timan, Erin Santillo, Alice Rogers, and Niamh Coffey investigate the local rental market through a student survey, letting agent interviews, and council regulation research Joseph Timan News Editor @josephtiman

Erin Santillo News Editor @erinsantillo

Alice Rogers News Reporter

Niamh Coffey News Reporter

With nearly half (49%) of Selly Oak’s residents aged between 18 and 24, and the rush for University of Birmingham (UoB) students to sign tenancy agreements moving earlier each year, the demands on companies, students, and landlords are increasing annually.

However, amid new initiatives led by the Guild of Students and online review websites, Redbrick asks whether student living in Selly Oak has become a simpler, less stressful, and more pleasant process.

For the past two months, the Redbrick News team have run student surveys, held interviews with several letting agents, collected numerous reviews of most local housing companies, undertaken research into council regulations, and spoken with Izzie Nicholds, the Guild’s Housing and Community Officer (HCO), in order to clarify the picture for students considering renting in Selly Oak in the future.

Credit: Jamie Crawford ‘Mixed’ Experiences In our 2017 survey that was targeted at UoB students and alumni who indicated that they have lived, currently live or have signed a contract to live in Selly Oak, Redbrick received 648 responses after promoting the survey through Facebook, principally on the Fab N Fresh Facebook group.

In that survey, 34.3% had general unpopularity of letting ‘mixed’ experiences with letting agents in Selly Oak could lie in agents in the area. The second the rising prices and value for most popular response concerning money in the area. In Redbrick’s students’ experiences with letting survey, it was found that 38.5% of agents was ‘generally bad’, which respondents saw their properties received 26.9%. as having ‘generally bad value’ In order to find an explanation for money. for UoB students’ ‘mixed’ experiThe survey also found that e n c e s , 44.2% of R e d b r i c k How would you describe your r e s p o n d e n t s spoke with reported payIzzie Nicholds, experience with letting agents ment of hidden who highlighted in Selly Oak? (Out of 633) fees – costs not the importance included in the of letting agents rent price adverbuilding positive tised – to their letrelations with stuting agents or dents upon first landlords. 246 of contact during those people house viewhad paid adminings. For most, istration fees, especially 102 hold fees, first-year 53 late fees, undergraduand 31 ‘other’ ates, the search fees. With many for rented of these addiaccommodation tional costs being serves as their one-off and often introduction to the relating to contract or property market. property administraTherefore, their first tion, however, it is impressions of letting unlikely that the ‘genagents may shape the erally bad value’ verways in which they dict was majorly influview property profesenced by hidden fees. sionals in the future.

Rather, it seems that Nicholds suggested students are generally that unfriendly house unhappy with the value viewings, often characfor money of their terised by agents pushmonthly rent. ing students ‘to sign the Redbrick spoke to dotted line’ after initial tours, Patrick Garratt, Co-founder and reveal an impersonal attitude of Managing Director of Purple certain letting companies who Frog, who explained the rising ‘just see it as another contract cost of rent from his company’s signed’ whilst overlooking ‘the perspective. He told us that ‘on welfare needs of students’, which average, rents have risen 2-5% could lead to negative attitudes per year’ over the ten years that developing from initial encoun- Purple Frog has let properties in ters with letting agents.

Selly Oak. Furthermore, in her general Garratt highlighted that this advice to prospective renters, surge has been driven mostly by Nicholds stated that students the increase in UoB students aimshould try and avoid the mid-No- ing to rent in the area, and the vember housing rush that forces restrictions imposed on landlords many people into contracts they by the council regarding houses in are unsure of; a rush that she multiple occupation (HMOs). believes is created by letting Purple Frog has also been affected agents and landlords in order to by the government’s introduction ‘create a competition’. She indi- of ‘tenant tax’, which results in cated that it could be this imper- landlords having to pay tax on sonal, business-centric outlook of their rental income, rather than particular letting agents that result just profit. in students’ ‘generally bad’ and ‘mixed’ impressions of them in the long term.

‘Please do not rush’, the HCO advises, ‘When landlords say to a student that this property will go in 5 minutes, they believe them because they don’t know any different. What we [the Guild] say is Gary King, managing director that you can still find a great of King & Co Properties, also house come December or noted the recent rise in prices, January’. stating that ‘as an approximate Another reason behind the estimate, [he] would say landlords

"on average, rents have risen 2-5% per year"

increase rents annually by £1-2 provide for that market.’ However, per person per week (pppw) on Hughes claimed that some landaverage’ for their properties. lords charge ‘upmarket’ prices for However, with the increase in properties which [they] have spent rent comes an increase in quality, nothing on’. ‘I've seen student according to both managing direc- housing in other areas. Selly Oak tors. King told Redbrick that after has really geared itself to the stuletting student properties for over dent population’. seventeen years, he has ‘seen a massive shift in the rental market and [is] pleased to say the majority for the better’.

Continuing, King said, ‘obviously, rents have increased (as has the price of everything), but overall so has the quality of the properties and the level of service offered to students by landlords and agents alike’.

Garratt, who lived in Selly Oak as a student in 2005, also commented on the improvement to properties over the past decade.

Since graduating, he said, ‘the standard of properties has increased drastically, as has the number of larger refurbished properties’.

‘There were only a handful of Credit: Jamie Crawford 6-bed properties when we opened our office in 2007; double beds, en-suites, TVs in rooms and bills Council and Governmental included, which are very popular Regulations now, weren’t heard of 10 years ago’.

The reasons behind Selly Oak’s Pete Hughes, a consultant popularity may not just lie with its working for Britannia Property proximity to UoB and increasing Services and former Environmental property modernisation, however.

Health Officer Essentially, it f o r is the area’s Birmingham unlimited How do you feel about the City Council value of money for rent in Selly capacity for (BCC), reported HMOs that Oak? (Out of 633) that ‘over the makes it a landyears, a lot of the lord hotspot – student market inevitably resulthas gone very ing in a rise in rentupmarket [...] al costs. which has meant An HMO difthat the variafers from a famtion in the ily household quality of in that it is accommodahome to three tion is much or more unrewider than it lated tenants used to be’. living there as To explain part of at least the increase in two separate rental costs, households whilst Hughes cites an sharing bathroom and increase in the kitchen facilities. number of internaSimilarly, a licensational students ‘who ble HMO consists of are being funded by a property three or their governments more storeys high and their employers’ with five or more and students from tenants sharing the wealthier families aforementioned who may ‘see money facilities. It follows for rental as no therefore that the object’. This creates vast majority of UoB an issue in his eyes: students would be ‘The problem there is, as I see, c a t egorised as HMO tensome landlords are actually going ants. upmarket and catering for, by proDespite the many practical viding studio accommodation and advantages of living in an HMO en-suite accommodation, trying to in Selly Oak – being able to live

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with friends and living in close Bournbrook to the east, Raddlebarn proximity to the university, for to the south, and Heeley to the example – recent legislation and west (see image below). council activity has put a signifiNevertheless, restricting the cant strain on landlords, hence number of HMOs outside of these causing them to raise rent. boundaries puts added pressure The so-called ‘tenant tax’, on lettings close to UoB, driving which will come into effect on the the increase in rental prices. sixth of April this year, has caused Gary King from King & Co landlords to increase rent so as to Properties spoke to Redbrick have little impact on any profit about the introduction of Article 4 they make. Consequently, rental to the area. He told us that landprices across the country have lords have ‘basically got no risen significantly, and students chance of transferring a residenare being hit hard. tial that [they] can buy now [in the Moreover, HMO licensing on Article 4 zone] into an HMO properties with over five tenants property [...] unless [they] can (as described above) has also con- prove there is less than a 10% tributed to this increase. Purple concentration of HMO properties Frog’s Garrett estimates that within a 100m radius’.

HMO Licensing has added more The issues at hand paint a very than £1 per person per week worrying picture for students (pppw) onto rents for licensable moving into the area, as well as properties. those already living there. With In addition to soaring rental increasing prices and restrictions prices, BCC are working to restrict on accommodation, the idea of the number of HMOs in Selly occupying any property as a stuOak, despite rising numbers of dent seems to be a financially students moving into the area. daunting prospect.

Purple Frog also claim that BCC Considering this increasing has reportedly instructed council- monetary anxiety, some have been lors to refuse requests to extend calling for the abolition of properties to seven or administration fees more bedrooms. charged by letting Steve McCabe, agents. In 2016, the the MP for Selly g o v e r n m e n t ’s Oak, has been Autumn Statement actively camdeclared that they paigning for had listened to restrictions on these requests, Purple Frog's converting propand would hence Estimate For The erties into stuban this kind of Amount HMO dent accommohidden fee across dation after being the UK. However, Licensing Has inundated with since the publishing Added To Rent complaints from of the Statement, residents. nothing further has McCabe has been been clarified. joined by a range of cross In their report entitled ‘A party MPs whose constituencies State of Disrepair’ published last have also been affected by high month, Citizen’s Advice suggestnumbers of HMOs. These politi- ed that the government should cians argue that HMOs are prime ensure that the ban on administratargets of rogue builders, and tion fees be ‘enacted as soon as hence limiting student accommo- possible’. Although the charity dation could help to reduce these welcomed the ‘apparent shift in cases of fraud. political emphasis towards rentThe issue is further stressed by ers’, they also showed through the implementation of an Article 4 their research that ‘every month direction in certain areas of Selly this is delayed, renters pay in Oak, Edgbaston, and Harborne, excess of £13 million in unfair that limits the number of residen- and uncompetitive fees’. tial properties that can be renoThe decision to introduce the vated into student lets outside of ban into government policy has the central student district of Selly sparked significant debate regardOak. The area unaffected by this ing the impact that this may have law includes residences enclosed on prospective tenants, landlords,

by Bristol Road to the north, and letting agents alike. On one side of the argument sits Campbell Robb, the chief executive of nationwide housing charity Shelter. He applauded the development, stating: ‘Millions of renters in England have felt the financial strain of unfair letting agent fees for far too long, so we’re delighted with the government’s decision to ban them. We’ve long been campaigning on this issue and it’s great to see that the government has taken note. [...] This will make a huge difference to all those scraping by in our expensive, unstable renting market’.

This opinion is not shared with National Landlords Association’s chief executive, Richard Lambert.

He believes that taking this step merely highlights that the Chancellor, Philip Hammond, ‘lacks an understanding of how the whole sector works’.

Lambert fears that the cost would ‘boomerang’ back onto private tenants, explaining, ‘agents will have no other option than to shift the fees on to landlords, which many will argue is more Credit: Birmingham City Council appropriate, since the landlord

£1 pppw

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employs the agent. But adding to landlords’ costs, on top of restricting their ability to deduct their business costs from their taxable income, will only push more towards increasing rents’.

Credit: Jamie Crawford Advice for Tenant Protection It is important to note, however, that rent prices are not the only costs that students have to pay in order to live in Selly Oak. Despite most contracts detailing a refundable deposit that will be returned at the end of the tenancy, Redbrick’s survey found that 42.8% of respondents had suffered deposit deductions due to cleaning or damage problems, 223 of whom did not feel that the amount subtracted was fair.

Regarding the fairness of deposit deductions, Purple Frog’s Patrick Garratt was very eager to stress that students should only deal with letting agents that abide by deposit protection legislation, ‘so landlords can’t charge more than is justifiable from [students’] deposits’. He also emphasised the importance of letting from ‘an accredited landlord or agent’ to avoid the ‘rogue elements’ of the letting trade: ‘The biggest problem for students in Selly Oak are rogue agents and landlords; there are still a significant number of landlords who aren’t looking after the properties and tenants as they should’.

"The biggest problem for students in Selly Oak are rogue agents and landlords; there are still a significant number of landlords who aren’t looking after the properties and tenants as they should" Speaking again with Izzie Nicholds, the HCO pointed to a number of services that Guild Advice already provide to ensure that all aspects of student’s experiences with housing in Selly Oak run as smoothly as possible, such as contract checking and signposting legal services, which she

assured us are ‘great contacts’.

Izzie also mentioned that the Guild holds a partnership with Living, the university’s accommodation service. She was certainly confident in the levels of awareness that existing students have of these services, saying that ‘if the student needs to use the service they find it easy to come and find us’.

Naturally, the most significant example of how the Guild believe that a letting agent should be run can be seen through its handling of its own service, Guild Lettings.

When asked about the ways that Guild Lettings is different to the other agents in Selly Oak, she said that Guild Lettings ‘goes above and beyond what is available in Selly Oak on a regular basis’.

The Guild’s own letting agent is one of the few in Selly Oak that doesn’t charge students ‘unnecessary’ fees, and according to Nicholds, offers a service that makes the move from university owned accommodation to rented property ‘an easy transition [...] especially for first years’.

‘With students who may be more uneasy about finding a house the first time [...] it’s great because we offer the support side as well.

We make sure that we sit down with [the tenants] and go through every line of the contract with them, so they know exactly what they’re getting for their money’.

Gary King’s advice follows King & Co Properties’ policy of asking ‘tenants not to sign for a property until they are 100% sure and committed to the tenancy’.

He highlighted the integral role that digital media now plays in the letting market: ‘Thankfully, through the development of social media these days, students now have an outlet to express their concerns and “call out” rogue accommodation providers’.

‘The flip side of this is that tenants can also provide positive feedback on experiences they have had with more reputable providers. We actively encourage prospective tenants to look at our Google and Facebook pages to see how current and previous tenants have found dealing with us.

We also encourage students to look at all other agent’s social media as well to compare their level of service - transparency is the key!’

Social media and online review platforms are also becoming popular beyond individual letting agents’ promotion. For example, review aggregator websites such as StudentBricks, which was launched in 2015 by two UoB students, work to provide transparent and unbiased reviews of properties written by students, for students.

Redbrick met with Tom Brooks, co-founder of StudentBricks, who described how his company helps to distribute advice to UoB students planning on renting in Selly Oak. He told us, ‘StudentBricks is here to help students be more informed and reduce the likelihood of getting into a poorly managed tenancy’.

On describing the current letting market, Brooks revealed that he has ‘seen dramatic increase in price, with some properties seeing price gains of over 15% in a year.

In likelihood, this is following the increase in sale prices of properties in highly sought after student areas’, such as Selly Oak. Brooks also offers advice on

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speeding up deposit returns at the end of tenancies, which he suggests is smoother by avoiding ‘unsettled utility bills and incomplete council tax forms’, which ‘are reasons frequently associated with delays in deposits being returned’.

Furthermore, he identifies that keeping undetailed inventories can result in ‘some students [...] wrongly losing out on their deposits. Making sure your landlord uses the correct deposit schemes and thoroughly completing your inventory will reduce likelihood of losing any deposit’.

StudentBricks has close relations with the Guild since both managing directors are alumni of the university, and thus they can often be found at housing fairs to offer impartial advice to students.

Izzie Nicholds stated, ‘When it comes to getting students to write reviews make it more transparent, peer to peer advice that you wouldn’t see from a letting agent, and as a letting agent, you really want and expect good reviews, and those will come about from StudentBricks.

Review aggregator websites such as StudentBricks [...] work to provide transparent and unbiased reviews of properties written by students An alternative review scheme that Purple Frog is signed up to is TrustPilot, which, like StudentBricks, offers students to write a review about specific letting agents online. Purple Frog's Patrick Garratt, told us that these reviews are extremely useful for prospective tenants, but also for the company itself, which uses ‘this information to cater [their] services to [their] tenants’ needs and share it with our landlords to make sure they are providing the right properties’.

Whilst discussing the university’s influence on Selly Oak’s letting market, many agents saw UoB’s proximity to the area as a positive, since it vastly increases the number of prospective renters.

Most were also glad of the Guild’s educational programmes, housing fairs and impartial advice, which Purple Frog saw as ‘crucial to help combat those few rogue landlords and agents who operate in the market’.

Direct Housing’s Claire Dempster, however, said that although the Guild are very helpful with advice generally, ‘sometimes this can prove to be tedious encouraging students to have contracts checked over and over again. Our contracts have been checked and verified many times by the Guild,’ she said.

Conversely, as repeatedly emphasised throughout this investigation thus far, Direct Housing were keen to stress that advice bureaus, such as the Guild, and review websites, such as StudentBricks and TrustPilot, all work in unison to ‘expose below average letting agents and landlords’ and protect students from dangerous and unfair contracts.

Continued overleaf.

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Preliminary Notes All the factual information gathered has either been provided voluntarily by each letting agent, or taken from their website, unless otherwise stated.

Respondents to our initial survey were also asked to provide details of personal experiences they had with each letting agent. We received between 5-12 responses for each company (unless otherwise stated) and have set out a selection of those responses below.

‘Manage directly’ refers to properties managed by that letting agent on behalf of the landlord and is an approximate figure provided by each letting agent.

The ‘price range’ was also provided by each letting agent, with the exception of Easy Lettings for which the figure was taken from their online listings.

‘Grace-period’ refers to how late tenants can pay their rent before the letting agent will charge a late payment fee. This is only applicable for properties that the letting agent manages directly.

Where applicable, all fees listed are inclusive of VAT.

PURPLE FROG Purple Frog was set up by two former UoB students over 10 years ago. One of the founders, Patrick Garratt, told Redbrick: ‘We knew we could provide a better service to students, and that’s what we strive to do every day.’

Purple Frog’s tenants have access to many national and local discounts, including Vodbull, Stupid Tuesdays, and The Soak.

The letting agent will also be offering free contents insurance for tenants renting in 2017/18.

Respondents to our survey complained about how long it took Purple Frog to attend to issues.

"Any day, any time, whatever the issue is they quickly respond and sort it" Sean Roche, a UoB alumnus expressed this frustration, saying, 'We had a wasp infestation at one stage which took 3 weeks to clear out and the house was almost unliveable due to how bad it was.’

In response, Purple Frog apologised that Roche had these problems, and said, ‘we take great care to fix problems as quickly as possible; our maintenance team in Selly Oak currently averages 4 days to set all reported issues right.’

According to Garratt, as long as the tenants provide Purple Frog with copies of their final utility bills, deposits are normally returned within 14 days. Garratt added that, with the exception of rent arrears, the average deduc-

tion of deposits that weren’t returned in full is 11%.

Another respondent complained about large sums of deposits withheld for 'exaggerated cleaning issues'. The company responded by saying, ‘we work hard to ensure our tenants don’t get unnecessary charges,’ and reminded students that they can dispute any charges deemed unfair with an external arbitrator.

The most positive review came from Jess Murfin, who described Purple Frog as ‘remarkable’. ‘Any day, any time, whatever the issue is they quickly respond and sort it,’ she said.

‘Their friendly and helpful manner makes renting a student house easy, affordable, and troublefree.’

Responding to these comments, Purple Frog said: ‘We love hearing feedback from the people who use our services [...] it’s only by hearing their stories that we can learn whether we’re doing it right.'

GUILD LETTINGS Guild Lettings, owned by the Guild of Students and located in University Centre, don’t charge any admin or holding fees for students, simply taking deposits and rent.

Speaking to Redbrick, Guild Lettings Manager Catherine Tulley said: ‘We also only advertise properties with landlords who are MLAS accredited, so we’re trying to improve the quality of properties and landlords that students are renting from.’

Tulley also told Redbrick that roughly 46% of their tenants’ deposits are returned in full, around 50% have between £6 and £80 deducted and about 4% over £80. According to Tulley, it usually takes between two and four weeks to return deposits, but it depends on students returning forms.

"I felt that I could really trust them" One respondent complained about how long it took Guild Lettings to reply to emails and confirm viewings. In response, Guild Lettings said, ‘this appears to be a one-off and may have been during our very busy housing season.’

Another former tenant praised Guild Lettings, saying ‘I didn’t appreciate how great Guild Lettings were until I used a different letting agent.’ Whilst most of his dealings were with the landlord once the tenancy started, he said that the viewing and signing process with Guild Lettings was very smooth. ‘It was my first time renting, and I felt that I could really trust them.’

BROAD COURT Broad Court claim to cater to students by doing all administrative work online, including booking viewings, making payments and completing all paperwork using DocuSign. ‘These systems were specifically designed for use by students, as we find it difficult if not impossible to get groups together for joint contract signing etc.’

Whilst Broad Court charge an admin fee they do not charge a

holding, signing or reservation fee. Speaking to Redbrick, Brian Mothersdill, Broad Court’s General Manager, said that last year all deposits were returned within 10 days unless Broad Court were awaiting contractor’s invoices or decisions from tenants on the division of costs.

"Last year we did not have a single disputed deposit return" Mothersdill claims that around half of the deposits were returned in full, and the deduction between all the tenants in a house would total £100 on average. ‘We find this system very effective,’ Mothersdill said. ‘Last year we did not have a single disputed deposit return.’

When asked about their experience using Broad Court, several survey respondents complained about the speed at which the company would reply to emails and perform maintenance tasks.

One respondent claimed that it took over a fortnight to repair or replace a broken washing machine.

In response to these claims, Broad Court said: ‘It’s difficult to comment [on these specific cases] without having further information.’ Nevertheless, another former tenant said that although it took a long time to replace a broken hoover, everything that needed fixing was done very quickly.

This former tenant also said that they had their locks fixed for free, and that Broad Court were easy to contact and speak to.

OAKMANS Oakmans is a member of various organisations, including the National Landlords Association, The Property Ombudsman, and the Midland Landlord Accreditation Scheme. The letting agent offers students an optional bills package through a partner company to make the billing process easier for students.

Oakmans claims that approximately 85% of their tenants’ deposits are returned in full, and that the process of returning deposits usually takes a month.

A former tenant of Oakmans told Redbrick that although their experience with the letting agent was generally good, they felt very pressured to pay the admin fee that was required to reserve the house for a week. ‘It was incredibly stressful getting the paperwork in on time,’ they said.

"So far I've had no qualms with the agents" The same tenant also expressed their surprise that they had to pay a £550 deposit before having seen the tenancy agreement. Elaborating on Oakmans’ customer service, they said: ‘The lady who showed us around the house was friendly and helpful, however our encounters with other members of their office staff were negative, in that some were abrupt and at one point even rude.’

Responding to these comments, Oakmans said: ‘all of our tenants are advised that there is a

7 day process due to the demand to sign contracts and pay their deposit [...] without knowing the exact property address I cannot comment further.’

'We would never ask for a deposit without the tenants seeing sight of a tenancy agreement. It is sent out in an initial email that goes out to all of our tenants when they have reserved a house for their reference.’

In a contrasting review, one respondent said that Oakmans were professional and friendly during their house viewing, and appreciated the ease of signing the contract on an electronic system. ‘So far, I have had no qualms with the agents, and I would recommend them to everyone.’

Manage directly: 75% Admin fees: £59pp Other fees: £1 signing fee Late payment: £35 4-day grace-period Price range: £55-£180pppw

EASY LETTINGS Redbrick understands that Easy Lettings has offered tenants in the last few years a £35 Virgin Media discount voucher. According to a current tenant with Easy Lettings, the letting agent charges both an admin fee and a reservation fee, but the latter is deducted from the deposit. Easy Lettings is believed to charge tenants £5 each day tenants are late in paying rent.

"very understanding and it never happened again" Several respondents described Easy Lettings’ staff as ‘rude’ and ‘unhelpful’, with one describing their customer service as ‘pretty horrendous’. Others expressed that this letting agent doesn’t care about its tenants. ‘A common problem was unannounced house viewings. ‘They've let themselves in to show the house off without telling us,’ one respondent said.

Another claimed that there was an unannounced house viewing, ‘where no one from the house was given any notice, and half of the occupants were in bed or getting changed when people tried to enter their rooms.’

Nonetheless, one respondent noted that although there was a viewing which tenants were not given 24 hours’ notice for, Easy Lettings were ‘very understanding’ and it never happened again.

Similarly, a current tenant of Easy Lettings told Redbrick that recently they had been quick to fix problems. Still, the student acknowledged that they are generally hard to get in contact with.

‘If we have a problem and email them, they never reply to the emails, they just send someone round at any time suits them.’

Jamie Crawford, a UoB student, said that he once signed a tenancy agreement with Easy Lettings, but the landlady had sold the house and the new landlord wasn’t obligated to keep them as tenants.

Despite worrying that they had in fact not secured their tenancy, Crawford claims that Easy Lettings kept reassuring them that it was fine. ‘They didn't take our concerns very seriously and didn't appear to know what was going on with regards to the lease of the property.’

Easy Lettings were given the opportunity to respond to these comments, but chose not to.

Manage directly: 28% Admin fees: None Other fees: None Late payment: £30 14-day grace-period Price range: £50-£128pppw

Manage directly: 90% Admin fees: £50pp Other fees: None Late payment: £25 3-4wks grace-period Price range: £50-£150pppw

Manage directly: 25% Admin fees: £50pp Other fees: None Late payment: £30 8-day grace-period Price range: £60-£130pppw

*Based on current tenant Manage directly: undisclosed Admin fees: £25pp Other fees: £100pp reservation fee Late payment: £5 per day Price range: £55-£125pppw

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PROPERTY SOLUTIONS

Manage directly: 20% Admin fees: £30pp Other fees: £100 holding fee Late payment: £30 7-day grace-period Price range: £75-£110pppw

Manage directly: 100% Admin fees: none (3p+) Other fees: £100pp hold fee Late payment: £50 10-day grace-period Price range: £70-£185pppw

Manage directly: 70% Admin fees: £30pp Other fees: £100pp (min.) reservation fee Late payment: £30 14-day grace-period Price range: £55-£125pppw

Manage directly: 70% Admin fees: None Other fees: None Late payment: £25 no specified grace-period Price range: £60-£125pppw

Speaking to Redbrick, Mohammed Fiaz, a Property Solutions manager, said that they have a large team of mostly university graduates who have experienced living in student accommodation themselves. ‘By having this experience we ensure we try our utmost to facilitate a smooth tenancy.’

Property Solutions give tenants seven days after reserving a property to formally sign their tenancy agreements, and advise groups to use the free contract checking service offered at the Guild. Fiaz told Redbrick that over the last few years they have offered some deals and incentives for students.

"we always try our utmost to assist tenants who experience problems with their landlords" Whilst they charge a late payment fee, Fiaz told Redbrick, ‘If tenants have genuine reasons for late payment and inform us in advance, our accounts department are able to use their discretion and not charge the late payment fee.’

Property Solutions told Redbrick that 95% of their tenants’ deposits are returned within 14 working days, and around 90% are returned in full.

Of several tenants questioned, one complained about their landlady, but said that the letting agent had ‘done their best’, whilst another who complained about their landlord said that Property Solutions subsequently stopped working with him after the tenancy.

In response, Property Solutions said: ‘Although the ultimate responsibility lies with the landlord, we always try our utmost to assist tenants who experience problems with their landlords.’

Another former tenant complained about unannounced viewings, which they said was ‘really annoying and inconvenient.’ In response, Property Solutions advised students to refuse entry to any agent that has failed to provide sufficient notice, explaining that ‘where a landlord has given his/her property to multiple agents we have noted instances of other agents not giving the required 24 hours’ notice to existing tenants.’

Alex Reay, a final year student, said that Property Solutions ‘have been nothing but good to us so far’. Reay praised their swift response in fixing faulty furniture and leniency regarding late payment, as well as their organisation when paying the deposit and starting of the tenancy.

BRITANNIA

Manage directly: 50% Admin fees: £40pp (3p+) Other fees: £50pp Late payment: undisclosed Price range: £55-£100pppw

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Britannia Property Services’ houses can be identified by their distinctly blue front doors. Pete Hughes, who works as an independent consultant on behalf of Britannia, told Redbrick that they offer many of its tenants free WiFi and TV Licenses, and many have free monthly communal cleaning and gardening services.

In addition to this, for their properties on North Road and Dale Road where they cannot

have wheelie bins, they put the rubbish out ready for bin-day.

"We've, to a large extent, driven the market in Selly Oak" ‘We've, to a large extent, driven the market in Selly Oak,’ Hughes said. ‘We were the first people to be providing large kitchen dining lounges with 60 inch plasma TV, breakfast bar, the works. We started that, and everyone very quickly followed us.’

Although Britannia charge an admin fee of £120 per person for one or two tenants, they do not charge an admin fee for groups of three or more. According to Hughes, Britannia charges a late payment fee to persistent late payers only.

Hughes also told Redbrick that at least 95% of deposits are returned in full, with minor deductions taken for lost sets of keys.

‘Unless there are disputes (which are rare),’ he said, ‘we aim to return all deposits within 6 weeks, and most are returned within 3 to 4 weeks of termination.’

Nevertheless, one survey respondent alleged that all of their deposit was taken ‘for blue tack, not getting a professional cleaner in [...] and a cardboard box’.

Britannia responded by saying that they can’t verify this type of allegation without more details, however, they stated: ‘Britannia are confident that no deposits have been withheld on these grounds alone, and no dispute could have been upheld by the Tenancy Deposit Scheme on such grounds.’

Voicing a different perspective, another survey respondent compared Britannia to a local competitor who they’d previously used, describing Britannia as ‘a million times better’. This tenant said that their Britannia have text them between 24 and 48 hours in advance of viewings and would recommended others to use them.

DIRECT HOUSING Direct Housing claim to be the first letting agent in Selly Oak having first started 25 years ago.

Speaking to Redbrick, Direct Housing Manager Clare Dempster, said, ‘We work with integrity, transparency, and attend the University regularly for up to date meetings about all things relevant to the students in the area.’

Demspter told Redbrick about Direct Housing’s commitment to securing Selly Oak and keeping students safe with the locally run ‘Bournbrook Gate Project’. Direct Housing also holds prize draws for Facebook reviews and offers vouchers to customers.

"the best agency I would recommend for anyone" Whilst Direct Housing charges a late payment fee, the letting agent only deems the fee applicable if a tenant fails to inform them that their rent will not be paid on time. Direct Housing said that before a late payment fee arises there will be several warnings to

the tenant.

Direct Housing claim that they generally don’t retain deposits and that they ensure that pre-inspections are conducted & cleaning checklists are sent, and offer an independent cleaner.

When Redbrick asked students about their experience with Direct Housing, the results were mixed.

One respondent complained about how long it took for Direct Housing to respond to complaints, referring to an issue with their bed frame. ‘I complained about this and there was quite a lot of back and forth before anything got done,’ they said.

In response, Direct Housing said: ‘We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your review at busy term times we do appreciate your patience.

Feedback is valuable for us to improve our service to tenants.’

Nevertheless, Khalid Krairi, a History PhD student was highly complimentary about Direct Housing’s staff who he described as ‘always outstanding, friendly and wishing to help’. Krairi, who has used this letting agent for four years said that Direct Housing is ‘the best agency I would recommend for anyone.’

KING & CO King & Co is a family run business that claims to operate with a focus on quality rather than quantity. Managing Director Gary King, told Redbrick,‘we always tell landlords the quality of their property should be at a standard they would consider acceptable for housing their own son, daughter or other family member.’

Whilst King said that some letting agents have proven that it’s possible to grow and still provide a high quality of service, he ultimately believes ‘a lot of agents grow their business faster than they can cope with.’

"It's not something that we used to advertise, until we found out that everyone else is charging fees" King told Redbrick that he believes that it is ‘immoral’ to charge a tenant a fee to sign a tenancy agreement or reserve a property. ‘It's not something that we used to advertise, until we found out that everyone else is charging fees,’ King said.

King & Co also offer 24-hour maintenance on all management properties. ‘[We] respond promptly to all maintenance issues,’ King said. ‘This is something we are known for in Selly amongst both students and landlords.’

Although there is a late payment fee in the tenancy agreement, King told Redbrick that they only enforce this clause if they feel that the tenant is intentionally avoiding contact. 'To put it into figures,’ King said, ‘out of the thousands of rents we collected we charged a fee on only two occasions last year.’

When it comes to deposit returns, King & Co claim to have returned approximately 97% of deposits last year, and of those that weren’t returned in full, the average deduction was £27 per

person.

Redbrick were not able to find a sufficient amount of reviews of King & Co for any to be included.

The letting agent suggested that readers could find reviews of their services online through Facebook or Google.

K B ROMAN K B Roman are located on Bristol Road and work almost exclusively with students. This letting agent, which offers student accommodation to students at Aston and Birmingham City University too, has another office in the city of Birmingham.

Although K B Roman charge an admin fee of £40 per person for groups of three or more tenants, one or two tenants are charged £55 per person.

K B Roman also charges a reservation fee of £50pp, or £250 per house, which is later deducted from the deposit. At the end of a tenancy with K B Roman, the letting agent typically returns deposits 14 days after the contract has terminated.

Whilst K B Roman agreed to participate in Redbrick’s investigation, their answers were limited and few students provided comments about their experience with the letting agent.

Key 3p+: 3 people or more pp: price per person pppw: price per person per week

Thank Yous Redbrick News would like to thank everyone who helped us with this investigation. We are grateful to all of the letting agents who volunteered information about their company and all those who completed our surveys and provided reviews about their student letting experience.

Thanks also to Jamie Crawford for designing the graphics for the front cover and the article itself.

Redbrick would also like to thank the Guild of Students for their support throughout the investigation through interviews, information and legal advice.

Finally, the investigation team would like to thank the Redbrick committee for their continuous support and patience over the last two months.

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Friday 17th March 2017

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Is Emma Watson Still a Feminist?

Comment writers Elin Kaemmer-Bailey and Amelia Hiller argue if Emma Watson's Vanity Fair shoot retains her status as a feminist ‘I don’t know what my tits have to do with it’ declared Emma Watson in response to allegations that she can no longer identify as a feminist following the publication of a semi-naked Vanity Fair cover. Watson was subsequently branded a hypocrite after a 2014 interview emerged in which she critiques the ‘voyeuristic’ elements of Beyoncé’s 2013 self-titled album. Beyoncé fans condemned Watson’s stance as a form of ‘white feminism’, defined by her modern western privilege, a narrow ‘pick and choose’ approach to women’s rights.

This opens up the debate: to what extent does Emma Watson’s Vanity Fair cover undermine her views on feminism?

Elin Kaemmer-Bailey

Amelia Hiller

Comment Writer

Comment Writer

Since being appointed as the UN Women Goodwill Ambassador in 2014, Watson has been involved in the promotion of girls’ education in rural Africa and being the face of the HeForShe campaign. In spite of the inconsistencies identified in her approach to feminism, it is undeniable that Watson has been immensely productive in using her platform to positively promote feminism.

"Feminism is entirely rooted in giving women a choice" In spite of deeming elements of the Beyoncé’s new music as ‘voyeuristic’, she goes on to clarify that she respects Beyoncé made an empowered choice to project this image of herself. As Watson herself defines it, feminism is entirely rooted in giving women choice. Thus, Watson goes on to praise the album for its inclusive nature which ‘puts feminism, femininity and female empowerment on a broad spectrum.’

This advocates the same notion of empowered female sexuality

that Beyoncé manifests in her album.

Personally, I believe that the concept of empowered female sexuality should lie at the heart of the feminist movement. After centuries of the social oppression of the sexual desires of women, a problem that persists into the 21st century, we must escape the notion that female sexuality always entails male gratification. It is immensely empowering for women to inspire others who are successful, intelligent and confident in their sexuality.

After being taught for so long that these qualities cannot coexist, both Watson and Beyoncé act as fantastic role models to promote a woman’s right to choose her sexual image.

Emma Watson’s ability to empower girls and women across the globe cannot be denied. Many hail her as an immense contributor towards the promotion of women’s rights and education. However, it is difficult for me to ignore the evident hypocrisy in Watson’s approach, accentuated in her recent photoshoot for Vanity fair magazine in which she wears a revealing white capelet.

While this has been branded as a ‘topless’ image, I would disagree. It is more revealing than what has been seen from Watson before, though this is a matter of personal choice and what Watson feels comfortable with revealing to the public; or at least, this would be the case if she had not brandished Beyoncé as allowing her body to become the subject of the male gaze. Is this not exactly what Watson has done in agreeing to be pictured in such a way?

This recent controversy serves to highlight evidence of Watson’s white privilege. As Elin argues, the empowered female sexuality which Watson advocates is a positive thing. I do not deny this, though I cannot disregard the fact that

Watson criticised Beyoncé for the way she chose to portray herself in the media, yet sought praise when she did what is fundamentally the same thing.

"I don't know what my tits have to do with feminism" My opinion is shared by many. Indeed, columnist Julia Hartley-Brewer recently tweeted the Sun’s reproduced image along with the statement, ‘Feminism, feminism... gender wage gap... why oh why am I not taken seriously... feminism... oh, and here are my tits!’. Whilst I would argue that she did not approach the controversy in a particularly sensitive way, I do understand her point of view. Watson has spent years implying that there is more to a woman than her body and working to prevent the sexualisation of women in the media. I do not see how the media will take her seriously after this, which I view as a setback for the feminist movement, and undermines everything that Watson has previously worked for.

‘I don’t know what my tits have to do with it.’ Ironically, in this instance it appears that they have quite a lot to do with it.

Historical Amnesia

Commentator Kat Smith discusses recent comments made about the 'historical amnesia' in the British curriculum about social progress in 2017 Kat Smith

Comment Writer

Nazi Germany, Soviet Russia, Women’s Suffrage: if I had to immediately recall three topics in my historical education, these ones come to mind. We must learn from the mistakes of other nations and draw inspiration and gratitude from the people of our countries past.

After comments by the Indian MP and author Shashi Tharoor that Britain suffers ‘historical amnesia’, I considered my own History curriculum, from primary school carpet lessons to intense A Level discussions. Admittedly, the British Empire is probably not for a 7 year old child to understand, but it’s still surprising to note the absence of the subject throughout my secondary education. My History A Level focused on the horrors of living under Stalin and Hitler, the progress of women’s positions in society and the rise and fall of US economy and society in the 20th century. I’m not denying that these were interesting topics that I enjoyed learning about and developing from, but it’s still worrying that we’re so ready to focus on the wrongful actions of other nations and not our own.

I’m not claiming that the British Empire is completely avoided in the education system, but rather that it’s very easy for it not to be learned. I don’t know a single person whose education avoided Hitler and his atrocious actions, and I learned about it throughout my time at school in both GCSE and A Level. Of course, Nazi Germany is a hugely important thing to learn about for anybody: history or non-history student. But why isn’t colonialism? The extent of my education about colonialism came from looking at poets and authors in English Literature, not from my History textbooks.

A YouGov poll found that 43% of Brits considered the Empire we held to be a good thing and a further 44% felt pride over Britain’s colonialism. So, you may be wondering, if like me, you know considerably little about the British Empire, what did the Brits do that was so bad?

It can be easy to be proud that the English language spread, our industries developed and our culture became more diverse. The point is: these positive developments came with a heavy price.

We emphasize the atrocity of the Holocaust without acknowledging that the British, too, built concentration camps.

Furthermore: diseases were transported from Britain, leading to large death statistics, Africans were sold to the USA as slaves, and huge areas of land and resources were stolen from colonies. These brutal realisations, alongside the fact that there exists an article claiming to outline '10 ways Britain has ruined the world’ suggests our past is far from perfect.

Tharoor spoke to the Oxford Union last year, stating that the British owe reparations, partially because of its responsibility in reducing India’s share of the

economy from 23% to 4%. He also says that Britain's industrial revolution was actually premised upon the de-industrialisation of India. The pride Brits take in our industrial development and international reach seems to be blissfully ignorant when we consider how much other countries were dragged down in order for our rise to be possible.

This opinion is not one shared only by Tharoor and I. Ashley Jackson, Professor of Imperial and Military History, King's College London, commented: 'Understandably a lot of British

"The British Empire is not completely avoided in the education system, but it's very easy for it not to be learned" people would like to think that the imperial past was generally ok, but unfortunately if you look at the record of empire it’s very difficult to say that overall it was a good thing'. It’s therefore seems to not be a case of us finding the empire to be a positive thing after knowing what happened, but instead not knowing enough about it in the first place, and still being proud.

It’s undeniable that colonialism shaped a lot of what we see in the world today, both in Britain and worldwide. So, I believe that until the curriculum is amended to place more of an emphasis on colonialism, we owe it to ourselves and those affected by the Empire to educate ourselves about it.

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11

VoteFest: Commercialising Democracy?

Comment writers Alex Cirant-Taljaard and Sam Yearley discuss student apathy surrounding Guild elections and the incentives that were involved Alex Cirant-Taljaard Comment Writer

Sam Yearly Comment Writer

This year has been a record one for the Guild elections, with a record 8,507 people voting.

Obviously, this is something to be celebrated, because the more people who engage with university issues the more power students have to change things.

However 8,507 is still a relatively small number when considering there are 37,696 students who are eligible to vote.

So, let’s talk about this years Guild elections, why they were the most popular yet, and also what challenges must be overcome to ensure a greater turnout next year.

The very first thing that struck me about the election campaigns was that either the parents of the candidates had an incredibly liberal policy when it came to naming their children, or giving yourself a nickname is part and parcel to running for a Guild position. Campus was littered with references to doughnuts and jelly beans, each sign vying desperately for student’s attentions. It certainly worked in my case, as it was near impossible to avoid them. Some candidates even went as far as to dress up in costumes related to their nicknames. I spoke to Archie, a first - year student, who said that while at first people didn’t seem to mind the

advertising, eventually many people were ‘fed up with it’, to the point where signs were vandalised. Much like when general elections are held, many students on campus seem to suffer from voter fatigue, which could be part of the reason that turnout is generally so low.

"Many students on campus seem to suffer from voter fatigue" However, two final year students I spoke to, Millie and Rebecca, said that the ‘names and costumes made people aware’, and meant candidates were easily identifiable. While it is true that someone in a full chicken costume tends to make quite a memorable impression, I wonder in these cases if it detracts from the democratic process. Rather than identifying people by their policy, candidates are known by their nicknames. Final year students Finian and Jerome said they felt there was no attempt to convince them that ‘policies actually mattered’ and rather that campaigns relied on ‘underhanded and gimmicky tactics.’

Another big aspect of the elections this year was VoteFest, a series of incentives devised to get people jazzed about voting.

These incentives included free Subway and Dominos, free VK’s at Fab and even the opportunity

The breakdown of students votes for each presendential candidate. The overwhelming majority of students did not vote.

to touch a few goats; and if students love anything, its food, booze, and touching goats.

Millie told me she ‘just wanted to get the VoteFest pass’, and Archie said that it could lead to ‘people just ticking boxes to get things'. It certainly is a shame that people have to be incentivised to engage democratically, and I do wonder if offering free alcohol to students is really the best idea given the known problems students have with alcohol abuse. Then again, you could probably get a bigger buzz off of a bottle of Ribena than you could from a VK. I do worry however about the commercialisation of democracy, as I feel it could detract from the importance of the elections.

However, official exit polls from the Guild indicate that in fact the two biggest reasons for people voting were candidates policies and the feeling that the issues voted upon were important. This is something that firstyear student Finn certainly agreed with. He told me that ‘as a trans person, issues like gender - neutral toilet facilities and introducing a transgender officer meant it was important to me to elect people who'd support inclusivity and accessibility.’

Finn also spoke of a general passivity from those who are ‘comfortable and protected in the status quo’, however I don’t think this fully explains why so few people vote. When speaking to students, a general trend emerged that those in the second and third year of university viewed the elections far more apathetically. A second - year student, who wished to remain anonymous, told me that she didn’t ‘feel like anyone made a difference’ after last years elections, and many people end up voting because their friends are candidates.

Voter apathy is something that Brandon Hattiloney, Representation and Resources Officer and organiser of VoteFest, knew he had to contend with. He told me that the key to re - engaging people with Guild politics is a combination of well - trained candidates and ‘to make voting exciting and create a culture in which people talk about elections'. While VoteFest is important, he said,

‘We need well trained candidates with good policies to engage people'. Clearly the Guild team understand the problems in student politics and are working to try to reach as many people as possible. Sadly this will likely be an uphill struggle, as many of the biggest issues facing students today, such as high tuition fees, are sadly out of the reach of the Guild committee.

Looking at the actual voting process for the Guild elections a number of issues crop up with what went on. We can look at the similarities of different campaigns people were running on, and how quite a few roles only had one person or no one running (all of these being part time and unpaid roles) to see how the democratic process in this years Guild Elections may have been

"We need well trained candidates with good policies to engage people" undermined to some extent.

Focusing on the role of President there was a startling amount of repetition between different candidates and their aims if they were to be elected.

A safer Selly Oak, more study spaces, cheaper food and drink, and improvement of mental health support were points brought up time and time again.

Ellie Keiller was one candidate

that managed to pitch her campaign with the majority of her points being outside of these main four, as she also wanted to focus on campaigning for students both on a UoB level and a national level, ensuring student employees are paid enough, as well as other goals that dealt with other officer roles in the Guild. It is probably for the best that her re - election campaign was successful due to the uniqueness of her campaign but we must ask two questions. How had Ellie already being president given her an advantage in regards to knowing what issues the Guild of Students faces? To what extent was she the only viable candidate as a result of this?

Speaking of there being only one candidate; this year there was a real issue with a lack of students running for the part time officer positions. The parttime roles are to be completed alongside your course at Birmingham, and are unpaid positions which explains their unpopularity. However understanding the reasons behind people not wanting to take these roles does not fix the issue that at the start of the next year there will be no representatives in the roles of Mature and Part-Time Students Officer, and Home Students Officer. There is also the issue of several roles only having one candidate meaning that there was no choice for who people could vote for. Admittedly if the candidates had been abysmal, a majority of people could have voted for RON, but then that leaves them in the same situation as the positions above: completely unrepresented. These roles were: Satellite Sites Officer, Community Action Officer, and Anti - racism and Anti - fascism officer.

Ultimately, the increased turnout this year can only be a good thing, and the more students that get involved in student politics the better. But it is clear that there is quite a way to go if we want turnout to reach levels seen in most general elections. The key to this would be to convince all students of the importance of Guild policy, something which the current Guild committee have started and that the next committee will surely continue.

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West Midlands Metro Mayor Election: Who Deserves Your Vote?

Grace Duncan and Lily Wilde analyse the candidate from each major party and what they hope to achieve if elected Grace Duncan News Editor @gracieellen_

Lily Wilde

News Reporter @LilyWilde

The Metro Mayor position was created as part of plans started by George Osborne to devolve powers from London so that local areas have more power over the issues that affect them directly, such as local transport.

The devolution deal in the West Midlands specifically states

that ‘devolution must enable the West Midlands to tackle the economic and social challenges that the region faces’, and that ‘the agreement is based on the establishment of a mayor’.

In theory the newly elected Metro Mayors will be responsible for devising a strategy for growing the economy of the region and will have certain powers over issues including housing. While in the past these powers have been in the control of the individual, local authorities or with national decision makers, the new role is an attempt to bridge the gap between the two.

Birmingham and the West Midlands are not the only areas to be gaining a person in this position as May 2017 will also see the election of Metro Mayors in Tees Valley, Liverpool City Region, Greater Manchester and Sheffield City Region.

In the case of the West Midlands, the Mayor will also lead the new West Midlands Combined Authority which is made up of seven councils of the county. This group will have responsibility for the budgets and has been consulting over the last few months about the powers of the new Mayor.

It is believed that it is likely that the power of the Metro Mayor will increase over time as did the power of the London Mayor role as the city regions and the government gauge how effective the system is and what makes the most sense. Clearly in the initial stages it has to be accepted that the initial position will not be the finished article.

While in normal circumstances the mayoral position will run for 4 years, in this case it will only run for 3 in order to coincide with the next councillor elections.

As there are no Metro Mayor

positions currently in action in the country, it is difficult to see what level of power the role will have in comparison to that of current London Mayor, Sadiq Kahn.

Whatever happens, however, all depends on the election on the 4th of May and what the winning candidate does in the position.

Make sure you register to vote and have your say in who runs the West Midlands.

For more comprehensive coverage on the candidates and an analysis into the level of power that the Metro Mayor will actually have, visit our website at www. redbrick.me.

Conservative Party: Andy Street

Labour Party: Siôn Simon

Candidate Profile Former John Lewis Managing Director Andy Street believes that he is the right man to lead the WMCA as mayor. Educated at King Edward’s School, the closest school geographically to UoB, he attended Keble College Oxford before joining the graduate programme at John Lewis. He states that giving up his role at John Lewis to run for Mayor is important as it is ‘a once-in-a-generation opportunity for our great region’. He believes that he can use the skills he has learnt in business 'to help create jobs and opportunities for your family and everyone in our area'. In a statement to Redbrick he expressed that the skills he gained leading the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership, which is ‘built on teamwork spanning industries, political parties and the different towns and cities of the area’, will be useful when leading the West Midlands. If elected Mayor he will use these experiences to ‘deliver the investment, jobs, housing, safer streets and transport network your family deserve – and build a West Midlands that works for everybody’.

Candidate Profile Siôn Simon, running for the Labour Party, is a member of the European Parliament for the West Midlands. He has also previously served as the member of parliament for Birmingham Erdington from 2001 to 2010. In 2010, Simon stepped down from this role in order to campaign for the Birmingham Mayor election. Simon echoes the air of a great patriot, and as he states on his website, the Midlands have ‘got so much to be proud of, but we need to restore our pride and place as the engine of business, jobs and opportunity at the heart of England’. Simon sees that this need to regain control of the region has stemmed from the neglect of the Westminster government, as he claims: ‘ w e have been left in a mess, we must seize the moment and win back the hearts and minds of English voters who feel like they’ve been abandoned too’. One of the most important components of this, he believes, is the student vote as he sees the chance that students have to alter the society in which they live.

Manifesto points

Manifesto Points Investment He will be overseeing £8 billion of investment in the area with the aim of making sure that money is wisely invested into the region. The Conservative candidate intends to do this by encouraging the West Midlands to lead the Government’s Industrial Strategy, an opportunity to encourage the growth in the West Midlands.

Young People Street has ambitions for working with young people in order to create jobs for them and provide them with skills. He wants to invest in skills and apprenticeships to create meaningful opportunities for young people. One way he wants to achieve this is by taking control of the apprenticeship fund, a fund of £150 – 180m, to rid the region of youth unemployment.

Transport A major part of the Metro Mayor position is the control of transport. Street wants to control transport infrastructure and wants to improve the local transport network to reduce the congestion on West Midlands roads. He also wants to make sure that the region’s roads are available and equipped for the testing of driverless vehicles in order to establish the area as the capital of the new technology.

Housing and Homelessness Street wants to combat housing so that local residents have power over the housing in their area. He also pledges to tackle rough sleeping by developing a task force if he was elected.

Crime One of the issues that Street wishes to tackle is the crime levels in Birmingham.

One area of this that he has particularly spoken about tackling is the anti-social behaviour on public transport.

Transport Simon wants to renovate the transport system to make way for the future of increased integration and cooperation between regional governments, acknowledging the need for the transport system to be more effective. In his statement to Redbrick he expressed that ‘we need a proper integrated transport system that works for everyone’. Simon is campaigning for airport expansion, construction of HS2, and a metro extension.

Housing Simon sees housing as a big issue. He wants to get rid of wasted space and use his position to put forward a fight for more houses to be built. He argues, ‘the West Midlands is not full. It is a relatively dense conurbation but it isn’t bursting at the seams’. Simon believes that if there is improvement in people’s housing they may be less sceptical and think something of a regional government’s capability.

Safety This is a key aspect of Simon's manifesto. In his statement to Redbrick he states how the ‘Ministers in London tell us that crime is not on the up, but we know that so-called ‘everyday’ crime often goes unreported’. He rightfully says ‘we’ve the right to feel safe where we live’, therefore he wants to defend the cut in police numbers and keep communities in the West Midlands feeling safe, especially in student areas where there is a high rate of unreported crime.

Industry and production Simon wants to restore the renowned name of the Midlands for its production and industry. He believes that if we enhance investment into these areas, new businesses can create new opportunities and infrastructure improvements. Both of these tactics will bring employment and enhance connections across the region.

Local Area One of the most important issues in the eyes of ex-John Lewis boss is focusing on the local area and West Midlands villages. He wants to regenerate local high streets to encourage prosperity and encourage local area growth while also protecting those places in the so-called green belt.

Restoration of pride Simon claims that in the Midlands there is ‘so much to be proud of’, such as the ‘world-class universities in the West Midlands producing the best minds in the country’. He believes that, ‘we need to tap into this to make sure students and graduates stay within the region, by providing first-rate jobs for future graduates and restoring pride’.

Concluding Statement Andy Street believes that the role of the Mayor is to be a ‘strong voice for the West Midlands, accomplished at putting our case to government and being a champion for the region around the world’. In a statement to Redbrick he said that ‘we must not squander this opportunity. The region faces a stark choice: do we embrace this renaissance by growing the economy in a way which benefits everybody and thus become Britain’s Powerhouse? Or, do we look backwards? There is only one answer. If I’m the Mayor, I will work tirelessly to make this happen’.

Concluding Statement Siôn Simon sees this opportunity to run for Mayor as a way of not only making changes but also in bringing back a sense of pride which has perhaps been lost in the rule of central government from London. In his statement he claims it is about ‘taking back control of our own affairs - returning the West Midlands to our rightful place in the world. The students of this region have a real stake in this election, and in the coming 7 weeks I’ll be setting out my vision’.

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UKIP: Pete Durnell

The Green Party: James Burn

Candidate profile Pete Durnell is currently the Chairman of UKIP’s Sandwell Branch. He has represented the UKIP party in his local constituency of Warley in the 2015 General Election, and in 2016 he was the Police and Crime Commissioner candidate for the West Midlands Police area. The key motivation for UKIP putting forward Durnell as a candidate is to encourage this devolution of power from the central government held in London, and to pass down responsibility to a new regional body, the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA). Durnell made a statement to Redbrick News saying WMCA is ‘an unnecessary additional and very expensive layer of government’.

Durnell states on his website that the Metro Mayor should be 'someone who is passionate and cares deeply about this region'. Pete Durnell is offering many crucial points in his manifesto, some of which will be close to the hearts of students such as the improvement of transport systems and a deeper effort into the awareness in the field of mental health.

Candidate profile Running for the position of Birmingham Mayor representing the Green Party is previous University of Birmingham student James Burn. Burn is the councillor for Chelmsley Wood and is the leader of the opposition on Solihull Council. He wants to see an inclusive and accountable authority, one that takes into consideration the voices of all areas of the public body. Burn states on the Green Party website that he is focused on ‘building a home-grown economy’ based on the ‘up-and-coming areas’ to ensure no one is ‘left behind’. Burn stresses the importance of the student vote and need to fight to make their voices heard.

In a statement to Redbrick he says ‘sadly, the reason that the concerns of students are very rarely addressed is that you simply don’t get out and vote...

Birmingham has one of the largest student populations, yet you're hardly ever mentioned in local politics - this needs to change’. Burn is very much a politician interested in the effects our government has on the opportunities and support for young people, and he wants to lead as Mayor with their best interest at heart.

Main Manifesto Points

Main Manifesto points

Economic Growth Durnell focusses a considerable amount of attention on supporting small and medium size businesses, to help them grow and popularise. He wants the focus of the WMCA and the role of Metro Mayor to help small businesses to gain access to the funds they need to expand and succeed. Durnell wants to encourage incentives for the investment in innovation, research and development, to encourage Britain to be more independent and not to be in control of larger corporate companies.

Industry and Environment Burn wants to re-focus the WMCA on building a homegrown economy based on likely future growth areas that match the strengths of the Midlands. Burn believes low-carbon manufacturing and technology is and will continue to be one of the fastest-growing global markets and has huge job potential. In the role of Mayor he wants to make the most of the knowledge and skills the West Midlands offers.

Transport Again, Durnell’s priorities are those which are going to provide the greatest benefits to local businesses and how an improved transport system could help them. He wants to review and adopt certain measures to improve the traffic flow across the towns and cities, to prevent congestion and disruption. A factor that Durnell feels strongly about is continuing to oppose the £70 billion high speed train service (HS2) connecting London and the North. UKIP also aim to perform a feasibility study into upgrading paths and cycle trails along the waterways and extending cycle networks to allow greater free travel across the cities.

Mental Health Pete Durnell wants to ensure the ever-increasing problem of mental health is given an equal priority and status to that of physical impairment. He wants to ensure there is a continuation in ‘ring-fenced’ funding for mental health, to ensure that funding is used solely for that purpose.

Homelessness Durnell wants to ensure those unfortunate enough to be on the street have access to the help they need. He also wants to provide aid to the police in removing and prosecuting those who are so-called ‘professional’ beggars.

Housing Burn recalls fond memories of being a student at UoB, but he remembers clearly the problems students face regarding housing. Burn wants to see a renter’s union formed so that students have a way to address the concerns of landlords providing very poor accommodation because they have no permanent long term residents. He wants students to be given an opportunity to raise issues and provide prevention against being victims of explosion by landlords.

Mental health Burn is a social worker by profession, therefore he faces daily interactions with the problems that the public face. Mental health continues to be a real concern across society. Burn highlights in his statement that students are ‘slightly more at risk’ of suffering mental health issues, due to the stress of studies or anxiety of ‘finding work after graduation’. Burn is seeking to dedicate investment into mental health support services so that everyone has access to the help they require.

Europe Durnell wants to highlight and mitigate the threat from the EU’s Europe 2020, a programme which will have significant economic and operational implications for the WMCA. He also wants to regain border control and the ability to make trade deals and decisions that benefit Britain rather than other countries.

Economic growth James Burn wants to see far more assistance given to existing and new small and medium-sized businesses based in the local area. He believes that investing financial support in this type of business makes good economic sense and therefore more money should be invested to support them. These areas need support in order to keep afloat, and Burn wants to build the economy with the greatest chance of being capable of creating the highest number of jobs which will benefit the local economy. Homegrown small businesses is the way to see this effect take place.

Concluding Statement Pete Durnell expressed in his statement to Redbrick that his main reasons for standing were simple, not only that he is ‘proud and passionate’ about this region but also that he 'will fight to gain extra funding and ensure it is spent fairly and prudently, with the sole aim of improving the region for the benefit of everyone'.

Concluding Statement James Burn wants to make sure that the West Midlands are no longer 'left behind'. In his statement Burn says that ‘we need to change how we do things, focus on developing a home-grown, resilient economy that provides good jobs. We have some key strengths here in the Midlands - let's use our manufacturing pedigree'.

Liberal Democrat Party: Beverley Nielsen Candidate Profile Former regional director of the CBI in the West Midlands, Nielsen is running as the Liberal Democrat candidate to become the first Mayor of the West Midlands in May 2017. Nielsen has also held jobs such as the chief executive of the region’s tourist board and the director of Birmingham City University. Passionate about the region, she believes that we ‘are the heartland of UK makers and creators, with a goldmine of young talent’. She is clear to highlight she is ‘not a career politician’ but is instead a ‘business woman and educator’ who believes in the West Midlands, which has too often been ‘held back and starved of investment and resources’, she told the Birmingham Mail. Nielsen emphasises the importance of young people on her website: ‘I want to make sure that our region and our young people also have opportunity and the kind of lift up that can change lives’. This perhaps stems from her work building partnerships between employers and students at BCU. She has also acted as a Liberal Democrat councillor on Worcestershire County Council.

Manifesto Points Housing and Infrastructure This is one of the priorities for all the candidates in the mayoral race. Nielsen promises to fight for the West Midlands to gain a fairer share of national resources, particularly focusing on delivering infrastructure and housing. She also wants to deliver affordable housing through a region-wide development plan.

The European Union Regarding Brexit, Nielsen believes that the Liberal Democrats would be the best to help lead Brexit in the West Midlands and would encourage the government to have a second referendum in an attempt to avoid the propaganda of the previous one. She also wants to tread carefully in regards to Brexit so as to not damage the relationship with Europe for the young people in the region.

Young People Recognising that Birmingham is the youngest city in Europe, Nielsen’s manifesto focuses on young people. She wants to encourage them to stay and work in the West Midlands. She plans to encourage this through new grants for SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises and start-ups) by delivering affordable housing and establishing a fund to connect education, business and entrepreneurs.

Transport Her focus on transport is one that many of the candidates also share as it is a vital aspect of the role. One of her most defining ideas is that she backs the building of a second runway at Birmingham Airport in an attempt to boost Birmingham-based industry and raise the city’s status as an international hub. On a more local level she hopes to give all young people under the age of 25 free travel on public transport across the West Midlands Business Nielsen is passionate about home-grown businesses and encouraging industry within the West Midlands. The Liberal Democrat candidate wants to engineer more local growth and she believes that the way to achieve this is through focusing on home businesses. One of her campaigns centres on this goal and is based around the hashtag #HomeGrownSuccess. This scheme involves her promoting the work of local businesses and companies to the region.

Concluding Statement In her role as Liberal Democrat councillor on Worcestershire County Council she has gained experience in Midlands politics and has a record for change. She writes on her website that, ‘we are on the cusp of a period of massive upheaval as the complex and confusing Brexit process gets underway. We face more cuts and uncertainty but also opportunity. I want to be the Mayor that unites us and takes our region forward into a future made by us, for us’. Nielsen asks people to vote for her who want to make ‘the West Midlands one of the best places in the UK to live, work and thrive’.

14

FEATURES

Friday 17th March 2017

www.redbrick.me

Damain John Photo

Nuclear Blast UK PR

Nuclear Blast UK PR

The Voices of Women in Rock & Metal Anna Pitts shares the experiences and struggles of women in rock and metal Anna Pitts

Redbrick Contributor @pitts_anna

"Rock and metal have always been passionate genres that liberated artists [and their fans] to express themselves freely" summarises Annina Melissa, pianist in She Must Burn. While PR Laura Wright describes how metal music can “alleviate your body of feeling gendered”. On the surface, it can appear that society has moved on so that sexism in the rock and metal industry can sometimes seem to not be such a prominent issue. However, when the experiences of women in all areas of this music industry are investigated, sexism still plays a role in shaping the rock and metal scene, more specifically how women are viewed and treated within the subculture.

"It strikes me that sexism is actually a thing - and still is in 2017."

Caroline from The Charm The Fury states: "It strikes me that sexism is actually a thing - and still is in 2017. To start off, it's one of the reasons I've started this band. As a female in the music industry you always get treated like a minority. It's because people instantly think that you are the plus one, the merch girl, the groupie. You are faceless in a sense. It's so frustrating.

Nowadays, reactions to our band are always drenched with the female singer point of view. It can go either two ways: 'Oh, this is a female fronted band therefore I don't like it' or 'Wow, I actually like it because of/even though it is a female singer'. It's stupid because it NEVER really is about our music." PR Claire summarises: "It’s more the lack of women represented within metal that concerns me.”

Also, as a female listener and crowd member at gigs the issue of sexism is prominent. In fact, there is still a lot of stigma around speaking out against this issue.

Women find it difficult to talk about the traumatic experience of being sexually assaulted at a gig because not only can it feel degrading but there is added pressure to not want to be disruptive in a white male dominated environment. PR Laura Wright says: “I still feel acutely aware if I'm on my own at a show - this doesn't deter me from attending but you look around and women are rarely spotted alone." While PR Lauren Reading shares her own experience - "I also recall an incident at a festival - I was attending due to having one of my artists playing and whilst waiting for another act to come on, I was stood with a number of colleagues when I was groped by someone in the crowd.

I remember being not only upset it happened, but also very embarrassed about it happening in front of industry peers.” Nyah, vocalist in progressive Groove Metal band Aramantus, comments: “Women [at gigs] are not given the respect they deserve when it comes to their bodily autonomy.”

These experiences are shocking, even if the women in the industry that I contacted described them as rare occurrences. Yet, when I discussed this topic with female students it seems to be a recurring theme to brush off sexual harassment in a gig environment because of the fear of not wanting to make a scene or even feeling like they wouldn't be supported if they did speak out.

Perhaps this is due to the atmosphere created by some bands.

Andrea, the drummer of Can't Swim comments: "Most of the bands are male so most of them are talking about ex-girlfriends and sometimes also just completely degrading women. Women in videos are more likely to be the hot girlfriend, model, background sex sells stuff, than someone in the band who people respect and look up to. Moshing at shows is a 'mans club'. I don't feel I can keep up with that and I don't feel safe.

That for sure doesn't mean all girls feel this way and when a girl gets in the mosh pit I'm like yaaasss girl get it!"

Often women are made to doubt themselves by routinely being asked questions like: "Are

you sure you can handle that?", "Do you actually know what you are doing?", "Maybe we should ask for a second opinion?" PR Lauren Reading states: "In this role [artist management] I often have to speak with authority and there have been instances where I have not felt that I am being taken seriously or treated with respect.

For example, in the past I have become aware that insight I have shared has been ignored or disregarded, only to be later given by a man and then taken on board."

Moreover, these doubts are not only expressed towards women working in the industry but it becomes all too frequent that you are conditioned to ask these questions of yourself, which just simply isn't the case with male counterparts. Frequently female artists are dismissed, Cici from Aramantus comments: "Well quite often we don't get taken seriously as musicians, and as a band, until people have seen us play.”

'Women in bands not only feel the pressure to show they are talented but to present themselves in particular ways...'

It is widely accepted that female band members face greater pressures and are under higher levels of scrutiny. Mel Clarke, a prominent Rock DJ, states: "I felt right away I had to work twice as hard to prove myself and earn my stripes. In the beginning, I had to deal with quite a few negative comments, mostly online, which isn't surprising. I knew not to let these negative, doubtful comments get to me as I knew if I was a new male DJ I wouldn't be getting these comments, it was simply because I was a woman, how can you judge a DJ you've never seen perform?"

Other female artists note this apparent shift in abuse and criticism being carried out online.

Nyah from Aramantus explains: "It can be quite difficult to deal with some of the sexism that we are faced with on a day-to-day basis. It can be anything from creepy and invasive messages online, to being taken less seriously than our male counterparts in other bands.” While Cici states: "There's people who completely ignore and refuse to acknowledge your playing ability, and will only comment on your looks. There's people who brag about their extensive music knowledge, and refuse to listen to anything we have to say.”

Women in bands not only feel the pressure to show they are talented but to present themselves in particular ways, Lindsay from Cradle of Filth explains: "I feel as a woman in metal I have a certain professional image to uphold.

That is the only way anyone will take me seriously. There is a great amount of pressure on women in the industry to be a certain way and they easily fall to judgement much more than men do." While Mel Clarke has received "comments [while working at DJ gigs] about what I was wearing, implying I should be wearing less, I've had other DJs think that they'd have to DJ for me too!" Andrea comments on how she feels "the pressure to look the best I can literally every single second of everyday. The pressure to be cute but also hot and to literally look good 24/7 because that's what women are for right?"

Sometimes barbed comments are hidden behind supposedly positive feedback, for example Alice from Aramantus comments: "I can't even begin to tell you how many times I have heard the comment 'You're good for a girl', and I also can't even begin to tell you how demeaning it is." This is just one display of the internalised stigma women face not only from men in the industry but from female fans as well, which is part of the bigger issue of dismissing women on face value.

Some PRs in the genre have actually had mainly positive experiences, such as Lauren Reading: "Within a publicity capacity I am happy to say that I can’t recall any situations where I felt that my sex affected how I was perceived or

treated within the industry. This may be in part due to the fact that there are more women in this field, meaning it is more of the norm." Therefore, perhaps the issue is not that there aren't women working in the industry but that there isn't wider awareness of this which perpetuates the idea that women are not interested in the genre. Also, other female artists, such as Noora from Battle Beast state: "I’ve always been treated very well and people have been very respectful – and to be honest, I like that I’m a female singer in a heavy metal band.”

So, what advice do women succeeding in the industry today have for other women? Mel Clarke's mantra is to: "Work like a horse wearing blinkers, stay focused, ignore any negativity around you. It's important to surround yourself with positive people who support you no matter what you do." While PR Jenny Cotter notes that: "The number of women who are growing or enter-

"We don't get taken seriously as musicians...until people have seen us play." ing the profession is growing rapidly. The list of 30 under 30 from Music Week is constantly littered with amazing women, and the future [of women in rock and metal] to me looks bright."

Women and Sexism in Rock and Metal event is taking place on Saturday 18th March, 6-8pm in Rosa Parks. We will be raising awareness of sexual harassment at gigs and the views of women in the industry, in aid of RSVP.

FEATURES

Friday 17th March 2017

www.redbrick.me

15

Redbrick Meets: Ellie Keiller One year on from her first election victory, we spoke to Ellie about her time as Guild President so far and her plans for the future

Conrad Duncan Digital Editor

What differences did you notice in this election compared to last time?

Storm Doris was a bit different, having to contend with that. It was longer so we had a lot more time to talk to more students and also a bit of time to rest at the weekend. I think every election will be different because there’s different people running. Not much was different though, I went with the same plan for how to campaign which was to reach out to as many students as possible.

Did you prefer this one?

It’s hard to say because this time it was more stretched out so possibly more demanding.

But last time it was probably more demanding because it was in a smaller space of time.

Also I had to plan this one whilst also having a full-time job whereas in your third year of being a drama student, there’s a lot of studying you should be doing but actually not many contact hours so you can get around it. But as President, I’m pretty much here until 7 or 8 every evening and I still needed to be here that long when I was planning my campaign. So it was probably easier the first year.

Were you impressed with the quality of candidates?

Absolutely, I was really impressed because I had to work so hard. It wasn’t an easy ride by any stretch of the imagination. Every candidate did really well.

This year's election had the highest turnout ever, what do you think caused this?

I think it would be impossible to say for sure but I

think VoteFest really helped because a lot of people were talking about it. Hopefully, it is the start of a new culture here where voting is actually something that people get excited for and I think VoteFest did that. It could also be just because of a general interest in politics, whether that would manifest onto campus I don’t know. Some people who are interested in Guild politics will always be interested in Guild politics.

Having been president for a year now, what difficulties have you found in the job that you didn't expect?

When I was put into the job, I guess that some of the national landscape stuff was something I wasn’t really aware of so I had to get my head around national policy and how the NUS works. I didn’t know I’d have to deal with Brexit either for students. So you can write a plan for what you want to do and then find out that the University has opened a library without enough study space and they don’t let students eat or drink in there so we have to deal with all those things.

People ask me ‘what do you do with your job?’ and it changes every single day as students face different issues every single day. There are some things that’ll always be there like tuition fees but there are some things that you can never prepare for.

One of your policies this year is to make sure that Guild staff are payed the living wage, how do you plan to do this?

It’s a case of paying staff more so we currently have this system where we top up staff pay with holiday pay to make it hit the living wage criteria but actually it doesn’t fit with the Living Wage Foundation. It’s not an illegal thing or anything

like that but it doesn’t tick their box. It will cost the Guild a lot of money so we need to look at how we’ll find that money, whether it’s through the block grant or whether we do it through our budget review sessions.

Mental health services have been a big problem for students this year, what do you think should be done to help this issue?

So what was on my manifesto last year was to get mental health first-aid training at the Guild. I wrote both my manifestos hopefully so that they would be achievable. It’s easier to do that this year because I have the experience while with my first one I had to find different ways of achieving it. We managed to get a mental health first-aid trainer in to run a two day course and now some key Guild staff are trained in mental health first-aid so that’s what I did for that. I know what the wider question is, how are we going to get the University to hire more councillors? I didn’t put it on my manifesto because we can lobby the University, they know that it needs to happen, but it’s a case of how does that happen?

They’re becoming more aware of it and it’s something Henny, the welfare officer, will be working on. At the moment, the demand is more than the supply and the University needs to step up to help with that. All we can really do is lobby. We don’t have magic wands where we can fix things.

We have to fight for the University to get more councillors and we do always fight.

What are you hoping to do this year for students who are worried about the rising cost of University and accommodation?

It’s really worrying that with

the TEF as it stands, better universities will be able to charge more for their fees. It did change a little bit in the House of Lords last week so we’ll see what happens now in the House of Commons and the 'ping pong' stages of parliament. In terms of better accommodation prices for students, it’s something we go into all our meetings and say. I understand that the University wants to make money to provide accommodation and we sit in the group that sets the halls prices. We fight to put them down and they fight to put it up so we have to make compromises. We aren’t in control of the prices as they’re not our buildings but absolutely that is something we want to work on throughout the year. We need to keep those costs as low as possible for students to access education here.

What can the Guild do to help students who are worried about being exploited by letting agents?

We already have our own let-

ting agents which we don’t charge fees for as well as offering free legal advice on housing contracts through Guild Advice. Aside from campaigning the local council and lobbying the Government, I don’t know what more the Guild can do right here for students. The mayoral election in May will affect a lot of what happens with housing, so promoting students voting in that is really important and we will do that.

What was your proudest moment as Guild President last year?

I don’t know, I’d always want students to tell me that. I could think that I’m doing a great job but until I got re-elected I didn’t know if students thought I was doing a good job. I hope now they think I am and a lot of people said that during the elections. I really couldn’t think of just one. Hopefully making things better for students. A lot of people have said that they see what I’m doing so that’s really good.

Ellie's Election Victory in Numbers 2016 Turnout: 7450 votes (total across all elections) Margin of Victory: 2643 votes to 2172 (in the final round of voting) Percentage: 35.48% (of all voters who voted for Ellie)

2017 Turnout: 8507 votes (total across all elections) Margin of Victory: 3842 votes to 3112 (in the final round of voting) Percentage: 45.16% (of all voters who voted for Ellie)

16

LIFE & STYLE

Friday 17th March 2017

@redbricklife

Rihanna: First Female Singer to Receive Harvard Humanitarian Award Life&Style writer Sophie Webb reveals why Rihanna deserved the Harvard Humanitarian Award and explains why her acceptance is record breaking Sophie Webb Life&Style writer

We may only be a few months into 2017, but we are already seeing records being broken. On the 28th February, famous pop star Rihanna attended Harvard University in order to be presented with the prestigious Harvard Humanitarian Award. The award places her alongside the winners of previous years, a list which includes many other big names such as Malala Yousafzai and Lionel Richie.

Not only did she turn heads with her stunning outfit, she also pulled at a few heartstrings with her emotional, intelligent, and inspiring acceptance speech.

Beginning with the joke ‘so, I made it to Harvard’ accompanied by the sassy hair flick which quickly became an internet meme, Rhianna’s speech provided her audience with a brief history of her charity work, ideals, and

ended by encouraging listeners to follow in her footsteps.

Her grandmother was present throughout the speech with the quote ‘if you’ve got a dollar,

"All you need to do is help one person, expecting nothing in return" you’ve got a lot to share’ being used by Rhianna to encourage everyone to get involved regardless of how much they have to give.

'All you need to do is help one person, expecting nothing in return,' she explained. 'To me, that is a humanitarian. You don’t have to be rich to be a humanitarian, you don’t have to be rich to help somebody. You don’t have to be famous, you don’t even have to be college educated. It starts with your neighbour. You just do whatever you can to help in any way

that you can. People make it seem way too hard'.

The singer began her humanitarian work at a very young age, setting up her own charity when she was just 18 years old. In the background of her prominent singing career, she has been involved with countless organisations such as Stand up to Cancer, UNICEF, and Red Cross. During her speech she talked about when she first started thinking about helping others; when she was six years old seeing humanitarian adverts on the television.

‘I would say to myself, when I grow up and I get rich, I’m gonna

"Everyone has the opportunity to help someone else" save kids all over the world. I just didn’t know I would be in a position to do that by the time I was a teenager.’

She also shared some of her

personal charity work experiences, such as six year old Yasmina who died from leukaemia and her grandmother who also died from cancer and was the inspiration for the singer's Clara Lionel Foundation.

Repeatedly making the point that her humanitarian work was not a result of her fame, she closed her speech by challenging the audience to all make a commitment to help one person or organisation. ‘Everyone has the opportunity to help someone else.

We’re all human and we all just want a chance. A chance at life, a chance at education, a chance at a future’.

Powerful stuff. It sounds odd to say it, but this is proof that pop stars really can be good role models. She certainly has me convinced, but what about you?

Do you think Rihanna deserved the award? Let us know: @redbricklife

Teen Vogue vs. Vogue: Which Magazine is Better?

Life&Style writer Natalie Welch explores whether Teen Vogue or Vogue is the best While Vogue falls under harsh criticism after the Karlie Kloss 'yellow face' March 2017 cover, Teen Vogue has been getting continuous praise for its 'woke' content and coverage of the political events in America. Just this past week journalistic powerhouse The Guardian, and a plethora of people on the internet, have been applauding the teen magazine for its well written, researched and relevant pieces. Currently on the Teen Vogue website, the #1 Trending article is about Obama returning to politics, the second about a transgender child protesting against Transphobia in America – not forgetting their 'Donald Trump is Gaslighting America' piece that was everywhere on social media after it was published. If you do the same for Vogue you’ll be met with fashion articles, and the odd, mediocre article that has something to do with current affairs. Teen Vogue seems to have mastered the balance of the lifestyle articles that you would expect along with well thought out, inspiring pieces that Vogue hasn’t quite got at the moment. Teen Vogue is the publication that I’d want my twelveyear-old sister to read and grow up with.

Although, I don’t think it is time to cancel any Vogue subscriptions just yet. Vogue is good at what it does. Vogue is a fashion

magazine, we expect haute couture and runways on every page.

Fashion is synonymous with Vogue. Who on earth would go to Vogue for political coverage? As you get older you learn where to go for what information. I’d go to Vogue for a fashion week fill, Cosmo for some lifestyle tips then maybe the BBC, The Independent or The Guardian for my political news. Whilst we can criticise Vogue for a lot of things, I don’t think their lacking coverage of current affairs is one of them.

T e e n Vogue has a different job to Vogue.

Thirteen year olds probably don’t watch the news or have BBC news notifications like most of us do. My little sister doesn’t know how to assess the validity of a source, she just reads stuff and believes it most of the time. The responsibility of a

teen magazine should be to provide a holistic reading experience; this is what they are doing. Teen Vogue are doing a good job influencing and educating young minds on matters that are important, whilst simultaneously reporting

on horoscopes and giving some top tips on how to apply glitter nail varnish. What Teen Vogue are doing is not extraordinary, it is what a teen magazine should be doing. Whilst Teen Vogue's competitors may be presenting differ-

ent things to their teenage market filled with celeb gossip and quizzes about who you are most likely to marry out of One Direction, Teen Vogue presents the right balance between fun and informative and this does not discredit any of the work that Vogue currently does.

We can’t deny that Teen Vogue are doing a great job, but let us not underestimate the power of young people. They are growing up fast, faster than most of us grew up.

The reason an article like “ D o n a l d Trump is Gaslighting America” or a personal essay by Hillary Clinton was approved is because Teen Vogue knew their audience would enjoy it. People are politically evolving quicker.

Being political is so in right now and Teen Vogue are covering it for their audience. The most surprising things about the coverage in

Teen Vogue is how well-written and thorough they are for a teen mag; it isn’t surprising that Teen Vogue want to cover stories like them.

Vogue definitely have a few things to learn from their littlesister-publication. The Karlie Kloss, “yellow-face” controversy isn’t the first problematic situation Vogue has found themselves in. They are consistently criticised for their lack of diversity, even in an “all-inclusive spread” they didn’t have a woman past a certain colour on it, ‘declared war on fashion bloggers’, and never fail to undermine the ‘millennials’ that are probably half their readership. Whilst Vogue is infamous for their fashion coverage, their elitist mentality isn’t getting them far. A potential for Vogue would be a refresh of their editor team with a new perspective on how the magazine should run in order to amintain its reputation as a fashion powerhouse.

Both publications are influential, one is having a better influence than the other. From reading Teen Vogue I would feel empowered, from reading Vogue I would feel inadequate. Vogue doesn’t need a four-page article on how fashion can battle Trump, it just needs a little more inclusive and fair content.

LIFE & STYLE

Friday 17th March 2017

@redbricklife

How to Make the Most of...

Your Twenties Life&Style writer Antonia Miles explains how you can make the most of your twenties 1. Seize Opportunities You’re in the early stages of your career in your 20s so when interesting opportunities present themselves, just go for it! You have nothing to lose (literally nothing) and who knows where it could take you?

2. Accept Failures The later successes of your life that you’ve been dreaming of, whether that’s the picket fenced house, the expensive car or the dream career, none of those things can happen without experiencing some early failures. You truly do learn and grow by experiencing failure and the sooner you accept that fact, the more for you!

3. Start Listening When you’re in your 20s, sometimes it’s the easiest thing to assume that you already know most of the answers. Go into situations with a far more humble approach where you actually listen to what other people have to say first and give yourself the chance to reflect from that. You’ll probably learn a lot more from it.

4. Choose Your Friends Wisely Your 20s is without a shadow of a doubt, the time to look around the people you’re with and really evaluate what they bring to your life and your overall happiness and wellbeing. If they add nothing but negativity and unnecessary drama, it’s time to get rid. Your circle of friends influences who you are; it’s time to choose your friends more wisely.

17

FIERCE Summer Clothes Winter is over, Spring/Summer collections are in the shops and at the time of writing the sun is weakly trying to break through the cloud cover. Put your Ray-Bans on, slip into some loafers and embrace the next month of freezing temperatures.

End of Term Semester two is only a week away from finishing, giving us all a month free of 9AM lectures. Granted, the Easter holidays will be full of revision, but at least we won’t be fighting for seats in the library.

Redbrick Commitee With the end of the academic year already nearly in sight, it’s time for Redbrick’s current committee to begin the handover to the new. Personally, I’ll be taking over as Editor, something I could never have accomplished without the amazing 2016/17 committee.

5. Try New Things Bungee jumping, island hopping around Thailand, swimming with dolphins; your 20s is the time to start ticking off things on your Bucket List of things you’ve always wanted to try but have never had the courage to, or even the access to when you were in your teens.

6. Open Yourself Up To New Circles Your 20s is the time to put yourself out there! It’s the time to ask out the person you’ve had a crush on seemingly forever but have never had the confidence to. It’s the time to strike up conversation with the really cool person in the office you’ve wanted to hang out with for ages but you thought they hadn’t acknowledged your existence. Go for it! Open yourself up to new circles or people and other walks of life.

Easter Eggs Spring’s annual way of ripping off consumers with novelty shapes and disappointing amounts of chocolate. Yes, they taste great, and I will still be angry if I’m not bought one. But come on, it’s 2017 – why haven’t people realised that you can get a lot more chocolate in a bar than an egg, and usually at a fraction of the cost.

7. Don't Rush Yes, your 20s are doubtlessly an important time to take those baby steps by the career ladder, to date in a quest to find love and to become more established in general. But don’t rush your 20s; they truly will fly by! Don’t be in a rush to establish yourself as ‘who you want to be’. After all, your 20s is the perfect time to make mistakes and just relish in who you are, in the here and present!

Gym-Proof Your Make-up Life&Style writer Emma Chambers solves your gym make-up problems As gyms become the new nightclub the probablity of bumping into someone you know is highly likely. For this reason, a wave of make-up products have entered the market which are sweat proof and do not damage your skin.

For instance, 'Arrow' by Birchbox has developed a new box for active women which includes waterproof mascara and sweat proof foundation. This allows women to power thorugh an action packed day from an AM gym session to evening cocktails.

However, is sweat proof make-up really needed? Could this be pushing even more women

to be self-concious about getting a real sweat on at the gym and revealing make-up free skin? Or is it a way to help those who are concious about their skin? In my opinion I think it simply pushes women to feel that they need to look beautiful constantly with the aid of make-up. The gym should be a space where women should be able to workout, train hard and be make-up free. Whilst sweat proof make-up is definitely needed for the summer, it is definitely not needed for the gym. You should be able to focus on getting your ideal

body without worrying about whether the guys at the gym will fancy you more with a bare fresh face or glammed up and looking out of place. Furthermore, despite claims such as 'it won't destroy your skin' '100% natural' I fail to believe this. As you sweat make-up gets into the pores of your skin and if you are spot prone like me, this is just a recipe for disaster. If you were to wear the same make-up throughout the day then it is highly likely you will have a few spots coming your way.

Winter Coats Summer is (possibly) coming up fast – we’ve now had more than two days where it wasn’t necessary to wear thermals, so it’s time to swap out that Canada Goose for a lightweight jacket.

It’s not cold – remember, it’s all in your head.

Florals Florals, for spring? Groundbreaking.

William Baxter Marketing Secretary and Treasurer

FINISHED

FOOD

18

Friday 17th March 2017

@redbrickfood

Surviving Lent...

Emma Chambers Food Writer

I bet you thought you were off the hook now that dry January is over?

No, the suffering will continue.

Giving up something for Lent can prove difficult, especially if you're chocolate and cake obsessed like me! So, it's time to clear your fridges and cupboard of guilt ridden treats and stop reminising about how much you ate on pancake day. Let Lent begin!

Here are a few tips to staying on track this Lent:

Tip 1:

Ignore supermarket isles for Easter eggs; trust me, it's too much of a temptation.

Tip 2:

Drink more water! Sometimes we think we are hungry but it is actually a sign that our bodies are thirsty. Drink up, people!

Tip 3:

Instead of focusing on what you're giving up, take on something new!

This could be anything from jogging, photography or yoga.

Tip 4:

Padlock any temptations away.

Out of sight, out of mind!

Tip 5:

If you are craving something you have given up, opt for a healthier version. This could be Greek yoghurt with chopped up fruit, a smoothie or popcorn. Be creative!

Fruit&Veg: Striving For More Food writer Rebekah Quixano Henriques gives us some top tips for reaching the new recommendation

The end of eating fruit and veg as we know it is upon us. Striving for five portions is no longer enough. It is now recommended we consume up to 10 portions (800g) of fruit and vegetables a day for the best chance at defeating deadly diseases.

'Although five portions of fruit and vegetables is good, 10 a day

"could prevent approximately 7.8 million premature deaths" is even better,' said Dr Dagfinn Aune, lead author of the research conducted by Imperial College London.

Surprisingly, this renewed focus could prevent approximately 7.8 million premature deaths worldwide every year. It could also result in a 24% lower risk of

"13% reduced risk of cancers" heart disease, a 33% reduced risk of stroke, and a 13% reduced risk of cancers in individuals.

There are no easy cop-outs as even supplements cannot replace the real thing. “It is the whole package of beneficial nutrients you obtain by eating fruits and vegetables that is crucial to health,” Dr Aune added.

Alongside the stereotypical diet of junk food and ready meals, students undoubtedly have an immense challenge ahead as it is unlikely most of us are currently consuming more than 3 or 4 portions a day. Fear not – with these handy hacks, you’ll boost your intake in no time.

Food For Thought Rosanna Osborne Food Writer

Unfortunately, exam season is upon us. I think we can agree that during this dreaded time we need all the help we can get, and one form of help can come from what you eat! Eating good food is equally important for our brain health as it is for our physical health. Our brains store innumerable amounts of data, whilst also controlling our bodily functions.

We therefore rely on the brain a lot whilst revising, so why not give it some super fuel?!

I have chosen 5 foods which appear frequently across healthy eating sites as brain ‘superfoods’, and have two easy ways you can include them in your diet during the exam period.

Walnuts - (they even look like brains) High in omega 3 fatty acids which have a protective effect on the brain, ensuring a good blood flow and efficient delivery of oxygen to the brain.

Spinach - high in potassium which improves our thinking and recall capacity. Also high in anti-oxidants which protect the brain cells from damage.

Blueberries - contain anti-oxidants which reduce stress (perfect!) and delay short term memory loss (think of the last minute cramming).

Tomatoes - contains high amounts of lycopene which is particularly good for brain functioning.

Green Tea - for better concentration.

1.

Sweet Over Savoury

This one is especially good for carb lovers. Swapping your ordinary potatoes for a medium sweet potato (80g) will fill you up just as much and boost levels of vitamin A. Sweet potatoes contain less starch than their boring alternatives so count towards your 10 a day.

2.

Never Be Plain Again

3.

Buy Frozen

Why have a plain sandwich, omelette, or pizza when you can chuck slices of cucumber on a sandwich and a few mushrooms, thinly sliced courgettes, or tomatoes into a pan? Why not even glorify whole onions and add one to your dish?

Some foodies may grimace at this suggestion, but this will guarantee you always have vegetables in stock and will avoid wasting food when it goes off. Laziness isn’t an excuse either: most frozen veg take just 3 minutes to defrost in a powerful microwave.

4.

Find Your Sweetie

Choosing bite-sized fruits like tomatoes, grapes, cherries or blueberries will mean you can pick on them whilst you work, just as easily as with sweets.

5.

Juice Counts

Thankfully, one 150ml glass of fruit juice counts as a portion.

However, any more than just one glass will be empty calories as it won’t count.

6.

Disguise in Sauces

Pureeing broccoli, carrots or parsnips may sound laborious but if made in a batch at the start of the week, increasing your vegetable portions would be as simple as throwing it into any pasta sauce.

7.

Go Tinned

Half a tin of baked beans, spaghetti hoops and tinned fruit all count. Tinned items will last for years and are perfect for a quick fix.

Breakfast Porridge/Smoothie

Pitta Pizza

I make my porridge by filling half a bowl with oats, then pouring over half water and half milk so that the liquid is just covering the oats.

Pop in the microwave for roughly 2 mins, keep checking and stirring. The time may vary, but it should end as a creamy, thick consistency. Then simply top with walnuts, blueberries and a squirt of honey.

For the smoothie, add a handful of walnuts, a handful of frozen blueberries, a banana and some milk to a blender and voila!

– to sweeten add honey.

Toast a pitta, and then pull apart so it is split in two.

Cover each side in tomato puree and sprinkle on some mixed herbs. For toppings you can choose any you like, but the important components here are tomato and spinach. I like to add pepper, mushroom, onion, sweetcorn a few slices of fresh tomato, lots of spinach and then slice some mozzarella on top.

Simply whack the pitta pizzas on a baking tray in the oven for about 10-15 mins until all the cheese has melted.

Honestly this is super tasty and a healthy alternative to usual pizza.

Plus, you can cram in the tomatoes and spinach.

Try to eat your last meal at least 3 hours before you go to bed, so that it doesn’t interfere with your sleep. Sleep is crucial!

Finally, drink green tea. Take your own green teabags with you if you are studying on campus.

The cafés across campus will usually fill up flasks with hot water so you can cheaply maintain your green tea intake throughout the day!

8.

Dips Aren't Just For Dipping

Houmous is a perfect sandwich filler as with just 3 teaspoons of this chick-pea filled dip you’ll have another portion in the bag.

9.

Sun's Out, Salad's Out

Summer is almost here so it's time to revive our love for salads!

10.

Newbie of the Week

Try a new fruit or vegetable once a week. You’ll soon discover new favourites.

These foods will hopefully go a long way in aiding our performance during exams as well as our efficiency and stamina during revision. If the recipes aren’t for you, try incorporating the 5 foods in your diet in a way you’d prefer, so you are still stocking up on all the goodness. Now it’s time for me to take my own advice... Good luck!

FOOD

Friday 17th March 2017

@redbrickfood

Review: Bar + Block

Review:

Food Writer Sophie Braybrook gives us the low-down on bottomless brunch Bar + Block’s location sees it nestled near the cathedral in a bustling part of town and with its modern warehouse-chic inspired interior it has quirky character to boot. Industrial lamps and exposed brickwork create a trendy atmosphere, while a bar sat on an island takes centre stage in the main room.

Bar + Block also boasts great food, and true to its contemporary character it has introduced a Bottomless Brunch. Ideal for late student risers, you can visit Bar + Block between 9am and 4pm on a weekend and choose anything

the late morning and afternoon than drinking delicious fizz to your heart’s content alongside a hearty brunch?

Bar + Block’s relaxed and trendy vibe make it the perfect place to gather a bunch of friends to celebrate, or just have a catchup.

from either the extensive breakfast or à la carte menu to enjoy alongside unlimited prosecco, hot drinks and juice. Smile for a Polaroid photograph taken by your waiter and head to the bar with your photo in hand to replenish your empty glasses as many times as you’d like for an entire 90 minutes!

"bottomless food alongside bottomless booze" Follow the steakhouse theme and indulge in steak for breakfast with Bar + Block’s delicious ‘Steak &Eggs’ (served with breakfast potatoes). Or for the vegetarian, perhaps the ‘Veggie Works’ – of fried mushrooms, roasted tomatoes, baked beans, smashed avocado, breakfast potatoes, a fried egg, and a generous portion

of toast. Alternatively, for those seeking bottomless food alongside bottomless booze, opt for either the Continental or Full English breakfast buffets serving up all the traditional elements of a gut busting brunch.

Boasting 4.5 stars on TripAdvisor, and a full-house of friendly staff, this Bottomless Brunch surprisingly won’t break the bank, coming in at a very reasonable £15pp. Just a short walk from New Street station, Bar + Block is in a great location to grab breakfast or lunch before a (perhaps tipsy) day wandering around town. What better way to spend

Bar + Block is located at 3-6 Waterloo St, Birmingham B2 5PG

Recipes: For Saint Patrick's Day Food Writer Sahar Jamfar provides dishes to celebrate the occasion

Makes 24 pieces approximately

Remove from the oven and allow it to cool. In a large bowl, mix together the cream cheese, double cream and lemon juice, also season well. Spread the mixture over the cooled potato cake.

Add the strips of smoked salmon and any garnish then cut into 24 even slices. Enjoy!

You will need:

Main: Traditional Irish

With St Patrick’s Day fast approaching, here’s the ultimate Irish feast to enjoy with friends.

Starter: Irish potato cakes with smoked salmon and cream cheese

1kg potatoes, peeled and chopped 100g melted butter 100g plain flour 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda 1 tub cream cheese 100ml double cream Zest and juice of 1 lemon 200g smoked salmon, cut into strips Fresh herbs to garnish (optional) Method: Boil the potatoes until they’re soft and fluffy then mash together. Mix in two-thirds of the butter, all of the flour and bicarbonate of soda.

Also add seasoning.

Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas mark 4. Line a large baking tray with baking parchment and brush with the remaining melted butter.

Sprinkle some flour on a clean surface and roll out the potato dough. Lay it on the baking tray and brush the dough with more melted butter. Bake for 45 minutes until it’s golden brown.

Shepherd’s Pie Serves 4 You will need:

over the stock and Guinness and simmer, covering the pan for 20 minutes then uncovering for another 20 minutes.

While the meat is simmering, preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas mark 4. Boil the potatoes in salted water until they’re tender.

Drain the water and mash with butter, milk and a pinch of salt.

Once the meat is cooked, put into an ovenproof dish, then add the mash on top. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top starts to colour and the meat is bubbling underneath. Leave to stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Oil for frying 1 large chopped onion 3 chopped carrots 500g lamb or beef mince 2 tablespoons tomato puree 2 tablespoons sauce

Worcestershire

100ml Baileys 100g icing sugar

60g chocolate of your choice Method: Melt the butter in a saucepan then add the biscuits and mix together.

Remove from the heat and press the mixture into a baking tin and put in the fridge to set.

Grate the chocolate and set aside in the fridge as well.

In a bowl, whip the double cream until soft peaks are formed.

In a separate large bowl, mix together the cream cheese, icing sugar and Baileys. Fold in the whipped cream and ¾ of the chocolate. Once the mixture is smooth, add onto the biscuit base.

Allow it to set in the fridge for a couple of hours. To serve, remove from the tin and sprinkle the remaining chocolate and enjoy!

Drink: Black Velvet

200ml Guinness

You will need:

900g chopped potatoes

Guiness

Dessert: Baileys cheese-

Champagne/Prosecco

cake

Method:

Method:

Serves 5

Heat some oil in a medium saucepan and fry the onions and carrots until they’re soft. Turn the heat up and add the meat until it’s brown.

Add the tomato puree and Worcestershire sauce, frying it all together for a few minutes. Pour

You will need:

In champagne flutes, pour in half a glass of Guinness and the remaining half with champagne.

Serve to your guests and enjoy!

3 tablespoons milk

100g unsalted butter 250g digestive biscuits, crushed 450g cream cheese

Tubestation Surf Cafe Tamar Smith Food Editor

I took a little mid-semester break to Polzeath, a small beach town in Cornwall. Whilst I was there, I visited Tubestation Surf Café – it’s a super cute café on the top of a hill overlooking the beach. They had breakfast and brunch options, as well as lunches, baked goods, a wide range of coffees, hot chocolates and teas, as well as smoothies and milkshakes!

My mum and I went for brunch, so I opted for the porridge made with soy milk and topped with almonds and dark chocolate, and my mum chose the porridge made with dairy milk, and topped with Greek yoghurt and honey. To drink, I had a green smoothie, and my mum had a cup of tea.

The porridge was so good!

Cooked to the perfect temperature and consistency. The chocolate melted gloriously over the porridge and the almonds provided that perfect crunchiness amongst the smoothness of the dish. The smoothie was absolutely delicious, too! You couldn’t even taste the green, even though it contained both spinach and kale, the overriding flavour was mango and banana, which worked wonderfully. It felt healthy and tasted amazing – what more could you ask for??

"a real sanctuary after being on the cold windy beach"

200ml double cream

500ml beef stock

85g butter

19

Possibly the best thing about the café (despite the fact that the food was amazing, and they were able to cater to my vegan diet with absolute ease!) was the décor and set up of the place. It’s a surf café and it’s run by the local church, so all along the tops of the walls, where they meet the ceiling, 12 surf boards hung, each painted with the name of one of Jesus’ apostles. At the back of the café, there was a wooden skate boarding rink with a rope net separating that area from the cafe, so we could watch the children practicing their skateboarding techniques while we ate!

The décor was all hipser and rustic, with white washed wood, hanging bulb lights, bean bags, a log burning fire (which was a real sanctuary after being on the cold, windy beach), waves painted on the walls, and plugs everywhere, so it’s a perfect place to escape to and study, read, write, or catch up on work. The wifi password is also clearly displayed at the front of the café – who isn’t grateful for that!?

Tubestation is such a treat in this cute little coastal town! If you ever find yourself way down south in Cornwall, it’s well worth dropping by!

Tubestation Surf Cafe is located in Trebetherick Hill, Polzeath, PL276TB

20

TRAVEL

Friday 17th March 2017

@redbricktravel

Hidden Gems: Camogli, Italy

Carys Bedford Travel Writer @carysbedford

Italy is a European destination that attracts thousands of tourists every year. Many flock to the cities, favoring Rome, Milan and Venice. However, in the summer months these cities, whilst undeniably beautiful, can be incredibly humid and claustrophobic. So why not move out of the heat of the cities to experience the breeze and serenity of the Italian Riviera?

"Camogli... fits the exact stereotype of an Italian coastal village..."

In the North-West region of Liguria, a two-hour drive from Milan, you will find the picturesque fishing port of Camogli. It fits the exact stereotype of an Italian coastal village; multi-story palazzi’s built into the cliffs painted in light pinks, yellow and terracottas, finished off with rustic window shutters. As you walk through the narrow streets and lanes, the residents' washing hangs above you and homemade pizza and garlic is a constant scent. It could not be more Italian if you

tried.

The small bay is complete with a pebble beach, flocked with beach loungers and camisoles; a perfect spot for some Italian family people watching (up there as some of my top people watching).

If you feel like getting your blood pumping then rent a kayak off the beach. You can paddle out into the ocean and then look back at the stunning view of the village. A top tip: do this just before sunset, you really won’t regret this on a warm, summer evening.

You can then put your appetite to good u s e .

Considering how small Camogli is, there are a number of restaurants and bars.

The food is all of high quality, however it is basic, as there are no Michelin stars floating around here. The menus basically consist of fish and homemade pasta, but the fish was some of the freshest I’ve ever tasted so you won’t get bored quickly.

Additionally, all the restaurants boast al fresco dining with views out to sea. Grab a sundowner in

one of the small bars and then move on to enjoy your meal once the temperature has dropped.

Again, due to its small size, the choices of accommodation in Camogli are slim. However, for me, there is only one place you can stay to make the most of your visit. Hotel Cenobio Dei Dogi lies at one end of the harbour meaning that when you look out from the balcony you get views across the whole of the town, it is truly stunning. What more do you need to know than that the main house is painted bright pink with green shutters and looks out onto the Portofino bay? Well if that still hasn’t quite sold you, then the fact it has its own private access to a beach, as well as 3 different restaurants, has got to have you pressing that booking button. It is luxurious, and if you are on a student budget, going in the peak of summer is going to be very pricey, however if you travel out of peak season the last minute deals on it are great value. Value that you may

not get in other, more well known areas along the coast such as Cinque Terre.

Despite its remote location, in the centre of the town you will find the old railway station. Hop on one of these trains and you can ride up and down the coast. The perfect day trip from Camogli is to visit the world famous town of Portofino. It is even smaller than Camogli but equally as charming.

In recent years, it has raised its profile massively by becoming a prime stop-off location for super yachts as well as global superstars including Beyoncé, Jay Z and Rihanna being spotted strolling the streets and testing the Italian gelato. The harbour, its most luxurious area, is surrounded with high-end designer shops including Gucci and Luca, whilst being intermingled with some locally run clothing shops - definitely more of a window-shopping experience than a full shopping spree.

Enjoy lunch by the harbour or

work your way through the winding streets. Although everything is a tad more expensive here, it is still equally as pleasant. Spend the rest of your day sat out by the harbour and watch the super yachts manoeuvre in and out going about their everyday activities – the hours will pass you by in no time.

As you start to plan this summer’s vacation, give the Italian Riviera a thought. Airports and trains can easily access it, it's bursting with energetic Italians, delicious authentic food and most of all, it is absolutely stunning. If you want a true Italian experience, step away from the hustle and bustle of tourist hotspots like Cinque Terre and head over to Camogli... you definitely won’t regret it!

Photographs by Carys Bedford

A Post Card from... Zaragoza Kirstie Sutherland Travel Writer @whatkerstiedid

Zaragoza is one of Spain’s largest cities. Despite this, the city is not very well known by tourists, who will instead opt for the more popular cities of Barcelona, Madrid or Seville, to name a few.

Zaragoza is a lively, vibrant city with a colourful and religious history. For example, during October each year there are nine days of festivities to commemorate the Virgin Mary, called las Fiestas del Pilar, where locals dress up in traditional clothing, offer flowers, and end the festivities with a firework display over the River Ebro. These fesitivites allow tourists a personal under-

standing of religious life in the city and are great to experience.

The city's most famous landmark is La Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar (the Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar), a Baroquestyle cathedral which, if you can climb the tower - offers a stunning view of the entire of Zaragoza from the top. Alternatively, the Ebro is the second largest river in the Iberian Peninsula, and can be overlooked from Puente de Piedra (also known as The Bridge of Lions), a famous bridge that connects parts of the city. From this bridge you can gain a spectacular view of the basilica in all its glory, picture perfect for any Instagram account. Other religious sights include the famous Aljafería, and La Seo, as well as the Goya museum - Zaragoza was the artist's birthplace.

If you want to take a break from religious and artistic culture, there is also a high street filled with shops should you wish to stock up on the latest Spanish fashion, and cafés and restaurants on every corner serving local cuisine including jamón de Teruel (a city south of Zaragoza in the Aragon region), and Aragonese lamb, a speciality in this particular part of Northern Spain.

When it comes to winding down at the weekend, you can take a stroll in the beautiful Parque Grande, where the fountains and water displays majestically light up at night, before hitting the local bars on a Thursday night for 'juepinchos', where everywhere in Casco Antiguo sells tapas and beer or wine for €2 a serving.

Zaragoza is an authentic city

that truly displays its Spanish culture and religious history with a display of the old and new.

All offfered for a price affordable to students meaning you can even visit during the peak summ e r months.

And besides, if you really want to visit the capital, it's only a 75 minute train away.

Photograph by Kirstie Sutherland

TRAVEL

Friday 17th March 2017

@redbricktravel

21

Cheap Trips: Dublin Travel writer Hannah explains an affordable means of exploring Dublin's nightlife, cuisine and attractions in- and outside of the city Hannah Woodbridge Travel Writer @Hannahwoodbridge

Dublin is famous for Guinness, history and good times, and with St. Patrick’s Day around the corner, Dublin is at its liveliest making it the perfect time to visit this small but vibrant city.

Travel: The fact that Dublin is so close to Birmingham makes transportation to the city so easily affordable. There are frequent flights from Birmingham airport with both Aer Lingus and Ryanair, from as little as £9 each way and only taking about an hour. It is so quick and affordable, that even a day trip is possible, saving on costly accommodation. The coach and ferry is also a viable alterna-

"...frequent flights from Birmingham Airport from as little as £9 each way" tive for travel to Dublin. Costing a fair bit more at £70 for a return ticket (with Eurolines for a youth fare), it offers overnight travel daily from Birmingham. This gives the benefit of again saving on accommodation and being able to wake up and find yourself in another city. Once in Dublin, the small compact city means that walking is the best and budget friendly way to get around; but if you are feeling lazy (or the rain gets too much) there is a cheap and reliable tram system too.

eccentric and very cheesy place to stay. Decorated with leprechauns, four-leaf clovers and a lot of green, it claims to be ‘completely Irish’. They charge around £17 per night per bed in an 8-bed dorm, but what is best about this hostel is if you stay for two nights and are there on a Monday or Thursday, you get a free coach tour to the Wicklow Mountains, making it the best place to stay if having a longer trip to Dublin.

Alternatively, Abbey Court offers charming, traditional hostel accommodation on the banks of the River Liffey. For £18 per night per bed in an 8-bed dorm or £13 in a 24-bed dorm, you get a buffet breakfast and a nightly bar crawl straight from the hostel door.

Attractions: Lots of Dublin’s top attractions charge admission, so costs can mount up if not careful. If you are planning on visiting lots of places, it may be worth getting a Dublin Pass. It costs around €70 for a three-day pass, and that includes entry to over 25 attractions with queue skip, an airport transfer and a city sightseeing bus ticket. The Guinness Storehouse is a must visit. This huge brewery meets museum recounts the history of Ireland’s favourite drink, before rewarding you with rooftop views across Dublin from its bar.

Your ticket includes a pint of Guinness, certainly making it a cheaper way to have a pint in this city. If whiskey is more your fancy then head to the Old

Jameson Distillery, where you’ll learn how to taste whiskey like a professional and even get a certificate for your hard work.

Dublin and Ireland have had a turbulent history, which has helped shape Irish identity today.

For a moving and informative visit, head to Kilmainam Gaol.

The tour will tell you the journey of the long road to Irish independence, as well as the history and importance of the prison itself.

For more history, head to any of the National Museums of Ireland.

Scattered across Dublin, these three museums specialise in different aspects of Irish history, so there is bound to be one that takes your fancy, and better yet they’re all free. Dublin Castle is right in the middle of the city centre, it is a large round tower recognisable across the city. Although it costs to visit the state apartments, the grounds and gardens are free to visit and are filled with tons of diverse sculptures by local artists.

Another pocket friendly experience while in Dublin is to go on any one of the numerous free walking tours. Although a tip is encouraged at the end, they will guarantee you miss nothing in this city from major sites to hidden gems. Dublin Free Walking Tour or Sandemans are the most popular, but most hostels will also have a particular company that they recommend.

Although not a hectic city, if you want a break from Dublin or just the desire to explore some of the famous Irish countryside, head

to the Wicklow mountains. This national park surrounds the south side of Dublin, offering numerous hikes and trails and has even been the site for the filming of many of Hollywood’s blockbusters. The seaside town of Howth is also easily accessible from Dublin city centre. Hop on the tram to this picturesque harbour town, to see seals, have an ice cream and even a swim if you’re brave enough.

"...explore some of the famous Irish countryside" and "head to the Wicklow mountains" Food: Irish food is not all about potatoes, but it would be wrong not to try some while in Dublin. Right in the heart of Temple Bar, Gallaher’s Boxty House is famous for its inventiveness with the humble potato. Its early bird set menu offers unrivalled value for such good and traditional food and its €11 tasting platter gives you the opportunity to sample their selection of spuds. If you do want to eat something more exotic, Ireland is having a bit of a burrito revolution currently. Numerous local and very affordable chains are popping up across Dublin. The

most popular being Boojum and Pablo Picante, both of which offer meal deals for less than €10.

Drinking and nights out in Dublin are certainly not cheap.

There are no chain pubs like Wetherspoon and the tons of tourists make prices very high. The cheapest place to drink is in the student bar in Trinity College Dublin. The campus itself is pleasant to wander about, but the bar offers by far the cheapest place to have a drink at €4 for a pint of Guinness. If you do want to drink in Dublin’s liveliest street, Temple Bar, head to The Porterhouse. No Guinness will be served here, but there are a ton of Irish whiskeys and craft beers from around the world and Ireland itself. It will be a traditional Dublin experience with Irish folk music in a bustling pub, but it won’t come cheap.

Spending Money: Dublin is not the cheapest city, but for a quick break in Western Europe it’s unbeatable. For two nights accommodation, flights Captions go in the corner of pictures and a three-day Dublin Pass, it and shouldn't be hyphenated will cost around £130.

Food can be expensive, but by cooking in hostels and buying food from one of Dublin’s many central supermarkets, you can easily have a weekend away from as little as £150 or £200 if you tactfully eat out, making the most of cheap restaurants and set menus. Dublin is packed full of things to do and it’s all within walking distance, making it the ideal place for a quick and affordable getaway.

Accommodation: Dublin is packed full of places to stay, but to keep costs down a hostel is really the only choice.

Paddy’s Palace offers a slightly

Top 3... Free Attractions in Singapore Alys Haswell Travel Writer @alyshaswell

Gardens by the Bay & Marina Bay Sands hotel

The Botanical Gardens

The MacRitchie Treetop walk

As an eco-friendly attraction, the Gardens by the Bay are a great example of Singapore’s tourism industry working to benefit the environment. The high-tech ‘supertrees’ are covered in thousands of plants and are designed to produce solar energy. At night, the structures illuminate to create a spectacular sight during the light shows (7.45pm and 8.45pm daily). Leave a couple of hours to explore the gardens especially if entering the flower dome and cloud forest, at additional costs. The gardens can be easily accessed from the Marina Bay Sands hotel, which has become a popular attraction for its impressive architecture. Browse the designer shops in the mall beneath the hotel to escape the city’s raging humidity.

Singapore’s Botanic gardens are a UNESCO World Heritage site, and one of the city’s most popular attractions all year round. The 74-hectare site includes an array of themed gardens, a rare section of primeval rainforest, and the symphony lake, which provides a romantic setting for seasonal opera performances. The gardens are also home to the National Orchid Garden which can be accessed for $5. For the most enjoyable experience, avoid visiting during the midday heat. When it comes to Botanic gardens Singapore outshines most others, and considering that Birmingham’s own Botanic gardens have an entrance fee, visiting this expansive botanic wonderland is an absolute steal not to be missed.

The MacRitchie Treetop walk is definitely one of the lesser well-known attractions in Singapore, the treetop walk could prove that the best places of interest are not always those that appear on Instagram or Pinterest.

Located within the MacRitchie nature reserve, you need to walk 4.5km from the MacRitchie Reservoir, or 2.5km from Venus Drive to begin the treetop trail. The walk provides a bird’s eye view of the forest canopy, and takes approximately two to three hours in total. Whilst doing this trail it is difficult to imagine the bustling city centre from your viewpoint, with not a skyscraper in sight you feel nestled by nature. Note that the walk is closed on Mondays.

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MUSIC

Friday 17th March 2017

@redbrickmusic

Live Music At The Guild: A Brief History Rohit Jepegnanam Music Critic @Rohit_Jpeg

To t h o s e o u t s i d e o f UoB, a gig at the Underground in the Guild of Students may not mean much. However to this final year music-crazed student, it’s one heck of a big deal.

Some of the country’s best venues are often part of University Student’s Unions, the Manchester Academy being a good example of this.

Birmingham too was a part of this culture and

"The most highprofile of these gigs was Joy Division's last ever gig" during the 70s and the 80s regularly hosted gigs at the High Hall. The most high-profile of these gigs was Joy Division’s last ever gig on May 2nd 1980.

Yes. The real Joy Division!

Ian Curtis et al! Google it!

Shortly after this, High Hall was renamed Chamberlain Hall and converted into student accommodation, ending it’s era as a vibrant live music venue. On Friday 10th March, however, this changed.

As a result of years and years of petitioning from students, the Guild finally allowed the vast space of the Underground to be utilized to its full potential and through the Live Music Society, hosted its first ever large-scale night of live music - ABandOn Goes Underground!

Granted there have been live music events at the guild previously, for example the Songwriters’ Society’s open mic or UoB Metal Society’s Fresh Blood event, however, both of these events took place in 2014 and while successful, neither were the size of ABandOn Goes Underground.

The timing of the event also coincided perfectly with a relative boom in the Selly Oak/UoB music scene. Buoyed by the rise of student run groups such as the Live Music Society and New Street Records, Selly Oak is producing a plethora of incredibly high quality and diverse artists, including Coffee Breath, Sam Jackson & the Struggles, Argle Bargle, DAME, Rainy Day Woman and many, many more.

Live Review: ABandOn Goes Underground Luke Charnley Music Critic @lukechazza97

There was once a time when you could expect to find any up - and - coming UK artist playing at your student union. It is an aspect of university life that has s a d l y d i e d off in the last

twenty years, with only a handful of unions remaining prominent: Manchester Academy, Liverpool Guild, Leeds Beckett SU, etc.

UoB itself once had the High Hall located where Chamberlain Hall now stands, a venue that

earned its place in history by hosting the final performance of one of my all-time favourite bands: Joy Division. Nowadays, concert - going students like myself have to journey into the city in order to see the vast majority of acts. However, that might not always have to be the case.

The Underground in the Guild has been a space crying out for live music for a long time: many students only know it as the downstairs room in Fab N’ Fresh, and occasionally for Domino’s £1 pizza.

Now, after many years of calls by students to open the space up to live music acts, the Live Music society brought their popular ABandOn night to the Underground. The success of the night would determine the capacity of the Underground as a live venue, so naturally there was a lot riding on this one. Add on the

fact that the nature and location of the Guild would make it an attractive venue for local talent, and the cultural significance of the event to the University becomes clear.

Kicking off proceedings were funk-rockers Slovac, who sought to get things off to a light - hearted start through long funk instrumentals and call and response chants. Sadly, this was to be the band’s last ever performance, though I guess it was as good a night as any, and they made sure to end Slovac with a bang. The diversity of the University music scene was further demonstrated in the next act: Odd Soul. Pretty much as advertised, the band’s unique sound was characterised by extended soul - rock instrumentals with an emphasis on guitar and keyboard, with the band’s extended line-up offering a layered sound that walked the line between chaotic and dance-y.

The third act of the night, IsaacO and the Midnight Collective, was without a doubt the highlight; IsaacO himself, already an established Selly Oak artist, made his way through the crowd handing out glow sticks before leaping on to the stage to give an energetic performance.

Backed by the Midnight Collective, the soul singer deliv-

ered a powerful, dynamic performance that marks him out as one of the finest acts that the University has to offer. Closing out the evening were indie rockers Hankks, performing a set of Britpop-tinged songs that further goes to show the diversity of musical influences present in the local scene.

It’s early days yet, but I think that ABandOn Goes Underground represents a major step forward in bringing live music back as a part of UoB’s cultural identity.

While it may not have the capacity or great acoustics of a proper concert hall, the Underground is a venue with a lot of character, and is more than capable of holding nights such as this, and perhaps even bigger acts, on a regular basis. Even though the Guild have always allowed groups to use the Underground for events, I feel that they could do more to encourage and promote its local bands to a far greater degree than it currently does (this criticism extends to universities more broadly), and offering greater support for live music at the Guild would be the best place to start.

Album Review: Circa Waves - Different Creatures Amelia Hiller Music Critic

Formed in Liverpool in 2 0 1 3 , C i r c a Wa v e s h a v e gone from strength to strength within the indie music scene. Frontman Kieran Shudall went from writing demos in his bedroom to forming the band, s i g n i n g f o r Vi rg i n E M I , playing an array of venues and festivals including Reading and Leeds, as well as releasing a hugely successful debut album Young Chasers in March 2015.

The band has been working on their newest album Different Creatures for the past year, and have recently announced a 2017 UK tour to promote it. It is likely that most fans will be going to hear their older releases, the infectious sound of Young Chasers, however it is certainly worth listening to their newer releases ahead of the tour, as you may be surprised at what you find. It is clear that the band have artistically matured, as their newer music has changed the tone and now feature much darker and thought-provoking lyrics, which is evident from the t r a c k ‘ Wa k e U p ’ , a l s o released as a single at the end of last year. For those who are enthusiastic about C i r c a Wa v e s ’ t r a n s f o r m a tion, ‘Fire That Burns’ is the track you must listen to.

Beginning with a heavy riff was at first startling for me, however, as soon as the lyrics began, Shudall’s voice

reminded me of the band’s infectious enthusiasm for the music they produce, and when you listen to the lyrics this becomes particularly evident, with a very acute sense of emotion in the repeated ‘Comfort me, oh comfort me’ and ‘I’m not so scared, I’m not so scared at all’. If it wasn't for the guitar riff, you could argue that

works.

My personal favourite is ‘ O l d F r i e n d s ’ . To b e g i n with, it is slow yet catchy a n d d i ff e r s s l i g h t l y f r o m other tracks in the album because of its more chilled atmosphere, as oppose to the darker and almost angry element transmuted in the others. It’s difficult to imagine Circa Waves’ fans jump-

at some moments the track is slightly lethargic, although for me this transmuted the heightened emotion which is conveyed within ‘Different Creatures’ compared to ‘ Yo u n g C h a s e r s ’ . S t r a n g e l y, t h i s track is startlingly different and yet comfortingly familiar at the same time. Perhaps an odd combination, though in my opinion this certainly

ing around to this one at a gig, yet to me there is something extremely special in these lyrics and in just over three minutes the band have succeeded in encapsulating a more mature and thoughtf u l c h a r a c t e r, s o m e t h i n g which Shudall previously outlined was his aim for their second album. In the past they have been associated with the likes of The

Strokes and The Libertines, yet I believe that from this they have asserted their own individualism and clearly communicated the fact that they don't want to be ‘like’ other bands anymore, but instead prove themselves capable of being a major success in the music industry.

W h i l s t f a n s o f Yo u n g Chasers may at first be slightly daunted by the darker tone of Circa Waves’ new release, when you listen to the album properly you really begin to appreciate the meaningful lyrics, the heavier riffs and the altogether ‘rugged’ vibe. For those fans who are still unsure, perhaps understanding Shudall’s motivations for changing perspective will help. In a recent NME interview, he stated that ‘You can’t just try and do what people want, because we’ll just live in a grey world [...] We’ve got to keep moving forward. It’s boring staying in the same place.’ For this, I applaud him. It is easy to become entangled in the hype of other successful artists and want to sound just like them, although in my opinion what really distinguishes success from failure in music is a band’s ability to a s s e r t t h e i r i n d i v i d u a l i t y, and to write and perform tracks which they are truly passionate about at the time, rather than maintaining personas which they no longer relate to in order to satisfy the demands of others.

MUSIC

Friday 17th March 2017

@redbrickmusic

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Hot, Young Singles Near You Redbrick gives you the lowdown on the best new singles

Single Review: Lorde - Green Light Madeleine Bourne Music Critic @maddiemae_xo

Lorde is just one of those girls that unconsciously reminds everyone else of how insignificant and unsuccessful they are. It’s like that one girl who comes to seminars utterly prepared every time, firsts across the board, life together, with a killer work experience set up for the summer and a stellar personality to match.

You want to hate these people, because they remind you of your own insufficiency, but you can’t help but like them, because they’re just so nice.

At just 20 years old, and fully reminding myself of my own insufficiency at 19, Lorde is back with a new

single. After the release of the defining ‘Royals’ back when Lorde was a mere 16-year-old (cry here at how insufficient you are) this is the comeback we’ve all been waiting for.

‘Green Light’ is the kind of song that you might expect to hear remixed in some disastrous way at a club.

As close to a dance track as

Single Review: Alt-J - 3WW Luke Charnley Music Critic @lukechazza97

Alt-J are back with a new single called ‘3WW’ and a new album due out in June. The simple and straightforward manner in which the band have announced their comeback feels unexpectedly refreshing in a world grown accustomed to surprise releases and elaborate marketing campaigns (looking at you, Radiohead and Frank Ocean). This simplicity is reflected in the music: a quiet and

repetitive beat supported by a sparse acoustic guitar over 5 minutes. However, never does the track allow the listener to become complacent; just as the beat has gone on long enough, the vocals enter and the instrumental dies down to create some space.

Though the lyrics are as cryptic as one has come to expect from the group, moments of genuine romance push through: ‘I just want to love you in my own language’, which seems to be something of a comment on the overuse of the ‘3 Worn Words’ of the title. The simple message of love is blot-

Lorde has ever ventured, this is a definite, swift change in direction for such an iconic artist. The urgent chorus sounds almost separate from the rest of the song: you feel as if you’re about to spiral into yet another churned out, repetitive pop ‘hit’.

Suddenly, we worry that Lorde is doing a ‘Taylor Swift’ on us. Just as Taylor swayed from her country roots to clamber onto the commercial bandwagon, hearing the chorus of ‘Green Light’ could be seen as testament to Lorde taking a leaf out of Swift’s dodgy handbook.

It takes a couple of listens to realise that this actually isn’t the case. ‘Green Light’, albeit in a slightly different direction, is still Lorde through and through. A post-

heartbreak song, the poetic motifs of Lorde’s earlier hits ring out to remind us that she is still very much herself. The motif of a great white’s teeth return to ‘Green Light’, along with the metaphorical lyricism Lorde is renowned for: ‘I whisper things / the city sings them back to you’.

"'Green Light' is in your head for the rest of the day - and that's not irritating in the slightest" Skittish falsettos enter soon after the verse, a choir of demented victims of the ex, mocking him: ‘Did it frighten you / How we kissed when we

ted somewhat by a response from Wolf Alice’s Ellie Roswell, who muses that ‘Love is just a button we pressed last night by the campfire’. The song ends with a duet of Roswell and Newman, before the looping beat cuts out and leaves only a harmonica slowly winding the song down.

By bringing back the distinctive, eclectic sound of which Alt-J are the masters, ‘3WW’ marks itself out as a strong first track from the upcoming album. With tracks such as this leading the record, it could be the case that they’ve made lightning strike thrice.

Single Review: Fleet Foxes - Third of May/ Odaigahara Jack Lawrence Music Critic @r3dclyffe

Fleet Foxes return from an extended hiatus to deliver a new single, ‘Third of May/ Odaigahara’, a song that is just as much a fantastic refinement of the bands’ sound as it is an evolution away from it.

Tr u e t o f o r m , t h i s n e w single waxes poetic lyrics across layered baroquefolk instrumentals, playing much to the strength of the band. Like their first two albums, the lyrics focus on the past and the pastoral, though with perhaps more of a sinister tone than is typical of the b a n d ’s p r e v i o u s w o r k ‘Was I too slow, did we change overnight?’

The theme that

Pecknold seems to be expressing in this song is that of change: changes in relationships, changes in seasons, even changes in the band itself, the lyrics echoing the departure of former drummer Josh Tillman (Father John Misty) and the distanced relationship between Pecknold and guitarist Skyler Skjelset “It addresses our distance in the years after touring [...] the feeling of having an unresolved, unrequited relationship that is lingering psychologically”.

The theme of change is also reflected in the evolution and progression of the song itself. What begins as a song very much typical of Fleet Foxes’ previous work (folk instrumentation, layered vocal harmonies) slowly veers off into uncharted territory for the

danced on the light-up floor?’ Echoing the alt-pop of the 90’s, the sparse piano forms the beat for most of the track, with an outro that fades into the distance.

We also forgive Lorde for a slightly more commercially-driven track, due to the goddamn catchiness of it. It’s liberating, it’s fluorescent, it’s effervescent.

After a listen, ‘Green Light’ is in your head for the rest of the day – and that’s not even irritating in the slightest. It’s an anthem for those moments where you’re feeling insufficient and need a good pick-meup. Giving us the green light to come and dance along with her, shaking off the heartbreak and stresses of real life, maybe Lorde is actually like us after all.

band. From the ambient and dissonant string sections to the fading classical guitar, this song seems to be representative of the band highlighting their own artistic ‘changes’ in expectation of their upcoming album.

"The theme of change is also reflected in the evolution and progression of the song itself" Instrumentally, this track is greatly ambitious, featuring huge ensembles of marching drums, string sections, vocal harmonies and guitars. This instrumenta-

tion is made all the more interes ting due to the band’s use of dynamics, which moves from loud, grand and soaring band sections to subtle and quiet folk instrumentation or even just solo vocals from Pecknold.

Though the first half of the song, ‘Third of May’, seems to be nostalgic and optimistic in its lyrics, the second half, ‘Odaigahara’, takes a darker and more instrumentally-focused turn. The growing sinister tone of the track is even reflected in the music video, which depicts darker shades of red and black slowly spreading across the lighter blues and greens yet another reference to change. The sudden shifts in tone that Fleet Foxes utilise in this song are particularly interesting, often confusing the listener to

the extent that it is very d i ff i c u l t t o d e f i n e t h i s simply as a ‘happy’ or a ‘sad’ song.

Unlike the somewhat cheesy and indulgent record released by Bon Iver last year, the instrumental changes that are utilised by Fleet Foxes here never feel indicative of the band stretching themselves too thin or running out of ideas.

Simply put, they stick to what they are best at, whilst tweaking the established formula just enough to provide progression as a band.

This is a really exciting song to hear from Fleet Foxes, hopefully an indicator of their evolved sound on the upcoming album Crack-Up.

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CULTURE

Friday 17th March 2017

@redbrickculture

Review: ‘Snow in Midsummer’ at the RSC Holly Reaney Culture Critic

An innocent woman executed for murder. A lover clinging to love at all costs. Mothers and sons.

Mothers and daughters. Curses, vengeance, corruption and ghosts.

The Royal Shakespeare Company’s Snow in Midsummer is an intensely visceral play; a raw unity of passion and trauma that is at times difficult to watch.

Fast-paced with a constant bombardment of light, sound and movement, I felt physically exhausted by the time the interval came. I jumped out of my seat, sound coming from all around me. I was part of the play and felt every minute of it. There was a sense of total immersion that I have rarely felt produced on stage.

It was incredible.

A play of juxtapositions, a fighting of opposites. The merging of traditional Chinese culture with the modern world was expertly done.

Lily Arnold deserves no end of praise for the ingenious way she transferred the stage into a small industrial Chinese town. A rough wooden scaffold towered over the stage town, an image constantly contrasted by bright neon lights flash-

ing in Chinese characters. Ruth Chan’s combining of a traditional Chinese lament with pumping club synth embodies both worlds.

The modern pounding club music was loud and painful, forcing its way into the performance, an excellent symbol for the issues with which the play grapples.

Blending this with sounds of water and crackling electricity created a constant underlying tone of something sinister lurking.

The poignance of the weather was heavily weighted throughout the play with a sense of total elation when the rain finally began to fall. Choreography symbolically turned men into robotic machines, encapsulating their life of nearservitude to the factory that despite being unseen loomed large over the play.

Katie Leung (best known for her role of Cho Chang in Harry Potter) was mesmerising. She embodied the abused ghost with such realism that it was uncomfortable. Her monologues were captivating and visceral: an example of exemplary writing worthy of performance on Shakespeare’s stage. Her character was so completely formed and inhabited that it was a joy to watch; we felt her rage, her desperation, her suffering, her fire, and her grief. All extremes of emotion were expert-

ly performed. Leung’s performance deserves every inch of praise it is receiving. Flanking Leung were Wendy Kweh as Tianyun and Emily Dao as one of the three actors playing seven-year-old FeiFei. Kweh’s character guided the audience through the narrative, and was well-imagined as occasionally cold but also emotive, fuelled by a deep loyalty to her daughter. However, it was Emily Dao’s performance of Fei-Fei which stole the show. To carry the plot, to be the agent of action, is a vital role on which the whole play depends. Dao was impressive, with an excellently constructed role, providing both wisdom and childhood naivety in another deeply formed character. Her performance rivalled that of the other actors in the company. She should be immensely proud.

Snow In Midsummer was incredibly strong with an excellent atmosphere being created both on stage and in the audience.

The mystery built in the first act is spectacularly resolved in the second with not a single aspect disappointing. A phenomenal play. If you only see one theatre production this semester, this should be it. It’s been a long time since I last watched a piece of theatre this powerful.

Ikin Yum

An Interview with Colin Ryan Charlotte Russell

Culture Critic @swankychar

Hi Colin. I’m incredibly excited to hear about the upcoming production Snow in Midsummer at the RSC. I’ve heard that you are playing the character Handsome Zhang, tell me about him.

Handsome Zhang has inherited his factory from his father and has over the years turned it into a success, and as a result is held in high regard in his local town. He is in a relationship with the character Rocket, who had a heart

transplant a few years back. The story is about the strength of Handsome’s love for Rocket and the length that he will go to in order to keep that.

"It's always lovely to come back to the Midlands, especially the RSC as it is so brilliant."

Do you feel that you can relate to the character at all? Does he differ from yourself in any way?

In China they call these privileged rich kids ‘princelings’, and in that sense the character is very different from myself. He therefore has this air of superiority. But that’s one of the fun things about acting I suppose, playing characters that are very different from you.

I understand that you are from Birmingham. Is it quite cool to be performing at the RSC? Yeah, absolutely. I’ve performed here a few times, such as Wendy and Peter Pan in 2013 and Ikin Yum

The Summer Swan in 2015. It’s always lovely to come back to the Midlands, especially the RSC as it is so brilliant. On top of this it’s lovely to come and see all my family. It’s a really nice break from London as well.

Is there any added pressure considering it is the world premiere of this production?

I guess every production is different. With Snow In Midsummer, because the writing is new and it is a world premiere, it isn’t tried and tested. It is a little bit scary as a result. But overall it is just really exciting. The vibes in the rehearsal room are great, and everyone has been working really hard.

"It's got high drama, intensely close relationships, politics, and it is also a ghost story as well."

It must be quite refreshing, being in something so different from a Shakespearean production then?

That’s one of the most exciting things. This is a genre breaking play. It’s got high drama, intensely close relationships, politics and it is also a ghost story as well. You don’t really see ghost stories done on stage; apart from the Woman in Black nothing springs to mind. It’s also set in China, which is a setting we don’t really see done much on stage.

It’s exciting to see a Chinese drama with Asian actors on

stage. I wondered if you had any comments on theatre as a whole and whether we should be seeing more people of colour in other productions as well?

I think it’s fantastic that the RSC are doing a production set in China and using East-Asian actors. It is an entirely East-Asian cast. My ethnicity is a little different, in the acting world I am classed as an East-Asian actor, but in actual fact I am Thai-English, my Mum being from Thailand and my Dad being a Brummie, although my grandparents are originally from China. A sign of real progress would be to see East-Asian actors in non-race specific roles.

That would be very progressive, and I think it is necessary. More needs to be done especially considering the prejudiced response to ‘Black Hermione’ in London.

Things like that show how far we are still to go with diversity and acceptance. It would be great to see the East-Asian community involved in a lot more of the Shakespearean productions also playing characters because the actors are good enough and not because the character depends on their race. At the same time, it is still brilliant that we are seeing plays like this done. Yet considering all this, even though Snow in Midsummer is set in China, it’s not necessarily a ‘China Play’, it’s much more about the human relationships within the play. It is relevant to anyone. The play is based on a Chinese classic, yet the playwright has taken the story and completely contemporises it, and it really explores issues of 2017. I therefore feel that the play is very, fresh, exciting, and current.

CULTURE

Friday 17th March 2017

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@redbrickculture

'Did you ever hear the story of the Johnstone twins?'

Review: Blood Brothers William Gillingham Culture Critic

‘Did you ever hear the story of the Johnstone twins?’ As the eponymous duo lie in their deathbeds, and lights glitter from the distant cityscape, Dean Chisnall’s opening narratorial question is delivered with all the conviction of a man standing at the ending of a story worth being told. His baritone command of the stage, overlaying the frozen mourning behind him, measures the gravity of the play in an instant. And so it is, that in the initial lines of the play, 34 years on from its inception, Blood Brothers packs a message that it still has something to give.

While the overlying narrative of class differences is one which perhaps has stepped behind more volatile subjects in the current sociological debate, the inextricable ‘what if’ lying at the core the tale (the choosing of one twin to be raised in luxury while the other is raised in poverty) is one which is still harrowing and potent in its capability to move.

And in this latter respect, the cast of this 2017 iteration are a formidable and accomplished vehicle.

Before the cast are allowed to excel, however, the first notably profound aspect of the play is its

music. From the bass drum reverberating throughout the auditorium to accompany the visceral opening freeze-frame, to the infallible variance of upbeat exposition (such as ‘Marilyn Monroe’) and foreboding portent (such as ‘Shoes Upon the Table'), the exceptional soundtrack proves the musical’s more recent peers still have something to learn about the emotional transference of an opportune melody.

"Crawford's innocent portrayal of Linda as a child, developing into a burdened and torn woman, comes across as chillingly real" Standing tall straight out of the gate is Lyn Paul as Mrs Johnstone. Situating herself as an authentic mother of eight and bearing the toll which that connotes, while also providing vocals which are self-explanatory of her role as protagonist, it is small

wonder Paul has been voted as the definitive casting of the character.

The fact she is in the lead role of the current tour of the production should be an allure of its own.

Also returning to the production is Sean Jones as Mickey.

His precise witticisms and childlike demeanour in the first act are compelling, and the shift into Mickey’s drained adulthood is a conceivable and proficient display. While his co-performers are exemplary embodiments of their characters, Jones is Mickey, and is a sure stand-out. Mickey’s compatriot Linda (in this instance played by Alison Crawford), however, is no second-rate presence.

Crawford’s innocent portrayal of Linda as a child, developing into a burdened and torn woman, comes across as chillingly real, and she stands no less than directly beside Jones in sheer theatrical capability. It’s astounding to believe Crawford is not the primary choice for the role: her execution is flawless.

It is Dean Chisnall who draws eyes at every occasion he is visible, however. Doubling as narrator and doomsayer (and at points perhaps the devil himself, if poignant stage placement and informative lyrics are anything to go by), his silent, looming shadow speaks both to the strength of Chisnall and to the script itself. It is in the character of the narrator

Belgrade Theatre

in which the subtleties of the writing are exhibited, his invisible form standing in the direct eyeline of Mrs Lyons as she refers to the bogeyman, or presiding over certain interactions to give them a more prophetic twist. Chisnall himself maintains a powerful composure throughout, and, with the regrettable mic-echoing being ignored, does justice to the narrator’s imposing presence. His vocals are remarkable, and the final duet between himself and

#Nastywoman: Slam Poetry or an Insightful Social Commentary?

Antonia Miles Culture Critic @antoniawritesx

The day after the presidential inauguration, a series of women’s marches took place around the world as a potent symbol of solidarity against the appointment of the ‘pussy grabbing’ President.

At the Women’s March in Washington, actress Ashley Judd read out a piece of 'slam poetry’ written by 19-year-old Nina Mariah Donovan, which has greatly divided public opinion. #Nastywoman tries to confront the pervasive nature of inequality and some very intersectional issues of social injustice, by slamming Trump’s ‘nasty woman’ rhetoric aimed at Hillary Clinton. In many ways, #Nastywoman is a direct attack against Trump. Lines such as 'not as nasty as a man who looks like he bathes in cheeto dust’, don’t leave much to the imagination, though Trump’s name is never actually mentioned throughout the duration of the poetic reading.

I don’t see why other lines such as 'not as nasty as your own daughter being your favourite sex symbol’ have caused a stir. Fact: Trump’s comments about his daughter Ivanka were wildly inappropriate. I’m sorry, but I categorically fail to accept the view that this line is proof that #Nastywoman is ‘vile hate

speech’ against Trump or an attack against Ivanka. These types of discourses are important to remember, for they are a stark reminder of who the US President is and the types of values and qualities he embodies.

I simply don’t understand how in this instance, stating the truth can be taken offensively. It’s so important to remember who we are talking about here! Fact: Trump has been out-right misogynistic, racist, homophobic and discriminatory at times and the list goes on and on. What good would it be to dismiss his comments and the very nature of this character, sweep it under the carpet for the next four years? We need to show solidarity against the types of behaviour and beliefs Trump incites and this poem perfectly depicts that notion.

While the poem’s allusion to Trump as the incarnation of Hitler, shown in 'I feel Hitler in these streets' and 'a moustache traded for a toupee' is slightly far-fetched, Nina has not been the first to draw parallels between Trump and Hitler. There have been countless similarities drawn between the pair through their rise to power, ‘charismatic’ leadership and the systematic ‘othering’ of minority groups to offer explanatory potential for problems faced in society.

Nina has simply picked up on these parallels and included these in her poem, as a reminder of what powerful figures throughout history have been capable of. I don’t think that the poet is deserv-

ing of labels such as a ‘man hater’ and a ‘feminazi’ for doing so.

Our choice of words are the greatest source of power we have , and Trump has, repeatedly shown us that. I don’t think that the surges of violence through the city on the day of the inauguration were the right way to protest against his accession to power.

But the power of words, and this poem in particular, is far more powerful than any act of physical destruction or violence could be.

This said, words can be destructive. Trump is living proof of the destructive power of words in inciting hatred towards certain groups of people.

But #Nastywoman is not a ‘hate speech’; Nina has merely picked up on some of the universal fears that women have about Trump’s accession to power. In that way, #Nastywoman must be considered as a social commentary which flags up the continuity of social inequality and social injustice and represents a brisk walk through of the mounting pile of demeaning and misogynistic rubbish which has characterised Trump’s accession to power.

In more ways than one, #Nastywoman is simply a regurgitation of things that Trump has said and the values and qualities that he embodies. It is not slam poetry rooted in feminazism, but rather an insightful social commentary about the fears that many women have over Trump’s ascension to power.

Paul leaves the audience awestricken.

The production is a magnificent feat, even more than three decades on from its debut. The set is impressively detailed, the acting is phenomenal, and the story still stands as one of the giants of musical theatre. Blood Brothers is touring until November 2017.

'Did you ever hear the story of the Johnstone twins?' Because if not, you’re sorely missing out.

What's On? Pink Mist at Birmingham REP

Mark Douet

Written by Welsh Poet Owen Sheers, and inspired by interviews with returned servicemen, Pink Mist tells the stories of three young men deployed to Afghanistan, as they and their families struggle with the physical and psychological aftershocks of war.

Runs 23rd to 25th of March.

Alastair Muir

Billy Elliot Hippodrome

at

the

The award-winning show dances its way into the Hippodrome. Telling the story of a boy who discovers his love of ballet, amongst the tumultuous period of the miner's strikes, it is one musical that is not to be missed. Read Culture's review online.

Runs until April 29th.

Jean Painlevé exhibition at the Ikon Gallery

An exhibition featuring film footage, photographs and jewellery by renowned filmaker Jean Painlevé (1902-1989), that explores audience engagement, music and marine life.

Open 15 March - 4 June.

Ell Brown

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FILM

Friday 17th March 2017

@redbrickfilm

Review: Get Out Film Editor Alex McDonald finds much to love in first-time director Jordan Peele's breakthrough horror film-come-racial commentary Alex McDonald Film Editor

Horror is a genre that has all but lost its voice. Tiresome jump scares and even more tiresome sequels have given rise to underwritten, clichéd characters and unnecessary gore. There are exceptions to the rule of course:

2014’s The Babadook, 2015’s It Follows and 2016’s The Witch shed the trappings of mainstream horror to become fantastic pieces of cinema. The pattern of one standout horror film a year may not change, but the rest of 2017 will have a tough time unseating Get Out from the top spot.

Focused on a character all too often marginalised within

the genre, Get Out sees AfricanAmerican Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) meeting his white girlfriend’s parents for the first time. 'Do they know I’m black?' he asks, a worry which she is quick to dispel. Her parents welcome him with open arms, but Chris’ discomfort is plain to see, especially when the only other black people in this heavenly suburbia are 'the help' who act rather strangely.

Something sinister is lurking underneath the smiles.

Sketch comic Jordan Peele (one half of Key & Peele) is known for making people laugh, but now the debut writer-director will also be known for making people scream. Get Out is a masterclass in chilling horror. There is a creeping sense of dread from the very first scene leading to a mighty crescendo of intense thrills. Peele handles this transition from chiller to thriller with remarkable ease, cashing in on the skin crawling tension he built up in the first two acts.

While the audience is fearful, Peele is certainly fearless in his social commentary. He side steps the easy target of vindicated racists in Trump’s America and sets his sights on the rich, liberal

elite of suburbia. Racism is truly insidious here and seeps through the name dropping of Jesse Owens and overt support of Obama, and Peele highlights the reductive stereotypes by which the black male has been fetishized in one scene full of nervous laughter. Get Out’s cutting

"Get Out is a masterclass in chilling horror" critique shows that being a black man in a white neighbourhood is far scarier than a monster that hides under the bed.

All the performances on display are great, with Kaluuya shining in the lead role. His glum acceptance of what one might call “casual racism” inspires rage in the audience, wishing he would lash out and fight back. But his portrayal of Chris is all too real, his resignation so well-practised that it also provokes horror. Peele’s comedy background finds its way into proceedings through Lil Rey Howery, as Chris’s friend and ultimately the audience’s mouth-

piece, who provides excellent levity between scenes of unbearable tension.

If I were to nit-pick this fantastic film, and I mean really nit-pick, I would say that not all of the twists are as surprising as they’d like to be, but that does little to derail the effectiveness of the timing with which they are deployed. Also there is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it plot hole. Other than that, Get Out is a thrill ride like no other in contemporary cinema.

VERDICT: For those looking for a little more depth in horror between all the jump scares, Get Out is exactly what you need.

Peele has crafted a provocative film that is full of subtext and combines edge-of-your-seat thrills with razor sharp social commentary that is as culturally relevant as films like Best Picture winner, Moonlight. If you aren’t planning on it already, put this paper down, GET OUT of the house and go see Get Out.

«««««

Review: Kong: Skull Island Critic John James assesses the second film in the burgeoning MonsterVerse, introducing a new imagining of the great ape John James

the narrative around them. The problem is that the film does this terribly, overloading scenes with useless side plots, stupid dialogue and a host of side characters who are even less integral or developed than our protagonists, yet share the same amount of screen time. Jason Mitchell, so impressive in Straight Outta Compton, is the worst offender here spending the entire film yelling expletives and complaining. Then again, it is better than the dross Hiddleston was serving up.

Film Critic

Kong: Skull Island, the 2nd film in Legendary Picture’s ‘MonsterVerse’ franchise (because Marvel did it so why can’t we?) pits a supersized Kong against ‘Merican soldiers and monsters. However, the real monsters here are screenwriters Dan Gilroy, Max Borenstein and Derek Connolly. The film beats you round the head with around 20 minutes of poorly delivered exposition, each character building suspense the film doesn’t capitalise on or deserve. A survey expedition to the nefariously named ‘Skull Island’, headed by John Goodman and aided by tracker Tom Hiddleston, Army Colonel Samuel L. Jackson and photographer Brie Larson goes awry. Once there, predictable chaos ensues and our characters are left in the thick of the action, their lives on the line, a true test of their mettle in the most unforgiving of environments!

Apparently.

In reality, the audience does not care about a single one of them as they are all caricatures rather than characters, utterly devoid of any personality. This is to be expected, given that each is established in a single line of exposition. Goodman is the crazed explorer cliché,

Jackson the aggressive military cliché, Hiddleston the mysterious drifter cliché and Larson the strong able woman cliché. She is a photographer. This is apparently surprising as it is the seventies (‘I didn’t expect you to be a woman’) though her subsequent capability in the role soon dispels this ‘reasonable doubt’ in a move that seeks to make a statement on ‘kickass femininity’ within a predominantly patriarchal society that the film itself establishes. Of course, the film would have far more integrity if it didn’t treat Larson’s input as anything more than her natural ability, drawing undue attention just comes across as patronising.

The performances themselves are mostly terrible; John C. Reilly was okay but he was essentially playing Dale from Stepbrothers. Samuel L. Jackson phones it in again, whilst Tom Hiddleston’s rugged SAS hard man impression is every bit as ridiculous as you’d expect. He assumes the leading role owing more to the fact he is present during many of the film's set pieces than anything he actually does.

The film's pacing is all over the place, in stark contrast to its characters who largely stay put and do nothing. After Kong’s initial helicopter beat-down, the team are split up on opposite ends of the island, constructing

"useless side plots, stupid dialogue and a host of side characters" Though Kong systematically fails in many aspects befitting a good film, namely plot, performance and substance, it can still be fun. The soundtrack is peppered with seventies rock anthems which builds a nice vibe and when Kong throws down, it is very impressive. The cinematography of the film is eminently stylish, which in a way is frustrating as it teases the film it could have been. You can’t help but marvel when Kong’s gigantic frame blots out the sun and likewise Samuel L

Jackson’s fist clenched tyrant hints at a fascinating parallel between man and perceived monster, that ultimately the film is too lazy to establish.

Considering this is the follow up to Gareth Edward’s moody, realist (read, Dull) Godzilla, the film's tone is odd. You can forgive an action film for being stupid, the best often are, however when a film is so blatantly stupid, you become aware of how ridiculous it is. Characters crack wise even as they are being killed.

The film is incredibly violent despite the 12 rating. Take the delightful sequence where a man is pulled apart by monsters; there is no build-up to this event, it simply happens and as a result comes across as gratuitous and stupid rather than entertaining, serving if you like as an overarching metaphor for the film.

VERDICT: Kong: Skull Island is a film acutely aware of the legacy it exists within whilst seemingly equally happy to be a skid mark upon it. If that sounds unduly harsh, it is because this is a King Kong film. If it’s not essential viewing, then why has it been made?

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FILM

Friday 17th March 2017

@redbrickfilm

Review: Logan Critic Patrick Box reviews Hugh Jackman's final outing as The Wolverine

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Film News John James Film Critic

British filmmaker Edgar Wright - of Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and almost AntMan fame - has released the trailer for his latest film Baby Driver. Starring Ansel Elgort as the titular Baby, a getaway driver for a mafia firm who takes on one last job so he can run away with waitress sweetheart Deborah (played by Cinderella’s Lily James). Wright’s inherently irreverent style heightens the trailer’s style considerably and we’re promised a film soundtrack that doesn’t just heighten the cinematic experience, but shapes it and its characters. Also starring Jamie Foxx, Jon Hamm and Kevin Spacey, Baby Driver is set for release later this summer.

Patrick Box Film Critic

Logan is a film that shouldn’t exist. 2013's The Wolverine is enjoyable but mostly forgettable. After deciding he wanted to end his tenure as the clawed mutant, Hugh Jackman reunites with director James Mangold.

The result is Logan. A film that transcends its genre; being at once bleak, brutal, and shockingly heartfelt.

Set in the year 2029, we find an aged Logan eking out a living as a limo-driver on the Mexican border. Spending his time caring for a dementia-stricken Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), he is hired to escort a young mutant, Laura (Dafne Keen), to the Canadian border. However, Logan isn’t what he once was; a lifetime of violence has left him scarred both emotionally and physically as the healing factor that has kept him alive for centuries begins to falter. The film’s plot is refreshingly simple, abandoning the convoluted trappings of franchise cinema. Just as you think you know where the film is heading it takes a sharp left turn.

"A film that transcends its genre" On a performance level, the film is pitch-perfect. Patrick Stewart’s turn as Charles Xavier is a revelation. Confused and vulnerable, he’s almost unrecognisable. He’s a man who’s mind is classified by the government as a WMD, and he’s lost control of it. It’s a career best performance from Stewart; he’s played this character across five films yet this is the first that has allowed him to truly stretch himself, with amazing results.

Continuing the recent trend of child actors who are actually not only bearable but actually pretty great is Dafne Keen as Laura.

Mute for most of the film’s runtime, she radiates a ferocity that makes the moments she indulges in violence chillingly believable.

In her, Logan sees a mutant in danger of following his own tragic footsteps, and recoils from any potential responsibility.

Merchant as Caliban is a hidden gem. Bone-white and bald, his Somerset accent is the only thing recognisable. He somehow manages to tower over everyone yet seems the smallest man in the room. Although a little one-dimensional, Boyd Holbrook manages to elevate what easily could have been an adequate at most villain into an electric screen presence: a sadist who loves every second of his job a little too much. Richard E. Grant even gives it a good stab as mad scientist Zander Rice despite turning up pretty late in the game.

At the centre of everything though is Hugh Jackman as Logan himself. It’s been 17 years and 9 films, and Jackman still manages to nail every aspect of the character. Abandoning the wry humour of his previous appearances, Jackman’s Logan is a man buckling under the weight of his tragic life; 'Everyone I care about dies in the end' he snarls. He’s a man whose circumstances shaped him into a weapon, yet his guilt comes from having done little to change that. He’s only ever been what people expected him to be.

Logan unfolds as a character study of a man who’s ashamed by a legacy he deserves. In this vein the film has more in common with your classic Westerns than any superhero film. Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven is the clear reference point, as is 1953’s Shane which features heavily at several points in the film. This is evident in the simplicity of the title; its about the man rather than the myth. Expert little touches augment this theme: Logan reads about his life in colourful comic-books that have left out all the pain and is only referred to as 'The Wolverine' by strangers.

Much has been said about the hard R rating (a 15 in this country) Logan targeted in order to tell this story. Director James Mangold wanted the film to feel as realistic as possible and has done a remarkable job achieving this. Everyone is believably foul-mouthed, and things get grizzly fast. Violence, and what it really does to people both on and beneath the surface, is central to the movie. This is the first time we see the damage a man with knives-for-hands would inflict in the real world and it's

harrowing. Every wound inflicted makes you flinch. Mangold skilfully manages to avoid making things gratuitous, but there were still some moments where the level of violence was distracting. It's hard not to get taken out of the story when you're marvelling at how shocking eve-

"Jackman still manages to nail every aspect of the character" rything is.

He clearly knows what he’s doing though. He directs the action as frenzied and seemingly unchoreographed without making it incomprehensible. The wide vistas of Westerns are utilised here alongside painful closeups that really embody the film’s tone. For all its scale, the film’s focus never wavers from its core characters. Yet thought has clearly been spared for background details. Taking its cue from Alfonzo Cuaron’s Children of Men, Mangold hints at a dystopia but never allows us to fully indulge. America has walled itself off from its neighbours, self-driving trucks dog the highways, and the populace is reliant on stimulants in order to forget their worries. This is all integrated so seamlessly that the few times the film slides into exposition, admittedly even if it is necessary, it jars with the fluidity the rest of the narrative possesses.

Regardless, Logan is a triumph, plain-and-simple. It manages to reinvent a genre people are desperate to label as tired, as well as delivering a worthy send-off for an iconic character.

Many are saying it’s the best superhero film since The Dark Knight. They’re not wrong.

VERDICT: A film for people who don’t like superhero films, yet sure to please fans too, Logan is a brutal and beautiful look at the unwanted legacies we make for ourselves and the perfect send-off for Jackman. It’s the end of an era, but it ended with a hell of a bang.

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Following its release last week, Kong: Skull Island has dominated the US box office in its opening weekend, with its $61 million haul knocking (the considerably greater) Logan off the top spot, whilst not quite bettering the $93 million pulled in by franchise-starter Godzilla on its own opening weekend in 2014. Kong, of course, is supposed to help establish a shared Cinematic Universe of Monsters, with Kong and Godzilla set to faceoff in their own film in 2020. First in line though is the upcoming sequel to Godzilla, subtitled King of the Monsters as a throwback to the 1956 kaiju film of the same name, which has been delayed once and is now set for release on 22nd March 2019. Gareth Edwards will not return as director but Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga and Millie Bobby Brown will play central roles.

The first trailer for the IT remake has debuted at SXSW festival and has reportedly left 'the entire audience screaming.' The trailer showcases a film inspired by its forebears yet updated for a contemporary horror audience.

The trailer comes after Stephen King quashed fears for the re-make of his classic novel by stating that the new film (launching September 8) ‘exceeds expectations.’ Those expectations, of course, have been considerably lowered throughout the film's tumultuous road to the screen. True Detective’s Cary Fukunaga was originally attached to direct the then-two part film with Will Poulter as the titular spook. The film’s now helmed by Mama’s Andy Muschietti and Poulter’s made way for Bill Skarsgård doing his best Tim-Curry-In-Clown-Make-Up impression.

Sir Ridley Scott is keeping busy. Despite the latest film not even being released yet, he is showing no sign of slowing down, announcing that the next film in the forever-expanding Alien saga has already been written. This will be, naturally, the sequel to the upcoming Alien: Convenant, the sequel to 2012's Prometheus which is, of course, the prequel to 1979's Alien - with the events of Prometheus, Covenant and apparently two other films leading us right up to the start of Alien itself. Convenant i s released May 19th and Sir Ridley will hopefully stay away from Sigourney Weaver and prison planets for the foreseeable future. In the meantime, Scott is currently in negotiations to secure Natalie Portman for a film about the kidnapping of John Paul Getty III. All The Money in The World will focus on the peculiar true story of a $17 million ransom. The story is also set for a TV adaptation by Danny Boyle.

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TELEVISION

Friday 17th March 2017

@redbricktv

Stacey Dooley: Young Sex for Sale in Japan Abbie Pease TV Critic @pease_abbie

BBC Three’s favourite investigative journalist, Stacey Dooley, travels to Japan in an attempt to uncover the truth behind the country's fixation on the sexualisation of young children. The documentary, which represents a visual step up from previous BBC Three investigations, shines light on the disturbing nature of popular culture in one of Asia’s most prosperous countries. Once again, Stacey Dooley delves into the depths of her investigation, letting no barrier stop her from getting to the truth.

In the bustling city of Tokyo lays a dark secret that exploits children. It was only in 2014 that child pornography became illegal in Japan, a fact that most western observers would regard as deeply horrifying. Despite this shift in the legal status of child pornography, there is still an entire market geared towards the sexualisation of children. This popular culture, which centres predominantly around school girls in uniform known as ‘jk’, is big business in

Japan. The culture is so vast that there is a street in Tokyo called ‘school girl avenue’, where teenage girls in school uniform sell themselves to men. The services they offer include holding hands, going for coffee and allowing men to sleep on their laps. To kick off her investigation, Stacey attempts to talk to one of the girls, who is being guarded by older men near by. The aggressive onlookers soon begin verbally attacking the BBC Three camera team, and eventually involve the

"Is it universally wrong for men to sexualise young girls?" police. Much to the surprise of Stacey, who knows fully well that they have engaged in no illegal activity, the team gets taken to the police station, where they are held against their will for two hours.

As pointed out by Stacey, it is amazing to think that the police took the side of men who were exploiting vulnerable teenage girls. This event demonstrates from the get-go how intrenched

Japanese culture is in the view that exploiting young girls is acceptable work.

During a visit to one of Japan’s school girl bars, at which men can pay for quality time with young teenage girls, the question of culture comes into view. Is it universally wrong for men to sexualise young girls? Or is this something that western ideals perceive wrong due to a different form of culture?

In opposition to many of the men that she speaks to, Stacey supports the view that such sexualisation is always wrong, as exploiting those who are most vulnerable is an abuse of power.

Although the government currently has no child protection service to offer these ‘jk’ girls, there are NGOs that offer hope to those being exploited. Stacey visits a drop in centre and shelter that offers girls the help they need.

Speaking to the head of the organisation, Stacey discovers that in Japan youth is a quality that is placed higher than any other. For this reason, beautiful young women are targeted. Unknown to many of them, working as a ‘jk’ can often be a gateway into prostitution. Stacey meets with a 17 year old girl who fell into this path. She began working at a cafe

after school and on breaks, which eventually led to having sex with five to six men a day. The girl reveals that her way of life has led her to become incredibly depressed and suicidal, which is telling of the ways in which such exploitation can mentally damage young girls.

After meeting with the girls affected by the industry, Stacey moves on to look at the art and imagery that encourages sexualisation of children. Visiting a porn shop, it is clear that a large and popular genre is Lolicon, a term that describes a sexual attraction towards pubescent girls. The DVD’s are covered with images of small pubescent looking girls in uniform, decorated with child like animations that evoke a childlike feel. The size and scale of the section available reveals that “there is clearly a target audience that is desperate to see adult women that look like children.”

Despite the fact that it is illegal to possess and distribute child porn, the images and videos that are still available play to an appetite that is in high demand. A producer of a shoot that Stacey visits agrees to talk about the issue. Trying to remove himself from responsibility, he reveals that he directed a

shoot with a 6 year old girl, at a time when this was legal. Staying as calm as ever, Stacey asks how he would feel if this had been his daughter that was used. Incredibly, the man states that he would kill her and then himself, revealing the lack of responsibility he feels for the children who were not his own.

Stacey goes on to look at Manga, an art form that “captures the visual landscape of Japan.”

The comics, which made a profit of £2 billion in 2015, depict graphic scenes involving children.

Manga artists defend such images on the grounds of free speech, arguing that they resemble an art form that is not directly involved in the abuse of children. Despite admitting that no children are harmed in the creation of Manga, Stacey feels quite different from these artists, regarding certain forms of Manga as child pornography. It is up to viewers to decide whether the depiction of children being sexually abused in art is wrong; does it offer a scapegoat for peadeophiles of encourage the problem?

Stacey’s last investigation involves a meeting with a man who outwardly admits that he is sexually attracted towards children. Entering her hotel room, he brings a childlike doll who he openly admits he is involved in sexual activity with. The man claims that, if it were legal, he would have sex with a child. The encounter is raw and disturbing, as the man regards his desires as natural and separate from the peadophillia that is regarded as illegal and so many see as wrong.

Despite her calm nature, it is clear how uncomfortable Stacey feels after the encounter. Personally, I found the scene incredibly disturbing but also necessary to understand the full extent to which child exploitation is rife in Japan.

The message of Stacey Dooley: Young Sex for Sale in Japan rings clear; their maintains a mentality in Japan that it is acceptable to sexualise young girls.

Do you have opinions on this article? Tell them to us: @redbricktv

Trailer Review: Stranger Things 2 Laura Bourne TV Critic @laurabourne96

We’ve been waiting for it ever since it ended, that’s right, Stranger Things is back and it’s getting crazier, more mysterious and even more stranger.

With the trailer teaser airing during the Super Bowl 51, viewers were shocked to see the quick return of the Netflix series. Not only were we surprised to see it, but the cast themselves were jumping through hoops when they saw the premiere making it as a Super Bowl advert. It will go down in history forever. Noah Schnapp (who plays the gang’s leader, Will) posted his reac-

tion on Instagram. Alongside his friends, Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin) and Finn Wolfhard (Mike), the threesome froze in silence as the trailer aired, then they hugged each other and jumped around like bunny rabbits.

"Stranger Things is back and it's getting crazier, more mysterious and even more stranger" SPOILERS ALERT! I will be referring to Series 1 from now on. The trailer began with a little easter egg, Eleven’s favourite

waffles. Then it continued to show the gang back at school.

We are given an official synopsis to feast our minds upon: ‘A year after Will’s return, everything seems back to normal but a darkness lurks just beneath the surface, threatening all of Hawkins’.

Clearly, the danger still prowls within the Indiana town and will no doubt reveal its presence in this upcoming season.

It is confirmed that Eleven and the gang will return to season 2, as well as Winona Ryder (who plays Joyce) and David Harbour (who plays the town’s sheriff Hopper). There will also be new cast members with their own interesting background and storyline joining the show.

According to Entertainment Weekly, the first two episodes of

the series will be directed by Andrew Stanton, famous for directing the renowned Finding Nemo and Finding Dory. And of course, the Duffy Brothers will continue to produce the supernaturally orientated episodes.

Stranger Things 2 is expected to be released during October this year, just in time for Halloween. Will there be any more seasons after this?

According to the creators, the Duffer Brothers, the show will probably end after four or five

seasons. Matt Duffer made a worthy statement by saying, "I want it to have a really finite ending. I don’t want it to be one of those shows that runs out of gas and they lose it because they’re losing interest.

You wanna end when you’re on top.”

Do you have opinions on this article? Tell them to us: @redbricktv

TELEVISION

Friday 17th March 2017

@redbricktv

X Factor: Attempt to Save the Show Executive Producer fears audiences have grown tired of the shows format and want to have a week of live shows, just like rival Britain’s Got Talent Tamsin Hackett TV Editor @tamsinailish

It’s no secret that in the last few years audiences have got bored with the X Factor. From the repetitive format to consistently changing the judges, the X Factor seems to have been on its way off our screens for a while.

Yet news surfaced this week that X Factor bosses are wanting to give the show a Britain’s Got Talent style makeover. Instead of making audiences endure two live shows a week for what seems like forever, the show is instead looking to have a week of consistent live shows.

X Factor bosses believe this

change will allow audiences to connect more with the singers and prevent viewers dropping out half way through the series. According to The Sun, bosses ‘think viewers would prefer one week of great TV, with star performers’.

It has also come to light that this change could be geared toward keeping celebrity judges on board.

During the last series, Sharron Osborne travelled from America every week to attend the live shows because of her busy schedule in LA. This change in format will be a great help to the judges and ensure they are fully on board with the show.

However, for those viewers who are still avid fans of the X Factor there is no need to worry, it is thought that the change would

not affect the total number of hours in the series. And besides, no decision is final yet. A spokesperson for X Factor stated ‘no decisions have been made about the new series. Discussions are

ongoing and details will be announced in due course’. So maybe we’ll get the same tired show as last year after all.

Rachael Hopson TV Critic @rachaelH12

a never ending TV series, instead forcing you to inevitably return to your ominous work load.

Additionally it is the perfect way to fully forget the mundane life of revision as most episodes throw you into a completely bizarre and unique world. Black Mirror is predominately set in the future and based upon new and advanced technology, however despite it often being portrayed as dangerous and scary, it is not

Ed Sheeran to make Guest Appearance on Game of Thrones Season 7 James Tyson TV Editor @jamestyson_

Only use quote marks in pull quotes for direct quotes

Why Black Mirror is Perfect For Exam Season Essays, deadlines and revision.

The stress of exam season is looming upon us. However, it is also the key time where students do what they do best, procrastinate. And what better way is there to avoid all the worry and panic, than by starting a new TV series.

The TV series Black Mirror is the perfect way to indulge in your procrastination addiction. With only three seasons and a special episode, you don’t have to worry about spending hours and hours watching episode after episode as after only twelve episodes, you are cut off. Therefore, you can avoid the out of control spiral into

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always an implausible storyline.

Therefore, this series can help to fully detach yourself from the everyday fear of finals.

There are many other benefits to this TV series being your ‘go to’ form of avoidance. Each episode starts with a completely new setting, new cast and new storyline. Therefore the normal overpowering need to watch the next episode after a dramatic end of season finale doesn’t apply here.

Instead at the end of each episode you are left with a full and satisfying ending, encouraging you instead to return to your mountain of assignments.

Clearly, Black Mirror is the perfect form of procrastination and distraction from the stress of exams and finals, so sit back, relax and enjoy a few episodes while everyone else panics around you.

And good luck everyone.

The producers of Game of Thrones have confirmed that famous British pop singer Ed Sheeran will make a cameo in the seventh series of the show. Ed confirmed the news as reports started to appear online by tweeting ‘guess the cat's out the bag’.

Despite the big revelation, the details of his appearance are being kept quiet and it is unknown what role he will have in the show.

Ed is not the first musician to appear on Game of Thrones with previous musical cameos including members of Coldplay, Mastodon, Of Monsters and Men, and Sigur Ros. Our only option is to wait and see what the nation’s favourite ginger (with close competition from Rupert Grint) has to offer us.

This follows Ed’s very successful past month with his album Divide going to number one and the songs from this album dominating the top 16 spots on the UK Spotify charts.

Review: Call the Midwife Abigail Harvie

TV Critic

Call the Midwife burst onto our screens six years ago, with the arrival of new midwife Jenny Lee (Jessica Raine) arriving in postwar, poverty stricken Poplar. She was greeted by old Nonnatus Nun, nurse and midwife Sister Monica Joan (Judy Parfitt) with the proclamation of cake. And shortly after, I was sold on the series. It became a staple TV show in my family. If Downton Abbey was what we watched before Christmas, Call the Midwife became what we watched after Christmas. And woe betide anyone who tried to interrupt Doctor Who, Call the Midwife followed by Downton Abbey on Christmas Day. The popular series following a group of midwives and district nurses in the East End of London has recently finished its sixth series with viewing figures still up in the millions. The nurses live at Nonnatus House, alongside the Nuns of St Raymond Nonnatus,

working and living together in (mostly) harmony. The show, over its six series, has involved more births than any other show, excepting perhaps One Born Every Minute. It’s ok though, BBC have just approved a further three more seasons!

Perhaps what is successful about the show is that it isn’t just about birth, it’s about life. Yes, the midwives shuffle out at all hours, hop on their bicycles and go where they are needed, but this show is about the families, birth, life, death, love, and pain. It doesn’t shy away from sensitive subjects.

In the most recent series, one of the nuns was assaulted, and she suffered serious mental health problems later in the show. One of the main characters has dementia, and if anyone says anything against her, ninety percent of Poplar would turn out with pitchforks.

The show has covered interracial marriages, postpartum psychosis, the closing of maternity homes and the advent of contraceptives. Episodes have surrounded the stigma of unmarried mothers, prostitutes, and racism. And

the nurses are never judgemental, they are there to provide a service and they only care about what is best for their patient, not how they got there in the first place. The show deals with the reality of life in poverty. It deals with abuse, backstreet abortions, neglect, and the on-going effort to drag Britain up by its bootlaces following the war.

All this while in the early days of the NHS. The early seasons have people fighting to be put “into institutions” and the fear of medical aid meaning having families ripped apart. It is about social change and people banding together (and people falling apart too) and how life happens. How life may be that bit between birth and death but how different people experience and see life.

For me, the magic of Call the Midwife lies in the fact that every single character is three dimensional, and it is fundamentally a show about women. The nurses are wonderful and their friendship is enduring and their characters develop over time as it happens in real life. They feel real. And they

draw us in and say “look at our world”. And, to ice the cake, this amazing show is set in the 1950’s and ongoing into the sixties, so there are amazing music and other trimmings as well as rampant social issues.

LGBTQ issues are raised as well, with two of the nurses in a relationship they have to keep secret from absolutely everyone, because homosexuality was illegal in the 1950’s and it is one of the most beautiful relationships on the show. They come a close second to my personal favourite storyline in the Turners.

Fundamentally, the success of this show is that it is about people. It is about birth, and death and that fuzzy area between what we call life, and the people that you meet and befriend and love. It doesn’t shy away from pain or stigma and from all these other things that mainstream tv shows sometimes like to pretend doesn’t exist. But each situation is treated with respect and compassion, and I think we can learn a thing or two from a show like this.

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SCI & TECH

Friday 17th March 2017

@redbricktech

How to Double Your Memory Capacity in One Month Kara Watson Sci & Tech Editor @Karaml_Watson

With exam season coming around quicker than we would like, students are beginning to cram. It always feels like an impossible task. But new research from Radboud University Medical Centre in the Netherlands has shown that, using a particular method, you can double your memory capacity in just over a month. When 51 people were trained for 30 minutes per day, they could recall about 35 more words from a list than before training.

However there are some people who are 'super-memorisers': they can recall long lists of words, or recite thousands of digits of Pi. Researchers wanted to see what makes their brains different to the average person.

They studied the brain scans of the top 23 competitors in the World Memory Championships.

These were compared to the brain scans of people who were of similar age, health, and intelligence, but had an average memory recall (known as the 'normal-memorisers').

What they found was that

there were actually no structural differences in the brain between these two different memorisers.

Instead it was found that there were significantly more connections between neurons in the

"The 'mind palace' technique was the most successful in increasing memory capacity" super-memorisers’ brains. This allows different regions of the brains to work together in novel ways.

The connections in the brain are described as flexible, and so the number can change throughout our lives. This makes sense as the super-memorisers were not born with amazing memories, but instead they have trained for years to gain that skill.

In that case, could normalmemorisers be taught to double their memory capacity?

51 normal-memorisers were divided into three groups: one

group received no training, anoth- brain connectivity to the superer recieved short-term memory memorisers. The changes occurred training, and the other received mainly in two specific areas in the strategic memory training. Short- brain: the medial prefrontal corterm memory training is when tex, and the right dorsolateral preyou practice the skill of remem- frontal cortex. These areas are bering sequences repeatedly. involved in relating new knowlStrategic memory training is when edge to pre-existing knowledge, you are given a specific way of and strategic learning. learning items on a list.

‘It makes sense that these conFor this study, 'method of loci' nections would be affected’, said was used for the last group. This lead author Martin Dresler, ‘these is sometimes known by the more are exactly the things we ask subfamiliar name of the 'mind pal- jects to do when using “method of ace', and it involves you associat- loci” for memorisation’. ing words with a remembered The study was only done on a place in your head, and then navi- small sample size, but it is one of gating that same space when you the first few studies to look at the want to recall those words. brain structure and connectivThis strategic trainity of super-memorisers. ing was the most Further research successful. with a larger sample Participants went size needs to be carfrom being able ried out to look more to recall about specifically at how 26 words from a strategic memory Number of days it list of 72 before training affects took to double training, to 62 brain connectivity. words after trainWe are only beginmemory capacity ing. They were ning to learn how our also the only group brains use memory, to keep up their high and this study is an performance four exciting step in that direcmonths later with no furtion. ther training. At the end of the 40 days, this group had more similar

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Small Diet Changes, Big Impact New research at the University of California has looked into the effects of adopting a healthy diet, with its impacts spanning from reducing climate change to improving national health services Ellen Daugherty Sci & Tech Editor

No, this is not an article encouraging you to go vegan or vegetarian.

Research published in Climatic Change shows that making relatively small changes to your diet could have profound effects on greenhouse emissions, and dramatically improve individual health, which could reduce the pressure on national health care services.

All sounds like common sense right? Perhaps, but a huge amount of people still do not fully understand the gravity of their dietary decisions. This paper scientifical-

"Small changes can reduce US health care costs by about $77-93bn per year" ly proves that if everybody who is in the position to do so makes a small change in their diet, there could be huge changes in issues that are affecting our planet the most.

To simulate healthier diets

researchers used a model that altered the standard 2000 calorie intake of an average American.

Different diets progressively reduced amounts of red and processed meats, increased intake of fruit and veg, and refined grains replaced with whole grains. The results showed that the ‘healthier’ these variables were, the larger the effects on health and greenhouse gas emissions were. Sugar, dairy products, eggs, and non-red meat were not altered in the healthier diet stimulations.

The altered diets reduced the risk of heart disease, bowel cancer, and type 2 diabetes, which consequently would reduce US health care costs by $77-93bn per year. These staggering effects were seen with only slight changes to the diet, and did not include cutting anything vital out of the every-day dietary routine.

Environmental impacts were just as surprising, with healthier diets having the potential to contribute 6-23% of emission reductions of the US Climate Action Plan’s targets.

There is an urgency to improve global healthcare systems, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and this research shows that if a small change to people’s diets was made across the globe, these improvements could be achieved.

Countries such as the US are where this change is needed most drastically.

However, this will not come from a scientific paper being published, but from campaigning about these findings to the general public. There is a hope that

research like this will lead to a tightening of government regulations on unhealthy foods, to encourage people to adopt a healthier lifestyle - not just for themselves, but for the whole planet.

Creature Feature Madagascan Tenrec Ellen Daugherty Sci & Tech Editor

Since Madagascar’s split from India 88 million years ago, the island has been geographically isolated and its species have been left to evolve on their own.

This isolation has led to around 75% of species on the island not being found in the wild anywhere else in the world. One of these is the tenrec.

There are around 30 species of tenrec found on the island, but the lowland streaked tenrec is by far the most unusual, and is found only in eastern parts of Madagascar. It does its foraging on the ground of tropical rainforests, hunting for insects, worms, and sometimes even fruit. Their most distinguishable feature are their black and yellow quills which are used for protection against predators - which is most likely to be the fossa.

However, the tenrecs' quills are used for something much more specialised than just protection.

They live within family groups in underground burrows and scientists only recently discovered that the lowland streaked tenrecs actually communicate with each other using their quills. They rub together the non-barbed quills in the middle of their back to create a highpitched ultrasonic call.

This means they can communicate information about the environment, food sources, or impending danger. This type of echolocation is usually observed in insects, such as crickets.

The lowland streaked tenrec is just one example of how isolation can allow different species to fill a variety of unusual ecological niches.

SCI & TECH

Friday 17th March 2017

@redbricktech

Social Phobia Gene Identified Scientists have identified a potential gene that could affect the development of social anxiety disorder: Kara Watson investigates Kara Watson Sci & Tech Editor @Karaml_Watson

New research has identified a gene that could be linked to the development of social anxiety disorder.

An association study, completed by the University of Bonn, found that gene codes for a serotonin transporter in the brain, are involved in reducing feelings of fear and depression. This could lead to new treatments and better diagnosis of the disorder.

Social anxiety disorder, or social phobia, affects about 1 in 10 people within their lifetime. It is an inheritable disorder which is triggered by both genetic and environmental factors. It causes the affected person to experience great fear in various social situations, which can lead to panic attacks and isolation from others.

Symptoms include increased heart rate, shaking, and shortness of breath. There is also a strong feeling of being constantly judged.

The exact causes of the disorder are not known in exact detail.

The study examined the DNA of

321 patients affected by social anxiety disorder, and compared the DNA sequence to 804 control individuals. They focused on finding SNPs – single nucleotide polymorphisms – which are changes in a single base in the DNA sequence that can vary from person to person. There are about 13 million of these variable positions in human DNA, and they are often the cause of genetic illnesses. 24 SNPs associated with mental disorders had already been identified, so the researchers took a closer look at these, using DNA extracted from blood samples and statistical tests to find relationships between the SNPs and social anxiety disorder.

They discovered that one particular SNP was correlated with the illness - the change occurred in a gene that codes for a serotonin transporter, known as SLC6A4.

Serotonin is a hormone in the brain that controls mood, appetite, and sleep, amongst others. One of its functions is to suppress anxious and depressive feelings. The SNP being in the serotonin transporter gene means that movement of serotonin, either in or out of the

brain tissue fluid, is being affected.

The exact mechanisms are not yet known, but this is the next step the researchers want to take by looking at the DNA of more severely affected participants.

Medications that prevent serotonin re-uptake in the brain are already used to treat social anxiety – selective-serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI’s). It is thought that they target the SLC6A4 gene,

and work by increasing the concentration of the hormone in the brain to reduce feelings of anxiety.

Although the links between the disorder and the gene need to be studied more closely, as well as the effect of environmental factors, this research could lead towards better diagnosis and more efficient treatments.

'DNA Fountain': Efficient Storage Kara Watson Sci & Tech Editor @Karaml_Watson

Scientists are now able to create a data storage method that can hold over 100 million movies in just one gram. Researchers from Columbia University and the New York Genome Centre have altered an algorithm which is usually used for streaming videos on smart phones to hold 100 times more data in one gram than previous methods.

They’ve named it 'DNA Fountain'. The new coding system steps away from the usual binary storage method, where

everything is coded into ones and zeros. Instead they use the four bases that make up our DNA: A (adenine), C (cytosine), T (tyrosine), and G (guanine). This synthetic DNA has a greater density than tapes, disks, and optical media. In the right conditions it can be stored for thousands of years as it doesn’t degrade.

The researchers created a 2MB compressed file, and in it they could fit an entire computing operating system, a featurelength film, a $50 amazon gift

card, a computer virus, a Pioneer plaque (a pictorial message attached to the Pioneer spacecraft), and a scientific research paper. In one gram, they can fit 215 petabytes. 1 petabyte would be equal to 13.3 years’ worth of high-definition video.

It’s an amazing achievement, but at the moment it costs around $7,000 to create, and a further $2,000 to decode it. For now, potential buyers will have to hope that prices begin to fall as the system improves.

Sperm Donors aid Infertility Study Aisha Dahir Sci & Tech Writer

Nacima Abdi Sci & Tech Writer

Did you know 1 in 4 pregnancies end in miscarriages? It is a shocking statistic that is often brushed under the carpet, so new research at the University of Birmingham (UoB) is setting out to find the exact reason as to why it happens.

Around 1 in 7 couples experience difficulties related to infertility, and this is often due to multiple factors.

The University of Birmingham is part of Tommy’s National Early Miscarriage Centre, which is the largest research centre in Europe dedicated to preventing miscarriages. In the UK, miscarriages effect around 200,000 couples a year, and sadly they often receive no real explanation for why it has happened. Miscarriages within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy are known as early-miscarriages,

and they can be an extremely traumatic experience for couples to go through.

Unfortunately they account for approximately 85% of miscarriages. At Tommy’s Research Centre they are hoping to find the answers to several questions: why miscarriage happens, whether it will it happen again, how we can prevent it, and how to provide appropriate aftercare. One of the aspects they will be focusing on is the role of male biological factors in miscarriage, looking specifically at DNA damage present in sperm.

When issues related to sperm infertility are considered, people usually assume that there are abnormalities with sperm count, motility, and/or morphology. However, couples who experience a miscarriage can have sperm

that appear to be normal. Instead, the problem lies within the genetics of the sperm. This is what Dr Kirkman-Brown and his team at UoB will be studying - focusing on the role DNA damage in sperm plays in miscarriage. DNA damage is a chemical change in DNA structure, and it is usually seen as a break in the double strands of the DNA. Cells can identify this type of damage and, through DNA damage response mechanisms, try to repair the damage that has been done.

DNA damage is common in sperm cells, and it is usually repaired by the egg cells during fertilisation; they also have intrinsic DNA repairing mechanisms. However, the extent of the repair often depends on the degree of damage done.

From this research, special-

ised treatments could be created, such as supplementary diet pills or changes in lifestyle that could potentially reduce the effects of male fertility problems.

In order to conduct their research they require the help of men ages 18 above, to take the time out of their day to donate sperm. The donation will only be used for this specific research.

For the time and inconvenience this may cause for the donor, they will be given a compensation which includes an imbursement of £25 per donation.

Timings of when donations are needed will depend on the donor.

This is an opportunity for men to contribute to the progression of research at UoB, and most importantly help researchers find the fundamental answers that are needed to improve the lives of couples who go through these traumatic experiences.

Hopefully unexplained miscarriages may one day become a thing of the past.

31

Intel Drives its way into Driverless Car Market James Pettit Sci & Tech Editor @pettit_james

After tech giant Intel revealed on Monday 13th March that it was buying autonomous vehicle firm Mobileye, Redbrick takes a look at the implications this deal has for the market.

At a price tag of $15 billion, Intel’s announcement on Monday that it is in the process of purchasing Mobileye marks the largest deal that the driverless car sector has ever seen. What does this mean for the industry as a whole?

The Israeli specialist constructs, as per its name, 'vision-based' technology that is currently being integrated into car models for 27 different global car manufacturers including BMW, Ford and Nissan.

Mobileye describe how their cars appear to have ‘a third eye continuously focused on the road’, with technology that calculates the relative speeds and distances of oncoming objects to minimise risks of collision, and even automatically brakes or parks for their users. Looking into the future, Mobileye are pursuing a bigger picture idea in which automotive software will replace and make redundant manual human driving.

It’s a marker of how important Mobileye’s technology is that this is Intel’s first substantial foray into the automotive market, and the second biggest acquisition in Intel’s history. Looking to consolidate their prominent position in the technology industry beyond the computer era, Intel appear to be following the lead of other chipmakers who have also seen the potential benefits of investing in the self-driving industry.

Last year the world’s biggest chip maker Qualcomm bought their rivals NXP Semiconductors because of their specialisation in building chips for cars.

Similarly, last year German chip maker Infineon bought a laser company that develops vision technology for autonomous vehicles.

Intel’s purchase of Mobileye reflects a wider expectation that self-driving vehicles will have a defining part to play in the technology of the future.

As artificial intelligence expert and academic Timothy Carone has previously noted: ‘major players are finding ways to position themselves for a change as seminal as the personal computer revolution’.

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GAMING

Friday 17th March 2017

@redbrickgames

Nintendo Switches the Spotlight to the Indies Critics claim that indie support for Nintendo's latest home/portable console, The Switch, will be the life and death of the system. They responded...

Roshni Patel Gaming Editor @roshofalltrades

As February slipped away and we were only a week away from what critics were calling an anemic launch for the highly-anticipated Nintendo Switch, one senior manager, Damon Baker, decided it was time to pull back the curtain on those indies on the production line, broadcasting a live Nindie Showcase. Previewing a range of studios and their games, and showing off their respective trailers, Nintendo were eager to stress that many of the games were coming soon and that the Switch store would be updated weekly to reflect this. While there are over 80 games rumoured to be in development, the 18-minute segment only featured a mere handful of the many games on offer, many of which have already been publicised by both Nintendo and their excited developers on social media. Here is what they showed off:

"the Swtich game library is set to grow exponentially" 1. Steamworld Dig 2 The sequel to award winning platformer Steamworld Dig, in this platform, mining, action-adventure game; you’ll play as a lone steambot on a quest to find a long-lost friend, deconstructing the world around you as you search, battle and build. Due to release this Summer, it will initially be a Switch exclusive. While the previous entries to the Steamworld series have been unique, prepare for more of the same, as this one doesn’t fall far from the first.

2. Yooka Laylee Yooka Laylee is the first of 3 games that publishers Team 17 are porting over to the Switch. The highly-rated 3D platform video game, inspired by classics like Spyro, has impressed critics on the showfloor with its stunning graphics, playful gameplay and its fun multiplayer modes. Yooka Laylee is due to be released on

Switch in 2017, and will be formally released all mainstream platforms on April 11th 2017.

3. Overcooked Ranked 8th on our top 10 games of the last year, this fun and comedic couch co-op, is being ported over to Switch for 2017, with all of its original levels and additional DLC. While Nintendo are claiming we’ll be able to feel every chop and every soup slosh through HD rumble, it’s a feature we’ll have to see, or rather feel, to believe; as we share the joy, tag in a friend and play Overcooked on the go.

4. The Escapists 2 This long-awaited sequel to the hugely popular Escapist, has had a graphical uplift and will now allow you to escape the clink with three of your closest friends in tow. With more complex prisons and multiple layers, there’ll be no end to the creative ways to escape. Due to be released in 2017, this is one of the many titles which will likely be held back a little longer to ensure all platforms are served simultaneously.

5. Gonner This is one of three games promoted by publisher Raw Fury, and follows Ikk on his quest to find just the trinket to cheer up his friend. As the title implies, in this side-scrolling platformer, the quest could literally be the end of you, which would be ironic as Death happens to be your mentor and source of your otherworldly powers.

Featuring console exclusive content, Gonner will release first on Switch sometime in 2017.

6. Dandara An action platformer, Dandara will feature a heroine with a unique take on gravity, as she bounces around the levels in the hopes of returning direction to her directionless world. Due to be released this summer with exclusive content and HD rumble support, we’ll finally be able to defy physics with Dandara and find out for ourselves why it’s been a highly nominated game.

7. Kingdom: 2 Crowns In this adventure strategy, you’ll need to attend to your domain, rid it from greed and restore it to its former glory. Rule alone or with a friend, in this co-op game, where your choices can bring either hope or despair to your subjects. Due to release this year, this stylish strategy

will debut on the Switch with its all new co-op mode, and will be released as a DLC for the original PC game Kingdom.

8. Runner 3 This is the third and upcoming addition to Choice Provision’s popular side-scrolling speed running BIT.TRIP RUNNER series and is set to run exclusively on the Switch.

With its art style and popularity increasing with every iteration, and RUNNER2 winning awards and featuring in the Guinness Book of World Records as the highest-rated Wii U title for 2013, RUNNER3 has big shoes to fill this Autumn.

9. Blaster Master Zero Antique Zero is back, returning retro games to our modern consoles, this time with a new addition to the Blaster Master series. It’ll feature all the familiar elements that made the original so much fun, from sidescrolling vehicular combat to top down adventuring. A Nintendo exclusive, Blaster Master Zero is one of the few indies with a concrete release date and was released on March 9th.

10. Flipping Death Due for release in 2017, this unique puzzling adventure game with a hilarious story line and great artwork, is a brand new IP from Zoink Games (Zombie Vikings). As a grim reaper, you’ll have to possess the living to fulfil the last wishes of the dead, in an attempt to right the wrongs and reap the souls when death goes on holiday.

11. Graceful Explosion Machine This is a side-scrolling arcade shooter from Vertex Pop (We Are Doomed, Orbit1) where you’ll have to blast your way, ‘gracefully’, through the levels to complete your goals. Designed to harness the power of HD rumble, Nintendo claims you’ll be able to feel every blast when the game comes out next month in April 2017.

12. Mr Shifty A stealth adventure game by Tiny Build, where you’ll be infiltrating the worlds most secure building floor by floor, with only your wits, fast reflexes and of course your teleportation skills. Coming first to Switch in April, it’s another game with HD Rumble support, hoping to let you feel every punch, shot and crash.

13. Tumble Seed A rogue like physics based game

by Aeiowu, who’s beautiful graphics and intuitive game play have us hooked from the first clip. Play as a small seed teetering through the levels, avoiding dangers and picking up points. Due to be released in the spring, this looks like one game we won’t be able to put down, especially as you’ll supposedly be able to feel the seed tumble through HD rumble.

14. Shakedowm Hawaii This retro 16-bit open-world, action adventure game, developed

by VBlank Entertainment, is the spiritual successor to their popular Retro City Rampage series. Due to release first on Switch in April, this game looks like it’ll continue to please fans of the genre, as it follows the same style of mayhem, carnage and chaos.

15. Pocket Rumble Finally we can get into a pixelated throw down, any place, and at any time, as Pocket Rumble comes exclusively to the Switch this March. This 2D fighter is both easy to pick up and deep enough to master over time. With HD rumble we’ll hopefully be able to feel the difference between every attack we sustain, leading to more fun as we try harder to KO our opponent.

16. Wargroove This game is unlike any other showcased in the video previously, as one of the last two to be promoted, it highlights the diversity of games coming to Switch. WarGroove is a medieval style 2D strategy game, where through a turn based system, players will battle their enemies and build their kingdoms. Due for release in 2017, this will likely be another Switch first release.

17. Stardew Valley Another indie to make our games of 2016 list, Stardew Valley is the latest in a long line of popular 2016 indies to be ported over to the Switch. This fun open ended indie farming RPG has swept the gaming community by storm over its first year and is now set to be upgraded to finally support multiplayer mode.

Soon you won’t have to tend to your vast farming empire alone, as Stardew Valley land on Switch this Summer.

Wrapping up at the 17 minute mark, Damon Baker, head of Partner Management for the Publisher and Developer Relations department at Nintendo America, ran through some more of the titles that weren’t featured and left many more logos for us to look at on screen, before coming to a close. All of the indies featured and mentioned looked quite good, and with many unspecific, but soon release dates revealed, it looks like the Switch game library is set to grow exponentially. But is it enough to keep the sales steadily increasing after it’s explosive launch last week, which saw twice as many console shift on release as the Wii U? We’ll just have to keep you updated as time goes on, as only time will tell whether Nintendo Switch can recover from a rocky start and grow stronger than its predecessor consoles.

Do you have opinions on this article? Tell them to us: @redbrickpaper

GAMING

Friday 17th March 2017

@redbrickgames

33

2017 - One of the Best Years for Gaming (Already) Nick Burton reckons with releases such as Zelda and Horizon: Zero Dawn, 2017 has already left a mark of greatness...

Nick Burton Gaming Editor @roshofalltrades

It is with some sense of shock that I can tell you that 2017 has been one of the best years for gaming, even though we’re only in March.

The main reasons for this come from PS4 exclusives like Horizon: Zero Dawn, Nier: Automata, Nioh, and Persona 5. But let us not forget the astounding critical and commercial success that Zelda: Breath of the Wild has reached over the past few weeks. The fact that these games are reaching such critical success, and the fact that we have Mass Effect right around the corner, illustrate to me that it would not be such a folly thing to think this might be the best year in a very long time.

Let’s start with the success of Nioh. A game that borrows a lot from the Dark Souls series, but also puts its own blueprint onto the formula. Nioh is an extremely hard game, and this is where the game succeeds; In rewarding the player through difficult enemy encounters, and even harder boss fights. The pace is much faster and more arcade-like than Dark Souls, which is another factor that contributes to its differentiation. This game is unlikely to convince you to enjoy these types of games if you don’t already, but for those who do enjoy the difficulty and preciseness, this is another 50-hour adventure for you to get lost in. It

also gives you a reasonable excuse to pull your hair out in anger.

At the end of February, Horizon: Zero Dawn arrived.

Developed by Guerrilla Games (famous for creating the Killzone series), this game couldn’t look more different from the Killzone games that came before it. A vast, beautiful open-world, with compelling characters and a mysterious story, this game will have you addicted to its vast side missions and complex enemy encounters.

Before you know it, you’ll be 50 hours in with a new platinum trophy to boast about. We could tell from the first reveal of this game that this game could be very special. We were right in that assumption.

Releasing slightly before Horizon: Zero Dawn was the sequel to a cult classic, Nier: Automata. Nier wasn’t a fantastic game, nor was it a bad one. It was a game however that resonated with a hardcore fan base. Luckily enough, this fan base got a sequel, which is better than anybody probably expected. Developed by Platinum Games, this game has features from all types of games, that reflect on the games story, gameplay, open-world and more.

If you enjoy slightly more experimental stories in your games, but still crave for excellent gameplay, then this is the one for you. You will not be disappointed.

Persona 5 at the time of writ-

ing, is about to be released. There aren’t many reviews for it at the moment, but we can safely assume that this game will be absolutely fantastic for those of you who enjoy JRPGs. The Persona series has really come into its own over the past decade, and it is safe to say that this could be the best installment of yet. You already know why you need to get this game. If you don’t, check out some gameplay from Persona 4, and you will quickly realise why this game franchise is becoming the biggest phenomenon in Japan.

Now, ladies and gentlemen, if you’ve been paying any attention to what everybody in the gaming world has been talking about lately, you may have heard of a brand new Zelda game called Zelda:

Breath of the Wild. Not only could this be a contender for the title of the best Zelda game ever made, some are calling it their favourite game of all time. I will admit to you fellow readers, I have not had the fortunate chance to play Zelda.

Alas, if you venture into this game, you are sure to find one of the finest crafted games ever. Is it worth buying the new Nintendo console for just this game? Perhaps.

With all of these fantastic games already released this year, we can safely assume that the time is over for most triple-AAA games to release in the last few months of the year. Great games will now be released all-year long. And on that note, we should acknowledge that the new Mass Effect is right around

the corner. Although there are some warning signs to this game potentially being bad, most will agree that it could well be a GOTY contender. Only time will tell.

It’s crazy that we still have the main Autumn/Winter release season ahead. If we get some more fantastic games later this year, this could be one of, if not the best year in gaming ever.

Do you have opinions on this article? Tell them to us: @redbrickpaper

Impressions: Middle-earth: Shadow of War

With the release of a recent demo of the highly anticipated Middle-earth: Shadow of War, James Marvin gives his thoughts on what was shown.

James Marvin Gaming Editor @js_marvin

Recently the team behind the highly anticipated sequel to Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, Shadow of War, released a 15 minute (ish) staged demo for the game on YouTube.

Now, I was a huge fan of the first game when it was released way back towards the start of this generation cycle. Somehow a game that by all accounts should have been, well, a bit crap was surprisingly one of the best games of the year back in 2014. The demo for the sequel however seems to, by all accounts, be on the course to surpass the greatness of its predecessor in almost everyway.

The demo shows Talion, the returning protagonist from the first game still seemingly possessed by the spirit of Celebrimbor, and his alarmingly large army of UrukHai outside one of Sauron's strongholds ready to attack. One of the returning features from the previous game are the amazingly natural and surprisingly good in game cutscenes that are randomly generated every playthrough dependent on who is in your army and which enemies you are facing.

The army then storms the gate with the cave troll, which has already become a fan favourite character months before the release of the final product, focusing on the gate while the player as Talion goes round the side and shows of some Elven Spirit parkour that allows them to quickly scale up and over the walls of the fortress.

Its here on the walls of the stronghold that we see that the combat from the previous game, which is heavily inspired from Rocksteady's Arkham series, makes a return, albeit a lot more flashy and refined as Shadow of War is much later in this generation's life cycle. But then out of nowhere an enemy Uruk comes out of nowhere and seemingly 'curses' Talion.

Its unclear what this actually does to the player and how it affects Talion but after a brief battle and a flashy dynamic cutscene Celebrimbor smashes the Uruk through the head with a ghost hammer for the final blow of victory.

Talion then leaps into the heat of the battle below and begins 'Elven Wraith' which seems to be an ability that we will probably unlock through a similar progression system from the last game. It is here where we see that our

"Shadow of War looks set to up its predecessor in almost every way"

beloved Cave Troll friend falls to the fire that surrounds the battleground but fear not as the developers have confirmed that it is possible to save and patch up your most important followers.

But then the demo just goes bat-shit insane with how it'll make you want this game, right here, right now. Talion then frees a drake from containment, and much like the beasts from the first game that acted like mounts, you can ride the drakes and use their strength and fire-breathing capabilities to help you storm the fortress. This was easily one of the coolest parts of the demo as it shows how the developers are

reaching for the claim they have made about them wanting Shadow of War increasingly bigger than Shadow of Mordor.

The demo also shows off smaller new additions such as the fact that now you can customise Talion's armor that comes complete with buffs to stats like health and new abilities that come with certain sets of armor. The demo wraps up with Talion taking on the fortress overlord, beating them with a new ability as it seems you can call in certain high-ranking Uruks on your side to aid you in battle which definitely adds to one of the best things in these games in how you

can craft your own stories with these dynamic cutscenes.

All in all, Shadow of War looks set to up its predecessor in almost every way, from scale, to combat, to the unique nemesis system Shadow of Mordor introduced. The demo will blow you away if you were a fan of the last game, and if you never played Shadow of Mordor, if this demo didn't make you want to then get your head checked.

Middle-earth: Shadow of War launches this August on the 25th, you can expect a day one purchase if this lives up to the hype.

34

CAREERS

Friday 17th March 2017

@redbrickcareers

Redbrick Careers Explores Decision Making when choosing your Career Lael Hardtman Careers Editor @ehardtman

We generally don’t know our ass from our elbows at this point in our lives. And really, that’s okay.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics, recently found that the average person currently holds up to ten different jobs before age forty, and this number is projected to grow. So don’t pressure yourself into setting your life path in stone, it’s all subject to change and it’s a beautiful thing.

going to want to make sure that it reflects what you love, what inspires you. Are you driven by money? Ambition? A need to help others? All these are valid reasons

"You're the only one who knows yourself and so by extension: you need to know what you don't like."

Here are the top ways to decided on a career.

"If a career is something you'll be dedicated to for a set amount of time, you're going to want to make sure that it reflects what you love, what inspires you."

for pursuing certain career paths so really give a think about it.

What activities do you love to do?

Likewise, think about what you hate, because sometimes knowing what not to do is just as important as knowing what you like (and dislike)

2. Take a personality test (or otherwise make a self portrait of yourself) Take a personality test (or otherwise make a self portrait of yourself). This probably sounds out there, but really, it will help.

You’re the only one who knows yourself and so by logical extension: you need to know what you don’t like, you need

"The average number of jobs a person holds in their lifetime is 10, so don't pressure yourself into setting your life path in stone." to know what environments you’ll be able to work under and which ones you won’t. There’s plenty of sites out there that can help tailor specific career paths to different personality tasks, a n d

starting this mental portrait of where you see yourself will help you down the line. The use of psychometric tests is increasingly popular in the interview process anyways, so try the Myers Briggs or the VAK learning style (Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic) to determine your dominant learning style, and thus help you direct yourself towards the right job, one that fits with your personality.

1. Think about your values This is something you’ve been told all your life, and there’s a reason for that. If a career is something you’ll be dedicated to for a set amount of time, you’re

3. Identify key experiences in your life What are the moments that defined

Education Versus Employability It’s the lie of our generation, that getting the grades and the degree immediately translate into jobs at the end of the line of our university experience. A 2012 Mckinsey report articulates how 50% of students feel that tertiary studies improve their employability, but a large amount of employees feel that the unemployment rates are largely due to skills shortage studies. Thus: the eternal question, the chicken or the egg. Who’s to blame, the students who invest their time, hope and money in a skewed system, or the companies who reject newly graduated students based on the problem of cost and associated time it would take take to train them.

You’d think higher education would be producing gradates to be well equipped for the future. It’s about prepping students to get the job, but also be prepared for the ups and downs of the future, to produce students who have a wide range of skills applicable to whatever sector. employability’s not new, but it’s even more important in today’s competition driven cul-

ture.

The government is taking strides to better establish these links between employers, schools, and university and have even set up a number of policy objectives, including: • Tackling skills shortage/skills mismatch • Improving youth skills relevant to dynamic labour market demand • Harnessing community resources to improve attainment • Putting coherent pathways in place for young people moving through educational and training provision • Addressing inequalities in outcomes, promoting social mobility and challenging gender stereotyping.

It's unreasonable to expect students alone to close this gap in expectation, so hopefully, these intiatives prove effective.

you? What, so far, in your life has given you a sense of satisfaction, that lingering sense of a job well done? This is linked to the first point: direct your career choices in line with your values.

4. Explore all your options Do you want to work in a small, mom and pop business? A vibrant multinational think tank? Sign up to as many job sureties as you can and bridge out on social media to best weigh out your options.

Follow your favourite companies on Facebook, Twitter, and read the companies reviews on Glassdoor to see how current employees feel about working there. Don’t want to do it alone?

Well then, use recruitment and consultancy agencies to help. And keep in mind, good research can only take you so far.

What you think you might be doing is probably vastly different from what you actually end up doing.

CAREERS

Friday 17th March 2017

@redbrickcareers

35

BRUM ALUM: A Game of Grad Jobs Beriwan Ceren Careers Contributor

A recent mathematics graduate, Jonathon Nicholls, is the author of the recently published book, “A Game of Grad Jobs”, where he explores the graduate application process and how to be successful in pursuing them for post-university employment.

The first thing to highlight about the book is the personal element he adds throughout. Drawing on his own experience as a student hunting for graduate jobs whilst trying to maintain his studies, he explains the challenges one may face as an inexperienced student and the vital skills and knowledge required to overcome them.

Having read ‘A Game of Grad Jobs’ from the perspective of a final year student, I can definitely say that it has personally helped me with my applications.

"As an applicant, understand that the game isn't a competition, employers are keen to give you the job if you tick the right boxes."

What inspired you to write this book?

I spent many years helping people make applications and doing them myself. As a result of this, I learned the hard way how to make an application successful. I wanted other people to take advantage of this experience.

What activities did you pursue outside of your studies whilst at university to develop your employability?

Everything I did outside of my studies developed different transferable skills, including the things I enjoyed the most. Playing pool demonstrates perseverance and dedication, being a member of the Officer Training Corps improved mental strength and teamwork, and working as an ambassador for my department developed presentation skills and communication to different audiences. I am currently in my first year as a trading graduate in London.

As an applicant, understand that the game isn’t a competition; employers are keen to give you a job if you just tick the correct boxes Why did you decide to name your book ‘A Game of Grad Jobs’?

The game (graduate applications) has two sets of players; the applicants and the potential employers.

As an applicant, it is important that you understand that the game isn’t a competition, the employers are keen to give you a job, if you just tick the correct boxes and play the game the way they want you to.

oughly and hopefully will be less nervous when the situation arises.

"The game of graduate applications has two sets of players: the applicants and the potential employers."

What do you hope to achieve with this book?

I would like to get a lot of undergraduates to get a thorough understanding of the graduate process.

It’s a book they can dip into for advice and information as they progress through the whole recruitment process. For instance, if they have an assessment centre coming up, they can flick to the relevant section and have a read.

Ultimately, I want to make it easier for graduates to get a job and have more people successfully getting on these schemes.

What do you think are the main difficulties graduates face in the application process?

A lot of people are inexperienced doing interviews and assessment centres. So when they are offered one, it might be a job they really want, but because they haven’t done one before they are unprepared and nervous. So, by informing them of what style of questions will be asked and how they should approach each task, and thereby knowing to a certain extent what will be expected of them, they can prepare more thor-

This Week in Careers Here are some of the choice events hosted by our very own Careers Network for the upcoming week..

RAF Live Presentation

Work experience bursaries

Friday 17th March 2017 (13:00-14:30)

Tuesday 21st March 2017 (12:0013:00)

Careers Network Seminar Room, G30 Aston Webb

Arts Lecture Room 2

Computer Science, IT or Engineering student? Come along to this presentation to find graduate opportunities in the Royal Air Force.

How to keep and grow your customers Wednesday 22nd March 2017 (10:00-12:00) Learning Centre UG10

This session will present different funding streams, the process of application, and what to expct from the each stage. You will also receive detailed guidance and tips on how to answer the application form questions.

Events give you a practical step by step guide on a particular topic.

This is recommended for anyone who has or who is thinking of starting their own business whilst studying at the University of Birmingham.

36

Sport

Friday 17th March 2017

@redbricksport

SheBelieves Cup: Lionesses Topple America Sport online editor Nancy Frostick rounds up all the action from the SheBelieves Cup, which saw a win for France, mixed fortunes for England and disappointment for the USA Nancy Frostick Sport Online Editor

With the second SheBelieves Cup ending in an emphatic victory for France, there are plenty of talking points to take from the tournament as a measure of where each nation lies in the world order of women's football. It was a more balanced affair than the last time out, with every team recording a win to get some points on the board. Some fairly extreme weather conditions – ranging from stormy winds in Philadelphia, to sub-zero temperatures in New Jersey and balmy sunshine in Washington D.C. – and dubious quality of pitches added to the challenge. Overall, SheBelieves 2017 was a fantastic showcase for women’s football and certainly wet the appetite ahead of the Euros in the Netherlands this summer.

France finding their feet Finally France have got some silverware to their name. It’s been a long wait for a team that have been dogged by the phrase ‘if only’ for the past few tournaments, but things are looking up for Les Bleus. Although they initially looked off the pace in their opening match against England, the French team grew into the competition to round things off with a very comfortable 3-0 rout of the USA – the worst defeat for the home side in a decade.

"Despite being threatened by both England and Germany, France looked settled with their system and the personnel carrying it out" Despite being threatened by both England and Germany, France looked settled with their system and the personnel carrying it out, so they should be a real force this summer if they can keep up the momentum from SheBelieves. The frailties they exposed against the Lionesses were soon put right by bringing on the old guard of Thomis, Le Sommer and Renard, which proves that international experience can work alongside youthful exuberance to great effect. Now they’ve got a taste for winning, it feels like everything is coming together at the right time for Olivier Echouafni’s side – watch out Euro 2017.

Germany's identity crisis Despite the dramatic nature of the sub-heading I’ve used to sum up Germany’s performance, SheBelieves was by no means a total disaster for the reigning Olympic and European Champions. Throughout all of their games they were still as efficient, organized and effective as

Team

W

D

L

Pts

1. France

2

1

0

7

2. Germany

1

1

1

4

3. England

1

0

2

3

4. USA

1

0

2

3

usual – it just felt as if something hadn’t quite clicked. As a side note, the same could be said of the kits the Germans were sporting – it looked like Adidas were caught in a moment of indecision between a rugby polo and a football shirt, with the result a horrendously baggy and ill-fitting (for women at least) collared number. For a team made up of players who are in the middle of their domestic season – as are a majority of the French squad – it’s not unreasonable to have expected the Germans to look a little sharper than their opponents. However, they just looked like a decent footballing side rather than the dominant force we know and fear.

The tournament no doubt acted as a chance to experiment for a team faced with changes in both players and managerial staff and a second placed finish is very respectable given this fact. This is a time of transition for Germany, moving on from the cohesive unit that was so successful under Silvia Neid isn’t going to be easy and so far that is apparent on the pitch.

For moments during their game against England, the Germans showed glimmers of their viva-

cious attacking football we’re familiar with from when Neid was at the helm. Interspersed with that was something new belonging to current manager Steffi Jones. Once the dust has settled it will be easier to see what we can expect from a new era of German football in life after Neid

England are improving Broadly speaking, this was a positive tournament for Mark Sampson’s England. Beating the USA on home soil for the first time is no doubt the highlight, but holding both France and Germany for the majority of the match is also worth taking as a positive.

In their opening match against France, the Lionesses looked athletic, strong and were first to the ball – not bad for a team still in preseason. Although this wore off as the game went on (and is probably the cause of conceding two late, game-changing goals), the squad showed steel we haven’t seen before. For the first time there is a belief amongst the players that they deserve to be on this stage and they are there to compete and win – a vast improve-

ment from the gracious outfit that arrived in the States to make up numbers at the same competition a year ago.

The game against the USA was evidence of England finally making it pay over 90 minutes, something they have lacked before now. Admittedly they were unable to carry that through into the final match against Germany, however considering the limitations of a group of players in preseason one out of three matches isn’t bad.

"The star player for England was by far Lucy Bronze, who featured in all three matches and provided defensive security" Aside from ensuring they are clinical when it counts, there were very few negatives for Sampson’s side in this tournament. Some dubious choices such as playing Rachel Daly at right wing-back against France were a bit strange but it’s certainly worth trying in a friendly tournament rather than further down the line. The only other major criticism of note was the ease with which England players were going down under a challenge from the opposition. Whilst attractive, creative play can expose players to more ankle-biting challenges, it all got a bit dramatic and the referees saw right through it. Saying that, Jordan Nobbs was might beg to differ after taking a kick on the nose from Carli Lloyd.

The star player for England was by far Lucy Bronze, who featured in all three matches and provided defensive security, attacking threat and a thumper of a strike to set up Ellen White’s

match-winning goal against America. Jade Moore was excellent in shielding the defensive line and starting attacks when on the break, and Jordan Nobbs came into her own with some really impressive awareness in attacking moves. Plenty to move forward with in terms of personnel, then.

USA off the pace Also in preseason, the home team did look a little bit less athletic than usual, however they were lacking in more than a physical aspect. Before the tournament, I said that anything other than winning the tournament would be a failure for the USA, so coming last in the table with two defeats in nothing short of a disaster.

"It is clear that defeat at the Olympics has set a cat amongst the pigeons for the USWNT" Again, it is worth noting that Jill Ellis was toying with new tactics such as encouraging her team to play out from the back with her focus the build up to the next World Cup in 2019. By then the Americans will either have their new system nailed or they will have reverted back to what they know. Sticking with what they are good at might be the best thing for a side who are so used to turning up and winning regardless of the quality of their performance or their opponent. Trying something new seems to be the biggest challenge they’ve faced in a while. Either way, it is clear that defeat at the Olympics has set a cat amongst the pigeons for the USWNT. It’s not all doom and gloom – Rose Lavelle was just one debutant who really stood out and looks a promising prospect for the future, as does the ever-impressive Mallory Pugh. Whatever the fate of the US team in the next year or two, it is certainly going to be an interesting one to watch from afar.

Sport

Friday 17th March 2017

@redbricksport

37

Alastair Cook's Test Captaincy: Good or Bad?

Sport's Bradley West and Dougie Jones evaluate Alastair Cook's time as England test cricket captain, covering both the successes and failures of his time overseeing the team Bradley West Sport Writer

Dougie Jones Sport Writer

On Monday 13 February Joe Root was named new England Test captain, the 80th English captain in the longest format, thus ushering in a new era for the English side. The Yorkshireman takes the reins on the back of limited captaincy experience in his career, however it is widely held that he is the right man to lead England forward. This is largely due to the enthusiasm and success with which he has taken to all aspects of his international career alongside encouraging glimpses shown of his leadership potential when standing in for previous captain Alastair Cook.

With Root now in place, the question remains as to what sort of legacy he is succeeding. How successful was Alastair Cook’s reign as captain and should he be viewed amongst the greats of English captaincy down the years?

An analysis of his time in charge and the impact he has had reveals the answer to these conundrums.

The Good Cook led England to 24 Test victories in total, second only to Michael Vaughan as England captain, and despite the fact this number is influenced by his time spent in charge, captaining England for a record 59 Tests, this amount of wins is nonetheless very impressive. Statistics fail to

do justice to some of the feats England achieved whilst under Cook’s stewardship though.

Most significantly, Cook led England to a first series victory in India for 28 years, perhaps the toughest assignment in international cricket. The difficulty of such a task has aptly been illustrated this past winter with England’s talented, albeit still flawed, Test side succumbing to an embarrassing 4-0 defeat. Cook was aided by contributions from key players, including Kevin Pietersen and Graeme Swann, during this tour and he was certainly very lucky to have them but that should not overshadow the influence of the captain in such a historic victory. Cook led from the front during the tour, scoring the most runs on the way to being awarded Player of the Series whilst his mental resolve and stubbornness of character clearly filtered down to the rest of the team on a tour when application in tough conditions was impeccable. Besides, most successful captains have benefitted from the influence of key players.

Cook also led England to two Ashes victories on home turf. In 2013, England capitalised on an Australian side in chaos, thumping the tourists 3-0 but it is England’s latest triumph at home against the old enemy that Cook deserves greater credit for.

Leading into the 2015 Ashes, very few people gave the home side a sniff of prevailing over the Australians let alone doing so with a match to spare. At the helm of a largely inexperienced team, Cook tactically bested Michael Clarke’s visitors dealing with the

past demons of Mitchell Johnson along the way to winning a series, rather more emphatically than the 3-2 scoreline suggests, that looked beyond him and his side.

The Bad Whilst it is true that Cook is England’s second most successful captain in terms of victories, many of his successes can be attributed to the quality of players more so than his tactical acumen. Evidence of this comes in the later Cook era where, without the brilliance of Pietersen, Swann et al, he was the leader of many underwhelming series, the most notable being 1-0 defeat at home to Sri Lanka in 2014.

It is easy enough to argue that Cook was limited by the inferior quality of players as the England management attempted to build a new team post the 2013-14 Ashes debacle, however this masks that Cook was a negative, one dimensional captain whose tactics only succeeded at a time when England undoubtedly had one of the most talented squads in their history.

From this point of view, Cook was a stale and defensive personification of an approach devised by the Flower/Strauss regime which preceded him (both of whom being far more tactically astute in order to implement their ideas). This meant that once both were no longer in the England set up, as well as the departure of several trusted players, Cook’s methods were exposed as England dropped from second to fourth in the world rankings during his reign as captain.

The biggest issue with Cook

during his reign is a continuous lack of trust towards the skillsets of certain individuals. It is fair enough to argue that he lacked the requisite quality of player in certain scenarios, however if himself and/or the ECB trust a player enough to select him in a test match XI, then it is Cook’s responsibility to show evidence of this trust by backing the player’s ability to perform. Far too often he was over reliant on the talent of himself, Root, Broad and Anderson, whilst facilitating the stagnation of other players. This reduces England’s chances of sustaining success, as it reduces the levels of preparation for when these star players underperform or become unavailable.

In conclusion, it is true that Cook’s captaincy has had some exceptional highs (India 2012) and some painful lows (Australia 2013-14), but he has continually handled himself and his performances in the most professional

manner possible. Whilst certain questions remained unanswered (no, we are not going to discuss KP’s “enforced retirement”), it is impossible to argue with the statistics bearing out that he is England’s second most successful captain. It is also likely that the pressures of the job were visibly wearing him down, therefore both reporters can agree that he walked at the right time. By leaving now he has allowed his successor to have seven test matches and a home summer to get used to the rigours of the job, before preparing Joe Root’s team for The Ashes down under in 2017-18.

Cook leaves behind a respectable record, but it’s not time to stroll off into the sunset just yet.

Whatever doubts one can have about his leadership credentials, his status as a world-class opening batsman is unquestionable, and having just turned 32 there is still a few thousand runs left in him at the top of England’s order.

Why Aston Villa Still Have Much To Gain From This Season With promotion looking out of Villa's reach, Harry Wilkinson discusses what they can take from the remainder of the season Harry Wilkinson Sport Print Editor

Villa have had a rough season. In their first campaign out of the top flight since the late '80s, the Midlands club have found it difficult to sustain pretty much anything, whether it be the starting eleven, decent form and even manager. Despite recent events being marginally brighter, with three wins coming in a row for the first time since April 2010, Villa seem to have little to play for in the remainder of the season.

Villa sit in a kind of no-man'sland, with safety all but secure and the play-offs a distant pipedream. Of course, relegation or play-offs is not inconceivable, but at the moment both seem very unlikely. So presuming they are off the table, what can Villa gain from these final 10 or so games?

There's nothing more infectious and magical in football than winning. Regardless of whether the points produce much tangibility in terms of final reward, winning football matches will do Aston Villa the world of good.

Some might say the club is still

suffering from last season's woes, being as awful as it was. Despite a complete overhaul of the squad and two different managers being at the helm, a strange sense of pessimism seems to have lingered throughout season. But a sustained run of winning form can change that, meaning next season can be without this subconscious gloom.

Aside from the psychological benefit a strong finish to the season will have, there is also the practicality of the first eleven gelling together. Villa made seven signings in January, and it seems the starting eleven (providing there are no injuries) is much more convincing than it was in August. The midfield is much

stronger, physically as well as in competence, and the defence is taking shape (three clean sheets in

"Regardless of whether the points produce much tangibility in terms of final reward, winning football matches will do Aston Villa the world of good" three games previous to 1-0 loss at Huddersfield). Taking the last

ten or so games seriously will hopefully better prepare the players for a more fruitful season next year, where promotion is the only goal.

Moreover, in terms of preparation, the remainder of this season will demonstrate in which areas Villa need to recruit in the summer. Not all of the seven signings from January are sure to prove their usefulness, and these last fixtures give Bruce a chance to make his mind up on who deserves feature next season, new signing or not. In light of this, there are also a myriad of young players who may get the opportunity to make a name for themselves, including the striker Keinan Davis, right-back James Bree, and

of course winger Andre Green (who unfortunately got injured during an impressive performance against Bristol City). It must be considered that although Villa's situation allows them the luxury of experimenting a little on their players, they must be careful not to sacrifice form for player development. Winning is the priority there is no point playing youngsters who are not ready, because if they become responsible for losing games, it won't do their development any good.

Playing a full season in the Championship should give Villa the confidence to go into next campaign with no fears of the unknown. This year has and will allow Villa to experience what it's like playing 46 games - rather than 38 - in eight months. Villa will be more prepared, and have a better idea of what it takes to succeed in this league.

Every game Villa have until the end of the season is winnable.

Winning will breed confidence, and confidence will breed success. Having a solid finish will show everyone that Villa are not backing down, and that will set the tone for next season.

38

Sport

Friday 17th March 2017

@redbricksport

UoB’s Running Stars Past and Present Sport online editor, Nancy Frostick, looks at the success of UoB students past and present in the sphere of running Whilst the Birmingham 10k and Cool Runnings encourage athletes of all abilities to take up running, the University of Birmingham has a rich history of cross country and track stars. From the Olympics to the European Championships, current students and past alumni have represented their country on the biggest athletics stages. Here’s some of the most famous names you might not know studied at UoB, as well as some of BUAC’s current stars to look out for the future:

Louise Hazel

Hannah England

Allison Curbishley

Chrissie Wellington

A commonwealth gold-medallist in the heptathlon at Dehli in 2010 and member of Team GB at London 2012, Hazel is one of the most diversely talented athletes to graduate from UoB. Competing alongside Jessica Ennis-Hill for a number of years, Hazel also represented her country at the European Championships and the World Championships before announcing her retirement in 2013. The demands of the heptathlon meant mastering the 100m hurdles, the 200m and 800m running events as well as the high jump, shot put, long jump and javelin. Whilst studying French at Birmingham, Hazel also competed for prestigious running club Birchfield Harriers which has produced fellow heptathlete legends Denis Lewis and Kelly Sotherton. With a personal best score of 6156 points, Hazel is one of the top British heptathletes in the last decade.

Former Biochemistry student Hannah England is a 1500m silver medallist at the World Championships in Daegu in 2011, and has also represented Great Britain at the Olympics in 2012. A middle-distance specialist, England competes in the 800m, 1500m and mile run, and is one of only three British women in history to have run under two minutes in the 800m and under nine minutes in the 3000m alongside Christina Boxer and Kirsty Wade. She is a three-time UK 1500m champion (in 2010, 2011 and 2013) and also won NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championship titles in 1500m during a year abroad at Florida State University.

Now a BBC Sport commentator, Curbishley was former British 400m champion and a Sport and Exercise Science student at UoB, representing Great Britain and Scotland at a range of international athletics championships. Highlights from her career include a 4x400m relay bronze medal at the European Championships in Budapest in 1998 and a 400m silver in the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur in the same year. A 400m gold in the World Student Games in 1997 is also a notable achievement, although her career was interrupted and eventually cut short through injury, forcing her into retirement in 2003.

Jonny Davies

Victoria Weir

A triathlon legend, Wellington graduated from Birmingham with a degree in geography in 1998. The former four-time Ironman Triathlon World Champion won back-to-back titles from 2007-2009, and then another in 2011. She held all three world and championship records relating to Ironman-distance triathlon, which include the world record, the course record and also the official world record for all Ironman-branded races over that distance. The Ironman-distance triathlon comprises swimming and cycling before running anywhere between 20-30km to conclude the race. On the way to her 2011 title, she was unbeaten in all thirteen of her races, and was also the first British athlete to become world champion as well as the first athlete ever to have won the World Championship less than a year after turning professional. Between 2009 and 2011 she broke the world record three times, with her current record some 32 minutes faster than the previous.

Another athlete to race alongside Mo Farah in the 5000m at the Birmingham Grand Prix, Davies finished a respectable 8th place with a time of 13:58.04. UoB’s Sports Person of the Year Winner 2016, Bioscience student and gold scholar has a habit of following in Farah’s footsteps, becoming the first British athlete to win the European Cross Country Championships since the main man of British athletics in 2015.

Current student Victoria Weir finished in third place at the recent Inter-Counties Cross Country meet with a time of just over 22 minutes to earn selection for the Great Britain team for the Cross Country World Championships. She is joined in the squad by UoB alumni Rebecca Murray. Weir is a European Team Cross Country gold medallist and in July 2016 ran the fastest junior 1500m steeplechase in British track and field history. After beating the previous record by an impressive five seconds, Weir has most recently been representing UB Athletics. Her stellar performances in the last year also earned her a nomination for Plymouth's Young Sports Personality of the Year.

Andrew Heyes

Jake Porter After storming to the 60m hurdles title at BUCS Nationals in Sheffield earlier this year, current UoB student Jake Porter then competed the next day at the Birmingham Grand Prix to place 7th. Another member of the prestigious Birchfield Harriers athletics club, he also finished third at the British Athletics Indoor Team Trials in February.

Heyes represented Great Britain in Cross Country in 2012, 2013 and 2015 and is a two-time English National Cross Country Medallist in 2014 and 2015. He is currently studying for a PhD focusing on the psychological factors in the use of performance enhancing drugs in sport and recently ran a personal best in the 3000m at the Muller Grand Prix in Birmingham with a time of 7:55.76, finishing just behind UoB graduate Nick Goolab.

Sarach McDonald

Nick Goolab Goolab picked up a bronze medal in the 3000m at the Birmingham Grand Prix in February and also raced in the 5000m with eventual winner (and British athletics legend) Mo Farah. A former BUCS Cross Country champion and first-class UoB Maths graduate, Goolab recently finished in third place in the British Athletics Indoor Team Trials over 3000m.

Currently studying medicine at UoB, McDonald races for BUAC and Great Britain and is 2017 UK Indoor Champion over 1500m. At the Muller Grand Prix in Birmingham on 18 February, McDonald placed 5th in the 1000m with a personal best time of 2.39. She has also placed sixth at the European Indoor Athletics Championships in 2017, and was 1500m BUCS Nationals champion in both 2015 and 2016 but was unable to defend her title for a third time in Sheffield this year due to a fixture clash with the Muller Grand Prix. She is currently ranked second in the UK over 1500m both indoors and outdoors behind double European gold medallist Laura Muir.

Sport

Friday 17th March 2017

@redbricksport

39

UoB does the Great Birmingham 10k Sport online editor, Nicola Kenton, reports on UB Sport entering a team of students into the Great Birmingham 10k Nicola Kenton

of music and entertainment to power you through those final Sport Online Editor miles. Speaking of the course, @Nicola_Kenton here are a few pointers about the route: the first 6km is relatively The Great Birmingham 10k will flat allowing you to ease into the take place around the city on event, before the route has an Sunday 30th April 2017 and there uphill section around 7-8km as will be a lot of students taking the course flows into town, finally part. Currently UB Sport have the last section is flat and fast with 220 members a downhill finsigned up for the ish. Along the event and you way you'll take "You can complete can still enter in the sights of until 30th March. the course in any way M i l l e n n i u m You'll also Point, the receive a £5 stu- you want whether that B u l l r i n g , dent discount be running, jogging E d g b a s t o n with the price Ground or walking - there will Cricket being just £21. and finish on UB Sport would Broad Street. be plenty of music like as many peoBut what ple to take part as and entertainment to about training? possible and UB Sport power you through Well Redbrick is joinhave that covthose final miles." ing in the act too ered too! There's with committee an outdoor members and beginners runeditors signed up to take part. ning class that meet on Tuesday's But what if you've never run at 4pm outside Munrow - you can before, I hear you say. Don't worry sign up at Munrow reception or about that! You can complete the online. Moreover, Cool Runnings course in any way you want have sessions on Saturday mornwhether that be running, jogging ings and volunteer at the Great or walking - there will be plenty Local run, where you can com-

plete a 2km or 5km time run, which takes place at the Vale on Sunday mornings.

Some of those who have already signed up include Leigh Inness, 'I always volunteer at big

events like this, but as it's my final year in Birmingham I wanted to run this time and be a part of it.

I'm also looking forward to starting in the University of Birmingham Team wave!' James Reed also says, 'I've never done a big race and it will be a great feeling to finish. It will also allow me to push myself and track my progress.'

So, if you want to join the University of Birmingham wave then sign up via the 360Birmingham website but remember you only have until the 30th March to register!

How to sign up and train with UBSport:

Sign up link: 360Birmingham.co.uk -> Events -> Great Birmingham 10k Training link: sport.bham.ac.uk -> Take Part -> Great Birmingham 10k -> Train with us

Spotlight On: Cool Runnings Sport online editor, Nicola Kenton, spoke to the president of Cool Runnings, Zak Viney, about the social running club Nicola Kenton

throughout this year to help members train for big events such as the Birmingham 10K (sessions for this are on Saturdays) and the Warwick Half Marathon.

Cool Runnings is a sister club to the Anybody can join Cool Runnings.

Birmingham University Athletics and They accept everybody, from those at Cross Country Club, it was formed in the entry level of running ability and 2009 and this year has 266 members first-time runners to those with much - an increase from 217 in 2015-16. more experience like seasoned club They train three runners. The club also times a week and do provides great value various types of ses- "The club has been with the membership sions. On Mondays pivotal in launching fee for 2016-17 being they complete inter£35 and if members a Great Run Local didn't join until after val training, the Old event which takes January this fee was Gym hosts their Wednesday session place at the Vale" reduced to £25. where they carry out One of the most circuit training and impressive things about bleep tests - next year Cool Runnings is the this will move to the commitment their vol360 sports centre - and on Thursdays unteers put in. The club has been their training is a long run. Moreover, pivotal in launching a Great Run there have been extra sessions Local event which takes place at the Vale, it is delivered by Cool Runnings volunteers every Sunday morning and offers a free 2km or 5km timed run Contact details: for the whole community. In terms of other socials, the club regularly attends Sports Night and holds variClub President: Zak Viney ous 'sober' socials such as Mini Golf, Trampolining and Bowling. In 2016Email address: ZXV452@ 17 they have also visited a number of student.bham.ac.uk running events such as The Autumn Shakespeare Raceways, Cannon Hill Facebook: BUAC Cool park Santa run, Warwick Half Runnings Marathon, volunteering at Silverstone Half Marathon and the 7 Pools Run Twitter: @BUACcoolrunning which is taking place on 19th March.

Moreover, in January the club held Instagram: buaccoolrunning their annual Training Weekend in the Peak District and although running is Sport Online Editor @Nicola_Kenton

the main priority of the trip, there was also a lot of fun and games, as well as club bonding that took place.

The Great Birmingham 10K run is taking place on the 30th April and UB Sport have a team attending, which includes those at Cool Runnings. Currently they have 67 members attending via their specific Facebook event and Viney is hoping that Cool Runnings is the largest representing sport club in the U.o.B Sport wave. The Saturday training sessions for the 10K have been run by Social secretary Jimmy Niblett and the group have focussed their training on that of a beginner/intermediate runner to help them train to the full

distance.

Finally, I asked Viney what advice he would give to those who have signed up and will be running a 10K for the first time. 'Firstly, ensure you complete sufficient long-term and short-term preparation. In the longterm, go out on a few 5K road runs in the weeks leading up to the big day, get your legs used to the distance! In the short-term, bulk up on carbs and sleep well in the days leading up to the 30th April!'

'Secondly, run with someone during training and on the day. Obviously, not everybody has the luxury to do this but running with a friend is a huge motivational tool and the feeling

of completing a training session or race together is very special. Finally, try to enjoy it! The Great Run atmosphere is electric so try and take it in and hold onto every moment - it might make you even faster!'

5 Reasons to get involved in Cool Runnings 1. Great way to get involved with a Sports Club without the pressure of competition, we focus on members personal goals 2. A family-like atmosphere. It's a cliché I know, however the club prides itself on its inclusive nature 3. Great value for money, 3 sessions per week and Great Run Local races, events and socials for only £35!

4. We have fun, varied sessions to help you work up to hitting your goals!

5. Club diversity. We have freshers, post-grad and mature students coming from many different ethnic and social backgrounds.

Redbrick Sport's Running Special: Cool Runnings and the Great Birmingham 10k

17.03.2017 The Great Birmingham 10k "I ran the Birmingham Half-Marathon last October with a few editors and writers from Redbrick. The atmosphere that day was great, and really helped me through those middling miles (and in getting my half-marathon PB) – so I’m looking forward to hitting the streets of Birmingham again in the 10k. This time we’ve also got a much bigger team, including a wide range of running ability. Hopefully that means we’ll all be able to help eachother up the infamous hill, and raise a lot of money for Birmingham Children’s Hospital! Be sure to keep a lookout for when we start our fundraising." - Harry Turner (right)

For more, follow us on Twitter:

@redbricksport Mike Lepps