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Day: 11 September 2012

Let’s not forget, Batman is ridiculous

Written by Joe Sandler Clarke on . Posted in Film.

I was in the middle of a passionate, and very nerdy, discussion about some of the more bizarre plot points of The Dark Knight Rises with an equally geeky friend of mine when I had a profound realisation.

“Joseph Gordon Levitt doesn’t just randomly know that Bruce Wayne is Batman,” I said. “He explains that he realised who Bruce really was after he experienced an emotional connection with him as a child.”

“Well alright,” replied my friend. “But then where on earth is Bane’s prison supposed to be?! And who cures a broken back by punching the vertebra back into place?!”

I came close to saying that punching a patient’s spine back into place is actually a far less ludicrous way to fix a broken back than having a psychic physiotherapist do the work, as in one Batman comic; but then something hit me; something that felt almost like an epiphany. I sat back in my chair and realised that Batman is ridiculous.

Batman is after all nothing more than a man dressed as a bat. More than that, he is a man who spent the early part of his life finding himself embroiled in increasingly weird and perilous situations, all whilst accompanied by a former circus performer and probable gay love interest.

Take for instance the brilliant Batman comic from 1960 entitled ‘The Zebra Batman’, which features on its front cover a very proud looking caped crusader bedecked in animal skin and a terrified Robin shouting to the people of Gotham: ‘G-Get back, Batman has become a menace!”

Then there’s ‘The Rainbow Batman’, also from the 1960s, which features the Dark Knight in a pink uniform mysteriously telling Robin that he “must wear a different colour costume every night”. What on earth is he getting up to?!

Perhaps someone should remind the likes of Will Brooker, author of Hunting the Dark Knight: Twenty-first Century Batman and a lecturer at Kingston University, about the superhero’s camp beginnings.

“[Christopher] Nolan gives the Batman/Joker relationship a post-9/11 resonance,” writes Brooker, as only a lecturer in film and television research can; “relating it directly to controversies over the Bush administration’s ‘harsh interrogation’ of terror suspects.”

The truth is that for all of Nolan’s achievements in turning the Dark Knight legend into an epic and beautiful story; there is still something charming about the ridiculous plotlines and comic dialogue of the caped crusaders’ escapades from the 1960s.

Recently I watched an episode of the old Batman TV series in which, underneath his overly-snug lycra suit, Adam West has a visible beer belly. Coupled with the pun-heavy dialogue and generally crap fight scenes, the belly made the episode all the more enjoyable if only because it drew attention to the absurdity of the whole show.

So for all the debate about plot holes and all the pseudo intellectual discussions about the significance of The Bat in popular culture – a quick Jstor search for ‘Batman and the Joker’ presents you with 85 articles – we should never forget that, for all of the awesomeness of Nolan’s films, Batman is basically ridiculous.

“Regulate the hell out of crazy big banks”, says new Green Party leader

Written by Eve Fensome on . Posted in Opinion.

“This will probably do as a green spot”, Natalie Bennett resolves, a rather appropriate observation given that she has just succeeded Caroline Lucas as leader of the Green Party. As we sit down together on a particularly lush patch of grass overlooking Council House in Bristol, the venue for this autumn’s Green Party Conference, Bennett is easing herself into her first full day as party leader – she formally accepted her new role only yesterday – whilst contemplating just how far the Greens have come a in a relatively short space of time.

Founded as recently as 1990, the party returned its first MEPs nine years later. In 2010, Caroline Lucas became the first Green Party MP, triumphing in the long-targeted seat of Brighton Pavilion – a breakthrough which Bennett believes will make a “big difference” when it comes to attracting voters at the next election. “Next time, anyone anywhere around the country, including whoever’s standing in Manchester, can say, ‘well Brighton did it, Manchester you can do it too’.”

Natalie Bennett is in charming mood, and who could blame her? Born and educated in Sydney, Australia, she already has a successful journalistic career behind her, having written for several broadsheet newspapers and, for the past five years, edited Guardian Weekly. She fought of three rival candidates to become leader of the Green Party following Caroline Lucas’ decision to stand down as in a bid to concentrate on her role as an MP.

Yet the 46-year-old is under no illusions; the Greens may now be represented in Parliament, but there is still plenty of work to be done if the party is going to grow into a truly influential voice – not to mention an electoral force – in years to come.

“What we need to do is build up our strength from the bottom in terms of councils. Across the country and in Manchester particularly, once people see we’ve got elected councillors and elected MEPs, then filling in the gap in the middle becomes a lot more viable.”

Bennett has inherited a party membership of 12,000 and rising, and the Greens have proved particularly popular with young people. Central to the party’s strategy is its appeal to students; Bennett is quick to identify a number of areas in which the Greens offer a unique range of policies which might entice young voters.

“At a very obvious level, we’re the only people who believe in no university tuition fees. Much more broadly, when you look at the environmental state, the Green Party is the party that thinks long-term about the future generations, including the immediately coming one but also much further into the future”.

She continues: “we’re also the party that says the current situation of unemployment is utterly inappropriate. The situation of low pay, of casualisation, of zero hours contracts, all things particularly affecting young people in terms of employment; they aren’t acceptable and can’t be allowed to continue.”

The solution? “We have to restructure our whole society, in terms of bringing manufacturing home, bringing food production home, basically reverse globalisation”, she says with no small hint of ambition. “We’re going to have to stop shipping huge amounts of stuff around the world and that means bringing all the jobs back, and well enough paid so that you actually have a virtuous cycle where people are paid a decent wage so they can then afford to buy things. Eventually you get back a balanced economy where workers are paid enough to buy what they’re actually making.”

This I like the sound of, but I have to question whether Bennett is being realistic. How, for example, would she ensure that domestic production is not undermined by cheap imports when even salad – which could easily be grown locally – is flown in from Africa and South America?

“The aviation industry is enormously subsidised so if you take away those subsidies then a lot of those things don’t make sense. It’s not as if you have to say, ‘right we’re going to ban salads from Peru’. You’ve got to make sure that the economic systems allow for the genuine cost of things, and then it makes no sense to actually do those things.” Protectionism, however, is not the way forward – “a very nineteenth century solution”, she explains.

Without wishing to get too bound up in the age-old protectionism versus free-trade debate, I move on to the questions of priorities. The Green Party have plenty of worthy aspirations, some of which are quite surprising – I learn, for example, that renationalisation of the railways has been a Green Party policy for the last twelve years – but I put Bennett on the spot and ask her to pick her top three priorities. Predictably, the environment tops the agenda, with the economy occupying second spot.

“We need to go and do everything to encourage credit unions and mutuals and regulate the hell out of the crazy big banks and make sure that if they gamble with huge amounts of money they go broke and their shareholders suffer but no one else does.”

In at number three? “The third thing is worth adding because it’s just so horrifying when you think about it, which is nuclear weapons. I think we need to get rid of Britain’s nuclear weapons. They cost a mint and I cannot imagine a situation, or any sane person who could, in which Britain would use those nuclear weapons, so why do we have them?”

Natalie Bennett clearly has some strong and coherent ideals. She believes in organic growth in manufacturing and production as well as organically growing her party, but only time will tell if her policies are sustainable.

From Aztec to Hicks: Fashion Grows Up

Written by Jake Pummintr on . Posted in Fashion & Beauty.

Following a very animated Spring/Summer 2012 of daring prints, chaotic Aztec designs and Club Tropicana galore (yes, the theme for last year’s Pangaea was very much on-trend), it’s high time that we dispose of our short-sleeved Hawaiian print shirts. This season, bold patterns are still on the fashion horizon however, in a much more elegant and diluted manner. Omit all drunken Pangaea memories of insulting tans, coconut bras and patterned wife-beaters from your memory.

Autumn/Winter prints have matured and evolved from the latter into something much more chic that has scope to remain in fashion for a considerable amount of time. Envisage British interior design in the ’60s: adventurous combinations of colour alongside enigmatic wallpaper designs. At this point, the work of British print artist and interior designer, David Hicks, should come to mind…

A graduate from Central School of Art in London, David Hicks was to become one of Britain’s most renowned print artists to date. Even if you had not heard of him until now, you have definitely seen one of his prints. His work celebrates everything that came about during the ‘Swinging Sixties’ era. Whilst some of the designs are seemingly outlandish, much like attire from the recent Club Tropicana fashion trend, it is the use of colour that means any clothes in which adhere to this trend are much more transitional (something that every student should strive to find).

Whereas a few months ago, many designers and stylists were showing contrasting patterns in the same ensemble, this season is about calming that down. Instead of mixing Aztec print trousers with a striped blazer, opt instead for a solid colour blazer to keep the outfit immaculately styled without being overbearing or attention seeking. Hicks’ prints mostly incorporate white or black with two other complimentary colours. The featured photo exhibits one of his most famous prints, La Fiorentina.

But how can you bring a bit of Hicks to your own daily styling you ask? Luxury British brand, Orlebar Brown, have just released their signature tailored short designs in a range of prints by none other than David Hicks himself. The brand began five years ago and are renowned for their shorts that bridge the gaps between being on the beach and going to the bar or going to lunch. A Saville Row take on the swim-short, all their designs are made with the idea that they can be worn both as a smart everyday short, but are simultaneously 100% waterproof and very fast drying.  The David Hicks editions come in their classic mid-length (which is called the Bulldog) and also their shorter short design (known as the Setter). The aforementioned Fiorentina design will be released in the next few months however Hicks’ chevron print (featured photo) is already in the stores and online.

It is arguable that these prints resemble some of the daring Aztec and Itak designs from last season however, if styled correctly, you can achieve a much more mature and coherent look. This season is about patterns evolving and in a sense ‘growing up’. Blend a pair of these Orlebar Brown shorts with an accompanying monochrome t-shirt and a pair of casual loafers. Complete the look with a pair of wayfarer sunglasses and a tan coloured satchel and there you have a 2012 take on what is a vintage classic. The Orlebar Brown + David Hicks editions are available in their stores or shop the entire collection online at www.orlebarbrown.co.uk and sign up to the customer database for a 10% discount off your transaction.

David Hicks at Orlebar Brown: http://www.orlebarbrown.co.uk/bulldog/david-hicks-chalk-navy-ocean/

 

 

 

 

Craving and Saving

Written by Jake Pummintr on . Posted in Fashion & Beauty.

Craving: Jimmy Choo Hamilton Loafer – £475 – www.jimmychoo.com

For the gentleman who appreciates decadence and opulence in abundance, we present the Hamilton loafer by Jimmy Choo. Whilst the loafer is a style of shoe that has been around for years, it is relevant in the industry of menswear fashion all year round. This is because with a timeless style of shoe, designers are at will to completely reinvent it and give the classic design a 21st century makeover. The Hamilton loafer offers exactly this; the wooden sole and leather tassel are conventional features of the loafer however the Choo version deviates in that it is made from suede that comes in a variety of colours from both classic and more vibrant colour palettes. The tassel comes with a braided-leather strap in which substantiates the idea that this shoe is a more intricately detailed interpretation of a classic and timeless shoe. At its equally self-indulgent price of £475, this is one loafer that comes with a side order of bankruptcy.

Saving: ASOS Velvet Loafer – £55 – www.asos.com

Similar in shape, this ASOS alternative still succeeds in conveying the same idea of extravagance, principally due to its material composition of royal blue velvet. This however, simultaneously means that the shoe is automatically less formal due to the more structured nature of the Jimmy Choo Hamilton. These loafers in particular must be dressed down or you may be subject to looking like an ostentatious Made In Chelsea reject. Blend either pair of loafers with medium to dark wash denim and an understated t-shirt in a monochrome hue. Finish off the look with a traditional peacoat or trench and a chunky knitted scarf.

Asos Loafer: asos.com

On The Front Line of Fashion

Written by Mancunion on . Posted in Fashion & Beauty.

When we were asked to attend the Manchester College of Art’s Graduate Show at the Museum of Science and Industry, we jumped at the opportunity. Where better to look for the emerging talent, the freshest ideas and the current styles than right in the heart of Manchester? So off we went eager to spot the next Ossie Clarks and Sarah Burtons (MSA’s most notable fashion alumni).

Without a shadow of a doubt, the jaw-dropping moment of the show was the showcasing of two rather simplistic designs in professional and statement-like deployment. Our eyes fixated on these two fierce models, stitched and woven together intricately. One wearing an ink blue angularly-fitted, v-cut dress and the other a camel and bold blue creation, they hauntingly strutted the catwalk in unison, commanding the attention of the room with their controlled, almost inhuman strides – Tyra Banks would’ve been proud.

Amongst the dramatic and couture driven looks, the familiarity of sportswear raised its head in a few designs that represented the more prêt of the show. Tennis dresses and the more formal were injected with innovative details such as Gaga-esque exaggerated piping around the neckline and exaggerated shoulders that elevate traditional and overlooked outfits like this to a more innovative and inspiring level.

One sashaying, floor-length gown, complete with a slash neck detail and long, exaggerated sleeves would not have looked out of place in the romantic and hyper-coloured collections showcased to predict this Spring’s trends. The craftsmanship and delicate effort behind each breath taking piece was evident, and most of the detail spoke for itself as simple cuts and tailoring perfectly framed and set-off the students’ handiwork in printmaking and fabric customisation.

With our complimentary wine down to its dregs, and slightly light-headed from gaping in awe at these students’ designs (the wine couldn’t have helped this either), we left MOSI with an edge of pride. Manchester’s reputation as the urban capital is most definitely re-affirmed in showcases of raw and exciting talent like the garments presented by the students from the College of Art; with the city producing spell-binding talent like Holly Fulton, hailing from the Royal College of Art who recently caused a stir at her first London Fashion Week. It is safe to say that it isn’t time to resign the North to its grimness just yet.

We would like to thank Annie Oakes for inviting us to the exhibition at MOSI and for supplying us with insightful and crucial information and amazing photography by Peter May from the event.

The student designers showcased at the show were: Amelia Ashley, Rachel Conway, Rhiannon Buckley, Rosie Fowler, Fiona Cranston, Chrissie Taylor, Mahwish Mev, Helen O’Donivan, Sarah Dingli, Marianne Callaghan, Vikki Horderri, Hannah Badminton, Samantha Newton, Lauren Davies, Annie Oaks, Sammy Armstrong, Owen Hughs, Charlie Lewis, Milly Grimes, Cindy Angula, Elinor Mcb, Angharad Evans, Adele Mcnair, Becky Lewis, Chloe-Jace Morgan, Natalie Dawson, Melissa Lee, Ellie Rousseau, Jessica Campbell, Jodie Rigby, John Moriarty, Cat Potter, Faye Howarth, Charlotte Beardow, Alice Chan, Aimee, Heather Nicholson, Anya, Samantha Barle, Ella Woodhouse.

Top 5 – Biggest Personalities in Fashion

Written by Elizabeth Harper on . Posted in Fashion & Beauty.

Vivienne Westwood

Undoubtedly a bit bonkers and a self styled reincarnation of Elizabeth I. But her collections are always exciting and she is a passionate eco-warrior. You will find her in an ‘I LOVE CRAP’ T-shirt furiously plugging her environmental manifesto.

Anna Wintour

Legend has it that Meryl Streep based her performance of the terrifying Miranda Priestley in The Devil Wears Prada on Anna. All we know is that as the Editor-in-Chief of Vogue she is a powerful, influential woman with her fingers in a lot of fashion pies. She is not to be messed with.

Anna Wintour: http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s150/kpotosky/wintour.jpg

Tom Ford

A God-send for both men and women. His suave and stylish taste makes him an honourary European. In addition to his incredible talent for design, he’s also a dab hand at directing; Oscar nominated for ‘A Single Man’.

Tom Ford: http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t42/eeyoyo91/Tom-Ford.jpg

Kate Moss

She’s taken cocaine in public, she smoked a cigarette at the Louis Vuitton show on international ‘No Smoking Day’ and took over a village for her wedding reception. Does she care? Nope. Doesn’t make what she did OK but we do have a soft spot for misfit Moss.

Kate Moss: http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg72/TaraDakides/kate-moss.jpg

 

Marc Jacobs

He is wild and extravagant and has had many a provocative advertising campaign under his name- Victoria Beckham in a bag, himself in the nude, the list goes on. He is a real showman and his work is so covetable and desirable it’s almost sinful.

 

Marc Jacobs: http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv345/aprilqueers/marcjacobs.jpg

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: The Game

Written by Sam Dumitriu on . Posted in Games.

Douglas Adams’ popular Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series started life as a radio play, but soon spawned a series of books, a television programme and a video game.

Released in 1984 by Infocom, Hitchhiker’s Guide is one of the rare video-game spin-offs that capture the spirit of the source material. Adams, with the help of Infocom’s Steve Meretzky, designed the game, resulting in much of the same humour that had made the books so popular.

Hitchhiker’s Guide is a text-based adventure game, which means that there are no graphics, just a text description of your surroundings. You navigate your way through the game world by typing instructions such as ‘lie down in front of bulldozer’ or ‘put on dressing gown’. The closest thing you have to a goal is an item in your inventory called ‘No Tea’.

The game was fiendishly difficult; reaching an almost absurd level with the infamous Babel Fish puzzle where the simple task of getting something from a vending machine becomes so difficult you begin to question what’s the point of it all. But DON’T PANIC, Infocom produced a set of hints (sold separately) to help gamers in need. The puzzle was so notorious that Infocom sold T-Shirts that gamers proudly wear saying ‘I got the Babel Fish’.

Designer Steve Meretzky said of the difficulty “People who find the game too hard can get hints, while people who find the game too easy are screwed because there’s no way for them to make it harder.”

The game’s popularity has endured, and for its 20th anniversary the BBC remade the game with the addition of illustrations and made it available for free online.

For fans of the book, this game is the perfect companion even if the puzzles will have you reaching for the peril-sensitive sunglasses.

Your ultimate guide to Freshers’ Week 2012

Written by Sophie Donovan on . Posted in Music.

MONDAY

Hit & Run Freshers’ Event 2012

Fac251 – £7.50 (on the day)

Factory welcomes North West newcomers with a showcase of some of the best in Manchester bass music. Despite the human ant farm created by the venue’s one-way stairs policy, Hit & Run rarely disappoints. Don’t miss: Phaeleh + Chunky, Dub Phizix + Strategy, or Biome.

Revolver

Roadhouse – £4

Tail-feathers will be shaken at Roadhouse’s flagship weekly event. Revolver DJs share their love for ’50s and ’60s vinyl in an evening sure to set you hip wiggling and toe tapping. Held at Piccadilly’s favourite underground sticky-floored basement, arrive early to avoid large queues.

Juicy vs. Murkage

HMV Ritz – £5

Billed as the event which will transform the Ritz into a “bassy sweatbox of over a thousand ravers” -two of Manchester’s most popular student nights meet to provide one of the largest parties Manchester freshers will see. Expect plenty of hip-hop, garage, bashment and RnB.

TUESDAY

Selective Hearing + Now Wave present South London Ordnance

South – £4/£5 adv

Two of the most exciting collectives in Manchester unite to present a night of debuts at South nightclub. South London Ordnance makes his Manchester debut, supported by Chester local REAL in his first live set. Residents Versa, Reflec, 310-190 & Bam are joined by Now Wave DJs presenting a variety of bass music for your enjoyment.

Gold Teeth

Deaf Institute – £3/4

Warm up downstairs with funk/soul/reggae before climbing the stairs to the infinitely hotter and busier Music Hall. Expect to be slowly crushed to hip-hop/garage/RnB by a gyrating mass. But, fear not, recuperate and dance with freedom of limbs on the staggered seating that overlooks the stage.

Robert Sudal Trio

Matt and Phred’s – FREE (£5 Fri/Sat)

Offering a fusion of Middle Eastern influences and contemporary jazz, Yorkshire born composer Robert Sudal hosts a night in Manchester’s Northern Quarter. Famed for its pizzas and cocktail menu, if live jazz gets you going then get down. (And it’s FREE)

WEDNESDAY

Murkage Club X Headgone Freshers Bruk Out!

Mint Lounge – £3/4

Winning the prize for the longest title comes Murkage and Headgone’s bruk out. For those unfamiliar with bruk outs, one is expected to act in an unruly fashion and even “party shit up”. DJs will be on rotation from 11pm-3am bringing house and street anthems to the Northern Quarter’s Mint Lounge.

Regulate

Black Dog Ballroom – Underdog (New Wakefield Street) – £3 adv/£4 door

Black Dog’s new venue offers cheap drinks and “vibe in the mutha fluffin place”. So if it’s vibe in the mutha fluffin place you’re after, look no further. For hip-hop, breaks and gin and juice why not check out Underdog. Free guest list is available via Facebook and there’s a newly refurbished roof terrace.

Girls on Film

Deaf Institute – £3 adv / £4 door

GIRLS ON FILM is the hottest new club night in town, created to let you explore your inner 80’s child. Look the part with those shoulder pads and dapper lads, and don’t be ashamed to rock out to a rediscovered soundtrack of Duran Duran, Blondie, The Smiths, Bowie, Madonna, Depeche Mode, plus much more!

THURSDAY

Chow Down

Mint Lounge – £3 adv

Loefah (Swamp 81/DMZ/Staunch) returns to Chow Down in the first part of their freshers spectacular. Never failing to make a night, undoubtedly, Loefah is one not to miss. Mint Lounge doesn’t always have the cheapest drinks, but with single + mixer at £2.50, Chow Down seems to have put them right.

Reggae Thursdays/ Hang Loose

Deaf Institute – FREE

Reggae Thursdays are back to fulfil all of your loving, jumping and skanking needs. There’ll be all styles from deep roots to digital, quick fire selections, good times and give-aways, HSSS Audio and a warm welcome for all.  It’s in the main bar from 9pm -1.30am and you don’t have to spend a penny to get in

Coded Rhythm

Joshua Brooks – FREE

Free entry at Joshua Brooks is a rare and wonderful thing.  We’re not sure what to expect from Coded Rhythm, but a bit of complimentary house/techno/garage/disco from the likes of relative unknowns: Boy Nukem, Blockworx, Sub-Tonic and Mattigaan sounds alright to us.

FRIDAY

Be My Guest

Soup Kitchen – £3/4

An exciting blend of African, South American, heavy funk, soul, reggae, disco, cosmic jazz, rock, house & techno jams is what’s on offer from Soup Kitchen’s weekly resident DJ. Simon Tonkinson is behind the diverse offerings – with different guests joining him in the kitchen and taking over in the basement each week. This week’s guest in the basement is Folk DJs.

Black Bee Soul Club

Kraak Gallery – £3

A night of Northern Soul with a sting, playing the best and rarest oldies, classics and floor stompers that you’re likely to hear on a Friday night.  The venue is just off Oldham Street so grab your kit bags, your talc and your best dancing shoes and head on down.

Coolio / Spektrum

Sankeys – £11

The prospect of Sankeys becoming a Gangster’s Paradise for one night only is perhaps too good to miss.  Upstairs is Spektrum, one of the club’s in house parties, playing a selection of pumping techno and future garage. We’ll be offering the chance to win tickets for you and your mates, so keep your eye out for details on how to enter on our website.

Blind Pig

Trof Fallowfield – FREE before 12

Trof are recreating the atmosphere of the speakeasies, including authentic prohibition era cocktails and special guests, The Charlestown Kings.  They’ll be a lot of swing from the ’20s to the ’50s and even the opportunity for free shots if you turn up dressed to the nines.

Night of the Living Dread

Band on the Wall – FREE

Mikey D.O.N.’s reggae night is back, and will include a set from former Band on the Wall resident, Prince Tony. It’s a mega-reggae showdown, with all styles from Dancehall to Lover’s Rock getting in the mix.  Entrance is free so you can spend your hard-loaned money on a few more cans of Red Stripe before you go out.

SATURDAY

Norman Jay

2022NQ – £6

This venue has only just opened, but it looks like a pretty trendy space.  Norman Jay, MBE, played at Pangaea last year and is well known for his eclectic sets and love of house-based beats.  Funk, soul and jazz influences shine through in each of his sets, a deadly combination that will leave you aurally satisfied.

Funkademia with David Dunne

Mint Lounge – £5

Funkademia takes place every Saturday to a consistently full house, feeding a friendly crowd with a diet of pure unadulterated soul-funk.  David Dunne has travelled the world playing for Hed Kandi and is usually renowned for his house sets, but he also possesses a huge amount of love for funk, soul and disco.

Up Presents Jenna G and Blizzard

The Attic – £5 adv / £7 after 11

A major name in the DnB scene, Jenna G is one of the most prolific female vocalists you will come across.  Add to the list Blizzard, who gained notoriety for the ‘Student versus Teacher’ rap battle that you’ve probably seen on Youtube, and you’ve got the makings of a sick night..  There’s also a host of local talent that’ll keep the night going ‘til 3.

 

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Hearthfire DLC

Written by Sam Dumitriu on . Posted in Games.

Hearthfire, the second instalment of DLC from Bethesda, is a departure from the main game. It offers no new quests and doesn’t expand the map.  Instead, Hearthfire offers players the ability to build their own house and to turn it into a home by adopting a child. Lead designer Bruce Nesmith was inspired by his experience with Minecraft to allow players to build things “Being a fan of Minecraft” Nesmith asked “Why can’t I build things?”

While the prospect of building a house is sure to excite fans of Minecraft and the Sims, it fails to live up to those expectations. The problem here is that it doesn’t capture what makes building things fun, when you build something in Minecraft you have near infinite possibilities. What you build is ultimately your creation, your ideas. In Hearthfire everything you build is premade, your choices are limited, as a result it doesn’t feel like your creation.

Building a house in Hearthfire ultimately feels more like a chore than a challenge. It is made worse by the fact you have to buy and mine the raw materials. It’d be nice if there were quests related to gathering the materials, but instead it’s just frequent trips to mills and general stores.

Once you’ve completed your house you still have to keep it safe from wandering giants and bandits, you can hire a steward to deal with them, so you don’t have to worry about your home getting trashed when you go off adventuring.

Along with building a house, Hearthfire also allows you to adopt an orphan. This is a nice idea in that it makes the game more immersive. However you quickly exhaust all the dialogue options with your child and they end up being nothing more than decoration. It would have been better if they fleshed out the backstory and had orphan specific quests to build up a relationship.

Making your own little mark on Skyrim is a nice idea, which would have worked a lot better if you were given greater freedom in creating your house, and you were able to build a stronger relationship with your child through quests.

At 400 Microsoft Points, Hearthfire isn’t going to break the bank, but it is hard to recommend a purchase to anyone beyond the Skyrim die-hards who have put in over a 100 hours and are looking for any opportunity to spend more time in Skyrim.

Age Re-Defining

Written by Elizabeth Harper on . Posted in Fashion & Beauty.

Anyone who is accustomed to glossies will be aware that you have to battle your way through an extraordinary amount of adverts before you reach any actual fashion feature. Flicking through the £4.20 splurge that was my annual Harper’s Bazaar this summer, I was confronted with the usual gaggles of young, airbrushed, skinny beauties laughing and pouting. I was completely unprepared when I locked eyes with Lanvin’s newest campaign star.

Her eyebrows arched in a stern ‘what are you looking at?’ kind of stare and with the impeccable posture that connotes someone extremely comfortable in their own skin, Jacquie ‘Tajah’ Murdock completely stood out from the rest.

After the initial shock of seeing wrinkles and buxom hips inside a high end fashion magazine, most of which are notoriously renowned for their fixation with youth and prepubescent proportions, 82 year old Murdock’s appearance felt incredibly refreshing.

Lanvin’s creative director Alber Elbaz is not alone in using an older model to sell his brand. For the past few seasons, Dolce and Gabbana and Tommy Hilfiger have featured more mature men and women alongside their Monica Belluccis and their all-American whippersnappers.

However, they are part of an ensemble: they are necessary in the creation of a family landscape where a range of generations is required in the campaign narrative. Ultimately, the attention is not reserved for them; not in the same way that Murdock is undeniably the star of the show for Lanvin. However it is a sign that fashion is beginning to face the reality that people get old and being old should not be a stigma.

New designer on the block Joseph Altuzarra is fully aware of the importance of older people being more involved in fashion design and marketing. He recently attested that the high end markets lean towards an older clientele.After all, they are the ones with the money to spend on luxury products, with the perspective and experience to help them invest in fashion and designers.

To pretend that older men and women are not important in the fashion industry is ridiculous. Creatively, designers like Altuzarra are taking into account the recent publication that women become more confident the older they get. As confidence and fashion walk hand in hand, older women are fast becoming an important target market. Maybe one of the reasons Altuzarra has become so successful in such a short space of time is because of this reasoning. He is current because his attitudes and ultimately his designs do not follow a youth exclusivity formula.

In our lifetime, we have grown up with the likes of Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell and Heidi Klum fronting large fashion campaigns. I find it very doubtful that these women are going to just disappear when their crows-feet begin to show or when their complexions aren’t as dewy and fresh. This is because, as much as we talk about fashion being about beauty and youth, it is also about personality.

And as Tarantino teaches us in Pulp Fiction, personality goes a long way. Taut skin and shiny hair may not last forever, however these women have enough personality to mean that the physicality of their job will become irrelevant. So what if Kate Moss needs more support round her bum in a few years: she will still have her rock star fiery attitude which will inevitably sell clothes, like it pretty much already does. Or consider the use of Twiggy in the Marks and Spencer commercials. She is still the embodiment of chic and subtle sex appeal that she was in 1965.

In a year that has been greatly involved in challenging perceptions, with the Paralympic Games at the forefront, it would be a travesty if the use of older models becomes a fashion fad that after a few seasons will be considered uncool and ‘out’. I personally think that now the fashion industry has taken these tiniest of steps in this direction, I don’t think there will be much going back. I think we should look to the next challenge that lies ahead for the industry: if fashion is all about personality, what place could there be for disability on the catwalk or editorials?

Five Songs In The Field Of… Manchester

Written by Daniel Jones on . Posted in Music.

‘Bye Bye Badman’ – The Stone Roses

The transitions in this track are so effortless that you hardly notice yourself nodding away by the time the rolling snares kick in for the chorus.  Ian Brown affirms his legendary status with a delicate vocal line that soars out of your speakers and into your ears.

‘Rusholme Ruffians’ – The Smiths

An example of Morrissey’s croon at its finest.  The bassline gets into your head quicker than Usain Bolt on a good day but thankfully, it runs for longer than 10 seconds.  It’s also a great soundtrack if you’re on the Curry Mile and you’re just going past The Huntsman.

‘Over My Shoulder‘ – I Am Kloot

This undeniable gem in the Manchester repertoire is one of the most chilled songs you’re ever likely to hear.  I Am Kloot never really got any great national exposure but here they exhibit why they are one of the most original sounding bands to come out of the city.

‘Disorder’ – Joy Division

It’s a bit of a paradox that Ian Curtis managed to make so many people happy by revealing the most isolated corners of his mind.  In this, one of the best tunes off Unknown Pleasures, his precise lyrics sit perfectly over the gritty, pulsating rhythm created by Hook, Sumner and co.

‘Step On’ – Happy Mondays

One of the most drug fuelled songs ever made.  Keeping that in mind, I’m genuinely surprised at how good it sounds.  Also, if you don’t hear somebody say “you’re twisting my melon, man” at least once between now and June then I will personally buy you a lifetime supply of melons.

Student 101 – The Cycling Boom

Written by Keir Stone-Brown on . Posted in Lifestyle.

The passion for cycling in the UK has hit epidemic levels this year and Manchester is no exception. Groups such as Biko bikes (www.umsu.manchester.ac.uk/action/bikobikes) offer bike hire for as little as £1 a week so there’s never been a better time to get involved.

Now with the roads swarming with riders and the newspapers swarming with the dangers of the road it is perhaps a good time to answer a couple of questions.  So just how dangerous is it? And what can you do to be as safe as possible?

Last year there were 107 cyclist deaths on British roads. That number may sound high but it’s significantly lower than the number of pedestrian (453) and car user (883) deaths in the same period. However 107 is still 107 too many so what can you do to help negotiate the roads safely?

First up, having the right equipment is essential. Now I’m not saying you need to be head to toe in lycra but there are some must haves.   A helmet is the first port of call for any budding cyclist. It not only protects your head but in a bright colour can help motorists see you as well. Next, with the winter months approaching and the days getting shorter (sob sob) its important to invest in a pair of lights as, by about 5 o’clock, the evening starts to draw in and your visibility starts to diminish. Other than the above, a fluorescent raincoat not only keeps you dry but also keeps you visible.

There are other more fun ways to increase your safety as well. ‘I Bike MCR’ (www.ibikemcr.org.uk) is a great organisation that promotes cyclist events throughout the year. From boozy socials to film nights and even the odd cycle ride they can provide a great starting point for anyone wanting to take to the road on two wheels. One event that ‘I Bike MCR’ run and is a must do on any students itinerary is the critical mass ride from the central library, meeting at 6 o’clock on the last Friday of every month. Critical mass is an idea where in cities all over the world cyclists take to the streets and ride in an effort to promote cycling. It’s a ride at a gentle pace where you can mingle with other cyclists whilst music is blaring out of speakers. The rides don’t have a set route but they are often seen riding up Wilmslow Road towards Fallowfield so have a go and start living life on two wheels.

Manchester: Venue Guide

Written by Joe Goggins on . Posted in Freshers' Guide, Music.

Soup Kitchen

Despite being probably the city centre’s most bohemian area, there was a notable dearth of great live venues in the Northern Quarter until recently, with the likes of the Night and Day and Dry Bar standing as rusting relics from a bygone era, hosting fewer and fewer exciting bands as years went by. Soup Kitchen is one of a number of NQ spots aiming to change this, and its basement space has been graced by Japandroids, Kindness and Post War Years so far this year, with performances from Egyptian Hip Hop, Errors and Iceage in the pipeline.

Salford’s Islington Mill. Copyright © Phil King

Islington Mill

Located close to Chapel Street, a road which effectively draws a border between Manchester and Salford, Islington Mill – an actual former cotton spinning mill – has become one of the city’s premier art spaces, comprising a number of art studios and a club space, opened in 2005. Since then, the venue has hosted an impressive array of up and coming artists from around the world, including Beach House, Fucked Up and Wu Lyf, as well as regular events as obscure as theatre gym, life drawing and yoga sessions.

Matt & Phred’s jazz club, on Tib Street.

Matt & Phred’s

There aren’t many images, musically speaking, that conjure up quite the same level of romance and nostalgia as that of the smoky backstreet jazz club, and whilst the government might have put paid to one of those adjectives, the others live on at Matt & Phred’s. Boasting a consistently stellar weekly lineup of jazz, blues and soul, Matt and Phred’s serves as the beating heart of Manchester’s thriving jazz community, as evidenced by its central role during the city’s annual jazz festival each July.

The Deaf Institute, on Grosvenor Street. Copyright © N. Bojdo

Deaf Institute

Opened in 2007, the Deaf Institute is one of a number of bars run by the good folks at Trof, and has steadily built a reputation as Manchester’s best small venue. Occupying an actual former institute for the deaf and dumb, Deaf comprises two stages; a smaller basement for more intimate performances, and the main music hall upstairs, complete with delightfully strange decor and a giant disco ball. The raised stage and seating area give it a clear advantage over most of its contemporaries, as do the wonderful burgers and cocktails available in the cafe bar. Deaf’s gig calendar is dominated by up-and-coming indie, many under the banner of the city’s finest promoters, Now Wave, who have put on shows from The xx, Best Coast and SBTRKT here in the past. There’s an abundance of club nights, too, with Gold Teeth, Up the Racket and Juicy all hosting packed events on a regular basis – the latter’s monthly hip hop specials are already a matter of local legend.

South nightclub, on South King Street

South

First opened in 1995 and seen as an ‘antidote’ to the superclub culture surrounding the Hacienda, South was a concerted effort to bring Manchester’s club scene into more intimate and less threatening environments following the gang-related downfall of the legendary Factory nightspot. Reopening in early 2011 after a major refurbishment, South has a number of established nights, from the indie rock focus of Remake Remodel and Clint Boon’s Saturday Night to house/techno night Basement Sessions. The venue also plays host to the ever-more-popular Murkage night, featuring a signature blend of dubstep and hip hop.

Joshua Brooks, on Princess Street. Copyright © Lisa Murgatroyd

Joshua Brooks

Tucked away off Oxford Road on the corner of Charles and Princess Street, Joshua Brooks is a pub by day, with a nicely balanced selection of real ales and foreign beers on tap and by bottle. By night, the basement becomes one of the most popular club spaces in Manchester, most notably playing weekly host to the packed Juicy hip hop night every Wednesday, as well as Tuesday night’s pop-rock based Moustache parties. The space also hosts live music on occasion, fucntioning perfectly as an intimate venue.

 

Interview: Dog Is Dead

Written by Joe Goggins on . Posted in Music.

If nothing else, starting a band at an early age is going to encourage some serious creative thinking. “We struggled to get a gig anywhere because we were so young,” Dog Is Dead frontman Rob Milton recalls. “We ended up playing anywhere we could, even tourist attractions – we used to play in the banquet hall at this museum in Nottingham called The Tales of Robin Hood.”

It’s not the sort of environment where you’d expect Dog Is Dead’s sound to originate; they’re known chiefly as purveyors of tightly-written, melodic indie pop songs, with emphasis on the pop, as evidenced by multi-part harmonies and soaring choruses. It’s been a slow-burning progression for the quintet; starting out at school back in 2008, it’s taken them until now to find themselves in a position to put out their debut record and tour behind it – All Our Favourite Stories is released next month, the band’s first full-length release since signing a major label deal with Atlantic Records.

“We try not to pay too much attention to that, really,” reflects Rob on the issue of signing to a major, “we’re definitely a very ambitious band, but the main focus is to make records that mean a lot to people; we’re not worried about going to number one in the first week.” The album release marks the culmination of a journey that’s seen the band rise from local obscurity in Nottingham to touring with the likes of Bombay Bicycle Club and Tribes, and also saw the band, in the recording of the album, come full circle, swapping their humble beginnings for more glamorous surroundings in the capital – then going back again.

“Originally, we were really excited to go down to London and see all the studios there, and being able to go to studios where The Cure recorded Disintegration and Radiohead have done bits and bobs, which seemed really cool. It wasn’t until after we did a few tracks with David Kosten – who’s a genius – that we realised that they weren’t really what we felt Dog Is Dead is about, so we went back to Nottingham and recorded it in a council estate with a local producer. It made it a lot more natural, and our main aim with this record really was not to do anything that felt too laboured.”

The band have benefited from considerable exposure on Radio 1, with Huw Stephens and Fearne Cotton in particular championing their music. Asked how the steady build-up of mainstream support has treated the band, Rob speaks favourably, another signifier of the band’s ambition. “We never have been the sort of band to be all over magazine covers from the first week they start, and it’s taken us a long time to do anything. The way we’ve been able to grow has been brilliant, and that kind of support is incredible, especially when we were putting out our own singles in the early days.”

Rob singles out this year’s Reading and Leeds festivals, where they packed out the Festival Republic stages with the backing of a full gospel choir, as a career highlight. “The festival season’s always great, with the diversity you get playing the big festivals and then the weird and wonderful smaller ones, but Reading and Leeds were the ones that meant the most to us. We’ve been going to Leeds for seven years now and it was the one thing you looked forward to for the whole of the summer holidays. It was our first time on the bill rather than being there as punters.”

The band will kick off their headlining tour in support of the new record at the Academy 3, and Rob spoke fondly of Dog Is Dead’s history in the city – albeit at two different ends of the size spectrum. “It was incredible to play the Deaf Institute for the first time last year because it’s an amazing venue and a place we’ve grown very fond of, if only as a bar,” he recalls. “On the other hand, before that we played at the Apollo with Bombay Bicycle Club, which was mindblowing, probably the biggest indoor venue we’ve played.”

Moving forward, Rob states that the band’s main ambition is to nurture, and enhance, their own live reputation at headlining shows, moving away from playing a supporting role to more established acts. “Now that there will be a record out, there’s going to be nothing more incredible than going out on our own tour. We’ve got a very dedicated fanbase – people will know the lyrics and be singing along, and it’s going to heighten the experience for us so much.” Such a balance of quiet confidence and lofty ambition can only serve them well – the band’s future looks considerably brighter than that of their eponymous dog.

Dog Is Dead play Academy 3 on October 23

Being here now

Written by Daniel Jones on . Posted in Music.

It is extremely rare to find a city in which musical heritage plays such an important role in both expressing and shaping the identity of its people.

Artists from Detroit, Los Angeles and New Orleans spring to mind because their sound is so distinctive that you can listen to a record, without knowing who it’s by, and you’ll still be able to tell where it was made.  It is a phenomenon that the majority of cities around the world will never experience, but, for Manchester, it has happened a lot over the past forty years.

Let’s start with Factory Records.  You can listen to pretty much anything in the first half of the back catalogue and you’ll still pick up on Martin Hannett’s eerily sparse production technique.  Albums like To Each… and Unknown Pleasures were, and still are, the perfect musical expression of a city steeped in industrial tradition.

Moving on a decade, you’ve got the explosion of Madchester and acid-house in the late 80’s.  Soon after this, the Britpop revolution kicked in, giving us yet another lasting impression of what this city is all about.

Now, no matter how hard you look, you won’t find a single solid gold statue of Morrissey anywhere around town.  I’ve checked.  Nor will you find any park benches dedicated to the Gallagher brothers, or any plaques stating ‘This is the exact spot where Bez dropped 24 pills at once’.  Instead, Manchester’s sonic legacy continues to manifest itself in the attitude of both the people and the up and coming artists who live within its walls.

The city remains a hotbed of new talent, exhibiting a huge variety of styles and genres.  Bands like No Ceremony/// and Money are carrying on from where New Order left off in the realm of electro-pop, whereas Janice Graham Band are infusing the influences of ska, reggae and jazz with a provincial pathos that is akin to Happy Mondays in their heyday.

Even in the UK bass scene, we can boast Damu’s Fulcrum Records, which has planned a string of releases from exciting young producers such as Paleman and Thefft for the coming.  The imprint is becoming notorious for its techno driven hybrids, fusing elements of house, garage and, well, miscellaneous.

But before you start thinking that the impact of Joy Division, The Smiths and The Stone Roses might have become slightly redundant in modern times, then think again.  The omnipresence of these groups can still be felt in every bar, every cafe and every shop in the city. This is especially the case with The Roses at the moment, having returned to Heaton Park last June for their three-date homecoming spectacular.

That said, just because you live in Manchester doesn’t mean that you have to like everything that it has produced – obviously.  I can’t stand listening to Wonderwall just as much as the next logically thinking mammal.  However, we should respect both the sheer volume and variety of music that this city has contributed over the years.  There’s also no sign that this contribution will be waning any time soon.

So, Detroit may have Motown, L.A. may have Dr. Dre, New Orleans may have Fats Domino, but we’ve got Shaun Ryder.

Blind date: Connor and Morag

Written by Keir Stone-Brown on . Posted in Lifestyle.

Connor, American Studies, 3rd year

First impressions?

I don’t usually go for chicks but, considering I’d already come this far, I was more than happy to give it a go.

What did you have to eat?

We established a shared love of condiments early on and opted for 5 portions of fries with ketchup, mayonnaise, bbq sauce, mustard and sweet chilli dip.

If they were an alcoholic beverage which one would they be and why?

Double Malibu and Coke; essentially perfect but for some reason society frowns upon a male been seen with them.

Were there any awkward silences?

…

Finally, hug, kiss or something more?

Does a long-lasting friendship count as something more?

 

 

Morag, Geography, 3rd Year

First impressions?

Suprisingly long arms and legs.

What did you have to eat? 

Veggie Shepherds Pie.

If they were an alcoholic beverage which one would they be and why?

Gin: not easy at first but the taste grows on you.

Were there any awkward silences?

When he asked me why I wore knitwear.

Finally, hug, kiss or something more?

A lovely friendly hug.

 

To sign up for a blind date please e-mail your name, year of study and course [email protected] with ‘blind date’ as the subject

Tales from between the sheets

Written by Dana Fowles on . Posted in Lifestyle.

“My then girlfriend and I were doing a 69er. It was going well until I farted in her face. We split up shortly afterwards. I can’t think why . . .”

Sam

“A friend of a friend went back to a guy’s house one night. The next day before she left, she thought that it would be romantic to leave her number for him on a piece of paper. Deciding that she needed the toilet first, she went for a poo. A poo that would not flush. Luckily, she managed to find a carrier bag with which to fish out the poo. Tying the bag up, she wrote the note as planned. It wasn’t until she had shut the self-locking door behind her, that she realised that she had left the bag of poo alongside it. Unsurprisingly, he never called”.

Francesca

“During First Year, I eventually got together with a guy who I had fancied since Welcome Week. After an innocent period of kissing and hand holding, I decided that it was time to get the show on the road and plucked up the courage to make the first move. I attempted to give him a blowjob, but he started to have an asthma attack. He literally had to use his inhaler. I have never been more horrified in all my life and for the record; no it did not work out between us.”

Sarah

“During foreplay with my ex, I fanny farted really, really loudly. I tried to laugh it off, thinking it was funny. He on the other hand, shot me a look of disgust, shouted at me because it was entirely my fault that he was now ‘completely turned off’ and then proceeded to storm out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Awkward!”

Georgina

“My boyfriend and I were having sex in the missionary position when he suddenly had a nosebleed. Right. Onto. My. Face.  Mood killer is an understatement, especially if like me, you are more squeamish than most!”

Becci

“One morning after a particularly heavy session during my gap year, I woke up (alone) to find my penis covered in teeth marks. There also happened to be what I think was a nipple piercing embedded in the poor guy. Still to this day, I do not have a clue what happened!!”

Andy

Could we go the distance?

Written by Dana Fowles on . Posted in Lifestyle.

I am a dating disaster. During the past twelve months, there have been failed romances with Mr. Attempted player (who locked himself in his room and wouldn’t come out when I found out that he had slept with a close friend of mine), Mr. Keeps it in his pants (who  accused me of being a prostitute when I tried to take things further with him) and Mr. Best friend (who is subsequently no longer my best friend). Understandably, I felt that it was time to go on a self-imposed man detox.

Said man detox lasted five months – five hassle free and frankly bloody boring months. With the exception of the boob fondling of my two gay best friends, I was beginning to think that I would never experience human affection ever again. All of my friends were either in relationships or at least having casual sex. I on the other hand was picturing myself at future family events: the crazy old cat lady, downing vodka shots at the bar. In hushed tones various relatives would be explaining, “Oh yes, that’s Dana. It’s such a shame, she’s never met anyone. She’s still on her own, well except for the cats that is”.

Thankfully, before I resorted to purchasing my first feline friend, summer arrived and along came Mr. This Might Actually Work. He was a friend of friends – an attractive friend of friends. He also happened to have a personality. For someone as picky and as hard to please as me, this was a rare find.

A couple of friendly outings later and we started getting together. Low and behold I remembered what it was like to actually kiss somebody. There had been no friend shagging, no offensive comment making and (apart from the time when I had woken up in his bed, looking like a tramp after a night out, to find out that his devoutly religious Nan was downstairs having a very civilised Sunday lunch) there had been no awkwardness. All in all it seemed like I was onto a winner, but this was of course too good to be true.

My return to Manchester was looming ever closer and he was due to begin his Master’s…in a completely different city a fair few hours away. One particularly drunken night, he suddenly blurted out that he “didn’t know what to do” about the distance because he “hadn’t planned” on starting to like me and things were going to get “complicated”. Naturally, I had to agree with him and that’s when I began to ask myself whether there was actually any chance of a long distance relationship working.

Could I ever bring myself to have Skype sex? I will admit that perhaps this wasn’t the most important issue up for contemplation at the time. Nevertheless, could I!? How else do long distance couples manage to maintain their chemistry? Would the whole thing lose its sense of fun once we had to start planning regular visits around our timetables and bank balances? Plus, wouldn’t one of us inevitably cheat on the other? Romantics, I apologise, but let’s be honest, it’s just realistic. Finally and most importantly, if I was no longer single, how on Earth would I fill this column every week? Onto the next one…

60 seconds with… Jennie Agg

Written by Keir Stone-Brown on . Posted in Lifestyle.

With Freshers’ Week just around the corner what were your best and worst moments?

My best Freshers’ Week moment was the girls in my halls surprising me with balloons and presents on my birthday – especially as I’d only known them two days. Worst was probably forgetting I was having my student card ID picture taken and turning up on campus hungover, with mad hair, wearing a grubby hoodie. I was stuck with that picture for 5 years in the end…

Since being the Mancunion editor you went on to work for the Daily Mail. Have you got any suggestions for those wanting to get into journalism?

Don’t ask, ‘Can I go home now?’ when you’re on work experience, and learn how to make a decent cup of tea. Be prepared to work really, really hard. Write as much as you possibly can. Set up a blog and post on it regularly with the sort of work you would do in your dream job; treat it as your showcase – avoid vague grumblings about how hard it is to get a journalism job. Have interests outside of journalism. Be it sport, theatre, fashion, make the most of university activities – after all you need something to write about. Enter writing competitions. Read Scoop by Evelyn Waugh and Flat Earth News by Nick Davies. Look for internships (sometimes even paid ones) on gorkanajobs.co.uk. Don’t slag off publications you disagree with on your Facebook/Twitter, it’s a small world and you never know who your next potential boss might be.

With the introduction of our travel section we thought we’d ask you about your holidays. What is, so far, your favourite trip?

My last holiday to Turkey was perfect. I stayed in a tiny villa in the mountains. Sitting on the terrace at sundown listening to the call to prayer with a book and a glass of wine was completely idyllic.

And finally any words for those thinking of getting involved in the Mancunion?

Do it! Do it today. It’s not scary, you don’t need to know everything (or even anything) about journalism or newspapers. It will be the best thing you do at university – it certainly was for me.

Experience… Berlin

Written by Becky Leddy on . Posted in Lifestyle.

Berlin: the city where 10ft barriers become galleries and train stations, warehouse raves. Where the past is very much present and graffiti is uniformly a strewn as a finger up to the suppressive political trauma it has suffered. With an abundance of dirt cheap hostels to stop at, it’s genuinely worth popping over if just to sample an infamous currywurst and partake in Europe’s most hyped after hours scene. So get on a plane, grab a City Spy map (www.cityspy.info) and start jam packing your trip with this recommended itinerary.

Day 1 the alternative walking tour (www.alternativeberlin.com)

Head to Starbucks in Alexanderplatz  the one stop for traffic jams and commercial crap at 11.00 or 13.00 to transform your views on Berlins exhibitionist graffiti gallery. A guide will take you to the central street art hotspots, educating you on its subliminal messages as well as enlightening you to the political food fights and historical affluence of Berlin’s neighbourhoods, whilst showing you places the guide books have neglected.  You’ll be endeared by the carefree attitude for illegal graffiti and perhaps be inspired to join one of Alternative Tours street art workshops.

Start your evening with a stroll along the East Side Gallery which will lead you to beach bar Strandgut (open April to Sept) selling cocktails a tad pricier than the 3 euro daquiris of the gritty getaways of Kreuzberg, but worth it to admire the fake beach set up complete with deckchairs and impressive views of Berlin’s own sunset boulevard. After a few cocktails, you may wonder why you’re stumbling in the sand under a tacky 70s disco ball- remind yourself why you’re there by heading to the nearby Berghain or Fredrichshain’s Cassiopeia night club for a taste of real Berlin.

Day 2

Retrace the neighbourhood routes you followed on the tour yesterday. You can almost guarantee it wasn’t long enough to satisfy your curiosity and you will have drooled over 101 cool bars on the way. Stop off at Burgermeirster (U-bahn: Schlesisches Tor) for Berlin’s best burgers located in an old public toilet testament and its ability to flip burgers over bidets and taste way better than the enemy McDonalds. Or spend the afternoon in beer garden Prater, the oldest and prettiest in Berlin to join the engraved pastime of beer drinking whilst stopping off in the north east neighbourhood of Prenzlauer Berg, commended for its vintage flea markets, youthful vibrance and up and coming bar scene. When the sun goes down head to Kaffe Burger for an upmarket 5th Ave ambience, or biker haunt Mokum for lethal cocktails, prog rock and pinball.  Berlin is the kind of place you can slot into far too easily, with its kookiness and individuality never failing to impress.

Of course, it’s recommended to book a Reichstag dome tour and admire the Brandenburg gate. But primarily, Berlin should be explored off the beaten track to acquire a true appreciation of this buzzing capital. Your Berlin experience depends on what time of year you go – check out December flights and trade your cocktails for gluhwein, showstopping Christmas markets and all things merry and bright. All in all you may have gathered that Berlin perfects the art of drinking; so get drunk on its heady ambience, and do what the Germans do.

Stay at the Eastern Comfort anchored ashore the river Spree from 16 Euros per person per night.

Fly from Manchester with Easyjet for £56 in October