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Day: 26 November 2012

Must See This Week In Theatre: 3rd December-10th December

Written by Josephine Lane on . Posted in Theatre.

The Lion King

 

The musical that surely needs no introduction, The Lion King finally comes to Manchester after its 13th year at the Lyseum Theatre, London. The production is said to be one of the most visually stunning of our time, so get down to the Palace and join the Circle of Life!

 

Runs until March 13th 2012 at the Palace Theatre

Tickets £22.50-£75

 

 

Arabian Nights

The Library Theatre Company’s Christmas show this year is the infamous tale of Arabian Nights. The classic story of a thousand and one stories is staged in the round and promises to be visually stunning!

 Runs from 30th November until 12th January 2013 at the Lowry Theatre

Tickets £14.50-£20

 

 

Irving Berlin’s White Christmas

A musical based on the Bing Crosby film classic, following the success of the record-breaking, sell-out run of 2009. A spectacle that’ll warm any Scrooge-like heart, White Christmas promises to deliver ‘lots of laughter and some of the greatest songs ever written’.

 Runs from the 30th November to 5th December

Tickets £24-£45

 

 

Peter Pan

The Bolton Octagon’s family festive show this year is the timeless classic we all know and love: Peter Pan. With a talented cast of actor-musicians playing originally composed music, the show is sure to bring out the child in all of us!

 Runs until 12th January 2013 at the Bolton Octagon

Tickets £9.50-£22

AlunaGeorge

Written by Jessica Cusack on . Posted in Music.

21st November 2012, Deaf Institute

8/10

I was unsure of what to expect upon arriving at the Deaf Institute to see AlunaGeorge perform the Manchester leg of their first tour. The warm-up by a DJ named S-Type – who I would seriously recommend – set the tone for the sounds on display for the evening: electronic-pop infused R&B.

Visually, Aluna Francis and George Reid tick all the boxes and it’s easy to see why their videos have a slightly fashion-y edge. As the rather stunning female vocalist, Aluna naturally took centre stage, accompanied by her mile-long legs and grinding dance moves, while George stood at his decks to her right, pulling some pretty slick moves himself and providing the shimmering beats beneath the sweetly squeaky vocals.

Entertaining a crowd of already die-hard fans (including one guy who thought he was Aluna) meant that there were whoops of glee at the start of every song, but the duo still impressed those of us who didn’t know their music inside out. Their famous track ‘You Know You Like It’ was met with expected joy, while the infectiously catchy hook of ‘Your Drums, Your Love’ was sung out from the crowd louder than it was on stage. They entertained us with an unexpected version of Montell Jordan’s ‘This is How We Do It’, which forced those at the back who weren’t already dancing to get on their feet, while my absolute favourite XX-esque ‘Watching Over You’ added a more melancholic edge to an otherwise high-energy set.

AlunaGeorge are, if predictions are correct, set to be one of the best emerging talents of 2012, and judging by this gig it’s not hard to see why their fun, accessible and most importantly unpretentious take on electro-pop would be rejected by a larger audience. The only selfishly indulgent downside to this inevitable popularity is the ticket prices for their next live show will be much more that the seven quid I paid in this instance.

 

 

The Vaccines

Written by Melissa Blanche on . Posted in Music.

21st November 2012, Apollo

9/10

You know you’re gonna have a great night when you’re surrounded by hundreds of sweaty people, guys shouting “let’s go fucking mental” and Mancunians singing “oh Manchester is wonderful”, before the concert has even started. And yes, they did go fucking mental, and yes, it was a great night.

But it was a long wait before the Vaccines actually came on stage, on this 21st of November at the Apollo. No less than three supporting bands to keep us waiting. First, a synth and guitar duo called Pale. Quite nice. Then a girls grunge and bluesy duo, on drums and guitar, called Deep Valley. Pretty uninteresting. Then DIIV’s very hectic set. You know the concert won’t be boring when you already have to fight for your life during the supporting act. I’m not sure if people really loved the band or were just getting mega excited as the time for the Vaccines concert was getting closer. In any case, DIIV, and their dark/rock/shoegaze/highly instrumental music, probably deserved such enthusiasm.

So by the time the Vaccines finally arrived on stage, at 9:45, the audience was fully warmed up. They played half songs from their new album Come of Age and half songs from their first one. You might think both albums are totally unoriginal but you could hardly say they’re crap.  At least they sure can make people jump. ‘Wetsuit’ was the biggest success. People didn’t seem too sure whether to wave, jump, sing or shout so they just ended up doing all of these things at once. Mosh pits were the rule for all the other songs. But fortunately for the people on the seats, the Vaccines’s also the kind of band that you can enjoy quietly. The pit was full of teenagers wearing Vaccines t-shirts. “Wow there’s a lot of people” said the singer. It was indeed really packed. Manchester’s Apollo may be pretty ugly but it is the perfect size for this kind of band. Because you might not exactly think so when you listen to their sad introspective songs but these guys are stadium material. And, no matter how loud Justin Young sings “I’m no teenage icon”, he just keeps proving he is one.

Liars

Written by Melissa Blanche on . Posted in Music.

21st October 2012, Sound Control

7/10

A Liars gig is not something you can invite all of your friends to. This band is much too weird. A mix of rock, dance, punk and madness. Their show at Sound Control, in the beautiful, graffiti-adorned New Wakefield Street, left no doubt about that.

They chose a very weird support band, for a start. The guy is called The Haxan Cloak. I guess the word coming closest to describing his music would be “noise”. A dark creepy video is playing on the side of the stage, electronic sounds fill the space, most people are pretty motionless. This whole gig looks like a contemporary art exhibition. Or some kind of avant-garde club night for drug dealers. At least it’s original. You’re dead exhausted by the end of it. Totally prepared for Liars’ own kind of weirdness.

You can’t totally hate Liars. The singer’s crazy and his hair’s a mess. It makes people enthusiastic. Not that there were many people that night though.  The first songs were all electronic. Then they got the drums in. Later they played some more guitar-based songs, which were actually really good. Their encore songs, ‘The Other Side of Mt Heart Attack’ and ‘Broken Witch’, were particularly good too. But on the whole, it was far from a rock concert. It wasn’t about beautiful vocals either. Most of the time, the singer Angus Andrew sounds like he doesn’t know shit about singing. That’s not really what they’re looking for. He’s much cooler when he yells or dances around in a drunken way. When a more downbeat kind of song kicks off and you realize that he can actually sing, it’s quite a nice revelation though. Anyway their music is far from conventional beauty. It’s experimental, it’s noisy, it’s varied, it’s fun.

First Aid Kit

Written by Mancunion on . Posted in Music.

22nd November 2012, HMV Ritz

8/10

The lovely Söderberg sisters, Johanna and Klara, played HMV Ritz as part of their biggest sell-out tour to date. Formed in 2007, First Aid Kit came into the limelight off the back off their latest album The Lion’s Roar. First Aid Kit’s music is centered around their impressive vocal talent and reflects what they feel to be the timeless and truthful qualities of uncommercialised folk music.

Through jokes and a conversational style, the Swedish duo instantly formed a connection with the audience. ‘Hard Believer’ hits hard their atheistic tendencies, dedicated to Richard Dawkins: “I see you’ve got your bible your delusion imagery”. The sisters also dedicated ‘Our Own Pretty Ways’ from their first album to feminist punk band Pussy Riot as a mark of solidarity, which several members of the crowd seemed to appreciate as they continued to shout ‘Pussy Riot!’ throughout the gig. The band then announced: “we’re going to abandon modern technology” for their song ‘Ghost Town’. The unplugged version boasted their beautiful harmonies, creating an enchanting and dreamy, almost spiritual, aura that encompassed the whole venue. However, the mood of ‘I Met Up With the King’ completely contrasted.

The energetic and lively punk thrashings of the band led them to vigorous head banging, and the song ended with a snippet from The White Stripes ‘Seven Nation Army’ as a dedication to Jack White, who got the band noticed. ‘Emmylou’ was the most energetic, crowd-pleasing song in the set, and the majority of the room was singing along. ‘Emmylou’, a song about singing, lists the bands musical influences, which are more explicitly shown in their covers of Fever Ray’s ‘When I Grow Up’ and Simon and Garfunkel’s ‘America’. Despite minor technical fault with the keyboard, the gig was highly successful and there felt almost a sense of euphoria in the air afterwards. Their pure, unadulterated music was a delight to witness.

Imagine Dragons

Written by Harry Cooke on . Posted in Music.

16th November 2012, Ruby Lounge

8/10

One could be mistaken for believing that like the dragon, Imagine Dragons possess magical qualities too. In less than a year since the release of their EP, Continued Silence, they have enjoyed peek-time slots on American chat shows and received nominations from MTV and Billboard alike. Or perhaps they are the latest band to come off the Vegas’ musical conveyer belt, such as their desert-born contemporaries, The Killers. Away from the glitz and glamour of American television, Imagine Dragons find themselves in a hideaway bar on the edge of Manchester’s Northern Quarter, a far cry from the Jay Leno show. What would possess a band to seek out Manchester’s basement dives as a location to stage a gig? The answer is simple; this was the conclusion of their maiden European tour to promote their debut album, Night Visions.

Imagine Dragons have cited influences ranging from polar-opposites such as hip-hop and folk to an affinity for peculiar instrumental synth. But the most telling influence resonated behind every note; every bang of a drum, the onstage demeanour of the frontman, and that was stadium rock.

As the band appeared from behind the velvet curtain that separated the stage, the assembled crowd were already in good spirits and good spirits were likewise being consumed. A fellow on his friends shoulder took the opportunity to ‘moon’ the audience behind him. The band introduced themselves with the tried and tested crowd pleaser, It’s time. Every song is accompanied with lively hooks, punishing drumming and delivered with echoed vocals that created the most grandiose display the Ruby Lounge may have ever encountered. As the band got into their stride, lead singer Dan Reynolds, took the opportunity to stray away from his own personal free standing drum and let his boyish vigour take control as he began fist-pumping and pogoing in reaction to the instantly recognisable Radioactive. The underlying techno beat gave the audience all the more reason to let loose and imitate the frontman in pogoing and arm waving. In reaction Reynolds perched himself on the crowd barrier, looming over the crowd with his back arched and head twisted as held himself up using the ceiling for the following song Hear me.

The band paused, allowing Reynolds to compliment the crowd that evening, praising the city and sentimentally conceding that playing there that night made him ‘‘feel closer to home’’. Before returning to his singing, he tested the crowd’s football allegiances asking them who they support before asking “What do you guys do on a Friday night? I play FIFA’’, that was met with a series of hollers from the crowd. The band concluded the evening with the slow tempo, crowd swaying groovy rhythm of Demons. Imagine Dragons had the audience under their spell throughout the night and it certainly hadn’t diminished by the time they left the stage, as there was an eruption of ‘‘we want more! we want more!’’ and the thing is, we did.

Alabama Shakes

Written by Sophie Wozencraft on . Posted in Music.

12th November 2012,  Academy 1

8/10

Instantly noticing the incredibly mixed demographic, I was reminded of how Alabama Shakes’ music successfully combines the blues styles of 50s and 60s America with the driving rock styles of the more present day. Regardless of the audience’s diversity, however, when the band made their way on stage, the room united with torrents of cheers and expectation.

A non-album track opened, coming as a slight surprise, but when they launched into the slide guitar intro of ‘Hang Loose’, the audience soon erupted into rhythmic sways and smiles of recognition, filling the room with a laid back enjoyment and shared delight for this head-bobbing music, which was sustained throughout the set. The single ‘Hold On’ then followed which elicited more cheers and dancing from the captivated crowd.

However, as the set went on, more upbeat, vocal-driven album tracks such as ‘I Found You’ and ‘Be Mine’ were interspersed with some unfamiliar songs that took on a more rock ‘n’ roll feel. These showed off the shredding guitar solos of their captivating front woman, Brittany, driving both the charismatic and infectiously passionate lead singer, and consequently the crowd, into a frenzy, making the room buzz with atmosphere. In between these high-octane tunes sat a few poignant laments, such as ‘Boys & Girls’, ‘Heartbreaker’ and ‘You Ain’t Alone’, intoxicating the audience with the delicate, vulnerable passion of Brittany’s rough and raw voice that is heard less in the punchy and vivacious, attitude-flaunting tracks.

When their inevitable encore started with the drummer setting his cymbals alight, the pulsing drums and cool guitar lines of ‘I Ain’t The Same’ drove the crowd into their familiar hoots and cheers, with the evening ending with a fast paced rock ‘n’ roll number, ‘Heat Lightnin’’, leaving everyone in an afterglow of nostalgic splendour.

Ladyhawke

Written by Sophie Wozencraft on . Posted in Music.

13th November 2012, Academy 2

6/10

New Zealand born Ladyhawke was welcomed onto stage with a roar of cheers from her dedicated fan base whilst her awkward but cool demeanour earned a sense of endearment from the less familiar members of the audience. The set opener, ‘Back of the Van’, a tune from her debut album Ladyhawke, instantly expressed her obvious 80s influences, with the guitar and synth sounds dominating the ear. She continued to perform plenty from her debut album as well as tracks from her recent release, Anxiety. Older tracks like ‘Professional Suicide’, ‘Magic’, ‘Dusk ‘til Dawn’ and ‘Better Than Sunday’ were broken up with some newer repertoire such the singles ‘Blue Eyes’ and ‘Sunday Drive’, however to the untrained ear, the general gist of every song was similar almost to the extent of confusion. Nevertheless, it cannot be taken away from her that her set was exciting, with the soaring synths, accessible melodies and guitar riffs and distorted bass lines being delivered with a cool confidence.

The demographic also showed her 80s influences off, with the younger generations crowded at the front experiencing this electronic rock music for the first time, whilst the teenagers of the 80s were gathered towards the back appreciating the nostalgia of it and the reflection on artists like Cyndi Lauper, Duran Duran and later bands like Nirvana. ‘Paris is Burning’ finished off the set, of which the punchy guitar riffs and rhythms transformed the crowd into a sea of bobbing bodies. The encore started with a cover of Jefferson Airplane’s ‘White Rabbit’, which, admittedly, was lost on the majority of the younger clientele, but her inevitable encore ender, ‘My Delirium’, was received with cheers of recognition and appreciation. So, although Ladyhawke can very much be described as a one trick pony, her live show was energetic and enjoyable.

Jake Bugg & Findlay

Written by Polly Checkland Harding on . Posted in Music.

17th November 2012, Club Academy

Findlay: 4/10

Jake Bugg: 8/10

It’s a brave way to begin. In the basement grunge of Club Academy, low-ceilinged and close-walled, lead singer Natalie Findlay opens with a fiery a capella, her voice curling out like smoke from a cigarette. Yet, stood redundantly around her, the band looks bored. Though they are made to look plain by the grit-glitter of her performance, their blank faces still defuse the song’s power.

Findlay’s first single on release, growling rock song ‘Your Sister’, follows: the band finally ignites and properly conducts Natalie’s raging voice. The microphone, however, does not: her primal sound is shot full of silences throughout the last part of the song. Despite persistent sound jitters during two further songs, needing to switch the mic twice and, at one point, having to physically hold the equipment together, Natalie’s performance never falters. With dark hair wild about her face, mouth defined in red, Natalie finally concedes that “if this doesn’t work I’m going to burn the fucking place down” – just as the glitch is fixed.

The set thrashes on, beautifully managed precision-crashes from Findlay’s leopard-shirted drummer outshining the confident accompaniment of the bassist and baby-faced, Beiber-quiffed electric guitarist. Natalie hurls her noise from the base of her throat and, though she slows for one blue-lit, softer song, she begins to sound like an instrument breaking with its own music. Her voice croaks when she speaks, a possible explanation for why none of the songs are introduced. Considering that, save for a couple of exceptions, there is an astounding absence of Findlay tracks available anywhere online, this omission seems perverse, almost an attempt to repel potential fans. Though courageous, this is music lacking proper projection and outlet: both as a singer and brand, Natalie Findlay needs a better vehicle for her voice.

Jake Bugg’s music has been loaded with enough likenesses to bury him six feet deep. As he walks unassumingly onto the Club Academy stage, you wonder if his teenage frame can take it. He has a hangdog mouth, dozy eyes and the kind of hair that looks like it’s been blow-dried backwards. As both his openers, ‘Kentucky’ and ‘Love Me The Way You Do’, are retro echoes, it becomes hard not to start questioning how progressive this current flashback actually is for guitar music. The audience is dotted with relatively few fresh-faced undergrads, recognizable by carefully high-styled hair and some admirable but unconvinced attempts at Movember. The high average age of the crowd makes me suspicious that Bugg is simply fuelling a maudlin remorse for the sounds of yester-year.

So it is a relief that the twangy ‘Trouble Town’ which follows offers innovative aid: in aged and nasal tones, Bugg sings ‘Stuck in speed bump city / Where the only thing that’s pretty / Is the thought of getting out’, putting his reminiscent sound firmly into a modern context. This is a tricky line to tread: the self-conscious worldliness of ‘Seen It All’ and lyrics such as ‘I’m an old dog but I’ve learned some new tricks yeah’ from ‘Two Fingers’ sits a little uneasy on such a scrawny form. However, the tales Bugg tells in his lyrics go beyond the teller; the audience knows all the words. They lose themselves to the jumping chords of ‘Lightning Bolt’, chanting out above the sound on stage and breaking into sea-surging, crowd-surfing momentum. Wary of being submerged, Bugg chooses the more gently rousing rural pride of ‘Country Song’ for his encore, confirming his place as a new dog using some very old tricks.

Ben Howard

Written by Mancunion on . Posted in Music.

12th November 2012, Apollo

7/10

Fresh from his recent appearance at the Mercury Music Prize ceremony, a sold out Manchester Apollo opened its doors and welcomed Mr. Ben Howard and his kingdom of fans, in what proved to be a real indication of how far the singer-songwriter has come in just under 12 months. After what he describes as ‘one of the best shows of the last tour’ at the Manchester Ritz in February this year, his admission of nerves this time round, was no surprise as there was inevitably a strong sense of expectation to see whether a once rising star in the music industry, had really become an established artist in the space of 12 months.

Taking to the dark Apollo stage in equally dark clothing and equipment, Ben Howard and his crew were greeted by thunderous applause and a deafening choir of high pitched screaming. So far so good one could say. His dark silhouette cast a lonely figure as anticipation built in and around the gloomy Apollo, but then without introduction, Howard stormed into the opening three songs, displaying the prowess of an artist way ahead of the game, playing like an experienced veteran who failed to be overwhelmed by the enormity of the crowd.

Then it wasn’t before long until he totally set the place alight, taking centre stage on a now sun-kissed stage, standing in-front of the beaming sun which has become ever so synonymous with his successful debut album ‘Every Kingdom’. His unique combination of both folk and rock has aided his success and gained him the wide fan base which could certainly be seen, a crowd mixing a much younger hipster following with an evidently older and appreciative generation of music fan. And in a world where success as a solo artist is measured against the likes of Justin Bieber, Ben Howard is a much needed breath of fresh air in a very isolated industry.

Although new material was met with open arms by the crowd, his ability to repeatedly interchange between much faster, heavier material to much slower meaningful tracks truly showcased that he can do much more than win the hearts of teenage girls with a series of love songs. Popular tracks ‘Diamonds’ and ‘Under The Same Sun’, helped start to get heads nodding and feet tapping around the room whilst fans favourites ‘Only Love’ and ‘Keep Your Head Up’proved to reaffirm any doubt that Ben Howard has built on and created a loyal kingdom of fans, stood mesmerised by his every lyric throughout the duration of the performance. The highlight and biggest cheer of the night however must have been for ‘The Wolves’, as his 80 minute set was met with a standing ovation from the 3000 sell out crowd. All in all, a truly magnificent performance by an artist that speaks so avidly about Manchester and its musical heritage. With further performances like that, he will soon be up there with the greats he admires so much.

 

Noisettes

Written by Rachel Bolland on . Posted in Music.

14th November 2012, HMV Ritz

9/10

Noisettes have a strange history, jumping into some people’s consciousness with their punky first record, What’s the Time, Mr Wolf? back in 2007.  But then they went pop and ‘Don’t Upset the Rhythm’ was picked up for a car advert and they exploded, with their second LP Wild Young Hearts peaking at number 2 in the charts.  Their new record Contact debuted at 30, which would inevitably have been a disappointment to the band who also replaced their drummer and founding member, Jamie, Morrison, in between the two releases. However, they didn’t let it show in their performance, playing every song with seemingly endless energy and enthusiasm.

Singer Shingai Shoniwa took to the stage in a very small red and gold playsuit with a wire hoop skirt round her, launching straight into ‘I Want U Back’. The songs from Contact were received well but that was nothing compared to the roars that accompanied the beginnings of the big singles from their second record.  ‘Don’t Upset The Rhythm’ was an unsurprising high point with the crowd singing along with every word and the opening bars ‘Never Forget You’ prompted people to start singing along before Shingai herself.

The most wonderful aspect of the evening was the fact that they put on such a show.  There were costume changes, covers, and Shoniwa even ended up walking along the edge of the sound desk for the first song of the encore, ‘Atticus’, a quieter moment before ‘Wild Young Hearts’ sent the crowd wild again.  Finding herself with some extra time she called the wonderful support acts, Marques Toliver and Josephine, onto the stage for an amazing cover of Earth Wind and Fire’s ‘Fantasy’.  Noisettes proved themselves to be a sensational live act at this show and I only hope their next record will allow them to be more than a one-album-wonder.

Gotye

Written by Polly Checkland Harding on . Posted in Music.

15th November 2012, Apollo

9/10

The video for Gotye’s number one selling single, ‘Somebody That I Used To Know’, has been viewed over 300 million times on YouTube. Only a cretin would ignore such concentrated visual popularity: as Gotye’s show unfolds, it’s rapidly apparent that he’s not missed a trick. An enormous bank of screens projects falling plumes of colour as a backdrop to ‘The Only Way’ from Like Drawing Blood, released in 2006. Gotye himself is distracting, his body tightly packed into slate-grey shirt. He thwacks raised synth pads whilst pulsing out vocals, before taking off around the stage to play drums and a tableau of other instruments: an organ flex, omnichord and metallophones.

On his recordings, Gotye’s voice takes on a laborious and distant echo: live, and brought to life with an intense visual accompaniment, his sound is inescapably powerful. Echoing the genre-collage of Gotye’s music, the video changes for each song, styles including stop motion paper animations, anime and fast-forwarded filming. Comic-book graphics in chunked black lines are interspersed with CAT scan flashes as complement to the rock chords of ‘Easy Way Out’, first of the songs played from Gotye’s latest album Making Mirrors. ‘State of the Art’ twists together voice distortion with a reggae beat, the animation of a psychotic computerized device expanding upon the self-reflexive lyrics.

The Apollo audience is even made part of the project: Gotye demands ‘Manchester in three part harmony’ for ‘Save Me’, during which two animated body derivations find each other and make a whole on the screen. By contrast, the monotonous and unfocused visuals for ‘Night Drive’ compound the song’s sentimentality, underlining how influential presentation is in translating Gotye’s work. The show offers an eclectic compilation of sound and effect: as an artist, Gotye is best watched as well as listened to.

Fucked Up

Written by Ol Urwin on . Posted in Music.

14th November 2012, Deaf Institute

8/10

The Deaf Institute has a death wish. Whoever booked Fucked Up here has either never seen the Canadian punks – who once played a 12 hour set – in a live environment, or they’re willing to stick their neck out and accept whatever damage, human or otherwise, comes their way.

Whether it’s by design or by accident, Fucked Up take an awful long time to take to the stage, but when they do, the venue descends into near wanton chaos, but in the greatest way imaginable. Opening with a couple of songs from last year’s excellent, nuanced David Comes to Life, it takes only the second track before rotund singer Damian Abraham is physically pulled into the crowd by the baying yet loving mob, and Abraham is all too willing to reciprocate, climbing across the bar, making his way into the seated area. The squares weren’t getting away so easily.  Despite his intimidating broken glass howl, there’s something infectious about the lilt in his eyes as he hugs fans or attempts to scale the balcony, an incident which could have gone very awry were it not for the faithful willing to catch him.

Musically the band is also a treat. Their Poison Idea meets Broken Social Scene racket is uncompromising but has an almost graceful quality to it; careful melodies peek through the noise. ‘Black Albino Bones’, one of their finest songs, gets a delightful airing, with guitarist Ben Cook swirling dreamy vocals into the mix as Abraham meets his adoring public. Set closer ‘Son the Father’ is what really detonates the building with a coruscating energy, truly making the bouncers sweat. The band returns for a one two punk punch of ‘Police’ and ‘Generation’, bodies flinging themselves everywhere, well and truly, the venue devastated, and the crowd sated.

The Changing Face of Fashion

Written by Chloe Letcher on . Posted in Fashion & Beauty.

Celebrity collaborations within the fashion industry have become increasingly prominent. The last decade in particular has seen a significant shift in the face of fashion. The high fashion model, well regarded within fashion circles, but otherwise often nameless to the general public, has been replaced with a known face or a household name in the form of a celebrity. The extent to which fashion and celebrities have become intertwined becomes incredibly clear by simply considering the many examples of celebrity fashion lines: David Beckham for H&M, Kelly Brook for New Look, Cheryl Cole for Stylist Pick, Pixie Lott for Lipsy, and most recently the Kardashians for Dorothy Perkins. These examples hardly even touch the surface of an industry that has witnessed celebrity and fashion become dependent on each other. However, this surely begs the question: why are celebrity fashion lines becoming so ever-increasingly popular?

Psychology offers some scientific reasoning behind this question. According to the Hovland and Yale model of advertising, an advert is more likely to be successful in selling products if the person attempting to persuade the audience is an attractive celebrity. This model takes into account how the target audience have a desire to emulate and imitate celebrities in any way, meaning that an audience is likely to buy a product in the hope that it will make them like the celebrity promoting it. This view presents the fashion industry as operating in an ongoing cycle of exposure, attention, recall and PR coverage; all of which it achieves through the celebrity which it uses to front its brand. Yet surely such a view also suggests that the fashion industry, and celebrity fashion lines, are also opportunistic, and often exploitative?

dorothyperkins.com

The Mail Online writer, Liz Jones, surely seems to think so. Jones comments on the ‘cynical greed of celebrity fashion lines’, and how ‘the number of celebrity ranges has mushroomed alarmingly of late as High Street stores clamour desperately to lure customers into parting with their cash’. Although it would be silly to suggest that there is no element of greed in celebrity fashion lines (in particular, she refers to the newly released Kardashian Kollection for Dorothy Perkins) there is also something slightly reductionist in her article. Call me naïve, but I find it highly uncomfortable to think that I am simply a victim of consumerism, conditioned by adverts which tell me I “need” a certain item of clothing, and beckoned into a store because I’ve been hypnotised by the latest celebrity staring at me from an enormous billboard. What Jones fails to take into account is why there is such a big space in the market for celebrity fashion lines, a question which cannot simply be put down to the greed of tycoons like Sir Philip Green. Green evidently recognises how celebrities have become a cultural phenomena within fashion, in that they act as the middle man (or woman) between the customer and the enormous Empire that is the fashion industry.

Take the Kardashian Kollection; the sisters perhaps do not go to the lengths that ‘proper designers do’ as Jones criticises them for, but they have never claimed to be designers. What they and other celebrity fashion lines do offer is a degree of attainability. The Kardashian sisters are feminine, curvy, hardworking, savvy, and it goes without saying, glamorous and impeccably well-groomed. Their fashion line for Dorothy Perkins reflects how female fashion choices are becoming influenced by figures like Kim who, at 5’3 and with a famously large derrier, is slightly more ‘real’ than the 5’11 high fashion model, whose never ending limbs and perfectly airbrushed body is often unattainable for the vast majority of people.

 

lipsy.com

What we are seeing with celebrity ranges is a more representative face within the fashion industry. Consider a programme like The Only Way is Essex. The show is a prime example of how reality television stars are also becoming significant in influencing fashion. Many of the cast members such as Billie and Sam Faiers, Lydia Bright, Jess Wright and Amy Childs, have opened their own boutiques. Similarly, some have also brought out fashion lines because of the show, such as Amy Childs for Lipsy, and Lauren Goodger for New Look. Although the never ending list of merchandise (perfume, autobiographies, eyelash ranges) can sometimes become tedious, the Towie girls have made “Essex style” popular in its own right, and along with sequins and towering heels, have brought an affordable glamour to the High Street. Not every celebrity fashion line will appeal to every single person, in fact some are rather questionable, for example I wouldn’t rush to Lipsy to buy one of Amy Childs’ dresses, as our taste in fashion differs and her collaboration simply doesn’t compliment my own style.

However, celebrity fashion lines are a good thing. We need celebrities, whether they are actresses, singers, reality television stars, or presenters, who come from different walks of life (rather than just the path of the runway) to bring variation to the fashion industry. Aspiring to a certain look because of a certain celebrity encourages people to push boundaries and try something new. Yes, the face of fashion is changing- but that isn’t a bad thing.

‘Amour’

Written by Andrew Home on . Posted in Film.

Michael Haneke has made a name for himself with hopeless, despairing films such as the fourth-wall-breaking torture fest Funny Games (2008) and World War I drama, The White Ribbon (2009). Amour, like The White Ribbon, won the Palme d’Or, in its respective year, and with good reason. Amour is a crushingly bleak but beautiful tale of an elderly Parisian couple and their struggle through their final years.

Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant) and Anne (Emmanuelle Riva) live with a fair amount of comfort and happiness in a Paris apartment until one day Anne suffers a stroke. Georges tries his best to care for the now semi-paralysed and slowly deteriorating Anne, never once complaining about his wife’s tragic situation. Anne begins to show signs of improvement before another stroke leaves her bed-ridden and incomprehensible. Never even allowing the idea of sending her away to a home to enter his mind, Georges is forced to watch as his wife dies slowly in front of him.

One may be inclined to think that a film entitled Amour would have some sort of clichéd, sugar-coated “love conquers all” message but Haneke is far too melancholic for that. In fact, Amour feels far more like a horror movie than one could reasonably expect. One particularly effective dream sequence has Georges walking through the eerily waterlogged, dilapidated halls of his apartment building while the camera follows him around blind corners, much like it does for Danny’s tricycle rides in The Shining (1980). Amour effectively shows how terrifying growing old can really be.

TOP 5…Puppet films

Written by Leo Mates on . Posted in Film.

5. Team America: World Police – Yeah, it’s a bit childish, and it may have been designed to insult just about anyone who could ever watch it, but let’s face it, it is very funny. It also contains the most swearwords in any film ever.

4. Jurassic Park – Quite possibly Spielberg’s finest film. Anyone who had to watch this as a child will have experienced the terror of thinking dinosaurs could attack at any time. Plus, the animatronics on the dinosaurs still look surprisingly good two decades on.

3. The Nightmare Before Christmas – A fantastic Christmas film that isn’t really a Christmas film, it can also be noted as a rare example of a Tim Burton film that doesn’t feature either Johnny Depp or Helena Bonham Carter. Worth watching just for Danny Elfman’s ‘What’s this?’ which features some of the finest puppet acting ever seen.

2. Wallace and Gromit: A Grand Day Out – The original Wallace and Gromit film featured the inventor and his dog taking a day trip to the moon when they run out of cheese. Single handedly responsible for misleading an entire generation of children on the cheese like quality of the moon, it also featured a sad little moon robot who just wants to go skiing.

1. The Muppet Christmas Carol – Though any of the Muppet movies could have made it onto this list, it always had to be the Christmas Carol. A must watch for Christmas time, where else would you possibly be able to see Michael Caine eating Christmas lunch with Kermit the Frog?

Preview: Zero Dark Thirty

Written by Robbie Davidson on . Posted in Film.

Director: Kathryn Bigelow

Starring: Jessica Chastain, Kyle Chandler and Mark Strong 

It seems Kathryn Bigelow is in the habit of breaking records. In 2008 she became the first woman to win the Academy Award for Best Director for the astounding The Hurt Locker. Now, four years later, she has surely broken the record for shortest time between an event taking place and a film based on it being released. By the time Zero Dark Thirty hits screens it will have been little over eighteen months since a team of Navy Seals killed Osama bin Laden in what has become a defining moment of the 21st Century.

Kudos then to Bigelow and her screenwriter Mark Boal (whom she reunites with from The Hurt Locker) for staying topical. But the truth is Bigelow’s film about the hunt for bin Laden in fact precedes the event itself. Before the dramatic events in Abbottabad, Bigelow was already in the process of making a film about the ten year hunt for the world’s most wanted man. Originally it was presumed to focus on the frustration of those most involved in the hunt and the psychological turmoil that came with it. Much in the way The Hurt Locker wasn’t really about defusing bombs, it was about human trauma, Zero Dark Thirty would be more about the emotional impact and dedicated nature of those pursuing bin Laden than the manhunt itself.

But real life events changed things significantly, with Osama bin Laden now dead the nature of the film shifted considerably. Unparalleled access to classified documents means Zero Dark Thirty looks set to be a fascinating insight into how the CIA finally caught their man. That’s is not to say the film has disregarded the themes of its original incarnation. With a heavyweight cast, including woman of the moment, Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty will likely be as engaging as a character study on obsession, as it will be one as one of the year’s best thrillers.      

Japanimation Society

Written by Richard Les on . Posted in Societies.

Every Friday the Japanimation Society meet for a night of scheduled programming free from the tropes and clichés of western film and television. I caught up with Peter Tran to find out more.

‘‘We are a free society that is centred on watching, discussing and enjoying anime, also known as Japanimation. We do weekly screenings to showcase various shows and films to introduce and engage both people unfamiliar with anime and fans who may just be getting involved (or are long-time fans). It’s all about opening up people’s horizons to learn about different and new concepts, which is one of the big aspects of being at University.’’

‘‘Japanese studios treat animation more objectively and use it to match and enhance the content of their work, so it’s not limited to kids-only fare. It can be applied to different age brackets and genres such as fantasy adventure, science fiction and even just serene drama, all of which can be played straight. The strongest benefit of animation is that it frees up the imagination more than live-action, when those images and scenes would then have to be matched to reality, what settings and actors were available and what the bank balance would allow for with effects. In animation however, all that can be interpreted as the creators wish and be presented directly to the audience. Detractors often dismiss anime as simply being weird, but that is one of the great things about it; it can be as weird, as extravagant, as surreal or as small, intimate and tranquil as it wants to be.’’

‘‘In addition, it is always fascinating to experience foreign products and see how it reflects different concepts and thoughts, be it on specific matters to Japan or on general matters observed across other nations (e.g. Environmentalism, technology in society). Plus, enjoyable stories along with enthralling imagery shouldn’t be overlooked by the general public simply because it’s not from a CGI-saturated Hollywood live-action franchise-spinner.’

As well as weekly screenings of TV shows, the Japanimation Society also hold a feature film double bill most months; next up is a Christmas-themed joint film night with the Manchester Japanese Society on Friday 14th December showing one live-action and one animated film. On Sunday 16th December they will also be holding a Christmas Cosplay Party at The Zoo: ‘The event is open to the general public and attendees needn’t have to dress up to get in. But it helps as cosplayers pay £1.50 (instead of the usual £3.50 entry fee). We have a DJ and there’s going to be a vibrant mix of Japanese and Korean music, so it’s going to be a unique event in the society’s calendar.’

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/mujsociety/

UMSU page: http://manchesterstudentsunion.com/groups/japanimation-society

 

Feeder

Written by Fin Murphy on . Posted in Music.

18th November 2012, Academy 1

4/10

In reminiscence and anecdote, it’s often the case that one can hit a nerve, causing an uncomfortable resonance. For Feeder’s vocalist and guitarist Grant Nicholas this comes late in his band’s set when he introduces the recent single ‘Idaho’, and remarks to the packed out room: ‘back in the 90’s, when there was good music’. It’s in this jocularity that one’s reminded of the sheer irrelevance of Feeder, who’ve long since had their day. Few recall their activity in the 90’s, before they shook off their Radiohead impression and created beauty out of tragedy in the form of ‘Comfort in Sound’, their most creative and commercial peak. The ten years since then have been successful to the point where they have a solid crowd supporting them and no need to be at the forefront of British guitar-rock. It is in this context that we meet them at the Academy, touring to support their latest album ‘Generation Freakshow’.

Feeder kick off with opener ‘Oh My’, the same track which begins ‘Generation Freakshow’, a track reliant on the formula the band have spent years crafting: quiet-loud structure, straightforward lyrics and an anthemic quality, perhaps better suited to venues ten-times that of the Academy. Along with the flamboyant back screen, it suggests an uncomfortable yearning to return to the height of their fame all those years ago. Nicholas begins one of about three attempts at banter, of which he calls Manchester the band’s ‘second home’; red-meat to the largely greying crowd, who’ve turned up for a night of reliably hard rocking. All throughout the night, the band are given a warm reception, but that spikes intensely at several points. ‘Just The Way I’m Feeling’ is one of these, an elegant track on record but here lacking some of the atmosphere-building nuances which are paid off so well by the chorus. It morphs into a big rock track, which the house goes wild for. This is followed by Nicholas noting how he lost a ‘coin toss’, necessitating the band perform the following track: ‘Buck Rogers’. Again, uncomfortably resonant of the fact that Feeder are beyond obliged to play that ‘Godzilla’ of a hit live, so overdone by now it’s hard to see them going through anything but the motions. Nonetheless, this track again overworks many pacemakers in the room.

Many of of the younger fans in attendance go most wild upon hearing choice cuts from recent releases ‘Renegades’ and ‘Generation Freakshow’, leading up to the inevitable ‘ending’ and encore. Here, Feeder end with a fair mix of their catalogue. Recent single ‘Children of the Sun’ kicks off proceedings, again enlivening their crowd- particularly the fresher faced among them. That said, they do play their own official video in the background, something Lethal Bizzle would refer to as ‘a bit leave it.’ Up next is rarely heard early track ‘Sweet 16’, which elicits an almost excessive amount of jumping in an up-and-down fashion and fist-pumping (to the point of nearly banging out my +1). This track is played with an almost sloppy enthusiasm, far from the mechanistic play-through much of their set has been. With a death-like certainty, ‘Just A Day’ caps off the concert, with seemingly every mouth attending singing along to THAT riff; by almost the end, even the band are, leading to the insane idea that they’re having fun. In any case, Feeder set many middle-aged paces running and satisfied rose-tinted sentimentalists, but it’s hardly a cutting-edge, fan-gaining concert. It’s more of a celebration of a career while continuing to plod on until their music finally reaches its desired shade of beige.

#demo2012 “We’re still a bit mad, not really sure why”

Written by Lisa Murgatroyd on . Posted in Opinion.

At the NUS National Conference in April 2012, it was voted to hold a national demonstration in the first term of 2012. It took six months to organise and advertise “#demo2012” across the country to attempt to bring every university on board. The NUS estimated that 10,000 students would attend the demonstration in London, with the catchphrase “Educate, Employ, Empower”. Less than half that number made it on the day, leaving many wondering what the point was, if any.

“We all have a responsibility to make sure that our actions don’t alienate the public.” Hampered by the vivid remembrance of the damaging scenes from the last protest called by the NUS, their hands were tied. With a route that aimed to breeze past Parliament, wanting to avoid any chance of a repeat of Millbank, the march seemed to lose its steam as it moved south of the river. The pouring rain was no encouragement, and it seemed that people only continued to wearily plod along because they knew their coaches would be at the end waiting.

I certainly don’t believe that resorting to vandalism and violence is any way to get your point across, but there’s something to be said about the heavy criticisms aimed at the NUS leadership for leading students on a not so merry trail to Kennington. The story was only given a cursory mention in the national media, because let’s face it – a few thousand students walking around waving placards is nothing new or exciting.

The most interesting point of the day was the crowd turning against Liam Burns, President of the NUS, and against the NUS itself. “Liam Burns, shame on you, you’re a fucking Tory too” was just one of many angry chants they shouted over his attempts to reach out to the shivering students student in the rain and mud. The diehard Socialist Workers Party and the so called anarchists were the only ones with enough passion to stick around to the bitter end to get their point across. They seem to think that the NUS isn’t left wing enough, full of career hacks with an eye on a future in the Labour Party (who apparently aren’t left wing enough either).

The buzzwords ‘educate’, ‘employ’ and ‘empower’ were a good attempt to stir some emotion in a distinctly apathetic national body of students. However, it’s a fairly vague statement to make. The demo wasn’t called as a reaction to some new policy, or appointment. It was more of a “we’re still mad about those fees you increased two years ago”. The demo meant something different to everyone, and whilst I agree with the general sentiment, how effective could it really be?

Let’s take each word in turn. ‘Educate’ – according to the NUS, “Education is a good thing in and of itself.” Well, that’s a revelation. Thanks for spelling that out, I had no idea! It’s actually insulting that they felt the need to express exactly what education means to people who have actively sought to further it on their own accord. It goes on to say that “we demand a properly funded tertiary education system, accessible to all” which it goes without saying is a laudable goal. There’s no set idea of what they mean by properly funded though, whether that’s fee free, or with a better system of student loans, or a graduate tax. The minor triviality of demands is clearly left to your own imagination.

‘Employ’ – youth unemployment is on the rise, according to the NUS. But, latest government figures show that youth unemployment figures between 16-24 are finally starting to fall, down 53,000 since last year as of the end of September. The fact is the UK faces a fragile economy struggling to pull itself out of the black hole of a double dip recession. What is important is to make sure that graduates are not being taken advantage of with the increasing popularity of unpaid internships, but these days we seemed resigned to the fact that for most of us, we need to put in the hours for crucial experience to give us the edge over the similarly qualified competitors.

“Politicians have a lot to answer for. Many of them lied to our faces.” That was two years ago. ‘Empower’ is the keyword here, because we musn’t forget that we have a democratic right to protest. But why has it taken so long to organise a demonstration if we’re so angry? This campaign needs a lot more than a flash in the pan protest. If we want to make sure education and employment are high on the political agenda, then there needs to be more effort made to build a momentum.

There are talks of bringing the campaign to campuses now, to continue to raise awareness, but there’s no strong sense of direction. Perhaps anger against the NUS isn’t so misplaced. However, it’s a difficult task to bring students together and unite on issues in their own backyard, let alone on a national level. Perhaps I’m just too jaded to see the potential, but demo2012 certainly didn’t inspire me to hope for anything better.